nigerian observer 24 092013

1 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013THE NIGERIAN

MEETING: President Goodluck Jonathan, First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, permanentrepresentative to the United Nations, Prof. Joy Ogwu with Nigerian Professionals in the US during ameeting of President Jonathan with Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in New York recently.

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol. 38 • NO.317 • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 • N100.00

Pages 16-17PERSPECTIVE

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NUTRITIONALNUTRITIONALNUTRITIONALNUTRITIONALNUTRITIONALHEALTH ANDHEALTH ANDHEALTH ANDHEALTH ANDHEALTH AND

DIETETICSDIETETICSDIETETICSDIETETICSDIETETICS

MarijuanAddressing ItsAbuse, Health

Implication

Brainboosting

diets

The Nigerian

cmyk

PSC wants DIG to head policezonal command

Heavydownpour paralyseHeavydownpour paralyseHeavydownpour paralyseHeavydownpour paralyseHeavydownpour paralysebusinesses in Benin, Ibadanbusinesses in Benin, Ibadanbusinesses in Benin, Ibadanbusinesses in Benin, Ibadanbusinesses in Benin, Ibadan

Immigration throwslight on Diplomatic

passport for lawmakers

N211.5bn committed toexportable crops - Report

Military intervention inNasarawa successful - Maku

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ABUJA - A report onNational survey ofexportable agriculturalcommodities said a totalof N211.5billion wascommitted to exportable

crop farming activitiesduring the 2011/2012survey year.

The report issued inAbuja on Monday byNational Bureau of

Statistics (NBS), wasprepared by ConsultativeCommittee onAgricultural ExportCommodities incollaboration with NBS.

It said that the othercollaborative agencieswere the Central Bank ofNigeria and FederalMinistry of Agriculture

ABUJA - The NigeriaImmigration Service(NIS) says it has neitherwithdrawn nor stoppedthe issuance ofdiplomatic passports tomembers of the NationalAssembly.

Mr. ChukwuemekaObua, the PublicRelations Officer of theservice, made thisknown in a telephoneinterview with newsmenyesterday in Abuja.

Obua said thatcontrary to thepublications in somenational dailies onSaturday, that the NIShad withdrawndiplomatic passportsfrom the law makers, nosuch thing had takenplace.

“The NIS wishes tocategorically state thatextant guidelines on theissuance of such travel

documents have notbeen changed and arefirmly in place.

“No instruction hasbeen received by theNIS to review theguidelines on theissuance of passports toany target group orcategory of Nigerians.

Members of theNational Assembly arebeing issued diplomaticpassports uponapplication,’’ he said.

Obua urged the mediahouses to always crosscheck their facts with theservice beforepublishing to avoidheating up the polity andcausing disharmony.

He said theimmigration service wascommitted todischarging its duties inline with relevant lawsguiding its operations.

BENIN CITY – The sky opened its bowelsyesterday, shedding vehemently heavy tears ofrain droplets that rendered businesses in Beninand Ibadan shut . Many residents werelocked indoors whileworkers includingchildren got to theiroffices and schools late. The heavy down pourwhich started at about4:00 am, and ebbingabout 6:30pm, causedmajor frustrations amongresidents as the resultantflooding that attended itcaused hold ups and go

slows with vehiclesswimming throughflooded areas. In areas where the rainscaused severe flooding,

residents could not go outto their business placesand workers similarlycould not go to work. Itwas observed that many

private businesses didnot open for businessactivities for the day whilemany government officeswitnessed low turnout of

workers. At about 8am,many government officeswere yet to open whilemany workers who cameto work arrived theiroffices at about 9am, orthere about. A visit to many primaryand secondary schools inBenin City metropolisrevealed that many pupilsand students wereabsent, ostensibly due tothe rain fall. There werealso heavy trafficwitnessed across somemajor roads in the city. Roads that experiencedheavy traffic includeSapele road, AirportRoad, Ekenwan Road,Ugbowo, UpperSakpoba, while someadjoining streets wereblocked as a result of theheavy down pour. Those who defied therain to go about theirbusinesses for the dayhad a hectic time as theywere stranded in the holdups for hours as theheavy vehicular

ABUJA - The Minister ofInformation, Mr. LabaranMaku, said the militaryintervention in parts ofNasarawa State issuccessful and yieldingpositive results.

Maku said this onMonday when he receivedmembers of theConference of LocalGovernments PDPSecretaries from thestates, who visited him inhis office in Abuja.

He said normalcy wasgradually returning to the

affected areas.The minister, who

expressed optimism thatthe violence would soonbe permanently tackled,

said government wouldcontinue to monitor thesituation and makeadjustments wherenecessary.

He said the FederalGovernment would workwith the relevantauthorities at all levels toensure that those

displaced by the crisisreturn to their homes inthe shortest possibletime.

ABUJA - The PoliceService Commission(PSC) hasrecommended thatDeputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs)should head the 12Police Zonal Commandsacross the nation.

The Chairman of

the commission, Mr. MikeOkiro, who made thedisclosure at a newsconference in Abuja saidDIGs would replace theAssistant Inspector-Generals of Police (AIGs)at the zonal commands.

Okiro said therecommendation hadbeen forwarded toPresident GoodluckJonathan forconsideration andapproval

There are seven

DIGs at the ForceHeadquarters, whotogether with theInspector-General ofPolice constitute thepolice management inAbuja.

Okiro said that theAIGs, who currently head

By RICHARD EWEKA with Agency Report


NewsParents, others attribute

improvement in NECOresults to training

PSC wants DIG to head police zonal command

No plans to retrenchworkers - HOCSF

Military intervention inNasarawa successful

Heavydownpour paralyse businesses

Continued from page 1



the zones, should bemoved to the forceheadquarters to replace theDIGs.

The arrangement, hesaid, would bring the policenearer to the people to ensure

effective policing at thegrassroots.

“In keeping with thepresident’s invitation to me toforward my contribution to therestructuring of the NigerianPolice for greater efficiency,the commission recommendsthe deployment of DIGs to the

zonal headquarters. “You will agree with me

that this is one way of buildingdemocratic institutions and away of bringing policing nearerto the people for safer andsecured environment forsustainable development,’’ hesaid.

Okiro, who spoke on his100 days in office, recalledthat the 2006 PresidentialCommittee on PoliceReform, under the Chairmanof Alhaji MuhammadDanmandami, had madesimilar recommendation.

According to him, thecommittee recommendsthat the present 12 policezones should be retainedand headed by 12 DIGs foreffective monitoring andsupervision.

“Under the proposedarrangement, the zonalDIGs should be empoweredto promote and discipline upto the rank of Inspectorswithin their zonalcommands.

“For this purpose, thePolice Service Commissionshould delegate the powersof deployment, disciplineand promotion of officersand men as they affect thezonal commands to zonalDIGs.’’

Okiro also recalled thatthe committee alsorecommended that whendeployed, the DIGs shouldbe empowered to postofficers from the rank ofConstables to ChiefSuperintendent of Policewithin their commands.

According to Okiro, thecommittee also wants theMobile Police Force to comeunder the headship of theDIGs, for operationalpurposes.

He acknowledged thatrepositioning the force forefficiency and effectivepolicing in the face ofcurrently security challengeswas no mean task.

The chairman saidsome of the challenges weredomestic terrorism, armedand bank robberies, gangrape and other violentcrimes as well as underfunding and poor inter-agency collaboration.

Others, he said, wereabsence of National Policyon Crime Prevention andControl, National CriminalIntelligence Sharing Planand National Policy onDeliberate Planned Police/Public Partnership on CrimePrevention and Control.

Okiro said other issues,which the commissionaddressed in the last 100days, was the investigationof complaints over therecruitment of some cadetinspectors, who possessfake credentials.

He said four of suchfake cadets had beendiscovered and had beengiven the marching orders.

“In like manner, cadetsrecruited into the PoliceAcademy, Wudil, Kano, withfake certificates, over agedeclaration and inadequateminimum qualifications arebeing investigated.’’

He said the commissionwould weed unsuitablepersons in the force in linewith Mr. President’scommitment totransformation of theNigerian Police Force.

Okiro said the minimumqualification for cadetinspector recruitmentremains OND or NCE, whileAssistant Superintendent ofPolice is first degree orHND.

“The era of cuttingcorners in recruitment intothe Nigerian Police Force isgone for good,’’ he said.

movement was at a standstilland some people resorted totrekking to their destination. Commuters were strandedyesterday as motorists madebrisk business increasing theirfares. Ring Road to Aduwawawhich was N70 to N100 wasincreased to N200 whileAirport Road which was N50was increased to betweenN70 and N100. Fares for New Benin andsome other routes remainedthe same. All fares forComrade Buses remained thesame but passengers waitingto board the buses were alldrenched in the rain waiting fortheir turns. “Today is just a useless day.Nothing can be done. I prayfor a better day tomorrow,”business women lamented

over the down pour. Meanwhile, a heavy rain in

Ibadan, which started onSunday evening, hasparalysed the activities of theresidents of the city.

The rain, which has yet tostop on Monday evening,caused the flooding of severalbridges across Ibadan.

The submerged bridgesinclude the 7up/Elebu bridgein Oluyole Estate, whichprevented residents, includingpupils and governmentworkers, from leaving theirhomes.

Some of the people, whospoke to newsmen, however,bemoaned the suddenincrease in the cost oftransportation, adding thatmost commercial motoristseven declined to conveypeople to long distances.

Mrs. Blessing Joshua, ahousewife, lamented about

the continued downpour sinceSunday evening.

“What kind of rain is this? Iwent to the market to buysome foodstuff, only for me tocome back empty-handedbecause most of the sellerswere not present.

“Even the few availabletraders increased the cost ofthings in the market; I hopethis is not the seven-day rainwhich, as some peoplepredicted, would fall inSeptember,’’ she said.

Mr. Abdullateef AbdulGafar,a commercial motorcyclist,said: “I would not have goneto pick my customer if he hadnot paid me for my servicesearlier.’’

Mrs. Rasheedat Rufail, ateacher of Ansar-Ud-DeenHigh School in the Liberty areaof Ibadan, said that theschool’s academic activitieshad been paralysed due to thedeluge.

She said that most of theteachers and students failedto come to school on Monday.

“We do not want to bringpolitics into what is happeningin Nasarawa State; I havealways advised politicians tobe forthright in all that they do.

“We are happy so far withthe results we have got in thelast few days of ourintervention and we aremonitoring the developmentvery closely.

“By the special grace of Godsustainable peace willdefinitely return to NasarawaState,’’ Maku said.

He stressed the need forproper networking to ensurethat proponents of violencewere exposed and defeated inthe interest of peace andharmony in the state.

The minister, who said thatno ethnic group could developthe state in isolation of theothers, called on political andtraditional leaders in the stateto be united in the interest ofgenuine development.

He said that leaders at alllevels must shun violence andall forms of destructivetendencies by theirsupporters.

“There is no leader ofsubstance that will support thedestruction of lives andproperty anywhere.

“No ethnic group inNasarawa State is an island;we must all work together forthe progress of our state.

“We are calling on allcommunities to work on theirmembers to ensure that thepresent spate of violence istackled and peace entrenchedbecause government will nottolerate destruction of livesand property,’’ Maku said.

He urged indigenes of thestate to support thetransformation agenda of theFederal Government so as toalleviate the sufferings of thepeople of the state.

Earlier, the Chairman of theconference, Mr. SaniMohammed, had said that thegroup was in the minister’soffice to commiserate with himover the loss of lives followingrenewed clashes in the state.

He said the group was intotal support of the measurestaken by the FederalGovernment to address thecrisis.

Mohammed condemned therecent call by the AllProgressive Congress (APC)for the removal of Maku as thesupervising Minister ofDefence.

He said that APC’s demandswere ill-motivated andmischievous, stressing thatthe minister’s portfolio wouldnot in any way interfere withthe military intervention in thestate.

The chairman called onNigerians and the FederalGovernment to disregard thecall by the party, saying thatMaku was one of theoutstanding members of thepresent crop of ministers.

He added that the ministerwas the first political officeholder from the state tocondemn the existence andactivities of the Ombatsegroup.

Mohammed called on allindigenes of the state tocontinue to support theprogrammes of the FederalGovernment in the state.

Reports say that secretariesof the party in 13 LocalGovernment Areas of the statevisited the minister.

N211.5bn committed to exportablecrops Continued from page 1

and Rural Development.The report said that of the

figure ‘own fund led the list withN134.19 billion (63.44 percent), followed by ‘micro creditinstitutions’ with N36.86 billion(17.42 per cent).

“The N134.19 own fund isreferred to as personal fundcommitted to any of the 14exportable crop farmingactivities by a holder.

“Community Banks’ recordedthe lowest amount of N1.30billion (0.61 per cent),’’according to the report.

It stated that disaggregating

the own fund into states,Kaduna State recorded thehighest with N9.51 billion (7.09per cent) followed by Kanostate with N9.45 billion (7.04per cent).

Ekiti has the lowest amountof N0.61billion (0.45 per cent).

The report said that theCooperative Banks contributedN12.62billion (6.00 per cent),Bank of Agriculture N2.10billion (0.96 per cent),Commercial Banks N1.41billion (0.67 per cent).

The Community Bank

contributed the lowest amountof N1.30billion (0.61 per cent).

It said that the ages between30 and 49 years committed thehighest fund to exportable cropwith a percentage of 47.99.

This was followed by holdersof ages 50 to 64 years with30.99 per cent while the agegroup of 15 to 29 had thelowest percentage of 5.20.

“Overall, 984,235 holdersreported the use of improvedseedling. Kano State reportedthe highest number of 168,138(18.17 per cent), followed byKatsina State with 123,006(12.62 per cent),’’

ABUJA - More reactions havecontinued to trail the release ofthe National ExaminationsCouncil (NECO) results for2013, with parents, teachersand students saying theimpressive results were as aresult of the training teachersreceived.

Some also attributed theimprovement to the“brainstorming sessions” onways of addressing challengesin the sector such as theNational Education Summit,convened by the government.

“The result of the improvedcapacity building for teachersthrough training and seminarsis what Nigerians are witnessingtoday,’’ Mrs. Abiodun Ayodele,the head teacher of Kings andQueens International School,Mararaba, Abuja, told newsmenyesterday.

“Teachers have beensensitised and are beingencouraged on a daily basis tobe awake to theirresponsibilities.

“This has made them pickinterest in the profession andthey are now going for researchon their own.’’

According to her, students arebeginning to realise that theycan use phones for educationalresearch and study instead ofsocial networking.

She said the “too busy’’parents too had improved intheir interaction with their kidsas the enlightenmentcampaigns were making themcreate time to assist theirchildren in making their studieseasier.

The head teacher, however,advised the FederalGovernment to balance theefforts by tackling the issues intertiary institutions, especiallythe universities.

“I fear for these students whohave passed and are lookingforward to studying in theuniversities or other tertiaryinstitutions.

“I see a bleak future for themexcept government addressesthe issue of incessant strikeswhich is destroying our children

and killing their dreams,’’ shesaid.

Ayodele also advisedgovernments at all levels to setup a task force to monitor andevaluate teachersperformance with a view toencouraging hard work anddedication to duties.

Mr. Fiyigon Aivin, a civilservant and parent, said:“There is a ray of hope for thefuture of education in Nigeria.

“It is undoubtedly a reflectionof the dividends of the newlyintroduced education summitand also an indication ofimproved teachers’performance.’’

He said NECO’sachievement from 2011 to2013 meant the council coulddo more if given the necessarysupport.

“This means that whenchallenged, we can do betterand the issue of failure inexaminations had indeed beena great challenge,’’ he said.

He advised parents to createtime from their busy schedulesand attend to their children’sneeds as this could influence,to a great extend, a child’sperformance in school.

Aivin also called on the WestAfrican Examination Council toemulate NECO.

On her part, a candidate whosat and passed the NECOexamination, Miss JosephineLugard, attributed her successto the “drilling” she receivedfrom her teachers.

Lugard said students werenot given any space to playaround as they were made totake their studies seriously.

It will be recalled that NECOreleased the 2013 June/JulySenior School CertificateExamination (SSCE) onThursday with 2about 70 percent of the candidates passingboth English Language andMathematics.

No fewer than 69.57 percentof the candidates that sat forthe examinations made at leastfive credits to qualify them foradmission into tertiaryinstitutions.

ABUJA - The Head of theCivil Service of the Federation(HOCSF), Malam Bukar Aji,said on Monday in Abuja thatthere were no plans to retrenchmembers of staff of his office.

Aji gave the assuranceduring a “town hall” meetingwith members of the JointUnion Negotiation Council.

“I will not be party toretrenchment of any staffmember for the few left to havea larger salary,” he said.

He said the HOCSF wasworking with the FederalGovernment to diversify thecountry’s economy forNigerians to gain more jobs inthe public and private sectors.

Aji also said the Office of theHead of Service had mappedout strategies to develop atraining template forinvolvement of all every civilservants in training capable ofrepositioning the public sector.

He said his office wouldalways address issuesbordering on staff welfare andremunerations, noting that“only well-motivated membersof staff can work diligently’’.

Aji warned civil servantsand the public involved in jobracketeering and other sharppractices in the service todesist from such acts or beready to face the law whencaught.

He appealed to membersof staff to set the pace forother ministries, departmentsand agencies, saying, “Weowe Nigerians, hard work,team work, and transparencyin our activities in the office.’’

Earlier, Comrade David Iffi,the President, Joint UnionNegotiating Council,commended the HOCSF forhis commitment to ensuringcivil servants work in aserene environment

He appealed forintervention of the head ofservice on staff welfare,claims of retrenchment,inadequate transportation,inaccurate templates fortraining, and outstandingpromotions.

The “town hall” meeting isthe first to be convened bythe office of the HOCSF.


NewsEdo Promises ToAssist Albinos

Community In Bayelsa Laments OilLeak From Agip’s Field

Council Boss Inaugurates Free HealthCare Programme

Emerging Oportunities:NGO Advises Public

AGENEBODE- TheChairman, Etsako East LocalGovernment Council, Hon.Abdulmalik SuleimanAfegbua has inaugurated aThree Day Malaria treatmentin commemoration of the year2013 World Malaria Day.

He said that priorityattention should be paid to thetreatment of malaria as it isone of the leading causes ofdeath among children andpregnant women Africa.

According to him, the Day

YENAGOA- TheIkeinghenbiri Community inSouthern Ijaw LocalGovernment Area of Bayelsastate, has said that theSeptember 16 oil leak fromAgip’s oil field has impactednegatively on its people.

The Deputy Paramount Rulerof the community, ChiefCollins Adikoko, told newsmenin Ikeinghenbiri at the weekendthat the community hadreported the incident to the oilfirm.

He said that the leak, whichwas noticed last Monday, waspromptly reported to officials ofAgip but expressed regrets thatthe leak was yet to be fixed asat the time of filling this report.

“The spill resulting from theleakage has exposed membersof our community to hazardsand untold hardship; weunderstand the oil is comingfrom an underwater valve.

“The first thing we want is forthem to stop the oil fromleaking into our creeks and

BENIN- The EdoGovernment has said that itwould assist to alleviate theplight of albinos in the state.

Dr. Aihanuwa Eregie, theCommissioner for Health,said this when members ofThe Albino Foundation (TAF)Benin chapter, visited her inBenin.

Eregie said that albinismwas not anything for peopleto be spiteful about or tostigmatise affected persons.

She said that the ministrywould collaborate with thefoundation to create moreawareness on albinism andreduce stigmatisation.

“Definitely, when people actout of ignorance, it createsunnecessary problem.

“Where there is need tocreate awareness and give

ponds, but six days after wereported, nothing has happened,we want them to hasten theirresponse,’’ Adikoko said.

He observed that thecommunities had experiencedfrequent spills from the oilfields in the area operated byAgip, adding that this hadadversely affected fishingactivities of the residents.

Adikoko urged the oil firm todeploy its response team tocommence clean up withoutany delay, and work out plansto ameliorate the sufferings ofthe fishermen affected.

The deputy paramount rulersaid that oil-bearingcommunities, who suffered thenegative impact of oilexploration and production,deserved special considerationby the oil firms in the provisionof social amenities.

Officials of the Nigerian AgipOil Company have scheduled a

joint investigative visit to thespill site with representatives of

IGBANKE – A Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO) in Igbanke,Orhionmwon LocalGovernment Area of EdoState, True Identity PovertyAlleviation Initiative hasadvised members of thepublic to be alert to emergingopportunities.

Co-ordinator of the NGO,Miss Blessing Precious gavethe advice at Igbanke whilespeaking with newsmen onactivities of the organization.She said the organisationwhich focuses more onchildren welfare is committedto creating awareness on thebenefits of education to

members of the society,through its Better ChildCampaign Project.

According to her, theorganization is working hardto institute a progressive andproactive system that wouldeducate, train and transformthe jobless people in thesociety to be able to confrontlife’s challenges.

Presently, she said theorganization has been able toempower several peoplethrough capacity building aswell as be in the forefront inthe quest to meet theaspirations and yearnings ofthe children, youths and othermembers of the family in thesociety.

has always be marked withsymposia, stressing that hisadministration decided to addfree media outreach to theentire people of Etsako East asa way of given them greatersence of belonging.

The council bossmaintained that as part of hisirrevocable commitment to thehealth of the people, the localgovernment is constructingmodern health centres in

Agiere and OgirigaCommunities.

Calling on the people tokeep a clean environment todisrupt the harmful cycle ofmalaria, he implored them totake advantage of the freetreatment.

The supervisor for Healthand Environment, Hon.Banarbas Oshiobor on his partsaid that Hon Afegbua is

bringing democratic dividendsto the doorsteps of Etsako Eastpeople.

Acting primary Healthcare Coordinator in thecouncil, Dr. Stevenson Ojeifowho expressed delight overthe exercise said the exerciseis imprecedented in the aria,nothing that malaria requiresprevention and treatment.

Highlight of the occasionwas the distribution of Malariadrugs and mosquitoes treatednets by the chairman to thepeople.

the community and oil industryregulators.

The Chairman of

Engr. Koleade Adegunle, General Manager, Total Nig. Plc (middle) who represented the Group Managing Director,presenting Hi-Tech HIV/AIDS Screening Machines and Consumables to Deaconess Endurance Odubu, wife of the nDeputyGovernor of Edo State. With them is Mrs. Abimbola Oshikoya, Manager, Coporate Social responsibility. PHOTO: LUCKYAGIE.

Deaconess (Mrs.) Edurance Odubu, wife of the Deputy Governor of Edo State (2nd right) presenting sets of HIV/AIDS, Hi-Tech Screening materials donated by Total upstream Company in Nigeria and Total Nigeria Plc to Dr.Adesuwa Ebomwonyi (L) on behalf of General Hospital, Ubiaja during the 2013 Expanded HIV/AIDS preventiveawareness and care projects. With them is Mr. albert Mabuyaku (2nd left) and Engr. Koleade Adegunle. PHOTO:MOSES OBOH.

Ikeinghenbiri CommunityDevelopment Committee, Mr.Marshall Josiah, said thatofficials of the oil firm hadvisited the spill site ahead of thejoint visit on September 23.

people more information, wewill do so, so that they willhave the right information andthey will make the rightdecision.

“And all this issue ofdiscrimination, stigmatisationwill be a thing of the past,” shesaid.

Eregie commended thefoundation for itsachievements in reducing theplight of its members, sayingthat government wouldsupport its programmes.

Miss Joy Odigie, the BeninCoordinator of thefoundation, commended thecommissioner for pledginggovernment’s support tothem.

Odigie urged persons withalbinism to develop selfesteem and not to excludethemselves from the society.

The coordinator advisedpersons with albinism to stayaway from sun rays and othersources of ultra violetradiation, to prevent skincancer.

By Joel Chukwu Aghonim


NewsLawmaker Decries Early

Marriage

Institute Urges World Leaders To PrioritizeConflict Prevention

Youth Council DistributesRelief Materials To FloodVictims

Recruitment: Job Seekers Express Mixed Feelings

DUTSE - The NationalYouth Council of Nigeria(NYCN), Jigawa State chapterhas distributed relief materials tovictims of flood in Wurma villageof Dutse Local Government Areaof the state recently.

Presenting the items, thechairman of the council, MalamAminu Aminu, said that theN350,000 worth of materials,was to alleviate the sufferings ofthe affected persons.

Aminu said the council wasdisturbed about the level of

AWKA - Manyunemployed people inAnambra State who wish toobtain the recruitment formsinto the state civil servicecommission have expresseddivergent views about theexercise.

Some of the applicantswho spoke with newsmen inAwka said that it had not beeneasy obtaining the forms,which they said had resultedin racketeering.

Chijioke Anyanebechi, agraduate of law from AwkaNorth said he had not beensuccessful since he startedmaking enquiries for the formsince Monday last week.

UYO - Senator HelenEsuene, Chairman, SenateCommittee on WomenAffairs and Youth Matters,said early marriage is a majorsetback to self actualisationof the girl-child.

Esuene expressed thisconcern in Uyo, at the 18thBiennial Conference andGeneral Assembly of theMedical Women’sAssociation of Nigeria(MWAN).

The theme of theconference was “The girlchild: reaching out andraising opportunities forhealth, empowerment andeducation”.

She said that earlymarriage was a hydra-headed monster thatdeprived the girl-child of herchildhood, health, future andsometimes her life.

“Child marriage servesno useful purpose in thesociety and should bediscontinued,’’ she advised.

Esuene said that it wasabnormal to practice suchold culture in the 21stcentury world where thefemale gender was in a hurryto cover lost grounds in thearea of public participation.

The senator said that the

backdrop of next week’s UNGeneral Assembly meeting,where world leaders woulddiscuss, among other topics, anew development agenda.

Golwa said: “Today, there isno community, no society and nocountry that can claim immunityto conflicts.

“Every community today inthe world is engulfed with one

girl-child must beempowered with the righttools of education, selfconfidence, knowledge andabsolute understanding ofher physical makeup.

She said that the girl-child should be made togrow up to see herself as acomplete and independentperson, not a weak half.

Esuene added that thegirl-child had beenspotlighted in recent yearsdue to attempts to correct hermarginalisation caused bycultural and traditionalpractices.

“I am happy to note thatsome of the obnoxious

form of conflict or the other andthis certainly must be a source ofconcern for our leaders.’’

He said that the FederalGovernment funded institute,which was established in 2000,had set up early-warning-early-response centres in the six geopolitical zones.

“The idea is for leaders tobe closer to the grassroots to getfeedback and to involve thecommunities in intelligence andinformation gathering to assist inconflict prevention.

“The response of theauthorities to crisis has alwaysbeen the problem over the ages;the responses don’t usually comeearly enough.’’

Golwa expressed the hopethat the centres would serve askey mechanism for conflictresolution in the country, adding,“we believe that prevention ischeaper than managing aconflict.’’

Also speaking to newsmen,Dr Ade Abolurin, theCommandant-General of theCivil Defence Corps paid tributeto security operatives killed in theline of duty to the country.

“Nigerians must learn tosupport the government; killinginnocent citizens, security agentsof government and looking forfamilies of security agents to killare not the solution to conflict.

“We should supportgovernment to reduce to thebarest minimum the tendency ofpromoting violence,’’ he said.

Abolurin, who did notprovide the figures of membersof the corps who lost their livesthis year, said: “we do not wantto count losses but to encourageothers to reduce these losses.’’

“We must come together topray that we do not have morecasualties in all security agenciesof government in towns, villagesand cities.

“Destruction is evil and we

must stop it,’’ he said.On his part, the president of

Africa/Middle East ProgressInitiative, Mr. Omotola Osifeso,described the rapprochementbetween the U.S. and Iran as asignificant development for thereturn of peace in the region.

“The world isinterconnected and violenceanywhere is violenceeverywhere; peace in Africa andthe Middle-East are intertwined,especially for the oil producingcountries,’’ Osifeso said.

He also urged the FederalGovernment to support theongoing peace efforts in theMiddle East.

destruction caused by the floodas most houses were destroyed,displacing many people.

He said members of thecouncil had earlier visited thevillage and had seen how thepeople were coping after theflood, especially the women andchildren.

He appealed to well-to-doindividuals and organisations toassist the people.

Items distributed included150 pieces of textile materials, 50pairs of slippers, two jerrycans ofgroundnut oil, two bags of rice,among others.

Anyanebechi decried theidea of issuing the forms toparticular local governmentson designated days.

He said that the actiondenied those that failed to turnup on such days theopportunity of getting theforms.

“It is somehow frustratingbecause I have been trying toget this form since Mondaywithout success, they said mylocal government had beenattended to and I don’t knowif that is the end for me,’’Anyanebechi said.

But another applicant,Okwuchukwu Okafor,expressed happiness that

Anambra government hadlifted the embargo onemployment.

He however pleaded withthe authorities to decentralisethe distribution process at thecouncils for easy access.

“We have looked forwardto this recruitment but it wasnot easy obtaining the forms.I suggest they should use thelocal government headquartersfor distributing it instead ofmaking everybody to come toAwka,’’ Okafor said.

Mrs. ChinezeOforegbunam, a NationalCertificate of Educationgraduate from Anocha,expressed reservations on the

entire process, saying he onlywanted to fulfill all sense ofrighteousness.

According to her, thetiming was wrong as thepresent administration wasalmost leaving office.

“It is okay but theproblem is that this is not theright time for it. Thegovernment is about leavingoffice so I don’t know howauthentic it is. I do not believeso much in the process,’’Oforegbunam said.

The Head of theCommission, Mrs. NgoziMelifonwu in her reaction,told newsmen that it could not

rule the activities of racketeersas there were people whoobtained the form without theintention to use but to sell it toothers.

Melifonwu pointed outthat the commission wasdistributing the forms centrallyin Awka to ensure credibilityand coordination.

She said that thecommission handled threelocal governments a day toenhance credibility andeffective control.

Mejifonwu advisedapplicants not to pay money toanybody for the forms as it wasfree of charge.

“We have been managing

the crowd but it has not beeneasy because they will notqueue, so we devised a way ofattending to them on localgovernment basis.

“The Commissioncondemns touting andracketeering of the forms instrong terms, we have fromnow till September 27 forthose that could not get ontheir designated days,’’ shesaid.

Reports say that theAnambra govt. last monthlifted the embargo onrecruitment in the state withplans to employ no fewer than6, 000 people into the statecivil service.

cultural practices such asgenital mutilation andfattening are fast becominghistory,’’ she added.

She also expressedconcern that the level of girl-child education in the northernpart of the country was stillvery low in spite of UniversalBasic Education programmeof the Federal Government.

The senate committeechairman noted that the UBEscheme guaranteed free juniorsecondary education, but hadyet to be fully embraced bythe girl-child in the North.

She said that the girl-child needed to acquireadequate knowledge to be ina position to impart same toher children later in life.

ABUJA - Dr Joseph Golwa,Director-General, Institute forPeace and Conflict Resolution,has called on world leaders tomake conflict prevention apriority in the new UN-championed global developmentagenda.

Golwa made the call in aninterview with newsmen in Abujaon the sidelines of an eventorganised by the institute to markWorld Peace Day.

He spoke against the

Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Secretary to Edo State Government (left) with Hon. FestusEbea, Deputy Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly during the presentation ceremonyof Hi-Tech Screening Machines and reagent/consumables for the screening of HIV/AIDS to Ubiaja General Hospital, Total Nigeria Plc in Benin City recently. PHOTO:LUCKY AGIE.

R _ L, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Secretary to Edo State Government, DeaconessEndurance Odubu, wife of the Deputy Governor of Edo State and General Manager,HSEQ TOTAL Nig. Plc, Engr. Koleade Adegunle, at the Total Expanded HIV/AIDSpreventive awareness programme in Benin City recently5. PHOTO: LUCKY AGIE.


South-SouthOil Theft: NSCDC Lauds CollaborationAmong Security Agencies

Community AppealsFor Provision Of

Amenities

FADAMA 111 Empowers30,318 Farmers

YENAGOA - TheNigeria Security and CivilDefence Corps (NSCDC)in Bayelsa has applaudedthe collaboration amongsecurity agencies in

IKEINGHENBIRI(BAYELSA) - TheIkeinghenbiri communityin the Southern Ijaw LocalGovernment Area ofBayelsa has appealed to thestate government and oilfirms in the state to providethem with social amenities.

Chief Collins Adikoko,the community’s deputyparamount ruler, made theappeal in an interview withnewsmen in Ikeinghenbiri.

He said the provisionof such amenities wouldimprove the living standardof the rural dwellers whohad suffered for longbecause of the absence ofsocial amenities.

“The community hasbeen compelled toundertake several self-helpprojects since governmentand the oil companiesoperating in its area havedecided to neglect it,’’Adikoko said.

He said the communityhealth centre, for instance,had no medical doctor “andresidents have resorted totaking patients by boat tothe state capital fortreatment when theircondition is critical’’.

The deputy paramountruler said the situation hadresulted in the death ofsome of the patients whileon transit, describing thesituation as avoidable and

was based on theexpression of interest bythe LGAs.

Sam said also that thestate had disbursed overN583 million to the 1,215FADAMA user-groups inthe state.

He pointed out thatthere were also 78FADAMA communityassociations operating inAkwa Ibom.

The state project co-ordinator said thebeneficiaries embarked onfarm projects such aspoultry, piggery, fisheries,cassava-planting and agro-processing.

He said the FADAMAIII project also includedroad-grading, farmland-clearing and constructionof markets, to enable thecommunities sell their farmproducts.

“In Akwa Ibom,farmers are satisfied with

fighting oil theft in theNiger Delta.

The Commandant ofthe corps in Bayelsa, Mr.Desmond Agu, made thecommendation in an

interview with newsmen inYenagoa.

He described therelationship amongsecurity agencies as cordialand helpful, saying the

collaboration had yieldedpositive results in the fightagainst crimes in the area.

Agu said the NSCDCin the state had adoptedvarious ways to track down

those engaged in oil theft.He added that the corps

had entered intoarrangements withcommercial telephoneoperators in some Bayelsacreeks in its effort to gatherintelligence on illegal oilbusinesses.

He noted that under thearrangement, the NSCDCprovided dedicated mobiletelephone lines to enablethe operators to contact thecorps at no cost when theneed arose.

“We have ourinformants in every nookand cranny becausewithout informants it willbe very difficult for us tooperate successfully,especially in the creeks.

“The NSCDC hasdiscovered and arrestedmany oil thieves here inBayelsa and we are readyto secure oil pipelines for

the betterment of oureconomy.

“We don’t negotiatefor any gain duringoperations; we don’t takebribe because our majorduty is to protect andmaintain the integrity ofour dear country.”

The commandanturged residents to assist thecorps in its operation byvolunteering usefulinformation on the hideoutsof illegal oil businessmenand women.

He also urged thefederal and stategovernments to providemore equipment for theNSCDC to enable it toperform efficiently in theregion.

The NSCDC officialcalled on the people to steerclear of oil bunkering,noting that anyone caughtwould be dealt withaccordingly.

pathetic.“We are so neglected

in terms of socialamenities, whichgovernment shouldprovide, and we havesinglehandedly undertakenso many developmentprojects ourselves.

“The electricity linewe have was secured andfunded through leviesimposed on our people. Wealso acquired a giantdiesel-powered generatorand we contribute moneyto fuel and maintain it.

“There is no roadlinking us to Yenagoa, thestate capital, and it costsN3,000 and takes twohours to travel by boat tothe state capital, whereassuch a journey should take20 minutes on a goodroad,” he said.

Adikoko also said oil-bearing communitieswhich suffered thenegative impact of oilproduction deservedconsideration in theexpenditure of oil revenuefor development.

“The ruralcommunities which sufferthe impact of oilexploitation are not giventhe required attention in theprovision of socialamenities, and there shouldtherefore be a redress ofthe situation,’’ he said.

UYO - Mr. RichardSam, the State ProjectCoordinator (SPC) ofFADAMA III in AkwaIbom, says the project hasempowered 30,318 farmersin the state since 2010.

Sam told newsmen inUyo that the state,however, did not join theproject until 2010 eventhough it started in 2007.

He said all the farmersempowered by the stategovernment through theproject were drawn from20 of the 31 LocalGovernment Areas (LGAs)in the state.

“We work with 20 outof 31 LGAs in the statebecause of the projectdocument which stipulatesthat 20 LGAs should beselected in a state,’’ thestate project co-ordinatorsaid.

He said the process ofselecting the beneficiaries

the operation of FADAMAIII project and they aretestifying positively aboutthe project,’’ the project co-ordinator said.

Sam explained that atthe inception of the project,the baseline income of eachof the farmers wasN102,000, but it hadincreased to N163,000 perfarmer presently.

“This shows that theproject is viable and hasadded value to thebeneficiaries and thecommunities,” he said.

The state project co-ordinator said the varioususer-groups andassociations who were alsoinvolved were reallycommitted to theFADAMA III project.

He said the purpose ofthe project, which is tomake farmers havereasonable income on asustainable basis, had been

achieved in the state.SAM said the

FADAMA III project hadadopted a community-driven developmentapproach, through whichfarmers were guided by thefacilitators to choose whatthey wanted to do.

He said the project didnot just increase farmers’incomes, but also createdjobs for the youths andwomen in thecommunities.

“The benefits derivedby the communities andindividual participantsexplained why most of thefarmers are really eager tocome and accessFADAMA loans,” Samsaid.

Reports say thatFADAMA III, a WorldBank-assisted project,started in the country in2007 and will end inDecember, 2013.

Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo left with Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajumobi on arrivalat Ibadan Airport on Monday.


South WestNat’l Conference Endorsement, Appreciation Of

Nigeria’s Challanges -Lawyers

Engage In Philanthropy,Okorocha Urges

Students

Master Mariners Get NewPresident

Ember Months: FRSC ToSensitise Morotists

LAGOS - Some lawyers hassaid that the endorsement of anational conference by SenatePresident, David Mark, was arealisation that the challengesfacing the country needed to bediscussed.

In interviews with newsmen inLagos, the lawyers said that itwas important a nationalconference was convened inorder for the country to remain asingle, peaceful entity.

According to Mr. OnyekachiUbani, Chairman, Nigerian BarAssociation (NBA), Ikeja branch,Nigeria stands to gain byorganising a talk where thequestions of the ethnicnationalities staying together willbe honestly and unemotionallydiscussed.

“If the ethnic nationalitiesagree to stay together, then theterms and conditions for stayingtogether will be openly discussedand agreed upon,” Ubani said.

He said that the people were theonly ones capable of decidingwhether to stay together or not,and how.

Ubani suggested that theconference be convened beforeanother general election, so as toavert conflicts and unnecessarybloodshed.

“The decision to stay togetheras one united nation must bemade by the people themselves,so that they will appreciate whythey are staying together and willsurely respect it,” he said.

However, Mr. Ogedi Ogu saidthat the endorsement by theSenate President did not, andcould not in any way, translate tothe National Assembly acceptingthe call by some Nigerians toconvene a national conference.

He said that what the SenatePresident did was to voice hispersonal wish, or rather, anacceptance of the realisation thatNigerians needed to seat togetherand discuss on the future of the

country. “To be fair to Nigerians, I do

not see the National Assembly,as it is presently constituted,endorsing same, because it will

amount to having two parallelbodies altogether.

“The argument is still ripe, yes,

SANGO-OTA (OGUN) - TheFederal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) in Ota, Ogun State,yesterday, said it was set toembark on programmes thatwould reduce road accidents inthe ember months.

The Ota Unit Commander of

the corps, Mr. Omafu Sunday,told newsmen in Ota that theprogrammes would help tosensitise motorists on speedlimits.

According to him, the rate ofroad mishaps in Sango-Ota andits environ in the ember monthsis alarming and something mustbe done fast to check it.

“Our first outing will focus onpublic enlightenment rallies at allthe auto parks in Ota.Subsequently, we will then moveto other areas,’’ he said.

The commander said the FRSCwould go online by buying 30minutes air time on safetyprogrammes on both the AfricanIndependent Television (AIT)and the Ogun State Television(OGTV) “to remind motoriststhat excessive speeding kills.’’

Sunday said the corps wouldalso distribute hand bills in orderto educate motorists about safetyin driving.

“We are embarking on all thesemeasures to ensure zero toleranceto accidents in the ember monthsof September, October,November and December,’’ hesaid.

LAGOS - CaptainAdegboyega Sahib Olopoenia,has emerged the new presidentof the Nigerian Association ofMaster Mariners (NAMM).

Olopoenia was announced thenew president after he wasunanimously voted by allmembers of the associationpresent at the annual generalmeeting and election which tookplace at the weekend in Lagos.

Olopoenia takes overleadership of the association

maritime agencies such asNigerian Ports Authority, theShipper’s Council and NigeriaMaritime Safety andAdministration Agency.

He commended the efforts ofCapt. Niyi Adeyemo, who madeit possible for them to berepresented at the Nigeria InlandWaterways Authority (NIWA).

Adu also enjoined members ofthe association to alwaysremember the bond that tied themtogether.

“Let us each be proud mastermariners always. I alwaysremember the phrase ‘Live foryourself and you will live in vain,live for others and you will liveagain,’’ Adu said.

In his acceptance speech,Olopoenia promised to give allthe points raised by Adu thedeserved express attention.

He also said that that the newexecutive would do a lot more inthe area of advocacy.

“We have been talking about

manpower development in theindustry. I must add that it isimportant that we get involved inadvocacy for greater benefitalso.’’

Other elected members of thenew executive include; Capt.Joseph Awodeha, First vice-president; Capt. Jide Olagunwa,Second vice-president and Capt.Femi Oyewole, GeneralSecretary.

IBADAN - Governor RochasOkorocha of Imo, the founder ofRochas Foundation College,Ibadan, at the weekend called onthe students of the institution toengage in philanthropicactivities.

Okorocha made the call inIbadan at the graduationceremony of the college whichcoincided with his 51st birthdaycelebration.

The governor said that thestudents should look forward towhat they could do for others,adding that living a worthy lifewas about impacting positivelyon society.

He pledged that he wouldcontinue to assist less privilegedpersons in society across thecountry, saying this would forgeunity.

“The governor of Oyo Stateand myself on this occasion arebuilding a bridge of friendshipand love that would run from allparts of the South East to all partsof the South West.

“As from today, we are oneand there would be no moredifferences between a Yorubaman and an Igbo man, ’’ he said.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi ofOyo State, in his speech,described Okorocha as a worthyphilanthropist who hadcontributed to the upliftment ofthe needy.

Ajimobi, who said Okorochawas an icon of empowerment,announced the donation of a busto the foundation.

Governor Rauf Aregbesola ofOsun, who was represented byhis deputy, Titiloye Tomori,called on well-meaningNigerians to emulate Okorochain order to reduce poverty in thecountry.

Other dignitaries present at theoccasion were the Chief of Staffto Governor Kayode Fayemi ofEkiti, Yemi Adamodu and theDeputy Speaker of Imo StateHouse of Assembly, DonatusOsemena.

whatever a National Conferencewas to achieve could still beachieved by the National

Assembly, if they are committedto a better Nigeria.

“After all, both amount to the

different ethnic groups sendingtheir representatives to theconference,” the lawyer said.

He urged the Senate President,in all honesty, to move a motionor a bill adopting same on thefloor of the senate, if he felt itwould be acceptable.

“Gone are the days thatsomeone goes to the pages ofnewspapers to support an actwithout meaning an ounce of it.

“He (Mark) should alignhimself with the people byinitiating its effects, processesand actualisation, before histenure ends,” Ogu said.

He noted, however, that anational conference could be theneeded end to most of the currentrot in the Nigerian society.

Similarly, Mr. Spurgeon Ataenesaid that convening a nationalconference was urgent andimperative, if the country was toremain a stable entity.

“If we have to remain an entity,be stronger and more prosperous,we must sit and talk, bearing inmind that there is a legitimategovernment in place,” Ataenesaid.

from Capt. Adejimi Adu, who waspresident since 2008.

In his valedictory speech, Aduemphasised the need for the newexecutive to vigorously pursue thecompletion of all ongoingassociation projects.

“I urge you to give immediateattention to the construction andcommissioning of a befittingsecretariat.

“Much work has gone into thefoundation and it is my hope thata final decision to begin the actualconstruction begins in the NewYear.’’

Adu also mentioned the need fora review of the association’sconstitution to enable it to adaptto necessary changes toaccommodate new ideas andenhance progress.

He said that it was important thatmembers of NAMM be includedon the board of government

Edo State Commandant of Vigilante Grolup Nigeria (VGN), Olusegun Adebusoye (right) decorating the DeputyCommandant in charge of Administration, Daniel Akeme with his new rank.

L-R: Cameroon based journalists, Miss Obah Rosaline, Clemetina Yong with Ifejola Otunof Lagos Television and Head of Lagos Office, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. DeleBodunde, during the visit of the Cameroon based journalists to NAN in Lagos recently.


LagosFarmers Lament Poor Funding

World Tourism DayResort Rolls Out Plans

YABATECH Denies Cult ClashOn Campus

LAGOS - Rice farmers inOfada town, Obafemi OwodeLocal Government Area of OgunState, have identified poor accessto public funds and pest invasionas major challenges facing theirrice cultivation effort.

Some farmers in the rice-growing town made this knownto our correspondent who visitedthe area at the weekend.

The Federal Governmentrecently announced the release ofN14 billion to assist rice farmersto increase their yield.

Some of the rice farmers inOfada, however, told journalistthey had not been benefiting fromany form of assistance, includingthe recently released funds.

They blamed the lowproductivity they had on lack ofaccess to loans and other creditfacilities that could have helpedthem to expand their farms.

According to them, they haveheard such announcements, butmany of them never benefited—either as individuals or groups.

They appealed forgovernment’s intervention,through the relevant agencies, ingranting them access to loansahead of the planting season.

The farmers promised thatthey would be able to flood themarket with locally produced

rice, if they could be assisted withfunds and the tools to ensure abumper harvest.

Raimi Oyenekan, a rice farmer,said, “such funds often ended inthe pockets of those that are notthe real farmers’’.

He appealed to governmentagencies to release funds to therightful farmers betweenNovember and January or duringthe dry season.

“Then, farmers will be able toemploy labourers that will helpin clearing the farmlands beforeplanting, when the rain sets in byMarch.

“Between March and mid-April, farmers plant their riceseedlings, weed between Mayand June for the crops to maturefor harvesting between July andAugust,” Oyenekan said.

The farmer also identifiedinvasion by pests, made upmainly of wild birds, as anothermajor challenge facing them.

He said that the birds usuallydestroyed their rice farms whenthe fields were not mature forharvesting.

“Birds destroying the ricefarms before maturity are ourgreatest challenge, after funding.

“We have to engage someyouths to disperse the birdsbetween 6.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m.

daily, for about a month”.He also said that wild

ruminants, especiallygrasscutters, were fond of eatingrce stalks, adding that ricefarmers, however, set traps ankkill these animals for food and forsale.

Mr Oyeniyi Oyedamisi,another farmer, appealed to thegovernment to help in procuringsprayers for them to kill all thepests trubling rice farms, “as isthe case in China”.

“We also need help in trainingour farm hands to operate thesprayers,’’ Oyedamisi said.

He alleged that funds, whenavailable, were usually disbursedto a few large scale farmers to thedetriment of the local and smallscale farmers.

“This deprivation, coupledwith old age, have over the years,compelled many of us to remainsmall scale farmers, whocultivate only at subsistencelevel— merely to feed theirimmediate families.

“That is why locally producedrice are scarce and costly in themarket,” Oyedamisi said.

He also suggested thatgovernments should rehabilitateroads from the farms to the townsfor them to be able to move their

produce to where they could beprocessed and sold.

“The government should alsoestablish farm settlements withmodern infrastructure that willmake youths to embrace ricefarming.

“Our youths will want to liveon rice farm settlements withelectricity, pipe borne water andother basic necessities of life.

“This will also reduce youthunemployment, curtail othersocial vices as they will beengaged in profit-makingventures,” he said.

In his own response, Mr OlaShotomi, another farmer, saidthat government should cultivatethe habit of visiting rice farmerson their farms, so as to identifythe genuine ones who shouldbenefit from loans and subsidisedfertilizer.

“That would stop governmentfunds from going into the wronghands.

“Most physically fit youths thatwould have embraced ricefarming now take to ridingcommercial motorcycles becausethere are no incentives fromgovernment to motivate them,”Shotomi said.

Contributing, Alhaji RamoniBandele, a retired agricultureresearch officer with the OgunState government, advisedgovernment agencies tocollaborate with the experiencedand respected rice farmers in thevarious communities to achieveresults.

Bandele, who is also a farmers’group leader in Ofada, said: “theexperienced farmer will serve asthe community leader andidentify his or her genuine

members.“Similarly, government

agencies will be able to disbursefunds, allocate tractors andfertilizers to farmers and monitorthem to ensure that such facilitiesget to the right hands.

“In the process, they will beassisting government indisseminating policies tograssroots farmers forefficiency,’’ he said.

Bandele said that in the past, ahandful of rice farmers receivedsome funds from the stategovernment, but that the moneywas released to them late in theseason.

He urged government toalways fulfil its promises tofarmers, so that they would notbe discouraged but stay on tocontribute their quota to nationaldevelopment.

LAGOS – Mr. WanleAkinboboye, the President, LaCampagne Tropicana BeachResort, Ibeju-Lekki, at theweekend said the management

was ready to celebrate the 2013World Tourism Day onSeptember 27.

Akinboboye told newsmen inLagos that the theme of thisyear’s celebration is: “Tourismand Water: Protecting ourCommon Future’’, which hedescribed as informative.

According to him, the themehighlights tourism’s role in wateraccess and the actions currentlybeing taken by the sector tocontribute to a more sustainablewater future.

The Association of NigerianJournalists and Writers ofTourism (ANJET), is partneringwith a tourism firm, LaCampagne Tropicana Group, toorganise the World Tourism Day.

Akinboboye said that thecelebration would fosterawareness among theinternational community on theimportance of tourism and itssocial, cultural, political andeconomic values.

He said that this year’s editionof the World Tourism Daycelebration would be amemorable one.

According to him, this year’scelebration will attract more local

and foreign tourists and investorsto experience the rich tourism andcultural potential of the country.

“There will be series of sideattractions during the celebration.

“Tourists and visitors will beentertained on the rich culturalheritage of Nigeria, “Akinboboye said.

He said that activities markingthe Day would include talks onenvironmental sustainability andtourism; cultural dances, andmerriment.

“The high-point of activities ofthe event will be a ‘Message in aBottle’ that will be sent throughthe ocean to canvass for moreconcerted efforts by all to protectthe environment.

“The celebration has over theyears become a unifying eventand a tool for social andeconomic development of thecountry, “ Akinboboye told NAN.

He said that adequate securitymeasures would be put in placeduring the celebration.

Akinboboye said that thecelebration would once againoffer both individuals andgovernment the opportunity toreflect on efforts so far made inimproving tourism and the needto do more.

LAGOS - The Management ofYaba College of Technology(YABATECH), had refuted claimthat there was a cult clash oncampus.

Mr Adekunle Adams, Head,Public Relations Unit made thisknown to newsmen in Lagos atthe weekend.

Adams said that the recentprotest on the campus was aninternal issue that wasmisinterpreted into a cult clash.

He said that a committee hadbeen directed to look into theincident and summit report to theschool authority.

“The management wishes tostate that there was no cult clashon its campus but a protest bystudents to express theirdispleasure over certain issues.

“On Wednesday night, some

group of students gathered infront of their hostel to watch theUnion of European FootballAssociations (UEFA) league.

“Some minutes later, a fightensued between some of themwhich left a student injured.

“On Thursday morning someof the aggrieved studentsgathered at the main entrance ofthe institution to protest thebeating of their colleague.

“What happened was not a cultclash, the expressed views asreported in some quarters do notfully reflect the true picture of thesituation on campus,“ he said.

Adams said that the Rector, DrKudirat Ladipo, upon beingnotified, cut short her trip toAbuja to address the situation.

He said that the rector hadaddressed the students and took

their complaints and promised toaddress the issue as soon aspossible.

“The Rector has since set up acommittee to look into the caseand submit its findings, “ Adamssaid.

Our correspondent who visitedthe institution observed thatnormalcy had returned to thecampus as students were seenreceiving lectures.

Adams reiterated theinstitution’s zero tolerance forcultism and other acts ofindiscipline, saying that it wouldnot condole any act ofindiscipline.

Adams added that any studentfound wanting would face the

wrath of the law.“The present administration

does not condone acts ofindiscipline as the college isknown to be the most peacefulcampus among Nigerian tertiaryinstitutions.

“On this, we will notcompromise as reported cases ofcultism are referred to thesecurity unit with further link torelevant security agencies for thelaw to take its course.

He said that the institutionremained committed to thetraining of young men andwomen to be worthy in characterand learning.

Senate President David Mark and Speaker, House of Representativesl, Hon. AminuTambuwal presenting a sourvenir to the Chairman, National People’s Congress of China,Mr. Zhang Dejiang during a dinner party in honour of his visit at Transcorp Hilton inAbuja recently. Photo: OMOYE AMINU.

Commander, 337 Base Services, Air Commodore Jacob Gbanwan, Chief of Air Staff, AirMarshal Alex Badeh and Commander, 305 Flying Training School, Air Commodore PaulDimfwina at the inauguration of blocks of flat for Air men and officers in Enugu recently.


News Fashola, Fayemi Back Minimum Wage Decentralization

DisastersRed CrossTo ReuniteFamilies

APGA Ready For Anambra Guber Election - Chieftain

FCTA Re-news Com-mitment ToImproved

Hajj Opera-tion

Blood Donation PreventIllness In Donors - NBTS

ABUJA - The FCTAdministration has renewed itscommitment to articulateprogrammes that would improveHajj operations in Abuja.

The Minister of State for FCT,Ms Olajumoke Akinjide, madethe commitment in Abuja at theinauguration of the FCT 2013Hajj first flight to Saudi Arabia.

She said “to buttress thiscommitment for the first time inthe history of the pilgrims’welfare board, some key officialswere sponsored to attend anInternational Hajj and Umrahconference in London.

“This has yielded somepositive results as evidencedfrom arrangements put in placefor the 2013 Hajj.

“We shall continue on thispedestal with the ultimate goal ofleaving behind a viable agencycapable of competing with any inthe global Hajj community.’’

According to her, every yearhas its different challenges inHajj operations.

The minister said that part ofthe strategy was continuoustraining and re-orientation ofoperational staff.

Akinjide said the PilgrimsWelfare Board had to design arealistic means of addressing theproblems, adding that openballoting was conducted underthe active supervision of keystakeholders.

She said that the exercise wastransparent and conducted in anorderly manner, adding that 2,471FCT intending pilgrims would beperforming this year’s Hajj.

The minister urged theintending pilgrims to be goodambassadors of Nigeria in theholy land and pray for peace,unity and prosperity of thecountry.

She urged the officials to justifythe confidence reposed in themby carrying out their assignmentdiligently.

Earlier, the acting Director,FCT Muslim Pilgrims’ WelfareBoard, Hajiya Fatima Gummi,said the board had conductedseries of activities for the benefitof the pilgrims in its effort toensure a hitch-free Hajj.

She listed some of the activitiesto include sensitisation andorientation exercise, inductioncourses at the area councils,medical screening for allintending pilgrims, pregnancytest for female pilgrims andimmunisation.

IKEJA - Governor BabatundeFashola of Lagos State, has urgedlabour unions not to opposeplans by the National Assemblyto decentralise the fixing andpayment of minimum wage.

He gave the advice in Ikejawhile inaugurating the SouthWest Zonal Office of the NationalPensions Commission (NPC).

The governor explained thatdecentralisation of minimumwage was the best for truefederalism, saying that statesshould not be compelled to paywage fixed by the FederalGovernment in a democracy.

On September 18, workersunder the aegis of the NigeriaLabour Congress (NLC),stormed the National Assemblyto protest the attempt by thelegislature to remove minimumwage from the exclusive list.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole

of Edo, who led the protest,claimed that the attemptamounted to politicisation ofworkers‘ compensation, saying itwould empower StateGovernments to pay workers anyamount.

But Fashola said, “I think the

time has come for us to speakopenly and honestly for what webelieve in. We may disagree butwe should try and agree at the endof the day.

“The labour union has aposition on the decentralisation

of the minimum wage, perhapsthey would listen to anotherposition.

“For us, it is not who makes thelaw that matters, it is whether ornot the Nigerian worker gets afair pay for a hard job.

“Who makes the law and who

has the responsibility to manageit only detracts us from the mainissue.

“If we are decentralising themanagement of pensions and itis making sense, why can’t wedecentralise payment of wages?

“This is a federation; paymentof wages should not be imposedon the states.’’

The governor advised labour todialogue with appropriategovernment authorities to reachagreement on the issue, addingthat incessant protests wereinimical to development.

ABUJA - The Nigerian RedCross Society has said that itwould continue to assist inreuniting families separated byconflicts, disasters, andmigration to alleviate humansuffering.

Mrs. Altilina Simon, theActing Deputy Head, DisasterManagement, Nigerian RedCross Society, said that due tothe recent floods and conflictsin parts of the country, familieshad been separated whichmade them more vulnerable.

Simon told newsmen inAbuja that the society wascommitted to reuniting missingindividuals with their familiesas part of its humanitarianservices.

“Every year, thousands offamily members are separatedby conflicts, disasters ormigration.

“People suffer terribly whenthey lose contact with theirloved ones and do not knowwhere they are or whether theyare safe,’’ she said.

The official said that theInternational Committee of theRed Cross (ICRC) and otherRed Cross committees hadformed a humanitarian networkaimed at restoring links acrossthe world to alleviate humansuffering.

Simon said that thesecommittees were strictlyimpartial and independent incarrying out their functions.

ABUJA - The KogiChairman of All ProgressivesGrand Alliance (APGA), AlhajiUmar Nuhu, has expressed hisparty’s readiness for theAnambra governorshipelections scheduled forNovember 16.

Nuhu expressed his party’sreadiness in a telephoneinterview with newsmen inAbuja.

According to him, the partywill not leave any stoneunturned until victory isachieved.

“APGA is fully prepared andwe are sure of doing what weknow better, once again, inAnambra and in other states.

“ On a level playing ground,

we have no reason whatsoeverthat victory will be ours”, Nuhusaid.

He, however, urged INEC toplace the interest of theelectorate above otherconsideration to ensure free,fair and credible polls.

He called on the commissionto do the same it did in theconduct of elections in Edo andOndo states for “a betterexercise”.

Nuhu said if the party wasvoted into power, it wouldembark on policies andprogrammes that would havedirect bearing on the lives of thepeople of the state.

“We are in the race to addvalue to policies, politics andmake life meaningful to peopleof the state.

“Everybody is quite aware ofthe fact that people in thevillages need moreinfrastructure and the party isready to come to theirassistance.

“This we hope to carry out byembarking on programmes thatwill make life more meaningfulfor them”.

Nuhu also promised that theparty would give priority to theestablishment of more basichealth facilities, reduction inmaternal mortality rate and

other life threatening diseases.“The party also promised to

open up more rural areas interms of road construction andother essential facilities, toenable farmers transport theirproduce to various areas withinthe state.”

“Through good governancethe party is envisaging, therewill be increased foodproduction and more incomefor people take care of theirfamily commitment.”

“If the party is voted intopower, it will also empowermore women and create morejob opportunities for youths inorder not to discourage themfrom indulging in anti-socialbehaviours.

ABUJA - Mr. ChukwudiUbarieke, a microbiologist at theNational Blood TransfusionService (NBTS), said donation ofblood prevents frequent illness involuntary donors.

Ubarieke told newsmen inAbuja that blood donation atthree or four months intervalscould help to curtail somediseases such as cancer and heartstroke.

He said the act could also serveas a therapy for weight lossbecause “when one donatesblood, about 650 calories of fatwill be given out”.

“Blood donation can helpbecause there are some peoplewho have been accumulating fatsand other substances in the body.

“I also believe that whensomebody donates blood, this canreduce health challenges,”Ubarieke said.

He cited the case of a friend of

his who was hospitalised for 10days and was not responding totreatment until after he donatedsome blood.

Ubarieke said that a healthyand fit man could donate bloodat least four times annually atthree months interval while awoman could donate at fourmonths interval.

Mr. Stanly Nnamdi, an NYSCmember, and one of the voluntarydonors who spoke withnewsmen, said that he haddonated nine times.

He expressed satisfaction,having performed one of his civicresponsibilities, saying “Iunderstand what it means for oneto save life”.

“As far as I have excess of itand can also replace the lost onewithin three months, why shouldI waste it when there are manypeople out there in need of blood.

Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (left) and Emir of Suleija, MalamMuhammad Lawal Ibrahim, at a public lecture to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Emirof Suleja in Suleja recently.

L-R: Bauchi State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr. Bukata Bukur, Gung Zar of Tafawa Belewa and Bogoro,Local Government Area, Mr. Simon Taimako, NUJ National Secretary, Comrade Shuaibu Leman and member, House ofRepresentatives, Mrs. Gimbiya Dogara, at the funderal service for former News Agency of Nigeria Zonal Editor andalso former Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of Information, Tourism and Culture, Mr. Sara Bitkon inBogoro Area recently.


Shehu Of Borno Advises Indigenes On PolioAcross The Nation

Peace And Unity: PDPChieftain Calls For Prayers

Delta To Construct Permanent Site ForFlood Victims

Child Labour: Nigeria MayNot Be Classified As ADeveloped Nation

KANO - A chieftain of thePeoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)in Kano, Alhaji Gambo Dan-Pass, has called for continuousprayers for peace and unity in thecountry.

Dan-pass, who is theDansaran Kano, made the call inKano in an interview withnewsmen.

He said that there was needfor Nigerians to continue to prayto God for the nation to overcomeits current political and socio-economic challenges.

Dan-Pass, who was reactingto the PDP crisis, said that theparty members in the state wouldcontinue to support Gov. Rabi’uKwankwaso.

He said that members of theparty would also remain steadfast

ASABA - The Deltagovernment has concluded plansto construct three permanentcamps in its effort to mitigate theimpact of flood in the state, theCommissioner for SpecialDuties, Chief Tony Nwaka, said.

The commissioner made thedisclosure in an interview withnewsmen in Asaba.

He said the planned campconstruction was sequel to theprediction by the Nigerian

intensified reportage from themedia on the causes and dangersof child labour, urging the mediato bring child labour issues to thefront burner.

It urged the media to holdgovernment at all levelsaccountable on their commitmentto protect children as containedin the National Policy on ChildLabour and National Action Plan.

The communique alsocounselled government on theneed to implement policies andenforce extant laws aimed ateliminating child labour as wellas fund MDAs working on such.

It urged NGOs andgovernment agencies working onchild labour to be more accessibleto media personnel, makeavailable relevant facts on childlabour, collaborate with themedia and intensify advocacy.

The communique describedchild labour as a factor hinderingthe development of an individualchild, the family and the nationat large.

MAIDUGURI - The Shehuof Borno, Alhaji Abubakar IbnGarbai, has urged wards, villageand district heads in his domainto ensure that all children wereimmunised against polio andother child killer diseases.

Garbai made the call whenhe met with traditional andreligious leaders at his palace inMaiduguri.

He said traditional rulersshould ensure that all childrenbelow the age of five were

vaccinated against the wild poliovirus in their areas.

He added that “as traditionalrulers who are closer to thegrassroots, it is our responsibilityto ensure that all children belowthe age of five years are presented

for immunisation.“We all have roles in

safeguarding the future of ourchildren by taking active part inthe anti-polio virus campaign.”

Garbai also appealed toparents to cooperate with health

officials who visit them for thepurpose of immunising theirwards.

“Parents have a duty tosecure the future of their childrenand wards by presenting them forthe vaccination.

“I wish to commend healthpersonnel in charge of the polioeradication in the state for theircourage and commitment toduty.”

In her remarks, theCommissioner for Health inBorno, Dr Salma Kolo, saidtraditional and religious leadersplayed vital roles in mobilising

parents for the vaccinationagainst the polio virus.

She said “we are relyingheavily on the support oftraditional and religious leadersbecause they play key roles in theeffort to eradicate the virus fromour society.”

She blamed thereoccurrence of the wild polio inthe state to the prevailing securitychallenges.

“We have almost succeededin wiping out polio from the statebut for the current securitychallenges interrupting ourplans,” Kolo said.

with all those who broke awayfrom the old PDP in order toensure the entrenchment ofdemocracy in the country.

He attributed the currentcrisis within the ruling party towhat he described as lack of goodleadership and internaldemocracy.

“Crisis in any political partyis a normal phenomenon, but ifthere is good leadership, the crisiswill be very minimal.

“Unless and until there isgood leadership, the party willcontinue to be in crisis and thisis what I have been saying sincethe crisis erupted,’’ he said.

According to him, the recentappointment of caretakercommittee in the state wasuncalled for because it wasagainst the constitution of theparty.

“The recent appointment ofcaretaker committee in Kano isuncalled for because the tenureof the former executive expiredin August and election shouldhave been held last week, but wedon’t know why it was notconducted,’’ he said.

The traditional title holder,however, urged the people of thestate to continue to supportKwankwaso in his efforts totransform the state in all fields ofhuman endeavour.

“People should continue tosupport Gov. Kwankwaso toenable him continue with thegood works he is doing in thestate,’’ he said.

Meteorological Agency(NIMET) on this year’s floodingin the country, where the agencylisted Delta among the states thatwould experience the naturaldisaster.

Nwaka said the campswould be constructed in the threesenatorial districts of the state,adding that the state governmenthad already acquired land for oneof the camps.

He noted that the

formalisation of the landacquisition in Ogwashi-UkuLocal Government Area of DeltaNorth Senatorial District hadreached an advanced stage.

The commissioner saidconstruction work wouldcommence as soon as theacquisition process wascompleted.

He added that schools,health centres and otheramenities would be provided inthe various camps.

Nwaka added that the stategovernment had also startednegotiations with other

communities, especially thoselocated in the up-land in DeltaCentral and Delta Southsenatorial districts for theprovision of land.

He appealed to communitiesin the up-land areas to make landavailable to enable the stategovernment to construct thecamps.

The commissioner alsodisclosed that the ministry hadbeen sensitising communities inflood-prone areas on the

OGBOMOSO - Nigeriamay not be classified as adeveloped nation by 2020 if thecountry fails to tackle childlabour.

This was contained in acommunique issued at the end ofa three-day workshop onelimination of child labour inNigeria organised by theInternational LabourOrganisation InternationalProgramme on Elimination ofChild Labour (IPEC) for mediaprofessionals.

The National Bureau ofStatistics had in 2000 estimatedthat more than 15 millionNigerian children are involved inchild labour consisting of7,812,756 males and 7,214,856females.

The ILO, however, said“Nigeria may not be classified asa developed nation by 2020 ifpredisposing factors are notaddressed by stakeholders.”

The communique called for

impending danger and had advisedthem to vacate to safe places toavert a recurrence of the 2012incident which ravaged 14 localgovernment areas of the state.

He said that the ministry, inconjunction with NIMET, hadorganised workshops for relevantagencies in the state on flooddisaster management.

Nwaka also warned againstdumping of refuse in drains andbuilding on water ways to preventthe flooding.

L - R Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Olu Badan of Ibadan, Oba Dr. Samuel Odulana and OyoState Governor, Sen. Abiola Ajumobi; during a courtesy call to the Oba’s Palace in Ibadan on Monday.

Middle, Senate President, Senator David Mark, in a group photograph the G7, Governors of Sokoto, Aliyu Wamakko;Kwara, Abdufatah Ahmed; Kano, Rabiu Kwankwaso; Chairman, nPDP, Alhaji, Abubakar Kawu Baraje; Niger, BabangidaAliyu; Adamawa, Murtala Nyako; Rivers, Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Bukola Saraki, during the G7 courtesy visit tothe Senate in Abuja. PHOTO: OMOYE AMINU.


Death Of Passengers Worry DriversBusiness & Economy

Lull In Business: OperatorsBlame Insecurity

Crude Oil: 400,000 BPDProduction Restored -NNPC

ABUJA- Commercialdrivers at Abuja’s Jabi MotorPark have lamented thedearth of passengers inrecent times, blaming it on“illegal parks’’ anddwindling spending powerof many Nigerians.

Some of them toldnewsmen that “the poor stateof the country’s economy’’could be particularlyresponsible for the situation.

They said there was apaucity of cash in circulationin the last one month,pointing out that manyNigerians have as a resultrefrained from spending asbefore.

Ali Buhari, Secretary ofNigerian Association ofRoad Transport Owners(NARTO), FCT Chapter,said it had been a long timeago the park witnessed thepresent kind of lull inactivities.

“We just noticed thatpeople are not travelling likethey used to, and this hasbeen affecting most of ourdrivers because it is theironly means of survival.

“Apart from those peoplewho just travel because ofissues that arise, we used tohave regular passengers whogo to neighbouring states topurchase goods to come andsell here.

“Now, most of the regular

ABUJA- Businessoperators at the MilleniumPark in Abuja has said theproblem of insecurity in thecountry was affectingbusiness at the recreationcentre.

Many of those who conduct

the three lines.“One of such is the setting

up of a Security StrategyCommittee headed by Gov.Emmanuel Uduaghan ofDelta,’’ the statement said.

It said further that therestoration of the pipelineswill enhance increasedproduction and shore up therevenue accruing to thecountry.

The statement commendedwhat it described as therenewed proactive measuresby the federal government tocurb pipeline vandalism andcrude oil theft in the country.

It said efforts by theMinister of PetroleumResources, Mrs DiezaniAlison-Madueke, have alsostarted yielding positiveresults in the fight againstvandals.

The statement recalled thatpipeline vandalism andcrude oil theft had resultedin the shutdown of three

ones don’t even come again.They complain that theydon’t make sales like theyused to,’’ he said.

Buhari added that the stateof the economy wasaffecting both their regularand irregular passengers.

“This is because if ourpassengers don’t getpatronage from theircustomers, there is no waythey can buy more goods.

“Besides, most of theirregular passengers aresalary-earners and theycomplain that their salariesare either not forthcoming ornot even enough for them tospend on the importantissues.

“So, they have had towatch how they travel. ButI think if there is moremoney in circulation, wewill see the effect on ourbusiness too,’’ he said.

A commercial driver,Malam Abu Ismail, howeversaid the high number ofunauthorised motor parks inthe FCT had contributed tothe lull in activities at theregular parks.

“The major problem wehave is the springing up ofmany mushroom and illegalparks in the FCT, and theauthorities should disallowthis.

“An example of themushroom parks is one

around Mabushi. Theirvehicles get more

passengers than any otherpark in this town, something

that is not supposed to be,’’he said.

Ismail said passengersneeded to be enlightened onthe dangers of boardingvehicles at such illegal parksbecause the drivers wereunaccountable to statutorybodies.

“What some of thesepassengers don’t know isthat apart from taking risksby boarding vehicles fromthe illegal parks, if theirgoods or luggage getmissing, they can’t beretrieved.

“So, the relevantauthorities have to do morein letting people know thesedangers,’’ he said.

A luxury bus driver, MrEmeka Chinonso, howeversaid he would not blame thepassengers.

He said this was becauselow income had made them

to be unable to pay faresbeing demanded for at theregistered parks.

“It is not that some of thesepassengers don’t know thedangers involved inboarding vehicles fromillegal parks, but they goahead when they don’t havesufficient money on them.

“The reason is that driversat the illegal parks chargeless than those at theregistered ones, because thelatter have to pay associationfees on each trip they go andthis will be passed onto thepassengers,’’ Chinonso said.

Some of the passengerswho spoke to newsmen alsocomplained of having towait longer due to lack ofpassengers.

Many of them howeverstill preferred the regularparks to the illegal ones.

business in and outside thepark are now complaining ofreduced patronage.

They told newsmen that thislull in business beganimmediately the countrystarted recording incidencesof insecurity in the city and its

environs.Mr Omooba Olaremi, who

sells drinks and food, saidsales had not been too goodfor him.

“We used to record sales inthousands of Naira before.But since security of lives andproperties have become aproblem in this country, thingshave turned bad for us.

“The only thing we can donow is to be prayerful becauseit is only God that can salvagethe situation for us. It has gotout of control,’’ he said.

A photographer in the park,Mr. Anivasa Yekini, said ithad never been as bad as thisin terms of business patronagefor him.

“Before, it used to be fun,because so many people comearound to relax. But now,everything has changed

because of the securitysituation.

“Only few people comehere now and, unfortunatelyfor us again, those that comeprefer to use their differentgadgets to take pictures ofthemselves, which is not goodfor us,’’ he said.

Yekini said the problem hadalso prevented those whoconduct business in the partfrom working freely outsidethe park.

“Before now, if we are notdoing well here, we go intopublic places and takepictures at events. But now,they don’t even allow usagain.

“This is because we goabout with bags and most ofthe security men around theseplaces will not even be patientenough to search our bags.They just send us away.

“So, we are begginggovernment to please find alasting solution to this, so thatnormalcy can return to wherewe make a living,’’ he said.

Mr Linus Ogbeche whogives out mats for rent said thesituation had just improvedafter the closure ofWonderland AmusementPark.

He was however quick tosay the improvement was nottotal.

Some of the visitors to thepark also told newsmen thatthe security situation hadtaken its toll on the park.

“Though we are botheredabout insecurity in thecountry, but we just took therisk and left our lives in thehands of God,’’ one of thevisitors, who asked not to benamed, said.

ABUJA- The NNPC hassaid a daily production of400,000 barrels per day hadbeen restored to the crude oiloutput available for export inthe country.

The corporation’s ActingGeneral Manager (PublicAffairs), Miss TuminiGreen, stated this in astatement she issued inAbuja on Sunday.

“The restoration of the400,000 barrels to the dailyproduction output was madepossible by the re-opening ofthe three major trunk lines,which were shut down dueto the activities of pipelinevandals.

“The affected trunk linesare the Trans Niger Pipeline,the Nembe Creek Pipelineand the Tebidaba-BrassPipeline,’’ the statementsaid.

It said efforts by theFederal Governmentresulted in the restoration of

major trunk lines,accounting for the shut-in of400,000 barrels per day.

It said the rise in crude oilproduction in the country to2.4 million barrels per daywas as a result of the recentintervention by the federalgovernment.

“The NNPC imploreNigerians to appreciate thenegative impact of crude oiltheft on efforts to meetproduction target.

“Therefore, well-meaningpeople in the country needto support the governmenttowards ending the scourgeof pipeline vandalism,’’ thestatement said.

It assured that the recentapproval of N15 billion bythe National EconomicCouncil (NEC) would go along way in curbing themenace.

The fund had beenapproved for an adequatepolicing of oil and gas

installations in the NigerDelta.

The statement said themajor achievements of thePetroleum ResourcesMinister in recent timesinclude the sustainedpetroleum products’ supplyand distribution across thecountry.

Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of Health

Diezani Alison-Madueke, Minister of Petroleum


NSE DAILY ACTIVITY SUMMARY (EQUITIES) AS AT YESTERDAY{23/09/13)Stocks Open Close Change Deals Units Value

7UP 72 72 0 1 100 6,480.00

ABBEYBDS 1.65 1.65 0 1 1,000 1,490.00

ABCTRANS 0.76 0.76 0 8 397,780 303,321.08

ACADEMY 1.7 1.87 0.17 4 127,900 228,310.00

ACCESS 10.19 10 -0.19 139 3,994,159 40,129,655.05

AFRIPRUD 2 1.9 -0.1 53 371,069 709,885.91

AGLEVENT 1.55 1.55 0 2 10,045 14,063.00

AIICO 0.8 0.79 -0.01 27 1,121,998 885,739.08

AIRSERVICE 3.86 3.86 0 11 178,100 619,788.00

ASHAKACEM 19.99 20 0.01 43 872,240 17,473,279.50

ASOSAVINGS 0.5 0.5 0 1 280 140

AVONCROWN 1.71 1.71 0 2 395 608.3

BERGER 8.7 8.7 0 3 4,390 38,166.40

BOCGAS 6.5 6.5 0 5 5,168 33,850.40

CADBURY 46 46 0 72 682,278 31,447,803.48

CAP 43.4 43.4 0 8 31,450 1,296,782.00

CCNN 9.09 9.09 0 11 137,323 1,277,458.08

CHAMPION 16.99 16.99 0 2 1,000 15,300.00

CONOIL 28.8 28.8 0 25 56,139 1,462,355.61

CONTINSURE 1.12 1.12 0 8 1,087,000 1,111,765.78

CORNERST 0.5 0.51 0.01 8 1,461,865 740,932.50

COSTAIN 1.1 1.1 0 5 15,578 17,631.91

COURTVILLE 0.75 0.75 0 2 6,430 4,372.40

CUSTODYINS 1.41 1.4 -0.01 14 905,221 1,255,101.91

CUTIX 1.98 1.98 0 2 12,833 25,499.34

DANGCEM 190 190 0 42 286,713 54,474,502.41

DANGFLOUR 9.05 9.05 0 30 176,748 1,599,946.90

DANGSUGAR 10.5 10.75 0.25 124 17,232,937 182,066,295.09

DIAMONDBNK 6.19 6.2 0.01 57 963,670 5,979,181.34

DNMEYER 1.9 1.9 0 2 1,227 2,098.17

DUNLOP 0.5 0.5 0 1 1,600 800

ETERNA 2.68 2.5 -0.18 24 887,616 2,225,987.35

ETI 13.36 13.5 0.14 74 2,165,058 28,962,019.55

EVANSMED 3.29 3.29 0 3 3,200 10,528.00

FBNH 15.9 15.7 -0.2 492 10,702,885 169,433,890.07

FCMB 3.66 3.7 0.04 56 1,222,987 4,578,600.87

FIDELITYBK 2.51 2.48 -0.03 137 9,490,459 23,785,338.76

FIDSON 1.9 1.9 0 25 585,521 1,109,136.63

FIRSTALUM 0.5 0.5 0 2 2,366 1,183.00

FLOURMILL 83 83 0 40 51,497 4,026,870.15

FO 35.7 35.7 0 30 71,483 2,604,501.03

FTNCOCOA 0.5 0.5 0 2 10,000 5,000.00

GLAXOSMITH 64 64 0 28 187,765 12,017,977.35

GNI 0.5 0.5 0 1 280 140

GUARANTY 25 24.9 -0.1 280 5,583,694 139,018,036.44

GUINNESS 248 245.01 -2.99 40 122,669 30,084,669.50

HONYFLOUR 2.79 2.7 -0.09 27 485,600 1,329,082.00

IHS 2.81 2.81 0 4 71,097 199,808.76

IKEJAHOTEL 0.8 0.8 0 1 7,500 6,000.00

INTBREW 19.75 19.75 0 13 122,855 2,292,823.27

INTENEGINS 0.72 0.79 0.07 34 1,281,085 958,909.19

IPWA 0.82 0.82 0 3 11,620 9,398.80

JAPAULOIL 0.5 0.5 0 96 13,498,577 6,750,088.50

JBERGER 76.95 76.95 0 5 5,392 389,410.16

JOHNHOLT 1.27 1.27 0 3 10,266 12,319.20

JOSBREW 6.66 6 -0.66 20 454,580 2,727,480.00

LASACO 0.5 0.5 0 2 4,180 2,090.00

LEARNAFRCA 1.95 1.95 0 4 6,780 12,424.00

LIVESTOCK 3.8 3.93 0.13 24 465,207 1,814,127.30

MANSARD 2.11 2.11 0 7 60,635 129,633.40

MAYBAKER 2.04 2.04 0 11 123,750 236,492.00

TOP 10 GAINERS TOP 10 GAINERSStock Close LossGUINNESS 245.01 -2.99WAPCO 90 -2OANDO 10.3 -0.7JOSBREW 6 -0.66NAHCO 6.08 -0.3UBA 7.42 -0.28NASCON 11 -0.25UPL 3.4 -0.21FBNH 15.7 -0.2ACCESS 10 -0.19

Stock Close GainTOTAL 166 14.65PORTPAINT 5.6 0.37DANGSUGAR 10.75 0.25ACADEMY 1.87 0.17ETI 13.5 0.14LIVESTOCK 3.93 0.13TRANSEXPR 1.4 0.1ZENITHBANK 20 0.1UBCAP 1.4 0.08INTENEGINS 0.79 0.07

TOP 10 LOSERS

MBENEFIT 0.5 0.5 0 2 105,280 52,640.00

MCNICHOLS 1.5 1.5 0 2 1,685 2,274.75

MOBIL 110 110 0 20 12,151 1,289,982.24

MRS 36.14 36.14 0 1 675 21,957.75

MULTITREX 0.5 0.5 0 4 398,500 199,250.00

NAHCO 6.38 6.08 -0.3 30 343,381 2,096,912.65

NASCON 11.25 11 -0.25 38 630,408 6,967,445.98

NB 165 165 0 162 497,736 80,597,689.08

NEIMETH 1.15 1.15 0 11 105,467 110,771.25

NEM 0.7 0.66 -0.04 27 940,997 625,288.97

NESTLE 940.02 940.02 0 36 13,074 12,414,265.79

NIG-GERMAN 7.36 7.36 0 1 45 298.35

NIGERINS 0.5 0.5 0 1 1,062 531

NNFM 25.65 25.65 0 6 7,008 161,814.72

NPFMCRFBK 0.78 0.84 0.06 9 408,152 342,149.58

OANDO 11 10.3 -0.7 297 10,321,532 110,004,527.90

OKOMUOIL 45.53 45.53 0 33 218,912 9,717,165.75

PAINTCOM 2.04 2.04 0 1 500 1,120.00

PORTPAINT 5.23 5.6 0.37 2 84,500 473,250.00

PRESCO 37 37 0 34 171,482 5,749,972.89

PRESTIGE 0.6 0.6 0 2 21,659 12,995.40

PZ 37 37 0 59 402,003 14,818,034.60

REDSTAREX 4.12 4.04 -0.08 15 1,200,000 4,845,630.00

RESORTSAL 0.5 0.5 0 4 453,500 226,750.00

ROYALEX 0.51 0.5 -0.01 14 845,723 427,403.01

RTBRISCOE 1.3 1.31 0.01 2 101,000 134,110.00

SCOA 5.32 5.32 0 2 570 2,730.30

SKYEBANK 4.19 4.14 -0.05 58 1,213,387 5,019,013.67

SKYESHELT 100 100 0 1 36 3,600.00

SOVRENINS 0.5 0.5 0 1 1,000,000 500,000.00

STACO 0.5 0.5 0 1 18,400 9,200.00

STANBIC 18.7 18.7 0 45 364,661 6,944,296.97

STERLNBANK 2.38 2.35 -0.03 83 9,553,183 21,310,493.81

THOMASWY 0.96 0.96 0 4 68,785 72,198.60

TOTAL 151.35 166 14.65 32 115,635 18,652,727.90

TRANSCORP 1.5 1.47 -0.03 127 10,778,937 16,044,320.23

TRANSEXPR 1.3 1.4 0.1 9 301,875 408,437.50

UAC-PROP 15.2 15.2 0 9 28,153 443,985.60

UACN 60.8 60.8 0 115 2,836,838 172,075,805.28

UBA 7.7 7.42 -0.28 185 5,300,542 39,344,231.24

UBCAP 1.32 1.4 0.08 90 5,072,008 6,688,634.98

UBN 10.2 10.12 -0.08 75 325,047 3,305,746.44

UNILEVER 59 59 0 42 175,962 10,135,921.54

UNITYBNK 0.66 0.64 -0.02 390 119,914,307 82,758,612.93

UNITYKAP 0.5 0.5 0 2 2,280 1,140.00

UPDCREIT 10.5 10.5 0 1 3,000 28,350.00

UPL 3.61 3.4 -0.21 14 404,224 1,429,277.92

UTC 0.66 0.66 0 8 7,567 4,799.40

VITAFOAM 3.81 3.81 0 9 76,031 288,372.51

VONO 1.64 1.64 0 6 121,242 180,170.91

WAPCO 92 90 -2 54 301,803 27,218,187.53

WAPIC 0.8 0.78 -0.02 11 2,684,570 2,033,627.40

WEMABANK 0.98 0.95 -0.03 29 1,936,838 1,841,160.31

ZENITHBANK 19.9 20 0.1 195 3,584,419 71,201,946.38

a


THE Federal Government has concludedplans to change the nation’s education policyof 9-3-4 system to a 1-6-3-3-4 educationstructure. The Minister of education, Prof.Ruqquayat Rufa’i while announcing theimminent change, said the proposedstructure would be a re-modification of thecurrent 9-3-3-4 system which came into effectin 2009 when the old 6-3-3-4 system wasdropped.

RUFA’I says the new move is sequel to therecommendations of the Presidential TaskTeam on Education, which PresidentGoodluck Jonathan has already approved.The new system which is already proposedto the National Assembly is said to beplanned to include exposure of five -year -old learners to one year of early childhoodeducation before they proceed to the six-yearprimary education.

WE see the proposal of the federalgovernment as unnecessary distraction ofchildren of public school system who arealready overburdened by several policysomersault and this move is not any differentprevious policy rigmarole. In any case, thesystem is not anything novel as it is alreadybeing practiced by the private school systemwhere some children are enrolled inkindergarten classes at three or four. Theyrun it full three years and move on to primaryone when they are six. However, suchchildren end up doing only five years primaryeducation and move on to the juniorsecondary school and they do very wellbecause of the background knowledge theyare given from age 3 while blending with theschool environment.

NIGERIANS know too well that before thisproposal, the nation’s educational systemhad gone through many modifications. In thelate 70s and 80s, it was the 6-5-4 system thatwas in place. It provided for six years inPrimary school, five years in secondary and

Policy SommersaultIn Nigeria’s

Educational Systemfour years in the university. Another shift inpolicy later gave birth to the Higher SchoolCertificate (HSC) which gave birth to anothertwo-year stop gap of learning to pupils aftersecondary school, before they proceed to theuniversity this time to spend three years. Allthese gave way for the 6-3-3-4 and later 9-3-4system.

ORDINARILY, there is nothing wrong with anation desiring a change for the better or best,but we condemn the frequency of change inthe education sector which has left the sectorworst for what it since the change episodestarted. It is a fact that Nigerian graduates ofthe 70s and 80s remain the best ever producedin the country and they remain reference pointin our national history, the advent oftechnology in the late 80s and 90snotwithstanding.

RATHER than piecemeal changes, we willencourage the federal government to come upwith a once -and -for -all change that can standthe test of time. Government should introducethe nursery system into its policy wherebychildren are enrolled in schools from age 3 toformalise nursery education in Nigeria. Webelieve such policy will now cover what privateschools are already operating, instead of theproposed one year starting at age five. Ourworry about the looming policy is how long itwill last if it eventually sails through?

HOWEVER, Nigerians expect an educationalpolicy that will ensure that children beginprimary school at six. We deplore a situation

where at age 4 or five, a child is already inprimary school. Some parents are in such ahurry for their children to climb up theeducation ladder without taking into accountthe repercussions of such a rush on theirchildren. These set of children createproblems for the teachers, because many ofthem do not know their right from their left atthe end of the day, only whiz kids are able tocope in such circumstance.

WE believe that there is no much problemat the moment with the current policy, exceptthat any new government devices a way ofsiphoning public funds, otherwise we knowthat there are a number of teething problemsbuffeting the education sector at the momentbegging for the federal government’sattention. The questions to ask at this pointare: Is the 1-6-3-3-4 system going to turn theflooded classrooms or under- the- mango treeclassrooms to model classrooms as beingdone by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of EdoState? Is it going to provide adequate textbooks, reading and instructional materials tothe pupils and their teachers? Is 1-6-3-3-4system the priority, more than an enablingenvironment for teaching and learning?

INTERESTINGLY, these are the issues beingpursued by members of the Academic StaffUnion of Universities who are currently up inarms against the Federal Government. Weimplore government to shore up funding ofeducation to remove the decadence that hascharacterised schools from primary,secondary up to tertiary with very fewexceptions. We expect that PresidentGoodluck Jonathan coming from anacademic background is in a better positionto appreciate the level of decay in the system,more than anyone else. We implore him to dothe needful to salvage Nigeria educationsector which holds the key to the future ofthe country and halt the distraction beingprovided by the policy somersault mongers.

THE NIGERIAN


WithObuseh Jude

GSM: 08033510173

Cutting Edge

True Wealth According To Christ

TODAY, I take a break frommusing on political issues tofocus on a very critical issue oflife and death. It is an issue mostof us take for granted, but whichwill ultimately determine ourfuture relationship with ourcreator-owner -Jehovah - whenwe transit this physical plain:“Spiritual Wealth”, which is themajor theme of the Bible, andwhich, though has been muffledby the prosperity doctrines of

some of today’s churches, willultimately determine our finaldestination after judgment day.Whether we are going to“Heaven” or “Hell” will bedetermined by the kind of wealthwe choose to acquire on thisearthly plain. The seductive doctrines ofsome contemporary prosperitychurches have tended to colourthe Bible’s teachings on truewealth. With particular referenceto Third World countries, wherethe harsh economic realitieshave transformed most peopleinto Tele-guided zombies, whoare susceptible to themanipulations of false religiousdoctrines, the wrong notions ofwealth have found willingdisciples - blind followers forwhom Christianity have becomeelixirs for escaping from thepains induced by currenteconomic realities. Today Christianity is no longerabout salvation, holiness,righteousness, love, forgiveness,tolerance, patience, meekness,humility, and other heavenlyvirtues, but about what one cangrab and enjoy on this earthlyplain, when you attend somechurch services, only scantattention is given to the futurejoys of heavenly bliss, as ourfake apostles of moralcorrectness focus basically onearthly prosperity, in theirmorbid greed to swell the sizeof their congregations and makemore money from the tithes andofferings of their ignorant,miracle seeking disciples. Thisis quite unfortunate, for when thesupposed shepherds of the lordtotally deviate from the coredictates of their “calling” tofocus on fleeting earthly issues,it calls for serious concern. The idea of material prosperityat the expense of spiritualincrease is alien to the coreteachings of Christianity asenthused by our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ It is a Westerncapitalist idea that was insertedinto the pure teachings ofChristianity after the religioncame in contact with Europe,and later, America, in latercenturies, after the followers ofChrist were first called“Christians” at Antioch; aMercantilist ideology that wasmeant to justify the debauchedand greed-driven aims of theso-called system of freeenterprise; a Satanic infusion

into the undiluted teachings ofthe Bible; demonic insertionsthat were meant to divert theelect from focusing onacquiring the only true wealththat matters: An eternal,boundless, and unconditionalspiritual relationship with God,through the benevolentsacrifice of His son, our Lordand personal Saviour, Jesus theChrist-the only relationshipthat can guarantee us truewealth in this life and in thehereafter. Prosperity gospels havecreated a very materialisticgeneration which believes thateverything begins and ends onthis earth. If I may ask, how n-any of today’s professedChristians believe in anafterlife? How many Christiansbelieve that heaven and hellfireare not mere myths? Howmany Christians truly believein the Bible and the existenceof God? If one does a roughsampling of opinions centeredaround these pertinentquestions, the answers that arelikely to emanate from such anenquiry is the painful truth thatmost of the people you seemasquerading as Christians arenot really Christians in thebiblical sense, but a bunch ofself-seeking, self-deceiving,self-righteous, attention-seekers, who have lost theirway and have not realized it;worshipers of Mammon, who,in their quest for money, power,reverence, fame, andconnections, have relegated thelove of God to the background. In their selfish cravings aftermaterial wealth, someChristians have sold their soulsto the Devil (1 Timothy 6:10).Some of today’s Christiansengage in the mostcontemptible enterprises intheir desperate quests to “makeit”. From advanced fee

fraudsters, con artists, armedrobbers, hired assassins, corruptpoliticians, ritual killers,kidnappers, commercial sexworkers, gossips, backbitersand backstabbers, mudslingers,to other despicable characterstoo numerous to mention, ourchurches have becomeassemblies of caterpillars; evilmelting pots where theincarnates of Satan convergefrom time to time to blasphemethe spotless name of the Lord;

covens where witches andwarlocks whose unbridled lovefor money, power, fame, andrespect, rendezvous. The most annoying part of thewhole madness is the shamelessmanner some of our churchministers - “businessproprietors” is more appropriate- honour these angels ofdarkness with the most revered

positions Knights, Elders,Deacons, etc - in their churches.A visit to some churches will beheartbreaking experiences forsome highly perceptivemembers of the public, who willbe shocked to witness, firsthand, the hypocrisies that theworship of God has becomemuddled up in, as they will befaced with the gospel truth thatsome churches are actuallyhavens for thieves, murderers,and other shady characters; thatmost church leaders don’tpractice what they preach; thatwhile overtly condemning evil,they covertly support it; that

some church leaders areactually agents of Satan sent tocorrupt the body of Christ anddisrupt Jehovah’s future plansfor His earthly wards. Some Church leaders, whoare supposed to be the earthly“shepherds” of the flock, havethrough their conduct, helped inpromoting the wrong notionsabout true wealth. The

ostentatious lifestyles somepastors live, has contributedtowards fuelling the mad crazefor earthly acquisitions amongcontemporary Christians. Theslogan of these doomsdaypastors is “seek yea first thefinancial kingdom and itsaccoutrements, and all otherthings shall be added unto you”.These apostates equate theBiblical kingdom of God withthe possession of mere materialtrappings of life. Whenmembers of a congregation seetheir pastor driving choicew o n d e r s - o n - w h e e l s ,globetrotting in customizedprivate jets, living in cozyIgloos and castles, stepping outin very expensive designerattires, at the expense ofsincerely reaching out to thedoomed souls in his assemblywith the message of truesalvation, there is a tendency foreven the elect to be deceivedinto beginning to see materialwealth as an end in itself.

Most church leaders areshylock businessmen;commercial syndicates whoventured into ministry forpurely monetaryconsiderations; shamelessjourneymen whose claims todivine authority are asblasphemous as they areignominious - empty claims thatare as hollow as clangingcymbals. Jokes apart, the

fraudsters masquerading as the“General Overseers” of somechurches do not give a hootabout rescuing and protectingthe souls of their flock frometernal damnation; for it is notout of the altruistic dispositionsof these end- time heretics thatthey hold countless churchprograms every year, in tandemwith other commercialenterprises they call revivals,but out of their larcenous queststo dispossess their bewilderedherd of their hard-earnedresources in the name of thelord. I am piqued at the shamelessmanner some professed born-again Christians hanker aftermaterial possessions at theexpense of eternal life; marvelat the rate supposed children ofGod are enamoured by fleetingman-made luxuries, when theyhave the promise of a heavenlyparadise to look forward to;amazed at the foolishness ofindividuals who consider

themselves better than otherssimply because they are betterappareled; astonished thatluxurious items, which are vainin reality, are more highlyvalued than man himself, whofor his own purposes conferredvalue on these items, in the firstplace; revolted at those whodeify a rich man simply becausehe is rich, despite owing himnothing; astounded when I seemy Christian brothers andsisters sharing God’s glory withmere specks of dust because ofthe vain earthly possessions ofthe later. So many otherimported traditions astound mein the church today. The truth is that mostChristians attend church, notout of deep spiritualconvictions, but as socio-religious duties. They come tochurch to increase their socialstandings, not to worship Godin spirit arid in truth. To theseindividuals, coming to church isa mere routine; a mechanicalresponse to the promptings ofsocietal expectations; anobligation that is as superficialas it is directionless; a make-belief exercise in every sense ofthe word. That is why so manyso-called Christians still live inspiritual squalor and emptiness,despite the amount of materialwealth in their possessions; thekind of poverty that is inducedby sterile religiosity — aspiritless condition that is thelogical consequence of astereotypical, materialisticworldview that definescontemporary Christianity. Thatis why a rich man will see hisfellow brethren going throughtorrid times and ignore him.That is why a needy member ofan assembly will come to aGeneral Overseer, who owns aprivate Jet, with a life-threatening financial challenge,only to be encouraged withmere words such as: “Havefaith”, “the Lord will provide”,“God’s time is the best”. Thatis why social vices continue toburgeon exponentially out ofcontrol as mortal men havingbeen betrayed by their brethren,become more engrossed in themad rush for the acquisition ofephemeral worldly treasures.

“Prosperity gospels have created a very materialisticgeneration which believes that everything begins and endson this earth. If I may ask, how n-any of today’s professedChristians believe in an afterlife? How many Christiansbelieve that heaven and hellfire are not mere myths? Howmany Christians truly believe in the Bible and theexistence of God?”


Nutritional Health And Dietetics With

O.C.Madu

GSM: 08056379608

Brain Boosting Diets STONE Age humanstypically took in one and halfto five times more vitaminsand minerals than we do todayin food, far exceeding ourminimum recommendedstandards. Our brain yearns for thenutrients in a Stone Age diet.The closer you get to theoriginal food source, thecloser you are to the brain –boosting diet designed byyour brains ancient architects. Fruits and vegetables –They supply loads ofvitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants in amounts peoplenow get only throughsupplements. Fibre is also,gotten from fruits andvegetables that move thebrowel and preventconstipation and other bowelproblem. Sea – food galore – Themost critical distinctionsbetween a stone age andmodern diet is the rightbalance between omega – 6 –fat and brain enhancingomega – 3 – fish type of fat.The Paleolithic ratio was onepart omega – 6 – fat to onepart omega – 3 – fat, that is,four to one at most whichpromoted smooth brainfunctioning. Today, the omega – 6 – fatin the form of corn – oil,margarine and baked goodsout strip fish type, omega – 3– fat by fifteen or twenty toone. It is a sickening situationfor calls, particularly braincells which simplymalfunction on shut down ifomega – 3 – fat is scarce andomega – 6 – fat isoverwhelming. The only way to reinstate abrain enhancing stone-agetype of diet is to eat fatty –fish (oily fish) for example,salmon, sardine, mackerel andherring and or take fish oilcapsules and restrict omega –6 – fat. Meat – Our stone – Ageancestors ate wild game. Wildgame was a source of allimportant omega – 3 – fatessential for braindevelopment. Wild-game fatcontains 2.5 percent essential

omega – 3 – fat. This isvirtually nonexistent indomesticated beef, unlikestone – age meat, modern redmeat is full of hazardoussaturated fats. While poultrymeat without skin is a goodstone-Age meat equivalent,low in fat and a good sourceof protein. Sugar – Our ancestors usedhoney and fruits assweeteners. Today, our mainsweet is about – 120 kg ofrefined sugar that affect ourblood year. Most of ourcarbohydrates are simple,empty calorie sugar, thateffect our blood levels ofinsulin glucose andtriglycerides with direimplications for stroke andbrain dysfunction. Processed oils andshortening burden our brainswith unfamiliar type of fat.Stone – Age ancestor ate onlyfat in foods and not as separateoils and consumed about 22percent in fat. Caloriescompared with 35 percent. Anoverload of polyunsaturatedfat, including hydrogenatedand saturated fats trigger callmalfunction that is bad for thebrain. Some oils are morecompatible with brain needs,for example, Canola oil, oliveoil, flaxseed oil and so on. Potassium and sodium –Human beings are the onlyfree mammals that eat moresodium than potassium andwe pay a higher price in ourdeal and disability toll fromhigh blood pressure andstroke. Our stone – Ageancestors got 7000 mg ofpotassium daily, mainly fromfruits and vegetables and amere 600 mg of sodiumcompared with our poultry2,500 mg of Potassium andwhopping 4,000 mg ofsodium, our stone – agedancestors ate more calories,3000 a day than we do 2000 –2,500 but buried more of it inphysical activity. Dairy foods – Our stone –Age ancestors did not drinkmilk or use diary productsbecause, they did not keepdomesticated animals, such

milk product screw up bodyfunctioning adding highburden of saturated fats anddiscordant protein. Human beings are the onlymammals that continue to usemilk products past theweaning stage. To mimic a stone – age diet,you should restrict milk,butter, cheese and other dairyproducts, to some extent,dairy foods are clearly geneincompatible, because theylack the enzymes needed todigest milk, cow’s milk is

also, a common cause ofallergies. Nuts and legumes – Theyare in stone – Age diets. Themodern draw back and saltednuts high in sodium which isincompatible with stone – Agegenes. To avoid high sodium,cook your own beans withoutsalt, thoroughly, rinsedcanned beans to removesodium and buy unsalted nuts.According to Dr GeorgeOshawa, all disease is due toan imbalanced of the sodiumpotassium content of theblood. What the brain wants

Make fruits and vegetablesthe major part of your diet. Eatpoultry without skin or verylean meat and game. Eat driedbeans, legumes of all kindincluding peanuts preferableunsalted. Fatty fish – Salmon,sardine, mackerel and so onand shell fish. Fish oil createssmarter, happier brain cells. Restrict processed sugar takevitamin, mineral supplement,because, it is not possible tototally imitate a nutrient –rush stone – Age diet without

a boost from supplements.Take fish oil capsules. Dietary advice – Start everymeal with something raw.This will preventleucocytosis, a flooding of thedigestive fract withleucocytes. Leucocytes arethe white blood – cells whichform the defence corps of thebody. They are called upon todefend the body againstinvading foreign substances,disease germs and so on. For millions of years, manlived on raw unfired foods andhas not yet entirely adapted tocooked foods. They aretherefore, still foreign to his

alimentary tract, anytime theyare eaten, they cause a callingup of defence corps. Thisconstant calling up of themilitia weakens the defence –mechanism of the body. To avoid it, all that isnecessary is to eat your rawfood, this cancels the alarmsignal and the militia is notcalled upon to defend the

body against foreign, cooked,food that follows the rawfood. Groups of scientists,particularly, in Sweden havestudied the brains of personswho died insane and havecompared them with the brainof normal individuals whomet accidental death. Theyfound that four substancesessential to the healthynucleus of brain calls werelacking in the insane adenine,thymine, cytosine andquinine. These four nutrients arefound in multicultural meatsuch as liver, calf or lambbrains, sweet breads, kidneysin brewer’s yeast. Suchexcellent meat should beeaten frequently and brewer’syeast should be added to thedaily diet. The brain never sleeps andoverall, uses 20 percent of thebody’s energy 17 requiresconstant oxygen, which itreceives from the bloodstream and usesapproximately 25 per cent of

all oxygen inhaled. Therefore,proper oxygen is essentialthrough a normal bloodsupply to the brain. The blood vessels supplyingthe brain with oxygen tend toclog as we age without anadequate supply of oxygenand nutrient through the bloodstream, the brain will notfunction normally senility is

one known result of loss ofblood supply and therefore,oxygen to the brain whenblood supply to any area ofthe brain is disconnected orhemorrhage from a bloodvessel occurs, stroke results. For the brain to functionproperly, the brain needs120g, of glucose, as well assodium, potassium,unsaturated fatty acids, aminoacids (protein) vitamins andminerals and 400 calories. Recent research has shownthat excess fats and toxic freeradicals forming in the bloodstream contribute to theimpaired brain function. Braincells accumulate a form ofcellular garbage calledlipofuscin, a by – product offats and free radicals. Inexcess, this garbage candamage and kill neurons.Antioxidants destroy freeradicals and protect the brainagainst their by- productlipofusein. Thanks for reading.

“Groups of scientists, particularly, in Sweden have studied thebrains of persons who died insane and have compared them withthe brain of normal individuals who met accidental death. Theyfound that four substances essential to the healthy nucleus of braincalls were lacking in the insane adenine, thymine, cytosine andquinine.”


Issues

By IFEANYI NWOKO

Ensuring Food Security ThroughGenetic ModificationA recent World Bank

document says that foodinsecurity remains a majorchallenge to most developingcountries, including Nigeria.

The document alsoestimates that half of thepopulations of these countriesspend three quarters of theirincomes on food imports, thushampering their economicgrowth.

Perhaps it was against thisbackground that the FederalGovernment’s AgriculturalTransformation Agenda(ATA) seeks to ensure theproduction of at least 20million metric tonnes of foodby 2015.

For many experts, the targetis achievable if modern andsustainable scientific methodsare applied in foodproduction.

They recommended theadoption of GeneticModification (GM) method.This takes advantage ofplants’ deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA), which is thehereditary material inhumans, plants and otherorganisms.

The GM method refers to aprocess of improving thegenes of plants to enable themexhibit certain traits thatwould culminate in higherproduction through a processknown as recombinant DNAtechnology.

Prof. Chris Leaver, a plantscientist at Oxford University,United Kingdom, says thateach plant contains DNAwhich defines how it growsand functions.

According to him, plantsalso have the genes thatdetermine their colour,tolerance to drought or pest,and other inhibitions togrowth.

“All that is done in GeneticModification is to identify theDNA in one plant that makesit tolerant to drought, andtransfer such DNA to a newplant so that it possesses suchtraits as well,” he noted.

Nigerian-born Dr OpeoluOjo of the Centre forMolecular Biosciences,University of Ulster,Coloraine, United Kingdom,opines that Nigeria must putall mechanisms in placebefore adopting the GMtechnology.

He acknowledges that theNational Assembly passed theBio-Safety Bill in 2011,noting that the Bill is yet toreceive presidential assent.

Taking cognisance of therelevance and efficacy ofgenetic modification, Ojoadvises that Nigeria can tapinto its full potential throughdomestication.

“When we talk ofdomestication, there arecertain protocols andprocedures that entails thatwhether it is in Nigeria or inthe U.S., it is the same.

“For example, if you wantto isolate DNA you cannot saybecause you are in Nigeria,you are not going to do it theway they do it in the U.S.

“The thing is that becausewe have some materials thatare not available in the U.S.we also have some challengesthat are not in the U.S. thenimprovisation can come in;that is where domesticationcomes in.

“But not just improvisationthere must be an enablingenvironment. There is no wayI can do science withoutpower. There is no way I candomesticate science here if Ido not have power.

“Most of the people aroundhere do not even have theskill; you have to train them.We do not have scientificequipment that aremanufactured in Nigeria.

“So if I want to domesticate,I still have to import theequipment and train people touse it and solve local andindigenous problems,” hesaid.

Despite the challenges, Ojobelieves that Nigeria can do alot in the area of geneticmodifications.

“We should harness theopportunities we have here;we should identify thechallenges we have andidentify development partnerswho can help us to overcomethem,” he said.

He wants the government,scientists and farmers tocollaborate and ensure that thenew technologies areacceptable.

According to him, “nofarmer is willing to take the

risk of trying newtechnologies or seeds thathave not been tested andproved to yield betterresults’’.

But Mr. Andrew Iloh, abiotechnologist at the ShedaScience and TechnologyComplex, Abuja, feels that

Nigeria should rather harnessits indigenous knowledge toboost food production.

He opines that althoughscientific results are universal,indigenous knowledge oughtto be harnessed to solveproblems.

For him, GM may not holdthe only key to food security.He thinks that there are other

methods of selecting andplanting high-yielding cropswithout necessarilymodifying their genes.

“Advocates of GMOs arenot getting it right too; it is notevery time you need genetictransformation. There is whatwe call marker-assisted

breeding.“Nature has made it that

every living thing has its wayof adaptation to salt, droughtand all what.

“Marker-assisted breedingidentifies the plants that havebeen able to successfullyadapt to such harsh conditionsand still have great yields.

He, therefore, recommends

that the selection of plants thatadapt better and reproducethem, adding that if theprocess continues, farmerscould have very high-yieldingcrops.

He, however, bemoaned theactivities of traditionalbreeders who, he says, haddone more harm throughcross-breeding.

“They do not even know thegenes they are cross-breeding;they just continue to cross-breed,’’ he said.

Iloh, who stresses theimportance of new biosciencetechnology in modifyingplants, thinks that thoughGenetic Modified Organismsare good, it is not in every case

that genetic modification isneeded.

He opines that there is aneed to fill the gap betweenresearch findings and farmutilisation.

He queries that if scientificresults on conventionalmethods of agriculture are yetto be utilised, how wouldfarmers relate with GMOs ifthe law is passed?

‘For our country, we may

not have the capacity forGMOs, but we can start small.

“There is what we calltranslation of research; whenyou do something on thebench it translates to thesociety. But that is not the jobof the researcher, butextension workers,’’ he noted.

Stakeholders want therelevant authorities to makeGM seeds available to farmersas soon as the presidentassents to the Bio-Safety Bill.

They say that popularisingGM seeds and other earlymaturing seedlings wouldboost Nigeria’s foodproduction and save thenation the huge cost on theimportation of food estimatedat N1.7 trillion annually.

“Perhaps it was against this background that the FederalGovernment’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) seeksto ensure the production of at least 20 million metric tonnes offood by 2015. For many experts, the target is achievable if modernand sustainable scientific methods are applied in foodproduction.”


By UT

I can remember Basketmouth’s joke when he saidthat the first time hesmoked marijuana or igboas the Nigerian Youthscall it, he got home, tookhis TV remote, sat on hisTV set and startedpressing his chair. Trustme when I tell you, that iswhat marijuana can do toa man, it turns your worldupside down.Marijuana is a moodaltering or “psychoactivedrug”. It comes from hedried leaves andflowering tops of theIndian hemp plant(cannabis Sativa). Thisdrug is a hallucinogen, asubstance which distortshow the mind perceivesthe world we live in. themain chemical thatcreates this distortion isTHC (decta -9 –tetrahydrocannabionol).The membranes of certainnerve cells in the braincontain protein receptorsthat bind to THC. Oncethe THC is in place, itinitiates a series of cellularreactions that lead to the‘high’ that usersexperience when theysmoke marijuana. Thispsychoactive effectsknown as “high’ asusually noticeable and itsranges from increasingcreativity mysticalexperiences, to increasedsenses.Marijuana can be taken inthree ways; by eating,brewed as tea, or smokedwhich is the popular wayof using marijuana.After alcohol, marijuanais the most popular formof recreational drug inrecent times. Over 50 percent of the adultpopulation admits tohaving smokedmarijuana. A surveyconducted in 2007 foundthat 14.4 million

delirium, anddepersonalization. Whena person tolerance buildsup, marijuana can leadusers to consume strongerto achieve the same high.SHORT TERMEFFECTS OFMARIJUANAMarijuana can causeshort-term such as;Increased heat rate:studies shown thatmarijuana increases thesmoker’s heart rate.Doctors have said that thiscan be especiallydangerous for people whosuffer from heartproblems. In fact, in thefirst hour of smokingmarijuana, the user has ahigh risk of having a heartattack.Impaired memory:using this addictive drugcan cause short-termmemory problems. Theusers can also haveproblems with learningnew things. The PETbrain scan of chronicusers shows thatmarijuana may continueto impact in the brainthree or more days afteruse particularly affectingmotor coordinationlearning and memory.D i f f i c u l t yconcentrating: users ofmarijuana may havedifficulty concentratingon a task.Red eyes: marijuanausers, moments aftersmoking the drug,develops red eyes.Agitation and paranoia:many people experienceagitation and paranoia asa result of smokingmarijuana.Anxiety: according toexperts, one of thecommonest side effects

people get after smokingmarijuana is panic attacksor anxiety. A study byresearchers inMelbourne’s RoyalChildren’s Hospitalindicated a strong linkbetween heavy marijuanasmoking and depression.Those who used it dailyran seven times the risk ofsuffering depressing and

the belief that he or shecan kill a lion with barehands, that he/she canstop a bullet with theirhands, that he/she can lifta bag of cement with afinger. Anyone thatthinks that way needs abucket of cold water.Distortion of time,

pegluLOEFThmeffMstusm

Perspective

Marijuan: Addressing Its Abuand vomiting. But yet,there is no true evidencethat marijuana actuallyworks.The true evidence is that,when a person smokesmarijuana various gasesand tiny particles areproduced includingcancer-causing substancessuch as benzopyrene andbenzanthracene which hasthrice the concentrationfound in tobacco.Smoking one marijuanaleaves airway deposits of4 times as much cancer-causing tar as one tobaccocigarette. This drug is alsosuspected to cause lungdisease, emphysema,chronic users have the riskof developing acute andchronic bronchitis,asthma, sinus problemsand airway injury.Just minutes after smokingmarijuana, a personexperiences immediateeffects such as; increasedheart rate, lessenedcoordination and balance,and a “dreamy” unrealstate of mind. Studies haveshown that it takes justabout 30 to 60 minutes fora person to beginexperiencing effects ofmarijuana after he or shehas smoked it. Wheneaten, the effects takeslonger time to appear.These effects may wear offin two to three hours ortake longer depending onhow much the user takes.Excessive intake ofmarijuana may causemental effects whichinclude depression,flashbacks, aggressivefeelings, anxiety leadingto panic, confusion,delusions, hallucinations,resulting from toxicpsychosis, psychoticdisorder (insanity),

individuals in the UnitedStates alone had smokedmarijuana at least onceduring the previousmonth. In a 2010 survey,17.4 million people in theUnited States said theyhad used marijuana in thepast month. Marijuana isso popular that anestimated one out of everythree people in the worldhas tried it.Over the years, there havebeen medical andscientific findings tryingto prove that marijuanahas benefits as a medicine.Marijuana has beenindicated through researchto prevent and cure thefollowing health disorder,such as chemotherapyinduced vomiting,Alzheimer’s, digestivedisorder, insomnia,nervous disorders andgonorrhea. On March 17,1999, the U.S Institute ofMedicine (IOM) said thatsmoking marijuana hasbenefits for the terminallyill. They suggested thatcannabinoids can beuseful in treating pain,nausea and appetite losscaused by advancedcancer and AIDS. Theyalso suggested that D-tetrahydrocannabinol(THC) also acts as asedative and reducesanxiety, which in itselfmay have therapeuticeffects.One of the first therapeuticuses of marijuana in themodern era has been itseffects in suppressingnausea suffered by anti-cancer chemotherapypatients. An Institute ofMedicine study in 1999found that marijuanaprovided “modestlyeffective” relief for nervepain, stimulated appetitefor people with AIDS, andhelped chemotherapypatients control nausea

anxiety.Loss of coordination: theintake of marijuana maymake the user to sufferfrom mild to severe loss ofcoordination, dependingon the amount taken.Sleepiness: users ofmarijuana may feel theneed to sleep aftersmoking it.Euphoric and relaxed:just after minute ofsmoking marijuana, aperson feels relaxed andexcited, but this only lastfor a short time.Elevated confidence:marijuana gives a persona feeling, the confidence,

space, vision andhearing: when a usersmokes marijuana, he orshe enters into a dreamystate, unable to see clearly,hear clearly, and would beunconscious of time andspace.Increased appetite: this isone reason why those whosmokes marijuana withlearn wallets becomes thinand unkempt. If a non-usereats a plate of rice, a userof marijuana eats fiveplates of rice. A personwho smokes marijuanacan finish a bowl of ebaand still ask for more. Thatis what marijuana do to

a ceresuof vdisocasadmhosNSHeAnrepandexppercanpatdruillnMacan

“Just minutes after smoking marijuana, a person experiencesimmediate effects such as; increased heart rate, lessenedcoordination and balance, and a “dreamy” unreal state of mind.Studies have shown that it takes just about 30 to 60 minutes fora person to begin experiencing effects of marijuana after he orshe has smoked it.”


TI A. UDOH

eople, it makes themuttons.ONG TERMFFECTShe long-term use ofarijuana may cause

ffects such as;Mental illness: many

udies have shown thatmoking of marijuana for

believe that smoking ofmarijuana may increasethe risk of developingcancers such as lung, oral,and neck cancers.Research shows that thesmoke from marijuanacontains morecarcinogens and tar thanthe smoke from tobacco.A recent study by theBritish Lung Foundation

negative effect on malesperm and testosteroneproduction. There isevidence that the spermproduced by marijuanausers may havebiochemical or structuraldefects. While somebelieve that marijuanaincreases sexual desireand performance, thelong-term effects are; lossof sex-drive, impotency,and infertility.Reduces the body’sability to fight illness:marijuana users may alsoexperience impairment ofimmune functions. Itlowers the body’scapacity to fight infectionand disease. In 1989, USstudy revealed that THCin marijuana reduces theactivity of cells thatdestroy foreignsubstances. This countersthe claim that marijuanahas therapeutic benefitsfor AIDS and cancerpatients.Respiratory problems:the frequent smokers ofmarijuana tends to sufferfrom heavy coughing andwheezing and mayworsen the symptoms ofbronchitis. They alsoexperience airways thatbecome partially blockedas a result of the smokethey constantly inhaleinto them. Anotherrespiratory problem thatcomes as a result ofmarijuana smoking is ahigh risk of sufferingfrom infections of thelung. Marijuana smokersafter a period of time, alsosuffer from too muchproduction of Phlegm.Non-chalant attitude:the user marijuana maydisplay a non-chalant

attitude to life, school,sport, personal hygiene,personal appearance andvarious activities.Ageing of the brain:marijuana causes ageingof the brain which isresponsible for short-term memory(hippocampus). Professorof pharmacology atOxford University in theyoung people who areheavy marijuana smokersare equal to that of 70-90year olds. Also chronicusers may experiencewhat is referred to as ‘amotivational syndrome’ -apathy and loss ofmotivation.Schizophrenia: studiesconducted in Sweden ofmore than 50,000 peopleover a 15-year periodrevealed that those whohas used marijuana 50times or more were 6times more likely todevelop schizophreniathan non users. Marijuanamay also triggerschizophrenia in thosealready predisposed tothe illness. A 1990 studyof schizophrenia andsubstance Abuse foundthat 42 percent ofschizophrenics had usedmarijuana in theirlifetime.MARIJUANA CANCAUSE ABNORMALCELLDivision: smoking ofmarijuana may causeabnormal cell divisionwhich leads to severehereditary defects. Apregnant woman whoregularly smokesmarijuana may give birthprematurely to anundersized, underweightbaby studies alsorevealed that children

use, Health ImplicationPerspective

whose mothers smokedmarijuana just before orduring pregnancy had tentimes the risk ofdeveloping leukemia(cancer of the bonemarrow). Over the last tenyears, many children ofmarijuana users have beenborn with reducedinitiative and lessenedabilities to concentrateand pursue life goals.According to moffitMalouf and Thompson inDrug Precipice (1998),studies conducted inlaboratories suggest thatmarijuana is able tochange the character ofgenes in cells orchromosomes. Thischanges may bemutagenic, that is, can bepassed on to futuregeneration.In Nigeria today,marijuana has gainedprominence among theyouths and adults alike.You may wonder thatdespite the awareness onthe danger of this drug, thedrug is still being brazenlysold and used. In spite ofthe spirited efforts by theNational Drug LawEnforcement Agency(NDLEA) to check thesales and consumption ofthis drug demand formarijuana is on the rise.In the past, marijuanararely used by the youths.People who smokemarijuana only did it inhiding where they wouldnot be seen. But today,reverse is the case asmarijuana is openlyconsumed in beerparlours, night clubs,mallam joints and even inmusical concerts.Gone are the days whenmarijuana smokers hideunder the cover ofdarkness to get high onweed. Nowadays, theyhave no need to hide their

odious habit from thepublic. Marijuana has alsocrept into schools asstudents of secondaryschools and higherinstitutions smoke thisdrug with recklessabandon.Some members of LawEnforcement agencieswho are supposed to checkthe use of this drugallegedly join in to gethigh. Our musicians andcelebrities who aresupposed to act as rolemodels to the young one’spublicly admits tosmoking marijuana.To make it worst,marijuana is sold for acheap price. And since itis cheap, it is readyavailable for anyoneinteresting in giving it atry. The drug is sold formerely N50, while thespecial type commonlyknown as skunk is sold forN100. you may want toask me, what is skunk andhow is it special? Skunkconsists of a smallamounts of cocaine anddry leaves. It is a drug forthose who feels that thenormal igbo does not makethem high anymore. Skunkis highly addictive andcould easily make a personrun mad than the normalweed. There is also thebiggest size known as‘jumbo’ or ‘Baba 70’. Thisis 20 wraps of igbowrapped in a newspaper.Some smokers even mixmarijuana with gin orbrandy in a concoctionknown as ‘Monkey tail’.At present, marijuana isthe most abused drug inNigeria. It is so because itcan grown effortlesslyanywhere and it is verycheap. In fact, smoking ofmarijuana is so rampantthat, if it is not addressedsoon and properly. It willbecome a culture, a way oflife in our country.

ertain period of time canult in the developmentvarious types of mentalorders. In more severeses, users have beenmitted to psychiatricspitals. In 1998, the then

SU (New South Wales)alth Minister Dr.

ndrew Reshaugeorted that between 1993d 1997, hospitalsperienced an almost 10r cent in the number ofnnabis - dependenttients suffering fromug - induced psychoticness.arijuana use may causencer: some researchers

suggested that peoplewho smoke marijuana areabout 20 times moreprone to developing lungcancer than people whosmoke tobaccocigarettes.Another study which waspublished in the CancerPrevention ResearchJournal stated that longterm marijuana usershave up to 61 percent riskof developing head andneck cancers than non-marijuana users.Negative effects on themale sperm: it isstrongly believed thatmarijuana use can have a

“Gone are the days when marijuana smokers hide under thecover of darkness to get high on weed. Nowadays, they haveno need to hide their odious habit from the public. Marijuanahas also crept into schools as students of secondary schoolsand higher institutions smoke this drug with reckless abandon.”


International Features

How Much Europe Is TooMuch Europe?

David Cameron, British Prime Minister.

IN the dark days ofEurope’s debt crisis in 2012,when it seemed Greece mightbe forced out of the euro andthe single currency couldimplode, leaders believed“more Europe” was the onlyanswer.

Only deeper integration canbolster the region to withstandfuture crises, they said. Amore united Europe willpunch its weight in the world,not collapse on the ropes.

Among the more ferventvoices in support was GermanChancellor Angela Merkel,whose declaration that “weneed more Europe; we needmore cooperation” promptedpolicymakers to draft plansfor a banking union, closerfiscal ties and, in time, a morecomplete political integrationof the union’s 28 countries.

How times have changed.A year on, banking union -

the idea of providing a singlebackstop for all the region’sbanks - stumbles ahead butonly as a shadow of itsoriginal self. Fiscal union isbarely mentioned, while thesteps that would have comeafter are long forgotten.

Instead of “more Europe”,the more common phrase inBrussels these days might be“EU-lite”. Rather than therelentless logic of “ever closerunion” - the guiding principleof Europe’s federalists for 60years - the attitude amongsome member states is betterdescribed as “only as muchEurope as we really need”.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, themost determined advocate of“EU-lite” is Britain. PrimeMinister David Cameron,with his promise to voters ofa referendum on Britain’s EUmembership by 2017, hasmade it abundantly clear thatBritain wants a looserassociation with Brussels afterfour decades in the club.

In its review of “the balanceof EU competences” -Britain’s phrase for totting upthe pros and cons ofmembership - the findings so

far have suggested that whileEurope may not be as bad assome think, there are areaswhere EU legislation is tooburdensome or the influenceof Brussels is too stifling.

Instead, Britain’s vision forthe EU - which Cameronwants to remain part of - is aunion focused on its strengthsas a trading bloc, the world’slargest, and as a single marketof 500 million developed-world consumers.

Rather than Brusselsdetermining how many hourssomeone should work a weekor how baby formula shouldbe labeled, Britain wants it toact on a higher level, dealingwith international trade,investment, commerce andsecurity policy.

“LEANER ANDMEANER”

When Britain first raised thepossibility of a renegotiationof its ties earlier this year, itwas a lonely voice.Opponents, including Franceand the EuropeanCommission, said nobodyshould be allowed to “pickand choose” the terms of theirmembership.

But the Netherlands, one ofthe six founder members ofthe EU, has conducted its ownreview of its relationship withBrussels and also sees roomfor improvement. Acommerce-minded tradingnation like Britain, it alsowants EU policy to sweat lessof the small stuff and focus onthe bigger picture.

“The time for an ‘evercloser union’ in every possiblepolicy areas is behind us,”Foreign Minister FransTimmermans wrote in a letterto the Dutch parliament inJune. His prime minister,Mark Rutte, was even moresuccinct, saying Europeneeded to become “smaller,leaner and meaner”.

No less a Europeanstateswoman than Merkelinvited Cameron for privatetalks in April and saidafterwards she agreed with

many of his ideas forreforming the union.

In a radio interview lastmonth, she said that if she wasre-elected as chancellor

following elections onSeptember 22, she would lookat whether some powersshould be repatriated from theEuropean Commission tomember states.

“We don’t have to doeverything in Brussels... Wecan also consider whether wecan give something back,” she

said, a line the EU-skepticBritish press took as supportfor Cameron.

“ E V E R Y T H I N GCOLLAPSES”

All that has raisedexpectations that at somepoint soon, probably in 2015,there could be an agreementamong member states torevise the EU’s governingtreaty, with everyone gettinga chance to negotiate a newdeal with Brussels.

That would be no small

matter. If it does take place, itwould also come shortly afterelections to the EuropeanParliament, set for next May,when there is likely to be a

rise in the anti-EU vote acrossthe continent, reflectinggrowing disquiet about thedirection Europe is going in.

The problem, of course, isthat one country’s vision fora better, less burdensome EUis not everyone else’s.Britain’s taste for “EU-lite” isnot France’s cup of tea. Far

from it.“It’s like playing Jenga,”

said Hugo Brady, a seniorresearch fellow at the Centrefor European Reform,referring to a game thatinvolves carefully removingwooden blocks from a towerand stacking them on top.“Eventually someone pullsout the wrong block and thewhole thing collapses.”

While Brady agrees thefederalist dream of a “countrycalled Europe” may havevanished, the Europeanproject remains alive and itsmomentum is still towardsdeeper integration.Membership of the euro, thebiggest symbol of unity, isgrowing.

The factor that willdetermine whether “moreEurope” or “EU-lite” wins theday will be the economiccrisis, says Brady.

For the moment, thefinancial and economic chaosthat has stalked the EU for thepast three years is inabeyance, removing much ofthe immediate pressure forcloser union.

But if the debt crisis returns- and very serious problemsremain in Greece, Cyprus,Spain and Portugal that couldblow up at any time - the“more Europe” and “closerunion” mantra will quicklyresound again, whetherBritain likes it or not.

Courtesy: REUTERS.

“Instead, Britain’s vision for the EU - which Cameron wantsto remain part of - is a union focused on its strengths as atrading bloc, the world’s largest, and as a single market of500 million developed-world consumers.”

“While Brady agrees the federalist dream of a “country called Europe”may have vanished, the European project remains alive and itsmomentum is still towards deeper integration. Membership of the euro,the biggest symbol of unity, is growing.”


Ingredient For Living ASuccessful Life

Drumbeats WithApostle Dr.Raphael O.Ayemere

08035459593

PRAYER is one of the keysyou need which we help youto have and enjoy ingredientfor living a successful life.Prayer in the life of a businessman, a politician, banker,contractor and a governmentworker will help to enhanceyour greatness and give youaccess to achieving your goalsand dreams in life. Just likewater helps in increasing ourstrengths and energy, prayerwill also enable you to bestrong physically andspiritually. A prayerful manor woman will always havepower to resist and overcomeevery problems and oppositionthat may come across his or herway in the course of businessactivities or otherwise. Any man or woman who triesto underestimate the power orprayers will live in shame,reproach, difficulties, failuresand disappointment “And thelord appeared to Solomon bynight, and said unto him I haveheard thy prayer and havechosen this place to myself fora house of sacrifice. If I shutheaven that there be no rain orif I command the locust todevour the land or if I sentpestilence among my people,If my people which are calledby my name shall humblethemselves and pray, and seekthy face, and turn from theirwicked ways then will I hearfrom heaven, and will forgivetheir sin; and will heal theirland”. 2 Chronicles 7:21-14. Any man or woman wholacks prayers in his or her lifeis like a solders without aweapon or a building withouta foundation. The bible recordsthat often time Jesus withdrewhimself from his disciples topray. Friends, what did Jesusneed prayer for? Is it forprotection, provision andpower? Jesus prayed always toenhance his communion andfellowship with the father. Heknew that the more he prayed,the more fellowship he willenjoyed with his heavenlyfather. Friends, your constant prayer

has a lot to do in theenhancement of your destiny. Weak Christian can’t praylong and strong Christian whospend quality time with Godand make prayer a source oftheir strength can never beweak and be intimidated.Prayer help Christians tounlock every closed door. “And lie spake a parable untothem to this end, that menought always to pray, and notto faint, saying, there was in acity a Judge, which feared notGod, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in thecity, and she came unto hint,saying, avenge me of mineadversary. And he would notfor a while but after ward hesaid within himself though fearnot God nor regard man. Yet because fit is widowtroubteth me, I will avenge her,lest by her continual comingshe weary me. And the lord said, hear whatthe unjust Judge saith. Andshall not God avenge his ownelect, which cry day and nightunto him, though he bear longwith him. I tell you that he willavenge them speedilynevertheless when the son ofman cometh, shall he find faithon the earth?’ Luke 18:1-8. Beloved, I will admonishyou to stop procrastinating andwake up to pray see whathappens next in your life andbusiness.

FAST OFTENFasting is one of theingredients that have helped toenhance the success of others.A man or woman who fastoften have quick access intoenjoying and having success inhis or her life. Success attractsand motivates other people toones life. There is power infasting, the more you embarkin it and exercise it, the moreyou will experience successand enjoy Gods blessing inyour life. Fasting has a lot of positiverole to play in the life of aChristian who daily seeksuccess in his or her life.

Fasting will always help toenhance our life and beautifyour Christian lives. Fasting canalso help to break everyhindrance or set back theenemy may bring across ourway, any man or woman whosebusiness and academic life isderailing and suffering can usefasting to enhance his or herpolitical and business life.

Then Mordecia commanded toEsther think not with thyselfthat thou shall escape in theKing’s house, more all theJews. “For if thou altogetherboldest thy peace at this time,then shall their enlargementand deliverance arise to theJews. From another place, butthou and thy father’s houseshall be destroyed and whoknoweth whether thou artcome to the kingdom for suchtime as this? Then Esther bade themreturn Mordecia this answer.Go, gather together all the Jewthat are present in Shushan,and fast ye for me three days,and three night I also and mymaidens will fast likewise, and

so will I go in unto the king,which is not according to thelaw and if I perish, I perish. SoMordecia went his way and didcommanded him.”Esther 4: 13-17. Never underestimate thepower of fasting. The successof other to a great extent is tiedto fasting and their ability tobelieve and trust in God. Whatcomplain, axiety, worry, fearand doubt cannot do, fasting inthe other hand can help you to

do and achieve it. Don’t doubtthat which you have not tried,try it. And you will discover thepower behind it.

THANK GODALWAYS

One of the major ingredientsfor living a successful life isour ability to learn how to bethankful and grateful to ourcreator. A thankful heartglorifies God and helps us tosit upon the throne of ourdestiny. Whatever God does to youand through you, he stillexpects gratitude from you. Agrateful heart is a heart that isfull of merriment. Thanksgiving to God can be doneeither by words, kindness to

others or by action. Whichevermethod you decide to adopt inother for you to showthanksgiving and showappreciation to God, do it,because is your gateway tosuccess. If I may ask, how often doyou thank God? Don’t put

yourself under a curse. Failureto thank God for his blessingand kindness in our lives canlead us into bondage and putus into heavenly and earthlycauses. If you sincerely want to haveand enjoy successful life, thenyou must form the habit ofthanking God always. A lifefull of happiness, joy, peace ofmind and success in allramifications. “It is good thing to givethanks unto the Lord, and tosing praised unto thy name, Omost high. To show forth thyloving-kindness in themorning, and thy faithfulnessevery night. Upon an instrument, of ternstrings and upon the psaltery,upon the harp with a solemensound. For thou, Lord, hast made meglad through thy work; I willtriumph in the works of thyhands. O Lord, how great are thyworks, and thy thoughts arevery deep” Psalm 92:15. One of the things that interestme mostly in the life of kingDavid is his gratitude and

thanksgiving lifestyle towardGod. He appreciated thesuccess, protection andprovision God gave him daily. “Then they took away thestone from the place where thedead was land, and Jesus liftedup his eyes, and said, Father, Ithank thee that thou hast heard

me. And I knew that thou hearestme always, but because of thepeople which stand by I saidit, that they may believe thatthou hast sent me. And when he thus hadspoken, he cried with a Loudvoice, Lazarus, comeforth. And he that was dead cameforth, bound hand and feet withgrave clothes, and his face wasbound about with a napkin.Jesus said unto them loose himand let him go”. John11:41-44. What was the ingredientJesus used in achieving successof raising Lazarus from thegrave? It was the ingredient ofthanksgiving. Friends,thanksgiving is a great weaponwhich can help us to achievesuccess that will enhance ourdestiny on earth. Whether you believe it ornot, God is demandingthanksgiving from you. Theearlier you start giving Godthanks and showing himgratitude for his love andkindness he show you daily,the more you will continue toenjoy his heavenly blessings.

“ And the lord said, hear what the unjust Judge saith. And shall not Godavenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bearlong with him. I tell you that he will avenge them speedily neverthelesswhen the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?’ Luke18:1-8. Beloved, I will admonish you to stop procrastinating and wakeup to pray see what happens next in your life and business.”


IssuesMilking The Nation In The Name Of

Salaries And AllowanceBy EMMANUEL EGOBIAMBU

Senate President

FOR the umpteenthtime, the NationalAssembly, has been inthe news again. As manycritics and observerswould say, it was not fora good or positive event.The respectedInternational Magazine,The Economist, openedeyelids when it revealedN i g e r i a nparliamentarians are thehighest paid in the world;raking a jaw droppingN29.8million eachyearly. These lawmakerswere revealed to beearning higher than theirnations counterparts suchas United States ofAmerica, France, Britainand others. According to thefindings, the legislatorsbasic salary (excludingallowances), is 116 timesthe nation’s GDP personof $1,600. The Kenyalegislators were said tobe trailing Nigeria’s by awhooping 52%. However, the RevenueMobilisation Allocationand Fiscal Commission(RMAFC), came out torefute the report by TheEconomists. They put thefigures at N12, 766,320. With this recentdevelopment, manyquestion have been leftunanswered. Nigeria areasking. What has thehuge pay contributed tothe economic and socialwell being if the averageNigerian? Is this moneynot supposed to be usedin repositioning thenation’s falling and ailingeconomy? Similarly, a former

Minister of Education,Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, alsocame out smoking whenshe revealed that thenation’s lawmakersconstitute a hole in thecountry’s economy.Ezekwesili who statedthis while giving akeynote address in Abuja,said “since 2005, theNational Assemblymembers alone have beenallocated N 1 trillion”.This amounts to aboutN266.5 million perlegislature. It was not Ezekwesilialone that has raisedeyebrows about the sky-high allowance /emolument of the federallawmakers. In November2010, the Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN) governor,Mallam Sanusi LamidoSanusi said that thelawmakers high salary istruncating the economicdrive in the country. Thegovernor explained thatabout 25% of the nation’sannual budget, goes to theNational Assemblymembers. Renowned lawmaker,professor Itse Sagay andformer Federal CapitalTerritory Minister, NasirEl-rufai also questionedthe jumbo pay ofNigeria’s lawmakers andpublic servants. El-rufaipointed out that the costof maintaining alegislator is n320 millionnoting that it is one of thefacts for borrowing tocarry out capital projects. The federal lawmakers

were quick to call thehigh emolument bluff.They even alleged thatthe executive arm ofearns higher than them. The Senate spokesman,Senator EnyinninyaAbaribe said that thereports were a makeup ofthe authors adding that

“the senate will nordignify the false claimswith a reaction. However, thesefindings should not betaken lightly. For manyan observer of thepolitical, social andeconomic landscape inthis West African nation,the jumbo pay is puttinga hole in the economy. At

a time when cost ofgovernance is raisingwith dealt ofinfrastructure across thenation, this is not oftimes. With about 70% ofthe budget being gulpedby recurrent expenditureand only 30% for capitalexpenditure, the path is

clear for crises in theinfrastructure base of thenation. At a time when theAmerican president,Barrack Obama, isearning lesser than thelawmakers, the countrycould possibly be on ajourney of no return.There are many roads tobe fixed, many hospitals

and equipments to bebuilt and installed acrossthe nation’s vastlandmass, but what’shappening with theHonourables’ pay, isdefeating the quest torevive these ailingstructures. Furthermore in thisnation where the averageperson is living on about

$ 1 daily, what wouldthese lawmakers bedoing with their boguspay. There are millions ofpeople dying daily on thestreets due to hunger andyet the “Honourables”are swimming in theocean of wealth. Yes,they may say that thefigure is exaggerated butone would ask again:How has it affected, naychange the fortunes of thenation? Since the returnof democratic rule in1999, it seems like thepolitics played in Nigeriais that of “hit and run withyour share of the nationalcake” Most politicianscome into the pray withlittle or nothing but leave

with fat bank accounts. Isthis what will drivehunger away from thecountry? It would best beimagined what mostpoliticians would do justto get “election”. Duringe l e c t i o n e e r i n gcampaigns, they can doanything just to get thecoveted seat. They willeven cure the electorate,like goats pursing a manwith palm fronds, withpeanuts. What about snatchingof ballot boxes duringelections? Oh, that is notan option for most of thepoliticians in Nigeria. They can do anythingto get to that placebecause, with the moneycoming their way, the endtherefore justifies themeans. Some would evenask, if the legislators arenot paid, would anyonebe ready to maim just toget there? It is like thetime when people comeout for elective positionsjust to change the statusquo for good, is fasteluding the country. Of course, theseemoluments are not partof other estacodes astravel allowance, and thelikes. The nature ormagnitude of internal orhidden “transactions” bythese honourables, maystill be a mirage to many.It would not be ruled outthat they have someillegal or secret means ofamassing wealth. Whowill bell the cat? As the debate on thelawmakers pay raisesdust Nigerianslegislature’s bogus paylift the country’s growth?Will the large amount ofmoney gulped by theirsalaries and estacodes,not amount to robbingPeter to pay Paul?Indeed, it is milking thenation dry in the name ofjumbo pay.

“At a time when the American president, Barrack Obama, is earninglesser than the lawmakers, the country could possibly be on a journeyof no return. There are many roads to be fixed, many hospitals andequipments to be built and installed across the nation’s vast landmass,but what’s happening with the Honourables’ pay, is defeating the questto revive these ailing structures.”


IssuesIssuesEncouraging Local Vehicle

Assembly PlantsBy CHIJIOKE OKORONKWO

President Goodluck Jonathan

IN an effort to boostindustrialisation andencourage localmanufacturing in thecountry, the FederalGovernment establishedfive vehicle assemblyplants in the 1970s.

The plants werePeugeot AutomobileNigeria Ltd. (PAN),Kaduna; Volkswagen ofNigeria Ltd. (VWoN),Lagos; Anambra MotorM a n u f a c t u r i n gC o m p a n y(ANAMMCO), Enugu;Styer Nigeria Ltd.,Bauchi; National TruckManufacturers (NTM),Kano; and LeylandNigeria Ltd., Ibadan.

Less than 20 yearsafter, some of the plantsbecame moribund duelargely to the effects ofglobal economicrecession of the 1990sand early 2000s, leadingto the inability of theplants to cope with thechallenges of importsubstitution.

The few surviving onesnow operate at far lessthan their installedcapacities.

A fresh pronouncementaimed at reviving theautomotive industrythrough private sectorparticipation was maderecently by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan.

This was during hisvisit to inaugurateInnoson VehicleM a n u f a c t u r i n gCompany Limited(IVM) plant in Nnewi,Anambra.

He noted that Innoson’sstrides were in tandemwith government’seconomic policy ofencouraging thedevelopment of theprivate sector.

“I am indeed happythat Innoson is not justassembling parts that areimported from othercountries.

“From all indications, itis only the engine that isimported; apart fromthat, every other thing ismanufactured inNigeria,’’ he said.

Mr. InnocentChukwuma, The ChiefExecutive Officer ofInnoson, solicitedgovernment’s support

through the formulationof enabling policies andcreating a favourableinvestment climate.

“Mr. President, withadequate encouragement,we can go beyond ourpresent level of operation;and when we operatefully, the auto plant alonecan employ as many as3,200 workers.

“Most of the rawmaterials were raised inNigeria and all the carparts are made in Nigeria,except the importedengine blocks,’’ he said.

Mr. Aminu Jalal,D i r e c t o r - G e n e r a l ,National AutomotiveCouncil (NAC), Abuja,appraised Nigeria’sautomotive sector, sayingthat Innoson produced1,600 units of vehicles in2012, and called for morepatronage for thecompany.

He said that the plantproduced different modelsof vehicles, amounting toabout 300 to 400 units permodel.

He regretted that Nigeriaspends about N600 billionannually on vehicleimportations, adding thatabout 50,000 new and150,000 used vehicleswere imported into thecountry yearly.

“Nigerians spend anaverage of N400 billionon the importation ofpassenger cars, and by thetime you add trucks andother vehicles, the amountNigerians spend onimported vehicles will berunning to N600 billionannually.

“The market is there;with this market,automotive companieswill be willing to invest inthe country. But theconstraint is the lowimport duty which madethe vehicles cheap.

“Our current policystructure encouragesimportation anddiscourages production.

“That is why we aretrying to reverse it tosomething that isobtainable in India and

other countries where it iseasier to set upmanufacturing plants thanto import vehicles.

“The easiest way to doit is by putting in place a

tariff structure that willdiscourage importationand encourage productionof vehicles,’’ he said.

Jalal regretted thatNigeria’s import dutyregime was not skewed infavour of localmanufacturers in order tofurther encourage them.

“Nigeria’s import duty is10 per cent forcommercial vehicles and20 per cent for cars; rightnow complete knockdown (CKD) parts isimported at five per cent,’’he said.

He said that NAC haddisbursed seven billionnaira in loans to vehiclemanufacturers in thecountry under its autodevelopment scheme.

He said that only five ofthe 10 companies thatapplied for the loans hadaccessed it, noting thatPAN got three billionnaira; IVM got one billionnaira, while Dunlop(Nigeria) Ltd. receivedN1.2 billion.

Jalal said that theremaining amount wasallocated to micro-financebanks for disbursement toother small and medium-scale industrialists.

He also said that theNAC had concluded

arrangements to establishautomotive test centres inthe country where trainedmechanics wouldeffectively handle modernvehicles to ensure theirdurability.

He said that the projectwould boost thedevelopment of localcontent in the automotivesector.

“It will also not onlyensure good operation andmaintenance of Nigerianvehicles; it will also help toobtain capacity to conductapproval tests in vehicles.’’

Jalal said that the projectwould be done in twophases, adding that thefeasibility and consultancyaspects had beenconcluded.

He stated that necessaryand appropriate approvalsfrom government agencieshad been obtained, addingthat laboratories would beestablished in some parts ofthe country to fully realisethe objectives of the project.

He said that the

laboratories include acomponent testinglaboratory, automotivematerial laboratory,emission testinglaboratory, and a vehicleevaluation laboratory.

According to him, thecouncil had trained somehighly skilled mechanicson mechatronicsprogrammes to man thecentres.

Mechatronics is acombined training inmechanics, hydraulics,electrical/electronic andcomputer applications inmodern vehicleoperations.

Mr. Kolapo Odetoro,NAC’s Director,Industrial andI n f r a s t r u c t u r a lDevelopment, said thatthe council wascollaborating with aJapanese firm to establishan auto-recyclingcompany for non-serviceable vehicles inAbuja.

“We have reached anadvanced stage ofnegotiations for theestablishment of an auto-recycling company.

“The company whichwill be sited in Abuja is toserve as a model centre,and will be replicated inother parts of thecountry,’’ he said.

Analysts say moreshould be done toencourage indigenousauto companies to enableNigeria join the league ofdeveloping countriesknown as vehiclemanufacturing nations.

They include Thailand,South Korea, India,Brazil, Indonesia,Malaysia, South Africa,Uzbekistan, Vietnam, andBangladesh.

NAME APPLICANTS FOR GRANT

Mr. Samuel Onukufor PED/491/2012 Ibeleme, Late of Abayi Isiala Mrs. Dorcas Chinenye Ngwa North Local Govt Area Ibeleme, Mr. Ahamefula who died on the 29th day Ibeleme and Mr. of No. of November, 2011 15, Nkemakolam Ibeleme at Benin City. Enogie Street, Sapele

Road, Benin City, widow and sons respectively of the deceased.

DATED THIS 20TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2013

LEGAL NOTICEIN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE

EDO STATE OF NIGERIAPROBATE REGISTRY

BENIN CITY

WHEREAS the persons whose name is set out in the first columnhereunder died intestate on the date and at the place stated in thecolumn;

AND WHEREAS the persons, whose names, address and claimedrelationship to the deceased are set in the second column hereunderhave applied to the Probate Registrar, High Court of Justice, EdoState of Nigeria for the Resealing of the Letters of Administrationalready granted to them by the High Court of Justice, Abia Stateof Nigeria of the personal and real property of the deceased.

NOTICE IS BY THIS GIVEN that Letters of Administration willbe granted to such persons unless a NOTICE to prohibit the grantis filed in this Registry within seven (7) days from the date of thepublication of this notice.

SIGNED:E. I. BAZUAYE (MRS)DEPUTY PROBATE

REGISTRAR


IssuesOpinionMr President Could Learn From The Experiences

Of America’s Lyndon .B. Johnson By EJIRO BARRETT

NOBODY knows how the2015 presidential electionswill play out. It is expectedthat, as usual, the powers ofincumbency will prevail. Thismay be the case, if weconsider that it has neverhappened differentlythroughout Nigeria’sdemocratic history, but it isalso important to learn fromthe experiences of othercountries where the greatestchallenge to incumbentpower arose from within.President Jonathan couldlearn a thing or two from theLyndon. B. Johnsonexperience.

For those who have read abit of American politicalhistory, the Lyndon BJohnson experience is foodfor thought. Just likeJohnson’s fateful assumptionof the presidential seat in1963, after the death ofPresident John F Kennedy,President Jonathan becamepresident after the death of hissuperior, though surmountingimmense challenges the likesof which Johnson wouldnever have imagined in a wellstructured democracy like theU.S.A. Their assumption ofthe presidential office hadbeen determined more byconstitutional demand thanby their public appeal orpolitical craft. Beyond similarcircumstances that created theopportunity to lead, theexperiences in office revealobvious similarities also: bothmen rode on the prevailingpublic sentiment thatwelcomed them into office tobuild strong bases for theirfuture political designs; theyhad both secured the supportof their parties to run for fullfirst terms as president,fighting tough battles withpolitical opponents whoappeared strong enough tosurmount the advantage ofincumbency. Even theircampaign strategies for theirfirst attempts at winning thepresidential seats had anuncanny similarity: Johnson’s

campaign warned of apossible nuclear war if hisRepublican rival, BarryGoldwater, is elected, withTV ads that had the effectiveimagery of a little girl’splayful flower picking andcounting to ten, suddenlysuperseded by a baritonevoice mimicking thecountdown to a nuclearlaunch. Jonathan’s campaignhandlers, on the other hand,seemed bent on selling thepossibility of an open conflictbetween religions if hisstrongest opponent, retiredGeneral Buhari, won theelections. While in office aselected presidents, however,they had become enmeshed inconflicts that seemed to haveslowly eroded the publicsupport they had garneredpreviously.

The similarities do not endthere. With victory at the pollscame even greater challengesfor both men: with Johnson,it came in the guise of theVietnam war; a ragingconflict that saw Johnsonfighting a tougher battle athome than in Vietnam; withJonathan, it is the anti- terrorcampaign in northern Nigeriathat has swelled the numbersof his critics who question themethods and aims of thefederal government. UnlikeJohnson’s experience, therehas been no national demandon President Jonathan towithdraw our troops from thebattle, but there have beenwidespread criticism of theway the anti-terror war hasbeen fought so far. Duringpresident Johnson’s term inelected office, signs of hisimminent unpopularity wereusually played down by hissupporters and spokesmen;such predictions were usuallyblamed on the antics of cynicsand a media that wasdetermined to see the collapseof the government. ToJohnson’s team, the reasonsfor this alleged media attackwas anything but the obviousfailings of government

policies. Juxtapose this withthe claims by our presidentialspokesmen when the policiesof this administration arecriticised.

When the signs becameclear that Johnson would runfor a second term in office,public assessment of hisachievements became morevehement. It was clear thatthe second term attemptwould not be easy for him,judging from public opinion

trends. At some point,Johnson had been warned thathe would lose some states by100,000 votes. For many,frustration over the war inVietnam and too much federalspending had inspired publicdistrust. In response to thecriticisms, Johnson’s teamclaimed that wages were thehighest in U.S history,unemployment was at a 13-year low, and corporateprofits and farm incomeswere greater than ever. And

so it seems that some leaveshave been reaped from theJohnson experience incountering the challenges ofpublic dissatisfaction with thepolicies of this administration.First, the response to publicdissatisfaction has been toblame the press for a morbiddislike of the president for noclear reason; then to presentfacts- a la Mid-Term Report-of growth in the same areas

that the Johnson governmentchose as evidence of success;drop in unemployment andwage increase. However, likethe Johnson administration,while these successes arebeing bandied, there has beentotal ignorance of a failure indirecting the benefits to thosewho need it the most; theteeming population of poorand unemployed. In Johnson’stime, a 4.5 percent jump inconsumer prices seemed likenothing to worry about, as was

the rise in interest rates. InNigeria, it is a jump inconsumer prices and theabsence of necessaryservices.

Even more telling of thesimilarity between both menis in the manner theybroached issues thatquestioned their popularity.Once asked to explain whyhe was unpopular, Johnsonresponded, “I am adominating personality, andwhen I get things done I don’talways please all the people.”

For some reason, he blamedeveryone but himself for thechallenges that he faced; howmuch this same approachresonates in Nigeria.

Where the juxtaposition ofboth leaders gets reallyinteresting is the glimpse theexperience of one offers intothe possible outcome of theother’s ambition. WhenJohnson initially indicatedhis interest in the 1968election campaign for asecond term, no prominentDemocratic candidate wasprepared to run against asitting president of theDemocratic Party. However,when one candidate decidedto throw his hat in the ring,he exposed Johnson’sweakening support base andthe over hyped myth ofincumbent power. When theresults came in after theprimaries in one of the states,Senator Eugene McCarthywon 42 percent of the

primary vote to Johnson’s 49percent, a strong showingagainst someone whom noone had wanted to standagainst and whose supportbase had been consideredvery strong. Four days later,Sen. Robert F. Kennedy ofNew York entered the race. Ifthat result was bad, it seemedto be getting worse: internalpolling by Johnson’scampaign team in anotherstate showed that he wastrailing badly. It was clear bythis time that Johnson had lostcontrol of the DemocraticParty, the party had also splitinto four factions, eachcompeting for supremacy. Iguess the juxtaposition hereis obvious: We havewitnessed the growingopposition that presidentJonathan faces within thePeople’s Democratic Party(PDP) and the potentialproblems this may pose forhis reelection bid. If PresidentJohnson’s experience isanything to go by, PresidentJonathan’s battle for controlof the party is a battle of witsthat may prove his undoing.

There are several opinionsabout the factors that led toJohnson’s surprise decision tofinally pull out of the race fora second term in office: somesay he wanted out of the racebut also wanted vindication;when the indicators turnednegative he decided to leave;others suggest that Johnsonhad neglected the party, washurting it by his Vietnampolicies, and underestimatedthe strength of his opponentsuntil the very lastminute,when it was too late for himto recover; some others sayJohnson realised that heneeded to leave in order forthe nation to heal. Whileothers believe that Johnsonhad no other meaningfuldomestic goals, and realisedthat his personality had badlydamaged his popularity. Iguess the narrative exposesthe insinuation.

The Lyndon Johnsonexperience may just be awarning that, while winninga first term election aspresident may prove easy forvice presidents who assumeoffice on the back ofconstitutional legitimacy, asecond term is not so easy toobtain.

President Goodluck Jonathan

“There are several opinions about the factors that led to Johnson’s surprisedecision to finally pull out of the race for a second term in office: some sayhe wanted out of the race but also wanted vindication; when the indicatorsturned negative he decided to leave; others suggest that Johnson hadneglected the party, was hurting it by his Vietnam policies, andunderestimated the strength of his opponents until the very lastminute, whenit was too late for him to recover; some others say Johnson realised that heneeded to leave in order for the nation to heal.”


Environment

By CHIEF BOBSON IGBINIJE

Delta State: Countdown ToThe Killer-Floods

As the quintessentialepitomization of satyriasislies and dovetails intosaturnalian debauchery, so,nature abused, fights backwith odium. Hence, JeanLouis Agassiz (1807-1873)observed that “The study ofNature is an intercourse withthe Highest Mind. Youshould never trifle withNature”. Man, hashorrendously abused Natureover the years and nowNature is vengefully fightingback with and throughCLIMATE CHANGE”.

The climate changephenomenon has led to thehorrid depletion of theOzone Layer and has alsoprecipitated disastrousclimatological consequenceson the planet Earth.Resulting in delugial floods,droughts, tornadoes, gales,hurricanes, dermatologicalcancer, optical diseases andother multidimensionalsocio-economic aftermaths.

In Nigeria, theweatheriological andmeteorological bodies havewarned of the coming offloods of biblical proportionin over 30 states of theFederation. In the last flooddisaster the FederalGovernment doled outBillions of Naira tostatutorily obligatedinstitutions charged withalleviating and checkmatingthe effects of the floods andto the State Governments.

Indeed, the Ministryof Works got 2.6Billion andan additional 556 Million,NEMA got 1.1Billion plus1.24Billion, Ministry ofEnvironment got 250Millionplus 95Million, NationalCommittee for Refugees got150Million and TechnicalCommittee on Flood ImpactAssessment got 100Million.These monies are exclusiveof what the Federal

Government disbursed tothe States and what variousState Governments injectedinto the fight against floods,structures andcompensations etc.

The torrentialrainfall, the opening of theLagdo Dam by theCameroonian Authorities asit happened Last Year, theslow pace of work on theKashimbilla MultipurposeDam being constructed bythe Federal Government inTaraba State, the CollectiveLeadership inertia in mostStates of the Federation andthe lethargic pace of the 23Dams being constructedacross the country willdefinitely precipitateterribly horrendous floods.

The fight tocheckmate the coming killerfloods is on-going in DeltaState, as illegal structuresalong drainage paths andwaterways are being pulleddown in Asaba, Warri,Sapele, Ughelli, Effurun,Agbor, Orerokpe, Aladjaetc. In Warri the opening-upof culverts, bridges,waterways, gutters etc hasgained intensiveacceleration. The bridgealong Lower Erejuwa Road,Ogboru /Nelson/Deco/Avenue/Okandeji/Ope/Omoine and Father HealeyStreets are receivingcommendable attention andpersonally supervised byChief Omare, theCommissioner forEnvironment.

In short, I saw theCommissioner hired anengine boat (watercraftvessel) and went tosuperintend the quenchingof a fuel barge conflagrationon the warri River OppositeWarri Club/Naval Base andthere were two waterhyacinth tractors doingcleansing of the Warri

River. These efforts must becommended.

But we must admonishthe Commissioner and HisExcellency GovernorUduaghan, that this is aMolehill in a Mountain and atip of iceberg. They must notethat Delta State, River State,Akwa-Ibom State, Edo State,Ondo State, Lagos State etc aslitoral States experience morerainfall and hence floods thanother states in Nigeria andmust be fully prepared for thein-coming killer floods.

The sand filling andbuilding of a Model School onthe Warri Prison Rice Farmalong Esisi Road by the OkereBridge is wrong. That RiceFarm acted as a shorelineprotection measure, floodcomber, rain chamber andspeed breaker to floods. Wealso wish to draw the attention

of the Hon. Commissionerand His Excellency to theWarri drainage plan broughtfrom Holland by Late Chief(Dr) Esiri in 1963 and beingexecuted by the then WarriDivisional Council, theIgberaja/Abeke Drainageplan for Sapele Urban Areaof 1961 and the 1962 ChiefFestus Okotie-Ebohsponsored Bill on floodexigencies and the creationof the Mid-Western Regionetc.

We call for attention tobe given to the DeltaDevelopment and PlanningAuthority Area Effurun(DDPA) and the NPA/NigerCat/Ugbuwangue/Ughoton/Jeddo/Ubeji and Ogbokodo -as these areas have no viableand functional drainagesystems and the existing onesare blocked by dirt. There is

need for the channelizationof the area and its environsinto the Edjeba/Ugboroke/Effurun etc Rivers and theirtributaries. We admonish thecommissioner and HisExcellency that the UpperOgunu, Okere Road/Ajamimoghan, Esisi, Pessu,Alawuru, Agbassa, MccliverRoads be channelized to theWarri river based onproximity to various points.

There must be massivesensitization based virtuallyon propaganda hype throughDelta Television, PointerNewspapers, Delta Fm radioand other communicationmedium to the people ofDelta State on how to beprepared like the people ofOklahoma before thedisastrous tornado inAmerica. We are yet to seeWaves/Flood breakers in ourrivers. We call for theconstruction of flood/wavebreaker in all our rivers inDelta State to forestallinundation due to floodbreaker absence.

The MethuselahSapele market that has beenundergoing construction forover 8 years now after beingburnt down should bedredged and beveled into theSapele river to avoid floodsgetting into the town, if the

river Ethiope over shoots itsBanks. The Sapele UrbanArea should be channeled tothe Sapele River and Ughellitown and its environs shouldbe adequately channelized.

This is notGovernment effort alone. Allhands must be on deck toforestall the in-comingdevasting and killer floods.We still call on Governmentto setup, exclusive of existingbodies, Delta State FloodMonitoring, Emergency,Rehabilitation and RefugeeAssistance Body[DSFMERAB] to work withthe People and all relevantGovernment Agencies toalleviate the shelter,refugees, health and foodsupplies problems etc.

Finally, the tidal surge offorce majeure is no respecterof lives and properties. Weadmonish the Delta StateGovernment and theNigerian Government to dotheir best and we hope thattheir best will be goodenough to forestall thedraconic tentacles of thekiller floods. AbrahamLincoln [1809-1865] positedthat, “Beware of rashness,but with energy and sleeplessvigilance go forward andgive us victories”. Wedeserve the best from an OilProducing State and it’sLeadership.

“The Care of human life and happiness,And not their destruction, is theFirst and only legitimate objectOf good government”. [Thomas Jefferson]

“But we must admonish the Commissioner and His ExcellencyGovernor Uduaghan, that this is a Molehill in a Mountain and a tipof iceberg. They must note that Delta State, River State, Akwa-IbomState, Edo State, Ondo State, Lagos State etc as litoral Statesexperience more rainfall and hence floods than other states in Nigeriaand must be fully prepared for the in-coming killer floods”.


International Nerws

Us VP Joe Biden In Mexico, Meeting With President

Obama To Meet Abbas Today- White House

Cambodian Opposition BoycottsParliament, Hun Sen Remains PM

Israeli Soldier Killed InWest Bank Shooting

MEXICO CITY — U.S. VicePresident Joe Biden told MexicanPresident Enrique Pena Nieto othat he wants to deepen relationsbetween the neighboring countriesbeyond drugs, security andimmigration.

Launching the High LevelEconomic Dialogue to boost tradeand investment ties, Biden urgedthe two countries to develop astronger economic partnershipthat can move “more people,goods and information across ourborder.”

“We have a billion dollars a dayin trade. Is there any businessmanor woman here who can’trationally picture in 10 years thatbeing $2 billion?” Biden asked atthe Foreign Ministry before hemet with the president. “Wecannot settle for business asusual.”

Biden later talked with PenaNieto about expanding tradebetween the countries byimproving border crossinginfrastructure and keepinginternational bridges open longerhours so more goods can moveacross. The meeting came justweeks after revelations that theNational Security Agency hadmonitored Pena Nieto’s emailsbefore his 2012 election.

“There is no relationship that wevalue more, there is no economicrelationship that we think holdsthe most promise and there is no

part of the world that has theopportunity to do as much togenerate economic growth overthe next 20 or 30 years in thehemisphere,” Biden said after themeeting.

Pena Nieto has been dealingwith massive flooding in thesouthern state of Guerrero andstreet protests by teachersopposed to his educationreforms.

Biden offered to provideassistance for storm recovery ifMexico asked for it. He said hewas traveling next to see theflooding in Colorado.

The vice president alsocharacterized Mexico’s reformsas “historic changes” that wouldhelp the country “establish a newrole in the 21st century.” Duringhis first nine months, Pena Nietoworked with the country’s twomain opposition parties to passreforms of the tightlyc o n c e n t r a t e dtelecommunications market andthe union-controlled educationsystem.

In educational cooperation,Biden said the two countries havegreat opportunities for increasedacademic and student exchangesand joint research.

Pena Nieto said he set a goalwith Biden for 100,000 Mexicanstudents go study in the U.S. and50,000 U.S. students study in

Mexico.“Vice President Biden’s visit

in Mexico reaffirms ourgovernment’s common visionand the interest we have inmaking our region of NorthAmerica stronger, more solidand consolidated,” said PenaNieto.

Before his meeting withMexico’s leader, Biden referredto the recent marches byprotesting teachers that havechoked Mexico City streets, andquipped that he thought themasses had assembled towelcome him.

“I was disappointed when Ifound out that the 15,000 outthere weren’t hollering ‘Biden,Biden,’” he said.

Biden met with Mexico’ssecretaries of finance, foreignaffairs, tourism, economy andeducation. He is traveling withthe U.S. secretaries ofcommerce, homeland securityand transportation and the U.S.trade representative.

President Barack Obamaannounced the bilateraleconomic dialogue in a visit toMexico in May. According to theWhite House, the annualCabinet-level meetings aredesigned to promote mutualgrowth, job creation andeconomic competitiveness.

“I have personally at the

request of the president focusedon the Middle East, Syria andevents in that region. But thepresident made clear to me, andas they say he was pushing on anopen door, that no matter whatoccupies us immediately, it isimportant for us to be here,”Biden said.

Myron Brilliant, head ofinternational affairs for the U.S.Chamber of Commerce,participated in Friday’s dialogueon the role of the private sector.He agrees that the two countriesshould have a bilateral approachto infrastructure and investment.

“Let’s make the borderseamless. ... the technologyexists,” he said. “It’s just aquestion of getting the twogovernments to implementsomething.”

The challenge, he said, iskeeping the governments focusedon building closer economic tiesand producing results.

“How does this get prioritizedversus other issues?” Brilliantsaid. “After all, the president is alittle distracted in Washington bythe debt ceiling, fiscal issues,crises in the Middle East. Wehave to make sure that we don’tforget that our own future residesin part on how we strengthenNorth American competitiveness,and that ties back to Mexico.” JERUSALEM - An Israeli

soldier was shot dead during aJewish festival in the West Bankcity of Hebron, a hotbed oftensions where some 500 Israelisettler families live among100,000 Palestinians.

He was the second Israeliserviceman killed since Fridayby suspected Palestiniangunmen as tensions rise in theoccupied territory despite aresumption of stalled U.S.-brokered peace talks in July.

Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu responded with anorder to permit settlers to moveinto a once disputed building inHebron near the scene of theattack, saying “whoever tries touproot us from the city of ourfathers will achieve theopposite.”

The United States condemnedthe killing of two Israel soldiers,in a statement issued in NewYork, where diplomats aregathering for the U.N. GeneralAssembly.

“Such violence and terror areunacceptable, and undermineefforts to establish the positiveatmosphere the parties need toprogress in peace negotiations,”spokesperson Jen Psaki said inan emailed statement.

Israeli military spokesmensaid the soldier had died in a

hospital in Jerusalem after asuspected sniper shot him in theneck while he was on patrol nearthe Tomb of Abraham, a Jewishand Islamic holy site in Hebron.

The attack occurred as the city,venerated as the burial site of thebiblical patriarch Abraham, waspacked with Jewish visitors for aweek-long Jewish festival. Israelimedia said crowds were usheredaway from the site as troopshunted for the perpetrator.

Hebron has long been aflashpoint of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestiniansseek statehood in the West Bank,which Israel captured in a 1967war.

“Shots were fired near theMachpela Cave,” policespokesman Mickey Rosenfeldsaid earlier, using the Hebrewname for the holy site, adding thatpolice believed the perpetratorwas Palestinian.

Israeli authorities said a soldierhad been killed by a Palestinianwho had lured him to hishometown in the West Bank. APalestinian suspect has beenarrested.

A week ago a Palestinianmilitant was killed in aconfrontation with Israeli forces,the fourth Palestinian fatalitysince July, and one of about twodozen fatalities since the start ofthe year.

PHNOM PENH -Opposition lawmakers boycottedthe opening of Cambodia’sparliament on Monday,threatening a constitutionalcrisis, after the authoritiesrefused to hold an independentinquiry into alleged vote-riggingby the party of Prime MinisterHun Sen.

King Norodom Sihamoniissued a decree reappointing HunSen, giving the royal seal ofapproval to the results of July’sgeneral election, and the long-serving premier is expected tooutline his new government’spolicies to parliament onTuesday.

Security at the NationalAssembly and elsewhere in thecapital, Phnom Penh, was tight,with many roads blocked offafter opposition protests lastweek in which one man died.

“Our goal still stands. We areboycotting today’s meetingbecause the truth has not beenuncovered and there has been nobreakthrough,” Yim Sovann, a

lawmaker for the oppositionCambodia National Rescue Party(CNRP), told Reuters.

“This meeting is a violation ofthe constitution.”

The National ElectionCommittee (NEC) says HunSen’s Cambodian People’s Party(CPP) won 68 seats in the July28 election to the CNRP’s 55.That was already a big setbackfor Hun Sen, but the CNRPclaimed victory, saying it wascheated out of 2.3 million votes.

The opposition and somepolitical analysts say a quorumof 120 lawmakers is needed toopen parliament. Hun Sen hasignored that, saying the rulesstipulate a new government canbe formed if 63 of the 123lawmakers vote in favour.

“The positive mood that waswitnessed during the campaignperiod and the hope inspired bythe election outcome, whichsignalled that Cambodia was ona sure path to a fully functioningdemocracy, are now fading,” saidOu Virak, president of the

Cambodian Center for HumanRights.

But he thought the oppositionwould continue to press forconcessions. “They can also lookfor signs of division andbreakdown within the rulingparty as I think their ultimate goalat this stage is to see Hun Sen,not the CPP, out of power.”

Hun Sen and CNRP leader SamRainsy held talks last week andagreed to look at how futureelections are held plus possiblereforms to national institutions.However, the premier has refusedto accept any furtherinvestigation into the July poll.

A U.S. embassy statementissued after parliament openedcalled for “a transparent reviewof irregularities”, to help addressflaws in the electoral process.

It called on the two parties tofollow up on a statement lastweek agreeing to furtherdialogue. “We believe that afunctioning National Assemblyrequires the participation of bothmajor political parties.”

The European Union urgedboth sides to work to reform theelectoral process. But theNational Assembly, it said in astatement, “cannot serve itspurpose without the participationof all elected political parties”.

Independent analyst CheaVannath said that while theCNRP had the right to demandan independent inquiry, theinvestigation could go ahead atsome time in the future.

“The king has already issued amessage and things can’t go back... The CNRP should start thehard work that will be neededover the next five years,” sheadded.

King Sihamoni had turneddown a request from the CNRPto delay the start of parliament,saying he was constitutionallyrequired to preside over theopening within 60 days of thepoll.

In his address to the house, theking said newly elected membersof parliament had to put thenational interest first.

WASHINGTON - USPresident Barack Obama willhold talks with Palestinianleader Mahmud Abbas todayon the sidelines of the UNGeneral Assembly, the WhiteHouse said. Obama is due toaddress the annual assemblyof world leaders on Tuesdayand will also find time to meetone-on-one with Abbas,Nigeria’s President GoodluckJonathan and Lebanon’sMichel Sleiman, spokesmanBen Rhodes said. Themeeting with Abbas comessix days before the visit ofIsraeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu to theWhite House amid ongoingIsrael-Palestinian peacenegotiations. “This is thePresident’s first opportunityto meet personally and atlength with President Abbassince the launch of directnegotiations between Israelisand Palestinians,” Rhodessaid. “The President will havean opportunity to hearfirsthand from PresidentAbbas about the progress ofthose negotiations,” he added.

“This is an importantopportunity for him toreinforce the support of theUnited States for the progressthat is under way for theMiddle East peace, and towelcome the courageous stepsthat have been taken by bothleaders and reinforcing theneed to continue to makeprogress given theopportunity that is presentedthrough these negotiations.“Obama’s meeting withLebanese leader Sleiman will

focus on the refugee crisistriggered by the war inneighboring Syria. “This willgive him an opportunity todiscuss the extraordinaryrefugee challenge confrontedby Lebanon as they have totake onboard many hundredsof thousands of Syrians whocrossed the border,” Rhodessaid. “The US has providedsupport for Lebanon indealing with that challenge,and the leaders will be able todiscuss the refugee situationas well as the broadersituation in Syria.”

Maund Abass

Joe Biden


International FeaturesPrivate Donations Give Edge To Islamists

In Syria, Officials Said

Chances To Intervene In Navy Yard Shooter’sProblems

GAZIANTEP - Thestream of U.S. weaponsheading to moderate rebelgroups in Syria is beingoffset by a fresh torrent ofcash for Islamistextremists, much of it fromsmall networks of Arabdonors who see the Syrianconflict as a step toward abroader Islamist uprisingacross the region, U.S. andMiddle Eastern officialssaid.

The private donors,who use Twitter and othersocial media to collectmillions of dollars fromsympathetic Muslims, areproviding crucial backingfor Islamist militias thatappear to be gainingground in northern andeastern Syria, even asfighting stalls elsewhere,the officials said.

Dollars raised over theInternet are wired betweenprivate banking accountsand hand-delivered bycourier, often in bordertowns like this city of 1.4million, about 20 milesfrom the Syrian frontier,according to MiddleEastern intelligenceofficials who monitored theactivity. Some fundraisingpitches ask for specific

pledges to cover the cost ofa weapon, or to finance anoperation. For $2,400, adonor can pay for thetravel, training and armingof a single non-Syrianfighter.

“You can even get avideo afterward showingwhat you paid for,” saidone senior intelligenceofficial based in the region.The official spoke on thecondition of anonymity todiscuss his country’sintelligence collection.

While radical groupssuch as the Islamic State ofIraq and the Levant, Jabhatal-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham have long relied oncharitable giving fromPersian Gulf states, theflow of private cash hasenabled the extremists toretain their battlefield edgedespite the loss of supportfrom key Arab backerssuch as Qatar, which cut offaid to the most radicalgroups under pressurefrom the United States andSaudi Arabia, U.S. andMiddle Eastern officialssaid.

The donations alsohave undermined Western

efforts to -strengthen therelative position ofmoderate and secularistrebel factions that are the

intended recipients of U.S.weapons that beganflowing into Syria lastmonth, the officials said.

Obama administrationofficials say that they wereworking with gulf allies toshut off private cash flowsbut that the efforts have

been complicated by thefundraisers’ under-the-radar tactics. Theorganizers also take

advantage of laxregulations in some gulfstates that allowfundraisers to set up smallreligious charities and

canvass in mosques andother public venues, U.S.officials say.

“Much of this funding

comes from private citizensin the gulf, particularly inKuwait,” said David S.Cohen, the TreasuryD e p a r t m e n t ’ sundersecretary forTerrorism and FinancialIntelligence. The country, asource of financial aid forextremist groups during theAfghan and Iraq wars,“unfortunately continues tobe a permissiveenvironment for terroristfundraising,” he said.

What is moreworrisome, officials say, isa new tendency amongfundraisers to seekinfluence over the Syrianparamilitary groups theysupport. Some haveadopted their own rebelmilitias and sought todictate everything fromideology to tactics.Officials at one gulf-basedorganization, which callsitself the UmmahConference, have helpedpromote a campaign torecruit thousands ofMuslim volunteers forSyria while openly callingfor a broader struggleagainst secular Arabgovernments and what oneof its leaders terms“American terrorism.”

AARON Alexis’s erraticand violent behavior wasignored, overlooked ordismissed for nine years bypolice, the military, theDepartment of VeteransAffairs and his employer,creating a series of missedopportunities that mighthave stopped the Navy Yardgunman, according torecords and interviews withofficials close to theinvestigation.

The warning signs werestark but never detected orcommunicated amongagencies, allowing Alexis tomove freely around military

bases with a secret-levelsecurity clearance.

Alexis was arrested threetimes in three states for actsof rash, inexplicableviolence. He told Seattlepolice in 2004, for example,that he had had an angerblackout so intense that hecould not recall shootingthree rounds from the .45-caliber Glock he usuallykept strapped tightly to hiswaist.

An upstairs neighbor inTexas in 2010 told policeshe was terrified of him aftera gunshot came through the

floor a few feet from whereshe was sitting.

Three other times, in otherstates, he was cited in policereports for acts of aggressionor hallucinations.

Twice, medical staff atswamped Veterans HealthAdministration emergencyrooms in Providence, R.I.,and the District failed to pickup on Alexis’s deterioratingmental stability, despite newprotocols designed to screenfor it, the records andinterviews show.

Navy security officials,warned in August by policein Rhode Island that Alexiswas hearing voices, a keyindicator of a mental break,failed to notify thetechnology company wherehe worked, a Navy officialsaid, nor did they appear topass the information up thechain of command.

Alexis’s employer, an ITcompany called the Experts,was so concerned aboutAlexis’s increasingly

agitated state over thesummer that they called hismother and sent him hometo rest, but they say they didnot share their concerns withthe Navy.

His outbursts never madeit into a national databasethat would have notifiedpolice among differentjurisdictions and turned upin background checks forgun purchases, enlisting inthe military or obtaining amid-level secret securityclearance. That system isdesigned to catch Cold War-era spies intent on sellingnational secrets, not monitorpeople for mental healthproblems.

In fact, some experts said,his security clearance, ratherthan acting as an earlywarning system, actuallyhelped Alexis avoid greaterscrutiny. His clearance wasan indication for many that

Alexis could be trusted.The VA staff, trained to

catch and treat such mentalinstability, often are sooverworked andunderstaffed that they fail todo so, the records andinterviews indicate. Andmilitary and companyofficials failed to act on clearwarning signals that Alexiswas spiraling dangerouslyout of control.

And so on Monday, about8:15 a.m., Alexis, who wasknown for his explosivetemper and smolderinggrudges, who sought refugefrom his jangled thoughts atBuddhist temples and inmeditation, and who hadbeen estranged from hisfamily for years, quietlyslipped onto the WashingtonNavy Yard base with asawed-down Remington870 shotgun hidden in a bag.He emerged from abathroom and killed 12people before police shothim dead.

Navy yard shooting’s aftermath: in the days after a gunman kills 12 at the compound,some workers return while others spend the time in rememberance.

“Alexis was arrested three times in three states for acts of rash,inexplicable violence. He told Seattle police in 2004, for example, thathe had had an anger blackout so intense that he could not recall shootingthree rounds from the .45-caliber Glock he usually kept strapped tightlyto his waist”.


Syria: Obama’s History-Defying DecisionTo Seek Congressional Approval

International Features

President Barack Obama of USA.

PRESIDENT BarackObama, according tobackground briefings by hisaides, reached a fatefuldecision as he strolled alongthe White House lawn withhis chief of staff DenisMcDonough. Contrary toevery expectation by hisnational security team,Obama concluded that heshould ask Congress forauthorization to bomb Syria.

The full reasoning behindthe president’s turnaboutremains murky. He may havewanted to share responsibilityfor a risky strategy to punishthe barbarous regime ofSyrian strongman Bashir al-Assad for using chemicalweapons against his ownpeople. Obama may haverecognized the politicaldangers of attacking anotherMiddle Eastern countrywithout popular support athome.

And the president, a formerpart-time constitutional lawprofessor, may have alsobelatedly recalled thewording of Article One,Section Eight of theConstitution that grantsCongress the sole power “todeclare war.”

But whatever Obama’sunderlying motivations andhowever the Syrian vote playsout on Capitol Hill, thepresident’s decision to go toCongress represents anhistoric turning point. It maywell be the most importantpresidential act on theConstitution and war-makingpowers since Harry Trumandecided to sidestep Congressand not seek their backing tolaunch the Korean war.

Just a few days ago, beforeObama’s decision wasknown, legal scholars fromboth the right and the leftwere in agreement thatwaging war over Syria – nomatter how briefly – withoutcongressional approvalwould bend the Constitutionbeyond recognition.

Jack Goldsmith, a Harvardlaw professor who served asa Bush administration lawyerduring the run-up to the 2003Iraq war, wrote in the legalblog Lawfare, “The planneduse of military force in Syriais a constitutional stretch thatwill push presidential warunilateralism beyond where ithas gone before.” And liberalconstitutional scholar GarrettEpps, writing for the Atlantic, concluded, “It’s pretty clearthat an American attackwould violate theConstitution.”

Virtually no one in politics,the press or the academiccommunity expected Obamato go to Congress forapproval. That isn’t the waythe presidential power worksin the modern era. It is a sadtruth that whomever occupiesthe Oval Office invariablyexpands rather than trimsback the Imperial Presidency.Obama himself has reflectedthis pattern with hisaggressive enhancement ofthe National SecurityAgency’s efforts to monitorelectronic communications.

For more than six decades,the war-making powers ofCongress have beeneviscerated by presidents ofboth parties.

Which brings us back toTruman, who in 1950 balkedat asking a Congress wearyafter World War Two forapproval to militarily respondto the Communist attack onSouth Korea. Dean Acheson,Truman’s secretary of state,claimed in his memoirs that acongressional debate over theKorean War “would hardly becalculated to support theshaken morale of the troopsor the unity that, for themoment, prevailed at home.”

Acheson may not haveremembered that militarymorale and national unity arenot mentioned in the

Constitution. But the war-marking powers of Congressare at the heart of the nation’sfounding document. It was asif the sign on Truman’s deskread, “The Buck Stops Here– And This is Also Where theConstitution Is Twisted.”

The plain-spoken Truman

resorted to weaselly words toclaim that Korea was a UnitedNations-sponsored “policeaction” rather than a war. Noother American “policeaction” has ever led to 54,246wartime deaths.

Truman’s assertion of vastexecutive power as

Commander in Chief set atemplate for future presidents.Even when presidents havegone to Congress for approvalof major militaryengagements, these blank-check authorizations haveoften been based on deceptivearguments.

Lyndon Johnson premisedthe entire Vietnam war on the1964 Gulf of TonkinResolution, which wasdesigned to permit a limitedresponse to two minor andmaybe mythical navalskirmishes with NorthVietnam. Similarly

hyperbolic were George W.Bush’s claims about SaddamHussein’s non-existentarsenal of weapons of massdestruction.

Even more legally dubiouswere all the times a presidentsent troops and planes into

combat without anythingmore than desultory briefingsof the congressionalleadership.

Ronald Reagan dispatchedthe Marines into Grenada in1983 under the preposterousrationale that he was onlyprotecting endangeredAmerican medial students.Bill Clinton skirtedcongressional approval forthe 1999 airborne attacks tohalt Serbia’s ethnic cleansingof Kosovo on the shakygrounds that this was a NATOoperation. And Obamahimself was even on flimsierfooting when he justifiedAmerica’s participation in the2011 bombing campaign overLibya based on a United

Nations resolution.But Syria did not provide

Obama with any of these fig-leaf justifications.

No American lives are indanger and the nationalsecurity threat is hard toidentify. Not only is NATOnot participating, but alsoneither are the Brits, theUnited State’s closestdiplomatic ally. With Russiaserving as Assad’s enabler,there will be no SecurityCouncil resolution or UNmandate.

Every time a presidentemploys questionable legalarguments to wage war, itbecomes a valuable tool forthe next Commander in Chiefimpatient with theconstitutional requirement towork through Congress.That’s why it would havebeen so dangerous for Obamato go forward in Syria withouta congressional vote or thesupport of the UN or NATO.It is as much of a slipperyslope argument as thecontention that Iran, say,would be emboldened with itsnuclear program if Americadid not punish Assad’schemical attacks.

Assuming Obama winscongressional approval,America’s coming attack onSyria is designed to set alasting precedent: Nogovernment can ever againuse chemical, biological – letalone nuclear – weaponswithout facing devastatingconsequences. As Obamaasked rhetorically in hisSaturday Rose Gardenstatement, “What messagewill we send if a dictator cangas hundreds of children todeath in plain sight and payno price?”

But Obama’s decision toseek congressional approvalmay prove to be an even moreimportant precedent. Futurepresidents – as they considerunilateral military actionwithout American securityhanging in the balance – willhave to answer, “Why didn’tyou go to Congress likeObama did over Syria?”

Confronted with a series ofwrenching choices over Syria,Obama chose the course thatbest reflects fidelity to theConstitution as written.Hopefully, in the days ahead,taking that less traveled roadby presidents will make all thedifference.

“But Obama’s decision to seek congressional approval mayprove to be an even more important precedent. Futurepresidents – as they consider unilateral military actionwithout American security hanging in the balance – willhave to answer, “Why didn’t you go to Congress like Obamadid over Syria?”


Health

Dealing With Gum DiseaseBy ISEMHENBITA FAITH DO you think gum disease

is something that onlyhappens to people your grandparents or the aged? Thinkagain! Teens can get gumdisease too, and it can causeproblems from the simplyembarrassing (like badbreath) to the serious, likepain and tooth loss (which isboth embarrassing andserious).

What is gum disease?According to

kidshealth.Org, Gum diseaseis also known as periodontal(pronounced: per-ee-oh-don-tu) disease. Periodontaldisease is an infection of thetissues and bone that supportthe teeth.

Untreated gum disease canbecome very serious, causingteeth to become loose orfallout.

Gum disease is usuallycaused by a building ofplaque, an invisible stickylayer of germs that formsnaturally on the teeth andgums. Plaque containsbacteria, which producetoxins that irritate and damagethe gums.

Hundreds of types ofbacteria live in the mouth, sokeeping plaque at bay is aconstant battle. That’s whybrushing and flossingeveryday and regular trips tothe dentist are so important.

Who is at risk? Certain things can make

teens more likely to developgum disease. Some mayinherit this tendency fromtheir parents. The snacks youeat also can put you at risk ofdeveloping gum diseaseespecially if you grab friesand a soda in the mall afterschool and aren’t able to brushimmediately after eatingthem. You probably know thatsugar is bad for your teeth, butyou may not know thatstarchy foods like fries alsofeed the acids that eat intoyour tooth enamel.

If you have braces, fendingoff plaque can be tougher.Plus, some medical conditions(including diabetes and down

syndrome) and certainmedicines increase the risk ofgum disease. Runningyourself down with a lousydiet, too little sleep, and toomuch stress leaves you morevulnerable to infectionanywhere in the body,including your gums.

Girls have a higher risk ofgum disease than guys.Increase in female sexhormones during puberty canmake girls’ gums moresensitive to irritation. Somegirls may notice that theirgums bleed a bit in the daysbefore their periods. Forsevere and early gumproblems, though, the real badguy is tobacco. Not only doessmoking lead to bad breathand stained, yellowed teethbut recent research also showsthat smoking is a leadingcause of gum disease.

According to the AmericanDental Association (ADA),people who smoke cigarettesand chew tobacco are morelikely to have plaque andtartar buildup and to showsigns of advanced gumdisease. They are also morelikely to develop mouthcancer in the future.

How it progresses Gum disease progresses in

stages. Believe it or not, morethan half of teens have someform of gum disease. Do yourgums bleed when you floss orbrush your teeth? Chances areyou already have the muldestform of gum disease, bleedinggums are usually a sign ofgingivitis.

Other warning signs ofgingivitis include gumtenderness, redness, orpuffiness. If plaque from teethand gums isn’t removed bygood daily dental, care, overtime it will harden into a crustcalled calculus or tartar. Oncetartar forms, it starts to destroygum tissue, causing gums tobleed and pull away from theteeth. This is known asperiodontitis, a moreadvanced form of gumdisease.

With periodontitis, gums

become weakened and formpockets around the base ofteeth. Bacteria pool in thesepockets, causing furtherdestruction of the gums. Asperiodontitis spreads, itdamages deeper gum tissueand can eventually spread toareas of the jawbone thatsupport the teeth. This cancause teeth to become loose

and fall out. Thoughperiodontitis is rare in teens,it can happen. If it is nottreated, it can cause realtrouble for your teeth.

What should you do toavoid these problems. Seeyour dentist if you notice anyof these signs of gum disease.

• Bleeding of thegums that occurs regularlywhen brushing or flossing.

• Discoloration ofgums (healthy gums should

look pink and firm, not red,swollen, or tender).

• Any signs of gumspulling away from teeth.

• Bad breath thatwon’t go away

• Loose teeth.Tracking it down and

treating it Gum disease can be sneaky,

sometimes causing little or no

pain or irritation beforepermanent damage is done toyour teeth. That is why regulardentist visits are a must. Withx-rays and a thoroughexamination, a dentist ordental hygienist can spottrouble before you know it’sthere.

The earlier that gumdisease is caught, the better.Adopting better brushing andflossing habits can usuallyreverse gingivitis. Sometimes

your dentist will alsoprescribe antibiotics or aspecial antibacterial mouthrinse to tackle the problem.

Once someone developsperiodontitis, it is not as easyto control. Usually there iswidespread infection of thegums that needs to be treated.This may require severalspecial treatments either by adentist or a periodontist, anexpert who specializes in thecare of gum disease.

Some of the ways dentistsand periodontists may treatperiodontitis are;

Antibiotics: These andother medications are oftenused together with scaling androot planning to stop thespread of infection andinflammation in the mouth.They come in severaldifferent forms that rangefrom medicated mouthwashesto antibiotic – containing getsor fibers that are placed ingum pockets to slowly killbacteria and help gums toheal.

Scaling or rootplanting: These deep –cleaning measures involvescraping and removing plaqueand tartar from teeth aboveand below the gum line.

Surgery: Advanced casesof periodontitis may require adentist to open and clean

badly diseased gum pockets,then stitch the gums back intoplace to fit more snuglyaround the teeth.

Gingival grafting: If gumtissue is too diseased to sewback together, a dentistremoves healthy gum tissuefrom another part of themouth and stitches it intoplace. The graft replaces thediseased tissue and helps toanchor the teeth, giving theman improved appearance.

While undergoingtreatment for periodontitis,it’s especially important totake special care of your teethand gums to see lastingimprovement. This includesflossing and brushingeveryday and quitting habitsthat mean bad news for themouth, such as smoking oreating sugary snacks betweenmeals.

Prevention tips Fortunately, there’s good

new: Gum disease is usuallypreventable. Just take care ofyour teeth, starting now.

Brush twice a day for atleast 3 minutes each time(about the length of yourfavorite song) and floss daily.If you’re not sure whetheryou’re brushing or flossingproperly, your dentist ordental hygienist can show youthe best techniques.

Always brush with atoothpaste that containsfluoride; some dentists alsorecommend daily mouthrinses containing fluoride.

Use a toothbrush with soft,polished bristles, as these areless likely to irritate or injuregum tissue. Be sure to replaceyour toothbrush at least every3 to 4 months, a worn-outtoothbrush can injure yourgums. (some toothbrushbrands contain colorindicators on the bristles toremind you to replace themwhen they become worn.

Eat a healthy diet: Avoidsnacks and junk foods packedwith sugar that plaque causingbacteria love to feed on.

Don’t smoke! Cigarettesand chewing tobacco causemouth irritation and are veryunhealthy for gums and teeth.

Regular dental care isextremely important inhelping to keep your mouthhealthy. Visit your dentist forroutine care especiallycleaning at least twice a year.Your dentist can removehardened plaque and anytartar that you’re not gettingto with brushing or flossing.

“Other warning signs of gingivitis include gum tenderness, redness, orpuffiness. If plaque from teeth and gums isn’t removed by good daily dental,care, over time it will harden into a crust called calculus or tartar. Oncetartar forms, it starts to destroy gum tissue, causing gums to bleed and pullaway from the teeth. This is known as periodontitis, a more advanced formof gum disease.”

Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Minister of Health


AVB Hails SpursSubs Lewis, Lamela

Liverpool To Face United, Sunderland

Sergio Aguero celebrates after scoring in the Manchester derby

Moyes Plugs In The HairdryerAfter Derby Mauling

Landrup DelightedWith Dominant Win

Sunderland StartNew Manager Search

Paolo Di Canio reacts in West Bromwich, central England, on September 21, 2013

LIVERPOOL will look tobounce back when they faceManchester United in theLeague Cup tomorrow beforefacing Sunderland on Sunday.

The Red relinquished theirplace at the top of the PremierLeague standings following theSaturday’s 1-0 loss toSouthampton, their first loss ofthe season.

Brendan Rodgers’ men willnow look to bounce back fromthe disappointing results whenthey take on rivals ManchesterUnited in their League Cu thirdround encounter.

The Red Devils also go intothis clash with dented spiritsafter going down 4-1 toManchester City on Sundayafternoon.

Liverpool striker Luis Suarezhas completed his 10-matchban and is likely to beunleashed against United onWednesday and Rodgersbelieves his return will be amajor boost.

“It’s going to be great to havehim back,” said Rodgers. “He’sin good condition, he’s beenplaying games and doing workwith the conditioning teams.

“He won’t be 100 per cent buthe’s a worker and a fighter sohe’ll just need to get games tobring him up to full speed.”

The Reds are currently in fifthplace with 10 points from fivematches and will look to returnto winning ways in the leaguewhen they visit a strugglingSunderland side at the Stadiumof Light on Sunday.

The Black Cats are currentlyat the bottom of the PremierLeague standings with onepoint from five matches andhave recently parted ways withmanager Paolo Di Canio.

MANCHESTER United manager David Moyes left his playersin no doubt about his feelings after a crushing 4-1 defeat at rivalsManchester City had him holding his head in his hands.

Monday’s newspapersreported that the Scot had givenhis beaten side a blast of theinfamous Alex Ferguson‘hairdryer’ treatment after thematch.

Moyes, who took over fromcompatriot Ferguson at the endof last season, refused to confirmthe full intensity of the dressingdown but it was clear some hair

had been ruffled at the very least.“It’s just what I’d have done if

I’d... I’ve been here many timeswith Everton and don’t think I’vesuffered a defeat like this withEverton,” the former Goodisonboss told reporters when askedwhether he had resorted to a firstuse of his predecessor’s favouriteappliance.

“So I just told the players the

way I would have told players atany other club if I don’t thinkthey’re doing it.” added Moyes.“They’re good players, they’regood pros, they know whenthey’re bang at it and whenthey’re not.”

Sunday’s match at the Etihadmight have had Ferguson, if notthrowing the crockery, at leastdelivering a lung-emptyingtirade after a scoreline that wasUnited’s worst defeat at City in24 years.

The headlines talked of a

humiliation, rather than just abeating, for Premier Leaguechampions whose limitationswere cruelly exposed.

United were without strikerRobin van Persie, who did notstart due to a groin injury, butMoyes refused to use that as anexcuse for a performance thatraised serious questions aboutthe quality of United’s squad.

Instead, the managerdemanded an immediate reactionfrom his players in the CapitalOne (League) Cup tie at home toLiverpool on Wednesday.

“The way they have beenbrought up, they way they havebeen bred with the managerpreviously, they react, that’s whatthey do,” he said.

“We’ll make sure we react.Every manager has bad results.I’m no different.”

United were 4-0 down after 50minutes and City’s new managerManuel Pellegrini said he toowas surprised by the scoreline.

“You don’t expect to win 4-1against Manchester United,” hetold reporters. “It’s very big andthe way we did it is alwaysimportant.

“We will enjoy this. It gives theteam a lot of confidence. We arejust starting another style of playand I hope to keep improving.”

ANDRES Villas-Boas hailedthe subs who set up the ‘BoyFrom Brazil’ to grab threepoints in stoppage time.

The visitors had 29 attemptson target but needed a last-gaspwinner from Paulinho’s back-heel to break-down Cardiff.

spurs’ new midfielder wasteed up by subs Lewis Holtbyand Erik Lamela, whocombined to break Welshhearts.

But Villas-Boas feltTottenham more than meritedthe victory after Paulinho’sclever flick to finally beat the

brilliant David Marshall.The relieved Spurs boss said:

“We got rewarded in the end.“It would have been

extremely unfair and there wassome sense of justice to theresult.

“Lewis came late into thegame but he had somewonderful assists, he reallyfound the link up well.

“Credit to him because hecame into the team with a greatspirit to help the team.

“And it was a greatcontribution from Erik as wellin that goal.”

SUNDERLAND will stepup their search for a newmanager this week after PaoloDi Canio’s turbulent tenurewas brought to an end.

Di Canio kept Sunderland inthe Premier League lastseason but that bought him nofavour on Sunday eveningwhen the club announced theyand the Italian had partedcompany.

Given that Di Canio waseager to carry on and lift theteam off the bottom of thePremier League table, it wasclear Sunderland were theinstigators of the decision.

The 45-year-old’s departurewas confirmed a little morethan 24 hours after a 3-0defeat at West Brom.

A statement said:“Sunderland AFC confirmsthat it has parted companywith head coach Paolo DiCanio this evening.”

Former Sunderland captainKevin Ball, currently on theclub’s coaching staff, steps into lead the team on a short-

term basis, with the clubsaying a permanentreplacement for Di Canio willbe announced “in duecourse”.

Bookmakers immediatelyrated former Chelsea andWest Brom manager RobertoDi Matteo as favourite,narrowly ahead of Gus Poyet,previously boss at Brighton.

Di Canio arrived onWearside amid a blaze ofpublicity in March as ownerEllis Short took a gamble onthe former Swindon boss afterdeciding to end MartinO’Neill’s spell in charge.

It proved a controversialappointment as critics citedreports of his alleged fascistsympathies, prompting theclub to make a stout defenceof their new manager.

He steered the club toPremier League survival butone point from five games atthe start of the current seasonhas convinced Short to makeanother change.

SWANSEA managerMichael Laudrup was proudof his players after adominant victory at CrystalPalace capped a “fantasticweek”.

Despite less than 72 hoursearlier demolishing Valenciaat the Mestalla, the Welshside showed no sign of aEuropa League hangover asthey eased to a 2-0 win atSelhurst Park.

Palace were left chasingshadows from the outset,

with Michu’s strike after 80seconds followed by aNathan Dyer effortmoments into the secondhalf.

It could - and should - havebeen a much larger marginof victory for Swansea, withthat the only frustration formanager Laudrup after thematch.

However, followingMonday’s hard-fought drawwith Liverpool and the winin Spain, the Dane’s

overriding emotion waspride after the win.

“It has been a fantasticweek,” Laudrup said.“Before the start, I thoughtthis particularly would bethe most difficult gamebecause it was on the backof Liverpool and Valencia.

“This was the third gamein only six days, with thetravelling and all that. Youhave to play an away gamehere against a different typeof football, more direct.

“I thought this was goingto be the most difficultgame, so I am really pleasedwith what the players did.

“It always helps when youscore in the first minute, buteven so you have to playover 90 minutes. I thoughtwe really dominated thegame from the first to thelast second.

“The only thing is, weshould have scored moregoals because we had thechances to score five or sixlike we had on Thursday, butit is of course difficult notto be pleased when you win3-0 and 2-0 in just threedays.”


Ancelott And DiMaria Back Benzema

Bale SuffersThigh Strain

Allegri Irate At Balotelli Red Card

Francesco Totti Hails DerbyBoost

Thiago SilvaInjury BlowFor PSG

Balotelli

Thiago Silva

REAL Madrid midfielderGareth Bale is a major doubtfor Los Blancos’ trip to Elchetomorrow after the clubconfirmed he has suffered athigh strain.

The Welshman was due tomake his home debut againstGetafe on Sunday, but pulledup with the injury in thewarm-up and had to replacedby Isco.

A statement on the club’swebsite confirmed that a scancarried out on Mondaymorning had detected a strainin his left thigh and his returnto action would depend on hisrecovery over the next fewdays.

Real boss Carlo Ancelottisaid after the game that hewas hopeful Bale would befit for Saturday’s Madridderby against Atletico,however he wasn’t sopositive about his chances offeaturing in midweek.

“Obviously, it is unusualthat if a player can’t play in amatch that he is ready to playin three days time,” he told apress conference.

“I am sure that he will beready for the game onSaturday.”

Bale has played just 90minutes of action sincesealing his reported worldtransfer record breakingmove from TottenhamHotspur earlier this month.

The 24-year-old started andscored on his debut in the 2-2 draw with Villarreal onSeptember 14, but was onlyintroduced by Ancelotti as asecond-half substitute for the6-1 thrashing of Galatasarayin the Champions League lastweek.

CARLO Ancelotti and AngelDi Maria gave their support toKarim Benzema after the RealMadrid striker was whistledregularly by his own team’s fansduring the 4-1 win over Getafeat the Bernabeu.

Benzema began Sunday’sgame having scored four goals inhis first five Madrid games thisseason, but nevertheless havingbeen the target of somediscontent at the Bernabeu duringprevious outings, and also havingbeen dropped by France coachDidier Deschamps after going1,217 minutes without a goal atinternational level.

The former Lyon player thenhad a nightmare against Getafe,missing an open goal in each half,and showing low confidence withsome poor touches and mishitpasses. Murmurs and thenwhistles rang around the stadiumafter a series of mistakes just afterhalf-time, with Madrid’s UltrasSur chanting the name of youngsubstitute centre-forward AlvaroMorata.

Madrid’s players were clearlyaware of the awkward situationon the pitch, with Alvaro Arbeloapointedly applauding his team-mate after Benzema had headedover from point-blank range

AC Milan coachMassimiliano Allegri hasurged striker Mario Balotellito learn to “shut up” after hewas sent off during the 2-1defeat to Napoli on Sunday.

Balotelli had an eventfulday, missing a penalty for thefirst time in his career andbeing frustrated by a fineperformance from Napoligoalkeeper Pepe Reina. Hescored a consolation goalbefore being dismissed fordissent when he picked up asecond yellow after the full-time whistle.

The 23-year-old Italyinternational received hiseighth red card as aprofessional and came under

THIAGO Silva could missseveral weeks of Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 andChampions League campaignsafter sustaining a thigh injuryagainst Monaco on Sunday.

The Brazilian had to bereplaced after just 16 minutes ofthe reigning French champions’1-1 draw with the biggestchallengers to their title at theParc des Princes, and willundergo further medicalexamination on Monday todetermine the full extent of thedamage to his left thigh.

The 28-year-old’s departurewas followed just four minuteslater by Radamel Falcaocancelling out ZlatanIbrahimovic’s fifth-minuteopener, and PSG boss LaurentBlanc acknowledged the loss ofhis captain had altered the faceof the game.

“Him coming off changedthings, that’s for sure,” Blanc toldthe media following the matchwhich left his team in secondplace, two points behind theirleague-leading opponents. “It’sno coincidence that we concededa goal four minutes later.

“We’re going to do some tests,but I think that we’ve lost him fora while.”

The former France coachadmitted that his team would beworse off for the duration of theircaptain’s injury.

“You have to be realistic,” headded. “You can’t lose ThiagoSilva without experiencing someuncertainty.

“We all know what a player heis and we know that he’s veryreassuring for his team-mates.”

Totti, 36, celebrated thesweetest of victories daysafter agreeing a new contractthat ensures he will end hisplaying career with his onlyclub — and fired a warningto the rest of Serie A.

The win took the table-topping Giallorossi’s perfectstart to the season to fourwins from four, and Tottiexplained: “As I’ve saidoften, the derby is unlike anyother game, and winning itcan change your entireseason because it reinforcesyour belief and gives youenthusiasm.

“We’re not going tocelebrate now, though,because we’re thinking about[the next game against]

midway through the secondperiod.

Speaking to reportersafterwards, Di Maria said thewhistles had been unfair.

“The whistling of Karimseemed ugly to me,” the in-formArgentine winger said in AS.“Morata missed another chance,and nobody whistled him. Youmust be fair with everyone.”

Ancelotti preferred to stick tothe positive during his post-gamepress conference, pointing outthat many supporters inside thestadium had applauded the strikeras he left the field with tenminutes remaining.

“I believe Benzema did a goodjob. He had many chances toscore,” the Italian coach said.“The fans’ reaction was goodbecause he was clapped. I do notbelieve Benzema will feel lowbecause he is a player withcharacter, even though he doesnot talk much. Sometimes tomotivate a player, applause isgood or whistles are good. Theseare normal things on the pitch.”

fire from Allegri, who insiststhe player must improve hisdiscipline.

“When games are over, it’sbetter to stay quiet and I amagainst hysteria,” Allegri toldSky Sport Italia. “It’s best toshut up and leave rather thanstay there arguing with thereferee, as it’s not going tochange anything. Balotellineeds to improve that.

“He received a fair fewkicks, including many frombehind, though he overall hada good game.

“Of course you’ve got to beangry at the final whistle [afterlosing], but you’ve got toremain serene. Hystericaloutbursts don’t help at all.

After the final whistle,you’ve got to shut up,otherwise you only do harm.”

Some of Balotelli’s Milanteam-mates also urged him toshow more restraint, withfull-back Ignazio Abatetelling Rai television: “Ididn’t see the incident, but Iheard about it when I gotback into the dressing room.

“Mario has got to learn tocontrol himself because he isa crucial part of our team, andto lose him for two or threegames will be a problem. Hehas got to learn some self-control.”

Milan slipped to 12th placeafter the weekend’s results

and Allegri said they alreadyfaced an uphill battle tochallenge for the Scudetto.

“We must try to pick up asmany points as possible now,”he added. “Napoli are one of thecandidates for the Scudetto andwe played on a par with themoverall despite missing manykey players. I already have ideason how to fix things, but I needsome of the players to recoverfrom injuries first.”

Milan are now eight pointsbehind both Napoli and Roma,echoing the uncertain start tolast season from which theyrecovered to secure the third andfinal Champions League berth.

Genoa, and if we want to buildsomething definite, we’ve gotto do so by keeping ourattention high from game togame.

“We gained this win withconcentration and, above all,the team’s combined desire.”

Roma hope to get back intoEuropean competition thisseason, but coach Rudi Garciawas quick to temper thoughtsof an assault on the title.

“Our aim is to finish in the topfive,” he told Sky Italia. “I’mambitious, but let’s see whathappens. We’ve not playedmany games yet to know whatthis team’s real level is, but Ilike this team and I also like our

fans.“Juve, Milan and Napoli

are playing in Europe andthat will take energy offthem, so let’s hope this willbe an advantage for us thisseason.”

Full-back FedericoBalzaretti could not holdback tears of joy after scoringhis first goal in a Roma shirt.

“I’m delighted, because thelast derby [a 1-0 defeat in theCoppa Italia final] left a markon everybody,” he said. “Thatwas the worst defeat in mycareer, but we’ve workedhard. We’re a group ofserious professionals, andwe’re top because we deserveto be there.”


Bafana To TackleMorocco

Pirates, Ahli Both Seal Semis BerthsDunga

Int’l Fans Taunt DungaDuring Home Defeat

Uncertainty Over Bert Van Marwijik

Croatia Ex Fed ChiefMarkovic Dies

Rabiu Set For Op In Germany

board Manfred Ertel toldNDR Sportclub: “I’d like tothink that Andreas Moller willnot be an assistant coach atHamburg.”

Bild suggested that theMoller issue could result in thedeal falling apart.

Hamburg currently sit 16thin the division having takenonly one win — against rock-bottom EintrachtBraunschweig — from theiropening six games, andseveral players have voicedtheir concern about the club’sdirection.

“I have been here for sixyears,” left-back MarcellJansen said in kicker. “I cantell you: It’s never quiet here.They always find something,”

Club captain Rafael van derVaart added: “The unrestmight be a bit of a problem fora few lads in our squad.”

Centre-back HeikoWestermann warned thatHamburg are now facing afight to stay in the Bundesliga.

“Our performance wasfrightening,” he said of thedefeat at home to Bremen.“We got nowhere near toplaying football. Nobodywants to hear it around here,but we are now fightingrelegation. It is now about theexistence of the club.”

Van Marwijk had taken placebut said up to five candidateswere still under consideration,and the following day Skyreported that Kreuzer hadtravelled to Switzerland tospeak to former Tottenhamcoach Christian Gross. Clubofficials rejected that claimbut did confirm the trip toSwitzerland.

There was furtheruncertainty over VanMarwijk’s arrival on Sundayevening. Amid reports thatVan Marwijk wanted formerGermany international Molleron his staff, chairman of the

BERT van Marwijk confirmed he had agreed a two-yearcontract with Hamburg on Saturday — but there are claimsthe agreement could collapse over his desire to appointAndreas Moller as his assistant.

Hamburg dismissed coachThorsten Fink last week aftera dismal start to the newseason, and this weekend theyslumped to a 2-0 defeat athome to northern rivalsWerder Bremen.

Former Borussia Dortmundcoach Van Marwijk, out ofwork since resigning as

Netherlands coach in June lastyear, had looked set to take thereins when he told Dutch TVshow NOS Studio Sport onSaturday: “Hamburg got intouch with me directly afterthe sacking of Thorsten Fink.

“I have told them what I amable to offer and they told mewhat they want. The contractwill run over two years andincludes an option for anotheryear. This is great club with ahuge tradition.”

Later on Saturday, Hamburgsporting director OliverKreuzer confirmed talks with

points from 23 games, leftthemselves an uphill struggleafter defender Indio was sentoff in the 48th minute forclashing with an opponent.

They managed to hold outuntil the 85th minute whenWanderson scored abreakaway goal to giver e l e g a t i o n - t h r e a t e n e dPortuguesa their first awaywin of the championship.

“We will stay together untilthe end of the year, the teamstaff will be maintained,” clubpresident Giovanni Luigi toldRadio Bandeirantes, sayingthere was no question ofDunga being fired.

“It was our worst game ofthe year and we know that,”Dunga told reporters.

Dunga was insulted withchants of “donkey, donkey”

HOLDERS Al Ahli andopponents Orlando Piratesboth qualified for the AfricanChampions League semifinalsafter a goalless draw inSoweto on Sunday.

Al Ahli of Egypt finished topof Group A on 11 points andmeet Coton Sport ofCameroon in next month’stwo-legged semifinal.

South African club Pirateswill take on Group B winnersEsperance of Tunisia in theother semifinal.

Sunday’s final Group Amatches also offered theCongolese club AC Leopardsa chance to qualify but despitetaking the early lead away inEgypt, they were beaten 4-1by Zamalek in El Gouna.

Leopards and Zamalek bothfinished on seven points, oneless than Pirates, who wouldhave won the group had theytaken a myriad of chances athome to Ahli on Sunday.

Ahli goalkeeper Sherif ElAkrami made two point blank

Casablanca and 235km to thewest of Marrakech.

The Atlas Lions are the2015 hosts of the Africa Cupof Nations and have won thecompetition once in 1976.They finished second in 2004in Tunisia and third in 1980in Nigeria.

Coached by RachidTaoussi, Morocco is ranked76 on the FIFA/Coca ColaWorld rankings and 16 on theAfrican continent. SouthAfrica is 68 on FIFA Worldrankings and 12 in Africa.

In their last five matches,the two teams have each wontwo, lost two and drew theother.

INJURED Ghanamidfielder Mohammed Rabiuwill undergo surgery on athigh injury on Monday inGermany.

The operation is to correctand drain out a bloody patchfro m his thigh.

Rabiu got injured lastThursday playing for hisRussian side KubanKrasnodar in the UEFAEuropa League Group Amatch at Swiss side St Gallen.

I N T E R N A C I O N A Lcoach Dunga was told his jobwas safe despite beingtaunted by his team’s ownsupporters during a 1-0 homedefeat by Portuguesa in theBrazilian championship.

The former Brazil coachhad to endure chants of“Goodbye Dunga” as hisside, playing almost theentire second half with 10men, lost for the second timein four days.

In other matches onSunday, former world playerof the year Ronaldinhoinspired South Americanchampions Atletico Mineiroto a 2-1 win over Vasco daGama while Sao Paulo werebeaten by a freak goal atGoias.

Internacional, fifth with 34

saves to deny a home winwhile Walid Soliman couldhave stolen an away triumphfor Ahli midway through thesecond half but steered hisshot agonisingly wide.

Come the final 10 minutesboth teams appeared to settlefor the draw they knew wouldsee them into the next round,Ahli as pool winners.

“At this level you have to

put the ball in the net but wemade it to the semifinals andnow we’ll have a go,” saidPirates coach Roger de Saafter the match.

The two Group B teams hadalready made sure of theirsemifinal places last weekendbut on Saturday, Esperanceconfirmed their superioritywith a 2-1 away win overCoton Sport in Garoua.

He faces up to six weeks onthe sidelines and will missnext month’s Brazil 2014World Cup play-off againstEgypt at home.

Rabiu is likely to be fit forthe return leg between theweekend of 15-19 November.

The 23-year-old signed forFC Kuban during the summertransfer window from Frenchside Evian Thonon-Gaillard.

BAFANA Bafana will playMorocco in an internationalfriendly match next month,SAFA have announced.

The clash with the AtlasLions will take place onFriday, 11 October 2013 at theAgadir New Stadium inAgadir City, southwest ofMorocco.

It will be an evening matchbut the kick off time is still tobe confirmed.

The match is one of twobetween the two nations –with the return leg to behosted by South Africa in2014.

Agadir City is situated508km to the south of

VLATKO Markovicsmiles before the Euro 2012qualifying match in Rijeka on

October 11, 2011The president of Croatia’s

Football Federation (HNS)

during a previous home gamebut shrugged it off by praisingdonkeys as “hard-workinganimals.”

Ronaldinho set Mineiro ontheir way with a back-heeledpass for Fernandinho to openthe scoring in the secondminute before his free kickwas deflected into his own netby Rafael Vaz in the 18th.

Dakson pulled one back forVasco in the 73rd minute witha shot which went through thelegs of Mineiro goalkeeperVictor.

Sao Paulo goalkeeperRogerio Ceni was left cursinghis luck when a 30 metre freekick from Rodrigo struck thepost, hit him on the back andflew into the goal to giveGoias a 1-0 win.

Leaders Cruzeiro (50points) drew 0-0 atCorinthians and moved eightpoints clear of second-placedBotafogo, who lost 2-1 athome to Bahia.

Vlatko Markovic, whosuffered from Alzheimer’sdisease, died overnightMonday aged 76, the nationalradio reported.

Markovic, a former topplayer and coach, died in aZagreb hospital where he wasadmitted earlier this month totreat pneumonia.

A former top player andcoach Markovic withdrew asHNS chief, a post he had heldsince 1998, in mid-2012.

Markovic began his careerwith clubs in Bosnia, where hewas born, before going on toplay for Dinamo Zagreb, FCAustria and Rapid Vienna.

He won 16 caps for theformer Yugoslavia nationalteam and retired as a player in1968.

Markovic coached Nice,Rapid, Standard Liege, as wellas Hajduk Split, DinamoZagreb. He was also nationalsquad coach in 1993-1994.

Vlatko Markovic


Nsofor Roots For Eagles

3SC NotGoing Down

NFL Star Of The WeekUche Ihuraulam

Uche Ihuarulam

No CHAN Teams ForCECAFA Challenge Cup

Victor Nsofor

UgandaBegins

Serious WorkAhead Of

CHAN

Eagles Will Shine At CHAN InsistsOboabona

UGANDA tactician Milutin‘Micho’ Sredojevic has said hereturns to the country today tostart serious work ahead of the2014 Africa NationsChampionship.

We are not taking anything forgranted and work must startearly enough,” stressed Micho,who was in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia, for a holiday with hisfamily.

Uganda, who will be makingtheir second appearance at thetournament meant for home-based players, have been pooledalongside Zimbabwe, BurkinaFaso and Morocco in Group B,which will be based in CapeTown.

The Cranes are expected toopen their campaign againstBurkina Faso on January 12th atthe Athlone Stadium.

“I have already drawn aprogramme which we are goingto start working on. We are goingto have a number of internationalbuild-up games ahead of theCECAFA Senior Challenge Cupand also have a camp in SouthAfrica before the CHAN event,”disclosed Micho.

The Serb maintained that sinceUganda has been drawn in a‘group of death’, a lot of workand preparation must be done.

“We must get out of the groupand make it to the knockoutstage, but we need to invest a lotof time and prepare well,” addedMicho.

Uganda ejected Taifa Stars ofTanzania on a 4-1 goal aggregateto qualify for the 2014 CHANevent. Interestingly, Tanzaniaalso eliminated Uganda toqualify for the 2009 CHANcompetition.

Ethiopia and Burundi are othernational sides from the CECAFAregion that have qualified for theCHAN competition

THE secretary general ofthe Council for East andCentral African FootballAssociations (CECAFA) hassaid they will not invite teamsoutside the region thatqualified for the 2014 CHAN.

The regional body ispreparing to stage the 2013CECAFA Senior ChallengeCup in Nairobi, Kenya.

Nicholas Musonye toldMTNFootball.com fromNairobi on Sunday that theywill want the teams from theCECAFA region thatqualified for CHAN to usethis event to prepare for theevent to be hosted by SouthAfrica in January next year.

Uganda, Ethiopia andBurundi are the CECAFAnations that qualified for thethird edition of the AfricaNations Championship.

“We shall not invite nationsoutside CECAFA that havequalified for the 2014 AfricaNations Championship eventlike Zimbabwe, who haveoccasionally attended thisevent,” explained Musonye.

He said Malawi might bethe only guest side for theevent expected to take placelate November through toearly December. He said sincethere are already 12 membernations, they will only haveMalawi as guests.

“We are meeting members

of The Football KenyaFederation (FKF) on Monday(today) to decide on the actualdates and other issues to dowith the tournament. We shallalso finalise with a sponsorsoon,” added Musonye.

East African BreweriesLimited (EAB), through thepopular brand, Tuskersponsored the event before forthree years, but has notrenewed the contract.

The national sides expectedto take part in the eventinclude defending championsUganda, Kenya, Tanzania,Zanzibar, Rwanda, Burundi,Sudan, Ethiopia, SouthSudan, Djibouti, Somalia andEritrea.

GODFREY Oboabona hasinsisted Nigeria’s home-basedteam will do well even withouthim at next year’s AfricaNations Championship(CHAN).

Nigeria have been groupedalongside hosts South Africa,Mali and Mozambique in thefirst round of the competitionmeant for players who featureat their local leagues.

The former Sunshine Starscaptain was an important part ofthe team who qualified for thecompetition for the first time,but he is no longer eligible toplay in the competition

following his recent transfer toTurkish club Rizespor.

“Eagles won’t miss me, theywill do well at CHAN withoutme. The team was not all aboutme, we have a lot of great playersin the Nigeria league. I am surethey will do well,” Oboabona toldMTNFootball.com

In the meantime, Oboabona hastold MTNFootball.com hisinability to speak Turkish was notthe reason why he has yet to makehis debut for Rizespor and he saidhe believes he will soon get hischance with his new Turkish

team.“There is no truth that my

inability to speak Turkish isresponsible for me not to havedebut for Rizespor. I can’t saywhy but I am sure God’s time isthe best, I will soon get mychance to play.

“There are a lot of players whodon’t speak Turkish and they areplaying in here in Turkey.”Oboabona toldMTNFootball.com

“All the same, I am learningTurkish just to be able tocommunicate better with myTurkish team mates.”

LOKOMOTIV Moscow forward Victor Obinna Nsofor haspromised to do more after his return to the Super Eagles.

Nsofor, who has scored vitalgoals for Nigeria in the past,said he is excited coachStephen Keshi recalled him tothe national team and has nowset his sights on helpingNigeria beat Ethiopia to get aBrazil 2014 World Cup ticket,among other things.

The full interview:M T N F o o t b a l l . c o m :

Congratulations on yourreturn to the Super Eagles.

Nsofor: Thank you verymuch.

You have been away for awhile, how has it being foryou since you wereoverlooked by the SuperEagles?

I wasn’t happy with it, but Iwas always in touch with theteam. I am always with themin spirit and talk to those Iknow well in the team beforeand after the games. I still sawmyself as a member of theteam even when I was notcalled up.

Did you really believe youwould be recalled to the team?

Yes, I strongly had thatfeeling that if I kept doing wellfor my club, I will get anotherlook-in and I thank God ithappened. At some point, I wasinjured and I believe thatdelayed my return to the Eagles.

What should we expect ofNsofor now you are back in theteam?

I am still as potent as I usedto be, in fact I am a better playernow having gathered moreexperience over the year. I amback in Eagles for betterperformances andcontributions.

How do the current Eaglescompare to in the team in thepast?

Super Eagles now are anongoing process and gettingstronger day by day, match aftermatch. Previously, we had a lotof experienced players but nowwe have a lot of young and goodplayers who have brought a lotof power and zeal into the team.This team will be great.

What do you think isresponsible for theimprovement in Eagles as you

have pointed out?Let me say unity and a zeal

to excel. The players and thecoaches are united and there isno discrimination, with this, thesky will be our starting point. Iam happy to be part of thisteam.

Eagles have been drawn withEthiopia for the Brazil 2014play off, what can you say?

All the 10 teams at this pointwill be tough. We don’t haveto underrate our opponents, allwe need do is be focused andplay them as if were playing thebest team in the world in a cupfinal over two legs. We can’tafford to miss out on Brazil2014.

What targets have you setwith the Eagles?

I want to help my country toqualify for the 2014 World Cupand go ahead to do well at thetournament proper.

You were at some pointlinked to a return to the EnglishPremier League.

Yes, that is true, but nothingconcrete happened. I amenjoying my time atLokomotiv Moscow.

What do you hope to achieve

3SC defender Francis Edemscored twice against EnuguRangers and has assured that thestruggling Ibadan club willescape relegation.

On Sunday, the former FirstBank of Lagos central defendergave hosts Shooting Stars thelead after 23 minutes from thepenalty spot after Okiki Afolabiwas fouled inside the box.

Edem then made it 2-1 in the79th minute through a headeroff a Philip Asuquo cross.

“I am so happy to get my veryfirst goal for 3SC. The goals arefor my coach, Busari Akeem,for the trust he has in me and Iam very sure we will escape therelegation,” he toldMTNFootball.com

Coach Busari said ShootingStars will turn the corner.

“I’m sure it will turn the tablearound and I can assure our fanswe will avoid relegation at theend of the season,” he assured.

UCHE Ihuarulam of BayelsaUnited is the Nigeria leaguestar of Week 33 after his winneragainst Enyimba shot his teamto top of the table.

The young striker was pickedahead of Victor Namo, whoscored his 14th goal of theseason for Nasarawa United;Mfom Udoh of Akwa Unitedwho was torn in the flesh of theNasarawa defence and nettedhis 13th goal in the process.

Other contenders werePillars midfielder Rabiu Ali,whose brace downed Wolves,and Edem Francis, whosebrace lifted 3SC above EnuguRangers.

Ihuarulam’s goal at home toEnyimba was very crucial as ittook Bayelsa to the leaguesummit.

The elated youngster toldMTNFootball.com he wasexcited to score againstalmighty Enyimba.

“I feel very great and happyto score the goal that gave usvictory against a team likeEnyimba, breaking the soliddefence and beating theirgoalkeeper was hard, but in all,I give thanks to God almighty,”

the former Nembe City starrevealed.

His target is to score 11 goalsthis season.

“I have a personal target,which was to score 15 goals,but I have reduced that to 11goals, I have scored seven nowand I believe I will reach themark. I also want to win theleague crown with my team,”said the player who idolisesThierry Henry, Arsenal andJuventus.

PROFILEDate of birth: 2/12/1995Height: 1.8mPrevious clubs: Nembe CityPresent club: Bayelsa United

with The Railway Men thisterm?

Just to keep doing well, scoregoals and help my club securecontinental ticket at least. ButI also want to win a trophy atleast this season.

What is the relationshipamong the Nigerians playingin Russia?

It is cordial, we are onefamily.

Thank for your time.


CMYK

As We Mourn The Victims Of TerrorAttacks In Kenya And Nigeria

Printed and published by Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, 24, Airport Road, P.M.B. 1334 Benin City. Telephone; Lagos: 01 4930929, Benin: 052 257492, 257531Editor: Barr. SOLOMON IMOHIOSEN (KSJI)- (07030699646), Deputy General Manager, Marketing (08023457566), Assistant General Manager, Advertisement (08023808856)

Lagos Office: 3/4 Amode Close, Kudirat Abiola Way, By Olushosun Bus Stop, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. Abuja Office: Floor 1, Edo House, 75 Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Busi-ness District, Abuja. Tel/Fax: 09-5237631. All correspondence to: 24 Airport Road, Benin City. E-mail: [email protected] (ISSN 0331-2674)

Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya President.

THE terror attack atthe Westgate Mall inNairobi, Kenya, hasreaffirmed the bestialnature of terrorism and itsdistorted aims. With overfifty people dead- womenand children included-nothing could speak moreto the insanity of themotivation behind suchattacks. For the attackers

to have even attemptedwhat they considered aconcilliatory gesturetowards Muslims byasking those who wereMuslims to leave becausethey had not come forthem must have stirredremorse in the minds ofthose who saw thisgesture for what it was;insane. At what point dowe draw the line betweenreligious fanaticism andobvious manifestations ofpsychosis?

I cannot deny thatthis opinion piece hasbeen inspired by a terribleloss in the Westgateattack. The death ofprofessor Kofi Awoonorhas dealt me, and manyothers who have beenfaithful fans of hisbrilliant poetry and prose,a severe blow. It haspainfully brought homethe fatal reality of thepower of gun tottingilliterates, and servants toinane doctrines, toredirect the world’sintellectual trajectory in asingle spate of madness;but it must not win.

Nigeria is in arunning battle withmilitants too. Reports saythat in four years we havelost over a thousandpeople to acts of terror.Terror mongers also hidetheir cruel acts under thecloak of a puritanistreligious goal supposedlyinspired by the need to ridtheir lands of thecorrupting influence ofwestern cultures and theinstrument by whichthese influences areimparted, education. Ifwe take these demands atface value, we encouragethe seeming madness thatdrives these actions. Ipersonally do not believeany religion teaches itsadherents not to readbooks neither do I seehow one’s desire to learnwould lead them to

eternal damnation, ifanything like that evenexists. Beyond thisobviously puerileinsinuation, these peopleseem locked in perpetualwar mode for the simple funof it. I do not understandhow killing people isintended to win converts toa religion in a world wherethe manpower and

weaponry is tilted heavily infavour of the “enemy” side,and the only success they(the terrorists) could everhope for is death.

There is really nodifference between what hashappened in Kenya and whathas been happening inNigeria for the past fouryears- except that thebrutality and barbarism ofboth sides (terrorists andgovernment) in the Nigerianconflict have beenunprecedented: in its fouryears of violent attacks oncommunities, public placesand security posts, BokoHaram has shown itsmembers to be brutallyinconsiderate of the welfareof its own supposedconstituents; it has killedchildren with impunity andeven devised a macabrescheme of attacking childrenin schools, shooting andcutting throats. This isbeyond any religious calland does not deserve theconsiderations of anamnesty that the governmentseems willing to grant themeven as the war rages on.

A total intelligence waron terrorism, and agovernment willing tochange the social conditionsof its people to win them offthe false recruitmentpropaganda of these groups,are the only way to stop thiscankerworm from spreadingfurther. However, theattitude of the governmentdoes not seem to encouragethis. A few days ago, reportsof a gun battle close to theLegislators’ Quarters in Apo,Abuja, seemed to imply thatBoko Haram had infiltratedthe capital city again andwas in the process ofplanning another majorattack. Initial reportssuggested that the gun battlebroke out after securityoperatives, acting on a tipoff, had gone to anabandoned building torecover hidden arms andammunition. Security

operatives claimed that theywere immediately attackedas they arrived at thelocation and a gun battlewith Boko Haram elementsensued. However, witnesseswho made it out of the areaalive tell a different story:they say the location was anuncompleted buildingoccupied by squatters andthat the owner of the

building, said to be a seniormilitary officer, had giventhem (squatters) anultimatum to move out of thepremises or face severeconsequences. Two dayslater security operativesstormed the premisesopening fire randomly.

This version of eventscannot be written off forgood reason; since theattack, we have not seen theBoko Haram suspectsarrested during the raidneither did we see the cacheof arms seized. This makesfor a very disturbing twist toNigeria’s own approach infighting terrorism. In thisferal turf, both sides seem tohave declared open seasonon innocent lives. There areobviously serious challengesfaced by people in thesevolatile states and thereseems to be very littleattempt by our governmentto address the myriaddifficulties faced by these

people or a desire toapproach the battle withaltruistic zeal. In Nigeria, onthe one hand is a terrornetwork that has decided totwist religious doctrines toserve its macabre aims whileon the other is an army, madeup of irascible young men,willing to march over theheads of the people they aresupposed to protect.

I have heard people askwhy there has been so muchoutpouring of condolencefor the victims of theKenyan attack whereas thevictims of the Nigerianattacks have been largelyignored by the internationalpress. We must understandthat the situations withinboth countries have largelydetermined globalperceptions of the events.Beyond the most prevalentopinion that Kenya attractsa more sympathetic globalaudience because it is a hubof western interest, there are

some other considerations.The Kenyan attack isbeemed through livebroadcasting to a worldaudience stunned by terriblescenes of scampering crowdof shaken shoppers; videoclips of bodies, who wouldhave been shoppers withtheir families only a shortwhile before, lying dead ondriveways. The Kenyanattack brings home toaudiences around the worldlive shots of the bestial faceof terrorism. Also, in Kenya,they dont seem to have aproblem with the approachthat the government hastaken in securing the lives ofits citizens; so far, reports ofmassacres of civilians by theKenyan Police or army hasnot been heard of.

In Nigeria, the case isdifferent. Not only have wenot had a standoff thatinvolved hostage taking andviolent gun battles in apublic place that would

beam live clips of theterrorists’ predilection forgruesomeness, ourgovernment seems bent onstifling media coverage ofthese attacks where theyoccur. There is also theinclination of securityforces towards a blanketattack on the samecommunities that havebeen victims of BokoHaram attacks, on thesinister assumption that thecommunities are complicitin the insurgency. Anotherpoint is the one buttressedby the earlier narrated Apogun battle. The worldcannot be blamed for theneglect of our victims, weare to blame for notinsisting that ourgovernment and securityagencies act above boardand show moreconsideration for the livesof innocent people.However, this opiniondoes not, in any way, denythe fact that our securityagencies and our militarypersonnel have displayedcommendable levels ofbravery in their duty,neither does it ignore theserious challenges that thetwin dangers of our porousborders and the bestialnature of the enemyportend for the safety ofour troops and the taskbefore them.

What the Kenyanattack has shown is thevehemence with whichterrorism aims to spread itssordid reach. Ourgovernment must learnfrom the gory lessons thatthis incidence has taughtthe world: Nowhere isbeyond the dangerousreach of terror. Terrorismhas become the bane ofworld peace, and it seemsprepared to open newfrontiers in places it hasnever been before.Fighting this scourge willnot be easy in a worldwhere weapons proliferateand where religiousdoctrines and sentimentscontinue to celebrateignorance and engenderfalse beliefs in contortedsublime aspirations.

nigerian observer 24 092013

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