peoples daily newspaper, friday, june 29, 2012

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

Vol. 8 No. 70 Friday, June 29, 2012 Shaaban 9, 1433 AH N150. . . putting the people first

N300m fraud:Again, ICPC fails toarraign Ehindero

>> PAGE 4

Gunmen wipe outPDP chairman’sfamily in Jos

Reps beginprobe of$620,00 bribery

>> PAGE 4>> PAGE 4

PDP createdstate of insecurity–Al-makura

>> PAGE 5

Subsidy probe report: Police scuttle Abuja protest

Contd on Page 2

Boko Haram

We’ll restore peacebefore Ramadan

Flood due to heavy dawn pour, yesterday at Ijegun, in Lagos. Photo: NAN

– Dasuki

Contd on Page 2

By Lawal Sadiq Sanusi

By Nasir Muhammad, EtukaSunday & Morufat Ojulari

Armed policemen yesterdayin Abuja scuttled a protestorganised by some civil

society organisations (CSOs) to

demand quick implementationof the report of the House ofRepresentatives ad-hocCommittee that probed the fuelsubsidy regime in the country.

Following the revelations ofthe House ad-hoc committee

report, the CSOs resolved to stagea rally tagged End Impunity Now(EIN), in some parts of centralAbuja against the high level ofcorruption in the country.

Specifically, the organisationshad planned to converge at the

Nigerian National PetroleumCorporation (NNPC)headquarters for a brief rally fromwhere they would march to theOffice of the Attorney General ofthe Federation and Minister ofJustice, Mohammed Bello Adoke,

to present a letter to himdemanding the implementationof the report and prosecution ofindicted officials and marketers.

The planned protest wasscheduled to end at the Economic

For the first time since theinception of the Jonathanadministration in May

2010, a highly placed official ofthe government yesterdayvisited the most troubled spotsin the North-eastern part of thecountry.

The newly appointedNational Security Adviser(NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd),visited Potiskum and Damaturuin Yobe state, to ascertain thesecurity situation in the areaswith a view to finding lastingsolution to the intractablesecurity challenges bedevillingthem.

Col. Dasuki, while on his visitto the two beleaguered towns,assured of President GoodluckJonathan’s commitment torestoration of peace in the areasand the country before thebeginning of this year’sRamadan Fast due in threeweeks.

The visit, widelyacknowledged by people in the

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSNews 2-11

Editorial 12

Op.Ed 13

Letters 14

Opinion 15

Metro 16-17

Business 19-22

S/Exchange 23

S/Report 24

Religion 26

Feature 27

Newsxtra 29

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Police fires 2superintendents,

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International 31-34

Strange World 35

Digest 36

Politics 37-40

Sports 41-47

Columnist 48

PAGE 2 PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012

Subsidy probe report: Police scuttle Abuja protestContd from Page 1

Seized vessel not carryingcrude, Naval Chief replies RepsBy Lawrence Olaoye

and Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC) headquartersafter the presentation of a similarletter to the agency’s Chairman,Ibrahim Lamorde.

However, as early as 6amyesterday a detachment of armedpolicemen led by an AssistantCommissioner of Police (ACP)besieged the front of the NNPCTowers where the protest wasexpected to begin.

The policemen were aided bya handful of soldiers in abortingthe rally.

Despite the action of the

security agents, however, theprotesters still went ahead toexpress their disdain for the levelof corruption most especially onthe issue fuel subsidy.

Lamenting, one of theprotesters, Tunde Aremu, said itwas wrong for the Nigerian Policeto send an armed detachmentagainst unarmed Nigerians tostop them from expressing theirrights.

“Nigerians have the right toprotest; so it is wrong for armedpolice men to stand againstunarmed Nigerians who aredemanding that their country be

run in a better way,” he said.Also speaking, the leader of

the protesters, Jaye Gaskiawho condemned the President’sseeming inaction, said it wasnot enough to dismiss the boardof NNPC, saying that some ofthem were near theirretirement periods. He addedthat the action would onlymake people that were corruptto walk away from prosecutionand go back home to enjoy themonies they have looted.

According to the CSOs, itwas also wrong for PresidentJonathan to sack the top

management of the NNPC andleave behind the Minister ofPetroleum Resources, DiezaniAlison-Madueke, saying as theperson whose office wasresponsible for supervision ofthe NNPC and other agenciesindicted by the probe, sheshould have been the first to besacked.

On his part, Rev. DavidUgolor, “The only way the FGcan send the right signal to theNigerians and theinternational community is forus to end the culture ofimpunity.”

We’ll restore peace before Ramadan – DasukiContd from Page 1

areas as the first of its kind, raisedthe hope of both governmentfunctionaries and localinhabitants that somethingconcrete would soon be done toend the protracted violence.

Peoples Daily learnt that theNSA had commiserated with thepeople of both towns on behalf ofthe federal government just ashe held a private meeting withthe Yobe state governor, MalamIbrahim Gaidam, during hisvisit to the Government Housein Damaturu.

Dasuki told newsmen at theGovernment House that hehoped the people would joinhands with government to fosterpeaceful coexistence in the state,and called for intelligencegathering by the people toprovide useful information,promising that everyinformation received would betreated with the highest level ofconfidentiality.

Receiving the NSA,Governor Gaidam commendedPresident Jonathan for takingwide ranging measures to tackle

insecurity in the state and otherparts of the North, including theappointment of the new NSA tocoordinate and advance effortsto restore peace and security.

“There is a clear change ofstrategy in the fight againstinsecurity as promised by MrPresident. There is an indicationthat our hopes, pride and dignityas citizens of this great countrywould be restored”, Gaidam said.

He also commended the JointTask Force (JTF) operating in thestate for its unwavering effort atensuring the safety and securityof the people even as he notedthat the current securitychallenges require more robustefforts to address.

The Yobe governor appealedto the federal government todeploy more troops to Yobe state.“I wish to appeal for thedeployment of more troops to thestate to complement efforts ofthose on the ground andparticularly deployment of fullJoint Task Force comprising allsecurity agencies so as to enablethem tackle the securitychallenges more effectively”,Gaidam said.

Damaturu and Potiskumhave witnessed some of thedeadliest attacks by the BokoHaram sect in recent times.Within last week, members of theBoko Haram engaged the JTF infierce battles that lasted hoursand saw scores killed from bothsides.

Only last week Friday,President Jonathan sacked theMinister of Defence, Dr. BelloHaliru Mohammed and theNational Security Adviser,General Andrew Owoeye Azazi,for the obvious reason that theinsurgents had devised theirmethods of attack and the federalgovernment needed to also gowith the dynamics of the time tobe able to curb their actions.

He said in a televised mediachat that, “relating to thechanges we made where theminister of defence was removed,we have not named anyone yetbecause that one has to get to theSenate. We cannot announceany name because it is theSenate that has to clear him orher. So, we don’t announceuntil the Senate clears”.

However on the NSA’s

appointment, the Presidentsaid, “But the NSA, which is apolitical adviser position, someother person has taken over.

“The interest of theterrorists is to destabilise thegovernment. If they use onething it doesn’t work, theywant to use another thing”.

“So, you too will begin tochange your personnel, changeyour style and change yourstrategy,” he said.

Another reason thatPresident Jonathan said thatushered in the new NSA was, “I also thought it was time someother hands come in to dothings slightly different”.

Before the decision to effectthe changes several voices ofeminent personalities, like theNorthern Elders Forum, theChristian Association ofNigeria, Northern Zone, hadcalled for not only the changein guard of the minister ofdefence and the NSA, but alsothe service chiefs and overhaulof the entire securityapparatus, who are seen tohave been idling while theinsecurity situation lingers.

The Chief of the Naval Staff(CNS), Vice Admiral OlaIbrahim Saad, yesterday, told

members of the House of Represen-tatives that seized MTVanessa ear-lier claimed to be carrying 8.5 mil-lion barrels of stolen crude oil has nocrude on board.

The CNS, who appeared beforethe House Joint Committee investi-gating upsurge in illegal bunkering,said there was wrong media report-age of the seized ship.

The chairman of the committee,Muraina Ajibola had during thepublic hearing raised alarm that theship contained 8.5m barrels of crudeoil this made the committee to con-stitute a sub-committee to, within72 hours investigate the claim.

In quick response, the DefenceHeadquarters issued new directivesfor owners of boats and barges oper-

ating in the coastal region of the coun-try.

In addition, the Navy was di-rected to hand over the said ship tothe Economic and Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC) for safekeeping."We don't want to hear that the con-tent of the ship has disappeared,"

The naval chief disputed theclaims of the Committee on the ori-gin of the ship saying it was Belgianand not French.

He revealed that as part of theinitiatives to curb illegal bunkering,all boats and barges plying Nigeriancoastal waters must henceforth beregistered with the Defence Head-quarters (DHq). In addition, anyboat or barge conveying crude oilmust also be registered with an oilproducing company.

He said: "Having discovered themagnitude of threat illegal bunker-ing is posing to our economy coupledwith the fact that the agency of gov-

ernment that supposed to do certainthings have refused to carry

out their responsibilities, we de-

cided to take up the challenge to-wards curbing the menace of illegalbunkering.

Insecurity: Jonathan urgesCustoms to cooperateBy Abdulrahman Abdulaheem

President GoodluckJonathan has said risingnational and regional secu-

rity issues relating to the menaceof terrorism, proliferation of lightweapons, narcotics and smug-gling call for critical cooperationbetween Customs administra-tions worldwide.

President Jonathan was deliv-ering the keynote address at the119th/120th Sessions of the Cus-toms Cooperation Council/WorldCustoms Organisation in Brus-sels, Belgium, yesterday.

With regard to the traditionalenforcement role of the Customs,the President enjoined Customsadministrations worldwide tostrengthen themselves and ensurethat their specific role is not onlyto guard against illegal activitiesbut also to protect the integrity ofglobal socio-economic systems.

The WCO Secretary-General,Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, expressedthe council’s appreciation for thepolitical support which PresidentJonathan had given to the Nige-ria Customs, and the interna-tional body, adding that such sup-port had enabled growth and de-velopment of Customs service.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012

Police fires 2 superintendents,demotes DCP, 2 CSPsThe Police Service Commis-

sion yesterday announcedthe dismissal of two Chief

Superintendents of Police (CSPs)and demotion of a DeputyCommissioner of Police (DCP) andChief Superintendent of Police(CSP).

The disciplinary measures alsoincluded 71 other officers.

The commission said theofficers were dismissed anddemoted for conducts believed tobe unprofessional and against thetenets of the force.

Those dismissed includewoman CSP Rebecca Okereke andASP Gabriel Fakiyesi, while DCP

Peter B. Ogunyanwo, was demotedto the rank of an AssistantCommissioner of Police, and CSPsJohn S. Nwele and Chukwu Okaforto Superintendents of police.

The “71 disciplinary cases wereconsidered by the Commission andvarious disciplinary measuresranging from reprimand todismissal were awarded”.

By Lambert Tyem

According to Ferdinand Ekpe,spokesman of the commission, thedecision was taken at the 27thPlenary Meeting of the commissionin Abuja. He added that theapproval was also given for thepromotion of Mr. Sam A. Okaulafrom the rank of AssistantCommissioner of Police to DeputyCommissioner of Police, as well asMr. Geoffrey Okafor from the rankof Chief Superintendent of Police toAssistant Commissioner of Policebased on the recommendation ofthe Inspector General of Police.

Alhaji Balarabe Musa, ChiefAudu Ogbe, Obong VictorAttah amongst others

yesterday, led other leaders ofthought under the aegis of theNational Summit Group (NSG), tocall on the Federal Governmentand particularly the security

agencies to ensure that the presentmenace posed by the Boko Haraminsurgency is brought to an endlest it undermines the corporateexistence of the country.

Other leaders includingArthur Nwakwo Prof. Pat Utomi,Ralph Obioha, John Nwodo, AlhajiGambo Jimeta also describeddialogue with Boko Haraminsurgents as the only lasting

solution to the current securitychallenges in the nation.

Speaking in Lagos yesterday atthe inaugural meeting of thesteering committee, the chairmanof the committee, Alhaji TankoYakassai, said ‘dialogue with thesect and wide consultation andengagement of all stakeholders inthe country will bring about anend to this unhappy state of

From Ayodele Samuel& Ojebola Matthew, Lagos

Ogbeh, Balarabe Musa, others charge Jonathan on insecurity, dialogueinsecurity in our nation as it did inthe Niger Delta region’.

He added that the nationalcommittee totally condemned thecontinued epidemic of murder,destruction of properties andkilling of innocent Nigerians intheir places of abode and worshipby the Boko Haram sect.

“We call on government andparticularly the security agencies

to ensure that the present menaceposed by Boko Haram is brought toanend as expeditiously as possible,in order not to undermine thecorporate existence of the country.

“Let them also be sincere, andgo beyond paying lip-service, indecisively fighting corruption bypersecuting all those who havebeen indicted in corruption relatedprobes,” he stated.

Over 300 passengers onWednesday nightnarrowly escaped death

following a crash of a 12-coachLagos-bound train with a NissanCabstar pick-up vehicle at Odo-Eran, Lafenwa area of Abeokuta,

the Ogun state capital.Our correspondent reports

that the earlier collision with thepick-up vehicle served as a savinggrace which prevented the trainfrom plunging into a gully createdby a flood which had washed awaypart of its track. The flood causedby the heavy downpour in thetown had swept away the sand

under the rail track, therebymaking it difficult for the train topass.

The railway station sourcesinformed that the crushing of thepick-up vehicle by the train atabout 9.00am earlier onWednesday had prevented thetrain from continuing its journeyand thereby saved it from running

From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji,Abeokuta

on the already swept away part ofthe track which could have causedit to derail.

However, as a result of thethe incident, many of the morethan 300 passengers on theLagos-bound train said to becoming from Ilorin werestranded in Abeokuta, the Ogunstate capital.

300 passengers escape death as train rams into vehicle

The 11th floor of Radio House,the building housing theheadquarters of the Federal

Ministry of Information,yesterday, witnessed a fireoutbreak.

The incident which occurredat about 2: 45 in the afternoon onthe floor housing the Federal RadioCorporation of Nigeria was quicklyaverted by men of the Fire Service

which also has its office close to thescene of the incident.

Our reporter who was at thescene gathered that fire outbreaksare a regular occurrence whichstaff of the establishment areaccustomed to.

According to a staff of the RadioHouse who pleaded anonymity,

the fire was as a result of faultyelectrical appliances in one of theoffices.

Also, a fireman who alsodeclined identification mentionedhow they responded promptly tothe call from the ministry especiallyas they are located close to thebuilding. “We quickly arrived here

By A’isha Biola Raji

ready to put out the fire,” he said.Our reporter however

gathered that, no injury orcasualty was recorded as all thestaff were notified immediately thefire broke. Also, no officialstatement was issued as regardsthe cause of the incident or thelevel of damage incurred.

Fire guts 11th floor of Radio House

The Court of Appeal sitting inEnugu, will determine aclaim of $2,653,090 said to

have been paid by Union Bank Plcto a third party in honour of a bankguarantee for a customer whichthe guarantor is insisting is a falseclaim.

Justices of the appellate courtare also expected to rule on whetherto agree with a lower court decisionto wind up Resurrection PowerInvestment Company Limited, acustomer of the bank.

Union Bank had commencedthe winding up process at a FederalHigh Court sitting in Enugufollowing alleged inability ofResurrection Power InvestmentCompany Limited to off-set itsindebtedness to the bank.

The bank contends thathaving guaranteed the said sumby way of providing a performancebond, it made the said sumavailable to Shangai Trisum

International Trading CompanyLimited, a customer ofResurrection Power InvestmentCompany Limited, in compliancewith details of an agreement.

However, represented by ChiefCharles Uwensuyi-Edosomwanand Edwin Anikwem, ResurrectionPower Investment CompanyLimited had challenged the decisionof the lower court which directedthat the company should be woundup owing to its inability to honourits debt obligation.

It is also the contention ofResurrection Power InvestmentCompany Limited that following thedismissal of an application forsummary judgment filed byShangai Trisun InternationalTrading Company Limited in suitLD/1313/08 by a Lagos High Courtpresided over by Justice JumokePedro, Shangai Trisun InternationalTrading Company Limiteddiscontinued the suit even though thecourt had ordered that the matterproceed to trial immediately.

From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

Union Bank faces $2,653.090guarantee scandal

The Federal Government hascommended the NationalHajj Commission of Nigeria

for its efforts to ensure that the2012 hajj operations are hitchfree.

This commendation was madeby Vice President MohammedNamadi Sambo, during themeeting called at his instance toreview the 2011 Hajj operationsto Saudi Arabia and the wayforward, held at the State House,Abuja.

The Vice President noted withdelight the measures theCommission was putting in placeto ensure that it implements therecommendations of the PostMortem Conference on the 2011Hajj Operation with allstakeholders, of which the reporthad been submitted to PresidentJonathan.

He therefore charged them tomake sure that all stakeholdersparticularly the stategovernments were carried alongon preparations for the 2012 Hajjoperations in the areas of pilgrimsair lift, accommodation,movement, medical care,education, registration, screening,feeding and luggage issues. Hestressed that the welfare of thepilgrims was paramount.

FG commendshajj commissionover 2012preparationsBy Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

L-R: Yobe state Goveror, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam, with the new National Security Adviser (NSA),Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Rtd), during the NSA’s visit to the governor, yesterday in Damaturu, the statecapital.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012PAGE 4

R-L: Former Inspector-General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero, discussing with his counsel, ChiefMike Ozekhome (SAN), during the former IG'S arraignment over fraud, yesterday at the FederalHigh Court, in Abuja. Photo: NAN

House collapses, 1 killed, 3injured as flood hits Lagos

The House of RepresentativesCommittee on Ethics andPrivileges yesterday

commenced the probe of the$620,000 bribery allegationagainst the embattled formerchairman of the Adhoccommittee on fuel subsidy RepFarouk Lawan. However, thecommittee is holding a closed doorsession as against the earlierpromise to make the probe public.

Chairman of the committee,Hon Gambo Dan-Musa explainedthat the session would not bepublic in order not to jeopardisethe investigation of other bodiesinvolved. He also promised thatChief Femi Otedola would appearbefore the committee nextTuesday, (July 3, 2012).

Lawan allegedly collected$620,000 bribe from Otedola,chairman, Zenon Petroleum andOil in order to influence theoutcome of the subsidy probereport.

Dan-Musa, chairman, HouseCommittee on Ethics andPrivileges explained that Otedolaand other stakeholders invited bythe committee will appear onseparate dates.

Lawan was appointed as thechairman of the Adhoc committeeto investigate oil subsidy regimeand monitor its utilisation andnon-utilisation of the subsidy,following a series of demonstrationwhich crippled movement andbusiness and almost grounded thenation's economy in January2012, following partial removalof fuel subsidy, for which the

$620,000 bribery scam: Reps begin Lawan probeBy Lawrence Olaoye

By Abdulwahab Isa

NEXIM Bank tobankrollsproduction ofsickle cell drug

House through a resolution hadopposed.

In a related development,Adams Jagaba, chairman,Committee on Narcotics, Drugsand Anti-corruption has deniedbeing invited by the police over the$620,000 bribe-for-clearancesaga.

"I have never received anyinvitation from the police to thateffect but I am surprised to bereading in some newspapers that Iwas invited and I refused to appear.

"To put the record straight,neither my office in the NationalAssembly, nor that in myconstituency is in receipt of thesaid letter purportedly written tome by Farouk. In fact, I also saw itfor the first time in the newspapersas published", the lawmakerargued.

From Ayodele Samuel andOjebola Matthew, Lagos

Gunmen kill PDPward chair, wife,child in JosFrom Nankpah Bwakan, Jos

Unknown gunmenyesterday killed aPeoples Democratic Party

(PDP) ward chairman, his wifeand a child in a broad daylightattack at Gwarim in Rim village,Bachit District of Riyom localgovernment area of Plateaustate.

The ward chairman ofSharubutu ward, Hon. JohnBaren alongside his wife and childwere killed at about 3:30pmwhen late Hon. Baren was ridinghome on a motorcycle.

An eyewitness said Baren wassaid to have been returning fromthe burial of one of his relationsin Riyom town when thesuspected assailants ambushedhim alongside two of his familymembers in a thick forest andshot them dead.

Confirming the attack tonewsmen, member representingRiyom constituency in the stateHouse of Assembly, Hon. DanielDem, described the killing of thethree family members includingward chairman of their party,and called on the Special TaskForce (STF) to step up efforts andbrings the culprits to book.

Dem urged the residents ofthe locality to be security-conscious and desist from anykind of reprisal.

The Nigerian Export-ImportBank (NEXIM), yesterdaysigned a financing

agreement with National Institutefor Pharmaceutical Research andDevelopment (NIPRD) for theproduction of Niprisan, a sickle cellanaemia drug, with a view totackling the plight of patientssuffering from sickle cell anaemiadisorder.

The agreement, signed inAbuja, would enable NEXIMprovide funds for the commercialproduction of the sickle cell drugwhich is to be made from fourbotanical species indigenous toNigeria .

NEXIM Bank’s ManagingDirector, Robert Orya signed onbehalf of the bank while theMinister of State for Health, Dr.Muhammad Pate and Director-General of NIPRD, Prof KarniyusGamiel signed on behalf of theministry and the instituterespectively .

Orya described the signing assignificant and strategic saying ithad set the tone for the productionof the drugs.

He said the partnership willhelp to ensure that the drug is notonly consumed locally, butexported to other countries, addingthat NEXIM was committed to theproduction of the drug to addressthe plight of those who sufferedfrom sickle cell anaemia in thecountry and in other parts of theworld.

The earlier forecasted 10days Lagos heavy rain wasproved right as the

persistent raining in the state fordays has caused the collapse of ahouse that killed one- Mr. HammedShotuminu and left three injuredat Bariga area of Lagos.

According to a resident of thearea, Mr. Kabiawu Babajide, thehouse at No. 2 Community Street,Bariga area collapsed after

midnight yesterday.According to him, four people

were in the house when theincident happened.

He stated that the lateHammed died instantly while Mr.Biola Adesanya and the other twovictims were rushed to an

undisclosed hospital.“The building collapsed

probably because it is old anddeteriorated.

“Nevertheless, the rain washeavy. It was just a naturaldisaster, it is just unfortunate,” headded.

Residents in Lagos onThursday witnessed an unusualheavy downpour that started onWednesday night, causingmassive floods in every parts of thecity.

A number of houses includingLagos office of Peoples Dailynewspaper and roads weresubmerged by the flood caused bythe rain which lasted for severalhours.

Sections of Lagos-AbeokutaExpressway were cut off on bothsides by the flood, leading to agridlock.

AllegedN557m fraud:EhinderochallengesICPC’s lawyer

Former Inspector-General ofPolice, Mr. SundayEhindero, yesterday,

challenged the appearance of thecounsel representing theIndependent Corrupt Practicesand Other Related OffencesCommission (ICPC), Mr. PaulBassey in the six-count chargespreferred against him by thecommission.

It would be recalled that theanti-graft body had thearraignment of the former policeboss and his co-accused, Mr. JohnObaniyi, a former commissionerof police in charge of Budgetunder Ehindero before an AbujaHigh Court botched, for failingto serve the charges personallyon them.

Ehindero and his co-accusedwere slammed with a six-countcharge bordering on allegedmisappropriation of about N557million meant for arms andammunition while they heldsway at the helm of affairs at theforce.

When the matter came upyesterday, ICPC’s counsel told thecourt that he has an applicationseeking the leave of the court toamend the charges preferredagainst the accused persons andto deem same as been properlyfiled and served.

But, the counselrepresenting the former policeboss, Chief Mike Ozekhome,while opposing the appearanceof the Mr. Bassey for ICPC in thematter said the attempt to movethe application was prematurebecause he had raised somemonumental and grave issues inhis preliminary objection whichneed to be sorted out first.

According to the SAN, thepreliminary objection datedJune 6, 2012 challenged thecompetency of Mr. Bassey or anyofficial of the ICPC fromappearing to prosecute Ehinderoas they have no such power todo so.

The court slated July 13,2012 for the arraignment of theaccused persons.

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

4 pupils drown as flood ravages parts of LafiaFrom Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

Four nursery school pupils ofLiving Foundation Nurseryand Primary School, Tudun

Kauri, Lafia, Nasarawa state, weredrowned Wednesday, after a flood,caused by a heavy rainfall,destroyed a section of the perimeterfence guarding the school, turningthe corrugated iron enclosure

serving as classroom into aswimming pool, drowning four outof the 265 pupils attending theschool.

Headmistress of the school,Mrs. Theresa James confirmed toour reporter that a teacher in theschool, Mrs. Elizabeth Obi, whofainted while attempting to savesome of the children swept by floodand four other pupils hospitalised

at the Dalhatu Araf SpecialistsHospital (DASH) have since beendischarged.

The rain which started atabout 9-45 am and lasting an hour,was said to have resulted into aflood which residents of TudunKauri, said exceeded previousfloods in the area, destroyingseveral houses and resulting in thedeath of the pupils.


PDP created insecurity,says Al-makuraGovernor Umaru Tanko Al-

makura of Nasarawa state,yesterday, blamed the

ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), for creating the prevailingstate of insecurity in the country,stressing that, “the party has onlysucceeded in entrenching a cultureof injustice and impunity”, whichaccording to him, has broughtuntold hardship and suffering on

From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia the people.The governor stated this while

addressing party supporters inAwe, headquarters of Awe localgovernment area, on the occasionof kick starting the campaignprogramme of Alhaji UmaruTanko Tunga, Congress forProgressive Change (CPC)candidate for the state assemblybye-election slated for July 7th.

He described the umbrella usedas the symbol of the party as “a

cover for deception, with membersexcelling only in the art ofdeception and injustice.

He further observed thatNigerians would have fared betterif the presidential candidate of theCPC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari,who every Nigerian could testifyon his impeccable character, waselected the first time he aspired tolead the country in 1999.

While calling on the people toturn out in their numbers on the

election day and to massively votethe CPC candidate, the governorused the opportunity to warndisgruntled politicians whosestock-in-trade, is to instigatecommunal strife and causedivision among people whohitherto, lived peacefullytogether.

Peoples Daily recalls that theIndependent National ElectoralCommission (INEC) in Nasarawa,recently fixed July 7 as the datefor the state assembly bye-election,following the demise of AlhajiYakubu Faransa (PDP, AweNorth).

The Economic and FinancialCrimes Commission (EFCC)yesterday raised an alarm

over the activities of fraudstersusing the name of ranking officialsof the agency to obtain moneyfrom unsuspecting members of thepublic.

The commission said recentreports indicated that there havebeen reported cases of criminal gangsusing the names of the commission’sDirector of Operations, Mr. OlaoluAdegbite and its chairman; Mr.Ibrahim Lamorde to extort moneyfrom persons purported to havepetitions pending before thecommission.

According to WilsonUwujaren, Acting Head, Media &Publicity of the commission,“EFCC wishes to remind the publicthat it is not the practice for officialsof the commission to seek paymentor other forms of gratification fromanyone, whether he/she is underinvestigation or not.

“Consequently, members ofthe public are strongly advised toreport any solicitation for bribesin any guise by persons claimingto be officials or fronts for officials ofthe commission to any of its officesin Abuja and across the zones or tothe nearest police station.

Beware ofimpersonators,fraudsters,EFCC warnsBy Lambert Tyem

The Lagos state governmenthas urged residents of thestate to shun the

misconceptions surrounding theplanned repair on the ThirdMainland Bridge which wouldcommence from Sunday, July 1.

The Commissioner for Worksand Infrastructure, Dr. ObafemiHamzat who stated this at a jointpress conference with theMinistry of Information andStrategy and Ministry ofTransportation yesterday, said

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos that the bridge would not beclosed during the repair work toensure the safety of motorists.

Hamzat described asmisleading and capable of causingunnecessary panic, the impressionthat the bridge would be closedduring the period of repairs,stressing that the repair workswould only be done on fiveexpansion joints on theOworonsoki end of the bridge andthree expansion joints to the Islandend of the bridge.

“The repair work is part of themaintenance culture our people

always yearn for and expected onthe part of government. Thismaintenance will further give roadusers within this axis a smootherride and longevity to the life spanof the longest bridge in Africa”,stated the commissioner.

Giving insight to vehicularmovement during the period, theCommissioner for Transportation,Comrade Kayode Opeifa, assuredthe citizens of free vehicularmovement, adding that theofficials of the State TrafficManagement Authority,LASTMA, had strategized traffic

control measures that would easevehicular movement on thebridge.

Opeifa maintained that thepains which the state citizenswould experience during thisperiod will be very minimalcompared to that of 2008 whenthe same bridge underwentrepairs.

He urged motorists plying theroute to always tune to the TrafficRadio programme for timelyupdate of traffic reports on andaround the Third Mainlandbridge.

3rd Mainland Bridge repairs: Lagos govt explains

Niger state Commissioner for YouthDevelopment, Mrs. Victoria JumaiJiya, said that the World Bank would

invest over N3 billion in three programmesdesigned to improve the capacity of Nigerianyouths in nine states of the federation.

The commissioner, who made thisknown yesterday at a press briefing inGovernment House Minna, said theprogramme tagged: Youth Empowermentand Social Operation Project (YES-O), wouldbe supported by the states benefiting fromthe financial assistance of the World Bank,

adding that the programme will span overfive years and will be piloted in Niger, Kanoand Cross River states.

She said that the assistance would be‘performance based’ and that the Niger stategovernment is already working outmodalities for the implementation of theprogramme which will commence earlynext year.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Jiya revealed that as aresult of the of the peaceful atmosphereexisting in the state, the NYSC Headquartersin Abuja, has increased the number of youthcorps members to be deployed to the state toover 3,000.

World Bank to invest N3bn toimprove youth capacity in 9 statesFrom Iliya Garba, Minna

A female army officer and three otherpersonnel of the Oyo state securityoutfit code named “Operation Burst”

yesterday lost their lives in a ghastly autoaccident on UI-Sango Road in Ibadan, thestate capital.

The incident, which involved an OperationBurst patrol van and a commercial vehicle,occurred in the early hours of Thursday. Thedriver of the patrol van was said to have lostcontrol and veered off the road, hitting anelectric pole and an on-coming vehicle.

However, four others officers, twocivilians, one army officer and onepoliceman are currently receivingtreatment at the University CollegeHospital (UCH), Ibadan.

The state governor, Senator AbiolaAjimobi, who visited the victims at theEmergency Ward of the hospital in companyof top government officials, said governmentwould foot their medical bills.

Four ‘OperationBurst’ officers diein auto crashFrom Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

As a result of the shortfall in theallocation to the state by the FederalGovernment, the Niger state

government is to purchase additional 5,000metric tonnes of fertiliser to boost bumperharvest this planting season.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture,Alhaji Mohammed Kpotu Abdullahi, whomade this known yesterday in a chat withjournalists, said that the consignment willcomplement the 14,500 metric tonnesallocated to the state by the FederalGovernment.

Abdullahi further disclosed that the stategovernment would not follow the protocol ofthe Federal Government in the distributionof the farm input as most farmers in thestate have no access to phones.

The commissioner maintained that thecommodity will be distributed to all the 274wards in the state through their variousward development project committees.

Niger to purchaseadditional 500tones of fertiliserFrom Iliya Garba, Minna


L-R: Head, Product Certification, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, (SON), Mr. Abiola Komolafe,representative of Managing Director, Abuja Market Management Limited, Mr. Ibrahim Yahaya-Joe,and Director, Administration and Human Capital of SON, Mr. Paul Angya, during market enlightenmentfor stakeholders by SON, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Immigration denies31,556 foreignersentry into NigeriaThe Nigerian Immigration

Service (NIS) has disclosedthat about 31,556 foreigners

were denied entry into the countrybetween January and May this year.

The NIS Public Relations Officer(PRO), Mr. Joachim Olumba, whodisclosed this in Abuja, added that theorganisation refused the foreignersvisas, following a Federal

Government order on the closure ofborders.

It would be recalled that PresidentGoodluck Jonathan had ordered theclosure of some of the country's borderson December 31, 2011, when hedeclared a state of emergency in somelocal government areas in NorthernNigeria.

Olumba averred that 5,603illegal immigrants were alsorepatriated from the country during

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Economy central to achievingpolitical empowerment, says ministerThe Minister of Women

Affairs and SocialDevelopment, Hajiya Zainab

Maina, has said that economicempowerment is central to theachievement of political empowermentand institutional development as therecan be no proper development that isnot backed by an economic component.

Hajiya Zainab made the assertionyesterday in Abuja at a one-dayconsultative forum on economicempowerment for women in Nigeria,organised by the ministry inconjunction with United Nations Entity

for Gender Equity and Empowermentof Women, UN Women.

According to her, the forum is acollaborative effort to integrate theprinciples of gender equality into themacro-economic framework andnational development planninginitiatives in such a way that the issuesof gender will play a prominent role indriving the reform agenda at all levelsof government and has the potential of

positively positioning men and womento maximise the opportunities toaccelerate the nation's economicadvancement.

In his remarks, Mr. Dauda Toure,resident Coordinator of the forum, said"empowering women economically isan essential part of realising rightsbecause they are agents of developmentand investing in them has a multipliereffect on productivity, efficiency and

sustained economic growth and long-term prosperity".

He however, observed that progresson women's economic empowermenthas been slow and uneven acrosscountries - particularly Africa, addingthat there must be a concrete measuresin trade agreements, policies andstrategies and programmes to addressthe constraints women face inempowering themselves economically.

the period under review.He said discussions were on

between the Immigration Serviceand other relevant agencies toremove settlements around thecountry's borders.

"The aim is to build newcommunities for settlement so as togive the people a sense of belongingas their relocation is important toresolving the current securitychallenges in the country," he said.

By Mohammed Kandi

Sanitation Day: Ministry to inspect hotels, ports

The Minister of Environment,Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia,says the ministry would

embark on regular inspection ofmajor hotels, airports and sea portsintermittently to ensure that theirfacilities meet up with the standardrequired by health laws.

Declaring open the 2012National EnvironmentalSanitation Day yesterday in Abujawith the theme "My Environment,My life: Sanitation My Duty",

Mailafia noted that the inspectionbecame necessary against thebackdrop of dissatisfaction byenvironmental health officers,saying most facilities in those areaswere worn out.

She called on states and localgovernments to improve thesanitary condition in theirdomains, saying "provision ofsanitary facilities such as adequatewater, public toilets, refuse disposalbays and proper drainage systemin food centers, market andabattoirs to reduce chances of

contamination", is essential.Also speaking, guest lecturer at

the event, Dr. Obaseke Iwealacalled on the government toprovide more capacity building,environmental awareness andhealth education for citizens acrossthe country.

In his goodwill massage, Water,Sanitation and Hygiene expert ofUNICEF Nigeria, Bisi Ageremi,stressed the need for proactiveaction on the environment so as toachieve healthy living amongcitizens.

The Senate of the AhmaduBello University, Zaria haselected Prof. Ibrahim Na Iya

Sada as the institution's newDeputy Vice Chancellor in chargeof Administration (DVC-Admin).

A statement signed by themedia consultant to the ViceChancellor, Malam Waziri IsaGwantu, said the election whichwas presided over by theinstitution's Vice Chancellor Prof.Abdullahi Mustapha, took place onthe floor of the university's Senate,

ABU gets new DVC AdminBy Maryam Garba Hassan

Prof. Ibrahim Na Iya Sada

where majority of the memberswere in attendance.

According to the statement,Prof. Sada takes over from Prof.Idris Isa Funtua who successfullycompleted his two-term tenure offour years on Tuesday, 26th June,2012.

The new DVC who hails fromDanbatta local government areaof Kano state, was born on the 16thof February, 1954 and wasadmitted into the Ahmadu BelloUniversity, Zaria in 1974 wherehe obtained his LL.B (Hon) degreein 1978 and was called to the barin 1979.By Maryam Garba Hassan

Bauchi govt sponsors 395overseas to study medicine

Bauchi state governmenthas sponsored 395 medicalstudents to undergo various

courses in medicine andparamedical both in Nigeria andabroad.

This was disclosed by theCommissioner of Heath, Dr. SaniAbubakar Malami, whilespeaking to newsmen in Bauchiyesterday.

He said out of these, 394medical students 354 are enrolledin the country's institutions and38 are studying in Egypt whichincludes 23 girls and 15 boyswhile there are admitted in othercountries he did not disclose.

According to Malami, thegesture is part of government'seffort to continue an aggressivepolicy of manpower developmentwith a view to strengthening thehuman resources for health.

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Kebbi NDLEA losses 2 officers, counsels40 drug dependent persons

The Kebbi state commanderof the National Drug LawEnforcement Agency

(NDLEA) Mr. Olo Okon Okon, hassaid two of the agency's officers werekilled by drug barons early thisyear.

Mr. Okon stated this whileinteracting with newsmen in hisoffice shortly after this year'sInternational Day against DrugAbuse and illicit Drug Trafficking.He said the agency had succeededin counseling over 40 drugdependent persons across the state.

According to him thecommand has continued to seizereasonable quantities of illicit drugsthat include diazepam, hexol,ergometrin, lexotan, tutolin, andbenylin which have become ahuge threat to the teemingyouths, risking their depressantand sedative consequences.

"We have had cause to providecounseling services to well over40 drug dependent personsbetween January and June thisyear, with all of them testingpositive to some of theaforementioned drugs", hedeclared.

From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

Our nuclear ambition forpeaceful purposes - Jonathan

President GoodluckJonathan has assuredthat Nigeria's desire to

acquire nuclear technology is onlyfor peaceful purposes.

The President stated thisyesterday, in his address at thecommissioning of the Researchers'Hostel and Conference Centre builtby the National Atomic EnergyCommission (NAEC), which heldat the Nuclear Technology Centre,Sheda, Abuja.

The President who was

represented by Vice PresidentMohammed Namadi Sambo, said"the acquisition and use of nucleartechnology for peaceful purposesis an important element in anynation's path towards economic,scientific and technologicaldevelopment. Apart from thegeneration of electricity, nuclearenergy finds ready peacefulapplications in agriculture andfood security, human health andmedicine, water resourcesmanagement, industry and inbasic and applied scientificresearch."

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem


Wife murder: Suspect’s ill health stalls trialFrom Francis Iwuchukwu,Lagos

The on-going trial ofAkolade Arowolowho allegedly killed

his wife ( a banker),Titilayo OmozojeArowolo, in June lastyear could not go onyesterday before JusticeLateefa Okunnu of a LagosHigh Court sitting in Ikejadue to Akolade’s ill health.

At the resumedhearing of the matter,Akolade’s counsel,Olanrewaju Ajanakucraved the court’sindulgence for anadjournment as his client

was sick, adding that hehad informed theprosecution.

“We humbly crave anadjournment in thematter because thedefendant is terribly illand cannot stand therigours of trial,” Ajanakuprayed the court.

When asked for theirposition, the prosecutionled by the Lagos StateDirector of PublicProsecution, Mrs. OlabisiOgungbesan, stated thatshe had been informed ofthe development and theywould not be opposing theapplication foradjournment.

It would be recalledthat Arowolo had at thelast sitting on Tuesdayslumped in the dock whilethe trial was on,terminating proceedingsthat day.

Justice Okunnuconsequently adjournedthe matter till September14, 2012 for continuationof trial.

31-year-old Akoladewho is said to be a youthpastor is facing trial on aone-count charge ofallegedly stabbingTitilayo to death at theirresidence located at 8,Akindeinde Street, Isolo,Lagos.

FG earmarks N2.2bn forOkere-Amekhian road

The Ministry ofWorks hasawarded contract

for the construction of theAda to Okere and Ukoni toAmekhian road in Edostate, at the sum ofN2.2billion.

The contract whichconsists of three sectionstotalling 14 kilometres,was awarded to Messrs

Arc Marine and CivilContractors.

Signing the contractdeeds, Minister of State forWorks, Amb. BashirYuguda, enjoined thecontractor to be faithful tothe expected completiondate of 14 months.

He further stated thatwhen completed, “the roadwill boost economicactivities andsubstantially improve the

movement of people, goodsand services in Esanland.”

According to him,when completed, the roadwill considerably advancethe opening up of oilprospecting activities inthe area.

Yuguda called on thecontractor to pay attentionto the quality of work andconform to therequirements of the DueProcess Office.

By Adeola Tukuru

Institute honours Bida Poly Rector

The Institute ofS t r a t e g i cM a n a g e m e n t

Nigeria (ISMN) hashonoured the Rector ofFederal Polytechnic,Bida, Niger state, Engr.Abdullahi Sule as its newpatron.

Speaking during theconferment ceremonyrecently in Bida, thenational president of theinstitute, Gen. Leo

Ajiborisha, rtd said theappointment of Engr.Sule was based on hisachievements and trackrecord in strategicmanagement in theinstitution and thenation at large.

“The Rector has doneso well in coordinatingthe activities of theinstitution by preparingthe students for keypositions for bothprivate and publicsectors in the country”

Ajiborisha said.Ajiborisha further

commended the existingcordial relationshipbetween themanagement, staff andstudents of the school,stressing that suchrelationship enhanceseffective learning.

In his acceptancespeech, Sule said theaward was a challengefor him to work harderin his service to thenation.

By Joy Baba

Edo to spend N200m on college

Edo stategovernment is tos p e n d

N200million to upgradefacilities at the state’sInstitute of

Continuing Education(ICE) in Benin City.

Governor AdamsOshiomhole, whodisclosed this at the 40thanniversary celebrationof the instituteyesterday, said themoney would be given tothe institute in twotranches to spend in areasof critical need with the

first N100 million comingbetween September andOctober this year.

He noted that theschool had realised andfulfilled the vision of itsfounding founder, Dr.Samuel Ogbemudia, byturning out graduateswho can hold their own inall spheres of humanendeavour.

The Governor said infollowing thedevelopment footprints ofthe two-time governor ofMidwest and Bendelstates, he would accordthe Institute theattention which he had

extended to other tertiaryinstitutions in the state.

According to ComradeOshiomhole, “thefoundation for thedevelopment of this statewas laid by Dr.Ogbemudia and I havethe duty and privilege asgovernor of the state tobuild on thatfoundation.”

He congratulated theboard, management,staff and students of theinstitute for the giantstrides attained by theschool in the last 40 yearsand urged them to workhard to sustain it.

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro,Benin


L-R: Chairman/CEO, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Franklin ErepamoOsaisai, Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, and Minister of Science andTechnology, Professor Ita Okon Bassey, during commissioning of the reseachers’hostel and conference centre, yesterday at the Nuclear Technology Centre, Sheda,in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

L-R:ComptrollerGeneral of theNigeriaCustomsService (NCS),Alhaji AbdulahiDikkoInde, SecretaryGeneral of theWorld CustomsOrganisation(WCO), Mr.Kunio Mikuriya,PresidentGoodluckJonathan, andFirst LadyPatience Jonathan,after theopening of theWCO’s 119/120th sessions,yesterday inBrussels,Belgium.

Members of civil society organisations (CSOs) protesting over corruption in the oilsector, yesterday at the NNPC Towers, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Staff of the Federal Ministry of Information hanging out after they rushed out of their offices as a result of fire outbreak in one of the elevators at the Radio House, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo


Taraba disbursesN222m to pensioners

Cement company offers scholarships to 500 students

The Ashaka CementCompany in Gombe Statesaid it has awarded

scholarships to 500undergraduates studying invarious universities nationwide.

The Chairman, Board of

Directors of the company, AlhajiUmar Kwairanga, made theannouncement in Gombe whenthe board members paid a courtesycall on the Emir of Gombe, AlhajiShehu Abubakar.

He said the company gave 50indigent students of Gombe Statescholarship annually to alleviatetheir suffering.

According to him, the scholarshipis steady, to encourage youths,particularly the less privileged.

He said that apart from thescholarships, the company hadspent billions of naira in developingMaiganga Coal Mine as analternative energy source for thecompany's production.

Kwairanga said the company

had also constructed more than100 houses and relocated the peopleliving in the communities aroundthe coal mine to a safer place.

The chairman said that thecompany would increase itsproduction, adding that shareholders were willing to invest morein developing the company.

Responding, the emir described

the company as a charityorganisation.

According to him, the companyhas contributed immensely to thedevelopment of Gombe State,adding that it made a lot of poorpeople to become millionaires.

Abubakar called on investorswithin and outside the country toinvest in Gombe State. (NAN)

The Taraba state Bureau forLocal Government andChieftaincy Affairs has

disbursed over N222 million toliving and deceased pensioners.

Special Adviser to GovernorDanbaba Danfulani Suintai onBureau for Local Government andChieftaincy Affairs, Bashir Marafa

stated this at the flag up of thisyear’s payment of gratuity andpension.

He said seventy two of thebeneficiaries were alive while 114were deceased.

Marafa explained that thedisbursement of the pension wasin line with Governor Suntai’scommitment to providing fundsfor the payment of pensioners.

He thanked the governor forhis prompt response to the plightof the pensioners and asked thebeneficiaries to make judicious useof the funds.

The permanent Secretary ofthe state local Government pensionBoard, Simon Agyu asked retireesin the state to exercise patience asgovernment was committed tosettling their entitlements.

From Yusha’u Alhassan, JalingoKogi state urgently requiresadditional 2,000 foreffective teaching in its

238 public secondary schools, theacting Chairman of the StateTeaching Service Commission,Alhaji Salu Aliu, said yesterdayin Lokoja.

Aliu told newsmen that 3,000teachers currently engaged in theschools were inadequate forquality teaching.

He said the situation had beencompounded by the fact that manyteachers would soon retire.

He blamed the predicament onthe staff auditing exercise carriedout by the state government in2009 during which more than2,000 secondary school teacherswere “shown the way out of service.”

He said that the effect of theshortage was being felt badly incore subjects of mathematics,English language and the sciences.

He said a proposal to recruitteachers to fill the vacancies hadbeen sent to Governor Idris Wadaand appealed to the governmentto quickly accede to the request.

Aliu called on all stakeholdersin the nation's education sector,especially the government,teachers and parents, to cometogether to rescue the sector fromtotal collapse.

The chairman suggested thatgovernment should provide qualityteaching equipment, adequate andqualified teachers, while parentsshould monitor their wards. (NAN)

Shortage ofteachers hitsKogi secondaryschools

Sokoto getsadditionalspecialadvisersSokoto state Governor, Alhaji

Aliyu MagatakardaWamakko has on Wednesday

sworn in five new special advisersand charged them to justify theirnew position to the people of Sokoto.

The governor also told them tobe more diligent and role off theirsleeves for task ahead, and behonest while discharging theirresponsibilities.

Wamakko said he would notcondone laxity and would nothesitate to show the way out to anynon performing aide that failed tolive up to expectation.

The governor said theimpressive records of his stewardshipand provision of infrastructuraldevelopment in all nook andcrannies of the state were largelymade possible courtesy of the hardwork and determination of his aides.

He however urged them toconsider their appointments as achallenge and expressed hope thatthey would continue to give theirbest for the overall development ofSokoto state.

In a related development, sixnew boards and agencies have beeninaugurated. Performing theceremony at Government House insokoto, Governor Wamakko said hehad no doubt that the newmembers, as people of provenintegrity and vast experiences inpublic services would channel theirwealth of experience to reposition theBoards for effective service delivery.

The boards inauguratedincluded, Local GovernmentService Commission, TeachersService Board, Local GovernmentStaff Pension Board, PrimaryTeachers Pension Board andUniversal Basic Education Board.

The Nigeria Union ofJournalists, NUJ, Kogi statecouncil has expended the

sum of N3 million to give a facelift to the building that housedthe state secretariat of thecouncil.

Peoples Daily reliably gathered

in Lokoja yesterday, that theSpecial Adviser on Media andStrategy to the governor, Mr JacobEdih, saw the building asmundane, dilapidated and lackingquality to house journalists in the21st century.

According to informationavailable to our correspondent,the NUJ centre, Lokoja, led by

Comrade Alih Atabor was set tobecome a trailblazer for mediacentres in the country and easethe work of journalists in thestate.

The elated NUJ chairman ofthe state, Alih Atabor, stated thathe was very happy that this washappening during his own tenure,promising to be transparent,purposeful and ready to operate anopen door policy in the dischargeof his duty.

Kogi NUJ wears new lookFrom Sam Egwu, Lokoja

Governor Aliyu Wamakkoof Sokoto state, onWednesday in Sokoto,

distributed 60 Toyota cars boughtat N267 million to district headsin the state.

Wamakko urged thetraditional rulers to alwaysmonitor the movement andconduct of strangers in theirdomain to check the activities ofsuspicious characters.

He said that governmentwould continue to appreciate therole being played by the districtheads in promoting peacefulcoexistence among the people.

The governor said the rulerswere expected to monitor theactivities of strangers and forwardreports to appropriate authoritiesfor the development of the state.

He said security matters

should not be left in the hands ofsecurity officers alone, hence theneed for active participation of thedistrict heads in mobilising peopleto offer intelligence reports.

Wamakko said the vehiclesdistributed to them were aimed atassisting them to carry out theirduties.

He said it was the responsibilityof government to recognise allsegments of the society inimplementing policies.

The governor announced thatgovernment had concludedarrangements to rehabilitate 20palaces of district heads within theyear.

He said efforts were being madeto improve the remuneration oftraditional rulers in line withcurrent realities.

The governor called on thetraditional rulers to continue tosupport government's programmesto meet the yearnings andaspiration of the people. (NAN)

Sokoto govt distributes 60 cars to district heads

L-R: Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, and Edo state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, duringthe 40th anniversary of the Institute of Continuing Education, yesterday Benin City.

From Auwal Ahmad, Gombewith agency report

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012 PAGE 11

The University CollegeHospital (UCH), Ibadan,Chief Medical Director of

UCH, Professor Temitope Alonge,has called on the Federal Ministryof Health to upgrade the status ofits School of Nursing (SONUCHI)to a degree-awarding institution.

Prof. Temitope Alonge madethe call while addressingjournalists on plans by the collegeto observe a week-longanniversary celebration whichhas as its theme, "UCH Ibadan -Providing 60 years of excellentNursing Education”.

Prof Alonge remarked that theSchool of Nursing has everythingrequired including ICT and otherinfrastructural facilities to makeit a degree-awarding institution,arguing that products of theSchool currently hold toppositions in both healthcaredelivery institution and otherpublic organizations both withinand outside Nigeria, competingeffectively with theirinternational contemporaries.

According to the CMD,products of the UCH's School ofNursing are widely exposed tolatest discoveries in the medicalworld as the College has working

relationship with variousinternational organizations, apartfrom being the first teachinghospital in the continent of Africato be accredited in the area ofrobust Tele-medicine programme.

Prof. Alonge further justifiedthe need to upgrade the UCH'sSchool of Nursing to a degree-awarding institution, saying thatacademic exchange programmeshave already been put in place incollaboration with the Tele-medicine Unit of the College for thenursing students to enable themcross fertilize ideas with theircontemporaries in similarinstitutions in Israel, United States

of America, England, amongothers.

While disclosing that the UCHSchool of Nursing which took offwith only 12 students in July1952 has so far produced over5,000 nurses, midwives and otherpost-basic nursing professionals,the Chief Medical Directorremarked that “the school hasunequivocally remained on top ofthe ladder in the training of healthcare professionals in Nigeria.”

The CMD also spoke on thearrangements being made inconjunction with the Alumni of theSchool of Nursing to launch aN100million development fund to

further improve on the facilities ofthe school.

In the meantime, Prof.Alonge told newsmen that as partof the Diamond Jubileecelebration, and in appreciationof the pioneering effort of MissLouise M. Bell (MBE), the firstPrincipal of SONUCHI, themanagement has resolved to re-name the Block 1 of the Schoolafter her while the institution'sbig auditorium is also to be knownas Omolola Alade Auditorium, inhonour of the longest servingPrincipal of the school whoserved in that capacity for 28years, that is, 1968 to 1992.

UCH seeks degree-awarding status for School of NursingFrom Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

Police arrest 147 youthsover Kaduna violenceThe Police in Kaduna state on

Wednesday said they hadarrested 147 youths for

alleged involvement in reprisals inKaduna.

The state Commissioner ofPolice, Mr Jinjiri Abubakar, whomade the disclosure at a newsconference in Kaduna, said thesuspects were being investigatedfor possible prosecution.

The suspects were arrested in

connection with reprisals thatfollowed bomb attacks on churchesin Kaduna and Zaria on June 17.

The command also urged thepublic to ignore a video recordingportraying security agentspurportedly dumping a largeconsignment of bodies killed duringthe attacks in parts of the state.

“Residents of Kaduna State ofcourse, know that the backgroundof the video, the accent of the people

talking, the police vehicle andneem (Dogonyaro) trees have nobearing whatsoever to Kadunastate.

“Members of the public aretherefore, advised to ignore it as itis nothing but the handiwork ofenemies of peace,” Abubakar said.

He said the police and other lawenforcement agencies wereworking to maintain law and orderin the state. (NAN)

The Bauchi stategovernment has warnedland owners against

indiscriminate erection of buildingwithout approval from the StateDevelopment Board or appropriateauthority.

The state Commissioner ofLands and Housing, Alhaji AminuHammayo disclosed this whilebriefing newsmen on the activitiesof his Ministry, saying thatgovernment was worried with the

way and manner some people useto erect building on reserve placeswithout getting approval from thegovernment.

According to him, “governmentfinds it necessary to warn all thosein the habit of erecting buildingindiscriminately and acquiringfalse ownership of land in the state”.

He noted that the stategovernment will not fold it armand look at how people engage insuch misconduct and dubiousattitude, “government will nothesitate to deal with such

characters” he saidThe commissioner stated that

agreement between the owner of aland and the buyer is not enoughto own a land but just a beginningprocess of acquiring a land up tothe issuing of proper Certificate ofOccupancy by the government.

“Some people used to sale landsto many people without followingdue process that will have warrantto the issuing of C of O and somepeople erect building along pipesline and government reserveplaces, the government has

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi accommodate some of them butthose that erected buildingsillegally must give way as weintend to have our master plan forthe state reviewed,” he said.

He said contract has beenawarded by the state governmentto capture all land and geographicinformation digitally aimed ateliminating instances of missingrecords. He said the ministry hasthe intention to create new layoutsto meet the increasing demand forland arising out of improved livingstandard and increase population.

Bauchi warns against indiscriminate building

The Kebbi stateCommissioner for LocalGovernment and

Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji RabiuKoko, has warned counciltransition chairmen in the stateagainst partisan politics.

Koko told the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbion Wednesday, that thechairmen were expected to payattention to properadministration and provision ofamenities.

“While the council transitionchairmen were to hold office

until the council elections wereconcluded in September thisyear, they have been cautionedto pay less attention to partisanpolitics.”

He said the chairmen shouldensure that the projects earlierapproved for their areas werecompleted effectively becausethe PDP government is poised toimprove living conditions inrural areas.

NAN reports that the StateIndependent ElectoralCommission fixed councilelections for Sept.

Kebbi warns transition councilchairmen against partisanship

The Special Adviser to theBauchi state Governor onHajj Affairs, Alhaji Sanusi

Muhammad Sarkin Aska hascalled on all the intending pilgrimsto pray for the country’s insecuritychallenges in the holy land.

Sarkin Aska made the calledyesterday, at the opening ceremonyof a three days workshop andtraining organized by the statePilgrims Welfare Board for the stateintending pilgrims and localgovernment Hajj officers in Bauchi.

According to him, seeking theAlmighty God intervention isnecessary especially given thehigh rate of insecurity confrontingNigeria.

The governor’s aide said thatconstant prayer is the only solutionto the perpetual killings andbombings that have beenoccurring in many parts of thecountry, calling on all Nigerians toreturn to Allah through persistentprayers and supplications to bringto an end the unnecessary killingsin the country.

He said the workshop wasaimed at educating andenlightening the participants onhow to carry out the hajj exerciseaccordingly even as he urged them

to pay special attention to whatthey will be taught during thetraining.

The special Adviser said thestate government has concludedall arrangements to ensure hitchfree hajj, saying that governmentwas more concern with thecomfort of the intending pilgrim’sright from Nigeria to the holy land.

He disclosed that already abefitting accommodation has beensecured by the government ofMalam Isa Yuguda to make all theintending pilgrims morecomfortable to enable themperform their Hajj exercisewithout discomfort.

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Pray for Nigeria inMakkah, Yuguda’saide urges pilgrims Flood submerged Cherubim and Seraphim Church after heavy rain on Wednesday night at Shokori/

Totoro Road in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital.


One jail break too manyThe frequency and ease with which

criminals are successfullybreaking

into jails to free their colleaguesgives the impression that rather thanprofessional security personnel, it maywell be the members of the Boys Brigadethat are in charge of security at Nigerianprisons. With hardly a month passingwithout a successful jail break, especiallyin the northern part of the country, it isdifficult not to conclude that our jails areanything but the secure penitentiarieswhere those awaiting trial and convictedoffenders, both sundry and hardened,are supposed to serve their termsuninterrupted.

The incidences have assumed adisturbing regularity this year, to theextent that in January, while decoratingthe then incoming Comptroller Generalof the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS),Mr. Zakari Ohinoyi Ibrahim, theMinister of Interior, Comrade AbbaPatrick Moro directed the new Prisonsboss to end the incidences of jail breaksin the country. The number of jail breaksfrom January to date, often with fatalconsequences, is mind boggling.

On February 15, heavily armed men,numbering about 20, stormed the Koton-Karfe Prison in Kogi state and freed 119inmates. One day later, members ofJam'atul Ahlis Sunnah Lidda'awatiWal-Jihad, otherwise known as BokoHaram claimed responsibility for theattack. A month earlier, the sect hadfreed some of its captured membersduring a series of bombings on policestations in Kano. At about the same time,five inmates escaped from Port Harcourtprison without the benefit of externalassistance.

And in their most daring prisonassault yet, the Boko Haram sect last

“It is time we had an endto these jail breaks,

whether or not there arehardened criminals

among the escapees

week attacked and overwhelmed officialsat the Damaturu prison on Gashua Roadand freed as many as 40 of their memberswho were being detained there. Fourpeople, including a prison official, losttheir lives.

The June 24, 2012 daring and successfulrescue mission is all the more mindboggling as it came less than a week after aviolent futile attempt by tens of heavilyarmed Boko Haram militants to free someof their injured chieftains who were being

detained in a hospital undergoingtreatment under tight security. The JointTask Force (JTF) had engaged themilitants in a fierce gunfight leading to thecapture of a leading commander, a retiredarmy private, Habib Bama.

Why security would be lax around theDamaturu prison at that very materialtime when every precautionary measureought to have been taken to secure thearea, especially given the daringantecedents of the insurgent group, is aquestion that only those in authority atboth state and federal levels can bestanswer. Perhaps, the one explanation thatreadily comes to mind is the fact that,unlike in more civilized climes, in Nigeria,

officials are only quick to claim crediteven where they are not deserving of it,but always unwilling to own up tomistakes even when the fault is glaringlytheirs. And governments do not helpmatters either, as there is always areluctance to wield the big stick againsterring top officials who lack the courageto graciously bow out when they fail.

Which is not so elsewhere. Whereleaders are held to account for theirfailure, such leaders strive to give a goodaccount of themselves and where theyfail, they do not wait to be booted out ofoffice, they graciously call time on thejob. When the Bali terrorist bombed aMumbai hotel in India, the minister ofdefence and the police chief did not waitto be shown the gate by the government,they graciously resigned accepting theblame for the incident.

It is our belief that so long as ourleaders will continue to live in denial oftheir fallibility, then the nation willcontinue to dearly pay for that refusal tomuster the courage to do the right thingat the right time. The harvest of woes weare reaping, including the unending jailbreaks, are the consequence of pastleadership failure which was willfullydenied. One of such denials is in thestandard official refrain whenever thereis a jail break; it is always that there areno hardened criminals among theescapees.

It is time we had an end to these jailbreaks, whether or not there arehardened criminals among the escapees.We demand that our jails be securedenough to withstand the assaults of theBoko Haram sect or any other criminalorganisation, otherwise, sooner or laterwe will have convicted hardenedcriminals on the loose in the society to doas they please, again.

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Whatever happens inNigeria, the militaryshould never allow

religious sentiments orextremism to infiltrate thebarracks. They should neverallow religion to play a decisiverole in their operations. If that isallowed, then the country isfinished.

This is not to discourage thefreedom of religion amongNigerians. Though there has beena latent struggle of supremacybetween Muslims and Christiansin the security outfits, thattendency should not be displayedduring operations for the interestof the entire nation.

Religion has been a destructivetool readily employed byextremists. Go to places of work,markets, schools, etc and you willfind Nigerians mocking theirfellow citizens. “These BokoHaram people”, is a refrain usedto mock innocent Muslimfaithfuls. Words such as“nyamiri” and “arne” shouldcease to be part of the lexicon inthe barracks because they areused to jeer fellow citizens.

Many qualified citizens havebeen denied admission andrecruitment into the securityoutfits in places where theirreligion is in the minority.

Most of the security problemsin the country as of today havereligious undertone. There is needto enforce enhanced moralinstructions in the nation’ssecurity. The military is a well-established institution that is wellrespected because of its leveldiscipline and loyalty toconstituted authority.

These Nigerians have provedpatriotism and need not to preachreligious bigotry amongstthemselves. They should,therefore, focus on effective andefficient enforcement ofdemocratic governance for peace,

stability and development of thecountry. They cannot afford tomortgage their togetherness,respect for law, discipline andnational interest for religion.

During the recent crisis inKaduna, some Muslims andChristians reportedly saved theircounterparts without regards toreligion. NEMA’s Search andRescue teams received membersof the Christian faithful who tookrefuge in some Muslim homes justas it evacuated some Muslims thatwere sheltered by their Christianneighbours. In Port Harcourt,followers of both religionsmarched against religiousviolence.

The highest echelon ofgovernment should practicallydisplay religious indifference intheir dealings to move the countryforward. By so doing, theinsurgence by Boko Haram,kidnappings by the misledcitizens, militancy, massivecorruption and bribery scandalscould be mitigated.

In his discourse number 346titled, “The Christian Answer toBoko Haram”, Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde,held that the circle of cowardiceamong the Nigerian elites infacing the reality can continueforever except Nigerians find away to cancel the negatives andarrive at a positive digit. The factis that retaliation could only serveas a deterrent for a short while. Itoften produces a vicious cycle ofviolence. Christians in somecommunities carry out warcrimes against Muslims. BokoHaram says it retaliates but

under the hidden tactic ofbombings. Then Christiansretaliate in areas they too thinkMuslims are weak. Both do itagainst innocent citizens,against places of worship, againstGod, all purportedly in the nameof God.

Christian leaders and opinionshapers have appealed to Muslimleaders to use their weight torestrain Boko Haram. Butsincerely, which citizen would

The truth is that when itcomes to violence, the answer lieswith the law and nothing else. Thelaw it is that can cancel thosenegatives. It is the instrumentthat stripped all citizens of theright to possess firearms. Muslimsshould, in the absence of anyinterest to bring the criminalsthat have been perpetratingcrimes against them to justicelocally, refer the matter to theInternational Court of Justice.

Security challenge forNigerian military

By Muhammad Ajah

patient with them until theysucceed without complicatingmatters through retaliation. AndNigerians would remain togetherlong after the guns of Boko Haramand those of Christian fanatics areput to silence.

Legislators in Akwa Ibom andDelta state Houses of Assemblyhave asked President GoodluckJonathan to identify the sponsorsof the Boko Haram sect and dealwith them accordingly. In aresolution at a joint session of theAssemblies presided over by theAkwa Ibom Speaker, Rt. Hon.Samuel Ikon and his Delta Statecounterpart, Rt. Hon. VictorOchei, the lawmakers said the callbecame necessary to protect thecorporate existence of thecountry.

In her column of Wednesday,June 20, 2012, HannatuMusawa, under a title “They don’treally care about us”, argued thattowards the end of 2011, thepresidency announced that heknew who the sponsors of the BokoHaram offensive were and thatsome were in government. “Buttill this day, we have not seen thosepeople exposed and brought to fulljustice. Instead, the one man whothe world has identified to havebeen instrumental in igniting theinitial conflict with the originalBoko Haram, Senator Ali ModuSheriff, appears to enjoy a sort ofpresidential protection”, sheclaimed.

Sharon Faliya Cham, in herarticle, “As the Churchslept…The Trilogy”, expressed a

The reprisal and counterattacks by both Muslimand Christian youths in

Kaduna state came about as aresult of the Church bombingsin Kaduna and Zaria last week.Since then, the Government hasbeen taking measures to containthe situation including thedeclaration of a 24 hour curfewthroughout the state.

At times like this, there isalways the need for soulsearching although I agreeattempts have always beenmade in this direction, but thequestion to ask; is why do theseugly incidences keep recurringdespite all the efforts to containthem?

The standard templatewhenever these ugly incidencesoccur is to mobilize the securityagencies, declare a curfew, carry

out enlightenment programs,call for prayers in Mosques andChurches, set up committees toinvestigate after whicheverything is abandoned – hencethey keep reoccurring. This iswhy these same - same solutionsfail to work.

There is no basis whatsoeverin the two religions for all thekillings, the reprisal attacks,burning of religious places ofworship and personal properties.The regular bombing ofChurches and the burning ofMosques have becomenauseating to the adherents ofboth religions, so also is theposition of Boko Haram and itsactivities. The Sultan of Sokotohas denounced Boko Haram andtheir activities as un-Islamic, soalso has Boko Haram drejectedthe Sultan as their intermediaryin the talks with the FederalGovernment. The next step is to

team up and fight theperpetrators of these criminalactivities since they don’trepresent any of the truereligions.

The fuel subsidydemonstrations last Januarysaw the coming of Christianyouth together to protect andsupport their Muslimcounterparts while in prayersand vice versa. The occasionalso showed Muslim youths withrosaries marching together withChristian youths holding theCross. Pictures of theseincidences were all over thenewspapers and social sites. Wefailed to take advantage of theseopportunities to build up suchbonding by erecting large billboards in strategic places to keepus reminded that there isabsolutely nothing wrong inMuslims and Christians comingtogether in unity. Instead,

politicians regale us with billboards of themselves, politicalparties and their posts to talkabout peace! There was nocontinuing program to sustainthe peace they are talkingabout.

So far, all the preachings,sermons and discussionprograms in my opinion are notreaching the appropriate target.Today, anybody above 35 yearsirrespective of religion will notget himself involved in suchdastardly acts of killings andburning of places of worship. Theages of those carrying out theseabominable acts range between20 to 30, and these arecategorized into three groups –the illiterates and unemployed,those in school and those whohave graduated with no jobs.These groups of youths live in aworld different from ours. Theyare not necessarily religious, do

not appreciate their parents’societal values, in fact they seethese values as antiquated. Ourtraditional rulers talking tothem is a waste of time becauseof given the chance, they willstone them. Their means ofcommunication are alien to us.(Try reading your child’s textmessages). Their lives arecontrolled by what they see insatellite and internet. Anexample at this stage willperhaps explain what I mean.Some youth at Ungwar Rimi/Ungwar Kudu were throwingstones at each other during thecurfew. When the eldersintervened, the youths repliedthat if the Palestines andIsraelites could fight their warsthrough such method, there wasno reason why Muslims andChristians in Nigeria should notadopt such methods.

RRRRReprisals in Keprisals in Keprisals in Keprisals in Keprisals in Kaduna: One stepaduna: One stepaduna: One stepaduna: One stepaduna: One stepforwforwforwforwforward, two steps backward, two steps backward, two steps backward, two steps backward, two steps backwardsardsardsardsardsBy Adamu Yakubu

restrain any Nigerian thatcarries arms today? There is none.In the same vein, I have heardmany Berom leaders saying thattheir youths are beyond theircontrol. When some chiefs of NigerDelta tried to stop its militantsfrom terrorist activities in themid-nineties, the youths accusedthem of complicity and murderedthem.

Right now, Nigeria has a highdeficit of willing martyrs amongits leaders.

They must be prepared to walkthe ladder to its top. Armed withhard evidence like the ones wementioned earlier, it isinconceivable that they will notbe offered justice there. So thequestion of their retaliation iscancelled, ab initio.

Christians on their part mustalso resort to the law and supportit. They must ensure that the lawenforcement agencies that theycontrol have risen to thechallenge. They must also be

“Most of the security problems in thecountry as of today have religious

undertone. There is need to enforceenhanced moral instructions in the

nation’s security. The military is a well-established institution that is well

respected because of its level disciplineand loyalty to constituted authority

Continued on page 14



Two sides of a coin andpatriotism in Nigeria

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WRITE TO US

Everyone remembers thewords of President JohnFitzgerald Kennedy “Ask

not what your country can dofor you; ask what you can do foryour country,” but very fewpeople remember the otherthings he said in that 1961inaugural address.

More often than not, thisKennedy quotation is thrown atcitizens by leaders who areeither failing to do the rightthing for the citizens or by thosewho want to blackmail citizensunder the guise of patriotism. Inthat same address, PresidentKennedy said “If a free societycannot help the many who arepoor, it cannot save the few whoare rich,” and also said “ask ofus the same high standards ofstrength and sacrifice which weask of you.” There are reasonswhy these words matter;patriotism is neither free nor isit cheap.

Whether or not you know itor admit it, generally speaking,Americans are more patrioticthan Nigerians. Now, do not startthinking that is because of whatKennedy said about not askingwhat your country can do for youbla bla bla, it is because of so muchmore. An average Americanknows, and expects that when thechips are down, his countrywould be there. An averageAmerican knows that thepurpose and essence ofgovernment is to serve him orher, an average American knowsthat government of the people,by the people and for the peoplemore often than not turns out tobe the case in their country. Anaverage American knows thatthe death of one American is ofgreat concern to the government

and people of the United States. Tocut the long story short, theaverage American knows andbelieves the state exists for him.Contrast these and the generalperception of what it is to be anA m e r i c a ncitizen andwhat it is to bea Nigeriancitizen andyou’d easily seethe reason forthe gulf inpatriotism. Ihave usedA m e r i c abecause ana v e r a g eN i g e r i a nunderstands ad e s c r i p t i o nbetter whenyou useAmerica. Thisis the same case with Sweden, withEngland, with close neighboursGhana and indeed many countrieswhere an average citizen alwayslooks as though she/he could diefor his country. Google the benefitsthat accrue to a fire man inAmerica if he loses his life at thepoint of duty, then Google that ofthe Nigerian police man whoexperiences the same fate. Youexpect the police man to facecriminals in gun battles and becommitted to the government andpeople they swore to defend butthey remember their families at

critical times like that and knowthat their families will be left aloneand forgotten when they are gone.

The act of patriotism incitizens is essentially builtovertime and it comes out of

realities of what your countryindeed had done and could do foryou. Patriotism is free but it isextremely expensive. Anaverage Nigerian ingovernment wants to grab forhim and his family. Everybodybids his/her time and looks tograb all they possibly can if/when they get the chance. Thegrab-grab mentality comes fromthe absence of not just patriotismbut that of a sense of community.What happens to the families ofa poor man who dies on duty?

What kind of insurance exists

By Japhet Omojuwa

for our school children andteachers? What happens to anaverage family after the breadwinner is gone? We need tochange our ways, we need to betrue to ourselves, if the

government ofNigeria as madeup of Nigeriansdo not see andrealise that,what a countrygets out of itscitizens is whatit has investedtherein, wewould never risebeyond thesedark tunnel. I donot swear, I onlyspeak of realitiesof cause andeffect, sowingand reaping, ofuniversal laws

that cannot be changed by anyman or government no matterhow they wish or pray againstit. Prayers do not change theprinciples of God.

It was Plato who said “”Theheaviest penalty for declining torule is to be ruled by someoneinferior to yourself,” and thatdepicts the reality of ourcountry today because whenNapoleon Bonaparte said “”Inpolitics, stupidity is not ahandicap,” he was looking at themake-up of an average Nigerianpolitician. We watch media

chats; we see this on display onnational television.

Let me conclude with thewords of Richelle Mead inVampire Academy, “Thegreatest and most powerfulrevolutions often start veryquietly, hidden in the shadows.Remember that.”

Never forget that a timewould come in our nation whenthe Nigerian would not only beproud of Nigeria because that iswhat he sees other citizens of theworld do or because governmentis embarking on a “proudlyNigerian” campaign. Our pridewould eventually come fromknowing that we the people arethe government, which we thepeople matter to thegovernment that we the peopleof Nigeria can enjoy the respectof those we elect to office. Thattime, our presidents would notcome from do-or-die processes,they will not shirk from debates,neither will they not give adamn about us, because they willsee that the pool of patriotism ofwe the people could sweep themoff even with the blood of theirown guilt. That time wouldcome, you can choose to believeor doubt it, I have chosen to liveand prepare for it. That day willcome like a thief in the night orlike the rage of a sweeping tide.We must make that time come! J Japheth Omojuwa can bereached @omojuwa

Reprisals in Kaduna: One step forward, two steps backwardsContinued from page 13

By Leonard Karshima Shilgba, PhD

The point being made hereis that for a lasting solution topeaceful existence in Kadunaand indeed Nigeria, we have tocome down to the level of thesedangerous groups of youths to:-

- Sit with them, interactand socialize with them

- Teach them religious,moral and societal values likewe have been taught by ourparents

- Set up structures at the

ward levels which will providethem a platform to run theiraffairs, express themselves andgive them an opportunity to electtheir leaders to enhancequalitative leadership andfollowership

- Such platforms also willprovided them the opportunityto design and participate in thesecurity of their localities andenable them link up with thetraditional rulers, localgovernments and eventually the

state governments- Encourage them as

follows – those who are illiterateshould be encouraged andsupported to go to school orempower them with skills to lookafter themselves, those in schoolshould be provided withscholarship where needed whilethose who have graduated butwithout jobs should be empoweredto set up small businesses.

Targeting and working withsuch groups should be on a

continuous basis over a periodof say five years for a start. Thisprogram should be placed on asound permanent structureoutside the bureaucracy andempowered to implement,monitor and report on expectedannual targets. Incidentally,can you imagine what could beachieved if half of what is beingspent on security today isinvested in this program?

Finally, we the elders,government officials and

political leaders are not showinggood examples to these youths inview of the level of corruption inthe system. Likewise at parentallevel where we have abandonedour parental responsibilities inpursuit of wealth which we don’teven need. May God help us!Adamu Yakubu is theExecutive Vice President ofthe Economic SupportFoundation,Northern [email protected]

Building informal leadershipfor Nigeria’s good (Part one)In my last essay on Anarchy

in Nigeria, I laid the blamefor insecurity in Nigeria at the

door step of the political leadershipin Nigeria, epitomized byPresident Goodluck Jonathan.The federal government ofNigeria has huge resources at itsdisposal, which may be deployedto achieve great good or to inflictegregious injury on society.Unfortunately for Nigerians, thelatter is our recent experience.

What should be the naturalresponse of people who have beenoffended by the state, broken bythe state, and oppressed by thestate, with no group of humanrights lawyers in that statestanding up in their defence? InMay, 2009, in an essay entitled,

“A nation in peril: Raisingredemption leaders for Nigeria”, Iwrote:

“It is no more news thatNigeria is sliding quickly towards ahopeless future aided by waste,ignorance, lack of vision, andcorruption. The general consensusis that this country lacks the qualityleadership which drives nationalintegration, growth, anddevelopment. Many publiccommentators and analysts(including me) have writtencopiously about our common and

present danger and what theNigerian leadership needs to do. Theconclusion I can make is that we donot presently have a leadershipwhich has the political will toimplement the far-reachingchanges that we have writtenabout. Besides, our governmentshold scant regard for public opinion.The obvious question is how we canbring about the emergence of suchleadership that ensures social andeconomic development.

Disturbing contemporaryevents:

Martial court-sentencing of27 Nigerian soldiers

On April 27, 2009, the Brig.-Gen. Ishaya Bauka-led martialCourt sentenced 27 former UnitedNations peacekeepers to lifeimprisonment for protesting thenon-payment of theirpeacekeeping allowances. Whilethose non-commissioned officersgot this outrageous sentence forprotesting injustice they receivedfrom the government which issupposed to appreciate and honorgallant service, the commissioned

officers who perpetrated thisinjustice on them simply got a slapon the wrist, as they only got slightrank demotions. What rule of law!All the while the Commander-in-Chief Yar’Adua kept an uncaringsilence.

If you are a young militaryofficer reading this, understandthat you have no dependableCommander-in-Chief who servesto keep you safe and happy. Ournation is sliding away and needsrescuing.



According to theCommission, “nationalsecurity examines how

the State protects the physicalintegrity of its citizens fromexternal threats, such asinvasion, terrorism, andviolence. Individual security onthe other hand can be looked atin two angles - public and privatesecurity. By public security, thelaw examines how the Stateprotects the physical integrityof its citizens from abuse byofficial authorities, and byprivate security, the lawexamines how the State protectsthe physical integrity of its

citizens from abuse by othercitizens (third parties or non-stateactors).”

Regarding the right to life,this right is central both to theConstitution and the AfricanCharter. It is a right that cannotbe suspended even in case of war,public danger or other threats tothe independence or security ofthe States Parties. As with otherhuman rights, it is not sufficientfor the government to abstainfrom infringing this rightdirectly: the government mustalso adopt specific measures toactively protect and fulfil theright to life for everyone,regardless of their specificvulnerability or situation. A key

Why government should ensure the security of citizens (II)part of the government obligationis to ensure that no one is deprivedof his or her life arbitrarily.

One way to comply with thesepositive obligations in the area ofcitizens’ security and safetywould be for the government tomonitor, evaluate, and improvethe effectiveness of its lawenforcement and securityagencies. This will be animportant first step for thePresident to start discharging hiselection promises.

In addition, the governmentmust truly make security andsafety of those who live in Nigeriaa public policy priority by tacklingthe root cause of violence andcrime, which is extreme poverty

and lack of opportunities andfreedom for people to seek personaldevelopment and prosperity.Victims of violence and crimesmust have effective access to legaland health services, and shouldhave access to an effectiveremedy, including reparation.The government should alsoensure that law enforcement andsecurity agencies have thepersonnel and infrastructure toprovide quality services withoutdiscrimination or distinction.

In implementing these steps,the government must alsouphold the rule of law and respectfor human rights in its lawenforcement response to violenceand crime in the country.

Preventing and combatingviolence and crime must not putsecurity before human rights,which can lead to erosion of basichuman rights and fundamentalfreedoms of the citizens.

Absent a serious politicalinvestment in public securitywith respect for all human rights,the government cannot secureeffective protection of the rightto life, liberty and security of theperson. Indeed, true securityrequires full protection of allhuman rights for all.

ConcludedOlaniyan is Legal Adviser,International Secretariat ofAmnesty International,London

Although President Yar’ Aduashould have prevented theexploitation of the oil and gasresources in the Niger Delta,which has not been to theadvantage of the localcommunities, [See section 17 (2)(d): ‘In furtherance of the statesocial order, exploitation of humanor natural resources in any formwhatsoever for reasons other thanthe good of the community shallbe prevented’] , he has ratherchosen to order the mass killing ofNigerian women and children inthe Niger Delta and razing downof homes of Nigerians in the NigerDelta, purportedly to ‘eliminatemilitants’. If bombing and burningof houses on your streets bygovernment security officers inorder to ‘eliminate armed robbers’is in agreement with yourinterpretation of the ‘rule of law’then go on and hail PresidentYar’Adua. As a scholar andnortherner like PresidentYar’Adua, I find it difficult to placethe face of rationality on thisheinous crime against humanity.I cannot differentiate between thisand the unequal response by thegovernment of Sudan in 2003when a group of black Sudanesecitizens (The Sudan PeoplesLiberation Army) attackedgovernment infrastructure,seeking economic inclusion. Thegovernment of Sudan throughaerial bombings encouraged theArab militia, the Janjaweed footsoldiers, to attack and attack theblack Sudanese ‘militants’ who hadprovoked government’s ‘holyanger’, resulting in over 6 millionpeople who had been eitherdislocated or killed in the Darfurregion and made refugees within

their country.” President Yar’Adua’s

government ignored voices ofcaution like mine and only a fewmonths after, a violent militaryraid on the camps of the group thatis called “Boko Haram” wasauthorized by President Yar’Adua;the leader of the group, MohammedYusuf was killed in an extra-judicial manner. The governmentdid not order the arrest andprosecution of police officers thatkilled Mr. Yusuf in police custody,no human rights lawyers went tocourt to seek justice against extra-judicial murder of a Nigerian, nomatter how vile he may be, andthe group was highly provokedeven as no man came to theirrescue. Later that year, PresidentYar’Adua was taken out of Nigerianever to return to his office.

Injustice to one Nigerian isinjustice to all Nigerians. WhenNigerians, for whatever reasons,fail, refuse, and neglect to speak upand act out against any injusticebeing perpetrated against anygroup of Nigerians, this questionstheir humanity and threatenssocietal peace. We are all reapingthe consequences of our collectiveselfishness, cowardice, duplicityand complicity by silence. Untilperceptions of injustice areaddressed by the resourcesavailable to government, violencein Nigeria shall only grow bydegrees.

President Jonathan, who hadscampered out of Nigeriaimmediately after the Kadunabombings and reprisal attacks ofSunday, June 17, 2012, cameback after his avoidable trip toBrazil to announce that “BokoHaram is faceless”. He had claimedthat Boko Haram was in his

government, and yet, he nowdeclares Boko Haram to be faceless.He knows the camps of the groupthat were destroyed by the mightof federal troops in 2009. The firststep toward a show of goodwill is toorder the re-building of the homesof members of the group, whichwere destroyed in the raid byfederal forces. The original BokoHaram has a face; and governmentknows their ancestral homes. In theraid, women and children(Nigerian citizens) were also killed.A compensation package should beworked out and paid to the originalBoko Haram. In this regard, thetalks between government and theAhmed Datti-led team should berevived.

The new appointments inNigeria’s security teamannounced recently by PresidentJonathan are only symbolic but notsignificant. What is significant isre-building of lost confidence ingovernment and governance inNigeria (governors also have a roleto play here), re-building of bridgesof communication thatgovernment agents have bombed,and justice. The crisis of bombingsin Nigeria is not caused by Christo-Islamic tensions in Nigeria; it iscaused by injustice and failure ofgovernment. From availablereports, there are somegovernment officials who arebenefitting from the crisis, not leastthrough the almost one trillionnaira security vote in the 2012budget, which vote was because ofthe “Boko Haram threat”.Accordingly, they would stir upand try to sustain any amount ofdissensions and bad blood in theshark-infested waters of religion.

During the fuel subsidy protestsin January this year, were there

cases of bombing in Nigeria? Haveyou pondered and asked why not?During those protests, was therenot camaraderie between Muslimand Christian brethren across theland? Certainly, there was.Christians formed precautionaryprotection human shields or wallsfor their Muslim brethren whenthey prayed, and Muslims did thesame for their Christian brethren.Those were moving sights. Somepeople behind the scenes areworking hard to confuse bothChristians and Muslims inNorthern Nigeria to exploit thehate and divisions they hope tosow. Both Muslims and Christianshave lost loved ones in the crisisthat is now threatening theexistence of Nigeria.

Both are victims of collapse ofgovernance in Nigeria,exacerbated by the generallyvisionless and unproductivenorthern governors. By the way,I am against the request by theGovernors Forum for“intervention fund” to fightinsecurity (“Boko Haram”menace) in Nigeria. What havethey been using their “securityvotes” for? If there should be any“intervention fund” that shouldbe directed at developmentprojects to educate the people,provide them with shelter, water,health facilities, good roads andpublic transport system. This isthe minimum the Nigerian peopledeserve for the billions of dollarstheir country earns every year.

Another theory is that the“Yar’Adua group” that lost powerto the “Jonathan group” isworking behind the scenes tosustain violence in Nigeria.Probably, President Jonathanfeels he would have contained“Boko Haram” if he brought inmore of the elements of that groupback into government. Nigerianshave completely ignored orforgotten the bad blood thatexisted between the two politicalgroups before the PDP primariesacrimony of 2010-2011. Where isthe Kurfi group? Where is TuraiYar’Adua? What are they doingto make the Jonathangovernment succeed?

There is urgent need to buildinformal leadership acrossNigeria. For instance, Muslimleaders and their Christiancounterparts must discuss andform Inter-faith neighbourhoodwatches. Christian and Muslim

youth must form vanguards forpeace in their neighbourhoods inorder to protect innocentworshippers and atheists in theirneighbourhoods. On FridaysChristian members of those groupsmust provide security at mosques,while Muslim members of thegroups shall do the same for theChristian brethren on Sundays intheir neighbourhoods. This shallmark the beginning of the bluntingof this sharp knife that Nigerianpoliticians have used every so oftento decapitate innocent Nigeriansin order to achieve their selfishpolitical ambitions.

Universities in Nigeria shouldlead forums of understandingbetween Nigerians in the townswhere they are located. TheAmerican University of Nigeriahas provided this leadership sincethe attacks on Christianworshippers in Yola this year.Universities are meant to helpprovide solutions to society’sproblems. University scholarsshould be thinkers and innovators.

President Jonathan should notagain use the excuse of poor state ofairports for failure to visit troubledspots in Nigeria. He is our presidentfor now; and the growing distancebetween him and many Nigeriansis dangerous. He must make effortsto visit Borno state, Bauchi state,and other crisis points in Nigeria.He must first initiatereconstruction of the homes of theoriginal “Boko Haram” members,order compensation to thoseidentified family members (Theyare not faceless) from the hugedefence budget, and work throughinformal leaderships. I proposethat the chairman of the HouseInternal Security committee, Hon.Aliyu Gebi, Comrade Shehu Sani,and Ahmed Datti should bebrought on board. He should notrely on second-hand informationin tackling the “Boko Haram” crisis(The huge defence budget is toomuch an enticement for somegovernment security chiefs towork and wish for a quick end tothe crisis). Leonard Karshima Shilgba isan Associate Professor ofMathematics with theAmerican University of Nigeria and chair of theMiddle Belt Alliance(www.middlebeltalliance.org) TEL: 08055024356Email:[email protected]

Security challenge for Nigerian militaryContinued from page 14

By Kolawole Olaniyan, PhD

Building informal leadership for Nigeria’s good (Part one)

firm conviction that the problembedeviling the church today inNigeria is rooted in the church’sneglect of the first teachings ofthe Lord Jesus Christ in the bookof Matthew chapter 5 verse 9which says, “Blessed are thepeacemakers: for they shall becalled the children of God.” Shebelieves it has come to full displayin Nigeria. “This Scripture is aloud call to the church to be a justand firm arbitrator on allmatters of dispute on earth, be it

on the economy, education, landdisputes, marriage, tradedisputes and political disputes.

Cham asserts that he who sowslove will reap love, and in thesame manner he sows hostilitywill reap hostility. According toher, it is a divine law and there isno way God can shut His eyes andears or take away His hands fromthe fulfillment of His own laws.That is why the quest for peace,she said, is much more thanprayers to God for peace, ratherit should be worked for. “The

Bible says faith without works isdead. So praying for peacewithout working for peace is vainand dead; it becomes a mereexercise in futility. Christians inNigeria are well known forpraying for peace, but almostabsent on the field of ensuringjustice without which therecannot be peace.”Muhammad Ajah, a writer,author, advocate of humanityand good governance, isbased in Abuja. [email protected]

Continued from page 14


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

said that it will augment itscounterpart funding from N1billionto N1.2billion in the 2012partnership with the United Nation(UN) in various socio-economicprogrammes and human capacitydevelopment of the FCT.

The Minister of FCT, SenatorBala Mohammed made thiscommitment yesterday, whilesigning the Memorandum ofUnderstanding between the UN

FCTA augments UNcounterpart fund to N1.2bnBy Josephine Ella and the FCTA on the 2012 FCT UN

Development AssistanceFramework (UNDAF).

”I wish to announce that forcontinued execution of projects asplanned, the FCT Administrationthis year, has increased itscounterpart funding from onebillion naira last year to one billion,Two hundred Million Naira for theUNDAF World Bank and other s inthis fiscal year”, he said.

According to him, the success ofthe UN partnership since 2009covered four thematic areas hasresulted in huge positive impact inthe territory.

He revealed that 60

communities were empoweredunder the programmes with 10-hectares-farm in each communityacross the 6 Areas Councils and thefarms were supported with tractorsassorted cements pick-up vans andimproves seeds and extensionservices.

Furthermore, according toMohammed, over 5,000 youthswere gainfully employed and 204.8tonnes of assorted grains wereproduced and 450 youths accessedmicro credit loans, adding that thesupport from the United Nation alsoreached the security service in theterritory as 12 police post, two ineach of the Area Councils of the FCT

were constructed.Speaking, Resident Coordinator

of United Nations systems in NigeriaMr. Daouda Toure, who signed theMoU on behalf of the United Nationssystems said based on the pastpositive experience workingtogether has encouraged the UnitedNation to seek further partnershipwith the FCT on the new pilot projectunder the UNDAF 111.

The Resident Coordinator, whoassured of the UN counterpart fund of N1 billion encouraged theminister to keep up withcommitment that would positivelyimpact on the economy of theterritory.

Man accusedof vandalising companymachine

A 38-year-old man, MondayEze of Jahi village has beenarraigned at an Abuja Chief

Magistrate’s Court for allegedly vandalising a machine belongingto a company.

The items stolen from themachine are kick starter, cablecharger and brain box.

The accused, who wasarraigned on a one-count charge oftheft, the Police Prosecutor,Christopher Roko told the court wasreported at the Utako police stationby one Yakubu Ibrahim of FawarNigeria limited on June, 27 2012.

He was alleged to haveconnived with his friend, TundeOlotu, in June, 27, 2012 to stealthe items from the company house.

He explained that during policeinvestigation, Olotu who ispresently at the prison custodyconfessed that his friend Eze luredhim into the crime.

He said that Eze took him intothe company house and showed him the machine to steal thementioned items because he wasthe former security guard of thecompany.

The accused, however, pleadednot guilty to the charged. In view ofthe plea, the prosecutor prayed thecourt to fix a date to hear the matter.

Magistrate Folashade Oyekanremanded the accused in prisoncustody. She adjourned the case toJuly, 11 2012 for hearing.

By Kerem Kurugh

Farmers in Filindabo, Dei-Dei in Abuja MunicipalArea Council (AMAC) of the

Federal Capital Territory (FCT)have lambasted the FCTadministration and the AMACchairman, Hon. Micah Jiba overthe recent distribution of fertilizersto farmers in the territory.

Some farmers in Filindabo

alleged that many farmers in the FCT did not have access to fertilizersto buy at their distribution centres.

One of the farmers, MalamGaladinma Pada alleged thatfertilizers were being diverted torich people instead of farmers.

Galadinma Pada, who spoke toPeoples Daily said up till now farmers in Filindabo village have not received fertilizers from the areacouncil.

He said that the farmers onlygot one fertilizer from the Senatorrepresenting Federal CapitalTerritory, Senator Philip Aduda.

On his part, the Chief ofFilindabo village, MalamAbubakar Danladi Zafiwo appealedto the FCT Administration and theleadership of AMAC to deem itnecessary to give the fertilizers tothe traditional rulers to distributeto farmers next year to avoid the

Farmers chide FCTA, AMAC over fertilizer distributionBy Usman Shuaibu diversion of the product by the

government officialsWhile speaking on the state of

social amenities in the area, theroyal father begged the chairmanof AMAC to build a standardhospital for the village.

He also called on the chairmanto construct boreholes in the areato address the problems of potabledrinking water faced by residents.

A 22-year-old trader,Suleiman Abdullahi hasbeen arraigned at the Abuja

Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedlystealing a Blackberry phone value at N30, 000.00.

Police Prosecutor, ChristopherRoko told the court that the case wasreported at the utako police post byone Baballe Abdullahi of NEPAquarters in Abuja on June, 26 2012.

According to the prosecutor, theaccused stole the blackberry phonefrom the complainant and duringpolice investigation, four other stolenphones were recovered from him.

He also told the court that theaccused confessed to the crime butrefused to disclose the where about ofthe phone.

The accused pleaded not guilty tothe charged.

Magistrate Folashade Oyekan granted him bail in the sum of N100,000.00 with two reliable sureties who must have a business worthN100, 000.00 and must residewithin the jurisdiction of the court.

She adjourned the case to July,11, 2012 for hearing

Trader arraignedfor alleged theftof BlackberryphoneBy Kerem Kurugh

The Development ControlDepartment of the FederalCapital Territory

Administration (FCTA) has beenrestrained by an Abuja ChiefMagistrate’s Court frominterfering with a plot until thedetermination of a suit before thecourt.

Magistrate Ahmed Shuaiburuled in an application forrestraining order brought by theCommissioner of Police, FCTCommand and Alhaji IbrahimMohammed Kamba against theDevelopment Control and one MrAnas Musa Sabi over Plot No 1750Dape District in Abuja pending thedetermination of the case beforethe court.

Others restrained along withDevelopment Control and Mr Sabiare: Barristers Arinze Kennedy,Kenneth Anakwe and CelestineIghodalo.

Trouble started after the plot,which was earlier offered to AlhajiKamba at the cost of N100 millionfor which he advanced the sum ofN60 million, was later resold toFaash International Limited.

Court orders FCTA, four others out of landed propertyBy Josephine Ella This forced Kamaba to report to

the police who arrested and filedcriminal charges against Sabi inthe court.

An Abuja High Court presidedby Justice Folashade Ojo had earlierdismissed an application by Sabiseeking a declaration that his arrestand arraignment by the Police overthe property transaction amountedto civil rights violation.

A vehicle razed by fire recently in Life Camp. Photo: Josephine Ella


Immigration officers aid fiveto steal armoured cable

Keke NAPEPrider chargedfor criminalbreach of trust

An Abuja SeniorMagistrate’s’Court hassentenced five persons to

six months imprisonment eachfor stealing NITEL armouredcable.

They convicts, AbdullahiAbubakar, Musa Ismail, SalisuUsman, Auwal Musa and UsmanAuwal, residents of Apo villagein Abuja, were said to have beenaided to carry out the crime by

some officers of the NigeriaImmigration Service (NIS).

The convicts were sentencedon a three-count charge ofconspiracy, mischief and theft,contrary to the provisions of thePenal Code.

The Police Prosecutor,Abdullahi Adamu, told the courtthat the Divisional PoliceHeadquarters in Wuse Zone 3,Abuja, received information

from the Nigeria ImmigrationService through a handing-overletter NIS/CG/017/VOL1/35against the convicts dated June16.

Adamu said the convictsconnived with some officers of theNIS (names withheld) and enteredthe underground tunnel with theintention of stealing the NITELcable.

He said the convicts were

actually caught while trying tosteal the cable, adding that theydestroyed the cable when they cutit and tried to go away with it.

The convicts pleaded guilty tothe charges.

The Magistrate, HajiyaKhadijah Mustapha, in herruling, sentenced the convicts tosix months’ imprisonment eachwith an option of fine of N5000each. (NAN)

A tricycle driver, HamisuMohammed facing a twocount charge of criminal

breach of trust and theft is expectedto re- appeared before an Abuja SeniorMagistrate’s’ Court on July 2, 2012.

One Maharazu Usman of MegaWheels Limited in Gwarimpa Estate,had earlier on June 20, reported thesuspect at Gwarimpa police station.

The Police Prosecutor, CorporalIdris Friday had told the court that Usman entrusted his tricycle to theaccused for transportation business under an agreement that he wouldremit N15,000 to him on a weeklybasis.

However, Mohammed failed toabide by the agreement and neitherdid he returned the tricycle, ratherthe accused claimed to have giventhe tricycle to one Halidu with nofixed address, who is now at large, touse for transportation business.

Idris further told the court thatthe accused told him that Hamisu ran away with the tricycle to anunknown destination, saying theoffence was contrary to Sections 312and 287 of the Penal Code.

The accused pleaded not guilty tothe charge.

In her ruling, the ChiefMagistrate, Hajiya Habiba Bello,granted him bail in the sum ofN100,000 with one surety in likesum, who must be living in a knownand defined address within thejurisdiction of the court andadjourned the case to July 2, 2012for further hearing.

By Kerem Kurugh

Court orders manto vacate rentedapartment

A Senior Magistrate’s Courtin Gwagwalada, Abujahas ordered a tenant, Felix

Odege, to vacate a self-containedapartment he occupies at OldKutunku, Gwagwalada.

The Magistrate, Mr MohammedZubairu, ordered that Odege vacatethe apartment before the second weekof August and that the rent be paidon or before the end of July, 2012.

Odege is owing four monthsarrears of rent, amounting toN24,400.

The complainant, Mr OgamakaIkwuna, claimed the sum of N6,600each month and N2,000 for the costof the court process.

Ikwuna said the rent of thedefendant expired in March and thattwo notices had been served him toquit the apartment but he refused.

Counsel to the complainant, Mr J. U. Oke had urged the court to helphim recover his house and the rentfor the four months pending whenhe would vacate the apartment.

Odege accepted all claims by thecomplainant and prayed the courtto give him two months to get themoney and another apartment.

“I need time to look for the moneybecause I lost my father two days ago,’’he said.

The court gave him a month and10 days to pay the money and vacatethe apartment or be forced to do so.(NAN)

The Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT)administration has

signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) with theMinistry of CommunicationTechnology for establishmentof 150-seat call centre facilityin the FCT for easycommunication accessbetween the government andthe people.

The Minister ofCommunication Technology,

Mrs. Mobolaji Johnson saidwhile signing the agreementthat the project which wouldbe sited in the AbujaTechnology Village would becompleted by 2013.

She maintained that thefacility would provideamenities for all the ministriesdepartment and agencieswould mark an importantmilestone on improving the e-government initiative in thecountry.

In his remark, the FCTMinister, Senator Bala

Mohammed noted: “The callcentre will make governmentmore accessible to greaterpercent of Nigerians and wouldbring government closer to thepeople”.

Senator Mohammed saidthat the FCT call centre hasalready recorded someprogressive impact with thefeedback on governance thatthe administration hasreceived from the people.

“Interestingly, FCT havebeen benefiting from theservices of our own call centre

which they use to ask forservices or to make complaintswhere those services are inshort supply. Some callersactually commend us forexcellent services. On our part,the call centre has helped us torespond quickly to distress callsand to provide services whereneeded,” he said.

He also emphasized thestrategic importance of thetechnology village, saying, ithas greater potentials of theFCT Science and TechnologyPark.

FCTA signs MoU for 150-seat call centreBy Josephine Ella

The Bwari Area Council saidit will ensure adequateparticipation in the Village

Community SanitationInitiative flagged-off last week bythe Federal Capital Territory(FCT) administration tomaintain a clean and healthyenvironment.

Head of EnvironmentalDepartment of the council, Mr

Haruna Labaran made thecommitment in an interviewwith the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Bwari.

Labaran described theinitiative as laudable, addingthat it would prevent the spreadof diseases in the area.

“This initiative will enhancehealthy living in the council andits environs and equally reduce

deaths caused by unhygienicpractices by the people”, he said.

He said that the departmentwould ensure that the initiativewas imbibed by every residentand urged the community tocooperate with the task force onwaste management.

He also urged residents of thecouncil to imbibe good sanitationculture by not dumping refuse

into sewage pipes.Labaran appealed to

landlords to build toilets fortenants to prevent opendefecation that could lead to thespread of diseases.

He warned that theenvironmental task force would sanction any residentfound engaging in indiscriminatedumping of refuse. (NAN)

Bwari council pledges support for community sanitation

A fish sellerin Kado fishmarket.

Photo:JosephineElla


Two young men eating roasted corn with relish, yesterday in Jabi, Abuja.

Scraps loaded in this truck pose a major threat to other road users, yesterday in Utako, Abuja. Traffic officers checking for vehicle particulars, yesterday in Area 3, Abuja.

Menial workers taking ride behind a truck, yesterday in Area 8, Abuja.A middle-aged man pushing a cart to eke out living, yesterday in Utako, Abuja.

Photos: Justin Imo-owo


Management Tip of the DayMake creativity a habit

won’t get your creative juicesflowing. Embrace an in-betweenemotional state, neithercomplacent nor stressed out.2 . Get out of the office. Walkto work, take publictransportation, wander about tosee how real consumers behaveand spend their time. If younever take the time to fill your

creative well, you’ll have nothingto contribute.3 . Let your mind wander.Studies show that day dreamingstimulates a unique mental state.You’ll connect dots in new wayswhen you allow your mind toroam.Source: Harvard BusinessReview

INSIDE

Creativity is an essentialskill for navigating anincreasingly complex

world. And yet the path toinnovative thinking can besurprisingly simple. To improveyour own ingenuity, practice thefollowing:1 . Reduce stress, but not toomuch. Being overly relaxed

BUYING SELLING

CFA 0.2758 0.2958• 193.4361 194.6848£ 241.9849 243.547RIYAL 41.3049 41.5716$ 154.91 155.91

CBN 26th June, 2012EXCHANGE RATES

PARALLEL RATES BUYING SELLING

• 210 212£ 250 252RIYAL 40 42$ 156 158

Ogbeh blasts FG overN3.2tr spent onagric imports

- Pg 21

Email: [email protected] Mob: 08033644990

BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESS

Odumodu, who disclosed thatsimilar events took placesimultaneously in major citiesacross the federation, said theorganisation decided to approachthe traders “as criticalstakeholders in the Nigerianproject.”

He urged the traders toimbibe the tenets of self-regulation by removing all thoseproducts that do not conform tostandard specifications.”

He added that such productsthat “would not give value formoney, endanger the lives andproperties of consumers and that

The Standards Organisationof Nigeria (SON), yesterdayissued a two-week

ultimatum to Nigerian traders toremove all fake and sub-standardproducts in markets across thecountry or face the wrath of thelaw.

The Director-General of SON,Dr. Joseph I. Odumodu handeddown the warning at theenlightenment seminarorganised for traders in theNeighourhood market, WuseZone 3, Abuja.

would constitute a waste on ourscarce resources includingforeign reserves must be removedfrom the market within the nexttwo weeks.”

The DG warned that SONwould not hesitate to invoke itsauthority to remove any sub-standard products found inmarkets, stores or warehousesand also prosecute those behindtheir production, importation,distribution and sales in thecountry.

Odumodu, who spoke throughthe Director, Human CapitalDevelopment of SON, Barrister

Traders get 2-week ultimatumon sub-standard products

Sub-standard drugs being destroyed by NAFDAC officials recently.

According to CPCspokesman, AbiodunObimuyiwa, the organisation,in the course of the surveillanceand enforcement operation,discovered that the

CPC sanctions Shoprite for displaying expired products

Paul Angya, implored the tradersto support the organisation in itsefforts to improve the quality oflives of Nigerians throughstandards.

”We all at different timeshave lamented issues of buildingcollapses, food poisoning, fireincidents in houses and markets,road accidents and such other sadincidents many of which aretraceable to the marketing, salesand use of sub-standard productsin our country, “ he stressed.

To check all these uglyincidents, the director generalmaintained that SON wouldpursue its “Zero-tolerance on sub-standard products initiative”launched early last year, toensure that all sub-standardproducts are removed fromNigerian markets before the endof 2012.

surveillance and enforcementoperation to the various outletsof Shoprite following aninformation which was recentlycirculated through the socialmedia in Nigeria to the effect

that the well knowndepartmental store harbouredand sold expired and hazardousproducts capable of jeopardisingthe health and safety ofNigerian consumers.


The Consumer ProtectionCouncil (CPC) hassanctioned a major

departmental store in thecountry, Shoprite for displayingexpired products in some of itsoutlets in Lagos.

The Council undertook a

By Abdurahman Abduraheem

management of Shoprite displayed expired products andin-house packaged edibleproducts without expiry dates,pointing out that the affectedrange of products includedpastries, chicken, cheese,pepper, vegetables, and seafoods.

“The agency hassubsequently removed all theaffected products, stating that,given the seriousness of theoffence and the dangers it posedto undiscerning consumers,punitive actions were beingtaken against the Shoprite, eventhough its managementexpressed deep regrets over thedevelopment, claiming it was amistake.”

Ashaka Cement CompanyPlc has approved 40 kobodividend for shareholders

on each ordinary share,following the improvement inthe company’s profit aftertaxation.

The Chairman of the Boardof Directors, Alhaji UmaruKwairanga, who disclosed thisin Gombe shortly after thecompany’s Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM), said that thecompany’s gross turnoverincreased from N19.1 billion in2010 to N20.7 billion in 2011.

Also speaking, the ManagingDirector of the Company Mr.Neeraj Akhoury said that theimprovement in the company’sperformance was due to theoutcome of management focuson achieving significantimprovement in the capacityutilisation of the plant.

His words: “Gradually, weare beginning to recordimprovement in reliability onkey areas of the plant withpositive impact on cementproduction. Ashaka has becomea proud partner to its customerswho have alwaysdemonstrated greatcommitment and affection toco-create a successfulcompany”.

He explained that thesupport and encouragementreceived from the Board,coupled with the dedicationhard work and diligence of staffand co-operation of otherstakeholders was responsiblefor the positive result.

AshakaCementapproves40 kobodividend forshareholdersFrom Auwal Ahmad, Gombe


Nigeria, Turkeytrade volume hitsN206bn

The Nigerian Association ofChambers of Commerce,Industry, Mines and

Agriculture (NACCIMA) has saidthe trade volume betweenNigeria and Turkey hit N206 billion($1.3 billion) as at May this year.

‘Service sector keyto economicgrowth’

Resource IntermediariesLimited (RIL), one of theforemost outsourcing

companies in Nigeria held anoutsourcing expo in conjunctionwith Association of Outsourcingpractitioners of Nigeria (AOPN),on Wednesday.

BOI partners Oyo inprovision of hydropower plants

The Bank of Industry (BOI)is partnering the Oyostate government in the

provision of small hydro powerplants in Omi Adio andArowomole in Ido andOgbomoso-South LocalGovernment Areas of the staterespectively.

FG targets 600,000metric tonnesincrease on tubers,cereals - Adesina

Akinwumi Adesina,Minister of Agricultureand Rural Development

has disclosed plans by theFederal Government to target600,000 metric tonnes increaseon tubers, cereals.

Expert slam Africa’spoor contribution tointernetdevelopment

The President, DigitalBridge Institute (DBI),Raymond Akwule has

decried the absence of Africaand Nigeria’s contributions inparticular into the core Internetdevelopment.

Caverton diversifies tofurther strengthenbusiness operations

Caverton Offshore SupportGroup (COSG) a whollyindigenous provider of

marine, aviation and logisticssupport services to the Nigerianoil and gas sector, has approveda plan for further diversificationof its business-lines, while alsodeclaring a N268 milliondividend for its shareholders forthe 2011 financial year.

COMPANYNEWS MultiChoice Nigeria, Copyright

Society sign landmark dealMultiChoice Nigeria on

Wednesday signeda landmark Music

Broadcasting Licence Agreement(MBLA) with the CopyrightSociety of Nigeria (COSON) forlicence to use Nigerian music

in all its broadcast platformsin the country, in its effort tofoster the growth of theentertainment industry inNigeria.

The agreement will thevoluntary undertaking byMultiChoice Nigeria to pay anagreed annual licence fee to the

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

L-R: Former Group Managing Director of Nigerian National PetroleumCorporation (NNPC), Engineer Austen Oniwon, handing over to thenew GMD Engineer Andy Yakubu, on Wednesday at the NNPCTowers, in Abuja.

Copyright Society ofNigeria (COSON) as rights formusical work exposed on DStvand ancillaryplatforms.

The payment is said to havefollowed weeks of mutualnegotiation with COSON, whichis the sole statutory collectingsociety in Nigeria recognised bythe Nigerian CopyrightCommission (NCC).

Speaking of the deal in Lagos,COSON Chairman, Mr. TonyOkoroji said, “It is a great thing.It has been a long time coming.MultiChoice has clearly shownthat it is a responsible corporateorganisation with genuine

Former national chairman ofthe Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP), Chief Audu

Ogbeh has chided the FederalGovernment for paying lipservice to the development oflocal farmers while encouragingthe importation of agriculturalproducts that can be produced athome and exported.

Ogbeh, who spoke in Abuja onTuesday at the inauguration ofthree Agricultural CommoditiesAssociations by the Ministry ofTrade and Investment, notedthat about $20 billion (aboutN3.2 trillion) is spent annuallyin the importation ofagricultural products, which hesaid, is the major cause ofunemployment in the country.

Ogbeh said: “$20 billion isbeing spent every year to importthe agricultural products thatcan be produced here at cheapercost if we encourage our farmersand give them the enablingenvironment and yet, wecomplain aboutunemployment.”

“Policy makers have toconstantly meet with farmers toknow what their problems are;

they have to meet with themperiodically to find out if theirpolicies have succeeded or not.But what we have in Nigeria is adifferent case.”

Ogbeh, a known castrogrower, who said he had been infarming since the age of 4,welcomed the inauguration of thethree associations - NationalShea Association of Nigeria(NASPAN), Kolanuts/ BitterKolaAssociation of Marketers &Exporters of Nigeria and CastroGrowers Processors & MarketersAssociation of Nigeria, addingthat the future of the countrydepends on these kinds ofassociations.

Speaking while inauguratingthe associations, the Minister ofState for Trade and Investment,Dr. Samuel Ortom promised thesupport of government to boostthe processing and exportation oftheir products and “enhance thepresence of our goods in theinternational market.”

The representatives of thethree associations had earliertold journalists that governmenthad abandoned the moreproductive areas of the economywhile encouraging other areaswith less potentials.

Audu Ogbeh lambastsFG over N3.2tr spent onimporting agric products

The Chief Economist of theNigeria Labour Congress(NLC) Prof. Peter Ozo-Eson

yesterday disclosed thatremoval of subsidy on petroleumproduct by Federal Governmentwas designed to transfer theimpact of corruption on theNigerians.

Speaking while delivering apaper titled “Deregulation ofthe downstream of the Nigerianoil sector” at the University of Josalumni annual meeting saidgovernment was only interestedto generating enough money tospend saying the governorsmount pressure onthe presidency to remove thesubsidy simply because theywould money to play aroundwith.

He disagreed with the claimby government thatderegulation of thetelecommunication sector madeSIM cards and call traffic cheap

Corrupt impact of deregulationtargeted at poor Nigerians - DonFrom Nankpah Bwakan, Jos saying it was technological

advancement that made SIMand traffic cheaper andcalled stable price of thepetroleum product.

According to him, “ We needto realise that while diesel is theenergy source of large firms,

petroleum constitutes themain base of the energyrequirements of the small scalefirms and the huge informalsector...the proposed policy ofprice based on import-paritypricing will unleash chaos inthe informal economy which istoday the mainstay of the poor,the vulnerable and all those whocannot find gainful employmentin the formal sector”.

Prof. Ozo-Eson said allNigerians want from the FederalGovernment is to make thenation’s economy work andother sectors such as agricultureand steady power supply to boostthe manufacturing industries incountry work for the good ofcommon man.


concern for the protection ofintellectual property in Nigeria.Their partnership with us for thedevelopment of themusic industry is commendable.”

Also, MultiChoice Nigeria’sManaging Director, Mr. JohnUgbe said the company iscommitted to the promotion ofthe entertainment industry

in Nigeria, affirming thatcorporate bodies must partnerwith relevantagencies to supportand protect intellectual propertyin the country and to curb allforms of intellectual propertycrimes such as broadcast piracywhich is currently bedeviling thebroadcast industry in thecountry.

Yakubu assumes duty, vowsto move NNPC forward

we shall survive the storm,"Engr Yakubu stated.

He congratulated Engr.Oniwon for his tenure at thehelm of NNPC affairs, describingtheir time and interactionstogether as "very productiveand worthwhile."

He called for the support, co-operation and prayers of NNPCstaff for the new managementteam. "As one big family, I'mconfident that we shall allsucceed in our quest to movethis Corporation forward."

Earlier, Engr. AustenOniwon, who described hispredecessor's appointment as"well-deserved", said he wasconfident that the caliber ofindividuals in the newManagement team will helpreposition NNPC to better tacklethe challenges ahead. Hecharged him to remain focusedon the core business of theCorporation which at the end ofthe day, would be the yardstickfor evaluating his tenure.

The newly-appointed GroupManaging Director of theNigerian National

Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),Engr. Andrew Laah Yakubu hasfully assumed duty with a pledgeto surmount all challengestowards moving the Corporationforward.

Engr. Yakubu made thispledge while receiving the officialmantle of leadership from theoutgoing GMD, Engr. AustenOniwon at a brief ceremony heldin the NNPC Towers.

"We know the task isenormous, but nothing isimpossible. We can't allow NNPCto stay where it is today. We'llwork hard to improve on what ison ground. We are determinedto reinforce NNPC's core valuesof transparency andaccountability in the conduct ofour business.

We'll remain collectivelyresolute and with God behind us,

By Muhammad Nasir


Features of the NigerianTax System (1)

This section provides thefundamental features thattaxes in the Nigerian tax

system must exhibit.Accordingly, any taxsubstantially violates thesefundamental features shouldnot be part of the tax system ofNigeria.

Simplicity, certainty andclarity

Taxpayers shouldunderstand and trust the taxsystem, and this can only beachieved if Nigerian tax policykeeps all taxes simple, createscertainty through considerablerestrictions on the need fordiscretionary judgments, andproduces clarity by educatingthe public on the application ofrelevant tax laws.

It is therefore imperativethat the Nigerian Tax should besimple,(making it easy tounderstand by all),certain(itslaws and administration mustbe consistent)andclear(stakeholders mustunderstand the basis of itsimposition).

Low compliance costTo enable a high level of

compliance, the economic costsof time required, and theexpense which a taxpayer mayincur during the procedures forcompliance, shall be kept to theabsolute minimum at all times.Furthermore, taxpayers shouldbe regarded as clients with theright to be treated respectfully.

The convenience of thetaxpayer and minimalcompliance cost should guide thedesign and implementation ofevery tax in Nigeria.

Low cost of AdministrationA key feature of a good tax

system is that the cost ofadministration must berelatively low when comparedto the benefits derived from itsimposition. There musttherefore be a proper cost-benefit analysis before theimposition of any taxes and theentire machinery of Taxadministration in Nigeriashould be efficient and cost-effective.

FairnessNigeria's tax system should

be fair and as such observe theobjectives of horizontal andvertical equity as mentionedabove. Based on the foregoing,there must be overwhelmingreasons for granting taxincentives and concessions tosome preferred sectors over

By Muhammad Nasir others within the economy.Otherwise incentives andconcessions shall as much aspossible be general and apply toall tax-payers.

FlexibilityTaxes in Nigeria should be

flexible enough to respond tochanging circumstances.Prevailing circumstancesshould also be considered beforethe introduction of new taxes orthe review of existing ones.

Economic EfficiencyThe Nigerian tax system

shall at all times strive tominimize the negative impactof taxes on economic efficiencyby ensuring that the marginalpropensity to save and invest.

Guiding Principles forS t a k e h o l d e r s - R o l e s ,Responsibilities andRelationship between theStakeholders

Stakeholders are thosepersons/entities that contributeto and drive benefits from thecountry's tax system. Thisbroad definition thereforeincludes every Nigerian citizenand resident, corporate entities,Government at all levels andgovernment agencies asstakeholders in the country'stax administration. However,for the purpose of the NationalTax Policy, certain groups havebeen identified as relevantstakeholders. It is thereforenecessary to identify theserelevant stakeholders beforediscussing the guidingprinciples, which would beapplicable to them.

The relevant stakeholders inthe Nigeria tax system can bebroadly categorized into thefollowing:

(I) The Executive Arm(a) Presidency(b) Federal Executive

Council in general and theMinistries of finance,Information and Education inParticular

(c) National EconomicCouncil

(d) National Council ofStates

(e) States Governors(f) State Executive

Council in general andCommissioners of finance,Information and Education inparticular

(g) Local GovernmentChairman

(h) Local GovernmentCouncils

(II) Legislative Arm(a) National Assembly(b) State Houses of Assembly(III) Judiciary

(IV) Tax Authorities(V) Joint Tax Board(VI) Tax Payers(VII) Professional Bodies,

Tax Practitioners andConsultants

As earlier stated, theNational Tax Policy shall beguided by the provisions ofNigerian's Constitution inrespect of all fiscal issues.Accordingly the following shallbe the guiding principles of thestakeholders in the Nigerian taxsystem:

(I) Adherence toconstitutional federalism andthe Rule of law at all times;

(II) strict adherence toconstitutional provisionsrelating to fiscal matters;

(III) adherence to theconcept of Fiscal Federalism andseparation of powers in relationto fiscal matters;

(IV) Recognition andrespect for the rights and powersof each level of Government inrelation to collection and controlof revenue within itsjurisdiction;

(V) strict adherence tothe provisions of tax legislationin the administration of taxes;

(VI) Commitment to theenforcement of tax laws in alegal and Constitutionalmanner;

(VII) Commitment to thepeaceful resolution of alldisputes and respects forJudicial pronouncements ondisputes submitted foradjudication;

(VIII) Commitment to thecreation and sustainabledevelopment of a stable, secureand workable tax system for

Nigeria; and(IX) Commitment to the

unity, Development andProgress of one Nigeria, in theacknowledgement that the TaxSystem can be used as a majorpivot for achieving Nationaldevelopmental Goals.

Further, there are certainuniversal principles which arenecessary to ensure cordialinteraction betweenstakeholders in theadministration of taxes inNigeria. These principlesinclude:

·affirmation andacknowledgment of theimportance and contribution ofall stakeholders in theadministration of taxes inNigeria;

· provision of specific andgeneral feedback by allstakeholders, in a proactivemanner on issues anddevelopments that are relevantto tax administration inNigeria;

· ensuring that theprinciple of good faith isobserved by all stakeholders,especially between the taxpayerand tax authorities on one handand the government and theauthorities on the other;

· Fairness in the treatmentof all stakeholders by eachother. This is particularlyrelevant in the allocation ofresources and consideration ofeach party's viewpoints.

Having set out the generalguiding principles for thestakeholders, their roles andresponsibilities are as follows:

The Executive Arm

The Executive Arm ofGovernment encompasses theorgans of Government at alllevels, which are involved inthe implementation andenforcement of tax laws. Wehave set out each organ's, roleand responsibilities;

1. PresidencyThe Presidency is the organ

of Government that isresponsible for initiating policyand implementation andenforcement of laws at thefederal level. The Presidencyalso oversees the activities ofGovernment agencies at thefederal level. In this regard, thePresidency would be required toprovide leadership anddirection on all tax matters tothe ministry of finance, thefederal Inland Revenuegenerating agencies involved intax administration in Nigeria.

The presidency shall providenecessary approvals (or assistsin obtaining such approvalsfrom relevant bodies), fundingand be responsible for theappointment of competentpersonnel to head relevantagencies and also initiate theprocess of drafting taxlegislation for enactment by theLegislature.

The Presidency would also beresponsible for signing andimplementing all Internationaland Regional treaties enteredinto by Nigeria.

In addition to the above, thepresidency shall be responsiblefor moderating the relationshipbetween the different organs ofGovernment and provide all thenecessary tools for effective andefficient tax administration inNigeria.

2. National Council of Sates

The National Council ofState (NCS) is created by theNigerian Constitution andassigned the responsibility ofadvising the President on theexercise of his powers withrespect to certain mattersspecified in the constitution.While taxation or fiscal issuesare not specifically listed in theConstitution as matters uponwhich the NCS can advise thePresident, the Constitutionhowever provides that the NCSmay advise the President onsuch matters as the Presidentmay direct. Accordingly, whenrequired, the NCS shall providerelevant advice to the presidenton matters pertaining to tax andfiscal issues.

Given that the NCS is madeup of distinguished andexperienced persons such asformer Presidents and ChiefJustice of the federation,current state governors, thePresident of the senate andspeaker of the National Houseof Assembly, it is expected thatthe NCS would provide deep andvaried insight on matters upon,which it would be called toadvice the President. (To becontinued)

FIRS Ag Chairman Alhaji Kabiru Mashi


Bauchi has resources to generate sustainableenergy – Chairman, Nakura Energy

Nigeria is facingproblems of

stable electricity which hascrippled many businesses;How can this lingeringproblem be overcomed?

I believe that the political will

power to improve and developthe existing infrastructure is keyto addressing the problem.Government, at the federal andstate levels, should be activelyinvolved in promoting thedevelopment of alternativeenergy resources togenerate electricity outside ofhydro-power.

Are you satisfied with the

effort so far made by thegovernment in solving theproblem of electricity?

More can be done to

improve electricity generationin Nigeria, to reduce ourdependence on fuel andgenerators and boost theeconomic and social welfare ofNigerians at large. But it is acollective effort and we have tostart fromsomewhere. Nakura Energyhas set the ball in motion andwe are calling on allstakeholders, including thegovernment and the people, torise up and play their parts.

State governments are

making effort to gettheir Independent PowerPlant (IPP) projects in place:Do you think this will bepart of the solution to theproblems?

The Independent PowerPlant projects developedand implemented by state

governments will boost thetotal electricity generation inthe country. As the mostpopulous and densely populatedcountry in Africa, Nigeria’scurrent power output of lessthan 4,000MW is unacceptable.And Independent Power Plantprojects are a key way that thispower output can be increased.This is why Nakura Energy isproposing the development ofthe Kalomani IPP to the Bauchi

state government.

Bauchi StateGovernment is intalks with three

companies in its effort toestablish IPP eitherthrough solar, energy andwater; which one do youthink is the cheapest andeasiest?

In my opinion, hydroelectric

generation is the oldest andcheapest form ofcommercial electricity generation.It is this technology thatcurrently services our nationalgrid. However, even with ourabundant hydro-resources,Nigeria continues to suffer frompoor e lectr ic i ty generat ion.Advancements in technologyhave made it possible to exploreother more sustainableresources such as compressednatural gas (CNG), which ishighly abundant in Bauchi

state, with about 33-100 billionof proven reserves. It is friendlyto the environment and thesteady electricity generated canbe delivered to consumers at avery affordable rate.

How far have you gone in

your discussions with theBauchi state governmentover the IPP project?

I am particularly interestedin Bauchi state; first of all,because the state has great

economic potential; I have faithin that potential. Bauchi statehas the resources to generatesustainable energy in greaterabundance than most otherstates in the North.

There is also a sentimentaldimension to it. I am from Kanostate, but I feel that for Bauchistate, like in Kano, we arebasically the same peopleand Nakura Energy recentlyconducted a technical

presentation to the Bauchi stategovernment in which theDeputy Governor and otherrelevant stakeholders expressedtheir confidence in our ability todeliver as well as their desire tosupport and be part of this task,the task of providing the muchneeded service to the citizens ofBauchi state and to serve as amodel for successive replicationin other states in the country.

We told them that oile x p l o r a t i o nconducted by Shell

Company revealed that Bauchihas gas in commercialquantity, which means Bauchihas the resources and we aregoing to use their resource toexplore and generate 33megawatts of electricity; wedon’t want money from thestate government, we only wanttheir commitment. Oncegovernment gives us theircommitment we will do our bestand the state and itsneighboring states will getadequate supply of electricity.

What areas do you thinkgovernment should focus inorder to realise itsobjectives?

In termsof electricity generation,the government should

focus on public-private sectorpartnerships as obtainable inour oil and gas industry.Government should createfavorable conditions forcompanies wishing to engage insimilar projects and encourageforeign and local companies towork together. This will resultin knowledge transfer, healthycompetition and better services

Alhaji Ahmed Nakura is the chairman Nakura Energyin Bauchi state, the company that indicated interest ingenerating electricity through gas, which is thought tobe abundantly located in the state.In this interview with Ahmed Kaigama , he spoke onthe need for little but sufficient resourcesto generate electricity and says Bauchi has sustainableenergy resources to generate electricity without goingoverseas to seek for foreign companies. Excerpts:

that will benefit the Nigeriancitizens at large.

Government should alsomuster the political will powerto break free from unpatrioticinterests and tilt towards theinterests of the public. With asteady electricity supply, therewill be little need for generators.And this will be the beginningof Nigeria’s dominance on theworld stage.

Are you satisfied with the

way government ispatronising indigenouscompanies?

More support and incentives

should be given to indigenouscompanies to enable themactively participate in therebuilding and remodeling ofo u r e l e c t r i c i t y g e n e r a t i o ninfrastructure. There aretremendous opportunities to beharnessed in this industry andmuch room exist for our localorganisations to participate.

Any advice toGovernment, orNigerians?

Government must decide

and remain stronglycommitted to improving powergeneration in Nigeria. EveryNigerian has a right to safe andsecure shelter, and a right to alegitimate means of livelihoodand improvingour electricity generation iskey to ensuring that theserights are upheld.

The Nigerian people mustunite against this age oldchallenge ofpoor electricity and call forchange. When the people call,the government will respond.

Alhaji Ahmed Nakura

“We told them that oilexploration conducted by ShellCompany revealed that Bauchi

has gas in commercialquantity, which means Bauchihas the resources and we aregoing to use their resource to

explore and generate 33megawatts of electricity; wedon’t want money from thestate government, we onlywant their commitment.

PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012

Chad: Tackling malnutritionamid increased food insecurityIn the outskirts of

Moussoro, the maintown in the western

Chad region of Bahr-el-Ghazal, mothers line upwith their babies in thesweltering heat waiting tobe screened formalnutrition. In anotherarea in the region, womenload their donkeys withmillet and groundnut seeds- provided by aid agenciesin anticipation of betterrains this season.

“This is the plantingseason, I will plant themillet first and when rainscome I will plant the otherseeds,” Khadija OcheYoussuf, a mother of four,told IRIN in the northernvillage of Toumia, 60kmfrom Moussoro. “We lastharvested in September2011 and the food finished;the harvest was not goodbecause of the lack of rainsand the locusts and birds.”

Before they startedreceiving food aid, Toumiaresidents coped by cuttingdown trees and sellingfirewood by the roadside inthe already fragile anddegraded environment.

“We were then going toMoussoro to buy food,”said Khadija, adding thatthe trip to Moussoro takesthree days by donkey.

Bahr-el-Ghazal region isamong the areas of Chadlying along the crisis-hitSahelian belt, whichstretches from Senegal toChad. Like in the rest of theSahel region, a mix ofdrought, poor rains andharvests as well as risingfood prices have resulted infood insecurity andsubsequent malnutrition.

At the main hospital inMoussoro, severelymalnourished children withcomplications such asinfections, diarrhoea andmalaria, are attended to,having been referred fromhealth centres furtherinland.

“I noticed that my babywas having diarrhoea andbrought him to thehospital,” Fatuma*, an 18-year-old mother of an 18-month-old baby, told IRIN.After three days atMoussoro Hosiptal, thebaby’s health is improving;at home the baby sharedthe family’s food

comprising mainly rice andmaize meal.

Chad’s “embryonic”economy is among factorslimiting the local diversityof food sources and income,notes USAID’s Famine EarlyWarning Systems Network(FEWS NET), adding thatsociocultural care practicesand poor health systemsare also to blame.

Fatuma told IRIN she

had first opted for herbaby’s uvula (fleshyextension of the soft palatewhich hangs above thethroat) to be cut by atraditional doctor, hopingthis would improve thebaby’s health, before takingthe baby to hospital.

Moussoro Hospital doesnot have a full time doctor.“We have eight nurses whohave a heavy workload;

they take care of theseverely malnourishedchildren, prepare meals andtake care of the sick [in thegeneral wards],” PhillippeTadjion, the medicalcoordinator, told IRIN,adding that there is a needfor more staff.

But even with the besttreatment, for somechildren it is too little, toolate.

“Almost 5 percent willdie of complications frommalnutrition while in the[treatment] programme,”Richard Currie, a medicalcoordinator with MédecinsSans Frontières (MSF), toldIRIN by email. “As you canimagine, the death rate forthe thousands of childrenwho do not have access to atherapeutic feedingprogramme is only going to

A UN peacekeeper speaks with women refugees in Chad

be considerably higher.”MSF is addressing

malnutrition primarily inthe Sahel region of Chad butis also actively screeningareas throughout thecountry for alarming rates ofmalnutrition. In one of itsprojects in the Salamatregion, slightly south of theSahel, “an area where onewould otherwise expectadequate rainfall, an

adequate harvest, and anabsence of malnutrition,the reality on the ground,however, is quitedifferent,” Currie said.

In just one site inSalamat, MSF has admittedalmost 4,000 severelymalnourished childreninto its programmes in2012 - in 2011 just over5,100 children wereadmitted. “As the worst of

the ‘hunger gap’approaches, we have over50 critically illmalnourished children inour hospital at themoment,” he added.

According to Currie,there are a number ofreasons why an otherwise‘safe’ region might fall into anutrition crisis, such as thediversions of harvestedcrops to more affected areas

of the Sahel. “The situationin Salamat emphasizes thatthe global understanding ofthe nature and causes of theSahel crisis - and our abilityto predict its evolution - isfar from easy,” he said.

Many of the high-riskchildren live in rural areaswithout access to medicalcare. When the rains start,reaching them will beharder. “Proper roads don’texist or where they do, theybecome impassable due tomud or they cross a wadithat is a raging river in therainy season,” he explained.“It is tremendouslyrewarding to discharge apreviously critically ill childfrom our programme as‘cured’, but in the absenceof adequate nutrition in thehome and an improved foodsecurity situation in thecommunity, the childremains at risk of fallingback into illness later andeventually re-entering theprogramme.”

In May, at least 2.4million people, mainly inChad’s central agro-pastoral zones of Guera,Kanem, Bahr-el-Ghazal,Batha and Sila wereclassified as being in the“stressed” food insecurityphase, with the lean seasonhaving started two monthsearlier than usual. Underthe “stressed” phase,household foodconsumption is reduced butminimally adequatewithout having to engage inirreversible copingstrategies.

“A lot of animals havedied especially sheep andgoats. Some camels havealso died,” Koisse Bichara,an auxiliary veterinaryofficer, told IRIN inToumia. “Most of the otheranimals are far away and it

is not easy to get milk, it isalso dry.”

Koisse said at present 1.5litres of camel milk is sellingat 1,000 CFA (US$2) -double the normal price. “Atthis price, the quantity is notenough. Who will drink [themilk] - the father, thechildren or the mother?”

The 1,000 CFA price,she added, is just for the saleof milk to the localpopulation - visitors have topay more.

Rains that have startedearlier than usual in theregions of Guera, Salamatand part of Chari Baguirmiare expected to improvelivestock body conditionsas well as the population’spurchasing power in thecoming months, accordingto FEWS NET. However,cereal prices, which rosebetween March and Mayand are higher than thefive-year average due tohigh demand, are expectedto continue to rise until theSeptember harvest.

The UN World FoodProgramme (WFP) aims toassist at least 1.5 millionpeople in Chad, amongthem children younger thantwo years and their mothers.In addition, more than205,000 schoolchildren willreceive school meals in2012. In April, the UNChildren’s Fund (UNICEF)also launched a three-monthprogramme to distributePlumpy’Doz, a highlynutritious therapeutic food,to 200,000 children aged 6-23 months. UNICEFestimates that at least127,000 children will be atrisk of severe acutemalnutrition in Chad in2012.

NGO Intermón Oxfam isinvolved in activities such asgeneral food distribution,

cash transfers, cash for workand the provision of seedsand water as well as hygieneservices, according to itsemergency responsemanager, ChristianMunezero.

At present though, not allof the needs are being met.

On 19 June, humanitarianorganizations appealed for$1.6 billion to help 18.7million crisis-affected people- up from 16 million - in theSahel. The appeal reflected anincrease in the population inneed in countries such asChad, where betweenJanuary and April thenumber of food insecurepeople shot up by 125percent to reach 3.6 million.The 2012 ConsolidatedAppeal by humanitarianagencies for Chad hadestimated that 1.6 millionpeople there would be foodinsecure due to belowaverage 2011 harvests anderratic rains.

Land-locked Chad faceslogistical challenges when itcomes to moving food aid,notes WFP. The crisis in Libyahas also affected local tradewith northern Chad, whileradical Nigerian Islamistgroup Boko Haram activity innorthern Nigeria has alsoslowed down trade inneighbouring western Chadand Niger.

The Chadian governmenthas announced thesubsidized sale of cereals butaid officials say more needsto be done.

“It is true that thegovernment recognized thecrisis... and announced acertain number of measures,but they remaindeclarations,” said an aidofficial who preferredanonymity.

“We need to work betteron the causes of the [food]crisis - not only theconsequences becausethere will always be droughtin Chad,” added Oxfam’sMunezero.

“...Malnutrition is a realproblem of public healthcare, which requiresmedical and nutritionmeasures and should beintegrated into primaryhealth care, such asvaccination,” said MSF’sCurrie.

Culled fromAllafrica.com

“It is tremendously rewarding to dischargea previously critically ill child from our

programme as ‘cured’, but in the absenceof adequate nutrition in the home and animproved food security situation in thecommunity, the child remains at risk of

falling back into illness later and eventuallyre-entering the programme


Poverty and ethno-religious crisesin Nigeria: The way forward

Being a paper presented atthe Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah WaIqamatis Sunnah, nationalseminar on Islam, peace anddevelopment, held at the NationalMosque Conference Centre onJune 15-16, 2012 (Rajab 25-26,1433 AH).

In the name of Allah, theBeneficent, the Merciful. AllPraise is due to Allah, We

praise Him and we seek help fromHim. We ask forgiveness fromHim. We repent to Him; and weseek refuge in Him from our evilsand bad deeds. Anyone who isguided by Allah, is indeed guided;and anyone who has been leftastray, will find no one to guidehim. I bear witness that there is nodeity but Allah, the Only Onewithout any partner; and I bearwitness that Muhammad, is Hisservant, and final messenger tomankind. May the peace andblessing of Allah be upon His lastand final Apostle, his Household,his companions and all hisfollowers until the end of time.

I am conscious and indeedappreciative of the honourbestowed on me today, to standbefore this respectful and learnedcongregation, to contribute to thisnew era of Islamic Da'awah underthe direct participation,administration and closesupervision of the Izalatul Bid'ah waIqamatis Sunnah. I have beenasked to talk on: Poverty and Ethno-Religious Crises in Nigeria: The wayForward.

However, before the main bodyof my paper, I would like to refreshyour memory on the historicfoundation of this great Islamicindigenous and home grownorganization.

Jama'atu Izalatil Bid'ah waIqamatis Sunnah was founded inJos, Nigeria on the 12th March,1978. It was conceived and bornin this country as an independentpurist Islamic organization, withno any international affiliation orlink to any foreign governmentalor non-governmentalorganizations, whatsoever! But,today, Jama'atu Izalatil Bid'ah waIqamatis Sunnah can loudly thankAllah that it has the largestfollowership of committed faithfulmore than any political party inAfrica!

At the moment, aftereducating and sensitizing thepopulace for over three decades onthe paramount of unreserved totalsubmission to the will of Allahalone, and amid the promisingstable democratic dispensation inplace, Izala will tread a new pathfor the very first time in the historyof this great country to blendeducation, health, economy withDa'awah in order to move thiscountry to the promised land; theland of plentitude, peace anddevelopment, Insha Allah!

We have earnestly resolved,and are determined to marchforward in unison with any willinglocal, regional, national orinternational governmental and

ISLAMISLAMISLAMISLAMISLAMEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINEDEXPLAINED

By Husain ZakariyyaYawale

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

non-governmental organizationsfor the educational, economicaland physical upliftment of ourpeople beyond ethno-religiousbounds. The emergence of the newleadership of thisg r e a torganization isdetermined andresolute to workwith alli n t e r e s t e ds t a k e h o l d e r sfrom any part ofthe world.

We havep r e s e n t l yconceded to theindisputable factthat after a long and careful studyof the Nigeria deplorable economicsituation, pathetic state of ourhealth sectors and thedegeneration of the educationalinstitutions from the primary,secondary, to the tertiary levels,

domination, politicalmarginalization, economicalienation and persistent interreligious contentions. In essence,fear and apprehension breed

suspicion, mistrust raises hatredand revulsion , hatred causesenmity, while enmity and intenseaversion, threaten cordiality andpeaceful coexistence of various thetribes and religions in this country!

Our courts and prisons today,

and terror (in extremes) (closingIn on like a garment (from everyside), because of the (evil) which(its people) wrought.” [an-Nahl:1 1 2 ]

However, if weaccept themistakes of ourcollective lots,express ourcontrition andsincerely repent,then that is thebeginning ofwisdom! Let us allturn to Allah withsincere penitenceand remorse,before we return

to Him! I swear by Allah that noamount of any private or collectiveprayers will salvage our sordidaffairs, without sincere vow toattitudinal and orientationalchanges before embarking onprayers, Allah warns:

Thus, brothers and sisters inIslam, for your information,JIBWIS is now ready to lead us tomaking that meaningful andpositive changes through FIDSS(families In difficult SituationScheme) in partnership with allinterested stakeholders fromwithin and without the shore of thiscountry.

With the support from Allah,and the willingness andcommitment of our partners ofconcerned agencies andindividuals, and with JIBWIS isprepared to kick start the followingproducts in earnest:

1. Vocation EnterpriseEducation through FBOs, NGOs,CBOs. What we require here is theGrant in Aid from FGN and StatesGovernment to move on.

2. Micro-finance banking: Anon-Interest banking Initiative forabout 20 million poor andvulnerable families is already inthe pipeline for take-off. Thisfinancial services when fullyavailed will deliverIndiscriminately solution to poorand weak of the Muslims ummahand their good neighbours.

3. Community health care:This will include but not limited tostrategic programme ofoutsourcing select Primary HealthCare Centres to FBOs in associationwith professional associations forimproved management andenhanced access to Medicare byvulnerable families.

4. Mobilisation and advocacy:We have set out to partneringwith local and community radioand television stations as well asprint media on Good Governanceand Empowerment.

5. Action Plan For ContinousResearch On RuralCommunity Development InNigeria: A sustainablecollaboration with associatedNGOs, Research bodies andcentres across the globe.

6. Immediate (short-termprogramme) which include:

a. FIDSS (Families in DifficultCircumstances Support Scheme)phase one will include SMEsDevelopment through Non-Interest Micro finance.

b. Training of Cooperativegroup Leaders for pilot agro-SMEsProjects

c. Take-off of pilot outsourcedhealth care and Basic educationprogramme.

The detail programme of actionis in the concluding stage withmajor focus in agricultural sectorof the economy.

My respectful leader andteachers, these and many moreempowerment programme are inthe pile-line for the economicempowerment of our faithful, aswell as all interested Nigerianswithout consideration to ethnicity,sectarian and religiousinclination.

Finally, I ask Allah to grant usstrong resolution and sustainablesuccess to implementing these andmany other programmes that willeventually empower our people,bring about peace anddevelopment in Nigeria andbeyond!

Wassalaamu Alaikum WaRahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu!

as one of the chief causes of all ourperennial crises in this countrysince over two decades. We are alsoaware with the fact that ourpolitical projects are befogged byplethora of corruption anddishonourable behaviours of manyof the major players.

We also studied all the put-forward theories of the causes andproponents of the persistent ethno-religious crises in the country. Weare also aware that many of thetraces have linkages to bothcorrupt politicians anddiscontented civil servants. Thereis also another hidden group whomake fortunes whenever andwherever savage and excessivekilling of many people are takingplace in the country.

Another cause of unrelentingcrises is the high-speed erosion anddepletion of confidence of manyelectorates with regards toinsatiable gullibility of manypoliticians of looting the publictreasuries.

There is also the theory of fearof dominations amongst all thevarious interest groups, generally.There are the trepidation of tribal

are filled up to the brims due tounfair hearing and timelydispensation of justices. We haveobserved equally, with shock anddisappointment the steadycorrosion and decay of confidencein that sector! There are also herdsof well-fed sacred cows who darethe butchers' knives. There is alsothe discontent from the public ofthe on-going of extra-judicialkilling which is openly carried outunabated in parts of the country.

Distinguish leaders andUlam'a, the very principal causeof all these apologetic and gloomysituations which took over ournation, is no more than our daringand relentless transgressionagainst the precincts Allah! Wehave persistently been abusing dueprocesses in all our dealings acrossall the social, political and religiousstratus, despite the clear warningsof Allah (SWT) in His book. He,(SWT) says;

“Allah sets forth a Parable: aCity enjoying security andabundantly supplied withsustenance from every place: yetwas it ungrateful for the of Allah,so Allah made it taste of hunger

“If any do seek for glory andpower,- to Allah belong all glory andpower. to Him Mount up (all) wordsof purity: it is He who exalts Eachdeed of righteousness. Those thatLay plots of Evil,- for them is apenalty terrible; and the plotting ofsuch will be void (of result).” [al-Fatir: 10]

Hence, no prayers willhenceforth be raised above ourheads, without us correspondingour approaches and deeds together!We do not have alternative toglory, peace and developmentwithout positive change of ourattitudes. Allah says:

“...Verily never will Allah changethe condition of a people until Theychange it themselves (with their ownsouls). but when (once) Allah willetha people's punishment, there can beno turning it back, nor will They find,besides him, any to protect.” [ar-Ra'ad: 11]

Also: “Because Allah will neverchange the Grace which He hathbestowed on a people until Theychange what is In their (own) souls:and Verily Allah is He who hearethand knoweth (All things).” [al-Anfaal; 53]

Cross-section of participants at a conference organised by Women in Daawah held at the ConferenceHall of the National Mosque, Abuja recently.


Is cell phone a harmful device?Miss Chinyere Nwoko, an

Abuja-based trader, oncecomplained of some

hearing problems in her right ear.Being a religious woman,

Nwoko decided to pray for God’sintervention but it appeared herprayer remained somewhatunanswered, as her conditionbecame worse, compelling her toseek medical attention.

She visited an Ear, Nose andThroat (ENT) consultant formedical examination and she wasstunned when the doctor soughtinformation on how many hoursshe spent in making or receivingcalls with her cell phone daily.

Nwoko conceded that on theaverage, she spent about fourhours daily in making or receivingphone calls.

To her utter amazement, thedoctor simply advised her to reducethe hours she spent in making orreceiving calls, stressing that hermobile phone was largelyresponsible for her hearing defects.

Such information is a source ofserious concern, as observers notethat many Nigerians now spend alot of time on the phone,particularly since the onset of theGlobal System for MobileCommunications (GSM)revolution in Nigeria some 10years ago.

Dr Jawa Muhammed, aConsultant in Nuclear Medicineand Radiology at the NationalHospital, Abuja, says that lengthycalls on mobile phones could bedamaging to people’s health.

“If you make calls for morethan 20 minutes per day, you havesignificantly increased yourchances of developing some healthproblems and the health problemsvary in individuals,’’ he says.

Muhammed notes that a cellphone emits what is called radiofrequency radiation, adding: “Theradiation is associated with healthhazards that are injurious to thebody, causing all manner ofailments.

“The consequence of this radiofrequency radiation is moredevastating in younger childrenand pregnant women,’’ he adds.

Muhammed, however, insiststhat children under the age of 13should not have anything to dowith cell phones because they aremore sensitive to radio frequencyradiation.

Besides, he says that pregnantwomen should minimise makingor receiving calls on cell phonesbecause the radio frequencyradiation also affects unbornbabies.

Muhammed underscores theneed for the people to restrict theircalls to not more than 20 minutesper day, stressing that suchrestriction would save them frommobile phone-induced healthhazards.

“ What is important is to reduceyour phone calls; you get moreradiation in making calls than inreceiving calls.

“So, people should try as muchas possible to reduce phone calls andthe time they spend in makingcalls,’’ he says.

Funny enough, the consultant

says that the size of a cell phonealso indicates the quantum of thehealth risks it poses.

“The size of a cell phonedetermines the magnitude of therisks involved in using the phone;the bigger the phone, the largerthe radio frequency radiation thatcomes out from it,’’ he adds.

Muhammed expatiates thatthe number of phones in a person’senvironment at any particularpoint in time could also determinethe extent of the potential danger.

“Even if you carry only one cellphone and the people around youcarry multiple cell phones, there ismore radio frequency radiation that

making calls.He underscores the wisdom in

taking such precautionarymeasures, saying that healthproblems caused by radio frequencyradiation can even cause geneticdefects in future generations.

Beyond that, Dr AbiodunOlusesi, an ENT Consultant at theNational Hospital, Abuja, alsoadvises the people against the habitof increasing the volume of theircell phones when they are receivingcalls.

He warns that in most cases,noise-induced auditoryimpairments have no remedybecause the cells in the ear do not

comes out of that circle,’’ he says.Commenting of the radiation

problem, Mr Emmanuel Adetiba,a lecturer in the Department ofElectrical Electronics, CovenantUniversity, Ota, says thatradiation consists of several typesof sub-atomic particles that caneasily penetrate the human bodyand damage some body cells.

He claims that preliminaryresearch has shown that sustaineduse of cell phones is associated withincreased health risks in thesociety.

Adetiba advises phone users toensure a safe distance between theirbodies and their cell phones when

By Femi Ogunshola

Cell phones: A common sight in Nigeria today

reproduce whenever they aredamaged.

“Hearing aids cannot replacenormal hearing or cure hearingloss; they only amplify sounds.Once you have lost your hearing,there is not much that can be done,’’he says.

Olusesi says that the loss ofhearing has several healthimplications, stressing: “Thepatient loses sleep due to stress, getshighly irritable, suffer increasedblood pressure level and he or shecan develop heart-relatedailments.’’

He advises the people,particularly those living in noisyneighbourhoods, to always covertheir ears with mufflers or protectorsthat would reduce the amount ofnoise that enters the ear.

On the noise level that could beclassified as pollution, Olusesi claimsthat any sound higher than 75 to80 decibels could be classified asnoise pollution.

“The human ear is not designedto tolerate any sound in excess of 75to 80 decibels for a prolonged period.Most of the harmful effects of soundarise when someone is exposed to asound that is above the 80-decibellevel,’’ he says.

Muhammed says that apartfrom hearing defects, the healthhazards of radiation via the cellphone include skin cancer.

He says that placing a cell phoneat a particular point in the ear couldexpose the phone user to the risks ofcontracting skin cancer.

Muhammed also advises cellphone users, particularly men, torefrain from putting their phonesinside the pockets of their trousers.

As regards women, however,it is safer for them to keep their cellphones inside their handbags, headds.

Source: NAN


Nigerian workers in a rally to mark the year 2012 Workers Day

Boosting workers’productivity in Nigeria

Productivity is a dependentvariable in thedevelopment efforts of any

nation, as it is an underlyingfactor of all economicdevelopment processes.

Development economistsassert that no country can beself-sufficient without attainingappreciable productivity in allthe sectors of its economy.

Aware of the importance ofproductivity in nationaldevelopment planning, theFederal Government has beenstriving to put in place policiesthat would enhanceproductivity.

For instance, the NationalProductivity Centre (NPC),established by Decree No.7 of1987, now NPC Act, Cap 272 of1990, was set up to boostproductivity in the country.

The kernel of NPC’s mandateis to: “Facilitate socio-economicgrowth and developmentthrough productivityimprovement. ’’

The Centre isconstitutionally empowered toachieve its mandate by“stimulating productivityconsciousness towards theattainment of effective andefficient work systems for abetter and efficient servicedelivery ’’.

Besides, SERVICOM (ServiceCompact with all Nigerians)was set up in March 2004, aspart of the FederalGovernment’s efforts toimprove the quality of publicservice delivery in Nigeria

Also, the Federal ExecutiveCouncil (FEC) recentlyapproved the first NationalPolicy on Productivity for thecountry.

The policy, which wasproposed by Chief Emeka Wogu,the Minister of Labour andProductivity, would pave wayfor the creation of the NationalCouncil on Productivity.

The Council is intended toprovide guidance for the day-to-day implementation of thepolicy.

The Minister of Information,Mr Labaran Maku, said thatFEC approved the policy afteran exhaustive debate, addingthat it was meant to enhancenational productivity as part ofefforts to foster the country’sdevelopment.

“Our efforts to transform thecountry can only be fruitful ifour nation adopts the culture ofproductivity, innovation,improvement and propermanagement of resources.

“This is because enhancednational productivity is at theheart of any economicdevelopment and progress,’’ hesaid.

Wogu bemoaned the declinein national productivity andstressed that the vision of thepolicy was to transform Nigeriainto a productive nationthrough hard work and efficientmanagement of resources.

“The policy itself has avision, a clear cut vision; andthe vision is to transformNigerian into a productive andcompetitive economy throughhard work and creativity;innovation and adoption of best

practices,’’ he said.The minister, nonetheless,

stressed that the guidelines forthe policy’s implementationwould soon be released by theMinistry of Labour andProductivity.

“The policy’simplementation involves non-governmental stakeholders,the organised private sector,the media and other sectors ofthe economy,’’ he said.

Wogu said thatimplementation committeeswould be set up at state andlocal government levels toensure the maximum effect ofthe policy.

Efforts toward theformulation of a NationalProductivity Policy for thecountry began in 2009 whenthe late President UmaruYar’Adua directed the NPC toconvene a summit todeliberate on the policy.

Yar’Adua stressed that thepolicy should provide theframework for achievingsustainable growth inproductivity, while serving asa roadmap to guide theproductivity movement inNigeria.

Prince Adetokunbo Kayode,a former Minister of Labour andProductivity, succinctlyunderscored the need toinculcate productivityconsciousness in the country’sworkforce.

Kayode, who spoke at one of

NPC’s Foundation Daycelebration, stressed thatefforts to achieve enhancedproductivity should be broughtinto a wider national focus.

He said that Nigeria’sunderdevelopment over theyears could be blamed on thelow performance of the varioussectors of the economy.

Kayode insisted thatgovernment’s efforts topromote the wellbeing of thecitizens could only be fruitful ifthey were anchored on a“sound and sustainableproductivity improvementframework’’.

Dr Paul Bdliya, theDirector-General of NPC, saidthat productivity was vital tothe success of any nationaldevelopment agenda.

“Increased productivity atvarious sectoral levels is a taskwhich we must achieve. This isbecause Nigeria’sunderdevelopment over theyears has been attributed to thelow performance of the varioussectors of the economy on theproductivity scale,’’ he said.

Bdliya emphasised thatgreat nations of the world werebuilt via their citizens’creativity, hard work,innovativeness and pursuit ofexcellence.

“We must, therefore,resolve, both at the individualand organisational levels, todevelop our productivemindset, as this will enable us

to attain the Nigeria of ourdream,’’ he said.

Mr Jide Mike, theimmediate-past Director-General of ManufacturersAssociation of Nigeria (MAN),said that Nigerian workersshould be provided theenabling environment toenable them to boost theirproductivity.

“I know that Nigerianworkers are very hardworkingbut there are a lot of factorswhich actually discouragethem from putting in theirbest,’’ he said.

He said that the factorsincluded poor remuneration,transportation problems,corruption and poorsupervision.

Mike, however, said thatgood structural organisation,competent manpower,training, positive attitudestoward employment, goodwages, consistent power supplyand good transportation wouldlead to higher productivity.

Mr Olusegun Oshinowo, theDirector General, NigeriaEmployers’ ConsultativeAssociation (NECA), noted thatthe productivity of workers,who usually travelled longdistances to the workplace, wassomewhat poor.

He urged employers,particularly the FederalGovernment, to create anenabling environment forproductivity to thrive, adding

that it could do this byaddressing the lingering powersupply problems.

Mr Peter Onwubuariri, anAbuja-based journalist, saidthat the lack of encouragementfrom employers of labour hadbeen a major factor limiting theproductivity of Nigerianworkers.

He underscored the need toimprove the workers’ welfare,saying that a goodremuneration system wasfundamental to efforts toimprove workers’ productivityin any organisation.

Onwubuariri also said thatworkers should be given perksand incentives such as freehealth care, among others.

He reiterated that goodremuneration and welfarepackages for workers wouldboost their productivity andencourage them to be morediligent.

Experts insist that sinceproductivity is an interveningfactor in fulfilment of anyorganisation, tangible effortsshould be made to initiate andsustain pragmatic schemes toboost productivity in thecountry.

They particularly urge theFederal Government toproperly fund its agencies,which are specifically set up topromote productivity, so as toenable them to fulfil theirmandate without any hitches.

Source: NAN

By Joan Nwagwu


Malnutrition shouldn't be hushed up

Owning up to foodinsecurity in the North

It is the start of the rains innorthern Nigeria, andfarmers are out sowing their

fields. They know that the nextthree months will be the belt-tightening lean season, whenhouseholds need to be prudent toget by, but hardship will giveway to the harvest inSeptember.

For the women gathered at asmall healthcare centre inDaura, in the northwesternstate of Katsina, hunger has comeearly, and is visible in the ginger-coloured hair and the slack skinof their children.

Hajiya Ladidi’s two-year-olddaughter, Kadija, isseverely malnourished andenrolled in an outpatientstherapeutic programme (OTP)at Gurjiya, one of six run bySave the Children in the DauraLocal Government Area.Business has been bad for herhusband, an onion middle-manwho buys from local farmers andsells to traders heading south. Hehas another wife, a total of ninechildren to feed, and the storedgrain from last year’s harvestran out in May.

Katsina, on the border withdrought-affected Niger, has aglobal acute malnutrition rateof 8.1 percent among childrenaged under five, according to apreliminary survey at thebeginning of this year by theUN’s Children Fund (UNICEF).That figure is almost certain toworsen as the lean season sets in,and prices of the staples millet,maize and sorghum rise.

Nigeria is the key foodproducer in the Sahelian region,but across the northern statesthere are now 383 sites like thosein Gurjiya, providingCommunity Management ofAcute Malnutrition (CMAM): adramatic expansion from the 30at the launch of the programmein 2009.

The women at the Gurjiyahealth centre, waiting to havetheir children measured andchecked, understood thecommunity mobilizers’exhortation to feed their familieswith nutritious food, the problemwas to find the money to do so.Khadija’s mother needs US$2 aday to keep her household fedjust the basics, and that is astruggle, she told IRIN.

“In the villages you will justfind millet, which is acarbohydrate,” said RamatleBello, the OTP officer at Gurjiya,which has 200 children on itsbooks. “They could use beans,eggs or milk, but they are notdoing so because they prefer tosell those items to make money.”

RUTF shortagesUNICEF runs the bulk of the

OTP sites in Nigeria, andprovides the nutrition-richReady-to-Use Therapeutic Foods(RUTF) central to the CMAMprogramme. Mothers bring theirchildren for weekly check-ups tothe government-owned healthcentres, where they receiveantibiotics and health lectures.But it is the 8-week course ofhigh-energy RUTF that changesthe fortunes of their children,and when IRIN visited Gurjiya,none was available.

There have been sporadicshortages throughout this year,

with UNICEF, Save the Children,and Action Against Hunger -partners in the European UnionECHO-funded programme -borrowing from among eachother to try and provide a levelof service. There had been acumulative total of five weeks oflow RUTF stocks, and Bello wasworried: “Without RUTF there isno CMAM.”

She said some women withtoo far to walk had to borrow the30 US cents for a motorbike taxito the health centre, or had otherchildren at home to take care of.If the shortages persisted, theywould stop coming: “It is reallyaffecting this programme.”

In the first five months of thisyear, 69,000 children wereenrolled in CMAM in 11northern states. The largestnumber by far - 19,000children - are in Katsina, a citywhich 300 years ago was at theheart of commerce in the north.According to one aid worker, theextent of the needs means evenmore sites could be opened in thestate, “but we’d beoverwhelmed… The challenge iseven bigger than we thought.”

Stanley Chitekwe, UNICEF’schief of nutrition, says need issqueezing supplies. “Monthlyconsumption is increasing andthe [RUTF] pipeline is becomingvery sensitive. We’re not evenmanaging with buffer stocks,whatever comes we push to thestates.”

Logistical delays in clearingRUTF through Lagos port werealso holding up delivery, and asolution being explored is to useone of the RUTF suppliers inneighbouring Niger, if there aresurpluses there. “Hopefully,they will move faster,” he added.

Alhaji Aliyu Usman, thedirector of the Primary HealthSystem in Daura, said thesupply “hiccups” did not“invalidate the importance” ofthe work of the past three years,but what he wanted to see wastechnical collaboration and theinvestment to allow Nigeria toproduce its own RUTF.

According to USAID’s FEWSNET food security outlook forMay, “abnormal increases infood prices” are anticipatedbetween July and Septemberacross northern Nigeria. BokoHaram-related insecurity, lastyear’s production shortfalls,transport costs, and an outflowof grain into Niger, are amongthe causes; the impact will beeven more poor householdsstruggling to meet their dailynutritional needs.

While climatic conditions areplaying a role, it is affordabilityrather than production thatdetermines food insecurity inKatisna. “There is a paradox ofhunger amidst plenty,”

Abimbola Williams, Save theChildren’s newborn and childsurvival adviser, told IRIN.“There can be surplusproduction within the state, buthungry children just a fewkilometres away.”

Nigeria’s last demographicand health survey, in 2008,found that stunting in childrenaged under five topped 53percent in the northwest; bycomparison, the southeast was22 percent. Just under a thirdof the population of the northwestwere assessed as extremely poorbased on assets owned; the onlyregion worse-off was thenortheast, with 47 percent oftheir people on the bottom rungof the ladder.

“Across the north, peopledepend on farming for incomeand feeding,” said HussainiAbdu, director of Action Aid inNigeria, “and a drop in rainsmeans a drop in production.”The land cultivated, withlimited access to credit, fertilizerand improved seeds, has rarely

been productive enough to tidea household over all-year round.

Traditionally men havemigrated during the dry seasonto the towns and cities to look forwork, but with an average of 42percent of males in the northhaving never attended formalschooling, “they can’t make anyincome, and it just deepens thepoverty,” said Hussaini.

Aid rethink?Aid agencies are rethinking

their strategy - in particulartowards intervening earlier,before the stage of severemalnutrition. Save the Childrenare looking at cash transfers, “tosee how the very poor can besupported during the hungermonths,” Denis Onoise, fieldmanager of Save the Children inKatsina told IRIN.

According to one aid worker,who asked not to be named,“CMAM targets only severelymalnourished children, but themajority of acute malnourishedchildren and moderatelymalnourished are not accessingthe services. Treatment ofsevere malnutrition can bemainstreamed through theprimary health care system, butmoderate malnutrition is moredifficult to manage as it’sresources intensive.”

The hesitancy of the localauthorities in the past toacknowledge the extent of thecrisis has been an additionalproblem, aid agencies say. Theexistence of malnutrition in thenorth was seen as anembarrassment for a regionalsuper power like Nigeria, madeeven more awkward by the factthat Daura and Katsina are thehomes of two former heads ofstate.

The usual response by thestate authorities to food deficitshad been to swing open the doorson their food reserves, “but thesurplus never gets to the poor -it goes into politically-connectedhands, and some of it winds upbeing sold across the border,” theaid worker said. Nigeria is theonly country in the Sahel not tohave declared an emergency.

“Malnutrition has alwaysbeen here [in the north], but itwasn’t seen by duty-bearers asa critical issue, people took it forgranted,” the aid worker added.“The government needs toaccept and engage; the mostimportant thing is ownership.Nigeria is rich, it has theresources, so it’s justwillingness.”

But according to RabiaManam Daura, the head of theKatsina state primary healthcare programme, “thegovernment is ready” to look atprevention. “There has to be aplan, we need capacity-building, communications andadvocacy - money is the onlyproblem.”

Source: IRIN

“Traditionally men have migratedduring the dry season to the

towns and cities to look for work,but with an average of 42 percent

of males in the north havingnever attended formal schooling,

“they can’t make any income,and it just deepens the poverty”


Heart-warming: Mexican doctors successfully remove33lb tumour that was bigger than two-year-old boyThese are the heartwarming

pictures of a two-year-old boyafter doctors successfully

removed a 33lb tumour that weighedmore than the child carrying it.

Jesus Rodriguez, from thenorthern state of Durango, Mexico,was born with a benign lump, whichgrew to take over the right side of hisbody, stretching from his armpit tohis hip.

Now, after doctors in Mexico Citymanaged to safely remove thetumour, Jesus is back with hisdelighted family and on the road torecovery.

Dr Gustavo Hernandez, directorof pediatrics at La Raza hospitalwhere the operation took place, saidthe tumour was heavier than Jesus,who weighed 26lbs when he wentin for surgery two weeks ago.

It took doctors at the MexicoCity hospital 10 hours to remove thegiant growth, according to Dr

Hernandez.But miraculously, it went

without a hitch, and the boy is nowrecovering well.

Dr Hernandez said the surgerymarked the first time Mexicandoctors had removed a tumourlarger than the person who had it.

In August 2010, doctorsremoved a tumour weighing nearly56lb from the womb of a 54-year-old Argentinian woman.

The massive lump was one ofthe biggest tumours that has everbeen cut out, medics said.

It had been growing inside thewoman for 18 months and weighedthe equivalent of an average four-year-old or a set of quintuplets.

The patient, who before surgerycould barely walk or bend down totie her shoelaces, was dischargedweighing over 70lb less than whenshe was admitted to hospital.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Reunited: The two-year-old adjusts a very different life after the dangerous operation.

Comforting: Ms Fernandezreassures her son as he waits tohave major surgery to remove thegiant tumour

Joy: Jesus Rodriguez walks with his thrilled mother Maria EstelaFernandez in Mexico City after his miraculous recovery

Crushed:Theenormoustumour thatweighedmore thanthe childwas puttinghis life indanger

Emotional: Ms Fernandez thanks the director of La Raza medicalcentre, paediatrician Jaime Zaldivar, after the operation.


News Corp will be split in two asboard unanimously approvesRupert Murdoch’s News

Corporation is to split itsnewspaper business and

entertainment operations into twoseparate companies.

News Corp’s board votedunanimously to approve the plan afterthe firm revealed it was consideringthe split earlier this week.

In a statement yesterday, the firmsaid the split would leave investorsholding shares in a ‘world-classpublishing company’ and ‘anunmatched global media andentertainment company’.

Mr Murdoch, chairman and CEOof News Corp, said: ‘There is muchwork to be done, but our board and Ibelieve that this new corporatestructure we are pursuing wouldaccelerate News Corporation’sbusinesses to grow to new heights andenable each company and its divisionsto recognise their full potential - andunlock even greater long-termshareholder value.’

The move will see the group’s 39per cent stake in broadcasting giantBSkyB separately listed from theembattled UK newspaper arm NewsInternational, which has been thefocus of the phone hacking scandalthat led to the closure of the News ofthe World tabloid.

News Corp’s film and televisionbusinesses - including 20th Century

Fox and the Fox broadcastingnetwork - will be grouped in onecompany.

The other company will hold allNews Corp’s publishing interests,such as The Wall Street Journal, TheTimes, The Sun, The Australian, TheNew York Post and publisherHarperCollins.

The entertainment arm would beby far the bigger operation, with thepublishing division hindered inrecent years by tough media marketconditions and costs related to thephone hacking scandal.

Mr Murdoch said: ‘We recognisethat over the years, News Corporation’sbroad collection of assets have becomeincreasingly complex.

‘We determined that creating thisnew structure would simplifyoperations and greater align strategicpriorities, enabling each company tobetter deliver on our commitmentsto consumers across the globe.

‘I am 100 per cent committed tothe future of both the publishing andmedia and entertainment businessesand, if the board ultimately approvesa separation, I would serve aschairman of both companies.’

On Tuesday, News Corp had saidit was ‘considering a restructuring toseparate its business into two distinctpublicly traded companies’,prompting its shares to jump as

Moving forward: News Corporation - headed by Rupert Murdoch, pictured with his son James - is tosplit its newspaper business and entertainment operations into two separate companies.

News Corp's New York headquarters. The Murdoch family is not expected to lose any effective controlof the businesses involved, which they exercise through a 40 per cent stake in the company.

Under scrutiny: Murdoch gives evidence at the Leveson Inquiry, the probe into media ethics which wasset up following the phone-hacking scandal.

much as 8 per cent on Wall Street.In London, BSkyB shares raced 3

per cent higher amid marketspeculation that the split will raise thepossibility of News Corp reviving itsplans to take full control of BSkyB.

It had to scrap a deal to buy theremaining stake of BSkyB in the wakeof the phone hacking scandal, but arestructuring has the potential toeffectively quarantine the scandal-hitpapers from the rest of the group andpave the way for the deal to beresurrected.

News Corp was rocked by thehacking debacle, with RupertMurdoch and his son JamesMurdoch coming under heavy fire.

A report by a committee of MPsclaimed Rupert Murdoch was ‘not afit person’ to run an internationalcompany following an inquiry by theCommons Culture Committeeinvestigating the News of the World

scandal.News Corp has been trying to

contain the scandal from infecting therest of the group.

James Murdoch resigned aschairman of BSkyB in April admittinghe had become its ‘lightning rod’, justweeks after he quit as boss of NewsInternational.

The resulting Leveson Inquiryinto media ethics has questioned anarray of senior figures in politics andthe media, including Prime MinisterDavid Cameron, former NewsInternational chief executiveRebekah Brooks and Mr Cameron’sformer director of communicationsAndy Coulson.

Several News of the World andSun journalists have been arrested inthe parallel criminal investigationsinto phone hacking and corruptpayments to police.


Change of plan: James Murdoch was supposed to succeed his fatheras CEO, a move that was halted by the phone-hacking scandal atthe company's British newspapers.


Beleaguered U.N. peaceenvoy Kofi Annan willhost an international

conference to address Syria'srapidly escalating civil war, butthe meeting in Geneva tomorrowappears to have only lukewarmbacking from the U.S. - and thenonly after Washington put thekibosh on the attendance of Iran,whose participation had beendeemed vital by Annan.Secretary of State HillaryClinton indicated that the U.S.would join representatives fromRussia, China, Britain, France,Turkey, the EU and the ArabLeague in Geneva.

The purpose of the meeting,per Annan, is to forge a consensuson the terms for a politicalsolution among internationalplayers with stakes and influencein the Syrian conflict over termsfor a political solution. The U.N.envoy believes that the best hopeof pressing the combatants on theground to observe his peace planto which they signed up in Aprilbut have not implemented, is forthe foreign powers on whosesupport they variously depend toagree on terms.

But even such key players asthe U.S. and Russia can't agreeon a mechanism to resolve theconflict, and the exclusion of Iranand Saudi Arabia after theObama administration blockedTehran's participation suggeststhat Saturday's meeting willsimply restate the diplomaticstalemate.

"I have made it quite clearthat I believe Iran should be partof the solution," Annan said inGeneva last Friday. "If wecontinue the way we are goingand competing with each other,it could lead to destructivecompetition and everyone willpay the price."

The Obama administrationcited Iran's role in backing upSyria's bloody crackdown todeclare Tehran's involvement a"red line" for participating in theGeneva talks, and Annanpresumably left out Saudi Arabiaas a compensatory gesture toRussia which insists that thosecountries arming and fundingSyria's rebels share major

responsibility for escalating theconflict.

But it's precisely because Iranand Saudi Arabia are playing outtheir preexisting regional andsectarian rivalries in the Syriancivil war that Annan wantedthem at the table if there was tobe any hope of achieving asolution without furtherbloodshed. Many in Washington,however, see the Syrian conflictthrough the same prism as SaudiArabia does, seeking the ouster ofAssad - Iran's most importantArab ally - precisely in order toweaken Tehran.

Annan may be correct thatsuch geopolitical competition isan obstacle to resolving the crisis,but that doesn't mean hiswarning will be heeded: Not onlyare the Saudis and Iraniansslugging it out via their Syrianproxies, but U.S.-Russian tensionsare reinforcing the deadlock.

The Obama administrationwas reportedly even planning tocondition U.S. participation inthe Geneva talks upon Russia

endorsing the demand thatPresident Bashar Assad stepdown - a position Moscow hasvigorously rejected, insisting thatit is not up to outside powers todictate who rules Syria. Reutershas reported that Russia supportsAnnan's proposal to form anational unity government inSyria, but Annan's plan doesn'texplicitly exclude Assad, whichmeans Russia could still insist hestay in power.

Last week, Russian ForeignMinister Sergei Lavrov warnedthat Russia would not permit "areplication of the Libyan scenarioin Syria," dismissing as"unrealistic" the Western demandthat Assad stand down. Still, U.S.officials insist that the Genevameeting set clear guidelines forAssad stepping down as part of apolitical transition.

"If Kofi Annan can get theproposed participants to agree onsuch a plan for political transitionthen there will be a meeting," aState Department official toldreporters on Tuesday. "But that's

ANALYSIS

what we need to find out beforewe go to any meeting. There's nopoint in going just for the sake ofit."

There's no indication, as yet,however, that Moscow plans tooblige. Russia is continuing tosupply weapons to the Assadregime under contract, stressingthat these are weapons systemsthat allow Syria to defend itsborders against "externalaggression" - by which, of course,Russia would include any NATOintervention. Moscow wasantagonized last week whenBritain used the withdrawal ofmaritime insurance as a pretextto turn back a ship carryingSyrian attack helicopters thathad been in Russia for repairs -the shipment is being dispatchedonce more under a Russian flag.Nor did Moscow condemn Syriafor shooting down a Turkishwarplane that the Syrians sayhad ventured into their airspacelate last week.

But the NATO response to thedowning of an aircraft of one of

Can the U.S. and Russia agreeon how to end Syria’s war?

President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

A conferencechaired by U.N.peace envoy KofiAnnan in Genevaaims to bring someresolution andpeace to the bloodySyrian conflict. Butregional geo-politicswill get in the way.

its member states was indicativeof the limited options available toWestern countries: an incidentthat would surely have been usedas a pretext for a major escalationin the standoff had Westernpowers been planning militaryintervention drew, instead, arelatively timid response. Boththe alliance, and Turkey itself,appear concerned to avoidescalating an already grim,sectarian conflict.

Indeed, the parties that willmeet with Assad in Geneva havedifferent ideas on resolving thecrisis, but none appears to havedecisive leverage to bring to bearin order to shape its preferredoutcome. The U.S. insists that theconflict can't be resolved whileAssad remains in power; theRussians point out thatWashington has no credible planfor dealing with the fallout thatwould follow the regime'sprecipitous collapse. For much ofthe past year, officials inWashington have speculated thatRussia might break with Assad,but the passage of time has madethose claims look Pollyannaish.

Indeed, Russia's willingness topush back against U.S. plans fortackling the Syrian crisis wereevident in its effort to support Iranbeing invited to Annan'sconference. The U.S. nixed thatidea, meaning that theconference that will be held inGeneva will be more limited inits scope and ambition. Andnobody is expecting an outcomethat makes much difference whateven Assad himself now calls a"state of war" in Syria.

Source: Time.com

“Annan may be correct that such geopoliticalcompetition is an obstacle to resolving the crisis, butthat doesn't mean his warning will be heeded: Notonly are the Saudis and Iranians slugging it out viatheir Syrian proxies, but U.S.-Russian tensions are

reinforcing the deadlock.


‘Dozens killed’ innorthern Mali fighting

Al-Qaeda-linked fightershave taken control of theheadquarters of the local

separatist rebels in the north

The road to Ras Lanuf in Libya.

Protestsagainst highprices wereno ArabSpring - Al-BashirThe latest wave of protests

in Sudan are the mostdurable revolt against the

regime since its ascent to powervia a military coup in 1989.Although austerity measuresannounced by the governmenthave been the catalyst for thedemonstrations, the mainmotivating factor is frustrationwith a government that after 23years still seems incapable ofproviding political andeconomic security to the people.

Omar al Bashir recentlydeclared that there was to be noArab Spring in the country, butthe regime is clearly unnerved.The last few days have seen acrackdown on activists andjournalists and reports ofregular beatings and detentionsof protestors.

We do not need to see millionson the streets of Khartoum beforeit can be acknowledged that afundamental shift has alreadytaken place. Change is in the air.

What Sudanese politics haslacked over the past two decadeshas been an active non-partisanopposition that is not in thethrall of the old political elite. Fortoo long the head of state has beeneither a military man or anineffectual sectarian leader withmore tribal support thanpolitical nous. We now see a newgeneration of activists who areorganising themselves throughFacebook and Twitter and notpledging allegiance to anyideology or leader.

One of the problems with thisnascent movement, however,has been that a significantnumber of its members areabroad. It is much harder topromote the message on theground, as several arrestedactivists can attest.

Libyan dissidents launch actionagainst UK over rendition

The lawyer acting forLibya's former primeminister Al-Baghdadi al-

Mahmoudi, who wasextradited to Tripoli fromTunisia at the weekend, claimshis client has been tortured.

Marcel Ceccaldi, a Frenchlawyer, said Mahmoudi hadbeen badly beaten by Libyansecurity officers and left withbroken ribs and a puncturedlung.

"According to theinformation I have, it seems

Mali town of Gao after a bloodybattle that has killed at least20 people, residents said.

The tenuous truce between

that he has been beaten," saidCeccaldi. "He is in hospital,under guard."

But Libya's governmentdenied torture had taken place.Tripoli officials said reports ofMahmoudi being woundedwere rumours, amounting toa "naked lie".

A Libyan governmentspokesman, Nassar el-Manaa,denied claims that Mahmoudiwas mistreated in prison. "Wewould like to say it's wrong, anaked lie … that he was

two of the rebel groupscontrolling northern Mali wasshattered, as the al-Qaedalinked faction bent on creating

an Islamic state fought its wayinto the buildings used by asecular rebel group.

The latter was forced toretreat and one of their leaderswas airlifted abroad after beingshot in the leg.

Hamadada Toure, a localresident, said that he hadcowered inside his home whenthe clashes started when fightersbelonging to the Islamic factionknown as the Movement ofOneness and Jihad (MUJAO),parked a car loaded withweapons 50 meters from theheadquarters of the secular rebelgroup, the National Movementfor the Liberation of Azawad(NMLA).

The two are among the armedgroups that seized control of thenorthern half of Mali, an area thesize of France, earlier this year.

The two groups fell outearlier this month becauseMUJAO and another Islamicfaction want to impose Islamiclaw in northern Mali, whilethe NMLA wants to create asecular country. Last week, anunwed couple in Gao werepublicly lashed.

Lawyers representing twoLibyan dissidents whowere abducted and flown

to Tripoli to be detained in oneof Muammar Gaddafi's prisonshave issued proceedings in thehigh court in London againstthe British government, theformer foreign secretary JackStraw and Sir Mark Allen, theformer head of counter-terrorism at MI6.

Abdel Hakim Belhaj and hispregnant wife were abducted inBangkok, allegedly torturedand then flown to Libya inMarch 2004, two weeks beforeTony Blair paid his first visit toGaddafi and declared that theyhad found common cause inthe fight against terrorism.

Sami al-Saadi, his wife andfour children - the youngest agirl aged six - were detained inHong Kong before being

...As former PM ‘tortured’ on forced return to Tripoli

bundled aboard an aircraft and"rendered" to Libya two daysafter Blair's visit. Each manspent more than six years incustody.

Legal proceedings are basedin part on a secret cache ofLibyan intelligencedocuments, discovered in anabandoned Tripoli office duringlast year's revolution, whichappear to show Allen claimedcredit for the tipoff that led toBelhaj's abduction. They alsoshow that the CIA regarded theabduction of Al-Saadi and hisfamily to have been a joint UK/Libyan rendition operation.

Papers lodged at the highcourt yesterday accuse Straw,Allen, MI6, MI5, the ForeignOffice and Home Office of beingliable for the families' falseimprisonment as well as"complicity in torture and/or

inhuman and degradingtreatment; conspiracy toinjure; conspiracy to use

unlawful means; misfeasancein public office and/ornegligence".

President Omar al Bashir ad-dresses Sudanese students inKhartoum.

attacked and is in a sort ofcoma. Al-Bagdadi al-Mahmoudi is in good healthand he is in need of nothing,god willing."

He said human rightsgroups had yet to visit theformer prime minister, who,he said, was being held in ajustice ministry facility. "Inthe near future a visit will begiven to any Tunisian entityto see for themselves thecondition."

Tunisia's president, Moncef

Marzouki, has branded theextradition "illegal", saying itwas done behind his back.

Mahmoudi served asMuammar Gaddafi's primeminister from March 2006,until, in August 2011, fleeingto Tunisia after the fall ofTripoli to rebel forces. He wasreportedly handed over toLibyan officials in Tunis onSunday and flown byhelicopter to a Libyan prison.

In what has become apolitical crisis

Abdel Hakim Belhaj said he was detained in 2004 in Malaysiabefore he was sent back to Libya, where he was imprisoned forsix years. Photograph: Francois Mori/AP


Explosion rocks Syrian capital, asUN envoy proposes ‘unity govt’Two bombs exploded outside

the Palace of Justice incentral Damascus, state

television reported, withoutgiving any immediate word onany casualties.

"Two bombs exploded in thecar park of the Palace of Justicein the Al-Marjeh district ofDamascus. A third did notexplode," the television said onThursday, describing thebombings as "terrorist" attacks.

A police source told AFP newsagency that two magneticbombs exploded in two judges'cars in the open-air car park,while a third was in the processof being defused.

State television showedfootage of heavy smoke risingfrom the car park, as firefightersattempted to put out the flames.

A reporter with AssociatedPress news agency at the scenesaid some cars were charred and

State TV said the explosion was in the parking lot of the Palace of Justice, a compound that housesseveral courts

many had their windshieldsblown out.

Fawaz Mishhim, a witnesswho was in a nearby marketwhen he heard the explosion,said: "I did not see any woundedpeople, but cars and nearbyshops were damaged."

The blast happened ataround 1pm local time near al-Hamidiyeh Market, a busycommerical area in the heart ofDamascus.

Syria has been hit by a waveof massive explosions in recentmonths, killing dozens of people.Most of the explosions targetedthe security agencies ofPresident Bashar Assad, who isfighting to end a 15-month-olduprising against his rule.

Meanwhile, the joint UnitedNations-Arab League envoy toSyria, Kofi Annan has proposedsetting up a transitionalgovernment that could include

followers of President Bashar al-Assad and opposition membersin a bid to end the country's war,diplomats said.

The major powers - the US,Britain, France, China andRussia, a key Assad ally -generally back the plan, which

will be discussed at a meeting offoreign ministers Annan hasconvened in Geneva onSaturday, they said.

Annan's blueprint says theinterim government couldinclude members of Assad'sgovernment and opposition

Bombings, shootings around Iraq kill 22Bombings and shootings

around Iraq killed 22people and wounded more

than 50 yesterday, authorities said,as a spike in violence made JuneIraq's bloodiest month in almost ahalf a year.

The attacks in Shiiteneighborhoods and on securityforces underscore how deadly Iraqremains, even though violence hasdropped dramatically since a fewyears ago when the countryappeared about to descend into civilwar. Over the last month, morethan 200 Iraqis have been killed inattacks.

Yesterday's deadliest strike inthe Shiite Muslim neighborhood ofWashash in western Baghdad,where eyewitnesses said a taxi

exploded outside a local market.Eight people died and 26 wereinjured, police and hospital officialssaid.

Hadil Maytham and her twochildren were eating breakfast intheir nearby house when theyheard the explosion.

"It shook the doors and thewindows of the house," saidMaytham, 28. "Then we heardshooting, probably by police whousually shoot randomly afterexplosions."

Bombings generally are ahallmark of Sunni Musliminsurgents linked to al-Qaida, andShiites remain one of their maintargets. Earlier Thursday, aroadside bomb in a Shiiteneighborhood in southern Baghdad

exploded as a police patrol waspassing by, killing one person andwounding six.

Two more attacks on Shiiteenclaves in northwest Baghdadwounded five more people, policesaid.

And in Ramadi, the capital ofAnbar province 115 kilometers (70miles) west of Baghdad, another carbomb wounded seven people in theparking lot of the provincial council.The largely Sunni province'sdeputy governor Dhari Arkan saidthe explosion early in the morningwas designed to shake confidence inthe government.

"The message of the terrorists isthat no place is safe in Iraq," Arkansaid.

Baghdad operations command

spokesman Col. Dhia al-Wakil saidno overall conclusion about Iraq'ssecurity can be drawn fromyersterday's attacks, which he saidare believed to be unrelated. Hedescribed Iraq's security as"generally stable, and these attacksby no means should be taken as anindication that the terrorists areable to defy our security forces."

He said security forces haddefused several car bombs recentlyand arrested suspects believed to bebehind this month's wave ofviolence. He declined to give furtherdetails.

While Shiite neighborhoods andceremonies are a favorite al-Qaidatarget, Sunnis affiliated with thegovernment and security forces alsofrequently come under attack.

Indian spy freed inPakistan after 27 yearsAn Indian national held

prisoner in Pakistan for27 years on spying

charges has been freed, hislawyer has said.

Awais Sheikh saidPakistani authorities handedover Surjeet Singh to Indianofficials at the border crossingon the outskirts of the easterncity of Lahore yersterday.

The two countriesperiodically organise prisonerreleases and exchanges to easetensions.

Foreign secretaries from

both countries are scheduledto meet on 4 July in NewDelhi.

Pakistani officials earlierannounced that anotherIndian prisoner, who wasconvicted on terrorismcharges, would be released,but then later said it wasSingh who would be set free.

Speaking at the bordercrossing, Singh urged bothcountries to free prisonersheld for petty issues such asinadvertently crossing theborder.

groups, but not officials "whosepresence could harm thetransition and jeopardize thecredibility of the government orundermine efforts to bringreconciliation," according to asummary given by one UNdiplomat on Wednesday

SurjeetSinghspeaks tothe mediaafter hecrossedover to theIndian sideof theborder nearAmritsar.Photograph:RaminderPal Singh/EPA

Police: 10 Shiites killed inattack in PakistanSuspected Sunni Muslim

militants attacked a buscarrying Shiite pilgrims in

southwest Pakistan with a bomb andgunfire yesterday, killing at least 10people, officials said.

In a separate incident, a roadsidebomb hit a paramilitary convoy inthe country's northwest, killingseven soldiers, a government officialsaid.

Shiite Muslims are a minority inoverwhelmingly Sunni Pakistan.Although most Sunnis and Shiiteslive peacefully together, extremistsfrom both sides have targeted eachother over the past three decades. Inrecent years, Sunni attacks onShiites have been far more common.The Sunni-Shiite schism over thetrue heir to Islam's ProphetMuhammad dates back to theseventh century.

The bus that was attacked wascarrying around 40 passengers andwas traveling from Iran to Quetta,the capital of Pakistan's Baluchistanprovince, said senior local policeofficer Hamid Shakeel.

Police are unsure whether the buswas hit by a car bomb or explosives

buried next to the road, said Quettapolice chief Mir Zubair Mahmood.

In addition to those killed, 25people were wounded, saidMohammed Jafar, a doctor at themain hospital in Quetta.


US Supreme Court upholds ‘Obamacare’The United States Supreme

Court has upheld BarackObama's landmark

overhaul of the country'shealthcare system, handing thepresident a historic victory andbolstering his chances in a closere-election race this November.

The five-to-four decision, ledby conservative Chief JusticeJohn Roberts, upheld themandate for individuals to buyinsurance that lies at the heartof the act, though in anunexpected fashion.

The court did not decide thatthe mandate was a command

Obama's overhaul hasproved deeply controver-sial, and a majority ofAmericans disapprove[AFP]

Radovan Karadzic alsofaces nine othercharges of war crimesand crimes againsthumanity [AFP]

Karadzic acquitted onone genocide chargeThe Yugoslav war crimes

tribunal has acquittedformer Bosnian Serb leader

Radovan Karadzic of one of the twogenocide charges he faces at thehalfway stage of his long-runningtrial.

Judges said yesreday thatprosecutors did not present enoughevidence to support the genocidecount covering mass killings,expulsions and persecution by Serbforces of Muslims and Croats fromBosnian towns early in the country's1992-95 war.

But a second charge relating tothe 1995 massacre at Srebrenicaremains.

The judge said there was notenough evidence to substantiate thedefinition of genocide in relation tokillings by Bosnian Serb forces intowns and villages in 1992.

Apart from the Srebrenicagenocide charge, Karadzic also facesnine other charges of war crimes and

Julian Assange told to turn himselfin at London police station

but rather a penalty tax to bepaid by those who do not buyinsurance. Roberts supported thelaw's constitutionality usingthat rationale, while the fourother justices in favour arguedthat it was a command and thefour opposed disagreed with thelaw entirely.

That means that two yearsafter Obama signed the PatientProtection and Affordable CareAct into law, an act to insureanother 32 million Americansand prevent coverage frombeing refused on the basis ofpatients' medical histories, its

key tenet thinly survivedbecause of a chief jusitce whosenomination Obama opposedwhen he was a senator himself.

"One man, a conservativejustice appointed by Obama'sRepublican predecessor, GeorgeW. Bush, thwarted the right-wing assault on the AffordableCare Act," wrote Adam Serwer forthe left-leaning magazine MotherJones.

Although the United States isthe world's largest economy, it isthe only industrialiseddemocracy that until now doesnot provide health care coverage

to all its citizens."This completely changes the

nature of health care in theUnited States," said, Al Jazeera'sPatty Culhane, reporting fromWashington. "This was the finalhurdle."

Opponents of the act must nowhope the nation elects aRepublican president andRepublican Congress this fall,which could set the stage forrepealing the act or taking awayits funding before most of theprovisions take effect over thecoming years, Culhane said.

The law is extremely complex,and polls indicate a majority ofAmericans disapprove, she said.

Jonathan Cohn, an appellatelawyer at Sidney & Austin whohas clerked for the court, told AlJazeera the mechanics of thedecision were unexpected.

"The president did not want tocall it a tax, but nonetheless thecourt says it's a tax, we're going touphold it," he said.

But Cohn noted that thejustices had also dealt Obama asetback. The administration'slawyers had argued that statesthat did not want to opt in to thenew healthcare system would loseall of their government healthsubsidies, known as Medicaid - aneffort to force them toparticipate.

crimes against humanity for his rolein the conflict which left some100,000 people dead and 2.2million homeless.

"The chamber partially grantsthe motion and acquits the accusedon count one of the indictment anddenies the remainder of hisrequest,"O-Gon Kwon, theInternational Criminal Tribunal forthe former Yugoslavia judge, said.

Al Jazeera's Aljosa Milenkovic,speaking from Belgrade, said themove would be unlikely to provokestrong reaction in the country.

"I don't think that anybody willhave a big problem about thisdropping of one charge, as all themain charges still stand," he said.

Once the most powerful leaderamong Bosnian Serbs, 66-year-oldKaradzic asked for an acquittal onall counts earlier this month, withhis lawyers arguing that nogenocide took place in Bosnia in1992.

WikiLeaks founderJulian Assange,who has beenseeking politicalasylum insideEcuador's embassysince last week.Photograph: PA

WikiLeaks founder JulianAssange has been servedwith a police letter saying

he has to present himself to a Londonpolice station tomorrow, according tosources.

Assange has been seeking politicalasylum inside Ecuador's embassy inLondon since last week as he tries toavoid extradition to Sweden, wherehe is wanted for questioning aboutalleged sex offences.

A spokesman for the Metropolitanpolice service said: "The MPS have thismorning, (yesterday), served a

surrender notice upon a 40-year-oldman that requires him to attend apolice station at a date and time ofour choosing. This is standardpractice in extradition cases and isthe first step in the removal process."

He said Assange remained inbreach of his bail conditions, adding:"Failing to surrender would be afurther breach of conditions and he isliable to arrest."

It is understood Assange has beenordered to present himself atBelgravia police station at 11.30amon Friday.

On Sunday, Ecuador'sambassador to the UK left Londonto return home for talks onAssange's application for asylum.

Ecuador says Assange is underthe country's protection while itconsiders the application.Assange, 40, faces arrest forbreaching the terms of his bail ifhe leaves the embassy.

The Foreign Office confirmedin a statement that the Australianwas "beyond the reach of thepolice" while he remained in thebuilding.

Snoop Dogg busted inNorway with marijuana, cashNorwegian media are

reporting that SnoopDogg was briefly detained

in Norway after entering thecountry with marijuana and alarge amount of cash.

Customs officials decline toconfirm the report, saying onlythat an American artist enteredNorway with a small amount ofmarijuana that was detected by asniffer-dog. Norwegian lawprevents law enforcement officialsfrom naming suspects.

A customs officer who spoke oncondition of anonymity saidThursday that the artist was alsocarrying more cash than is legallyallowed and was subsequently fined52,000 kroner ($8,600) for theviolations.

Snoop Dogg was scheduled toperform Thursday at a musicalfestival in the southern town ofKristiansand.

The rapper, whose name isCalvin Broadus, has in the past beenarrested on marijuana possession.


Nasarawa’s budget of social inclusionContd. from Back Page

rates, poor UTME performance,pathetic healthcare and the battleground of insurgencies in thecountry. In the process of ouranalysis, it is important to playclose attention to what thespending priorities of thegovernment are in the light ofspecific developmental challengesthey are faced with. So what shouldNasarawa state be doing in the faceof these endowments andchallenges? Has Al-Makura’sspending priorities departed fromthat of the predecessor PDPgovernment? Are Nasarawacitizens getting some benefit fromvoting out the PDP? Is the CPCgovernment any different?

The Nasarawa state CPCgovernment initially presented abudget of N97.6billion which wasreviewed upward to N104.9bn bythe PDP-controlled state Assembly.The 2011 budget contained 46.1%recurrent and 53.9% capitalcomponents. The approved budgetfor 2012 is an increase of 28% overthe 2011 amount. The budget is tobe financed with StatutoryAllocation – N47.3billion (45% ofthe budget), IGR from MDAs-N13.2billion (13%), grants –N15billion (15%) and loandrawdowns of N10bn (10%). Theamount of loans taken by the stateis commendable given that theneighbouring state of Bauchiborrows over 40% of its annual

budget, and just a year ago, whenAl-Makura took office, he inheriteddebts of about N60 billion and aParis Club loan refund of $113million (N17 billion) thatmysteriously vanished in the lastmonth of the PDP administration.It is worth mentioning thatNasarawa receives the secondlowest amount from the FederationAccount, with Ekiti at the bottom.Indeed, for the years 1999-2008,it collected about N155.5billionwhen a state like Rivers receivedN1.1 trillion in the same period.

Of the N104.9billion budget,N42.5billion (40.5%) isearmarked for recurrentexpenditure and N62.4billion(about 60%) for capital spending.While this obviously falls a littleshort of the 70% capitalrequirement for meaningfuldevelopment which the state is indire need of, it is the highest wehave seen for any state budgetanalysed so far, and nearly 7%higher than that of the predecessorPDP government. The recurrentbudget is further broken down intopersonnel cost of N25.1billion(23.9% of total budget) andoverhead cost of N17.4billion(16.6%). It goes without sayingthat the state’s IGR of N13.2billioncan cover just about half the totalpersonnel costs. The recurrentrevenue estimates all fell short ofactual receipts in 2011 exceptFAAC, yet all 2012 estimates areabove those of the previous year;

which optimism gives cause forconcern.

The sectoral breakdown of thebudget is as follows; about N2.5bn(3%) for Agriculture, acommendable N14.1bn (14%) forEducation, N5.5billion (6%) forhealth, N5.1bn (5%) for waterresources and all related agencies,a whopping N18.4billion (18%) forworks and transport and a paltryN600m (1%) for tourism andculture. The Secretary to the StateGovernment gets aboutN7.6billion and somewhere inthere exists a N2billion provisionunder the title “classified expenses”that is the security vote for thestate. The direction of investmentin physical and human capital iscommendable. Al-Makura hasramped up budgetary provisionsfor township roads, urban watersupply, schools and healthcarefacilities in significant ways.Nasarawa was also the first stateto implement the new minimumwage of N18,900 for its publicservice even though it is not a richstate. Al-Makura’s social policieswhich put women, children andphysically-challenged people asvulnerable groups for preferentialand cheaper access to educationand healthcare are also unique inthe zone. Al-Makura’s privatesector discipline has been broughtto bear with the identification andremoval of ghost workersamounting to nearly 18% of theworkforce under the predecessor-

PDP government.Public health facilities in the

state increased between year 2000and 2009. Primary health care;from 417 to 698, secondary healthcare; 13 to 19 and tertiaryremained 2 over the years. Sadlythe bed to patient ratio in 2009 was1:1854. While it is not so muchabout the increase in number offacilities, reports concerning thestate of healthcare facilities in thestate requires urgent attention.The Al-Makura government hasrecognized the dilapidation of healthfacilities and has dedicated 5% ofthe budget to begin restoring themto acceptable standards.

The agricultural sector haspotential to be a major revenuesource for the state because likethe neighboring Benue State,agriculture is the main economicactivity in Nasarawa state. Allthe major crops are produced inevery local government areaparticularly yam and rice. Thebudgetary provision includesprocurement of fertilizer andseedlings as well as agriculturalmechanization equipment. Eventhough Nasarawa is a small state,budgeting 3% for agricultureneeds to be increased goingforward. One way to improve thelot of farmers in the state may beto convert the Karu InternationalMarket to an Agri business Centreand Farmers’ Market thatservices the needs of Abujaresidents and environs. More

needs to be done in enhancingthe agricultural value chain inNasarawa and of exploiting themineral resources so that thestate does not just bear the namebut lives it.

Public opinion seems to be infavor of the Governor Al-Makuravisibly within the short periodhe has spent. Nasarawa hasnumerous benefits being aneighboring state to the FCT. Oneof such benefits can be derivedfrom provision of lower-cost,high-quality residential andcommercial facilities in theborder towns along the Karu-Keffi corridor. An airport toservice Abuja in the futureshould not be ruled out, inaddition to the planned airstripto serve the administrativecapital of Lafia. Infrastructuresuch as this, a railwayconnection, etc. can be built thatwill service the FCT and generatesignificant employment andrevenues for the state. The statealso has huge tourism potentialespecially with the Farin RuwaFalls which could be transformedto a domestic getaway or aninternational holidaydestination. Innovative policiesand funding strategies need to bedeveloped by the state to realizethese potentials. Al-Makura’sentrepreneurial skills will betasked to the limit here. I amconfident he will live up to thebilling.

Get some rest: Women who worked more than 25 hours a week subsequently had babies weighing 5-7oz (148-198g) less than average. (Posed by model).

Pregnant women who work morethan 25 hours a week tend to havesmaller babies, according toresearch.

They weigh up to half a pound(200g) less than average at birth.

Scientists also found aconnection between the amountof time pregnant women spent ontheir feet at work and the size oftheir babies, with those standing‘often’ in jobs such as teaching orsales more likely to have smallerchildren.

One explanation is that morephysically demanding work may

reduce the flow of blood to theplacenta, limiting the amount ofnutrients and oxygen going to thefoetus.

Experts do not know whyworking long hours in an office jobwould have a similar effect, but itmay be due to stress.

Although smaller babies arenot necessarily unhealthier, theyare at higher risk from breathingproblems, heart defects andconditions affecting theirdigestion. There is also evidencethat they are at higher risk oflearning difficulties and

developmental problems later on.The researchers from the

University Medical Centre inRotterdam in the Netherlandssurveyed 4,680 expectantmothers, who were 30 weekspregnant.

They were asked how manyhours they worked a week andwhether they ‘often’ spent longperiods on their feet.

Those who worked more than25 hours a week subsequently hadbabies weighing 5-7oz (148-198g)less than average. Thecircumference around the heads

was nearly half an inch (1cm)shorter.

There were similar results forthose who spent long periods on

Women who work more than 25 hours a weekwhile pregnant ‘more likely to have smaller babies’

their feet while working duringtheir pregnancy.

The authors, whose study ispublished in the journalOccupational andEnvironmental Medicine, saidemployers should do more tomake pregnant women’s jobs ascomfortable as possible.

‘Optimising the workenvironment is important sinceparticipation of women in thereproductive age in the workforcecontinues to increase,’ they said.

‘Preventive measuresreducing certain occupationalconditions, such as shift work,night hours, standing, lifting andnoise, have proven to reduce therisks of adverse birth outcomes.’

Dr Jenny Myers, fromManchester University’sMaternal and Foetal HealthResearch Centre, said: ‘Theobserved effects are not big enoughto dramatically increase thenumber of growth-restrictedbabies, but it is not known whetherthese very subtle changes ingrowth trajectory have anysignificance in the long term.’

Prof Alex Burdorf, the leadauthor, said: ‘We were notsurprised that (the babies’) headsize was smaller in pregnantwomen who stand for a longtime at work, but we werepleasantly surprised to find thatit was only by a modest amount- three per cent smaller thanaverage at birth.’


Put your feet up: Physicallydemanding work may reduce theflow of blood to the placenta.

Living near loud traffic increasesyour risk of having a heart attack

disturbances can contribute tocardiovascular risk, leading to thehypothesis that exposure to noiseduring the night might be moreharmful than daytime exposure.

‘The sleep structure generallybecomes more fragmented withage and elderly people are thusmore susceptible to sleepdisturbances.’

He said it was possible thatchanges in lifestyle caused bydisrupted sleep could play a part.

But he adds: ‘Stress and sleepdisturbances can cause changes tolifestyle habits, includingincreased tobacco smoking andthus potentially a strongerassociation between traffic noiseand MI among smokers.

‘However we found indicationsof a high effect of road traffic noiseon MI among never smokers.’

He points out that those studiedmainly lived in urban areas,meaning other factors could be atplay.

But he said: ‘The present studyshows a positive associationbetween residential exposure toroad traffic noise and risk for MI.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk Each ten per cent rise in traffic volume comes with a 12 per cent higher risk of heart attack

Loud traffic noise increasesthe risk of heart attack, a study shows.

Researchers say that each tenper cent rise in volume comeswith a 12 per cent higher risk ofheart attack.

Previous studies hadinvestigated the combined effectsof noise and pollution, althoughthe results were inconclusive.

But the latest study of morethan 50,000 people has found a‘clear relationship’ between noiseand heart attacks, reportsjournal PLoS ONE.

Dr Mette Sorenson, of theDanish Cancer Society, said thatthe reason for the relationship isunknown, but may be due toincreased stress and sleepdisturbances associated with hightraffic noise.

He said: ‘In this studyresidential exposure to road trafficnoise was associated with a 12 percent higher risk of myocardialinfarction (MI) per ten decibelexposure to noise, showing a cleardose response relationship.’

Suggesting one possibleexplanation he said: ‘Sleep


Faction fingers Jonathan in PDPcrisis ahead of Ogun council polls

A faction of PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)in Ogun state yesterday

fingered the President, GoodluckEbele Jonathan as one of the majoractor responsible for theunresolved crisis rocking theparty ahead of the July localgovernment elections in the state.

The faction which is inopposition with the formerPresident Olusegun Obasanjoalleged faction of the party in thestate made the allegation againstthe incumbent president at apress conference to tackle the position of Ogun StateIndependent Electoral

Commission (OGSIEC) whichrecognized the Obasanjo group toparticipate in the July councilpoll.

Speaking to newsmen at theparty’s headquarters inAbeokuta, Segun Sowunmi,Director of Organisation,declared that with the newdevelopment on the case whichthe electoral body linked to thenational body of the party ashaving approved the Obasanjogroup candidates to contestsuggest that Jonathan is in theknow.

“At the National level whenthe national organ of our partybegins to act ultra vires andagainst the position of the court,one can have no alternative but

to hold President Jonathan , thenational leader of our partyresponsible for that slip’ he pointedout

Sowunmi who was a formermember of Jonathan/SamboCampaign Organisation in OgunState explained that by theparty’s constitution and bypractice, the doctrines is that atthe level of the local governmentthe sitting chairman isconsidered to be the leader of thatparty in that local government.

‘If there is any crisis there, heshould ordinarily get involved atthe state like you would havenoticed when we had a governorhere, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, hecarried out all the function of theleader of the party’

Jang settlespoliticalscores withPlateau elders

In a related development, theparty factional chairmanAdebayo Dayo at the pressconference faulted thedeclaration of electoralcommission’s giving approval tothe other faction to contest thepoll, pointing out that the actionis a serial disregard and contemptof the court, ‘because whenseveral judgments allude to thesame position, it is only normalthat relevant institutions mustcomply

‘It is highly unfortunate that,OGISIEC which ordinarily is aninstitution that derives its powerand legitimacy from the law cannow afford to wallow in unfetteredillegality and blatant disregard tothe court and rule of law’.

From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji,Abeokuta

NCP urges FG to fund political parties equitably

Plateau state governor,Da Jonah Jang,yesterday took time to

settle political scores withelders of some minoritygroups in the state, soundingwarning to the elders, whoare bent on sowing seed ofdiscord and causingdisharmony, to desist fromsuch action as the state hasenough problems withoutdisgruntled elders adding tothe crises burdened State.

Jang stated this shortlyafter being bestowed withtraditional title of Foborcommunity as the “AbarzhiIzere” by community(meaning the chief offarmers) in Jos East LocalGovernment Area of thestate, during the foundationlaying of JUTH 250 housingunits for the staff of JosUniversity TeachingHospital.

According to him, “I havereceived reports that a groupof elders in this localgovernment have beencalling meetings with theyouths. They say they arethe minority of PlateauNorth Senatorial zone andare talking about beingcheated by the majority”.

Jang asked the question,“who is cheating who? I havestopped people from my LocalGovernment Area, Jos southfrom contesting the Jos southand Jos East federalconstituency, so that one ofyour own should representthe constituency”.

He lamented that “NoPlateau child has anotherState to claim outsidePlateau, the elders have livetheir lives, they should allowthe youths to live theirswithout causing anydisunity, but, unite to buildthe Plateau and prepare agreater future for theyouths”.

The Governor said theonly Ambassador whorepresented the state for goodfour years was from Jos east,saying the Ambassador wasnominated by the stategovernment and it wassurprising for him to hear thepeople of Jos east holdingmeetings that they are beingcheated by the Jang’s ledadministration.

Jang noted that the Statehas so many enemies fromoutside hence the need foreveryone to unite and buildthe State to realize thedreams of its fathers ,urgingall Plateau sons anddaughters to strive to protectthe state.

From Nankpah Bwakan, Jos

opinion that political parties shouldbe funded equitably, the party inpower have unlimited access tostate treasury while others aredenied,” he said.

Tanko noted that even inAmerica, the father of democracy,it was not done like that but theyfinanced their political parties fairly.

The national secretary said the

NCP was against party deregulation,adding that political parties shouldbe allowed to evolve with time.

“Niger has more than 70political parties, U.S. has 100political parties and Benin hasmore than 30 political parties.

“Any attempt to de-registerpolitical parties in this country isan attempt to kill democracy in

The National ConscienceParty (NCP) on Thursdayin Abuja called on the Federal

Government to finance politicalparties equitably.

Its National Secretary, Mr.Yunisa Tanko, gave this advice inan interview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN).

“We are also of the strong

Nigeria,” he said.He told NAN that the party

was fully in support of theamendment of the constitutions , saying that step would lead tobetter governance in the nation.

Tanko said that NCP wastotally against cross carpeting inNigerian political processes.(NAN)

Court strikes out suit against Gov. Akpabioon the platform of the party in theApril 2011 election, had filed the suit.

Justice Adamu Bello held thatthe Supreme Court’s declaration ofAkpabio as winner of the electionforeclosed the hearing of the suit.

“This suit has been overtaken bythe judgment of the Supreme Courtand it is, therefore, struck out,’’ he

said.“The recent judgment of the

Supreme Court, which upheld theelection of Akpabio, took the life out ofthe suit,’’ he said.

Mr Ahmed Musa, counsel to PDP,another defendant, urged the courtto strike out the suit as “adjourningthe matter gives hope and life to it.’’

The Federal High Courtyesterday in Abuja struckout a suit which challenged

the nomination of Gov. GodswillAkpabio as the governorshipcandidate of the PDP in 2011.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Chief ImeMbatessien, a governorship aspirant

“The suit should be struck out inview of the Supreme Court’s decisionconferring legitimacy on the electionof Akpabio,’’ Musa said.

The plaintiff had prayed the courtto install him as the rightfulgovernorship candidate to contest theelection on the platform of the party.(NAN)

L-R: Member, House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Hon. Abdullahi Dan-Alkali, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Gambo Musa,and Clerk of the Committee, Mr. James Abotu, when Hon. Farouk Lawan appeared before the committee on bribery scandal, yesterdayat the National Assembly, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa


Tinubu says 120 days forelectoral petition not fairThe National Leader of the

Action Congress of Nigeria,ACN, and Former Lagos

Governor, Asiwaju Bola AhmedTinubu, has described the section ofthe constitution which says allelection petitions must be concludedwithin 180 days after an election asbad blood, and denial of fair hearingto the citizenry.

Tinubu, at the 50th birthdaycelebration of Femi Gbajabiamila,ACN leader in the House ofRepresentatives and his bookpresentation titled, “Fearless: TheEmergence Of A Virile AndFormidable Opposition Leader”,commended the leadership of theHouse of Representatives for itsdoggedness and commitmenttowards the development of thecountry, urged it to look critically atthe section and do justice to it.

Chairman of NationalConscience Party, NCP,Edo state chapter Mr

Edward Victor Ogba has incurredthe wrath of leadership of the partyfor allegedly featuring what ittermed unpopular andincompetent candidate, Mr PaulOrumwense, for Edo 2012governorship election.

A statement jointly endorsed bythe Secretary, Maxwell Iyamu,Vice Chairman, Luckson Obasuyi,Public Relation Officer, Mr KolaEdokpayi, Mr Oronsaye OziegbeAbdul-karim and mobilization andplanning Director, AbhulimenIsreal Osazuwa, threatened legalaction against the IndependentNational electoral Commission,INEC, for recognising the StateChairman of the party whom theyaccused of running the party as aprivate business.

The impasse is coming barely24 hours after the NCPgovernorship candidate alongsidesix other candidates for July 14polls fielded questions on a livetelevision debate anchored by fromNigeria election debate group,NEDG on Wednesday evening,which it claimed has set some NCPexecutive members, teeth on edge.

‘The executives met and agreedthat INEC should stop doingbusiness with the imposter pendingwhen the real elected executivemembers are identified.

‘If INEC Edo State fails to carryout proper investigation on who arethe elected executive members, EdoNCP will have no choice but to seeka legal action’, the statement said.

But the State Chairman, MrEdward Victor Ogba denied anywrong doing.

The NCP had in March 2011elected its party executives, amidcontroversy.

Knocks for NCPchairman overguber candidate

Dakingari condoles families ofboat mishap, donates N.5 million

Governor Saidu UsmanDakingari of Kebbi statehas yesterday condoled with

the families of the 13 victims of thelast week boat mishap incident thatoccurred in river Dukku in BirninKebbi local government area of thestate, and donated N500, 000.00 tothe affected victims.

Dakingari, who furtherdescribed the incident asunfortunate and an act of God,

assured the people of the area thatsuch calamity would be a thing ofthe past when the bridge underconstruction is completed, therebymaking the use of boat for navigationphased out.

The governor further enjoinedthe boats operators ferrying alongthe river to always be careful toavoid re occurrence so as tosafeguard lives and property of theirpassengers.

He prayed God to grant the soulsof the deceases an eternal peace, and

their families the fortitude to bearthe loss.

Responding, the District head ofTarasa, Alhaji Hassan DND thankedthe governor for the visit anddisclosed that the death toll has reach13, with 9 females mainly teenagersand 4 were males from BungaSabuwa village.

He assured him that everyaffected home will received theassistance given by the stategovernment to provide succor to thefamilies.

Former Chairman, House Committee on Education and Ad-hoc Committee on Subsidy Probe, Hon.Farouk Lawan, during his appearance before House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, yesterday atthe National Assembly in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos He described the Speaker of theHouse of Representatives, AminuTambuwal, as an inspirationalleader to other members of the House,whose contributions have addedvalue and commitment towards thedevelopment of the country.

“I like to commend the House. Youare so committed to our nationalgovernment. We have seen what ishappening and we assure that all thelegislators who are bound together tobuild this institution and remain

From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

The local governmentelections scheduled for 8December 2012, by Kogi

State Independent ElectoralCommission, KOSIEC forChairmanship, Vice Chairman andCouncillors is to gulp four hundredmillion naira.

This is contained in the budgetsubmitted to the deputy governor’soffice by the Chairman of thecommission by Barr Abraham AyoOlaniyo, sources close to the seat ofgovernment has revealed.

It was also reliably gatheredthat the state governor hassubjected the budget to properscrutiny in view of the lean purse ofthe state in recent times, occasionedby general financial crunch in thecountry.

He gave the assurance that thebudget would be carefully lookedinto with a view to getting the bestresult in terms of credible,transparent and acceptable localgovernment polls in the state.

Kogi to spendN400 for LGelectionFrom Sam Egwu, Lokoja

focused on the legislative oversight ofthis country will not regret it. Don’tbe intimidated, we were once thereand we sailed through it,” he said.

He described Gbajabiamila as adedicated and loyal man with asound mind that has continued tomake the country proud.

Tambuwal in his remarks saidhe was attracted to the celebrantbecause they both share the same corevalues irrespective of their politicalbackgrounds.

The six members of the AllProgressive GrandAlliance (APGA), suspended

for alleged anti-party activitiesyesterday, failed to appear beforethe Disciplinary Committee of theparty.

The Chairman of the seven-man committee, Alhaji TayoSowumi, made the disclosure at anews conference in Abuja.

The News Agency Nigeria(NAN) recalls that the sixmembers were suspended by theNational Working Committee ofthe party on June 19, for allegedanti-party activities.

They included Alhaji SadeeqMassalla, the Deputy NationalChairman, North; Mr MorganAnyallechi, National ViceChairman, South East; SundayObasohan, the Deputy NationalOrganising Secretary.

Others were Mr Jolly Ngbor,the National Vice Chairman,South South; Chief OgometuUkpenetu, Deputy NationalAuditor; Mr Gbenga Afeni,National Organizing Secretaryand Alhaji IbrahimCarefore, theDeputy National Youth Leader.

Sowumi said that thesuspended members were dulyconsulted and told to appear beforethe disciplinary committee “butfailed to honour the invitation.”

Somumi, who is also theNational Vice Chairman, SouthWest, said: “we will meet todeliberate on the next line of actionto be taken since they refuse tohonour the committee’sinvitation.”

The Chairman reiterated thecommittee’s call on the affectedmembers to honour the invitationin their own interest and for thesake of the party.

Members of the committeeincluded Mr Ifeanyi Mbaeri, theNational Legal Adviser; AlhajiSagirMaidoya, the National ViceChairman, North West.

Mr Balla Bako, the DeputyNational Legal Adviser; FergusonOkpara, the National YouthLeader; and Mrs Ella Ezeanya, theNational Women Leader were alsomembers. (NAN)

APGA crisis:suspendedmembers shundisciplinarycommittee

Lamido says antics of oppositioncannot stop airport, other projects

The Jigawa stategovernment has faultedthe comment of one of the

contenders in the gubernatorial racefor Jigawa state in the 2011 election,Honorable Farouk Adamu Aliyu,that the proposed airport in Dutse is amisplacement of priority.

Governor Sule Lamido, who spokethrough his Director of Press UmarKyari, said the proposed airport is anattempt by the Lamidoadministration to boost the economicactivities in the state, saying that it

will go a long way to attract moreinvestors based on the world Bankreport that Jigawa is an investmenthaven because of the prevailingpeace.

Aliyu, who was a minority leaderin the House of representatives fromBirnin Kudu/ Buji constituency(2003-2007), had said that thedecision of the Governor to constructan airport in Jigawa is amisplacement of policy, adding thatwith Kano having an internationalairport and being only 100 km awayfrom Dutse, the Jigawa State Capital,there would have been no need to

venture in to that.“In Kano KLM that has been

operating for the last 70 years hassuspended its operation because ofslow-down in business. Whateconomic sense does it make for youto have an airport in Jigawa, Gombe,Bauchi.” said Aliyu.

But Lamido indicated thatKatsina, Gombe and Kebbi states werecreated out of Kaduna, Bauchi andSokoto states respectively and yet allhave built their own airports whichhave opened up the various statesdespite the fact that their motherstates had their own airports.

From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse


A retired commissioner ofpolice, Alhaji Mudi Kurfihas described comment

by the Senate President oninsecurity in the north and thenorthern elders as “ mostunfortunate”.

Speaking in an interviewwith Peoples Daily, yesterday inKatsina, Kurfi demanded that

Mark’s comment mostunfortunate, says ex-compol

the senate president mustretract the statement and offerapology to those hurt by theunpalatable comment.

“He is from the north, he isnumber two in the north afterthe vice president. Why shouldhe point out some people and saythey are northerners? Is he nota northerner? Is he not a leaderin the north?

Why is he excluding

himself? This is unfortunate”he queried.

The retired commissioner ofpolice alleged that some peoplewere using the securitysituation in north to attackcertain sections of the country,adding “after all they are partof the people that created theproblem in the first place”.

Kurfi stressed that the onlyoption left in addressing the

L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, the celebrant, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, his wife, Mrs. SanmontuGbajabiamila, and Lagos state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, during Hon Gbajabiamila's 50th birthday and book presentationtitled, "Fearless: The Emergence of a Virile and Formidable Opposition Leader", on Wednesday in Lagos.

Group canvasses equal opportunities for womenA group, BAOBAB for

Women’s Rights, called onNational Assembly to

provide equal opportunities forwomen in the ongoingconstitution review, to enablethem realise their potential.

Miss Mma Odi, ExecutiveDirector of the group, made thecall at a news conferenceon Gender Concerns in the 2012Constitution Review in Abuja.

Odi said that the call wasnecessary to guarantee equalrights to training and promotionfor women without impedimentfrom any quarter.

She said that the composition

of the government of thefederation should be carried outin a manner “that reflects federalcharacter and gender balance.

“Women shall beaccorded full and equal dignitywith their male counterparts;such rights include political,economic and social activities.

“Laws, culture and traditionwhich are against the dignity,welfare or interest of womenwhich undermine their status,should be prohibited by theConstitution.

“The National Assemblyshall as soon as practicable, afterthe coming into force of this

Constitution, enact a legislationregulating the property right ofspouses,” she said.

Odi said that special careshould be accorded to mothers,during and after child-birth andthat working mothers should beaccorded paid leave.

“ Facilities should be providedin work and public places for thecare of children below school-age.“

Odi also called for a cleardefinition of what constituteddiscrimination against women inthe ongoing constitution review,adding that non-discriminationmust apply to all regardless of sex.

Inter-party AdvisoryCouncil of Nigeria (IPAC)yesterday emphasised the

need for the scrapping of stateselectoral commissions.

Secretary of IPACAlhaji Shittu Mohammed made this known in aninterview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) inAbuja.

He said the scrapping of thestates’ electoral commissionsbecame necessary because thecommissions were biasedumpire, as elections conductedby them were always won bythe governments in power.

The control of thestates’ electoral commission bystate governments should bewithdrawn completely

and INEC empowered to be incontrol of elections at all levelsin the country, he said.

Mohammed said theconstitution should bereviewed in such a way thatelections were not conductedby the state governmentagents who would doeverything in favour of thegovernment in power.

IPAC calls for scrapping of state electoral commission

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

Wives of the 19northern stategovernors have

passionately appealed to theinsurgent Boko Haram to laydown their arms and embracedialogue with FederalGovernment.

Chairperson of NorthernGovernors Wives’ Forum,Mrs. Dooshima Suswam whomade the appeal at the end ofan emergency meetingyesterday, lamented over thehigh rate of insecurity in mostnorthern states

Mrs. Suswam expressedthe forum’s desire to assisttheir husbands in finding anend to the insecurity situationconfronting the north.

They also urged parentsand guardians to keep a closetab on their children andwards in order to avert asituation where they are oftenused to perpetrate violence.

The forum also urged allNigerians to rally support forthe peace initiative of the FirstLady of Nigeria, DamePatience Jonathan that isaimed at fostering unityamong Nigerians.

Northerngovernorswives appealto Boko Haramto cease fire

In her remarks, Miss AnneLawal, Senior Programme Officeof the group, said thataffirmative action of not less than40 per cent should be reservedfor women in all spheres of life.

Lawal noted that womenshould have right to affirmativeaction for the purpose ofredressing the imbalancescreated by history, tradition andcustom.

“ This is currently practisedin countries like Uganda,Rwanda, Kenya and South Africaetc. Nigeria as the giant of Africaought to set the pace while othersfollow.” (NAN)

government and boko haramimbroglio was throughdialogue, arguing that therewas no place in the world wherethe use of force settle any crisis.

Similarly, he debunked theidea of increasing the securityvotes of state governors whichhe said has been grosslyinadequate abused withoutcommiserate result to justifythe spent security funds.

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) in the SouthWest has set up a Finance

and Funding Committee toshore up its financial base.

The Zonal PublicitySecretary of the party, MrKayode Babade, said in astatement in Ado-Ekiti onWednesday, that theestablishment of the committeewas one of the decisions takenat the party’s caucus meeting inAbeokuta.

The committee, headed bythe Minister of State forDefence, Mrs Olusola Obada, hasformer Deputy Governor ofLagos State, Chief Femi Pedro,as Vice Chairman.

Apart from Obada, who is thecommittee’s chairman, allserving ministers from theSouth West geo-political zoneare members.

Other membersinclude former DeputyGovernor of Ekiti state,Chief Biodun Olujimi; SpecialAdviser to the President onAmnesty Programme, MrKingsley Kuku; former Speakerof Ogun State House ofAssembly, Mrs Titi Oseniand Alhaji MaurufuAkinwande, Chairman of theFederal Road MaintenanceAgency. (NAN)

South-West PDPsets up financecommittee

The secretary pointed outthat the formation of politicalparties should be based onideological beliefs.

He added that the FederalGovernment had no businessfunding political parties,adding that political partiesshould be allowed to developand grow throughevolutionary processes. (NAN)


Today’s matchesHeartland vs UNICEM RoversAkwa United vs Dynamite FCCrown vs ABS FCJUTH vs RangersAkpabio FC vs Kwara UnitedSunshine Stars vs NasarawaUnitedCannan City vs SambaWarri Wolves vs SpotliteAbia Warriors vs El KanemiWarriorsSaturday matchesLobi Stars vs TornadoesKaduna United/PoliceMachine vs Kano PillarsSpotlite Feeders vs All StarsAcademyPlateau United vs Nehoda/Ranchers BeesGombe United vs FameAcademy.Prime FC vs GamjiSharks vs First BankEnyimba vs Kogi United

FIFA U20 Women’s WorldCup-bound Falconets ofNigeria will resume

training camp in Abuja with 35call-ups Sunday.

The Nigerians girls, vicechampions of the world, sweptpast Zimbabwe and DemocraticRepublic of Congo in the Africanqualifying series, reaching thefinals to be played in Japanbetween August and Septemberthis year without conceding agoal, while scoring 13.

Inspirational skipper GloriaOfoegbu tops the list of 35 playersfrom which coach Edwin Okonwill pick his final list for thetournament that will be playedin five Japanese cities between

August 19 and September 8.The Falconets have been

drawn in Group B alongsideKorea Republic, Brazil and Italy.

They first play the Koreans inSaitama on August 19, beforetaking on Brazil in the same citythree days later and then tackleItaly in Kobe on August 26.

Kobe’s dainty and exquisiteWorld Cup stadium was thevenue for the Super Eagles clashwith Sweden at the 2002 FIFAWorld Cup finals, which theEagles lost 2-1 after taking a first-half lead through JuliusAghahowa.

The cities of Tokyo, Kobe, Miyagi,Saitama and Hiroshima will hostthe sixth edition of the FIFA U-20

FULL LIST OF INVITED PLAYERS:

Gloria Ofoegbu, Josephine Chukwunonye, Ebere Orji, UchechiSunday, Francisca Ordega, Ebubeleye Whyte, Jennifer Osawaru,Ugo Njoku, Grace, Eyebhoria, Chidinma Okoro (Rivers Angels),Ugochi Okafor, Chioma Nwankwo, Stella Henry, Blessing Edoho,Bukola Ogunnoiki (Pelican Stars), Cecilia Nku, Charity Adule(Bayelsa Queens) Desire Oparanozie, Ngozi Okobi, Jane David(Delta Queens), Asisat Oshoala (FC Robo), Lola Philips, FasilatAdeyemo (Confluence Queens), Esther Sunday, Damilola Akano(Sunshine Queens), Prudent Ugoh (Nasarawa Amazons), VivianOkotie, Osarenoma Igbinovia (Inneh Queens), Juliana Osuji (NittoQueens), Abosede Olukayode, Charity Elibor (Cerezo Queens), TinaChinyere (FCT Queens), Ayeniberun Opeyemi, Rosemary Okoro(Tokas Queens), Chiamaka Okafor (Tewo Queens)

Top teams still in the 2012Federation Cup have saidthey will not take foes from

the lower leagues lightly inround of 32 matches today.

Already, the likes of Dolphins,3SC, Wikki Tourists amongothers were knocked out byrelatively unkonwn teams in theround of 64 decided lastweekend.

Speaking yesterday ahead oftoday’s matches, NigeriaPremier League side WarriWolves media officer TimiEbikagboro said his team will notunderrate their opponentsSpotlite of Katsina when theytrade tackles in Minna.

“We are aware that there nosmall teams in football, anyteam that underestimate theiropponent do that it their peril,”Ebikagboro said.

“It is common that players insmall teams always want toprove a point when they face bigteams to show they are goodenough to be in that team. So weare approaching the game withall seriousness as if we areplaying against a team in thesame level with us.”

Gombe United back-to-formstriker Sanusi Sani equallyrevealed that they will play thegame against Fame Academy ofLagos as if they were playingagainst the best team in Nigeriaas they won’t underrate themafter they eliminated 3SC in theprevious round of the cupcompetition.

“Fame Academy sent 3SC outof the competition, so we mustbe careful with them. We willplay the game as if we werefacing one of the best team inNigeria,” he revealed.

Heartland skipper ChineduEfugh said seeing what befell bigteams in the hands of minnows,they are not going to underratetheir opponents UNICEM Roverstoday.

Fed Cup:Big gunswary ofmoreupsets

Okon recalls Ofoegbu, Ordega,Esther, 32 other Falconets to camp

Women’s World Cup finals.The 35 players are expected to

report at Serob Legacy Hotel,Wuye, Abuja.

Mr Tunji Babalola, the Acting Executive Secretary of the NigeriaPremier League (NPL), has said that the body has not receivedany notice by Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) FC of Ilorin to

pull out of the league.He said: “The NPL as a whole has not received a formal letter or

phone call from them (ABS FC) that they are pulling out.’’It was earlier reported that the Organising and Disciplinary

Committee of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had ordered thereplay of the Week 12 Premier League match involving ABS andSunshine Stars of Akure.

The order came after ABS walked over Sunshine Stars which wasengaged in a CAF Champion’s League match in Angola at about thesame time on March 21.

With the walk over, three points were awarded to ABS by the NPL, adevelopment which compelled Sunshine Stars to tender an appeal forthem to be allowed to play the match since their failure to honour thegame was occasioned by their CAF champions league engagement.

To this end, the NFF ordered a replay of the Week 12 match in Ilorin.Babalola said it was not the NPL’s decision to reverse the walk-overbecause the body doesn’t decide cases but implements the decisions ofthe NFF.

“NPL as a body organises the Nigeria Premier League and maybeduring the course of the games, if a team is not satisfied with the decisiontaken by the league body, such a club is at liberty to file a protestwithin the stipulated time to the Nigeria Football Federationdisciplinary committee.

“At the end of the day, any decision taken by the disciplinarycommittee if the other club is not satisfied with such decision, the sameclub is free to appeal such decision which of course I believe the SunshineStars won their protest and ABS now filed an appeal to the same body.

NPL dismisses club’salleged threat topull out of league

“As far as we are concerned, we are the ones organizing the leagueand if the disciplinary committee says this is the right thing to bedone, any team that is not satisfied has every right go to the appeal.”

Babalola said NFF decided to overturn the walk-over Sunshine Starsbecause the club represented Nigeria at the continental engagementin Angola.

“That’s the only club now representing Nigeria at the ChampionsLeague. As a matter of fact they informed the disciplinary committeethat they were travelling outside the country so as a result they couldnot play their domestic league match with ABS.

“Maybe that was the reason why the disciplinary committee nowconsidered their case. So the committee decided on that case and noteven the NPL.

“As it is now ABS still has a case because they have already lodgedtheir appeal and I believe that when they get there they will go anddefend the appeal.’’

The acting secretary, however, said irrespective of any club’s grousewith NPL, the NFF’s appeal committee’s decision was binding on bothclubs.

Babalola said that if the decision of the appeal committee did notfavour ABS, the club could take whatever action it wanted to take.

“It is not the responsibility of the NPL to decide the case, the appeallies with the Nigeria Football Federation’s appeal committee andwhatever might be their decision will be binding on both clubs.

“That’s the highest authority that can decide any case, entertainany case emanating from the decision of the disciplinary committee.

“From this angle, what we need to do is to receive the decision fromthe appeal committee and implement accordingly that’s our ownpurpose of being here.’’

“You know this league is voluntary, football is voluntary and youcannot force somebody to go and be playing football matches. If a teamdecides not to go, nobody can force the team to go, but we have the laiddown rules.”

Reacting in a telephone interview, Chukwuemeka insisted that ifthe decision of the appeal committee did not favour his club, the clubwould pull out of the premier league.

He said: “We will opt out of the NPL if that happens because wecannot afford to be part of a system that will not follow the rules afterthe game has started.’’

The Nigeria FootballFederation (NFF) wouldprefer the only the

domestic league members of theSuper Eagles are used to prosecutethe high-profile friendly againstEPL side Arsenal on August 5.

“The home-based Eagles willplay against Arsenal, we are notgoing to invite a single foreign-based player for that game,”general secretary of the Nigeria

Football Federation (NFF) MusaAmadu said.

This means that the likes ofgoalkeeper Chigozie Agbim, GabrielReuben, Papa Idris, GodfreyOboabona, Juwon Oshaniwa,Azubuike Egwueke, Ejike Uzoenyi,Sunday Mba and Henry Uche willbe paraded against the top stars ofArsenal like Robin van Persie, AlexSong, Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta.

The August 5 clash in Abuja will

form part of coach Stephen Keshi’spreparations for a final round ofqualifiers for the 2013 Africa Cupof Nations in South Africa, whichwill be played between Septemberand October.

The Eagles are also billed foranother friendly most likely anAfrican team on August 15, whichis a FIFA free day. The foreign-basedpros will then be involved insubsequent matches.

Only home-based SuperEagles’ll tackle Arsenal

Gabriel Reuben

Adokiye Amesiemaka Chairman, Committee ofCourt of Arbitration for Sports on Wednesdaysaid that Tom Saintfeit’s decision to sue the

Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) depended on theterms of contract.

Saintfeit was hired by the NFF as the national teamsTechnical Director, but the contract was terminatedon tyhe order of the Minister of Sports, Mallam BolajiAbdullahi, who directed the NFF to hire an indigenouscoach instead.

Following the termination of the appointment, theNFF has insisted that there was no contract betweenthem and the Belgian while the latter argued to thecontrary.

Amesiemaka said yesterday that he was not awareof Saintfeit’s agreement with the NFF noting that ifthere was an agreement then Saintfiet’s case woulddepend on the terms of the contract.

“I am not aware of the sort of agreement betweenthe two parties but the terms of contract willdetermine whether the foreigner has a case or not,”he said.

According to him, the NFF did not handle Saintfeit’sappointment the right way for failing to seek theminister’s approval.

Amesiemaka quoted Section 19 of the NFF Act of2004 to back up his claim that the minister hasexecutive authority over the board of the NFF.

He said that the minister had the legal authority todirect the NFF on who should be hired as the country’stechnical director.

“This issue points to the direction of what I havebeen saying in the past. That is the law, even thoughthe NFA usually choose to deny it.

“The NFF should have cleared with the sportsminister before committing the Federal Governmentto that contract with a foreigner,’’ he said.

He called for the re-amendment of NFF’s Act of 2004if such responsibilities were to be carried out by theNFF.

PAGE 42 PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012

Tom Saintfiet

Aminu Maigari, NFF president

Emmanuel Amuneke, Golden Eaglets’assistant coach

The Special Olympics (S O) Nigeria, has urgedparents and guardians of children with intellectualdisabilities to allow their wards to participate in

sporting activities.The National Director of the Special Olympics, Ms

Folashade Bolumole made the call in Lagos stressing thatparents of such children should not be unduly secretiveabout their plight.

She said that S O Nigeria admitted children from eightyears and above with no maximum age limit.

“When it comes to participating in its quadrennialSpecial Olympics Games in Greece, there is nomaximum age.

“But when you have children with such challenges,give something they can live for and that keeps them

happy, sports is one special vocation that fascinatesthem.

“Parents have to wake up to the reality that theirbeautiful bundle of joy may never graduate from school,he or she may never get married and these are thingsthat bring joy to the parents ordinarily.

“Our organisation does not have an age limit forparticipation, we admit children from age eight andthere is no restriction as long as the parent or guardianbrings them to us,’’ she said.

Bolumole said that the excitement of the athletes wasalways obvious to all when they engaged in sportingactivities. She said that the trainers and parents wereeven more elated than the athletes at the end of the day.

“The excitement when they participate in their

various sports is powerful and they are passionate atwhat they do and at the end of the day their parents areproud of them.

Bolumole said that S O Nigeria also operated throughan initiative tagged: Family Support NetworkProgramme to encourage parents to understand thatthere were other parents with similar challenges.

“The essence of this is to help families and to bringthem together so that they will understand that thechallenge is the same with what some other families arealso experiencing.

“Special Olympics endeavours to keep its programmesvibrant and as it is, families are of inestimable value tothe wellbeing of these children and their mentalalertness,’’ Bolumole said.

Tunde Disu, a formercoach of the FlyingEagles has blamed the

non-transition of most age-grade football players inthe country to the nextlevel on the poor quality oftheir play.

He noted that most of theplayers were unable toraise the level of their gamethereby falling short of therequired standard at ahigher level.

‘’There is a standardrequired at the variousnational levels and allplayers cannot meet thelevel of play usuallyexpected of them at thelevel they are transiting to.

“It is not possible for allthe players that havefeatured in our age-gradecompetitions to make thenational team,’’ the formercoach said.

Disu,who coached the

Flying Eagles at the Saudi’89 version of the FIFA U-20 World Cup and theNigeria’99 edition of thecompetition, noted,however, that the coachusually called the shots.

‘’It is left to the coach todecide on the kind ofplayers he wants to invitefrom the junior team to thesenior team, if he hasabsolute confidence in suchplayers,’’ he said.

The former coach notedthat players such as NdukaUgbade, Nwankwo Kanuand Mikel Obi transitedfrom the age-grade teaminto the nation’s seniorteam.

Disu urged players in theage-grade teams to befocused and put in their bestwhenever they wereinvited for trials into thesenior national team.

“It is only through hardwork that they could excelno matter the level theytransit to,’’ he said.

Disu explains failure of age-gradeplayers at higher level

Sports essential for children with mental disabilities, says Special Olympics

Nsukka High School,the alma mater ofthe Ezinwa brothers,

may produce another star inthe sprints, going by a200m event for boysconcluded in Enugu onWednesday.

Mellitus Ugwuoke, SS-2student of the school, keptspectators and other athletesalike on the edge of the seatsas he galloped to the finishline in 22.53 seconds to winthe 200 metres final.

Ugwoke’s feat wasachieved at the Enugu StateSecondary Schools SportsFestival which winds downon Thursday.

The16-year-old wastrailed by Onyekwelu Ebubeof Government TechnicalCollege, Enugu, whoreturned in 23.11 seconds toplace second.

Stephen Okonkwo ofAwgu Technical School,Amoli, came third in 23.25seconds.

Ugwuoke told the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN)after receiving his medal thathe felt elated to win the final.

“I made 23 seconds at thezonal level, but thank God Ihave improved. I thank thestate government forimproving sports.

“I am working hard forthis year’s National SportsFestival,” he said.

In the girls’ category,Blessing Agu of GirlsSecondary School, Aku,came first in 27.06 seconds,followed by Stella Ikegbune

of Union Secondary School,Oji River, in second positionwith 27.45 seconds andEunice Ugwu of Queen ofRosary Secondary School,Nsukka, in 27.59 seconds.

Agu said: “I want torepresent the state at thenational level by God’sgrace.”

Following are otherresults from the festival:

800m BoysChijiokeEze - National

Grammar School, NikeEnugu - 2:09.33 seconds

CelestineOgbaje -Community Sec. School,Umuopu - 2:37.13

Ogbonna Okafor -Community Sec. School,Ukpata, Uzouwani - 2:11.08

800mGirlsMartina Idoko - Queens

School, Enugu - 2:32.30Juliet Ibe - Community

Sec. School, Mpu - 2:37.41Precious Okoro -

Community High School,Oduma - 2:38.96

3000m BoysAustine Akpa - Com. High

School, Oduma - 9:40.40Monday Odo - Isiuzo Tech.

College, Neke - 9:46.73Nnaemeka Ezeh -

Community Sec. School,Umuopu - 9:56.69

3000m GirlsEdith Odo - Community

Sec. School, Umuopu -11:00.72

Grace Ugwumba -Queens Sec. School, Enugu -11:20.53

Agnes Mba - CommunitySec. School, Owo - 11:46.10.

Saintfeit’s casedepends on terms ofcontract with NFF,Amesiemakadeclares

Nsukka High School onset to produce anotherEzinwa brothers


Nigerian school sports

Bolade Olayinka, ChiefCoach of Owena KingsHandball team, Akure,

says they are not particularabout winning the ongoingFederal Capital Territory (FCT)Open Championship but toshowcase their talents.

Olayinka spoke with theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN)on Wednesday, in Abuja, aftertheir match against the UnityBoys of FCT. The match ended23-20 in favour of Owena whichclaimed the maximum three

points.The coach said he was happy

that they made it to thecompetition and were makingpoints in their matches andimproving.

“We were able to make onepoint each in our two matchesbut in this game, we are notparticular about taking first orsecond position.

“But we are just here to showour talents and to telleverybody that there are someguys doing it right in Ondo

State,” he said.Olayinkasaid they could not

participate in the first phase ofthe competition because theywere unaware of it, but that theywere pleased to be in the secondphase to exhibit their skills.

“Just about two weeks ago,someone told us about it; and wedecided that even if the state willnot send us, we will bringourselves and show our skills,”he added.

On the match, Olayinka saidhe was happy with the outcome,

noting that the team hadimproved after it secured twopoints from its previous twogames.

He was grateful to God for thewin, attributing it to theirdefensive game.

His FCT counterpart,Abdulhakim Olukoju, said thathis team also tried even thoughthey did not carry the day.

According to him, OwenaKings are division one playersand cannot be compared withthe players he is grooming to

represent FCT at the18th National Sports Festival inLagos.

“We really played well and Ican say that because we areupcoming players, we triedbecause the other team is madeup of division one players.

“And they are a sports festivalteam; we are trying to build,”Olayinka said.

He said they would work ontheir defence against the nextmatch, noting that his side’sattack was okay.

Owena Kings Handball coach says team not out to win FCT Championship

Musa Amadu, Scribe NFF

The Nigeria Wushu Kung-fuFederation (NWKF) onWednesday advised

technical officials to sponsorthemselves to internationalseminars to get acquainted withthe current rules of the sport.

The NWKF Chief Referee, MrAlex James told the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos thatthe referees and coaches shouldnot be found wanting in thecurrent guiding principle ofWushu Kung-fu.

James said that the officials inrealising this purpose should notrely solely on support from thefederation or ministry to attendsuch important programme.

“Our technical officials mustbe on familiar terms with thecodes as stated by theinternational body, which theycan only achieve byparticipating in internationalseminars .

“They should also not wait forthe federation or ministry tosponsor them, but shouldendeavour to go on their ownbecause they require theknowledge to move forward,’’ hesa id .

The chief referee said thatparticipating in such seminarswould help to update thecurriculum vitae and as wellenrich the knowledge of suchofficials.

James said that being part ofsuch training programmeswould give the technical officialsmore opportunity to beconsidered for officiating ininternational official.

“Attending universalprogrammes will boost theircurriculum vitae and alsocreate the possibility of beingselected for internationalcompetit ions.”

According to him, having aNigerian referee in aninternational competitionencourages athletes as theirinterest will be protected againstany form of discrimination.

“The presence of a Nigerianreferee as an official in aninternational competition, givesconfidence to athletes becausethere will not be room for unfairjudgment by the officiatinggroup,” James said.

The NWKF official said thatsuch a development would assistin nurturing young athletes inthe right direction and create agood background for them toexcel in tournaments.

Mr Ayo Rahman, theExecutive Secretary ofthe Nigeria National

League (NNL) has pleaded withpotential sponsors for viablepartners with the footballfederation to help repackage andboost the profile of the league.

Rahman, who made the pleain Ilorin said that it was onlythrough sponsorship that theleague could improve from itscurrent position.

“The NNL is different from theNigeria Premier League (NPL)and need the support of partnersto make it more attractive. Themajor challenge we have issponsorship. The league is freshand it is a separate entity fromthe NPL.

“We are still scouting for

partners to come to the aid of thecompetition so that it could be ontelevision and to improve on thequality,’’ said he said.

Rahman said that the bodyhad successfully completed the2011/2012 season league onJune 13 from which four teamswere promoted to the elite NPL.

He listed the names of thenewly promoted teams as follows:El-Kanemi Warriors FC ofMaiduguri, Nassarawa United FCof Lafia, Lenbe City FC of Bayelsaand Balyelsa United of Yenagoa.

The secretary said that 12clubs were also relegated to thelower rung of the league andexplained that instead of eightclubs being relegated at the endof the season to Division One, 12clubs got relegated because of the

improvised inclusion of four extrateams.

The inclusion was fallout fromdecisions taken at the 2011football congress in Kaduna.

He stressed that thedevelopment gave room for fourgroups instead of the hitherto twogroups, saying that the leaguewould continue with normalgrouping of A and B next season.

It would be recalled that the2012/2013 NNL season wouldcommence on a yet to be decideddate in September.

“There was a consensus that wearrived at to accommodate fourextra clubs just for the 2011/2012 season and that at the endof the season, 12 clubs will drop.

“It is in the rules that guidedthe competition for 2011/2012season and all stakeholders wereaware of this. They were servedwith the rules,’’ he said.

NFF official begs for Nationalleague sponsorship

Wushu Kung-fucoaches,referees shouldbe trained, sayschief referee

The Lagos State VolleyballA s s o c i a t i o n( L S V A ) y e s t e r d a y

attributed the decline of thesport in secondary schools in thestate on the dearth ofcompetitions.

Taiwo Oladipupo, LSVATechnical Director, claimed thatthe anti-sports attitude of theschools was also responsible forthe decline of volleyball in thestate.

Oladipupo made the remarkat the opening of the maidenedition of the three-day Sen.Anthony Adefuye SecondarySchools Volleyball

Championships.The competition, which is

meant to raise volleyball talentsat the grassroots, holds from 10a. m. to 6 p.m. at the MobolajiJohnson Sports Centre, Yaba.

“In times like this, when thegame is dying, this competitionis aimed at reviving volleyballgame in schools, and to catchyoung talents from schools.

“We want to develop the

youths to know more about thegame, by involving the studentsin secondary schools, where thegame is either decaying or notpopular.”

Oladipupo, also the Head Coachof volleyball, called forcollaboration between theministries of education andsports, to whip up the students’interests, especially involleyball, and sports in general.

He said the association had lotsof programmes on ground, tonurture the volleyball athletessuch as the inter-clubscompetitions, includingincreased publicity for the sport.

Also speaking on the occasion,Martins Owolabi, the presidentof the association, said thecompetition was organised tohunt for volleyball athletes inschools, to revive the sport.

“The aim of this competitionis to hunt for talents from schoolsand develop them, to withstandtheir counterparts from theother parts of the world,”Owolabi said.

Owolabi urged otherindividuals and corporateorganisations to emulateAdefuye’s gesture by sponsoringvolleyball competitions, torescue the sport from dying.

Official blamesvolleyball decline ondearth of competitions


PUBLIC NOTICE

INITIATIVE FOR READINGCULTURE IN NIGERIA

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVENAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRSCOMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF THECOMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. CHARLES SUNDAY ODENIGBO.2. PRINCESS ROSELINE BIODUN ODENIGBO3. OLAYODE CHINONYE JOYAIMS AND OBJECTIVES:1. TO PROMOTE READING CULTURE.2. TO DEVELOP READING INITIATIVE IN CHILDREN, YOUTHS,ADULTS AND THE AGED IN NIGERIA.3. TO ORGANIZE PERIODIC READING COMPETITIONS AT ALLLEVELSANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDEDTO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRSCOMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSISTREET, P.M.B. 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN TWENTY-EIGHT (28)DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION.

SIGNED:BAR. CHARLES SUNDAY ODENIGBO

PUBLIC NOTICE

AKUDO GA.DO FOUNDATIONTHIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVENAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRSCOMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF THECOMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.THE TRUSTEES ARE:1.EMEKWUO AKUDO JEFFREY2.PISCIONERI NADIA3.PISCIONERI RAFFAELE4.ADJOH AUGUSTINE AKPOJOTORAIMS AND OBJECTIVES:1.TO AWARD SCHOLRASHIPS TO THE LESS PRIVILEDGEDCHILDREN IN THE SOCIETY.2.TO ENCOURAGE PROGRAMMES AIMED AT UPLIFTING THEINDIGENT AND TO ENCOURAGE THE EMPOWERMENT OF THEYOUTHS.ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDEDTO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRSCOMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSISTREET, P.M.B. 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN TWENTY-EIGHT (28)DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION.

SIGNED:CHIJIOKE EZEH ESQ.

Simon Magakwe

South African sprinting sensation Simon Magakwewon gold in the men’s 100m final on the secondday of the African Athletics Championships in

Cotonou, Benin, on Thursday.Magakwe, however, failed in his attempt to qualify

for the London Olympic Games as he posted a time of10.29 seconds falling short of the qualifying standard of10.18sec.

The 26-year-old has dipped below the qualifying markin the 100m six times in domestic meetings this seasonand also equalled Johan Rossouw’s national record of10.06sec.

Magakwe has been racing extensively this season andcould not replicate these performances on the Europeancircuit in recent months.

The African Championships offered Magakwe his lastchance to qualify with his dreams of reaching the Gamesin the 100m now lying in tatters.

Meanwhile, another South African LJ van Zyladvanced to the final of the men’s 400m hurdles on thesecond day of the African Athletics Championships inCotonou, Benin, yesterday.

Van Zyl, who has been struggling with injury,returned back to action from an injury forced breakfrom the track with a pedestrian time of 51.87 seconds.

His best time this season was an Olympic qualifyingtime of 49.42sec he ran at an inter-provincial meetingin April.

The South African record holder clocked the fourfastest times in the world in the 400m hurdles last year,

setting a new national record of 47.66sec at thebeginning of 2011.

With Van Zyl reaching the final he is still on track towin his fourth consecutive African title, a feat no otherathlete has achieved before.

Kenyan 3,000 metressteeplechase worldchampion and

London Olympic medalhopeful, Ezekiel Kemboi, isinvolved in a policeinvestigation into aviolent attack, seniorofficials said yesterday.

Kemboi, who wonOlympic gold in Athens in2004 and subsequentlywon the WorldChampionships titles inBerlin and Daegu in 2009and 2011, qualified for theLondon Games lastweekend.

“Kemboi came to thestation and recorded astatement that he wasattacked by thugs, but weare investigating thematter,” Isaac Musyoki,head of criminalinvestigations in UasinGishu county, toldreporters.

Local media quoted awoman called Ann Njerifrom hospital in the townof Eldoret as saying that

she had been drinkingwith Kemboi until late onWednesday night, andthat the runner attackedher when she declined hisadvances.

The Chef de Mission ofthe Kenyan team toLondon, Jonathan Koskei,said they were aware ofthe allegations that theathlete had been accusedof attacking a woman, butsaid they were waiting formore information.

“We are treating thematter as rumours untilthe athlete is arrested andthen we shall takeappropriate action,” saidKoskei, himself a seniorpolice officer.

Kemboi, who is also apolice officer, ran theseventh fasteststeeplechase of all time inMonaco last year, clocking7 minutes 55.76 seconds.

The London Olympicsgets underway with theopening ceremony on July2 7 .

Friday Omeben, aformer NationalSquash Champion,

has decried the lack ofcompetitions currentlybedeviling the sport in thecountry.

He said that thesituation had made itimpossible for squashplayers to participate incompetitions that wouldsharpen their skills andimprove their competitive

edge.Omeben, champion

in1980, implored theNigeria Squash Federation(NSF) to find ways to makethe federation more active.

The former champion,who noted that thefederation could onlyattract sponsors by havingvisible programmes,urged it to revamp itsmarketing department.

“Our players are not

getting the type ofexposure they need;normally in a season theyshould have regularcompetitions, now we can’teven boast of twotournaments in a year,’’he said.

Omeben regretted thatsquash was not the onlysport battling withinactivity as other sportsfaced a similar challenge,noting that coaches and

players were worried bythe development.

“The economic situationof the country is nothelping matters; theeconomic crunch is bitingharder. No sponsor wantsto partner if there are nobenefits; and there must bean incentive of sorts;.there must be derivablebenefits in place to enticethem,’’ he said.

On refresher courses,

Omeben said that the NSFhad not been able toorganise any for itscoaches.

“Well, since we can’ttravel out for refresher

courses, we regularlyacquaint ourselves withthe current trends in thesport through the internet,which has being helpful,’’he said.

Former squash champion decries decline in sport

World steeplechasechampion, Kemboi,in police probe

S/African Magakwe takes 100m gold in Benin

semifinalist two years ago,a foothold.

Pironkova relied on herpowerful serve to causeSharapova problems andthe world No 1 double-faulted three times in thetiebreak on the way tolosing it 7-3.

Sharapova, Wimbledonchampion in 2004,regrouped quickly, however,and roared through the thirdset in 29 minutes to set up a

match against Taiwan’sHsieh Su-wei.

Also, four-timeWimbledon championSerena Williams sailedeffortlessly into the thirdround with a crisplyefficient 6-1 6-4 victoryover Hungarian qualifierMelinda Czink.

Serena launched thematch with threedevastating aces in thefirst game and ended with10 aces to demoralise Czink,who could do nothingagainst the mightyWilliams firepower.

The second set was moreclosely fought but onebreak in the ninth gamewas enough to secureSerena a clash in the nextround with 2008Wimbledon semifinalistZheng Jie of China.

Women’s ninth seedMarion Bartoli of France,the runner-up to Venus

Williams in 2007, wasknocked out by Croatianqualifier Mirjana Lucic, 6-4, 6-3.

Lucic was a semifinalistin 1999 before her careerand personal life went intoa tailspin. But, at 30, she isenjoying a new lease of lifeon the tour.

Second seed VictoriaAzarenka reached thethird round with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Switzerland’sRomina Oprandi.

Defending championPetra Kvitova fired awarning to her title rivalsas the Czech raced into thethird round with a 6-0, 6-4 demolition of Britain’sElena Baltacha.

But the 22-year-old,who defeated MariaSharapova in last year’sWimbledon final, erasedthose doubts in convincingstyle in the eveningsunshine on Court Two.

Top seed MariaS h a r a p o v aovercame a second-

set wobble to beat TsvetanaPironkova 7-6 6-7 6-0 andreach the Wimbledon thirdround yesterday.

The match was haltedon Wednesday eveningwith the Russian leading 3-1 in the second set but shelost the first two games toallow BulgarianPironkova, a Wimbledon

Sharapova struggles, Serena rolls on

Maria Sharapova


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PICTORIALPICTORIAL1

After scoring the winning spot-kick againstPortugal in the UEFA EURO 2012 semi-finals,Cesc Fabregas has said he felt a "premonition"

things would go well for Spain and himself.

2England fly-half Charlie Hodgson and hookerLee Mears announce their retirements from

international rugby.

3James Anderson says the five-match seriesagainst Australia will show how far England

has progressed as a one-day side.

4Former England captain David Beckham is not

selected for the Great Britain football squadfor London 2012.

5Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Openchampion Darren Clarke are in action as the

Irish Open gets under way at Royal Portrush.

6Andy Murray wins the first set 7-5 againstbig-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic on Centre

Court.

7Jaime Alguersuari on Fernando Alonso's

European Grand Prix wins, MichaelSchumacher and the F1 title battle.


Barely six weeks to theend of the season,some premier league

clubs and theirmanagements, havechameleon-like returned tothe trenches either againstthe leadership of the NPLboard or the secretariat ofthe league or even both.

That’s to be expected.Soon before the start of theseason, some elements mayhave boasted before theirstate executives that theyhave the magic wane toturn around the soccerfortunes of their clubs.

Of course, some of themboast an intimidating profilein the game, and never coyabout flaunting them. Trustpoliticians, especiallydrowning ones, who wouldcling onto any availablestraw to stay alive.

These technocrats mayhave impressed with well

Of boycott threats andcomplaints of poor officiating WATCH DOG

ByPatrick Andrew

[email protected]

The Federal Road SafetyCommission (FRSC)Handball Coach,

Innocent Nwankwo onWednesday called on theprivate sector to increasesponsorship of handballchampionships to improverefereeing of the game.Nwankwo made the call atthe ongoing FCT HandballOpen Championshipcompetition in Abuja.

The Safety Babes of FRSCwho beat the Unity Girls ofFCT 32-23 goals are 11points clear of their FCTcounterparts.

The coach said thatthough his team won, heSerena Williams

Coach begs handball sponsorswas not happy with thestandard of officiatingbecause of the lack ofsponsorship by the privatesector.

“Sincerely, I am notreally happy with theofficiating because of thereferee they gave us today.

“His standard ofofficiating is far too low, butwe know that this is the firsttime this referees areofficiating a very highcalibre match like this.

“We want to use thisopportunity to appeal to theprivate sector to come in andgive us sponsorship for morechampionships. That is the

only way these referees canimprove,” he added.

He appealed to referees totry and officiate more atfriendly matches to helpthem improve theirstandard.

Nwankwo said that hisgirls had really tried toimprove compared to thefirst phase of thechampionship, adding thatthey hoped to win thetrophy at the end of thet o u r n a m e n t .

Abdulhakim Olukoju,the coach of FCT UnityGirls said that his girlsperformed so badly and didnot play according to

instructions.He further stated that

they did not have substituteplayers as most of hisplayers could not make itbecause of the crises in thenorthern part of thec o u n t r y .

“I will assess my girlswoefully because they didnot play to instructions,they did not try at all andthe officiating of the matchwas too bad.’’

He said that they wouldgo back and work on thelapses, adding that by nextmatch, the other playerswould be around and theyhoped to perform better.

‘I’ll ease Venus’spain at Olympics’

Former 110m HurdlesOlympic champion LiuXiang is set to celebrate

his 29th birthday on FridayJuly 13 by running inLondon - for the first time inhis career at the AvivaLondon Grand Prix atCrystal Palace.

Liu Xiang, China’s mosthigh-profile athlete, will bea highlight of the Fridayevening session at London’stwo-day Samsung DiamondLeague meet and he islooking forward to makinghis debut in the Britishcapital ahead of an extendedstay this summer for theOlympic Games.

“I am really excited to becompeting in London for thefirst time ever at the AvivaLondon Grand Prix. Theevent will be a greatopportunity for me toexperience the conditionsand atmosphere of theOlympic host city just twoweeks before the Games.”

After winning Olympicgold in Athens thendramatically being forced topull out of his home OlympicGames in Beijing four yearslater through injury, LiuXiang will attempt tobecome the first sprinthurdler ever to lose thenregain the Olympic title thiss u m m e r .

With the meet just twoweeks before the OlympicOpening Ceremony, Xiangwill use the Aviva LondonGrand Prix as the final leg ofhis race preparation for theGames.

“This will be my last racebefore the Olympic Games so Iwill be looking for a very strongperformance. The LondonDiamond League will be theperfect race for me to completemy preparation as I challengefor a second Olympic goldmedal this summer.”

Liu Xiang has looked backto his world-beating best thisoutdoor season afterimplementing a new stridepattern and remaininginjury-free over the winter.After two impressive wins inthe Samsung DiamondLeague events in Shanghaiand Eugene this year, he isrunning at near-World recordpace and believes that he is ontrack for glory in London.

Having left his rivalstrailing behind him

including Cuban Olympicchampion and World recordholder Dayron Robles in abarnstorming indoorvictory at the Aviva GrandPrix in Birmingham inFebruary, Liu Xiang makesno secret of his enjoyment at

Liu Xiang to debut atLondon Grand Prix -Samsung Diamond League

Liu Xiang

returning to British shoresfor an extended period thiss u m m e r .

The men’s 110m hurdlesheats and final will takeplace on Friday 13 July atthe Aviva London GrandPrix.

written thesis on how tosecure the league titles, wincontinental tickets and thusextend the profiles of theirstates executives.

Such successes are notachieved empty handed.Money, yes, good money areneeded, and the governorsare never shy from doling outlargesse they honestlybelieve will project theirimage, associate them withthe people, especially thepassionate soccer populacewho would readily praise-sing them to high heavensjust because they are“sports loving governors”.

The Orji Uzo Kalus, RotimiAmaechis, Liyel Imoke andmany others could becounted in that respect.Yet, when the season drawsto a close, the technocrats,many having nothing butfailure to show for the hugesums that runs into millions

of the naira that they mayhave through whatevertactics collected from thetilt of their states artfullyresorted to all manner ofaltercations with those theybelieved placed a hedge ontheir path for successes.

They see an easyscapegoat in the haplessreferees, NPL officials oreven players, whom they hadhitherto vouched for theircompetence and had in theprocess collected hugesign-on fees on their behalf.Forget that the fees thoughmay have ended up in theofficials’ private pocket.

Well, this explains spadesof match-fixing allegationswhich are rife in thedomestic league, but largelyunreported because suchacts are often neverdocumented.

But they do thrive andevery discernible football

manager knows,may haveparticipated inthe act, andtherefore easilyd i s m i s s e dthreats toboycott the league at latehours like this, blaringcomplaints against referees,the opponents’ fans,pitches, leadership of theNPL, its officials oftenaccusing these of one crimeor the other as mererantings of failed self-acclaimed technocrats.

That’s where one situatesthe current ranting by anofficial of the ABS FC, whohas threatened to withdrawthe club from the leagueshould the NFF appealcommittee fails to award itfree three points and threegoals against Sunshine FC.

What’s the grouse? Simple,the NPL organizing and

Disciplinary Committee hadawarded ABS FC board roompoints on the assumptionthat Sunshine Stars did nothonour an away game. Butone recalls that sameweekend that they werebilled to play ABS, they hada continental engagementwhich of course takespremium over the localencounter.

Sunshine Stars promptlyappealed the decision andsince the NFF hands allappeals they upturned thedecision of the O&D andordered a replay. The NFFas the custodian of the gamesimply referred their rulestaking cognizance of the

fact they were aware of thecontinental engagements ofSunshine Stars and actedaccordingly.

Yet, ABS officials withoutthe benefit of their appealand perhaps knowing theobvious have threatenedhellfire and brimstone. That’sridiculous and a disdain forthe rules of the game.

Heartland FC officials havealso joined the bandwagonof complainants againstreferees, poor state ofopponents’ pitches andhigh-handedness of the NPLsecretariat.

It would seem an openingto account for resourcesnot well used or unfulfilledpromises, has been found.

Serena Williams survived the Wimbledon Court Twotrap that swallowed sister Venus and pledged to easeher pain by successfully defending their Olympic

doubles gold next month.Serena eased into the second round on Tuesday with a 6-

2, 6-4 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the CzechRepublic as she targets a fifth Wimbledon title, but wasalready looking forward to returning to the All EnglandClub next month for the Games.

“I think it’s great. I really look forward to playing doubleswith her,” said Serena, after she and her sister wereconfirmed in the US Olympic team.

“At the end of the day we’re defending doubles champs,even though it’s been four years. So that will be kind of coolto get out there regardless and see what happens, and morethan anything, enjoy ourselves.

“I love playing doubles with her normally, but especiallyat the Olympics. It’s a whole ‘nother level.”

Venus’s loss on Monday to Russia’s Elena Vesnina was thefive-time champion’s worst Wimbledon defeat since 1997when she also went out in the opening round.

Serena refused to criticise organisers for putting her outon Court Two for the second year in succession, but admittedthat her sister’s defeat had helped spur her on.

“I’m over it. So I don’t care to talk about it,” said Serenawhen asked about her Court Two schedule. I’m not here totalk about Court Two, really. I just can’t talk about thatright now. I’m not in the mood.

“I don’t think she (Venus) felt her greatest going into thatmatch yesterday. But I always want to play even better ifshe’s out of the tournament.”

SPORTS LALALALALATESTTESTTESTTESTTEST

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Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza,Utako, Abuja. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos,Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 803 606 3308. e-mail: [email protected]: 2141– 6141

FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012

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Balotellidouble sendsItaly into final

In analyzing fiscalperformance across thevarious regions and political

platforms to assess the variousstate governments in deliveringtheir electoral mandates, our focusthis week is on the small, North-Central state of Nasarawa. We tooka fortnight’s break to allow for theventilation of contrasting views onAnambra’s misguided andprofoundly dysfunctional budget.

Nasarawa is the only state inthe country which succeeded inelecting a governor under theplatform of the Congress forProgressive Change (CPC) toreplace the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) incumbent. The CPCis a leading opposition party thatstands for integrity, social justiceand good governance and with theelection, the hopes for a Nasarawawhich exemplifies diligence,accountability, exemplaryleadership and judicious use ofgovernment funds were hinged onUmaru Tanko Al-Makura fromMay 29, 2011.

Governor Al-Makura wastrained as a teacher at the Collegeof Education, Uyo and AhmaduBello University, Zaria. He wentinto the private sector in 1978 viaAl-Makura Nigeria Limited whichimported and servicedagricultural and industrialmachinery. With the capitalaccumulated, he ventured intoreal estate and propertydevelopment in Abuja and otherlocations under the name of Ta'alNigeria Limited.

He began his foray into politicsfrom his student days in Uyo,which continued in ABU Zaria,culminating in his election as NPNYouth Leader of the then Plateaustate around 1980. Al-Makura wasone of the founding members of PDPin Nasarawa state in 1998. Hedefected to the CPC in 2010 andcontested in 2011; ousting the thenincumbent PDP governor of thestate, Aliyu Akwe-Doma.

Nasarawa state, known as the“Home of Solid Minerals” wascreated on the 1st of October, 1996by the Abacha Administration. Itis bound in the north by Kadunastate, in the west by Abuja, theFederal Capital Territory, in thesouth by Kogi and Benue states andin the east by Taraba and Plateaustates. It is the second least populousstate in the country just ahead ofBayelsa with a total headcount of1,869,377 as at 2006.Nasarawa’s population todayshould be at par with Botswana (2

reserves of Barite (750,000 MT),glass sand, salt/brine, kaolin(45,000 MT), tourmaline, sharpsand, tin, marble, coal, semi-precious stones includingaquamarine. It has ample arableland where almost any crop canbe grown. The major crops growninclude maize, rice, sorghum,millet, cowpea, groundnut, yam,cassava, soyabeans, beniseed,melon, bambara nuts. Nasarawastate has huge tourism potentials.Potential tourist attractionsinclude the Farin Ruwa falls(comparable to the popularVictoria Falls in Zambia), theEggon rolling hills and caves andHunki Lake in Awe.

According to the NBS PovertyProfile 2012 based on data upto2010, of the population of theNorth Central zone, 61.9% isrelatively poor, 57.4% isabsolutely poor, 38.6% is food poor– an irony indeed for a zone withsuch generous agriculturalendowments. In North-Central,59.7% live on less than a dollar aday. Ideally, the region should havethe lowest food poverty rates butthe South-South (35.5%) andSouth-West (25.4%) score lower inthat regard. In terms of absolutepoverty, the region fares betterthan the other northern

Nasarawa’s budgetof social inclusion

Italy extended theirremarkable strangleholdon Germany when two

superb first-half goals by MarioBalotelli gave them a 2-1 winin an excellent Euro 2012semifinal yesterday and a placein Sunday's final against Spain.

Balotelli connected with acurling Antonio Cassano crossto head the opener after 20minutes then ran on to a longRiccardo Montolivo pass beforelashing in an unstoppablesecond after 36 as the Italianstook full advantage of some loosedefending.

Three times championsGermany, who had neverbeaten Italy in their sevenprevious major tournamentmeetings, rallied late in thegame and Mesut Ozil converteda penalty in added time afterFederico Balzaretti had handledin the area but it came too late.

Germany had earlier goneclose when Gianluigi Buffontouched a Marco Reus free kickonto the bar after 62 minutesand had a deflected MatsHummels shot cleared off theline in the early stages. But Italygrew in confidence and couldhave added a third goal whenClaudio Marchisio twice shotjust wide.

The final against holdersand world champions Spainin Kiev is a rematch of theteams' group meeting thatfinished 1-1.

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

. . . putting the people first

million) and higher than those ofGambia (1.8 million) and Gabon(1.5 million).

Since its independence in1966, Botswana has had one of thefastest growth rates in per capitaincome in the world and this wasmainly achieved by theirexploration of mineral resources inthe country. Gabon on the otherhand, depended heavily onmanganese production forrevenues until oil was discoveredin the 70s. Ironically forNasarawa, other than theminerals in its adopted alias, notmuch has been done in the area ofmining.

The state has several proven

counterparts but is worse than allthe southern regions. In the region,apart from Niger, Nasarawa hasthe lowest food poverty (26.8%),absolute poverty (60.4%), andrelative poverty (71.4%). Theincome inequality rateimpressively reduced by - 2.7%between 2004 and 2010.Nasarawa’s poverty incidence isrelatively high at 39%, whichmeans that more than one out ofevery three persons is poor:compared to one in seven for Lagos,and more than half – 58% in Yobe,the poorest state in Nigeria.

Nasarawa has anunemployment level of 21.6%similar to the National average of21.1%, as compiled by the NBS in2010. Besides Benue in the regionwith a higher figure (25.4%), allother North Central states havelower unemployment rates withPlateau having the lowest(14.4%). The figure is highcompared to Ekiti state (14%)which was created in the sameyear. On a slightly brighter note,Nasarawa is the 18th easiest stateto do business in Nigeria accordingto the 2010 World Bank rankings.It ranks 12th in terms of ease ofstarting a business. Rather thanhave unemployed people loiter thestate, the government has aunique opportunity to encourageentrepreneurship and smallbusinesses.

Educationally, the state’srecent history has not beenimpressive. A look back some yearsago, for which data is available,WAEC pass rates of 5 creditsincluding Mathematics andEnglish have continuouslydeteriorated; 2004 (5.84%), 2005(4.72%), 2006 (3.01%) and 2007(1.77%) under incompetent PDPmisrule. The North-Central zonehas the lowest adult literacy inany language (61.9%) andNasarawa is one of the least literatestates in the North Central region(47.5%). The 2011 UTME figuresare not any better. The state hadthe lowest percentage for theaverage cut-off mark of 180 andabove in the zone with 43.2% whileKwara had achieved a 74.8% passrate. Hopefully, the current CPCgovernor, with his teachingbackground would focus andchannel more resources toeducation.

These statistics sadly are areflection of the norm in thenorthern part of the country withlow literacy rates, poor WAEC pass

Gov. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura

NNNNNASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RASIR EL-RUFUFUFUFUFAIAIAIAIAION FRIDON FRIDON FRIDON FRIDON FRIDAAAAAYYYYY

[email protected]

“Educationally, the state’s recent historyhas not been impressive. A look back

some years ago, for which data isavailable, WAEC pass rates of 5 creditsincluding Mathematics and English havecontinuously deteriorated; 2004 (5.84%),2005 (4.72%), 2006 (3.01%) and 2007(1.77%) under incompetent PDP misrule

Contd. on Page 36Mario Balotelli

peoples daily newspaper, friday, june 29, 2012

Documents

makura page

bribery page

toarraign ehindero page

subsidy probe report

police fires

revelations ofthe house

stagea rally

planned protest