Peoples Daily Newspaper, Thursday 27, September, 2012

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

Vol. 9 No. 34

Thursday, September 27, 2012

. . . putting the people first

Zhul-Qadah 10, 1433 AH

N150

Senate rejects ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon

By Richard Ihediwa

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he Senate yesterday rejected the ceding of Bakassi peninsula to the Cameroon with lawmakers

insisting that the disputed area belongs to Nigeria.

Consequently, the upper house directed that President Goodluck Jonathan should appeal the ruling of the International Court of Justice

(ICJ) which in its ruling in 2002 awarded Bakassi peninsula, located in Cross River to the Cameroon, with a 10-year window for appeal.

The appeal window expires on

the 9th of October, 2012.

Senate’s decision to reclaim Bakassi followed the adoption of a motion to that effect by Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi, and 17 others who faulted the ICJ

judgment and prayed the Senate to declare it null and void.

In adopting the motion, the Senate held that the Vienna Convention on treaties that Contd on Page 2

Saudi deports 171 female pilgrims

By Umar Mohammed Puma, Abuja, Edwin Olofu, Kano & Lawal Sa'idu Funtua, Katsina

LEFT: NEMA rescuers and volunteers in a naval boat, yesterday in River Niger in Kogi state, during the evacuation of displaced people by flood.

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espite efforts by the Nigerian government to resolve the impasse over the detained female Nigerian pilgrims, the Saudi Arabian authorities yesterday deported 171 of them back to the country from the holy land.

While the pilgrims were airborne, the Vice-President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo, was in a meeting with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador, Khaled Abdurabuh, apparently without a clue about the deportation.

The deportees who arrived the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, on board Max Air aircraft with number 5N MBB at about 4.58 pm, were among those detained for three days at the Madina International Airport for not being in the company of their male guardians.

Our correspondent learnt that Contd on Page 2

PD INDEX

BOTTOM LEFT: The agency’s rescue officers in a canoe navigating flooded communities in Kogi state BOTTOM RIGHT: NEMA Director-General, Malam Muhammad SaniSidi (middle), and rescue officers beside the helicopter after aerial view of flooded areas.

26th Sept., 2012

CBN RATES $ £ EURO CFA RIYAL

BUYING 154.7 250.9 200 0.2867 41

SELLING 155.7 252.5 201 0.3067 41.5

PARALLEL RATES EURO £ RIYAL $

BUYING 202 257 40 158

SELLING 204 259 42 160

Several killed in Niger tanker explosion >> PAGE 2

Pandemonium as police kill motorcyclist in Kaduna >> PAGE 3

Ride on train roofs, go to jail – NRC warns commuters >> PAGE 5

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

CONTENTS

Several killed in Niger tanker explosion

News

From Iliya Garba, Minna

2-11

Editorial

12

Op.Ed

13

Letters

14

Opinion

15

Metro

16-18

Business

18-19

Interview

24

Earth

26

Discourse

29

Man sets vehicle on fire to evade LASTMA arrest, Page 9

Inter’l Discourse

31-34 36

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-47

Columnist

48

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

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

Phones for News: 070-37756364 09-8734478

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o fewer than 20 persons were burnt to death when a petrol tanker crashed and exploded last night in Kudu village located on Bida-Mokwa road in Niger State.

An eye witness told Peoples Daily that the tanker crashed while negotiating a bend across the town and exploded resulting in the burning of several houses as well as inflicting various degree of injuries on many more persons who are lying critical condition

at the rural hospital in Kutigi and Mokwa.

A reliable source informed our correspondent that a policeman was also killed as he was trying to rescue some trapped victims while the tanker explodes thereby resulting to the death of yet to be identified number of persons.

Confirming the incidence, in a telephone interview, the Chairman of the council, Alhaji Adamu Jiya Sonfada, said several injured persons in the disaster were receiving treatment at the General Hospitals, in Mokwa and Kutigi.

He said that not less than 15 people lost their lives, and property worth several millions of naira were lost in the incident, adding that the council is doing everything humanly possible to see that the victims receive proper and adequate medical care.

The Village Head of Kudu, Alhaji Alhassan Kudu, described the explosion as a great disaster and sympathized with the families of the deceased.

The Village Head called on the Federal Government to construct speed bumps across the road,

especially around the market site where the accident occurred, stressing that this would check reckless driving and over speeding on the road.

In a telephone interview with the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Pius Edobo also confirmed the incident but claimed not to know about the death of a police officer among those that lost their lives.

Meanwhile, mass burial of the deceased persons took place at Kudu village which was sponsored

by Mokwa Local government council.

Saudi deports 171 female pilgrims Contd from Page 1 most of the deported pilgrims hail from Katsina state. Numbering 111, the women were to have been flown to Katsina airport from Kano but the plane was diverted back to MAKIA. Their Taraba state counterparts numbering 60 were taken to the Kano pilgrims’ camp pending the arrival of their state officials who will take them back to Taraba state.

One of the deportees who identified herself as Aishatu Ismail from Taraba state, told reporters: “We saw hell because the security in Madina detained us for three days without food and care”.

Aishatu lamented that “the Saudi Authorities caged us in one open space without allowing us to move an inch, and they didn't allow us to even buy food, and as you can see us now, we spent three days without food in Madina airport”.

According to her, “No official of the federal government or state could attend to us in Madina because the security caged us and could not allow anybody to come close to us for what they described as lack of a guardian for our intended Hajj exercise”.

She further lamented that “We were terribly humiliated by the Saudi authorities, I also hope that if the issue is settled between

the officials of Nigeria and Saudia Arabia, we may likely be taken back for the pilgrimage”.

About 1000 Nigerian pilgrims were said to have been detained in Jedda Airport by the Saudi Arabian authorities for lack of a male guardian (Muharram) in their visas.

Sources at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport told our reporter that the 171 pilgrims deported had left Nigeria on Tuesday night from Katsina and some from Taraba through the Adamawa airport.

The Kano state executive secretary of the pilgrims board, Alhaji Laminu Rabiu, who was at the airport, told reporters that the action of the Saudi authorities was improper since the pilgrims were in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj exercise.

Reports from their deportation point in Madina indicated that the women were in tears when they were told that they could not be allowed into the country.

The Katsina contingent of deportees were said to be those who had left Katsina in the early hours of yesterday and landed in Madina International Airport before their deportation.

When our correspondent visited the Katsina Pilgrims Welfare Board yesterday, further screen-

ing of pilgrims had been stopped as a source disclosed that the airlift of pilgrims to the holy land has been suspended.

Efforts by our correspondent to speak with officials of the state pilgrims board failed as the chief executive of the board was said to be in Abuja for a meeting.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently intervene and save Nigerian pilgrims from further hardship.

Speaking during an emergency meeting between the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the Ministry of foreign Affairs, in Abuja, the Chairman, House Committee on foreign affairs, Rep. Nnenna Elendu Ukeje said" the situation from available reports indicated that the number of Nigerian women pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is unprecedented, as most of them are left to sleep on the bare floor without any form of assistant from anybody, and this constitutes health hazard for the pilgrims.”

She added that despite all efforts by the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to secure the release of the pilgrims, the Saudi authority has turned deep ears.

So far, over 1020 Nigerians are

in detention at the Jedda airport and are urgently seeking the attention of Nigerian authorities.

The permanent secretary, Ministry of Foreign affairs, Mr. Martin Ohomoiboi said "the Minister of state foreign affairs, has had a meeting with the Saudi Ambassador over the issue and has promised him that the Nigerian pilgrims would return after they have performed their pilgrimage, and to our amazement after three days, nothing happened".

Ohomoiboi added that the Nigerian consular general in Jedda has notified the Saudi government on the issue and yet the situation is deteriorating.

Earlier, the Chairman of NAHCON, Mallam Muhammad Bello said, the situation was confusing as the Saudi authority never set this condition before granting visas to the Nigerian pilgrims.

“Right now, our major concern is that the facilities where they are kept in Jeddah airport is not habitable for human beings to stay more than 1 hour, and all our effort to convince the Saudi authority has failed.”

Rep Nnenna urged President Jonathan to intervene by calling the Saudi King to interfere in the matter.

Senate rejects ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon Contd from Page 1 required domestication of the ICJ judgment by a national parliament was not done by the National Assembly before Bakassi was handed over by fiat to Cameroon by the Federal Government.

Senators lamented the approach applied by the Federal Government in the matter pointing out that government erred in handing over of Bakassi to Cameroon without referendum from the people of Bakassi as stipulated by the United Nations, UN. Backing the Bakassi reclaim posture, Senate President, David Mark, maintained that Bakassi cannot be ceded to Cameroon, adding that he would write to President Jonathan to immediately begin the appeal

process.

Mark said: “The resolution that we need to make is that Bakassi should not be ceded to Cameroons.

I think that is the final objective of our decision.

“If we do not go to an appeal at all while we have subjected ourselves to the international court, I think that will be a grievous mistake. There is room for us to appeal, going on an appeal is a line of action that we should not reject, if that is what is available through the court, we should utilize it. I think that is the most appropriate thing to now, the most we should do now is to quickly rush an appeal in spite what the President said at the UN. “We have obeyed the international court to this point, but we still do not accept it. It is not that we accept it we have simply

obeyed their decision. We have not accepted it, there is a lot of pressure at home here and I think it is the belief of every Nigerians that we should not cede Bakassi, not the way it has happened. I think that is really where the problem is.”

He said the Senate will apply itself to all legislative processes to ensure that the judgment is overturned in favour of Nigeria.

Presenting the motion, Ningi urged Nigeria to appeal the judgment stating that the whole processes that led to ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon was filled with irregularities.

He argued that both Cameroon and Nigeria have not fully complied with the details of the judgment, adding that new facts have emerged to show that the peninsula belongs to Nigeria, in accordance with article 16 of the

ICJ. “The judgment was erroneously based on agreement between the British and Calabar Chiefs in 1884.

“There has never been a precedent in history where any case of this nature was executed without a referendum as enshrined by the United Nations.

“There is lack of faithful implementation of articles 3 (1) and 2 (a) of the ‘Green Tree Agreement’ signed by both the Cameroon and Nigeria, thereby violating the basis of the implementation of the Court of judgment.”

Ningi argued that the action of government was a conspiracy of silence against the minorities in Nigeria adding that senators have agreed to fund the appeal process.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

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One cult member lynched, another injured in UniJos From Nankpah Bwakan, Jos

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cademic activities were disrupted as a suspected cult member was yesterday lynched and another seriously injured following a shooting incident at the permanent site of the University of Jos during a departmental students’ association election.

Students of English department were said to be holding an election for new officers of their association at about 12 noon when two pistol-wielding men spotting red dresses came out of the library complex and fired at a student standing under a tree close by.

Apparently, the targeted person was aware that danger was lurking and he successfully

escaped but a female student standing close by was hit on the shoulder while the other student who was passing by was hit on the forehead by a stone directed at one of the suspects.

Although the shooting made students and workers within the complex to scamper for safety, some courageous students gave the gunmen whose identity could not

be immediately ascertained, a hot chase on discovering that they had run out of bullets.

Our reporter gathered that one of them was reportedly caught and lynched around Abuja Students' Hostel while the other already seriously injured, was rescued by security men and was taken for treatment and subsequent interrogation.

R-L: Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, National President of ALGON, Mr. Ozor Nwabueze Okafor, and National Legal Adviser of ALGON, Hon. Idris Gobir, during their visit to the Speaker, yesterday at the National Assembly, in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

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trigger-happy mobile policeman shot and killed a commercial motorcycle operator popularly called okada, yesterday afternoon, at the Stadium Roundabout, Kaduna.

The development brought vehicular traffic to standstill for several hours as colleagues of the deceased blocked all the major roads and outlets around the area, protesting the killing.

According to eyewitness

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accounts, the deceased, identified as Umar Danmichika, was sitting on his motorcycle by the roadside, waiting to collect his fare from a passenger he dropped when the policeman shot him from a moving police truck.

According to one of the eyewitnesses, “he was deliberately shot because the boy was not on the road, he was just by the road side parked and sitting on the motorcycle.

One of his colleagues noted further that, “the boy just finished eating and carried a passenger to

drop when all of a sudden we heard sound of gun shots just to discover that it was the same boy who was killed on his okada while waiting to collect money from the passenger”.

The food vendor, Mrs. Aderonke Taiwo, who sold food to the deceased, described him as her regular customer.

According to her, “he bought N80 food and he did not pay me when he left to drop the passenger but I knew he would have come back to pay me, until I heard that he was the one killed by the gun

shots I heard shortly after he left my place.

Kaduna state Commissioner of Police, Adefemi Adenaike, confirmed the incident, noting that “we are doing something about the policeman who killed the okada man.

“The culprit will be charged to court for murder and the law must take its full course.

“I have already briefed the Inspector-General of Police who has given me the mandate to go ahead with full investigation into the matter…”

FG plans 5 fast train lines

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

he Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved consultancy services for feasibility studies of five fast train lines across the country.

Briefing State House correspondents after yesterday's FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said the proposed new standard gauge railway lines will create total job opportunities for 51 Nigerian professionals and 115 nonprofessionals during execu-tion.

The contract for the feasibility studies in favour of various

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he police in Lagos, yesterday, arraigned a 39year old man, Gideon Okechukwu and two others, Ezike Nonso Ifechukwu (22) and Ezeaka Chinonso (27), before a Yaba Magistrate’s Court for the murder of Cynthia Osokogu.

Miss Osokogu, a post-graduate student of the Nassarawa State University was allegedly killed after she was drugged and raped at a Festac hotel in Lagos on July 22, 2012.

In charge No- TA/59/2012, Okechukwu who claimed to be a taxi driver was said to have drove the suspected killers in his car out of the hotel.

By Miriam Humbe

Falana, CSO berate NCP over looters of its collective wealth.

PHCN sale In a statement, he said: “To add uman rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, has led other civil society groups in the country to condemn the National Council on Privatisation for selling out assets of the power generating company to those who have cases to answer.

The fiery lawyers also accused the Council of selling PHCN assets below what they are worth.

Falana joined by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), views the current process to acquire the nation’s power plants as an exercise to further enrich

From Francis Iwuchukwu & Mathew Aramunde, Lagos

…as family denies abandoning corpse

Pandemonium as police kill motorcyclist in Kaduna From Agaju Madugba & Mohammed Adamu, Kaduna

Cynthia: Police arraigns 3 more suspects

insult to injury the assets of PHCN including over 400 buildings and undeveloped properties in Lagos, Abuja and other cities in the country, thousands of plants, turbines, transformers, vehicles and millions of electric poles worth over N5 trillion are being undersold to corrupt ‘investors’ at a paltry sum of N200 billion.”

“Aside the over $16 billion invested in the power sector under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration the recent review of electricity tariff has increased the revenue generated by PHCN from N96 billion to N300 billion per annum…”

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

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consultants in the sum of N1,334,405,366.74, with completion period of seven months.

The Fast Train Lines according to the Minister of Transport, Idris Umar are: Lagos-Osogbo-Abuja (615km), which could be covered within three hours with five stops; Lagos-Shagamu-Benin (300km); Ajaokuta-Obajana-Abuja (533km); Zaria-Sokoto- Illela (520km) and Benin-Onitsha-Aba (500km).

To boost the quality of education at the primary and junior secondary levels, Council approved contract for the printing and distribution of primaries three, four, five and six textbooks for JSS students in public schools nationwide.

he family of late Miss Cynthia Osokogu who was brutally killed in a hotel in Lagos by some alleged Facebook friends now in police custody, have denied abandoning her corpse as reported by a national daily.

A spokesman of the family, Flight Lieutenant Kenneth UcheChukwu Osokogu, in a press statement to ‘address the above topic before a lie becomes a news item’, said “It has come to our notice that some journalists have gone to press with false information that the family of the late Cynthia Osokogu have been reluctant to claim her corpse from the police.

This is totally false”.

Floods ravage 7 villages in Jigawa From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

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o fewer than 27 communities have been by floods in Kiyawa and Jahun local government areas of Jigawa state.

Declaring this yesterday while conducting the press round the affected communities, the Kiyawa council chairman Alhaji Dahiru Madaki Katuka, said the area has not experienced such calamity in the last 50 years.

Katuka said the affected villages include Gidan Mali, Rimi, Tuje, Bakin ka naka, Dunguzu, Tunannan and Gidan Sharu.

He said the communities were basically sacked when the incessant flow of water invaded the areas while farmlands and crops were lost in the flood.

He said already the flood has claimed the lives of five residents in the area while millions of naira worth of sacks were bought for embankment to cut down the speed of the flowing water from causing further damages to the people.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

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ith the ominous clouds of war hanging over the Middle East, World leaders, especially those from Russia, China and Middle East, were last Tuesday all ears at the United Nations General Assembly as they waited with bated breath to hear the position of the United States on topical global issues like the Syrian crises, Iran nuclear programme, the anti-Islam video, which has generated global furore in the Muslim world, among other issues.

Not unexpectedly, his speech touched on issues of true democracy and the right of the people to freely express themselves.

In what appears like a dig at our President Goodluck Jonathan, President Barack Obama stated that, “As President of our country, and Commanderin-Chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so. Americans have fought and died around the globe to protect the right of all people to express their views – even views that we disagree”.

Here in Nigeria,” the right of the people to freely express their views is currently at the center of a face-off between the presidency and the media. And to think that there is the Freedom of Information Bill in place.

During the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) conference last month and at the Ministers signing of performance bond at the Presidential Villa recently, the President declared that he was the most criticized president in the world, assuring that he would prove his critics wrong at the end of his tenure.

In fact, not long ago the president beefed up his media team by hiring another attack dog to complement the one in place.

However, he found himself in a far away country, where inspirational leaders, who understand what it means to be a leader, spoke about true democracy and the right of the people to freely express themselves whether the government in those climes agree with them or not.

Obama harped on the need for the people to freely express themselves about policies of government and also the responsibility of the government to listen to the people whether those speeches offend them or not.

Despite losing an Ambassador and three other citizens in the protests sparked by an antiIslam movie, Obama said the United States did not have the right to prosecute the sponsors of such video.

“I know there are some who ask why we don’t just ban such a video. The answer is enshrined in our laws: our Constitution protects the right to practice free speech. Here in the United States, countless publications provoke offense. Like me, the majority of Americans are Christian, and yet we do not ban blasphemy against our most sacred beliefs.

THE PAGE 4 REPORT

Media: Jonathan should take a cue from Obama With his government constantly in the news for what most Nigerians consider as the wrong reasons, perhaps owing to his inability to deliver dividend of democracy to the people, it is little wonder that President Goodluck Jonathan recently voiced the conviction that the media is after him. Which is probably why he hired another media aide, Dr. Doyin Okupe, to team up with Dr.Reuben Abati to fight the media and the government’s critics. Outside these shores the media is seen as partners in progress, writes Tobias Lengnan Dapam.

President Goodluck Jonathan “We do so not because we support hateful speech, but because our Founders understood that without such protections, the capacity of each individual to express their own views, and practice their own faith, may be threatened. We do so because in a diverse society, efforts to restrict speech can become a tool to silence critics, or oppress minorities. We do so because given the power of faith in our lives, and the passion that religious differences can inflame, the strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression, it is more speech – the voices of tolerance that rally against bigotry and blasphemy, and lift up the values of understanding and mutual respect”, Obama said. This is hoping that President Jonathan will take a cue.

Observers of Nigeria’s nascent democracy believe that critics are behind most of the positive changes in the country where there is a polarity of interests between the government and its citizens.

It would be recalled that the on January 1st, 2012, against the wish of most Nigerians, the

US President Barack Obama government went ahead and removed fuel subsidy, forcing the people to embark on a massive nationwide protest which crippled economic activities and almost brought the government on its knees.

Also, the Governor of Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido, recently announced the introduction of N5, 000 not, which, though universally condemned, was all the same endorsed by the government before it made a volte face after the National Assembly intervened. The policy was viewed by pundits as anti-

people which will increase inflation and further impoverish the people majority of whom are leaving below one-dollar per day.

Despite these reasonable criticisms which were aimed at forcing the President to do the right thing, he and his media aides, all of them acerbic critics of government before they came on board, blame the media for the poor performance of his government.

Observers wonder how the media and critics could stop the government from performing its duties to the people.

“

Should this change manifest in the President, Nigerians will forgive him his sins and embrace him like a prodigal son, who realizes his mistake and return home with remorse, otherwise, as they say in Stateside, the President aint seen nothing yet, by way of media criticisms

The buck passing only confirms that the administration is confused on how to implement policies for the people and therefore, prefers to listen to the few who are in government for selfaggrandizement, while blaming those who have nothing to do with the design or implementation of policies.

This, according to majority of the people, is tantamount to apportioning blame to the wrong quarters. A Yiddish proverb that says “A girl who couldn’t dance said the drum couldn’t play”.

As one of those visibly at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, it is hoped that President Jonatahn comes back a refined man, well equipped with knowledge and wisdom, after listening to President Barrack Obama.

Should this change manifest in the President, Nigerians will forgive him his sins and embrace him like a prodigal son, who realizes his mistake and return home with remorse, otherwise, as they say in Stateside, the President aint seen nothing yet, by way of media criticisms.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

4500 die in road crashes yearly – FRSC From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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he Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has called on concerned authorities to put monitors on ground in reducing road carnage on Nigerian roads; saying, 4500 persons die yearly from preventable road crashes.

Sector Commander of Zone RS 2 in charge of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Anambra states, Kenneth Nwaegbe, gave the charge yesterday at the lunch of Edo State Drivers’ Manual written by the state’s Commissioner of Transport, Victor Enoghama, in Benin City.

Nwaegbe, the book reviewer, said though most roads across the country are in bad shape, deviant behaviour and drunk driving tend to be more hazardous to human lives. “In fact, about 4500 die in road crashes yearly”, he said.

At the occasion, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, represented by his deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu, called on “relevant authorities saddled with the responsibility of licensing to re-event the early days of thorough testing of potential drivers before certifying them fit for the possession of drivers’ license”.

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Ride on train roofs, go to jail – NRC warns commuters From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

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he Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation, Engr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, has warned passengers who are in the habit of traveling on the rooftops of moving trains to desist from the act.

Sijuwade gave the warning at Ebute-Meta Junction station, Alagomeji, in Lagos, to passengers at the railway station who were waiting to board to their destinations.

“We are getting worried about the act of some people who, instead of making a choice to travel in the passenger compartment areas of our passenger trains, choose to travel on specific trains and on the rooftop of coaches and running boards of locomotive engines.

“Occurrences of this nature are distasteful, prohibited, criminal, and undesirable. We have in the past given out stern warnings to them to desist from such acts. We have previously erected barriers over the track leaving only slim

clearance over the trains”, he told the passengers.

He explained that NRC has placed jingles on various radio stations to warn rooftop riders to desist and equally put up notices of fines and or prosecution for those caught riding on the rooftop of coaches.

The NRC boss reiterated that his warning to the perpetrators would be the final as the officers and men of the Nigerian Railway Police Command have been directed to arrest and prosecute

L-R: Minister of Youth Development, Barrister Inuwa Abdulkadir, Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe, Head of Civil Service, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, and Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday at the State House, Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Police to prevent arms smuggling into Sokoto

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he Commissioner of Police in Sokoto state, Alhaji Shaibu Gambo, has said the police command had taken “proactive security measures” to prevent importation of arms into the state.

Gambo told newsmen in Sokoto that “we are working with the border patrol units and other security agencies to apprehend all those involved in this deadly business”.

He said that competent police officers had been deployed to manage the Illela, Sabon-Birni, Gudu and Isa local government areas which share borders with Niger Republic.

“We will do everything humanly at our disposal to provide adequate and effective security in all the border areas”, the commissioner said. (NAN)

anybody caught on the rooftop of moving trains, running boards of locomotive engines, or any other exterior part of the train.

“We have increased the level of policing and monitoring of all our trains and I am here with the Commissioner of Police, Nigerian Railway Police Command to drive home our seriousness to stop these people who ride on the rooftop of trains. We do not want them to get killed or continue in that menace that does not portray us, Nigerians, in good light”, Sijuwade said.

NUC organises CCB-compliance training for staff

By Maryam Garba Hassan

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he National Universities Commission (NUC) in collaboration with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), yesterday organised a one-day training for the staff of NUC on code of conduct for public officers in Abuja.

According to the chairman of the bureau, Sam Saba, the objectives of the training for the staff of the NUC is to ensure strict compliance with the statutory mandate of the bureau and in accordance with international best practices and to educate the staff as education is the key to achieving both

preventive solution and deterrence effects.

He said the bureau had commenced a nationwide objective of the compliance training programme on code of conduct for public officers and that the key objectives of the training is to ensure that all public officers in the federation comply with the

constitutional provisions on asset declaration, measure the assets declaration amongst government agencies, educate and sensitise public officers on their constitutional responsibilities, the consequences of non-compliance and to reduce the huge resources that would be expended in prosecuting offenders.

CJN charges newly appointed S/Court justices on conduct

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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he Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar has charged the two newly sworn-in Justices of the Supreme Court to discharge their duties without fear

or favour.

Justices Kumai Bayang Akaahs and Stanley Shenko Alagoa were administered oaths of office as Justices of the Supreme Court by the CJN on Tuesday in Abuja.

Justice Mukhtar charged

them to always exhibit the highest level of decorum, integrity, independence, intelligence, wisdom, impartiality and temperament in the discharge of their duties.

According to the CJN, Justices Akaahs and Alagoa have

exhibited the true qualities of judicial officers, competent in skills and intellect and therefore worthy of elevation to the apex court.

With the swearing-in of the two new Justices, the number of Justice of the Supreme Court is now 17.

Nurse wants N10m as damages from SSS over arrest, detention From Muhammad Adamu, Kaduna

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he Chief Nursing Officer and Head of Department, Main Theatre of the Barau Dikko General Hospital, Kaduna, Sulaiman Ibrahim, has sued the State Security Service (SSS) to court over an alleged forceful arrest

and detention at the SSS office in Kaduna.

The motion on notice in SUIT NO.KDH/KAD/2012 was moved on the 21/9/2012 before the High Court of Justice of Kaduna, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent.

Ibrahim in the motion signed

by his lawyer, Tajudeen O.Oladoja and copied to the Attorney-General as the 2nd respondent, appealed to the court to order the SSS to pay the sum of N10million general damages for the violation of his constitutional rights.

In addition, he applied to the court to order the SSS to also

publish in a widely circulated news paper, a public apology in respect of their misconduct and a written apology to him and the management of Barau Dikko Hospital, Kaduna.

Ibrahim had accused the SSS of forceful arrest in hand and leg cuffs by its agents who

subsequently detained him at the SSS Office in Kaduna for seven hours on the 1/3/2012.

Counsel to the SSS, Dari Bayero in his opening defence during the hearing had admitted that the applicant, Suleiman Ibrahim was actually arrested and detained on error for only three hours.

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N45m bridge collapses after rehabilitation From Olanrewaju Lawal,Ilorin

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he N45 million Ohan Bridge which links Ilorin and Igbeti in Oyo state has collapsed again after been rehabilitated by the Nigeria Army in collaboration with the Kwara state government and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mohammed Mustapha.

The collapse of the bridge which was repaired within 11 weeks timeline by the Engineering Corp of the Nigeria Army with the sum of N45 million last year, has forced many motorists to find alternative paths in the bush.

It would be recalled that the Kwara state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr. Abubakar Amuda Kannike, on March 1, 2012, formally handed over the reconstructed bridge to the state government.

Kannike had said the bridge was constructed 40 years ago by the Nigerian Army Engineers and collapsed in 2009 which caused untold hardship to thousands of people who ply the road daily.

…as flood damages 3,200 hectares of rice farm in Kwara

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ore than 3,200 hectares of rice plantation under the Tada-Shonga Irrigation Scheme, which was supervised by the Lower Niger Basin Development Authority have been washed away by flood caused by the over flow of River Niger in Tada-Shonga, Edu local government area of Kwara state.

The managing director of the basin development authority, Engr. Abdubakar Aduragba who confirmed this incident in Ilorin during his inspection of the affected areas, disclosed that the irrigation system in the areas was established by Federal Government with drainage facilities which local farmers could manage.

It was gathered that part of Bacita and Jebba farm land were also affected by flood while crops were washed away.

Lamenting the incident, Aduragba said the TadaShonga irrigation scheme would have, if completed, be yielding about 53,000 metric tonnes of rice annually through double cropping with about N3 billion in market turnover; but has been washed away by flood.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Be transparent, ethical or face sanctions - EFCC, SCUML warn NGOs

By Lambert Tyem

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ongovernmental organisations (NGOs) across the country have been warned to be upright, transparent and be guided by principles or risk sanctions from anti-graft agencies.

The Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), and

the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dropped this warning on Tuesday in Abuja.

Head SCUML, Angela Nworgu, at a meeting with a coalition of (NGOs) aimed at achieving effective supervision, regulation and monitoring of the sector, urged the organisations to expect close monitoring from the two anti-graft bodies.

The SCUML boss noted that NGOs are crucial to nation building and urged them to be ethical and transparent in all their activities.

She urged them to regularly send in their statutory reports to the unit, while also stressing the preparedness of her agency to answer any question or make clarification relating to compliance with the anti money laundering

regulations.

Some of the participants, who spoke, commended the strategy of bringing the NGOs together and pledged their readiness to partner with the commission in its fight against corruption.

The Director of Center for Social Justice, Mr. Eze Onyekwere, said: "We want to support the government in the fight against corruption and money laundering but we don't have the capacity due to fear of being blackmailed.

"In all, 13 NGOs were represented at the meeting. SCUML was established in 2005 as a special unit to fight money laundering as spelt out in the Money Laundering (Prohibition) ML(P) Act 0f 2004 ( Now 2011).

Although legally domiciled in the Ministry of Trade and Investment, SCUML works closely with the EFCC operationally.

Fear grips Lagosians as NIMET warns of more floods From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

proposals on areas they intend to invest, gave this assurance on Tuesday when he received a delegation from the IL and FS Transportation Network Limited in Abuja.

In his words: "We are looking forward for your basic proposal as the Minister of Works, Arch Mike Onelememen, has also travelled to India to inspect some of the projects made by the company and he is satisfied with the projects".

He further added that it is part of the transformation agenda of

President Goodluck Jonathan agenda to ensure transparency among these companies.

Also the leader of the delegation, Ravi Sreehari, said the IL and FS is a premier financial service firm delivering innovative and practical solutions in the areas of infrastructure and financial services.

He added that the company is an independent professional institution with its own cadre of personnel and distinctive business practices.

magazine and newspapers, Amodu said WHO has adcised every country to go back to herbal medicine according to the peculiarities of their medical needs and environment.

Amodu, who delivered a lecture on the "The Importance of phytomedicine in Nigeria", said since he graduated as a Pharmacist from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and started practicing herbal pharmacy, he has discovered that certain herbs when well

combined have the potentials to cure HIV/AIDS. Also speaking on the topic, Digitizing the Broadcast Media; The Pros and Cons", the past Director General of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Usman Magawata, said digitising television broadcast is an essential course which Nigerians must accept.

He explained that the process allows for transmission on modern trends and techniques, which has clearer and more

options for viewers, adding that transmission on digital channels do not interfere with one another and exists side by side with some analogue facilities.

While pointing out that Federal government has pegged the official switch over date on the December 31st, 2014, he called on 21st century broadcasters to be conscious of digital transmission, adding that it does not require more spectrums like the analogue system.

L-R: Director, Whether Forecasting Service, Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET), Mr. Ifeanyi Nwodu, Director General, NIMET, Dr. Anthony C. Anuforom, and Director of Administration, Alhaji Garba Adamu, during a press briefing on the recent flooding in the country by NIMET, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Works ministry to parley India in rehabilitateing Kaduna road, others

By Adeola Tukuru he Minister of State for Works, Bashir Yuguda, has assured of collaboration with the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL and FS) Transportation Network Limited of India through public private partnership (PPP) for a good road linking Ilorin, Mokwa, Kontangora, Kaduna and others in the country.

The minister who urged the firm to come up with detailed

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he Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), has warned Lagos residents of ravaging floods being experienced in some parts of the country will hit the city soon.

The Chief Meteorologist at NIMET's Central Forecast office in Lagos, Abayomi Oyegoke, said the flooding in the central states is as a result of the delay in the movement of the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD) also known inter-tropical convergence zone which is responsible for the prolonged rainfalls.

As the ITD gradually finds its way down South, NIMET has warned residents and governments of southern states especially the coastal region to gear up for the disaster.

The agency has again warned residents of flood planes to temporarily relocate to avoid the effect of the prolonged rainfall taking its toll on lives and property.

Efforts to get the state government's reaction on the prediction proved abortive as at press time.

Stakeholders canvass herbal medicine as panacea for HIV/AIDS

By Ikechuwku Okaforadi

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pharmacist, Ben Amodu, has described herbal medicine (pythomedicine ) as a potential cure for HIV/ AIDS patients in Nigerian, calling on Nigerians to embrace herbal medicine as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) since the era of synthetic medicine has gone.

Speaking in Abuja during the award and lecture series organized by national waves

PAGE 8

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

R-L: Vice- President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, and Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Nigeria, Khaled Abdurabuh, during the vice- president’s meeting with the envoy over Nigerian pilgrims detained in Saudi Arabia, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

R-L: Senator Helen Esuene, and President, Akwa Ibom Community Abuja chapter. Engineer Ben Ukpong, during the ceremony to mark Akwa Ibom 25th Anniversary, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin imo-Owo

Oyo state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi (middle), discussing with former Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide (right), during the opening of 2 Division Nigerian Army Training Week 2012, yesterday in Ibadan. With them is Assistant Director, Legal Services, 2 Mechanised Division, Colonel Mohammed K. Mohammed (left).

L-R: Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafiya, Minister of State for Education, Barrister Nyelson Wike, Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, Minister of Transport, Alhaji Umar Idris, and Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, during a press briefing, yesterday at the State House in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Hajiya Fatima Bamidele, Head of Dentistry Unit of the ministry, Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi, and Medical Director, Alimosho General Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Bolaji Adebiyi, during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Annual Federation Dentistry International (FDI) World Dental Congress, on Tuesday in Hong Kong

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

NBC sanctions Wazobia FM, fines others

By Chris Alu

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he National Broadcast Commission (NBC), has handed down various sanctions and fines to some broadcasting stations in the country for violating the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

NBC said the breaches range from use of indecent language, endorsement of trado-medics, and several others.

Adaba FM was fined N200,000 for the use of indecent language by a presenter on August 29, 2012 which NBC said was a violation of sections 5.2.3., 4.6.1 and 4.6.5 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.

The radio station was also fined another N200, 000 for some statements by a presenter which violate sections 5.2.3, 4.6.1 and 4.6.5 of the broadcasting code.

Choice FM and Bond FM were also fined N100, 000 each for endorsement of trado-medic adverts.

Elsewhere, Classic FM and Television got a fine N100,000 each for the endorsement of sponsors’ products.

The Commission also cautioned Wazobia FM for violating sections 1.12.3, 5.1.2A and 5.1.12 of the code while it issued a letter of warning to Classic FM for contravening sections 3.2.1 and 7.0.9 of the code on August 1, and 3, 2012 respectively.

LTV was issued a letter of caution for violating section 0.3.1, 4.6.1, 7.0.9 and 1.6.5 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code on August 4, 2012.

Rhythm FM was issued a letter of warning for violating section 3.1.6 of the broadcasting code on August 7, while Beat FM was cautioned for breaching sections 7.09 and 3.2.1 of the code on August 11.

NBC also said that City FM violated section 7.0.17 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code on August 7 and that it has it issued a letter of warning for violation while it said that it has given a letter of final warning to Inspiration FM for violating section 3.1.6 of the code.

PAGE 9

Flood: Immigration relocates office From Dave Eniwomake, Asaba

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s the River Niger continue to over flow its bank, the Nigeria Immigration Service in Asaba has been forced to relocate from its current office along Asaba-Onitsha road as flood has taken over the entire office complex.

The surge which started last week took a terrible dimension this week as the water level rose to an unbearable level, taking over all

the offices in the complex.

When Peoples Daily visited the Immigration office yesterday, staff of the Immigration service were at the gate as the office complex could only be accessed through canoes used by its personnel to evacuate properties from the offices using canoes to ferry the properties including electronic gadgets, sensitive documents and other valuables.

Speaking to newsmen on the situation, the comptroller in

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rofessional female engineers in Nigeria have expressed concern over the few number of practicing female engineers in the country.

Speaking at a technical session at the Murtala Mohammed School Ikeja to mark the 30 years of the association, the national president of Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, APWEN, Engr. Olayinka Abdul stressed the need for the

spoke to Peoples Daily expressed fear that work would be seriously obstructed as most of their communication gadgets had been grounded. They noted that the situation would make their job almost impossible because most of them are done on-line.

Meanwhile, Delta state government has promised to render assistance to Delta State Command of Nigeria Immigration, Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama disclosed in Asaba

Man sets vehicle on fire to evade LASTMA arrest From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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L-R: Kogi state Governor, Captain Idris Wada, Chairman Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Bukola Saraki, and Senator Barnabas Gemade, going round the flooded areas during the committee's oversight function, yesterday in Lokoja.

Collapse of early moral standards destroys tertiary education, says Maku he collapse of high moral standard at public primary and Secondary schools and the nonchalant attitude of parents towards the proper education of their children has caused the fallen standard of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku

has said.

Speaking at a at a public presentation of a book titled ‘An Assessment of Nigerian University Environment’ and prize giving for essay competition organised by Education Support Services(CES) Ltd, in collaboration with Voice of Nigeria (VON), in Abuja, the minister said there are also

training of the girl child to embrace engineering profession.

“We are not satisfied with the number of practicing female engineers in the country. We need more entrance of females into engineering” Engr. Abdul explained that a lot of females do not know about the engineering career hence the association decided to embark on the visitation to schools.

APWEN President urged associations, well meaning Nigerians and institutions to

encourage the girl child to take up the engineering profession.

Engr Abdul expressed delight that the future was bright for female engineers adding that they started with six women and now have over 2000 women since the last 30 years.

She said that their male counterparts were never threat to them as there was no intimidation on the job and urged girls to embrace science subjects that would make them future engineers.

By Stanley Onyekwere

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Women engineers worry over few members

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

charge of Delta state Command of Immigration, Mr Ishaku Hamad revealed that snakes and other reptiles have taken over the complex as a result of the water level. He noted that the dangerous reptiles must have followed the water channel from the River Niger and the surrounding swamps.

He, however added that some sensitive equipment would be taken to his apartment temporararily. Other workers who

inadequate facilities and management problems bedeviling universities in the country.

According to him, the core problem lies in the primary and secondary schools systems, where the foundation of the tertiary level sits, adding that higher education was the bulwark of every serious nation.

However, the rot at the lower should not be an excuse for any sub-substandard university to operate.

Maku who blamed policy inconsistency in the education for the poor quality of primary and secondary schools teachers lacking the requisite skills for impacting the right knowledge.

The minister urged other Nigerians especially those occupying public offices, to make a difference in the sector by offering selfless and visionary leadership.

Earlier in his remark, the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O), CES, Sir Temple O. Onyeukwu, expressed hope that with proper motivation, tertiary institutions would be repositioned to improve standard.

n 18-year-old commercial bus driver, Okwudili Oputa of 13 Karimu Giwa Street, Abule Oshun, tried to evade arrest by setting his bus, with registration number MUS 372XA, ablaze at total filling station, Ojota opposite the Gani Fawehimi Freedom Park on Tuesday.

The fire was quickly stopped from spreading by the joint efforts of the officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Civil Defense Corps and petrol attendants who were able to give the needed assistance.

LASTMA officials had accosted the driver for allegedly obstructing the free flow of traffic and inflicting hardship on other road users.

However, according to the driver, his conductor Daniel, who is at large, started an assault on a LASTMA official, Ojutayo Oluwarotimi by removing his uniform badge.

The LASTMA officials then decided to tow the offending vehicle due to the refusal of the driver to move his bus away from the road.

However, the Imo state-born driver later confessed at the LASTMA office, Oshodi, that it was his conductor who brought out a bottle of petrol and poured it on the vehicle but that he (driver) set the bus ablaze with intent to scare the officers away and not to commit arson. He attributed his action to bad advice from his conductor.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Engr. Babatunde Edu while assessing the extent of the injury on the affected officers explained that LASTMA officials were controlling traffic obstructing the public highway at the Ojota axis of the State as a result of panic buying associated with fuel scarcity.

Edu lamented that officers of the agency have often been attacked resulting in some of them sustaining high degree of injuries while others died.

He appealed to motorists to see LASTMA as a friend and should lodge complaints with the authority whenever they are aggrieved about the agency’s operations rather than take laws into their hands.

PAGE 10

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Stop delay tactics, ICPC chair tells lawyers From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

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cting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta, yesterday, charged lawyers in the country, to desist from filing frivolous Interlocutory appeals before

judges, as the action damage cases before the court and runs down the integrity of the judiciary.

Speaking at a MediaRoundtable on the theme, "Promoting Ethics and Integrity Within The Courts SystemTowards Citizens Access To Justice", organised by the SocioEconomic Rights and

Accountability Project (SERAP), in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Abuja, the ICPC Acing Chairman, who was represented by the Director of Legal Services of the commission, Mrs. Christiana Onuogu, also described the court as a major stakeholder in the fight against corruption.

Nta, while urging legal luminaries to always advice their clients to tell the truth so as to ensure easy and quick dispensation of justice, argued that delay tactics employed by lawyers in cases before the court should not be encouraged.

On his part, Former Chairman of the Lagos State

House of Assembly Committee on Judiciary, Barrister Babatunde Ogala who condemned the recent fuel subsidy scam involving children of top political actors, described corruption in the country as endemic, adding that the worst thing to anyone was to be labeled a criminal.

Over 2.5m people trafficked worldwide — UN

By Lambert Tyem

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L-R: Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Malam Muhammed Lawal, Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi, and Commissioner, Market Competition and Rates, Mr. Eyo Ekpo, during a stakeholders workshop on bulk procurement regulation, yesterday in Abuja.

PHOTO: NAN

Access to safe medicine is human right - NHRC boss

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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he Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Prof.

Bem Angwe yesterday said access to safe medicines is a human right issue and called for collaborative efforts in ensuring that every Nigeria citizens has access to safe medicines.

Prof. Angwe who stated this in Abuja at the celebration of the 2012 World Pharmacy Day noted that, an essential element of the right to health is the safety of medicines.

He said medicines must be scientifically and medically

appropriate and of good quality, adding that government must ensure that health facilities and drugs are available, accessible, acceptable and of good quality.

"It is commendable that the government of Nigeria has ratified all international and regional human rights instruments relating to the right to health", he said, adding that the implementation process has been slow.

Prof. Angwe said that the synergy of the NHRC and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) informed the decision to hold the National Dialogue to seek ways of ensuring, "infrastructure

development and adequate enforcement mechanisms to guarantee access to safe medicines".

In his remarks, the President of PSN, Pharm. Azubike Okwor said issues like drug sustainable financing, availability, affordability, price and quality and efficacy of medicines must be taken into account.

The PSN boss said, “it will be difficult to guarantee fundamental human rights without good health which access to safe drugs guarantees.”

He therefore, called on Nigerians to support all relevant institutions that promote access

to safe and affordable medicines at all times.

Similarly, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu at the event called on the relevant agencies to carefully monitor supply and distribution chains and procurement practices to minimize cost of medicine.

The chairman of the occasion, Prof. Julius Okogie, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), commended the NHRC and the PSN for organising the National Dialogue which he stated was essential in charting the way forward for a safe, affordable and accessible.

Benue hosts World Tourism Day Minister tasks arms producers

By Miriam Humbe

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lans have been concluded to hold this year’s World Tourism Day, WTD, themed: Tourism and Sustainable Energy; Powering Sustainable Development, at the Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) Square in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Announcing this at a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke said the event seeks to among other things, create worldwide awareness on the significance of tourism to economic development, promotion of international understanding and entrenchment of world peace and universal respect for and observance of human rights as well as fundamental freedom for all

without discrimination by race, sex, language or religion.

The event is also aimed at fostering awareness among the international community on the importance of tourism and its social cultural, political and economic value and to address the global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, MDGs (Goal 7) and to highlight the contribution of the tourism sector in order to reach the MDGs goals.

Chief Duke said,“I wish to invite stakeholders in the tourism sector from governments to businesses and tourists themselves to learn more about the sustainable energy initiatives that have been put in place in the tourism sector, debate on what should be done and advance the use of sustainable energy in tourism”, he said.

on best practice From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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inster of State for Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Nuruddeen Muhammad has tasked arms producers to adhere strictly to the best practices to avoid the falling of such arms in the hands of non-state actors.

The minister stated this, yesterday in Katsina while declaring open a sensitization workshop on illicit small arms and light weapons proliferation, insecurity and integration in WestAfrica,organised by the ministry of foreign affairs.

The minister represented by an undersecretary of his ministry,

Ambassador Kabir Garba noted that the availability and easy accessibility of such arms by nonstate actors increase the level of criminality and conflict in states in the ECOWAS sub-region.

According to him, the proliferation of such arms was triggering conflicts such as Boko Haram, ethnic conflicts and the incidences of kidnapping with attendant humanitarian crisis retarding national development.

Declaring the workshop open, Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina state, warned that the proliferation of arms create insecurity and fear among people.

he United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, (UNODC) Tuesday disclosed that over 2.5 million people are trafficked yearly across the globe.

UNODC also said that drug and human trafficking across the world’s continents rake in a bout $32bn annually.

Country representative of UNODC, Ms Mariam Sissoko disclosed this during a one-day Training and Interactive Session for police officers in charge of the anti-human trafficking Unit in Abuja.

The UNODC boss who was represented by a staff, Ms Anne Ikpeme, said trafficking in drugs, firearms and human trafficking were the most lucrative form of transnational crimes.

Ms Sissoko who called on the international community to reach an understanding towards tackling trafficking in women and children, pointed out that UNODC has been co operating with the Nigerian government in fighting human trafficking since early 2000.

She said UNODC has worked with National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons, NAPTIP, the Police, governmental and non-governmental Organizations’, NGOs in the country.

“Human trafficking brings huge profit for the traffickers and misery, pain, frustration, deprivation, trauma, and denial of opportunities for self actualisation to the victims.

Recent data on TIP indicate that it is the third, after trafficking in drugs and firearms, most lucrative form of transnational organized crime,” she said.

The IGP Mohammed Abubakar in his remark threatened to hold heads of commands and divisions responsible for any incidence of trafficking in women and children in their domain, while directing state commissioners to immediately set up Anti-Human trafficking units.

Abubakar said that the police would continue to collaborate with well meaning agencies to wage a successful war against the menace.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 11

Laptop VS Desktop Computer

Special saving tips for your startup funding (1)

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etting investors to take a look at your start-ups and agree to part with their much coveted funding is about the most difficult work for startup entrepreneurs.

If you ever find yourself in need of funds to actualise your dreams for a business idea you are passionate about the following tips will help you land the funding you need for that new idea.

Get your startup running no matter how small The truth was before the meeting we had high hopes of landing some funding and while we had a beta web version of our idea running already the investor was interested on the promises of the mobile version.

To catch the interest of the investor make sure your business model is already running physically no matter how small. Investors like to see that something is already on ground before you come cap in hands to them for money.

Define what you want and how much control you are willing to give up for it You are not going to leave anything to chance. If investors like your idea enough to want to invest they will want to know how much you want and what you are willing to give up for the particular sum you want. While no money is never enough you still do not have to ask for too much money as it has

a way of drawing back creativity and out-of-the box thinking.

Much of what you will get depends on the investors' valuation of what your idea may be worth in a few years. If the startup has the potential to serve a juicy large enough market your bargaining power will be strengthened.

How to find prospective investors I must confess that when we got that call from the Investor we were thinking of how to raise capital but we were not yet actively seeking investors.

One article in Techcrunch started an avalanche of things and one day we got a call.

That was proof of the fact that your startup gets the attention of investors when you can get it (knowingly or not) to be written about by any of the leading tech news sites and blogs around the world. These sites are where investors and venture capitalists go to know what new ground breaking ideas are springing up.

However getting your startup featured on these kinds of authoritative blogs and sites is a topic for another day (keep watching this space). Events and industry meetups are also a good way to try and get your idea in the face of investors but I have a preference for the media as a way to catch the attention of potential investors. Maybe it's the fairy tale angle that gets to me.

Advantages of a desktop computer, as compared to a laptop computer: *Desktop computers have more power and more features. *Desktop computers are easier, and less expensive, to upgrade. *Desktop computers are generally less expensive overall and offer a better overall value. *Desktop computers have a more comfortable keyboard and a much easier to use mouse. It should be noted that an aftermarket large, comfortable mouse and mouse pad are also possible with a laptop. *Desktop computers have larger monitors. *Desktop computers are generally easier, and less expensive, to repair. *Desktop computers have a lower risk of theft, which means less chance of losing your data and having to pay to replace your computer.

Advantages of a laptop computer, as compared to a desktop computer: *Laptop computers are

highly portable and allow you to use your computer almost anywhere. *If you are an international student, a laptop computer will be much easier to transport from home to school and back again. *Laptop computers take up less room on a desk or table and can be put away when not in use. *Laptop computers have a single cord to contend with, rather than the multiple cords

associated with desktop computer use.

While the list of advantages of a laptop computer may seem sparse when compared to a desktop computer, the deciding factor is portability. Being able to check email, chat online, write papers and play video games anytime, anywhere may be worth giving up power and functionality.

This is particularly true if you use your computer primarily for checking email and completing schoolwork. If this is the case, you likely don't need all of the functions and the increased power of a desktop computer. On the other hand, if you are a film student or an avid gamer, you may want to go with a desktop computer, unless you have the expendable income to purchase a high end laptop.

Essentially, the choice comes down to portability versus functionality and cost. While desktop computers are less expensive, more powerful and more user-friendly, there is a lot to be said for being able to do your homework in a coffee shop and writing term papers on the beach.

Going into food export... see this!

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tarting a food export business is not as difficult as it appears, though it involves lots of preparations and planning to get it right.

But once the right steps are followed, it becomes an income spinner.

Every exporter in Nigeria must register with NEPC as the council provides basic information on food export which may then be followed

Quote Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful... that’s what matters.

- Steve Jobs: Co-Founder, Apple Computer

with trainings in private-owned organisations that are into food export." The business must be a limited liability company to get registered.

Exporting to the United States is made easier as a result of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The act offers incentives for Sub-Saharan African countries to access the US market with non-payment of duties on certain items including agricultural goods starting from Year 2000 to 2015.

Adequate and consistent trainings by practitioners in the business are needed because a lot of technical knowledge is required in order to maintain quality. He explains: "For instance, our processed 'ugu' leaves are washed and dried in a way that they maintain the same natural green colour as the fresh ones, though

dried. When soaked in water by the user, it would become like the fresh one again."

There is, however, the possibility of falling prey to fraudsters as some exporters have sent goods to contacts and abroad who claimed that the goods were not in good condition on arrival and then refused to pay.

The best thing is for exporters to work closely with their banks.

They should of course have a domiciliary account and be known to the bank, as most banks have an export desk. The bank will provide guidance. Working through the bank, one can insist on 75 percent upfront payment.

When the goods are delivered in good conditions, then the buyer pays the balance of 25 percent."

Accessing US market The FDA can be accessed through the internet. After

application, the FDA attaches the prospective exporter to an agent.

The agent would help process the document, it would be sent online to the exporter, and the exporter would be given a number to attach to his goods when exporting to the US. The exporter should alert the FDA and his agent of his goods date of arrival. On arrival, the FDA would carry out analyses on samples of the product(s). If there is no problem, the dealer or contact person that ordered for the goods would be allowed to access it. If there is any problem, the FDA would inform the agent who would inform the exporter.

If it is something that can be easily corrected like labelling, the agent can assist the exporter in correcting it but it would involve lots of money. If the problem is more serious than that, the

products would be sent back and the agent would inform the exporter of corrections to be made.

When made, the exporter can resend the goods and once it passes the test, it is allowed into the US market.

"The agent will collect fees. I paid about $500 in 2010, but the FDA does not collect any fees for analyses. The FDA is more receptive and encouraging when the exporter already has a number before sending the goods. But before exporting, it is always better to get a health certificate from NAFDAC. If the product passes the NAFDAC scientific tests, it would very likely pass the FDA tests.

However, to get a NAFDAC number for products meant for the Nigerian market, the requirements are more stringent," he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 12

EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

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Arik Air’s flight suspension

igerian aviation workers, last week, forced the grounding of domestic flights operated by Arik Air, West Africa's biggest airline by fleet size, over its alleged indebtedness to the tune of N18 billion in passenger service, landing and parking as well as overflight charges. These are fees the airline should have paid to Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

This huge debt, according to the workers, aversely affected the operations of these federal aviation agencies, including their ability to pay staff salaries. The angry and "hungry" workers, therefore, decided to take matters into their hands.

They stopped the airline from operating any domestic flights that fateful day in order to, presumably, force it to pay up. As the siege lasted, expectedly, hundreds of passengers were stranded at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos and other airports across the country.

While the Managing Director of FAAN, George Uriesi, said that Arik Air owed it over N7 billion, the airline's Managing Director, Chris Ndulue, said the disruption of its flights had more to do with "personal interest" than the airline's so-called debts. According to him, FAAN had been collecting charges in advance for 18 months till that morning aviation workers opted to

cripple its operations.

Ndulue said the allegation of indebtedness was "fictitious and malicious", adding that the airline had only about N1.6 billion outstanding against it before the FAAN introduced the pay- as -you- go system of payment. He said Arik Air's problem with the authorities at FAAN began when it was unable to meet the

“

Which is more beneficial, to allow Arik to continue in business, hoping that one day it would pay up or put it out of business even if only for few days? Obviously, FAAN did its case no good by letting the matter degenerate to the level it did personal demands of certain "influential persons" in the industry.

He said there had been several attempts and threats to disrupt the airline's operations in the name of debt collection. Few days later, the airline released a list of the supposed powerful people that it does not want near the vicinity of its operations.

However, FAAN debunked the airline's allegation that it was being blackmailed by certain influential

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people in the aviation industry, saying the charge was intended to deceive Nigerians.

While we at Peoples Daily see nothing wrong in FAAN's demand to be paid money owed to it, we think this should be done within the ambit of the law. Mobilizing its workers to sabotage the legitimate activity of an airline legally licensed in Nigeria amounts to blackmail and unnecessary arm-twisting.

Which is more beneficial, to allow Arik to continue in business, hoping that one day it would pay up or put it out of business even if only for few days? Obviously, FAAN did its case no good by letting the matter degenerate to the level it did. The biggest victim was not Arik Air, lamentably, but hapless Nigerian business men and women who could not travel on Arik's suspended flights.

On the other hand, we implore the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Uduah, who was apparently caught off guard by that unfortunate development, to investigate the very serious allegation by Arik Air that some public officials demanded gratifications from it. She should also verify the level of Arik's indebtedness to FAAN and find a way to bring the two parties to the roundtable to resolve their differences.

For no reason should innocent citizens of this country be put through the ugly and costly experience of last week again.

Indeed, it was a joke taken too far.

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HEAD, LAGOS BUREAU ADESOJI OYINLOLA

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PAGE 13

The limits of freedom of expression (II)

By Na-Allah Mohammed Zagga

P

redictably, Muslim outrage spread like wild fire around the Islamic world and Western cities to protest against the deliberate provocation.

Writing on the issue in the defunct Inquiry magazine, the African scholar of history, Professor Ali Mazrui, said what Mr. Rushdie did was like "a man who composed a beautiful poem about the private parts of his parents, which he recited for the entertainment of foreigners who paid for the expensive joke!"

Salman Rushdie became an instant star in the West and raked in millions from the sales of his controversial book. But was the commercial gain worth the paranoid existence he has lived ever since? What was the value of his so-called freedom of expression

when his life was under constant threat, following the death sentence passed on him by the late Iranian Spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini? Religion is an emotive subject which we must handle with extreme care. The British Scotland Yard was spending 10 million pounds annually on Rushdie's security and eventually gave up because of the heavy cost to the British taxpayer.

Rushdie moved back to his native country in India. Late last year, he was a subject of controversy in India when some people protested his invitation to attend a book event. In fact, even before he moved from U.K. to India, Mr. Rushdie was officially advised by the British Airways not to board their flights as part of precautionary security concerns.

The fear was that (and it was valid) that terrorists determined to get

him could attack the airline anywhere.

In all these, what are Rushdie's gains commercially without peace of mind or assurance of physical safety? Were such perceived gains in terms of fame and fortune worth his life? Why then flutter the dovecotes? For than 23 years, Rushdie has lived as a captive of fear, moving from house to house surreptitiously to escape those after him. Why did he bring this needless trouble upon his head by toying with a dangerous subject?

Wouldn't the world be better off without extremists? Between 2010 and 2011, a U.S. Pastor, Terry Jones, caused tensions and riots when he threatened to publicly burn copies of the Holy Qur'an. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Vatican and the commander of the U.S. Forces in

Afghanistan, General David Peatreus, had all appealed to the fringe Christian leader to retreat from his action for the sake of peace.

General Paetreus particularly warned the Pastor that his action could put American troops in harm's way. When Terry Jones called off his threat, the whole world heaved a sigh of relief.

When leaders organize peaceful protests, which is legitimate, it is almost always difficult to control the behaviour of their followers or the outcome. In the wake of the 2006 cartoon riots, Igbo shops were looted and churches set on fire, even when Christian leaders never supported the blaspheme against Muhammad. Why should the offence committed by an extremist in Denmark be visited on innocent people in Nigeria? There are millions of Christians who never derive any joy from the

defamation of the memory of Muhammad. Therefore, protests should be led by responsible leaders so that such peaceful demonstrations are not hijacked by hoodlums to loot and kill.

There is always the danger of ruffians infiltrating the ranks of peaceful demonstrators, especially in countries like Nigeria with its high level volatility. It is, however, a big relief that the federal and northern state governments had moved fast enough to stem demonstrations in the country in the wake of the latest blaspheme controversy, which originated from America. We should not let the misguided actions of renegade elements elsewhere set us against each other.

Concluded Na-Allah Mohammed Zagga is reachable on muhazagga@yahoo.com

gotten to the point of obsession that there is almost a total surrender of our Economy and Government to those elements. A writer recently described our economy as a “Diaspora Economy”.

That certainly is not our worry.

Our concern is that we cannot see any of the pragmatic impact Diaspora’s infusion had in other climes in ours.

Instead of things changing for better, be it education, technology or agriculture, everything is taking a turn for the worse. There is no single value seen in all those advanced nations where our Sons and Daughters acquired knowledge that have been replicated here in Nigeria.

The ideals of those nations in Governance or democracy which are supposed to be brought to bear here are non-existent. Instead we celebrate and institutionalize their vices. The more we involve our Diasporas the more corruption grows with the same if not more sophistication that Americans go to the moon. No wonder it is popularly said that “the sewage of Mississippi has been emptied into the Niger”.

Why is it that we are not seeing the kind of Diasporans that help to develop other nations. The answer of course is not farfetched: People don’t seem to recognise the intense battle for the soul of global economy going on amongst the so called advanced nations. It is being fought by the colonisation of National economies through the use of indigenous mercenaries and proxies whom we call Diasporas, their institution of control being the World Bank, IMF, strategic Banking institutions and NGO’s of some key foreign Nations. They have succeeded in making everybody believe that the World is now a global village and that the only way to solve Global problems is by adopting their type of solutions and Ideas. Can they really have all the right answers when their economies are collapsing by the day?

They have unleashed an army of Africans whom they trained and brainwashed on their respective Nations. Their mandate is to capture and enslave their homeland economies for the benefit of their neocolonial masters for a reward of cheap international recognition and foreign

Citizenship for them and their families. They are so unpatriotic that their countries of origin have suddenly become transit camps, always ready to go back to the embrace of their foreign adopted countries where they permanently reside with their families as soon as the mess is completed. Thus they become visitors in their nation of origin having relocated to their new home country.

Unlike the Japanese and the Chinese, their kick is to carry about double citizenship with their preferred and first allegiance to their foreign status. While we wine and dine with them in the open, they have nothing at stake in a country they secretly call “God forsaking”. They remind me of the Julia Robert epoch movie “sleeping with an enemy”.

May God save us.

Unfortunately, it is either our leaders don’t have any faith in the local content or they have been equally recruited by the imperial forces. How could they continue to go Cap in hand for these imperial agents who have nothing to offer other than big grammar, intimidating power points and impracticable Voodoo economics, flying with colonialism on their wings?

The clear difference between the Japanese Diasporas and ours is that while the Japs were nurtured and fired by consuming patriotism and nationalism ours are propelled by selfishness and lack of love and respect for motherland. Of course majority of these Diasporas left our shores to study abroad in search of the Proverbial greener pastures with a great hate and disdain for a nation whom they feel had failed them. No patriotism which is necessary for Diaspora input?

They ab initio see their foreign

hosts as Messiahs with superior values and their being used as rare privilege, just like the warrant Chiefs felt during the colonial days. With this colonial mentality, they are ever ready to sell their unsuspecting nation.

In Africa, their major target is Nigeria, needless enumerating why.

This is what we call the modern scramble and partition of Africa, and we seem not to have learnt anything from history.

These colonial forces have a clear modus operandi: They skim one or two proxies into the Government, clothe him or her with larger than life international image and have Government bestow so much confidence on him. From there he becomes a conduit pipe for the infusion of his likes into the system.

Once any juicy or sensitive position is thrown up which is close to their foreign pay master’s heart, he quickly nominates candidates, most of the time their fellow proxies still resident abroad, with all necessary international backing, to qualify him or her as an expert; pronto, the Government accepts hook, line and sinker.

Sometimes, to make the process look more transparent, they stage a smoke screen Consultancy who already has their mandate for the screening and shortlisting of candidates where the candidate of their choice is sure to be returned. In this regard, there should be caution in receiving inputs from Diaspora officials.

In as much as we cannot do away with the use of our best no matter where they reside, and a fact that no country can survive alone without a cross fertilization of ideas and strength, the need to fish out the corn from the chaff is paramount. This is

simple, for “by their fruit you shall know them”.

It is time we begin to appreciate ourselves, our values and products.

Like the Chinese, it is only through our own eyes we can see the world and participate effectively in the global equation.

Finally, Mr, President should be weary of all these lock, stock and barrel Diaspora technocrats. In the presidential system Mr President is adjudged by his appointments into key offices especially those which have crucial economic, financial and political weight. The buck stops at the President’s desk. All appointees fall or rise at his decision. Such responsibility is not relegated to subordinates or third-party officials no matter how competent the officer is presumed to be, more so when the patriotism of Diaspora subordinates is questionable.

This should not be a missionary government of any IMF appointee.

The move of Neo-Colonialism by the control of National economy through proxies that are successful products of incentive training and brainwashing of unguarded mentality should not be given a foothold in Nigeria if we intend to move forward as an independent nation, competing in the league of Asian tigers.

What really, is perceived to be the strength of Diaspora input? The answer to our problem is here not there. The wholesome adoption of Diaspora ideas will not augur well for this nation especially when the forces behind them are suspect.

When did our seasoned professionals who are home based and have an understanding of our local terrain become second fiddle to Diaspora technocrats who have lost touch with our local realities.

To emigrate from Diaspora seems to now be a pre-requisite for headship of MDAs such that political and cultural substitutes who have a better understanding of the local terrain are lost on the altar of Diasporan arrivals who may not mean well for this nation. The way we are going, we will soon migrate to Diaspora journalism.

Ossai Udom is president of ‘ONE’, and is reachable on ossaiudom@yahoo.com

Today Diaspora economy, tomorrow Diaspora journalism

By Ossai Udom

I

ssues of Nigerians in the Diaspora becoming increasingly engaged in the Nigerian economy has suddenly begun to generate a lot of public interest. The crumbling economies of America and many European nations may have turned Nigeria into a safe haven for returnee Diasporans.

Globally speaking, one must concede that the impact of the Diasporan Nigerians’ contribution in the life of the nation cannot be over-emphasised, especially as it is a developing nation. Historically, it is a well known fact that most great economies of today could have remained in yesterday’s doldrums lest for the input of their intellectual Diaspora. In this regard Japan quickly comes to mind.

Diaspora has not only positively impacted national development, but Civilizations also. It is a well-known fact that what we can call civilization started in Africa, Egypt to be precise.

Today, the tide has changed and flown in favour of Europe, all because of the massive Diaspora pouch. We all know how the great Greek Philosophers and Scholars were made through their early contact with Egyptian civilisation in the learning and knowledge haven of Alexandria.

They took all that they got home to form the modern European Civilization.

The world in the last century witnessed how Japan unleashed an amada of its scholars on Europe and America to magnet knowledge and Civilization which they took home to build the modern Japanese Empire.

You can choose to call it theft or transfer of technology, the important thing is that Japan is presently among the world leaders in every respect. Just yesterday, patriotic Malaysians came to Nigeria and copied the then thriving Nigerian agricultural production of Palm Oil. Today, they have something to show for it by being the world’s leading Palm Oil producer and exporter. The list is endless.

On the Nigerian part in the recent times,onecannotfailtonoticeagrowing interest of government in involving our Diasporas in Nation building. It has

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When did our seasoned professionals who are home based and have an understanding of our local terrain become second fiddle to Diaspora technocrats who has lost touch with our local realities

PAGE 14

By Solomon Sogunro

W

hile I sat in my chair awaiting Bola AhmedTinubu’s message, I kept imagining when a thriving society would fully be realized in Nigeria. I dreamt of my people having running water, constant electricity and good roads with jobs. Then I awoke from my dream to see Tinubu addressing the audience.

As he spoke, he painted a beautiful picture of a flourishing Lagos and the future the African Congress of Nigeria (ACN) held for Nigeria as he read from his notes by verbatim rarely engaging the crowd with eye contact. The audience was composed of the usual “Oyinbos” and black Americans who were intrigued, perhaps, by the theatrics of African politics.

Then there were us, the Nigerians who see what others could not see in that hall, we saw beyond the words spewed by Tinubu and the insincerity of Nigerian politics.

Although I knew his visit was simply to promote ACN I came there as a concerned Nigerian citizen. After my recent July vacation in Nigeria, my life took a different course in attempting to speak truth to the misery and injustice I saw. I saw beggars, mothers, fathers, and college graduate forced to live and

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Tinubu: In the face of hypocrisy survive in a chaotic environment policies benefiting the public in an question. “Governor Tinubu, without many possibilities to live efficient and effective manner you have spoken highly of Lagos, but how do you explain the high a fulfilling life. My experience has with minimal cost. since led me to attend political After Tinubu spoke, the floor unemployment rate? Second, forums where Nigerian political became opened to questions. why is the government taking heads speak. On this occasion, Without hesitation my hands rose inherited lands from Lagosians Tinubu, former governor of Lagos up to ask him a question. I was and selling its property?” In state, was invited as a guest overlooked for some time, since the response to my question, he speaker at the Woodrow Wilson people in attendance all scurried mentioned that unemployment is high in Lagos due Center in to Nigerians from Washington, People’s Democratic DC. For Party (PDP) states t h o s e flooding into Lagos to unfamiliar Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text seek a higher quality with the messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written of life. In addition, he legacy of contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 mentioned that it is t h i s words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and in Nigeria’s meeting a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed constitution that the place, it to: land belongs to the w a s state as cited by the n a m e d The Editor, Land Use Act. after the Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, His responses 2 8 t h didn’t shock me, but president 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. what shocked me was of the Email: let ters@peoplesdaily-online.com the lack of sympathy U n i t e d SMS: 07037756364 he showed to the poor States of and vulnerable in America, Thomas Woodrow Wilson. Wilson, to have a response to their Nigeria. When I was in Lagos, the among his many inquiries. Finally, I was given the grim reality remained that there accomplishments, was renowned opportunity to ask my question. was no industry available to for reforming the U.S. civil Of course, being overly passionate create mass employment for service. His efforts soon translated about the injustices I knew Nigerians. I witnessed college into the studying of public Tinubu committed against graduate selling charge cards, administration as an academic Nigerians, either directly or some driving cars and buses just pursuit. Public administration is indirectly, my voice trembled to make a living. My most sad the study to implementing with anger as I formulated my and discomforting moment was

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when I saw three young kids aged around nine years old, who were not in school but subjected to becoming street hawkers, which they did without shoes on. This was the sad reality I saw and now Tinubu basically sought to tell me I was hallucinating and all is well in Nigeria. Plus, even if the constitution supports the seizing of land from Nigerian, a true public servant would seek to advocate changing such law, the Land Use Act. My encounter was paradoxical in meeting former governor Tinubu in a building symbolic of democracy, an edifice dedicated to an American public servant, Thomas Woodrow Wilson. Wilson was not detached from the needs of his people during his time; one of the most pressing issues he faced back then was the need to reform the American Civil Service. This meant making it more neutral to implement laws and policies that would serve the general public. For his contribution, he left a legacy for Americans today and forever more. I wonder what legacy Tinubu will leave for Nigeria!

Solomon Sogunro’s professional profile is on LinkedIn.

Why Jonathan deserves commendation

By Doyen Okupe

W

ithout doubt or fear of equivocation, I strongly believe that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan deserves commendation for the successes he has achieved in the transformation agenda since he was elected on the 20th May 2011.

Nigeria has had numerous leaders and various regimes, yet history will definitely record this period we are going through as one the most progressive and one within which much has been accomplished within such a short time without the usual cacophony which had accompanied lesser achievements in the past.

The persistent inadequacy in the availability of electricity had been a persistent menace that has disturbed and perplexed our citizenry for so long. Various governments have made several unfruitful attempts to solve this problem but with no apparent success.

Yet President Goodluck Jonathan on that fateful Democracy Day on May 29 2011, slightly over a year ago, on an auspicious day, like a little David, promised that he would fall this Goliath that had bedeviled our nation for so long.

President Goodluck Jonathan after the seemingly embarrassing reception he received both from Nigerians and externally concerning the integrity of the election that heralded the victory of his joint ticket with the late President Yar’adua, promised solemnly

that he would remove the scourge of electoral shame that tended to undermine the integrity of our elections making successive Governments to lack the legitimacy that is required for effective leadership and governance. He promised the Nigerian people that he would not only ensure sound electoral reform but that the vote of every Nigerian would count, whether rich or poor, man, woman or youth.

In this hazardous undertaking which cynics hardly believed in, President Jonathan delivered on his promise of free and fair general and Presidential elections and that was what Nigerians had in 2011.This feat he has repeated in 2 or more states since then, gradually laying the solid foundation for our democracy . It is clear to all, including the leadership and members of his own party ,the PDP, that the “new kid on the block “ will not buckle under any pressure to faithfully keep to his avowed promise of preserving the sanctity of the votes of Nigerians at any elections.

The base of our economy is being diversified from its monolithic dependency status to include potentially huge revenues from agricultural reforms. Rail transportation is being revived nationwide and our hitherto dilapidated infrastructure is gradually being attended to nationwide. The East –West road is in full throttle, the BeninShagamu road has received an injection of massive funds and the all, important Lagos –Ibadan expressway, a pioneer PPP project is being revisited and the first phase of repair and reconstruction

is due to begin in earnest .

The economy has also remained healthy with a commendable growth rate of 6.9%.The foreign reserves has hit the $40bn and is on an upward trajectory to $50bn , and for the first time ever a sovereign wealth fund has been established for Nigeria with its attendant effect of reinforcing the confidence in our financials by our trading partners and foreign investors.

Our people have complained that while they can concede the reality of macroeconomic improvements the lives of the ordinary Nigerian is yet to get any better. The truth is that this government as a responsible administration has employed the appropriate strategy to alleviate the suffering of the masses. The government has spent time and effort to design and execute the right fiscal reforms and policies which will form the framework that will deliver food on the tables of our citizens. The time for planting and nurturing is almost over and the harvest is definitely round the corner.

Unfortunately the government and the people of this country were shell shocked by the havoc, wreckage and wanton destruction of life and property by the Boko Haram Insurgency. This administration though obviously unprepared for this unprecedented level of internal explosion, unrelenting violence and heightened insecurity has risen with admirable aptitude and dexterity in the control and containment of this insurgency.

It is without doubt that the Boko Haram threat which started as a

localized sect avenging the unjustified killing of their leaders ,soon became overtaken by a dastardly political group and also regrettably by another criminal group.

But never in the global history of Insurgency, from the Philippine insurgency to the Tamil rebels of Sri Lanka, to the Malaysian insurgency, the IRA, to the Maghreb insurgency in North Africa has so much progress been made so rapidly by a nation at Insurgency containment within a period of just one year.

It is evident that our security forces are equal to the task as they appear to have been able to limit and curtail the scope of the insurgency through their eagle eyed intelligence and the deployment of newly acquired cutting edge technology in a wholly modern and integrated security infrastructure.

The lull in the activities of boko haram in very recent times is not just a fluke.it is a product of patriotic commitment, dedication, courage and hard work often accompanied by the loss of lives of our security personnel.

All these have been achieved through the effective and committed leadership of our unassuming, but resilient President Goodluck Jonathan.

Ordinarily the Presidency of Nigeria ought to command respect from every loyal and patriotic citizen and certainly from the little said above and the even more left unsaid President Jonathan deserves respect and commendation and not insults

and abuse.

This is why we are shocked when our revered and respected Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka describes the president as someone who has lost touch with reality or someone troubled by his conscience. None of these two descriptive terminologies can be used to describe a young man, who rather than use the enormity of the power of his office brutally deploys it to constructively transform the nation and make life better for its citizenry.

His remarks about the January fuel subsidy demonstrators are not farfetched.

After all who were the true leaders and organizers of the protests but his erstwhile contestants and competitors who cannot believe that they lost the election to a nationally preferred and politically accepted Personality.

Finally, the debate on the usefulness or otherwise of the 5000 Naira note may have come and gone, but the real statesman is the president who while believing in the project which is within his lawful powers to endorse, approved it. But because of the orchestrated and voluble opposition took sides with the Nigerian people and asked the CBN to have yet another look at the policy .This clearly shows he is a listening president and is fully in touch with his people.

It is about time Nigerians take another good look at President Good luck Jonathan.

Dr. Doyin Okupe is Senior Special Assistant to the President on public affairs

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

By Ibrahim Biu

T

he national honours award of the Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) conferred on Alhaji Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, the Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), did not come as a surprise to those who know him very well. It is a welldeserved award to a humble technocrat who could be described as a silent achiever.

The award has, no doubt, added another milestone to the bright record of service of this diligent and hardworking top bureaucrat who measures his success by the large number of people whose lives he touches positively.

Maikasuwa was among the 149 recipients of the 2012 National Merit Award conferred on them by the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. H was decorated and presented with the OON certificate

by Mr. President at an impressive ceremony at the International Conference Centre last Monday and witnessed by a large number of people live on the NTA and AIT from the comfort of their offices or homes.

In a citation read on the occasion the 54-year old Keffi-born blueblood prince, Maikasuwa was honoured for, among other things, his dedication to duty, commitment to excellence, hard work and exemplary character trait. He is a

PAGE 15

Maikasuwa’s OON award committed patriot who loves his country and strives to do his best in whatever assignment that is given to him.

Maikasuwa who holds the prestigious traditional title of Ciroman Keffi, had acquired other award and recognitions including the mni, which was given to him after he successfully completed course 35 of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) at Kuru, near Jos, Plateau State in 2007.

According to the presidency, the latest award of OON was conferred on Maikasuwa due to his continued loyalty and honesty of purpose exhibited in many areas of national endeavour within the past few years as contained in the citation read at the ceremony.

Maikasuwa has since he assumed office as the CNA promised to run an open and transparent administration as a team leader of the National Assembly management. He had so far presided over a National Assembly bureaucracy that is transparent, fair and accountable.

As an experienced bureaucrat he has put into practice his wealth of experience and his academic

achievements to re-position the Assembly bureaucracy and to reorient the civil servants so as to enable them to properly cooperate and support the federal legislators.

It is a well-known fact that a well polished and properly guided bureaucracy could be a great asset to the National Assembly members in carrying out their day-to-day assignments of making laws and resolutions for the benefit of the country.

Similarly, in order to successfully carry out their jobs of checks and balance through effective supervision of government projects and programmes, the lawmakers need a well-trained and perfectly oriented civil service which is the engine room of the entire National Assembly. So far Maikasuwa had actually succeeded in transforming the Assembly’s bureaucracy to a vibrant and effective management team of which he is leading with confidence.

Within the past few years, Maikasuwa had led the Assembly’s management team for higher productivity in the overall growth of the National Assembly towards protecting and enhancing the nation’s democracy. Analysts consider this issue as a great

achievement especially if one remembers that Maikasuwa inherited a workforce with a low morale and not properly conversant with the needs of their political masters.

Maikasuwa, as promised, not only gave the desired team leadership but he also provided the required synergy between the Assembly’s bureaucracy and the law makers. The CNA has for all intents and purposes properly linked up the bureaucracy with the lawmakers and has also, as promised when he assumed office, embarked on intensive capacity building and deliberate staff welfare efforts which has no doubt helped to boost the morale of the staff greatly. No doubt Maikasuwa had within the past two years or so, according to sources, invested a lot of efforts and energy in these two areas. The workforce is now highly motivated and are delivering good results and expected services.

The CNA has been commended by the Senate President, Dr. David Mark and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal as well as other principal officers of the National

Assembly for making the bureaucracy highly effective and as a technical backbone for the work of lawmakers.

The bureaucracy is now very resourceful, functioning at its best due to the CNA’s diligence.

It is on record that Maikasuwa not only loves Nigeria but has practically displayed such an action on many occasions. He loves the downtrodden. Maikasuwa, a highly principled technocrat, believes in doing justice to all those who comes in touch with him.

Even though he is a technocrat and a top public officer, the CNA is loved by his people despite the fact that he is not a politician. Before he was appointed as the CNA two years ago, Maikasuwa had held sensitive positions as a Director of Personnel Management and that of library and research in the same National Assembly. His colleagues consult him on many sensitive issues while the political bosses refer to him issues concerning how to strengthen the bureaucracy at the National Assembly.

He is an experienced public officer who commands a lot of respect from his seniors and subordinates alike.

Ibrahim Biu resides in Abuja.

fora in the media, internet, etc. To consider the feeling of Nigerians: it was more than just having our tails between our legs, we also had our faces buried in shame. This was particularly so for the sport loving ones- from their opinions, views, etc. they were almost in tears: they chided the preparations to the games the ineptitude of Olympic committee, etc. They also went further to proffer solutions to the problem so that this kind of performance never happens. Thus, they suggested that preparations for 2016 should commence immediately and so on.

However, when one considers the foregoing mood of the nation after the defeat, as it were, you can imagine how Nigerians would have felt when they first heard the news that a Nigerian did not only win a gold medal but broke a world record.

This was most cheering news for ussoothing balm for our wounds. And of course, this made the headlines.

Overall, it was effectively like cold water to someone thirsty in the dry or arid Sahara desert. Yes! it was a huge relief to a people thirsty for their battered national pride to be restored ,at least in some way.

Indeed,this feat of the Paralympian’s was most honorable to Nigerians.It really restored our pride in the comity of nations.It showed that we are not just big for nothing,as it would be seen, considering our performance in the recently concluded London Olympic games. I mean, Nigerians are known to be performers; we believe we can and truly we can.

Moreover, despite our terrible reputation as cunning people generally, we have tremendous respect by many people all over the world as people who can achieve.

However, I understand a

terrible remark was made by some Nigerian(s) about the Nigerian Paralympic feat in the media. It was said that Nigeria is a disabled nation, and that is why we could only win at the London Paralympics games not the Olympic games. I know they were vexed, but I think this sort of statement is unfortunate. It should receive the greatest condemnation possible. How could people be so insensitive and worse still, be so uncharitable.This sort of person deserves to be locked up for such a statement. For, how could that person be so ungrateful for what the Paralympian’s did for us as a nation.But then again,I know that the generality of Nigerians do not share such a sentiment ,as their performance was really appreciated in view of what had happened at the London Olympics games.

Expectedly, the Nigerian government saw this as an opportunity to make some noise and take some of the glory even as the disgrace of the Olympians reflected badly on them. Thus, right from London, the Paralympian’s were duly hosted by the Nigerian High Commissioner in the U.K,for their sterling performance. And when

they came home, they were hosted by the President himself to a wonderful reception at Abuja.

Moreover, they were give cash awards : N5m to gold medalists,N3m to silver medalists and N2m to the bronze medalists.

It didn’t end there; they were awarded national honors: 6 Member of the Order of the Niger(MON) awards to the gold medalists. Indeed, the Federal government honored these people for making the country proud.But then, it just helped the government to mitigate the criticism that it was experiencing from Nigerians.

However, I didn’t quite appreciate the monetary rewards.To me, this was ‘chicken change. How could they award a world record breaker with a measly N5m in comparison with the disgrace and shame they undid for our country? Again, what is N5m in present day Nigeria?

Well, the Special Olympics Director, Folashade Bolumole, commended President Jonathan for the gesture; that he did well to of recognize the Paralympian’s as well as reward them.I didn’t expect that from her

at all. She said ‘the Paralympian’s should be grateful to the president for the rewards’ .Why did she make themselves so cheap? They should have reacted, or don’t they think that they deserve more.Although they did not perform the feat for the money, but then, that the government decided to do it at all, it should have been worth their salt.

I still remember what the then President Shehu Shagari did for our Super eagles after the African cup of nations victory in 1982 – they were given cars, houses, street names,etc. Their worth was recognized and indeed this perhaps sparked the motivation for so many Nigerian youths who went into football as a career; check it out.

Now, this brings me to the crux of this article: firstly, let me state that the physically challenged have never had it so good in Nigeria.We have never seen them get this kind of attention, ever! And this is just because of the feat they displayed at the London 2012 Paralympics. No doubt, this is their moment. I mean, what we could not do for our country, physically challenged people did; is this not enough for us to take them seriously?

The paralympians’ feat is simply a wake-up call to our responsibilities toward the physically challenged in our society.

Importantly, the People with disabilities Bill for the physically challenged should receive immediate attention. I wonder why such a bill is still being delayed in the National Assembly; there should be no reason for this! Well, if they are not appreciated why will the bill be passed!

Osahon Uwagboe is a Lagosbased sales executive, reachable on Facebook.

Nigerian paralympians’ feat decoded

By Osahon Uwagboe

I

t was a huge relief to Nigerian’s generally when we heard that a Nigerian had broken the world record in weightlifting at the just concluded special Olympics in London.It didn’t stop there as may have been expected; it went on and on.

I mean,the Nigerian Paralympian’s really gave cause for Nigerian’s to be glad: it was one medal after another.In the end,it was 6 gold medals by Yakubu Adesokan, Nwokorie Ivory, Oyema Esther, Onaolapo Joy, Obiji Loveline, Anozie Grace.There were also five silver medals ,and two bronze medals.

This feat of the Paralympians was most significant especially as it comes on the heels of the recently concluded Olympic Games, in which of course, team Nigeria came home with no medal. This dismal performance of team Nigeria at the London 2012 Olympics was particularly disappointing to Nigerians, to say the least. Indeed,it was a national embarrassment. This is all the moreso because of the hype that heralded the Olympics event. We had expected at least a medal from the women in athletics meet, considering the performances of some of ours during the past Sports season such as Blessing Okaigbe.

Thus, the eyes of people were on Nigeria to spring a surprise or two.

Rather,it caused pains a well as shame to the generality of Nigerians- you know we are a sports loving nation, and we also have some national pride that we are just good.

Inevitably, there was an outpouring of pain, grief, shame, which was expressed wherever possible, such as the press, different

“

The paralympians’ feat is simply a wake-up call to our responsibilities toward the physically challenged in our society. Importantly, the People with disabilities Bill for the physically challenged should receive immediate attention. I wonder why such a bill is still being delayed in the National Assembly; there should be no reason for this! Well, if they are not appreciated why will the bill be passed!

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

Man, 42, caught attempting to sodomise 16-year-old boy

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42-year-old trader, Paul Uzoamaka has been sentenced to one month imprisonment for attempting to have anal intercourse with a 16year-old boy.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr

Paul Anigbo, told an Abuja Senior Magistrates Court which sentenced the resident of Alieta village, that the case of attempted rape was lodged at the Lugbe Police Station on September 21, 2012 by one

Gabriel Ayodele of Lugbe Zone 4, Abuja.

According to him, on same date Uzoamaka took Ayodele’s 16-year-old son, Praise, to a near-by bush and pulled down his trousers.

Anigbo said that Uzoamaka attempted to have unlawful carnal knowledge of Praise through his anus and Praise resisted him.

He said that Praise raised an alarm immediately and

Wreckage of a car involved in an accident, on Wednesday at Wuse 2, in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

Uzoamaka was caught and arrested, an offence he said contravenes Section 95 of the Penal Code.

Uzoamaka, who pleaded guilty to the allegation against him and begged the court for forgiveness, saying, the act was not done intentionally and he do not know what came over me on that day.

“The boy in question has been my customer for a while that was how I got to know him and I am also divorced from my wife; I have begged the parents of Praise for forgiveness and they have forgiven me, I pray that the court will have mercy on me”, he expressed.

The presiding Magistrate, Mrs Josephine Obannor, said that the accused was fortunate that he was not caught in the act of the offence as it would have earned him life imprisonment.

She said that it would not have been the business of the court if the victim was of age as some countries had legalised gay relationship.

Obannor said that although Uzoamaka was a first-time offender, he ought to be punished to serve as a deterrent to other offenders.

She sentenced the accused to one month imprisonment with an option of N2, 000 fine. (NAN)

Bwari residents urged

Student arraigned for alleged to be supportive conspiracy, cheating

By Usman Shuaibu

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Police have arraigned one Lawrence Owanchi of Utako village, Abuja before an Abuja Magistrates Court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and cheating.

The Police Prosecutor, Udeh David, told the court that one Mustapha Hassan of Dorben Polytechnic in Niger state reported the matter at the

Wuse Police Station, on September 23, 2012.

According to him, on the same date at Wuse bus stop, the accused and three others, now at large, jointly and deceitfully collected the complainant’s Nokia phone and N7, 000 with a promise to give him a Blackberry phone.

He said that the accused absconded with the items, an

offence that contravenes Sections 79 and 322 of the Penal Code.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the offence.

The Magistrate, Mr Aminu Eri, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 and two sureties in like sum.

Eri adjourned the case to October10, 2012 for hearing.

Gwagwalada chair calls for speedy reconstruction of bridge

By Adeola Tukuru

C

hairman of Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Zakari Angulu, has dismissed as falsehood, media reports that work on the Dobi Bridge has been completed.

Angulu, who spoke yesterday in Dobi near Gwagwalada, during an inspection tour of the bridge, urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) Senator Bala Mohammed to disregard the purported media reports and expedite action towards speedy reconstruction of the

collapsed bridge.

He further commended the FCT Administration (FCTA) for the urgent steps taken to commence the reconstruction of the bridge.

He faulted the source of the media report over claim that the bridge was completed and currently motorable, on the ground that it was not in the interest of Dobi community.

He said: ”As you can see, taxi drivers going to Dobi have created an artificial park before the bridge and residents having goods to sell in Gwagwalada town crosses the bridge to the park with their legs because the reconstruction is yet to be

completed.

“It will amount to misleading of the public to say or carry out media report that the bridge is already completed when it is not motorable even for light weighing vehicles,” he said.

In a remark, the Aguma of Gwagwalada Alhajhi Mohammadu Magaji, expressed dismay over the media report on ground that the community had remained cut off since September 16, 2012 following collapse of the bridge after downpour.

Magaji, the paramount ruler in Gwagwalada Area Council said his visit to the site with the council chairman followed report on the project that it was completed.

R

esidents of Bwari and in its environs have been enjoined to cooperate with the administration of the Bwari Area Council for successful administration of the council.

The council’s Vice-Chairman, Hon. Bala Abubakar Matawalen, who made called said that continuous support of the inhabitants of the area was fundamental for the overall development of the area.

Speaking to our reporter in his office in Bwari, Matawalen, said that the current administration would not hesitate to carry the people of the area council along in its activities.

He assured the residents that the leadership of the council would continue to operate an open door policy in the interest of mutual understanding.

Speaking on the 2013 Area Councils Chairmanship Election, Matawalen called on the people of Bwari to vote credible candidate that would provide for them the dividends of democracy.

NURTW member bags two years imprisonment for bag snatching

By Stanley Onyekwere with agency report

O

ne Umar Adamu, a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at Jabi Park, Abuja, was on Tuesday sentenced to two years imprisonment for conspiracy and theft by an Abuja Magistrates Court.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr Ogunde Fidelis, told the court that, one Juliet Ogbode of Capital Gateway Hotel, Ado in Nasarawa state, reported the case to the Central Police Station at Wuse Zone 2, Abuja on September 9, 2012.

Fidelis said that the accused and one other, now at large,

formed common intention and snatched the complainant’s handbag.

According to the prosecutor, the handbag contained Blackberry 9800 phone, Nokia torchlight phone, GTB ATM card, wristwatch, Cubana lounge uniform, office I.D. card and N34, 950.

Also he said the accused confessed that it was his fourth time of snatching women’s handbags, adding that it was an offence that contravenes Section 79 and 287 of the Penal Code, respectively.

The Magistrate, Mr Musa Jobbo, sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment without an option of fine after he convict pleaded guilty to the offence.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 17

A little girl patronizing a road side fish seller, yesterday in Dutse village, Abuja.

Children hawking sachet water, yesterday in Bwari, Abuja.

Young girls selling groundnuts outside Federal Secretariat, yesterday in Abuja.

You can't cheat nature; a middle-aged man taking nap, yesterday in Nyanya.

A young man treating himself to local manicure man, yesterday in Garki, Abuja.

Photos: Justin Imo-owo

BUSINESS

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Email: amunuimam@yahoo.co.uk

PAGE 19

INSIDE

Aganga says investment in Onne FTZ hits N960bn

Mob: 08033644990

Nigerians spend N1. 6 trillion on generators every year – DG CMD

By Muhammad Sada

I

t has been revealed that about 60 million Nigerians spend N1.6 trillion on generators every year due to the situation of the power sector in the country.

The figures were disclosed by the Director-General of Centre for Management Development (CMD), Dr. Kabir Usman after some interesting statistics on the usage of power generating machines in the country noting that Nigeria had the highest number of standby generators, which had become permanent, making

the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the standby.

According to Usman, who was speaking at the launch of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) graduate skills development programme in Abuja, recently, “Currently, there are about 60 million generators in Nigeria at the ratio of one per household of 2.5 people with an

annual spending of N1.6 trillion and also noted that the presence of too many generators has also been the cause of many deaths in the nation as a result of carbon monoxide emission”.

He also revealed that Nigeria’s highly inadequate supply of electricity adds 40 percent to the cost of goods produced in the country.

According to him, “the situation has compelled many industries to either shut down or relocate to neighbouring countries.”

He said the poorest Nigerians paid more than N80/kwh burning candles, kerosene and firewood while manufacturers paid between N45 and N60/kwh on diesel to run their generators.

Sale of power plants: FG to earn N113.12 bn

By Aminu Imam

T

he Federal Government will earn a whooping $707 million (N113.120 bn) from the expected sale of five power plants, for which bidders were announced on Tuesday.

Atedo Peterside, Chairman, Technical Committee, National Council on Privatisation (NCP), who announced the seven preferred bidders for the five power generation plants, said the owners of the firms and operators are some of the world's largest and most efficient electricity thermal and hydro generating companies.

Peterside said :"Even if I say so myself, all well meaning Nigerians would be comforted and pleased to know that it would be difficult to assemble a more qualified group of bidders for our generating companies".

Eight firms bidded for the generation companies located in Geregu (434mw), Ughelli (832mw), Sapele (1,020mw), Shiroro (600mw) and Kainji (760mw).

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is expected to give the bidders a plan to ensure that the firms deliver power , saying "This is not about selling assets, it is about delivering power to Nigerians".

However, the final declaration of the bid winners as preferred bidders is still subject to NCP approval and cash-backing of the bided sums.

Chief Operating Officer, Peoples Media Ltd, Malam Ali M. Ali (left), presenting copies of Peoples Daily to Head, Corporate Communications/Media, Guaranty Trust Bank Ltd, Mrs Oge KasieNwachukwu (middle), during a visit by the bank's officials to the media outfit, yesterday in Abuja. With them is the Chief Operating Officer, Red Gecko PR Ltd, Mr. Cornelius Onuoha (right).

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Nigeria loses N260. 5 billion due to drop in oil revenue

By Muhammad Nasir

T

he Chairman, Forum of Commissioners of the 36 states of the federation, Mr. Timothy Odaah has revealed that the country experienced a decline of N260. 512 billion in gross revenue in the previous month.

Mr. Odaah, who stated this to journalists recently in a public interview said the fall in oil proceeds forced FAAC to supplement the allotment for the month of August

by N143 billion.

He said both the local, state and the Federal Government have agreed to use alternative measures

to generate more funds due to the fall in revenue last month.

Mr. Jonah Otunla, the Accountant General of the Federation, had made known that the fall from N825.396 billion to N564.884 billion accrued in July was due to security problems experienced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the production of crude oil.

According to Otunla "the drop in oil production was due to a number of factors among which are the security challenges faced by the NNPC, force majure declared at Bonny Terminal and shutdown of Balema Gas Plant

and Trans Niger pipeline as well as decreased in Production Sharing Contract and Modified Carry Arrangement."

Mr. Timothy Odaah however clarified that the fall in revenue has not come to stay, that it is a temporal and the government is doing everything to get back on track.

He said: "You have heard contributions being made and what is on ground now is that solid minerals should also be included as the basis for derivation and the essence is to encourage states because almost every state in the nation has some solid minerals or oil buried in their land".

Management Tip of the Day

I

Bring out quieter voices on your team

n groups it's often the nonexpert, the outlier, or the person who isn't in charge who has the most interesting idea. You need to structure ways to hear that person or you will always drown him out. Here's how: Air out differences. Talk openly about the opportunities

and challenges of working together. Do it anonymously by letting people write down their concerns and then discussing them as a group.

Let the non-expert talk first.

Flip the relationship between the expert and the novice. Start the meeting by having those with

- Pg 20

the least expertise give their perspectives first.

Ask what you're missing.

This should be one person's job.

Don't assign the role ahead of time, but randomly select a person in the meeting so everyone pays attention and is equally prepared.

GTbankhas revolutionised banking in Nigeria’

By Aminu Imam

G

uaranty Trust Bank Plc (GT Bank), one of Africa's leading banking groups, has been described as'revolutionising the banking industry in Nigeria.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Peoples Media, publishers of Peoples Daily newspaper, Malam Ali M. Ali expressed this commendation yesterday, during a courtesy visit by top management of GT Bank to the Head Office of Peoples Media Ltd. The COO said, “GT Bank that has revolutionised banking in Nigeria and has recorded significant feats within their operating environments, continuously displaying innovation and have recorded excellent financial performance year on year.”

According to Malam Ali, GTBank's receipt of the prestigious 2012 'Best Bank in Nigeria' by Euromoney Magazine for the fourth consecutive year as well as recent African Development Bank (AfDB) 'African Banker of the Year' prize at the annual bankers award held in Arusha, Tanzania is an unprecedented feat which pays testimony to the Bank's position as a first class, profitable and focused institution.

Responding, the Head, Corporate Communications & Media of GT Bank, Mrs. Ogechi KasieNwachukwu ascribed the bank's sterling performance to a well defined operating strategy, the passion and commitment of GTBank employees and adherence to values that include hard work, discipline, a passion for excellence and a service

Trade between Nigeria and UK increases by 35%

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

T

rade between Nigeria and the UK has increased by 35 per cent since 2010, Dr Martin Uhoimoibhi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Tuesday in Abuja.

At a joint briefing after a meeting with his UK counterpart, Mr Simon Fraser, Uhoimoibhi said that the volume of trade could increase as ways to boost economic relations between the two countries were being worked out.

He said the meeting focused mainly on issues of prosperity, development, security, migration and international relations The 35 per cent increase represents a rise from the 6.3 billion dollars generated in 2010 to the 8.5 billion dollars in 2011.

The trade was mainly in oil and gas, agriculture and in the service sector.

Uhoimoibhi said Nigeria and UK shared common interests in deepening democracy, good governance and global peacekeeping.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 20

COMPANY NEWS

Ashaka Cement

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shaka Cement Plc a publicly quoted company and subsidiary of Lafarge has reported its first half 2012 H1 '11, numbers, for the period ended 30th June 2012 showing a turnover growth of 20 percent YoY (year on year) to N12.3billion in H1'12.

The company's profit before tax also witnessed a sharp 54 percent increase to N12 billion from N10 billion, while profit after tax witnessed a similar 54 percent growth to N2.4 billion in the year under review from N1.6 billion in 2011.

AfDB

T

he African Development Bank (AfDB) has proposed plans to float Africa's first infrastructure bonds to member nations to raise up to $22 billion for investments in much needed infrastructure projects such as ports, railways, roads and energy, across the African continent.

This brings to reality an initiative first raised at the March 2009 conference on Growth Corridors, hosted by Made In Africa Foundation's Ozwald Boateng and UK Foreign Minister, David Miliband.

By opening up the bond offering to everyone - private institutions such as global banks and pension funds, individuals and corporations - there would be increased transparency, and hopefully better governance, not to mention increased flows of money to fund projects.

Aganga says investment in Onne FTZ hits N960bn Stories by Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

M

inister for Trade and Investment Mr. Olusegun Aganga had described the Onne Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone as the number one investment destination in Africa and 25th globally, adding that the value of investment currently in the zone has reached $6billion (N960bn), with over 150 investors operating within the zone.

Mr. Aganga asserted that all over the world trade zones are catalyst for industrial development, while it is also good for Foreign Direct Investment

(FDI), he asserted that at the zone "every job creates two additional jobs".

Also, President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed confidence in the ingenuity and capability of investors at the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone in Onne Port Complex Onne, Rivers State.

Speaking through the Governor of Rivers state, Chibuike RotimiAmaechi, President Jonathan said that there was urgent need to make more investors know the investment opportunities that are available in the Zone.

The President commended the organisers of the 2012 Forum, which had it theme

as:"Harnessing investment opportunities in the Oil and Gas Sectors. The Role of the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone in the Transformation Agenda", saying the theme was in line with his administration's vision (20:20:20) i.e. Nigeria being one of the 20 nations with the best economy by year 2020.

Also speaking, the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar affirmed that as far back as the 1990s, the Nigerian Ports Authority realised the need to improve the Onne Port to accommodate the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) and Federal Lighter Terminal (FLT), which have now become the nucleus of

FG not planning to stop EEGMinister

T

ASACCIMA

T

he leadership of Asaba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ASACCIMA) has signed a N200million investment agreement with the National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND).

Uju Udeme, president of the association gave the hints at a meeting of the Coalition of South- South Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (FOSSCCIMA) in Asaba.

Udeme, who said the loan facilities were currently being processed, added that 40 members of the association would access N5 million each from the fund.

UK investors

V

ice-President, Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo has expressed the readiness of Nigeria to partner with United Kingdom companies towards exploring the abundant business opportunities that exist in Nigeria.

The Vice President made this remark yesterday when he received the United Kingdom delegation of Permanent Secretaries led by Simon Fraser, Permanent Secretary of Foreign & Commonwealth office, Tom Mckane Defence and Mark Lawcock of the Department of International Development (DFID), in his office.

Oil and Gas business in Africa.

Senator Umar commended the minister for his zeal and drive in providing necessary platform for investors at the free trade zone.

Among dignitaries present at the Forum were the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mr. Dauda Kigbu, NPA Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Mr. David Omonibeke, NPA General Manager Eastern Ports, Mr. Sotoye Etomi and the Chairman, Orleans Invest West Africa, Mr. Gabriele Volpi.

Winner of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) maiden integrity award of the capital market committee, Mr. Ime (middle), with his wife, Mrs. Mercy Usuah (left), and Sec's DG, Ms. Arunma Oteh (right), during the award ceremony, on Tuesday in Lagos. Mr. Ime Usuah is the taxi driver who returned N18million to his passenger in Abuja recently.

Photo: NAN

NLNG Train 7 projects to generate N1.89tr FDI

N

igeria will attract fresh Foreign Direct Investment worth N1.89trn ($12billion) within the next four years through the proposed Train 7 of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) project.

The project is also expected to generate additional $3billion revenue for the Federal Government annually and create about 13.000 new jobs.

These figures were presented to the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, by the company's Managing Director, Mr. Babs Omotowa during the minister's one-day facility tour of the NLNG plant in Bonny Island, Rivers state, on Monday.

The minister also inaugurated the multi-million Naira state-of-the art Finima Women Bakery built and donated to the community by the NLNG, as part of its corporate social responsibility.

"We are expecting foreign direct

investment of $12billion from our proposed Train 7 plant, which we hope will be completed within the next four years. The project is expected to create 13,000 new jobs and generate $3billion revenue annually for the government," the NLNG managing director said.

NLNG Limited is jointly owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (49 per cent); Shell (26.6 per cent); Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15 per cent) and Eni (10.4 per cent).

Aganga described the NLNG project as a big success story for Nigeria, stressing that the Ministry of Trade and Investment was committed to providing the enabling environment to encourage the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment into the country.

He said, "NLNG is one of the biggest success stories in our country. From what the Managing Director told me, the company has invested $13billion so far since inception and has become a pace-

setter in terms of revenue generation for the government, profitability, dividend payment to shareholders, job creation and adherence to international best practices in its operations.

"The purpose of my visit today is to assess the key areas that we want to diversify and increase our export base. Also, we are looking for gas to help us develop the petrochemical sector of the economy, which is critical because we cannot have a strong and virile industrial sector without a strong petrochemical sector which will support the growth and development of the automobile, textile, plastic, chemical and pharmaceutical industries."

The minister also said that his ministry, through its One Local Government-One Product initiative, would partner women in rural communities in Bonny Island as part of the ministry's Micro, Small Medium Enterprises Development strategy.

he Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, has said that the Federal Government is not planning to stop the Export Expansion Grant (EEG), saying that the Ministry of Trade and Investment was putting structures in place to ensure that the grant was insulated from being abused in the future.

Speaking during a-two day facility visit and assessment of industries in Kano, Aganga said "The EEG is not under any threat. The Federal Government has no intention of terminating the EEG. Instead, what we are trying to do is to strengthen the processes and procedures involved in the implementation of the EEG to ensure that it becomes most beneficial to both the exporters and the government.

"We are putting structures in place to make sure that the EEG is not abused in the future", he added.

He said that the Federal Government was committed to strengthening the processes and procedures involved in the implementation of the EEG in order to make it more beneficial to exporters, as well as government.

He added that as part of its Industrial Revolution Plan, the Ministry of Trade and Investment would partner the Kano state government on boosting capacity utilisation of industries in Kano state, especially in the textile, leather, agribusiness and food processing sectors where the state had comparative and competitive advantage.

"Statistics have shown that the second largest non-oil export in Nigeria is leather, and Kano is the home of leather. So, Kano has contributed, and has continued to contribute significantly to the economy of our country. Beyond leather, Kano is known for textile and garment manufacturing, rice and tomatoes processing.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 21

BlackBerry maker RIM unveils features of new smartphone, BB10 OS

By Bashir Ibrahim Hassan

R

esearch in Motion offered investors a ray of hope on Tuesday, announcing an unexpected increase in subscriber numbers that sent its shares up 5 percent as the company worked hard to drum up enthusiasm for its crucial Blackberry due 2013.

Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM, a pioneer in the smartphone arena, has in past years lost market share in North America to Apple Inc and Samsung, whose more versatile and user-friendly devices took off.

RIM is trying to reinvent itself through a line of jazzed-up smartphones that will run on the BlackBerry 10 orBB10 operating system on which the company has staked its future.

In an attempt to create a buzz around the new devices, Chief Executive Thorsten Heins gave a preview of the smartphone and its features to its developers at a gathering on Tuesday in San Jose, California.

Dressed in an outfit few Silicon Valley executives sport - a grey pinstriped suit - Heins said the company was fighting for its future.

"There is new energy and a new fighting spirit in this company," he said as he listed new features from Internet browsing to multitasking between applications.

Heins said BlackBerry's subscriber base had risen to 80 million in the quarter ended

September 1 from the 78 million it reported earlier this year.

The addition of subscribers surprised many on Wall Street and sparked a bounce in the company's share price. Most analysts had

expected RIM to begin losing subscribers in the recently ended quarter, for the first time in its history.

In a presentation that lacked the customary pizzazz of major

Silicon Valley events, executives showed off some of the key features of the new phone like the browser, and 'flow' and 'peek' features that let users access important features

We produce 1. million Lacasera each day - CEO

By Chris Alu

T

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins gestures while delivering his keynote address during the Blackberry Jam Americas in San Jose, California. (Reuters)

Cotecna gets best Green family wins Maltina Dance All 6 collateral firm award From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

A

fter a stiff and grueling competition , replete with heightened tension and emotions - the Green family won the N6 million and a brand new Toyota Avensis car at stake in the grand finale of the Maltina Dance All 6 (MDA) held at The Expo Centre of Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

The MDA is sponsored by Maltina, a premium malt brand from the stable of Nigerian Breweries plc. In their dance to fortune, the Greens held the large crowd that witnessed the show spellbound and in the end, they earned a standing ovation that took some time to abate. They were presented with their cheque and the key to their car by Adejoke

E

cobank Nigeria Plc has unveiled “Back to School” campaign, as part of measures to aid tuition payment and money transfers within Nigeria and Africa.

Specifically, the campaign, which will be run through the Ecobank Rapid Transfer, would aid transfer and access to funds across the country, as well as enable customers transfer money to and from any of the 32 African countries where the bank operates.

without leaving an open application.

RIM has completely focused on the launch of its new line of revamped devices in recent months, while its aging line-up of smartphones in the market have struggled to compete against the recently launched iPhone 5 and a slew of new Android devices.

Orelope-Adefulire, the Deputy Governor of Lagos state, who was the special guest of honour.

The Green family, alongside the Efiokwu, Boyle, Zibe and Eghove families that qualified for the grand finale, gave their last performance to thrill the audience and boost their votes. The end of the performance saw the Green family emerge winners after garnering the largest votes from Nigerians, while Efiokwu and Eghove families as the first and second runners took home N1 million and N500, 000 respectively.

The Green family was ecstatic to be crowned the number one dance family in Nigeria. Ibiba Green, 19, the family representative, could not hide her tears of joy as she gave thanks to God for making it possible for her family to be crowned winners.

From Seni Durojaiye, Lagos

C

otecna, one of Nigeria's leading destination inspection service providers, has won the best Collateral Management firm award 2012, after receiving the same award last year from Trade Finance Excellence Awards.

The award is in recognition of the quality of service which the company renders in the field of trade finance support services in the current credit market environment, control and risk management - an essential element of success in structuring deals.

Matthieu Delorme, chief operating officer of Cotecna Trade Services, noted that the company was proud to be recognised as the 2012 Best Collateral Manager, as

chosen by readers of Trade Finance Magazine.

The Coctena boss expressed gratitude to all its clients and stakeholders for voting the company, adding that the award was in recognition to the company's staff dedication and competence in delivering quality services to customers.

He restated the need for collateral managers to constantly monitor pledged cargo for location, quantity, condition and quality, covered by solid legal documentation, logistical arrangements, and property as well as liability covers arrangements.

Cotecna, he assured, would continue to contribute to the growth of its stakeholders in accordance with its expertise and innovation capabilities.

Ecobank unveils new product campaign Announcing the commencement of the campaign, Ecobank ‘s Product Head, Domestic Products, Funwa Akinmade; said the “Back to School” campaign provides a special window for parents to pay their children and wards school fees and other necessary upkeep allowances.

He stated that the Rapid Transfer is an Ecobank proprietary send and

receive money transfer product available in all Ecobank branches in Nigeria.

According to him, the product facilitates easy transfer and access to funds across the nation and in all countries where Ecobank is represented.

“The Rapid Transfer, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria, is designed to save the customers from the risk of

carrying cash as well as facilitate easy payment for goods and services across Nigeria. Also it enables easy payments across African borders without the hassles of sourcing for foreign exchange as the payments are made in the local currencies of both the transfer and the receiving countries”, he added.

he Chief Executive Officer of Jotna Nigerian Limited, producer of Lacasera bottle juice, Mr. Anil Bapna has said that the intervention funds given by the Bank of Industry is being well utilized by the company.

Speaking to our correspondent in Abuja the C.E.O said the intervention fund has help the company to produce over one million bottle juices of lacasera per day with three operating factories across the country.

According to him 400 Nigerian indigenes are employed with over 10,000 hawkers of the product who make sales on commission basis every day, he said the situation has drastically reduce unemployment must especially to house wives.

Mr. Bapna said the company have been paying the funds as at when due with single digit interest rate on long term basis.

Flight Schedules Los-Abj: 06:50, 13:30, 16:30, 19:45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun); 12:30 (Sun); 16:45 (Sat)

“

Abj-Los: 07:30, 13:00, 19:00 (Mon-Fri/Sat); 10:30, 14:30, 19:30 (Sun), 18:30 (Sat)

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

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

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 22

Mobile money: A major game changer for Nigeria’s economy The transfer of monetary value from one person to the other via mobile phones - mobile money - has become a major game changer in African economies. Aminu Imam reports that in Nigeria, although the biggest barriers may arise from misperceptions and poor execution, the country is gradually moving towards the era of mobile payment system and services.

I

n November 2011, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) had disclosed that 40 million mobile money users currently exist in Africa while a research firm, Ovum expects this figure to rise to 1.2 billion by 2015.

According to new data from World Wide Worx, Kenya is currently the dominant player in Africa's mobile payment markets with over 20 million subscribers and that 37 percent of South Africa's cell phone users also use mobile banking services with Nigeria trailing behind in the scheme of things.

Industry analysts say, with over 101 million mobile subscriptions in the country, Nigeria is next big market on the African continent in terms of Mobile Money after the success recorded in Kenya with the M-PESA scheme.

Besides, mobile money has been identified by many financial experts and analysts as the greatest instrument to bring financial inclusion to the many unbanked and under banked in Africa and other developing regions.

Nigeria has a massive population of 167 million people, of whom a very small percentage is currently able to access financial services through banks. In fact, only about 25 percent of the Nigerian population has bank accounts or access to financial services.

Most financial institutions are concentrated around major commercial centres and capital cities, further limiting access to those who do not live or work in those areas. Contrary to this, the bulk of the population has access to mobile phones.

According to the World Bank report, in Kenya, 68 percent of adults report using mobile money, while in Nigeria, the share using mobile money is less than 5 percent.The data also show that while only 26.67 percent of Nigerians have accounts at a formal financial institution.

Experts strongly believe that the introduction of m-payment will provide boundless opportunities for the unbanked population which currently accounts for over 60 percent of the Nigerian population.

Nigeria, according to the analysts must leverage on the huge number of mobile subscribers for the deployment of mobile money scheme.

Nigeria is gradually moving

towards the era of mobile payment system and services and it was conjectured by many that 2012 could be the year that Nigeria makes significant strides in the Mobile Money landscape. As we approach the last quarter of 2012, much is yet to be seen in this ecosystem even with the commencement of Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) cashless project.

The value of remote transactions for digital and physical goods purchased via m o b i l e devices is expected to e x c e e d $ 7 3 0 b n annually by 2017, a new report from J u n i p e r Research has f o u n d .

Meanwhile, there are more than 93 m i l l i o n mobile phone subscriptions in Nigeria, the most in Africa, according to a 2011 report by the GSM Association of mobile phone operators.

Mobile companies have been thirsting to mimic the success of other African markets and tap into the potential for money transfers by phone in Nigeria, but a number of factors have slowed the service's development.

According to Emmanuel Okoegwale of the Mobile Money Africa consultancy group ""In

Nigeria, you have a significant young population... and the challenges that the existing population has in opening a bank account are still there," he said. "For

me, these challenges are an opportunity.Nigeria might be a bit late... and there has not been a lot of good news yet," and "I think the central bank saw mobile money as a bit of a risk," he added.

The CBN estimates the formal use of financial services in Nigeria is currently at a low 36 percent of the adult population, roughly 31 million out of an adult population of 85 million.

The Central Bank of Nigeria

“

(CBN) has been cautious so far, blocking mobile companies from running their own cash transfer services and forcing them to partner with banks.

Telecommunication companies like South Africa's MTN, the continental giant, say they should be able to run their own services, given their proven success in other markets, but in Nigeria they are positioned as junior partners.

Four years ago, Nigeria's banking sector was plunged into crisis due to massive corruption and mismanagement which led to huge amounts of bad loans and forced a $4 billion bailout.

Bank executives were sacked in the process. The CBN 's efforts in leading the sector to recovery have been widely lauded, and it has been reluctant to relax control in a country considered one of the worlds most graft-ridden.

Some in the mobile industry say that by withholding licenses from phone companies, the central bank is simply seeking to protect a lucrative market for Nigeria's banks.

"The network operators said, 'if you are not allowing me to claim the market, why should I help you?'" according to Okoegwale.

C B N ' s spokesman, Ugo Okoroafor said the rule was designed simply to protect the nation and warned that if not properly regulated mobile money could cause inflation.

The revenue potential in Nigeria is huge: only 38 percent of the country's 160 million people use a formal bank account, according to a 2010 poll by Gallup and NOIPolls, a Nigerian opinion research firm.

Kayode Akindele, Partner at 46 Parallel, an investment firm, says there are many issues inhibiting financial inclusion in Nigeria, such

The CBN estimates the formal use of financial services in Nigeria is currently at a low 36 percent of the adult population, roughly 31 million out of an adult population of 85 million.

as inability to efficiently and effectively identify and track borrowers and the slow and cumbersome process of adjudicating financial disputes through the courts.

"There are many schemes such as the new national identity card scheme, SIM registration, credit bureaus, etc, being developed to address these issues, but they are all still at their infancy," he said.

Etisalat Nigeria recently unveiled Easywallet, a secure and user-friendly SIM application for mobile money payments and transfers and the company said the service is in line with its focus of providing innovative products and services for its customers.

Easywallet, which is offered in partnership with leading Nigerian banks including First Bank, GTBank, Stanbic IBTC Bank and Zenith Bank is a more convenient and secure platform which allows Etisalat customers easy access to their preferred mobile money scheme for conducting secure money transfers and payments.

With Easywallet, Etisalat aims to bring mobile money closer to the customer and drive the CBN's cashless policy by growing the use of mobile payments and making it easy to use.

The launch of Easywallet is a landmark in Nigeria and progress towards mobile money adoption, as it is the first fully secure Mobile Money SIM Application offered to customers with the Easywallet application installed on their SIM cards.

This unique application supports multiple languages English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba and works across all makes and models of phones, smartphones and even tablet devices. Easywallet is compliant with all industry standards such as ISO-1 and guarantees adequate protection of customer information while carrying out mobile financial transactions across multiple mobile money schemes.

The Chief executive officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Steven Evans stated that the company's strategy is to be a leader in providing its customer with cutting edge and secure channels for mobile financial services.

The potential for mobile money remains promising, and the next generation of success stories will help shape the innovations that enable hundreds of millions of the world's citizens to participate more effectively in the global economy.

The biggest barriers to mobile money's success arise from common misperceptions or mistakes in execution.

Providers could vastly improve upon the low success rates of mobilemoney deployments to date by better understanding their customers and agents and investing more confidently and patiently in mobile money.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Over 65 percent of adults in Abuja are literate, says FCT Education Secretary Malam Kabiru Usman is the acting Executive Secretary for Education in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. In this interview with Maryam Garba Hassan, he talks about what the education secretariat is doing to improve quality of teaching in schools in the FCT and challenges he has had to confront. Excerpts:

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan recently launched a Free Books Initiative aimed at supplying recommended textbooks to schools through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). In the case of the FCT, have you been able to access the books?

The programme was launched by the Vice President on behalf of the President in one of our schools in the FCT. Books have been distributed to all the states of the federation including the FCT. We were given 591,000 textbooks immediately at the launch and thereafter UBEC gave us N1million to buy more books for distribution in all primary schools and junior secondary schools in the FCT. What measures has the secretariat taken to ensure that the books do not end up being sold in the market place?

The books are customized so it is going to be difficult for anybody to sell them, but I am not saying that it is not possible. We have gone round the schools to distribute the books and we have told headmasters and head teachers to ensure that each child is given what is due to them and one of our departments, that is, the Department of Policy Implementation (DPI), inspects the schools to ensure that the books get to the students and so far, I have not heard any complaint.

In the last one year we have had additional N1, 250,000 worth of textbooks and learning materials.

What we are do in the FCT is that every child gets four textbooks in the core subjects and, on our own part we give additional exercise books and writing materials. I believe with the books we got from the federal government and the ones we give, we will get a sufficient number to distribute to the students and pupils.

There is this fear that the teaching methods

Malam Kabiru Usman applied in Nigerian schools are outdated.

What is your take on this and what do you think should be done to address this issue?

There are mainly two methods which are teachercentred and child-centred.

Our teachers use both and I won’t say that they are outdated. In the FCT, we train and re-train teachers

all year round; we are even ahead of many states because our teachers now are trained in ICT. Last year, we provided 120,000 laptops to 38 primary schools and another 120,000 to 44 junior secondary schools; some of our teachers are now using power point. The FCT has qualified teachers in its schools.

How have you been

able to achieve this feat?

It is very easy if you have the political will. There are many people who want to be teachers and they do apply often, but we employ only the qualified ones, those that can be registered with the Teachers’ Registration Council. Since I assumed office, I have made sure that only qualified teachers are employed. Sometime ago,

the UBEC Chairman complained that in one state 80% of the teachers were not qualified but I will tell you that 98% of teachers in the FCT are trained teachers.

For the primary schools, last year we employed about 1500 teachers when we realized we had a shortage of teachers; those we recruited, all of them have at least NCE; we employed another

800 teachers when we realized that there was a shortage of teachers in the core subjects taught in girls’ secondary schools.

Basic education is meant to be free in the FCT. However, this has not been found to be so in some cases. Why is it so?

I am not aware of that.

Basic education is free nationwide and in the FCT, as far as I am concerned, we don’t charge anybody anything extra and if anybody is charging money then it is illegal. I am aware of one thing, no matter how we try, we cannot give teachers and students all they need. I know that sometimes the PTAs levy themselves to buy teaching materials for a school for use by their children. Sometimes, they collect money to build a library and there are some areas where we may not have sufficient teachers and the PTAs contribute money to get mathematics and English teachers and we cannot stop them. But we make sure that every child gets the four textbooks which are compulsory. We give uniforms, school bags, and learning materials to children of those indigenes who cannot afford to give their children a good education.

O v e r c r o w d e d classrooms, inadequate basic infrastructure, learning and teaching materials are problems associated with government schools. How should these imbalances be redressed?

We have overstretched infrastructure in schools in the FCT, especially in AMAC and we have been trying to address that issue. Some classrooms have more students than the numbered allowed. One of the causes of this problem is that people in rural areas want their children to study in our schools, and so do border communities in neighbouring states because our schools are better than most of the schools in neighbouring states. We

acknowledge the problem and we are going to address it. In 2011, we built 28 new secondary schools, both junior and senior, to accommodate more students. The problem of Abuja is that it is the fastest growing city in Africa.

Therefore, no matter what you do, you will still encounter problems. Last week, I gave an instruction to convert our technical schools to boarding school and in the next 2 weeks the students will move there.

by Chevron and we were able to build 10 new libraries around the FCT. We also have a surplus of teachers in our schools; in AMAC we have more teachers than they need while there are schools in some Area Councils that have fewer teachers than they require. I visited a school in Wuse with a population of less than 500 students but it had 16 English teachers; immediately, I transferred 8 to other schools outside the

“

By 2015 we want to have the equal numbers of boys and girls in our schools and as at today, the male -female ratio in the FCT is 50.2 against 49.8 in favour of boys and there are more female teachers than male teachers in our schools We also built about 2,500 additional classrooms and the FCT is lucky because it sometimes work with development partners who are helping us. For instance, when we complained, a Japanese company built about 50 classrooms for us in various places in the FCT and the Chinese government also built a school for us at Nyanya. These are all part of the effort made to reduce congestion in our schools.

Chevron TunganMaje, also built, furnished and donated a science laboratory to us which has Physics, Chemistry, Math and Home Economics laboratories. In the same vein, we bought 1,300 sets of furniture. We have been getting additional laboratories; we built 12 laboratories last year apart from the ones donated to us

city with over 2000 students but having 2 or 3 English teachers.

The teacher surplus in the city is because most of our female teachers are married to people in high places and they don’t want to serve in villages.

Again, in the village too there are problems of accommodation which make some teachers to run away from such schools. We are forcing people to go to villages and those who agree to go, we give them incentives to motivate them, such as a 12% increment on top of their salary.

We are also planning to build teachers’ houses in such communities. At the moment in AMAC, we have a lot of empty classrooms and what we need is just to furnish them.

The secretariat has reiterated its commitment to the achievement of the goal of meeting Education For All (EFA) by 2015. Do you think this is possible in the country as a whole?

There are 6 goals for Education For All by 2015. I will say that we have already achieved one of them, which

Malam Kabiru stressing a point during the interview

is gender parity. By 2015 we want to have the equal numbers of boys and girls in our schools and as at today, the male -female ratio in the FCT is 50.2 against 49.8 in favour of boys and there are more female teachers than male teachers in our schools.

If you look at goal number 1, which is expanding early childhood care in education (ECCDE), we are trying because currently we have about 787 ECCDE centres in the FCT and this represents about 12 % increase from the 693 that we had last year.

In terms of enrolment in preprimary, I can say that we have increased that 19.2.

Then for goal number 2 that envisions free and compulsory primary education for all, FCT is progressively increasing access to free primary education but as I have said, our main problem is the rate of influx into the city.

The population growth in FCT, we realize, is about 9.3% as against the national average of 3.2; sometimes that is what is bringing us down.

As far as literacy is concerned, we must improve adult education by more than 50%;

I can tell you that over 65% of adults in the FCT are literate.

The last goal is improvement in the quality of education; we have also gone far in that direction. The Japanese and Koreans are coming and we have given them plots of land to build pre -primary schools, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools, complete with equipment and swimming pools, etc. I think they are coming this year. The Venezuelan ambassador has promised to provide our 200,000 pupils in all our schools with 4 exercise books each, a ruler, eraser, school bags. UNICEF has also been cooperating with us, UNESCO is also there.

Some time ago, I attended a meeting with the US embassy where I spoke about text books and they directed the USAID to supply some; I was given about 7500; it’s all part of the effort to improve the quality of teaching in FCT schools.

Junior Secondary School, Jikwoyi, has been representing Nigeria in the International SAGE Competition for some years now; so far, they have won the world cup four times in five years, from 2007 to date.

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

EMERGENCY UPDATE

No temporary camps for flood victims in Kaduna – NEMA

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday that it had not created camps for the victims of the recent flood disaster in Kaduna State.

The Agency’s Zonal

Coordinator, Alhaji Musa Illallah, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that most of the affected persons were accommodated by their relations.

Illalah said that about 325

houses were destroyed while more that 200 chickens died in the flood.

He further said that four worship centres and three public schools were also affected by the disaster. (NAN)

YOUTHS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY

By Abubakar Jimoh abujimoh01@yahoo.com

Averting rainstorms hazards in Nigeria

...says floods likely to hit Anambra, Delta, Bayelsa R

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has predicted that the ongoing floods, affecting some parts of Kogi is likely to touch Anambra, Delta and Bayelsa.

The Coordinator of the Abuja Operations Office of NEMA incharge of Kogi, Mr Ishaya Isah, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lokoja.

He said that sensitisation and awareness campaigns were carried out in s o m e c o m m u n i t i e s before the devastating floods that hit Kogi.

“Some of the people in these communities are very adamant and they tend not to move out on the grounds of tradition.

“Some even asked why they should move out when the land is their father’s land.

“The flood is likely to increase because it is still raining and this is why we need to tell the communities that are likely to be prone to this disaster in order for them to be prepared,’’ he said.

He warned that the agency was sure of any information given out, saying that people should take advantage of the information and save their lives.

(NAN)

NEMA oficials at the scene of the recent massive floods along the banks of Rivers Benue and Niger and their tributaries in Benue and Kogi States.

Lokoja flooding: NEMA dispatches relief materials to victims

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it has dispatched food items and other household utensils to Lokoja in Kogi for the use of persons displaced by flood disaster.

The NEMA co-ordinator in charge of Abuja zone, Mr Ishaya Chokoloko said on Tuesday in Abuja that clothes, detergents, soap and mosquito nets were among the items sent.

He said the items, which would be distributed directly to

the victims to avoid diversion, would be distributed to the victims as from Wednesday morning.

Chokoloko disclosed that the NEMA Director-General, Alhaji Sani Sidi had also directed that assorted drugs be procured for the victims.

He said the NEMA DirectorGeneral would arrive in Lokoja on Wednesday to further assess the situation and identify other areas where the agency could intervene.

He said the rescue of trapped

victims in Ibaji local government was still on-going.

Chokoloko said some of the rescued victims had been taken to a site in Anambra while two more new camps were opened in Idah, thereby bringing the total number of camps there to six.

He said NEMA’s search and rescue team, led by Air Commodore Charles Odegbade, had been able to penetrate virtually all the communities in Ibaji local government to rescue the victims. (NAN)

ecently, there was a proactive warning from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to Nigerians to clear drains because of anticipated heavy rainstorms that may lead to serious flooding between August and October.

The Agency further observed that flooding incidents may accompany high rainfall events in and around Lagos, Ogun, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, and would leave in its trail devastation and destruction.

The devastating consequences rainstorms have posed to different nations across the world should serve as proactive signal to Nigeria that there is urgent need to prepare ahead of the predicted danger.

For instance, the July 21 rainstorm in Beijing has caused the economy $1.6 billion in flood damage and stranded about 80,000 travelers after their flights were delayed.

Such awful phenomenon has also been witnessed in Nigeria, just as forty eight hours after a devastating rainstorm ravaged parts of Lagos early this year, 12 pupils and 2 women were perished in a boat mishap which occurred in a riverine community in Otto-Awori Local Council Development Area of the state.

Meanwhile, prior to the warning by NIMET, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) under the leadership of the Director General, Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi, issued several warning alerts to some states like Lagos, Niger, Kwara in February, 2012; March, 2012, and May 2012 respectively.

In addition to this, NEMA in collaboration with federal and states’ ministries of Environment has issued many proactive measures through which the consequences of rainstorms could be efficiently averted in the country.

From such measures, states have been encouraged to continue on their part and embark on adaptive and mitigative efforts to fight the global scourge. These include pre-rainy season massive cleaning and dredging of canals and drainage channels to prevent flooding.

The state and local governments can collaborate

with residential engineers and drainage maintenance officers to tackle flood-related matters in the states and local government areas; and make public their phone numbers in order to receive complaints on possible blocked drains, people dumping refuse inside canals, and other related drainage matters in their domains.

The resident engineers appointed in this case are expected to maintain affective level of interaction with respective community leaders, residents associations, community development associations, and familiarise themselves with the drainage and canal problems affecting their localities mainly to proffer reasonable solutions that will benefit the states and local councils.

Individuals at both states and local governments must imbibe discipline and demonstrate significant level of seriousness and profound support towards their states and local governments’ development programmes in order to reduce flood to the barest minimum.

They must ensure proper disposal of refuse through the states and local government approved disposal agents.

A special task force or monitoring on environmental sanitation team can be appointed by the states and local councils to arrest individuals found dumping waste into canals in residential or market areas; and appropriate sanctions must be meted out for such offence.

All stakeholders on emergency management must embark on massive enlightenment campaigns across the country, using various campaign strategies such as conference, workshops and seminar which must be organised in their local dialects as well as distribution of instructional materials like hand bills, banners and flyers majorly to sensitised residents on the need to prepare for the rainy season.

Furthermore, building on drainage channels must be discouraged by the structural development authorities in the states and local councils; as dumping of refuse into drain paths has become a source of epidemics and flooding, thereby constituting serious threat to lives and property in the country over the years.

PAGE 26

Kwara govt. condoles with flood disaster victim’s family

G

overnor Abdulfatai Ahmed of Kwara State has described the death of Ahaji Kehinde Abdulrahaman, who died in a flood disaster on Thursday in Akerebiata, Ilorin as a great loss.

The governor, who stated this in a condolence message to the family of the deceased recently, said through his Special Adviser, Relief and Emergency, Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, that he was deeply touched by the death of the deceased.

Ahmed described death as a necessary end that every human being would taste and urged the family of the deceased to see it as the wish of God. He prayed Allah to forgive the deceased and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.

Ahmed donated the sum of N200, 000 to the family of the deceased to provide immediate succour to them. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Minister tasks Directors on policy timeframe M

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

inister of Environment, Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia, has charged directors in the ministry and heads of departments and parastatals, to always include the implementable timeframe while

formulating policies and action plans for the ministry.

Speaking shortly after signing of performance contract with the Ministerial Directors, heads of departments and parastatals yesterday in Abuja, she also challenged them to prioritise those projects that are relevant and most

essential to Nigerians.

Mailafia also stated that it was not enough for civil servants to come to work by 8: A.M. and leave by 4: P.M. on daily basis without a concrete work-plan and measurable achievements.

She further reminded them that the minister is always the

Kogi Govt pledges more support to flood victims

G

overnor Idris Wada of Kogi State has reiterated the commitment of the state government to render essential support to people displaced by flood in the state.

Wada made the pledge when he received a 21-member presidential committee on flooding, who were in the state to assess the level of damage caused by the disaster.

Represented by his Deputy, Arc. Yomi Awoniyi, the governor said he had taken the issue of the disaster very personal, adding:“ the government is on top the situation.”

He said several measures aimed at granting relief to the victims had been taken by the government while efforts were ongoing to relocate and rehabilitate them.

The governor said the state was the worst affected by flood in the country this year, describing the situation as worrisome.

He said the situation had impacted negatively on the socio economic activities of the people.

Wada commended the federal government for the seriousness it attached towards mitigating the plight of the affected people and called for special intervention to fast track support to victims.

Earlier, the leader of the team, Mr Charles Agbo said the flooding recorded this year nationwide was the worst in 29 years.

He noted that the flood in the state was largely caused by rainfall in Niger and Cameroon, which led to the release of 30% of water from the Kainji and Shiroro dams.

In a remark, Mr Abdulrahman Wuya, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, thanked the federal government for its prompt intervention.

He said the state government had reached out to officials of Kainji and Shiroro dams not to release more water to avert further displacement. (NAN)

A flooded street

political head of the ministry who rely on the Directors as bureaucrats for effective and efficient policies that will help transform the environment positively as encompassed in the transformation agendas of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“This signing of performance contract is not a mere exercise but a serious activity that will be used to assess your performance. You will be judged based on your ability to deliver, so ensure that you understand what you are signing,” she stated.

In addition, she challenged Nigerians to start asking questions on what Directors are doing, what policies have they brought out so as to put them on check.

She equally demanded that every contract should have a definite time limit, adding that thenceforth, contracts should only be awarded if the ministry has money to start and complete such projects, saying either we have money and award contracts or we don’t have money and we do not award contracts.

The Minister however refuted the insinuation that success of a ministry depends on the amount of money made available to it by the Presidency, saying that what matters was judicious use of whatever that is available to it.

Meanwhile, she has directed all the Directors that signed the performance contract to report back to her on a quarterly basis, saying such was also the directive by the President to the Ministers.

Flood continues to wreak havoc on communities

T

here has been heavy rain in many areas across the country, resulting in flooding, while claiming lives and rendering many homeless, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has also said that an assessment exercise it conducted with other partner agencies shows that most of the country’s larger rivers have plains that can overflow, especially during the rainy season.

It listed vulnerable states to include, Rivers, Niger, Benue, Cross River, Katsina and Imo, but said the areas that have severe flooding impacts since the beginning of the rainy season include the coastal states of Lagos, Ondo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River.

NAN reports on Saturday that in Kano State, no fewer than 19 persons have been confirmed dead and several others injured as a result of the recent flooding in 30 out of the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.

The flood, which occurred between August and September, also displaced more than 15, 000 people and swept away several cattle and crops The Executive Secretary of the state Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Agency, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin, confirmed the number of deaths to NAN in Warawa, headquarters of Warawa LGA. It was also learnt that although roads were not affected, several houses collapsed in almost all the affected LGAs. Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso has also directed the state relief

agency to provide materials to the victims.

In Zamfara, the state government said it had spent N200 million to assist flood victims in Maru, Maradun and Anka LGAs. The Secretary of the state Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Atiku Maradun, told NAN that the amount only represented cash donations to victims.

He said government had also provided mattresses, blankets and clothing to some of the displaced victims.

He said more than 50 persons lost their lives in various flood and windstorm disasters in the state this year alone.

He said the state government had also collaborated with the 14 local government councils to provide more drainage systems.

The Executive Secretary of State Emergency Management Agency in Adamawa, Mr Shadrack Daniel, said the state lost many lives, buildings, farmlands and livestock to floods. He, however, did not give the number of the dead.

Also, Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Lucy Ishaku, said the ministry had yet to begin the compilation of affected farmlands as many of them are still submerged.

The Commissioner for Education, Mr Gabriel HammanAdama, said the flood had submerged 89 primary and secondary schools while 45 others were converted to camps by communities displaced by the floods.

He said the development had forced the ministry to extend resumption date of schools by two weeks.

The National Emergency

Management Agency in Kaduna State said the recent flooding in parts of the state had destroyed 325 houses.

Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Malam Musa Ilallah, told NAN that three worship centres and secondary schools in the state were affected by floods.

Ilallah, however, said that there was no loss of lives but houses constructed along river banks were submerged.

Residents of Akwa Ibom have also appealed to state government to rescue them from flood menace.

However, the Special Assistant to Akwa Ibom Government on Technical Matters, Mr Etido Inyang, told NAN that the flood situation in Uyo would soon be a thing of the past.

He said that the contract to handle the control of flood in the city had been awarded and work would soon begin after the rainy season.

In Katsina State, Alhaji Hassan Rawayau, the Executive Director of the State Rehabilitation and Emergency Relief Agency, said that no fewer than seven persons were reported dead in the recent flood disaster in the state.

He said the flood which is an annual event, affected 15 out of the 34 LGAs of the state where thousands of houses and some farmlands were destroyed.

“More than 146 farmlands were destroyed by the flood in Kusada LGA, while farmlands were less affected in the other areas,” he said.

He also stated that relief materials donated to the state by the National Emergency Relief Agency (NEMA) would be distributed to the victims.

However, Mr Bola Ilori, the Special Adviser to Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, the Osun Governor, said prevention of flooding in the state had been of concern to the government.

“No farmland has been washed away by flood in Osun since the governor came to office due to the state’s flood control mechanism.

“Food control strategy is on constant dredging of rivers in floodprone areas to avert flooding not only in farms but in residential areas,” he said.

Ilori also said that government had spent N178 million on dredging Rivers Okooko and Ogbagba in Osogbo, while N512 million was paid for 48 km of dredging in the state in 2011.

Meanwhile, more than 30,000 people have been displaced by flooding in 12 communities in Etsako Central and Etsako East LGAs of Edo. The devastating flood which is as a result of River Niger overflowing its bank and the torrential rains in the area has also destroyed hundreds of hectares of farm land.

Mrs Zainab Okpokpo, a member of one of the affected communities who described the situation as terrible, said such incident had never been witnessed.

Mr Joseph Ukpokodu, Director, State Emergency Management Agency, urged the people of the affected communities to relocate without further delay.

NAN recalls that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had earlier warned of downpour that could lead to serious flooding between August and October across the country. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 27

Gowon’s lamentation over gas flare in Nigeria I

t has taken an elder statesman, such as former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon to remind us that Nigeria had been flaring over $2 billion worth of gas every year. His worry is that we can’t afford to sit on the fence any longer, and warned of the consequence of not acting on time.

Gowon no doubt, must have spoken with a deep knowledge of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, and the corruption in the sector. He said that last year alone, Nigeria flared over 460 billion standard cubic feet of gas that, if processed and exported, would have fetched the country over $2 billion and minimised the health and environmental impact of gas flares.

He lamented that besides Nigeria’s loss of the leadership of the LNG market, the country would have more money for development projects by ending gas flaring.

He liken the oil and gas sector, to that of oil palm industry that left Nigeria for Malaysia, and of how athletics who won Gold at the Sydney Olympics 12 years ago, left Nigeria to Jamaica. And the worst of all, countries we started out with in the LNG business have all left us behind.

His worry is that we haven’t reached our destination in that journey we started so long ago, as history was about to repeat itself as other players (including the USA, a previous importer now a net exporter) will get to the global market ahead of us, and it may be another 30 to 50 years lost.

He stated the obvious fact that, Nigeria LNG Limited used to be the fastest growing LNG plant in the world. But for the past five years, a country like Qatar has moved from 20 to 80 million tonnes range, whilst a country like Australia has made final investment decision to build LNG projects up to 80 million tonnes. And back in Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania will soon be joining the gas producers with the export of LNG. There is no question that a new start is desperately needed for the Nigerian gas industry, both in its relations with its western co-partners and on the issue of natural gas flaring in the Niger Delta. This is needed, not merely for the health of the Nigerian economy in these difficult times, but also, literally for the health of its people.

It also came at a time of increasing controversy over breached deadlines for ending the practice of flaring of gas associated with oil production.

Government officials merely expressed frustration at the waste of a national resource by playing the ostrich.

Official statistics suggest that in spite of numerous attempts to stop flaring, in the first half of

2008 some 1.8 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscfd) of untreated gas was still being flared.

An oil and gas expert said that

Texas to Saudi Arabia. The natural gas industry was in its infancy. The use of it in combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power generation was

ENVIR ONMENT ENVIRONMENT WATCH

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

Gas flaring in one of the the oil towns of Nigeria the situation would be better if it was merely purely natural gas (methane) that was flared. But it is not. The flare stacks emit particulate, sulphur dioxide, benzene, toluene, hydrogen sulphide and a good many other identifiable toxins. The effect on health does not need to be imagined. It is cancers, asthma, chronic bronchitis, numerous heart and lung complaints and, in effect, a great many premature deaths and a high infant mortality rate. Given the spread of these flare stacks in the region; it is highly likely that more than 30,000 people actually live within a kilometre of one flaring well.

Secondly, the effect of this is widespread anger and resentment. For those in the region, the benefits of hydrocarbon extraction for the economy as a whole are seen as simply passing them by. The oil that is produced is taken away and the toxins stay behind.

Experts say that the flaring is not the result of some gigantic conspiracy to pollute Nigeria.

When these wells were first drilled to produce Nigeria’s high quality oil in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, flaring natural gas was common practice throughout the oil industry from

unheard of, when most power was produced directly by raising steam from oil products. Nobody suspected climate change.

In places like the North Sea, the associated gas produced in oil production found a market close by in an existing gas grid that had previously used coalproduced town gas. To be valuable, natural gas needs a market and an infrastructure to get it to that market. None of this was immediately available in the Niger Delta.

Now however, it is more or less unheard of for associated gas to be flared in the western world, by western oil companies, except in emergency for safety. Flaring on this scale is nowhere found outside the former Soviet Union and nowhere in areas of such population density.

It is also said that the companies in the oil and gas industry are entirely blameless in the current situation, it has to be said that the instinct towards secrecy that pervades this difficult issue effectively prevents a better understanding of the problem in Abuja.

Above all the single most obvious economy with the truth is to define everything in the context of “percentages of gas flared”. Sure the percentage of

total output burnt and wasted may be falling, but actual volumes are not, at least not by very much.

This level of secrecy has created a high level of expectation in the Nigeria; about reducing flaring that is largely a delusion. This delusion is twofold. First there is a belief that the flaring can be stopped by governmental decree, or legal means. Second, there is a belief that large LNG, power station, or pipeline projects will make a big difference.

In relation to the former issue, gas flaring has been illegal in Nigeria since 1984. It has been punishable by fines on the companies, these being mitigated in recognition of reality by being tax deductible.

If this seems faintly ridiculous, it is joined by Presidential pronouncements that gas flaring will cease on such and such a date. The last date was December 31st 2008, which embarrassingly followed on from the previous one of January 1st 2008 and no doubt has been be followed by many “anothers.”

Oil and Gas experts said that in practice, the level of investment required, plus the length of time needed to put in place the kind of projects thought

by the Government to solve the problem, make nonsense of any strict timetable or legal fiat. This relates to the second delusion.

Experts call the National Gas Infrastructure Development Plan for a massive increase in centralised electricity production of say 10,000 MW and a high voltage transmission system by 2014. This will be in addition to the supposed 6,000 MW that currently exists of which only 2,000-3,000 MW is actually functioning.

The Government is thus wrong to expect that its current big projects are likely to substantially reduce flaring.

Equally, given its past record in relation to equity investment in such projects, in the power industry as well as oil and gas, it might be as well to concentrate on maximising non-associated gas in its investment plans, rather than pretend that they will utilise the gas currently being flared. Such pretence may well simply get in the way of planning the bigger projects.

There is certainly nothing wrong with the potential expansion of Nigeria’s gas export capabilities. They will be highly valuable for the country, West Africa and indeed the world’s gas markets. They just need nonassociated gas. Such an expansion will indeed reduce the percentage of Nigeria’s gas which is flared, but it will not make any difference to the health of the people in that region.

To be frank, the current means to reduce it looks like taking just as long and could be as long as Nigeria’s oil production from existing older fields continues. In addition, this ignores the momentum that is likely to increase as each flare is put out and the waste gas utilised for electricity.

Virtually all experience with rural electrification across the developing world suggests that, once started, it proceeds at an increasing velocity. People want electricity and if as in the case of the Niger Delta, small and reliable power grids come with an immediate, rapid and obvious fall in the level of pollution any such projects are likely to be very, very popular.

Above all, for the people of the delta region, this would not merely mean access to power and a fall in chronic levels of pollution. It would mean that, for once, some of the benefits of the hydrocarbon economy that is as important to Nigeria as a whole would come home. As such, it might, just might, transform the existing high level of resentment that creates such a difficult operating environment for both companies and government alike.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 29

Anti-Islam Film: Muhammad and Freedom of Expression (II)

By Dr Aliyu U. Tilde

T

his is the more reason why Western politicians and writers found it difficult to apologise for the cartoons.

Together with the editors of the newspapers that published them, at their best, they could only say they regret that publishing the cartoons has caused so much offence to Muslims. However, they are also unanimous in drawing the attention of Muslims to the fact that freedom of expression is a hallmark of their society. This response is, for example, typified by the Norwegian Foreign Minister in all his response to questions on the issue in the BBC program Have Your Say last Sunday.

Again we think differently here, our Muslims and Christians alike. As a youth from a traditional society, I was shocked in 1986 to watch Jesus the Evidence, a documentary in which doubts were cast about the very existence of Jesus (May the Blessings of God be upon him)!

As if this blasphemy was not enough, ‘evidence’ was adduced to portray him, that was assuming that he actually existed, as someone who had an affair, the nature of which I cannot print on this page.

Certainly, my Christian brothers in Africa and other societies where traditional values are still practiced will equally find such films intolerable. As I was too, they will also become stunned to know that the main scholar in the documentary, Dr. Sharosh, was a staff of Oxford , an establishment of the British government. That is why the Christian Association of Nigeria was quick to condemn the cartoons. The West, contrarily, has lost its sense of anything sacred.

But, still, I think the West is either economical with the truth in its defence of the cartoons or it is grossly ignorant of its legislations. To hold that blasphemy is not a crime in the West as the author of the cartoons adduced portrays him as a grossly ignorant person.

Though the European Charter on Human Rights has protected freedom of expression under Article 9, it has listed restrictions to that freedom. The European Court on Human Rights has treated a number of appeals regarding infringement of this freedom in cases that involve religion. I will present four of them below.

When Gay News published seditious poems of Professor James Kirkup, ascribing homosexual practices to the disciples of Jesus, both the editor and the publisher were convicted of blasphemous libel.

This ruling was upheld by the European Court on Human Rights on the grounds that it interfered with the ‘the right of others’ exception to article 10(2) of the European Charter on Human Rights. Commenting on the judgement in her book Civil Liberties and Human Rights, Helen Fenwick (2004) said, “It was found that once it was accepted that the religious feelings of citizens may deserve protection if attacks reach a certain level of savagery, it seemed to follow that the domestic authorities were best placed to determine when that level was reached.”

There was also the case of Otto Preminger Institut v Austria in which an order was given for the seizure of the film Council in Heaven. “The film”, wrote Fenwick, “portrayed God as a senile old man, prostrating himself before the devil. Jesus is portrayed as a mental defective and is shown attempting to kiss and fondle his mother’s breast.

God, Jesus and the Virgin Mary agree with the Devil to punish the world; the Devil suggests infecting the world with a sexually transmitted disease; as his reward, he demands freedom of thought.” Subhanallah.

“The Austrian Government,” Fenwick continued, “maintained and the (European) Court accepted, that the seizure and forfeiture were aimed at protecting the ‘rights of others’ within Article 10(2). The Court found that ‘the manner in which religious doctrines are opposed or denied is a matter which may engage the responsibility of the State, notably its responsibility to ensure the peaceful enjoyment of the right under Article 9. The Court found that the responsibilities of those exercising the right under Article 10 include ‘an obligation to avoid as far as possible expressions that are gratuitously offensive to others and thus an infringement of their rights and which therefore do not contribute to any form of debate capable of furthering progress in human affairs’. Therefore, it might be considered necessary to prevent such expressions.”

Then there was also the judgement of the European Court in Wingrove v UK . In that case, the British Broadcasting and Film Corporation (BBFC) refused to certify a film called Visions of Ecstasy. Fenwick again: “The film depicts erotic visions experienced by St Theresa of Avila , a 16th Century Carmelite nun. In short, … she is depicted in a white habit suspended from a cord being erotically embraced by her own psyche, represented by a half-naked woman. That scene is intercut by scenes showing St Theresa, as part of her fantasies, kissing and embracing Christ

The Muslim world needs to exercise restraint in its reaction to the controversial anti-Islam film. who is fastened to the cross. She kisses his wounds and sits astride him in manner reflecting intense arousal. The BBFC took the view that if the video had been granted a classification certificate and shown in the UK, a private prosecution for blasphemy might have been brought successfully.”

In this case, the Court found that “the restriction was prescribed by law, taking into account the fact that the BBFC was acting within its powers… that while the margin of appreciation allowed in to States would be narrow in relation to political speech, it would be wide in relation to offending ‘intimate personal convictions within the field of morals or, especially,

religion … that the decision of the BBFC that it would outrage and insult the feelings of believing Christians could not be said to be arbitrary or excessive. The national authorities have not overstepped their margin of appreciation: the exception applied and therefore no breach of Art 10 had occurred.”

With this record, we may ask why our European authors and their political establishments find it difficult to apply the same rules when a blasphemy is committed against Islam, why they could not ban the inciting caricatures of Prophet Muhammd, for example. There are two reasons: one is legal.

That is to say the courts of

“

But, still, I think the West is either economical with the truth in its defence of the cartoons or it is grossly ignorant of its legislations. To hold that blasphemy is not a crime in the West as the author of the cartoons adduced portrays him as a grossly ignorant person. Though the European Charter on Human Rights has protected freedom of expression under Article 9, it has listed restrictions to that freedom

European countries that have blasphemy laws are not willing to extend the laws of blasphemy to cover religions other than Christianity. So, even the European Court is reluctant to do so, not withstanding that there are millions of Muslims under its domain.

The above limitation of the law is sufficiently expressed in the United Kingdom, for example, where blasphemy has been a crime since 17th Century and it remains so to date; the only difference is that the offence applies only to the Anglican Church. If sedition is against other religions, it is not regarded blasphemous. That is why the magistrate courts refused to grant summons against Salman Rushdie when he published his blasphemous book, Satanic Verses. When an appeal was made, the Court of Appeal in Chief Metropolitan Magistrate ex p Choudhury, the fourth case in reference, failed to extend the offence of blasphemy to cover other religions. It ruled that ‘the offence of blasphemy was clearly confined to publications offensive to Christians.” Moreover, it reasoned, if an extension of the law is attempted, there would be the need for a precise definition of religion, something that the courts considers impossible to arrive at sufficiently.

The second reason is political.

The Western establishment has always viewed Islam, mistakenly I believe, not only as a religion but as an antagonistic civilisation. In the aftermath of the Cold War, it regards Islam a competitor. Partnership in humanity has never been the contemplation of the West. Its main ideology has been imperialism for over two centuries now. This explains why any blasphemy against Islam gains a very wide acceptance and support of all European and American political establishments. The recent condemnations of the cartoons by Bush, Blair and Chirac were clearly superficial: America and Britain are already in a mess, while France is yet to recover from the racial riots that took place in many French cities two months ago. Their condemnation of the cartoons was intended to prevent a repeat of the riots, in the case of France , and worsening the already terribly bad image of America and its allies in the eyes of Muslims. Otherwise, Bush, for example, lacks the moral locus to demand that journalists should behave responsibly because his invasion of Iraq is the most irresponsible and reckless action embarked by an American President since World War II. Dr Aliyu U. Tilde is a renowned columnist based in Jos

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2012

The PAC Pack: The men behind the money behind the candidates (II) Foster Friess he candidate with the least amount of help from a super PAC is Rick Santorum. The PAC backing him — Red, White and Blue — has spent about $2 million, far behind even the candidates who have dropped out.

The guardian angel funding the colorful PAC is Foster Friess, a 71-year-old donor to Republican causes who made his millions investing on Wall Street.

Santorum’s bubble hasn’t completely burst since his win in Iowa, but it’s shrunk significantly, and he hasn’t come close to winning a primary since then.

Friess told the Wall Street Journal that he plans to pay for ads through March to help keep the struggling candidate alive.

“I’ve known him for 16 years on a personal basis,” Friess told Bloomberg last week. “I’m excited to be stacked up with Sheldon Adelson and Mr. Huntsman in terms of people contributing to these three PACs. ... I believe Rick Santorum’s going to become one of the front-runners very soon.”

T

Jeffrey Katzenberg Yes, the Democrats have a super PAC, too, despite Obama’s public statements denigrating the outside political groups as corrupt elements of the political system.

Obama’s super PAC was started by two of his former White House aides, Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney, and so far it has raised more than $3 million but spent a little more than $300,000.

Although the president is capable enough of raising staggering amounts of money, he also has a key benefactor propping up his super PAC: Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation.

Katzenberg, a longtime Democratic donor, has so far given $2 million to the PAC, Priorities USA Action.

In the 2008 cycle, as he raised millions for Obama, the Hollywood

Jeffrey Katzenberg

producer told The Washington Post, “It is the single easiest fundraising phone call that I have ever made, ever.”

Representatives for Katzenberg didn’t respond to a request for a comment on fundraising this time around.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed recently that as Congress debated the anti-piracy bills that prompted many websites to shut themselves down in protest, and which the White House eventually opposed, Katzenberg got a call from Chris Dodd, the president of the Motion Picture Association of America. Dodd, according to the report, wanted to “find out about the thinking inside the White House.”

The Koch brothers David and Charles Koch were the subjects of a host of stories in

The Koch brothers brothers gave the money that founded it. It’s like they put the seeds in the ground. Then the rainstorm comes, and the frogs come out of the mud, and they’re our candidates.”

Described often as secretive billionaires, they are said to be worth about $25 billion, each. And they are reportedly planning to direct more than $200 million into the 2012 cycle, with help from other rich conservatives.

George Soros The name George Soros comes up a lot, and mostly by conservatives who try to paint Democrats as reliant on the billionaire investor’s wealth. He was a common feature of Glenn Beck’s conspiracy-theory chalkboard, and on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday, for example, Gingrich mentioned his palindromic name three times.

Soros, 81, is worth about $22 billion, and he has given millions

Foster Friess 2010 for their funding of a PAC that heavily supported Republicans in the midterm elections. The group, Americans for Prosperity, is a 501(c)4, which means it doesn’t disclose its donors, and spent $1.3 million on “electioneering communications.”

In total, the “communications” from the Kochs’ PAC mentioned 45 candidates, mostly Democrats whom they portrayed negatively, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Koch brothers have pushed almost $3 million at swaying elections toward Republicans since 1990, and employees and PACs associated with their energy conglomerate, Koch Industries, have contributed $12 million to candidates and parties.

The Kochs, who are in their 70s, also have deep ties to the Tea Party movement. In August 2010, The New Yorker quoted a Republican consultant who did research for the brothers as saying of the Tea Party: “The Koch

George Soros

of dollars to Democratic causes.

His hedge fund has holdings of more than $4 billion.

He gained notoriety in 1992 by “breaking” the Bank of England, meaning that as the bank raised interest rates on one day, Soros bet on the currency and made $1 billion. That earned him a laurel for being a premier “currency speculator.”

Unlike the Kochs, who typically stay behind closed doors, Soros likes to stir the pot. Gingrich kept citing Soros in his interview on GMA because of what the Hungarian-American told Reuters last week, portraying Romney as a non-conservative: “Well, look, either you’ll have an extremist conservative, be it Gingrich or Santorum, in which case I think it will make a big difference which of the two comes in. If it’s between Obama and Romney, there isn’t all that much difference except for the crowd that they bring with them.”

Concluded.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 31

China and Nigeria: A bold future together ANALYSIS

By Deng Boqing

O

ctober 1st is a festival shared by China and Nigeria. Respectively 63 and 52 years ago, on the same date, our people in both countries won their independence and freedom, thus ushered in new eras for our great motherlands .Today, while we are celebrating with all our fellow citizens, mindful of the responsibilities that bestowed by our forefathers amid many of the challenges that confronting us, it is also a time for us to take a look at the road that we have covered, so that we can chart a better route for the future.

With the founding of new China in 1949, the Chinese people became masters of their country and society and determined their own destiny. The Chinese nation entered a new stage of development and progress.

Since then, Chinese people have begun to build the basic economic structures for the war-torn nation, though this has not been an easy journey. We went through all kinds of difficulties trying to find the right path for economic prosperity. 30 years later, our work gave the nation an industrial foundation to take off.

With China's reform and opening up in 1979, China underwent a historic transformation and has succeeded in embarking on economic and social progress. In the past 33 years, China's economy has been growing by 9.8% annually when the world average at the same period stood at 3.3%. From 1978 to 2011 the foreign reserves increased from less than USD 1billion to more than USD 3 trillion. The life expectancy of Chinese people rose from 67 in 1980 to 73 in 2011. Since 1978, China lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty. The rate of the absolute poor in China's rural area has been reduced from 30.7% to 1.6%, making China one of a few countries that accomplished the UN Millennium Development Goal.

During the past decade in particular, China went on a journey characterized with much faster growth and new historic achievements in economic and social development.

From 2002 to 2011, China's GDP, which was 7.5 trillion US dollars at the end of 2011, grew at an average annual rate of 10.7%, and moved up from the sixth to the second place in the world.

The per capita GDP rose from 1,000 US dollars to 5,432 US dollars. China's foreign trade volume also climbed from the sixth to the second place in the world. While paying attention to the speed, Chinese Government began to emphasize more beyond. China improved the economic structure to raise the quality and efficiency of economic development. From 2002 to 2011, the contribution of final consumption to economic growth rose from 43.9% to 50.8%. Overall agricultural productivity was enhanced, grain output grew for eight consecutive years, and grain reserves reached a historic high of over 250 million tons. The manufacturing sector became the largest in the world. Hightech manufacturing expanded at an average rate of 22% annually and became a pillar for the economy. The urbanization rate rose from 39.1% to 51.3%, bringing a historic change in China's urban-rural structure.

China conserved resources and the environment to enhance capacity for sustainable development. China's energy consumption per unit of GDP and CO2 emissions both dropped significantly. Forest cover rose from

Dr. Deng Boqing is the ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Nigeria and gave his speech to mark the 63rd anniversary of China's national day in Abuja 18.21% in 2003 to 20.36% in 2011.

China balanced economic and social development to improve people's livelihood and promote social equity and justice. Over 100 million new urban jobs were created in the past ten years.

The coverage of basic medical insurance programs topped 95%. The per capita urban disposable income and per capita rural net income increased at an average annual rate of 9.2% and 8.1% respectively in real terms, making the past decade one of the fastest-growing periods in the history of New China.

Through ten years of hard work, China has elevated its economic and social development to a new level and laid a more solid material, technological and institutional foundation for future development.

In the coming month this year, the Communist Party of China will hold its 18th National Congress. A new generation of leaders will be on China's political stage. I firmly believe that, though we are facing underlying impact of the international financial crisis and the downward risks in the global economy, China's future will be bright.

As I look back at each and every step China took in the past 63 years, strong emotions well up inside me. They are emotions of a deep love and strong confidence that I have always cherished towards my beloved country. I know China trudged on a rough road, but China is not alone. There are always true friends, especially our African brothers, get our back in adversities.

Shortly after the establishment of P. R. China in 1949, China and Africa joined hands to support each other to safeguard the sacred interests of our people. Our relations burgeoned with the

establishment of the Forum on ChinaAfrica Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000.

China and Africa have enhanced all-round friendly political relations featuring mutual respect and mutual trust. We have conducted more frequent high-level exchange of visits and more in-depth dialogue and exchanges, and provided stronger support to each other.

China has formed strategic partnerships and launched strategic dialogue mechanisms with many African countries. And China has supported African countries in independently resolving hotspot issues in the region and advancing the process of African integration.

China and Africa have deepened practical economic cooperation featuring mutual benefit. In 2011, our two-way trade reached 166.3 billion U.S. dollars. Cumulative Chinese direct investment in Africa has exceeded 15 billion U.S. dollars, with investment projects covering 50 countries. China's assistance to Africa has been growing steadily. China has built over 100 schools, 30 hospitals, 30 anti-malaria centers and 20 agricultural technology demonstration centers in Africa. It has also met the pledge of providing 15 billion U.S. dollars of lending of a preferential nature to Africa.

China and Africa have conducted increasing people-to-people and cultural exchanges featuring mutual learning.

China has trained close to 40,000 African personnel in various sectors and provided over 20,000 government scholarships to African countries. China and Africa have set up 29 Confucius Institutes or Classrooms in 22 African countries.

China and African have enjoyed closer ties of solidarity and coordination

“

featuring mutual help and mutual support in international affairs. Our two sides have worked closely on UN reform, countering climate change, sustainable development and other major issues. In so doing, we have upheld the common interests of developing countries, promoted democracy in international relations, and we are working to make the international order more just and equitable.

This July, the 5th Ministerial Meeting of FOCAC was successfully held in China, laying out five priority areas to support the cause of peace and development in Africa and boost a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership. Some key measures as follows: China will provide 20 billion dollars of credit line to African countries to assist them in developing infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises.

China will build more agricultural technology demonstration centers as necessary to help African countries increase production capacity. China will train 30,000 personnel in various sectors for Africa, offer 18,000 government scholarships, and send 1,500 medical personnel to Africa.

China will continue to carry out borehole-drilling and water supply projects in Africa to provide safe drinking water for the African people.

China proposes to set up a "ChinaAfrica Press Exchange Center" in China to encourage exchanges and visits between Chinese and African media.

And China will sponsor 100 programs for research, exchange and cooperation by academic institutions and scholars of the two sides.

I am fully confident that, with our

During the past decade in particular, China went on a journey characterized with much faster growth and new historic achievements in economic and social development.

shared sense of responsibility and mission, China and Africa strategic partnership will have a bright future.

I have served as Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria for more than two years. I am privileged to see that China and Nigeria's true brotherhood, with a solid base after 41 years, was promoted to a new level especially since our two countries established strategic partnership in 2005.

I saw a more dynamic economic relation. Last year the trade volume between China and Nigeria reached $10.7 billion, marking 40% increase than that of 2010. Just two weeks ago, China Exim Bank signed a $ 600 Million loan MOU with Hon. Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, aiming at financing the Abuja Light Rail project and the Galaxy Backbone information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.

I witnessed the all-round cooperation between our two countries, from the land to the ocean, from the outer to the cyber space.

On the land, major Chinese companies and their local partners are busy with themselves to provide better roads, railways, and Electricity facilities to the county.

On the ocean, Chinese Scientific research ship Da Yang Yi Hao, in collaboration with Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, successfully concluded its nine-day Joint Marine survey in Nigerian water. For the first time in history, Nigerian scientists drew a clear picture of your Continental shelf, which paves the way for the development of marine economy.

In the outer space, China has successfully delivered NigComSat 1R to Nigerian side, which is linking more Nigerians with television programming, education services and navigations signals.

In the cyber area, Chinese companies are also cooperating with their local partners to provide better Internet services and TV programs.

I also saw personnel and cultural cooperation continuing to strength the ties between our two nations.

This year alone we have 28 Nigerian students won Chinese government scholarship and 260 personals went to China for various kinds of trainings. I am expecting our cooperation in cultural and educational areas to receive a further boost as we are preparing to have a cultural group to attend this year's Abuja Carnival.

The longer I stay in Nigeria, the more affection I feel for this great nation. This not only roots in the soil of the traditional friendship between our two countries, it also roots in my expectations for the future of this country.

Nigeria's economy has been performing well in the past 8 months. The GDP grows at a rate of over 6%, the crude production stays at around 2.4million barrel per day and your foreign reserve increases to $40 billion. All of these achievements impress me a lot.

There are more than those figures. Nigeria is a leading nation in Africa and has been playing a significant role in resolving Mali and Guinea-Bissau crisis. Nigeria is a country with many natural endowed advantages and abundant human resources, which give your economy the potential to thrive.

Dr. Deng Boqing is the ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Nigeria and gave his speech to mark the 63rd anniversary of China's national day in Abuja

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 32

S.Africa ANC rebel Malema charged with money-laundering

S

AU official says Mali's interim leaders can manage crisis

M

ali's interim leaders are capable of commanding a regional effort to combat Islamist militants in the north of the country despite their own internal differences, a senior African Union official said on Tuesday, dismissing suggestions new elections were needed before any military intervention could take place.

AU Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra told Reuters he hoped a joint U.N.-African Union envoy to the Sahel would be appointed on Wednesday during a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly to send a "strong symbolic" message of support.

The West African country descended into chaos in March when soldiers toppled the president, leaving a power vacuum that enabled Tuareg rebels to seize nearly two-thirds of the country. Islamist groups, some allied with al Qaeda, then hijacked the rebellion in the north to impose strict Islamic law.

The conflict has exacerbated a deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in the turbulent Sahel region - a belt of land spanning nearly a dozen of the world's poorest countries on the rim of the Sahara where drought has pushed millions to the brink of starvation.

Some regional and western powers have suggested an election should be held in Mali before the Islamist extremists in the north can be tackled, a move sure to be unpopular with Malians that would ensure no military operation is launched until well into next year.

"I think we are long past (that idea)," Lamamra said in an interview at the AU mission in New York. "We have institutions in Bamako - a president and prime minister - committed to the country.

There is a need now for the international community to support them."

Bamako has requested a U.N. Security Council resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter to mandate immediately an international force to help the Malian army reconquer the north.

Chapter 7 allows the council to authorize actions ranging from diplomatic and economic sanctions to military intervention.

AU Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra

outh African ANC renegade Julius Malema was charged with money laundering on Wednesday in a high profile corruption case his supporters say is part of a political plot to silence President Jacob Zuma's most vocal critic.

The trial of Malema, who has backed wildcat miners' strikes and has been pushing for nationalisation of the mines, is one of the biggest since apartheid ended and Nelson Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) took power in 1994.

Prosecutors at the provincial magistrates' court in Polokwane, 350 km (220 miles) north of Johannesburg, said Malema had "improperly received" 4.2 million rand in a conspiracy involving government tenders.

Malema scoffed at the charges after being released on bail of 10,000 rand.

"I'm unshaken... I'll continue with the struggle for economic freedom," he told supporters, adding he would visit a platinum mine run by Impala on Thursday to press for a wage strike there.

Scores of police deployed razor wire to block more than 1,000 Malema supporters from approaching the court compound in Polokwane, the capital of the 31-year-old's native Limpopo province.

For his ten minute hearing, Malema ditched his trademark Che Guevara-style black beret and white t-shirt for a grey suit and white shirt. He emerged from the court smiling and waving and shook hands with his chanting supporters.

Ousted as leader of the ANC Youth League in April for illdiscipline, Malema has returned from the political wilderness with a vengeance in the past several weeks, stepping up public

Malema in court criticism against Zuma and the ANC hierarchy.

He had been under investigation for months for suspected corruption, fraud and money laundering relating to government contracts his political allies secured in Limpopo - a province where the Treasury says hundreds of millions of dollars go missing each year due to suspected graft.

His penchant for luxury cars, flashy Swiss watches and champagne parties has also attracted the attention of South Africa's Revenue Service, which said at the weekend he owed nearly $2 million in unpaid taxes.

Malema has blamed Zuma's government for police shooting dead 34 striking platinum

miners on August 16 at Lonmin's Marikana mine in the deadliest security incident since the end of apartheid.

Malema's backers say the charges are politically motivated.

"This case is an abuse of power

by Zuma against Malema," supporter Sonett Masemola told Reuters outside the court.

His supporters held a raucous vigil on Tuesday night, and many said he was being brought to trial to sideline him ahead of an ANC meeting in December at which Zuma is seeking re-election as head of the dominant party in South Africa.

"He gets more support than President Zuma because he is more in touch with the people and more intelligent," said Luterdo

Mothurwane, dressed in ANC Youth League garb.

Zuma's "man of the people" image took a knock during the government's sluggish response to the Marikana shootings, with Malema emerging as the head of an "Anyone But Zuma" campaign seeking to remove the president in December.

Malema used the mine shooting to pillory Zuma, saying the polygamous president spent more time dealing with his personal life than the poverty and inequality that blights Africa's biggest economy 18 years after the end of white-minority rule.

He has also revived calls for the state to take over the mines, a sector that accounts for about 6 percent of GDP. The government has dismissed the idea, saying it would bankrupt the country.

Central African rebels hit Cameroon border post, three killed

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hree people were killed when Central African Republic rebels attacked a Cameroon border post on Sunday in an attempt to free comrades held in the neighbouring country, the Cameroon state broadcaster said on Tuesday.

CRTV said the rebels opened fire after a police officer tried to stop them from entering

Cameroon, killing him and a boy who was manning the frontier gate in Garoua-Boulai, some 600 km (372 miles) east of the capital Yaounde.

"Two people were killed by the rebels, while one rebel was killed and two others were arrested after Cameroon special forces counter-attacked," CRTV said.

The attack was the first time rebels from the Central African

Republic used deadly force in an incursion into Cameroon, which has managed until now to avoid the conflicts that have engulfed its neighbours in the central African region.

Central African Republic is struggling to tame several rebel groups opposed to President Francois Bozize, who came to power in a 2003 coup and has faced low-level insurgencies

since 2005.

The government in Bangui signed a peace deal with one of the last rebel groups in August.

It hopes now to concentrate its efforts on fighting Ugandan Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, led by a self-styled mystic prophet Joseph Kony, who has carried out several attacks in the Central African Republic in recent months.

AngloGold Ashanti says strike in South Africa has spread

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strike at one South African mine owned by gold producer AngloGold Ashanti has now spread throughout its operations in the country, the company has said.

AngloGold said most of its 35,000 workers in South Africa were now taking part in the wildcat action over pay.

It comes after miners at platinum firm Lonmin returned to work last week following a separate strike over wages.

The dispute at Lonmin's Marikana site saw 46 people shot by the police.

Strikers on the match for pay increase

A second unconnected strike is continuing at another gold producer, Gold Fields.

AngloGold, the world's thirdlargest gold producer, said: "Workers at AngloGold Ashanti's South African operations have embarked on anunprotected strike, preventing the commencement of the night shift on 25 September."

The walkout at AngloGold started last week at its Kopanang mine. It has now spread to its Mponeng site, which is the world's deepest.

South Africa is one of the world's biggest producers of precious metals.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 33

Asia and Damascus bombers attack Syria military HQ Middle East

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ebels have targeted Syria's army headquarters with two large bomb blasts in the centre of Damascus.

Military officials said one of the bombs had caused damage to the main building of the General Staff.

The anti-regime Free Syrian Army said they had carried out the attack and claimed dozens had been killed. The army said no personnel had died.

Gunfire reverberated around the city for hours after the bombings, as rebels fought with soldiers at the compound.

Syrian state TV quoted a military source saying no senior

Iran pushes ahead in building nuclear reactor

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ran appears to be making headway in building a research reactor that could yield potential nuclear weapon material, adding to Western concerns about Tehran's atomic aims, experts and diplomats say.

The West's worries about Iran are focused largely on underground uranium enrichment plants at Natanz and Fordow, but it is also pressing ahead with construction of a heavy-water reactor near the town of Arak, which analysts say could produce plutonium for nuclear arms if the spent fuel is reprocessed.

Iran now plans to bring Arak on line in the third quarter of 2013, moving up its timetable from 2014, according to the latest U.N. information, although there is uncertainty whether it will be able to meet that target date.

Iran, rejecting Western allegations it seeks to develop a capability to assemble atomic arms, says its nuclear program is entirely

peaceful and that the reactor will produce isotopes for medical and agricultural use.

"There is no reason to seriously doubt Iran's resolve to complete this project on time and begin operating the reactor," said Mark Hibbs of the Carnegie Endowment think-tank.

Most of what is needed is "dualuse, off-the-shelf equipment that Iran can buy all over the world using the procurement network it has set up" for its nuclear program, he said.

A U.N. report last month on Iran's nuclear program, which made headlines because it showed a doubling of the uranium enrichment capability at Fordow, suggested Tehran was also carrying out new work at Arak.

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said cooling and moderator circuit piping was being installed when inspectors visited the Arak facility in early August.

personnel were harmed by the explosions, but some of the building's guards were wounded.

It said "terrorist attackers" had opened fire inside the perimeter of the compound and in nearby streets, and security forces had confronted them.

The blasts happened just before 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT) in an area dominated by

government buildings.

Diplomats living close to the area said the blasts were the biggest they had heard for months.

Buildings more than 1km (half a mile) away shook violently under the force of the explosions.

The staff command compound represents the heart

The military HQ in flames

China accuses Japan of 'severe infringement'

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hina has accused Japan of a "severe infringement" on its sovereignty in talks at the United Nations between their foreign ministers over a territorial row.

China said on Wednesday that Yang Jiechi, foreign minister, told his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba in New York that ties between the Asian powers would remain strained until Japan reversed its purchase of disputed East China Sea islands.

The Chinese comments came in an apparently heated discussions on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and were detailed in a statement issued in Beijing by the foreign ministry.

"The Chinese side will by no means tolerate any unilateral action by the Japanese side on the Diaoyu Islands," Yang told Gemba, according to the statement.

The meeting in New York was the highest level diplomatic contact between the two countries since an escalation in tensions this month after Japan's central government bought the isolated East China Sea islands from their private owners.

China's meetings with Japanese diplomats suggest that China does not want the tensions over the island chain, believed to be in waters rich in natural gas deposits, to lead to a rupture in relations.

A nuclear reactor

Pakistan Islamist accuses Obama of religious war on Muslims

O

ne of Pakistan's most feared Islamists accused President Barack Obama on Wednesday of starting a religious war against Muslims over his handling of a video that mocked the Prophet Mohammad.

Hafiz Saeed, accused by India of masterminding the 2008 attack

by Pakistani gunmen on India's financial capital Mumbai, said Obama should have ordered steps to remove the film from the Internet instead of defending freedom of expression in America.

"Obama's statements have caused a religious war," Saeed told Reuters in an interview. "This is a

very sensitive issue. This is not going to be resolved soon. Obama's statement has started a cultural war."

The Obama administration has condemned the film, which ignited Muslim protests around the world as "disgusting".

But Western countries remain determined to resist restrictions on freedom of speech and have already voiced disquiet about the repressive effect of blasphemy laws in Muslim countries such as Pakistan.

"Obama has said he cannot block the film," said Saeed. "What does that say?"

Hafiz Saeed flanked by bodyguards

of the Syrian army, he says.

And the attack comes days after the Free Syrian Army announced it had moved its command from Turkey to Syria in an apparent attempt to bolster its fight against regime forces.

State television described the blasts, close to one of the city's busiest areas at Umayyad Square, as a terrorist attack.

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Europe and Greece general strike sees tighter Athens security Americas Russian tycoon Alexander Lebedev charged over punch

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ussian media mogul Alexander Lebedev has been charged with hooliganism in Russia after he punched a fellow guest during a TV debate last year.

Mr Lebedev, who owns Britain's Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.

In September 2011, he knocked former real estate businessman Sergei Polonsky off his chair during the heated debate.

Mr Lebedev says the case is a vendetta for his criticism of the Kremlin.

The 52-year-old was charged with hooliganism and assault "motivated by political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred, or hatred of a particular social group" - the same offence that three members of Russia's Pussy Riot punk group were jailed for earlier this year.

Mr Lebedev - whose net worth was recently reported by Forbes magazine to be $1.1bn (ÂŁ680m) - has already signed an undertaking not to leave Russia, prosecutors say.

The former KGB agent also holds a major stake in Russia's opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

The punch-up happened during the show NTVshniki, which was broadcast on 16 September 2011.

Mr Lebedev said after the incident that Mr Polonsky was about to hit him so he had acted in self-defence.

He told Russia's Interfax news agency: "At one point, expounding on an idea of his and looking straight at me, he said: 'This deserves a punch in the face'.

"I asked 'Do you mean me?', and he shouted 'Yes!' After that, I very neatly neutralised this absolutely unfounded threat."

Mr Polonsky claimed after the show that he had a cut on his arm and his trousers were torn.

Mr Lebedev also holds a major stake in the Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

Alexander Lebedev

ens of thousands of people have gathered outside Greece's parliament as part of a day-long general strike to protest against new austerity measures.

The trade union-led action is the first since Greece's conservative-led coalition came to power in June.

The protest is against planned spending cuts of 11.5bn euros ($15bn; ÂŁ9bn).

The savings are a pre-condition to Greece receiving its next tranche of bailout funds, without which the country could face bankruptcy in weeks.

Wednesday's strike has brought the whole country to a standstill, with doctors, teachers, tax workers, ferry operators and air traffic controllers all joining the protest.

It follows a series of demonstrations in Spain and Portugal, which are also facing stringent austerity measures.

On Tuesday, police in Madrid fired rubber bullets during clashes with protesters outside parliament.

38 people were arrested and 64 injured The Bank of Spain said the country's recession was deepening at a "significant pace". Madrid will announce further austerity measures on Thursday Portugal is holding an extraordinary cabinet meeting after big protests forced the government to withdraw a plan to hike employees' tax rates Greece needs the next 31bneuro instalment of its international

bailout, but with record unemployment and a third of Greeks pushed below the poverty line, there is strong resistance to further cuts.

The government of conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is proposing to save money by slashing pensions and raising the retirement age to 67.

But it has also urged the troika representing Greece's lenders - the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), and the International Monetary Fund

(IMF) - to give it an extra two years to push the austerity programme through.

On Tuesday the Greek finance minister, Yannis Stournaras, put a price on that delay for the first time - saying it would in effect cost as much as 15bn euros.

Banks and historic sites in Athens remained shut on Wednesday, with many shopkeepers expected to close up early so they could attend demonstrations.

Schools and government services were also closing down,

though buses were still running, reportedly to help ferry people to the protests.

The strike was called by the country's two biggest unions, which between them represent half the workforce.

A survey conducted by the MRB polling agency last week found that more than 90% of Greeks believed the planned cuts were unfair and a burden on the poor.

With demonstrations planned, many people fear a repeat of the violence seen during previous protests, says our correspondent.

T

The bill was approved by 50 votes to 49 after 14 hours of debate.

The law must now be

approved by the Senate, which voted for a previous version of the text last December.

President Jose Mujica has said he will approve the law if passed by Congress.

Cuba and Mexico City are the only other parts of Latin America with comparably liberal abortion laws.

Most countries in the region where Roman Catholicism is a dominant force - allow abortion only in cases of rape, when the woman's life is in danger or if the foetus is severely deformed.

Under Uruguay's current legislation, women who have an abortion and the people who assist them face prison.

Abortion is only allowed in

the case of rape or when the life of the woman is in danger.

The new legislation would allow abortion at the request of the woman, after she has spoken to a panel consisting of a doctor, a psychologist and a social worker who would inform her of any risks and of alternatives such as adoption.

The woman would then have to wait five days before going ahead with the procedure.

A similar law was debated and approved by Congress in 2008 but was vetoed by then President Tabare Vasquez.

Opinion polls suggest that a majority of Uruguayans support legalisation of abortion.

considered the applications on the papers and adjourned the cases to a hearing in open court."

The grounds for the appeal by Abu Hamza and al-Fawwaz were

not immediately clear. Their lawyers did not return calls seeking comment.

A British government source told the AFP news agency the appeals by the two terror suspects were a "delaying tactic".

The government would continue working with the police and the US authorities to ensure the extraditions went ahead as quickly as possible, the source said.

Hamza, the former preacher of the Finsbury Park mosque in north London, is wanted in the US on charges including setting up an alQaeda-style training camp in the US state of Oregon.

He is currently serving a seven-year jail sentence in Britain for inciting followers to murder non-believers in speeches on the streets of London.

Protesters led by the trade union

Uruguay Congress votes to legalise abortion he lower house of Uruguay's Congress has voted to legalise abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Uruguans in the protest

British court freezes Abu Hamza extradition

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British high court judge has halted the extradition of Abu Hamza al-Masri to the US after the radical cleric lodged a last-ditch legal appeal, the judiciary office said.

The judge issued "interim injunctions" barring the removal of Egyptian-born cleric Abu Hamza and a second "terror" suspect, Khaled al-Fawwaz, pending a hearing in open court which will happen "urgently", a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The European Court of Human Rights on Monday upheld an April 10 ruling that it made approving the extradition from Britain of Hamza, Fawwaz and three other suspects to the US. "Applications have been lodged

by Kamel Mustafa Mustafa (aka Abu Hamza) and Khaled al-

Fawwaz seeking injunctions preventing their removal from the UK," the judiciary office spokesperson said.

"A High Court judge has

Abu Hamza al-Masri leading faithful's in congregation

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 35

‘Zombie Bees’ reported in california T

he infection is as grim as it sounds: "Zombie bees" have a parasite that causes them to fly at night and lurch around erratically until they die.

Sampling is underway in Southern California to determine whether the infection has spread to local

hives. Several infected bees were already reported in parts of Northern California and Central California, as well as other locations along the West Coast.

"I joke with my kids that the zombie apocalypse is starting at my house," said Mark Hohn, a novice beekeeper who spotted

the infected insects at his suburban Seattle home.

Hohn returned from vacation a few weeks ago to find many of his bees either dead or flying in jerky patterns and then flopping on the floor.

He remembered hearing about zombie bees, so he collected several of the corpses

One of the bees infected by the parasitic fly that has led to many bees exhibiting zombie-like behavior.

South Carolina woman finds Ex living in roof

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hen most people hear a noise in their attic, they usually suspect a squirrel. On Saturday, one South Carolina woman found a man.

The mother of five says she discovered an ex-boyfriend living in her home in Rock Hill, S.C. on Saturday, Charlotte-based WCNC reported. The man fled the house before police could arrive.

The woman thought "there was some poltergeist stuff going on," when she saw nails falling from the ceiling, she told the local Rock Hill Herald newspaper. When she heard strange noises coming from her air vents, the spooked nurse called her nephew, who upon reaching the home and investigating the attic found a sleeping man using old coats for warmth.

He also discovered that the man was able to peek at the woman through an air vent that looks into her room.

"It's got me flabbergasted," the woman said to the Herald. "How can you look at someone through an air vent?"

She also told the paper that the man had been struggling with a drug problem since the two had broken up 12 years ago. The woman had last seen him a year ago when he had come to the home to install new doors on the house. He was also convicted of stealing the woman's truck earlier this year and was released two weeks ago after finishing that sentence, according to WCNC. The South Carolina nurse was under the assumption that the man had moved to Charleston after the arrest, which according to the woman was one of many. Instead, he was living inside her attic's heating unit. Police reported finding cups filled with urine and feces, and the family suspected the man had been sleeping there for weeks.

The terrified children who live in the home have been camping in the living room since the incident.

The only entrance to the attic from the home is in the hall outside the children's bedrooms.

Local police are on the lookout for the man.

Man peeked through air vent into former sweetheart's room

and popped them into a plastic bag. About a week later, the Kent man had evidence his bees were infected: the pupae of parasitic flies.

"Curiosity got the better of me," Hohn said.

The zombie bees were the first to be confirmed in Washington state, The Seattle Times reported.

San Francisco State University biologist John Hafernik first discovered zombie bees in California in 2008.

Hafernik now uses a website to recruit citizen scientists like Hohn to track the infection across the country. Observers also have found zombie bees in Oregon and South Dakota.

The infection is another threat to bees that are needed to pollinate crops. Hives have been failing in recent years due to a mysterious ailment called colony collapse disorder, in which all the adult honey bees in a colony suddenly die.

The life cycle of the fly that infects zombie bees is reminiscent of the movie "Alien," the newspaper reported. A small adult female lands on the back of a honeybee and injects eggs into the bee's

abdomen. The eggs hatch into maggots.

"They basically eat the insides out of the bee," Hafernik said.

After consuming their host, the maggots pupate, forming a hard outer shell that looks like a fat, brown grain of rice. That's what Hohn found in the plastic bag with the dead bees. Adult flies emerge in three to four weeks.

There's no evidence yet that the parasitic fly is a major player in the bees' decline, but it does seem the pest is targeting new hosts, said Steve Sheppard, chairman of the entomology department at Washington State University.

"It may occur a lot more widely than we think," he said.

That's what Hafernik hopes to find out with his website, zombeewatch.org. The site offers simple instructions for collecting suspect bees, watching for signs of parasites and reporting the results.

Once more people start looking, the number of sightings will probably climb, Hohn said.

"I'm pretty confident I'm not the only one in Washington state who has them," he said.

Poland's longest river, to its lowest level since regular records began 200 years ago.

Navigation along the river has already been affected and officials say if water levels do not recover soon, power stations in Warsaw that use river water for cooling may be forced to close down.

The receding water has also revealed relics from Warsaw's bloody history during World War Two. During that period the city was occupied by Nazi Germany, the Jewish population was wiped out, the city rose up against the occupation, and then the Soviet Red Army arrived and imposed its own rule.

Unexploded World War Two ordnance was found on the river bed in one part of the city at the weekend.

Kowalski said on the stretch of river bed he had been studying, a few pieces of Jewish matzevah, or gravestones, had been discovered.

He said they would be handed

over to the city's Jewish Historical Institute. Finds of Jewish artefacts are quite common in Warsaw, the legacy of successive Nazi and Soviet schemes to demolish traces of the city's Jewish community.

Historians believed that the Swedes who invaded Poland in the 17th century planned to move the looted cargo up the Vistula to Gdansk, where the river joins the Baltic Sea, and from there transport it home.

There is still no firm explanation of why the boats sank on the way.

Kowalski said he and his team had so far located up to 10 tonnes of stonework, but this was only the beginning. "The boats had a capacity of 50-60 tonnes (each), so we think that we should find much more," he said.

Once it has been removed from the river bed and catalogued, the plan is to take the masonry to Warsaw's Royal Castle, one of the sites from which, historians believe, it was looted by the Swedish invaders.

Drought in Poland reveals 400-year-old sunken treasures

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huge cargo of elaborate marble stonework that sank to the bottom of Poland's Vistula river four centuries ago has re-appeared after a drought and record-low water levels revealed the masonry lying in the mud on the river bed.

Archaeologists believe the stonework was part of a trove which 17th-century Swedish invaders looted from Poland's rulers and loaded onto barges to transport home, only for the booty to go to the bottom when the vessels sank.

Researchers knew about the artefacts, on the river bed where the Vistula passes through the Polish capital but, before the drought, retrieving them was a painstaking task because they were under several feet of water.

Now though, the masonry large blocks of carved marble which were used in the columns, fountains, and staircases of Polish palaces - is lying exposed apart from a coating of foul-smelling yellow mud.

"The drought helped us a lot because what had been lying underneath is now at the surface," said Hubert Kowalski, Deputy director of the University of Warsaw Museum, leading the effort to retrieve the marble stonework.

Speaking at a building owned by the Warsaw river police, where some of the stonework is being temporarily stored, he said historians' knowledge about what happened four centuries ago had previously been sketchy.

"Now we have evidence, the best material evidence of the Swedish invasion so far."

Low rainfall over the past few months has brought the Vistula,

Artefacts revealed by low water levels in vistula, Warsaw

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Eat eggs while pregnant to lower child’s risk of illness, researchers say P

regnant women should eat plenty of eggs and lean meat to reduce their unborn child’s risk of high blood pressure and mental health problems in adulthood, researchers claim.

A nutrient called choline, which is found in meat, eggs, beans and broccoli, could lower the risk of the children developing stress-related illnesses and chronic conditions later in life.

In future, women could even be given choline tablets in the same way folic acid is prescribed today to lower the risk of children being born with defects like spina bifida, experts said.

The researchers from Cornell University studied changes in “epigenetic markers” – chemicals which attach to our DNA and influence how our genes work – in a group of 26 pregnant women in their third trimester.

Epigenetic markers are important because they determine whether individual genes are “switched on”, meaning they work properly, or “switched off”, making them completely inert.

Some of the women were assigned to take in 480mg of choline per day through their diet and supplements – an amount just above the recommended dose – while others were given 930mg per day.

The larger dose caused more chemicals to be added to the women’s DNA, altering genes that regulate hormone activity in the body, researchers found.

Genes that regulate the production of cortisol, a hormone previously linked to lifelong risk of stress and metabolic disorders, were turned down so that levels of it in the babies’ blood were 33

per cent lower.

Prof Eva Pressman, who led the study, said mothers who suffer from anxiety and depression – conditions which raise cortisol levels – could benefit from taking choline as a

protective measure.

She said : “One day we might prescribe choline in the same way we prescribe folate to all pregnant women. It is cheap and has virtually no side effects at the doses provided in this study.

“While our results won’t change practice at this point, the idea that maternal choline intake could essentially change fetal genetic expression into adulthood is quite novel.”

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Chocolate can create same high as opium

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t’s certainly a good excuse to have when you’re slumped on the sofa and feel like you’re simply obliged to finish off that shiny tin of Quality Street.

Chocolate has an effect on the brain similar to opium, according to a study that found amazing comparisons between obese people and drug addicts.

In the study, a natural brain chemical called enkephalin - an endorphin with similar properties to opium - surged as rats began to eat M&M chocolates.

When a drug was used to stimulate the dorsal neostriatum - the brain area releasing the chemical - the number of M&Ms eaten more than doubled.

In the brain, enkephalin binds to molecular ‘receptors’ sensitive to opiate chemicals to reduce pain and produce pleasurable feelings.

Previous research mostly linked the dorsal neostriatum to movement, and recent work suggested it also plays a role in reward-driven behaviour.

But study leader Dr

Addictive: Chocolate has an effect on the brain similar to opium, according to a study that found comparisons between obese people and drug addicts

Alexandra DiFeliceantonio said the extraordinary findings showed comparisons between and drug addicts and the obese.

She said: ‘This (study) means that the brain has more extensive systems to make individuals overconsume rewards than previously thought.

‘The same brain area tested here is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes.

‘It seems likely that our enkephalin findings in rats mean that this neurotransmitter may drive some forms of overconsumption and addiction in people.’

The findings of the University of Michigan researcher and her team have been published in the US journal Current Biology.

In their paper, the scientists concluded: ‘Opioid circuitry... could in this way participate in normal motivations and perhaps even in generating intense pathological levels of motivation to overconsume reward in binge eating disorders, drug addiction and related compulsive pursuits.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

A nutrient called cholin is found in eggs.

Antioxidant-rich diet ‘cuts heart attack risk’

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ating lots of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables does appear to cut the chance of having a heart attack, but popping vitamin pills in the hope of aping a healthy diet does not, according to research.

Swedish researchers estimate that eating a diet high in antioxidants - mainly derived from fruit and veg - could cut the chance of a heart attack by a quarter.

The results contrast with studies that suggest taking antioxidant supplements, such as vitamin A, C and E pills, has no effect.

They believe that different antioxidant compounds could work together to protect the body in a much more powerful way than taking single large doses can achieve.

Specifically, the researchers found that older women ate seven fruit and vegetable portions a day, were between 20 and 29 per cent less likely to have a heart attack over a decade, than those who ate just 2.4.

The Department of Health recommends everyone should eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

Antioxidants are naturally occurring substances which mop up molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS), better known as ‘free radicals’.

These prompt inflammation, can damage cells, and have been implicated for triggering cancer and heart disease.

The researchers assessed

antioxidant intake by looking at the diets of 30,000 Swedish women aged 49 to 83 at the start of the study.

Those with the highest antioxidant intake were 20 per cent less likely to have suffered a heart attack than those with the lowest intake, after statistically adjusting for a host of factors like differences in age, weight, and whether they smoked or exercised.

Women who ate a lot of fruit and vegetables also tended to eat less saturated fat. When the researchers adjusted for intake of fats, the difference in heart attack rates rose to 29 per cent. The study did not look at overall mortality.

Dr Alicja Wolk from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who was the lead researcher, said their research

contrasted with tests of single antioxidant supplements, which have largely failed to find evidence that they cut heart attacks or mortality rates.

Pamela Hannley, managing editor of the American Journal of Medicine, where the report is published, said: “Although weight-loss diets abound, the few which emphasize increasing intake of fruits and vegetables actually may be on the right track.”

However, not all ascribe to the theory that antioxidants are universally good for health. Two years ago cardiologists at King’s College London published results that some free radicals could actually help protect against heart disease.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Researchers believe antioxidant rich fruit and veg - such as spinach - can cut heart attack risk.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 37

Flood: Stop playing politics with natural disasters, PDP warns ACN

By Lawrence Olaoye

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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to stop playing politics with the incidences of flood experienced across the country as they are natural disasters.

The party in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh and made available to newsmen yesterday described the recent statement by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the spokesman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) blaming the Federal Government for the flood disasters in some parts of the country is yet another opportunistic attempt to remind Nigerians that they still exist.

He stated "In their desperate attempt to remain heard, the Party has once more thrown decency and the dignity of the human being to the winds. While the wounds of the .disaster are still festering, the ACN has seen yet another window to play politics and grandstand rather than sympathize with the people over this unfortunate happening.

"The ACN in its statement even went to ridiculous extents like condemning the closure of the Abuja Lokoja road which is a precautionary measure taken to save lives following this disaster.

While we welcome constructive criticisms meant to keep us on our toes, we shall not succumb to cheap politicking from political

jobbers who do not know when to draw boundaries between partisanship and National humanitarian interests. The ACN's unnecessary politicization of this force majeure is an indication of their insensitivity to the plights of the victims. They would rather scavenge for political capital while the victims remain homeless, hungry and prone to diseases."

While reminding the

opposition party that natural disasters are not restricted to any particular parts of the country, the PDP said it never blamed the ACN government of Lagos state for its recent ocean surge.

The however commended the steps taken by the Federal Government and the various state overnments in bringing succour to the victims of this unforeseen occurrence just as it

applauded the efforts of some public spirited individuals.

"We challenge the ACN to show its humanitarian side by persuading their stupendously wealthy godfathers to join the efforts to provide relief to the victims rather than remain on the sidelines and throw mud at those actively involved in tackling this emergency," the party charged.

Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (left), exchanging pleasantries with Mr Efe Akpofure (2nd left), counsel to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, General Charles Airhiavbere, after the court session, yesterday in Benin.

Group wants EFCC probe Oyo West caretaker chairman From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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group, Concerned Citizen of Ojongbodu (CCO) Oyo, Oyo West Local Government Area of Oyo State has called on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to thoroughly investigate alleged financial misappropriation by the Council Caretaker Chairman, Mr. Soji Ojoawo.

The group spokesperson, Mr. Akin Oloye, who disclosed this to newsmen at the council headquarters during Project Monitoring Committee of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Oyo

State Council visit, said the EFCC probe became necessary to salvage series of financial misconducts by the council boss.

Oloye hinted that the group petitioned EFCC following financial recklessness without any tangible achievement since assumption of office by the caretaker chairman.

According to him, there is nothing to justify monthly allocation being collected by the council boss in the last one year.

"The chairman will soon leave, he has come, saw and looted the council, some enviable developmental projects seen in

neighbouring councils are evidence of good governance which are scarce in Oyo West" "Even, you journalists have moved round the entire council, what did you see? The only 1.6 kilometer road constructed was half done by the last administration; he only completed the road project and he constructed camouflage public convenience which never open for use," he said.

The group further exposed deceptive youth empowerment scheme and described the programme as one of the means caretaker chairman used to

embezzle public funds.

"He gave 40 widows N5,000 once and he wrote monthly exercise, he built no school, maternity center." He alleged.

Another source from the council headquarters confirmed the allegation saying the probe is long overdue just as it called on Governor Abiola Ajimobi to replace him with efficient and effective caretaker boss.

Also, the committee expressed great displeasure at the extreme low level of development observed saying development is far from the council.

Ex-Gov Doma condoles with Al-makura over victims of accident From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

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he former governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma, yesterday condoled with governor Umaru Tanko AlMakura over the death of three persons in his convoy who were involved in a ghastly motor

accident.

Doma who was represented by the former Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Michael Abdul, described the incident as unfortunate, while offering prayers for the repose of the souls of the departed just as he wished his son, Khalid Al-makura quick recovery.

In the same vein, former

Governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu also visited the governor to register his condolence, urging Al-makura to take solace because the accident was an act of God. Responding, governor AlMakura thanked the two former governors for identifying with him and expressed optimism that the visit would further

strengthen their relationship.

He thereafter solicited for their support in the task of building a greater Nasarawa state.

Similarly, the leadership of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the state led by its Chairman, Chief Yunana Iliya was at the residence of the governor to condole with him.

Jurisdiction: Court determines Airiavbere petition against Oshiomhole today From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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do State election Petition Tribunal siting in Benin City will today decide whether it has jurisdiction to determine petition bothering on qualification brought before it by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate for July 14 2012 Governorship election in the state.

The petitioner among others is seeking the nullification of the election of Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN)'s Adams Oshiomhole who was declared winner by the Independent electoral Commission, (INEC) on the ground of corrupt practices as well as non-possession of the relevant academic qualifications.

The Chairman of the threeman Tribunal, Justice Ambrusa Suleiman, said the ruling would determine whether the court would go on with the case or not.

Wole Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) who led other senior legal practitioners in the petition said the court lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate on the petition.

Olanipekun who urged the court to dismiss or strike out the petition noted that the grounds and reliefs sought by the petitioner were at variance with each other.

He held that the petitioner who said the election was invalid as a result of corrupt practices also asked that he should be returned as the winner of the election.

According to him, the petitioner ought to have approached Federal High Court to address the issue of non qualification of the winner of the election instead of the Tribunal.

Olanipekun further stated that the 2010 electoral act as amended does not state any ground for qualification or non qualification except for constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is stated in session 177/182 as amended. He however opined that the punishment for not qualification of a winner in an election is not nullification of the election but to disqualify the candidate.

Efe Akpofure, Counsel to PDP candidate who described the respondents' application as premature urged the court to dismiss the application.

He also urged the court to have holistic view on the petitioner's petition as regards its pleadings, adding that the electoral act 2010 as amended does not preclude the court to nullify election as a result of qualification.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Mimiko reads the riot act to election riggers From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he Olusegun Mimiko Campaign Organisation (MCO) has reacted to an opinion poll which purportedly rated the Labour Party as runner up in an alleged opinion poll it conducted in the State saying that the true position of things in the state would come to light on October 20 this year.

It assured that it would win the election with a very comfortable margin.

According to MCO’s Director of Publicity and Media Relation, Mr Kolawole Olabisi, “We are not worried by whatever opinion poll

which must have, from all intent and purposes been manipulated by one of the political parties to favour it. In the last three and a half years, several opinions polls by credible organisations have rated the government of Dr Olusegun Mimiko as one of the best Governor in the country.

“The countless accolades even from members of the oppositions and from renowned authorities such as the World Bank, World Health Organisation, the United Nations and others from far and wide have been given for the innovative giant strides of Dr Mimiko in Ondo State. These are indications that we have

performed and the people themselves are happy with us.

“We have no iota of doubt that come October 20, the people will vote overwhelming for a performer in the person of Dr Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party. To us, one trillion opinion polls either counterfeit of genuine cannot hoodwink the people of Ondo State not to vote for the person who has touched their lives positively. So we are not worried and as you can all see, we are on the field from morning to evening selling our manifestoes to the people and also commissioning many projects which the people themselves

chose,” Olabisi said.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko read the riot act to those with penchant to snatch ballot boxes and other election materials in the riverine area of the State that never again would that be allowed in the October 20 election.

Mimiko who specifically gave this warning in Akotogbo community hitherto noted for such occurrences while welcoming scores of Ebute Youths who claimed they were usually lured into ballot boxes snatching by politicians who decamped into the Labour Party

on Wednesday stated that those who thrived in unwholesome electoral practices would face the music.

The Ebute Youths led by Mr Ebo Ojo, assured that nobody would do that again as they would ensure that such occurrences would not be allowed again.

They assured the Governor that for bringing positive change to the community including electricity, road network, construction of a town hall amongst others to the community for the first time, they had decided to joined the labour Party and work for its success in the areas.

Honour those who facilitated the creation of Katsina state, Kaita urges Shema

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L-R: Hon. Sani Umar, Solomon Adeola and P.A Giwa, during at Public Accounts hearing, in National Assembly, Abuja, recently.

Niger Assembly dismiss petition against Gov. Aliyu From Iliya Garba, Minna

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iger State House of Assembly has dismissed the petition by Concerned Citizens of Niger state on gross mismanagement of the state resources leveled against Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu as unconstitutional.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petition,

Ethics and Privileges, Hon. Mohammed Nazeer Abdullahi, who submitted the committee’s report to the house on Wednesday stated that, “any action taken on this petition is unconstitutional and should therefore be thrown out” He said, “The Committee is of the view that non-conformity with the standing orders amount to nonconformity with the constitution and any action, as regards to petition which is not in conformity

with the standing orders of the house becomes unconstitutional”.

According to him, it is important to note that the standing orders of the Niger State House of Assembly derives its authority through section 101 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which states as follows: “Subject to the provision of the constitution, a House of Assembly shall have power to regulate its own procedure

including the procedure for summoning and recess of the House”.

He said the committee observed that there was the need to consider whether the petition was properly presented before the House which will require the House consideration. In this respect, it is important to consider the House Rules governing petition as contained on the standing orders of the Niger State House of Assembly.

ACN throwing Yoruba states into debt – PDP From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (South-West) has described plan by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) government in Lagos state to source N80 billion Bond from the capital market as not only criminal but a disservice to the people of Lagos state, who are already burdened by the huge debt being owed by the State.

The party reiterated its warning on the dire consequences of the huge debt the ACN governments in the South-West Region are plunging the region into, adding that; “It is ridiculous for a State like Lagos that is

making over N25 billion monthly as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to be going cap in hands to borrow N80 billion that it can make on its own under four months.”

The party Zonal Publicity Secretary, Hon. Kayode Babade said in a release issued today that “it appears there are more to this issue of Bond that the ACN governors have fallen in love with than meet the eyes and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other financial clearing houses must do everything possible to checkmate the rate at which the states are obtaining loans.”

The PDP said it suspected that the

Bond could be a means of bringing into Nigeria stolen funds from abroad, calling on security agencies to take more than passing interests in the bond issue.

“In Nigeria today, Lagos State owes the highest debt apart from the federal government. Lagos State was said to have, as at June 30, 2012, accumulated an external debt profile of $517,677,672 (more than half a billion dollars).

“Ironically, Lagos state is the richest State in Nigeria with monthly IGR of over N25 billion and most Lagosians are in charge of their daily existence, with the State government responsible for virtually

nothing.

“It should then worry wellmeaning people if inspite of the huge debt being owed and the huge resources available to it, a State like Lagos is going to the capital market to take N80 billion Bond again.

“Presently, Osun State alone is owing over N120 billion, Ekiti is owing over N30 billion and is rumoured to be planning to take another N30 billion while Ogun State is on the verge of taking N100 billion bond.

“Obviously, with the way these ACN controlled States are taking loans and bonds, and giving promissory notes on multi billion naira contracts, the States will go bankrupt soon.

ormer Governor of defunct Kaduna state, Alhaji Muhammad Lawal Kaita, has urged Katsina state governor, Ibrahim Shehu Shema, to always honor and remember those who fought for the creation of the state.

Kaita who stated this at a dinner organised to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the creation of the state, noted that people like Ambassador Magaji Muhammad, Alhaji Sama’ila Isa Funtua, Alhaji Ahmadu Coomassie, Alhaji Musa ‘Yar’adua and others deserved to be honoured for their role in creating the state.

He similarly recalled that people like himself, Ambassador Magaji Muhammad were prosecuted for their frontline support for the creation of Katsina state, adding “I and Ambassador Magaji Muhammad were removed from our positions as commissioners because of supporting the creation of Katsina state”.

Kaita lamented that anytime there is celebration of creation of Katsina State, those heroes who fought for its creation were neglected, calling on the government to organise special events where these people would be celebrated as a mark of honor to them.

Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Shema gave a graphic picture of his achievements which include the building of the new Government House out of the N7 billion deposit interest generated by the state government.

Others he said include his achievements in the areas of health, agriculture, water supply, road construction, infrastructure and sponsoring 270 students to Sudan to study medicine, sciences and Arabic Calligraphy.

He however solicited for a special prayer for the state and the country at large while praising the people of the state for their continued support for the government and ensuring the sustenance of peace.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

By Lawrence Olaoye T he

recent conferment of the prestigious national honour of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) on the House of Representatives’ Deputy Minority Leader, Suleiman Abdurrahman Kawu, by President Goodluck Jonathan has been applauded by all and sundry. Kawu, who represents Sumaila Takai Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, for the third time, has demonstrated his political sagacity and patriotic zeal not only in the development of his constituency and state, but of the nation in general.

The 43 years old Havard University (USA) and Oxford (UK) trained lawmaker has paid the price of political tutelage having been part of the nation’s political development since 1990 when he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the transition programme of the Military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB).

With changes in the political fortune of the country under the late Head of State, General Sanni Abacha in 1995, Kawu pitched tent with the formidable political movement, Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), which later merged with some other political groups in the country to form what is today known as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Between 1995 and 1997, Kawu was in the executive council of the PDM but later became the Chairmanship candidate on the platform of United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) for his Sumaila Local Government.

He became a staunch member of the PDP after it was formed in 1998 and the Financial Controller of the party for Kano state chapter between 1998 and 2001.

In 2002, Kawu contested the Chairmanship of Sumaila LG under the umbrella of the PDP but was later appointed as a member of the Kano State Library Board; Coordinator of NAPEP and Chairman Local Government Monitoring Committee of the programme in Sumaila.

But, fired by his desire to give quality representation to his people in 2003, Kawu defected to the vibrant All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and contested for the House of Representatives where he has been representing the Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituency till date. His leadership qualities were earlier detected in the Green Chamber as he was saddled with the responsibility of the Sub-chairman of the Hadejia/ Jama’are River Basin Development Authority.

The effervescent lawmaker was made the Director of Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau

PAGE 39

Honour to a legislative icon, Sumaila Kawu

Deputy Minority Leader, Suleiman Abdurrahman Kawu Governorship Campaign Organisation in 2007 where he delivered the governorship to his principal who eventually won the election. To underscore his popularity and acceptability among his people, Kawu was re-elected

into the House of Representatives in 2007 where he became the ANPP Chief Whip and the House Deputy Minority Leader.

Having won again to represent his people for the third time in 2011, Kawu

“

To his colleagues, Kawu remained a loyal friend who will never disappoint when it matters; to his constituents, he is a dutiful lawmaker and a grassroot mobilizer; to the House, Kawu is a pillar of stability and a promoter of democracy; to Nigeria, he is a zealous patriot who would never allow the ship of state to capsize

again became the ANPP Leader in the House and retained his position of the Deputy Minority Leader for the second time.

The Kano lawmaker, as a leading figure in the House remains one of the movers and shakers of the Lower Chamber having contributed in no small measure in the stabilization of the House even during the turbulent days of the Sixth and Seventh Assembly. Kawu, though a leading opposition leader in the House who never spared the ruling government in his constructive criticisms, also worked hard under the leadership of Speaker Dimeji Bankole in the Sixth Assembly to ensure the smooth running of the House even when his ilks in the PDP were at his throat.

At the inception of the Seventh Assembly, Kawu played a prominent role in the

installment of the present Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, by persuading his colleagues in the opposition to buy into his candidature. Since the emergence of the Speaker, Kawu has remained a staunch pillar behind Tambuwal the same way he supported Bankole till the end of his tenure. To his colleagues, Kawu remained a loyal friend who will never disappoint when it matters; to his constituents, he is a dutiful lawmaker and a grassroot mobilizer; to the House, Kawu is a pillar of stability and a promoter of democracy; to Nigeria, he is a zealous patriot who would never allow the ship of state to capsize.

To this extent, the lawmaker has served in several capacities in the House, especially in vital committees including interior, information, poverty alleviation and NEMA. He was also the chairman of Ad-hoc Committee that investigated the Airport road contracts that exposed the sleaze in the project. He was also a member of the constitution amendment committee between 2007 and 2011 and currently a member of the Governing Council of the National Institute of Legislative Studies and that of the current Constitution Amendment Committee.

Kawu has equally proved his legislative mettle by sponsoring important bills and motions that have reshaped the nation.

These include amendment of Section 145 of the Constitution which provided for transfer of power to the Vice President and Deputy governor; State Assembly financial autonomy; extra-judicial killings in Maiduguri by security agencies; dilapidated condition of Kano Airport; illegal parking of articulated trucks at Tafa village; control and management of cerebrospinal meningitis; setting time limit to dispose-off election petitions before swearing-in elected officers amongst others.

Reps to investigate loss of public funds in Rural Telephony Project

By Umar Muhammad Puma

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orrie d by the huge amount of human and financial resources already put into the rural telephony project by the Federal Government without tangible results, the House of Representatives yesterday resolved to investigate the project.

Following a motion by

Rep Odebunmi Dokun (PDP Oyo State), the House resolved to set up an ad hoc committee charged with the responsibilities of investigating the cause of the project failure.

According to the lawmaker, the project was designed to provide 3 centres in each state as a way of making this Public Private Partnership a

successful undertaking just as he added that billions of naira was expended on the project. He said the project was launched across the states of the federation with high hope of changing the life of rural dwellers from being incommunicado.

Odebunmi said “the project all over the country are rotten away, an on the spot assessment visit to one

of the site location in Surelere Local Government Area and other sites in Oyo state are living witnessed”.

He stressed that the 6th Assembly of the House raised alarm over the poor implementation of the project as a way of making the programme a reality but surprisingly nothing is being said about the project again.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

ACN rejects DSIEC board nominees From Dave Eniwomake, Asaba

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L-R: President of Engineers Forums of Nigeria in UK, Engineer Sunday Popo-Ola, Chairperson, House of Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri, and a member of the committee, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, during the forum's visit to the committee's members, yesterday at the National Assembly, in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Constitution Amendment: Reps to stop allocations to states with LG caretaker C’ttees

By Lawrence Olaoye

S

peaker of the House of Representatives yesterday disclosed that the House would insert a clause in the Constitution that would outlaw federal allocations to states running the local government with caretaker committees.

Tambuwal stated this while playing host to the Executive members of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) just as he expressed concern over the face-off between Governor Rochas Okorocha and LGA chairmen in Imo state.

He said "indeed, section 7 has clearly guaranteed the existence of democratically elected Local Government Council. I'm sure most of the states have been paying lipservice to that particular section

of the Constitution but what we are trying to do in the National Assembly is to tie particular provision with the release of funds to undemocratically installed caretaker committees.

"This is because it is not within the contemplation of the law, whether the state House of Assembly passes a legislation, but for as long as it is not consistent with the provisions of the Constitution, we know clearly that such law is null and void and of no effect.

"The two chambers of the National Assembly are seriously considering passing this amendment to the Constitution to guarantee the financial autonomy of local government councils."

While lamenting the breach of provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Speaker urged

Governor Okorocha to immediate respect the Constitution and release the allocations.

He also tasked all ALGON members to engage state governors, State Assemblies and civil society organisation at the grass root in order to ensure the adoption of recommendations of the National Assembly during the ongoing constitution amendment.

Speaking earlier, Uzor Nwabueze, ALGON chairman, had expressed concerns over the highhandedness of Governor Okorocha and unhealthy interference in the LG administration.He also solicited for the intervention of the National Assembly towards ensuring effective implementation of Section 7 of the Nigerian Constitution.

Nwabueze said "But we all know that in practice, that particular section of the Constitution, there has

been serious infractions on that section and the section has been set aside except in some few states. " He also stressed the need to strengthen Local Government Legislative Council with the view to deliver dividend of democracy to millions of Nigerians at the grass root.

He said "we believe that our democracy can be deepened if our people at our local government areas are given the right to elect their representatives and to choose those who should lead them at any particular time."

Nwabueze argued that most states have over the years subdued the statutory responsibilities of LG areas as guaranteed by the Constitution including funding, just as he canvassed for abrogation of provisions relating to joint State/ Local Government accounts.

Fraud allegations: Clear yourself, Mimiko tells Akeredolu From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he Dr Olusegun Mimiko Campaign Organisation (MCO) has asked the governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, to clear his name of the series of allegations of fraud leveled against him in the two positions of authorities he had held and for which he has been banned from holding public office for 25 years.

It asked him to quit the governorship race in the alternative, given his vacillating posturing over the matter in the face of the allegations.

Akeredolu had been alleged by his co-members of executive of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) of

financial impropriety while he was its President.

In the letter of complaint signed

by Mr Okoye Aniche, the 3rd Vice President, Chief Ganny Ajape, Welfare Secretary and Steve Onyechi Ononye, the Assistant Financial Secretary, Mr. Akeredolu was alleged to have committed a monumental fraud and gross abuse of office during his tenure as the President of the NBA. This came just as revelations have emerged that Akeredolu was indicted by a 1999 Judicial Probe Panel headed by Justice Rasheed Fawehinmi which banned him from holding political office for 25 years.

Akeredolu who served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under

the Anthony Onyearugbulem regime was indicted and ordered to refund the sum of N9.2million into the coffers of the Ondo State Government by the Panel.

MCO in a release challenged the ACN standard bearer to clear his name of these weighty allegations saying that for Akeredolu to be twice indicted in the two public positions he had served and with such grievous allegations bothering on financial matters and unethical conduct speak volume and must not be swept under the carpet.

According to the Statement signed by its Director Publicity and Media Relations, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, the Organisation noted that if Akeredolu, a very senior member of the Bar, could be thus

indicted first as the President of NBA by his co-executive members who chronicled his alleged misdeeds, and now his stewardship as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice have come to light, it shows that something was wrong somewhere.

"Mr Akeredolu should speak out, this is a moral burden not only for him but for the people of Ondo State who are wont to ask: 'Can this man be trusted?' If he could be a Commissioner for a few months and was indicted and also as NBA President, he had questions to answer from his colleagues over the issue of finances, an allegation, the burden of which he had not discharged by way of response, then does he have the right to want to rule the State? He queried.

ction Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Delta State chapter yesterday kicked against Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan's board nominees into the state's Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC).

The ACN which expressed worry over the continued stay in office by Elder Owhoavwodiasa Etederhi Osharode as the Executive Secretary of the electoral commission when he as he had allegedly pledged loyalty to the state governor in the discharge of his duties also complained that the selection of DSIEC members was not properly done.

In a press statement, the party's state Publicity Secretary, Frank Eghomien said a protest letter had been forwarded the House of Assembly alleging that "some sitting legislators and other PDP chieftains in Ika North East Local Government Area had recruited Mr. Eluebo and forwarded his name to the governor with a view to planting him as PDP agent in the commission, to perfect their rigging of the forth coming local government elections."

Eghomien said, "Discreet investigations revealed that some sitting legislators and other PDP chieftains in Ika North East Local Government Area had recruited Mr. Eluebo and forwarded his name to the governor with a view to planting him as PDP agent in the commission, to perfect their rigging of the forth coming local government elections."

Eghomien described Osharode as a career civil servant and called for his redeployment to pave way for the appointment of a "retired civil servant" as Executive Secretary of the commission.

Taraba Dep. Gov. shuns investigative Panel From Yusha'u Alhassan, Jalingo

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araba state Deputy Governior, Sani Abubakar Danladi yesterday shunned the investigative Panel set up to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against him by the government.

The Panel chaired by the Taraba state Chief Judge, Nasiru Dangiri, had its inaugural sitting yesterday and the deputy governor neither appeared nor represented by his legal counsel.

Announcing his appearance and those of his colleagues, the counsel to the panel Elijah Nyaro, said several efforts to serve the Deputy Governor with a notice to appear before the panel failed. He however requested for time to serve any principal officer at the office of the Deputy Governor and to publish the notice in national dailies.

Leader of counsels for the state House of Assembly Abayomi Akamode noted the time frame of the panel and promised to cooperate to ensure the success of the exercise.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 41

2013 Nations Cup: Akanni warns Keshi, says qualification a must

Mbachu to quit after AWC

invited players, which the Super Eagles’ Coach, Stephen Keshi, released recently was consistent with his meticulous approach to the job.

“I can see the zeal to succeed in Keshi based on his list; he is

Akanni, a member of the Flying Eagles squad which won bronze at the 1985 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Russia, advised that the shape of the team should not be altered.

“It would be wrong for him to make any changes now, even if he is adding some new names to the list the ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2013 AFCON,’’ Akanni said.

Enugu Assembly gives Rangers management 7-day ultimatum

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he Enugu State House of Assembly has issued a oneweek ultimatum to the management of Rangers International Football club to submit a comprehensive report on the club’s activities.

Mr Paul Ogbe, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Sports, announced the ultimatum at an interactive session with the management of the club yesterday in Enugu.

Ogbe warned that if the management failed to submit the report as directed, the club financial

needs would not be captured in the 2013 appropriation bill.

“The committee invited Rangers Management Corporation today to evaluate the budget as it was in the budget of the state for 2012, we want to know how far they have gone, how much they have accessed.

“We want to know whether to add or to reduce to their estimate and we want know some other problems they have, so that the committee can be able to help.

Knowing fully well that they will soon commence some international

matches, so we want to know how prepared they are.’’

Ogbe said that the over-sight function was delayed because the club had been involved in league matches within and out of the state since January.

He said that the committee had received two petitions against the club over alleged failure to pay signon fee to some of its players.

Responding, the General Manager of the club, Mr Ozo Paul Chibuzo, appealed to the committee to give the club’s management more time to submit the report as

By Albert Akota

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ne of the foremost Super Falcons’ players and wing attacker, Stella Mbachu, has revealed that her participation in the forthcoming African Women’s Championship (AWC), scheduled for Equatorial Guinea next month, will eventually signal the end to her international football career.

Speaking to Peoples Daily Sports yesterday ahead of the tournament, Mbachu said that her decision to remain in the field was to contribute her wealth of experience in building the team under the tutelage of the Chief Coach, Kadiri Ikhana.

She however expressed believe that the crop of players presently in camp are capable of retaining the AWC title come November 11.

Nigeria, which are in group B alongside Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Ethiopia will begin the quest to glory at the tournament on October 29 when they confront Cameroon in the opening game in Nkoantoma Stadium, Bata.

Stella Mbachu

Stephen Keshi

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x-international Waidi Akanni has warned the Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, against complacency in the final phase of the 2013 Nations Cup qualifying game with the Lone Stars of Liberia on October 13 at the UJ Esuene Stadium Calabar.

Akanni said Keshi must ensure that the nation qualifies for the fiesta to avoid another round of public discontent against the managers of Nigerian football and the game itself.

The former cadet player stressed that the topmost priority of the Nigeria Football Federation right and stressed that nothing else matters to the NFF and Nigerians in general than the ticket to the 2013 AFCON. He observed that the list of

consistent with his list of players, and it shows that he understands the need for the team to play cohesively.

“At this point in time, they (Super Eagles) should be more concerned about qualifying for the 2013 AFCON, and the second leg of the qualifying match against Liberia is a must win for us,’’ Akanni said.

requested.

He said the request for more time was necessary to enable the club travel to Lagos ahead of its participation in the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

On the petitions, Chibuzo presented some documents to the committee, the content of which were not made public to journalists.

He also presented copies of football rules, regulations and relationships between the management, players and football bodies like FIFA, NFF and NPL, to the committee.

Organisers begin sale of 2013 Nations Cup tickets

T Nigeria's U-17 women team returning to their Hilton Camp, yesterday in Baku after beating host country 11-0 in group a match, in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Photo: NAN Lankaran, Azerbaijan.

Technical committee defends Keshi over Eagles bloated list for Liberia

By Patrick Andrew

T

he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical subcommittee yesterday rose in stout defence of the 38-man bloated Super Eagles list for the October 13 decisive leg of the 2013 Nations Cup qualifier against the Lone Stars of Liberia.

In swift reaction to the public outburst against the 38-man list that was released on Tuesday and which was condenmed for being unwieldy, Paul Bassey, a member of the Technical Sub-committee that verified Head Coach Stephen Keshi’s list averred that critics may have acted in ignorance of reasons for the large number of invitees.

“The CAF Nations Cup Championship (CAHN) will be coming up soonest and of course you that the championship is exclusive to players drawn from the local

leagues. So, Keshi called up the large number with this in view.

“Also, only 15 foreign-based players were called up which meant that the 23 others that included his core domestic league players constitute the squad for both the CAHN and most importantly the 2013 Nations Cup finals qualifying game against Liberia.

“Gentlemen, you know Nigeria cannot avoid to fail to qualify again after missing out of the 2012 Nations Cup finals hosted by Gabon/Equatorial Guinea. You cannot expect the coach to pick 11 players to prepare for the Liberia match. You need this large number because he is also looking ahead,” he said in defence of the list.

“For the foreign-based list, some of us were not too happy with the performance of some of the players that went to Liberia, so there is need to beef up the squad.

“We need to look at one or two others as an addition and players can be substituted because we don’t want any excuses in the Liberia match,” Bassey added stressing that some players are there as probably replacement for those with injury cases.

“Keshi has some question marks Papa Idris, Gabriel Reuben, Joel Obi. But he decided to watch for two days before deciding whether they will remain or not. So he has invited new invited players like Ezekiel Bassey and Anthony Okpotu from Lobi Stars FC, among others.

“Keshi’s philosophy is trying to get as many home-based players as possible, from which he could make his final selection for the CAHN championship.

The technical sub-committee saw reasons in his arguments and agreed that the list was reasonable,” Bassey said.

he Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2013 African Cup of Nations on Wednesday officially put the tickets for the competition on sale.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that prices for the tickets range from R50 (about N1,000) to R200 (N4, 400).

Mvuzo Mbebe, the Chief Executive Officer of the LOC, hoped to sell more than half a million tickets for the tournament.

He said that fans could buy their tickets at special kiosks in selected Spars stores across the country or via the Local Organising Committee’s call centre on 087 980 3000.

“We need to make sure that the stores open at the same time so that others do not have an unfair advantage. All the platforms will open at the same time,” Mbebe said.

He said that it was possible to meet the over half a million target of ticket sales. “I think we can meet it. One of the advantages is that you don’t have to wait to be in South Africa to buy the tickets.

“You can call through and buy the tickets, and Super Spars exist in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, so people can buy the tickets there,” Mbebe said.

He added that the LOC did not anticipate any technical problems with its electronic sales method.

Matches will be played at the Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit and Rustenburg stadia.

The tournament will run from Jan. 19 to Feb.10.

The tournament was initially scheduled to be hosted by Libya but it was moved to South Africa because of the political instability in the North African country.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Organisers postpone Sardauna National Fives Tournament

T

he Secretary of the Fives Federation of Nigeria (FFN), Ahmed Abdullahi, has confirmed that the 2012 edition of the Sardauna National Fives Tournament to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the sport has been postponed.

Abdullahi said yesterday in Abuja that the tournament, which has been held yearly in Birnin Kebbi, ought to have been held from September 29 but had to be postponed for some reasons.

According to him, the tournament

has been shifted because of the local government elections in the State, adding that preparations had been in top gear before the need to postpone it arose.

“In spite of the fact that we wanted to organise the tournament in Birnin Kebbi to mark the 90th anniversary, we received a message from the chairman of Kebbi Fives Association to the contrary.

“The message is for the programme to be shifted to December because of the local government elections and other

events on ground,’’ Abdullahi quoted the chairman as saying.

He said that the programmes coming up would affect the anniversary, noting that preparation for the Hajj in October and the National Sports Festival in November made it imperative for the shift to December.

Abdullahi said that the tournament would feature three categories the Sardauna Cup, senior category; Air Commodore Bayo Lawal, intermediate; and Yusuf Ladan Cup, junior.

According to him, the aim of the tournament is to discover new talents below 16 years and to groom them.

The secretary said that the game had not been recognised in some states because of a lack of facilities, in spite of its popularity in the northern part of the country and some parts of the west.

Abdullahi said that awareness had been created with demonstrations in Lagos and Edo to make people know more about the game.

However, he added that financial constraints had not made the federation to go into intense awareness creation.

Fives is a game like Squash but requires a player using his palm to hit a tennis ball against the wall.

teeming youth.

Further, Omagbemi said the seriousness of the state’s Ministry of Sports to totally overhaul sports in the state was a welcome development.

“I commend the efforts of the state government because this is where we can begin to rebuild our sports generally. The deterioration had fully manifested with our poor performance at the just-ended London 2012 Olympics.

“We have to start searching for our next Olympians; it takes eight to 10 years to build a medal winning Olympian.

“The festival is an arena for talent haunt. I am here to search for the next Onyali which I have been

looking out for since I retired in 2004.

“I recommend that every other state take a cue from here,” Omagbemi said.

The Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Dr Edozie Aroh, said the ministry had completed arrangements for the festival, saying that the ministry has started a database of the state’s athletes.

He said that the festival, to prepare the state’s athletes for the national festival in Lagos, also involved all the local governments in the state.

“It is an annual event, but it is coming in grand style this time in line with the administration’s desire to develop youths and harness the best talents.

“Now we are partnering with the media, private sector, veterans and all relevant stakeholders to redeem the image of the state and the country,” Aroh said.

Onyali seeks early preparations for 2016 Olympics

F

ormer African and Commonwealth Games 100m tracks queen, MaryOnyali Omagbemi, has urged the National Sports Commission (NSC) and other relevant bodies to put machinery on ground for early preparations for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Onyali-Omagbemi made the

appeal yesterday at the formal opening ceremony Anambra Sports Festival at the Chuba Ikpeazu Stadium, Onitsha.

She applauded the Anambra state government for resolving to reinvent sports in the state, adding that doing so would not only returned the state to the pinnacle of sports powers but create jobs for its

18th NSF: Qualifiers emerge at North-West zone

Z

amfara has qualified to represent the North-West zone in both male and female football and basketball events at the forthcoming 18 th National Sports Festival in Lagos in November.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two other states in the zone, Sokoto and Kebbi, took part in the qualifiers held at Halliru Abdu Stadium, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.

The Zonal Coordinator, Shehu Garba, told NAN yesterday in Gusau that Sokoto qualified to represent the zone in both female volleyball and handball events, while Kebbi qualified to represent the zone in male volleyball and handball events.

Garba commended the host state, Kebbi, for ensuring a befitting outing and urged the governments of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara to continue to support sporting activities in their respective states.

Garba said their support would assist to discover and expose hidden talents in the states.

Kemboi assault case adjourned

A

court case against twotime Olympic 3 000m steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi has been postponed for a month to give the prosecutor’s office time to go over the file.

“There is no objection to the director of public prosecution being given more time to make a decision on the file,” magistrate Francis Kyambia told the court.

Thirty-year-old Kemboi, who is also a serving police officer, is facing charges of having assaulted and caused bodily harm to Anne Njeri,

Ezekiel Kemboi

a woman with whom he had been having drinks in late June in his hometown of Eldoret, some 300 kilometres west of the Kenyan capital.

Kemboi denied the charges, saying that Njeri had been knifed by her own accomplices in a botched attempt to rob him on his way home.

The athlete was bailed in time to participate in the London Olympics, where he won the 3 000m steeplechase gold medal, becoming the first Kenyan to take two Olympic titles in the event, which he also won at the 2004 Athens Games.

He is also a two-time world champion.

When Kemboi appeared in court on Tuesday, the prosecution said the case file was yet to reach the director of public prosecution, Keriako Tobiko, and asked for the case to be adjourned to October 23.

According to local media, Tobiko, whose office gives him powers to terminate charges or call for a fresh investigation, has said he is not satisfied with the way the initial police probe was handled.

Mary Onyali-Omagbemi

Chief Patrick Ekeji

Samuel Eto’o

Eto’o meets Cameroon PM over return to Indomitable Lions

C

ameroonian football star, Samuel Eto’o Fils, has met the country’s Prime minister, Philémon Yang, with their talk centering on his possible return to the Cameroon national team.

Official sources told PANA that they also discussed how the Indomitable Lions would qualify for the 2013 African Cup of Nations tournament to be hosted by South Africa.

Eto’o, who plays at Anzhi Makhachakala in Russia, has had a long running disagreement with the Cameroonian football authorities, which culminated in a long suspension from the national team.

Recently, he wrote a letter to the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) announcing his retirement from the national team as long as “amateurishness and disorder’’ prevail.

Cameroon lost 0-2 to Cape Verde in the first leg of the final qualifying match for the 2013 African Cup of Nations tournament.

Eto’o, a national football hero, has played in 19 professional football seasons scoring 254 goals in 460 matches.

Former tour commissioner wants golf restructured

O

lusola Lawson, the immediate past tour Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Professional Golfers Association of Nigeria and Tours (PGANT), has urged stakeholders in the sport to close ranks to restructure it.

Lawson said yesterday in Lagos noting that the restructuring should focus on grooming talents and providing more facilities to ensure a viable golf circuit.

“It’s going to take a lot of reinvestment in people, infrastructure and training; we should attract young people to begin to play the game as early as possible.

“We need to come up with a five to 15-year development programme that would inculcate the rudiments of the sport in them.

“It is necessary that we expose them to modern coaching techniques, and also to expose them to the right kind of competitions,’’ Lawson said.

Lawson decried the exclusivity of available golf facilities in the country, noting that this had rendered them inaccessible to nonmembers.

“One of the challenges we have is that all the golf courses are privately owned and so access is limited to members only, we need a public golf range so that children can have unlimited access.

“Especially children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods so that they can have access to golf either as a sport or for recreational purposes,’’ he said.

Lawson urged the relevant

authorities, the Nigeria Golf Federation (NGF), the Nigeria Golf Union, and state governments and golf associations to come together to evolve a golf developmental plan.

The former tour commissioner emphasised that the stakeholders must act urgently to ensure that all issues concerning the development of golf were addressed before the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

“Realistically there is no way we can have a good outing in four years time, because as it is now we may not have any player ranked in the world.

“But by 2020 we would have made an improvement that is, if we strictly adhere to our development plans,’’ Lawson said.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 43

FCT female football team to replay elimination match Saturday

T

he FCT female football team will re-play its match in the zonal elimination series against Benue on Saturday, the FCT FA Chairman, Musa Talle, said.

Talle said yesterday that the re-play was the fallout of a petition that was written against the team by Benue during the zonal elimination

series in Jos. He said Benue petitioned that the FCT team comprised professional league players against the rule of the sports festival.

The zonal elimination series was in preparation for the 2012 National Sports Festival.

Talle said the 25 players in the team were well

Amao charges NPL board on league sponsorship

T

he former Coach of Shooting Stars Sports Club, Fatai Amao, has urged the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) board to address problems of sponsorship before the start of the new soccer league season.

He also wants appeals over matches that ended in controversial circumstances to be resolved before the commencement of the season.

Amao told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) via a telephone interview that it was disturbing that a league considered among the best in Africa could not attract a title sponsor. He said that the South Africa league was a good example of a well-funded league and called on the private sector to show support in order to revive the league.

“A major problem that has to be addressed before the next season commences is the issue of sponsorship in our league. “If it is said that our league is one of the best in the continent, then we must ensure that it should reflect in the way it is ran. “Moroka Swallows FC of South Africa were recently given 8 million Rand for winning the Cup Final; why can’t we equally get good sponsorship deals as such,” he said.

He added it was unfortunate that the 2011/2012 league season ended in controversy and advised that appeals to protests should be decided within 48 hours of lodgment, after a match. Amao, then, noted the need for issues concerning players’ sign-on fees, salaries and match allowances be tackled effectively in order to enhance professionalism in the management of teams.

“The issue of salaries, match allowances and other contractual agreements should be addressed effectively in order to show professionalism in managing players’’.

The league 2011/2012 ended without a title sponsor.

The Kano Pillars were awarded the league title in controversial circumstances.

prepared for the competition and would play their match against Benue with zeal.

“The girls did very well because they won two games and lost one but for the petition against us we would have qualified for the festival.

“There was a petition from Benue that some of the players from FCT were from the professional league while they were the ones that used players from the professional league, ’’ Talle said.

He, however, said corrections had been made with regards to the petition, adding that that the players would be called back to camp on Wednesday to prepare for the encounter.

“Now we have to call the girls back although our intention was that they would come to camp next week to begin preparation for the festival, ’’ Talle said.

He said the male team also did very well but did not

qualify to represent the zone at the festival. “ The boys won one, lost one and drew one. Of course, all the other states did the same and we all had four points each. So, Plateau that had the goal difference and had five points made it and qualified to go for the festival in Jos, ’’ he said.

Commenting on the ongoing FCT FA championship, he said as soon as the match was over on Saturday, it would be continued.

“We suspended the competition to allow us focus on the elimination series for the festival.

“We don’t want our attention to be divided because we can’t go to Lagos without a football team from the FCT either male or female, ‘’ he said.

The 18th National Sports Festival tagged, ‘Eko 2012’, is scheduled to start in Lagos on Nov. 27.

Pillars’ coach, Ganaru, 11 other coaches interviewed for Kwara Utd job

B

aba Ganaru, who led Kano Pillars to emerge 2012 Nigeria Premier League champions, was among the12 coaches shortlisted and interviewed yesterday for the post of Head Coach of Kwara United.

According to a wire service, Ganaru and others were interviewed as the Kwara United management seek to reposition the team for next season, likely to start sometime in October.

It was also reported that the coaches were subjected to thorough screening ever as intense politicking was said to have characterised the screening exercise.

Ganaru and 11 others were interviewed at the Conference

Room of the Kwara State Sports Council, Ilorin, yesterday.

Others include former captain, Tunde Sanni, who led the club to 6th position during the last season, Fatai Amao, Festus Allen. Samson Unuanel, Alphonsus Dike, Lawrence Akpokona, Henry Nwosu, Abimbola Samuel, Samuel Akintola, Justin Tenger, and former Heartland gaffer, Lodewijk de Kruif.

Tenger and Dike are former coaches of the team.

Sources informed confirmed to the wire service that Ganaru was in Ilorin last week to seal negotiations for yesterday’s exercise.

Festival: Ondo tennis association invites 12 for camping

T

he Ondo State Tennis Association, said on Tuesday that it had invited six males and six females for training camp, ahead of the forthcoming 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos.

The association’s coach, Mayowa Osho, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure that the invited players would undergo series of trials at the camp.

Osho said he had the best crop of players capable of

winning medals for the state at the festival scheduled for Nov. 27 to Dec. 9.

“Our players are ready for the festival, we have been training the best way we know how, and I believe during camping, we would be able to select the best player to represent us,” he said.

The coach added that the players would attend an invitational competition to be organised by the first Vice President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, Bayo

Owoseni, in Ado Ekiti on Sept.

30.

“The competition is part of our preparations towards the festival,” he said.

Odunayo Boluwaduro, one of the invited players, told NAN that her daily training would help her perform well at the festival.

Boluwaduro, a bronze medalist at the last festival in Port Harcourt, said that she was prepared to win gold in Lagos.

“I will try my best to win gold in Lagos since this will be the

last festival I will feature in.

I was at Kaduna 2009 and Port Harcourt in 2011.

Winning gold in Lagos will enable me quit the festival with my head held high,” she said.

It would be recalled that one of the rules of the festival forbids athletes featuring more than three times.

Ondo State at the last festival in Port Harcourt won only a bronze medal in the female’s double event.

AWC: Nkwocha, 10 others hit camp October 7

By Albert Akota

A

Pepertua Nkwocha

head of the African Women Championship billed for Equatorial Guinea, head coach of the Super Falcons, Kadiri Ikhana, has invited Pepertua Nkwocha along with 10 other foreign-based players who are expected to join 27 others drawn from the domestic league.

Nkwocha, who is the current African Female Footballer of the Year, is to hit the camp in Abuja on October 7. The championship comes up from October 28 through November 11.

Making this known to Peoples Daily Sports yesterday at the Glasshouse, coach Ikhana said that he opted to call up more players to the camp was to allow him to have options as well as work to blend the squad ahead of their defence of the trophy.

The Falcons won the AWC in South Africa after losing at the previous edition to Equatorial Guinea and the coach hopes that they will retain the title, irrespective of the firece challenge expected from the hosts, Ghana and Cameroon.

Ikhana said that his crew will not be leaving anything to chance when the team begins their quest to defend the AWC Title.

Taking about why he decided to invite foreign based players even when he already has a number of experienced ones in camp; Ikhana said “we cannot totally say that the eleven of them must coming to play. I am inviting them to know what they have to offer, if the quality of those already in camp is better than them, then we go ahead with them.”

“They have three weeks to show what they can offer and it enough for me to determine if they actually have what it takes.”

Stella Mbachu

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

There can be few Turkish players with better first-hand knowledge of the advantages of playing internationally at youth level than Nuri Sahin. The 24-yearold midfielder has already made 32 senior appearances for his country, having shone as a youngster in different European and global tournaments. To many he is a model footballer, who has come through the ranks and since become an idol to younger generations.

2005 was an unforgettable year for the affable playmaker. First he led Turkey to UEFA European U-17 Championship glory in Italy, where he was also voted player of the tournament. He followed that up by playing a leading role in his country’s top-four finish at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru. There he was awarded both the adidas Silver Boot for finishing as second highest scorer and the adidas Bronze Ball as third-best player. All of a sudden, Nuri Sahin was a household world.

Sahin, born and raised in Germany, subsequently experienced a swift upturn in his career trajectory. He became the youngest ever player to appear in the Bundesliga after making his debut with Borussia Dortmund later that year. A first senior cap for Turkey soon followed, against Germany of all teams. Shortly after coming on as a substitute he put Turkey 2-0 up and today he remains both the national team’s youngest ever player and scorer.

When a short loan spell at Feyenoord ended, Sahin returned to Dortmund and was the attacking fulcrum of the championship-winning 2011 side, earning the additional honour of being voted Bundesliga player of the season. However, his ensuing eye-catching move to Real Madrid was overshadowed by injuries. With first team appearances at a premium in Spain, Sahin moved to Liverpool on loan for the current season.

The next couple of years hold two tournaments of particular interest to the midfielder. To begin with, he will be closely following the action in his homeland when the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 gets under way, where memories of his own participation in youth competitions are sure to come flooding back. Then comes the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, a tournament Sahin is determined to participate in, as he revealed to FIFA.com in an exclusive interview.

I

n nine months the football world will turn its attention to Turkey... (laughs) Yes, definitely. We’re hosting the U-20 World Cup and I can tell you already that everyone is full of drive and anticipation preparing for it. It’s a great opportunity for Turkey to prove it can organise a big tournament. Football plays a huge role in everyday life in Turkey, maybe the biggest role. Not a day goes by when football isn’t mentioned. We’re so passionate. I’m really looking forward to it and I know that my compatriots will enjoy the tournament a lot.

You know the answer to this better than most people: how important is it for a young player to take part in a major international tournament?

It’s priceless, especially for their development. These kind of tournaments are the first step into professional football. You appear on television for the first time and you return home full of confidence because you’ve tested yourself against the best. I have wonderful memories of the U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005. For me it was the perfect introduction and I had a lot of fun. The tournament made the next steps easier for me and was a big help in making me a better player.

“

Nuri Sahin

Youth’s international exposure... It’s priceless, especially for their development. These kind of tournaments are the first step into professional football. You appear on television for the first time and you return home full of confidence because you’ve tested yourself against the best. I have wonderful memories of the U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005. For me it was the perfect introduction and I had a lot of fun. The tournament made the next steps easier for me and was a big help in making me a better player.

I’ll give everything to be a success at Liverpool , says Turkey prodigy Sahin

In your opinion, what is the Turkish U-20 team capable of achieving on home turf at next year’s tournament?

I have to say, I don’t know the team that well, but generally Turkish sides tend to go far once they’ve qualified for the finals. That’s why I’m convinced that the guys will make an impact. They’ll be well prepared and will go into each game with the whole country behind them. With those conditions in place, winning the title is well within the realm of possibilities.

Where do you think Turkish football currently stands compared to the world’s top teams?

Unfortunately the senior side wasn’t involved at the last two big tournaments, the 2010 World Cup and EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. That was a huge step backwards, especially when you consider that Turkey finished third at the 2002 World Cup and got to the semi-finals of EURO 2008. But it’s something we just have to accept and now we must look forward to the future optimistically.

Where does that optimism come from?

We have a new coach, we’re taking his playing philosophy on board and we’ll return to our former strength. But there’s one thing we can’t forget: there are no small teams in international football anymore. There are three or four sides at the top but it’s very close after that. That affects us too.

What has been the biggest change under the new national team coach Abdullah Avci?

I think we’re all benefitting from him. He knows almost the entire team as he worked with several players in the youth sides. There’s no-one else in the whole country who knows the players as well as he does. For example, he coached me at U17 level. The advantage is that he is aware of every player’s strengths and weaknesses.

Looking ahead to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, what can you achieve there?

Our first objective is of course qualification, no doubt about it. We’ve started fairly well and are confident going into the games. After losing 2-0 in the Netherlands we beat Estonia 3-0 at home. But we can’t afford to make the mistake of underestimating our opponents.

What are your personal aims for the next couple of years?

First of all, I’ll give everything to have a successful season at Liverpool and to play as many games as possible. Recently I’ve experienced how quickly an injury can set you back. And of course, I want to be in the starting eleven for Turkey. That’s my main aim and I think I’m close to achieving it.

To go to Brazil as a starter in the Turkish side?

That’s my goal and I’m confident I’ll be on the pitch in Brazil as long as I stay healthy. That’s what I’ll be focusing on.

<<e>>

<<d>>

<<c>>

<<b>>

<<f>>

<<a>>

<<g>>

PICTORIAL

a. Alex Song has discussed why he couldn't turn down Barcelona, how hard it was to explain his decision to Arsene Wenger and why he is confident he can stand up to Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. b. Boxer Curtis Woodhouse aims to make "a dream come true" by beating Dave Ryan for the English lightwelterweight title. c. Chris Robshaw is not guaranteed the England captaincy for the autumn internationals, head coach Stuart Lancaster reveals. d. European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal says Rory McIlroy is playing almost as well as Tiger Woods in his prime. e. Stuart Broad says England must be "aggressive" towards Chris Gayle if they are to beat West Indies in the World Twenty20. f. After winning gold at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Bruno Landgraf suffered injuries in a car crash that ended his football career, as he explained that hasn't stopped him for representing his country on the big stage. g. A 17-year-old makes his mark for Hearts and Motherwell prepare to face Celtic in this week's North of the Border.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012 PAGE 45

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

Ondo gets 8 slots for ball games at sports festival

T

he Ondo State Sports Council said it was satisfied that the state qualified in eight of the10 ball games that would feature at the 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state secured the spots at the conclusion of the National Sports Council (NSC) SouthWest Zone II elimination in Ado-Ekiti on Friday.

Ondo will represent the zone, which has Osun and Ekiti, in the male and female categories of the volleyball, handball and abula events as well as the female hockey and basketball competitions.

The council’s General Manager, Mrs Idowu Akinbulumo, told NAN in Akure on Tuesday that the

contingent appreciated the government’s investment in them with brilliant performances.

“The state government has invested a lot in sports and the brilliant performance of

Team Ondo to the zonal trials is the reward it has to show to the world.

“Our athletes claimed eight out of the 10 events already decided in Ado- Ekiti which is a fantastic result for

us at the sports council.

“We hope to build on the zonal elimination result and prepare well for the National Sports Festival in Lagos from Nov. 27 to Dec. 9,’’ she said.

According to Akinbulumo, the football event will be decided at a later date to be communicated to the council by the NSC zonal office.

NAN reports that the male teams from Ekiti booked their places in the basketball and hockey events at the elimination.

Late Tella 5-A-Side tourney holds next month

T

he National Institute for Sports (NISports) has scheduled October 5 to 13 for the 15th edition of its annual late Yemi Tella FiveA-Side tournament.

James Adeshina, the coordinator of the competition, said in Lagos midweek that the competition, which was initially started by Tella before he died in 2007, will be held in his honour.

Tella, a former lecturer at

NISports, led Nigeria to its FIFA U-17 World Cup victory in South Korea in 2007.

Adeshina, a lecturer at the NISports, said that the competition, among the coaching students of the institute, was to improve their practical coaching skills in football.

He said that the selected students would compete with players from other invited clubs.

Adeshina added that

FIFA’s rules and regulations on futsal (FiveA-Side) competitions would be applied for the first time in the competition to make a difference.

“One of the reasons why the late coach organised the competition is to improve the student practical skills in football and how to extend the knowledge to other after graduating.

“The competition will also

enable the coaching students to learn the new rules and regulations in the game,’’ Adeshina said.

The coordinator, however, expressed sadness on the lack of sponsors for the competition, saying late Yemi Tella has done so much for sports in the country.

According to him, there is no reason why there should be no sponsors for a competition he started and later named after him.

Christy Udo, Members of the D’ Tigres walking away after losing one of their London Olympics Basketball qualifiers

T

he National Sports Commission (NSC) has planned to begin preparations for the 2016 Olympics using athletes discovered at the 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos, scheduled to be held from November 27 to December 9.

This is contained in a statement issued in Lagos and signed by Tayo Balogun, the Media and Publicity Officer of the Main Organising Committee (MOC) for the Games.

The statement said the games would give the commission ample time to

NSC to use ‘Eko 2012’ to begin preparations for next Olympics discover potential athletes.

“The National Sports Commission will select experts to scout for outstanding athletes during the sports festival who would be recruited to form the nucleus of a new Team Nigeria.

“Eko 2012 is expected to provide exceptional athletes who will be groomed on a periodic basis every year from 2013 till the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

in 2016.

“These athletes will form the core of the country’s contingent to future international sporting competitions holding from next year,’’ it said The statement listed some of the competitions as the All African Games and the Commonwealth Games.

It said NSC Chairman Bolaji Abdullahi had directed that only athletes “who show the zeal to compete in the

national colors will be considered in the new Team Nigeria’’.

The statement said the minister had also directed that the various sporting federations must henceforth endeavour to take part in all national and international competitions available.

“This situation is expected to keep our teams highly competitive and make them gain experience which was

largely lacking in our build up to the last Olympics.

“Similarly, Abdullahi has also directed that the various Sporting Zones created by the NSC will also be empowered to scout for and develop talents in their zones,’’ it said.

The statement said that particular attention would be given to such sports as taekwondo, judo, wrestling, weightlifting and athletics.

It quoted the minister as assuring Nigerians that with the co-operation of the private and public sectors in the areas of funding, Nigeria would start excelling in sports sooner than later.

Association fixes date for ‘Langa’ tourney

T

he Lagos State Traditional Sports Association said that it had scheduled September 27 to 29 for an ‘Open Langa Championship’ ahead of the forthcoming Sports 18 th National Festival becoming up in November.

The association’s Chief Coach, Edet Ibanga, disclosed this in Lagos adding that the tournament was to keep its athletes in good shape for the festival.

“The competition, scheduled for Evans Square Youth Centre, Yaba, will enable us to assess our athletes’ forms and standards ahead of the festival.

“It will also enable the association to further prepare its officials for the festival concerning officiating and other technical issues,” Ibanga said.

He added that the twoday competition was part of the association’s “Catch Them Young’’ programme, aimed at discovering talents at the grassroots to replace ageing athletes.

“Most importantly, the championship is to further promote the game because its popularity has continued to decline daily in the country.

“The game of langa is one of the five traditional sports; the others are kokowa (traditional wrestling), dambe (traditional boxing), ayo and abula.

“They all lack popularity among Nigerians which is due to the lack of interest by individuals, corporate bodies and government in sponsoring games in the sport,” he said.

According to him, sponsors have a lot to gain sponsoring any game in traditional sports because they are interesting to watch and full of fun.

The coach renewed his call on traditional rulers to ensure the sponsorship of events in traditional sports.

“Traditional sports are synonymous with traditional rulers and so our traditional rulers should ensure the sponsorship of games in traditional sports common in their areas,’’ he said.

He urged traditional rulers to help in preserving the sports adding that the promotion of traditional sports will reduce social vices because they will occupy many youths.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

PAGE 47

Say what?

Source: Reader's Digest

FACTS

Quick CrossWord (36)

* * 3.9% of all women surveyed say they never wear underwear.

ACROSS

* Superman is featured on every episode of "Seinfeld", either by name or pictures on Jerry's refrigerator. * 85% of the men that die while having sex are cheating on their wives. (thanks to Barbara Bassett) * Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than for the US Treasury. * American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class. * Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28 * Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38.

Source: Weird facts

PHOTO OF THE DAY

1 Forsake (7) 5 __ point, debatable issue (4) 8 Substitute for butter (abbrev) (5) 9 Strengthen (7) 11 Monetary advance (4) 12 Very lazy (4,4) 15 Police officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; code word for the first letter (5) 16 Tailback (5) 19 Average (8) 21 Indian cooking frying medium (4) 23 Getting better (7) 25 Itsy-bitsy (5) 26 Cotswolds market town, familiarly (4) 27 Disbeliever in God (7)

DOWN 2 Covered with clinging crustaceans (9) 3 Another name for Christmas (4) 4 Walking (2,4) 5 Came face to face (3) 6 Edible entrails (5) 7 More than adequately (5) 10 Plaintive (6) 13 Female offspring (9) 14 Red pepper (6) 17 Chess piece (6) 18 __ Cook, artist renowned for painting fat ladies (5) 20 Maladroit (5) 22 Inflamed eyelid (4) 24 Water formed by condensation at night (3)

Yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s answer

These bushy-faced blokes are locked in a face off - at the 2012 European Beard and Moustache Championships.

Source: Sun.co.uk

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE I think the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, is just a careless talker...He talks very carelessly, and we need to educate him

. . . putting the people first

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

SPORTS LA TEST LATEST

Byanca gem snatches Brazil win over Mexico

A

sumptuous late lob from substitute Byanca snatched Brazil a muchneeded 1-0 win over Mexico that left them in a strong position to reach the knockout stage of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and their opponents with it all to do.

The result left Brazil behind Japan, who face New Zealand later on Wednesday, and Mexico on goal difference.

However, with the South Americans facing the Oceanian outfit in their final game and the North Americans taking on the mighty Asians, the girls in the canary-yellow will be confident of seizing one of Group C’s two tickets to the quarter-finals.

Brazil had the better of the play in the first half, but they rarely failed to convert territorial advantage into meaningful opportunities.

Their best chance actually came from distance, with captain Andressa’s superb freekick going just over the crossbar.

If A Seleção’s final pass had often deserted them before the break, it didn’t thereafter. First, Camila shot narrowly wide and then, following some hesitant Mexican defending, Djenifer hit the post.

Camila then forced Gabriela Paz into a smart save, before Taylor Alvarado’s crossshot almost caught out Brazil goalkeeper Nicole.

Byanca’s 69th-mniute introduction gave Edvaldo Erlacher’s team fresh impetus.

The No9 employed her enchanting trickery to wow fans in Baku and torment the Mexican defenders.

Christopher Cuellar’s side nevertheless appeared en route to holding out for a precious point until eight minutes from time. That’s when Byanca received the ball down the right and, from fully 25 yards, produced a lob worthy of winning any game.

Result Mexico NZL Uruguay China

0 0 0 1

ADVERT: BUSINESS: NEWS: LAGOS:

Brazil Japan Ghana Germany

1 3 5 1

0803 0805 0803 0805 0803

— Senate President David Mark

A President’s UN address I

t’s my honour to address this august gathering of the United Nations. I am equally delighted to attend the first-ever High-Level Plenary Session of the United Nations on the Rule of Law, the spirit of which was bequeathed to me by my late boss, who passed away on the 5th of May 2010. May his gentle soul Rest in Peace, Amen.

Honourable Sec. Gen., first I must commend you for coordinating the affairs of the United Nations with more than 190 members. Managing affairs of this secretariat is not an easy task. But compared to my country – which is just a like a forest – United Nations is like a test tube.

That is why it is difficult to easily measure achievement in a forest.

Nonetheless, I will highlight some of the achievements of my administration.

Despite my commitment to rule of law and equity, it may interest the assembly to know that I am the most criticised president Nigeria ever had. We have evolved a number of policies with longterm benefits, which people will benefit in the future. But despite this barrage of criticism, I remain steadfast, doing what I know is good for the country.

We are very close to reaching a milestone, a point where petroleum subsidy will be completely withdrawn. Petroleum subsidy removal is good for the economy of our country, just as cassava bread is good for our health. That is the reason these two issues become the thrust of my agenda.

Our country is currently submerging under flood waters.

While ordering Julius Burger to clear the flood waters from the roads, I also told my ministers that the best way to address the issue is for people to learn swimming and diving. We will make this compulsory for all Nigerians in order to reduce the perennial flood deaths. I have already directed the Federal Road Accident Corps to immediately start issuing diver’s license to Nigerians who are certified fit to swim and dive. Those outside the creek, now have opportunity to learn diving and get license.

As I once said in one of my great speeches, “The dream that any Nigerian child from KauraNomoda to Duke village; from Potiscum to Nsuka; from Isale-Iko to Gbocko town will be able to realize his God-given potentials, unhindered by tribe or religion and unrestricted by improvised

311 689 606 327 454

7458 1765 3308 1969 0344

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon

political inhibitions.” Honourable Sec. Gen., I still hold on to this belief.

The challenge of Boco Haram crisis is coming to an end. I’ve already decided to award Shekarau and Abu Qaka a multi-million dollar contract for the security of churches, telecom masts and schools in the North Delta region.

The same thing I did to my Naija Delta militants. Currently, there’s no oil bunkering or pipeline vandalism in the region. This is a good example of rule of law. Alhaji Asara and Mr Tampico have all benefitted. Militant is not ahead of terrorist or insurgent. We are treating them the same in the spirit of Rule of Law.

Mr. Sec. Gen., this august assembly should note that I am the most impartial president my country ever had. When I decorated a business mogul Alhaji Alinco with GGCON honor, Nigerians hailed me because of his contribution to the provision of employment opportunities. That boy Alinco, who Fordes magazines declared the richest black African, is one of the pillars that hold the collapsing real sector of our economy. It’s surprising that some people criticise me for being biased in order rubbish our effort. This year again, in the spirit of equity, I also conferred another business man, Mr Mic Adenooga.

The National honours award was established by National Dishonour Act No 5 of 1964. The act empowers the president to honour deserving citizens. Since 1963, a total of 4,426 merit awards have been conferred on Nigerians. I contributed 979 to this number. This really is no mean achievement even on the international scale.

My dear colleagues, the world may notice that I recently showered N5 million to each of our gold medalist paralympians, just as I directed my defence chief to give N200,000 to the families of

“

The challenge of Boco Haram crisis is coming to an end. I’ve already decided to award Shekarau and Abu Qaka a multimillion dollar contract for the security of churches, telecom masts and schools in the North Delta region. The same thing I did to my Naija Delta militants. Currently, there’s no oil bunkering or pipeline vandalism in the region. This is a good example of rule of law

soldiers killed by Boco Haram sect. I do this in the spirit of equity.

Mr. Sec. Gen., my fellow heads of government, assembly men and women, our country has four major tribes today. We had three major tribes before, but my government increased the number to four. We now have, in alphabetical order, Ausa, Ejaw, Ibo and Yoroba. This has never been achieved by any government before my administration. No one can hardly tell which tribe between Ejaw and Ausa is the majority, or between Ibo and Yoroba and vice versa.

On the planned introduction of N5,000 note by the Central Bank, many people were not even aware that I even proposed a denomination much higher than 5,000. My plan was to introduce different notes for different individuals. For example, I proposed 620,000 notes for Members of the House of Refs, while the 5,000 can be used by the general public. The logic behind my proposition, which idle social media critics vehemently rejected, is to check corruption.

Our electoral commission under Professor Dahiru Jaga-Jaga has conducted the freest and fairest election ever in the history of our nation. Having won the election with a landslide, the commission deservedly declared me winner. We gave them more than N80 billion for the election and we are willing to give them more money to provide permanent voter’s card. It will interest this august assembly to know that currently, Sierra Leone is trained by Jaga-Jaga on how to conduct election.

The securities and exchange department under unassuming amazon in person of Ms. Rigima Oteh is doing great job. The market is appreciating by the day as she rids the department of corruption. She is embodiment of transparency and rule of law.

As one of the future economies of the world, I am glad to inform you that our country is on the path of economic growth. My coordinating minister of the Economy Dr. Ojoro Wahala is also doing great job.

While reiterating my government’s commitment to Rule of Law, I will however end my address with a pertinent request from this august assembly to consider our country for a permanent seat at the Security Council of United Corrupt Nations.

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos, Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 803 606 3308. e-mail: contact@peoplesdaily-online.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141