Monday, June 29th, 2015 Edition by Peoples Media Limited

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Monday, June 29, 2015/ Ramadan 12, 1436 AH

. . . putting the people first

El-Rufai, Masari, Yari meet over dreaded ‘Kamuku Forest’

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Nigeria, India sign prisoners swap pact

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Lawmaker, civil servant charged with defrauding pilgrims

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Why Buhari is yet to name ministers l Nigerians in tandem with PMB, Presidency replies PDP

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L-R: Former President Shehu Shagari, in a conversation with Sokoto state Governor, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, during the governor’s visit to the former president’s residence, yesterday in Sokoto.

I didn’t struggle to become Speaker – Dogara By Umar Muhammad Puma

s the crisis rocking the National Assembly over leadership positions continues to generate concern, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon.

Yakubu Dogara yesterday said he had been a product of grace and never had to struggle for anything in his life so far. Dogara apparently indicated that he did not have to struggle to become the Speaker of the House.

Dogara who spoke during a Thanksgiving Service at the Winners Chapel, Durumi, Abuja which he attended with his wife said he encountered God before his university days and has never lacked any good thing since then.

He added that “ever since I met God through this commission at a tender age, I have not had to struggle for anything in life. Contd on Page 2

441 Days after Abuja court to residents: Renovate Will the abducted Chibok schoolgirls ever be rescued?

buildings or face sack

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

News CONTENTS News 2-11 Editorial 13 Op.Ed 14 Letters 15 Politics 16-18 Business Stockwatch

19-22 23

S/Report 24-25 M/Earth 27 Update 28 Feature 30

NASS crisis: Is the ruling party in tenterhooks? – Page 4

Metro

Int’l 39 S/World

Digest 40 Sports 41 Columnist 48

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Why Buhari is yet to name ministers By Ali Abare Abubakar & Lawrence Olaoye

acts emerging indicate that President Muhammadu Buhari may not be appointing any cabinet members within the next two months-at least. Speaking in an off-the-record chat with a set of journalists in Abuja, a source close to the President who is not authorised to speak publicly regarding the issue, said that President Buhari is reluctant to build on a “rotten foundation” he inherited from the PDP administration. “You cannot even begin to imagine the situation we have met on the ground,” he said. “Almost everything is in a state of decay. There is absolutely no way the new government can hope to achieve anything longlasting without first building a new foundation.” The source likened President Buhari’s plan of action to that of a doctor who first has to break a poorly set bone afresh, before resetting it to allow for smooth and proper growth. Over the past week, the Commander-inChief has come under criticism from various sources in the media, who are worried that he has had more than three months since his election, including a month since his inauguration, yet no cabinet appointments have been made. Responding to this, the source pointed out that it would be impossible to appoint ministers to portfolios, without first knowing which portfolios exist and which will be abolished. “The president plans to cut down the number of ministries and parastatals,” he said. “He wants to cut down the cost

of running government. He wants to make sure that all the loopholes that enable corruption to thrive are blocked. All these are procedures that require time and careful planning. You cannot do it in a rush.” He added that President Buhari could not realistically have begun this process without first receiving the full report of the transition committee and ascertaining exactly the situation his government faced. “Remember that he has to make sure that all this is done without any job losses or mass retrenchments,” he said. “All this is not a day’s or one-month job.” The source also denied news reports which stated that President Buhari’s lack of cabinet appointments had ground government to a halt, insisting that civil servants have been supervising the day-to-day running of ministries and that Permanent Secretaries of the various ministries all have full access to the President. “All these reports and agitations are being fuelled by politicians who want to put pressure on the President,” he said. “They have tried doing it other ways and those haven’t worked. Now, they are trying to use the media. They only want their cronies appointed to Ministerial posts anyhow and they are fuelling the agitation through newspapers. He advised the Nigerian media not to fall for the old tricks and shenanigans of politicians. The source concluded by referring to the current crisis in the National Assembly, listing that as yet one more excuse why forming a cabinet will be impossible until further notice.

Contd from Cover page “I never had any reason to struggle nor lack any good thing in my life.” Dogara called on Nigerians to pray for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari and leaders at all levels of government from the president to the last person in line of authority. A statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs Turaki Hassan in AbujaSunday said Dogara said,

“Challenges confronting the present crop of leaders in the country are not ordinary and that it requires extra-ordinary prayers to overcome.” Dogara said: “I want to plead that because the problems we have now in the country now are not conventional. And so conventional wisdom cannot solve them. We need divine wisodm.” According to him, “without prayers there is no way we

“Look at how they are fighting among themselves,” he said. “The Senate has now adjourned till July 21. That means no one to scrutinise or approve any ministerial list until the end of July.” Reminded that the Senate has agreed to reconvene to consider the president’s ministerial nominees as soon as such list was ready, the source asked the reporters to await the President’s longawaited intervention in the crisis between the party and the National Assembly. “The President wants to walk his talk on stable politics and being a leader for all. He has a plan for the National Assembly.” Contacted on this issue, both of Buhari’s spokesmen, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu said this narrative is the nearest to the truth than all that are being peddled by many others. eanwhile the Presidency has replied the PDP over the call on Nigerians to pray for President Buhari saying the call was unnecessary because Nigerians are already solidly behind the president. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said it is amusing to read what the National Publicity Secretary of the defeated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, considers a 30 days appraisal of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. “He wants Nigerians to join hands in prayers for the government, so that things would begin to move. What he does not know is that Nigerians had long formed such coalition. They are hands in hands, and that was what gave victory to

President Buhari in the March 28, 2015 poll,” Adesina said. “They had teamed up to uproot an administration that had brought the country to her knees, and was about to tip her off the precipice. And Nigerians have resolved that never would they allow any government to divide them along regional, religious and ethnic fault lines again, the statement added. “The Buhari administration is naturally contemplative because there was absolutely no rhyme or reason to the way PDP ran the country, particularly in the immediate past dispensation. That is why the Augean Stable is being cleaned now, and it requires scrupulous and painstaking planning. Across all sectors, our national life was devalued, and it takes meticulousness and sure-footedness to repair all the breaches. This, the Buhari administration will deliver. “Metuh talks of people round the President conniving with bureaucrats to siphon money from the treasury. This must be deja vu, as it was the pastime of the immediate past administration, and the enormity of the sleaze will be evident when stolen money, to the tune of billions of dollars, is recovered, and returned to the national treasury soon. “In the process of time, after all that is being planned by the current administration has matured, and bearing fruits, Nigerians will be able to determine who is serving them acceptably, and who has taken them for a ride. It is just a matter of time. “Meanwhile, Metuh and his masters can only rue the missed opportunities to make salutary impact on the lives of Nigerians. They have a long road of regrets to travel,” the statement said.

can succeed. So I urge that we offer prayers and supplication be offered for all the leaders beginning from the President to the least person in authority.” He said prayers are needed for leaders “so that we can embrace this wisdom that comes from God and apply those tools that we can fashion out by means of this wisdom in bringing solution to the problems that are no longer conventional. Now to Him who is immortal, invincible eternal,

the only one God be honour and glory forever and ever.” In his sermon Pastor John Adelekun who read scriptures from the book of Matthew 6:33, Malachi 3:l7, Ephesians 6:18 among other verses called on the worshippers to serve God and tap into His blessings. Pastor Adelekun said those who serve God don´t beg to be lifted and that they are doing themselves favour when they serve.

I did not struggle to become Speaker – Dogara

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

News

Ramadan Timing Day 12

Gunmen kill ex-security aide to Patience Jonathan By Mashe Gwanna

nknown gunmen have shot dead ex-First Lady, Patience Jonathan’ s former Principal Security Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Tamuno Jacob Igbomie. Igbomie’s corpse was found in his Honda Accord car last Friday along the Airport Road, Abuja. The former PSO, who was married with two children, was believed to have been killed by assassins who shot him at pointblank range in his car and left the engine running. Reports said the body of the DSP was found early in the morning with all his phones, wallet

and other personal effects intact in the car. “We believe Tamuno was killed by hired assassins because they did not take away anything in his car, his phones and wallet were still with him when his body was found in the car with the engine steaming. “He was shot in the night and his body was found early in the morning. We don’t know if he was killed over a business transaction or disagreement with someone,” the source who served with the deceased at the villa stated. Findings indicated that the late policemen had just been redeployed back to his former position at the FCT Police

Command, where he was in charge of posting of junior officers. The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, confirmed the killing of the policeman, noting that investigation has begun to arrest the assailants. “Yes, a DSP attached to the villa was killed last week Friday, investigation has started to find out the people behind the murder. No arrest has been made yet,” he said over the telephone on Sunday. The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Manzah, said the FCT Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, had ordered an investigation into the tragic incident.

Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Sunday said that the enormity of the confusion surrounding the government and party in the last one month makes it imperative for Nigerians to pray as the success or failure of the Buhari administration will not only affect the President and his party but also the entire nation. “We urge Nigerians to join hands in prayers and offer useful suggestions to President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC because with what we have seen in the last 30 days, the present administration is finding it very difficult to get its bearings right while showing no inclination towards implementing its numerous campaign promises for which they were voted into office at the center. “We are deeply worried that the President who promised to

unveil his cabinet two weeks after his inauguration, has not been able to decide on key appointments such as ministers, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), a Chief of Staff and advisers in key sectors of the economy. “This is more so as the delay has brought government business in ministries, departments and agencies to a dangerous standstill with coordination of important policies vested on ministers and the SGF now in tatters while the system drifts. This situation also creates loopholes through which overzealous persons around that President can connive with unscrupulous elements in the bureaucracy to syphon public resources in addition to possibly misleading the President to violate due process by spending beyond and outside his statutory limits.”, PDP said.

30 days in office: PDP urges prayers for Buhari, APC to deliver By Ahmed Abubakar

he Peoples Democratic Party said yesterday that it has undergone a careful evaluation of the first 30 days of President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC)’s administration, and notes that it has become obvious that Nigerians need to join hands in prayers to save the government from further inaction and dithering. The party said the call for prayers has become necessary given the fact that the administration is finding it difficult to locate its bearing and even take off and face the challenges of governance at the center resulting in 30 days of all motion and no movement, a scenario that does not augur well for the polity. PDP National Publicity

Buhari reinstates commitment to end terrorism

By Lawrence Olaoye

resident Muhammadu Buhari has described the Boko Harm insurgents troubling parts of the country as enemies of humanity. This is just as he also reinstated the uncompromising commitment of his government to end terrorism in the country. The President, who condemned in the strongest language the latest terrorist attacks on Borno and Yobe communities by the Boko Haram bandits, said he was deeply touched by the mindless incidents of violence on innocent people during the month of Ramadan. Buhari in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said that the terrorists are enemies of everybody, and enemies of humanity everywhere. He explained that no sane people who believe in any god would be destroying the lives of innocent people in cold blood,

• Condemns latest Borno,Yobe attacks

adding that terrorists don’t represent any religion. Buhari said the pattern of their indiscriminate violence against innocent people shows that they represent nothing else but anarchy and devilry. In what appears to be one of his toughest expressions of outrage, the President reminded the terrorists of his uncompromising resolve to tackle them with all the resources at the disposal of his government. “Make no mistake about it: this government is ever determined to discharge its fundamental duty of protecting the lives of its citizens from physical threats from any groups bent on creating chaos, confusion, and on destroying social and economic life of the people”, he further warned. Buhari, who extended his sympathy to the families of the victims, reassured all Nigerians that his government would never

tolerate to terrorist blackmail, and that our security forces would confront the Boko Haram bandits to the last man. Describing terrorists as “cowards who lack any moral inhibition and any iota of humanity to reason compassionately” would not find Nigeria a safe haven, because “they would be “hunted down without mercy and compromise.” He reassured Nigerians that security would be tackled by his administration with vigorous determination. The President, however, advised Nigerian to show more vigilance and be alert to the presence of suspicious people around them, adding that “the terrorists are enemies of religion and humanity.” He explained that “no true believers in any God would target worshipers, holy places, or people who are fasting and other innocent Nigerians.”

Towns Magrib Alfijr Abakaliki 6.49 6.01 Abeokuta 7.08 5.18 Abuja 6.55 4.58 Akure 6.55 5.10 Auchi 6.56 5.06 Ankpa 6.51 4.59 Argungu 7.13 4.59 Azare 6.49 4.39 Bama 6.34 4.27 Bauchi 6.47 4.48 Benin 6.57 5.11 Bichi 6.57 4.47 Bida 7.00 5.03 Birnin Gwari 6.59 4.58 B/Kebbi Gwandu 7.14 5.02 Calabar 6.45 5.02 Damaturu 6.42 4.32 Daura/Kazaure 6.58 4.44 Dutse 6.52 4.45 Enugu 6.50 6.02 Funtua/Malumfashi 7.00 4.53 Gombe 6.41 4.40 Gumi 7.09 4.59 Gusau 7.02 4.52 Gwadabawa 7.11 4.57 Gwoza 6.34 4.29 Hadejia 6.51 4.39 Ibadan 7.06 5.14 Ife 7.04 5.12 Ilesha Baruba 7.10 5.13 Ilorin 7.06 5.10 Jalingo 6.38 4.41 Jere/Suleija 6.55 4.54 Jos 6.50 4.49 Kabba 6.59 5.05 Kafanchan 6.52 4.52 Kafin Maiyaki 6.57 4.48 Kaduna 6.57 4.54 Kano 6.56 4.46 Katsina 7.02 4.48 Kontagora 7.04 4.45 Lafia 6.49 4.53 Lagos 7.06 5.18 Lokoja 6.56 5.02 Maiduguri 6.37 4.27 Makurdi 6.49 4.55 Minna 6.59 5.00 Missau 6.45 4.40 Monguno 6.37 4.23 Ningi 6.50 4.46 Ogbomosho 7.06 5.12 Okene 6.57 5.05 Onitsha 6.52 5.06 Oyo 7.07 5.13 Port Harcourt 6.50 5.07 Potiskum 6.45 4.35 Sagamu 7.06 5.16 Sokoto 7.10 4.57 Takum 6.41 4.51 Warri 6.56 5.11 Wurno 7.10 5.55 Yola 6.34 4.37 Zaria 6.57 4.52 Cotonnou-Benin 7.09 5.23 Ndjamena-Chad 6.30 4.30 Niamey-Niger 7.24 4.59 Zinder – Niger 6.58 4.40 Garoua – Cameroun 6.20 4.33 Younde-Cameroun 6.30 4.51 (Source: Society for the Propagation of Islam Kaduna)

Recommended DU’A for Day Recommended DU’A for 06 Day 12 Pray aan 8 Rak-a’t Salaat, Salaat.InInevery everyRaka’aats Rak-a’t after Pray 8 Raka’aats , afterthe the recitationofofSurah Al-Faatih’ah, recite Suatul Qadr 20 30 recitation Al Faatih’ah, recite Surah Al Qadr times.Afer Afterthe Salam, the Salawatun following Du’a: times. Salam,say receite Nabiyyi (S) 50 Allaahumma Qawwinee Feehi A’laa Iqaaamati times. Then say the following: Amrika Wa Ad’iqnee Feehi Wa “Allaahumma Zayyinnee FeehiH’alaawata Bis-Sitri WalD’ikrika I’faaf WasAwzia’-Nee Li-Adaaa-I Shukrika Turnee FeehiFeehi Bi-Libaasil Qunoo-I’wal KifaafBikaramika Wah’-Milnee Wah’-Faz’nee Feehi Bi-H’ifz’ika Wa Sitrika YaaKulli Maa Feehi A’lal A’dli Wa Ins’aaf Wa Aaminne Feehi Min Abs’aranBi-I’s’matal Naaz’ireen Akhaafu Khaaa-Ifeen” Meaning:OOAllah, Allah,in on day,beautify strengthen methe in trimMeaning: thisthis month, me with carrying commands, let melet taste the sweetming and out frillsYour of modesty and chastity, contentment and ness satisfaction of Your remembrance, grantletme, (self) by my daily wear, me through adhere toYour justice graciousness, that I give with thanks to You. Protect me,me and fairplay in my dealings (fellow men), and keep with Yourall protection cover, O the most discern-O safe from that whichand terrify me, through Thy support, ing of those see.to the frightened. He who giveswho support

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Page 4 Report By Ochiaka Ugwu

ost party systems in Nigeria are relatively stable over time. Yet in the 1960s, 1980s, and even in the recent democracy established party systems in our clime broke down, leading to the crisis of confidence we saw in the defunct Action Group between Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Ladoke Akintola. Ever since the Awolowo/Akintola rift, party crisis has become a prominent feature of Nigeria party politics with the most recent All Progressives’ Congress (APC) becoming the most talked in the nation today. However, it is no secret to anyone that the ruling APC is passing through a severe crisis. The Party’s loss of direction, the shrinking and weakness of the leadership, the latter’s isolation from one another, and the absence of coordinated Party work — all show that the Party is ailing, that it is passing through a serious crisis. Indeed, the first thing that is particularly depressing the Party is the lack of respect for party supremacy by its high placed members. This manifested itself in the build up to the election of the National Assembly leadership which saw Senators Bukola Saraki (APC) Kwara and Ike Ekweremadu (PDP) Enugu emerge as Senate President and deputy respectively against the party’s adopted candidates. In the House of Representatives, the same rebellion against the party also ensured with election of Honourables Yakubu Dogara (APC) Bauchi and Yusuf Lasun (APC) Osun as Speaker and Deputy respectively. The party before the inauguration of the National Assembly by the Clerk, Mr. Salisu Maikasuwa following a letter of proclamation sent by President Mohammadu Buhari had in a shadow election nominated Senators Ahmed Lawan, George Akume, as leaders of Senate and Femi Gbajabiamila and Tahir Mungono to pilot the affairs of the green chambers for the four legislative years. In a manner reminiscent to what happened in the House of Reps in the 7th assembly otherwise known as “Tambuwal Option” were the Present Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal with most opposition members went against the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s choice of Hon. Mulikat Akande Adeola and got him (Tambuwal) elected, Saraki teamed up with few of APC senators and PDP collogues following a political understanding that the opposition PDP will produce the deputy. This political arrangement no doubt saw the emergence of Ekweremadu. Saraki was said to have vowed to teach the APC National Caucus, (POS 101) immediately he discovered that their body language was titling towards Lawan who had become Saraki’s archrival. Undeniably, most APC leaders are yet to reconcile the reality of them been kept waiting for Buhari in the International Conference Centre (ICC) while

NASS crisis: Is the ruling party in tenterhooks?

President Muhammadu Buhari their fate were being decided in the hallowed chamber of the senate. The APC who had hitherto threatened thunder and brimstone for dissident members like Saraki and Dogara soft peddled by allowing reason to prevail. Agreed, that the candidates got elected on the platform of the APC and should be submissive to the party’s policies at all times, but the constitution of the land is clear on the election of national assembly principal officers. At no time did the constitution say that the business of electing principle officers is entirely for the majority or ruling party, but for the members alone. Hardly had Saraki and his associates breathe a sigh relief after APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun recognized them and asked them to go and sin no more, a letter came from the party that

Senate President Bukola Saraki contained the names of senators to be appointed leader and deputy leader, whip and deputy with names of Senators Ahmed Lawan, George Akume, featuring prominently. Saraki, again undermined the APC by dumping the list of candidates for the coveted positions and successfully elected different candidates for the positions in defiance of the party, Dogara’s effort to do same at the lower Chamber ended in confusion as the House went on a long recess after a free for all fracas with some people attempting to remove the mace. Reacting on why he disregarded the APC letter on appointment of principal officers, Senator Saraki in a letter to the National Chairman APC, John Oyegun, explained that he went against the party’s wishes in the appointment of Senate leaders because his hands were tied.

“

APC NAtional Chairman, John Oyegun

It would be recalled that before the election of the Senate Majority Leader and the other leaders of the Red carpet Chamber, APC National Chairman, Oyegun had written a formal letter to Saraki, telling him to choose Senator Ahmed Lawan as Majority Leader, amongst other nominations made by the leadership of APC. But when it was time to elect the leaders, the Senate President nominated Senator Ali Ndume instead; an action APC leaders described as the height of rebellion and disrespect for the party’s supremacy. So, in the letter, which he signed personally, the Senate President explained that the APC’s letter on who to nominate came after the zonal caucuses had chosen their candidates in line with parliamentary convention. Saraki further said that he would have liked to please the party but his hands were tied.

Reacting to this development, political pundits and concerned Nigerians as well have called on the party to do something fast to regain authority and save the soul of the nation while some are now doubting whether the APC can end the crisis within a short period of time

He also assured the APC of his continuing loyalty in the letter which was addressed to National Chairman, Oyegun. Reacting to this development, political pundits and concerned Nigerians as well have called on the party to do something fast to regain authority and save the soul of the nation while some are now doubting whether the APC can end the crisis within a short period of time. The unfortunate thing depressing the Party is the isolation of its leadership from the broad masses. Most APC loyalists numbered millions in their ranks are beginning to question the feasibility of the change mantra being sung by the party during the struggle to capture power. At that time, the Party had firm roots among the masses. This is not the case now. Instead of thousands, tens and, at best, hundreds, have being disappointed with the recent development in parliament where the ruling party had danced itself lame in shame. As regards leading hundreds of thousands, it is not worth speaking about. Of course, the party exercises wide influence among the Nigerian masses; the masses know the Party, the masses respect it. That is what primarily distinguishes the party from other political Party making it possible for them to defeat the party in power. While every concerned observer said APC must do something fast to save the situation, the right option left for the party is not generally agreed upon. But the whole point is to find ways of bringing about the recovery of the Party, to find means by which the Party will link up with the masses, and unite these interests that is now isolated from one another in a single organism called APC.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

News

NTI trains staff on guidance, counseling to improve teacher’s quality By Maryam Hassan Garba

he National Teachers’ Institute has organized a two-day workshop for its Bachelors Degree Programmes Centre Managers and Desk Officers from across the 36 States of the Federation and the FTC Abuja. The training workshop which held at the Institute’s Headquarters in Kaduna is to improve teacher quality in the area of guidance and counseling skills. The workshop is expected to groom the Centre Managers and Desk Officers who deal with directly with the students. It is also expected to go a long way to ensure students eschew avoidable mistakes and make the right career choice. Declaring the workshop open, the Director General and Chief Executive of the institute, Dr Aminu Ladan Sharehu said the workshop was expected to come up with an intensive manual for Guidance and Counseling which was lacking in the institute. Dr. Sharehu said the institute takes Guidance and Counseling seriously due to its impact in the life of any individual, especially teachers that are trainers and moulders of characters. “To ensure our students get the best of skill and knowledge of Guidance and Counseling through Open and Distance Learning (ODL), NTI partnered with National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to train selected individuals among its staff”. The DG said students of the institute are supposed to be guided on ODL and what to expect at the inception of their programme, character moulding, behaviour and morality just as the certificates are awarded based on character and learning. He added that the workshop is also to ensure staff is grounded in the impacting of knowledge to get best of education knowledge. In his remark, Professor Sani Sambo of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria advocated for the establishment of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) in Guidance and Counseling in the institute to groom teacher trainers and students for better choice in all their facets of life. Also speaking, Dr. Bolaji Oyedeji said ODL affords individuals the opportunity to acquire education at their own pace and time, hence the need for requisite knowledge of Guidance and Counseling. Over ten thousand students of the institution across the nation in different centres are expected to benefit from the workshop training at the end.

Shettima breaks fast with 2000 IDPs

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

orno state Governor, Kashim Shettima at the weekend joined 2000 Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) from Bama town, taking refuge at the Yerwa IDP camp in Maiduguri to break the Ramadan fast. Also present at the Ramadan breakfast included Secretary to

the State Government, Alhaji Jidda Shuwa, top government officials and Emir of Bama, Alhaji Kyari Ibn Ibrahim El-Kanemi, among others. Speaking shortly after the Iftar, Governor Shettima told the IDPs to consider their present condition as an act of Almighty Allah as government is committed to rebuilding their destroyed houses. Shettima said the emergence

of Muhammadu Buhari as the newly elected President has given a hope for the return of peace in the state. The governor hinted that since Buhari took over affairs at the Presidency, he has been doing silent works, one of which is that the Federal Government has now taken over most responsibilities in funding activities across about 20 IDP camps in Maiduguri whereas Borno state government

fully shouldered most of the responsibilities under the leadership of the former president Goodluck Jonathan. Shettima said: “Early last week, governors met with Mr. President on the state of the nation and one of the President’s renewed assurances is the fight against the insurgents and a firm pledge to offer special support to Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.”

L-R: Counsellor, Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Service, Government of Canada, Mrs. Megan Foster, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Suleiman Lasun, Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, and High Commission/ Haut-commissaries, Canada, Mr. Perry Calderwood, during their visit to Speaker at weekend in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

El-Rufai, Masari, Yari, others meet over dreaded ‘Kamuku Forest’ ...say forest may breed future Boko Haram G From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

overnors of the five states bordering the dreaded Kamuku Forest, where series of criminal activities have been ongoing for years have moved to prevent what they fear might breed future Boko Haram. The five Governors who are Mallam Nasir El- Rufai of Kaduna state,, Hon. Bello Masari of Katsina, Alhaji Lallo Sani Bello of Niger, Alhaji Abubarkar Yari of Zamfara and Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state met in Kaduna over the weekend to brainstorm on ways of addressing the security threats posed by the forest. Even though, the resolution

of the meeting was not disclosed after the meeting which was held behind closed doors in the Kaduna State Government House, the host Governor Nasir El-Rufai told newsmen that, their discussion was mainly about security of their states. According El-Rufai, “the forest which is in the centre of the Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Kabbi and Zamfara has been of serious security concern. So, we need to address it because that forest is capable of breeding future Boko Haram. “So, we have just met to brainstorm with a view to fashioning out a coordinated

approach in tackling the security challenges in our states. This is has become necessary to avoid spill over. “We met with security chiefs in charge of our respective states so that, we can as quickly as possible bring an end to the loss of lives, cattle rustling and loss of property”, El-Rufai said. He however disclosed that, the five states governors have the full support of the federal government in their move to secure the states. Governor El-Rufai who had earlier addressed his first Town Hall meeting reiterated his government’s commitment to

devote the state resources to people oriented projects. According to him, “The new government of Kaduna State has declared that the resources of the state will be devoted to serving the public, with schools, hospitals and roads; aiding our farmers and doing our utmost to create jobs. “To do that, we must cut the cost of running government. Ours will no longer be the state that has too little left for the needs of the majority of the people. That is our guiding principle as we reduce costs. And we have taken concrete action in this regard.”El-Rufai added.

Don’t compromise our unity, Etsu Nupe urges Nigerians From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

he Etsu Nupe and Chairman of Traditional Council of Niger state, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar has reiterated that to enhance success, growth and development of the country, the unity, peaceful co-existence of the people must not be compromised.

The traditional ruler led the people of Nupe kingdom at the weekend who prayed for peace, unity and progress of Nigeria during special breaking of fast (Iftar) and prayers at his Wadata Palace Bida, being part of the activities to mark the 8th Nupe day celebration. Charged Nigerians to always pray for their

leaders to succeed. The royal father said that no nation or society achieved meaningful progress without peace and unity, adding that the need for the diverse ethnic, religious and political group to unite and embrace peace for the development of the nation. Abubakar told the Nupes in

diaspora to pray for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari and other elected leaders even as this year’s annual festival coincided with Ramadan, which has made the celebration to be used to pray for the progress of Nupe land and Nigeria as well as for God to guide the nation’s leaders.

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News

Nigerian Society of Engineer charges FG on economic development

From Osakhare Erese, Asaba

he Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has chided the Federal Government on political achievements and asked it to look beyond political activities with a view to giving opportunity to professionals that would deploy their years of experience to grow the economy and add values to the living standard of Nigerians. The NSE at the weekend in Asaba Delta State at the annual lecture and induction of new members, said with the vast knowledge of professionals laced with the nation’s drive to diversify the economy, it is imperative for the Nigerian government to embrace professionalism so as to meet the development needs of individual sectors of the economy. Engr. Rex Ohre, Chairman of the Asaba branch of NSE and Assistant Dean Faculty of Engineering of the University of Benin, Engr. Joseph Achebo, who jointly made the submissions while delivering a lecture on the theme: “The Indispensability of Engineers in a Transition Period of Government”, said that Nigerian professional are skillful and proficient in all areas, but not limited to planning and construction of pipelines including rehabilitation of schools, hospitals, National highways, among others which are indispensable ingredients to smooth running of society. The NSE said following the high expectation of Nigerians from the new government in terms of security and general welfare, with particular focus on raising the standard of living of the average Nigerians through the application of science and technology, the role of professionals with specific reference to engineers cannot be underestimated. The NSE insisted that “engineering covers every aspect of human life, there is a constant reminder of the pervasive and all encompassing nature of engineering in every sphere of life” decrying the nation’s over dependence on mono economy, saying that Nigeria’s over-reliance on petroleum has put the country in precarious position and has left the entire economy vulnerable to the whims and caprices of the fluctuations of oil prices.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Ramadan: JIBWIS dispatches 400 clerics to preach From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

he National Vice Chairman of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’a Wa’ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), Sheikh Muhammad Nasir Abdulmuhyi has revealed that the Sunnah organization has dispatched over 400 renowned Islamic preachers for this Ramadan period to preach in some African countries. Sheikh Muhammad Nasir Abdulmuhyi during homage to the Emir of Bauchi, Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu Sunday, outlined the countries where JIBWIS dispatched preachers to include Niger Republic, Cameroon, Benin Republic, Sudan, and the host country Nigeria where they were sent to various states of the federation.

The JIBWIS National vice chairman commended the Islamic preachers especially those in Bauchi both under and outside the tutelage of the Sunnah organization in the way and manner they educate the Ummah without acrimonies and backbites among them. Abdulmuhyi also want traditional rulers as custodians of the people to continue offering useful advices and counseling to leaders at all levels of governance for enduring peaceful co-existence among the diverse people of the country. He also appealed to state governments, particularly Bauchi which the JIBWIS chieftain christened as pure civil service state to see to the hardships being experienced by civil servants and

the people generally with a view to ensure prompt payment of salaries and other privileges. Sheikh Nasir Abdulmuhyi expressed optimism that leadership at various levels will be blessed with credible and knowledgeable advisers whose services and sacrifice will champion the course of the country to greater heights, and salvage the down-trodden from the shackles of poverty, hunger, and disease. He hailed the Emir for his enormous contributions towards the promotion of JIBWIS programmes and activities, and described Bauchi emirate ship as a formidable and esteemed pillar of Islam dates back to the famous Islamic Jihadist, Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio era and hope the tempo will be maintained.

The Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu had while responding noted that Ramadan is a blessed month of sacrifice, and expressed gratitude for the second coming of preacher Nasir Abdulmuhyi to the state, saying it is a guide for the Muslim Ummah. Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu also expressed delight for the co-operation and understanding of the people generally which, he observed, have been paving way for harmonious and peaceful co-existence among them. Sheikh Muhammad Nasir Abdulmuhyi as preacher who was last year sent from Jos, Plateau state to Bauchi for religious preaching was back this Ramadan period for the same purpose.

L-R: Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), being welcomed by Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Sunusi in his palace, yesterday in Dutse. Photo: NAN

From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

o fewer than two persons were on Sunday confirmed killed by suspected Berom gunmen along Abuja-Kaduna road, burning twenty cattle to death. Peoples Daily gathered that other victims of the incident who have sustained various

Gunmen kill two, burn 20 cattle in Plateau degrees of injuries were rushed to Bingham Teaching Hospital in Jos, the Plateau state capital for medical treatment. The Cattle Traders Association of Nigeria, Plateau chapter through its Vice Chairman, Alh. Dauda Adams condemned the incident and cautioned the perpetrators

against the incessant killing of its members in Riyom and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas, saying the action has become the order of the day. The state vice chairman narrated that the attackers in the said area blocked the road when the attacked vehicles were moving on the way, shooting

sporadically and two passengers died at the spot, while others fled to the bush for cover. Adam however, called on both the federal and state government to put in place measures that would help to address the destruction of lives and property of their members in the state.

NIPC saga: Group kicks against Saratu’s reinstatement By Stanley Onyekwere

Civil Rights group, Nigerian Democratic Front (NDF), has kicked against purported move by President Muhammadu Buhari to reinstate the dismissed Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Saratu Umar. The group which made this call yesterday, during a press briefing held in Abuja, appealed to the president to look properly

into the reason why Mrs. Umar was dismissed before trying to reinstate her as according to them, her dismissal was out of her failure to perform. According to the leader of the group, Comrade Philip Agbese, the president should to desist from sacrificing competence on the altar of mediocrity, noting that Mrs. Umar has severally been dismissed at different instances in her working career as a result a person with such working history should be deemed unemployable

by any government that is serious about results. Agbese maintained that Mrs. Umar had before her appointment as Executive Secretary of NIPC been summarily dismissed from the services of thethe Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) on the grounds of underperformance. The group, which has also called on the Mrs. Umar to “desist from playing the religion card as a tool to gain sympathy, stressing that Nigerians have shown that

they have grown past religious sentiments. While commending the president over his support for the presidential bid of the former Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Femi Adesina which led to his eventual victory, the group also advised him not to totally condemn those appointed by the previous regime because of their association with the regime but retain and make use of those who are productive, in order to enhance continuity and productivity.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

News

Nigeria, India to sign prisoners swap pact

rrangements are on ground for Nigeria and India are to sign Prisoners Transfer Agreement to allow prisoners of the two countries to return to their home countries to serve their jail terms. The Indian High Commissioner, Amb. Ajjampur

Ghanashyam, who said this while featuring on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum on Sunday in Abuja, said no fewer than 1,100 Nigerians were serving various prison terms in India. “When I came to Nigeria, there were about 1,800 Nigerians in our prisons and

that was shocking for me and now I am told it is about 1,100. ``We are waiting for an agreement to be signed between India and Nigeria on transfer of sentenced persons. ``They need to be brought back and they can also be taken back to India before commencing their jail terms

so that they can serve their sentences here. ``At this is at the moment, pending with the Nigerian government. I hope that we will be able to sign it”, he said. The Indian envoy also said some Indians had been arrested as pirates, adding that the High Commission was engaging the

Nigerian authorities to ensure that the innocent ones among them released. “We still have some problems with piracy. There are ships operators who hire Indians to run the ships. “The boys are not aware of that the ships are used for bunkering; they are paid to do a job on the ship. ``So they picked up the job and then land on the ship only for the Navy to come and pick them up and take them to jail. “You must arrest the owner of the ship, maybe you should arrest the Captain of the ship but not these boys who have no knowledge of what the ship was doing,” he told NAN. Ghanashyam said Indians living in Nigeria were quite happy adding: ``I have not come across Indian who complains but occasionally there are some pockets of kidnappings”. “But ultimately we have not seen any loss of lives to kidnapping and I believe the situation was much worse before. “This is because I think the infrastructure of law enforcements in the country is now far better than what it was in the past in Nigeria,” he said. (NAN)

70 year- old woman commits Kwara lawmaker, civil servant docked over 2012 Hajj fraud suicide in Offa L-R: Asst. Editor in-Chief, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Obike Ukor, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Ajjampur Ghanashyam, and Editor, Foreign Directorate, Mr Uche Annune, during the NAN Forum, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

From Olanrewaju Lawal,Ilorin

member of Kwara State House of Assembly representing Balogun/ Ojomu of Offa constituency and former Chairman of Offa Local Government, Hon Saheed Popoola and a staff of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Oniro Idunnu have been arraigned before an Ilorin Magistrate court for breach of trust and cheating. The accused persons were charged with criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and cheating contrary to sections 97, 312 and 322 of the Penal Code Law. The Police First Information Report (FIR) dated June 23, stated that the matter was consequent upon a report brought to ‘A’ Division Police State, Ilorin by one Garuba

Umoru Jika of G23, Gambari Road, Ita Ajia, Ilorin. The complainant, according to the FIR, alleged that in September 2012, he paid N780, 000 to the first suspect (Alhaji Oniro Idunu) for processing of 2012 Hajj operation, but the accused person in conjunction with others deceived the victim alongside others by air lifting them to Cotonou in Benin Republic. The Benin Republic air lifting was done to “avoid chaos and exposure of your fraudulent act during Hajj lifting exercise, the complainant alleged. The Police said when the first accused person was arrested and interrogated on June 22, 2015, Oniro Idunu confessed the receipt of N750,000 meant for the complainant’s in-law, one Sanni Umoru, adding that he gave N555,000 to the

then Offa Local Government Hajj Coordinator, Mohammed Akanbi. Quoting the first accused person’s alleged confession, the FIR said the Hajj coordinator handed over the said amount to one Alhaji Saheed Popoola, the then Chairman of Offa Local Government and presently a member of the State House of Assembly. “While you, Alhaji Saheed Popoola was invited to the station and interrogated, it was discovered that you, Alhaji Saheed Popoola and Alhaji Mohammed Akanbi together with Abubakar Oniro Idunu conspired and converted the total sum of N750, 000 to your personal use,” the FIR further, alleged. However, Popoola and Oniro Idunu pleaded not guilty to the charges before the court. In his submission, the Police

Prosecutor, Yusuf Nasir said investigation on the matter was in progress in an attempt to arrest other culprits involved in the crime. The prosecutor failed to oppose the bail of the suspects, leaving it to “unfettered discretion of the court.” Nasir told the court that the first suspect had been enjoying police bail without being abused, while the second suspect “voluntarily submitted himself for trial.” In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Mohammed Ibrahim admitted the suspects to bail in the sum of N100, 000 and one surety each in like sum. Mohammed granted the bail based on the testimony of the police that the suspects have been enjoying bail without its abuse. He adjourned the matter till July 15 for further mention.

NSCDC arrests suspect for allegedly impregnating girl, 14, in Jigawa

he Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Sunday said it had arrested a 32-year-old man for allegedly impregnating a minor. The State Commandant of the corps, Mr Muhammad Gidado, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the suspect,

a resident of Kanti Quarters in Katoge village, was arrested in Kazaure Local Government Area. “The Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a 32-year-old man for raping and impregnating a 14-year-old girl in Kazaure Local

Government Area,” Gidado said. He said that the matter was reported by the mother of the victim to the men of the corps operating in the area. The commandant said when the suspect was invited and interrogated, he confessed to having canal knowledge of the girl many times.

“The suspect admitted having sexual intercourse with the little girl countless number of times,” said the commandant. According to him, a clinical test conducted showed that the victim was carrying a four-monthold pregnancy. Gidado said the suspect would soon be charged to court. (NAN)

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

70 years old woman and indigene of Offa,Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State,Madam Saratu Rahman has committed suicide by killing herself with razor blade. It was learnt that the old woman took the razor blade to cut off her neck while other dangerous weapons that could be used were not available within her reach. An eye witness informed our correspondent that late Sarah, after she had executed her plan, her neighbour rushed to her room while they heard her voice during her agony. The source said that when they were rushing her to nearby hospital, she told them that she took the action because she is fed up with her miserable life. It was gathered that one of her children had abandoned her and the old woman might be worried about her child attitude. It was leant that late Sarah died when she was been taken to hospital. She has been buried according to Islam injunction. While confirming the incident, the Police Public Relation (PPRO) ASP,Ajayi Okansanmi confirmed the incident and said the woman took her life and died on the way to hospital.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

News Nigerians need good governance, not subsidy removal-NLC

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

he Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) comrade Issa Aremu has said What Nigerians look forward to are urgent fixing of the existing refineries, passage of Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, reorganization and repositioning of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation,NNPC, reinvention of

Delta: Police rescue army officer, pregnant woman from robbers den From Osakhare Erese, Asaba

he Police detectives attached to the State Police Command in Asaba, Delta State at the weekend rescued an army officer, pregnant woman, and several others in the hands of suspected armed robbers who have been terrorizing OgwashiUku expressway in the last few weeks. The Police Commissioner in the state, Alkali Baba Ushman who confirmed the incident to our correspondent disclosed that sixteen robbery suspects were arrested including three suspected Fulani herdsmen during the rescue operation. He said that the hoodlums had robbed several motorists and wounded many passengers including the army officer who boarded one of the buses from Warri enroute Asaba before the Police detectives swooped on them. The Police boss said that the Police detectives received information that the suspects were robbing motorists including other road users on the expressway and moved to the scene where they engaged the hoodlums in gun shoot outs, fortunately for them three of the suspects were arrested while the Army Officer, Pregnant Woman and others were rescued.

the downstream infrastructures of fuel production and distribution, an end to crude oil theft and mass decent jobs not outworn outcry of removal of so-called fuel subsidy. He stated this in a press statement made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday. According to the statement, as Nigerians have seen with good management of fertilizer subsidy in the last dispensation under former agriculture minister, Dr Adeshina Akinwunmi, there is nothing inherently bad with subsidy, adding that the challenge of today more than ever before is domestic production of petroleum instead of unsustainable wasteful imports. The new administration should reject one-cap fits all policy dictate. No substitute to good governance and employment generation The statement also advised President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to be weary of

policy dictatorship of some vested interests aimed at undermining his electoral promises of putting an end to mass poverty and transforming Nigerian economy and society to prosperity. Comrade Aremu further warned that the administration must resist the new emergency discordant voices pushing for twin-evil policies of so-called oil subsidy removal and further devaluation of the Naira. The two amount to policy dictatorship and policy ambush that had nothing to do with the ruling party’s electoral promises which the masses overwhelmingly voted for. The statement reads in part, “NLC particularly rejects the call of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Mr. Bisi Onasanya for further devaluation of the naira already in a free-fall of 18

percent against the dollar in the past year. Market operators like Mr. Bisi Onasanya should not usurp the legitimate functions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as the regulator through unhelpful policy dictatorship. “We hereby support the recently announced bold measures of the Governor of CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele in managing the scarce foreign reserve through foreign-exchange restrictions on some frivolous imports. CBN should reject the least resistance of unhelpful option of further naira devaluation. The existing currency devaluation has further eroded wage income of millions of workers (many with unpaid monthly salaries). Devaluation has also increased the cost of domestic production, fueled price inflation and undermined the competitiveness of locally surviving industry leading to loss of existing few jobs.”

L-R: Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, in a handshake with new Chief Imam of Jos, Sheikh Muhammad Lawal, during the Archbishop’s visit to congratulating the new Chief Imam on his appointment, yesterday in Jos. Photo: NAN

Al-Makura warns against sale of govt. properties By Umar Muhammad Puma

overnor Umaru Tanko Al Makura of Nasarawa state has warned government officials against indiscriminate sale of government properties in the state. In a statement issued in Abuja by the Special Assistant Media & Publicity Ahmed Tukur, Al Makura said that government will not hesitate to deal decisively with anyone caught involved either directly or indirectly in the fraudulent sale of government lands and properties. He said that the state government will also pulled down structures erected on water ways, roads and government land without the necessary government approval. He explained that his administration would not tolerate criminal conduct from any government official and that henceforth security agencies will be mandated to prosecute any body involved in using government property for personal use without proper authorization. He added that government will soon take inventory of government properties in Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals and provide a data bank for easy access in future. The governor said whoever purchased government land or any items belonging to government from unauthorised persons or group of persons under any guise, such persons are doing that at their own risk. He also warned potential property developers, individuals and the public to be wary of the activities of desperate land speculators and fraudsters. He called on relevant government agencies to take note of development on government properties and ensure that such developments are carried out in compliance with the necessary government directives. He urged the public to assist government in watching over government properties close to them as part of their social responsibility.

Strike action paralyses Asaba medical centre

From Osakhare Erese, Asaba

three week strike action embarked upon by resident doctors at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba Delta State has paralyzed working activities, leaving hundreds of patients to seek medical attention at the state owned General Hospital, Okwe. Investigation revealed that the General hospital is currently beehive of activities with influx of patients while the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba

had remained a shadow of itself with little or no worker on sight. When our correspondent visited the General Hospital, Okwe, the hospital premises were filled to the brim with patients including medical personnel who were seen working almost round the clock to attend to the rising number of patients that came to patronize the hospital since strike action began at the FMC, Asaba. Unconfirmed sources said that, no fewer than 2 persons

have died following the strike action at the FMC when they could not assess the exorbitant fee of treatment at the private hospital, but an official of the General Hospital, Okwe, who craved anonymity said, “at the rate patients are trooping into the hospital, I am afraid the facilities here may not be able to cope with their medical needs, right now we are working round the clock and staff strength here may not be able to cope should the influx of patients continue”.

Some of the patients who also spoke to our correspondent on the ground of anonymity said they left FMC Asaba when the doctors went on strike for medical care at the General Hospital Okwe because the FMC turned them out and since the end of the strike was not in sight, they decided to patronize the hospital. Further investigation at the FMC revealed that other medical personnel were seen in group discussing the strike

action in bitter manners, while the consultant doctors resolved to render skeletal services to patients. But the Public Relations Officer of the Resident Doctors Association, Dr. Patrick Osifo who spoke to our correspondent said that the strike action will continue as all efforts to get government attention to their plights and demands have proven abortive, stressing that no doctor would work for others to eat.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

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News

Lebanese businessman denies demanding $30m from his former employee By Doyin Ojosipe

EBANESE businessman, Chief Francoise Chidiac has denied ever demanding $30m from his former employ, Mr. Ahmad Mehdi as damages as was recently published in some national and weekend newspapers last week. He also denied harassing the former employee as alleged by Mr. Mehdi. In a statement in Abuja, Chief Chidiac who holds the chieftaincy title of Omele Orah 1 of Enugu state also debunked another accusation from the former staff that he (Chidiac) was jealous of Mr.

Mehdi’s rise in the lotto business since leaving the employment of Chidiac. Stating his own side of the story, Chief Chidiac said, “I brought him to Nigeria and he worked for me for 14 years. I trained him, I gave him love and respect. Under me he married. “ In August 2012, he left my Company without notice, without resigning, without saying good bye. At the end of 2012, he came and wanted to establish his own lotto business in the same Enugu state where I operate. “I advised him to go to new territories for the benefit of his

business and his company and for the good of lotto business generally. It is better for him to go to new and unexplored areas to start his lottery business. This, I did in good faith. “I promised him that I will assist him to develop his business so that we can cooperate and work hand in hand, to make sure that lottery is developed everywhere. “Why should I be jealous of him, jealous for what? I cannot be jealous of someone who is just starting. I am already at the tenth floor making efforts to go to the eleventh floor by expanding my lottery business. I cannot look towards somebody at the ground

floor. I should be looking up, not down”, he added. Chidiac who started pool betting business in Nigeria migrated to proper lottery business about 3 years ago. On the issue of $30m, Chief Chidiac said, “I was surprised when I read in the newspapers that he (Ahmad) claimed that I accused him of taking $30m from me. I accused him of causing me to lose $3m dollars not $30m because he left my business without resignation and proper handover. He caused alot damage to my company and my business. He also called some lotto managers

and agents and asked them to leave my company and come over to his own. The $3m I am claiming for damages is for losses on the company’s business due to the way he left the company and his actions and activities since then. This was in the report I wrote to security agencies against him and his group”, Chidiac insisted. Mr. Chidiac was however optimistic that the NLRC was equal to the task of sanitizing the lottery business in the country. As he put it, “the Lottery Commission is on ground to regulate the lottery Industry. I am sure they know what to do about this kind of crowding and unhealthy competition and protect genuine operators from illegal operators.” He strongly advocates that all lottery licence holders should utilize their licences in order to grow the industry in Nigeria. The National Lottery Regulatory Commission should therefore enforce the law and violators be punished according to the law

Dakingari’s aide sues reporter over alleged intimidation From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi

Muslim faithful listening to Ramadan Tafsir from Malam Umar Yanda, at An-noor Masjid, yesterday in Abuja.

F Photo: Mahmud Isa

Kidnapped Kogi Judge regains freedom From Ahmad Ibrahim, Lokoja

High Court Judge in Kogi State, Justice Samuel Obayomi abducted on the 25th of May this year has regained freedom after spending 34 days in the custody of his abductors. The state commissioner of police, Mr Samuel Ogunjemilusi

confirmed to newsmen yesterday in Lokoja, that Justice Obayomi was released on Saturday night between 10:00 and 11:30 pm. Although he could not say where and how the judge was released or if any ransom was paid, he however disclosed that the legal luminary had been taken to a safe place,even as he was yet to be released to his family.

Equally, the state chief judge, Justice Nasiru Ajanah who also confirmed the release of Justice Abayomi expressed gratitude to God over the positive development, although he declined to give further details. It would be recalled that Justice Obayomi, the resident High Court Judge for Ebogogo,

in the central axis of the state was kidnapped while on his way to the office at about 8:45 on the 25th of May, this year by a three-member gang all dressed in black. The judge whose police orderly, Corporal Usman Musa was shot dead on the spot was driven away in his Toyota Yaris car from the GRA in Okene.

Develop Our Lives, Communities, Identities Without Drugs” organized for youths and students in Abeokuta. The Commander disclosed that there was an increase in consumption of illicit substances and trafficking of cannabis in the State, adding that this was often viewed as a cheap and easy way of making money by some unscrupulous elements without concern for the havoc its causes the society. Fagge urged members of

the society to report suspicious activities related to drugs in their environment, noting that the command is working tirelessly to protect the State from the operations of drug dealers and users across the State. Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Daisi Odeniyi said the abusive use of drugs by youth may cause them to become nuisance to the society, saying that youths should live a drug free life.

“No drugs, no abusive use of drugs, it is important that students and youths engage in more meaningful things than negativities,” Dr. Odeniyi said. The guest lecturer, Dr. Femi Babalola of Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Aro Abeokuta said that sensitization against use of drugs should begin from age 10 to 13, saying that the use of psychoactive drugs affects individual behaviour, thinking, and could lead to addiction, depression, and death.

NDLEA cautions youth against illicit use of drugs

From James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

he Ogun State command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has cautioned youth in the State to desist from the use of illicit drugs and trafficking that may cause havoc to their lives and their future. The State Commander, (NDLEA) Mr. Bala Fagge Stated this at a one day workshop tagged “Let

ormer Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to immediate past Governor of Kebbi State, Alh Ibrahim Musa Argungu on Friday dragged the state correspondent of Daily Newswatch, Mr Ayo Ajoge, to Birnin Kebbi Magistrate court for criminal intimidation, assault and threat to life. The case which was presided by the by the Chief Magistrate, Tafarki Argungu, over the intimidation and treat made by Mr. Ajoge In the course of argument the counsel to the plaintiff, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Argungu, Barrister Sanusi Samaila Jega, told the court that Mr Ajoge threatened his client’s life and his family by sending a text massage to his mobile phone, which was read in the court to the hearing of the accused journalist. The accused journalist pleaded not guilty and denied knowledge of the text message saying, “I understand the charges read to me, but it is not true.” The accused counsel, Oye Oyiwole, in his defence said since his client pleaded not guilty to the charges he should be granted bail. The magistrate adjourned the case to July 6, 2015 and granted the accused journalist bail with condition that, a level 14 officer with the state government should be his reliable surety with N200,000 deposited or a landed property. The magistrate also ordered the accused to maintain peace with the complainant and his family.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

News

Ramadan: Bauchi earmarks N23m for poor women From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

ife of the Governor of Bauchi state, Hajia Hadiza Mohammed Abubakar said about N23, 988,875 million has been earmark to cater for indigent women across the state in the month of Ramadan. The first lady made the statement in Kangere while

flagging off the distribution of food items, saying that the measure is aimed at bringing succor to the suffering of women in the state throughout the month of Ramadan. Hadiza added that about 117 Tafsir centres are earmark to benefit the gesture of the government through the state Ministry of Women affairs in

the state saying government is committed to provide meaningful life to women. Even as she laments that in spite of the harsh economic situation the administration of Mohammed under APC is poise to address the problems of women and youths explaining that it forms parts of his blueprints. The wife of the governor had

also charges those responsible for the distribution of the food items to the beneficiaries to ensure justice and equity as government will not support any attempt to divert the food items. “I beg you to please kindly be custodians of your children in monitoring their movement and I urge you to train them in the proper way as society cannot

develop where our children are involve in bad habit” said first lady. Hadiza also use the medium to urge women to pray for the success of the government through out the Ramadan month as well as peace and unity of the country saying only religious Speaking during the occasion, the Alhaji Adamu Mohammed, the district head of Kangere had describe government action as a demonstration to fulfill its campaign promise in tandem with the APC slogan “change” Mohammed tress that the distribution of the food items come at a right time when women are in need of help assuring that justice will be done in the distribution exercise

Bauchi Assembly decries indiscriminate dumping of refuse

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

B L-R Former Managing Director, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Malam Abba Kyari, and Malam Mamman Daura, during their visit to the State House, last Friday in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

Fire disaster: NEMA presents building materials to Zamfara radio

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has presented building materials to the management of the Zamfara radio station aimed at assisting to rebuild the station gutted by fire several months ago. Presenting the items in

Gusau, the state capital, Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Sani Sidi who was represented by the Coordinator Sokoto Operation Office, Mr. Thickman Tanimu said, the incidence was a complete disaster capable of back-pulling the state’s economic activities which rely on dissemination of information as rendered by the gutted radio. The building materials

include 5 tonnes of cement, 100 pieces of ceiling sheets, 50 bundles of ordinary zinc, 60 packets of nails all were heralded as given by the NEMA to the management of the affected radio station meant to cushion the effect of the disaster. Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Malam Sanusi Kwatarkwashi, has

commended NEMA for its timely response on disaster matters whenever there is alarm as usual in the state. Responding, the Managing Director Zamfara state Radio and Television services, Nuhu Salihu Anka said, with the support of the state government, the station had been able to continue with its transmitting services despite the fire incident.

Centre trains Fulani to use social media fight cow rustling

From Mohammed Ibrahim, Kaduna

orried by the rate of cow rustling in the country, particularly northern Nigeria, a Center for Information Technology Development (CITAD) resulted to training Fulani’s group on use of social media to fight cow rustling in the region. According to the group, social media if used properly can end cow rustling across the region. Public Relations Officer of

the Centre, Sufyan Lawal Kabo disclosed this shortly after organizing a symposium on the use of social media to fight cow rustling in the country held in Kaduna. He added further that the centre will work on a tracker to attach on cows so that they can be located or track if stolen anywhere in the region. He said the symposium was organized to train Fulani groups in the state on practical use of social media to address the problem, saying they have also trained Fulani groups in Zamfara and Bauchi

states on how to put an end to cattle rustling. “Our centre is very much disturbed with the increase in cow rustling in the north and we decided to use technology to fight the menace, particularly using social media to end it at the same time educates our fellow Fulanis on ways to protect their cows with other means of technology. “We are training them on ways to use whatsapp application on their phones to alert each other when attacked by cow rustlers. Technology can do anything and

we are taken advantage of its to end the menace. “Our centre in collaboration with MacArthur foundation engaged stakeholders to discuss ways to end this problem of cow rustling which have been disturbing our people in this region,” he said. Malam Sufyan also explained that the centre has also developed a platform involving Fulanis and other stakeholders where to discuss issues bothering them, especially cow rustling and ways to end it.

auchi state House of Assembly has summoned Ministry of Environment, Bauchi State Agency for Environmental Protection Agency, BASEPA, and Bauchi Local Government to explain the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the state capital The member representing Lere /bula constituency in the State Assembly, Honorable Aminu Tukur while briefing newsman after the close door session, said some of the advices given by the Assembly was to reclaim the earlier refuse-dump sites in several areas of the metropolis According to him, after a close door session with the agencies, said it was convinced by the long and short term strategies adopted by the agency and look forward to a proactive solution to the problem. The House of Assembly stressed the need for government to properly fund the agency for the evacuation of refuse and reactivate the state waste management plant as well as acquire new ones to tackle the problem. Other advices given include greater awareness and sensitization on the effect of the refuse on health status of the people, pointing out refuse had been the major cause of over flooding and gastrointestinal enteritis in the society The Permanent Secretary of the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), Alhaji Waziri Yahya Jalam has vowed to finish collection of refuse heaped in major streets of Bauchi metropolis within one week. Jalam said this was part of the promise made by the agency to the state House of Assembly when it was invited to render explanations on poor management of refuse in the state capital.

Page 11

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

EDITORIAL

Now that states can’t pay salaries!

Two, an amendment of the National Minimum Wage Act that requires the least paid public servant should get nothing less than N18,000 should be made. It is unfair to ask a small and impoverished state like Taraba whose share from the consolidated federation account is less than one-third that of oil producing Akwa Ibom to pay the same minimum wage. In the spirit of true federalism, states should be allowed to pay their workers according

“

resident Muhammadu Buhari has promised the 22 state governments that owe their workers upward of seven months salary arrears an “immediate bailout”. 36 governors met with the president last Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, also known as Aso Rock, Abuja where they gave Buhari a 6-point wish list, including a bailout request. On the latter, the president said a committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would look at the excess crude account to see what is in it so that it will be shared among the three tiers of government. The ECA currently stands at $2.45b, down from $10b in 2013 when it was last shared. This “shocking shrinkage” is what the governors want investigated. Between them, the 22 insolvent states owe their public servants over N250b salary arrears. On its own part, the federal government’s financial commitments amount to over N500bn, including money owed local contractors and workers’ salaries. It is obvious that what relief they will get from the ECA will be very minimal indeed. After that what happens? A very important question indeed. Because we must avoid a return to this state of insolvency. There are several ways to end the financial predicaments of the states. One, the revenue allocation formular which gives more money to FG than the states should be reviewed in favour of the latter because their responsibilities are bigger; the pressure on them to deliver the dividends of democracy are greater.

We welcome Buhari’s resolute stand against corruption. We assure him that he does not stand alone in this gargantuan anti-graft fight. He is supported by millions of poor but decent compatriots. to financial capacity. Also, Buhari must resolve the issue of the ECA which he himself has described as being an illegality. Because it is not provided for in the Constitution, this account has consistently been abused and nobody has been questioned. However, more than these structural encumbrances, at the heart of the insolvency of the state governments is their ninety-nine point nine-nine percent reliance on federally collected revenues. Apart from Lagos, this

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nation’s economic/commercial hub, no other state can boast up to a billion naira IGR (internally generated revenue). Cheap oil money has made state government very lazy. Now low oil price on the international market means less money coming into the federation account. Another reason for the poor financial position of the states is outright stealing of public money often by the chief executives of the states themselves. As it is, a dozen former governors have been ‘questioned’ by the state appointed Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on corruption related charges. President Buhari though sympathetic to the states over their plight has nonetheless chided them for the unusually high level of “impunity, corruption and unaccountability” at that level of governance. On the day of his inauguration, the president did acknowledge he lacked the constitutional power to control the states but he wouldn’t stand by and let the drift continue. And at Tuesday’s meeting with the governors, the president warned that those that have stolen “national resources” would be brought to account. We welcome Buhari’s resolute stand against corruption. We assure him that he does not stand alone in this gargantuan anti-graft fight. He is supported by millions of poor but decent compatriots. Even from outside have come unequivocal pledges of support for the president as he sets out to recover stolen Nigerian wealth. We trust he will succeed because he has proved time and time that he is man of his word.

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PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

“Power is transient, Justice Eternal”: Why Nigeria needs to address impunity By Netsanet Belay

bserving the public debate following the publication of Amnesty International’s recent report on war crimes committed by the military I am reminded of the words of Wole Soyinka: “Power is transient, justice eternal”. Since we came back from Abuja I have noted the positive commitment from the President as well as the usual dismissive response from the military. I have heard from Nigerians from all walks of life. Time will tell whether truth and justice will prevail in Nigeria. But let me set the record straight to clarify some emerging misconceptions. Amnesty has documented and condemned in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Boko Haram and we will continue to do so. As recently as 14 April 2015, the first anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok school girls, we published a comprehensive report, ‘Our job is to shoot, slaughter and kill’ documenting and condemning the horrific crimes of Boko Haram in the north-east of the country. The April report showed that in addition to abducting at least 2,000 women and girls, Boko Haram had killed at least 5,500 civilians and brutalized tens of

thousands between 2014 and March 2015. And this report was not the first. My team have been on the ground documenting and exposing multiple war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses committed by Boko Haram since the start of the crisis. These findings were published in Amnesty International reports in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. And each time, we have called for justice for the victims of Boko Haram. But we have also documented serious human rights violations perpetrated by the military in the course of the fight against Boko Haram. In our sister report to the report about Boko Haram atrocities, ‘Stars on their Shoulders. Blood on their Hands’ we documented war crimes and crime against humanity by the military. What Amnesty International uncovered in Nigeria was not a handful of civilian casualties caught in the cross-fire. It was evidence of a systematic process whereby more than 7,000 mainly young Nigerian men and boys died in military detention and more than 1,200 people were unlawfully killed. The vast majority of those unlawfully murdered were noncombatants, most killed following arbitrary arrests. These are Nigerian fathers,

sons and brothers. They are the missing husbands of the women interviewed by Amnesty International who cannot afford to feed their children or send them to school since their husbands disappeared. They are the sons of the parents who have spent the past year visiting every barracks, police station and jail they can reach to search for their missing children. As an independent, impartial organization, dedicated to documenting and exposing the most serious human rights violations wherever they are committed and whoever they are perpetrated by, Amnesty International is speaking out about these violations, and with a clear purpose. We are asking what happened to the thousands of young men arrested without any evidence against them and who have never been brought to court. We are demanding justice for the people trapped by the cycle of violence and impunity, perpetrated by both Boko Haram and the very military that is supposed to protect them The horrific acts committed by Boko Haram must end and perpetrators of crimes under international law in its ranks must be punished. But their horrific acts cannot and should not be used to justify the Nigerian

military’s unlawful conduct and human rights violations. The military cannot tackle war crimes by committing war crimes. Safety and security cannot be delivered by executing, torturing and illtreating thousands of people. The findings of this recent report resulted from years of detailed research including more than 400 interviews and the analysis of 90 videos and 800 official documents. We travelled repeatedly to the northeast, gathering information and interviewing witnesses, victims and the families. People told us how they had been rounded-up with hundreds of other young men and boys after cordon searches and held in overcrowded cells. Many were starved, suffocated, and tortured to death. We also spoke to other witnesses who are themselves senior members of the security forces, but who felt that these abhorrent practices within the military must be stamped out. We shared our findings with various sections of the Nigerian government. Since 2013, we sent 57 letters to the federal and state authorities: sharing research findings, raising concerns about ongoing violations and requesting information and specific action, such as investigations. We only received 13 responses, none of which demonstrated the previous

government’s commitment to launching an independent, impartial and effective investigation of these serious crimes. Where investigations were launched they were conducted by the military and the conclusions have never been published. The Nigerian government has had repeated opportunities to confront and investigate these allegations but, despite mounting evidence, they have failed to do so. President Buhari has stated that his government will leave no stone unturned to investigate and deal with all cases of human rights abuses. We join millions of Nigerians in welcoming this commitment. We hope that this will be the beginning of the end of impunity in Nigeria and that it will bring hope to those desperate to find out what has happened to their loved ones. No military is beyond scrutiny. All we ask is that the government of Nigeria does what is right, and what it is bound to do under international law, and delivers justice to the thousands of victims of this conflict. The time to act is now. Netsanet Belay is Amnesty International’s Africa Director - Research and Advocacy

Subsidy without conditions is unacceptable

By Biola Sobowale

“As at May 15, 2015, only $2.79bn was left in the ECA [Excess Crude Account]. PUCH, June 24, 2015, p 2. ECA: THE ROGUE ACCOUNT FINALLY EXHAUSTED

he Excess Crude Account, ECA, an illegal account created by President Obasanjo during his second term on advice from the Federal Minister of Finance, at the time, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was a rogue account which served the instinct for impunity by all the governors of Nigeria, irrespective of political party to which they belong. Those of us who questioned the transactions undertaken under the fraudulent scheme were labeled either as ignorant noise makers or as enemies of progress. The National Assembly, NASS, overwhelmingly dominated by the Peoples’ Democratic (?) Party, PDP, ignored what was a clear violation of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria by allowing revenue which should have been paid into the federation account to be shunted into the rogue account called ECA. Surprisingly, even the members of the NASS, the Governors of States, as well as the Chairmen of Local Governments, elected on the platforms of other political parties went along with the fraudulent scheme. ECA allowed the States to deceive themselves that all was well two years ago when actual revenue from crude oil

started falling drastically. Remedial measures which should have been undertaken then were ignored. Now, everybody, including the Federal Government is in deep trouble. RMAFC – THE PRODIGAL COMMISSION They not only allowed that, they also connived to foster on Nigerians, the obscene remuneration packages which the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, proposed for elected officials and their appointed officials. No limit was placed on the number of official appointees which the President or State Governor could appoint. And there was no specific prohibition on governors from establishing the bogus Office of First Lady and allocating public funds to that office. In short, the RMAFC, certainly managed by the most Prodigal sons that Nigeria has brought up, provided the cover-up for elected officials from President to Governors to Local Government Chairpersons to rob their political domains as much as their conscience, or lack of it, will allow. LEGISLATORS OR “LEGISLOOTERS” If you ever met a legislator who served in the NASS or the State House of Assembly, SHA, from 1999 till now, you are most probably looking at a person who, irrespective of political party, had collaborated in the looting of the public purse. In a democracy, the legislators possess the power of the public purse. Since 1999, all the lawmakers do is to surrender

the purse to the President or Governor who proceeds to dole out whatever he/she wants to whoever and whatever he/she wants without the restraint which democratic governance requires. I challenge any Senator, Honourable Member of the Federal House, Speaker and member of the State House of Assembly, who had done two things to speak out. First, he had challenged the stupendous emoluments they were all collecting. Second, he had challenged the President or Governor to provide full disclosure of the revenue and expenditures of the government. It is difficult to see how the legislature of a state could have been carrying out their constitutional duties when a governor assigns twenty-two cars to his wives, another creates four offices for First Ladies and the governor operates air aircraft. The bail out they are asking for generally arose from the delirium of power which the people allowed their governors to enjoy. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SIX AND HALF DOZEN If the truth must be told, there is no demonstrable difference between all the political parties in the way they have managed public finance. Even the so-called “Progressive” states have suffered from a deficit of checks and balances. Every new programme a governor embarks upon is described as “innovative” and anybody who challenges its validity is considered an enemy of the people. One of the states now owing its public servants more than half

a dozen months initiated several “innovative” programmes. Even now, as many of those projects have been grounded, his supporters, mostly economic illiterates, still expect civil servants to be grateful for projects which might soon be abandoned without ever delivering the benefits promised when launched. Nothing is more foolish than to think that any ill-considered change, merely because it is instigated by a President or Governor, is “innovation”. True innovation must not only alter the social and economic landscape, it must endure and be sustainable. STATES AND ANIMAL FARM All the states now begging for bail-out were operated like George Orwell’s ANIMAL FARM in which “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Even while workers and contractors were not paid for months, the Governors, Deputy Governors. Commissioners and state legislators were paid, and Offices of First Ladies were fully funded. Dwindling revenue allocation from Abuja was not allowed to get in the way of the slave masters. They, in fact collected an increasing percentage of the little that came in. THE REQUEST FOR BAIL OUT AND THE CONDITIONS A sitting judge in Osun State has proposed that the state’s House of Assembly should proceed to impeach the Governor for failing in one of his principal constitutional duties. That might appear extremely harsh

at the moment. In reality, if the Governor must go, then the entire House of Assembly must go with him on account of gross negligence of duty. They failed to monitor the state’s financial situation as required of them until the crisis deepened and a bail-out becomes almost inevitable. We can try a more gradual approach by looking beyond our shores. At the moment countries of the Eurozone are considering a bail-out for Greece. The International Monetary Fund, IMF, had been drawn in to look at the situation in Greece and advise on conditions to be imposed for granting the bail-out. We don’t need the IMF to help us. There are enough economists and financial experts in Nigeria who can conduct an audit of each state asking for bail-out to determine how they derailed. The purpose of the audit is to impose conditions appropriate to each situation instead of making a blanket decision which might not be suitable for any of them. In the end, each state will lose part of its autonomy to the person assigned to monitor its financial transactions. And, if Offices of First Ladies have to be closed and Governors fleet of cars reduced, so be it. They can’t have their cakes and eat it. The laws of economics don’t respect anybody; least of all Nigerian governors. Biola Sobowale is a public commentator

PAGE 13

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Comment

Total Deregulation: The way out for Nigeria By Chidi Arinze

he recent fuel crises in Nigeria and the harsh reality of falling oil price in the international market has once again opened up the debate on deregulation of Nigeria’s petroleum sector Deregulation of the petroleum sector refers to the reduction, or removal of government control, rules and regulations that restrain free operational activities in the sector. Deregulation leaves market forces as the sole determinant of product prices, which entails removal of any form of subsidy. A subsidy is a reverse tax. It is a deliberate attempt by government to support a chosen economic agent – a consumer and a provider and it can be applied in any market that involves the buying and selling of products and or services. It is basically government action that decreases the consumption price of the consume and or increases the selling price of the producer. In our own case, fuel subsidy is the money paid by the Federal Government of Nigeria to reduce the cost of refining petroleum products. With debate for or against the removal of fuel subsidy, it is imperative that the regime be critically reviewed. The issue of fuel subsidy removal has torn this nation into two factions. The government and economic experts on one hand, and the masses led by the labour unions and civil society organizations on the other hand. Proponent of fuel subsidy had always argued that the regime is good if properly manage. They are of the view that the plan of the government to remove fuel subsidy may be a conspiracy by the high-class to have more money to embezzle, especially going by past records of our leaders misappropriating funds meant for the development of the nation. They believe that since Nigeria is the biggest producer of oil in Africa, it should have no problem subsidizing petroleum products for

its citizens. The idea of fuel subsidy was to give an average Nigerians access to cheap petroleum products, reduced transport and production costs. Nigerian economy over the years has been programmed to revolve around the supply of cheap petroleum products. An average household in Nigeria depends on subsidized by-products of crude oil such as petrol and kerosene for domestic and commercial use. In the developing world, Nigeria inclusive it’s tempting for a country to keep the price of fuels artificially low. The subsidy can take the form of a price cap, preventing oil companies from charging too much at the pump. Or it can come as a tax break to a domestic oil producer, which then usually passes on the savings. In both cases, the government has to make up the difference. Subsidies usually start as an attempt to avoid inflation and shield citizens from the pain of price increases in global energy markets. But energy subsidies are expensive; they eat up national budgets. Benefits end up going mostly to the richest citizens and crowd out more productive government spending on education or infrastructure and reduce energy efficiency. Subsidies mess with the law of supply and demand, discouraging investment in both alternative energy and fuel exploration. Nigeria’s fuel subsidy scheme has created rent seeking opportunities, overnight billionaires and cabals that have corruptly fed fat from the inefficiency of an unsustainable regime. What is worse is that the fuel subsidy regime has stifled the repair and privatisation of existing refineries and the construction of new ones, it has impeded wholesale reforms at the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Fuel subsidy costs Nigeria over 1 trillion naira yearly. Last year, Nigeria borrowed a total of about 850 billion Naira to fulfill its subsidy obligation. An analysis of the 2013 budget

shows that allocation for fuel subsidy constituted about 20 per cent of the entire budget. It was also 10 times more than the appropriation for agriculture and rural development (N81.41billion), three times that of health (N279.23 billion), and twice of education (N426.53 billion). The vote for capital expenditure N1.54 trillion was just a little above the fuel subsidy. The amount spent on petrol subsidy alone in eight years is 15.57 per cent higher than the N4.69 trillion 2014 national budget, and also 10.61 per cent more than the 2013 budget of N4.93 trillion. The subsidy spent for the year is almost twice or 196.07 per cent of education’s N495.28 billion and more than three times the N262.74 billion for health Nigeria consumes 35 million litres of fuel daily, part of it which is diverted into neighbouring countries. Also one-third of government expenditure which should be used on providing health services, security, employment, development of infrastructure and power is wasted on subsidy. On January 1, 2012, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), the agency in charge of petroleum product pricing in Nigeria, announced the total removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria. The removal resulted in nationwide protest and harsh criticism of the then president, Goodluck Jonathan. State governors who once threw their weight behind the removal of fuel subsidies, were forced to beat a retreat in the face of the nationwide strike in 2012. This resulted in partial restoration of the fuel subsidies. With the partial removal of the fuel subsidies, the government of Goodluck Jonathan put in place palliatives to ease the impact of partial removal of fuel subsidies. Government decided to channel its own share of the budgetary savings from the elimination of fuel subsidy into a combination of specific

programmes that will stimulate the economy and alleviate poverty But as oil marketers and the Federal Ministry of Finance bicker over outstanding subsidy claims and exchange rate differentials, there is very little doubt that the current crisis could have been avoided had the Jonathan administration been allowed to do away with subsidies in January 2012 . As the new administration of Muhammadu Buhari is settling down for governance, there are calls for total removal of fuel subsidy to open the sector for investment and invaluably create jobs for teaming unemployed Nigerians. The government of Muhammadu Buhari has given indications that it will not continue with the fuel subsidy regime. Among strong advocates for total deregulation of the sector is the immediate past Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala. She disclosed that about $10.85 billion (N2.14 trillion) from the foreign excess crude revenue account savings went into fuel subsidy payments to petroleum marketers between 2011 and 2014. A breakdown of her disclosure showed that $1.818 billion was spent in 2011; $2.63 billion in 2012; $3.26 billion in 2013; and $3.14 billion for 2014. While the subsidy payment for 2015 is not yet available. She maintained that the funds should have been used in providing much needed infrastructural development in the country instead of being wasted on subsidy. Asserting that the removal will attract investment, increase refineries in the country, hence create jobs. Oil mogul and a major player in the downstream petroleum sector, Dr Ifeany Ubah has since reiterated his call for the removal of fuel Subsidy. Ifeanyi Ubah, who is also the Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited said total deregulation of the sector will not only cap the distortions of the

market created by subsidy, but will also attract fresh investments into the sector. He insist that deregulation of the sector will help genuine players in the sectors, saying “the only answer to fuel shortages or products scarcity of any kind, is deregulation.” “I have always being of the view that we should deregulate so that we can cut out corruption but unfortunately Nigerians didn’t take it from Jonathan,” Ubah said. “I urge president Buhari to take a bold step and deregulate the oil sector. He is not a stranger to the sector having being a former minister of petroleum. He will be respected for taking the step, there’s no point paying subsidy when Nigerians are not benefiting from it. The president will be doing the right thing if he deregulated the sector so that that the product will be sold at cheaper rate in the future,” he added Adding her voice, Former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke stated during Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference in Abuja, that payment of subsidy on petrol ‘cannot be sustained any longer.’ “The subsidy policy cannot be sustained any longer. This is because the subsidy payment did not benefit the poor it was targeting, but rather it is benefiting the rich,” she added. Mrs. Alison-Madueke said there was the need to deregulate the downstream oil sector to attract investors. Senate president, Senator Bukola Saraki, in his call urged the Federal Government to completely remove fuel subsidy and restore normalcy to the sector.Saraki said the subsidy was used to loot the national treasury on a yearly basis. He argued that it would be better to remove fuel subsidy and deliver the sector and the citizenry from the grip of racketeers in the industry, who would never allow things to work well because of their selfish interest. Arinze is reachable on @ chiddy158

Progress report on Nigeria June 25, 2015

By Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

igeria has been sick for a while and the future looked/looks bleak. The immediate challenge was the accidental presidency of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who was hoisted on Nigerian by a scheming President Obasanjo, who did not want to leave office; but wanted to control the country using a remote control. The first remote was a sick President Yar’ Adua who upon election showed signs of independence from the “smart manipulator.” But since he was sick and often at the care of doctors, the split between the god father and godson was not obvious. The master manipulator of course had a backup plan, a supposedly weak Vice President GEJ. After the expected death of Yar’ Adua the backup ascended the high office to face two intractable challenges. The Islamic North did not like the idea

that a Christian Southerner should be following a Christian Southerner. PDP’s constitution had called for a Northerner/Southerner rotation and the ascension of GEJ altered this gentleman’s agreement. They started planning GEJ’s downfall. President Obasanjo, though of ethnic Yoruba origin, was not beloved by the Yoruba as one of theirs, if fact they most likely saw him as an Igbo and dearly wanted “their own man.” Meanwhile both the SW and North perceived GEJ as a surrogate for the SS and SE territories. The lines were drawn according to Nigeria’s fault lines of the pre and post-independence of East/West/North. Each side amassed forces ready to do battle. Some of the members of the ruling PDP looked ahead and reviewed the post GEJ world. Some saw no future for them in the post GEJ world and moved over to those plotting the overthrow of GEJ.

Their luck shined as the opponents of GEJ welcomed them with cheers but without trying to decipher their motivation. The unifying force for the new APC which was formed was “anybody but Jonathan.” Each believed that the “anybody” was him. The current mess is trying to find who that “anybody” is. The fight to find out who “anybody” is has led to fist fights in the Senate and in the House. It has led to handcuffing of the previously identified “anybody” President Muhammadu Buhari who cannot articulate his vision and a legislature which cannot meet without physical fights. It has led to the complete collapse of the collapsing naira in forex exchanges; to some Nigerians wondering if there was really a smooth transition after all; to a newly emboldened insurgency; to fair-weather friendships and alliances and a lot more. Some people are asking “Is

APC he that is to come or look we for another?” This is not anything new in Nigeria. Nigeria has always been at the brink. They go close; take a look and retreat. Nigeria will retreat as it had done in the period before independence when the North was not ready for independence and some in the South wanted to go without them but retreated and waited; as it did in 1966 when Lt. Col Gowon believed that “there was no basis for unity” but retreated; as it did in 1967 when Biafrans left and was forced back; and as it did many other countless number of times; some epic and some not so loud. Nigeria will once again go the brink; take a look and retreat. The prognosis is that there will be a One Nigeria before the end of the year. There will be a group of One Nigerians working as the Executive, another group working as Senators, and another group working in the

House. It will be an unintended Unity Government. All led by the amalgam of APC/PDP men and women: sometimes in conflict at times in peace but moving the country’s agenda forward until 2019 when another attempt to define Nigeria would be attempted, pretty much with the same results. Rome was not built in a day. Those who are looking for a breakup will be disappointed just as those who are looking for a one united state. Perhaps by 2114, if the world still exist, a one United Nigeria would emerge. At that time this author would be at the right hand of God judging the world and Nigerians as will be most of his readers. Obiajulu Aduba is a public commentator

PAGE 14

Current Issues

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Rep Golu wants military check points restored in rural areas

member of the House of Representatives, Mr Timothy Golu, on Sunday advised the Federal Government to restore military check points especially in rural areas to shield for vulnerable communities. The Federal Government last week ordered the removal of the military check points from the highways, a development Golu said could be counter-productive. ``In my constituency, people

Kebbi govt. distributes food items to less privileged women, children From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi

ebbi State Government has flagged-off the distribution of Ramadan food items and materials worth over N14m to the less privileged women and children across the 21 local government areas of the state. The flag-off ceremony was performed weekend by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Hajiya Halima Samila Yombe at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development premises. She said that the gesture is to support the less privileged women, children and vulnerable groups for the month of Ramadan while urging them to use this holy month to pray fervently for Nigeria’s leaders and restore peace and harmony in our societies. Mrs Yombe commended the efforts of the state government for looking at the pledges of the less privilege by giving them sense of belonging. She admonished the beneficiaries to make use of the items judiciously and put more support to the present administration under the leadership of the Governor, Senator Atiku Bagudu Abubakari for the laudable achievement recorded. In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Hajiya Rafa’atu Noma Hammani thanked the state government for considering orphans and vulnerable members in the state. She commended the state government for the prompt response to their request as is the responsibility of the ministry to handle things involving the orphan and disabled people. She called on the other cooperate bodies to emulate the same gesture in order to complement with government effort. The materials shared were over 100 bags of rice, sugar, millet, children’s cloths, women rapa, g/nut oil, red oil, tins tomatoes, bournvita and milk, all the distributed across the 21 local governments to the less privileged women and children.

run to the check points and sleep there when they are attacked, especially in the nights, but now they have nowhere to go to and are totally helpless,’’ he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos. The lawmaker, who represents Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, said that the sheer presence of the check points in crises-ridden areas was a deterrent to attackers and other criminals. ``But now, such criminals can operate unperturbed because they are sure that their victims have

now where to run to or report to. ``It is also useful to recall that security personnel had arrested people with arms on the highways; but now, people with such arms can move freely with illicit arms,’’ he said. Golu said that the conditions that necessitated the check points had not abated and that people in his constituency were afraid to go to the farms, schools or even venture into bush to fetch firewood. ``There is so much fear that one could be killed; farms and schools have been deserted in

areas under siege. ``The general complaints about check points was that they were inconveniencing, but that argument only suits city dwellers, not villagers,’’ he said. Golu also spoke on public expectations from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and advised him to focus on national unity. ``Much premium should be placed on national unity because the country appears sharply divided along tribal, ethnic and regional lines. No nation forges ahead with such mutual distrust

and suspicion,’’ he said. Golu also called for a lasting strategy to check poverty while kicking against any plan to pay N5000 stipend to unemployed youths. ``Such policy is not sustainable; it is difficult to ascertain who will benefit as the handlers could insert ghost names and corrupt the system.’’ The lawmaker advised President Buhari to ``spare no arsenal’’ in the fight against corruption and blamed the vice for current security challenges. (NAN)

From David Hassan, Gombe

competition scored 95.5 points beating other competitors from the 36 states of the federation, which qualified him to represent the country at the upcoming world Quranic recitation competition in Mecca, Saudi Arabia by November this year. According to him, the competition which usually starts from the local government level up to the national level has been categorised into 6 segments which include reading, reciting, and interpreting the theological

aspect of the Quran. He however, thanked the state government for its support towards the programme, saying the tremendous support the programme had been receiving lead to the victory and success of the exercise. Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe state who presented gift items to the award winners, also expressed readiness of the state government in ensuring steady growth of educational sector

in the state. According to him, as part of his administration effort in transforming the sector, government has also been paying attention to ensure quality religious education particularly among the youth, which he said would help a great deal in ensuring healthy society. He however, called on entire people of the state to remain law abiding, and ensure clear drainages and water ways in their respectful environments so as to avoid flooding.

Gombe LNI wins 2015 national Quranic competition

he Jamaatul Nasril Islam JNI in Gombe has emerged winner of the just concluded 2015 National Quranic Recitation Competition in Auchi, Edo state. Presenting the winner, Yusuf Mohammed Bappa and others to Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo at Government House Gombe, the state coordinator for Quranic recitation, Malam Kawuwa Mohammed stated that, Bappa during the

Muslims listening to the recitation of Holy Qur’an, on Saturday at Savanna Bank Road in Sokoto.

Photo: NAN

Niger gov,Bello urges peace, tolerance at Ramadan From Yakubu Mustapha,Minna.

he Niger state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has urged Muslims in the state to eschew the virtues of Ramadan and to be tolerant by leaving peacefully with other religious faithful. Bello made the declaration in Minna at the launching of translated Holy Quran (JUZ’I AMMA) written in Gbagy language by Ustaz Umar Abdullahi Dada Paiko, where the

governor assured to create an enabling environment for every religious faithfuls in the state. The governor was represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs, Alhaji Musa Ibrahim who said every religion preached peace and such gospel must be spread to every looks and crannies of the state so as to sustained peaceful coexistence in the state. The chief launcher at the occasion, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu who donated N2 million for the continuation of the rest 58

sections of the Quran commended the author who said he spent seven years to achieve the translation project. The Vice Chancellor of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai (IBBUL), Prof. Nasiru Maiturare stated that the multifaceted and multi- dimensional merit of the author’s effort can not be over emphasized, that it is in various ways of fulfilling the injunctions in the glorious Quran and Sunnah while urging believers to enjoin good, forbit evil and strive in the course of Allah.

The Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umaru Faruk Bahago whose palace the book was launched told the youths to be useful to their communities devoid of embarking on anything that will affect them negatively while commending the author and launchers in pursuance of the complexion of the project, even as he appealed to every Muslims to give their maximum support to the project. Various personalities donated at both individual and corporate levels to the project at the event while others made their pledges.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Masari and Katsina looting revelations Analysis From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

t is really not the best of time for the immediate past governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shema, his close aides and some major beneficiaries of his administration. The revelations coming out from the incumbent Governor of the state, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari suggest alleged mass looting of the state by the administration of governor Shema. Already some serving and retired public servants in the state have appeared before the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to answer questions on their role in some alleged financial misdemeanor uncovered by the incumbent administration of the state. Those who already appeared before the anti-graft agency include the AccountantGeneral of the state, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, the managing director of the state road management agency and the general manager of the state housing authority. In two separate letters signed by an agent of the agency, Aminudeen Muhammad, The accountantgeneral of the state was specifically asked by the agency to come along with records of all allocations made to the state from 2011-201, he was also directed to produce records of allocation made to the local governments of the state from 2011- 2015. Similarly the other four officials were invited to come along with the funds released to their establishment and agencies, their budgetary allocations and expenditure from 2011- 2015. Apart from these officials other officials of the state establishment and local governments were also invited by the anti-graft agency to shed more light on some perceived shoddy financial dealings. According to Governor Masari during an interactive session with journalists last week in Katsina “some officials in the state service were invited to questioning by an anti-graft agency over some questionable financial dealings. We will allow the law to take it due course”. Heartbreaking scam identified by the new administration

Governor Aminu Bello Masari according to Governor Masari was the alleged criminal and wicked looting of the local council funds. In a letter with reference number S/ GH/ KT/ 170/T/ 1 dated 19th June 2015 personally signed by the governor to the state House of assembly, the governor called the attention of the assembly to the plundering of the local government funds. In the said letter, Governor Masari revealed that after an interactive session with some officials of the state ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs it was uncovered that a questionable payment of N7, 570, 993, 920. 97 billion was made to the account of Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, Katsina State chapter via their account 0022352205 with the Union Bank Plc.

Former Gov. Ibrahim Shehu Shema

The governor described the transfer of these funds as criminal and a total disregard to financial regulations. He queried “ALGON is a voluntary organization and so how can you transfer these huge sums of money from joint account to their accounts?” However the shocking revelation of the letter was where the governor alleged that the sum of N680 million was withdrawn from the ALGON account and given to the former ADC to governor Shema, DSP Shehu Muhammad Koko in the name of security support. He noted that of all this sum, the state ALGON chairman was only able to produce document for N 765 million for the purchase of drugs while the remaining sum of N 6,125, 993, 920. 97 were unaccounted for.

“

Those who already appeared before the anti-graft agency include the AccountantGeneral of the state, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, the managing director of the state road management agency and the general manager of the state housing authority

Similarly Governor Masari revealed that on the eve of the departure of governor Shema’s administration a sum of N65 million was released to each of the 34 local councils of the state to spend. He lamented “some of them spent these funds within two days without following any financial regulations or approval by their so called legislative arms”. Masari vowed that all those who squandered these funds should be ready to pay, adding “we will not allow people to loot public funds and go scot free”. Another shocking revelation by the governor was his disclosure that the records of federal allocation to the state so far show that the sum of N13 billion were unaccounted for. He said no answers were provided for the missing funds but according to him these funds actually entered the government coffers. “For now we cannot say whether these funds were diverted or stolen. Further investigation would reveal what really happened”. Similarly the governor revealed that another huge scam uncovered by his government was the criminal diversion and squandering of N700 million in the state Universal Basic Education Board. He lamented that after the payment of teachers salaries the remaining funds were diverted to a separate account. In the same vein, Governor Masari revealed that there was an agency under the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport

that makes reckless spending without following due process of either open tender or spending limits. He revealed that the chief executive of the said agency often authorized the payment of up to N400 million through approvals on a plain sheet signed by him. Similarly Governor Masari revealed that a certain contractor was paid the sum of N1.99 billion of a N2 billion contract while 40 % of the contract was not completed up to today. Governor Masari further revealed that other areas of scam by the out gone administration of governor Shema was in the area of fertilizer distribution, allocation of Hajj seats, construction of houses and grain reserves. In the area of allocation of houses built by the government in Katsina and Abuja, Masari noted that Katsina state government and its people were short-changed. The governor observed that people built houses in Abuja to make profit but in the case of Katsina according to him, the house were built with government funds and the house sold at a lose. He added that “30% of the actual value of the house were waived and sold to the beneficiaries”. Masari vowed that the government would not revoke the allocation but that beneficiaries must come forward to make 100 % payment or risk losing their allocations. On grains in the government stores, Masari disclosed that the out gone government looted all of them without leaving a single bag. On fertilizer, Masari alleged that all the fertilizer was allocated to out gone government cronies but assured that all those criminally allocated these fertilizer must return same. Similarly on Hajj seats allocation, the governor alleged that the allocation were fraught by fraud and favouritism. He however vowed that all seats allocated to individuals have been cancelled. In a reaction over these alleged financial scam by the administration of Governor Shema, the National Conscience Party, NCP gubernatorial candidate in the last general elections, Alhaji Abdulmumini Shehu Sani has charged the administration of Governor Masari to make sure all stolen funds were retrieved. He warned that he is ready to go to court if the administration attempted to sweep these weighty allegations under the carpet.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Politics

Kogi is sick - Audu From Ahmad Ibrahim, Lokoja

L-R: Kaduna state Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, Ogun state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Osun state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Edo state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Oyo state Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, after President Muhammadu Buhari’s first meeting with 36 states governors, recently at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

Your action shameful, Sen Makarfi, Ogbeha, Bishop Idowu tell NASS members From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

he trio of former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Senator Tunde Ogbeha and the Bishop of Anglican communion, Kaduna diocese, Most Reverend Josiah Idowu-Fearon yesterday tonguelashed members of the National Assembly over the ongoing leadership crisis, saying their behaviors is a shame to the nation. Three of them spoke to newsmen separately in an interview yesterday on the occasion of send-off ceremony for Bishop Idowu-Fearon, who is billed for United Kingdom next month on appointment as the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Worldwide. According to Senator Makarfi who had had two shots at the

Senate, the NASS members should not put their personal interest above the nation’s interest in their move to assume leadership positions. Makarfi said, “And it is for all of them to know that the country is larger than any other interest, and to accommodate each other and to resolve this crisis. “The election of the Senate President and the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker was not an exclusive right of any political party. It was something that was very simple, the rule of the game is that once you have simple majority, you stand elected, no matter who elected you. So the election of the two positions in my opinion stands. And the rule also states that the election of these two positions supersedes any other events on that day. So if any

member chooses to do any other thing on that day, it is left for that particular member. “But other leadership positions are exclusive of the caucuses of the respective minority and majority. It is not an appointment. So as far as the rules and norms are, the APC caucus in conjunction with their party will elect who the leaders are, leader, deputy leader, deputy whip, and PDP senators as well who are now the minority, are the ones who have the exclusive right to elect their own leadership. It is not an appointment, so anything which seems to look like appointment, there is no basis for it. So you can see where right was done and where in my opinion some semblance of wrong may be wrong”. For Senator Tunde Ogbeha, “The crisis at the National Assembly is disheartening, and

I think embarrassing to the institution, and we hope they get their acts together so that the nation can move forward because a lot of time is being wasted unnecessarily on the bickering that is going on, but to say the least I am highly disappointed. Bishop Idowu-Fearon also expressed disappointment, saying, “The crisis in the National Assembly is disappointing. The members are behaving as if they are not Muslims and Christians. By their behaviours, they are telling Nigerians that they are stupid for voting them but this is disheartening because Nigerians voted for changes that will bring better political structures to the country and made life easier for them but what we are witnessing in the National Assembly is a disgrace and the members should buried their heads in shame”.

Dissolution of political appointees: Go to court, Lalong tells PDP From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

he Plateau State Governor, Barrister Simon Bako Lalong, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state could go to court for redress if the governor’s decision to dissolve the chairmen of boards, commissions and other parastatals is not within the provision of statutory law.

The governor made this known in a press release yesterday through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Samuel Emmanuel Nanle, in a reaction to the meeting of the PDP Youth Forum held on the 22nd June, which argued that the governor doesn’t have the legal power to take the action. According to the release, the PDP Youth Forum conference was “a manifestation of the lack of gallantry in loosing elections.

“The youth in there speak for their erstwhile paymaster in the last administration by raising issues which they do not have the faintest idea as to the law establishing the various agencies of government. “We make bold that all Boards, Commissions and Agencies that were dissolved are in line with the provision of statutory power conferred on the governor to do so. “Any one in doubt to the

compliance of the governor with those statutory provisions in line with his rule of law is at liberty to test that action in court,” the release added. However, the statement also dispelled allegations by the PDP that Lalong had re-awarded a N 1.8 billion contract for the renovation of old Government House Rayfield, saying the allegation was baseless, calling on the PDP to bury her hypocritical face of shame.

ormer governor of Kogi State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Prince Abubakar Audu has said that his decision to contest the coming gubernatorial election in the state was informed by his desire to nurse the state back to health. Speaking at an elaborate ceremony at the Lokoja Township Stadium over the weekend organized by 63 different organizations to drum support for his return to power in the governorship poll scheduled for the last quarter of the year, Prince Audu said Kogi State is not only sick but currently in a critical condition at the hospital, saying concerted efforts must be made to revive her. He pointed out that with about N600 million monthly allocation while piloting the affairs of the state, he was able to record landmark achievements in virtually all the sectors of the economy, assuring that he would do more if elected as governor in the coming dispensation. He further dispelled the rumour going round that he was coming on a revenge mission, stressing that he had no score to settle with anyone, even as his relationship with civil servants was cordial throughout his tenure. While noting that the entire infrastructure in the state has completely collapsed, Prince Audu maintained that the people of the state should put the 12 years of PDP misrule behind them so as to start on a clean slate. He equally promised to restore the lost glory of the state by embarking on massive infrastructural development, even as he assured that he would carry every segment of the state along in the scheme of things. The former governor further posited that unlike in the previous elections where the PDP manipulated the electoral process, the introduction of card readers and permanent voters cards have made it possible for the votes to count, expressing confidence that his party would overwhelmingly win the coming governorship poll. The President and Coordinator of the groups under the aegis of Voice of the Grassroots, Mr Felix Solomon Omachoko had earlier in a remark, noted that they would mobilized the people across the state irrespective of ethnic and party leanings to ensure the return of Prince Audu, in view of his monumental achievements during his last tenure in office. Omachoko pointed out that Kogi is presently at crossroads, adding that they needed an experienced personality like Prince Audu to complete the good work he had started. He described Kogi State as an accident vehicle on the road, which needed a good hand to fix it, saying any attempt to bring an inexperienced person to oversee the affairs of the state at this critical period would be disastrous.

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Politics

ANPP bloc wants Onu as SGF – Umar Duhu Feature

he President is yet to name his cabinet members and Nigerians are complaining. Is there any advice for Buhari? To me, there is nothing to worry about because Nigeria is moving forward even without a cabinet. I feel what is left is for the President to further look inward and try to seek among the best who can form the cabinet. He should also look at the foundation members of this party because they suffered to give him a platform in which he contested and won. The foundation members also know how to guide this country. From the formation of the APC, the foundation executives went to the length and breadth of this country registering members to the party. You don’t just say you want to bring technocrats to the government without considering the politicians that were technocrats in their various fields. Technocrats and politicians that guide the party in its early stage should form the cabinet so that there won’t be much stress for the President. Unlike in the time past where you see people lobbying for political positions, the early interim leaders of the APC have not been going close to the President. Why? The issue is that, Buhari has come to understand the politics and dynamics of this country. He contested three times in which he made it at the fourth time. This goes to tell you that from his records as a military officer when he was Governor and Minister of Petroleum and as Chairman of PTF, he must have known significant number of people in this country; people in business, technocrats, and the politicians. President Buhari knows almost everybody. So, for you to go and lobby for position this or that, you are not been fair to him. And if I were him, I will adopt the same measure because I know a lot of people in Nigeria and I don’t need anybody to come and lobby for appointment. I will just assign specific responsibility to people I know can do the job. Buhari has our records. I mean the formation members of this party, he knows does that work for the party and does who did not deliver the party. This is an issue that if he wants to appoint people from our political party, he just need to go back to the records and see how we perform. We know what we have done for this party; we’ve sacrificed our money and time for this party. If you are in APC, you should be thinking of service and not amassing wealth. We have

Dr Umar Duhu is the immediate past interim National Vice Chairman North-East of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former ANPP Chairman in FCT. In this interview with journalists, Duhu said the bloc he belong that merged to form the APC wants their former National Chairman, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) because they have been skewed out of positions in the National Assembly among other issues. Ali Abare Abubakar was there.

sacrificed for this party and need to be reciprocated. Life is about reciprocity. And we are waiting for a time Mr. President will say: well done for what you’ve done for this part, “but we expect that you will accept position A, B, C so that you continue with the good work.” I am confident that Buhari has been reading about all of us, he has our dossiers. I am confident that Buhari said he would not use people that are affluent and rich. How can people like Dangote form the economic team of this country? How will he contribute when he want to pave way for himself? So, the previous administration did a lot of damage to this country. They gave people like Dangote waivers not to be given tax to the country. So, Buhari is just trying to avoid the mistake of the Jonathan administration. I feel Buhari should go extra-mile to extend the olive branch to the founding executive members of this party. People like us that were frustrated but refused to leave the party should be encouraged. Since the formation of the APP, ANPP up to the APC, we still remained in the opposition. So, people that are consistent should be recognized and encouraged. The executive of the party you handed over to seem not to be working cordially with the members of the National Assembly. What is your advice to them? Well, you see, the issue is about the emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly. That is what brought the problem. But I cannot absolve all the processes that led to the so-called emergence of Ahmed Lawal and Femi Gbajabiamila as championed by the working committee of the party. If anybody should be blamed, it should be the entire working committee. But be that as it may, we have to put that at our back and move ahead. I will have love a situation where Ike Ekwerenmadu, either voluntarily or out of pressure to resign because when he stood up to make contribution at the floor of the senate, you can see people booing him. Is that how it will continue? I think we need to have a cohesive assembly whereby there will be synergy between the party and the leadership of the party and other members of this party so that there will be harmony and synergy. Buhari has clearly said he will not interfere and he has not interfered.

Dr Umar Duhu He said he is ready to work with anybody. What is important in this country is for the legislators to make laws that are important for our country. Anybody can be there but the most important thing is for you to do your work. And the work is not that of PDP, APC, Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa. It’s for law making for the benefit of all Nigerians. The party is not happy about Ekwerenmadu’s emergence as Deputy Senate President because its one of the positions recognized by the constitution. I feel the APC should have put its house to order and allow the process to determine who becomes what rather than pinning it to individuals. The leadership of the party would have said they are zoning the position to North East but not to a specific individual. So that the caucus of the region will now sit down and select because it could hurt other groups. The party can make amend. On the issue of calling for the resignation of the APC Chairman, after going through all the stress of campaign, you just say he should resign, you are not been fair to him. I pray APC should not behave like the PDP. APC has a President that is very disciplined. His name is anti-corruption. If the National Chairman of the APC is found wanting in financial misappropriation, I think we

should not spear him a minute but aside that, if it is on the National Assembly issue, we should give him the benefit of doubt so that Nigerians and party members can continue advising him. Some of us that were there before him, we will advise him on the best way to go. When we were there, we were so cohesive, so understanding. People like El-rufai, Masari, and I were understandable to the extent that one does not take a decision without the knowledge of another. It has to be collective. And before anything goes to the press, we must have digested it and agreed. How could you describe the few days Buhari has been in government so far? I am satisfied. Buhari assumed duty, and what was important in his mind was how to bring peace and security to the country. He started by visiting, Niger, Chad and Benin Republic. He also met with them in Nigeria. What is important is peace. That is why he has not decided to appoint Ministers. I think Nigeria is moving forward. Even without the cabinet, Buhari, as the former military leader, knows what is important for our country. Agencies and parastatals are still been manned by people appointed by the PDP led government. Members from different blocs of the

party are complaining. What is your take on this? You see, am happy you asked this question. If you look at the polarization of positions as it is today, it’s the ANPP bloc that funds the APC at the formation stage. But ANPP is skewed out of sharing of positions. If you look at Buhari, he is from the background of CPC. The Vice President is from the defund ACN. Then because of the instability we had between the executive and the legislature, the New PDP has taken over the two houses. Both the Speaker and the Senate President are from the bloc of the New PDP that joined the APC. It’s only ANPP that has not gotten a slot of a prominent office recognized by the constitution. Initially, the zoning of the Senate President to North-East was to favour ANPP. But as it is now, is the ANPP that is skewed out. I think President Buhari should think inward and polarize these positions so that each bloc, demography and zone should be carried along. Buhari should ensure that the key partners to the merger are considered when it comes to appointment of cabinet members. ANPP has been skewed out. There has been clamour for Agbonnaya Onu, our former National Chairman to be named the Secretary to the Government of the Federation from the Igbo extraction. It won’t be a bad idea if that call is achieved. Onu, was nominated as the Presidential candidate of the then APP but before he traveled from Kaduna to Abuja, his name was changed to that of Olu Falae and he didn’t left the party. Like some of us, we have never shifted post. We were ardent members of the opposition from 1999 up to the time God help us to win the Presidential election and we are now the governing party from May 29, 2015. If Onu is given SGF, he will handle that place effectively. He is very humane and humble. He always gives everyone the opportunity to vent his or her anger and resolve it. If Onu is appointed, some of us that are the younger ones should be considered for appointment in statutory Boards, Agencies or Ministries. You know, government is so large that it can accommodate everybody. But that President Buhari wants to trim the size of government does not mean that other hands will not be there to support in certain offices.

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Politics

Ortom lashes at PDP, says party bad loser From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Speaker, Enugu state House of Assembly, MR Edward Ubosi (middle), in a group photograph with members of the state’s House of Assembly correspondents, during their visit to the speaker, recently in Enugu. Photo: NAN

Niger PDP stalwart declares support for Gov Bello, warns detractors From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

he deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general elections in Niger State, Alhaji Isah Liman Kantigi has cautioned any group in the name of PDP working out plans to distract the administration of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to desist from such act. This was contained in a statement he issued over the weekend in Minna, made available to the media, saying that some politicians in the state are very good at distracting leaders by being the enemies of the state, advising them to join hands with leaders after elections to make the state great. Kantigi therefore noted that

as soon as elections are over it is the responsibility of all Nigerlites to join hands with whosoever God has granted leadership position in order to achieve meaningful development. “It is our duty to follow Governor Abubakar Sani Bello so as to move the state forward”, Kantigi stated while observing that most Nigerlites spearheading plans to distract the administration of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello are not those who does not mean well for the state but selfish politicians who always want to enrich themselves. “Abu is not from outside Niger State but an indigene of the state so I see no reason that party differences should be used as a leverage to distract him instead of supporting him to perform better

than other governors” Kantigi declared. The former scribe said he will organize people to wage war against anybody who stand to distract the governor from providing good governance and dividend of democracy to the people of the state. “I am prepared to use my resources, my supporters to wage war against any group trying to block him from doing his work as it is in the past. Our responsibility is to put party issues aside and join hands in ensuring the government succeeds. “Parties are to select good, acceptable and credible candidates, once the choice is made by the people and God; it is our duty to ensure he is supported. “He is our leader and l have

joined him in the task to develop the state and it does not mean l am no longer in my party PDP but I owe my support to the government of the day. ”God gives and take power and he has given Governor Abubakar Bello, so we are mandated to follow him irrespective of our parties, this is not to seek favour from him nor any appointment from him but I discovered that the Governor is young and from his utterances has good ideas and we should all give him support and free hands to perform” the PDP stalwart said. “I’m in PDP but will not tolerate and be part of those planning to distract a person God has given power to lead us in the state or a government that barely started working” Kantigi stated.

Kogi 2016: Concerned Kaduna progressives drum support for Prince Audu From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

head of the Kogi State Governorship election in 2016, group of Kogi State indigenes residing in Kaduna State under the aegis of Concerned Kaduna Progressives (CKP) has called on well meaning individuals from the state to support the aspiration of its former governor Prince Abubakar Audu. The leader of the group, Alhaji Yusuf Nda Ibrahim made the call while interacting with newsmen in Kaduna at the

weekend. He said the call has become imperative considering the sorry state in which Kogi State has been subjected to by previous administrations after Prince Audu left as governor. “We can attest to the achievements of Prince Abubakar Audu when he was the governor of the state, laudable achievements of his administration include the establishment of the state University and polytechnic, construction of township roads, media houses, infrastructural facilities, human resources

among others. “We can say authoritatively that ever since the governor left, nothing tangible can be seen or recorded by administrations after him, Kogi is expected to be better than what it is now, but unfortunately it is not so, and that is why we are calling on him to yield the call to help come and salvage the situation” the group stressed. The chairman of the group reiterated that Prince Audu as the governor gave the people of the state their rightful position and exhibited indisputable leadership

qualities that transformed the state and her people. “We are also calling on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to equally give him the opportunity to become it’s candidate being a consistent party member who also have the good will of the people of the state”. Alhaji Ibrahim said the group has already commenced discussions with relevant political stakeholders in the state and assured that it will leave no stone unturned to see to the success of Prince Audu come 2016.

overnor Samuel Ortom has lashed out at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, noting that it is yet to recover from the trauma of defeat in last April’s election. The governor who was reacting to a statement credited to the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Benue State, Dr Emmanuel Agbo who during a press conference yesterday in Makurdi, alleged that Governor Samuel Ortom is still a member of the PDP, maintained that his comments amounted to the tantrums of a bad loser yet to recover from the trauma of defeat. A statement issued by Special Adviser to the governor on Media and ICT, Mr. Tahav Agerzua said the defeat by APC over PDP has affected Agbo’s memory, reasoning and logic, reminding him that the case against Ortom questioning his membership status of APC has since been dismissed by the Federal high Court in Makurdi. He added that before the court decision, Ortom resigned from the PDP on 9th December, 2015 and handed over his resignation letter to the PDP ward chairman in Nzorov council ward of Guma local government area, Felix Agbaka. “How could Dr Agbo forget so soon that the people of the state came out last April with a unanimous determination to throw off the yoke of a party that brought them untold hardship and bad governance that led to the collapse of all government institutions in the state? “How could he forget so soon that the electorate was so incensed against the PDP that the All Progressives Congress, APC, did need to rig anywhere but just to protect the votes of its candidates? “Rather, it was the PDP that engaged in massive rigging in many parts of the state. “It beats one’s imagination that someone could be talking about constitutional provisions and yet forgets or gloss over one of the most fundamental which is the freedom of association. “Maybe the PDP runs a prison and its officials have to shout of a jailbreak anytime a member leaves”, he said. The media aide stressed that the responsibility of interpreting the constitution is that of the courts of law and not that of an interested party who is both complainant and judge in his own matter.

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NDIC urges banks to focus more on corporate governance By Etuka Sunday

igeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), has advised stakeholders in the banking sector to pay greater attention to sound corporate governance practices to prevent systemic crisis in the sector. A statement by the Head, Communication & Public Affairs, NDIC, H. S. Birchi quoted the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alh. Umaru Ibrahim to have given the charge in Lagos while delivering an address at the 2015 Executive Breakfast Meeting of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria. Alh. Ibrahim identified the failure of sound corporate governance as one of the factors

responsible for the 2009 Nigerian banking crisis. He recalled that the special examination conducted on the 24 banks in Nigeria by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and NDIC revealed that 10 of the 24 banks were critically distressed as a result of many factors amongst which was poor corporate governance. According to him: “The special examination revealed that boards and executive managements in some banks were not equipped to run their institutions as their ineffectiveness manifested in the form overbearing influence of some board members, ineffectiveness of board committees; non-adherence to the CBN code of corporate governance and weak ethical standards amongst others.

The NDIC boss emphasized that the problems of the affected banks informed the comprehensive reform embarked upon by the CBN which emphasised enhancing quality of banks, financial stability and ensuring that the financial sector contributes to the real economy. Alh. Ibrahim reviewed the various laws governing banking operations in Nigeria i.e the Banks and Other Financial Act 1991, the Companies and Allied Matters Act, the NDIC Act, the CBN Act and the Failed Banks Act and expressed the need for more stringent sanctions to serve as deterrent to irresponsible and greedy behaviours. He cited the case of the recent move by the regulatory authority in the United Kingdom to enhance supervision and management of

banks with emphasis on personal responsibilities of directors. In this regard, both the UK companies Acts 2006 and the recent tough new banking rules are compelling some bank directors to rethink their suitability and competence to remain as bank directors. Some board directors actually resigned. He noted that in their bid to establish a robust and stable financial system to promote national development, supervisory and regulatory authorities also accorded priority attention to sound corporate governance in their own operations. Some of the initiatives put in place by the Corporation to promote sound corporate governance, according to him, included adoption of a charter

and code of corporate governance for its Board, compliance with the code of corporate governance for all regulators under the auspices of the Financial Services Regulation Coordinating Committee, code of conduct for its bank examiners and compliance with provisions of relevant Acts of Federal Government on disclosure and accountability. The NDIC boss recalled the award of ‘Best Deposit Insurance Organisation of the Year 2014that was conferred on the Corporation by the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI) for compliance and international collaboration. The award, according to him, was a clear testimony to the Corporation’s compliance with international best practices in the discharge of its mandate.

L-R: Managing Director, Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi, Chairman, Lafferty Group, United Kingdom, Mr. Michael Lafferty, President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Mrs. Debola Osibogun, former Secretary General, Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, during the 2015 annual lecture of CIBN, recently in Lagos.

Nigerian Army, others owe Kaduna Electric N43bn By Etuka Sunday

aduna Electric has said that out of about N43 billion owed the company by electricity consumers in Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Kaduna states, military divisions are indebted to the tune of N4.7 billion, making them the highest debtors. The Chief Customers Services and Marketing Officer, Kaduna

Electric, Murtala Bello, who disclosed this in an interview in Kaduna at the weekend said the company was doing everything possible to retrieve all monies, owed it by Nigerian Armed forces , state and federal government establishments and others in order to improve on its services to costomers. According to Bello, ‘’ presently we have the total debt of about N43 billion been owed Kaduna Electric

over a long period of time. “The total debt owed by all the divisions of the military, that is; 1, Div, Air Force, DIC, NDA is about N4.7 billion. Police owes about N270 million. Others including Customs, Immigration, Prisons, NSCDC, NDLEA and FRSC owe about N15 million. ‘’The Para -military agencies also owe another N28 million. This is only for Armed Forces we also had

debts owed by the state and federal government and other individuals’’ On the why the company has not withdrawn its services from indebted companies especially the military, he said, ‘’it’s something we are taking up at a much higher level because the issue has always been that the military bills are settled from Defense Headquarters in Abuja. ‘’As I’m speaking with you now, there is an effort going on at that

level. ‘’But we have been able to get some concession from some of these people as some of them have started to settle their bills on individual basis. We have been able to segregate those who are no longer being paid for by the state especially those that have retired. We are now billing them on individual basis and we have been able to regulate that on Monthly basis.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Business Court lifts order on FRC to hold public hearing on NCCG

Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

he Financial Reporting Council (FRC) of Nigeria has been granted leave to hold public hearing on the proposed National code of Corporate Governance. According to a statement from FRC which was signed by Mack Ogbamosa this was sequel to vacation of exparte injunction by Justice O.E Abang of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, restraining FRC from proceeding with the public

hearing on an earlier scheduled date. The court vacated the order following its concurrence with the objection of the counsel to FRC by Dr Fabian Ajogwu(SAN). The Public hearing was scheduled to start on May 19,2015 before the injunction obtained by a group of shareholders who objected to certain provisions in the draft NCC. The Public hearing will now hold in Lagos on June 30 for public and private sectors and July 2 for Not-For-Profit

organizations respectively. When adopted, the new National Code of Corporate Governance will replace the six existing codes adopted by different bodies-the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN),Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation(NDIC),National Insurance Commission (NAICOM,Pensions Commission (PENCOM),Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC), Corporate Affairs Commission(CAC),and Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC). While

the above codes lack legal backing, the proposed National Code of Corporate Governance will have legal powers and be sanctionable. The benefits of the National Code of Corporate Governance if adopted among others include Increased management credibility and More long-term investments. Others consist of Lower cost of capital, Higher shares value, More disclosures and better investment decisions and Transparency in financial management.

L-R: Founder, Heeba Foundation Abuja, Mrs. Fatima Abdu, Deputy Director, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission Abuja, Hajiya Gana Wakil, Initiator, Hope for Borno, Mrs. Iby Ikotidem, and Creative Director Qhaflani Coutive and Life Style, Hajiya Hauwa Lawan, during the unveiling of Hope for Borno Initiative, on Saturday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

SA Insurance settles N566.65m consolidated claims in Q1

tandard Alliance Insurance Plc, one of the nation’s foremost insurance companies said it has paid out a consolidated claims totaling N566.65m to its affected policyholders during the first quarter of its operations this year, just as it has engaged Mr. Olukolajo Ezekiel, a longstanding insurance professional, to drive its underwriting and claims administration to clients’ all time expectations. A breakdown of the above consolidated sum shows that Standard Alliance Insurance Plc paid N278.64m while its life subsidiary, Standard Alliance Life Assurance Ltd, was responsible

for N288.01m balance. The claims were paid out to affected policyholders spread across fire, marine, Motor, oil and gas, general accident and engineering classes of general insurance as well as thegroup and individual life policies. The company’s Group Managing Director, Mr. Bode Akinboye, who gave these details in a statement, explained further that a total consolidated sum of N719.56m was paid out by the company and its subsidiary as claims to affected general and life policyholders during the corresponding period in 2014. Akinboye underscored the importance the company attaches

to prompt claims settlement, noting that “we recognize the fact that the survival or acceptance, progress and reputation of any underwriting company are a function of its consistent ability to respond to claims issues promptly and that is why we give any claims reported all the prompt attention to the satisfaction of our affected policyholders.” He explained that the company’s ability to settle claims to the tune of N566.65m at a time the insurance business patronages were not impressive owing to the nation’s focus on the general electioneering activities “clearly demonstrates the organisation’s financial strength to manage any size of risk brought to it by the

insuring public at any time.” Some of the major beneficiaries of the claims settlement, according to him, includedKarina International Limited, Compact Manifold & Energy Services, Eagle Haulage Nig.Ltd, St. Paul’s Church, Hydrochina Huadong Engineering and DSC International, among others. According to Akinboye, these were part of outstanding claims prior to the assumption of office by the new management in January this year, noting that “this claims response underscores the passionate commitment of the company’s new management team to aggressively pay down all claims that were hitherto unattended to.”

Skye Bank launches new retail banking road-map

kye Bank Plc. said it has embarked on a comprehensive transformation of its retail business aimed at repositioning the segment of the business to make it the centre-piece of its business focus, Project R-TAG, the banks new Retail strategy is focusing on ‘Retail Transformation and Growth’, was designed to simplify Retail Banking business to serve as a game-changing business model with a focus on customer segments using unique value propositions rather than the product led approach commonly adopted by Retail organizations. Project R-TAG, according to the bank is pivotal to activating the Bank’s new retail sales approach which is based on a ‘Pull’ strategy, supported by a positive customer experience across its key service touch points The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo, while speaking at the launch of the project in Lagos assured that the new business transformation project would bring about customised and needssatisfying financial solutions in a manner that will exceed the expectations of the customers. He noted that the trend in retail banking involves knowing the needs of the customer beyond finances to include Lifestyle needs and designing appropriate solutions to meet those needs, saying, ‘Skye Bank is poised to serve as a dependable partner to its customers across the country.’ “Our renewed drive and focus on Retail Banking is anchored on the premise of building a long lasting relationship with our customers based on trust as well as supporting the financial inclusion drive of the CBN so as to bring a lot more people into the financial system and the formal economy”, he said. This is why the bank has instituted its ‘Reach for the Skye millionaire reward’ scheme as a product feature for its flagship savings product to encourage savings culture amongst the mass market segment. Oguntayo stressed that the current Banking environ as well as the acquisition of Mainstreet Bank, which after integration, will significantly increase the branch footprint of Skye, signifying a clear competitive advantage for Skye Bank to follow the Retail Banking model.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Capital Market

Insurance sector gross premium hits N319bn

he Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has said that the value of business underwritten by the Insurance Industry in 2014 stood at N319 billion thus representing a 12 percent surge when compared with 2013 figure of N285 billion. Addressing member companies at the association’s 44th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos, the Chairman of NIA, Mr. G.U.S Wiggle disclosed that the Insurance companies within the last four years, settled claims to the tune of N326.25 billion. The breakdown of the claims showed that N70.71 billion was paid in 2011; N72.20 billion in 2012; N92.95 billion in 2013 and N90.39 in 2014. He said that these achievements did not come easy as the Nigerian Insurance landscape was plagued by several challenges. According to him the insurance sector cannot be separated from the vagaries and vicissitudes of the national economy. He noted that challenge of power supply weak infrastructure and the continuing insurgency in the north east contributed to slow down the pace of growth of the industry, adding that the introduction of innovative products, strategic business, modules and improved service delivery however helped to up the ante for the industry. He added that the enforcement of NO Premium No Cover, implementation of IFRS, strict adherence to anti-money laundering guidelines, better corporate governance structures and tighten supervisory oversight and the shift to development oriented regulation by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) contributed significantly to the improvement in quantum of premium reported. Meanwhile the NIA has unanimously elected five new members into its governing council. They are: Mr. Sakiru Oyefeso, Managing Director/ CEO Staco Insurance Plc; Mr. Fashola Rotimi, Industrial General Insurance (IGI); Yetude Ilori, Managing Director/CEO Mansard Insurance Plc; Mr. Fatai Kayode Lawal; Managing Director/CEO Sterling Insurance; Mr. Ogunjimi Teju and Managing Director ARM Life Insurance. Also members of the association ratify the appointment of Mr. Mr. Sakiru Oyefeso as Treasurer and Mr. Tope Smart as the Assistant Treasurer.

Kaduna and Katsina Area Comptroller of Customs, Alhaji Maitama Kura (left), inspecting some textile materials at M a g a m a Jibiya border, on Saturday in Katsina. Photo: NAN

Market capitalization dips by 1.22% Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

eavy investment loses has persisted in trading activity at the floor of the stock market as twin market indicators continue to nosedive. Specifically, Market Capitalization of listed equities depreciated by 1.22% to close at N11.215 trillion from N11.353 trillion it opened with while NSE All-Share Index equally decreased by 1.2 per cent to close at 32,853.4 basis points from 33,257.90 basis points recorded the previous week. Meanwhile a turnover of 1.439 billion shares worth N26.406 billion in 18,110 deals were traded by investors in contrast to a total of 1.282 billion shares valued at N31.297 billion that exchanged hands in 19,143 deals the previous week. Review of activity in the market showed that the Financial Services Industry (measured by

volume) led the activity chart with 919.073 million shares valued at N8.388 billion traded in 10,033 deals; thus contributing 63.89% and 31.76% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Construction/ Real Estate Industry followed with a turnover of 187.939 million shares worth N9.464 billion in 274 deals. The third place was occupied by Consumer Goods Industry with 143.344 million shares worth N6.003 billion in 3,031 deals. Trading in the Top Three Equities namely – Zenith International Bank Plc., Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Wapic Insurance Plc., (measured by volume) accounted for 489.554 million shares worth N13.376 billion in 1,637 deals, contributing 34.03% and 50.66% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. Also traded during the week were a total of 1,945 units of Exchange Traded Products

(ETPs) valued at N533,746.50 executed in 23 deals compared with a total of 624 units valued at N235,319.49 transacted last week in 20 deals. (See summary in the table below). There was no trade on bonds recorded in the week under review. However, a total of 2,284 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N2.398 million were traded last week in 2 deals. Similarly, four of the Indices finished lower during the week, while three other Indices: NSE Consumer Goods, NSE Oil/ Gas, NSE Lotus II closed higher by 0.12%, 1.26% and 0.81% respectively. However, the NSE ASeM Index closed flat. (See summary of Index movements in the table below). Twenty-two (22) equities appreciated in price during the week, lower than twenty-eight (28) equities of the preceding week. Fifty-four (54) equities depreciated in price, higher

than forty-six (46) equities of the preceding week, while one hundred and seventeen (117) equities remained unchanged, lower than one hundred and nineteen (119) equities recorded in the preceding week. A total of 68,114,665 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each belonging to McNICHOLS CONSOLIDATED PLC were admitted to trading on 25th June, 2015. This arose from the Conversion of 68,114,665 Preference Shares of 50 kobo each to Ordinary Shares as contained in the company’s resolution passed at the 27th June 2013 Annual General Meeting. By this action, the total outstanding shares of the company now stood at 270,000,000 units. A total of 599,994,128, 324,500,000, and 233,730,000 units were added to the following Federal Government Bonds -14.20% FGN MAR 2024, 12.1493% FGN JUL 2034, 15.54% FGN FEB 2020 respectively on 24th June, 2015.

STI PAT grows N179.5m in 2015 Q1 ...promotes staff

overeign Trust insurance Plc has announced a Profit After Tax to the tune of N179.5 million for first quarter ended 31st March, 2015 against N140.4 recorded in same period of 2013. However gross premium written dropped from N2.9 billion in 2014 to N2.4 billion in same first quarter of 2015. According firms filling with the Nigerian Stock Exchange, profit After Tax for the financial year ended 31, December 2014 came down to N294.9 million in 2014 when compared to N929.9 million achieved in 2013. Gross Premium Written was not left out as depreciated to N7.2 billion as against N8.6 billion achieved in same period of 2013. Sovereign Trust last week

announced the elevated 22 staff following the outcome of the company’s 2014 performance appraisal exercise. The newly promoted members of staff cuts across the length and breadth of the organization nationwide. Top on the list of the elevated staff was the Eastern Area Manager, Angela Onochie, who now becomes an Assistant General Manager from her hitherto Senior Manager Position. Ebinyu Faloughi, who was before now a Deputy Manager becomes a full Manager. Two members of staff were promoted to the position of Deputy Manager while ten staff got elevated to the position of Officer 1 and officer 2 respectively. Another two moved to the status of officer 3. Making the list also are some of the company’s chauffeurs who

moved up the ladder at different administrative grade levels within their promotion cadre. Angela Onochie joined the company at inception as a Graduate Trainee having studied Zoology from the University of Calabar. She has virtually traversed all the major Divisions in the organization, namely, Technical, Human Resources,Administration and Marketing. She currently oversees the operations of the Eastern Area Offices for the underwriting firm. The Acting Head of Human Resources of Sovereign Trust Adeola Onichabor explained that, asides those that got promoted, the company also rewarded other members of staff with varying salary increment notches for their outstanding performances during the period under review.wwwShe equally

reiterated Management’s commitment to rewarding every member of staff who at one point or the other has been able to distinguish themselves in the course of carrying out their duties. She said Management is particularly interested and ready to support any member of staff that is willing to professionally develop himself or herself for the advancement and growth of the organization and the individual involved. According to her, “Management has identified that Professionalism is the springboard for the advancement and development of Insurance business in Nigeria; hence, the workforce in Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc is being encouraged to embrace continuing education both professionally and academic wise.

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Business Analysis Nigeria, others to benefit from mini hydro power deal By Etuka Sunday

igeria and other African countries are to benefit from the recently signed pact between the Genesis Energy Corporation and a Norwegian Group, SHP Malthe Winje, to provide mini hydro power solutions that will service the entire continent. Speaking in London during the launch of the modular mini Hydro power solution for Africa, the Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Energy Corporation, Akinwole Omoboriowo II said the modular units of this hydro power engines can be deployed on fast-track basis within just six months without the prohibitive operating costs of diesel oil or natural gas Omoboriowo explained that the modular units can be connected to small mini grid at 415V levels for direct consumption

by targeted communities and or connected to the distribution network within the area of the modular hydro unit installation, adding that the units also have advantages of increased generated Kilo Watt per hour and in addition have zero negative environmental impact, given the Pass-through water from streams or rivers used to feed the modular hydro units. “In line with the vision of Genesis to light up Africa one community at a time, we have embarked on innovative means of generating Power using alternative and renewable sources of Fuel with particular interest in Mini Hydro and Off-grid Solar Power Solutions. SHP Malthe Winje(SHP) are technology market leaders in the manufacturing and supply of prefabricated and standardised Mini Hydro Plants, and the group being one of global

technical specialist in this field has brought on board significant positive upside in collaborating with Genesis to light up Africa one community at a time, and starting from Nigeria. This strategic initiative to provide fast track sustainable mini hydro solutions to African countries will engender realistic optimism that stronger more enlightened renewable policies will emerge in and throughout Africa”. Mr Marc Eeckhout, Executive Director of Genesis who led the Genesis team to the signing ceremony of the Strategic Partnership contract at the SHP headquarters in Norway said that the mini hydro plants can be set up in virtually all parts of Nigeria where qualifying streams and or rivers exist, stressing that their sustainability for stand-alone utilisation in several States, local

governments and in the rural parts of Nigeria where most Nigeri an resides can be justified while noting that many viable mini hydro scale plants are actually ‘’run-off-river’’ schemes based on water wheels that require significantly small amount of civil works. According to him, several rivers, waterfalls, qualifying streams in Nigeria such as Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Cross Rivers and their tributaries provide an enviable potential for the exploitation of hydro energy. This is a visible alternative to the conventional buying of transformers and waiting for power from the national grid. Currently SHP are approaching the Norwegian Export Credit Agency for a financing Solution for the deployment of this Mini Hydro Power to Nigeria and

Africa. Norwegian Credit provides for 85% of the total project costs and the Norwegian Export Credit Agency being the largest in the World with tenure of 20 years and with a very low interest rate. It is believed that this Norwegian Funding would ensure a low competitive tariff due to the long period of amortization of the fund and this would ensure the Government counterpart funding of 15% by Federal or State agencies is easily affordable. Omoboriowo said that investment in the Mini Hydro Solution would ensure job creation where the locals would be trained to maintain the plant, service and operate the mini grids where it’s utilised, and sell cards for prepaid metering vouchers to users stressing that it would also ensure increase in agricultural production in areas it is deployed.

DPR shuts two filling stations in Ilorin

From Olanrewaju Lawal,Ilorin

he Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Kwara state has ordered the closure of two filling stations in Ilorin for under-dispensing of fuel to unsuspecting members of the public. The stations shut by DPR included NIPCO along Ajase-Ipo road, Ilorin and Success along New Yidi Road, Ilorin. The filling stations were discovered to have adjusted their metres downward, thereby cheating buyers of the product. The DPR discovered that instead of 10 litres of fuel as displayed on the pumping machine, the agency discovered that the stations in practical terms sold 8.7 litres. Due to the development, members of the task force of the State DPR, who were on a surveillance to filling stations in Ilorin at the weekend, immediately sealed the stations.

The team also summoned the management of the stations to appear before it and give explanation for the alleged sharp practice. In the same vein, the Task Force also warned three stations within the metropolis to adhere to the rule and regulations of the department or face sanctions. The Operation Controller of the state DPR, Engineer Amos Jokodola, who spoke on the development, threatened that the agency would not hesitate to close down any station found to be cheating innocent buyers. Speaking through the acting Deputy Manager, Retails Outlets, Mr Ishola Joshua, the Operation Controller warned filling stations selling fuel at N100 per litre to desist henceforth. Jokodola stated that the department would continue to monitor the activities of the stations until some level of compliance is achieved.

People buying pineapples at Railway Fruit Market, recently in Kaduna.

Photo: NAN

IPMAN Crisis: North-East Zonal Chair disowns Kaburiye’s faction in Adamawa From Umar Dankano, Yola

he Leadership crisis rocking the independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Adamawa State chapter has been addressed following the affirmation of Alhaji Abubakar Butu led state executives as the authentic leadership of the union in the State. North-East Zonal Chairman of the Association (IPMAN), Alhaji Aminu Adamu made the disclosure at a press conference held in Yola Adamawa State capital weekend disowning the Alhaji Dahiru Buba Kaburiye’s faction as he said they did not come through legal electoral

process. It could be recalled that the association has been engaged into union leadership squabble from its national level to state levels which brought about the two factions in some states including Adamawa for a while now. Our correspondent in Yola reported that, Alhaji Adamu at the Yola office of IPMAN along Atiku Abubakar way were many major stakeholders were in attendance in North East affirmed the leadership of Alhaji Abubakar Butu and 10 others as he said they were duly elected. “With specific reference to the Yola Depot unit of IPMAN, we wish to state that, on or about the

25th day of September, 2014 an election was conducted to produce the Yola Depot Unit Executives. “This election followed the vacation of office of the erstwhile IPMAN Yola Depot chairman Alhaji Babakano Aliyu Jada and his executive committee. “The election was particularly supervised and monitored by the chairman and other executives of IPMAN North East Zonal office in accordance with article 17 of the IPMAN constitution,” he said. Adamu regretted that two days after the said election, a renegade group operating from an untraceable makeshift location under Kaburiye asserts itself as the new leadership of the union

forcefully and has been causing tension as they collect levies illegally from unsuspecting members of the union. He added that the Kaburiye group has latched its leadership on a judgment of a Federal High Court Port Harcourt which was passed in favour of Mr. Obasi Lawson even though the said judgment had no effect on unit or zonal leadership of the union. “We need to restate here that for all that the Federal High Court Port arcourt judgment was worth, it is not a judgment that touches on any zonal or unit election or the constitution of their executive

committees. “None of the members of the Kaburiye group of A. A Butu’s group is a party in the case,” he said. Adamu accused Jonathan’s administration for fueling the crisis in IPMAN as he acknowledges the leadership of Obasi Lawson 2 days to the expiration of his tenure even though the issue is before a competent court of law. “We see this as a deliberate booby trap for the incoming Buhari’s administration. This we imagine will rather escalate than resolve the leadership crisis in the National Executive Council of IPMAN,” he said.

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Stock Watch:

Friday, June 26, 2015

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Peoples Daily, Monday, June 29, 2015

PAGE 24

Special Report

Journey from hell: How three refugees survived 24 hours in lorry’s fuel tank W

e knew the fuel tank was a bad way to go. There were Syrian guys who had tried it before and they all said, “Don’t do it!” But we were desperate to get out of Greece. I’d been stuck there for two months, living in a flat in Athens with Anas and Badi. There was no work, no help, no way to survive. The police were hassling us every day, aggressive as hell. “Where are your papers? Where are your papers?” The traffickers sat around in the cafes, Kurdish and Arab guys mainly, talking quite openly about the ways they could get people into other Western European countries. By plane. By boat. In the fuel tank of a lorry. The fuel tank was the worst, but it was a surefire way to get in. “You might be a corpse by the time you arrive,” they said, “but you’ll get there.” The guy who told us about the lorry was an Egyptian who ran an internet cafe near Omonia Square. The cafe was just a front for the smuggling operation, really. A lot of Arab kids would be in there talking to their parents on Skype, and he would listen in to find out who was trying to get into France

Three refugees from the war in Syria met in Turkey and crossed into Greece - but they wanted to go further. With money running out and their families in Turkey relying on them to find a new home, they made a last-ditch attempt to get into Italy. Said tells their story. or Italy. He told us he knew a Greek driver going to Milan. For 5,000 euros (£3,630, $5,386) each, he could take four of us in the second fuel tank. We left Athens in a taxi, me and Badi and Anas and an Iraqi guy who we didn’t really know. The driver took us to a warehouse in an industrial zone outside Thessaloniki, not far from the sea. The lorry was hidden inside and the driver shut the warehouse doors so no-one could see what was going on. He told us all to go to the toilet before we got in. The other guys all took a leak, but I just couldn’t go. I was too tense. We had to get into the tank by crawling under the axle of the lorry and squeezing through this tiny door. As soon as I saw it I thought, “We’re going to die in there.” When we’d taken a

Many lorries have two fuel tanks, but may only need one

look we scrambled back out from under the lorry and prayed, there on the floor of the warehouse. We prayed for our children, all four of us together. Then we crammed ourselves into the tank and the driver started the engines. As soon as the lorry started to move we knew we wouldn’t last an hour. It was burning hot and filled with diesel fumes. Ana was frantic, banging on the tank and screaming this weird scream. The driver heard him and the lorry stopped before it had left the warehouse. We scrambled out. Anas said, “I have kids, I don’t want to die.” There was no way all four of us could go in that tank, so we agreed that the Iraqi guy would go back to Athens. The rest of us had been together for months. We were like brothers. We trusted each other. The driver was going to

lose 5,000 euros, but he didn’t want to arrive with a bunch of dead bodies in the tank. So he squeezed an extra 500 euros out of the three of us and we got back in. Within an hour, I needed to pee so badly it hurt. We were squished together like dough. There was a rubber sheet on the floor of the tank and it just melted in the heat. I mean it turned to liquid. We were covered in this black stuff.

It was like an oven, pitch black. It stank of melting plastic and diesel fumes. I was 100% certain that we were going to die. We had a small plastic Pepsi bottle with us, and Badi and Anas managed to pee in it. Well, half of it went in the bottle and half of it went everywhere, all over their clothes and on to the floor of the tank with the melted rubber. Badi emptied the bottle outside the tank, but the lorry was going fast and the wind blew the spray back inside. Syrian refugees often enter the EU in Italy or Greece, but most would prefer to get to a country with more jobs and better social welfare. Police harassment can also be a problem. The most popular countries are in northern Europe. The UK, the

“

Netherlands, Germany, and the Scandinavian states are all seen as places that offer a degree of support to asylum seekers and provide migrants with a chance of finding work. Professional migrant smugglers operate all over Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Some advertise their services and answer enquiries on Facebook. Desperate migrants often pass huge sums of money, saved over years of work or borrowed from families, into the hands of criminal smuggling gangs. By then I was really in agony, but I just couldn’t pee in that bottle with my friends there. Towards the end of the journey the pain was so bad that I was actually blacking out. I tried to keep quiet for their

After a while the lorry drove on to a ferry. Without the engine noise we were scared they’d hear us, so we never said a word except when the lorry was going fast. We just stayed there silently, listening to the boat’s engines and struggling to breathe

Artist impression of the men

sakes, but all the way I was screaming inside. After a while the lorry drove on to a ferry. Without the engine noise we were scared they’d hear us, so we never said a word except when the lorry was going fast. We just stayed there silently, listening to the boat’s engines and struggling to breathe. None of us thought we’d make it. I had my mobile in my hand and I kept looking at the screen in the darkness, looking at photos of my wife and my girls. I have twin girls, Deema and Reema. They’re four years old. I did this whole journey just for them. I left Syria to get my girls out of this war. I just kept thinking, “How are they going to survive if I don’t make it?” We had another girl on the way, too. I’d already seen the ultrasound in Turkey, so we knew it

was a girl. I just lay there looking at my family on the phone and wondering if God would give me life to see that baby. In the end the battery died. Finally the engines started again and we started to move, slowly slowly slowly. When we stopped we could hear men talking loudly outside - “Buongiorno! Grazie! Prego! Grazie!” - and we knew we were in Italy. We were relieved, because whatever happened we would not be sent back to Greece. The driver was supposed to take us to Milan but after a few more hours we just couldn’t stand it any more. We started banging on the side of the tank, yelling, but he didn’t hear us or he didn’t want to stop. Badi still had some juice in his phone, so he called the trafficker in Athens from inside the tank and

Said with all three of his daughters, in Vienna

said, “Call the driver and tell him to let us out or we’re going to die in here.” Not long after that the driver turned off the big road and after a while he stopped. We collapsed out of the tank on to the floor. We couldn’t unfold our legs, couldn’t even feel them, so we had to drag ourselves out from under the lorry with our hands. It was the middle of the day. We were in a wood somewhere in Italy. The driver made it clear that he no longer knew us, that we were on our own. After he drove off we rolled down a slope and crawled into a concrete storm tunnel under the road. We just lay in there trying to move our limbs and to breathe. After 10 minutes, lying there on my side, I managed to take a pee. When we got our breath back we sat up and looked at each other. And then

Said en route

we really laughed, because we were covered in black melted rubber and we stank. We stripped of our shirts and turned them inside out and used them to clean off the worst of it. We’d each brought a small bag with a change of clothes, so we got into clean shirts and left the old ones in the tunnel. We had no idea where

we were. Badi used the GPS on his phone to find a village, and we started walking towards it. There were vineyards everywhere, and after a while we saw farms. When cars came past we were scared that the villagers would report us to the police as they had in Greece, so we turned our backs on the cars and pointed at the scenery, acting as though were tourists out for a stroll in the hills. When we got into the village we had to ask for help. We hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for 24 hours. The other guys pushed me to the front, because I was the whitest and the most educated. I have a degree in economics, and a bit of English, and I’d learned a few Italian words before we set off. So I had to do the talking. The Italians were so kind to us. They actually took us by the hand, physically took our hands, and led us to the restaurant. It was closed, so we went to a cafe instead. There was nothing to eat in there. The waiter brought us coffee and water. The water was fizzy. I had never had fizzy water before, and I just couldn’t drink it. So we drank the coffee. It was espresso. Black. Bitter. That was the next time we laughed. We survived the fuel tank, we said, but this coffee’s going to kill us. Source: BBC

Feature

PAGE 26

hey say love comes to those who wait, but for octogenarian couple George Harris and Jack Evans, it’s taken decades to make it official. The pair who’ve been together for 55 years, were the first to exchange vows at the Dallas County court after the Supreme Court handed down its decision. Television crews and onlookers holding mobile phones, crammed into the courthouse to capture the “I do” moment. Harris, 82, wore a dark pin-striped suit, while his new husband plumped for navy blue. They were introduced in late 1960 through a mutual friend. “George and I met at a party and we were the last ones to leave together. We haven’t slept apart since,” Jack Evans told the BBC. This was the couple’s second wedding ceremony. In 2014 they were married at the Midway Hills Christian Church in northwest Dallas, by a sympathetic Methodist priest who called for the church to become fully inclusive. But the political tide in Texas was against them and their union was never legal in the eyes of the law. Evans, who’s been fighting for marriage equality for years, believes younger generations have helped turn the tide. “People in my generation considered homosexuality a sin and a disease. Young people today don’t care,” he said. Other couples in the Lone Star State are also celebrating the decision. Yasmin Menchaca and Catherine Andrews in San Antonio are planning to get married as soon as they get their families together. They’ve been together six years and had been trying to arrange a wedding in Washington state, which already allowed same-sex marriage. Keen to ensure their parents could witness their special day, they’d been waiting until they could afford to make the journey to the West Coast. Now that’s not necessary and they’re looking forward to making their relationship legal. “We own a house, a car, a dog,” said Ms Menchaca “Just the one thing missing is that”. But celebrations are on ice in other parts of the US. In Mississippi, same-sex couples will have to wait a little longer for their nuptials. Tiffany Brosh, 26, and Laurin Locke, 24, applied for a marriage licence, but shortly after they filled out their application they were told they couldn’t go through with a wedding yet. The attorney general for the state, Jim Hood, put a stay on issuing licences. “The Office of the Attorney General is certainly not standing in the way of the Supreme Court’s decision,” he said in a statement, “We simply want to inform our citizens of the procedure that takes effect after this ruling.” Hood is waiting for a federal appeals court in New Orleans to lift a ban on a gay marriage case from Mississippi before he can proceed, he says. The couple say they’re patient. ``Good things come to those who

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Gay marriage: The chance to finally say ‘I do’ Soon after the US Supreme Court announced its decision to allow same-sex marriage, couples across the United States lined up to say their vows.

Laurin Locke and Tiffany Brosh hope to make it legal soon. this is for you, John,” Obergefell said as he held up a photo of his loved one after the court’s decision. So many who’ve been fighting for this day thought it would never come. It represents a dramatic shift in attitudes across the United States.

“Not in my lifetime. Ten years ago, this is something that we couldn’t even imagine. We thought it would never get to Texas,” said Jack Evans. The newlyweds say they plan to celebrate with a martini. “Then we will see how we feel after that.” Source: BBC

Yasmin Menchaca and Catherine Andrews plan to get married as soon as their parents can make it wait,’’ said Brosh. For others, the decision is bittersweet. The lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, Jim Obergefell, took the case to America’s most senior justices, so he could be legally recognised as his late husband John Arthur’s partner. The couple married in Maryland, which recognised same-sex marriage, but lived in Ohio, a state which didn’t. It meant Obergefell wasn’t legally seen as John Arthur’s widower until today. “I love you,

“

Jim Obergefell took the case to the US Supreme Court in honour of his late partner

Evans, who’s been fighting for marriage equality for years, believes younger generations have helped turn the tide. “People in my generation considered homosexuality a sin and a disease. Young people today don’t care,” he said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Education

Kano govt seeks support of French government in education - Ganduje From Edwin Olofu, Kano

ano state government has requested the support of French Government in the area of technical education to acquire skills that will make youths from state employable. The state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who made the request while receiving the French ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Denys Gauer in his office over the weekend, also told

the envoy that his administration is giving serious attention to the teaching of French language in schools in the state. This, he said, is because Kano is a foremost commercial center in West Africa that receives businessmen from the sub-Saharan Africa, mainly the Francophone countries, adding that already, the state government has established bilingual Colleges in Niger republic as part of effort to foster socio-economic development.

Ganduje assured that his administration is working towards improving security in the state, adding that Kano is now safe for his Embassy to reopen its French cultural center in the state capital. In his remarks, the Ambassador, Mr. Denys Gauer, said his country wants to be economically present in Northern Nigeria, especially Kano, in view of its strategic position in Nigeria. In this regard, he stated that

a French school would soon be established by the French government in Kano while the French cultural center, Alliance Française, which was closed down due to security reasons would be reopened. Gauer stated that his government would explore ways of strengthening relations with the government and people of the state, especially through the provision of educational scholarships to students and other economic investments in

No plan to commercialise basic education in Ekiti , says govt

L-R: Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, Professor Hayward Mafuyai, Comptroller of Immigration, Plateau state Command, Mr. Raymond AkraJaja, and Comptroller General of Immigration, Mr. David Parradang, during the distinguished alumni lecture to mark the 40th anniversary of University of Jos, recently in Jos. Photo: NAN

By Christiana Popoola

kiti State government has reacted to claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Governor Ayodele Fayose was planning to commercialise basic education in the State, saying; administration of Kayode Fayemi is responsible for the present state of education in the State. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government is trying all that it could to restore the lost glory of the State in the education sector.” Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and News Media, Lere Olayinka, in a statement at the weekend, refuted the APC claim, emphasizing that the government had no plan to commercialise basic education in the State. The government said it was not proper for the APC to make reference to the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, saying; “The APC does not stand for one single ideal of Awolowo. ‘Would Awolowo have scrapped functional universities in preference for N3.3bn hilltop governor’s lodge as done by the APC government of Fayemi?” The statement read in part; “The 1999 constitution of Nigeria guarantees Free Universal Basic Education from primary school to JSS 3. That is a law that no government can contravene. “However, does the APC as a party have moral rights to speak on education? “Here is a party, whose government scrapped universities under the pretext that the State could not fund more than one university, but the same government could use borrowed funds to build N3.3bn governor’s lodge, civic centre, state pavilion and other irrelevant projects. “Shouldn’t these characters in the APC be ashamed for once, show remorse for destroying the economy of Ekiti State and stop this persistent advertisement of idiocy, the statement added.

the state. Kano state government had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the French embassy in Nigeria, which aims at strengthening bilateral cooperation in favour of initial and continuous training of French teachers of the State, the promotion of contemporary course books and the support of the teaching of French in public primary and secondary schools as well as private schools in the state.

NANS mourns death of 11 students of Olabisi Onabanjo University

he National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) mourned the death of 11 students of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ondo state, who lost their lives on Friday in a road mishap. Ayenuro Gbenga, the Vice President (National Affairs) of NANS, expressed the mood of the association in a statement in Akure. He said ``it is with caring thoughts that the national secretariat of NANS regrets and

commiserates with the teeming Nigerian students and the Olabisi Olabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, over the death of 11 students of the institution. ``We learnt that an unlatched 20-feet container from a moving truck came off when the driver was driving against traffic and in a bid to avoid obstruction, the container fell on the passenger-bus conveying some students along Lagos/Ibadan expressway. ``Words seem inadequate

to express our sadness over the incident. ``On behalf of the National Secretariat, I send this to support the Nigerian students in our grieving process with sincere sympathy. ``The loss of a loved one is always an unfathomable tragedy which is compounded when such death occurs at an unripe age. ``May their hearts and souls find peace and comfort.’’ The association wished the

Students Union Government of the institution, the deceased family and entire university community peace, the courage to face the days ahead and loving memories to forever hold in their hearts. NANS urged drivers to always obey traffic rules, adding that motorists flouting road traffic regulations with impunity would not go unpunished as their action was becoming more unbearable. (NAN)

By Stanley Onyekwere

the Governing Council and the management should be asked to step down during the period of investigation to prevent obstruction and travesty of justice of the outcome of the investigative committee. The position of the group was contained in a press statement signed by the former bursar of the college, Mr. Olugbenga Ibirogba and made available to journalists, alleging that the clean bill of health by the police was highly manipulated and motivated by the

Rector and those benefiting from the ongoing corrupt practices in the college. Ibirogba revealed that in the last 5 years, the Rector of the college has collected more than N20 million for foreign trips and vacations including ‘estacode’ of not less than $30, 000 without embarking on any of the trips and without refunding the money to the college’s treasury. He therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to step into the case of Yaba College

of Technology in the spirit of change mantra of the present administration, stating that he will not deter untill justice prevail in the institution. It would be recalled that a couple of weeks ago, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Charles Oni issued a statement absorbing the Governing Council and the Rector of any corruption allegations, even as the statement described the allegations as baseless and spurious.

Yabatech: Staff insists on probe of Rector, Governing Council

espite purported clean bill of health by the Nigerian Police and Head of Service of the Federation that cleared the Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Mrs. Margaret Ladipo and the Governing Council of the institution of corruption allegations, some aggrieved staff insists that an independent committee should conduct a comprehensive probe of the college. The staff maintained that

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Education Interview

What motivated you to establish a school? I was motivated to start a school is that when I finished my mandatory National Youth Service, I thought I would get a job in one of the then big banks in Lagos after I applied for jobs in a number of organisations, after much waiting, I decided to start something on my own as advised by my father. He said that there are two businesses that when you engage in, you will make it. The first one is school and the second one is food stuff business. He said children will always go to school and people will always eat and I took to that advice. I was staying with my uncle in Kubwa who had a school, then I started selling books to children, from there I started doing extra lesson for students. Later I started running a Day Care where I was nurturing infants and toddlers of working class mothers; from there I decided to open a school. Loving Hand Nursery and Primary school was established in 2000 and it will be 15years this year.

“I give scholarship to orphans, less privileged to promote Girl-child education” Dr. Titilayo Oladunni Oreofe is the founder of Loving Hands Nursery and Primary school Dutse-Alhaji, Abuja. In this interview with Popoola Christiana Dayo, the educationist who doubles as an economist explain why her school gives scholarships to orphans, the less privileged and clerics children among other sundry issues. Expect. to get quality education but their nature of work which take them to places do not make that possible coupled with the fact that, they may not be able to have jobs to earn a living and they are also part of the community so, their children should also benefit from it. Since the school is yet to have a secondary school, the scholarship covers Nursery to basic six but as the school expands, we hope to extend it to secondary school. How many students presently benefit from the scholarship? A lot of children have benefited and this covers both boys and girls. Some of them have even finished and are now in secondary school. The scholarship does not only cover tuition fees. It covers reading and learning materials. For the textbooks, we give Mathematics, English language, Quantitative and Verbal which are the four core subjects. We also offer free school bus service for them and we do give them first pair of uniform when they register.

Can you shed more light on the scholarship you give to students? When we started this school, we started with 40 children and we were charging N5000 as school fees, we then found that parents were interested in the school but money issue stopped some of them from enrolling their children. We decided to give 10% of the total number of the children to orphans which means that if the total number of the children in this school is 100, then 10 must be on scholarship and the scholarship covers the orphans, pastors’ and Imams’ children and the less privileged in the community. Why do you extend the scholarship to clerics’ children? We make God’s minister’s children to benefit from our scholarship when we found out that some of them are full timers and they want their children

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

What are the challenges you face as a proprietor and how are you coping?

Dr. Titilayo Oladunni Oreofe

“

The scholarship does not only cover tuition fees. It covers reading and learning materials. For the textbooks, we give Mathematics, English language, Quantitative and Verbal which are the four core subjects. We also offer free school bus service for them and we do give them first pair of uniform when they register.)

There are a lot of challenges one face when establishing a school. What I experienced as a founder is that, for the first five years of opening a school, you may not see the result. But there is gain which is more than money. One of the good things about it is that anywhere you go when your students see you, they call your name and some even hug you. That joy made me overcome a lot of challenges. I designed my exercise books and other learning materials and through that I saved cost which has really helped me. Another challenge is that when I started this school, there were no much schools around, especially in Dutsen Alhaji where we had only three private schools and one public school. As the town started growing, a lot of schools sprung and some of the schools’ fees were lower than mine but because my school has standard and the quality people are looking for, I did not allow that to give me sleepless nights. Where do you see the school in the next 5years? In the next 5years, I see a very big school. I see a school moving from just a plot to acres, having a boarding school and secondary schools. What advice do you have for those that are hoping to establish schools? They should consider standard and quality ahead of other personal interests when establishing a school. Secondly, they should advocate for girl child education. The girl child should also be given equal opportunity with the boy.

4,940 Nigerians studying in India—High Commissioner

he Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Ajjampur Ghanashyam, has said that there are 4,940 Nigerian students studying in India while no fewer than

27,890 Nigerians graduated from different institutions in the country. He said this at the weekend in Abuja while featuring on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum.

Ghanashyam said the huge number of Nigerian students in India was a testimony to the good diplomatic relationship between the two countries which, he said dates back to pre-colonial era. He said as developing

countries with huge populations it was important for Nigeria and India to maintain close ties with a view to sharing experience that would benefit the wellbeing of their peoples. Ghanashyam said there

were Indian 200 companies in manufacturing, servicing and retail businesses in Nigeria, adding that 36 of them were into pharmaceutical products. (NAN)

Protocol, Mr. Philip Ndalamu, has said. Ndalamu made this known to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola at the weekend, saying lectures would commence today. ``We re-opened three weeks

ago and staff have equally resumed work. Arrangements have been put in place for students who have been returning to commence lectures on Monday,” Ndalamu said. Ndalamu said major repair works of structures damaged by the

insurgents had been concluded. NAN reports that the College of Health Technology, Mubi, similarly closed during the insurgency reopened three months ago but Adamawa State University also located in the town is yet to resume.

Although workers of the university have resumed, repair work on damaged infrastructure is still on. The insurgents had damaged basic infrastructure in the university. (NAN)

Mubi Poly reopens, begins lectures today

he Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa, which closed in October, 2014, in the wake of Boko Haram invasion of the town, has re-opened for academic work, Director of Information and

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Health Depression (II)

ther conditions that cause depression symptoms There are several other conditions with symptoms that can include depression. It’s important to get an accurate diagnosis so you can get appropriate treatment. Your doctor or mental health provider’s evaluation will help determine if your symptoms of depression are caused by a specific type of depression or another condition, such as: • Adjustment disorder. An adjustment disorder is a severe emotional reaction to a difficult event in your life. It’s a type of stress-related mental illness that may affect your feelings, thoughts and behavior. • Bipolar disorder. This mood disorder is characterized by mood swings that range from highs to lows. It’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between bipolar disorder and depression. • Cyclothymic disorder. Cyclothymic (sy-kloe-THIE-mik) disorder involves highs and lows that are milder than those of bipolar disorder. • Persistent depressive disorder. Sometimes called dysthymia (dis-THIE-me-uh), this is a less severe but more chronic form of depression. While it’s usually not disabling, persistent depressive disorder can prevent you from functioning normally in

Health Matters Dr. Longwap AbdulAziz Saleh

e-mail: longwapabdul@yahoo.com, Text: 08039537913 your daily routine and from living life to its fullest. • Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. This involves depression symptoms associated with hormone changes that begin a week before and improve within a few days after the onset of your period, and are minimal or gone after completion of your period. • Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD can demonstrate irritability without sadness or loss of interest. However, major depression can occur with ADHD. Make sure you understand what type of depression you have so that you can learn more about your specific situation and treatment options. Treatments and drugs Numerous depression treatments are available. Medications and psychological counseling (psychotherapy) are

very effective for most people. Your primary care doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe medications to relieve depression symptoms. However, many people with depression also benefit from seeing a psychologist or other mental health counselor. If you have severe depression, you may need a hospital stay, or you may need to participate in an outpatient treatment program until your symptoms improve. Here’s a closer look at depression treatment options. Psychotherapy Psychotherapy is a general term for treating depression by talking about your condition and related issues with a mental health provider. Psychotherapy is also known as talk therapy, counseling or psychosocial therapy. Different types of psychotherapy can be effective for depression, such as cognitive behavioral therapy,

by cessation or reduction in the amount of the substance used. Withdrawal can range from mild anxiety to seizures and hallucinations. Drug overdose may also cause death. Many substances, such as alcohol, tranquilizers, opiates, and stimulants, over time also can produce a phenomenon known as tolerance, where you must use a larger amount of the drug to produce the same level of intoxication. • Tobacco: People cite many reasons for using tobacco, including pleasure, improved performance and vigilance, relief of depression, curbing hunger, and weight control. o The primary addicting substance in cigarettes is nicotine. But cigarette smoke contains thousands of other chemicals that also damage health. Hazards include heart disease, lung cancer and emphysema, peptic ulcer disease, and stroke. Withdrawal symptoms of smoking include anxiety, hunger, sleep disturbances, and depression. o Smoking is responsible for nearly a half million deaths each year. Tobacco use costs the nation an estimated $100 billion a year, mainly in direct and indirect health care costs. • Alcohol: Although many people have a drink as a “pick me

up,” alcohol actually depresses the brain. Alcohol lessens your inhibitions, slurs speech, and decreases muscle control and coordination, and may lead to alcoholism. o Withdrawal from alcohol can cause anxiety, irregular heartbeat, tremor, seizures, and hallucinations. In its severest form, withdrawal combined with malnutrition can lead to a life-threatening condition called delirium tremens (DTs). Alcohol is the most common cause of liver failure in the US. The drug can cause heart enlargement and cancer of the esophagus, pancreas, and stomach. o In addition to its direct health effects, officials associate alcohol abuse with nearly half of all fatal motor vehicle accidents. In 1992, the total economic cost of alcohol abuse was estimated at $150 billion. • Marijuana (also known as grass, pot, weed, herb): Marijuana, which comes from the plant Cannabis sativa, is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. The plant produces delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient associated with intoxication. Marijuana resin, called hashish, contains an even higher concentration of THC. In 2012, there were 18.9 million

Substance abuse (I)

e are gradually losing our children and youths to substance abuse. It is common practice in our society that young male and female children mix different psychoactive substances in bottles including codeine in order to get some euphoric feelings. Substance abuse refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs. Psychoactive substance use can lead to dependence syndrome - a cluster of behavioural, cognitive, and physiological phenomena that develop after repeated substance use and that typically include a strong desire to take the drug, difficulties in controlling its use, persisting in its use despite harmful consequences, a higher priority given to drug use than to other activities and obligations, increased tolerance, and sometimes a physical withdrawal state. Policies which influence the levels and patterns of substance use and related harm can significantly reduce the public health problems attributable to substance use, and interventions at the health care system level can work towards the restoration of health in affected individuals. Many substances can bring on withdrawal, an effect caused

interpersonal therapy, dialectic behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness techniques. These therapies can help you: • Adjust to a crisis or other current difficulty • Identify negative beliefs and behaviors and replace them with healthy, positive ones • Explore relationships and experiences, and develop positive interactions with others • Find better ways to cope and solve problems • Identify issues that contribute to your depression and change behaviors that make it worse • Regain a sense of satisfaction and control in your life and help ease depression symptoms, such as hopelessness and anger • Learn to set realistic goals for your life • Develop the ability to tolerate and accept distress using healthier behaviors Hospitalization and residential treatment programs In some people, depression is so severe that a hospital stay is needed. Inpatient hospitalization may be necessary if you can’t care for yourself properly or when you’re in immediate danger of harming yourself or someone else. Psychiatric treatment at a hospital can help keep you calm and safe

until your mood improves. Partial hospitalization or day treatment programs also may help some people. These programs provide the outpatient support and counseling you need while you get symptoms under control. Other treatment options For some people, other procedures may be suggested: • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In ECT, electrical currents are passed through the brain. This procedure is thought to affect levels of neurotransmitters in your brain and typically offers immediate relief of even severe depression when other treatments don’t work. Physical side effects, such as headache, are tolerable. Some people also have memory loss, which is usually temporary. ECT is usually used for people who don’t get better with medications, can’t take antidepressants for health reasons or are at high risk of suicide. • Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS may be an option for those who haven’t responded to antidepressants. During TMS, you sit in a reclining chair with a treatment coil placed against your scalp. The coil sends brief magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in your brain that are involved in mood regulation and depression. Typically, you’ll have five treatments each week for up to six weeks. Concluded

Americans age 12 and over who reported using marijuana in the past month, up from 14.4 million (5.8 percent) in 2007. The drug is usually smoked, but it can also be eaten. Its smoke irritates your lungs more and contains more cancer-causing chemicals than tobacco smoke. Common effects of marijuana use include pleasure, relaxation, and impaired coordination and memory. • o Often, the first illegal drug people use, marijuana is associated with increased risk of progressing to more powerful and dangerous drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The risk for progressing to cocaine is 104 times higher if you have smoked marijuana at least once than if you never smoked marijuana. • Cocaine (also known as crack, coke, snow, rock): Cocaine use has gone down in the last few years; from 2007 to 2012, the number of current users in the U.S. ages 12 or older dropped from 2.1 million to 1.7 million. o Derived from the coca plant of South America, cocaine can be smoked, injected, snorted, or swallowed. The intensity and duration of the drug’s effects depend on how you take it. Desired effects include pleasure and increased alertness. o Short-term effects also

include paranoia, constriction of blood vessels leading to heart damage or stroke, irregular heartbeat, and death. Severe depression and reduced energy often accompany withdrawal. o Both short- and longterm use of cocaine has been associated with damage to the heart, the brain, the lung, and the kidneys. • Heroin (also known as smack, horse): Heroin use continues to increase. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), in 2012 about 669,000 Americans reported using heroin in the past year, a number that has been on the rise since 2007. The biggest increases are among users ages 18 to 25. o Effects of heroin intoxication include drowsiness, pleasure, and slowed breathing. Withdrawal can be intense and can include vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, confusion, aches, and sweating. o Overdose may result in death from respiratory arrest (stopping breathing). Because heroin is usually injected, often with dirty needles, use of the drug can trigger other health complications including destruction of your heart valves, HIV/AIDS, infections, tetanus, and botulism. to be Contd

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Page 30

Healthy Living

Libido and Testosterone

Low

estosterone is the major hormone that provides a man with his sex drive. As men age, their ability to produce testosterone declines; it’s a just a normal part of life. However, when a man’s testosterone level falls outside the normal range, it can cause a decrease in libido. A change in a man’s sex drive not only affects him, it impacts his relationship with his partner as well. And that’s a touchy subject for a lot of guys. The good news is that a decrease in a man’s sex drive is treatable. If you have noticed a change in your sex drive, along with other related symptoms such as weak erections, or a lack of energy, you could be a candidate for testosterone replacement therapy. Regaining your sex drive will make your life more enjoyable, put a spring in your step, and improve your relationship with your partner. Lack of Energy Linked to Low Testosterone Have you noticed that you no longer enjoy some of your favorite activities due to a lack of energy? Maybe you stopped exercising because you just didn’t feel “up” for it. Maybe you just have a tough time getting through the day. All men get tired occasionally, but prolonged, continuous fatigue at any age is not normal, and it can affect everything from your work performance to your attitude. And it could be no fault of your own. What was once considered to be just a normal part of the aging process, more and more doctors are recognizing that low energy is a symptom of low testosterone levels. If you have noticed a lack of energy along with other related symptoms

What every man needs to know about his hormone

libido, you could be a candidate for testosterone replacement therapy.

Low Testosterone and Weak Erections You’re in an incredibly intimate moment, and you’re unable to perform. It’s an incredibly embarrassing subject for a lot of guys to talk about. It’s even more embarrassing to experience. And it may be no fault of your own. By age 40, most men experience weak

erections at some point in their lives. The good news is that regardless of the cause, weak erections are treatable. The inability to perform sexually can be attributed to a lot of different factors: stress, poor health, and others. Another possible cause is low testosterone. The first step is diagnosing the cause of the problem. Your symptoms should not be ignored as they could signal a serious health condition. If you suffer from weak erections and other symptoms including a lack of energy or a decrease in

scientific research is conflicting in some regards to skipping meals, a few sound consequences have been supported. Zaps your energy Sugar is the fuel that our bodies run on. If it is not circulating in the right amounts, every organ within the body can be impacted. Skipping just one

meal will result in a drop in your body’s blood sugar levels. Or, in the case of skipping breakfast, your body loses an opportunity to even get out of the starting gate. Generally, you will feel tired and foggy. In addition, without a steady supply of nutrients, your intellectual and emotional functioning can also change, resulting in irritability, mood swings and brain fog. Going extended periods of time without replenishing your body’s fuel supply will force it to shift to breaking down energy stores within the muscle, further sapping your strength. Lowered nutrition Cutting back on meals means cutting back on opportunities to consume adequate amounts of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need in a day. When it comes to weight loss especially, the emphasis tends to be on total calories and the three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and fat. Because they are required in smaller amounts, the roles of the micronutrients are typically less emphasized. However, these

dietary components are vital to many body processes such as growth and development, disease prevention and overall well-being. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and set your body up to succeed, focusing on consuming more nutritious, wellrounded meals is necessary for overall health. Gateway to unhealthy dietary practices Our body’s cells are hardwired for survival. Going too long without eating will switch our body into “survival mode,” sending us on a quest for food. According to the National Institute of Health, skipping a meal has shown to make you feel hungrier when the next meal rolls around. This could cause you to eat more calories than you would have otherwise. Repeated cycles of restricting and binging can lead to a plethora of detrimental health concerns; however it primarily reinforces unhealthy eating, and can lead to disordered eating practices. Restricting meals takes the pleasure and enjoyment out of eating. Believe it or not, our

such as a decrease in libido or weak erections, you could be a candidate for testosterone replacement therapy.

Poor Sleep -Testosterone helps regulate sleep patterns, producing restful nights, and a more energetic start to the day. -Decreasing Enjoyment of Life, Grumpiness and/or Depression -Testosterone assists in stabilizing mood and creating balance that will positively impact

work and personal relationships. -Decreasing Strength and Endurance -Testosterone directly enhances our overall strength and endurance, giving you the means to accomplish your goals more effectively. -Deteriorating Work or Sporting Performance -Testosterone restores motivation and focus creating a more productive you, regardless of activity. opencaremedical.com

Why skipping meals is unhealthy

t is rare to encounter someone who has never skipped a meal. Some simply don’t have food available or don’t have the time to eat when they’re hungry. Others skip regularly, hoping that if they eat fewer meals, they’ll take in less total calories and lose weight more successfully. Although the

bodies are highly effective at regulating caloric intake to meet our needs. It is best to listen to your body’s cues for hunger and fullness. Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full will help you to consume an appropriate amount of calories. So instead of waiting until you are starving to eat, turn to heathy meals and snacks throughout the day. If you miss meals because time is an issue, plan ahead to have some foods available that you can eat on the run. It’s important to note that everyone is different. There are a multitude of influences that can play a role in an individual’s health and weight. There is no one magic bullet to weight loss and there is no one defined response to skipping meals. However, as a general recommendation, it is advisable to try and adapt healthier eating patterns and incorporate more physical activity, rather than skipping meals to lose weight. fitday.com

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Sympathizers at the scene of an accident along Kugbo road recently, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Court orders residents to redecorate buildings or face closure By Stanley Onyekwere

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mobile court presided over by Senior Magistrate Bashir Alkali, has issued four-weeks order to occupants of sixteen (16) blocks of flats in Mbabane close, Wuse zone 6, Abuja, within which they are expected to carry out necessary renovation works on their households or face closure of their premises. The affected occupants, who were on Saturday arraigned before the Mobile court sitting in the area,for failing to redecorate and beautiful their homes and environment, within the prescribed specific designs and condition as well as original plan, even after they were properly notified by the Department

of Development Control to do so. However, the Magistrate issued the order, after listening to the residents, who informed the court that they had commenced the process towards complying with the said directive to redecorate their flats, pleaded with the court for extended time to finish, which the court obliged them. “Having shown some level of commitment, you’re hereby granted four weeks within which to comply fully with the redecoration order or risk your property being sealed up,” the Magistrate ruled. Peoples Daily that a total of 41 occupants of blocks of flats in Mbabane Close, Yaoude street, and Kinshasa street respectively, all in Wuse zone 6, were summoned to the court, on charges bordering on

nature of premises. Similarly, the court issued an order compelling some occupants on Yaoundé street, Wuse zone 6 to carry out redecoration works on their houses, or risk their property being sealed up. However, the court stroke out the case against occupants of some affected blocks of flats in Kinshasa street, for absence of proof of service of redecoration order on them. For some occupants, who did not deem fit to appear before the court, the Magistrate issued a bench warrant for their arrest and production before the court on its sitting this Saturday, July 4. Speaking to newsmen, Principal state counsel with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Arome Tokula, said that

all the accused were arraigned for failure to comply the said redecoration order served them, in contravention of section 35 (1) e of the AEPB Act. He said the act, stipulates that residents within the Federal Capital city (FCC) are required to keep their buildings within prescribed specific designs and condition as well as original plan, which should be done in compliance with provisions of the regulations of the Development Control and the AEPB. According to him, the punishment for failure to comply with the provisions of the relevant Act, could be sentence for payment of not less than N500 fine, or imprisonment of six months or both fine and imprisonment, which is at the discretion of the Magistrate.

Commenting on the ruling of the court, the Chairman of block 6 and 7 on Mbabane close, Rtd Captain, Zakara Oyand, comply with the redecoration order, noted that although they have been making frantic effort to redecorate their premises, but however thanked the court for granting their plea for time to complete the job. On his part, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Department of Development Control, of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Kalu Emetu, reiterated that the city managers will not relent on its effort to ensure the bolstering of the aesthetics of the nation’s capital through the enforcement of the redecoration order on occupants of buildings due for such periodic essential repairs.

‘Stop witch hunting Bala over past dealings’, analyst admonishes By Stanley Onyekwere

ollowing the growing controversy trailing the actions of the immediate past Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, pertaining to the allocation of FCT lands, during his tenure, an Abuja-based public affairs analyst, Abdulrahman Sade, has admonished the citizenry against encouraging “witch hunt” campaign because

he was a minister. He said anybody that thinks the Minister carried out illegal dealings during his tenure should take the issue to the court, instead of “battering” his “hardearned” image in the media. He decried recent reports in a section of the media that the former minister approved plots of land to people, even after leaving office, as well as issued licenses to 15 new Park and Pay operators two days before he

handed over. Recall it was largely circulated last week that the former FCT minister approved plots of land to people, even after leaving office and also made the concession of on-street parking zones and electronic paying system, barely two days before leaving office. This according to Sade was figment of imagination of those behind the said reports, because there has been a court order against the operation of Park and

Pay Scheme in FCT since April 2014, which a law-abiding citizen like the former FCT Minister would not disregard. “Similarly there is no way for him to approve land to people after leaving his office as FCT Minister. That is totally impossible; at least those making the allegation should have used their commonsense to know that there is no sense in what they are saying. “People should get it clear that the people making the speculation

are getting it from the figment of their imagination. He (Bala) handed over all the affairs of the Ministry to the relevant people, and then what is his concern with approval of land after leaving office? “As far as I am concerned it’s a kind of witch-hunting. And nobody should be witch-hunted because of the position he or she once held. In this case, anybody that has a case against the former Minister should just go to the court,” he stressed.

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Photo Splash

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Rescue team at a collapse building at Kubwa, in Abuja on 8/8/2012

Overview of Nyanya Bus Stop in Abuja before the bomb blast on 14/4/2014

Scene of an accident along Jos-Abuja Road on 21/6/2011

Protesters during the clash between Police and commercial bus drivers at Wuse Bus stop on 8/4/2013

People raising their hands- up, during the clash between soldiers and commercial motorcyclists in Nyanya-Abuja on 8/ April/ 2013. Photos: Mahmud Isa

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Metro

Soldier allegedly stabs 25-year-old in Gwagwalada By Usman Shuaibu

This is a 25-year-old man, Suleiman Hassan Who was stabbed by a soldier in Kasuwa-Dare, while receiving medical treatment at Alheri hospital Gwagwalada. Photo: Usman Shuaibu

25-year-old man, Suleiman Hassan of Kasuwa-Dare in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was allegedly stabbed by an unnamed soldier popularly called ‘Dan-Borno’, thereby causing a panic in the area. It was gathered that the incident happened on Saturday when the said assailant soldier brought out a shredded N500 to look for change from a meat (beef) vendor at Kasuwa-Dare market, who refused to change the money. According to a reliable source, when the said soldier man went to another place to look for the change of the same ripped money and he was denied again, but he then brought out a knife and stabbed Hassan. It further was gathered that the residents of Kasuwa-Dare were thrown into confusion, while there was a traffic-jam on the major road during the incident. Reacting to the incident, a meat seller in the area, Mr. Danladi, said that he was at the scene of the incident, pointing out that the said soldier came from Army Barracks Dukwa in Gwagwalada. Meanwhile, our correspondent, who contacted the Gwagwalada Police Unit Command, reports that a police who pleaded anonymity, did not confirm the incident, but said that already the Police authority in the area has already launched investigation into the matter.

Perm sec urges FCTA staff to be patriotic By Stanley Onyekwere

he management and staff of the FCT Administration have been advised to imbibe the ideal of a new Nigeria as envisioned by the Federal Government, by being patriotic to contribute their quota to wellbeing of the Territory and country at large. According to the FCT

Permanent Secretary, John Obinna Chukwu, who gave this charge in his office over the weekend, while some Directors of the FCT Administration organized a birthday reception for him, called on all the staff of the administration to rise to the challenge, by doing the best in their respective offices. In a statement signed by the FCTA Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the Permanent

Secretary remarked that the greatest love they would shower on him is to imbibe the ideal of a new Nigeria, in order to make Nigeria great again. Chukwu reiterated that there is no place like home and therefore called on all the staff of the FCT Administration to rise to the challenge by being patriotic to contribute their quota to wellbeing of the country by doing their best

in their respective offices. The Permanent Secretary called for cooperation; support, partnership and loyalty to the Federal Government to enable the new government deliver on its mandate to the people of Nigeria. Earlier, the FCT Director of Establishment and Training, Salihu Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of the management and staff of the FCT Administration,

said they decided to organize the brief and surprise reception for the Permanent Secretary to rejoice with him on this auspicious day. The Director used the occasion to thank God for the quality leadership the Permanent Secretary has been bequeathing to the FCT Administration and prayed to the Almighty for his continued sound health to further serve the nation.

FEMA, UNHCR partner on relief distribution to IDPs in Abuja By Stanley Onyekwere

he Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) in conjunction with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) have flagged the distribution of relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who are victims of insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country, now

taking refuge in the FCT. Presenting the items to the beneficiaries at new Kuchingoro, during the flag-off ceremony of the distribution, FEMA’s Director General, Alh. Idriss Abbas , who was represented by Ag. Director Relief and Rehabilitation Recheal Alkali, said the distribution will continue in other IDP’s camp across the FCT. He noted reiterated the unflinching commitment

towards alleviating the suffering of the IDP’s in the FCT and also for peaceful co-existence of IDP’s in the FCT, until such a time when peace will return to their various states and they will be reintegrated back into the society. He further explained that the items will be distributed with the help of selected camp leader in various IDP’s camp in FCT and that the items were distributed

according to individual needs of each camp. Earlier in his remarks, the country representative of UNHCR, Wahid Amar, said the gesture was line with the mandate of the UNHCR, to ensure the wellbeing of the IDP’s and proffer solutions to their problems. According to him, “the solution to the influx of IDPs is for government to end insurgency in the North Eastern part of the

country, so that they return to their various home states.” Amar also added that UNHCR is ready to partner with any organization to uplift the sufferings of the IDP’s in the country. The items that were distributed included, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, antiseptic soaps, detergents, Izal, water kettles, plastic buckets and cups, three bales of used clothes for men, women, and children respectively.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Money Sense

How to improve your productivity level at work

here are a number of ways in which productivity at work can be improved. Sometimes, at work, morale can be low, and motivation can decrease. As a result, productivity can suffer, and poor productivity in the workplace will lead to incomplete or inaccurate results. This can attract the attention of your managers, who will be unhappy with your poor performance. There are a number of methods and techniques you can employ to help boost your productivity and improve your business reputation. Try to remember what first attracted you to your career:Reignite the passion you once had for your job. Try to remember the reasons why you chose your particular career, and focus on the benefits of your working life. When you are passionate about something, you have more focus and enthusiasm for it, and this can help boost your productivity. Use a day planner to help organize tasks: Carefully plan the day, and prioritize important or urgent tasks. Productivity is often lost when you try to take on too much work at one time. Instead, focus on one or two tasks, breaking them down into manageable chunks. When you see your task list decreasing, you will have more time to manage the rest of your workload, and your productivity will increase.

Reevaluate your to-do list at about halfway through your work day to see how you are doing. Make sure you are on track to accomplish all that you need to do, revise your list as needed and get back to work. Working together as a team boosts productivity:Work to get along with colleagues and managers. Working in an environment that is enjoyable, with strong working relationships and a feeling of mutual trust, will in turn boost your morale and improve your productivity. Avoid unnecessary distractions:Avoid distractions, especially if you are working from home and the temptation to watch TV or talk to friends on the phone is quite strong. Try to avoid any interruptions and distractions at all times; you may need to work in a different location to do so, such as the local library. Eat a nutritious diet to keep healthy:Keep your energy up by eating a well-balanced diet and ensuring that you are getting enough rest. You are much more likely to be productive if you are awake and alert. Keep a clean, organized work surface: Decide where things belong and return them to their place when you are no longer using them. Do the same with your electronic desktop so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t waste time searching for documents, tools or files.

â&#x20AC;Śand how organisations can improve productivity

mprove employee productivity by following these steps. Employees with high morale, job satisfaction, and support from leadership and peers tend to have high productivity levels. But when employees show signs of slacking off, or not taking pride in their work, you may need to take steps to improve productivity. Boost employee productivity by listening to employee concerns: Poll all employees within the organization; give them an opportunity to voice their opinions. This can often be done through online services, and employees can submit their thoughts anonymously. Since some employees are afraid of speaking up in person, allowing them to speak directly to management without revealing their identities can help you find the source of productivity problems. Provide employees with clear, specific goals: Productivity could be low because employees are not sure what the task entails, what the outcome should be, the steps to accomplish the task, or their specific responsibilities.

Employees lack motivation when they are not sure what they should be doing, yet have no one to discuss it with. Become less hands-on: Some employees do not feel motivated when they think every move they make is closely scrutinized. By giving them room to demonstrate responsibility and competence, you will give them increased job satisfaction and increase their productivity. Delegate work: If an employee has demonstrated the capacity to handle more, or more advanced, work, then give her more responsibilities. Sometimes when workers are given simple, repetitive tasks, their productivity falls. When leadership shows them it believes they can handle more, by providing them with challenging tasks, it can increase productivity. Make work a more fun. Encourage people to stay engaged by adding a few elements of fun into boring tasks. Put on some funky dance music or allow pets at work one day a week. Challenge employees to do their best work: Encourage pride in their work by giving them

difficult tasks and the tools to complete them effectively. Give encouragement regularly while avoiding any undue criticism: Make your encouragement sincere. Give employees creative input into their tasks: Offer choices in assignments or in the way tasks will be completed whenever possible. Reward employees for completing tasks or to motivate them to take on new tasks: Implement creative rewards, such as a personalized parking space, a plaque for their favorite break chair or a gift certificate for a massage. Allow employees to come up with ideas for rewards. Keep communication with employees open: Listen to their complaints and pay attention to the problems going on in the workplace. Spend time listening to their suggestions. Use money to keep employees from looking elsewhere: Regularly offer small bonuses or raises to loyal employees. Set up a raise schedule, so that employees can see what awaits them if they choose to stay.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

International Will Iran nuclear deal be Hassan Rouhani’s legacy? international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

ANALYSIS By Dr Massoumeh Torfeh

s international talks over Iran’s nuclear programme come down to the wire, the success or failure to strike a deal could be make or break for President Hassan Rouhani. After his election in 2013, the new president - seen as a moderate abroad - promised to work to lift years of sanctions which have crippled the economy and made life ever-harder for average Iranians. Iranian hardliners have opposed concessions and compromise over Iran’s “national right” to nuclear energy, but the balance so far appears to be heavily in favour of President Rouhani and his team of negotiators. In the end, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has the final say. He has publicly backed the negotiating team and in recent days provided them with more flexibility over some aspects of the negotiation while at the same time hardening his stance towards the West. All UN and US “economic, financial and banking” sanctions must be lifted “immediately” a deal is signed and the remaining sanctions lifted “within reasonable time intervals”, Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech on Tuesday. He made no mention of EU sanctions. The hardliners have been at pains for more than a year-and-a-half to refrain from any public criticism of the government while the nuclear talks were in progress. The instructions to desist came from the Supreme Leader himself, who has called on all officials to ensure a united front was conveyed until the 30 June deadline. Double-edged remarks from Ayatollah Khamenei, such as “I am neither for nor against the deal”, have kept both the pro- and anti-camp in Iran satisfied. The Supreme Leader has juxtaposed his position in several speeches, not only to survive a possible negative outcome but also to ensure he does not antagonise the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC). The IRGC has never been too convinced by the talks, except for the obvious benefits of lifting sanctions which have affected its multi-billion dollar business empire, though it has given the negotiators its cautious backing. Parliamentary intrigue Over the past few months there have been intensive debates inside the conservative-dominated parliament between the two camps. Most of the heated discussions have been behind closed doors, but some of it has slipped out on social media and the wider press. “The closer we get to the signing of the deal,” said reformist Sharq newspaper on Monday, “the bigger becomes the wave of attacks, and insults on the government of Hassan Rouhani.” Another article blamed former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s camp for “scheming for months” to ruin the prospects of success in the deal for Iran. The main voice of opposition in parliament is the faction that supports Mr Ahmadinejad, Mr Rouhani’s predecessor.

President Hassan Rouhani promised Iranians he would get sanctions lifted.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps has given cautious backing to the talks. In moves not dissimilar to the Republicans in the US Senate, the faction known as Paidary (persistence) Front, has tabled several motions to try to give parliament the

power to challenge a final deal. None has been successful, and its latest bill was amended in such a way as to take away the power of veto from parliament and put it in

Ayatollah Khamenei will have the final say over whether to accept or reject a nuclear deal.

the hands of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the top decision-making body in Iran and loyal to the Supreme Leader. It is chaired by President Rouhani and includes parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani and his brother Sadeq Larijani, who heads the judiciary. Its members are mainly handpicked by Ayatollah Khamenei and also include the chiefs of the army and the IRGC, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and a handful of other ministers. That is why despite the verbal battles over the past few months, once the deal is sealed by the Supreme Leader there is little anyone can do to oppose it. Risk of failure The room for Iran’s nuclear team to manoeuvre is limited. The oversight by SNSC would ensure

that all requirements laid down by the Supreme Leader and the IRGC are met. Ayatollah Khamenei has made it clear he will not accept any inspection of military sites (a key demand of the so-called P5+1 interlocutors), backing the requirement laid out by the IRGC. Despite the red lines, President Rouhani and his negotiators are protected by the Supreme Leader’s endorsement. The danger, however, would be if the deal failed or faced serious obstacles after the 30 June deadline. In that case, although Ayatollah Khamenei may continue to call for calm, the IRGC, and the conservatives, angered at the failure to lift sanctions, would push the Supreme Leader to take a harder line, switching their substantive majority in parliament against the president, making it difficult for him to increase the reformist share of seats in the next parliamentary election due in February. The president may continue to wield support from the public at large, but the machinations of those dominant groups are likely to make his position untenable for the next presidential elections due in June 2017. It is with a view of those elections that not only the president but also all parliamentary factions are leaving themselves room for jockeying. Dr Massoumeh Torfeh is a research associate at the London School of Economics (LSE) and School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas), specialising in the politics of Iran, Afghanistan and central Asia. Formerly she was the UN director of strategic communications in Afghanistan.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

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International

Conservationists to move South Africa lions to Rwanda

Tunisia beach attack: Sousse protesters denounce terror

eople in the Tunisian resort town of Sousse have held a march to denounce the attack in which at least 38 people, most of them tourists, were killed by a gunman on a nearby beach on Friday. The crowds gathered late on Saturday at a hotel also targeted by the attacker. They marched through the town expressing sympathy with relatives of the victims, 15 of whom were British. Tunisia’s PM Habib Essid announced a security clampdown after the attack claimed by Islamic State (IS). He said army reservists would be deployed to tourist sites. About 80 mosques accused of inciting violence would be closed within a week, he added. Friday’s attack was the deadliest in Tunisia’s recent history. In March, militants killed 22 people, mainly foreigners, at the Bardo museum in the capital Tunis. The demonstrators marched after dark on the streets of Sousse, with many holding candles. “Sousse will never die!” the crowds chanted. A separate rally was held in Tunis. “The victims are my brothers and sisters in humanity,” protester Karima Benhajj told the AFP news agency. One Belgian and one German have so far been identified among the dead, the Tunisian health ministry said. One citizen of the Irish Republic is also confirmed dead. There were also thought to be Tunisians killed in the attack. At least 36 people were injured, some seriously. Many of the tourists in hotels targeted in the attack have left the country or are waiting for specially arranged flights, but correspondents noted a few were back by the hotel pool on Saturday, vowing they would continue their holidays as scheduled. Tunisia’s economy relies on tourism, and there are fears that the recent attacks will deal a major blow to the industry. Security officials said the attacker, who posed as a swimmer but was carrying a rifle under a parasol, started shooting on the beach before entering the Hotel Imperial Marhaba, continuing to shoot. Officials later identified the gunman as 23-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui. They said they had no inkling of what he had been planning.

group that runs wildlife parks in Africa plans to move seven lions from South Africa to Rwanda, where conservationists say the lion population was wiped out 15 years ago. Parks, which is based in South Africa, said on Sunday it would transfer the lions to Akagera National Park later

this week. The trip to the east-central African country by truck and plane will take more than 24 hours. group, which manages Akagera, says cattle herders poisoned the Rwandan park’s last lions after it was left unmanaged following Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

Violence, targeted killings consume Burundi protests

ujumbura, Burundi Shrouded in darkness, with the journalists and human rights monitors locked in their homes and hotels, unidentified men with machetes, stones, automatic rifles, and grenades mete out vengeance on their political opponents. A dark and disturbing new chapter has begun in Burundi since police violently put down the street protests that denounced Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third and, as protesters believe, unconstitutional, term. They say the decision violates the sacrosanct peace agreement that ended the 13-year civil war. Following a spate of political violence that has killed more than 80 and injured over 400 people, key opposition parties are boycotting the controversial parliamentary election scheduled to take place on June 29. The first few hours after darkness falls on the humid, low-rise lakeside city are often punctuated by the sound of gunfire and grenades. Ernest Nshimirimana, a 28-yearold supporter of the ruling party, CNDD-FDD , was killed as he returned home after attending a political rally on the night of June 25. Nshimirimana lived in Buterere, a neighbourhood dominated by supporters of well-known opposition candidate and former rebel fighter, Agathon Rwasa. At the end of the campaign rally, Nshimirimana’s friends, also members of the ruling party’s youth league known as the Imbonerakure , warned him not to go home to Buterere. “There could be trouble,” one told him. But Nshimirimana ignored their advice. At around 9pm, as he walked through the neighbourhood, a gang of anti-government men stoned and beat him to death. A few hours later, another resident of Buterere, 29-year-old Lin Gahimbare was shot and killed by shadowy assailants inside his own house. His wife and daughter who were in the house survived. The early mornings in the capital are post-mortems of the night before. Citizens gather on roadsides to inspect new dimples from bullets and grenades.

An unexploded hand grenade on the ground in Butarere neighbourhood of the capital Bujumbura, Burundi [Dai Kurokawa/EPA]

The families of the dead, usually one or two but sometimes more, gather to weep around their lost ones. Pick-up trucks or tuk-tuks, depending on the prosperity of the departed, bear the bodies off to the morgue. Often, the grenade attacks incur no fatalities. But, during the late morning on June 25, an unknown man in a white Toyota Carina - a vehicle that is ubiquitous on the roads of Bujumbura - hurled a grenade at workers unloading goods on a pavement in the downtown area. Eight casualties were rushed to the hospital and treated for shrapnel wounds. As the temperatures in the capital rise, police search vehicles with everincreasing scrutiny. It is difficult, if not impossible, to know who is orchestrating the attacks. A peace activist working in Musaga, who asked to remain anonymous for his safety, said the protesters had no option but to turn to grenades. “Because the protests were stopped by force, rather than of the protesters’ own volition, they feel compelled to use grenades. Opposition leaders and civil society have told them to be peaceful, but the protesters say they have no way to resist peacefully - they must do whatever it takes to be heard,” said the peace activist. North of the scorching capital, in the cool highlands close to Rwanda,

residents of Ngozi, the president’s hometown and Burundi’s secondlargest city, are reeling from the first grenade attack in recent memory. Pascal Nyabenda, a 22-year-old Imbonerakure, recalled how on the evening of June 21 he stepped out of the bar where he worked to collect empty bottles from the street. Someone passing by threw a grenade which landed on the roof of the bar, sending hot, razor-edged shrapnel flying everywhere. The grenade hit the small bar, known as Chez Didas, which was packed with Sunday evening drinkers. At least three people were killed with more than 30 injured. Nyabenda, who grew up an orphan, raced inside to find his brother, Claver, and sister, Chantal, bleeding profusely. Later, at the hospital, he was sitting at Chantal’s bedside when he was told his brother had died. Chantal passed away a few hours after that. Another victim of the attack, 22-year-old Sylvie Niyonkuru, was walking past the bar with her guardian’s baby strapped to her back. A week later, she is still in hospital, recovering from the shrapnel that had lodged itself inside her abdomen. None of those admitted to Ngozi hospital have money to pay for their treatment. Burundi is the second poorest country in the world according to the World Bank, with a per capita GDP of just $271. Dr Philbert Sendegeye, the

medical director at the hospital, said he was “astounded” by the attack. “There are no divisions here.” The victims have no money to pay for their care, he said. “These people are poor. They don’t have the means to buy drugs. The hospital is providing the care for free, but we’re not supposed to - so it’s a loss for us,” Sendegeye said. Independent radio stations in Burundi are all off-air, having been attacked by pro-government security forces in the wake of the failed coup of May 13. The only national information source for Burundians is the statecontrolled broadcaster, RTNB, which many believe whitewashes the problems as a mouthpiece for the government. Reports of attacks travel by WhatsApp or Facebook to the few who have smartphones, phone calls or word of mouth. On Friday, those in Cibitoke, a town on the western border with Congo, woke to news that the leader of the opposition party, FRODEBU, Jean-Paul Ngendakumana, had been killed and his wife injured during the night in a machete attack. The week before, the leader of the Imbonerakure in the nearby town of Bubanza was killed by a grenade. In light of increasing tit-for-tat killings, IHS Jane’s Country Risk analysis has flagged a ruling party victory in the parliamentary poll on Monday as a “likely trigger for civil war in Burundi”. Jeremy Ciza, a 53-year-old farmer in a rural northern province called Kayanza, knows little of these isolated incidents. But he can feel the war is coming. There have been fewer vehicles on the main road that crosses Kayanza, he said, so sales of charcoal and vegetables on the roadside are down. With the devaluation of the Burundian franc, and the supply chain blockages, prices of staple foods such as potatoes have risen threefold over the last year, Ciza said. Children gather around him to listen, the close-cropped hair on the heads patchy and patterned due to malnutrition. On Ciza’s chest, every rib is visible. “We have a saying in Kirundi,” he said of the local dialect. “When two oxen fight, it’s the grass that suffers.”

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

International

Kuwait Shia mosque attack: Bomber ‘was Saudi’

uwait says the attacker who carried out Friday’s suicide bombing at a Shia mosque was a Saudi citizen. The interior ministry named the bomber as Fahd Suleiman Abdulmohsen al-Qaba’a, according to state media. The ministry said he flew into Kuwait on Friday just hours before he detonated explosives at the mosque, killing at least 27 people. The Islamic State group - which regards Shia Muslims as heretics says it was behind the attack.

Last month, an IS branch in Saudi Arabia carried out bombings on consecutive Fridays on Shia mosques there. These attacks have brought home the growing threat posed by the jihadists to the Gulf, says the BBC’s Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher. More than 200 people were injured in Friday’s bombing at Imam Sadiq Mosque in Kuwait City - the bloodiest ever attack on Shia Muslims in the country’s recent history.

Kuwaiti officials said the Saudi suspect was in Kuwait illegally. Several people have been arrested in connection with the attack - including both the owner and driver of the car in which the bomber arrived at the mosque. They have also arrested the owner of a house which the bomber is said to have visited the interior ministry saying initial investigations showed he was a supporter of “extremist and deviant ideology”. Often at odds, Gulf states have

united in confronting IS, our correspondent says. All have joined the US-led coalition against the group in Syria and Iraq, although they have kept their participation low key. IS is clearly hoping to stoke further tension between Sunnis and Shias in the Gulf, our correspondent adds. Kuwait has one of the biggest Shia communities in the region, but any sectarian friction has so far been less visible than in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain.

Druze residents in Israel denounce its Syria policy

hen news broke that Islamist-led opposition fighters, including alQaeda’s Syrian branch, the Nusra Front, were besieging the Druze village of Hadar in southern Syria, a stone’s throw away from the ceasefire line separating Syria’s Golan Heights from the Israelioccupied one, Druze inside the occupied territories took to the streets to protest the lack of action being taken by Israel to protect the village. Faced with increasing pressure from both the media and Druze community leaders calling for government intervention in the Golan, Israel’s army chief vowed to prevent the massacre of Syrian refugees on its border. While direct military intervention was ruled out, the Israeli government assured that it would protect the Druze living in Syria. Yet at the same time, Israel has been providing assistance to Syrian opposition fighters. Numerous reports by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the UN contingent based in the Golan Heights, have noted the movement of fighters both wounded and healthy - as well as cargo and other equipment across

Bangladesh completes factory collapse probe

he investigation into the deadly collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh has been completed. Nearly 1,200 garment workers were killed when the Rana Plaza building came crashing down in 2013. On Sunday, the court adjourned the Rana Plaza court case until July 8 as the accused was not presented to the court. The court is still to decide whether it will put the building owners and a number of government officials on trial. Meanwhile, survivors recall their tragic experiences as they continue to suffer from their injuries and feel neglected. Al Jazeera’s Maher Sattar reports from Dhaka.

Members of the Druze community watch fighting near the border between Syria’s Golan Heights and the Israeli-occupied one [Reuters].

the fence, through liaisons with the Israeli army. This indicates that Israel is actively working with the same opposition groups that are currently launching attacks on the Druze communities. Israel is home to approximately 130,000 Druze, of whom around 20,000 reside in the occupied Golan Heights. Over the past few years, in an attempt to install a “security belt” along its northern border, Israel has tried to lure several different groups to its side: offering assistance to Syrian opposition fighters on the one hand, while offering protection to the Druze on the other. But analysts say that recent events have caused this policy to unravel. The situation for Druze communities in Syria has worsened recently. In early June, 20 Druze were massacred at the hands of Nusra Front fighters in Idlib. Then came the advance of ISIL and affiliated groups into the east of Sweida, home to the largest Druze population in Syria. Meanwhile, opposition groups led by Nusra Front advanced to the west of Sweida. It all came to a head for the Druze residing in the occupied Golan Heights with the siege on Hadar two weeks ago. Enraged that the Israeli army was still providing medical assistance to

fighters involved in attacks on the Druze across the border, residents of the occupied Golan Heights stormed an Israeli military field hospital in the area where they suspected the Israeli army of treating wounded Syrian opposition fighters, including those belonging to Nusra Front. Tensions boiled over on June 22 when Druze residents in Horfish in Israel stopped an ambulance and demanded to know whether the wounded inside were fighters involved in the assault on Druze areas in Syria. Later that evening in Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, local residents besieged an Israeli army ambulance carrying two wounded Syrian fighters, dragging them out of the vehicle and beating them both severely, one of them to death. In a dawn raid on June 24, Israel arrested at least nine Druze residents in connection with the attack, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced as a “lynching”. The vast majority of Golan residents have rejected Israeli citizenship, living under Israeli occupation since it seized 1,200sq km of land from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. The annexation of the Golan Heights has not been recognised by the international community. Syria’s Druze community has for the most part remained neutral

throughout the ongoing conflict, although tensions have flared over issues such as army conscription, with Druze preferring to fight in their own areas rather than elsewhere in the country. They have also outright rejected any assistance from Israel, preferring to remain under the Syrian government’s wing rather than seek help from a country they see as aiding the rebels. Several Druze sources in Sweida told Al Jazeera that they refuse to be part of Israel’s project in the region. Israel continues to present itself as a neutral provider of humanitarian assistance, its policies have inflamed tensions within its own Druze community, who see Israel as helping those who are slaughtering their relatives across the border. Their concerns are not unfounded. In a short documentary aired on Israel’s Channel 2, wounded Syrian fighters being treated in an Israeli hospital said they would not protect the Druze, adding that Nusra Front fighters would probably kill the Druze if they entered their areas. Claiming to be fighters with the Free Syrian Army, they freely admitted to fighting alongside Nusra Front in the south, hailing the fighters as “strong and heroic”. Although Israel has always maintained that it does not interfere in the conflict in neighbouring Syria, many claim otherwise.

Asia & Middle East

Taiwan Formosa Water Park explosion injures hundreds

ore than 500 people were injured when fire ripped through crowds at a party at an amusement park outside Taiwan’s capital Taipei. Saturday’s incident at the Formosa Water Park is believed to have happened when a coloured powder ignited after being discharged onto the crowd. Footage showed people panicking and screaming. Inflatable water toys were shown being used as stretchers. Some 190 people are seriously hurt - 182 are in intensive care. Some of them breathed in the powder, causing respiratory problems. Local media said organisers of the Color Play Asia event had been taken in for questioning by prosecutors. Footage of the incident shows a party in full swing when suddenly fire erupts. It was “hell”, a male student who sustained minor injuries said, according to AFP news agency. “There was blood everywhere, including in the pool where lots of the injured were soaking themselves for relief from the pain.” His girlfriend added: “I saw lots of people whose skin was gone.” The fire was quickly brought under control, but the cause of the incident is still under investigation. The authorities believe something that caught fire caused the coloured powder spray or dust - used to create a party atmosphere - to explode. The substance is also used in other countries. It is made of dried corn and can be highly flammable, our correspondent says. The 519 victims were sent to 41 hospitals, and 413 are still in hospital, say municipal authorities. The incident occurred about 20:30 (12:30 GMT). More than 1,000 people were near the stage at the time. The fire department said: “Our initial understanding is this explosion and fire... was caused by the powder spray. It could have been due to the heat of the lights on the stage”. Many people flocked to water parks on Saturday as temperatures reached 36.6C (98F) in Taipei and as high as 38C in other parts of Taiwan, says the BBC’s Cindy Sui in Taipei. New Taipei City’s mayor, Eric Chu, ordered an immediate shutdown of the water park pending an investigation. Taiwan has suffered a series of deadly fires in the past couple of years due partly to poor enforcement of building and fire safety codes and illegal construction, our correspondent adds. A fire earlier this year killed six firefighters, prompting orders to rectify illegally constructed buildings and upgrade firefighters’ equipment and training.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Page 38

International

Europe and Americas Greek parliament backs PM Tsipras’ bailout referendum

Tehran insists it does not want nuclear weapons and that its programme is purely for peaceful purposes [Reuters]

Foreign minister returns to Iran as talks near deadline

ith only two days before a deadline for a deal on its nuclear programme, Iran’s foreign minister is returning to Tehran from talks in Vienna for

consultations. According to Iranian media, Mohammed Zarif’s return to the Iranian capital was planned in advance. Zarif is likely to receive

instructions on issues where the two sided remain apart - among them the extent of access Tehran should allow UN nuclear experts monitoring Iran’s compliance to any deal.

All parties at the negotiating table insisted that Tuesday remains the formal deadline for a deal. But with time running out, officials conceded there could be slippage.

SpaceX rocket heading for ISS explodes after US launch T

Argentina to seize assets of Falklands firms

ensions between the UK and

Argentina have intensified since oil and gas discoveries off the coast of the Falklands An Argentine judge has

ordered the seizure of $156m and other assets from British and US oil companies looking for crude oil in waters off the disputed Falkland Islands.

Judge Lilian Herraez, based in the Tierra del Fuego region of southern Argentina, on Saturday ordered the firms to stop their exploration activities.

he unmanned SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket, designed to carry supplies to the International Space Station, has exploded minutes after it was launched in Florida, NASA has said. Sunday’s incident occured approximately two and a half minutes after lift-off from Cape Canaveral in the US state. With more than 5,200 pounds of space station cargo on board, including the first docking port designed for future commercial crew capsules, the 63-metre rocket was SpaceX’s 19th Falcon 9 launch since its 2010 debut. Pieces of the rocket could be seen falling into the Atlantic. SpaceX, a private company, was contracted in 2006 by NASA to design and demonstrate a launch system to resupply cargo to the ISS In a statement, NASA said that the failure was caused by “an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank”. “The astronauts are safe aboard the station [ISS] and have sufficient supplies for the next several months,” it said. “We will work closely with SpaceX to understand what happened, fix the problem and return to flight.” A couple of minutes after the explosion, NASA had tweeted that “space is hard”.

he Greek parliament has backed Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ call for a referendum on the country’s bailout deal with international creditors. The referendum planned for Sunday July 5 was approved by at least 179 deputies out of a total of 300 lawmakers. The creditors have not sought our approval but have asked for us to abandon our dignity. We must refuse. Alexis Tsipras, Greek prime minister Tsipras’ leftist Syriza party and allied lawmakers voted in favour of the referendum that has angered its creditors who earlier rejected the debt-ridden country’s request for a bailout extension. The country needs to make a $1.8bn payment to the International Monetary Fund by Tuesday or risk defaulting on its obligations. And that would spell disaster for its banking system which is currently relying on emergency cash injections from European Central Bank - one of its foreign creditors. In a speech prior to the vote, Tsipras said he was confident that “the Greek people will say an emphatic no to the ultimatum” by the country’s creditors - the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission. “The day of truth is coming for the creditors, the time when they will see that Greece will not surrender, that Greece is not a game that has ended,” he said in an address to parliament laced with references to democracy and national dignity. “I am certain that the Greek people will rise to the historical circumstances and issue a resounding ‘No’ to the ultimatum,” he said as he wound up the debate before a vote to authorise the referendum. Tsipras also expressed confidence that “in the aftermath of this proud no, the negotiating power of the country [with the country’s creditors] will be strengthened”. The move comes after five months of stalemated negotiations, with Tsipras accusing creditors of trying to strong-arm his country into taking harsh austerity measures he says would hammer an economy already on its knees after five months of creditor-demanded spending cuts and tax hikes.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Page 39

Strange World

7 million year old fossil of elephant ancestor is found in east Romanian village

cientists discovered bone fragments in a village in eastern Vaslui county. They unearthed a jaw bone, leg bones, pelvis fragments and nine teeth. The ancestor of the African elephant would have stood at fivemetres tall. The Deinotherium giganteum lived around seven million years ago Bone fragments from an ancestor of the African elephant have been unearthed in a village in east Romania. The creature lived around seven million years ago, and stood at around five metres tall and between three and four metres long. Named the Deinotherium giganteum - meaning ‘terrible beast’ in Greek - the animal would have lived in the Moldova plateau, which spreads across northeastern Romania, most of Moldova and parts of Ukraine. Scientists from the Vasile Parvan Museum and the Iasi Faculty of Geography discovered a jaw bone, measuring 66cm, parts of the pelvis, a femur and a tibia. Nine well-preserved teeth were also discovered at the site, including a premolar which measured 12cm. The bones were discovered on the side of a country road in the Gherghesti community, in the eastern Vaslui county.

Discovery: Scientists unearthed a fossil of an ancestor of the African elephant, which would have lived around eight million years ago, and stood at around five-metres tall.

‘We hope to find other elements besides those recovered so far, and restore over 50 per cent of the animal’s skeleton,’ said lead

scientist Laurentiu Ursachi, from the Vasile Parvan Museum. Fossils of the ancestors of rhinoceros and bison have also

been unearthered in recent yeas in the region. A similar specimen was found more than 100 years ago in nearby

Manzati, Vaslui county, which is now on display at Grigore Antipa Museum in Bucharest. Source: DailyMail

Girl, 6, run over and killed by a tractor driven by her vet father during a family holiday in Wales

eal David, 6, died after she was hit by a tractor while on a family holiday. She was struck as it towed a trailer at her family holiday home in Wales. It’s understood her veterinarian father Evan David was driving the vehicle. Post-mortem examination is to be carried out to determine cause of death An investigation has been launched into the death of a sixyear-old girl after she was hit by a tractor driven by her father while on holiday. Teal David, from Frieth, near Henley-on-Thames, south Oxfordshire, died in the tragic accident which occurred yesterday morning. It is believed that she died following the collision with the red coloured tractor which occurred alongside a farm at Aberdaron, north Wales, where the family has a holiday home. A post mortem examination is to be carried out on her body to establish the exact cause of her death, which was believed to be crush injuries. An inquest will be opened and

adjourned early in the week. It is understood that Teal’s father Evan works as a local veterinary surgeon in Thames, Oxfordshire. The family, including Teal’s mother Clare and two siblings Sennen and Sky, were believed to be planning to return to their home in Frieth in the next few days. The holiday had been a welcome return to Aberdaron for Mr David, who initially spent a year there on a sabbatical after moving to Britain from his birthplace in San Franscisco, California in 1986. Mr David suffered a serious knee injury in August 2013 which included a cruciate rupture and left him unable to play his favourite sports. In 2010 he founded Norcal vets, a farm and game speciality business which is based in Oxfordshire and is well known among the local farming community. It is also located just a few miles from Mr David’s home in Frieth. The NorCal website reveals that after getting the farming

bug in Aberdaron, Mr David graduated as a vet from Liverpool and his first job was a farm vet in Somerset which he held for two years until he and his wife decided to move back closer to family in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. ‘Evan then worked as a farm vet for Hall Place Vets in Marlow who were then bought out by Larkmead Veterinary Group shortly afterwards, hence his move there. Evan’s progressive, friendly, commonsense, handson approach to veterinary work, won a lot of respect from the farming community in the area. ‘In 2010, Evan took an offer from H&C Pearce to open a large animal practice on their site. Evan founded NorCal Veterinary Services in November 2010 to provide farmers in the area with a high quality relationship-based veterinary service. ‘He is husband to Clare, and a father to three, Sennen, Teal and Sky. Outside interests were football, water-skiing, surfing - he hopes to get back to these once his knee has recovered from the August 2013 cruciate rupture.’ Source: DailyMail

Teal David (pictured) died after she was hit by a tractor driven by her father on Saturday.

Page 40

Digest

By Ben Spencer

regnant women should drink no alcohol at all, doctors will warn this week. Doctors have criticised ‘confusing’ guidelines which say mothers-to-be can drink at some points of pregnancy but not others. They will say the advice should be replaced with a single message: Do not drink while pregnant. The issue will be debated at the British Medical Association annual conference this week. Doctors in the union’s Manchester and Salford division, who proposed the motion, want the Government to issue ‘consistent, unequivocal advice to women to avoid alcohol during pregnancy’. Criticising ‘confusing’ existing advice, they said: ‘Since there is no known safe limit of prenatal alcohol exposure, the only safe drinking message is to entirely abstain from alcohol during pregnancy.’ It comes as Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Government’s chief medical officer, carries out a review of the guidance for pregnant women. Various official bodies give different advice on drinking during pregnancy. The Department for Health warns that all pregnant women should avoid alcohol but adds that if women do drink, they should ‘stick to one or two units once or twice a week’. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says that women should abstain from all alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Pregnant women are warned not to drink at all After that time, Nice says there is no evidence that drinking fewer than three units twice a week will do any harm.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists changed its guidance in February. Previously it had said the occasional glass of wine was acceptable. Now their guidelines advise women to abstain from all drinking while trying to conceive and during the first trimester, and then to limit drinking to a couple of drinks no more than twice a week. Professor Sir Al Aynsley Green, president of the BMA and a former children’s commissioner, called for a simplified set of guidelines and more explicit warnings on bottles and cans clearly warning women that alcohol could damage their unborn child. ‘It has to be concluded that there is no “safe” limit for alcohol

consumption during pregnancy,’ he added. But not all agree that tougher guidance is required. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service says the risks of women harming their babies by drinking while pregnant are exaggerated. Clare Murphy, BPAS director of external affairs, told the Sunday Times: ‘If the guidance needs amending in any way, it is to reassure women who have had an episode of binge drinking before they found out that they were pregnant that they are extremely unlikely to have caused their baby harm. ‘These women are being scared witless by current alcohol messaging.’ And Pat O’Brien, spokesman for the Royal College of

Doctors are now saying women should not drink at all during their pregnancy and that current guidelines are too confusing.

Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, agreed that consistent advice were important but added that most of his patients find the current guidelines perfectly understandable. Every year in the UK more than 6,000 babies are born with some form of damage caused by their mother’s drinking. Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, caused by exposure to alcohol in the womb, is the most common cause of all learning disabilities. A crucial legal case this autumn will establish whether children disabled by their mother’s drinking are eligible for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. If the case involving a six-year-old girl is successful, the Ministry of Justice has budgeted a total of £40million for 87 further claimants. A spokesman for the Department of Health said: ‘The Chief Medical Officer is reviewing all guidelines for drinking and these are expected later in the year. ‘There has been a dramatic surge in the number of products carrying drinking in pregnancy warning labels. Almost 93 per cent of bottles and cans now carry pregnancy warnings, compared to just 18 per cent six years ago.’ Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Can’t sleep? Your home’s electricity may be to blame By Colin Fernandez

odern living has brought many benefits - but more sleep is not one of them, scientists have found. Scientists studying two groups of hunter gatherers in the wilds of Argentina similar in all respects except one - one village has electricity and the other doesn’t. They found that the village with electricity slept an hour less than the one without. Electricity wasn’t the only factor that affected sleep: both villages slept longer in the winter months than in the summer - with the researchers suggesting there is a biological driver

that makes us require more shut-eye in the colder, darker months. Both villages were members of a group of people called the Toba which means ‘big forehead’ in another native Indian language, although they prefer to call themselves Qom or ‘the people.’ Researchers from the University of Washington gave bracelets that measured the amount of sleep the communities got in 2013. They gave the villagers wrist bracelets that measured how long they slept, and also asked them to keep a note of when they went to sleep, and if they had any naps in the day. Just 31 miles apart, the group with electricity slept an hour less than

The researchers (University of Washington biologist Horacio de la Iglesia is pictured) next plan to measure the levels of melatonin, a hormone that affects sleep in the different communities for their next project, and also study the effect the moon has on their sleeping patterns.

their electricity-free counterparts who relied only on natural light. The researchers found the shorter nights were mostly due to people having the option to turn on lights and go to bed later. Horacio de la Iglesia, a University of Washington researcher said the study may show how our ancestors cut short their sleep when they first gained access to electricity. ‘In a way, this study presents a proxy of what happened to humanity as we moved from hunting and gathering to agriculture and eventually to our industrialised society. ‘All the effects we found are probably an underestimation of what we would see in highly industrialsied societies where our access to electricity has tremendously disrupted our sleep.’ De la Iglesia added that the difference between sleeping length in summer and winter showed that we cannot escape our biology. He said: ‘We tend to think we’re isolated from seasonal effects even though we know this is the case for many animals. ‘I think it’s still embedded in our biology even when we do as much as we can to obscure that difference between summer and winter.’ The researchers next plan to measure the levels of melatonin, a hormone that affects sleep in the different communities for their next project, and also the effect the moon

Researchers from the University of Washington gave sleep tracking bracelets (pictured) to villagers in Argentina. One of the Toba/Qom communities has electricity and the other doesn’t. has on sleeping patterns. The research is published in the Journal of Biological Rhythms. It follows previous research that discovered a rural community in Brazil that still follows the natural sleep cycles of our ancestors - despite having access to the same technology as its urban neighbours. The community was discovered in the small town of Baependi in south-eastern Brazil in the state of Minais Gerais. Researchers from the University of Surrey and the University of São Paulo studied the population and asked them questions about their sleep habits and patterns. ‘In big cities, the availability of cheap electricity has brought us both

artificial lighting and a multitude of other electronic devices that compete with us going to sleep at night,’ said lead author Dr Malcolm von Schantz from the University of Surrey. ‘As a result, most of us go to bed much later than our ancestors did, and, many of us are sleeping less. ‘Even though the people in Baependi have access to electricity and television, their daily rhythms are much closer to those of previous generations. ‘Studying this population is like being able to look back at past generations through a pair of binoculars and provide an insight into the benefit this natural pattern may be having on their health.’ Source: Dailymail.co.uk

SporT 41 Page

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Argentina into Copa semis after penalties against Colombia

Wimbledon 2015: Williams practises on Jack Nicklaus court

>>>Pg 43

Oliseh blames Pinnick for Enyeama saga By Albert Akota

ormer Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh has said the president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick should have been more matured in the handling of the case involving the current captain of the Super Eagles, Vincent Enyeama. Oliseh who spoke on the several other issues bothering the Nations football said rather than blowing the case out of proportion with the whole media hype, Pinnick should have treated the matter more privately. “I don’t think what the president did was right. He shouldn’t have sent anybody even the general secretary. He ought to have called the captain and explain to him that they don’t have money which is why they took the match to Kaduna instead of giving him query. Is he a civil servant? My father was a civil servant and I know how they operate.” The former Juventus player also stressed that he is not in agreement with the idea of moving the matches of the Super Eagles around saying the Super Eagles really need a place where they would call their home. He suggested Lagos state to be made the permanent home, saying the Lagos fans there always have a way of bringing out the best out of the players. “What these guys (Eagles) are enjoying now is pleasure not pressure. Eagles played better in Lagos (National stadium, Surulere) than anywhere. Whenever England wants to play any difficult match, they go to

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

Wembley stadium. Just imagine, the captain of the team, Enyeama had his 100 caps and about retiring and yet he has not played in Lagos.” Meanwhile, Enyeama believed his issue had already been dealt with. “I was told to apologise for my comments, which I did immediately and they told me that’s fine,” Enyeama said. “Personally, as it was resolved in-house I thought that was the end of the matter. “I only received a letter to cautioning me about it [my comments] and to avoid a repeat of such.” The 32-year-old, who is the Super Eagles most capped player with 101 appearances, denies he failed to reply to messages from the NFF seeking an explanation for his comments. “But I only found out about a disciplinary hearing in the media but I didn’t get any letter to that effect,” he explained. “As the captain I only raised our concerns about the venue before our game which didn’t go down well with the football authority. The Lille player could face a lengthy ban for his comments which the NFF feels broke its recent code of conduct signed by the players as well as his failure to attend Tuesday’s hearing. The NFF executive board will have the final say on any punishments, on a date yet to be decided. It has also been confirmed that the Super Eagles will play their next home 2017 Nations Cup qualifier against Egypt in Kaduna next March.

>>>Pg 44

Why NFF, Eagles, others must work together to avert failure >>>Pg 42

Vincent Enyeama

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

PAGE 42

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THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED BODY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. REV. CHRIS JOHN GODOBE 2. PASTOR GRACE CHRIS GODOBE 3. BARR. ZERRUBABEL LUBO 4. PASTOR GAD AMOS JATAU 5. PASTOR LARAS JATAU AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

PUBLIC NOTICE

Shalom sacred word electronic ministry

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1: Ovums Joseph Bukola 2:Mrs E O Bukola-Ojumu 3:Adegboro Omolafe Joshua 4:Adekunle Adebola Dennis THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.To preach the word of God.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

SIGNED:SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

LOSS OF DOCUMENTS This is to inform the general public of loss of orignial land d o c u m e n t, A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t Letter,Receipt of the land,and other relevant documents of the land.With file No.misc53828 plot No722 of wuye District cadastral Zone Bo3 of about 1,300sqm with orignal Name NORTH MERCHANTS LIMITED.All effort made to trace it prove abortive.If found please return to the nearest police station or AGIS.Genral public please take note.

Processed Wood Traders Association Taraba State chapter

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: (1) Alh Mubaraq Olaitan Adi (chairman) (2) Omolafe Segun (secretary) (3) Ayeni Mark (Tresurer) (4) ALH. Muhktar Ibrahim (House Leader) (5) Babalola Oladele (P.R.O) THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1) To promote the walfare of members of the association. 2)To create an enabling marketing enviroment for the members to operate. (3) To defend the interest of the membersip in respect to government regulation on price control. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED:SECRETARY

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known as ISAAC OKPHEMEOGHEMA IKHAIDUWOR now wish to be addressed as ISAAC IKPEMI IKHAIDUWOR.All former documents remains valid. The general public should please take note.

PAGE 43

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE ZOE REALM INT’L FAITH GOSPEL CENTRE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CENTRE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.PASTOR SEGUN ALAKA 2.RICHARD OLUWATOYIN IGE 3.AKINNAGBE MICHAEL 4.AKINYOADE ADEWALE ANTHONY 5.ALAKA KUNLE 6.STEPHEN ARE 7.AJIBIKE BOLAJI THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE:

1.TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. MICHAEL NDU O. 08033179525

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE TESSY AKPABOR FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.GEORGE AKPABOR 2.FRANK AKPABOR 3.STANLEY AKPABOR 4.FRANCESS AKPABOR 5.SHEILA AKPABOR THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:

1.TO ASSIST IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER PATIENT. 2.TO ASSIST THE NEEDY IN THE SOCIETY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: ESSELL ATTORNEYS 08037093182

PUBLIC NOTICE

CORIFA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.AWOSIKA - AYELA CYNTHIA EHIOSUN - PRESIDENT 2.IKHIMIUKOR IZEVBUWA KEHINDE - SECRETARY/LEGAL ADVISER 3.IKHIMIUKOR JOHN EBHODAGHE 4.OBASEKI IZEHIESE TAIYE - FIN SEC 5.MERCY OROBOSA EDORO - TREASURER

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE LIFE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.PASTOR ELIJAH LAWRENCE OYEWOLE - CHAIRMAN 2.DR. FOLUSO OLAJUMOKE OYEWOLE - SECRETARY

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FOR THE LESS PRIVILEGED AND PROVIDING AWARENESS ON BASIC HEALTH CARE. 2.TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR PRIMARY TO TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS FOR THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY PARTICULARLY ORPHANS AND CHILDREN OF SINGLE PARENTS.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PREACH AND PROPAGATE THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. 2.TO ESTABLISH AND ORGANIZE CHURCHES FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.

SIGNED: ESANGBEDO FESTUS NOSA ESQ 10, SUNYANI, WUSE ZONE 1, ABUJA - FCT. 08056632090

PUBLIC NOTICE

YERWA SOCIETY FOR CHILD CARE AND COMMUNITY HEALTH

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Prof Mala Muhammad Daura 2. Dr. Hadiza Bazza Isa 3. Fati Shettima Chibok 4. Bukar Baba Kura 5. Hajia Fati Usman Aim and Objectives:

1. To render health care services. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

ANGULUS CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.RT. REVD. JOSHUA EBUNOLUWA OGUNELE - CHAIRMAN 2.MR. DAYO OLUTAYO LOMUWAGUN - SECRETARY 3.YEMISI AGNES LOMUWAGUN 4.MR. GOKE AGBAKOSI 5.CHIEF (MRS) CECILIA OLABOWALE LOMUWAGUN THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:

1.TO PROMOTE THE EDUCATE OF THE INDIGENT AND LESS PRIVILEGED STUDENTS FROM SECONDARY SCHOOL TO TERTIARY LEVEL BY AWARDING SCHOLARSHIPS ETC 2.ORGANISING PROGRAMMES AIMED AT RESTORING MORALS AND DESIRABLE CHARACTERS IN SCHOOLS. 3.PROVISION OF REFRESHER COURSES TO TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

Signed: Secretary

SIGNED: BARR. THEOPHILUS OKWUTE

PUBLIC NOTICE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CENTRE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named MINISTRY has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for Registration under Part “C” of the Company and Allied Matter Act No. 1 of 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for alteration of constitution, appointment of additional trustees and CTC of certificate under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.NELSON OSSAIEZE - CHAIRMAN 2.LILIAN COSMAS - SECRETARY

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.REV ODION EHIREMEN 2.PASTOR AKHERE EHIREMEN 3.JIMMY OFUYA 4.EMMANUEL EHIREMEN 5.PATIENCE EHIREMEN 6.ELIZABETH CHUKWU 7.USIFO OYEDE 8.PASTOR THEOPHILUS OKOJIE

PUBLIC NOTICE

CENTRE FOR ADVANCED AGRICULTURE & ENTREPRENEURIAL STUDIES

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO ENGAGE IN AGRICULTURAL AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH. 2.TO ENGAGE IN MASS COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION, TRAINING, EDUCATION AND SENSITIZATION ON THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE PURSUIT OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

THE DIRECTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT INTERPRETATION MINISTRY

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To preach the gospel of christ.

SIGNED:SECRETARY

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General Corporate Affairs Commission Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. Signed: Bright Egualeona

PUBLIC NOTICE

AKINWUNMI TRADERS ASSOCIATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990

TRUSTEES: 1. Hon. Ejike Nwaduba 2. Chibuike Ojubuonu 3. Sunday Nduka Okaramia 4. Augustine Ugorji AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1. To encourage a healthy relationship amongst members. 2. To cater for the general welfare of the members and the society. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION SIGNED: EZEJI GLORIA 08038769236

BELIEVERS PENTICOSTAL MISSION

The general public is hereby notify that the above named has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration under Part “C” of Companies and Allied Matters act 1990.

TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Aroh Blessed - Chairman 2. Mercy Blessed Aroh - Secretary 3. Eze Dennis 4. Okorie Chidy 5. Uche Kingsley AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

1. To propagate and preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. To win souls for the kingdom of God. 3. To establish local branches for the propagation of the gospel worldwide. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyistreet, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. Sign BARR. AKUEBUKA ANTHONY 08032620961

BEAUTY IN EVERYLIFE INITIATIVE

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Ebere Akadiri - President 2. Acqueen Obi 3. Monica Akinuli - Secretary AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1. To inspire teach and instruct physically, psychologically and emotionally cast off, abused and less fortunate women and children to discover the inherent beauty residing within their hearts and the array of possibilities that lie within them that can be reached through tapping into their innate self confidenceself esteem. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. Signed: BARR. GLADYS JOEL; 08053581188

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE ORPHAN TRUST ORPHAN

The general public is hereby notify that the above named has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration under Part “C” of Companies and Allied Matters act 1990. TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Hindu Usman 2. Hadiza Aminu 3. Hafsat Usman AIMS AND OBJECTIVE 1. To assist the less privileged in the society. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyistreet, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. Sign SECRETARY

PAGE 44

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Sport McIlroy must improve on US Open – McGinley

orld number one Rory McIlroy needs to respond to the challenge posed by US Open winner Jordan Spieth, says former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley. McIlroy’s lead in the world rankings over Spieth, who also won the Masters in April, is now just 1.72 points. “Jordan is putting it to Rory and that can only be good for Rory. He has to step up to the plate,” said McGinley. “As well as he played to come fourth in the Masters and ninth at the US Open, he left himself too much to make up.”

American Spieth, 21, has narrowed the rankings gap on McIlroy after trailing the Northern Ireland player by 5.30 points at the end of 2014. McIlroy started Sunday’s final round eight off the lead and closed to within two after six birdies in 13 holes, but dropped shots on the 15th and 17th to finish in a tie for ninth, five shots off the pace. However, given his excellent record at St Andrews and his share of third place in the 2010 US PGA at Whistling Straits, the four-time major winner is full of confidence for this year’s remaining two majors. Serena Williams

Wimbledon 2015: Williams practises on Jack Nicklaus court

S Rory McIlroy

erena Williams says she is unfazed by the challenge of winning all four Grand Slams in a year, with her Wimbledon training including a hit on the grass courts of golf great Jack Nicklaus. American Williams, 33, has already won the 2015 Australian

and French Opens, with Wimbledon and the US Open to come. Nicklaus, 75, is regarded as one of the best golfers of all time, having won 18 majors, including six Masters Titles. Williams would become the first woman since Steffi Graff in 1988 to win all four Grand Slam

tournaments in a calendar year, if she goes on to claim the Wimbledon and US Open titles. But she is cautious ahead of her opening match against Russian Margarita Gasparyan, after suffering a fourth round exit in 2013 and going out in the second round last year.

US 100m trials: Bromell makes Ogogo returns from history as Tyson Gay wins 12-month injury

yson Gay won the 100m at the US trials as 19-year-old Trayvon Bromell became the first teenager to qualify for an American World Championships team. Gay, 32, clocked 9.87 seconds and will return to the Worlds in

Beijing in August for the first time since 2009. Bromell ran 9.84 in the heats, making him the 10th-fastest man in history, and was second in the final with 9.96. Diamond League champion Justin Gatlin has a bye for the 100m in Beijing but will still race

Anthony Ogogo (L)

nbeaten middleweight boxer Anthony Ogogo will fight for the first time in a year after recovering from injury. The 26-year-old, who won bronze at London 2012, has had two operations to fix an Achilles problem. The Briton will return to the ring on Saturday, 18 July in Berlin against an unnamed opponent. “I now feel fitter than I’ve ever felt and ready to send a wake-up call to the middleweight division,” said Ogogo, who has won all of his professional bouts.” Ogogo, a former junior world

champion, has also announced he will be joint-promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and German organisation Team Sauerland. “I am incredibly excited by this new partnership and cannot wait to get back in the ring,” he added. The Lowestoft fighter had been solely managed by 10time world champion De Lay Hoya’s company since he turned professional at the end of 2012. “I feel privileged to have two of best promoters in world boxing backing me and want to thank them both for helping me get to this point,” said Ogogo.

Tyson Gay

in the 200m trials. Gatlin, 33, has run 2015’s fastest 100m and 200m - 9.75 and 19.68 seconds respectively while double-Olympic champion Usain Bolt has posted 10.12 in the 100m so far in 2015 after coming back from injury. Bromell, who ran a windassisted 9.76 seconds in his semifinal, had the advantage over Gay early in the trials final but the 2007 world champion powered through in the final 30m and won by almost a tenth of a second. Mike Rodgers claimed third in 9.97 seconds and also qualified for Beijing. Heats, 10 Americans ran the 100m in under 10 seconds. Though all of those sub-10 performances were wind assisted - half of them beyond the permitted two metres per second - the obvious depth in American sprinting will fuel their hopes of threatening Jamaica’s recent dominance. Meanwhile at the Jamaican trials in Kingston, former worldrecord holder Asafa Powell surged to the 100m title but 2011 world champion Yohan Blake failed to make the final. Powell, 32, pulled away from the field in the last 20m to equal his season best of 9.84. However Blake, 25, was sixth in Powell’s semi-final in a time of 10.36. The 2012 Olympic 100 and 200m silver medallist won the world title in 2011 when Bolt was disqualified for a false start.

Sport Why NFF, Eagles, others must work together to avert failure PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

ollowing what appears to be an ongoing onslaught against current members of Nigeria’s Super Eagles including head coach Stephen Keshi, captain Vincent Enyeama and midfielder Ogenyi Onazi by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), football loving Nigerians may still wait a little longer to witness glory days in the country’s football after repeated dwindling fortunes. Watching from a distance, stakeholders have begun to take cursory look at a looming downturn in Nigerian football. While few of them believed that the perceived action by NFF board was in the best interest of the game, others are of the view that more diplomatic approach should have been deplored. For the past one year, Nigeria’s football has witnessed downward trend with the beginning of soccer catastrophic nemesis on Africa’s most populous nation when the senior national team failed to qualify for 2015 Nations Cup held in Equatorial Guinea, few months after they crawled to knockout stage of 2014 World staged in Brazil. Not too-informed France national team that couldn’t progress beyond quarterfinal of same tournament, courtesy of Germany 1-0 victory, sent the Nigerian side packing in the round of 16. It was observed that the period under review witnessed packs of defeat for Nigerians who are known for special preference for football among other sports apparently due to numerous issues that surrounded the transition of power from one administration to another. Shortly after the new leadership led by Amaju Pinnick was put in place as from 30th September, 2014, things seem not to have become better following the inability of the country’s biggest brand, Super Eagles to qualify for 2015 AFCON after South Africa held the team to 2-2 draw inside the brand new Akwa Ibom international stadium in Uyo. Even as Nigerians were yet to recover from the ‘disastrous’ continental soccer no-show, both the nation’s senior female team, Super Falcons and U-20 male team, Flying Eagles recorded another woeful performance in their separate outings at this year’s FIFA Women World Cup in Canada and U-20 World Championship New Zealand.

PAGE 45

That was after U-23 male team, Dream Team IV narrowly missed a ticket to this year’s All Africa Games scheduled for Congo Brazzaville in September. Zambia held Nigeria’s side to a goalless draw at home, a situation that raised anxiety on the team’s possible ouster before coach Samson Siasia added more players to his squad. They eventually recorded a narrow 2-1 away win in Zambia. W i t h t h e

South Africa, two years ago. Already, the team started 2017 AFCON qualifier with a 2-0 victory against Chad in Kaduna. However, the joy of beginning another

was asked to pay a fine of $5,000 after Confederation of African Football (CAF) meted out a twomatch ban on the Italy-based player. Next was Enyeama who was issued a query and hurriedly got it torn. Though, he later apologised but NFF summoned him before their disciplinary committee, an invitation he failed to honour. Then, Keshi who has been in the center of many storms was named among 59-man shortlist by Ivory Coast Football authority. His name on the list of coaches to possibly take over job of coaching Ivorian national team triggered NFF board to extend invitation to appear before its Disciplinary committee last Tuesday. Taking a critical overview on the recent disciplinary measures adopted by t h e

federation, immediate past Super E a g l e s coordinator Emmanuel A t t a h wondered why NFF would choose to disclose i n t e r n a l issues to the public even before taking possible action. For him “while I d o n ’ t

second coming of Keshi as Super E a g l e s handler, hope was steered on the possible reengineering of

Nigeria’s squad that won the 2013 Nations Cup

round of qualifier with victory was cut short as the country’s football body began showing displeasure in the way some members of the Super Eagles made comments or acted before, during and after the match. First on the NFF’s punishment list was Onazi who

subscribe to indiscipline I think NFF should be more diplomatic in

handling such issues. What happened to Onazi can happen to any other person. There is this moment of madness in football. “As for Enyeama, he has served the country meritoriously. There is no need making an issue out of what he said before the match. What the federation and the team need at this point in time is total concentration on how to qualify for the next Nations cup. “I believe by now we should have passed this stage of focusing on what will distract us and focus on how to confront Tanzania and Egypt. Where do we head from here? We need to work on our opponents. We need to get the technical aspect of Tanzania and Egypt national teams. “The disciplinary committee should have carried out an investigation, after that they will issue a corporate query. If you are not satisfied with the query, you will then invite him. Look at how the Flying Eagles and Super Falcons went out of World Cup. “We had so much hope on them but they went are out. There is no need on putting more energy on little issues such as this. The federation should focus more on how to improve our coaches’ capacity, develop Referees like other national teams. We have technical study group, what are they doing to help the national teams? His view was not different from Keshi who called on relevant stakeholders to rally round his team for optimum performance. He added “We need to change from all this little gossip and all these stuff, we need to go ahead and forge a formidable team which includes the press, the players, NFF so that we can conquer the world and conquer African continent. My focus right now is to prepare for the game against Tanzania.” On his meeting with NFF Disciplinary committee, Keshi who refused to divulge details of what transpired between him and the committee said “Everything went well but NFF will talk to you on that but everything went well. Like you guys just know I never applied for Cote d’Ivoire job.” With the eventual announcement by the disciplinary committee that they would now prefer Enyeama’s case to be treated internally while they pay a visit to Ivory Coast, Nigerians are waiting patiently to see the outcome of pending administrative soccer issues.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

PAGE 46

PUBLIC NOTICE

HOPE AFRESH FOUNDATION

The general public is hereby notify that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration under Part “C” of Companies and Allied Matters act 1990. TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Anna Mbasughun Ishaku 2. Joyce Wayo AIMS AND OBJECTIVE 1. To care for the needy. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyistreet, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. Signed: SECRETARY

LOSS OF DOCUMENTS This is to inform the general public of the loss of ORIGINAL C OF O DOCUMENT OF PLOT 1111 FILE NO. LA 10214 CADASTRAL ZONE A04 ASOKORO DISTRICT, C OF O DATED 19/07/2005 NO. 2396W-FE14Z-6A40R-C77EU-10 GRANTED TO HOUDA HUSSEIN HOMSI OF NO. 2 DESMOND TUTU STREET ASOKORO. All efforts made to trace the said documents proved abortive. If found kindly return to the nearest police station. General public should please take note. CHANGE OF NAME

I FORNERLY KNOWN AS FARIDA ASHAFA ANAS NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS FARIDA ASHAFA MURTALA.ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS RAMIN VALID. NATIONAL HEADQUATERS YAKUBU GOWON HOUSE PLOT 416 TIGRIS CRESCENT OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET MAITAMA ABUJA, N Y S C PERM. ORIENT.CAPM, IKENE ROAD,SAGAMU OGUN STATE. AL-QALAM UNIVERSITY, KATSINA P M B 2137 DUTSI-MA ROAD, KATSINA TO TAKE NOTE.

ISA KAITA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, DUTSENMA KATSINA STATE. (Office of the Registrar) INVITATION FOR PREQUALIFICATION FOR SPECIAL INTERVENTION PROJECTS (TETFUND ) Isa Kaita College of Education, Dutsenma Katsina State wishes to invite interested companies/ contractors to the underlisted project in the institution. Lot 1: Construction of one block of two stories building of students hostel. Lot 2: Construction of Chief/Principal lecturers office complex and procurement of Furniture for chief/Principal lecturers office complex & other lecturers offices. PRE-QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED SHOULD CONTAIN, AMONG OTHER THINGS THE FOLLOWING; i. Certificate of incorporation in Nigeria as a limited liability company, ii. Tax clearance Certificate for the past three years issued by the FIRS iii. Evidence of registration as an engineering/equipment contractor with the Federal Ministry of works iv. List of similar projects executed in the last three years v. Evidence of financial capability to execute the job tendered for, vi. List of key personnel to be assigned to the project with professional qualifications vii. Evidence of compliance with PENCOM Act and Remittances. viii. Evidence of compliance with ITF and NSITF ix. Evidence of VAT registration SUBMISSION OF PRE-QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS All pre-qualification documents shall be placed and sealed in SEPARATE ENVELOPES and clearly marked “Pre-qualification for the Desired job” the document shall then be placed in a single outer envelope for submission. The envelope containing the prequalification document is to be submitted to the office of the registrar not later than 10:00am on 10thAugust, 2015 and shall be opened on the same date 12:00pm on 10thAugust, 2015. Late submission shall not be accepted. Pre-qualification documents shall be screened to determine those qualified for the opening of the bids. Only those qualified shall be invited for the opening. Those not qualified shall have their bids returned unopened. (Signed) Registrar

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly known as ALIYU AHMAD now wish to be addressed as ALI LABARAN.All former documents remains valid. The general public should please take note.

arlos Tevez scored the winning spotkick as Argentina beat Colombia on penalties to reach the Copa America semi-finals. Argentina dominated throughout but found Arsenal keeper David Ospina in fine form as he denied Sergio Aguero, Lionel Messi and Nicolas Otamendi. That meant penalties were needed and, after Colombia’s Jeison Murillo missed, Tevez converted to seal a 5-4 victory. It capped a memorable day for Tevez, who came off the bench to score moments after a move from Juventus to his hometown club Boca Juniors was confirmed. It was also a deserved win for Argentina who, having scored just four goals in their three previous games at the tournament, displayed their attacking intent from the outset. They embarked on wave after wave of attacks but found themselves up against a Colombia side that had set up to frustrate their opponents. And when Argentina did

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Nigeria will participate in ECOWAS soccer tourney- FEYSCO From Mustapha,Minna

Yakubu

he National Executive Secretary of Federation of Youth Soccer Clubs of Nigeria (FEYSOC), Hon A S Luya said Nigeria will participate in the 2015 ECOWAS invitational soccer competition schedule for August in Lome the Togolese capital. He disclose this while speaking to journalists after the feysoc executive council meeting at the Ahmadu bello stadium in kaduna, stated that kontagora emirate football team has been picked to represent Nigeria. The tournament which is scheduled for 22- 29 August in Lome the republic of Togo is open to teams from ecowas sub region and Nigeria as defending champion will face arch rival ghana who were in the finals last year. Luya stated that kontagora emirate football team was chosen because of the iommense support given to the game of soccer at the grass root by the royal father H R H Alhaji saidu Namaska.

West Ham land Payet from Marseille

Argentina into Copa semis after penalties against Colombia Dimitri Payet

Colombia and Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina produced a number of superb saves find their way through the Colombia defence, Ospina was there to deny them. The goalkeeper, whose future at Arsenal is in doubt with the imminent arrival of Petr Cech from Chelsea, produced a stunning double save to keep out Aguero’s shot from close range and then somehow get back up to fling himself at Lionel Messi’s header on

the follow-up. That gave Colombia confidence, and they finally managed to muster a shot on target in the second half when Jackson Martinez powered a header towards goal, but Sergio Romero got down to make the save. However, it was left to Ospina to keep Colombia in the game as he made another crucial save, this

time denying Otamendi when the defender volleyed a corner at goal and Ospina pushed the ball onto his post. With no extra-time in the Copa America quarterfinals or semi-finals, the game went to penalties and, after five were missed, Tevez stepped up to seal victory.

est Ham United has completed the signing of France international playmaker Dimitri Payet from Marseille on a fiveyear contract, the Premier League club announced. The East London outfit said they had paid “an undisclosed eight-figure fee” for Payet, but reports in France have said that Marseille accepted an offer of €15 million. The 28-year-old from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion won his 15th cap for France in a friendly in Albania earlier this month. Formerly with Nantes, Saint-Etienne and Lille, he scored seven goals for Marseille last season and was the leading assistprovider in Ligue 1 with 16. Payet becomes West Ham’s third close-season

signing following the captures of Spanish midfielder Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria and Ireland goalkeeper Darren Randolph from Birmingham City. The Hammers have also appointed a new manager in the shape of Croatian Slaven Bilic, who replaces Sam Allardyce. However, for Marseille, Payet leaving is a major blow following the earlier departures of talisman striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, Ghana star Andre Ayew and defensive stalwart Jeremy Morel under freedom of contract. Ayew moved to the Premier League with Swansea City, while Morel joined OM’s Ligue 1 rivals Lyon and Gignac made a surprise switch to Tigres of Mexico.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, JUNE 29, 2015

Some Interesting Facts 1. Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents. 2. Nails and hair do not continue to grow after we die. They do appear longer when we die, however, as the skin dehydrates and pulls back from the nail beds and scalp. 3. By the age of 60, most people will have lost about half their taste buds. Perhaps you shouldn’t trust your grandma’s cooking as much as you do. 4. Your eyes are always the same size from birth but your nose and ears never stop growing. 5. By 60 years of age, 60-percent of men and 40-percent of women will snore. 6. Monday is the day of the week when the risk of heart attack is greatest. A ten year study in Scotland found that 20% more people die of heart attacks on Mondays than any other day of the week. Researchers theorize that it’s a combination of too much fun over

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Leisure

the weekend with the stress of going back to work that causes the increase. 7. Provided there is water, the average human could survive a month to two months without food depending on their body fat and other factors. 8. Over 90% of diseases are caused or complicated by stress. 9. A human head remains conscious for about 15 to 20 seconds after it is been decapitated. While it might be gross to think about, the blood in the head may be enough to keep someone alive and conscious for a few seconds after the head has been separated from the body, though reports as to the accuracy of this are widely varying.

Say what?

SUDOKU

SUDOKU EASY 258

SUDOKU SOLUTION 257

PHOTO OF THE DAY

One image captures the moment a cat and puppy rub their heads together, perhaps seeing if they can be friends after all. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

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QUOTABLE QUOTE “My party is not in disarray at all, what you are witnessing is real democracy. I don’t think our party is in disarray”

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monday, june 29, 2015

SPORTS latest

Rascals in the House

epp Blatter says he has not resigned as Fifa president. The 79-year-old Swiss was thought to have ended his 17-year reign on 2 June amid claims of corruption in world football’s governing body. A Fifa statement confirmed a report in Swiss newspaper Blick, which said Blatter told a party: “I did not resign; I put myself and my office in the hands of the Fifa congress.” Blatter is thought to be considering standing for reelection as president. Two criminal investigations into alleged Fifa corruption began in the week that Blatter was elected for a fifth term in charge. Four days after being voted president, Blatter who is reportedly under investigation in the United States said: “While I have a mandate from the membership of Fifa, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football. “Therefore, I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as Fifa president until that election.” However, Blatter did not use the words ‘resign’ or ‘resignation’. He did add, however, the election would be for his “successor” and said: “I shall not be a candidate.” The Fifa statement added the quotes in Blick were “fully in line with the speech of the president on 2 June”. Labour MP Chris Bryant, the shadow secretary of state for culture, said: “Sepp Blatter’s antics remind me not so much of the hokey-cokey as Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. “It’s time Fifa put an end to all this speculation, which is harming the sport, and give a final date for Blatter’s departure.” Meanwhile, Blatter may not attend the final of the Women’s World Cup in Canada because of the twin investigations into Fifa by American and Swiss authorities. He would normally present the trophy to the winning team, but Fifa will not confirm whether Blatter or secretary general Jerome Valcke will attend. A Fifa spokesperson said: “In terms of the Fifa president and the Fifa secretary general, their future travel plans will be confirmed in due course.”

was watching the Channels Television evening news when an item from Benue state made a dramatic entry. Members of the State House of Assembly broke into what we call in Nigeria a “free for all”. They kicked with the fury of Kung Fu fighters; sent boxing jabs with the precision of Mohammed Ali and wrestled with the comic mannerisms of sumo wrestlers. My daughter, a secondary school girl turned round to ask; “Daddy, why are they behaving like motor park touts?” I was too engrossed to answer. A few days after the Benue show, a similar drama broke out at the Federal House of Representatives. The conduct of the House members was nothing different from what the members of the Benue House did. And eventhough my daughter was not by my side this day, secondary school students were in the public gallery of the House to watch the show. The last time I devoted this page to the conduct of House members was when Dimeji Bankole was the House Speaker. That time too the House had broken into a “free for all” and the Honourable members were gnawing at each other, beating themselves and tearing their clothes to near nudity. Dino Melaye, now a Senator was a star performer in that act. On that day too, secondary school students were in audience at the public gallery to watch the show. I captioned that column, published on...A HOUSE OF SHAME. The persistence of brawls in the House, even after a member.... was pummelled to death right there on the floor of the same House in a previous commotion has made it inappropriate to call their behaviours acts of shame. Shame can only be found amoung people with a sense of proportion, a sense of regret and a sense of responsibility. It is hard to find any of these qualities in sufficient quantity the House. To be sure, physical brawls are common in legislative houses all over the world. When legislators engage in such acts in other parts of the world, it is often over serious issues of national and international significance. Regrettably in Nigeria, most often when law makers get physical – including the brawl in which a member was thrashed to death - it is over positions and personal emoluments. Nothing more. It has not always been like. I have conducted diligent search

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Blatter deny FIFA presidency resignation

– Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha

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Monday Column Emmanuel Yawe royawe@yahoo.com 08024565402

in the archives of the of the first republic and I have always been thrilled by the flowery language of Dr Namdi Azikiwe, the thundering speeches of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the intellectual tone of Obafemi Awolowo and the excellent debating style and conservative parliamentary humour of Sir Tafawa Balewa. Between these parliamentarians, there were many issues in dispute. But not even once did I notice in the hansard of their time that they resorted to fistcuts in order to press home their point. When for once there was mayhem in the Western Regional House of Assembly, it was considered such an abberation that anti riot policemen were called upon to disperse the members. They teargassed the combatants and a state of emergency was declared in the whole region. The 1999 constitution on the presumption that responsible men and women will be elected to constitute the legislature entrusted them with serious national responsibilities. It is now clear from the conduct of our lawmakers that these responsibilities are a big inconvenience to them. From their actions, it is rather clear

that those who sent them into the legislative houses only succeeded in ruining the brilliant careers of some motor park touts. For instance, House members have been saddled with the responsibilities of oversight functions on government ministries and departments. The framers of our constitution must have done this with the belief that as the direct representatives of the people, these members will protect the interest of the common man by curbing cleptomania and ensuring prudent use of public resources and property. Alas, the opposite is the case. They have ingenously turned oversight functions into avenues of terrorising and extorting money from the executive arm of government. The most embarrasing example is that of a committee chairman who after investigating the subsidy scam on petroleum products was caught in a sting operation collecting bribes from an oil dealer. The money was said to be so much that he stuffed it in his flowing gown (babanriga) and when this overflowed, he put down his long cap and loaded some of the hard currency in

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it before carrying the bribe on his head, covered by his long cap. Smeared by this scandal of monumental proportions, the report of his investigation committee consequently died a natural death. Many other investigations suffered similar fate. It is therefore clear from the conduct of these house members that the constitution overrated the quality of the people Nigerians will elect into these houses. It is true that there are some members of high intergrity in the House. Unfortunately they are so few that they have been swamped by their thieving colleagues. The recent commotion in the House calls for a closer examination of the members. I find the decision of the APC members to rebel against the directives of their party leadership an unhealthy and dangerous development. These members have not demonstrated in any way a sense of understanding of the serious responsibilities that go with their assignments. If they understand the severity of their assignments at all, they have not demonstrated that they have the maturity and responsibility to carry it out. They need the guidance of their party. If one is to judge by the number of fights they have carried out in hallowed chambers of the House and the issues that stimulated these brawls, then these members are not worthy of any responsibility beyound that of managing their families; that is if they have families at all. In my considered opinion, only homeless people will scavenge and fight in the manner I saw those members fighting on the floor of the House. I shudder to think that my fate and that of over one hundred other citizens is left in the hands of the rascals in the House.

DAN GAYE

2 men die rescuing hen in Kano well –News

Their reward is in heaven