Peoples Daily Newspaper, Wednesday, April 25, 2012

JTF discovers another bomb factory in Kano, kills 3 suspects in Maiduguri

PAGE 5

Vol. 8 No. 24

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Jimadal Akhir 4, 1433 AH

Subsidy probe:

We won’t be intimidated – Tambuwal

N150

Mass transfer in police

By Lambert Tyema

A

cting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar yesterday ordered the immediate transfer and redeployment of 53 deputy commissioners of police (DCPs), including the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olusola Emmanuel Amore, and 38 assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) across the country.

The transfer may not be unconnected with the call for the IG to make the police force responsive to security demands in the wake of increasing terrorism and other violent Contd on Page 2

Apologise to Nigerians, ACN tells Jonathan

Reps backpedal on absentee companies >> PG3

By Lawrence Olaoye & Tobias Lengnan Dapam

S

peaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, yesterday declared that the House would not be intimidated by the antics of those indicted in the consideration of the reports of its investigations into the administration of the nation’s subsidy regime.

Setting the stage for the consideration of the report of the Ad-hoc Committee chaired by Rep Farouk Lawan yesterday, Tambuwal warned that there would be no sacred cows as the Green Chamber considers the report.

He said: “The probe of the oil sector has raised so much dust from certain segments of the polity such that it became clear that the intention was to frustrate it. For those who regard the oil sector as a secret society or sacred cow, I wish to state without equivocation that it Contd on Page 2

Yobe state Governor, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam (right) taking a look at some vaccines, during a visit to inspect some veterinary drugs procured to boost livestock production in the state's 17 local government areas, yesterday in Damaturu. With him is the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ligali Ma’aji.

INSIDE

We are winning battle against Boko Haram –IG >> PAGE 3

Critics don’t bother me, says Kwankwaso

Northern monarchs converge on Dutse

>> PAGE 4 WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM

>> PAGE 7

Windstorm sacks 230 families in Gombe >> PAGE 7

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 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

Tribute

28

Arts

29

We won’t be intimidated – Tambuwal Contd from Page 1 is not. All public agencies in the oil sector are the creation of Acts of the National Assembly and this Honourable House has no powers to legislate for the creation of secret societies. Similarly, all private sector corporate bodies operating in the sector are the creation of the Corporate Affairs Commission and that Commission also is not vested with any powers to incorporate secret societies. Let it therefore be known that in our drive to sanitize the polity, there are no sacred cows and we do not intend to discover any.

“Let me reiterate the fact that we are discharging a Constitutional assignment here and it is therefore incumbent upon us to do our duty without fear or favour. Let me also remind you that we are fighting against entrenched interests whose infectious greed has decimated our people. Therefore, be mindful that they will fight back, and they do fight dirty,” the Speaker cautioned.

He continued: “I have heard all kinds of insinuations, including the one about anti-graft agencies waiting for a ‘harmonised version’ of this report before taking any action. Let me quickly say here that this is at best an excuse that cannot stand after all the same agencies accept and investigate petitions from individuals, how much more resolutions of this House, there will be no such document. So, they should just go ahead and do their job and where they find any person or body culpable, they should proceed in accordance with the law.

“Our only interest here is to mitigate the suffering of Nigerians by showing how the subsidy regime has been hijacked for the benefit of a few. At the end of our deliberations, we hope that the executive arm will act upon the resolutions of this House and bring more transparency to bear on the system,” Tambuwal charged.

Meanwhile, the Action

Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to apologise to Nigerians for his government’s ill-advised removal of the purported fuel subsidy in January insisting that the report of the House of Representatives Committee that probed the management of the subsidy has shown that the removal was an egregious error of judgement that has left Nigerians feeling swindled by their government.

ACN in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, pointed out that “against all informed pieces of advice, even from well-informed industry insiders and analysts, President Jonathan approved the removal of fuel subsidy and went ahead to defend it. Well, the President is human and therefore can also be wrong. But when he is, as it has now been proved, he should be humble enough to admit it and apologise”.

It said after the apology, the President should then revert the fuel

price to the pre-January price of N65 per litre and then proceed to implement the recommendations of the committee without delay, especially the prosecution of all indicted persons and companies.

The party also said whether or not the committee recommended such, the President should fire all those who advised - or misadvised him on the fuel subsidy issue, especially the officials who wasted public funds in organising the charade called stakeholders’ meetings which, as it turned out, was an orchestrated scam, as the decision to remove the subsidy had already been taken. ‘’In more-civilized climes, those who bandied spurious figures to Nigerians and hinted that the economy would collapse if the subsidy was not removed - would by now have tendered their resignations – with apologies - over the discovery that what the government has been subsidizing over the years are corruption and inefficiency, not fuel,” the party stated.

Mass transfer in police

Farewell Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata, Page 28

International 31-34 Strange World 35 Digest

36

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-47

Columnist

48

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Contd from Page 1 crimes.

The affected officers were drawn from the various commands and formations in the country and are expected to resume duties in their new commands latest next week.

According to a release posted on the police website, a total of 91 senior officers comprising 53 DCPs and 38 ACPs are moved from their present stations to new ones.

To this end, Mr. Olusola E. Amore, a deputy commissioner of police would report to Calabar, the Cross River state capital as deputy commissioner in charge of operations while his immediate predecessor, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, an assistant commissioner of police, was posted to take charge of Abuja Zone 7 Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, who benefited from the last promotion exercise, is to take charge of the presidential Villa and VIP movement.

The Peoples Daily wants to hear from you with any news and pictures you think we should publish.

You can send your news and pictures to: letters@peoplesdaily-online.com pictures@peoplesdaily-online.com contact@peoplesdaily-online.com

DETAILS OF THE POSTINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46.

47.

DECOMPOL CLEMENT O. ADODA DC DECOMPOL RASHEED O. AKINTUNDE DC DECOMPOL YAKUBU O. JIBRIL,FSI DC DECOMPOL VICTOR NOSA OJO DC DECOMPOL ADEMOLA OMOLE DC DECOMPOL DAN BATURE DC DECOMPOL OLUFEMI O. OYELEYE DECOMPOL ABDUL D. DANWAWU DECOMPOL IBRAHIM ADAMU DECOMPOL HENRY A. FADAIRO DECOMPOL WILSON A. INALEGWU DECOMPOL THOMAS ETOMI DECOMPOL MICHEAL OGBODU DECOMPOL AUGUSTINE O.EVBAKHABOKUN DECOMPOL DAMIOLA SAMUEL ADEGBUYI DECOMPOL DENNIS ANYAGAFU DECOMPOL KAYODE C. ADERANTI DECOMPOL TAIWO LAKANU DECOMPOL SALISU FAGGE DECOMPOL ADAMS AUDU DECOMPOL ISHAKU BARAU DECOMPOL SAMUEL SUNDAY ANJORIN DECOMPOL OLUSOLA AMORE DECOMPOL AUGUSTINE I. IWAR DECOMPOL AHMADU BABA DECOMPOL STEPHEN OTITOJU DECOMPOL ABUBAKAR MARAFA DECOMPOL ABUBAKAR ADAMU MOHAMMED DECOMPOL EMMANUEL T. INYANG DECOMPOL SALIHU GARBA DECOMPOL LAWAL SHEHU DECOMPOL MOHAMMED K. MOHAMMED DECOMPOL NYATS N. JATAU DECOMPOL EMAH E. BASSEY DECOMPOL AMINCHI S. BARAYA DECOMPOL ISTIFANUS SHETIMA Ag. DECOMPOL RABIU YUSUF Ag. DECOMPOL SULE PHILIP MAKU ACPOL ZANNA MOHAMMED ACPOL IBRAHIM O.S.OGUNJEMILUSI ACPOL ANTHONY OGBIZI MICHAEL ACPOL HYELASINDA KIMO MUSA ACPOL DIBAL P. YAKAD ACPOL TITUS LAMORDE ACPOL OGBUSUA AJA OLEH ACP CHIKA A. MAIDAMA ACPOL NAPHTALI MIYIM

48. ACPOL ERO OGA

Phones for News: 070-37756364 09-8734478 IGP M.D. Abubakar

4 9 . ACPOL MOHAMMED DAN MALLAM 50. ACPOL INNOCENT EKEWEZOR 5 1 . ACPOL LADI BAUTA

21/C OYO STATE 21/C BENUE STATE 21/C PLATEAU STATE 21/C EKITI STATE 21/C ABIA STATE 21/C ONDO STATE DC ZONE CID ZONE 2 LAGOS STATE DC 21/C CORSS RIVES STATE DC21/C NIGER STATE DC21/C TARABA STATE DC PRESIDENTIAL/VIP MOVEMENT DC21/C RIVER STATE DC21/C ANAMBRA STATE DC21/C KOGI STATE DC PANTI LAGOS STATE DC ADMIN WELFARE FHQ DC PEACEKEEPING FHQ DC 21/C DELTA STATE DC HOMICIDE FCID DC FORCE LIAISON OFFICER NASS DC OPS ZONE 2 LAGOS STATE DC MSD ‘F’ DEPT FHQ ANNEX LAGOS DC OPS ZONE 6 CALABAR DC ADMIN ZONE 1 KANO STATE DC ZONE CID ZONE 1 KANO STATE DC 21/C BAYELSA STATE DC 21/C ADAMAWA STATE DC CID KADUNA STATE DC CID DELTA STATE DC21/C KEBBI STATE DC DFS II FORSEC DC 21/C JIAWA STATE DC 21/C GOBE STATE DC 21/C ENUGU STATE DC 21/C BORNO STATE DC 21/C EBONYI STATE DC CID KANO STATE DC FQM FHQ DC OPS KOGI STATE DC INTERPOL FCID DC G.I. FCID DC OPS ZONE 5 BENIN STATE DC OPS ZONE 9 UMUAHIA ABIA STATE DC ADMIN ZONE 7 ABUJA DC OPS ZONE XI OSOGBO DC ZONE CID ZONE 11 OSOGBO DC DEPUTY COMMANDANT POLICE COLLEGE, MAIDUGURI DC ANTI FRAUD FORCE CID ANNEX LAGOS DC ADMIN FORCE CID ABUJA DC ADMIN ZONE 3 YOLA

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 3

N41bn subsidy refund: Reps back-pedal on absentee coys

By Lawrence Olaoye

I

n order to avoid litigations that may rubbish the entire reports of its investigations into the nation’s oil subsidy management, the House of Representatives yesterday resolved to re-invite those companies that failed to appear before the Ad hoc committee to defend themselves.

The Farouk Lawan-led committee had in its recommendation number xxx concluded that their refusal to appear before the committee meant that they had something

May engage private prosecutors to hide and therefore recommended that they refund funds in excess of N41 billion.

It further mandated the relevant anti-corruption agencies to ensure full recovery of the funds.

But in a dramatic turn, the House reconsidered the recommendation through a motion moved by Rep Toby Okechukwu urging the House to accord the affected companies a fair hearing. Based on the motion, the House resolved to re-invite the

affected companies to appear before the committee within two weeks.

This decision may not be unconnected with the threats issued by the 17 companies to sue the House for redress on the matter as they claimed that they were not properly invited to appear before the committee.

Clarifying the decision of the House to rescind the recommendation, Chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Rep Zakari

Mohammed said the decision became inevitable because they do not want the companies to employ legal means to rubbish the outcome of the investigations.

According to him, the decision was taken in the best interest of the nation even as he pointed out that the companies were just giving flimsy excuses with a view to rubbishing the efforts of the House to enthrone probity and transparency in the nation’s oil sector.

EFCC docks banker, six others for N42.5m fraud

By Lambert Tyem

T

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned seven persons before Justice Candide Johnson of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere Division, for stealing and conspiracy to commit fraud.

According to EFCC, "those arraigned were Umeh Ndidiamaka, a former staff of United Bank for Africa; Emeka Onoh, a former security officer with the bank and three others: Augustine Afagimoh, Samuel Mebele and Obialla Donatus, who are said to be associates of Ndidiamaka.

"The others are Delight-In International Limited and Water Innovation Nigeria Enterprises, companies owned by the accused persons.

"The accused persons who were arraigned on a five-count charge of conspiracy pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them. They were said to have on or about the 11th of June 2009, attempted to steal the sum of N42.

5 million from United Bank of Africa Plc. In line with the declaration by the trial judge that he prefers arraignment to be followed with immediate commencement of trial, counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that he was ready to proceed with the trial and that he had come to court with four principal witnesses.

Ojo Oladimeji, an Internal Auditor/Investigator with UBA, was the first witness presented by the EFCC counsel. He told the court that a customer of the bank got an alert that his account had been debited to the tune of N42.5 million.

L-R: Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee on Subsidy Regime, Hon. Farouk Lawan, Chairperson, House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Gas, Hon. Irona Alphonsus Gerald, discussing shortly after consideration of subsidy report, at National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Subsidy probe report won’t affect SURE-P, says Kolade

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheeem

C

hairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) Implementation Monitoring Team, Dr. Christopher Kolade, yesterday, said that the fuel subsidy probe by the Farouk Lawan led House of Representatives committee would not affect the work of the committee.

Dr. Kolade noted that the probe report had nothing to do with the money saved from the partial withdrawal of fuel subsidy in January, 2012.

Fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, he pointed out the legislature was only looking into how subsidy regime was managed.

According to him, "they (House of Representatives) are discussing how the subsidy fund was managed which has nothing to do with what we are doing. Our work is on how to manage the funds saved from subsidy and use it to prosecute certain projects."

He said ministries, department and agencies (MDAs), have cooperated fully with his committee in the work it has done so far especially because they realised the importance of the assignment.

"We have received cooperation from them because everybody understands that this programme is meant to deliver some benefit to Nigerian people. So, we have meant no resistance," he said.

Dr. Kolade assured that the committee has not been too slow in carrying out its mandate, noting that having just been set up and being a new programme, it would take time to build the structure and arrange who was to do what.

Associates deny rumoured death IGP: We are wining battle of Senate President against Boko Haram sect

A

wild rumour that Senate President David Mark was dead sprang up yesterday but was swiftly dispelled by sources close to the No.3 citizen.

The sources described as malicious and politically motivated the rumour which made the rounds especially in political circles in Abuja.

Peoples Daily learnt that Senator Mark had after the series of events that heralded his 62nd birthday which was marked which much fanfare in his Otukpo country home in Benue state,

taken a week’s leave to unwind in the State of Israel.

The Senate President, according to our sources, had also used the opportunity to treat a minor injury on one of his leg, said to have been sustained prior to his trip.

The sources revealed that Senator Mark is expected back in the country today. It would be recalled that the Senate President who recently celebrated his 62nd birthday admits glamour and fanfare, had reportedly travelled to Israel on holiday.

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

T

he Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday, declared that the Nigeria Police Forceand other security outfits were recording “landmark” successes in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in some parts of the North.

Speaking to newsmen in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, after inspecting various police

formations, Abubakar argued that the current development in the battle against Boko Haram insurgents proved that police are gradually defeating the group.

He said: “It is no longer news that victory is now on our outside, while the sect is losing, because its prominent leaders, sponsors and members are either captured or killed during confrontation, making the group too weak to continue its hitherto widespread violent campaigns.”

30 days ultimatum: NCAA to sanction airlines over non-disclosure of fares From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

W

ith the one month ultimatum the Federal Government gave foreign carriers to reduce their arbitrary fares into Nigeria ending today, both local and foreign carriers are in for a shock reaction as the Nigerian Civil Aviation

Authority (NCAA), has said it is prepared tohalt the operations of any airline.

The agency rolled out new operational guidelines for the airlines mandating them to file all tariffs showing rates, fares and charges to be included in the single integrated fare.

A document obtained by our

correspondent which details the new regime and circulated to the carriers by the Director-General of the agency, Dr. Harold Demuren, said pursuant to section 30 (4)(ed) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006, any failure to comply with the new regulatory regime would lead to grounding of any errant carrier.

The NCAA directive also

specifies that “other than approved statutory taxes which are collected only on behalf of appropriate regulatory authorities, every other component of the cost of travel shall be included in the single integrated fare”.

The new measures, it is believed, are a fallout of investigation by the authority detailing how British

Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways both from the United Kingdom were exploiting Nigerians by only making public to them the expensive fares on their systems while travelling but only displaying the cheaper fares for the regulatory agency for it to access the mandatory five percent ticket sales charge.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 4

Monarchs key to national peace, security, says police minister

By Lambert Tyem

M

inister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade, has described the traditional institution as a key factor in the nation’s quest for an enduring peace and security.

Speaking while receiving the Management of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) in his office, he expressed the willingness of the ministry to support any effort aimed at mobilising traditional rulers and local government administrators to play more inclusive roles in returning the country to the path of peace and security.

According to Olubolade, the traditional institution, being the custodians of the culture and traditions of the people, must be woken up to perform one of their primary responsibilities of ensuring

peaceful co-existence and security with the multiplier effect on the nation at large.

According to James Odaudu, Assistant Director, Communications, the minister assured that the Ministry of Police Affairs would collaborate with the National Institute for Cultural Orientation in its efforts to mobilise traditional rulers and local government administrators, based on its belief that those formenting crises in some parts of the country live among the people and could be curtailed by community leaders.

The Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma had earlier told the minister that they were in the ministry to solicit assistance for its forthcoming National Conference on Culture, Peace and Security.

Critics don’t bother me, says Kwankwaso

By Aminu Imam

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he governor of Kano state, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has lashed out at the critics of his administration, saying they don’t bother him in the course of piloting the affairs of the state.

Governor Kwankwaso made this known during an exclusive session with the management of the Peoples Daily yesterday in Abuja.

According to him, “They don’t bother me, and I go ahead with my work as a committed politician”.

According to the governor, “I learnt a lot from the issue of critics; at one time they went to

Radio Kano and abused us, they wanted me to stop it but I said no, let them go ahead and do it. If they look at you and say it should be like this and give you the basic reasons which are positive enough and you are convinced by them, then you can adapt. But when their complaint is baseless and unrealistic, you just ignore them and do your best.

“Those who believe in us believe in our ideologies and that is why we have other parties and then you will find out at the end of the day, they will go to where they belong because if you take me to their party, it is like taking me to prison because whatever they say is good is what I don’t

believe and whatever they say is bad I don’t believe it and that is what we call democracy. So, that is where are and as the people continue to criticise and at the end of the day, by the grace of God the truth will prevail.

On education, the governor said the state government is sponsoring 500 students to China and India for postgraduate studies in order to learn different skills that would make them to become useful citizens that will add value to the state when they return, adding that “we are sending our people there, we want them to learn their language, to be exposed and think like graduates”.

Police kill youth chairman in Benin From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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head of July 14, 2012 governorship election in Edo state, a yet to be identified policeman allegedly shot dead a middle aged man simply identified as Mr. Sunny.

Sunny, who is Youth chairman of Ugbor, Government Reservation Area in Benin City, alongside a few others, was said to have attempted to stall police investigation of a victim of rape.

It was learnt that as at the time policemen visited the house of the alleged rapist to effect his arrest, a scuffle ensued and one of the policemen was disarmed which led to the shooting.

It was gathered that shortly after the death of Sunny, youths in the area threatened to burn down the police station, a situation which created tension leaving shop owners, residents in the area to scamper for safety.

When our reporter visited the

Atiku condoles Belgore over wife’s death

F

ormer Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condoled the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore on the death of his wife, describing a wife as one of the precious gifts.

In a condolence message issued by his media office in Abuja, the former Vice President said Belgore’s wife had become a pillar and source of strength to the family of the retired jurist.

While praying for the repose of the deceased, the former Vice President said the greatest tribute Belgore and his children could pay to the memory of the matriarch of the family was to make her proud in life and death through good conduct such as benevolence, humility, affection and love of humanity.

scene of crime at Ugbor, residues of bonfire and roadblock were visible for several hours as commuters were forced to use alternative routs.

Some of the landlords interviewed on condition of anonymity, tasked the police to unmask the killer of the Community leader.

They flayed the “lawlessness” of law enforcement agents whom they cautioned to be civil.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olayinka Balogun, who confirmed the report, said, two people fought and the youth leader tried them at a kangaroo court presided over by him and found one of them guilty and ordered his boys to flog the accused.

He said, the punished person went to the police station and brought policemen to arrest the youth leader at his residence.

But to the chagrin of the policemen, the youth leader brought out a gun and fired at the policemen.

By Miriam Humbe

I

n a bid to curb the activities of fraudsters within the hospitality industry, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), has perfected plans to make hotels safer by introducing a bio-metric system of identification.

Director-General of the NTDC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe said the mechanism which will soon be fully operational across the country, was being developed by a United States-based outfit and encompasses automated methods of recognising staff working in hospitality outfits with a central database where such identities will be collated.

Runsewe said this when he addressed members of the Hotel Owners Forum Association (HOFA) in Abuja, yesterday, adding that the technology when introduced, would do away with

L-R: Kano state governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, receiving some copies of Peoples Daily from the Chief Operating Officer of Peoples Media Ltd, Malam Ali M. Ali, during a visit to the governor by the management of the media outfit, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

NTDC introduces device to curb fraud in hotels fraudulent workers in the industry who have been operating at the detriment of genuine practitioners.

Speaking further, Runsewe commended HOFA for its vital role in employment generation and advised the members to always put together tour packages as a product to advance the growth of the hospitality industry.

He noted that certain taxes levied on hotel owners by government agencies had been stopped to encourage them just as royalties on music played in hospitality outfits as demanded by indigenous musicians is

superfluous because according to the NTDC chief, they are helping to promote such artistes by playing their music.

The NTDC boss also revealed that an internet database was currently developed by the corporation and Hotels will be given unique individual passwords where they could display their facilities and services to the entire world.

Otunba Runsewe reiterated his promise to give out thousands of the Startimes digital decoders procured from the Nigerian Television Authority to every Nigerianbased hospitality outfit like

Hotels, Tour Operators, Eateries, Parks, Travel Agencies, with 6 months free subscription package to encourage and support them while promoting viewership of local content as well as the maximization of profit for all parties involved in the collaboration.

Reacting to the DG’s address, the chairman of HOFA, Engineer Onofiok Ekong, who was visibly excited, lauded the NTDC initiative reaffirming his confidence in the corporation saying, “NTDC has done it before and is doing it again but we cannot say the same thing about other government agencies.”

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 5

JTF discovers another bomb factory in Kano From Edwin Olofu, Kano Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

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he Joint Military Task Force (JTF), yesterday, discovered another bomb making factory believed to belong to members of the Boko Haram sect in the Kano state.

The spokesperson of JTF,

No explosion at TinCan Island Port - NPA From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T

he Management of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said there was no explosion at the TinCan Island Port as reported by some newspapers yesterday.

NPA General Manager, Public Affairs, Michael Ajayi, in a statement, said: "It is true that there was a fire incident at the stacking area of Terminal 4B operated by TinCan Island Container Terminal (TICT) at about 16.15 hrs of Monday, but it was not an explosion as reported."

He said "a diesel truck while dispensing fuel into a Rubber Tyre Gantry (RTG) at the stacking area of Terminal 4B had a burst hose which spilled fuel on the generator being used for that purpose and this resulted in fire outbreak.

Consequently, the heat of the fire affected a 40 foot container."

Ajayi however, said there was successful evacuation and rescue operation and the extent of damaged cargo in the container has been assessed.

"It is also important to mention at this juncture that there was no life lost in the incident,” he added.

... Kills 3 Boko Haram suspects in Maiduguri

Lieutenant Ikedichi Iweha, disclosed this while conducting newsmen round the facility amidst tight security in Haye Hotoro Arewa, a suburb of Kano metropolis.

Iweha said the security agents got a tip-off on the arrival of one of the kingpins of the insurgency group and put the house under surveillance for a long time.

Iweha stated that they decided to raid the house in the wee hours of Tuesday adding that at the end of the operation, his men discovered some improvised explosive devices (IEDS) in a house that is isolated from the densely populated area.

He added that assorted containers, drums of liquid substances, charcoal, house hold items and videos of late Alqaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, were among items discovered in the house.

He further stated that though the main target escaped arrest, few persons were arrested, besides the two house wives with some number of children that were rescued from the site.

Meanwhile three suspected members of the Boko Haram sect were Monday afternoon, killed by operatives of the Joint Military Task Force, (JTF) during a gun battle along Maiduguri-Biu road in Borno

state.

Spokesman of the JTF, LtCol. Sagir Musa, in a statement yesterday said that the incident occurred at about 12.00pm, after the gunmen had allegedly snatched a vehicle from a civilian at gunpoint and drove towards Biu town, headquarters of Biu local government council.

According to Lt- Col. Musa, few minutes after the incident, JTF troops on a routine patrol along the road received a distressed call and they subsequently laid ambush on the gunmen.

"Our personnel were on a routine patrol when they were alerted that some Boko Haram terrorists, who snatched a

vehicle had driven towards Biu axis, the troops trailed the criminals and waylaid them.

However upon sighting the JTF vehicles, the suspects fired sporadic shots at their direction, the soldiers hurriedly fired back, leading to an exchange of gunfire, with all terrorists dead, while no casualty was recorded from our side", the spokesman said.

He further explained that the vehicle was recovered and handed over to its owner and urged the public to assist security agencies with useful information on the hideout of Boko Haram members as well as other hoodlums who hide under the current security challenges to perpetrate crimes.

Monarch bags 3 months for snatching another man’s wife From Uche Nnorm, Makurdi

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n Upper Area Court presided over by Acting Sole judge, Mrs. Kpadoo Chia, had convicted and sentenced the district head of Mbalaagh, in Buruku LGA, Zaki Toryila Nyitse, to three months imprisonment for snatching and marrying another person's wife.

Zaki Nyitse is also to pay the sum of N20, 000.00 failure of which he will go to prison for 12 months.

Delivering judgment in the case filed by one Tortiv Torkula against Chief Nyitse, the trial sole judge held that there was overwhelming evidence against the accused to prove he forcefully took another man's wife with four children.

The judge dismissed as untrue claims by the traditional ruler that he was the first husband of the woman, adding that the punishment would serve as deterrent to the convict who is supposed to be custodian of the Tiv culture.

R-L: Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Chairman Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme, Dr. Christopher Kolade, General Mamman Kontagora and Dr. Akachukwu Nwafor, all members of the committee, during their meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, at the State House, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Terrorism: Court decides Ndume’s application tomorrow

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A

Federal High Court in Abuja will tomorrow determine whether or not to quash the four-count charge preferred against Senator Ali Ndame by the Federal Government.

The Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District had, at the

By Lambert Tyem he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had arraigned the quartet of Felix Nwosu, Sadau Isa, Aliyu Hamza Hassan and Usman Nuhu on a four-count charge for conspiracy, illegal dealing and refining of petroleum products, before Justice E. S. Chukwu of the Federal High Court Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.

The commission disclosed that

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last sitting on the matter brought a motion before the court seeking to quash the charges against him.

According to the motion on notice brought pursuant to Section 6(6) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court, the embattled Senator also seeks an order discharging him of the said charges.

Ndume is standing trial for allegedly hoarding information on planned terror attacks and providing logistics to the convicted spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, Ali Sanda Umar Konduga (alias Usman AI- Zawahiri).

He told the court that the proof of evidence filed by the prosecution does not link him with the alleged criminal charges, adding also that

the charge is devoid of essential ingredients to suggest the commission of the offences for which he stands charged.

The trial Judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, after listening to the submissions of counsel in respect to the motion to quash, adjourned till tomorrow for further hearing and determination of the motion.

EFFC docks 4 illegal refiners, 2 bankers the suspects, who were denied bail by the judge, were alleged to be illegal operators of refineries which have a capacity of 33,000 litres located at Ohaobu-Ndoki village in Ukanfon Local Government area of Akwa Ibom state.

According to Wilson Uwujaren Ag., Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, "When the charges were read to the suspects, they pleaded

not guilty necessitating the defense counsel, B.B. Mfon, to apply for their bail.

"But the judge turned down the bail application, on the grounds that he intended to conclude the case as quickly as possible. He therefore adjourned the proceedings to April 27th, 2012 for continuation of trial, and ordered that the accused persons

be remanded in prison custody".

It would be recalled that officers of the State Security Service (SSS) had arrested the accused persons on March 2nd, 2012, at Ukanafon local government area of Akwa Ibom State, along with three others: Sunday Udedike, Yusuf Lawal and Abdullahi Haruna, who are presently at large.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Power sector hearing: Police collect electricity bills, says witness From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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resident of Adeke in Makurdi, Benue state capital, yesterday, revealed to the panel set up by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC that the Nigerian police collect electricity bills from them.

The source who pleaded anonymity divulged this during the NERC public inquiry on electricity metering and other related matters in the Nigerian

electricity supply industry to the shock of the panel members and audience.

She maintained that the only transformer in the area that is situated at the outskirt of the state capital is owned by the mobile police and supplies electricity to over 500 consumers.

"Since we do not use meters, they collect N2000 from us on a monthly basis and simply write our names in an exercise book to indicate that an individual has

paid his bill for that month", she said.

The embittered resident passionately appealed to NERC to come to their aid and ensure that another transformer is provided for the community, expressing their readiness to pay bills to PHCN rather suffer continual exploitation by the police.

In another instance, one Mr. Peter Idoko, an Immigration officer in Lafia who resides in Makurdi, lamented over the

attitude of one Luke Ode, a PHCN staff who extorted N20, 000 from him to provide a meter but failed to do so.

"He did not issue any receipt to me but made me to sign an undertaking and up till date, I do not have a meter", Idoko said.

Several other complaints by consumers ranging from irregular billings, non billing at

all and illegal disconnection by PHCN reared at featured public hearing.

Speaking with newsmen, Chairman of the Panel Barr.

Bamidele Aturu said the committee is charged with the responsibility of gathering opinions on issues of metering, adding "we do not have anything to do with tariffs".

Varsity to absorb families of Benue Easter tragedy From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi he Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi has expressed willingness to offer admission to families of the 22 parishioners who died on Easter eve when a church collapsed on them.

Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Daniel Uza, made this promise yesterday in Adamgbe, Vandeikya local government area during a condolence visit on the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Cosmas Jooli.

Prof. Uza who said though

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admission into the institution was very competitive, maintained that he would ensure that applicants from the families who possess the minimum qualification and wish to study at the university were given preferential consideration.

He explained that the institution's initiative was to lessen the pain of the loss of loved ones as well as secure the future of the families who lost mostly young people in an agrarian community.

90% of Nigerians prone to malaria, says minister

By A'isha Biola Raji

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Some improvised explosive materials recovered at another bomb factory, yesterday in Kano.

Photo: Edwin Olofu

Fani-Kayode: Court fixes October 10 for trial From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

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Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, Presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, yesterday fixed trial of former Minister of Aviation, Femi FaniKayode, till October 10, 2012.

He was brought to court by the Economic and Financial crimes Commission (EFCC), over alleged money laundering charges.

The court fixed the date after it turned down a request by the accused person to stay further proceedings in the matter pending the determination of an appeal he filed at the Supreme Court on the admissibility of his statement of account by the Court of Appeal.

During yesterday's proceedings, Fani-Kayode's counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), informed the court that a motion exhibiting the Certified True Copy (CTC) and the notice of hearing of the matter at the Supreme Court has been filed.

He added that a counter affidavit filed by the complainant to the motion at the apex court has also been exhibited.

He thereafter urged the court to adjourn the matter pending the determination of the appeal saying the defence has fulfilled the requirement of the law by exhibiting the CTC. The request was however opposed to by the EFCC's counsel, Nelson Okedinachi, on the ground that the defence is only looking for an avenue to stall the matter.

According to him, "There is no application before the court because there is no prayer on the face of the motion paper".

He added that the appeal before the Supreme Court is merely an academic exercise since the matter is starting 'de novo' before Justice Nyako and the plea of the accused have been taking afresh.

Nelson noted that what the defence is asking for is a stay of proceedings which was not covered by the EFCC. He then urged the court to discountenance the motion and fixe a date for the trial of the accused person.

In her reaction, Justice Nyako declined to stay proceedings in the matter on the ground that the

appeal has nothing to do with the matter before her.

"It has to do with the admissibility of a document. I will adjourn for hearing", the judge said.

Justice Nyako then adjourned the matter to October 10, 2012 for hearing.

It would be recalled that the former Minister was on February 16, 2012, re-arraigned by the EFCC on a 47-counts charge of money laundering before Justice Nyako.

he Minister of Health, Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu has said that malaria still poses as public health problem with about 90% of the general population under risk.

Chukwu made this declaration yesterday in Abuja at the World Malaria Day Celebration 2012 ministerial press briefing.

He said Nigeria with its high prevalence, contributes a quarter of malaria burden in Africa.

Statistic according to him, might be scary but noted that, "survey conducted in 2010 showed 52% children between 6 months to five tested positive to malaria by rapid diagnostic test and prevalence higher in rural areas with about 55.9%."

He said the need to turn the situation around in

Nigeria and the African sub region has however led to the African Summit on Roll Back Malaria inaugurated in Nigeria on April 25, 2000 which later metamorphosed into World Malaria Day in 2008.

He said the theme of this year's celebration tagged Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria with the slogan "let's work together" was aimed at having a malaria-free nation thereby reducing socio-economic effect of the disease.

The minister however outlined steps that have been taken in combating malaria menace among which are, strengthening coordination of malaria control efforts in the country a nd organising Technical Working Group (TWG), Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partner that meet monthly to proffer solutions.

Russian firm submits report on minerals survey of Taraba From Yusha'u Alhassan, Jalingo

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delegation from the Russian Embassy on a study tour of mineral resources in Taraba state has submitted its report to the state Government.

Presenting the report to Governor Danbaba Suntai yesterday at Government House, Jalingo, the

leader of the delegation, Valery Shaposhnikov, expressed delight with the vast mineral resources in Taraba state and stressed the need for partnership to harness them.

He said the agency they represent has over the years engaged in research and partnership with several countries with a view to enhancing their economic well being.

Shaposhnikov added that apart from the geological survey of mineral resources, they also carry out surveys on road and building constructions to ensure quality projects.

Responding, Governor Suntai assured of the preparedness of the state government to actualise the second phase of the study tour in the interest of the state.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

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Doctors shut Lagos hospitals indefinitely From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos octors in Lagos state public Hospitals yesterday shut medical services as they began an indefinite strike following the state government’s use of policemen to disrupt their meeting and attempt to arrest their chairman, Dr. Akinmuyiwa Odusote.

The state government had ordered the doctors to appear

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before a disciplinary panel set up to try the doctors for embarking on three days warning strike and for refusing to answer the queries issued them.

At the Health Service Commission (HSC). office at Lagos Hospital yesterday, armed policemen were deployed at the entrance, preventing people from entering the venue of the Personnel Management Board, meeting, the disciplinary panel

set up to try the doctors.

The 1,100 doctors in government’s employ shunned the disciplinary panel set up by the government to try them for embarking on the three days warning strike.

The doctors went to the venue of the PMB sitting on Lagos Island, Lagos, but refused to face the panel and dared the government to do its worst.

As a result of the presence of

hundreds of doctors at the venue of the PMB sitting, activities in Lagos hospitals were virtually paralysed as there were no doctors to attend to patients.

Newsmen gathered that as the doctors were holding a congress meeting, the government sent policemen to disperse them but the adamant doctors regrouped at another location for the meeting.

The police also came to disrupt the meeting and ordered the

chairman, Medical Guild, Odusote to follow them to the Lion Building Police Station, an act that angered other doctors into declaring indefinite strike.

Last week, the HSC issued queries to the 1,100 doctors who went on strike but they did not answer them. The government ordered them to appear before the PMB to explain why they did not answer the queries issued to them.

Sultan to commission Emirs’ lodges in Dutse From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

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he Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar will today commission five first class Emirs guest houses constructed by the Jigawa state government in Dutse.

The guest houses which were constructed by the state government are aimed at providing comfort for the traditional rulers especially whenever they are in the state capital for functions.

The commissioning of the lodges would be a prelude to the Northern Emirs meeting scheduled to hold in Dutse today.

Lamido has since the inception of his administration harped on official residences for principal government functionaries in the state capital which according to him, would not only reduce government spending on hotel bills but also beautify the city.

Investigations by our reporter revealed that the magnificent buildings are the first of their kind to be constructed by any state government since the time of the protectorate administration when the then Northern Regional Government constructed houses for Emirs in Kaduna.

L-R: Professor Daisy Eruvbetine of University of Agriculture Abeokuta, President, Farm and Infrastructure Foundation (FIF), Professor Gbolagade Ayoola, Country Director of Oxfam, Mr. Tunde Ojel and Campaign Manager of Oxfam, Mrs. Jamillah Miranjisi, during a public presentation of publication on policy audit of food reserve system in Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Nigeria, Germany partner on energy

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi he Foreign Affairs Ministry has disclosed that Nigerian and German governments have concluded plans to synergise efforts towards solving

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Windstorm sacks 230 families in Gombe From Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

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indstorm destroyed about 230 houses at Malam Sidi town in Kwami local governmnet area of Gombe state last weekend.

A District Head in the area, Muhammadu Maimalunta, who disclosed this while speaking to newsmen, said that the disaster rendered 200 families homeless and destroyed property worth millions of naira Consoling the victims during his assessment visit to Malam-Sidi, Gombe state deputy governor, Mr. Tha’anda Jason Rubainu, noted that the area was prone to windstorms at this season of the year.

He however stressed the need

for the people to desist from indiscriminate felling of trees to minimise the extent of storm, desert encroachment and related natural disasters.

The deputy governor further told the people that his visit would also inform the kind of assistance government had in stock for the affected people, thanking the local government for supporting the administration’s programmes and imbibing the spirit of peaceful coexistence.

Commenting, the caretaker chairman of Kwami local government area, Alhaji Ya’u Gimba Marafa, appreciated the governor’s concern, recalling that a similar incident occurred in the area last year and government came to their aid.

the energy challenges facing Nigeria.

The permanent secretary of the ministry, Martin I. Uhomoibi, who stated this while briefing journalists in Abuja, said the agreement was reached during the visit by President Goodluck Jonathan to the German Chancellor.

He also state that in line with the partnership, a wind energy plant would be established in Adamawa, in addition to coal and power plants in various parts of the country.

Uhomoibi explained that the

understanding was reached during the commissioning of the bilateral commission between the two countries, adding that the partnership marks a new down in the bilateral relationship between both Nigerian and German private sector.

Speaking further, he stated that the benefits of the partnership would soon become concrete, pointing out that German investors had already made it clear that they are ready for business, without much waste of time.

"A solar plant would be

established in the University of Ibadan under the energy partnership", he stated, adding that in democratic collaboration, good governance and entrenchment of Nigeria's democracy, including assisting Nigeria in addressing its security challenges would be emphasised.

Meanwhile, during the bilateral talks between Nigeria and Germany, President Jonathan and Chancellor Merkel agreed that bilateral relations would include areas such as immigration, good governance, education, among others.

Wamakko issues 72-hour ultimatum over illegal use of official plate numbers From Sadeeq Aliyu, Sokoto

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okoto state government yesterday issued a 72 hour ultimatum to persons using official plate numbers on their private vehicles to return them to their respective ministries.

A release signed by Senior Special Assistant to the governor Kabir Ahmed, warned that any government official found

perpetuating the act, would be dealt with appropriately and such persons would be referred to the office of the Head of Service for disciplinary action.

“Sokoto state government having observed with dismay the way and manner unauthorised persons are using official number on their private vehicles, has directed the Federal Road Safety Corps nationwide to impound

those vehicles and deal with such persons according to the relevant law of the FRSC. The use of official plate numbers on private vehicles has become rampant especially among local government officers and politicians who use them on all sorts of vehicles to secure “immunity” against security checks on the highways”, the statement added.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

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L-R: Sokoto state governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar, and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, during the IGP’S visit, on Monday to Sokoto. Photo: NAN

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Staff of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, sealing off an MTN mask for its proximity to a residential home, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: NAN L-R: Niger state governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, presenting a souvenir to Corps Commander, Artillery, MajorGeneral Annon Kalayi Kwaskebe, during a visit by the latter to the governor, at the Government House, on Monday in Minna.

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Demonstrators protesting against Farouk Lawan report on oil subsidy probe, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Jonathan, 5 others nabbed over human trafficking From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina he Katsina State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, has nabbed one Promise Jonathan and five others over alleged human trafficking.

Parading the suspects before

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newsmen in Katsina, the Controller of Immigration Service, Katsina, Alhaji Umar Bulama, noted that the other suspects include, Mr. Uche Harris Nnadibe, Loveth Ebere, Ebun Olubuno, Tosin Akinnemi and Tracy Job. He noted that the suspects

were arrested while trying to cross the Kwangwalam border in Nigeria into Niger Republic on their way to Algeria and Libya.

The controller noted that of all the six suspects it was only Promise Jonathan that was carrying genuine travelling papers, adding that fake

travelling documents were also recovered from them.

Bulama disclosef that the six suspects including two males and four females who were under the leadership of Nnadibe, would be handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP)

for further investigation.

Earlier, the ring leader of the suspect, Nnadibe stated that he was only on humanitarian mission as the suspects only approached to assist them to reach Agades in Niger Republic on their way to Algeria and Libya in search of greener pastures.

Fuel subsidy report: Protest begins in Lagos From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he United Action for Democracy (UAD), on Monday began peaceful protest to warn Federal Government against sweeping the fuel subsidy probe report which indicted some top government officials under the carpet.

Members of the civil society group, who defied threats by security agents against holding any rally, later convened at Allen Junction at the centre of Ikeja where they sensitised members of the public on the need to force the government to implement the report.

In a leaflet the group gave out to people, it said among other things, it wanted the immediate publication of the reports of the power sector, fuel subsidy, petroleum sector and pension probes and the implementation of the reports.

“We call on Nigerians to be ready to fully resist any further hike in fuel prices and in electricity tariffs whenever such is announced,” it said.

The UAD disclosed that the Federal Government is planning to increase electricity tariff by more than 80 percent from June and that there are still plans by the government to hike the cost of fuel in what it called the government’s plan for total deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

L-R: Senior Programme Coordinator of African Child Policy Forum, Mrs. Violet Odala, President, Campaign for Democracy (CD), Dr. Joe OkeOdumakin and President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, during a workshop on African child policy, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Works minister decries low budgetary allocation for road construction he Minister of Works, Arc Mike Onolememen, has attributed inability for the ministry to complete moribund road construction projects across the country to insufficient budgetary allocations and said the ongoing road projects required about N960 billion.

Speaking at the ongoing Ministerial Platform to mark one year of the Jonathan administration yesterday in Abuja, Arc Onolememen noted that there were currently 116 abandoned road projects in the country.

The minister, who remarked that it was not possible for the ministry to undertake the entire

reconstruction of the roads considering unsatisfactory budgetary provisions, disclosed that such project have been prioritised.

He further said plans were on to partner with the private sector so as to fast track the road constructions in the country, saying, “We want to achieve at least 2,000 kilometers of road

construction through publicprivate partnership by next year”.

On the Lafia-Akwanga road which is popularly called “dead curve”, the assured of a temporary correction on the road pending when enough funds would be allocated for its completion, declaring that over N400 million was required for the task.

path in ensuring that Nigerian airports meet the standards with other airports across the world especially what is obtained in Europe.

“With the on-going remodeling of the airports, Nigeria will be rated amongst countries that have befitting airports when completed and it goes to show that our leaders are

now beginning to replicate laudable and breath taking project they see and admire whenever they find themselves in other parts of the world.

He suggested however that the remodeling work should involve the expansion of the International Wing of the Lagos airport stressing that the terminal building needs to be

expanded or a new terminal building built to accommodate the rising in passenger traffic.

Also, the Head of Public Affairs of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Akin Olukunle said the Federal Government through the agency is leaving no stone unturned towards making Nigerian airports meet global

standards.

“We have over seventy percent completion at GAT, Lagos, that of Kano is almost completed, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and the rest of them. As you know, we are replacing all the obsolete facilities at the airports to make the travelling passengers feel comfortable”, he added.

Violence: Youths say enough is enough

religion resulting in mutual distrust and hatred across ethnic and religious lines”, he declared.

It is within this framework that the group launched the Dialogue Summit with the objective of facilitating and uniting under a single umbrella to resolve the security issue in the country.

The summit was attended by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) youth wing, Patriot Simon A.S Dolly, Yusuf Saeed Moh’d, Assistant Coordinator, Muslim Student Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Zone A.

By Mohammed Kandi

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Passengers commend FG on airports remodeling project From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

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he Federal Government has received kudos from passengers in Lagos over efforts to improve the comfort of passengers through the remodeling of airports across the country.

Officials who spoke to our correspondent at both the international wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport and the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), where construction works are currently ongoing, described the action as a step in the right direction.

Other also lauded the effort of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) under whose purview lies the remodeling project of the airports across Nigeria.

Monday Iwunacho, a Europebound passenger, said the Federal Government is on right

By A’isha Biola Raji

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ouths cut across the two religions – Islam and Christianity in Nigeria have made moves to put an end to the spate of violence going on in the country.

This was declared in Abuja during the first Nigerian Youths Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue Summit organised by the Nigerian Youths United Action Coalition Group (NYUAC).

The president of the group Mr. Abdullahi Abdumajeed, said the need to act fast and proffer solutions to ethnic, religious and political violence in the country was necessitated by the militancy, uprising and all other forms of terrorism that aggrieved members of the public are adopting to present their dissatisfaction.

The summit themed “Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers”, is geared towards

bringing together youths from conflict and post conflict areas of the country to dialogue and advocate peace to reign in the country.

Abdulmajeed said it is worrisome that the vulnerable group (youths) that suffer the effect of these crisis are being used to perpetrate it hence the need to unanimously declare an end to it.

“Nigerian youths are unanimous in our condemnation of mass killings in the name of

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Workers shut down FMC Abeokuta From Dimeji KayodeAdedeji, Abeokuta

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he one-week face-off between doctors and nurses of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta over alleged refusal of a doctor to respond to query issued him for alleged nonchallance to duty, has finally resulted in total shutdown of the health institution, as all other workers yesterday joined the nurses in a solidarity strike.

Peoples Daily reports that

the hospital has now become a ghost town, as in-patients have equally left the wards to seek medical attention elsewhere, while all departments in the hospital had been grounded.

It would be recalled that, the genesis of the crisis was traced to Dr. B.H Soile who upon being advised by the Chief Nursing Sister of the hospital, Mrs. Iyabo Adesina, to mind his duty, allegedly assaulted the nursing boss verbally.

Dr. Soile was later

queried by the authorities, but he refused to answer it, hence, the nursing association saw his adamance as insulting to their boss, and they mobilized for strike.

Yesterday, other departments of the centre met and resolved to equally down tool in solidarity with the nurses.

As at yesterday,when our correspondent visited the hospital, it was a completely shutdown with union leaders mulling another meeting.

Wife murder: Absence of prosecution witnesses staalls trial of suspect From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

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he trial of the 30year-old youth pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Akolade Arowolo at the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, who was alleged to have slaughtered his banker wife, Titilayo Omozoje, could not continue yesterday as slated at the instance of the prosecution.

At the resumed hearing of the matter before Justice Lateefah Okunnu, the Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs Olabisi Ogungbesan told the court that the three witnesses who appear before the court were unavoidably absent.

According to her, the three witnesses are two police officers and a neighbour of the deceased, Mrs Alaka.

She stated that police officer Cletus was on course while his counterpart is on leave; Mrs. Alaka was not in

town too. She consequently sought for the adjournment of the matter till today (Wednesday) to enable them produce the witnesses, adding that the prosecution still had five more witnesses to call.

When asked for his opinion, Arowolo’s counsel, Olanrewaju Ajanaku said he had no objection as long as the trial continued today.

Hearing in the matter continues today,Justice Okunnu ordered.

The prosecution had so far taken seven witnesses including Omozoje’s sister, father and step mother as well as the security guard and a neighbour of the deceased including two police officers.

The last witness was Inspector Solomon Ailoyen, who claimed that on the day of the alleged murder, a green Honda Accord was found parked by the road at Aswani junction with the car keys in the ignition and blood on the steering wheel

and door.

“I was on vehicle patrol with three others in my team on June 24, 2011 when we were called to Aswani junction that some people were fighting but when we got there they said they had gone.”

He added that at Aswani junction, there was however a car that they were told was abandoned.

“A green Honda Accord with registration no RK 129AJA was pointed out to me, that it had been abandoned by a man. When we looked into the vehicle, we saw blood stains on the steering wheel with the key still in the ignition. The vehicle was later driven to the Aswani Police Station where we left it for safe keeping.”

30-year-old Akolade was charged to court for allegedly stabbing his wife to death, on June, 24, 2011, at their residence located at 8, Akindeinde Street, Isolo, Lagos.

‘New NYSC posting will promote grassroots devt’ From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Taraba state said it had strictly adhered to the new posting policy as directed by the Director General, Brig. General Nnamdi Okorie-Affia for the 2012 Batch ‘A’ corps members, saying it will fast track grassroots development.

Taraba state NYSC Coordinator, Hajiya Zainab Isah in a press statement lauded the posting policy which she described as “a welcome development to us in Taraba state.”

The Federal Government had announced a new posting policy of corps members to only four sectors

namely; Health, Education, Rural Infrastructure and Agriculture.

Giving a breakdown of deployments to these sectors, Hajiya Isah said about 130 corps members were posted to rural infrastructure and agriculture respectively; about 260 posted to Ministry of Health while Education gulped about 780 corps members.

She said the state was able to achieve zero rejection of corps members because of the proper arrangement it had earlier made with the ministries before the posting commenced.

“Initially, corps members were posted to establishments according to their areas of specialisation yet some establishments

rejected or under-utilised these corps members but with the new posting policy, corps members no longer face such."

She added that the new posting policy was received as a welcome development in the state as the four commissioners overseeing these areas met to ascertain their absorption capacities which enabled us project properly and avoid rejection of corps members by their employers”.

Hajiya Isah however urged corps members to be dedicated to duty in the interest of national development.

She added that the main aim of the new policy is to restore national integration and youth empowerment which are the core objectives of the NYSC scheme.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

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UK deports 52 Nigerians F

ifty-two Nigerians yesterday lost their legal rights to remain in the UK, the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

NAN investigation in London revealed that the arrangement had been concluded for the deportation of the affected

Nigerians made up of 41 males and 11 females on a chartered flight late yesterday.

Mr. Mohammed Isa, Head of Immigration Section in the Nigerian High Commission who confirmed the development, said already a manifest documenting detailed offences of those to be deported has been forwarded to

appropriate authorities in Nigeria.

He said the deportees, who breached the rules of their stay in the UK, include asylum seekers, over-stayers and convicted drug traffickers that have completed their terms.

Isa said it was not true that Nigerian deportees were being maltreated by the UK authorities.

He said the two countries recognised that immigration issues could become an irritant to the existing excellent relation hence the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2008 to regulate and manage the deportation processes especially the return of those who have lost their right of stay.

Isa, who noted further that an enforced removal of Nigerians from the UK was ‘certainly’ not the preferred choice of either the Commission, the British Authority and those affected, advised Nigerians to obey the rules of their host countries and avoid getting involved in criminal activities (NAN)

Funtua LG rehabilitates 77 boreholes From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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L-R: Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, President, Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Malam Umaru Aliyu, and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Malam Mohammed Sada, during the 2012 Architects Colloqium, on Monday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

Aliyu commends NIMASA for setting up institute in IBBU From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he governor Niger state, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has commended the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for its efforts in building human capacity for the Nigerian maritime industry.The governor stated this when the Director General of NIMASA, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi led the management and some staff of the agency on a courtesy visit to the Government House in Minna.

Gov. Aliyu expressed appreciation of the government and people of Niger state over the

decision of the Agency to establish an Institute of Maritime Studies at the state-owned Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai, saying this is a sure way of correcting the dearth of seafarers globally.

“The world is in short supply of seafarers by about 50%. To build human capacity in this area locally, we must empower our institutions to contribute to the training of seafarers. I want to assure NIMASA that we would do all that is necessary to support this Institute. Even though youhave said NIMASA would sponsor the establishment of this Institute 100%, as a responsible government, we will not hesitate

to commit resources to this project if need be”.

Governor Babangida, who has acquired vast experience of the maritime sector over the years during his appointment as the Director of Maritime Services in the Federal Ministry of Transport and later as its permanent secretary, observed that the DG of NIMASA has proved everybody wrong by galvanising thoughts with a clear vision of repositioning the maritime sector.

The governor immediately announced the constitution of a high powered committee led by the Vice Chancellor of IBB University, Professor Ibrahim Adamu Kolo to work with NIMASA to facilitate a

Ogun begins training of unemployed graduates From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, Abeokuta

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gun state government under the banner “Mission to Re-Build” has commenced the in-house training for 1,200 unemployed graduates, recently offered skill acquisition programme by the office of the state governor’s wife.

Our correspondent reports that, the programme cuts across various vocations which include shoe making, pedicure and manicure, barbing training, decorations, fabric beading, nail extension, necklace beading and millineryhat training among others.

The 10-day training as designed by the office of the governor’ wife is holding at Valley View, Government House, OkeIgbein, Abeokuta.

The participants were in high spirit when our correspondent visited the centre, as tutors engaged them in both theoretical and practical aspects. Some of the trainees expressed appreciation to the governor’s wife for her initiative on the programme, which they hope would create opportunity for them to be selfemployed rather than continue to rot away at home with certificates.

On visit to the training centre, the initiator Mrs. Folusho Amosun,

said she is of the conviction that it is easy to earn a living once one has a skill ‘by my profession. “I am a guidance counselor and a lover of vocational training. I always believe that it’s so easy to earn a living once you have a skill”.

smooth take-off of the institute.

Earlier, Mr. Akpobolokemi informed the governor that the Agency has been granted approval to establish an Institute of Maritime Studies in IBBU for the purpose of training seafarers for the award of certificates, diplomas, degrees and post graduate certificates.

He said, “We are here to inform you that the National Assembly has approved our proposal to establish an Institute of Maritime Studies at the IBB University Lapai. The agency will undertake the construction of the institute which will be in line with global standards and fund it until such a time when we feel it is mature enough to stand on its own. Our desire is to attract the best brains to this Institute through adequate funding to make it trully world class”.

The DG therefore appealed to the government of Niger state and the management of the IBB University to provide a suitable site and ensure a peaceful environment for the establishment of the Institute.

NOA boss condoles Belgore family

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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he Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri, has condoled the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore on the demise of his wife, Alhaja Fatimah Belgore.

The DG in a statement issued yesterday by the agency's Chief Press Secretary, Paul Odenyi, noted that the death of Alhaja Fatimah will deny the nation, the people of Kwara state and the Belgore family, a matriarch, whose motherly advice and nobility is needed at this period.

untua local government council in Katsina state has rehabilitated 55 boreholes and constructed new ones across the area.

The chairman of the local council caretaker committee, Alhaji Abdu Isa who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen, noted that the aim of the waterworks was to ease water supply difficulties in the area.

Similarly, the chairman averred that the council had also provided water tanks in specific points in the area where he added that the local council water tankers supply these special tanks with safe drinking water.

He stated that when his committee inaugurated, it met 198 nonfunctional boreholes out of the 303 spread across the 11 wards in the area.

Isa stressed that as part of effort to tackle water shortage in the area, the council had concluded plans to build 44 new open wells in areas that were in dire need of clean drinking water.

According to him, the council had begun the mobilisation of community development committees to educate them on ways of accessing community and social development projects fund.

CMD ATBUTH support review policy on waste management From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 12

EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

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SWF: Let the fund be

he decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) seems to have generated more controversies than may have been anticipated by the government.

Firstly, the governors had opposed the establishment of the Fund on the grounds that it was illegal and unconstitutional, just like the Excess Crude Account that it replaced. Secondly, many of the governors believe that the Fund is an oppressive instrument that the federal government intends to use to dictate to them how to expand their respective allocations from the Federation Account.

However, in spite of having been passed into law since May 2011, the SWF has continued to attract sundry political wrangling and opposition from the Governors’ Forum and agitations against its implementation have remained unabated.

Peoples Daily recalls that from onset, government had insisted through its then Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, that, “We need an enhanced strategy and framework to effectively transform our finite endowment (oil) into an investment in the growth and development of our country, so that we can achieve evergrowing wealth for our generation and for generations of Nigerians to come.”

Further, government hinged the inevitability of the Fund on the imperative of saving for the rainy day, and cited the late-2008 global economic meltdown, which left many nations in financial quagmire as yet another reason.

Nonetheless, opposition against the operation of the Fund has remained. And government response has been that the SWF is a necessity because Nigeria could be in danger of a massive depreciation of

its currency, a collapse in reserves and a huge growth in deficit, owing to fluctuation of oil prices.

Only last week, in apparent reaction to sustained opposition, the CBN Governor, Lamidi Sanusi Lamidi and the Coordinating Minister and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at separate fora in New York and Abuja respectively, reiterated the essence of deliberately instituting a policy that seeks to engender a saving for the rainy day, especially in the

“

Our support for the Sovereign Wealth Fund is predicated on the understanding that the Fund is an investment owned by a sovereign nation with the mandate to invest in financial assets such as stocks, bonds, precious metals, property and other financial instruments face of recurrent fluctuation in oil prices.

Both reminded their respective audience, which included economic experts, industrialists and members of the civil societies, that Nigeria hugely relied on oil earning, which accounts for about 80 percent of government revenues, a development the government sees as unhealthy and must therefore be corrected to guard against the uncertainties of the oil industry.

"Our major concern is a major decline

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”

in the price of oil or (domestic) output would lead to a massive depreciation of the currency…. some of the states outside of the oil-producing region might actually find themselves in a situation where they are not able to pay salaries," Sanusi told his audience in New York.

Peoples Daily appreciates the positions adduced by all concerned, more so that, as a federation of three tiers of government, none should have the monopoly over others in decisions crucial to the wellbeing of all.

Our support for the Sovereign Wealth Fund is predicated on the understanding that the Fund is an investment owned by a sovereign nation with the mandate to invest in financial assets such as stocks, bonds, precious metals, property and other financial instruments.

We recall that the very first SWF in the world was the Kuwait Investment Authority, which was established in 1953 before Kuwait secured its independence from the United Kingdom. The Kuwait’s Fund was created from crude oil revenues and is reported to be currently valued at about two hundred and fifty billion US Dollars ($250 billion).

Had Nigeria the foresight to adopt similar strategy soon after independence, perhaps the nation would have had sufficient resources to address our infrastructural deficiencies.

Rather, profligate habit became our wont, while fluctuation of oil prices keeps the nation’s reserve depleted resulting in widespread poverty as a result of lack of access to the basic necessities of life.

We therefore urge the Federal Government to come out with a political solution to break the gridlock for the good of our citizenry, who are daily exposed to the frailties of basic economic fundamentals.

OUR PEOPLE

OUR VISION

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

DIRECTOR/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RUFA’I IBRAHIM CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER ALI M. ALI

ACTING EDITOR, WEEKEND RICHARD IHEDIWA

GM PUBLICATIONS ABDULAZEEZ ABDULLAHI MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

HEAD, ADVERT/MARKETING HUSSAINI ABDULRAHMAN, CNA

“To be a reputable, profitable, innovative and technologically reliant media company offering world class services and products”

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

By Aminu Waziri Tambuwal

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igerians will recall that on Sunday, January 8, 2012, we had to cut short our recess in response to a national crisis as a result of the sudden removal of fuel subsidy by the Executive Arm of Government.

The commitment and patriotism shown by members during that period of emergency finally led to the gradual resolution of that crisis.

Today, we are here to consider the product of that sacrifice. Before you is the report of the Ad-hoc Committee on the monitoring of fuel subsidy regime which was set up to verify and determine actual subsidy requirements.

And I must commend the Chairman of the Committee, Hon Farouk Lawan and the rest of his Committee Members, for their courage, dedication and professionalism. They were given a crucial assignment and they handled it with the integrity and patriotism it deserved.

PAGE 13

We shall not waver The probe of the oil Sector has raised so much dust from certain segments of the polity such that it became clear that the intention was to frustrate it. For those who regard the oil sector as a secret society or sacred cow, I wish to state without equivocation that it is not. All public agencies in the oil sector are the creation of Acts of the National Assembly and this Honourable House has no powers to legislate for the creation of secret societies. Similarly all private sector corporate bodies operating in the sector are the creation of the Corporate Affairs Commission and that Commission also is not vested with any powers to incorporate secret societies. Let it therefore be known that in our drive to sanitize the polity, there are no sacred cows and we do not intend to discover any.

However, that is only one part of the job. We now have the

more crucial duty of considering the report and recommendations of the committee. Usually in a matter such as this, one is accustomed to hearing differing opinions presented passionately. Or passions presented as opinions.

But we must never forget who we are and where we are, because Nigerians are watching us very closely and history will judge what we do here today. I therefore urge each and everyone of you to look at this report dispassionately.

We must be fair in our comments and set aside all primordial sentiments so that we can do justice to this important document.

9. Let me reiterate the fact that we are discharging a Constitutional assignment here and it is therefore incumbent upon us to do our duty without fear or favour. Let me also remind us that we are fighting

against entrenched interests whose infectious greed has decimated our people. Therefore, let’s be mindful that they will fight back, and they do fight dirty.

I have heard all kinds of insinuations, including the one about anti-graft agencies waiting for a ‘harmonised version’ of this report before taking any action. Let me quickly say here that this is at best an excuse that can not stand after all the same agencies accept and investigate petitions from individuals, how much more resolutions of this House, there will be no such document so they should just go ahead and do their job and where they find any person or body culpable, they should proceed in accordance with the law.

Our only interest here is to mitigate the suffering of Nigerians by showing how the subsidy regime has been

hijacked for the benefit of a few.

At the end of our deliberations we hope that the executive arm will act upon the resolutions of this House and bring more transparency to bear on the system.

Together we can do all things constitutionally required of us but not without sacrificing our personal comforts, personal aspiration and even personal opportunities that do not benefit the public good. For as many are prepared and determined to make these personal sacrifice and to stand on the side of the ordinary Nigerians whose mandate we hold, I say let’s march on dear colleagues.

Being remarks by Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal CFR, Speaker, House of Representatives, during the consideration of the report on the House’s ad hoc committee on petroleum subsidy yesterday

Igbos play the victim role to control those in power in their world (II)

By Ozodi Thomas Osuji, Ph.D

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enerally, I think about something, have no answer and go to sleep and by the time I get up in the morning the answer may come to me. Thus, as usual, this morning I woke up at 5 AM and the answer as to why Igbos play victim came to me (and I went to my computer room and typed it…this paper; as usual I type for about an hour or a little over an hour then went and took shower to get ready for the day. If later during the day I deem what I typed interesting I share it with other people).

I now understand why Igbos are playing the role of victims; they use that role to control people! The socially powerless plays the victim role and if you fall into his trap and see him as a victim you do what he wants you to do. That is to say that they are using their victim plays to control people.

Women generally play the victim role.

Women are physically weak vis a vis men.

They know that men are physically stronger and if they choose to can strangle them.

They see themselves as at the mercy of men. They still want to control men and play the victim of men role as a way of getting men to have pity on them and out of pity do what they ask men to do; that is, they use their victim role playing to exercise power over men, to get men to do as they want men to do. In effect, women are actually engaged in aggression; they are engaged in social aggressive behavior when they play their eternal victim psychological role on men, In America, minority persons

were emasculated by white men; they were feminized and now behave like women; they play the victim role that ordinarily women indulge in. Thus, black Americans see themselves as the victims of white folks and do everything in their powers to make white men feel guilty and out of guilt do as black folk ask them to do.

White psychologists understand this phenomenon hence ignore black play at making whites feel guilty by enumerating the bad white men did to them (didn’t black men enslave their fellow blacks in Africa, one once asked me, so what is the big deal over slavery).

It is weak white liberals that allow black folk to manipulate them with their guilt and victim ploys. As matters of fact, white conservatives want to attack blacks who play at been victims for they see them as disgusting; their attitude is: get out of here; who wants to see your god damned groveling weak ass!

(White conservatives do not have regard for the literature churned out by African studies folks; such literature largely see blacks as victims; they see such writing as cry baby stuff. In the real world powerful people oppress the weak and it is so all over the world and during all historical times.)

For our present purposes, minority persons, that is, powerless persons use victim plays and exploitation of guilt to make the powerful to have pity on them and out of sympathy do as asked to do. In effect, they use guilt and victim play to exercise power and control over the strong; they use their infernal victim psychology to control the

powerful in their society.

(Ngozi Iweala did that a bit when she told the 25 member Executive Directors Board interviewing her for the presidency of the World Bank that she was raised in Biafra, hence had a deprived childhood; she was playing at getting liberal white folks sympathy: look at poor me; have pity on me; allow me to manage your money for you. Folks do not hire victims to manage their moneys! The lady is a classic histrionic cum narcissistic personality who uses women’s wily appeal to sex as power to control men. I am not buying her ploys; to me she is an incompetent clod. Her boss, Jonathan played the victim role by telling Nigerians that his father was a poor fisherman and that he went to school shoeless; he made Nigerians to have pity on him and out of pity elected him...I was not fooled for I went for competence hence I supported Buhari. The clever rogue is taking them to the cleaners.)

The lesson from all these are that folk’s use victim plays to control people; victim plays is an attempt to exercise power as a woman, effeminately.

The Nigerian political culture has effeminized Igbos and like women they now play at victims and try to arouse guilt in the powerful persons who rule Nigeria; they hope that by making Nigerians see them as victims, by arousing guilt in them that Nigerians would have pity on them and out of pity allow them to rule Nigeria. In effect, Igbos are doing what traditionally women do: use victim plays to try to exercise power and control over other Nigerians and people in general.

But because they attack people their strategy does not work for them. This is because those they put down will always counter attack them, even kill them so their victim plays impresses no one and do not get them the power they seek. They seek to get other Nigerians to see them as orphans, as victims and say they have been oppressed and not allowed to rule Nigeria and from so doing now allow them to rule Nigeria. They are not likely to be given the opportunity to rule Nigeria, not for as long as they insult Nigerians, right and left.

Of course, if real men like me go into politics in a few years Igbos would rule Nigeria. I have an alpha male psychology; I inherited it from my ancestors for in our area the Osuji-Njokus dominated the people around them. Before white men came to our world if you dared talk back to my ancestors you were punished; I knew my grandfather Osuji; he used to send local men to jail for daring to talk when he talked. Like my ancestors I have a dominant ego and if my desire was to be in politics there is no doubt that I would dominate the people as my ancestors dominated them. I do not accept any human beings, black or white, power over me. Thus, Igbo clowns kept making noise about Ojuklwu’s alleged power when to me he was no more than a rat.

Ezegburugburu my foot; if I had political aspiration I would transform the block head to my servant.

The salient point is to understand what function this victim play serves for Igbos. In a manner of speaking I am glad that I had not left Nigerian internet forums as a part of me wanted to do years ago when I

recognized that I had had my say and ought to move on. But by hanging around I have finally learned about Igbos psychology; I have learned about their tendency to attack folks (put them down) and when counter attacked feel persecuted and thereafter play the victim role.

All these are self-defeating life style. They are losers.

Look at them attacking me and thus making an enemy of me, encoring my wrath, a man they should have tried to make a friend of for I have unusual skills that if deployed on their behalf would serve them well. Since I do not fear any human being born of woman if I fought on behalf of Igbos I would bring about changes in that bedlam called Nigeria, changes that would serve Igbos well. But, no, these folks tried to alienate me and after ignoring them for a while my dominant spirit comes charging and sometimes does destructive things to them.

When one of them, an Nkwerre motor park riffraff called me an Osu (apparently, he misread the Osu part of my last name...we are the priests of the gods, the servants of God, the peoples spiritual leaders, Ndi ishi muo of amadioha) I was motivated to kill him, literally.

Imagine a man whose people my ancestors used to buy as slaves, and we still have some of them in our town as our former slaves, calling this Nwa-Diala, freeborn, a slave! I wanted to silence that dirty mouth of his forever. But upon second thoughts I realized that I gained nothing by swatting a mosquito to death.

In the end I have shown them as the naked emperors they are. I Contd. on page 15

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Letter to all Nigerians from a Sierra Leonean

By Amara Femoh Sesay Dear Nigerians, ay God have mercy on you. Your country’s name reminds me of abundance - the ceaseless and abundant flow of the River Niger. The great resource that is ever willing to serve Nigerians as well as non-Nigerians, like me, and countless others. It does not stop there; there are also countless resources -human natural and other resources scattered all over the “Nigeraria” that force the envy and admiration of many people who were not blessed wit the Nigerian citizenship.

Yet, here we are shedding tears in recognition of the waste it has suffered in the hands of those who have mismanaged it. The tear drops force their way out even more when we consider how ignorant the Nigeria youth is of the

M

By Salihu Moh. Lukman

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wo of the remaining South West states, namely Ogun and Oyo were finally reclaimed in 2011 from the PDP. Now, with our party, the ACN controlling 5 of the six states and the possibility that the sixth state, Ondo which is controlled by the Labour Party will eventually be taken over by the ACN in 2013, your political mission of reclaiming the South West completely back to our party, the ACN South West reclamation project would have been consummated. Having therefore accomplished this mission, what next? Are you going to remain in the South West and wield your influence on our polity from there or you will move across the Niger to the North, East and South and seek to export your political acumen and dexterity in a way that would produce the empowering and liberating result capable of defeating the PDP in 2015? If you decide to move across the Niger to the North, East and South, will you be driven by personal agenda of aspiring for the presidency of our great nation, or will you be doing so in a selfless way as a statesman?

If events and speculations are any reference, it would appear that the former would be more the case. Should this happen it would blur objective reasoning, hinders negotiation with other opposition parties and potentially sabotage mergers and alliances, resulting in a strong probability for the return of PDP in 2015. The potential consequence of such an exercise would be an increase in the number of failed presidential candidates, candidates that by every measure are our nation’s best, yet defeated by a distant incomparable PDP candidate whether in the person of President Goodluck Jonathan or any other known PDP leader today. This will be a frightening projection and can only add to the frustration of Nigerians. It is bad enough that we will have to leave with a PDP government that has proved to be incompetent and incapable of

resources around him. Who are then it should be reflected in nation if they restrain the successors to this great what is going on in the schools themselves from those wealth called Nigeria? presently. The worst kind of destructive desires that will not The aspiration, needs, slavery a country will ever only ruin their possessors but values and beliefs of the young suffer is to leave its abundant the nation as well. Will Nigeria ones are the key l o s e focus of every anything if effective national it losses all curriculum. its corrupt Youths should be citizens? It Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text more useful to is a common messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written their societies knowledge contributions should be concise.

Word limits: Letters 150 than mere to both the words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and patient seekers of corrupt ones a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed white collar jobs. and those to: When values and who are not, c h a r a c t e r that nobody escapes the gains from The Editor, curriculum, how harming Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, will dignity and f e l l o w 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. progress not h u m a n Email: let ters@peoplesdaily-online.com escape the people? b e i n g s .

SMS: 07037756364 The hope of Surely, the Nigeria is in its criminals curriculum. If Nigeria is to resources in the hands of are running to the evil present to the world those great ignorant successors. consequences of their crimes.

What wrong could the people What do we gain when all we nation-builders it once won the attention of the world with, of Nigeria do to their blessed have toiled and killed for is left

WRITE TO US

in the hands of our enemies and the only thing left with us is our graves? If we turn our backs to all opportunities for reform, of what use will a big and deformed nation be to our modern world?

Despite the problems and conflicts Nigeria as a nation endures, no sane mind can deny the fact that Nigeria holds a great potential, if its people cooperate in development and nation-building. When the people become good neighbours to one another they won’t suffer and perish in the midst of abundance.

I dream of a Nigeria that will no longer be Nigeria (in the sense that the word Nigeria is synonymous with crime and corruption) I dream of a Nigeria that will ever be Nigeria (in the sense of its blessings and beauty) When the people beautify their beliefs and Contd. on page 15

Open letter to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 2015 agenda (III) governing our diverse nation with our multifaceted problems for another 3 years. Short of stronger word, it will be a tragedy to have a PDP government up to 2019.

If accounts of the failed alliance between the ACN and CPC of 2011 are anything to go by, one of the factors that account for the inability to contract an agreement was the perception, rightly or wrongly, of your personal agenda.

While it is my belief that it also reflects problem of low confidence on the other negotiating opposition parties, I also think that you need to do something to boost the confidence of Nigerians that you are truly a nationalist. My suspicion is that unless this factor is addressed, trust between the CPC and ACN, between Gen. Buhari and yourself and above all between Nigerian people and yourself will be weak and alliance and merger negotiations will be feeble.

How do you boost the confidence of Nigerians? This is a difficult task.

However some of the parameters would include how together with other ACN leaders you are able to restructure party governance in ACN. At the moment, with all sense of responsibility, party governance in ACN is not systemic, especially at lower levels of the party structures. Since the end of the 2011 elections, activities of the party in most states outside the South West and Edo is on recess. In the case of Kogi and Adamawa there was some high momentum around the gubernatorial elections.

For Adamawa, it was clear that the party at national level was not conscious of the electoral strength of the party until it was too late. In fact, even media organizations controlled by interests that are in the party were completely ignorant of the strength of the party.

The only reason this was so was the disconnect between the party leadership and realities in our

states. This is on account of poor party management, weak governance and care free disposition on the part of our leaders. It was this care free disposition that made me to argue that my national leaders prefer to live in their comfort zones in my letter to Gen. Buhari. It may also be as well a reflection of low confidence and trust regarding information provided by functionaries of the party and how the information facilitates decision making in the right direction.

Related to the above is the fact of poor party management and weak governance, state governments controlled by the party are not guided by strong party programmes and policies.

Each of the six state governments respond to challenges of governing their states based on the foresights of the Governors. It is difficult, if not impossible, to find a thread that connect the six states governed by our party in terms of policies and projects. The closest is the commitment to free education, which could be argued as being inspired by a conscious effort to appropriate the Awo legacy of free education. This needs to be strengthened by clear and unambiguous party commitment.

To further buttress the above argument, our legislators in the National Assembly are not in anyway guided or regulated by the party. Engagement between the party leadership and members is irregular and in most cases members are left with their initiatives. If an audit of the conduct of our members in the National Assembly is to take place, there is no guarantee that many of them will not be as guilty, if not more guilty, than PDP legislators.

One glaring result of such an audit would highlight the fact that our party representatives in both the

two chambers don’t even vote as a block.

Talking of audit and party governance, some two weeks ago, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released audit report of political parties, including our party, ACN. By the media report, the PDP appear to be more accountable and transparent than our party. INEC accused our party of not keeping proper accounting books. In addition, INEC accused our party of not having annual budget. I am yet to see a public rebuttal of the INEC audit report from our party.

As a loyal member of the party, I must be honest to confess that I am scandalized and everything needed to correct this image is required.

Let me quickly point out that, perhaps if I am from the South West, I may not be challenged as a politician to take this approach of writing to Gen. Buhari and now yourself. Perhaps, I may be preoccupied with managing other responsibilities that may not allow me to envision the need for these letters. Being from the North and with my experience during the last election as a privileged candidate of our party for Senatorial seat, I know how futile elections will be in the absence of a united opposition.

I am certain that if we as the opposition parties are not united, current regional, ethnic and religious divides will continue to dominate our politics and in the circumstances, opposition presidential candidates will record poor electoral outcomes, no matter the magnitude and echo of our support.

I have no doubt in my mind if there is good party management system and strong and effective governance, some of these issues will not require any public attention. This letter may even not be needed and there would have

been guaranteed strong connection between party structures and membership on account of which our leaders can gauge the pulse of members and design responses and initiatives covering wide range of problems, including elections and our candidates.

In any event, who are the possible candidates for our party for 2015? Things remaining unchanged, our party will be one of the strongest opposition parties.

The second strongest opposition party being the CPC. For the CPC, the truth is that Gen. Buhari is the party’s live wire. He is the party’s live wire more as a presidential candidate because that way, his teaming supporters will be animated electorally. Just study most of the responses to my letter to Gen. Buhari and you can not but appreciate that. In fact, there are many people who argued that the absence of Gen. Buhari as a candidate will demobilize them from voting. This is where the problem lies. Many of these people hardly understand the scheming of other terrible politicians who engineer a situation where our loved Gen. Buhari, with all his patriotism and integrity become surrounded by crooks and rogues who are only interested in their electoral victory. It is these same politicians who are bound to poison the mind of the General about your (Tinubu) motives and block processes of negotiations. To be fair to many of them is to recognize their lack of consciousness about the electoral consequence for Gen. Buhari’s electoral failure. They are however very conscious and steadfast about their own small electoral design, partly because they are dealing with a narrow constituency.

Lukman writes from Suite 301, Zeto Court No. 3, Oshogbo Close Area 11, Garki, Abuja.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 15

Igbos play the victim role to control those in power in their world (II) Contd. from page 13 stripped away their clothes and show them as they came to the world, naked. In doing so I helped them to stop pretending to be supermen for supermen they are not.

Having performed that existential task for them I must be careful not to disrespect them; I must respect them as I must respect all human beings. I say this because having seen through their clownish behaviors I was tempted to dismiss them as primitives and not respect them.

At a certain point, if truth must be said: I did not respect Igbos; I did not even see them as intelligent or fully human! I saw them as racists see black folks as childlike.

I must correct that misperception of Igbos for they are human beings albeit imperfect ones, as all of us are. Many of them are actually good.

In elementary school I had two outstanding teachers, Mr. Bassey (from Calaba) and Mr. Ajayi (a Yoruba). In secondary school I had one outstanding teacher, Mr. Akagha, an Igbo. The man is as good as any teacher can be. He was totally dedicated to his job and cared for us boys. He recognized my unusual gifts and would bring books to me to read. I liked the man so much that I actually went all the way to New Jersey to see him (he had come to Rutgers university to do graduate work and I was then a graduate student at the University of California).

The point is that some Igbos are good, very good and I must never make the mistake of disrespecting them. Understanding them, yes, but disrespecting them never. If I

disrespect them I disrespect me for after all I am one of them, they are my people.

Conclusion By observing the public behaviors of Igbos I was initially tempted to relegate them to the dustbin and ignore them.

However, by paying some quality attention to them I discovered that I could learn about their psychology. Over the past several years I have done exactly that.

Lately, I observed that they maneuver to get other people to see them as innocent victims that other people oppress. I also noted that despite playing the victim role they tend to attack people.

They have bad mouths. They say the most nasty things about people, especially about their Nigerian neighbors, Hausas and Yorubas (and about you if you dared to ask them to correct their ways...I dared asking them not to put down Hausas for from personal experience I know that Hausas are as good as other Human beings, I went to school with them, in what is called High school I had a Hausa boy, he was about eighteen and that boy was a wiz in mathematics). I learned from growing up in multicultural Lagos that all of us are people so it hurt me badly when I saw my fellow Igbos always insulting other Nigerians and I spoke up and they turned their anger at me and called me every insulting name they could muster. Well, I learned that they do attack people psychologically hence are not the victims they claim to be.

If they are not victims where do they get off playing the victim role? I asked a question and as usual the universe gave me the answer. In this essay I have

outlined some of the reasons why these bright but misguided people play at being victims while feeling superior to folk and attacking folk.

They want to be seen as victims so that they control those who see them as victims! Like women and minority persons in America they are employing victim psychology in their quest for power in society. I will look into this phenomenon some more but for now I have written the insight into the issue that I just gained.

Although this is not directly related to the topic at hand let me observe what anthropologists tell us. They tell us that in primitive societies people used social ostracism to control people, to get them to obey the rules of the land, to do as expected to do. People who didn’t go along with others were shamed. Primitive folks feared being shamed for that meant being rejected by their people.

Primitive folks struggled to be accepted by their people and feared shame more than they feared death itself.

Igbos use shame to control people. If you appear to deviate from their social norms they try to shame you. They would call you negative names (it is called imanjakiri and Iko Okwu). They will say the nastiest things about you, most of them lies, to shame you, to humiliate you. The idea is that since you are like them, a primitive, you would fear being shamed and thus conform to their mores. They tried that primitive game on me and it did not work on me.

It did not work on me because of my background. Although nominally Igbo I am not culturally Igbo. I was born in cosmopolitan Lagos. Still a

teenager I came to the West and my socialization was completed in America. Thus, culturally I am Western rather than African. My instinctive reaction is typical American, no kidding. Therefore, these people could not control me with their play at shaming me or arousing guilt in me or presenting themselves as victims.

Like conservative Americans (and I am politically conservative) when they engaged in their victim plays instead of having pity for them I dismissed them as weaklings.

Man-up; do not behave like a woman. It is women who use victim role to get what they want.

In sum I have learned a lot by observing these crazy but obviously gifted people. I am grateful to them for voluntarily behaving in the odd and eccentric ways they behave thus arousing my curiosity and consequent observation of them.

By writing about their interesting malady I have helped in healing them of it. Thus, I have been useful to them.

I could have simply ignored them, overlooked their obvious paranoid behaviors and not bothering to explain to them what they are doing. But a part of me wanted to help them and did so despite their bad mouthing me.

Each of us must perform his existential task for all of us. I have d performed my chosen task for these people. As their inherited Onye Ishi Muo of Amadioha, apparently, I came to this life time to help heal them of their paranoia and in so doing help unleash their obvious talents.

When they stop alienating other people, fighting with the

world, I believe that they would become as competitive as the best of human beings. When they get rid of their self-defeating paranoid behaviors superstars of science and technology will rise from them.

At present they are wasting their mental energy pretending to be very important persons, as paranoids do. All they need to do is accept their existential nothingness, as healthy people do and then figure out what they are individually good at and commit their lives to doing it and they become real achievers, not the pseudo achievers they claim to be. *I wrote this essay in a little over one hour. I suspect that many Igbos will devote enormous time refuting my thesis instead of learning from it. What they do reminds me of what my Swami told us. An old and a young monk were trying to cross a river. They saw a smashingly good looking woman in proper dress. The old monk did not want the woman to wet her clothes so he decided to carry her across the river and did so. When they reached the other side of the river he put her down and continued on his journey.

The younger monk kept shaking his head saying: you defiled yourself by touching that woman; we are not supposed to touch women. The older man ignored him but he kept at it.

Finally, he said; I carried that woman for, may be, five minutes but you have been carrying her for over an hour now! Cheers, Dr. Ozodi Thomas Osuji, from Imo state, obtained his PhD from UCLA. ozodiosuji@gmail.com Concluded

Letter to all Nigerians from a Sierra Leonean Contd. from page 14 character, they will achieve their aims, by God’s permission. Let the brave ones among the good-doers come forward wherever they are. Let the hope of the people reflect in the willingness of the young ones to embrace reform. There is great hope for Nigeriab- and nobody should say there is no hope for Nigeria. Let it not be a cause of despondency to those sincere and diligent Nigerians that things are not going well in their beloved nation. Let them rejoice in the fact that nations with more problems than Nigeria have risen to great heights in the past. Let this awareness motivate them to start work at once. Weak minds say: “There is no hope”.

The strong and wise minds reply “We have been appointed a new office and there is a lot of work to do” Nigeria is the office of every Nigerian. Its progress should be the concern of very

worker and whoever has good intention for Nigeria has already entered his office, rather, he has already started receiving his remuneration.

Why should we shed tears when we have all the resources to avert the pains and frustration? Is it not this same Nigeria that has served as the nourishing mother of many great minds in diverse fields and endeavours of life?

I have spent what I consider to be the best of my life on earth in Nigeria. During this period, I have seen many things that signify hope for the future of Nigeria. As a student, I come across many young intelligent and morally upright Nigerians. As a neighbour, I have never encountered a situation that makes me feel like returning home; rather everyone around me has done his best to make Nigeria a home away from home for me. As a member of society, I have seen men with vision and energy to

reform Nigeria. As a friend, I have met with very kind and sincere Nigerians. As a teacher, I have seen students who have the potentials of being nation builders, if provided with the conducive environment. In brief, there is a lot of good locked within the Nigerians we see around. All they need is somebody to awaken them, somebody to tell them “yes”, you can”.

Somebody to inspire and motivate. Are you the one?

If you are the one then be patient about proving your worth? Do not let anger or frustration lead you to violence, lest you destroy the very lives you stood up to defend. Do not cry even as you feel powerless to reform the society and do good things for your people. Keep the good dream then one day you shall wipe away the tears of your people with your utility and services to them. Praise Him who made you a Nigerian,

reform yourself and be patient about bringing reform in society. Don’t let up, just go on!

It may take a long time to see the change you desire, but your efforts will never waste, even if all the circumstances point to that effect. If you can change a single Nigerian, then we can’t quantify the benefit you would have brought to the world through that change. If you can’t change anybody and find the people very obstinate in crime and corruption, then never give up.

Your good will, endurance, kindness and sacrifices are inspiring to the very people that have caused you so much pain. Also, your efforts are strong foundation for those who will tread the path of reform after you. No doubt! you did not lose anything. Rather you gained a lot and left a lot for others to gain from. So don’t give up! Continue to educate your people on what they stand to lose by not being upright

nation builders. The people are not as bad as you think they are just ignorant of the consequences of their evil actions. So educate them.

Education, not violence nor indifference or migration, is the answer. If the people are enlightened, they will learn lessons from all the war-torn countries around them. Look around Africa and see where violence led nations to. At the end somebody like me who was born and bred in Sierra Leone, in a war-torn country came to realize that war, in most cases means-Waste All Resources.

Also, you can’t run away from what you have. You run, run and run yet one day you will realize the need to run back home. Take note and ACT NOW. Amara Femoh Sesay, a Sierra Leonean foreign student in Nigeria wrote from Bayero University, Kano. femohsesay@gmail.com +2348077380646

PAGE 16

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.

FCTA warns developers against land encroachment

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Abuja farmers carpet NIMET for inaccurate forecasts S

ome farmers in the FCT yesterday, criticised the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) for its inaccurate weather forecasts and delay in releasing the 2012 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP).

Speaking with the News

Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chief Moses Gilbert, an Agricultural Scientist, blamed NIMET for not releasing its SRP in January when farmers would be able to follow up the prediction easily.

He complained that the forecast released by the agency was confusing, adding that it

was creating more problems for farmers, ``because we cannot see what they predicted happening. ``NIMET predicted in March that there would be normal rainfall across the country, meaning there would not be flooding but now in Lagos,

"The scaffolding pipes has been place since a year ago and might have collapsed as a result of the rains that have been falling since this year, which has soften the ground," he said.

A senior worker at the construction site, who pleaded anonymity said that the collapsed of the construction scaffolding pipes came as a surprise to everybody, as there were no prior signs of collapsing.

He assured that necessary action would be taken to correct what went wrong, but refused to comment on whether or not the company in charge of the building would compensate owners of the damaged cars.

Ibadan and some other parts of the country, we have experienced flooding. ``As you can see now, Abuja has not witnessed a proper rain fall since the beginning of the year; this could not allow us to go into farming because nobody knows what would happen next,'' he said.

Mr Ahame Audu, a farmer at Gwagwalada area of the FCT, said since the beginning of the year, none of the predictions of the agency on weather had come to reality.

He also accused NIMET of not communicating with farmers in the rural areas by interpreting the seasonal rainfall predictions that was released by the agency once a year in local languages that the farmers could understand.

Mrs Patricia Emabino, another farmer at Nyanya in the FCT, said there was nothing to show that the government agency cared about farmers like other stakeholders who used the weather and climate information. `` Most farmers across the country become victims of flooding and low harvest of farm crops because of wrong information or as a result of not having access to the weather information provided by the agency. ``Sometimes, even when the forecast is released, you will realise that it never comes true,'' Emabino said.

Last month, Dr Anthony Anuforom, the Director General of NIMET, during the presentation of the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, apologised for the delay in releasing the predictions.

He urged stakeholders that having been delayed for a month, the SRP would still be useful to stakeholders, especially the farmers and the aviation sector.

Anuforom had said that although the agricultural sector would mainly experience some losses, due to the excessive rainfall in 2011, there would be normal rainfall across the country within the year.

He urged stakeholders, especially farmers to make use of the predictions. (NAN)

distant future.

Responding, the Chairman of the Bwari Area Council thanked the NDE for choosing the area council for locating the multi-purpose skills acquisition centre.

He pointed out that the commencement of the Agricultural Skills training in Bwari is very apt, in view of the fact that Bwari is famously know as the food basket of the FCT. He said the NDE project will

assist to develop the area council by equipping its people with modern Agricultural skills, creating more job opportunities through multiplier effects and reduce the rate of criminality and restiveness among the youths.

The Chairman assured the NDE of the total support of the area council, promising to mobiles his people to participate totally, and the possibility of assisting the grandaunds after the training.

T

he Federal Capital T e r r i t o r y Administration (FCTA) has warned land speculators in Kafe District of the FCT against encroaching on other peoples’ lands.

Mr. Hope Thompson, a Town Planner with the Development Control Department in the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday.

He said that private developers at Kafe District, a virgin land located around Gwarimpa Estate in the FCT, had formed the “habit of not developing their property within the boundary allotted to them.

“They encroach on other peoples’ lands, public utility and flood-prone areas,’’ he said, warning that the FCTA would no longer condone the act.

“We have commenced daily monitoring and enforcement to ensure that developers follow the normal procedure to avert distortion of the Abuja Master Plan.”

Thompson said the FCTA had also started removing illegal fences erected on green lands and other people’s plots.

He said the FCTA demolished some illegal buildings and drinking joint on the road corridor at Mbora District as well as shanties and private offices made of containers that were erected on a planned bus terminal.

He said that although enough notice was given to the affected people before the demolition, most of them ignored it. (NAN)

Vehicles trapped under a collapsed scaffold near a construction site Central Area, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Collapsed scaffolding pipes damage five cars at Yobe Laison Office

By Josephine Ella

C

ars worth millions of Naira and a power cable suffered damages yesterday, when massive scaffolding pipes meant for the construction of the Yobe state Liaison Office in Abuja collapsed on the ill-fated vehicles.

Investigations revealed that the incidence which occurred at about 2.pm did not claim any life, however, five cars were damaged.

An artisan in the area, Ike Francis who described the incident as a common man made mistake, said such incident is capable of causing more damages

if not for the position of the building.

According to him, the collapse of the scaffolding pipes might be as a result of the repeated rainfalls that have taken place in Abuja, because the building scaffolding pipes had been erected for more than a year.

"As we were working close to this building, we heard a loud sound and we rushed out to find out what happened, that was when we saw that these scaffolding pipes had collapsed. But, we thank God that there were nobody climbing it to work and no lives were lost, but as you can see, it fell upon high tension cable and five vehicles have been destroyed.

NDE to train 120 in agriculture

By Josephine Ella

N

o fewer than 120 trainees are to receive training in agriculture in the newly completed National Directorate of Employment (NDE) multipurpose skills acquisitions centre located at Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), soon when it

commences operation.

This was disclosed by the FCT coordinator NDE, Engr.

Muhammad Ada Shuaibu during a courtesy visit on the Chairman of the Area Council, Hon. Yohanna Peter Ushafa.

According to him, it is only very wise to put the centre into immediate use with the collaboration of the council, being its catchment area, to

avoid vandalisation.

The Coordinator said the NDE FCT is ready to commence the Rural Agriculture Development Training Scheme (RADTS) with 120 trainees, who will be groomed in all aspects of Agriculture as a modern business and job creator.

He noted that the centre can accommodate 500 in no

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 17

A woman preparing meal in African way as recorded at Federal Housing Estate, yesterday in Lugbe, Abuja.

The owner of this Peugeot 406 loaded two mattresses on the roof of his car in order to A brick layer putting finishing touches to a building, yesterday in Utako district of Abuja. ‘save cost’ as seen along Airport road, yesterday in Abuja.

A man taking a ride behind a truck not minding the risk as was captured along Church Scavengers removing some useful materials from the debris, yesterday at Basa Village, in Abuja. Gate, yesterday in Abuja.

Photos: Joe Oroye

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

FCT Micro Finance Bank to kick-off soon in Kwali

By Josephine Ella

T

he Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration said arrangement has been concluded for the FCT Micro Finance in Kwali to commence operation in the next couple of weeks.

Speaking at the flag-off of the United Nations Industrial Development (UNIDO)/ Hewlett Packard (HP) Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs at the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) in Wuse, the Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akiajide said the bank is intended to provide financial support to young entrepreneurs in the FCT. The minister said participants of the initiative, undertaken by the AEA in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO and other partners are expected to enjoy financial services, such as loans from the micro finance bank when it commences operation.

She explained that the entrepreneurship programme is also targeted at creating opportunities for the youths to get gainfully employed and to ensure the provision of enabling environment for business growth in the territory for the benefit of the people.

"It will also encourage participants to learn and get trained under conditions that will generate ultimate productivity," she added Also speaking, the Managing Director of the AEA, Mrs Altine Jibrin said the program will train students, aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to harness the power of Information Technology to establish and grow their businesses which in turn helps to create economic opportunity and influences the lives of millions.

She added that the programme combines face to face training and on line tools to address the educational needs of students regardless of their backgrounds, locations or circumstances.

Cosmetics hawker at Karu junction, Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Traders barricade Abuja -Keffi road over market row

By Josephine Ella

T

he plight of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and people residing in settlements in the neighbouring Nasarawa state, compounded yesterday, as traders in their hundreds obstructed vehicular movement along the Mararaba - Nyanya road for several hours.

Our correspondent, gathered from a resident, Emmanuel Okere, who was among those trapped by the obstruction that traders under the auspices of Mararaba Building Material Traders Association were protesting the seal up of their market by the court, which was enforced by the police.

Chairman of the association,

Mr. Victor Cheta said that security men in the market called him at 4.30 am and informed him of the presence of the police with court officials from Mararaba who said they were at the market to enforce a court order that the traders failed to comply with.

However, contrary to this, he said the association did not get any court order even when it is in court with the owner of the land where the market is located.

Cheta revealed that the land is on lease for 17 years and had only been occupied by the traders for only 12 years when the landlord demanded for 100,000 from the 252 shop owners.

Meanwhile, Counsel to the Association, Ugochukwu Azubuike faulted the court order

arguing that it was neither signed by the Registrar nor on his behalf.

The lawyer recalled that in 1996, an association entered into a legal lease with the owner of an empty plot of land, developed it and gave out to traders for 17 years.

According to him, the traders have no business with the original land owner as they are tenants to the association who went into lease with the owner.

He said that a court of competent jurisdiction had earlier dismissed the case in favour of the traders insisting that the judgement was not appealed on when the purported court order came.

"The High court sitting in its appellate jurisdiction said that

Court issues warrant of arrest against absconding lawyer

By Josephine Ella

A

chief magistrate court in Karu has issued a warrant of arrest against one Barrister Kennedy Arinze, who absconded from court over a case of criminal conspiracy, forgery and attempt to commit

crime between him (Barrister Arinze) and the Commissioner of Police.

Barrister Arinze allegedly conspired with his colleague, one Barrister Kenneth Anakwe to apply and obtain from the Land Registry of the Abuja Geographical Information

System (AGIS), the certified true copy of the title document of a landed property of a nominal complainant with a view to reselling the land illegally.

The Chief Margistrate, Shuaibu Usman, who decried the level of involvement of some lawyers in criminal matters,

Police arraign driver, 31, for causing conductor’s death

A

31-year-old driver, Sunday Onyegbule, was yesterday arraigned before an Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court on a charge of causing the death of one Nasiru Bello, a bus conductor, through dangerous driving.

Police prosecutor Simeon

the people he brought to court had no legal relationship with the owner of the land. The battle now is that he obtained an interim order purportedly issued.

Meanwhile, the interim order has not been served when they brought the police to seal up the market," he said.

Although the traffic congestion was brought under control at about noon when soldiers arrived to remove the obstacles erected on the road by the angry traders, as at press time, the market was still under lock and key.

Meanwhile efforts to reach the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaba Police station, SUPOL Aliyu proved abortive as he was said to be engaged in a tight schedule.

Emmanuel told the court that the accused, who resides at Anguwa Tiv, Kuje, FCT, drove a Fiat truck with registration No. AT800AGL on April 6 in a dangerous manner along Obafemi Awolowo Way, Jabi Masalachi junction, Abuja.

Emmanuel said that in the

process, the accused lost control of the vehicle and ran into a Mazda bus with registration number XR885ABD driven by one Henry Ibisagba of Duste Bakuma Village, Abuja, causing the death of Bello,the conductor of the bus.

The prosecutor said the

offence contravened Section 27 of the Road Traffic Act, but the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Chief Magistrate Rahmatu Gulma ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody, and adjourned the case to May 14 for hearing. (NAN)

confirmed that the signed warrant emanated from his court and was imperative since the accused (Arinze) had failed to appear in court.

He observed that some lawyers cash in on client's naivety to indulge in illegal activities in breach of their oath as legal practitioners.

Counsel to Complainant, Barrister Steve Imokhe, explained that when the accused applied for the document, he neither obtained a police extract, newspaper publication nor a court affidavit as required by law, before the certified true copy could be issued, describing Arinze's action as "suspicious, unprofessional and a breach of due process".

BUSINESS

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Email: amunuimam@yahoo.co.uk

FAAC allocation for the month of March 2012 S/N

BENEFICIARIES

SUB-TOTAL (N)

1

FG (52.68%) States (26.72%) L/govt Councils (20.72%) Derivation (13% of Mineral revenue-oil/gas) Value Added Tax (VAT) & Transfers

By Muhammad Nasir

S

ome unions comprising the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have kicked against the allegations leveled on the NNPC by the Farouk Lawal-led Ad-hoc committee's report in the House of Representatives on the oil subsidy probe.

In a response to the allegations, the GECs stated that

Flight schedule AIR NIGERIA (MONDAY - SUNDAY) LOS-A BJ: 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 (FRI): 10.10 ABJ-SOK (WED/SUN): 11.20 SOK-ABJ (MON): 11.35 SOK-ABJ (FRI): 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-ABJ: 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

the Corporation deducted the sum of N488,255 billion in addition to the payment of N981,648 billion by the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2009,the sum of N407,801 billion, in addition to the payment of N402,423 billion by CBN in 2010 and the sum of N847,942 billion in addition to the payment of N844,944 billion by CBN for 2011 contrary to section 162 of the Constitution as amended.

In a statement signed yesterday by the Group Chairman PENGASSAN, F.O Johnson, Ag.Group Secretary PENGASSAN, M.C. Nwobodo, Group Chairman, Nupeng, Richard Otovwiewiere and Group Secretary, NUPENG, Ahmed Tijjani Sani, noted that the allegations are weighty and grievous and are capable of influencing and inciting innocent Nigerians against their members and portraying the corporation in underserved bad light.

The Group also noted that the NNPC management has already made public that it never received any such payment from the CBN, adding that the issues of figures and facts are verifiable.

However, the Group has call on the relevant agencies including the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Security Agencies to take the issue seriously and demand full disclosure of whether the said amount was ever paid, to whom and for what purpose, adding that they will leave no stone unturned until their demand for full disclosure is met.

EXCHANGE RATES

CBN CFA • £ RIYAL $

LOS -ABJ: 9.45, 11.45, 2.45 LOS-KANO: 6.15 LOS-KANO (SAT/SUN): 16.30 KANO-LOS: 07.30 KANO-LOS (SUN/SUN): 10.30

SELLING 0.3122 204.5465 250.4772 41.53 155.75

PARALLEL RATES

ABJ-LOS: 11.30, 3.45, 4.45

• £ RIYAL $

he African Banker Awards has released its shortlist of nominees for the 2012 competition. The winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony on the 30th May, which comes to Africa for the first time.

Usually held during the annual World Bank/IMF meetings, this year's event coincides with the annual African Development Bank (AfDB) meetings in Arusha, Tanzania with the bank as the Official Patron for the Awards.

With a record number of entries received for this year's competition the Bank of the Year and Banker of the Year categories both have 7 nominees competing for a trophy. Anglophone and Francophone Africa are near evenly matched in the Banker of the Year category where the shortlisted candidates are: Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Managing Director of Access Bank, Nigeria; Amadou Kane, Président Directeur Général, Banque Internationale pour le Commerce et l'Industrie du Sénégal (BICIS), Senegal; Bisi Onasanya, Group

BUYING 210 254 40 157

SELLING 212 256 42 158

NAHCO staff gets Turkish Airlines rewards for rare act of honesty

Managing Director & CEO of FirstBank of Nigeria; James Benoit, CEO & Executive Director of AfrAsia Bank, Mauritius; Olusegun Agbaje, Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Nigeria; Othman Benjelloun, Chairman and CEO of BMCE Bank Group, Morocco; and Pa Macoumba M. Njie, Managing Director of Trust Bank, The Gambia.

Nigeria and South Africa compete neck and neck in the highly anticipated Bank of the Year category with Access Bank, FirstBank of Nigeria, Standard Bank Group, and Standard Chartered in the running; however they face stiff competition from heavyweights Equity Bank, Kenya; Attijariwafa Bank, Morocco; and Ecobank (ETI), Togo.

However, it is East Africa that dominates the anthropological Financial Inclusion category with the line-up comprising Banque Rwandaise de Développement (BRD), Rwanda; BRAC Tanzania; Equity Bank, Kenya; Banque Populaire, Morocco; and Trust Merchant Bank SARL, DR Congo.

The Best Retail Bank category

makes its debut this year with the first-time nominee Coris Bank International, Burkina Faso going up against the previously shortlisted candidates Diamond Bank, Nigeria, Millennium BIM, Mozambique, Banque Populaire, Morocco, and the National Bank of Egypt.

Commenting on this year's entries Publisher of African Banker magazine, Omar Ben Yedder said: "We are excited to recognise and celebrate these African champions in Arusha during the AfDB annual meetings. The entries have become stronger year on year, and the committee is impressed by the role financial institutions are playing in driving growth, especially the increasing number of big ticket deals and also smaller ones, creating a blueprint for others to replicate."

The African Banker Awards are organised by African Banker magazine, IC Events and BusinessinAfrica Events. It is a landmark event that brings together over 300 key industry players and top government officials from Africa and around the world to celebrate excellence and best practices in African banking and finance.

L-R: Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Roberto Colamine; Group Managing Director/CEO , UBA Plc, Mr. Philip Oduoza; General Manager, Corporate Finance and Control ,Nigeria Agip oil Company (NAOC), Stefano Pujatti ; and Group Managing Director, NAOC, Mr. Ciro Pujatti , during a Send – forth dinner party Organized by UBA in honour of Mr. Stefano Pujatti in Abuja recently.

Management Tip of the Day

23th Apr, 2012 BUYING 0.2922 203.2332 248.869 41.2634 154.75

- Pg 20

Agbaje, Aig-Imoukhuede,Bisi Onasanya, others shortlisted for African Banker Awards 2012

T

Unions rejects allegations against NNPC

INSIDE

Mob: 08033644990

By Aminu Imam

613.7 billion

PAGE 19

S

Even high performers need feedback

ome managers assume their star employees don't need feedback. They're clearly doing a good job and they don't need to improve, right?

Wrong.

Even your top performers need input to stay engaged, focused, and motivated. Frequently give your

stars both positive and negative feedback. Tell them how much you appreciate their good work.

Identify and share development areas, even if there are only a few. Talk with your stars about how they might achieve the next level of performance. And, don't miss

the opportunity to solicit input on how you are doing as a manager.

Ask questions such as "How can I help you improve?" or "What can our organisation do to support your great work?"

Source: Harvard Business Review

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 20

COMPANY NEWS

NAHCO staff gets Turkish Airlines rewards for rare act of honesty

FG to build two emergency power plants in Lagos

N

T

he Federal Government on Monday said it would build two emergency power plants in Lagos to ensure adequate power supply in the state.

President Goodluck Jonathan said this at the opening of the 6th Lagos Economic Summit tagged, “Ehingbeti 2012”.

Ghana expects to make $160bn revenue from gas yearly

G

hana is estimated to rake in $1 billion (about N160bn) in revenue a year from the gas industry, an amount that can enable the country repay the three billiondollar Chinese loan facility from the Chinese Development Bank. Vice president John Dramani Mahama made the disclosure at the weekend at the just-ended Third Ghana Policy Fair.

Nigerian wireless communications expo holds in Abuja

F

or the first time ever, the Nigerian Wireless Communications industry will gather to share cutting edge technology and knowledge with global industry leaders such as Motorola and America International Radio. Tagged Nigerian Wireless Communications Expo, the two day event holds the 5th & 6th of June 2012 at the Shehu Musa Yar ‘Adua Centre, Abuja.

HP affirms IP as ‘Secret Ingredient’ to Economic Growth

H

P recently held a roundtable discussion where they laid emphasis on the vital role of intellectual property (IP) as a catalyst for economic, social and cultural prosperity.

Associated Discount House repositions through revenue diversification

A

ssociated Discount House Limited (ADH) has announced a Profit before Tax of N766million for 2011 financial year representing an improved performance of 571 percent over the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

L-R; Managing Director, Turkish Airlines, Mr. Ali Bulut presenting a gift to Mr. Lateef Salami Ibrahim of NAHCO in his office for his rare act of honesty.

Expert chides FG over fare hike, says infrastructure is key to industry

A

s the 30 days deadline given to two British airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantics to reduce their air fare for passengers in Nigeria expires today, a travel agent expert has described the action as needless saying the government should rather concentrate on building needed infrastructure instead of meddling into private investment of operators.

Speaking in Lagos during the firm 3rd Annual General Meeting, Chairman of Sabre Travel Network, Mr. Anthony Kila affirmed that government cannot dictate to people how to run their private business. adding that rather than trying to force the operators to reduce their fares, the government should investigate why Nigerian airlines are not flying.

He said “The Federal Government should mind their business; they should build roads,

fix electricity and not tamper into private business. If they want Nigerian Airlines to fly, what they should do is not to force people to lower their price. They should go and study why Nigerian airlines cannot fly and remove those problems.

He asserts that “they should reduce the interest rate; why business cannot operate in the system? They should ensure safety, and if you look at the structural issues affecting the airlines, it is a fault problem, wrong economics and ridiculous politics for them to be doing what they are trying to do.”

Mr. Kila pointed out that the probe by the senate committee on aviation on high fare being charged by BA and VAA is wrongly misplaced and charged that the committee should be dealing with the airlines economic fare that affect majority of Nigerians instead of harping on premium fare.

“If you look at data, the problem of fare they are talking about is premium fare, not economics fare. The fares of those airlines are cheaper in economy, compared to Ghana. It just shows their own incompetence with people dealing with things that they have not checked with.”

“Economic fares is cheaper in Nigeria, premium fares is more expensive, so we have a House of Assembly and our politicians troubling themselves on premium fares when majority of Nigerians actually fly economy.

Are they thinking of majority of Nigerians or they are thinking of themselves?” Kila queried.

On the proposed Fly Nigerian Act, he reiterated that the government cannot force people to fly a particular airline positing that travellers’ preference for a particular airline is based on the reliability, timeliness, safety and good customer service of the airline.

othing could have come better for an act of honesty and patriotism for a staff of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), Mr. Salami Lateef Ibrahim, as Turkish Airlines rewarded him with an all expensive paid returned tickets to Istanbul, Turkey for his humble act of submitting the sum of 25,000 pounds and 5,000 euro he found inside an aircraft at the international wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos.

Ibrahim, who is a cabin cleaning team leader, found the wallet containing the amount during a routine cleaning of an aircraft belonging to a different airline.

The Managing Director of the airline in Nigeria, Mr. Ali Bulut, said that Mr. Ibrahim deserves it for his honesty saying “this is an act that should be rewarded and encouraged because it is good for aviation industry in Nigeria” adding that even though the incident did not take place on Turkish Airlines’ aircraft, we are happy that it happened at least in the industry.

The NAHCO staff who was initially rewarded with a rebate ticket by the Turkish Airlines Station Manager at the airport, Mr. Ovunc Bilgen had the ticket upgraded to a full return ticket by the Managing Director of the airline in Nigeria, Mr. Ali Bulut.

Ibrahim told reporters that “where I come from, good behavior is rewarded even if it is not directly to you; when I found the wallet inside the aircraft while cleaning it, I submitted it to security and airline personnel and the passenger came to collect the wallet in my presence. I want to thank Turkish Airlines for rewarding me on this. I thank them’.

It was also discovered that the same act happened in September

Experts project 20, 000 jobs from proposed new national carrier Stories from Suleiman Idris, Lagos

E

xperts in the aviation industry has posited that the country will generate about 19, 500 jobs from direct and supportive industries if the proposed National Flag Carrier is established with a sum of N985 billion.

A group of professionals led by an aeronautic engineer and Managing Director of AirGold Aviation, Engr Ifeanyi Okocha said in Lagos that a feasibility study carried out by the group showed that it will require the amount to come upstream will soon be submitted to the president Goodluck Jonathan.

Okocha explained that when the carrier is established,it will be called ‘Nigeria Airlines’ affirming that the proposed carrier by the

group will not be managed by civil servants with civil service structure, but professionally by professionals.

The aeronautic expert reiterated that the service structure was responsible for the defunct liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL).

“If Nigeria Airways Limited was managed professionally; the national carrier would still be operating till today. But it was run in a civil service manner” he said Also, he said the time NAL was liquidated, the national carrier had four large maintenance departments, which according to him should have been converted to Maintenance Overhaul and Repair (MRO) facilities.

Regrettably he lamented that they have closed down, thereby denying the Federal Government

the opportunity of generating revenue, adding that today, if the conversion was done, airlines in Nigeria and other international airlines would have been doing their C and D checks in the country.

According to him, out of the 19,500 jobs on offer from the airline, 16,000 will be graduates.

8,000 will be aviation professionals, 2,960 will be junior staff, the management staff will be made up of 400 personnel and 20 top management staff and 120 expatriates.

The proposed national flag carrier will commence flight operations with 48 airplanes and will introduce an aeronautic industrial section 12 months after it commenced operations with another 10, 000.

Okocha said that the group is

relying on the Federal Government to fund the project which will be in form of loans, while it directs the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to supervise the project.

“What the Federal Government needed to do is to invite the Minister of Aviation, Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor to take look at the project. We will pay back within 10 years period and within three years of commencing operations, the carrier will be taken to the Nigeria Stock Exchange” He said the group will bring in aircraft manufacturing bases to be located in Ibadan, Kaduna and Abuja, positing that Lagos has become congested and therefore would be constrained to provide the large expanse of land required for the project.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 21

Stakeholders brainstorm on giving hotels a Nigerian identity

By Miriam Humbe

W

ith the happenings in the tourism sector aimed at further boosting it with the the wind of transformation blowing it, going by the attention being given it by the various stakeholders, Nigeria may soon achieve her dream of taking her rightful place on the global map as a tourist destination of choice. This is thanks to the invigorating efforts of the Segun Runsewe-led Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC. The Director-General of the NTDC, Otunba Runsewe at an event in Abuja yesterday hosted stakeholders in the hospitality industry. They were the members of Hotel Owners Forum, Association, HOFA, Abuja. It was time to formally present to them the StarTimes decoders for onward installation at their hotels with six months subscription all for free, at the expense of the NTDC. The essence of the gesture was to make the tourism potentials of the country known to the whole world.

The NTDC, in partnership with the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, is set to air a ''Tourism Hour'' on its network where vital issues affecting tourism development in Nigeria such as vacancy placements, national security and other topics as well as contemporary issues will be discussed.

Runsewe announced that the decoders would be made available to operators of the Nigerian-based hospitality outfits like Hotels, Eateries, Parks and Travel agencies in all the 36 states of the federation and Abuja and added that he was interested in seeing the industry grow.

In order to add value to the services rendered in the hospitality industry, Runsewe announced soothing measures aimed at strengthening the sector which included the very important issue of security.

According to him, the NTDC was working at introducing a machine with a biometricdata of all staff of hotels across the country. This would check the issue of theft and other criminal tendencies in hotels while giving visitors an assurance of safety of their lives and property.

The NTDC also announced plans to make available the airconditioned buses available in their fleet at anytime to be used to transport tourists from their hotels to tourist sites and also offer free consultancy services to operators. Front desk staffs of hotels are to be made to dress Nigerian as the NTDC plans to

Taraba state Governor, Danbaba Suntai

Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, Otunba Segun Runsewe presenting a StarTimes decoder to Engineer Onofiok Ekong, President (HOFA) which will be distributed nation-wide to all duly registered hospitality outfits in an event in Abuja yesterday. provide them locally made fabrics. This is aimed at giving our hotels a Nigerian identity.

Star Times television sets with in-built decoders at subsidised rates are to be placed in most Nigerian hotels. The DG disclosed that having concluded discussions with the NTA, the TV sets are to be made available to hotels, eateries and gardens who will pay a few thousands less than the normal price obtainable in the market.

President of the Hotel Owners Forum Abuja, Engineer Onofiok Ekong, while speaking on behalf of his colleagues in the industry, said the hospitality industry was the highest employer of labour in Abuja and by extension, nationwide and called on other agencies of government to emulate the NTDC as according to him, there was the need for all to work together to move this country forward.

In Taraba state, the 2012 annual Nwonye fishing festival, which has turned Taraba a new haven of tourism for both local and international visitors came to an end during the weekend. The biggest catch of 280kg was made by Hudu Yakubu with two runners-up in this year's festival, which attracted so much attention and expectedly, launched a bigger drive to the state's economy, finance, hotels and

From right: Oba of Yoruba in Abuja, Oba Olusegun Salau presenting a certificate of Balogun Yoruba Of Abuja chieftancy title to Otunba Segun Runsewe, DG( NTDC). Collecting it on his behalf is Deputy Director of Press, Mr. Akin Onipede during the Yoruba Day celebration recently held in Abuja.

totality.

Virtually all hotels in Wukari and its environs around Zaki Biam were fully booked by guests ahead of the Nwonyo fishing festival even as security was beefed up in the state to safeguard lives and property. Governor of Taraba state, Danbaba Suntai promised to build an International Airport to provide the necessary air travel access to Nwonyo.

With the active involvement of the NTDC way back in 2009, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe promised to partner the Taraba State government to develop not only Nwonyo festival but also other abundant tourism potentials in the state. Since then, Nwonyo became a big event of international reckoning with the collaborative efforts of the state's Tourism Board.

Meanwhile, the efforts of the DG at repositioning the tourism sector have continued to receive due recognition in all quarters. Only recently, the first class Chief of Idoma land, The O'chi Idoma, His Royal Highness, Agaba-Idu Alias Ikoyi Obekpa bestowed on Runsewe, the exceptional Chieftaincy title of "Odejo of Aagboko" during the 2012 annual Aagboko Day Festival held in Otukpo.

In the same vein, Oba of Yoruba in Abuja, Oba Olusegun Salau presented the certificate of Balogun Yoruba of Abuja chieftaincy title to Otunba Segun Runsewe, which was received on his behalf by the Deputy Director, Press, Mr. Akin Onipede during the Yoruba Day celebration held in Abuja.

The collaborative efforts, it is hoped, will yield the desired results in good time so as to diversify the nation's economy.

This is calling on all Nigerians within and outside the sector to give their utmost contributions to the tourism sector to ensure its growth.

PAGE 22

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Gas to Power: 500 million metric feeds of gas to be delivered to NIPP soon–Alison-Madueke

By Muhammad Nasir

T

he 12-month Gas-to Power Emergency Supply Plan announced last week by the Minister of Petroleum Resources is expected to start yielding results in the next few weeks as 500m metric feeds (mcf/d) of gas will be made available to the Nigerian Independent Power Plant, NIPP, to generate about 2000MW of electricity.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani AlisonMadueke, made this disclosure on Monday at a press briefing in Abuja where she explained that the emergency plan was

the first concerted effort to address the absence of alignment between the NIPP’s and the necessary gas supply to power them since 2005 when they were conceptualized.

Throwing more light on the 500mmcf/d of gas to be made available to NIPP, AlisonMadueke said that 180mmcf/ d of gas will come from Escravos, Utorogu, Ughelli and Oredo. ”Ongoing activities such as the laying of the Olorunshogo pipeline, the completion of the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System A and the completion of

Germany partners Lagos on waste conversion From Bimbo Ogunnaike, Lagos

L

agos state government and the Federal Republic of Germany are to collaborate in developing institution on waste management aimed at achieving a sustainable mutual development.

The state Commissioner for the Environment Mr. Tunji Bello, made this disclosure yesterday at the flag- off of a four Day workshop on the Theory of Constraints, TOC for Lagos State characterization study, at Ikeja, the state capital.

The workshop was sponsored by the state government in conjunction with Messrs AT Association, a consultant to German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, under IGNIS,( income generation and climate protection by valorisation of municipal solid wastes in a sustainable way in future megacities).

Bello, who noted that the state government had successfully implemented some core areas of waste management hierarchy which include storage, collection/evacuation and transportation, said that the last component which is treatment and disposal of waste management programme in its move to improve service delivery had been left undone albeit in a sustainable manner.

Bello, who was represented

by Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Titi Anibaba, explained that in realisation of rehabilitation of existing dumpsites, transfer loading stations and development of two numbers of sanitary landfill sites in Epe and Badagry areas of the state, the state government had gone ahead to initiate and implement waste to wealth programme with the goal of achieving the hidden value of waste as a resource, such as energy, compost, biogas, ethanol among others.

His words: “It is pertinent to state that ever since the commencement of the process towards achieving this

initiative, the constituent/ composition of municipal solid wastes that is peculiar to Lagos has always been a contemporary issue by proponents of various proposed projects towards executing a detailed project feasibility studies even through efforts which has been expended by the ministry and Lagos State waste Management Agency, LAWMA, is not enough and there is need to do more.

“It is pertinent that understanding the characteristics of waste is fundamental to selecting, designing and implementing management solutions in the waste management industry.

Towards achieving this, the ministry in collaboration with Germany under IGNIS have agreed to kick start the waste charaterization study through TOC.” According to the commissioner, the workshop is expected to impart on participants on how best to ascertain whether wastes are being stored, collected, disposed or handled in accordance with the regulations; minimization or reuse of certain waste materials; and whether disposal or constructive use options can reduce costs liability.

“The success of this workshop is a sure gateway to many collaborative efforts between Lagos state Government and the Federal republic of Germany through the institution of a bilateral relationship that will definitely improve delivery of all our service delivery of all our service provider in the waste management sector.” the commissioner stated.

In his brief address, Mr Barry Urban, representative of German AT association, said Germany has been collaborating with the state government for the past 10 years in the area of exchange programmes on capacity building and “Germany is ready to further improve on the collaboration in the area of waste management.”

the NIPP pipeline around Oredo are key elements of this addition. These projects are all in advanced stages and should be completed within the next few weeks,” she explained.

Apart from the 180mmcf/d of gas to be delivered in the next few weeks to the NIPP, AlisonMadueke said the balance of 320mmcf/d (equivalent of 1300MW) will be delivered over the next 12 months.

“As you know, new plants are continually coming on stream. In addition to the 180mmcf/d above, a further 320mmcf/d will be delivered and deployed to these plants over the next 12 months,” she said.

To meet the target, she said the emergency plan will leverage on the excess processing capacity in PanOcean to process gas that

will be rerouted from Oredo by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC ; access additional gas at Escravos, and expand the Utorogu Hub, adding that “with these interventions new plants at Ihovor, Omotosho and Geregu NIPP’s will receive significant boost in gas supply”.

The minister said she has directed the contractor handling the ELPS Phase 2 to immediately deploy additional resources to accelerate the expansion of the pipeline from Oben to Lagos and to deploy pragmatic contracting strategy to enable expedited procurement of critical items like line pipes.

She said the critical intervention would require additional funding which is being sourced through government’s public/private

partnership funding initiative.

Earlier in the day, the minister and her counterpart in the Ministry of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, had constituted an 11-man made up of officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and Ministry Power to align the NIPP’s with gas supply.

Members of the committee include Toyin Olagunju, Sa’idu Mohammed, Edwin Udezi, Tolu Lukanbi, O. Ajisafe and S.A. Babalola (all from the Petroleum Resources Ministry).

Others are Engrs. Dagogo Jack, Clement Oke, Simeon Adakulu, Chike Madueke and Luis Edozien (all from the Ministry of Power).

It would be recalled that last week, Mrs Alison-Madueke announced a 12-month gas emergency plan to address the challenge of gas supply to power plants.

L-R: Edo state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Adewunmi Adesina, during a one-day Agribusiness and Investment Summit organised by the Edo state Government, on Monday in Benin City.

Wal-Mart Stores hit by N3.84bn bribery scandal

By Aminu Imam with agency report

S

hares of Wal-Mart Stores, the world’s largest retailer, fell on Monday in response to a New York Times report alleging the company covered up a whistle-blower’s complaints of widespread bribery involving $24 million (about N3,840 billion) at its Mexican subsidiary.

The stock, which had gained 4.5% this year, was down almost 5% by noon and will no doubt fall further as more information emerges over the next few days.

It could be recalled that Siemens AG was fined $800 million in 2008 after investigators uncovered evidence that the German conglomerate paid about $1.4 billion in bribes to foreign governments over a decade.

That was the largest fine of its kind ever paid. A year later, Kellogg Brown & Root and its former corporate parent, Halliburton pleaded guilty to charges of paying $182 million in bribes to officials in Nigeria.

Kellogg Brown & Root agreed to a $402 million fine.

And BAE Systems, the U.K.

defense contractor, was fined $400 million after investigators found the company made “false statements about its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance program.”

If the money involved in the Wal-Mart case proves to be more than reported so far, the company, which has more than $6 billion in cash on its books, could still write a check to the government to pay a fine without breaking a sweat.

However, it will take more than just money to repair WalMart’s tattered reputation.

(Source: MSN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Emerging security challenges and Gombe state’s development

By Iliya Habila

S

ince its creation over 15 years ago, Gombe state has been a peaceful state with a lot of commercial activities undertaken by the residents.

Apart from the agricultural activities of the people of the state, many of the residents are also involved in commerce and trade.

Due to its serene atmosphere, Gombe State once stood out as a choice state to visit in the entire NorthEast geopolitical zone of the country.

However, concerned observers note that negative security situation in neighbouring Borno and Yobe States in the past three years, has had some snowball-effects on living in Gombe.

The observers are quick to point out that the comparative peace and order in Gombe state, perhaps, informed the decision of the Court of Appeal in Jos to temporarily relocate its operations to Gombe in 2011 because of the grave security situation in Jos. However, the current security situation in Gombe State has now turned out to be a serious source of concern,

particularly when a devastating attack was launched on the Divisional Police Headquarters in Gombe on Feb. 24, killing 13 persons, including policemen.

Several others were also wounded.

The attack apparently negated the claims of the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Orubebe Ghandi, now an AIG, that Gombe State was largely peaceful, with only little violent crimes.

“Most of the crimes here are those that have to do with land disputes, perennial encroachment on grazing lands, incidences of car thefts, activities of political thugs known as ‘Kalare Boys’,’’ Ghandi once told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly before the attack.

He, nonetheless, conceded that the emerging security challenge related to some threats of attack, allegedly issued by the Boko Haram sect, adding that the threats were giving the police a cause for concern.

Prior to the Feb. 24 attack, some assailants, believed to be members of the Boko Haram group, on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011, launched a pre-dawn bomb attack on the 34 th Mobile Police Force Base in

Kwami, few kilometres away from the Gombe metropolis.

Four persons were killed, while about 15 vehicles were destroyed in the attack which razed a building in the police compound.

Observers note that the bombing incident turned out to be a precursor of similar attacks, as peace has since remained elusive in Gombe State, which was once reputed for its remarkable tranquility.

In December 2011, some faceless assailants attacked Tumfure Resort, a hotel the suburb of Gombe, with guns and explosives and wounded 15 persons.

Shortly after the incident, another group of attackers stormed Jubilee Hotel in the Sabon Layi neighbourhood of Gombe city and shot two men to death.

Some days after, some gunmen also shot two persons in Horizontal Hotel in the BCG area of the city.

However, one chilling turning point in the growing violence was last year’s shooting of worshippers at Deeper Life Bible Church, Gombe, in which seven persons, including the pastor’s wife, were slain.

Besides, a pastor of the Baptist Church in Bajoga,

Suspected Boko Haram sect members arrested by SSS over the 60 unexploded bombs

The 60 unexploded cans of bombs recovered in Gombe recently

Funakaye Local Government Area of the state, was also murdered in cold blood by some unknown assassins.

All the same, the Feb. 24 attack on the Divisional Police Headquarters in Gombe was adjudged by observers to be the most devastating one, sending chills down the spines of the residents and compelling the government to impose a curfew on the city that fateful night.

In a broadcast to the people of the state, Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo, condemned the attack in strong terms and described it as strange in the state.

“It was a strange incident, we have never expected this kind of incident in Gombe State but it has happened. But as believers, we know things happen and they happen, as ordained by God,’’ the governor said, as he tried to calm the people’s nerves.

“The situation is now under control; we have deployed more men and resources to restore normalcy throughout the state,’’ he

added.

To confront the growing problem of insecurity in the state, Dankwambo set up a 13-member committee to investigate the causes of the attack and proffer recommendations.

Inaugurating the committee, chaired by Alhaji Usman Faruk, the former governor of the defunct North-Western State, Dankwambo assured the people of his government’s readiness to safeguard their security.

“Although the nation is grappling with various forms of security challenges, especially in the North-East region, it is the responsibility of governments, at all levels, to ensure the security of lives and property of the citizens.

“We shall certainly, not shy away from this responsibility,’’ he stressed.

However, observers maintain that the growing menace of insecurity in Gombe state will definitely affect the hitherto vibrant commercial and socio-

economic activities in the state.

For instance, Dr Saleh Omar of the Gombe state University stressed that the current security situation in the state would consequently mar its robust socio-economic activities, akin to what happened to neighbouring states that had witnessed similar challenges.

Omar, who commended the government’s efforts to tackle the problem, nonetheless, called for the scrutiny of all the issues

behind the crisis in a holistic and pragmatic way.

He opined that the underlying factors could include hunger, poverty, unemployment and inequality; as such issues were usually the raison d’être behind people’s violent acts.

“Commercial activities will definitely be affected and this will ultimately affect the socio-economic development of the state and the country at large,’’ he said.

“

Although the nation is grappling with various forms of security challenges, especially in the North-East region, it is the responsibility of governments, at all levels, to ensure the security of lives and property of the citizens

Sharing similar sentiments, Dr Esrom Jokthan, the Dean of Faculty of Education of Gombe state University, stressed that the current insecurity problems in the state, which led to the imposition of a curfew, had been affecting the socioeconomic life of the people, particularly those on the university’s campus.

He stressed that the crisis had seriously affected the students and lecturers, who have had to forgo certain lectures because of the security situation, while businessmen and women were also seriously affected by the restrictions slammed on the people’s movement.

Alhaji Haruna Yakubu, the Emir of Pindiga, who stressed the need to promote peaceful coexistence among adherents of different faiths, implored the people to eschew any evil acts, while following the teachings of their religions.

The emir, who noted that no religion preached violence, admonished the people to

always ensure peace and harmony within the society, so as to enable them to carry out their socio-economic activities without any constraints.

Yakubu particularly noted that revenue generation activities and business in the state could never thrive under a chaotic atmosphere, fuelled by a curfew, thereby causing negative implications for the state’s economy.

Rev. Abare Kalla, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Gombe state, also bemoaned the situation, in which the tranquil nature of the state had been marred by the violent attacks.

He, however, called on Muslims and Christians to promote a peaceful coexistence, while praying for God’s intervention and protection.

“Muslim and Christian clerics should emphasise peaceful coexistence because the two religions underscore it; so, we need to abide by the fundamental bases on which our faiths are found,’’ he said.

Kalla stressed that even though the curfew imposed on the Gombe metropolis had been having some negative effects on the state’s development, the measure was, nonetheless, imperative in efforts to ensure peace and protect the people’s lives and property.

On his part, Alhaji Sale Danburam, the SecretaryGeneral of the Jama’atul Nasirl Islam (JNI), urged Muslims and Christians to fervently pray for God’s intervention, stressing that God’s protection was absolutely indispensable.

He also implored the leaders to be just in the treatment of the people, saying: “Whatever we do, we ought to do it right; we should always treat people fairly, irrespective of their religious, ethnic or political inclinations.’’

Danburam, nonetheless, urged the authorities to punish those fomenting trouble and reward the good citizens.

A political chieftain, Alhaji Baba Magayaki, advised the people of the state

to remain united, while rejecting efforts by unscrupulous elements to set them against each other.

However, the security situation and the curfew in Gombe state have been taking their toll on business transactions in the state, and its capital in particular.

Mr Friday Njoku, a building materials dealer in the New Market, Gombe, lamented that he was unable to get supplies for days as a result of the menacing problem of insecurity in the state.

He noted that the curfew slammed on the Gombe metropolis had seriously affected many businesses, calling on the government to find lasting solutions to the crisis.

Malam Haruna Tahir, a welder, recalled that he lost a N250,000-job at the peak of the crisis period “because my customers, who were in a hurry to get the job, took the job to another place’’.

Students are not left of the scenario, as they also have some tales to tell.

Mr Meshach Malgwi, a 300-Level student of Gombe state University, said that the insecurity problems of the state had negatively affected

the university’s lectures’ schedule and the students’ study periods.

“The curfew in Gombe had made many students to miss their lectures,’’ he said, adding that it had also affected virtually all the peoples’ socio-economic spheres of life.

Also speaking, Miss Blessing Chidi-Ebere, a student of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe, said that on many occasions, the students had to trek home after lectures since commercial motorcyclists usually rushed home nowadays to beat the curfew.

Analysts agree that the breakdown of peace and security in Gombe has significantly affected socioeconomic activities in the state and they call on all the stakeholders to make concerted efforts to restore peace.

They also advise the federal and state governments to initiate more security measures to tackle the growing menace of violence across Gombe state, while devising plausible strategies to promote the state’s peace and development.

(NAN Features)

Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Iconic British MGB sports car reborn for the 21st century

The modern-day take on the classic British sports car is expected to be launched in 2014

T

he iconic British MGB sports car that brought affordable sports car motoring to the masses is to be reborn in the 21st century - designed by Britons but built in China.

The new MG Icon was unveiled as one of the undoubted stars of the Beijing Motor Show and is a modern take on a much loved classic which is still seen widely on the road today.

It was unveiled by the MG company which is now part of the giant Shanghai Automotive industry

painted as a patriotic Union Flag in red white and blue.

There were even photographs of Spitfires on the walls.

Insiders say the car is likely to go on sale around 2014 at a price of around £16,000. Although it will be manufactured in China, it is possible that some could be sent to the UK in kit form for final assembly at MG's Longbridge factory in Birmingham.

The MG Icon project's chief designer, Birmingham born Steve Harper, 53, who started as an Austin

Mr Williams-Kenny, who studied automotive design at Coventry University and worked himself for seven years for the MG Rover group at Longbridge, added: 'Since we took the covers off we've had so many people from around the world come

Victoria Beckham’s signature Range Rover Evoque for $129,000

F

or the Beijing Motor Show, Land Rover enlisted pop culture personality Victoria Beckham to spice up its life with the Range Rover Evoque Special Edition, an Evoque reworked bumper to bumper. Think of it as an expensive way to never give up

Corporation (SAIC) which also owns Rover following the collapse of MG Rover under the controversial stewardship of the 'Phoenix Four' led

by John Towers.

Its British design team said they had taken cues from the original MGB to create a modern take on the sports car. Although the show model is a coupe, a soft-top roadster is also set to follow.

But the Chinese love of British sports cars carried through to the MG stand itself which proudly bore the company badge.

Alongside mini-skirted Chinese girls were references to 'Morris Garage' from which the letters are said to derive, pictures of the company's founder Cecil Kimber and a giant map of the United Kingdom

Rover apprentice and also worked on the MG Metro and MGF sports car during his 35 year career, said: 'MG in China is seen as a young person's brand. It's also a global brand.

'We didn't want to create a retro car. But we wanted to show how the MGB would have developed had its production not been ended in 1980.

It's sporty, small but practical.

'There are two seats in the back if you need to take the kids. We're showing a coupe. But why not a roadster?'

And Anthony Williams-Kenny, 37, who is global director of design for all of the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) said: 'We set out to create a modern car, not a retro car.

Southampton-born father of two

up to us and say "we used to have an MGB". It's struck a chord', he said.

The original MGB was launched as a soft-top roadster in 1962, with a fixed-head coupe following three years later in 1965.

It was built until October 1980 at

MG's factory at Abingdon in under the umbrella of MG, the British Motor Corporation and its successors, British Motor Holdings and British Leyland Motor Corporation. More than half a million were built altogether over the 18 year lifespan, of which more than 125,000 are the hard-topped MGB GT coupes.

Work on a successor for the MGB had been undertaken as long ago as 1968, but British Leyland had pulled the plug on that project by the end of 1970.

When the Abingdon factory finally closed in the autumn of 1980, British Leyland did not replace it. But second hand versions of both the GT and Roaster versions of the MGB continue to provide affordable sporty motoring for many and sell for between £1,500 and more than £9,000 depending on condition.

MG cars were the creation of Cecil Kimber, general manager of Morris Garages in Oxford, who, in 1923, fitted special sports bodies onto standard Morris chassis.

After years as part of British Leyland and its many incarnations, it has undergone a tumultuous few years - having been sold to Germany's BMW; who then offloaded it with the blessing of the last Labour Government' to the infamous 'Phoenix Four' directors led by John Towers, before it went bust, sparking a major scandal inquiry.

It was then snapped up for a song by the Chinese and is now owned by the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) which also owns Rover, which it has renamed 'Roewe' for the Chinese market, and runs the MG factory at Longbridge in Birmingham which assembles some cars such as the MG6 from kits supplied from China.

on the good times.

Beckham's first 18-month tour as a wannabe auto designer includes giving the Evoque mattegray paint, mohair floor mats (inspired by her mama) and naked baseball-stitched leather in a nod to husband David Beckham, who

doesn't play baseball. The results are something kinda funny, a celebrity-styled SUV that's not just for Saturday night divas.

Range Rover will start selling the posh Evoque in China later this year at a starting price of about $129,000.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 27

Subsidy probe: Culprits must not go unpunished – Committee (IV)

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Faruk Lawan 31. Payments for PMS with effect from the second quarter of 2012 should be based on certified truck outs at depots confirmed at the retail outlets and no longer on discharges from vessels into tank farms. Consumption should be defined in a way to exclude what is imported but only what is put in the tank.

32. The markets of opportunity situated within Nigerian territorial waters which are designated “offshore Cotonou” or “offshore Lome” to qualify for FOREX payment and to evade payment of appropriate levies, dues and taxes to the Nigerian government should be discontinued forthwith.

33. A Marine Transportation System should be put in place that is safe, secure, reliable, cost effective and efficient to reduce the present high cost of doing business in Nigeria.

34. Any importation without permit or where the difference is above approved quota should not be entitled to any amount on the Template.

35. It is strongly recommended that Marketers without storage facilities and retail outlets should be excluded from participating in the PFS Scheme as this will end the bazaar that constituted a serious drain on the nation’s economy and created room for abuses.

36. The services of the accounting firm of Akintola Williams, Deloitte and Olusola Adekanola & Partners should be discontinued with immediate effect for professional incompetence on this particular assignment.

37. In view of the above the 2 firms should be blacklisted from being engaged by any Federal Ministry, Department or Agency (MDA’s) for a period of three years.

38. This Ad-Hoc Committee shall in its monitoring stage

Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke conduct extensive and thorough investigation into the operations of the PEF(MB) in order to ascertain the management of the bridging funds under the subsidy regime.

39. Penalties should also be indicated for non-compliance and promptly imposed to ensure the smooth operation of the Scheme.

40. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) should be encouraged within a time frame to improve on the draught level of the Nigerian waters to encourage the berthing of ALL types of vessels so as to eliminate the present ship-toship (STS) transfers by importers of petroleum products.

41. All those in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Office of the Director-General Budget, and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation involved in the extra budgetary expenditure under the PSF Scheme (2009-2011) should be sanctioned in accordance with the Civil Service Rules and the Code of Conduct Bureau.

42.

The payment of N999,000,000 in 128times within 24hrs (12th& 13th January, 2009) by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation should be further investigated by relevant Anti-Corruption Agencies.

43. The National Assembly should enact an Act to criminalise extra budgetary expenditure.

44. CBN and the Federal Ministry of Finance should critically examine and review the policy guiding payment for importation of petroleum products to avoid the current fraudulent system that allows importers to bring in products from off-shore “Lome” or “Cotonou” to qualify for forex payments.

45. The Committee notes that several alarms were raised by the CBN on the escalation of subsidy figures but these early warning

Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mr. Austen Oniwon

signals were ignored by relevant agencies. The Committee wishes to encourage whistle -blowing by regulatory agencies on threats to the economy with the hope that proactive measures could be taken.

46.

The Committee recommends that the PPMC Management be overhauled. In furtherance to above recommendations of the committee, institutional mechanisms be urgently developed to ensure the monitoring of actual delivery of kerosene to the Nigerian masses.

47. The PPMC should deploy modern state-of-the-art devices to protect its facilities and pipelines to eliminate wastages arising from vandalism. In the short-term however, PPMC should establish a surveillance system which should incorporate Communityprotection and using part of the bridging funds on the PSF Template to finance this.

48. All the extant circulars preventing the Nigeria Customs Service from carrying out its statutory functions be immediately withdrawn by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Finance.

49.

The Committee recommends that NNPC takes immediate action to pay the N46billion owed the Nigeria Customs Service and the N6billion owed to the Nigeria Ports Authority 50. The failure of NPA to provide this Committee the vital vessel data particularly the IMO numbers is an indication that either NPA has a very poor record keeping system or that it was a deliberate ploy to cover up the collusion between its officials and importers. We recommend an investigation into the operations and activities of this Authority.

51. The port operations of the

Chairman, Petroleum Products Price Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Ahmadu Ali

Nigerian Ports Authority be investigated with a view to determining the extent to which its officials are complicit in the classification of maritime areas for reception of Nigerian bound petroleum products as “offshore Cotonou” and “offshore Lome” in the face of evidence that these Vessels never did lighter at those Ports.

52. In the course of this investigation, a lot of efforts were made to establish cases of round tripping and diversion of products, including the use of the data from Llyods List Intelligence resulting in the cases so far reported. However given the scale of connivance and collusion by government officials involved in the certification process, the Committee believes that further investigation will reveal more cases.

It is therefore recommended that all the data obtained in the course of this investigation, especially from the Llyods List Intelligence be forwarded to the relevant anticorruption agencies for a more detailed investigation.

53. The present Management of PEF (M)B should be overhauled and the Board when constituted should comprise of persons of impeccable integrity who should be knowledgeable in aspects of its mandate. This is without prejudice to the coming into force of the Petroleum Industry Act. 54. PEF(M)B should establish a tracking system on all trucks from point of loading to point of discharge (retail outlets) and direct that all trucks involved with transportation of products should install approved tracking devices on them.

55. It is hereby recommended that the regulatory capacity of the DPR be strengthened. The National Assembly should

commence the process of amending the Act to make the Agency autonomous.

56. The DPR should take immediate steps to bring all facilities and depot owners into compliance with international best practices by ensuring the installation of modern metering gadgets and sealable and nonreturn valves, to eliminate the rampant cases of round-tripping.

57. The DPR should brace up to its role of Regulation and compel the NNPC/PPMC to comply with all the regulations issued to ensure transparency and accountability.

58. In order to reduce and gradually eliminate lightering, associated inefficiency and cost, Government should invest in the provision of Single Point Mooring (SPM’s). This provision should be followed up by instituting Regulations to compel Owners of Jetties, depots and storage facility owners to develop pipeline throughput availability to facilitate direct delivery of imported products by heavy vessels, in-shore Nigeria.

59. There should be a deliberate policy by Government to encourage the utilization of gas in automobile, domestic (cooking), and industrial facilities.

60. As a matter of urgency and in furtherance of our national security requirements, a national strategic reserve should be immediately enhanced so to accommodate 90days stop gap strategic reserve.

61. We strongly recommend that relevant Standing Committees of the National Assembly should be more proactive in their oversight responsibilities to forestall future occurrences.

Concluded

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 28

Farewell Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata

By Engr. Abdulkadir S. Idris

O

ur first meeting was in late 1974. He was the young managing director of the defunct Dantata Land and Sea Ltd. I was a young engineer starting a career with Mobil Oil Nigeria Limited. We were both present at the meeting called by the Kano regional office of Mobil to discuss issues associated with the haulage contract being handled by Dantata Land and Sea Limited. He made a detailed presentation. He was eloquent and well informed about the subject matter. It was my first encounter with a member of the Dantata dynasty and I came out of the meeting very impressed. He crowned it all with a display of generosity by giving us a sumptuous lunch at the popular Chinese Restaurant located at the Central Hotel, Kano.

Then our paths crossed again in 1978, when I was working in a consulting firm owned by his uncle, Aminu Dantata. I was the only African among the five resident consultants running the outfit. He wanted the firm to conduct a feasibility Study for him for a possible takeover of a moribund company engaged in metal fabrication. As was typical then of most indigenous businessmen, he wanted one of the expatriate staff to handle his project. Our expatriate MD wanted me to handle the project because of its technical nature and being the only engineer in the team. He would have none of it.

The customer was always right and the project was assigned to a colleague. After about six months without any appreciable progress, Abdulkadir came to the office complaining bitterly. Luckily, the consultant handling the project was on leave in the UK. The MD asked him if he would allow me to handle the project in the interim.

He consented. During that period, Abdulkadir was highly mobile and spent most of his time in the skies travelling all over the globe. This was partly responsible for the delay in completing his Study.

Noticing this, I promptly showed him my house and consultations were taking place there sometimes at 11pm. 1 had asked him to visit me at his convenience, 24 hours round the clock. As a result of this concession and my technical background, the Study was completed within three weeks. He was still skeptical. But after he received a favourable response on the Study from his bankers, his views changed. He barged in to our office and congratulated my MD for having me. From then onward my name became “Doctor”! He narrated this episode to many of his business colleagues and this was very helpful to me especially after I started my firm AICS in 1980.

Most of my foundation clients were friends of Abdulkadir Dantata!

His plan to take over the moribund company was unsuccessful. He suffered other business reverses. He took it all

with equanimity and kept flying all over the globe looking for the elusive investors! His morale remained high and his resolve cast in iron. One day he met a group of Germans and after several discussions an enterprise was born. It was named Dantata and Sawoe. It started operations in Kano and within a short time its stone quarry was supplying most of the chippings used by contractors throughout Kano state.

Through the influence of a friend, he was able to gain access to the highest office in the land.

The additional contact, coupled with the company’s good track records, brought in mega contracts and the turnover of the company grew exponentially.

Soon the headquarters of the company was moved from Kano to Abuja as Dantata and Sawoe joined the league of big players in the construction industry. This ended his years in the wilderness.

He became fulfilled. He became appreciated. He was at last able to set up an enterprise that was successful!

I returned home and settled in Minna in 1993 and our meetings became more frequent, mostly at the mansion of our mutual friend, General Ibrahim Babangida.

Unknown to both of us, General Babangida noticed that Abdulkadir always called me “Doctor”. One day General Babangida “corrected” him by declaring that I am an Engineer and not a Doctor. He responded cheerfully by remarking that even among the Engineers, I am a “Doctor”! There was a big laughter but we both kept the details to ourselves!

Again, during my long sojourn in Kano, my village community at Lapai embarked on an ambitious new Juma’at Mosque construction. Additional funds had to be raised from external sources for its completion. The late Abdulllahi Kure Mohammed and Abdurrahman Gara sent Yusuf Suleiman to Kano to meet me, to link up with Abdulkadir Dantata. When I saw him, he kindly remarked that he would do anything for me, Gara and Islam and donated generously. A few years later, in the first class cabin of Nigerian Airways Airbus on flight from Kano to Lagos, he

Late Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata came to my seat and teased that he learnt that in my dear Niger State, contractors now have to swear by the Quran or the Bible before they can collect their cheques for work done for the government. He added that a cheque was issued to his company but that he had told his staff to

“

avoid going through such an ordeal and wait for the arrival of a new governor before going to collect the cheque. A few months later, a new governor arrived and his staff went and collected their cheque!

Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata has gone back to his maker. Those

Through his legacies in the Dantata and Sawoe, he has amply demonstrated to his country men and women that it is possible to achieve success and greatness, through hardwork and talent without resorting to corruption and terrorism. To his staff at Dantata and Sawoe, he has raised the bar to the highest national level and it is now their turn to raise it to the international level. If they can do this, it will be a befitting tribute

who were lucky to have mingled with him will remember him for his wit, sense of humour, hard work, tenacity of purpose, organizational ability, courage, kindness, philanthropy and patriotism.

Through his legacies in the Dantata and Sawoe, he has amply demonstrated to his country men and women that it is possible to achieve success and greatness, through hardwork and talent without resorting to corruption and terrorism. To his staff at Dantata and Sawoe, he has raised the bar to the highest national level and it is now their turn to raise it to the international level.

If they can do this, it will be a befitting tribute.

Farewell Abdulkadir and may Allah grant you Aljanat Firdaus and give all that you left behind the fortitude to bear the great loss.

Amen.

Engr. Abdulkadir S. Idris is a Management Consultant. abdulkad2004@yahoo.com 08037021814, Minna, Niger state.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 29

A Novel that Shines the Eye In the name of our sisters: BOOK REVIEW

By Nal Abdelrasaq

N

aked Light and the Blind Eye (2010, Future Fiction London) by Sanya Osha avoids all the usual clichés one comes to expect from a typical post-colonial novel. It is bold, experimental and filled with lush imaginings. Some of its many strengths include subtle engagements with oral forms of artistic expression, stunning depictions of the underbelly of a post-colonial society and a staunch refusal to give in to lachrymose sentimentality in spite of several excuses to do so.

The novel, set in postcolonial Africa, begins with the story of a middle-aged man who is experiencing a marital breakdown. Through his inner thoughts we get a glimpse of his personal history—he had been a promising young man from a rustic background, who embarked on an early search for a more cosmopolitan environment and its material trappings. By dint of his ingenuity and peculiar sensitivity, he rose above the limitations of his background and came to enjoy the material and professional benefits of urban existence.

But his domestic peace becomes jeopardised by the drawbacks of his society as a whole. He eventually becomes involved with a much younger woman, whose temperament, history and set of values are at variance with his own.

However, through her, he is

defeated and eventually dies as a result of the very insularity of traditional values which he thought he had overcome.

His wife, on the other hand, falls victim to reactionary traditional mores and this provides an added twist.

Eventually the man’s nontraditional outlook finds expression in a son he had from a previous marriage. His son is a creative artist caught in conflict with a philistine society. The novel then traces the son’s attempt to find creative expression of his personal vision of inchoate progressivism and a playful kind of creative anarchism.

The dead man’s village is employed as a microcosm of the Ogoni tragedy, in terms of explaining the larger dimensions of official brutality, repression and cynicism in Africa, and collective efforts to resist them.

(The essence of the tragedy is the exploitation of a helpless ethnic minority by the combined forces of government and multinational capital, resulting in human suffering.)

The novel’s importance lies in avoiding conventional moralising that might have arisen from the chosen subject matter. It also stresses the sanctity of the individual viewpoint as opposed to the public one. Furthermore, it avoids any form of political sermonising, while narrating the struggle to maintain artistic integrity.

Sanya Osha’s work ought to replenish many of the ossified traditions of post-colonial literature.

African writer.com

Everything Good Will Come BOOK REVIEW

By Ikhide R. Ikheloa (Nnamdi)

S

o she called me the other day, fruit of the loins of the son of my grandpa’s brother. And she said, you must come visit us, you must bring your family to Chicago to come see us. We are family, she said, it is good to do these things, she said, peering past the tattered curtains of our fraying relationships. And my heart said, go to Chicago and rest a bit.

What kind of life is this that you are living? Every day you go to the same place and you talk to the same people who have the same ideas and the same opinions on the same things. And every day you go home exhausted from this madness. And my heart said; go to Chicago with your family and rest. The salt mines will be waiting for you.

And so, we went all of us, to Chicago, armed with the hope of rest and communion with our blood. And I went to Chicago with Sefi Atta’s book, Everything Good Will Come. One week is a long time to be away from the salt mines of my daily existence.

What would I do with myself for a week; I am not used to the pleasures of doing nothing. And so I thought, the book would keep me company as I await the return to the salt mines of my condition.

Everything Good Will Come was a delicious choice. Atta’s book is about relationships. We follow Enitan, the main character as she celebrates the passages of life with a delightful cast of relationships, a colorful spectrum that includes her constantly feuding parents, her friend Sheri, and her boyfriends.

The issues that the book addresses are refreshingly universal and Western readers who have overdosed on horrific stories about Africa may cure their hangover with this book.

The book throbs with lyrical prose: “Hot were the days as I remember them, with runnyegg sunshine and brief breezes.

The early afternoons were for eat and sleep breaks: eat a heavy lunch, sleep like a drunk.” (p7).

It would be hard to imagine laconic words like these used to describe any part of Africa.

Refreshing. Nice.

Inside the plane to Chicago, we passed the book around and read enchanting nuggets of prose that spoke to us. My daughters gleefully read the following passage to two white ladies seated by them: “I smiled at my father. He was always miserable after work, especially when he returned from court. He was skinny with a voice that cracked and I pitied him whenever he complained: “I’m working all day, to put clothes on your back, food in your stomach, pay your school fees. All I ask is for peace

The book cover when I get home. Instead, you give me wahala. Daddy can I buy ice cream. Daddy can I buy Enid Blyton. Daddy my jeans are torn. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. You want me dead?”” (p20).

The entire row of daughters and ladies rocked with laughter; and the universality of the passage made the meaning of wahala obvious. Now, that is good writing!

Sefi Atta’s book gently throws up a lot of troubling issues and one learns to admire the dark intelligence that plotted these chapters. And she can play with words in the manner of a sister flirting with her brother. The words pop up and hide again and reappear in delightfully strange places. Hear this: “The wind popped my umbrella inside out, flipped my skirt almost to my waist. It ripped tears from my eyes and knocked my braids backward into my face.” (p78).

Sweet, like biting into a juicy, free-range, truly organic mango. Sweet.

In the beginning there were walls. Atta’s book reminds me of the beginning of the end, perhaps. Anyone nostalgic for the Lagos and Nigeria of the 70’s and 80’s should hurry and go get this book. The book says to me: There are walls but they are coming down, slowly on everything that we hold dear.

Atta assures the reader gently, ever so gently, that we stand on the shoulders of giant nightmares. And our anxieties drink deep and long from the well of our fears. The book gently joins the debate on the impact of globalization on our communities. We see with startling clarity the impact of the new religion on Nigeria, the flight of deep introspection by the intellectual class and the slow birth of a society without soul, wrapped in the filthy color of money – green. As we move from traditional notions of nation states to the

individualism foisted on us by the scourge that is capitalism, we can only hope that, just as the cell phone rescued us from the feckless tyranny of land based, stateowned telephone systems, the new dispensation will lift us from the debris of our current condition. But first you must go read Atta’s book. The sister can write.

Yes, the sister can write. She weaves a beautiful story of courage with u n r e l e n t i n g insistence. She says out loud to a jaded world: We come from a land of incredible beauty and unspeakable sadness. The reader never gets over the shock of witnessing enormous waste of potential and resources. And I am not talking about crude oil.

Atta writes in the grand tradition of the writers before her. And she says to me that language is all in the mind.

When t listen to the poets and writers of my childhood, they are speaking and writing in English but I smell the earth of my ancestors, I smell the musty sweat of my ancestors’ masquerades speaking to me from across the Atlantic, comforting me, soothing me.

And in these books, they tell me that this earth also belongs to me. Atta has taken a rightful place in that pantheon of greats.

The book wears its frailties gently on its sleeve and we are drawn to the writer’s humanity.

The book is not without its weaknesses; in its unnecessary explanation of Nigerian terms, one senses a yearning to reach out to a mass market. Why would anyone bother to explain that eba is “a meal made from ground cassava?” When next you read about pasta, remind the author to footnote its explanation.

Sister Atta, you speak to me in your book. You speak to me from deep in the bowels of my ancestors’ coven. You speak to me howling, bawling, and soaking me in the song of our mothers’ grief. In the feverish insistence of your voice, in the feverish insistence of your rhythm, in the pounding of your feet on the earth of our mothers, you speak to me.

And joy rides our senses going places in the heart where fear still clings to life. Our sister, look at joy bounding up and down the streets of happy memories. Our sister, in your book, joy takes me by the hand and sets me free to dream of the way things used to be. I don’t remember much of Chicago. I will never forget Everything Good Will Come.

Source: African writer.com

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

The wizard in Ngugi’s craw BOOK REVIEW

By Ikhide R. Ikheloa (Nnamdi)

I

did not enjoy reading Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s hefty almost 800-page tome The Wizard of the Crow. This is a shame, for I love Ngugi. I remember his book Weep Not Child with much fondness.

I will always remember the chemistry between the two main characters young Njoroge and Mwihaki. As a boy, I fell in love with the way those two fell in love. Ngugi is a gifted writer and a noble son of Africa. But Ngugi has always been given to quixotic journeys; I say quixotic because I am not quite sure his experiments in this book were productive, especially to the extent that he has not been able to foster a substantive dialogue on what and how we should communicate our literature as Africans. The question remains hanging in the air: What should be our language of discourse?

Ngugi’s latest book is short on analysis but long on theatrics.

Any experiment as ambitious as Ngugi’s has to acknowledge that the novel as a medium is not a constant. Africa’s oral tradition breathes free and vibrant on YouTube, Facebook, and on blogs. In The Wizard of the Crow, Ngugi brings together an unlikely riot - of the voice, the written word, and the narrative - on print. It simply doesn’t work.

The Wizard of the Crow is a

Ngugi wa Thiong'o

The book cover familiar, dated, perhaps tired tale. Think of the stereotypical African novel and its recurring characters. There is the

supreme dictator (The Ruler) in an imaginary country (Abruria) teeming with longsuffering people, there are the fawning hangers-on, and there is the idealistic great black hope (Kamiti), scheming freedom for the masses. Throw in some magic realism and a tedious literary ride is born.

Despite Africa’s best efforts, Idi Amin’s buffoonery is as dated as my platform shoes. We have new buffoons. This book is what happens to the writer stuck in exile for too long, living decades mummified in despair, fretting about the Africa that has moved on.

The reader wonders how Ngugi could spread tedium through almost 800 pages. The clue is in its unrelenting wordiness, displaying armies of words where a word (or blessed silence) would richly suffice.

Ngugi is understandably very unhappy with Africa; he must process his anxieties and stress through writing because the Guinness book of Records may have just logged in the longest angriest riff on paper ever. I mean ever. It is sheer tedium, the book as a medium flies like a lead balloon under the weight of so many issues, several of them unresolved.

The attempted use of humor, satire and hyperbole is grotesque and does little to mask Ngugi’s overly documented rage.

Ngugi’s unresolved anxieties and strong political views mar the quality of the book. The book provided absolutely no new insights into the African condition, whatever that may be and the observations appear dated - like a slide rule competing with the awesome wonders of an iPod. Africa has moved on, for good or for bad, a realization that stubbornly eludes Ngugi. Ngugi may still be stuck in the sands of his time. The reviews by Western reviewers do not get this, they are fairly swooning.

They see Africa painted as one woeful place full of exotic Ben Okri type imagery. Even at that, Ngugi’s experiment with magic realism is simply farcical. Be warned: You are not going to get much in terms of hard hitting critical reviews of this book; the Western reviewers are largely patronizing. The late great John Updike provides a largely avuncular panning of the book but I agree with him when he says: “The author of this bulky book offers more indignation than analysis in his portrait of post-colonial Africa.”

Readers may have difficulty relating to the notion of a lone savior with a monopoly of good solutions walking around weighed down with his supreme sense of selfimportance. Well meaning visionary statements are mistaken for community mandates and the anxiety is to replace the buffoon’s tyranny with that of the pen. It is truly farcical when you really think about it. The African Big Man lives in the tyranny of our politics and in the tyranny of our writers’ pens. Their alter egos of the African Big Man live in our writers as reflected in their idealistic do no wrong attitudes; the main characters of their books indict them as being clueless or indifferent to their role in Africa’s mess.

What it boils down to is that these are autobiographic fantasies that involve the ME in the author, systems be damned.

However, given Ngugi’s brave fight for justice in postcolonial Kenya, his work in ensuring Africa’s rightful place in the World history of literature, and the trauma of his forced exile, any assessment of his work ought to be nuanced. Ngugi put a lot of effort into this tome - six books in one, first written painstakingly in Kikuyu - and then translated into English.

Ngugi remains a visionary; our writer-warriors should carry his ideas on their giant shoulders and continue the fight he started - on Facebook, YouTube and on blogs. I salute Bwana Ngugi Wa Thiong’o.

Source: African writer.com

PEOPLES POEM OF THE WEEK Title: Digging

up

the dreams

By Adeola Ikuomola The sky was a wearied shepherd in the cave of gloom The black thunderclouds were recalcitrant elephants Raging furiously on the monumental mountain range Protesting over the rumoured imminent resurrection Of the conquering glory of the redeeming sharp sun rays Lightning hurled the fragile time bomb across the sky A crash, a bang and a roar crippled the lanky landlords The mortally wounded walls groaned, cursed and crashed Over the sharp floods that devoured the vast landmarks Like famished dogs feasting on delicious thighbones The downtrodden brooks roared like seven thunders The numerical murmur of the galloping snowy waterfalls Enriched the harmonious heartbeat of the kettle drum The wailing waves were tired troops of travailing timbers Herded hysterically towards the monolingual sawmill The victorious sunrays are potent poets' prime pen pals Digging up the golden dreams buried in the cold rooms Within the footfalls on the foot mats under the foot stools The global altar smells of the genius' refreshing midnight oil The balmy eternal tempo of the watchful creative heart beats

QUO TE UOTE “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”

Contd on page 30 –– Winston Churchill.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 31

State crime and street crime: Two sides of one coin? (II) ANALYSIS

By Philip Rizkki

O

ne Saudi entrepreneur admitted openly when he was taken to the court that he paid as much on the books as under the table to government officials, when he purchased the Omar Effendi store chain. With the lack of any serious judicial inquiries or punishment of the beneficiaries of these deals, public funds remain in personal bank accounts, while workers who invested their lives remain on the streets.

Post-Mubarak state crime It is Wednesday, February 29, and winds are blowing down street signs and sand across the CairoAlexendria desert road. Just about halfway between the two cities is Sadat City - a haven of slavery within the sturdy walls of the Egyptian private sector. Here, both local and foreign investors come to benefit from Egyptian subsidised gas and electricity, extravagantly low land rent prices - paid by the Egyptian population - and beyond all, to exploit the Egyptian work force. They do all these within the "legitimate" Egyptian law.

The labour law was penned in 2003 as Ahmed Nazif's cabinet began the speeding up process of neoliberalism in Egypt. The law was meant to increase liberties on both sides: including the right for business owners to fire workers within a certain timeframe - in exchange for increased liberties for workers to unionise. The only hitch was that the latter is never implemented. In most private factories today, if you organise, you lose your job. In parallel to the renewed labour law, "austerity" became a central tenet of government policies; this meant downsizing the public sector - and doing so in the most brutal manner.

At the Legrand plant, the workers have been striking for the past 34 days, as of writing, demanding better compensation in line with the 2003 law. One of the workers, Zakareya, told me: "We will protest for one month, in the second month, we will bring our families to join us, but in the third, we will turn into criminals. 600 families turned criminal."

The current government, in the spirit of the old, is on the verge of signing a new pact with the IMF, which by all indicators will include the agreement to impose a Value Added Tax (VAT). The VAT imposes taxation on consumption, which the poorest in Egypt spend a majority of their wages on.

The VAT is a model of taxation by which the government taxes the population based on consumption rather than income. As workers are pushed out of permanent employment due to government policies such as those in the privatisation programmes, hundreds of thousands of workers across the country are forced into irregular jobs that do not guarantee

Criminal acts by the state created the environment for revolution them a steady paycheck at the end of the month, that don't provide them with healthcare and that may be lost at any moment.

If the government is to impose VAT, it is just one more form of policy that will rob the Egyptian population of any chance of a decent standard of living. It is a criminal logic imposed from above that the largest percentage of the population - the poor - will pay a larger part of the costs than the rest who could easily afford to pay more.

In 2004, during the fast-track neo-liberalism era of Mubarak's reign, a flat-tax law was penned, whereby the maximum income tax bracket was slashed from 35 per cent to 20 per cent. That policy remains in place today.

These policies are crimes.

Many call the VAT the poor tax, should we not consider a stolen set of wheels the rich tax?

Prior to the revolution, street vendors lived in constant fear of the police driving them away, taking their merchandise or locking them

up. Now, all over the country, street vendors have taken control of the streets. Their occupation of public spaces is their way of fighting back against a criminalised state structure in which they have no place.

Thus, without large capital to rent or purchase a shop on the main shopping area, these sellers can make their own share of profits in spite of government regulations. In Tunisia it was the self-immolation of Bouazizi, one such "informal" fruit vendor, who set a fire of rage across the region against the criminals who legitimise their actions with a statist narrative.

Alternatives to crime The current political leadership - SCAF, the unelected government and a majority of elected parliamentarians - is using the excuse of an existing "economic crisis" as reason to entrench a criminal tendency, rather than to look for new solutions. These crimes include more loans for which the poor will

“

The current political leadership - SCAF, the unelected government and a majority of elected parliamentarians - is using the excuse of an existing "economic crisis" as reason to entrench a criminal tendency, rather than to look for new solutions.

pay, an entrenchment of open market policies that will lead to increased food prices, maintenance of tax evasion for the richest echelon of society and the maintenance of labour law conditions that favour entrepreneurs over workers. The list goes on.

The January 25 uprising, which started in response to suppression and the polarity of the standard of living, is a message clear enough that the burden of the cost of running a country such as Egypt must be broadened. This should also include, among other things, progressive taxation, significantly reduced subsidies for private industry, internal economic restructuring (instead of increased external loans) and independent monitoring mechanisms over public funds with judicial authority.

We must realise that the resistance taking place on the streets is a battle to undo the hegemony of capitalism, no matter if under the rule of the National Democratic Party (NDP) or the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) or the Salafis or the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

On October 28, 2011, businessman and Muslim Brotherhood economic adviser Hassan Malek praised the Mubarak government's economic policies, stating they were merely plagued with corruption and favouritism.

Malek's statements point to a maintenance of the previus regime's economic agenda under new oversight: that of their arch-enemies.

Furthermore, in recent months - since receiving a majority of

parliament seats - the Brotherhood has taken significant steps to deepen the economic neo-liberal stance of the Mubarak regime that once repressed the movement. We have every reason to believe that the economic conditions that brought about the start of a revolutionary process are going to be maintained.

In Egypt, as elsewhere, the model of societal organisation of a deep partnership between capitalism and the nation-state is imploding. The mechanism of the nation-state today acts as a tool to control and suppress the masses on behalf of the ruling class. If the economic conditions during the Mubarak regime remain largely unchanged, then the logic of representation itself falters.

In 1993, Max Weber wrote that representation is a "structure of domination" (Economy and Society, p235). Since the revolutionary process started, every day countless numbers of Egyptians have been protesting or striking against the unaltered reality of their daily lives.

This phenomenon is yet another example of the faltering of a nationstate's governance.

As the ruling class has been forced to pass the mantle from one group of businessmen to another, the conditions for revolution against the rulers are maintained. If these realities do not change, eventually, street crime will become for many the only resort to try and achieve one's right to decent living.

If we permit state crimes to continue flourishing, the population will continue to sow the seeds of its rulers' crimes.

Concluded Culled from Aljazeera.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 32

Chinese leader calls for Sudans to exercise restraint C

hinese President Hu Jintao called for restraint from the two Sudans yesterday after South Sudan President Salva Kiir told Hu that his country's larger northern neighbour had declared war on the newly-independent state.

Hu "stated that he very much hoped that both Sudans would proceed from the broader considerations of the fundamental interests of both countries' people and regional peace and stability and adhere to choosing peace, respecting each others' sovereignty and exercising calm and restraint," state television said.

He urged both sides to settle their disputes through peaceful negotiations and give and take, it added.

"The urgent task is to actively cooperate with the mediation efforts of the international community and halt armed conflict in the border areas," the report paraphrased Hu as telling Kiir during a meeting in Beijing.

"China sincerely hopes that South Sudan and Sudan can become good neighbours who coexist in amity and good partners who develop together," Hu added.

Kiir told Hu that Sudan had declared war on his newlyindependent country, following weeks of border fighting between the two countries.

"It (this visit) comes at a very

B

an Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has condemned air raids by Sudan on South Sudan, and called on the countries' leaders to return to dialogue.

"The secretary-general condemns the aerial bombardment on South Sudan by Sudanese armed forces and calls on the government of Sudan to cease all hostilities immediately," Eduardo del Buey, deputy UN spokesman, said on Monday.

Ban "reiterates that there can be no military solution to the disputes between Sudan and South Sudan", the spokesman said.

"No negotiation with those people, our talks with them were with guns and bullets. " "He [Ban] calls on President [Omar] al-Bashir and President [Salwa] Kiir to stop the slide toward further confrontation and urges both sides to return to dialogue as a matter of urgency."

The UN chief's call for calm came after Bashir ruled out any future talks with his southern counterpart, who is in Beijing to drum up support from China.

Kiir was expected to plead his case to Chinese authorities, but analysts said China was unlikely to take sides and would keep pushing for talks.

China has been a key ally and the largest economic partner of diplomatically isolated Sudan, but it is keen not to alienate the South, the world's newest nation and source of most of Sudan's oil.

Bashir, who visited the oil-rich town of Heglig on Monday, said the time for talks with Kiir's government was over.

"No negotiation with those people, our talks with them were with guns

South Sudan"s President Salva Kiir Mayardit (L) inspects an honour guard with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao (not pictured) during an official welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing April 24, 2012. critical moment for the Republic of South Sudan because our neighbour in Khartoum has declared war on the Republic of South Sudan," Kiir said.

"I have undertaken this visit because of the great relationship that I value with China. China is

one of our economic and strategic partners," he added.

Kiir's visit comes days after he ordered troops to withdraw from the oil-rich Heglig region after seizing it from Sudan, a move that brought the two countries to the brink of all-out

war.

Sudanese war planes bombed a market in the capital of South Sudan's oil-producing Unity State on Monday, residents and officials said, an attack the southern army called a declaration of war.

Sudan denied carrying out any

‌UN’s chief too and bullets," Bashir told soldiers in the town, which the South occupied for 10 days.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter, the former US president, has told Al

Jazeera that the international community needs to send in peacekeepers to the disputed region.

"I would say, send an additional element of peace keeping forces which

is going to cost some money, but which so far has been opposed by the US and others because we already have three UN organisations there," he said.

President Zuma on track for second term

S

outh Africa's President Jacob Zuma is the favourite to win a second term to lead the ruling ANC in a race dominated by factional politics instead of policy reforms for Africa's most powerful economy.

More than a dozen insiders in the ruling African National Congress told Reuters that Zuma had the race in hand even though there are strong factions in the party who want him out and could make things difficult.

"It's Zuma's race to lose," said one senior ANC member.

The winner of December's party vote is almost certain to be its nominee in the 2014 presidential election. Since the ANC enjoys virtual one-party rule, its nominee is almost assured of winning the five year term as president.

The race will be fought at the local level with little attention paid to warnings from all three of the major global credit ratings agencies who have said the economy is on the wrong track under Zuma, posing long-term risks to stability.

The battle to lead the 100-

year-old ANC according to party insiders is a two-horse race between Zuma and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Zuma has a commanding lead in delegates and unless Motlanthe make huge strides by the electoral conference in December, Zuma should secure victory.

Motlanthe, or any other candidate, is not going to openly declare their challenge to Zuma due to a party culture where raising one's hand too early is tantamount to political suicide.

The race will be fought behind closed doors, leaving out a public that has grown increasingly angry at the ANC for not doing enough to fix a broken education system, failing hospitals, rampant poverty and chronic unemployment.

"Motlanthe has strong support but it's all about timing and we want to make sure that his chances are good before nominations open," said a source close to the deputy president.

The ANC, a former liberation movement that became the ruling party when the white-

minority apartheid regime ended 18 years ago, is a broadtent political grouping with members ranging from hard core communists to business moguls.

Its consensus-building approach has stifled radical ideas from the left that include nationalising mines and seizing white-owned farmland.

But it has also allowed a rot to

air raids but its President Omar Hassan al-Bashir ramped up the political tension by ruling out a return to negotiations with the South, saying its government only understood "the language of the gun".

Weeks of border fighting have brought the neighbours closer to a full-blown war than at any time since South Sudan split from Sudan as an independent country in July.

The two territories went their separate ways last year without settling a list of bitter disputes over the position of their shared border, the ownership of key territories and how much the landlocked South should pay to transport its oil through Sudan.

The disputes have already halted nearly all the oil production that underpins both struggling economies.

For China, invested in the oil sector of both nations, the standoff shows how its economic expansion abroad has at times forced Beijing to deal with distant quarrels it would like to avoid.

Sudan had been one of China's top foreign suppliers of crude oil, but the latest Chinese customs data show crude imports from Sudan fell nearly 40 percent in January and February compared to a year earlier. set in. Its allies, its members and voters have criticised it for turning a blind eye to corruption eating away at social welfare spending.

Zuma, Motlanthe and many senior leaders have faced suspicions of corruption, with many in the party using leaks of graft on rivals as a way to settle political scores.

"The perception that corruption is increasing on his watch, and that Zuma can be bought, weigh him down," one senior official said.

Comments from Nedbank chairman Reuel Khoza, one of the country's most respected businessmen, touched a nerve when he warned democracy is under threat from politicians incapable of running the country.

South African President Jacob Zuma (L) and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe take a salute before his State of the Nation address at Parliament in Cape Town, February 9, 2012.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Chavez telephone call quashes death rumours

H

ugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has said by phone that he will return home this week after cancer treatment in Cuba, in an apparent bid to quash rumours fanned by a nine-day silence that he had died in Havana.

The 57-year-old leader also said he would need to return to Cuba for another round of radiation and tests.

"I should be there in Caracas, God willing, on April 26," Chavez told state television VTV on Monday, in a telephone call that marked the first time Venezuelans had heard his voice live on state media in more than a week.

"It's tough," he said. "Just ask anyone who has had radiation therapy about the effects it has.

[But] I am pretty far along in the radiation sessions."

Andres Izarra, Venezuela's information minister, later published several photos on the Twitter, the microblogging site, showing Chavez wearing a track suit and standing in a garden with his daughter Rosa Virginia and other family members.

Another photo showed him throwing a weighted ball in a game of bolas criollas, a traditional Venezuelan sport similar to bocce.

PAGE 33

California to vote on ending death penalty

V

oters in California will have the chance to cast ballots on a referendum on ending the death penalty in November.

The "Savings, Accountability and Full Enforcement for California Act," or SAFE California

Act, garnered enough support signatures, and will be considered on November 6, when Americans head to the polls for general elections, Debra Bowen California's Secretary of State said on Monday.

Supporters collected more than

the 504,760 valid signatures needed to place the measure on the ballot.

If the measure is approved, the 725 California inmates now on Death Row will have their sentences converted to life in prison

California has executed 13 inmates since reinstating the death penalty in 1978

Putin steps down as United Russia party chief

P

resident-elect Vladimir Putin tried to distance himself from the fraudtainted ruling United Russia party yesterday, announcing he was stepping down as its chairman.

Keen to protect his own ratings which are higher than those of a party discredited by claims its victory in a parliamentary election in December was achieved with the help of fraud, Putin proposed outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev as its new leader instead.

"In line with political practice here, the president stands above parties," Putin told the leadership of United Russia, describing the head of state as "a consolidating figure for all political forces in the country".

"In this regard, after the inauguration in May I deem it necessary to step down as chairman," Putin said.

The powerful prime minister, who will be sworn in as president on May 7, suggested that a party congress in the second half of May should elect Medvedev as the new chairman.

Putin, 59, has also said that Medvedev, a long-time ally who led United Russia's campaign in the December election to the Duma, the lower house of parliament, will become prime minister.

In power since 1999, Chavez, centre, is running for a third six-year term in the October 7 presidential election

Former US Presidential candidate, Edwards, on trial over mistress money

P

rosecutors have portrayed disgraced Democratic politician John Edwards as a liar as he went on trial for allegedly using campaign money to hide an affair from the public and his cancerstricken wife.

In their opening statements on Monday, prosecutors argued that the former US senator broke the law by accepting the cash as an illegal contribution to his 2008 presidential campaign so he could maintain his clean family-man image.

But Edward's defence lawyers on Monday said that his "sin" was not a crime.

The 58-year-old Edwards, a twotime presidential hopeful, faces six criminal charges related to accepting nearly $1 million to hide his affair with videographer Rielle Hunter and the child he fathered with her.

Prosecutor David Harbach said in opening statements that Edwards' "image of a family man was critical to his campaign," and that he would do "anything to maintain his chance of being president."

But the credibility of their key witness, former top Edwards aide Andrew Young, was quickly called into question.

Presiding District Court Judge

Catherine Eagles ruled that Edwards' lawyers could mention that Young called three trial witnesses in recent weeks - a possible violation of federal law.

Young also was forced to acknowledge two arrests - one for his role in a 1997 car accident, and the second for drunk driving in 2006 in which he spent a night in jail.

At the time of the scandal, Edwards was married to his college sweetheart, attorney Elizabeth Edwards. The couple had four children, including a teenage son who died in a freak automobile accident in 1996.

without the possibility of parole. It would also make life without parole the harshest penalty prosecutors can seek.

Backers of the measure said abolishing the death penalty would save the state millions of dollars through layoffs of prosecutors and defence lawyers who handle death penalty cases, as well as savings from not having to maintain the nation's largest death row at San Quentin Prison.

If the measure passes, $100m in purported savings from abolishing the death penalty would be used over three years to investigate unsolved murders and rapes.

"Our system is broken, expensive and it always will carry the grave risk of a mistake," said Jeanne Woodford, the former warden of San Quentin prison, who is now an anti-death penalty advocate and an official supporter of the measure.

When the death penalty was reinstated in 1978, "we did not have an alternative sentence that would keep convicted killers behind bars forever. We certainly did not know that we would spend $4bn on 13 executions," she said in a statement.

If passed, California would become the 18th US state to eliminate the death penalty.

The measure will also require most inmates sentenced to life without parole to find jobs within prisons. Most death row inmates do not hold prison jobs for security reasons.

Although California is one of 35 states that authorise the death penalty, the state has not put anyone to death since 2006. Since reinstating the death penalty in 1978, it has executed 13 inmates.

A 2009 study conducted by a senior federal judge and law school professor concluded that the state was spending about $184m a year to maintain Death Row and the death penalty system.

Supporters of the proposition, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, are portraying it as a cost-savings measure in a time of political austerity.

They count several prominent conservatives and prosecutors, including the author of the 1978 measure adopting the death penalty, as supporters, and argue that too few executions have been carried out at too great a cost.

Opponents of the measure, such as former Sacramento US Attorney McGregor Scott, however argue that lawyers filing "frivolous appeals" are the problem, not the death penalty law.

"On behalf of crime victims and their loved ones who have suffered at the hands of California's most violent criminals, we are disappointed that the ACLU and their allies would seek to score political points in their continued efforts to override the will of the people and repeal the death penalty," said Scott, who is chairman of the Californians for Justice and Public Safety, a coalition of law enforcement officials, crime victims and others formed to oppose the measure.

The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, meanwhile, remains one the biggest backers of the death penalty in the state and opposes the latest attempt to abolish it in California.

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Israel approves three West Bank settlements

I

srael has approved three settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, the office of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said in a statement.

At a meeting late on Monday, a ministerial committee "decided to formalise the status of three communities which

were established in the 1990s following the decisions of past governments," the statement said yesterday.

The three outposts over which the decision was made are Bruchin, Rechalim and Sansana.

Bruchin has nearly 400 residents and is located in the

northern West Bank, along with Rechalim, which is home to about 200 people. Sansana, home to around 250 people, is in the southern West Bank, near Hebron.

Condemning the decision, Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, the

An Israeli court found the settlement of Ulpana to have been built on Palestinian land and ordered its demolition

Palestinian president, said "Netanyahu has pushed things to a dead end yet again".

Palestinians are awaiting a formal response from Netanyahu to a letter they sent last week in which Abbas repeated his call for an end to all settlement activity.

The Israeli government had committed to the Supreme Court that it would regulate the status of the outposts, and Netanyahu on Sunday formed a new four-man ministerial committee to seek legal solutions to the contested projects.

An activist protests against illegal settlements near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank [Reuters] Hagit Ofran of Israeli settlement watchdog, Peace Now, slammed the government for establishing new settlements in what he said was a deceitful way.

"The Israeli government is proving its true policy, that instead of going to peace it is building new settlements," she told the AFP news agency.

"This is the first time since 1990 that the government of Israel decides on establishing new settlements, and the government's manoeuvre, of establishing a committee to establish the settlements, is a trick aimed at hiding the true policy from the public. "All the years these outposts weren't legal, the state said they aren't for real, and now they suddenly are."

The Netanyahu government has also been trying to prevent the demolition of another illegal settlement, Ulpana, after a court found it was built on private Palestinian land.

The Israeli prime minister has informed the cabinet that he has asked Yehuda Weinstein, the attorney general, to find a solution that would legalise the outpost and prevent its demolition.

Israel considers settler outposts built without government approval to be illegal, but the international community views all settlements as illegal, whether approved by the government or not.

Syria’s Assad ‘finished,’ Egypt bars US-based civil society groups Tunisian leader says E

Members of the first UN monitoring team in Syria visit pro-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad areas in Homs city on April 22, 2012.

Violence continued in Syria on Tuesday despite the present of UN observers.

B

ashar Assad's international allies must realize the Syrian president is "finished" and persuade him to step down to avoid further bloodshed, Tunisian President Moncef Al-Marzouki said in a newspaper interview published yestersday.

"The Russians and Chinese, and the Iranians must understand that this man is finished and they cannot defend him. They must persuade him to leave power and hand over to his deputy," Marzouki told the regional Arab newspaper Al-Hayat.

Assad "will go one way or another ... dead or alive," he added.

Addressing the Syrian leader directly, he said: "It's better for you and your family to leave alive, because if you decide to leave dead, that means that you have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocents. Enough blood has been shed."

Tunisia, whose peaceful revolution a year ago sparked the Arab Spring uprisings that saw off autocratic leaders in Egypt, Libya and Yemen, offered to give Assad political asylum in February to stem the

violence in Syria, where the United Nations says government forces have killed 9,000 people.

Syrian authorities say they are fighting foreign-backed Islamist militants, who they blame for killing more than 2,500 soldiers and police.

UN observers are launching a monitoring mission in Syria to oversee an April 12 cease-fire agreement brokered by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Fewer than a dozen from a planned mission of 300 observers have arrived so far, and the violence has continued.

Activists said 30 people were killed across Syria on Monday.

Marzouki said the mission had little chance of ending the killings. "I do not expect it to succeed, because the number of observers is very small. Three hundred people cannot do anything," he said. "In Kosovo there were thousands of observers."

Meanwhile, activists said three Syrian intelligence officers were killed in Damascus yesterday, the latest attack on regime targets as the country's 13month conflict grows increasingly militarized.

gypt has rejected a request from eight US-based civil society groups for licenses to operate in the country after a crackdown on their activities sparked the first diplomatic spat with Washington since the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak.

In a move that might damage Cairo's relations with Washington, the Insurance and Social Affairs Ministry rejected the applications because it believed the groups' activities violated state sovereignty, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported on Monday.

MENA said requests from the Carter Center for Human Rights, Coptic Orphans, Seeds of Peace and other groups had been rejected.

"I don't understand how a charity group like the Coptic Orphans, which works with over 35 churches in Egypt to provide medical and social aid, was rejected," said the group's lawyer, Negad al-Borai.

Sanne van den Bergh, field office director for the Carter Center

in Egypt, said the group had not been formally notified of the decision to deny it a licence "but we are aware of the media reports about it and we are looking into them".

"Everyone is still under indictment and the case is proceeding. The Egyptians are doing everything they can to

escalate this and the confrontation with civil society more broadly " The Egyptian decision came on the same day that Interpol's headquarters in France refused a request by Egypt to issue worldwide arrest warrants for 15 employees of a number of US-based nongovernmental organisations that operate in Egypt.

Critics are concerned that the move signals a government crackdown on civil society activities in the country.

Amnesty says Muslims in Europe face discrimination

A

mnesty International says in a new report that Muslims in several European countries face

discrimination in hiring and daily life because of rules targeting their customs.

The report pays special

In this photo taken on July 24, 2010, a Muslim woman wearing a niqab is seen with children at Place Concorde in Paris, France.

attention to national laws or local rules against wearing headscarves or face-covering Islamic veils in countries such as France and Belgium.

The human rights group spoke to Muslims who have had trouble getting jobs or had to change schools because of discrimination.

It notes the rise in political movements that target Muslims or Muslim practices.

The report comes after far right leader Marine Le Pen scored a surprisingly strong third-place showing in France's presidential elections. Her antiimmigrant platform singled out Muslim practices for criticism.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 35

Rare condition has left Europe’s oldest sufferer, 20, with the body of a 160-year-old due to a rare condition called Hutchinson-Gilford progeria.

He is one of just four progeria sufferers in the UK and out of only 74 cases worldwide, Dean is thought to be the second oldest survivor.

Now Dean has decided to tell the story of his life so far in the hope of providing inspiration to other sufferers.

He said: 'I've never let my condition hold me back. I've always tried to do what everyone else does and even if I failed, at least I tried.

clothes for a 0-3-month-old baby but the health visitors told me not to worry.

'They said he was just small and there was nothing wrong with him but I carried on taking him to the doctor regularly because his appetite was small.'

In other ways Dean's development was quite normal, but when he started walking at the age of 18 months, Dawn noticed that he would tire more easily than her other children Dawn said: 'We would be walking along the street and he

Speaking out: Dean Andrews, 20, has told of his life with progeria, a rare ageing disease that meant he was unlikely to survive his early teens

E

urope's oldest sufferer of a rare ageing disease has told how in just 20 years his body has become that of a 160year-old.

Dean Andrews' body has aged eight times faster than normal

'I'm lucky to be so loved': Dean with his mother Dawn Thomas, 41, and her husband Wayne, 43, who care for him full-time.

'My family have kept me going and I've got very supportive friends. I'm very lucky as they do everything

they can to make me happy.'

Dean weighs just 3st 10lbs but his small body holds a big personality.

In his 20 years, Dean has learnt to drive, been engaged, got four tattoos and once even started a mechanics course at c o l l e g e .

However, he was forced to quit when he was unable to get his tiny 4ft 1in frame over the cars' bonnets.

Nevertheless, h i s achievements a r e astounding considering that when he was diagnosed with progeria at the age of seven, his mother Dawn Thomas, 41, was told he would not live beyond his early teens.

Back then, the condition was so poorly documented that most doctors had never even heard of it.

Dawn said: 'When Dean was about six months old I noticed he was a lot smaller than he should have been. He was still w e a r i n g

would complain that his legs were hurting. At first I just thought he was lazy but then I noticed there were certain things he couldn't do, like cross his legs during assembly at school.'

The mystery was eventually explained when a geneticist broke the news that he had progeria.

Dawn said: 'The day before we were told, the doctor rang up and told us to come in and said that I should bring someone with me. I knew then that it was bad. I thought it might even be cancer because his hair used to fall out so easily.

'There was so little information available about progeria at that time that I basically had to teach myself everything. All we were told was that Dean was ageing eight times faster than normal and that he would probably not live past 13.

'I didn't know how to break it to Dean at that time because he was so young. I just told him that he had a growth problem.

'It was really hard to take and I ended up on anti-depressants but it was Dean himself who gave me hope, he never let anything get him down.'

Dawn lives in Birmingham with Dean, her husband Wayne, 43, and children Sophie, 15, and Lewis, 12. She also has an older son Nathan, 23, a warehouse assistant, and fosters her niece Annabel Timby, 14.

'They said he was just small': Aged two (left), Dean was developing differently from other children and would grow tired more easily. It was not until the age of seven (right) that a geneticist would diagnose him She split with Dean's father Mark Andrews, at that time an airport baggage handler, in 1998 and met Wayne around the time of her son's crushing diagnosis.

Now both Dawn and Wayne devote their lives to Dean's fulltime care at their council terrace home in Erdington.

WHAT IS PROGERIA?

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome is an unusual genetic condition that occurs in an estimated one in eight million live births.

The symptoms are similar to normal ageing but appear in childhood and advance rapidly, with the first signs showing in infancy.

Sufferers experience limited growth and alopecia across the whole body. They often share distinctive features including a narrow nose, a small jaw and a large head in relation to their body.

Health issues associated with progeria have much in common with illnesses often suffered by the elderly, including loss of eyesight, kidney failure and heart problems.

Wrinkled skin, hair loss and small, frail bodies add to their 'old' appearance, but sufferers do not experience the mental or motor deterioration associated with normal ageing.

There is no known cure or effective treatment for the condition, and those diagnosed with it rarely live past 13.

She said: 'We have just tried to make every moment count for him as best we could. I've never tried to treat him any differently or tell him that he couldn't do something, if he wanted to try something he would have a go.'

Dean said: 'When I was at primary school I wasn't really aware that there was anything different about me.

'I only really became aware of my condition when I was about 13 and it was decided that I should go to a special school.'

Progeria causes rapid ageing and sufferers of the genetic disease are prone to arthritis, eye problems, heart disease and baldness. By the age of 10, most progeria children look like octogenerians. They are said to age at eight times the normal rate, meaning Dean has survived the equivalent of 160 years of ageing.

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Computer game tackles depression in teenagers using fantasy game P

laying a 3D computer game could be just as effective at treating young people with depression as face-toface counselling, new research has suggested.

The study, published on British Medical Journal website bmj.com, found that many adolescents are loathe to seek help for mental health issues.

To tackle that problem, researchers developed an interactive fantasy game called Sparx which sees each player choose an avatar and then face challenges to restore balance in a virtual world overrun by ‘Gnats’ (Gloomy Negative Automatic Thoughts).

They found that the self-help game, which uses cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to help young users, had as much benefit as more traditional treatments, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety by at least a third.

Of the 187 young people in New Zealand studied as part of the trial, significantly more recovered completely in the group playing the computer

game.

A total of 44 per cent of those who completed at least four of the seven modules in Sparx recovered, compared to 26 per cent of those who were receiving face-to-face treatment.

The authors of the study, who are based at the University of Auckland and the University of Otago, said Sparx is an ‘effective resource for help seeking adolescents with depression at primary healthcare sites.’

They added: ‘Use of the program resulted in a clinically significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and hopelessness and an improvement in quality of life.’

The game treatment could prove a cheaper, and more accessible, way for some teenagers with depression to get help. In the Sparx group, 95 per cent of the adolescents said they believed the game would appeal to other teenagers and 81 per cent would recommend it to a friend. Satisfaction was also high in the group who had traditional treatment.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Effective treatment: Research has discovered that playing a computer game could be as good at battling depression than a face-to-face meeting.

Antidote for cocaine overdose shows promise in lab tests

C

ocaine overdoses can have a devastating impact, causing kidney failure, strokes and even death.

Now scientists are on the verge of creating an antidote that could reverse the damaging effects in accident and emergency rooms.

Scientists at The Scripps

Research Institute have shown that an injectable solution can protect mice from an otherwise lethal overdose of the Class A drug.

If they can find a way to produce the solution cheaply and in large quantities they said there was no reason why it couldn’t go forward for human clinical trials.

‘This would be the first specific antidote for cocaine toxicity,’ said study author Dr Kim Janda.

‘It’s a human antibody so it should be relatively safe, it has a superior affinity for cocaine, and we examined it in a cocaine overdose model that mirrors a real-life scenario,’ he said.

Al Pacino in Scarface: A new antidote could reverse the damaging effects of cocaine

Cocaine is involved in more than 400,000 emergencyroom visits and about 5,000 overdose deaths each year in the United States. In 2008 there were 235 deaths linked to cocaine abuse in England and Wales.

In 2005, Dr Janda reported that injections of a mousederived anti-cocaine antibody, GNC92H2, could keep mice alive despite cocaine doses that killed unprotected mice.

The passive vaccine worked by crossing the blood-brain barrier, which caused the cocaine molecules to diffuse out of the brain tissue. At the same time it reduced the drug’s effects on the heart and nearby organs.

However, mouse antibodies are not ideal for use in humans as human immune systems eventually develop a reaction against them.

In the new study, Janda and Dr Jennifer Treweek, used a genetically engineered mouse that can produce fully human antibodies against cocaine molecules.

The best of these antibodies, GNCgzk, showed ten times the cocaine-binding affinity of GNC92H2, the molecule used in the 2005 study.

In a test that simulated a real-life emergency situation, mice were first given a cocaine overdose, and three minutes later were infused with GNCgzk.

About half of untreated mice were killed by such a dose. While GNC92H2 reduced

that rate to about 28 per cent, the new GNCgzk antibodies reduced the mortality rate further, to 20 per cent.

More strikingly, a strippeddown version of GNCgzk which contained only the antibody’s cocaine-binding segments - reduced the mortality to zero, as well as significantly reducing overdose signs such as seizures.

‘There was a reversal of the signs of cocaine toxicity within seconds of the injection,’ said Dr Treweek.

Dr Janda said the treatment could be useful not only in reducing the immediate effects of an overdose, but also in preventing near-term relapses.

‘A lot of people that overdose end up going back to the drug rather quickly,’ Dr Janda said, ‘but this antibody would stay in their circulation for a few weeks at least, and during that time the drug wouldn’t have an effect on them.’

Likewise, this antibody could be administered to patients in addiction recovery or detox programs as a treatment to supplement other medications, such as antidepressants and counseling.

An acute relapse during this recovery period would be immediately nullified by the antibody dose that is already in circulation.

The findings were reported in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 37

Metuh not qualified to attack Buhari, says CPC

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

C

L-R: Delta state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy Chairman, Mr Emmaunel Ighomena, with former PDP woman leader, Mrs Geogrenia Eboloere, during the inauguration of PDP South-South Zonal Executive, yesterday in port harcourt .

Photo: NAN

Call me to order if I deviate, Jonathan tells PDP

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan has spoken of the need for all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members, including political office holders’ to submit to the authority of the party.

The President added that he too in his capacity was under the authority of the party’s national leadership and could be scolded if he derails from the ideals and manifesto of the ruling party.

He made the remark while hosting a dinner reception for the new National Working Committee (NWC) of the party by led Alhaji Bamanga Tukur in the Presidential Villa on Monday night. President Jonathan also told the National Chairman to find a way for the party to be self funding

in order not to allow money bags to take over its affairs. ”It shows that the President himself is under the Chairman.

The President cannot be a maximum ruler. The President is selected by the party and must serve the party not the party serving the President. So, if the President is deviating, the President must be called upon so that we all know that the party is supreme and we must all follow the dictates of the party.

President Jonathan expressed the commitment of members of his government to the PDP, saying that government would not take a major decision without first consulting the party since the PDP would receive the blame if the government failed.

In his remarks, the National Chairman of the PDP recalled his election promise to ensure equity

and justice in the running of the party, stressing that the issue of discipline in the party must also be addressed if it was to be properly repositioned.

Among the personalities present at the dinner were Vice President Namadi Sambo, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, his Deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, former PDP Chairmen, Dr Ahmadu Ali and Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’aba, former Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, immediate past National Secretary, Dr. Musa Babayo, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, former National Secretary of the party, OJo Maduekwe and Alhaji Tanko Yakassai.

Zamfara PDP to participate in LG polls- Scibe

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Zamfara state Chapter has finally resolved to participate in the forth coming Local Government Election scheduled to hold in June this year in the state.

It also urged all its members and supporters to remain calm and law abiding before, during and after the election for peace to reign.

Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Dan Galadima, the Secretary of the Party in the state made this known while speaking to newsmen shortly after their meeting at the premises of the party’s headquarters in Gusau, capital of the state.

Ibrahim said PDP as a party, will definitely take part in the election, being it the most popular political party, expressing optimism that they will win greater part of the seats.

According to him, PDP in the state is still alive, and that its popularity has never ever for one day declined as speculated by some groups and individuals.

He explained that the party during the meeting instructed all the stakeholders, particularly wards and Local Government Chairmen, to ensure only popular

candidates are nominated so as to avoid problem that may erupt.

The Secretary of the party further revealed that the participation of the party in the election become imperative, considering the fact that the spirit with which it ruled the state is still making impact in the minds of the people of the state.

ongress for Progressive Change (CPC) has taken a swipe at the newly elected National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, saying that his political exposure and the circumstance through which he emerged to the position makes him unqualified to cast any aspersion on the person of CPC’s national leader, Muhammadu Buhari.

CPC, reacting to the recent statement credited to the new National Publicity Secretary of PDP, where he allegedly characterized CPC’s National lLeader, Muhammadu Buhari, as a despot, explained that the party was not shielding Buhari from PDP’s attacks, but expressed shock that such attack was coming from a person surrounded by unpalatable political circumstances.

The statement issued by the party read, “Whilst we are not perturbed by the persistent and scurrilous attacks by PDP on our National leader, it is a matter of concern that an individual that emerged as his Party’s spokesman from an intimidating and autocratic process would be the author of such insidious and disparaging attack on the quintessential patriot of our generation.”

The party said the insightfulness of Buhari’s statement in alerting the nation about the ineptitude in governing the nation

by PDP in the last two years could

be seen in the level of disenchantment among Nigerians, adding that never in the nation’s history of over fifty years had such gross ineptitude and lack of respect for transparency, been witnessed as currently with PDP-led federal government.

In addition, the party said, “The Nigerian people have watched with disgust, the plundering of their common patrimony by a mindlessly sleazy regime; the institutions of state have become corrupted in such ludicrous manner as can be seen in the recent indictment of NNPC and the Finance Ministry by the recent probe of the over N2.67 trillion nebulously expended on a bogey called Fuel subsidy.”

While lamenting that no commensurate infrastructural development is witnessed in the country, particularly with over N30 trillion accruing to the nation’s coffers in the last twelve years, which it said is five times more than the cumulative years of the nation’s existence, CPC maintained that Buhari did not say anything different from the expressed views of many other concerned Nigerians.

The party therefore charged people of good will across the country to speak eloquently about the pollution of the democratic atmosphere by PDP’s persistent corruption of the electoral process, emphasizing that Nigeria is going through the most horrific phase of its evolution.

Dankwambo urges politicians to stop abusing youths From Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

G

overnor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has urged politicians to stop using the youths during political activities to maim and kill innocent citizens in a bid to satisfy their political ambition.

The Governor made the call while speaking recently at the flagoff of four township roads construction in Billiri.

The Governor also hinted the mammoth crowd that his administration was planning to empower about 1,200 youths with a view to making them self

employed and productive in the society.

According to him, these youths would be empowered economically through training and not by arming them with axes, cutlasses and cudgels to terrorize members of the society in the name of politics.

He affirmed that his task as a governor was to build a virile, united, progressive and peaceful society; and not to overwhelm himself with evil urge to maim or kill as it is unacceptable to God and mankind, even as it carries severe punishment too.

Aregbesola: Rep berates Omisore, PDP over comment From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

S

equel to the threat by a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Osun state, Senator Iyiola Omisore, to attack the convoy of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, a member of House of Representative from the state, Hon. Rotimi Makinde has described the threat as “a ranting of a confused man that has lost respect among his kinsman.”

Makinde, who represents Ife federal constituency where Omisore hails from, noted with emphasis that Omisore was a notorious agent of destruction who has become a liability to his family, constituency, party (PDP), the state and Nigeria.

“Omisore is already in cage and would need to be further tamed.

We know his lineage are of good reputation, but he, Sen. Iyiola has become so notorious and enjoy

being referred to as agent of destruction and by extension giving the good people of Ife a bad name.

“At the last election, he was floored and rejected by the people in all the polling booth in the land including his family compound despite all his acclaimed clout, money and thugs. Let him realise that the days are over when he would come home and recruit

innocent youths for untoward purposes like his close lieutenant Adedotun Adebowale (Meere) who is standing trial for murder and kidnap case.”

Senator Omisore had over the weekend alleged that the Osun state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was using thugs as security agents, saying that they will raid the convoy of the governor of any thugs.

PAGE 38

CNPP calls for prosecution of Kogi ex-governor From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

K

ogi state chapter of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties CNPP has given Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ÉFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission ICPC two weeks to commence the process of prosecuting Alhaji Ibrahim Idris former governor of the state for financial crimes while in office or risk unimaginable protest.

This was sequel to the earlier petition written to the anti graft Agencies by Honourable Dino Melaye urging them to beam their searchlights on the activities of the former governor while he was in the office for possible investigation and prosecution.

In a press release jointly signed by the seventeen chairmen of the political parties operating in the state a copy of which was made available to journalists yesterday in lokoja threatened to protest to the Commission’s s headquarters for failure to bring Alhaji Ibrahim Idris to account for his stewardship while he was in office.

The state Chairman of Action Congress of Nigeria who is also the chairman of the CNPP, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, lamented the lukewarm attitude of the chairman of EFCC Ibrahim Lamorde to treat the petition brought to him, which was received and acknowledged by the registrar of the commission months without action.

The Chairman noted that the confidence that Nigerians reposed in the Commission during the tenure of Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu has begun to wane saying that Lamorde needed to convince the citizenry that he was the man behind Ribadu’s sucess as his appointment was applauded by Nigerians by bringing the former kogi governor to book.

Ametuo stated that despite the weighty allegations by Dino Melaye against Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, the Commission chose to look the other way, stressing that the failure of the agency to invite him for questioning and interrogation within two weeks, it would mobilize kogites to protest to the commission’s office in Abuja.

According to him “ we want to draw the attention of the anti graft agency to senator Smart Adeyemi newspaper report on the nine years of Idris misrule, asking the former governor to keep quiet waiting for when the anti graft agencies will pick him” he stated.

He challenged lamorde to wade into the allegations against the former governor now that he is no longer under the immunity clause so as to rekindle the hope of Nigerians that this will not be another James Ibori saga.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Group drags Jonathan to court over FCT Ministry

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

F

ollowing the continued appointment of Northerners as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by successive administration, a group known as the Nigeria

Humanitarian Association has dragged President Goodluck Jonathan to an Abuja Federal High Court asking it to declare that the Ministry is not the exclusive preserve of the North.

In the suit dated April 20th the plaintiff, Igwekala Leo

Ugomaduefule through his Counsel Nnadozie Anozie also asked the court to declare as unconstitutional and unjust the continued decision to appoint the FCT Minister from the north and that the FCT Ministry is not the exclusive right of a particular part of the

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Solomon Adeola, Deputy Chairman, Hon. Auwal Jatau, and member, Hon. Samuel Adejare, during a hearing over the query raised by the auditor general on the accounts of NAFDAC, at the National Assembly, on Monday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

country.

He asked the Court to determine whether the President of the Federal republic of Nigeria had pursuant to the powers conferred on him by Section147 of the 1999 Constitution exercised same in accordance with Section 14 [3] of the Constitution.

“Whether the continuous exclusion of the Southerners from being appointed as Minister of the FCT is not in breach of Section 14 [3] of the Constitution.

“Whether a Southerner is not entitled to be appointed as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in compliance with section 14 [3] of the Constitution”?

In an affidavit deposed by Ugomaduefule, he averred that since the creation of the FCT on February 6th 1976 by the administration of late General Murtala Mohammed, no person from the southern part of the country has been named as the Minister of the Territory which he said is in obvious breach of the Constitution and against the spirit of the Federal Character.

Cited as defendants in the suit are President Jonathan, the Senate President, Speaker House of Representatives, Secretary to the Government of the Federation [SGF] and the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission.

Subsidy reports: Group protests alleged moves to remove Oil Minister

By Lawrence Olaoye

A

group of protesters stormed the National Assembly yesterday in protest against the alleged moves by some people to push for the removal of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Dieziani Allison-Madueke.

The group led by Mr. Ebi Ken Alagba, President of Change Nigeria Initiative, alleged that a rival group under an unidentified CSO has been distributing $200 and $500 notes to the unsuspecting public to protest for the removal of the Minister of Petroleum.

According to him, the said promoter, one Abubakar Saidu from Kano State was said to be living in a three star hotel in Apo and was being sponsored by some prominent Kano men.

He said, "we called his cell line several times to fix time and date to see him but he switched off his phone since yesterday, Monday, but we are not deterred if his group is not registered we know what to do to such fake people."

Alagba alleged that Saidu had been distributing dollars to some members of the public to mobilize them to come to the National Assembly and protest

against the Petroleum Minister.

He said "we are not against the probe report of the Fuel Subsidy Monitoring Regime of Rep Farouk Lawan because for the first time the Federal Government encouraged reforms in the petroleum sector of the country."

"But if the report is designed to rubbish the Minister we will not be part of it and you know that all the companies that were indicted in the report nobody mentioned her name or any link with the corruption that took place in the sector."

He added "she championed reforms in the sector and gave it full support yet some group of people are fighting for her removal, this is really uncalled

for in this modern day Nigeria."

Similarly, Bello Abubakar, a member of the group said "our quarrel with the probe report has to do with the fact that the Lawan report only investigated from 2009 when the previous years too were engulfed with corruption."

"So what happens to those years of rot and those who were beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy regime," Bello asked.

Placards displayed by the youths had graffiti such as 'we say no to Lawan Report if it is a ploy to discredit President Goodluck Jonathan and remove the Minister of Petroleum from office on the ground of ethnicity?."

Other placards read "was Lawan committee hijacked by

political enemies of President Jonathan's government?"

The protesters who arrived the National Assembly at about 8am to register their grievances came in various vehicles but were well barricaded by armed anti-riot police men who stood guard at the first entry point of the NASS Complex.

The other group that later joined the protesters was the Ijaw Youth Forum.

NASS Management too ensured that security was beefed up at all the entry points of the complex and visitors without authorization tags were turned back at the first entry point as some visitors were asked to disembark from shuttling buses within the complex.

Atiku condoles with Belgore over wife’s death

By Lawrence Olaoye

F

ormer Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has condoled the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore on the death of his wife, describing a wife as one of the precious gifts from God. In a condolence message issued by his media office in Abuja, the former Vice President

said Belgore’s wife had become a pillar and source of strength to the family of the retired jurist.

While praying for the repose of the deceased, the former Vice President said the greatest tribute Belgore and his children could pay to the memory of the matriarch of the family was to make her proud in life and death through good conduct such as benevolence, humility,

affection and love of humanity.

“Children are like a mirror, which reflects the memories of their dead parents. A wife or mother takes credit for every good virtue demonstrated by her children in life and death.

And the best way to immortalize the late matriarch of the family is to make her proud by their conduct in life,” Atiku sai.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 39

Subsidy probe: Yuguda wants judicial protection for indicted persons

G

overnor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state says those indicted by the House of Representatives’ report on fuel subsidy should be given fair hearing to ascertain their level of involvement in the alleged scam.

Yuguda stated this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents in Abuja on Monday.

He said that the entire report should be subjected to cross-examination to ascertain the facts contained in it.

“This is necessary because the report is yet to be put to test.

“The governor, therefore, urged Nigerians to be fair to those implicated in the report, saying that the indicted persons should be allowed to defend themselves in the court of law.

“Well, the House of Representatives report is an investigation that was carried out and there were lots of discoveries that were made and that report is yet to be put to test. Is as if you make allegations and these allegations will be put to series of cross examinations to

ascertain the facts about the report.

“So, we take this one as a report for now until the facts have been unearthed. For us to swallow everything hook line and sinker, will not be fair to those who are being accused.

So there should be fair hearing, both sides must be heard because they have their own information, those who have been operatives on the ground have their own information, and that if you recall I was the chairman of the committee that first unearth this issue of fraud on fuel subsidy.

“So I think that it doesn’t mean that we would conclude that there is no transparency in the way and manner government does business. ’’ On transparency in governance at the state levels, Yuguda said that most of the state governments had enacted the procurement and fiscal responsibility laws as part of measures to promote transparency and financial discipline.

He said that the state governments would continue to partner with the Federal

Government in promoting transparency in governance.

NECA sues Reps over audit of 180 companies The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has filed a suit against the House of Representatives over its decision to investigate 180 NECA member-companies on tax matters.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, NECA said that the power of the House Committee on Finance to investigate all revenues accruing to the Federation did not extend to NECA membercompanies The House Committee on Finance of the House of Representatives, in national newspapers on April 2, called for the investigation and auditing of tax returns in 180 companies from 2006 to 2011.

NECA said that it took the issue to court following the failure of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance to restrain its Consultant, Olusola Adekanola & Co, from commencing audit and

Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state inspection of the books of companies in the private sectors.

The plaintiff said that NECA companies “not being ‘’persons’’, ‘’authority’’, ‘’government ministry’’, ‘’government department’,’ which executes or administers law made by the National Assembly, disburses or administers monies appropriated or to be appropriated by the National Assembly are outside the investigatory powers of the

House of Representatives.

The plaintiff also called for an injunction restraining the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Clerk, National Assembly, Chairman, House Committee on Finance and the audit firm, Olusola Adekanola and Company, from proceeding with the investigation of Corporate Tax Returns (2006-2011), as published by a national newspaper.

Kogi Assembly to domesticate FOI Act, organises public hearing

T

he Kogi House of Assembly organised a public hearing in Lokoja on Monday as part of steps to ensure effective legislation on the domestication of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. The one-day hearing drew contributors from civil society organisations, the state Ministry of Information and the general public.

The Chairman, Committee on Information, Chief Saidu Akawu-Salihu, said that the FOI Bill, when passed into law, would serve as a wake-up call for all government offices to keep upto-date records.

He said the law would repeal the ‘Official Secrets Act’ which hitherto had shielded public officers from divulging information considered top secret.

In his presentation, Mr Idris Miliki, Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, commended the committee for taking steps to domesticate the FOI act.

Miliki urged the House to ensure that all the Bills passed into law by the House were codified and published in gazette for proper enforcement.

He noted that eventual domestication of the FOI Act would boost the fight against corruption and

Gov. Wada Idris guarantee transparency in the conduct of government business.

Mr. Emmanuel Bello, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, said the ministry would organise workshops for public institutions to educate and sensitise workers on the proposed FOI law.

Bello urged the House to make copies of the law available to workers at local

Chairman, Committee on Information, Chief Saidu Akawu-Salihu government level and to the general public.

Ekweremadu commends FG’s efforts in security and power sectors Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu says the efforts being made by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration will boost security and power infrastructure.

Ekweremadu gave the assurance when Vice-

President Namadi Sambo paid him a condolence visit in Abuja on Monday over the death of his father, His Royal Highness, Igwe Mathias Ekweremadu.

A statement issued by Uche Anichukwu, his Special Adviser (Media), quoted Ekweremadu as saying that the Federal Government had made adequate inputs to reengineer the nation’s economy, especially in the

area of power and security.

“We understand clearly all the efforts you are making in the power and security sectors.

“We believe that with the help of God, in a short while, we will see the manifestations of all your efforts.”

He expressed appreciation to the vice president and the Nigerian government for the great solidarity shown at his moment of grief, describing it as a sign of leadership.

Sambo described the death of the late Igwe Ekweremadu as a sad loss to the deputy Senate president and the entire nation.

He prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed and for God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Sambo was accompanied

by Gov. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, Gov. Idris Wada of Kogi and the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade.

In a related development, a delegation of the staff and management of the ECOWAS Parliament, led by its Secretary-General, Mohamesd Diakite, also paid a condolence visit to Ekweremadu, who is also the Speaker of the Parliament.

The ECOWAS Parliament described the death as “a sad loss to the Community Parliament and ECOWAS as a whole’’.

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Imo Speaker calls T for immortalisation of political leaders

Gov Obi applauds FG’s port reform

T

he Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu, has emphasised the need to immortalise political leaders who contributed meaningfully to the socio-economic and political development of the country.

The speaker made the call in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo on Monday while unveiling Hole 18 Golf Club in honour of late Dr R.B.K Okafor, a political leader in the state.

The Speaker said that

Okafor, who worked selflessly for the realisation of Nigeria’s Independence in 1960 and other people who fought for the restoration of democracy in 1999 should be honoured.

He described Okafor as a visionary leader who fought for the creation of the old Imo State.

The Chief of Staff to Imo the Governor, Chief Eze Madumere, called on prominent Imo citizens to identify themselves with the club.

He noted that the idea of honouring Okafor was a welcoming development, adding that

Okafor’s political vision assisted the late Gov. Sam Mbakwe in developing the old Imo. Madumere told political office holders to emulate Okafor and to leave legacies they would be remembered for after their service to the nation.

The Captain of the club, Mr. Albert Ariche, described the club as a place of many opportunities.

He called on the State Government to invest on the club to attract more amenities to make it more attractive.

L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Rivers state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, with Adamawa state Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako, during the Forum's meeting on committees constituted to look into the excess crude account and oil subsidy, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Omisore denies planning to attack Osun governor

S

enator Iyiola Omisore on Monday denied media reports that he threatened to attack Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun.

Omisore’s rebuttal was contained in a press release made available to newsmen in Osogbo.

He dissociated himself from the media report, saying politics is not a do or die affair.

“I can never descend so low to the extent of nursing such a

senseless ambition of attacking the convoy of a sitting governor being a former deputy governor myself and a lover democracy.

“I am a man of peace, I am committed to peace and stability of the state, I have no other state to lay claim to than Osun and I will continue to work for its stability.”

Omisore described the media report as unfortunate, insisting that he was misquoted, adding: “I have

no problem with Aregbesola or any politician whatsoever.”

He clarified that the interview he granted only emphasised that the PDP would not allow the ACN to rig any election in the state.

Omisore stated that the PDP would not condone the use of thugs under any guise to rig election in the state, as was allegedly done by the ACN during the April 2011 general elections.

he Anambra Governor, Dr Peter Obi, has applauded the Federal Government’s ongoing port reform aimed at ensuring cargo clearance within 24 hours.

Obi made the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the Spring Meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday in Washington DC. He said the reform would expand trade in Nigeria. “Quite frankly, under the present regime, we have started what I will call a deliberately organised reform in the port because in the past what we’ve been doing is just giving lip service to port reform.

“We’ve concessioned the port but those who are supposed to invest money have not really invested any money.

“Every port today operates 24 hours; most of the ships come in at night; before morning they finish off loading and they have modern equipment that can offload ships in hours.’’

Obi noted that it was cheaper to offload a ship in Ghana than in Nigeria because the ports in the country lacked basic offloading facilities.

He said though 60 to 70 per cent of goods entering West Africa were destined for Nigeria, the importers preferred to use the ports in neighbouring countries due to the lack of port facilities.

“They use Contonu ports because it operates 24 hours and clearance is fast. These are the things the ports in Nigeria are beginning to do now, and I must say that the process is slow but it is beginning to get to what is expected.

“All that is required is to push them to ensure that the reform goals are achieved. “

Legislator calls on FG to support Zuru Uhola festival in Kebbi

R

epresenting Zuru federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Alhaji Abdullahi Dan-Alkali, has called on the Federal Government to upgrade the Zuru Uhola cultural festival to international standard.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Uhola cultural festival is an annual event that attracts the Zuru people from all over the country and abroad.

Dan-Alkali, who is the Chairman of the 2012 Uhola

ACN advises PDP chieftains to embrace peace in Osun

T

he ACN in Osun on Monday, advised leaders of the PDP to stop making threats and to allow peace to reign in the state.

The advice was contained in a statement signed by Mr Kunle Oyatomi, the ACN’s Director of Publicity and Strategy, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.

Sen. Iyiola Omisore, a PDP chieftain had on Saturday in a chat with newsmen, warned Gov. Rauf Aregbesola against the use of private

security guards or “to risk interception”.

Omisore had argued that it was unethical for the State Government as part of the federating states, to be using unofficial security guards not known to the State Security Service.

NAN recalls that an Islamic sect Jamat’at Ta’awunil Muslimeen in Iwo had on April 17, at a news conference in Osogbo clarified that the governor had no secret dealing with the body.

The clarification followed a report by a national daily on April

14 that the SSS had identified the sect as part of the governor’s Islamisation agenda.

However, the ACN in its reaction warned that the threat by the politician to “attack, stop and disarm” the governor’s convoy was borne out of desperation and warned him against violence.

Oyatomi called on the PDP to allow peace to reign as “such act would be treated as an assassination attempt and will be decisively resisted by the state’s security forces. ”We call on all lovers of peace to

Obi said that 24 hours clearance at the port was very necessary to reduce the cost of doing business in the country.

In another interview, the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said that government through the presidential committee on port reform was working hard to ensure 24 hours clearance at the port.

She said that government had already awared contract for the repairs of Apapa road in Lagos.

“I believe that the contract to do that road will be taken care of; it’s a costly thing because so many heavy trucks go on that road.’’

Okonjo-Iweala said the government was also working hard to ensure that modern machines were installed at the ports by the concessionaires to facilitate speedy clearance of goods.

She explained that efforts were being made to ensure that empty containers were removed from the ports.

NAN recalls that with the inauguration of the ports reform committee, the government gave approval to eight agencies that would operate within the ports to speed up the clearance of goods.

The approved agencies include the Nigerian Ports Authority; the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency; the Nigerian Customs Service; and the Nigerian Police (Ports Authority Command).

Others are: the State Security Service; the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency; the Nigerian Immigration Service; and the Port Health Authority.

All other agencies are expected to work in the ports when the need arises. So far, at least 2,080 overtime containers out of the 5,000 littering the Lagos ports have been moved to the Ikorodu Terminal.

advise Omisore and his cohorts against this act of desperation first in his own interest and in the interest of peace and survival of democracy.

“If the PDP in the South West even has a private army, it will be suicidal to use that illegal army against the Chief Security Officer and Chief Executive of a state in the federation.

“When did it become the responsibility of a senator to determine who constitute the security convoy of the governor? Is Omisore now the National Security Adviser?,” he asked. (NAN)

Cultural Festival, told NAN on Monday in Zuru, Kebbi, that the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) should partner with the state government to develop the festival.

“The Zuru emirate can package the festival to attract tourists and boost the culture and the heritage of the people to generate revenue.

“The Uhola festival had over the years served as a symbol of unity among the various communities that had worked hard to retain the culture and traditions of the people.

“And the people will be proud to host tourists from all over the world as our cultures are unique.’’

Dan-Alkali described the 2012 Uhola festival as a success, adding that every indigene of Zuru was proud to be at the annual event that had retained cultural values of the people over the years.

NAN reports that the Emir of Zuru, Maj.-Gen. Sani Sami, had directed each community to establish a museum to preserve shrines and traditional worship places in their localities. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 41

UEFA Champions Leaguea

Allianz Arena beckons on Bayern as Mourinho seeks to break semi-final jinx

By Patrick Andrew

I

t’s fireworks at the Santiago Bernabeu the home of nine times UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid, who welcome four times champions Bayern Muniich in a cracker of a match that will determine who faces Chelsea in the final.

And there is a jinx to be broken. Jose Mourinho has lost three of his five Champions League semifinals and the combative coach is determined to improve that record as he lined up his squad in the second leg duel against the Germans.

Apart from pedigree, the hosts command an impressive record against the visitors. They have won 17 of 22 games and drawing three. That of course is an incredible and, indeed, intimidating record.

And they boast of solid home record. This season, Real have won 10 of their last 11 home games in the Champions League and have netted 22 goals in five outings at the Santiago Bernabeu in this year’s competition.

But Bayern are no pushovers. They have have a 2-1 advantage over Real and will indeed not shy away from compact defensive and offensive approach considering the potency of their attack However, they are at greater risk than their hosts in view of having seven players each a card away from missing the final should they pull through.

Defenders Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm- who kept Cristiano Ronaldo quite for a considerable period of the first leg-and Holger Badstuber, midfielders David Alaba, Luiz Gustavo and Toni Kroos and forward Thomas Mueller, are at the verge of exit. Here is where Real’s mesmerising talisman Cristiano Ronaldo will take full advantage. He has been in scintillating form this season with 42 goals eight of which are in this fiesta.

Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain and creative forces Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil, who plays for Germany alongside many of the Bayern players are all available for Real to deploy against Bayern.

Besides, Real Madrid will rely on their home form. The Whites lost the first leg 2-1 in Munich and need to score at least one unanswered goal to progress to the final.

Madrid have won all five of their home matches this season, scoring 22 goals and conceding five, a record that they may not be in hurry to let drop.

Bayern have been less impressive on the road in the competition and the last time they visited the Bernabeu was in 2007 when they lost 3-2 and a similar result would see them going through on the away goal rule. They would, of course, hope for a repeat result at the worst.

NFF organizes Futsal, Beach Soccer courses

T

he Nigeria Football Federation has concluded arrange ments to organize introductory courses for Five-A-Side (Futsal) and Beach soccer coaches and referees this week.

While the Beach Soccer course will take place at the Confluence Beach Hotel, Lokoja, the Futsal course will hold at the FIFA Technical Centre, Abuja starting from today through Saturday.

Nigeria's FIFA Instructor in beach soccer, Mr. Sunday Okayi, who is also the only African FIFA Instructor in the game, says the nation has huge potential in the game considering the vast coastal lines available.

"The NFF has approached world football-governing body,

FIFA to conduct a high-level Coaching and Refereeing Course for us to enable us build a sound and professional capacity as we aim to kick-start the Beach Soccer League before the end of this year. We have faith that FIFA will accede to our request”, said Okayi.

Nigeria finished sixth at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup finals in 2007 and 2011, won the African Beach Soccer Championship in 2007 and 2009 and is ranked number 11 in FIFA's all-time list.

In December last year, the Supersand Eagles showed much ground Nigeria has gained against the world's powers in the game by winning the COPA Lagos Invitational Tournament after trouncing four-time world champions Brazil, South Africa and England.

MEN’S OLYMPIC FOOTBALL DRAW Group A: Great Britain, Senegal, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay Group B: Mexico, South Korea, Gabon, Switzerland Group C: Brazil, Egypt, Belarus, New Zealand Group D: Spain, Japan, Honduras, Morocco The top two teams from each group go through to the quarter-finals.

WOMEN’S OLYMPIC FOOTBALL DRAW Group E: Great Britain, New Zealand, Cameroon, Brazil Group F: Japan, Canada, Sweden, South Africa Group G: USA, France, Colombia, Korea DPR The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams qualify for the quarter-finals.

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Lawal set for Eagles call up

N

Raheem Lawal

igeria U23 player, Raheem Lawal, has said he is ready to step up to the Super Eagles after he earned more praise from coach Stephen Keshi.

The Atletico Belares of Spain midfielder said he will grab his chance at full international level after Eagles coach Stephen Keshi again hinted he is being considered for promotion to the country’s main team.

The Olympic Eagles star, who netted three times against Algeria as Nigeria faltered at the Africa U23 Championship last

year in Morocco, was speaking on the back of a recent declaration

by Keshi that he was been considered for role in the midfield.

“I am happy to hear the news that the Eagles coach is considering me,” an elated Raheem told a wire service from his base in Spain. “I have always prayed for an opportunity with the Eagles and I must say I am eager to come and serve my fatherland. For the coach to consider me means my hard work here in Spain is not being over looked.”

On the latest over his possible move away from Belares, Lawal said he would prefer to be quiet on that for the time being.

“I don’t want to talk about my move anymore until everything is in place. I know there are several offer at the end of the season, but I would prefer to be silent on it for now,” he said.

EPL side Tottenham, Real Madrid youth team and two unnamed clubs from Germany are reportedly interested in the services of the versatile midfielder.

World Cup qualifier: Calabar scores top marks

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he UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar has been scored high by officials to stage Nigeria 2014 World Cup qualifier in June.

Nigeria are shopping for alternative match venue for a World Cup qualifying match at home to Namibia on June 3 after security concerns over the initial choice of Kaduna, which recently suffered a deadly bomb attack by a terrorist sect.

Nigeria are also due to host Rwanda on June 17 in a return leg match for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.

“We are pleasantly surprised with the state of the UJ Esuene Stadium pitch and facilities,” a top official on the inspection team said.

J

egede Opeyemi Bambo, a Paralympics Games Power-Lifter, has successfully undergone a surgery to correct a paraumbilical hernia at the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

She was discovered to have

Chief Patrick Ekeji, DG, NSC

The grass is lush green. It is the best among all the inspected stadiums in terms of everything especially the pitch, but (Stephen) Keshi (Eagles coach) has the final say.”

The Calabar stadium staged a 2012 Nations Cup qualifier against Madagascar in September 2010, which Nigeria won 2-0. Officials have also inspected the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) spokesman Ademola Olajire confirmed the inspection visits, adding, “we are still monitoring situation in Kaduna, but we just want to have a plan B should there be a need for that.”

Olajire also disclosed that the

Dan Anyiam Stadium is not under consideration to host the Eagles qualifiers. “I don’t know

U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar

O

N

o fewer than 15 teams are participating in the Enugu State Federation Cup which kicked off on Monday in Enugu.

The state’s FA Chairman, Chidi Ofo-Okewa, disclosed that participating teams have been urged to acquaint themselves with the current rules and regulations of the game and ensure fair play.

The chairman expressed delight with the fledgling composition of some of the teams making their debut in the competition and expressed the hope the eventual champion would be a worthy representative of the state at the national level of the competition.

“The team that emerges as the state’s champion will surely do well at the national level of the federation cup.”

Meanwhile, in one of the matches played in the competition, Global FC of Enugu defeated Winners FC of Enugu 5-3 in a penalty shootout, after the two teams had battled to a 11 draw during regulation time.

In the second match, Enugu Angels FC also defeated Disdevt FC of Enugu 5-3 in another penalty shootout after they had played out to a 3-3 draw.

Del Bosque urges Spain to forget WCup, Euro wins

London 2012: Opeyemi undergoes successful surgery, resumes training S the hernia during the medical examination of athletes for the qualifying competition by the International Power-lifting Federation but the medical team of the National Sports Commission (NSC) was able to contain the problem enabling her to compete for the qualifiers.

Miss Jegede, who in spite of the umbilical hernia qualified for the London Games, will resume light training for the competition after five weeks from the date of the surgeryApril 6 and will resume normal rigorous training after seven weeks to be ready for the games.

It was after her qualification

Unuanel joins Falcons’ coaching setup cean Boys’ manager, Samson Unuanel has joined the Super Falcons as an assistant coach to Kadiri Ikhana.

The Ocean Boys’ gaffer who is expected to combine the Falcons and Ocean Boys assignments has resumed duty after the NFF gave their approvals.

He would assist Ikhana to meet NFF’s target of winning gold at the 2012 African Women’s Championship in Equatorial Guinea and the next two editions.

He also expected to win gold at the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo-Brazzaville, semifinals of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World

where Owerri came from. We are only looking at Ibadan and Calabar,” he said.

15 teams feature in Enugu Federation Cup

Cup in Canada as well as qualify Nigeria for the 2016 football event of the Olympic Games in Brazil, among others.

An elated Unuanel said that the appointment as Super Falcons’ assistant coach is a dream come true.

“I’ve been longing for it and praying for such opportunity, I am happy it has come true. It has been my aspiration to coach a national team just as it’s the ambition of every player to play for the national teams.

“I’m going to utilise it to the fullest and I thank coach Kadiri Ikhana for believing in me and the NFF for approving me as an assistant.

“Ikhana requested for me as his assistant and the NFF has sanctioned it. I am going to work with him to fully realise the targets given to him.

“I’m not intimidated by the targets, Ikhana is an achiever and together, we’ll surpass the targets. I was sceptical working with the women but 10 days I have been in camp with them has doused those fears, they are intelligent and lovely people to work with,” he said.

Unuanel said he is not abandoning the Brass-based side in their hour of trials but insisted that the fight to save the team from the drop is continuing.

that the NSC organized for her to undergo a successful surgery at LUTH. Her recovery programme is being managed by the NSC medical team and they have assured that Jegede will be fit enough to train and compete at the Paralympic Games in London.

“No, I’m not abandoning the team. I’ll combine both jobs.

Besides, I have capable assistants who will hold fort when I’m not available.

“Reports on their match against Dolphins showed that they played very well. We lost players in the mid-season transfer. We got some rookies, in the next three, four matches they will blend with the old ones.

“Our position is not okay, I’m confident we’ll pull through.

We’ll try and pick three points against Niger Tornadoes in today’s midweek match in Yenagoa. “I pray government promises of fund will come true so as to motivate the players.

We’re united in making sure that Ocean Boys are saved from relegation,” he said.

pain coach Vicente Del Bosque says that former glories will count for little when they go to the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine in June.

Spain won the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and the last European competition in Austria and Switzerland in 2008, casting aside the country’s reputation as underachievers on the international stage.

“I think we have to be like normal people. We can be proud of what we’ve achieved, but at the same time it belongs to the past, and we have to face the future. “And if we want to keep our feet on the ground there is no other possibility than to forget that we won it, and prepare for the future,” Del Bosque said in an interview.

Former Real Madrid coach Del Bosque said an essential part of the country’s recent success was consistency of play across all national teams, which gave him a range of options at his disposal.

“We can put in any player we want and he will adapt immediately,” he added.

Spain take on 2006 World Cup winners Italy in their first Group C match in Gdansk, Poland, on June 10.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

O

lympic-bound Sinivie Boltic has lamented the lack of modern training equipment in the country and appealed to the National Sports Commission to make up for this by arranging more international tournaments to enhance wrestlers’ skills and preparations toward a good performance at the July 27 to Aug. 13 London 2012 Olympics.

Boltic, who qualified last February in freestyle category (90kg) at the Senior World qualifiers in Istanbul, Turkey, was one of the four wrestlers already qualified to represent Nigeria at the Olympics.

Others were Adibo Dick, freestyle (96kg) and two females, Amarachi Obiajunwa, (72kg) and Blessing Oborodudu (63kg).

The three qualified at the Oceania-Africa Continental in Casablanca, Morocco in March.

PAGE 43

We lack competent training partners, KFN adopts says Olympic-bound wrestler innovative sponsorship initiative for visibility

Apart from these, Nigeria may likely have other candidates because the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) would attend other qualifiers in China from April 27 to April 29 and in Finland from May 2 to May 4.

Boltic, currently in Yenagoa, said on ‘phone that constant participation in international tournaments would prevent them from being rustic before the Olympics.

According to him, participation in the just-concluded invitational in Punjab, India, had further sharpen their skills and techniques which, he said, would help brighten their chances at the Olympics.

“The invitational was held between April 13 and April 18.

We displayed our capabilities and also improved our skills in preparation for the Olympics.

“At the invitational, we pitched our skills with wrestlers from other countries suchb as Iran and the U.S. and we are able to determine our skills level.

“We did our best at the invitational. Although, I lost at the first round in 84kg, however, I got to the final in two other categories where I lost to Iran. This shows that we need more training and exposure and which we can get through more competitions,” he said.

According to him, although the

federation is planning another international competition, he will, however, prefer training tour of Bulgaria or Germany.

T Sinivie Boltic

World body approves 2012 London Olympics Anti-Doping Laboratory

T

he London 2012 Olympics Ant-Doping Laboratory on Monday received the seal of approval from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

“With the approval, the London 2012 Anti-Doping Laboratory will be able to operate and attain the highest standards of sample analysis during the Olympic Games and Paralympics Games in London,” WADA President John Fahey said in a statement.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Olympic Games is to hold from July 27 to Aug. 12 while the Paralympic Games is

scheduled for Aug. 29 to Sept. 9.

“Doping athletes must know that there is a very good chance they will be tested this summer,” the Europe Correspondent of NAN quotes Fahey as saying further.

He assured that the laboratory would live up to its billing as WADA had ensured it was the best available to help in curtailing cheating in sports through doping.

“Everything scientifically possible with the assistance of growing intelligence will be done to make sure that their (athletes) efforts to cheat are detected by the experts at the laboratory,” Fahey said.

In his reaction, Jonathan Harris, LOCOG Head of AntiDoping, described WADA accreditation as a green light signal that the laboratory is ready for the games.

“The successful partnership between LOCOG, GlaxoSmithKiline (GSK), the providers of the laboratory, and King’s College London, the operators, has enabled us to present to WADA a brilliant laboratory on time for the Games,” Harris said.

NAN gathered that WADA accreditation process, which spanned a two-year period, was based on two International Standards for Laboratories.

These standards required the laboratory to undergo a series of rigorous tests to establish its analysis credentials.

The process also involved several site visits from WADA’s Science Department and the “ISO/IEC” accrediting body prior to the granting of accreditation.

Assessments were also focused on the facility, equipment, procedures and staffing during three formal inspections and dummy sample testing. More than 6,250 samples are being expected to be analysed throughout the Olympic and Paralympics Games.

D’ Tiger to play Russia, Brazil, China in pre-Olympics friendly matches

By Albert Akota

T

he Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has arranged top grade friendly matches for D’ Tigres to keep the players in shape and abreast with their contemporaries ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games, this Summer.

The President of the federation, Alhaji Tijani Umar, listed some of the countries to include Brazil, Argentina, China and Russia who have all qualified to participate in the forthcoming Olympic Games.

The president, who expressed delight with the mood in the team, also said the preparations were in top gear for D’ Tigres to relocate to China where they would tune up for the Games.

According to him, the team would use the opportunity in China to play some friendly matches with top Chinese basketball teams plus the crack China national basketball squad.

Besides, he said that D’ Tiger has scheduled to play a friendly match in Brazil from 26th to 29th of June before cross over to

neighboring country Venezuela for another friendly match.

“The federation can’t afford to play friendly matches with non Olympics teams because it may bring down the level of our preparation ahead of Olympic game challenges. “We have 4nation tournament in China in early June, we will leave China

Nigeria’s D’ Tigres

for USA, while playing matches we will also be finalizing our friendly match with Britain and Russian, because we have billed to play Brazil on 26 th of June before it neighboring country Venezuela where we also agreed to play match.

“The Federation agreed to play these countries because they are

also the countries we may likely meet when the global event start proper in London, “he said.

Further, Umar said that the NBBF will work assiduously to ensure the D’ Tiger not only participate at the global event but put the green white green in the medal table at the London Olympic games.

he Kick-boxing Federation of Nigeria (KFN) has said that it intends to maintain visibility for the sport through its in-house sponsorship initiative, to attract sponsors for its programmes.

Emmanuel Peters, KFN board member, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos that the initiative had necessitated a rotational sponsorship of some of its programmes by members.

To this effect, Peters said that he would be sponsoring the federation’s forthcoming Open Championships slated to hold in Makurdi from June 12 to June 17.

He said that the body had to depart from the norm by choosing an entirely different venue for the Open Championships.

“We decided to stage this event in a totally different location, away from the Lagos and Abuja axes. We decided to break the monotony by taking it elsewhere to enable athletes from those parts to have a feel of the competition at their doorsteps; if you like.

“It is an opportunity for athletes in the state to showcase their talents, which will also serve as an avenue for the federation to identify emerging grassroots talents in the sport,” he said.

The board member said that the body is currently engaged in an aggressive awareness campaign to popularise the sport in all the nooks and crannies of the country.

He added that the KFN’s inhouse sponsorship initiative was also part of the aggressive awareness campaign to sustain the sport.

“There is no separate committee to get sponsors, we are all in it and have written letters to corporate organisations, approached private individuals with proposals which we are monitoring,” he said.

When asked about the steps being taken by the federation to update its technical officials with the current trends in kick-boxing, he said that KFN was working closely with the World Association of Kick-boxing Organisation (WAKA).

Peters, who is also a member of the federation’s technical committee, said that it was the duty of WAKA to expose the sport to major international games such as the Olympics.

He added that the reason why kick-boxing was not featured as an event at the 2011 All Africa Games was because Mozambique (the host) was not proficient in the sport and excluded it from the games’ list.

PAGE 44

Police Machine coach happy with team’s progress in 2012 Federation Cup

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he Chief Coach of Police FC, Mukaila Ali, has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to impress and progress to a reasonable extend in the on-going Federation Cup competition in the FCT. “I rate my boys very high because they have done well in spite of the fact that the week has been stressful. Today, I thank God we won, as it’s going to take us to the quarterfinals,” Ali said while reacting to his team’s 1-0 win over FRSC FC of Abuja in a third round match.

Paul Titus of the Police FC had scored their winning goal in fifth minute into the game.

Speaking also on the match, Ali’s FRSC counterpart, Akin Onigbinde, applauded the performance of the team but stressed that they would need to improve in certain aspects for the team to meet the desired expectation.

“It is a very good game but I believe luck was a little bit against us. You could count how many occasions we hit the woodwork. “But I believe that it is how God wants it. I have to give the players encouragement because we still have our league matches to play. “We still need to work on our passes, as the penetration passes are not coming. So, we need to work on that more,” he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Rangers warn Enyimba off Adegbite

E

nugu Rangers have warned Enyimba to hands off forward Razaq Adegbite because he has yet to be cleared to play for them.

Rangers have even gone ahead to declare the forward, who has scored three goals for them this season, wanted.

Officials said the former Gateway FC of Abeokuta star was properly transferred on a permanent basis this season after he completed a loan spell

the previous term.

A top management staff of ‘The Flying Antelopes’, who spoke on the basis of anonymity, said, “It is quite painful how players in Nigeria behave. This was a player who just escaped been punished after abandoning duties and travelling to Ukraine for trials without permission when he returned.

“Now he is nowhere to be found and his service is needed to help us charge for the league title. We

are hearing that he has joined Enyimba but that to the best of my knowledge is a very big lie.”

Another top official said Rangers paid out N1m for a loan deal involving Adegbite last season and this season, they paid the player’s agent three million to make the transfer a permanent one.

However, in a strange twist Adegbite said he remains a Rangers player and will soon rejoin the team.

NPL to sanction venues without medical facilities

T

he Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has said that it will sanction clubs hosting league matches that failed to provide necessary medical personnel and facilities at the venues.

Tunji Babalola, the Acting Executive Secretary, NPL told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday on phone that the board viewed strongly issues relating to players‘

welfare.

Babalola, who spoke against the backdrop of Bolton Wanderer’s Fabrice Muamba survival after his collapse on the field of play, said it was mandatory for the clubs to provide medical teams at match venues.

It would be recalled that Muamba collapsed on the field of play during an FA Cup quarterfinal tie between Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur at White

Nigeria Premier League, Sunshine vs Kwara United

Hart on March 17. He spent 40 days in a specialist hospital after being pronounced dead for 78 minutes.

“We have our rules and regulation; as a club it is mandatory to have a medical team to be headed by a qualified doctor, there must be provision of well equipped ambulance.

“Without the provision of this amenities, matches will be stopped and the host club automatically losses three points and get sanctioned,” the secretary said.

He said with the commencement of the second stanza of the NPL all clubs were expected to have concluded their health fitness test for their players, which will certify them fit for the season.

Babalola, however, called on the federal and state governments to live up to expectation and provide facilities in the public hospitals, and provide adequate remuneration for health workers.

“The NPL cannot do this alone; they (governments) should ensure that the hospitals are well equipped, for instance the hospital that resuscitated Muamba is not owned by the English Premier League.

“Medical personnel should be adequately compensated, so

FC Abuja coach wants NNL to scrap Abridge League Format

T

“I am still a Rangers player and I took permission to stay back with my family for some days and I will hit Enugu this weekend,” he said.

“There is no truth in reports making the rounds that I have signed for Enyimba. I am just reading it in the media and I have not had any meeting with any Enyimba official. My desire to win a trophy with Rangers this season is paramount on my list this year.”

he Chief Coach of FC Abuja, Friday Christopher, has called on the Nigeria National League (NNL) to adopt a normal league format instead of the current abridged format that has been adopted since the league resumes.

Christopher, who made the call while reacting to his team’s Week 12 0-1 loss to Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) FC in an interview, said that the abridged league was too short to get the best from players and teams.

An abridged league form, according to him, is a situation where teams are divided into groups to play fewer matches instead of the normal league with 38 matches.

“Naturally, when you assemble a team, you need time for the team to blend, sometimes teams get organised after several matches in the course of the season.

“Our team, for instance, picked up after Week 10 of the league and if it were the normal league, I would have boasted and beaten my chest that we will do something better. In any case, we are optimistic of promotion to the

Nigerian Premier League next season,” Christopher said.

He said the team was preparing for a normal league but got a shocker from the NNL on the day the draws were made, describing such an act as “unprofessional”.

“In professional football, teams use the first stanza of the league which is normally 19 matches to assess themselves. It enables the teams to see which players to drop and those to bring in. That gives room for necessary adjustments,” the coach said.

He commended the match officials

Chief Emeka Inyama

for good officiating so far. “As for me, the officials are doing very well.

Tactically, they are sound,” Christopher said.

His JUTH counterpart, Hassan Abubakar, expressed optimism that his club would gain promotion to the Nigeria Premier League after the club’s two successive home wins over Sarduana FC of Sokoto and FC Abuja.

“Our boys played according to instructions. The players responded positively. We still have three away and three home matches. We will brace up to pick up some points in the away matches because if we do, we will be comfortable,” Abubakar said.

He noted that their hope of promotion was further brightened by the players whom, he said, were well motivated.

“The players are motivated. They have been paid their salaries and allowances. I am happy with the management for what they are doing,” Abubakar said.

JUTH now occupies the second position on the Group A table with 18 points.

On officiating, Abubakar said: “The

they won’t leave the shores of this country because of poor remunerations, which have lead to academic brain drain in the country,” he said.

He explained that before matches’ kick-off, match commissioners and assessors were expected to inspect the venues and ensure that the necessary logistics were in place and assured that the NPL would ensure that the clubs do not toy with players’ welfare. Muamba was discharged from hospital on April 16.

However, Mutiu Adepoju, the Manager of the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan prayed that such an incident does not occur in the Nigerian league.

“We pray such thing does not happen and such has not happened for a long time. We always do check-ups as and when due,” Adepoju said.

He said that although the quality of health services in the country was not comparable to what obtained in developed countries, clubs still managed to conduct medical screening of players.

“We do check-ups even though they might not be as sophisticated as they are in England, but we try to do the best we can,” he said.

officiating in the first stanza is very good but there are funny things happening in this second stanza of the league”.

He called on NNL officials to always move round to inspect matches in order to put things right and help teams to get fair officiating.

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THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OBA (DR) IDOWU ISENIBI, JP PRESIDENT 2. MR. MBAMALU PIUS SECRETARY 3. ALHAJI AUDU NABADO 4. ALHAJI MUKHTAR HARUNA 5. ALHAJI BALA MUHAMMED 6. ALHAJI TANKO ABDULLAHI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT THE INTEREST OF MEMBERS. 2. TO PROMOTE UNITY, LOVE AND PEACE AMONG MEMBERS. 3. TO OFFER ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT TO MEMBERS IN TIMES OF NEED. 4. TO BRING UNDER ONE UNITED UMBRELLA ALL THE DISTRIBUTORS AGENTS AND TRUCK OWNERS IN OBAJANA, KOGI STATE. 5. TO FOSTER UNITY AND PROGRESS AMONG MEMBERS. ANY OBJECTION(S) TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA. WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION SIGNED: SECRETARY

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

PAGE 45

QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE

First they ignore you.

Then the y laugh a ou. they att y you.

Then the y ffight ight y ou. they you.

Then y ou win you — Mahatma Gandhi

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

SPORTS LA TEST LATEST

10-man Chelsea subdue Barcelona to reach Champions League final

T

he season has been turbulent for them and at a stage they were almost in discomfiture, but yesterday at the Nou Camp, 10-man Chelsea against all odds eliminated defending champion Barcelona to reach the Champions League final.

John Terry inexplicably got an unnecessary red card, but that did not stop Chelsea from securing a 2-2 tie on the night and winning on 3-2 aggregate.

Two months ago, Chelsea were the butt of several soccer fans for their dismal form worsened by the sack of Andre Villas-Boas, but the coming of stand-by coach Roberto Di Matteo not only injected vibrancy into the team but the players seem to have attained a certain hitherto unknown gut.

Now, owner Roman Abramovich, would sure hope to realise his life-long dream of winning the UEFA Champions League, a quest that has seen him sack several coaches.

Barcelona trailed 1-0 from the first leg but took a 2-0 lead in the game on goals by Sergio Busquets in the 35th minute and Andres Iniesta in the 44th.

Terry was given a red card in the 37th for fouling Alexis Sanchez, but rallied as Ramires scored on a lob over goalkeeper Victor Valdes in first-half injury time, tying the aggregate and giving Chelsea the advantage on away goals.

Three-time FIFA player of the year Lionel Messi, sent a penalty kick off the crossbar in the 59th after Didier Drogba pulled down Cesc Fabregas.

Messi hit a post late, Barcelona had a goal disallowed for offside and substitute Fernando Torres sealed the win when he scored on a breakaway in the 90th.

They face today’s winners between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich on May 19.

Didier Drogba

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Almajiri schools: Good step or hot air?

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he Almajiri Initiative, a new school system that seeks the integration of the Tsangaya (itinerant school) or Qur’anic School System and that of western education (Boko) just launched by the Federal Government in partnership with the states and local councils is a good new development even if, as I suspect, it is happening just accidentally. The shortcoming identified with the Tsangaya School System is that it encouraged rote learning of the Holy Scripture and did not kit its beneficiaries with skills to earn livelihood as adults.

The accidental aspect of new policy is that it may have sprung up as a slogan, a jargon or gimmick to spin votes for politicians. But even if it were so, patriotic institutions and citizens can hijack it, that is assuming government is not well-meaning, to turn it into a tool for a desirable social change. That should bring about the empowerment of children, their fathers and mothers and the larger community using education.

The policy initiative which just launched amidst fanfare by the government in Gagi, a village in Sokoto State, is to ensure the setting up of 400 such schools this year. TV pictures of the well-built school, furnished classrooms, facilities and the transformed outlook of your regular rag-tag, barefooted Almajiri all came together to tell the story of a firstever effort to carry along the socially underprivileged children.

The President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, in inaugurating the scheme, said there were 10million of such children roaming the streets of mostly Northern cities.

How can a society develop without guaranteeing right to education to all its children?

The refusal of Muslims to embrace the Western school system has its roots in the malfunctions of colonial rule when schools came here, not merely as agents of education and socialization but of conversion of Muslims to Christian faith. On account of this, Muslims, especially those found in the North who make up Nigeria’s largest community-or something close to that- did not enroll their children in schools. The sad aspect of it is that this deficit in faith in the Boko System remained largely

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MUSINGS By

Garba Shehu garshehu@yahoo.co.in

President Goodluck Jonathan unaddressed for the more than 100 years of the existence of this country. Based on this faulty foundation, this country has borne the burden of an uneducated mass of humanity,some might say for too long. This accounts for why many things had gone wrong, and are bound to go wrong with our system. The fact that a policy is coming at this time presupposes that there is consciousness on the part of those that rule us that we cannot continue to pretent that all is well. The pioneers/groundbreakers of this progressive system of education are worthy of commendation.

Seeing our vast population, in the current parlance, human capital, we need to invest more in

education if this country is to make a meaningful attempt at achieving national development.

Things have been going wrongly for us due mainly to lack of education.

The democratic process requires enlightened masses who cannot be manipulated by vested interests in the political system.

Armed with education and secure future, the Almajiri will resist the pressure to be recruited as thugs by politicians. They (masses) will know and press for their rights, which the political class must satisfy, or suffer the consequences of disobedience to the electorate when they vote.

As one writer asserted, without access to universal education, democracy becomes dumbocracy – the rule of the ignorant, for the ignorant and by the ignorant – a scenario which Nigeria has come dangerously close to enacting.

We all know that the new Almajiri Initiative is a challenge both in terms of money and more so, acceptability to the segment of the population it is targeted at.

There will, for instance be resistance by the beneficiaries of the out-going order. For every decadent system, there are beneficiaries who will defend it to the last. But the thing that will

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In a normal situation, this policy on Almajiri is a noble act to help our poor and underprivileged sections of the population to grow into a better youth of tomorrow. Let us hope that the policy works well, and that it doesn’t end in a great deal of chest thumping and hot air

even be more potentially damaging to the new scheme is the attitude of the government to education and to almost everything. We know the government of the day as one that only announces schemes and leaves them at that- no follow-up, no follow-through.

In a normal situation, this policy on Almajiri is a noble act to help our poor and underprivileged sections of the population to grow into a better youth of tomorrow.

Let us hope that the policy works well, and that it doesn’t end in a great deal of chest thumping and hot air.

According to the late British Philosopher and Mathematician, Bertrand Russell, “those who think education is expensive should try ignorance”!

Therefore, no investment is too much for the education of socially and economically vulnerable groups like the Almajiris.

Benue waits on Gitto!

I followed an interesting on-line discussion on the gift of a Church building to the President’s Otuoke Community by the construction giant Gitto. Some have called it “Gittogate”.

In trying to defend that it is not a bribe or payback to the President for lucrative contracts that Gitto may have garnered from the government, the President’s Media Adviser, Reuben Abati said this was a normal case of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). That a Godfearing construction company, Gitto, found a God-fearing community, which by accident happened to be where the President came from. Their dilapidated Church needed a make-over and they gave it one, finish.

Problem is, not many Nigerians have bought into Reuben’s argument. To be convinced that this was an honestto-God CSR, they are asking Gitto to go to Benue State where a decrepit Church building in Adumgbe, Vandeikya Local Government fell on hapless worshippers on Easter-eve. It killed 22 to 40 of them.

When they are done with this, St. Finbarr’s Church bombed in Jos, the Plateau State capital by Boko Haram is beckoning. And then, all those Mosques awaiting total rebuilding in troubled Borno, Yobe and elsewhere. Where are you, Gitto?

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