nigerian observer

1 TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

THE NIGERIAN

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vol. 37 • NO.241• TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 • N100.00

CMYK

State ofemergency

must beconstitutional

Page 22DISCOURSE

Pages 16 - 17PERSPECTIVE

Celebrating2013

children’s day

TIT BIT

PREVENT FIRE

OUTBREAKS

Have a FireExtinguisher in your

home today.Courtesy: Edo State Fire Service

“When good fortune comes, only thenwould some persons discover that thediary where they wrote ‘I will always bemy brother’s keeper’ is no longerconvenient to carry about’.

- Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama

2013 CHILDREN’S NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATION: Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius EgberanmwenOdubu (4th right) his wife, Deaconess Endurance Odubu(3rd right) , wife of the Speaker, Edo StateHouse of Assembly, Mrs. Jeniffer Igbe (2nd right), Secretary to the State Government, ProfessorJulius Ihonvbere(right), the State Head of Service, Princess Ekiuwa Inneh (4th left), Commissionerfor Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Blessing Maigida (3rd left), Permanent Secretary,in the Ministry (2nd left) and the Reigning Miss Nigeria Beauty Queen, Miss Nomwen Isibor, cuttingthe anniversary cake to mark the 2013 Children’s National Day celebration at the Samuel OgbemudiaStadium, Benin City yesterday. Photo: MOSES OBOH.

o

The Nigerian

Continues on pg.2

Children’s Day

Oshiomhole tasks institutions,parents

Worsening Economic Situation

Edo LG tribunal holds pre-hearing session

UN to honour 103 fallen peace keepers

Army captures 25 insurgents,kills 3 others

Senator beratesNigerian media

Continues on pg.2

LAGOS - The UN willon May 29 honour 17Nigerians who lost theirlives while serving in itsp e a c e k e e p i n g

operations in 2012,according to a statementfrom the global bodyyesterday.

They are Staff Sgt.

Absalom Umar, Staff Sgt.Emmanuel Abel, Cpl.Julius Emmanuel, LanceCpl. Bashir Garba andCpl. Thomas Idu, all of

whom lost their liveswhile serving with theUnited Nations Missionin Liberia.

BENIN CITY - Edo State Government has urgedvoluntary Organisations, traditional and religiousinstitutions as well as corporate bodies to investin the up-bringing of children.

By CLIFFORD AGBAJOR/FUNMI BATATOPE

The State Governor,Comrade AdamsOshiomhole made theappeal at this year’s(2013) NationalChildren’s Daycelebration which tookplace at the SamuelOgbemudia stadium,Benin City, yesterday. The Governor who wasrepresented by his

Deputy Dr. PiusEgberanmwen Odubu,noted that its is theresponsibility of all tobring up children to begood, productive and lawabiding citizen. According to him, thepresent administration ischild friendly and hasconsequently committeditself to the

implementation of thechild Right laws passed

by the state House ofAssembly. The law, he said makes

protection from harm,abuse and exploitation ofany kind. While noting thatparents must realize thatthey represent the firstline of support for theirchildren, the comradegovernor charged

parents to deepen theirshow of love for theirwards and educate themon the proper conductexpected of goodcitizens. He used theopportunity to reiterate

By JOSES SEDE

ABUJA – EmbattledSen. Ali Ndume currentlyfacing charges offinancing the dreadedIslamist Boko Haramhas berated the NigerianPress for worsening

economic situation in thecountry.

He asserted that themedia should be heldresponsible for theproblems bedeviling thecountry through onesided story reporting andfictitious analyses all

bordering on subjectiveor speculativesubmissions.

Senator Ndume(PDPBorno South), made thesubmissions yesterdaywhile fielding questionsfrom the Senate PressCorps.

According to him,Press subjective orpartisanship reportage ofmost critical issues in thecountry within the last 14years of democracy in theContinues on pg.2

ABUJA - The DefenceHeadquarters saidyesterday that it captured 25 insurgentsand killed three others,including a high profileterrorist identified as“Abbas’’.

A statement issued byBrig.-Gen. ChrisOlukolade, Director,Defence Information inAbuja, said Abbas hadbeen on the list of mostwanted persons.

The statement, whichgave an update on theongoing militaryoperations in Borno, said

the incident occurredduring an encounterbetween troops of theSpecial Forces and the

insurgents.It said that the

insurgents had finalisedmoves to carry out

extensive operationaround Maiduguri.

The statement alsosaid the insurgentssucceeded in killing somemilitary personnel.

It added that the troopsContinues on pg.2

By ROLANDOSAKUE/INNOCENT

OMOAKA

BENIN CITY: Thethree member Edo statelocal GovernmentElection PetitionTribunal yesterday hadits maiden session with

various counsel at theopen court, even as itsued for their co-operation in the course ofits proceedings.

The chairman of theTribunal, Justice IyobosaOkungbowa, leadingHon. Justice OhimaiOvbiagele and Hon.

Justice StephenOmonua welcomed themembers of the bar,particularly Counsel tothe plaintiffs and that ofthe respondents to thePre-hearing session of

the Tribunal and urgedthem to work within thetime frame of thetribunal.

Justice Okungbowafurther advised thecounsel to familiarizethemselves with theContinues on pg.2


THE NIGERIAN

Edo LG tribunal holds pre-hearing session

News

UN to honour 103 fallen peacekeepers

Oshiomhole tasks institutions, parents Continued from page 1

Govt explains suspensionof Neighbourhood Watch

Continued from page 1

Army captures 25 insurgents, kills 3 others

Ihonvbere, Omo-Ojo, GraceOmoedo FoundationChildren’s Fun-Fare

Senator berates Nigerianmedia


Ikpoba-Okha Council bossassures of clean environment


electoral laws as theTribunal was prepared todischarge its duties with allfairness without fear or favour.

Responding, GeorgeIgbokwe Esq. appreciated theChairman of the tribunal for hisadvice, even as he assuredhim of their co-operationduring the period of sitting. He

also promised that they willabide by the rules of thetribunal, just as he said thatthey would not also hesitate toannounce any of theirchallenges when hearingprogresses.

On his part, Eki Omo-Osagie contended that theHigh Court Civil ProcedureRules would not suit the time

frame of the sitting of thetribunal just as he sought toknow the kind of procedurethe tribunal would adopt for itssittings.

In a motion ex-parte filedin case No. ED/LG/PET/01/2013, against Mr. Eni Afanaja

Adaghebalulu, the petitioner,Mr. Iyile S. Nigeria withdrewthe motion dated May 17 2003and was accordingly struckout by the tribunal Chairman.

Similarly, the motions forthe first and secondrespondents were struck outaccordingly.

Meanwhile, the tribunalhas adjourned sine die.

the state governmentcommitment to theimplementation of Edo statechild Rights law of 2007, whichmakes provision for the child’ssurvival, development,participation as well asprotection from harm, abuseand exploitation of any kind. Comrade Oshiomholepointed out that in line with thetheme for this year, “Ourchildren, our future, ourcollective Responsibility”, thestate government has throughits developmental projectssuch as renovation of schools,good roads, infrastructuraland sports developmentsprepared a platform forparents and children alike tobe part of the sustainablegrowth and development. He, however, described asunacceptable, the trendwhereby re-modeled schoolsare being vandalized, addingthat hence forth, pupils thatdestroy public school propertywill be made to pay for suchproperty. In her welcome address, EdoState Commissioner forWomen Affairs and SocialDevelopment Mrs. BlessingMaigida, noted that childrenare of great importance to thenation as they form thebedrock for its development. She called on parents andguardians to inculcate the rightvalues in their children andwards, stressing that theOshiomhole –ledadministration in Edo state is

committed to the welfare andwell-being of childrenespecially orphans andvulnerable children who herministry has been empoweredto support. Some of the children whospoke to the NigerianObserver including LatifaDauda, Fabiyi Akpata primaryschool; Usman Mohammed,Ezomon primary school, andUfuoma Patrick of Ighogbesecondary school, expressedjoy over this year ’s

celebration. In the match pastcompetition, Emotan primaryschool, Benin City, came out1st in the public primary schoolcategory, while Our Lady ofMercy primary school, cameout top in the private schoolcategory. The Secretary to the StateGovernment Prof. JuliusIhonvbere and the state Headof Service, Princess EkiuwaInneh presented prizes to theschools respectively.

Similarly, Emotan CollegeBenin City came out top in thepublic secondary schoolcategory, while AscensionGroup of School clinched the1st position in the privateschool category. Wife of the state DeputyGovernor, DeaconessEndarance Odubu and wife ofthe speaker, Edo state Houseof Assembly, Mrs. JenniferIgbe, presented prizes to theschools, respectively,amongst others.


country, is largelyresponsible for poor deliveryof dividends of democracy tothe Nigerian citizens bygovernment at all levels.

“The last fourteen yearsof democracy in Nigeria hasrecorded very little dividendsfor the citizenry at all levelsdue to failure of governancein the land caused by seriesof factors, one of which is thesubjective press that thriveson one sided cum fictitiousstory reporting.

For Nigeria to haveconcrete things on theground to celebrate forpractising democracy withinthe next two years, preciselyby 2015, there must bechange of attitude by thepress in the mode of actuallybeing the watch dog of the

society , reporting things asthey are, without anycolouration”, he stated.

Ndume who blamed mediafor his current ordeal overalleged sponsorship of BokoHaram, added thatsensational reportage of theissue by the media withoutthorough investigation,indicted him even beforearraignment in the court oflaw.

“On Boko Haram issue,I’ve been convicted by thepress but I won’t commentfurther for fear of subjudice”,he said.

He however appealed toall Nigerians to rally roundthe government in the fightagainst the Boko Harammenace, disclosing that the

group, inspite of the on goingstate of emergency in hisstate, Borno, still razed theprimary school he attendedin Gashua town over theweekend and shot dead aReverend friend.

“The problem of BokoHaram needs to be takenmore seriously by allNigerians because it is notthe issue of Borno alone.There is no price that is toomuch for peace”, hedeclared.

For the umpteenth time,Senator Ali Ndume presentlystanding trial in the court oflaw over financial link withBoko Haram, the dreadedterrorists group in thecountry said he has no linkwhatsoever with the group,let alone sponsoring themfinancially as alleged.

intercepted a message sentto fleeing insurgents urgingthem not to give up but to fightto the end.

“The attempt by some ofthem to heed the call wasfoiled during the weekend asthey were trailed to somesettlements and townstowards the border where theyplanned to regroup.

“The captured ones were allapprehended with theirweapons which included rifles,pistols, double barrel gunsand various calibers ofammunition during anoperation by the JTF inKumshe and Bulunkutu area,’’it said.

The statement said thatMultinational Joint Task Forcehad raided and destroyed theassembly points of theinsurgents at the outskirts ofKaneram Dan Katsina, TumbuDabino and Mallam Fatori,north of Baga.

It said the towns andsettlements had been securedwhile cordon and searchoperations were on in the areaafter the insurgents had beendislodged.

The statement said troops ofthe Special Forces had freed

a man taken hostage in theSambisa forest in Borno, since2012 after combing the area.

“The freed hostage is being

treated by the Task Force.“The troops are dominating

the forest as they find anumber of fresh graves, more

arms and ammunition, burntvehicles and otherequipment,’’ it said.

Others are Lt. MartinsAnthony, Lance Cpl. SundayAfolayan, Sgt. Omega Agbalo,Cpl. Suleiman Bako, Cpl. FaliBuluma, Lance Cpl. Oko Idiku,Lance Cpl. Sanusi Jibrin, LanceCpl. Inalegwu John, Sgt. BirabiNkpara, Sgt Joseph Ojelade,Lance Cpl. Sarki Samaila andLance Cpl. Abdullahi Shawaiwho died while serving with theUN-African Union Mission inDarfur.

The statement by the UNInformation Centre (UNIC),Lagos, said that the Nigerianswere among 103 military, policeand civilian personnel whowould be honoured incommemoration of theInternational Day of UNPeacekeepers.

The statement said that theday would be observed at UNheadquarters in New York andat its field operation offices indifferent countries.

“This marks the fifth year in arow the United Nations willhonour more than 100 BlueHelmets who lost their lives the

previous year while serving thecause of peace.

“This sombre milestone is astark reminder of the risksincurred by individuals who puttheir lives on the line when theywere deployed to UN missionsaround the world,” it said.

According to the statement,UN Secretary-General, Mr BanKi-Moon, will perform thewreath-laying ceremony inhonour of the “fallenpeacekeepers”.

It also said that the latepeacekeepers would behonoured with the DagHammarskjold medal.

“To meet emerging threatsand rise to new challenges,United Nations peacekeeping,is adapting its policies to betterfulfil its mandate of ensuringlasting peace in war-torncountries.

‘One hundred and threepeacekeeping personnel diedlast year and more than 3,100have lost their lives during the

UN’s 65 years’ history ofpeacekeeping.

“We salute their bravery andmourn their passing,” it stated.

IDOGBO – The ExecutiveChairman of Ikpoba-OkhaLocal Government CouncilHon. (Mrs.) Itohan OsahonOgbeide has assured thepeople of Ikpoba-Okha LocalGovernment of a clean andconducive environment. She gave this assurancewhile monitoring this month’senvironmental Sanitationexercise in the area onSaturday. Mrs. Itohan Osahon Ogbeidewho was represented on theinspection by the vice chairmanof the council Comrade (Chief)Benson Igie Osifo stressed theneed for members of the publicto always observe the monthlyenvironmental Sanitationexercise by cleaning aroundtheir houses.

At Oregbeni Market, thecouncil boss directed the leaderof the market to ensure thatthose trading along theentrances and pathways to themarket were restricted, andordered the immediate removalof shades and tables in theareas concerned. The council boss frowned atthe deplorable state of houseNo. 80, Saint Saviour Roadwhere a heap of refuse wasdumped at the front close to themain road. The chairman ordered theLandlord of the house toimmediately evacuate it. Also athouse No 83 Saint SaviourRoad, where a lot ofcondemned rods and irons weredumped, the occupants of thehouse were given 24 hours to

remove them and make thepremises clean. The chairman expressedsatisfaction with the evacuationof sands by the youths from thedrainage at Eke Junction, alongUpper Sokponba Road. Amongst areas inspectedduring the environmentalSanitation exercise were,Oregbeni Market, Ugbekun,Santana Market, by SapeleRoad and Ihinrinwmin Market bySaint Saviour Road. The Vice Chairman wasaccompanied during theinspection by the secretary tolocal government, PastorKennedy Osifo, the Leader ofthe Legislative arm, Hon.Matthew Ikhide, othercouncilors and supervisors,including the Special Adviser tothe chairman.

BENINN CITY – Secretaryto Edo State Government,Prof. Julius Ihonvbere andthe State Commissioner forSpecial Duties, Oil and Gas,Hon. Orobosa Omo-Ojo (JP)were amongst dignitariesthat graced the OmoedoFoundation Children’s partyheld in Benin City yesterdayto commemorate the 2013Children’s Day. Omoedo Foundation,which is a Non-Governmental Organization(NGO) both in Dublin andEdo State; Nigeria Organisedthe fun-fare strictly fororphans in Edo State incollaboration with TheYoungest Old Man. Welcoming the childrenand dignitaries, the ChiefExecutive Officer of OmoedoFoundation, Doris Edo saidin consonance with the

universal declaration onchildren’s right to equaleducation, healthcare, goodstandard of living, socialprotection and above alllove so that they do notsuffer the double jeopardy ofnot having parents andbeing neglected by thesociety. She encouraged thechildren to take seriouslytheir education and trainingfor any skill they were beingtrained or to be trained forpointing out that she couldsee a new generation offuture President,Governors, Engineers,Accountants, Lawyers,Doctors as well as a newand re-branded Nigeria inthem. The well-attendedceremony, which featuredchronographic danceentertainment, also had theboys and girls who are allorphans taking part in afashion parade.

BENIN CITY - Secretaryto the State Government,Prof. Julius Ihonvberesays the suspension onthe State NeighbourhoodWatch was to enablegovernment carry outproper screening in orderto clear those who areactually working for amore effective and resultoriented service.” Prof. Ihonvbere madethis known yesterday inGovernment House,while commissioning thesurveillance vehiclesrefurbished by the StateNeighbourhood Watch toenable them do theirwork effectively. He commended themfor the initiative taken byrefurbishing theabandoned vehicles, toaid their activities inmaking the society saferfor all, adding that othergovernment agenciesshould take a cue fromtheir laudable efforts,rather than leavinggovernment facilities in

By THOMPSONERHOMONSELE

By QUEENNETH A.OROBEDO

rot. The SSG equallyassured of moregovernments supporttowards theNeighbourhood Watch inthe discharge of theirduties. The ChairmanNeighbourhood WatchCommittee, GeneralCharles Omoregie (Rtd),said of the four vehiclesrefurbished by theagency, one will bereleased to each of thethree senatorial zonesfor patrol, while thefourth vehicle will be leftat the headquarters inBenin for additionalpatrol. According to him, itcosted them about threemillion naira (N3 million)to refurbish fourvehicles, out of the fivethey were given. In anotherengagement, the SSGalso commissioned a40KVA generator at theState Action Committeefor Aids (SACA)premises.


THE NIGERIAN

Reading Culture: Nat’l Library Donates 500 Books

Beauty Pageant Donates Educational

Materials To 80 Pupils, Students

Catholic Knights Urged

To Proclaim The Faith

News

LG Boss Identifies Key Indicator

Of Good Leadership

ABUJA - The NationalLibrary of Nigeria yesterdaydonated literary 500 books andother souvenirs to children aspart of effort to encourage thereading culture among theyouth. The Chief Executive Officerof the National Library, MalamHabib Jato, announced thedonation at the commemorationof the 2013 Children’s Daycelebration in Abuja. Jato observed that the readingculture was on the declineamong the youth and said thatwas why the GoodluckJonathan-led administrationlaunched the “Bring Back theBook Project’’. He said the problem faced by

IGUOBAZUWA – Hon.Morrison Ogunrobo – Ovia,Chairman Ovia South WestLocal Government Councilof Edo State has identifiedproper planning for thefuture of the children as keyindicator of good leadershipand responsible governance. He made this disclosure at

Iguobazuwa during this year2013 Children’s DayCelebration. Hon. Ogunrobo Ovia saidthat it is his personalconviction that the road to agreater nation lies in theinvestment in their children,

hence he said hisadministration will not fail toprioritize issues that affectevery child in the locality. According to him, it was inrecognition of the potentialsof the children and the overallsociety of investing in the

BENIN CITY – A total of80 pupils of the Edo State Pri-mary and Junior SecondarySchools yesterday receivedbooks and other educationalmaterials as part of activitiesmarking this year’s ChildrenDay Celebrations. The gift items donated byMiss Nowe Isibor Guobadia,second Runners up of theMiss Nigeria Beauty Pageant2011 were personally pre-sented to the selected groupof pupils at the SamuelOgbemudia Stadium Benin

the education system was multi-dimensional and as a result,many people had lostconfidence in the system,especially with the “deplorablecondition of our publicschools”. Jato said incessant strikes byteachers had also contributed in“frustrating the development ofthe sector”, while the lukewarmattitude of stakeholders in thesector had contributed greatly tothe poor reading culture amongyouths. He said that the FederalGovernment had set machineryin motion to re-orientate youthstoward taking interest ineducation with relevantcurricula to the socio-economic

needs of the youth. Jato called for thereinvigoration of literary anddebating societies, reading clubsquiz competition and award ofexcellence in primary andsecondary schools to encouragereading in primary andsecondary schools. He said that the government,philanthropists and NonGovernmental Organisations(NGOs) must collaborate toprovide a functional educationalsystem that would be affordablefor citizens. “Until all stakeholders areready to promote education, thecountry will continue to find itdifficult to move forward, talk-less of attaining the vision 2020. “The goal of education for all

tional, Sir D. A D Igboin hascalled on all brother and sis-ter’ knights to intensify theirefforts in proclaiming thecatholic faith which he saidwas the means to heavenlyeternity.

Sir Igboin, who made thecall in Benin after his instal-lation as the Secretary Gen-eral of the Benin Grand saidit was imperative for the or-der to join the priests in theevangelization of the peopleto the Lord’s Vine yard.

He noted that the work ofharvesting souls, particularlyin this year of faith was aparamount assignment to ev-eryone in the order of knight-hood, as he pointed out thathis recent elevation in the or-der was a call to service.

Sir Igboin, who was sworn-in alongside others includingthe former Speaker of EdoState House of Assembly, Rt.Hon. Sir Bright Omokhodionas the Judge Advocate by thePresident Supreme Subordi-nate, Nobel Knight AslemOkafor further stated that hisoffice as the correspondingsecretary would coordinateall the affairs of the order inorder to have a virile secre-tariat, especially during meet-

ings.According to him, “we will

consolidate and improvemore on the work of our pre-decessor. The Order will nottolerate any form of indisci-pline as it is generally a dis-ciplined order known world-wide.” He stated that knight-hood was for serious Catho-lics who are defenders of thefaith.

He therefore, enjoined allthe Worthy Presidents in allthe Commanderies across theBenin Grand to organize theircommanderies in order tomeet up with the challengesof the Order without stress,adding that drills should be aroutine.

City by the donor. The beauty queen in a briefremark at the occasion gracedby the Edo State Deputy Gov-ernor, Dr. Pius EgberanmwenOdubu and other top govern-ment officials said the ges-tured was borne out of herpassion for the intellectual,moral and educational devel-opment of the Nigerian Child. Miss Isibor noted that as abeauty queen, she has em-barked on many child devel-opment projects andprogrammes both in and out-

side the country. She noted that she had to dothis for students in Edo Statethis time because of her firmbelief in the philosophy that“charity begins at home.” While emphasizing theneed for an all roundeducational development ofthe child, Miss Isibor calledon stakeholders in thebusiness of child up bring tostrive to collaborate with theEdo State Government in itstask of achieving its lofty edu-cational policies andprogrammes.

future of children that theEdo State government begana thorough transformation ofthe Education Sector throughthe provision of world classinfrastructure as well as themotivation of teachers in theeducation sector. The local government bossfurther disclosed that hisadministration has embarkedon the process ofimplementing twentyprojects out of which 70%percent would be on theEducation while the balance30 percent would bechanneled to the primaryHealth care sector. He appealed to parents andguardians to ensure thewelfare and safety of theirchildren, adding that withgovernment efforts and thehuge investment in the futureof the children.

is only a few years away. “They should be made toassist in the training of teachersin addition to book donationsto school libraries, assist inbuilding schools or librariesand equip them where noneexists. “This will serve as an

incentive that will boost themorale of teachers, ‘’he saidJato said that education couldnot be treated in isolationwithout making reference todevelopment of library services. He said that since governmentcould not provide functionallibraries alone, it became

Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu, Deputy Governor of Edo State being presentedbouquet of flowers by Divine Imasekha during the children’s National DayCelebration yesterday. Photo: MOSES OBOH.

Sir D. A D Igboin

imperative for the private sectorand development agencies tocollaborate with the governmentto provide library resources andinfrastructure.

He said that this was the onlyway that indigent studentswould have quality educationand rise to the top.

BENIN CITY - The Sec-retary General of the BeninGrand Commandery ofKnight of St. John Interna-

A cross section of members of knight of St. John Int’l during installation ofGrand Officers in Benin City weekend. Photo: OSADEBAMWEN SUNDAY.


THE NIGERIAN

Inside EdoForum Lauds Oshiomhole’s Developmental Stride

Edo SSG, Prof JuliusIhonvbere (1st left)cutting the tape, tocommission therefurbished vehiclesfor theN e i g h b o u r h o o dWatch yesterday inGovernment House,while the Chairmanof the committeeGen. CharlesOmoregie (Rtd) andother members lookon. Photo:QUEENETH A.OROBEDO

IbongediWedsSunday

Council Boss Assures On Children/YouthDevelopment

Commissioner Decries Slow Pace Of

Construction Work

comrade governor in hiseffort to transform the state.“The level of performance ofthe state government underthe present leadership hasdemonstrated that he means

By WINIFRED OSASOBO

BENIN CITY – Thesolemnization of HolyMatrimony of IbongediAnthony Essiet and AndrewSunday Essien, has been heldat the Apostolic Church 37,Aruosa Street, Benin City. The wedding ceremonyattracted dignitaries from allworks of life, including A SKabiri, a traditional ruler whoalso was the chairman of theoccasion, the Vice Presidentof Akwa Ibom Association,Samuel Ode, AlhajiMohammed Baba andofficers of the NigerianImmigration Services, EdoState Command. Essiet the mother of theBride expressed gratitude toGod, and urged the couple tolove, respect and worktogether in harmony.

exhibited by the contractors onsite. At the Edo Central SenatorialModel School Ewohimi, asecurity man, Mr. MichaelOghama explained that thecontractors had not been on sitesince August while the projectsite at Iyamo Model School wasfound to have been abandoned.

physical and socialenvironment conducive fordevelopment, noting thatneglecting the childrenportends great danger for thenation. He promised a decentlearning environment for thechildren through constructionand renovation of primaryschool buildings andprocurement/distribution oflearning and instructionalmaterials to schools. Present at the ceremonywere pupils from the variousschools in the area,politicians, traditional rulersand a spectrum of the peopleof the local government area.

government are. In a colourful and wellattended ceremony, the localgovernment boss enjoinedparticipants to see theoccasion beyond merecelebration but a call forpositive action in securing thefuture of the children in linewith the theme of this year’scelebration. He called on all adults andthe society in general to showstrong commitment to thechildren by giving themqualitative education, goodnutrition, providing a healthy,

of the year 2013 children/youth day celebration inIgarra the administrativeheadquarters of the local

IGARRA – The ExecutiveChairman of Akoko-edo localgovernment, Hon. JosephFolorunsho Akerejola haspromised to provideopportunities that will

the completion of these jobs and isanxious to see them completed. He further pointed out that thestate governor had plans ofproviding standard schools withhalls for the schools in these areasbut regretted that his plans werebeing thwarted by the unseriousness

schools, the commissionerexpressed disappointment thatthe construction of the schoolshall and two blocks of classroomsearmarked for the schools hadbarely taken off, explaining thatthe State Governor, ComradeAdams Oshiomhole had directed

EWOHIMI - TheCommissioner for Education(Secondary, Tertiary andTechnical) Barrister WashingtonOsifor has decried the slow paceof the construction work at EdoCentral Senatorial Model School,Ewohimi and Iyamo ModelSecondary School, Iyamo. During an inspection tour to the

By KESTER OGIESEWU

UROMI – Esan League forGood Governance hascommended Edo StateGovernor, Comrade AdamsOshiomhole for the ongoingmassive infrastructuraldevelopment in the stateincluding Esanland. In a communiqué releasedat the end of the inauguralmeeting of the League held inUromi recently, it describedthe provision of boreholes insome communities especiallyin Esanland, renovation ofschools and rehabilitation ofroads as a historical landmarkin Edo State. In the communiqué whichwas signed by Hon. Pst HenryOkpamen, Convener Muktar,Secretary General and CyrilOdiboh (Esq), Director ofPublicity, the Esan League forGood Governance also laudedthe Comrade Governor for theattention he has given to thestate owned Ambrose AlliUniversity, Ekpomaespecially in the area ofcompletion of abandonedprojects especially theadministrative building. Members of the League alsocommended the peopleoriented policy trust of theComrade Adams Oshiomholeled administration which hasjustified the efficient use ofthe tax payers moneyespecially in the provision ofbasic amenities and othersocial infrastructure for thebenefit of the people. “Alsoworth mentioning is thequality and standard of theinfrastructure being executedin all the nook and cranniesof the state”, the statementadded. The members alsocongratulated the Edo StateIndependent ElectoralCommission (EDSIEC) forthe successful conduct of thejust concluded localgovernment election in thestate inspite of initial hitchesof late arrival of electoralmaterials to voting centresand other logistic problems.The organisation howevercharged the commission tobrace up for the challenges oforganizing elections in future,even as they called on theopposition party in the state tosupport and corporate with the

well for the people and can betrusted with public fund. Meanwhile, members of theEsan league have solicited formore attention in the area ofroad rehabilitation in Edo

Central and the provision ofborehole. According to thecommuniqué areas to beaddressed include,dualisation of Eguare-

Ujeolen-Ihinmindumu road inEsan West LocalGovernment, Ekpoma,renovation and rehabilitationof Ikeken, Idigun, AwoPrimary Schools in Ward 7

Amenokhian in Esan NorthEast Local Government Areain Uromi. The associationhowever called on the stategovernor to appoint moreEsan youths and women intogovernment positions andalso enjoined Esan sons anddaughters both at home and inthe diaspora to continue tosupport and encourage thecomrade governor to continueto deliver the dividends ofdemocracy to Edo peopleincluding Esanland. The organisation receivedsolidarity messages fromHon. (Pst) Ken Osifoh,Secretary Ikpoba OkhaLocaal Government Counciland Pst BrightOmoriwekemwen, formerChairman Egor LocalGovernment Council.

enhance the proper growth anddevelopment of the children andyouths of the local governmentarea. Hon. Akerejola made thepromise during the celebration

Edo SSG, Prof Julius Ihonvbere (2nd left) Gen. Charles Omoregie (Rtd), Chairman Neighbourhood Watchcommittee (1st left) and Mr. Raphael Usuomon, Edo South Zonal Commander, Neighbourhood Watch (2ndright) during the commissioning of the refurbished vehicles by the Neighboohood Watch yesterday inGovernment House. Photo: QUEENETH A. OROBEDO


THE NIGERIAN

Across The NationAssociation Urges FG To

Tackle Unemployment

Residents Lament Power Outage

Hon. Patrick Aguinede, Commissioner for Basic Education presenting the 2ndplace winner’s cup to Prison Children School during a match-past to mark the2013 children’s National Day celebration. Photo: MOSES OBOH.

Board Urges Inculcation OfEnvironmental Awareness In Children

Court Orders NDLEA To Destroy Seized Drugs,

Vehiclesthe agency to act with despatch.

Reports say that NDLEA hadapplied to the court forpermission to destroy thesubstances that had been in itscustody for sometime.

The agency also prayed thecourt to endorse the forfeitureof the vehicle used to conveythe cannabis sativa when it was

depend largely on powersupply for their usage.

“The youths could better usethese devices as means oflivelihood if power supplyimproves,” he said.

Ajayi describedunemployment as “enforcedidleness” since youths whowere able and enthusiastic towork could not find jobs.

“Governments in all statesof the federation should useICT to generate employment,especially in the northern partsof the country, to reduceidleness among the youths,”he said.

countries in the world ifunemployment wasincreasing.

Ajayi said that thegovernment should harnessthe modern ICT tools as amajor enabler to reduce theunemployment rate whichstood at 25 per cent.

He urged the government todeclare total war againstunemployment by trainingjobless Nigerian youths onbasic ICT tools like Internetskills, computer appreciationand website development.

“Most of the ICT tools suchas internet, computers,laptops, and mobile phones

LAGOS – Mr. Lanre Ajayi,President, Association ofT e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o nCompanies of Nigeria(ATCON), has advised theFederal Government to curbunemployment through ICTtools.

Ajayi gave the advice in aninterview with newsmen inLagos.

He said that the high rate ofyouth unemployment couldbe a threat to the nation’ssecurity.

The ATCON chief said thatthe country would not be ableto achieve its plan to becomeone of the 20 most developed

immediate environment tomake it clean and healthy fortheir living.

“From there, they willimbibe the culture ofcleanness instead of living infilth believing that filth is thenorm; filth cannot be thenorm.“

However, Agbanusi said theboard had introducedprogrammes in schools aimedat bringing environmentalawareness to the children.

According to him, theprogramme has alreadytaken-off in some schools inthe Federal Capital Territory.

“In some schools we haveprogrammes; we call itEnvironmental Clubs; wehave such programmes insecondary schools andprimary schools.

“We have them in variousschools within FCT and webelieve that those clubs willmake them imbibe theenvironmental virtues.

“Like not cutting our trees,trying to tend the trees makesure that they dispose theirwaste properly and also try to

ABUJA - The AbujaEnvironmental ProtectionBoard (AEPB) has advocatedinculcation of goodenvironmental standards inchildren to enable themappreciate the need to protectthe environment.

Speaking to newsmen inAbuja, Mr. Uche Agbanusi,the board’s Deputy Director,Environmental Health andSafety, said as childrencelebrated their day, theyshould be taught a hygieniclifestyle.

“ We need to teach themright from childhood so thatthey will imbibe the cultureof cleanness and livinghealthy.

‘So, we must try as muchas possible to make sure thatthey get the message; it’s forthem to take care of theirimmediate environment andmake sure that no paper no,no litter or any dirt is foundaround them.

‘They must sweep theirhouses, sweep theirclassrooms, clean theirclothing, and join thosepeople that are cleaning their

said he was forced to buywater from the vendors asthere was no functionalpublic water tap at theBadariya area of the statecapital, where he resides.

He said the lack ofelectricity had forced hisfamily to sleep outside theirrooms due to excessive heat.

“The rains have not startedand no electricity supply, andI do not own a generator,” hesaid.

At the Federal MedicalCentre, the Yahaya MemorialHospital, as well as somepublic buildings, NANobserved that they now relyon generators for their powerneeds.

Others groaning under thesituation include sellers ofsachet water and drinks.

Malam Bashiru Ali, aprovision store owner, said hewas making brisk businessbecause of the generator heuses.

He, however, complainedthat most of the customersnow charge their cell phonesat his shop, adding:“ I cannotsend them away because theyare my customers.”

NIS Arrests 103 Illegal Immigrants

maintain even their immediatesurroundings.

“To maintain them, cleanthem, sweep them and withthis, if they grow up with it,they will love the environmentand they will becomedefenders of environment notdestroyers of theenvironment.“

The United Nations onNovember 20, 1954,established the UniversalChildren’s Day to encourageall countries to institute a dayto promote mutual exchangeand understanding amongchildren.

The day is also intended toinitiate action that will benefitand promote the welfare of theworld’s children. Nigeriacelebrates its Children’s Dayon every May 27.

vendors had taken advantageof the situation to hike pricesby about 200 per cent.

A 25-litre container ofwater which was sold forN10 before the poweroutage, now cost N30, whilea barrow of eight watercontainers had gone up fromN100 to N300.

A water vendor, UsmanAliyu said the vendors nowpatronise commercial boreholes to source for water,which was expensive, butfailed to say how much thebore hole operators werecharging.

Malam Umar Farouk, aresident of Birnin Kebbi,

economic activities in the town,including acute water shortage.

The residents have also beenforced to sleep outside theirrooms to avoid excessive heatat night.

Malam Lawal Kangiwa, theBusiness Manager of the PowerHolding Company of Nigeria(PHCN), attributed the situationto the collapse of high tensionpower line at Kainji in NigerState.

He said it was difficult to givespecific date for the restorationof electricity to the state, butassured the residents that thePHCN was working hard torestore back power supply.

Reports also say that water

BIRNIN KEBBI - Residentsof Birnin Kebbi, in Kebbi areliving in darkness followingpower outage since last Friday.

Reports say that the situationhas crippled social and

KADUNA - The Kaduna StateCommand of the NigeriaImmigration Service, hasarrested 103 suspected illegalimmigrants living in the state.

The Controller, Alhaji YerimaHamman told newsmen inKaduna that the suspects werearrested last Sunday.

According to him, 25 of theimmigrants were arrested inKachia, 59 in Kaduna North and17 in Zaria local governmentareas.

He said three of those arrestedwere Ghanaians teaching at aschool in Zaria without properdocumentation.

Hamman said the othersuspects were from NigerRepublic and would berepatriated “this evening” .

The controller urged theFederal Government to providethe service with more vehiclesand communication equipment

to enable it meet the challengesof policing the border posts.

He further called for therevival of air border patrols tocomb to help rid the nation ofillegal aliens, noting that someof the current security challengesin the country were attributed tothe activities of the aliens.

Hamman advised Nigeriansnot to engage people from

Delivering ruling on theapplication made by theagency’s counsel, Mr. MikeKassa, the judge, JusticeAmbrose Allagoa, declared thatthe two prayers had beengranted.

The judge said NDLEA hadstatutory powers to seize,confiscate and also destroy allbanned substances and directed

seized.Kassa said that proceeds

from the auction would bedeposited into the FederalGovernment treasury.

It was learnt that twopersons conveying thesubstances abandoned thevehicle with its cargo andran into a nearby bush whenthey sighted NDLEAofficials.

neighbouring countries withoutvalid documents as providedunder the ECOWAS protocol.

One of the suspects, AhmedSalisu, a Ghanaian, said he hadbeen in Nigeria for seven yearsand was teaching at the schoolwhere he was arrested.

He pleaded with the authoritiesto allow him regularise hisdocument.

JOS - The Federal HighCourt in Jos has permitted theNational Drug LawEnforcement Agency(NDLEA) to destroy morethan two tonnes of assortedhard drugs seized from drugdealers.

The court also permitted theagency to auction the vehiclethat was caught conveying thedrugs.

Hon. Washington Osifo, Commissioner of Higher Education presenting the firstplace winner’s of Voluntary Organisations cup to Scout Association during thechildren day celebration. Photo: MOSES OBOH.


THE NIGERIAN

Across The Nation

FG Urged

To Upgrade

Zoological

Parks

Anambra To Rebuild Dilapidated SchoolsIn Military Cantonment

JigawaEarmarksN3b ForVarsity

IGP Mohammed Abubakar (2nd left), cutting the tape to inaugurate Abia Police Command Hospital in Umuahiarecently

Lawmaker Promises 120 BoreholesFor Constituents Agency Recruits 500 Road

Traffic Assistants

LAGOS – Mrs. SophiaAnyafulu, a Lecturer at the YabaCollege of Technology, Lagos,has urged the FederalGovernment to upgradezoological parks in the countryto enhance tourism development.

Anyafulu told newsmenyesterday in Lagos that theconditions of many of theexisting zoological parks coulddeter tourists from visiting them.

She said that the animals werealso at risk of being illegallykilled due to the lack ofknowledge of the economicvalue of the parks by theinhabitants, especially farmers.

She advised that theinhabitants around these parksshould be educated on theimportance of the parks.

“Government should takewildlife conservation veryseriously as a tool for tourismdevelopment and upgrade thestandard of the existing ones.

“Locals around thesezoological parks should beeducated on how important theseparks are to tourismdevelopment.

“Government should fromtime to time import differentspecies of animals to change thevariety for visitors,’’ Anyafulusaid.

The lecturer advised other tiersof government to develop parksin their various localities toenhance the number of theexisting ones.

“Zoological parks should bedeveloped in every state of thecountry to international standard.

“Tourism must be felt, not justheard. Therefore, it is wise thatour zoological parks be upgradedto international standard not onlyto lure tourists, but to alsobeautify our environment,’’ shesaid.BIDA (NIGER) - Alhaji

Bala Faruk, a member of theNiger House of Assembly,said on Monday that he hadconcluded arrangement todrill 120 motorised boreholes worth N60 million inhis constituency.

Faruk (CPC-Bida South)told newsmen on telephonethat the project was aimed atalleviating the perennialwater scarcity facing hisconstituents.

“The project is solelybeing financed by me and Iplan to deliver them withinthe shortest possible time,”he said.

According to him, 20 boreholes will be drilled atNasarafu, Landzun,Dokodza and MayakiNdajiya wards, 15 in Barikiand Umaru Majigi (B) wardswhile Umaru Majigi ‘A’ward will get 10 as the firstphase.

“Over five years now thepeople in these wards havebeen experiencing difficultyin sourcing for potable waterfor their daily needs with theattendant negative

consequence on their lives, areason that led to myintervention.

“It is unfortunate that Bidaand its environs are facingwater supply problem despitethe state government yearlypronouncement on theproblem; it then becomesimperative that I have tointervene,” he said.

The legislator promised to

resolve the problem of waterscarcity in his constituency tofree his people of water bornediseases.

“Water is life and it is also akey to the socioeconomicdevelopment of the people;and all will be done to see that

the people enjoy regular watersupply,” he said.

Faruk also disclosed that hehad purchased two 500KVAtransformers for installation atBanyagi and Esozhi areas at thecost of over N4 million to boostelectricity supply in the affectedcommunities.

DUTSE - The JigawaGovernment has earmarkedN3 billion to provideadditional infrastructure at itsnew university in Kafin-Hausa.

The Commissioner forEducation, Prof. HarunaWakili, told newsmenyesterday in Dutse that themoney had been captured inthe 2013 budget.

Wakili said that theuniversity would commenceacademic session in 2013,with four faculties, and has a20-year developmentprogramme.

He named the faculties asthose of Humanities,Education, Natural andApplied Sciences, as well asManagement and SocialSciences.

The commissioner addedthat the university wouldprovide necessary facilities toenable it commence studies inmedicine and pharmaceuticalsciences in the next fiveyears.

“I believe that in 20 yearsto come, our university willachieve its full growth.

“The law establishing theuniversity has already beenpassed by the state house ofassembly and the stateexecutive council has equallyapproved it

KANO - The Kano StateRoad and Traffic Agency,has commenced therecruitment of additional500 youths as road trafficassistants.

The Managing Director ofthe agency, AlhajiMohammed Diggol toldnewsmen yesterday in Kanothat the exercise wasapproved by Gov. Rabi’uKwankwaso.

He said the recruitmentwas part of the efforts of thestate government to reduceunemployment.

According to him, thoserecruited will serve as trafficwardens, in line with themandate of the agency,which is to ensure smoothflow of traffic, particularlyin the state capital.

“We have shortage ofpersonnel and right now wehave the approval of thestate executive council torecruit additional 500persons.

“We have commenced the

interview and very soon theresults will be released inorder to commence training ofthe new personnel,” he said.

He added that the newpersonnel would be deployedto major towns in the state toassist in traffic control.

The managing director,disclosed that the agencywould embark onenlightenment campaign to allthe 44 local governmentareas, to sensitise residents onits operations.

“We want the public toappreciate the fact that theagency is assisting in thecontrol of traffic and that itwas established by law.’’

Diggol urged the stategovernment to provide theagency with additionaloperational vehicles to enableit discharge its dutieseffectively.

He said the agency usuallydeploys its personnel onmarket days, to control traffic,particularly where themarkets are located on majorroads.

ONITSHA (ANAMBRA)- Governor Peter Obi ofAnambra has assuredofficers and men of theOnitsha MilitaryCantonment in the state ofgovernment’s commitmentto rebuild its dilapidatedprimary and post-primaryschools.

It will be recalled that Obihad earlier made availablethe sum of N100 million forinternal roads re-construction at thecantonment.

The governor disclosedthis on Sunday while

inspecting the on-going roadsreconstruction within thecantonment.

He expressed happinesswith the progress of work onthe roads’ reconstructionwithin the cantonment.

‘’The AnambraGovernment will completethe on-going re-constructionof roads within thecantonment while we willalso come and re-builddilapidated structures such asschools.

‘’Every responsiblegovernment must assist inbuilding and maintainingstructures that contribute tothe welfare of the people.

‘’Today, I can tell you thatwe are supporting allorganisations that make thesociety better for our people.

‘’So far, our government haspurchased over 300 vehiclesfor security agencies out ofwhich the Army has gottenabout 40,’’ Obi said.

He disclosed that thegovernment would give one

security vehicle each to the177 communities in thestate by the end of the year.

Responding, Col.Taritimiye Gagariga,Commander, OnitshaMilitary Cantonment, saidhis men were happy thatObi’s wonderful efforts atrebuilding structures in thestate had also reached thecantonment.

Gagariga promised thatthe army would continue towork together with thegovernment for thesecurity of the state.

He enjoined other stategovernments to emulatethe kind gestures of Gov.Obi.

L-R: Former Minister of Defence, Dr. Mohammed Bello, Wife of New Director-General of Bureau ofPublic Enterprises (BPE), Mrs. Cecilia Dikki, the new Director-General, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, at areception in honour of the new Director-General in Abuja recently.


THE NIGERIAN

Lagos

Oba Akiolu’s Reign: Decade OfProgress, Stability - Jakande

Aspirin Reduces RiskOf Stroke, Heart Attack

- Cardiologist

Environmental Pollution: LASG ShutsChurches, Companies

Babalakin

Bemoans

State Of

EducationLAGOS -Mr. Wale

Babalakin, the Chairman, Bi-Courtney Ltd., has urged theOyo State Government tohand over GovernmentCollege, Ibadan (GCI) to itsOld Boys Association forproper administration andmanagement.

Babalakin, who is theChairman of the Lagosbranch of the GCI’s Old BoysAssociation, made the plea atthe 2013 Annual Lunch andMerit Awards ceremony ofthe school in Lagos.

He expressed thewillingness of the oldstudents to take over theadministration of the school,including its funding.

“We believe that this step,once taken, would be theharbinger of efforts to restorethe past glory of the college,’’he said.

Babalakin said that timehad come for the society, ledby its elite, to refocus itsattention on restoring the lostglory of secondary educationin the country.

“We have heard of variousefforts made by a number ofgovernments to revampsecondary education, none ofthe efforts has beensuccessful,” he said.

He gave the assurance thatGCI’s old boys wouldcontinue to strive valiantly touphold the standards of thecollege and its ideals, “35years after the downgradingof many secondary schools.

“The policy of the OyoState Government in 1979turned the exclusive territoryof Government College,Ibadan to the domain of othersecondary schools.

“The near eradication ofmerit as a criterion for entryinto the school was anunpardonable assault onquality education in Nigeria,”he said.

Babalakin said that thispartly signalled the collapseof secondary education in thecountry.

Also speaking, Prof.Oladipupo Akinkugbe saidthat the event was organisedto bring the old students ofthe college together todeliberate on how toengender the school’sdevelopment.

He noted that the schoolhad graduated manyprominent personalities in thecountry.

“I am one of the oldstudents; therefore, we allhave to join hands together toupgrade the school andmaintain its standard ofeducation,’’ he said.

Akinkugbe said that theassociation had intervened inefforts to refurbish andrenovate the school.

“The old students will notrelent in efforts to ensure thequality education standardsof the school,” he said.

remedy the situation, but it failedto comply, which eventuallyresulted in its closure onThursday.

Another company, EurekaMetals Limited committed thesame offence as Primlaks. Thecompany was ordered to installan abatement plant to adequatelycollect the metallic particulateand soot emitted into theenvironment; install noisedampers around machines/equipment and generators andadequate collection of spent oilto prevent its discharge into theenvironment. The companyfailed to carry out the order,which led to its closure.

According to Shabi, afterwarning the affected companies,“their proprietors went aboutsending people to us. There isnobody above the law. Before wereopen them, they must put ourrecommendations in place.”

He stated that governmentwould not in any waycompromise the laid downstandard and laws of the stategoverning pollution of theenvironment.

LAGOS -A cardiologist, DrOluwole Aderibigbe, says asmall dose of aspirin daily canlower the risk of heart attack andstroke in hypertensive, diabeticand overweight people.

“Taking a small dose of aspirinis a highly effective medicaltreatment for lowering the riskof heart attacks and strokes inhypertensive, overweight anddiabetic people,” he toldnewsmen in Lagos.

Aderibigbe said evidence hadshown that people who have ahigh risk of developing heartattack or stroke had benefitedfrom daily dose of aspirin asrecommended by doctor.

“There is increasing evidenceof aspirin’s benefits in reducingthe risk of heart attack and strokewhen taken appropriately.

“Some factors like familyhistory of heart disease,hypertension and diabetes,having high cholesterol andbeing overweight predisposepeople to heart attack and stroke.

“Research shows that peoplewho previously had heart attackor stroke have been able toreduce the risk of another attackwith daily dose of aspirin,” hesaid.

Aderibigbe said aspirin helpsto slow down the formation ofblood clots that could block theartery and result in heart attack.

“The reason aspirin can beprescribed in small daily dose isbecause it acts as a means oflowering the risk of heart attackor stroke.

“Aspirin helps to inhibit theeffect of blood clotting action ofplatelets in the bloodstream.

“Blood platelets cause plaquebuildup that block the artery andstop blood flow to the brain or

“You are to direct thegovernors on the areas of needsof the people of yourcommunities in terms ofprovision of social amenities.

“It is also your responsibility,as a royal father, to ensure thatpolitical office holders fulfilltheir electoral promises,” headded.

Bello said that the role oftraditional rulers, as appointedby God, was to assist thepoliticians in the development oftheir states.

The cleric, however, urged thetraditional rulers to desist fromanswering the name of“Kabiyesi’’, insisting that “onlyGod is the Almighty”.

“Any traditional ruler, whoanswers the name Kabiyesi, willhave a query to answer on thelast day,” he said.

Also, the Chief Imam ofLagos, Alhaji Garuba Ibrahim,who was represented by AlhajiTijani Gbajabiamila, the AlfaAgba of Lagos, recited the HolyQu’ran at the occasion.

Reports say that the ceremonywas witnessed by Gov.Babatunde Fashola of LagosState and two ex-governors ofthe state: retired Brig.-Gen. Raji

LAGOS -Alhaji LateefJakande, a former governor ofLagos State, has described the10-year reign of the Oba ofLagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, as adecade of progress, developmentand stability.

Jakande made the observation,while speaking with newsmen onthe sidelines of a special prayersession, organised to mark the10th coronation anniversary ofthe monarch in Lagos.

He noted that the Oba’s reignhad stimulated tremendousdevelopment and progress inLagos.

Jakande prayed that God wouldcontinue to multiply themonarch’s wisdom andknowledge, while granting himmore fruitful years to rule the city.

Earlier, an Islamic scholar,Alhaji Muhideen Bello, whodelivered a lecture as part theanniversary celebrations, urgedtraditional rulers in the countryto always strive to guidepoliticians in efforts to give goodgovernance.

“No matter how the situationmay be, politicians will rule foronly four years or maximum ofeight years, while the reign oftraditional rulers is permanent.

By RAHEEM IBRAHIM

LAGOS - The Lagos StateGovernment has shut down twochurches and six companies overcases of environmental pollutionin various parts of the state insouthwest Nigeria.

Officials of the StateEnvironmental ProtectionAgency (LASEPA) shut theaffected places after serving themabatement notices, which theyfailed to comply.

The enforcement was led byMr. Kayode Bello, Director ofEnforcement, LASEPA, with a

back up from the police.The churches and companies

shut include Eureka MetalsLimited and PrimlaksGalvanising Industries located atLadipo Oluwole, Ikeja; ChristVictoria Chapel at Iyana Ipaja;and Christ Chosen Church ofGod, Onipanu.

Others are Wingham Furniture,Abule-Egba; Tin Oil Limited,Muritala Mohammed Way, Yaba;Ikorodu Industrial Steel,Odogunyan, Ikorodu and abakery in Mushin.

Christ Victoria Chapel andChrist Chosen Church of God

were shut over noise pollutionafter they were warned to abatethe nuisance and they failed to doso.

Primlaks GalvanisingIndustries in Ikeja was shut foremitting particulate matter andblack soot into the environment,thereby polluting the area as wellas extreme noise pollution, whilealso discharging and releasing hotslurry/sludge waste from thefurnace into the environment.

It was also observed that thecompany had poor spent oilmanagement, leading to dischargeinto public drainage; poorventilation and exposure of staffto heat and poor aesthetics ofenvironment.

LASEPA General Manager,Engr. Rasheed Shabi, said thecompany’s action constitutedhealth hazard to workers andcontributed to the environmentaldegradation, therebycontravening the provisions ofLASEPA Law of 2003, whichattract appropriate fines andpenalties.

The company was fined N5million and given seven days to

heart, resulting in a stroke or heartattack.

“Aspirin helps to slow downthe process of blood clots in thevessels that supply blood to thebrain,” the cardiologist said.

He said aspirin could berecommended to men over 50years and women over 60, if theyhave increased risk of heartattack.

Aderibigbe, however, advisedpeople not to start a daily aspirintherapy unless it wasrecommended by a medicalexpert.

“Although, aspirin is a highlyeffective medical treatment whenused appropriately, it can’t bedaily unless recommended by anexpert, even at low doses.

“You should take a daily aspirinonly if your doctor advises youto do so after properexamination,’’ the expert advised.

Rasak and Chief Ahmed BolaTinubu.

Some of the dignitaries at theevent include former Gov.Donald Duke of Cross River,Chief Musiliu Obanikoro, ChiefRasak Okoya, a foremostindustrialist, and members of theNational Assembly.

Justice Arum Igyem taking oath of office as a High Court Judge in Plateau inJos recently.

Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State (left) , congratulating Justice Ishaku Kundaduring his swearing in as a High Court Judge in Jos recently.


THE NIGERIAN

News

Ilorin Court Dissolves 5-Year-OldMarriage Over Childlessness

Children’s Day:

Adamawa Children Weep

Over Cancellation

NSCDC Records 146 Criminal CasesIn Jigawa - Commandant

Severe Malaria In Children CanLead To Renal Disease - Specialist

Princess Ekiuwa Inneh, Edo State Head of Service presenting a cup to the childrenof Family Support Programme Primary School during children’s Day celebrationin Benin City. Photo: MOSES OBOH

Deaconess Endurance Odubu, wife of Edo State Deputy Governor presentingthe first place winners’ cup to the captain of Emotan College, Benin City aftera match past to mark the 2013 children’s Day celebration. Photo: MOSES OBOH

Edo Govt To SupportCultural Heritage

Gov Ahmed Charges Parents

On Children Well-Being

The commandant commendedthe government and people of thestate for their support, noting thatthe gesture had enhanced securitynetwork in the state.

“The security of Jigawa isgood; the state government istrying and the security formationsare also trying; for now Jigawais a peaceful state; thegovernment is trying; it listens tosecurity advice.

“We have done enough; I knowin the past, if you called Jigawa

down in tears while others askedwhether the event had beenshifted to another venue.

Our Correspondent reports thata lot of them were unable tocomprehend the meaning of stateof emergency and why it shouldaffect their celebration.

Some pupils from Nasarawoand Yelwa primary schools whocould not bear the realityconducted a mock march passbefore departing the paradeground.

Also, some parents whobrought their wards to the squarecomplained that the cancellationwas not given publicity andcriticised the government for theaction.

“Why should they cancel thischildren celebration? You can seethe children are sad on a day theyare supposed to be happy.

“The state of emergency didnot seriously affect normalactivities in Yola, particularlyfrom 6 a.m to 6 p.m. “So Iwonder why they cancel achildren’s day event that issupposed to take place from 10a.m to 12 p.m,” Malam AbduMusa, a parent said.

time than in adults.He said that the symptoms

of renal failure in childrenincluded general bodyswelling, fever, and sorethroat.

Yildam said that if thedisease was detected in timeit could be treated effectively.

He called on parents to beobservant of their children andwards for the symptoms of thedisease.

He also urged parents toalways seek medical attentionfrom qualified doctors and todesist from self-medication asit was detrimental to the healthof the child.

administration’s commitment tochild-friendly policies andprogrammes that guaranteedconducive environment forphysical and intellectualdevelopment.

These, according to him,include maternal and childmedicare, tuition-free primaryand post-primary educationsystem as well as infrastructuraldevelopment in the schools.

Ahmed also urged the Nigerianchild to look beyond the paradesand other festivities of thisoccasion.

He urged them to reflect onvirtues that could transform theminto being good leaders in thefuture.

According to him, “it is theintention of this administration touse these means to educate theyounger generation on thecultural heritage of Edo State soas to ensure that our history andculture are not lost.”

He commended the CampusDivision of BIU for organizingthe cultural carnival which hesaid is meant to provide avenuefor all the tribes in the institutionto showcase their culturalheritage.

Dignitaries at the occasionincluded the Archbishop ofChurch of God Mission, Dr.(Mrs.) Margaret Benson Idahosa,the Iyase of Benin Kingdom,Chief Sam Igbe, Vice-Chancellor, BIU, ProfessorErnest Izevbigie, President, IgboYouth Union, Nze Duroha andthe Woman Leader, Chief Mrs.Emma Nnaji.

and his relatives have beenblaming me for our childlesscondition. I have been wronglyblamed since 2008 when Imarried my husband.’’

She cited an instance when herin-laws visited their house just torain insults on her and continuedto call her a witch.

“My Lord, I want an end to thismarriage because I cannot bearthe threats mounting on me bymy husband’s relatives,’’ sheadded.

The defendant, however, did

ILORIN - An Ilorin AreaCourt dissolved a five-year-oldmarriage between KudiratSaheed and Saheed Razaq overchildlessness.

Kudirat, 36, a resident of Alorearea, Ilorin, had earlier prayed thecourt to dissolve her marriagewith Razaq, saying the marriagehad not been blessed with a child.

She told the court that herhusband’s relatives were fond ofaccusing her of their childlesssituation.

She added that “my husband

complaints on communal andfamily disputes were alsorecorded and resolved within theperiod under review.

He said that the command hadsecured 25 convictions and twoother cases relating to drugdealing were transferred to theNational Drug Law EnforcementAgency (NDLEA) while onerape case was also referred to thepolice.

According to him, 21 out of therecorded criminal cases arepending before the courts.

DUTSE - The Nigeria Securityand Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) in Jigawa saidyesterday that it recorded 146criminal cases in the state in thelast three years.

The Commandant of the corps,Mr. Muhammad Gidado, toldjournalists in Dutse that the caseswere recorded in the operationalzones of the command in thestate.

He said that the commandrecorded 47 criminal cases suchas theft, rape, assault, vandalism,and possession of cannabis.

Gidado said that 99 civil

not object the prayer of his wife,saying she was free to go and tryanother place.

“I see no reason why I shouldkeep a wife that is not ready toaccept any blame when she is atfault,’’ he said.

He prayed the court to grant theprayer of his wife without anyclaim.

The Presiding Judge, Mr.Ibrahim Abdulquadri, thendissolved the marriage and issueda certificate of divorce to theplaintiff.

the Ministry for Women Affairs,citing the current state ofemergency imposed on the statefor the decision.

Reports indicate that hundredsof pupils had besieged the squarein anticipation of the celebrationonly to be told to go home,making some of them to break

YOLA - Many primary schoolpupils who showed up at theRibadu Square, Yola, yesterdayfor the usual festivities onChildren’s Day, wept openlywhen they were told to go home,as the event had been cancelled.

Reports say that thecancellation was announced by

ILORIN - The KwaraGovernor, Abdulfatah Ahmed hascalled on parents and guardiansto devote more time for thetraining and well-being of theirchildren and wards.

Ahmed made the call in astatement in Ilorin signed by hisChief Press Secretary (CPS),Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, on theoccasion of the 2013 Children’sDay celebration.

He said parents and guardiansshould show greater concern forthe training of their children andwards in order to complementgovernments’ policies andinitiatives to nurture them intogood citizens.

The governor noted that it wasnecessary that all stakeholders inchildren’s upbringing rally roundto restore cultural values in thechildren.

He added that parents shouldalso ensure the inculcation ofmoral values in children at boththe family and communal levels.

This, he said, becamenecessary especially now in theface of prevailing national moraldecadence and securitychallenges.

The governor reiterated his

BENIN CITY – Edo StateGovernment would continue tosupport the rich cultural heritageof the state through culturalfestivals, exhibitions, cultural andhistorical events.

The Snr. Special Assistant onProtocol to GovernorOshiomhole, Ambassador UcheJames Okoro disclosed this at theweekend when he representedSecretary to the StateGovernment, Prof. JuliusIhonvbere at a cultural festivalorganized by the CampusDivision of Benson IdahosaUniversity (BIU).

He disclosed that plans are toorganize arts and festivalcompetition both at primary andsecondary schools levels with aview to discovering new talentsthat would also be encouraged bygovernment to sustain the art andcraft heritage of the state.

congenital renal disease butthe acquired renal disease.

“Lead-poisoning, bee stingsand severe malaria are all thecauses of acquired renaldiseases in children.“

He said that kidney diseasewas either acquired orcongenital.

He explained thatcongenital renal disease wasinherent from birth, due tosome malformations in thedevelopment of the kidney.

According to him, renaldisease in children is easy toidentify as the childrenmanifest symptoms quicklywithin the shortest period of

JOS – Dr. Fabong Yildam,a family medicine specialistwith the Plateau SpecialistHospital, Jos, said yesterdaythat severe malaria couldcause acquired renal diseasein children.

Yildam told our reporter inJos that the increasingincidence of acquired renaldisease in children wasalarming.

He said the disease could becaused by variousenvironmental factors.

“The incidence of renaldiseases in children is on theincrease; and it is not the

a temple of atrocities, I think youwould not be telling a lie; but nowalmost 70 per cent of theseatrocities have been arrested; mycommand arrests and prosecuteslaw breakers day and night.“

Gidado restated the resolved ofthe command to protect lives andproperty in the state.


THE NIGERIAN

Don Frowns At Indiscriminate Grant OfPerpetual Injunction

Flood Control, Panacea For Polio Eradi-cation

- Director

Basic Education: BoardHails Teachers Courage

Across The Nation

Officials of the Fire Stations in the Federal Capital Territory At A Fire Drill in Abuja on Saturday.

Firemen representing various Fire Stations in the Federal Capital Territory at the FireDrill in Abuja on Thursday.

Car Washer In Court Over Al-leged Stealing

ABUJA - The FCTA Univer-sal Basic Education Board hashailed the courage, determina-tion and efforts of teachers in theFCT in their struggle to ensurethat every child acquires basic,fundamental education.

Mr. Adamu Noma, the board’sdirector, made the commenda-tion on Monday in his messageto children on this year’sChildren’s Day Celebration inAbuja.

He told newsmen that FCTteachers had surmounted gruel-ling circumstances like inad-equate learning facilities,unfriendly learning environ-ments and inaccessible roads toensure that children had a goodeducation.

He particularly praised thecourage of teachers in FCT ruralcommunities and encouragedthem to continue in the spirit ofpatriotism to make Nigeria a bet-

ter place.“I will tell teachers well done,

they have been doing very well,we appreciate what they are do-ing, it is when you understandwhat it means to be a teacherthen you will appreciate ateacher.

“People don’t know, they don’tknow what teachers go throughto handle children; not only thatyou are handling children, butyou are handling other people’schildren that are not your ownbiological children.

“These are children that arecoming from different socio-cul-tural backgrounds, it is left forthe teacher to handle them andtreat them with care to mouldthem to become better citizens.

“So we appreciate what teach-ers are doing, teachers in FCTare giving out their best and onour own side we equallyrecognise that we appreciatewhat they are doing.

“That is why we make surethat their salaries are regularlypaid, their allowances are givento them, their promotions aregiven to them as at when due,and then we send them to work-shops and seminars both withinand outside the country.

“Some of our teachers are inChina, some just came back twoweeks ago, we sent them withour collaboration with ChineseEmbassy Cultural Centre so wemake sure that teachers capaci-ties are improved so that they canperform better.“

The director also cautionedchildren against absenteeism,peer pressure and risky behav-iors that could jeopardise theireducation.

“I will tell children that theyshould listen to their teachers, goto school and pay attention totheir teachers and whateverteachers tell them, teachers arealways telling them what is goodfor them.

“If they do that, they can be-come great men when they growup; they should know that thosewho are in leadership positionstoday started as they are startingtoday.

“Nobody suddenly went towhere he or she has found him-self, everybody went throughwhat they are going through to-day.

“I employ our pupils and stu-dents to listen to their teachersto go to school, when they go toschool they should remain inschool.

“They should desist from fol-lowing bad friends, they knowfriends that they should not fol-low, obey their parents and be-have themselves so that they canbecome good leaders of tomor-row.“

ABUJA- Prof ClementDakas, the Director, Research,Nigerian Institute of AdvanceLegal Studies (NIALS), has saidthat the indiscriminate grant ofperpetual injunctions by judgeswas an abuse of the law.

Dakas told newsmen in Abujathat it was important for the ju-diciary to conduct itself properlyin the application of the law inorder not to send wrong signalsto the public.

“There are few judges whounfortunately in applying thelaw, bring a great deal of dis-credit to the Nigerian judiciary

ABUJA - The Police havearraigned a 20-year-old carwasher, Adamu Muhammad, ofRuga Village, Airport Road,Abuja, in an Abuja Magistrates’Court for allegedly stealingfrom his customer.

The Prosecutor, Mr AbdulahiAdamu, told the court that, SaniSadi, of Mabushi village, Abuja,reported the matter to the Wusepolice station, Abuja on May 18.

Adamu said that the com-plainant entrusted his car withthe accused for washing whichhad the sum of N100, 000 in it,but the accused allegedly tookaway the money without theowner’s consent.

ABUJA - Adequate floodcontrol and proper sanitationmanagement can serve as asolution to total polio eradica-tion in the country, a deputydirector in the Federal Ministryof Health, has said.

Mr Kehinde John, the DeputyDirector, office in charge ofHealth Emergency and DisasterManagement, Federal Ministryof Health, said this in aninterview with newsmen inAbuja.

He said polio was usuallytransmitted through fecal-oralmethod of transmission andfound in children at the crawl-ing stage, particularly those ina dirty environment.

According to him, though thefight against polio in the country

is enormous, two cases of thedisease have been recorded inthe Federal Capital Territorythis year, which is an after-effect of the 2012 flooding.

He said that the flood thatravaged the country last yearpolluted major sources ofdrinking water.

It was gathered that humanbeings are the only knownhosts of the polio virus.

According to John, fecal-oral transmission is the pro-cess whereby fecal matter orfeaces is taken into the mouththrough contaminated food orfingers, or by ingestion ofdroplets expelled from thethroat of an infected person.

John said that the disease

was highly communicable andcould spread widely within ashort period.

“The root of its infection isfecal oral relating to sanitation,take for example they discov-ered two polio cases in the FCT(Federal Capital Territory), thisis after effect of the flood of lastyear 2012.

“You know we had heavyflood, especially inGwagwalada and Kubwa areaand those are the places wherethese things are discoveredbecause we are not takingsanitation as important andpolio is transmitted throughpolio virus and when childrenare crawling, moving from oneplace to another.

“One case of polio within anenvironment can be transmit-ted to 200 children and that iswhy it so make it as an epi-demic.

On sanitation, John spoke ofthe need for proper manage-ment and disposal of humanwaste (excreta).

He advised households tobuild toilets and maintain aclean environment.

“In terms of sanitation, weneed to make sure that we haveproper disposal of shit (ourexcreta); every household musthave toilet.

and you find this especially inthe indiscriminate grant of in-junctions.

“Where you find that ajudge issues an order of per-petual injunction restrainingthe EFCC for instance or thepolice or some law enforce-ment agencies from investi-gating or from prosecutingcertain individuals, I thinkthat it sends the wrong signal.It’s a gross abuse andmisapplication of the law.

“ It is important that injunc-tive relieves and the purposethey serve is kept in mind andI think that the judiciary mustconduct itself in a manner thatdoes not send the wrong sig-nal and people then begin todraw the conclusion that thejudiciary is part of the corrup-tion in this country.“

Dakas, who is also a SeniorAdvocate of Nigeria (SAN),said the indiscriminate applica-tion of the law practice could

affect the integrity of the judi-ciary.

He said that when peoplelose confidence in the judi-ciary, they could take laws intotheir hands.

He stressed that the grantingof perpetual injunction beforethe conclusion of court caseswas a misapplication of thelaw.

“When we get to that pointthen people lose confidence inthis vital institution of govern-ment, then people will resort to

jungle justice and our societywill be the worse for it.

“You normally grant a per-petual injunction at the conclu-sion of a case, by which timeyou have heard the parties andyou have met the judicial de-termination at a point at whichyou settle all the issuesbetween the parties.

“Where perpetual injunctionis granted when investigationis ongoing, when the case is on-going, that’s clearly in my viewis an abuse and misapplicationof an injunction.

“An injunction is ultimatelywhat we call inequitable rem-edy and there are principlesthat guide the grant of an ineq-uitable injunction and it isimportant that our judges,particularly those who havemisapplied the law come backto the fundamentals of thereality of an injunction as aninequitable remedy.“

Dakas said that a perpetualinjunction could be appliedonly to cases for which per-petual injunctions were soughtfor.

He said that perpetual injunc-tion was “not a blanket chequethat immunises these individu-als from prosecution or frominvestigation into otheroffenses committed”.

He added that Sadi kept themoney underneath the footmat in the car but later discov-ered the money was stolenwhen he went back to get hiscar from the accused.

The prosecutor said that theaccused could not givesatisfactory account of him-self when asked during inves-tigation.

He said that the offence wascontrary to the provisions ofSection 288 of the PenalCode.

The accused, however,pleaded not guilty to the

charge.The Senior Magistrate, Mrs.

Mimi Katsina-Alu, granted theaccused bail in the sum of N50,000 and a surety in like sum.

Katsina-Alu said that thesurety must have a fixed ad-dress and be resident within thejurisdiction of the court.

The magistrate said shegranted the accused bail be-cause the offence was ordi-narily a bailable one, and ad-journed the matter to June 13for further hearing.

1 0 TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

THE NIGERIAN

Body Lauds Role Of Children AsChange Agents

Politics Of Tribalism Will Un-dermine Nigeria’s Democracy -----

DonDonDonDonDon

Developing Education: DonCalls For Public - PrivatePartnership

Across The Nation

From left: Senior Resident Representative, International Monetary Fund, Mr. Scott Roggers, Managing Director, GuarantyTrust Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Special Adviser to the Governor/Director of Risk Management, MS Folakemi Fatagbe, at the first 2013 National Risk Management Conference in Lagosrecently.

Participants at the First 2013 National Risk Management Conference in Lagos.

StakeholdersSuggest Unhin-

dered Access ToTerminals

LAGOS - A lecturer, DrKayode Esuola, yesterdaysaid the dividends of democ-racy would elude Nigerians ifpoliticians continued to “playpolitics of rancour, tribalismand sentiments.

“A political culture of notplaying politics by the rulesof the game will further dis-tance us from the dividendsof democracy,“ Esuola, ofthe Department of PoliticalScience, University of Lagos,said.

He told newsmen in Lagosthat an enlightened and politi-cally-conscious public wasnecessary for democracy tobecome entrenched in anysociety.

He added that democracywas a form of governmentthat was all-inclusive and re-quired the fullestparticipation of the citizenryto become meaningful.

IJEBU-ODE (OGUN) -Prof. Sunkanmi Gbadamosi,a Senior Lecturer at OlabisiOnabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye in Ogun, yesterday,called for public-private part-nership in the development ofthe education sector in thecountry.

Gbadamosi stated thiswhile delivering a lecture atthe Tai Solarin University ofEducation’s (TASUED) Stu-dents Union Government’s(SUG) pioneer lecture andaward ceremony.

Reports say that the themeof the lecture is “HumanCapital Development.’’

The lecturer said that gov-

ABUJA - ActionAid Nige-ria, an international non-governmental organisation,said yesterday that childrenwere agents of change forcreating awareness andprompting behaviouralchange around water, per-sonal hygiene and sanitation.

The Education ProgrammeManager of the organisation,Mr. Andrew Mamedu, saidthis in an interview withnewsmen in Abuja.Mamedu said that sanitationclubs created in schoolsencouraged cleanliness andpositive peer influenceamong students and pupils.

“As agents of change theyhave been very useful andvery effective that’s why forus we don’t plan and involvethe children, we plan withthe children and then

LAGOS - Participants at aforum of the Cargo DefenceFund (CDF) have advised ter-minal operators at seaports togive cargo surveyors unhin-dered access to their termi-nals to access cargoes.

The advice is part of thecommuniqué issued at theend of the forum and made

implement with them.“We don’t see them as just

as a figure, no, we don’t doit for them we do it withthem.

“It will surprise you thatchildren within the club thatwe engage with, carry outthis message to other pupilsand they are the greatest peerinfluencers at that level.

“The children listen moreto their peers than they listento the teachers so if you seea child that is within the club,they are very neat and well-dressed.

“Automatically we havecase studies where childrenhave influenced the wholeschool and we have less than50 students within the club

and these children turn outas models in terms of hy-giene and dressing.

“Those children go aheadand influence the school andeverybody now tries to belike them in those cases, sothose are positive influencefor the other children.”

He said that water, sanita-tion and hygiene (WASH)activities in schools in-creased enrollment as stu-dents in schools encouragedschool dropouts to get backin school through theirbehaviours and club activi-ties.

“They also go out evenoutside the school for in-stance we have what we call‘Mapping of Out-of-School

Children’ so the children goout of school to also try tobring in children that are outof the school into the schoolenvironment.

Even children that are outof the school, they look atthem and the reason whythey listen and respect themis because of the way theyare well kept, their hygieneand all.

“It attracts more childrento school so they are goodinfluence to themselves andto their peers.

“We do a whole lot oftraining programmes forclubs- now within the clubsfor instance, the girls clubthat we have, we have thewhole module around hy-giene.

“For instance there is oneof the trainings that talksabout washing your handshow long does it take?“You’re supposed towash with soap andrunning water itwill take you thetime of singing‘Happy Birthday toYou’ from the

beginning to the endfor you to properlywash your hands soit’s not for you toput your hand in thewater and come out.

“We do a whole lot of is-sue again around toilets,toileting system so it de-pends on what’s available, ifthere’s water we use thewater system, where there isno water system, we use thepit toilets but we try todiscourage open defecation.

“We train the teachers, notjust the students; actually wehave facilitators within theseclubs and we train them, theyare the ones that carry outthese instructions with thechildren.”

available to newsmyesterday in Lagos.

The participants said twould enable surveyorshave on-the-spot assessmeof damages to or losses cargoes.

The communiqué said tthe forum observed that tpoor roads and other port frastructure were partly sponsible for the incidencecargo damage and losses.

“We therefore advocate immediate repair of roads aprovision of appropriacargo handling facilities,’said.

The communique also tributed the increasing indence of damage to cargoto improper packaging.

It advised consigneesensure that cargoes weproperly packaged.

“We considered the impcation of cargo loss to ntional economy and calledmarine cargo surveyors ainsurance companies to assconsignees to mitigate trate of losses,’’ it said.

“The functionality ofdemocratic systems cannot bealienated from the culture andpeculiarity of the electorate.

“A people’s political cultureand way of doing things de-termine the kind of demo-cratic dividends they willenjoy.

“We just have to do thingsin politics the right way fordemocracy as a system ofgovernance to serve a utilitar-ian purpose to us,“ he said.

He said that with determi-nation, Nigeria’s democracywould attain the level that de-veloped democratic hadreached.

“ Democracy takes time tobecome a way of life to thepeople. It is one political sys-tem that evolves over theyears.

“Advance countries in theWest have been practisingdemocracy for centuries and

are still evolving,“ he said.Esuola noted that to en-

hance Nigeria’s democracy,government needed to buildstrong public institutions tomake the political systemmore popular.

ernment needed the suppof the public and the privsectors in developing the edcation sector.

Gbadamosi urged stakholders, individuals and cporate bodies to contributheir quotas in lifting the stadard of education in the coutry.

“For the development of education sector, there is tneed for Public-Private Panership.

“Government should nbe left alone with the finaning of education sector.”

In her remarks, PrOluyemisi Obilade, the VChancellor of the universicommended the SUG exective for putting up the awalecture.

Obilade said that TASUEmanagement would continto provide conducive enronment for students to lea

Earlier in his Speech, MFemi Adeniyi, SUG Predent, said the lecture and taward ceremony worganised to honour thowho had been contributingthe development of educatiin the state.

Adeniyi urged the beneciaries of the award not to lent in contributing to teducation sector in the sta

Reports say that some of awardees include, Mr SegOdubela, Commissioner Education, Prof. OluyemObilade and Mr RemmHassan, a member of tState House of Assembly.


THE NIGERIAN

Education

Teachers, Wake UpON the wake of the sack

of teachers, Assistant ChiefInspectors of Education,ACIEs, and ZonalInspectors of Education,ZIEs by Edo stategovernment, the NigerianUnion of Teachers, NUT,the umbrella bodyoverseeing the welfare ofthe teachers were up inarms, obviously unhappyover what they termedunfair treatment of theirmembers. Not least in theanger train were civilsociety groups, individualsand other stake holders whobarely understood orsimply ignored the issues atstake. They all left no onein any doubt that if theywere to have their ways,they would ask for thegovernor, Comrade AdamsAliyu Oshiomhole, to bewhipped, bare arse andinside out, lfor having theeffrontery to announce thesack. It does not matter thatby not adhering strictly tothe rules of dilligentllymoulding the future of anentire generation, theaffected groups violatedone of the cardinal tenets oftheir professions.Fortunately, as part ofceremonies markinginternational workers‘day,the governor tamperedjustice with mercy andannounced their recall,given that many wellmeaning individuals andgroups intervened on theirbehalf. More than justrecalling them, he orderedthat they be paid four outof the six months theystayed at home

It is no longer news thatthe teachers affectedcelebrated the recall withloads of back-slapping,bear hugs and the likes asthey savour the reality ofhaving to collect, with nostrings attached at all, fourwhole months of salary

without having to work oneminute for it. I can imaginesome of their colleaguesgoing green with envy,wishing that by somemagical twist, they alsocould possibly bebeneficiaries of the bountifulwindfall.

Rather characteristically,the NUT was also in anebullient mood as it issued a

one page ‘thank you’advertorial in appreciationof the comrade’s gesture, inat least, one medium. Sadlyhowever, if findings areanything to go by, there areindications that thegovernor‘s conciliatorygesture is not being

appreciated by thoseaffected, particularly theteachers. Investigations haverevealed that rather thanlearn one or two lessonsfrom their colleagues’ short-lived ordeal, many of themare still involved in sameprofessional misconducts,including truancy,unapproved absenteeism,etc, for which some of their

colleagues, recentlyrecalled, were given thematching order. In one ofhis on-going projectassessment missions tosome state public schools,the governor himself foundmany teachers absentwithout seeking or

receiving permission to doso. In addition, no one couldaccount for the whereaboutof a number of others whoreported earlier for duties butwere no were to be foundwhen he (the governor)made an on-the-spot rollcall. As if that was not badenough, several others hadtheir names signed for aspresent in the school’steacher’s attendant register

when indeed, they were neverpresent in the first instance.

It is true as the saying goesthat old habit die hard.However, given the uproarthe earlier sack generated, onecannot but nurse the hope thatour teachers cannot afford toignore learning from what

befell their colleagues. Thisis particularly so as there isa very high possibility thatthe state government mightwield the big axe again.Indeed, it needs not berepeated here that when iteventually falls, those whomay be unfortunate to be cutin the swing will definitelynot be as lucky as the firstvictims.

The reality expressedabove is the more reason allstake holders must wake totheir differentresponsibilities by advisingthe teachers on the need totake their duties veryseriously before it is toolate. Sadly, not many of thestake holders seem to seethe need to urgentlyadmonish the teachers andother employees of the stategovernment who appear tobe notorious truants to wakeup to their variousresponsibilities. Particularlymore disturbing is theinability of those thatembarked on a smearcampaign against thegovernor for the sack orderearlier effected. The truth ofthe matter is that for reasonof fairness, these same stakeholders cannot afford to bequiet now or wait tillanother sack is announcedbefore dusting up their togaas critics. The time hascome for them to prove thatbeyond rabid criticism, theycan also offer advise whenand where it is needed. Thetime to offer some to thetachers is now.

Fortunately, the stategovernment has not madeany policy statement onwhat it intends to do withregards to the development.However, as sure as the sunshines, a policy decisionwill certainly be made if the

development persists. Butjust before it happens again,it will be nice to hear allstake holders’ voices by wayof reprimanding thoseteachers who appear to bechronic truants, if onlybecause of what my befallthem.

In particular, the silencefrom the state chapter of theNUT is too deafening forcomfort. If in conjuctionwith other stake holders itceaselessly riled the stategovernment for daring togive the marching order tosome of its erringemployees, the union ownsitself, the teachers and thepeople of the state the moralobligation of speaking nowthat there is an urgent needfor the teachers toreciprocate the stategovernment’s gesture.Indeed, for reasons offairness, they should, withthe same zeal with whichthey heckled thegovernment, be makingcommentaries that seek toremind the teachers andindeed, all other workers inthe payroll of the stategovernment to live up totheir part of the employmentbargain or be ready to facethe music of not doing so. Iam (and I dare say, otherconcerned people of Edostate are) waiting to hearfrom them. If everyone mustbe reminded, the case of theteachers is very peculiarbecause it is the ultimatepedestal on which thefoundation of every societystands. Therefore, it must betaken for what it is-one thatinvolves the forming andbuilding of the character andlife of young people that willlead this great country oneday. It needs not be repeatedthat if this onerousresponsibility is balanced onan impaired foundation, wemay, sooner than later, beheading for an avoidablemoral crash.

By ERNEST OMOARELOJIE

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Edo State Governor

“It is no longer news that the teachers affected celebratedthe recall with loads of back-slapping, bear hugs and thelikes as they savour the reality of having to collect, with nostrings attached at all, four whole months of salary withouthaving to work one minute for it”.

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THE NIGERIAN

TO curtail the menace of the Islamic sect, BokoHaram, and stem the tide of insecurity in thecountry, especially in parts of Northern Nigeria,the Federal Government on Tuesday, May 14,2013 declared a State of Emergency in the threeNorthern States of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno. BEFORE the emergency rule, the Boko HaramSect had wreaked unimaginable havoc on livesand property. REGRETTABLY, over 60 lives perishedrecently, following the suicide bombing of a bus,at a motor park in Kano. The terrorist acttraceable to Boko Haram. The unfortunate eventwhich shook the city of Kano to its foundationscame at a time when some powerful forces in theNorth are asking for amnesty for Boko Haram. SINCE the incident, a lot of condemnations andprotestations have trailed the blast from the UK,the Senate, the House of Representatives, theChristian Association of Nigeria (CAN), OoduaPeoples Congress (OPC) and lawyers of note inthe country. THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER stronglycondemns Boko Haram orchestrated terroristattacks. But beyond that, we call on the FederalGovernment to urgently prosecute those alreadyarrested and others with records of complicity.The reason for this position is not far-fetched. ALMOST on a daily basis, there are accountsof several security threats arising from armedrobberies, assassinations, armed militancy andbanditry, kidnapping, bombings and of recent,the blood-let from a religious sect called theJaamatus Alhus Sunnah Lid Daawatis Wal Jiliad(otherwise called Boko Harm) who say they areopposed to Western education and are ready toattack every vestige of western civilization. INDEED, the rate of crime and criminality, asexemplified in the high incidence of kidnapping,bombings and other organised crimes has sadlymoved from the realm of security threat to anarea of real and present danger. THE frightening security condition in Nigeriahas not only been a source of worry, it has alsodented Nigeria’s International status.

Ending BokoHaram Insurgence FOR instance, on August 26, 2011 the terroristgroup, Boko Haram bombed the United Nations(UN) Headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s Federalcapital city. The consequences of that attack, as oftoday, are yet to abate. IN the wake of the UN building attack, Nigeria,lost her hosting right of the global food securitymeeting of the Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) which was moved from Abuja, to Senegal.The meeting was an assemblage of experts and foodadministrators all over the globe. ASIDE the UN building bombing on August 26,2011 that claimed 23 lives including 11 UNpersonnel, local Islamic fundamentalist sect, BokoHaram, had until late, been orchestrating series ofisolated attacks predominantly in NorthernNigeria. The sect is believed to be targeting centresof international attraction, especially in the FederalCapital Territory. CURIOUSLY, the presidential committee onsecurity challenges in the North East Zone hasidentified security lapses, inter-service rivalry andlack of collaboration as factors that haveencouraged the proliferation of security crises inthe Northern part of the country. It also blamedthe security breaches on high level of poverty,unemployment and other social ills. THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER is however of theconsidered opinion that serious securitycollaboration and intelligence sharing must beurgently evolved to arrest security breaches andthis needs to go beyond the shores of the nation.The federal government must build inter-agencycooperation through diplomatic channels/pacts,and international intelligence to ensure that crimeof whatever scale is nipped in the bud.

MOST importantly, there is the overriding needto promptly move to demilitarize the Nigeriansociety and reduce the heavy influx of arms andammunition in the country which haveunfortunately gone into the wrong hands. TO this extent, the Customs and ImmigrationServices, in tandem with the Ministry of Interiorshould work round the clock to protect the porousNigerian borders. SOMETHING fundamental equally needs to bedone to reduce, if not totally eliminate theexistence of private militias that were established,funded and used by politicians and individualswho later dumped them after having been trainedto handle arms. ALSO, the various security agencies, beside theneed to be technologically equipped and fundedto carry out their assigned tasks, would need tobe restructured. The structure and duties of oursecurity agencies must be revisited so as to ensurethat each organ very well knows its specific rolesand function, while the laws establishing theseagencies must be made clear on who does what. THE government at all levels, particularly thefederal government, urgently needs to carry outreforms in the security sub-sector to eliminateinertia created by inter-agency rivalry and reactdecisively to security threats with dispatch. ON their part, the citizens must cooperate withthe security agencies by supplying them withprompt, useful and relevant information on likelysecurity breaches. This can be facilitated by theexistence of a well-coordinated biometric databaseof Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike indicatingwhere people live, their nature of jobs andbackground. This will assist in fishing out the badeggs in the society. DECISIVE steps should be taken to crippleBoko Haram Sect and their operations as well asend their menacing reign. If anything, a safe,secure and peaceful environment is what thepresent democracy needs to be strengthened andsustained, as such the government and people ofNigeria cannot afford to leave this to the whimsand caprices of miscreants.

THE NIGERIAN


THE NIGERIAN

With

Obuseh Jude

GSM: 08033510173

Cutting EdgeAfter Oshiomhole,What Next

Governor Adams Oshiomhole

PHILIP of Macedonia,father of Alexander theGreat, was a mighty man ofvalour, who had conqueredmost of the ancient Greekcity-states and otherneighboring kingdoms bythe time Alexander, his sonand heir apparent was born.At his demise, the gauntletnaturally fell on Alexanderto administer a kingdom thatstretched across the whole ofthe Mediterranean region.

On mounting the saddleof leadership, the greatestchallenge that confronted ayoung Alexander was not theformidable task ofadministering Philip’s vastkingdom, but how to surpassthe remarkableachievements of a greatKing. This is one of the mostcommon challenges menwho succeed great menencounter — consolidatingon the achievements of theirdeparting bosses, and takingit to the next level. “It is noteasy to step into a greatman’s shoes”.

The story of Philip andAlexander came to my mindas I ruminated over thecolossal accomplishmentsbeing churned out by theAction Congress of Nigeria(ACN)-led Government inEdo State, ably marshaled bythe ex-labour leader turnedpolitical iconoclast,Comrade Adams AliyuOshiomhole; a man whoqualifies as a conqueror andtrailblazer in his own right.The scenarios evoked by myreflections where asawesome as they werenerve-wracking — theformer, because of themagical manner and speedthe Governor ’stransformational agenda wasplaying out, and the later,when I imagine the quandaryhis successor would be in

when the Governorultimately leaves the stageat the official expiration ofhis stewardship.

After Oshiomhole,what next? Any closeobserver of developmentsin Edo politics would askthe same question; aquestion that becomesmore glaring when onedoes an objective, non-partisan appraisal of theGovernor ’s score cardsince assuming the mantleof leadership inGovernment House. Whenyou do this analysis, a truer,more heartwarmingscenario begins to emerge;a scenario of lightovercoming darkness; offreedom sprouting fromslavery; of abundanceemerging from lack; ofwealth replacing penury; ofbeauty obviating ugliness;lots of soul-liftingscenarios begin to pop upfrom left, right and center.

That Oshiomhole hasset a benchmark for futurechief executive officers ofthe state to emulate is therefor all to see. He is simplythe standard to beat. Sincebecoming the Governor ofEdo State, this man hasconsistently set and brokenhis own records to theadmiration of members ofhis constituency, settingprecedents that will bedifficult for anybody tomatch in the future; anunassailable pace that is thelogical result of selfless,purposeful, people-oriented leadership. Thefearless manner he hasgone about executing histransformational agendafor the state is asbreathtaking as it is

impressive.When Oshiomhole

took up the mantle ofleading Edo State in 2008,he, like Philip ofMacedonia, was faced witha legion of odds: From ademoralized, dejected anddepressed populace in direneed of inspirationalleadership, a shambolicpublic service staffed by adisgruntled workforce, adearth of functionalinfrastructural facilities andbasic amenities, a stone-ageeducational system, aperipatetic health sector, aregime of joblessness, a

state of mind-bendinginsecurity, to other equallydisheartening pitfalls, theGovernor had his hands full.

However, rather than

allow the aforementioneddemons ofunderdevelopment to deterhim, like they did otherbefore him, Oshiomholelike Philip, took on themheadlong, determined totake the state out of thedoldrums it had beenwallowing in prior to hiscoming; determined to build

a state of marbles out of astate of mud; determined tomake heaven out of hell;determined to create anorder of bliss out of a

regime of squalor;determined to turn hollowdreams into practicalrealities; determined to turnEdo State into a fluidworking machine. That iswhat he has been doingsince 2008.

Today, Edo State isworking again, thanks to thevisionary, goal-oriented,altruistic leadership style ofone man; a man whosedoggedness in the face ofintimidation, and personalcommitment to assuagingthe desires of the people hasresulted in the Edenicprosperity Edo State and itspeople enjoy in the presentdispensation; an era that haswitnessed the meteoricgrowth of a state that wasonce likened to adilapidated vehicle in needof urgent repairs. Thedevelopments currentlyunfolding before our veryeyes, in all sectors, arefitting testimonies to theeffectiveness of hisdevelopmental programs;worthy practicalexpressions of the potencyof his policy thrusts.

Thanks to Oshiomhole,our hospitals are no longermere consulting centers, butplaces of refuge for theinfirm; our schools are nolonger sheep pens, but truecitadels of academicexcellence; our roads are nolonger death traps, butsmooth and broadexpressways fit for driving;our civil service is no longerstaffed by dissatisfied part-timers, but by dedicatedfull-timers; the crime rate isno longer burgeoning, butdecreasing drastically.Thanks to the divinelypropelled administration ofthis man, Edo State isgradually graduating intothe true “Heartbeat” of thenation.

At this juncture, someof us might want to askwhether Edos are happier,today, than they where prior

to the appearance ofOshion+le on the state’spolitical kaleidoscope.Others might want to knowwhether Edo State isphysically better-off for it,since the coming of thisman. The answer to the firstquestion is an emphatic“yes”! Edos are not onlyhappier, today, than theywere before this man’scoming, they are walking inthe clouds. They are inecstatic frenzy — acondition of limitless joycreated by the flawlessjustice that is being wroughtIn all facets of their oncemiserable lives by thetender loving care of aleader who has sacrificedhis all to give them betterlives. To answer the secondquestion, a personalassessment tour of allcompleted and ongoingdevelopment projectsscattered across the lengthand breath of the state willbe a major eye-opener forall disciples of good,transparent, andaccountable governance.

But rather thanengaging in sterile,profitless rhetoric, the chiefquestion that should beanimating our minds is:“Who replaces Oshiomholewhen he vacatesGovernment House? Whotakes over the baton fromthis silent, jet-heeledpacesetter? Who cansucceed Oshiomhole andtake Edo State to newerheights in the manner ofAlexander the Great, whenhe took over from Philipand turned Macedonia intoa powerful empire byconquering most of theknown world? Is there anyman in Edo State fit enoughto step into this great man’sshoes? If there is, who isthat man?

To find out who thisman is, remain glued to thispage. Until next week, I signoff.

“Today, Edo State is working again, thanks to thevisionary, goal-oriented, altruistic leadership style of oneman; a man whose doggedness in the face of intimidation,and personal commitment to assuaging the desires of thepeople has resulted in the Edenic prosperity Edo State andits people enjoy in the present dispensation; an era thathas witnessed the meteoric growth of a state that was oncelikened to a dilapidated vehicle in need of urgent repairs.”


THE NIGERIAN

Nutritional Health And Dietetics With

O.C.Madu

GSM: 08056379608

Disease Of Cancer THIS terrible disease is

rightly referred to as the“Scourge of humanity.” It isbecoming ever morewidespread and up to thepresent time it still has notbeen possible to being itunder control.

Millions of people arestricken with it. Tens ofthousands of scientists andmedical men are striving todiscover the cause of thisdisease. Millions are spenton cancer research everyyear.

Experiment are constantlycarried out in laboratories inorder to find a solution.

However, many canceragents must have somethingin common, which allowsthe health cell to become acancerous cell.

Therefore, thefundamental process mustbe sought. In doing so, wemust include those beyondearthly spheres which we arein a position to grasp onlywith the inner perception ofour spirit.

First let us consider thecells of which the humanbody is composed. At thebeginning of the embryonicdevelopment, there are nodiffering cells. Only duringthe development of thegrowing child’s body do thecells differentiate from oneanother and form theindividual organs of thebody.

Now how do the cellscome to unite into differentorgans? What forcesregulate out of them, areformed, for instance, theheart, the grain, the liver, thelymphatic system? Whoprovides the information forthis?

Forces of nature that havetaken on form, which we canalso, call naturebeings areat work here. On the astralplane, which lies nearest tothe world of Gross matter,to the earthly, they create theastral body as a model, as aprototype, after which thechild’s body is onlysubsequently formed(vollmann, 1981).

In this astral body, whichis of finer matter the wholedesign of the body, afterdesign of the body, afterwhich the corresponding

cells then unite into organsand so on, must therefore,be preformed or“programmed” by way ofradiation. The astral body orthe astral clock is animportant connecting-linkbetween spirit, soul andbody during the whole ofearth-life with physicaldeath it disintegrates.

Vollmann (1985) assertedthat there is a goodindication of the existenceof the astral body, thephantom –pains whichoccur in a limb that nolonger exists. Why?Because the astral body,which has the form of thephysical body, is notdamaged when a limb issevered. It retains the limbsevered from the physicalbody. Hence, the pains inthe missing physical limb,which really makethemselves felt on the stillexisting astral limb, hithertoa described as phantombecause it is not visible tothe physical eye. Phantom-pain cannot be withoutfoundation but must have abody, where they can belocally felt.

Until now the oftenunbearable phantom- painscould mostly be treated onlyfor a limited time with pain-killing drugs. But of lategood results are beingachieved with acupuncture,originating in China whichapplied to sound limbs.Through this, phantom-pains can often be absent formonth.

But let us return to thecells. It has been statedearlier that the wholephysical structure ispreformed by the naturebeings on the astral plane

beings on the astral plane.This also, includes thebuilding stones of theindividual organs, the bodycells with all theircomponents.

Many of thesecomponents have beeninvestigated. These includefor instance, the nucleus andthe protoplasm surroundingthe nucleus. In the nucleusare to be found the

chromosomes, in which thegenertic information or“heritage” is stored. All theprocesses in the cell, whichinclude above all theimportant cellularrespiration, are regulatedfrom within the nucleus(vollmann, 1981).

Now, there are yet othercomponent are the cell,which are not visible to thephysical eye. To thesebelong for instance minutespirit particles, whichstream from spiritualpower-centre lying far

above the paradise of menright down to us into theworld of across matterwhere they rise to theformation of elementaryparticle

They are of course also,to be found in the cellmolecules, which arecomposed of atoms andthey have contact with thespiritual radiation of thehuman spirit incarnated in

the physical body. For thisreason they deserve specialattention in the investigationinto the cause of cancer.

Today the radiation of thehuman spirit is greatlyweakened and dimmedthrough the predominantlymaterialistic attitude ofearthmen, which is directedto this world. Therefore, theradiation is hardly able anylonger to exert an animatinginfluence on the functionsof the cells and organs, inorder to achieve a radianthealth”

If we now imagine that tothis generally weakenedspiritual radiation, there isfurther added a physicaldamage caused by long-lasting irritation of cellsthrough toxins, then thestructure of the cell

molecules will be so alteredthat the cells is greatlyimpeded. They cellmolecules, which arecomposed of atoms and theyhave contact with thespiritual radiation in thephysical body. For thisreason they deserve specialattention in the investigationinto the cause of cancer.

They can no longerreceive the rightinformation. This results infaulty regulation and theoxygen supply graduallyfails. As a consequence thecells begin to ferment and

together with substances ofthe nutrient fluid form anunrestrainedly increasinggro-with the canceroustumour as the final stage ofa prolonged spiritual andphysical disturbance.

The degeneration andunbridled growth of theaffected cells also,permeates even thesurrounding healthy parts ofthe body. At the same timethere is in addition thedanger of parts of the cancerreaching distant areas of thebody with the lymphatic orblood stream and giving riseto similar cancerousformations (metastases)there (vollman, 1981).

But the prolongedirritation of the cells throughtoxins cells for reference toone physical organ whichshould be given specialattention in the investigationof cancer the liver it is amiraculous work in itself, itstask is so many sided that itcan be described as anextraordinary organ. A partfrom its activity as the mostimportant detoxificationcentre, it helps inmultifarious ways withmetabolism, among otherthings.

Therefore, its disorderalways affects the wholebody profoundly. On theother hand, the liver iscapable of regenerating itsown damaged cells and evenof rebuilding missing cells.

With normal activity,vollmann said everything iscarefully converted, siftedand filtered in the liver. Inthe course of this, toxins arebroken down, madeharmless and secreted.Hence, the liver needsconstant good bloodcirculation. A healthy liverensures pure blood, ifhowever, it becomesdiseased, it is no longer in aposition to break down thevarious toxins sufficiently,these will penetrate into thecirculation. Causing chronicconditions of irritation in thecell-tissue and so create thesoil for concer.

“If we now imagine that to this generally weakened spiritualradiation, there is further added a physical damage causedby long-lasting irritation of cells through toxins then thestructure of the cell molecules will be so altered that theregulation of the cells is greatly impeded. They can nolonger receive the right information. This results in faultyregulation and the oxygen supply gradually fails.”


THE NIGERIAN

With

Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

GSM: 08034006260

BOTTOMLINE

Dialogue And InformationManagement

WE live in a world of talesand rumours hence before weaccept any form ofinformation, we should beable to reflect and determineif what we have heard is true,good or useful. When I was aparish priest, some people willcome to tell me all sorts ofstories about others. Veryoften, the informant wouldsay: Please, what I am tellingyou is confidential. Reflecting

on the principle that theordinary minds discus people,simple minds discus eventsand great minds discuss ideas,I tried my best to ask myself,“Is this information really forme?” “What do I do with thisinformation? Very often,some of the information I wasgiven needed somemanagement at the level ofdiscernment. One day, awoman who often comes tomy office to tell tales abouther colleagues came with verydamaging news about thepresident of her society. Iasked her, would you like meto call the accused so that youcan say these things in herpresence? She replied, “It ismeant to be confidential but Ido not mind”. I sent for theaccused woman who has beenpresented to me as a “devilincarnate.” When she arrived,I told the informant to repeather story. I was shocked thatshe was telling a completelyopposite story, and nowpraising the woman she hadearlier destroyed, FortunatelyI had the tape of what she hadsaid and I played it back to herin the presence of the accusedand she fell on her kneesbegging the colleague andsaying that she was temptedby the devil to tell lies againsther.

Any information that is notwell managed can destroy awhole community or aninstitution. If we are interestedin listening to gossips or talesand acting on the information,we make those living with usand/or working with usbecome insecure and remainsuspects as long as we keepsaying: “I heard that…” “Iwas told that….” As a matterof fact, matured and securepeople do not talk and/or actthat way. It is worse whenleaders and ministers behavelike that and even act onanonymous letters. Very oftenthose who say, “They say”, “Iheard” betray their ownignorance and insecurity andwill end up causing confusionin the communities andinstitutions they manage; solet us heed the Word of God:“whoever keeps his mouth

and his tongue keeps himselfout of trouble” (Proverbs 21,23). It is therefore veryimportant to “Keep yourtongue from evil and your lipsfrom speaking deceit (Psalm34, 13). If anyone thinks he isreligious and does not bridlehis tongue but deceives hisheart, this person’s religion isworthless (James 1, 26). For“Whoever desires to love lifeand see good days, let him

keep his tongue from evil andhis lips from speaking deceit(1 Peter 3, 10).

In informationmanagement, the tongue mustbe properly controlled toreflect the character andintegrity of the owner. It canbe very embarrassing whensome pastors because theyhave the opportunity andprivilege to mount the pulpitdish out to the congregationthe gossips they havepleasantly listened to. Someuse the information they gotfrom uncertified andunverified sources to insultpeople on the pulpit. It isworse when the preacher isspeaking against people ofother religions with theintention of causing religiousacrimony. The mark of agentle and self-confidentperson depends to a largeextent on the ability to controlthe manner of speech asprayed by the psalmist: “Seta guard, O Lord, over mymouth; keep watch over thedoor of my lips” (Psalm141,3)! Death and life are inthe power of the tongue, andthose who love it will eat itsfruits (Proverbs 18, 21).

In dialogue, everyinformation reflects on thetemperament of people. Howwe react to the informationcan to some extent define thecontent of our character andmaturity. Even dreams andvisions have to be subjectedto matured reasoning,examination and a criticaltesting of the spirit becausesome people may bemanipulated by evil spirits inthe form of dreams andvisions. Even in dogmatictheology dreams and visionsare not articles of faith; at bestthey can be treated as privateopinions that must not beimposed on others.Consequently, dreams andvisions are not relevant injurisprudence because they donot pass the rules of logic.

There is information that isa privileged knowledge. Even if the information istrue, the question is whetherthe information is useful forthe community or the

institution or to the peoplewho are receiving it. Must theinformation be used, and if soto what extent and to whatend? Even though “the truthshall set you free”, theintention of the informantmust always be evaluated.Supposing you are in chargeof formation and training ofpeople, how do you managethe information the studentstell you about themselves and

others. Let us assume that youare aware that a person hascommitted adultery, do youneed to go and tell the partner?If you do, what will be yourintention and motive? Wouldyou be happy if yourinformation (truth) leads todivorce; and disintegrate the

family including the innocentchildren? Will telling thetruth here, lead to freedom ordestroy the purpose offreedom? According to thesages God is always willingto bring the sinner torepentance: “You taught yourpeople, by these deeds, thatthose who are righteous mustbe kind; and you gave your

children reason to hope thatyou would allow them torepent of their sins (Wisdom12: 19).”

A dialogue and informationmanager should be able tocontrol the level of dialogueand strategy that can helpbring about the intendedconsequences of positivebuilding in relationship. Thismay include the courage andthe skill of identifying the

reason for the information, theintention of the informant andwhat he or she hopes toachieve. Ask yourself if theinformant wants somethingfrom you and would want todestroy someone else to getwhat he or she wants bygossiping about other people.Also ask yourself if you havebecome a lover of gossips, or

you enjoy listening to peoplewho bring you all kinds oftales about others. This canhelp you define your identityand maturity in dialogue andinformation management.Some people have turnedthemselves into informationmachines whereby the speechis converted to plain text bythe system’s inputrecognizer/decoder andsimply executed like an

output robot or avatar. It isnot everything that the eyessee that the mouth must saytherefore, “Let no corruptingtalk come out of your mouths,but only such as is good forbuilding up, as fits theoccasion, that it may givegrace to those who hear(Ephesians 4, 29).

The most successful warrior

in the world is a person whohas the capacity to conquer hisor her own temperaments.“We all stumble in manyways. And if anyone does notstumble in what he says, he isa perfect man, able also tobridle his whole body. Knowthat whatever comes out ofyour mouth speaks of yourselffirst, and then to others, whowill judge you by your words.It is said that it is not theperson who insults the Kingin his back that is killed, butthe one who relays the insultsto the King. Therefore, be

careful of how you manageinformation and dialogue.

Fr. Prof. Cornelius AfebuOmonokhua is the Director ofMission and Dialogue of theCatholic Secretariat of Nigeria,Abuja; and Consultor of theCommission for ReligiousRelations with Muslims(C.R.R.M), Vatican City.

“A dialogue and information manager should beable to control the level of dialogue and strategythat can help bring about the intendedconsequences of positive building in relationship.”


THE NIGERIAN

Perspective

State Of Emergency Mu

President Goodluck Jonathan

IN 1962, the then PrimeMinister of Nigeria, SirAbubakar Tafawa Balewa,declared a State of Emergencyin the then Western Region ofNigeria as a result of thepolitical crisis in the ActionGroup which was the rulingpolitical party in the Region atthat time. The Prime Ministerordered the removal of thePremier of the WesternRegion, Chief SamuelAkintola, from office, andappointed Dr. MosesMajekodunmi as SoleAdministrator of the Region. On May 18, 2004, formerPresident Olusegun Obasanjodeclared a State of Emergencyin Plateau State as a result ofthe sectarian crisis whichplagued the State at that time.President Obasanjo (as he thenwas) suspended GovernorJoshua Dariye and the Houseof Assembly from office andappointed General Chris Ali asSole Administrator of PlateauState.

On October 19, 2006,former President OlusegunObasanjo again declared aState of Emergency in EkitiState as a result of the crisisthat arose out of the strugglefor political power in EkitiState which culminated in theimpeachment of the Governor,Ayo Fayose. PresidentObasanjo in the declaration ofthe State of Emergencyremoved the Acting Governor,suspended the House ofAssembly of Ekiti State andappointed Major GeneralTunji Olurin as SoleAdministrator of Ekiti State. That was the precedent ofunconstitutionality set underthe guise of a State ofEmergency by past civilianGovernments whichNigerians, including somelawyers and jurists, hadbecome accustomed to overthe years and constituted theirknowledge of the idea andoperation of a State ofEmergency in Nigeria. On Tuesday May 14, 2013,the President and Commanderin Chief of the Armed Forcesof the Federal Republic ofNigeria, Dr. GoodluckJonathan in a nationalbroadcast proclaimed a Stateof Emergency in Adamawa,Borno and Yobe States. Theproclamation of the State of

Emergency in those Stateswas necessitated by thesustained terrorist activities ofBoko Haram in some northernparts of the country. However, unlike in previousproclamations of States ofEmergency which suspendedexecutive and legislativepolitical offices, a strikingfeature of the PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’sproclamation of a State ofEmergency in these States wasthe continued existence ofpolitical offices andinstitutions in the affectedStates. This has led to thedebate whether it is a partialstate of emergency; andwhether there is a distinctionbetween Emergency Rule andState of Emergency.

Furthermore, it has madesome public affairscommentator to call for whatthey describe as a full State ofEmergency in the affectedStates; by which they meanthe suspension of theGovernors, the law-makersand other political officeholders from office during theEmergency Period as has beenthe historical politicalprecedent of States ofEmergency in 1962, 2004 and2006.

Section 305 of theConstitution provides:

(1) Subject to the provisionsof this Constitution, thepresident may by instrumentpublished in the OfficialGazette of the Government ofthe Federation issue aProclamation of a state ofemergency in the federation orany part thereof.

(2) The President shallimmediately after thepublication, transmit copies ofthe Official Gazette of theGovernment of the Federationcontaining the proclamationincluding the details of theemergency to the President ofthe Senate and the Speaker ofthe House of Representatives,each of whom shall forthwithconvene or arrange for ameeting of the House of whichhe is President or speaker, asthe case may be, to considerthe situation and decidewhether or not to pass aresolution approving theProclamation.

(3) The President shall havepower to issue a Proclamation

of a state of emergency onlywhen

(a) The Federation is at war;(b) The Federation is in

imminent danger of invasionor involvement in a state ofwar;

(e) There is actualbreakdown of public order andpublic safety in the Federationor any part thereof to suchextent as to requireextraordinary measures torestore peace and security;

(d) There is a clear andpresent danger of an actualbreakdown of public order andpublic safety in the Federationor any part thereof requiringextraordinary measures toavert such danger;

(e) There is an occurrence orimminent danger, or theoccurrence of any disaster ornatural calamity, affecting thecommunity or a section of thecommunity in the Federation;

(f) There is any other publicdanger which clearlyconstitutes a threat to theexistence of the Federation; or

(g) The President receives arequest to do so in accordancewith the provisions ofsubsection (4) of this section.

(4) The Governor of a Statemay, with the sanction of aresolution supported by two-thirds majority of the Houseof Assembly, request thePresident to issue aProclamation of a state ofemergency in the State whenthere is in existence within theState any of the situationsspecified in subsection (3)(c),(d) and (e) of this sections andsuch situation does not extendbeyond the boundaries of theState.

(5) The President shall notissue a Proclamation of a stateof emergency in any case towhich the provisions ofsubsection (4) of this sectionapply unless the Governor ofthe State fails within areasonable time to make arequest to the President toissue such Proclamation.

(6) A Proclamation issuedby the President under thissection shall cease to haveeffect

(a) If it is revoked by thePresident by instrument

published in the OfficialGazette of the Government ofthe Federation;

(b) If it affects theFederation or any part thereofand within two days when theNational Assembly is insession, or within ten dayswhen the National Assemblyis not in session, after itspublication, there is noresolution supported by two-thirds majority of all members

(d) At any time after theapproval referred to inparagraph (b) or the extensionreferred to in paragraph (e) ofthis subsection, when eachHouse of the NationalAssembly revokes theProclamation by a simplemajority of all the members ofeach House;

From the extensiveprovisions of Section 305 ofthe Constitution, threefundamental issues are clear,namely:

(a) Section 305 of theConstitution does not providethat the Governor or otherelected officers of the Stateaffected by a proclamation ofa State of Emergency shouldbe removed or suspendedfrom office during the Periodof Emergency. The law is thatit cannot be put or read intothe Constitution provisionsthat are not expressly statedtherein: See Attorney-Generalof Kano State v. Attorney-General of the Federation(2007) 6 MJSC 161 at 176paragraphs C-D.

(b) Section 305 of theConstitution is subject to otherprovisions of the Constitution.This means that Section 305of the Constitution issubordinate, limited, inferiorto and governed by otherprovisions of the Constitutionwhich are antithetical toSection 305. The provisions of

the Constitution Section 305is subject to include Sections1(2), 176, 177, 178, 179,180(1) (2), 181 and 182 of theConstitution: See NDIC v.Okem Enterprises Ltd (2004)50 WRN 1 at 66-67 lines 35-10; KLM Royal DutchAirlines v. Kumzhi (2004) 46

WRN 59 at 82 lines 25-35;Achebe v. Nwosu (2002) 19WRN 42 at 55 lines 15-20.

Section 1(2) of theConstitution provides:

The Federal Republic ofNigeria shall not be governed,nor shall any person or groupof persons take control of thegovernment of Nigeria or anypart thereof; except inaccordance with theprovisions of thisConstitution.

The only way or means bywhich any person or group ofpersons can govern or takecontrol of the government ofNigeria or a State in Nigeriais by a valid electionconducted under and inaccordance with theprovisions of the Constitutionof the Federal Republic ofNigeria 1999 as amended: SeeSections 130, 131, 132, 133,134, 135, 136, 137, 141, 142,143, 144, 145, 146; 176, 177,178, 179, 180, 181, 190, 191;Ojukwu v. Obasanjo (2004)40 WRN 72 at 124

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By AUSTIN OSARENKHOE

of each House of the NationalAssembly approving theProclamation;

(c) After a period of sixmonths has elapsed since ithas been in force; Providedthat the National Assemblymay, before the expiration ofthe period of six monthsaforesaid, extend the period ofthe Proclamation of the stateof emergency to remain inforce from time to time for afurther period of six monthsby resolution passed in likemanner; or

Late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Bale

“However, unlike in previous proclamations of States of Emergencywhich suspended executive and legislative political offices, a strikingfeature of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s proclamation of a Stateof Emergency in these States was the continued existence of politicaloffices and institutions in the affected States. This has led to the debatewhether it is a partial state of emergency; and whether there is adistinction between Emergency Rule and State of Emergency.”


THE NIGERIAN

ust Be ConstitutionalI submit that no person cancupy the office of governor a State or perform thenctions of governor of aate or functions to the likefect when he has not beenlidly elected, enabled orpowered to do so under and virtue of the provisions ofe Constitution and otherws made there under. Theigerian Constitution makes provisions for a Sole

dministrator or a Caretaker an Interim Governor of aate which cannot be justified sustained by constitutionalovisions. The suspension ormoval from office of theovernors of Plateau andkiti States and thencomitant appointment

erefore by the then Presidentlusegun Obasanjo of Soledministrators in their steadas an act of treason and alonious breach and violation Sections 1(2) and 180(2) ofe Constitution: See Obi v.EC (2007) 9 MJSC 1 at 40-; Ladoja v. INEC (2007) 10JSC 1 at 16; Marwa v.yako (2012) 6 NWLR (PT96) 199 at 280-286.

Sections 180(1) and (2) ofe Constitution provides:(1) Subject to the provisions this Constitution, a personall hold the office of

overnor of a State until-(a) When his successor infice takes the oath of thatfice; or(b) He dies whilst holdingch office; or

(c) The date when hisresignation from office takeseffect; or

(d) He otherwise ceases tohold office in accordance withthe provisions of thisConstitution.

(2) Subject to the provisionsof subsection (1) of thissection the Governor shallvacate his office at theexpiration of a period of fouryears commencing from the

date when-(a) In the case of a person

first elected as Governorunder this Constitution, hetook the Oath of Allegianceand Oath of office; and

(b) The person last electedto that office took the Oath ofAllegiance and Oath of Officeor would, but for his death,have taken such oaths.

Two irrevocable facts areclear from Sections 180(1)and (2), namely:

(i) A governor of a Stateholds office as such for anuninterrupted, irreducibleperiod of four calendar years.A governor of a State cannotbe removed from office evenfor one day before theexpiration of four clear yearsexcept under the situationsand conditions clearly definedby the Constitution. A State ofEmergency is NOT one ofthem: See Obi v. INEC (2007)9 MJSC 1 at 40-42; Ladoja v.INEC (2007) 10 MJSC 1 at16; Marwa v. Nyako (2012) 6NWLR (PT 1296) 199 at 280-286.

(ii) By the mandatory,peremptory, superior andbinding provisions of Sections180(1) and 191(1) of theConstitution, a governor of aState can only vacate or beremoved from office in thefollowing situations:

(a) At the expiration of fouryears when another validlyelected person is sworn in asgovernor under Sections 178,179, 180(2), 185 of the

Constitution, or(e) The governor is unable

as a result of permanentincapacity to perform thefunctions of office of governorunder Sections 180(1)(f) and191(1) of the Constitution.

I submit that proclamationof a State of Emergency in aState is not one of thesituations or reasons for theremoval of a governor of aState from office underSections 180(1) and 191(1) (2)of the Constitution andSection 305 of theConstitution itself does notstate so. I submit that theduties, or functions or powersof the President of Nigeriadoes not include or extend tothe suspension or removal ofa validly elected governor ofa State on the proclamation ofor during a Period ofEmergency in the State. Thesuspension or removal byPresident Obasanjo fromoffice of Joshua Dariye andAyo Fayose, governors ofPlateau and Ekiti States,respectively, in 2004 and2006, was ultra vires the thenPresident.

(c) The governor himself inconjunction and collaborationor consensus with the Houseof Assembly of a State can askthe President to proclaim aState of Emergency in theirState under Section 305(4) ofthe Constitution: This makesit doubtlessly clear that a Stateof Emergency in a State doesnot include the removal of theexecutive governor and thelegislators. If a State ofEmergency included thesuspension of the governorand other elected officers fromoffice on the proclamation ofor during the Period ofEmergency, the Constitutionwould not have provided thatthe governor and the house ofassembly could call on thePresident to declare a State ofEmergency in their Statewhich in effect would mean acall to suspend or removethem from office. That cannotbe the intendment of theConstitution. That would bepolitical suicide for thegovernor and the legislators.A governor does not need theguise or cover of a State of

Emergency to leave office. Agovernor can resign fromoffice under Sections180(1)(c), 190, 191(1) and306 of the Constitution if forany reason he does not wantto continue as governor of theState.

What then is a State ofEmergency? And what is nota State of Emergency? A Stateof Emergency is not a coupdetat. A State of Emergency isnot the overthrow or takeoverof Government of a State. AState of Emergency is not aviolation or suspension of theConstitution.

State of Emergency is theactual taking of extra-ordinarymeasures to restore peace andsecurity to a State in actualbreakdown of public order andpublic safety: See Sections 45and 305(3)(c) of theConstitution. A State ofEmergency is the operation bya State or Federal Governmentof a Government ofEmergency within a Stateusually for an interim periodof six months known as aperiod of emergency: SeeSections 45(3), 305(1), (4),(6)(c) and 318 of theConstitution. The tenure of aGovernment of Emergency isa Period of Emergency whichis six months in its first termand may be renewed forfurther terms of six months:See the proviso to Section305(6)(c) of the Constitution.

What makes a state ofemergency an extra-ordinarymeasure is not necessarily themassive deployment of thearmed forces of the State bythe Commander in Chief ofthe Armed Forces to thetroubled spot, or thesuspension of constitutionalgovernance in the affectedarea. It is essentially therestriction or suspension ofenjoyment or activation ofconstitutional rights during theperiod of the Operations of theGovernment of Emergency inthe areas concerned: SeeSection 45 of the Constitutionwhich provides:(1) Nothing insections 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41of this Constitution shallinvalidate any law that isreasonably justifiable in ademocratic society.

(a) In the interest of defence,public safety, public order,public morality or public

Constitution, or(b) When the governor dies

in office and the deputygovernor is sworn in assubstantive governor underSections 180(2), 181, 187,190, 191 of the Constitution,or

(c) When the governorvoluntarily resigns from theoffice of governorship of aState under Section 306 of theConstitution, or

(d) The governor isimpeached by the House ofAssembly of the State underSections 188 and 189 of the

Perspective

ewa Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo

health; or(b) For the purpose of

protecting the rights andfreedom of other persons.

(2) An act of the NationalAssembly shall not beinvalidated by reason only thatit provides for the taking,during periods of emergency,of measures that derogatefrom the provisions of section33 or 35 of this Constitution;but no such measures shall betaken in pursuance of any suchAct during any periods ofemergency save to the extentthat those measures arereasonably justifiable for thepurpose of dealing with thesituation that exists during thatperiod of emergency:

Provided that nothing in thissection shall authorize anyderogation from theprovisions of section 33 of thisConstitution except in respectof death resulting from acts ofwar or authorize anyderogation from theprovisions of section 3 6(8) ofthis Constitution.

(3) In this section, a “periodof emergency” means anyperiod during which there isin force a proclamation of astate of emergency declaredby the president in exercise ofthe power conferred on himunder section 305 of thisConstitution.

President Jonathan’s State ofEmergency is therefore acommendable reversal of theprecedent ofunconstitutionality pioneeredin the First Republic by PrimeMinister Abubakar TafawaBalewa in 1962 and followedby President OlusegunObasanjo in the ThirdRepublic in 2004 and 2006.President Jonathan by hisbrand of State of Emergencyhas demonstrated clearunderstanding of theprovisions and operations ofthe 1999 Constitution. Unlikethe States of Emergency ofPrime Minister AbubakarTafawa Balewa in the WesternRegion in 1962 and PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo in Plateauand Ekiti States in 2004 and2006, which were clearlyunconstitutional, the State ofEmergency declared byPresident Goodluck Jonathanon May 14, 2013 in Adamawa,Bornu and Yobe States purelyis constitutional.

“What makes a state of emergency an extra-ordinary measure isnot necessarily the massive deployment of the armed forces of theState by the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to the troubledspot, or the suspension of constitutional governance in the affectedarea. It is essentially the restriction or suspension of enjoyment oractivation of constitutional rights during the period of the Operationsof the Government of Emergency in the areas concerned:”


THE NIGERIAN

Nigeria And HerDying Heritage

CultureAT any point in time

everywhere and anywhere,the signs are obvious.Nigerians have adopted themhook, line and sinker. It is notuncommon to hear DJ,newscasters and presentersspeaking through their nose.While walking through thestreets, you see youths dressedin “shabby-looking” clothesmost of them, even go“unclad” just to be in tune.Can I now talk aboutlanguages (local) which havebecome almost extinct.

The rate at which Nigeria’scultural heritage aredrowning, is alarming.Almost everything aboutNigerian’s culture, has beenoutran by western culture. Itis like a norm in today’sNigeria to see men (boys),wearing earrings whiledancing around the streetswith ear-deafeningheadphones.

One of the commonestdefinition of culture is that itis a way of life in a particulargeographical entity.According to Sir EdwardBurnett Taylor (1871), cultureis that complex whole whichincludes knowledge, belief,art, law, morals, custom andany other capabilities andhabits acquired by man as amember of society. Also, wardGoodenough, saw a society’sculture as consists ofwhatever it is one has to knowor believe in order to operatein a manner acceptable to itsmembers, and do so in anyrole that accepts for anyone ofthemselves.

Furthermore, A.DNzemeke and E. O. Erhagbe,identified some basiccharacteristics of culture.These features include,integration, dynamism, othersare that culture is shared,learned and is material andnon-material in nature.

Before the coming of thecolonial masters, Nigeria hada glorious cultural heritage.Traditional food were invogue. Crafts and arts such aspottery, weaving, painting tomention but a few, were heldin high esteem amongNigerians before the whiteman came with his“luggages”.

Otite (1990), said that thenumber of cultural groupingsin Nigeria is about threehundred and seventy-four.This represents one-third ofthe cultures of Africa. Writershave over time describedNigerian cultures as a veryrich heritage. Unfortunately,this rich heritage, is on theverge of extinction.Everybody wants to speakthrough the nose. Every childwants to be like those he/shewatches in foreign movies.

Let me start first withlanguage. It is a known actthat our languages are at ahigher risk of extinction thanmost components of culture.English, is the country’sofficial language asbequeathed to her (Nigeria)by the colonial overlords.According to statistics, thereare about 400 languages inNigeria and some of them arethreatened with extinction(www.nigerianembassy.ru).The major languages are Igbo,Yoruba and Hausa.

It is no longer odd to hearNigerians saying whilebeating their hands in theirchest that, “like seriously, I donot understand or speak mylocal language!”. Even forthose that manage to speak,they cannot do that withoutimputing English language.For instance, an Igbo manmight say “Nna biko switchieon the television set”.

Also, in most schools,teaching and learning of locallanguages is minimal. Inshort, local languages arebrandished the derogatoryname, “Vernacular”. Thestory is so sad that students/pupils are punished forspeaking “vernacular” inschools and homes.

What about dressing? It isa basic component ofNigeria’s cultural heritage thathas suffered continuedneglect. In dressing, theNigerian society is blessedwith coral beads, and dressesas Babbar nga, kaftani, jabba,gambari, dondogo andgbariye. Dresses performalmost the same as languages/again, I am so surprise mosttimes when people are puttingon “alien dress even if thetropical weather does not

permit it”. According toMaiwada, a visit to any bankwill confirm culturalcolonization via dressing.Right from the security menat the gate to the topmanagement efficacies, theyare seen in suit with tie. Insome cases, expectantmothers are not out of theshow! This is unlikenationalists as NnamdiAzikiwe, Aminu Kano and

others who promotedNigeria’s culture by adorningthemselves with native attires.Some Nigerians will say thatdressing in foreign attires,makes them look smart.However, Maiwada, whospoke at the 2008 NationalFestival of Arts and Culture(NAFEST), contended thatdansiki, caftani and thejumper dress can also be sownand worn as corporate

dresses. I was taken aback recently

when I saw someone eating“eba” with a spoon as he didnot want to use his bare hands.What a crass insult to theNigerian culture! There areoccasions where people tellyou that they can’t imaginethemselves allowing their

hands touch “stinking” foodsas “funfun”. It is alsounfortunate that manyNigerians cannot cook/prepare native meals. Forthose that can even prepare,they cannot do it withouthaving a recipe nearby. The“in thing” is to prepare foodsas spaghetti or noodles whichare believed to be faster than“native foods” in terms ofpreparation time. Delicaciesas Edikai Ikong, Efo Riro, Ofe

Onugbu, Banga soup, etchave been relegated to thebackground.

Talking about culturalheritage that have beenabandoned, some nativetechnologies or crafts, equallyshare in the burden. TheNigerian Embassy in Russia,has noted that since the dawnof the colonial era, western

influences have challengedand threatened Nigerianculture. Oral literature whichranges from proverbs anddilemma tales of commonpeople to elaborate storiesmemorized and performed byprofessional praise-singersattached to royal palaces,were evident before the whitemen visited. Crafts as potter,weaving and others, haveeither become “old school” ornot been practiced at all. Gonewere the days when renownedpotters as Ladi Kwali,exhibited their potteryprowess. Even the Europeanswho came to Nigeria, werestartled with the great artworks they saw. Some of thegreat artworks in the countrywere, ‘hijacked to foreignlands by these merchants(Europeans).

Again, the Nigeriansociety is blessed with suchmusical instruments as flutes,trumpets, stringedinstruments, xylophone whichare connected to specificevents as marriage, harvest,festivals among others.However, moderninstruments as drum sets,guitar, keyboard (piano) tomention but a few, have takenover the afore-mentionedtraditional instruments. It is

now a norm to hear Nigerianssing “Yoyo ma Nigga” songs.

Masquerades back thenwere a key instrument ofsocial control and politicalcommentary especially intraditional southeasternNigeria.

Also, traditional wrestlingknown as Mgba in Igbolanguage, no longer holds.Traditional wrestling weresources of entertainment anda measurement of physicalprowess.

Before you can talk aboutmoving forward, there is needto know where we are comingfrom and know where we aregoing to. To be Nigerian is notbackward. It is not a sin toknow and represent yourculture. Until this is taken toheart, the Nigerian culturewill keep on fading!

“Let me start first with language. It is a known actthat our languages are at a higher risk of extinctionthan most components of culture. English, is thecountry’s official language as bequeathed to her(Nigeria) by the colonial overlords.”

By EMMANUEL EGOBIAMBU


THE NIGERIAN

How To Generate Money For Investment (3)

Drumbeats With

Apostle Dr.

Raphael O.

Ayemere

08035459593“IT is said, that if YOU

remove all the physical assetsof brand coca cola world wide,the brand name will uplift thecompany from the ashes in ashort time”. What made coca-cola successful in businessand popular amongst otherproducts? It’s because of theimportance they attach to themarketing of the product.

What makes MTN or GLOsuccessful, strong and viablein the communication sectortoday? It’s due to the level ofmarketing of their product.

Friends, how do you marketyourself in your place of work,house, church and in yourcommunity?

Suffice it to say that thereason why many people failin their businesses, politicsand ministry is due to lack ofproper marketing ofthemselves and their products.

There is this popular sayingthat ‘all men are not bornequal”. In my opinion all menare born equal. The reason isthat God made us in his imageand likeness and so we are allequal in the sight of God.

It is true that some are bornwith silver spoons in theirmouths, but this should notmake you believe that othersare better than you or possessthe key to your greatness inlife.

The difference between therich and the poor in our societyis the level of marketing theyattach to themselves.

You can’t place less value onyourself and product andexpect others to place a highervalue on them.

It baffles me each time I seethe way most people orChristians dress in churches,markets, places of work andthe way they eat and talk inpublic.

The way you value yourselfis the same way God andpeople value you public.

“And there cane an angel ofthe Lord, and sat under an oakwhich in Opharah, thatpertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite, and his son Gidoenthreshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from themidianitesAnd the angel of the lordappeared unto him, and saidunto him, the lord is with thee,thou mighty man of valor.

And Gideon said unto him,

Oh my lord, if the lord be withus, why then is all this befallenus? And where be all this ismiracles which our fatherstold us of, saying, did not theLord bring us up from Egypt?But now the Lord hathforsaken us, and delivered usinto the hands of themidianites.

And the lord looked uponhim, said, go in this is thymight, and thou shall saveIsrael from hand of themidianitie; have not I sentthee?

And he said unto him, Ohmy lord, where with shall Isave Israel? Behold, myfamily is poor in manasseh,and l am the least in myfather’s house.

And the lord said unto him,surely I will be with, thee andthou shall smite themidianites as one man. And hesaid unto him, if now I havefound grace in thy sight, thenshow me a sign that thoutalkest with me” Judges ( 11—1 7.

The reason why most peoplelack value and fail to marketthemselves is because of theway they act, live and talk,synonymous with the waysand languages of Gideon.They believe that their familypoor background is the reasonwhy they cannot succeed intheir life career and contributemeaningfully to the society.

Each time you fail to marketyourself you are degradingyour value and mortgagingyour destiny for someone else.

If you want to increase yourfinances, then increase the rateof your marketing of yourselfand product to the generalpublic.

If you want to be noticed andrespected in your society andby those in government andthe

world in general. then investin the marketing of yourselfand your product.

Stop looking down onyourself and your familybackground. God had topersuade Gideon beforeGideon could change hisimage, attitude and valueabout himself. God has nowaste product and you are not

a waste product.A good question asked at the

right time, at the right placeand with a good attitude couldbe an answer to your

financial breakthrough.God gave you the mandate

to ask anything in his nameand also assured of his abilityto grant your requests.

For example, a question like,‘how did God create the worldwithin six days” has broughta wealth, fortune, fame andinfluence into the lives anddestinies of many people.

Warren Bulffet and Bill

Gates are recongnised as theworld richest men, because oftheir ability to ask usefulquestions.

The question we fail to asktoday will lead to millions ofdollar to others who dare toask.

You should form the habit ofasking questions like, what arethe things that make peoplerich, while others are poor?Your findings could lead toyour writing a best-seller bookand bring you fame andfortune.

I have found out that thereasons successful men andwomen are always accordedgreat respect in our societyand enjoy the dividends ofdemocracy lies in their abilityto ask useful questions.

When Adam and Eve sinnedagainst God, the first thingGod did was to ask “Adam

where fin thou?” Instead ofAdam to ask for God’s mercyand

forgiveness, he started toblame God.

His inability to give usefulanswers to God’s question ledto his dethronement andsuffering. The reasons whymost people go to prison isinability to give usefulanswers to questions asked bythe prosecuting lawyer orJudge in court.

The right question you askcould be an answer to yourfinancial breakthrough,

success in business and favourfrom God and men.

Often times we read in thebible how the pharisees, Thescribes and sadducees askedJesus difficult questions toascertain whether he wasactually the awaited messiah.

The reasons why mostChristians hardly receiveanswers to their prayers lie intheir ignorance and inability’to ask useful questions fromGod and genuine servants ofGod.

The disciples of Jesus Christachieved several successes intheir assignments becausethey often asked Jesus toexplain vital questions ortopics which they had noknowledge of.

During Jesus earthlymission on earth Peter and therest of Jesus disciples weretold by Jesus to go ahead ofhim in their missionary

assignment.While they were sailing in

the middle of the night, theysaw Jesus walking on thewater on the sea. This incidentput fear, worry, tears andanxiety in their lives.

In fact Peter asked, masterif it is you, bid me to come.Jesus then ordered Peter tocome. This as how Peterwalked on top of water.

What Peter did wasastonishing and a big surpriseto millions of Christians

around the world till now.What led to his success andgreatness?

His success in ministry wasattributed to his ability to askquestion and take risk.

I will therefore, urge you toform the habit o[ asking usefulquestions. This can be the gateway to your financial success.

Money is a by-product, itcomes as a result of what wedo. If what we do in business,ministry, politics and bankingetc. are the things that generateour income, then the need tobe more diligent becomes verynecessary.

The greatest challenges inChristendom today is thatmany Christians want tosubstitute prayer for diligence.They believe that prayer canearn them money, food andshelter.

Jesus we claim to beemulating or serving wasnever lazy in his earthlymission. He laboured day andnight to ensure a speedyfulfilment of his earthlyassignment.

Others blame witches andwizards for their poverty andinability to meet their financialdemands.

Diligence in your duties isthe key to your financial

breakthrough. Successembrace people who areactive and diligent in theirprofession.

I am yet to meet a great andprosperous banker, president,governor, pastor, preacher,engineer, military personnel,politician or a trader whobecomes very successful bysitting down in one place.

Wishing to be rich andfamous will never bring youwealth and popularity, it onlyrespond to people who arediligent in their duties.

“Go to the ant, you sluggard!Consider her ways and bewise. Which having nocaptain, overseer or ruler.Provides her supplies in thesummer, and gathers her foodin the harvest,

How long will you sleep, Osluggard? When will you risefrom your sleep? A little sleep,a little slumber, a little foldingof the hands to sleep.

So shall your poverty comeon you like a prowler, andyour need like an armed man“. Proverbs 6v6- 11.

We may not consider theants as significant but Godthrough King Solomon whowas known for his wisdom onearth admonished us to learndiligently from the ants.

Friends, are you aware thatthere are numerous peopleweeping day and night fortheir parents inability to helpthem? They strongly believethat it is the responsibility ofothers to liberate them frompoverty and make themmillionaires.

To be candid with you yourgreatest achievement orwealth does not come by whatothers give you, but it comesby what you achieve toyourself through diligence.

I have learnt by experiencethat hard work and diligencedo not kill people, rather theyhelp to energise their goalsand dreams in life.

For instance, the book youare reading now is a productof diligence. I wrote it in thenight while others weresleeping and probablydreaming of building castlesin the air.

I f you don’t activate yourgoals and dreams in life, satanand his agents will contributeto making your life anddestiny dormant.

I urge you to emulate peoplewho through diligence builtempires, became rnillionairesand billionaires without thehelp,of government, friends orrelatives.

“You should form the habit of asking questions like, what are thethings that make people rich, while others are poor? Your findingscould lead to your writing a best-seller book and bring you fame andfortune. I have found out that the reasons successful men and womenare always accorded great respect in our society and enjoy thedividends of democracy lies in their ability to ask useful questions.”


THE NIGERIAN

Title: A Review Of Research Process, Report Writing And Referencing

Author: Prof. Mike I. ObadanReviewer: Prof. Akpan H. Ekpo

Book Review

INTRODUCTIONFor those of us who

know and have beeninfluenced by thevolume of research andpublications ofProfessor Mike I.Obadan, it is notsurprising that he hasfinally written a book onResearch Process, portWriting andReferending. ProfessorObadan is anoutstanding scholar, aprolific writer,knowledge provider andhas a passion in seeingthat Nigeria becomes amodern developedeconomy. All hiswritings arecontributions towardsthe emancipation of asleeping giant calledNigeria. I am also surethat this book waswritten to fill theexisting gap or dearth ofavailable and properlywritten literature on thesubject. In addition, theProfessor without beingexplicit has noticed thedecline in the use ofadequate researchprocess and properreferencing amongstudents and evenscholars. If you stillsupervise final yearprojects, master’s anddoctoral, thesis youwould appreciate thedeficiencies of students

when it comes toresearch processes andreferencing. This trendis rather disturbingbecause in years backthe situation waspositively different.THE REVIEW

The book has eleven(11) chapters, ac o m p r e h e n s i v ebibliography, and index.It has tables, figures andboxes for properillustrations’ of relevantissues. The book iswritten for all disciplinesand institutions such asresearch organizations,polytechnics, colleges oftechnology, universities,processes are not onlyfully explained but alsothe author worksthrough4n a meticulousm a n n e r , e x p 1 e s .Students and scholars ineconomics and relateddisciplines wouldappreciate this chapter.

Chapter 8 fullyelucidates the subject ofreport writing andpresentation. Theoutcome/output of aresearch project is aresearch report. Thechapter iscomprehensive; inWAIFEM, we offer acourse on ReportWriting AndPresentation and I canstate with all certaintythat the author has done

geared towards readerswho are very busy toread complicatedtechnical reports andmake a practicaldecision. The authorprovides essentialelements, and structureof a policy brief; above

all, an example of apolicy brief is provided.

Chapters 9 — 11provide discussions onr e f e r e n c e s /bibliographies as well asthe different referencingstyles. It is very usefulto note the differencebetween Referencingand Bibliography — theauthor clarifies thedistinction Furthermore,the referencing styles

are examined andillustrations providedfor selected disciplinesinduding the medicalsciences. The stylesdiscussed include:Harvard, AmericaP s y c h o l o g i c a lAssociation (APA),

Modern LanguageAssociation Style(MLA), Chicago Style,Modern HumanitiesResearch Association(MHRA), VancoverStyle, AmericanChemical SocietyPublishing (ACS) Style,Australian GovernmentPublishing Service(AGPS) Style, andAmerican MedicalAssociation (AMA)

reference Internetsources, electronicnewspaper articles,Wikipedia, etc areclearly stated by theauthor.3. CONCLUSION

There is no doubtthat Professor Obadan inhis usual style haswritten a book thatwould assist allcategories ofresearchers and reportwriters understand therudiments andapplication of theresearch process. Thebook teaches how tostart a research, theelements required aswell as the presentationof its outcome. It is botha textbook andcompendium ofresearch processes andrelated issues. The bookis highly recommendedto disciplines that offercourses like Researchmethods, Researchdesign, QualitativeResearch, Qntitativemethods, Statistics andEconometrics. When thebook is to be revised(years from now), theauthor should providefootnotes on certaintopics for those whowish to familiarizethemselves with theadvanced discussion pfthe relevant subjectmatter.

Professor Obadan,on behalf of your formerstudents, current andfuture students as wellas those of us you havementored I say a bigthank you forsimplifying our work bywriting this book.

Style. However, theauthor focuses on theAPA and Harvardreferencing styles inchapter O and MLA andChicago styles inchapter 11. Examples onall types are provided.Furthermore, how to

“The book is highly recommended to disciplines that offer courses like Researchmethods, Research design, Qualitative Research, Qntitative methods, Statisticsand Econometrics. When the book is to be revised (years from now), the authorshould provide footnotes on certain topics for those who wish to familiarizethemselves with the advanced discussion pf the relevant subject matter.”

an excellent work.Scholars and policy-makers should payattention to the sectionon Policy Brief. APolicy Brief is often


THE NIGERIAN

View Point

By WANDOO SOMBO

Improving Nigeria’s TransportationSystem Via The Dutch ModelBY most accounts, an

effective transportationsystem is a fundamentalcomponent of any solideconomy, as it enables thecitizens to achieve their setgoals at appointed schedules.

The Netherlands orHolland, as it is unofficiallyreferred to, has a veryorganised and uniquetransport system that makesit easy for its citizens tomove around.

The major means oftransportation in theNetherlands are bicycles,cars, buses and trains.

Bicycles are the preferredmeans of transportation forshort distances in the countryand many riders usually parktheir bicycles at designatedspots at bus or train stationswhile going on longjourneys.

Similarly, most peopleoften drive their cars to thesestations and park therebefore going aboard buses ortrains for longer trips.

Some even haul theirbicycles into trains, whilesetting out on long journeys,to enable them to use thebicycles to complete theirjourneys after disembarkingfrom the trains.

Riding a bicycle in theNetherlands is somewhat athing of pride and it is notrestricted to any particularstatus of class because everycitizen of Holland, from 15years and above, owns abicycle.

Besides, there is always atrain in every 20 minutes atevery train station, while abus leaves a bus stop in every30 minutes.

Whenever there is going tobe a delay in the arrival of atrain at a railway station, theexpected period of delaywould be displayed on theelectronic board at thestation and this is usuallyabout 5 minutes and nevermore than 20 minutes.

And within five minutes or

ten minutes later, dependingon the time indicated on theelectronic board, the trainarrives.

Even train or buscommuters in theNetherlands can checkarrival or departure times fortrains and buses on theInternet, meaning that theydo not have to linger at thestations waiting for thearrival of a train or bus.

Mr. Edwin Van-Scherrenburg, the PublicRelations Officer ofNederlandse Spoorwegen(NS), the Dutch railwaycompany, however,conceded that the country’sweather was largelyunfavourable to the transportbusiness.

He noted that the snow inwinter and the falling leavesfrom trees in autumn, forinstance, usually made itsomewhat difficult for trainsto operate efficiently duringthe seasons.

Va n - S c h e r r e n b u r g ,however, said that in spite ofthese challenges, somemeasures were put in placeto ensure that passengerswere not delayed for toolong.

One notable feature of thetransportation system of theNetherlands is the synergybetween buses and trains.Information usually comeson the bus about the nexttrain and the nearest trainstation and so, if you areinterested in catching a train,the information becomesquite handy.

Va n - S c h e r r e n b u r gexpatiated that the symbioticrelationship between NS andbus companies was aimed atconnecting the two modes oftransportation in a way thatwould ensure the smoothmovement of passengers,while reducing traveldisruptions via unnecessary

delays.He, nonetheless,

acknowledged that there wasstill room for improvement,saying: “We arecontinuously looking forways to improve therelationship.’’

Funny enough, you hardlyhear anyone in theNetherlands talking about

boarding a plane to anotherpart of the country. Planesare only used by thosetravelling outside thecountry.

Some Nigerians, who havelived and worked in theNetherlands for some years,attested to the efficiency ofthe Dutch transport system.

They agreed that if thesystem was adopted byNigeria, living in the countrywould be well structured,orderly and more appealing.

Mr. Kingley Ogbuneke,who has lived in theNetherlands for over fouryears, said that the country’stransportation system was soeffective, noting that trainsand buses usually kept to

scheduled travel times.“These days, you can hook

on to the Internet and knowthe precise time you’ll bearriving at your destination;honestly, it will work exactlythat way,’’ he added.

Ogbuneke, however, notedwith disappointment thatNigeria’s transportationsystem was still facing a

huge challenge, even afterfive decades of politicalindependence.

“In Nigeria, we still relyheavily on private vehiclesfor our transportationbecause our publictransportation system is notwell organised,’’ he said.

Ogbuneke stressed that ifmore resources wereinvested in the country’stransport sector, the ordinaryNigerian would not have torely solely of privatevehicles for his or hertransportation.

“Here in the Netherlands,people hardly use their carsbecause the publictransportation system is veryeffective,’’ he added.

Ms Sylivia Oheme hasbeen living in theNetherlands for the past 20years.

She said that the Dutchtransport sector was wellstructured and organised,stressing that for instance,when a person wanted totravel from Amsterdam toThe Hague, he or she wouldknow exactly how long thejourney would take, barringinstances where there were

a few minutes’ delays.Oheme emphasised that

Holland’s transport sectorwas very efficient because ofthe constant electricitysupply in the country

She particularly attributedthe efficiency of thecountry’s railways to thestable electricity, as the trainsare all electricity poweredtrains.

“Here the Prime Ministerrides bicycles, the Princerides bicycles; even theQueen rides bicycles and Iride bicycle too; and we allenjoy it.

“In the Netherlands,cycling is a way of life; themere fact that you see a manriding a bicycle does notmean he is poor.

“It also takes a lot ofpressure off the roads aswell,’’ she added.

Oheme bemoaned the factthat road transportation wasthe in-thing in Nigeria, as thecountry’s railways was nowin a derelict state.

She recalled with nostalgiahow she took a train ridefrom Lagos to Jos in the

1970s and lamented thatgovernment and otherstakeholders allowed therailways to go into acomatose state.

In the Netherlands, railtransportation is verypopular, as trains are readilyavailable. There are alsotrams and bus networks inand around the major cities,while an extensive railwaysystem connects all the

“Riding a bicycle in the Netherlands is somewhat a thing of prideand it is not restricted to any particular status of class becauseevery citizen of Holland, from 15 years and above, owns a bicycle.Besides, there is always a train in every 20 minutes at every trainstation, while a bus leaves a bus stop in every 30 minutes.”

cities.Besides, there are

concentric canals around thecities, especiallyAmsterdam, the country’scapital, where tourists couldmake boat trips.

In spite of theunpredictable nature of thecountry’s weather, thecitizens of the Netherlandsstill ensure that everything intheir country works.

The orderliness of thecountry will surely excite afirst-time visitor and officialstatistics from the Dutchgovernment reveal that notless than 10,000 Nigeriansreside in the Netherlands.

Analysts, however,maintain that Nigeria standsto gain a lot by adopting theDutch patterns ofdevelopment.

They insist that Nigeriashould make tangible effortsto take a cue from the Dutchdevelopment patterns if sheis truly serious about itsambition to transform intoone of the world’s 20 largesteconomies by the year 2020.


THE NIGERIAN

By CHARLES I. SOEJE

Discourse

Celebrating 2013 Children’s DayIN 1954, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly

recommended that all countries should set aside a universalChildren’s day (UCD) to be observed as a day to celebratechildren and draw attention to their problems. Despite this, it isdisappointing to say that since then the challenges facing ourchildren especially in Africa and their third world countries isfrightening and calls for quick solutions.

Happily, the UN General Assembly recognized that childrenall over the world have rights that must be documented, adoptedby major states, promoted, projected as well as enforced andsubsequently adopted in 1959, the Declaration of the Rights ofthe Child, which addressed the rights of children and youthsunder 18 years of age. In 1989, the UN General Assemblyadopted the convention on the Rights of the child which coversin its 54 articles, all the rights of children, from health care toeducation, to the freedom from exploitation and the right tohold opinion.

I believe that towards this direction, President Goodluck EbeleAzikiwe Jonathan popularly known as ‘’GEJ’’ and the SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations (UN), Ban Kin-moon onWednesday, May 23, 2012 canvassed for a quick interventionto check child and maternal mortality just as it was disclosedthat to achieve zero malaria deaths by 2015, Africa would needN5 trillion ($32 billion).

According to Ban, 800 women and more than 20,000 childrenin some developing countries including in Nigeria, die frompreventable causes, especially in child birth relatedcircumstances due to bottlenecks that prevent them fromreceiving Medicare that can both save and improve their lives.

There is a popular saying ‘’Morning shows the day, just asthe child shows the man’’. This indicates why a day is set asideevery year to evaluate progress made in efforts to promote,protect and project the rights of children. All over the world,children’s day are usually celebrated on the 27th of every May.

As we celebrate this year’s Children’s Day parents shouldrealize that they are the first educators; the family is the ‘firstschool’ of education in justice and peace to enable them refrainfrom youth’s restiveness and aggressiveness. In other words,those in charge of educational institutions have a duty to ensurethe children are able to receive education in line with theirfamilies’ consciences and principles.

Celebrating children’s day take special forms in each membercountry of the United Nations. For example in Gambia, childrentake over the reigns of government for this one day in the year,to expose them in the practice of governance, in other countrieschildren are sometimes given the opportunity to take over thetelevision stations and subsequently direct, produce and anchorprogrammes that show the major issues that affect them.

In the case of Nigeria, school children usually troop to variousstadia, public places in towns and cities all over the country toengage in march past and listen to speeches from our leaders,while some establishments participate sometimes by organizingparties, excursion as well as visits for students.

In spite of the fact that most member-states of the UN aresignatories to the convention, the basic rights stated in thisconvention are still being abused and neglected both at thefamily, community and government levels. Whatever the casemay be, Nigeria adopted May 27 of every year as its Children’sDay and this remained faithful, loyal and honest to theobservance of the Day. It is crystal clear that children’s issuesgo far and above celebration of children’s day.

Apart from the celebration, there is the need to look at howchildren fared before and after the passage of the child RightBill that was passed into law by the National Assembly in May2003. Nigeria, being a signatory to several internationalconventions on children, is obliged to take legislative, socialand educative measures to further protect children from thefollowing physical or mental violence, neglect or maltreatmentwhile in the care of parents or guardians, employment that islikely to be hazardous to their health or to interfere with theireducation and development, sexual exploitation and abuseamong others.

According to the International Labour organization (ILO),215 million children are in hazardous work and that Africa isworst hit. The Labour 2010 events with a clear message tomember-nations on the negative impact of child Labour andthe danger inherent in the slow pace at efforts by nations of theWorld to end the phenomenon. It was revealed by the ILO thatthe events were held in more than sixty (60) countries. It

included governments, employers and workers, other UnitedNations Organizations and non-governmental organizationsand high level panels who organized media events, awarenessraising campaigns, cultural performances and other publicevents.

In Geneva, Scotland where global event, internationalLabour conference took place, hundreds of local Schools werejoined by the Conseiller d Etat Mr. Charles Beer, ILO officialsand visiting delegates, who participated on a Children’sSolidarity event at the place des Nations (United NationsHouse).

Furthermore, the ILO Director General, Mr. Juan Somavia,used the occasion to paint the pathetic picture of hazardousconditions of many children around the world who were

involved in child Labour. In Africa, it was a pathetic story asSomavia stated that the Situation was worrisome in Africawhere the worst form of Child Labour takes place and moreChildren were working in hazardous conditions. Somaviaadded that the world Day against Child Labour (WDACL)came at a critical juncture in the global campaign ending itsworst forms by 2016.

In Nigeria, little efforts are being made by both governmentand Organizations to reduce or eliminate the worst form ofchild abuse because we are deeply rooted in poverty,ignorance and cultural attitudes of the people. However, theseefforts, in most cases are not backed by appropriate data toenable national authorities and the international communitiesto measure the nature and perhaps the extent of child labourin the country and identify areas where actions is required totake it.

It is flabbergasting to say that in Nigeria like many otherAfrican countries, ILO policies are often violated, despitethe fact that many countries of the World have developedstatistical monitoring and information systems on child labour, often with the support of ILO’s Statistical Information andMonitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC)

In her speech at the presentation of’’ the State of the WorldChildren report 2002’’, the then first lady, Chief (Mrs.) StellaObansanjo (of blessed memory) said, ‘’many more childrenare still engaged in exploitative child labour, putting them atrisk of human trafficking, with ten Nigerian children dailypassing through the Nigeria border into slavery in other lands,and figures in respect of HIV/AIDS among Nigerian childrenare extremely alarming and it is getting worse by the day’’.

According to her, ‘’if you look at current statistics in thestate of World children report, the situation of the Nigerianchild in education, health and protection are particularly bad,when compared to some other poor countries in sub-SaharanAfrica’’.

It seems to me that ugly development is strangulatingchildren gradually out-of-existence. Economic down-turn oreconomic ‘cuyoyo’ according to the late Dr. Tai Solarin,Former Headmaster of mayflower school has suddenly turnedchildren into breadwinners for many families. They can beseen in our streets hawking all sorts of wares, some beggingfor alms, with forlorn hope of augmenting the poor earningof their financially weak parents. Street hawking has turneda lot of them into hopeless youths with a bleak future. Thefamilies among them are exposed at tender ages to sexualharassment and molestation. Others are sometimes rendereduseless or in extreme cases lose their lives after being hit byreckless drivers.

Many first time visitors to Nigeria are usually appalled at thenumber of children engaged in street hawking and begging onour roads, and the advent of sachet water popularly called ‘’purewater’’ has increased the number greatly.

In order to proffer solutions to the above, there is the need foran apostle of accountability and probity in public service. In otherwords, we should preach and practice the gospel for the benefitof our children. In this connection, we should see our childrenas Ethiopia tikdem an Amharic expression meaning ‘’EthiopiaFirst’’.

It is therefore no exaggeration to say that our children sufferbecause many aides in Africa are victims of extreme flatters andsycophants whose only delight is to be at the corridors of power,lick, wash and watch the boots of our leaders and, in the processenrich themselves even to the level of stupidity andirresponsibility quite noticeable before the mass audience.

In the 1997 joint UNICEF and Federal Office of Statistics reporton the progress of Nigerian Children, it was stated that childrenin especially difficult situations made up the bulk of the domesticlabour force. This is not astonishing in view of the increasingpoverty that forced many families to take their children out ofschool and utilize their labour to add to the family income forsurvivor.

In order to check abuses of the rights of children, stategovernments that are yet to adopt the child Rights Act (CRA)should get their legislatures to pass them into law in the state. Itis my candid opinion that the federal and all state governmentsshould commence immediate enforcement of all the provisionsof the law, including prosecuting and convicting those that floutthe law.

Finally, for our children to develop properly and competefavourably among children from other countries and to enableNigeria move forward in the right direction, we should thinkclearly, correctly and scientifically which is the greatest of allpowers that a man can possess.


THE NIGERIAN

Agriculture

Harnessing Cassava ToBoost Economic Growth

By CHIJIOKE OKORONKWO

EXPERTS have identifiedcassava as a multi-purposecrop that could serve not onlyas food but as raw material formanufacturing.

They say that cassava is animportant component for theproduction of adhesives, wallpaper, bio-fuel, stain removerand drugs, among others.

Aware of the economicimportance of the crop,research institutes have beencollaborating to develop pest-resistant, high yielding andearly maturing cassavaspecies.

The International Instituteof Tropical Agriculture (IITA)Ibadan, and the Nigerian RootCrops Research Institute(NRCRI) Umudike, Abia,recently released twoimproved cassava varietieswhich they jointly developed.

Mr Godwin Aster, IITA’sCorporate CommunicationsOfficer, said the new varietieswould enable the country tomaintain its lead as theworld’s largest producer ofcassava.

He said that the maximumyield of the two varieties wasbetween 49 tonnes and 53tonnes per hectare, accordingto pre-varietal release trialsconducted from 2008 to 2010.

Aster said that localvarieties produced less than10 tonnes per hectare.

“The varieties are alsoresistant to major pests anddiseases such as cassavamosaic, bacterial light,anthracnose, mealy-bug andgreen mite,’’ he said.

Dr Chiedozie Egesi, Headof Cassava Breeding atNRCRI, also said that the“next generation cassava’’would enable smallholderfarmers to have access to bestcassava varieties.

Egesi said that Africa’ssmallholder farmers producedmore than half of the world’scassava.

“The tough woody plant ispredicted to be one of the fewcrops that will benefit fromclimate change.

“It requires few inputs andcan withstand drought,marginal soils and long-termunderground storage.

“No other continentdepends on cassava to feed itspeople as Africa, where 500million people consumecassava daily,’’ Egesi noted.

The Lagos State Chapter ofCassava Growers Associationof Nigeria, however, wantsthe Federal Government toenforce the implementation ofcassava inclusion in breadbaking.

Mr Funmi Dawodu, thechapter treasurer, said that thepolicy would impactpositively on the nation’seconomy if religiouslyimplemented.

Dawodu said that theFederal Government should

also put appropriateinfrastructure in place for itseffective implementation.

“The truth is that farmers donot have access toinfrastructure. A commonfarmer cannot afford to buynecessary machinery toprocess cassava into flour.

“The government shouldbuy this equipment and giveto farmers on lease toencourage them,’’ he said.

Dawodu said that flourdealers constantly importflour and urged thegovernment to reverse thetrend by devising ways toenforce the 10 per centcassava inclusion in breadbaking.

“This is not beyond thegovernment and until weremove the bottle-neck, weshould not talk about cassava

bread,’’ he said.Many states are also

showing interests in cassavaproduction to boost theirinternally-generated revenuesas well as to createemployment.

Kogi Deputy GovernorYomi Awoniyi said there wereplans to resuscitate theabandoned cassavaprocessing plant in IjumuLocal Government Area of thestate.

Awoniyi stated this when hereceived Nigerianrepresentatives of KoreanInternational CooperativeAgency (KOICA), who werein the state to explore areas ofpossible collaboration.

He noted that cassava was a

major commodity in theongoing AgriculturalTransformation Agenda ofthe Federal Government.

Awoniyi said that the stategovernment had approvedthe electrification of thecommunity where the projectwas located to fast-track itscompletion.

Prof Martin Anikwe,Enugu State Commissionerfor Agriculture, said that thestate government haddedicated 100,000 hectares atIsi-Uzo Local GovernmentArea for cassava cultivation.

According to him, EnuguState will benefit from thecassava processing projectsmeant for cooperativecassava farmers in the

country.Plateau Government and a

Brazilian firm, EBS Fedeta deFedates, recently signed aMemorandum ofUnderstanding for theestablishment of a cassava-processing factory in the state.

Governor Jonah Jang signedon behalf of the stategovernment, while thePresident of EBS Fedeta deFedetes, Mr Waldfried Schurt,signed for the firm.

Jang said that thecollaboration would stimulateeconomic growth.

“We produce well over 431tonnes of cassava annually andwith the establishment of thefactory, the number can bedoubled.

“When the industry comeson board, it can produce 50tonnes of starch per day, even

though we will need 500tonnes of cassava to meet up,’’the governor stated.

The Minister ofInformation, Mr LabaranMaku, also restated theimportance of promotingcassava cultivation as thecountry would save aboutN300 billion annually throughthe use of 10 per cent cassavaflour for bread baking.

Maku said the amount spenton wheat importation hadbeen brought down by N200billion, followingimprovement in theproduction and processing ofcassava flour.

He said that the “Ministry ofAgriculture is expandingmarket for cassava throughthe development of highquality cassava flour tosubstitute 40 per cent of wheatimportation into the country.’’

Maku said that a market hadbeen secured for 2.2 milliontonnes of cassava chips inChina, while the exportationof one million tonnes hascommenced.

Although experts andstakeholders commend thecurrent drive to boost cassavaproduction, processing andexport, they want governmentto sustain the effort. (NAN)

“No other continentdepends on cassava to feedits people as Africa, where500 million peopleconsume cassava daily,’’

“The truth is that farmers do not have access toinfrastructure. A common farmer cannot afford tobuy necessary machinery to process cassava intoflour. The government should buy this equipmentand give to farmers on lease to encourage them.’’


THE NIGERIAN

International Compiled ByOKHELEIGBE FAITH

Israel Deputy Foreign Minister Proud To Be Settler

US, China Set The Stage ForObama-Xi Summit

Suu Kyi Slams 2-Child Limit ForMuslims

Zimbabwe HonorsDeputy Intelligence Chief

Donilon said.That Xi agreed to an informal

summit has been seen by Chineseand U.S. experts as positive. Hispredecessors always preferredformal state visits, splashingimages of White Houseceremonies and banquets in theChinese media to bolster theirstanding as world statesmen.

Good will aside, distrust hasdeepened in relations in recentyears as the U.S. feels its worldleadership challenged and China,its power growing, demandsgreater deference to its interestsand a larger say over global rulesetting. Chinese officials andstate media regularly sayWashington is thwarting China’srise, strengthening alliances inAsia to hem in Beijing anddiscouraging Chinese investmentin the U.S. on grounds of nationalsecurity.

The official Xinhua NewsAgency reported yesterday thatships and submarines from theChinese navy’s three fleetsstaged drills in the South ChinaSea late last week. The area isalready a flashpoint, withBeijing’s aggressive claims todisputed islands having rattled

week to prepare an agenda andstraighten out other technicalissues. He told Xi that Obama is“firmly committed to building arelationship defined by higherlevels of practical cooperationand greater levels of trust, whilemanaging whatever differencesand disagreements might arisebetween us.”

Meeting earlier with StateCouncilor Yang Jiechi, China’ssenior foreign policy official,Donilon said the summit is achance for the two presidents towork through problems. Thoughthey did not identify thosechallenges in their publicremarks, ties are strained acrossthe board, from longstandingdifferences over the Iranian andNorth Korean nuclear programsto new disputes overcyberattacks and China’s moreassertive pursuit of territorialclaims against U.S. allies Japanand the Philippines.

“The meeting will be animportant opportunity for ourpresidents to have in-depthdiscussions about U.S.-Chinarelations, and a wide range ofglobal and regional challengesfacing both our countries,”

BEIJING — An upcomingsummit with President BarackObama comes at a “criticaljuncture” in relations betweenChina and the U.S., ChinesePresident Xi Jinping saidyesterday, underscoring thechallenge they face in confrontingdivisive security issues andovercoming growing distrust.

Xi told U.S. National SecurityAdviser Tom Donilon — whowas in Beijing to prepare for theJune 7-8 meeting — that heexpected positive results from thetalks, which will be their firstface-to-face meeting sinceObama’s re-election and Xi’spromotion to head of theCommunist Party last November.

“The current China-U.S.relationship is at a criticaljuncture,” Xi said. The sides mustnow “build on past successes andopen up new dimensions for thefuture.”

In a sign that both sides wantto stem a drift in ties, the summitis taking place months earlier thanthe two presidents were supposedto meet. The setting — at theprivate Sunnylands estate of thelate publishing tycoon WalterAnnenberg in southern California— is supposed to be informal,giving Xi and Obama a chance tobuild a rapport.

Donilon flew to Beijing this

the Philippines, Vietnam,Malaysia and Brunei.

On Sunday, Li Keqiang — ona visit to Germany in his first tripabroad as China’s premier —pressed China’s claim to a clusterof East China Sea islands held byJapan. Traveling to Potsdam,where allied powers declared theterms for Japan’s surrender 68years ago in the waning days ofWorld War II, Li told reportersthat Japan must not “deny orglorify the history of fascistaggression.”

the chairman of Netanyahu’sgoverning coalition, one of themost important and influentialpositions in parliament.

Elkin is among a group ofyoung, hard-liners who rose toprominence in Netanyahu’sLikud Party during a primaryvote last year. These officials,including Deputy DefenseMinister Danny Danon and theKnesset speaker Yuli Edelstein,are skeptical of reaching peacewith the Palestinians and strongproponents of buildingsettlements in the occupied WestBank.

Edelstein also lives in the WestBank. Lieberman, the would-beforeign minister, is also a settler,and Netanyahu’s trade minister,Naftali Bennett, leads a pro-settler religious party and himselfis a former head of the settlers’council.

Elkin, a rising star in BenjaminNetanyahu’s Likud Party, washanded the No. 2 spot at theForeign Ministry followingparliamentary elections early thisyear.

Netanyahu has promised theforeign minister’s job to hispolitical partner, AvigdorLieberman. With Lieberman ontrial on fraud and breach of trustcharges, he is unable to assumethe post.

For now, Netanyahu has takenon the foreign minister’s job untilLieberman’s trial ends, handlingmany key diplomatic functionswhile Elkins oversees theministry’s day to day affairs.

The job is the latest stop for thefast-rising Elkin, a 42-year-oldimmigrant from the formerSoviet Union who holds degreesin mathematics and history. Inthe previous government, he was

JERUSALEM — Zeev Elkinhas faced a wave of criticismsince he was made the de factochief of Israel’s Foreign Ministrytwo months ago: He isn’tprepared for compromise withthe Palestinians. He doesn’tspeak English well enough. He isa West Bank settler.

But Israel’s deputy foreignminister, who is the top officialuntil a new foreign minister isnamed, makes no apologies forhis ideology or background, andin fact thinks they are anadvantage. Claiming to reflect the“real positions” of most Israelis,Elkin says the world should getused to dealing with Jewishsettlers and right-wing Israelipoliticians.

“It is a mistake to think theForeign Ministry needs a personwhose views the world wouldrather hear but do not reflect thegovernment or the majority inIsrael,” Elkin said in an interview.“You cannot fool the world.”

Kanengoni, an ex-guerrilla,and an associate were sentencedto seven years in jail forrepeatedly shooting anopposition politician during anelection campaign in 1990. Theywere freed on an immediatepardon from President RobertMugabe.

The politician survived severegroin injuries and was alawmaker in the primeminister’s party before his deathin 2009.

“If true, this is against the law,”said Suu Kyi, the oppositionleader and Nobel Peace Prizelaureate. Suu Kyi has facedcriticism for failing to defend theRohingya following two wavesof deadly sectarian violence lastyear. She told reporters she hadnot heard details of the latestmeasure but, if it exists, “It isdiscriminatory and also violateshuman rights.”

The policy applies to twoRakhine townships that borderBangladesh and have the highestMuslim populations in the state.The townships, Buthidaung andMaungdaw, are about 95 percentMuslim. Nationwide, Muslimsaccount for only about 4 percentof Myanmar’s roughly 60million people.

The order makes Myanmarperhaps the only country in theworld to level such a restrictionagainst a particular religiousgroup, and is likely to bringfurther criticism that Muslimsare being discriminated againstin the Buddhist-majoritycountry. The central governmenthas not made any statementabout the two-child policy sinceRakhine state authorities quietlyenacted the measure a week ago.Calls seeking comment fromgovernment spokesmen have notbeen returned.

Longstanding antipathytoward the Rohingya erupted lastyear into mob violence in whichRakhine Buddhists armed withmachetes razed thousands ofMuslim homes, leavinghundreds of people dead andforcing 125,000 to flee, mostlyMuslims. The New York-basedgroup Human Rights Watch has

YANGON — Oppositionleader Aung San Suu Kyi andIslamic leaders expressed dismayyesterday over plans byauthorities in western Myanmarto revive a two-child limit onMuslim Rohingya families, apolicy that does not apply toBuddhists and comes amidaccusations of ethnic cleansing.

Some Buddhists, however,welcomed the plan for addressingtheir fear of a Muslim populationexplosion.

Authorities in strife-tornRakhine state said this pastweekend that they were restoringa measure imposed during pastmilitary rule that bannedRohingya families from havingmore than two children. Detailsabout the policy and how it willbe enforced have not beenreleased, sparking calls for clarityand concerns of morediscrimination against a groupthe U.N. calls one of the world’smost persecuted people.

HARARE — Zimbabwe helda state funeral yesterday for anintelligence officer convicted bya court of attempted murder.

Elias Kanengoni, deputydirector of the CentralIntelligence Organization, diedWednesday after collapsing at hiscountry home. He was 60.

He was buried yesterday withfull military honors at Heroes’Acre, a shrine for politicians andfallen former guerrillas in thebush war that led to independencein 1980.

accused the government andsecurity forces in Rakhine offomenting an organized campaignof “ethnic cleansing” against theRohingya, who are regarded asaliens.

Since the violence, the religiousunrest has expanded into acampaign against Muslimcommunities in other areas, posinga serious challenge to PresidentThein Sein’s reformistgovernment as it attempts toimplement democratic reformsafter nearly half a century of harshmilitary rule.

Rakhine state spokesman WinMyaing said over the weekend thepolicy was meant to stempopulation growth in the Muslimcommunity, which a government-appointed commission last monthidentified as one of the causes ofthe sectarian violence. He saidauthorities have not determinedhow the measure will be enforced,but it will be mandatory.

“This is the best way to controlthe population explosion which isa threat to our national identity. Ifno measure is taken to control thepopulation, there is a danger oflosing our own identity,” saidNational Affairs Minister for theYangon Region Zaw Aye Maung,an ethnic Rakhine member ofparliament. He said restricting thenumber of children in the poorerMuslim community will benefitthem because smaller families arebetter able to feed, clothe andeducate their children.

A Buddhist monk in Maungdawtownship was also enthusiastic.

“It’s a good idea. If thegovernment can really control theBengali population in the area, theother communities will feel moresecure and there will be lessviolence like what happened in thepast,” said monk Manithara fromthe Aungmyay Bawdi monastery,using the name “Bengali” thatmost Buddhists prefer to“Rohingya.” ‘’It’s also a good stepto develop the living standards ofthe people in the region. Chinaalso has this kind of policy.”

China has a one-child policy, butit is not based on religion andexceptions apply to minorityethnic groups.

“This restriction violates humanrights,” said Nyunt Maung Shein,head of Myanmar’s IslamicReligious Affairs Council. “Evenif it existed under the militaryregime, it should be consideredinappropriate under thedemocratic system.”

U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, left, and Chinese President XiJinping, right, attend their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing,China

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin listens during an interview with theAssociated Press in Jerusalem. Elkin makes no apologies for his ideology orbackground, and says the world better get used to Jewish settlers holdingpositions of influence in Israel.


THE NIGERIAN

International Compiled ByOKHELEIGBE FAITH

Center Left Leading In Rome

Mayor Election

Tiger Escaped Pen ToAttack Keeper - Police

EU Divided On Easing Syria ArmsEmbargo

Military ExemptionsThreaten Isreali Coalition

imploded last month indisagreement over the election ofItaly’s president.

The projections showed thecandidate of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement,which won 25 percent of the votein its first national election inFebruary, with about 13 percentand therefore excluded from arun-off.

Turnout figures showed asteep drop to 53 percent, down20 points from previous mayoralelections in 2008.

While attention is on Rome,new mayors will be elected in564 towns and cities involving 7million voters.

24-year-old McClay on Friday asshe was working in a staff area atSouth Lakes Wild Animal Parkin northwestern England.

She later died of her injuriesat a hospital.

Cumbria police said they aretrying to find out how and whythe tiger escaped.

The park owner claimedMcClay broke the rules byentering the tiger’s pen for anunknown reason.

legitimacy of the scholarlypursuits of so many youngpeople came into question.

A committee tasked withcomposing draft reforms metlate into the night Sunday butended in acrimony over disputesabout penalties for draft evadersand other clauses.

Under the new proposedsystem, seminary studentswould be allowed to continuetheir studies and would not berequired to perform militaryservice until age 21. That couldsignal a relatively easy term ofservice, since older soldierstypically serve for shorterperiods of time and usually notin combat units.

The system underconsideration would not go intoeffect for three years, meaningthat thousands of seminarystudents who are studying nowwould not have to serve.

Hague insisted however thatstanding still was no option andthat the moderate oppositionneeded to be boosted.

“Most of the world deniesthem the means to defendthemselves, so that is creatingextremism radicalizing people.We are reaching the limits ofhow long we can go on with thatsituation,” Hague said.

In that sense, there werebigger issues involved than EUunity, he said.

“It is important to be doingthe right thing for Syria. That ismore important than whetherthe EU is able to stick togetheron every detail on this,” Haguesaid.

There were also fears thatdelivering weapons to theopposition would open the wayfor extremist groups to get holdof weapons.

Despite the apparentincompatibility of views,diplomats still held out hope fora common stand sometimebefore the embargo expires.

“Disagreement in the EU,that would be the wrong signal,”said Westerwelle. “The morecohesive Europe acts, the moreinfluence we will have onovercoming the currentviolence in Syria.”

Several nations say arming theopposition would create a levelplaying field that could forceAssad into a negotiatedsettlement.

“It is important to show we areprepared to amend our armsembargo so that the Assad regimegets a clear signal that it has tonegotiate seriously,” said BritishForeign Secretary WilliamHague.

Austria argued that sendingmore weapons into the Syrianwar zone would only acerbate analready horrific situation.

“We just received the NobelPeace Prize and to now go in thedirection of intentionally gettinginvolved in a conflict withweapon deliveries, I think that iswrong,” Austrian ForeignMinister Michael Spindeleggersaid.

But he also was not happyabout just letting the sanctionsagainst Syria expire.

“If there is no compromise,then there is no sanctionsregime,” said Spindelegger. “Inmy view that would be fatal, alsofor those who now absolutelywant to deliver weapons.”

Atid will fold on the issue ofsharing the burden simplydoesn’t know us or understandus,” Lapid said at a meeting ofhis party. “There will be anequal sharing of the burden, orthis government will fall apart,”he said.

His comments appeared to bean opening salvo in what willlikely be a lengthy debate.

Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu has said there will bemany “headlines and crises”until all the issues are ironedout. But he said that in the end,solutions will be found and thelaw will be passed.

In the early days of the Jewishstate a small core of a fewhundred ultra-Orthodox Jewishscholars were granted draftexemptions, partially in order toencourage scholarship after thegreat European schools ofJewish thought were destroyedby the Nazis and theircollaborators during World WarII.

Over the years the numbersof exemptions mushroomed intotens of thousands, and the

JERUSALEM — Theleader of Israel’s second largestparty warned yesterday thatPrime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu’s ruling coalitioncould collapse if it fails toreform the military draft systemand end exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminarystudents.

Finance Minister Yair Lapidmade the threat after acommittee meeting tasked withchanging the draft rules endedwithout results. Lapid’s partysurged in January’sparliamentary election byvowing to force the ultra-Orthodox to “share the burden”of military service.

Military service iscompulsory in Israel from age18, but thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews get exemptionseach year to pursue religiousstudies. The ultra-Orthodoxinsist military service wouldcompromise their strict religiouslifestyle, while Israelis whoserve in the military charge thatthe system is unfair.

“Whoever thinks that Yesh

ROME - The center-leftcandidate for Rome mayor in anelection seen as a test of Italy’sfragile coalition government wasleading the field, projectionsshowed yesterday, but the ballotis likely to go to a run-off nextmonth.

Ignazio Marino of theDemocratic Party (PD) would getbetween about 39 and 42 percent,according to the projections. Hiscenter-right rival, incumbentGianni Alemanno of SilvioBerlusconi’s center-right, wouldget between about 28 and 32percent.

If the projections areconfirmed by results, a run-offelection will be held on June 9-10.

This will further drag out the

race between the two sides, whoare uncomfortable bedfellows inthe right-left coalitiongovernment of Prime MinisterEnrico Letta.

Letta’s month-old governmentis struggling against slumpingpopularity, rising unemploymentand the longest recession inItaly’s post-war history.

A PD victory would give Lettaa much-needed boost, while afailure by Marino to oustAlemanno could further fueldissent among PD voters andfactions in the party.

The PD was thrown into crisisby its failure to win February’snational election outright and

The EU nations have beensteadfast opponents of Assad inthe conflict and have steadilyincreased the restrictive measuresagainst his regime, including visarestrictions and economicsanctions. In February, the 27-nation bloc also amended thearms embargo to allow for non-lethal equipment and medicine toprotect Syrian civilians. If notrenewed, all those measuresexpire at the end of May.

Meanwhile, Assad’sgovernment has agreed inprinciple to participate in peacetalks in Geneva next month. TheUnited States and Russia hope tobring together the Syriangovernment and opposition fordirect talks, but the exact date,agenda and list of participants forthe conference remains unclear.

EU nations were looking at acompromise to create morepressure on Assad by threateninga limited arming of the oppositionin the coming months, an EUofficial said, speaking oncondition of anonymity becauseshe was not allowed to discussongoing EU discussions on therecord.

BRUSSELS — EuropeanUnion nations struggledyesterday to overcome deepdivisions on whether to easesanctions against Syria to allowarms shipments to rebels fightingPresident Bashar Assad’s regime.

Britain is the most outspokenproponent of relaxing the armsembargo but faces strongopposition from EU memberslike Austria who feel that moreweapons will only increase thekillings and tarnish the EU’sreputation as a peace broker.

The EU foreign ministersmeeting yesterday in Brusselswere facing a Friday deadlinewhen the current arms embargoagainst Syria expires. If no newdeal is found, each nation canindependently decide if they wantto arm the rebels.

More than 70,000 people havedied since the uprising againstAssad erupted in March 2011.Assad has been using extensivefirepower against lightly armedrebel factions.

Austria’s foreign minister saidMonday if there is no agreementthe arms embargo will collapse.

“The positions are far apart,”said German Foreign MinisterGuido Westerwelle, adding it wasnot clear if the ministers willreach a deal Monday.

LONDON — When zookeeper Sarah McClay wasmauled to death by a Sumatrantiger at an animal park inEngland, its owner alleged shehad entered the animal’s penagainst safety rules.

But police said yesterday that’snot what happened.

After conducting aninvestigation, police said the tigerescaped from its pen and attacked

Syrian forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad take their position duringclashes against Syrian rebels, in Aleppo, Syria on Sunday.

Rome’s Mayor Gianni Alemanno gestures as he speaks onstage during his finalmayoral campaign rally at the Colosseum in Rome

CHANGE OF NAME

ESEKHAIGBE – I, for-merly Miss SylviaAmenawon Esekhaigbenow wish to be known,called and addressed asMrs. Sylvia AmenawonAkhimien. All formerdocuments remain valid.Nigeria Security and CivilDefence Corps and thegeneral public shouldplease take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

ASEMOTA – I, formerlycalled Dr (Miss)Osatohanmwen JosephineAsemota now wish to beknown and addressed as Dr.(Mrs.) OsatohanmwenJosephine Igbinovia. Allformer documents remainvalid. Medical and DentalCouncil of Nigeria, otherconcerned authorities andgeneral public take note.


THE NIGERIAN

International

France ConsultsPartners Over SyrianChemical Weapons

Compiled By

FAITH OKHUELEIGBE

Israel’s Finance Minister Yair Lapid attends a Yesh Atid party meeting at theKnesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem

The mother of killed Drummer Lee Rigby, Lyn Rigby, centre, holds onto a teddybear as she joins his stepfather Ian, and other family members looking at floraltributes outside Woolwich Barracks as they visit the scene of his murder inWoolwich, south-east London

that with other partners.”“We are consulting with our

partners to see what concreteconsequences that we aregoing to draw from this,” hesaid.

He was speaking afterFrench newspaper Le Mondesaid it had first-hand accountsthat forces loyal to SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assadhad repeatedly used chemicalweapons against rebel fightersin Damascus.

BRUSSELS - France isconsulting its partners overhow to respond to increasingevidence of chemicalweapons use in Syria, ForeignMinister Laurent Fabius saidyesterday.

“There is increasinglystrong evidence of localizeduse of chemical weapons,”Fabius told reporters at ameeting of European Unionforeign ministers. “That mustall be verified, we are doing

WASHINGTON — In themonths leading up to the killingof Osama bin Laden, veteranintelligence analyst RobertCardillo was given the nickname“Debbie Downer.” With eachnew tidbit of information thattracked bin Laden to a high-walled compound in northernPakistan — phone records,satellite imaging, clues fromother suspects — Cardillo castdoubt that the terror networkleader and mastermind wasactually there.

As the world now knows well,President Barack Obamaultimately decided to launch aMay 2011 raid on the Abbottabadcompound that killed bin Laden.But the level of widespreadskepticism that Cardillo sharedwith other top-level officials —which nearly scuttled the raid —reflected a sea change within theU.S. spy community, one thatembraces debate to avoid “slam-dunk” intelligence in toughnational security decisions.

The same sort of high-stakesdissent was on public displayrecently as intelligence officialsgrappled with conflictingopinions about threats in NorthKorea and Syria. And it is a vitalpart of ongoing discussions overwhether to send deadly dronestrikes against terror suspectsabroad — including U.S.citizens.

The three cases provide a rarelook inside the secretive 16intelligence agencies as they tryto piece together security threatsfrom bits of vague informationfrom around the world. But theyalso raise concerns aboutwhether officials who makedecisions based on theirassessments can get clearguidance from a dividedintelligence community.

At the helm of what he calls ahealthy discord is Director ofNational Intelligence JamesClapper, who has spent morethan two-thirds of his 72 yearscollecting, analyzing andreviewing spy data from warzones and rogue nations.Clapper, the nation’s fourth topintelligence chief, says disputesare uncommon but absolutelynecessary to get as much inputas possible in far-flung placeswhere it’s hard for the U.S. toextract — or fully understand —ground-level realities.

“What’s bad about dissension?Is it a good thing to haveuniformity of view whereeveryone agrees all the time? Idon’t think so,” Clapper told TheAssociated Press in an interviewFriday. “...People lust foruniform clairvoyance. We’re notgoing to do that.”

“We are never dealing with aperfect set of facts,” Clappersaid. “You know the old sawabout the difference betweenmysteries and secrets? Of course,we’re held equally responsiblefor divining both. And so thoseimponderables like that just haveto be factored.”

Looking in from the outside,the dissension can seemawkward, if not uneasy —especially when the risks are so

high.At a congressional hearing last

month, Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., read from a DefenseIntelligence Agency reportsuggesting North Korea is ableto arm long-range missiles withnuclear warheads. The April 11disclosure, which had beenmistakenly declassified, came atthe height of Kim Jong Un’ssabre-rattling rhetoric and raisedfears that U.S. territory or Asiannations could be targeted for anattack.

Within hours, Clapperannounced that the DIA reportdid not reflect the opinions of therest of the intelligencecommunity, and that NorthKorea was not yet fully capableof launching a nuclear-armedmissile.

Two weeks later, the WhiteHouse announced that U.S.intelligence concluded thatSyrian President Bashar Assadhas probably used deadlychemical weapons at least twicein his country’s fierce civil war.But White House officials saidthe intelligence wasn’t strongenough to justify sendingsignificant U.S. military supportto Syrian rebels who are fightingAssad’s regime.

Because the U.S. has fewsources to provide first-handinformation in Syria, theintelligence agencies split onhow confident they were thatAssad had deployed chemicalweapons. The best they could dowas conclude that the Syrianregime, at least, probably hadundertaken such an effort. Thisput Obama in the awkwardpolitical position of having saidthe use of chemical weaponswould cross a “red line” and have“enormous consequences,” butnot moving on the news ofchemical weapons use, when theoccasion arose, because theintelligence was murky.

Lamborn said he welcomes aninternal intelligence communitydebate but is concerned that theNorth Korean threat wascavalierly brushed aside.

“If they want to argue amongthemselves, that’s fine,” saidLamborn, a member of theHouse Armed ServicesCommittee. However, he alsosaid, “We should be cautiouswhen evaluating differentopinions, and certainly givecredence to the more soberingpossibilities. ... When it comes tonational security, I don’t think wewant to have rose-coloredglasses on, and sweep threatsunder the rug.”

Clapper said that, in fact, U.S.intelligence officials today aremore accustomed to predictinggloom and doom. “We rain onparades a lot,” he said.

Current and former U.S.intelligence officials say thevigorous internal debate wasspawn from a single mistakeabout a threat — and an overlyaggressive response.

Congress demandedwidespread intelligence reformafter the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorattacks, to fix a system whereagencies hoarded threat

information instead of routinelysharing it. Turf wars between theCIA and the FBI, in particular,were common. The CIAgenerally was considered thenation’s top intelligence agency,and its director was thepresident’s principal intelligenceadviser.

The system was still in placein 2002, when the White Housewas weighing whether to invadeIraq. Intelligence officials widely— and wrongly — believed thatthen-dictator Saddam Husseinpossessed weapons of massdestruction. By December 2002,the White House had decided toinvade and was trying to outlineits reasoning for doing so whenthen-CIA Director George Tenetdescribed it as “a slam-dunkcase.”

The consequences weredisastrous. There were noWMDs, but the U.S. wound upin a nearly nine-year war thatkilled nearly 5,000 Americansoldiers, left more than 117,000Iraqis dead, and cost taxpayersat least $767 billion. The war alsodamaged U.S. credibilitythroughout the Mideast and, to alesser extent, the world. Tenetlater described his “slam-dunk”comment as “the two dumbestwords I ever said.”

Two years later, Congresssigned sweeping reformsrequiring intelligence officials tomake clear when the spyagencies don’t agree. RetiredAmb. John Negroponte, whobecame the first U.S. nationalintelligence director in 2005, saidif it hadn’t been for the faultyWMD assessment “we wouldn’thave had intelligence reform.”

“It was then, and only then thatthe real fire was lit under themovement for reform,”Negroponte said in a recentinterview. “In some respects itwas understandable, becauseSaddam had had all these thingsbefore, but we just allowedourselves to fall into thiserroneous judgment.”

To prevent that fromhappening again, seniorintelligence officials nowencourage each of the spyagencies to debate information,and if they don’t agree, to objectto their peers’ conclusions.Intelligence assessments spellout the view of the majority ofthe agencies, and highlight anyopposing opinions in a processsimilar to a Supreme Court rulingwith a majority and minorityopinion.

The result, officials say, is anintelligence community thatmakes assessments by majorityvote instead of group-think, andwhere each agency is supposedto have an equal voice. In effect,officials say, the CIA has had tolean back over the last decade asofficials have given greatercredence to formerlymarginalized agencies. Amongthem is the State Department’sBureau of Intelligence andResearch, which warned beforethe 2003 Iraq invasion that theCIA had overestimatedSaddam’s prospects to developnuclear weapons.

US Intelligence EmbracesDebate In Security Issues

UK Police Arrest 10th

Suspect In Soldier’s DeathLONDON — Police

investigating the viciouskilling of an off-duty Britishsoldier on a London street inan apparent Islamic extremistattack say they have arresteda 10th suspect.

London police say the 50-year-old man was arrestedeast of London yesterday onsuspicion of conspiring tomurder 25-year-old soldierLee Rigby. Police didn’tprovide further details aboutthe suspect’s identity.

Rigby was walking near hisbarracks in southeastLondon’s Woolwich area lastweek when he was run overby a vehicle and repeatedlystabbed with knives and meatcleavers.

Police have already arrested

nine others, including twomain suspects shot by officersat the scene of the killing who

are hospitalized under armedguard.


THE NIGERIAN

Issues

By EDEKO ABUMERE MICHAEL

Computer And Your Vision IT comes in differentsharpes and sizes, indifferent qualities. It hasfake and originated in theUnited States of America,it’s an electronic, a fewyears ago was expensive,but now affordable bymany. We are all familiar withwhat a computer is in acontemporary sense.Personal computers (PCs)are found in most aspects ofour daily life, and for someit is hard to even imagine aworld without them. But theterm means more thansimply the Macs and Pcs weare familiar with. A computer is, at its mostbasic, a machine which cantake instructions, andperforms computations,based on those instructions.It is the ability to takeinstructions-often known asprograms-and execute themthat distinguishes acomputer from amechanical calculations, acalculator. While both areable to make computations,a calculator respondssimply to immediate input.Infact, most moderncalculators are actuallycomputers, with a numberof pre-installed programs tohelp aid in complex tasks. Computers range from thevery small to the very large.Some are capable of doingmillions of calculations in asingle second, while othersmay take longer periods oftime to do even the mostsimplest calculations. Buttheoretically, anything onecomputer is capable ofdoing another will also beable to do. Given the rightinstructions, and sufficientmemory, a computer foundin a wristwatch should beable to accomplish anythinga super computer can-although it might takethousand of years for thewristwatch to complete theoperation. In modern work places,computer holds tremendousimportance and somecompanies many findfunctioning without themvirtually impossible. As aresult, computers havebecome an important part ofhow companies conductbusiness as well as howworkers perform their jobtasks. Computers now caneven impact where

employees do their jobs, asthey can often work milesfrom their official place ofbusiness. Virtually all professions inthe present world make useof computer in one way orone way or the other.Accountants, Journalists,Engineers, Farmers,Doctors, Soldiers, Teaches,Fashion designers, and soon, they all now make useof computer. Computers can increasespeed and accuracy of manywork processes, whichimproves overall workefficiency. Documents canbe written and edited muchmore quickly with the aidsof a word processingprogram, and procedures,such as billing andaccounting, computers canproduce reports with greatspeed with fewer errors andallow for the easy insertionof enhancements such ascharts, graphs and picturesif desired. Computers alsohelp companies inadministrative tasks, such askeeping up-to-date andaccurate records. It can improvecommunication both withinthe workplace and whendealing with customers. Ane-mail can convey a largeamount of information atthe convenience of therecipient. This caneliminate the sometimes-endless game of slowness ofsending written informationvia postal mail. Computersalso give customers anadditional way of makinginquiries or receivinginformation. As workplaces dependmore heavily on computers,the need for paper may alsoincrease some companiesmay even institute a policyof eliminating the use of

paper wherever possiblewith the ultimate goal ofbecoming a paperlessorganisation. Reducingpaper may lead to areduction in office supplycost and open more workspace that had previouslybeen used to store paperdocuments in file cabinets.Paperless offices need todevelop contingency plansto guard against computercrashes or the loss of data.

No doubt, the importanceof computer to our everydayactivities cannot be overemphasized. Unfortunately,there is a negative side of itwith regards to vision. Steering at computermonitor for hours hasbecome part of the 21st

century workday. Andinevitable, all of that staringcan put a real strain on youreyes. The name for eyeproblems caused by

computer use is computervision syndrome (CVS).Experts say CVS is not onespecific eye problem.Instead, the termencompasses a whole rangeof eyestrain and painexperienced by computerusers. Research shows computereye problems are commonsomewhere 50% and 90%of people using it at workhave at least some

symptoms of eye trouble. Inaddition, working adultaren’t the only vulnerable tocomputer vision syndrome.Kids who stare at portablevideo games or who usecomputers throughout theday at school also canexperience eyes problemsrelated to computer use,especially if the lighteningand computer position areless than ideal. There’s no evidence thatcomputer vision syndrome

causes any long-termdamage to the eyes; forexample, cataracts.However regular computeruse can be the source ofsignificant eye-strain anddiscomfort. Experts say, ifyou have computer visionsyndrome, you mayexperience some or all thefollowing symptoms!Blurred vision, doublevision, dry/red eyes, eyeirritation, headaches, neckand back pain. Ways to relieve computervision syndrome are

however available. Makinga few simple changes inyour work environment canhelp prevent and improvethe condition. Change the lighteningaround you to reduce glareon the computer screen. If anearby window is castingthe shades until the glaredisappears. Ask youremployer to install adimmer switch for theoverhead lights if they’retoo bright, or buy a desk

lamp with moveable shadethat distributes light evenlyever your desk. Putting aglare fitter over the screenmonitor also can helpprotect your eyes. Rearrange your desk.Researchers find that theoptimal position for yourcomputer monitor isslightly below eye level,about 20 to 28 inches awayfrom the face. At thatposition, you shouldn’t haveto stretch your neck or strainnext to your computermonitor and place anyprinted materials you’reworking from on it. Then,you won’t have to look up

at the screen and backdown at the desk why youtype. Give your eyes a break.Look away from the screenabout every 20 minutes andblink your eyes as often asyou can for about 20second.This is to help in lubricatingthe eye and if eyes aregetting overly dry, try usinglubricating eyedrops.Tweaking your computersetting can also help. Adjustthe brightness and contrastamong other settings onyour computer. Finally, visiting your eyedoctor is the bestrecommendation. Regulareye check up will helpdetermine whether you canjust wear regular glasses orif you need specialcomputer glasses to helpincrease contrast perceptionand filter out glares andreflective lights.

“Steering at computer monitor for hours has become part of the21st century workday. And inevitable, all of that staring can put areal strain on your eyes. The name for eye problems caused bycomputer use is computer vision syndrome (CVS). Experts say CVSis not one specific eye problem. Instead, the term encompasses awhole range of eyestrain and pain experienced by computer users.”


THE NIGERIAN

Nadal Pushed Hard In Roland Garros Opener

Walter Mazarri

New Inter CoachCompared To ACheating Wife

Barcelona Close To La LigaRecord

Rogers In Galaxy Debut As

Openly Gay Player

Sepp Blatter

...Robson Kicked OutBy Wozniacki

French Open

Rafael Nadal

didn’t believe he could pursue afootball career as an openly gayplayer, but in recent weeks he hadreturned to training with theGalaxy and found his fearsreceding and his passion for thegame returning.

His debut came a day after theGalaxy confirmed they hadsigned him, trading Mike Mageeto the Chicago Fire to acquireRogers’ MLS rights.

Rogers said Saturday that theGalaxy’s willingness to sign himwas another indication that thesports world was becoming morereceptive to the idea of gaysportsmen, which couldencourage more to come out.

NAPOLI’s presidentAurelio De Laurentiis hascompared recently departedWalter Mazzarri to a cheatingwife in a marriage betweenhimself and the coach.

The 51-year-old ended a

The German wrapped up theset in 36 minutes with one ofmany huge forehand winnersand had Nadal looking listlesslyto the skies for inspiration whenhe failed to convert a breakpointin the second game of the secondset. The turning-point came in thetie-break, when after concedingthe first three points, Nadal wonseven of the next eight to levelthe match. An immediate break at thestart of the third brought backsomething resembling thenatural order and with theGerman’s resolve weakened,Nadal strode clear with twofurther breaks in the fourth. Next up for Nadal is a second-round clash with Slovakia’sMartin Klizan or AmericanMichael Russel.Local favourite Jo-WilfriedTsonga barely broke sweat as hebrushed aside Slovenian AljazBedene 6-2 6-2 6-3 to book hisplace in the second round. The sixth-seeded Tsonga, thelast French man to reach a GrandSlam final at the AustralianOpen in 2008, will next take oneither compatriot Paul-HenriMathieu or Finn JarkkoNieminen. Tsonga, who could run intosecond seed Roger Federer inthe quarter-finals, simply hadtoo much power and pace forBedene, who was playing hisonly second grand slam match. The 28-year-old Frenchmanended the contest on Court

RAFA Nadal was forced to dig deep into his near bottomlessresolve to salvage a 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-3 first-round win overGermany’s Daniel Brands on Monday that had threatened toturn nasty for the seven-times French Open champion.

The Spaniard who has lost onlyonce in eight years at RolandGarros, was a set and 3-0 downin the second-set tie-break beforefinally subduing the 59th-rankedBrands. Playing his first grand slammatch since crashing out of lastyear’s Wimbledon to lowly-ranked Czech Lukas Rosol,history threatened to repeat itselfas Brands, who had never won amatch at Roland Garros in fourattempts, dictated the earlystages. Nadal, down to fourth in therankings after seven months outinjured, broke in the first gameof both the third and fourth setsto wrestle back control of thematch. “I know he was playingunbelievable tennis,” Nadal saidin his courtside interview. “I triedto find my game and to resist his

fantastic shots. I am very happyto be through in this fantasticgame.” Nadal surged on to the courtwith his usual bouncing gait, butthat was where all familiaritywith the king of the Parisian clayended. Since returning in February,Nadal has won six of his eighttournaments and is on a 15-matchwinning streak, but he lookedheavy-footed as Brands’ssteeplejack serve and poundingflat forehands blew holes in theSpaniard’s defences. Murmurs of disbelief echoedaround a sun-bathed PhilippeChatrier court as Brands pulledoff the unthinkable feat ofbreaking Nadal in the ninth gamewhen the 11-times Grand Slamchampion dumped a second serveinto the net.

Suzanne Lenglen on his firstmatch point with a servicewinner.Men’s resultsLukas Rosol (Czech Republic)beat Pere Riba (Spain) 6-3 6-4 6-43-Rafa Nadal (Spain) beat DanielBrands (Germany) 4-6 7-6(4) 6-4 6-311-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) beatAndreas Haider-Maurer (Austria)4-6 6-4 6-3 6-330-Julien Benneteau (France)beat Ricardas Berankis(Lithuania) 7-6(5) 6-3 5-7 7-6(5)10-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beatPhilipp Petzschner (Germany) 6-1 6-2 6-3Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) beatAdrian Mannarino (France) 6-32-6 6-3 5-7 7-5Tobias Kamke (Germany) beatPaolo Lorenzi (Italy) 6-3 6-3 3-60-6 6-3Grega Zemlja (Slovenia) beatSantiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-1 6-4 6-16-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France)beat Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia) 6-2 6-2 6-3Evgeny Donskoy (Russia) beatJan-Lennard Struff (Germany) 7-6(7) 2-6 7-6(2) 6-2Nick Kyrgios (Australia) beatRadek Stepanek (CzechRepublic) 7-6(4) 7-6(8) 7-6(11)Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat 31-Marcel Granollers (Spain) 7-5 2-6 6-4 4-6 6-4Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France)beat Martin Alund (Argentina) 6-2 4-6 6-1 6-032-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat

consistent in the first set, andraced into an unassailable 4-1lead in the second, allowingherself the luxury of giving awayone of her breaks of serve beforeseeing out the match in just 71minutes.

Robson, 19, made 39 unforcederrors against a player who hadlost her previous five matches.

The Dane moves on to faceeither Barbara Zahlavova-Strycova or Bojana Jovanovskinext at Roland-Garros.

TENTH seed CarolineWozniacki ended Laura Robson’sFrench Open challenge with aswift 6-3 6-2 victory in roundone.

Wozniacki, who came into thetournament on the back of a poorrun on clay this season, lookedlike a possible scalp for theimproving Robson, but took fulladvantage of an error-strewnperformance from the Brit.

Wozniacki was the more

their final fixture to reach therecord 100-point mark which wasset by Real Madrid last season.

Malaga on the other hand arecurrently in 6thplace with 57points and also high inconfidence following their 3-1win over Deportivo La Coruna.

The result keeps them twopoints ahead of Real Betis and

BARCELONA will be insearch of maximum points whenthey host Malaga in their final LaLiga clash for the season at theCamp Nou on Saturday.

The Catalans won their fourthleague match in a row on Sundaynight, beating city rivalsEspanyol 2-0.

Tito Vilanova’s side remain atthe top of the standing with 97points, need three more from

ROBBIE Rogers became thefirst openly gay sportsman to playin a major US professional teamleague when he made his debutfor Major League Soccer’s LAGalaxy in a 4-0 win over Seattle.

Los Angeles were alreadyleading the Sounders 4-0 whenthe 26-year-old Rogers enteredthe contest in the 77th minuteSunday, to an ovation from thecrowd at the Galaxy’s HomeDepot Center ground.

Ireland’s Robbie Keane scoreda first-half hat-trick, after feedingSean Franklin for the openinggoal, as the Galaxy dominated thefirst half.

The only real drama in thesecond half was over whether ornot Rogers would play.

He hadn’t played a competitivematch in months, and Galaxycoach Bruce Arena had said hewould bring him in slowly.

“The most important thing istoday we got three points,” saidRogers, who came in for Juninho.

“It’s a huge game for us. It’s aWestern Conference game, andthe guys played amazing.

“Robbie was clinical in frontof goal and it was a pleasure towatch. They made it easy forme.”

Rogers revealed his sexualorientation in February in a blogposting in which he alsoannounced his retirement fromfootball.

He had played briefly forLeeds United in England thisseason, but left the club after aloan deal to English League Oneside Stevenage expired inJanuary.

Rogers said in March that he

Juergen Zopp (Estonia) 6-3 6-2 6-1Igor Sijsling (Netherlands) beatJurgen Melzer (Austria) 6-4 6-36-213-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beatJesse Levine (Canada) 6-3 6-2 6-0

they will qualify for the EuropaLeague should they hold on thespot.

However, it is unclear if theywill be allowed to participate inthe competition next season asthey were handed a one-year-banfrom UEFA competitions.

The club subsequentlyappealed the decision and theoutcome of the hearing is stillpending.

four-year spell at thePartenopei this month havingled them to second in Serie Aand, on Friday, he wasconfirmed as the new Intercoach in place of the sackedAndrea Stramaccioni.

The Stadio San Paolo chiefclaims Mazzarri was beingunfaithful by leaving theNeapolitan club, though hedoes insist he remains fond ofthe new Nerazzurri boss.

“The marriage was split intwo,” he told reporters onSaturday.”You can use moneyto convince a wife to stay withyou but if the wife wants tosleep with another man, andthen she will sleep withanother man.

“Mazzarri is a great coach,is a very nice man, we havehad four happy years, it wasnice to work with him but theproject continues.”

Robbie Rogers


THE NIGERIAN

Neymar Chose Barca Over Money - Tito

Welbeck, Walker Doubts For England

Neymar

Lopez To Fight

Casillas For

Starting Spot

La Liga: Osasuna Visit Madrid

Iker Casillas

Nani Back In PortugalSquad For Russia Qualifer

RogersCheered

On GalaxyDebut

ROBBIE Rogers wasgiven an ovation by LAGalaxy fans when he cameon as a substitute againstSeattle Sounders and becamethe first openly gay maleathlete to play in aprofessional AmericanLeague.

Rogers, a former Leedsmidfielder who came out asgay earlier this year, madehis Galaxy debut after 77minutes of their 4-0 victory.

His name was chanted byfans, while Sounderssubstitute Marc Burch high-fived him as he made his wayonto the pitch. Sigi Schmid,a former Galaxy coach, hadgiven Rogers a supportivehug before the match began.

Rogers joined Galaxyfrom Chicago Fire in anexchange deal for MikeMagee, who moved to hishome town club.

DIEGO Lopez says he plansto stay at Real Madrid andcompete with Iker Casillas for thegoalkeeper’s jersey next season.

Lopez was signed by JoseMourinho in January whenCasillas was sidelined with ahand injury, then kept his placeeven when the long-serving clubcaptain returned to fitness amidspeculation that personal issuesbetween the Portuguese coachand ‘San Iker’ were playing a partin team selection.

With Mourinho now leavingthe Estadio Santiago Bernabeumany assume the new boss willreturn Casillas to the starting line-up, while Lopez’ impressiveperformances in recent monthshave led to rumours that ACMilan and Monaco are poised tooffer him assured first teamfootball elsewhere.

But the Galician, speakingwith reporters after a man-of-the-match performance in Madrid’s3-3 draw at Champions Leaguechasing Real Sociedad onSunday, said he had no intentionof leaving and was lookingforward to competing for theposition next term.

“The coach gave me anopportunity today and I tried totake it, like everyone,” he said.“I have a contract for many years.It is difficult to be unhappy atMadrid. I believe in competitionfor places and I believe thegoalkeeping position will be openlike any other place in the team.I am relaxed, trying to do thingsas well as possible.”

Lopez, 31, made a string ofsuperb saves during Sunday’sgame, frustrating the Txuri-urdin’s Champions Leaguequalification hopes as the resultleaves them two points behindValencia in the race for fourthspot with just one gameremaining.

DANNY Welbeck and Kyle Walker are injury doubtsfor England’s friendly double-header against the Republicof Ireland and Brazil.

Manchester United strikerWelbeck and Tottenhamdefender Walker both missedtraining on Monday morningbut took part in a separategym session giving hope thatthey could return in time toplay a part.

The full extent of theinjuries are expected to berevealed later, although it is

believed that Walker pickedup a knock during Spurs’ end-of-season friendly draw withJamaica last Thursday.

The rest of Roy Hodgson’s21-man squad took part in thetraining session at St George’sPark, including ManchesterCity’s Joe Hart, JoleonLescott, James Milner andChelsea’s Gary Cahill, Ashley

Cole and Frank Lampardwho have returned from theirclubs’ end-of-season tour ofthe United States.

Between 100 and 200Three Lions’ fans affected bythe decision to delayEngland’s World Cupqualifier against Poland inOctober watched the trainingsession after being invited by

the FA.The game was put back a day

due to severe rainfall meaningsupporters with pre-existingtravel plans missed out.

England face the Republic ofIreland at Wembley onWednesday evening beforetravelling to Rio de Janeiro toface Brazil on Sunday.

BARCELONA’S boss Tito Vilanova insistsNeymar’s decision to join the La Liga championswas based on “a sporting project and not a financialone”.

Vilanova spoke followingBarcelona’s 2-0 defeat ofderby rivals Espanyol, andpraised the Brazilian starletfor choosing his club over thelikes of Real Madrid andBayern Munich.

“We have to congratulate

the technical staff for thesigning of Neymar,”Vilanvoa explained.

“It is an important signing.We have been very attentivefor some time because hecould have had other, andbetter, proposals.

“I also have to congratulateNeymar for choosing a sportingproject and not a financial one.I have confidence he will dowell in Europe and he will helpus to become even greater.

“Neymar is the player wewere looking for. We asked twoand a half years ago. The clubhas been very successful andhas done things very well, as wedid with Jordi Alba last year. Heprogressed very well with therest.

“His qualities are wellknown. All we are interested inis that he is a high-level player.

“If they say Neymar is a‘YouTube player’ then it’s agood thing, because he has hadsome great games and greatgoals. He has chosen Barcelonabecause he believes he canadapt well to our play. If he hadbeen looking for money, therewould have been nothing forBarca to do.

“It’s a dream to have anattack like this. With so manybetter players we will havemore chances to win. Now, wehave to combine them in thebest way, as we have donebefore. If Neymar comes it isbecause Barca are a long-term

option for him.”Neymar played his final

game for Santos on Sunday,starting in a 0-0 draw withFlamengo. Afterwards herevealed his excitement at theprospect of playing alongsideBarcelona’s stars.

“To play with Messi, Xaviand [Andres] Iniesta is a greathonour,” he said. “It’s adream to be going to Barca. Ileave Santos through thefront door. I hope to return tomy second home [in future],which is Santos.

“I feel fantastic, veryhappy and grateful to Santosand I’m already thinkingabout Barca.”

Meanwhile, Vilanova -whose side remain on trackto notch 100 competitionpoints in La Liga nextweekend - took time to wishoutgoing Real Madrid bossJose Mourinho well as heprepares to exit the SantiagoBernabeu. The pair clashedon numerous occasions,including an infamous ‘eye-poke’ incident whileVilanova was PepGuardiola’s assistant.

“His arrival created a realbuzz. He is one of the bestcoaches, and one of the mostsuccessful. I wish him welland wish him luck,” Vilanovaadded. “He has alwaysmanaged to win. It’s in hisown way, but he has alwaysmanaged to win.”

REAL Madrid will look to end the La Ligaseason with a win whenthey host Osasuna at theSantiago Bernabeu onSaturday.

It has been adisappointing season allround for the Whites asthey surrendered the LaLiga title to rivalsBarcelona with weeks tospare before finishing asrunners-up in the Copadel Rey.

The Whites have alsofailed to win their last

two league matches,playing to a 1-1 drawagainst Espanyol beforethey were held to a 3-3draw by Real Sociedadon Sunday night.

Jose Mourinho’s sideare guaranteed to finishin second place but willlook to increase the tallyto 85 in front of theirhome fans.

Osasuna are currentlyin 15th place with 39points but will go intothis final match with a

lot of weight off theirshoulders after securingtheir safety on Sunday.

Jose Luis Mendilibar’sside came back from agoal down to beat Sevilla2-1, a result which ensuredtheir 14th straight seasonin top flight football.

Both sides have nothingto lose, but the pressure todo well at home mayswing the game to Madrid,while Osasuna willbelieve this could be theirchance to get a good resultat the famous Bernabeu

MANCHESTER United’swinger Nani is back in thePortugal squad for nextmonth’s crucial World Cupqualifier against Russia inLisbon.

The 26-year-old hassuffered a frustrating injury-plagued season and was notpart of the squad for the lastGroup F matches against Israeland Azerbaijan.

The one new face in coach

Paulo Bento’s group isSporting Lisbon midfielderAndre Martins.

Portugal, who lost 1-0 inMoscow in a previousqualifier, are desperate for awin on June 7 to keep theirdirect qualification hopesalive.

Russia have a maximum 12points from four matches, onemore than Portugal and Israel,who have both played twomore games.


THE NIGERIAN

Wilson CompletesHearts Switch

Jose Mourinho

PellegriniConfirms

CityInterest

Carlo Ancelotti

Great Advert ForFoobtall In Germany

Ancelotti Awaits Future To Be

Resolved

Mourinho At WemblyFor Play-Off Final

Cleverly Ruled Of Eng-land Friendlies

Spanish La Liga

MANCHESTER United’smidfielder Tom Cleverley hasbeen ruled out of England’sfriendlies against the Republic ofIreland and Brazil because of acalf injury.

Cleverley picked up the injuryin the Red Devils’ last game ofthe season against West Bromand hasn’t recovered in time tojoin up with his English

from the final year of hiscontract.

Media speculation hassuggested that a number ofplayers could follow their bossout of the door during thesummer transfer window, butAncelotti insisted ZlatanIbrahimovic, 31, who scored aleague-high 30th goal of thecampaign at Lorient, would not

CARLO Ancelotti’s futureremains uncertain after ParisSaint-Germain wrapped up theirLigue 1 campaign, but the Italiancoach told the press “no news isgood news”.

Ancelotti, 53, saw his side capoff their title-winning seasonwith a 3-1 win at Lorient onSunday, leaving them 12 pointsclear of second-placed Marseillein the final standings.

The former AC Milan andChelsea boss’ position is far lessdefinitive, however, with PSGyet to give an answer to therequest he made eight days agoto leave the Parc des Princes thissummer.

“Everyone knows mysituation, there’s nothing new.No news is good news,”Ancelotti told the media inBrittany, adding that his playershad not made a personal plea forhim to stay. “It’s between myselfand the club, no-one else, andthere is no meeting scheduledwith the club. We have to speakto find a solution. I don’t have adeadline.”

Real Madrid remain favouritesto secure Ancelotti’s servicesshould PSG agree to free him

LIVERPOOL’S centraldefender Danny Wilson hasjoined Scottish Premier leagueside Hearts, signing a three-yearcontract.

Wilson, 21, struggled toestablish himself at Anfield afterarriving from Rangers for £2million in July 2010, makingonly one Premier League start inthree years and playing ninegames in all, the last of them aLeague Cup tie at Brighton inSeptember 2011.

The defender, whoseLiverpool contract was set toexpire this summer, had loanspells in the Championship withBlackpool and Bristol Citybefore joining Hearts on loan inJanuary.

Having completed a

carried a picture of the Bayernbadge and skipper Philipp Lahmlifting the trophy. “Mia sanHelden” (we are heroes), it said -a play on the club’s motto “Miasan mia” (we are we).

Bayern’s Germanyinternational BastianSchweinsteiger was praised as helifted his first European title afterthree defeats in finals.

“One year ago, he was the loserin the final. Now, after a perfectseason, Bastian Schweinsteigeralso played a great final, at timesas a libero,” Die Zeit wrote.

“Bastian Schweinsteiger gotup again and came back strongerthan ever. He has been at the heartof Bayern’s game during thisperfect season. And late onSaturday night, he was nearlyunstoppable. He danced andjumped and was finally able tokiss the Champions Leaguetrophy.”

THE German media has beenvoicing its pride in the country’sfootball after Bayern Munichdefeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1at Wembley to win what has beenwidely acclaimed as one of thebest Champions League finals ofrecent times.

“A great advert for the gameitself and for football made inGermany,” Germany’s leadingfootball magazine, kicker, said.

With bars packed all overGermany and public screeningshaving sold out within minutes,an average of 21.61 millionGermans watched the game onfree TV alone.

“The Champions League finalbetween FC Bayern and BVBwas a great advert for the entirecountry. Innovative, inspirationaland creative,” Die Welt wrote,noting that “the two sides did afine job of showing the wholeworld what German football is allabout”.

In another article, the paperlooked back on countries to havedominated European football andsuggested the German gamecould soon follow suit, withBayern becoming an intimidatingforce.

“Schalke, Leverkusen and, inthe future, Hamburg, Bremen orStuttgart will also be needed sothat the one-off moment of gloryof German club football atWembley can turn into a wholeera.”

Kicker said Europe was“already stunned by thedominance of German football,with its fine technique andmodern tactics” which had beendemonstrated in an “impressiveshow at Wembley”. Its cover

OUTGOING Malaga bossManuel Pellegrini hasconfirmed Manchester City isamong a number of “verygood options” as he considershis managerial future.

Pellegrini has been heavilybacked to replace RobertoMancini at the EtihadStadium, although there hasalso been interest from Roma,Napoli and PSG.

The Chilean coach revealedhe is leaving Malaga to “fulfilhis sporting ambitions” and,although he has previouslyrefused to hint at his nextdestination, Pellegriniadmitted he is in talks withCity.

“I am fortunate to havesome very good options andManchester City is one ofthem,” Pellegrini said.

Malaga’s 3-1 win overDeportiva la Coruna onSunday was Pellegrini’s finalmatch in charge at LaRosaleda and the 59-year-oldbelieves he is leaving the clubin good shape.

“You cannot ask for a betterfarewell,” he added. “Iwanted to leave here winning,and that’s what I’ve done. Ileave here with the team inEurope for the secondsuccessive season. I’m goingto remember this for a longtime.

“Our goal was to be inEurope because this clubdeserves it. It’s been a historictwo and a half years here.There have been days that Iwill never forget.”

Pellegrini’s style of playand man management areexpected to make him morevaluable than Mancini andManchester City chief FerranSoriano admits the club’s nextmanager must follow a strictcriteria.

“I think the boxes are right.You know what we want,” hesaid. “The analysis of thecandidates goes beyond theresults that we can see. Ageis not relevant at this point,but with the kind of squad wehave, we want a seniormanager.

“We want a manager whoknows about football but wewant somebody who knowsabout man management andthis is something we areconvinced about - myself, theboard, the owner - that it isimpossible for us to win, winthe Champions League, if wedon’t have a group thatbehaves like a family.”

JOSE Mourinho was in London for the Championship play-offfinal, adding to speculation the Real Madrid head coach’s returnto Chelsea is imminent.

teammates.England manager Roy

Hodgson has already called upManchester City midfielder JackRodwell to replace Cleverley incase the 23-year old failed toregain his fitness.

The United youngster joinsEngland midfielders JackWilshere and Steven Gerrard aswell as striker Andy Carroll onthe injury list.

permanent move to Tynecastle,he told Hearts’ official website:“I am delighted to have my futuresorted out.

“It didn’t take me long todecide about committing myselfto Hearts once the club made itknown they were keen to keepme. I just want to play football,and I firmly believe that stayingat Tynecastle will benefit mycareer.

“I really enjoyed my time onloan here, and am very pleasedthe move has been madepermanent. This is a great clubwith great supporters, and I’mlooking forward to helping bringmore success to Hearts.

“I believe the club has a brightfuture, with a lot of good youngplayers, and being part of thatexcites me.”

be one of them.“He’s been the key to winning

the title, because he’s showncharacter and professionalismand been a very good examplefor everyone. He gave 100% ofhis ability,” Ancelotti said of theSwede, who penned a three-yeardeal in the French capital uponarrival from AC Milan lastsummer. “It’s not true that he’sasked to leave the club. Ourrelationship is good, just likewith the other players.”

The 50-year-old Portuguesewill leave Madrid at the end ofthis week, following Real’s finalmatch of the Spanish seasonagainst Osasuna at the Bernabeuon Saturday.

Mourinho has long been linkedto a return to Stamford Bridge -where he was Blues boss fromJune 2004 to September 2007,winning two Premier Leaguetitles and both domestic cup

competitions - and watchedCrystal Palace versus Watford atWembley.

Watford forward Nathaniel

Chalobah is on loan fromChelsea, who are seeking a newmanager after Rafael Benitez’sinterim appointment ended.


THE NIGERIAN

Reds Are Top-Four Contenders

Torres Named In

Confed Cup Squad

Radamel Falcao

Aguero Extends City Stay

FalcaoClose ToMonacoSwitch

Essien To Return To

Chelsea Next Week

among the three names paredfrom the list after Spain’sdomestic season ends nextweekend. Betis playmaker BenatEtxebarria, Garcia and Monrealare also candidates to be cut.

Barcelona’s Carles Puyol is anotable absentee, but DelBosque has kept faith with thecore of Spain’s World Cup andEuro 2012 winners, choosing notto rest players such as XabiAlonso or Xavi Hernandez, whohave had demanding and injury-hit club seasons.

The coach said all his seniorplayers wanted to make the tripand he had not thought aboutgiving anyone a longer summerbreak.

“We are at the end of theseason, and whenever there is atournament of this type it isimpossible that the players arrivefresh,” he explained.

“I do not think any of theplayers of Nigeria, Uruguay,Brazil or Spain will arrive inperfect condition. I believe theyare players with extraordinaryphysical talent. If we had anydoubt, none of them would go.If the club doctors or the playersthemselves see that they cannotgo, we will not force anyone.”

Younger players includingIsco, Thiago Alcantara andDavid de Gea have been left withSpain’s Under-21 side as theydefend their EuropeanChampionship title in Israel nextmonth, but Del Bosque said theywere part of his plans for thefuture.

“We all have breakfasttogether almost every day andwe are in permanentcommunication,” he said. “It [thedecision not to call them up]could be criticised, but we havea permanent dialogue betweenall the coaches and the seniorteam.

“I understand about Isco,Thiago, [Cristian] Tello, [Asier]Illarramendi, Inigo Martinez.But we have preferred to keepwith the ones who were with usrecently. There are no reasons toleave them out.”

With Puyol not havingrecovered from a knee operationin March, the squad contains justthree specialist centre-halves,but Del Bosque said otherplayers could cover that positionif required.

GHANA’S midfielder Michael Essien will return to StamfordBridge next week when his season-long loan deal ends at RealMadrid.

the club from Spanish sideAtletico Madrid in 2011.

Speaking to the Citizens officialwebsite, the striker expressed thathe is very happy at theManchester club.

“I’m very happy at City and Ifeel very appreciated. It’s beenbarely two years since I’ve arrived

ATLETICO Madrid strikerRadamel Falcao is to undergo amedical on Monday ahead of a+60 million switch to Monaco,according to widespread reports.

Monaco, funded by Russianbillionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev,secured promotion back to Ligue1 this month and have alreadyagreed the double signing ofPorto duo Joao Moutinho andJames Rodriguez for a reported+70 million.

On Friday, Monaco assistantcoach Jean Petit had confirmedto Radio RCN that Falcao, whohad been strongly linked withChelsea, was likely to follow.

“Yes, we are expecting Falcaoand four or five other players ofhis quality,” Petit said. “We havespoken and we continue to speakwith Falcao and hisrepresentatives - negotiations areongoing. We hope to seal a dealas soon as possible.

“Monaco need a player likeFalcao because he can help us alot and because he can attractother top players, and that’s thebest way of confirming outproject is big and interesting.Signing Falcao is a big coup onsporting and media levels forFrench football.”

It is now widely reported thatthe 27-year-old Colombia striker,who is set to play for Atletico onSunday against Real Mallorca, isto attend a medical on Monday.

Atleti coach Diego Simeonehas already given his blessing tothe move, saying last week: “Ihave known him since he was achild and I wish him all the best.If he feels that he needs to makea move, I’ll be happy for him. Ifhe stays with us, I’ll be happytoo.”

MANCHESTER CITY’Sstriker Sergio Aguero hascommitted his future to the clubby extending his currentcontract by a year.

The new deal will keep theArgentine at the club until 2017.

The 24-year old has becomea cult figure at the EtihadStadium after notably scoringthe goal that secured theCitizens first National firstdivision title in 44 years.

Aguero has scored 47 goalsfor City in 69 starts since joining

SPAIN’S coach Vicente DelBosque has recalled FernandoTorres and Javi Martinez to whatis a conservative 26-manprovisional squad for June’sConfederations Cup in Brazil.

Manchester City’s Javi Garciais one of eight Premier Leagueplayers included, alongside hisCity team-mate David Silva.

Torres is joined by fellowChelsea players Juan Mata andCesar Azpilicueta, whileArsenal’s Santi Cazorla andNacho Monreal are in, as isLiverpool goalkeeper PepeReina.

Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo hasbeen left out, but one of Torres,Roberto Soldado (Valencia) orBarcelona’s David Villa could be

LIVERPOOL winger RaheemSterling is confident the Anfieldclub can challenge for the top-four of the Premier League nextseason.

The Reds finished outside thetop five this season, failing to graba spot in Europe and, most galling

and sometimes I feel like I’vebeen here for all my life,” saidAguero.

The Argentine joins GaelClichy, Yaya Toure and DavidSilva on the list of big nameplayers that have recentlycommitted their future to the SkyBlues.

At the English Premier Leagueclub, he is likely to reunite withdeparting Los Blancos boss JoseMourinho.

Mourinho helped Essien torevive his flagging career as theversatile player made 28

appearances for Real and scoredone goal.

Essien’s contract with Chelsearuns out in June 2014.

He saw full-time action onSunday when Real Madrid wereheld to a 3-3 draw by Real

Sociedad.His final match will be against

Osasuna at home next Sunday asthe Spanish La Liga season ends.

Michael Essien

for the club’s massivecontingency of fans, ended thecampaign behind cross-townrivals Everton.

And Sterling, missing much ofthe second half of the seasonthrough injury, could only watchon as the team struggled to makean impact on the ladder.

But the 18-year-old believesthe club are better than theirposition on the ladder and hashinted that a resurgent Reds willquickly rise up the table.

“We can definitely be in the topfour,” Sterling told BBC Sport.

“We finished the seasonstrongly, so hopefully we canstart the new one that way andpush for a good position.”

And Sterling believes new

recruits Daniel Sturridge andPhilippe Coutinho, combinedwith the philosophy of managerBrendan Rodgers, will be thecatalyst for the club’s ascension.

“The two signings we broughtinto the club in January -Coutinho and Sturridge - reallykicked the team on,” addedSterling.

“I am really looking forward togetting a chance to play withthem and have a good season forthe team.

“You have to remember thiswas the manager’s first season incharge.

“But you can see the differencehe has made, even though wehaven’t finished in the top four.

Pardew Is Safe In Manager’sRole

term stability to this club,” saidLlambias.

N E W C A S T L EUNITED’S managingdirector Derek Llambiasinsists manager Alan Pardew’sposition as Magpies managerwas never under threat despitethe club’s disappointing end tothe 2012/2013 season.

Pardew guided the Tynesideclub to 16th position on the logafter steering the Magpies tofifth position on the EPL logthe season before.

Pardew took over atNewcastle at the end of 2010and his position as managerhas come under threat afterfinishing a mere five pointsabove the relegation zone.

Talking to BBC SportLlambias had the following tosay:

“There has been a great dealof speculation in recent weeksbut our desire is to bring long-

Former Reading, West Ham,Charlton Athletic andSouthampton manager Pardewsigned an eight-year contract inSeptember last year.

Alan Pardew


THE NIGERIAN

CMYK

Amaechi’s Re-Election: These AreInteresting Times

Rotimi Amaechi, Governor of Rivers State

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 (07030699646), Marketing Manager (08023457566), Advertisement Manager (08023808856) Lagos Office: 3/4 Amode Close, Kudirat Abiola Way,

By Olushonsun Bus Stop, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. Abuja Office: Floor 1, Edo House, 75 Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Business District, Abuja. Tel/Fax: 09-5237631.All correspondence to: 24 Airport Road, Benin City. E-mail: [email protected] (ISSN 0331-2674)

BEYOND the rumours of aninebriated President, miffedby his first real politicalshocker, and an utterlystunned group of men whofound it impossible to believethat their own plot could turnon them, I guess theNational Governors Forum(NGF); election episode-though still unfolding hasbeen a well timed revelationof the intrigues that defineour famously feral politicalturf. There is very little doubt

that it will leave quite a fewmore casualties in its trail,just as it will continue toexpose the puerile antics ofan intellectually deficientpolitical elite. These areinteresting times indeed.We haven’t heard muchabout the reaction of thePDP executive to thisobviously knee numbingblow delivered by a manwhose alleged conflicts withthe President shouldcertainly have scuttled anypolitical ambitions he mayhave nursed, but I amcertain we will be hearingmore with each passingday. We will also see thetrue feral disposition of ourpolitical leaders and theirunyielding preference forvile plots. Not that it has notstarted already; the publicappearance of nineteenPDP governors, evidentlyreeling from the shock of anelection loss- somethingcompletely unexpected in agame plan that had thenames of the traditionalfixers written all over it-exposes the extent thesemen would go to scuttle thesame democratic processthey have always claimedto support whenever itsuited their whims.The Presidentialspokesman, ReubenAbati’s statement that thepresident had no interest inthe event that played out isa very weak argument fordisguising executive whim.I wonder why Abati wouldeven attempt such adefence of his boss ratherthan simply feign someconcern over the issue andsay that the Presidency wasstill observing events asthey unfold. That wouldhave made more sense,considering that noNigerian in their rightsenses would believe thatthe president, who is themost influential figure in thePeoples Democratic Party(PDP), would not beinterested in a process thatinvolves state governorswho are members of hisparty’s influential executiveilk. I do not think we areexpected to just write offPDP’s onslaught onAmaechi’s men in thelegislature, or thesuspension of localgovernment chairmen in

the state, or the impoundingof the state owned aircraft, asunconnected with the eventsthat are playing out now.Also, there is no denying theinfluential role that thegovernors play in the politicalprocess that determines whostands out as the party’sPresidential flagbearer; wehave seen this since 2003when a president almost losthis candidacy to the financialforce of a few governors, andfound himself almost on his

knees begging theirbenefactor, his second-in-Command, for a chance togovern again; we witnessedthe heated battle for the

attention.For some time now, therehave been clear signs of agrowing conflict between thePresidency and GovernorAmaechi. One episodestands out, and seems nowto have been a preciseprediction of events: A fewmonths back, governorAmaechi had attended anevent and was quoted in oneof the national dailies assaying that those whooppose the powers-that-be

elections. He was obviouslyreferring to the stiflinginfluence of the Presidencyover those who dare tooppose its ambitions andwhims. I say obviousbecause we all know that noone else but the presidenthas constitutional powersover the organs of state thatAmaechi mentioned.It was later reported that thePresidency frowned atAmaechi’s speech and evencautioned him. However,Amaechi, in his usually brutalcandour has never relentedwhen the need to be criticalhas arisen. It is only logicalthat Amaechi, who has alsonever hidden his abhorrenceof the first lady’s undueinterference in Rivers stateaffairs and his refusal tosurrender control of the partymachinery in the state, wouldbe considered an obstacle tothe president’s men.To such people, Amaechiposes a real threat. He hasnever openly endorsed, orcountered, the call for

analysis in Nigeria hasalways been done with a finebalance of rumours andfacts: chances are that therumours would be proven tobe correct faster than thefacts would play out.Allegations of a plot topresent Amaechi as a vice-presidential candidate on anorthern presidential ticketmay not be so implausible.The influence the northerngovernors wield, based ontheir position as the majorityin the NGF, could determinethe position of the forum onsome issues just as much asthe PDP majority gives theparty some influence also.Amaechi must strike a finebalance.The struggle for control ispartly responsible for what isplaying out in the NGF nowand the refusal of governorAmaechi to compromise hisneutrality poses a threat tothe machinations of somegovernors who have madepublic their support for thereelection of president

already exposed some of theintrigues playing out in theparty and the NGF when heaccused some governors ofbeing “Judases” fightingagainst party interests.Governor Akpabio’s reasonsfor rejecting the electionresult is laughable, even forthe politically naive: first, heand his evidently stunnedpack of 18 say there had notbeen an election, then heprobably realises that therecould be recorded evidencethat they had endorsed theprocess, he fashions anotherreason for the group’srejection; this time, heunwittingly admits that theyhad never cared for anelectoral process when hesays that a prior documentsigned by nineteengovernors endorsing the“candidacy” (I emphasise thisword for a point I will explain)of another governor shouldbe accepted as the results ofthe election. What governorAkpabio probably does notrealise is that an

endorsement does notstand as an electionanywhere- and he can onlyassume that it is because hehas always been used to in-house vote casting andimposition of personal whimover popular choice; it isalso impossible to try andsell that document as proofof the unequivocal choice ofthe nineteen governorswhen there is no proof thatthe decision of each of thegovernors was reachedwithout undue pressure ofsome sort.Akpabio- his men included-finally destroys any strain ofvalidity his argument mayhave had when he insiststhat an endorsement of acandidate supersedes theelection in which thecandidate has beenendorsed to partake in. I amsure it would have beenclear to the PDP governorsinvolved in the endorsementfiasco that they were notelecting a candidate butchoosing a candidate theywanted as their choice; theword, candidate, shouldhave made it obvious tothem that there would be aprocess by which theirendorsement would betested. Another point theydo not seem to recognise isthe fact that the PDP, albeitholding the majority in theGovernors Forum, cannotassume that the right to votewould simply besurrendered by thegovernors of the oppositionparties. By demanding thatan endorsement- obviouslysqueezed out of somegovernors- shouldsupersede an actualelection, Akpabio spells outto the world the kind ofintrigues that may havebeen employed to get themto the positions they occupynow.Rather than simply acceptthe results as proof of ascheme gone horriblywrong, and start an in-houseweeding process to rid hispack of any who has chosenconscience over viciousconnivance, the stepsAkpabio has taken haveexposed his lack of politicaltact and obvious disrespectfor prevailing opinions,which may provedetrimental to the ambitionsof his “Oga at the top”.

are harassed withEFCC,ICPC and the Police.He added that this sort ofharrasment will intensifyahead of the 2015 general

president Jonathan’s 2015agenda. His silence iscausing ripples as much ashis candour does. Political

President Goodluck Jonathan

Presidential seat in 2007,which seems to have finallyset the rules that thepresidential race is anexclusive preserve ofgovernors.In 2010, the influence of theNGF was evident in theNational Legislature’s finalendorsement of the “Doctrineof Necessity” that eventuallybrought president Jonathanto power as much as it wasthe key force behind the plotthat finally scuttled formerVice President AtikuAbubakar ’s presidentialambition. I am sure thepresident will not forget in ahurry the intense lobbyingand sometimes hard-to -swallow compromises thatgot him the party’spresidential slot. Abati’sattempt at shielding thepresident from the debacle isexpected but lacks tact. It isonly obvious that theactivities of a body with suchinfluence over the president’spolitical relevance wouldhave his unwavering

Jonathan in 2015. A man likeAmaechi at the helm ofaffairs of such an influentialforum is a serious obstacleto such ambitions, Akpabio

nigerian observer

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