Peoples Daily Newspaper, Thursday 20, March, 2013

www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 10 No. 59

Thursday, March 21, 2013

. . . putting the people first

Jimadal Ula 10, 1434 AH

N150

Jonathan shops for new Army Chief Monguno, Minimah tipped

By Abubakar Ibrahim

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan has again found himself on the horn of dilemma over who to appoint as a

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) following vacancies that will be created by the current Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, who is going on terminal leave preparatory to

retirement on health grounds.

Jonathan faced his first test of will in effecting changes in the nation’s military hierarchy late last year when the former CDS, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyin Petirin

retired. His dilemma was how to juggle the vital criteria of loyalty, geopolitics, seniority and competence.

A reliable source told Peoples Daily that, with the imminent

departure of Admiral Ibrahim, his position is believed to be reserved for the current COAS, Lt-General Azubuike Ihejirika, the next most senior military officer of the armed Contd on Page 2

PDP may suspend Amaechi

By Lawrence Olaoye

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L-R: Kano state Governor, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, receiving a book titled Asiwaju from Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during the latter’s visit to the governor, yesterday in Kano. Photo: Mahmud Isa

here are indications that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may suspend Rotimi Amaechi, the Rivers state governor and the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for allegedly walking out on the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party during a reconciliation meeting held in Port Harcourt recently.

A source in the party who prefers anonymity disclosed that the leadership of the PDP was not comfortable with the ‘arrogance’ displayed by the Rivers state governor while the party’s NWC was in Port-Harcourt.

According to the source, the party’s leadership felt insulted when Amaechi, who was supposed to be the host governor, walked out while his counterpart, the Akwa-Ibom Contd on Page 2

35 killed in Plateau communal clash >> PAGE 6

Mother, 5 kids burnt to death in Kaduna fire >> PAGE 3

First Bank leads in customer service delivery – Polls >> PAGE 19

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

CONTENTS News

2-10

Editorial

12

Op.Ed

13

Letters

14

Opinion

15

Metro

16-18

Business

19-22

S/Exchange

23

S/Report

24

Earth

26

Power outage stalls Reps’ sitting I ntermittent power fluctuations in the chambers of the House of Representatives yesterday forced the House to postpone its sitting.

The Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, consequently had to

adjourn sitting till today.

Lawmakers were considering the report on a bill for an Act to Repeal the National Health Insurance Scheme Act, No.35 of 1999 when they witnessed intermittent power cuts.

The bill was in the

Committee of the Whole for clause-by-cluase consideration after the Committee on Health headed by Mr. Ndudi Elumelu had worked on it.

The power fluctuations prevented the audio and video systems in the chamber from

functioning, making the recording of the proceedings impossible.

However, before the power cuts began, the House had passed a resolution asking the National Emergency Management Agency to assist the victims of Friday’s rainstorm in Edo State.

ACN Vice Chairman in Anambra kidnapped From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) says its Vice Chairman (SouthEast), Dr. Chudi Nwike, was kidnapped in Anambra state on Tuesday.

…Demand N30m In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party quoted Dr. Nwike’s younger brother,

who has been contacted by him (Dr. Nwike), as saying the kidnappers are demanding N30 million (in foreign currency) as ransom.

“We appeal to the security agencies to do everything within their power to ensure the safe release of Dr. Nwike, while assuring his family of our prayers and support at this very difficult time,” the statement said.

Jonathan heads to Equatorial Guinea for Economic Diplomacy

By Abdulrahman Addulraheem

P Is the Nigerian aviation sector on a free ride to perdition?

Page 4

Int’l

31-34

Strange World 35 Digest

36

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-45

Leisure

47

Columnist

48

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU The Peoples Daily wants to hear from you with any news and pictures you think we should publish.

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resident Goodluck Jonathan will today proceed on a two-day state visit to Equatorial Guinea in continuation of the federal government’s efforts in boosting the economic and trade relations between Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on media, Reuben Abati stated that President Jonathan will in the course of the visit hold talks in Malabo with President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on various issues of mutual interest to

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.

The talks are expected to include the enhancement of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, exploitation of oil and gas resources, and the enhancement of developmental cooperation between both countries.

President Jonathan will lead a delegation including Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, Cyril Egwuatu, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deziani AlisonMadueke, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun

Aganga, the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke, the Minister of State (Defence), Olusola Obada and the Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), Nurudeen Mohammed to formal bilateral talks with the Government of Equatorial Guinea.

It is expected that new agreements on the strengthening of economic relations and developmental cooperation between both countries will be concluded and signed before the end of the visit on Friday.

President Jonathan

Jonathan shops for new Army Chief Contd from Page 1 forces.

Therefore, President Jonathan will now have to choose a new COAS, a position considered very vital to the calculation of his personal and national security interests, given its size, spread and power.

The politics of 2015 is also believed to be at the centre of who becomes the army chief because of its strategic place during elections as far as national security and defence are concerned.

Jonathan had over time, according to our source, been longing to appoint his kinsman

from Bayelsa state and current General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division Lagos, Major General Kenneth T.J. Minimah but was prevailed upon not to do so because there were officers for his senior in line. That prompted him to retain Ihejirika as COAS, paving the way for Admiral Ibrahim last year.

Our source revealed that as Ibrahim leaves, Minimah comes into reckoning again but because he is an NDA Course 25 officer still junior to others unretired, President Jonathan will be searching for a new replacement from the senior generals. This is to

forestall mass retirement of senior officers, an act capable of causing disaffection among the military top brass, should Minimah be elevated over and above them.

He said that top on the list of those being touted is Major General Babagana Monguno recently moved from Defence Headquarters as Chief of Logistics to command the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine, (TRADOC). Monguno is billed to retire next year.

However, President Jonathan sees him as a loyal officer who should fill the gap until Minimah is qualified to take up the COAS job ahead of 2015 when the political

battle for re-election heats up.

Before then, President Jonathan, according to our source, needs to consolidate his hold on power.

Another factor that will influence the appointment, according to the source, is the need for a northerner to take the post (even if in the interim) to ensure equity or balance since the last person from the region, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau was unceremoniously ousted by Jonathan while on an official military tour to the United States.

PDP may suspend Amaechi Contd from Page 1

state governor and the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, was addressing the crowd at the Civic Centre venue of the Reconciliation and Consolidation meeting of the party in the South-south region.

The source said “The leadership of the party felt insulted by the walk-out.

Although he (Amaechi) had explained that he never walked

out of the meeting leaving his guests behind, statements coming out from the governor informally suggests that he might have something up his sleeves. Some members of the NWC are pushing for sanction like suspension against the governor for having the temerity to abandon the meeting midway.”

Expressing the mood of the party leadership, the source added “The walk-out was a

slight on the National Chairman considering his age and pedigree in the nation’s politics; the thinking is that the Rivers governor did that deliberately to embarrass the party because of the formation of the new PDP Governors Forum.

This is even more poignant because he turned his back at the party’s leadership when Akpabio was addressing the crowd.”

Efforts to reach the party’s National Publicity Secretary to deny of confirm this was unsuccessful as several calls made to him could not go through.

But the party had in a recent statement denied that the Rivers governor walked out on its leadership explaining that he merely saw off the Delta state governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, who had a plane to catch at the airport.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 3

Fire kills mother, 5 children in Kaduna

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L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Lamido of Adamawa,Dr. Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa, and Emir of Shonga, Dr Haliru Yahaya, during a meeting between the Speaker and Northern elders, yesterday at National Assembly, in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Kano bomb attack: Senate wants FG to consider alternative options

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

F

or failing to effectively tackle the menace of terrorism ravaging the northern part of the country through direct military confrontation with Boko Haram members within the last two years, the Senate yesterday advised the Federal Government to consider other possible options of ending terrorism in the country.

The Senate’s advice came against the backdrop of multiple bomb explosions that erupted in a motor park at the Sabon Gari area of Kano on Monday in which several lives were lost.

Senators Uche Chukwumereje (Abia North) and Kabiru Gaya (Kano South), had raised the matters urgent national importance called on government should seek alternative measures of resolving the crisis.

Senate Deputy President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session noted that, “what happened in Kano was quite regrettable. My appeal is that Federal Government should consider other possible

options of stemming the tide of terrorism in the country because we cannot afford to allow Nigerian lives to continue to be wasted.

“It is obviously that the option being used presently by the Federal Government to fight the menace is not yielding the desired result, making consideration of other possible options necessary in the general interest of Nigerians.”

Ekweremadu also mandated relevant committees in the Senate to look at the whole scenario of the last Monday’s bomb explosions in Kano within the next one week with a view to possibly advising the Senate on how best to interface with the Executive on the way out of the problem within the shortest possible time.

Senator Kabiru Gaya had earlier in his submissions on the matter urged the Senate to prevail on the government to dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgents and even give them amnesty as recently canvassed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar and northern elders in both Borno and Yobe states.

Gaya who partly blamed government for the crisis of insecurity ravaging his state disclosed that while not less than 33,000 police men fight against crimes including terrorism in Lagos, 32,000 in portharcourt,33, 000 in Kaduna, the same 33,000 in Abuja, only 8,000 policemen are deployed to Kano to fight against insecurity.

“There are forces being deployed to create a kind of disunity in Nigeria presently.

“Some people are working against the interest of unity in this country with Kano the largest populated state in the country having just 8,000 policemen to fight insecurity while other states like Lagos and Kaduna have 33,000 policemen fighting crime there.

“This issue of terrorism or insecurity in some states in the northern parts of the country must be addressed by government getting ready to take decision being canvassed by well meaning people from the troubled areas on the need for it to be ready to dialogue with Boko Haram insurgents and even grant them amnesty for lasting peace to reign in the affected

areas and by extension in the country,” Gaya said.

Earlier in his submissions Chukwumerije said that, “most of the former targets of the murderous terrorists have always been places of worship, police and military formations or security personnel as well as specially targeted individuals and not clear cut ethnic group as portrayed by the Monday incident in Kano.

“Ethnicity and religion being the two most sensitive issues in Nigeria must not be allowed to be used as lines of operations by the terrorists among us or else, we might see the Nigerian project crumbling to our faces if urgent actions are not taken to stem the tide by all those concerned.

“We must try to avoid a disconnect between the state and the people anywhere in this country because what happened in Kano last Monday where people from a particular part of the country were bombed to death and government was nowhere near the side of those critically injured for close to 24 hours after the is very disturbing.”

No plans to increase NYSC allowances, says DG From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

T

he Director-General of National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), Brigadier General Nnamdi Okore Affia, says the Federal Government has no plans to increase the monthly allowances of the corps members.

Affia made the disclosure while addressing batch ‘A’ of

the 2013 corp members at their orientation camp, yesterday in Katsina.

According to him, “if there is any plan to increase your allowances I would be the first to know and as far as I know there was no official plan to that effect.

“But even if there was such plan it has not reached my level. Your monthly allowance

is still N19, 800.”

The Director-General urged the corp members to always respect the religious and cultural beliefs of the host communities, calling on them to understand the dos and don’ts of such community and try to respect them.

He also warned them against indecent dressing and anti-social behaviours that

may expose them to danger, adding the government was committed to their security and promised to protect them.

Earlier, the State NYSC Director, Mr. E.O Afolalu, said a total of 1,917 corps members were registered in Katsina under the batch ‘A’ 2013 adding that they consist of 1, 161 males and 756 females.

mother, Mrs. Zuwaira Yakubu, and her five children were burnt to death in the early hours of Tuesday at Danbaba village, near Birnin Yero in Igabi local government area of Kaduna state.

The father of the children, Imam Yakubu, was too distraught to speak but an eyewitness who pleaded anonymity said that the fire occurred when Zuwaira carried a kerosene lantern close to a generator. He said the fire razed the house completely.

Governor Muktar Ramallan Yero who visited the scene of the incident directed that the burnt house be rebuilt at the expense of government. He also ordered that a well be provided for the family. (NAN)

Nine policemen injured in Kano ambush From Edwin Olofu, Kano

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ine mobile policemen escaped death yesterday when suspected gunmen ambushed their truck, resulting in the admission of the injured policemen at the Armed Forces Specialist Hospital.

The policemen were being conveyed to their various duty posts when the gunmen reportedly attacked them along Dorayi road in Kano metropolis.

The Kano state Police Command confirmed the attack, stating that the police repelled the attack and but no arrests were made.

According to the police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Musa Magaji Majia, said that, “three civilian sustained injuries, without any causality from the police.”

He said some unspecified number of civilians, mostly passers- by were reportedly hit by stray bullets, fired by the militants.

Ggovernor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and former Lagos Governor, Bolaji Tinubu, visited the victims at the hospital.

A medical officer at the Armed Forces Specialist Hospital told the Governor that nine policemen were brought to the hospital and that one of them was referred to Dala Orthopedic Hospital.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Is the Nigerian aviation sector on a free ride to perdition?

T

he last few days have been ones of concern for the Nigeria aviation industry with administrators, airlines and other stakeholders watching with utter bewilderment as disturbing events unfold by the minute, prompting some to wonder if the country's aviation sector is not on a free ride into the abyss.

Nigerians woke up last Monday morning to receive the news that DANA Airline has been temporarily suspended from carrying out their domestic flight operations, having just emerged from the cooler after its aircraft had claiming 163 lives in a crash seven months ago. The echo of that air disaster is still reverberating with the insurance claims to victim's families surrounded in controversy.

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had alleged that the safety concerns of a faulty aircraft operating on the Lagos-Abuja route on Saturday prompted the decision for the temporary suspension of the airline.

However, less than 48 hours later, the same airline received a clean bill of health to continue its business.

Dana Air had only been flying for three months after being grounded on account of the fatal air crash last year.

The airline was grounded for seven months following the crash on June 3, 2012, which claimed the lives of 163 people, including some people on ground. The tragedy brought Nigeria's aviation industry under increased scrutiny.

The aviation industry is faced by so many problems ranging from a huge debt portfolio, shortage of manpower in the aircraft operations, to the extent that stakeholders are beginning to worry about how the industry would last beyond the next five years.

Issues ranging from the lack of political will power by the Federal Government as well as internal management tragedies of various operating airline (s) have become the hallmark of the industry.

Expert fear that at the rate domestic airlines are folding up, there may be no financially solvent airlines in the country that can compete with their counterparts in the West African sub-region.

Policy inconsistency and unnecessary government interference, among other disturbing happenings in the Nigeria's aviation sector, have tongues wagging whether the sector is not on a free ride to perdition, writes Suleiman Idris.

Dr. Harold Demuren It could be recalled that also on Monday last week, the Federal Government, through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, sacked the erstwhile Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, six years after he assumed office in 2006 following series of fatal air disasters.

While Demuren held sway, Nigeria entered into Bi-lateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) with fellow African countries and others resulting in additional carriers entered the country's routes.

In November 2006, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) was granted autonomous responsibility to oversee the operations of airlines in the country.

“

Even with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) extending a N500 billion Airline Intervention Fund for the troubled sector last year, most of the nation's remaining airlines are still heavily indebted to the extent that they face threats of liquidation, even as they find it difficult to pay workers' salaries.

However, fear is building in the industry over the future of NCAA in view of the suspected role in the ouster of Demuren.

Questions are now being asked over the agency's autonomy.

Many are fearful about the unnecessary interference from the ministry of aviation. The President of the Air Transport Staff Senior Services of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch, Comrade Ekanem Ekanem told our reporter that NCAA was not autonomous.

"NCAA is not autonomous, because it is under the Ministry of Aviation and the autonomous nature is not wellspelt out."

And according to the Secretary-General of the Aviation Round Table (ART), Mr. Sam Akerele, the agency's autonomy is found only on paper, because in practice it still answers to the whims and caprices of the ministry.

"On paper, NCAA has autonomy, but in practice, some ministers have told us that as long as NCAA brings their budget to them to submit, it cannot have autonomy and also, it must comply with the civil service rules. The autonomy cannot be there.

"In some other countries, such agency has its own budget, its own environment and it doesn't have to take proposals to the ministry", he said.

With a new man already nominated to head the NCAA, industry watchers eagerly await the next line of action in moving the sector out of the doldrums.

But how did these airlines get to where they are now?

Why did these companies start with great enthusiasm only to disappear after operating briefly? Nigeria had close to 30 airlines in the early 90s.These domestic airlines include Aero Contractors (Nigeria), Arik Air, Associated Aviation, Aviation Development Company (ADC), Bellview Airlines, Capital Airlines

(Nigeria) , Chanchangi Airlines, Harka Airlines and IRS Airlines, among others.

But as time went on, the number of these airlines began to depreciate, to the extent that most of them making waves in the early 90s are no longer in the aviation scene.

Bellview, Chanchangi and IRS airlines have since gone under.

All most all the airlines currently operating in the country are debt-ridden.

Outwardly, Nigerians believe they are healthy but a close look at them showed that most of them are financially sick.

Some of the reasons for the present travail and near collapse of most of the Airlines often cited by experts include a hostile operating environment and high cost of fuel. Others are policy inconsistency by government and the unhealthy financial system.

Even with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) extending a N500 billion Airline Intervention Fund for the troubled sector last year, most of the nation's remaining airlines are still heavily indebted to the extent that they face threats of liquidation, even as they find it difficult to pay workers' salaries. However, critics say they do not deserve a bailout because they partly brought the hardship on themselves.

Industry experts have at several fora suggested that for the Nigerian airlines to survive they needed to merge and have experts given freehand to pilot their affairs.

The experts have also suggested that there should be a deliberate policy to rescue market share by these flagship carriers, through a single entry point for foreign carriers, strict observation of BASA rules on frequencies and the restriction of travel using government funds on Nigerian flag carriers.

Also, they argued that there must be a deliberate policy for every state to have its own airport because any state without an airport cannot grow economically and commercially.

More importantly, as the future belongs to the private sector; they should therefore be encouraged to partner with the public sector.

Government should create a good environment that will attract private-sector participation.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 5

Madala bombings: FG docks Kabiru Sokoto for terrorism

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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Suspected mastermind of Madalla Catholic Church bombing and alleged Boko Haram member, Kabiru Sokoto, after he was arraigned before Federal High Court, yesterday in Abuja, Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Insecurity: Resign now, Tinubu tells Jonathan From Edwin Olofu, Kano

Former governor of Lagos state, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately resign from his position as the President and Commander in Chief for failing to protect lives and property of citizens.

Tinubu who spoke to newsmen at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport Kano (MAKIA) shortly after he paid a condolence visit on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, noted that the insecurity crisis in some states have been on for some years and that the Federal Government has failed to gather enough intelligence to nip it in the bud.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader added that security is the responsibility of the Federal Government and that since the President has failed in that regard he should take the path of honour and resign from his position as the number one citizen of Nigeria.

According to Tinubu, “if it is happening in these other states for some years now and you have not gathered enough intelligence to nip it in the bud you have failed, please resign.

“You cannot continue to blame one IGP or the other. It is the responsibility of the President to make sure that Nigerians live in harmony, not divided religiously or divided by tribe or not in a conflict situation like this.

“Again I am suspecting that it is possible that some people are now benefiting from the crisis

…Says Boko Haram should get amnesty having unlimited access to security votes as long as this crisis continues.

“When you perpetuate insecurity, you have a perpetual access to resources and the same government is holding centenary celebrations because you said we have been living in harmony for that long.

“What is happening to us now?

Why do you want to divide us now using one against the other?”

Tinubu further added that he disagrees with President that the insurgents are ghost, supporting calls to grant the insurgents

amnesty.

As he put, “amnesty to Boko Haram should be done but justice must be done for those people with blood in their hands so that you will discourage others in future in taking part in such dastardly act.

“But we have to look at the police side too because for every action there is a reaction.

“When it started, did we do justice to those who openly committed crime against humanity?

“The festering anger and frustration should be looked into properly but innocent people must

get amnesty because we cannot wage a war in our own country against minor people as we may end up multiplying those people by trying to use force against your own citizen.

“And, I disagree with the President that they are ghosts, they are not ghosts. Those people in prison are they ghosts? JTF are they fighting ghosts? I think it is not the right thing to call them ghosts, they should grant them amnesty and treat them carefully, what is good for goose is good for gander.”

JNI condemns Kano bomb attack From Mohammed Adamu, Kaduna

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he British Foreign Office Minister has condemned Sunday’s bus park attack in Kano and terrorist activities in Borno state.

The Minister, Mark Simmonds, in a press statement yesterday reiterated the United Kingdom (UK) commitment to support efforts to counter terrorism in Nigeria.

According to the statement, “I was appalled to learn of another senseless bomb attack in the city of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria.

“The attack claimed the lives of more innocent Nigerians and follows the shootings at schools in Maiduguri in which a number of

....As as Britain reaffirms commitment to partner with Nigeria against terrorism teachers were killed and students injured as well as a bomb attack at a bus station in Kano.

“I wish to offer my condolences to the bereaved and injured and condemn those responsible for such despicable acts of violence.

“There can be no justification for these attacks which have killed and injured ordinary Nigerians going about their daily business.

“The UK will continue to support the Nigerian authorities in their efforts to counter the terrorist threat in Nigeria and to help bring those responsible to justice.

Meanwhile, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) under the leadership of His Eminence, the

Sultan of Sokoto, has condemned in the strongest terms the bomb blast that occurred in Kano.

According a statement by the JNI Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Alityu, this new trend of bombing at a motor park and the killing that ensued, is disturbing and alarming.

According to the statement, “similarly, the gun shot at a female police officer, in Kano is also condemned.

“We therefore call for calm and restraint. The situation is very worrisome, and calls for more concerted efforts and strategies of averting such ugly situations.

he Federal Government yesterday docked a suspected member of the Boko Haram sect, Kabiru Umar (Alias Kabiru Sokoto) on a threecount amended charge bordering on terrorism before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

However, the accused could not take his plea because he had no legal representation to defend him in the charges preferred against him by the State Security Services (SSS).

Kabiru Sokoto who was accused of having prior knowledge of the bombing of the St Theresa Catholic Church, Suleija in Niger state where several lives were lost and failed to disclose it to law enforcement officer, told the court through an interpreter that because of his detention in the custody of the SSS, he could not have access to a lawyer.

He prayed the court to direct the SSS to allow him access to lawyers to defend him in the matter, a prayer the court granted and urged the accused person to engage the services of a lawyer before the next adjourned date of April 19, 2013 as he will take his plea whether represented by a lawyer or not.

NCAA wades into Aero crisis From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) acting Director General, Dr. Joyce Nkemakolam, yesterday met with the leadership of the aviation workers’ unions, ATSSSAN, NUATE and NAAPE as part of efforts to resolve the impasses between the management of Aero Contractors and its disengaged staff.

Dr. Nkemakolam assured the union leaders that NCAA would not allow any group of people or organizations to jeopardize the safety record of the authority hence the meeting for them to fashion out best means possible to resolve the dispute.

At a closed door interaction with representatives of the workers union, Nkemakolam commend the unions for the manner in which they comported themselves regarding the industrial dispute and applauded them for employing legitimate means to resolve the matter.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 7

Court adjourns hearing in N250bn suit against Farouk indefinitely

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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n Abuja High Court yesterday adjourned indefinitely the N250 billion suit instituted against the Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Former Chairman, House adhoc Committee on fuel subsidy probe, Hon. Farouk Lawan.

A Lagos based oil magnate, Femi Otedola who instituted the suit against the lawmakers is claiming N250 billion as compensation for harassment, intimidation and business loses caused him by the defendants while allegedly demanding $3 million bribe from him.

The matter court not be heard when it came up yesterday because of Lawan’s decision to challenge the jurisdiction of the high court at the Court of the Appeal.

Lawan had filed a motion on notice for a stay of proceedings against the ruling of Justice Peter Kekemeke delivered on January 30, 2013 that his Court has power to hear the case against the two defendants.

In the motion for stay of proceedings argued yesterday by Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju from Chief Afe Bebalola Chambers, Lawan claimed that he was not satisfied with the high court decision to hear Otedola’s suit against him.

He informed the court that a notice of appeal had already been filed at the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal and asked the High court to stop further hearing in the suit pending the final decision of the appellate court.

Otedola and Tambuwal, through their counsels, Chief Babajide Koku (SAN) and Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN) respectively, did not object to Lawan’s motion to appeal against court’s decision on jurisdiction.

Kekemeke held in his ruling that Lawan had satisfied the conditions for a stay of proceedings and adjourned the case sine die.

The defendants had objected to hearing of Otedola’s suit on the ground that they are protected by House Immunity and cannot be taken to court on any of their actions on the floor of the House.

They had asked the court to dismiss the suit for being too hasty

because the House has not adopted the report on the subsidy probe and that there had been no white paper yet on it.

The two defendants had also contended that being agents of the House, they can only be sued at a Federal High Court because the House is an organ of the Federal Government and as such, an Abuja High Court has jurisdiction on the suit.

In the objections argued then

by Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN) for Tambuwal and Kehinde Ogunwumiju for Farouk, they claimed that Otedola freely gave out the bribe and cannot turn around to allege harassment and intimidation against them.

Besides, the lawmakers said that Otedola’s case cannot be sustained since he did not join the National Assembly and Clerk of the National Assembly as defendants.

But in his ruling, Justice Peter Kekemeke upheld the submission of Chief BabajideKoku (SAN), counsel to Otedola that Tambuwal and Farouk Lawan cannot use House Immunity as escape route to shield themselves from legal action for wrongful acts carried against the plaintiff outside the confinement of

the House.

The Judge agreed with Koku that it was not part of the terms of reference of Farouk Committee to source for bribe from anybody and as such cannot hide under Immunity.

Justice Kekemeke also refused to void the suit on the claim of being in a wrong court adding that the complaints of Otedola were against alleged harassment, intimidation and acts of arbitrariness by the defendants while demanding for $3million bribe and not an attack on the Federal Government revenue or any of its agency warrant going to a federal high court.

The court also rejected the claim by Tambuwal and Farouk that the case was baseless since there has been no white paper yet on the probe adding that the plaintiff did not need to wait for any white paper suing them because he was not attacking the probe report.

Justice Kekemeke disclosed that the case before his court was on the demand for $3m dollars through phones calls, harassment and intimidation and should not a challenge on the probe report.

L-R: Director, Lagos Office, National University Commission (NUC), Barrister Victor Onuha, Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, and Deputy Executive Secretary of NUC, Mr. Akinlode Agbaoye, during the NUC management parley with journalists on the activities of the commission, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

NSCDC renews commitment to combat crime

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

O

wing to security challenges in the country, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) yesterday restated its commitment to combat criminal activities.

The Commandant General of the Corps, Dr Ade Abolurin stated this at the NSCDC academy in Sauka, Abuja during

its second national cooperative summit.

At the summit which featured representatives from the 36 states of the federation, Abolurin said there was need to improve staff welfare and other basic necessities of life to make them work diligently.

He said many organisations have failed to live up to expectation due to poor remuneration of staff.

“When you give your staff the best welfare service, you are sure of getting the best from them but when you deny them certain benefits, they will not be encouraged to do their job”, he said.

Fielding questions on rumours making the rounds that the NSCDC Lagos Commander has been suspended following a confusion over the Corps website in an interview he granted a

television station, the Commandant said he didn’t commit any crime, adding that the Corps would conduct an in-house investigation.

On his part, President of the Cooperative society, Abi David, said they would remain committed to staff welfare services in term of cars, housing and other necessary infrastructure that would encourage them to perform their duty.

Nwonye saga: NANS threaten to shutdown NASS

By Umar Muhammad Puma

T

he National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a 72 hour ultimatum to the leadership of the House of Representatives, to obey court order and swear-in Comrade Tony Nwoye, former NANS President as the authentic representative of the Anambra East/West federal constituency of Anambra State.

The student umbrella body also threatened to occupy the National Assembly if Nwoye is not sworn-in.

The association said this at a joint press conference of the leadership of NANS and the forum of ex-NANS leaders yesterday in Abuja.

Incumbent NANS president, Yinka Gbadebo Ayefele and chairman of forum of ex-NANS leaders, Comrade Femi Osabinu, said it was unfortunate that Nwoye has not been sworn-in despite court orders, the advice of Director of Legal Services of National Assembly and the recommendations of the four-man panel set up by the Speaker and headed by Chief Whip of the House, Rep Ishiaku Bawa all asking for Nwoye’s swearing in.

“We have notified the State Security Service (SSS), the Police and other security agencies on our plan to protest and occupy the National Assembly over this issue, we are not seeking their permission but to request for their guiding us.

Nowye’s case is part of the case involving Senator Margaret Okadigbo who INEC issued a Certificate of Return on July 13, 2012, three days before Hon. Nwoye was issued his own certificate by INEC after withdrawing the ones issued Mr. Ameke Chriscato who has been occupying the seat illegally”.

Osabinu on his part said, “On the 13th of July, 2012, Comrade Tony Nwoye secured an order of Mandamus/judgment mandating INEC to recognize Nwoye as the candidate of the election and also to issue him with a certificate of return in obedience to the Supreme Court judgment of the 6th of June, 2012 that Mr. Chriscato Ameke, and others never participated in the said election in Anambra State. On the 16th of July, 2012, INEC Complied and issued Tony Nwoye a certificate of return and withdrew the earlier one issued to Mr. Chriscato after which Comrade Nwoye proceeded to the National Assembly after being invited for swearing-in on many occasions yet he is being denied the right to represent his people.”

Rep Chriscato Ameke however insisted that Tambuwal cannot swear in anybody to take over his seat because the issue was preelection matter to be decided by the Supreme Court.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

35 die in fresh Plateau crisis From Musa Pam, Jos

A

t least 35 persons have been reportedly killed in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau state as fresh crisis broke out between the Tarohs and Fulani herdsmen.

The local government is about 250 kilometers from Jos, the Plateau state capital.

It would be recalled that the clash between the two tribes had led to the imposition of state of emergency on Plateau State in May, 2004 According to a source who spoke to Peoples Daily on phone said the crisis broke out around 1:45 am on Wednesday morning when some youths invaded Fili Mavou, hometown of the state commissioner for

Water Resources Idi Waziri burning down his house and 20 others.

Investigation revealed that youths went on the revenge following the discovery of two corpses on Monday along the Wase Kadariko Road, Another source who craved anonymity told our correspondent that there had been serious tension in the LGA since the discovery of the two corpses .

He also said, the Tarok who settled in Dapna, NALDA (Nasarawa) Dam and Fenu had been under attack by unknown gun men almost on daily basis since the early part of the year and no any arrest has been made. It would be recalled that in the early hours of Sunday this week two people were

confirmed killed in the same Wase Local Government Area by yet to be identified gunmen.

Peoples Daily gathered that the victims were two Tarok men killed by Fulani people who were protesting that nothing had been done to identify and punish those who killed Fulani men in January, while a Fulani source said the two Tarok men were killed Sunday morning by fellow Tarok.

Confirming the incident, the Plateau state commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Olakpe said eight people were killed during the clash in Wase local government Area However, the Special Task Force in the state also known as operation safe haven in Press statement

made available to Peoples Daily by the Media Officer of the STF Captain Salisu Mustapha said on March 20, 2013 at about 04:30am, troops received a distress call by some members of Mavo community in Wase Local Government area about an attack by unknown gunmen who attempted to overrun the community.

The STF personnel deployed around the area swiftly moved to the scene of the incident and repelled the attack.

Three suspected attackers were arrested and currently undergoing investigation, adding that frantic efforts were ongoing to apprehend other perpetrators.

Captain Mustapha maintained that the situation

has been brought under control and the normalcy has returned to the community the STF warned "those criminal elements who are continuously trying to instigate communal strife in Plateau State to desist from this ungodly act" or would not be tolerated.

Meanwhile the chief whip of the Plateau state House of Assembly and Member Representing Kanke Constituency Hon. Timothy Golu has raised an alarm over the sudden disappearance of his brother inlaw,Andrew Kunka who works with Wase Local government council.

According to him, he feared that by now his in law might have been killed by his captors.

'FG built 8069 houses in 2012'

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

T

L-R: Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, and President Goodluck Jonathan, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC)meeting, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

D

espite the criticism of the policy by some Nigerians, the Federal Government may have perfected plans to implement the stalled policy of full deregulation of the downstream sector.

The policy had caused the increment of PMS price from N65 to N141 at the beginning of last year before the government was forced to implement the policy partially and brought the pump price down to N97.

According to the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku who briefed State House Correspondents after yesterday's Federal Executive Council meeting, an overwhelming majority are satisfied that its full implementation was crucial to the up-scaling of the oil and gas sector so as to curtail corruption and develop the economy.

He lamented that the Federal Government is currently losing a lot of money to the payment of subsidy

FG insists on full deregulation as Nigerians continue to suffer from both lack of infrastructure and payment of extra amounts to avail themselves of services from the oil and gas sector.

"Without deregulation, there will not be a regulated downstream sector. Currently government is losing, the people are losing because we cannot generate jobs. The potentials that the oil and gas sector could have unleashed on the country are completely truncated.

But the effort is continuous.

Government will not relent on its effort to convince Nigerians so as to reverse the trend of suffering as a result of fuel subsidy," Maku said.

On the security challenges facing the country, the minister said his ministry has done a lot to create awareness across the country and sensitize Nigerians on security consciousness.

He explained that following a

meeting of the National Security Council last year, a template on security awareness has been embarked upon by all states.

"The overall objective of terrorism is to bring down government and scare Nigerians. The agenda of the group is anti-Islamic. People everywhere in the North are suffering. But our efforts have showed Nigerians the impact of terror on the Northern economy. That has exposed terror for what it is today. Most stakeholders in the North are joining the debate," he stated.

He continued: "Today Christians and Muslims are not fighting as government has de-escalated terrorism. Most of the fight against terror, particularly in Kano involves people of the communities.

The ministry also did a little campaign in the communities between Dadin Kowa and Bokkos in Plateau State. Now both Christians

and Muslims are now working against elements of terror."

On the National Good Governance Tour, Maku noted that it was a huge success, saying no single state rejected it. "The ministry went round to Abuja, Niger, Plateau, Nassarawa, Benue and other states.

What is crucial is that the tour has generated competition between states.

"I believe that there must be cooperative federalism. I am not here to run down states or promote them. If there is anything wrong we project it.

The argument that the tour is antiprogress is puerile.

The Citizens Forum hosted during the tour has brought the people closer to their governments. What we have done with the tour is something that the media and the public should take a second look at. It is something that will engender engagement and development," Maku explained.

he ministry of lands, housing and urban development reeled out some of its achievements including the delivery of 8069 houses in 2012.

According to the permanent secretary in the ministry, Ibrahim Mahe, under the ministry's prototype housing scheme 256 houses have been built in three cities.

He said the ministry has also entered into partnership with private companies to build houses in Taraba, Gombe, Kano and other states just as more houses were built and sold through banks and the Federal Mortgage Bank.

He also listed the major problem being faced by the ministry as the issue of land procurement, observing that approximately N2 billion was needed last year for that purpose but the appropriation for same was slightly above N100,000 million. "We hope that there will be an improvement this year," he noted.

Other problems he listed are poverty, shortage of houses and proliferation of slums that needed to be upgraded, implementation of the Land Use Act of 1978 and multiple charges levied on prospective land owners in the process of acquiring title deeds like Certificates of Occupancy (C of O).

He added that the government had earmarked one billion Naira for upgrading of slums in five states- Lagos, Kano, Abia, Kogi and Rivers.

PAGE 8

L-R: Acting Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, Professor Charles Onocha, Minister of State for Education, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike,and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education,Dr Macjohn Mwabiala, during the minister's meeting with contractors handling construction of Almajiri schools Project, on Tuesday in Abuja

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Members of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Achools (ASUSS) celebrating after their release from Bauchi prison, yesterday in Bauchi.

GOC 82 Div., Major-General Ashimiyu Olaniyi (middle), with members of the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo communities in Anambra, during a meeting to douse tension on possible reprisal attack due to Kano bomb attack, yesterday in Onitsha. Photo: NAN

Inspection team of Fiscal Responsibility Commission inspecting jetty projects, yesterday at Victoria Island, in Lagos.

L-R: Executive Secretary, Foundation for Advancement of other Values on Nigeria, Dr Tayo Haastrup, Chairman, Foundation for the Advancement of Ethics and Values, Ambassador Sani Mohammed, and Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, Mrs Sarah Jibril, during the Presidential Summit on Ethics and Values, yesterday in Abuja Photos: Justin Imo-Owo & NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 9

Jonathan swears-in new perm secs, bids farewell to, outgoing HOS

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan is set to announce a replacement for the outgoing Head of Service of the Federation HoSF, Alhaji Isa Sali, who is due to retire tomorrow.

The President stated this yesterday shortly before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council FEC meeting at the State House.

At the event which also featured the swearing-in of three new federal permanent secretaries, President Jonathan, his Vice Namadi Sambo joined other council members to bid farewell to the outgoing HoSF who attended his last FEC meeting.

Jonathan congratulated Alhaji Sali for his work ethic and diligent service to the nation.

Sali who was appointed on September 2011 is expected to hand over to a new HOS tomorrow.

"Thank you Isa for serving this country and especially for heading the civil service within this period that Nigerians asked us to oversee the affairs of this country.

"Myself, the Vice President and indeed the entire members of the

FEC that have the responsibility now to oversee the affairs of the country within this period you served as Head of Service quite appreciate you.

"So many brilliant permanent secretaries could not make it, not because they were not good enough but for one thing or the other, they were a bit unlucky to get there but you were able to get there, we have to congratulate you.

"You are still very young and agile, but based on the laws of the and you are leaving but we believe that you will still continue to serve this country where ever you find yourself.

"If we beckon on you to serve the country again in any capacity, whether it is adhoc or standing we are hopeful that you will do so,." Jonathan said.

The three new permanent secretaries sworn-in are Dr. Habiba Muda Lawal from Bauchi state, Engineer John Chukwu from Imo state and Mrs Winifred Oyo Ita from Cross River state.

Jonathan challenged the new appointed permanent secretaries to bring their wealth of experience and academic backgrounds to assist in the transformation programme of government.

AFISMA now AU mandate

By Joy Baba

T

he Africa-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) which was initially under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is now an African Union (AU) mandate.

The transition from ECOWAS to AU followed a review of the mission's concept of operation by the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Director of Information, Group Captain Adedayo Makun, on behalf of the Director of Defence Information.

According to the AFISMA's Force Commander, Major General Shehu Usman Abdulkadir in Bamako, Mali, the implication of the decision is that there is now a widening of participation by brotherAfrican countries in the prosecution of AFISMA operation.

The Commander also disclosed that the former President of Burundi, Mr. Pierre Buyoya, has been appointed Head of Mission while the ECOWAS Special Representative, Mr. Cheaka A. Toure, will serve as the Deputy Head of Mission.

He further noted that the transition of AFISMA mandate from ECOWAS to AU underscores the solidarity and support of the international community to the overall goal of routing out the

Jihadists from Mali and indeed the entire sub-region.

In a related development, the statement said that at the Emergency meeting of the subcommittee of ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff attended by international partners including representatives of the United Nations, modalities for the imminent takeover of AFISMA operation by the UN were deliberated upon.

Briefing the press at the end of the meeting, Chairman of ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff who is also Cote D'Ivoire's Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Soumaila Bakayoko, said the Defence chiefs listened to and took note of the terms and conditions for taking over of the mandate of AFISMA by the world body.

L-R: Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a handshake with Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, during Tinubu's sympathy visit over the recent attack on the emir, yesterday in Kano.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Why Jonathan can't fight corruption - Ezekwesili F Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

ormer Minister of Education and co-founder of Transparency International, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has linked the inability of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to fight the corruption ravaging the country to the lingering leadership crisis facing Nigeria as a nation over a decade now.

She listed credible leadership, prevention of corruption and deterrence from corruption as factors necessary for successful war against corruption.

Ezekwesili who was guest on a television programme monitored in Lagos yesterday, accused the Federal Government of squandering over the $67 billion foreign reserve which she claimed was left in the foreign reserve account while she was in office.

She insisted that her belief in good governance, transparency and accountability still stands and her accountability credentials have not been questioned internationally.

According to Ezekwesili, Nigeria never put to good use its oil resources during the five major oil booms that the country had as this can be seen by the level of development in the country compared to the progress that other oil producing countries have made over time.

Citing Singapore as an example, she noted that Nigeria's income per capital is $1500 while that of Singapore stands at $50, 0000 presently.

Stressing the need for credible leadership, Ezekwesili said Nigeria has serious leadership crisis and if the fight against corruption is to be won then the present leadership has to turn to ways of setting good examples.

On the level of insecurity, the former Minister described the situation as one that has gone beyond anything that is tolerable.

According to her, "the elders of the land should put away differences and join heads together to find a lasting solution to the incessant killings by the terrorist group Boko Haram."

Lawmaker provides portable water, electricity for Karu By

Stanley Onyekwere A member of the House of Representatives (Keffi, Kokona, Karu Federal constituency) of Nasarawa state, Hon. Ishaq Ahmed Kana, has donated 65 boreholes across communities in his constituency, along with electricity transformers.

Briefing reporters on his activities, Kana noted that the gesture was aimed at complimenting government's efforts in the provision of portable water and electricity for the people.

According to him, "as the people's representative, I will do more for the development of his people and the constituency."

He listed some other projects he has for his constituency to include ongoing construction of two primary health centres in Kana and Panda, free medical assistance being rendered through his Foundation in collaboration with the Federal Medical Centre Keffi, Imani Hospital Keffi, Amosun Hospital Keffi, Mak-lin Hospital Garaku, Dr. Suleiman Toni Karshi, Taimako Hospital Garaku among others.

African Woman Leadership Award: Mantu congratulates First Lady

By Abdurrahman Abduraheem

T

he Chairman, advisory board of Nigerian Royalty Awards, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, yesterday felicitated and congratulated Dame Patience Jonathan, on her meritorious conferment of the "Distinguished African Woman Leadership Award," by the African Youths and Women Empowerment Network (AYWEN) in Paris, France recently.

In a press statement by Nigerian Royalty Awards National Co-ordinator, Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele, explained that the award comes at a very auspicious moment, especially when the First Lady is known to have selflessly pursued the upliftment of women across Africa.

According to the statement, "today, the 13 women ministers in the federal cabinet are to her credit including the 35 per cent

Affirmative Action Policy of the administration and the appointment of women in every sphere of our national life which has also added value to the transformation agenda of Mr. President.

"Her pet projects, the Aruera Reachout Foundation (AARF) and the Women for Change Initiative (W4CI), have vigorously pursued the mobilization of women for greater involvement in governance and the restoration

of health related cure to mothers and children including the building of a heart hospital in Abuja to cater for the less privileged.

"Under her watch, as Chairperson, of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM), she has shown commitment in the distribution of relief materials to war-torn countries and has also assisted in bringing peace and stability to the African continent."

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Tanzanian Minister thumbs up Dangote cement over low emission T

By Ibrahim kabiru Sule

he investments of the Dangote Group in cement manufacturing in some African countries have helped in boosting the confidence of foreign investors in Nigeria's economy, despite security and other challenges facing the country, leading economist, the Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane has declared in Lagos.

His declaration came even as the visiting Tanzanian Minister of Environment, Terezya Pius Louga Huvisa commended the Group for

the low emission level at its plants and efforts being made to green its operational areas at all its cement plants.

Mr. Bismarck Rewane, who spoke during the March edition of the monthly Executive Breakfast Meeting of the Lagos Business School held at the school premises in Lagos, said Dangote and a host of other local entrepreneurs had made a good showing of Nigeria's economic image to the international community.

He stated that the investors' confidence has been rekindled in Nigeria's economy despite the insecurity and the negative reaction of the world market to series of events across the globe, especially the

African countries owing largely to the incursion of local businesses led by the Dangote group into other African countries.

The economist noted that the satisfying investors' rating of Nigeria in the face of the expected continuous fall in the price of oil and the rampant theft of the nation's crude oil, all of which have rubbed-off on the nation's positive economic outlook of recent, was partly bolstered by the investments in manufacturing across the African continent by the pan-African conglomerate.

He however warned that Nigeria stands to lose competitive market if the domestic economic challenges were not tackled, and further stated

that Nigeria's economy is suffering multi-faceted problems, saying agricultural productivity was already affected by floods, BokoHaram insurgency and other and seasonal factors.

According to him, "Dangote Cement enters Tanzania with $420 million cement factory to produce 3mmt pa, which is expected to supply the East African Community. Aliko Dangote is now the No. 43 on the Forbes 400 richest men list.

Said he: "This development implies that the Nigerian market is not as vulnerable to market contagion as other frontier markets, as it has limited impact from

slowdown in Asian economies. There have been increased opportunities as more companies look to break into the Nigerian market. Nigeria's share of world trade is 0.4 % and of FDI is 0.45%".

Meanwhile, the Environment Minister from Tanzania, who is the current president of the African Ministers Forum for the Environment visited some the Ibese and Obajana cement plant as well as Dangote Sugar refinery at Apapa, saying she was satisfied with efforts being made by the organisation to green its operational areas in line with the RIO plus 2010.

Louga Huvisa commended Dangote Cement over the pollution abatement mechanism in place in all the plants she visited and hope same tempo shall be maintained in the proposed cement plant for her country. She said she never believed it when told her in Dar Es Salaam that Dangote Cement's emission level of 30 mg is far below that of the EU, which is 50mg.

Kano lawmakers to Establish Independent Budget Office

By Umar Muhammad Puma

M

L-R: Mrs. Winfred Oyo-Ita, Engineer John Chukwu, and Dr. Habita Madu Lawal, taking oath of office as new permanent secretaries, before President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

Rainstorm: Reps urges NEMA to provide relief materials to effected communities

By Umar Muhammad Puma

T

he House of Representatives has described the rainstorm that destroyed property and electricity infrastructure in Owan Federal constituency of Edo state as unfortunate.

The lawmakers have consequently requested the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to, as a matter urgency, send relief materials to the affected communities.

In a motion under the matter of urgent national importance raised by Pally Iriase ( ACN Edo state) noted that a devastating rainstorm hit parts of Owan Federal constituency o. Friday 15th March 2013, leaving in its wake extensive destruction of houses and other property and electricity infrastructure.

According to him, nine communities, which include Uahumi, Eteye, Okpa, Ogute, Evbiamen, Okpokhumi and Igue-Oke all in Owan-East Local Governmnet Area of Edo were worst affected with a total of 132 houses destroyed and electricity poles uprooted.

"We are aware that hundreds of families have been rendered homeless and living in makeshift shelters and are exposed to health hazards. Of worry to us is that if relief does not come to these people quickly enough, loss of precious lives may occur because the enormity of the devastation is beyond the scope of the State and the Local Government", he stated.

Iriase however emphasised the urgency required of the responsible agencies, saying, "The urgency

attached to the issue has to do with the fact it won't be of any use if responses, by way of relief materials were to be sent to the affected communities much later when they won't be of any use again.

"So, I think it would be most sensitive to act and prevent avoidable disaster at the right time rather than commiserating after it might have occurred.

In their resolutions, the lawmakers urged the National Emergency

Management Agency (NEMA) to act fast by sending relief materials to the victims of the rainstorm disaster immediately They also urged the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to urgently rehabilitate its power lines in the affected communities and restore power supply for restoration of economic activities.

The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to voice vote by the Speaker Rep. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

No plan to increase Corp members allowances - Katsina NYSC DG From Lawal Sa'idu Funtua, Katsina

T

he Director-General of National Youth Service Corp. (NYSC), Brigadier-General Nnamdi Okore Affia has disclosed that the Federal Government had no plan to increase the monthly allowances of the corp members.

Affia, who made the disclosure while addressing batch 'A' of the 2013 corp members at their orientation camp, yesterday in Katsina, stressed that all they are hearing about the

proposed increase on their allowance were mere rumours.

"If there was any plan to increase your allowances I would be the first to know, and as far as I know there was no official plan to that effect. But even if there was such plan it has not reached my level. Your monthly allowance is still N19, 800", he added.

The Director-General urged the corp members to always respect the religious and cultural beliefs of the host communities, calling on them to understand the dos and don'ts of

such communities and try to respect them.

He similarly warned them against indecent dressing and antisocial behaviours that may expose them to danger, adding that the government was committed to their security and promised to protect them.

Earlier, the state NYSC Director, Mr. E.O Afolalu said a total of 1, 917 corp members have been registered in Katsina under the Batch 'A' 2013, adding that they consist of 1, 161 males and 756 females.

embers of the Kano state House of Assembly were in the National Assembly yesterday to interact with the Committee of the National Assembly Budget and Research Office of the House of Representatives (NABRO), with the aim of establishing an independent Budget and Research Office in the Kano.

In his opening remarks, the House of Representatives' Committee Chairman of NABRO, Hon. Michael Opeyemi (ACN Ekiti) harped on the need for the legislators to engage the bureaucracy of the State Assembly to ensure synergy and understanding for the benefit of KABRO. He further noted that Kano is one of the first few states considering the establishment of an independent Budget Research Office.

"There is an urgent need for you, members of the state house of assembly to put in place proper legislation that will define the powers and limits of KABRO and also have an institutional memory for reference purposes" Rep. Opeyemi added.

The head of the delegation, Hon. Lawan Safiyanu Gogori (PDP Shanono), while thanking the NABRO committee Chairman said the essence of the visit is to conduct a research on institutional best practices of establishing an independent budget and research office in Kano, to be known as Kano Budget Research Office (KABRO).

"We are happy to be here with you and we thank you for sharing your experiences on budget research. KABRO is an important project of the State Assembly and we are determined and committed to establish this office." Hon. Gogori said.

PAGE 11

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

What you must know before transferring credit card balances

trying to get out of debt, you can't start spending on your old card just because your balance transfer gave you more room.

How Balance Transfers Work If you are carrying a balance on a credit card with a high interest rate, it can be difficult to pay down your balance. Your high interest charges mean that a smaller portion of your payment each month goes toward reducing the principal. Transferring the balance to a lower interest helps overcome this problem.

Transfer Balance to Lower Interest Rate First, you apply for a new credit card. Generally, when you perform a balance transfer you look for a credit card that has a

0% introductory rate. Most credit card issuers offering a 0% balance transfer rate ask for information about your current credit account. The new credit card issuer pays off the old card and takes on the balance.

How Long Is the 0% Annual Percentage Rate Offer Good For? The lower interest rate you are offered on your debt probably isn't permanent, though. Most balance transfer interest rates are limited-time propositions, so your 0% rate goes away after 6, 9, 12, or 18 months.

The advantage to the 0% rate on balance transfers is that now your entire payment goes toward the principal, so you pay down

your debt faster. Instead of having your payment eaten up by interest charges, it does more good toward getting you out of debt.

Is the Balance Transfer Fee Worth the Interest Savings?

Remember, though, that most balance transfers aren't free.

Many credit card issuers charge a fee that amounts to between 3% and 5% of the balance you transfer. Do the math on your balance. Is the fee big enough that your interest savings will be offset by the cost? The risk of a fee that is bigger than your interest savings is most likely with a shorter introductory period, especially if you are transferring a large balance.

Even if a balance transfer seems like a slam dunk, you still need to be careful; the way you perform a balance transfer could reduce your credit score.

Did You Cancel Your Old Credit Card?

Before you cancel your high interest credit card, consider the impact it will have on your debt utilization (also known as "debtto-credit ratio" or "debt-to-limit ratio"), as well as the length of your credit history. If you have had your old card for a long time, canceling it might not be the best move for your credit score.

Does the New Card Have a Lower Limit?

Your debt utilization is the second most important factor for your credit score. The more debt you have in relation to your available credit, the lower your credit scores. If your new card has a lower limit, and you cancel your old card, you could see a lower score.

popular for income portfolios because they regularly pay out a portion of profits to shareholders.

You can choose certain stocks, such as dividend aristocrats, that have increased payouts consecutively for at least 25 years. This is one way to increase the chances that you will have stable cash flow.

Another popular choice for income portfolios is the use of bonds.

This amounts to owning a piece of the loan to certain organisations.

You can purchase corporate and governments bonds, and receive regular interest payments. At the end of the term, you receive your principal back, and you can reinvest in more bonds.

Certificates of deposit and other interest bearing accounts can also be incorporated in an income portfolio.

In the end, though, it's important to understand that all investment comes with risk, even the relatively safe investments that many people use in an income portfolio. Dividends can be cut, or eliminated altogether, at any time, or you can sustain capital losses from a stock price drop.

Patience in building your income portfolio Building an income portfolio requires patience, though. Most people don't have a large chunk of capital that they can just put into an income investment for instance cash flow. Instead, it requires years to build up the portfolio so that your holdings of dividend stocks, bonds, and other investments are large enough to provide you with returns that can reasonably

contribute to your income. Indeed, it can take seven, 10 years, or more years, depending on how much money you can put toward building your portfolio.

As you build your income portfolio, it's important that you create a plan. Carefully consider the investments you choose, and make a plan to contribute to your portfolio regularly. Over time, your portfolio will grow- and so will your potential income stream.

O

ne of the ways you can get a break on your credit card interest rate is to transfer your balance from a high interest rate card to one with a lower interest rate. Many credit card issuers offer 0% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) balance transfer deals in the hopes that you will move your money.

Before you take the plunge, though, you need to know exactly what you are getting into. Learn how balance transfers work, and how your credit score and your financial future can be affected.

Ultimately, the impact your balance transfer has on your credit score depends on the actions you take during and after the balance transfer process. Your balance transfer should be carefully considered and planned for.

For example, even though canceling your older card can negatively impact your credit score, it's a relatively small effect - only 15% of your credit score is related to the length of your credit history. If you don't think you can curb your spending (because you have now freed up a big chuck of available credit), the small hit from canceling your card is better than the bigger hit that comes from increasing the amount of debt you have.

Your credit card balance transfer has the most positive effect on your score if you are approved after one application, and if you can keep your old card

while you quickly pay down the balance on your new card.

Playing balance transfer roulette can have negative effects on your credit score. If you are constantly applying for new cards and shifting your balance around every few months, that starts to show on your credit report. That will bring your credit score down, especially if you make more purchases with each old card as it is "freed up."

Without the right planning, balance transfers can just help you rack up more debt.

Remember that your old card, now that it has been paid off, doesn't represent "free money." It just represents the potential to borrow more. If you are truly

Biz Tip: Create a marketing Do you envisage a regular revenue stream?

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eah, I know. You know you need one but who has the time - or know how - to put one together, right? That's why I advocate writing a 2-page marketing plan.

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Quote "Business is a game, played for fantastic stakes, and you're in competition with experts. If you want to win, you have to learn to be a master of the game." — Sidney Sheldon, Master of the Game

M

any of us dream of earning money without having to do a lot of extra work. This is known as passive income, because it keeps coming in, but you don't have to do much for it. You aren't actively trying to earn it; instead, you set something in motion, and then enjoy the passive income as it rolls in.

One of the ways to create passive income is to build an income portfolio. An income portfolio is an investment portfolio designed specifically to provide you with a regular revenue stream. It's not meant to give you huge capital gains (although you can experience capital gains). The main purpose is to provide steady income. However, it's important to note that building an income portfolio isn't something that happens overnight. You need to plan your income portfolio, and build it over the course of years.

Creating an income portfolio As you consider building an income portfolio, your focus should be on investments that offer regular payouts in some form.

Dividend paying stocks are

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 12

EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

Impropriety at its worst (II) T

he announcement by the presidency said the Council of State had approved the pardons. But Governor Nyako of Adamawa, who was at the Council's meeting and should therefore know, told the world that the matter wasn't discussed at the meeting. Who and what are we to believe? Was it that the president merely gave a blanket or mere verbal presentation to the council, without the supporting documents that showed the names, offences committed, type and status of conviction and reasons for proposed grant of pardon? If so, the council members were taken for a ride, and the exercise stinks of bad faith. It portrays the president as being less than with his predecessors and the very senior citizens and elders that sit on the council. This doesn't show the president in any good light.

Nigerians have always suspected a certain level of unseriousness in the way the Jonathan presidency conducts itself and our affairs. This pardon issue has now cast a rare shaft of light on that, exposing such high level of shoddiness and disorganisation that would be inexcusable even in a student union government. This is shown clearly by the fact that some of those on the Jonathan clemency list have already been pardoned years before by previous administrations. How and why would such a thing happen in a presidency that should have at its finger tips all the records and information concerning such a matter?

Were the people assigned to dig up all the relevant information and

handle the matter for the president not competent enough to do a thorough job?

Or did they just simply refuse to do a job given to them? Whatever it is, such incompetence or dereliction of duty must not be left unpunished, and Nigerians are waiting to see how the president will handle it. But it may also be that no officials in particular were detailed to handle the matter. Or even

“

And if, as the president wants us to believe, the criteria he used in pardoning these two were a show of remorse and concern for the nation, why was the gesture not extended to former Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun? that the president hurriedly gathered whatever documents were available and rushed to the council meeting. If so, we should worry about our country and its future.

No less disturbing is the fact that the affair is shot through with ill-conceived attempts to take the entire nation for a ride and stem the tide of the on-going efforts to fight the monster of corruption in our country. It was clear that what Jonathan wanted and really set out to

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”

do was to pardon his former boss in Bayelsa, who was tried on charges of corruption, found guilty and jailed here in Nigeria in 2oo7. And it was even clearer that the addition of other names on the list was merely a decoy, a make-weight attempt to make the list longer and give a semblance of federal character. No, we are certainly not deceived. But this does not in any way excuse the attempt by the president to hoodwink us or make it any less disturbing. He owes the nation an apology on this, and we expect it.

It is clear, even from the tardiness and confusion that characterised the exercise, that Jonathan acted without first and fully pondering the full implications of a pardon for both Alamieyeseigha and Bulama, who were among the very few big fishes caught in the anti-corruption net and became an example showing that, if we are serious and really determined, we can win the fight against corruption. And if, as the president wants us to believe, the criteria he used in pardoning these two were a show of remorse and concern for the nation, why was the gesture not extended to former Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun, convicted of the same offence and around the same time as Alamieyeseigha? Has he not been remorseful enough, or patriotic enough to deserve a pardon?

Jonathan, clearly, did not advert his mind to the fact that the signals flashed across the land by his pardon for these two is not only that we are back to business as usual but also that the little gains achieved are in grave danger of being reversed. This is most unfortunate.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 13

A pardon for the president

By Abdulhamid Babatunde

A

mid the din of protests against President Goodluck Jonathan's latest fiasco of unpardonable proportions, I am constrained to make this passionate plea, not just for a ceasefire but also a national pardon for Mr President. Though he has again given no damn to whatever Nigerians think or say about his ethnic exercise of presidential power to please his scandalized tribesman, fellow Nigerians should understand that there is no better place to extend charity than one's hometown.

Besides, why is it that an act of mercy and forgiveness by the President is being rewarded with a show of merciless malice

by Nigerians who not so long ago adopted His Excellency as the embodiment of good luck and divine pre-destination, the God-send president? At least for this spiritual spin-off, thepresident stands prepardoned by popular demand.

One is even more appalled by the mass hypocrisy being exhibited by notoriously nepotistic Nigerians because the President has laid his own clannish wreath at the national shrine of ethnic allegiances, following the flat footsteps of his predecessors in office. Paying pious respects to home grown habits in public

By Ose Oyamendan

W

hen I was a child in diapers, I came across a newspaper, read some lines with my infantile, yet-tosee-a-school eyes, got on my knees even though I wasn't crawling yet and prayed that I would not grow up to be a critic or a columnist. I know what you're thinking - this kid must have been a genius. I won't deny it, especially since I discovered five new ways of drinking gari at age three.

I believe President Goodluck Jonathan wished he had prayed the same prayer as I did as an infant. I'm sure great men know their destiny even as they redesign the house with infant poop. I'm sure he would have seen a big house in an isolated part of a new city and seen himself sleeping on the prime bed in the house. That was when he should have gotten on his baby knees and prayed that critics and columnists lose his picture and number.

I have never seen the usefulness of columnists and critics. They scream with ink, slap you around with words you need a stack of dictionaries to understand and drive you to the edge of your patience with diatribe that makes you long for diarrhea. Every now and then, I still get on my knees and pray to whatever it was I prayed to a long time ago and thank it for making me a guy that types words on a computer, which makes me a typist, not a critic or columnist.

without the slightest hint of hesitation is a national malady that we have always celebrated rather than condemned. Ask the Federal Character Commission for more authoritative confirmation of the scourge of naked tribalism influencing employment, promotion and the allocation of privileges in government agencies. Even the Chief of Army Staff had the delicate task of dispelling mounting concerns about the ethnicity behind recent recruitment, appointments, promotions and retirements in what is regarded as the last

surviving bastion of patriotism and nationalist outlook. If you had to squat atop this heap of ethnic championship as President, you should be pardoned for promoting the reconcilable similarities in the thickness of blood and water?

Perhaps there is more mischief than morality in the atrocious attempt to give the President a bad name for doing good to his political master, whose mentoring can now be justifiably associated with the stunning success of the Transformation Agenda's war within corruption. We are all living witnesses to the country's

“

Mr President has correctly assigned to his infamous attack dog the duty of barking out the required riposte to forever silence the political parrots that have parodied the lawful exercise of presidential sentiment into the realm of the ridiculous.

The President indeed has no apology to offer Nigerians whose charity begins abroad because there are no such Nigerians dead or alive

marvellous attainment of dynastic distinction in corruptive influence thanks to the independent accomplishments of the offshoots of the big masquerades.

The hypocrites trying to victimize the President for indulging in a tradition of his countrymen and the mischiefmakers speaking ill of the justpardoned have no local standing for their treasonable transgressions and must not only pardon but profusely apologise to Mr President in addition.

Now to the nitty-gritty of the matter. Mr President has correctly assigned to his infamous attack dog the duty of barking out the required riposte to forever silence the political parrots that have parodied the lawful exercise of presidential sentiment into the realm of the ridiculous. The President indeed has no apology to offer Nigerians whose charity begins abroad because there are no such Nigerians dead or alive. If not a fellow Ijaw, one who has been divinely elevated to rule over the majority of megatribes that have consigned the country's minorities to perpetual onlookers, which other Nigerian will so appreciate the odium which DSP acquired for serving his people as to bestow him with presidential pardon? And while

Forgiving trespasses If I were a columnist, I have no clue how I would have lived with myself this past week when the tribe of critics and columnists seemed to be suffering from an epidemic called Jonarhea - a state my doctor describes as criticizinag the President.

And, what did the good president do? He forgave his exboss and some dudes he forgot had previously been forgiven!

What is bad in that? When did we become a nation of stonehearted people who would not forgive a convict, an exmoney launderer and a black stain on the image of country?

In the whole madness, the only man who has made any sense is presidential spokesman, Rueben Abati. He called the whole criticism "sophisticated ignorance". It took me a few minutes to figure out how the grammar fitted but the man is right. We are all sophisticated and ignorant at the same time.

Only a man who had grandly condemned the forgiven man less than a decade ago would know that.

What is it with Nigerians and forgiveness, anyway? If the nonChristians don't see it, you would expect the Christians to bring their attention to it. The president is a great Christian who holds up traffic so he can go to a religious revival. His aides make sure the country knows he

is at the Villa church service every Sunday. Now, a presidential man of God knows that to be truly spiritual, you have to get your Lord's Prayer right.

Right in the middle of the prayer is the cliffhanger, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive all those who trespass against us".

That is one hell of a conditional prayer. This is one prayer that is designed to cause go-slows on the road to heaven.

Whoever designed it must have boatloads of degrees in heavenly law.

How do you forgive a man who stole your bike? How do you

forgive the girl who stole your money-miss-road sugar daddy?

How do you forgive a man who overthrew you while you were busy disciplining your rotten fellow Nigerians? How do you forgive the businessman who set you up and have video evidence to prove it? Or, in my case, how do you forgive the girl that blew your three-month salary and ran to Dubai with an Honorable the same evening you were supposed to enjoy the fruits of your labor?

Now, everyone has been lumping every ill in the country at the doorstep of the president: Threw the nation into darkness.

Guilty. Keeps long lines at petrol

“

We should be praising the president instead of blasting him. The path to good leadership is a clean, open heart. His supremely kind gesture gives hope to the hopeless, like ex-Governor James Ibori, ex-police boss Tafa Balogun and every public office holder who simply want to ensure the future of their unborn greatgrandkids. His laudable act tells everyone "every sin will be forgiven". Now, what is more Christian than that?

you acquire migraine in the futile search for the anomalously "de-tribalized" Nigerian, it will be useful to remember that DSP was treated to a hero's welcome in Yenagoa where he reportedly re-appeared from thin air after his no less bizarre escape from UK. The Ijaws know Nigerians well-enough not to stretch the streak of good luck said to be embedded in their son the President too far even on the jinxed altar of selfperpetuation. Mr President must be pardoned for leaving no Ijaw interest for future reference while he has this chance of a lifetime to actualize the Ijaw nation without hindrance.

I also appeal for a pardon for Mr President for stirring more ghosts, this time with very well-known faces, in his bid to maintain federal character while servicing an ethnic agenda. I can bet my tribal marks that the inclusion of so many souls departed in a cleansing ritual for diseased reputations of the living was not intended to murder sleep or cast a death spell on the pardon of the living. The unpardonable assault on the federal character of Mr President should be halted forthwith so that fellow Nigerians can be pardoned by the Ijaw Nation for unpardonable hypocrisy.

Abdulhamid Babatunde, former Editor of The Democrat, wrote in from Kaduna stations. Guilty. Destroyed Nigerian roads. Guilty. Makes grown men cry on account of being perpetually broke. Guilty.

Paid an Honorable so much allowance he can take my girlfriend who spends my monthly salary to Dubai. Very Guilty.

Rigged the elections? Guilty because he had that meeting with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and next thing you know everyone in the South West voted for him.

And, the laundry list goes on from the sea to the dessert.

The president wants to take Nigerians into the future, he wants to do it with a clean heart and he wants God's guidance. He knows may Nigerians accuse him of so many things and he knows he must forgive them as a father and as a man who wants God's help, especially in 2015.

What's a president to do when he hasn't passed the conditional prayer. So, he simply forgave the man who gave him a political break. Simple!

We should be praising the president instead of blasting him.

The path to good leadership is a clean, open heart. His supremely kind gesture gives hope to the hopeless, like ex-Governor James Ibori, ex-police boss Tafa Balogun and every public office holder who simply want to ensure the future of their unborn greatgrandkids. His laudable act tells everyone "every sin will be forgiven". Now, what is more Christian than that?

Ose Oyamendan, a Hollywood-based Nigerian filmmaker.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 14

By Abdullahi Garba

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan, like any leader, means different things to different people but there is one view that we all share- he is not a chip off the old bloc of Nigerian leaders. His background in scholarship and service as well as his humble disposition in high office combine to give him a fresh and distinct presidential personality like none of his predecessors in power. After a series of past leaders from the military changed the character of and perception of governance from civil to martial a lot of people tend to associate a president with the so-called nononsense bone-faced arrogance of an army general. Or the boisterous bellicosity of an eccentric retired general. Our previous presidents have generally come on board with baggage of reputations.

Like the unforeseen nature of his emergence as President, Goodluck Jonathan has come to personify the supremacy of divine will over human machinations in the journey of life. His humble background attracted low public perception while his apparent aloofness to the exigencies of power politics contrasted with the ambitious posturing and plotting of former presidents in the making. This was truly not the typical Nigerian political leader we have known. President Goodluck Jonathan did not make any bones about his "local" origins and the poverty of his childhood to which he often referred. His most remarkable personal feat has been his ability to ward off the

By Ahmed Babba

R

ecently I came across an article by one Hassan B. Nagado. The piece was a display of crude insensitivity to the plight of the citizens of Katsina state for its abject lack of logic, facts or even common sense. How else does one explain an outrageous claim that education funding in the state equals what obtains in other decently run societies.

It is probable Nagado's definition of "world standard" begins and ends within his "Unguwar Dabino" enclave, which may explain the low value he attached to Katsina and its people; whose situation he mocked as worthy of celebration even when the stagnation and decay threatening to consume them is glaring. He still sees a symbol of, as he wrote, "pride and evidences" (whatever that means) in a run-down educational sector.

A report card of performance posted by the Minority leader of KTHA, Hon. Abdullahi Mahuta (CPC) says it all. It was a forensic analysis of Katsina state's approved budget for the year 2012 complete with implementation success (or lack of it) and percentage score. The author was careful enough to place the scores against the provisions of

GEJ, be up and doing perverse reigned influence of the unhindered perks of power during his and devious presidency with Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text courtiers. positive impact messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written He has on the bustling contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 maintained democratic functional dispensation in words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and cordiality with the country. a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed Vice President Such an to: Namadi Sambo unprecedented and his cabinet environment The Editor, members by for human Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, consistently rights to thrive 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. acting contrary has however Email: opinion@peoplesdaily-online.com to the cynical not been SMS: 07037756364 expectations of sustained at the detractors and expense of the keeping a very quite at home with relentless cool head under his "resource unambiguous authority and criticisms from jaundiced control" bowler hat long after high sense of responsibility for journalists and prejudiced others have lost theirs to public good, national stability, politicians, among other overheating. Even as peace and progress of Nigeria nuisances, preferring to let Commander-in-Chief you won't vested in the President. All the everyone be without catch President Goodluck mischievous murmuring about succumbing to the tempting Jonathan flaunting authority or the President's capacity to govern urge to "show dem". Freedom of engaging in pompous excesses of effectively and assert his expression and association speech and conduct. He is also authority boldly have been muted in the face of a confident and competent containment of the explosively destabilizing insurgency launched by the Haram group. This Even as Commander-in-Chief you won't Boko national security initiative was progressively executed by the catch President Goodluck Jonathan military forces following the full flaunting authority or engaging in pompous empowerment strategy directed and supported sufficiently by Mr. excesses of speech and conduct. He is President. It was a uniquely also quite at home with relentless criticisms seamless operational onslaught that brought together all wings from jaundiced journalists and prejudiced of the security and armed forces to engage and overwhelm the politicians, among other nuisances insurgents. The unassuming but firm and focussed stance of the

WRITE TO US

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president is considered pivotal to the unflinching loyalty of the military high command as it was accorded top priority in funding, equipment and modernization for operational efficiency and high morale.

The president has also ventured out to make the country's presence felt in the international arena and to make the case for increased cooperation and vigilance in halting the spread of organized and armed threats to the peace and security of sovereign states now raging in Africa. President Goodluck Jonathan has repeatedly drawn attention to the worrying influx of small arms and other weapons through clandestine supply chains involving international outlaws and advocated concerted action to deal with the menace.

At the same time the president spared no effort to maintain Nigeria's influential status in Africa and the sub-region as well as its partnership role in several international programmes and operations.

We must now factor in the steady and systematic tackling of the nation's long-standing problems in the power, petroleum and infrastructure sectors in particular where we are at last witnessing significant transformation such as the increased electricity generation and supply, resuscitation and modernization of national rail network, enhancement of emergency management capacity, upgrading of aviation facilities and reconstruction of federal roads, among others.

Abdullahi Garba can be reached at abdullahi_garba@yahoo.com

Still on Katsina govt's budget previous lies (call them budget if you insist) for one to deduce the sincerity of the government put alongside the desperation of the large army of "Nagados" feeding fat on the gullibility and docility of citizens of the state which they foolishly mistook for approval of their misdeeds.

According to the document, the educational sector, the focal point of most views about Shema's achievements came out smelling like a pig. This sector, which incidentally represents Nagado's yardstick for measuring the "pride" of Katsinawa was allocated funds meant to enhance the functionality of institutions in the state as follows: STEB N400,000,000 (N400m) out of which not a single kobo was released to the board, Agency for Mass Education was provided with N36,495,415 (N36.4m) but was released only N17,148,411(N17.1m) SBRS Funtua was not part of the budget bazaar for reasons best known to the authors.

Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic was budgeted to receive N339,322,690 (N330.3m) but was barely able to retrieve N43,139,855 (N43.1m) Another victim of

this fiscal abuse was Isa Kaita College of Education which was allocated N100,000,000 (N100m) but received nothing.

College of Legal studies didn't fare any better with a provision of N150,000,000 (N150m) but received a meagre N10,365,411(N10.3m) Incidentally, Umaru Musa Yar'adua University the "pride" of the Shema regime was provided N5,263,478,400 (N5.2bn) but only received N815,658,196 (N815.6) not up to one fifth of the required needs

of the University to make it functional. One may wish to recall that it was within the same period the Katsina state government hiked up tuition fees for students by about 130% for "paucity of funds" as was the issue explained away. Such a cunning plan of effectively transferring responsibility from the government to an already over burdened parents who have to contend with excesses of the government in other sectors. Finally the Department of Science and Technical which

“

Overall, a sensitive sector like education was allocated N13.05bn but was only released N5.08bn. Needless to say all other sub-sectors which could not be presented here suffered the same fate, thereby proving - in clear terms - mishaps such as the decimal 10% WAEC/NECO score of the state within the corresponding period, outbreaks of preventable diseases

was allocated N1,692,000,000 (N1.6bn) was able to retrieved N725,969,495 (N725.9m) Overall, a sensitive sector like education was allocated N13,053,728,935 (N13.05bn) but was only released N5,081,542,930.00 (N5.08bn). Needless to say all other sub-sectors which could not be presented here suffered the same fate, thereby proving in clear terms - mishaps such as the decimal 10% WAEC/NECO score of the state within the corresponding period, outbreaks of preventable diseases. Nagado have to be a super human mind like Albert Einstein to explain the conflict between what he want the people to believe and the reality of trail of mess destroying Katsina.

As was usual, the "Miscellaneous" provision of N2,000,000,000 (N2bn) was successfully over implemented.

This ambiguous provision was serviced with N2,066,851,431.

00 (N2.06bn) Perhaps, some day, we may get to know this "miscellany" that has assumed a life of its own and is well on its way to becoming a monster.

Ahmed B. Kaita is a member of House of Representatives from Katsina.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 15

How does giving free textbooks help national devt?

By Simeon Nwakaudu

T

he Federal Government has worked towards entrenching a book culture in this country. Since 2011, the government has made it a priority to ensure that the Nigerian child receives an allround education. This is only possible if the children have access to education complemented by access to quality instructional materials at all levels of education. These instructional materials, especially textbooks and library resource materials are made available to children of the less privileged in public schools across the country. The fundamental objective being that these books get to the children at no cost to their parents.

In the last quarter of 2012, the Federal Executive Council approved the sum of N6.8billion for the production and distribution of these books and library resource materials. Aside the importance of the books in terms of the education of the Nigerian child, the Federal Executive Council awarded the contract to indigenous publishers to boost their direct participation in the nation's economy.

After that approval for the production and distribution of free textbooks and library resource materials to Nigerian children by the Federal Executive Council, Minister of State for Education, Barr.

Ezenwo Nyesom Wike took up the responsibility of ensuring that

By Ola Onikoyi Jr

T

o achieve political objectives, strategies are part of the game. Like in the game of chess, you advance different gambits and tactics to win against your opposition in different permutations. You take a different path from the mainstream, you profit from the weaknesses of your opposition and in every conceivable way you tap into the consciousness of people to win their heart. But strategies also go bad when wrongly planned and advanced through aggressive desperation.

Strategies go bad when you have no cohesive team to put it forward and when your plan is empty and lack reality.

Welcome to PDP! A party of empty political ideals and desperate tactical manoeuvres, the people's destruction party is, in its composition, a mess of modern politics and one on the path to self destruction. To make a rehash of George Orwell, it is a party designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and one which aims to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. Empty on principle and values fit for modern society, the PDP is one at whose heart our nation has denigrated into a vast abyss of blood shedding and an endless stroke of calamity. If you're looking for what is wrong with modern Nigeria, the PDP is

the publishers met the expectations of the Nigerian public and the government.

Series of meetings were held to hasten the publishers on the timely distribution of books for the 2012/2013 academic session.

Despite the challenges faced in terms of early production and distribution of the books, the Federal Government made significant progress this time.

Last year, the national flag off was held in Abuja on June 7.

This year, the flag off has taken place on March 9 and it is believed that future flag off of the nationwide distribution of free textbooks will hold at the commencement of the next academic session.

For the 2012/2013 academic session, the government has distributed to all the States and FCT, a total of 16,287,919 copies of primaries three, four, five and six textbooks in English language, mathematics, social studies and basic science and technology, as well as, 1,010,100 copies of different titles of library resource materials for the junior secondary schools.

Indeed, the flag off at Uyo was symbolic as the textbooks and library resource materials have already gone to the states. In view of some cases of the diversion of books last year, officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, State Universal Basic Education Boards, SUBEBS, and security

agents took delivery of the instructional materials in all states of the Federation and the FCT. The same process will cascade down the ladder to ensure that the books get to the end users.

At the flag off, President Goodluck Jonathan reiterated that his administration will continue to give priority to education to ensure that the social challenges facing the nation are addressed.

President Jonathan who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, said id that since 2009 when the free distribution of books was introduced, 96,326,675 books for Mathematics, English Language, Basic Science & Technology, Social Studies for primary schools and Library Resource Materials for Junior Secondary Schools have been procured and distributed to public basic education institutions across the country.

He said: "The supply of textbooks and other instructional materials has been receiving increasing prominence in our basic education delivery approaches. This is in line with our determined efforts towards quality intervention in order to achieve acceptable standards of basic education outputs in our dear nation Nigeria."

In an opening address, Minister of State for Education, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, said steps have been taken to ensure that the books get to the children across the country. He said:

"Access to relevant textbooks and library resource materials is one of the fundamentals of effective teaching and learning in the school system".

Wike said that the administration's investment in free distribution of books has yielded significant results in the last two years.

The Minister of State for Education stated that "it is incumbent on parents, guardians and teachers to monitor the proper usage of these textbooks with a view to ensuring that they are always available, well-preserved and not destroyed or defaced by users for want of carefulness."

Also speaking, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai said that the government remains committed to creating access to quality education for Nigerian children. She noted that with increasing access to basic education in the country, it was necessary to provide the resources that would enhance teaching and learning experience in Nigerian schools.

Akwa Ibom state's governor, Dr. Godswill Akpabio commended President Jonathan for investing in the future of the Nigerian child through the free distribution of books. He said the functional education as being promoted by the Jonathan administration will address to security challenges facing the nation.

In an address on behalf of the National Assembly, chairman,

PDP and the new APCs the devil.

In the words of the General Ibrahim Babangida, himself an erstwhile financier and godfather of the PDP, "the ruling party is at the root of all the problems in the polity today because of the absence of discipline, good orientation and democratic ideals". In one of its recent manoeuvres, the people's destruction party advanced its own brand called the APC (African people's congress) in a bid to thwart its opposition.

Tactically, this is called a disruptive strategy and as far as strategy is concerned, it is a smart move especially when you have a sleeping opposition, what irks is that the PDP did a shoddy job and shot itself in the foot and that is a failure of strategy.

In a self destructive error, the African people's congress in the name of its acting publicity secretary, Barrister Sa'id Balogun issued a statement mailed to media houses through the party's e-mail address, theapcparty@gmail.com, the party shot itself in the foot as copies of the email were sent to several of top PDP leaders - some of who include the immediate past National Chairman of the PDP, Kawu Baraje (kawubaraje@hotmail.com),

former information minister, John Odey (jaodey@gmail.com), PDP's national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh (metuholisa@yahoo.co.uk), and more officials of PDP and its chapters in the Diaspora.

What a mess!

As if the new APC still has any worth, the party continues to maintain its innocence inspite of its costly mistake. It maintains that it has applied to register its name at INEC and has opened a head office with plans to open many offices across different states in coming months. If the

newly formed APC is indeed a genuine party which it claims to be it has failed from day one and needs to reboot.

Anyone adept at recognising consistencies and inconsistencies can see the apparent similarities.

If the new APC claims to be real, let its sponsors come forward and explain the source of their funds.

Let's subject all the public communication and email correspondences of the two parties to the scrutiny of thematic analysis and technological inspection.

The deceitful case of the

“

...we have an opposition that is lacking in competence and strategy. It is pathetic that the newly merged party (All progressive congress) has not for- seen any disruptive ploy by the PDP and as such prepare itself in every possible way. Indeed, if the party is well prepared for the task ahead, it is implausible that the PDP and its rogue instruments would succeed at any cheap attempt

House Committee on Education, Dr Rose Okoh while commending the Federal Government for the annual distribution of books to pupils, urged the relevant agencies to check the theft of the books. Acting Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Professor Charles Onocha stated that the government and UBEC have improved the monitoring of the distribution process to ensure that there are no leakages in the system.

The participation of stakeholders from all backgrounds in the flag-off was highly encouraging.

Commissioners for Education, chairmen of SUBEBS, teachers, pupils and non-governmental organizations keyed into the programme with laudable objectives. Like every human endeavour, the programme has room for improvement and officials are working assiduously in that direction. However, that the programme is relevant to the educational development of the country cannot be gain-said. For those with inputs on how this year's exercise can be successfully concluded, officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and UBEC working with the direct books distributors at the SUBEB level are under strict instructions to accommodate such inputs, where they are found to be relevant to the programme.

Simeon Nwakaudu is Special Assistant to Minister of State for Education (Media) African congress party is just a pinch of the desperate and corrupt strategies of the PDP, a party that continues to sponsor the politics of manoeuvre, desperation and corruption.

Through all these desperate acts, the PDP continues to subvert the destiny of a nation that is ordained for greatness and yet is not done with its acts of destruction. The terrible part of the narrative is that the PDP in its quest for continuous hold to power is a threat to our collective future as a whole and must be stopped at all cost.

Another sad part of the story is that we have an opposition that is lacking in competence and strategy. It is pathetic that the newly merged party (All progressive congress) has not forseen any disruptive ploy by the PDP and as such prepare itself in every possible way. Indeed, if the party is well prepared for the task ahead, it is implausible that the PDP and its rogue instruments would succeed at any cheap attempt. It is apparent that the merged APC has also done a shoddy job so far and what we have just seen in the emerging problem is just one of many failures that lie ahead.

Like the African people's congress, the merged APC also appears to be a rushed idea built on the desperation to confront the PDP. Olaonikoyijr@yahoo.com

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Etsu of Kwali solicits support for chairmanelect

By Usman Shuaibu

T

Florists waiting for customers at Ahmadu Bello way, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

NSCDC, DPR officials raid illegal petroleum marketers’ hub in Abuja

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

s part of efforts to checkmate the rising menace of illegal petroleum dealers porpularly referred to as ‘black makers’ in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in collaboration with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Tuesday raided one of the hot spots of the operators, operating in an open market inside Danyial plaza located opposite NNPC Mega station in the Central area of Abuja.

During the operation, over 100 drums and Jerry cans of varying sizes filled with different petroleum products including a petrol tanker fully loaded with the diesel were uncovered, and ten suspects were arrested by the joint team lead by the NSCDC armed squad.

Speaking to Journalists at scene of the exercise, Head downstream, DPR, Yerima Kollomi said the exercise was to dislodge persons involved in petroleum products adulteration, storage and sales in open places without license, as it has become a menace in the FCT. According to him, the DPR Abuja office had tried to carry out the exercise before Tuesday’s raid, but they couldn’t because they lack the capacity to confront the

… Uncovers over 100 drums, Jerry cans, 1 tanker operators, hence the decision to invite the civil defence to help sanitize the system.

“It has been a menace in the FCT especially the Abuja city center We tried to carry out the raid before, but we didn’t have the capacity, so we invited the Civil defence to give us the well withal to do so, but these people must know what they are doing is illegal, because there is the need to sanitize the system”, he explained.

On the argument that the operators have been in the area for almost a decade, Kollomi insists that length with which the marketers had operated in the area does not justify the illegality of the operation; “and as far as the DPR is concerned the operators do not have

approval to do what they are doing in the first place because they are not registered with the body, and we will continue the raid until sanity is restored in the sector.”

While parading some of the arrested suspects, the commandant, NSCDC FCT command, Aminu Abdulahi Kofarsoro said the corps would ensure that due process is followed to ensure that the suspects face the warrant of the law after full investigation into the alleged crime.

He however, warned that the Corps would not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anybody who engages in storage and sales of petroleum products in the territory without appropriate license, because the person is

deemed to be sabotaging the government’s programmes and policies in the area of distribution of petroleum products in the country.

One of the suspects, Umar Musa k. who said he deals in diesel and the Vice chairman of Petroleum marketers in the area, admitted having knowledge of the requirement for licence from the DPR before operating in the industry, however argued that he and other operators registered their businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission( CAC).

He said prior to the raid and arrest they have been operating in the area for the past ten years without any notice that their operation in the industry were illegal from any relevant authority.

2 labourers jailed for stealing

A

n Abuja Magistrates Court yesterday sentenced two labourers, Bashir Adams, 22, and Rabiu Usman, 26, to one month imprisonment eachy for stealing clothes spread on a line.

The Magistrate, Mr Abolaji Abdulateef, however, gave them an option to pay N2,000 fine each.

The Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Simon Emmanuel, had told the court that one Promise Sunday of Angwan Cement, Life Camp, Abuja, reported

the matter at the Life Camp Police Station, Abuja, on March 10.

Emmanuel said the accused persons entered the complainant’s house while he was sleeping at about 4.30 p.m. and stole all his washed clothes spread out on line to dry.

“They took to their heels when some neighbours who sighted them with the clothes began to scream thieves. They were later apprehended by the police.’’

Emmanuel said the offence contravened the provisions of Section

287 of the Penal Code.

One of the accused, Adams pleaded guilty to the charge and pleaded with the court to have mercy on him.

His partner, Usman also pleaded guilty, and said they decided to pack the clothes because they had none to wear. He begged the court for mercy.

Relying on Section 157 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, Emmanuel urged the court to summarily sentence the accused persons. (NAN)

he Chief of Kwali Area Councilin the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Shaban Aoudu Nizazo III, has appealed to the entire residents of Kwali to support and cooperate with the Kwali chairman-elect, Hon. Daniel Ibrahim for the overall development of the area.

Etsu of Kwali, who made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in his palace in Kwali, noted that the chairman-elect would be geared towards the developmental programmes of the people in Kwali.

He called on the chairman-elect to focus on the construction of rural roads and provision of potable drinking water for the people in the area.

Alhaji Aoudu further expressed sadness over the epileptic power supply faced by the people in the area, and urged the chairman-elect to curb the situation when he assumes office in order to boost socio-economic growth in the area.

He also said that the clinics being built by the government of the day were left without drugs, adding that the youths were left without employments and asked the newly elected chairman to do something about it.

Butcher bags 12 months imprisonment for snatching lady’s bag

A

n Abuja Grade Two Area Court has sentenced a 19-year-old butcher, Musa Adamu of Mararaba in Nasarawa State, to 12 months imprisonment for joint act, theft and causing hurt.

The Judge, Mr Ahmed Ado, sentenced Adamu after he pleaded guilty to the charges levelled against him.

Ado said the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others who would want to engage in such act.

He, however, gave Adamu an option of paying N12,000 as a fine.

Earlier, the police prosecutor, Sgt. Simon Ibrahim, had said the case was reported at the Utako Police Station by one Hope Peter of Gwarinpa Estate in Abuja on March 11.

Ibrahim told the court that the convict and two others now at large snatched Peter’s bag containing her Samsung Galaxy phone valued at N64,000 and N28,000 cash.

“In an attempt to stop him, Hope held the accused person’s hand, but he deliberately bit her hand and gave the bag to his friends and they escaped with it.

The offences, according to the prosecutor, violate sections 79, 288 and 267 of the Penal Code. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 17

Two men docked for alleged breach of trust

By Zainab Ahmed Maska

T

wo men, Onyeka Ozor and Agozie Udeh, were arraigned before An Abuja Magistrates Court Wuse, Zone 2, for alleged joint act, criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The accused persons Agozie Udeh resides in Gudu Market, while Onyeka Ozor resides in Wumba

Village Apo in Abuja.

The Police prosecutor Mr. Habu Mohd, told the court that on March 12th, 2013, one Hassan Abubakar of F.C.T.A Zone 6, reported the matter at the Wuse police station.

Mohd said that, on Oct 12th, 2012, the two accused persons and one other who is still at large formed a common intention and introduced their selves as spare

parts dealers.

He further said the accused person deceived and fraudulently collected the sum of N90, 000 from the complaint under the pretense of purchasing an A.B.S brake system for him, but instead they converted the money for their personal use.

Habu stated that during investigation the sum of N20, 000 was recovered from the accused, but

both the accused persons pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Folashade Oyekan granted both the accused bail in the sum of 50,000 with one surety each in like sum, she also said that the surety must be a civil servant and must reside within the court jurisdiction.

She adjourned the case to April, 17th, 2013.

Traffic warder controlling motorist in Bwari, Abuja.

Man, 36, jailed for touching a lady's breast A

36-year-old man, A b d u l k a r e e m Abdulsalam, was yesterday sentenced to two months in prison for indecent assault by a Senior Magistrate Court in Karu, FCT. Police Prosecutor Stephen Eimoga told the court that on March 19 at about 9 a.m, one Juliet Sunday 18 of Karu Village reported the matter at Karu Police Station. ``On March. 18 at about 6

p.m., Sunday was coming out from the bathroom and Abdulsalam also of Karu Village, assaulted her by holding her breast without her consent,'' Eimoga said.

He said that the offence contravened the provisions of section 285 of the Penal Code.

The accused pleaded guilty to the charge.

Citing section 157 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, Eimoga applied for summary

trial of the accused.

Asked if he had any cause to show why the court should not convict him, the accused pleaded for leniency. ``I pray the court to pardon me for what I have done. I am a married man and my parents are late. I am begging for your pardon sir," Abdulsalam pleaded.

In his judgement, the Magistrate, Mr Aminu Abdullahi, said the accused could not convince the court on why

he should not be punished. ``Relying on section 285 of the Criminal Procedure Code, I find you guilty as charged by the police,'' Abdullahi said.

He sentenced the convoct to two months in prison with an option of paying N2,000 fine.

The judge said that in addition to the sentence, 12 strokes of the cane should be administered on Abdulsalam and warned him never to engage in such act again. (NAN)

Tailor, 29, in court for alleged criminal breach of trust, theft

A

29-year-old tailor, Jerry Okoroafor, of Karimo village, Abuja, have appeared before a Wuse Zone 2, Senior Magistrates Court for alleged joint act, criminal breach of trust and theft.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr Abdullahi Adamu, told the court that, on Feb.13, 2013 Mr Chiamaka Oha, of FHA, Karu, Abuja, reported the accused to the Wuse Zone 3, police station, Abuja.

Adamu said that Oha reported that sometime in January, she allegedly employed the services of the accused and two others, James and Daniel, who are now at-large to work for her.

“Oha had employed the accused and the two others who are now at-large to sew at her shop in Karu.

“Instead, they jointly stole her clothing materials valued at N220,000 and her son’s HP laptop valued at N160,000,’’ Adamu said.

According to him, the offences contravene sections 79, 312 and 287 of the Penal Code.

Section 79 states that, when a criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all, each of such people is liable for the act in the same manner as if it were done by him alone.

Section 312 states that, whoever commits criminal breach of trust shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years or with fine or with both.

Section 287 stipulates that whoever commits theft shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine or with both.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Senior Magistrate, Mrs. Chinyere Nwecheonwu, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 and a surety in the like sum who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

Nwecheonwu added that the surety must be a civil servant of not less than Grade Level 09.

She adjourned the case to April 15, 2013 for hearing.

(NAN)

4 security men charged with alleged joint act, theft

T

he police have arraigned four security guards, before the Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates Court for alleged joint act and theft.

They are Stephen Julpes, 22; Richard Orjinne, 23; Moses Tegeri, 20 and Iyosaa Simon, 23.

The police prosecutor, Francis Tanko, told the court that the accused were security guards, attached to the DBM Plaza, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja.

Tanko said that on March 5 at

about 9.30 a.m., Kelechi Oruha, of Suit R and A, DBM Plaza, reported the accused at the Wuse Police Station.

He said Oruha reported that on that day, at about 7.50 a.m., she received a phone call from one Medina, who also owns a shop in the plaza, saying that her shop had been broken into.

“The security guards had formed a common intention and stolen N372,000 and some jewelries, the

value which is yet to be estimated.

“During police investigation, it was discovered that the first accused (Julpes) was given a padlock to lock up the shop.

“He pretended as if he was locking the shop, but did not do so,’’ Tanko alleged.

Tanko said the offences of joint act and theft contravened the provisions of sections 287 and 79 of the Penal Code.

Section 287 states that whoever

commits theft shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years or with fine or with both’’.

Section 79 states that when a criminal act is done by several persons in furtherance of the common intention of all, each of such person is liable for the act in the same manner as if it were done by him alone’’ However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the crime.

In her ruling, the Senior Magistrate, Mrs Folashade Oyekan, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N500,000 each and two sureties each in like sum.

She ordered that the sureties must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court and must be civil servants on not lower than Grade Level 7.

Oyekan adjourned the case to March 5,2013 for hearing. (NAN)

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Businessman docked for alleged cheating, intimidation

T

he police yesterday arraigned a businessman, Kelechi Madugba, before the Wuse, Zone 2, Senior Magistrates Court for alleged joint act, impersonation, cheating and intimidation.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr Mohammed Ahmed, told the court that on Feb. 25, 2013 one Darlington Sowho of Jabi Village, Abuja, reported the accused to the Area Commander of the Maitama Police Station in Abuja.

Ahmed said that the complainant told the police that on Feb. 1, the accused met him and told him that he was a colonel in the Nigerian Army alongside two others, now at large.

He told the court that the accused and two others now at large, told Sowho that they were seeking financial assistance.

“They asked Sowho to loan them N3 million to enable them lift crude oil to Cotonou and in turn, issued him a First Bank post-dated cheque in the same amount, which he acceded to.

“On Feb. 16,2013 when Sowho was to cash the cheque, it bounced and was returned as unpaid,’’ Ahmed told the court.

Ahmed added that when Sowho told the accused about what happened, he threatened to deal with him and kill him if he ever disturbed him about the money again.

He told the court that during police investigation, the accused also deceived Sowho that he was a businessman who deals in crude oil and was also found to have impersonated.

Ahmed said that the offences of joint act, impersonation, cheating and intimidation were contrary to sections 79, 132, 322 and 397 of the Penal Code Law. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him.

Senior Magistrate Mrs Simisola Adeniyi, granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 and two reasonable sureties, each in like sum.

“One of the sureties must be a civil servant in the service of the FCT and both sureties must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

“Both the work place and residential addresses of the sureties must be verified by the prosecution,’’ she added.

Adeniyi adjourned the case to April, 8, 2013 for hearing.

(NAN)

Women selling yams waiting for customers in Bwari, Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Keeping Abuja clean is a collaborative effort – AEPB

By Stanley Onyekwere with agency reports

T

he Abuja E n v i r o n m e n t a l Protection Board (AEPB), the body in charge of environmental sanitation in the FCT, has said that keeping federal capital clean should be a collaborative effort involving everybody.

The Head, Information Unit of the board, Mr Joe Ukairo who was reacting to the views of some Abuja residents on the facelift given to the Wuse Market environment urged residents of Abuja metropolis and the suburb areas to dispose of their refuse with the appropriate waste bins or at

designated locations.

He commended some NGOs assisting the FCT authorities to keep the territory clean through their activities as well as residents who had imbibed good sanitation culture.

Reacting to the nonchalant attitude of commercial drivers and passengers over the use of waste baskets in their buses, Ukairo said the issue required sustained enlightenment campaign.

“We had training with them before; I think more should be done in the area of enlightenment within the road transport unions themselves.

“Drivers should inform their passengers once they are about to depart not to throw anything outside the bus while in transit.”

Ukairo reiterated the need for commercial drivers to have waste bins in their vehicles and advised passengers to imbibe sanitation culture in order to achieve a cleaner environment.

He said the board was working with waste disposal contractors to ensure that the refuse heaps were cleared as soon as possible.

He also assured the residents that the board was making efforts to provide more waste bins in some areas of the metropolis.

Ukairo said the board faced challenges in monitoring people and hawkers whose activities impacted negatively on the environment.

Meanwhile, Mr Martin Ike, an Abuja resident has attributed the widespread indiscriminate disposal of empty water sachets

and cellophane bags along major roads and streets in the metropolis to the absence of waste bins.

“If commercial drivers had waste bins in their vehicles for passengers to dispose empty water sachets, the spread of it on the roads would be curtailed.”

In a remark, Mr Paul Omife, the Chairman, Mini-bus Town Services Association, explained that the recent action of the FCT authority had made it difficult for the association to coordinate drivers.

Omife therefore, appealed to the FCT authority to take urgent steps to create space for the road transport unions within the metropolis for proper coordination of commercial motorists.

Gynaecologist urges asthmatic pregnant women to avoid triggers

A

gynaecologist in Garki Hospital, FCT, Dr Kayode Obende, has urged asthmatic pregnant women to avoid things that could trigger the disease to guarantee the safety of mother and child.

Obende told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that asthma could lead to congenital abnormalities, stunted growth, and low birth weight in babies among others.

He said, “such things as dust and certain types of food should be avoided.”

“If not well managed, either in pregnancy or out of pregnancy, the asthmatic can suffer from the complication of the drugs used in managing the disease.

“It can equally lead to death as a result of an acute attack,” he said.

According to him, asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory

system, sometimes caused by allergies with symptoms such as coughing, sudden difficulty in breathing, and a tight feeling in the chest.

“Those that have asthma can equally have it in pregnancy and most attacks of asthma are usually short-lived; some may last few minutes, hours or days.

“The major problem of asthma is respiration, and the breath we take contains oxygen; so if they have difficulty in breathing, it will be transferred to the fetus,” he said.

The doctor said if the mother did not have enough oxygen, the baby would also not have enough, hence one way or the other it would affect the baby.

Obende said that if asthma was well managed, the outcome for those who had asthma in pregnancy could be good for both mother and babies.

He said the prevalence was

between one and four per cent, adding that the effect of asthma either in pregnancy or out of pregnancy was almost the same.

He said asthma could be mild or severe and those with mild cases could be managed easily, while those with severe asthma were at higher risk of having premature babies.

“Detonations mainly occur at the last stage trimester, that is, the last stage of pregnancy,” he added.

The doctor said the problem associated with severe asthma included preeclampsia (a potentially dangerous condition that may develop in late pregnancy and may lead to convulsions if not treated).

Its symptoms are high blood pressure, protein in the urine, pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Obende said asthma could lead to bleeding during pregnancy as well as premature delivery.

He said the woman could have respiratory failure, and might need to be admitted in the intensive care unit for mechanical ventilation.

Obende said that pregnancy did not have much effect on the disease, adding that the effect could be 30 per cent of the total number of patients who were asthmatic.

“In another 30 per cent, asthma remains the same, that is, it does not either get better or worse, and in another 30 per cent it gets worse,” he said.

Obende, however, advised that asthmatic patients should try and identify such things that provoke acute attack in them and try as much as possible to avoid them.

He also advised that asthmatic pregnant women should attend ante-natal care regularly, see their doctors as well as obstetricians often for proper management, and take the drugs regularly. (NAN)

BUSINESS

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Email: aminuimam@yahoo.co.uk

Mob: 08033644990

PAGE 19

INSIDE

- Pg 22

Royal Exchange guns for first top insurance company

First Bank leads in customer service – Polls

By Aminu Imam

L

atest weekly poll results released by NOI Polls have revealed that the majority of banking Nigerians (61%) agree that Nigerian Banks are exploiting their customers through hidden bank charges.

According to a press statement issued by NOI Polls Ltd in Lagos yesterday, these were the two key findings from the Bank Customer Service Snap poll done in the week of March 11th 2013.

In addition, First Bank was judged to have the best customer service delivery closely followed by GT Bank.

The NOI Polls is an independent poll conducted on Banks in Nigeria.

According to NOI, the opinion poll was conducted from March 14th to 15th 2013.

It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample. 1,001 randomly selected phoneowning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed.

"Overall, by a slim margin

the majority (29%) stated that First Bank has the best customer service followed by GT Bank with 26%. These 2 banks are perceived to be the best banks by a considerable distance. They are followed by Zenith Bank (9%), UBA (8%), Eco Bank (7%) and Access Bank (6%)", the statement said.

"Analyzing results in more detail highlights some interesting facts. First Bank is mainly strong in terms of customer service in the SouthEast (37%) and SouthSouth (35%) while GT Bank is particularly strong in the South-West (35%). Zenith Bank is second to First Bank in the South East with 16% while UBA is second to First Bank in the NorthWest with 21%.

"Also, analysis according to gender showed more female (31%) rooting for First Bank over GT Bank (23%) whilst there is only a difference of 1% for the males.

It further stated that the most popular suggestions for improving customer service are treating customers with respect, building stronger relationships and resolving complaints quickly.

Associate Country Director of Oxfam, Mr. Tunde Ojei (right), during a press conference for awarding outstanding female scale farmers, recently in Abuja.

Rosehill Group supports Oxfam on agric devt. in Nigeria

By Abdulwahab Isa

A

s part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme in Nigeria, one of Africa's most diversified companies-Rosehill Group-is supporting Oxfam in the development of small scale agriculture in Nigeria.

The Group said it is supporting Oxfam to fight hunger and encourage entrepreneurial skills in farming and market development in Nigeria.

At a press conference to award the exceptional small scale farmers, Oxfam's Associate Country Director Tunde Ojei said the scheme is also being promoted by the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and

supported by others.

He said the award ceremony titled- Making Food Market Growis also aimed at encouraging female farmers in the country, adding that the awards and prizes were presented to six winners under the individual and female categories.

According to him: "Oxfam and VSO are keen to encourage demonstrated entrepreneurial approach to improving the livelihood of small scale farmers through the former recognition of such efforts; and this award is also building the leadership capacity of women small scale farmers by providing a platform for them to engage in decision making process."

The event brought together various stakeholders in public and private sectors, while also highlighting the significance contribution women make towards ensuring food security in Nigeria.

Mr. Ojei also lauded the National Assembly for passing the Violence Against Person Prohibition Bill, which he said will go a long way in addressing the issue of violence against women.

He commended the Rosehill Group and others who supported the award.

In an interview, Chairman of the Rosehill Group- Alhaji Suleiman Yahyah said the support is part of his company's social responsibility scheme carried out through Yahyah Foundation.

The portal which is a nonrestrictive online medium is an intuitive and interactive platform for classifying goods.

It was developed through the dedication of the Services' technical partners, nominated officers as well as other stakeholders.

Through the platform, trade processors are enabled to find exact Harmonized System Codes (HS Codes) required for related tariffs and duties.

According to a statement yesterday by the Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Wale Adeniyi, it is expected that the platform will enhance compliance by traders and avail them the required information on tariff, prohibited items as well as taxes/levies due for payment upon importation.

Adeniyi explained that the application has been designed to boost trade facilitation by granting trade processors access to information from all related government agencies.

"Guidelines and procedures for obtaining permits, licences and certificates of specified commodity and country of origin that a trade will require for business processing is available on the portal,"he said.

He added that the portal further allows traders to convert currencies to exchange rates set by the Central Bank of Nigeria on a monthly basis, make payments, simulate tax and access the CPC Code.

CBN Gov, Sanusi says he won't renew contract Customs develop trade facilitation T web-based information portal he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi said he won't renew his contract when his five- year term expires next year.

Sanusi, who has led Nigeria's apex bank since June 2009, said it was never his intention to stay longer than one term. He disclosed this in an interview with CNBC Africa in Abuja.

Appointed in the midst of a debt crisis that threatened the collapse of the nation's banking system, Sanusi, 51, fired the chief executives of eight bans within four months of taking office. An audit of banks at the time found evidence of mismanagement and reckless lending.

In 2011, he was named central bank governor of the year by London-based The Banker magazine.

Nigerian inflation probably won't accelerate too far above 10 percent this year, Sanusi told CNBC. The inflation rate rose to 9.5 percent in February from 9 percent in the previous month.

"We don't think we are going to see inflation above double

digits this year," he said.

By Ibrahim Kabiru Sale

A

s part of plans to consolidate on its modernisation efforts for eventual take-over from the Service providers at the expiration of the extended contract

by June 2013, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has developed a webbased application to provide information and guidance for international trade business processors in the areas of import, export and transit trade.

Management Tip of the Day

I

Try out a career by volunteering

t's impossible to know if you'll really like a career direction until you try it. To avoid costly mistakes - and wasting your energy - take a test-drive. If you can spare nights or weekends, or afford to go without a paycheck for a short period, try volunteering.

Offer to help out at an organization or assist an

entrepreneur who's working in the field you think you want to get into. It will allow you to network with people in your target career, build new skills, and enhance your resume - all of which will make you an attractive candidate if you eventually decide to apply for jobs in that field.

You can even volunteer in your current job. Step up for

committees and cross-functional projects that allow you to build connections in different departments. It might feel strange at first to work for another part of your company, but you'll be compensated with a broader internal network and added experience.

Source: Harvard Business review

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 20

Ayodele Samuel <gtms06@yahoo.com> 0806 372 7788

COMPANY NEWS Waltersmith Petroman Oil Ltd Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited has completed the first phase of the Ibigwe oil field development in Oil Mining Lease OML16, in Imo State, to signpost local operators' foray into the marginal oil fields.

Besides, the company is also considering building a 5,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery in the state, estimated at about $40 million.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company, AbdulRazaq Isa, while confirming the completion of the project in Lagos Tuesday, said the company has invested about $180 million in five well drilling and one work-overcampaign, including the commissioning of a 15,000 bpd flow station.

Diamond Bank Plc Diamond Bank Plc has invested more than N30 billion in a geometric power project in Aba that will generate sustainable power supply for the industrial city all year round.

Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Alex Otti disclosed this in his opening remarks as chairman of the First- Made- in Abia products exhibition which opened last week in Umuahia, the Abia state capital.

The plant would ensure entrepreneurs in Aba and environs can produce goods at full capacity and at a reduced cost and it will be commissioned before the end of the year.

Centre for Community Empowerment & Poverty Eradication Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE), an NGO, has said that it has spent N30 million on development projects in Kwara in the past five years.

The state Programme Officer, AbdulRahman Ayuba, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Monday.

He said that the aim of the organisation, a partner of ActionAid Nigeria, was to empower the poor and marginalised people in the society to demand and achieve their rights.

He said that the NGO had intervened in development projects in 18 communities in Kwara since 2007 using the "human rights-based approach to development.''

Nigeria imports N99.2 bn worth of sugar in 2012 Stories by Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T

he Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Dr. Lateef Busari, has lamented that Nigeria spent $620 million (N 99.2 bn) on the importation of raw sugar last year, adding that it might go up this year in view of the increasing consumer demand for sugar.

Busari explained that the waivers granted to importers by the government on over 99 per cent of the sugar imported into the country remains the main reason why Nigeria still continues to import sugar even though the country continues to lose revenue to the importation.

"Right now, we spend on the average of $500 million in importing raw sugar. Last year we spent actually about $620 million importing raw sugar and going forward we believe it may go up a little bit, then it will start coming down.

"Because the demand for sugar according to our projection is going up a little bit, but then as it is going up we are putting in place measures to start local production.

"We believe that once we have all these investors in place and they start producing, as I said mainly from 2018, the import bill should start reducing gradually.''

Busari, however, expressed that the country could use the

money being spent on sugar importation for economic development as soon as it starts local production that could guarantee self-sufficiency. He pointed out that 10 per cent of the value of the raw sugar imported would be charged and the sugar levy would be set aside for the development of the sector.

"We operated that for a few years, and then came the refineries. When the refineries came, they approached the

government and asked for a waiver on that levy," he stressed.

He noted that when the waiver was granted, the country was importing about 900,000 tonnes out of which 400,000 tonnes were raw sugar and it was able to still get some money on the levy from refined sugar.

"But as at today, over 99 per cent of the sugar imported into this country comes in raw and they don't pay levy. So you have a situation where even the money is no longer there. "One of the things that the new master plan has done is to say

no, this has to change because overtime they are making that money and they are not ploughing it back into local production. Although we now have a different policy of not only importing raw sugar, but ensuring that refiners go back to the field and start producing their raw sugar. We don't even want importation of refined sugar.''

"For raw sugar import, they pay 10 per cent duty and 50 per cent levy and that is graduated upward over time. The duty remains at 10 per cent, but the levy is graduated from 50 per cent up to 80 per cent and for the refined sugar, the duty is 20 per cent, while the level is graduated from 60 per cent to 85 per cent", he said.

L-r: Managing Director, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyeama, Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Capital Market, Hon. Emeka Azubuogu, Publisher, Business Day Newspapers, Mr Frank Aigbogun, and Director, Capital Market, Exotic, UK, Mr. luca Del Conte,during the Annual Capital Market conference, yesterday in Lagos.

Photo: NAN

NACCIMA to raise N250m disaster fund

T

he Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) is planning to raise N250 million for emergency relief programme for victims of disasters across the country.

Chairman, NACCIMA Emergency Relief Programme, Mr. Goodie Ibru, in a statement, said NACCIMA decided to intervene in the three areas because most victims of disasters have psychological trauma as there is little or no immediate

and long term psychological healing in terms of counselling.

President of the association, Dr. Herbert Ajayi, said multinational and indigenous

S

programme, coming up in Lagos and Abuja, is expected to bring intervention in three areas, which are post-disaster medical services, psychological healing

cement company in the state as it plans to establish a fertiliser blending plant which will provide employment for the teeming youths of the state.

The commissioner of solid minerals development, Dr. Dahiru Mohammed Maishanu, while signing the documents said the initiative was as a result of the abundant mineral resources in the state added that he was totally committed to reviving the industrial sector which was the back bone of any socio-economic development.

Maishanu, noted that, when the present administration came on board some five years ago little or no structure was on ground to accommodate industrial development, therefore he had to work round the clock towards

bringing desirable change that would facilitate industrial development in the state.

He said part of the strategies at ensuring conducive investment environment in the state includes renovation of existing hotels to meet international standards as well as the empowerment of business entrepreneurs through granting of soft loans among others.

He maintained that, Sokoto State is blessed with abundant mineral resources, which has not been satisfactorily tapped over the years.

Brewtech Nigeria Ltd Projects Manager, Mr. Michael John added that the firm had established 250 mini cement plants across the globe with the recent one being six cement plants in Ethiopia.

Sokoto set to build cement factory

T

he Sokoto state government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Brewtech Nigeria Ltd to jointly establish a mini

FG commences review of EEG scheme uccour may soon come the way of processors of agricultural products and promoters of Nigerian valueadded exports, as the Federal Government has commenced a comprehensive review of the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) programme to cater for inadequacies created by the current scheme.

With $2.7 billion realised by government through exports in 2012, the Chairperson of the

corporations should also support the initiative to help poor and weak Nigerians through their social responsibility funds.

The fund raising

Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mrs. Grace Clark, hinted that the reviewed policy would be released this year once the inter-ministerial committee working on the policy concludes its meeting.

The EEG is a post-shipment export incentive scheme designed by government to encourage nonoil exporters whose minimum yearly export turnover is N5 million, in order to assist exporters expand their volume and value of non-oil exports, diversify export markets and make them more competitive in international market.

PAGE 21

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Email: zealousere@gmail.com Mob: 08032520310

In the business of fashion, carving a niche for yourself puts you at the top

By Hauwa Anaja

F

ashion is a universal language that's understood by many, yet mistaken by lots. Some people say it is subjective while others say it is objective. However, there are those who say fashion is passion. It is a force that drives you to a realm of creativity, and innovations.

This is what I was made to understand when I met the Proprietress of MOA designs, a fashion outlet in Garki Abuja, Mrs Opeyemi Ajetumobi.

She tells me how her journey to the fashion world began.

"MOA designs studio is basically established to cater for a niche which I discovered while growing up. I discovered there are diverse ways that women want to dress, I've always been the kind of person who like to give women the feel of luxury without spending much,'' she narrates.

"We started in 2007; I remember my husband gave me the start-up fund for a machine and in my excitement to spend it judiciously, I went all the way to Suleja in Niger state to get it.

"However, 2007 was the growing period where we had to learn the rudiments of how to achieve this luxury lifestyle I intended to give women. So, we went into research; I started at the balcony of my house, we got a few machines, and employed a few staff," she says.

With time, she had to clear one of her rooms at home to accommodate her and her staff, until in 2011, when she finally moved out, secured a studio and was ready to proceed "big time".

"We started off with friends, families, colleagues, but that wasn't what I wanted; I wanted a situation where you don't have to know me, but you see my products and you walk up to my studio anytime and say: "This is what I want".

In her words, business has been good but not without challenges."

Within the first year, we were able to move to a proper studio, it's been good but with challenges.

You have challenges from customers, and staff mostly, because you have to be sure that you are all on the same page and the same value orientation, because a lot of people don't have the orientation you think they have, especially to work.

However, she tells me the strategies adopted to overcome them. "But we are getting by; that's why we go for training, so that we can gain more experience and with that I've met a lot of people with this work, diverse, from different

Mrs Opeyemi Ajetumobi cultures. I have a client from Pakistan, Bulgaria, you know, and that's what we want; We want a situation where no matter what your colour or

diversity is, you see and appreciate African fashion.

"Right now, we have ten staff and I believe it's good to have a few who share your

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

business ideology than many who do not, because that can be very frustrating; so, it helps you manage well," Ajetumobi explains.

"One of our core values is for every woman or every afrocentric woman; that is a woman who is aware of and appreciates African fashion, or culture, all over the world to have at least one of the African costumes or attires in their wardrobe", she stated.

According to her, the marketing strategy that has worked in her own fashion world has been word-of-mouth, noting that people trust someone whose work has been adjudged good by others. ''As fashion designers, you have to trust word-of-mouth and that has worked for me; If you're starting small right now, you have to trust on wordof-mouth. I can't say I've been a superstar in advertising; in fact, it's very expensive in this country, but word of mouth has been my weapon, I always try to satisfy every customer that comes in because that's a key to selling my name and work.

"Also, once in a while, I

I can't say I've been a superstar in advertising; in fact, it's very expensive in this country, but word of mouth has been my weapon, I always try to satisfy every customer that comes in because that's a key to selling my name and work.

attend fashion shows, trade shows and sometimes we call for trade shows as well; when we have a new collection, we call customers in, and urge them to bring friends."

For Mrs Ajetumobi, fashion in the African continent has reached a stage where it competes with western or contemporary fashion trends and thus, fusing African and cultural fabrics with the contemporary is the major way to enter the huge fashion world that is gradually accepting African fashion trends.

"Our aim is to bring out African fashion, so, in as much as we love Ankara and we do Ankara, we also do African bridal concepts in the African version, where you can have a bit of Ankara here or there on your wedding dress; a bit of Kampala, Aso-Oke, Shwe-Shwe from South Africa, Akosombo from Ghana, you know; we just mix diverse fabrics and a lot of them are mixed with western fabrics as well, where we have the Shontili lace, satin, silk, chiffon; so, it's African, mixed with contemporary. ''We want you to wear a jacket made with Ankara and still feel comfortable to go for your board meetings; to wear an Ankara jacket on a skirt and you're wearing your heels and you don't have to worry if you're dressed appropriately.

We want you to be able to wear a beaded Ankara jacket to a dinner party and feel comfortable. We want people to accept Ankara in a western way,' Ajetumobi notes.

"Most international brands are now accepting Ankara and fusing it in their designs because they see that we are stealing their market so, they want to capture it in their products too. Big names, like H and M, now use Ankara on their shoes and other products and they've seen what our indigenous fabric does, and it's because we've been able to reach their own market, they feel we are taking over their market because whether you like it or not, Africa is one of the biggest continents and we are the ones buying their stuff, so, they now have to fuse their products with what we want and what we have", she explains.

Proudly African you must say; It is said that being different is a business strategy that not only makes you stand out, but makes you move faster than your peers, what more being different in a good way. African fashion is indeed unique and it is not just time to promote it, it is time to flood the western market with it. So if you're passionately African, better put your thinking cap on, because the fashion industry is fast becoming a good employer.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 22

Zenith Bank to list on London bourse, improve liquidity

Z

enith Bank Plc on Tuesday said it is set to list its shares valued at $850 million (N 136 billion)on the London Stock Exchange(LSE).

According to Reuters report yesterday, these shares will be listed at $6.80 each as global depository receipts (GDRs) later this month.

Zenith joins Guaranty Trust Bank, Diamond Bank and First Bank, the three other Nigerian lenders with GDRs trading in London.

The bank said the secondary listing was intended at advancing liquidity in its stock instead of raising capital, Reuters reported.

According to the report, a well-placed banking source said it was anticipated that the GDR would be listed today. It said Zenith Bank had all necessary approvals from Nigerian authorities to go ahead with the listing.

Sources told the agency, the deal would allow non-nationals, who

desire to keep dollar assets, to invest in the bank.

JP Morgan is reported to be acting as the depository bank, while Citi, the giant US bank, will act as the custodian.

Apparently, the LSE this

month said it expected a surge in new listings from African companies this year.

African businesses in fast-growing economies seek to attract foreign investors, Reuters

T

he National I n s u r a n c e C o m m i s s i o n (NAICOM), determined to create shareholder value and make investment in insurance industry more attractive, has asked shareholders to demand for their companies' action plan that will enable them key into growth reforms going on in the sector.

This has become necessary as the commission, through its reform initiatives, has opened up window of opportunities that would result in growth in premium, strong profitability and good return on investment capable of attracting more local and foreign investors.

Deputy Commissioner for Insurance, technical, Ibrahim Hassan made the disclosure on Tuesday at a workshop for Executives of Shareholders Association and Independent Directors of Insurance Companies in Lagos.

Hassan stated that NAICOM has in the last three years been initiating developmental policies aimed at strengthening and deepening insurance penetration in order to enhance insurance sector contribution to GDP through its market development and restructuring initiatives

Earlier this month, the LSE's Head of Equity Primary Markets for Africa, Middle East and South Asia, Ibukun Adebayo had indicated that the number of African companies trading

publicly on the LSE this year is expected to increase following a hotter chase by local business operators to attract foreign investors.

According to her, Africa is a very big focus for us in terms of future

South Korean Export-Import Bank grants NLNG N57.6 bn loan

T

he Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited got a $360 million (N57.6 billion) loan from the South Korean Export-Import Bank, the money lender said yesterday.

The loan to the NLNG, gas exporter of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), have a maturity of 9.5 years.

The transaction comes under the stateowned South Korean bank's program of providing export credit and guarantee programs to support Korean exporters.

In January, it was reported that Nigeria LNG, a leading liquefied natural gas exporter, signed a contract with two South Korean shipyards -- Samsung Heavy Industries Co. and Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. -- for six LNG vessels worth $1.3 billion (N208 bn).

The South Korean bank said an additional $360 million in loans will come jointly from Korea's state-run trade insurance firm K-sure and Korea Finance Corp.

The announcement said the loans would allow Korean exporters to win more deals in Africa.

NAICOM urges shareholders to demand firms' growth plan

By Abdulwahab Isa

reported. About 96 SubSaharan companies have already listed on the London bourse. These numbers includes 23 companies that have shares on the LSE's main market.

(MDRI).

"These initiatives include development of agency system, enforcement of compulsory insurance amongst which are the Motor Third Party Liability Insurance, Group Life Insurance, Builders Liability Insurance, Occupier Liability Insurance and Health Care Professional Indemnity Insurance".

According to him, there are also efforts to expand the market through the adoption of financial inclusion, which is expected to drive development of micro insurance as well as Takaful, which, he said, is a fertile ground for most companies to do business instead of relying on big ticket deals that seldom come.

"We believe that if these programmes are well marketed by the insurance companies, there would be a quantum leap in their premium income which will invariably enhance their profit and ability to pay good dividends to shareholders", he stated.

On the 'No Premium-No Cover' policy which the commission enforced since January, the NAICOM boss said it has started addressing the problem of outstanding premium which was big challenge for the industry.

"Most insurance companies make huge provisions for outstanding

premiums in their books on an annual basis, which invariably affect their bottom-line and thus their inability to make profit, pay dividend and attract investment to enable growth.

Barely three months of this policy enforcement most of the companies have been smiling to the banks".

Nigerian Business Directory launched

By Chris Alu

F

inelib.com, a Nigerian based business directory yesterday announced the release of its business directory and local search engine.

This new directory and search engine will assist Nigerians businesses to showcase their products and services to local and international buyers.

Nigerians and international users will

use this new business platform to locate and found Nigerian businesses in their respective towns, faster and better.

The new business directory can be accessed through internet connected computer desktops, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets like iPads and tablets. The contents of the business directory include business listings, list of organizations in Nigeria, government

Africa is the last bastion for business globally, says CEO of DHL

A

frica is the last bastion for business globally and, over the next few years, will prove its potential as a stable, lucrative continent for international commerce."

These are the words of, Chief Executive Officer of global express and logistics provider, DHL Express, Ken Allen.

Allen is in sub-Saharan Africa to visit countries including Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa, as the operator continues to expand into the continent and increase its already vast footprint into the farflung, rural areas.

"Much has been said around Africa's potential and, while it currently only contributes 3% of the global GDP, it is still the fastest growing continent.

We have seen positive economic indicators from countries across SubSaharan Africa - Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda to name a few - and I believe we will continue to see Africa improve its standing on the international business stage."

He continues: "The major challenge for Africa and, primarily for us as logistics operators, is to improve infrastructure whether this is road infrastructure or air capacity. Current road conditions are responsible for approximately 40 percent of transport costs in coastal countries and 60 percent in landlocked countries, and we know that transport costs can

make up 50 to 75 percent of the actual retail price of goods in countries such as Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda. We are currently transporting over 80 percent of our cargo by air, which can be between 3 and 9 times more expensive than road or rail.

"For Africa to become competitive, this situation needs urgent review, with a strong focus on the developments of the transport infrastructure", he stated.

Allen's visit follows the March 5th announcement

by Deutsche Post DHL that the DHL Express division made an EBIT contribution of EUR 1.11 billion in 2012, a 21 percent improvement over 2011.

(Source : AfDB)

listings and local city businesses in major cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Ibadan, Enugu, Calabar, Warri, Kano, Uyo, Sokoto, Owerri and other cities.

Having a local business directory and search engine in Nigeria can help boost business visibility and help local companies sell their goods and services locally, also increasing inter African trade and global competitiveness.

In Finelib.com directory, local Nigerian companies and organizations will have the opportunity to add products or services images, contact information, and their business description, products or service offers, event announcement and company website if any.

F i n e l i b . c o m directory and search engine project in the long run will help Nigerian local companies showcase their products or services and to be seen more, both locally and internationally.

The company said all Nigerian businesses, schools and organizations are welcomed to include their information in Finelib.com for Free.

Finelib.com business directory and local search engine goal is to give Nigerian based b u s i n e s s e s unprecedented search criteria and marketing options to strategically identify and leverage their target market or industry in Africa or worldwide.

PEOSPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Report as at Wednesday, March 20, 2013

PAGE 23

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Who cares for the elderly in Nigeria? the elderly are treated as witches or wizards because of their age; people believe that they must have killed everybody along the way in order to attain such an age,’’ she says.

Osi-Ogbu notes that many people often disregard complaints of discomfort by the elderly and just blame such complaints on old age.

She insists that old persons’ complaints should not be ignored because most of their complaints could be easily handled, as part of efforts to improve their quality of life.

She adds that elderly persons should not be avoided or ignored because aging is an inevitable part of life.

However, Osi-Ogbu lists the strategies which could ensure better aging as active

By Olayemi Okeniyi

B

y most accounts, Nigerians feel no shame in waxing poetry on the elevated status of elders but when it comes down to actively offering help to elders, most people try to pass the buck.

The situation somewhat appears grim, as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) insists that more than three million aged people die annually as a result of societal neglect.

The Executive Secretary of NHRC, Mr Bem Angwe, says that this trend is unacceptable and calls for a return to the old culture of respect and care for the elderly.

“There is a need for government at all levels and relevant stakeholders to come up with a framework and palliative measures to assist the elderly in this country.

“I say this because most aged people, particularly those in the rural areas, are poor, lonely and sick because they don’t have people to take care of them.

“The sustained migration of youths from rural to urban areas in search of better opportunities worsens the situation.

“If urgent steps are not taken; in a short period of time, we are going to face serious challenges,” he warns.

Angwe says that NHRC, in collaboration with the International Federation of the Aging in Nigeria, is working to ensure that the rights of the elderly are adequately protected.

In line with Angwe’s plea,

lifestyles, avoidance of tobacco, excessive alcohol and drug abuse, as well as keeping away from excessive sunlight which damages skin.

She, nonetheless, advises elderly people to eat more fruits and vegetables as well as “brain foods’’ such as nuts and fish, while avoiding foods that have high saturated fats and calories.

All the same, Osi-Ogbu explains that aging in Nigeria is further complicated by certain factors.

“At retirement, many people, who do not have their own houses in cities, are forced to relocate to the rural areas where they lack access to good health care facilities and quality

An elderly woman Dr Folashade Oluwole, a Senior Registrar at the Nephrology and Geriatrics Unit, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, proposes that the National Assembly should make efforts to initiate and pass an Elders’ Rights Bill.

She says that this is because many senior citizens of the country have been suffering untold hardship due to old age.

Oluwole says that when the proposed bill is drafted and passed into law, it will ensure adequate protection of the rights of the elderly.

She also calls for a periodic review of pension matters, so as to enable

Executive Secretary of NHRC, Mr Bem Angwe

pensions being paid to retired workers to take into account prevailing inflation rates in the country.

Sharing similar sentiments, Chief Tony Anenih, the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, says that plans should be made to address issues relating to the care for the elderly because the percentage of old people in the population of developing countries, in particular, is increasing.

“Studies show that the population of the elderly is rising more rapidly in developing countries than in developed ones.

“It is expected that by 2020, almost 70 per cent of the world’s elderly people will be in developing countries; 700 million as against 318 million in the developed world.

“While it is good news that more and more people are likely to live longer and longer, we must be alarmed that the facilities to cater for them are virtually nonexistent.

“If the truth must be told, apart from a few exceptional cases, not much is being done in Nigeria by way of planning for, or thinking of the welfare and health of old people.

“There is hardly any consideration for them in our health planning, policies and budgetary allocations.

“Nobody seems to be thinking about the aged in Nigeria because those who

make policies do so in their prime and are often too caught up in the present to know that sooner or later, old age with all its complications, will creep on everyone,” Anenih says.

However, Dr Ogugua Osiogun, a consultant geriatrician at the National Hospital, Abuja, says that it is projected that by 2020, Nigeria will have not less than 10 million citizens who are over the age of 60.

According to the classification of the World Health Organisation (WHO), anyone aged 60 and above is termed to be elderly.

Osi-ogun says: “It is estimated that by 2025, the population of Nigerians aged 60 above would be 6 per cent

and 9.9 per cent in 2050.

“While many Nigerians retain their independence at 60, living longer eventually means having to deal with reduced capacity.

“This means that Nigeria has only a few years to develop facilities in terms of health care and infrastructure to care for these older adults.

“It’s a burning issue, it’s something that we must bring to the forefront; we must start putting machinery in place to handle the situation because it’s knocking on our door.”

Osi-Ogbu urges Nigerians to always accord respect to the elderly who are “the custodians of our customs and culture.

“In certain communities,

“

In certain communities, the elderly are treated as witches or wizards because of their age; people believe that they must have killed everybody along the way in order to attain such an age Governor Kayode Fayemi with a senior citizen.

standard of living,” she says.

The consultant says that the lack of a health insurance that covers the interests of the elderly in the country means that even if the aged people are aware of their health problems; they would probably be unable to afford treatment.

Osi-Ogbu, however, insists that the government is not unaware of the issue because Nigeria signed the 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing which established a global long-term strategy for the care of the aging population.

She stresses that the Madrid Plan calls for a multidisciplinary approach in efforts to take care of the elderly and promote their wellbeing.

Osi-ogun suggests that

Nigeria should consider investing in the establishment of senior citizens’ communities, akin to those of some developed countries.

She, however, concedes that the idea of putting the elderly in old people’s homes negates the African culture, adding that tangible efforts should be made to provide better health care options for the elderly.

She says that many old people often find it challenging to live in the usual home environment over time, adding that a home that would be suitable for the elderly would require a lot of devices like railings and ramps for wheelchairs.

“Unfortunately, many people don’t consider these things or make these

alterations to their homes whenever they invite their aged relatives to come and stay with them,’’ she adds.

Osi-ogun says that as more and more women are taking up different careers in the workforce, elderly persons are usually left in the care of hired house helps.

“So, even though they are in their family homes, these older adults spend most of their time alone or with the hired house helps.

“On the other hand, a group of senior citizens in one community or on a campus would be able to interact with their peers who understand them better and have access to geriatric professionals,’’ she says.

Osi-ogun says that such a community could consist of a full spectrum of single

homes or flats where aged persons, who are still functional, can maintain their independence.

“Those who need some degree of care can have access to experienced medical professionals that take care of the community as well as helpers who do laundry, housecleaning and cooking for members of the community,” she says.

All in all, experts call for the restructuring of the country’s health care system so as to accommodate the health care needs of the elderly.

“Our policy makers should know that one day, they will also become old and join the privileged group of elderly citizens of Nigeria,’’ some of them quip.

Source: NAN

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

EMERGENCY UPDATE

Distress signals: NEMA records 80 alerts

By Mohammed Kandi

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA has disclosed that its Mission Control Centre (MCC) received a total of 80 distress alert signals in 2012 from maritime, aviation and land users.

The Director-General, Muhammad Sani-Sidi, disclosed this at a stakeholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; consultative meeting on coordination of satellite-aided search and rescue services in Nigeria held in Lagos over the weekend.

Sani-Sidi added that the computer-based satellite

technology that uses the COSPAS-SARSAT hi-tech system/facility had helped search and rescue officers to respond timely in saving victims from distress, especially on the high sea where most of the distress alerts came from.

The system is designed to pick distress alerts and location data to assist in search and rescue operations, using spacecraft and ground facilities to detect and locate the signals of distress beacons. It also facilitates the speedy location of distress alerts even in remote locations.

Represented by the Director Search and Rescue of the agency, Air Commodore Charles

Otegbade, the NEMA boss explained that the meeting was convened to iron out the issues and challenges which could be used to optimise coordination between the various agencies in preventing air and marine disasters in 2013.

Issues discussed at the meeting included the high false alerts rate; roles of various stakeholders in following up alerts and reported cases of accidents where beacons do not trigger. Participants came from NIMASA, NCCA, NAMA, AIB, Police, Airforce, Navy, and operators in the both the maritime and airline industries.

In another development,

stakeholders have harped on value re-orientation for conflict and disaster management in Nigeria. This was an outcome of a workshop on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peace building and conflict management for sustainable development in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;? organised in Kaduna by NEMA in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, National Orientation Agency and National Boundary Commission.

The participants, mostly representatives of communities, religious bodies and nongovernmental organisations, called for active collaboration among government and private organisations and communities

to promote peaceful coexistence and safety through value reorientation among the citizens.

They also identified the imperatives for proactive measures backed by relevant laws for early warning and responses to conflicts and disasters. They also urged the government to empower relevant agencies with the mandates on conflict and disaster, while ensuring social justice and provision of amenities in the communities as well as employment opportunities for the youths to also contribute to the development and peace in the country.

NEMA organised a training session on community resilience and peace building network where the agency would train 154,800 volunteer corps across the country.

A cross-section of participant at a conference when NEMA partners US on strategies against terrorism in Abuja recently.

PAGE 29

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

EMERGENCY UPDATE YOUTHS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY

By Abubakar Jimoh abujimoh01@yahoo.com

As hundreds die from lead poisoning'

I

L-R: the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammad SaniSidi, United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Terence P. McCulley in a group photograph with participants at a conference on strategies against terrorism in Abuja, recently.

L-R: the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammad SaniSidi, at a workshop on emergency risk reduction stakeholders meeting in Kaduna state recently

NEMA releases fresh nationwide flood alert

By Mohammed Kandi

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has issued fresh flooding alert following the announcement by Nigeria Metrological Agency (NIMET) in its seasonal rainfall prediction that there will be another flooding this year.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the Director-General of NEMA, Muhammed Sani-Sidi said the agency spent N1.3 billion to provide relief and manage flood

disaster in the country in 2012.

Sani-Sidi urged state governments to quickly evacuate people living along the floodplains to reduce the risk of flooding this year.

This was in response to the complaints of many of the rural dwellers who are most vulnerable, that unless they are relocated, they have nowhere to go.

He also listed the communities that would be vulnerable to flooding this year according to

the findings of NIMET. The states include Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara in the North West while the entire SouthSouth and Southwest zones will be affected.

NIMET had last month predicted normal rainfall in Nigeria during the year except in Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Kwara states, which might experience excessive rainfall.

The agency had also predicted that rainfall pattern in most parts of Nigeria was likely to be similar to that of 2012.

t is no more news that deaths associated with lead poisoning in the last few years in Nigeria, mostly up north of the country, has killed hundreds of thousands, especially, young people who engaged in some illegal mining of lead in these area.

This dreadful infection called 'lead poison' has been described as a naturally occurring metal found in deposits of ores, containing elements commonly used as a solder in home plumbing systems and in water service pipes designed to transport water from municipal water into homes.

A recent investigation conducted by the Youths Against Disaster Initiative (YADI) revealed that the interference of lead with a variety of body processes is poisonous to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems; notably among children. This results to potential permanent learning and behaviour disorders, convulsion, paralysis and even death.

Similarly, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with national and international stakeholders on epidemics control confirmed that lead poison arises from such daily human activities such as placing lead objects or fingers in mouth after handling lead, breathing dust that contains lead, solder used in plumbing, dust and chips from deteriorating lead paint on interior surfaces, old/ imported toys or furniture, curtain weights, pottery, porcelain, leaded glass, and hobby materials, contaminated breast milk, among others.

It is noteworthy that in a bid to tackle this deadly epidemic, which has brought about NEMA's partnership with both national and international stakeholders, primarily to sensitize the general public on the preventive measures against the impacts of lead poison, there is the need for sustained synergise effort by relevant stakeholders.

Consequent upon this, National workshops on the mitigation of the risk of lead poisoning associated with gold mining and processing among rural communities was held in Zamfara State in March 2011. In his key note address at the workshop, the Director-General NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad SaniSidi warned against the ongoing excessive and unjust mining activities among rural communities in Nigeria and stressed the need for constant Environmental Impact Assessment by the state governments.

His words: "War against lead poison can be won through effective environmental management, land use planning and strict compliance to occupational safety and industrial regulations, as the society exploited its natural resources to sustain livelihood."

In its further examination,

YADI noted that laboratory analysis of the blood lead level is the main tool in diagnosing and assessing the severity of lead poisoning. Medical screening is conducted to test the blood level of the affected persons and their vulnerability to lead.

More importantly, parents must ensure personal hygiene not only for themselves, but also their children through frequent hand washing, and discourage them from putting their hands in mouth. They should also increase their intake of calcium and iron.

While households are advised on the regular practice of running water in the morning to flush out the most contaminated water, or adjusting the water's chemistry to prevent corrosion of pipes. They should also use only cold water from the tap for drinking, cooking, and for making baby formula. It has been argued that hot water is more likely to contain higher amounts of lead.

On their own parts, health professionals have called on individuals to lower childhood exposures to lead; while urging the government to strengthen the environmental regulations that limit the amount of lead in soil, water, air, household dust, and products.

Also, there is need for the adequate review and full implementation of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) Act of 1988 in addition to the existing administrative mandates of the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administrative Control (NAFDAC), National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to help in achieving effectiveness in control and proper environmental management as well as maintaining adequate check on both local and imported commodities.

Precaution is always better than cure! Regularly wash children's hands and toys which can become contaminated from household dust or exterior soil. Prevent children from playing in bare soil, constantly wet-mop floors, and wet-wipe window components as household dust is a major source of lead. If possible, provide them with sandboxes.

In the lead-prone environment, individuals should create barriers between living areas and lead sources.

Governments of the affected communities should institute a sufficient clean-up programme.

All sources of lead must be isolated until the completion of the environmental clean-up. To protect children living in the zones, parents should create temporary barriers such as contact paper or duct tape to cover holes in walls or to block children's access to other sources of lead.

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Environmental protection and rehabilitation of vulnerable communities

By Idris Abubakar Mohammed

E

nvironmental protection and management has become a major integral part of comprehensive regional planning aimed at achieving sustainable development and checkmating the negative challenges of global warming and climate change phenomena.

Holistic approach to regional planning involving all relevant physical planning authorities among the three ties of government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its stakeholders are expected to ultimately aid in checking present and future environmental degradation, improve socio-economic conditions of rural folks and rehabilitate vulnerable communities; thus mitigating their dwindling economic fortunes and the resultant rural-urban drift of populations.

Environmental challenges in form of droughts, deforestation, diminishing wetlands and biodiversity loss has affected the socio-economic activities of rural communities across Nigeria and especially in the extreme northern states of the country. This has rendered them vulnerable to severe soil erosion, floods, desiccation and the failure of traditional industry of sedentary crop cultivation, fishing and animal husbandry.

Environmental management strategies can be employed to manage and rehabilitate fragile and vulnerable ecosystems threatened by draught, desertification and intensive human activity. This will thus reinforce their resilience and adaptation capacity to natural and human induced disasters and also improve the socio-economic conditions of communities that reside is such places.

Droughts are unique form of natural hazard to the extent that they are referred to as creeping hazards because they develop slowly and have prolonged existence sometimes over several years as opposed to hazards such as Tsunamis, Tornadoes or Earthquakes that mercifully occur in a flash even though with the attendant large scale devastation.

Droughts are also not confined to a particular tectonic or topographical setting; they can thus impact on an extensive landmass like the whole of Sahelian West Africa during the 1973-74 drought.

While there are hardly any reported cases of death of humans as a result of drought in developed countries due to existing strategic planning on food security, in less developed countries (LDCs), droughts translate to widespread famine given the combination of low rainfall on already precarious food supplies. This creates a link between draught and famine related deaths of humans, livestock, and depletion of biodiversity. In extreme cases the total extinction of rare and already endangered

An NGO, Concern Universal, is assisting Nigerian citizens in Cross River and Ebonyi States, with access to clean water and toilets are major causes of ill-health and infant mortality. species has been recorded.

Droughts also result in the mass exodus of people and livestock to wetter regions thus creating new hazards in form of land use conflict between native and migrant farmers and between farmers and pastoralists, a conflict which has tragically become an annual phenomena in northern Nigeria and of course the whole Sahel region of Africa.

Northern Nigerian States of Sokoto, Kebbi Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, and Borno fall under the Sahel Savannah grassland vegetation zone and experience semi-arid climatic conditions even under normal circumstances with overall mean annual rainfall ranging from 100400mm in the north and 400800mm in the south- Keith,2004.

In these states, population growth through natural increase, overgrazing and intensive agriculture as against traditional bush fallow system has exerted tremendous pressure on land resources, thus exacerbating the fragile nature of the ecosystem and creating a vicious cycle of droughts as rural range land is eroded leading high reflective albedo, less cloud cover and diminished rainfall regimes over the years.

In financial terms food aid is the most important short term humanitarian response of the international and local disaster management communitiesLeader, 2000.For most LDCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, food aid has become synonymous with drought relief and it is increasingly being criticized as a way of collecting contributions from charitable citizens of western nations and giving to LDC national governments and NGOs to dispense off based on their whims and caprices. It has now become very

important to pay attention to the sustainable development of rural communities located within all Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fragile ecosystems including those of the Sahel zones thus aiding the creation of local, resilience, enterprises and capacity building through the remediation of degraded natural environment.

Shelterbelts development in Nigeria comprises mainly the planting of deciduous (evergreen) trees usually Eucalyptus and neem varieties in an east-west alignment so as to break speed of prevailing winds that are laden with excessive heat and harmattan dust emanating from the Sahara desert.

Studies have shown that planting of shelterbelts along boundaries of crop fields perpendicular to the direction of prevailing winds in arid zones reduces injury to seedlings from sandblast and hot decimating winds. Wing speed is reduced by 80% and soil loss by 76% respectively. This enhances soil moisture retention capacity, improves top soil fertility and pasture thus leading to improved output for rural farmers and pastoralists.

Most States in Nigeria are blessed with abundant landmass suitable for the establishment of large scale tree plantations. Tree crops have the advantage of growing very well on non-fertile and rugged terrains.

They require little or no irrigation or fertilizer application for most of their life cycles. Cash crops such as Gum Arabic provide a winwin scenario of protecting the environment, improving soil and atmospheric moisture and enhancing economic empowerment. Such crops when planted in large scale plantations will provide employment in local communities, transform their

socio-economic condition and serve as carbon sinks thus aiding to the reduction of global atmospheric carbon dioxide.

This helps in the mitigation of the negative consequences of climate change. Community empowerment can also be enhanced by exploring carbon trading mechanisms by establishing plantations to serve as carbon sinks. While natural forest have sustained global demand for timber over the years, there is now an increasing reliance on planted forests for a vast array of industrial products including timber, pulp and paper inputs- Idris Abubakar (2004). The United Nations Common Funds for Commodities, CFC has estimated that by 2030, more than half of all industrial wood requirements will come from planted forest.

Encroachment into natural forests by agriculture and other human activities has made it necessary for communities and government agencies to embark on mass plantation development so as to sustain local and international demand for wood products thereby improving rural income and protecting natural ecosystems.

The widespread use of biomass in form of firewood as a main source of energy for cooking, heating and lighting in rural communities has manifested in severe environmental costs including deforestation, soil degradation and carbon emission thereby contributing to global warming and climate change phenomena.

Attempts to check such negative environmental impacts, reduce the use of fossil fuels, enhance energy security and reduce green house gases emission has made bio fuels much more relevant in global energy mix.

In Nigeria energy crops especially sugar cane and sweet sorghum can be used in the production of ethanol that can serve as an alternative to kerosene, petrol or diesel. Juice extracted from sugar cane or sweet sorghum, can be fermented into ethanol instead of crystallization into brown sugar, thus producing ethanol that can be used for lighting, cooking and also in internal combustion engines such as automobiles and grinding machine used in processing farm products. The use of higher energy density ethanol compared to firewood will translate to reduced destruction of natural forests for firewood.

The production of ethanol by local farmers will ultimately help in addressing rural energy poverty, improve rural income protect the environment and engender partnership between the Agricultural and Energy sectors for a sustainable development of communities and the environment. The most important asset we are to bequeath to our generation yet unborn is the natural environment, we must therefore work assiduously to protect it.

Like the Red Indians will we must â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;treat the earth well; it was not given to us by our parents, it was loaned to us by our children.

In certain communities, the elderly are treated as witches or wizards because of their age; people believe that they must have killed everybody along the way in order to attain such an age Mohammed is a staff of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Headquarters Maitama Abuja, Nigeria. He can be reached on kazura12003@yahoo.com

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 27

Cactus plantations and its many troubles T ENVIR ONMENT ENVIRONMENT his column, penultimate Thursday on "How not to fight desertification," attracted a lot of comments as never before. After a reader commended me for my effort, he said, "it was criminal to forget or just omit Kano, Jigawa, and Yobe states in the desertification program of the Federal Ministry of Environment for any reason given by the corrupt officials."

Quite frankly, Kano, Jigawa and Yobe states are included in the desertification program of the Federal Ministry of Environment. My article was actually on the contract given to a company to establish pilot scheme of Cactus plantations in Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto and Jigawa that failed to do so after collecting over N300m out of a total contract sum of N588m.

The establishment of the Cactus Opuntia plantations in the eighteen northern states including Kano, Jigawa and Yobe, was part of the National Afforestation Programme of the late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua, designed to roll back the expanding Sahara Desert and generally put in place mitigation measures to combat the imminent effect of climate change which regrettably has been unleashing havoc in several parts of the country today.

Another reader urged me to write to EFCC to investigate the matter for a serving senator's company to have collected so much and failed to execute the contract, since 2010.

A lady caller scolded me that I should keep writing about the serving senator that is linked with the company in question, as "he's used to scandals."

To underscore the impunity of some of our politicians, further information emerged that the same senator not content with walking away with the N300 million mobilisation fees, is now putting pressure on the Federal Ministry of Environment to pay him the balance of the contract sum.

Some public commentators who called also expressed grave

WATCH

By Ambrose Inusa Sule, mnes globenviron@yahoo.com 0703-441-4410 (sms only) reservation on the ability of the EFCC to investigate this unwholesome act on the part of

After my last article, more facts emerged that the company was actually awarded the

this serving senator.

Their concerned is that why has the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) failed to probe the alleged nonperformance of the N588, 499, 725 million contracts for the establishment of Cactus Opuntia plantation in the six states of Borno, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Kaduna and Jigawa states.

contract for the establishment of Cactus Opuntia in the 18 northern states of the federation to check deforestation and desertification under the PAP. It could be recalled that when the pranks of the company were revealed last year, the company had then only collected N166 million mobilisation fees from the Federal Ministry of

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

It has been reported that cactus bio fuel is competitive with fossil fuels at current global prices and is much cheaper than other sources of alternative energy in the region such as wind or solar.

Environment. The company again collected another N164 million after much pressure from the godfather behind the company in connivance with some officials of the ministry.

The contract was awarded in August 2010 with the agreement executed in October the same year. And this is 2013.

From all available information the company's claim that all the materials required for the pilot scheme in the six northern states namely;

The move is part of a project by the Dubai-based International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (Icarda) to grow cheaper and more waterefficient feed for animals.

Besides Cactus plantations providing a large amount of fodder for livestock and play a key role in natural resources conservation, the cactus can be used as a feedstock for anaerobic bio-digestion to produce methane for use as a feedstock for electrical generation, much

Borno, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Kaduna and Jigawa, have been imported and delivered to sites, called for questioning.

It is quite unfortunate that officials of the Ministry of Environment and the Ecological Fund Office have not deemed it fit to carry out an inspection of the sites and the plants to ensure compliance.

The cactus considered as the camel of the vegetation world can provide year-round jobs rather than seasonal employment common to most crops.

This is a project meant to fight desertification in arid zones because the plant has the ability to grow in deserts and its drought tolerance; produce forage, fruit, and other useful products; and mitigate longterm degradation of ecologically fragile environments.

It has been reported that Cactus will soon be on the menu for the UAE's animals as scientists start planting cactus on farms across the country.

as we harvest methane from landfills.

Some countries are today experimenting with the use of plantation-grown cactus for use as bio fuel. Biotechnology experts have found a way to turn one of the desert's only available plants, the cactus, into energy with the aims to reduce cactus stems to highenergy dry briquettes that can be burned in coal-fired thermoelectric plants.

It has been reported that cactus bio fuel is competitive with fossil fuels at current global prices and is much cheaper than other sources of alternative energy in the region such as wind or solar.

Apart from the environmental benefits, researchers believe the scheme also holds substantial economic potential.

These advantages of the cactus plantations could be lost and a huge setback for these states should the contractor's failed to do what is right.

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2012

A catalyst for sustainable development

By Abiemwense Moru & Jacinta Nwachukwu

I

n 2011, one United Nations (UN) agency declared that Nigerians were the happiest group of people on earth.

Certainly, the assertion generated a lot of debates in various quarters as to the veracity or otherwise of such claims.

The UN agency, however, said that the raison d'ĂŞtre behind its judgment was that Nigerians had been able to cope with the realities of life in their environment pragmatically in spite of the socioeconomic and political challenges facing the country. ``In spite of all these challenges, Nigerians never allowed it to affect their social wellbeing, the Nigerian spirit remained unbroken,'' the agency said.

A year later - 2012 to be precise -- the UN declared March 20 as the International Day of Happiness.

The International Day of Happiness aims at promoting the idea that the pursuit of happiness is universal.

Recognising happiness to be a fundamental human goal, the UN calls upon countries to approach public policies in ways that would improve the wellbeing of their citizens.

Additionally, the UN acknowledges that in order to attain global happiness, economic development must be accompanied by social and environmental wellbeing.

The question now is: are Nigerians truly happy?

Attempting to answer the question, Mr Pius Godwin, an educationist, says that the indices for Nigerians to be happy are really there but in the social realities of the 21st Century civilization, ``the people's happiness is waning day in and day out''.

He says that recent developments in the country, such as corruption, kidnapping, assassinations and violence unleashed on different areas of the country by militant groups, particularly the ``Boko Haram" sect, have combined to muzzle the citizens' happiness and dampen their spirits.

Godwin insists that happiness is infectious; stressing that happiness can never thrive in a situation where many people are going through harrowing times induced by factors such as the current security situation in the country, among others. ``Happiness can only survive in a society where everyone radiates happiness but in a situation where people daily see gory sights of others wailing and weeping, any iota of happiness in them tends to fizzle out,'' he says.

Godwin, however, bemoans the seeming apathy of the government towards making positive contributions to the citizens' happiness. ``This can be seen vividly in the high rate of unemployment, poor social amenities and growing

Members of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) celebrating the release of their colleagues from Bauchi prison, yesterday in Bauchi. Photo: NAN insecurity in the country, among others, which are militating against our daily happiness as citizens," he says.

Godwin insists that his happiness can only be complete if youths are gainfully employed, if functional social amenities like potable water, electricity and efficient health services are provided for the people.

He says that if the government gives the welfare of the citizens a top priority, the citizens will once again regain their happiness, while the country will record sustainable development in all spheres of life.

Godwin, therefore, suggests that the International Day of Happiness should be a day of sober reflections for the government on how best to restore the people's happiness by tackling the nation's problems.

Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Joseph Ogigbo, a retired civil servant, says there is no way a person could be happy after

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Happy people are less prone to illness when exposed to stress, while the unhappy ones could easily contract various types of ailments like migraine and ulcer, among others

witnessing the anguish of others, particularly neighbours and relations.

Ogigbo says that the prevalent cash crunch in the country has forced several children to stay out of school, while the luckier children are forced to attend schools with dilapidated structures, which also results in their poor academic performance. ``People cannot have sincere happiness when there is no food on the table of the average Nigerian. When you are hungry, when you have no job, when you cannot take care of health care needs; how then can you boast of happiness," he says.

Ogigbo calls on the government to create conducive atmosphere for the citizens' happiness so as to foster the country's development in a more pragmatic way. ``The way forward is for all of us to have change of heart and attitude, have value for one another, considering the fact that we came to this world with nothing. In fact, we need one another to live happily as one Nigeria," he says.

However, Ogigbo insists that happiness will only become an abstract term if the basic necessities of life are out of the reach of most citizens.

He, nonetheless, expresses gratitude to God for sustaining him and his family in spite of the myriad socio-economic and security problems facing the country.

Nevertheless, Mrs Rebecca John, one of the beneficiaries of the ActionAid Unpaid Care Work programme, says that the programme has brought a lot of happiness to her and her family. ``ActionAid came to Gaube community in Kuje Area Council and changed my life; I am very happy now. My life has experienced a lot of progress after the ActionAid Unpaid Care Work training.

``I am now the spokesperson for the women. I can interact with people and settle disputes, just as I encourage other women to negotiate and communicate with their husbands. ``I now know how to dress properly and make my husband appreciate me,'' she says.

John says that after the ActionAid training, her family now cultivate their crops together , while their farm yield have increased immensely.

However, the government is making some efforts to make the citizens happier via the introduction of some economic empowerment and job creation strategies.

For instance, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), FCT Minister Bala Mohammed pledges to provide a strong platform for youth empowerment and job creation by establishing a fullfledged department of youth development within the FCT Administration (FCTA).

The minister says that the construction of an ultra-modern Youth Support Centre in Nyanya, Abuja, will soon be inaugurated.

Besides, Mohammed says that over 5,000 youth-volunteers would be engaged as enforcement officers, while 1,500 youths would be trained in various trades and supported with soft loans. ``Efforts should be stepped up to ensure that our youths are equipped with knowledge, as well as entrepreneurial skills and orientation that will satisfy the demands of the country," he adds.

Also, the Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, says that plans are underway to establish a sustainable platform for the inclusion of mentorship in the country's youth programmes.

He says that the National Mentorship Programme is designed to provide a viable channel for youths to acquire marketable skills for self-reliance, job creation and empowerment.

Besides, Abdul-Kadir says that the ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UNDP for a ``Junior Professional Officers Programme'' to facilitate the recruitment of young Nigerians to work in the UN system for two years. ``This is to acquaint them with the requirements of international civil service jobs," he adds.

Abdul-Kadir says that the programme is fully funded by the Federal Government, while the officers' recruitment will be based on character and merit.

Observers note that if such programmes are initiated and well-implemented, Nigerian youths will have a sense of belonging, while room will be created for their sustainable happiness.

All the same, MrAdedotun Ajiboye, a clinical psychologist at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, defines happiness as a positive emotion which reveals the state of a person's wellbeing and contentment.

He says that it is also a pleasurable or satisfying experience and a fundamental goal, as every rational person, apart from sadists, wants to be happy at all times.

According to him, happiness could be linked to optimism, extraversion, feelings of purpose in life and good self-esteem.

Ajiboye explains that one of the secrets of happiness is the family which, he says, is the ``haven in the heartless world''. ``If a person has a good family support, he or she is bound to be happy,'' he adds.

He says that another plank of happiness rests on friendship, as friends are a tool of socialisation and encouragement, particularly when one is down.

Ajiboye also says that loneliness could lead to depression or sadness, stressing that happiness fosters good health.

In the realm of economics, the psychologist maintains that the ability of a person to cater for his or her basic needs like shelter, clothing and feeding inevitably makes the person to be happy.

Moreover, Ajiboye says the people are bound to be happy if they live in a good environment with social amenities like potable water, electricity and health care institutions.

In a nutshell, he says that happiness promotes people's health status, enhances their mental health, enhances their economic growth and enhances their productivity, while keeping their families intact. ``Happy people are less prone to illness when exposed to stress, while the unhappy ones could easily contract various types of ailments like migraine and ulcer, among others. ``Let us all strive to pursue happiness, as this will aid the sustainable growth and development of our society,'' Ajiboye says.

Source: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 31

The crocodile tears of the complicit: Iraq and the cries against humanity ANALYSIS

By Mark LeVine

A

bit over a decade ago, in that liminal political period between September 11, 2001 and the US invasion of Iraq, I attended a reading by wellknown German writer and Holocaust survivor Ruth Kluger of her just-translated memoir of life in the death camps, Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered.

It was the height of the al-Aqsa intifada, and during the Q&A several audience members asked her about Israel's treatment of Palestinians. How could Jews, who suffered unimaginably under the Nazis, in turn oppress Palestinians? They wondered.

Kluger's response, in the still heavily German accented English that has all but died out with the passing of the last of the World War II generation of German-speaking Jews, was as simple as it was profound: "The Holocaust wasn't a school," she responded. "It didn't teach you anything." The only lesson, if that's what it could be called, was survival. Indeed, all too often suffering hardened people's hearts, making them less sympathetic to the plights of others, especially those perceived as adversaries.

I have often thought about Kluger's remarks while travelling through the Middle East's many conflict zones. Violence does not need to be genocidal to inflict unhealable scars, to teach lessons that cannot be learned. Americans have for two generations been forced to confront only the damage done to the perpetrators - its soldiers, who from Vietnam to Iraq have suffered injuries - mental as well as physical - by the hundreds of thousands as a result of the wars in which they've been ordered to fight. Only once since the start of World War II have Americans been victims en masse of such violence.

Horrific as 9/11 was, it was only one day and one hundredth of a percent of the population that fell victim.

The rupture in the very fabric of American identity and ideals merely hints at the extent of the wounds experienced by other societies, like Iraq, where the victims far outnumber the perpetrators and the level of suffering is greater by orders of magnitude. We can imagine that George Bush, Dick Cheney, Tony Blair and the other masterminds behind the Iraq war and occupation have lost little sleep over the destruction they've wrought. The narcissism and sociopathic personalities they share seem, sadly, to be all too common among the political and military leaders around the world, in Bush's America no less than Saddam's Iraq.

But what of the enablers and errand-boys and girls of the Iraq war - the journalists who so eagerly parroted the lies and abdicated their responsibility to act as a check on governments' propensity to resort to violence and war without legitimate justification. Not surprisingly, with the invasion's 10th anniversary, those who either openly supported the invasion or

Former weapons inspector Hans Blix said the Iraq war was a "terrible mistake" and a violation of the UN charter [Getty] did nothing to put the arguments for it to the test, are attempting to rewrite history to expiate their guilt in making the invasion possible.

A typical example of such historical revision is a piece by the Huffington Post's Howard Fineman, who in 2003 was a senior editor at Newsweek covering the lead-up to the invasion. His article, "Iraq War 10th Anniversary Reminds Us Of The Questions We Didn't Ask", offers an object lesson in precisely how the media continues to abdicate its responsibility to have known better when there was still the chance to educate Americans about the disastrous adventure upon which they were about embark.

Fineman at least admits that he and other mainstream journalists were part of the "decision-making machinery" that led the country to war, which in his view included "elected lawmakers, appointed officials, and the national media". As he explains it, "Too few questions were asked, too many assumptions were allowed to go unchallenged, too many voices of doubt were muffled or rejected in a toxic atmosphere of patriotism, ignorance and political fear." He even owns up to "misguided patriotism" as part of the reason why he was so gullible when scepticism and distrust of those in power was most needed (not least from someone who was already a journalist in the

Vietnam and Watergate eras and had already gone through this process several times before).

It is very well and good that Mr Fineman wants to admit he should not have been so gullible when wisdom was most desperately needed. But his admission is rendered worthless by the explanation he provides for his ignorance. "American ignorance of the Arab and Muslim worlds 10 years ago was alarmingly vast.

More than ignorance, there was fear, prejudice and propaganda," he explains.

Fineman's justification for his ignorance - that it was merely part of a broader American ignorance of the Arab and Muslim worlds - is a lie. All the evidence was there for anyone who wanted to see it. To begin with, some journalists even in the mainstream press where consistenly challenging the official line. The then Knight Ridder(now McClatchy) news service, for example, was consistenly pushing back against the Bush Administration's narrative, with a stream of articles by its Washington reporters whom colleagues like Fineman had to know were on to a good story (if he didn't, then he really had no business working as a journalist).

At the same time, leading progressive publications such as The Nation, Mother Jones, Tikkun and newer web-based media like Alternet were all filled with articles by the experts Fineman says were

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

A typical example of such historical revision is a piece by the Huffington Post's Howard Fineman, who in 2003 was a senior editor at Newsweek covering the lead-up to the invasion.

in such short supply, sharing their knowledge with anyone who cared to read. Democracy Now! And other progressive radio stations featured innumerable scholars in, from and with long experience studying the region.

As important, American universities were and remain filled with people who knew all about the Muslim world, and who were in fact desperately reaching out to anyone in the media or government who'd listen to explain the realities on the ground, from the bogus nature of the WMD argument to the surety of disaster if the US invaded.

Fineman could have taken one day and driven, taken the metro or train, or flown to any East Coast university, from Washington to Boston, and met with the supposedly missing experts. Pretty much every legitimate scholar of the Middle East opposed the war, and yet no one not named Bernard Lewis, FouadAjami or Samuel Huntington was given the time of day by people like him. And progressive think tanks were putting out analyses on a weekly basis challenging every major claim of the warmongers.

Then there is the singularly important issue that the vast majority of experts engaged in the weapons inspection programme Scott Ritter, Hans Blix, Joseph Wilson among them - were declaring that Iraq's WMD programme did not exist in any substantive form and that the stories used to bolster the Bush Administration arguments were implausible. Not to mention that millions of people around the world were screaming as loud as they could for the US not to invade.

When the whole world is screaming at you not to do something, perhaps it's a good idea to at least see what they're screaming about.

Quite simply, no one who lived through Vietnam, who was old enough to have experienced the unmistakable lies and their aftermath (not to mention Watergate, the invasions of Grenada and Panama, the IranContra Scandal), and who worked as a journalist, could claim

ignorance. If Fineman and his colleagues were deaf, dumb and blind it was because they chose to cover their ears, tape their mouths, and close their eyes to reality.

For being guilty of such professional misconduct, Fineman and his colleagues should have been run out of the profession.

Instead, they simply moved on, without consequence for aiding and abetting one of the biggest crimes against humanity of the last century, which almost brought the American economy to its knees and enabled the creation of a security-intelligence-military order in this country that has trampled the most basic rights enshrined in the Constitution.

In a different world, where journalists still had a shred of their former dignity, those who failed so miserably to do their jobs when they were most desperately needed would have left the profession, and devoted the last decade to working to redress the incredible harm this war did to the Iraqi people, never mind Americans and the world more broadly.

Instead, they merely write about their experiences and "hope [they] are the wiser now", which seems pretty unlikely given the continued sorry state of reporting about the Middle East.

Meanwhile, whatever good might somehow come to Iraq, the reality remains that the war was and remains one giant war crime, not to mention the greatest theft of citizens' wealth in American, if not world, history (trillions of dollars and counting). As the drone wars heat up and the vioations of (once) Constitutional rights continues, the mainstream media remains largely compliant with Washington's agenda, regardless of which party is in power. Yet we were constantly learning just how brazen the administration lies were, with new evidence that the CIA and MI6 were told before the Iraq invasion that there were no WMDs. I have no idea if Mr Fineman ever visited Iraq unembedded in the wake of the US invasion and occupation that he enabled, and experienced the results of the nightmare he helped make possible. I did, and I would like to ask Mr Fineman: Do you still have that smell from Iraqi hospitals and morgues in your nose a decade later? Do you still see the blank stares of American soldiers patrolling the streets of Baghdad, so scared that they will barely say a word to you when you go up to them and offer a word of support or encouragement? Do you still feel the absolute fear in Fallujah, or the disgust of Iraqi doctors, without any medicine to treat their wounded because the US military couldn't be bothered to provide adequate medical supplies even a year after the invasion (as they were required to do under international law)? Can you get the image of cars overloaded with multiple coffins on their roofs on the way to the daily funerals? Do you still feel the updraft from an Apache helicopter circling over your car, never knowing what slight movement or stop might cause the gunner to blow you out of existence?

Source: AlJazeera

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Rwanda refuses visa for two U.N. Congo sanctions experts A t least eight people have been killed by a car bomb claimed by al-Shabab in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, police have said.

Monday's attack targeted Khalif Ahmed Ilig, the Mogadishu security chief, in one of the bloodiest assaults in the war-ravaged capital in recent months.

"We've counted at least eight dead so far. It was a car bomb attack near the National Theatre," said police official Mohamed Duale.

Al Jazeera's Peter Greste confirmed local sources had told him the target was the intelligence chief of the district controlling Mogadishu.

Quoting local sources, our correspondent said "at least six or seven - possibly eight - people have died in this explosion".

Hassan Salad, who witnessed the attack, said: "Many have been killed, some of them were in a minibus that was hit by the blast.

This is a disaster, there is smoke and dead bodies thrown all around."

The anti-government fighters have vowed to topple President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who took office last year after being chosen

by the country's new parliament.

While al-Shabab in recent months has been on the back foot in Somalia, having lost a string of key towns to a 17,000-strong African Union force fighting

alongside Somali soldiers, the group remains a potent threat.

Large rural areas remain under its control and the group's fighters have carried out a series of guerrilla attacks in areas supposed to be under

government control.

On Sunday al-Shabab retook the southern town of Hudur - the capital of Bakool region - after Ethiopian troops pulled out of the town.

A

President Paul Kagame

Central African Republic rebels declare ceasefire end

R

ebels in the Central African Republic declared on Wednesday the end of a ceasefire agreed with the government in January and said they were

considering options ahead of the arrival of a regional mediation effort.

"The ultimatum has expired without meeting the demands of Seleka elements on the

ground which means the possible resumption of hostilities," Seleka spokesman Eric Massi said by telephone in Paris.

He said all options were on

the table ahead of the expected arrival in coming days of Chad President IdrissDeby and Congo Republic President Denis SassouNguesso in the capital Bangui for peace talks.

French hostage 'executed' in Mali

French foreign office say they are trying to verify report of the killing of Verdon, who was kidnapped in 2011[AFP]

A

French hostage has been executed in Mali, a man claiming to be a spokesman for al-Qaeda in North Africa has told Mauritania's ANI news agency.

A French foreign office spokesman said on Tuesday that Paris was trying to verify the report of the killing of Philippe Verdon, who was kidnapped in

Kenya condom advert pulled after religious complaints

November 2011, adding that "we don't know at the moment" whether it was reliable.

The private Mauritanian news agency reported that someone calling himself AlQairawani and claiming to be a spokesman for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group told them that the "spy" Verdon had been executed "on March 10

in response to France's intervention in Northern Mali".

"The French President (Francois) Hollande is responsible for the lives of the other French hostages," he warned.

In all 15 French nationals, including Verdon, are being held captive in Africa, with AQIM claiming responsibility for six of the kidnappings.

Verdon was seized on the night of November 24, 2011 along with Serge Lazarevic. According to their families the two men had been on a business trip and were kidnapped from their hotel in Hombori, northeast Mali.

The families denied that the two men were mercenaries or secret service agents.

AQIM swiftly claimed responsibility for the kidnappings and in August last year a video showing Verdon describing the "difficult living conditions" was released on a Mauritanian website.

The hostages' families have in recent weeks expressed growing fears for their loved ones in the light of France's military actions in Mali.

Earlier Tuesday, Verdon's father Jean-Pierre Verdon complained that the families were hearing nothing from the French authorities.

"We are in a total fog and it is impossible to live this way," he told RTL radio. "We have no information."

Asked about France's refusal to pay ransoms to kidnappers, Verdon senior replied that the families had no say in such "decisions of state".

Paris deployed forces in Mali on January 11 to help stop alQaeda linked fighters who had controlled the north of the

TV advertisement promoting condom use in Kenya has been withdrawn after an outcry by religious leaders, health official Peter Cherutich has said.

Christian and Muslim clerics said the advert encouraged infidelity, rather than safe sex to curb HIV/Aids.

In the government-sponsored advert, a woman in an extramarital affair is advised to use condoms.

Dr Cherutich told the BBC the advert had been launched because up to 30% of married couples had other partners.

Around 1.6 million people out of Kenya's population of 41.6 million are living with HIV, according to the UN. The Kenyan Anglican Church's Bishop Julius Kalu said the advert, shown on free-to-air TV stations at peak audience times, had promoted extra-marital affairs and sex among school pupils, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports.

"There are better ways of passing useful information to society. This one has certainly failed," he is quoted as saying.

"It openly propagates immorality, especially when all family members are gathered before television sets, waiting to watch news," Bishop Kalu said.

In a BBC Focus on Africa interview, Dr Cherutich said that while the advert had been withdrawn, he was unapologetic about its message - that it was essential for people to use condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.

A survey had shown that between 20% and 30% of married couples had other sexual partners, yet a majority of them did not use condoms, said Dr Cherutich, the deputy director of Kenya's National Aids and STI Control Programme.

Kenya's Muslim religious body, the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK), also condemned TV stations for showing the oneminute-long advert.

"The advertisement depicts this nation as Sodom and Gomorra and not one that values the institution of marriage and family," Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa, CIPK's organising secretary, told Kenya's Business Daily newspaper.

The BBC's Anne Soy in the capital, Nairobi, says many conservative Kenyans supported religious leaders in opposing the advert.

Some parents said they found it embarrassing to watch the advert with their children, and switched channels when it appeared, she reports.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Asia and Middle East

B

angladesh President Zillur Rahman has died in a Singapore hospital at the age of 84 after a long illness.

Rahman had been flown to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital on March 10 for

PAGE 33

Bangladesh president dies in Singapore treatment of respiratory problems.

The veteran ruling party politician's death does not affect the government because Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy, with the prime minister holding the executive powers.

The president's office said parliamentary speaker Abdul Hamid would act as the head of state until the legislature elected a new one.

"The acting president announced the three-day state mourning for the death of President Zillur Rahman," a presidential spokesman was

Pakistan's Malala resumes schooling in UK

described Rahman as a patriotic leader.

Rahman leaves a son who is a politician and two daughters.

Ivy, Rahman's politician wife, died in August 2004 after she was critically injured in a grenade attack on an Awami League party rally that killed 20 other people.

India DMK ministers leave government

F

M

alalaYousafzai has returned to school for the first time since she was shot in the head by the Taliban in October for campaigning for the education of girls.

The 15-year-old said she had "achieved her dream" and was looking forward to meeting new friends at the independent Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham, central England, where she is now living.

Malala was flown to Britain for surgery following the attack and underwent several operations as recently as last month.

"I am excited that today I have achieved my dream of going back to school," she said in a statement. "I want all girls in the world to have this basic opportunity."

"I miss my classmates from Pakistan very much but I am looking forward to meeting my teachers and making new friends here in Birmingham."

Pictures showed her going to school carrying a pink backpack and wearing a black headscarf over a green sweater.

She will be studying a full curriculum in preparation for selecting subjects for GCSEs, the exams that schoolchildren in England, Wales and Northern Ireland sit when they are aged between 14 and 16.

Malala was shot at point-blank range by a Taliban gunmen as her school bus travelled through northwest Pakistan's Swat Valley on October 9, in an attack that drew worldwide condemnation.

She has since become a global symbol of the campaign for girls' right to an education and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

UN education envoy and former British prime minister Gordon Brown, who has backed Malala's cause, said: "This is a great day for Malala, for her family - and for the cause of education worldwide.

"By her courage, Malala shows that nothing - not even bullets, intimidation or death threats - can stand in the way of the right of every girl to an education.

"I wish Malala and her family well as her courageous recovery continues."

Malala was discharged from hospital in early February after surgery to fit a custom-made piece of titanium to her skull, and an electronic implant to help restore hearing to her left ear.

Her father ZiauddinYousafzai is serving as Brown's special adviser on education and her family have temporarily moved to Birmingham, a city with a large Pakistani population.

quoted by Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the state news agency, as saying.

Rahman was a former deputy chief of Bangladesh's ruling Awami League party before parliament elected him president in 2009.

In offering her condolences, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

President Zillur Rahman (seated)

ive federal ministers from the DMK party, a former ally of India's ruling coalition, have submitted their resignations to PM Manmohan Singh.

On Tuesday, the DMK withdrew from the Congress partyled government over its failure to condemn alleged atrocities against Sri Lankan Tamils.

The party, with 18 MPs, held five ministerial posts in the government.

A senior minister belonging to the Congress party said the government was "stable" and would remain in power.

"We are not a lame duck government. No political party has come out and challenged its majority," Minister for Urban Development Kamal Nath told reporters on Wednesday.

The DMK is the main opposition party in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, which has a large population of Tamils.

DMK chief M Karunanidhi had demanded that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government pass a resolution in parliament condemning alleged atrocities committed by Sri Lankan forces against Tamils during the island's long civil war.

NATO announces Afghanistan Wardak agreement

A Malala dawns her uniform first time since October.

Tamils protest in front of the Parliament House in Mumbai.

n agreement has been reached between NATO and the Afghan government on the withdrawal of US special forces from Wardak province, alliance officials have announced.

The agreement appears to bring to an end a bitter dispute between the coalition and the Afghan government.

The troops and their Afghan counterparts have been accused of murder and intimidation in the area.

Special forces and local police will now begin a phased withdrawal.

Afghan security forces will then take over on a district-bydistrict basis.

American special forces and the Afghan local police they have trained in Wardak have been accused of committing atrocities in the area, including the murder of nine men.

Isaf has denied the allegations but President Hamid Karzai last month said they should withdraw within a fortnight.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 34

Europe and Americas Twin blasts in Turkish capital

T

wo grenades have exploded outside Turkey's justice ministry, and the offices of the ruling AK Party has been hit by a light anti-tank weapon, in the Turkish capital of Ankara, days before an expected ceasefire with Kurdish rebels.

Turkish television stations on Tuesday showed footage of police cordoning off streets and ambulances arriving.

Turkish Justice Minister SadullahErgin said one person was slightly injured in the ministry attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The attacks occurred two days before an expected ceasefire call by jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been in talks with state officials to try to end a three-decade conflict that has killed some 40,000 people.

"Our decisiveness will continue," AK Party spokesman HuseyinCelik told a hastily assembled news conference. "Such turbulence cannot push us from our path."

IMF head Lagarde's flat searched

F

rench police have searched the Paris apartment of IMF chief Christine Lagarde, as they investigate her role in awarding financial compensation to businessman Bernard Tapie in 2008.

As finance minister, she referred his long-running dispute with bank Credit Lyonnais to an arbitration panel, which awarded him 400m euros (ÂŁ340m) damages.

Mr Tapie was a supporter of ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Critics say she abused her authority but Ms Lagarde denies any wrongdoing.

"This search will help uncover the truth, which will contribute to exonerating my client from any criminal wrongdoing," Ms Lagarde's lawyer, Yves Repiquet, told the Reuters news agency.

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says investigators suspect Mr Tapie was granted a deal in return for his support of President Sarkozy in the 2007 election.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde

Obama in Israel on first official visit

U

S President Barack Obama said at the start of his visit to Israel that the US' commitment to Israel's security was rock solid and that peace must come to the Holy Land.

Making his first official visit to Israel as president on Wednesday, Obama hopes to reset his often fraught relations with both the Israelis and Palestinians in a carefully choreographed three-day stay that is high on symbolism but low on expectations.

"I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our nations, to restate America's unwavering commitment to Israel's security and to speak directly to the people of Israel and to your neighbours," Obama said at a welcoming ceremony at Tel Aviv airport.

"I am confident in declaring that our alliance is eternal, is forever," he added.

Obama faces strong doubts among Israelis over his pledge to

prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, something Tehran is saying it is not pursuing.

In his welcoming remarks to the US president, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu cited an Israeli right to self-defence, which he said Obama supported.

"Thank you for standing by Israel at this time of historic change in the Middle East," said Netanyahu, whose relationship with Obama has often been testy.

"Thank you for

Obama (R) with Benjamin Netanyahu talks to pupils waving US and Israel flags at the airport in Tel Aviv.

unequivocally affirming Israel's sovereign right to defend itself by itself against any threat," the right-wing Israeli leader said before viewing with Obama an Iron Dome anti-missile battery that was brought to the airport for the president to see. The system is partially US-funded.

At the ceremony, Obama spoke of his hopes for peace without directly mentioning Palestinians. US officials said he was not bringing any peace initiative with him.

"We stand together because peace must come to the Holy Land," Obama said. "Even as we are clear eyed about the difficulties, we will never lose sight of the vision of an Israel at peace with its neighbours."

Hopes for a new policy are low, with the White House having deliberately minimised expectations of any major breakthroughs, a reversal from Obama's first four years in office when aides said he would only visit Israel if he had something concrete to accomplish.

"Analysts say they don't expect any new action on Iran, or even Syria, in a trip that even the White House has indicated is meant to create a lot of publicity but not new policy," said Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington.

Obama travels to the West Bank on Thursday for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and will fly on to Jordan on Friday.

Cyprus seeks Russian bailout aid, EU threatens cut-off

C

yprus's finance minister pleaded withRussia for help on Wednesday to avert a financial meltdown after the island's parliament rejected the terms of a European bailout, raising the specter of a looming default and bank crash.

Finance Minister Michael Sarris said he had reached no deal on financing with his Russian counterpart, Anton Siluanov, but talks were continuing.

Cypriot officials disclosed that the country's energy minister was also in Moscow, ostensibly for a tourism exhibition. Cyprus has found big gas reserves in its waters adjoining Israel but has yet to develop them.

"We had a very honest discussion, we've underscored how difficult the situation is," Sarris told reporters after talks with Siluanov. "We'll now continue our discussion to find the solution by which we hope we will be getting some support.

"There were no offers, nothing concrete," he said.

Austria's finance minister made clear the European Central Bank could soon pull the plug on Cypriot banks after the island's parliament rebuffed EU demands for a levy on bank deposits to raise 5.8 billion euros.

Not a single lawmaker voted for a proposed levy that would have taken up to 10 percent from larger accounts, many of which are held by Russians and other foreigners, while sparing small savers with less than 20,000 euros in the bank.

It was the first time a national legislature had rejected the conditions for EU assistance, after three years in which lawmakers in Greece, Ireland,

Cyprus' President Nicolas Anastasiades (C) chairs a meeting with party leaders and governor of the Central bank.

Portugal, Spain and Italy all accepted biting austerity measures to secure aid.

Rejection of the key condition for a 10 billion euro ($12.9 billion) bailout, cast the 17-nation currency bloc into uncharted waters, with a risk of financial contagion to other troubled member states.

However, the EU has a tradition of pressing smaller countries to vote again until they achieve the desired outcome.

President NicosAnastasiades, barely a month in the job, met party leaders and the governor of the central bank at his office.

Government spokesman Christos Stylianides said a "Plan B" was in the works.

"A team of technocrats has gone to the central bank to discuss a plan B related to financing and reducing the 5.8 billion euro amount," he told reporters during a break in the meeting with party leaders. He did

not elaborate.

Anastasiades was also due to hold a cabinet meeting and talk with officials from the so-called "troika" of the EU, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Among the most urgent decisions awaited was whether the government will allow banks to reopen as planned on Thursday and Friday, at the risk of a run of withdrawals, or keep them closed until next week in hopes of a solution.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 35

Bojana Danilovic - the woman who sees everything upside down Stories by Spooky

B

ojanaDanilovic, a young woman from Serbia, suffers from a strange condition that has left both doctors and scientists baffled.

The 28-year economics graduate sees everything upside down.

Experts from Harvard University and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who examined BojanaDanilovic say she suffers from a rare brain condition called 'spatial orientation phenomenon'. In layman's terms that means her eyes see things the right way, but for some reason her brain changes them.

Although there have been some similar cases recorded in

history, Bojana's case is truly unique. Everything in her life has been backwards, even the way she came into this world - feet first. Her parents remember that when she first started crawling, she would always move backwards, and when she began to walk, she did it in reverse. The remarkable young woman says her mother had to take a leave from her job in order to teach her to walk like all the other children. It took a lot of practice, but she finally managed to walk forward.

Only this was only the beginning of a very unusual life.

Bojana's bizarre problems continued when she started writing. She would turn the blank piece of paper upside

Photo: DnevniAvaz down, start from the lower right corner and finish in the upper left corner. Her teachers and classmates all tried to help her correct her style, but it was all in vain. It was the only way letters made sense to her. Later, she got a job at the municipal administration, in her home town of Uzice, where her colleagues were left flabbergasted after she turned the keyboard and monitor of her computer upside down, so she could make sense of her work. At home, she has to turn

Photo: Visegrad

the TV on its head to watch her favorite show, while her family has to use another one. She always holds her mobile phone and newspaper upside down, and often gets approached by people who tell her she's reading it wrong.

BojanaDanilovic's bizarre condition first attracted the attention of American scientists a few years ago. After subjecting her to several tests they established her brain is perfectly healthy, but has a different field of view than most people's.

Although they haven't yet come up with an explanation for Bojana's unique brain configuration, they offered to make her job easier by creating a special software so she wouldn't have to turn the monitor upside down all the time.

"It may look incredible to other people but to me it's completely normal," the young Serbian told local reporters. "I was born that way. It's just the way I see the world." Her biggest regret is she can't get a driever's license.

Neighborhood takes you to a distant future where humans can spend their vacation in a

hotel on the Moon, while Macquarie Island boasts a marine decor complete with a boat-shaped bed.

Every room in La Balade des Gnomes hotel was created and decorated by Dominic Niel with the help of local artisans and offers visitors a unique experience. But the prime attraction of this Belgian resort is the two-story Trojan Horse suite, which actually looks like a giant wooden cow.

But this is Belgium, where the bovine is a b i g p a r t o f culture. While it may have been inspired by Greek mythology, this beautiful wooden structure actually has a medieval decor reminiscent of tales like Game of Thrones.

If you're looking for an offbeat hotel in Belgium and staying in the Human Digestive System Hotel is j u s t t o o m u c h f o r y o u , La Balade Des Gnomes is a wonderful choice. Prices start at â&#x20AC;˘120 euros per night, and go up to â&#x20AC;˘220 if you plan on staying in the Trojan Cow Horse.

La Balade des gnomes - Belgium's fairytale hotel

I

f you're looking to take a break from your everyday life and retreat in a fairytale world, there's probably no better place than La Balade des Gnomes, near the picturesque town of Dubuy, Belgium. Featuring ten amazingly-decorated bedrooms and a special suite designed as a Trojan cow, this place is certainly unique.

Formerly an ordinary Belgian farmhouse, La Balade des Gnomes was transformed into a magical tourist resort by architect owner Dominic Noel. Inspired by fantasy settings, ancient Greek history, science fiction and medieval castles, the resourceful Mr. Noel managed to create his incredible hotel exclusively out of natural materials like wood, stone and cob (mud mixed with lime and straw). "The hotel was created by people who have a strong interest in nature," the owner says, but anyone with a rich imagination would certainly appreciate the unworldly design and decorations of this place. The names of the rooms

do a good job of describing what you can expect to see when you walk through the door: The

Legend of Trolls seems taken straight out of the Lord of the Rings, In a Moon

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Obese heart patients â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;do betterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; O

bese cardiac patients are less likely to die than their normal weight counterparts, say researchers.

This is despite them reporting worse health and being less likely to follow lifestyle advice, a study of more than 4,400 patients reported.

One explanation is that doctors treat the disease more aggressively, the University College London team said.

The British Heart Foundation also said that where people stored fat, not just general obesity, was important.

It is not the first time researchers have pointed out this paradox, that being overweight or obese - a risk factor for heart disease in itself - can actually lead to a better prognosis.

One theory has been that maybe such patients were fitter, despite their size - taking more exercise for example.

To see if this was the case, researchers from University College London looked at data from patients who took part in the Health Survey for England or Scottish Health Survey.

They found that, as with other studies, patients with cardiovascular disease who were obese or overweight were less likely to die over the next

The obesity paradox - is it good for heart disease? seven years than people of a normal weight who had the condition.

In all 31% of patients were obese - that is with a body mass index of 30 or more - they reported in Preventive Medicine.

Those patients tended to be younger but reported worse health and had more heart risk factors such as raised cholesterol and blood pressure, but were less likely to smoke.

The researchers found that those who took part in physical activity at least once a week and did not smoke had a lower risk of death whatever their weight.

But obese patients who did not stick to these healthy lifestyle recommendations still had a lower risk of death than normal weight patients who smoked or were inactive.

Study leader Dr Mark Hamer said they were trying

to explain why obese heart patients seemed to do better by looking at lifestyle factors, but they found that it was not the case that obese patients were healthier.

"We don't yet understand this paradox and we would clearly not advise patients to put on weight.

"One of the more sensible explanations may be that when obese patients present to their doctor, they are given

more aggressive treatment because they are seen as very high risk," he explained.

"We do know, for example with cardiac rehabilitation, that the thing that absolutely works is exercise - that dramatically reduces risk even though you don't necessarily lose weight."

Other work by the same researchers has shown that a certain proportion of obese patients have very normal health and are not at increased risk of heart disease.

"BMI is quite a poor marker of what's going on," Dr Hamer added.

June Davison, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "It seems contradictory that one of the risk factors for heart disease may improve survival rates.

"The reason for this link remains unclear, but it's possible that those with a higher BMI go to their doctor sooner and may be treated more aggressively.

"Also, this study only measured BMI. When looking at health risk it's not only BMI that matters, but where fat is stored.

"Carrying excess fat around the middle can produce toxic substances which can increase your health risk."

Source: BBCNews.com

Who, What, Why: Can foods have negative calories? actually exist?

"A negative-calorie food would by definition consume more calories, for the body to handle it and process it, than is contained in the nutrient content in the food.

"Theoretically that's possible," says Tim Garvey, chair of the department of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

"In actuality there are no negative-calorie foods," he says.

Or, as the esteemed nutritionist Marion Nestle

put it in a one-line email to the BBC: "Total myth.

Nothing else to be said."

Consider celery, often proposed as a negative-calorie food due to its low-calorie count, high water density, and impressive fibre content.

While all that chewing and digesting of the fibrous food does burn calories, it doesn't burn a lot. " There may be just 10 calories in a larger stick, but the body takes only one-fifth that much," to process, says Dr Garvey. "It's still calorie plus."

Never mind that man cannot live on celery alone, and few people just eat raw pring can be a celery. confusing time for the "It's more of a gateway to body-conscious - a time cream cheese or peanut when thoughts drift towards butter," says David Grotto, a summer on the beach, but nutritionist and author of chilly temperatures have The Best Things You Can Eat. many reaching for an extra That's not to say that biscuit. celery sticks - along with Those looking to shed a few other high fibre, water-heavy pounds have often clung to fruits and vegetables - have the hope of "negative-calorie" no value as weight-loss aids. foods - a workout for your "These foods do fill up the taste buds that burns calories stomach and increase while you chew. satiety," says Dr Garvey, But do these foods keeping you from ingesting more calories later - but not burning off the calories you've already consumed.

But there are other things you can eat or drink that are supposed to work in a different way, by making the body work harder.

One is cold water, which the body has to warm up to 37C (98.6F). But Grotto is not particularly impressed.

"There's no research to say that cold water drinkers burn more calories," he says.

"Any amount of metabolic hit is not a significant amount - maybe five calories."

Other foods have different ways of increasing the rate at which we burn calories (otherwise known as the metabolic rate). Caffeine, guanine, taurine and green tea extracts all have these Dieters looking for a quick fix may turn to the promise of negative-calorie foods. But can eating actually properties, says Ron Mendel, burn calories? who has done research on diet

By Kate Dailey BBC News Magazine

S

drinks that combine these ingredients.

In a study with only 20 participants, he found that those who consumed a diet drink called Celsius, which debuted in 2005, burned more calories than when they drank diet cola.

"The big picture here is, this is certainly not adding up to hundreds of calories a day by any stretch," says Mendel, the programme director for exercise science at Mount Union University in Alliance, Ohio.

"There's no magic bullet," he says.

Still, he speculates the small gains could result in a loss of 10lb (4.5kg) over a year.

"I wouldn't say it was going to replace me exercising and make up for me from eating 45 donuts a day," he says.

"But if you just make that one change, over a significant amount of time, it could add up to something."

Dr Garvey is sceptical that the change in metabolism could lead to real weight loss.

As a doctor focused on obesity and nutrition, Dr Garvey maintains that the only real way to lose weight is the boring, old-fashioned, unsatisfying and ult imately successful method: eat fewer calories than you burn through exercise - not digestion. .

Source: BBCNews.com

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 37

Crisis brews in Reps over plan to slash C'ttee allowances

By Lawrence Olaoye

A

fresh crisis is looming in the House of Representatives as Committee clerks have vowed to down tools should the management carry out its plan to cut their allowances down from N1 million quarterly to N500,000.

This is coming as the clerks have resolved to carry their grievances to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal should the Clerk of the House, Barrister Itaba Omolori, insist on cutting the allowance down.

The grouse of the clerks was that the management of the House funds was insensitive to the volumes of works done at the committee level even as they submit that the proposed allowance would be grossly inadequate to carry out their responsibilities.

They also point out that their counterparts in the Senate receive about N5 million quarterly to do the same work that their boss in the House expect them to do with meager N500,000 quarterly.

But, independent investigations conducted revealed that the House may be cash trapped and the management may have found out that the only way to salvage the situation was to cut down the allowances due to the committees.

Paucity of funds has been the bane of running the numerous committees created by the leadership of the House as many of the bills referred to the committees since inception of the 7th Assembly have yet to be treated by the Chairmen.

Some of the civil servants who spoke on the condition of anonymity expressed concerns over the current trend in the House which if not handled with care could rock the institution.

This is even more worrisome as most of the civil servants have stopped coming to work owing to that fact that they have nothing to do.

The workers are also worried that the Legislative Agenda of the Speaker as it relates to oversight functions may be defeated should there be no funds to carry out oversight and other investigative functions by the committees.

The Clerk who volunteered to speak on condition of anonymity said "Nothing is working in the House because the committees are underfunded; most committees have not been meeting regularly as supposed and this is greatly affecting the productivity of the parliament."

He added "What you find now is committee clerks going cap-in-hand to the government agencies they are expected to oversight for money to conduct public hearings and other investigative functions."

According to him, the management of the House mopped up monies meant to carry out committee works and diverted same to increase the lawmakers' quarterly allocations from N15million to N36million leaving the House with little or nothing.

Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu (4th right), PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur (4th left), Bauchi state Governor, Malam Isa Yuguda (3rd right), and other PDP members, during their visit to the Emir before the North-East PDP meeting, recently in Bauchi. Photo: NAN

Alamieyeseigha’s state pardon, a bad signal, says NBA

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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he Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday said the state pardon granted former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diprieye Alamieyeseigha, by President Goodluck Jonathan as a bad signal in the fight against corruption.

The Association however said that the President, in consultation with the counsel of State has the constitutional power to grant State pardon to any Nigerian Citizen.

NBA President, Chief Okey Wali (SAN) who spoke at the commissioning of the Association’s Web-Portal website

in Abuja yesterday disclosed that the State pardon was a moral issue and that well-meaning Nigerians have spoken loudly on it.

“Unless you know what the Council of States put into consideration in granting Alamieyeseigha and others the State pardon, you cannot say much on it, but to me as a lawyer, it was a bad signal to the fight against corruption”, the NBA boss said while fielding questions from newsmen.

He however acknowledged that the President has the power under the constitution to grant State pardon to any Nigerian Citizen, in consultation with the

Council of State, but the issue is whether he used the constitutional powers right or wrongly.

Commenting also on the proposed fuel increase by President Jonathan, Wali said the Federal Government needs to put in place necessary infrastructures which he promised January last year before removing fuel subsidy in the country.

He said the President made some promises of providing infrastructures that would cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal, adding that it will be an ill-advice for the President to remove the subsidy without providing necessary

infrastructures.

Wali, in fulfilment of the promises made to lawyers before his election yesterday commissioned a Web-Portal where the data of lawyers in the country can be assessed.

Addressing the press at the commissioning, the NBA boss said the Web-Portal would enhance effective administration/ management of all members of the association in the country.

The Portal, according to Wali contains, among other things, the list of all lawyers called to Bar, as registered in the Supreme Court from pre-independence days up till date, noting also that the Portal contains the list of over 25, 000 active lawyers who have carried their verification exercise.

… Jigawa NBA condemns it too From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

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he Nigerian Bar Association Jigawa chapter has frowned at the recent state pardon granted to the former governor of Bayelsa state Dieprie Alamiesigha by president Goodluck Jonathan as ‘ill timed’ and tantamount to jeopardise the crusade against corruption by the federal Government.

The Jigawa state branch Chairman of the NBA, Barrister Adamu Turaki Mohammed ESQ, made the disclosure while responding to questions from our reporter in his office yesterday. He said the President had acted based on the provision of the law under section 175 which gave him the legal impetus to grant the pardon.

The NBA Chairman stated further that the duplication of

pardon made by the President only point at the fact that no due consultations with the council of state was earlier made by the Presidency that ought to have records of persons granted pardon by the presidency.

According to the chairman, President Goodluck Jonathan the president ought to have made consultations with the council of state to arrive at the decision for the pardon, but instead went ahead and grant the pardon unilaterally.

However, he said the irony on the whole episode is that the government that is supposedly said to be fighting corruption in all its ramification ought not to have resulted in granting the unpopular pardon to the perceived convicts at the peak of fighting the dreaded monster.

He said this will lead to the

institutionalization of corruption in the land and people may tend to dip their fingers into public coffers with impunity adding that what Nigeria needs today is the elimination of corruption and not to encourage economic saboteurs.

On why Hamza Al Mustapha has been deprived of the gesture by the state, he said the issue of AlMustapha is that of ‘nole prosqui’ which have to do with the power of the Attorney General and that if the government wishes to end the case, it would do so through the Lagos state Attorney General and the need to treat the case expeditiously.

On re in statement of Justice Salami, he said the case was struck out before the NJC later cleared him and the President on his part refused to follow the resolution of the NJC. The state NBA chairman said the election of the Chief justice of the

Federation Justice Maryam Alooma Mouktar and that of the NBA President Barrister, Okey Wali, SAN has been the best thing that had happened to the nations judiciary.

According to him, Mouktar had since her appointment exhibited high sense of morality and discipline in the way and manner she handled the judiciary as one of the three tiers of government in the country.

Turaki said Aloma had made her experience to bear on the fight against corruption in the country citing the recent sacking of some judges whose actions had gone ultra vires. The NBA chairman said the CJ had succeeded in restoring confidence in the minds of Nigerians and who have more or less lost confidence in the adjudication of justices.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Stop inciting people against my govt, Ajimobi warns Ladoja From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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overnor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has warned former governor and a leader of the Accord Party in the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, to stop inciting the populace against his government.

He made this known in a release issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, in reaction to several uncomplimentary attacks from the Accord Party leader against his person and government credited to the former governor.

Governor Ajimobi particularly took exception to a statement credited to Ladoja which called him a total novice in the art of governance.

The governor, who said he had refrained all this while from exchanging words with Ladoja due to his age and office, said he was however opposed to what he called cheap campaign of calumny and persistent attempt to smear his government through subterfuge and dissemination of untruth to the populace.

“While the governor will not want to bandy words with the former governor on who had a mastery of governance or who was a novice, he is of the view that the achievements of the two – the governor and former governor – are in the public domain and can be properly interrogated by the ordinary people on the streets and analysts not obsessed by a do-or-die craving to come to Agodi Government House again,” the statement said.

The statement said that the

people of the state would judge rightly who was a novice and master of governance between a man who has given Oyo State an unprecedented two years of peaceful reign and another who, due to political brinkmanship, political stiffneckedness, immaturity and alienation of the political class and the people, threw the state into an avoidable political inferno while sparring with the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu, an inferno that the state is yet

recovering from.

“The people of Oyo State will judge rightly who is a novice and master between a man who could not muster majority members of the House of Assembly in his defence as governor while fighting someone who was fighting from outside and was thereby impeached with ignominy and a governor whom God has given the sagacity to manage a House of Assembly that comprises three different

political parties and which, by the grace of God, is operating under an unprecedented amity,” the statement read.

While calling on the people to make adequate judgment on the impact of his government and that of Ladoja, Ajimobi said he had raised the bar of good governance in the state and is making it difficult for anyone whose understanding of governance is violence and crude politicking to fit into the new Oyo State.

PDP chairmanship candidate for Brass Local Government Area, Mr Andy Obed (right), waving the PDP flag, during a ceremony to launch campaigns for the forthcoming council polls, recently in Bayelsa. With him are Bayelsa state governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (2ndleft), Bayelsa state Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (left) and representative of PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Musa (2nd right).

Photo: NAN

Daura Emir directs NGOs to invite him for functions through the state govt.

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he Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar, has directed Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) wishing to invite him to their functions to channel such invitations through the Katsina State Government.

The directive is contained in a statement signed and issued yesterday in Daura by Alhaji Ibrahim Hamisu, the Special Adviser to the Emir on Publicity, History and Politics.

According to the statement, the emir deems it

necessary to issue the directive in order to avoid misconceptions on the activities of such organisations.

It said that the action would enhance understanding between the NGOs on one hand and the emirate council on the

other.

The statement warned that any communication between the NGOs and the Daura Emirate Council would not be honoured unless it went through the state government.

(NAN)

Ojukwu says crisis in APGA clash of interest on Gov. Obi’s successor

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on of late Dim C h u k w u e m e k a Odumegwu Ojukwu, Mr Emeka Ojukwu (jnr), has attributed the cause of the crisis rocking All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to the clash of interests on who succeeds Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra.

“Any information that is being put out there about the need for change of leadership within APGA is only a cover story.

“Essentially, I view the so called crisis in APGA as a

manufactured crisis meaning that the underlining issue and major thing causing the problem in APGA is succession.

“There are few other issues but that is the major one.

“Every other thing that people have read or observed as crisis in the leadership of APGA including who becomes the chairman of the NEC is only as a result of Gov. Obi’s succession,” Ojukwu said on Wednesday in Nnewi in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that he did not support

the attempt by Chief Victor Umeh to remain in power as national chairman of the party forever.

He added that he was also not in support of Gov Peter Obi having the right to nominate his successor.

Ojukwu insisted that APGA’s constitution should be adhered to in selecting who would succeed Obi just as there are laws governing Nigeria.

“In a situation where the question on who succeeds Gov. Obi should be made by him alone, negates the ideal for which APGA was formed.

“Umeh should not be the chairman for life, but when the time comes, the change should come through the constitution,” he said.

Ojukwu expressed concern that the crisis plaguing the party ‘raised its ugly head’ after the death of his father.

“If my father were alive, he will support Umeh,” he said.

Ojukwu told NAN that APGA was not part of the arrangement by some opposition parties to merge to form the All Progressives Congress (APC). (NAN)

Register interested people in PPA, Chairman tells ward, LG officials

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he Chairman of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) in Abia, Chief Emeka Okafor, yesterday directed wards and council executives to register people interested in the party.

Okafor gave the directive when he led the party’s state working committee to verify its wards and local government executives in Ukwa West Local Government Area.

“As a party, we operate inclusive and not exclusive agenda; anybody interested to join the PPA should be allowed to register because it is wrong to prevent interested people from registering with the party,’’ he said.

Okafor said the directive was imperative to avoid squabbles between old and incoming members of the party.

“A political party is like a public owned company. You do not block entry or exit for anybody. It is the rules and regulations that moderate the activities of members,’’ he said.

The PPA chairman said the visit was a national directive to re-inforce and unite the party’s supporters, adding that he was impressed with the quality and number of supporters in the area.

Okafor charged the supporters to bring more members from the grassroots for the party to re-capture the governorship of the state during the 2015 general elections.

Mr Uche Enyioko, former Abia Commissioner for Agriculture, said it was regrettable that in spite of the fact that Ukwa West was oil bearing, roads in the area were in deplorable state.

“Abia is a component of the Niger Delta Development Commission because Ukwa West is an oil bearing local government, yet the roads and other basic infrastructure in the area are in deplorable state,’’ he said.

Enyioko, the Secretary of PPA in the state and native of Ukwa West, advised the people to support the party that would impact positively on them in future elections.

Chief Sylvanus Nwaji and Mr Kelechi Nwamkpa, former chairmen of Ukwa West and Obingwa respectively, urged PPA supporters to be determined and committed, noting that the future was bright for the party.

“Some political parties are currently facing internal crisis and PPA is one of the few parties with its members working as a family and we believe that would help us to emerge victorious in 2015,’’ they noted. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 39

Speech immunity bill undemocratic, say politicians

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L-R: National Chairman, Progressive People Alliance (PPA), Chief Sam Nkire, National Chairman, United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief ChekwasOkorie, and National Chairman, Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), Chief OluFalae,discussing during a meeting between Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor AtahiruJegaand political parties, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

FG appointments: Group wants Jonathan to address marginalisation

By Umar Muhammad Puma A non-governmental organisation, Association of Retired Civil Servants (ARCS) from the North West has called on President Jonathan to address some perceived marginalisation in the allocation of federal appointments.

In a statement signed by its protem chairman, Alhaji Umar Kabir Kofar Sauri, the association stated that when the ministerial slots of power and defence became vacant, after Prof. Barth Nnaji resigned and Dr. Bello Mohammed Halliru was relieved of his appointment, the president appointed

Professor Chinedu Nebo from Enugu as power minister, while Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki from Kebbi state was given the portfolio of special duties minister, instead of defence vacated by Dr. Halliru.

Kofar Sauri added that, this double standard by the president against Kebbi state would be perceived in many quarters as a payback for their kicking against Gen. Bulus Bitrus Ushe, who he nominated to fill Bello's shoes. Ushe was rejected by both the people and the state chapter of PDP. He maintained that "by appointing a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to man an inconsequential ministry of special duties is an affront to Kebbi, especially when one

looks at the pedigree of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, who has made his marks in both his chosen law profession and politics."

He maintained that for equity and justice, the president should have allocated the defence portfolio to Kebbi state as was done in the case of Enugu, adding that, "even during the Senate clearance, both Professor Nebo and Kabiru Turaki were grilled on the expectation that they would be allocated with power and defence portfolio respectively, but to our consternation, the president decided to punish us with special duties, a ministry whose functions are already been taken care of by the office of Secretary to the

Government of the Federation."

The Association added that the general belief in the North is that plum ministerial portfolios are reserved for people from the South and that some of the ministers from the North are just warming the seat, while the engine room and the real productive sector of the economy is being given to the people from the president's region.

"We are still contemplating what line of action we will take regarding this trend of running state affairs. We have seen the kind the blackmail and intimidation that greeted some of the outspoken and committed Northerners who were coerced to tow the line of the President," Kofar Sauri said.

NigerCem: Ebonyi lawmakers accuse Ibeto of mismanagement

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

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bonyi state National Assembly Caucus yesterday accused Ibeto Group of Companies destroying the Nigercem company in Nkalagu, saying he has left the cemeny company a carcass.

Briefing journalists yesterday, the leader of the group, Senator Paulinu Igwe, who spoke in company with

other lawmakers from the state said that the Ebonyi people would resist any colonization of the state through the fraudulent exploitation of its principal economic heritage, adding that they would neither allow the fate of Aladja and Ajaokuta steel companies to be replicated at Nigercem in Nkalagu.

He assured the people of Ishielu Local government Area and all Ebonyians that as soon as the legal hurdles placed on

Nigercem is removed, the government of the state would bring genuine investors.

The lawmakers however reaffirmed their total support and solidarity with Ebonyi State government led by Martins Elechi, in his efforts to reclaim Nigercem from Ibeto group.

He said “In view of the foregoing situation and utter contempt with which Ibeto group holds Ebonyi State Government and people, we in

the National Assembly hereby reaffirm our total support and solidarity with Ebonyi State Government under Chief Martins Elechi in its bold, principled and courageous effort to reclaim Nigercem from fortune –hunters and golddiggers masquerading as cement manufacturers.”

Peoples Daily gathered that Ibeto Group acquired Nigercem from Eastern Bulkcem, the core investor who won the bidding in 2002.

ome politicians yesterday in Lagos reacted to the House of Representatives’ speech immunity bill, describing it as undemocratic.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lawmakers had on March 7 debated the bill, before referring it to the Ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review, for further input.

Co-sponsored by the duo of Reps. Ali Ahmed and Raphael Igbokwe, the bill was entitled:“A bill to guarantee freedom of speech and legislative actions of members of the National Assembly.’’

The bill seeks to protect “actions’’ of the lawmakers while on the floor of the hallowed chambers.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Enyinnaya Abaribe, said there was no need for immunity for legislators.

Dr Frederick Fasheun, the Interim National Chairman of the unregistered Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), told NAN that the bill was a duplication of the existing rules of the National Assembly.

“I wonder why the lawmakers want immunity; do they want to be doing things with impunity? I do not see any need for it.

“The Senate should stand firm and ensure that the bill is rejected.

“Apart from the president and the vice president, I do not think anybody should enjoy immunity in this country,’’ the founder of Odu’a People’s Congress (OPC), said.

Also commenting, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, the National Chairman of the de-registered Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), said the lawmakers’ insistence on immunity was not right.

According to him, the lawmakers are already enjoying immunity as they have the privilege to say whatever they like on the floor of the House.

“I think it will be undemocratic and dangerous to the country for them to be granted speech immunity as it will open the gate for others to ask for immunity.’’

Musa advised the House of Representatives not to allow its image to be tarnished by what he called selfish and self-serving bills.

In the same vein, Mr Damian Ogbonna, the National Chairman, Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), described the speech immunity bill as unnecessary.

He said:“It is wrong for the lawmakers to seek such blanket immunity for their speeches.

“The 1999 constitution already guarantees freedom of speech for every Nigerian and not just for the media. Why do they want extra protection? (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PDP, ACN in name calling over Edo LG election

L-R: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, Minister of Labour, Chief Chukwemeka Wogu, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Architect Mohammed Musa Sada,and Minister of Culture and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke, during their meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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No going back on the name APC, says Al-makura From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

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assrawa state governor, Umaru Tanko Almakura, has said that the four political parties namely CPC, APGC, ANPP and ACN, had earlier written INEC of their intention to merge into a mega party with the name All Progressive Congress, (APC) even as the preparation for registration was on-going.

Al-makura, who disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday in his office in Lafia, reiterated that nothing can stop the merger process, emphasizing that, no going back on the name All

Progressive Congress-APC A statement signed by Danjuma Joseph, press secretary to the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, quotes the Governor as advising INEC and all authorities concerned, to earn respect and credit for themselves by allowing the genuine APC to be registered.

Governor Al-makura, who accused the PDP of masterminding the current crisis rocking the adoption of the name of the party and sponsoring two factional APCs, said they will not relent in their efforts at ensuring the genuine APC is registered, for the good of the country.

On who will emerge as the presidential candidate of the new party, Al-makura said they are not after that now, asserting that the focus of the new party is to ensure that they conclude all the merger processes and the party is registered then a consensus presidential candidate will emerge.

The governor, who said the ideology of the parties that constitute the merger is in tandem with the yearnings and aspiration of Nigerians who are asking for change in leadership just as he assured that APC is the only party that will salvage the country from its present sorry state.

When asked if his pioneering role in the merger talks and the formation of APC may affect his governance of his state, Almakura said it will not, as according to him, he has a capable Deputy Governor, whom he described as a brother that oversees the affairs of the State whenever he is away.

On the antics of the PDP, aimed at punching the merger efforts by sending foot soldiers to scuttle the merger, Al-makura said that will not deter them from their focus, as he disclosed that even those sponsored by PDP to destroy their plans are APC’s agents.

A'ibom 2015: Lawmaker wants primaries not zoning to pick Gov. Akpabio’s successor From Mike Etim, Uyo

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n Akwa Ibom lawmaker and member representing Nsit Ubium State Constituency under the platform of PDP in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Barrister Onofiok Luke, has spoken on the need for the party in the state to jettison the zoning formula in order to choose a governorship candidate.

The lawmaker, who spoke on the occasion of his 35th birthday celebration in his constituency, said the constitution gives everybody the right to contest and that no senatorial district should be excluded from producing a candidate for the position of governorship in Akwa Ibom State.

The issue of zoning has generated a heated argument

between Uyo and Eket senatorial districts. Particularly irked is the Eket Senatorial district leaders who are arguing that it is their turn to produce a governor based on the rotational formula put in place by the immediate past governor of the state, Obong Victor Attah, who hails from Uyo Senatorial district.

Speaking against the background that Obong Victor Attah comes from Uyo senatorial, the present governor Godswill Akpabio from Ikot Ekpene senatorial district, the leaders of Eket said their Senatorial district should be supported by other senatorial districts to produce a governor.

But disagreeing with the Eket leaders, the Nsit Ubium lawmaker said the Eket people should not expect a governorship

ticket in a platter of gold.

Luke said that candidates from other senatorial districts since 1999 had always contested when they were not favoured for the position.

"Even as I speak to you

someone from Eket senatorial district contested against Governor Akpabio even though the governorship position was zoned to Ikot Ekpene senatorial district. The case is still on in the law court" the lawmaker said".

ACN’s Chief kidnapped in Anambra •••abductors demand N30m ransom From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has raised the alarm over the kidnap of its Vice Chairman (South-east), Dr. Chudi Nwike, in Anambra State on Tuesday.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party quoted Dr. Nwike’s

younger brother, who has been contacted by him (Dr. Nwike), as saying the kidnappers are demanding 30 million naira (in foreign currency) as ransom.

“We appeal to the security agencies to do everything within their power to ensure the safe release of Dr. Nwike, while assuring his family of our prayers and support at this very difficult time,’’ it said.

he People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has accused the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) ruling state government of planning to use the Neighbourhood Watch to rig the forthcoming local government election in the state.

But the state government has vehemently denied the allegation, accusing the main opposition party in turn of planning to buy votes with public fund from the national treasury.

Speaking recently during a meeting held at a Hotel in Auchi, Edo PDP Chairman, Chief Dan Osi Orbih, said, the party has uncovered plot by the state government to buy uniforms and arms for Neighbourhood Watch to use for the election.

Orbih said, "The PDP has uncovered a plot by the Adams Oshiomhole-led ACN government to deplore members of the state's vigilante group, Neighbourhood Watch, to intimidate, harass and obstruct members of the PDP from casting their votes during the forthcoming election. To this end, our informant also disclosed that the state government has bought large ammunition for the group to be used on Election Day".

"Following the disclosure of this dangerous plot, the PDP has decided to write a strongly worded letter to Edo State Commissioner of Police to inform him about this dangerous plot. Copies of the letter will be forwarded to the Inspector-General of Police and Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Zone 5) for appropriate action.

"It is our belief that Neighbourhood Watch and other bodies formed by the state government for the purpose of rigging the council election are not known to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Louis Odion, yesterday punctured the allegations, saying that, "We really need to pity Mr. Dan Orbih. He is a political jester who seems unaware that Edo people have since grown tired of his old theatrics. Now, he says Comrade Oshiomhole will use the Neighbourhood Watch to rig the coming elections. But if one may ask: did Oshiomhole need them to win the 18 local governments in the governorship poll of July 14 last year when Orbih and his master, Chief Tony Anenih lost woefully? Of course, the answer is no. You can then see the fallacy in Orbih's argument."

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Nwosu urges NFF to check proliferation of football academies

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Henry Nwosu

former captain of the Super Eagles, Henry Nwosu, has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to control the proliferation of football academies in the country and thus prevent abuse.

He said that some of the academies, which he described as fraudulent, had done “much havoc’’ to the development of football in the country.

“The proliferation of football academies is worrisome, and it has done much havoc to the promotion of football.

“The NFF needs to flush out the fraudulent academies and control the activities of the ones properly set up so as not to lead to retrogression in football development,’’ he said.

He urged the prosecution of proprietors of the fraudulent academies that had swindled parents of their hard earned money under the pretext of taking their children abroad for foreign exposure.

Nwosu, who once coached the Golden Eaglets, regretted that the genuine academies were parading old footballers rather than giving opportunities to the younger ones.

“A football academy is supposed to be for youths but you will be surprised that even the genuine academies have people who are above 30 years. This in turn results in age cheats which has greatly affected football in the country,’’ he added.

Also, Nwosu regretted the lack of proper documentation of football academies, noting that this has facilitated abuse by some fraudulent persons.

Edem Offiong, Nigeria’s table tennis player in action at the London Games

NTTF activities geared towards Commonwealth, Olympics qualifiers, says coach

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asiru Bello, the head coach, Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), has said that the 2013 calendar of events would focus on athletes’ preparation ahead of the international competitions.

Bello disclosed that most of the championships scheduled for 2013 would be important to the country’s qualification for some international championships, apart from ranking.

He said they would use the event to identify new talents – toughened players — that could be groomed to assist the country over the next three years to win laurels as well as qualify the country for major international Games.

“You see this year is a free calendar year for Games, when you talk about Games; we are talking about of All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics.

“So, we are going to use this year to make our selection to extract good and toughened players, good and toughened Nigerian players to make up our team for the next year Commonwealth Games.

“You know we are starting with the Commonwealth Games, All Africa Games and the Olympics. According to the programme, I can bet you, we will come out with something meaningful in the whole of the three slated down championships from 2014 up to 2016.’’

Bello said intensive training for players who would participate at the Tunisia Junior and Cadet Open Challenge would start on March 20, saying programmes of activities had been mapped out for them. The championship is scheduled for March 28 to April 7 in Hammanet, Tunisia.

“The players have been training before now but intensive preparation starts by Wednesday at the Indoor Knock-up Hall and we have mapped out activities for them. We have the morning and afternoon sessions to ensure we do not lag

behind in any area.’’

The Indoor Hall has been busy since January 10, as players have been seen practising with their coach monitoring their development.

It was gathered that 13 new waterbased glue rackets were purchased for the players to feature at the Tunisia championships.

The head coach, however, noted that the rackets had been adopted by the International Table Tennis Federation to replace the grease-based glue which could easily damage.

FCT academy soccer tourney to identify genuine ones, says sponsor

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mmanuel Amakiri, sponsor of the ongoing All Academies soccer tournament in Abuja has revealed that the tournament is meant to shift the chaff from the grains and ensured that only genuine academies are registered in the FCT. Amakiri, the founder, Nigeria Youth Movement for Peace Empowerment and Transformation, an NGO, equally added that the competition is also to promote unity.

According to him, there are too many soccer academies in Nigeria and also in the FCT, with many of them not duly registered.

“So, the competition is to select the genuine ones that are registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) or the FCT Football Association.

“There is the need to identify the registered academies, to enable government deal with the genuine ones in the country.

“That is why we insisted that academies that will participate in the competition must be duly registered either under CAC or with the FCT FA for affiliation.” he added.

Amakiri said that after thorough identification, the NGO would continue to sponsor the All Registered Academies tournament annually, to enhance the growth of soccer at the grassroots and to engage the youths.

“We cannot have so many academies in the country and not engage them in regular competitions. It is when we engage them in regular competitions that we are engaging the youths and helping to take them away from antisocial activities.

Amakiri noted that grassroots competitions were a unifying factor for peace and unity.

He expressed regret that national team coaches hardly scouted for talents at youth competitions, and insisted that the discovery of vibrant players thrives more at such venues.

Morakinyo upbeat Nigeria about success in v’ball U-20 World tourney

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he Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) says plans are afloat for Nigeria to excel at the forthcoming Women’s Under-20 World Championship, scheduled to be held in Czech Republic from June 21 to June 30.

Dr Ebenezer Morakinyo, the federation’s First Vice-President and member of the Organising Committee of the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB), disclosed this in an interview in Abuja.

“What we are doing now is to look for young players to add to the already existing ones. As for those already in the squad, we plan to retain them.

“We are also going to organise friendly

matches for the team so that the players can gain experience before the championship. You must be aware that we recently employed the services of a Russian coach, who has just spent a few weeks with the girls,’’ he said.

It will be recalled that the Nigerian team performed poorly at the justconcluded 14 th African Nations Junior Women Volleyball Championship in Abuja.

The team lost its two matches at the championship which served as the qualifiers for the 17th Women’s U-20 World Championship. Nigeria lost 1-3 to Algeria in its first match and 0-3 to Egypt in its final game at the qualifiers, which ended

last Friday.

Nigeria thus finished last on the table, with Egypt and Algeria in the top two positions. Teams from Tunisia, Kenya, Rwanda and DR Congo were supposed to participate in the championship but failed to show up.

Morakinyo however said the absence of the four countries turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Nigeria.

“Nigeria will still be at the world championship in spite of the fact that we did not win any of our matches in the African championship, which served as the qualifiers, because Africa must have three representatives at the championship,’’ he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 45

1

3

PICTORIAL 1] Ireland moved six points clear at the top of the World Cricket League after a six-wicket victory over United Arab Emirates yesterday. The Irish followed up Monday’s five-wicket success with another comfortable win in Sharjah.

2] Colombia’s Nairo Quintana won the 180km third stage of the Tour of Catalonia from Vidreres to the Vallter 2000 ski resort yesterday. Quintana pipped Spaniards Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez in a tough uphill finish to claim the win.

4

3] Former world number one golfer Tiger Woods and US Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn have announced that they are dating.

The couple made the announcement on their Facebook pages, posting the first pictures of themselves together.

4] Maria Sharapova is confident of lifting her second title of the year after winning the Indian Wells title and hopes to add the Miami Masters title.

The Florida tennis fiesta begins this weekend.

2 5

5] Kaka has the chance to impress Felipe Scolari when Brazil play against Italy and Russia in friendlies. The matches could be an acid test for midfielder Kaka’s hopes of playing in his fourth World Cup next year.

PAGE 44

2014 World Cup: Organising C’ttee set to improvise

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he Organising Committee for the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil has agreed that its responsibilities will cover decisions on the preparations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, a statement said.

FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday that the decision would further intensify its preparation for the competitions in Russia and Qatar respectively.

The Organising Committee convened at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich on Tuesday, where the agreement was reached, the statement signed

by FIFA’s Secretary General, Jerome Valcke, stated.

It stressed that it was necessary for the body to adopt a workable approach.

“Considering that we have three FIFA World Cups in simultaneous preparation, it was necessary to extend this FIFA decision forum to cover, not only the 2014 event, but also the next two events,” the statement said.

It said FIFA President Joseph Blatter, who opened the meeting, underlined his confidence in the unity between FIFA and the LOC to stage two great football festivals in June 2013 and June/July 2014.

The Local Organising Committee for the 2014 event, led by President José Maria Marin and CEO Ricardo Trade, provided the committee, which included the entire FIFA Executive Committee, with a comprehensive update on the preparations.

World Cup qualifying matches will hold from March 22, 2013 to March 26, 2013 with 84 qualifying games taking place in all six confederations.

So far, 476 qualifying matches have been played with another 344 to be completed before the final line-up of 32 teams is known.

It was also confirmed that the Final Draw for Brazil 2014 will take place at Costa do Sauipe in Bahia on Dec. 6.

The organising committee also approved a proposal from the Russia 2018 LOC that the Preliminary Draw take place in Saint Petersburg on either July 24, 2015 or July 25, 2015.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

C’wealth Games: Bolt, Blake, Dibaba, other stars to enjoy tax rebate

Usain Bolt

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orld and Olympics 100m, 200m record holder Usain Bolt, his training partner Yohan Blake, Olympic 10,000m champion and top athletes will will tax rebate at July’s London Anniversary Games and next year’s Commonwealth Games.

This exemption from income tax payment will however be exclusive non-resident athletes, was indicated in George Osborne’s Budget with a view to remove any obstacles from the path of the athletes and encourage huge attendance.

Also, according to Sports Minister Hugh Robertson the measure is equally to “attract the very best athletes, and this helps us do that.”

Specifically, it means that

Yohan Blake the likes of six-time Olympic gold medallist, Bolt, and other high-profile sports stars will participate in the championship without fear of high taxation.

The championship will be held on 26-28 July at the Olympic Stadium to celebrate the first anniversary of the London 2012 opening ceremony.

The event contains a weekend of Diamond League

G

the money would be judiciously used to ensure the success of the competition.

Meanwhile, the suspended preliminaries of the competition would resume on Thursday following the completion of the second term unified examination for secondary schools in the state.

The Coordinator of School Sports in the Ministry of Education, Mr Julius Bamgboye, said the preliminaries would resume in Yewa, Ijebu and Remo divisions.

athletics on 26-27 July followed by a day of Paralympic competition on 28 July.

The exemption for the London Anniversary Games was first announced by the Chancellor last month with a similar provision for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to be contained in the Budget.

Like most countries, the United Kingdom demands a share of any appearance or

prize money earned by overseas stars when they compete here.

But unlike most countries, the UK also wants a cut of any endorsement income earned by those visitors during their stay.

Now athletes will not pay ”UK income tax on all appearance fees, prize money, and endorsement income” at the two events, but they will not be exempt from corporation tax and Value Added Tax [VAT].

‘Boxing is dead’ and needs characters, Chisora claims

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Principals’ Cup: GTB donates N1.9m to Ogun govt uarantee Trust Bank (GTB) yesterday in Abeokuta donated N1.9 million to Ogun government to enable it stage a successful Principals’ Cup competition.

The money, according to the representative of the bank, Mr Harry Balogun, will cover security and medical expenses, referee allowances and other logistics during the competition.

Receiving the donation, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Gbenga Otenuga, said

Tirunesh Dibaba

Dereck Chisora

ereck Chisora, whose boxing licence was only last week restored, says that boxing is “dead” and needs real character to rekindle its pride and prestige to generate attraction and patronage.

The 29-year-old, who was given a British Boxing Board of Control licence, a year after he had it removed following a brawl with David Haye, he along with some popular pugilists have what it takes to ensure this.

But the heavyweight maintains he has no concerns about negative perceptions of him in the sport. Chisora has won 14 fights but has been beaten in four of his last five outings “Boxing is dead and you need people like me to bring it back

up,” Chisora told 5 live Boxing.

“Someone has to take the bad role and as long as people are tuning in and watching the sport that I love, I don’t mind.”

Chisora was banned by the World Boxing Council after the fracas with Haye but his subsequent fight against his fellow Briton, which Chisora lost in the fifth round, wassanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation.

The Londonder, who has undertaken anger management classes, is set to fight Ondrej Pala on 20 April and is targeting a fight with David Price later this year.

I don’t mind going to Liverpool in the summer time for a big fight against David Price. I did take [anger classes] but I’ve kind of stopped now. We’ll see one day if it’s worked.”

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 43

Kebbi FA registers 13 clubs for 2013 Federation Cup competition

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o fewer than 13 clubs in Kebbi, have submitted their entries to the Kebbi Football Association (KFA) for participation in the 2013 Federation Cup Competition.

Alhaji Haliru Haliru, a member of the state FA who supervised the draws for the competition, at the mini stadium, prevailed on participating clubs to ensure that

their fans were well behaved.

“We expect the clubs to present the licences of their players for final clearance by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) between March 21 and March 26.

“Clubs that failed to submit their details will not be part of the competition.

“We have met with the club officials and agreed on

areas that needed to be improved upon. The FA will prioritise security and fair officiating, while we expect supporters to behave well,’’ he added.

The FA Secretary, Atiku Magaji, said that participating clubs in the Federation Cup competition include: Sakaba United FC, Yauri United, Yelwa United, Galadima Babes of Jega, Gamji FC, J. B. Juniors of Jega and Little wonders of Zuru.

Others are: Dan Girmace Wonders of Zuru, Sakaba Dirin Daji United, Baiti Boys FC Birnin Kebbi, Fadama United, Gwandu United and Old Timers FC of Birnin Kebbi.

“The FA will ensure that all conditions for participation in the Federation Cup competition are adhered to and we will work hard to improve the standard of football in the state,’’ he said.

Magaji said that the FA would ensure that the competition is concluded on schedule, in line with the date fixed by the NFF.

Flying Eagles must focus on Gabon, says Nwosu

H

enry Nwosu, a former Green Eagles (Super Eagles) midfielder, has urged the Flying Eagles to focus on their make-or-mar encounter against Gabon and put their 0-1 defeat to Mali behind them.

Nwosu, who gave the advice yesterday in Lagos, said that the loss to Mali did not mean that the junior Eagles performed poorly in the opening match.

He urged the players to put the match behind them and focus on the immediate game on hand and ensure that they get the result they need to progress.

“Although we lost, I know this will serve as an eye opener and bring them back on course. We have played the match and it has gone and I urge both the technical crew and the players to put it behind them. “ They should work hard at getting the maximum six points at stake in their remaining matches to make the next around,’’he said.

Nwosu, who was a member of the victorious Green squad that won the 1980 edition of the AFCON in Lagos, charged the team to play with determination in order to succeed.

“Determination in the field of play is the only way they can be victorious,’’he said.

Nwosu told NAN that he was very optimistic about the team’s chances of qualifying for the next round, in spite of their initial set back.

Victor Wanyama

Wanyama taunts Eagles, Lobi to attack in Maputo says they are beatable L

By Patrick Andrew with agency report

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or the umpteenth times, another Harambee Stars player has taunted the battle lines of the AFCON champions the Super Eagles by insisting that the team lacks the depth to roll them over with ease.

This time, Victor Wanyama has boasted the Stars have enough depth upset the Eagles in front of their cheering fans at the UJ Esuene Stadium Calabar come in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier.

Earlier, coach Adel Amrouche and skipper Dennis Oliech had warned the Eagles against under rating Harambee Stars as they have capable of stunning them in Calabar.

The duo had dismissed the Eagles’ intimidating record against Harambee Stars by stressing that they have new crop of players with zest and

depth to cause upset.

The Harambee Stars will play their third group match in the qualifiers of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Wanyama said he believes if the team do the right things on the pitch, qualifying for Brazil 2014 would not be a surprise.

“The players are ready for this match, there is enough mental strength and we are hopeful for favourable result in Nigeria.

In football everything is possible and we can beat Nigeria at their own turf,” Wanyama said.

“I want to do my best because I want to see my country go forward. Hard work will take us where we want to be and we will work hard to win not only this match but the other matches that follow because if we do things right we might even go to the World Cup.” The Celtic star, who helped his Scottish club to reach the last 16 of this season’s Champions League, jetted into Kenya

camp on Sunday and trained with the team for the first time on Monday morning.

He is the man Nigeria will have to watch out for on Saturday in the southern coastal town of Calabar.

The 21-year-old player became famous when he scored against Barcelona in a 2-1 win in a UEFA Champions League tie in November 2012.

His exploits have not gone unnoticed as he has been linked with a move south of the border to Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal. He has so far refused to sign a new contract at Celtic.

He played for Nambi City Stars and AFC Leopard in Kenya as a young boy before he moved to Sweden to play for Heisingborg.

He started his senior professional career with Belgian club Beerschot AC in 2008 from where he moved to his present team Celtic for a fee of £900,000.

He has since proved to be a goal monger scoring 10 goals from 56 games.

Wanyama, whose father was a former star with local giants AFC Leopard, started out as a defensive midfielder before he became an offensive player.

He has played 24 games for Kenya since he debuted in May 2007 at age of 15 incidentally against Nigeria in a friendly.

He is from a sporting family with his brothers McDonald Mariga playing for FC Parma on loan from Inter Milan, while Thomas and Sylvester Wanyama play for Sofapaka and Sony Sugar respectively in Kenya.

In another related development, Kenya coach Adel Amrouche has effected two changes in the 19-man squad announced on Monday night due to injury.

Abdullah Juma and Paul Were have been replaced by Aboud Omar, Bandari left back, and Peter Opiyo of Tusker.

obi Stars’ central defender, Anthony Agbaji has said his side will not sit back at their CAF Confederation Cup opponents, Liga Desportivo Muculmana de Maputo (LDMM) in the reverse fixture in Maputo, Mozambique.

The nation’s representatives survived an early goal scare to beat the Mozambican side 3-1 in the first leg, first round fixture of Africa’s second tier club competition at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi on Sunday.

Agbaji said the 3-1 advantage is history as they will take the fight for goals and qualification to their opponents in the return leg right from the blast of the whistle.

“We’re going to take the fight to them and will contest for every ball for the vital away goals. We won’t sit back and absorb the pressure. We’ll give it to them double of what they gave us here in Bauchi.

“The 3-1 win is history, we’re no more dwelling on the result but to double our efforts to win in Mozambique.

“I won’t say it’s over because in football there are always surprises but we won’t allow it as we’re determined to win at their backyard. We’re positive about it,” he said tosupersport.com.

Agbaji said Liga Muculmana gave them a football scare they will not forget quickly in a hurry.

“It was the saddest moment of our lives trailing the visitors in a crucial match we need to win convincingly.

“However, something kept telling us we’ll come back to win but they actually gave us a big fight and scare that will take time to be erased from our memories.

“We’ve taken some positives and I think it will be handy as we fight for laurel for fatherland,” he said.

The reverse fixture will hold at the 5000-seat Estadio Da Liga Muculmana Matola, Mozambique in two weeks.

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

Audu urges NPFL to improve on referees remuneration

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unday Audu, the immediate past Secretary of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRF), has urged the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to improve on referees’ remuneration for better performance.

Audu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos that such a step would reduce the incidence of match fixing allegations being made against referees in the league.

He urged the regulatory body to do everything necessary to reduce the incidence of match fixing allegations by attending to the issue of remuneration

for referees. “If they pay the referees well, their eyes will not look at the bribe they are being offered.

“Their remuneration is still very poor, imagine a referees being paid N15, 000 to officiate a match in Lagos and he is based in Abia! It’s unheard of,’’ the former secretary said.

He stressed the need for the league’s Interim Board to overhaul certain aspects of its operations for better performance.

“The norm is that if clubs perform well, good officiating should complement their efforts; but if the club performed well and officiating was poor, it will not speak well

of the league. The two have to work together. If one is lacking, the other one won’t achieve its aim.

Security also cannot be over emphasised for a credible league ,’’ Audu said.

Audu, however, commended the effort of the NPFL in the provision of adequate security for referees at match venues.

“As it is now, the security of referees is commendable, but it can be improved upon,’’ the former NRF secretary said.

On his assessment of the NPFL in comparison to what obtained in Europe, South America and South Africa, Audu told NAN that there was no basis for

NWF postpones national youth championships in Calabar

L Ahmed Maude, NRA, president comparison.

“Even though the league is faring well, we cannot compare it to the European and South American football leagues.

“We can’t compare our league with those of developed countries, but in Africa, Nigeria is number one, followed by, maybe, South Africa,’’ he said.

Abuja National Stadium facilities degenerate as water board cuts off supply

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he hitherto aesthetics associated with the Abuja National Stadium is fasting degenerating following the FCT Water Board’s disconnection of supply for maintenance of the facilities because of N76m debt.

An investigation reveals that the National Sports Commission’s inability to settle the water bills has worsen the situation, and thus rendered routine maintenance impossible with the result that that many of the stadium’s facilities are in a bad shape and some of unusable.

For example, the stadium’s swimming pool complex at the Package B, which has swimming and diving pools, have become unattractive to users as a

National Stadium Abuja

result of lack of water.

Unconfirmed sources at the NSC said that water was not available after the FCT Water Board cut off the stadium from its supply chain.

“The commission owes the Water Board about N76 million now, and this forced the agency to stop the water supply,’’ a staff of the NSC, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN. While the swimming pool is still being used by those who did not mind the fact that its water had not been changed in a long time, the diving pool has become an eyesore.

The diving pool is filled up with filthy water, with dead reptiles and dirty objects floating in it.

Presently, the swimming pool only gets its water

supply from trucks brought in from outside, because the machine circulating water has become faulty and has not been repaired since.

An official of the swimming federation who pleaded anonymity said there were hopes towards the end of last year that repairs would be undertaken but nothing has happened since then.

“A contractor was brought here in December 2012 and we were told the repairs would soon commence.

“They said the pool would be cleaned and all the filtration plants and circulation machines would be put in order.

“But in January, when they didn’t show up, someone called to inquire from those in charge what

the problem was and they said they would soon supply the chemicals for the sanitation of the pool.

“But after that time, we didn’t hear anything from them again until they told us that the NSC did not release money for the repairs to begin,’’ he said.

The toilet facilities at the stadium’s Indoor Sports Hall in the Package B have also not been a sight to behold.

During the 14th African Nations Junior Women’s Volleyball Championship held in the Hall, players and officials, as well as spectators, were not able to use the toilets as it should be.

Only adhoc measures by the host federation, the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), saved

the situation during the March 11 to March 15 event.

The federation had to employ the services of water hawkers to provide water in the dressing rooms, as well as players’ bathrooms and toilets.

However, efforts by NAN to speak to NSC’s Director of Facilities, Ibrahim Shehu, on the issue proved abortive.

He insisted on a formal letter asking for an interview session to be sent to the Commission before he could speak on the situation.

The stadium which was built by the Federal Government ahead of the 8th All-Africa Games Nigeria hosted in October 2003 was commissioned on April 8, 2003.

Its facilities include an allseater 60,000-capacity football stadium and a velodrome in its Package A. It also has in its Package B an astro-turf football pitch, outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, swimming and hockey complexes, tennis courts, an indoor hall and a gymnasium.

Bolaji Abdullahi, Sports Minister and Chairman, NSC

ack of funds has forced the indefinite postponement of the National Weightlifting Youth Championships earlier scheduled for March 15 and March 22, in Calabar.

Uche Onwumeh, the Secretary, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), confirmed yesterday that the event has been put on hold because of lack of funds.

She lamented that the federation could not generate the necessary funds because of poor response from expected sponsors and paucity of funds from the NSC. “We approached some philanthropists for sponsorship who promised to get back to us before the kick-off date but they were not forthcoming and we cannot organise the competition without funds.

“Lack of funding and other logistics forced the indefinite postponement, but we will continue with our efforts to approach the corporate bodies as well,’’ she said.

The secretary then appealed to the private and public sectors in the country to support the development of the sport through sponsorships, stressing that such championships help to keep athletes busy.

According to her, athletes and officials cannot appraise their progress in their various sports without competing in national competitions which also prepare them for continental tournaments. “ R e g u l a r championships keep athletes in readiness and perfect shape ahead of national or international competitions.

“Lack of regular competitions can cause the athletes to slacken, their zeal will drop and they soon go flabby, so support from corporate bodies and the organised Private Sector for regular competitions will really make a mark on our athletes,’’ she added.

Onwumeh also urged state governments to contribute their quota to grassroots development in their area, saying that the development of the sport should not be left to the National Sports Commission (NSC) alone.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

PAGE 41

CRS govt doles out N25m, plots of land to Eagles

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ross Rivers State Government has donated N25 million to the Super Eagles and a plot of land to each member of the team that won the AFCON trophy in South Africa, last month.

Governor Liyel Imoke, who formally received the team, officials and the trophy, made the announcement yesterday when he was presented with the AFCON trophy at the Government House in Calabar.

Speaking at the presentation, Imoke described the Super Eagles AFCON 2013 win as the tonic Nigeria needed to reinvent itself as a country and become the best developed country on the continent of Africa.

“We must give you credit for the merit you achieved by winning this trophy through capacity, self belief, confidence and sacrifice.

“It shows the tournament was made for Africa and was won by Africa, unlike in the past when we had white coaches being the only ones that can win trophies for Nigeria. Keshi and his crew must stand to be counted among all time greats of our nation”, he said amidst applause.

Super Eagles boss, Stephen Keshi and skipper, Vincent Enyeama, said they were simply overwhelmed by the show of love by Governor Imoke and promised that they will do him and the nation proud at the forthcoming Confederations Cup to be hosted by Brazil in June.

Meanwhile, assistant referee peter Edibe, who also worked at the 2013 AFCON in South Africa, will also share in the cash gift.

Super Eagles celebrating with AFCON trophy

LMC seals N550m NPFL title sponsorship S deal with Globacom

Harambee Stars hit Calabar today

Stories by Patrick Andrew

T

he League Management Company yesterday sealed title sponsorship deal worth N550m with Globacom for a period of three years. The deal breathes a cash lifeline to the league that has been without sponsors for two seasons.

Also, the company has brokered a cordial settlement of the ownership hiccups between Total Promotionthe hitherto title rights owners and the new sponsors.

The former will receive N100m compensation even a window has been created for domestic broadcast consideration that allows the Nigerian electronic media to access the broadcast rights.

League Management Committee (LMC) chairman, Nduka Irabor, who disclosed this yesterday equally elaborated on reasons which necessitated the

registration of fresh company as the owners of the league.

Irabor said this was based on the judgement of Justice Okorowa on

Nduka Irabor, chairman LMC

January 20, 2011 that declared the Nigeria Premier League illegal and lacking the locus standi to be signatory to the term deeds of the NPL. Besides, he also said the even the supervisory organ, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on the strength of that ruling is equally illegal since the law of the land recognises on the Nigeria Football Association (NFA).

Also, he said that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) requires two signatories to facilitate and authenticate any corporate registration

and argued that that could not be the case with the NPL since the registered Nigeria Football League was signatory to its registration along with the NFF. Irabor has also said the new league authority is working round the clock to ensure that a player earns a minimum of 150,000 a month, while a coach is paid 1.5m Naira.

The row over the title sponsorship of the league as well as poor finances forced several postponements of the new league season, which finally kicked off on March 9.

uper Eagles’ 2014 World Cup opponents, Harambee Stars of Kenya, will arrive in Calabar this morning ahead of Saturday’s crucial World Cup qualifier at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar.

The Kenyans, who are rooted in the bottom of the fourteam log, landed in Lagos yesterday afternoon via a Kenya Airways flight and were lodged to rest after the long journey.

However, the Kenyans were not happy that they had to spend the night in Lagos as they had thought they would be given a chartered flight by the Nigeria Football Federation to fly to Calabar immediately.

“They have put us in a two star hotel here in Lagos but we don’t mind since it is just one night and then we leave for Calabar. We are trying to prevail upon them to give us a training ground,” an official told a wire service.

Hussein said the weather was very hot and this may affect the Kenyans especially coming from cooler Nairobi.

This Group F encounter is must win for both sides if they hope to brighten their chances of making the World Cup in Brazil.

While Nigeria lead with four points, Kenya is bottom of the group. With three points, Namibia are breathing down the necks of the African champions. The Brave Warriors host Malawi this weekend in Windhoek.

Kenya have never defeated Nigeria in 13 meetings at the senior level where the west Africans have won 11 times. The best record for the Harambee Stars is two draws.

Obafemi Martins breathes fire and brimstone against Harambee Stars

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bafemi Martins, the last of the foreignbased Eagles to hit camp for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Calabar is breathing fire and brimstone against the Harambee Stars of Kenya.

Martins, who have just moved to Seattle Sounders in the Major League Soccer

(MLS), stepped into the Transcorp Hotel by 1.30pm and settled in with others for the evening training.

“The Kenyans will fall.

They are no match to Nigeria. They have never beaten us before nor will they on Saturday. In fact, they are in for total

demolition and I personally will wreck them with goals,” he said.

The player fondly called ‘weapon of mass destruction’ believes the Eagles have the depth, zest and pedigree not only to intimidate the Kenyans but to end their hope of 2014 World Cup.

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has applauded the lush green turf of the U.J. Esuene stadium, Calabar, venue of Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against the Harambee Stars.

“Yes, we had a feel of the turf yesterday and I must confess that I am highly

impressed even though there is still room for improvement. For me, this is the best stadium in the country for now and I hope other states will have something like this soon,” Keshi said.

Keshi restated his confidence leading up to Saturday’s showdown.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013

•The reason most mosquito bites itch is because mosquitos inject saliva into the persons skin before they suck your blood.

•The saliva has an anti coagulant agent to stop clotting and hence is an irritant to the skin.

•Babe Ruth wore a cabbage leaf under his hat while playing baseball, and he used to change it every two innings.

•Adolf Hitler's mother seriously considered having an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor.

•An olive tree can live to 1500 years old.

•US presidents who were survived by there fathers: John F. Kennedy and Warren Harding.

•Every day, over 1,300 babies are born prematurely in the USA. •Pennies are made of 95% copper and 5% zinc.

•Banana oil never came from a banana; it's made from petroleum •People who spend lots of time in other people's lives are avoiding dealing with their own.

•People who confess "I shouldn't tell you but....." will do the same thing to you as they do to everyone else.

•Speaking your truth is not telling other people that they are wrong and you are right.

•If you have to ask someone else if he/ she is right for you then they probably aren't.

•Without the journey there is no point to the destination.

•People who stick their head in the sand will eventually get their butt's kicked.

•What you see on the surface is rarely what lies underneath.

•Courage is not to stand in the path of the lion but to seek to understand why it wishes to harm you in the first place.

•We are not born parents we have to learn how to be parents.

•Words only have as much power as you

PAGE 47

Some Interesting Facts give them.

•Wise people sit in silence only then will the hear their own voice.

•Angels are not there to do the work for us but to show us the work to be done.

•There is no such thing as the perfect relationship.

•Never put the milk in before the hot water when making a cup of tea.

•We control nothing but our own thoughts and actions.

•No one can make you happy except yourself.

•It is only a mistake if you learn nothing from the experience.

•I don't know everything so teach me I can't hear everything so tell me I won't see everything so show me together we will grow.

•There is more to life than increasing its speed ~ Gandhi •Regrets are choices we failed to make.

•What you hold in your heart is what you will take into the next life.

•Just because you don't see the seed once you have planted it doesn't mean it isn't growing.

•It is only there because you believe it to be there if you had believed it was not there then it would not of

existed.

•There is no ultimate truth because truth is merely perception combined with a judgment.

•Gender does not exist everyone has ying and yang traits.

•Your experiences are not who you are.

•Assumptions are those things we make when we are too lazy to check out the facts.

•No one is totally objective.

•Family is not always the one you were born into sometimes it can be an outstretched hand and a welcoming smile.

•You are not always going to be right.

•Humility is the ability to admit you

were wrong.

•Character someone said was the thing you do when no one else is looking.

•The measure of a man is not what he carries in his wallet but how he carries himself.

•Speedos are not attractive no matter who is wearing them.

•If you give an inch chances are you will gain a mile.

•If you would not want it done to you then you shouldn't do it to others.

•If you are not dealing with reality than all you are doing is creating an illusion.

•Pride is a badge only a fool wears.

•The person who knows the most is usually the one who talks the least.

•Everyone deserves to be valued and to be loved.

•No one has your answers but you.

Say what?

SUDOKU

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Last edition’s solution

Smug: The red kangaroo looking very pleased with himself as he soaks up the Florida sun.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk