Peoples Daily Newspaper, Thursday 20, September, 2012 by Peoples Media Limited

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

Vol. 9 No. 29

Thursday, September 20, 2012

. . . putting the people first

ACF vows to Anti-Islam film: Muslims to protest investigate mix-up in in Zaria today Kogi/Anambra oil feud >> PAGE 2

>> PAGE 2

Zhul-Qadah 3, 1433 AH

N150

Fuel scarcity worsens in Abuja, Lagos >> PAGE 3

Jonathan soft-pedals on N5, 000 notes

. . . As Mark lambasts Okonjo-Iweala, Sanusi, others

By Richard Ihediwa & Lawrence Olaoye

oves to introduce the contentious N5, 000 notes against the wish of many Nigerians suffered a major setback as President Goodluck Jonathan was yesterday said to have agreed to review the controversial proposal which has already pitched his administration against the Nigerian public. This is just as Senate President David Mark also yesterday took a swipe at members of President Goodluck Jonathan’s economic team saying those managing the economy should stop chasing shadows while the nation’s fortunes which they handle continue to be in the doldrums. The President’s decision to review the proposal followed Tuesday’s unanimous resolution by the two chambers of the National Assembly ordering the Federal Government to immediately stop all plans to Contd on Page 2

L-R: Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, Nasarawa state Governor, Alhaji Umaru Tanko AlMakura, and Emir of Lafia, Alhaji Mustapha Agwai, during the commissioning of vehicles donated by the state government to the Nigeria Police, yesterday in Lafia, the state capital.

Plot to impeach Tambuwal foiled By Lawrence Olaoye

plot by some lawmakers to trigger i m p e a c h m e n t proceedings against Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has been foiled as the Speaker himself took proactive steps by confronting the masterminds

on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday. Tambuwal, who blew the lid on the plot at a closed session, also presented facts and figures to counter certain allegations already being circulated against him secretly by his detractors. Arrowheads of the plot are

said to including the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Abdumumini Jibrin, Reps. Aliyu Gebi, Ahmed Patigi and Mohammed Kalgo among others who were said to have the backing of certain forces outside the House. There are allegations that those forces may have links with some

elements in the Presidency It was gathered that the lawmakers have been meeting during the recess, plotting the Speaker’s removal over the finance of the House and his administrative style which they considered objectionable. It was learnt that they are Contd on Page 2

PD INDEX

19th Sept., 2012

CBN RATES $ £ EURO CFA RIYAL

BUYING 154.7 250.8 201 0.289 41

S ELLING 155.7 252 202.5 0.309 41.5

PARALLEL RATES EURO £ RIYAL $

BUYING 202 257 40 158

S ELLING 204 259 42 160

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

CONTENTS

Anti-Islam film: Muslims to protest in Zaria today

News

From Mohammed Adamu, Kaduna

2-11

Editorial

Op.Ed

Letters

Opinion

Metro

16-18

Business

18-19

S/Report

Earth

he Shi’ite sect under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem el-Zakzaky has concluded plans to stage a peaceful protest today against the recent anti-Islam film that sparked protests in many parts of the Islamic world. The spokesman of the sect, Abdullahi Usman, told our reporter in Zaria yesterday that the protest will be led by the Shiite leader, el-Zakzaky and will cover all major streets in Zaria. “We have concluded plans to hold the protest that will be led by Malam Zakzaky along all major roads with thousands of Muslims including women and children to join other Muslim brothers all over the world to condemn in strong terms the recent anti-Islam film produced in America. “We want to send a message to the West that Nigerians too are

totally against the film and we are in support of all those who are against it. “The peaceful protest according to the source is expected to start from the Gyallesu residence of Zakzaky by

9 am today. Efforts to get police reaction over the issue were unsuccessful as the police spokesman, DSP Aminu Lawan could not be reached as he was said to have been bereaved. It would be recalled that

the Inspector-General of police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, recently put all police formations across the country on red alert in anticipation of possible security breaches arising from reactions to the controversial film.

ACF vows to investigate mix-up in Kogi/Anambra oil feud From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

he euphoria that followed the recent discovery of crude oil in Anambra state may be short-lived as Kogi state says that oil drilling activities credited to Anambra are actually taking place in Kogi communities. The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) is already celebrating the apparent “mixup” vowing to ensure that the Federal Government eventually proclaims the north as one of the oil producing areas. “The north will no longer be called a parasite”,” ACF chairman, Alhaji Aliko

Mohammed, declared on Tuesday after the Network of Kogi State Associations led a protest visit from that state to the ACF headquarters in Kaduna, urging it to compel the Federal Government to reverse the declaration of Anambra as an oil producing state, in favour of Kogi state. In his presentation before a meeting of the ACF, Coordinator of the group who led the protest visit, Dr. Umar Aku Goodman, explained that “you are aware of the proclamation of Anambra state on the 30th August, 2012, as an oil producing state. “What many people are not aware of is that the oil which

actually led to the proclamation is actually from Kogi land, specifically in Ibaji local government area of the state. “It is also on record that the said exploration activities leading to the successful access to the crude oil were actually carried out within the following communities in Ibaji local government area of Kogi state: Odeke, Ihile and Echeno, Anocha, Uchuchu and other communities in the local government.” Responding, Mohammed said that the ACF would use its position to make sure that the Federal Government returns to the north what belongs to it.

Jonathan soft-pedals on N5, 000 notes Contd from Page 1

Reporting right, reporting safe (I), Page 36

International 31-34 Discourse

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-47

Columnist

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introduce the new note on the ground that it was not in the interest of the nation. It was gathered that following the resolution, Jonathan summoned the leadership of the National Assembly to a meeting at the State House during which he sought further explanation on the stand of the legislators. Sources hinted that the leadership of the National Assembly took time to explain to him that the N5, 000 note would not be in the interest of the people and therefore counselled him to have a rethink on the matter. Convinced, it was learnt, the President gave his word that he would look into the matter since the National Assembly has come to the conclusion that the policy is unpopular. It is however unclear whether the President has issued an official directive to the Central Bank of Nigeria to halt the proposal. However, a worried Senate President in an address at plenary yesterday said instead of policies such as the proposed introduction of N5,000 notes, those managing the economy should focus on

policies that will revamp the economy in the interest of all. “Those who manage the national economy cannot afford to chase shadows while the economy is in the doldrums. What Nigerians expect, and deserve, is the introduction of fiscal and monetary policies that will create jobs, fix healthcare and infrastructure, and stimulate the economy”, he stressed in his address to welcome senators from their two months recess. Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala heads the economic team, which also has the Governor of Central Bank (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Minister of National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman among others as members. Lamenting that Nigerians are worried with poor implementation of budgets, Mark said there was a link between what he described as “parlourness” in the handling of issues in critical sectors and poor implementation of budgets adding that such must be checked. He urged the executive to accelerate the preparation of the 2013 budget and submit it early

to the legislature to consider vowing that the National Assembly will ensure that it is fully implemented when passed. In his words: “Over the years, our national budgets have raised hopes for a better life. Such hopes have remained largely unrealized. This is not surprising because there is a definite correlation between the parlousness we observe in several critical sectors of our national life and the haphazard and inconsistent implementation of the budgets. “We have felt the pulse of the people, and the condition under which they live has rekindled our resolve to ensure that their living conditions are substantially improved as a reward for their faith in democracy. The war against poverty must therefore be an unrelenting one. Its ultimate objective should be total eradication of poverty, and not just poverty reduction. A nation as blessed as ours has no business with poverty”, he said. Mark said Senate will strengthen its oversight functions even as he listed the 2013 budget, the Petroleum Industry Bill, the amendment of the 1999

constitution, review of the AntiTerrorism Act, the amendment of the Money Laundering Act, the consideration of reports from the committees on the implementation of the 2012 budget, and the review of the performance of minister as areas the Senate will focus on in the coming weeks. On the issue of security, the Senate President said the nation should not play politics with security issues saying such will be an open invitation to chaos and anarchy. He said no tangible political and economic mileage would be achieved through violence and urged those perpetuating the wave of violence in the country to sheathe their swords. Meanwhile there are indications yesterday that OkonjoIweala may brief the senate in a closed session today on the performance of the budget. The minister is expected to give details of the performance of the 2012 as well as key proposal in the 2013 fiscal estimate which is expected to be presented some time from next week to the National Assembly.

Plot to impeach Tambuwal foiled Contd from Page 1

wanted the Speaker to increase their quarterly allowances because they were unconvinced that the House does not have money. They were also said to be uncomfortable with the relationship between the House and the Presidency owing to the way the leadership emerged. This relationship, according to them, has robed the House of so many benefits that are

supposed to accrue to the lawmakers from the Presidency. The lawmakers who met on Tuesday evening to fine tune their strategies and recruit more members into their fold, it was learnt, were taken aback when Tambuwal, in an executive session that lasted for about two hours, confronted them behind the closed doors. At the executive session, Tambuwal challenged every one with any grouse to open up

so that all areas of disagreement would be ironed out. Part of their grievances, it was learnt, was that members are being starved of funds and that some of the committee chairmen installed by the Speaker have personalized their committees with no recrimination coming from the leadership. Tambuwal, it was learnt explained that the executive has been hostile to the House

by withholding funds statutorily due to it so as to cause disaffection and make the ground fertile for his removal. He challenged the perpetrators of the plot to confirm from their sponsors whether money was released to the parliament. Based on the revelations, especially on the financial status of the House, our source said the affected lawmakers took turns to apologise over their roles in the said impeachment plot.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 3

Flood submerges houses, schools, business premises in Lokoja From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

Queue for Petrol on OlusegunObasanjo way, Central Business District in Abuja,yesterday.

Photo: NAN

Police arraigns pastor over alleged N2.5m fraud By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

retired Superintendent of Police (SP) and pastor of a new generation church (The Lords Chosen), Anthony Iheanacho Anyanwu, has been arraigned before an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court for criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and cheating of the sum of N2.5million. The clergy was alleged to have duped a businessman of the said

sum of money after deceiving him that he had a shop for sale. But after collecting the money, it turned out the shop in question did not belong to Anyanwu hence he was unable to deliver possession to the buyer. According to the Police First Information Report (FIR) dated August 7, 2012, one Ugwoke Jude from Kubwa, Abuja came to the Area Command office of the Police, Kubwa and reported that you Anthony Iheanacho

Anyanwu of Zone 6 Dutse-Alhaji deceived him that you have acquired the shop you are occupying at Kubwa Market and wanted to sell same. He (Ugwoke) then contacted his master named Oliver Omeke who became interested and bought the said shop at the rate of N2.5 million. "That immediately you collected the money, it was discovered that you have no legitimacy on the shop and have

converted the money to your personal use. "You have also not refunded the money to the buyer who has been denied possession of the shop. By so doing you thereby committed the offences of criminal breach of trust, cheating and misappropriation, contrary to sections 312, 322 and 309 of the Panel Code law." The accused however pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N500,000 and two sureties in like sum.

Fuel scarcity worsens in Abuja, Lagos Sambo advocates establishment By Muhammad Nasir

uel scarcity has worsened in Abuja and Lagos environs as a result of the shutdown of the pipeline supplying fuel from Lagos to Ibadan, IIorin and the North following series of pipeline vandalism a couple of weeks ago. A report monitored yesterday by our reporter on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service, noted that there was presence of long queues of motorists in most of the filling stations in Abuja as well as the persistence of black marketers selling fuel in jerry cans.

Transport fares have increased tremendously in some part of both cities as a result of shortage of fuel. It could be recalled that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has said that it has stepped up fuel supply to marketers and distributors for effective and efficient supply of fuel to Nigerians. A statement signed by its acting Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, Mr. Fidel Pepple, said the supply of fuel from Folawiyo Tank Farm has been stepped up, yet fuel scarcity still persists in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan and some parts of the North.

of mobile courts for erring pilgrims From Edwin Olofu, Kano

ice -President Namadi Sambo has advocated for the establishment of a mobile court to try erring pilgrims in order to ensure good conduct of Nigeria’s pilgrims to this year’s Hajj. Sambo, was speaking in Kano yesterday while addressing about 1,000 intending pilgrims to the at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, before their departure to Medina, urging them

to pray for the peace and unity of the country. Represented by the Kano state governor, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on the occasion, Sambo charged the pilgrims to be good ambassadors of their country by abstaining from corrupt practices and shady deals. According to Sambo, this year’s pilgrimage is historic; pointing out that this is the first time Nigerian pilgrims were being flown direct to Mecca, which he considered a welcome development.

otels, filling stations, schools, houses and roads in Lokoja metropolis have been submerged by the ferocious current from the River Niger and Benue. The International School of Merchant Seaman along LokojaGanaja-Ajaokuta road opposite 500 Housing Estate lost property estimated to be worth about N60 million. Also affected were INA Hotels owned by a member of the House of Representatives from IdahIgalamela/Odolu-Ofu fedral constituency, Conoil filling station in front of the hotel, which were both submerged. The Managing Director of Alternative Impression Limited, Hon Aduku Ojodale, whose houses were among properties affected told our reporter that he was grateful to Almighty Allah that no life was lost even as property estimated at N10.5 million have been submerged. Meanwhile, the only road linking Kogi East, South-south and South East from Lokoja is under threat of being washed away as the surging water has covered the bridge making the road impassable.

CAN condemns killing of former prison controller in Bauchi By Muhammad Nasir

he Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bauchi branch, has condemned the killing of former Controller General of Prisons, Mohammed Jarma. The leader of CAN, Bauchi, Reverend Lawi Pokte, said what we have for the family of Jarma and the circumstances surrounding his death as well as what happened in Azare is not good for a country like Nigeria. Larry maintained that ‘we are all one Nigeria, killings will not take us anywhere in this country’. He called on those affected to be patient especially the recent killing of the former prison controller, Mohammed Jarma, adding that no matter the position one occupies or wealth, death will certainly catch up with all living individuals.

FEC approves sugar master plan, targets 170,000 jobs By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

he Federal Government has approved a new National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) form which it hopes to generate about 170,000 new jobs across the country. The plan approved in yesterday's Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, apart from ensuring self sufficiency in sugar production, is also expected to help

the nation to conserve about $350million annually in foreign exchange. The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, who briefed State House correspondents alongside his Trade and Investment counterpart, Olusegun Aganga, said out of the figure, 37,378 would be permanent jobs. He revealed that when fully functional, the sugar industry would produce about 1,797,000

tonnes of the commodity annually. Mr. Maku said besides that, about 161.2 million litres of ethanol would be produced sufficient to generate 400 MW of electricity annually just as it would also produce about 1.6 million tonnes of animal feeds annually. The minister remarked that this initiative which is based on backward integration policy of the Federal Government, would also help the country to save about

$65.8 million in foreign exchange from imports annually. Maku gave further insight into the plan, saying that in order to reverse the decline in the subsector, the NSMP has spelt out the sugar and ethanol projections required to achieve self-sufficiency in these commodities and indicated the number of factories, sugar cane hectares and number of skilled and unskilled staff required. He said, "the implementation

of the NSMP as conceived would entail many projects which would cover all geo-political zones of the country since suitable sites for sugar cane production exists across the ecological zones". The Minister added that in view of the benefits, the council considered and approved the NSMP for implementation and adoption as government's strategic roadmap for the development of the sugar sub-sector.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

THE PAGE 4 REPORT

Proposed N5000 note: Testing NASS fidelity, again It was one time French leader Napoleon Bonaparte who famously said that Leaders are dealers in hope. This perhaps explains why, whether elected, selected or imposed, leaders over the ages have never been short of lofty promises to their people. Promising a utopian state, many a leader often ends up delivering a hell of sorts for the people. The National Assembly (NASS) in the current democratic dispensation has always been good on raising the hope of Nigerians, but as often as not, short on delivery, especially when the course leads to an obvious collision with the executive. It is against this backdrop that not a few Nigerians might view the NASS’ rejection of the proposed N5000 note, writes Abdu Labaran Malumfashi

he Minister of National Planning, Dr. Usman Shamsudeen, penultimate week declared that as far as the Economic Management Team (EMT) was concerned, there is no going back over the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) decision to introduce a N5000 note in January next year. The minister’s declaration trailed the universal condemnation of the proposal after it was announced by the CBN Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi last month, with the organised labour, NGO’s, professional bodies, lecturers, students, human rights groups and leading Nigerians describing the policy as insensitive, ill-thought out and illtimed. Even the media were not left out as many penned editorials very critical of the proposed N5000 note. Although the outright rejection of the proposal yesterday by the two chambers of the National Assembly immediately after the lawmakers’ resumption from their two months break appears to rhyme perfectly with the national mood, it is perhaps too soon to pat our legislators on the back for a job well done. The upper chamber’s volte face, after an initial show of indignation over the introduction of the controversial new driver’s licence and vehicle number plates by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) earlier in the year, has left a very sour taste in the mouth of most vehicle owners in the country. Also, the failure of the Speaker Ghali Umar Na Abba-led House to walk its talk over the lower chamber’s threat to impeach then President Obasanjo is still fresh to engender much hope in the people that the NASS would act differently where the interest of the larger society is at stake. In foreclosing any reversal of the policy, Dr. Usman Shamsudeen had said that the endorsement of the N5000 note

by the EMT was sequel to an approval of the currency by President Goodluck Jonathan. “Obviously, the discussion today was basically to endorse. Mr. President had already approved; that is the only requirement by law. The CBN is to propose and Mr. President is to approve. And since Mr. President has approved, really what is important is to just explain. I personally had some concerns about the coins but since some discussion with the CBN governor, he has actually clarified that even the media didn’t get it”, the minister said. Dismissing fears that the policy might lead to further inflation, he stated that there was “absolutely no link. I am an economist. I have been deputy governor operations of the Central Bank. In the last review of the introduction of N1000 note and the various coins I was deeply involved, it was my responsibility at the central bank. There is absolutely no link between inflation and the currency denomination. And going by the outcry that greeted the announcement of the proposed N5000 note, it is not just the media that is vehemently opposed to the proposal. Former President Obasanjo, who took exception to the proposed N5000 at a roundtable advocacy forum organised by the Institute of Directors, Nigeria in Lagos, two weeks ago, said it would kill production and affect small businesses negatively. For his trouble, the former president was rudely called a bad economist by the CBN Governor. Foremost constitutional lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay, the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Ola Makinde and former Governor of Kaduna state, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, National President, Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe OkeiOdumakin and President, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders

Senate President David Mark

CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (CACOL), Comrade Debo Adeniran are also other notables who separately condemned the planned introduction of the N5000 note. They share the view that the proposal is a sure recipe for inflation and further suffering by the majority of the population who will fall its victim. Regarding the argument by the pro-N5000 lobbyists that

there is a $1000 in the US, Wikipedia has this to say; “the introduction of the electronic money system has made largescale cash transactions obsolete, which is why it is unlikely that the U.S. government will re-issue large denomination currency in the near future, despite the amount of inflation that has occurred since 1969.

And according to the US Department of Treasury website, “The present denominations of our currency in production are $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. Neither the Department of the Treasury nor the Federal Reserve System has any plans to change the denominations in use today.” Which is all the reason why Nigerians are keeping their fingers crossed hoping that the federal legislators will walk their talk this time around and insist that the proposed N5000 note remains just that, ad infinitum. The unambiguous position of the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark is a cause for hope. According to him, “I heard people asking if I was briefed on it. The only briefing I got was from the pages of newspapers. If Nigerians say that they don’t want a particular policy, there is nothing wrong in government retracing its footsteps. I have read those canvassing support for it but those excuses are not practical. The timing is wrong and the argument being advanced is not convincing.” He said that the claims of the CBN governor that the policy would reduce inflation in the country are mere theory that is unacceptable by Nigerians, saying that government should be bold to reverse any unpopular policy. According to him, “The important thing is that if Nigerians say they do not want a particular policy at any given moment, there is no harm in government retracing their stand on the issue and I think that is the situation that we find ourselves. I have listened to the arguments from those who support it but those arguments are simply not convincing. They appear to me to be highly theoretical and technical in nature and they do not address any practical issue on ground. Any policy that does not address issues directly but just talking about indices we cannot verify for now should wait. We have not reached that level where we are just talking of hypothetical cases all the time. “I think the disadvantages of the N5000 notes at the moment far outweigh not introducing it and on balance, we should not go for it. And also, from the contributions on the floor, we are all in support of the fact that the timing is wrong and the policy is unnecessary at the moment and the arguments being advanced are not convincing and there is no urgent need for it to take place now. There is no ambiguity on our stand on the issue. I am not sure that Sanusi is aware of the Constitution, if he was, he would make reference to us before addressing the issue.”

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 5

Gowon to chair northern youth’s peace conference By Augustine Aminu

ormer Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, is to chair a peace conference by northern youths, Thursday next week. According to a press statement signed and issued by Mr. Hilary Amodu, the Local Organising Committee chairman of the conference, in Abuja, the programme would be part of the group’s moves to “end the

unhealthy, concurrent bloodletting and politicallymotivated attacks and killings of innocent and unarmed citizens in the northern part of Nigeria.” The one-day conference would be organised by the Northern Youth Initiative for Good Governance in conjunction with the National Youth Council of Nigerian and the National Association of Nigerian Students and has the theme, “Peace Building as a tool for National

Stability and Development.” The topic would be discussed by traditional rulers, youth and student leaders. Also expected to thrash out the topic are community heads, civil society organisations, delegates from security agencies and the Presidency. Among other dignitaries expected at the conference are President Goodluck Jonathan, as Special Guest of Honour; VicePresident Namadi Sambo among others.

President of the group, Muhammed Kabir Salihu, said in the release that “at the end of this conference, the political and religious leaders in the Northern region will embark on mobilisation of various youth groups in the constituencies to serve as vehicle to drive the peace initiative by putting machinery in place to actively rededicate the youths to the task of creatively adding values to the developmental agenda of the region and the nation, by extension.”

L-R: Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina, Minister of Labour, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu, and Minister of Communications and Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

We’re committed to justice, says Lagos CJ From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

he Chief Judge of Lagos state, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, yesterday, insisted, that the commitment of the Lagos state judiciary towards proper delivery of justice to all, remains unwavering. Speaking at a stakeholders summit at the High Court of Lagos state (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012 and The Family Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012, as part of activities marking the commencement of the new legal

year, Justice Phillips explained that the High Court of Lagos state (Civil Procedure) Rules 2012 rules is yet to become operational, adding that a lot still needs to be done in terms of infrastructure and personnel improvement. Justice Phillips explained that the essence of the review of the rules was to achieve decongestion of cases in court and a more costeffective means of justice dispensation. In his remark, Attorney General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade

Ipaye, commended the CJ for ensuring that prisons in the state were decongested when on Tuesday she ordered the release of 233 prison inmates from the Kirikiri Maximum and Medium Security Prisons, describing the detention of people pending investigations, as barbaric and wicked. The commissioner commended the Lagos Judiciary for ensuring true dispensation of Justice in the state through the new laws, adding that, “the Lagos Judiciary has lived up to expectation and it will continue to improve well in the future.”

Nasarawa LG bosses deny mass resignation From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

embers of the Transition Management Committee and Administrators of local government council and development areas in Nasarawa state, on Tuesday, denied media reports alleging that they have threatened to resign their appointments following the nonrelease of funds to the LGAs and development areas by the state government. Making their position known on the matter, Liman Hudu, Lafia LG TMC chairman and chairman of the forum, flanked by its secretary, Ayuba Wandai, TMC chairman of Nasarawa LGA , described the claim by a daily newspaper (not Peoples Daily), as unfounded and malicious, capable of destabilizing the fragile peace being enjoyed in the state. Hudu disclosed that contrary to the malicious report, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura, only last month released various sums of money to local government chairmen and development area administrators to embark on projects for speedy development at the grassroots. “Therefore, none of us seated here will condescend so low to contemplate leaving office as we are serving the people to the best of our abilities with available funds at our disposal.” They called on the journalist at the centre of the controversy to withdraw the report and give the withdrawal the same prominence he accorded the vexatious report, warning that failure to do so would leave them with no option than to seek redress.

Wada flags-off cement factory From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

ogi State Governor, Capt Idris Wada has described Small and Medium Enterprise as key to making Nigeria one of the industrialized nations by 2020. The governor stated this at the ground breaking ceremony of the 300,000 metric tonnes CINAFINDEV Cement Factory at Alo, along Lokoja-Anyigba-Enugu road in Ofu local government of the state Capt Wada who called on the

Alo community to live in harmony with CINAFINDEV, noted that the policy of his administration is to start small and medium scale industries with 18 months gestation period, promising government support to the completion of the cement industry. The governor added that his administration policy focuses on public private partnership, enjoining investors to take advantage of the numerous opportunities abound in the state to invest.

Smoking, drinking tied to early pancreatic cancer – Study

eople who smoke or drink heavily may develop pancreatic cancer at an earlier age than those who avoid those habits, according to a U.S. study, but quitting both appears to help. It's long been known that smoking is a risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer; a disease that rarely manifests early and has a grim prognosis.

Only about five out of every 100 people diagnosed with the cancer remain alive five years later. The evidence on heavy drinking has been more mixed, but some studies have suggested it's also a risk factor. The new results, which appeared in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, show the disease may strike smokers and drinkers earlier in

life. “If you do have these habits, and you're going to develop pancreatic cancer, the age of presentation may be younger,” said lead researcher Michelle Anderson, at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. Her team also found that the effect disappeared for former smokers and drinkers if they had

quit 10 years or more before being diagnosed. On average, the risk of developing pancreatic cancer is about one in 71, and the average age at diagnosis is 72, according to the American Cancer Society. But in this study, current smokers and heavy drinkers were diagnosed a decade earlier than that. The findings are based on 811

patients in a pancreatic cancer registry. The findings do not prove that smoking or drinking led to the earlier cancers, but Anderson's team did account for a number of other factors, such as body weight and family history of pancreatic cancer. Smoking and heavy drinking were still linked to earlier diagnoses. (Reuters/NAN)

PAGE 6

Nasarawa donates 42 patrol vehicles to security agencies From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

he Nasarawa state government, yesterday, donated 42 Hilux patrol vehicles worth over N300 million to security agencies operating in the state, with the Nigeria police receiving the lion share of the donation - 33 out of the total number of vehicles. Announcing the donation in a brief ceremony that held within the premises of the Lafia Government House, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura, stated that it has become necessary to make the donation in order to reciprocate the enormous contributions of the police in crime prevention, detection and control in the state. Receiving the vehicles, the Inspector-General of police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, who had earlier paid a courtesy call on the governor at the Government House, expressed appreciation for the gesture, describing Governor Almakura as a "police friendly, security conscious governor", who is committed and dedicated to issues of security.

5 family members perish in auto crash From Dave Eniwomake, Asaba

ghastly auto crash yesterday claimed the lives of five persons believed to be members of the same family at Ubulu-Okiti Junction, near Asaba on the Benin-Onitsha expressway. The victims, who were said to be travelling to Awka from Ekiti state had the accident when the Toyota Hilux vehicle they were travelling in lost one of its tyres while in motion. An eyewitness said the vehicle somersaulted severally resulting in the death of five of its occupants while two others survived. Among the survivors was an octogenarian believed to be the matriarch of the family. The other survivor, said to be one of the daughters of the deceased couple, was receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC), Asaba as at the time of this report. But the husband who was said to be driving the vehicle, his pregnant wife, two of their children (male and female) and a steward perished in the unfortunate incident. The bodies of the dead victims were evacuated from the scene of the accident by officials of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and deposited at the FMC in Asaba.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

NTA College expels 7, suspends 3 for exam malpractice L

State creation: Splitting Kaduna will promote unity, elders say From Mohammed Kaduna

he NTA College, Jos, has expelled seven students and rusticated three others for examination malpractice, its Rector, Dr. Ayo Fasan, has said. Fasan told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos yesterday that the college was investigating another student allegedly caught cheating in the same examination. The students were caught during the just concluded second semester examination conducted by the college. He said that the 10 students,

whose cases had been settled, were undergoing diploma programmes, while the student being investigated was pursuing a degree course. "The seven that were expelled were caught with incriminating materials, while the three that were suspended had no direct physical evidence on them". The rector listed the expelled students as Auta Yossi, Gyang Hope, Sunday Chungwom, Priscilla Kon, Samuel Nanman and Yerima

Nanchin, all of TV Journalism Department, while Babasola Adediran is of the TV Production Department. "Expelling them was a difficult decision to take, but I gladly took it to show them that the college does not condone such kind of behaviourâ&#x20AC;Ś "We are not happy seeing people, whom we are preparing to be good presenters, good reporters in the future and good ambassadors of the college, get involved in examination malpractice. (NAN)

L-R: Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed, former Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, and Secretary-General of the forum, Colonel Musa Shehu (rtd), during the ACF meeting, on Tuesday in Kaduna. Photo: NAN

Akume lampoons FG for lacking disaster management strategy From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

enate Minority Leader, Sen. George Akume has lambasted the Federal Government for lacking prompt disaster management strategy in the face of natural occurrences. Sen. Akume who undertook a tour of the flood ravaged areas in Makurdi local government yesterday, condemned the slow reaction of the Federal

Government to the situation in the state and other parts of the country, lamenting that the quantum of devastation caused by the flood is unprecedented in the history of the state. He also frowned at the inability of FG to heed warnings from the Cameroonian government over release of large volume of water from the Lagdo Dam, positing that if dredging of the River Benue had been swiftly

done by the government, the magnitude of destruction would have been less. The ACN Senator therefore suggested that a joint commission of Nigeria/Cameroun governments could be step up to avert flood in future. The Senate leader urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to start taking inventories and act fast so as to give succor to the victims.

Immigration to deport 150 illegal aliens in Kwara From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

he Nigeria Immigration Service, Kwara state command says it has concluded plans to repatriate about 150 illegal aliens to their various countries of origin. The Comptroller of Kwara state command of the service, Mr. Temilola Esan, who made this known at a press briefing in Ilorin, said the affected immigrants were nabbed in some areas within the Ilorin metropolis as

part of measures to stem the precarious security situation across the country. "Sometimes ago, the Federal Government launched a new policy that will enable citizens under ECOWAS sub-region and others to register their documents, which was code-named ECOWAS biometric card. It was through this policy that we were able to capture the data of many of them. "I must also say that among the arrested aliens, we have thieves and

escapees. We are going to conduct screening on them and after that, we will hand over the criminals among them to the police for further action. "Last year July, we moved out about 700 illegal immigrants on this same exercise. These people are so many among us. We are not angry about people coming here to work, when you come to a place you respect the law of that place; because when you have a farm and allow it overgrown, you are not helping yourself", he stated.

Adamu,

eaders of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Progressive Union (SUKAPU), and their counterparts from Northern Kaduna known as Kaduna Development Elders Forum, have reaffirmed that the creation of the additional state from old Kaduna will not bring ill feelings or hatred, but that it will promote peace and unity. Leaders of the unions made this view known to the Kaduna State Peace and Reconciliation Committee during its sitting at the General Hassan Usman Katsina House, in Kaduna on Tuesday. The leaders of the group Major General Yunanah Nom (rtd) from SOKAPU, and Barrister Aliyu Umar from Kaduna Elders Forum, respectively, also informed the committee that splitting Kaduna state into two will bring about stability, socio-political and rapid economic benefits to the people. According to them the present Kaduna state has witnessed economic development set back compared to the other state such as Katisna state which was carved out from old Kaduna as it has more local governments compared to Kaduna. Earlier In their joint welcome address, the co-chairmen of the Kaduna State Peace and Reconciliation Committee, Alhaji Abbas Dabo Sambo and AVM Ishaya Shekarri (rtd), said the response received from 365 Memoranda from individuals and group is tremendous.

Oil spill: Senators advocate sever penalty against culprits By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

he Senate, yesterday, opened debate on a bill spelling out strict sanctions for oil spillage, with majority of the senators calling for a severe penalty on the heads of government agencies who abandon their regulatory and monitory roles to collaborate with oil companies in shortchanging Nigerians. Presenting the bill for consideration, its sponsor and chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Bukola Saraki, said oil spillage is an environmental problem. He said the bill is not aimed at bringing strict regulations to oil exploration in the country, adding that it will help to foster a healthy oil industry and friendly environmental practices by oil companies. Saraki noted that a legislation that will provide for both penalties and compensation for both spillers and victims was desirable as obtains across the world, reiterating that oil spillage is an irresponsible behavior by oil companies.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 7

Nigeria territorial integrity sacrosanct – COAS From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

he Chief of Army staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejireka, has assured that the territorial integrity of the nation would not be subverted for any reason. Ihejireka, who made the declaration yesterday in Benin City while commissioning roads and renovated offices by the Edo state government inside the 4Brigade Headquarters of the Nigeria Army in Benin, said the Nigerian Army will continue to build on the civil relationship

enjoyed since the enthronement of democracy in the country. The COAS recalled that the task of providing security should be seen as a collective role of all institutions including the civil society. He commended the efforts of the Edo state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for providing logistics support for military formations in the state. Responding, Governor Oshiomhole said officers and men of the Nigerian Army must be encouraged to do their jobs diligently through the provision of infrastructural development and a conducive environment.

Bus driver dies struggling with LASTMA officials From Matthew Aramunde, Lagos

ragedy struck at the early hours of Tuesday morning, when a commercial bus driver, Mr. Monday Jacob, died after having an altercation with some Lagos State Transport and Management Agency, (LASTMA) officials. It was gathered that the bus

driver who was said to have violated the traffic was arrested by the LASTMA officials. Jacob, who refused the order of the officials to drive his vehicle to their station, was said to have slumped and died. Efforts to revive him failed as his body was later deposited at the Gbagada General Hospital. A source at the hospital alleged that Monday Jacob could have died of high blood pressure.

Anti-money laundering compliance: Bankers C’ttee, EFCC join forces By Lambert Tyem

he Committee of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria is now in cooperation with relevant agencies for the development and effective implementation of compliance related to anti-money laundering, / Combating Financing of Terrorism policies in Nigeria. Spokesman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren, said the Managing Director, Citi Bank, Mr. Emeka Emuwa made the disclosure in Lagos while deliberating on the implications of the Central Bank circular on the need for Designated Non Financial Institutions (DNFIs), to register with the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML). While acknowledging the need for adherence to statutory regulations, Emuwa said the contributions of CCCOBIN have raised the profile of Nigeria in the international community through the promotion and strong commitment to comply with global AML/CFT and KYC

initiatives. In his view, Mr. Obot Udari who represented the CBN at the programme, said such registration and compliances would ultimately help to delist Nigeria from the grey areas of the Financial Action Task Force list, “where the country’s rating is gradually degenerating”. Mr. Udofia also warned that erring institutions will be sanctioned appropriately “since the establishment of SCUML was based on recommendations 22 and 23 of the international Standard on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and proliferation, developed by the FATF”. Head of SCUML, Angela Nworgu, had described the directive of the apex bank as capable of enhancing efforts at implementing Nigeria’s antimoney laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, AML/ CFT, regime as it will automatically translate into more registrations and supervisory work to ensure compliance with the law, since the circular has immediate and of nationwide effect.

3 arrested for kidnapping Dangote staff From Matthew Aramunde, Lagos

he police in Lagos have paraded three suspects for kidnapping a Dangote Group staff. One of the three, Pius Uba Livinus, was said to be a serial kidnapper having been charged to court for conspiracy and kidnapping on April 5 and released in June. According to the Lagos police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, the victim – Yahaya Aminu, a staff of Dangote Group was kidnapped by Pius Uba Livinus, Kelechukwu

Onyema and Ayebe Segun at Guaranty Trust Bank, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi in Lagos on September 2. The suspects were arrested on September 3 at about midnight by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) detectives at Ajao Estate. “The victim was rescued alive while two locally made pistols with 16 cartridges and one Kia Cerato with registration number, DN 735 APP belonging to Aminu was recovered from the kidnappers”, she said.

L-R: Director, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ibirowke Lapite, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Ossi George, and Director, Women Affairs, Mrs. Esther Adeyemi, during the mid-term review meeting on the 14th regular National Council on Women Affairs and Social Development, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Fuel scarcity: Motorists hike fares in Ilorin A From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

s fuel scarcity persists in many states in the Nigeria, motorists in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital have started increasing transport fares in the metropolis. Investigation by our correspondent in the state

capital shows that a liter of petroleum in the state is now sold for N110, N120 depending on the filling station while the NNPC mega station along Asa Dam road was besieged with long queue of both commercial and private vehicles. Some of the motorists expressed their disappointment with the situation, stressing that

they now sleep at filling stations before they could get the fuel to work and sometimes pay N200 to gain entrance to the stations. It was further gathered that some private vehicle owners who could not wait on the long queues return at night to pay any amount the filling station attendants charge per liter to refill.

Kwara hajj board to airlift 2,520 pilgrims From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

he Kwara State Muslims Pilgrim Welfare Board has disclosed that no fewer than 2,520 intending pilgrims from the state would be airlifted this year for hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia. The Executive Secretary of

the board, Hajia Fatimoh Abolere Jimoh who disclosed this in Ilorin during an enlightenment programme and special prayer for the intending pilgrims, warned that legal action would be taken against guarantors of pilgrims who abscond. Jimoh said the board has taken new measures by insisting on guarantors who must be of

grade level 14 and above to undersign for any intending pilgrims. Earlier, the chairman of the board, Imam Usman Olosun had assured pilgrims that they would not stay beyond 45 days in the holy land, stressing that any absconded pilgrims will block the chances of others in the nearest future.

Taraba Fadama III communities get World Bank assistance From Yusha’u Alhassan, Jalingo

ome Fadama III communities have started benefiting from the World Bank assisted projects in Taraba state. One of them is the Albarka Fadama users group of Mayo Ranewo in Ardo-Kola local government area which purchased an engine boat and is using it for commercial purposes. The boat with a capacity for 170 people, carries people and goods across the River Benue at Mayo Ranewo. In a related development, the pastoralists, Fadama Users Group of Boduga in Zing Local Government, have started getting the dividend

of the Fadama three projects in their community. When the state Fadama three officials visited the area, they found out that the groups were performing well and urged them to keep it up. Earlier, the officials of the group said those communities would remain grateful to the state and Federal Government and the World Bank for assisting them to improve th eir economic wellbeing. In an interview, acting state project coordinator, Rigime Festus, commended the two groups for effective utilisation of the World Bank funds. Meanwhile Women in Taraba state have been

charged to form cooperative groups before seeking assistance and support from the Ministry of Poverty and Cooperatives in the state. Commissioner of the Ministry, Musa Isa was speaking on Tuesday in Jalingo while declaring open a five days training organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development programme, RUWEDEP. Responding on behalf of the participants, the chairperson Taraba state chapter of Women for Change, Sa’adatu Mafindi called on the Ministry for Poverty and Cooperatives and relevant agencies, to always consider the plight of women when distributing incentives for empowerment.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

, R-L: Deaconess Elizabeth Oluwafunmilayo Aderinto, Deaconess Esther Yilda, Deacon Durodola Israel Akinola, Deacon Tunji James, Deacon Elvis O. Okewu, and Deacon Danjuma Bulus, reading the Deacon's Code of Conduct during their ordination as deacons and deaconess, recently at the Bethel Baptist Church Hayin Banki, Kawo, in Kaduna. Photo: Joe Oroye

L-R: Professor Anthony I. Asiwaju, Professor Bolade Eyinla, and Professor Nuhu Yaqub, during a one day expert debate on the maritime boundaries of Nigeria and the future of Bakasi, yesterday at the National Assembly, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

L-R: Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) National Secretary, Malam Shu'iabu Leman, Deputy National President, Mr Rotimi Obamuwagun, and National President, Malam Mohammed Garba, welcoming the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, to NUJ's people's forum, on Tuesday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

P 3, L-R: Executive Director, Highbury College, Portsmouth United Kingdom, Deborah See, Minister of State for Education, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, and the Highbury College Principal, Stella Mbubaegbu, during the college management's visit to the Minister, on Tuesday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

R-L: Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Azubuike Ihejirika, presents a souvenir to Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, after the commissioning of a network of roads at the 4 Brigade headquarters, yesterday in Benin City.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 9

Airlift of EFCC, ICPC, CCB set to merge Katsina A pilgrims begins T By Lambert Tyem

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

he airlift of Katsina State pilgrims to the Holy land began yesterday. The executive-secretary of the Katsina State Pilgrims Board, Alhaji Aminu Danbaba told newsmen that the airlift began with pilgrims from Dutsin-ma local government. He disclosed that already Visa and Basic Traveling Allowance for 4,500 pilgrims have been secured while 1,000 were expected before the week runs out. Danbaba who gave the assurance for his board for the smooth operations of the exercise, said Max Air, the official carrier of Katsina pilgrims was ready for the exercise. He similarly urged pilgrims to respect flight schedules and be disciplined and orderly while in the Holy land

Recording artiste kills friend over N20,000

ll is set for the three anticorruption agencies in Nigeria to begin joint operations in the fight against economic and financial crimes in the country. Spokesman of EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren said Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde Tuesday disclosed that such a robust inter-agency collaboration would push the anti-graft war to the next level. Uwujaren said the stage was set when heads of the anti-graft

agencies met with Justice for All, J4A, at the EFCC head office to discuss the way forward in the fight against economic and financial crimes. “The two other agencies that met with the J4A at the EFCC head office and spoke along the same line of joint operation were the Independent and Corrupt Practices and other Related Commission, ICPC, led by the acting Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta and the Code of Conduct Bureau led by the chairman, Mr. Sam Saba. “According to Lamorde, the J4A should design a programme

which should be extended beyond the head of the anti –graft agencies. “Joint operation which should involve all the anticorruption agencies is a useful forum to share ideas, to see how to move the fight against corruption forward”, adding that the meeting should go beyond the heads of the anti-graft agencies, to the operatives who do the job. He said Dr. Bob Arnot, National Programme Manager, J4A Programme, has disclosed that a substantial part of a planned budget of between 35 to 50 million pounds in the next four

months, would go into the operations of the anti-corruption agencies. “Our programme originally will start from a range of thirty five to fifty million pounds; probably before Christmas. One of the areas that we are particularly looking into is the anti-corruption agencies. We are thinking about doubling the budget for that area. This is a testimony to the fact of the work my colleagues have done and also the relationship we have built with you. We are looking at an interventionist programme before Christmas”, he promised.

Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide (middle) immunising a child during the flag-off of the FCT Immunisation Days Plus by the minister, on Tuesday, at the Gwarinpa General Hospital, Life Camp, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

From Matthew Aramunde, Lagos

recording artist is presently in police net for allegedly killing his friend with a wooden stool during a heated argument in Lagos. According to the Lagos Police Public Relation Officer, Ngozi Braide, the man, Obinna Nwobodo was said to have owed his friend N20, 000, the balance of a keyboard musical instrument he bought from his friend, Elijah two months ago. Elijah in his quest to retrieve the money picked a fight with Obinna at his home in Aloko, OrileIganmu part of Lagos which led to Obinna hitting his friend with a stool on the head after which he slumped and died. When it dawned on the twenty-three year old, he frantically put his friend’s corpse in a sack and dumped it in a gutter far from his home. Someone who saw him carrying a sack became suspicious and confronted him and Obinna opened up promising to give the man N200,000. Obinna later gave the man his dead friend’s phone set. After some days, the neighbourhood was filled with a foul smell of the decomposing body of Elijah’s corpse and after investigation, the man in possession of the phone reported the matter to the police. Obinna Nwobodo from Anambra State admitted to killing his friend but said it was done in self defence as his friend also wanted to attack him with a metal object.

Oshiomhole flags off 2012 immunisation in Edo From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

do state governor, Adams Oshiomhole has flagged off the 2012 Local Immunisation Days in the state, urging the people to take advantage of the free immunization exercise for the good health of the children. Speaking at the flag off held at Evbonogbon, Ovia South West Local Government Area, Oshiomhole said, “ I am happy to see the number of women in a

typical rural community that have turned out. It shows that the message is going far and wide and others realise that their children must have this vaccine.” The governor said every child must be immunised, since it is totally free and urged mothers to take the exercise seriously. According to the governor, “this is something that we want to sustain and take to every village. Those of you who are

here should tell those at home that the children must have this vaccine. “There are no side effects, there is no danger for the child. It is a win, win situation. It is good for the child, good for the family and good for the society,” he said. Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cordelia Aiwize appealed to parents to willingly present their children aged from zero to fifty-nine months for vaccination, adding that the

eight childhood killer diseases are preventable through immunization. According to her, “ the three rounds of LIDS is borne out of the fact that Edo State that has been polio free since 2009, recently had a case of an ambiguous vaccine derived from polio virus. This suggests that there are cases of missed and unimmunized children in the state.” She said that repeated dose of the vaccine would boost the immunity of the children.

LG is gateway for service delivery, says Babangida Aliyu From Iliya Garba, Minna

he Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has said the local government is the gateway to service delivery in a democratic dispensation because majority of the electorate live there. He made this known yesterday at the opening ceremony of retreat for local government Directors, Administrative Secretaries and Development areas and local government graduate staff on salary grade level 13 and above held at Abdulsalam Youth

Centre. He said, “it is your responsibility to redeem the local government services from its present state of ineptitude and inefficiency and you must be united to enable you to bring your potentials together to chart a new course for the smooth running of the local government service in the state”. Governor Aliyu advised the participants to pay attention to the lectures as they would be subjected to assessment test end of the retreat, and charged local government workers to renew their commitment towards the

realisation of the developmental dreams and aspirations of governments “Let me take this opportunity to reassure the local government service commission of government’s continued support and cooperation to enable the commission achieve its core mandates, including sponsorship of local government personnel on Professional development training across the country”. The governor said that his administrations has embarked on a comprehensive policy review and adoption of new

operational guidelines for the realization of transformation agenda for local government services which is aimed at returning to merit-based recruitment and promotion system not only in the local government services but in the civil service in general. Niger State Chairman of Local Government Commission, Barrister Halidu Ibrahim listed the challenges facing the body which include, promoting some of the local government staff without payment that has caused ripples in the local government system.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Imams to Jonathan: Don’t scrap Hisbah in Kano, Niger From Iliya Garba, Minna

he Niger state Chairman of Juma’at Mosque Imams Forum, Malam Ibrahim Isah Far,i has advised the Federal Government to disregard the call published in a daily newspapers, alleging that Ohaneze Ndigbo, a socio-cultural organization, wants

the scrapping of Hisbah in Kano and Niger states respectively. The Forum said yesterday in Minna said the call was not only baseless but diversionary considering the social vices and other security challenges affecting the development of the nation. In a communiqué issued at the end of the Forum’s meeting, the

group admonished the cultural organization to channel its energy towards building Nigeria to a great height where peace and harmony will prevail. The Forum condemned the blasphemy exhibited by an American, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula through a film insulting the noble prophet of Islam and

enjoined all Muslims to remain calm and allow the will of God to prevail in all circumstances. It said, some interests “intend to destabilize the peaceful coexistence between the two great faith”, adding that the United Nation should enact an enabling law that can check the excess of nations, individuals or group “that

Kirikiri visit: Lagos CJ orders release of 233 prison inmates

L-R: Akwa Ibom state, Deputy Governor, Obong Nsima Ekere, receiving honorary award on behalf of the state Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio from National President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Alhaji Kabir Yari, recently in Abuja. PHOTO: JUSTIN IMO-OWO

From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

Infidelity: Woman slashes husband’s organ From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

24-year-old woman resident in Otukpo local government area of Benue state yesterday cut her husband’s private organ over allegations of infidelity. According to eyewitness accounts, Mrs. Rosaline Ajene who

resides with her husband on Ojira Street had accused him of having extra-marital affairs with a young lady (name withheld) who lives in Sabon Gari of the same town. Mr. Ajene who was visibly enraged by the wife’s accusation beat her up and residents of the area trooped out to separate the couple.

When all seemed calm and settled, Rosaline was said to have at night slashed her husband’s manhood. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital. A nanny of the Ajenes, Josephine, who described the cut as unimaginable, said ‘madam’ fled as soon as she committed the act.

“When I heard my uncle’s shout at about 1 am, I ran out to the sitting room and saw my madam with a big bag running away. I could not do anything since it was late but I saw my uncle’s private organ dangling”, Josephine cried. Family members of Mr. Ajene on hearing about the ugly incident immediately rushed from Ogbadibo local government to Otukpo but insisted vehemently that the matter would not be reported to the police for reasons best known to them.

Auto crash kills 4, injures 5 along Bauchi-Kano road From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

our persons died in ghastly auto crash while five others were seriously injured along Bauchi –Kano road in Bauchi state. Our correspondent gathered

may or create instability amongst Nations”. The communiqué also gave its support to Minna and Bosso community leaders, hosts to the Federal University of Technology Minna in their request to have a new Vice Chancellor of the institution from their community.

that the four persons who died were roasted beyond recognition while five others who were seriously injured, are receiving treatment. Confirming the incident, the sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC),

Mr Henry Sunday Olatunji, told newsmen yesterday in Bauchi that the accident involved two vehicles, an ash-colour Honda Accord with registration number 108 MS and a yellow Peugeot J-5 van with registration number XA 804 BKU.

He said that all the nine occupants of the two vehicles were male adults. According t him, his team evacuated both the dead and injured to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

he Chief Judge of Lagos state, Justice Ayotunde Philips, on Tuesday, ordered the release of 233 awaiting trial inmates of the Kirikiri Maximum and Medium Security Prisons. Of the freed inmates, 130 were from the Maximum Security Prison while 103 were from the Medium wing. Justice Philips ordered their release when she visited the prisons in company of some judges, members of the management of the Lagos state judiciary, members of the Nigerian Bar Association, journalists and others. The visit was part of the activities marking the beginning of a new legal year. The Chief Judge who visited the Maximum Security Prisons first, was received by its Deputy Comptroller, Tinuoye Olumide In his remark, Olumide said that in the Maximum Security Prison, "we have inmates who have spent more than 12 years awaiting trial. We look at it as injustice. It is not as if they have offended. Infact, most of them have not offended. But it is not justice if they have not been sentenced”. "The Maximum Prison is supposed to be for high profile offenders but there are even petty offenders here," Olumide added. But the CJ in her response said, "We hope to release inmates who should not be inmates. "We have a maxim in law that it is better to have 10 guilty men go free than to punish one innocent man." She also promised to visit the Female Prison and Ikoyi Prison in two or three months' time”. The CJ who noted that there have been outcries about prison congestion said all those who qualified under the new criminal administration law would be granted freedom.

Al-Makura to reconstruct Karshi-Tudun Wada road …as water tanker crashes into houses By Adeola Tukuru

he Governor of Nasarawa state, Umar Tanko Almakura has assured residents living along the Tudunwada/Karshi Road in Karu local Government in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of reconstruction immediately after the raining season.

The governor stated this at the weekend when he undertook a tour of the proposed site for the building of a cargo airport in Karshi area. A press statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Media Relations to the Governor, Alhaji Sani Musa Mairiga and made available to newsmen in Abuja said the Governor expressed sadness over the deplorable state

of the road linking Nasarawa state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through new Karshi. Governor Umar Tanko Almakura told the people of Karshi town who trooped out in their thousands to welcome him, that "Karshi will wear a new look after the construction of the cargo airport, and the Railway lines that would pass through the town to the

water tanker crashed into two houses at Danjuma Goje Street in Bauchi, in an incident where some Qu'ranic school students escaped death by a whiskers. It was gathered that the break of the tanker failed as the driver was trying to reverse and hit the first building before hitting the second in an attempt to maneuver

the tanker from causing more damage in the area. The owner of the tanker, Babaji Muhammed Garba, confirmed the accident saying,"there was nothing wrong with the tanker before it was taken out by the driver today. But it later developed brake and clutch problems. He, however stated there no death or injuries from the incident.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 11

Are you always on the road? Get personal accident insurance T

he growing incidence of accident on our roads, resulting from poor infrastructures and excessive speeding by motorists has put many road users on danger list. If you walk to the orthopedic hospitals, you will be amazed the number people brought in each day to the emergency units, as result of vehicular accidents, particularly the motor cycle cases popularly called 'Okada'. The unfortunate thing is that majority of the victims do not even have money to pay for their medical bills, leaving their

relations to begging from one person to another for help. While who could become a victim of accident cannot be predicted, it is important that people take insurance to protect their self incase of accident, to enable them meet financial needs at that critical time. Insurance here provides cover to enable an accident victim meet his or her medical bill in the event of an accident or make claims in the case of permanent disability. While some employers have provided for insurance of their employees under group life

insurance, a provision of the Pension Reform Act 2004, which covers death in service, it is important that people take personal accident insurance. A personal accident insurance covers expenses that occur as a result of an accident, providing financial assistance to you and your family in times of your greatest need. Depending on the premium plan and policy terms, the policy holder could get as much as he or she wants. Among the advantages include a 24 hour coverage worldwide; no medical

examination require; flexibility to increase benefit level by choosing ideal plan; option to secure multiple benefits through multiple premiums as well as affordable premium rates. Almost all the insurance companies in the country offer this class of insurance and it is either as personal accident or group personal accident cover. Niger Insurance plc's cover for instance indemnifies the insured against loss or damage as a result of death or bodily injury occasioned by accidental, violent, external and visible means independent of

any other cause. Under this policy, the company has: Personal accident and Group personal accident. The distinction between the two is that whereas the Personal Accident Policy is issued to an individual, Group Personal Accident Policy is issued to a number of persons, normally the employees of a business firm, club members, Directors, etc. under Group Personal Accident, the party taking up the policy (the umbrella organization) is known as the Insured while the member covered in the policy are the Insured persons.

Some financial terms you need to know more about (II)

echnical Analysis: A method of evaluating securities by relying on the assumption that market data, such as charts of price, volume, and open interest, can help predict future (usually short-term) market trends. Contrasted with fundamental analysis which involves the study of financial accounts and other information about the company. (It is an attempt to predict movements in security prices from their trading volume history.) Time Horizon: The duration of time an investment is intended for. Trading Rules: Stipulation of parameters for opening and intraday quotations, permissible spreads according to the prices of securities available for trading and board lot sizes for each security. Trust Deed: A formal document that creates a trust. It states the purpose and terms of the name of the trustees and beneficiaries. Underlying Security: The security subject to being purchased or sold upon exercise of

the option contract. Valuation: Process by which an investor determines the worth of a security using risk and return concept. Warrant: An option for a longer period of time giving the buyer the right to buy a number of shares of common stock in company at a specified price for a specified period of time. Window Dressing: Financial adjustments made solely for the purpose of accounting presentation, normally at the time of auditing of company accounts. Yield (Internal rate of Return): The compound annual rate of return earned by an investment. Yield to Maturity: The rate of return yield by a bond held to maturity when both compound interest payments and the investor's capital gain or loss on the security are taken into account. Zero Coupon Bond: A bond with no coupon that is sold at a deep discount from par value. Concluded

How to save your home-cooking gas

hile making use of your gas cylinders donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that it costs something and definitely have an impact on your daily earnings, here are some practical ways to save and soften the impact of the gas on your monthly budget. 1. Wipe utensils dry before placing them on the burner. A minute or two of gas that will be needed to evaporate excess water can be saved. Added together the saving would be substantial. 2. Before commencing actual cooking, prepare and collect all raw materials that would be needed. Chop vegetables and keep spices ready at hand to avoid wasting time once the flame is lit up. 3. Thaw frozen foods before cooking, the heat energy that would be needed to bring down the

Quote Winners take imperfect action while losers are still perfecting the plan - Anthony Robbins: Author and Speaker

food's temperature to room temperature can be saved. 4. Once the cookware gets sufficiently heated up, put the burner on medium or slow mode as the amount of heat required to cook is less than what is need to keep it up heated at high temperature. Also, food cooked on low flame tends to have better nutritional value. 5. Avoid open vessel cooking as far as possible, a lid on the vessel ensures that the energy is used more efficiently there by leading to huge savings. 6. Cook using pressure cooker as it consumes less time and energy. 7. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use too much water while cooking as evaporating off the excess water will mean more use of LPG. 8. Those who own a microwave but are averse to use it for cooking Indian dishes, they can go for the hybrid model. Use the microwave to semi cook vegetables/meat and then transfer it to a pan on the burner. This way cooking is faster without the use of LPG. 9. If water needs to be boiled for beverages multiple times a day, use a thermos bottle instead.

20 tips on how to save time (I)

e're all looking for ways to save time. No matter how small the amount, the more time we save today, the better off we'll be in the future. Maybe not tomorrow, but definitely over time the minutes and hours will add up. But where do you start? Well, taking it one minute at a time is a great place to start. In fact, if you can find 30 ways to save one minute a day, then you'll save 3.5 hours over a week, which can lead to 182 hours over the year. That's a huge chunk of time that you can spend on doing the things you really want to do. Below I've assembled a set of 30 ways to save 1 minute per day which will lead you well on your way to saving a whole lot more time for years to come. 1. Set up a recurring task list. Certainly there are tasks that are part of your daily and weekly routines. Use an app like 30/30 by Binary Hammer (iOS only) or something similar to create a recurring task list for such items so that you can get moving on them without delay. 2. Get an automatic coffee maker. Prepare your morning

coffee the night before by purchasing an automatic coffee maker. That way you can set it and forget it. 3. Keep a pen and paper in your jacket. By having these items with you at all times, you'll be ready to capture ideas, tasks, and the like without fail. 4. Check voicemails half the time you do now. Treat your voicemail a little more like you should be treating email. Check it less often to save you time. For example, set aside a certain time (or times) of day when you'll be handling phone activities and check it then. 5. Use a text expansion app. Even if it is just for your mailing address or for multiple email signatures, a text expansion app like TextExpander (Mac, iOS) will save you minutes upon hours the more often you use it. If you use Gmail or Postbox (Mac, Windows), canned responses will also do the trick for common messages you may send from time to time. 6. Turn off notifications. Anything that is noise should be removed from your life to give you more clarity and focus. Kill any frivolous notifications and you'll

save time every day because you won't be diverted from the task at hand. 7. Keep a jug of cold water in the fridge. Rather than run the tap until the water gets cold enough to drink, keep a jug of water filled up in the fridge for those occasions. 8. Carry floss with you. Flossing has been cited as being more important than brushing, so save yourself the time at the end of the night (and the toothaches that can come otherwise) by keeping some floss with you so you can floss between meals. It'll make that final floss of the day that much quicker. 9. Do the front-end work. When trying out a new tool or giving a new app a go, make sure to prepare accordingly and do the front-end work first. Yes, it may cost you more in the first day or two, but the saved minutes will start to add up soon enough. 10. Wear headphones while you work. The kicker here is to make sure there's nothing being transmitted through them, either. By wearing headphones while working (where permitted), you'll avoid unwanted and unneccessary distractions.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 12

EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

National honours: Let's debase them no further

he Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honours Act No. 5 of 1964 to honour Nigerians who have rendered service for the benefit of the nation. However, like every other national institution or scheme, these awards have been thoroughly abused. On two different occasions - once under Obasanjo and again under Jonathan - Prof Chinua Achebe, the world renowned literary icon rejected the award. Similarly, General Domkat Bali, former Minister of Defence and one of the finest Generals Nigeria has ever produced, rejected the offer last year. While Achebe questioned the credibility of those that gave him the award, Gen. Bali, now the paramount ruler of Tarokland, said "I refused to go to Abuja for the national honour because it makes no sense to me. I saw the recent national award given to me as an insult to my personality." The General revealed that whereas the 2011 honour awarded to him was Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR), the Federal Government gave me in the past a higher national merit honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) which is the second highest national honour in Nigeria. Evidently, the records of this important national project are in a mess. How else could one explain the monumental blunder of demoting Gen. Bali? Some of those who have accepted the awards were well known barefaced thieves. Mercifully, some of them have been caught red handed, prosecuted and convicted. Examples include the former

Managing Director of Oceanic Bank Plc, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George; and a former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tarfa Balogun etc. Ironically, when he was appointed President, Goodluck Jonathan promised to reform the process of awarding the honours. But alas, the promise was made only to be broken. The recent honours he doled out have met with public scorn. It is

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The present process has done incalculable injustice to those Nigerians that have indeed earned the recognition conferred by the national honours and damaged our national brand. It has also diminished the currency of honour as a virtue in our public life mostly reserved for serving public officers and their friends or nominees. Included on this year's list are business men who have grave allegations of economic crimes danging over their heads and politicians who have untidy records. Unfortunately, those who believe in this charade appear to think that titles honour people when in reality it is people that honour titles. There is nothing wrong when a country chooses to formally recognise and honour its

OUR MISSION “To be the market place of ideas and the leading player in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the truth, maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards while delivering value to our stakeholders”

citizens who make significant contributions to the promotion of the public good. Such recognition could help forge fond memories of nation-building, inspire others to seek to excel in public service and establish a tradition of virtuous public service. The present process has done incalculable injustice to those Nigerians that have indeed earned the recognition conferred by the national honours and damaged our national brand. It has also diminished the currency of honour as a virtue in our public life. Who is eligible for national honour? The public has a right to know; the criteria should be widely publicized. Secondly, the public should have a major role in the nominations and government should diminish its control over who gets honoured. We consider it inappropriate to give the award serving public officers of just any rank. Those who deserve it should be considered after they have left public office. Finally, there must be room for public objections to nominations. This means that a shortlist of the nominees should be published with sufficient time to enable members of the public file objections or complaints and the process for adjudicating such objections should be clear, transparent and expeditious. We understand that the late Alhaji Liman Ciroma once recommended a cap on the maximum number of recipients of the national honours in any year to not more than 100 persons. Those administering the awards should take a second look at this and other reform proposals.

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CHAIRMAN MALAM WADA MAIDA, OON, FNGE DIRECTOR/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RUFA’I IBRAHIM EDITOR, DAILY ABDULAZEEZ ABDULLAHI

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 13

Time for state of emergency in education sector By Anthony A. Kila

n important event this week is the reopening of schools for most our children. They will be resuming today as you read these notes, and it is important we reflect on the state of education in the country. I say most, not all, because in reality many other schools opened two weeks ago in conformity to the British school calendar. Why are some schools in an independent Nigeria following the British school calendar? A passerby might ask. The plain answer to such question will be “because some schools, called international schools, follow the British curriculum and their students sit British international exams.” If you are unlucky enough, and your interlocutor goes on to ask, “Why do some schools and students in an independent Nigeria follow the British curriculum and their students sit British international exams?” At that point your answer will have to be a painful “because these international curriculums and exams have values and recognition that most Nigerian By Zacharys Anger Gundu

bill to create grazing reserves and livestock routes across the country is under consideration in the Senate. Proponents of the bill argue that once passed, it will reduce the incessant clashes between nomadic pastoralists and farmers in different parts of the country. The bill provides for a National Grazing Reserves Commission and those promoting it have reminded Nigerians that the idea of grazing reserves and corridors is not new in the country. Up to a point, they are correct. Following the Othman Danfodio Jihad of 1804, the Fulani who had foisted themselves on parts of Northern Nigeria in the name of Islam, created grazing reserves for their bororo kith and kin across the areas they had influence on. Though the British who privileged the Fulani over and above other ethnic nationalities in Northern Nigeria ‘formalized’ these reserves, it was five years after independence that the Northern Regional Government enacted the Grazing Reserve Law. By 1976, the Federal Government assisted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had established hundreds of reserves for use by nomadic pastoral families. Given the skewed nature of this concept, it never succeeded explaining the incessant clashes between the intended beneficiaries of the concept and farmers across the country from Southern Kaduna to Oyo state. The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) have however not given up on their dream to have grazing reserves and their continued lobby of government and politicians is certainly responsible for the current initiative to resuscitate this concept. Many people argue that creating grazing reserves across the country is a positive development because it will boost livestock development, reduce the pastoral burden, check incessant migration of nomads and improve the strained relationship between famers and nomads. While these reasons maybe laudable, they

schools can barely dream of achieving.” Thank heaven, political correctness will save you, and no interlocutor will ask if there is Ministry of Education in Nigeria. Let us be clear, all parents have the right, even the duty I daresay, of giving their children the best education they can possibly find and afford. It is a private affair, so let no government official dare dream of meddling with this sacrosanct right and duty. Publicly as a country, we must, however, ask ourselves how the government and we as a people feel about the current state of our education. If you think having schools and qualifications that cannot compete with those of the rest of the world is just bad, you are wrong. It is a disaster. If you think having schools full of and producing students that cannot read and write properly and articulate their thoughts and aspirations clearly is sad, you are wrong. It is catastrophic. If we want to proficiently address the state of education in Nigeria, we must first understand and accept that we have a serious crisis in our hands and consequently declare a

state of emergency in the sector. I have not heard those in charge of the country’s affairs say so, but the fact is that nothing will work in Nigeria if education does not work; I wonder if they know that. Luckily, but also sadly for us, the situation has not always been this way. There was a golden age in Nigerian education and it went beyond the 1960s when Sir Eric Ashby, a president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and a master in Cambridge University, chaired a commission which concluded that education in Nigeria was as good as the best in the world. There was a time not too long ago when Nigerian schools, from secondary to university, were still considered amongst the best in the world. Just in Lagos, students from schools like Igbobi College, Kings College, CMS Grammar School, Queens College, Methodist Boys High School, Holy Child College, and St. Gregory College, were known to stand tall amongst their peers from anywhere in the world. Today they are shadows of their past. Something went wrong somewhere.

What went wrong, when and where? We don’t know where many of those governing us went to school and we don’t know what experiences, inspirations or aspirations they had in their school days, so we can’t boldly ask them to go back there to revisit it and relive them for some hours; we don’t know if they were part of the golden age. Those who went to those great schools and were part of that golden age need little remembering to understand that beyond the obvious mix of good dedicated teachers and a sound curriculum, what made their schools great was a shared ethos of greatness, a sense of belonging to something important and the continuous practice of taking responsibility for their houses, their classes, their schools, and their nation. These combinations led them to actively participate in debates and quizzes, sporting competitions and civic engagements that were in turn good for the country as a whole. Those who went to those great schools need little remembering to understand that they stood on the

shoulders of giants, they will remember the roles of their old boys and girls in keeping their schools great. It is now their own turn to look back and give back to their schools. Dear old boys and girls, there is an emergency out there, your schools need you and you owe them. Those who can, should find ways of giving some of their ideas, money and time back to their school to make it great again; today is the time to start. As for those elected and paid to manage the education in the country, this is the time to revisit your roles and understand that you are dealing with one of the most important parts of the country’s life. It is time to renew your vows, and recommit yourself. As our children go back to school today, the minister of education and her team should decide what they want these students to achieve by the end of the year, identify what they need to achieve those goals, and put in place the necessary process to achieve them. Anthony A. Kila is reachable on anthonykila@gmail.com

The nomadic challenge in Nigeria are entirely besides the issues that are material to the nomadic challenge in Nigeria. Two of these issues stand out. One is the rapid desertification of the Sahara that has continued to encroach virtually unchecked on part of the country while the other is the international character of the Fulani who are at the centre of nomadic pastoralism in Nigeria. Increased desertification is a driving force behind the push of nomads into other parts of Nigeria in search of pasture. This push is exacerbated by nomads from other West African countries that flood the Nigerian area in search of pasture especially in the dry season. The Fulani who are at the centre of the nomadic challenge in Nigeria are incidentally spread throughout West Africa. More than half of them are however in Nigeria where their population has continued to grow due to immigration from neighbouring West African countries suffering from the incessant sahelian drought. The nomadic challenge cannot be tackled successfully by creating grazing reserves. What the country needs more than anything else is to effectively check desert encroachment and discourage the nomadic push into and across the country especially in areas inhabited by farmers whose attachment to the land is fore grounded by a different set of values from those of nomads. Given the international character of Fulanis, it is quite clear that many of them who have continued to push into different parts of the country are not even Nigerian citizens. Creating grazing lands in the country for the benefit of non Nigerians at the expense of Nigerian farmers is not only irresponsible, it is unpatriotic. Nomadic pastoralism might have been a good model of keeping livestock in the past but not so today. The conflicts it has continued to generate across the country alone should make us rethink this way of life. Nomadic pastoralism also has implications for national and regional security. The manner in which nomads crisscross

national boundaries penetrating deep into countries like Nigeria is capable of undermining national security at many levels. Arms and ammunitions can be moved in and around countries without detection. The sophisticated weapons deployed by Fulani militias against unsuspecting farmers in places like Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba and Benue states should send us thinking about the grave dangers of allowing nomads free movement into and across the country. Nomadic pastoralism also poses a health challenge. Zoonotic diseases from animals to humans are driven by the nomadic lifestyle. This is so because the lifestyle complicates structured livestock health care, making it very difficult to enforce minimum healthcare requirements for livestock and control the incessant outbreak of diseases. Grazing reserves and dedicated livestock routs are also meaningless unless we are able to ascertain the population of livestock supposed to benefit from the reserves. At the moment, there is no certainty about the livestock population we are dealing with in the country. Indiscriminate immigration of nomads into the country has made this difficult. It is therefore difficult to establish the carrying capacities of these reserves and routes complicating the extent to which

they can be managed sustainably. Increased population build up amongst farming communities is also putting pressure on available farmlands. This will make it very difficult for farmers to accept grazing reserves that will shrink available farmlands. Nomadic pastoralism is not sustainable- not any more. The future for livestock farming in Nigeria must be on the farm and ranches specially developed to accommodate those with animals. People with animals must reside, feed and keep their animals on farms. Fortunately for us, institutions like the National Animal Production Institute (NAPRI) in Zaria have developed and tested varieties of pasture that can be produced in commercial quantities to support such farms. Contrary to proponents of the grazing reserves bill, it is ranches and farms that can grow livestock production in the country and not grazing reserves. States who are at the receiving end of the bill must be in the forefront of rejecting this bill. If passed, it will not only destabilize them, it will also pitch their unsuspecting farmers against better armed nomads who are bent on imposing an archaic way of life on the country at all cost. Nomads in places like Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba and Benue states are also gradually staking political claims to land leading to frictions and

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The nomadic challenge cannot be tackled successfully by creating grazing reserves. What the country needs more than anything else is to effectively check desert encroachment and discourage the nomadic push into and across the country especially in areas inhabited by farmers whose attachment to the land is fore grounded by a different set of values from those of nomads

bloodletting. The grazing reserves bill is also against the spirit of true federalism. If Nigerian states like Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, Bornu and Katsina for whatever reasons, would want to allow nomads from other countries to graze their states, it will be too much for them to expect that such nomads and Nigerian nomads must also have free grazing access in other Nigerian states. Other states in the spirit of true federalism must begin to regulate livestock farming in favour of farms and ranches. If states like Plateau, Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa had such legislation, the amount of bloodshed and the intensity of conflict between nomads and farmers reported in them would have been significantly reduced. Many of the herds grazing indiscriminately across the country belong to the Fulbe siire (Toronkawa) who are rich patrons in the cities. The Fulbe ladde (Fulanin bororo) who tend these herds are merely hired hands. The Toronkawa can afford ranches and farms upon which to keep their cows. They can also grow the appropriate pasture for these herds and must be compelled by legislation to do this. Even though, the bororo prefer traditional Fulani education(pulaaku), if they settle on ranches and farms with their herds, it will be easy to integrate their children into the normal school system saving the country tons of money which is literally wasted today in the guise of providing nomadic education. Government at the Federal and State levels must muster sufficient courage to let Nigerians who want to keep livestock know that the way forward in tackling the nomadic challenge is in ranches and farms not grazing rights across the country. The lobby of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and other Fulani groups is nothing more than cheap blackmail. The association is living in the past and must wake up to the realities of our time. Dr. Zacharys Anger Gundu writes from Zaria, Kaduna state

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

The Air Nigeria flight from Gatwick By Lekan Fatodu

have finally gotten my bags from Jimoh Ibrahim’s Air Nigeria which is still the most shocking and embarrassing experience in my many years of air travel. Expectedly, the bags, just like those belonging to a few other passengers, made its forcedarrival with signs of damages and some personal items missing. While some mothers were crying over their lost valuables in the disorganized heap of luggage at the baggageclaim area of Lagos airport, a number of children were sobbing for their misplaced toys and disappeared sweeties. For now, I can only draw slight satisfaction from the fact that if I wasn’t on this flight, the horrendous journey from GatwickLondon to MMA-Lagos, would not have seen the light of day or generated so much attention on social media platforms; including several online news agents and mainstream media that ran riot with the story. Even though other passengers were very

apprehensive and ready to part with anything including an extra £40 to “fuel” the aircraft as they became increasingly desperate to get going on their journey and leave behind Gatwick which had been turned into a refugee camp with everyone looking like displaced persons, a few of us took a contrary stance to fight the underhand tactics of the airline and further expose their corrupt tendency. I made sure I kept my colleagues at CheckOut magazine, friends in the media and active social media-users abreast of happenings as they

were unfolding at every stage of the journey while I broke the full news to them upon my landing in Lagos. I reckon that the latest Jimoh Ibrahim’s “no-aviation fuel £40-donation from every passenger to fuel a plane” is the most scandalous international aviation happenstance involving Nigeria after the Umaru Dikko scandal in London in 1984 when the then Nigerian military government attempted to kidnap Umaru Dikko, sedate him in a box as a Diplomatic Bag and fly him into Nigeria.

The action, which was foiled by the British Government, seriously damaged relations between the two countries for years. I do hope the Nigerian government will respond rapidly to this issue of Jimoh Ibrahim’s Air Nigeria which has not only ruined the activities of many passengers on the flight, but has also further damaged the fragile image of Nigeria on the international scene. Meanwhile, I must commend everyone who hit the cyberspace and our socio-

political environment with the news to bring to the attention of Nigerians and the government the rot in our aviation sector. Like I said in my last post, myself and some concerned individuals have chosen to pursue this case vigorously to a logical conclusion while working on a medium that will grant swift access for the ordinary air-traveler to report issues in the aviation industry, as they affect their safety and comfort during their air travels. Lekan Fatodu is on www.facebook.com

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I reckon that the latest Jimoh Ibrahim’s “noaviation fuel £40-donation from every passenger to fuel a plane” is the most scandalous international aviation happenstance involving Nigeria after the Umaru Dikko scandal in London in 1984 when the then Nigerian military government attempted to kidnap Umaru Dikko, sedate him in a box as a Diplomatic Bag and fly him into Nigeria

The Editor, Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. Email: let ters@peoplesdaily-online.com SMS: 07037756364

Michelle Obama’s speech a must read for Jonathan By Charles Ohia

f an opinion poll is carried out amongst the peoples of the world, there would be no prizes for guessing that the result thereof would show that different people are inspired by different things as well as circumstances; ranging from the mundane to the critical. Therefore, it was yet another inspiring moment for me when the just concluded ParaOlympic games in London came to a glorious end. However, one particular event, the finals of the women 200m T11 opened for me a completely different window of inspiration. To be clear, the T11 category of track events is for the completely blind, and it was here the Brazilian Jhulia Santos held the world captive. Running in lane 8, Jhulia and her runner guide tripped and fell while the other competitors raced to the finish line. Realising that she had lost the race, she remained on the tracks and just when you thought she would simply walk off it, Jhulia stood up, braced herself and ran to the finish line. This was at a time when the winner of the race had all but concluded her victory lap. It was therefore no wonder that the whole stadium stood up in rapturous ovation. And so, having opened that window of inspiration in London, the breath of fresh air (not the variant we all know too well about in these parts), that waltzed through it could be felt in far away Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States of America. And the occasion

couldn’t have been better than the Democratic Party’s National Convention. No matter what is enunciated about this nation aptly referred to as God’s own country, one thing anyone can’t vilipend is the sagacious disposition of its leaders, both past and present, to inspire its people. And inspire, in an awesome demeanour, Michelle Obama, the beautiful wife of the America President did, when she took centre stage to deliver a speech that was greeted with an approbation that is still reverberating throughout America. Living the American dream is a cliché that exemplifies leadership by inspiration for the American people and that is why you find the citizens of this country mouthing it as confidently as they would render their national anthem. It is a cliché that connotes the determination of a nation to ensure that all a citizen has to do to fulfil his or her God given potentials, is simply to dream it. Literarily! The founding fathers of the American nation envisioned this dream, and successive governments have not only cultivated it but have strove to certify that this dream is kept alive in the lives of every and any American who keys into it. The question that readily comes to mind as a Nigerian is how they have been able to do this consistently in their 236year old history as an independent nation. Not surprisingly, the answer is quite simple; ensuring that the social contract between the leader and the led as espoused by the

constitution is not in breach. A very instructive part of Michelle Obama’s awe inspiring speech at the DNC which struck a chord in me, is the part where she said: “...And l’ve seen how issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones- the problems where no amount of data or numbers will get you to the right answer….the judgment calls where the stakes are so high, and there is no margin for error. And as President, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people. But at the end of the day, when it comes to make that decision, as President, all you have are your values, and your vision, and the life experiences that make you who you are...’’ Nigeria presents a completely different proposition in the execution of social contracts, the basis for which any citizen should attempt to dream. Ours is a situation where it is easier to get the chestnut out of the fire than for our leaders to uphold the tenets of the constitution. In these climes, we are inundated with

puerile explanations of how President Jonathan is surrounded with men (and women it MUST be said) who illadvise him and shield him from the harsh realities of the state of our nation. But l am not fooled and l also do not expect any discerning mind to be. As Michelle rightly said, ‘….l have seen firsthand that being President doesn’t change who you are- it reveals who you are’. However, given our penchant for defending the indefensible, l would suggest , granted the assumption President Jonathan is surrounded by the proverbial wolves in sheep clothing, that Reuben Abati as a matter of urgency makes Michelle Obama’s speech as ubiquitous as is permissible to President Jonathan. And l have a few suggestions. Copies of the speech should be spiral bound and placed in conspicuous places such as his dining table. Nothing would beat reading that speech with an appendage of a bite of cassava bread and a sip of fresh

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As presently constituted, the Jonathan Presidency is epitomized by effeminate luxury, a penchant for unbridled profligacy, and a myopia of ideas that is hilarious at best, and befuddling at worst. But there is hope. He says he would become the most praised President but that can only be achieved through a broad based spectrum of people-centric initiatives and good governance style

fish pepper-soup. His bedroom should have a copy, for reading relaxation while sharing bedtime jokes with Aunty Pershe. A copy should also adorn his table in the council chambers and his restroom at the villa (recall Fela said something about expensive shit). Copies should be burned into DVDs and played as part of in-flight entertainment in the Presidential Jet, as well as his bullet proof Daimler-Chrysler monster. Finally, the President’s laptop and smart phones should have the speech as their default home screen. My thinking is with constant perusal of and listening to this speech, he may yet begin to appreciate the fundamentals of inspirational leadership, one that would provide the platform to bring an end to the Nigerian nightmare. As presently constituted, the Jonathan Presidency is epitomized by effeminate luxury, a penchant for unbridled profligacy, and a myopia of ideas that is hilarious at best, and befuddling at worst. But there is hope. He says he would become the most praised President but that can only be achieved through a broad based spectrum of people-centric initiatives and good governance style. I long for the day when as Nigerians, we can also utter and proudly too that, we are living the Nigerian dream. Michelle Obama inspired me. My wish is that her speech would also inspire President Goodluck Jonathan! Charles Ohia on twitter as @9jaBloke

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

By John Igoli Discussion in America means dissent - James Thurber

o the Nigerian government discussion means silence. Recently our special adviser to the President on media and publicity called Nigerian commentators and columnists “Children of Anger” in response to the “unwarranted” comments being written or posted online. Truth be told, these writers are only holding brief for Nigerians by trying to maintain an online discussion but this has been badly judged by the presidency. If they are children of anger, then the government must be their father. It is only a union of bad leadership and the harsh conditions under which Nigerians live and survive that can breed and inspire this kind of children. My principal usually refers to wayward students as bad children of good parents but in this instance they may be good children of bad parents. No child will see his parents being humiliated and will keep quiet and then be expected to placate their antagonists. They are in fact children of today and the reality in Nigeria.

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End of discussion? It is not possible to imagine the present conditions under which majority of the populace are living. A professor once said life is lived in pictures and a photo or picture you are not part of cannot be real to you. This is the situation with our leaders even those who latched on to the cliché of “humble beginnings” have all forgotten the photograph of poverty and lack in their earlier days. It is said imagination is better than reality but in Nigeria the reality is worse than the imagination. Our leaders imagine roads being tarred, hospitals equipped, schools furnished, children learning, a vibrant generation being spawned and jobs being created. They also imagine 24hr electricity, water flowing everywhere (there is flooding everywhere now) and workers who receive wads of N5000.00 notes as salaries. They cling on to this imaginary picture of Nigeria painted by their photographers, their political appointees, their selected leaders at the state and local government levels, advisers, special assistants and other hangers on. They frame it with

good intentions and fabulous words and present it to the world. By the time foreigners come to Nigeria they see the real picture they run away quickly dumbfounded and wondering the kind of Photoshop our leaders are capable of. This is the aim of the commentators and writers: to paint the real picture so the government can function properly or take appropriate actions. Unfortunately this assignment that is being rendered free of charge has drawn the flack of the presidency and no apology is expected. What the commentators are saying is, if we can’t discuss verbally let us do it on paper or online. Nigerian and indeed African leaders are averse to holding discussions with their people. Before elections when it is vital we discuss with our prospective leaders through debates they shut us up or refuse to listen. During elections when it is imperative we discuss with our votes, they steal or remove or do not bring the ballot boxes for us to vote. While we helplessly make room for the success of the electoral process believing that

when they win we can then have fruitful discussions; we are told as soon as they are sworn in; End of discussion! They do what they please and we have to accept their actions and inactions with praises and appreciation. Unfortunately they forget that the town crier has since given way to Emails, Twitter, SMS and other electronic or internet based communication. Every individual has become a selfemployed town crier and can cry out as often as possible on about any topic. Today’s town criers no longer need patronage or favours or payment by the king or chiefs. They do it at their own expense and for this reason they cannot be bridled. This is why criticising their actions by insults, stereotyping or other unwholesome statements will not deter them. You can only query someone under your employment. More over with the loud and powerful rock music in Aso Rock, no matter how loud the people or their town criers shout they will never be heard; only these electronic shouts may

penetrate the din of power sharing, patronage and the dance of the winners and gainers at the Villa. In fact for all they see of us, they must be living in space now and thus we can only have electronic discussions with them. Our electronic discussions have since turned to monologues, self-reflections or entertainment. We text, mail, Facebook or tweet looking for or uploading pictures, stories, articles, jokes and updates that serve as placebos for our frustrations and despair. But as soon as we are sated and updated, the government suddenly joins the discussion with outdated statements and “facts” and pronto we go again writing or searching for new updates and the vicious cycle continues: we text, mail, facebook or tweet…still trying to have a discussion with them…and then silence. The government should know that this is the only discussion going on now and their advisers should please allow us to have honest and peaceful discussions with ourselves. John Igli can be reached on igolij@yahoo.com

Why NERFUND should stand alone By Francis Jakpor

igeria’s public sector may be big in many respects, but its size has not translated into better standards of living for the citizenry. Here is one reason: government agencies that cannot even justify their existence with optimal performance abound, gulping enormous financial resources that could have been ploughed into more productive areas. Even a 12-year-old can tick them off on his fingers these days – bodies whose functions overlap to the extent that without unique acronyms, no one can differentiate them. The Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on Restructuring of Government Departments and Agencies made the same observation in April. It recommended in its800-page report that the number of parastatals be pruned from 263 to 161,adding that 38 of them should be permanently scrapped. Naturally, the report has drawn the ire of top shots in several existing government agencies, but that has not affected the optimism with which Nigerians have greeted it. And why not? The existence of such redundant agencies, besides being a needless waste, is tied to the imbalance and growthstunting recurrent expenditure over capital expenditure. Likewise, the Oronsaye committee is the

third that will be making such recommendations within a 15year period. Nigerians can readily recall the Allison Ayida report of 1995 and the Ahmed Joda report of 2000, both of which suggested that the size of the bureaucracy be reduced but were more or less ignored. So a lot can be said for the benefits of the recent exercise, and Nigerians would only hope that the Oronsaye report does not share the fate of its forebears. That said, government must be careful regarding implementation so it does not end up throwing the baby away with the bathwater. There are, of course, new agencies like the National Economic and Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND) that have proved their mettle – even more than bodies they were ordinarily meant to complement. So the criteria for merger or outright scrapping should not just be the question of costs. The track record of each agency should be adequately scrutinised to determine whether they have performed optimally or justified the resources invested in them. NERFUND was established in 1989 to correct inadequacies in the provision of medium to long-term financing for SMEs, provide medium to long-term loans to participating commercial and merchant banks for on-lending to SMEs to boost productive activities, among others.

Twenty-three years down the line, the Fund has fulfilled this mandate quite well. Its loan collection rates have been very robust, while its lending policies have offered a more complete financing solution by requiring Participating Banks (PBs) to provide working capital facilities to eligible enterprises and projects. For instance, the loan repayment record of SMEs under the NERFUND umbrella between 1989 and 1999amounted to N3.52 billion in principal and interest relative to a disbursement of N2.23 billion and US$131.9 million over the same period. What else sets NERFUND apart? Unlike many other DFIs, it has adopted the apex-based lending system which can potentially achieve greater outreach and development impact than the regular project-based direct lending to

SMEs. Through this, the credit risk on NERFUND loans have been reduced by its transfer of the tasks and risks on loan appraisal, monitoring and default to PBs. But if all those are not compelling enough reasons to avoid merging NERFUND with any other DFI, the argument can be made that the Fund has shown much innovation over the years – a rarity in the public sector as we know it. For instance, it started out being funded by the government, but is today largely independent and pursuing a unique micro enterprise support, thanks to strategic planning. What’s more, a merger between NERFUND and DFIs of any sort would be unrealistic because the Fund’s current objectives stand out from its peers’. When the body resumed lending in 2009,

“

NERFUND has made giant strides tin plugging the gap through loans to valueaddition firms, and not traders. For reason of its focus on micro enterprises which gives it an edge over other DFIs in Nigeria, NERFUND is best placed to continue providing support to the economy as a unit

almost all the PBs had changed form while others had been absorbed or ceased to exist. But its commitment to the onlending arrangement was compelling. This development necessitated a change in strategy and operating template. In other words, the Fund evolved a Micro Credit scheme targeted at empowering the active poor such as unemployed graduates, women groups, multipurpose cooperative societies, retired civil servants and ex-service men. This move, obviously, is an asset to national development – especially when one considers that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently carried out a nationwide survey of SMEs which revealed that Nigeria has over 17 million SMEs,99 percent of which are micro enterprises employing less than 10 people. For the majority of these firms, finance remains a binding and growth constraint -even as their peculiarities sometimes make access to finance on nonconcessionary terms a hurdle. NERFUND has made giant strides tin plugging the gap through loans to valueaddition firms, and not traders. For reason of its focus on micro enterprises which gives it an edge over other DFIs in Nigeria, NERFUND is best placed to continue providing support to the economy as a unit. Francis Jakpor is an editor and public affairs analyst

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

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Assessing Kubwa General Hospital in the last one year Kubwa General Hospital is referred to as pro-poor patient hospital because unlike other hospitals which charge for virtually every service that is rendered, the hospital offers free services. Perhaps, this explains why the hospital is daily witnessing an alarming influx of patient that it is grappling to cope with. Our reporter Adeola Tukuru, who visited the hospital last week, in this piece, takes a look at issues that had been confronting the hospital and what the management is doing to tackle it headlong.

he result of the massive influx of people not only from Kubwa, but other neighbouring towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into Kubwa General Hospital in search for medical care had been over-crowding, space constraints and overstretching of the hospital facilities. Prior to now, a visit to the hospital, which was built many years ago without envisaging the present population explosion of Kubwa that has now become the largest satellite town in the FCT, on a normal day often reveal a mammoth crowd of patients, crammed in small waiting rooms, eager to be attended to by specialists. Usually, it was very difficult to control the crowd, maintain an orderly and quiet ambience that is expected of a hospital. The reason for this not farfetched because after a very long wait on the queue to be attended to by a doctor, naturally the patience of fatigued, desperate patients are often over-tasked. Edgy from the long wait, the consequence was often unruly behaviour from patients. The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Ahmed Danfulani attested to this during an interview with Peoples Daily. “One of the challenges we also have is the constant harassment from the public. A lot of the time the public don’t understand the way we work and what we are facing and they way they handle some of

Patients waiting to be attended to at the new Kubwa General Hospital Eye Centre our facilities is very terrible. For instance, our toilets are almost sinking now because of the way they use. “We need a lot of crowd control and anywhere you are giving this kind of services to the people, it is a very big issue. It has been a difficult thing, but

Medical Director of Kubwa General Hospital, Dr Ahmed Danfulani

we have to balance by being nice to them,” he said. Despite the pains, patients still prefer to wait to receive the free and affordable treatment as the case may be, which include free ante natal program from the day of conception to delivery, either in terms of Caesarian Section or normal delivery. However, they have often complained of their ordeals, calling for intervention by the relevant authorities. In the past, their calls had been centred on expansion of the hospital, creation of more bed spaces, equipment, and employment of more medical personnel for prompt medical attention. Investigation by our reporter last week revealed that the ordeals of patients may be coming to an end as the hospital management has commenced expansion of the hospital to address their plights. The development that is going on in the hospital, finding

revealed, includes establishment of new units like the Mortuary, Paediatric emergency unit and Dental unit. One of the areas Kubwa residents had suffered was the area of mortuary services, but the mortuary services, which has been absent in the hospital has now commenced with the establishment of a mortuary. Other parts of the hospital that are also undergoing renovation is the Physiotherapy unit, laundry and restaurant while the BRS building store, where the laboratory is situated have also been renovated. Our reporter, who visited the hospital, observed that a new maternity unit has been established and is also fully functional now, with a new maternity theatre. Investigation revealed that before now, pregnant emergencies were operated in main theatre, but now this is being done in a new maternity

theatre. The Managing Director of the hospital, who assumed office about four months told our reporter that on resumption he was confronted with the mirages of challenges earlier mentioned. Giving an insight into some of the challenges he said:”When I came I met about seven uncompleted buildings. My first challenge was to see how I can put all the buildings into use for the benefit of the residents of Kubwa. “One of them is the abandoned Eye Clinic which is presently functional, it’s been completely renovated and it is already been put to use. The Ultramodern Eye clinic is one of the structures we met on ground but it is functional. The second one is the X-tray unit, the X-ray unit was also locked up, we renovated it and currently we do our ultra sound there now and in no time Continued on page 18

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 18

Assessing Kubwa General Hospital in the last one year Continued from page 16 the main X-tray will also commence there,” he said. Peoples Daily recalls that last month, precisely, on August 14, 2012,the Secretary, FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat(HHSS), Dr. Demola Onakomaiya commissioned the Kubwa General Hospital Eye Centre The effort was a collaboration of the secretariat with the Standard Chartered Bank. Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, the Secretary, HHSS, Dr Demola Onakomaiya said the project was in line with the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness and the World Health Organisation to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020 through its “Vision 2020- The right to sight”. He said that the FCT eye care programme which is supported mainly by the International Centre for Eye care Education (ICEE) and Sight Savers came into existence in the 2011. He said that this intervention has produced numerous significant results in capacity building of health personnel, optometrist, ophthalmic nurse and equipment. ”Technicians of health workers in Bwari, Kuje and AMAC benefited from training of trainers while 50 community health extension workers and secondary school teachers were equally trained on how to measure visual acuity and identify simple eye disease in their various clinics, communities and schools respectively,” Dr Onakomaiya

Nursing mothers at the new maternity ward added. This, according to him, ensures early detection and prompt referral of eye problems identified for further management and treatment. In a remark, the Medical Director of Kubwa General Hospital, noted that the facility was a great development because people at the grassroot can now have access to quality eye care treatment at highly affordable rate. He said that the facility has been structured to meet eye consultation and advanced eye surgery at affordable rates. On her part, the Subregional Manager of ICEE,

The newly constructed maternity wing at the hospital

Anne Ebri, who represented the Global Programmes Director, Kovin Naidoo said that the overall aim of the project was the reduction of the number of blind people, eye diseases and visual impairment by 50 per cent in selected urban slums of the FCT, through provision of high quality comprehensive eye care services by well trained personnel with full community participation to improve quality of lives by 2014. Among other structures completed in the hospital, from our investigation is the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) building which has the maternity wing with all the

equipment needed and it’s been used now. Peoples Daily investigation revealed that an addition 30 bed spaces have been created in the hospital to add to the 78 bed spaces, making a total of 106 all together. On the new Eye Clinic, Dr. Danfulani said that the hospital staff go round to get patients from the rural areas to come medication and surgery. According to him, “it is basically cataract surgery, which caused about N25,000 if done elsewhere, but we charge as less as N2,000, sometime even nothing when are convince that they can’t afford it”. Continuing, he revealed that: ”Even before our campaign, the turnout to the clinic was already doubled. In fact we are having problems of were to keep them, the space created for them is jam parked, but we are trying to see how we can expand the place”. When our reporter visited the hospital a crowd was seen waiting to be attended to at the Eye Clinic to buttress what Danfulani said. Some of the waiting patients commended the establishment of the Eye centre, but advised the hospital management to engage more eye experts in the clinic. A civil servant, Mr. Ben Anajo, who visited the hospital all the way from Suleja, said he learnt about the clinic which he decided to consult as according to him, he had tried other private hospitals that were too expensive. ”In other part of town eye

surgery is very expensive. They charge up to N25,000 but, I learnt it is very cheap here, that is why I am here. But we want them to employee more eye specialists that will attend to us fast so that we don’t wait for long”. Another resident, Miss Ogechi Adams also commended the Minister of FCT and also the hospital management for the eye centre. Asked her rating of the hospital at the moment, a patient and also a trader at Kubwa, Mrs Rachael Okita, confirmed that the hospital services has improved considerably compared to last year. ”I remember in 2011, April when I had my baby in the hospital, it was one very small room they used to deliver us, there was no light that night that they had to use rechargeable light. “But recently when my friend put to bed in this same hospital, we noticed that the delivery room is very spacious ,conducive and the beds are very ok. Unlike before they usually send mothers who just deliver a baby home immediately because of lack of space, but now they can accommodate mothers for up till three to four day, depending on how fit the mother is and if there is no complication”. This was as she commended the FCTA administration and also the present management of Kubwa general hospital for the free services been rendered to pregnant mothers in the hospital. Meanwhile, the hospital is still confronted with limited number of doctors and nurses to man the respective units in the hospital respectively. Speaking on this, the medical director said the hospital had to generate funds to handle the respective projects. However, a lot more is still needed , as he said, “you know that to run a hospital one need to provide electricity ,water, clean environment ,make your equipment work very well, maintain the wards ,the compound , parking space etc”. Apart from the issue of bed space, he added: “We have reduced number of staff that are not able to cope with the surgeon operation in the hospital”. He thanked the FCT minister and the General Manager, FCT hospital management board, Dr Aminu Mai without whom, he said the feats would not have been achieved but for their supports.

BUSINESS

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Email: amunuimam@yahoo.co.uk

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INSIDE

- Pg 21

Education minister commends Unity Bank

Mob: 08033644990

FIRS tasks importers to comply with new tax regime

L-R: Minister of State for Power, Mr. Darius Isyaku, Chairman, Technical Committee, National Council on Privatis,tion, Mr. Atedo Peterside, Director-General, Bureau for Public Enterprises, Ms. Bolanle Onagoruwa, and Senior Special Assistant to Vice-President on Media, Malam Umar Sanni, during a press conference on power sector, on Tuesday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

he Director of Communication and Liaison, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Emmanuel Obeta yesterday urged maritime operators to embrace the new Taxpayers Identification Number (TIN) regime. Obeta, who made the call at a stakeholders meeting in Lagos said that TIN would ease import activities in the country and improve service delivery to importers. “The introduction of TIN for imports in place of Automated System of Customs Data number provides a singular window for import activities and processes,'' he said. Obeta, who was represented by Mrs Nneka Ifekuna, the Deputy Director, Communication and Liaison, FIRS, said that the meeting was meant to make clarifications on the ASYCUDA/TIN Integration project and its benefits. “ASYCUDA number is what

Air Nigeria: Customers demand immediate repayment of ticket money By Muhammad Sada

esterday, some aggrieved customers, paraded at the office of Air Nigeria in Abuja, to demand for the immediate refund of the money they spent in buying flight tickets which they did not make use of. It could be recalled that recently, the chairman of the airline, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, shut down the company for one year with effect from September 10, and sacked 550 members of staff, while retaining 50. A customer, Olumuyiwa Okunade said he had been to the Abuja office on several occasions for the refund of his money as the few workers he met at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, refused to pay attention to his complaints. Another customer, Chinyere Anyamele said a notice on the door directed complainants to Air Nigeria's head office, adding that it would cost more money to get to Lagos. ``Is the airline indirectly telling us to forfeit our money? It is not easy for someone who bought an air ticket in Abuja to travel down to Lagos for a refund. The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the NCAA should do something about this,'' she queried. Also, according to a foreign customer, Ambros Dickson: ``I am not a Nigerian, but I use the airline because of its name, thinking that it is better. But now, I can see that they are all the same,'' he said. Pastor Sola Ogunmodimu, another customer, described the

development as fraudulent. ``It is a fraudulent act. Even before now, the airline was not treating passengers rightly. It is not customer's fault that the airline failed in its operations. After sacking the workers, they are also supposed to attend to the customers whom they have

collected airfares from. I am here again today to check if I will meet anybody. I have gone to their office at Transcorp, but they kept directing me to their head office,'' Ogunmodimu lamented. In a statement announcing the company's shut down, the chairman said it was difficult to

continue further investment in the carrier with the high level of staff disloyalty and weak business environment. Ibrahim, in the statement, said 50 loyal members of staff had been selected with a mandate to recommence business within 12 months.

NSE bans retail investors from securities lending

etail investors at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) have been prohibited from participating during the rollout period of the Securities Lending Programme, BusinessDay has learnt. Rather, only Qualified Institutional Investors (QIIs) -Fund Managers, Insurance Companies, Investment/ Unit Trusts, Multilateral and Bilateral Institutions, Market Makers, Professionally managed staff securities purchase schemes, Trustees/ Custodians, Stock broking firms, and High Net-worth Individuals (an individual with net worth of at least N300 million, excluding automobiles, homes and furniture) are allowed. With the kick-off of Market Making on Tuesday at the Exchange, the NSE believes that for the programme to be vibrant, there must be Securities

Lending and Short Selling structures in place -a place and arrangements to borrow some of those securities for trading. The Exchange informed dealing member firms on Tuesday that this decision not to allow Retail Investors to participate in Securities Lending, is in line with the operational guideline for Market Making, Securities Lending, and Short Selling. In a circular to dealing member firms, Olufemi Shobanjo, Head, Broker/ Dealer Regulation, stated:"No Retail Investor Participation During Rollout Period of the Securities Lending Programme", the Exchange has also warned its dealing members that any contravention of the regulatory regime of Market Making, Securities Lending, and Short Selling, as set forth in the relevant rules and guidelines will be

severely sanctioned. The operational guideline states that dealing members must not borrow, or make arrangements to borrow securities directly from investors, without the intermediation of Securities Lending Agents (SLAs). "Only Securities Lending Agents (SLAs) registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission are permitted to engage in securities lending. During the roll out period, only the securities of Qualified Institutional Investors (QII) can be made available for borrowing, pursuant to appropriate agreements with SLAs," the guideline stated. Currently, the SEC has registered the following institutions as Securities Lending Agents: Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, United Bank of Africa Plc. In addition, the SEC is processing other applications.

Management Tip of the Day

Match your presentation to your audience

very public speaking expert will tell you to get to know your audience ahead of time. But what do you do with that information? You need to adjust your presentation to meet their needs in several ways: Consider their comprehension. For example, a

presentation to a technical group of decision makers is going to contain more quantitative detail than a presentation to a group of less technical junior managers. Include everyone. With a mixed audience, try to address different perspectives explicitly to keep everyone interested. For

example, "This will affect the product managers like this... and the engineers like this..." Establish common ground. If you suspect the audience may be hostile, begin by emphasizing concerns you share. Turn the negative into a positive, if possible.

you are all conversant with and are used to over the years but TIN is a change. As with all forms of change, most people tend to accept it with caution and misgivings. “This TIN is a unique sequence of numbers which is generated electronically and assigned to all corporate and individual taxpayers and is used as a tool for identifying the taxpayers,'' he said. Obeta said that TIN would help bring about improved service delivery to stakeholders, stressing that TIN would make the whole process of imports easier from the beginning to the end. “It will also make clearing of goods at the point of landing faster for the importer,'' he said. “Nigeria's tax policy was put in place last year and this is what is helping us with our operation,'' he said. Faniyi said that the TIN would help solve the problem of multiple taxes. “There is a system in place adopted by the three tiers of government through the unique numbers to know that you have been taxed on a particular good,'' he said. The theme of the meeting is: ``The New Importers Taxpayers Identification Number''. (NAN)

First Bank invests N500 bn in gas and oil projects By Muhammad Sada

t has been revealed that First Bank of Nigerian Plc , in abidance to the local content law and in its bid to boost the nation's economy, has invested the sum of N500 billion to finance oil and gas projects, as part of efforts to uplift local capacity, competitiveness and efficiency. This was disclosed by the bank's group head, corporate banking, Ikeja 1, Mrs. Oluremi Adeogun in Lagos, while commissioning a vessel "DSV Avianna", that has been acquired through the banks project by Broron Oil and Gas Company. Mrs. Adeogun noted that it is the first of its kind acquired by a 100 % indigenous Nigerian company and financed by First Bank as a strategic edge to expand filed operations in the Nigerian oil and gas sector and beyond. According to her, First Bank has since 2011 availed to the Customer an Asset Finance facility of US$29.030 million utilized to finance a multifunctional field support vessel and other equipment for an ongoing contract with Mobil Producing Unlimited. In his comment, the Special Adviser to the President on Technical Matters, Mr. Eze Akachukwu, who was present at the launching of the vessel said the local content law was enacted because there are Nigerians who believes in the law.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 20

COMPANY NEWS

Forever Living Products

igeria has emerged the world number one in the Forever Living Product (FLP) market with the highest 'Sales Increase' over a period of 12 months. This is a special ranking used to determine the company with the current most impressive sales growth. The Managing Director, FLP Nigeria, Cornelius Tay, who spoke on the performance of Nigeria/Benin at this year's global gathering of about 8,000 FLP distributors from over 150 countries, attributed the country's achievement to the abilities of Nigerian distributors to prove that they can create markets that will grow FLP business in Africa. According to him, Nigeria, which emerged number two in 2011, had taken the first position as the most productive FLP company globally, which also shows that the distributors are aggressive marketers, a positive thing for business development.

Apple

emand for Apple Inc's new iPhone 5 has exceeded initial supply as the company booked 2 million orders in one day and pushed the delivery date for some pre-orders to next month. Apple said on Monday that it would deliver most preordered phones as planned by Friday, the first day of delivery, but many would not be available until October. It is not unusual for Apple products to sell out the first day. Last October, the company booked 1 million orders for the previous iPhone, the 4S, in the first 24 hours. That beat Apple's previous one-day record of 600,000 sales for the iPhone 4.

Linkage, Cornerstone merger

ubject to regulatory approval, a business combination plan between Cornerstone Insurance plc and Linkage Assurance plc would strengthen the emerging entity with a shareholders fund over N12 billion. The merger discussion which is at advanced stage would position the underwriting firm to undertake bigger ticket risks in major sectors of the economy for better profitability and stronger returns on investment for its teeming shareholders. The combination will also result to improved services for clients having commenced e-distribution platforms at Cornerstone, which would enable customers to buy and pay for insurance online at the convenience of their homes, offices and inside the car.

IIMCD Nigeria boss laments poor infrastructure funding Stories by Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

he regional coordinator of the World Infrastructure Summit for Africa and the President of Initiative for Infrastructure and Modern City Development (IIMCD) Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Omonze has lamented that the demand for infrastructure is outstripping supply all over the world, saying new strategies must being devised to address the deficit. Omonze said, according to Financial Times, in 2011 $427bn of infrastructure were financed worldwide -in stark contrast only $71bn has been raised by the end of April 2012. Omonze, in a statement said infrastructure funding will be at the fore front as government officials from Nigeria, North/South America, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and Africa meet at the 3rd world

infrastructure summit taking place at the Ramada Apollo, Amsterdam holding on the 14th and 15th of November 2012. "With such a sharp decrease resulting from a fragile global economy and the knock on effects leading to a retreat by project finance lenders, it has become even more vital to know exactly where, and from whom, future funding will be found, as well as what the real bankable project pipeline will look like. As the impact of regulatory changes, the pool of those with the capacity to lend long term is decreasing and the void is palpable. This coupled with sovereign risk and a lack of visibility as to where projects will emerge from and who will bring

these to market in a form that is attractive to investors is a cause of concern. " He added that the event has been tailored to meet with the expectations of participants with the newly introduced Peer-to-Peer presentation roundtable, participants will have one on one meetings with infrastructure projects financiers and developers they wish to meet. He said governments will have the opportunity to submit their project pipelines to us via a 'deal sheet' which will contain vital information on topics including and collate this information into an 'IJ DEAL BOOK' which will be presented to delegates at the Summit. The event will attract over 250

key decision makers for those working to fund global infrastructure projects from around the world, together with Governments, sponsor/developers and institutional investors will form the core of the delegate audience, which will be complemented by banks, financial advisers, legal advisers, infrastructure funds, technical advisers and other organisations key to the successful delivery of any infrastructure project. The IIMCD boss also stated that the World Infrastructure Summit Gala Dinner tagged: "An evening with the government of Nigeria'' has been dedicated to the government of Nigeria to highlight its plan to fill the over $150b infrastructure funding gap before the year 2020.

KADCCIMA laments imposition of tax

he Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) has lamented the imposition of multiple and illegal taxes imposed on public and private companies in Kaduna state, urging the state government to immediately harmonise its tax regime. The chamber is expected to hold a Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) to address the problems of multiple and illegal taxes in order to produce a position document on how to harmonise taxes to the government. The Director General of KADCCIMA, Alhaji Usman Saulawa at a press briefing said: "It is unfortunate that multiple and illegal taxation is inhibiting business growth in the state." He said it is the duty of the chamber to alert the government on the damage that the problem was creating in the business sector because of its potential to hinder economic growth in the state. "The Chamber of Commerce has identified and confirmed the existence of multiple and illegal taxation in the state through the research we undertook recently. We took samples of 100 members of KADCCIMA and another 100 nonmembers who run various businesses in the state, and we discovered that they all complained about the multiple and illegal taxes by those who collect the taxes on behalf of government". According to him, the development was not only making compliance difficult as various agencies appeared on daily basis at business premises and companies for taxes. He said investors have started to shun the state because of the high cost of doing business.

L-R: Akwa Ibom state Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, and CEO of the Bank of Industry, Ms. Evelyn Oputu, exchanging signed memorandum of understanding for a N5 billion industrial intervention loan, yesterday in Uyo, the state capital.

Nigerians need economic empowerment - Dangote By Abdulwahab Isa

resident of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has said what Nigerians presently need most is economic empowerment and that only a working population whether selfemployed or employed could be economically empowered. Dangote speaking against the background of a report on Africa's growth and job creation, by Mckensey Global Institute, which described Africa as the second fastest growing region in the world, however reassured that all his investments would be tailored towards job creation so as to alleviate poverty among the people. Dangote said all hands must be on deck to ensure the dream of Nigeria's economic turn-around becomes a reality. He, urged local investors to complement the efforts of the Federal government at ensuring the success of the economic agenda by delving to

manufacturing as one of the means of empowering Nigerians through job creation. According to the report titled: "Africa at Work: Job Creation year," published in August by Mckensey and Company, Africa is the second-fastest-growing region in the world with decline in poverty. Africa is harnessing its natural wealth, and that sectors across the economy are growing rapidly. These sectors are said to be agriculture, manufacturing, and local services such as retail, banking, transportation and communications, in addition to the natural resources sector, which was the largest single contributor to growth. It stated: "The three largest oil producers-Algeria, Angola, and Nigeriaearned $1.3 trillion from petroleum exports from 2001 to 2011, compared with $300 billion in the 1990s. However, manufacturing and service sectors remain relatively small,

accounting for just one-third of GDP on average. Because the resources sector employs few people, there are large differences in the labour markets across Africa's oil-exporting economies." However, the report indicated that Nigerian manufacturing was still facing a range of obstacles, including weak infrastructure and logistics bottlenecks, and removing these would allow similar success stories to emerge. Dangote then advised that Nigeria should take advantage of the analysis of the state of agriculture, manufacturing, retail and hospitality sectors which suggested that Africa can accelerate employment growth in these sectors, with the potential to create up to 72 million wage-paying jobs across all sectors by 2020 . He added that capturing this potential would move Africa closer to matching the job-creation trajectory of South Korea and other successful emerging markets.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 21

Google uses text messaging to break into burgeoning Nigerian market D espite all its cutting-edge technology, Google has turned to the humble text message to break into Nigeria's booming economy. The Internet giant has started a service in Nigeria, as well as in Ghana and Kenya, which enables mobile phone users to access emails through text messaging. That comes as Google's office in Lagos has begun working with small business owners in this nation of more than 160 million people, bringing more than

25,000 businesses online over the past year. Google's choice of using text messages to reach consumers highlights the challenges of doing business in Africa's most populous nation. There is money to be made, but most people rarely have access to electricity, let alone the Internet, and a $20 mobile phone is as close as many will ever come to owning a computer. "We don't want to just come in and start looking for how to generate profit," said Affiong

Osuchukwu, Google's Nigeria marketing manager. "We consider (sub-Saharan Africa) to be an investment region. We know we have to invest resources and time to develop the market in order for the market to become valuable to us in a way that we can do business." Google Nigeria is trying to "develop the ecosystem" by making the Internet part of more people's lives, Osuchukwu said. Its most recent push came in July as the company began advertising its text message

email service, which allows users to receive their emails through Gmail for free as text messages. Users also can reply to the emails for only the cost of sending a text message. They also can access local classified ads hosted by Google. Google officials declined to offer usage statistics for the text message service. But the service, advertised across billboards and buses in Nigeria's largest city Lagos, could provide a way to bring the search engine into the lives of people otherwise untouched by it. More than half of the 44 million people who use the Internet in Nigeria access the web through smartphones, according to International Telecommunications Union. But that represents only a fraction of mobile phone users in Nigeria, a nation turned mobile-reliant by

the collapse of the state-run telephone company which has left landlines almost nonexistent. By getting the Internet to the simplest of handsets, Google is making a bet it can reach consumers it can ultimately make money from, as well as offer access millions otherwise wouldn't have. "The Internet is an enabler," said Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, a Google spokesman in West Africa. "I may not have as much money as you but I can have enough social capital to drive as much influence as you do." Google isn't alone in trying to add low-tech features to its interface to broaden the Internet's reach. There's an emerging technology industry trying to increase access to basic and sometimes life-saving information on the web. (Source:AP)

Education minister commends Unity Bank By Aminu Imam

Affiong Osuchukwu, google's Nigeria marketing manager, speaks to the Associated Press, during an interview, in Lagos, Nigeria.

he Federal Government has commended Unity Bank Plc for its contribution to the development of tertiary education in the country. At a ceremony in Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa'i, who presented the plaque of

iPhone 5: Why Apple is still the king

n 2016, phone makers will ship a billion smartphones, according to research firm NPD DisplaySearch. That will be one smartphone for nearly every sixth person on the planet. The pot of gold at the end of that particular rainbow is pretty gigantic, and it is little wonder that vicious battles are being fought in courtrooms and markets around the world. It is into this ultimate war for tech dominance that the iPhone 5 has been delivered. If the iPhone 5 has failed to elicit the glowing universal admiration the product line is used to, it is because it has been born into a world with more competent rivals than any of its predecessors. It has in fact been shaped by competition perhaps more than any other Apple device. In other words, after years of leading and shaping the industry, Apple is playing catch up in the handsets category, the arc of its domination appearing to plateau. The larger screen is a direct response to the success of Samsung's Android phones with large screens. Jobs believed that 3.5 inch (diagonally) was the optimum size for a smartphone. Samsung's flagship Galaxy 3

smartphone sports a 4.8-inch screen.It sold 20 million units in three months of launch. Now iPhone has a 4-inch screen, and a 16:9 aspect ratio. If there is one decision that was forced on Apple, this is it. Apple has always stuck with compatible aspect ratios and resolutions on its iPhones and iPads for a reason - the vast array of apps in its Appstore should work seamlessly across devices and iterations. For the first time, some 700,000 apps made for iOS will appear letterboxed (with black bars at the edges) on Apple's latest device, not an experience the company is known to tolerate. Apple's decision to do away with Google Maps as standard maps solution in iOS and opt for a proprietary solution is in parts driven by its worsening rivalry with Google. But it is also born out of a desire to take control of the maps experience. Nokia, for instance, has been getting attention for its maps and offline navigation suite, thanks to its $8.1-billion acquisition of Navteq. Apple didn't say much about its processor, but claimed the new A6 powering the device was twice as fast as the A5 processor. Apple's smartphone market share actually slipped from

18.8 percent last year to 16.9 percent. After years of struggling to put out a credible competitor, Nokia last week unveiled the Lumia 920, a device with wireless charging, NFC (nearfield communication) capabilities and a camera with optical image

stabilisation. The company hasn't yet announced a release date or price. At the moment, it looks like a built-in mobile wallet with NFC will be pioneered by a manufacturer on the Windows Phone or Android platforms.

commendation to Unity Bank, said that a nation's population nurtured through education is its greatest asset. She explained that TETFund as an intervention agency was established to improve the quality of education in Nigeria and commended the Bank for its contribution towards the realiSation of this goal. In a statement signed by the Head, External Communications, Sani Mohammed Zaria, said that the bank has since inception been prompt in remitting the education tax as well as abiding by all regulatory policies, which culminated in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)'s recognition of the bank as outstanding in corporate governance and social responsibility.

JSP emerges Emirates PR agent in Nigeria From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

nited Arab Emirates flag carrier Emirates Airline has appointed Ikeja-based media communication firm JSP Communications as its public relations agency in Nigeria. The airline said the appointment underlines the importance of the Nigerian market and the need to continue to communicate and connect effectively with its highly valued customers and stakeholders in the largest country in Africa. It said JSP Communications will be providing the press office function as Emirates airline focuses on global lifestyle themes under the 'Hello Tomorrow' banner.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

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NLNG Train 7 project to attract N1.89 tr, create 13,000 jobs By Muhammad Sada with agency report

igeria is expected to attract fresh Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) worth $12bn, equivalent to (N1.89tr) within the next four years through the proposed Train 7 of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural

Gas (NLNG) project, a project expected to generate additional N3 billion revenue, annually, and a creation of about 13, 000 jobs in Nigeria. These figures were presented to the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, by the Managing Director, NLNG, Mr. Babs

Omotowa, during the minister's one-day facility tour of the NLNG plant in Bonny Island, Rivers state, on Monday. In addition, the minister also inaugurated the multi-million naira Finima Women Bakery built and donated to the community by the NLNG, as part of its corporate social responsibility.

The NLNG Limited is jointly owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49 %); Shell (26.6 %); Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15 %) and Eni (10.4 %). Aganga described the NLNG project as a big success story for Nigeria, stressing that the Ministry of Trade and Investment was committed to providing the enabling environment to encourage the inflow of FDI into the country saying that, "NLNG is one of the biggest success stories in our country. From what the managing director told me, the company has invested $13bn so far since inception and has become a pacesetter in terms of revenue generation for the government, profitability, dividend payment to shareholders, job creation and adherence to international best practices in its operations.

NEITI to convene forum on the PIB By Muhammad Nasir

L-R: Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Council Member, Mrs. Ngozi Okonkwo, Honorary Treasurer, Mr. Titus Soetan, and Ican President, Mr. Doyin Owolabi, during a one-day symposium on Federal Government of Nigeria's Budgets, on Tuesday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

ICAN expresses concern over budget implementation By Etuka Sunday

he President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mr. Adedoyin Owolabi on Tuesday pledged the Institute's readiness to assist the Federal Government in budget planning and implementation as well as general efforts to improve the economy. In a keynote address he delivered at the symposium on the Budgets of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the ICAN boss opined that the nation is richly blessed with human and natural resources and therefore should not be suffering

this level of poverty and infrastructural decay. The body said "each year, brilliant and huge budget proposals are presented by the government, and are subsequently approved with amendments by the National Assembly, yet, at year end, not much appears to have been achieved both at the micro and macro levels if the rates of unemployment, poverty, inflation, etc, are anything to go by." He said that the budget implementation has not given any reason for stakeholders to applaud while the budget cycle has remained unpredictable. It added

that the quality of life of the average Nigerian has continued to decline while the cost of governance has continued to rise, saying that "as a nation, we have continued to witness economic growth without development." "We are convinced that the nation can achieve much more than it is currently doing. The cost of doing business can be brought down. Our infrastructural facilities can be improved markedly even with the current level of funding if projects are properly monitored and greater premium is placed on value for money," he noted.

Economies will perform better with more even income distribution - UN Report

new United Nations report advocates that governments use fiscal and labour market policies to reduce income inequality, noting that this not only leads to social benefits but will spur economic growth and development. Produced by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Trade and Development Report 2012 says that recent experience, especially in Latin America and other developing countries, suggests that progressive taxation and rising public spending can strongly contribute to the process of inclusive growth. The report adds that this

approach would reduce income inequality while also providing the prospect of expanding demand that is needed for firms to increase investment. Trends over the last 30 years show income inequality increasing both within countries and between them, UNCTAD says in a news release. The share of wages in total income has fallen in most developed and in many developing countries, including by five percentage points or more in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and by 10 percentage points or more in France, Germany and Ireland. In several countries, the richest one % of the population now

accounts for 10 to 20 % of national wealth. The report notes, however, that governments can use fiscal and labour market policies to reduce income inequality. "This goal is worthwhile not only for reasons of fairness and social welfare, but because it would improve economic performance,"notes UNCTAD. More even income distribution also pays off over the long term, it contends, because high inequality deprives many people of access to education and credit, and prevents the expansion of domestic markets. Over years and decades, that amounts to an enormous waste of a country's economic potential. (Source: Reuters)

s the National Assembly gets set to commence debate on the Petroleum Industry Bill, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is convening a national forum for oil and gas industry experts, civil society, government agencies and the legislature to discuss, debate and interact on the provisions of the PIB, its relevance to NEITI mandates for good governance and transparency in Nigeria's oil and gas revenues. A statement issued on Tuesday by NEITI's Director of Communications, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, said the forum is expected to be declared open by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. The Chairman of NEITI Board, Ledum Mitee is expected to deliver the keynote speech, while NEITI's Executive Secretary, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed will be the host. Industry experts including the Managing Director of Shell, Mutiu Sumonu will examine the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Bill from the perspectives of investors while an EITI expert and scholar, Professor Assisi Asobie is expected to address the forum on NEITI Audit Report findings and the implications for the PIB. Other speakers include a renowned Professor of Law, Professor Yinka Omorogbe of the University of Benin who will x-ray the contents of the Bill against the background of institutional, financial and fiscal arrangements. Leading companies in the oil industry, civil society organizations, the media, relevant government agencies and the legislature are expected to participate in the forum holding at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos, from tomorrow through Friday 20th -21st September, 2012.

Naira firms after CBN rate decision

he Naira firmed slightly against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, a day after the central bank left interest rates on hold and said it would keep monetary conditions tight, dealers said. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) kept rates on hold for the sixth time in a row at 12 percent on Tuesday, welcoming improved growth and a slight fall in headline inflation. But it said monetary measures will remain hawkish for the foreseeable future. The Naira opened for trade at N157.50 to the U.S. dollar yesterday, higher than Tuesday's close of N157.75. Dealers said the naira was partly driven by inflows from foreign investors buying bonds at an auction on Wednesday and oil companies selling the greenback to lenders. "Chevron sold around $113 million to some lenders ... NLNG sold an undisclosed amount and (there were) inflows from investors buying bonds," one dealer told Reuters. The CBN said $1.4 billion of foreign investment flowed into debt in August. A bond dealer at Standard Chartered Bank, Olayemi Agbe-Davies told Reuters debt markets had anticipated the hold decision on rates and already factored it into bond pricing, so yields were largely steady yesterday. (Reuters)

Flight Schedules

Aero Los-Abj: 06:50, 13:30, 16:30, 19:45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun); 12:30 (Sun); 16:45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07:30, 13:00, 19:00 (Mon-Fri/Sat); 10:30, 14:30, 19:30 (Sun), 18:30 (Sat)

IRS Los-Abj: 9:45, 11:45, 2:45, (Mon-Fri); 9:30, 12:45 (Sat & Sun) Abj-Los: 11.30, 3:45, 4.45 (Mon-Fri); 12.00, 14:30, (Sat/Sun) Los-Kano: 6:15 (Mon-Fri); 16:30 (Sat & Sun) Kano-Los: 07:30 (Mon-Fri), 10:30 (Sat & Sun)

Arik Lag-Abj: 07:15, 09:15, 13:45, 15:50, 18:45 (MonFri); 7:15, 10:20, 2:20 (Sat & Sun) Lag-Kad: 10:00, 15:10 (MonFri) Lag-Kano: 12.20 (Mon-Fri);

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

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The sack of 103 teachers and fate of education in Plateau state Plateau state government recently sacked 103 teachers recruited barely a year ago, this at a time primary school teachers have been on a strike five months, writes Tobias Lengnan Dapam.

he recent sacking of 103 Plateau state teachers by the state government at a time the state is beset by insecurity and a five-month strike by

primary school teachers, has exposed the level of instability in the state’s education sector. Not unexpectedly, governor Jonah David

Commissioner for Education, Plateau State, Mr. Nanle Dashen

Jang has been accused as being the major stumbling block to the peace process in the state, owing to his inability to carry all the ethnic groups along.

Investigations revealed that the disengagement of the teachers was done to create vacancies for his loyalists, whether they are qualified or not. The politics of tribalism which reflects in almost all the ministries and agencies in the state has been in ascendancy since the present government came into office. According to some of the affected teachers who spoke to Peoples Daily to register their grievance over what they see as the injustice meted out to them by the government, the termination of their appointments was conveyed to them in a letter written signed by the Commissioner of Education, dated the June 25, 2012. The teachers alleged that the government recruited them into the state’s civil service in August 2011 and they were paid only one month salary in August, 2011, while others were paid up to September. They further alleged that the government failed to pay them their one month salary in lieu of prior notification of the termination of their appointments. In a letter to the government, the teachers said “You may recall that within the month of April to July, 2011, you offered us letters of temporary appointment as teachers through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), of which we all resumed duties in August, 2011 and since then we have been in active service to our duties with only the payment of August, 2011, salary paid to us which some of us have not even received up

till now. “You may also recall that you recently terminated our appointments through a letter dated 25th may, 2012, without paying our outstanding salaries for the month of September, 2011 to May, 2012 and the one month salary in lieu of notice of termination.” Our investigation further revealed that the teachers were sacked because the majority of them came from the central zone of the state, something that did not please the governor who promptly ordered their

However, the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in the state, Malam Adam Zakka, said that the employment done within that particular period was marred by irregularity, hence the decision to relieve them of their employment. Zakka, however, said he did not know why the teachers were not paid their salaries up to this moment. “Ordinarily, the state government was supposed to pay the teachers their salaries for the nine months they discharge their

“

Primary school teachers in Plateau have been on strike for the past five months and up to now there is nothing concrete that has been done to make them call off the strike sack. It was gathered that the governor, who is accused of being an ethnic jingoist, wanted his tribesmen to be favoured, but when it was discovered that most of the teachers were employed based on merit and not politics of tribalism, a fiat was issued to terminate the appointments.

services in those institutions. Most of the teachers, who said they resigned from private schools to take up appointments in public schools, ironically find themselves in the labour market once more, for not having a god- father in the civil service to protect them. When Peoples Daily

contacted the Commissioner of Education, Nanle Dashen for comment, he offered to talk to our reporter one on one, but when our reporter went to Jos to see him, he instead played hide and seek, refusing to either see the reporter or reply several text messages sent to his phone. Giving a hint that there is hope for the sacked teachers, Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Jibrin Banchir, said that the NLC was fully aware of the situation and has commenced discussion with the government in order to pay the teachers their salaries and to ensure that they return to work. On the progress of the meeting, Banchir said it was too early to comment on that, urging that the labour union will do its best. The reason for the latest employment, according to our findings, was to fill in some vacancies in the institutions. But that aim was defeated with the current disengagement of those saddled with the responsibility of impacting knowledge. The question is what would happen to those schools and the vacancies created by the teachers. “Would they employ other teachers? What will be the criteria for the employment? And what if the new recruits have nothing to offer? If merit would not be employed to arrest the situation, then the decay in the institutions of learning will not only be structural but would also erode the young ones and train them with the level

Governor Jonah Jang

of ignorance that powerfully mislead. What is more worrisome is that with the sack of the 103 teachers who are yet to be replaced, students will be at the receiving end as their future is at stake. Al so, parents of primary school pupils in state whose teachers has been on five months strike have threatened to take to the streets in protest if the strike is not called off. Mr. Sylvester Yakubu, Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) Chairman in the state, said parents would be forced to take that action to force both sides to resolve their disagreement so that pupils would resume

classes. “Primary school teachers in Plateau have been on strike for the past five months and up to now there is nothing concrete that has been done to make them call off the strike. “If nothing is done soon, we would be forced to go to the streets to press home our grievances’. He explained that the problem was between the state government and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) but pointed out that “it is our children that are paying the price”. The PTA chairman said that the PTA had been going from one office to the other to bring the

aggrieved parties to dialogue in a bid to put an end to the lingering strike so that their children could go back to school. “We have been making efforts to speak with the people concerned; we want to see how we can come in as parents to help resolve the issues, but nobody is ready to listen to us. “We went to the Education Commissioner on Thursday and he directed us to see the Universal Basic Education Board Chairperson, who said she doesn’t know precisely where the problem is,” he said. He pointed out that the future of the children is “on the brink of collapse”

particularly those in the primary schools. “Schools are resuming next month and nobody knows the fate of those in primary six since they cannot write the common entrance examinations because of the strike. “As parents, we will not fold our hands and continue to wait until the two warring parties decide to call a truce while the future of our children is in jeopardy,” he said. M e a n w h i l e , Chairperson of SUBEB Lyop Mang, has claimed that the government is on top of the situation as necessary measures are being put in place to end the strike.

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Tackling oil spill and its effect in Nigeria By Sherifat Yahaya

il spillage has become common disaster in Nigeria especially in the Niger Delta region and some parts of Lagos State. This phenomenon could be described as the accidental discharge of petroleum or petroleum products into the environment thereby causing ecological risk to both land and sea creatures. On land, oil spills are usually localized and thus their impact can easily be managed. Marine oil spill on the other hand may result in aquatic pollution covering large area with its attendant hazards. The primary cause of oil spillage on sea is oil transportation; either by tankers or under-water pipelines. However, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria limited (SPDC) is committed to minimizing oil spillage in Nigeria. One of the methods adopted towards this end is prompt response to alerts from either the Contract SPDC Community Surveillance Teams or the general public. The first step taken by the SPDC in case of oil spillage is to shutdown the flow of oil before other steps are taken to rectify the problem. It was recently reported that, in Lagos, oil spill of about three hundred and fifty square miles from a royal Dutch shell platform is slowly making its way towards the Southern Nigeria coast resulting in shore pollution and threatening wildlife. More so, operational oil spill mostly occurs when ships are carrying out routine operations at ports or oil terminals, but most of such spills are minimal, with ninetythree percent of them producing spillage of less than seven tonnes. The magnitude of crude oil pollution and damage occasioned by Multi National Oil Companies’ operation in Niger Delta region of Nigeria is incredible. Crude oil or petroleum became richly available in the region about a century ago. The importance of this black gold to the country’s economy cannot be over emphasized. Also, it is noteworthy that, the devastating consequences of crude oil spillage in the Niger Delta region with its attendant hazards on aquatic, terrestrial and aerial creatures may sometimes have irreversible negative chain effect on both the bio-diversity and humans. It would be recall that in 1995, shell was implicated in the hanging of Nigerian activist, Ken Saro Wiwa who led one of the first and best organized campaigns against the oil giant and its irresponsible behaviour in the Niger Delta region as well as its corrupt practices and dealings with the Nigerian government. As a result of the outcry that followed the death of Ken Saro Wiwa, shell stopped production in the Ogoni Land, but it still kept its poorly maintained large pipelines and storage facilities, which is one major cause of continuous stream of oil flowing into the surrounding waters and hundreds of extremely poor communities in the region.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

EMERGENCY UPDATE

NEMA capable of tackling effects of massive flood disasters, says DG

he Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi, has said that the agency was not overwhelmed by the devastating effects of the massive floods that hit many states. Sidi made the remark in Jos on Tuesday during a visit by the presidential committee on flood disaster to Plateau. The committee, headed by

the Environment Minister, Mrs Hadiza Mailafia, is in the state to assess the level of damage the flood caused in the seven local governments it occurred. “We have the necessary man power and resources to contain the effects of the flood recorded across the country. We are trying to take inventory of all the devastating affects at all the affected places including the number of people that died, or

were displaced,” he explained. Sidi said that the Federal Government was so concerned about the number of people affected by the flood, which “hit us so hard and left us worried. He said that efforts were being been made to ensure that such misfortune did not befall the nation again. “We are already taking proactive measures; we are putting in place, all the necessary

steps to guard against any recurrence,’’ he stated. According to the DG, NEMA is putting heads with all the governments of the affected states to explore ways to assist displaced persons currently in various camps, mostly schools and worship centres. Other members of the team included the ministers for water resources, works and other top government officials. (NAN)

Community leader calls for relief assistance to flood victims

community leader at Ochama in Okpokwu Local Government of Benue, Mr Joseph Aba, has appealed to the state government to provide relief materials to victims of the flood disaster in the area. Aba, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi, appealed to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to send the relief materials urgently to the victims of the disaster. The statement claimed that hundreds of houses and farm lands were swept away by flood, adding that Madikpo clan was the most affected area most hit. The statement also noted that most children in the area had been exposed to cold and were sleeping in the open alongside their parents due to the lack of shelter. It further said that the victims also lacked food and urged the relevant agencies to come to their aid. (NAN)

A flooded area in Makurdi, Benue state

Flood: Concerns highten on Abuja-Keffi road By Anita Abang

igeria by virtue of its geographical location is exposed to severe climatic conditions. Some of these climatic conditions result in environmental hazards such as soil erosion, flooding, landslides, earthquake, drought and desertification. It is however no more news, that valuable resources have been lost as a result of these climatic challenges and inability to tackle them. Apart from causing destruction of lives and properties, flood and rainstorm also cause significant damage to sources of livelihood. Flood, one of the most frequent and widespread of all environmental hazards is of various types and magnitudes. It

occurs mostly on land, causing huge damage to the economy, social infrastructure, services and public health. This has raised concerns, especially in Mararaba area of Nasarawa State, a sub-hub close to the Abuja, Nigeria’s city capital, particularly, the sharp corner Bus-Stop down to Abacha Road Bus-Stop, where flood has taken its toll on the road which leads to Abuja. This road is the major link between Nasarawa State where most of the Abuja workers reside and the Federal Capital Territory-Abuja. The major reason for flooding on this road is the blocked drainage systems caused by improper disposal of refuse. In the event of any misfortune, economic activities of the occupants of these areas are

adversely affected; businesses around these areas record low sales as customers find it difficult to patronize them due to the flood, notable among them is the famous Building-Material Market located in the area. Even the motorists plying this route suffer untold hardship caused by the flood. The residents need proper enlightenment as regards preservation of the environment. They should employ positive attitude towards the environment in order to tackle this perennial flood. The drainage system should be cleaned; people should stop dumping refuse in the drainage, they should engage in regular environmental sanitation exercises. These will go a long way to alleviate the flood challenge currently experienced in the area. On the other hand, the

government should devise means of mitigating flood disaster in the area. These may include; organizing workshop on flood prevention, mitigation and preparedness. Monitoring, Assessment, mapping and generation of base line environmental data for the prevention, mitigation and control of hydro meteorologically related problems (erosion flood and coastal degradation) in the area and Nigeria as a whole. In doing this, the government should engage various agencies responsible for the management of disasters, as well as mobilize active monitoring team to supervise the implementation. These methods should also be applied by the government to solve similar problems in other areas.

PAGE 29

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

EMERGENCY UPDATE YOUTHS FOR Victims cry for help as PUBLIC SAFETY flood wreaks havoc in Kogi By Abubakar Jimoh

isplaced residents of Lokoja and its environs in Kogi have appealed to the state government for assistance rescue as flood continued to ravage the areas. The victims, in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja, pleaded with the government to urgently provide temporary accommodation for them. The appeal followed the flooding of houses on the banks of the River Niger, which had displaced hundreds of people, including women and children. It was observed that the river had overflowed its banks, submerging houses and washing away property worth millions of naira. The government-owned Adankolo Housing Estate, located some 50 metres away from the river bank, was also submerged.

Some occupants of the estate were seen salvaging their property and relocating to safer places. A victim, Mrs Rekiya Mohammed, appealed to the government to urgently provide temporary accommodation for the displaced families. Also speaking, the Chairman of Okunmi-Oworo Development Association, Malam Umaru Halladu, complained that many people had been rendered homeless due to the devastation, appealing to the state government to relocate the victims to a safe place. Halladu described the flood disaster as unprecedented, listing the affected communities as Okunmi-Oworo, Sarki Numa, NATACO, Kpata and Adankolo. “These areas have been completely submerged and valuable property worth millions of naira lost,’’ Halladu said.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdulrahman Wuya, has appealed to residents of the affected communities to relocate for the safety of their lives. Wuya, who made the appeal while speaking to newsmen, advised the victims to relocate to a temporary camp provided by the Lokoja Local Government. However, efforts by NAN to locate the temporary camp were futile while several phone calls made to Mr Idris Lakwaja, the Chairman of the Lokoja Local Government, were unanswered. Also, Mrs Florence Ogedengbe, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), could not be reached. She was said to be in a meeting with Gov. Idris Wada over the incident when NAN visited her office. (NAN)

NEMA's various intervention efforts during recent disasters in Abuja and Benue

abujimoh01@yahoo.com

Sani-Sidi and volunteerism in disaster management

n the last two years, many stakeholders within and outside Nigeria would have noticed the miraculous changes in the sphere of disaster management in the country. This could be attributed to the tireless and dedicated efforts of the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi who was appointed in September 2010. It is indisputable fact that SaniSidi has turned around the approaches to disaster management in the country using strategic values that have helped to save thousands of lives and billions of naira worth of property; as well as sustaining and improving the relationship with stakeholders, especially specialized volunteers on disaster management in the country. As one of the beneficiaries of capacity building programmes of NEMA during my national youth service programme, I noticed the deployment of latest technology to advance the cause of disaster management in Nigeria. The last innovation is the introduction of the toll free number (0800CALLNEMA) in the case of an emergency where the general public could call free. Most activities of the agency are undertaken under collaborative efforts with other response agencies and volunteers who are also trained to provide supports whenever required. The volunteer groups include those for top level officers in the public and private sectors known as Executive Volunteers, The Grassroots Volunteers at community level and Youth Volunteers. The successes of the volunteers are noticeable in public awareness campaigns and response to emergencies. Realizing that quality education and awareness campaigns are major pillars towards disaster risk reduction, NEMA under Sani-Sidi has expended more resources in training and retraining of staff and stakeholders through regional seminars, conferences and simulations exercises. There is also tremendous public awareness on disaster management through effective media relations and strategic relations with relevant response agencies. The improvement in early warning alert by NEMA has assisted in great measures in reducing risk from excessive rainfall that have resulted to massive flooding this year alone. Though lives and property have been lost, those that had adhered to the early alert from the agency were saved. While preventive strategies are antidotes to avoid occurrence,

timely response to disaster occurrences are now the hallmark of NEMA going by their response to bomb explosion sites, collapsed buildings, flooded communities among others. While NEMA rescue officers search for victims, relief and rehabilitation teams provide succour to the affected communities. NEMA’s success story in the last two years is not limited to managing challenges in Nigeria but also with the international communities. The agency has rendered various types of assistances and supports to mostly African countries. For instance relief materials were provided to victims of explosion in Congo Brazzaville, while The Gambia benefitted from deployment of skilled NEMA emergency officers to support in setting up similar agency in that country. In the same vein, stranded Nigerians during the political crises in Arab countries were successfully evacuated and united with their families in Nigeria. Egypt, Tunisia and Libya were cases in point. It is pertinent to note that while NEMA offices are in only six states representing each geopolitical zone of the Federation, Sani-Sidi finds it necessary to improve the capacities of the stakeholders, especially the volunteer groups. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a beneficiary of the gesture. The NEMA-NYSC Emergency Youths Vanguard (EYV) has received financial and moral supports for their programmes and projects. For instance, such assistance helped this writer to realise some projects including pamphlets, Zebra crossing, school quiz, relief donations and advocacy visitations during the NYSC days. To the corps members who contribute immensely towards disaster risk reduction campaigns and projects, the NEMA DG single headedly provided scholarships to them to pursue Masters Degree programmes on Disaster Management in any of the six Nigerian universities where the programme are offered. Many stakeholders’ initiatives have been developed and sustained from the NEMA-EYV collaboration. A concrete example of these is Youths Against Disaster Initiative (YADI) which is an opportunity for young Nigerians to be advocates and champions of disaster risk reduction in their communities. The initiative was influenced by encouragement of Sani-Sidi, who insists “Disaster Management is everyone’s business.” It is expected that Muhammad Sani-Sidi would use the next half of his tenure to sustain, if not improve on what have so far been accomplished in the areas of disaster management in the country

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

FG reiterates Sewage leakages: FCT residents want urgent intervention commitment ross sections of residents in under threat as her customers Mr Mohammed Yakubu, one with his team on some sewage parts of Abuja Municipality complained of stench from the of the workers at the company said pipelines, said he would visit the to managing have called on the Abuja sewage. that the domestic waste and affected areas after completing the Environmental Protection Board ”I am appealing to the leakage of sewage contributed to maintenance work. nation’s forestry (AEPB) to address the problem of sanitation agency to come to our water pollution in the nation’s He said that attributed the

he Federal Government on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to managing the nation’s forestry for the benefit of the citizenry. Mr Adeyemi Adefule, the Federal Controller of Environment, Lagos Zonal Office, said this in Lagos at the Presidential Initiative on Afforestation Programme awareness campaign. Adefule said that the national forest policy which focuses on managing the nation’s forestry sector would continue to deliver good services in perpetuity. “To meet the needs of the generation without compromising the rights of future generation, the Department of Forestry is in charge of management of forestry for sustainable development. This department has set out priority for proper implementation,’’ he said. He said that the total forest area in Nigeria was less than 10 per cent as against the national minimum of 25 per cent recommended by the Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO). “Forest exploitation has been in practice by humans since the beginning of civilisation. Deforestation arises from nonsustainable use of the forest,’’ he said. The federal controller noted that rapid population growth and the increase in demand for forest resources had made it difficult to reduce the deforestation rate, thereby putting the environment at risk. He said that the overall policy of the programme was to use afforestation as a vehicle for youth empowerment and poverty alleviation. “To achieve the benefit of this programme and for effective management, the ministry is embarking on this campaign and distribution of seedlings to foster unity, ” he said. He commended the efforts of the Lagos State Government for being in the vanguard of the tree planting campaign and environmental protection in the state. “I am convinced that you will be inspired and encouraged to have a deeper commitment to bequeath a clean and healthy environment to generations yet unborn, ’’ he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four local government areas in the state benefitted from the pilot scheme and the distribution of the ‘Tectonia grandis’ (Teak) seedling. The local governments are Mushin, Ajeromi, Alimosho and Surulere while others would be covered subsequently. The second phase of the campaign will commence in 12 pilot schools in Lagos after the resumption of the new academic session. (NAN)

pollution in the Federal capital city. In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja recently, the residents identified their major area of concern as pollution from broken sewage and observed that waste water mixed with feaces flowed freely on land. Mrs Helen Anim, the Managing Director, Heleno Restaurant located at the Green Garden along Moshood Abiola way, told NAN that her business was

help for we are problem odour from the leakage,” she noted. Another resident, Mr Abraham Oloniyo of Hits Furniture Nigeria Limited, located on Aguiyi Ironsi Way in Maitama District, told NAN that the sewage line beside the company’s fence was posed a serious health threat to the workers. According to Oloniyo, the workers have contended with the leakage for more than three months, adding that “we have made reports to AEPB on this issue but there was no response.”

capital. Yakubu claimed that inhaling polluted air could be hazardous to the citizenry, saying “these problems are sources of pollution and constitute threats to our health. I am appealing to the concerned authority to come to our assistance.” In his reaction, Mr Joe Ukairo, Head of Information (AEPB), told NAN that the board had not received any official reports about the leakages. Ukairo, who was seen working

overflow of some sewage to increased underground water but added that human factors had also aggravated the pollution. For example, he said that in the course of the ongoing maintenance work, the team had found some hard objects in the course of clearing the sewage. “In the process of carrying out this clearing exercise, we have found some materials which are not easily degradable inside the sewage pipelines,” Ukairo said. (NAN)

Sewage, collected from household septic tanks, is deposited in the Lagos lagoon

FG regrets multiple losses to floods By Mohammed Kandi

inister of Environment, Mrs Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia has lamented the severe rate flood incidents that ravaged some parts of Bauchi, Benue, Jigawa, Kano and Plateau states saying “lives can be saved and losses minimized if flood alerts are taken more seriously”. , The Minister, according to a statement issued yesterday in Abuja said, after inspecting the

affected areas of Bauchi, Jigawa, Plateau and Benue states on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th September 2012, expressed her regrets over anguish the floods had caused to victims, who lost loved ones, all their life savings, possessions, and became homeless. She said: “the monumental losses suffered in many states, and the destructions to lives and properties call for sober reflection. It calls for review of our strategies

and commitments towards mitigating the devastating effects of climate change” Mailafia stated that incidents of recurring flash floods in various parts of the country, particularly in the North hitherto noted for drought, underscored the reality of climate change. She reiterated the need for citizens, particularly residents of flood-prone areas to heed the early warnings of the Ministry on impending floods, and to promptly

FG commences assessment of flood areas, says Mailafia

he Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Mailafia, has said in Jos, the Plateau state capital that the Federal Government had commenced assessment of areas hit by the flood that swept through many states of the federation. The minister disclosed this when she led a team, constituted to carry out the assessment, on a courtesy call on GovernorJonah Jang of Plateau state. According to the minister, the team is expected to tour all states affected by the disaster and, recommend ways to assist the victims and to avoid a recurrence. She said the team was in the state to see the level of devastation caused there and to make recommendations to the government. “Over the last few months there had been series of flooding

across the country, including Plateau. We hope to recommend and implement stringent measures to end the trend. “We cannot fight nature but we should be able to adjust our life styles. Some people deliberately live and build houses on waterways and when something happens, they start calling on government to assist. We definitely cannot continue that way,” she explained. Mailafia gave the assurance that after the assessment, the team would recommend measures that would solve the flooding problem once and for all. She, however, called on Nigerians to learn to respect the environment to avoid the devastation caused by natural disasters. Jang, in his remarks, said that Plateau had experienced the worst case of flooding in its history, noting

that the southern part of the state was almost cut off from other parts because of collapsed bridges. The governor lamented that some bridges that were constructed recently by his administration were equally affected by flood, stating that government would have to extend the length of some of the bridges to avert future occurrence. He thanked the team for the visit and called on the Federal Government to assist t the disaster victims, saying “for those who have died, there is nothing we can do, but we need to help the surviving victims,’’ he said.” The team inspected parts of Jos North which was destroyed in July and later went to flood sites in Shendam, Lantang North, Langtang South, Wase, Mikang, Kanke local government areas. (NAN)

evacuate, so that lives were not avoidably lost. She urged Nigerians not to hesitate or procrastinate in evacuating their abodes, when directed to do so by local authorities. The minister also appealed to residents to refrain from dumping refuse on drainages, gutters, and the blockage of canals which aggravated floods, and warned against building houses in flood plains, or the banks of rivers and streams, in spite of their prohibitions by Town planning authorities. The minister observed that tree felling was positively detrimental to the Federal Government’s Presidential Initiative on Afforestation, adding that the programme was aimed at stemming the tide of desertification and the consequent loss of arable lands. She informed that massive afforestation programmes also aimed at mitigating the harmful effects of climate change through massive re-vegetation and sustainable management of the nation’s forest resources. The Minister, who appealed to Nigerians to take environment issues more seriously, asking them to act in concert with others to protect the environment, however, called on states to take advantage of tree seedlings made available to them under the Presidential afforestation initiative to do so without further delay.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 27

Floods that should prompt climate action T

hese days, whenever the sky suddenly darkens, fear and apprehension often grip people, as it often turns to heavy downpour, resulting to Armageddon of floods. Often times, it leaves behind a tale of woes, rendering many roads impassable, destroys farmlands, bridges, and submerges communities, buildings and other properties, including livestock. There have been many dramatic and devastating weather events across the globe in the past couple of years. Regardless of the paucity of data in Nigeria, the death toll must have risen to thousands and hundreds of people missing, due to heavy rains enhanced by storms, drenching almost every corner of the country. While many people perished in the ensuing floods, nearly a million others forced to evacuate their homes. This shows that for all man’s cleverness, and all our technological advances, we are still powerless when nature takes its powerful course. Flooding, because of its relatively rapid onset can capture a great deal of public attention. Since the beginning of this year’s raining season, Nigeria has had its own fair share of the unprecedented flooding as a major natural disaster with huge costs compounded by lost of incomes in farming, mining and tourism. In the face of these unrelenting flood disasters, President Goodluck Jonathan recently constituted a technical committee to assess and determine the extent of damage caused by recent floods in some states, such as Plateau, Jigawa, Adamawa, Benue and Kogi that were most affected. The committee would have by now submitted its interim report to the president, as it had four days to do that. But what would follow is better imagined; as there have always been committees upon committees that are never committed. Like other natural disasters, the intensity and frequency of flood disasters have been attributed to climate change which has continued to disrupt weather variations and no doubt altered the geology of the earth. In the last couple of months, women and children have become the most affected, when displaced from their homes by these floods that has become unrelenting. Today, the cost of beans and other food items have gone through the roof, as dealers lament; attributing it to the floods that have ravaged parts of the north, that is the food basket of the nation. The price of beans has tripled, now going for as high as N37, 000, as against the N13, 000 it sold for per bag six months ago, due to the non-arrival of newly harvested beans in the markets, as it should around this time of the year. Other food items are not left out.

In the coastal areas, more than 25 million people have been adversely affected by floods. The basins of rivers Niger, Benue and Sokoto have been the most prone

is one. Warning of an intending environmental disaster is one, solution is another. What are the measures that have been put in

to the floods since the beginning of the rainy season, as it had severe flooding impacts. The Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has been calling on who cares to listen that Nigerians should prepare for more devastating flood disasters in the months ahead. It is expected that government at all levels should have embarked on massive clearing of drainages, dredging of primary and secondary channels, and lining of many earth channels as parts of efforts by the governments to cope with the rains. Agreed that little can be achieved without the collaboration of the people as no nation can promise a flood free state, only mitigate it. But people need be told to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse, drains around homes must be evacuated and building of structures on drainage alignments must stop. This is where enlightenment campaign comes in. But agencies of government responsible for disasters management and prevention have not showed enough seriousness to tackle these problems of floods as it were. The promise by the federal ministry of environment to establish Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) in 36 states which is web-based system for forecasting devastating floods in the country

place by these agencies to prevent and mitigate the effects of these disasters when they occur? Deaths by such disasters are often considered in many ways as a symptom of economic underdevelopment. More interconnections provide more ways to mobilize resources and explore alternatives when things go wrong, which we lack in this country. The present frequency and severity of these disasters have been partly attributed to man “inhumanity” to his environment, for blocking drainages with refuse and also building of structures on such drainages. The factors that favour flooding include lack of surface drains or blockage of existing drains with municipal waste, refuse and eroded soil sediments. Most of our towns are known to be generally characterised by poor drains and are, therefore, prone to flooding. Government agencies responsible for environmental problems have not showed enough readiness to invest in disaster monitoring equipment, like the Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) promised to install by the ministry of environment. What are urgently needed are flood and erosion prevention, control and management mechanisms. The approach of governments to environmental problems has always been

ENVIR ONMENT ENVIRONMENT WATCH By Ambrose Inusa Sule, mnes globenviron@yahoo.com 0703-441-4410 (sms only)

medicine after death, ready to be administered by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). A disaster that strikes an unprepared can set country years back. Procrastinating on flood and erosion prevention and control is like refusing medication for a developing infection. It is expected that governments at all levels should intensify efforts to ensure protection of people living in the affected areas through advocacy campaigns, to prevent loss of lives and properties. Urging those living along the river’s coastline to relocate by agencies of government due to floods is not enough. How do you expect communities to vacate their ancestral farmland where there is no guarantee by government to provide alternative. There is the need for environmental sustainability training programmes, like the Ogun State government recently did by training 200 youths in flood disaster management, as part of efforts to aid environmental sustainability in the state. The youths were trained to be advocates and good representatives of their respective Local Government Areas and to respond to emergency situations. That training was part of the state’s response to the global

environmental crisis relating to climatic change. Government should build the capacity of each community, across the country; train them on how to protect themselves, their homes, properties and prevent risks. Drainage systems meant for the disposal of liquid waste have now been turned to dumping grounds for refuse. These refuse obstruct the flow of water and liquid waste. Thus when rain falls, water overflows resulting in flooding. Poor maintenance of water dams aggravates the problem of flooding. In certain areas in the country, environmental sanitation is ignored and if observed, poorly done. There is no gainsaying the fact that several damages have been done to houses, roadways, sewerage system and canal and the environment as a whole. To help alleviate the pains of people during the period, the government should construct effective drainage system in these areas. While much responsibility lies on the government to stop this problem, the citizens also have a road to play. Waste products should not be thrown into gutters and canals. Laws should be enforced to sanction any who is caught in the act of throwing waste materials. These measures could help prevent future damages and stop flooding during rainy periods.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 30

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2012 Obama rebukes Romney over remarks P

resident Barack Obama has criticised Mitt Romney for “writing off a big chunk of the country” after a secretly made video showed the Republican presidential nominee dismissing “47 per cent” of Obama’s supporters as victims who are dependent on the government. “One of the things I’ve learned as president is you represent the entire country,” Obama said on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday. “My expectation is if you want to be president, you’ve got to work for everybody, not just for some,” he said to applause from the studio audience. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts and private equity executive, was secretly filmed making the remarks at a $50,000-per-plate fundraiser in Florida in May. The left-leaning magazine Mother Jones acquired the video and published it on its website on Monday, prompting a quick response from Romney, who said he could have been more “elegant”. “There are 47 per cent of the people who will vote for the president [Obama] no matter what ... there are 47 per cent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it,” Romney said at the fundraiser.

Obama, though he made a somewhat similar gaffe four years ago, saying small-town Americans without jobs tend to cling to “guns and religion,” said he tried to reach out to people who did not support him after his victory in 2008. “When I won in 2008, 47 per cent of people who voted, voted for John McCain. They didn’t vote for me,” Obama said. “And what I said on election night was, even though you didn’t vote for me, I hear your voices and I’m going to work as hard as I can to be your president.” In another part of the video published by Mother Jones, Romney said that Palestinians “have no interest whatsoever” in peace with Israel, seemingly dismissing the two-state solution, a peace and border plan long supported by the US and other negotiators. “The Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and ... the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish,” Romney said. “I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel, and these thorny issues, and I say: There’s just no way.” “The idea of pushing on the Israelis to give something up to get the Palestinians to act is the worst idea in the world,’’ Romney said, according to

President Obama and host David Letterman the magazine. Mother Jones did not provide video of that comment. The comments drew anger from Palestinian peace negotiator SaebErakat, who called them “absolutely unacceptable,” and provided the White House with fresh ammunition to paint the Republican challenger as unpresidential. “The president’s foreign policy, in my opinion, is formed in part by a perception he has that his magnetism, and his charm, and his persuasiveness

is so compelling that he can sit down with people like [Vladimir] Putin and [Hugo] Chávez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and that they’ll find that we’re such wonderful people that they’ll go on with us, and they’ll stop doing bad things,” Romney says. “And it’s an extraordinarily naive perception.” At a hastily called news conference late on Monday night, Romney did not dispute the clip but conceded the comments were not “elegantly stated’’

and that they were spoken “off the cuff”. “It’s not elegantly stated. Let me put it that way,” Romney said, in California. “I’m sure I could state it more clearly and in a more effective way than I did in a setting like that.” Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, DC, said that the videos showed that “Mitt Romney is willing to say one thing to a private audience and another thing in public.” “He said when he was in Israel in July that he believed in a two-state solution, and here he is, recorded, just a month or so before, at a private fundraising even in Florida, saying there was no chance of a two-state solution, no chance of peace in the Middle East,” said Fisher. The Romney campaign has not disputed the authenticity of the video released on Monday. The videos are the latest setback for a campaign struggling with low poll numbers and reports of infighting ahead of the November election. It added to Romney’s problems as he tried on Monday to retool his campaign message with more specifics on policies after reports of internal disarray. He has slipped in polls in the last two weeks as the selection of running mate Paul Ryan and the Republican National Convention failed to make much of a mark with voters.

Despite his rhetoric, Romney needs the “47 percent” to win

epublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney isn’t backing down from a hiddencamera video that shows him disparaging nearly half the nation’s voters. But it was clear on Tuesday that he has a lot more explaining to do if he wants to win over the broad swath of voters whose support he will need to oust Democrat Barack Obama from the White House in the November 6 election. While Obama’s Democrats have focused on the growing divide between the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans and the other 99 percent, Romney gave voice to a split that has preoccupied conservatives during the past year: the 53 percent who pay federal income taxes and the 47 percent who do not. In the videotaped remarks at a $50,000-a-plate fundraiser in Florida in May - brought to light on Monday by the liberal magazine Mother Jones - Romney equated the second group with those who support Obama. “My job is not to worry about those people,” Romney says on the video. “I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” But to win the November 6 election, Romney will need the backing of many of those “takers,” as his vice presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, has called them. The “47 percent” aren’t just lowincome city dwellers who rely on food stamps, housing support and other programs that traditionally have been championed by Democrats. Many are retirees and workingclass white voters who are wary of government’s role in their lives and who have tended to vote for Republicans in recent years, even as they take advantage of tax credits and

government assistance. Romney’s challenge now is to soften his blunt language into an effective appeal to those who have struggled in the wake of the worst recession since the 1930s. And despite his harsh language at the Florida fundraiser, analysts say he will have to assure voters that he could be a president for all Americans, not just half of them. “He’s going to have to explain it in a much more concise and compassionate way, especially when Obama will likely challenge him on it,” Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said. So far, Romney has been unable to translate widespread dissatisfaction with the economy into a lead in the polls, as voters consistently have rated Obama as more likeable and trustworthy. Romney, a former private equity executive with an estimated fortune

Mitt Romney

of $250 million, already is battling perceptions that he is an out-of-touch elitist, in part because of ads by Obama’s team that have cast Romney as a job killer whose company, Bain Capital, sent thousands of U.S. jobs overseas. The video could cement a perception that he does not care about the concerns of ordinary Americans, several observers said. “This is going to stick in a lot of throats,” said Boston University communications professor TobeBerkovitz. The percentage of U.S. households that paid no federal income taxes in 2011 was actually closer to 46 percent, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. The Census Bureau says a record 49 percent of households received government benefits this year.Both figures have increased sharply in recent years because of an aging

population and the deepest recession since the 1930s. The trend has alarmed conservatives, who worry that the growth of the welfare state could sap Americans’ initiative. “I think we’re coming close to a tipping point in America where we might have a net majority of takers versus makers in society,” Ryan said at the Heritage Foundation last October, long before Romney selected him as his vice presidential running mate. Other prominent Republicans, including former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann and Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, have argued that everyone should pay at least a nominal amount of income tax. But the divide between “makers” and “takers” is not as simple as Romney put it. According to the Tax Policy Center, almost two-thirds of those who paid no income taxes did pay federal payroll taxes, which support the Social Security pension program and the Medicare health plan. Many are exempt thanks to lower tax rates and targeted tax breaks that were pushed by Republicans. Among those who receive government benefits, one-third received Social Security and Medicare - popular programs that are available to all retirees, not just those with low incomes. Romney will need support of people in both groups if he is going to win. Elderly voters have become an important part of the Republican coalition in recent elections, and Romney is struggling to hold on to his advantage among voters age 60 and older. Romney’s lead over Obama

among voters in that group was nearly 20 percentage points last week but has declined to less than a 4-point lead this week, according to Reuters/Ipsos tracking polls. Obama leads among all other age groups. Romney is not likely to win among lower-income voters but he will need to limit his losses among this group in order to carry battleground states such as Ohio. Romney currently has the backing of 37 percent of voters with income under $50,000, according to a New York Times/CBS poll released last week. Conservative pundit Bill Kristol termed Romney’s “47 percent” comments “stupid and arrogant” in the Weekly Standard and warned that they could alienate voters in both of those groups. A Republican congressional aide said Romney’s remarks were “completely boneheaded” and could hurt his appeal among undecided voters. The aide said he did not think support would erode among Republicans, however. Romney intends to talk in coming days about his plan to boost the economy and create more goodpaying jobs that would allow people to earn enough money to pay taxes, a campaign official said. “They shouldn’t be on food stamps, they should be getting paychecks,” the aide said. The first debate with Obama on October 3 now looms as a particularly important hurdle for Romney, who will have to convince financially struggling voters that he is not writing them off, several Republicans said. “The debates are crucial,” Republican strategist Taylor Griffin said. “If Romney can put these gaffes in the context of the fact that he’s someone who knows how to run things, operate things, he’ll do OK.”

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

ANALYSIS By Ed Cropley and Michael Martina

alawians bill their country as the "Warm Heart of Africa" and pride themselves on a reputation for friendliness. But Jaffa Shaibu, a burly 32-year-old merchant in a clothes market in Salima, a dusty town near the shores of Lake Malawi, feels less than welcoming to the Chinese traders who have moved in over the past four years. "The way it looks, one day there will be a big fight with them," Shaibu said. "One day there will be blood." Echoing a grievance heard across Africa, Shaibu and his colleagues in this town of 40,000 complain of Chinese businessmen with better access to cheap imports of clothes, shoes and electronics, and deeper pockets that allow them to reduce their margins. That sentiment is part of a grassroots backlash against Beijing's increasing diplomatic and commercial clout in Africa. In many ways, the relationship between the two has never been stronger. Bilateral trade has almost doubled over the past three years, to $166 billion in 2011 from $91 billion in 2009. In July, Chinese President Hu Jintao offered Africa $20 billion in cheap loans over the next three years. China, he said, would forever be a "good friend, a good partner and a good brother" to Africa. But a growing number of Africa's billion people are less enthusiastic. Last November, four Chinese in rural South Africa were burnt alive in an arson attack on their home. In Zambia last month, miners in a dispute over pay crushed a Chinese supervisor to death with a coal truck. In Ghana, armed Chinese informal miners have clashed with gangs of local youths, triggering a government crackdown. In Angola a few weeks ago, 37 Chinese men were deported on suspicion of running a criminal gang that burnt its victims with gasoline before burying them alive, according to China's Xinhua state news agency. And from Senegal in the west to Kenya in the east, traders are up in arms about what they see as unfair competition from private Chinese merchants surfing into Africa on the back of a wave of big investments. The backlash has reached parts of Malawi, a nation of 13 million people, where anti-Chinese protests in the northern town of Karonga in late June prompted the government to dust off a decades-old law that confines foreign retailers to big cities. So far, the government has not forced the issue. Salima's high street is a tatty strip of tarmac flanked by dusty sidewalks and 200 meters of shop-houses, including nine owned by Chinese traders. There, the end of July deadline to move on came and went without a flicker. Fuxing Trading, Peng Heng Shop and the other Chinese outlets continue to offer their wares as before, feeding a belief the government will not act against anything even vaguely connected to Beijing. Chinese construction firms have just completed a huge hotel and conference centre in the capital Lilongwe and are busy building schools and upgrading the main road to Tanzania. "The government is slow-slow," said Noel Zenengeya, a portly 48-year-old Salima merchant in a dazzling Hawaiian shirt. "If they don't do anything, we will have to fight for it." The authorities acknowledge the bad blood and insist Chinese merchants - an estimated 140

PAGE 31

In Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warm heart, a cold welcome for Chinese

Liberian children hold Chinese flags before the arrival of China's President Hu Jintao in Monrovia businesses across the country - will be moved to the three biggest cities as stipulated by law. The Chinese embassy says it does not oppose the move. Ambassador Pan Hejun has appealed to Chinese businesses to move to designated areas "to respect principles guiding the development of China-Malawi relations." At the same time, Malawian officials sense they can only go so far before annoying their giant benefactor. "It's a very big issue and politically sensitive because the Chinese have been very helpful to Malawi. It's becoming tricky how we treat their nationals," Salima District Commissioner Ali Phiri told Reuters. "But we anticipate a lot of conflict if they don't move." As trade has soared almost 20-fold in the last decade, the basic nature of the exchange has not changed: raw African materials - oil, ore, timber flow east, while manufactured goods flow west. It sent $46 million of tobacco, coffee, spices and other agricultural goods to China last year, and in return bought $112 million of textiles, machinery and high-tech goods. Even South Africa, far and away the continent's biggest and most industrialized economy, as well as a major coal and iron ore producer, faces an imbalance. In Beijing in July, President Jacob Zuma said the trade relationship was "unsustainable in the long term". Faced with an official unemployment rate of 25 percent, South Africa's ruling ANC talks incessantly about the need to boost domestic industry. In particular it

would like to see its minerals processed at home. But the problem runs deeper: parts of South Africa's manufacturing sector, nearly 20 percent of the economy, are in direct competition with China, and in many cases are losing the battle against a much cheaper producer. According to a recent study by economists at Britain's University of East Anglia, South Africa lost 78,000 manufacturing jobs to Chinese imports between 2001 and 2010. Goods of Chinese origin accounted for about 18 percent of South Africa's imports of manufactured goods in 2010, up from 2 percent in 1995, the study said. Labor-intensive industries such as textiles, clothing, footwear and furniture, have been the hardest hit, with more than 40 percent of footwear and knitted fabrics purchased in South Africa coming from China. Chinese imports have also cut into South African exports to other African countries. "The economy hasn't been able to absorb the labor force, and of course the manufacturing sector, far from absorbing labor, is expelling labor," said Rhys Jenkins, one of the authors of the British study. Like consumers around the globe, Africans have an insatiable appetite for cheap goods, and China supplies them like no other. Africa has enjoyed average economic growth of 5 percent in the last five years, and this year contains five of the 10 fastest-growing economies according to the International Monetary Fund: Sierra Leone, Niger, Angola, Liberia and Ghana. But disposable income levels remain very low, defining the way

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

many Africans buy things. Hawkers selling individual cigarettes are a common sight at bus-stops throughout the continent; many people can only afford to buy one at a time. It's a similar story with clothes or shoes: where the cheap Chinese option beats out locally-produced goods irrespective of the quality. "In the past, I used to buy from the local market, but now with the prices in the Chinese shops, I buy from them," said Enifa Mbeleko, a 35-year-old Malawian mother of six who took a 50 km (31 mile) bus ride to shop for a blouse. "I've never had a problem with the quality." Africa's growing power as a consumer market has registered 11,000 km away at the other end of the supply chain, where there's new recognition that the continent is one of the few bright spots in a gloomy world. In the eastern Chinese province of Henan, Shao Yali sits in her office at Kaifeng Tianyi Garments sketching out various commercial strategies on her computers. The euro zone crisis has hammered exports to Europe, the clothing factory's biggest market until last year, and she is worried about generating enough sales to keep the 100-employee operation running. "The Africa market is extremely important to us," Shao said. "When orders for Europe dropped, we had to look for ways to push down prices and ship items to Africa." "We are doing all we can to boost orders from South Africa." She's not the only one. Services firms such as Asia Inspection, which runs supply chain audits and quality checks on Chinese manufacturers, are also busy cashing in on strong

Goods of Chinese origin accounted for about 18 percent of South Africa's imports of manufactured goods in 2010, up from 2 percent in 1995, the study said.

demand. Chief executive Sebastien Breteau said European business has declined but a new office in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, will help take up the slack. "Europe is flat to declining. We see Africa growing big time," Breteau said. "It's all over Africa, but especially in Nigeria. We believe in the growth there, and the Chinese are very close to the Nigerian market." Africa's growth means Chinese officials are unlikely to stop their people heading to the continent to make their fortune. At the official level, Beijing and its foreign envoys insist that Chinese nationals and businesses should comply with domestic laws in each African country. "If Chinese traders engage in activities that violate your laws, we would not seek to shield them. We would not protect Chinese citizens' illegal behavior," said Zhong Jianhua, China's Special Representative on African Affairs. "We just hope the relevant parties can handle the situation justly." But the small private Chinese merchants flocking to Africa from areas such as Fujian, a traditional source of migrant labor, are not high on Beijing's list of priorities. "There's a disconnect between the official Chinese, who are frequently from Beijing, and the likes of the Fujianese," said Yoon Jung Park, a China-Africa researcher affiliated to Australia's Monash University. "Quite frankly they are embarrassed by them, but there's nothing they can do to stem the tide when the word gets out that there are opportunities and money to be made." That means there are likely to be more demonstrations like the one in Nairobi last month, when 500 Kenyan traders blew whistles and plastic trumpets, waved placards and chanted "Chinese must go." Many Kenyan traders resent the thousands of Chinese who arrive on tourist visas and hawk everything from milk to clothes to electronics. "The issue is to expel these Chinese from Kenya, the ones that are disturbing our customers. They are involved with every bit of our trading," said James Thamo, a textile trader and hotel owner leading the demonstration. In Salima, the Chinese shops are now staffed exclusively by Malawians. The Chinese bosses turn up only once a week to restock and collect the takings. "Since last month, the Chinese have been staying in Lilongwe," said Richard Banda, a 21-yearold sales assistant in Fuxing Trading. "Whenever there are rumors, they immediately go back to Lilongwe. They are always fearful." Lilly Lin, a young Fujianese who opened a clothing store in Nkhota Kota two years ago, said she hopes the Chinese embassy will protect her. Her parents emigrated to Africa last year to help her in her business. She speaks a smattering of English, her parents none. "I'm really not sure where in Malawi we are. I know almost nothing about this country," she said. "But we've invested so much here. We own a car. We really don't want to leave." Source: Reuters

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 32

Egypt pursues makers of anti-Islam video

Zimbabwean manhunt for Rwandan

imbabwe's police say they have launched a manhunt for a former top Rwandan official, accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide. Protais Mpiranya was a commander in the Presidential Guard in 1994 and is accused of playing a key role in the slaughter of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Zimbabwe has previously been accused of sheltering him. The UN's Rwandan war crimes tribunal has offered a $5m reward for him. "We want him dead or alive. We are looking for information to arrest him; we don't know how long he has been in the country," chief superintendent Peter Magwenzi of the police homicide section told the AFP news agency. Last year, Zimbabwean official denied that he was in the country.

Protais Mpiranya

gyptian prosecutor's office has issued arrest warrants for seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor for their alleged role in an anti-Islam video that has sparked deadly riots across the Muslim world. The warrants were released on Tuesday, referring the defendants to trial on charges linked to the film entitled "Innocence of Muslims" which portrays the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, womaniser and buffoon. Riots triggered by the video resulted in the deaths last week of the US ambassador to Libya and three of his colleagues. The four men were attacked in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, where an armed rebellion that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi last year started. More protests against the video have been held in Arab and Muslim countries - including Afghanistan, Yemen and Indonesia - with demonstrators calling on the US to punish the people behind the video. The case is largely symbolic since the seven men and one woman are believed to be outside

ebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have set up a "de facto administration", the head of the UN's peacekeeping operations has said. Herve Ladsous said the M23 group

Pastor Terry Jones told (in picture) of Egypt and unlikely to travel to the country to face the charges. The decision to take legal action appears aimed at placating some of the public anger over the amateur film whose trailer has attracted tens of millions of views on YouTube. Among those charged is

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian Copt living in southern California and believed to be behind the film. Others include Florida-based Pastor Terry Jones, who has said he was contacted by the filmmaker to promote the video and Morris Sadek, a conservative Coptic Christian in the US who pushed

the video on his website. The connection of the other five accused in the case to the film was not immediately clear. Nakoula, 55, told the AP news agency in an interview last week outside Los Angeles that he was the manager of the company that produced "Innocence of Muslims".

- formed of soldiers who mutinied in April - are controlling populations and taking taxes.

The UN accuses neighbouring Rwanda of supporting the M23 - an allegation Kigali has repeatedly denied. More than 200,000 people have been displaced in this year's unrest. A high-level meeting to discuss the crisis is expected to be held during the UN General Assembly in New York next week. "M23 elements are concentrated in a corner of the eastern Kivu, which is next to the borders of Rwanda and Uganda," Mr Ladsous told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council. "They are already establishing a sort of de facto administration, controlling population, taking 'taxes' from people who pass through and

that... is hardly acceptable," he said. Meanwhile, the Congolese authorities are seeking an embargo on the trade in minerals from Rwanda, Reuters news agency reports. Analysts say most minerals exported from Rwandan are likely to have originated in DR Congo and been mined by rebel groups accused of links to Rwanda. "To put an end to this situation, one of the solutions would be to impose an embargo on all minerals coming from Rwanda, until the establishment of a lasting peace in the provinces of North and South Kivu," DR Congo's Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu said in the letter seen by Reuters.

news agency. Riddick Mofokeng, another miner, said he felt good about the deal. "It is not what we expected to get, but it is great," he said.

"Most of the people, we are ready to go back to work." The miners had been demanding a monthly salary of 12,500 rand ($1,513; £935) - they currently earn between 4,000 and 5,000 rand. As well as a pay rise of 11-22%, they will get a one-off payment of 2,000 rand to help cover the weeks of not being paid while they were on strike. Analysts had warned that the Lonmin deal could encourage other mines to down tools to obtain pay hikes. Some 15,000 miners at Gold Fields remain on strike. Last month, police opened fire on demonstrators at the mine in Marikana, killing 34 striking workers. Ten people, including two police officers, had already died in the protests.

Congo rebels ‘running mini state’

A rebel parades the streets handling heavy weapons

South Africa police fire at Marikana mine protesters

outh African police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters near a mine owned by Anglo American, a day after a deal ended a strike in Marikana. "We are not tolerating any illegal gatherings," a police spokesman said. Workers at the Lonmin-owned Marikana platinum mine ended their six-week strike after accepting a 22% pay rise. The strikes have spread to other mines in South Africa, one of the world's biggest producers of precious metals. On Monday, President Jacob Zuma said that the disruption had cost the industry $548m (£337m) in lost output. The unrest came as Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), the world's largest platinum producer, re-

opened its mines after they were closed last week following huge protests. Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole said the mines in Rustenburg, the centre of South Africa's platinum mining - about 80km (50 miles) north-east of Johannesburg - were operational. She said the police had "dispersed a group of people gathering illegally at Sondela informal settlement [near the mine]" and said it was not clear if they were Amplats workers. "Police utilised tear gas and stun grenades, and rubber bullets were used at the squatter camp," said police spokesman Captain Dennis Adriao. "As we have said, we are not tolerating any illegal gatherings," he said. After weeks of unrest, the government last week announced that it would clamp down on the

protests. In the nearby Marikana mine, where police last month shot dead 34 protesters, workers were celebrating the end of the strike, reports the AP

Marikana miners are not allowed in illegal gatherings

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Asia and Middle East

bomb has exploded on a busy road in Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar, killing at least nine people and wounding at least 20 others. A coach and at least two other vehicles, including a van belonging to the Pakistan Air Force, were destroyed, police said.

PAGE 33

Pakistan bomb blast kills â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;at least nineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Peshawar Officials said the van was the target of the attack. Peshawar is near Pakistan's tribal belt - a stronghold of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. Hundreds have died in attacks

in and around the city in recent years. Wednesday's bomb was planted in parked car, and contained 30-40kg (66-88lb) of explosives as well as ball bearings

and artillery shells, an official told the AFP news agency. Another official said that the bomb was detonated by remote control. No group has so far said it

Syrians under 'indiscriminate' attack

US defence secretary Panetta holds talks with Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Xi

eon Panetta, the US defence secretary, has met Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping, who just days ago reappeared after a puzzling two-week disappearance. The meeting on Wednesday was part of Panetta's weeklong trip through the Asia Pacific, in a campaign to pursue the US military's increased focus on the region. Xi, who is tipped to succeed President Hu Jintao as leader of the Communist Party, stood to greet the US delegation in a lavish room in the Great Hall of the People and energetically shook Panetta's hand. Once seated, he said Panetta's visit "will be very helpful in further advancing the state-to-state and military-to-military relations between our two countries". The Chinese leader recently reappeared after not been seen since September. During his absence, he had cancelled meetings with dignitaries, including Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state. Panetta told Xi that the two Pacific powers had common concerns and that he was confident they would be able to improve their dialogue. The US defence chief also told Chinese troops on Wednesday that the US' new military focus on the Asia Pacific, including plans to put a second radar system in Japan, was not an attempt to contain or threaten China. Delivering his message directly to the young Chinese officers and cadets at the Armored Forces Engineering Academy, he tried to put to rest fears that the US move to add forces, ships and a missile defence system in the region is aimed at the Chinese. Panetta laid out a more pointed argument that the growing American presence in the region includes an effort to build a stronger relationship with Beijing. "Our rebalance to the AsiaPacific region is not an attempt to contain China. It is an attempt to engage China and expand its role in the Pacific ... It is about creating a new model in the relationship of two Pacific powers," Panetta said. He acknowledged that improving relations and building trust would take time and that, "despite the distance we have traveled over the past 40 years, it is clear that this journey is not yet complete, particularly for our two militaries".

carried out the attack. Earlier this month a suicide bomber killed two people and injured 19 others when he drove his car into a vehicle from the US consulate in Peshawar.

Coach hit by blast but officials say it was targeting a military van

ights group Amnesty International has accused Syrian forces of waging "relentless" and "indiscriminate" attacks against its people. The London-based rights group, which accompanied its report with video footage, said "civilians, many of them children, are the main victims of a campaign of relentless and indiscriminate attacks by the Syrian army". Amnesty said the findings were based on "first-hand field investigations carried out in the first half of September". During that period, attacks killed "166 civilians, including 48 children and 20 women, and injured hundreds in 26 towns and villages" in the northwestern regions of Idlib, Jabal al-Zawiya and the northern Hama area. Donatella Rovera from Amnesty International said that she witnessed "evidence of indiscriminate air bombardment and artillery strikes" in all of the 26 towns and villages she visited in northern Syria".

Congress party meets over India ally pullout

I Xi Jinping (R) and Leon Panetta

Civilians caught in the middle of fighting seek refuge

ndia's ruling Congress party has met to discuss a key ally's withdrawal from the government over plans to open the retail sector to global supermarket chains and other reforms. The Trinamool Congress party led by Mamata Banerjee has said that its six ministers will resign from the coalition on Friday. Ms Banerjee said her 19 MPs would not back the coalition in parliament. Observers say the coalition's majority in parliament is not at immediate risk.

Ms Banerjee

PAGE 34

Europe and Americas France issues alert over cartoons

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Russsia expels USAID development agency

ecurity is being stepped up at some of France's embassies after a French satirical magazine published obscene cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he was "concerned" after the issue of Charlie Hebdo appeared on news-stands. French embassies, consulates, cultural centres and international French schools in some 20 countries will be closed on Friday as a precaution. Riot police have been deployed around the magazine's offices in Paris. On Wednesday, the magazine's paper edition appeared, featuring caricatures which play on both the uproar in the Islamic world over an amateur video which mocks Islam and the row over the publication in France of topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge. A central tenet of Islam bans the portrayal of its founder, the Prophet Muhammad. Some 30 people have died in violent protests which erupted early last week over the Innocence of Muslims video, which was made in the United States. The dead include the US ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other Americans, who died in Benghazi. US and other Western embassies have come under attack in mainly Muslim countries. "I have obviously issued instructions so that special security measures are taken in all the countries where this [publication] could pose a problem," Mr Fabius said. Friday's closures relate to possible protests following weekly Muslim prayers. A statement about the cartoons on the French foreign ministry's website quotes Prime Minister JeanMarc Ayrault as saying "freedom of expression is one of [France's] fundamental principles", as are secularism and respect for religious convictions. "And this is why, in the current context, the prime minister would like to express his disapproval of any excesses," the statement adds. Charlie Hebdo, known in France for its scatological cartoons, has caricatured other religious figures in the past, including a "Pope special" in 2008 which resulted in an unsuccessful court action accusing the magazine of inciting hate.

Charlie Hebdo's editor defended his magazine's decision to publish the cartoons

USAID worker offloading relief materials

of electoral fraud at last year's parliamentary elections helped spark huge anti-Kremlin street demonstrations. In announcing the closure of the USAID office, US state department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said: "We remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust civil society in Russia and look forward to continuing our cooperation with Russian nongovernmental organisations." She would not be drawn on the reasons behind the Kremlin's decision, but said there was a sense "that they don't need this any more". The United States began its operations in Russia after the end of the Soviet Union, spending around $2.7bn (ÂŁ1.7bn) on a wide range of human rights, civil society, health and environmental programmes. USAID was due to spend around $50m on its work in Russia this year. The head of Golos, Liliya Shibanova called it "a bad signal", saying there were very few other sources of funding for election monitoring groups, and that she expected to see other NGOs leaving Russia. The head of Moscow Helsinki Group, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, said it was the Russian population, rather than the US, which would suffer from the loss of "useful services... free legal consultations, educational programmes and others".

he United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced it will close its offices in Russia following an order from the authorities there to cease operations. The Russian government gave the US until 1 October to close the mission, accusing it of meddling in politics. USAID has worked in Russia for two decades, spending nearly

$3bn (ÂŁ1.8bn) on aid and democratic programmes. "The decision was taken mainly because the work of the agency's officials far from always responded to the stated goals of development and humanitarian cooperation. We are talking about attempts to influence political processes through its grants," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The Russian authorities have

Mexican gas plant blast kills 26

big fire has erupted at a natural gas pipeline distribution centre near the northern Mexican city of Reynosa, bordering US state of Texas, killing at least 26 maintenance workers and forcing evacuations of people

in nearby ranches and homes. Petroleos Mexicanos, Mexico's state-owned oil company, said at a news conference on Tuesday night

Aftermath of the blast

become increasingly suspicious of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which it believes are using foreign funding to foment political unrest, says the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow. Earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin alleged that protests surrounding his reelection were orchestrated by USfunded NGOs. Among the groups likely to be affected is Golos, whose exposure

that the fire was extinguished in 90 minutes and the pipeline was shut off. The pipeline carries natural gas from wells in the Burgos basin. Juan Jose Suarez, the company's director-general, said four of those killed were Pemex employees and the rest were employed by contractors. Suarez told reporters in Reynosa that 46 other workers were injured, including two hospitalised in serious condition. He said they have not found any evidence showing it was an attack. Company executives have said there was a gas leak, followed by an explosion, but the precise cause had not been determined.

"Why there was such leak is something that must be investigated," said Carlos Morales Gil, Pemex's director of exploration and production. Civil protection officials evacuated ranches and homes within five kilometers of the gas facility, which is about 19km southwest of Reynosa. Authorities did not say how many people were evacuated, but the area is sparsely populated, Tamaulipas state's civil protection director Pedro Benavides told a Televisa station. The highway that connects Reynosa to the industrial city of Monterrey was closed to traffic, authorities said.

Chicago teacher strike ends after union vote

hicago school teachers have voted to suspend a strike, ending a seven-day action that affected more than 350,000 students.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel

After a tentative agreement was reached over the weekend, union members voted on Sunday to extend the strike. The negotiations ran into

trouble amid differences over teacher evaluations and job security. Mayor Rahm Emanuel went to court on Monday in an attempt to force teachers back into the classroom. The legal challenge asserted that the strike was a danger to public health and safety, partly because thousands of public students rely on free meals for basic nutrition. After the city's first in 25 years, union delegates in the nation's third-largest school district voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to go back to the classroom beginning on Wednesday. The proposed contract, which includes pay rises and concessions on teacher evaluations and job

security, will now go to a vote of the full membership of the union, more than 25,000 teachers. In a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Emanuel called the deal an "honest compromise". "In this contract we gave our children a seat at the table," he said. "In past negotiations taxpayers paid more but our children got less. This time our taxpayers are paying less and our kids are getting more."

Striking teachers celebrate after union vote

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PAGE 35

Wife ‘tried to hack off husband’s head with a power saw while he slept’and she still doesn't want a divorce

Accused: Renee Bishop-McKean, 44

woman denies that she was trying to kill her husband even though she lined their bedroom with plastic sheets, bleach, and garbage bags in the hours before she was found standing over him as he slept holding a power saw. The most emotional testimony in the trial of Renee BishopMcKean were heard in court as her husband told how the noise of the Sawzell reciprocating woke him up in time to fight her off. Even though he was able to escape the slice of the blade, the fight continued as she had laid out a hatchet and a mallet in the kitchen and she went on to attack him with those when the saw failed. Accused: Renee BishopMcKean, 44, said that she was chasing an intruder but she was found holding a chainsaw just inches from her husband's neck and had prepared the house for a massive clean up The harrowing attack occurred on October 14, 2011 in the family's Everett, Washington

home, and it was only stopped when police heard screaming and responded to the scene. In spite of her excuse that she saw an intruder escape through the couple's daughter's window, her husband was screaming when they arrived. 'It was you, it was you! You tried to cut my head off. You're going to jail!' Herald Net reports him saying. Victim: The husband has not been named in hopes of protecting the children The husband, 37, has not been publicly identified in an effort to protect the couple's children. According to local station KOMO News' coverage of the trial, there were several warning signs that something was awry that night, but none could have predicted that Bishop-McKean, 44, would try to decapitate her husband. The couple had recently separated, and the night of the attack was the first evening that the husband had returned homeat her request.

Something Wilde: Book returned to Chicago library after 78 years

Chicago-area woman wanted to return an overdue copy of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to the Chicago Public Library, but first she wanted to be sure she wouldn't go to jail. That's because the book, a rare limited edition of the Oscar Wilde novel, was checked out in 1934. Harlean Hoffman Vision found it in her late mother's possessions, with a Chicago Public Library stamp. The library is conducting a rare three-week amnesty program for overdue items, and Vision figured this was her

chance to return the book, said Ruth Lednicer, the library's marketing director. The books was returned Thursday. "She kept saying, 'You're not going to arrest me?' and we said, 'No, we're so happy you brought it back'," said Lednicer. Vision didn't know the library caps late fines at $10 on books -- without the cap and the amnesty, total fines on "Dorian Gray" would have amounted to $6,000. The last amnesty was held 20 years ago, and resulted in the return of 77,000 items.

When he pulled up to the house, Bishop-McKean told him to park down the street and not in front of the home. Reports after the incident assert that she had laid sheets over the back seat and Saw similar to the type cargo area of t h e family J e e p Cherokee. Presumably for the c l e a n up, she h a d bought multiple roasting pans, bleach, and garbage bags. The husband confirmed to police that he had recently bought a box of large white garbage bags so he didn't understand why she had two additional bags of large black garbage bags under the sink. The same confusion came from the presence of the eight roasting pans that were in the kitchen, because normally they just kept one in the house for Thanksgiving dinner. He also found several gallons of bleach under the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and on top of the refrigerator, which was much more than the single bottle they normally kept in the home. Report says that the husband told police that when he got into bed that evening, he heard a 'crinkle noise' which she told him

was an extra blanket. Really it was the plastic sheets she used to line the bed. He woke up to the noise of the Sawzall blade just inches away from the neck, and she convinced

in the kitchen. During his testimony on Tuesday, he described the attack as being more aggressive. Unusual: When the husband returned home (pictured) on the

help by the accused

him that she had heard an intruder in the home. Police later checked the window in the daughter's room which Bishop-McKean claimed was the escape route for the intruder, but they deemed that it was not viable since there is a childproof lock on the window and there were no footprints at the scene. Convicted murderer 'broke into a woman's home and raped her for 12 HOURS after she spurned his advances in chilling repeat of attack 18 years before' Chef tells police the reason they couldn't find dead wife's body is he slow cooked it for four days until only the skull was left Initial reports say that he then checked the house for the supposed intruder, she came after him with the hatchet and mallet that were

night of the attack, they were in the middle of a trial separation and she told him to park down the street Testimony: The husband said in court that he stopped her from using the chainsaw by taking out the battery 'Renee came at me in the kitchen with the Sawzall raised up, we had a struggle over it. She kept pulling the trigger to make it run, so I reached out and pulled the battery out of it,' he told the court. Amid the struggle with the various weapons, the husband sustained cuts and scrapes on his arms, one of which required seven stitches. Since her arrest that evening, Bishop-McKean was charged with first degree attempted murder and domestic violence assault.

Summit in October. The summit includes hands-on demonstrations, lectures and classes for more than 1,000 students from police officers, medical workers and government employees. "They are going to see a lot of stuff go down," HALO president Brad Barker told the Military Times. Barker was inspired to include zombie training in the counterterrorism summit after the Center

for Disease Control introduced a campaign designed to remind citizens and soldiers to be ready for everything, zombies included. The scenario, which Barker calls the Zombie Apocalypse, will feature undead actors that will attack participating troops and medical workers. HALO has partnered with Strategic Operations, Inc., a firm that specializes in using special effects and realistic combat training, to enhance the experience.

California security summit to include zombie crisis training

ilitary trainees have to be ready for anythingincluding the undeadaccording to a California security firm. Starting next month, a 44-acre training site in San Diego will be converted into a mock battleground in the zombie apocalypse. HALO, which was founded by former Special Operations personnel, will include an exercise to kill fictional zombies as part of its five-day Counter-Terrorism

Participants will battle fictional zombies during a five-day summit in San Diego

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Reporting right, reporting safe (I) By Rufai Ibrahim INTRODUCTION his first leg of my topic, i.e., Reporting Right, can be said, in a way, to have two dimensions: moral and professional. To say reporting right suggests that there is something like reporting wrong. Right and wrong are not fixed and measurable, but largely concepts of the emotions, words we use to pass judgement on things. But when read together with the second part of the topic, i.e. reporting safe, and in the context of the theme of this conference, I suppose that by the words Reporting Right, the organisers mean reporting in compliance with, and in strict adherence to the professional requirements that news reports be objective, balanced and free of bias. And by the words reporting safe, I assume that what the organisers mean is reporting events in ways that the journalist ensures the safety of both his own person and his organisation, as well as the safety of the journalism profession itself. For, today in Nigeria, the journalist, his organisation and his profession itself face many dangers and real threats from myriad sources. It is obvious from both the theme of the conference and my topic that what should be of primary concern to us in this paper is the nature and direction of our reportage of insecurity situation in Nigeria today, that is to say, how well we as professional journalists are doing in our daily coverage of the situation, and how safely, or otherwise, we do this. But there also seems to me to be an implicit assumption, from the theme of this conference, that reporters and editors are, or should see themselves as part of the national security infrastructure or apparatus, and should, therefore, contribute, in a collaborative manner, to the operation of that apparatus. From the foregoing, a number of questions suggest themselves. One, is the amount of media attention and space we as reporters and editors devote to the coverage of insecurity situation in Nigeria adequate or inadequate, given its significance as a real threat to our lives, our property and the very survival of our country? Two, can it rightly be said that we are reporting the situation “rightly,” by which I mean, does our reportage of the situation meet the requirements of objectivity and fairness? Three, is our reportage of the situation balanced, as in giving a fair hearing to all the parties in the conflict and, therefore, giving the readers of our products all the sides of the story? Four, what theoretical frame of reason have we as reporters and editors brought to bear on our understanding of the issues thrown up by the insecurity situation in the land? Five, in

Chairman, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye what ways should we as reporters/editors help, through our agenda-setting role, to shape the national security agenda? Six, should we as reporters/editors simply buy into the agenda of the national security agencies and work in close collaboration with them in tackling our current security challenges, or should we not? These are the main questions that will engage our attention, and around which this paper is built. THE SITUATION IN NIGERIA TODAY The security situation in our country today is dire. On this there is hardly any dispute among Nigerians. We are everyday being assailed with stories and gory pictures of violent attacks, blood and deaths, in both the Northern and Southern parts of the country. In the North, an invidious insurgency by the Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lid-da’awati wal Jihad, popularly called Boko Haram in Hausa, has brought death and destruction all over the place, and has left the economies of the states in the North-East and parts of North-West geo-political zones in ruins, if not in a coma. The situation is being worsened by the almost daily and no less violent attacks on people, places and institutions by criminal elements and gangs, using the Boko Haram banner and franchise to execute their criminal agendas. On top of all, there are the security operatives, working under the Joint Task Force (JTF) or the Special Task Force (STF), who have been given a licence to kill and who do in fact and daily kill and main people, sack and destroy whole communities and villages, and even conduct air bombardments that reduce whole villages to ruins and decimate their populations, partly in keeping with the Nigerian State’s standard insurgency

containment strategy, and partly, it would seem, in the pursuit of some hidden agenda. In Plateau State, communal clashes resulting in senseless killings, and equally senseless raids and killings by the STF are still raging. In Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, as in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, whole neighbourhoods have been deserted by people who literally have no alternative places to go. In many neighbourhoods in Maiduguri the JTF has either expressly banned or made impossible the adhan (call to prayers) and prayers in congregation, which has been enjoined on Muslims. The Borno State elders have been crying GENOCIDE, and what is happening there and in Yobe may well qualify as that. In consequence, trade and commerce, the mainstay of the economies of most of the affected states in the North, have suffered a decline. In Kano, the process of de-industrialisation, which began more than a decade earlier, has now reached an alarming proportion, with only a few industries still operating, and most of them at only about 40% capacity, due largely to the insecurity – induced problems..

In the South, the so-called Niger Delta militants are still very much around and active. They, along with various assortments of criminal gangs, and obviously with the backing of powerful forces in society, still engage in bunkering, crude oil theft, pipeline vandalization, kidnappings, robberies and killings. No Nigerian, no matter where he or she lives, can claim ignorance of this dire insecurity situation in the country today. Directly or indirectly, we all daily feel its impact. Where Nigerians part ways is on the questions of what the real causes of the problem are, and what strategies should be adopted in resolving it. REPORTING THE SITUATION Can it be said that we as reporters and editors have been reporting the insecurity situation in these parts of the country rightly, in the sense of giving our readers, listeners and viewers as true a picture or account of the situation as is possible through our various organs? To what extent, if any, does our reportage of the situation help our readers, listeners and viewers to understand its causes and its implications for us as

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Media organisations, which in the capitalist system are also essentially business concerns, face the same challenges. In order to survive, or stay afloat, they too must make profit, or at least be supported as part of a profitable business venture. Otherwise, they sink

individual citizens, a people and a nation? STATE OF THE NIGERIAN MEDIA In order to answer the questions posed above, it is necessary to first say a few things about the Nigerian media, especially about the constraints and limitations under which it operates and which, in their turn, help to shape its operations and outputs. There is no disputing the fact that the Nigerian press is, in many ways, robust. Just as in the past when it played a significant role in the struggle for independence, so today the Nigerian media is helping in its own ways in the struggle to establish a democratic order and a culture of openness in the country. We could do with more newspapers and television and radio stations in especially the North. But the numbers of titles we have today on the newsstands and of thriving privately-owned television and radio stations are quite impressive, and point to an appreciable level of vibrancy in the culture industry. Now and then, the government and/or its agencies and operatives do swat and corral the press and/or intimidate the individual journalist; but there is generally no officially sanctioned censorship here of the kind we know exists in some other countries. But the media in Nigeria operates within a socio-economic system that exerts pressures and sets boundaries, albeit loose ones. And these pressures and limits are largely what, re-enforced by other factors, work to shape and direct news reporting in ways that make it, on balance, to be both reflective and supportive of the dominant forces and their ideology or worldview. The reasons for this are not farfetched. In a capitalist system, as we all know, the profit motive is a major driving force. A business concern in such a system must make profit to survive. And it often does not have the whole field to itself. It faces competition, which most times is very stiff, from rivals in the market. Media organisations, which in the capitalist system are also essentially business concerns, face the same challenges. In order to survive, or stay afloat, they too must make profit, or at least be supported as part of a profitable business venture. Otherwise, they sink. This challenge to make profit in order to survive‘ and the fact of stiff competition have implications for the way media organisations conduct their dayto-day business of reporting events in the world. Being a paper presented by the Editor-in-Chief of Peoples Daily newspapers, Malam Rufa’i Ibrahim, at the All Nigeria Editors Conference last week in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

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ACN will lose Lagos to PDP in 2015-Animashaun INTERVIEW

hat is your assessment of the administration of Mr. Babatunde Fashola of the ACN in the last five years? When he first assumed power, he was performing especially in the first two years. Now that he is in second term, he has a good pedigree but he is in a wrong party. He is just a caretaker governor. He is no more in charge. He is being dictated to. He does not have the reins of power. The North is against President Goodluck Jonathan contesting for 2015 presidential race; what do you say on this? My great leader, Chief Olabode George believes in his turn by Nigeria Limited. This is the first time a minority man becomes a president of this country. I am very happy that this is happening and it is a sign of the unity of this country. If he wants to run for the second term, if he deserves it, let him go there. The North has been there for so many years and I did not know what they want this time around. They have been there for so many years. Let others also be there. The Yorubas have been there. But the North is insisting that the zoning formula of PDP shifts power back to the region; do you share this view? I understand their feeling. The zoning formula has thrown this person up. Unfortunately, when the zoning formula threw up a Northerner but the will of Allah, the Almighty God did not grant him wish. But the Almighty Allah has put a minority man in charge they should let him do the good things he is doing for his fatherland. How do you rate President Jonathan’s administration in the last one year? His administration is on course. Unfortunately we have not allowed him, give him the free will to run the country the way he supposed to. If we put our hands together, the North, the South East, South South, everybody, everywhere put ourselves together and hold our hands together to give him all the necessary support and encouragement, of course, he will succeed. And with assemblage of people around him, I believe he will do the best for this country. Many critics are not happy with him, believing that he is not doing much to address the nation’s pressing challenges such as security, electricity, corruption among others. Do you share their views? You see this is just one year out of four. I don’t jump the gun into assessing the government of anybody this early. On the issue of unemployment, the lieutenants that he has, they

Chief Tola Animashaun is a well known chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Lagos State chapter. In the last general election, he contested for Lagos Central Senatorial District seat but lost to Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the National leader Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In this interview with Bimbo Ogunnaike, Animashaun speaks on the dreaded Boko Haram religious sect, the 2015 presidential election, his party, corruption, among other issues.

Chief Tola Animashaun should be the ones to show him the blueprint and ways of arresting the unemployment of our teeming youths in the context of having them gainfully employed, especially after their university education. For instance, we have to differentiate between foreign investors and foreign contractors. I believe that we should mandate some of these contractors that if you get government contract up to some amount of money, you should be able to put some of our graduates into training. I don’t subscribe to that issue of all these expatriates coming into this country being sales people and engineers. What we need are rocket scientists from abroad. If they are coming here to build roads, we already know how to build roads. We have school of engineering that we can employ our youths. We should do away with contractors who come here to get contracts from our sweats, from our taxes and yet when they get the contract, they bring people from their country, people that are unemployable in their own country to Nigeria to come and supervise Nigerians. Most of these construction companies are top heavy with foreigners and expatriates. Do away with them. Let them go into Nigerian universities, invest in our students, invest in our engineers and invest in our human resources. It is like we are allowing this country to be re-colonised by

all these people who can’t find jobs in their own country where they come from. And we should be reminded that when our own citizens go over there, they won’t find a good job. The Minister of Labour and Productivity and the person in charge of immigration in this country should check immigration status of these expatriates. What about the issue of corruption? Like I said, Jonathan has just been there for one year. He talks about it, he is not the one that he is going to do it; it is the people that he has put there that are going to do the work. They should give him the necessary support. He is not the person in charge of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). We should talk to the EFCC, all these

parastatals that are there to fight corruption to be up and doing. It is not the President that should be chasing them all over. If they are not competent to do it, he should show them exit door and put people that are ready to do it there. For over a decade now your party in Lagos has been trying without success to send the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) parking; what do you think is making this impossible? The problem is that we have not been able to wield the stick of discipline within the party. There are some people who call themselves Unity and Establishment there is no Establishment, there is no Unity. We have a unified PDP in the state. I am happy now that the current National Chairman of the Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukar, is laying emphasis on party discipline. So, it is better we weed out party members who are PDP in the daytime and go to ACN leader in the state in the night to collect money and to destabilise the party, which they were paid to do anyway. We have unified party in Lagos state now. We don’t have any wrangling in Lagos state PDP. Those remnants, dissidents are going to melt into history. I am happy that we had a peaceful congress under the good leadership of Tunji Shelle. I believe under him, you will see a difference and the PDP will take over Lagos in 2015. It is pertinent to emphasise that I did a research in which I discovered, to my surprise, that a lot of people are actually fed up with the ruling government in Lagos because of its cosmetic administration and are only waiting to cross over to another party. It is therefore my belief that these categories of disenchanted lots need to be actively mobilised. We do not necessarily have to wait for them, we need to find a way of beckoning to them, woo and mobilise them

“

The problem is that we have not been able to wield the stick of discipline within the party. There are some people who call themselves Unity and Establishment, there is no Establishment, there is no Unity. We have a unified PDP in the state. I am happy now that the current National Chairman of the Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukar, is laying emphasis on party discipline

through little incentives and sustain them. We also need to intensify on enlightenment campaigns, on what the PDP stands for and how to enlist them as members. This is because a lot of people are out there, who probably would have wished to join, but do not know how to go about it. Let us talk about the issue of Boko Haram sect which has been a big problem in the North To be honest with you, I get confused about their grievances. If you have an enemy that you want to eliminate, you will know who the enemy is. But in this instance, I don’t know what their grievances are, not to talk of who their enemies are. If their enemies are the Nigerian populace, where are they from? Are they Nigerian themselves? Can’t we just sit down and find out what their grievances are and iron it out. I really don’t want to believe that it is a religious war because I am a Muslim and my religious does not permit me to eliminate innocent souls unnecessarily. It is forbidden. Islam is a religion of peace. One does not even know where the sect originated from. While some people are saying they are from Niger Republic, some are saying they are from Chad committing havoc in the North. Why are they killing their own people in the North? Who are their real enemies? Are they against the government of President Good luck Jonathan? Or are they doing the biddings of those that are angry because a minority man is the President of the country and they want to make the country difficult for him to govern? So, it is a kind of conflict or pogrom that I don’t understand. I hope they will come out and say categorically what they want. In the last Senatorial election, you contested against Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu for the Lagos State Central Senatorial District and lost. Do you still have the ambition to contest again? This is 2012 and you are talking about the election 2015. I am still praying to God for me to see tomorrow. I hope I will live to see tomorrow, so contesting in 2015 has not come to my mind now. In the last election, I believe that I lost to money, I didn’t lose on principle. I had what it takes to run the Lagos Central. And the person that is representing Lagos Central now does not even know the back of her hand, not to talk of Lagos Central. It is still coming to manifest. Time will tell.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

PDP counsels media on award for public office holders From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-west has urged Media Organisations in the country to always do a thorough and unbiased investigation before giving out awards to public office holders in the country. The party said "The award of Governor of the Year given to the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi by Leadership Newspaper is to say the least, insulting." According to the PDP, Leadership newspaper could have genuinely picked Fayemi for the award because the newspapers' coverage of the South-West was limited adding "Even a five year old child in Ekiti knows that Fayemi cannot be chosen as Governor of the Year among his fellow Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governors in the South-West states not to talk of among the 36 governors in the country." In a release issued by the PDP Zonal Publicity Secretary, Hon. Kayode Babade, the party said over N100 million that went into the award jamboree could have been used to salvage the Ekiti State Health Sector that is currently comatose just as it described that award as "celebration of nothing and a show of emptiness by a failed governor." The PDP, which queried what criteria was used to arrive at Fayemi as Governor of the Year, said "media organisations stand the risk of losing credibility with a governors like Fayemi, whose state is almost grounded being celebrated because the days when the public only rely on newspapers, radio and television for information are gone." "In Ekiti State today, cholera is killing people everywhere taps are no longer running, Local Government workers are on strike (meaning that all primary health care institutions in the state are grounded), Judiciary workers are warming up to begin their own strike, having handed the government a seven day ultimatum, tachers cannot resume work, doctors are leaving the state owned University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Ado, borrowed N30 billion is being spent to lay asphalt on already asphalted roads and build new Government House, and Fayemi is adjudged as "Best Governor of the Year?, that is a fraud!" "And to further expose the hypocrisy of Fayemi as a rights activist and welfarist, he brought almost everybody in his government on this fraudulent trip to Abuja to receive a questionable award, spending several millions of public funds, isn't this disgusting? "However, we understand the game plan. We know that all the jamboree was designed to give the impression that Fayemi is popular in Ekiti because of the impending Supreme Court matter even when Fayemi has not been able to file his defense. But by God's grace, all these plots will come to naught.

L-R: Colonel Godwin A. Uwueze, from Defence Intelligent Agency, Colonel Egm Ntlokwana, from the Republic of South Africa, and Coordinator, Galilee International Management Institute Course on National Security, Wing Commander Idris Hassan (rtd), during their visit to INEC headquarters, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

PDP group commends Gov. Shettima for objectivity By Lawrence Olaoye The PDP Patriotic Youth Front has commended the Governor of Borno state, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, for his candour for admitting that all the nation's political parties face the challenges of internal democracy instead of singling out the ruling party for condemnation. National Coordinator and Secretary of the group, Dr Kayode Olufemi and Barister Habibu Bala Katsina Dala said in a jointly signed statement issued yesterday that while monitoring happenings at the conference, they noted with amazement that of all the opposition leaders that spoke, it was only the keynote Speaker, Governor Shettima whose address "was outrightly objective despite being an opposition ANPP leader."

The PDP youth group maintained that the "Borno Governor had confirmed to Nigerians that he is credible leader and a true academic, given his profile as a former lecturer in the University of Maiduguri and a thorough-breed Post Graduate alumni of the great University of Ibadan, known for training bold, patriotic and unselfish leaders". The statement read in part "We sneaked into the conference as observers, we monitored with disgust how every opposition leader and those that had fallen out of favour with the Federal Government or those with political aspiration for the 2015 Presidency, made the PDP a punching bag. We were however astonished and amazed when we listened to Governor Shettima's keynote

address. We were surprised we have such frank and sincere politicians in Nigeria who will call a spade-a-spade. Shettima had said "Internal democracy is no doubt a yardstick for measuring the sincerity of a party's public ideology and where a party falls shot of it or it is perceived to have fallen short, anyone will be right to ask fundamental questions. In the build up to the 2007 and 2011 elections, virtually all the key political parties were guilty of failures on internal democracy. My party, the ANPP was accused of either imposing or wrongly substituting candidates with the result being a long pre-election and post election litigation on the governorship tickets of Yobe, Kaduna, Kano etcetra; the CPC

which is about 2 or 3 years old was accused of wrongly substituting governorship candidates in Kano, Katsina, Bauchi and Taraba; the ACN was also accused of imposing candidates especially in the southwestern states and the PDP as the biggest party, was accused of committing the most crime against party internal democracy by allegedly imposing or wrongly substituting governorship candidates in Rivers, Taraba, Bauchi, Anambra and a host of others. These crimes were known because they involved governorship seats on which those affected ran to the media, one can therefore imagine those that may have been silenced not by persuasion and political negotiation but by the instrumentality of power"

Gwagwalada PDP Chairmanship aspirant solicits for support By Usman Shuaibu

he PDP Chairmanship aspirant in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. Rabiu Saba, has called on the residents of Gwagwalada and its environs to come out en masse to

vote for him at the 2013 Area Councils Chairmanship election The aspirant who made the call in an exclusive interview with our reporter in Gwagwalada stated that the positive impact of his administration ought to be felt in the physical appearance of the people.

He assured that he would boost the education sector by ensuring adequate welfare of teachers and provision of teaching materials to schools. He also pledged to provide boreholes and pipe borne water to ease the water problem in most of the villages in

Gwagwalada adding that his administration would give room for the rehabilitation/ dualisation of roads. Saba promised that his administration would operate government of participation if given the mandate to serve in Gwagwalada Area Council.

Constitutional amendment: NULGE decries calls for scrapping of LGs

he National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has decried calls for the scrapping of local government councils in the country. The National President of the union, Mr Ibrahim Khaleel, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday that such calls were ``selfish''. He said the union believed that only the perpetrators of the "ills and violations recorded at the local

government" would call for its scrapping. Khaleel criticised some governors for spear-heading the call, adding that some of them used the local governments to actualise their political interests and games. “I believe the existence of Local Government system in Nigeria is the opinion and interest of majority of Nigerians who are living in the local areas. “The idea of establishing or

creating local governments as a tier of government by the founding fathers of these country is not by accident. “It was a careful study to address the divers' nature of the Nigeria society by creating government closer to the doors of each community so that we can harness the divers ethic and socio cultural nature of the country. “And for somebody, who has reached the level of a state governor

to lament or make a comment to the extent that the local government is no longer necessary in the Nigeria project, sincerely speaking, that man is anti-people; he is anti-Nigerian." Khaleel said that there was no justification for non-inclusion of local government as a third tier of government in the constitution, adding that the scrapping of the third tier of government would only create doom for Nigeria. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

N5000 poll: NBS denial, self indictment for PDP government - ANPP By Umar Muhammad Puma

he All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) said yesterday that the denial by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of the purported poll carried out on the N5000 note was a self indictment by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Emma Enuekwu, stated "The curious rejoinder signed by the NBS management stated that they introduced some interactive tools on their website and data portal, one of which is an opinion poll, and that the opinion poll is used simply 'as a social interactive tool to engage users of our statistical data'; it also insisted that 'it's is not an official statistical tool because it is not based on any statistical methodologies or systems that formulate the basis on which all of the NBS' surveys are developed'. The odd official rebuttal ended by asserting that ''those polls are not official and cannot be considered to be scientific in any way''. Enuekwu said, "It is patently na誰ve at best, and deceptive at worst, for an agency as supposedly scientific and well-informed as the NBS to go public with a ham's act of a rebuttal which tried to discredit one of its own most authentic and effective ways of gauging the heartbeat of the people, just in a bid to play to the gallery". He added that his party believed that the statistics was a manifest signpost of the wishes of the Nigerian people. "But soon as the NBS had laid bare the truth in accordance with its constitutional mandate to always put up in facts and figures all issues affecting the lives of Nigerian citizens, it did a 360 degrees somersault by coming out again to unconvincingly deny its own statistics." "We must not therefore hesitate to bring to the notice of NBS and the good people of this great nation the larger implication of such an attempted denial. The most important is that the Bureau has given Nigerians cause to doubt the validity of its often-criticized national economic growth statistics. In fact, it gives us shivers to consider that the latest of such statistics, which stated that the country's economy grew by 6.28 percent in the second quarter of the year, from 6.17 percent in the first quarter, might be another hogwash to boost the ego of the current PDP government, just as the dismal rebuttal was actually intended to erase the vote of no confidence of the people on this present government and its anti-people policies". He therefore called on the National Assembly to summon the Statistician General of the Federation for him to explain the sources and methodologies of his statistical processes, as the denial of opinion poll calls to question his competence as a statistician serving a nation of more than 150 million multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-creed peoples.

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PDP canvasses support for Jonathan, commends Akpabio By Lawrence Olaoye

he national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday appealed to Nigerian youths to continue to support the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. PDP National Youth Leader, Alhaji Umar Chiza, made the appeal when he received members of the Akwa Ibom state

chapter of the PDP Youth Vanguard at the party National Secretariat in Abuja. According to Chiza, President Jonathan administration "is doing very well despite security and other challenges confronting the country, and Nigerians are already beginning to feel the impact of some of the programmes of the administration." The youth leader cited the of improvement in public power

supply which was achieved through dedicated transformation of the power sector and gave assurance that Nigerians will experience almost uninterrupted power supply as soon as most of the new power station come on stream. "I urge all youths and PDP members to continue to give President Jonathan total support because if he fails the entire PDP has failed and if he succeeds all PDP members have succeeded".

He also commended the performance of Governor Goodswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state and stressed that the national leadership of the party is very proud of the outstanding performance of the governor whom he described as "a good performer". He congratulated the Akwa Ibom PDP Youth Vanguard for the victory of Governor Akpabio at the Federal High Court, Abuja which last week affirmed Akpabio as the authentic candidate of the PDP governorship primaries held last year. In his speech the Coordinator of the Akwa Ibom PDP Youth Vanguard, Comrade Jonathan Udofia said they were at the party secretariat to thank the party leaders for their support to the governor while the legal battle lasted and for providing the platform that saw the emergence of Akpabio as the executive governor of Akwa Ibom state.

Chieftaincy: Imposition of candidates responsible for violence in Rivers - Commissioner L-R: Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, and Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, during the public hearing on a Bill for an Act to repeal the National Health Insurance Scheme (NIHS), yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Stop court actions, PDP stalwart begs Kogi politicians By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Abdullahi Alex Adejoh Obaje, has asked the aggrieved governorship aspirants and other politicians in Kogi state to bury their political differences in the interest of the state. Obaje asked Kogi politicians to join hand with the state governor, Capt. Idris Wada to move the state forward. He specifically asked the aggrieved governorship aspirant in the state, Alhaji Jibril Isa Echocho to bury the hatchet and accept the court verdict which dismissed his suit against Wada in good faith. Obaje, while exchanging views with Journalists at the premises of

the Federal High Court in Abuja pleaded with the aggrieved aspirants to see themselves as members of the same political family with the elected governor. He also counseled Wada to extend olive branch to the aggrieved politicians in the state as part of measures that will put an end to the litigation on political matters in the state. The Federal High Court in Abuja had two weeks go dismissed Echocho's suit challenging Wada's election on the ground that it has no power or jurisdiction to entertain any suit on post election matters. Justice Abdul Kafarati held that the aggrieved governorship aspirant who was challenging the invalidation of his nomination after

a primary election ought to have approached the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal instead of the regular court that has no power to adjudicate on it. It is against the backdrop of threat by the ex governorship aspirant to proceed to the Court of Appeal to test the popularity of the lower Court verdict, Prince Obaje pleaded with the aggrieved ones to be matured and be gallant in defeat. He pleaded that they should close ranks and work together in order to strengthen PDP in Kogi and allow the governor to concentrate on running the affairs of the state. He asked governor Wads to be magnanimous in victory by using the state machinery to bring all key members of the party together in the state.

Council chairman wants more professionals in governance paid him courtesy visit in Yaba, Lagos. the readiness of body to partner the

he Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Mr Jide Jimoh, on Tuesday advised the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria to participate in governance to enhance development. Jimoh made the remark while receiving some members of the Lagos State chapter of the association who

He noted that involvement of professionals in governance would enhance quality jobs in terms of developmental projects such as infrastructure and education. He advised professional bodies to participate actively in development at the grass-roots level, especially in the area of property development. Mr Adewale Adeyemi, the chairman of the association, expressed

council in project management and implementation, including revenue generation. Adeyemi was optimistic that collaboration between councils and the professional bodies would go a long way in moving the country forward. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the association comprises more than 24 professional bodies. (NAN)

ivers Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Mr Charles Okaye, has said that the chieftaincy tussles in the state were caused by imposition of candidates on the communities. Okaye said this in Port Harcourt on Tuesday in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). To put a stop to these tussles, the commissioner advised the king makers to consult with the appropriate persons and follow laid down rules before the selection of traditional rulers. Okaye, who spoke at the palace of the traditional ruler of Gokana, Chief Barnabas Bagha, said the rules on the selection of traditional rulers should be strictly followed to avoid crisis. He said that traditional rulers were expected to be instruments of peace in their communities and urged them to make concerted efforts to tackle any problem that could lead to breach of peace. He also urged the monarchs to live above board and place the interest of the communities above their personal interests. Okaye said that was the only way the royal fathers could command the respect and confidence of their subjects. Responding, Chief Barnabas Bagha praised the state government for the recognition of some traditional stools in the state. He also commended Gov. Chibuike Amaechi for appointing competent public officials whom he described as square pegs in square holes. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Is the opposition a serious alternative in Nigeria? Kashim Shettima, Governor of Borno State and former lecturer in University of Maiduguri, delivered this as the keynote speaker at the 2012 Leadership annual conference organised by Leadership Newspapers on Tuesday in Abuja.

ike a young author, Henrik Edberg captured it, one of the more fascinating topics of life is the leaders of history and how they shaped the world. All through the history of our country, the Nigerian media has played a leading role in helping to fashion out solutions at critical points of national development. The media was central to the development of anti-colonial consciousness and the building of nationalism. We all know that some of our greatest nationalists were also reputable journalists. When independence was achieved, the media was there to help the new rulers to stay on their toes, as the watchdogs on behalf of society. Similarly, the media was the nation’s shield against military dictatorship as well as the main organizer of the platform of resistance which opened up the transition to democracy in 1999. The Nigerian people, but especially the political elite, owe a lot to the Nigerian media. The LEADERSHIP newspapers group has no doubt proved to be true to an old tradition of the media’s Social Responsibility; I am proud to say that Leadership Newspapers Group has held high the banner of honour which the Nigerian media is so well-known for. The array of people gathered here attests to the importance of the occasion; it is also indicative of the fact that Nigerians, from all walks of life, truly desire the consolidation of the democratic process as well as hope, that in the long run, democracy will begin to deliver those essential building blocks to defeat underdevelopment and turn around despair and replace it with hope I so much cherish every participant at this conference with high hopes that a better democracy would be thoughtout for Nigeria by the end of the day because i subscribe to the position of Margaret Mead, an American cultural anthropologist, who said and i quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” It is therefore my hope and conviction that ideas from this group of partcipants are capable of changing Nigeria and indeed the world. The theme of our gathering today is a big question: Is the

Governor Kashim Shettima opposition a serious alternative? I belong to an opposition party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, and naturally, will like us to have power at the centre; but I am also a realist and do like to explore the possibilities, because since our return to democracy in 1999, Nigerians have always been faced with doubts and despair so they are very right to ask: “Is the opposition a serious alternative in Nigeria?” Those of us saddled with the responsibility of governance owe a lot to our country and our people. But the fact that we have gathered to explore the prospects of the opposition as an alternative platform of governance and development in our country, offers an interesting dialectic: on the one hand, it shows, with reservation though, some consistency in the development of the process of democracy; while on the other hand, there is advanced political consciousness and voting power targetted against the ruling party because it has not satisfied the deepest yearnings of the Nigerian people. This is the case not only at the centre but indeed across the 36 states and 774 local government areas. In ideal competitive multi party democracies, the elected party in power seeks to transform the polity in tune with its vision as enshrined in its manifesto on the basis of which it was supposedly elected. Political parties in a democracy recognize and respect the authority of an elected government even when they lose elections. This is in the belief that the system is open, transparent and may eventually lead to the emergence of the

opposition into government someday. However, in Nigeria, as in many other Third world countries, the ruling party will, willy-nilly, stay in power by all means, and the opposition will do anything to get to power; this ultimately endangers democracy. This is the unfortunate story of our dear country both at the national and State levels. Our politics is Machiavellian, where to borrow from Claude Ake, makes efficiency norms take precedence over legitimacy norms. Most of the issues around the opposition today in Nigeria, centre around the operational characteristics of the political parties out of power. How organized are they? How good is their internal democracy? What are the core values they subscribe to? Are they organized in a principled manner or are they just vehicles for power and therefore subsumed in opportunism? Do members feel a commitment to keeping these parties alive? What is the vision they have for our

national development and for democratic consolidation? Do Nigerians even trust these parties? Can ordinary Nigerians give their personal resources to support them? These are not idle questions. We must ask them to be able to answer the central question which brought all of us together today. Nigerians are asking these questions in various ways and if we must pitch for power as members of the opposition, we have to confront these questions as much as we have to honestly and honourably face our records of service to the Nigerian people since 1999. In the lead to our country’s independence, we had parties like the National Congress of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC); Northern Peoples Congress (NPC); The Action Group (AG); Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) and smaller but equally notable parties like the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) and the Borno Youth Movement (BYM). These parties were very much in tune with the general motif of the age. They subscribed to grand visions of national development in their various ways but were affected by the political currents of the turbulent Twentieth Century, which was underscored by the ideological struggle between capitalism and socialism. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the ending of the pro-Soviet regimes in Eastern Europe ended that phase of world history. The capitalist world proclaimed victory in the ideological struggle and Western-style democracy became the order of the day around the world. In Nigeria, we also ended a very long period of military dictatorship with the 1999 transition to civil rule on the back of parties that were hurriedly put together, by members of the nation’s political elite. The original three were PDP, APP and AD and these have taken all kinds of twists and turns in the past thirteen years. And as the crises situation has built up, some of these parties bred factions; while newer parties have also emerged. What marks these parties is the incredible similarity not only in their programs, but the manner in which members move through a revolving door from one to the other. There are no ideological issues held dear by them; inner party democracy hardly exist; the

“

However, in Nigeria, as in many other Third world countries, the ruling party will, willy-nilly, stay in power by all means, and the opposition will do anything to get to power; this ultimately endangers democracy

parties are generally just vehicles of access to power. And because they do not have very grand visions, they have not been able to galvanize the Nigerian people in a grand narrative of development and patriotic exertion. The fact that members of the political elite seemed to have regularly behaved in the same manner, especially in their excesses, meant that there was often little to choose between the political parties. Internal democracy is no doubt a yardstick for measuring the sincerity of a party’s public ideology and where a party falls shot of it or it is perceived to have fallen short, anyone will be right to as fundamental questions. In the build up to the 2007 and 2011 elections, virtually all the key political parties were guilty of failures on internal democracy. My party, the ANPP was accused of either imposing or wrongly substituting candidates with the result being a long pre-election and post election litigation on the governorship tickets of Yobe, Kaduna, Kano etcetra; the CPC which is about 2 or 3 years old was accused of wrongly substituting governorship candidates in Kano, Katsina, Bauchi and Taraba; the ACN was also accused of imposing candidates especially in the southwestern States and the PDP as the biggest party, was accused of committing the most crime against party internal democracy by allegedly imposing or wrongly substituting governorship candidates in Rivers, Taraba, Bauchi, Anambra and a host of others. These crimes were known because they involved governorship seats on which those affected ran to the media, one can therefore imagine those that may have been silenced not by persuation and political negotiation but by the instrumentality of power. Though all the parties seem to be guilty at different degrees, most of the feeling of discontent brewing in the country have largely and rightly, i must say, been directed at the ruling PDP at the centre, largely because of the size of the party; the number of seats it controls in parliament as well as the number of states under its control for the obvious reasons that there is lethal hunger, brutal insecurity, fatal unemployment, crippled education, substandard healthcare and what have you, the list is long and successive leaders share the blame. Our winnertakes-all system has contributed to this depth of frustration that we are talking about. Since 1999 therefore, the nation’s democratic process has largely been a tale of unfulfilled hopes and the increasing exasperation of the majority of the Nigerian people manifesting in all manners including, as we have seen in Borno, Yobe, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, with the Boko Haram insurgency, which is one of the most tragic examples of disconnect between we as political elites and the majority of our young population today. To be continued

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

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We ‘dey kampe’ with Keshi, Maigari declares

Olympic Games failure

Mark demands mass sack of Nigerian sports administrators T Stories by Patrick Andrew

or the umpteenth times, Senate President David Mark, has expressed abhorrence for the prevalence of decay in Nigerian sports saying that the failure of Team Nigeria to win any medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games well epitomised the depth of the rot in the sector. Accordingly, Mark called for voluntary resignation or mass sack of the administrators who had presided over the rot in Nigerian sports, and ultimately the woeful performance at the Summer Games in London. The Senate President made the call in the state- of- the- nation address to welcome members of the upper legislative arm back from their annual recess as well as set agenda for the new parliamentary session. He assessment of s p o r t s administration in Nigeria was depressing. According to him, sports have so degenerated to level that rather than resign en mass from their exalted posts the chieftains of the sports federations t h a t superintended over the failure have tended to attune the public’s ‘psyche to accept this malady as normal’. “Perhaps, no singular event reflects our current attitude to things, and exemplifies our decline, as the fiasco of Nigeria’s participation at

the recently concluded 2012 London Summer Olympics. “You will recall that our contingent failed to win a single medal in the games. Our fortunes are even more dismal in football, which is a national pastime, and a great unifying factor,” he said stressing that sports administration, like other facets of Nigeria’s national life, are distinguished by the absence of careful planning. Further, the Senate president adduced that the prevalence of rot in the sports sector well reflects a general trend where “sloppiness and tardiness in preparations, mismanagement, degradation and lack of maintenance and vandalisation of national assets, absence of rigour and thoroughness in planning”, are irritant national attributes. This (decay and sloppy sports administration) should not surprise you, Distinguished colleagues. After all, the National Stadium, Abuja, our supposed symbol of sporting excellence, was recently discovered to be decrepit, overtaken by weeds and reptiles. “What is surprising, and very worrisome, is that our psyche is beginning to accept this malady as normal. Ordinarily, such an appalling state of affairs ought to have been followed by voluntary resignations, or mass purges,” Mark said in apparent reference to the dilapidated national sports edifice in Abuja and elsewhere. “But nobody has resigned, and nobody has been fired! Distinguished colleagues, there is no doubt that a drastic overhaul of our sports administration is long overdue,” he said in obvious insistence on a necessary purge to ride Nigerian sports of alleged leeches.

Blessing Okagbare, Chika Chukwumerije, athletes who were banked on for medals, but failed to deliver

Flying Eagles will shock Amajita at home, Obuh boasts

lying Eagles’ coach, John Obuh said his wards are confident of victory in tomorrow’s 2013 AYC qualifier against the Amajita of South Africa. The first fixture, final round for the 2013 AYC ticket race comes up at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. The Nigerians were held to 1-1 draw by their Beninoise opposition at the weekend in Cotonou in an international warm-up match heading to tomorrow’s duel. Eagles had shove aside the Ngorogoro Heroes of Tanzania

last month at the llorin Township Stadium to pave the way for the grudge encounter. The last time both sides met at the Cape Town invitational tournament saw the South Africans emerged victorious. Obuh said the South Africans will not be twice lucky over their Nigerian counterparts. “We’re looking forward to a better game that will put smile on the faces of Nigerians as well as put us on the pedestal of defending what we won previously. “We won’t leave any stone unturned towards ensuring that

we win massive and comfortably so as to make the return leg easy. “Sure, the players are fit, fitness was paramount in our preparations for the match. Of course, we understand that without fitness, you can’t play well nor achieve your aim. “We’ve done our homework well, there is no injury worry, at least, for now. We pray for luck, supports and prayers of Nigerians. “The game won’t be easy but we’re determined not to falter again to the South Africans. We’re not meeting them for the first time, I’ve played them about

three times, we just lost one. “We’re not solely banking on past records for them to have beaten Congo means they’re side to be reckoned with. The players are in good shape and roaring to go. “The friendly encounter against the Benin Republic side has further toughen us for the battle in South Africa,” the Sharks handler told supersport.com. Eagles departed for Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday enroute to Nelspruit, venue of the encounter. The second fixture holds in llorin on October 13.

he leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has declared Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, a sacred cow that will neither be sacked nor sacrificed for whatever reasons. President of the NFF executive committee, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, declared while dismissing speculations from the grapevines that the football federation is under immense pressure to dispensed with the services of the former Togo and Mali manager following the Eagles’ 2-2 draw with the Lone Stars of Liberia in the first leg of the final phase of the 2013 Nations Cup qualifier. “What has he done to deserve being sacked? Who makes that decision? No, it can’t be true and we have never thought of it let alone take a decision in that respect,” Maigari queried and declared that only mischief makers would conjure up such lies principally to distract the technical crew from concentrating on the task of preparing the team to qualify for the Nations Cup. Maigari, who waved off the alleged plot to terminate Keshi’s appointment by simply insisting that the NFF’s executive committee and its technical sub-committee were content with Keshi’s performance, stressed that it was not the intention of the football federation to stir the hornet’s nest and thus engender another round of disequilibrium in the national team. Further, the president said the federation is doing everything within its might to effect the presidential directive for the Eagles to qualify for the 2013 Nations Cup to be hosted by South Africa in January. Peoples Daily Sports recalls the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, had following the Federal Government’s angst over Team Nigeria’s woeful failure at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, directed that no stone left be unstopped to get the Eagles qualified for the Nations Cup even if it meant sacking Keshi for that to materialise. Though Abdullahi later denied giving such expressed order, the threat resurfaced after the Eagles’ two-all draw with the Lone Stars in Monrovia, a development several persons say would rather aggravate Eagles ailing situation than revamp it.

Aminu Maigari, NFF President

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

NSSF begins 3-day workshop for school sports officers, teachers

Sunshine Stars celebrating after scoring

CAF’s Champions League

Sunshine’s head coach confident of team’s chances

he Head Coach of Sunshine Stars FC of Akure, Gbenga Ogunbote, on Tuesday expressed confidence that the team would overcome Al Ahly of Egypt in one of the semi-final matches of the CAF Champions League. The semi-final matches of the competition are scheduled to hold between Oct. 5 th and Oct. 7 th with Sunshine playing the first leg at home. Sunshine finished second in Group A behind Esperance of Tunisia in the group stages of the competition, while Al Ahly topped Group B ahead of Congolese side TP Mazembe. Ogunbote said on telephone that they were

ready to face any opposition, noting that there were no underdogs in this stage of the competition. He said that although his team respected Al Ahly, it did not in any way fear the record six-time African champions. The head coach said he was aware of the need for his team to work hard to overcome the Egyptians and hoped that they would qualify for the final. “I don’t think that any team that has got to this stage of the competition should be tagged underdog because we believe in our own strengths. “We do not fear our opponent but we respect them and it’s all a matter

of how prepared we are to play them. “I know that they are a good side with a great continental tradition but I am hopeful that we can qualify for the final of the Champions League,” Ogunbote added. The head coach was not worried about playing the first leg at home, saying that his side would only triumph on a level playing ground. “Playing the first leg at

home is not a problem to us; rather, what we want is a level playing ground. We can be successful anywhere. “It does not matter who has the first or second leg advantage but what matters most is our readiness and good officiating. “We made our mistakes when we played our first group game at home with Esperance and we have since learnt from that,’’ he said.

CHANGE OF NAME I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AKUMISHI B. AFORO, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MRS. AKUMISHI MARTINS. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, AKWANGA AND GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

Eko 2012: 102 FCT athletes in Jos for zonal elimination contest

he FCT Sports Council on Tuesday said it had despatched 102 athletes and 32 officials to Jos for the zonal elimination games, preparatory to the 2012 National Sports Festival. The competition which would feature football, basketball, volleyball, handball and hockey would see Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau States competing in five team events. Alim Musa, the FCT Director of Sports, said in Abuja that the competition would last 10 days and feature football and basketball in both the male and female categories. He said hockey, handball and volleyball would feature only the male category. Musa noted that the FCT was preparing strongly for

the sports fiesta in Lagos but would double its effort when the athletes returned from the zonal elimination contest. The sports council boss stated that the open camping for new athletes for the sports festival would commence next week after the zonal elimination competition. “Our plan for athletes’ development is still on course but we were slowed down by the death of our Deputy Director. We lost a little preparation time, commiserating with the family. “I met with sports officers in the Area Councils last week and we had to look at the timing again,’’ Musa said. The forthcoming National Sports Festival tagged ‘Eko 2012’ is the 18th edition and has been scheduled to take place in Lagos from Nov. 27 to Dec. 9, 2012.

he Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF) on Tuesday, in Lagos, began a three-day workshop for sports officers and teachers in the country. Declaring the workshop open, the NSSF President, Ibrahim Muhammad, said that it was being organised to educate the officials on the modern rules governing sports and to build their capacities. Muhammad said that the decline in sports right from the grassroots had re-awakened the need to enlighten the country’s sports officers on new ways of identifying talents in schools. “There is the need to refresh our officers across the country on new ways of discovering young talents in our schools. “This is an avenue for us to further enlighten ourselves and contribute our own part in restoring sports to its past glory in the country,’’ he said. Muhammad claimed that the NSSF was one of the most neglected bodies in the country, noting that this neglect was partly responsible for the present decline in the nation’s sports. “NSSF is one of the oldest sports federations in the country, but we have been neglected and this has cost the nation heavily. “Our woeful performance at the just-concluded London 2012 Olympics has pointed to the drop of sports in the country,’’ he noted. The NSSF president stressed the need for the country to refocus on school sports with adequate and necessary support to develop talents at the grassroots - the school. Sunny Ikhioya, the Director of the Nigeria Institute for Sports, venue of the workshop, advised the participants to use the opportunity to acquire modern knowledge of sports and impart same to their students. Ikhioya, who was represented by the Registrar of the Institute, Gloria Obajimi, recalled that he was discovered as an athlete in form two, noting that talents could be tapped at the grassroots only if efforts were made to discover them. “This shows the importance of school sports. So, participants should please go back to their various states and utilise all they have been taught,’’ he said. (NAN) The News agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about 50 participants drawn from across the country are taking part in the workshop, slated to end on Sept. 20.

Kwara partners GSM firm to organise Governor’s Cup soccer competition

he Kwara State Government is to partner telecommunication giant to organise the maiden Governor’s Cup soccer competition for secondary schools in the state. Toyin Olokooba, the Special Assistant to Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed on sports, announced this on Tuesday, in Ilorin, at a news conference. According to him, no fewer than 368 secondary schools in the state’s 16 local government areas will participate in the tournament. Olokooba said that the local government s would be split to into eight centres Ilorin A and B, Omu-Aran A and B, Edu/Patigi, Ifelodun, Kaiama and Offa/Oyun. He said that the preliminary matches would be concluded by Oct. 2 from where eight teams would emerge. The special assistant said that the finals would be staged in Ilorin between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13. Olokooba added that the winners would receive “juicy and consolation prizes’’ from the sponsor, while outstanding youngsters would be identified for recruitment into the Kwara United feeder team. He said that Ahmed’s administration was committed to grassroots sports development and commended the firm for responding to the request for assistance in spite of a short notice.

Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

igeria’s Lanre Glover will face a challenge from Nicole Assele at the African H a n d b a l l Confederation (CAHB) election/congress, scheduled to run from Oct. 1 to Oct. 5 in Ouagadougou. A statement by the confederation said Glover, a current 1 st Vice-President and Assele, the outgoing Secretary-General, would be vying for the position of 1 st VicePresident of the confederation.

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Gabonese challenges Glover in handball confederation election It said that the incumbent President, Aremou Mansorou of Benin Republic had since been returned unopposed the other executive positions would be contested for. Pundits described the contest for the position as a tough battle for Glover, a three-time President of Nigeria Handball

Federation because the confederation was largely dominated by people from the f r a n c o p h o n e countries. It was gathered that Nicole was currently enjoying the backing of the Gabonese Government. However, Glover, a veteran of many CAHB elections and

highly respected in the confederation would be counting on his good will and uprightness in previous assignments in CAHB to see him through. Glover told newsmen recently that he would also be counting on providence: “If God is for us who can be

against us’’. The 2 nd VicePresident’s slot would pitch, Dr Medhat Beltagy of Egypt, the incumbent and Karim Helali, President of Tunisia Handball Federation. In the contest for the Secretary-General position, it would be a battle between the incumbent, Assele

President Goodluck Jonathan with a cross section of the Paralympians during the reception.

Photo: Timothy Ikuomenisan

Nigerians hail Jonathan for rewarding Paralympians

igerians have commended President Goodluck Jonathan for recognising that the contingent to the London 2012 Paralympic Games did the nation proud and for rewarding them bounteously. Only last Saturday the President gave the paralympians cash award and on Monday decorated the six gold medallists with national honours of the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON). The gold medalists got N5m, the silver and bronze medallists got N3m and N2 m each at the reception by

the president. In a statement in Abuja, a pro-democracy group, Conscience Nigeria, said that Jonathan heeded the call by Nigerians for him to reward and honour the paralympians. The Executive Director of the NGO, Mr Tosin Adeyanju, described the president as a “humble and listening leader’’. It noted that by the gesture, the president had encouraged the physically challenged sportsmen and

who was being challenged by Pedro Godinho of Angola, Charles Omboumghi of Congo, Paul Marie Pikbougum of Burkina Faso. The Treasurer position would be a straight fight between the incumbent, Auguste Dogbo of Togo and Paul Marie of Bukina.

Dr. Lanre Glover

women to do more in their career. “The honour will no doubt go a long way to revive the sports sector and restore its lost glory,’’ it said. It will be recalled that the group had earlier urged Jonathan to honour the Nigerian team who did well at the Paralympics. “We are delighted by the President’s timely response; Jonathan deserves commendation from well meaning Nigerians. “We are particularly happy that the president listened to our call that the Paralympians be given national honour, while the team as a whole is rewarded for excelling,’’ the statement said. According to the statement, now that sportsmen and women know that there is a national reward for winning laurels at major competitions, many will go the extra mile to succeed. The group also noted that the president’s act was encouraging ability in the physically disabled. “The president has told the youth by this gesture that there is a great reward for excellence. “Now we can look forward to a genuine transformation in Nigeria in all sectors, since the president is gradually re-awakening the spirit of Nigerians to do more for their nation,’’ it said. The group urged the honoured sportsmen and women to see the gestures as a call to service and to do more for the nation as well as inspire others. In his reaction, Tobias Igwe, the former Head Coach of the Nigeria Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), said the Federal Government celebrating the Paralympians would encourage youths to aspire to greater heights. Igwe said that he was satisfied with the cash prizes and the national honours and added that the athletes got everything on merit and not on sympathy and urged the AFN to endeavour to prepare athletes early enough to be able to achieve set goals. “It was a nice gesture because the condition of the athletes has been appalling; they need a big pat on the back because of their achievement and their handicapped nature. This will show the able-bodied ones what they have missed. “This brings me to the issue of long term planning. Nothing pays like hard work, when you prepare you will get results,’’ Igwe said. The coach of junior athletes said sports authorities should have a blueprint or a calendar that will itemise their programmes and work objectively. “Our sports administrators should start to do things right by having long term preparations for our athletes. We lack the mentality of preparation and planning which has been a clog in our wheel of progress and until this is done we should not expect anything from our athletes,’’ he said.

Stop avoiding me with elections excuses, Haye warns Vatali

avid Haye has accused WBC heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko, of deliberately hiding under of guise of parliamentary engagements to avoid fighting him. Haye, who has surrendered his Luxembourg boxing licence, in a bid to reapply for the British boxing licence, again challenged Vitali to stop hiding from him and accept a duel for the WBC title. "Vitali shouldn't use parliament as an excuse to run from the biggest and best boxing match," Haye told a German weekly, Sport Bild. Vitali had initially said he won't engage

in any fight until after the October 28 parliamentary elections. Before then though, he fought and retained his WBC title against Germany's Manuel Charr in Moscow on September 8. Vitali, the elder of two boxing brothers and head of the opposition Udar party, had previously denied Haye the opportunity to challenge for the WBC title because of his preparing for Ukraine's parliamentary elections scheduled for next month. Klitschko's manager, Bernd Boente, said recently: "If Vitali gets a role after the elections where he can make a difference, I suppose that would be the end of his

boxing career. "As a friend and manager, that's what I would advise. The fight for democracy and against corruption is more important than a fight against David Haye." Klitschko, 41, has won 45 of his 47 professional fights and has previously talked about retiring, without stipulating a date. Haye, who is ten years younger than the Ukrainian, lost the WBA title in July last year when Wladimir Klitschko beat him on points. It was only the second defeat of his career. He has also mentioned hanging up his gloves but got back into the ring on July

14, beating compatriot Dereck Chisora in London. Haye said earlier this week he would apply for a British boxing licence to secure a title fight with Vitali Klitschko. He used a licence from the Luxembourg Boxing Federation when he fought Chisora. But he has given up that licence and wants to fight Klitschko under the auspices of the British Boxing Board of Control. "This is the only fight that interests me … the WBC heavyweight title is the one belt I'm desperate to win before I retire for good," Haye said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

El Kanemi Warriors to recruit 15 new players, says Chairman

2nd Samsung Beach Soccer tourney

he management of the newly promoted El Kanemi Warriors FC of Maiduguri said yesterday that it planned to recruit 15 new players for the 2012/ 2013 Nigeria Premier League season, which begins in October. The club’s Chairman, Zanna Mala, who disclosed this in an interview, said in Maiduguri that the club had already concluded transactions on some of the players, while efforts were being made to get the others. “We plan to recruit 15 new players to beef up the team in all departments for the league. We have concluded formalities for the recruitment of some of the players, while we are still making efforts to get the others,” he said. Mala said that the state government had upgraded facilities at the El Kanemi Warriors Sports Centre, Maiduguri, ahead of the opening the football season. “The state government has upgraded facilities at the Sports Centre to meet the required standard for the premier league. The playing pitch and other areas are perfectly okay,” he said. The chairman further said that the state government had promised to increase the funding of the club in view of its current status as a premier league outfit. El Kanemi Warriors were the 1991 and 1992 FA Cup champions before their relegation to the professional league in 2007. However, the club regained promotion to the elite division in the last season.

Nigeria’s Supersand Eagles

Nigeria get wide card to represent Africa

he Nigeria Beach Soccer team has been invited to participate in the 2nd Samsung Beach Soccer International Cup, holding in Dubai from

Oct. 30 to Nov. 3. The invitation came via a letter yesterday from the Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSW) to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and requested Nigeria to

represent Africa as other continents would be represented. It said that the country’s delegation should consist of 15 men with 12 players, including two goalkeepers

and three officials with a medical doctor or physiotherapist. Nigeria represented Africa in the first edition in 2011 but did not go beyond the group stage.

NSF demand more attention to swimmers By Albert Akota

national coach with the Nigeria S w i m m i n g Federation, (NSF), Saheed Obadinu, has called on National Sports Commission, (NSC) to pay more attention to prospective swimmers that could represent the country in 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Obadinu, who disclosed this to Peoples Daily Sports in Abuja, against the backdrop of the just concluded of the senior Africa Swimming Championship in Nairobi, Kenya where Nigeria featured a swimmer, said preparations, should start in earnest to prepare swimmers for international tournaments. He urged the NSC to halt

individual and often unguided training being embarked upon by swimmers stressing that a coordinate training programme should be introduced. “We have abundant swimmers in this country, what we need is regular competitions both local and international to equip swimmers for major competitions.

NSC plans private sector takeover of sports facilities he National Sports Commission (NSC) is liaising with the Presidential Committee on Sports Restructuring for private sector takeover of major sporting facilities in Nigeria, the DirectorGeneral, Chief Patrick Ekeji, said. Ekeji made the disclosure yesterday in Abuja while reacting to the suggestion that NSC should no longer be allowed to manage major sporting facilities, which included the six national stadia. “President Jonathan set up the committee to see how we can sustain these edifices with emphasis on maintenance and provision of funding for sports development. “I have always been an advocate of Public Private Partnership (PPP). Indeed, I was first, the chairman of the

Volleybal male team opens camp October

Technical Committee that started the construction of the Abuja Stadium when I was the Director of Facilities in 2002. “Then, I had proposed that we engage private sports facility managers because I know the challenges. I know that government will not always have enough funds to manage these facilities. “The plan which went through due process was for both the package A and B of the Abuja National Stadium as well as the Games Village but they did not go beyond that point,” Ekeji said. According to him, factors, including gimmicks at higher political level, contributed to the collapse of the initial takeover plan by corporate individuals and organisations. He said that his meeting with the Bureau of Public Enterprise and other

government privatising agencies was an indication of President Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to restructure sports in the country. The director-general said that very soon, the stadia would be in good condition for private sector takeover. He said he was confident that getting investors for the facilities would not be a problem. Bolaji Abdullahi, Minister of Sports

“This is because the Presidential Committee headed by Dr Ngozi OkojoIweala, the Finance Minister, appreciates the NSC’s efforts by involving other sectors in the management of sports facilities. “Dr Okojo-Iweala appreciates the enormity of running sports in the country and the difficulty of funding. “She is willing to use her

“Out of the all swimmers we have in this country, we went to Kenya with just only one who did excellently well at the tournament. “We must start preparing for 2016 Olympic Games now so that the country can challenge others for medals. The edge others have had over us has been early preparations,” he said. office and contact to make the NSC realise its desire. She is bringing all of these to play to guide the committee so that at the end of the day, the report the committee will submit to Mr President will receive express assent,” Ekeji said. He expressed optimism that sports development would be enhanced at the end of the day going by the outcome of the Presidential Committee’s work on restructuring of the sports sector. The director general frowned at suggestions that funds for the rehabilitation of the stadia should not be entrusted to the commission. Critics had alleged that the NSC had misused funds budgeted for the completion of the 44 mini sports centres around the country. Ekeji said it was untrue that none of the centres had been completed, pointing out that while some had been completed, others were near completion.

he Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) is to open its camping for 20 men’s players in October in Abuja, ahead of an international friendly with the Republic of Benin. The federation’s Secretary-General, Adisa Beyioku, disclosed this yesterday in a release made available to Peoples Daily Sports adding that that the friendly was planned to further expose the players. “Our male team will open camp by the first weekend of October and the camp is to be for about three weeks, before the team plays the international friendly with Benin Republic,’’ he said. The NVBF official noted that the friendly would afford the federation an opportunity to groom the players through exposure. “The friendly is just a way of grooming the players, to expose them to test matches from which they can gather more exposure and experience that will help them to face future challenges,’’ Beyioku said. According to him, the team will be under the tutelage of Brazilian coach, Augusto Sabbatini, who recently assumed duties in the country, and has been in camp with the players selected from the “Catch Them Young’’ programme. “Sabbatini has already settled down to work, and has been in camp with 20 female players we identified from the grassroots programme tagged ‘Catch Them Young Initiative’,’’ he said. The NVBF secretarygeneral said that the camp had been on for about two weeks and would go for a break on Sept. 23. “The female team camp will then return on Oct. 1 to continue training toward participation in the CAVB Zone Three Nations Cup scheduled for Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, from Oct. 5 to Oct. 16. “Twelve of the players will be selected for the competition and the team should be leaving some days after the camp reconvenes,’’ Beyioku said.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

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PICTORIAL a/ Liverpool and Manchester United are to release 96 red balloons at Anfield on Sunday as part of a pre-match tribute to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. b/ Glasgow Warriors' Chris Cusiter could be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a shoulder injury.

c/ Great Britain will play Russia at home in April 2013 in their Europe/Africa Zone Group I tie, with the World Group also drawn. d/ Virat Kohli makes 50 as India set Afghanistan 160 to win their World Twenty20 match after Australia beat Ireland in the earlier match.

e/ Jose Mourinho insited he has "no problems" with Sergio Ramos after the defender was surprisingly dropped from Real Madrid's starting XI against Manchester City. f/ Ricky Hatton's excornerman Kerry Kayes says his old boss cannot hope to be the fighter he was before retirement - but is right to return. g/ Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero has voiced his full support for Roberto Mancini's 'project', despite being left on the bench for the UEFA Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

PAGE 46

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Venus to make Hopman Cup debut

enus Williams will make her Hopman Cup debut in Perth later this year, partnering John Isner to represent the United States in the mixed international tournament, organisers said yesterday. Seven-times grand slam champion Williams will have a chance to match her sister Serena, who won the tournament in 2008 with Mardy Fish and five years earlier with James Blake.

“I’ve never been to Perth I’ve never played the Hopman Cup, so for me it’s going to be a wonderful experience,” Williams said in a media release. World number 10 Isner won the title in 2011 with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who stands at 5ft 6in (1.68 m)-tall to his 6ft 9in (2.06m). Williams is 6ft 1in (1.85m). “My previous two partners have been very,

very small,” said Isner. “But Venus is a little bit taller so I’m not going to look like such a giant out there. She’s obviously one of the greatest players ever so I think our team has a good shot to do well.” Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic have already been confirmed as the Serbia pairing for the event, which will take place from December 29 to January 5 at the new Perth Arena.

Azerbaijan agog as teams arrive for FIFA U-17 female tourney “

t’s going to be a three-week party a party on a scale possibly never seen before at a U-17 World Cup!” Judging by the sheer enthusiasm of the host nation’s German coach Sissy Raith, the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Azerbaijan 2012 is shaping up to be an unmissable event. It certainly has a lot to live up to after the success of the two most recent editions, but the sparkling line-up for this year’s tournament due to unfold between 22 September and 13 October suggests that it could indeed be set to reach new heights. WithGermany,USA,Japan,Korea DPR, Brazil and Nigeria among the sides in contention, the most formidable powers in women’s football will be taking part and competing for the ultimate prize. The tournament will hardly be short of burgeoning talents either, and fans can look forward to witnessing the likes of exciting Japanese midfielder Yui Narumiya, German forward Sara Dabritz and Brazilian schemer Andressa up close. Fearsome goal machines such as Summer Green of the United S t a t e s , U r u g u a y ’ s Y a m i l a Badell and Korea DPR’s Ri Un-Sim will likewise be aiming to set the competition alight. As it happens, the only major absentee in Azerbaijan will be Korea Republic, the reigning champions having only managed to finish fourth in their Asian qualifying campaign. The Taeguk Ladies will therefore be unable to defend their title, increasing the chances of a new name on the trophy. Their North Korean neighbours are the only previous winners in the field, in fact, having claimed victory at the inaugural edition in New Zealand four years ago. As those previous tournaments suggest, Asian sides have held a stranglehold on the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup so far. That was amply demonstrated at Trinidad & Tobago 2010, when all three contenders from the Far East won their way through to the semi-finals, prompting FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter to hail the strength of women’s football in the region. “It’s good news for Asia, but frankly it’s not a surprise,” he said at the time. “When FIFA began taking an interest in women’s football in the 1980s, the countries in Eastern Asia were already pioneers in the discipline. Women’s football has deep roots in the region.” This time around, it will be Japan, Korea DPR and China PR looking to continue the tradition, and all three figure among the favourites. As Asian champions, the Young Nadeshiko can be particularly ambitious as they tackle their third finals campaign, but the team’s coach Hiroshi Yoshida is urging caution all the same. “We’re just hoping for six matches and to reach the final,” he said. “Our goal is to win, but in this type of competition especially the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup you can’t predict anything.” The United States and Germany are likely to mount serious challenges as

well, with both nations having reached the final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Japan 2012 just over a week ago, the Stars and Stripes ultimately emerging victorious. They will go into the tournament desperate to make an impression after failing to qualify two years ago, while Anouschka Bernhard’s Germany team have a disappointment of their own to put behind them. The European heavyweights rattled in no fewer than 22 goals during the group stage two years ago, only to suffer a 1-0 loss to Korea DPR in the quarter-finals. Among the other hopefuls on show, Brazil will be serious contenders with their alluring Jogo Bonito, as will a France side spurred on by gifted playmaker Sandie Toletti. Nigeria will also be keen to have their say and boast a squad featuring five players (Sarah Nnodim, Victoria Aidelomon, Oluchi Ofoegbu, Halimatu Ayinde and Ebere Okoye) who were also involved two years ago. Meanwhile, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand and Ghana all have previous experience of the tournament and will be aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time. In particular, Ghana will be bolstered by the presence of defender Ellen Coleman, a veritable veteran at this level who will be making her third trip to a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. For their part, newcomers Gambia, Uruguay, China PR and hosts Azerbaijan will be focused on gaining experience in Odlar Yurdu (the Land of Fire) and springing a few upsets. “We’ll need a small miracle to come out on top, but in football there are always miracles,” explained the home side’s coach, Raith. “We’ll see what happens.”

Oluchi Ofoegbu

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

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Skeletons

FACTS * 61,000 people are airborne over the US at any given time. * A flamingo can eat only when its head is upside down. * Mark Twain was born on a day in 1835 when Halley's Comet came into view. When he died in 1910, Halley's Comet was in view again. * The Weddell seal can travel underwater for seven miles without surfacing for air. * In 1963, baseball pitcher Gaylord Perry remarked, "They'll put a man on the moon before I hit a home run." On July 20, 1969, a few hours after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first (and only) home run. * The longest words in the English language with only one syllable are the nine-letter "screeched" and "strengths". Source: Weird facts

JOKE

Vacation to China Three Friends went to China for vacation. Since they were new at the place, they had to stay in a hotel. They ended up being on the 60th floor. The policy of the hotel was that, at midnight, the elevator is shut down. The next day, the friends rented a car and explored the city. They enjoyed themselves and arrived at the hotel pass midnight. The elevators had been shut down. There was no other way to get to their room than to take the stairs all the way to the 60th floor. The 1st friend said; for the 1st 20 floors, I'll tell jokes to keep us going. (Pointing to the 2nd friend) you'll say wise stories for the next 20 floors and you'll (pointing to the 3rd friend) cover the final 20 floors with sad stories. He started telling jokes. With lots of laugh and joy, they reached the 20th floor. The 2nd friend started telling stories full of wisdom. They had learnt a lot on reaching the 40th floor. Now it was time for sad stories. The 3rd friend said; my 1st sad story is that i forgot the key of the room in the car.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Quick CrossWord (31) ACROSS 1 Gentle horse-riding (7) 5 Bathroom feature (5) 8 Half a semibreve (5) 9 Races, peoples (7) 10 Lack of response (8) 11 Potter’s substance (4) 13 Performer’s repeat (6) 15 Injured party (6) 18 Female child (4) 19 Small breed of spaniel (8) 22 Remain in the same place (4,3) 23 Cave elf (5) 24 Alternative (5) 25 Baby’s room (7)

DOWN 1 Skirt’s length (7) 2 South American dance of African origin (5) 3 Callow (8) 4 Hunter’s retriever (3,3) 5 Sieze with the teeth (4) 6 Small water globule (7) 7 Bad-tempered (5) 12 Cabinet member (8) 14 Vehicle cleaning service or facility (3,4) 16 Ethically (7) 18 Relish (5) 20 Tailor’s smoothing iron (5) 21 Incentive (4)

Yesterday’s answer

A boy wading through flood with his bicycle, on Tuesday at Zaki local government area of Bauchi state. Photo: NAN

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

SPORTS LA TEST LATEST

UEFA Champions League Juventus rubbish Oscar's brace for Chelsea

efending European champions Chelsea had to settle for a 2-2 draw at home to Juventus after losing a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge. Oscar, on his first start for the club, broke the deadlock on 31 minutes as his strike took a deflection from Leonardo Bonucci that saw it sail past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was making his 400th appearance for Juve. The Brazilian then grabbed his second of the night in style. Receiving a pass from Ashley Cole, the 21-year-old spun away from his two markers before curling into the top corner. However, Chelsea's twogoal lead last just five minutes as Arturo Vidal fired low past Petr Cech. With ten minutes remaining, substitute Fabio Quagliarella found an equaliser as he slipped the ball under the goalkeeper following a misplaced pass from John Obi Mikel. The visitors might have been ahead six minutes later as Quagliarella turned on the edge of the box, but his shot clipped the top of the bar. Barcelona had to come from behind to see off Spartak Moscow 3-2 at the Camp Nou. Barca looked to be on their way to a straightforward victory when Cristian Tello curled home the opener, but Dani Alves scored an own goal before Romulo gave the Russians the advantage on 58 minutes when netting from a tight angle. However, Lionel Messi then equalised from close range and then, in the 80th minute, restored his side's lead with a header. UEFA Champions League results Chelsea 2 Juventus 2 Shakhtar D 2 Nordsjælland 0 Bayern 2 Valencia 1 Lille 1 BATE Borisov 3 Barcelona 3 Spart Moscow 2 Celtic 0 Benfica 0 Braga 0 CFR Cluj-Nap 2 Man Utd 1 Galatasaray 0

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QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE The concentration of power is not at the centre but at the state level. Almost all the governors are sole administrators. They first thing they do when they come to power is pocket the National x-Chief Assembly — Gen. T.Y .Y.. Danjuma, e ex-Chief my Staf ence of Ar Defence Arm Stafff and Minister of Def

The fear of Aregbesola O

gbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is fast becoming a magnum opus. He is driving his detractors nuts. He is causing his opponents and enemies alike a lot of trepidation. He is causing a lot of concerned members of the status quo consternation and sleepless nights. His ability to articulate his passion and beliefs seems to make a lot of people uncomfortable. He is beginning to put the fear of Olodumare into the minds of his foes. He has been causing stirs about his passion for the agenda of regional development via integration that is fast acquiring the support of well meaning Nigerians frustrated by the lack of progress attributed to the unitary nature of the Nigerian state. His approach has been seen as “too aggressive” by some. His observed willingness to stand up for what he believes no matter whose ox is gored is irksome to not a few. Some are beginning to wonder if he has been able to have enough time for his duties as the governor of Osun state. Some are worried that Ogbeni Aregbesola has been busy championing a philosophy of governance rather than actually governing. Some are impressed with him and others are very upset about his undiplomatic way of putting forth his thoughts. Those who see him as an activist governor are of the view that he would eventually turn out not to be very successful. They think that he was yet to understand that governance is more than mere activism and he is losing the most important variable that would serve him best, which is time. They argue that he would become unfocused if he has not already lost the focus. They contend that at the end of the day he would be “all words but no action.” Some of us actually believe that his activism actually provides the guide for his governing style – a riveting focus on the goals midwived by well thought out principles of self determination, pride in own history and value of one’s heritage as variables of and for charting the path to the future. Eventually, it is this style that would be used as instrument of measurement of his performance. As the late French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, once posited, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”Majority of the Yoruba sons and daughters, both at home and

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GUEST COLUMNIST Remi Oyeyemi

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola

in Diaspora are tired of the hopelessness that Nigeria represents. They are in search of someone to rejuvenate their hope that all is not lost in the Nigerian miasma and malaise. They are seeking a“dealer in hope” and they seemed to have found this in Aregbesola. They see in him the kind of leader they want. Frustrated by a Nigerian ship determined to hit the rocks, Oodua children are thirsty for a frank, forthright, clear headed, well read, well travelled, properly tutored, capable, responsible and above all patriotic voice. The Yoruba want someone who would speak to their feelings and desires; someone who would not be afraid to stand for their aspirations; someone who would be willing to call it as it is without mincing words; someone who could give them an elixir of hope in this trying times and someone who could rise above the confusions of the present to

articulate a vision that they all can be part and be proud of. Aregbesola seems to be the one filling this vacuum. At the Legislative Summit in Ibadan held earlier this year, he was in his elements. He was so effective in articulating a Yoruba agenda in the context of a larger Nigeria that all who were present could feel the pulsation of a new era of leadership in the land of Oodua. The sense of exhiliration, pride and patriotisim that he exuded was contagious. The inspiration of his words and vision was infectious. By the end of the Summit, he has made many who attended the event to be more hopeful for the kind of leadership we have been yearning for in the last several decades. At the end of the summit during which a flag and national anthem were adopted for the Oodua nation, tongues were sent wagging. Some were suggesting that Aregbesola was laying the foundation for the future Oodua nation that would be free from Nigeria. Some were not so sure but could not deny the awakened sense of patriotism that not only gripped the attendees from all Yorubaland but which seemed palpable in the feelings and utterances of other well meaning Yoruba leading sons and daughters. At the DAWN event held earlier this year, in Lagos, “the sea” was not “calm.” But Aregbesola was able to “hold the helm.” He ruffled not quite a few feathers. His

“

The almost covert visit by the Northern Emirs on March 12, this year, to Ogbeni Aregbesola in his Oshogbo office also caused discomfort for those who seemed to be afraid that the Osun state governor was subtly sensitising his people in readiness for their own country outside Nigeria. The visit which was not known to the media until almost towards its conclusion seemed to stress the unity of Nigeria

frankness and honesty stirred a lot of hornets’ nests. There were many who were critical of his view, insisting that he should not have done so at such an event. But what such people did not know was that Aregbesola has worked hard behind the scenes to make the his critics to see “see reason” to no avail. Aregbesola has won a lot of new admirers in the way and manner he has been able to communicate in faultless Yoruba language. That day was not the first and it was not the last. Many who have been worried at the way we are trivialising the importance and use of our own inherited language have been very impressed and proud of him. That a public official like him could adopt his mother tongue in addressing his people is a practice that has won and still continues to win admirers for the proud Ijesa son. The almost covert visit by the Northern Emirs on March 12, this year, to Ogbeni Aregbesola in his Oshogbo office also caused discomfort for those who seemed to be afraid that the Osun state governor was subtly sensitising his people in readiness for their own country outside Nigeria. The visit which was not known to the media until almost towards its conclusion seemed to stress the unity of Nigeria. At a recent Yoruba Assembly convened by retired General Alani Akinrinade, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) told everyone present, loud and clear, that he was concerned that our governors today are easily satisfied and easily pacified. Chief Akintola wished that all Yoruba governors would emulate Aregbesola and adopt what he called a "combative approach to national politics" where it has been evident that gentlemanly approach is failing. This explains why many of Aregbesola’s detractors are unsettled. They are afraid of him. To them, he has become unpredictable and difficult to figure out. His popularity within and beyond the borders of his state has been on the rise. Patriotic Yoruba sons and daughters now have higher expectations of him. He is seen as a possible champion of their aspirations and hopes. Many in the Diaspora are very excited by his activism and focus. They are praying for him to be successful in his tenure as the governor of Osun state. Remi Oyeyemi is on Facebook

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