Peoples Daily Newspaper, Wednessday, February 22, 2012

Post poll violence: Yakowa’s government insincere, say victims

PAGE 3

Vol. 7 No. 79

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Rabiul Thani 1, 1433 AH

N150

INSIDE

Stray lion kills two people, 30 animals 4 in Yobe

Outrage over Qur’an burning by US 33 soldiers

CPC national secretariat faces ejection Friday

39

Jonathan rules out police in 2015 polls

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday made a rare pledge towards preparations for the conduct of 2015 general elections, saying his administration was ready to

conduct the polls in a peaceful manner without deployment of the police and other security agents.

President Jonathan, who spoke in Calabar, the Cross River state capital at the grand finale of the campaign rally for the

gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Liyel Imoke, said: “We want to make sure that we conduct election in Nigeria without police; we want to conduct election without security people carrying guns. We want a situation where

Nigerians will queue up and vote, go back home, the votes are counted and nobody is cheated so that at the end of elections, there will not be all kinds of litigations.”

He continued: “That is our next campaign and God willing before 2015 elections we will

conduct elections without security carrying guns to follow us. We are disciplined people, we know we have some people that are fairly extreme but generally Nigerians are disciplined people.”

The President insisted that: “If Contd on Page 2

Lassa fever spreads, kills 40 people in 12 states

By Aisha Biola Raji, with agency reports

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Sokoto state Governor-elect, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (middle), displaying his certificate of return, after receiving it at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM

he Federal Ministry of Health yesterday raised the alarm that Lassa fever has spread across the country, affecting 12 states, even as it revealed that the disease has so far claimed the lives of 40 people in 12 states of the federation.

Minister of State for Health, Dr Muhammed Ali Pate, who made the disclosure at a press briefing, however hinted that efforts were being made by the government to curtail the spread of the epidemic. He said the Ministry has directed all health facilities in the country to attend to any patient suffering from Lassa fever free of charge.

He gave the break-down of the victims of the pandemic to include six health workers, two doctors, Contd on Page 2

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

CONTENTS News

2-11

Editorial

12

Op.Ed

13

Letters

14

Opinion

15

Metro

16-17

Business

19-22

S/Exchange

23

S/Report

24

Motoring

26

Feature

27

Arts

29

Post poll violence: Yakowa’s government insincere, say victims

By Ali Alkali

T

he 2011 post election violence victims in Kaduna state who are now refugees living at the Hajj Camp in Mando, outskirts of Kaduna metropolis, have accused the state government of neglect and deceit, as they insist on continuing to live at the camp until they are adequately compensated.

Taking newsmen round the camp to see the deplorable condition they live in, they accused the Kaduna state government of abandoning them to their fate.

Earlier last week, the state government asked the refugees to vacate the camp, saying they have overstayed their welcome, and that many of them have already secured accommodation in the villages near the camp and only show up when they hear that some officials were was coming with money or relief materials.

Reacting to this allegation by the state government, the

refugees invited newsmen to visit at night and see those who were staying at the camp. They insisted that they were not vacating the camp until the state government gives them full compensation of the properties they lost during last year’s election violence caused by politicians.

Malam Sanusi Maikudi, who spoke on behalf of the refugees, said: “No one can force us to leave this camp. Where do we go to, and how do we start a new life? How can you give someone who lost his entire property just N15,000 and ask him to go and start a new life?

He has to buy food, medicine, clothes, rent an accommodation and pay his children’s school fees. All these with N15, 000? This is the greatest injustice we have ever seen. We are not going anywhere.”

The government on its part accused the victims of exploiting the situation in order to continue receiving aid from the state government

and private individuals who visit to assist at the invitation of the state government.

Sheikh Haliru Maraya, Special Adviser to Governor Yakowa on Religious Matters, said the state government was not trying to eject the refugees by force. He said that an earlier agreement between the state government and the refugees was reached, but the refugees refused to honour their part of the deal.

According to Sheikh Maraya,“The st ate government did not say everybody must go back to where he came from. What the government said was that each head of a family should look for alternative accommodation at any village of his choice since they all came from rural areas in Zonkwa; and the government will give him money to pay for a year’s rent. When the rent was calculated, all of them got between N18, 000 and N20, 000.

“After that the state gov-

ernor invited Dangote to come and assist. Dangote came and gave each one of them N100, 000, with an agreement that they will vacate the camp and find accommodation at any place of their choice. This is the agreement between the state government and them. It is now left to them to honour their part of the agreement,” he added.

Also reacting to the press conference called by the Mando Camp refugees, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said while its officials in Kaduna Zonal office were actively involved in the rescue operation after the incident, they also carried out assessments of the damages based on the situations on the ground.

On the refugees’ insistence on receiving compensation from the government, NEMA said in a statement signed by its spokesman, Yushau Shuaib that “the group needs to realise that the agency is not a compensation institution; but only gives some palliatives to cushion the effect of the disaster as interim measures.”

Jonathan rules out police in 2015 polls Atiku backs Sovereign National Conference, Page 39

International 31-34 Strange World 35 Digest

36

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-47

Contd from Page 1 we all agree to do it, we will do it, we will conduct elections in this country without security and Cross River state is one of such states that can be used as a model; we can conduct elections in this peaceful state without police.”

The campaign rally for Imoke and his running mate, Efiok Cobham, which took place at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, was attended by many PDP chieftains including former

48

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governorship election.

Acting Governor of the state, Larry Odey, said Imoke had been endorsed by the people to govern the state for the next four years.

Others present at the campaign rally were former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar, Senate President David Mark, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Senate Leader, Vctor Ndoma-Egba, and former Cross River state Governor, Donald

Duke.

Also at the rally were Governors Patrick Yakowa (Kaduna), Henry Seriake-Dickson (Bayelsa), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta).

While addressing the crowd after he was presented with the PDP flag by the acting Chairman of the party, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Imoke promised to work harder to consolidate on his first term achievements.

Lassa fever spreads, kills 40 people in 12 states Contd from Page 1

Columnist

President Olusegun Obasanjo.

While addressing the PDP supporters at the stadium, Obasanjo who appeared at the campaign rally in a blue jeans trousers and a red shortsleave campaign shirt, said Imoke had performed well in administering the state.

Vice-President Mohammad Namadi Sambo, in his own speech, also called on the people of Cross River state to support Imoke in coming Saturday's

four nurses and a 28-year-old youth corps member, who on completing her three weeks orientation training at Rivers state National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp, went to visit her familY at Abakaliki Afikpo.

She was there discovered with symptoms of Lassa fever and died as its result.

Nevertheless, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and other stakeholders, in collaboration with the National Lassa Fever Stakeholders Forum, and heads of various affected hospitals, have been saddled with its prevention and control.

Pate further dislosed that those states currently under the scourge of the pandemic include Edo, Nasarawa, Plateau, Ebonyi, Taraba, Yobe, Ondo, Rivers, Gombe, Anambra, Delta and Lagos.

He disclosed that the disease was first reported in Edo, Nasarawa and Plateau from where it was subsequently exported to Lagos, Rivers and Yobe.

The minister described Lassa fever as an acute febrile illness, with bleeding and death in severe cases, caused by the Lassa virus.

According to him, it has an incubation period of between six and 21 days to manifest in patients.

Pate said: "The ministry (of health) through its surveillance system started to see cases of this in isolated manner but those cases accumulated. So far, there are 397 suspected cases of which about 40 individuals have lost their lives unfortunately as a result of this viral disease. We are very fortunate that we have reference laboratories in our country that can actually diagnose this illness in good time.

"The Iwu Specialist Hospital in Edo sate and the Lagos University

Teaching Hospital are very well equipped and have been able to identify and diagnose these cases and that has contributed to the promptness of our response in terms of this cases of Lassa fever", he said.

He assured that the ministry had taken drastic measures to curtail further spread of the disease and reduce mortality among the affected persons. The minister said that the ministry had released adequate quantities of Ribavirin injections to all the affected states for prompt treatment of cases, stressing that rapid response teams had also been deployed to the affected states.

He added that relevant health personnel had been sensitized and mobilized in areas of patient management and care.

"The ministry has also distributed protective gloves as safety equipment for healthcare workers because it is a virus where if health workers are not

protected when handling a case they can also get infected and that is an area that we can prevent.

"The area of health education, what we are doing here today interacting with the media is part of the effort to sensitize Nigerians; we don’t want to know when a situation has gotten worse and what protective measure people can take. Do not allow the rodent, host of this virus to come into contact with either food or with human habitation and there are practices that can be taken to prevent that from happening. For instance, the rodent lives in bushes around houses.

“These are not the usual rodents, rats that live within people's houses. These are rodents that live outside the houses and when people either burn bushes or allow bushes to grow around their houses, the rodents may be forced to come into contact with their food; people need to be aware of that,’’ he warned.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 3

NNN strike: NLC, NUJ want NGF chairman to resign From Lawal Sadiq Sanusi, Kaduna

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he Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPOW), have joined the call for the chairman of the Northern

Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Niger state governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu to resign following the lack of commitment of the forum and his leadership to addressing the crises bedeviling the New Nigerian Newspapers (NNN).

A statement jointly signed by the chairman of NLC, Kaduna

state chapter, Comrade Adamu Ango, chairman and secretary of the NUJKaduna chapter, Comrade Yusuf Idris and Dominic Uzu respectively, as well as the vice-president of NUPPOW, North-west zonal council, Comrade Adamu Dauda, recalled how well the NNN served both the Federal

Government and 19-northern states.

The NLC chairman who read the statement, lamented further that due to utter lack of commitment on the part of the owner-governors to reposition the company, some members of the Northern Governors Forum have for the umpteenth time failed to redeem pledges made in form of a life-line to the NNN each time the forum gathers for its

Police, robbers gun duel claims 5 in Borno

Nigeria targets N18tr annually from oil sales

By Aminu Imam, with agency report

N

igeria’s combined crude oil and condensate production, which is set to increase by 180,000 barrels per day (bpd), to 2.68 million bpd, would translate to an estimated annual earnings of $118.4 billion or N18.9 trillion annually for the Federal Government as oil prices hit an eight-month high of $121 bpd.

The projected increase was disclosed by the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani AlisonMadueke in a speech at the 2012 Abuja Oil and Gas Conference yesterday."A major enhancement of deepwater oil production was achieved as a result of the arrival of the FPSO Usan into the Nigerian waters ... in a few weeks oil production will increase by about 180,000 barrels per day," the minister said.

According to Reuters data report on Monday, oil prices have shot up, with Brent crude hitting an eight-month high above $121 a barrel, as Iran said it was halting oil exports to British and French companies ahead of a European Union embargo.

Fears of supply disruption in Iran and upbeat economic data from the world's largest oil user, the United States, have pushed oil prices up over the past month.

Nigeria has for decades milked profits from crude exports rather than investing in local downstream infrastructure and refining capacity has fallen in the last decade, despite several government promises and missed targets.

Diezani Alison-Madueke also said oil refinery utilisation capacity is expected to increase to 90 percent in the next two years after maintenance was completed by the original construction companies.

periodic meetings.

The statement said in part: “Owner-governors should tighten up their hold on the New Nigerian or in the alternative privatise it for effective management”.

It would be recalled that the NNN staff had proceeded on strike to protest the nonpayment 10 months salary arrears and the poor management of the New Nigerian Newspapers.

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

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Mrs. Adeolu Ajao picking through from her stalls demolished by the Ogun state Ministry of Environment, yesterday, at Oke-Ilewo area of Abeokuta metropolis.

Why FG delays appointment of new DIGs

By Lambert Tyem

I

ndications emerged yesterday that the Federal Government may be considering its decision to revert to the old method of appointing a single person to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), instead of the current method of six DIGs. Our correspondent learnt that the Committee on implementation of the new Police Reform Act may have advised government to immediately implement all recommendations pertaining the promotion, ranking and hierarchy in the police force.

An inside police source who declined identification said: "This development has slowed down

government decision on the appointment of new DIGs since the sack of Hafiz Ringim as IGP along with his six deputies.

"And since Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar was immediately appointed as IGP in acting capacity, no DIG has been appointed till date.

"In the past, the DIGs form the management team of the IGP and help him in piloting the affairs of the force and they are appointed according to seniority in each of the six geopolitical zones of the nation; but if this new policy of only one DIG works, how will the appointment be made? Which zone will he come from?” the source queried.

Our reporter also learnt that over 30 police officers from the rank

of Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police (CPs) and down the line will leave police service next week (1st of March, 2012).

It was gathered that some of those leaving the service are being forced due to bad record; while others have attained the 35 years limit of service.

Confirming the development, the deputy Force Public Relations Officer (DFPRO), Yemi Ajayi, said "it is normal that police officers retire from service year-in yearout.

"I know that some top ranking officers are retiring from service soon especially those who joined the service from 1977 and 1978. Most of them are going end of this month and first week of March", he said.

ive people including two policemen, a bank official and two suspected armed robbers were killed yesterday afternoon when the hoodlums waylaid a bullion van belonging to Unity Bank in Benishiek town along Maiduguri-Damaturu highway.

A cashier of the bank was killed in gun battle between the suspects and the police escorts at about 1.30pm.

It was gathered that the van which was carrying an undisclosed amount of money, was heading to Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, after withdrawing the cash from Maiduguri branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), when it was ambushed by a gang of 10 robbery suspects.

The two policemen killed were among those attached to the van as escorts when they ran into the hoodlums, who fired sporadic shots at the vehicle, while the escorts also fired back, leading to a serious gun duel.

During the confrontation, the robbers were said to have overpowered the security operatives and made away with the money, leaving the two of their colleagues dead.

The gun shots caused pandemonium in the area, as motorists abandoned their vehicles while pedestrians were thrown in confusion.

Spokesman of the state police command, Mr. Samuel Tizhe, who confirmed the incident, also said two other policemen and driver of the van sustained injuries in the attack.

Jonathan earmarks N3.18bn for OBJ, IBB, Shagari, others

By Richard Ihediwa

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan has forwarded a revised 2012 budget of N4.6 trillion to the National Assembly, in which he earmarked

a total of N3.18 billion for the settlement of entitlements for the nation’s former heads of state and their deputies in 2012.

Those to benefit from the N3.18 billion entitlement include former president Olusegun

Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, former heads of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Abdusalami Abubakar, General Yakubu Gowon as well as vicepresidents of the country.

The President in the revised

budget read on the floor of the Senate by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday, also proposed for inclusion in the budget a total of N880 billion for fuel subsidy for the year.

The President’s letter is coming on the heels of earlier announcement by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that there were plans to pull off the sum of N100 billion from the earlier N4.7 trillion budget.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 4

N252.9m scam: EFCC arraigns college bursar in Anambra

By Lambert Tyem

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he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has docked a College of Education bursar at an Anambra State High Court on a four count charge bordering on forgery and uttering.

According to Wilson Uwujaren Ag. Head, Media & Publicity of EFCC, “the suspect was arraigned before Justice V.M Ume in the Judicial Council of the Court.

“Mr. Michael Ekwunife, bursar of Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, Anambra State was alleged to have deducted the sum of N200 million from the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) account of the college; misappropriated over fifty million naira (N50,000,000:00) unpaid salaries and allowances and unauthorised approval and misappropriation of over two million, nine hundred thousand

naira (N2, 900,000:00); all totalling two hundred and fifty two million, nine hundred thousand naira only (N252, 900,000.00k).

Ekwunife’s petitioner alleged that the suspect was involved in reckless expenditure of scarce funds, misappropriation of retired officers’ salaries and allowances since May 2000, forgery of educational and birth certificates of some members of staff, inflation of hotel bills of the interim provost, and unilateral approval of funds by the Provost.

The suspect pleaded not guilty to the four count charge preferred against him and a bail application was filed accordingly.

Justice Ume after hearing the bail application granted the suspect bail in the sum of two hundred thousand naira only (N200,000:00).

The judge adjourned the case to May 3rd, 19th, 23rd, and 26th for accelerated trial”.

Heads to roll over N2trn pension fund scam

By Richard Ihediwa

H

eads may roll in the pension administration sector as Senate has widened its probe into alleged discrepancies in the books in relation to the N2 trillion said to have been disbursed as pensions since the beginning of the new pension scheme.

This followed findings that substantial part of the money has been disbursed to unspecified number of ghost pensioners.

Chairman of the Senate joint committee investigating the management of the fund, Senator Aloysius Etok said though no case of fraud has so far been established

in the handling of the fund, the panel would unravel why thousands of pensioners have not been paid despite the spending of the huge amount.

Etok, who spoke yesterday in Abuja said the inability of the pensioners to access their payments was unacceptable especially as according to him, government was paying over N3 billion every month as pension for retired civil servants.

According to him, the committee would after the investigation, use the facts gathered to work out a legal framework for the establishment of a more effective and transparent pension

administration system in the country.

Part of the strategies being canvassed by the committee was the merging of the new and old pension scheme as well as the centralisation of all pension administration schemes among the three tiers of governments as well as the creation of a central bio-metric data base for all pensioners across the country.

Meanwhile thousands of retired civil servants whose states are yet to join the Federal Government contributory pension fund may have to wait long for such payment. Enugu, Benue, Rivers, kebbi among others are yet to join the scheme.

Lion kills 2 persons, 30 animals in Yobe

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wo persons and some 30 domestic animals have been killed by a rampaging lion in the Gulani Local Government Area of Yobe state.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Wakil Sarki, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview in Damaturu yesterday.

He said that hunters and game specialists in the state’s Ministry for Environment had been mobilised to search for the lion and kill it.

“The matter was reported to us yesterday (Monday) after the animal had killed two people and 30 animals in villages in Gulani Local Government Area.

“We are suspecting that it is now between the border areas of Gulani

and Gujba Local Government Areas, we will also solicit for the services of the Joint Taskforce on Security to help us scout for the lion.”

The commissioner assured that the combined team of hunters and officials of the ministry would capture the animal soon.

“We hope to capture the animal before the end of today,” he stated.

Meanwhile, NAN learnt that the lion, which was suspected to have escaped from Yankari Games Reserve in Bauchi state had devoured a cow spotted along the Damaturu/Gujba borders.

Meanwhile villagers in Gulani, Gujba and some areas of Damaturu now live in fear of the beast with most of them restricting their movements. (NAN)

Armed robbery surges in Yobe From Godwin Uche, Damaturu

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ith the recent declaration of the state of emergency in some parts of Yobe State and the imposition of curfew, there have been an increase in various forms of crimes in the state by hoodlums who take advantage of it, to ransack business premises.

Besides highway banditry on some major roads in the state, house and store breaking have increased.

Residents in Yobe, especially those who travel in and out of the state, remember with nostalgia the past old days before the attacks in Yobe that gave rise to the present scenario, spoke of how the state enjoyed peace without such molestation by arm bandits, courtesy of the pro-active intervention of the successive governors of the stateespecially the present Governor Ibrahim Gaidam who lobbied some of the armed robbers into repentance and handover of their weapons to the authorities.

However, the ugly trend has reared its head again, traumatizing people in their houses and on the highways within the state.

One of such ugly incidents was the recent attack in Yunusari local government area by gunmen who scared people away with gunshots, ransacked homes and carted away

large sums of money in cash and valuables running into millions of naira.

Just recently, on Wednesday February the 15t, 2012, the Yobe State police command succeeded in bursting an armed robbery syndicate that has been tormenting passengers and motorist along the DamaturuMaiduguri road, during which one out of the seven armed robbers named Kolo Ibrahim of Jama’are village in Gujba local government area of Yobe State was arrested.

The bandits attempted to rob motorists, but were pursued into the bush where one of them was arrested while others escaped.

Items recovered from the bandits include 1 AK47 rifle magazine, 3 Red Kasea motorcycles, 1 Nokia handset, 4 bows and arrows and a sword.

Meanwhile, some arrested criminals were recently paraded by the police command before newsmen in the new temporary police headquarters along Gashua road and displayed items recovered from them which included guns and live ammunitions, iron cutter, machetes, 1 dagger, 1 digger and 1 iron pincher.

The state police commissioner had recently vowed that the police, though restrained by logistics and enough manpower, was making achievements in crime fighting in the state.

Long queue of motorists at the AP Filling station opposite Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, yesterday.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

I’m ready for trial, ex Bank PHB boss tells court From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

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ormer Managing Director of Bank PHB Plc (now Keystone Bank), Francis Atuche yesterday told Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja that he is ready to go on with his trial.

However, his co- defendant, a former Director of the bank, Funmi Ademosun applied that the court should stay proceeding on the trial pending determination of his appeal.

Ademosun through his counsel, Robert Clarke (SAN) applied to the court for a Stay of proceeding pending his appeal against a ruling delivered by Justice Onigbanjo on December 2, 2011 at the Court of Appeal.

Atuche was charged separately with the two former directors of the Bank and the trio are each facing a three-count charge of conspiracy and the theft of N11.4 billion, belonging to the bank.

When the case came up for hearing yesterday, Atuche’s counsel, Anthony Idigbe (SAN)

told the court when asked whether they would react to the application of the second defendant, that they are not interested in the application.

“We are ready to go on with the trial. We have no interest in the outcome of the application but we wish them success in their application,” Idigbe stated.

When the case was called, Clarke informed the court that before the trial could go on; they have an application to move.

“We have an application dated 16th February 2012 that we have filed in court and I believe they have served on other parties only to be told that they have not seen it but I have served them with copies now.”

“The Motion on Notice was brought pursuant to Section 6 (C) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

“It is an application for Stay of proceeding pending determination of appeal of the second defendant at the Court of appeal and any other orders that the court may deem fit,” he said Clarke further told the court

that the right of an appeal while a matter is ongoing is guaranteed under Section 241(1) of the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, adding that the refusal of the court to grant the stay would be inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution.

According to him, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has no power to prosecute his client, adding that the fiat granted it was obsolete under the newly reviewed law, “the question is whether the EFCC can use a nonexistent fiat to operate or persecute and whether the state DPP has the right to give a fiat when power is vested on the AG” “The right of the second defendant to fair hearing is thus questionable because the prosecution has no power to prosecute him.”

Opposing the application, EFCC counsel, Kemi Pinhero argued that the application was incompetent and not supported by a valid notice of appeal.

The court will rule on the matter this morning.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 5

Army disowns wanted Boko Haram personnel

60% of phones in Nigeria are substandard - NCC boss

By Emmanuel Iriogbe

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

he Nigerian Army has refuted claims that one Captain Bahago, a suspected Boko Haram suspect, is its personnel.

A statement signed by the Director, Army Public Relations, Col. OU Abdul, said that after due investigations, the army has come to the conclusion that it does not have any person in its staff by the name, Captain Bahago.

It noted that the suspect in question could have adopted such name in an attempt to impersonate and divert attention from his real identity.

It therefore advised that its inputs be sought on such matters in due course before going to the press especially taking into focus the security situation in the country.

It would be recalled that several newspapers last weekend published the story wherein it was stated that the police had declared the purported Captain Bahago and seven others wanted. The reports largely quoted the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 7, Mr Atiku Y Kafur, who had declared Captain Bahago wanted along seven others for belonging to the Boko Haram sect.

he Executive ViceChairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Engineer Eugene Juwah has said that 60 percent of phones being used by Nigerians are fake and sub- standard products imported from China.

This, he said, was responsible for the inability of the agency to institute a facility that can be used to bar or disconnect stolen phones to make it useless for thieves.

Fielding questions from reporters and editors at a media parley in Abuja yesterday, the NCC boss said the situation was so bad that up to 5 million phones in Nigeria have the same equipment identity number which means

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that if the number is used to spoil a particular phone because it has been stolen, about 5 million people may find their mobile phones useless.

He disclosed that the ongoing SIM card registration would soon end, adding that 110,433,976 SIM cards had been registered while the data was going through processing and cleaning.

He however said that the country’s telephone penetration stood at 95,886,714 lines, which he said meant that there were clear cases of multiple registration.

“These would be eliminated to create a database of integrity and credibility. As the exercise comes to a close, subscribers whose SIM cards are not registered will be deemed not to be interested in the

process or that the SIMs have been abandoned, and will be disconnected.

He however clarified that even when official SIM card registration comes to an end, registration of both disconnected and newlyacquired lines would continue.

The NCC boss also informed journalists that contract for Mobile Number Portability had been awarded and would take effect by the last quarter of the year.

“The MNP, he said, would broaden the choice available to subscribers and impose a code of behaviour on the operators who will want to provide top notch services in order to retain their subscribers,” he enthused.

As part of the commission’s efforts to ensure quality service and

Kano state Governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso, unveiling the book titled “The President Explains”, during the book presentation on former President Olusegun Obasanjo, written by Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Group urges more action against poverty, illiteracy

By Maryam Garba Hassan

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he child rights NonG o v e r n m e n t a l Organisation, Stepping Stones Nigeria, yesterday called for more action to combat low level of literacy and rising poverty in Nigeria.

A statement issued yesterday by the group’s Advocacy Officer, Dr Emilie Secker, said recent figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), stated that nearly 100 million Nigerians were living on less than one dollar a day.

According to the statement, “literacy a right of any child; it is also fundamental to overcoming poverty, because it equips people with the essential skills that they need to play an active and productive role in a society.”

She added that Stepping Stones Nigeria had been encouraged by recent actions of the Nigerian government, with clear signs from the Federal Ministry for Education that they consider literacy a key priority and congratulated the governments of Akwa Ibom and Cross River states on their support for a mass teacher training programme using the synthetic phonics method of teaching literacy.

compliance with regulations, Engr Juwah told pressmen that his men recently shut down a major GSM operator in Abuja for offering poor services.

He advised Nigerians to stick to single lines because using different lines to dial a number because of poor network worsen interconnectivity problems.

Juwah rejected the accusation made by some journalists at the interactive session that the commission was in the habit of protecting service providers rather than punishing them for their erratic services.

He argued that the NCC had a duty to regulate the sector and not necessarily to intimidate the service providers just because most of them are from foreign countries.

Suswam’s aide dies in auto crash From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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he Senior Special Assistant to Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue state on Legal and Constitutional Matters, Barrister Orvendega Gberikon yesterday died in an auto crash at Keffi in Nasarawa state.

Barr. Gberikon was said to have died on the spot after the vehicle he was travelling in crashed. His body has been deposited at Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Keffi.

Reacting to the death of his aide in a press statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and

Public Affairs, Dr. Cletus Akwaya, Governor Suswam who expressed shock, described him as a very reliable and industrious staff.

The late Gberikon joined the administration of Governor Suswam in 2009 as Senior Special Assistant on Legal and Constitutional matters, the

position he held until his demise.

He had worked variously as Director of Corporate Services, Ministry of Justice, Makurdi, Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Ajaokuta Steel Company as well as Special Assistant to two former ministers, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher (former Minister of State for Power and Steel) and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu (former Minister of Internal Affairs).

Fuel price: Committee threatens to shut down filling stations From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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enue state Petroleum Pricing Committee has threatened to shut down petrol stations in the state which refuse to sell fuel at the approved pump price of N97.

Team leader of the Committee, Mr. Ekpe Ogbu who issued the threat while speaking with journalists yesterday at the end of a four-hour

closed door meeting with officials of state Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) said the committee would investigate the veracity of claims by marketers that there was shortage of fuel supply in the state.

Mr. Ogbu warned the independent marketers to stay out of market if they would not sell fuel at the approved price.

The team leader who is also the

Special Adviser to Governor Gabriel Suswam on Public Utilities, intimated that over 24 trucks lifted petrol yesterday, assuring that soon long queues would disappear from filing stations in Makurdi metropolis and other towns in Benue state.

State chairman of IPMAN, Mr. James Tor claimed that petrol supply to the state from NNPC was insufficient, making most of his

members to source petroleum products from private refineries.

He dismissed claims that marketers hoard petrol from motorists and other members of the public and sell to black marketers at night.

Long queues are now commonplace in Makurdi as most marketers refuse to dispense fuel to motorists. Those who do, sell between N150 and N200.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Kwara judiciary workers want CJ sacked S From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

triking judiciary workers in Kwara state have vowed not to end the indefinite strike action embarked upon in protest against the reinstatement of the sacked Chief Judge of the state, Justice Raliat Elelu-Habeeb, saying the decision should be reversed.

The chairperson of the workers

union, Mrs Folake Laaro, who stated the union’s stand at a press briefing yesterday noted that judicial system and administration in the state under Elelu-Habeeb lacked moral integrity and as such did not favour her reinstatement.

The workers stated that “It is important to reiterate here that the resolve of Kwara State Judiciary workers to embark on this protest is exclusively a decision

of the entire workforce aimed at protecting the image, integrity and the overall interest of the judicial system/administration from total collapse.

“This our genuine intention should therefore not in any way be miscontrolled or misinterpreted to mean a disobedience or non conformity with the judgment of the Supreme Court.

We wholeheartedly support the

judgment.

“Nonetheless, all we are emphasizing through this protest is that his lordship Justice Raliat EleluHabeeb lacks all moral integrity to be reinstated as Chief Judge. We are aware that immediately after the judgment was delivered on Friday 17th Febuary, 2012, His Lordship threaten that “The second coming back will be revenge mission”, clearly this is not a sign that His

lordship have repented in anyway.”

To resolve the crisis, the workers recommended that “we respectfully recommended that His lordship should bow out honourably since the entire workers in the Kwara State Judiciary have resolved that we can no longer have or work with Her lordship as the Chief Judge and head of administration in the Kwara state Judiciary”.

Jigawa rights activist arraigned for defamation From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

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L-R: Chairman, Panel of Inquiry, Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, Prof. Ganiyu Badmus, submitting the panel's report to Oyo state Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, yesterday in Ibadan.

Photo: NAN

We want to change public perception of court martials, says CNS

By Emmanuel Iriogbe

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he Chief of Naval Staff, (CNS), Vice Admiral Ola Saad Ibrahim has said that the top hierarchy of the military was taking a proactive stance on courts-martial with a view to correcting public perception of them.

He spoke yesterday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of a weeklong seminar put together by the defence headquarters for commanders and legal officers.

“Law review is a very important aspect of our development. Transformation has brought about a lot of things. We know we have problems out there, here in Nigeria, courts-martial decisions are often viewed with scepticism by the civil criminal justice administration system.

“As a result of these, most of the cases are nullified by the court of Appeal and the supreme court. In line with the transformation agenda of the Armed Forces however, the services are taking proactive measures to ensure that courts-martial enjoy the desired independence and impartiality during proceedings” He said.

Vice Admiral Ibrahim who attended the ceremony in the capacity as acting Chief of Defence Staff noted; also attributed the excellent relationship existing between Nigeria and the United States government as reasons why the Americans are currently involved in the training of military lawyers.

“It is part celebration of our good relationship with the Americans and they have been involved in other aspects of training and capacity building”.

On the objective of the seminar, he said it was a means of engaging military lawyers who have to interpret the country’s laws and benefit from best practices that exist somewhere else.

“You know they (Americans) have wealth of experience on matters relating to laws. Cross border exchanges and interactions like this seminar therefore provide fertile grounds for capacity building and cross pollination of ideas by participants in relevant areas of military law” He informed participants that in the unlikely event of the country engaging in inter-state conflicts,

efforts were being channelled towards the development of capacities for dealing with evolving challenges such as terrorism menace, militancy, human trafficking and other gender/culture based cross-border crimes.

Vice Admiral Ibrahim told participants at the seminar which ends on Friday February 24 to take advantage of the wide range of topics chosen for the seminar with the aim of being better equipped to address most of the identified problems within the military justice administration in the country.

famous rights activist, Malam Muhammad Ali Ringim, has been arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Ringim, Jigawa state, for alleged defamation of the character of Chief of Staff to the Jigawa state governor, Malam Aminu Ringim.

The activist was arrested by the police last week and charged with alleged criminal intimidation and giving false information to mislead the public and slight the character of Malam Aminu Ringim.

Ringim, a staunch critic of government, was arrested after he was alleged to have called on the EFCC to investigate the state government over the award of N3.5 billion meant for compensation for those whose buildings were demolished to ease the construction of township roads in Ringim, Miga, Maigatari, Gagarawa, Gumel, Babura and Auyo local governments areas of

the state.

According to the content of the petition that he wrote to the Chairman of the EFCC and made available to the Peoples Daily, Ringim alleged that the award of monetary compensation was selfishly carried out in the state.

“We are suspecting financial irregularities and the monetary compensation paid to people were made to politicians and the cronies of the Jigawa state Governor’s Chief of Staff,” he alleged.

Ringim had once petitioned the EFCC over alleged misapropriation of funds by the Jigawa state government that led to the ultimate arrests of its top government functionaries in 2009.

The case which was mentioned at the Ringim Magistrate Court’s before Magistrate Abdullahi Ibrahim Aliyu on Friday 17th of February was later adjourned to Thursday 23rd of February for continued hearing while the accused has been remanded in prison.

Don’t exaggerate security issues, Uduaghan tells envoys From Adesoji Oyinlola, Lagos

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elta state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has appealed to foreign missions in the country not to exaggerate security issues but instead give accurate reports on events in the country to their home countries.

Dr. Uduaghan who made the appeal when The Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria paid him a courtesy call in Asaba, stressed the need for accurate report as exaggerated reports create false impressions and negative impact on Nigeria.

He said embassies in the country have the tendency to over blow the account of security situations and

in the country and enjoined them not to paint a different picture from the realities on ground.

“We portray ourselves the way we are. I have refused to suppress facts about security,” the governor said such false reports could affect the investment potentials in the country and in the long run affect foreign investors.

“Some Embassies have the tendency to over blow reports on events in the country and such reports discourage potential foreign investors from coming to partner with Nigeria,” he said.

Dr. Uduaghan appealed for the assistance of The Netherland in the area of capacity building in the country in order to ensure good governance.

Amosun inaugurates SIEC board members From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, Abeokuta

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gun state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun will today swear-in new members of the Ogun state Independent Electoral Commission, the House of Assembly Service Commission and the Judicial Service Commission.

Also to be inaugurated is the

Board of Ogun State Housing Corporation.

In a statement in Abeokuta, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barr. Taiwo Adeoluwa said the event which is scheduled to commence at 10am will take place at the Executive Council Chambers, Office of the Governor, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.

The state Independent Electoral Commission has as its Chairman, a former Permanent

Secretary in the State Civil Service, Alhaja Risikat Iyabo Ogunfemi while the Judicial Service Commission is chaired by the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Olatokunbo Olopade.

The House of Assembly Service Commission is chaired by a former member of the Federal House of Representatives, Honourable Jimoh Ojugbele while the Housing Corporation Board is to be chaired

by Alhaji Basiru Fadairo.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 7

No Court order stopping C/River governorship election, says INEC

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said there is no order restraining it from going ahead with the Cross River state governorship election scheduled to hold on Saturday, 25th February, 2012.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the chairman of INEC, Kayode Idowu, said the clarification became necessary against the background of the report that a Federal High Court in Abuja restrained INEC from conducting the governorship election through an order issued in Abuja on Monday, February 20, 2012.

“For avoidance of doubt, INEC has not been served with the purported court order. The Commission

indeed took the pain to check with the court today (February 21, 2012), whether there was such an order.

The court categorically denied issuing the said order; neither has the court summoned INEC for defence on any date, as was widely reported”, the statement added.

INEC called on the public to be wary of interests that may want to stall the ongoing electoral processes through sensational reports of phantom court orders and commended Nigerians for keeping faith with the national quest for a credible and durable democracy in the country.

The statement urged residents of Cross River state to turn out en masse

and exercise their franchise in the governorship election holding on Saturday.

Meanwhile, there are strong indications that Justice Abdul Kafarati may reverse his order which purportedly restrained INEC from going ahead with Saturday’s governorship election in Cross River state.

Sources at the Supreme Court and in the judiciary, told our reporter that the order was made out of jurisdiction and that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher may advise the court to reverse the order.

It would be recalled that Justice Kafarati, had late Monday allegedly restrained the electoral body from conducting Saturday’s governorship election in Cross River state.

Bauchi trains civil servants with N119 million From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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he Bauchi state government has expended N119m on training of 4,902 civil servants in various inservice courses across the state.

Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state stated this while declaring open an induction course for permanent secretaries and other senior officials for the purpose of leadership development in line with the administration’s policy of training and re-training of all cadres of civil servants in the state.

Gov. Yuguda said

permanent secretaries are in the forefront in the implementation of his administration’s programmes, particularly as they are at the apex of leadership and vanguard of policy initiation, execution and accountability.

According to him, ‘about 4,622 civil servants were also promoted through civil service promotion examination.’

He described the entire civil service as an indispensable engine for s o c i o - e c o n o m i c development for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Yuguda who was represented by the Commissioner for Water and Rural Development, Sani Mohammed Bura, said civil servants represent a vehicle through which government policies and programmes are implemented and executed in nation building.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to continue capacity building among the civil servants, so as to ensure a disciplined and motivated civil service, in addition to putting in place competent hands capable of service delivery.

Edo commences project inspection FromOsaigbovoIguobaro,Benin

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do state government has redoubled its effort on project monitoring by instructing the project monitoring team in the office of the state governor to immediately commence an “on the spot assessment” of both the state government and local governments projects in the state, with a view to ascertaining the level of completion and the quality of work.

In respect to this instruction, the team, headed by the Executive Director of Project Monitoring and

Implementation to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Peter Okoh, began inspection at Esan South and East local government areas where they assessed projects cutting across almost all the villages.

At Ewohimi, the team inspected state government projects which are at various stages.

Notable among the project sites visited include, Edo State Model School, Okede, and Okaigben Primary School.

The team also inspected on-going reconstruction of St. John

Bosco College, Ubiaja, Oghenyen, Eguare, Ibhiedu Okorodua, in the same local government, where modern blocks of classrooms with ceiling fans, desks, tiled floors and attached toilets were built to replace old and dilapidated structures.

The Headmaster of Okaigben Primary School, Paul Omojaiho and Aisagbonhi Emmanuel a student of St. John Bosco, told our Correspondent that, “The structure is not in any way comparable to what past administration provided as classrooms.

This is now learning made easy”.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 8

Revenue: FRSC pledges cooperation with Taraba From Yushau Alhassan, Jalingo

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he Federal Road Safety Corps in Taraba state has commended the Board of Internal Revenue for the cordial working relationship existing between them.

The new sector commander in the state, Peter Kibo made the commendation in Jalingo, the state capital when he visited the board during a familiarisation tour of some offices with related functions to his command.

Kibo said his command would continue to partner with the Board in generating more revenue for government especially in the area of number plates and driving licenses.

He urged the people of the state especially motorists to support the command to enable it carry out its duties effectively.

Kibo thanked people of the state for their understanding and adherence to highway rules.

Chairman of the Board, Yusuf Galadima promised to work closely with the new sector

commander to enable him carry out his assignment.

Galadima told the new commander that FRSC was a partner in progress and stressed the need for team work between the two organisations.

Meanwhile, motorists in the State have been called upon to ensure the maintenance of their

vehicles to avoid accident.

The Taraba state coordinator, Special Marshal of the FRSC, Chris Obi who made the call yesterday during the free safety check exercise in Jalingo, said the exercise was meant to create awareness on vehicle maintenance for the safety of lives and property.

He frowned at drivers who make calls or read text messages while driving pointing out that such habits could lead to fatal accidents.

Obi, who is also the Northern states Coordinator of the Special Marshal Forum of Nigeria, commended vehicle owners in the state for ensuring that both

mechanical and electrical systems in their vehicles were functional.

The Coordinator maintained that there was improvement in vehicle maintenance culture this year than the last adding that the free safety check exercise was a yearly activity across the country.

Friendly fire: Identify yourselves properly, CP tells officers Muslim, Christian leaders preach peace in Bauchi

L-R: Clerk of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Compliance, Mr. Shuaibu Mohammed, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Moroof Akinderu Fatai and Deputy Chairman, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, during a meeting between the Committee and the Management of Mainstream Bank over the sack of 41 Afribank staff, at the National Assembly Complex, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

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he Commissioner of Police in Enugu state, Mr Dan’Azumi Doma, has advised officers and men of the command to identify themselves properly in the course of discharging their duties to avoid anything that may threaten their safety.

He gave the advice yesterday in Enugu while condoling with the family of a deceased officer of the command, Insp. Clement Onwuegbuta, who was shot dead by some of his colleagues as a result of mistaken identity.

A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amarizu, quoted the commissioner as describing the incident as unfortunate, and urged the command to commence investigation into the case.

Doma appealed to other police officers not to be demoralised by the incident.

He described the deceased as a diligent officer, who hailed from Rivers and was the head of the surveillance unit of the Uwani Division.

The statement explained that the incident happened along the rail line, near Ogui Division and Uwani Division, described as a black spot, due to the high rate of criminal activities there.

It said the deceased was on duty at the black spot, when a group of policemen tried to stop him, but he fled, and in the process, he was shot. (NAN)

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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eligious leaders in Bauchi state have enjoined residents of the state to live in peace with one another irrespective of their religious and ethnic differences.

Speaking separeately to newsmen yesterday at the end of the annual Eid-Malud programme organised by the Bauchi state chapter of Islamic Movement in Nigeria, an Islamic scholar in the state, Malam Ahmed Yusuf Yashi and Rev Dauda Galadima of ECWA

Church 3 Yelwa, who presented papers at the occasion, said no meaningful development would be recorded in a society where there is no peace.

Malam Yashi, a guest speaker at the occasion described peaceful coexistence among the people as the cornerstone of development of a nation.

“This programme was organised to give our people indepth lecture on peace as part of our effort to end the problem that has bedeviled our country and that is why we invited different

people including Christian leaders so that we can all come together and sensitise our people in order to bring lasting peace to the state.

He described Bauchi state as a peaceful state where the adherents of both religions have been living together without molestation.

He stated that such events where Christian and Muslims would come together to interact would be organised often.

Also speaking, Rev Galadima of ECWA Church 3, Yelwa Makaranta area of Bauchi

commended the organisers of the occasion for inviting Christians to the programme saying it would go a long way to foster Christian/ Muslim relationship in the state.

He described the Christian/ Muslim relationship in the area as cordial noting that “since I was posted to the area last three years, we have not recorded any crises because we all live as friends and brothers and sisters”.

So, I want to enjoin every one of us to continue with such sprit as well as others in the state and country”, he said.

collection was required to assess, analyse and communicate the associated and perceived danger to the environment.

She said the training was also vital to NESTREA’s efforts at building a workforce that would implement the agency’s various regulations, even as she advised them to “use the unique opportunity provided by this training to enrich

yourselves professionally and acquire new skills in the science of environmental risk assessment.”

The DG hoped that the event would create a platform for future collaboration between stakeholders in the environment sector, particularly the International Union of Toxicology (IUTOX) that conducted the training, adding that “knowledge sharing will contribute

towards the on-going transformation in the environment sector.

“At the end of the training, participants will be able to carry out independent risk analysis of water and air quality, hazardous chemicals and wastes. They will also have the ability to interprete available data on environmental exposures,” the DG explained.

NESTREA moves to curb environmental hazards

By Mohammed Kandi

N

ational Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESTREA), yesterday, moved to stamp out contaminants resulting from industrial and domestic activities so as to preserve the environment and enhance human health in the country.

The Director-General, NESTREA, Dr. Ngeri Benabo, noted during the agency’s Environmental Risk Assessment workshop, a scheme under the Step-B World Bank Assisted project yesterday in Abuja, that the practice was necessary to facilitate NESTREA’s mandate of ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment for Nigerians.

Dr. Benabo, who urged participants who were mainly NESTREA staff and a group of experts drawn from West and Central Africa to take the training seriously, however, said timely means of data

Lagos gives ultimatum on wrecked vessels From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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wing to the degradation around Maiyegun and Alpha beachfronts, the Lagos state government has called on owners of wrecked vessels to remove them from the areas within 21 days.

According to the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Prince Adesegun Oniru, the degradation and decomposition of beached vessels

causes major erosion, environmental pollution, adding that the effects of such poisonous substances in the waterways was hazardous to the ecosystem and poses threats to human life.

The commissioner added that the abandoned vessels and wrecks encourage tidal lock, which in turn results in the distortion of the current and rise in sea level, thereby sparking abnormal sea action which erodes shorelines and cause flooding.

He stated that the spate of climate change in the world and the coming rains predicted to be heavy this year by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency has prompted the state government to take drastic and adequate measures to curb flooding within these areas.

Prince Oniru warned that the state government would remove the wrecks after the 21-day ultimatum and institute legal action against owners of such vessels.

PAGE 9

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Lagos principals to be responsible for students’ errors in WAEC From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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agos state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye has reiterated the state government’s decision to hold public schools principals responsible for delay in the 2012 students’ registration for West African School Certificate Examinations (WASCE).

She disclosed this during an interactive session held at Universal Basic Educational Board (SUBEB), Maryland with ministry officials, representatives of WAEC, and other stakeholders in the education sector where issues bothering on challenges and possible solutions of 2012 WASCE registration, was held.

Mrs. Oladunjoye stated also that the state government would not entertain any excuse for the delay in the students’ registration this year adding that registration of WAEC should be prompt, as this will prepare the student adequately and keep them abreast of the guidelines on external examinations.

Speaking further, she charged the principals to complete this year’s registration within the stipulated time, as there will be no room for extension.. While conveying Governor Fashola’s message to the principals, she said the governor will not pay for any negligence on the part of school heads and such principals would be held responsible for their lapses.

L-R: Director, Centre for Disease Control, Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi, Minister of State for Health, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mrs. Fatima Bamidele, during a press conference on Lassa fever outbreak, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Projects execution: FG commends Taraba govt From Yusha’u Alhassan, Jalingo

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he Federal Government has expressed satisfaction over the execution of solar boreholes in Takum local government area of Taraba state.

Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim represented by Mr. Nicholas Madu, Director of Dams and Reservoir in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources Nicholas Madu made the remarks when he led other staff of the ministry to assess irrigation and drilling of solar borehole projects in some parts of Taraba state.

She said with the pace in which the contractor was handling the drilling of solar boreholes in Takum, she had no doubt, that the deadline would be met.

The team was in Kashimbilla to assess the level of work at the dam and asked the contractor to continue with the work at the site to beat the time frame.

Out of 19 solar boreholes approved for Takum, 18 have been sunk while in Kashimbilla dam work was going on smoothly.

In Donga local government, the vice chairman of the council, Yusuf Bauche, told the team that the council was not aware of any project sited in the area.

Senatorial tussle: Tribunal throws out Akunyili’s suit

By Julius Ogar with agency reports

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he Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Awka yesterday struck out the petition instituted by the candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof.

Dora Akunyili against the election of Dr. Chris Ngige of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for lack of jurisdiction.

The former Information and Communications Minister had filed a petition on May 17, 2011, challenging the result of the April 2011 poll in which Ngige was declared winner of Anambra Central senatorial seat.

The decision of the tribunal was sequel to the Feb. 14 and Feb. 17 judgments of the Supreme Court on the issue of 180 days

within which election petitions could be heard.

The counsel to ACN candidate, Mr. Emeka Ngige (SAN), urged the court to strike out the case in line with the Supreme Court decision.

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that 180 days for the hearing and determination of petition under the 1999 Constitution cannot be extended even where it is remitted for retrial.

“This brings to fore the provision of the 1999 Constitution which states that the decision of the Supreme Court shall be enforced by all authorities as well as courts with subordinate jurisdiction.

While associating himself with the submissions of Ngige,

counsel to INEC, Mr. Ositadinma Nnadi, opined that “where a court lacked jurisdiction, the proper order will be to strike out such petition”.

However, counsel to former NAFDAC boss, Mr. Obiora Obianwu (SAN), opposed the application, saying that the decision of the apex court did not apply in the present case.

He recalled that the tribunal and the Court of Appeal, Enugu, had earlier dismissed a similar application on 180 days, saying that the 1999 Constitution made such decisions final.

In its ruling, however, the tribunal, led by Justice Onajite Kuejubola, held that the issue of 180 days had finally been laid to rest by the recent decision of the Supreme Court.

Kogi CJ urges improved facilities in prisons From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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hief Judge of Kogi state, Justice Nasir Ajanah has called on the Federal Government to improve facilities in prison formations across the state to check the prevailing sophistication in crime.

Ajanah made the call on Monday when he led the state committee on administration of justice to Koton-Karfe prisons on an inspection visit.

The Chief Judge noted that criminals were becoming more

sophisticated in their activities and there was therefore; need for the prisons to be modernised to repel their nefarious onslaught on lives and properties.

“Criminals are becoming more sophisticated so, it is better for us to have more sophisticated prisons to take care of their activities. When the drum beat changes, the dance changes, there are going to be changes”, he said.

Ajanah advised the Federal Government to either complete the on-going Medium Security Prison project in Koton-Karfe or build a

new one in Lokoja but should for now, fortify the dilapidated prison.

The Chief Judge who described the Koton-Karfe prison as the most important to the state because of its proximity to Lokoja, the state capital said he had always complained of the deteriorating condition of the prison.

The officer in charge of the prisons, Mr. Olusegun Ola-Bolaji, an Assistant Controller of Prisons (ACP), thanked the judiciary for its assistance to the prisons and urged government to always ensure security of lives.

Shema signs 2012 budget into law From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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overnor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina state has signed into law N113.6 billion appropriations for 2012 financial year.

According to the signed budget, the house has slashed down to N113.6billion from the N118.7 billion earlier presented to the state House of Assembly by the state governor.

Signing the budget into law yesterday in Katsina, Gov. Shema, who described the budged as ‘’budget of continuity’’, stated that the budget was aimed at improving the living conditions of the people of the state.

Shema therefore assured for full implementation of the budget with all sincerity, accountability and transparency to enhance the development in the state.

He said as a budget of continuity, the state government will continue with the ongoing projects as well as to initiate new ones in order to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the populace.

The governor stressed that his government had provided free education from primary to secondary school levels, free child and maternal health care, fertiliser and other farm implements at subsided rates to farmers and constructed many roads among other achievements.

Invest in youth, NOA boss tells wealthy Nigerians

By Muhammad Nasir and Rukaiya Muhammad

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he Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri has called on wealthy Nigerians to make investment in the youth as a cardinal point of their corporate social responsibility in order to develop responsible citizens and build a wealthy nation.

According to a press statement signed by Fidel Agu, the DG commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote for sponsoring 400 students of the Kano Farm Mechanisation Institute as a mark of the love he has for his people.

Addressing the gathering of who is who in Kano state including the state governor, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Omeri said he was in Kano to propagate the new focus of the NOA which is community reorientation.

Speaking earlier at a courtesy call on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, Mr. Omeri called on youths to take advantage of various opportunities being provided by the federal and state governments to prepare themselves as useful citizens since only youths who prepare well for tomorrow can become leaders.

PAGE 10

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

‘Nurse’ nabbed over banned meningitis vaccine A

woman, who claimed to be a nurse, was arrested at the Mopol Barrack in Nyanya, FCT, while immunising the residents with the banned mencevax ACN vaccine against meningitis.

Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, the Executive Secretary of FCT Primary Health Care Board, made this known to the News

Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday.

Mohammed described the episode as disheartening as the Federal Government had stopped the use of the vaccine since 2000.

"During the first day of this national immunisation day in the FCT, we found out that this woman was collecting money

from people and vaccinating them with the CSM vaccine, which has been stopped. We stopped using the vial for a very long time - 2000.

"Nobody has the right to purchase vaccines in Nigeria except the National Primary Health Care Development Agency under the Ministry of Health and distributed to us."

Mohammed said the woman collected N100 from each person she vaccinated.

He advised Nigerians to be wary of quack vaccinators and to look out for the approved vaccinators, whom he said, were always on assignment in groups.

Meanwhile, the woman who gave her name to NAN as Blessing Umeh, said she used to run a drug store, which she could not sustain.

However, NAN gathered from the Nyanya police station that the name in the certificate

in her possession was Gloria N. Ode. She explained that she had to collect N100 as payment for the vaccination because the vaccines she used were sold to her.

She also said that she needed the money to be able to take care of her six children.

The woman said she had vaccinated 70 persons before she was arrested.

The police also told NAN that the woman would be prosecuted for being in possession of a fake certificate. (NAN)

Five policemen in Yobe to face sanction for bribery From Hussaini Jirgi, Damaturu

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ive policemen in Yobe state have been arrested for collecting money from drivers at checkpoint.

The Yobe State Commissioner of Police (CP), Lawan Tanko, who disclosed this to newsmen at the headquarters of the command in Damaturu, said the officers would be tried and subsequently dismissed if found guilty.

According to him, the police in the state have so much to deal with and would not tolerate any act capable of undermining the current security measures in the state.

Fake drugs seized from a fake nurse who was allegedly administering banned vaccines for meningitis on people, yesterday, at Mopol Barracks, Nyanya.

Photo: NAN

Education remains tool for knowledge transfer - UBEC boss

By Abdullahi Yunusa

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he Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Ahmed Modibbo Mohammed has maintained that education is a basis of transferring knowledge, culture and other forms of living to the younger generation.

He said this while delivering

a paper entitled "Investing in Quality Education for the Transformation of Nigeria" at the 59th Founder's Day of St. Paul's College Wusasa, Zaria.

He said: "to build the capacity for the human resources of a nation, a lot needs to be invested in education stressing that with education, there will be more income generation which will also have impact on the

development and revenue of the nation".

A press statement signed by UBEC's Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. David Apeh, quotes Dr. Modibbo as saying that the important role education plays in human development globally has made visionary governments in the world give priority attention to investing in it.

Police present N700, 000 to families of 3 late, 1 injured officers From Iliya Garba, Minna

T

he police in Niger state has given out the sum of N700, 000 to the families of police officers who were shot dead last week in Maitumbi and Maje towns of the state.

The Niger state Police Commissioner, Alhaji Ibrahim Maishanu made this known in Minna while giving presenting N200,000 each to the families of the three slain officers, two at Maitumbi and one at Maje. The sum of N100, 000 was presented to the injured policeman

Medical expert appeals for quality education From Bala Nasir, Kano

P

olicy makers especially in education have been urged to rise up to the task of providing Nigerians with quality education if the country must be relevant in the march of civilisation in this century and beyond.

A consultant pathologist and Dean, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences in the University of Abuja, Prof.

Edmund Joseph Chukwueloka Nwanna, made this statement at Bayero University Kano yesterday.

Prof. Nwanna who was the guest lecturer at the 11th induction ceremony of medical graduates of the university, stated that the 21st century is a knowledge driven century.

He admonished the graduates to

give their attention to the very important duties they owe humanity, the patient, themselves and the medical profession, their teachers and their parents.

The patient he told them is the reason for the existence of the medical profession and so long as they find themselves in practice, these ideals must not depart from them.

He urged them to constantly strive to abide by the rules and regulations of the practice by paying their annual practicing fees and obtaining licenses in addition to continuously upgrading their skills and knowledge of their profession.

The occasion which was chaired by the Chief Medical Director of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Dr.

Aminu Zakari Mohammed, was hosted by Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed.

Some of the dignitaries from the medical profession from across the country present at the occasion included Dr. Musa Borodo, the registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria; and Dr. Abdulmumini Ibrahim.

Scrap NYSC concessional posting- HOS tells DG

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

T

he Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOS), Alh. Isah Sali Muhammad, has called on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme to scrap provision of concessional posting of corps members, so as not to undermine the original

vision of the scheme.

The HOS made this call in a statement while receiving the Director-General of NYSC, Brig.

Gen. NT Okore-Affia, in his office.

The statement said "if all people lobby for selective postings to Abuja Lagos or Port Harcourt, who will then serve

"We will always work towards rebranding the image of the police and any officer with questionable character will face the wrath of the law. I led this operation and would continue to monitor the checkpoints to restore decency in the force".

Tanko, reminded the officers that the new Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has warned against this act which has tarnished the image of the police, saying strict sanctions must follow erring members.

The CP also warned the officers against wielding rifles in mufti and called them to dress properly and look neat at all times.

in other developing states which require the services of the corps members most"?

He lamented the near neglect of the service scheme by some stakeholders stating that if the potentials of the scheme are properly harnessed, it will help in solving some of the current challenges facing the nation.

who is still recuperating in hospital.

He presented the cash donations to the Divisional Police Officers of Suleja and Maitumbi and advised them to ensure the monies get to the deceased families in no distant time.

Speaking on the recent bomb blast in Suleja, Alh Maishanu said after visiting the scene, it was discovered that the explosive was planted between two vehicles in front of the Grasa Guest Inn which according to him was few metres away from the Christ Embassy Church, and that when it exploded, it damaged four vehicles parked at the scene and inflicted injuries on five persons which included two carrot hawkers and a small baby who sustained very minor injuries and two other persons.

He said the Chief Medical Director at the Suleja Hospital while explaining the degree of injuries, assured that three victims will be discharged while the other two will be referred to the Gwagwalada Specialists Hospital for further treatment.

The commissioner said that in a swift response to the ugly incident on Sunday, the police launched an investigation and five persons who were suspected to have masterminded the act were arrested.

According to him "investigation is in progress while the case has been transferred to Zone Seven Abuja for further investigations."

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Ogun reads riot act to shanty owners From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, Abeokuta

O

gun state government has warned traders with shanties to remove them within a stipulated period or have them pulled down by the authorities; as such structures are causing an e n v i r o n m e n t a l embarrassment.

Towards this end, warning notices have been pasted on number of the shanties across Abeokuta, the state capital, as well as other notable towns and environs in the state.

It was further learnt that government took the decision, following the ongoing facelift of the state capital. Our correspondent who went round Abeokuta observed that notable areas affected include: Oke-Ilewo, Kuto, Itoku, Omida, Ibara, Sapon, Ijaiye and IsaleAke among others.

However, some of the traders affected while speaking with our correspondent, sated that they would comply with the directive, but passionately appealed to the government to provide alternative places for them.

PAGE 11

Poor remuneration of teachers worries SUBEB chairman From Ahmed Idris, Brinin Kebbi

T

he Kebbi state government has been called upon to urgently address the poor salaries and other welfare packages for primary school teachers across the state.

This was part of series of developments at the just concluded inspection tour of

primary schools across the state by the chairman of the state's Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alhaji Haruna Dankatsina Alerio.

Fielding questions from newsmen yesterday in his office, the chairman described what they saw during the tour as a combination of mixed feelings as team was face to face with the

good, the bad and the ugly.

The painful aspect of the tour, according to him, was the poor standard of teachers in most of the schools. He said out of 16,000 primary school teachers in the state, less than 5,000 are qua l i f i e d .

He therefore lamented: "I therefore cannot understand how can there be good learning and

imparting of knowledge under this type of situation where most of our primary school teachers are secondary school leavers'', he said.

The chairman therefore expressed the board's readiness to intensify efforts on the capacity building of teachers in the state.

BSG to procure 36 buses for polio eradication From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi n its efforts to eradicate polio, the Bauchi state government plans to procured 36-seater buses and 20 Hilux vans for the traditional rulers' committee on polio eradication in the state.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed Faggo stated this while flagging off polio campaign in Shira local government area.

He said the decision of Governor Isa Yuguda supply the vehicles to the committee was to compliment its effort towards eradicating polio in the state. He commended both the state primary health care and donor partners for their untiring effort and financial commitment towards that direction.

In his remark the chairman Primary Health care development agency, Dr. Musa Muhammad Dambam, said the formation of the presidential task force committee on polio eradication is a boost to the existing committee formed in the state.

He then called on parents, religious and opinion leaders to support the exercise by bringing out their children for vaccination as the only way to eradicate the disease in the society.

I

L-R: Former consultant to Adebayo Alao-Akala, Mr. Femi Babalola, Senator Hosea Agboola, and former Oyo state governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, at the State High Court in the case brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), against Alao-Akala and two others, on Tuesday, in Ibadan.

Photo: NAN

CBN wants court to dismiss Afribank shareholders’ application for stay of proceedings From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday, prayed Justice John Tsoho of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, to dismiss an application filed by some aggrieved shareholders of the defunct Afribank (now Mainstreet Bank), challenging the legality of a motion for stay of proceedings on a suit against the nationalisation of their bank.

The shareholders had in the motion filed by their lawyer, Onyebuchi Aniakor, urged the court to discountenance a motion for stay of

proceedings filed by the CBN and its governor, Lamido Sanusi on the grounds that the apex bank's motion was merely meant to frustrate diligent prosecution of their case.

Justice Tsoho had, in a ruling, held that the CBN governor lacked absolute power to hire and fire bank directors, and that the CBN governor should have given the affected directors opportunity for fair hearing.

Dissatisfied, the defendants filed an appeal against the ruling, and equally filed motions for stay of proceedings.

While the case was pending, the apex bank in collaboration with the Asset

Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and the Nigerian Deposits Insurance Commission (NDIC), announced the nationalisation of Afribank.

In turn, the shareholders filed a motion to nullify the nationalisation on the ground that it was a clear act of disrespect to the court.

When the case came up on Monday, Aniakor moved the motion challenging the various stay of proceedings filed by the defendants, and urged the court to reject same.

He stressed that after the defendants appealed against the ruling which held

No room for indolence, NYSC DG tells staff

By Morufat Ojulari

T

he Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Nnamdi Okore-Affia has warned that the scheme will not condone.

He made the statement while addressing members of staff from across the nation in Abuja recently during the bi-annual NYSC Servicom Committee meeting of nodal and focal officers.

Okore-Affia said the scheme will re-strategise its operations to achieve

global best practices in service delivery. "It is my belief that if the scheme must continue to function properly, all members of staff must be seen to be taking public complaints seriously. We must rise up against the challenges posed by indolence and ineffectiveness by guarding against service failure in the scheme at all levels", he said.

He noted that the NYSC management has invested huge resources in sensitising its staff and corps members on global best practices in service delivery and

has equally provided feedback mechanisms such as the introduction of suggestion/ complaints boxes nationwide. He urged all to always channel complaints and grievances by the clientele promptly to the authorities for redress.

The Director Human Resource Management of the scheme, Mrs. E.E Adimorah, also urged participants to rub minds so as to address grey areas in providing effective and efficient services to all, especially corps members.

that CBN governor lacked the absolute power to hire and fire bank directors, the defendants went to sleep and failed to compile records of appeal within the 90 days stipulated by law.

The said ruling was delivered on April 15, 2011, while the defendants appealed against it on April 29.

But Aniakor argued that the failure of the defendants to compile records of appeal within the stipulated time was a breach of Order 33 of the Rules of the Court, and that it merely emphasised the fact that the defendants were actually not interested in pursuing the appeal, but just to delay the matter.

Responding, CBN's lawyer, Kola Awodein (SAN) countered that the shareholders' application violates Order 51 Rule 2 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules in that it was not filed within a reasonable time and that the plaintiff had also taken further steps in respect of the matter.

The shareholders - Igbrude Moses Oke, Rasak Olalekan Mumuni, Akinsanya Solomon Sunday, Suleiman Dauda Babatunde and Igba Sanmi Olatomide, had filed the suit in the name of Afribank against the CBN, challenging the propriety of CBN's action in sacking and replacing the directors of Afribank without their consent and approval as owners of the bank.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 12

EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

Libya, Egypt: A year after the revolutions W

hen the more than two decades regime of Ben Ali crumbled in Tunisia, more than a year ago, following a popular uprising after the self-immolation of a vegetable vendor, Mohammed Buoazizi, the entrenched rule of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and the over 40-year-old dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya were the least expected to follow. In fact, all eyes were focused on poor Yemen where President Abdullah Saleh had been in power for 30 years. Instead, the wind of the Arab spring, a term for the popular uprisings in parts of the Arab world, went blowing more menacingly in Cairo and Benghazi, the eastern city of Libya, where the insurrection against Gaddafi started.

Mubarak, a grand master in squeezing out the opposition, saw his 30-year Western-backed regime dither in its early response to the uprising that was gathering in the Tahrir Square in central Cairo.

With his spy chief Suleiman, he tried both to trick and force the protesters to back down. The immediate result was a surge of protesters and an unrelenting call for him to quit. With the protest fever at its highest pitch and a military unwilling to crush the protesters, Mubarak handed in his resignation. A year after the fall of Mubarak, Egypt is still in a political and social ferment. The Field Marshal Tantawi-led High Military Council overseeing the transition to an elected government has had to do battles with street protesters, who are dissatisfied with the military supervised transition. The parliamentary election held last year saw the formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood emerge as the main political force. Yet the turmoil has continued in Egypt.

We sympathize with the pro-democracy elements who staged the Egyptian revolution and are impatient with the pace of the military supervised transition. But to have the revolution bear fruits, there must be order and relative stability. Hounding the army authorities would not only escalate the existing chaos but give them enough reason to stay on. While we concede to the Egyptians that after a threedecade dictatorship, they need a breath of

“

the Arab spring made its most illustrious mark with the ouster of Mubarak and Gaddafi. For it to acquire any meaning beyond the media blitz and frenzy, Egypt and Libya need to stabilize quickly but more importantly, the new governments must deliver to their peoples what made them take up arms in the first place – more political rights and a good life fresh air, continued upheaval could only serve the interests of anti-democratic forces. A revolution that does not produce tangible improvements in human conditions is as good as the mere slogans it generates. The case of Libya is even more complicated. The dictatorship of Gaddafi produced more long lasting improvements in the material conditions of Libyans than most democracies could deliver. Yet, man could not possibly live by bread alone, as

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”

Libyans demand more say in how they are governed. Perhaps, the Gaddafi regime did not appreciate enough of this immutable law of nature that man shall not leave by bread alone.

However, one year after the uprising that ousted him began, and more than four months after he was captured and killed, the successor regime in Tripoli is battling to establish its authority. The remnants of the Gaddafi loyalists appear to be regrouping and putting pressure on the regime in Tripoli. Following its essentially Western-driven military victory over the old regime, the National Transitional Council seems to be heavily relying on its western allies to remain in power. This, in our view, could be injurious to the revolution. Suspicion and factional infighting still seem to rule the coasts in the triumphant former rebels.

Even with power, the thirst for vengeance is not assuaged. One year after the uprising, Libya is still looking disfigured and struggling to establish order. For the Libyan revolution to live up to its name, foreign military powers need not hang around for too long. The regime in Tripoli needs to launch a programme of national reconciliation in which all parties, including loyalists of the former regime, are accommodated.

We believe that the Arab spring made its most illustrious mark with the ouster of Mubarak and Gaddafi. For it to acquire any meaning beyond the media blitz and frenzy, Egypt and Libya need to stabilize quickly but more importantly, the new governments must deliver to their peoples what made them take up arms in the first place – more political rights and a good life.

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OUR VISION

CHAIRMAN MALAM WADA MAIDA, OON, FNGE EDITOR, DAILY AHMED I. SHEKARAU

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 13

MDGs: The Niger state example

By Danladi Ndayebo

G

overnor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu’s second coming has been described by many as a period of consolidation for a better Niger state. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government took off in 2007 with an action plan targeted at promoting the welfare of citizens and to bring about the change needed for growth and development.

Areas of intervention by Governor Aliyu at the inception of his government ranged from reinvigoration of the machinery of governance to rapid revolutionalisation of the public service, and from education to agricultural development.

Adequate attention was paid to other fundamental sectors of human development as health, housing and environment, social security and rural development One of the deliberate steps Aliyu took to fulfil the solemn promises he made to the people of Niger state was to key in to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) framework as a guide post for achieving the eight developmental targets endorsed by world leaders under the auspices of United Nations General Assembly in September 2000 in New York.

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals declaration embraces most of the International Development Targets (IDTs), which commit

member states to meeting specific development targets by 2015.This includes eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and women empowerment; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability and developing global partnership for development. Since May 2007, the government under has engendered meaningful change in the lives of the people by embarking on sustainable developmental projects that provide succour for the poorest of the poor as envisioned by the MDGs. Driven by the aspiration to ensure that Niger State is rated among the leading states in Nigeria that seek to fast track achievement of the ambitious MDGs goals and targets, The Niger State Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Office is a full-fledged agency to provide a clear framework for the implementation of the MDGs. As part of efforts aimed at eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, government has scaled up investments in the agricultural sector through direct support and enabling policy environment to promote private sector participation in agriculture. This is to meet the target of ensuring food security

and poverty eradication.

Farmers now receive targeted incentives and support in form of subsidized fertilizer, improved seeds, crop protection products, farm inputs and training in new technologies of improving farm outputs.

Specifically, the MDGs Office has renovated the farm institute in Tegina and has provided instructional materials. 60 Motorcycles have also been provided to the State Agricultural Development Projects for Agric extension services.

Universal access to education by children of school age including the girl child is another key sector. To fast track MDG targets, the state adopted free education policy from primary to secondary school since 2007.

The free education model is anchored on the principle that education is a key enabler to human capital development.

Again, education is a right and not a privilege and ensures equal access by boys and girls to achieve their life time opportunities. The pool of skilled labour expected from investment in education will support the burgeoning agroallied industry in the state. One unique thing in the policy is that every child in the state is treated equally, no matter the child’s state of origin or circumstances of birth.

Payment of examination fees for students including those organized by the West African

Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) has resulted in changes in the educational landscape of the state.

Improvements in access to healthcare delivery equally points to growing investments in primary and secondary healthcare facilities spread across communities in the state. Niger MDGs has so far constructed, equipped and supplied drugs to 13 comprehensive primary healthcare centres; renovated, equipped and supplied drugs to 100 basic health centres. Aside the existing facilities that were renovated, the Niger MDGs office constructed, equipped and supplied drugs to 100 basic health centres spread across the State.

Recognizing the importance of health training institutions to the reduction of child mortality and improving maternal and general health condition of Nigerlites, government renovated and equipped its four health institutions viz: School of Health Technology, Minna, School of Health Technology, Tungan Magajiya, School of Nursing, Bida and School of Midwifery, Minna. A total of 50,000 insecticides treated mosquito nets (ITN) have been provided to pregnant women and children under the age of 5 years by the agency aside the provision of 11 infant incubators purchased and distributed to the General Hospitals in the State.

Five ambulances were also

purchased to ply the highways to render assistance to accident victims while 50 tricycle ambulances were provided for services to the people in the rural areas.

These initiatives have resulted in reduction in child mortality, as more expectant mothers now have greater access to education and medical services that help the under 5 children.

In the area of provision of portable water, the State has constructed 75 solar-powered boreholes (3 per local government area) and 300 hand pump boreholes. The agency has also resuscitated 9 waters works and intervened in 51 Bi-water schemes.

Ten women development centres have been renovated and equipped with training facilities across the state as part of the State’s Women Empowerment policy. The works training school, Minna has also been renovated and equipped.

Interestingly, the administration has just approved the construction/drilling of another 75 solar-powered boreholes at average of three per local government area and also the construction and equipping of 13 Comprehensive Primary Healthcare centres, to underscore the administration’s belief that promoting policies that ensure quick wins is the way to go.

Danladi Ndayebo is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State.

Much ado about TASUED-OOU merger

By Yemisi Fadairo

O

n assumption of office on May 29, 2011, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state moved quickly to declare that the education sector in the state was comatose. In his inaugural address, he fingered faulty government policies as the bane of education which has hindered the students from receiving the much needed qualitative education.

The situation he met on the ground was so pathetic that he said the apologetic shape of education in the state required an urgent remedy, a challenge he assured his administration would tackle in the shortest possible time.

“Chief Obafemi Awolowo, of blessed memory, will turn in his grave if he hears that due to inability to pay school fees, many pupils and students are dropping out of schools in his state of birth. Or that as a result of ill-conceived policies, many of them are excluded from going to schools of their choice. I will make sure that all our public schools can effectively compete with their peers and are conducive to teaching and learning”, he said.

That definitely was not sheer rhetoric or political talk but the

lamentation of a leader who should know what obtained in the state before then and how urgently education in the state, if not saved, could collapse. A collapse, he was sure, would not be in the interest of his rebuilding plan for Ogun.

Only someone like Senator Amosun could have made a better assessment of education in the state. Not because he was elected governor, but because his primary, secondary and tertiary education were all in Abeokuta, the state capital before he proceeded to the University of Westminster, London where he obtained an MA in International Finance. He attended African Church Primary School, African Church Grammar School and Ogun State Polytechnic.

To demonstrate his commitment to the rescue mission, Amosun’s first major declarations immediately he was sworn in included free education in both primary and secondary schools, allocation of at least 20 percent of the annual budget of the state to education with emphasis placed on improving the quality and capacity of staff through training and retraining, improved welfare packages and provision of teaching and research facilities

as well as plans for the construction of one state-of-the art and well-stocked public libraries in each of the three senatorial districts-Ogun West, Ogun Central and Ogun East.

He also disclosed plans for the immediate commencement of construction, rehabilitation and expansion of physical facilities in public schools with the aim of meeting a target of a ratio of 30 students per class in the primary and secondary schools, drastic reduction of tuition fees in state owned tertiary institutions with the reinvigoration and strengthening of bursary and scholarship scheme, abolition of all illegal fees and levies in primary and secondary schools and the payment by government of the final examination fees for primary and secondary school leavers in the state.

So far, the score card for Amosun concerning these promises has been satisfactory.

He has kept to his words and met targets set for each stage of implementation. He believes education plays a vital role in meaningful development and can easily help to bring about positive change and this has moved him to flag off the distribution of N1.8bn worth of free textbooks to pupils and

students in state-owned primary and secondary schools. The administration has earlier invested about N400m to provide instructional materials to the pupils and students.

The Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Pastor Peculiar Treasure who had witnessed the gradual rot of the system in the past in his speech at the venue of the textbook presentation, vividly painted the feelings of parents to the rapid citizen-oriented education policies of the government. “This time last year, we were crying, praying for our children’s future. We didn’t expect that good time would come so soon”, Treasure said while a SSS 3 student of African Church Grammar School, who responded on behalf of the students, described the governor’s gesture as an “investment” in their future.

With the same passion he has shown towards uplifting the standard of primary and secondary education, Amosun has initiated a radical approach to save the battered tertiary institutions in the state. This step is to strengthen the institutions so as to have the academic and structural capacity not only to provide qualitative education envisaged in the secondary

schools but also to ensure the secondary school graduates are well groomed to compete in the rigorous admission exercise for entry into various higher institutions in the world.

It is for this reason that the governor commissioned facts finding and visitation panels on state-owned tertiary institutions. Another special committee was also set up by the State Executive Council to look into the proliferation of the institutions by the state government.

The special committee, which was headed by the Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun, in the course of its mission, consulted widely and sought input from renowned educationists and administrators.

However, it is regrettable that with the laudable objective of Governor Amosun, coupled with the far reaching positive recommendations of the second panel, a section of the people are sarcastically introducing political colouration to the government’s implementation of the innovative recommendations of the committee.

Why will anybody say government’s decision to shed its weight when it is cash strapped, Continued from page 15

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Perhaps, Ojukwu deserves state burial?

By Essan Jacob

S

eventy-eight years ago in Zungeru, Niger state, Emeka Ojukwu was born.

Much has been said of him since his passing on. He was passionate about issues for which he concerned himself. Nigeria and Nigerians were passionate about him, negatively or positively.

We know that he believed in the very idea of liberty, the idea of inalienable God-given rights.

We know that he remains and would remain a man of history.

He himself could never have imagined what he was destined for in life. Many of the decisions he took, eventually had far reaching implications. Which leads me to conclude that “affairs of men, are governed by the interlocking factors of time and space, and eventually what God decides of them to become”.

We know of certain facts about Emeka. He rebelled and was a rebellious spirit for much of his life. However, some facts remain inalienable, and these make him much more of a patriot than those that parade themselves as patriots in our clime.

Emeka effectively stopped the first military incursion into

politics from succeeding by actions to save others were not consultations with the leaders of refusing to accept Nzeogwu, a reciprocated by fellow officers his people took the decision to secede from Nigeria. With fellow easterner from taking from the Northern region.

It is true that Emeka was hindsight, he probably should over in the Northern Region. He protected Northern Politicians, intelligent. Fiercely so, it must have renounced the membership said, and probably of the Eastern Region from the Religious and Traditional Rulers be during these periods of tempestuous. But not many Federation, and not secede. uncertainty. He took control and Nigerians with his kind of Which would have put him on t h e effectively helped defensive, end that rather than insurrection. offensive, and When the secured more politicians of that Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text sympathy. era abdicated messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written But the power to Aguyi contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 decision Ironsi, Emeka words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and which he took was made the a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed would have a m i l i t a r y to: lasting effect Governor of the on the psyche Eastern Region.

The Editor, of at least five The pogroms generations that followed Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, of Nigerian Aguyi Ironsi’s 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. for it to heal. murder and the Email: let ters@peoplesdaily-online.com But we can killings in the SMS: 07037756364 heal this now.

North of E m e k a Easterners must have deeply affected Emeka. Not intellectual capacity would not fought a cause in which he many would have taken another be stubborn or tempestuous at believed. This does not make him cause of action that his life took. the incredulity with which his less of a patriot. In fact, that he He protected the Northerners in beloved country was and is being was a Biafran for only a total of the East, and ensured safe governed. But he carried the 30 months in a lifespan of 78 passage for them back to the weight of responsibility that years as a Nigerian. This makes North. However, it must be befell him at a tender age with it more remarkable to celebrate noted that Emeka encouraged enormous courage. At barely 34 this man. The cause for which old, Emeka, in he fought remains part of our his people to return, when his years

WRITE TO US

psyche to this day. There is growing restiveness in the north.

Various levels of insecurity across the nation and most importantly, the feeling of being apart is ever more so apparent in our polity today.

However, much to his credit, if most of the decisions that he took had he been listened to, they would have saved Nigeria from our current course of perdition.

His refusal to recognize General Yakubu Gowon as Military Head of State was not personal, but to retain the structure of the Nigerian Army and preserve the Military High Command. Of course, we have come to learn of what could have been had his advice been heeded.

Of course, Emeka sought exile in Ivory Coast (now renamed Cote d’Ivoire) under the pretext of searching for peace. But that singular decision probably saved lives. If he had surrendered or had been captured, an entire leadership of the military high command from eastern Nigeria would have been wiped out. This is what occurred in Nuremberg for the Nazis. This would have happened in Lagos for the Biafrans. That Continued on page 15

Woes of Nigeria’s education sector

By Etuka Sunday

T

hese days there is nothing like the academic calendar that we used to know. The only available calendar is the one prepared for strike. Yhis is the one thing that is certain in the education sector. The incessant strike in the educational sector without anything to show for it has done more harm than good to the sector. If you are a good student of history, you would have recalled that no strike embarked upon in this country has ever been called off. The highest you could get is suspension. And it beats my imagination as to what causes it.

Recently, the six-week long strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU) was suspended. Whether their demands were met is better imagined.

However, they returned to classroom with the usual promise of the Federal government to look into the matter. And that the change of mind was in the interest of the students. Although, that was to be expected because it has always been like that for decade.

A strike does not only affect the academic calendar but also the overall performance of students. Therefore, the claim by the ASUU that the suspension of the nationwide strike was in the interest of the students would be given a second look.

A casual look at our educational system today, one has no option but to regret and long for the days of old when we were told that men craved for

true and perfect education. But now the picture has changed.

Students are no longer interested in education.

The popular belief is that, with or without a good education one can still make it in life.

Students who forged certificates, bought JAMB results, and paid themselves through school or got admissions through “connections” would ever believe in the power of manipulation in all life’s struggles.

It is even worse in our higher institutions where high standards are required. Rich parents hire professional examination writers for their brainless children. Not only that, they bribe lecturers to write projects for them and award them grades they do not deserve in their final examinations. The ladies even trade sex for favours from the lecturers. Consequently, a student who is supposed to graduate with pass degree, gets second class upper and a third class material gets first class upper degree.

Worst still is the fact that these students would find their ways into mushroom institutions as lecturers. A situation that can be best described as a “vicious cycle”. They are half-baked therefore they will also produce the next generation of “certificated illiterates.”

Dan Agbese of Newswatch magazine captured it this way, “we have turned the system into factory chain. It processes children, it does not educate them. The chain goes like this: The primary schools dump

poorly prepared pupils on secondary schools, the secondary schools process and dump them on the universities and the universities process and dump them on the employers of labour and the employers of labour grey prematurely.”

Any wonder then that our graduates are parading the streets without jobs? Although in some cases they need to rely on the said “connection” to secure a job. But the truth is that, four out of our five graduates are unemployable. They are not well informed so they are deformed, therefore they cannot perform.

Our leaders are to blame for this. Their misguided actions and misapplication of common sense has resulted to this. They are not interested in the mental development of our children.

Because, no successive administration been able to stabilize our educational system.

Their promise of quality education was and still a camouflage to get the people’s

mandate. Once they are voted into power, they quickly breath an air of relieve hence turned their back on the people.

Before now, I thought that our educational system was bad because we had leaders that are not really educated. Since of course they cannot give what they don’t have. But I was proved wrong by Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. He is educated yet nothing changes. By all standards, anyone with doctorate degree is supposed to be a learned individual.

He should have known that without his educational qualification he wouldn’t have been the president of this country. Unfortunately, he is looking in another direction now, far from education. Common sense should also tell him that the incessant strike is affecting the educational sector.

Although it seems like strike is the only option or language that our leaders understand in this country. The reason is that,

“

It is even worse in our higher institutions where high standards are required. Rich parents hire professional examination writers for their brainless children. Not only that, they bribe lecturers to write projects for them and award them grades they do not deserve in their final examinations

without strike demands are not met. They are very happy anytime they hear about a planned strike, not considering the adverse effect of it. We are used to wastages as a nation so they see no problem with that.

Martin Luther king Jnr once said that, “the future of any nation does not depend on the strength of her army, but on the number of her educated citizens.” Therefore, for any society to be recognised or called a developed society, it must have passed through several stages of development in all the various sectors of her economy.

Obviously, that could be achieved if the educational sector is given priority attention. Because through education, Good doctors, Managers, Accountants, Lawyers, Journalists, Psychologists, Engineers and the likes are produced to handle the various sectors of the economy.

Government’s lack of commitment to education may further increase the high level of illiteracy in the country.

Although Nigeria was not among the 10 most educated countries in world according to the report submitted in 2011 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Countries with the most highly educated citizens are: The United States, Japan, Canada, Norway, Australia, UK and others.

Where is Nigeria? Where is our pride? Where do we go from here? Can we ever change?

Etuka Sunday is reachable at meetetus@rocketmail.com

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 15

Whitney Houston: A human rights apostle

By Emmanuel Onwubiko

W

hitney Houston was born in what was the middle-income neighbourhood of Newark, New Jersey, the third and youngest child of an army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russel Houston, Snr and a gospel singer Cissy Houston. Her mother along with cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin were notable names in the gospel, rhythm and blues, pop, and soul genres. At the age of 11, Houston began to follow in her mother’s footsteps; she spent some of her teenage years touring night clubs, where her mother was performing, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with her in 1977. At the age of 14, she became a backup singer on the Michael Zafer Band’s single “Life is a party.” At age 15, she sang the background vocal in Chaka Khan’s hits single “I’m every woman” and a host of others.

Whitney Houston’s awards

include two Emmys, six Grammys, 30 billboard music awards and 22 career awards; she was also one of the world’s best selling music artists having sold 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide. She was so successful that she was the only artist to have consecutively topped No. 1 billboard Hot 100 hits; she was the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have number one billboard 200 Award (formerly top Pop Album”) on the bill board magazine year end charts.

Whitney Houston met R & B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 soul train music Awards, after a three year Courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992, on March 4, 1993, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown her only child.

Though Whitney Houston was seen as a “good girl” with a perfect image in the ‘80s and early 90s by the late 90s her behavior changed for she often comes late for interviews, photo

shoots, rehearsals and canceling concerts and talk show appearances, with the missed performances and weight loss rumours about Miss. Houston using drugs with her husband circulated, though she battled ravaging addictions to crack cocaine over the years.

On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton while getting ready for a pre-Grammy party, it was reported that she was underwater and her legs were up as if she was slid down the back of the bathtub. Houston was found not with illegal drugs but prescription drugs that may have killed her or caused her to drown in the bathtubs: Larazepam, Valium, Xanx, and a sleeping medication was found in her room.

Her death is so painful and one of the saddest ever. She was a musical heroine, an idol and one of the greatest musicians of all time.

The above was exactly how one of my staff, Miss. Nwamaka Asuzu, narrated the untimely

demise of Whitney Houston, one of the world’s best known musical Icons and incidentally one of the few giants in the World of music who deployed their talents and financial resources to promote and protect the respect of the fundamental human rights of deprived and impoverished citizens of the United States of America.

The late American Pop Star was buried at the weekend in a solemn and private funeral event attended by very few high profile personalities on strictly invitational basis because of the fact that the mother of the late Miss. Whitney Houston did not want unnecessary media focus.

The fans of the late Diva however watched proceedings of the burial live on television Courtesy of one camera photographer that was authorized to cover and broadcast free of charge to a worldwide audience.

Ironically, not too many people know that the late Whitney Houston devoted much of her times and resources to

funding the educational pursuits of disadvantaged persons in her home state. This and many other humanitarian activities of the late Whitney Houston compelled Chris Christie the governor of her home state of New Jersey to make an executive order that allowed the United States’ flag to be flown at half mast last Friday just hours before her burial, symbolizing the admiration of the citizens for Whitney Houston’s enormous contributions to the field of human rights.

Musically, Whitney Houston was not known for vulgar words but was one of the remarkable few that elevated the art and science of promoting world peace through the instrumentality of music. By and large, the world will miss Whitney Houston not only because of her role in advancing music but also for touching the lives of hundreds of thousands of indigent persons in the field of education and economic empowerment.

Emmanuel Onwubiko can be reached at www.huriwa.blogspot.com.

Much ado about TASUED-OOU merger Continued from page 13

courtesy of the lean purse and huge indebtedness it inherited from its immediate past administration, a politicallymotivated move? Critics say it is not in the interest of the government to rationalize the unviable and failing institutions.

The Amosun government had simply shunned political sentiments and took a bold step to save the institutions. This is to ensure that the certificates issue to the graduates of the institutions are not worthless, thus securing a better future for them. Keeping liabilities and financial drain pipes cannot be in the best interest of the state in these trying times.

The government insists that

it does not want to unnecessarily maintain higher institutions that will churn out half-baked, mere certificate-carrying graduates who lack content and quality like what obtains in most of the tertiary institutions nationwide.

Government’s argument of underfunding is evident in the fact that the budget of all the ten institutions put together is not up to that of one Federal Government-owned institution in the state. The FG has three higher institutions located in Ogun State and also jointly runs another with the African Union while eight privately-owned tertiary institutions are situated in the state.

Even with the rationalization, Ogun will still be left with six state-owned tertiary

institutions. It will still have more than even a rich state like Lagos, which has five, Osun (five), Oyo (four), Ekiti (four) Ondo (three), and Edo (two).

Those criticising the decision to convert the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) to Institute of Education under Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), do not know the financial mess the institution has found itself. All the money that come into the coffers of the institution, including the half a billion Naira loan it secured was used to pay only salaries without being able to execute any capital project. Of what value will a University of Education and a College of Education be in one state when the wherewithal for making them Centres of Excellence are

lacking?

TASUED has also been found to have deviated from the original objectives for its establishment, which principally was for it to focus on education as a discipline and particularly the production of secondary school teachers. The university offers non-education courses such as petroleum and chemical sciences, telecommunications, transport planning and management, mass communication and tourism. Looking at the distribution of student population in all the colleges and centres, the university presently has more students on courses not related to education.

Those rationalising TASUED’s running of these

Perhaps, Ojukwu deserves state burial?

Continued from page 14

he lost the war to keep Biafra a separate state did not create an overwhelming from him need to demonize those against whom he fought. In this he displayed the wisdom and courage that sets a standard for patriotism. Ojukwu in exile never criticized Nigeria.

This is in spite of the human willingness to succumb to either the hatred or self-righteousness that war can unleash on the personal psyche of its leader.

Ojukwu was pardoned by Shagari. He took an active part in Nigeria’s political process from his return to Nigeria. He joined the ruling NPN and lost a senatorial seat.

He was imprisoned by Buhari’s government. He participated in the many transition programmes of Babangida. He

served in Abacha’s constituent assembly. He formed the APGA and was its presidential candidate a number of times. He toured the various regions of Nigeria seeking to serve at the highest level in the country which he tried to dismember to protect his people. What is more remarkable is that Ojukwu died a Nigerian.

That in his ultimate defeat in his secessionist bid, his insistence that in the aftermath of that war, Nigeria should remain one indivisible nation is commendable. That he actually participated in subsequent democratic political processes must be celebrated. It is in this wise that I think it is fitting to pause for a moment and reflect on the meaning of patriotism – Emeka’s and ours. We mjust reflect beause we are live in

interesting times, and It is natural, in light of the continued sacrifice by so many to keep Nigeria one, to think more deeply about the commitments that bind us to each other and to our Nation.

It is further a question on our values, how do we face the challenges that beset us as a nation? How do we trust that our governments would serve our best interests? How do we ensure that the haves’ protect the interest of the have nots? How do we resolve issues of our unity in the face of pressing national threats? It is also a question, of how to consider an individual’s actions in his Nation’s history and look at how posterity would judge him for his actions. These and other questions and the answers they generate do much to divide us in many ways rather

than unite us.

The process of healing in a nation takes years, if not decades to accomplish. No matter the pointers to the contrary, Eastern Nigerians still feel marginalized in this country.

Now to heal this divide, we must be willing to be magnanimous in our collective consciousness.

Emeka may have erred, Emeka may have been wrong. But Emeka is dead. Letting Eastern Nigeria bury him as their leader is to create the enabling environment for the continued agitation of Biafra. Let us now bury Emeka as a Nigerian patriot, drape his casket with the Nigerian flag. Give him a state burial.

Essan Jacob, a social analyst writes from Abuja.

He can be reached through essanjacob@yahoo.com

courses should have listened to the Minister of Education, Prof.

Ruqayyatu Rufa’i when she last week frowned at the practice whereby federal universities do not focus on “their approved mandates of awarding degrees and high degrees”. The minister, who said the Federal Government was set to enforce the Amendment of Tertiary Institutions Act 2012 stated that “it is foolhardy for a University of Agriculture to float programmes in Law and Management Studies”, adding that the National Universities Commission (NUC) has been mandated to ensure compliance with the Amendments of Tertiary Institutions Act 2012.

What cogent argument can Governor Amosun give to ignore the recommendation by the special committee to merge the four non-financially sustainable ICT polytechnics scattered in Ijebu-Igbo, Itori, Sapade and Igbesa when their authorities faced with legion challenges cannot also meet their financial obligations, particularly staff salaries?

Any discerning mind will readily agree that all the government hopes to achieve is not only to equip its undergraduates with the necessary educational capacity and capability to be credible leaders of tomorrow but also to put in place the mechanism for the proper management and control of the institutions.

Governor Amosun’s mission to ensure affordable qualitative education in the state is not only real but also indeed possible with the support of all stakeholders.

Yemisi Fadairo is the special assistant to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Information

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

FCTA /AMAC in face-off over Jabi Park

By Josephine Ella

...As FG concedes park to Turks

rrangements have been concluded by the Federal Government through the Federal Capital Territory Administration to privatize the Jabi Motor Park to a Turkish consortium to the tune of $100 million.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting yesterday, the Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide said that the move was part of President Goodluck Jonathan’s determination to bring foreign investors into the country.

She said that the administration was not interested in taking over the motor park from Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), but government interest is to have a befitting motor park of global standard in the territory.

“First of all I want to make some clarification; Nigeria has been looking for foreign investment.

Turkey is one of the countries that was targeted and the Turkish business delegation in this particular consortium is interested in Jabi Motor Park,” she said.

In a swift reacting to the development, the Chairman of AMAC, Hon. Micah Jiba said he was surprised to receive a letter from the office of the minister of state directing the council to handover the motor park to the Area Council Service Secretariat.

He said that the council had previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU) with an indigenous firm for the upgrading of the motor park to a global standard.

According to him, the design is similar to the one Turkish consortium has presented to the minister.

However, the minister, who

A

was particularly upset that the chairman did not inform her office or the stakeholders about this, described the MoU as useless.

“For you to tell me you’ve given out Utako Motor Park to somebody who will do exactly what this people say they will do, and Infrastructure Concession Regulation Council( ICRC) is not involved which is a legal requirement for PPP, there is no bank guarantee and there is no evidence of money.

“We don’t even know who this people are, this is the FCT administration sitting in front of you, and you are telling us you have a partner that can bring the same thing that a minister and senator and House of reps members are proposing $100m project and you insist that you already have it and nobody know except you in

that your little small office. I am sorry, I do not believe you. It is insulting, and it is unfair,” she said.

Meanwhile, in a presentation of the project to stakeholders, the leader of the delegation and head of the Interstate Nigeria Limited, Mr. Ibrahim Suleiman revealed that the project will cost well over 100 million US dollars, saying that the design work has been completed.

He disclosed that the proposed interstate travel center when completed will comprise a three star hotel, administrative office, fire service unit, maintenance unit among others.

But, AMAC has vowed to oppose any attempt by the administration to take over the motor park from the council.

The council insisted that it is the constitutional responsibility of the various councils to manage markets and motor parks in their area of jurisdiction.

Kwali chair commissions bore-holes at Fogbe village

By Adeola Tukuru

T

he Chairaman of Kwali area council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mr. Joseph K. Shazin has commissioned two hand pump bore-holes at Fobge community of the council.

Shazin, who spoke with newsmen after commissioning the bore-holes, said the council’s decision to sink the hand pump bore-holes was as a result of the outbreak of diseases in the community last year.

He noted that the outbreak of the epidemic was as a result of unhygienic water which had affected residents of the community, hence the councils resolve to sink a hand pump boreholes for the community.

The chairman also disclosed that the council has already awarded a contract for the construction of a double cell culvert at Fogbe community valued at N15 million, saying work on the project will commence as soon as the councils’ budget was passed.

In his response, the traditional of Fogbe community, Malam Muhammadu Ruzuma, thanked the chairman for his kind gesture noting that the incessant cases of water borne diseases in the community will now be a thing of the past.

By Adeola Tukuru

Chairman of Kwali area council, Joseph Shazin, (C) during the commissioning of bore-holes at Fogbe village, on Sunday

NGO tasks communities on Councils’ budgeting

By Adeola Tukuru

A

n NGO, Human Development Initiative (HDI) on Tuesday called for involvement of communities in Area Councils budget preparation and implementation to ensure that priorities of the people are addressed.

Dr Dagaci Aliyu, Coordinator, North Central Zone of the NGO stated this in Gwagwalada at a workshop titled “Monitoring Local Government

Budget for Development organized by HDI in its budget watch project.

He said the budget watch project of the NGO was to enlighten community members on the need to make contributions in local government budget preparations.

Aliyu said the workshop was to enhance communities’ awareness on the importance of budget and the need to be involved so as ensure judicious utilization of Area Councils’ resources.

He told the communities that the

Abuja residents lament traffic gridlock along Wuse/ to ease the traffic.

Other residents blamed Berger junction

By Adeola Tukuru

A

buja residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the ever constant traffic gridlock in the city centre, particularly along the Wuse / Berger junction, calling on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed and other relevant agencies to come to their aid

Some residents who spoke to Peoples Daily yesterday lamented that the traffic congestion along these routes have become a source of worry to them, leaving them stranded along the road According to a civil servant, Mrs. Grace Oyedotun the traffic situation causes impatient motorists, to drive on the wrong side of the road thereby causing more traffic congestion on the roads.

the security operatives along the routes, who are not always around during certain hours in the day to control traffic.

In his words: “We will be at the holdup for several hours ,before getting to our destination, sometimes if one has to meet up with an appointment ,one will miss it because of the situation we have found ourselves. These is so ridiculous”.

workshop became necessary following the need to promote rapid development at the local government level considering its role as the closest arm of government to the people.

“Communities are the beneficiaries of any budget and once they are involved in the preparation, they have basis to ask questions where necessary and by extension promote, transparency and accountability.

“So my concern is for the participants to know why budget, an instrument for rapid development in any community is important and tropical,” he said.

Aliyu said the NGO had commenced partnership with Area Council executives on the need to involve communities in its budget preparations.

Some of the participants who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had commended the NGO for the workshop but called for similar workshop for Area Councils’ executives as it would enhance accommodation of communities in budget preparations.

Dear reader, Metro welcomes human interest stories in your neighbourhood. Please call or send SMS to 08065327178 or e-mail jomarch4@yahoo.com to inform us about happenings in your area. Share your experiences or those of your friends and neighbours with fellow readers.

220 PDP members decamp to ANPP in Kwali

By Adeola Tukuru

A

bout 220 card carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Riwaza and Fobge communities in Ashara ward of Kwali area council has decamped to the ruling All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).

Speaking on behalf of the decamped PDP member, Malam Musa O. Maaji, said his decision to decamped along with his people from the two communities to the ruling ANPP was informed by the performance of the present administration of Joseph Shazin.

He said the present administration under the leadership of Joseph Shazin, of the ANPP has been able to execute meaningful projects that have impacted on the lives of residents of the two communities.

According to him, the council chairman has brought a sigh of relief to people of the village through grading of Kamadi-Fogbe road, sinking of two bore-holes, renovation of schools and award of contract fore the construction of a double cell culvert at the Fogbe community.

“I must say without mincing words that the three various chairman we have had, it is only the present chairman, Joseph Shazin, that has devoted his time to visit this community and see how people are living and we have able to see viable projects he executed which informed our resolve to join the ship of the ANPP in Kwali” he said.

He, therefore, advised the chairman to set up a committee that will be charge with the responsibility of reaching to other various ethnic groups to ascertain their problems, while he assured the support of his members for the development of the council.

Responding, chairman of the council, Jopseph Shazin, expressed happiness with the former PDP members for indentifying with his administrations performance while he promised to carry them in all decisions concerning the progress and development of the council.

The chairman informed the gathering the council has already awarded a contract to the tune of N15 million for the construction of a double cell culvert at Fobge community, saying the project work will commence as soon as the councils budget is approved.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 17

Mpape killing: Court begins hearing on N.3 billion suit …removes Zenith Bank as respondent

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

federal high court, sitting in Apo, Abuja, has began hearing on the substantive suit of N300,184,00 claims brought before it by Chidiebere Promise Okere and Mr. Eugene Okere son and husband to one Mrs. Doris Okere, the woman, allegedly killed by the police in Mpape area of the FCT. In the original suit with number: C/4653/11 as registered in the court, Zenith Bank International Plc, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation were made the 2nd, 3rd and 4 th respondents to the suit respectively.

The suit which was filed before

the court in April 27, 2011, seeking 10 reliefs from the court in form of orders and declarations against the four respondents, jointly and severally, had suffered several adjournments prior to yesterday when it was further adjoined for hearing today.

The presiding Judge, Hon. Justice Ufot Inyang, in adjourning the case to today hinged the blamed for the several incidence of adjournments on pending preliminary motions brought by parties to the suit, which he had concluded hearing thus paving way for the court to hear the substantive suit, promising to give it accelerated

hearing.

Some of the reliefs sought includes among others a declaration that the extra judicial killing of Mrs. Doris Okere by the respondents is illegal, unconstitutional and a gross violation the deceased’s right to life as guaranteed under section 33 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended, Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and Article 3 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights 1948 respectively.

Also included in the reliefs is an order of the court compelling the respondents to pay to the

Applicants, the sum of two hundred million naira as exemplary and punitive damages for the deceased by the unlawful and reckless killing of the deceased by the respondents, in addition to other monetary reward before the court.

Meanwhile, Justice Inyang struck out the name of Zenith Bank as the 2nd respondents in the suit following the notice of discountenance of case against it by the Applicants counsel led by Barrister C.C. Ogbonna, saying it is in pursuant to Order 27 Rule 21 of the rules of the court.

There were no objections to the motion by the applicants’ counsel

from the 3rd and first respondents,.

It would be recalled that days after the Monday, January 31, 2011 alleged murder of Mrs. Okere by a trigger -happy policeman at Mpape, Abuja,the immediate past IGP, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, directed that a criminal suit be instituted against the suspect.

The incident happened when the suspect opened fire on a taxi carrying the deceased, when her son was just eleven months old.

Confusion set in, as the woman died on the spot and the Zenith Bank branch where the policeman had sought refuge was burnt by sympathisers. The policeman was said to be attached to the bank while the late Doris was a cashier with former Bank PHB in Wuse Zone 1.

Upgrade me, village head appeals

By Adeola Tukuru

T

he village head of Riwaza community in Kwali area council ,FCT, Malam Muhammed Bature, has called to the authorities to upgrade him so he can become visible like other traditional rulers.

Bature, made the request during the councils chairman Joseph Shazin, ongoing tour of projects He disclosed that since he became the village head of the community over some years back, he is hardly been recognize like other village heads in the area.

He noted that despite the council had not been identifying with him, he had always stood and being in support of the performance of the council through his effort in providing meaningful projects to people of the community.

“I will be very grateful if the council chairman can look in to upgrading me like the way other village heads are upgraded so that I and my people from Riwaza can feel the impact of your administration.

Responding, the chairman said the upgrading of traditional rulers, district/village heads was a problem his administration inherited on ground when he assumed office.

According to him, there are some village heads that were upgrading without due process by the former administration of the council which he said has become a burden on the council. “ Already, a committee has been put in place by the council to look in to how upgrading of some village heads were carried out by the previous administration and if we discover that those that are upgraded were done under due process, we will revoke it” he said.

The chairman said the council has been maintaining cordial relationship with traditional rulers in the area since he assumed office and has been paying their allowance as at when due.

Yam seller along Airport road Abuja, recently.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Over 80 percent of area council budget goes for personnel costs-Akinjide

By Josephine Ella

M

inister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide said “presently, over 80 per cent of area council budget go to service personnel costs”.

According to the minister, who disclosed this at a meeting with the House Committee on FCT Area Councils, noted that “15 per cent of the budget goes into servicing overheads while only 5 per cent goes into capital projects”.

Highlighting the major

challenges facing the FCT area councils, she said: “There is the issue of decaying infrastructure and the challenge of payment of increases resulting from various reviews of federal staff salary structure, allowances and welfare packages”.

She said the issue of increasing population arising from influx of people from major flashpoints of crisis across the nation has remained a major challenge.

Major consequences of these developments, Akinjide noted include inability to meet up with the targets set in the various

Appropriation Acts, mounting liabilities and serious pressure on public utilities and infrastructure in the area councils.

She added that these are evident in the spate of road congestions, backlog of resettlement and compensation issues as well as overall shortfall in welfare amenities in view of the population.

According to the minister, “a careful analysis shows a huge differential between actual amount budgeted and actual receipt resulting in a deficit of over 50 per cent”.

In a bid to address these challenges,

she disclosed that the administration’s approach is to meet these demands through a wellcrafted Strategic Focus Agenda aimed at repositioning the councils for better performance in the immediate future.

This she said include creation of a Satellite Towns Infrastructure Agency, human resource development, which would eliminate ghost-workers spectre, internal revenue generation, creation of Area Councils Geographic Information System and value for money audit.

AEPB threatens to sanction city cleaning contractors

By Josephine Ella

T

he Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has threatened to sanction city cleaning contractors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who go against laid down procedures of keeping the city clean.

Deputy Director,

Environmental Health, Mrs Aishat Adebayo, who issued the threat at a press briefing, was reacting to complaints about some litter picking women discovered to be sweeping litter and sands from the road into the drains.

Some journalists had raised this issue which they noted could result to blockage of the drains and

flooding if not checked.

She called for collaboration of journalists and residents in reporting those found wanting as she said “the contractor in charge can be seriously fined if found to be true”.

Earlier, the deputy director said the briefing was to intimate journalists on the efforts being made

and challenges facing the contractors.

“The contractors have been working but challenges of development have made it difficult to control the level of waste generated”.

She urged residents to do what is right to aid the service providers in keeping the city clean.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 19

amunuimam@yahoo.co.uk 08033644990

INSIDE - Pg 21 Arik Air offers promo on Lagos, Abuja- London...

FAAC allocation for the month of December 2011 shared in January, 2012 S/N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

BENEFICIARIES

TOTAL 303,625,692,205.23 180,994,367,291.71 137,592,748,946.07 72,561,218,196.90 2,756,014,240.21 323,183,429,445.01

8

FG States LGCs 13% Derivation Fund Cost of collection- NCS Transfer of Excess Crude Deductions: Cost of Collections -FIRS Add transfer subsidy acct

9

Total

1,104,879,936,657.54

4,166,466,332.41 80,000,000,000.00

FIRS remittances to FCT hits N30bn in 2011

By Abdulwahab Isa

T

he Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has netted N29.99 billion in tax remittances to FCT coffers in the year ended 2011.

The figure represents a considerable increase in the Service collection and remittance of N23.24 billion to the FCTA from 2010, according to a statement by FIRS Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Emmanuel Obeta.

The amount represents Pay-

Flight schedule AIR NIGERIA (MONDAY - SUNDAY) LOS-ABJ : 07.15, 11.40, 14.00, 16.30, 17.00, 17.20, 18.30.

ABJ-LOS: 07.00, 09.30, 10.30, 11.15, 16.15, 19.15, 19.35 ABJ-KANO: 18.40 KANO-ABJ: 08.35 ABJ-SOK (MON ): 09.35 ABJ-SOK (F RI): 10.10 ABJ-SOK (WED/SUN): 11.20 SOK-ABJ (MON): 11.35 SOK -ABJ (F RI): 12.00 SOK-ABJ (WED/SUN): 13.20

AEROCONTRACTORS (MON - SUN) LOS-ABJ: 06.50, 13.30, 19.45 LOS-ABJ (SUN): 12.30 LOS-ABJ (SAT): 16.45 ABU-L OS: 07.30, 13.00, 14.00, 19.00 ABU-LOS (SUN): 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 ABU-LOS (SAT): 18.30

DANA AIRLINES (MON - SUN) LOS-A BJ: 07.02, 08.10, 12.06, 15.30, 17.10 ABJ-LOS: 07.20, 09.36, 13.05, 14.40 ABJ-LOS (SAT/SUN): 13.05, 18.00 LOS-KANO : 08.10 KANO-LOS: 11.25 KANO -ABUJA: 11.25 ABUJA-KANO: 10.08

IRS AIRLINES

As-You-Earn (PAYEE) and Personal Income Tax (PIT) collected from the residents of the territory.

Breakdown of the collection from January to December shows that N1.97 billion was realised in January, N2.19 billion in February, N3.51 billion in March, N2.20 billion in April and N2.63 billion in May. The figure recorded in June was N2.38 billion, N1.99 billion in July, N2.51 billion in August and N2.52 billion in September.

A total of N2.20 billion was recorded in October, N2.90 billion in November and the month of December accounted for N2.93 billion.

This initiative is part of the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Ifueko Omoigui Okauru-led management team determination to transform the Service tax operations and expand the revenue base of the country.

Others are Capital Gains Tax on residents of the FCT, Abuja, bodies' corporate and nonresident individuals, Stamp Duties on bodies corporate and residents of the FCT, Abuja.

It also includes Personal Income Tax in respect of members of the Armed Forces of the Federation, members of the Nigeria Police Force, residents of the FCT, staff of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and non- resident individuals.

The revenue agency also said it has completed arrangement to establish more Satellite Tax Offices (STO) across Federal Capital Territory (FCT)'s major markets in 2012.

EXCHANGE RATES

CBN CFA • £ RIYAL $

LOS -ABJ: 9.45, 11.45, 2.45

SELLING 0.3132 205.6191 245.5636 41.7022 156.4

PARALLEL RATES

ABJ-LOS: 11.30, 3.45, 4.45 LOS-KANO: 6.15 LOS-KANO (SAT/SUN): 16.30 KANO -LOS: 07.30 KANO-LOS (SUN/SUN): 10.30

15th Feb, 2012 BUYING 0.2932 204.3044 243.9935 41.4356 155.4

• £ RIYAL $

BUYING 210 255 42 158

SELLING 212 257 44 160

L-R: Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Andrea Fawthrop, Amana-nawei of Kolu-Ama I, HRH Jeremiah Lechemo, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, and Amana-nawei of Kolu-Ama II, HRH Newton Mienye, during the minister's tour of communities affected by the recent Chevron gas rig fire, recently, in Bayelsa state.

Ex- Intercontinental Bank staff protest non-payment of gratuities

By Abdulwahab Isa with agency report he 1,500 relieved staffs of former Intercontinental Bank have given the management of Access Bank plc which acquired the bank up till Friday to pay the sacked workers their entitlements.

The aggrieved bankers gave the deadline on Monday in Abuja, when they took their nonpayment peaceful protest at Abuja regional headquarters of the bank to demand the payment of their severance benefits.

Pauly Iziguso, who spoke on behalf of the workers, drawn from all the branches of Intercontinental Bank in the northern part of the country, said since their appointment were summarily terminated on January 27, 2012, the management of Access Bank had not formally communicated to the affected workers on modalities for the payment of their entitlements.

According to Mr. Iziguso, the bank rejected an offer from them to voluntarily resign their appointments, as being sacked tend to suggest they committed acts of gross misconduct or fraud.

Iziguoso, while narrating the frustration the ex-staff were being subjected to since January when sack letters were handed over to

T

them said, ”For more than three weeks, we have been going back and forth on the matter with Access Bank management and they have not allowed us to resign”.

“Since January 27 when we were disengaged, nobody has told us anything,” he said. “No communication whatsoever.

Nobody has been paid. Yet, they are blackmailing us. We have decided to suspend the protest till further notice, because the Access Bank management in Lagos has communicated to the management in Abuja that payments would be made to all those that have completed their documentations latest by next Friday. But if on that day we are not paid we will take the protest to another level. And no policeman would be able to stop us.”

Another member of the group, who simply identified himself as Augustine, who claimed to have been the Regional Branch service head for the North-Central region, said the former workers were bitter because of the manner Access adopted in relieving them of their jobs, after some had put in between 10 to 15 years.

“In January, we came to the office only to discover that we could not log on to our official

computer systems,” Augustine recalled.

“On inquiries, we were told that the bank was going to downsize. Later a text message came with the directive that all the affected staff from the whole of the northern part of the country should meet at one hotel in at Wuse 2, Abuja, on Saturday January 28. On arrival at the hotel, we were handed formal letters of termination of our appointments.

“Our offence was that we were not able to meet some deposit mobilization targets given by management in November last year. The target, which was for six months for different categories of officials, including trainee level graduates to managers in IT, operations and admin departments, was to mobilize between N10million and N30million every month in demand deposits, savings and current accounts that they would pay interests.

Efforts by Peoples Daily to get management of Access Bank responding to issues raised by sacked staff were not successful as both phone calls and text messages sent to Access Bank Head, Corporate Communications, Austin Austin Edoja-Peters were not responded to.

Management Tip of the Day

Compete to be unique, not the best

M

ost companies want to be the best at what they do. But in the vast majority of business, there is no such thing as “the best.” Trying to imitate rivals will get you nowhere: It’s impossible to do exactly what your competitors are doing and end

up with superior results.

Customers choose different products and services for different reasons, and it’s unlikely you’ll win them all. Instead, focus on creating superior value for the customers that choose your company. Doing this profitably means accepting

limits and making tradeoffs—you can’t meet every need of every customer.

Don’t set out to win a war.

Instead find your audience and capture their attention and loyalty.

Source: Harvard Business Review

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 20

COMPANY NEWS Etisalat to step up service delivery in broadband provisioning

E

tisalat Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to broadband services provisioning, through strategic investments to strengthen its Third Generation (3G) and Second Generation (2G) networks.

New India Assurance, owners of Prestige see huge potential in Nigeria

N

ew India Assurance Company Limited, owners of 51 percent equity in Prestige Assurance plc is excited about market opportunities in Nigeria, promising to offer both technical and technological support to position the local firm for stronger market competition.

Bell Oil and Gas to invest $200million in drilling rig

B

ell oil and gas Nigeria limited, an indigenous firm is investing about $200 million in a drilling programme within the next 18 months.

Upstream holds promise for Oando’s Q1 performance

O

ando Plc, an indigenous energy group is set to leverage on rising demand for oil and gas in 2012 by applying innovation and technology in its upstream operations which in the long run portend a robust performance beginning from the first quarter.

Flour Mills Q3 result perform below analyst expectations

F

lour Mills of Nigeria Plc has announced its third quarter (Q3) Dec 2011 numbers, with turnover growing to N144.2bn, 17.5 percent higher than the previous N122.7bn reported in Q3 2010. Profit before tax however dipped by 14.3 percent to N10.3 bn from N11.9 bn, while post-tax profits fell by a significant 13 percent to N7.1 bn from N8.1bn.

Rivers unveils new tax management software

R

ivers state governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has unveiled the State’s new tax management software, a joint venture with Skye Bank that automates and modernises the internal revenue collection and generation process in the State.

Pilots’ mistake killed former Sultan, others in plane crash – Report Stories from Suleiman Idris, Lagos

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eport made available by the United States Federal Aviation Administration has disclosed that human error and a lack of proper safety regulation were responsible for the three deadly plane crashes Nigeria recorded between 2005 and 2006, which claimed 380 aboard the aircraft including the late Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Maciddo on October 29 2006.

The document, obtained by the Associated Press (AP) through a Freedom of Information Act in the US said the Aviation Development Company (ADC) plane which left Abuja for Sokoto with the Sultan and 95 others on board crash-landed 76 seconds after going airborne was caused by the ‘pilot’s incorrect action’.

It said “Just before the crash, alarms began sounding in the cockpit and the pilots’ incorrect action stalled the plane, and observed that: “Although bad weather may have created the situation, which the pilots reacted to, they reacted inappropriately.”

Furthermore the AP report disclosed that “Even more disturbing for investigators were the airline’s operation manual for pilots and cockpit staff, which “did not contain any information on adverse weather condition as that section was blank.”

“The manual was duly approved by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority despite containing the blank section.”

“The deficiency in the

Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah

operation manual would probably make it difficult for pilots to take appropriate decision on when to go or not to go in (an) adverse weather condition,” the report said.

The FAA document, which the Nigerian federal government has refused to release its own version since the 2005 incident, also indicates that the records show that the captain of the Bellview airlines that crashed on the Oct. 22, 2005 killing 177 people, including a U.S. citizen has been out of operations for 14 years and has sustain a gunshot to his head without any medical record of his treatment.

“The plane’s captain, a 49year-old former pilot, had been hired by Bellview after he had been working at a dairy for about 14 years, the summary read. The pilot also had been “shot in the head during a robbery attempt” during that break from flying, the report said.

“Interestingly, the Nigerian ... medical records do not contain any medical or hospitalisation history of this event,” the report stated.

Again, it reported that the

Dec. 10, 2005 crash of a Sosoliso Airline’s flight full of schoolchildren from Abuja to Port Harcourt, which killed 107 people, appears to have involved both pilot error and weather.

“The pilot was reportedly racing a thunderstorm nearing the airport”, the FAA memo reads, adding: “The inclement weather also forced the pilot to make an instrument landing — meaning that visibility had been reduced to the point the pilot needed to rely on instruments to make his landing, the report read”.

However, the DirectorGeneral of Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren, was quoted as saying that officials of the agency have worked to ensure safety regulations were followed.

“Nigeria had a really woeful accident record and those were the results,” Demuren said.

“However, you must add to it that things have improved tremendously since then”, he said.

Nigeria has not witness major mishap since the new NCAA was put in place under Demuren by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

Emirates increases African network with Lusaka, Harare launch

W

orld fastest growing airline, Emirates has said it is extending its reach into Africa with the launch of a new linked service to Lusaka and Harare.

Now flying to 22 points within Africa, Emirates will connect Zambia and Zimbabwe to key markets across Europe, the Far East, Australasia and the Indian Subcontinent.

The Dubai-Lusaka-Harare service will operate daily except Thursday and Saturdays using an A330-200 aircraft in a three class configuration.

“Zambia and Zimbabwe are both important emerging business and industrial centres, with economies that are projected to grow by over five per cent annually during the coming years,” said Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice-

President Revenue Optimisation & Distribution.

“Emirates’ new service will play a significant role in supporting this growth by connecting Lusaka and Harare to our worldwide network, opening new conduits for trade, investment and tourism”, he told journalists.

Zambia Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Given Lubinda said, “Emirates’ decision to operate to Lusaka represents new economic doors being opened to our country. The fact that this airline, which is successful on all continents, is entering markets like ours as part of its expansion plans is clear evidence of excellent future prospects for Zambia and Zambians,” In Zimbabwe, Nicholas Goche, Minister of transport, communications and

infrastructure development said “The arrival of Emirates to Zimbabwe is a very significant development for the market. We welcome the entrance of a truly global airline with an extensive network, large fleet and great reputation for quality service which will greatly improve choice and connectivity for Zimbabwean travellers,” It is expected that Emirates’

services to Harare will support the Tourism Ministry’s projections that the sector will contribute over US$5 billion to the Zimbabwean economy by 2015. The airline will promote Zambia and Zimbabwe’s tourism attractions, including Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River, game reserves and safaris, in advertising campaigns executed across the airline’s global network.

Arik Air offers promo on Lagos, Abuja- London routes

A

rik Air is offering its customer promotion on its Lagos-London Heathrow and Abuja-London Heathrow routes with the theme “Flying for less from Lagos and Abuja to London Heathrow”.

The Lagos-London route promo fare is pegged at $301 while that from Abuja is $254. Both fares are exclusive of taxes.

The promotion, the airline said will run between 16th February and 31st of March, 2012. While the last date to purchase the ticket is 10th March, 2012.

First african aviation suppliers confab to hold in March

A

frican aviation supply chain management will receive a boost, with a planned conference by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) scheduled for Nairobi Safari Park Hotel, from 07th 9th March 2012.

Dubbed the “Aviation Suppliers and Stakeholders Convention 2012”, the conference will be the first of its kind on the African continent and is aimed at bringing together airlines, airports, civil aviation organisations and air traffic and navigation service providers on the one hand and

a i r c r a f t / e n g i n e manufacturers, component suppliers, IT and other service providers to the industry.

Secretary-General of AFRAA, Dr. Elijah Chingosho told reporters that the conference aims to “foster dialogue, build sustainable networks in supply chain management, create a competitive environment and ultimately improve the aviation support base in the continent. In addition, the event will also provide an outstanding profile building, networking and direct sales

opportunities for suppliers of equipment, components, solutions and services.”

AFRAA plans to help improve the industry supply chain efficiency and capacity, as part of efforts to support the rapidly growing aviation business in Africa.

Africa being one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world with a 12.9% growth in 2011. The continent aviation is projected to grow by over 7.5% year-onyear over the next 10 years.

This growth would require enormous investments and an

efficient and well-coordinated supply chain system to ensure that the necessary resources, components and inputs are readily available and competitively priced to support this growth.

With the theme “Harnessing aviation growth opportunities in Africa”, Dr. Chingosho said “This is a unique opportunity for airlines, airports and other aviation leaders to present and benchmark their services with peers and discover new solutions that will improve passenger experience, cost and quality service,”

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 21

FG sets N160bn for upgrade of country’s inland revenues, basins T

he Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs, Diezani AlisonMadueke yesterday said that Federal Government has earmarked about one billion dollars ( about N160 bn) to boost the nation’s inland revenues and potential basins in the next four years.

Alison-Madueke made the disclosure in her

welcome address entitled, “State of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry’’ at the opening of the 2012 Nigerian Oil and Gas (NOG) conference in Abuja.

The minister said the oil and gas industry would ensure that more investment was made in the country’s Inland Revenue and basins with more emphasis on the Chad basin.

She said that government had set aside about one billion dollars for data collection, data analysis, drilling, seismic activities over the next four years.

“We are presently focusing deeply into investing into the country’s inland revenues and basinsin the next four years time.

GOMBE STATE NOTICE IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE PROBATE DIVISION, GOMBE STATE Whereas the person/persons whose names are set out in the first column hereunder died intestate on the date and at the place stated in the column. And whereas the person/persons whose address and claimed relationship to the deceased person/persons is set out in the second column hereunder has applied to High Court of Justice Gombe for grant of “letters of Administration” will be granted to such person/persons unless NOTICE TO PROHIBIT the grant thereof is field in the Probate Registry High Court of Justice, Gombe within twenty-one (21) days from the date of publication of this notice.

SCHEDULED: DECEASED APPLICANTS FOR GRANT Chief Emmanuel S. Okonkwo Mrs. Hilda Ifeyinwa Okonkwo of F.C.E. (T) Gombe of Federal Low-Cost, Gombe Who died on 8th June, 2010 the Widow of the Said Deceased At Umaihia, Abia State Gloria Dauda Lorether Daniel of Nigeria Police Force, Gombe of Abuja Quarters, Gombe th Who died on 9 December, 2011 the Daughter of the said at Jos. Deceased Yusuf Muhammad Kida Sadiya Yusuf of Fed. Min. of Housing, GM office of Fed, Housing Estate Gombe Who died on 27th July, 2011 the Daughter of the said At Gombe Deceased Isa Ibrahim Abdulhameed Isa of Unguwan Tike Kumo of Unguwan Tike, Kumo Who died on 18th December, 2011 the Brother of the said At Gombe.

Deceased Benedict Bulus Yahaya Emmanuel Bulus Yahaya of Fed. Gov’t. Girl’s Coll. Bauchi, of Buba Shongo Qtrs., Gombe th the Brother of the said Who died on 24 July, 2011 At Gombe.

Deceased Danladi M. Stephen Dauda Yakubu of BCGA Quarters, Gombe of BCGA Quarters, Gombe Who died on 24 th January, 2011 the Brother of the said At Gombe.

Deceased.

Usman Malaisuwa Monica Usman Malaisuwa of Nig. Prison Service, Gombe of Kagarawal Quarters, Gombe Who died on 31st May, 2011 the Daughter of the said At Gombe Deceased Japhet Micah Mr. Omega Micah of Nigerian Police Force, Ganjuwa of ECWA church, Kulushin, Kaltungo, the Brother of the said Who died on 12th October, 2007, At Bauchi Deceased Moh’d Gidado Baba Muktari Gidado of N.C.S. lagos, of Federal low-Cost, Gombe, Who died on 9th January, 2012 the Son of the said At Gombe.

Deceased.

Iliya Salem Abubakar Salem of Ashaka Cement Plc. of Abuja quarters, Gombe, the Son of the said Who died on 8th January, 2011, At Gombe.

Deceased Moh’d Mahdi Doho Mahmud Moh’d Mahdi of Tudun Wada Quarters, Gombe of Tudun Wada Quarters, Gombe Who died on 21 st August, 2011 the Brother of the said At Bauchi.

Deceased.

Sani Hassan Guga Hasuwa’u Hassan Guga of NPF Gombe 34 Mopol Barrack of Federal Low-Cost Gombe Who died on 12 th January, 2012 the Daughter of the said At Gombe Deceased.

James Nuhu Abigail James of NPF Gombe State command, of Urkum Quarters, Billiri Who died on 25th October, 2008.

The Daughter of the said At Gombe.

Deceased.

Nyapson Danjuma Choji Elijah Nyapson of N.D.C. Gombe of State Low-Cost, Gombe, Who died on 13th May, 2011.

The Son of the said At Gombe.

Deceased.

Umeh Onyeka Michael Chukuma Nzediegwu of Gadan Malale, Near A.S. Tinka, of Gadan Malale, Near A.S. Tinka, Gombe Gombe the Brother of the said th Who died on 18 October, 2011 Deceased.

At Lokoja, Kogi State Mohammed Nuhu Habu Nuhu of N.P.F. Gombe State Command, of Jekadafari Quarters, Gombe, The Son of the said Decease Who died on 31st August, 2011.

At Gombe.

Garson Danja Bitrus Kumsaban of 323 Artillery Regiment, of ECWA Church, Kulishen, 32 Artillery Brigade, Shongom LGA Nigerian Army Corps.

The Brother of the said Who died on 29th Sept., 2009 Deceased.

At Afuze, Ido State Sama’ila Boyi Joseph Dauda Diyo Lewa of Nigerian Police Force, Afuze Iddo of Unguwan Yobe, Bajoga, State the Brother of the said Deceased Who died on 6th October, 2007 At Afuze, Ido State.

Tukur Sale Dongs Murtala Sale Dongs & Kanadi Tukur of F.M.C. Gombe of Arewa Quarters, Gombe, the Brother & Son of the said Who died on 24th September, 2008 At Gombe.

Deceased.

Mohammed Jalo Aliyu Abdullahi Mohammed Jalo of Federal Medical Centre, Gombe of Tuduna Wada Quarters, Gombe, the Son of the said Who died on 23rd November, 2011, At Gombe.

Deceased.

Abubakar G. Mamman Umar Mamman of Nigerian Customs Service, of c/o Nigerian Custom SAervice, Apapa, Lagos, Ogun State, Who died on 31st March, 2011 The Brother of the said Deceased.

At Gombe.

Dated 17 th day of February, 2012 Probate Registrar High Court of Justice, Gombe, Gombe State

Signed: Moh’d Umar Pindiga Esq. Chief Registrar, High Court of Justice, Gombe.

Alison-Madueke said the oil and gas sector had witnessed renewed improvement under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to her, the upstream subsector of the nation’s actual crude oil and condensate are ranging to an average of 2.39 million barrels per day (bpd).

She said this was consistent to maintain the budgeted oil level of 2.3 million bpd, adding that as at today, production has increased to 2.5 million bpd of oil and condensate.

“Similarly, gas has also increased tremendously by more than 70 per cent, which is about 21.2 billion standard cubic feet per day (scf/pd) in 2011.

“This is the first time in

the industry supply that we witnessed more of domestic gas which is being consumed by the power and industrial sectors,’’ she said.

The minister, however, said that exploration would continue in the Lake Chad and other frontier basins at the time.

Alison-Madueke said the NNPC and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources had concluded arrangements for advanced seismic acquisition and processing to enhance ongoing energy evaluation.

Alison-Madueke said that government has also awarded the contracts for gas pipelines to Olorunsogo and Omotosho power stations for effective power supply into the national grid.

She said the gas challenge has been resolved a few months ago, saying that the implementation of the gas projects would kick start in harness.

The minister, however, confirmed that the 1.3 metric tons per annum petro-chemical plant and 1.3 metric tons per annum Fertiliser Company is expected to be established in the next three years.

Alison-Madueke said the major challenges confronting the government was pipeline vandalism which, she said, has been at the confront burner of the government.

She said that over 111 bunkering sites were destroyed in the Niger Delta.

Fuel queues mount in Abuja

By Muhammad Nasir and Rukaiya Muhammad uel queues have intensified in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory despite the intervention by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) two weeks ago that led to the suspension of the strike by members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG).

Peoples Daily learnt that there is scarcity of fuel in most of the filling stations visited in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which led to the long queues witnessed.

However, the Group Managing Director of the

F

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Austen Oniwon at the Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) conference yesterday, assured that the NNPC have 32 days sufficient supply of the products and that within a couple of days the queues will disappear.

He noted that the current long queues was prompted because the tankers from Ilorin stopped loading the products but said that they have intervened.

Speaking to motorist in one of the filling station in Nyanya, Mr. Anthony John said, “I have been in the queue for five hours while I am supposed to be at work, I

am sure to receive a query upon reaching office’, he stated.

A public servant who works around Berger roundabout, Mrs. Amina Tanko said ‘‘It’s embarrassing for Nigeria as fuel producing country to witness shortage of fuel”.

She pleaded to the Federal Government to put in modalities to correct the lapses in the oil and gas sectors of the Nigerian economy, which she said will create steady supply of the products across the country. ‘Nigerians are suffering, we don’t have to be in queues for hours to buy petrol, this is unfortunate’, she lamented.

UNIDO spends N4.8bn for industrial development

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

T

he United Nation I n d u s t r i a l Development Organisation (UNIDO) has said that it spent more than 30 million dollars (about N4.8 bn) in Nigeria on project development in the past few years.

Dr Patrick Kormawa, the UNIDO Country Representative in Nigeria, disclosed this when the UNIDO Deputy Director General paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr Samuel Ortom in Abuja yesterday.

“We have spent over 30 million dollars in this country over the last couple of years in projects such as agro-business and renewable

energy, among others.

“We have been helping the ministry to develop its policy because without the development of policies, Nigeria cannot develop its industries.’’

He said that at the state level UNIDO had implemented projects that have helped in the training of young people in ICT and in capacity building to make them self-employed.

Kormawa said the organisation was also helping the ministry in the development of a blue print to support the implementation of its programmes.

“UNIDO is a specialised agency of the UN charged with the responsibility of elevating and speeding up sustainable industrial development in developing

countries and changing economies.

He said the organisation had also amplified its role in the global development scheme, focusing on poverty alleviation and e n v i r o n m e n t a l sustainability.

Kormawa said that as a development agency, UNIDO was working with the government and the people to move the country forward industrially.

In his speech, the UNIDO Deputy Director General, Mr. Taizo Nishikawa said UNIDO’s objective in Nigeria was to help it attain sustainable industrial development.

According to him, the Trade and Investment Ministry and UNIDO had discussed severally on industrialising the country.

PAGE 22

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Implementing Buhari’s antidote for Nigeria’s economic revival In the wake of Nigeria facing its worst economic situation occasioned by pervasive corruption, high cost of governance and near absence of key infrastructure including security challenges, the Goodluck Jonathan administration may have surreptitiously cued in to tips by the presidential aspirant of Congress for Political Change, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (rtd), who had warned that the county stands the risk of economic explosion if political leaders fail in checking their ways. Abdulwahab Isa, in this analysis examines the recent corrective steps taken by the administration including the 2012 budget cut-down and opines that the President may have harkened to Buhari’s wise counsel.

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)

T

he Congress for Political Change (CPC) lost its final bid at Supreme Court to invalidate 2011 presidential election won by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The party lost the last chance at the zenith court to pull through in its presidential ambition. But its presidential candidate, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (rtd) a man whose integrity tower above him, revered for his intolerance to corruption and financial prudency never gave up on charting a road map for economic recovery.

Outside the Supreme Court premises, sandwiched by newsmen, Buhari, blunt and straight forward as always, forewarned political office holders and public officers to be wary of the precarious economic direction the country was toeing occasioned by their financial profligacy.

The ex-military head of state and Chairman, Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) told political office holders to cut down on overseas trips, unnecessary medical attention abroad, trimming down heavy security votes, cutting down on heavy emoluments paid to the executive and legislative members.

She explained that “the revision became necessary as a result of the need to make provision for subsidy arising from the partial deregulation under which the price of PMS or petrol was reduced from N141 per litre to N97 per litre.

She admitted that the campaign against waste and leakages has also notched up significant success as N74 billion has been saved through biometric verification of workers and

President Goodluck Jonathan Buhari’s economic tips towards averting looming financial disasters apparently struck the right chord at the top hierarchy in presidency.

President Goodluck Jonathan offered to slash down, by 25 per cent, his basic salary including his cabinet members in line with the mood and massive unprecedented protest that trailed the January 1st fuel pump hike.

Indeed, the January subsidy protest which turned out to be the best coordinated and most successful in the history of protests was not all about deregulation of oil sector as Nigerians poured to the streets to demonstrate against the pervasive corruption, wastage in government, absence of security and total collapse of infrastructure.

Rattled by the unprecedented success ‘Occupy Nigeria’ protest recorded and of course the Buhari’s warning on the looming economic disaster may have unwittingly served as a wake –up call, as the Jonathan administration appears to have woken from its slumber and have taken various steps to minimise economic waste and close the widening corruption gap.

Aside from the constitution of

various committees currently in place to infuse transparency in production of crude oil, tracking volume of local consumption and entrenching financial openness in the management of oil proceeds, his economic team last week came up with a revised 2012 budget cutting down heavily on travel, cost of furniture, training cost and office equipment, in line with public yearning for frugal but cost effective budget.

President Goodluck Jonathan had transmitted N4.749tr 2012 budget to the National Assembly end of last year. However, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced a N100 billion slash from the revised budget last week and said the reductions were taken from a host of areas in the budget including administrative, training, transport office equipment and other costs.

Iweala , a former Deputy Managing Director at the World Bank, who personifies the economic think – tank of Jonathan administration said government is keen on having a smaller and more effective budget.

pensioners which has simultaneously led to a reduction in the pension budget while improving the processes for paying genuine pensioners.

She offered insight on how government intends to fund subsidy for the remaining part of the year explaining that the 2012 Fiscal Framework earlier submitted to NASS assumed 100% subsidy removal and only N155bn was provided for carryover of 2011 subsidy payments. The estimated figure for 2012 is now N888 billion inclusive of some carry-over from 2011.

Following the controversy over the deregulation and government’s decision to implement partial subsidy removal with PMS pump price of N97/litre and kerosene still fully subsidized, the government has faced the challenge of achieving the objectives of the budget within the context of reduced revenues.

“The savings made and the cuts achieved underscore the seriousness with which the Federal Government views its mandate to make a difference in the lives of the people against all odds”, said the minister.

As a way of reducing the

budget deficit and minimise borrowing, the Minster listed several steps being taken to bring the deficit to a more manageable level.

On the revenue side for instance, she said plans have been marshaled to expand independent revenue sources. The Minster said Internal Generating Revenue (IGR) has been increased by N53.3bn from N393.46bn to N446.78bn as a result of an on-going engagement with revenue agencies.

The Pension Task Force, she said, has made a recovery of about N151bn, of which N74bn has already been reflected in the budget.

On the expenditure side, several cuts have been affected, says the Minster.

Transfers were reduced

by N25.34bn, service Wide votes were reduced

by N24.39bn from N337.08bn to N312.69bn; overhead vote was reduced by N17.75bn .

Capital vote was also reduced

by N35.53bn from N1.319 trillion to N1.284 trillion as a result of the removal of administrative capital items such as Procurement of fridges, fans, vehicles, Construction of office building (except on-going projects), Purchase of Land and office furniture and Purchase of computers.

These efforts, Iweala said, resulted in savings of about N100bn, with aggregate expenditure coming down from N4.749tr to N4.649tr.

The fiscal deficit increases slightly from 2.77% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as in the original Budget proposal, to 2.97% of GDP under the revised budget.

“This deficit will be financed through the traditional sources such as Privatisation proceeds and Signature bonus. In line with the focus on prudence, domestic borrowing requirement is kept constant at N794.4bn. Also, the additional amount required to finance the deficit will come from the Excess Crude Account”, the Minister explained.

Espousing on N888.1 billion arrived at as subsidy financing in 2012 budget, Okonjo-Iweala said the figure was arrived at after extensive consultations with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) using 2008 as baseline year.

“That year was used as a baseline year as it appears that subsidy payments and other associated factors were fairly stable. Based on several assumptions and parameters, the amount of Subsidy to be provided in 2012 is N656.30bn while the revised amount to be provided for 2011 carryover is N231.8billion”, stated the Minister.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

NAHCON and missing or misplaced Hajj luggage For years, even before the establishment of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria(NAHCON) in 2006, missing and misplacement of pilgrims’ luggage by airlines, has remained an issue pilgrims suffer which has left many with bitter memories of the once in a life time religious trip to the holy land. This is because it takes some affected pilgrims a long time to recover missing luggage while others never get to see such luggage ever again and never get compensated when such occurs. This was the case of some pilgrims that performed the 2011 pilgrimage to the holy land and Maryam Garba Hassan writes on this phenomenon.

F

or Muslims, there is no experience as thrilling as Hajj. It is one of the five compulsory pillars of Islam and an obligation expected of a Muslim once in his/her lifetime provided one has the financial, physical and mental capability to do so.

However, for a typical Nigerian Muslim, from a country rated as the most religious on the African continent, hajj is rarely limited to the once-in-alifetime mandate obligated under religious requirements.

Like any other trip, embarking on a pilgrimage to the holy land to perform hajj also has its challenges, one of which is the issue of pilgrims’ missing and misplaced luggage. This problem has over the years exposed the nature of disorderliness in our society which has in turn slipped into the country’s airline industry especially the designated carriers for the yearly exercise.

This problem is among the many challenges the exercise is presently facing in the country despite the fact that the Hajj Commission does early preparations to achieve a hitch free pilgrimage every year.

For years, the story of missing and misplaced luggage was identified with airlines operators in the country.

The hardship, affected pilgrims go through is better imagined than experienced as they are often subjected to searching for their luggage in airports, local government pilgrims’ welfare offices up to state and national centres.

Most of these pilgrims use their life savings to embark on the holy trip since they have to buy gifts and souvenirs for family members and friends only to be subjected to the trouble of searching for their luggage containing these items.

Last year’s story tells of

Pilgrims' luggage. How many will return to their owners?

same sad tales for pilgrims that embarked on the yearly pilgrimage.

As recently reported in this paper, Bauchi state 2011 pilgrims airlifted to Saudi Arabia by Kabo Air had to wait for three months to get their luggage transported from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, without a public explanation either by the NAHCON, state pilgrims’ board or the airline operators untill after the story was published.

According to the Public Relations Officer of Kabo Air, Malam Aminu Hamza, who volunteered information to Peoples Daily months after the bitter experience, part of the

delay in the transportation of the luggage was due to lack of waivers for bulky luggage to be taken into the King AbdulAziz International Airport, Jeddah, which he said is provided to the airlines by the government.

Hamza further explained that the situation compelled the airline to convey some of the luggage to Nigeria from Jeddah through six passenger flights which still did not cover the number of luggage turned in by pilgrims.

“We had to reduce more luggage from the six flights that conveyed some of the

luggage to Nigeria which was transported through passenger aircraft, as our priority was to make sure that pilgrims arrive Nigeria safely and within the deadline given to airline operators by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)”.

He further disclosed that the airline talked with the government on how the four designated airline carriers for last year’s Hajj could come together and work out modalities on how the luggage abandoned in Jeddah can be transported to Nigeria, adding that the idea

did not work out. This he said made Kabo Air to charter a Saudi Air Cargo to transport the luggage home. The goods arrived two weeks ago and have since been distributed to different states.

He added that the Saudi Air Cargo was contracted for the job but had to reschedule its arrival as a result of security challenges facing the nation.

On whether the luggage that arrived the country was for all the Nigerian pilgrims airlifted by the four carriers, Hamza said he was not aware but that there were some luggage belonging to Max Air

passengers found in the cargo.

According to him, “once airlines don’t get waivers up to the end of the month for the airlifting of pilgrims back to their countries at the end of the exercise, the airport authority take such luggage to Umrah and Hajj Tarmac located at the other wing of the airport where it would be kept till the next year Umrah and hajj when the section would be reopened. This is why some pilgrims’ luggage sometime takes up to a year before it gets to the owners”.

However, according to some of the 500 medical personnel which made up the National medical team to last year’s hajj, airlifted to Mecca

by Max Air, the medical team’s luggage is also yet to arrive the country.

They charged that none of the airline officials offered any explanation for the delay, missing or misplaced luggage.

A medical doctor with a government owned hospital in the FCT, who does not want her name in print for fear of reprisal actions said; “This was my first time of going on Hajj but I feel sad that my luggage and that of my colleagues are yet to be found, some of us used their allowances to buy things for sale in Nigeria, but here we are months after the completion of the hajj exercise our luggage are yet to be found”, she said.

When this reporter contacted the Head, National Medical Team to Mecca, Dr. Ibrahim Kana to confirm the claim, his phone was switched off up to the time of going to press.

Several calls put to Max Air Public Relations Officer, one of the airlines accused of delaying the transportation of pilgrims’ luggage from Jeddah to Nigeria, Malam Ibrahim Dahiru, was not answered up to press time.

In the last two years, NAHCON has embarked on the sensitization of pilgrims on the need to change their attitude towards non compliance with the agreed 10 kilogram (kg) hand luggage allowed on board and 40kg box, but due to non compliance most often than not, there are delays during screening and passengers getting on board without their luggage with the subsequent loss of space slot allocated to airlines by the Saudi aviation authority.

Chairman/CEO, NAHCON, Malam Muhammad Musa-Bello

most Nigerian pilgrims who while in the holy land go on shopping sprees, buying more than the required kilogram each pilgrim is entitled to travel with.

This attitude of some

“

The hardship, affected pilgrims go through is better imagined than experienced as they are often subjected to searching for their luggage in airports, local government pilgrims’ welfare offices up to state and national centres During the 2010 hajj, the Sultan of Sokoto and National Amirul Hajj, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, told journalists in Jeddah that the Commission would ensure that pilgrims leave the holy land to Nigeria with their luggage and true to his words while some pilgrims’ luggage arrived the country weeks before their return, others arrived with their luggage.

The question is why was this not sustained in 2011?

It is pertinent to note that Islam places high premium on sincerity of purpose which required Muslims to perform all rituals during hajj for the sake of Allah as a precondition for their acceptance, but this is sometime not the case for

pilgrims can be said to be partially responsible for the missing or misplaced luggage.

Peoples Daily investigations however, revealed that airlines sometimes mix-up luggage of different states in an aircraft when transporting them back to the country.

A staff of one of the country’s airline operators who didn’t want his name in print said “a factor that also contributes to the problem in question is that some of our colleagues place priorities in transporting luggage belonging to their friends or officials of both the national and state pilgrims’ welfare boards which mostly exceeds the required kilogram a pilgrim is entitled to.

“By the time we carry 10 to 12 officials’ luggage aboard

a passenger flight which has the capacity of 200-250 passengers, not all pilgrims on that plane will have space for their luggage to be transported along with them which sometimes result to misplacement of pilgrims’ luggage”, the source stressed.

Hajiya Binta Hassan Diwa and Hajiya Hauwa Hassan Labiru, both 2008 pilgrims from Plateau state, said four years after their trip to the holy land through Max Airline, formerly Mangal Airline, they are yet to get their 40kg bags after many trips to the state pilgrims’ welfare board.

“We had to give up after several visits to the Plateau state Muslim Pilgrims’ Board without success. What hurt us more is that we used a chunk of our BTA to buy gifts for our loved ones who never get to receive them”, one of them said.

She added that they were told different stories on the whereabout of their luggage on each visit to the board, and that the officials never showed commitment to their plight.

Another victim, Hjajiya Hauwa Abubakar from Nasarawa state also said that three years after one of her numerous trips to the holy land

Pilgrims boarding a plane to the holy land

she has not found her box.

In reaction to the report on pilgrims’ non receipt of their luggage, NAHCON through its spokesman, Uba Mana, said that part of the delay in the transportation of the 2011 pilgrims’ luggage to Nigeria was caused by security concerns and delay in security clearance of the pilgrims’ 40kg baggage during the first week of the in-bound flight by Saudi Arabian General Aviation Authority.

Mana said, other reasons for the delay include the recent fuel subsidy strike in Nigeria and the weather.

Six years after the creation of the Commission, it should have developed a more effective and enhanced means of addressing the issue of delay in transporting luggage of the ever growing number of Nigeria’s pilgrims in time to ensure that missing luggage are compensated for by the airlines after they are proved beyond reasonable doubt that the claim(s) are genuine. This is the argument of some stakeholders who spoke to our reporter.

It should also ensure that Basic Travelling Allowance (BTA) which almost marred last years’ early preparation of the exercise is also addressed.

The Commission needs to treat the challenge posed by delayed pilgrims’ luggage with seriousness, by ensuring and guaranteeing the safety of about 89,000 pilgrims’ luggage every year to avoid getting misplaced or missing.

It also has to make early arrangements and make provisions for waivers to airlines to complement its effort to ensure pilgrims get first class treatment during the exercise.

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Toyota Highlander: Trending in Nigeria

By Nuel Shepherd

T

he Toyota Highlander/Kluger is a midsize crossover SUV produced by Toyota is a taller, heavier version of the Toyota Camry.

It is currently one of the cars trending in Nigeria and sharing in the class of Nissan Murano and Honda CR-V. Announced in April 2000 at the New York Auto Show and arriving in late 2000 in Japan and January, 2001, in North America, the Highlander became the first carbased midsize SUV or midsize crossover. The Highlander is the crossover counterpart to the more rugged, truck-based midsize 4Runner and became Toyota's bestselling SUV before being surpassed by the smaller RAV4 in 2006.

Unable to use the Highlander name in Japan and Australia because of a trademarked Hyundai Terracan trim line, Toyota calls the vehicle the Toyota Kluger (Toyota Kur?g?) (pronounced Klu-ger) there.

The name derived from the German word klüger, which means clever or wise.

The Highlander (or Kluger in Japan and Australia) shared a platform with its Lexus RX/Toyota Harrier cousin. It came in five (20012007) and seven-seat (2004-2007) configurations and became a sales success for Toyota in a number of markets across the world. The Highlander came standard with front wheel drive and offered allwheel drive (50:50 front:rear fixed torque split).

Unlike Toyota's own 4Runner and other midsized competitors such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, or Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the Highlander aimed for on-road comfort with its unit body construction and independent rear suspension. Although it was longer than the 1996-2002 4Runner available at the time it was launched, the Highlander was surpassed in length by the redesigned 4Runner in 2003.

The Highlander was available in three trim lines in the United States: the base model, the Sport model, and the Limited model. The base and Limited models were present when the Highlander was initially

T

raffic congestion is a concern for many drivers all over the world. Heavy traffic is usually more dangerous and requires more attention and concentration. At the national level, available data on the total number of vehicles registered in Nigeria shows an increase from 38,000 in 1950 to at least 1.6 million in 1992.

Data from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), however indicates that between 1999 and 2004, six million vehicles were registered in the country.

Seventy per cent of these vehicles were cars and the remaining thirty per cent buses and trucks.

The large number of registered vehicles in 1999 (3 million) was due to the deadline set for the registration of all vehicles in the country by FRSC. The increase in 2002 to a little more than a million registered vehicles was the climax of favourable government policies on importation of fairly used vehicles at the inception of

introduced, while the Sport model was introduced in March 2006.

In 2004 the wheels on the Limited trim changed from a sixspoke, to a five-spoke alloy. The base-model Highlander wheels also changed from steel-rims to the alloy wheels that were on the 2001-2003 model year Highlander Limited and B-Package. The Sport models had a distinctive grille design, differentiating themselves from the non-Sport models. Wheel styling also serves to differentiate the various models-the hybrid sports a unique twin-spoke design.

The Kluger was introduced to Australia during 2003. It was available in three guises: CV, CVX, and Grande. A limited edition CV Sport model was also released in 2006. There was no hybrid model available in Australia. The only engine offered was the 3.3-liter 3MZFE V6.

Engines on offer: 2001-2007 2.4 L 2AZ-FEI4, 155 hp (119 kW) 2001-2003 3.0 L 1MZ-FEV6, 220 hp (164 kW)

2004-2007 3.3 L 3MZ-FEV6, 225 hp (172 kW) The 3.0-liter engine was able to propel the Kluger from 0-60 mph in approximately 8.8 seconds. In 2004 the Kluger was given a new 3.3-litre V6 engine to compete with the more powerful V6 offerings from its competitors, mainly the Nissan Murano and the Honda Pilot. The larger engine made it possible for the Kluger to reach 0 to 60 mph (97 km/ h) in 7.8 seconds.

In addition to the 3.3-liter engine, 2004 V6-powered models were equipped with a new five-speed automatic transmission, replacing a 4-speed automatic transmission, while the 4-cylinder models continued to use the old 4-speed automatic transmission.

This year also saw the introduction of the optional third row seat allowing for two additional passengers. The unibody was slightly modified behind the second row seats to include a depression in the trunk floor able to accommodate the optional third row seating. On

models without third row seating, this depression was turned into a storage compartment. (Prior to 2004 the spare tyre was accessible from inside the vehicle where the third row seating would subsequently be located; beginning in 2004 the spare tyre is accessible from underneath the vehicle.) Subtle changes to the front grille, front and rear bumpers, and headlights roundout the major changes for the 2004 mid-cycle refresh.

Beginning in 2006, Highlanders sold in Canada are offered only in a V6 all-wheel drive configuration.

Hybrid models are available with part-time four-wheel drive which Toyota refers to as 4WD-i where the rear wheels are powered by the separate electric motor. This system is intended for use on snow and ice, and is prone to overheating the rear electric motor off-road.

Base models are equipped with a limited slip differential, while upscale models have a stability control system.

The Japanese and Australian Kluger was released with a centre

Ideal driving in heavy traffic democratic rule in Nigeria.

Even though there was a decline in 2004, it is clear that the number of vehicles plying Nigerian roads over the past four years has continued to increase. In Lagos alone, at least 223,764 cars were registered in 2008 compared to 160,134 vehicles registered in 2007.

Also, in the first quarter of 2009, more than 58,000 vehicles were registered and a total of 27,587 motorcycles were also registered between July 2006 and July 2009.

In their work on “Vehicular Emissions and Air Quality Standards in Nigeria”, published in the European Journal of Scientific Research in 2009, F. I. Abam of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cross River University of Technology and G. O. Unachukwu of the National Centre for Energy Research and

Development, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, have shown that Kaduna, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri and Lagos top the list of cities in Nigeria with a growing rate of traffic-related problems.

With the increase in the number of vehicles plying Nigerian roads, comes an upsurge in the rate of vehicular emissions which threaten human health (a topic for another day). This surge in the number of vehicles on Nigerian roads has led to traffic congestions across the country with Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Kaduna among some of the major cities with heavy traffic flow.

Some drivers have found it rather difficult to cope in rush-hour traffic. This has led to a lot of accident that could have been avoided under different circumstances. With the right

behavior on the highway, the chances of road accidents would be massively minimised. So, what are you expected to do when driving in heavy traffic?

Slow down on a highway in heavy traffic. This is not the time to get to your destination in the shortest time. So, never go fast in heavy traffic. Practice patience, because you won’t get to your destination faster by pushing everyone else. You only become more dangerous could end up in an accident.

Use D3 in an automatic transmission. It is normally used for stop and go driving. In a manual transmission, for stop-and-go traffic, you will use both first and second gears.

Stay at least 5 MPH within the speed limit, even on a highway. In fact, slow down a bit to allow for

console integrated with the dashboard, while the North American Highlander initially lacked this integrated centre console.

The integrated centre console was introduced in all U.S. Highlanders and in Canadian Limited Highlanders in the 2002 model year, and in all Canadian Highlanders in the 2003 model year. However, for these early Highlanders without the integrated centre console, a smaller non-integrated stand-alone centre console was available as an option, which was installed at the factory or could be installed by the dealer.

Safety Anti-lock brakes, brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution were standard, Vehicle Stability Control w/traction control optional on 2001-03 models became standard for 2004 models (Hybrids come standard with VDIM). Also standard for 2004 was a tire pressure monitor. Front seatmounted side torso airbags were optional on 2001-06 models, while front and second row side curtain airbags were optional on 2004-06 models. Side airbags became standard on 2007 models and the curtain airbags gained a rollover sensor that year as well.

those other impatient drivers. Be defensive. Pretend every other driver is not as smart as you, and think of how you will save yourself.

Keep extra distance between you and the car in front. Allow for a sudden stop- be prepared to head off the road to the shoulder if necessary.

Be extra alert for sudden or unexpected moves by other drivers. Know where your car will end up if someone cuts you off, or forces ahead of you. Don’t get worked up into a rage. It won’t help, and may cause more problems. Be calm.

Exit the freeway if it makes you too nervous. It’s better to stop at the lights and take more time, than sit in traffic and just get angry.

Limit your commute times in bad traffic if possible, and only do it once a week or so. You’ll have less stress. Or find another time to drive if you can, to avoid bad traffic, or carpool to take advantage of any special lanes.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

F

or Jude and his two female friends, fate somehow granted them a reprieve in Asaba recently.

They were seated in front of a trader’s shop at Nnebisi Road in the Delta capital when suddenly, a Toyota car swerved off the road and headed for their direction murderously.

But for a giant signpost in front of the shop, which stopped the car on its stray path, the three of them would have been crushed to death.

The car’s driver had apparently lost control while making a phone call behind the wheels and in a desperate effort to slam on her break pedal, she mistakenly pressed home the car’s throttle, thus heightening acceleration.

Such can be the disastrous consequence of loss of concentration while driving a vehicle and using a cell phone simultaneously.

No doubt, road accidents are a major cause of injuries and deaths in Nigeria and this, officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) readily attest to.

“In fact, accident-related cases is only second to death from malaria attack every year”, the FRSC pointedly says on its Facebook on the internet.

Observers, nonetheless, note that despite the illegality of using phones while driving, many motorists in the country still made calls behind the wheels, often leading to avoidable injuries and deaths due to the attendant road accidents.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) puts the country’s road accident fatalities at 32,000 per year; though the FRSC says the figure may be three times higher because of unofficially recorded cases.

Although there is no formal procedure for recording mobile phone as a cause of traffic accident in the country, the FRSC, nevertheless, believes that mobile phones contribute significantly to the incessant carnage on the nation’s roads.

“Despite the absence of reliable statistics on the level of traffic accidents on Nigerian roads, the reality is grim; most of them are due to the ludicrous stupidity of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving”, an official of the commission says.

Mr. Emmanuel Udo, acting Head of Operations, Delta State Sector Command of FRSC, insists that mobile phone use, while on the steering, is an offence in Nigeria.

“It is punishable by a fine of N2,000 plus five days of compulsory traffic enlightenment routine for the offender at the commission’s office.

“We know the offence is very common, but we can’t arrest unless we catch them in the act. The problem is that immediately those involved sight road safety patrol teams, they drop their phones.

“You can’t arrest without concrete evidence. This is a big challenge for us”, he says.

With the explosion in GSM subscriber base in Nigeria, observers are worried that except urgent steps are taken to redress phone use on the wheels, more Nigerian lives will be on the line.

A recent report by Research and Consultancy Outsourcing Services (RNCOS) indicates that Nigeria’s robust mobile subscriber base grew from 400,000 lines in 2002 to the current level of over 85million, with

PAGE 27

Mobile phone use and road accidents in Nigeria

a projected 13 per cent growth by 2014.

This projection, road experts fear, can correspondingly increase the number of mobile phone-related traffic offences in the country.

“Driving a car while talking on mobile phones is just crazy. It is the easiest way to put the driver and other people’s lives in danger.

“It affects the ability of the driver to concentrate and anticipate the road ahead, thereby putting other road users at grave risk,” another FRSC official says.

A study carried out in 2005 by a team of psychology professors in the United States revealed that the “reaction time” of mobile phone users behind the wheels slowed dramatically, increasing the risk of accidents and leading to traffic holdups.

“And when young adults use cell (mobile) phones while driving, they are as bad as sleepy septuagenarians (people in their ‘70s)”, the report said.

“It’s like instantly ageing a large number of drivers”, added Prof.

David Strayer of the University of Utah and leader of the research team.

By the experts finding, therefore, whether the phones are hands-free or not, “the drivers look but don’t see because they’re distracted by their conversations.”

Mr. Udo expatiates on the ugly phenomenon.

“Whether hand-held or handsfree, none is allowed in Nigeria. Once you are on the steering, you are not

permitted to receive or make any calls.

“There are some news reports you receive on the phone that can be very shocking. They can make you lose control and get involved in a crash. It applies to Okada riders as well.

However, officials of the FRSC insist that if you must take a call while driving, you should pull over conveniently; make your call and continue your journey when you would have finished.

They advise that it is better to switch off the phone completely while driving or use voicemail or message service later to access all missed calls at the end of the journey.

Not a few citizens agree with the FRSC officials, athough they say that

what is important in the whole thing is personal discipline.

“As a rule, I do not make or receive calls while driving. I don’t need FRSC to tell me that. It is matter of appreciation of personal safety,” says Mr Ezekiel Diurhobo.

“Surprisingly, many Nigerians behave as if they cannot do without cell phones, forgetting quickly that when GSM was not there, heavens did not fall.

“No matter how important a call is, it can always wait until I am not driving; afterall, if I die, will I answer the call?”, he asks rhetorically.

Another motorist, Mr Ben Chinedu, advises all drivers to take heed of the FRSC’s cautions in their own interest, recalling his close shave with death due to the use of

Corps-Marshal, of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Osita Chidoka

cell phone while on the wheels.

“Once I was travelling and a call came in; I decided to answer as the road was free from oncoming vehicles. Unexpectedly, I ran into a pothole because I was not concentrating on my driving as a result of the call. I ended up in a ditch but was lucky to be rescued by cotravellers.”

For Mr Clement Idike, an Asababased civil servant, enforcement of the law against phone use while on the wheels should not be left to the FRSC officials alone.

According to him, all security agencies should be involved in the enforcement of the ban on use of phones while driving.

“The FRSC and police should take more decisive steps to apprehend offenders. They should step up their surveillance on the nation’s roads against mobile phone users on the steering.

“Apart from that, I don’t think that the N2,000 fine and five days of compulsory training are enough deterrent for violators.

“The punishment should be reviewed upwards and made more stringent. If an offender goes to jail for 10 years or pays N100, 000 fine as option, it will send a stronger warning to others”, he said.

No doubt, safety on the road is everybody’s business, hence it is imperative that all motorists must imbibe personal discipline and abstain from the use of phones while driving, so as to minimize deaths on our roads.

Source: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 28

Lockerbie bomber accused of profiting from death bed memoirs that ‘will protest his innocence’

H

e was freed from prison on compassionate grounds because he supposedly only had months to live.

Now - two and a half years on the Lockerbie bomber will protest his innocence in ‘deathbed memoirs’ to be published next week.

To avoid a public backlash, profits from sales will be handed to charities – with the convicted terrorist himself receiving none of the cash.

However, it has emerged that one of the first beneficiaries is likely to be a group which has publicly backed Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi’s fight to clear his name.

The move will raise fears that the Libyan will indirectly profit from a boost to the campaign to prove his innocence.

The book could also heap fresh embarrassment on the Scottish Government and Labour, whose ministers repeatedly claimed the decision to free Megrahi, incensing Lockerbie victims’ families, was taken solely by the Scottish Executive on ‘compassionate grounds’.

But documents have since come to light showing that Labour secretly helped free Megrahi to appease Colonel Gaddafi, who was threatening to scupper oil contracts and unleash ‘holy war’ on Britain.

Megrahi was controversially released from a life sentence in August 2009 because of his terminal illness. He was believed to have only months to live.

The former Libyan intelligence officer is the only person convicted of the December 21, 1988 atrocity.

The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland killed 270 people.

Upon his release, he returned to Libya, where he was hailed as a hero.

He was last seen in December, apparently with just days to live, when he gave an interview from his death bed. Speaking from his family home in Tripoli, he protested his innocence and asked to be left alone to die from the ravages caused by prostate cancer.

He said he had little knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Gaddafi’s overthrow and claimed Libyan opposition fighters had invaded his home and mistreated him.

Relatives of those killed in the December 1988 atrocity claimed

any profits should go instead to those affected by the attack.

Frank Duggan, president of Victims of Pan Am 103 – which represents the families of the Americans who died – said: ‘Why not give this money to the people of Lockerbie, or give it to the people who helped the victims’ relatives?

‘At the very least it would have been less contentious to give it to charities which haven’t actively supported him.’

However, he added: ‘Victims’ relatives in the U.S. wouldn’t accept five cents from him and they know the whole book is really nothing more than a fraud.’

Megrahi, who will turn 60 on April 1, has worked on the book with English author John Ashton since his release from Greenock Prison in Renfrewshire.

Edinburgh-based publisher Birlinn is to unveil Megrahi – You Are My Jury: The Lockerbie Evidence on Tuesday next week and is planning to donate all the

Deathbed: Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi has terminal cancer justice spokesman David McLetchie said: ‘The publication of a book written by Megrahi, the UK’s worst mass murderer, will only cause further heartache for the families of his victims.

‘It’s a bitter reminder that a man given a short time to live and let out of jail by the SNP is now authoring a book two-and-a-half years later, which further demonstrates the folly of this decision.’

The 496-page paperback, priced at £14.99, promises to present ‘conclusive new evidence’ to prove Megrahi was ‘an innocent victim of dirty politics, a flawed

Not for profit: Proceeds from Megrahi's book will go to charity profits to charity.

The Mail has learned one of first recipients of the cash will be the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation (MOJO), which has publicly supported Megrahi and believes he is innocent.

Tragedy: Rescue workers at the crash site of Pan Am flight 103 in Lockerbie, in 1988

Its project co-ordinator, John McManus, has said Megrahi should never have been convicted, calling him a ‘political pawn.’

A MOJO spokesman said ‘in principle’ the Glasgow-based charity would be happy to accept the cash and the decision was likely to be ratified at a meeting tomorrow.

But last night Scottish Tory

investigation and judicial folly’.

In it, Megrahi will claim to reveal ‘how I came to be blamed for Britain’s worst mass murder, my nightmare decade in prison and the truth about my controversial release’.

A BBC Scotland documentary to accompany the publication of the book will also be aired next Monday.

Last night, a Birlinn spokesman insisted ‘no money will ever go to Megrahi’.

Managing director Hugh Andrew added: ‘I absolutely defend our right to publish this book. It is not a statement on his innocence or guilt but he has the right to have his case in the public domain. A great deal more information has come to light since the trial.’

Author Mr Ashton, who has invested much of his own money in the project, said: ‘On the advice of his lawyers, Abdelbaset opted not to give evidence at trial – a decision he regretted. The book presents the account that he would have given at trial and leaves it to the readers to judge.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We do not doubt the safety of the conviction of Al Megrahi, who was found guilty of an act of states p o n s o r e d terrorism and did Hero's welcome: Libyans greet freed not act alone.’

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi (centre) on his Source: arrival in Tripoli in August 2009 Dailymail.co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 29

Jos Festival of Theatre kicks off Saturday

FR OM THE FROM LIVE ST AGE STA with Patrick-Jude Oteh 0803 700 0496, 0805 953 5215 (SMS only)

By Joan Okolie Iginla

T

he Jos Repertory Theatre with the support and collaboration of the Embassy of the United States of America, Nigeria and the Jos based theatre organization, is back on track with the hosting of her 6th edition of the Jos Festival of Theatre which was last held in 2009. Opening ceremony kicks off on Saturday 25, 2012.

The Jos Festival of Theatre had before the break become a meeting point for theatre artistes, arts journalists and arts enthusiasts.

The break occasioned by the series of crisis on the Plateau is coming back at a period of steady calm and progress being made in the peace process. It is a welcome development with the theme of the 2012 festival being The Theatre As A Communal Meeting Point. The Alliance Francaise, Jos is providing logistic support for the festival alongside a couple of local supporters and individual donors.

Festivals are an ideal meeting point for all people. In order to rejuvenate the community spirit, five plays have been scheduled to be featured for the one week festival which is also being used to commemorate the annual African American History Month a month set aside annually to celebrate the landmark and ongoing achievements of AfricanAmericans in America and all over the world. In this light, two plays by two renowned AfricanAmerican playwrights - Lonne Elder III and Barrie Stavis will feature in the festival.

The following events are scheduled to take place at the festival SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25TH – OPENING OF 6th JOS FESTIVaL OF THEATRE WITH DANCES BY THE GROUP DANCE AFRIQUE CHOREOGRAPHED BY KEVIN PARADANG AND THE OPENING REVIVAL PERFORMANCE OF EMEKA NWABUEZE’S WHEN THE ARROW REBOUNDS The Stage Adaptation Of Chinua Achebe’s Novel ARROW OF GOD to be directed by Patrick-Jude Oteh. This play was earlier performed at the MUSON Festival 2011.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26TH – PERFORMANCE OF THE REVIVAL OF EMEKA NWABUEZE’S WHEN THE ARROW REBOUNDS MONDAY FEBRUARY 27 TH – LONNE ELDER III’S CEREMONIES IN DARK OLD MEN directed by Osasogie Efe Guobadia TUESDAY FEBRUARY – ADINOYI OJO 28 TH ONUKABA’S BARGAIN HUNTING by the group from Port Harcourt, Rivers State directed by Dr. Emman Emeasealu W E D N E S D A Y FEBRUARY 29 TH – DIPO AGBOLUAJE’S FOR ONE

The lower depths

I Men beating the talking drum while celebrating the last JRT festival NIGHT ONLY – a migration fantasy directed by Leon Echa THURSDAY MARCH 1ST BARRIE STAVIS’ THE MAN WHO NEVER DIED directed

by Patrick-Jude Oteh FRIDAY MARCH 2 ND – CLOSING CEREMONIES FEATURING MODERN DANCES AND FINAL PERFORMANCE OF BARRIE STAVIS’ THE MAN WHO NEVER DIED. The festival will feature workshops in Arts Management, Directing, Make-Up and a group from Port Harcourt is offering free Salsa dances & training for the duration of the festival. All the workshops will take place during the day while the performances will feature every evening starting from 5.00pm.

There will be post performance discussions between the audiences and the cast after each performance which sessions is expected will make it possible for us all to contribute to the ongoing discourse on the city of Jos. Each of the plays selected by a panel for the festival has its own story ranging from those who freely give their lives for the society to make progress as in Barrie Stavis’ The Man Who Never Died and those who erroneously believe that the will of one man can subdue the will of the community as we see in Emeka Nwabueze’s When The Arrow Rebounds which is the stage adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s landmark novel, Arrow of God. Issues relating to youths will feature prominently in the festival through the featuring of plays like Lonne Elder III’s

Ceremonies In Dark Old Men, Adinoyin Ojo Onukaba’s Bargain Hunting and Dipo Agboluaje’s For One Night Only. It is hoped that the festival will provide answers to the raison d’etre why people do the things they do. Above all the festival will give us the avenue to celebrate ourselves and our work.

The festival is featuring two new directors – Osasogie Efe Guobadia, a final year undergraduate of the National Film Institute and Leon Echa , a Theatre Arts graduate from the University of Jos. This will be their first professional debut at directing and their participation is due to one of the cardinal reasons for the festival – to nurture and groom new talents for the Nigerian stage. There are vibrant crops of young and aspiring actors and actresses who are taking part in the performances of Barrie Stavis’ The Man Who Never Died’, Emeka Nwabueze’s When The Arrow Rebounds’ and in the work of the theatre veteran, Dr. Emman Emeasealu the former Head of Department of Theatre Arts, University of Port Harcourt.

The workshops will provide alternative career prospects for young people and aspiring actors to look deeply into the arts of the theatre as another viable means of work and a further challenge to their talents.

The annual theatre festival in Jos coming in so early at the beginning of the year is expected to kick start a series of interventions in the arts sector.

Dr. Barclays reads A Castle in the Air tomorrow

By Joan Okolie Iginla

T

he exciting moment of staged reading and interactive session with the playwright holds tomorrow Thursday 23, February, 2012.

PRP S2 will feature the play, A Castle In The Air by

Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, the Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation.

The session is expected to chaired by Alhaji Munzali Dantata, the DirectorGeneral of the National Insitute of Hospitality and Tourism.

n a crowded dark room live the dregs of Russian society: a thief, a prostitute, her pimp, and several other criminals and outcasts. The general humdrum drama of their lives goes on as they get into fights, have disagreements, counsel one another over their losses, and so on. Luka, an idealistic spiritual sort, finds his way into the group, and starts to spread his message of hope and positive thinking. Many in the group are hard-bitten realists who have no truck with faith or hope...

This is the perfect time to be poor! The above synopsis is taken from Maxim Gorky’s monumental play The Lower Depths (1901/1902) written at the beginning of the last century. It is a play that firmly established the reputation of Gorky as one of the playwrights of the century. The play could have been set in any town in Nigeria. It could be anywhere and the lives of the inhabitants of the lower depths would still not have changed.

Happy the poor! In these days it is fashionable to try to defend the poor. Hear our petroleum minister: I can assure that deregulation benefits are being worked out by the government.....we are all working for the poor in our country and we need the support of all.... Hear our finance minister: The current subsidy regime does not benefit the poor in Nigeria.....Hear our CBN governor: I want an end to it soon.......we are borrowing from our children to sustain a lifestyle that favours only the elites and not the poor.... Hear former Interior Minister, Captain Ihenacho: the beneficiaries of fuel subsidy were not the poor..... Suddenly the poor have such powerful and faithful defenders! I was telling a friend the other day that when our elites start defending the poor, we should be worried. Are we dreaming? Maxim Gorky was very right not to have given

elements of hope and faith to his characters in the lower depths. They have lost hope, they have lost faith....

Sometimes and most times, our elites mistake the full houses of worship for an indestructible belief and superb display of faith.

But they make a mistake... It is simply an element of hopelessness and a disbelief that this can be happening in a country endowed with so much potentials.

At the Kennedy Center, we were taught that when in times of depression the theatre goes into reverse, we should not cut productions but rather we should start to review our operations and look for alternative means of generating funds for our operations. What is the plan B for all the proponents of removal of subsidy? Where are the avenues of waste? What are we spending money on that should not be? When we have a situation when the elites begin to defend what will likely happen in the next three to four years, I get very worried and I feel like I am dreaming. When did we start planning ahead? When did we start to think of the next generation? When did we actually start thinking of the poor as human beings deserving of attention? In this time and age when did the poor become the wealth of the nation to warrant everyone suddenly running to defend them....

Abdul is a vulcaniser. He buys fuel presently at N65 but in times of scarcity he buys at N90. He does not just understand being asked to buy fuel for N140 and he is being told that his life and business will be better if he buys fuel at N140. What exactly do we book people mean by this thought? I tell him that I have no answer to his query as we are all inhabitants of the lower depths.

Perhaps we will need the character of Luka in Gorky’s play to spread his own brand of fate and hope and positive thinking in an era when nothing makes sense.

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

President’s debate: Ebonyi grabs top prize

By Jerry Adesewo

T

eam Ebonyi state, represented by Ezeme Kingsley, Ogbu Chinemerem Paschaline and Favour Onyinyenchi Ogbonna emerges the overall winner of the 2011 Presdent’s Schools debate concluded in Abuja on Thursday 15th December 2011 at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Arts and Culture, Area 10, Abuja.

The Ebonyi state team, went home with a N300,000 while the first and second runners up, Delta and Gombe State won N200,000 and N100,000 respectively, courtesy of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, sponsors of this years edition. The students also

received one personalised HP mini laptop each for the effort.

Chief speaker of Team Ebonyi, 17 years Ezeme Kingsley who also won the overall best speaker’s trophy, with Okpala Freeman (Team Delta) and Judith Shuaibu (Team Kaduna) as runners-up, was calm, cool and collected.

Responding on behalf of his team he said “we worked hard. We are happy to have won, but the truth is that, it is not about what we have won but what we have learnt. And of course, you will agree with me that while the trophy can be taken away from me, what I have learnt remain with me forever.”

A total of sixteen states qualified from the zonal championship which was held across the six geo-

political zone in the country on December 1, 2011 to represent their zone at the finals of the annual debate competition.

This years edition, which is the 11th in the series since inception in 2001 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was a special edition which sets a pace for another era of the competition.

Sponsored by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS), with the aim to encourage tax culture among Nigerians and also promoting literacy and dialogue.

All the topics of engagement centered on tax issues and the students did not in anyway disappoint as they display their knowledge of these issues to the

admiration all.

Head of delegation of the Taraba State team which made its maiden appearance this year, Miss Janet Usman commended the organisers and the sponsors for the opportunity. “We are all here to win even though we know we all cannot win. To me, this is a big eyeopener for us in Taraba state. The children have learnt a lot and I personally have learnt a lot and I can assure you that we are going to start preparation for the next edition.” She said, adding that “I must say I appreciate the efforts of the organisers and most importantly, the management of FIRS for sponsoring this years edition and making it possible for some of us to participate.

AWF Kick-Starts 2012 Literary Calendar with Uche Ezechukwu and Steve Okecha

A

fter a very exciting and successful 2011 literary season which featured readings by established and emerging writers, creative writing workshops, and weekly critique sessions the Abuja Writersâ•™ Forum (AWF) is set to kick-start its 2012 literary calendar with the duo of Uche Ezechukwu and Steve Okecha at the Pen and Pages Bookstore, Wuse 2, Abuja on February 25 by 4pm.

Uche Ezechukwu is Anambra State-born multi-lingual and multidisciplinary journalist, writer and public affairs consultant, with nearly 30 years of cognitive experience in the different areas of media and public affairs practice. He has been a newsroom reporter, state correspondent, features writer, columnist, editor and publisher in the different print media organisations.

He has also been an image manager of ‘difficult’ public figures and their platforms ranging from General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, General Sani Abacha (as Nigeria’s 10th head of state), General Muhammadu Buhari(as the presidential flagbearer of the ANPP in 2003) and Dr. Andy Uba (as PDP gubernatorial flag-bearer in Anambra State in 2007), among other personalities and organisations with obvious public image challenges, to the extent that he has become an acknowledged expert in handling difficult image issues.

He has also authored four books of biographical, historical and sociological genres, including: Abacha: The Myth, the Man (1977); In God’s Hands (1999) (the amazing story of the Biafran Air Force); Land of the Risen Sun; and Ojukwu: The ‘Rebel’ I Served. Another book, A Bridge Across Time (a depiction of the Sokoto Caliphate) is in the press and will be published by June this year.

Trained at Nigerian and East European institutions in Political Studies, Mass Communications and Political Economy and practices in English, French and German, with equal fluency in those three European languages and with a working knowledge of Hausa and Spanish languages, Ezechukwu is, of course, adept in the spoken and

Ezechukwu written aspects of his own indigenous Igbo language.

His latest book, Ojukwu, the ‘Rebel’ I Served (2012), is an intimate account of a writer and journalist who worked very closely and intimately, for two noninterrupted years, under the exBiafran leader, as a media aide and speech writer, at a time Ojukwu’s image needed rehabilitation most.

The 222-page book which the author started and concluded in 17 days after the announcement of the death of his subject on November 26, 2011, contains accounts and insights into areas of the man’s life that had never been touched on before, or which had been distorted.

He gave such rare insights into the man’s persona that are not readily available to those who had looked at and seen him from the distance, as a warlord without a heart or soul.

He unravels a new Dim Chukwuemeka OdumegwuOjukwu, as a man who possessed all the superlative personal qualities that he was publicly associated with, but who was also imbued with such rare and tender qualities that could not have been imagined about him.

It is a work that shows that, at the end of the day, the ex-General of the Peoples Army of Biafra and the Ikemba Nnewi, once feared as a rebel and a loved leader of his people, was really an officer and gentleman, highly and rarely gifted and yet, an ordinary, caring and patriot Nigerian, who loved his country more than his own life.

Steve Agwo Okecha, is a

distinguished Professor of Chemistry and currently a consultant with the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja.

Educated at the well-known Government College, Ughelli, Ahmdu Bello University, Zaria and at the University of , Sweden, he was born in Obiaruku, Delta State and is a scholar of international repute and of multiple competencies.

A versatile chemist, environmentalist, university administrator, poet and orator, Professor Okecha is widely published in international scientific and literary journals. His most recent book, “The Nigerian University: An Ivory Tower With Neither Ivory Nor Tower”, is not only a scathing discourse of the rot in Nigerian universities but offers worthwhile solutions. Erstwhile Newswatch Magazine co-founder and editor, Dan Agbese, makes the following observation about Professor Okecha’s book: “This 144-page book is dynamite. Anyone who reads it will have tears in his eyes. It is, perhaps, the most informative little book on the decay and the rot in Nigerian universities so far. Every page is an indictment of the nation and its leaders. Every chapter is packed with disturbing facts on the progressive ruination of the university system. It is an angry book written by an angry scholar who has devoted his entire life to teaching and research in Nigerian universities and has come to the fork on the road in his personal academic journey, and now begins to wonder why the dusk has not kept the promise of the dawn….

“At the last count, Nigeria had 92 universities, made up of 27 federal universities, 30 state universities and 35 private universities. In addition, there are 19 degree-awarding institutions in the country. More private universities must have been established since Okecha collected that data from an NUC publication.

The race to own universities is on.

“Nigeria has an impressive number of universities, enough to meet almost everyone’s thirst for higher education. Sadly, the quality of university education lags very far behind the leap in numbers. Even sadder still is the fact that these universities cannot admit one

quarter of children who qualify annually for admission for lack of facilities, such as classrooms, academic staff, etc.

“It is Okecha’s pet theory – and he repeats it almost ad nauseam that ‘the decay of the Nigerian university system is due, primarily, to lack of political will, and sound, purposeful, visionary leadership.’ He has done a comparative analysis of our university system with the university system in a good number of countries, developed and developing. In virtually all the indices, Nigeria takes its dishonoured place near or right at the bottom.

“Take funding. The difference between Nigeria and sixteen other African countries is a matter of national shame. Even poor countries like Niger, Burkina Faso, Lesotho, Liberia and The Gambia spend much more on education than Nigeria. While nearly all the African countries are striving hard to meet the UNESCO recommendation that countries spend at least 26 percent of their annual budget on education, Nigeria almost grudgingly spends less than seven per cent. The federal government has consistently ignored even the home-grown advice of the Etsu Nupe panel and the Vision 2010 committee that in 1997 recommended 30 per cent and 26 percent annual budgetary allocation to education respectively.

It is not for lack of money. A country that earns an average of $45 billion a year from crude oil export alone is not exactly short of cash. According to Okecha, between June 1999 and May 2007, the country earned N16.447 trillion, almost all of it from crude oil export. Think of what difference even ten per cent of that earning could do for the university system.”

The Guest Writer Session started in June 2008 and has been a consistent feature of the nation’s literary scene. The February 25 Guest Writer Session will include the usual side attractions of poetry performance, mini art exhibition, and a raffle-draw as well as live music. The Abuja Writer’s Forum meets three Sundays each month and hosts a reading on every last Saturday at the International Institute of Journalism and Pen and Pages respectively.

PEOPLES POEM OF THE WEEK Title: Insane Moment

By Ssemutooke Joseph Kitaka Suddenly The song of the fields is a silly wild cacophony The quiet of noon home a sombre frozen void The radio is a distressing mad discordance The screen a flurry of undefined absurd forms The book shelves no more have the power to arrest The writing gadgets no more the magic to release The night club has lost the glitz to charm The house of Providence the clout to quiet The people once in the breast no longer are there The rationale of their acquaintance gone with them The things formerly planned all are lost The things previously done not memorable either All ambition appear without rationale or purpose All toil without true reward or recompense All acquisition seem without realism or substance All loss without essence or significance The very concept of life looks inane and idiotic The very continuing here frivolous and foolish The very notion of existence is base and stupid The very picture of the world blank and bleak.

QUO TE UOTE “And I believe that the best learning process of any kind of craft is just to look at the work of others.”

– Wole Soyinka

PAGE 31

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

ANALYSIS

U

nder pressure from the World Bank, Senegal has also been involved in the protracted process of privatising its water services, with an early electricity privatisation that initially involved Hydro-Quebec and later Vivendi, among others. Vivendi is the company so loathed in South Africa for its pre-paid meter system. These privatisation processes lead to rising household bills for working people whose wages have been stagnant.

Thus Senegal has seen a growing division of society between those who can afford pay-per-use services, and those who cannot. Toll roads and new first-class trains sweep the wealthy out to the suburbs, while the rest make their way home in apartheid-style hardship.

Wade regularly presents himself in propaganda as akin to figures such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, as if he shares their commitments to social justice. Yet instead of addressing the growing homeless population who live amid crumbling streets and the stench of open sewers, he puts energy into projects of prestige, which at best only benefit the rich.

Even then, these projects are built in cheap replica, much like the fake Gucci watches sold on every street corner. The Grand National Theatre, recently built by a Chinese company, is a perfect example. Inside it is actually a beautiful building, though one wonders where Senegal is going to find enough people who can pay for tickets to fill it. But a visit to the washroom reveals shoddy plumbing with junky fittings that do not align. No doubt this kind of work will result in multiple leaks throughout the building within a few years - as one finds in so many of the luxury apartment buildings being rapidly thrown up in the downtown core. In two decades the theatre will likely join ranks with the buildings that sit as empty relics surrounding Independence Square.

Built in the enthusiasm of the early postindependence period, they now sit as evidence of dreams that failed to materialise.

Declining terms of trade Although the global scramble for Senegalese wealth is helping to enrich foreign business and a small local comprador class, the rest of the economy has been suffering. Agriculture still provides the main source of economic activity for 77 per cent of the labour force, but it remains highly dependent on increasingly unreliable weather patterns. Local peanut production - the most significant agricultural export - has declined, in part due to the privatisation of Sonacos, the state marketing and processing company, but also as a result of changes in climate and soil health.

The fishing industry faces declining stocks as foreign trawlers poach along the West African coast with impunity.

Poor employment prospects for youth have fuelled a stream of illegal migration to Europe among people longing for a better world - even though on arrival they risk death at the hands of racist gunmen, among the other forms of daily indignities.

The latest World Bank data shows the current account balance of Senegal at -$1.029bn. The country exports $3.236bn (2009) and imports $5.919bn. (This inclues foreign aid and remittances.) The exports are of course much larger in actual volume, leading to more shipments leaving the country, but those exports are primary commodities. The value of goods coming in is therefore much greater and is usually manufactured, such as mobile

Senegal’s petit-dictator is the West’s man (II)

Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade spurred protests upon announcing his plans to run for a third term [AFP] phones, clothing and electronics. This is precisely what nationalist thinkers such as Amilcar Cabral warned would be the fate of neocolonialism.

Land deals and the statue In spite of the declining economy, Wade's political allies have been able to profit heavily from a combination of outsourced government contracts and land speculation. Land deals have underlined the statue construction, which overlooks the northern portion of the peninsula of Dakar. The statue sits alongside a newly built road that connects the downtown core with a growing luxurious district known as the Almadie. The Almadie has had a massive facelift, while the road has been turned into a boulevard reminiscent of Malibu or Miami.

With the construction of the new port, south of Rufisque, the city is undergoing a significant geographic shift that is creating new areas of land speculation. Journalist Abdoulatif Coulibaly has described the ways Wade's family and friends cashed in on a construction boom heavily subsidised by the government to build four- and five-star hotels in preparation for an international Islamic conference in 2004. The hotels sit alongside the same road that stretches to the Almadie and the famous statue.

The land under the statue was also the source of much controversy - some the subject of diplomatic cables - because

it was state-owned land essentially given over to a friend of Wade's: Mbackou Faye, who then sold a portion of it back to the government at enormous cost.

According to the cables, with the remaining land, Faye was believed to be planning to build "270 luxurious residences, each of which will cost USD $300,000". A drive around the area shows Faye's project is only the tip of the iceberg.

The strengths and limits of opposition In some respects, the current state of opposition may be more powerful than Al Jazeera's Barnaby Philips noted some days ago. While Philips' impressions were derived from Dakar, it has actually been surprising that demonstrations have managed to gain significant support in smaller towns throughout the country, from which Wade has tended to draw his base support.

At the same time, the opposition is nevertheless rather disconnected from the everyday struggles of working people. Over the past year there have been a number of labour disputes, vaguely reported in the media, though often quite powerful in impact. It is often very difficult to establish to what degree these are labour or capital strikes. For example, most recently, taxi and transport workers managed to stop service for a three-day period with a near-100 per cent participation rate as

“

they protested both the rise in fuel prices and police harassment and bribery.

Before that, the union at the national broadcasting corporation participated in a protest and brief labour disruption over claims that the company was being used for Wade's propaganda purposes rather than upholding standards of journalism.

For the past three months, there has been a nationally coordinated strike of college and university professors who face ever-growing class sizes but cannot afford basic housing. These are significant social grievances, yet demonstrations reveal no practical links with the unions leading these struggles.

In this context, the opposition fails to provide analysis that helps people to understand the functions of the economy and provide alternatives. People on the street can only claim that "Wade is too old", and the other leaders simply boast of their credentials for office. For most of them these are credentials they actually gained in Wade's party, the PDS. They prove themselves to be rather opportunistic and self-interested, coming and going from the PDS based on Wade's offers of the day, rather than any political principles. Void of platform, their rhetoric is limited to childish character debasement by people who simply want to occupy his throne.

Y'en a Marre members reveal a greater interest in popular education and grassroots action, but are highly marginal in society and as a result face

For the past three months, there has been a nationally coordinated strike of college and university professors who face ever-growing class sizes but cannot afford basic housing. These are significant social grievances, yet demonstrations reveal no practical links with the unions leading these struggles.

heavy police repression. They draw inspiration from a long history of nonviolent anti-colonial resistance especially as it existed among the Mauride Brotherhood - but they haven't been able to extend it beyond symbolic gestures into actions that actually obstruct the economy or galvanise large crowds prepared for police violence. The one time an M23 demonstration of a few hundred managed to get to Independence Square, they scattered from one blast of a US-made Long Range Acoustic Device and a couple of teargas canisters. That is a far cry from what it took to secure Tahrir Square. The brave young men of Y'en a Marre are not only marginalised by the formal economy, but have a hard time gaining support from women and older generations. This is a highly polarised society, with highly polarised political attitudes. The fractures do not occur neatly.

The deeper reality is that on a global level, neoliberal economic policy is detaching itself from its brief, dishonest association with liberal democracy. In the pages of the Financial Times, Wade himself chastised the West and boasted of his ability to work with the Chinese within the logic of free-market capitalism pushed on Senegal by Europe and North America. He followed their dictates, which ultimately undermine their control over him - and he now has a whole number of trading partners that really have little concern about ceremonial facades of democracy. He is the new breed of comprador in a multi-polar capitalist order.

For their own part, Senegalese people need to stop looking for heroic figures, and should instead re-consider the ideas that lay behind the independence struggle.

Leaders bound to a failed ideology that prevents them from making change will only ever be able to placate citizens with statues and spectacle.

Concluded Source: Aljazeera

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 32

Mugabe scoffs at calls to retire R

Corruption puts strain on South Africa budget

L

ucas Netshiavha feels resentful whenever he sees the slice of his salary taken by South Africa's taxman, since - so he believes - a large chunk will end up in the pockets of corrupt politicians or be washed down the drain of state mismanagement.

"I wouldn't mind so much if my 'donation' was properly spent on education, medicine in hospitals or to help my grandmother back in my home village, but I have serious doubts that's happening," the IT specialist said.

Netshiavha is well paid, but his pay packet is split between his widowed mother and two siblings, and his fears of wasted taxes and creeping corruption under President Jacob Zuma are not unfounded.

Since he came to office in 2009, Zuma has come under fire for what many see as a failure to crack down on officials implicated in misappropriating billions of dollars in state funds.

"Corruption is the bane of our country," IFP opposition leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi told Zuma during a debate in parliament last week. "Yet, sir, you shy away from this issue."

Out of sight, Somali piracy fight gets rougher

W

hen tanker master Miro Alibasic takes one of his company's vast ships across the Indian Ocean, he likes to have all the firepower he can get on board.

Having seen last year how Somali pirates treat their captives, the 61-yearold is in no hurry to experience it again.

"It was hell on earth," he told Reuters by telephone from his home in the Croatian port of Dubrovnik.

The number of ships seized in the region by Somali pirates fell last year, industry data shows, but the overall number of attempted attacks continues to rise and the raids have become increasingly violent.

Breaking the piracy "business model" and tackling Somalia's onshore problems will be among the aims of a major international conference on Somalia in London on Thursday. But few are optimistic of a solution any time soon, and shippers say they must take matters into their own hands.

Greater use of private armed security guards on ships and a much tougher approach by international navies is beginning to work, some mariners, officials, contractors and military officers say. But others worry they may simply fuelling a growing arms race, ramping up the conflict and producing a rising human and financial cost.

obert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president and Africa's oldest leader, has celebrated his 88th birthday, denying reports he has cancer.

Mugabe declared himself "fit as a fiddle" yesterday, scoffing at calls to retire and pushing for new elections this year.

"The day will come when I will become sick," Mugabe said in an interview on state-owned Radio Zimbabwe, dismissing fears about his health.

Making light of numerous media reports of his sickness, Mugabe, a Roman Catholic, said: "I have died many times - that's where I have beaten Christ. Christ died once and resurrected once."

Presidential officials said he would celebrate his birthday at a family dinner at his home in the capital Harare, with a celebration rally taking place in eastern Zimbabwe on Saturday.

Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, said he will stand again in new elections that he insisted should be held this year - with or without the new constitution required under Zimbabwe's powersharing deal with Morgan Tsvangirai, the prime minister.

"I came from the people and the people, in their wisdom, our members of the party, will certainly select someone once I say I am now retiring,

Mugabe, right, formed a power-sharing government with his rival, Tsvangirai, at left, in 2009 [Reuters] but not yet," Mugabe said.

Mugabe was chosen in December by his ZANU-PF party to stand again as its presidential candidate.

"There is no one who can stand and win at the moment," he said of the contenders in his party jostling to succeed him.

"We just must have elections. They just must take place with or without a new constitution. If others don't want to have an election then they are free not to participate."

Mugabe's health has been the subject of much speculation, especially since WikiLeaks, the whistleblower site,

released last year a 2008 US diplomatic cable saying that Zimbabwe's central bank chief, Gideon Gono, had told then-US ambassador, James McGee, that Mugabe had prostate cancer and had been advised by doctors he had less than five years to live.

was seized by neighbouring Sudan last month and which sold it at deep discount to a North Asian trader, the sources said.

The tanker has yet to receive permission to dock from JX Nippon Oil & Energy, operator of the Kiire terminal, a source familiar with the matter said.

"The ship was scheduled to discharge at the terminal, but so

far we have not received any news from JX Nippon," the source said.

The tanker has remained off the terminal since February 14, according to Reuters shipping data. The docking schedule for this week does not show the Ratna Shradha unloading, a second shipping source said.

At least two traders said the cargo had been bought by JX

Nippon Oil and Energy.

India Steamship, a unit of Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd., and JX Nippon Oil, both declined to comment.

Chambal Fertilisers submitted the case to a British commercial court on February 15, a court official told Reuters, after questions over the legal ownership of the crude emerged.

Disputed Sudanese oil cargo yet to unload in Japan

A

ship carrying disputed Sudanese crude remained anchored off southwest Japan yesterday, despite a British court ruling giving the tanker permission to unload, three shipping sources said.

The Ratna Shradha, which is owned by India Steamship, is holding 600,000 barrels of crude oil that South Sudan says

Libyans queue for first vote in battle-hit Misrata

P

eople from Libya's battlescarred city of Misrata queued up to vote in their first free election on Monday, hoping to set a standard for the rest of the country as it prepares for national polls in June after the war that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi.

Months after Misrata saw the biggest and bloodiest battle in Libya's eight-month conflict, voters waited outside polling stations set up in schools, many of the buildings still marked with bullet holes from the

fighting.

Residents were picking the new 28 members of the Misrata local council, who will have the tough job of rebuilding a city of around 300,000 people which was bombed beyond recognition.

"For the first time in our life we feel we are human. We can choose what we want, it's a joy for all Libyan people, and God willing, it will get better and better," teacher Basma Fortey said, showing her left index finger dipped in ink for the vote.

Security was tight in the

coastal city, with armed men, sometimes near trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, standing guard at the schools.

Banners reading "Just as you were present on the front line, be there for the election" were posted around the destroyed city.

The small town of Zwara last year held local elections but Misrata's polls are the first in a major settlement, its residents say.

Former rebel fighters, many of them in military fatigues, lined up with other voters outside

the polling stations, that were segregated between men and women. Nearby, along the main thoroughfare of Tripoli Street, stores, government offices and apartment blocks had been blown to pieces.

"I feel like I've achieved all I've worked for, all I've fought for and everything my friends died for," said Mohammed Ali, one ex fighter, still limping from a gunshot wound to his back.

"Thank God the blood of our martyrs hasn't been shed in vain."

Lawyer sees “conspiracy of silence� in Mubarak trial

A

lawyer acting for the families of those killed in Egypt's uprising against Hosni Mubarak on Monday told the court trying him that there had been a "conspiracy of silence" by those seeking to shield the former president.

The prosecution and lawyers for the plaintiffs were speaking ahead the final hearing of the case today, when Judge Ahmed Refaat is due to set a date to deliver his verdict in the trial that began on August 3.

The prosecution is seeking the death sentence for Mubarak over the charge that he was involved in killing some 850 protesters but says the Interior Ministry and its police force have not cooperated to help them build the case.

"There is no doubt that there has been a conspiracy against the court, a conspiracy that started from the first day, a conspiracy of silence," plaintiff lawyer Sameh Ashour said.

"It is a conspiracy for all those

videos to be recorded over, for an officer to be allowed to wipe all recordings from the police force's operation room," he said, accusing police of tampering with potential evidence.

Many Egyptians had hoped the trial would help turn a page on the past, but are now worried the prosecution has weaker evidence which could lead to a light sentence. They also say Mubarak received preferential treatment.

Mubarak, 83, who has denied

the charges that also include abuse of power and corruption, was again in court on a stretcher and in the same cage as his two sons, the former interior minister and other top police officers.

He has been held in a military hospital rather than in prison facilities.

A parliamentary committee said on Monday in a report that a prison hospital on the edge of Cairo where other officials have been held was now equipped to receive him.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 33

‘Qur’an burning’ triggers Afghan protests

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undreds of Afghans staged angry protests at two sites in and around the capital Kabul, incensed by reports that NATO troops had set fire to copies of the Quran.

Protesters shouting "Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar" (God is great) besieged the US-run airbase in Bagram yesterday, firing slingshots and petrol bombs.

Guards at the base, about 60Km north of capital, Kabul, responded by firing rubber bullets from a watchtower, an AFP photographer said.

"They are demonstrating over the burning of copies of the Quran inside the base," a local official told AFP news agency.

Sidiq Siddiqi, an Afghan interior ministry spokesman, confirmed the demonstration and said reinforcements were sent to the area to prevent possible violence.

Another protest by about 500 people broke out in the Pul-e-charkhi district of Kabul not far from major

Reports of similar desecrations in the past had led to violence and deaths [Reuters]

Strauss-Kahn quit as IMF chief after a New York hotel maid accused him of rape [AFP]

Strauss-Kahn in probe over prostitution ring

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ominique Strauss-Kahn, the former chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is being questioned by French police as part of an investigation into a suspected prostitution ring.

A prosecutor yesterday said Strauss-Kahn was being questioned in the northern French city of Lille as a suspect over alleged cross-border prostitution ring in France and neighbouring Belgium that has implicated police and other officials.

Investigators are seeking to discover if prostitutes were paid using corporate funds from a large French construction company.

Police have questioned prostitutes who said they had sex with StraussKahn during 2010 and 2011 at a luxury hotel in Paris, a restaurant in the French capital and also in Washington DC. Two men with ties to Strauss-Kahn have been put under preliminary investigation in France on charges including organising a prostitution ring and misuse of corporate funds.

Strauss-Kahn's name surfaced in the investigation last fall and his lawyer has asked that Strauss-Kahn be allowed to tell his side of the story.

One of Strauss-Kahn's lawyers has said that the former French presidential hopeful did not know that the women at parties he attended were prostitutes.

"He could easily not have known, because as you can imagine, at these kinds of parties you're not always dressed, and I challenge you to distinguish a naked prostitute from any other naked woman," Henri Leclerc told French radio Europe 1 in December.

French newspapers have dubbed the investigation "The Carlton Affair" after the name of the expensive Lille hotel where some of the meetings took place.

This is Strauss-Kahn's latest run-in with police over alleged sexual misconduct.

He resigned from the IMF in May 2011 when he was charged with raping a New York hotel maid.

New York prosecutors dropped the case against him in August because

Eurozone approves second Greek bailout

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The accord will enable Greece to launch a bond swap with private investors [Reuters]

NATO bases on the Jalalabad road, police spokesman Ashamat Estanakzai told AFP. General John Allen, the US commander in Afghanistan, offered his apology and ordered an investigation into reports that troops "improperly disposed of a large number of Islamic religious materials which included Qurans".

"I offer my sincere apologies for any offence this may have caused, to the President of Afghanistan, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan," he said.

Allen's remarkably candid statement, apparently aimed at damage limitation after similar incidents led to violence and attacks on foreigners, was played repeatedly on Afghan television.

"We are thoroughly investigating the incident and are taking steps to ensure this does not ever happen again,'' Allen said.

urozone finance ministers have approved a 130bn euro ($170bn) second bailout package for Greece to resolve the debt-ridden nation's immediate repayment needs.

The deal reached after 13 hours of tortuous talks in Brussels, however, is unlikely to revive Greece's ailing economy.

Al Jazeera's John Psaropoulos, reporting from Greece, said: "The deal involves offering Greece a package of $170bn as originally envisaged in a bailout loan."

The deal will bring government debt in Athens down to "120.5 per cent" of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020, a eurozone governmental source told the AFP news agency.

"We're very happy," Lucas Papademos, the Greek prime minister, said after the accord was sealed yesterday.

Papademos, a former European

Central Bank No. 2 backed by European Union partners to lead an emergency coalition government in Athens, acknowledged that full delivery of the deal depends on Greece delivering on a string of conditions in "a timely and effective manner".

Analysts say the deal may only delay a deeper default by a few months.

Greece has been in recession for the last five years and it is unlikely to do well in the next one decade with huge spending cuts.

The accord will enable Greece to launch a bond swap with private investors to help reduce and restructure Athens' vast debts, put it on a more stable financial footing and keep it inside the 17-country eurozone.

Greece will have around 100 billion euros of debt written off as banks and insurers will swap bonds they hold for longer-dated securities that pay a lower coupon.

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Israel to ‘free’ Palestinian hunger striker

I

srael has agreed to free Khader Adnan, a Palestinian detained without charge, which has been on hunger strike for more than nine weeks, one of his lawyers has said.

The revelation came hours before the supreme court was to hear an urgent appeal yesterday

for Adnan's release.

The lawyer said that a settlement had been reached for ending his detention.

The continued 'administrative detention' of the Palestinian from the West Bank had stroked global anger with protesters clashing again with

police in the West Bank yesterday.

Israel arrested Adnan, a 33year-old baker, on December 17 near the northern West Bank town of Jenin. Israel accuses him of being a spokesman for the Palestinian group, Islamic Jihad.

He told lawyers and human

rights organisations that masked soldiers violently broke into his house, where his mother and children were present.

Adnan said that his hands were shackled behind him and that he was thrown onto the floor of the military jeep and kicked and slapped by soldiers while they took him to the settlement of Mevo Dotan.

He began refusing food a day after his arrest and is now said to be in critical condition.

Earlier, Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, urged world leaders to pressure Israel to free Adnan.

"I sent messages to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton today, and spoke with the EU and Chinese envoys," Erakat told AFP news agency.

"I asked them all to intervene in Adnan's case. They must apply pressure on Israel to release him," he said.

World leaders had expressed growing concern over the fate of the prisoner, who was held

without charge under a procedure known as "administrative detention".

There are currently more than 300 Palestinians being held in administrative detention by Israel, without charge or trial, for renewable periods of six months, without any way of defending themselves.

Palestinian officials warned that his death in custody could start a violent backlash, while a spokeswoman for the Israel Prisons Service said on Sunday that they were "constantly monitoring" the situation.

"We understand the implications of this case," Sivan Weizman said.

But on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office went on the offensive, with a spokesman describing Adnan as "a dangerous terrorist" despite the fact he has yet to be charged with any security offences.

Until now, Adnan has not been charged and the military court that approved Adnan's detention has refused to release any details on the reason for his arrest or ongoing imprisonment.

Syrian violence rages Yemenis vote to elect Saleh successor amid truce talks Adnan said that his hands were shackled behind him and that he was thrown on the floor of a military jeep [REUTERS]

P

olling stations across Yemen have opened in a presidential poll with VicePresident Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi as the only candidate.

Hadi's guaranteed election by virtue of being the sole candidate on the ballot will bring the curtains down on Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule over the country.

Yesterday's vote is the result of a power-transition deal brokered by Yemen's Gulf neighbours in November after months of protests calling for Saleh's removal.

The Gulf-brokered deal gave Saleh and his closest aides immunity from prosecution and made him honorary president.

It also stipulated that Hadi become the next president of Yemen for an interim two-year period.

Reporting from Sanaa, Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra said residents of the capital felt it was a religious duty to come and vote to end Saleh's rule.

"For these people the vote is not just about electing the single candidate, but to pave the way for Yemen to go forward.This is basically about restarting the nation from scratch," he said.

Hadi, a 66-year-old career soldier, was Saleh's vicepresident since 1994. In practice he replaced Saleh last June when the 69-year-old president was wounded in the assassination attempt and had to spend more than three months receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia.

Once formally elected, he will start undertaking very important decisions - firstly, restructuring the army, start working on a new constitution and then Yemen will have its

first free and fair elections, our correspondent said.

On the eve of yesterday's polling, violence flared in the south, where separatists seek a divorce from the north with which they fought a civil war in 1994 after formal political union. Officials warned attacks to disrupt polling were all but certain.

An explosion rocked a polling station in the southern city of Aden on Monday. One soldier was killed and another injured as gunfire broke out after the blast, an official told Reuters news agency.

The vote has also been denounced by youth activists

who took to the streets to demand the end of Saleh's rule, and regard the transfer plan as a pact among an elite they regard as partners to the crimes of Saleh's tenure, including the killings of protesters in the uprising against him.

A security official said police had carried out "arrest raids on armed hardliners" from the Southern Movement trying "by force to prevent citizens from participating in the elections."

"These elements are trying to create a state of fear among citizens by spreading rumours that February 21 [election day] will see acts of violence," the official told the AFP news agency.

S

yrian government forces are said to be bombarding the city of Homs, ignoring calls from the International Committee of Red Cross for a twohour daily truce to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians trapped by the unremitting violence.

Reuters news agency, quoting Syrian activists, said at least 12 people had been killed on Tuesday as troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad advanced on Baba Amro, a neighbourhood in Homs.

The casualty figures could not be independently verified as foreign media faces stiff restrictions within Syria.

Activists said the government had been bolstering its forces

China factory explosion leaves many dead

A

n explosion at a steel plant in northeastern China has killed at least 10 people and injured another 17, a company official has said, in the latest industrial accident to hit the world's second largest economy.

The blast happened late on Monday in a steel casting workshop owned by state-run Angang Heavy Machinery in the city of Anshan in Liaoning province, a spokesman for parent company Ansteel Group said.

"The rescue work just finished.

The bodies of the three missing workers have been found and now the local work safety bureau is working on the cause of the accident," Song Jiachen told AFP news agency.

The 17 injured had been taken to hospital for treatment, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing local officials.

Workplace accidents are

common in China, as safety rules are ignored in the quest for higher profits.

Nearly 50,000 people died in work-related accidents in the first

nine months of 2011, down 16 per cent from the same period in 2010, figures from the State Administration of Work Safety show.

Al Jazeera’s Bahrain documentary wins award

T

he journalists behind the Al Jazeera English documentary Bahrain: Shouting in the Dark have won the 63rd annual George Polk Award in Journalism.

Ranked among the US' most coveted journalism honours, the George Polk Awards - named after an American journalist who was killed covering the civil war in Greece in 1948 - have been administered by Long Island University since 1949.

A committee of jurors recognised Al Jazeera's May Welsh and Hassan Mahfood for producing a film that "gives a voice to the protesters for democratic rights and presents a harrowing, on-the-

ground view of their brutal suppression".

Previous winners of the awards include Seymour Hersh, Ted Koppel and Christiane Amanpour.

It is the second accolade won by the film, which was awarded the UK Foreign Press Association Award for Best Documentary in November 2011.

The documentary, which was first broadcast on Al Jazeera English on August 4, 2011, follows the unraveling of the Bahraini uprising from the initial days at Pearl Roundabout to the chaotic scenes of injured protesters overwhelming the Salmaniya Medical Complex.

outside Homs, apparently to storm the city after 18 straight days of siege.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said heavy shelling for two hours early on Tuesday gave way to more sporadic attacks.

Activists also said troops had opened fire overnight to disperse a demonstration in the capital Damascus.

Protesters during the night also blocked the roads leading to Baramkeh Square in the centre of the capital, according to Mohammed Shami, a spokesman for activists in Damascus province.

He said demonstrators used "burning materials" to shut the roads, triggering a security alert that saw "heavily armed forces" deployed in the area in few minutes.

The demonstrators were acting as part of a "campaign of civil disobedience in Damascus in support of Homs and afflicted Syrian cities," Shami said in a statement.

The Red Cross said on Monday that it was in talks with the Syrian authorities and rebels to halt the violence so that it can deliver aid, amid calls to allow women and children out of Homs.

Saleh Dabbakeh, a Red Cross spokesman in Damascus, told Al Jazeera that they "were exploring several possibilities for delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid".

He did not give explicit details on who was taking part in the talks, saying only that they were ongoing.

"The content of the discussions with the Syrian authorities and all those involved in the fighting remains confidential," Dabbakeh said.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 35

Cocaine for toothache and fashion for ‘chubbies’: Outrageous adverts from the past that would never be allowed today

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hey're incredible by today's standards, but once upon a time these adverts were perfectly acceptable.

From an ad that claims smoking is healthy to one telling mothers they should give Coca-Cola to their babies, these shocking posters give a fascinating insight into a time gone by.

One even tries to promote cocaine a remedy for toothache.

'More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.' boasts one campaign for Camel cigarettes which ran for eight years from 1946 in America.

The advert also suggests smokers use their 'T-zone' taste and throat - to decide which cigarettes they like best.

The picture on this poster shows a young girl between her mother and a doctor claiming 'I'm going to grow a 100 years old'.

Another advert for American flavoured cigarette brand Tapalet even suggests men will entice a girlfriend if they smoke the brand.

Their poster from the early 1970's states: 'Blow in her face and she'll follow you anywhere.'

An advert for Drummond Sweaters which featured in Esquire magazine in 1959 also has obvious sexist undertones, claiming: 'Men are better than women!'.

It features a female struggling to climb a mountain as two men stand on top next to the words: 'Indoors women are useful -

This 1950s ad tries to entice parents into starting their child on cola drinks early with American clothing company Lane Bryant offering 'Charming chubbysize' clothes. For teens too chubby to fit in regular clothes.'

Pushing the boundaries: Britain's advertising watchdog would have something to say about this advert for Cocaine Toothache Drops if it came out today even pleasant. On a mountain Drummond climbing they are something of a drag. sweaters. These pullovers look 'So don't go hauling them great anywhere.' up a cliff just to show off your An advert for Kelloggs vitamins from the 1930s even states: 'The harder a wife works the cuter she looks.'

And 30 years later in the 1960s a Kenwood chef entices male buyers by saying: 'The chef does everything but cook - that's what wives are for.'

Whilst in 1954 the Hoover brand claimed: 'Christmas morning she'll be happy with a Hoover.'

Their campaign featured an excited woman reaching under a Christmas tree to a hoover-shaped present.

Women were also offered American firm Lane Bryant suggested buying a range of advice as one advert from the clothes for 'chubby-size' 1950s suggests they should give their children Coca-Cola children 'for a better start in life.'

The poster lists the benefits as, 'Promotes active lifestyle', 'Boosts personality,' and 'Gives body essential sugars'.

Cocaine toothache drops were also offered as beneficial to children - with this one from 1885 advising it would get rid of toothache.

Cocaine was sold over the counter in the U.S. until 1914.

Overweight children were also catered for in the 1950s Another sexist ad from vacuum cleaner firm Hoover in 1960 might not go down well today

Sexist: This ad for Tipalet cigarettes suggests just smoking them with attract a girlfriend

Outrageous: The ad for Drummond Sweaters suggests you wouldn't want a woman around if you were climbing a mountain

Not just for Christmas: Two adverts you wouldn't see today, one for American Export Lines (left) and the other suggesting a gun might be a good gift

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Women need a whole year to recover from childbirth, study claims N ew mothers may be told that they will be back to ‘normal’ within six weeks of giving birth, but a new study has found that most women take much longer to recover.

Dr Julie Wray, of Salford University, interviewed women two to three weeks, three months and six to seven months after they had given birth to gain a unique insight into postnatal recovery.

She concluded that it takes a year to recover from childbirth.

Her study also revealed significant dissatisfaction amongst new mothers with postnatal services.

The new mothers Dr Wray spoke to said that the six week recovery time was a ‘fantasy’.

Many were disappointed by the six week check, which all mothers receive from either their midwife or their GP. Some did not receive a physical examination, and others were not told whether or not their bodies had recovered yet.

The psychological effects can also take much longer to recover from.

Dr Wray’s study found that hospital wards can have a negative impact on women’s ability to recoup and celebrate the birth of their child because of the constant stream of visitors and the unfamiliar rules and regulations.

Helping new mothers adapt to having a baby in the home has also changed a lot over the years.

In the past women were shown how to perform tasks such as baby bathing and were only discharged from hospital when they were ready.

Now women can go home as soon as six hours after childbirth and many feel they are just ‘left to get on with it’.

Dr Wray said: ‘The research shows that more realistic and woman-friendly postnatal services are needed.

‘Women feel that it takes much longer than six weeks to recover and they should be supported beyond the current six to eight weeks after birth.

‘However, government funding cuts and a national

Still recovering: A University of Salford study has found that it takes a year - not six weeks - to get over childbirth (file image)

Additional pressure: Amanda Holden went back to week just two weeks after she almost died during childbirth

shortage of midwives means that postnatal services will only face further challenges.

The midwifery profession must raise the status of postnatal care as any further erosion can only be bad for women and their children.’

The Royal College of Midwives welcomed the research.

Sue MacDonald, Head of Education and Research at the RCM told MailOnline: ‘We are very aware that the postnatal period has always been a bit of a fairy tale.

‘We are often not able to see

women as much as we would like to. Community midwives may be able to help at home but not always, and mothers do not stay in hospital for very long after childbirth any more.

‘Women do suffer ill-health, which involves back ache and feeling tired. They could be seen as minor problems, but they are not minor for new mums.’

The physical recovery is, of course, just one side of the story.

Women also need to make the psychological transition to being a mother - which is even tougher for those who were working before giving birth.

Many feel the pressure to get back on their feet soon after childbirth. And seeing celebrities like Amanda Holden looking fantastic just weeks after almost dying during childbirth must be ‘very, very frustrating’, MacDonald said.

She added that recent studies have shown that women will put up with a lot of discomfort after childbirth because they think that it is normal. The Royal College of Widwives is conducting its own studies to see how they can make sure that discomfort is not the norm.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Not sleeping enough can damage your immune system and make you ill, says study A disturbed sleeping pattern can lead to illness, scientists say.

Researchers have found that the circadian clock – the genetic mechanism which regulates our sleep – controls the level of a gene vital to our immune system.

Scientists from Yale University linked the gene TLR9 to the cycle in mice. When the gene was at its most active, it was able to respond best to bacteria and viruses and the mice responded better to infection and vaccinations.

In theory, the principles should also apply for the same gene in humans.

Disruptions to the cycle can make us more susceptible to illness, reports journal Immunity.

This suggests that jet lag may

contribute directly to illness and that there may be ideal times of the day to receive vaccinations.

Professor Erol Fikrig said: ‘People intuitively know that when their sleep patterns are disturbed, they are more likely to get sick.’

He also suggested further study was needed into how noise and artificial light in intensive care units could be affecting patients.

He said: ‘Sleep patterns of patients in intensive care are often disrupted because of the noise and prolonged exposure to artificial light.

‘It will be important to investigate how these factors influence immune system response.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Disrupted sleep: Everyone knows that a disrupted sleep pattern can lead to feelings of being run-down.

But A Yale University study has linked a lack of sleep with a reduced immune system

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 37

Wamakko’s victory: Bafarawa’s political burial?

ANALYSIS

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attles and wars, political or otherwise, are meant to be fought, won or lost.

The political war in Sokoto state is won, once again, by Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko leaving his appointments to leak their wounds. One can forgive the losers for having a nightmare and hearing the echoes of Wamakko’s declaration wherever he went during his campaign tour that “Wanga Alu Sai dai Allah”meaning, this Alu, only God can tame him. He kept saying that to drum to the psyche of his opponents that God gives and takes leadership to the person He likes at the time He wants, not those who think they can make or mar anybody.

No one needs to be told that all the elections held in 2007, 2009 and 2012 were battle fought between Wamakko and Bafarawa. Though Bafarawa was not a direct contestant he was the political godfather of Wamakko’s opponents who was bent on ‘teaching a lesson to a rebel political son’.

When Bafarawa formally returned to ANPP in December last year, he said he was back not only to rebuild the party but also to unseat Wamakko.

At the reception organized for him by the party, he made it clear that he was back with vengeance. His first mission was to unseat Wamakko and extract his pound of flesh. The name “Wamakko” dominated the speech he delivered that lasted ten minutes. He promised that after three months Wamakko will be history. He told the audience, “Three months from now, we will go to Wamakko and console him over his lose, reiterating ‘Kau da Kare ba aiki na ba’.”

Meaning removing Wamakko from the government house is not even a task; it is as easy as removing dried cane from his way.

Bafarawa thought that the task will be easy because Wamakko’s opponents in the PDP have done half of the work for him. For months, the political atmosphere was suffocating for Wamakko, as series of petitions were written and sent to PDP National secretariat, some published in national dailies, with the aim of disqualifying him from contesting at all. But the man was not a stranger to political intrigues and controversy.

Wamakko, who became the governor of the state in 2007

No one was in doubt that the political battle over the soul of Sokoto state was not between Wamakko of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other governorship candidates of the other parties but between Wamakko and Bafarawa, his former boss. Ali Alkali examines the factors that helped Wamakko to defeat Bafarawa’s anointed candidate, for the third time. on the strength of the marriage of convenience between the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can easily be described as a political cat with nine lives. For, of all the election petition cases since 1999, none has received much attention, publicity and shrouded in mystery than that of Wamakko vs. Dingyadi. In the Northern part of this country, it was even considered by many in the legal cycle as the longest election petition ever entertained by the Judiciary.

But he survived the long legal battle.

Many politicians in the state argued that it was even foolhardy and impulsive for Bafarawa to think that he can wrestle power from Wamakko, considering his own dwindling political fortune. First of all, Wamakko did not build his political career on a shaky foundation. PDP went after him in 2007 when the slogan “Sai Alu” became the local anthem everywhere in the state. And as expected, he delivered the state to his new party, the PDP – with bonus.

He delivered the entire 240 councilors in the state, 30 state House of Assembly members, 14 National Assembly members and 23 local government chairmen. Still, while Bafarawa was busy jumping from one political bed to another, Wamakko was busy consolidating his political base in the state.

Ever since he was swore-in

Gov Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko on 29th May, 2007, as governor of Sokoto state, Wamakko has been outstanding in delivering the desired dividend of democracy to the people.

One of the unique features of his administration was the ability to carry all and sundry along in a transparent manner in all of the programmes his government executed.

That was why when he was returning to Sokoto, after his ouster by Supreme Court, the people of the state organized a befitting reception for him,

“

Many politicians in the state argued that it was even foolhardy and impulsive for Bafarawa to think that he can wrestle power from Wamakko, considering his own dwindling political fortune.

First of all, Wamakko did not launch his political career on a shaky foundation. PDP went after him in 2007 when the slogan “Sai Alu” became the local anthem everywhere in the state. And as expected, he delivered the state to his new party, the PDP – with bonus

with motorcades so long that there was traffic gridlock in all the major streets that day. All these were indications that unseating a man who is loved and massively supported by people will be a herculean task, if not impossible.

But to Bafarawa, Wamakko must not return. He stated while returning to ANPP that his sojourn after leaving the party to other parties had widened the scope of his political knowledge and had put him in a better position to reclaim the Sokoto gubernatorial seat, not for himself but for someone he can trust.

He said, later that day at a press conference held at his house, the task of finding someone he can trust was difficult, but he had finally been able to find Alhaji Yusha’u Mohammad Ahmad, a retired banker and businessman. He introduced Yusha’u to the press as his anointed gubernatorial aspirant of the party in the state.

Bafarawa sow the seed of disharmony within the Sokoto ANPP family on the very first day he returned to the party.

Other stakeholders questioned

why he would openly show support to an aspirant while there were other aspirants, and why should he hold a press conference at his home when the party had headquarters?

That press conference sent a clear message to all ANPP members in Sokoto that Bafarawa was back only to hijack the party and make it his personal property. That moth, he influenced the appointment of a state Executive Committee (EXCO) of the ANPP comprising his political associates. But the new EXCO emerged by confirmation rather than by voting.

On the day of the primary election for the party’s flag bearer, Yusha’u Ahmad defeated Alhaji Dahiru Yusuf Yabo, who was formerly an acclaimed gubernatorial candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 general election.

In an interview with Daily Trust after the primary election, Yabo said, “It was clear that those who came from ACN did what they did in order to take over control of ANPP in the state, without minding the implication. I have raised a lot of objections but they were all turned down.

“As far as I know, there was no time they called for election or nomination of delegates. They nominated the delegates and kept it to themselves and brought them to the venue of the primaries after camping them at various locations. We don’t know how the composition was made; they kept them in some houses, and they transported them to the venue in some of the buses they hired straight to the venue of the primaries.

“The venue itself was not neutral. The primary election was conducted in a filling station and an orchard owned

by Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, who had indicated, two days earlier, who his candidate was. He mentioned at a press conference that Yusha’u Kebbi was his candidate, which meant he was biased and he was not fair.

Continued on page 38

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Wamakko’s victory: Bafarawa’s political burial?

Continued from page 37 More so, the primary was conducted in a place that belongs to him, with his own machinery, and by his own loyalists. When I raised objections, nobody was ready to listen to me. I was neither given the privilege of having the list of the delegates nor meeting with them. I only saw the delegates at the venue just an hour to the primaries. Even the procedure for the election was not known to me. It was at the venue they brought two boxes and then put our pictures; but as they sensed that some delegates may vote according to their conscience, they changed the rules and said the election should be by open balloting. I was equally not privileged to know members of the executive until they began to call out their names at the venue. You can see how I and my supporters were left in the dark. I was only there to participate but I was not in any way carried along in the process leading to the primaries.”

Talking of manipulation and lack of internal party democracy, it can be recalled, ironically, that in his resignation letter from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), dated 14h November, 2011, Bafarawa lamented how he and his supporters suffered during the last party primaries.

“Some powerful people made a plan, and afterwards orchestrated a sham and called it primaries. Since the rest of us were not informed of these machinations, we went round the country soliciting for support not knowing that we were sent out to dance in the rain by a cabal. I can no longer be part of the joke,” the letter reads in part, adding, “Therefore, I have decided to move on. Consider this letter my resignation from the party.”

The irony was, it was uncomfortable for the man to dance in the rain for a cabal but feels good to be a leader of a cabal that pulls the string.

Bafarawa had indeed started as a good grass roots politician as local government councillor, rising through the ranks to be governor of Sokoto state. But within the years, money and power brought out his real personality. As psychologists say, money and power do not change people; they only amplify what is already there.

With the money he made from oil and textile during the IBB era, and the political power he acquired with it, the man started taking his ‘godfather’ status too far.

He was once reported to

have removed his cap and said, “If I said this cap is the governor of Sokoto state, it automatically becomes the governor.”

Before he was first humiliated by Wamakko and PDP in 2007, Bafarawa was said to be always boastful of his political record; that he never lost any election in thirty years. This lack of humility, according to critics, was one of the reasons why the PDP joined hands with Wamakko who Bafarawa had been humilaiting to teach him a lesson. They came all out for him, got him and buried him in his own political rubble; for he lost even in his own local government.

Bafarawa is notorious for his arrogance. He only smiles and opens up to you only if you are very rich or occupying a strategic position he can use. In the local parlance, the people call him ‘Miskili’ - a very negative attribute, especially of a politician.

There is this popular story in Sokoto that one day Bafarawa came out of his house, and as usual there were dozens of people waiting, including commissioners, directors and other political hungers on.

Everybody stood up to greet him. While the encomiums were being showered on him, he just stood there with his hands at his back, saying nothing and looking at everybody askance. After about five minutes everybody kept quit waiting for the master to say something or at least answer their greetings. He did not. As he turned to walk away, one man known as Ata, said angrily “Sannu Allah” – meaning, ‘Well done, God.’ It was then Bafarawa turned and said “Are you mad?” And the man replied, “Only God has the right to behave to people the way you do.”

This arrogance towards common people and his ‘I know all’ attitude even towards his learned political associates was what made him lost his political grip. He believes that even among his political associates, his views must be

Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa taken as political gospel. This, according to some of his political associates, was what informed his decision to form his own party, Democratic Peoples’ Party (DPP) when he left ANPP – just to be the Alpha and Omega.

Of course, Bafarawa might have helped groom many politicians in the Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara axis but the way he was boasting about it in public did nothing but hurt their ego.

Referring to himself several times as “Professor of politics” during his speech when he returned to the ANPP, Bafarawa said “You all know that all most all the PDP Sokoto politicians, like Governor Wamakko, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tambuwal, our senators and representatives at the National Assembly were all my political students. They learnt the rope under my tutelage in the ANPP. Even General Muhammadu Buhari was also my student.”

To him, as far as politics is concerned, nobody in the North

“

With the money he made from oil and textile during the IBB era, and the political power he acquired with it, the man started taking his ‘godfather’ status too far.

He once was reported to have removed his cap and said, “If I said this cap is the governor of Sokoto state, it automatically becomes the governor

can march his credentials. In a recent in interview with Sun newspaper, the “Professor of politics” said, “Professional politicians and office politicians are different.

We the professional politicians are in the minority in this country.

Office seeker politicians are greater in number. When we sat down, (during the Mega Party Movement initiative meetings) myself, Buhari, Atiku and the rest of us, many of them are not politicians.

Buhari is not a politician; he is an army general. Atiku is a customs officer. It is only Bafarawa and Asiwaju (Tinubu) that are politicians.”

The question is, if Atiku Abubakar who has been in active politics for over 30 years, elected governor of Adamawa state and vice president of this country, is not yet a politician but a common customs officer, then how long will it take one to be a politician?

Yusha’u Ahmad should have known that in the eyes of his new master, he was just a common banker picked up to be used and damped just like it happened to Maigari Dingyadi who was damped at the middle of court case; a case he urged him to persue. But as the saying goes, you can fool some people sometimes, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. That’s why many of his political associates are no longer with him.

In the earlier mentioned interview with the Sun newspaper, few days before his formal return to the party, Bafarawa claimed that he was coming back with the entire

DPP leadership and rank and file. But on the d-day, people like General Useni, Great Ogboru, Gbenga Olawepo were conspicuously absent in the list of the ANPP returnees. Even at the reception of the “Professor of politics” people expected to see his former associates, such as Umarun Kwabo, Katuka and most of his former commissioners, but they were not there.

According to Dahiru Yusuf Yabo in his interview with Daily Trust, “I think Bafarawa has come again to deceive the national leadership of the party. In the first place he has given them the impression that he was a very big catch for the party because he was coming back with a large number of people from the ACN, nationwide. And even from the speech of the national chairman during the declaration of Bafarawa, the message was that Bafarawa was coming into ACN with followers from all over the federation. But it was clear that there was nobody from anywhere to join Bafarawa.

Among his former commissioners during his tenure, I was the only one that joined him.

“The real ANPP people have been short changed. Right now, they are grumbling and are not happy with the development. My followers and I were coming from the CPC to ANPP and unfortunately we were not given the privilege to bring in our people. I think it is left to the national leadership of the party to look into these issues again and try to find a way of making it work because with the way things are going now, I don’t think it is going to work, at all. I am saying this because I don’t want anybody to blame me for any failure in future.”

With his recent defeat and humiliation, the talk in the Sokoto state political cycles is that Bafarawa should retire permanently because he is done with and buried politically. He should jet out to his safe haven in the United States of America, Saudi Arabia or Dubai to leak his wounds. That’s if he had not done so already.

As one of the PDP stalwarts in the state put it, rhetorically, referring to Bafarawa, “If your candidates are defeated three times in the same state you once boasted that even your cap will become a governor if you say so, then what is left of you?” adding “What happened in the political life of Bafarawa should be a lesson to everyone of us politicians; that unless you carry people along sincerely, they will get tired of carrying you. When that happens, the only way to go is down.”

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

PAGE 39

INEC issues certificate of return to Wamakko I

NEC on Tuesday in Abuja issued a Certificate of Return to Governor-elect of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko.

Hajia Amina Zakari, INEC National Commissioner in-charge of North-West zone, presented the certificate on behalf of INEC

Oshiomhole to Anenih: I won’t go to court again because of you

Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

Wamakko was re-elected as Governor of Sokoto State on Saturday after he beat 29 other contestants to win the election.

After collecting the certificate of return, the governor said that his administration would focus on completing ongoing developmental projects in the state.

“My government will make sure that all those programmes that are ongoing are completed.

“We will see that we deliver in terms of education, healthcare delivery, water supply,

agriculture and youth empowerment,’’ Wamakko said.

He added that his re-election was an obligation to make a renewed effort toward ensuring that he served diligently, honestly and transparently.

Wamakko said that the task of conducting credible election should not be left to INEC alone, stressing that “all the stakeholders should be committed to the task and with that we can succeed.’’

He said if stakeholders were committed to the task of free and fair elections, “we will make the

job of INEC easier”.

Wamakko urged other contestants to join him in moving Sokoto State forward in all areas of human endeavours.

“We are all trying to serve our state and we are trying to serve our country, so let us come together and we can make progress,’’ he said.

Wamakko polled 518,247 votes to beat his closest rival, Alhaji Yusha’u Ahmed of the ANPP, who polled 131,048 votes.

The CPC candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Yabo, came third with 7,323 votes. (NAN)

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

E

do state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole yesterday unveiled the alleged rigging plan by the Peoples Democratic party, PDP ahead of July 14th governorship election this year, saying he would resist pressure by Chief Tony Anenih to rig him-out or force him to go to court to cotnest the outcome of the election. “I won’t go to court because of you, he said.

Oshiomhole vowed that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) led government in the state will sweep away the licking umbrellas of PDP and the godfather in governorship poll.

Speaking at the maiden expanded peace/state executive meeting of the party, which held in Benin City, the governor who is gunning for a second term said, the election will not be based on rhetorics, but what’s on ground, just as he took time to recall some of his achievements.

He (Anenih) boasted: ”As far as I am concerned, ACN is the only party in the state, this is because we have 18 council chairmen, 2 senators, 19 State Assembly members and 7 federal representatives. So, the issue of who is in control of Edo politics has been settled.

He recalled how his first budget in 2009 was scrutinized at the private resident of the godfather in Asokoro, Abuja, because the latter controls two-third of the State Assembly.

According to him, the godfather arrogantly reduced the budget for roads and erosion control in Benin City by 20 percent. “Our Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme and mass transit buses were also deleted”.

Besides, he dismissed reports credited to the National leader of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih that his party is poised to reclaim the State.

“There’s nothing the old man can do. Like Ali Baba and the forty thieves, he is trying to recruit PDP youths as adhoc staff and returning officers for INEC, and ensure that a new resident electoral commissioner (REC) is posted to the state to carry out his hatchet biding. The only path of honour open to Anenih is to retire now!”.

“Anenih is talking from Abuja on how to manipulate election results in Edo, we are tested fighters, he stated.

Senator Chris Ngige of ACN addressing newsmen shortly after the election tribunal struck out a petition against him by Professor Dora Akunyili of APGA, yesterday, in Awka.

Kogi Assembly bye election: INEC assures of credible poll From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) has assured the candidates and their supporters of its readiness to conduct today , s bye election into the kogi state House of Assembly in ward 003 Magongo in Ogori Magongo local government Area of the state.

The Public Relations Officer of the commission in the state, Mr Biambo Bagudu, disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in lokoja, saying the commission has taken measures to correct the pitfall of last Saturday in which the election couldn’t hold as schedule. .

He said the commission has also finalized its preparation to conduct free, fair and credible poll.

The INEC spokesman said sensitive materials have been provided in their required quantities with the help of the security agents.

He called on all eligible voters to come out to exercise their Franchise saying adequate security arrangements have been put in place.

According to him seven political parties are expected to participate in the election today which includes APGA, CPC, ANPP, NTP, PDP, LP and ACN It would be recalled that the election was earlier scheduled to hold on Saturday 18 February, 2012 but was postponed due to the omission of the logos of three political parties.

CPC national secretariat faces ejection Friday

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he National Secretariat of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) may on Friday be ejected from its current station in Ekukinam Street, Utako District, Abuja.

This is owing to a seven day quit notice served by Senator Rufai Hanga through the Federal High court, Abuja on Friday the 17th day of February 2012.

Senator Hanga is the protem National Chairman of CPC, who has been at loggerhead with the Prince Tony Momoh led factional Executive Committee, over who is the genuine Chairman of the party.

The statement issued by the party’s protem National Publicity Secretary, Dennis Aghanya, said the court bailiff who served the notice was initially locked out from the premises before he was later allowed entry.

According to the statement, “This was a follow up to the reminder notice earlier served the party by Alex Marama, solicitor to Senator Hanga, informing the party of his client’s intention to take possession of his building which the rent paid by the party expired on the 31st of December, 2011.”

The statement further explained that in line with the agreement between Senator Hanga, who is equally the Protem

National Chairman of CPC, and the party’s representatives, Protem Deputy National Chairman, Dr Almajeri Geidam and the National Treasurer, Hon. Hadi Sirika, the CPC was supposed to indicate interest to renew the tenancy before 3 months to the expiration of their rent else it would be assumed that it does not intend to renew the rent.

It argued that since the party did not write the landlord 2 months to the expiration of the rent, it therefore meant a discontinuation of their intention to maintain the property, explaining that it was on these bases that Hanga, the landlord, wrote the party and indicating his intention to carry

out a pre-inspection visit to the secretariat to ascertain the condition of his property before finally recovering it.

In another development, judgment has been fixed for the 30th of April 2012 by the FCT High court on the suit filed by the CPC Protem National Publicity Secretary, Aghanya Dennis, against the claim by the party’s purported Board of Trustees to have been legally constituted and consequently organized the purported January 4th to 6th National Convention that produced the purported Tony Momoh NEC which is also being challenged by the Senaotor Hanga led NEC of the party.

PDP national chairmanship: Group endorses Gambo Lawan From Agaju Madugba

T

he Joint Arewa Youth Coalition (JAYC) has endorsed the aspiration of Alhaji Gambo Lawan for the chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The group in a press statement in Kaduna yesterday described Lawan as a visionary leader and the most qualified for the position.

According to the statement signed by the group’s National Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi, “it is based on the leadership qualities, confidence and ability of Gambo Lawan that we have come out to endorse the aspiration of this great mobilize of men and a successful businessman for the chairmanship position of the PDP. “Gambo Lawan as at today

stands out as the man to beat among the other contenders, considering his age and his acceptability cuts across religious and ethnic divides and we are quite sure that the younger generation in the PDP hierarchy of which he is a key member will support his bid wholeheartedly.

“Gambo Lawan represents the best material for the position of Chairman and his leadership at the

Wadata House will unite and strengthen the PDP. “More than anybody, Gambo Lawan was a key figure during the presidential campaign and indeed he was well recognized by the party hierarchy, and above all Gambo Lawan till date has a political base of his own that is more formidable and he is liked all over the country, and his financial contributions to the party is a plus for him.”

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Atiku backs Sovereign National Conference

By Umar Mohammed

F

ormer Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said he supports the idea of convening a national conference, “provided the ultimate objectives of the conference are not designed to dismantle Nigeria’s hard earned unity.”

Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service monitored in Abuja, the former Vice President noted that though he was not against Nigerians coming together to dialogue on the nation’s challenges, the ground rules of representation at such conference must be clearly defined.

“But if the modalities for representation at such conference are based on ethnicity, religion and regionalism, then I would not throw my weight behind such an endeavour,” he said.

Atiku reiterated that he would not endorse any effort aimed at dismantling Nigeria’s unity and cohesion under

whatever guise.

The Turakin Adamawa and former Vice President advised advocates of sovereign national conference to respect existing structures of democratic representation such as the National Assembly.

“Nigeria has come of age in the journey to nationhood; and

any efforts designed to upset the apple cart of our unity is uncalled for at this time. The National Assembly remains the best forum to channel such issues for deliberation, rather than seeking unusual avenues to create confusion and threaten our unity,” he warned.

Navy releases 10 boats for Cross River guber poll

T

he Nigerian Navy will deploy 10 boats to monitor coastal areas during the Cross River governorship election on Saturday, the Commander of NNS Victory, Commodore Kingdom Itoko, said this in Calabar on monday He said the command had been given specific tasks by INEC to ensure that no rigging or other electoral crimes occurred.

Itoko was at the Headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command Calabar, during the Chief of Naval Staff press conference on preparations for Nigeria’s hosting of 11 other navies globally.

He said that naval personnel were fully briefed on the roles expected of them and urged Nigerians not to be apprehensive over the security of the waterways and riverside communities during the poll.

“We have detailed 10 of our gunboats as requested by INEC for the governorship election on Saturday,’’ Itoko said.

He said that some of the boats would be conveying some sensitive election materials to places with difficult terrains within the coastal areas of Cross River.

According to him, the NNS Victory personnel will be collaborating with the police and other security agencies in carrying out their duties.

He warned politicians planning to perpetrate electoral fraud through the waterways or in the coastal areas to jettison such plans as naval personnel would checkmate them. (NAN)

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan, PDP governorship candidate in Cross River state, Senator Liyel Imoke, Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambond, and PDP acting chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, during the grand finale campaign of Liyel Imoke, yesterday, at OjEsuenu stadium in Calabar.

Speaker, Deputy congratulate Wamakko

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

S

peaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and his Deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, have congratulated Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko on his re-election for a second term as the Governor of Sokoto state.

The Speaker, who gave the congratulatory massage in a statement issued by his Special

Activist urges Wada to remove commissioners The Activist averred that From From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

T

he Director, Center for human rights and conflict resolution (CHRCR) lokoja, kogi state comrade Abdul Miliki has urged Captain Idris Wada to immediately sack all the inherited commissioners to avoid constitutional breach.

The director stated this yesterday in lokoja while calling on the governor to immediately ease the political appointees inherited from Alhaji Ibrahim Idris .

He noted that keeping Advisers who have no offices in the last eight years is a complete waste of the scarce resources of the state, adding that kogi must join other progressive states by doing things properly.

the appointment of commissioners is a constitutional matter which he should not treat with kid gloves as it requires the House of Assembly to give them clearance even as he alleged that the inherited commissioners are unknown to law.

While stressing that the new government must demonstrate courage to chart a course totally different from his predecessor saying that it is politically unwise to continue keeping the commissioners.

According to him majority of the commissioners in the last administration were liabilities to the state, pointing out that keeping them will not only amount to constitutional breach but disservice to the state.

Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam, said the result of the election, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reflects the true wish of the majority of the people of the state.He said as the leading political party in the state, he was not surprised by the way and manner victory was recorded by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying the party has always been the choice of the Caliphate state.

“The Governor-elect ran an inspirational campaign, energizing the political terrain of Sokoto with his progressive values and his vision for the future. In this new term, I urge him to show that government can act to help people fairly

especially in their difficult times.

“Considering his record of achievements in his first term in office, I have no doubt in my mind that Governor Wamakko will be up to the task in steering the ship of Sokoto for a second term,” Tambuwal added.

He further called on those who lost out in the contest to join hands with the winner so as to ensure rapid development of the state, while appealing to the people to support the Governorelect in order to ensure peace, unity and progress of the state.

Similarly, the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha said Wamakko’s election for a second term in office was a confirmation of his popularity among the electorate and a

clear vote of confidence on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by the people of Sokoto State.

Statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Oke Epia, Commended the electorates of the State for peacefully conducting themselves at the polls, noting that by ensuring a successful election, they have recorded their own contributions to the gradual entrenchment of democracy in the country.

The statement further commended INEC, security agencies for maintaining law and order throughout the electioneering process and urged them to continue to ensure neutrality in their various capacities especially monitoring conduct of elections.

Sustain rural development, PDP treasurer tells Wamakko

A

lhaji Muktari Mapia, duputy treasurer of the PDP in Sokoto state, has tasked the incoming administration of Aliyu Wamakko to sustain its rural people-oriented programmes, to ensure rapid development at the grassroots.

Mapia said in Sokoto on Tuesday that continuity was necessary in sustaining the rural transformationof Sokoto state, thereby bringing succor to the grassroots.

He said that the rural areas

were in dire need of basic infrastructure that would enhance their standard of living.

He explained that the former administration of Wamakko made it possible for the rural people to have a sense of belonging, adding that this should be sustained during his second coming.

Mapia explained that the provision of potable water, electricity, feeder roads, and health facilities, would greatly improve the quality of life of people in rural Sokoto.

He further explained that Wamaakko’s acceptance by the rural dwellers of the state was obvious during the Feb. 18 election, as more of his votes were from outside the big towns.

He also commended the electorate in the state for ensuring the victory of the party in the just concluded governorship election, promising that the PDP administration in Sokoto State would keep its promise of transforming the lives of the people. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

NSC unveils new Football Headquarters

By Albert Akota

T

he National Sports Commission (NSC) yesterday unveiled what would on completion be the corporate Headquarters of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) at the Package B of the National Stadium Abuja.

Unveiling the architectural drawings and the prototype of the six-storey building, the supervising Minister and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said building would on completion offers the football federation sufficient accommodation to house its departments and units under one roof.

Abdullahi charged the firm handling the project, Paul B Construction Company, to complete the building within the

Bolaji Abdullahi

agreed period of 52 weeks or consider the contract revoked.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the building will be completed in the next fifty two weeks starting from today, the requirement of the buffeting building will be met as agreed by the company, the commission will not take excuses from the contractors, if they do the contract will be revoke.

“I still want to use this medium to advise the company that their work with be closely monitor by stakeholders in the sporting industry to ensure genuine materials are use throughout the work,” he said.

Giving a background to the project, the Director-General of the commission, Chief Patrick Ekeji, traced the setting up of the Presidential Task Force for the Super Eagles’ qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa, headed by Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, and said the Task Force unanimously agreed on utilizing money left from the assignment on a befitting legacy for Nigeria football.

In the same vein, the acting secretary general of the NFF, Musa Amadu, lauded the PTF’s complementary role the efforts to Nigeria’s qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals and for its magnanimity and vision in conceiving the construction of a Football House.

PAGE 41

Kanu ‘joins’ battle for Kigali

By Patrick Andrew

F

ormer Super Eagles skipper and Portsmouth forward, Nwankwo Kanu, yesterday ‘joined’ 21 domestic league players in battle preparations for the 2013 Nations Cup qualifier against the Wasps of Rwanda in Kigali on February 29.

‘Papilo’, as he is fondly called, stormed the training venue of the Eagles midway into the team’s training session and immediately declared his intention to enlist in ‘battle for a shirt in the squad’ and was promptly admitted by head Coach Stephen Keshi.

Actually, the former Arsenal support striker had, just like the

immediate past head coach of the team, Samson Siasia, did penultimate day, visited to lend support to the technical crew and to inspire confidence in the players.

“You have to have confidence in yourself and to be determined and not be shaky because some of your brothers are coming from Europe to join the team. They all started from here like you and you should show them that you can play as well as they can and demonstrate it when you engage Rwanda in Kigali,” Kanu urged stressing that they have what it takes to excel.

He reminded them that he took started professional football in the domestic league and saw no reason why they took would not blossom adding that the Nations Cup qualifier offers them ample

opportunity to show the stuff they are made of.

Kanu, who praised the courage and belief of Keshi in the domestic league players, urged the players to reciprocate Keshi’s belief in them by winning convincingly in all their qualifying games for the South Africa 2013 Nations Cup and the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

Meanwhile, skipper Chigozie Agbim, who replied on behalf of the players, promised that they would live up to expectation and lauded the icon for finding time to visit to inspire confidence in them.

He assured him and Nigerians in general that the team would not let them down when they confront Rwanda next week.

Kanu addressing the players yesterday

NPL moves to solve sponsorship issue

T

roubled Nigeria Premier League (NPL) says it is taking steps to address the lingering issue of its title sponsorship.

An executive member of the disputed NPL, Owolabi Wopa, before a Federal High Court declared the body illegal, said that the present financial hiccup faced by the body would be “resolved soon.” Wopa also pleaded with the clubs on behalf of the NPL to continue to bear with shouldering the payment of allowances of match referees.

He regretted that the situation has been necessitated by the financial mess in which the NPL accountant, Joe Ogbowie, allegedly withdrew N12 million from the coffers of the league body without the consent of the secretariat. “It’s an unfortunate situation that the league has found itself in this season.

But as someone who is concerned about the situation I can only plead with the clubs to continue to pay indemnities to the referees.

“This is not the first time that the clubs are paying match indemnities to the referees. I remember very well that it happened in the past and we didn’t have too much of a fuss over this matter like we have now. I think

the issue of the (NPL) accountant made it a big issue and it’s regrettable,” Wopa said.

The issue of title sponsorship of the Nigerian top flight has dragged on from last season to date after Total Promotions Limited secured the rights on behalf of its client, MTN Nigeria Limited.

...Keshi heightens Rwanda tension, extends home-base quota to 11

T

he possibility that a team of an absolute home-based Super Eagles may be deployed to confront the Wasps of Rwanda a week today in Kigali in a 2013 Nations Cup qualifier was given fillip to by Head Coach Stephen Keshi, who yesterday increased their quota by two.

Keshi had initially allocated nine slots to the domestic league players but following an impressive performance against the Lone Stars of Liberia he confirmed his desire to give them more opportunities to battle for places in the team by calling up

only 11 foreign-based professionals.

However, yesterday, Keshi upped the number by two even as he expressed confidence in their ability to live up to the billing.

According to the coach, the technical crew decided to increase the quota because they have noted that they have the depth and mental discipline to match their foreign-based counterparts and would be trusted to confront the Amavubi with the venom needed to seal victory for Nigeria in Kigali.

“You have what it takes to produce the needed result.

Besides, the time is too short to rely on your foreign-based counterparts and we have faith in your ability to produce the result we need.

“Now, it’s left for you to confirm our hopes. We have equally increased the number of players that will be selected for the trip to Kigali to 11,” he said after yesterday’s training session.

Peoples Daily Sports noted that 21 players were in camp, following the arrival of Kwara United’s Barnabas Imenger and Akwa United Solomon Jabason to boost the 19 players who had been

sweating it out for shirts for the battle of Kigali .

Meanwhile, Keshi has denied having any rift Chelsea’s Mikel Obih who is recuperating from injury and was left out of the squad called up for the Rwanda battle.

“How can a father like me quarrel with a son like Mikel. The young man is full of talent and is a player who has several years left in him. He was just coming back from an injury lay-off and we thought it wise to leave him to settle down before we call on him again to come and fight for his fatherland,” he said.

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

CAF Champions League: Dolphins’ Kwara Utd Kofar impressive victory pleases Nwachi aim for Mata sure D continental of ending ticket, Uweru Heartland declares “hoodoo” K

S

triker Bello Kofar Mata has said Heartland’s search for win on the road has ended with the hard fought draw at Enugu Rangers.

Heartland were forced to a 1-1 draw by their oriental foes in the week 10 of the Nigeria Premier League last weekend at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.

Kofar Mata, who stayed away from the epic clash to be married to his heartthrob, Khadijah Mohammed on Saturday in Kano, told SuperSport.com that the draw against the Coal City lads has signalled an end to months in search of an away win.

“The draw against Rangers is significant as it will surely bring to an end months of searching for a win on the road.

“For months Heartland never played the way they did against Rangers. That game has changed our attitude and significantly boosted our confidence. I assure you it will be the beginning of more good things to come in future,” he said.

The former Kano Pillars’ goal-king, who is expected to rejoin his teammates against Kwara United this weekend, insists that the change in marital status will reflect in his games.

“I am now a responsible man, expect to see a brand new Kofarmata when I resume at the weekend. I need to strike more and score goals regularly,” he enthused.

After nine weeks in the 2011/2012 season, the Owerri-based side is yet to pick a win on the road.

olphins’ attacker, Emmanuel Nwachi is pleased with his side’s strong start in this season’s CAF Champions League. The Nigerian champions won 3-0 against CD Sony Ela Nguema of Equatorial Guinea in Malabo on Sunday, thanks to goals from Nwachi, Chidi Osuchukwu and Ifeanyi Egwim to virtually seal their place in the second round of the competition.

Nwachi who scored one of the three goals that put the Central Africans to the sword said he was pleased with his goal as he had always dreamed of playing in Africa’s elite club competition.

“Scoring in the Champions League has always been one of my biggest dreams. I am pleased to have scored,” Nwachi said.

The former Bayelsa United striker had not played for the NPL champions since Matchday one when he was injured playing against last season’s runners-up, Sunshine Stars.

“I am happy that the coach trusted me and played me despite the fact that I have just returned from injury. Thank God I did not let him down,” he said.

Dolphins are now favourites to proceed to round two of the competition when they face the Equatorial Guineans in the second leg in two weeks.

Taekwondoist vows to win Olympics gold

By Albert Akota

O

ne of Nigeria’s medal hopefulss in taekwondo at the forthcoming London 2012 Olympics Games, Isah Adam, has vowed to clinch the gold in the 68kg weight category at the summer fiesta.

The taekwondoist, who along with Uche Chukwumerije (Jr) have qualified for the fiesta, said although the qualifier in Egypt was competitive, the electronic equipment and committed training were the added advantages that aided his qualification for the global event.

“The modern electronic equipment, which I applied during my fight really improved my skill and with the help of God, I qualified for the Olympic Games,’’ he said.

Adams, who lost in the quarter-finals of the 2008 Beijing Games due to injury, said he had commenced intensive training aimed at keeping himself in shape to achieve his objective.

“I have a target of winning gold medal to make Nigeria proud and also to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians taekwondo enthusiasts in London ‘’ he said.

The London-bound athlete commended the NSC for approving a training tour of South Korea for him and Chika Chukwumerije who would be fighting in

the +80kg at the Games.

“The employment of a Korean taekwondo coach by the National Sports Commission (NSC) was also responsible for my improvement on modern fighting techniques, I am glad at the training tour because the country is a home of taekwondo; it will assist us very well to work on our lapses and fine-tune our skills ahead of the Games, ‘’ he said.

Kaita to join camp weekend, as controversy rages over alleged injury

Eagles’ win cost Liberian coach job

L

iberia have fired their Italian coach Roberto Landi barely a week after the Lone Stars were humiliated in front of their home fans by the Super Eagles composed of domestic league players.

The sack came just one week away from the begining of their quest to qualify for next year’s African Nations Cup finals.

Landi had been in charge for less than a year but was dismissed at the weekend, Liberia Football Association President Musa Bility said in a statement yesterday.

No reason was given for the sacking but Liberia won just twice in eight matches under Landi and their defeat to an under strength Nigeria in a friendly last week was the side’s first home loss in almost six years.

Thomas Kojo has been appointed as caretaker manager for the first round, first leg qualifying match at home to Namibia next Wednesday.

Isah Adamu

wara United goaltender Michael Uweru says the club’s sole aim this season in the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) is nothing but to secure a continental ticket at the end of the season.

The Afonja Warriors who are currently leading the elite pack he says emphatically will guard jealously their top spot on the log to ensure that they remain on course for their quest.

The llorin-based side lead the 20team elite league on 18 points from possible a 27 after their after 10 matches. They won their weekend game against Akwa United 2-1 on Sunday.

According to Uweru, the players and technical crew and other officials are prepared to spill blood to keep their leadership position and ensure that their dream for continental ticket becomes a reality.

“Our aim this season is to win continental ticket as well as trophies.

Now we have taken the lead we hope to keep it as long as possible. We won’t give it up without a fight. I know it is tough up there and challenges will be stiff and competitive, we’re up to the task of hold our own,” Uweru said.

Kwara United will travel to Heartland for week 11 and the former Crown goalkeeper is positive that the Afonja Warriors will upset the Naze Millionaires in their tent.

“Being on top of the league comes with its own challenges, the game against Heartland is one of the challenges and we will surely come out victorious. Heartland are in perfect shape at the moment but we will upset them and consolidate on our position,” he said.

S

Sani Kaita

ani Kaita, one of the 11 foreign-based professionals that Head Coach Stephen Keshi called up for the crucial 2013 Nations Cup qualifier against the Wasps of Rwanda in Kigali, has indicated that he would join the camp this weekend.

However, Kaita, who is only returning after about two years forced hibernation from the team, is in the centre of a controversy over whether or not he is fit for next week’s qualifier in Rwanda.

Kaita himself has debunked claims attributed to his Ukrainian club and representatives that he is nursing an injury that has sidelined him for over two months.

“There is no truth that I’m injured and out of the match in Kigali. I have fully recovered from the injury I suffered towards the end of last year and I’m with my team in Turkey on a training tour

and I have even played a test game.,” Kaita told a wire service yesterday.

He disclosed he will join the Eagles training camp in Abuja this weekend ahead of the trip to Kigali.

However, other media reports have quoted officials of Kaita’s club Tavriya as saying the player is injured even though he is with the club in Turkey.

A representative and the defensive midfielder and former international Tijjani Babangida also confirmed the player’s injury, but insisted that “even with one leg, Kaita will honour Keshi’s invitation”.

Last week, Kaita was recalled by Nigeria after almost two years frozen out of international football following a sensational sending off against Greece in a 2010 World Cup group game in South Africa.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

Few would deny that Juan Roman Riquelme remains one of the most elegant and gifted creative midfielders of his generation. Cerebral, unerringly accurate from open play and set pieces, and a fine striker of the ball, the Argentinian schemer continues to bring these powers to bear for Boca Juniors – who he has just helped to victory in the 2011 Apertura, the No10 graciously made time for an in-depth and exclusive interview with FIFA.com.

One of your b i g g e s t strengths has been the way you strike the ball so accurately. Was there anyone in particular who you modeled your game on?

I was lucky enough to grow up during the era of (Diego) Maradona’s, who all Argentinians consider the greatest player ever. After watching him play I used to run out onto the street with my mates, get the ball and pretend that I was him. I’d be commentating on myself and saying “Maradona has the ball”, stuff like that. Now that’s what my son’s like with (Lionel) Messi: he starts kicking the ball and saying “Messi’s on the ball”. For people my age, Maradona is the main man.

But for younger generations, like my boy, Messi’s their hero.

If you had to pick out two moments that have shaped your career, one positive and one negative, which would you, choose?

I really enjoy those moments I get to spend with my teammates, both in training or if we all go for a meal. But from the fans’ point of view, I guess their fondest moments will be of a championship or cup win I was involved in. It’s hard to just pick one, right? If I had to choose the worst one though, it might be that semi-final we lost with Villarreal (against Arsenal in 2005/06). We were so excited about trying to reach that Champions League final, because we knew that Villarreal may never get the chance again.

It was a really tough time.

You missed a key penalty in that game, but have you seen that incident again since?

Yes, I watch all the games I play in. I think we deserved to win that game, we played better than Arsenal. We played much

better, we won a penalty and we missed several clear chances, while they didn’t create any opportunities at all. But, in football, when things don’t go your way there’s not much you can do.

A few months later you appeared at the FIFA World Cup in Germany. What did playing at the finals mean to you?

It meant a lot to me, it was the only major championship that I hadn’t played in. There’s been a lot said about our performance at that tournament. Even though it ended disappointingly because we crashed out, you have to remember that we got knocked out without losing a game. I think we played the best football out of anyone there and I supplied more assists than anyone else at that World Cup. That was a great experience and so were the 2008 Olympic Games, where I thoroughly enjoyed myself (and helped Argentina win gold).

Looking back at that quarter-final defeat against the hosts a t G e r m a n y 2 0 0 6 , what’s y o u r verdict o n

Players must put themselves where nerves are most frayed, says Riquelme

the way that game panned out?

I reckon we had that game under control, don’t you think? It seemed more likely that Argentina would score a second than Germany would get an equaliser. You could see they were very tired, several of them had cramped up. But they managed to grab a goal after a move where the ball came to (Miroslav) Klose at the far post. And he’s phenomenal in the air, he’s better with his head than with his feet, and that moment changed the whole game. Penalty shootouts are a question of luck: their keeper had a good day and we ended up going out.

Jens Lehmann was between the sticks for Germany keeper that day, as he was for Arsenal in that aforementioned semifinal with Villarreal…

I wasn’t fortunate enough to take a kick in that World Cup match, though I would’ve loved to. I used to take my team’s first kick in penalty shoot-outs and it would’ve been a wonderful moment. I’m one of those who think that football players have to always put themselves in those situations where nerves are most frayed, where you can decide the outcome. But I’d already been subbed so I couldn’t play a part. And that was what stayed with me, the feeling that I’d be denied the chance to take that penalty.

That particular penalty shoot-out was even more memorable because of the piece of paper Lehmann consulted

between penalties…

There wasn’t anything written on that piece of paper.

Really?

There wasn’t anything on it. It was all about delaying the kicks that bit longer and making our penalty-takers think he knew where they were going to shoot. For example I remember that (Esteban) Cambiasso struck his kick at medium height, which he’d never done in training. But Lehmann still guessed right, which doesn’t add up. In my opinion the piece of paper had nothing on it, but in any case he did a good job; he was very sharp in the way he tried to put our players off.

Let’s talk about what you’re like off the pitch. Do you watch many matches?

Yes, I watch everything I can: Argentinian football, European football, national team games...

Is there a team you particularly enjoying watching?

We all like watching Barcelona. They’ve been fortunate enough

PAGE 43

to bring together a group of players the likes of which will never be seen again in Messi, (Andres) Iniesta, Xavi, (Gerard) Pique... all in the same team at the same time. It’s a stroke of fortune, but they’re a real joy to watch.

How do you beat a team like that, is there any secret formula?

It’s difficult. If you come up against them in a knockout cup tie or over two legs and luck goes your way then you can edge past them. But they’re very unlikely to be beaten in a longer competition, like a league championship. I think the only coach who’s managed to beat this Barcelona team is the guy who’s at Getafe [Luis Garcia], who beat them 1-0 recently and managed a draw with them last season when he was at Levante. That says it all. Barcelona and Real Madrid, though they have different styles, are both way ahead of the rest.

When you watch this Barcelona team, do you wonder what might have been had you signed for them at a different time?

When a team’s playing well and winning they exude a sense of calm and confidence. It’s a pleasure to watch them play. I joined them in a year when there were elections at the club and a lot of internal problems, a lot of anxiety. But now I’m here, where I want to be: Boca are my club and my home. I’m really enjoying where I am right now.

Which are the current players that you most admire?

Messi is the greatest, the best in the world. Cristiano Ronaldo is like the ideal Play station player, the kind that can score with his right foot and his left. Plus he’s fast, tall, good in the air, scores penalties and free-kicks and is skilful. But the one who plays the game best is Iniesta: he knows exactly when to go forward and when to drop back. If he’s got the ball out on the left he knows who’s out on the right. He picks the right moment to do everything: when to dribble, when to speed things up and when to slow things down. And I think that’s the only thing that can’t be taught or bought. You can learn how to shoot and how to control the ball, but being aware of everything that’s happening out on the pitch that’s something you’re born with or not.

Iniesta is always fulsome in his praise for you too…

What happened was that I was fortunate enough to join Barcelona when he was in the youth team. He started training with us and I became very fond of him; we used to spend a lot of time together. He made his first-team debut around that time and we’ve got on really well ever since. We’ve always kept in touch.

A short while ago you stated that you were determined to appear at the next FIFA World Cup. Is that because your son asked you to?

Yes! (laughs) He’s nine years old, he really likes football and he knows the World Cup will be played over here (in Brazil). I’m just going to try and keep playing football. I know it’s going to be tricky and that I’ll be getting on a bit by then, but I won’t have lost any of my enthusiasm or desire to play at a World Cup. And if I’m not there as a player then I’ll go as a fan to cheer on our national team.

We’ve heard that you’ve got quite a collection of shirts from opposing players. Are there any that you h o l d especially dear?

I’m lucky enough to have a lot of shirts now, but if I had to pick just one I ’ d definitely go with Zinedine Zidane’s. I’ve got the shirt he wore in his very last h o m e game for Real Madrid.

T h e Wednesday before the game he called me and told me that he didn’t have mine and he wanted to swap shirts on Sunday. At t h e match, they subbed him f i v e minutes from the end s o the fans could give him an ovation and he stood there waiting by the touchline so he could keep his promise to me. It was a really lovely moment.

I’ve got i t displayed in my house, with t h e date on it. He was one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen.

PAGE 44

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

London Olympics: Rudisha ready to slay opponents, the Maasai way

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avid Rudisha is proud to be a 800 metres world champion, proud to be a world record holder but as much as anything is proud of being a Maasai and desperate to secure a first Olympic gold medal for his tribe later this year.

The 23-year-old Kenyan, whose father Daniel was the first Maasai to compete at the Olympics and won a relay silver in 1968, has ruled the 800 metres for the last three years and will be odds on favourite to win the title in London on August 9. “The Olympics is a special event and winning is very important,” Rudisha told Reuters in an interview. “For me as a world record holder and world champion, the only thing I am missing is the Olympic gold medal and that is what I want to achieve in my career.”

There are some who believe that Rudisha should be as big a star in the firmament of athletics as Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt after single-handedly rescuing the two lap race from the domination of tactical sprint finishers.

Rudisha shattered Wilson Kipketer’s 13-year-old world record in 2010 and improved it again the following week as he went unbeaten for 34 meets until the end of last season, including his victory at the world championships in Daegu.

His sensational 2010 season saw him succeed Bolt as IAAF World Athlete of the Year but the difference in profile between the pair is not difficult to explain when you have spent any time in their company.

Bolt is athletics as Rock ‘n’ Roll, oozing charisma, striking dramatic poses before and after his races, speaking confidently

David Rushida

to the media and surrounded in public by a posse of assistants and advisors.

The only thing remotely bling about Rudisha is a slender gold chain around his neck and he was alone as he walked into the athletics stadium at Sydney Olympic Park last week to talk to the media ahead of his first race of the season.

“I love my tribe, the Maasai are very good people and humble,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.

“Going to the Olympics as a Maasai I want to make them proud because, after the warm welcome they gave me when I went back and being their leader, I want to also be the warrior in the Olympics.

“That will be something good because that will be the first Olympic gold medal for the Maasai.”

LION KILLING The reception he received after breaking the world record included being made a warrior by his tribe, an honour that would once have required the killing of a lion among the semi-nomadic people.

Rudisha started as a 400 metre runner but was persuaded

by Colm O’Connell to try the longer distance while training at the Irishman’s famous St Patrick’s High School in Iten, where Kipketer’s talent was also fostered.

After earning the nickname “Pride of Africa” by winning the world junior crown in Beijing in 2006, Rudisha missed out on a return to China for the 2008 Olympics because of injury.

Back luck continued to dog him the following year when he failed to reach the world championships final in Berlin after being boxed in during the semifinal.

After his Berlin disappointment, his ambitions to further improve his record of one minute 41.01 seconds last year were subsumed to his desire to clinch the world title. That is not the case in 2012.

“Last year I had a lot of pressure because I missed in Berlin three years ago so it was very tough for me to go there and win,” he recalled.

“It was good because I took that pressure off and now I’m going for the Olympics and I will see if I can do better than that and better my time.”

SMOOTH STRIDE He started his 2012 season in front of 3 400 people at the Sydney Track Classic earlier this month, his smooth loping stride taking him to second in the 400 metres in a time of 45.82 seconds.

“I was here in 2010 and I ran in the 400 metres and my season was very good,” he said, a huge smile on his face. “I came here to test my speed and I’m feeling very good.”

Rudisha said he was also considering following his father’s footsteps by running the 4x400m relay in London, if Kenya

4 Indian weightlifters test positive for doping

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our Indian weightlifters have tested positive for banned substances during an inter-university championship in the northern city of Amritsar last month.

Three women tested positive for the anabolic steroids stanozolol, methandienone and nandrolone, while one man tested positive for both nandrolone and stanozolol

during the meet from Jan. 29-31.

The National Anti Doping Agency, which has been testing athletes at the school and college levels over the past few months, said Tuesday it has “issued notices to these athletes for getting their ‘B’ samples tested.”

NADA had taken a total of 60 urine samples during the weightlifting meet.

Farah, Ennis in Britain squad for world indoors

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THE TRUSTEES ARE ARE: 1.PASTOR ADEBAYO SAMSON AYOBAMI -CHAIRMAN 2.PASTOR SANYA OWOLABI JAMES -SECRETARY 3.PASTOR ADEOYE SAMUEL OYEWALE 4.HON. OMOTAYO ODUNTAN 5.ELDER AKINTUNDE AKINSOLA 6MRS ATOYEBI JULIANA 7. MUNIS ANTHONY OLUWATOYIN. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.TO PROPAGATE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST TO ALL NATIONS. ANY OBJECTION TO THE ABOVE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. ADEYEMI ADEYINKA

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THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MR. EMMANUEL ODEMAYOWA -PRESIDENT 2. MR. MAYOWA OKE -VICE PRESIDENT 3. MR. AKINBOLA OWANIKIN -SECRETARY GENERAL 4. ADEBANJO OWOEYE (ESQ) -ASSISTANT SECRETARY 5. MISS OLURANTI AJAYI .

-FINANCIAL SECRETARY AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.TO FIGHT POVERTY AND IGNORANCE AMONG THE DOWNTRODDEN POPULATION IN NIGERIA. 2. TO PROMOTE SOCIAL CULTURAL, EDUCATION AND WELFARE ACTIVITIOES AMONG THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN NIGERIA 3. TO INITIATE PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS WITH THE MAIN PURPOSE OF IMPROVING THE LIVING CONDITION OF LESS PRIVILEGED NIGERIANS ANY OBJECTION TO THE ABOVE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR WALE ODELEYE.

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W

orld champions Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis of Britain are among those included on the team for the world indoor championship in Istanbul.

Farah’s participation was in doubt after he lost over two miles to Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge at the Birmingham Grand Prix on Saturday. But the reigning outdoor 5,000-meter world champion will compete in the 3,000 at the event on March 911.

Ennis, the former world heptathlon champion, will bid to retain her pentathlon crown after being selected for the 39-person squad. She won’t run the 60 meters in Turkey.

Sprinter Dwain Chambers will defend his title in the 60. National 60-meter hurdles champion Andy Pozzi will be among five athletes representing Britain’s senior team for the first time.

make the final at the London Olympic Stadium in August.

Seb Coe, Kipketer’s predecessor as 800m world record holder and now the man in charge of the London Olympics, showed Rudisha around the 80 000-seat arena last year.

“It was such a nice feeling because I remember the first time I met him in Oslo when I broke his stadium record. He encouraged me and told me I was the future world record holder but that it would take time and discipline to get there,”Rudisha said.

Neither Coe nor Kipketer, who ran for Denmark, won Olympic 800m gold, a fact that has left Rudisha feeling he will be running not only for the pride of tribe and country but also for that of the last three world record holders in London.

“I think it’s high time for me to see if I can achieve that to satisfy us all.”

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR- GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT NO. 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED AZUBUIKE NKEM 0803633716

CHANGE OF NAME

Moh Farah

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AHMED SABO, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AHMED SABO ADAM. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. MINISTRY OF WORKS, BAUCHI AND GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

PAGE 45

Pix a: Pix b: Pix c: Pix d:

Elena Baltacha and Heather Watson both lose in straight sets as British interest ends swiftly at the Memphis International.

Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell will take on compatriot Usian Bolt at the Golden Gala in Rome in May, meeting organisers confirm.

Britain's former heavyweight world champion David Haye has no plans to fight again professionally, his trainer Adam Booth said.

Kevin Pietersen passes 50 but England have lost four wickets as they chase 238 looking to complete a series whitewash against Pakistan.

Pix e: England's Luke Donald faces South African Ernie Els in the first round of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship this week.

Pix f: Alun Wyn Jones, skipper Sam Warburton and Ken Owens are the three changes for Wales Saturday's Triple Crown bid against England at Twickenham.

Pix g: Mo Farah is named in a 39-strong Great Britain squad for next month's World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

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Pictorial

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE Never go out to meet trouble.

If you will just sit still, nine cases out of ten someone will intercept it before it reaches you — Calvin Coolidge

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012

SPORTS LA TEST LATEST

NSC takes name change wahala to FIFA

T

he National Sport Commission hopes a March trip to see FIFA chief Sepp Blatter will address the crisis in the country's football federation.

On Monday, a Federal High Court adjourned hearing on an appeal filed to vacate the the January ruling that dissolved the football federation (NFF) and Premier League (NPL).

The court declared that only the Nigeria Football League (NFL) and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) have the legal authority to operate. The NFA became the NFF in 2009, but failed to register the change properly.

This is why the Nigerian law is refusing to recognise the NFF as the national body governing the country's football.

"I can confirm that the sports commission plan to meet with the Fifa president on 15 March in Zurich to discuss this situation," Tony Ohaeri, spokesman for the sports commission, said Monday.

"There is a need to meet with FIFA to explain the situation concerning the Nigeria Football Association and the Nigeria Football Federation.

"The NSC representatives will travel to Switzerland for this important meeting, and hopefully there will be a solution to the path to follow."

FIFA had initially imposed a ban for what it called "government interference" in the running of Nigerian football in the wake of the national side's early exit from the World Cup. But it lifted the ban provisionally after some steps were taken, notably allowing the country to play a 2012 Nations Cup qualifier in Guinea. FIFA rules prohibit any government intervention with its members.

Nigeria are currently ranked 56th by FIFA - their worst rating by the world governing body in 12 years.

UEFA Champions League Results CSKA 1 Real Madrid 1 Napoli 3 Chelsea 1 Today’s matches Marseille vs Inter Basle vs B/Munich

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Sanusi, social reality vis-à-vis hypocrisy I

have no defence to give, neither do I have any obligation to offer explanations for the donation of N100 million given to the victims of the multiple bomb attacks a month ago in Kano, by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Bank is today under the governorship of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, a man from Kano, and for which reason he has been accused of so many ills, among which are that he is “clannish”, a “nepotist”, “chauvinist” and a “fanatic”, who cannot ‘see’ any other view. There could be some deeper reason for this rash of attacks. Let it not be forgotten that Lamido is a suspect, if not a convict, in the court of many sections of Nigeria for “unilaterally smuggling in the Islamic banking system,” which has since gone into operation in spite of vehement opposition by an outspoken Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

A truly objective stand on the donation to Kano by the CBN would be to question it on the basis that one, this is the first of this size by the CBN and to ask where this large amount of money is coming from; two, the question also arises as to why now, and why Kano, Sanusi’s home state when crises and disasters of alarming magnitudes have struck in many parts of the country without the CBN Governor dipping his hand in the treasury to make such outlandish donations.

In particular, I have in mind states that have continuously experienced this type of crises like Plateau, Borno, Yobe and, to some extent, Kaduna.

I have been reading particularly angry reactions online by the Igbo people, both at home and the Diaspora, and what they are saying is Igbos had lost lives and property in many places in the North, the most recent one in Mubi, Adamawa state, where 13 family members were killed by the Boko Haram. Sanusi did not send a penny. Some of the criticisms are specific and vociferous, saying that Sanusi is playing politics with CBN, using its funds to promote his aspirations for the emirship of Kano – an ambition that he barely keeps secret. Those who back him say that nothing of the magnitude of the Kano incident has happened anywhere in Nigeria. For its part,

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MUSINGS By

Garba Shehu garshehu@yahoo.co.in

CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi the CBN has issued a statement saying the donation to Kano is one of many in the pipeline that are being processed, which to me sounds belated and unconvincing.

Having said this, my real problem with the drift of the debate is the double standard on which Sanusi’s critics have anchored their arguments. In today’s time, Nigerians worry more about what others do rather than what they themselves are doing. No fraud, cheating or injustice can ever be justified. No religion teaches you to cheat another man.

This notwithstanding, Nigerians in positions of authority everywhere are doing everything they can to play up their section, state or even religion over the other. As it is, terror, nepotism, clannishness and chauvinism are not a monopoly of any part of Nigeria. They are all doing it. But this doesn’t mean it is right.

The Yar’adua-Jonathan PDP government may have enunciated the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta in absolute good faith. But sneaky doubts still remain as to whether that government had actually caved in to troublemakers. Politics

aside, not many Nigerians would have thought that a policy as noble as that of amnesty would turn out to be a tool for undermining the constitutional guarantee of equal rights and protection for all citizens. A few months ago, Daily Trust laid before the nation the shocking report that 84% of all capital budgets within a six month period were being spent in the President’s home region, the Niger Delta. In the name of amnesty, thousands of young men and women are being sponsored overseas for various professional trainings, to the exclusion of other parts of the federation. In this regard, Niger Deltans and in particular Bayelsans are making a hay carting away sensitive and lucrative government jobs while the rest of the country watches helplessly. Recently, a N16 billion contract for maritime security and patrol was awarded to a company owned by a former militant, Mr. Tompolo merely on the grounds of pacifying the Niger Deltans at the expense of competence and competitive bidding. This multi-billion naira contract, which was hurriedly and uncritically approved by the Federal Executive Council, is already greeted with controversy and outrage by other Nigerians.

It is unfortunate that leaders abandon their national obligations and degenerate to sectional champions. Sanusi’s controversial donation is a sad reflection of this ugly Nigerian reality.

This country is full of contradictions and we are all at ease with it because of our ethnic, religious and regional differences.

I have lately been picking grumbles in the North that the Vice-President, Architect Namadi Sambo has no qualms cornering important appointments for his own people in Kaduna state. One example that was cited in this regard is the recent appointments

into a big Federal Government corporation where two key posts of a Commissioner and a Director, earmarked for the North-West were snatched by two of Sambo’s nominees from Kaduna state. In the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, there is a vacancy for an executive director earmarked for the North, and for which position there are at least three qualified professionals who are angling for the job. But the story going round in the industry is that with Sambo’s two candidates, both of them outsiders and from Kaduna state waiting in the wings, no insider, no matter how qualified stands a chance of clinching that position.

If there are friends you have among the Tiv in Benue state, ask them about the raw deal they are getting at the federal level from Idoma, the ethnic group of the Senate President. The local power rotation deal between the majority Tiv and minority Idoma crashed in 2007 because the Tiv determined that they would not lose to the Idoma in Abuja, then surrender the home turf to them at the same time.

So I do not say that the Governor of the Central Bank has done no wrong. The thing that ought not to be missed is that in the general atmosphere of permissiveness, if not licentiousness reigning all over the country, his sin, if I would say it is on a kinder note, pales into insignificance compared to the magnitude of transfer of jobs, capital and resources to Niger Delta which today rules Nigeria like a conquered people. Sanusi’s donation is a mere reflection of social reality vis-à-vis the hypocrisy among all sections of the country.

The complete atmosphere has been spoiled by no other thing than selfishness and greed and there cannot be another reason for this.

Those who think this is a wrong direction in which to move Nigeria should tell those who lead us to submit themselves to an equal opportunity test. The day our leaders start defending and standing up for the Constitution and the laws of the land, and have a clear view and conscience on this, unbiased towards ethnicity, religion or region, the problems of this country will simply evaporate through the windows.

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