peoples daily newspaper, friday 29, march, 2013

www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 10 No. 65 Friday, March 29, 2013 Jimadal Ula 18, 1434 AH N150 . . . putting the people first

L-R: Sokoto state Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko; Secretary-General, Muslim World League,Dr. Abdullah Bin Abulmuhsen Al Turki; and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar III, beingconducted round the League's office, yesterday in Sokoto. Photo: NAN

18 killed in freshPlateau attackAs JTF discovers armoury in Kano

A group of unknown gunmenreportedly killed at least 18persons during a night attack onWednesday at Mile-BakwaiVillage in Bokkos, Plateau state. Contd on Page 2

The Special Task Force (STF)Media officer, Navy Captain JudeAkpa, who confirmed theincident, said that the attackersalso shot and injured two mobilepolicemen attached to the STF.

The casualty figure was "stillbeing verified'' but Akpa

confirmed that men of the STFkilled six of the attackers and madesome arrests.

The two policemen arecurrently on admission at theBarkin Ladi General Hospital.

Chairman of Bokkos localgovernment, Zakka Akos,

confirmed that 18 bodies wererecovered at the scene of theattack.

One of the survivors, MajauYohanna, said that the attackersinvaded the village “at 7 p.m, notlong after we returned from ourfarms and were resting in our

respective houses.”“They (attackers) came in

large numbers and had verysophisticated weapons,” Yohannasaid from his hospital bed at theBingham University TeachingHospital (BUTH), Jos.

Jonathansoft-pedalson fuelsubsidy Says removal

not imminent

Contd on Page 2

Barely a week after PresidentGoodluck Jonathan told Nigeriansthat there was no going back on the

removal of petrol subsidy, the presidencyyesterday retraced its steps, saying it hasno plans to do so.

Despite assurances that the decisionwould not be taken until government hasconcluded consultations with allstakeholders, the president's declarationhad kicked up a huge uproar amongNigerians, who described the move as anti-people and a plot to hike the pump price ofpetroleum products.

However, in what appears like a u-turn,

By Agaju Madugba

From Edwin Olofu, Kano withagency reports

Nigeria heads towards civil war - Soyinka >> 3

>> 7

BokBokBokBokBoko Haro Haro Haro Haro Haram:am:am:am:am: AAAAACFCFCFCFCFcondemns Jcondemns Jcondemns Jcondemns Jcondemns Jonaonaonaonaonathanthanthanthanthan’’’’’sssssrrrrrejection ofejection ofejection ofejection ofejection of amnesty amnesty amnesty amnesty amnesty

Britain wantsAlamieyeseighaextradited >> 4

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSNews 2-10

Editorial 12

Op.Ed 13

Letters 14

Opinion 15

Metro 16-18

Business 19-22

Stockwatch 23

S/Report 24-25

Islam 26

Int’l 27-30

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013PAGE 2

Contd from Page 1

18 civilians, 2 cops killed in fresh Plateau attackAccording to him, “they just

descended on the villagers andstarted shooting everyone onsight.

“We had to run for our dearlives. In the process, some of uswere shot dead while trying toescape.

“I was shot on my right rib andit was just God that saved me andit is a miracle that I am still alive.”

One Thomas Mafai, Yohanna'srelation who rushed him toBUTH, claimed that he counted20 bodies, including the twopolicemen killed during theattack.

“Some of the victims are beingtreated at the Dung Hospital,Bokkos. But like I told you, we arenot sure of the casualty figure. Weare still verifying. It was a nightattack so people could have beenkilled anywhere,” he said.

Reacting to the attack, thePlateau state government saidthat it noted with grief the uglyincidence in some parts of Bokkoslocal government resulting in lossof lives and property.

A press statement by theCommissioner of Information and

Communication, Hon. YiljapAbraham, said that “this isanother unsettling event in thestate with the accompanyingimplication of creatingdisaffection among communitiesthat had long lived together.

“Let it be known that thePlateau state government isdetermined to use every legal andconstitutional means to ensurethe maintenance of law and orderin every part of the state.”

And in Kano, operatives of theJoint Military Task Force (JTF),yesterday in its sustainedoperation of stop and search in thecity of kano in the wee hours ofThursday has discovered anddestroyed a house being used asan armory by terrorist.

A statement signed by the JTFspokesperson Captain IkedichiIweha distributed to newsmen inKano, said that a combine team ofthe JTF personnel stormed aresidence at Gaida Ajawa alongKano western bye pass anddiscovered the house.

The statement added that fourterrorist were apprehendedaround Sharada General Areafollowing the discovery of the

to the plights of the Nigerianmasses and will continue to pursueand execute policies andprogrammes that are in theoverall interest of majority ofNigerians and that will bring thegreatest good to the greatestnumber of our teemingpopulation," Mr. Okupe said.

He said "no responsible andpatriotic leadership would not beworried when a nation spendsmore than N1trillion, or about 20per cent of its annual nationalbudget on subsidy paid out to afew companies, which is enjoyedmainly by very few elites whilethe common man benefits almostnothing."

"Contrary to the speculationin the media and assumption by

presidential spokesman, DoyinOkupe, said in Abuja that despitethe president's recent remark, theadministration, as a matter ofpolicy, has no plans to remove fuelsubsidy.

According to Mr. Okupe,Nigerians do not need to bealarmed on removal of petrolsubsidy, as sufficient allocation forfuel subsidy has already beenmade in the 2013 budget.

He said the President's remarkwas"a frank, intellectual and well-articulated contribution to thediscussion on the Nigerianeconomy from a honest andsincere leadership perspective."

"The President and thisadministration are not insensitive

Contd from Page 1

Jonathan soft-pedals on fuel subsidycertain groups within the polity,we wish to state categoricallythat, the removal of oil subsidy isnot on the table of theTransformation Agenda of thePresident," he said.

"The present administrationis not considering the issue ofremoval of fuel subsidy in thenearest future and certainlywill not embark on any suchprogramme without extensiveconsultations and engagementsacross the various segments,interests and stakeholders inthe Nigerian polity," Mr. Okupesaid.

In 2011, the administrationhad given similar assurances thatit would not consider the removalof subsidy on petrol until the

committee constituted to consultwith all stakeholders completed itsassignment.

However, after thepreliminary meeting with theleadership of the Nigeria LabourCongress, NLC and its affiliateorganisations, a rescheduledmeeting could not reconvene, asgovernment went ahead toannounce the removal of thesubsidy regime in January 2012.

The decision had immediatelyraised the price of petrol from N65per litre to about N141, adevelopment that triggered anation-wide protest that crippledthe country for almost a week,before government intervenedand reviewed the pricedownwards to the present N97.

armory and the ImprovisedExplosive Device (IED) specialistwas also apprehended along farmcenter in the afternoon.

“In the early hours of thismorning, 28 March 2013, acombine team of the JTFpersonnel stormed a residence atGaida Ajawa, Along Kano westernbye pass being used as an armoryby terrorists. Items recoveredinclude six AK 47 Rifles, one FNRiffle, one General Purposemachine gun (GPMG), one SMGRiffle, one Pump action Riffle, andone PPK pistol.

“Two smoke guns, 189 roundsof AK 47 ammunitions, 43 roundsof 5.56MM SMG ammunitions,eight rounds of 9mm ammunitionsfor PPK pistol, 15 handle held IEDs,two (25 liters) containers of liquidchemical substance, 11 bags ofnitrate fertilizer, 200 hundredempty containers of assortedbeverage drinks (malt, bobo,cocacola) wires and other materialsof making IEDs.)”

It further warned propertyowners and residents to beware ofthe type of people they areharboring, noting that there areinflux of the terrorist elements

from Maiduguri, Damaturu andPotiskum into the state.

Iweha also stated that apartfrom destroying any house that aterrorist is found, JTF will onlyarrest such property owner butwill treat the person as anaccomplice.

JTF assured residents that thesecurity situation is undercontrol, stressing that it has takenall necessary steps to ensure aviolent free Easter celebrations inthe state.

“The JTF warns all terroristelements (sponsors, propertyagents and their terror groups)that it would unleash the fullweight of its might on its networkand interest anywhere it is tracedwithin Kano and its environ. Beassured that the JTF in Kano willnot rest on its oars in ensuring thesafety of the good people of Kanostate and their interest.”

In a related development theJTF spokesperson iweha told ourcorrespondent on phone that lateevening another suspectedterrorist was arrested in Sharadaand three AK47 Riffles loadedwith ammunitions werediscovered in his residence.

The Nigerian SupremeCouncil for Islamic Affairs(NSCIA) has reiterated

the commitment of the Muslimcommunity in the country to “astrong, prosperous and unitedmulti-religious Nigeria wherejustice, peace, progress andnational cohesion shall prevail.”

This is contained in its messageto the Nigerian Christiancommunity on the occasion of theEaster celebration.

The message signed by theNSCIA President-General who isalso the Sultan of Sokoto, AlhajiSa’ad Abubakar, noted thatMuslims will continue to ensure aunited Nigeria.

“In this trying period ofunnecessary strife, tension,mutual suspicion and wanton

destruction of innocent lives andprecious properties, Muslims inNigeria shall continue to strive tostrengthen the co-operation andcollaboration between our twobodies - NSCIA and CAN - for ourmutual benefits and to the glory ofGod and Nigeria,” the Sultan said.

The NSCIA also prayed thatthe country enjoys stability,security, peace and unitystressing that, “this season willusher in happiness and prosperityto all.”

In his message on the occasionEaster, the Inspector-General ofPolice, M.D. Abubakar remindedChristians that the victoriousresurrection of Jesus Christ onEaster morning was preceded bya painful crucifixion, as price toatone for the redemption ofmankind.

He urged Nigerians to emulate

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin and adopt the selfless lifestyle ofChrist and further enjoinedChristians to be open minded toissues of forgiveness, peace andharmonious co-existence, inconsonance with the principlesand teachings of Christ,especially, in this trying momentin the nation’s history.

Abubakar also called onNigerians to place value andrespect on the nation’s diversities,especially in the face of very highprice being paid with the bloodand lives of officers and men of theForce and those of other securityagencies, who like Jesus Christ,are constantly subjected to allforms of dangers, risks anddeprivations, including thehazards of death in the line ofduty, as ultimate sacrifice for thepeace, unity and progress of thecountry.

NSCIA, IGP greet Christians at Easter

Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III,Sultan of Sokoto

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 PAGE 3

Nigeria heads towards civil war - SoyinkaTravellers boarding a bus for Easter at Wazobia park, yesterday in Gwagwalada, Abuja. Photo: NAN

Nobel Laureate, Prof. WoleSoyinka yesterdaylamented President

Goodluck Jonathan’s failure totackle the increasing activities ofthe Boko Haram sect, despiteindicators that Nigeria isdrifting towards civil war.

The Governor of Central Bank ofNigeria, CBN, Malam SanusiLamido Sanusi said Nigeria is theonly country where corrupt publicofficeholders are celebrated publicly.

Soyinka and Sanusi spoke inLagos at the 5th Bola Tinubucolloquium with themed: ‘BeyondMergers: A National Movement forchange’-A new generation speaks,’

According to Soyinka, “myproblem with President GoodluckJonathan is that he is yet to realiseand has not taken the citizens ofthe country into cognisance.

“By now, I believe that thePresident Goodluck Jonathanshould be addressing the nationand give, in details, the reasonwhy this nation is at war.

“And certain things must bedone to ensure that we move backfrom this second round of what ismoving towards civil war.”

“This nation is on the brink andmost people who do not understandit, I am very sorry they will very

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

soon wake up to understand thatthe nation is already on the brinks.

“By now we should allunderstand that the issuehappening in the north should notbe left for the northerners alone. Itis obvious that the issue of BokoHaram isn’t a Northern affairanymore.”

On his part, Sanusi lamentedthe spate of corruption in thecountry, saying that “corruptionis a big issue in the country todayas it in other parts of the world butwhy are they eradicating povertyand Nigeria isn’t.

“It is not just corruption. It is

the kind failed interventions thatare procured with the proceeds ofcorruption. Everyone agree thatcorruption is bad. It has economiccost. If you take a bribe and paysubsidy to someone who hasn’tdeliver the required goods.

“In Nigeria, people collectmoney for contract and they do notfulfill their own part of contractand nothing is done about it.

“This is compounding the stateof corruption in the country. Whatis destroying this country is thatpeople are corrupt and nothing isdone about it.

“We need to be asking the civil

societies what they are doing toensure that this act is checked forthe development of the country.

“Some parts of Lagos are gettingcleaner because of the sewageprocess. These are some of thequestion that we should begin toask our public officeholders today.

“How can someone be governorfor four years and he or she failedto provide the needed facilities forhis people.

“And the reason why thishappen in Nigeria was that we area country that has absolutely noregards for merit and competent,”he said.

…we are celebrating corruption - Sanusi

By Umar Muhammad Puma NIPSS to launch curriculumfor political partiesThe National Institute of

Policy and Strategic Studies(NIPSS), the Democratic

Governance for DevelopmentProject (DGD II) of the UnitedNations Development Programme(UNDP) will next June in Abujaformally launched theCurriculum of the Political PartiesLeadership and PolicyDevelopment Centre.

The Director of Research ofNIPSS, Prof. Olu Obafemi, madethe disclosure yesterday in Abujaat the validation meeting of thedraft curriculum of the centrewhich was attended by leaders ofpolitical parties, INEC officials andother critical stakeholders.

“The essence is toinstitutionalize the training ofpolitical parties at the leadershipand bureaucratic level and todevelop policy that will help usdevelop a democratic culture forthe country.

“Our democracy continues tolook fledging all the time, we riseand fall and rise and fall mainlybecause we have not got ourpolitical system right.

“There are no viral cultures ofopposition in which parties can feelable even when in opposition to offercritical opinion that will help

government grow. Most of thetime, ruling parties feel it right tocontinue to rule and ignore viewsof opposition.

“We believe that theleadership of political parties inthis country need to know thoseessential ingredients andelements of a nurtureddemocracy so that in theirpractice of partisan politics, theycan develop those ingredients ofdemocratic system and goodgovernance that will encouragepolitical participation, politics fordevelopment, growth of a tolerantpolitical culture in their variouspolitical activities,” Obafemi said.

A member of the organizingcommittee, Dr. Sola Adeyanju, ofthe Ahmadu Bello University(ABU) Zaria, said the initiative waspart of measures to deependemocracy in the country andthat it is being cited in NIPSS, Kurunear Jos being the apex think tankfor strategy and policy making inthe country.

Project Director of DGD II, Dr.Mourtada Deme, represented bySadeeque Abba, said the initiativewas developed in December 2012

after the commissioning of thepolitical parties capacityassessment to identify areas wherethe DGD intervention can beeffective in strengthening partydemocracy, adding, “one of thesestrategies that was identified is theestablishment of the centre whichwill be entrusted with a task ofproviding a sustained capacitydevelopment platform for pattiesin Nigeria to address some of theidentified shortcoming on theparties.”

Former Secretary to theFederal Government, Chief OluFalae, said the courses to be run byNIMPS based on the curriculumcan help produce party managerswho will bring professionalism intopolitics and help to institutionalizeparty politics among others.

“Most parties are more or lesselections party time phenomena,after elections, many parties tendto fade away partly because offunds and because there are nopeople trained to run parties inbetween elections. The training inJos will fill that gap. It will createcommonality of view and valuesamong politicians,” Falae said.

A group, Friends of Dikko, hasrefuted the reports in themedia, which alleged that

the Controller General of NigerianCustoms Services, AbdullahiDikko, shunned the six invitationsby the House of RepresentativesCommittee on Public Accounts, togive responses to the 2007-2010remittances to the federationaccounts.

A statement issued yesterdayby the President of the association,Mahdi Shehu, described Dikko as awell known respecter of constitutedauthorities adding that he holdsthe House of Representatives andother institutions of governmentin a very high esteem.

“Therefore, the report that heshunned six invitations of theHouse Committee on PublicAccounts to answer questionsrelating to the 2007-2010remittances to the federationAccount could not have beencorrect,” the statement said.

Shehu added that by hisunprecedented achievements atthe helm of the Nigeria CustomsService, Dikko Inde has become the

proverbial gold fish who has nohiding place.

On this ground, he said thatDikko has no reason to hide or shyaway from discharging hisstatutory responsibilities.

Moreover, he noted that it is onrecord that since his appointmentin 2009, Dikko has in verydecisive ways contributed to theoverall growth of the Nigerianeconomy by maximising revenuecollections which has consistentlysurpassed given targets, as well asfacilitated trade and commercethrough such innovative productsas the Trade Hub Portal, SingleWindow.

“It is a well known fact thatAbdullahi Dikko Inde’s strategicposition as Vice-President ofConfederation of West and CentralAfrican controllers-general ofCustoms", he said.

The group added that hisunprecedented achievements atthe helm of the Nigeria CustomsService have brought a lot ofhonour to Nigeria, saying it hasearned higher respect andcourtesy for Nigerian citizens bythe customs services of variouscountries around the world.

By Okechukwu Okofordi

Group defends Customs CGover alleged face-off with Reps

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Britain writes FG, wantsAlamieyeseigha extradited to LondonThe last may not have been

heard about therecent Federal Government’s

state pardon to former Bayelsa stateGovernor, DiepreyeAlamieyeseigha as the UnitedKingdom insists that it has notgiven up on its efforts to extraditeAlamieyeseigha to Britain, to facetrial.

The UK said it had alreadycontacted the Federal Governmentrequesting Alamieyeseigha’sextradition, and was awaiting aresponse to the request.

The British High Commissionerto Nigeria, Andrew Pocock, in aninterview said that the formergovernor, who recently got statepardon from his criminalconviction in Nigeria, still has anoutstanding case of moneylaundering to answer to in the UKand that the UK government

will not give up until Mr.Alamieyeseigha is brought tojustice.

Mr. Alamieyeseigha, then aserving governor, made a dramaticescape from the custody of the

British authorities when he fledback to Nigeria from detention inSeptember 2005. He would laterbe convicted on similar moneylaundering charges on July 26,2007 in Nigeria after

he was impeached as governor.Although his recent state

pardon by President GoodluckJonathan hit the UK authorities asa rude shock, Mr. Pocock dismissedinsinuations that London wasplanning to sanction Nigeria overthe matter.

According to him, “that is not

the way we do things”. The HighCommissioner also revealed thatUK had earlier requested forAlamieyeseigha’s extradition, butdid not get any response.

Mr. Pocock said the UK hadasked the Attorney General andMinister for Justice forAlamieyeseigha’s extradition andwas still awaiting his position onthe issue when President GoodluckJonathan all of a suddenannounced he has been extricatedof all wrong doing via the stateclemency.

The move to pardon him evenwhen the application for hisextradition to Britain was stillpending was like daring theapplying nation that feels stronglythat Alamieyeseigha has a case toanswer in their country.

According to Mr. Pocock, “Theformer governor skipped bail in theUK on a charge of moneylaundering and returned toNigeria. So, he has an outstandingcharge in the UK, which is therefor him to answer.

“We have already discussed itand the Nigerian governmentknows our views. But we would liketo see him return and answercharge in the UK.”

On UK’s past and present effortsto see that Alamieyeseigha isextradited to the UK, Mr. Pococksaid: “Yes. I think we asked in thepast. I am very sure we asked inthe past. But I am not sure we got aformal response. So, we are stillwaiting for a formal response fromthe Nigerian government.

“We have asked the AttorneyGeneral. He will have to tell uswhat his position is on extradition.I haven’t had a reply yet, but westill wait for it,” the British envoyadded.

The World EvangelicalAlliance (WEA) and Socio-Economic Rights and

Accountability Project (SERAP)have dragged the FederalGovernment to the United NationsUniversal Periodic Review (UPR)expressing “serious concernsabout the state pardon grantedformer Bayelsa State Governor,Diepreye Alamieyeseigha byPresident Goodluck Jonathan.”

WEA is a network of churchesin 129 nations that have eachformed an evangelical allianceand over 100 internationalorganizations joining together togive a world-wide identity, voice,and platform to more than 600million evangelical Christians ina statement signed by SERAP

Executive Director MrAdetokunbo Mumuni, said thecomplaint was submitted to theUN as part of an update to thesubmission made by the groupsto the UPR this month.

“Consider this to be entirelyinconsistent with the country’sinternational human rights andanticorruption commitments and

the promises made by thegovernment of Nigeria to theUnited Nations during itsUniversal Periodic Review in2009.”

The 2009 UPR asked thegovernment of Nigeria to pursueits “fight” against corruption sothat “all its citizens” can enjoypeace, health and security. Thegovernment of Nigeria acceptedall the recommendation.

WEA and SERAP said that,“however, despite thesecommitments to theinternational community, thegovernment of Nigeria has nottaken seriously its expressedcommitment to combatcorruption.”

The groups also said that, “bygranting pardon forAlamieyeseigha the governmenthas also seriously undermined theintegrity and efficacy of the fightagainst corruption, eroded thecredibility of public institutions(in particular anti-corruptioninstitutions and agencies),undermined the deterrent effectsof punishment for corruption, andengendered public cynicism.”

According to the groups, “thegranting of pardon will also lead

to a vicious cycle of corruption andimpunity of perpetrators, and thiscan only continue to rob thegovernment of its capacity todeliver services to the poor, andensure that corrupt public officialskeep the proceeds of theirmisconduct. This is doublejeopardy for the victims ofcorruption in the country.”

The groups said that “thisshows the government’s lack ofpolitical will to genuinely combathigh level official corruption inNigeria, and sends a wrongmessage that certain individualswho are close to the governmentwill enjoy impunity for theirmisconduct and will be above thelaw.”

“Because corruption has beenan intrinsic part of the waysuccessive governments haveoperated, it will be impossible forthe country to achievedevelopment, sustainability andend poverty and discriminationif corruption persists,” the groupsalso said.

“We are also concerned thatthe granting of pardon amountsto a fundamental breach of theconstitution of Nigeria, whichamong others requires the

president to eradicate all corruptpractices and abuse of power. Wehope to see the Universal PeriodicReview of Nigeria reflect

the concerns outlined in oursubmission (and this update), andinclude in its outcome documentthe following recommendationsaddressed to the government ofNigeria”:

“Rescind without furtherdelay the alleged state pardongranted former Bayelsa StateGovernor, DiepreyeAlamieyeseigha; Ensure fullrepatriation and recovery of thestolen public funds by

Alamieyeseigha; Ensure fulltransparency and accountabilityin government institutions;Improve financial oversight ofgovernment’s expenditure andbuild judicial capacity to enhancethe prosecution of corrupt publicofficials.”

Alamieyeseigha was detainedin London on charges of moneylaundering while he was governorin September 2005. He escapedfrom the UK in December 2005. He,however, pleaded guilty in court toa six-count charge in July 2007,and was sentenced to two years inprison on each count charge.

Churches, Int’l bodies drag Jonathan to UN over Alamieyeseigha pardonFrom Ayodele Samuel, Lagoswith agency reports

L-R: Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Mr Gimba Ya'u Kumo, managing Director, Nigeria Deposit InsuranceCorporation (NDIC), Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, and Chairman, FMBN Board, Chief Bisi Ogunjobi, during the visit of FMBN board members to NDIC,yesterday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

Founder of the Movement forthe Emancipation of theNiger Delta (MEND), High

Chief Government Ekpemopolo,has said that presidential pardongranted former Governor ofBayelsa State, DiepriyeAlamieyeseigha, was designed tosecure the support of the NigerDelta

people for President GoodluckJonathan’s return bid in 2015.“The pardon has guaranteed thesupport for President Jonathan,”Ekpemopolo told journalistsyesterday at Oporoza, WarriNorth local government of Deltastate.

According to him, “the pardonremains the best thing PresidentGoodluck Jonathan has done forthe Niger Delta people.

“President Jonathan isconstitutionally qualified to run,having been given the go-aheadby a Federal High court sitting inAbuja.”

Tompolo noted that the NigerDelta people view the second termbid of the President as the right ofthe people of the region where thePresident is from.

The former MEND leaderhowever declined furthercomments on the 24 yearssentence handed MEND’s formerleader, Henry Okah, describing itsimply as a family matter thatwill be sorted out.

Alamieyeseighapardon designed towoo support forJonathan ahead of2015, says Tompolo,MEND founder


Boko Haram: ACF condemns FG's rejectionof amnesty proposal

The Arewa ConsultativeForum (ACF) hascondemned Federal

Government's refusal togrant amnesty to members ofJama'atul Nasril litda'awa wal

jihad popularly known asknown as Boko Haram.

Sultan of Sokoto, AlhajiMohammed Sa'ad Abubakar,had urged PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to extendan unconditional amnesty tomembers of the sect as part

From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

Jonathan summons police authoritiesover clash with NSCDC

of measures to check risinginsecurity in parts of thecountry.

But Jonathan during arecent visit to Yobe andBorno states ruled out thequestion of amnestydescribing members of the

Muslim group as ghosts.Rising from an emergency

joint meeting of its Board ofTrustees and NationalExecutive Committee inKaduna yesterday, the ACFsaid it was disappointed byJonathan's position on thematter and decriedgovernment's inability tocontain the seeminglyintractable insecuritysituation.

The ACF in a communiquéat the end of the meeting saidthat it was worried thatJonathan did not give any"viable" reasons for refusal toaccept the amnesty proposaland did not suggestalternative measures tohandle the problem.

The communiqué signedby the group's NationalPublicity Secretary,Anthony Sani, said thedeliberations of the meetingcentered mainly on theescalating securitychallenges across some partsof the north and theincreasing toll in human livesand property of innocentpeople in the region.

It however urgednorthern leaders across thefaiths and political divides tocome together and live uptheir collective securitychallenges that have becomeserious threats to the socio-economic and politicaldevelopment of the north andthe nation at large.

President GoodluckJonathan yesterdaysummoned the

authorities of the NigerianPolice over the clash betweenpolicemen and officials of theNigerian Security and CivilDefence Corps (NSCDC) inLagos on Wednesday whichreportedly left two officials ofthe NSCDC dead.

The President earlier onWednesday evening met withthe leadership of the NSCDC,on the matter.

The police delegation wasled to the meeting by the DIG'A,' Suleiman Fakai, as theInspector-General of Police,Mr. Muhammed Abubakar,was said to be currently outof the country.

Other members of thedelegation were Lagos state

Commissioner of Police,Umar Manko, AssistantCommissioner of Police incharge of Anti-Vandalism,Friday Ibadin, and the DeputyForce Public Relations Officer,Frank Mba.

The President was said tohave stressed the need forcooperation between sistersecurity agencies.

The police spokesmanconfirmed to State Housecorrespondents that the clashformed part of the issuesdiscussed at the meeting withthe President.

He said the police used theopportunity to give thePresident what he called "thepolice perspective of thereport."

According to him, "themeeting is just one of those

routine visits where the policeleadership come around tobrief the President on co-operational related issues.

"Of course, that (the clashbetween policemen andofficials of the NSCDC) is oneof those issues we discussedand we also have to come inhere to give the President apolice perspective on thatreport and that is exactly whatthe leadership of the policehas done."

Asked whether it is truethat policemen killed officialsof the NSCDC during the clash,Mba said that the Presidenthad been properly briefedand that the facts wouldbecome public later.

"For now, we have briefedthe President and I think it willsuffice for me to stop."

2,000 policemen for Muslimconference in Sokoto

The Police have deployed over2,000 security personnel forthe World Muslim Leagues

Conference taking place today inSokoto.

The Commissioner of Police,Mr. Gambo Shua'bu, told reportersyesterday that the police will ensurepeaceful conduct of the exercise.

He called on both natives andnon- natives of the state to remaincalm and conduct themselves in apeaceful manner as security

operatives work throughcollaborative efforts to fish out badeggs that may likely disrupt thepeaceful.

Peoples Daily gathered thatpeople from all Muslim countriesare expected to participate at theconference which is aimed at aimedat ensuring peace and harmonybetween Muslims and Christiansacross the world.

Vice President Namadi Sambois expected to represent PresidentGoodluck Jonathan at the openingceremony.

By Mahmoud Muhammad, Sokoto

Our major challengeis the envious natureof artists, says Usee

KANNYWOOD

MEDIA

When Emirs of Katsina, Daura, others witnessed Correspondent's Week Launch

Ganmo communalGanmo communalGanmo communalGanmo communalGanmo communalccccclash in Klash in Klash in Klash in Klash in Kwwwwwararararara,a,a,a,a,who is afterwho is afterwho is afterwho is afterwho is afterIgbomina tribe?Igbomina tribe?Igbomina tribe?Igbomina tribe?Igbomina tribe?

FEATURE

Companion, timely prospectusfor Hajj and Umrah

BOOK LAUNCH PILGRIMS'BOOK LAUNCH PILGRIMS'BOOK LAUNCH PILGRIMS'BOOK LAUNCH PILGRIMS'BOOK LAUNCH PILGRIMS'

Ganmo communalGanmo communalGanmo communalGanmo communalGanmo communalccccclash in Klash in Klash in Klash in Klash in Kwwwwwararararara,a,a,a,a,who is afterwho is afterwho is afterwho is afterwho is afterIgbomina tribe?Igbomina tribe?Igbomina tribe?Igbomina tribe?Igbomina tribe?

No assemblymember is planning tojoin the CPC—Nasarawa legislator

INTERVIEW


Stranger kidnaps 12-year-old girl in Kadunathe assailant.

According to Aisha, "I was sentto buy Omo for washing when theman came and gave me thechewing gum, after taking thechewing gum, I found myself in anunidentified house where I sawpeople that I did not know. I startedcrying and they decided to throwme out of the house.”

The commandant of the NigeriaSecurity and Civil Defence Corps inGombe, Mr. Joel OnoritsebawoKhestossen told our correspondentin an interview, that at about 2pm,

men of the Nigeria Security andCivil Defence Corps who were onpatrol at Yamaltu, Deba localgovernment area got informationthat a lady suspected to have beenkidnapped somewhere was cryingat Anguwar Matasa where she wasdumped.

According to the commandant,his men took Aisha to the commandfor further investigation.

The command has already gotin touch with the girl's family andarrangement has been concluded toreturn her to Kaduna.

From David Hassan, Gombe

The Nigeria Security andCivil Defence Corps(NSCDC) has taken custody

of a 12-years-old girl who waskidnapped in Kaduna last Tuesday.

The gunmen reportedlyabducted Aisha Ismail at Rigasa, asuburb of Kaduna metropolis whenshe was sent to buy detergent froma nearby shop.

The girl found herself in anunidentified house in Gombe aftershe was given a chewing gum by

Reps warn Jonathan not to fund SECL-R: Niger State Acting Chief Judge, Justice Fati Abubakar, taking her oath of office before Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azuBabangida Aliyu, yesterday in Minna. Photo: NAN

In keeping with its earlierresolution not to providefunding for the Securities and

Exchange Commission, SEC, inthe 2013 Appropriation Act, theHouse of Representatives haswarned President GoodluckJonathan not to fund theCommission without approvalfrom the National Assembly.

The warning was containedin a letter written to the Ministerof Finance and CoordinatingMinister of the economy, DrNgozi Okonjo-Iweala, by theHouse Committee on LegislativeCompliance.

If would be recalled thatfollowing the report andrecommendations of the Hon.Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi-ledAdhoc Committee thatinvestigated the near totalcollapse of the capital market,the House last year passed aresolution, mandating PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to removeOteh from the office.

According to the report, Oteh

does not possess the requisiteprofessional qualificationprescribed in the Securities andExchange Commission Act forappointment to the office ofDirector-General.

But President Jonathan hasignored the resolution, whichpresidency spokespersons hadseverally described as advisory,and not incumbent upon thePresident to implement.

Angered by the purporteddisregard of the resolution, theHouse of Representatives, inretaliation, passed anotherresolution last year, declaringthe SEC boss persona non-grataand also resolved never to haveanything to do with theCommission as long as Otehremained in office.

It further intensified itsstrategies to compel PresidentJonathan to respect itsresolution by giving zeroallocation to the Commission inthe 2013Appropriation Act.

However, while presenting aproposal for the amendment ofthe 2013 budget, President

Jonathan expressed hisdispleasure over the zeroallocation to SEC, accusing theHouse of trying to frustrate theoperations of the establishment.

In reaction to the president'scomments, Hon. Garba Datti onMarch 21, 2013, presented amotion condemning what hedescribed as persistent andblatant disregard of theresolutions of the House by theExecutive arm.

He also accused the Executiveof selective implementation of theHouse’s resolutions, stressing thatresolutions bordering on thebreach of extant legislationsshould not be treated with levityas it portrays the government inbad light.

In conclusion, the House urgedPresident Jonathan toimplement its resolution byremoving Ms. Arunma Oteh fromoffice on grounds of non-possessionof the minimum professionalqualification prescribed in theSecurities and ExchangeCommission Act for appointmentto the office of Director- General.

It also directed its Committeeon Legislative Compliance tomonitor the expectedimplementation of the removalof Oteh "and revert to the Housewithin 21days.

In carrying out this task, theCommittee on LegislativeCompliance has written to theMinister of Finance, reiteratingthe position of the House on zeroallocation to SEC until thePresident adhered to itsresolution by removing Ms Otehfrom office.

The Committee insisted inthe letter that PresidentJonathan had no right to financethe operations of SEC from publiccoffers or even private sources inbreach of the Appropriation Act.

The Hon. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai-led Committee onLegislative Compliance wrotethe letter on March 27, 2013 tothe Minister of Finance, Mrs.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The letter further advised theSEC to refrain from making anyexpenditure until a budget hasbeen approved by the NationalAssembly for that purpose.

"You may also not source andspend any monies whatsoever asthis will be a clear infringement ofthe constitution of the federalRepublic of Nigeria and shall beviewed as such".

The president had opposedItem 9, Part E, Clause 10 of the2013 Appropriation Act, saying: "I believe that this clause ought notto have been inserted in the 2013Appropriation Act in the first place.Secondly, the import of the clauseis tantamount to shutting downthe business of the Commissionwith a potential negative impacton the capital market".

Easter: Arikincreasescapacity to caterfor air travellers

Arik Air has assured airtravellers in the countrythat it has the capacity to

cope with demands of passengersduring the Easter season.

Acting Senior Vice PresidentOperations/Deputy ManagingDirector of the airline, Captain AdoSanusi, disclosed that the airlinehas added extra flights to keydomestic destinations to enableNigerians celebrate the festiveseason with their families and lovedones.

Captain Sanusi howeverdispelled rumours making therounds that the airline has increasedfares due to the Easter rush.

"We have at no time increasedour fares to any of our destinations.Instead, we have introduced lowfares on all the routes and even lowerfares when booking online, hedisclosed.

He therefore advised passengersnot to patronize touts or pay extramoney to anyone for Arik tickets.

Sanusi then enjoined passengersto buy their tickets in advance fromany airport or Arik Air city ticketingoffices or on line at arikair.com.

By Ibrahim Kabiru Sule

By Umar Muhammad Puma

Niger buys8,000mt fertilizerto boostagriculture

The Niger state governmenthas completed arrangementsfor the purchase of 8000 metric

tonnes of assorted fertilizer for sale atsubsidised rates to farmers during the2013 cropping season, at the cost ofabout N900 million.

Commissioner for Agriculture,Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Matane, whodisclosed this to newsmen yesterdayexplained that government decidedto directly purchase fertilizer fordistribution to farmers in order to takecare of the shortfall anticipated fromthe consignment expected from theFederal Government.

According to him, "Last year'sexperience showed us that thequantity to be got by each farmerunder the Federal Government'sfertilizer distribution policy will beinadequate and if immediate steps arenot taken to plug the loophole, it couldlead to poor harvest in the year.

"The government hascommenced a census of all farmersthat will benefit from the sale of thefertilizer assuring that the commoditywill get to the farmers at the right timeand quantity before the rainsstabilized."

Commenting on the progress ofwork at the Talba Housing Estate, hesaid that 320 of the over 500 housingunits had been completed and readyfor occupation.

He explained that allocations of thehouses to outright purchasers hascommenced while government is alsonegotiating with some mortgageoutfits to raise facilities for civil servantsand others who are not in position tooutrightly pay for the houses.

From Iliya Garba, Minna


L-R: Edo state Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and Minister of Niger Delta, ElderGodsday Orubebe, during the minister's visit to the governor, yesterday in BeninCity.

Students of Quick Response Group Phase 4 batch 2 displaying during their graduationceremony, yesterday in Jaji, Kaduna state. Photo: NAN

L-R: Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, Chairman, Globacom, Chief Mike Adenuga, former Senate President Ken Nnamani, and Oyo state Deputy Governor, ChiefMoses Adeyemo, inaugurating an ICT centre donated by Chief Adenuga to mark the centenary of Ibadan Grammar School, yesterday in Ibadan. Photo: NAN

Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Police ForceHeadquarters, CSP Frank Mba, briefing journalists on two officersof the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) killed bythe police in Lagos, after his visit to President Goodluck Jonathan,yesterday at the State House in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

L- R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, Anambra state Governor,Mr Peter Obi, and Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, during the governor's visit to the minister onWednesday in Abuja.


World Bank approves N72bnto support NigeriaBy Etuka Sunday

The World has approved$450 million (N72 billion)to boost employment

opportunities for young people in20 states and to improve thequality of education for millionsof school children in Nigeria.

According to a statementfrom the bank, the programmetagged, Nigeria YouthEmployment and Social SupportOperation (YESSO), will focus onthe poor youth and the poorest10 per cent of households inparticipating states.

The statement explainedfurther that the scheme willprovide youth aged 18 to 35 withopportunities for work and skillstraining and improved access tosocial services for the vulnerableas well as support thegovernment in strengtheningNigeria's social safety netsystem.

The qualifying householdsare expected to receive regularcash transfers to improve familyhealth and schooling.

The statement also said thatthe, "$150 million dollars NigeriaState Education ProgramInvestment Project (SEPIP) willserve millions of children inthree states, Anambra, Bauchiand Ekiti, by improving thequality of their schooling."

"The project links financingto results achieved throughbetter teacher deployment andschool management.

"It aims at improvingmeasurement of studentlearning in governmentprimary and secondary schoolsin these states.

According to World Bank'sCountry Director for Nigeria,Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly,"investing in people is anessential part of Nigeria'sstrategy to reduce poverty andachieve steady economicgrowth.

"I am delighted that we aresupporting better schooling andearning prospects for millions ofchildren and young people whilealso cushioning some of thepoorest families through astronger social safety netsystem."

Also speaking on the project,the World Bank Task TeamLeader for YESSO, FolusoOkunmadewa, said that, "theyouth make up over half ofNigeria's population, yet 38 percent of them are eitherunderemployed or unemployedand their education and skillslevels are low.

"The YESSO project will helpyoung people earn wages byplanting trees or cleaning publicspaces, get help with livelihoodskills and job placement and livein less vulnerable households.

"The project will also help thegovernment create systems thatcan be used to protect poorhouseholds and individuals bothnow and in future."

Kwara targets N50bn turnover from Harmony Holdings Ltd

Bauchi sacks poly lecturers over strikeFrom Ahmed Kaigam, Bauchi

The Bauchi stategovernment has sackedabout 194 striking

lecturers of the College ofEducation, Azare.

Alleging misappropriationof funds andmaladministration, theschool's chapter of theColleges of EducationAcademic Staff Union(COEASU) had embarked onindefinite strike over the re-appointment of the Registrar,Aliyu B. Shehu, for anotherfive years.

Government had directedthe protesting workers to callof the action and threatened

R-L: Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Ita Okon Bassey Ewa; former Director General,National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Professor Robert Boroffice; andmember, NASRDA Advisory Committee, Professor Clifford Teme, during the National Space Dialogueand Media Conference on Space Science and Technology, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

to enforce a regime of "nowork no pay."

The COEASU Chairman,Sunusi Chinade, said ininterview yesterday that theinstitution's GoverningCouncil terminated theappointment of the staffarguing that their serviceswere no longer required.

He gave a breakdown ofthe affected lecturers toinclude, 53 masters degreeholders, three PHD holders16, heads of departments,four deans and six seniorlecturers.

The Provost, Dr. GarbaIbrahim, confirmed thereport and attributed it to,

"new arrangements andchanges" by the GoverningCouncil.

According to him, "underthe arrangement, theGoverning Council decidedto terminate theappointment of some of thelecturers because by law,employer and the employeehave the right to leave givingthree months notice butwhere notice was not given,one can leave after he paysone month salary in lieu ofnotice."

He said that the collegewould complete all thenecessary arrangementsbefore students would beasked to resume.

Senate moves to resolve Aero crisisBy Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Senate has intervenedin the lingering face-offbetween Aero

Contractors and its workersover the sack of 655 staff ofthe airline.

In a meeting with theSenate Committee onAviation yesterday, theairline's management agreedto review sack of the workers.

Those who attended themeeting included thecompany's ManagingDirector, Obaro Ibru,President, NationalAssociation of Aircraft Pilotand Engineers, Balami IsaacDavid, and acting DirectorGeneral, Nigerian CivilAviation Authority (NCAA),Joyce Nkemakolam.

Participants resolved that

management of AeroContractors should recall allsacked staff and conduct afresh appraisal within threeweeks after which affectedstaff who do not meet therequirement as provided byAero Contractors will be laidoff and paid their severanceentitlements.

Also, pensioncontributions will be creditedto the affected staff'sretirement savings accountwith their nominated pensionfund administrator ascontained in a letter signed byObaro Ibru.

However, Chairman of theSenate Committee, HopeUzodimma, noted thatNigerians are the endsufferers of the crisis at AeroContractors as manypassengers have been leftstranded since the crisis

started.He urged all parties to

sheath their swords so that theairline can resume flightoperations.

According to him, "westarted this meeting with theaim of resolving this crisis andby the Grace of God we haveagreed on some issues.

"The management of Aerocontractors has agreed torecall the staff that weredismissed.

"We in the Senatecommittee are not against therestructuring by themanagement of AeroContractors but we are sayingthe restructuring should havea human face.

"The sacked staff should berecalled and an appraisalshould be done within two tothree weeks on the affectedstaff.

leading to the closure of anumber of business enterprises.

"It is in view of this that thisadministration decided toestablish Harmony Holdings Ltdto manage all the businessentities of government," Ahmedsaid and noted that the selectionof the members Board andManagement was based on theirqualification and profession.

Earlier, Chairman of theBoard of Directors of theCompany, Prof. HaliduAbubakar, said the vision of thecompany, "is the culmination ofgreat and meticulous planningborne out of the noble objectiveto put Kwara State on thepedestal of economic growth andsustenance.

Boko Haram exposed some of our inadequacies - Army Chief Army

The Chief of Army Staff,Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika,says contemporary

security challenges in thecountry have brought out somegrey areas in the doctrine ofinternal security and counterinsurgency operations leadingto a review in the curriculumof the Army's traininginstitutions.

He spoke yesterday in amessage he sent during thegraduation ceremony of QuickResponse Group Phase 4 Batch2 at the special Warfare Wing,Infantry School, Jaji, the COASnoted that the internal securitysituation has created securitychallenges for Armed forces andother security agencies.

According to him, "the spate ofbombings and other acts ofterrorism by some misguidedelements in the society ( BokoHaram) has created a sustainedatmosphere of fear and insecurityin the country.

"These contemporarychallenges have brought out somegrey areas in the doctrine oninternal security and counterinsurgency operations whichhave been appropriatelyaddressed in your trainingcurriculum in order to enhancethe Nigerian Army's operationaleffiency."

In his remarks, Commandant,Nigerian Army School of Infantry(NASI), Major-Gen. TukurBuratai, said that about 358participants took partin thecourse.

By Lambert Tyem

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

The Management ofHarmony HoldingsLimited, a group of

companies owned by the Kwarastate government says it willproduce a turnover of about N50billion in 2022.

The Group ManagingDirector Mr. Tope AdesunloyeDaramola, who disclosed thisyesterday during thecommissioning of the companynoted that it will enhance thestates Internally GeneratedRevenue as well as enhance theeconomy.

Commissioning thecompany, Governor AbdulfatahAhmed identified leadership andaccountability as problems


Chairman of promotingcommittee of the UPN, Dr.Fredrick Fasehun, has

blamed the death of NigeriaTribune Publisher, Mr. WoleAwolowo, to what he describesas bad governance in Nigeria.

This is just as Kwara stateGovernor, Dr. AbdulfatahAhmed, and the nationalsecretariat of the Nigeria UnionofJournalists (NUJ) said theywere shocked over Wole's death.

Wole died in a Londonhospital on Wednesday at theage of 70 reportedly fromcomplications of a road accidenthe had in 2006.

Fashehun in a statementyesterday, noted that, "Wolethus became a victim of badgovernance in Nigeria with itsbad roads and inadequateresponse to emergencysituation.

"That Wole lived up toyesterday (Wednesday) beforegiving up the ghost was an actof God and his peculiarresilience which earned him theappellation of unbreakable fromPapa Awo, his late father.

"Wole was an achiever andgoal getter. As a UPN memberof Lagos State House ofAssembly, he was a leaderamong equals. "He was kind andgenerous.

"He had PhD degree intheology and a pastor withpassion for taking care of theunder privileged.

"As a publisher, he was aninspiration to his staff so muchthat he increased the quality ofthe Nigerian Tribune to makethe paper acceptable andadmired by the generality of theNigerian people.

"Wole made his mark inNigerian journalism bypromoting the dignity ofNigerian journalist.

"It is disheartening to see thepublisher leaving us at a timewe are resuscitating the UPN,the party Wole held dear to hisheart but we are consoled

however that he was aware ofour mission and will be with usin spirit."

Ahmed in a statement issuedby his Chief Press Secretary,Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, notedthat the death of Chief Awolowoat the age of 70 years waspainful as Nigeria could still tapfrom his fountain of wisdom.

"The postulations of late ChiefOluwole Awolowo in the lastcouple of years in his column,Oba Lectern, though aChristian Column, are didactic,inspiring and forthright in amanner that it instills in the

Fasehun, Ahmed, NUJ mourn Wole Awolowo

Gombe state government saysit is set to establish apolytechnic at Bajoga, the

headquarters of Funakaye localgovernment area.

The proposed school is based onrecommendations of a specialcommittee established bygovernment in September 2012 isexpected to begin academicactivities in June.

Receiving report of thecommittee on Wednesday,Governor Ibrahim HassanDankwambo noted thatestablishment of the polytechnic isin line with the administration'spriority on education and the needtoenhance technical manpowerneeds of the state.

Chairman of the committee,Professor Eli Bala, who is also theacting Director General of theEnergy Commission of Nigeria saidthe committee's terms of referenceincluded seeing to the possibility ofconverting an existing educationalinstitution into the polytechnic,suggest programmes, create anetworking link between theinstitutionand other professionalbodies and create academic brief forthe polytechnic, among manyothers.

He said the committee had sinceworked on all terms of referencepresented to it and recommendedthe establishment of thepolytechnicat Bajoga town.

Gombe to establishstate polytechnic

Students of Government Secondary School, Dadin Kowa, Kano state, at the Production Department of Peoples MediaLtd, during their excursion to the corporate headquarters of the media house, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Photo: Miriam Humbe

No economic growthwithout electricpower, says Gov. Obi

Governor Peter Obi ofAnambra state haswarned that the country

may not be able to make anyprogress in manufacturingwithout efficient and stableelectricity power supply.

According to him, "electricpower is necessary to drivemanufacturing which in turnwill guarantee

economic growth, "Obi saidon Wednesday when he visitedthe Minister of Power, ProfessorChinedu Nebo, in Abuja.

According to Obi, PresidentGoodluck Joanthan'sTransformation Agenda canonly happen when industriesmanufacture at installedcapacities which will in turnhave multiplier effects effects inthe provision of employmentand in the growth of GrossDomestic Product (GDP).

Obi noted however that theelectric power situation hascontinued to improve in hisstate, saying that as anindustrial base in Nigeria,"Onitsha and Nnewi are townsthat have become criticalcomponents of the nation'sindustrial revolution."

The Minister assured thegovernor that due considerationwould be given to all the issuesraised, maintaining that theRoad Map and Power SectorReform Agenda will beimplemented religiously.

He reiterated FederalGovernment's commitment toenergizing the industrial hub ofthe south-east, especially theNnewi, Onitsha and Aba axis toboost manufacturing potentialsof these areas.

reader the quest foruprightness.

"Governor Ahmed, incommiserating with thematriarch of the Awolowofamily, Mama HID Awolowo,the Awolowo family,management and staff of ANNPlc, prays that God will givethem the fortitude to bear thepassage of Chief OluwoleAwolowo and the strength andwisdom to keep the flag of theTribune titles high."

The NUJ in a statementyesterday by its SeniorAssistant National Secretary,


From David Hassan, Gombe

By Etuka Sunday

ECOWAS agrees to partner NOA on peace

The League for Human Rightsbased in Jos on Wednesdaydemanded N100 million

compensation from the NigerianArmy over the alleged extra-judicial killing of a 26-year-oldNYSC member.

Making the demand in astatement issued in Jos, the groupalleged that the corps member,Wagley Dauda, was shot dead bya soldier at NASCO area of Jos onFeb. 16.

The statement entitled,"Extra-Judicial Killing of WagleyDauda," said that the killer-soldierwas attached to the Special TaskForce (STF) deployed to restorepeace in Plateau state.

The Director of theorganization, Mr. NankinBagudu, who signed thestatement, said the brutal murderof Dauda at about 11a.m. on thefateful day was done by soldiers ofthe STF who mounted acheckpoint in the area.

He said that Dauda met hisuntimely death as a passenger ina taxi marked, EW 336 AA, aftersoldiers at the checkpoint accusedthe driver of driving againsttraffic.

Bagudu said that at aroundPIPC Quarters, a soldier whoseidentity is still shrouded in secrecycame over and stopped all vehicles

Gbemiga Bamidele, also saidthatit commiserated with theentire Awolowo family on theirreparable loss.

According to the statement,"during his tenure as thePublisher/Vice Chairman ofTribune Newspapers, theorganization witnessedcorporate growth anddevelopment, and conduciveworking relationship betweenthe staff and managementwhich aided capacityenhancement andimprovement our membersworking in that organisation."

that allegedly drove againsttraffic.

"He ordered them to driveback but while complying, asoldier shot at the driver and inthe process the bullet hit and killedDauda who was a back seatpassenger.

"Dauda later died at the JosUniversity Teaching Hospital(JUTH) that same day, "thestatement said.

Bagudu noted that efforts to seethe STF Commander over theincident had been futile as he wasquoted as claiming that the STFhad nothing to do with the death.

The organisation said thefamily was more devastated overthe attitude of the STFCommander and had decided toask for the handing over of thesoldier to the police for prosecution.

While asking for acompensation of N100 million tothe family for "the brutal andunprovoked killing of their breadwinner," the league also demandeda retraction of the statement of theSTF Media Officer, Capt. SalisuMustapha, which claimed that thedriver tried to escape and did notsubject himself to search at thetime. (NAN)

Group demands N100m compensationover killing of corps member

The Economic Community ofWest African States(ECOWAS) has reiterated its

resolve to partner with the NationalOrientation Agency (NOA) topromote regional peace andsecurity.

According to the ECOWASCommissioner for Political Affairs,Peace and Security, Mrs. SalamatuHussaini Suleiman, instabilityin one country can easily affectthe development process inother countries, adding thatwithout peace in the region,there can be no development.

By Etuka Sunday She spoke on Wednesdaywhen she the Director Generalof the National OrientationAgency(NOA), Mike Omeri, inher office.

The Commissioner said thatECOWAS was ready to supportpeace initiatives by memberstates which is consistent withthe regional peace and securityframework.

Omeri was at the ECOWASoffice as part of measures tostrengthen relations with theorganisation over itsprogrammes, Essential Forumfor Peace and soughtpartnership on the initiative.


Is saving money the business of everybody?

I have known not a few menwho, after reaching thesummits of business success,found themselves miserableon attaining retirement age.They were so exclusivelyengrossed in their day to dayaffairs that they had no timefor friend making. - B.C. Forbes

Quote

While everyone has heardthe term a penny savedis a penny earned most

of us never live by this phrase.There are however many waysthat one can help save money,which are not as difficult to liveby as you may think.

Not all tips are for everyone.Everyone places value on certainthings more than others, but ifyou look over some of these tipsyou may realize that you couldtry some of these out and besurprised with how much youcould end up saving. These tooare also only some ways youcould save. Many will frown atsuch ideas but some will takenote, once again these are justtips.

Shop for clothes at 2nd handstores as it is popularly called(bend-down boutique). Manypeople have the wrongimpression of used clothingstores. While some may be quitdirty, there are several that arepretty nice considering. Whilesome items may make you

wonder how they got in, thereare standards they have to keepthe store decent. Most will neveraccept stained clothing oranything ripped or in need ofrepair. So many of the itemshave also barely even been puton and yet come at a fraction of

Data is the lifeblood ofany business, sokeeping it safe and

accessible should be a toppriority for even the smalleststartup. Keeping your datasafe can seem like a dauntingprocess, but this checklist willhelp you get started.

Make sure your data isrecoverable: Making backupsof existing data has long beendetermined as a critical task forany business, and only foolishadministrators would argueotherwise.

Determine how long is toolong without your data:Identifying how quickly youneed your data back will go along way toward helping yourbusiness determine itsrecovery time objective(RTO).

Ensure that your backupsare secure and compliant:Backup copies should beproperly secured and kept atlocations that are inaccordance with anyregulations you may face.

Protect mobile devices:Not typically considered partof the backup regime, theBYOD phenomenon and theincreasing access and storageof important business data onsmartphones and tablets maysoon force the hand ofinformation technology (IT)departments around theworld.

Money Tip:How to KeepYour BusinessData Safe Defining what financial success means to you

There is an old story abouta young boy who is askedby an adult what he wants

to be when he grows up. Notone to waste time as a firemanor an astronaut, the young boygets right to the point andannounces that when he growsup, he wants to be rich.

The boy's ambition is oneyou likely share. After all, howmany people do you know whoaspire to become poorer asthey get older? But what does itmean to be "rich"? While somepeople might define financialsuccess as achievement of aparticular net worth, that maybe the wrong way to thinkabout it. As Adrian J.Cartwood, author of the soon-to-be-available book "ShareYour Number" and the financialblog 7 Million in 7 Years,explains, "People, even richpeople, are often dissatisfiedwith their level of financialsuccess because they have

failed to make the one trueconnection: that your life isn'tabout money, rather yourmoney is there to support yourlife."

Instead of thinking aboutfinancial success as a merenumber, Cartwood suggeststhat the best way to achievemonetary fulfillment is to firstunderstand how you want tospend your money - only thencan you figure out how muchyou will need to finance yourdreams. "It's only when youfind your life's true purposeand calculate how muchmoney you need in order tosupport the life of your dreams- whether that be $100,000 or$100 million - will you reallyknow what financial successmeans to you," he explains.

So how does one do this?1. Take a Closer Look atYour Life

Start by asking yourselfquestions about what you

enjoy doing. This will help youcreate a clearer picture of yourgoals for your future and giveyou a starting point for figuringout what that future will cost.Ask:

" What are your favoriteactivities, interests, andhobbies right now?

" Do you think you willwant to continue doing them inthe future?

" Is it feasible tocontinue some of the thingsyou enjoy now as you getolder, or do you anticipatestopping some of them?2. Dream Big

If money was not an object,what would you love to do? Sailaround the world? Build atropical vacation home? Startyour own business? Simply beable to fish every day in thepond near your home? Do notbe afraid to name your dreamsout loud, no matter how far-fetched they seem. The more

specific you can be about yourgoals for your life, the easier itwill be to develop a plan toreach them.3. Figure out the Costs

Once you know what youwould love to do with your life,you can start to determine howmuch money you need to payfor your dream future.Depending on your plans, thismight be as simple as lookingup the cost of buying andmaintaining a recreationalvehicle or as complicated asestimating how much money itwould take to open a restaurantin your neighborhood. Eitherway, you will need to have anidea of how much money youare going to need to financeyour desires and still pay foryour day-to-day livingexpenses.4. Develop a Savings Plan

Finally, you need to figureout how you are going to earnand/or save the money youneed to reach true financialsuccess. The amount may notbe enormous; after all, if yourdreams are inexpensive, thenyour personal definition offinancial success will bemodest. Of course, if you havegrand plans for your future,you will need to figure out away to put enough moneyaway to be able to live the lifeyou desire. And moreimportantly, you will want tostart living that life as soon aspossible. Consider yourcurrent earnings, how muchyou are likely to earn in thefuture, and how much moneyyou can put away on a regularbasis. Talk to an investmentadvisor to help develop a planto make your savings grow.

It may take hard work andplanning, but having themoney available to give youthe life you truly desire is aworthwhile and reachable goal- and it's the true measure offinancial success.

Share your Money Tip: do you have a business/money idea, and you want to share it with our dear readers? Then, send it to: [email protected] or (text it to 08091904890)

the price of new clothes. You canreally find some great pieces ata fraction of the price and no onecan tell they are not brand new.

Keep those grocery fliers tocompare prices and only try tobuy things that are on sale. Iknow this does not always workwell as there could be some itemson sale you need at one store yetyou would have to go someminutes away in order to getothers, but within reason.

When ordering telephone,cable and internet services makethem work for your business.While their prices may alwaysseem set in stone, they notalways are. While this is nosecret, always be sure to payevery bill on time. Never payanything late. Interest chargeson everything from late bills toall bills just end up costing youmuch more money in the longrun, not to mention can tarnishyour credit rating.

Cut down on the energy usedin your home, replace light bulbswith more efficient ones, use a

programmable thermostat, andtake shorter showers and so on.

Instead of purchasinganything impulsively, write itdown and look at your list a daylater. Stores are great atmarketing and often catchpeople unguarded. If you are likemany, you may end up buyingsomething you really didn't needand may hardly even use.Waiting a day helps you todetermine if it a just an impulseor if it would be a good buy.

Ask yourself, do I haveenough money to actually buythis; if you answer not reallythan don't buy it, it is a simpleas that. Anyone tip is uses cashor cash equivalent instead ofcredit to keep a better eye onyour finances.

Finally, while this maysound counterproductive, don'tend up being a miser either. Doyour best to save money and livewithin your means, but don'tpinch every kobo so hard thatyou end up folding it in half.


Easter is hereChristians the world

over today arecelebrating Good

Friday, the first of the threedays of the Easter, markingthe crucifixion, death andresurrection of Jesus Christ,founder of the Christian faith.In Nigeria, it will be Easterstained by the blood of manyChristian faithful killed by themurderous Boko Haram sect,now joined by Ansaru.

However, the dark days andmonths building up to thiscelebration of the anniversaryof the birth of Jesus Christmust not be allowed to rob theoccasion of its essence. Whichis God's unmerited love for asinful mankind. Jesus Christwas the manifestation of thatlove. The Bible says that"Greater love has no man thanthis, that he lay down his lifefor his friends". [John 15.13]This is love that "passes all(human) understanding".

This is what Easter meansand Christians, wherever theyare, should remain upbeat andlet the joy of Easter overflowas never before. Jesus, beforehe died, said whoever wouldfollow him must carry his"own cross". He warned that

“However, Jesus' words ofassurance of victory over evil

are not a call to a life ofcareless abandon. No.

Without a doubt, these areharrowing times for allNigerians. For Nigerian

Christians, in particular, theycall for a recommitment to the

faith, for closeness to Godand prayers for the country

the Christian life would neverbe a bed of roses but one ofhardships, persecution,deprivation and even physicaldeath. "The world will hate youjust as it hated me", he said.

However, he said they shouldbe of "good cheer" because "I

have overcome the world". Heachieved this by succumbing todeath on the Cross of Calvary onGood Friday (today) and comingback to life on Easter Sunday,thereby scoring a gloriousvictory over Satan. Boko Haram,in spite of the seeminglyunstoppable destruction it is

wreaking, is already defeatedin the spiritual sense. Indeed,as Christ himself said, "do notbe afraid of those who kill thebody and after that can domore".

However, Jesus' words ofassurance of victory over evilare not a call to a life ofcareless abandon. No. Withouta doubt, these are harrowingtimes for all Nigerians. ForNigerian Christians, inparticular, they call for arecommitment to the faith, forcloseness to God and prayersfor the country.

They require that we showeven greater love for fellowcountry men and women,other compatriots who do notbelong in the Christian faith.Indeed, Christians must resistthe Devil's temptation toblame all Muslims for theirpresent travails. There aremillions of good, empatheticMuslims who detest BokoHaram as much as Christiansdo, if not more. These shouldbe embraced. Standingtogether they can defeat BokoHaram physically andspiritually.

Therefore, we say happyEaster

OUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSIONOUR MISSION OUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLEOUR PEOPLECHAIRMAN

MALAM WADA MAIDA, OON, FNGE

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

ALI M. ALI

MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION

HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

ACTING EDITOR, DAILY

HAMEED M. BELLO

ACTING EDITOR, WEEKEND

JAMILA NUHU MUSA

HEAD, ADVERT/MARKETING

HUSSAINI ABDULRAHMAN, CNA

HEAD, LAGOS BUREAU

ADESOJI OYINLOLA

“To be the marketplace of ideas and theleading player in the

industry by putting thepeople first, upholdingthe truth, maintaining

the highestprofessional andethical standards

while delivering valueto our stakeholders”

“To be a reputable,profitable,

innovative andtechnologically

reliant mediacompany offering

world classservices and

products”

OUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISION

DIRECTOR/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRUFA’I IBRAHIM

EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITORIALORIALORIALORIALORIAL


The expectations for goodgovernance were quitehigh when Nigeria

returned to the democraticsystem of government in 1999.Nigerians were looking forwardto reaping the dividends ofdemocracy. The narrative wasthat the military wasdelinquent, corrupt andunaccountable; and democracywould offer answers to criticalmatters such as unemployment,poverty, insecurity, absence ofbasic infrastructure, corruptionetc. Believing our politicians hadpicked a few lessons from thecatastrophe of the first, secondand third republics, we enteredthe fourth republic full of hope.

Fast forward fourteen yearslater and we are still searchingfor one key ingredient needed fordevelopment and nation build -quality leadership. It is true thatthe progress of any nation restson the stature or standard of itsleadership and how they canbring this to bear on the welfareof people of the nation. No nationcan enjoy lasting peace if hercitizens live in abject povertyparticularly if that nation isacknowledged as having theability and substantial means toprovide development andguarantee a good standard ofliving. Unfortunately, that is thetale of Nigeria. It is a tale of poorgovernance, insecurity andpoverty in the midst of plenty.

A former Minister of

Democracy and bad leadership in NigeriaEducation, Dr. Oby Ezekwesiliwhile speaking at the 42ndconvocation ceremony of theUniversity of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN) stated that $45 billion inforeign reserves and $22 billionin the Excess Crude Accountwere unaccounted for by theYar'Adua-Jonathanadministration. In defence of thisassertion, she challenged thePresident Jonathanadministration to a debate,which the presidency is yet toaccept. Neither did theadministration proffer credibleand coherent evidence to refuteher assertion.

Recently, the Presidentgranted pardon to the formerGovernor of Bayelsa State,Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and afew other persons. This puts a bigquestion mark on thisadministration's anti-corruptionstance and rhetoric. One can'thelp but wonder if democracy inNigeria is supposed to mean theopposite of accountability. Do wenow practice a democracy thatthrives on impunity?

Nigeria has enjoyed severalcycles of oil boom, but our rulershave in all ramifications failed toconvert oil income intodevelopment of human capitaland critical sectors such as thetransport, infrastructure,health, education, agriculture orinvestment in foreign assets asother resource-rich countrieshave done with their oil income.Rather, they have progressed incorruption and looting of public

funds. They introduced thepolitics of recycled successionwhere the first elected persons inthis so called democracy havepositioned themselves andrecycled themselves aroundtheir political interests. Thatphilosophy has made it grim foranybody, particularly youngpeople, to rise from outside andbecome anything significant inour political space withoutacquiescing to the role of godfathers.

When the leadership of anation persistently fails toachieve its primary obligation ofproviding safety and progress,and begins to struggle withpreserving security and orderwithin its territory and borders,such a leadership becomes a

threat to itself and the nation. Ademocratic society must separateits political power from itseconomic power. Some peoplemust be seen to clearly controlpolitical power without alsonecessarily having control ofeconomic power. This way, asynergetic correlation isfashioned. The political powercontainers know they have todeliver peace and stability andeffective infrastructure if theymust be buttressed by theeconomic power holders whoguarantee the being of thepolitical class through financingof campaigns and internaleconomic happenings thatprovide taxes to the government.

In Nigeria, the power of thepolitical class is determined by

By Simon Shanum how economically robust one isjust as one's economic position isdetermined by one's politicalpower. It is clear that the moreeconomically strong one is, themore politically powerful onebecomes, and vice versa. Thisclarifies why our democracy justwould not work. The rich andpowerful will do whatever it takesto have, control and continue inpower because, to them, it is theunquestionable way to moreeconomic breakthrough. Since aclearly distinct separation cannotbe made between the Nigerianpolitical class and the economicclass, individuals at the rudder ofaffairs do not feel grateful orobligated to any other class. So,the absence of the middleeconomic class, who by strategyof true democracy forces thepolitical class to convey goodgovernance, permits the politicalclass to eat their cake and haveit.

We are progressively sick andworn-out of a democracy thathas demonstrated to be worsethan the military. If the politicalrulers linger in their ride ofcorruption, misrule, looting andfailure to protect the citizen of itsnation, the rising tendency tosurvive without the governmentwill push the society furtherapart. In the end, it will serveneither the government nor thepeople.

Simon SylvesterShanum is a 300 Levelstudent of Political Scienceat the University of Abuja

Appointments and pardons: What is our benchmark?

I changed the title of thisarticle midway, from"Presidential Pardons and

Appointments - What is ourbenchmark?", to its present title,which I consider moreappropriate, as the President isnot alone in this. He is not alonein appointing or pardoning hiskith and kin. We simply do nothave benchmarks for makingappointments in Nigeria, andthis cuts across parties, whetherACN or PDP, CPC, APC, ASPIRIN,CODEINE or PHENSIC. It is ageneral malaise plaguing thecountry that appointments arebased, not usually on merit (Idon't mean paper qualifications),but on who you know, or 'manknow man', or based on familyties or patronage. Manyexamples abound all over thecountry. There is the case of asole proprietor of a Political party,who single-handedly decides whobecomes Governor orCommissioner or electedrepresentative. This same soleproprietor has no qualms in alsoselecting his kith and kin,including his wife, children andin-laws into the Government orthe National Assembly. Thesetypes of appointments are knownas NEPOTISM! And NEPOTISMis a form of corruption, and aproduct of a corrupt mind!

There is also the case of aGovernor in the Southwest who

has a penchant for appointingchildren of famous people into hisGovernment as Commissionersand advisers. Theseappointments were never basedon records of THEIR OWNPERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS,but on their parent'sachievements. These areappointments based onpatronage.

Another bizarre one was theappointment of the President'swife as a perm secretary, withoutQUALIFICATIONS. By this, Imean, a thoroughbred, on the jobEXPERIENCE! I am not afraid toexpose or say these things, andhope someone from the northernregion would equally exposesimilar cases, as I have doneabout the few examples that Iknow of. The President is equallyguilty of this, albeit, to a lesserextent or degree, by hisappointment of Mrs Bianca OnohOjukwu as Ambassador of Spain.I have written about this before,and explained my concernsabout the appointment. I did notbelieve she had the requisiteexperience or had the basicminimum, which should includespeaking Spanish. I doubt theBritish Government wouldappoint a person as Ambassadorthat is not even fluent in theLanguage of the host country, asa minimum requirement.Imagine if the British HighCommissioner to Nigeria needsan interpreter to communicate.

What is the point? It wouldinvolve unnecessary extra cost tohire interpreters. Of what use isit to appoint a person anambassador of a country, whocan't even read their newspapersor understand their news?

My concern is not personal. Idon't know her at all. However, Iam not sure that she has everbeen in a position where she hadto manage or supervise morethan 10 people before, in a workenvironment, how much more,an Embassy, with numerousaides and staff, including careerdiplomats. I stand to be correctedif I am wrong. Maybe I wouldn'thave minded much, if she wasposted to head a mission, likeGambia, or another smallcountry, before being posted to amajor European country likeSpain. I have no issue also withthe President rewarding her(another form of patronage) forthe support that her husband'sparty gave him during the 2011elections. That is politics!

I'll give an example of a fineand right appointment. Until SirChristopher Kolade, a superadministrator, was posted to theNigerian High Commission, didsystems begin to improve there.I had cause to visit the HighCommission before and after histenure, and the difference was asclear as daylight and darkness.Before his time, the Commissionwas a complete contrast from therest of the British society. An

experience in there, used to seemlike one was back in Nigeria, andI always used to wonder whetherthe staff do not mix or go out intothe British society, like go to thebanks and the stores? I used towonder whether they do not seehow customer service is deliveredso that they too could emulatethese good standards andpractices. But with Kolade, theHigh Commission changed andbecame a different place. On mylast visit there, last year, I feltproud being a Nigerian, andopenly commended the systems,which is now just a shadedifferent from the rest of Britain.This is the product of appointingthe right persons or people intopositions.

Appointing people withoutthe requisite experience or skills,or appointing those that have ahistory of failures is not good forthe country. This is the same asappointing people because ofpolitical patronage. This willonly spell mediocrity andineptitude and bring about moreinefficiency. It is tantamount toputting square pegs in roundholes. It would not work".

Moving to the issue of 'pardon',the recent Presidential pardoncomes to mind. I was one of thestrongest critics of the 'pardon'(and still am). But havinglistened to arguments from theother side, one can begin to see amuch bigger picture. The otherside argues thus, 'Why is it that

only Alams (pardon me for notbeing able to spell his mouthfulname) was convicted out of all thecorrupt governors (about 31 ofthem) indicted by Ribadu's EFCC?'Fair point! Some argue that 'ifthe Nigerian society has pardonedthose other corrupt people, andothers that have found their wayinto parliament, why shouldn'tthe President pardon Alams (hisconfessed mentor)?' Another fairpoint! Others have also pointedout and even asked me, 'If I wasthe President, and I see suchinjustice (or selective Justice)meted to my 'person' or my own,would I not right this INJUSTICEor SELECTIVE JUSTICE?' Fairquestion!

The last question actuallythrew me off guard, and mademe think very hard! Yes, Ithought very deep and hard. Abigger question arising from thatis, 'IS SELECTIVE JUSTICEINJUSTICE'? Yes, I see the pointsand merits in the argument thatthese people seem to be making.However, my benchmark wouldnot permit me to use a wrong tocorrect another wrong. Twowrongs do not ever make a rightin my books! My benchmark of'NO SCAPEGOATS and NOSACRED-COWS' would not allowme to pardon Alams, even if hewere my son or brother. I willleave the pardon to someone else,if at all!Osi Okponobi is reachable [email protected]

By Osi Okponobi

In Nigeria, the power of the politicalclass is determined by how economically

robust one is just as one's economicposition is determined by one's political

power. It is clear that the moreeconomically strong one is, the more

politically powerful one becomes, and viceversa. This clarifies why our democracy

just would not work

“


I am surprised that I have notread in any media, local orinternational, about efforts

by the Nigerian government tohelp two Nigerian students whohave been on a deportation list inCanada for a 'crime' that makesmockery of the very ideals thatwestern societies pridethemselves on - hard work.Victoria Ordu and IhuomaAmadi, 20 and 21 respectively,have been holed up in thebasement of a church in Canada -not for document forgery. No, notfor 419, internet scam or fakemarriage, but for attempting towork and earn decent stipends toaugment what they get fromhome.

The news media in Canadahas been awash with the reportssince June 2012 when the twoUniversity of Regina studentstook refuge in a church hopingthat the Canadian authoritieswill forgive them for working inWalmart for two weeks. Theissue here is that the student visathey carry permits them to workon campus but not outside. Thestudents have in their variousinterviews stated that theystopped the Walmart jobsimmediately they became awareof the restriction. But theCanada authorities have simplyrefused to budge.

Maybe the situation haslingered because of the greencolour of the passport they carry.I doubt that the Canadianauthorities would have held theirgrounds the way they've done foralmost a year now if these two

students wereAmericans,Indians,Chinese or evenSouth Africans.As one born ofNigerianparents in theUS, I have theprivilege ofknowing how itfeels travelingwith theNigerianpassport andthat of the US.

It isinstructive thatwhile Walmartthat employedthe students have gone withoutany rebuke from thegovernment, these two youngladies have remained imprisonedin a church basement for morethan nine months now without

By Funmi Macaulay

Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, textmessages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written

contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name anda valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed

to:

The Editor,Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza,

35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.Email: [email protected]

SMS: 08097530639

WRITE TO USgiven thebenefit of thedoubt, while thestudentsweren't," saidMichelleStewart, one ofthe Canadianscampaigningfor the release ofthe twoNigerians. "Themost commonresponse to thistype ofinfraction is afine of $320,"said Stewart."This is Canada,

Akume's trial by the mediaIt all started with a newsstory written by Tobi Soniyiand carried by the Thisday

Newspaper of February 16 thisyear. According to the report, theformer governor of Benue stateand Senator representing BenueNorth-West Senatorial District ofthe state, George Akume hasbeen dragged before a FederalHigh Court in Abuja over allegedforgery of his West AfricanExamination Council WAECcertificate.

The plaintiff, Phillip Agbesethrough his counsel, AmobiNzelu is praying for a declarationthat Akume did not possess thecertificate number SCO 39633allegedly issued to him byGovernment Secondary SchoolOturkpo, Benue State in 1971.

Joined in the suit are WAEC,the Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC),Inspector General of Police andthe National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) as 2nd to 5th defendants.

The plaintiff also asked thecourt to declare that whateverdocuments that were presentedto INEC by Akume consequentupon which he was cleared tocontest the gubernatorialelection in Benue state especiallythe West African Certificate NoSCO 39633 and the Universityof Ibadan certificate and NYSCdischarge certificate No. 043655were false. He also wanted adeclaration that the senatorialseat of Benue North-Westsenatorial district of Benue state

being occupied by Akume wasvacant having not possessed therequisite qualification to contestfor the said position.

Legally, the media is givenunfettered access to court recordsand proceedings. In fact, themedia is protected againstprosecution when it reports courtproceedings and reports themaccurately. However, as will beshown herein, the Thisdayreporter jumped the gun, thusmaking the newspaperactionable for libel.

Since the publication of thatreport, the Senator has beendocked, not by the courts of lawbut by the Nigerian media. On18th February the Pilotnewspaper in a dubious reportalleged that the leadership of theSenate was making moves tosuspend Senator Akume asMinority leader until he is able toclear the allegations hanging onhis head. It should be made clearthat at no point did the Senate orthe Minority Leadershipcontemplate removing SenatorAkume from his position overthese allegations, so the Pilotnewspaper lied.

The Senator reacted to thebarrage of press attacks bypublishing in the Peoples Daily,Daily Trust, Nation and ThisDaycopies of his credentials fromsecondary to the universitylevel. The publications were

carried as one full-pageadvertisement in each of thesepapers. We thought this wouldput the public argument to restand those who have proof thatthe man forged his certificatewould stick to the law courtswhere they had gone in the firstinstance to prove their case. Alas,we were wrong.

On February 26, a group thatcalled itself the Youth wing of theAll Progressives Congress, (APC)took the case of the allegedcertificate forgery to theentrance of the NationalAssembly. The group toldjournalists that they wrote aletter to Akume and copied theSenate President David Mark,National Leaders of ACP, GeneralMuhammadu Buhari, AsiwajuBola Ahmed and ACP Senators,calling on Akume to resign hisposition as the voice of theopposition in the NationalAssembly to clear his name inthe allegation raised against himbefore a Federal High Court inAbuja.

Amazingly, as I write,Senator Akume has not receivedthe letter purportedly sent tohim by this "APC youth wing."My information is that noSenator, including SenatePresident David Mark,Muhammadu Buhari andAsiwaju Ahmed Tinubu hasreceived any copy of this letter.

This group, which does not exist,did not have a letter for anybody.The hungry young men wereapparently paid to come andmake some noise to capturemedia coverage, which they did.

The final assault of the trialby media came between 18 and19 of March in the Peoples Daily,Blueprint and Daily Trust. Writingunder different headlines withdifferent bylines, the threenewspapers recycled an articlethat was planted in them. It isamazing how otherwiserespectable newspapers like thethree mentioned could beswindled the way it happened.The article is a word-by-word artof plagiarism! It indeed is adisgrace to journalism.

As earlier mentioned, SenatorAkume had published in PeoplesDaily and Daily Trust copies of hiscertificates. Unfortunately, thesetwo newspapers, since theyreproduced what was an alreadywritten script failed to mentionthat the Distinguished Senatorhad offered an explanation intheir papers with a publication ofcopies of his certificates.

On the 21st of March whenthe case came up, the plaintiffand his lawyer were not evenpresent in the court. The lawyerwho filed the case, Amobi Nzeluwas reported to be sick and he didnot even properly brief the otherlawyer who showed up in his

By Beckie Orpin

place. Whereas they had giventhe public the impression thatthe trial would begin, they hadnot made any efforts to serve thedefendants in the case with thesummons. The lawyer who stoodin for the plaintiff applied for anadjournment to enable himserve the defendants.

The mischief did not endthere. The shocker is that thesame lawyer who is enmeshed inthe attempted registration of thenow infamous African People'sCongress " APC" with INEC is thesame man who was eventuallyhanded the plaintiff's case onbehalf of his "sick learnedcolleague". Barrister SamuelChinedu Nwokorie has suddenlybecome hotcake indeed. This factmakes the handwriting on thewall very clear. Who is afraid ofSenator George Akume and theAll Progressive Congress!

The Akume certificate issue isa case study of how the mediacould be hoodwinked andmisguided to mislead the public.The facts of his case are clear andwe are sure the courts will acquithim. On the other hand, if somemedia houses are not careful,they may soon become willingtools in the hands of peddlers oflies.Beckie Orpin is SpecialAssistant on Media &Constituency to SenatorGeorge Akume

Jonathan, please, save Victoria and Ihuoma

knowing what day light lookslike. While immigrationauthorities accepted thatWalmart had made an honestmistake in their hiring practices,the same leniency wasn't grantedto the students. "Walmart was

but it feels like hell for us,"Ihuoma said in an interviewwith CBS Canada. "We feelforgotten here, nothing ishappening at all."

Friends and well-wishers ofthese two students have in the

last nine months mountedpressure on the Canadiangovernment, but not much hasbeen achieved. I have beeninvolved in the social mediacampaign to drum support forthese innocent youngNigerians, but much as theprotests on and off linecontinues to grow, theCanadian authorities haveremained hard-heartened.

Canada has strong traderelations with Nigeria and ishoping to grow its economicpresence in the country as aspringboard to reach the rest ofAfrica. Being Canada's largesttrading partner in sub-SaharanAfrica should serve as anincentive in extracting the rightgovernment action in diplomaticmatters like this. This is the timefor Nigeria to flex somediplomatic and economicmuscles. I remember when thereclusive North Koreangovernment arrested two USjournalists and sentenced themto 12 years imprisonment withhard labour for illegally enteringthe country. President Obamasent former president Clinton tothe country and in 24 hoursthose two lady journalists werereleased to join their families.Nigeria, by virtue of its economicand strategic might, can achievesimilar result when efforts aremade from the top.

I expect President Jonathan'sgovernment to act now. Please,save Victoria and Ihuoma fromwhat their lawyer has describedas 'honest mistake'.Ms Funmi Macaulay wrote infrom New York

“Being Canada's largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africashould serve as an incentive in extracting the right government

action in diplomatic matters like this. This is the time for Nigeria toflex some diplomatic and economic muscles. I remember when thereclusive North Korean government arrested two US journalists and

sentenced them to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour forillegally entering the country. President Obama sent former

president Clinton to the country and in 24 hours those two ladyjournalists were released to join their families


Achebe: Africa's voice, Nigeria's conscienceI grew up under my

grandfather's ancient peartree in the Nigerian village of

Uwessan. The tree's roots weremassive and its leaves shielded usfrom hot tropical sun while weplayed soccer. Elders also used itas shade while drinking palmwine and telling hunting tales inthe evening. We sometimesclimbed a low branch to set wire-traps and catch birds. When adead branch broke off, it becamefirewood. Most important, thetree was a major cash crop formy grandfather, who sold itsfruits to traders from far away.

Chinua Achebe, the Nigerianwriter who died last week, was asimilarly rich resource for anentire generation of Nigerians.He meant different things todifferent people, but he was firstand foremost a writer whom weall grew up to respect. We wereraised on Mr. Achebe's stories. Hisfame spread through towns andvillages across Nigeria and evenbeyond. I first encountered himat the age of 10 through thepages of "Chike and the River," achildren's storybook. Mr. Achebelater became a regular staple atevery step of my educationaljourney.

In secondary school, hismasterpiece "Things Fall Apart"was a recommended text. Myolder siblings had read the noveland passed down the story and aworn-out copy to me. One of myolder sisters had warned me thatsome parts of the book were sotragic I would cry. I never knewuntil then that written wordscould elicit such emotions. Whenyou grew up in a village likemine, not many books hadfamiliar characters, setting ordiction like Mr. Achebe's.

His use of parables andproverbs brought his writinghome for me, because they weresayings I heard every day as avillager. In my undergrad days

as an English and literaturemajor, we were asked to writelong essays on him and his works.Throughout the four years in thedepartment, most of us had readhim so much we felt we knewhim personally.

I finally met Mr. Achebe inperson years later in New York.When he entered the room,everybody froze in reverence. Hewas not a physical giant with abooming voice. He was a gentleneedle that sewed tatteredclothes, a minuscule scorpion'stail that packed venom. Heanswered every question withthe precision of a sniper. He was aman who spoke gently, yet hewas a writer "in whose company

the prison walls fell down," asNelson Mandela said.

Mr. Achebe was a source ofpride to many Nigerians, anelder we could point to when theworld laughed at ourshortcomings. We often invokedhis name like that of a fierce god.Beyond his literary prowess, Mr.Achebe was known to stand forwhat he believed in. When thosewho did not know the Africanstory told it to glorify themselves,he rose like a lion and thwartedthe hunter's tales with truth. Notonly did he fight back against themistelling of our story by whiteexplorers; he equipped otherwriters to do the same. Withfiction and nonfiction, he helped

By Victor Ehikhamenor us deride colonialism. He went tothe front lines of the Biafran warin the late 1960s and served asan ambassador for the short-lived breakaway republic whenhe felt the need to side with hisfellow Ibos in their unsuccessfulfight for independence.

He also addressed corruptionhead on, teaching youngerNigerians not to be hungry to thepoint of selling our birthrights.His soul and conscience werenonnegotiable. He turned downNigeria's national honors twicebecause he was one who believedan elder should not eat his mealatop a heap of malodorousrubbish. Mr. Achebe was a gentlerebel who refused to shake thenecrotic outstretched hands ofcorrupt leaders. He was an oldbreed, a wise man from adifferent generation who couldnot stand the wanton looting ofNigeria's public coffers. He wouldhave loved to spend his twilightyears among his own peopleinstead of in America. With thebastardization of a nation he wasonce proud of by kleptocraticmilitary and civilian rulers, theold man had no country toreturn to alive. Victor Ehikhamenor, awriter and visual artist, isthe author of "Excuse Me"

“ I finally met Mr. Achebe in person years later in New York.When he entered the room, everybody froze in reverence. He

was not a physical giant with a booming voice. He was agentle needle that sewed tattered clothes, a minusculescorpion's tail that packed venom. He answered every

question with the precision of a sniper

There is a popular sayingused by the Tiv people ofBenue State, Nigeria that

"Or timin nguhar veren a verpe timin nguhar ga". Looselytranslated it means "he wholimps does not choose where tolimp"; he limps in the valley asmuch as he limps on the hill,limps at home as well asabroad; wherever he goes, helimps. The Federal Ministry ofAgriculture and RuralDevelopment (FMARD) acouple of weeks back enjoyedprominent media attentionover its plan to 'facilitate'ownership of mobile phones byten million poor Nigerianfarmers (since the Ministrysaid it is not buying anddistributing phones, I guess theword 'facilitate' will do fornow).

I listened first hand to theminister on TV as hepassionately reeled out some ofthe benefits of the project to thepoor farmers who (in hiswords) "are not on facebook orthe internet". It was socaptivating I almost drooled onmyself as I listened to him; itsounded so good. At a pointduring the interview, Iswitched to fantasy modevisualizing the benefits such aproject will bring the poorNigerian farmer. It felt so gooduntil one 'senseless' commentcropped up in my head; "theplanning, visualising,conceptualising is usually verygood, it is the implementingthat is the problem!" Oh myGod, not now! Why do these

thoughts keep crashing andspoiling parties? I decided tocheck up on the Minister andhis Ministry to see if he can doall he says he will do; givefarmers fertilizer, seeds etcthrough their phone; link themto tractor hiring agencies usingtheir phones; give them tips onnew farming technique, givethem information on themarket value of their farmproduce etc.

Since the phone for farmersproject or e-wallet project isinformation technologydriven, I looked for one place Icould check how the Ministryof Agriculture is doing IT-wise,and what better place to checkthan the Ministry's websitewww.fmard.org? Normally,most government agencies usegov.ng (www.fmard.gov.ng);when I tried it, I was redirected

to www.fmard.org. What I sawon the site didn't disappointme! Not because it was ok, butbecause it was not, and I wasn'texpecting it to be (noexpectation, nodisappointment).

The following are myfindings on the website: Thelatest news item on thescrolling "Latest News" bar wasupdated 26 September, 2012(First TEF Fellow Resumes atMinistry of Agriculture). TheFMARD News (bottom left offront page) has "Oyemomiurges agric ministry staff toremain productive, peaceful"as its latest entry on 1November 2012. I could stickwith these two and close mycase; what can be more "latest"on a webpage than news?However, I took the pains toexplore further, hoping against

hope that at least one post willshow up later than November2012. I found NONE!

In the Media Room, thelatest NEWS was the one of 1November 2012 (listed above);The VIDEOS link didn't work (itcouldn't open); the latestMEDIA RELEASE was on 04September 2012 (Adesina - wewon't lower tariff on crudepalm oil); EVENTS link openeda blank calendar; PHOTOS hadthe latest entry on 24September 2012 (the Ministeraddressing participants at theICRISAT 40th AnniversarySymposium). I could give upnow, but with the last strengthand hope I opened theKnowledgebase page; the latestentry (semen of animals) wasnot dated, I couldn't tell its age.I am done with the site, I left.

What this means is, sincethis year 2013 began inJanuary and now we arealmost closing shop for March,the Ministry's site has not beenupdated. Is this how 'regular'the Ministry will be updatingthe knowledge base of farmersor sending new farming tips tothem?

I don't have any problemwith giving phones to farmers(jeeps are given to those withenough cars already; Mr Biggsmoney given to those alreadyconstipated; we are known formisplaced priorities, poundingyams before grinding the egusifor the soup), but I amseriously concerned, worriedand wondering whether thistoo will become one of themany abandoned initiatives;and seriously, going by the

Why the farmer's phone may perish like others before itBy Amene Ter'Hemen way the Ministry treats its site

I may not have a long time towonder. Besides, the dayanother minister enters thatoffice Nigerian farmers hadbetter blow e-wallet a goodbyekiss. We know Nigeriansleaders hardly continue withtheir predecessor's projects.

How can we trust aministry to regularly sourcefor information and facts toupdate farmers' knowledge andskills on new farmingtechniques, prices of farmproduce, accessing form input,etc when it cannot regularlyupdate its website with eventhe activities it (the ministry)does?

It has long been observedthat the issue with Nigeria isnot in project planning andinitiation, but the successfulimplementation. The FederalMinistry of Agriculture cannotand should not choose to 'limp'on farmers' phones only. If theMinister of Agriculture andRural Development, Dr.Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesinawants Nigerians to believe hecan pull this through, heshould start by showingNigerians how serious he is byregularly updating theMinistry's website. The way toshow us you can regularly feedfarmers with tips and updateson their phones is when youcan regularly update your site.Until then, I would cross myfingers as I count this as yetanother drain pipe of thenations "scarce" resources.Amene Ter'Hemen isreachable onwww.facebook.com

How can we trust a ministry toregularly source for information andfacts to update farmers' knowledge

and skills on new farming techniques,prices of farm produce, accessing

form input, etc when it cannotregularly update its website with eventhe activities it (the ministry) does?

“


Following the suspensionletter issued to Etsu ofKwali, Alhaji Shaban

Audu Nizazo (III) on theFebruary, 25th, 2013 by theChairman of Kwali Area Councilof the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Hon. Joseph K. Shazin,the Etsu of Kwali has said thatthe chairman has no right tosuspend him, stating that hispresence at the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)Chairmanship flag-off in Kwalishould not be a subject to mysuspension because the othertraditional rulers attended.

He explained that thechairman suspended him out ofignorance because he did notfollow the laid down rules andregulations guiding thetraditional institution of KwaliArea Council.

Audu Nizazo III, who statedthis in an interview with PeoplesDaily in his palace in Kwali,accused the chairman ofdisrespecting the traditions andcustoms of the people of Kwali.

According to the monarch,the chairman gave the threereasons for his suspension whichincludes; that I attended thePDP Flagg – off campaign whichtook place at Kwali on theFebruary,21st, 2013, that Irefused to attend the securitymeeting of the council and thatI made false allegation overinsecurity during the INECstakeholders’ meeting.

His words: my presence atthe PDP Chairmanship flag-offin Kwali should not be a subjectto my suspension because theother traditional rulersattended the PDP campaignflag-off in their respective areacouncils to receive the FCTminister, saying that his own

Kwali Chairman has no rightto suspend me, says monarch

The Federal CapitalT e r r i t o r yAdministration (FCTA)

under Senator BalaMohammed has assuredresidents that they remainfirmly committed to thedelivery of good governanceto the people through theprovision of basicinfrastructure and servicessuch as water, amongstothers

The Minister furtherassured that above al lsecurity of lives and propertyin and around the entireTerritory in accordance withthe Transformation Agendaof President Goodluck EbeleJonathan.

He called on the generalpublic, especial ly theresidents of FCT to ignore thefalsehoods being orchestratedand spread by these elementsthrough their dubious fliersand unwarranted alarms.

The attention of the FCTAdministration has beendrawn to the diversionaryactivities of some disgruntledelements scheming toblackmail the FCTAdministration and theperson of the HonourableMinister of FCT, Senator BalaMohammed throughcirculation of malicious fliers.

While the FCTAdministration andparticularly the Hon.Minister acknowledge theright of individuals to expresstheir views freely, theAdministration will not bowto blackmail.

For the avoidance ofdoubt, the FCTAdministration underSenator Mohammed will notbe deterred by the antics ofthose who are driven byself ish motives and blindambition to malign innocentpeople.

FCTA assuresresidents onprovision ofbasicinfrastructure

presence at the rally should notbe exceptional.

He recalled that thechairman had one timeremoved Chief of Wako villageand him from participating inthe council security meeting forover six months.

The monarch applauded theFCT minister, Senator BalaMohammed for his promptresponse over the suspensionsaying that the minister hadinstructed him to carry out hisactivities as the Etsu of Kwali.

He explained that when theminister read the suspensionletter he wrote a letter to thecouncil, saying that thechairman has no audacity tosuspend the chief.

In his response, theChairman of Kwali Area Council,Hon. Joseph K. Shazin, said thatthe chief was suspended based onthe utterances during the INECstakeholders meeting.

Meanwhile, some of theresidents who reacted to thesuspension of Etsu Kwali, accusedthe council chairman oftempering with the traditionalinstitution of Kwali, they saidthat the ancestors of Kwali wouldnet forgive the chairman.

Residents of Kubwa in theFederal CapitalTerritory have

complained about the manner inwhich electricity is rationed intheir area particularly duringthe heat period, calling on thepower Holding Company ofNigeria (PHCN) and the Ministerof FCT to come to their aide .

Mr. Isaac Onah,a residents ofKubwa village are finding itdifficult to cope with the rate of

power supplied and alsocomplained of bad roads andwater scarcity in somecommunities in the area.

Onah said most houses in thearea are on two days on and oneday off. He said during theperiod of two days on, electricityis not always constant, addingthat most houses have no meter.

He said tenants are alwaysshocked to see high electricitybills and wonder how suchcalculations are done withoutmeters.

The residents, appealed to the

Hot weather: Kubwa residents decry lack of electricity

A young woman hawking soft drinks yesterday at Asokoro, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Adeola Tukuru

Alhaji Shabam Audu Nizazo III,Etsu of Kwali. Photo: UsmanShuaibu

Power Holding Company ofNigeria to ensure constantelectricity for security purposes.

Another residents in PipelineExtention 2, George Oke,explained that few days ago dueto power outage in his area, agroup of hoodlums stormed hisapartment and made awaywith his car battery.

Some residents of Kubwavillage also complained of badroads and improper waterdrainage systems, which theysaid, recently caused flooding atGbazango part of Kubwa.

An Abuja based artist, MrOnoniwu George hascalled on Nigerians to

harness the potential in poetry insolving challenges in the society.

George, a painter, singer andpoet told the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) that poets wereworld leaders because theyproduced ideas that broughtdevelopment to the society.

“Poets compress ideals in words.The society must look up to poets forsolutions to problems of the nationbecause ideas rule the world.

“Poetry is a compression ofthoughts in words. If the societybegins to harness the potential wehave in poetry in Nigeria, all ourproblems will be solved.

“Not everybody thinks in oursociety. Most people express otherpeople’s thoughts. Those who think,think up ideals and the rest followup the ideas blindly.

“The society must look up topoets for solutions to problems of ournation because they think up ideasthat build government policies of acountry.’’ (NAN)

Abuja based artist advocates use ofpoetry to solve societal challenges

By Usman Shuaibu

By Adeola Tukru


Seven workers of an Abuja-based company, DemmoAluminium Energy

Resources Ltd, were docked be aKaru Chief Magistrates Court forallegedly stealing buildingmaterials valued at N7.4 million.

The materials includealuminium coils and Brazilianfelt.

The accused are IbrahimAbdulmumuni, 27 (Manager);

Obasonjo Akadara, 32 andAkachukwu Joseph, 28.

Others are Tolorunoba Sayepe,38; Mohammed Bako, 30(security guard); Mayowa Are,23 and Mohammed Ishiaku, 22.

The police prosecutor, Sgt.Abiola Oyewusi, told the courtthat on Oct. 28, 2012,Abdulmumuni conspired withothers and handed over thefactory keys to the fifth accused

Seven company workers in courtover N7.4m theft (Bako).

“Bako in turn gave the keys toone Vincent Nnajiefe who is nowat large. They carted away eightrolls of aluminium coils and someBrazilian felt worth N7.4 million,“ he alleged.

The prosecutor also allegedthat Bako confessed that he wasgiven N500,000 as his share inthe deal.

In addition, Oyewusi told thecourt that the offencecontravened the provisions of the

Penal Code.The accused persons pleaded

not guilty to the charge.The Chief Magistrate, Mrs

Hadiza Dodo, granted them bailin N500,000 each and onesurety in like sum.

She ordered that each suretymust have a reasonable meansof livelihood, reside within thejurisdiction of the court and alsoswear to an affidavit of means.

Dodo adjourned the case toApril 7, 2013 for hearing. (NAN)

INSIDE FCTCOURTS

One Anthony Ugashi, a33-year -old laborer ofSahara Dabo Estate,

Abuja was yesterday arraignedbefore an Abuja MagistratesCourt for alleged criminal force,assault and theft.

The accused was said to havecommitted the offence on March

19, 2013.The Police Prosecutor, Cpl.

Simon Emmanuel, told the courtthat one Attah Sunday of SaharaDabo Estate, Abuja reported thecase at the Life Camp PoliceStation on March 19, 2013.

Emmanuel said that on thesame date, while the

complainant was asleep in hisbrother’s house at Sahara Estate,the accused broke into his room.

He said the accused woke himup and engaged him in a fight;in the process, the complainantsustained injury in his mouth,adding that the accused also soldthe complainant’s phone, valued

at N30,000.The prosecutor said the

offence contravened theprovisions of sections 265 and288 of the Penal Code.

The accused, however,pleaded not guilty to thecharges.

The Magistrate, Mr. AbolajiAbdulateef, granted the accusedbail in the sum of N10, 000 withone surety in like sum.

Abdulateef ordered that thesurety must reside within thejurisdiction of the court, with atraceable and verifiable workaddress.

He said the surety should alsodeposit his driver’s licence andadjourned the case to April 8,2013 for further hearing. (NAN)

Labourer in court over assaultAn Abuja Magistrates

Court has sentenced amechanic, one Bummi

Akinyemi, 34, of Gwagwa, to twoweeks imprisonment for recklessdriving and failure to obey the trafficwarden.

Magistrate Abdulateef Abolaji,who convicted Akinyemi, after hepleaded guilty, however, gave himan option to pay a fine of N2, 000.

Ealier, the Police Prosecutor, MrSimon Emmanuel, had told thecourt that on March 22, the accuseddrove in a reckless manner,disobeyed the traffic warden,which almost led to an auto crash.

The prosecutor said the offencecontravened Section 28 of the RoadTraffic Act.

The section statesthat“direction indicators intendedto intimate a right-hand turn shallbe fitted on the right or near side, anddirection indicator intended tointimate left hand turn shall be fittedonly on the left side or side of thevehicle’’. (NAN)

Court sentencesmechanic to 2weeksimprisonment forreckless driving

An Abuja SeniorMagistrates Court hassentenced a 28-year-old

Dauda Kashim, to one yearimprisonment for stealing two cellphones in a mosque.

Senior Magistrate Idaiyat Akanni, who sentenced the convict,

Man jailed for stealing 2 phones in a mosquedid not give him an option of fine.

Akanni said although theconvict pleaded for leniency, hemust be punished to serve asdeterrent to others.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr SimonEmmanuel, told the court that oneSalisu Sani and Isah Zaria, all of Kado

village, Abuja, reported the case tothe Life Camp police station onMarch 27.

Emmanuel said that the convict,of Kado village, stole the phones, eachvalued at N5, 000, from thecomplainants in the mosque whilethey were praying. (NAN)


Security check-point along Kubwa- Zuba Expressway causing traffic hold up, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Easter: Spread the gospel of peaceand love, FCT minister urges residentsBy Adeola Tukuru

The FCT Minister, SenatorBala Mohammed hascalled on the residents of

the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) to spread the gospel oflove, sacrifice, tolerance andpeaceful co-existence as theWorld celebrates this year'sEaster.

The Minister made this callin his Easter Message asChristians all over the Worldcommemorate the Crucifixionand Resurrection of the Lord,Jesus Christ.

Senator Mohammedcongratulated the residents,

particularly the Christians onthis auspicious occasion andnoted that the celebration callsfor sober reflection as well asemulating the exemplary life ofJesus Christ.

The Minister chargedresidents of the Federal CapitalTerritory to rededicatethemselves to the service of Godand humanity to make theworld a better place than wemet it.

Senator Mohammedexpressed gratitude to God forthe privilege and mercy He hasgranted us in FCT to join otherChristians around the globe tocommemorate this

providential day in anatmosphere of peace andtranquility.

He used the occasion toappeal to all residents of theFederal Capital Territory tocontinue to be their brothers'keepers, irrespective of ourreligious belief.

The Minister enjoinedresidents to continue tosupplicate to God for peace andprosperity to reign in our dearnation especially with thecurrent security challengesthe country is facing.

"As you pray for the nation,I enjoin you to also pray for itsleadership, for God to continue

to guide, protect and give thePresident, Dr. Goodluck EbeleJonathan [GCFR] the strengthand the wisdom to steer theaffairs of state, so that he willjudiciously implement theTransformation Agenda of theFederal Government," heemphasized.

Senator Mohammedassured that the FCTAdministration incollaboration with the securityagencies are more than evercommitted in protecting thelives and property of all theresidents of the Territory.

He advised residents to besecurity conscious and always

report any suspiciousmovement to the lawenforcement agents, assecurity is everybody'sbusiness.

Easter: Akinjidetasks residentsto pray forNigeria

The Minister of State forFederal Capital Territory,Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide,

yesterday urged Nigerians toremain steadfast in offeringprayers for the country and theleaders.

The minister, who stated thisin Abuja in her Easter message toresidents of the Federal CapitalTerritory, also advised Nigeriansto rededicate themselves to theservice of God, the nation andhumanity.

She enjoined Nigerians todemonstrate love and genuinecare for one another in the truespirit of Easter as well as imbibethe lessons of peace, selflessnessand sacrifice for the common goodof the nation.

"Easter is all about sacrifice,hope, love and peace. Our LordJesus Christ gave his life a ransomfor us. Let this spirit of selflessnessthat was in Christ spur us togreater love for one another andrenew our faith in our nation.

"Christians and Nigeriansshould use this period of Easter topray for the sustenance ofNigeria's unity. We also need torededicate ourselves to theservice of God and mankind inline with the examples set byJesus Christ," the ministercounseled.

Akinjide, who oversees theArea Councils and Satellite Townsin the FCT, further advisedresidents of the nation's capitalto live in harmony and eschewacrimony.

She assured that the FCTAdministration would continueto execute programmes andprojects that would impactpositively on the lives of thepeople.

"Our resolve is to continue toimplement policies andprogrammes that will benefit theresidents of FCT," she added.

Man, 28, incourt overalleged theftof N1.3m

The pol ice yesterdayarraigned oneEmmanuel Zarandas,

28, of Gwarimpa in Abuja,before a Wuse Zone TwoSenior Magistrates' Court foran al leged theft of N1.3mil l ion.

The prosecutor, Mr JohnIjoga, said James Ugbeda ofIter Furniture Limited, ZoneSix Industr ia l Distr ict ,reported the case at the ForceCriminal Invest igat ionDepartment Abuja on March2 2 .

``On the same date,Ugbeda had gone to the FirstBank branch at CentralBusiness District in Abuja todeposit some money and heparked his Toyota Camryvehicle outside the bank.

``After he had paid N50for parking his vehicle withregistration number GX 458ABC, he still pleaded with theaccused to help him watchover the vehic le t i l l hereturned.

``However, Zarandasdishonest ly broke thedriver's side glass of Ugbeda'scar and stole N1.3 mil l ionwhich he kept under thedriver's seat,'' Ijoga said.

The prosecutor addedthat the offence contravenedsection 287 of the the PenalCode.

The sect ion st ipulatesthat whoever commits theftshal l be punished withimprisonment for a termwhich may extend to f iveyears or with a fine, or both

The accused, however,pleaded not gui l ty to thecharge .

His counsel, Mr BonifaceUdeh, prayed the court togrant his c l ient bai l onliberal terms.

Udeh said that theaccused would not jump bail,adding that the constitutiondeclared an accused personinnocent until found guilty.

The presidingmagistrate, Mr Aliyu Shafa,however, granted bai l forN200,000 with a surety inl ike sum who must residewithin the court 'sjurisdiction.

Shafa adjourned thematter to April 22, 2013 forfurther hearing.(NAN)

By Adeola Tukuru

Judge orders man to be remanded in prison foralleged armed robbery

Justice Maryanne Anenih ,of an Abuja High Courtyesterday ordered one Ejiro

Ogban, 26 to be remanded inprison on a two-count charge ofarmed robbery.

Prosecutor BabajideOlanipekun explained in courtthat Ogban, of Mashafa Road,Mpape Village, Abuja, conspiredwith Frank Akangee, now atlarge, with others to commit thecrime.

He told the court that theoffence was committed on Sept.28, 2012 at about 2.30 a.m. atNo 8, Matada streeet, Wuse Zone3, Abuja within the Abuja

By Stanley Onyekwere withagency reports

judicial division.According to him, the

offence is punishable underSection 6(b) of the Robbery andFirearms Special Provision Act,Laws of the Federation ofNigeria, 2004.

The prosecution said thatthe accused robbed UsmanAbdulrahaman, AbdullahiHassan and Usman Abdullahi ofNo: 8 Matada Street, Wuse Zone3, Abuja, while armed withlocally made pistol.

Olanipekun said the accusedstole two vehicles including awhite Nissan Sunny car withregistration No: NUS 973 APvalued at N1.3 million, a Golf 3car with registration No: JJ 679AT.

Other items stolen by the

accused were six English suitsand other wears, a Nokia E63cellphone, one Nokia torch lighthandset, three passport walletswith union membershipidentification cards, a Samsunghandset and N123,000 cash.

The offence, the police said,was punishable under Section 1(1) 2(a) of the Robbery and FireArms Special Provisions Act ofthe Laws of the Federation,2004.

The accused pleaded notguilty to the charges.

Olanipekun prayed the courtfor a short adjournment toenable him produce hiswitnesses in court.

Justice Maryanne Anenihgranted the application andadjourned to April 24, 2013 forfurther hearing.


Management Tip of the DayWhen you become the boss, build your credibility

INSIDE

Managing people whoused to be your peers istough. You need to

establish your authoritywithout acting like thepromotion’s gone to your head.Here are three ways to make thetransition easier:

· Tread lightly at first.Don’t introduce any majoroverhauls right away. Identify

Nigeria’s activephone lines hit

114.1m

- Pg 20BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSEmail: [email protected] Mob: 08033644990

a few small decisions you canmake fairly quickly, but deferbigger ones until you’ve been inthe role longer.

· Be actively present.Spend time with each of yournew direct reports. Ask, “Whatcan I do to make you moresuccessful?” This question showsthat you’re in charge, but alsoconveys that you’re there to

support them.· Look beyond your

team. During this type oftransition, it’s easy to becomefocused on your former peers.But don’t forget to buildconnections with newcounterparts and your newboss.

Source: HarvardBusiness Review

L-R: Acting Director-General, Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Engineer Eli Bala, representative of Minister of Science and Technology,Dr. Bola Obisesan, and representative of the UNDP Country Director, Mr. Muyiwa Odele, during the presentation of the 2nd edition of theRenewable Energy Master Plan, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Onyejekwe, managing directorof Shell’s offshore Nigeria unittold lawmakers.

”We cannot do or sayanything now until we do thepost-impact assessment study.We have received over 300letters of claims and we arereplying to them.”

The National Assembly toldShell to submit its clean-up plansand assessments to lawmakersnext week when a date for a

future hearing would be set. NOSDRA and NIMASA are

asking Shell for compensationwhich would equate to around$287,500 per barrel for the40,000 barrel Bonga spill.

In comparison, BP has totalprovisions of $42.2 billion forcompensation for the 4 millionbarrels spilled in the spill in theGulf of Mexico in 2010, whichamounts to around $10,550 perbarrel.

Nigerian agencies seek N1.84troil spill payout from ShellTwo Nigerian government

agencies told aparliamentary hearing

yesterday that Royal DutchShell should pay a total of $11.5billion (about N 1.84 trillion) incompensation for damagecaused by an oil spill at itsoffshore Bonga field in December2011 .

Shell has said that there isno legal basis for the proposedfines and the Nigeriangovernment has never publiclycharged foreign oil companieslarge sums for oil spills.

The National Assembly canrecommend fines thegovernment should impose on oilcompanies but it has no power toenforce them.

The National Oil SpillDetection and Response Agency(NOSDRA) told the nationalassembly Shell should pay $5billion (N800 bn) as a fine forenvironmental damage causedfrom a 40,000 barrel spill onDecember 20, 2011 at the Bongaoffshore rig.

The Nigerian MaritimeAdministration and SafetyAgency (NIMASA) sought $6.5billion (N 1.4 tr)as compensationfor 100 communities it sayswere affected onshore by the oilspill, which was one of thebiggest in the history of Africa’slargest energy industry.

Shell has takenresponsibility for the Bongaoffshore oil spill but says onshoredamage was the result of adifferent spill a few days laterthat wasn’t its fault. It said it hascleaned up areas affected by bothspills.

”We are going to do post-impact assessment to determinethe effect on the environment.By May the contractor would getto the site and by the thirdquarter of the year the job wouldbe concluded,” Chike

Intervention by the NationalInsurance Commission(NAICOM) has led to claims

settlement totalling N1,220,645,790.09 involving52 cases last year.

The leadership of NAICOMsays prompt payment of claimsby underwriters is an obligationthat must be upheld andhas intervened in claimsdispute resolution related toMotor, Marine and Lifeinsurances as well as Bond Issuesand Pension matters.

A statement issuedyesterday by NAICOMspokesperson, Lucky Fiakpaconfirmed the amount ofclaimed settled last year onintervention of NAICOM.

The statement addedthat complaints bothering onmatured claims were receivedfrom individual policyholders,beneficiaries, governmentagencies, SERVICOM, Legal AidCouncil and Public ComplaintsCommission promptingNAICOM to swing in to action.

According to NAICOM,during the year, the ComplaintsBureau handled a total of 349cases, 86 of which were freshcomplaints with the remaining263 being on-going cases.

The increase in the numberof complaints received was as aresult of the various publicitycampaigns embarked upon bythe Commission which hasmade members of the publicand, in particular, policyholdersto be more informed of theCommission’s window of disputeresolution, which is not onlyeffective but timely.

The Complaints Bureaudischarges its responsibilitieseither through correspondenceswith the insurance companies’involved or throughadjudication. During the yearunder review, a total of nineadjudication meetings were heldwhile majority of the disputesresolved were throughcorrespondences.

It is noteworthy that theresponse and cooperation ofinsurance companies involvedin any dispute withpolicyholders has been veryencouraging. During the year,not less than 85 per cent of theinsurance institutionsresponded to queries ordirectives issued by theCommission for claimssettlement.

The Complaints Bureau isthe Unit solely responsible forreceiving and processingcomplaints against insurancecompanies for non settlementclaims in the Commission.

By Abdulwahab Isa

By Aminu Imam with agencyreport

Hundreds of thousands ofbarrels of oil are spilled in themangrove creeks onshoreNigeria every year, destroyingthe environment andlivelihoods.

Many are caused bysabotage or oil theft, but aUnited Nations report in 2011said oil firms don’t do enough toclean up spills and maintenanceof infrastructure wasinadequate.

NAICOMfacilitatesN1.2bn claimspayment in2012

The Federal Government hasoffered to sell a major powerstation to the Chinese

engineering firm that hasupgraded the plant, theprivatisation agency said, as itaims to end power shortages thatare the biggest brake oneconomic growth.

The nation is privatising thebulk of its power sector to helpincrease electricity output by 10times by 2020, althoughPresident Goodluck Jonathan’splan laid out three years ago isrunning behind schedule.

State-owned ChinaMachinery EngineeringCorporation (CMEC) completedthe second phase of theOmotosho power plant insouthwest Nigeria last month,taking total output from 375megawatts (MW) to 500 MW.This represents more than 10percent of the country’s totalcapacity.

Nigeria wants to sell theplant to CMEC for $217.5million, although $104 millionwould be offset against debts thegovernment owes CMEC and a

further $30 million would bekept for further work to be doneby the Chinese firm, the Bureauof Public Enterprises (BPE) saidin a statement on Wednesday.

China has made a numberof loans in recent years toNigeria to fund projectsincluding a railway, aviationworks, roads and power plantssuch as Omotosho, cementing itsrelationship with the energy-rich African country and alsosubsidising its constructionindustry.(Source: Reuters)

FG offers to sell power plant to Chinese firm


COMPANYNEWS

Diamond BankPlc

Diamond Bank Plc said onWednesday it has beengranted approval by the

Financial Services Authority(FSA) to operate a bank in theUnited Kingdom.

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer,Diamond Bank, Dr. Alex Otti,who disclosed this in astatement, expressedsatisfaction over the feat.

According to Otti, theinternational subsidiary wouldoffer the financial institutionopportunity to offerwholesale financial services,including facilitatinginternational trade to newand existing clients.

NCCThe Nigerian

CommunicationCommission (NCC), in

collaboration with securityagencies, has arrested threeagents of service providersin Awka for allegedlyflouting SIM cardregistration guidelines.

NCC’s Head ofEnforcement, Efosa Idehen,who gave the names of thesuspects to newsmenin Awka on Sunday,explained that they werearrested while usingthe SIM registrationmachines fraudulently.

According to him, theywere arrested for pre-registering SIM cards withthe same thump-prints andselling same to members ofthe public.

Idehen said theirmachines had beenconfiscated and that theywould be prosecuted afterpolice investigation.

NEXIM Bank

The Nigerian Export-Import (NEXIM) Banksaid on Wednesday that

it would execute a 60 milliondollar Regional SealinkProject for West and CentralAfrica.

The project, inconjunction with theFederation of West AfricanChambers of Commerce andIndustry (FEWACCI), isexpected to commencewithin the next three yearsof complete operation.

The Managing Director,NEXIM Bank, Mr. RobertOrya, made this known atthe sensitisation and pre-investors forum held forstakeholders in Lagos,adding that the projectwould enhancecompetitiveness byimproving the level from itsrate of six per cent to ahigher rate.

Nigeria’s active phone lines hit 114.1m

Active telecoms subscriberbase in Nigeria has furtherincreased to hit 114.1

million as at the end of January,2013, resulting in a teledensity of81.78 during the same period.

This was contained in the latesttelecoms industry’s subscriber basedata released by the industryregulator, the NigerianCommunications Commission.According to the data, telecomsoperators recorded additional 1.3million active telephone lines inJanuary 2013 alone, bringing theindustry total to 114.4 million atthe end of the month.

The 2012, the industry endedthe year with combined industrysubscriber base of 113.1 million upfrom 95.8 million activesubscriptions in January, 2012.However, the latest data did nowcontain information for the monthof February, 2013.

According to the NCC data,only Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) operatorssuch as MTN, Glo, Airtel andEtisalat contributed the additional1.3 subscribers, as Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) operatorsand fixedline operators furtherrecorded decline in their ever-dwindling subscriber base.

The CDMA operators

comprising Visafone, Multi-Links,Starcomms and the dormant ZoomMobile experienced reduction from2.9 million in December, 2012 to2.8 million at the end of January,2013.

This means about 100, 000telecoms subscribers hitherto onthe CDMA networks dropped theirlines in January alone. Also thefixed line networks, which hadactive 418, 166 subscriber base inDecember, 2012, a marginalreduction was also recorded ontheir networks as theirsubscriptions fell to 406, 222 linesin January, 2013.

Meanwhile, the NCC data hasrevealed an increase from

Kwara to introduce contributory pension scheme

teledensity from 80.85 inDecember 2012 to 81.78 as at theend of January, this year.Teledensity is the percentage ofconnected lines in relation to thepopulation at a given period of timeand its growth is proportional tothe growth in subscriber base.

Highlights of the latest industrydata also revealed that telecomsfirms continue to spend on networkexpansion to be able toaccommodate more subscribers ontheir networks.

According to the data, telecomsindustry installed capacityincreased from 211.8 million atthe December, 2012 to reach226.6 million at the end ofJanuary, 2013.

Installed capacity is the totalnumber of telephone lines whichtelecoms networks have build theirnetwork capacity to accommodateat a particular period of time.

By Chris Alu

The Kwara stategovernment said onWednesday that it would

soon introduce contributorypension scheme as part of thegovernment’s drive toenable workers to enjoy stress-freepost retirement life.

Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed gavethe indication in Ilorin when hereceived the management ofLeadway Assurance Plc, led by itsManaging Director, Mr. HassanOdukale.

Ahmed noted in a

statement signed by his ChiefPress Secretary, Mr. AbdulwahabOba, that the scheme had beenproblematic for the countryand its civil servants for a longtime.

He said that the contributoryscheme would not only ensurethat workers contributed towardstheir retirement but alsoremoved post retirementuncertainties.

Ahmed described the schemeas the future of effective pensionadministration in the country.

The governor noted that thescheme had huge potential ofgenerating productivity.

H e s u g g e s t e dthat government at all levelsshould critically look at prevailingassets management strategies byembracing insurance culture,which would guarantee propermanagement of assets.

Odukale had earlier expressedhis company’s readiness topartner with theKwara Government on insuranceand other related matters. (NAN)

The Federal AirportsAuthority of Nigeria(FAAN) will soon introduce

automated toll gates in the 22airports in the country, Mrs.Henrietta Yakubu, the Head ofPublic Affairs, has said.

Yakubu, who disclosed this onTuesday in Abuja, said the movewas aimed at boosting revenuegeneration and collection.

She said the introduction ofnew toll fare would enable theauthority to improve on theservices it is rendering to the public.

On March 1, FAAN increasedits toll fees in all airports, with cabsand mini buses now N200 insteadof N100, while big buses and truckpay N300 and N500 as againstN200 and N300 respectively.

Yakubu said the new toll farewould not stop the agency fromintroducing the automated tollgates, which are aimed ateliminating payment of cash atthe gates.

“FAAN is re-modelling most ofthe airports and it is necessarythat services are improved; weincreased our toll fare to givebetter services to members of thepublic, especially airport users,”she said.

“Already, FAAN hascontracted out the automation ofnew toll gates, which will beoperated along with the toll farebut people will no longer pay cashat the gates.

It is meant to take care ofambiguities in the system, suchas people who do not pay; theautomation will also encourageproper accounting for moniesreceived from people entering theairports.”

Yakubu said the introductionof the gates would also assist FAANto check what she called “the gap”in the system.

“Once the barrier is there,nobody can come into the airportwithout paying; it is the machinethat will now operate, people willno longer deal with cash at thegates,” she said.

FAAN to introduceautomated tollgates

A new policy paper by theAfrican DevelopmentBank has highlighted the

importance of tradeintegration to macroeconomicconvergence.

Published in March 2013,the report titled: “SupportingMacroeconomic Convergencein African regional economiccommunities” recommends tolink the roadmap in theimplementation ofmacroeconomic convergenceto progress made in tradeintegration.

In so doing, the AfDB reportcomes with some revisions tothe application ofmacroeconomic convergence,

building on the lessons fromthe experience inimplementing the concept inEurope and elsewhere, with aview to ensuring a balancebetween the financial sectorand the real sector programs.

“Indeed, themacroeconomic convergenceachieves its highest relevancewhen it is mainstreamed intoregional efforts towardsdevelopment and povertyreduction,” said Jian Zhang,principal macroeconomist atthe Regional integration andtrade division, AfDB.

The paper also highlightsthe important role of fiscalpolicy and fiscal convergence

in facilitating macroeconomicconvergence. “For the AfDB,given that upfront incentivesas well as implementationcapacities are low,surveillances should be morefor promotional purposes –identifying specific countrychallenges and supportingthem to improve performance— rather than for sanctioningpurposes”, it noted.

The report recommendsthat the AfDB draws up specificsupport programs for eachREC, based on a detailedassessment of the individualREC programs andconsultations with relevantstakeholders. (Source: AfDB)

Trade integration, a key to macro-economicconvergence - New AfDB report

L-R: Gov Abdulfatah Ahmed sitting with the Managing Director Leadway Assurance Plc, Mr. hassanOdukale Photo: NAN

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos


Issues underlying transfer pricing (11)As earlier stated our

transfer pricingregulation is

benchmarked against the OECDtransfer pricing guidelines. TheTransfer Pricing Regulationsalso provide a "Safe Harbour"which is an exemption from"documentation requirement" ofregulation 6 limiting it to whenprice is in accordance with therequirement of Nigerianstatutory provisions and/orwhen price approved by othergovernment regulatoryagencies/authorities establishedby Nigerian law provided thatFIRS is satisfied that the price isat arm's length.

Though this can be tagged asmere "approval in principle"since the FIRS reserves the rightto still scrutinize thetransactions and ensurecompliance to the "arm length"principle. The Regulations alsomake provision for a disputeresolution panel to serves as anadministrative disputeresolution mechanism fromissues arising from theprovisions of the Regulations.

In effect the Regulationsprovide an appropriate basis fortaxing economic activities ofassociated enterprises as well astools for fighting tax evasion.Provisions of the regulations alsoreduce the risk of economicdouble taxation. Also included isa level playing field betweenMNE and independententerprises.

The scope of the regulationscovers sale and purchases ofgoods and services, sales,purchase or lease of tangibleassets, transfer, purchase,license or use of intangible assets,provision of services, lending orborrowing of money,manufacturing arrangementand any transaction incidental,connected or pertaining to theabove transactions.

The Regulations also adoptpopular transfer pricingmethods such as comparableUncontrolled Price (CUP), costplus, resale price, transactionnet margin method (TNMM) andtransactional Profit Split. In allthese, method used must beappropriate to the particulartransaction bearing in mind therelative strength and weaknessof each method, the nature of thetransaction, availability ofreliable information and degreeof comparability.

The arm's length principlewhich is the global benchmarkfor establishing transfer pricesbetween related parties isrecognized in regulation 4 of theTransfer Pricing Regulations. Itempowers the Service to makeadjustments where necessary tomake a controlled transactionconsistent with the arm's lengthprinciple. The application of thearm's length principle assistsgovernments to ensure that thetaxable profits of multinationalsare not artificially ordeliberately shifted out of theirjurisdiction and that the taxbase reported by multinationals

in their country reflects theeconomic activity undertakentherein. It also limits the risks ofeconomic double taxation thatmay result from a disputebetween two countries on thedetermination of theremuneration for cross-bordertransactions between associatedenterprises.

Nearly all systems requirethat prices be tested using an"arm's length" standard. Usingthis method, a price is consideredappropriate if it is within a rangeof prices that would be chargedby independent parties dealingat arm's length. This is generallydefined as a price that anindependent buyer would pay anindependent seller for anidentical item under identicalterms and conditions, whereneither is under any obligationto act.

There are clear practicaldifficulties in implementing thearm's length standard. For itemsother than goods, there arerarely identical items. Terms ofsale may vary from transactionto transaction. Market and otherconditions may varygeographically or over time.Some systems give a preferenceto certain transactional methodsover other methods for testingprices.

The application of the arm'slength principle is generallybased on a comparison of theconditions in a controlledtransaction with the conditionsin comparable transactionsbetween independententerprises, referred to as a"comparability analysis". TheOCED Transfer PricingGuidelines ("TPG"), which hasbeen adopted unchanged bysome jurisdictions containguidance on comparabilityanalysis and a description of fivetransfer pricing methods whichcan be used to establish whetherthe conditions of a transactionbetween associated enterprisessatisfy the arm's lengthprinciple. The OECD and theUnited Nations Tax Committeehave both endorsed the "arm'slength" principle, and it is widelyused as the basis for doubletaxation treaties betweengovernments.

The rules of nearly allcountries permit related partiesto set prices in any manner, butpermit the tax authorities toadjust those prices where theprices charged are outside anarm's length range. Rules aregenerally provided fordetermining what constitutessuch arm's length prices, andhow any analysis shouldproceed. Prices actually chargedare compared to prices ormeasures of profitability forunrelated transactions andparties.

The rules generally requirethat market level, functions,risks, and terms of sale ofunrelated party transactions oractivities be reasonablycomparable to such items withrespect to the related partytransactions or profitabilitybeing tested.Most systems allow

use of multiple methods, whereappropriate and supported byreliable data, to test relatedparty prices.

Among the commonly usedmethods are comparableuncontrolled prices, cost-plus,resale price or mark-up, and theTNMM .Many systemsdifferentiate methods of testinggoods from those for services oruse of property due to inherentdifferences in business aspects ofsuch broad types of transactions.Some systems providemechanisms for sharing orallocation of costs of acquiringassets (including intangibleassets) among related parties ina manner designed to reduce taxcontroversy.

Most tax treaties and manytax systems providemechanisms for resolvingdisputes among taxpayers andgovernments in a mannerdesigned to reduce the potentialfor double taxation. Manysystems also permit advanceagreement between taxpayersand one or more governmentsregarding mechanisms forsetting related party prices.

Many systems imposepenalties where the taxauthority has adjusted relatedparty prices. Some tax systemsprovide that taxpayers mayavoid such penalties bypreparing documentation inadvance regarding pricescharged between the taxpayer

By Frank Onero Obaro

and related parties. Somesystems require that suchdocumentation be prepared inadvance in all cases.

Developing economies arekeenly aware of the challengesposed by transfer pricing. Theirgoal is the same as for OECDcountries: protecting their taxbase while not hampering foreigndirect investment and cross-border trade. The arm's lengthprinciple can help them achievethat goal. The key is to tailor thelegislative measures andadministrative effort to thestrategic needs and resources ofeach country. Applying thearm's length principle canbecome complex and resource-intensive, though policy makersshould bear in mind that mostOECD countries started modestlyand built their transfer pricinglegislation and practicesgradually over several years.Indeed, they are still in theprocess of improving them.

The USA transfer pricingregulations of 1994 and the riskof severe penalties, even in caseof non-deliberate deviations fromthe arm's length principle haveresulted in both the USA andcountries revising their transferpricing methods. Countries withless sophisticated tax systems andadministrations run the risk ofabsorbing the effect of strongerenforcement of transfer pricingin developed countries, and, ineffect, paying at least some of the

MNEs tax costs in those countries.In order to avoid this, manycountries have introduced newtransfer pricing rules since thattime.

Tax authorities in developingcountries who wish to implementtransfer pricing legislation mayfocus on the most common typesof transactions and sectors intheir economy first, for instancethe exploitation of naturalresources, manufacturing, orservice activities. Enforcementobjectives should be realistic,given the available capacity,and compliance requirementsmade reasonable for taxpayersin light of the size of the crossborder trade. So-called "safeharbours" are sometimes usedto simplify compliance by smalltaxpayers, or to deal with smalland less complex transactionscarried out by multinationalenterprises.

Given the global, andsometimes controversial natureof transfer pricing, it is importantto develop internationally sharedprinciples to help each countryfight abusive transfers of profitabroad, while at the same timelimiting the risk of doubletaxation of those profits. This iswhat the arm's length principleis for. As more developingcountries apply it, new lessonswill be learned. This is a key stepon the road to building astronger and fairer worldeconomy.

Ag Executive Chairman FIRS, Alhaji Kabir Mashi


The Management ofHarmony HoldinsLimited, Kwara State

has disclosedthat by year2022, the company wouldproduce turn over of aboutN50 billion in year 2022.

The Group ManagingDirector, Mr TopeAdesunloye Daramola, whodisclosed this yesterdayduring the official openingof the company byGovernor AbdulfatahAhmed said the turnoverwould boost thestateeconomy as well asInternal GeneratedRevenue(IGR).

The company, whichharbours 20 existing Kwarastate governmentscompanies and firm,according to him wouldfocus on how to makethesefirms a profitable onefor the bvbenefit of thepeople of the state.

Governor Ahmed in hisspeech, noted that theproblem of the state andprivate own companies

were financial, leadershipproblem, accountabilitywhich usualy lead to closureof many entiities.TheGovernor said it was inview of this that hisadministration decided toestablish HarmonyHoldings Ltd to manage allthe businessentities toensure profits and survivefor the development of thestate.

Governor Ahmed, whonoted that the selection ofthe Board members andmanagement were based ontheir qualification andprofession said theyareexpected to venture onbanking, land and otherbusinnes transaction thatcould fetch the state profit.

Earlier, the Chairmanof the Board of Directors ofthe Company, Prof. HaliduAbubakar said the visionof the company “is theculmination of great andmeticulous planning borneout of the nobleobjective toput Kwara State on thepedestal of economic growthand sustenance.

“I could not have beenbetter convinced about thedesire of Your Excellency inensuring the realization ofthis vision,especiallylooking at thecaliber and track record ofall those on the Board of thecompany with me.

At the retreat, organisedfor the staff of the companyearlier this year, which wasgraciously declared open byYourExcellency, I assuredyou of the commitment ofmyself and fellowBoardmembers to ensurethat Harmony Holdingsbecomes a world-classinstitution, in line withyour vision.

“I want to use thismedium to reassure youthat the promise has notchanged. While we realizedthat the challenges aheadare daunting, we areencouraged by the supportbeing enjoyed from YourE x c e l l e n c y ’ sadministration; a supportthat we crave continuationof, as we proceedon thejourney ahead.”

Kwara Harmony Holdings toproduce turn over of N50bnFrom OlanrewajuLawal,Ilorin

A team of economicexperts from theI n t e r n a t i o n a l

Monetary Fund (IMF)and the World Bank, onWednesday, said thatcocoa farmingcontributed tothe reduction of ruralpoverty in Cote d’Ivoirein 2012.

The Chief of IMF/World Bank Joint Missionin Cote d’Ivoire, MrMichel Lazare, said thisin Abidjan while briefingnewsmen at the end ofthe team’s two weeksmission in the country.

He said that thepositive effect of cocoafarming on the ruralpopulation should be a‘wake-up’ call for moreinvestment inagriculture.

The IMF chief said

IMF/World Bank team in Cote d’Ivoire says cocoafarming helps in poverty reduction

that Cote d’Ivoirewitnessed 9.8 per centeconomic growth in2012 with 8 per centgrowth expectation in2 0 1 3 .

“The macro-economicperformance in 2012was better thanexpected, with a growthrate of 9.8 per cent inGDP while inflation stoodat 1.3 per cent,’’ he said.

In his speech, theIvorian Prime Minister,Mr Daniel Duncan, saidthat the country joinedthe circle of economieswith high growth rate inAfrica and the World in2 0 1 2 .

He said that theperformance of thecountry’s economy in2012 was a source of joyto the government.

“This is because we

are a country justcoming out of crisis thataffected the economy,’’he said

In what seems acontradiction of forecastby experts, Duncan saidthe government wasexpecting a GDP growthof 9 per cent in 2013, aslight shortfall from2012 figure.

He described thevariation as a differenceof opinion saying, “ourfigure is 9 per cent, thisis not a variation on thepolicies pursued butdifference of opinion.’’(NAN)

Group wants disputed parties in Nkalagu cement to end crisisThe League of Ezza

E z e k u n aProfessionals (LEAP)

of Ebonyi state hascounselled stakeholdersconnected to the disputeat Nigerian CementCompany, Nkalagu inEbonyi state to bury theirdifferent interest andrevamp the ailing cementfirm.

The group,which made known itsstand on the dispute in aposition paper said it wasconstrained to intervenein the lingering disputebetween Ebonyi state onone hand the coreinvestor, Ibeto group ofcompanies to ensure anexpeditious resolution ofthe dispute in theeconomic interest of thestate.

LEAP, in a statementsigned by Dr. Bennard I.Odo urged PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to stepin to the dispute byinviting aggrieved partiesfor discussion.

The body ofprofessionals from Ebonyistate averred that actionsand policies of allconcerned should be toencourage investorswhether local orinternational to come intothe state and invest.

It added that, “ IBETOgroup should beencouraged to come in andrevamp the moribundfactory as a core investorand having purchased65% equity in thecompany” and advisedgovernor Martin Elechiadministration to rescind

By Abdulwahab Isa

its decision removingtraditional rulers of theaffected hostcommunities.

LEAP position is sequelto ongoing disputebetween the GovernorMartin Elechi led EbonyiState Government andthe Ibeto Group of

Companies over thelatter’s acquisition of thecontrolling equityinterest in the NigerianCement Company,Nkalagu.

In year 2002, theFederal Government ofNigeria (FGN), as part ofthe privatization

programme of divestingits equity shares inNigercem to the privatesector listed it forprivertisation.

Federal Governmentstake at the time was 10.5% shares ofNigercem, the 5 Easternstates had 60% while the

general public held thebalance of 29.5%.

The then Governorsof the five EasternStates: Dr. Sam Egwu ofEbonyi State, DrChimaroke Nnamani ofEnugu State, Dr.Chinwoke Mbadinuju ofAnambra State, Chief

Achike Udenwa of ImoState and Chief Orji UzorKalu of Abia State,declined to give FederalGovernment the Powerof Attorney to sell theirshares and opted to set upa joint committee to carryout the privatizationthemselves;

IMF boss, Christine-Lagarde

PEOSPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 PAGE 23

Report as at Thursday, March 28, 2013

PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

The forthcomingN i g e r i a - C a n a d aI n v e s t m e n t

Conference would enhanceforeign investmentopportunities in thecountry in line with theFederal Government’stransformation agenda, anofficial has said.

Mr OnyemaUgochukwu, Chairman,

For the Loveof Nigeria,Canada

Local OrganisingCommittee (LOC) ofN i g e r i a - C a n a d aInvestment Conference,said this at a addressing anews conference onMonday in Abuja.

Ugochukwu said thatthe conference would alsodeepen the bilateralrelations between Nigeriaand Canada.

“A major plank of MrPresident’s transformationagenda has been to increasethe inflow of foreigninvestment to Nigeria.

“Canada is one of thestrongest economies in theworld today; it hasenormous investmentcapacity.

‘’This conference willactualise some of the

potentials by bringingtogether Nigerian andCanadian businessmen andthey are very high profilecompanies.

“Canada is heavy inmiming and miningequipment where our ownpotential is totallyundeveloped and so manyother things.

“If we are able to win

Hon. Ed Fast, Canada's Minister of International Trade, with Olusegun Aganga, Nigeria’s Trade and Investment Minister

investment arrangementsand bring in companies towork here it will go downto the ordinary man whichis the whole aim of thegovernment; looking forforeign investments forpeople to come in here andhelp us develop ourpotential; create jobs andincrease the wealth of thecountry. “

He said that about 100private investors hadexpressed interests in theconference, adding thatcompanies “with seriousbusiness interests” wouldbe taken along.

“Applications are doneonline through the websiteand in terms of visaarrangements, people

applying as participants inthis conference would betreated preferentiallyprovided their names are ona list recommended to thehigh commissioner by theLOC.”

Responding to a questionon the security situation inthe country, Ugochukwusaid there were increasinginterests by foreign

investors in Nigeria.“It is something

positive to say aboutNigeria that in spite ofwhat we see as serioussecurity threat, the rest ofthe world still hasconfidence in this countryand are still interested ininvesting.’’

He said that the LOCwas working with theMinistry of Trade andInvestment on theconference, adding thatstates governments werealso being engaged toshowcase their potentials.

The Nigeria-CanadaInvestment Conference,initiated by the NigerianHigh Commission inCanada, is aimed atstrengthening therelations between bothcountries through trade.

The conference, whichhas as its theme“Strengthening Nigeria-Canada Relations throughTrade”, is expected to takeplace on May 2 to May 4 inToronto, Canada.

The conference is jointlyorganised by the NigerianHigh Commission,Canadian Council of Africaand Canada’s Departmentof Foreign Affairs andInternational Trade.

It would be recalled thatearlier this year, Hon. EdFast, Canada's Minister ofInternational Trade andMinister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway; andOlusegun Aganga, Nigeria'sMinister of Trade andInvestment, meet at thefirst gathering of Canada-Nigeria Bi-NationalCommission (BNC) tradeministers. The BNC wasformed in 2012 to helpdevelop deepercommercial, political,development and securityties between Canada andNigeria.

The ministers discussedways to deepen the Canada-Nigeria bilateralcommercial relationship inorder to meet a target thataims to double trade to $6billion by the year 2015.

“This first trade mission of 2013, whichis being organized by the Canadian

Trade Commissioner Service, is one ofseveral strategically focused, sector-

specific missions to fast-growingregions around the world that Minister

Fast has led since becominginternational trade minister

Among other topics, theministers discussed aforeign investmentpromotion and protectionagreement that will helpcompanies invest withconfidence in the rapidlygrowing sub-Saharaneconomy. The twoministers signed a jointcommuniqué.

Minister Fast was on asix-day trade mission toNigeria and Ghana toadvance the interests ofCanadian businesses insub-Saharan Africa.Increased trade will in turncreate jobs and increasedprosperity for allCanadians. Minister Fast isaccompanied on the trademission by representativesof nearly 30 Canadianorganizations, most ofthem operating in theextractive industries andinfrastructure sectors.

This first trade mission of2013, which is beingorganized by the CanadianTrade CommissionerService, is one of severalPresident Goodluck Jonathan Canadaian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Nigeria and Canada have enjoyed warm relations over the decades. And as a conference is beingorganised to promote trade and investment between the two nations, hopes are high that amutually beneficial relationship would continue to take root, NAN reports

“Responding to a questionon the security situation inthe country, Ugochukwu

said there were increasinginterests by foreigninvestors in Nigeria

strategically focused, sector-specific missions to fast-growing regions around theworld that Minister Fast hasled since becominginternational trade minister.

The Canadian TradeCommissioner Service, apart of Foreign Affairs andInternational Trade Canada,is located in more than 150cities worldwide and in

regional offices acrossCanada, and is Canada's mostextensive network ofinternational businessprofessionals. The TradeCommissioner Service helpscompanies that are lookingto export, invest abroad,attract investment ordevelop innovation and R &D partnerships.

(NAN)


The people of truth... the Allah fearing (VII)Allah says: “It is not

righteousness that ye turnyour faces towards east or

West; but it is righteousness- tobelieve In Allah and the Last Day,and the angels, and the Book, andthe Messengers; to spend of yourpossession, out of love for it, foryour kin, for orphans, for the needy,for the wayfarer, for those who ask,and for the ransom of slaves; to besteadfast In prayer, and practiceregular charity; to fulfil the contractswhich ye have made; and to be firmand patient, In pain (or suffering)and adversity, and throughout allperiods of panic. such are the peopleof truth, the Allah fearing.” [al-Baqarah: 177]

In the name of Allah, theBeneficent, the Merciful. AllPraise is due to Allah! We praiseHim and we seek help from Him.We ask forgiveness from Him. Werepent to Him; and we seek refugein Him from our evils and baddeeds. Anyone who is guided byAllah, is indeed guided; andanyone who has been left astray,will find no one to guide him. I bearwitness that there is no deityworthy of worship but Allah, theOnly One without any partner;and I bear witness thatMuhammad is His servant andfinal messenger to mankind. Maythe peace and blessing of Allah beupon His last and final Apostle, hisHousehold, his companions and allhis followers until the end of time.

This week, I have the feelingthat it will be our concludingperiod on this long golden verse.The final part sums up the divineinspirational motivation comingdirectly from Allah to His chosenservants in times of agony as aresult of polluted fresh air, suchas the one Nigerians inhale rightnow!

Allah says: “... and to be firmand patient, In pain (or suffering)and adversity, and throughout allperiods of panic; such are the peopleof truth, the Allah fearing.” [al-Baqarah: 177]

In this concluding part of theGolden verse, Allah is given theassurance that whosoever believein both words and actions theentire content of the ayah, thus,

1. "...tobelieve In Allah;

2. and theLast Day;

3. and theangels;

4. and theBook;

6. and theMessengers;

7. to spend ofyour possession,out of love for it,for your kin, fororphans, for the needy, for thewayfarer, for those who ask, andfor the ransom of slaves;

8. to be steadfast In prayer;9. and practice regular charity;10. to fulfil the contracts which

ye have made.Such believers will not be

touched by any type of grief,mournfulness or sorrowfulnessunder any circumstances abovetheir containment, because theyhave attained the status ofrighteousness! They have strongbelief in Allah Who is in full controlof the dominions of the heavenand earth. It is Him that gives andtakes. It is Him that causeseverything to happen in themanner and fashion He desires!In the philosophical words, He isthe Prime Mover, the UnmovedMover and the Uncaused Causer!His attention or intervention doesnot need attraction! He sees,hears and perceives everythingin the finest minutiae and details!

Allah, Who knows best, did notput the aspect of patience andperseverance as the final item inthis verse, as an acid test toestablish the strict adherence tothe entire teachings contained init but, also to serve as a sign of Hisacceptability of the remainingitems. That is to say, whoever doesnot have full control of his

emotions in times of trial andgrieve, cannot be classified as oneof the righteous people. Beforeanyone can attain the ranking ofthe righteous, he must exhibit a

degree and quantum of patienceand perseverance at the firststrike of anguish and affliction.Patience is an afterthought of anaftermath! It is a direct endproduct terminating thecalamity! It does not need time tothink of an option out of the agony,and its absence, calls for patienceor fortitude!

Allah says: “Who say, whenafflicted with calamity: ‘To Allah webelong, and to Him is Our return.’”[al-Baqarah: 156]

The messenger of Allah said:"The real patience is at the first strokeof a calamity." [narrated by Anas,Bukari: Book 2: Volume: HadithNo. 389]

The Prophet passed by awoman who was weeping besidea grave. He told her to fear Allahand be patient. She said to him,"Go away, for you have not beenafflicted with a calamity likemine." And she did not recognizehim. Then she was informed thathe was the Prophet . so she went tothe house of the Prophet and thereshe did not find any guard. Thenshe said to him, "I did notrecognize you." He said, "Verily, thepatience is at the first stroke of acalamity." (Narrated Anas binMalik: Bukhari: Book 2: Volume23: Hadith 372)

People of truth are ever alert

to deal with any situationdecisively with steadfastness andcomposure in times of affluenceand adversity. In affluence, byhaving the patience of not

transgressing thebounds of Allah,as a result of theb o u n d l e s sbounties andfortunes, andperseverance andpersistence inperiod of anguishand torments.Whatever are thes i t u a t i o n s ,patience andconstancy fit

them all!A man of truth is apt with fact

that Allah can test him withanything, good or bad. And thatis why he address the believersthus: “O ye who believe! be not likethe Unbelievers, who say of theirbrethren, when They are travellingthrough the earth or engaged Infighting: "If They had stayed withus, They would not have died, orbeen slain." This that Allah maymake it a cause of sighs and regretsIn their hearts. it is Allah that giveslife and death, and Allah sees wellall that ye do.” [aal-Imran: 156]

The unbelievers do not believein the plans of Allah orpredestinations, thus, theyalways feel betrayed by Allahwhen in times of affluence, adistress visits them. Allah,unknown to them, has unlimitedliberty to do whatever He likes atany point of time, with any of Hisservants. He changes anycondition or circumstances orsituation of anybody. That iswhy, as a servant of Allah, youhave to keep on praying for thesustenance of the affluence, andthe removal of afflictions.

Allah says: “Assuredly ye willbe tried in your property and in yourpersons, and ye will hear muchwrong from those who were giventhe Scripture before you, and from

ISLAMISLAMISLAMISLAMISLAMEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINED

By Husain ZakariyyaYawale

+234-8052952900 (sms only)[email protected]

the idolaters. But if ye persevere andward off (evil), then that is of thesteadfast heart of things.” [aal-Imarana; 186]

At the end of surah Aal-Imran,Allah concluded with anunprecedented motivation, thus:

“O ye who believe! persevere Inpatience and constancy; vie In suchperseverance; strengthen Eachother; and fear Allah. that ye mayprosper.” [aal-Imran: 200]

To aspire to attain the rank ofpeople of truth, a believer has alot to abide by, in the strictestsense of the five pillars of Islam inaddition to spending all for the sakeof Allah at all moments andconditions!

Allah says: “By no means shallye attain righteousness unless yegive (freely) of that which ye love;and whatever ye give, of a truthAllah knoweth it well.” [aal-Imran:92]

With Allah, all our deeds arejudged and rewarded or discardedby the level of the righteousnesswe put therein. Even the finestshow-off concealed in our heartsare well known to Allah. That iswhy when some people areadjudged in this world to be menof God, will on the day ofRecompense be seen to be amongstthe lots of Satan. Simply becausetheir inner most intention, whenperforming some deeds or sayingsome prayers, was not purely andsincerely for the sake of Allah.They combined the love for praiseand crave for material rewardsfrom men, while at the same timehoping for favourable recompensefrom Allah. That is impossiblewith Allah! You cannot cheat Himwith bonbon words, nor wedeceive Him with concealment!

It is in related issues such aslaughtering of animals forsacrificial purposes that Allahdeclared, thus:

“It is not their meat nor theirblood, that reaches Allah. it is yourpiety that reaches him: He has Thusmade them subject to you, that yemay glorify Allah for His guidanceto you and proclaim the good newsto all who do right.” [al-hajj: 37]

Thus, righteousness is bycombining absolutely good deedswith supreme sincerity of intent,all to be for the sake of Allah only,in return for His love!

Finally, let me recap thediscussion with our central theme;the Golden verse:

“It is not righteousness that yeturn your faces towards east orWest; but it is righteousness- tobelieve In Allah and the Last Day,and the angels, and the Book, andthe Messengers; to spend of yourpossession, out of love for it, foryour kin, for orphans, for the needy,for the wayfarer, for those who ask,and for the ransom of slaves; to besteadfast In prayer, and practiceregular charity; to fulfil the contractswhich ye have made; and to be firmand patient, In pain (or suffering)and adversity, and throughout allperiods of panic. such are the peopleof truth, the Allah fearing.” [al-Baqarah: 177]

May Allah in His infinitemercy, grant us chance to beamongst those who will be ratedamong the ''...People ofTruth...and .. the Allah Fearing"!


When corruption kills: The searchfor justice in Brazil and beyond

This week's news that theBrazilian authorities areseeking criminal charges (both

murder and manslaughter) againstmore than a dozen individuals [PT] inrelation to the January's devastatingnightclub fire that, at last count, hadkilled 241 people [PT] in the SouthernBrazilian city of Santa Maria is awelcome step forward for relatives andsurvivors. Yet the labourious andpainstaking process of finding out whathappened and, in particular, who isresponsible is only just beginning.

The list of those implicated [PT],ranging from the nightclub owners,manager and members ofGurizadaFandangueira, thebandperforming in the club that night,for murder as well as a number ofgovernment officials and members ofthe fire service for manslaughter pointsto more than just a one-off accident,which has undoubtedly brought thecountry's safety regulations into thespotlight with the 2014 World Cupand 2016 Olympic Games to be heldin Rio de Janeiro. However, thecomplex case of negligence andcorruption that allowed the fire tohappen is, unfortunately,unexceptional and not unique to Brazil.

Since the horrific fire that guttedSanta Maria's Kiss nightclub in theearly hours of Sunday, January 27, ithas become clear that the case bearsan alarming resemblance to the spateof recent nightclub fires that have killedscores of people elsewhere in the region- including Mexico City in 2008, Quitoin 2008, Lima and Caracas, both in2010. However, nowhere aresimilarities with Santa Maria moreapparent than in the case of the 2004fire in the RepúblicaCromañónnightclub in Buenos Aires, which left194 - mainly young people - dead. Itwas not particularly surprising thatthe Argentine media headlines in thedays after the fire were littered withreferences to a "Cromañón in the southof Brazil" [SP] and highlighted thesimilarities between the twocatastrophes [SP].

Nearly a decade ago, on December30, 2004, during a concert by the rockband Callejeros at the Argentine venue,a flare ignited by a spectator madecontact with the flammable roofmaterial, triggering an intense fireand the emission of highly toxic gases,responsible for the deaths of many ofthe victims. Furthermore, theevacuation that followed was fraughtwith problems. The venue wasallegedly operating well beyondcapacity and the main emergency exitwas shut with padlocks to avoidconcertgoers sneaking in withoutpaying, hampering the evacuation ofthose fleeing the toxic fumes. As newsof events in Santa Maria reachedArgentina, the organisation los pibesde Cromañón (the Cromañón Kids),comprised of relatives and survivors ofthe 2004 fire, issued a statement [SP]punctuated with the refrain "man isthe only animal who trips over thesame stone twice", suggesting that

important lessons have not beenheeded.

Although the full extent of theevents leading up to the Santa Mariafire is yet to be disclosed, what unfolds isa remarkably similar chain of events:a flare making contact with flammableroof material, inadequate and scarceemergency exits, blocked by securityguards to prevent those inside leavingwithout paying, and, as the Braziliandaily the Folha de Sao Pauloreported[PT] shortly after, an expired safetycertificate for a venue that wasfunctioning beyond its capacity,suggesting that this is more than just a"tragic accident". Instead, it wouldappear that this is yet anotheravoidable and completely pointlessatrocity. Eyewitness reports and theinvestigation that followed point to arather complex web of corruption,negligence and institutional failingsinvolving the club's owners, the bandmembers and the mayor and othermembers of the local government.

The events at both Kiss and atCromañón beg consideration of theway in which disasters of suchmagnitude at public venues areportrayed by the media and by manyof those responsible as one-off orexceptional accidents. This way ofthinking tends to obscure and inhibitthe pursuit of both individual andinstitutional responsibility. Moreover,the complex sequence of events and thevarious degrees of responsibility ofmany different individuals andinstitutions tends to make it extremelydifficult to bring the various parties

responsible to account.With the arrest of band members

and the nightclub owner in theaftermath of January's fire, it seemedthat blame might be levelled at thosedirectly responsible for the venue'ssafety (the owner/manager) and thosealleged to have ignited the flare(thought to be the band members).Indeed, the police commissioner incharge of the investigation,SandroMeinerz, was reported ashaving stated that blame should liewith whoever let off the flare [SP]. Thisappears to be an all too frequent case inwhich the arguably indirect andstructural causes of the fire areeschewed; the suggestion is that thelack of safety certificate, emergencyexits, venues operating well beyondcapacity are a set of innocuouscircumstances that only becomedeadly when ignited by specificcatalyst, in this case pyrotechnicequipment.

What is interesting in theCromañón case is how the tragedy wasmet with the slogan "not the flare, norrock and roll; what killed our kids wascorruption". Invoked by relatives andsurvivors, they pointed the finger atthe authorities' responsibility for theevents of December 2004, away fromthose who launched the flare and, mostsignificantly, away from the victimsthemselves. In Argentina, what couldhave been viewed as a "tragic accident"became a paradigm, indicative of thecorruption at private and institutionallevels and the ordinary citizen'sstruggle in trying to call the authorities

to account.Indeed, following Cromañón, in a

campaign spearheaded by relatives ofvictims and survivors to expose thecauses in their entirety and pursue thoseresponsible, the institutional failings ofgovernment became clear. The mayorof Buenos Aires, Aníbal Ibarra, wassubsequently removed from office [SP]after a political investigation for hisfailure to have enforced a functioninginspection system for venues; amidsuggestions that the nightclub wasoverdue a visit by the Federal FireDepartment, and that FireDepartment personnel had acceptedbribes from venue owners.

In the months and years thatfollowed, several parties to the crimewere detained and investigated,including Omar Chabán, manager ofthe nightclub, Callejeros' manager,band members and various civilservants, police officials and fire fighters.However, actually bringing them totrial proved problematic and involvedan arduous search for justice, with onlya small number of those investigatedactually ever facing trial, and legalproceedings only beginning in 2008.

The trial, which concluded in2009, led to the conviction andsentencing of Chabán to twenty yearsin prison, eighteen to the band'smanager and lesser sentences weremeted out to number of members ofthe local government [SP]. Themembers of the band were acquitted, averdict that was met with outrage bymany of the victims' relatives [SP]. Thiswas not the end of the matter, as a second

round of legal proceedings began in2011 and continued into 2012 inwhich additional sentences were givenout [SP] to the owner of the nightclub,Rafael Levy and Callejeros' lead singerPatricioFontanet.

Reacting to the sentences, relativesand survivors deemed the judgementto be far too lenient and too focused onthose directly implicated, rather thanexamining the wider, institutionalcauses, stating that "this is a politicalcrime, committed by a corrupt State[…] inefficient both in its action andnegligence. The judges don'tunderstand and want to convince usthat this is an accident. This simplyisn't the case: it was murder". In theface of impunity, a failure to addressthe wider causes and investigate all ofthe culpable, the responsibility hasfallen on the relatives of the victims,survivors and their supporters tocontest misinformation and cover-upsand continue to demand fullaccountability.

Those states' failure to punishcorruption and negligence has provedto lead to the unlawful and untimelydeaths of citizens and allows theauthorities to remain safe in theknowledge that they will most likelynot be prosecuted for their part incorruption scandals and negligenceand that they are above the law.

If all of those responsible, includinggovernment officials, are not held toaccount, surely we will see more casessuch as this? Indeed, in the years sincethe Cromañón tragedy, relatives of thevictims have raised concerns thatanother tragedy of a similar type waspossible [SP] in Argentina; little did theyknow that history would be repeatedin neighbouring Brazil.

However, for critics who mightargue that this problem is the exclusivedomain of "corrupt" Latin Americancountries - indeed a recent Global Postarticle entitled "Latin America: whereclubbing can be deadly"implied thatthe flouting of regulations was a LatinAmerican problem - we are remindedthat similar events have occurredbeyond on the region in recent years:in the USA (Station Nightclub Fire,2003) and in Sweden (Gothenburg,1998).

With the conclusion of the initialpolice investigation, the SantaMaria fire appears to be yet anothercase in which private profit isprioritised over public safetyresulting in an avoidable and hugeloss of life which the authoritiesfailed to prevent, and evenpromoted, through acceptingbribes and allowing such practicesto continue unregulated.

Meanwhile, as the initial policeinvestigation was concluded,worrying information came tolight: that themayor's office hadwithheld documentation frominvestigators [PT]. Thoroughinvestigation and transparency,even if it exposes inconvenienttruths about the levels of stateinvolvement and demonstratingthat no-one is above the law, areabsolutely crucial if such tragediesare to be avoided, wherever theymight occur.

Source: AlJazeera

Although the full extent of the events leadingup to the Santa Maria fire is yet to be

disclosed, what unfolds is a remarkablysimilar chain of events:

“

ANALYSIS

A fire at the 'Kiss' nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil resulted in the deaths of over two hundred people[EPA]

By Cara Levey


Nelson Mandela back inhospital with lung infection

Religious leader threatens to oust Tunisian Prime Minister

Madiba

Former South AfricanPresident Nelson Mandelahas been re-admitted to

hospital with a recurrence of a lunginfection.

A statement from the SouthAfrican presidency said MrMandela, 94, had been admittedjust before midnight.

Mr Mandela spent 18 days in

weapons caches in the capitalTunis last month. LastDecember, Laryedh said policearrested 16 Islamist militantswho had been hoarding armswith the aim of creating anIslamic state.

The statement was the firsttime that Benahssine hasthreatened to overthrow thegovernment.

Also known as Abu Iyadh,Benahssine is wanted by policefor allegedly inciting an attackon the U.S. embassy inSeptember. Four people werekilled in the disturbances,which began as a protest over afilm that mocked the ProphetMohammed.

The government is led by themoderate Islamic EnnahdaMovement, which won thecountry's first free elections onOctober 2011 following Tunisia'srevolution, the first of the "ArabSpring" revolts.

Tunisian police blamed a

Salafist for the assassination ofsecular opposition politicianChokriBelaid on February 6,which provoked the biggeststreet protests in Tunisia sincethe overthrow of strongman Zineal-Abidine Ben Ali two years ago.

Salafists want a broader rolefor religion, alarming secular

elites who fear they seek toimpose their strict views at theexpense of individual freedoms,women's rights and democracy.

President MoncefMarzoukialso said last week that youngTunisians who return homeafter fighting in the war in Syriawere a threat to security.

hospital in December undergoingtreatment for a lung infection andgallstones.

He is widely regarded as thefather of the nation for leading thestruggle against apartheid.

Mr Mandela served as SouthAfrica's first black president from1994 to 1999. However, his healthhas caused concern for some time.

A presidential spokesman toldthe BBC that Mr Mandela wasconscious and was receiving the bestpossible medical treatment.

"I think we need to be clear thatthe doctors are attending to Madiba[Mr Mandela] on a continuousbasis," spokesman Mac Maharajsaid.

"They prefer to act on the side of

Saif-Allah Benahssine

BRICS nationsfail to launchnew bankLeaders from the so-called

BRICS group of emergingnations have failed to launch

a much-anticipated newdevelopment bank to rivalWestern-dominated institutionslike the World Bank.

After holding talks in the SouthAfrican port city of Durban onWednesday, leaders from Brazil,Russia, India, China and host SouthAfrica agreed in principle to createa joint infrastructure lender butsaid further talks were necessaryto finalise the plan.

"We are satisfied that theestablishment of a newdevelopment bank is feasible," saidhost President Jacob Zuma, inremarks that hint at little progressbeyond an agreement reached inthe Indian capital, New Delhi, ayear ago.

"We have decided to enterformal negotiations to establish aBRICS-led new developmentbank," he added.

Officially leaders had beenexpected to consider the bank'sestablishment, but South Africaand others had hoped to formallylaunch a $50bn infrastructurefund at the two-day summit.

The mooted bank is seen as away of gaining influence on theworld stage, countering Europe'sdragging economic crisis andaddressing the $4.5tn ininfrastructure spending the BRICSare estimated to need over the nextfive years.

Instead of a $50bn fund BRICSleaders agreed only that the initialcapital contribution would be"substantial and sufficient for thebank to be effective".

Key sticking points includedhow projects would be distributedand where the bank would bebased, diplomats said.

Al Jazeera's Tania Page,reporting from Durban.said all ofthe BRICS members say they wantto establish the development bank,but they have disagreements overfundamental details.

Eight people killed in attack on Kenyan casinoEight people were killed

when dozens of machete-wielding raiders struck a

casino popular with tourists andlocal Italian residents in thecoastal Kenyan town of Malindiearly on Thursday morning,police said.

Armed officers shot dead sixof the attackers suspected to bemembers of a banned coastalseparatist group while twopoliceman were also killed,police official AmbroseMunyasia said.A series of attacks

blamed on the MombasaRepublican Council (MRC) hasdamaged the prospects forgrowth and investment alongKenya's coast, a major touristdraw, and in Mombasa, aneconomically vital port city.

"A gang of 50 MRC suspectsarmed with machetes and othercrude weapons raided a casino inMalindi and started attackingpatrons before police were called,"Munyasia told Reuters from thecity of Mombasa, about 120 kmsouth of Malindi.

He said it was not immediatelyclear if any of the casino's guestshad been hurt.

Mounting insecurity on theresort-packed region will be apressing issue for Kenya's nextpresident after an election earlierthis month whose result is stillbeing challenged in the country'ssupreme court.

MRC could not be reached forcomment on Thursday's attack.The group's spokesman wasarrested last week on suspicion ofinvolvement in attacks hours

President Jacob Zuma

before the presidential andlegislative elections on March 4 left15 people dead.

The MRC feeds off localdiscontent largely based on long-held grievances over land andfrustration at the perceivedeconomic marginalization of theregion by the central government.

Thursday's attack occurredaround 3 a.m. It is thought thegroup targeted the Italian-ownedcasino in order to steal cash tofund their activities, Munyasiasaid.

The fugitive leader of anIslamist group threatenedto overthrow Tunisia's

government, one day after theprime minister accused him ofsmuggling weapons into theNorth African country.

Saif-Allah Benahssine, leaderof radical Islamists Ansar al-Sharia, said in a statement onits web page that he would topplePrime Minister Ali Larayedh andthrow him into the "dustbin ofhistory" if the governmentinterfered with the group.

Larayedh told French dailyLe Monde on Tuesday thatBenahssine, whose Salafistorganization wants to impose apuritanical form of Islam, wasresponsible for smuggling inweapons seized by securityforces.

Security forces have clashedseveral times in recent monthswith militants trying to bringweapons from Algeria and Libya.

Police also seized two big

caution, and the moment they feltthere was a recurrence of the lunginfection, they felt that it warrantedimmediate hospitalisation given hisage and given his history."

However, the BBC's AndrewHarding in South Africa says theabrupt nature of Mr Mandela's late-night admission is likely to raiseconcerns.

The government statement saidPresident Jacob Zuma wished MrMandela a speedy recovery.

"We appeal to the people of SouthAfrica and the world to pray for ourbeloved Madiba and his family andto keep them in their thoughts. Wehave full confidence in the medicalteam and know that they will doeverything possible to ensurerecovery," President Zuma said.

The former president is oftenfondly referred to by his clan name,Madiba.

It is the fourth time Mr Mandelahas been admitted to hospital in justover two years.

He first contracted tuberculosisin the 1980s while detained on thewindswept Robben Island where heserved 18 of the 27 years he wasimprisoned for sabotage.

His lungs are said to have beendamaged when he worked in aprison quarry.


Asia andMiddle East

Thailand begins peace talkswith southern rebel groupThailand is holding peace

talks with Musliminsurgents aimed at

curbing violence in the south.Government officials are

meeting representatives of theBarisanRevolusiNasional (BRN)rebel group in the Malaysiancapital, Kuala Lumpur.

The talks follow a dealreached in February with thegroup, which is one of severaloperating in the area.

More than 5,000 people havebeen killed since a separatistinsurgency reignited in theMuslim-majority region in2004.

The Muslim militants, whoare fighting for greater autonomyfrom Buddhist-majorityThailand, carry out almost dailygun and bomb attacks against

civilians and security forcesacross three southern provinces ofYala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

Hours before the talks, policesaid suspected militants killedthree soldiers in a road-side bombattack in Narathiwat.

"Today's main focus is to reduceviolence. Today we will focus onbuilding mutual trust and good

relations," Thai National SecurityCouncil headParadornPattanatabut said inKuala Lumpur.

"I am confident that they willcommunicate our message totheir militants but because BRNis a large organisation we have togive them some time."

On Wednesday he told AFP

news agency that negotiatorswould seek a halt to attacks oncivilians as proof that rebelleaders had influence on theground.

But it is not clear how muchinfluence the BRN has or theextent to which it speaks for othergroups involved in theinsurgency.

US deploys bombers amid Korea tensions

B-2 bomber, two of which with nuclear capabilities have beendeployed over South Korea.

Syria opposition opens embassy in QatarThe Syrian opposition has

opened its first embassy inQatar, a day after

opponents of President Basharal-Assad were givenDamascus's seat at the ArabLeague.

Opposition chief AhmedMoaz al-Khatib and QatariState Minister for ForeignAffairs Khaled al-Attiyainaugurated the Embassy ofthe Syrian National Coalitionon Wednesday.

The original Syrianembassy itself remains closed.

Gulf states announced inMarch last year that they wereclosing their missions in Syriaover Assad forces' crackdown ondissent that has transformedinto a civil war that has killedmore than 70,000 people.

The opening o f themission came a day after theArab League welcomed theCoalition to take the seat ofSyr ia an annual summit ofthe 22-member b loc inDoha.

In a speech addressing theleaders , a l -Khat ib sa id theoppos i t ion a lso wants toassume Syr ia ' s seat a t theUnited Nations.

"This is the first embassyof the Syrian people ," saidKhatib in the ceremony that

saw the rebel flag raised ona v i l la prov ided by theQatar i government .

Al -khat ib a lso used theribbon-cutting ceremony tovoice h is f rustrat ion withworld powers for failing to domore to help in the two-year-old struggle to topple Assad.

"There is an international

The United States hasdeployed two nuclear-capable stealth bombers

over South Korea as part of a"deterrence" mission over theKorean peninsula.

The deployment of B-2

bombers on Thursday followedNorth Korea's decision to cut amilitary hotline with theSouth, breaking the last directcommunication link betweenthe two countries at a time ofheightened military tensions.

The bombers made the20,000km round trip from theUS state of Missouri to SouthKorea in a single flight.

Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett,reporting from Seoul, said theUS is sending "a very clearmessage to North Korea".

Fawcett also reported thatUS defense secretary CharlesHagel has called his SouthKorea counterpart "to reaffirmthe commitment" of the US todefend its ally.

On Wednesday, the Northsaid it would inform the UNSecurity Council that thethreat of nuclear war in theregion is growing.

"Under the situation wherea war may break out anymoment, there is no need tokeep up North-South militarycommunications," the officialwas quoted as saying by theofficial Korean Central NewsAgency. "From now, the North-South militarycommunications will be cutoff".

In response to the latestprovocation, the US said it isready to respond to "anycontingency".

"North Korea's bellicoserhetoric and the threats thatthey engage in follow a patterndesigned to raise tensions andintimidate others," JayCarney, White Housespokesman, said.

Several weeks ago NorthKorea severed the Red Crosshotline that had been used forgovernment-to-governmentcommunications in theabsence of diplomaticrelations.

Despite the cutting of themilitary hotline, the Seoul-funded Kaesong industrialcomplex in North Koreacontinued to operate as ofThursday.

The industrial estate,established in 2004 as asymbol of cross-bordercooperation, has remainedoperational despite repeatedcrises in relations.

Opposition chief al-Khatib (M) and Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Khaled al-Attiya inaugu-rated the Embassy [Reuters]

Sanctionsnoose makes itharder forJapan'sKoreans tohelp their own

When the now elderly manleft Japan on a Soviet shipin 1960 for North Korea, he

thought he was headed to thepromised land. In reality, hesurvived 47 years there thanks onlyto $1 million in support from his half-brother in Japan.

The man's Korean-born parentsdecided to migrate to North Koreawhen he was a teenager, lured bythe promise of free education andhealthcare in a country that at thetime was richer than South Korea inthe wake of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Much of the Korean communityin Japan is descended from peoplewho were shipped across as forcedlabor during Tokyo's 35-year colonialrule of the Korean peninsula, whichended with Japan's defeat in WorldWar Two.

In a twist of fate, the man fledback to Japan in 2008 and is nowsupporting his wife and children inthe North. Like other Koreanssending money to the North fromeither Japan or South Korea, hemay find transactions comingunder greater scrutiny after newU.N. sanctions were imposed onPyongyang for its third nucleartest in February.

Speaking to Reuters during aninterview in Tokyo, the 66-year-old man declined to be identifiedfor fear of reprisals against hisfamily. He also declined to sayexactly why he fled North Korea.He escaped to China in 2007, andarrived in Japan the followingyear.

He remembered calling hishalf-brother some years ago whenhe was in North Korea, thankinghim for the money.

"I told my brother that I wassorry (for taking the money), buthe said we were grown from thesame mother's belly ... I reallycried, I was so thankful for hiswords," said the man. His half-brother had died by the time hearrived in Tokyo.

Even before the February 12nuclear test, Japan's FinanceMinistry appeared to be paying moreattention to transfers to North Korea,as the man found out when he triedto send 200,000 yen ($2,100) toPyongyang through the postalsystem after North Korea's latest long-range rocket launch in December.

willingness for the revolutionnot to triumph," he toldreporters at the embassy,which was festooned withballoons in the red, green,white and black of Syria'snational flag.

NizarHaraki, named by thecoalition in February as its"ambassador" to Qatar, told

AFP he would "soon" present hisaccreditation letter to the emirof Qatar.

The coalition has namedenvoys in several countries,including Britain, France,Libya, Turkey and the UnitedStates, but has yet to opendiplomatic missions in thosecountries.


Europe andAmericas

US justicescriticise anti-gay law

Britain opens inquest intoBerezovsky's unexplained deathBritain opens a judicial

inquiry into the death ofRussian oligarch Boris

Berezovsky on Thursday to establishhow he died in the locked bathroom ofhis vast mansion near London.

Berezovsky, who survived yearsof intrigue, power struggles andassassination attempts in Russia, wasfound dead on Saturday in his homein Ascot, a town close to QueenElizabeth's Windsor Castle.

Police said there was no sign of astruggle and the 67-year-old's deathwas "consistent with hanging",suggesting he might have killedhimself.

Berezovsky was the king-makerbehind Vladimir Putin's ascent topower inRussia but later became hisnumber-one enemy and fled toBritain in 2000.

Berezovsky's associates havehinted he was depressed after losing a$6 billion court case against anothertycoon, Roman Abramovich, lastyear, when a judge humiliated himpublicly by saying he was anunimpressive and unreliablewitness.

Other people close to him havesaid they were not convinced by theofficial account.

A US law that definesmarriage as between aman and a woman only has

been sharply criticised by SupremeCourt justices at a landmark hearing.

A judge considered the court'sswing vote joined four liberalcolleagues in questioning theconstitutionality of the Defense ofMarriage Act (Doma).

Legal analysts speculated thatthe law, which denies various federalbenefits to gay couples, may be struckdown.

A ruling on the case is expectedby the end of June.

At the same time, America'shighest court is expected to issue adecision about California's gaymarriage ban, which it debated aday earlier.

For nearly two hours onWednesday, the nine justices inWashington DC grilled lawyers onthe constitutionality of Doma, withfive of them making scepticalremarks about the 1996 law.

Doma denies married gay andlesbian couples the same federalrights, such as tax breaks and welfarebenefits, granted to heterosexualcouples.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, seenas the swing vote between liberal andconservative justices, said he was"troubled" by how the law appearedto intrude on states' authority todefine marriage as they saw fit.

"The question is whether or notthe federal government under afederalism system has the authorityto regulate marriage," he said.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, aliberal, suggested the law created atwo-tiered system of wedlock.

"There are two kinds of marriage:full marriage and the skim-milkmarriage," she said.

Her colleague, Elena Kagan, saidDoma was "infected by animus, fearand dislike".

Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked:"What gives the federal governmentthe right to be concerned at all aboutwhat the definition of marriage is?"

The Obama administrationrefused to defend Doma in court,having deemed it unconstitutional.Instead, a group of House Republicanshired a lawyer to argue in favour ofthe law.

Turkish police clash with Syrian refugeesSyrian refugees threw rocks

at Turkish military policewho fired teargas and water

cannon, the latest unrest incamps struggling to cope with aflood of people fleeing a civil war.

Reuters TV filmed the scenesat the Suleiman Shah refugeecamp on Wednesday, near theTurkish town of Akcakale on theSyrian border, as dozens ofprotesters threw stones andsmashed the windows of a firetruck.

Camp residents said youngmen started the protest afterfaulty electrics set a tent on firewhich injured three brothersaged seven, 18 and 19.

A Turkish official said a"commotion" had broken outafter the fire, but that thesituation was now under controland declined to give furtherdetails.

Another Turkish official saidthe fire was not the cause of theincident and that it had beenstarted by residents outraged

when guards turned awayaround 200 Syrians trying to getinto the site which is already full,home to 35,000 people and oneof the largest in Turkey.

Protesters said many peoplewere wounded in the clash,something Turkish officials

"If he really hanged himself whywas that not known from the verybeginning?" said Andrei Sidelnikov,an opposition figure who knewBerezovsky. "I don't believe it was asuicide."

In Russia, state media quoted

Deputy Prosecutor GeneralAlexander Zvyagintsev as saying thegovernment would continue effortsto "bring back assets that Berezovskyand his accomplices acquiredcriminally and legalized abroad".

Mass-circulation tabloid

denied."Residents are angry," said

Sahar, a refugee who spoke toReuters by phone from SuleimanShah. She declined to give herlast name.

"The mother of four childrenliving in that tent had been

complaining for a long timeabout electrical problems andnothing was done, and then wehad this horrible accident."

Sahar said conditions atSuleiman Shah were poor, withseveral families sometimescrowded into one tent, and thatrelations between Turkishworkers and the refugees hadbecome increasingly tense.

Camps in Turkey for themost part have facilities such aselectric heaters to protectagainst freezing temperaturesand refugees receive three hotmeals a day, better conditionsthan in camps in some of Syria'sother neighbours.

But overcrowding remains aconcern, with more refugeesarriving as fighting across theborder drags on.

With Syria's bloody civil warnow in its third year, more than1 million Syrians have fled theircountry. At least 4 million moreare believed to be displacedinside Syria, aid agencies say.Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Huge cyber-attack causes worldwide disruptionA record-breaking cyber-

attack targeting an anti-spam watchdog group has

sent ripples of disruption coursingacross the Web, experts have said.

Spamhaus, a site responsiblefor keeping ads for counterfeitViagra and bogus weight-loss pillsout of the world's inboxes, said ithad been buffeted by the monsterdenial-of-service attack since mid-March, apparently from groupsangry at being blacklisted by theSwiss-British group.

"It is a small miracle that we'restill online," Spamhausresearcher Vincent Hanna said on

Wednesday.Denial-of-service attacks

overwhelm a server with traffic,like hundreds of letters beingjammed through a mail slot atthe same time.

Security experts measurethose attacks in bits of data persecond. Recent cyberattacks, likethe ones that caused persistentoutages at US banking sites latelast year, have tended to peak at100 billion bits per second.

But the furious assault onSpamhaus has shattered thecharts, clocking in at 300 billionbits per second, according to San

Francisco-based CloudFlare Inc.,which Spamhaus has enlisted tohelp it weather the attack.

"It was likely quite a bit more,but at some point measurementsystems can't keep up,"CloudFlare chief executiveMatthew Prince wrote in anemail.

Patrick Gilmore of AkamaiTechnologies said that was nounderstatement.

"This attack is the largest thathas been publicly disclosed, ever,in the history of the Internet,'' hesaid.

It is unclear who exactly was

behind the attack, although aman who identified himself asSven Olaf Kamphuis said he wasin touch with the attackers anddescribed them as mainlyconsisting of disgruntled RussianInternet service providers whohad found themselves onSpamhaus' blacklists.

There was no immediate wayto verify his claim.

He accused the watchdog ofarbitrarily blocking content thatit did not like.

Spamhaus has widely usedand constantly updatedblacklists of sites that send spam.

Police fire water cannons at the refugees.

Komsomolskaya Pravda, whichsupports the Kremlin, ran a frontpage headline on Wednesday thatread: "Did Berezovsky hang himselfor did he have help?"

The inquest will open in the townof Windsor on Thursday.

Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky


NYC Restaurant lures customers with KangarooA New York City

restaurant that servesburgers, sliders and

steaks made with kangaroomeat says the marsupial meatis a hit with customers,DNAinfo.com reports.

The Thirsty Koala co-ownerand chef Katherine Fuchs tellsthe website the kangaroo meatsells better than regular beef.

"There's a lot of other meat outthere. People are eating elk,they're eating emu, they'reeating ostrich," Fuchs toldDNAinfo. "So why not kangaroo?"

The kangaroo burgers weighabout 8 ounces and come withbeet root slaw, caramelizedonions, grilled pineapple, bacon,a fried egg and house-made goatcheese.

Co-owner Alex Styponisasdescribes the marsupial meat as"really yummy."

"I would say it tastes like a filetmignon. It's really sweet andtender, and it's not as gamey asone would think," he toldDNAInfo.com.

The meat travels from aranch in Queensland,Australia to Bronx Hunts PointMarket, according to the

Kangaroo

Bombproof wristwatch can withstand C4 explosive blast

If you're looking to buy theworld's toughest watch, youmight want to take a look

at the KaventsmannTriggerfish Bronze A2. Thislittle timepiece has beenpressure tested to 300 bar(that's 3000 meters of waterpressure), blown up with 10pounds of C4, and survived totick another day.

KaventsmannUhren is aone-man business run byMichael Barahona Fernandez,who creates all of the watchcase parts by hand, in his Berlinworkshop. It's a timeconsuming process, so only afew of these solid watches go onsale each month. For hisTriggerfish Bronze A2 model,the watchmaker used shock-resistant CuSn8 phosphor-bronze, the same materialbridge load bearing plates aremade of, stainless steel for thedetachable back cap, and a 10mm domed polycarbonatecrystal. The finished watchmeasures 45 mm wide and 20mm tall, and is a bit heavier

than conventionalwristwatches, but that's to beexpected, considering itsextreme durability. Afterconfirming the timepiece canresist water pressure of up to300 bar, Fernandez enlistedthe help of U.S. Special Forcesfor the ultimate test - hisKAVENTSMANN TriggerfishBronze A2 against the blastgenerated by 10 pounds of C4plastic explosive.

A group of soldiers that hadcommissioned Kaventsmannfor a military version of theTriggerfish made from analuminum alloy, placed thewristwatch just 1 meter fromthe C4 charge and detonatedthe explosives on a bombingrange. Except for a fewscratches and a missingleather strap, the watchsurvived intact. The timingmechanism was also knockedout of place, but its maker sayshe has developed a new holderthat will prevent this fromhappening in future tests.That's great to hear, but if youever find yourself just 1 meteraway from a bomb, the

Before bomb-tested

After bomb-tested

website.Other dishes that feature

the unique meat include

kangaroo sliders and kangaroofilet. According to Fuchs, theAustralian meat also has

nutritional value."It's a very good meat and it's

very good for you," Fuchs said.

"It's much leaner than beef, andit's got omega-three fattyacids."

By Spooky

Chinese gaming addict has spentthe last 6 years in an internet cafe

China's growing problemwith internet and videogame addiction is probably best

described by the case of Li Meng, ayoung man who has virtually beenliving in an Internet cafe for the lastsix years, leaving only to buy foodand take the occasional shower.

According to Chinese media, LiMeng graduated from university sixyears ago, but unlike most of his peers,who went on to look for jobs, make aname for themselves and start afamily, he opted for a life in the fantasyworld of online gaming. Ever sincehe finished school, Li has spent mostof his time in one of the many internetcafes in China's Northeast city ofChangchun. The owner of the placesays he's been there for such a longtime that he's basically part of thefurniture, and doesn't even notice hispresence anymore. He spends everyday and night tucked away in acorner, with an open bag of food byhis side, staring at the monitor andmashing the keyboard and mousebuttons, leaving for brief periods of

time to catch a bite to eat and take abath. Reporters who visited theyoung Chinese gamer at his"workplace" described him as a pale"bespectacled youth that clearlyhadn't been to a hairdresser for a longtime".

This bizarre story first appearedin the Beijing Times, after a reporterfrom the publication got the tip froma professor of psychology at JilinUniversity. He informed themthere was a young man who hadbeen playing internet games for aslong as six years without anycommunication with the outsideworld. Apparently, this ProfessorDing, visited Li Meng himself, butcaught him at a very bad time - justas he had finally reached the Bosson level 12 of his video game. Alongwith a social psychologist fromRenmin University, he tried to triedtalking to the young video gameaddict, but he just kept on playing,like they weren't even there. "Nomatter what was said, he refused tocommunicate with anyone else,"Ding told the press.

integrity of your watch shouldbe the least of your worries.

According to theKaventsmannUhren Facebookpage only 30 TriggerfishBronze A2 bombproof watcheswere made, and as of 15 hoursago, only two were stillavailable. They're priced at•1,600 ($2,000), in caseyou're interested.

By Spooky

Photo: Blastr


MTV Video Music Awardsare headed to Brooklyn

With Tobias Lengnan Dapam07036990957

This year's 30th annualawards show will bebroadcast live from the

Barclays Center on Sunday,August 25, The HollywoodReporter has learned.

This will mark the first timethe VMAs will take place in theNew York borough.

To announce the location,MTV began releasing eightphotos at 8 a.m. ET featuringthe Moonman in front of variouslocations on the network'sInstagram and official Twitteraccounts, "documenting" theMoonman's journey from lastyear's location (Los Angeles'Staples Center) to the BarclaysCenter.

Since the VMAs first began in1984, the awards show thathonors music videos have beenbroadcast from various venuesin Los Angeles and New YorkCity, twice in Miami and once inLas Vegas.

For the past three years, theVMAs were held in Los Angeles.The last time the music-centricshow was in New York City wasin 2009 at Radio City Music Hall.

"From a vibrant musical scenefor up-and-coming artists to epicconcerts by today's biggest starsand the triumphant return of prosports to the borough after nearly60 years, Brooklyn has re-

emerged as a cultural capitalwhere music, sports andentertainment history is madeevery day," MTV presidentStephen Friedman said in a

statement."Brooklyn is home to icons like

the Cyclone in Coney Island andthe Brooklyn Bridge, and now itcan lay claim to the MTV Video

Sam Mendes and his Skyfall,starring Daniel Craig asJames Bond, were big

winners at the 18th annualJameson Empire Awards in UK.

Mendes scooped up threeawards, including the EmpireInspiration prize, as well as thehonors for best director and bestmovie of 2012.

director category, Mendes edgedout Jackson and Whedon alongwith Christopher Nolan (TheDark Knight Rises) and QuentinTarantino (Django Unchained).The same five films also competedin the best picture category.

Seth MacFarlane's Ted won thebest comedy prize at the Sundaynight awards ceremony.

'Skyfall,' Sam Mendes winsEmpire Awards in U.K.

Music Awards," said New YorkMayor Michael Bloomberg in astatement. "Bringing the VMAsto Brooklyn will mean hundredsof jobs as crews work on the

production and provide a boost toour local economy as attendeesstay in hotels, visit local eateriesand experience all Brooklyn andour city have to offer."

Stage performance during the last MTV Award

'Breaking Bad' script stolenfrom Bryan Cranston's car

The actor reported thatsomeone broke into hisvehicle and snatched a

shoulder bag, which alsocontained an iPad.

Breaking Bad's tightly-guarded secrets could come tolight before the series returnsthis summer.

Star Bryan Cranstonreported a theft March 1,alleging that someone brokehis car window and snatcheda shoulder bag containing aniPad and his Breaking Badscript, according toAlbuquerque's ABC affiliate,KOAT-TV.

Court documents obtainedby ABCNews.com revealthat one of Cranston'semployees, Taryn Feingold,was contacted by aconfidential informant, whoreportedly overheard a manat a local bar boasting abouthow he broke into a vehiclein the Sandia MountainRange. He then reportedlyshowed his company "sometype of laptop or iPad,"according to the complaint,while "describing how he alsohad a script from the BreakingBad series."

Billing itself as "anantidote to moreformal, industry-voted awards," suchas the BAFTAAwards, the EmpireAwards, organizedby the moviemagazine andsponsored by thebeverage company,take place at the endof the annual awardsseason and before theCannes FilmFestival. They arevoted for entirely bythe movie-goingpublic.

Joss Whedon'sAvengers Assembleand Peter Jackson'sThe Hobbit: AnUnexpected Journeyfollowed Skyfall's sixnominations with fiveeach. In the best

BryanCranston

SamMendes


With the author andFox Newspersonality's "Killing

Lincoln" adaptation pulling arecord 3.4 million viewersand "Killing Kennedy"already in the works, it willmark the third collaborationbetween O'Reilly, the cablenet and Scott FreeProductions.

Hollywood reporterrevealed that the NationalGeographic Channel is set toadapt Bill O'Reilly's upcomingbook Killing Jesus: A History,marking the third telepicpartnering of the author, thecable network and RidleyScott's Scott Free Productions.

The news comes on theheels of the successful launchof O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln inFebruary. The scriptedadaptation, starring BillyCampbell as the 16thpresident and Jesse Johnsonas John Wilkes Booth, pulleda record 3.4 million viewersto the cable network. NatGeo is also in preproductionon O'Reilly's KillingKennedy: The End ofCamelot.

O'Reilly, who will serve asexecutive producer onKilling Jesus, is writing the

book with his researcher andpartner Martin Dugard.

Production on the film isscheduled to begin in the fall.

Nat Geo adapting BillO ‘Reilly’s ‘Killing Jesus’

Lil Wayne revealsAmerica's Mostwanted tour dates

After being hospitalized forseizures earlier thismonth, Lil Wayne is

recovering and ready to embark ontour alongside Atlanta's own, T.I. andFuture, Hollywood reporter has said.

It added that the two-month U.S.tour kicks off at Birmingham's OakMountain Amphitheater on 7thJuly, 2013, and concludes on 1stSeptember at the Verizon WirelessAmphitheater in Irvine, California.

Tickets for the Mountain Dew-sponsored tour will go on sale on LiveNation's website in April.

After America's Most Wanted,Weezy will be hitting up Europe withMac Miller in their previouslyannounced October tour.

Kim Kardishaunder fire forcalling Nigerianwomen ape

America's music sensation,Kim Kardisha, wasrecently under fire by

Nigerians on twitter for allegedlycalling Nigerian women apes,Pulse.com has said.

It added that the artist alsoreferred to the country as "as adisgusting place to be".

Meanwhile, a number ofNigerians have expressed their angeron twitter by attacking the musicsensation for such comments.

Kardisha was in Lagos, Nigeriaon the 14th February, 2013, to hostDarey Art Alade's show, Love Like AMovie, where she allegedly madethose comments.

Lagbaja getsmulti-millionnaira glo deal

Masked singer, BisadeOlogunde, who is wellknown as Lagbaja, has

signed a juicy multi-million nairadeal with telecommunicationsgiants, Globacom,Nigeroafilms.com has said.

It added that the deal makesthe masked wearing singer one ofthe few Nigerian celebrities whoare Glo brand ambassadors.

Though the deal has not yetbeen officially announced butNigeriafilms.com learnt that theartiste and the company havefinalised the deal.

This also necessitated therecent Glo theme song released lastweek. The song, which is titled'Unlimited', was done betweenLagbaja and P-Square music groupwho are already Glo ambassadors.

"I think the popularity ofBill's franchise speaks abouthow O'Reilly and Dugard areturning the notch up at everypossible opportunity withthese new accounts ofhistory," NGC presidentHoward Owens tells TheHollywood Reporter.

"Killing Lincoln proved ouraudience's response to factualdrama. The audacity of thesebooks is in the way Bill thinksand tells a story. We think it fitsreally well with the history ofthe bible, and we've had a lot ofsuccess in the religious genre."

Killing Jesus, as the titleimplies, follows the eventsleading up to the crucifixion.And the green light follows thecurrent success of History'sreligion-themed miniseriesThe Bible, which has beenpulling north of 10 millionviewers every Sunday sinceMarch 3. Nat Geo's previousreligious forays include 2006special The Gospel of Judas.

All three Killingadaptations follow theNovember debut of SEAL TeamSix, Nat Geo's first feature film.The Weinstein Co.'s retelling ofthe raid on Osama bin Laden'scompound brought in 2.7million viewers.

Jim Iyke shoots reality show episodeduring 2face's Dubai weddingBad boy' actor, Jim Iyke,

used a stone to kill two birdsover the weekend when he

used the opportunity of being atthe wedding of 2Face Idibia andAnnie Macaulay to shoot someepisodes of his reality TV show

in Dubai.The shoot has seen him take

shots from some locations inNigeria, US, Ghana and recentlyin Dubai.

Nigeriafilms.com gatheredthat the actor flew some of his

crew to Dubai to shoot somescenes for his Jim IykeUntammed reality TV showhitting the airwaves soon.

The show highlights somepersonal lifestyles of the actor.He started shooting in 2012.

KimKardisha

Lagbaja

Jim Iykeand hisDubaicrewmember

Lil Wayne


Examining benefits and safety ofgenetically modified cropsA farmer's son once

narrated a story: ``Myfather has been growing

maize for the past 13 years withunimpressive yields that areeven diminishing in quantityover the years. We could notmake ends meet and we areeconomically threatened; isfarming profitable at all?''

In contrast, a farmer fromGhana told a success story of hisfarming activities:

``I started farming with low-scale cultivation of maize butnow, I have high-quality maizeand I even sell maize in largequantities. To me, farming isquite interesting and profitable''

The two contrasting storiessomewhat reflect the differencebetween conventional andmodern-day farming of the 21stCentury.

The rationale behind thesuccess story of the secondfarmer is that he plantedselected varieties of maizewhich, in turn, enabled him tohave improved yields.

However, the farmer did thisvia a natural selection process,in which particular seeds withhigh yields are selected afterharvests and re-planted at thebeginning of a new plantingseason.

According to agriculturists,such activities reflect a simplehybridisation process, whichentails a simple selection of goodseeds for seeds' or plant breeding.

The experts underscore theneed for farmers to exploit theuse of all crop modificationprocesses to enhance their yieldsand, in essence, boost the foodsecurity of their communities.

They particularly stress theneed for the introduction ofmodern farming technologies inAfrica to boost food security,fight hunger and enhance thepeople's nutrition on thecontinent.

Some agricultural scientists,however, insist that structuredplant breeding remains the mostoutstanding revolution inagriculture, as it is capable oferadicating hunger and povertyacross the world, whosepopulation is expected to peak at9 billion by 2050.

Nevertheless, plant breedingwhich relates to the alterationof crops' genes is facing somechallenges, particularly thoserelating to widespreadmisconceptions about thesuitability of GeneticallyModified (GM) foods and crops forhuman consumption.

The critics of GM foods andcrops have raised doubts abouttheir safety, stressing that GMcrops could even ``contaminate''organic and conventional cropsbeing cultivated near them.

For instance, the Catholic

Medical Association of Nigeria isat the vanguard of the campaignagainst the adoption of GM foodsin Nigeria.

The association insists thatthe GM foods could be injuriousto the people's health, calling onPresident Goodluck Jonathannot to give assent to the Bio-Safety Bill.

Another obstacle in efforts togarner public acceptance for GMfoods is the widespreadspeculation that GM crops havebeen widely rejected acrossEurope because of someuncertainties regarding theirsafety for human consumption.

In an apparent reaction tosuch challenges, Indian PrimeMinister Manmohan Singhrecently observed thatcontentious issues regarding GMcrops and the use of to boost foodsecurity could not be resolvedthrough faith, emotions or fearbut via structured debates.

Supporting a scientificapproach to unravel thecontroversies, Singh called forgreater investments in utilisingscience to help establish aninclusive society that aimed atsolving major social problemsthrough scientific applications.

His words: ``Complex issues,be they GM foods or nuclearenergy or exploration of outerspace, cannot be settled by faith,emotion and fear but bystructured debate, analysis andenlightenment.''

Sharing similar sentiments,an American agronomist, DrMichael Murray, noted thatwith modern geneticengineering techniques,changes could be made in all cropcultivation processes.

He, nonetheless, concededthat there were much greatermanipulation options in GNtechnology, including movinggenes within or between species.

Irrespective of the criticisms,advocates of bio-fortified foodsinsist that the adoption of GMtechnology remains the bestoption of boosting of foodproduction, in line with currentglobal practices.

The argument in support ofgenetic engineering of food isthat while the world populationcontinues to expand, the landsavailable for food production

remain finite.The advocates argue that as

the world's population continuesto increase, food productionought to correspondinglyincrease; stressing that theadoption of GM crops will boostthe food security of the ever-increasing world population.

However, agriculturistsbelieve that ``agriculture is allabout is growing different cropsand processing different cropswithout mixing them up''.

They, therefore, stress thatin as much as hybridisationensures improved cultivationpatterns and yields, it issomewhat logical for people tostrive to acquire an appreciableknowledge of the all plant-breeding processes.

They also stress that effortsshould be made to enhance thepublic acceptance of GM cropsand foods, particularly at thegrassroots level.

At a recent media trainingfellowship organised byBiosciences for Farming inAfrica (B4FA) in Abuja, expertsobserved that Nigeria had thepotential of boosting its foodsecurity if it adopted GM crops.

For instance, Mr AdeoluAdebayo, a genetics lecturer atLadoke Akintola University,Ogbomoso, said that Nigerianscould identify some maize genesthat had resistance to fungipathogens for breeding.

``Then, the inbred lines couldbe used as parents between sixand seven generations and then,we select good ones among theseeds and later crossbreed themto produce the first generationof maize population.

``We continue the breedingand evaluation processes untilwe get the desired hybrid,'' hesaid.

In her discussion on cocoabreeding, Dr Anna Muyiwa ofthe Cocoa Research Institute ofNigeria (CRIN), Ibadan, notedthat improved breedingprocesses had engendered a moreviable cultivation of cocoa,resulting in high yields forfarmers.

She said that a new varietyof cocoa, which could mature innine months, was underobservation, adding that if theproject was success, the

demonstrate a strong politicalwill by encouraging the newmethod of farming.

They, however, stressed thatneed for the creation of a goodquarantine service, whilehorticultural specifications weremade via legislation to controlthe quality of GM crops thatwould be cultivated.

Besides, the participants saidthat the media and otherstakeholders should maketangible efforts to publicise theeconomic and health benefits ofGM foods.

They also resolved that theestablishment of more crop-breeding institutes such as theInternational Institute ofTropical Agriculture (IITA) inIbadan should be encouraged, aspart of efforts to promote GMcrops' cultivation.

They particularly urged themedia to explain the scientificterminologies used in newsbulletins so as to enhance thepeople's understanding of thesalient themes of the publicawareness campaign on GMcrops and foods.

The participants alsoemphasised the need to trainfarmers in GM crops' cultivationapplications, as part of efforts toboost Nigeria's food security andpromote the wellbeing of itscitizens.Source: NAN

By Kayode Olaitan

emerging variety could replacethe present variety thatrequired 18 to 24 months tomature.

However, most of theworkshop's participantsunderscored the need forPresident Jonathan to sign theBio-Safety Bill into law so as topromote the cultivation GMcrops in the country.

However, Mr Rufus Ebegba,a Deputy Director at the FederalMinistry of Environment, gavean assurance that efforts wereunderway to ensure the signingof the bill into law very soon.

All that same, theparticipants noted that theongoing plans to ensure theviability of GM crops in Nigerianotwithstanding, thegovernment ought to

She said that a new variety of cocoa, which couldmature in nine months, was under observation,adding that if the project was success, the emergingvariety could replace the present variety that required18 to 24 months to mature.

Minister of Agric, Akinwumi Adesina

“


Curbing the maltreatment of Nigerian workers By Olayemi Okeniyi

In March last year, the CivilLiberties Organisation(CLO) urged the Federal

Government to investigatethe alleged maltreatment ofsome Nigerians working insome foreign-ownedcompanies in the country.

Mr Clifford Thomas, theChairman of the Akwa Ibomchapter of CLO, said that inlight of the rising cases of themaltreatment of Nigeriansworking in such firms, suchinvestigation was consideredvery imperative.

He cited the China CivilEngineering and ConstructionCorporation (CCECC) as one ofthe firms that was known forthe gross violation of therights of Nigerian workers.

He claimed that theperceptible violationsincluded verbal insults as wellas singling out andoverworking specificindividuals.

Thomas alleged that oneman, Mr Emaeyak Edem, wasbeaten up by soldiers hired toprotect CCECC employees atthe behest of one employee formaking inquires about how tosecure a supply contract withthe firm.

The CLO chief stressed thatdue to the fact that theseforeign companies providedthe much neededemployment, people wereoften willing to overlook theiraberrations regardingviolation of the workers'

rights and work ethics.While there are several

allegations about the ill-treatment of Nigerians byforeign companies, the caseagainst CCECC is not the norm.

There are other allegationsregarding the misconduct offoreign companies,particularly with regard tohow expatriate workers werebeing given preferentialtreatment in the workplace.

Besides, concernedobservers note that therehave been complaints aboutenhanced remuneration forthe foreign workers, who arealso given residential quartersand official cars, while theyare often allowed to go ontheir annual leave at theirconvenience.

On the contrary, theNigerian workers in thesefirms are not allowed to enjoysimilar privileges, while theyare often laid off impulsivelyand indiscriminately.

Analysts, however,contend that wheneverspecialists are brought into acountry, their pay packageshould reflect their skills,while it should also take intocognizance the fact that theywere now working in acompletely different country.

Some of the analysts are,nonetheless, quick to pointout that there are enoughqualified citizens who caneasily be trained to performthe jobs which most of theseforeigners are brought in todo.

It is, however,

commonplace to seeexpatriate workers dominatethe high-level positions inmost foreign-ownedcompanies, while theNigerian workers arerelegated to perform menialtasks.

Nevertheless, that is not tosuggest that the situation ispeculiar to foreign companiesalone, as there are instanceswhere foreigners also receivepreferential treatment inNigerian-owned companiesand schools.

Miss Joke Abiodun, apublic relations (PR)practitioner, recalled thatduring a managementtraining workshop, theparticipants expressed theirdisappointment when theylearnt that the ``highly skilledand experienced UK trainer''who was brought in for theprogramme was in fact aNigerian living abroad and nota ``white person''.

She argued that theirattitude reflected a kind ofracial complex, ``as theythink that being black has novalue".

Abiodun stressed thatchildren are inadvertentlyexposed to such notions whenthey were praised for beingfair and mocked if they weretoo dark, adding that suchchildren often grew upbelieving that lighter skin wasmore advantageous.

``You see peoplestruggling to pay the fees forschools that are managed bya white principal, while there

are other more affordableschools offering the samecurriculum being run byblack persons," she said.

Besides, Abiodun said thatmany Nigerians oftenmisjudged white people aswealthier and moreprestigious persons, addingthat they usually strive to takeundue advantage of suchpersons.

``For instance, tradershabitually believe thatforeigners are more likely topay for items above thenormal market prices, whilethey are less likely to causetrouble whenever they arenot given their full change.

``Personally, I have cometo realise that only Nigerians,who have lived abroad orhave once experiencedracism, who harbour someresentment towardsforeigners.

``They wonder why whitepeople, who get preferredtreatment in their homecountries, also receiveexcellent treatment inNigeria, while Nigerians, whoundergo racism in othercountries, do not get anyspecial treatment at home,"she added.

Such comments tend toreinforce the need to curb theaberration of some foreigncountries in Nigeria whichmaltreat their Nigerianworkers.

The International Day forthe Elimination of RacialDiscrimination is celebratedon March 21 every year.

Racial discriminationinvolves all the races - blackand white - and it depends onwho is making the allegationregarding the perceiveddiscrimination.

For instance, in 2009, agroup of four white SouthAfricans and a mixed-raceNamibian were refusedpassage to Bonny Island by aboat company in Rivers statein the Niger Delta area.

Claiming racism, theaggrieved persons tookmatters up with Gov. RotimiAmaechi of Rivers State, whoapologised to them andpersuaded the company toreverse their discriminatorypolicy.

The boat companyexplained that they took theaction because of thecompelling need to protectthe lives of the boatpassengers, as foreignerswere often viewed as primetargets for miscreants whoperpetrated kidnapping andextortion.

All the same, concernedobservers insist that tangibleefforts should be made todenounce all forms of racialdiscrimination in thecountry, be it in theworkplace or in the largersociety.

They also underscore theneed to ensure that Nigerianand foreign workers areexposed to the same kind oftreatment in foreign and localcompanies, devoid of any iotaof discrimination.Source: NAN

Members of Nigeria Labour Congress in a procession during a rally against fuel hike, recently in Abuja.


Can't quit smoking? Yourgenes might be to blameGenes, rather than feeble

willpower, may be thereason why some people

just can't stop smoking.Scientists have identified

genetic variants that increase aperson's likelihood of becoming alifelong heavy smoker.

Those affected are moreeasily hooked as teenagers andquickly progress to smoking 20or more cigarettes a day.

As adults, they find it harderto quit the habit thanindividuals with a differentgenetic make-up.

Researchers studied almost1,000 New Zealanders frombirth to the age of 38 to identifythose at a greater genetic risk of

smoking.Participants with a high-risk

genetic profile were more likelyto smoke every day as teenagers.

At 38, they had smokedheavily for more years, weremore susceptible to nicotineaddition, and were more likelyto have failed in attempts to quit.

'Genetic risk accelerated thedevelopment of smokingbehaviour,' said study leader DrDaniel Belsky, from DukeUniversity in Durham, U.S.

'Teens at a high genetic risktransitioned quickly from tryingcigarettes to becoming regular,heavy smokers.'

Genetic make-up did notaffect whether or not a personwould try smoking for the firsttime. But for individuals who

did try cigarettes, having high-risk variants increased thechances of heavy smoking andtobacco dependence.

The results, reported in thejournal JAMA Psychiatry, arebased on genetic risk scoresderived from previous studiesthat scoured the whole geneticcode for associations withsmoking.

Alterations in the DNA inand around genes that affect thebrain and body's responses tonicotine were more common inthe heaviest smokers.

How the specific variantsaffect gene function is not yetknown.

DNA samples from the NewZealand group of 880 men andwomen of European descent were

checked to see if they matchedthe smoking risk profile.

In total, 70 per cent of theparticipants had tried smoking,but this was not related togenetic risk.

Those who smoked just one ortwo cigarettes a day, or only litup at weekends, had an evenlower genetic risk than non-smokers. But a strong associationwas seen between having ahigh-risk genetic profile andproblem smoking.

Among teens who had triedcigarettes, those with the geneticvariants were 24 per cent morelikely to become daily smokersby the age of 15, and 43 per centmore likely to be smoking a 20-pack a day by 18.

As adults, people with high-risk genetic profiles were 27 percent more likely to becomenicotine dependent and 22 percent more likely to fail atquitting.

By the age of 38, a heavysmoking study participantwith a high-risk genetic make-up had smoked about 7,300more cigarettes than theaverage smoker.

Those who did not becomeregular heavy smokers in theirteens appeared to be protectedagainst the perils of tobacco asadults.

'The effects of genetic riskseem to be limited to people whostart smoking as teens,' said DrBelsky.

'This suggests there may besomething special aboutnicotine exposure in theadolescent brain, with respectto these genetic variants.'

Sociomedical expertProfessor Denise Kandel, fromColumbia University in NewYork, who was not involved inthe study, said: 'Adolescence isindeed a period of high risk fornicotine addiction.

'The results illustrate whyadolescence is of crucialimportance for thedevelopment and targeting ofprevention and interventionefforts. How this genetic riskaffects brain functions, whichin turn affect reactions tonicotine, remains to bedetermined.'

The profiling technique isnot thought to be sensitiveenough to screen outindividuals at risk of beingenslaved by tobacco.

But the findings havepublic health implications, thescientists believe.

'Public health policies thatmake it harder for teens tobecome regular smokers shouldcontinue to be a focus in anti-smoking efforts,' said Dr Belsky.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

By Anna Hodgekiss

Those affected are more easily hooked as teenagers and quickly progress to smoking 20 or morecigarettes a day. As adults, they find it harder to quit

Scientists have found that somegenes increase a person'slikelihood of becoming a heavysmoker

Budget 2013: Motion without movementContd. from Back Page

not indicative of any sense ofprioritization leading toimprovements anytime soon.Could it also be that successivegovernments are simplyuninterested in fixing the powersector as majority of the peoplethink? Or could it be that truly,the power situation is beyondhuman capacity and is beingmanipulated by ‘ghosts, witches’and ‘wizards’? It is dishearteningthat a nation with a population ofnearly 170 million hardlygenerates 4000 megawattssteadily while South Africa whichhas less than a third of ourpopulation (about 50 million)generates ten times moreelectricity (about 45,000 MW). It

is not difficult to understand whySouth Africa surpasses Nigeria onmajor development indicators inspite of the latter’s potentials.

Is the government relyingwholly on the private sector toshoulder the short-terminvestments in the sector? For thepower situation in Nigeria to beturned around, governmentwould need to invest massively inthe sector. The investmentsneeded must include federalbudgetary intervention to expandand modernize the nation’stransmission infrastructure, someinvestments in renewablegeneration capacity using windand solar, and even somehydropower stations to be placedunder private sector managementor ownership as soon as they are

commissioned. Unless thegovernment pragmaticallypursues a mix of public andprivate investment in the varioussegments of electricity supplyindustry using our ample gas,hydro, coal, wind and solarresources, our nation will remainin partial darkness for at least thenext five years. South Africa on itsown has recorded success in itspower sector by harnessing theirfreely available natural resource(coal) and converting it to power.It did not go about importingnatural resources which it alreadyhas, or relying solely on a privatesector solution. Instead, it investedin making available resourcesusable to the public and privatesectors.

Until this government or any

other government for that matteris able to tackle the power supplyproblem in the country, it wouldnot be taken seriously because thisis one area where it is easiest toprove that a government is indeedworking for the benefit of thepeople. Corruption and impunitywhich are the major culprits forthe chaos in the sector must bedealt with. A good starting point –a massive national signal - wouldbe for all federal governmentfacilities (including thePresidential Villa, the NationalAssembly and Supreme Court) tostop forthwith the use of generatorsto supply electricity for their dayto day activities both at work andhome. Such a signal will not onlycompel the public electricityproviders to sit up and get better,

but will encourage policy makersto experience some of the pain thatthe ordinary Nigerian feels everyday. Hopefully, this will engenderchange in official attitudes – andperhaps raise the budget for thepower sector from the patheticamount provided for in 2013!

In the meantime, as theexecutive and the legislative armsof government continue to bickerover who has the power to do what,or who has the mandate to awardwhat contract, the wholebudgetary process is becomingmore and more like the famousaxiom: All motion, no movement.Sadly, from economicdevelopment, poverty alleviationand job creation perspectives, that,exactly, is what the 2013 budgetmay be turning out to be.


The African PeoplesCongress (APC) haswarned the Independent

National Electoral Commission(INEC), not to register anypolitical association with theacronym and logo it submittedto the commission, pending whenthe controversy over its rightfulowner would be resolved up to theSupreme Court.

Briefing journalistsyesterday, the Acting Chairmanof the party, OnyinyeIkeagwuonu, also disclosed thatthe party has officiallycommunicated to INEC itsintention to seek a judicial reviewof the registration process of INECby which the Commissionrecently announced its decisionto deny APC registration.

He also said that the party’sletter has been received andacknowledged by INEC’s

Don’t register any group with our acronym - APC warns INECDepartment for Political Affairs,adding that in it, APC clearlypointed out to INEC that thereason that their form PA 1, hasno clear address for the nationalofficers of the party was acalculated attempt to deny theparty registration as earlieralleged.

He insisted that the party hasas required provided enoughaddresses and contact of theirnational officers for easy contactand identification, pointing outthat there is no specificrequirement in the constitutionthat makes the addresses andcontacts provided by any partyvalid or invalid.

The Acting Chairman arguedthat the party’s national officersare not Abuja based politiciansbut grassroots leaders who residewith their people in their variouscouncil areas, saying this may bewhy INEC has not seen theirstreets as some fancy streets in

Abuja.Ikeagwuonu regretted that

INEC should have written tothem to demand for more specificdetails about the contacts andaddresses it provided since thecommission is not satisfied withwhat is already provided ratherthan outrightly denying theparty registration.

“As we have now decided toseek judicial review of thedecision of INEC not to registerour association, you have noright to register any otherpolitical association with ourname, acronym, symbol or logotill the matter is finally disposedof by the court”, APC warned.

Speaking further,Ikeagwuonu alleged that therecent development has indicatedthat some top personnel of INECare dutifully advising andreporting to the leadership of themerger group, calling that topDirectors and Commissioners in

INEC should be subjected to a Codeof Conduct Bureau’s probe toascertain if their present financialstatus corresponds with theirdeclared assets.

At this juncture, he disclosedthat a team of twenty lawyers ledby two Senior Advocates has beendispatched to Obudu in CrossRivers to explore and consider thevarious legal options APC hasdeployed in forcing INEC toregister APC.

“Any body who takes therecent denial of APC registrationas an open door for the mergercommunity is a novice”, he said.

The National Legal Adviser ofAPC, Barr. Kingsley Nnadi, in hiscomments promised that he, inalliance with the group of lawyersin Defence of Democracy andConstitution of Nigeria, which is aNongovernmental Organisation,will offer free legal services toensure that justice is done byINEC.

The Nasarawa State Houseof Assembly yesterdaybanned all traditional

rulers in the state from residingoutside their domains in theinterest of peace and progress oftheir people.

The ban followed the motionby the Majority Leader of theHouse, Mr Godiya Akwashiki(PDP-Nasarawa Eggon West).

The bill to regulate themovement of the statetraditional rulers passed thethird reading after the adoptionof the motion.

Akwashiki said that the lawwould ensure that alltraditional rulers resided andpresided over issues within theirchiefdoms.

He said: “I am calling on mycolleagues to allow this bill topass third reading in order toprohibit all traditional rulersfrom residing outside theiremirates and chiefdoms.

“It will be an offence for anytraditional ruler to live outsidehis chiefdom for no just cause ifthis bill sees the light at the endof the day.

“The bill also said that notraditional rulers shall leave hischiefdom for more than oneweeks without notifying thechairman/administrator of hislocal government ordevelopment area and his kinsmen,” he said.

According to him, theelection of traditional rulers willbe conducted at the palace orvillage where the palace issituated so that there will bepeace across the state.

The Minority Leader,Malam Adamu Maikatako(CPC-Lafia) seconded the motionfor the passage of the bill.

He said that the bill if passedwould also prohibited the use ofmilitary personnel during theelection of traditional rulers aswell as spell out the roles andresponsibilities of traditionalrulers in the state

He said, “I am seconding thisbill to pass third reading becauseit is timely; it prohibits ourroyal fathers from residingoutside their domain for peaceto reign.

“It also spelt out procedurefor their removal from office incase of any offence committed.”

The house unanimouslyadopted the bill banningtraditional rulers from residingoutside their domains.

The Speaker of the House,Alhaji Musa Ahmed, thendirected the Clerk of the Houseto produce a clean copy of thebill for the governor’s assent.(NAN)

NasarawaAssembly banstraditionalrulers fromresiding outsidetheir domains

Elder brother to Imo state Deputy Governor, Chief Martin Agbaso (right), briefing newsmen on the bribery allegation against Imo DeputyGovernor, yesterday in Lagos. With him is Eze Igbo Ikeja, Eze Uche Dimgba (left). Photo: NAN

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Imo Deputy Governor impeachedThe Imo State House of

Assembly has impeachedthe state's Deputy

Governor, Mr.Jude Agbaso.Twenty five of the 26

lawmakers in the Assemblyvoted in favour of theimpeachment. The Assemblyhad served Mr. Agbaso a noticeof impeachment over theallegation that he demanded andcollected N458 million bribe

from J-PROS Limited, aconstruction firm handling therehabilitation of Sam MbakweRoad in Owerri, the state capital.

Mr. Agbaso denied theallegation and prayed theFederal High Court in Owerri tosuspend the impeachmentprocess, saying he was notallowed fair hearing.

The court declined, even asan ad-hoc committee set up by

the Assembly to investigate theembattled deputy governorhad already indicted him.

After majority of thelawmakers endorsed thedeputy governor'simpeachment, the House askedthe Chief Judge of the state,Justice Benjamin Njemanze, toconstitute a seven-man panel tore-investigate the N458 millioncontract scam as provided in

Section 188 of the 1999Constitution as amended.

The House removed Mr.Agbaso based on the report ofthe panel.

There are suggestions insome quarters in Imo State thatGovernor Rochas Okorochaswas behind the ordeals of hisdeputy, an allegation thegovernor has repeatedlydenied.


The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)'s Youth VanguardYesterday called on the youths in

the country to shun all forms of politicalviolence thuggery and other anti socialbehavior for the nation to move forward.

Amb. Ibrahim Aboki, NationalSecretary to the group in a speechdelivered in Abuja, said there areindications that the government waswinning the war against insecurity in thecountry. He said "We also call on allNigerians especially our teeming youthto shun all kind of political violence andthuggery to embrace peace and dialogue."

Aboki said everyone in the countrymust join hands with the government tofight the menace of insecurity in thecountry.

Commenting on the oppositionmerger, the group scribe pointed out thatthe parties in the merger have regionaland tribal cleavages pointing out thatonly the PDP has the national appeal.

PDP YouthsVanguardcautionsNigeriansagainst violence

FG has surrendered tocorruption, says UPPThe United Progressives Party (UPP)

has said that the FederalGovernment has surrendered to the

scourge of corruption, especially in the highplaces.

Reading the communique issuedyesterday after the National ExecutiveCommittee (NEC) meeting of the party inAbuja, UPP’s chairman, Chekwas Okorie,regretted that public and political officeholders have failed to lead by example in thefight against corruption.

The chairman blames the high level ofcorruption for the unemployment prevailingin the country, adding that the cases of youthrestiveness and other social vices are directconsequence of corruption in the country.

He expressed concerns that there is almostabsence of security for lives and property inNigeria, saying that life in the country hasbecome so short and brutish.

In addition, he bemoaned that the huge

budgetary allocation to the fight againstterrorism and violent crimes has not reflectedin the security situation of the country.

According to the communique, “Thefederal and state governments, as well as thesecurity agencies have not lived up toexpectation in this regards.”

On this basis, he the party advised federalgovernment to invite friendly nations withproven records of acquisition of relevanttechnology to assist the government with therequisite technology and expertise to combatviolence in the country.

Meanwhile, the party composed andinaugurated two committees of finance andcontact, in addition to the Board of Trustees(BoT) of the party, headed by GeorgeOzodinobi, whose functions will be inaccordance to the stipulations of theconstitution.

The party also urged INEC to commenceelectronic voting system in the subsequentelections, saying this is the only way to restorethe confidence of Nigerians in the electoral

system.He recalled that of the thirteen political

parties that participated in the recently heldAbuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC)election, the only 28,000 votes were cast,out of the 477,000 registered and eligiblevoters in AMAC.

He said this represents less than sixpercent of the registered voters, saying theAMAC election does not meet with theminimum qualification for legitimacy.

“The government of Nigeria, the NationalAssembly, INEC, Political Parties andNigerian people should be worried at the trendthat suggests in clear terms that Nigerianshave lost total confidence in the democraticprocess”, the communique read.

He commended the UPP’s chairmanshipand vice chairmanship candidates, inaddition to the twelve councilorshipscandidates that contested the AMAC areacouncil elections for putting up a robust fightin the election, despite being the first outingof the party in an election.

Chairman, 3rd Republic Members of the House of Representatives Forum, Hon. Obi Anoliefo (middle), former Senate PresidentAdolphos Wabara (right), and executive member, Hon. Peter Biakpara (left), during the meeting of the Forum, on Wednesdayin Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

PDP plots to take over Kwara APC, opposition alleges

The All Progressive Congress (APC)in Kwara State has raised thealarm that the ruling party, Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) in the state hasset up a committee charged to take overCongress for Progressive Change(CPC), AllNigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and ActionCongress of Nigeria (ACN).

The parties state Chairmen, AlhajiSuleiman Buhari, Alhaji Taiwo Eleja andKayode Olawepo in a jointly signedstatement yesterday said they havealerted State Security Service(SSS) and

other security agencies on the matter."Already, a committee headed by a

former national officer of the PDP and aperennial gubernatorial contestant in thestate, has been set up to fine-tune themodalities for the takeover bid. And trueto instructions, the committee has deviseda multi-prong approach to destabilise thefledging APC's structure.

"These methods include, but are by nomeans limited to, flying the dangerous kiteof dissolution of the democratically electedState Executive Councils of the three majoropposition parties in the state."

The parties Chairmen further alleged

that the PDP committee in the state wasmandated to flag off an NGO, political forato serve as counterforce and publicmessiah. APC chairmen maintained thatthe parties were not against politiciansjoining the mega party but stressed thatsuch person must be ready to abide by therules of the party.

"Any attempt to resurrect an idea thatis dead and effectively buried in the brainof its progenitor will be tantamount to adeclaration of war against democracy andthe rule of law. They have to bear it intheir minds that the APC is a party of rulesand due process".

Kogi Assemblyordersreinstatement ofcouncil workers

The Kogi State House of Assemblyhas ordered an immediatereinstatement of 600 workers of Okehi

Local Government Council sacked by theformer liaison officer of the council.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)reports that the resolution followed theadoption of the report of the StandingCommittee on Local Government of thehouse that investigated and maderecommendations on the issue.

The Speaker of the house, Alhaji LawalMomoh-Jimoh, ruled that the workers were“legitimately and legally appointed”, addingthat they should not be held accountable forthe bloated workforce in the council.

Earlier, while presenting the report, theChairman of the committee, AlhajiAbdullahi Lawal (PDP-Adavi), said that thecommittee discovered that the NationalUnion of Local Government Employees(NULGE) had carried out staff screeningearlier.

“In our investigation, we discovered thatthe then chairman sought the approval ofthe Local Government Service Commissionfor the recruitment of about 120 staff for thecouncil,” he said.

He said that in implementing theappointment, the then chairman over-shotthe number, causing over-employment.

Lawal described the appointment of the120 staff as “legal”, saying that theappointment letter of most of them weresigned by the commission.

He said the committee faulted theprocedures for disengaging the staff becauseneither the commission nor the managementof the council issued them termination letters.

Mr Sunday Shigaba (ANPP-Bassa), saidthe council had the constitutional right toemploy officers on grade levels 01 to 06 whilethe Local Government Service Commissioncould recruit officers on grade level 08 andabove. (NAN)

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi


By Lawrence olaoye


country like Nigeria.``We are not asking for state

police because we do not believein the current police force but wehave observed that a federalpolice officer can be posted toanywhere.

``When you recruit someonefrom the riverine areas ofBayelsa, for instance, and posthim to Shendam or the hilly areasof Riyom, where does he start?

`Ìf you go to UK, you willnever see UK police; it is eithermetropolitan police or countypolice.

``That makes it easy for theofficers there to chase and tracecriminals because they knowpractically all the nook andcrannies of their areas.

``Here, gunmen attackcommunities and run into thehills, while most of our securitypersonnel are not familiar withsuch terrain.

``You could then imaginewhat happens if you post a Plateauman to the waterlogged areas ofBayelsa or River states, wheredoes he start?'' he quipped.

However, the governorrejected some misconceptionsthat he wanted a state police forcefor ulterior motives.

`Ì don't have any reason tohate anybody because Godcreated human beings in His ownlikeness and I think some cynicsmerely use all kinds of argumentsto stop Nigeria from growing intoa developed nation.

``We must learn to work withthe truth; we must teach ourchildren what is right and wemust develop genuine love for oneanother irrespective of factorssuch as ethnicity, religion andpolitical difference,'' he said.

Jang rejected the notion insome quarters that his campaignfor the creation of state police wasprovoked by his machination tofuel the crisis in the state.

``With all due respect,nothing could be more bizarreand ridiculous; will any leader forthat matter support violence?

``Which leader, no matterhow sadistic, will be happy tohave his domain turned into atheatre of war where infants,women and the very elderly arebeing murdered in their sleep?''he asked.

Jang emphasised that his callsfor a state police were purelybased on the peculiarities ofPlateau State, stressing thatstates that were not ready for

state police should not be forcedto toe the line and establish it.

Besides, the governor arguedthat it was wrong to address astate governor as the chiefsecurity officer of the state whenhe had no control over thecommissioner of police in statewhatsoever.

Supporting the governor'sviewpoint, Prof. Isawa Elaigwu,the President of Institute of GoodGovernance and Social Research,said: ``Currently, the PlateauState Government funds all thesecurity outfits in the state as itis in other states; so, it canconveniently fund a state police.''

Nevertheless, Mr HamisuAlli-Jos, a retired DeputyInspector-General of Police, has acontrary view.

He argued that the bestapproach to address the situationwas to allow state governors tosupervise the commissioners of

Gov. Jang reiterates call for state police

police in their domains since thegovernors were statutorilyreferred to as the chief securityofficers of their states.

Apart from the debate on thedesirability of the state police orotherwise, the governor,however, used the occasion todebunk some allegationsregarding his style of leadership.

Reacting to an allegation thathe never took to advice, Jangchallenged the proponents ofsuch allegations, saying: ``Letany of such people tell us the dayhe came to see me and was notallowed to see me to listen to hisadvice.

`Ìnstead of putting headstogether to help Plateau, suchpeople prefer to vilify me and mygovernment on the pages ofnewspapers.

``The truth is that while wetry to be prudent with ourresources, some people are not

comfortable with that,'' he added.At the event, journalists

sought some clarifications onvarying issues, including anallegation that the governor wasalways too firm on decisions,irrespective of the public feelingsabout the issues involved.

Some critics have also cited thegovernment's ``no work; no pay''policy as a development that hadconsistently pitted thegovernment against its workers,often resulting in industrialdisputes.

Responding to such allegations,the Commissioner forInformation, Mr Abraham Yiljap,said that the governor was oftenmisunderstood.

``Gov. Jang is a veryprincipled administrator; his lovefor Plateau knows no bounds; heprefers to be with his people in allsituations and feel their pulse atall times.

``He has designed a mentoringprogramme for all his appointeesso as to ensure a smooth succession,long after his exit from office,'' hesaid.

Nevertheless, Yiljap opinedthat the governor should open amore direct channel of relationshipwith more stakeholders.

“I think Gov. Jang will bebetter understood if he drivespersonally to see journalists, civilsociety organisations, associations,politicians and even the ordinaryfarmer and market woman. Heshould interact with them at amore informal level

“That way, people shall see hisother side and, perhaps, judge himmore positively and correctly,'' hesaid.

Sharing similar sentiments,Mr Timothy Golu, the Chief Whipof the Plateau State House ofAssembly, commended thegovernor for mentoring the youth,as part of efforts to prepare themfor future leadership positions.

Golu stressed that thegovernor's approach waspurposeful and good for the state'sdevelopment, as new ideas wouldevolve to enhance the growth,stability and peace of the state.

The critics' dissentsnotwithstanding, public analystsinsist that as the people celebrateJang's birthday, they shouldstrive to emulate his leadershipvirtues, while making concertedefforts to resolve the various crisesaffecting the state.

(NANFeatures)

March 13, 2013 was the69th birthday of Gov.Jonah Jang of Plateau

but he was reluctant to honourthe activities lined up for thecelebration at his country homein Du and in Jos, the state capital.

In his comment on thecultural shows, a public lecture,the prayer sessions and a cocktailparty lined up in his honour,Jang bluntly said: `Ì don'tbelieve in these things; I see themas unnecessary and avenues forunnecessary expenditure.

`Ì believe people shouldcontribute their quota to thedevelopment of theirenvironment and the nationwithout making much noiseabout it.''

However, a major theme ofthe governor's birthdaycelebration related to theproposal for the creation of statepolice, an idea which Jang hasbeen drumming support for onseveral occasions.

In his remark at the occasion,Jang reiterated his call for theestablishment of the state police,as part efforts to resolve theprotracted crises bedevillingPlateau State.

The recent call for a statepolice force was stimulated by thepublic lecture delivered duringJang's birthday celebration bySen. Gyang Pwajok, the formerChief of Staff to the governor whoreplaced the late Sen. GyangDantong in the Senate.

Observers note that thelecture on ``Policing in a federalstate: Whither Nigeria'' appearsapt and well-chosen, as it onceagain brought to the fore thegovernor's contention on thedesirability of the state police asthe only panacea for the myriadsecurity challenges facing thestate.

Pwajok outlined the statutoryrole of the police in keepingdomestic peace and counteringany internal insurgency.

Assessing the equipment ofthe Nigeria Police Force and thefinancial allocations to it over theyears, the senator concluded thatNigeria had failed to prepare thepolice force to effectively policethe nation.

In his comment, Jangreiterated his call for the creationof state police, succinctlyjustifying the need for it in a large

Governor Jonah Jang

“So we have to await thereport of the team sent to assessthe situation; no responsiblegovernment can habourterrorists.”

The commissioner said thatthe government had been inthe vanguard of fightingagainst terrorism and otherviolent crimes.

He explained thatgovernment had prescribeddeath penalty for convictedkidnappers in the state.

Fefegha expressed optimism

that the suspects would beinvestigated, prosecuted andmade to feel the full wrath ofthe law.

Also reacting to arrest of 30job seekers on Tuesday inYenagoa, Fefegha dismissedthe claim that governmentwas insensitive to the plight ofunemployed youths.

He said that the claimswere self seeking as theydemanded a stipend ofN40,000 monthly.

The commissioner said:

“Just a few days ago, 500youths left for agriculturaltraining in Republic of Benin.

“We also offered amnesty tocultists and from our record sofar, 3,000 of them haveregistered to participate inskills acquisition scheme.

“There are so manyprogrammes targeted atempowering our youths andgovernment believes thatpeople should avail themselvesof such opportunities ratherthan breach the peace.” (NAN)

Agency of Nigeria (NAN) onThursday that furtherinvestigation by securityagencies was necessary

He said: “Our findings showthat the abandoned buildingbelongs to Bayelsa State.

“The governor has directedthat the building be demolishedand a more befitting house builtand put to use.

“The government haddispatched a team of engineersto assess the state of thebuilding.

The Bayelsa Governmenthas dissociated itself fromthe nine suspected

terrorists reportedly arrested ina building belonging to thestate government in Ijora areaof Lagos.

The Commissioner forInformation, Mr MarksonFefegha, said in Yenagoa thatthe state government had nolinks with the suspects whoused the abandoned buildingfor their nefarious activities

Fefegha told the News

Bayelsa Govt. denies link with terrorists arrested in its building in Lagos

By Ephraims Sheyin


The Golden Eaglets will today trade tackleswith Al-Sadd Football Club with legendarySpanish star, Raul Gonzalez leading the charge

against the Nigerian starlets at the Jassim Bin HamadStadium in Doha -popularly known as ‘Old Trafford’.

Raul, the former Real Madrid’s captain, is one of themost influential foreign players in the club, whichincidentally once paraded Nigerian striker, JohnUtaka in the 1990s.

Already, some of the Eaglets are warming up tomeet Raul and to have handshakes with the legend.

“You mean we would be playing against Raul us onFriday? Success Isaac, Golden Eaglets’ striker askedrhetorically.

“It would be a privilege to play against Raul andshake hands with him before the match.” Isaac,Eaglets’ top scorer in the qualifier for the CAN Under-

Dami Paul, Flying Eagles’ goalkeeper

Coach John Obuh

Yohan Blake

Allyson Felix

Head Coach of the FlyingEagle John Obuh has saidthat his team deserved to

lose to the Young Pharaohs of Egyptin the semifinals African YouthChampionship (AYC) inAinTemouchent, Algeria lastTuesday.

According to him, the juniorEagles underrated their opponentsand paid dearly for it as theysuffered a shock 0-2 loss to theEgyptians,

Also, Obuh rues the many missedchances that they could havescored to ensure they seal a berth

at the final of the AYC and defendtheir title.

“We played Egypt in pre-tournament and defeated them.We have never lost to a team likeEgypt 2-nil. I am not happy theway my boys approached thegame because we created manychances that could have given usupper hand, but they failed toutilize it.

“Our inability to score goals wasthe major problem. That gave themthe power to fight back and punishus for missing our chances. Imagine,they had only three chances andconverted two,” he said.

The former Sharks FC coach also

said that he was surprised at thetactical approach adopted by theEgyptians during the match.

“Before the tournament, weplayed against t Young Pharaohsin Tunis and we defeated them. Butin the competitive game , my boysfailed to understand that the gameof football sometimes change and ateam you think you are better thanto spring surprise,” he said.

However, Obuh lauded the boysfor qualifying to the FIFA U-20World Cup billed in Turkey laterin the year. The Flying Eagles willplay in Losers’ Final against Malitoday at 5.30 pm Nigeria time.They lost the opening game to Malidespite dominating possession byas much as 75 percent.

17 Championship in Morocco with five goals in sixmatches,

He added: “I can’t wait to play against Raul becauseit is an opportunity to learn some new things aboutgoal scoring from him and it is going to be an interestinggame for us.”

Similarly, Musa Muhammed,the national Under-17 team captain stated that the team would be focussedto preserve their unbeaten run and won’t be carriedaway with the prospect of playing against Raul.

“We are going to play against Al-Sadd like any otherteam with the objective to win,” he stated. “Myteammates are ready and we want to show what wehave been learning since we came to Aspire.”

Today’s match is in the series of friendly duels linedup for the team as they prepare for next month’s CAFU-17 fiesta in Morocco.

Flying Eagles did not do enough againstYoung Pharaohs, says ObuhBy Albert Akota

Golden Eaglets battle Raul Gonzalez at ‘Old Trafford’

Going by the contractualterms between the NigeriaFootball Federation (NFF)

and John Sam Obuh, the headcoach of the Flying Eagles,stands sacked by the footballfederation for failing to fulfill theterms of the contract.

According to a member of theNFF technical committee,Austel Elumelu, Obuh hadsigned a contract whichindicated he must deliver theAYC trophy.

Elumelu, who was monitoredin a Brilafm news programmeyesterday, said that Obuh hadaccepted to the terms of thecontract which included to thatthe Flying Eagles deliver theAYC trophy by retaining same.They had won it two years agoin South Africa.

It implies that followingTuesday’s semifinal loss to theYoung Pharoahs the clause inthe contract would be enforcedas was the case with SamsonSiasia who was fired for failingto qualify for the 2012 NationsCup finals.

Meanwhile, the junior Eagleswill decide which of either GroupB or D the will belong at the FIFAU-20 World Cup in Turkey, nextJ u n e .

According to the draw madelast Friday, AYC losers’ winnersor fourth-placed team are to endup in either group.

Group B has the likes of Cuba,Korea Republic, CAF second

runners up and Portugal whileGroup D are Mexico, Greece,Paraguay and CAF fourth-placed side.

The Eagles, who confront theirMalian counterparts for thesecond time in this tournamenthaving lost the first game, aretherefore condemned to beatMali to secure a berth to Group Bor face a daunting task ofplaying against Paraguay,Mexico, Greece, who are hardnuts to crack.

Though the Eagles lost the firstgame to Mali, it was not becauseof their opponents’ superiortactics other than the juniorEagles’ claw footedness in frontof the goal.

That has been the mostundoing of the West Africa teamas evident by their lost to Egyptafter dominating for most of the90 minutes, created severalchances but failed to convert

them, while the Young Pharaohshad three chances and buriedtwo of them.

Coach Obuh must thereforegive fresh breathe to hisattacking form perhaps bydropping Kayode Olarenwajuthat has consistently misfiredand allow Aminu Umar to leadthe charge.

AYC Losers’Final: Win or loseObuh to be sackedBy Patrick Andrew

Usain Bolt, the two-time reigning Olympic champion at 100and 200 metres, will run at the Jamaica InternationalInvitational athletics meet on May 4, organisers announced

on Wednesday.Yohan Blake and US sprint star Allyson Felix will also compete in

the meeting, but meet director Donald Quarrie, a former Olympic200 champion, said there will be no showdown between Bolt andBlake in the same event at Kingston.

“Bolt has been confirmed, but his coach, Glen Mills, will decide onthe event he will run at a later date,” Quarrie said.

Blake, second to Bolt in both sprints at the London Olympics, isalso undecided about his event.

“Bolt and Blake will run, but not in the same event,” Quarriesaid. “Hopefully next week we should know the event.”

Felix, the Olympic 200m champion, will compete in the meet forthe first time and she will have a showdown with Jamaica’sVeronica Campbell-Brown in the women’s 100, Quarrie said.

Felix, a three-time world champion in the 200, first ran inKingston at the 2002 world junior championships.

Two-time Olympic 100m women’s champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will run the 200, the event in which she finished second atthe London Olympics.

Hansle Parchment, a London Olympic bronze medallist, will runthe 110m hurdles.

Bolt, Blake, to lightup Kingston May 4


Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard has told L’Equipe he is enjoyinghis maiden Premier League season and feels English footballhas taught him to show his prodigious ability more often.

Only Fernando Torres has featured in more top-flight games forthe Blues this season than Hazard, while Juan Mata is the sole Chelseaplayer who can claim to have had a hand in more of the side’sPremier League goals.

Hazard’s match-winning talent was already in evidence at formerclub Lille, but the Belgium international believes his switch acrossthe Channel last summer has improved one aspect of his game.

With eight goals and as many assists in his first season in Englishfootball, Hazard has already started to justify Chelsea’s estimatedoutlay of •32 million on him.

His statistics suggest he has settled quickly into life at StamfordBridge, but the two-time Ligue 1 Player of the Year acknowledgedhe has had to get used to the unique facets of England’s nationalgame.

The same could be said of his compatriots in the stands, who roseas one on Tuesday to salute Hazard after he had scored the only goalof the game to give Belgium a 1-0victory over Macedonia and keephis nation top of World Cup Qualifying Group A.Eden Hazard

Chelsea hitmanenjoying life in England

Arsenal manager ArseneWenger says JackWilshere will be given an

extra week to recover from anankle injury.

The 21-year-old has notplayed since suffering theproblem in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeatat Tottenham on 3 March.

Midfielder Wilshere is set to

miss the games against Readingand West Brom but shouldreturn for Norwich on 13 April.

Wilshere missed the whole oflast season with an injury to hisright ankle, but his latest issueaffects the opposite joint.

Wenger initially estimatedhe would be out for three weeks,but his absence is now likely to

extend to four.Wenger will also be without

Theo Walcott for Saturday’svisit of Reading after theforward suffered a pelvicmuscle tear while oninternational duty.

There are also doubts over left-back Kieran Gibbs (illness) andmidfielder AbouDiaby, who has

an unspecified problem, butforward Lukas Podolski andright-back BacarySagna are fit.

Arsenal currently sits fourpoints behind fourth-placeTottenham with a game inhand and come into the matchoff the back of successive 2-0victories at Bayern Munichand Swansea.

Wilshere to return in two weeks after injury

Manchester Citymanager RobertoMancini threw in the

towel for his club’s PremierLeague title challengey e s t e r d a y .

Defeat to Everton in their lastPremier League outing left Citytrailing leaders ManchesterUnited by 15 points with ninegames remaining.

United have shown no signsof wilting under the pressure ofwresting the English title backfrom their near neighbors andhave won their last six leaguem a t c h e s .

“It’s over but this doesn’tchange anything because weshould do our best from now tothe end,” Mancini toldreporters.

Mancini made the sameassessment last season whenCity trailed United by eightpoints with six games to gobefore they rallied to snatch thetitle on the final day on goaldifference.

A seemingly crucial part ofCity’s decline in recent weeks hasbeen the absence of captain anddefender Vincent Kompany whohas been out with a calf injurysince January 26.

In that period, City havedropped 10 points, losing twiceand drawing twice, to furthercement United’s lead at the topof the table.

Kompany made his return toaction with Belgium in a WorldCup qualifier on Tuesday, adecision that annoyed Manciniwho had carefully nurtured thedefender back to fitness over thelast two months.

“He didn’t play for us for 60days and then he went to playfor the Belgium team,” Mancinisa id .

“I did not agree with this. Ithink sometimes somemanagers of national teamsshould understand thesi tuat ion.

“This player plays for theclub, and the club, everymonth, pay his salary. I don’tknow if he is okay or not. Oneweek before the internationalbreak he was not fit to play foru s .

ManchesterCity out ofEPL tittlerace, saysMancini

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Manchester United could be my last club, saysVan PersieRobin van Persie has

admitted he may end hiscareer at Manchester

United. The 29-year-oldNetherlands striker says thefact United has a track recordin valuing older players suchas Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholesmay persuade him to see outhis playing days at OldTrafford too.

Van Persie told Dutchmagazine VoetbalInternational: “For the next fewyears I will be at ManchesterUnited - and maybe longer.United could be my last club.

The former Arsenal striker’scurrent United contract willend when he is 33 but with 39-year-old Giggs and Scholes, 38,for inspiration, the striker maybe tempted to extend his timeat the club.

Van Persie scored twice for

Holland against Romania lastnight to overtake Johan Cruyff’s

international goal tally. Cruyffscored 33 goals in 48 appearances

second in the Premier Leaguescoring charts this season with19 goals, three behindLiverpool’s Luis Suarez, andUnited will be hoping hisinternational form will see himpick up domestically after aspell of just one goal in tenmatches for the club.

of a curtailedinternational careerand van Persie is nowon 34 goals from 74caps.

Van Persie is

Robin van Persie


Isaac Chilemba will tomorrow night exchange punches with Tony Bellew for the WBC silverlight-heavyweight title at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on Saturday night. Chilemba, aMalawian fighter will face an uphill task against local favourite Bellew, who has a record of 19-

1, including 12 wins inside the distance.Chilemba though has built up an impressive record of 20-1-1; 9 since making his professional

debut in October 2005.His only defeat was against Wilbeforce Shihepo in July 2007 when he lost on points over six

rounds. He won the African Boxing Union super-middleweight title in September 2008 when hebeat Charles Adumu on points.

He also won the WBO Africa light-heavyweight title by beating David Basajjamivule and addedthe WBC international light-heavyweight title with a victory over Dodou Ngumbu.

After winning the vacant IBO international super-middleweight title against David Bolling hedrew with the highly rated Tommy Oosthuizen to retain the IBO title. Many critics felt he won thebout.

Chilemba then decided to campaign in the United States and impressed by beating MaximVlasov, James Bostic, Edison Miranda and Rayco Saunders.

But Bellew will be hard to beat in front of his fans. He won the vacant Commonwealth title inMarch 2010 when he stopped Atoli Moore in the first round.

He retained the belt against Bob Ajisafe and Ovill McKenzie and also won the vacant British light-heavyweight title in a return match with McKenzie. His only defeat was by majority decisionagainst WBO light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly.

In April last year he retained the British title when he stopped Danny McIntosh in the fifth roundand later won the WBC silver light-heavyweight title by stopping Edison Miranda in the ninth.

In December last year he outpointed Roberto Feliciano Bolonti to retain the WBC silver belt.Bellew, ranked No 2 light-heavyweight by the WBC, has a good chin and is an aggressive fighter

with good hand speed.Chilemba is fourth on the rankings list. He is an accurate puncher with a good jab but tends to

carry his hands too low. Both fighters have been knocked down by right hand punches.Also this weekend, Mario Rodriguez defends his IBF minimumweight belt against Katsunari

Takayama, a 29-year-old from Japan. They meet in Guasave, Mexico.The now 24-year-old champion won the belt in September last year when he knocked out South

African Nkosinathi Joyi in the seventh round in Guasave.Rodriguez’s record stands at 15-6-4, with 11 shortcut wins and Takayama will come in at 24-6;

10. The challenger is a former WBC minimumweight champion who lost to Roman Gonzalez in achallenge for the WBA belt to Joyi in a fight for the IBF title.

Similarly, Ricky Burnswill defend his WBOlightweight title againstPuerto Rico’s Jose Gonzalezin Glasgow on May 11.

Burns, who has notfought since retaining hisbelt against KevinMitchell last September,has been ordered by theWBO to face themandatory challenger. Itwill be his first fight sincehe split with promoterFrank Warren andsigned with Eddie Hearn’sMatchroom Sport.

The Scot, who stands at35-2, with 10 knockouts,was scheduled for aunification bout againstIBF champion MiguelVazquez but that fightwas cancelled.Isaac Chilemba Tony Bellew

Robbin van Persie

Man United’s track record ofvaluing and sustaining thecareer of older players may

have been the major reason RobbinVan Persie accepted to relocate fromthe Emirates to Old Trafford.

The Netherlands’ forwardadmitted yesterday that he couldend his career at United. Van Persiesigned a five-year contract lastSummer that will terminate whenhe’s 33.

Van Persie told Dutch magazineVoetbal International: “For the nextfew years I will be at ManchesterUnited and maybe longer. Unitedcould be my last club.

“You have a number of clubs inEurope where older players can findit good, where they are valued. Youused to have that at Juventus andAC Milan, Manchester United todayis a good example. So who knows howlong I will stay at the club,” he added.

“There is a new challenge for meevery day at United. Mydevelopment is an ongoing process.That gets an extra boost when youare surrounded by new coaches andteam-mates, all with their ownideas, in a totally newenvironment.”

Miami semi-finals

T h i r d - s e e d e dSpaniard DavidFerrer quieted

his early nerves andbattled back for athree-set victory overAustrian veteranJurgen Melzer onWednesday to reachthe semifinals of theMiami ATP Masters.

Djokovic’s ouster leftFerrer as the highestseed remaining in thetop half of the men’s

Sharapova set up Jankovic clash

d r a w .Ferrer, who had not

made it to the finalfour at Miami since2006 when he lost toRoger Federer in thesemifinals, wastoppled in the secondround of the IndianWells Masters.

Ferrer has wonmore matches thisseason 24 than anyother player and isalso due to jump back

over compatriotRafael Nadal for theworld No 4 rankingnext week.

Meanwhile, giant-killer Tommy Haasfollowed up histriumph over worldNo 1 Novak Djokovicwith a 6-3, 6-1quarterfinal victoryagainst France’sGilles Simon at theMiami ATP Masters.

Haas, at 34 the

...Ferrer advances to meet Haas

Chilemba dares Bellew for WBCsilver lightweight title ‘morrow

Third seed Maria Sharapova has set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash with 22 seeded JelenaJankovic .

Sharapova defeated Italian eighth seed SaraErrani at the WTA Miami Masters hardcourttournament 7-5, 7-5.

She fired six aces but made 14 double faultsbefore saving a break point in the 10th game ofthe second set to end the game after just under2 1/2 hours.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Sharapovalooks forward to the clash with SerbianJankovic, who beat Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3.

Sharapova, coming off a title at Indian Wells,

has never won the Miami crown in four trips tothe final, losing to Kim Clijsters in 2005,Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2006, VictoriaAzarenka in 2011 and Agnieszka Radwanskalast year all in straight sets.

If she does reach the final again she wouldface either a rematch with Radwanska, thefourth seed from Poland, or world No 1 SerenaWilliams, who seeks her sixth Miami title.

The former world No 1, Jankovic, who neededtwo and a half hours to get past Vinci, will besearching for a second title this season, after atriumph in Bogota. But she’ll face a stiffsemifinal test in Sharapova, who has won six oftheir seven encounters.

oldest player rankedin the top 50 in theworld, had shockedDjokovic in straightsets in the fourthround on Tuesday.

The 15th seededGerman showed nosign of a letdownagainst 11th-seededSimon, and advancedto a semifinal clashwith third-seededSpaniard DavidFerrer .

The former Arsenal strikerbelieves that with the presence of39-year-old Giggs and Scholes, 38,for inspiration, he may be temptedto extend his time at the club.

Since joining United, his hithertoinjury problem has abated and hehas been in a fine vein of form.

At the moment, he is the secondhighest goal scorer in the EnglishPremier League with 19 goals,three behind Liverpool’s LuisSuarez. However, he seems to beexperiencing goal drought in thelast 10 games with a just one goal tohis credit.

Van Persie scored twice forHolland against Romania last nightto overtake Johan Cruyff’sinternational goal tally. Cruyffscored 33 goals in 48 appearancesof a curtailed international careerand van Persie is now on 34 goalsfrom 74 caps.

The bow-legged finisher has beeninstrumental to United’s sprightyform this season as evident by their15 unassailable points lead to theirclosest rivals Man City and couldbe crowned champions this weekendif they win and City failed to do withsix matches to the end of the season.

Van Persie wants toend career at United


Minister of State for Education, Mr Nyisom Wike,has charged schools’ operators in the country toencourage school sports, in order to inculcate

sportsmanship in children to boost the nation’s sportsscene.

Wike gave the charge during the 13th Annual Inter-House Sports Competition of Ogba Comprehensive Groupof Schools, Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LocalGovernment Area of Rivers.

He said that the importance of sports in schools andthe country in general, could not be over-emphasised.

The Minister, who was represented by Mrs OgunjaforAyo, Principal, Government Secondary School, Ahoada,said that children, as future hopes of the nation, neededsome adequate upbringing.

“The sports stars around the globe were groomed andnurtured right from their schools.

“So, if the children can grow and specialise in thevarious field and track events, they can be useful to theentire nation.

“And whenever we need them for competitions, wecan proudly showcase them, rather than hunting forthem.

“I believe it is more efficient and cost effective to trainand discover sports talents in children, than to hunt for

sports-talented adults.“Remember if talents are discovered and cultivated

in today’sc h i l d r e n ,who are thef u t u r echampions,Nigeria willbecome agiant ins p o r t s , ”Wike said.

T h eM i n i s t e r ,t h e r e f o r e ,enjoined thes c h o o loperators toi n c l u d etradi t ionalsports intheir inter-house sportscompetitions.

Mr Felix

Obuah, Proprietor, Ogba Comprehensive Group ofSchools, said that the inter-house sports were part of theschool’s efforts to impart sports knowledge to thechildren.

According to him, the school has introduced a varietyof sporting activities to achieve the goal.

“This year’s competition witnessed some sportingactivities outside the routine track and field eventsusually featured in schools’ inter-house sportscompetitions. Sports like Taekwondo, Boxing andWrestling, were showcased at this year’s competition,”he said.

Obuah urged the parents to encourage their childrento get involved in sports, describing sports and educationas necessary to produced a balanced pupil.

One of the students, Emmanuel Enne, said that theinter-house sports had been useful to him, urging otherstudents to take advantage of the competition to honetheir sporting skills.

Enne, who competed in taekwondo and won, said thathe would wish to become a champion in the game, ifproperly exposed to competitions.

“Well, I like all games but I like taekwondo the mostbecause I want to be like Jackie Chan (a notable martialartist from Hong Kong),” he added.

Wike tasks proprietors on sports development

Mr Nyisom Wike, Minister ofState for Education

Golden Eaglets’ coachManu Garba hasassured the four

players that joined thecamp on Monday of equalchances of making thefinal list of 21 players.

The players, who hadvisa hitches, were unableto depart with theircolleagues on March 13when the team travelledto Doha, Qatar for theirtraining tour.

But the quartet of PrinceBokat, Godwin Saviour,Godwin Odibo andChinedu Onuademu, afterthe issues were sorted out,according to the team’sSpokesperson, MorakinyoAbodunrin, in Abuja,

“The four of you stand agood chance of making theteam because you madethe original 30-man list onmerit and will eventuallybe picked on merit.

“Our team selection isusually based on merit

and I always pray to Godto give us the wisdom topick the right players atany given time,’’ it statedas when they joined therest to prepare for the CAFU-17 African YouthChampionship (AYC)billed for Morocco fromApril 13 to April 27.

Meanwhile, Coach SijiLagunju, the TechnicalOfficer of the Nigeria FootballFederation (NFF), whoaccompanied the players onthe Doha training, said thatthe players’ presence wouldboost healthy competition inthe team.

“Of course, the fourplayers that came alongwith me from Abuja havebeen training even whilewe were sorting out theirtravel arrangements.Their arrival will boostcompetition among theplayers, which is a healthydevelopment to the team,’’Lagunju said.

Manu assures Eagletsof equal chance

WBO International Light-middleweight title,Nigeria’s Davidson Emenogu, may be receivedin audience by President Goodluck Jonathan if

the National Sports Commission’s effort to secure anappoint sail through.

This was disclosed yesterday when the Emenogu paida courtesy visit on the Minister of Sports and Chairmanof the commission, Bolaji Abdullahi in his office.

The minister, who was delighted with Emenogu forhis sterling achievements, said the boxer has not onlydone pride to himself but has brought pride and prestigeto the country, especially at a time when issues ofNigeria’s security challenges have been the dominantfeatures in the international community.

“I am indeed delighted to hear your story as a productof the National Sports Festival. The National SportsCommission will support you in all ways that we can.

“I can assure you that we will bring your enormousachievement to the attention of Mr President, whom Ibelieve, is always very excited to hear stories like yours.Our plan is to have the President host you, so that wecan all celebrate and honour you as a true Nigerianchampion,” he said.

The minister said the commission would work harderto ensure that solid foundation is laid for sportsdevelopment and added Tuesday’s inauguration of theNational Youth Organising Committee is meant toachieve that.

“For us at the National Sports Commission, we keepmaking efforts to ensure that it is not just football weare promoting but all sports that can bring glory to

Nigeria. Your visit is indeed timely because, just today,we inaugurated the National Youth OrganisingC o m m i t t e e .

“The members of the committee have been chargedto fish out and build a robust talent pool of youngNigerians such as you, for the country,” he said.

Peoples Daily Sports recalls that Emenogu defeatedRussia’s Russia’s Andrejs Iodinovs in the fifth round toretain his World Boxing Organisation (WBO)International light middleweight title in Southampton,England, on March 3.

Emenogu was initially pencilled down for a fightagainst Ghanaian-born Philip Kotey before boxingpromoters and organisers chose the Russian instead, just48 hours before the fight.

The fighter, whose father, Christopher Emenogu, wasa one-time boxer, also holds the IBF, Pan Pacific Youth

Light-middleweight, Australian Light-middleweight,and Pan Asia Boxing Association titles.

Emenogu, who is fondly called “King David” and hailsfrom Imo State but grew up in Bauchi State, representedNigeria at the Commonwealth Games and the AllAfrican Games, where he won bronze and gold medalsrespect ive ly .

Emenogu, who in 2006 went to Australia where heturned professional, plans to stage his next fight inNigeria later in the year.

“I plan to stage my next fight in Nigeria. I have alwaysbeen doing my fights outside the country since I turnedprofessional. I have represented Nigeria at amateurlevel and as we all know, there is no place like home.

“So I am working towards having my next fight inNigeria; it is likely to hold later in the year,” Emenogusaid .

Jonathan may host WBO champion Emenogu

King Davidson

SPORTS LALALALALATESTTESTTESTTESTTEST

ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT: 0803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 7458BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS: 0805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 1765NEWS:NEWS:NEWS:NEWS:NEWS: 0803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 3308LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS: 0805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 1969

0803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 0344

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako,Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office:No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 805 727 9862.e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] ISSN: 2141– 6141

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

QQQQQUOUOUOUOUOTTTTTABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QUOUOUOUOUOTETETETETENigerians should be patient over who will be

the PDP presidential flagbearer in 2015because you have to get to the bridgebefore you attempt to cross the river.— Bamanga Tukur, PDP Chairman

UEFA has recommendedthat referees can stopmatches when there are

incidents of racism.European football's

governing body remindedofficials they had beenauthorised four years ago to haltgames in case of serious racismincidents.

Disciplinary bodies shouldapply such stricter sanctions incases of proven racism and toseek ways of obliging thosesanctioned to take futurepreventive action

Competition organisers inEurope should apply theguidelines issued by UEFA forhow to deal with racist incidentsduring matches

Referees can stop matches incases of racism and nationalassociations and leagues shouldsupport such action

National associations,leagues, clubs and player unionsshould review and improve theirmeasures for educationregarding racism

State authorities should playtheir part by: providing thefootball bodies with the necessarylegal means; acting andemphasising to arrest, prosecuteand ban from stadia forsignificant periods thoseresponsible for racist acts;allowing the exchange ofinformation regarding racistactivities between states andfootball bodies

UEFA reiterated its positionyesterday in a resolution issuedin conjunction with theEuropean Clubs Association(ECA) and the world players'union, FIFPro.

The resolution was drawn upby the Professional FootballStrategy Council (PFSC) andratified by UEFA's executivecommittee, meeting in Bulgariayesterday.

AC Milan's Kevin-PrinceBoateng walked off in disgusthaving been racially abused byfans during a friendly withItalian lower-division side ProPatria in January and the gamewas abandoned.

The resolution also called onUEFA, national associations andleagues to provide newregulations which allow forstricter sanctions in cases ofracism.

www.peoplesdailyng.com

. . . putting the people first

Referees canstop matchesfor racistincidents— UEFA

The first quarter of the fiscalyear has practically ended,yet Nigeria and Nigerians

are yet to know how theapproximately $140 milliondollars the country earns dailyfrom crude oil sales alone are beingspent and how much more is goingto be borrowed in our name toprovide for services that we canneither see, nor feel. This heftyamount does not include dailycollections for royalties, petroleumprofits taxes, sales of liquefiednatural gas and other condensates,income taxes, value added tax andother “internally-generated”revenues.

For an annual ritual thatstarted about six months ago, thequestions are: why is it that thePresidency and the NationalAssembly have been unable toreach a common ground on thefederal budget? Is governmentblind to the urgent need forinfrastructure development, socialservices, poverty alleviation andjob creation? Is the budget reallyfor the Nigerian people, or simplya convoluted mechanism tofurther defraud long sufferingcitizens?

To answer these posers, we willcontinue with deeper analysis ofthe 2013 budget which, from allindications is not different frompreceding Jonathan-era budgets interms of absence of positiveimprovements. We will look atsome major sectors of the Nigerianeconomy and their indicativebudgetary allocations, attempt tocorrelate how the appropriationshave been designed and determinewhether they are structured tobring about meaningfuldevelopment to our country. Itwould also be important to assess ifthere have been anyimprovements over the years,drawing comparisons with modelcountries and possibly identifysolutions where government hasveered off, in the hope that policymakers would be willing to makenecessary changes.

The importance of sensible andprudent budgetary allocationscannot be overemphasized becausethe budget in itself is an expressionof public policy. It is the vehiclethrough which the variousprograms and agendas of agovernment come to life. It is themajor economic policy instrumentwhich indicates a government’spriorities, and is also a tool to correctanomalies and inequities withinthe society.

An efficient budgetary system

more citizens into poverty - fromabout 57% in 2007 to a disgraceful72% of the population by the endof 2011!

Hitting closer to home is the factthat Nigeria and BRICS’ latestentrant, South Africa, areregarded as Africa’s economicpower houses. In 2011, SouthAfrica’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) was estimated at $368billion while Nigeria’s was $232billion. South Africa’s revenuesources are diversified rather thantotally dependent on miningincome which used to be themainstay of its economy. SouthAfrica has also adoptedparticipatory budgeting on somelevels which allows citizenscontribute directly in deciding howtheir budget priorities and figuresare arrived at.

Disappointingly, in comparingNigeria with other emergingeconomies, the federal budget hassimply been one where the samethings are done over and overagain while expecting differentresults. Let us assess the electricpower sector budget to see if it isgeared towards revamping whatevery Nigerian would agree is themost debilitated sector of theeconomy.

The first electricity generatingplant was built in Lagos around1898. It was not until 1950 thatthe Federal government passedthe Electricity Corporation ofNigeria Ordinance No. 15 whichresulted in the ElectricityCooperation of Nigeria (ECN); thestatutory body responsible forgeneration, transmission,distribution and sale of electricityin Nigeria. After independence in1962, the Niger Dams Authority(NDA) was established, itsprimary responsibility was toconstruct and maintain dams inriver Niger and other areas. Tenyears later (1972), the NationalElectric Power Authority (NEPA)was formed by a merger of ECNand NDA. NEPA was mandated to"maintain and co-ordinate anefficient and economic system of

is critical to economic growth anddeveloping sustainable fiscalpolicies. On the flip side, a poorlydesigned budget where attentionto details are neglected and figuresjust altered from existing templatescan only exacerbate social andeconomic problems within thecountry. The effect of faultybudget choices will inevitably befelt mostly by the ordinary citizenswho are at the mercy ofdysfunctional government policiesand facilities. Sadly, in theNigerian context, budgeting is stillbased on guess work as alluded toby the Accountant General of theFederation a couple of weeks ago.

In light of the fifth Brazil,Russia, India, China and South(BRICS) summit on emergingnational economies currentlytaking place in South Africa, onecannot help but understand whyNigeria with all our numerousresources and potentials still doesnot qualify as a member. Thesecountries have succeeded inmanaging their resources byeffective prioritization of theirbudgets. They have also channeledadequate financial resources tothose sectors which yield thehighest return on investment fortheir economies. These nationshave pulled hundreds of millionsof their citizens out of poverty intomiddle class status while ourleaders have pushed more and

Budget 2013: Motionwithout movement

electricity supply for all part of thefederation”.

Forty-one years afterformalizing the structure forpower management and supply inthe country, have there beensignificant improvements? Withthe continuous promises from thegovernment about power outagesbecoming a thing of the past, howis it that the electricity supplysituation has only gotten worse?What is happening to thecontinuous budgetary allocationsto the power sector and thenumerous projects undertaken bythe federal government? How is itthat smaller and moreimpoverished nations have beenable to provide steady andimproved power supply whileNigerians constantly hear fables?

Most adults who have spent agreat portion of their lives inNigeria have probably neverexperienced constant 24hours ofgovernment-supplied electricitywithout breaks between. Thisscenario only even exists for theurban dwellers in large cities thatenjoy a fair amount of electricityper day. For those who live inmany of the state capitals withinNigeria, the power supply is lessreasonable and it gets worse for therural dwellers. No one is immuneto the power outages so much sothat the Presidential Villa andGovernor’s lodges are all poweredby stand-by generators.

The horrendous power supplyin Nigeria has become a source ofnational embarrassment to saythe least. During the FIFA U-17football championship hosted byNigeria some years back, there wasan electricity outage in Kanoduring the game between Spainand USA. An extra 14 minutes hadto be added to compensate for theembarrassing moment. Upsettingpower outages have also beenexperienced at our internationalairports several times.

The importance of reliablepower supply in Nigeria cannot beoveremphasized. For there to be amajor boost in the economy andthe diversification away fromdependence on oil, the power sectormust be given utmost priority inbudgetary spending andimplementation. The benefits ofhaving steady power supply willimpact tremendously onmanufacturing, SMEs whichcreate employment, attractingforeign investment and boostingbusiness in general.

In the 2013 budget, totalallocation to the power sector isN74.26bn, a measly 1.4% of thetotal budget. Capital expenditurefor the power sector is pegged atN70bn (about 1% of the totalbudget, or 3% of the total capitalbudget) while recurrentexpenditure is N4.26bn. For asector in dire need of rehabilitationand resuscitation, these figures are

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,Minister of Finance

NNNNNASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RUFUFUFUFUFAIAIAIAIAION FRIDON FRIDON FRIDON FRIDON FRIDAAAAAYYYYY

[email protected]

Contd. on Page 36

peoples daily newspaper, friday 29, march, 2013

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