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Vol. 9 No. 66 Monday, November 12, 2012 Zhul-Hajj 27, 1433 AH N150 . . . putting the people first

FRONT PAGE COMMENT

JTF’s war without rules in Borno, Yobe

Contd on Page 12

Last week, Amnesty International, ahuman rights watch bodyoperating worldwide, issued itsreport about the human rights situation in Nigeria, especially as

this relates to the conduct of our armedforces and the official response to theinsurgency in the Northern part of thecountry. Earlier, in October, HumanRights Watch, a no less respectedorganisation, also issued its own reporton the same situation. Notunexpectedly, both reports were

damning in their assessments of theNigerian State’s handling of especiallythe insurgency by the Boko Haram sectthat has been raging now for nearlythree years, with devastatingconsequences, in the North-East andparts of North-West regions of thecountry.

While condemning the sect for itsmurderous campaigns of killings,targeted assassinations, bombings andattacks on worship places and evenschools, the reports of the two bodies

came out even harder on thegovernment and the armed forces. Bothreports accuse the armed forces of notonly the usual highhandedness andimpunity, but of much worse. Citingwitnesses, who for obvious reasons arenot named, the two reports accuse thearmed forces, operating as joint taskforces (JTFs) in the troubled areas, ofextra-judicial killings, summaryexecutions, arbitrary arrests, torture intheir detention camps, subjecting

Fracas disruptsconstitution reviewhearing in Jigawa

Boko Haram: Bornodemands special

intervention fund>> PAGE 2 >> PAGE 6

Anxiety in Enuguas Chimeprolongs leave>> PAGE 4

Governor Kwankwaso and other awardees holding their awards in a group photograph,yesterday in Dubai. He was given Lifetime Achievement Award by the Centre forExcellent Award, Dubai, for his efforts in improving the lives of youth and women.

Photo: Govt. House, Kano

Ribadu report: Oil thieves areJonathan’s men – el-RufaiFrom Mike Etim, Uyo

As the controversy over thereport of the Nuhu Ribaduled Special Task Force on

Petroleum Revenue heightens,former Federal Capital Territory(FCT) Minster, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has told Nigerians not toexpect any pro-people actionfrom the Presidency saying thosebehind the corruption in the oilsector are friends of theJonathan’s administration.

El-Rufai, who spoke at theTeachers Award of Excellenceceremony organized by theInoyo Toro Foundation in Uyo,Akwa Ibom state capital,weekend said those stealing thenation’s oil money which hasresulted in the removal ofsubsidy and attendant high fuelprice and acute shortage ofproducts were friends of theadministration who bankrolledthe election of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan in 2011.

The Ribadu report whichreflected a study of themanagement of oil revenue since1999 indicted top governmentfunctionaries including those ofthe current administration ofmassive abuses and diversion offunds amounting to trillions ofnaira. But the Presidency haddisparaged the report saying itwas untenable

Commenting on thedevelopment, el-Rufai saidNigerians should not expect theadministration to take anyaction against the oil thievesadding that it was clear to him

Contd on Page 2

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Oyo declares 7 daysof mourning as LamAdesina dies at 73,

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012PAGE 2

Boko Haram: Borno demandsspecial intervention fund

Contd from Page 1

Ribadu report: Oil thieves are Jonathan’s men – el-Rufai

By Lawrence Olaoye …says attacks targeted on ANPP chieftains

that nothing would come out ofthe investigations conducted byseveral panels including that ofRibadu and those conducted bythe National Assembly.

“So it is naïve for anyone toexpect people that financedelection would be sent to jail. Noit does not happen. They are allbirds who flock together, theformer minister said.

Stating that he warned,Nuhu Ribadu not to take up theassignment, el-Rufai said heknew that the government didnot have the intension ofadopting the report that thecommittee would come out withno matter how well the Ribadudid the job.

“I know my brother Nuhu, heis a very competent publicservant and when he is given anassignment, he tries to do it tothe best of his ability. I did notagree with him doing theassignment because I know thisgovernment is insincere. This

government has shown nocommitment in fightingcorruption in the oil industry, Iknow Nuhu, I have worked withhim and I do not doubt that hedid his best in this assignment”,the former minister asserted.

He said he was not surprisedthat attempts were being madeto rubbish the report asaccording to him, the currentadministration was benefitingfrom the rot in the sector.

Indicting governmentofficials of abuses and fraud, theRibadu report revealed thatsuccessive ministers ofPetroleum Resources as well asofficials of the Nigeria NationalPetroleum Corporation (NNPC)engaged in secret cut-price dealswith multinational oilcompanies to facilitate thesyphoning of billions of dollars oiland gas revenue over the lastdecade.

It revealed that the officialshanded out discretionarylicenses selling the nation’s

crude without a formalcontract to facelessinternational oil traders whowere not “on the approvedmaster list of customers whichpaved way for the syphoningof the nation’s earning.

It recommended that theNNPC should be scrapped whilean independent review of theuse of traders be set up and atransparency law be passedrequiring oil companies todisclose all payments made toNigeria.

But reacting, thePresidency, through the SeniorSpecial Assistant to thePresident on Public Affairs, Dr.Doyin Okupe, said the TaskForce report was inconclusiveand therefore untenable ontechnical grounds.

Okupe said the committeecould not verify and reconcilefacts thereby making it“impossible under our laws toindict or punish anybodyexcept and until the Federal

Government fully verifies andreconciles the facts asrecommended by thecommittee in its submission tothe government”.

Currently, there issustained demand byprofessional groups, oppositionparties and other stakeholdersthat the report be publishedand its recommendationsimplemented by the FederalGovernment.

Meanwhile, earlier at theUyo event, el-Rufai challengedthe President to issue an orderthat all public office holders inthe country should send theirchildren to public schoolsinstead of private schools. Helamented that the standardSchool has fallen because of theneglect of government. He saidif the children of topgovernment functionaries werein public schools, the qualityand standard of the schools willimprove.

Borno state government atthe weekend called on theFederal Government to

consider the possibility ofgranting the state a specialintervention fund for it to rebuildthe ruin done by the dreadedBoko Haram sect.

Fielding questions fromnewsmen at the weekend, thestate Commissioner for HomeAffairs, Information andCulture, Inuwa Bwala, alsolamented that the FederalGovernment has never found itexpedient to send a officialdelegation to the state tophysically assess the situationsince the beginning of theinsurgence.

He pointed out that stateswith incidence of less intensityhad been considered for statevisit by President GoodluckJonathan and his officials. Hehowever concluded that Bornomay have been ignored with itsproblem because of the fact thatit is being governed by theopposition.

He said “We feel we have beengiven this kind of treatmentbecause we are in the opposition.No government official from theposition of the minister hasvisited us to advise on the wayforward. Borno is not happy thatnone of these officials has visitedthe state.”

Bwala equally noted thatonly the chieftains of the AllNigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)have always fallen victims of thedecimating machineries of theinsurgents in the state.

He alleged that the BokoHaram insurgency has become

a perfect alibi for politicians inthe state to settle scores.“Greater number of the attacksare political; all killed so far aremembers of the ANPP; none fromthe Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the state has ever fallenvictims; politicians find the BokoHaram as perfect alibi to attacktheir opponents; businessmenhide under the Boko Haram tosettle scores,” Bwala lamented.

The informationCommissioner added “Thehostility against the ANPPgovernment in Borno state iseither to undermine us or todestroy us.”

According to him, somepeople have been sponsoringassassinations and wreckinghavoc in the state using BokoHaram as cover up for theirnefarious activities.

“What many people do nottend to understand is the factthat there is more to the wholecrisis than just an insurgency.While we cannot deny that wehave that ideological problemthat has snowballed intoviolence, greater number of theincidents these few days arepurely cases of politicalintimidation from ouropponents. If you look at the rollcall of people affected, you willagree with me that there is aserious political underpin.

“We are also aware thatarmed robbers and other relatedcrimes have often found a goodalibi in the Boko Haramsituation to wreck havoc on thestate. The danger in all these isthe possible extinction of our

future productive force and thefuture effect can be betterimagined.

Some of the ANPP chieftainsthat have been killed includeAwana Ngala, Chairman ANPPand cousin to Ali Sheriff; AlhajiModu Fannami Gubio, ANPPgubernatorial candidate also acousin to Ali Sheriff; Alhaji GoniModu Sheriff, younger brotherto Sen. Ali Sheriff; Alhaji LawanYarayi, former ChairmanKukawa local government;Alhaji Lawan Kabu, formerChairman Damboa localgovernment; Alhaji Kadiri Kaza,former Chairman Mongumo

local government.Others include Alhaji B.K also

former Chairman Mongunolocal government; HajiyaBayayi, female CouncillorMaiduguri Metropolitan; AuduAli (Datti) Councillor MaiSandari MaiduguriMetropolitan; Alhaji MustaphaFulawa, a close friend of Sheriff;Alhaji Bukar Goni Kolo, a closefriend of Sheriff; Engr. Isa ModuNgaram, General ManagerBorno Housing Corporation;Barrister Zannah Malam Gana,Commissioner for Justice; Gen.Mamman Shuwa, ANPP Boardof Trustees, and party elder.

CBN staff arrested for joiningdeputy governor’s convoyFrom Iliya Garba, Minna

A middle-aged man wasattested by the police inNiger state for forcefully

joining the convoy of the Nigerstate deputy governor, AhmedMusa Ibeto.

An eyewitness reliablyinformed our correspondentthat the accused who wasdriving a Mercedes Benz C240car along Minna-Suleja roadsuddenly defied protocol andforced himself into the convoyby overtaking the last sweepersecurity car – positioninghimself in between the deputygovernor’s car and the pilot car.

Furthermore, the securityagents attached to the deputy

governor became hostile afterseveral appeals to the accusedto pull out of the convoy.

It was gathered that some ofthe armed mobile policemeneven attempted shooting but theaccused was adamant followingwhich they had to block the roadand eventually apprehendedhim.

Consequently, the accusedwho came out and identifiedhimself as one LawrenceAdekayaro and a staff of theCentral Bank of Nigeria said hewas rushing to attend animportant meeting in Abuja.

The security agents thenhanded him over to the policein Lambata town in Gurara localgovernment area of the state.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012 PAGE 3

President Goodluck Jonathan (third right) with other ECOWAS Heads of State duringthe Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governmentheld in Abuja yesterday. Photo: Joe Oroye

Jonathan advocatesintervention forcein Northern MaliBy Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

President GoodluckJonathan has called foran intervention force to

flush out extremists innorthern Mali and avoid “costlyconsequences” for thecontinent.

The President spokeyesterday in Abuja at theextraordinary session of theAuthority of Heads of Statesand Heads of Governments ofthe Economic Community ofWest African States (ECOWAS).

“Nigeria fully supports therecommendations of Chiefs of

Defence Staff for an interventionforce to be deployed immediatelyto Mali to help restore order andstability there.

“This will be consistent witha UN resolution authorising theuse of force to flush out the rebelsand anarchists that have turnedthe northern part of thatcountry into a lawless zone. Thiswe must do to avert costlyconsequences, not only on Malibut on the entire sub-region andAfrica in general”.

The emergency meeting ofWest African leaders was calledto plot a military strategy towrest control of northern Mali

from terror groups as fearsgrow over the risks theextremists pose to the regionand beyond.

ECOWAS CommissionPresident, Kadre DesireOuedraogo has said the blocshould pursue a dual approachof dialogue and militarypressure.

According to acommunique issued after theclosed door meeting of theleaders yesterday night, statedthat the resolutions also applyto Guinea Bissau which isembroiled in similar politicalcrisis.

IGR fraud:Reps beamsearchlightson varsities,polytechnicsBy Lawrence Olaoye

Worried by allegations offraudulent activities ofthe heads of the

nation’s universities andpolytechnics who pocketsubstantial amounts of theirinternally generated revenue,the House of Representativeshas opened a probe into theiractivities.

The House chairman,committee on Public Accounts,Rep Solomon Adeola whoexpressed displeasure about thestartling revelations on theway and manner vicechancellors and rectors diverttheir institutions’ resources inaddition to their annualbudgetary appropriations, saidsuch would not be allowed tocontinue.

Adeola who sent back sixuniversities chancellors whenthey could not give properaccount of their IGR,threatened that the committeewould refer any vice chancellorfound wanting to the Economicand Financial CrimesCommission for prosecution.

He wondered that seriousfraudulent practices typical ofthe fuel subsidy scam mayhave be happening in the ivorytowers for a very long timewithout checks, noting thatthese universities’management spent their IGRwithout seeking approval fromthe National Assembly.

Civil societybody protestsBoko HaraminsurgencyFrom Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

Members of northerncivil society groups atthe weekend rode on

bicycles, covering a distance ofabout 40 kilometres withinKaduna metropolis to protestactivities of the Boko Haramsect in the north.

Tagged: “Cyclists for Peaceand Freedom in the north”, thecivil society groups, incollaboration with the Kadunastate cyclists’ association, tookoff from the Mando roundaboutat about 7.30 am and laterconverged on Murtala Squarewhere the convener, MalamShehu Sani, president of CivilRights Congress (CRC),addressed the gathering, underthe watchful eyes of securitypersonnel and members of theFederal Road Safety Corps(FRSC).

By Lawrence Olaoye

The Northern StatesGovernors Forum(NSGF), has paid tribute to

the late former governor of Oyostate and elder statesman,Alhaji Lam Adesina, saying hisdeath marked the end of aglorious era.

Chairman of the forum andGovernor of Niger state, DrMu’azu Babangida Aliyu, saidthe late Adesina was a truenationalist who lived apurposeful life of dedication tothe cause of Nigeria’s unity anddevelopment as well ascommitment to the upliftmentof the citizenry.

In a statement signed byGovernor Aliyu’s Chief PressSecretary, Danladi Ndayebo, theforum described the late ActionCongress of Nigeria (ACN)

Northern govs pay tribute to late Lam Adesinachieftain as a loyal party manand a diligent, principledperson, who stood on the side ofthe people at all times.

“From his days as anewspaper columnist throughhis election into the House ofRepresentatives, to his elevationto the position of the governor ofOyo state, and his life in

retirement, Adeshina remainedwith the people,” the statementsaid.

The forum said the besttribute that Nigerians can payto the late Oyo helmsman is tore-dedicate themselves to theethos of nationalism, nationbuilding, democracy and lovefor one another.

It called on the Oyo stategovernment to honour thememory of the former GovernorLam Adeshina to serve as aninspiration to the youngergeneration of Nigerians.

The forum prayed thefamily he left behind thefortitude to bear the loss.

…he was redoubtable democrat - AtikuFormer Vice President Atiku

Abubakar has said thedeath of former Oyo state

governor, Alhaji Lam Adesina,has robbed Nigeria of a vibrantvoice of democracy.

In a tribute to Adesinacontained in a statement by hismedia office in Abuja, the formerPDP presidential aspirant notedthat despite his age, the lategovernor of defunct Alliance for

Democracy (AD) was activelyengaged in the struggle to protectour democracy from dictatorship.

Driven by a remarkablecourage of conviction, he said,Adesina was never hesitant tospeak the truth to power, despitethe potential dangers of officialintimidations and harassment.

Atiku, who described Adesinaas a reliable friend of the people,praised his virtues of selflessness

to public service.The former Vice President

also said that Adesina belongedto a rare generation of politicianswho perceived democracy as acall to selfless service rather thanan opportunity to enrichthemselves.

According to Atiku, the besttribute Adesina’s admirers couldpay to him was to practice hisvirtues of service with integrity.

Nigerianvarsities arecentres ofignorance– FikaFrom Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

A former Secretary to theGovernment of theFederation and Head of

Service, Malam Adamu Fika,(Wazirin Fika), has revieweddevelopments in the nation’stertiary institutions concludingthat Nigerian universities havebecome centres of ignorance,decadence and culturalretrogression.

He spoke at the weekend inZaria where delivered a publiclecture on the vision and missionof the founding fathers of theAhmadu Bello University, as partof activities to mark theuniversity’s 50th anniversarycelebrations and the presentationof a Book on ABU at 50.

While commending ABU forbeing academic and practical,Fika blamed the falling standardof education in the country onrecurrent strikes by members ofthe Academic Staff Union ofUniversities (ASUU), failure ofgovernment to live up to itsfinancial responsibilities in theeducation sector, academiccorruption in the country, sexualharassment on campuses, cultismand examination malpractices,among other factors.

He said: “The universitycampuses in Nigeria today are nolonger the home of knowledge;that secure, peaceful andconducive environment forimparting and exchange of ideas.It is slowly descending to the abyssas a house of ignorance, decadenceand cultural retrogression.

“This university needs acarefully drawn, ambitious-driven, but realistic 50-yeardevelopment plan to take it to2062.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012PAGE 4

L-R: Director, Planning Research and Statistics, National Primary Health Care Development Agency(NPHCDA), Dr. Emmanuel Odu, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, NPHCDA, Dr. Ado Muhammadand Head, Homes Coordination Office of the Executive Director, Dr. Dorathy Nwodo, during the pressbriefing on the 2012 World Pneumonia Day, at the weekend, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Oyo declares 7 days of mourningas Lam Adesina dies at 73

Governor Abiola Ajimobi ofOyo state, yesterdayannounced the passing

away of former Governor of Oyostate, Alhaji Lamidi OnaolapoAdesina.

Alhaji Adesina, a nationalleader of Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN) and the rallyingpoint of ACN in Oyo state, diedearly yesterday (Sunday)morning at St. Nicholas Hospital,Lagos during a protracted illness.

He would have been 74 nextJanuary.

The former governor, whosehealth recently deteriorated,thus necessitating his admissionfirst to the University CollegeHospital (UCH), Ibadan andlater, St. Nicholas Hospital,Lagos, has buried at his Felele,Ibadan residence at 4 pmaccording to Islamic rites.

Meanwhile, the stategovernment has declared aseven-day mourning period forthe departed elder statesman

The Kaduna stategovernment has sacked atotal of about 4,000

primary and secondary schoolteachers. Governor PatrickYakowa who confirmed thedevelopment at the weekend,explained that the move wasaimed at ensuring quality andvibrant education for pupils andstudents.

“We have assessed and verifiedthe quality of all teachers in bothprimary and secondary schoolswhich shows us that nearly 50percent of teachers in our primaryschools lack the requiredqualifications to teach”, Yakowasaid on the occasion of the nationalgraduation ceremony of theNational Teachers’ Institute, onSaturday.

According to Yakowa, theverification exercise also exposedabout 4,000 teachers who wereemployed with fake certificates.

As he put it, “this is indeedvery alarming as it portendsserious danger to the future of theyoung generations we hope to takeover from us.

“The quality of education werequire for our children is too dearfor us to toy with. We could onlyentrust our children in the careof high caliber and qualifiedteachers who can deliver totransform their lives…”

Earlier, the NTI Director-General, Dr. Aminu LadanShaheru, said that the institutesdistance learning programmeswere being handled by seasonedand dedicated centre managersand course tutors who conducttutorial sessions and othercounseling services to students.

and former teacher of GovernorAjimobi, during which all officialstate functions will be suspendedand the national flag flown athalf mast.

A statement issued by theSpecial Adviser to the Governoron Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo,quoted Governor Ajimobi asdescribing Alhaji Adesina as “adedicated patriot, foremostdefender of democracy andhuman rights, and political war-horse who had always stood onthe side of truth”.

Kadunasacks 4,000teachers

From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

…Jonathan eulogisesPresident Goodluck

Jonathan has expressedsadness over the passing

away of former governor of Oyostate, Alhaji Lam Adesina whosedeath was announced yesterdaymorning.

On behalf of himself, theFederal Government and allNigerians, President Jonathanextended heartfelt condolences toAlhaji Adesina’s family and the

government and people of Oyostate.

According to a statementsigned by his spokesman, Dr.Reuben Abati, “the Presidentjoins late Alhaji Adesina’sfamily, relatives, friends,associates and all who knew himin mourning the renownededucationist and political leaderwho devoted his entire adult lifeto working for the progress of hispeople and the nation”.

The statement continued:

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

“President Jonathan believesthat Alhaji Adesina’sindefatigability in politicalstruggles as well as his honesty,integrity, sincere commitmentand dedication to the service ofhis people before and during histenure as governor haveensured that he will be honouredand remembered by present andfuture generations as anexemplary leader who did hisutmost best to improve the livesof his people.

Fifty days after GovernorSullivan Chime began hisannual vacation, anxiety

is mounting in Enugu state overhis whereabouts.

Many residents of the coal citywho spoke with the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) at the weekend,expressed worries that thegovernor has over-stayed abroad,but his aides and party chieftainssay there is no cause for alarm.

The state’s Commissioner forInformation, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke,said the governor took hisaccumulated vacation as he hadnot taken his annual leave sincehe became governor in 2007.

Ugwoke explained that thegovernor handed over to hisdeputy, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi,who was fully in charge of thestate’s administration.

“Activities have been on.There is no activity ofgovernment that slowed downbecause you realise that there isan acting governor who is fullyin-charge.

The commissioner said thegovernor would return as soon ashis vacation was over, pointingout that he had not exceeded theduration of his vacation.

In his own reaction, theChairman of ACN in the state,Mr. Emeka Udeh, said theprolonged absence of thegovernor was unhealthy forgovernance.

Udeh said the governor wasentitled to his vacation but thatwhere it became too long, thepeople also had the right to beworried.

“It is not healthy for the state.I don’t know if the deputygovernor has all the executivepowers in his acting capacity.But what I want is that the statemust be working”, he said.

On his part, the chairman ofPDP in the state, Chief Vita Abba,said there was nothing unusualabout the governor’s absence.

“There is nothing unusualregarding the governor’sabsence. He is a governor whohas been on seat for the past sixyears and taking a consolidatedleave.

The chairman of the NLC inthe state, Mr. Chukwumaife Nze,described the governor’s absenceas the ‘beauty of democracy’.

“I believe that it is democracyin action in the sense that thereis a provision in the constitutionfor acting governor, dependingon the circumstance around.

Meanwhile, other residentswho expressed worry overChime’s absence felt it wasunusual and abnormal for thegovernor to stay more than onemonth outside the state.

Some civil servants whospoke on condition of anonymitysaid his prolonged absence hadgiven room for rumourmongering and speculation.

NAN recalls that thegovernor left the country onSept. 22. (NAN)

Anxietymounts inEnugu asChimeprolongs leave

... He was a progressive to the core – Mark

Senate President David Markhas described formergovernor of Oyo state,

Alhaji Lam Adesina as aprogressive who stood on the sideof the people at all times.

Senator Mark in a condolencemessage to the government andpeople of Oyo, said Adesina would

By Richard Ihediwa be remembered for his passion,selfless service and love for theordinary man.

He lamented that Adesinadied at a time when his wealthof experience andadministrative acumen wereneeded to navigate through themurky political waters at themoment.

According to Mark, “death is

a necessary end that must comewhen it shall. We are howeverconsoled that late Adesinacontributed positively to thedevelopment of the societyduring his life time. He left anindelible footprint on the sand oftime. He left a legacy of serviceto the society, honesty andcommitment to the ideals ofnation hood”.

In order to promote thecultivation of cotton, Bauchistate has given approval for

the establishment of a cottonginnery to West African CottonCompany (WACOT).

WACOT’s chief executiveofficer, Mr. Tembe Ravi at ameeting with the Bauchi statecommittee on revival of cottonproduction, recalled that of themore than 30 cotton ginneries inthe country, only about five or sixof them are in operation with farbelow installed productioncapacity.

“What is happening now isthat there are more than 30 cottonginneries in Nigeria but only fiveor six are operational at 25% orbelow capacity operation; so thereis heavy competition to buycotton seeds in whatever form itcomes”, Ravi said.

Ravi noted that Bauchi andKatsina states have for long beenin the forefront in cottonproduction in the country, butregretted that cotton productionin the two states has been on thedecline in the last 20 years.

According to him, WACOT

also has a separate company forquality seeds control which is nowwaiting for the FederalGovernment for a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU), as wellas specialised insecticides andchemical stimulants.

The Bauchi state deputy

governor, Alhaji Sagir AminuSaleh, had earlier disclosed thatBauchi is targeting to register 10,000 cotton farmers in the statefollowing the aggressivesensitisation drive by the cottonproduction revival committee setup by the government in May

this year.Alhaji Saleh who is also the

chairman of the committee, saida number of 1,020 cotton farmerswere identified and registered thisyear, as government also targetsto register 5, 000 in 2013 fiscalyear.

Cotton ginnery to be established in Bauchi

From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012PAGE 6

VicePresidentNamadiSambobeingwelcomedby theGovernor ofPlateaustate, GrpCapt. JonahJang duringhisinspectiontour of thefloodaffectedarea ofPlateau statein Shendamlocalgovernmentarea onSaturday

Review willimprove livingstandard ofNigerians - Kuta

The chairman Senate Committeeof Federal Character, SenatorDahiru Awaisu Kuta, has

advocated that the on-going 1999public hearing on constitutional reviewbeen coordinated by the NationalAssembly would basically improvedthe living standards of all Nigerians.

Speaking at the public hearing onconstitutional amendment convenedby member representing Chanchagafederal constituency, Hon. UmarMohammed Bago, at the Idris LegboKutigi International Conference Centrein Minna at the weekend, Kuta pointedout that the 1999 constitution was putin place by the military.

He said the involvement ofNigerians in the review of theconstitution would help in theamendment of the constitution withrespect to state creation, indigeneship,immunity clause, autonomy of statelegislatures, state and localgovernment joint account, state policeas well as the scrapping of state electoralcommissions.

In a related development, memberrepresenting Borgu/Agwara federalconstituency in the House ofRepresentatives, Hon. Haliru ZakariJikantoro has advised people of theconstituency to bare their minds onissues that would be raised in thetemplates that will be circulated tostrengthen the democracy andenhance development in the country.

Nasarawa wants revenue sharingformula reviewed in favour of states, LGs

remained contentious andthereby necessitating theattention of the NationalAssembly.

Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura stated this in a speechhe delivered on the occasion of thepeoples public session, organisedby members of the House ofRepresentatives from the state,which held Saturday, at the City

…There must be mass participation, says lawmaker

A member of the House ofRepresentatives, Dr.Mansur Abdulkadir (CPC

Funtua/ Dandume federalconstituency) of Katsina state,says the on-going public sessionson the review of the 1999constitution is designed to providea platform for all Nigerians toparticipate in the process.

According to him, for Nigeriato have a true constitution, peoplefrom the grassroots must be giventhe opportunity to inject theiropinions.

Abdulkadir who spoke at theweekend while addressing variousstakeholders from hisconstituency, described theanticipated review of theconstitution as a major steptowards strengthening the nation's

democratic rule.He explained that, "that is why

leadership of the NationalAssembly directed all the federallawmakers to go back to theirvarious constituencies and meetwith their people and look at thekey issues in the 1999 Constitution"Most of the key sections of theNigerian Constitution do notrepresent the interest of averageNigerians".

Hall, Lafia.Represented by his deputy,

Dameshi Barau Luka, GovernorAl-makura observed that theconstitutional review processallows the people the opportunityto address series of economic andpolitical challenges confrontingthem, stressing that there is nodoubt that democracy is betterstrengthened if all stakeholders

participate in the review process.While lauding the gesture by

the National Assembly to enableNigerians actively participate inthe constitutional review process,he said it has become imperativefor Nigerians to correct anydefects inherent in theconstitution, which he describedas the driving force behind thecollective aspiration of the nation.

Ajimobi approvestrimming ofOlubadanchieftaincystructure

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyostate has approved thetrimming of the traditional

chieftaincy structure of the Olubadanof Ibadanland so as to hasten thesuccession process.

He also stressed the need to ensurethat people of impeccable character,integrity and track record like theincumbent Olubadan, Oba SamuelOdulana Odugade, were allowed toascend to the throne of the ancientcity.

The governor spoke in Ibadan ata public lecture organised by IbadanProgressive Union (IPU) in honour ofIPU octogenarians and new membersat the Ibadan Civic Centre, Ibadan.

"I want to emphasise that theremust be a checklist of anybody whowants to become the Olubadan ofIbadanland. We must look at hispedigree, character, integrity and hemust possess a minimum level ofeducation", he said.

Governor Ajimobi also said thatthe age of ascension to the throne ofthe Olubadan did not matter as longas the candidate to the throne wasphysically and mentally fit.

It would be recalled that the ageat which past Olubadans ascendedthe throne has been a subject ofcontroversy, with a section of Ibadanindigenes arguing that most of thepast monarchs ascended to the throneat very old age.

From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

Fracas disrupts constitutionreview hearing in JigawaFrom Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

The public hearing on theconstitution review at theGuri local government

area was nearly marred asseveral people were injured andno fewer than four vehicleswere smashed after the eventwas hijacked by angryloyalists of Guri councilchairman of Jigawa and thoseof the member representingthe area at the NationalAssembly.

The followers of Member inthe House of Representativesfrom Guri, Alhaji Adamu

well with the councilchairman who was said tohave directed that the useoccasion to issue out gifts to thepeople was not appropriate.However, the chairmanincurred the angered of thepeople from the area whoconsidered his intervention asan affront.

Our correspondent'sfindings revealed that nosooner had the police beendirected to stop the distractionthan the angry people from thearea began to resist.

Reports indicated that ittook the deployment of police

from Hadejia local governmentto douse the tension.

The public hearing wastherefore disrupted half waydue to the feud and severalpeople were arrested by thepolice.

When contacted the PolicePublic Relations Officer, ASPAbdul Jinjiri, confirmed theincident and explained that sixpeople were arrested and arehelping in their investigation.

He said the people wereprovoked when the legislatortried to turn his presence at thepublic hearing to a politicalrally for himself.

Hassan Abunabo, and those ofthe Guri local governmentchairman, Alhaji AbdullahiBulama, clashed during theconstituencies' public hearingsession on the review of the1999 constitution.

According to an eyewitnessat the gathering, Malam IdrisZugo, who told our reporterthat the incident occurredafter the Rep member who wassaid to have fallen out withGovernor Sule Lamido,decided to use the forum toissue out some relief items topeople of the area.

The action did not go down

From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

He cited section 162 (6),relating to state and localgovernment joint account, arguingthat the popular view is that localcouncils should get direct allocationsfrom the Federal Government.

"There is also the popular viewthat the constitution be reviewedto provide for rotation of the office ofthe President among the six geo-political zones of the country",Abdulkadir said.

From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

As part of its contributionto the ongoing publichearing on constitution

review, the Nasarawa stategovernment has called for thereview of the revenue sharingformula, in favour of the statesand local government councils,arguing that the issue has so far

From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

PAGE 7PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

L-R: Chairman Board of Trustees, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) Dr. Musa Babayo, member of the Board, Alhaji Abba Gana, ActingExecutive Secretary, TETFUND, Mallam Aliyu Naiya and Assistant Chief, Public Relations Unit of TETUND, Mr. Samuel Ezenwa, during thepresentation of award for most outstanding Public Institution in Nigeria to TETFUND by Independent Service delivery Monitoring Group(ISDMG), at the weekend in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

The people ofBaruteen,Kaiama Localgovernment which

constitute part of Kwara NorthSenatorial district have endorsedthe creation of new states as well asrotation of presidency betweenNorthern and Southern parts ofNigeria in the House ofRepresentatives Peoples’ Publicsession on the 1999 constitutionreview.

The Federal constituencywhich fall within the axis of HouseChairman on Media, ZakariMuhammed argued hotly amongthemselves for and against theimmunity clause forPresident,Vice President,Governors and Deputy Governors.

The constituency howeveragreed that they would not besegregated if the presidency is beingrotated stressing that removal ofimmunity would create chaos inthe country.

They also rejected additionaltenure for President, voting rightfor Nigerians in diaspora as well asabolition of bi-cameral legislatureamong other 38 issues raised forreview.

Speaking with Peoples Dailyafter the session, Hon. ZakariMuhammed explained that theagreement of his people on statescreation does not mean that theywant to be carved away from thepresent Kwara State but ratherwant more local governments thatwould be recognisedconstitutionally.

Kwara Northendorses statescreation, rotationalpresidencyFrom Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

PDP chieftain tasks NASS on LG autonomyFrom Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

A Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) leader in Ekiti State,Ambassador Gbenga Olofin

has urged the NationalAssembly to grant full autonomyto Local Governments in thecountry as part of its amendmentof the 1999 Constitution, saying;“running local councils asparastatals under the Governor’sOffice as presently being done inmost states in the country isjeopardising development at thegrassroot level.”

Olofin, who frowned at theway local council funds are being

deducted at will by some Stategovernors under the guise ofJoint Account AllocationCommittee (JAAC), said theNational Assembly must saveLocal Government from goinginto extinction by making it thereal third tier of government.

In a release issued which madeavailable to newsmen, Olofinnoted that “one of the majorimpediments to development inNigeria is the Constitutionalprovision that gave State Housesof Assembly power to legislate onlocal governmentadministration and that portionof the Constitution must be

amended.”The statement reads; “Today,

Local Councils, especially in EkitiState are being run likeparastatals under the governor’soffice with the councils unable tospend their funds without thegovernor’s approval.

“Particularly, our experiencein Ekiti State since this presentAction Congress of Nigeria (ACN)government took over power hasshown that the idea of givingState Governments control overLocal councils was a mistake, andit must be corrected.

“Laws that are at variancewith the Constitution are even

being made by State Houses ofAssembly to further stiffen thenecks of local governmentcouncils in the country with moststate governors now havingpower to sack duly elected councilofficials at will.

“Ridiculously, Ekiti StateHouse of Assembly even made alaw empowering the Stategovernor to appoint local councilsecretaries, supervisors, advisersand even personal assistants tothe chairman.

“The National Assembly musttherefore make our local councilsautonomous to save them fromimminent collapse.

Northerners urged to reject six geo-political zones in constitutionFrom Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

Following the on-goingreview of the1999 Nigeria Constitution,

the Deputy Dean, Faculty of Law,University of Abuja, Dr. ShehuAbdullahi has admonished therepresentative of the North inNational Assembly to distancethemselves from the recognitionof six geo-political zones in the1999 constitution Amendment.

He gave this advice weekendat Zuru while delivering a speechat the people’s public session on thereview of the 1999 Nigeriaconstitution organized by theMember representing Danko/wasagu, Fakai,Sakba and ZuruFederal constituency in theNational Assembly.

“If this is allowed to beincorporated into the constitutionand may God forbid, if we lose ourregional bargaining leverage ofhaving more states and FederalLegislative Representative in bothchambers of the NationalAssembly, it will be a missionimpossible for the region to haveit expunged from theconstitution”.

He also pointed out that “ifthey are honest, let them call forthe abolition of states as

cohabiting federating units, thenwe will begin to take themseriously”.

“If this were to happen, wewould have lost it as a people andas a region, the north will thenbe left shading theinconsequential crocodile tears’’,he said.

Dr. zuru in his lecture alsoopposed the local government

joint account and the removal ofthe Immunity clause from the1999 constitution, tools used bysome of the state governments towitch hunt their opponent in thepolitical race.

Also in his remark, theMember representing Zuru,Fakai,Sakaba and Damk/Wasaufederal constituency Hon.Abdullahi Dan. Alikali said “over

the years, people have seen theNigerian constitution as adocument of the political elitesused in Abuja and the statecapitals, the connection of theNigerian people with and theirownership of the constitutionhave been very tenuous,knowledge of the constitutionhave been vague and its contentmystery to Nigerians’’.

From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

The much publicisedpeople’s public sessionorganised by the federal

house of representatives toenable Nigerians across thefederal constituencies activelyparticipate in the ongoingconstitutional review, witnesseda low turnout in Nasarawa state.

Our correspondent whoarrived the City Hall venue ofthe event, reports that only a fewresidents graced the occasion,which was mostly attended bypolitical office holders from thestate and representatives of theorganised labour.

Youths who turned up intheir numbers but chose topester dignitaries for money,were however denied access tothe hall by security operatives.

A resident who spoke toPeoples Daily, Adigizi Amos,ascribed the low turnout toinadequate publicity by theorganisers in the state.

“Most people are unaware ofthe event. Besides, ordinaryNigerians lack confidence in theexercise. How are we sure whatwe want will reflect in the finaldocument?”, Amos queried.

Sessionwitnesses lowturnout inNasarawa

Governor Kashim Shettimaof Borno state has calledfor the review of Federal

Revenue Allocation Formula infavour of the state and localgovernments.

The governor made the call atthe weekend while speaking at thepublic hearing on the review ofthe 1999 constitution held at theInternational Conference Hall ofthe Musa Usman secretariatMaiduguri, state capital.

He said “the constitutionalprovision under section 162(2)should be amended so as to allowflexibility to take care of political,economic and social forces andchanges in the country.Therefore the revenue sharing

formula should be reviewed infavour of states and localgovernments, as the state and localgovernments have been directlyor indirectly assisting federalinstitutions in their states.”

He lamented that the FederalGovernment has virtuallyneglected Borno and Yobe states ,asthere is no federal presence in thetwo states, pointing out that eventhe Biu Dam which was started 30years ago has not been completed.

On the agitation for creation ofstates, Shettima said creation ofmore state would notproffer solution to the issue ofdevelopment.

What people need said, wasgood governance, stressing thata villager in Miringa, Garubula,Lassa or Wamdiyo prefer theopening up of the hinterland

which state or local governmentcreation cannot address.

“I urge Nigerians to treat theissue of state creation withoutmost sense of responsibilityand caution, even as I stronglyrecommend that section 8 of theconstitution be amended toremove the ambiguities andcumbersomeness in the processof creation more states for futureconsideration.” Shettima said.

The Governor also called forthe establishment of the DesertControl Commission to handlethe fast advancing Saharadesert in Northern part of thecountry, particularly Borno andYobe states, as desertificationand wind have claimed severalhectares of arable land andforced some communities tomigrate southwards.

Shettima wants federal allocation reviewedFrom Mustapha Isah Kwaru,Maiduguri

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER, 12, 2012PAGE 10

R-L: ManagingDirector,MartreachGlobalHealthcareServices, Mr.MartinsOkonkwo,with theGeneralManager,Boma Benji-Iwuohaduring aforum on theProvision ofHealthcareServicesthroughMedicalTourism inNigeria, at theWeekend inAbuja.

Photo:Mahmud Isa

Director General of theN a t i o n a lE n v i r o n m e n t a l

Standards and RegulationsEnforcement Agency(NESREA) Dr. Ngeri Benebohas said that environmentalchallenges affect the abilityto live long.

Benebo gave theindication recently at theNational Media Dialogue on

Environmental challengesstall longer life- NESREA DG

environment and longevityin Abuja.

She said environmentaldegradation has changed thecourse of nature therebyshortening the life span of theold as it negatively impactson the health and wellbeingof the people.

``Old age, for many inNigeria constitutes a painfulprocess attended by poorhealth, insufficiency,helplessness and

Maternal mortality: FG to recruit 12,000 village health workers

To complement theachievements ofMidwives Service Scheme

(MSS), the Federal Governmentthrough the National PrimaryHealth Development Agency(NPHCDA), is to recruit 12,000village health workers.

This initiative is as a result ofthe achievement recorded by MSSwhich recently earned the countryan award by CommonwealthAssociation for PublicAdministration and Management(CAPAM).

Speaking at the press briefingto mark World Pneumonia Daycoming up today, the executive

director of the NPHCDA, Dr. AdoMuhammad, said the recruitmentwould "marry health facilities andcommunities".

According to him, one villagehealth worker will be in charge of10 households making six villagehealth workers in one ward.

He said the village healthworkers who would be drawn from

vulnerabil ity toenvironmental challengessuch as poor sanitation, waterand air pollution as well associal challenges. ``Inemergency situations l ikecollapse of buildings,disasters l ike f looding, theinability of the old to quicklyrespond to such situationsbecomes a very bigchallenge.

According to her, societiestoday see ageing as a burden

because such societies havenot taken the necessary stepsto tap from the blessings thatcome with growing old. TheDG sought care for the old byevery society, adding thatany form of neglect of seniorswould affect other ageinggroups in future.

In his remark, Mr. IkeWill ie-Nwobu, the Nationalcoordinator, InternationalFederation on Ageing saidenvironmenta l hea l thconst i tuted a majorhindrance to longevity.

Wi l l ie -Nwobu sa id thate f fec t ive and e f f i c iente n v i r o n m e n t a lmanagement would supportthe management o f anypopulation.

According to him, a wellmanaged populat ion i swealth which could enhancel o n g e v i t y .

He advised Nigerians toavoid environmenta lpollution so as to reduce theeffect of harsh environmenton the old.

In her goodwill massage,the Director o f Publ icAf fa i rs , S ta te Secur i tyServ ices (SSS) Ms Mary l inOgar , noted thatenvironmenta l cha l lengeswere capable o f caus ingsecurity chal lenges.

Ogar advised Nigerians totake environmenta l i ssueswith h igh sense o f regard,adding that negligence of theenvironment, would affectsecurity networking.

She said negligence hadalso contributed to the floodthat had ravaged the countryin the recent t ime andassured NESREA of SSSsupport in the enforcement ofenvironmental laws.

the communities, would ensuresafe delivery of pregnant womenin the 10 households.

According to him, governmentwill be responsible in equipping andpaying their allowances.

According to him, the initiativeis double barrel and would reducethe burden on the health systemthereby improving productivity.

NANShailsWada'sgesture toflood victims

The National Association ofNigerian Students (NANS)has commended Governor Idris

Wada of Kogi state for his timelyintervention to resettle the victims of theflood that recently ravaged the state.

This commendation was made byComrade Victor Onuche in a pressbriefing in Abuja yesterday.

The NANS ex-officio however urgedthe governor to do more by ensuringthat the fund released by the FederalGovernment gets to the victims. He saidthe governor must also ensure that reliefmaterials get to the victims.

He also noted that if not for thetimely intervention of the governor,more lives would have been lost.

He said, "We want to commendGovernor Idris Wada for doingeverything possible to ensure that thevictims of the flood in Kogi state are notabandoned. We have followed the effortsof the state government carefully anddiscovered that relief materials aremade available to the real victims ofthe flood".

Onuche pleaded with the governorto ensure that the victims return totheir homes in order to resume normallives.

He urged the beneficiaries to use thefunds for the purpose it was meant.He said,"this is one of the best thingsthat have ever happened to thepeople.

"I urge the victims and othercitizens of the state to continue to prayfor the well-being of the leaders andalso continue to live in harmony withone another",Onuche said and calledon government to provide enablingenvironment for Nigerians tocontribute maximally to thedevelopment of the state.

By Augustine Aminu

By A'isha Biola Raji

By Augustine Aminu

The Minister of Science andTechnology, Prof. Okon ItaEwa has said a policy

framework to encourage technologytransfer in the hospitality andtourism industry for theenhancement of the transformationagenda of the Federal Governmentis being discussed.

The minister represented by theDirector General of National Officefor Technology Acquisition andPromotion (NOTAP) Engr. UmarBindir, stated this at a workshoporganised by NOTAP incollaboration with NationalInstitute for Hospitality andTourism (NIHOTOUR), with thetheme ''Improving TechnologyTransfer Capabilities and CapacityBuilding in the Hotels and Allied

industry is today the greatestemployer of labour in the world anda major generator of revenue."

KEBBI ADVOCATES PUPILSENROLLMENT, EDUCATIONQUALITY

From Ahmed Idris Birnin KebbiThe Kebbi State government has

called on the Non GovernmentalOrganization [NGO] in the state topartner with the state governmentin developing the education sector.

This appeal was made yesterdayby the Kebbi state Deputy Governor,Alhaji Ibrhaim K. Aliyu at asensitization conference with kebbistate stakeholders on schoolenrollment of pupils and qualityassurance in education for 2012 heldin Birnin Kebbi adding that any NGOand other private agencies willing topartner with the state governmentin promoting the education system

would be welcome.He said that from 2007 to date, a

lot of achievements have beenrecorded, particularly on theeducation sector by providinginfrastructure, facilities andintroducing free education adding:''we sponsor students to study overseas,paying them scholarship andemploying qualify teachers in theirvarious fields specialization''.

He also pointed out that thegovernment has invested a lot oneducation and assured the people ofKebbi state to continue supporting themission and vision of the governor toenable him pilot the affairs of the stateand provide citizens with moredividends of democracy.

He then urged parents andtraditional rulers to enroll their pupilsinto schools in order to meet up withthe present global challenges.

By Joy Baba

FG plans policy to boost technology transfer in tourism industryServices Sector in Nigeria".

He said Nigeria pays huge sumsof money in foreign exchangeannually as technology fees toforeign managers from countrieslike Europe, America and SouthAfrica who run the big hotels in thecountry. This trend, he said, doesnot augur well for the developmentof the Nigerian economy.

Earlier in his address, theDirector General of NIHOTOUR,Dr. Munzali Dantata, commendedthe Ministry for focusing ontechnology transfer in thehospitality and allied servicessector of the economy whichdeserves more attention.

According to Dantata, "Its role inthe socio-economic transformationand development of nations cannotbe over emphasised, but for therecords, the hospitality and tourism

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012 PAGE 11

Anyone who has losttrack of time when usinga computer knows thepropensity to dream, theurge to make dreamscome true and thetendency to miss lunch.

– Tim Berners-Lee

Choosing your liche is oneof the biggest decisionsyou have to make about

your online business in Nigeria(business varies from place toplace, a niche that is profitablefor the USA may not beprofitable for Nigerian) or anyother places for that matter.This decision is very importantbecause, if you get the Nichewrong, your business may endup not being profitable andyour efforts will be wasted.

Considering how difficult itis to do online business inNigeria, the absence of powersupply, the high cost ofbandwidth, and limitedresources; you wouldn't wantyour efforts to go wasted.

In other to get it right, youhave to start from choosingyour niche very carefully.When we talk about profitableniche, it means that not allniches are profitable andamong the profitable niches,some are more profitable thanthe other. In this article, I'mgoing to discuss thefundamental principles thatwould assist you choose aprofitable niche for youronline business in Nigeria.But what really is a Niche?

Niche simply means,specialization! Whateverbusiness you choose to doonline becomes yourspecialization and the subjectof that business becomes yourNiche. E.g.: I set up a websitethat provides job search, mytarget audience is JobSeekers, I ' l l be said toSpecialize in providing jobsearch for job seekers and myNiche is Job (Job Search) formy target audience(Nigeria).

Going by the concepts ofInternet marketing, everyonline business is designed totarget or appeal to specificaudience, such form ofspecialization is called NicheMarketing. Choosing yourniche therefore means,choosing your area ofspecialization in onlinebusiness. How do you proceedto make this choice?

• Choose Your Passion:No matter how popular a nicheis, if you aren't passionate aboutthe subject, you aren't going tobe successful in it. Do notchoose a niche because it'spopular or because someone youknow is doing it, choose

How to choose a profitableniche for your Internet business

Quote

something that you're veryfamiliar with, and that you'll behappy doing.

Take your time and list thosethings you're passionate about,list them in the order ofpreference like: Sport, gaming,swimming, entertainment,weight lose, etc.

• Choose Your Expertise:

Snail farming in Nigeria (1)Snail Farming in Nigeria is very

lucrative, and many Nigeriansare waking up to this business of

snail farming. Apart from the factthat snail farm is easy to manage, snailfarming does not require muchtechnicalities or capital as snails caneasily be picked around for the take-off. Snail farm is easy to setup - withlittle structure and little fund, you'regood to go.

Hotels, Restaurants and othereateries are people that willconstantly demand your supply.You could get standing ordersfrom these group of people for thesupply of snails to them at agreedtimes and rates and you knowwhat that means? Constantmoney into your pocket.

The giant West Africa snailcalled Achatina Marginata is themost desirable specie for snailfarming due to its high yieldcapacity. There are other goodspecies but I will focus onAchatina Marginata in this blogpost because, it's easy to find inNigeria.

Achatina-Achatina is verygood for commercialization aswell, because of its profitability.This is because of the volume ofeggs it lays at once. EachAchatina lays 300 to 500 eggs ata time in clutches, three times ayear. Therefore, if you start afarm with about 1000 snails, inone year you would be gettingabout 1.5 million snails going bythe number of eggs they

produces.Having decided on the specie,

let's take you through the stepby step how to setup your snailfarm in a small scale level andstarts rearing your snailtowards harvest.

• Snail FarmingEnvironment: Snails are easilydehydrated, and wind increasethe rate of moisture loose insnail which in turn, leads to thedryness of the animal. Toprevent snails from losing waterso quickly, your snaileries (thesnail house) must be located inenvironment that is protectedfrom wind.

A low plain, downhill sitesurrounded with enough trees

Snail

Among the things you'repassionate about, which one ofthem can you really say you'reexpert in? Remember thatyou're going into real businesswhere you'll be providing realsolution to real people, somelevel of expertise is required foryou to stay ahead ofcompetitors.

Carefully analyze how

competent you're in thoseareas you've listed and isolatethe one you're most competentabout.

• Research Your Niche: It'snot enough to choose yourpassion and your Expertise;you'd need to understand howthat market performs. Here arethings to consider under your

niche keywords: Size,Competitors, and Products.

Size - Use Google keywordtools to gain insight about thesize of your niche (how manypeople are searching for yourniche keywords monthly) andthe CPC value (how much areadvertisers paying per click foryour niche keywords). If plentypeople are searching for yourkeywords and there areadvertisers who are paying forads in that keyword, the niche isprofitable.

Competitor: How manypeople are already doing similarbusiness and what is theirstrength? If your competitors aretoo many with years ofexperience and high level ofexpertise and popularity, youmay have to think again beforechoosing that niche even thoughit may be profitable. What's theprofitability when you can't graba piece of the pie?

Products: Are they productsto market in that niche in caseyou decide to monetize throughproduct sales? These are all youneed to find out before you makeyour choice of niche! Use thespyfu to further understandyour niche.

www. wealthresult.com

is perfect for snail farming. Youmay plant plantains andbananas around your snail farmto prevent the impact of wind.

• Type of Soil for SnailFarm: Snail's major habitat isthe soil, and soil contains someof the components and chemicalsubstances that it needed tosurvive. However, not all soilsare suitable for snail rearing.The shell of the snail is mainlycalcium and it derives most ofthem from the soil. Snail also laidits eggs on the soil and drinkswater out of the soil.

Hence, the suitable soil forsnail farming must containthese elements. Must be

balanced, not water-logged, nottoo dry, and must not be acidic.The most desirable soil for snailis sandy-loamy soil with lowwater holding capacity. Clayeysoil and acidic soil must beavoided.

• Getting the Sails forFarming: To start up a snailfarm, it is advisable to get snailsdirectly from the forest insteadof buying from the market afterthey have been exposed tosunlight and have dehydrated.This is because snails drink a lot ofwater, so are easily dehydratedand this stresses them out, andreduces their fertility capacity.

The intending snail farmercould pick the snails from the bushwith a very simple technique;clear a little portion of land duringrainy season and sprinkle spicyfruits like pineapple, pawpaw,plantain, banana etc at about5o'clock in the evening, when yougo back there about 7pm or 8pm,you will pick up snails suitable forrearing. Repeat the procedureuntil you get enough quantity.

Another way could be to pickup snail eggs littered in themarket place where it is sold andthrough a technique, check thefertility of the eggs, because someof them must have lost fertilitydue to the exposure to sunlight.The eggs are later put inside acontainer containing wet sandand covered with cocoyam leaf.Between 21 to 28 days, the eggswould hatch into baby snails. Youstart feeding them and graduallyyou raise a snail farm."

PAGE 12 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

JTF’s war without rules in Borno, YobeContd from Front Page

suspects to long detentions without charges ortrial or opportunities for legal representationand group punishments, among other massivehuman rights abuses and heinous crimesagainst humanity.

As has been its custom, the JTF in Bornostate has been quick to deny the charges, andto dismiss the reports as being biased andlacking in credibility, citing, in particular, thefact that the witnesses quoted in them werenot named. The Nigeria Police chipped in withits own condemnation of the reports, accusingespecially Amnesty International of using, inits investigations and assessment, amethodology that is “unacceptable”.Unacceptable to whom, we ask.

But condemnation of the JTF modusoperandi also came from a most unlikelysource. The Borno state government, about afortnight ago, made public the report of a highpowered committee it had set up to look intoand assess the damages and massivedestructions caused by the violent andmerciless attack on and sacking of a wholeward, Gwange, in Maiduguri metropolis, byJTF operatives who were out on a mission toavenge the death of one of their officers killedby a roadside bomb they believed was plantedby insurgents operating in the area.

The report, though clearly more tame in itslanguage than both the Human Rights Watchand Amnesty International reports,nevertheless indicted the JTF operatives. Itaccused them of destroying the properties ofinnocent people worth N188 million and ofburning and completely destroying 142 housesand shops, 21 vehicles and 14 tricycles. Thereport did not say how many lives were lost inthe attack. There is hardly any doubt that theBorno state government was at pains todownplay the enormity of the consequences ofthe wild attack by the soldiers on Gwange ward.After all, it is a known fact that the stategovernment has been using large chunks of itsfederation account allocations to fund theactivities of the JTF in the state and keep thecommanders sweet. This is why the figurescontained in the report fall far short of thosegiven in the accounts of eye witnesses, victimsand civil rights groups that have conductedindependent investigations, all of which areagreed that the attack on the ward wascoordinated and massive, that the soldiers wentwild, that they set houses on fire, that theyraided, looted and then burnt shops, that theyshot and killed people indiscriminately andthat the death toll must be anywhere in thehundreds.

While not denying the fact of the massivedestruction of property and arson, the JTF,through its spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa,blamed everything on the insurgents, whom, hesaid, used explosives that contained “acid andhighly inflammable substances that propagateblasts and thermal effects which set houses andshops around the vicinity on fire.” Further, thecolonel said that there have been no establishedor recorded cases of extra judicial killings,

“Today in Maiduguri, shooting,killing, summary execution,

arbitrary arrest and torture - ofsuspected insurgents and innocent

residents alike - and massivedestructions are the favouritepastime of the JTF operatives

torture, arson, or arbitrary arrests by the JTF inBorno state. Nonsense! The colonel should tellthis to the birds, and stop insulting ourintelligence.

The Boko Haram is no doubt a murderous sect,whose violent campaign of bombings, killings anddestruction cannot be justified on any grounds.But its operational methods and the targets of itscampaigns are now familiar to Nigerians. Ittargets mainly state agents and members of thearmed and security forces. The sect has no historyor means of, and certainly no motive for the kindof massive and senseless attack, killings, arsonand destruction of the scale witnessed in Gwangeward. The JTF, on the contrary, has all three. It ispart of the Nigerian armed forces which has along history of violence. It has the means to do allthat was done in Gwange and even worse. And ithas the motive to avenge the death of one of theirofficers and a soldier killed in Gwange. And, as weall know, a vengeance mission of this nature bythe our armed forces follows a well establishedtradition of unleashing an entire battalion on

the town, ward or community - in or aroundwhere the officer is believed to have been killed -with firm orders to attack, sack and /or destroy itand kill as many of its residents as possible. Thecases of Zaki Biam and Odi are still fresh in ourminds.

It is a real pity that the Nigerian media hasnot been giving us full and credible accounts of,and most Nigerians and the rest of the world aretherefore largely in the dark, about thebehaviour and atrocities of the JTF, in especiallyBorno and Yobe. And the weighty and vocalvoices from those areas who should talk andprotest are not doing so, or not doing so loudenough for the world to hear. But the JTFcommanders and their superiors in Abuja wouldbe deceiving to see this silence and lack oforganised protests as consent and a licence forthem to continue on their violent path. Theyshould know that there are thousands ofeyewitnesses to their atrocities, thousands ofvictims of their atrocities, and manyindividuals, groups and institutions thatmeticulously take and keep records of theseatrocities.

Amnesty International in its report accused

the soldiers of fuelling and aggravating theinsurgency situation in the North-Eastthrough their massive rights violations,summary executions and insistence on amilitary solution to the problem. Last week,Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, former governorof Yobe state and one should know, re-echoedAmnesty, blaming the growth of the BokoHaram sect and the escalation of itsinsurgency squarely on the armed forces andthe police, which he pointedly accused ofkilling up to 5000 innocent people from thetime of the sect’s major encounter with thesecurity forces in 1999 to date. NeitherAmnesty nor Senator Bukar is given tohyperbole.

In fact, 5000 may well be a conservativefigure, especially when account is taken of thefacts that the JTF in Borno and Yobe sees itselfand acts as an occupation army in a conqueredterritory, and that, as reported in the medialast year, the operatives have been given alicense to kill by the Armed Forces highcommand. Today in Maiduguri, shooting,killing, summary execution, arbitrary arrestand torture – of suspected insurgents andinnocent residents alike – and massivedestructions are the favourite pastime of theJTF operatives. They go on raids almost daily,killing, arresting and detaining especially theyouths. Between January and December, 2011,for instance, the JTF, according to officialrecords of the University of MaiduguriTeaching Hospital, deposited 635 brought-in-dead bodies at the hospital. This number doesnot include other BID bodies deposited at otherhospitals by the JTF. How many BID bodieswere brought to the mortuaries of otherhospitals in the town and Yobe, in 2010, 2011and this year, only God and the JTF know. Howmany young men have been killed and theirbodies left to rot between 1999 and now?

The JTF is waging a total, merciless war, awar without any rules of engagement and inwhich everyone and everything is a fair game.And, through this war, it is escalating thecrisis, hardening the resolve of the sect,pushing the local populations to the wall andmaking it much more difficult than it wouldotherwise be, to win the trust and get thecooperation of the people, without which thepeacekeeping mission cannot succeed. It isbecoming clearer by the day that our armedforces are, through their brutal conduct,peddling a self-fulfilling prophesy,deliberately and as a matter of policy fuellingthe very insurgency and situation ofinstability that allow and make it necessaryfor them to continue with their peacekeepingmissions. The mission has now become more ofa business venture than peacekeeping.

The JTF must be called to order. Inparticular, the leading figures, elders andyouths alike of the entire North, whoseeconomy is paralysed and people are beingsenselessly killed, must wake up and mountloud and organised protests against thecarnage being perpetrated in the name ofpeacekeeping in Borno and Yobe by thesoldiers. Enough is enough.

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

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CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

ALI M. ALI

MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION

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EDITOR, DAILY

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012 PAGE 13

Governor Mu’azu BabangidaAliyu (CON), the powerfulhelmsman of the power

state, and the Chief Servant of hispeople, is 57 today.

When, in May 2007, Dr Aliyumounted the saddle, he promisedin his inaugural address that hewas going to be a courageousleader, more resolute than any wehave seen before. He said, he wouldprovide “courageous and qualityleadership,” since the destiny ofany people is inextricably tied tothe quality of its leadership.

Five years on, no Nigerlite, I amsure, would dispute the fact thatthe Chief Servant has kept hisword. As I said in my previoustributes to the man, there is hardlyany leader of the state who hasmade as much efforts to change theface of the state’s politics and socio-economy to the fullest likeGovernor Aliyu. Indeed, like i havealways maintained, his first termof four years has come to representa defining period of our state’shistory.

For those who know Dr Aliyu,the successes recorded so far do notcome as a surprise- the man camewell-groomed for the job of

transforming Niger State. BetweenNovember 12, 1955 when he wasborn in Minna and today(November 12, 2012) when heturns 57, Governor Aliyu’s life canbest be described as a lesson inresilience, hard work, diligenceand steadfastness.

The Talban Minna was borninto a humble, even thoughculturally rich background andhad to toil to survive from tendinghorses, packing the dung, going toArabic /Islamic School andattending public schools fromprimary school level up to hisdegree education. Therefore, likeWilliam Shakespeare would say,Aliyu was not born great; ratherhe achieved greatness on his own

As he celebrates his birthday,it is not just the interestingnarrative of his 57 year sojourn onearth that should resonate. Whatshould fascinate Nigerians is howwide exposure and educationalsophistication has made Dr.Babangida Aliyu one of the mostmodern minded statesmen in thecountry, especially with his good

education in Nigeria and some ofthe best universities in the UnitedStates.

The Niger state governor hasin the last five years shown thathe has knowledge, capacity,wisdom, experience and provenfair-minded to preside over amulti-ethnic and multi-religiousnational community.

For his administration in NigerState, everybody resident here isa Nigerlite and enjoys everyamenity or provision of thegovernment withoutdiscrimination. The concept ofstate of origin does not exist.

Every school child in theprimary school and students inthe secondary school in the stateenjoys free education withoutdiscrimination; every child up tothe age of five, as well as allpregnant women and the aged areentitled to free and qualitymedicare withoutdiscrimination.

Also, in the last five years, theChief Servant has stamped his sealof excellence in all the sectors of the

Aliyu: Riding high at 57By Danladi Ndayebo

Give President GoodluckJonathan hundred yearsto rule Nigeria, yet he

will not successfully prosecuteeven one person in his muchvaunted fight againstcorruption. In fact, as a rule,there’ll be a sort of liberalizationof corruption under his watch.The image of invincibility hecreates about corruption helpshim sustain his personal – butnauseatingly pedestrian – ideaof corruption being a Nigerianthing that can never be tackledby anybody.

This isn’t one simplisticassumption. I can stakeanything on this claim.Jonathan is a creation of thecorruption he tells people thathe is fighting. In 2006, he wasindicted for false declaration ofassets by a Joint Task Force(JTF) on corruption that was setup by Obasanjo’s government.That powerful panel was headedby Nuhu Ribadu (yes, the sameRibadu you know) then as thechairman of the Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission(EFCC).

I have always said thatNigeria cannot step out ofwhere we are economically if wedon’t wage a true war againstcorruption and impunity. Thewar I mean isn’t Jonathan’scommittee’s setting approach.The war I know is the typethat’ll be led by the presidenthimself.

It requires a certain depth oflove for country by the head ofthe country’s governmenthimself. Unfortunately, Ihaven’t seen any sign from MrJonathan that he loves Nigeria.If he lays any claim to ’love forcountry’, then I can wager thereason: enough free oil money

to corner.I don’t know of any

administration in either pre orpost-independence Nigeria thathas been rocked by the weightof financial scandals under MrJonathan’s gleeful watch. Hesimply sets up a committee, andhave aides arrange how to mockits outcome.

Last year, the legislatureapproved for Nigeria N240b forfuel subsidy, and then before theyear ran out, Mr Jonathan’sgovernment had already spentover a trillion naira on thatwithout batting an eyelid. Thenwhen it appeared theirrecklessness had thrustilliquidity upon their faces,they pushed the cost of theroguery of their friends ontoNigerians and titled it subsidyremoval. We vehementlyrefused that, and argued, asevery average thinking personwould, that the answer lied inprosecuting those whodefrauded the Nation of trillionsof its revenue, and recoveringthe funds from them. Theypushed their way through. At atown-hall meeting to sell theiruntruths to Nigerians, MrsOkonjo-Iweala even delved intothe ridiculous when she alludedto the need for us to help themfish out those who sabotage thenation economically. Well, thatcomment ended up being one ofthe many jokes, albeit veryunintelligent ones, that havebeen dropping out of her mouthsince she joined thisgovernment.

The push of Nigerians fortransparency in themanagement of their oilrevenue led the responsiveHouse of Representatives intosetting up an adhoc committeethat probed the management ofthe subsidy regime. Headed by

Who says Jonathan wants corruption out?By Chinedu Ekeke Farouk Lawan, the committee

doubled-down on government’scomplicity in the subsidy fraud,and even the roles played by keygovernment agencies andparastatals in destroying thecountry they were set up toserve. But as the committee wasat work, Femi Otedola, one of thethree closest businessmen to thepresident (the other two areAliko Dangote and Aig AigbojeImoukhuede of Access Bank) wasout to rubbish the report andrender it useless. He set Faroukup and bribed him with somedollar bills. When it was time touse the ploy in the achievementof its original purpose, FemiOtedola proudly informedNigerians that he gave bribe toa legislator. There was joy inJonathan’s presidency. As youread these, Otedola is thepresident’s Man-Friday,walking freely on the streets andeven attending some importantstate functions with him.

The Jonathan camp changedthe narrative. Farouk Lawan’sreport was now labeled aslacking in credibility. It wasshocking. Nobody talked aboutwhy it should be implementedwhile the culprits in the briberysaga get prosecuted for suchmassive economic sabotage.

Don’t prosecute them sinceFemi was involved. Justrubbish Farouk and then killthe report.

And then came thePetroleum Revenue Task Forceheaded by Nuhu Ribadu. Itwas set up by this samegovernment to look into theaffairs of the oil industry from2002 – 2012. The committee’sreport has long been ready. Itwas formally presented to thepresident on Friday whereanother comedy, in themanner of Otedola’s, playedout. Mr. Steve Oronsaye,Nigeria’s former Head ofService and Vice Chairman ofthe Task Force played thespoiler. He was part of thecommittee but was notattending deliberations untilit was time to discuss recoveryof funds owed by somecompanies. He attended themeeting and then scuttled theTask Force’s efforts to recover$1.5billion from AddaxPetroleum.

Justifying his wellcalculated attempt to makenonsense of the report,Oronsaye claimed he was abeliever in processes, and thatthe process that led to thecompilation of the report was

“And if the only issue Oronsaye has with therecommendations is the process in their compilation,and not the recommendations themselves, why did

he declare them ‘unimplementable’? One wouldhave thought that the real issue is whether therecommendations were outside what the Task

Force members collectively agreed upon

state’s economy. His chosen areasof priority, namely Education,Health, Agriculture,infrastructural development andsocial security have seenprogressive achievements. Hisaccomplishments have beenattributed largely to prudent andjudicious application of funds,visionary planning andconsistency in policyimplementation.

Dr Aliyu has introducedinitiatives that are novel in thehistory of political leadership inNigeria. An instant revelation isthe Ward Development Projectswhich ensure that developmentreaches the grassroots.

The initiative which ensuresthat each of the 274 wards in thestate receives N1m monthly is ahuge success story. Under theinitiative, each ward takes fullresponsibility for proposing to thestate government developmentprojects that the ward consultativeforum feels deserves priorityattention. The implementation ofprojects is carried out by the people,

who participate fully at all levels.The Jama’a Forum, a meet-the-

people-tour, initiated andembarked upon by GovernorAliyu to meet and interact withthe people one-on-one in theircommunities and villages has notonly gained significant support buthas served as instrument throughwhich the governor relatesdirectly with the common man.The tour is aimed at getting toknow the people, their areas of needand how to address their problemsas well as giving the people anopportunity to interact freely withtheir governor on issues borderingthem.

Dr. Aliyu, who thinks right andacts right is a man of today in Nigerstate but should be elevated to actright and think right for the entirecountry. Let his deeds of today behis judge for the future.

Here’s Happy Birthday to theChief Servant of his people!Danladi Ndayebo is the ChiefPress Secretary to GovernorMu’azu Babangida Aliyu ofNiger State.

flawed and so‘unimplementable’. Oronsayedid not have the courage to tellNigerians that he acceptedappointment into the board ofNNPC even while still servingas a member of the Task Force,and that such was a necessarycondition to erode hisobjectivity on the matter. Hedid not have the decency toresign his membership of thatTask Force when he took up theboard membershipappointment. That must behow ‘credible’ people act in theworld of Oronsaye.

Which leads to the nextquestion: Who put Oronsaye onthe NNPC board while he wascarrying out another task thatentailed auditing the sameNNPC? Was the Presidency notaware of the conflict of interestin that regard? Was Steve theonly Nigerian qualified to be aboard member of NNPC suchthat he would need to serve inthe committee that probes thecorporation a board member ofwhich he is? Oronsaye musthave been planted in that TaskForce to discredit it.

And if the only issueOronsaye has with therecommendations is the processin their compilation, and notthe recommendationsthemselves, why did he declarethem ‘unimplementable’? Onewould have thought that thereal issue is whether therecommendations were outsidewhat the Task Force memberscollectively agreed upon.

My understanding of howthis administration of GoodluckJonathan works tells me thiswas designed to ensurecorruption in the oil industryremains blossoming.Follow Chinedu Okeke@ekekeee on Twitter

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012PAGE 14

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WRITE TO US

I have, like millions of fellowcompatriots, has had what Iprefer to call an overdose of death

of dearly beloved ones. The first stabwas in 1990 when Ejembi Matthew,my childhood friend, died when wewere barely twenty. In 2003, AuntieMaria, who was very instrumentalto my education passed on. In 2004,we lost Durosinmi Iroja, who traineda crop of us at Trust Newspapers. In2005, Mandela, my second son, diedin a sickness that lasted just a fewhours. In 2011, Mrs. Zainab Kperoogi,with whom I was recruited by Trustin 1999, died in a fatal accident. Andthen, my mother’s death in the earlyhours of July 25, 2012. These arebeside the six occasions between 2004and 2011 when death decimatedmy in-laws by harvesting half a dozenof them – four of my brothers-in-lawand their parents.

There are of course different butintensely searing dimensions to eachof these permanently devastatingloses most often too crushing toaccurately capture in words. But thedistinguishing aspect of the traumarelating to my mother’s passage isthe pain deriving from a hauntingfeeling of presumptions such as: if Ihad known on time or if I had actedearlier and other such thoughts, shemay not have died. Whenever this isopenly articulated, there is alwaysthe conciliatory admonition thattags with the prevalent notion, it-is-the-will-of-God, a metaphorportraying prevailing fatalism in oursociety. Despite whateverphilosophical admonition, what is notin doubt is that the human mind isalways bound to go through thestinging influence of death no matterhow familiar it has become.

It is in the context of theseemotional swings that I postponedmy goodbye homage to my motheruntil such a time that I may havesufficiently weaned myself of suchpains that is likely to impose on meundue sentiments that could evokeexpressions which I categorise as

glamorised platitudes. I instead wantto say a goodbye that will mostsymbolically reflect thedistinguishing maternal burden andthe communal worldview of her era,the deviation from which the veryfabric of our society continue todizzyingly sway.

For those of us who grew up inpeasant rural environments, ourwindow to the world dependedmainly in the shared experience andvision of our mothers. For many of ustherefore, there is usually thatunflinching maternal affection andloyalty too sacred to appropriatelyillustrate. Apart from the fact thatour mothers, more than our fathers,informally inducted us into the social,moral and philosophical spheres ofour society, they also metaphorically‘cooked’ or indoctrinated us to imbibenot just their worldview but also coreuniversal values through folktales,folksongs and a variety of othersublime day-to-day sharedexperiences and existentialchallenges in that communaluniverse. All these coalesced tobecome potent tools for not onlydefining their children’s intellect andperspectives on a range of issues, italso more than anything served asthe fuel for their children’s educationwhich they rightly envisioned to bean antidote to the exceptional povertyof their generation. Perhaps theappreciable decrease in responsiblematernal or parental care in our post-modernist era may be partlyresponsible for the falling standard ofeducation and made possible under ascenario that is bereft of soundmethodologies in a system that isincoherent and regressive.

Even though mothers of mymother’s generation and those beforethem never had a whiff of westerneducation, they understood in aunique way the art of childupbringing, particularly daughterswho necessarily need a more delicateand diligent rearing. With due

Homage to Mrs Onyikwu OnahBy Onah Iduh

respects to many mothers of thisglobalised post-modernist period, mostdaughters reared by past generationswere and are paragons of moral purityand strict discipline. Unfortunately,this trend became endangered withan unusual sexual revolutioncaptured in the word, Alibanti, asomewhat meaningless Idoma wordexcept for its expressive symbolismportraying and propagating the ideaof “sexual freedom” or “free sex.” Thisrevolution swept most Idoma youthsoff their feet by the attendant loosemorals that suddenly became thenorm leading to rampant teenagepregnancies or childbearing out ofwedlock. While many attributed thisto western influence or theliberalisation of education that openedclassroom doors to thousands of femalechildren, this argument may bedifficult to sustain as the Alibantiphenomenon in Idomaland coincidedwith the harsh economic period of the1980s and 1990s most notably withthe introduction of the StructuralAdjustment Programme by themilitary government of GeneralIbrahim Babangida.

What the above thesis is strugglingto narrate is essentially that Idomamothers of my mother’s generationand those before them were heroinesin not only the imaginatively literarysense but women who werepractically very determined,courageous and resilient. Their worldwas one that is tragic in many waysdefined by not just the environmentalrusticity but more by its sheercultural rigidity which imposed onthem grave burdens day in, day out.It was, and still remains, a universein which women are vulnerable inall ramifications. And this is apartfrom the often hopeless situation inwhich many mothers watch theirchildren die from the most commondiseases or folks despondently watchas expectant mothers and childrendie of diseases or conditions that theydid not know can be easily diagnosed

and treated with the simplest ofmedications.

Unlike in this era of birth control,women of my mother’s generationendlessly go through labour painsyear in, year out until they reachmenopause or die in the course ofchildbirth. My mother wentthrough the painful ritual ofchildbirth ten times. She isconsidered lucky because out of theten children, nine of us survived her.Not many were as lucky. As wegrew up, we came to understand thatbeyond the natural, cultural andeconomic considerations, the logic ofparents engaging in endlessreproduction is also due to high infantmortality or the attendantuncertainty of survival of childrendue to a range of diseases. So parents,mothers especially, lived inperpetual fear such that they hadrestless nights at the slightest sign ofsickness.

Unfortunately, in spite of theunimaginable advancement inscience and technology, this sadsituation is not only outliving mymother’s generation but has becomerather complicated. Apart from thefact that many women are still beingdelivered of their babies throughcrude means which is responsible forthe high maternal and infantmortalities in Nigeria, the healthsector is in a general state ofdecadence rendering manyhospitals as places where people go toembrace death. Apart from deathresulting from the lack of healthfacilities and fake drugs, there hasemerged a powerfully tragicdynamic in which thousands ofpeople are dying from the malaise ofmisdiagnoses. My mother’scondition was worsened as a result ofmisdiagnosis at a state governmenthealth facility in Benue. By the timeI heard of her sickness and rushedhome to bring her to a private hospitalin Abuja where the correct diagnosisof her condition was made, it was

rather too late!My mother, out of motherly

concern, decided not to, in her words“bother” me when she initiallybecame sick. According to her, sheheard that I no longer had a job, areference to the abrupt terminationof my employment with theNigerian Labour Congress (NLC) byits President, Abdulwaheed Omar,an action which is currently beforea law court. Before then, she used tovisit us to see her grandchildren sinceshe claimed that we refused to bringthem home. She used thoseoccasional visits to have medicalcheck-ups and treatment and onsuch occasions, I also conspired withProf. Peter Obekpa, whose May DaySpecialist Hospital serves my family,to prolong her stay and rest byhaving her appointments spreadover months.

While it is the norm in mostsocieties that it is preferable thatparents are buried by their children,their death, particularly that of themother, brings great psychologicalpangs for surviving children, moreso if the parents were up and doingas my mother, who was about 65years old. But subscribing to thisdoctrine does not vitiate the pain andmental exasperation either becauseof that sense of utter emptiness onthe realisation of the finality ofdeath, the fact that with death onewill no longer have that rareopportunity of intense motherlyaffection which usually increaseseven as children grow into adults.For me and my siblings, therefore,it was a great paradox burying ourmother as it involves, on the onehand, severe pain and on the otherhand, fulfilment in doing our bestby first striving to rescue her fromdeath and when it becameinevitable, we tried our best effortsto give her a befitting burial.

Ona Iduh is a formerinformation officer of the NigeriaLabour Congress (NLC).

There is an interesting powerstruggle within the ruling PDPin Adamawa State. Two

antagonist groups are involved- theBamanga Tukur and GovernorMurtala Nyako. Though the AtikuAbubakar group is also involved,the other two groups appear to be inthe fore-front. The crisis inAdamawa PDP is simply about localpolitics. It has been there since thetime former President OlusegunObasanjo mandated Professor JibrilAminu to seize the party structuresfrom Atiku Abubakar and formerGovernor Boni Haruna. So, thegenesis of the current crisis isembedded in the foundations onwhich the current PDP inAdamawa State was laid- the lackof fairness within the party andconflicting personal ambitions of itsleaders.

What is currently fuelling thecrisis is Governor Nyako’s cleverusurping of most political positionsand government contracts for hisfriends and family members. TheGovernor is said to be openlyworking hard to place his son, Abdul-Aziz in an advantaged position tosucceed him as Governor. Abdul-Aziz recently undertook a tour of thestate with the full protocol of aGovernor. Opponents of Nyako saidhis son went to the extent of makingpromises of what the governmentwould and would not do. Nyako isalso accused of making an attemptto appoint one of his wives as theChief Judge of state, while his otherwife is rumored to be the highestpaid medical consultant in the state.

On the other hand, BamangaTukur is also said to be highly

interested in positioning one of hissons or a close confidant- SenatorSilas Zwingina as Governor, come2015. However, Bamanga’s goalwill be impossible without a firmcontrol of the state’s party executive.The opportunity to seize the partystructure came when the statechapter of the PDP conductedprimary elections for councillorshippositions for thelocal council’se l e c t i o n sw i t h o u tapproval fromthe PDPN a t i o n a lheadquarters.The NationalHeadquarters,apparently withi n s t r u c t i o n sfrom Bamanga,subsequent lyvoided theelections andstopped theprimaries forchairmanshippositions. Nyako,desperate to keepthe party structures under hisarmpit, went on with thechairmanship primaries-in hissitting room.

From the way events areunfolding, Bamanga Tukur seemsdetermined to use the same politicalmaneuver that brought Nyako topower to flush him out of power. Butin the end; some political scenario islikely; Nyako still has control of thegovernment, but if he eventuallyloses control of the party then the PDPwould be sharply divided. The

opposition led by former GovernorBoni Haruna stands to gain from this.Consequently, come 2015, theopposition may easily displace thePDP. Even when the PDP presented aunited front during the February2012 governorship elections, theparty could only narrowly defeat theACN with just 60,000 vote margin,which the latter claimed was due to

over-voting. And the currentsituation could even be worse for thePDP if the merger talks between theACN and the CPC materialize- and ifthe opposition in Adamawa state isable to formulate a winningarrangement. For instance,presenting Buba Marwa or NuhuRibadu as governorship candidatewith a deputy from the Chamberchiefdom and also presenting BoniHaruna as senatorial candidate forthe northern senatorial zone,Marcus Gundiri for the central zone

Between Bamanga and Gov NyakoBy Zayyad Muhammad

with P.P. Pwa for the southern zonewill be a hard nut for the PDP tocrack. Though there is hint withinpolitical pundits that intellectualsfrom Adamawa state are workinghard to present Hassan Tukur thePersonal Private Secretary toPresident Goodluck Jonathan asPDP governorship candidate,Hassan Tukur can easily win, but

his likelyplatform, the PDP,is in serious in-house powerstruggle. Asearlier noted, theAtiku Abubakargroup is anothergroup that can alsoalter the politicalequation withinthe PDP.Whichever waythe pendulumswings, this groupwould try to takeadvantage of thesituation toestablish a stronghome support forA t i k u ’ s

presidential ambition as well for thegroup’s governorship hopeful-Adamu Mua’azu Modibbo.

The climax of the current fightwould be when a new stateexecutive for the PDP is to be formed– there would be serious horse-trading as each of the politicalbigwigs would attempt to grab themost important positions.

As observed above, the currentfight between Nyako and BamangaTukur is all about control of localpolitics by four political bigwigs -

Bamanga Tukur, Governor Nyako,Atiku Abubakar and Jibril Aminu.Interestingly each one of them wasone time or the other a beneficiaryor a victim of the PDP’s style of using‘Abuja power’ to have one’s way. Thefight would also have a serious effecton the PDP and would produce somecasualties. For instance, If GovernorNyako insists on installing his son ashis successor, but without havingcontrol of the PDP, there is likelihoodhe may leave the party to joinanother. But the biggest casualtieswould be the present MPsrepresenting Adamawa State in theNational Assembly, because most ofthem found their ways throughtheir godfathers. Probably that is thereason they appear to be ‘seatwarmers’ at both the green and redchambers. Already, the Senatorrepresenting Adamawa central haspitched his tent with the BamangaTukur camp, but the Nyako campsaid it is not bothered, describing theSenator as a gold-digger. The Senatorwas once deputy to the formerGovernor Boni Haruna when Atikuwas in control, then he jumped toJibril Aminu’s camp, later toNyako’s and now to Bamanga’s. Onemajor implication of this in-housescuffle on the entire PDP structure isthat in future, most PDP governorswould strongly avoid having thenational chairman from their state.Especially when they recall thatwhat Adamawa is experiencing nowonce occurred between GovernorSullivan Chime of Enugu State andthe then PDP National Chairman,Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.Zayyad I. Muhammad blogs atwww.zayyaddp.blogspot.com

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012 PAGE 15

Oil is a fraudulent businesswherever it is found in theworld. For a country that was

rated in the year 2000 as the mostcorrupt in the world, we should notexpect Nigeria’s encounter with oilto be a different story.

In an earlier online publicationcaptioned “Waiting for NuhuRibadu”, (www.ayakaonline.com),I tried to trace the history sleaze andincompetence in our oil sector sinceit was discovered in 1956.

The discovery came a bit littlebit too early. Nigeria demonstrateda remarkable lack of interest andor knowledge of what to do with thegreat fortune. In the first fifteenyears, Nigeria had no participatoryinterest in the business which was– very strangely - supervised bythe Ministry for Lagos affairs from1959 to 1963. The whole businesswas in the hands of Shell BP andgovernment limited itself tocollection of fees from explorationlicenses and production leases aswell as taxes/royalties on crude.

The International oil companies(IOC’s) operating in Nigeria at thistime had so much leeway on whatto do with our oil money that whenthe civil war broke out, they electedto pay royalties to the secessionists!

The wake-up call came with thepromulgation of the PetroleumDecree of 1969. The new lawstipulated that only Nigerians orcompanies registered in Nigeriawould be granted exploration,prospecting and mining licenses.By 1970, the nationalization policyled to the establishment of theNigerian National Oil Company,NNOC. As progressive as this wouldseem at the time, it was soondiscovered to be a half measure. Agovernment committee set up bythe Murtala government in 1975described oil as a “wasting asset”because Nigeria was being gang

raped by the international oilcompanies.

The committee recommendedthe reorganization of the NNOC as aresult of which the militarygovernment of General OlusegunObasanjo established the NNPC in1977 under General MuhammaduBuhari as its first Chairman.

It did not take long before theNNPC proved itself to be hopelesslyinept. Two years after it was set up,there were allegations of massivefraud involving the improperwithdrawal of N2.8 billion, (about$4 billion then) from its accounts.The then newly elected President,Alhaji Shehu Shagari, was forcedinto setting up a judicial tribunal ofinquiry into the alleged hefty heist.

The panel found out that theN2.8 billion fraud allegation wasbaseless but it discovered that despiteits wide ranging of powers, theNNPC’s oversight and regulatoryfunctions in the industries were non-existent because of the low capacityof its staff, sheer inaction and simplya proclivity of the corporation tobreak the law.

To its dismay, the paneldiscovered that: agreements withthe IOCs expired without ratificationand the IOCs themselves acted as ifthe NNPC never existed; NNPC’saccounting system was inunmitigated shambles as theCorporation never prepared andsubmitted audited accountsbetween 1977 and 1980; it was notpossible to reconcile crude oilproduction and sales figures!

The panel recommended arestructuring of theorganisation. President Shagari,was a man who counted his stepssacked the Corporations board andtop management. But before he

could complete NNPC’srestructuring, he himself was givenmarching orders by the military.The army brought General Buhari,the first chairman of NNPC, to takeover his office.

The Buhari regime waspreoccupied with fightingcorruption and instilling public orderand discipline. Restructuring theNNPC was noton its agenda. Itwas theB a b a n g i d aadministrationw h i c ho v e r t h r e wBuhari thatb r o u g h tunprecedentedchange inrestructuringthe NNPC intofive semi-a u t o n o m o u ssectors. Each of these sections washeaded by a coordinator whoreported to the Corporation’sManaging Director. NNPC wascommercialised and transformedinto a holding company with twelvesubsidiary limited liabilitycompanies. The Minister ofPetroleum for the first time was nolonger the Chairman of NNPC. Thiswas given to a private individual inan effort to minimize governmentinterference. It was PresidentBabangida that opened theupstream sector to privateindigenous companies, starting withthe first public bidding in October1990.

The government did a lot toclarify functions in the oil industryand ensure accountability.Unfortunately, it could not halt themassive theft there. Soon one of the

largest NNPC scams to enter publicdomain was uncovered. The NNPCGroup Managing Director, Dr.Edmund Daukoru and five othersenior officials of the corporationwere implicated and even chargedin court for paying $41million for afraudulent strategic petroleumstorage infrastructure. Strangely,Dr. Daukoru escaped justice only to

emerge later as aprincipal actor inthe industry.

M o s tregrettably, evenwith the return ofdemocracy in 1999the story has notchanged.

In 2002,Engineer HammanTukur, Chairman ofthe RevenueMobilisation andFiscal Commission

raised six areas of theft at NNPC: that NNPC was recording figureslower than OPEC quota for crude oilsold; that sales of crude oil to NNPCwas below the commercial rate; thenon-remittance of full revenue foroil by NNPC; the mis-use ofexchange rates for convertingforeign currencies in which the oilwas being sold other than thosedetermined by the market throughthe CBN controlled Inter-bankForeign Exchange Market (IFEM); the use of crude oil price other thanthe prevailing global market prices.

The government simplyignored him.

In February 2004, PresidentObasanjo inaugurated the NigeriaExtractive Industries TransparencyInitiative (NEITI) and mandated itto promote transparency andaccountability in the management

Nuhu Ribadu’s verdict, at last of Nigeria’s oil, gas and miningrevenues. In 2010, Prof. AssisiAsobie, the Chairman of NEITI cameto brief a meeting of Nigerian EditorsI attended in Port Harcourt. Theman was close to tears as he read outhis litany of frustrations in his effortto bring sanity to the oil industry inNigeria.

He told the editors that since itsestablishment, NEITI producedthree different cycles of industryaudits spanning the period 1999-2004, 2005 and 2006-2008respectively. But it would appear thegovernment that set up NEITI wasno longer interested in its work. Theaudit reports were locked up in agovernment safe while the massivetheft of Nigeria’s oil was going on ata scale that was simplyunbelievable to him.

The strike early this year offeredNigerians another opportunity totake a look at the management ofour oil money. The House ofRepresentative set up a committeeunder Hon. Farouk Lawan to do that.The President also set up the NuhuRibadu panel. Farouk, it is said did apainstaking job. Tragically, theauthor of that report embarked on asilly, juvenile and inexplicableadventure that has discredited it forgood.

Now, is Nuhu Ribadu sayinganything new? No. In fact it wouldhave been great news if he hadreported to the President that our oilsector is being managed by HolyAngels.

But we can see that the samegovernment that set up the Ribadupanel is plotting to sabotage its work.The same strategy was used tofrustrate Dr. Hamman Tukur atRMFC and Prof Assisi Asobi at NEITI.

What kind of country are weliving in? Our leaders take so muchdelight in looting and plundering itsresources.

Emmanuel Yawe08024565402

royawe@yahoo.com

It is so unfortunate that therehas been so much ignorantcarping and malicious tittle-

tattling about the report of thePetroleum Revenue Task Forcechaired by Malam NuhuRibadu, both failings arisingfrom a deliberate attempt toindividualize what was actuallygroup work, a mischievousattempt to politicize one reportout of three, and to smuggle intoan emergent grand web ofconspiracy, elements ofblackmail, mischief andoutright opportunism.

I should like to dispel theputrefying stench of the factthat seems to have overtakenthe subject by returning all ofus to certain basics that have notchanged since PresidentJonathan approved the settingup of committees to inquire intodifferent aspects of thePetroleum Sector andparticularly since the reportswere presented and accepted.The facts are as follows.

The committees in questionand the probe into thePetroleum sector were initiatedby President Goodluck Jonathanto ensure transparency andaccountability in the extractiveindustry; the goal was totransform the sector and raise

levels of integrity accordingly.Every step that has been takenby this administration in thisregard has been in fulfillment ofthis well-stated principle. Thisincludes the decision tocompletely deregulate thedownstream sector, which hasnow resulted in the exposure ofoily deals in that sector, withconsequences for the indictedpersons.

It also includes the launch ofa concerted fight against crudeoil theft and illegal payments offuel subsidy. Zakari Mohammedof the House of Representativestalks absent-mindedly about“lack of political will” to fightcorruption. He certainly doesn’tknow what he is talking about.A legislative position should notconfer a right to mendacity. Heshould know, if he had beenreading the newspapers, that onthe basis of both the report ofthe House of Representativesand the Aig Aig-Imokhuedecommittee report on fuelsubsidy payments, persons arecurrently being prosecuted inthe law courts by the Economicand Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC).

The Federal Governmenthas not done anything to stopor discourage the prosecution ofindicted persons. We have madethe point, again and again, that

in this on-going fight againstcorruption, there will be no“cover ups”; and no “sacredcows,” and that PresidentJonathan’s only interest is thepeople’s interest. This samePresident has demonstrated thepolitical will to deal withcorruption in the country’selectoral process, to both localand global acclaim. He has noreason to make compromises inother areas of national life.Interestingly, many of thosewho are now talking ignorantlyabout “political will” arebeneficiaries of thisadministration’s commitmentto the rule of law and fairplay.

On the specific issue of thePetroleum Revenue Task Forcereport, the mischief-makersshould go back to the statementsmade by President Jonathan,and subsequently by thePetroleum Minister, DiezaniAlison-Madueke, on the occasionof the presentation of the report.The President’s position that thework of the Ribadu Committee,and of the two other committeesthat presented their reports onthat occasion, the Idika Kalucommittee on Refineries and theDotun Sulaiman Committee onGovernance is useful andenlightening has not changed.Alison-Madueke has furtherechoed that position more than

Jonathan and the Ribadu report (I)By Reuben Abati twice. The three committees

were set up as fact-finding andadvisory bodies. That fact wasfurther underscored by thePresident’s mature response tothe altercation that the RibaduCommittee Report generatedwhen he said that those whohave issues to raise should befree to make their ownindependent submissions. Thisshows a determination to getevery possible piece ofinformation and toaccommodate all concerns.This shows a will to act.President Jonathan has notdumped any input, rather hewelcomes every possible inputand he has no private interestin this matter. So for anyone tosay that the Ribadu committeewas “calculated to fail from thebeginning”, is absolutelyuncharitable.

Indeed, for the benefit ofthose playing politics and doingquick business with thismatter, the truth is thatPresident Jonathan is alreadytaking steps to address some ofthe issues raised in the variousreports. When PresidentJonathan sets up committees toinvestigate particular issues,he does so, because he wants toaddress those issues. I had,before now, drawn attention tothe fact that the President gave

clear directives on the state ofthe refineries and that at leastone meeting had been held sincethe presentation of the Reporton Refineries, to act specificallyon the recommendations made.President Jonathan hasdirected that he wants therefineries fixed and steps arealready being taken; deadlineshave been set. That didn’t makethe headlines, rather, falsehoodhugged the headlines, becausethese days it pays to fart all overthe place, and attract attention.

To set the records straight,here is what happened. Afterthe presentation of the reportsby the three committees; thePresident directed the Ministerof Petroleum Resources to takeup the recommendations of theKalu Idika Kalu committee onrefineries. The committeerecommended, in part, that thecountry’s refineries should berehabilitated without anyfurther delay. On November 8,the Minister and her team wereat the Villa to brief thePresident about the state of therefineries, their currentcapacities, and steps that needto be taken to get them tofunction at optimum capacity.Dr. Reuben Abati is SpecialAdviser to PresidentJonathan on Media andPublicity.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012PAGE 16

An Abuja ChiefMagistrates Court hasremanded one Popoola

Peter, of Skye Bank PLC, Garki,Abuja, for joint act, criminalbreach of trust and cheating.

Police Prosecutor PhilipAkogwu told the court that onOct. 24, 2012 Mr Chasee

Ogunleye and Mr M. David,both of Asokoro, Abuja,reported the case at the AsokoroPolice Station.

Akogwu said theaccused and another man nowat large, jointly forged a landdocument of Plot No. 510,Lugbe New Extension, Abuja,

Skye bank staff remanded in prisonfor criminal breach of trust, cheating

and sold it for N3 million to thecomplainants in August.Hesaid that when thecomplainants went to verifythe authenticity of thedocument, they discoveredthat it was forged.

Akogwu said that duringinvestigations, it was

An accident scene along city gate, Airport road on Saturday. Photo: Joe Oroye

The FCT Administrationhas restated itscommitment to open 10

new districts with modernbasic infrastructure by 2015.

This is contained in a newsrelease by Muhammad Sule,Chief Press Secretary to the FCTMinister, in Abuja.

The minister noted that theaggregate infrastructuredevelopment in the FCT sinceits inception, was not morethan 25 per cent.

It said that the ministerexpressed regret that morethan 90 per cent of allocatedplots in the Phase I to Phase V ofthe federal capital city had yetto be developed by the allottees.

Consequently, he said theFCTA had adopted a “radical”approach for the provision ofinfrastructure and generaldevelopment of the city.

“So we came up with theLand Swap Model which meansthe private sector will provideinfrastructure in exchange forland.

“We will provide at least 10new districts by 2015 as theFCT Administration will grantland in a Greenfield District todevelopers for real propertydevelopment. ’’

It said that the ministeremphasised that in exchangefor the grant, the developerwould be required to provideprimary infrastructurewithout any financial,technical or demand risk on thepart of the FCT Administration.

The statement added thatthe Land Swap Model wouldlead to an expansion of the cityand eventually lower the costof housing.

FCTA plans10 newdistricts withmoderninfrastructure by2015, says ministerBy Adeola Tukuru

A Gudu Upper Area Courtin Abuja has admittedone Jammeel Jamal, 35,

of Maitama, Abuja, accused offraudulent activities, to a N2million bail.

The judge, Mr. AdamuWakili, asked the accused topresent a reliable surety who isresident within the FCT andwith a fixed address.

Jamal is accused of criminalbreach of trust, cheating andissuance of dud cheque contraryto sections 312 and 322 of thePenal Code.

The police prosecutor, Mr.Patrick Obeta, told the courtthat on Sept. 20, one TundeOrenuga, of Lugbe, Abuja, haddrawn the attention of theCommissioner of Police inthe FCT to the matter through awritten petition.

He said the accused, a

Court grants N2m bail toman accused of fraud

Managing Director of Jeheta Ltd,Abuja, had deceived Orenugainto printing and supplying himgoods worth N7.5million.

“You fraudulently deceivedhim to print and supply youwith raffle tickets, t- shirts, facecaps, polythene bags, stickers,billboard banners for the Nigeria2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup atthe cost of N7.5 million.

“Having supplied the itemsto you on trust, you only gavehim the sum of N1.5 million andconverted the balance to yourpersonal use.

“You also gave him a chequeof N500,000, and uponpresenting it at the bank, itbounced,’’ the prosecutor said.

The accused,however, pleaded not guilty.

The judge adjourned thecase to Dec. 11,2012 for hearing.(NAN)

discovered that the accused andhis accomplice, “criminallyforged the land document anddefrauded the complainants”.

He said the offencecontravened the provisions ofSections 79, 312, 322 and 364of the Penal Code Law, but theaccused pleaded not guilty.

Chief Magistrate, MrAzubuike Okeagwu, refused togrant the accused bail andordered that they should beremanded in prison custody.Headjourned the case to Dec. 6,2012 for hearing. (NAN)

An Abuja ChiefMagistrates Court hasremanded Christian Okoro,

34, of Flat 1 Block D, Plot 6B,Kukuaba, Kubwa Village, Abuja,for alleged attempted murder.

Police Prosecutor Auta Yusuftold the court that on Oct. 29, 2012Mrs Chigozirim Okoro of the sameaddress, reported the case to theoffice of the Assistant Inspector-

General of Police, Zone 7 Hq,Abuja.

Yusuf said that on Oct. 24 andOct. 25,2012 the accused personbeat the complainant“mercilessly”, using a kitchenknife and broken bottles.

Yusuf said that the accused alsoused other dangerous weapons onher, resulting in her beingadmitted in the hospital.

He said the offence contravenedsections 228 and 396 of the PenalCode.

The accused, however, pleadednot guilty.

Chief Magistrate AzubuikeOkeagwu said that the offence wasnot bailable and ordered that theaccused be remanded in prison.

He adjourned the case to Dec.23, 2012 for hearing. (NAN)

Court remands man for attempted murder

The Original InhabitantsDevelopment Associationof Abuja, a socio-cultural

group, on Saturday in Abuja calledon the Federal Government tourgently pay compensation to the"original inhabitants" of the FederalCapital Territory (FCT).

The President of the Association,Pastor Danladi Jije made the appealin an interview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN), assertedthat indigenes of Abuja were notrecognised by the 1999 Constitution.

Jije urged the NationalAssembly to compel the FederalGovernment to comply with the

constitutional provisions whichstipulates that government cannottake over any property without thepayment of compensation.

``The 1999 Constitutionprovides that no property shouldever be confiscated by governmentin any part of the country forcefully,until there is prompt payment.

``There must be acompensation that is done with aclear jurisdiction of a court or atribunal that will adjudicate thetaking over of this property.

"This was never implemented.``The original inhabitants see

their ancestral lands being

Group advocates payment ofcompensation to FCT original inhabitants

confiscated and sold exorbitantlywithout governmentcompensating them," Jije furthersaid.

The group also demanded forthe creation of a state in the FCTand the establishment of theOriginal Inhabitants DevelopmentCommission to facilitatedevelopment of the indigenouscommunities.

He said that the originalinhabitants of the FCT weredisenfranchised and that theydeserve more electedrepresentatives in the NationalAssembly. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012PAGE 18

2 docked for impersonation, forgery

The Chairman of Abujamunicipal Area Council(AMAC), Hon. Micah

Yohanna Jiba has called on allpoliticians, religious leaders andtraditional rulers in FederalCapital Territory (FCT) to avoidevery differences in the past tofight for a common cause of theongoing constitutional review;especially to the benefit of theoriginal inhabitants

Micah gave this charge overthe weekend during the People'sPublic session of the 1999constitutional review in AMAC/Bwari federal constituency.

According to him, the FCTindigenes are equal to the task,and there is the need foreverybody to work together asbrothers and sisters and maketheir demands clear to theNational assembly.

In his words: "since thegovernment of GoodluckJonathan has given this greatopportunity for the constitutionalreview, it's an indication that thisadministration is people inclusiveregime''.

He further noted that God isthe creator of every state inNigeria including the FCT,insisting that it deserve to betreated like other states as theconstitution requires.

"If we love our neighbor as welove our self let us also support theirprogress"

The Chairman furtherenjoined Nigerians to pray for thenation as well as the leadership ofPresident, Dr. Goodluck EbeleJonathan to steer the affairs ofstate, thereby judiciouslyimplement the transformationagenda of the FederalGovernment.

He charged all residents of theFederal Capital Territory (FCT)irrespective of our religious beliefor political inclination to continueto live in peace and harmony withone another, thus promoting theunity of the country.

In his earlier remark, the chiefof Jiwa , Alhaji Musa Iddris notedthat FCT indigenes had supportedother states in terms of issues thatcommand urgent Nationalattention, therefore, appealing toNigerians both in the Nationalassembly to throw their supportin the demands of the FCT people.

Also the traditional ruler ofKarshi chiefdom, Alh. DanladiTanko who chaired the hearingadvised National assembly toadhere strictly to the wishes of theFCT people to avoid unforeseencircumstances in the future.

"We are very close to thispeople and we know them, so wewant to use this opportunity tocall on the federal government tolook at the constitution and followit" he said.

Constitutionalreview: AMACchair taskspoliticians,traditionalleaders towork together

Two men, Samuel Amih,40, and Onum Oneh, 45,were on Friday arraigned

before an Abuja Upper AreaCourt for alleged criminalconspiracy, impersonation andforgery.

Police prosecutor PatrickObetta told the court that the

accused, who were staff of theNigerian Prisons Service,conspired and impersonated theAdministration Officer of SulejaPrison on April 20, 2012.

“They forged the signatureof one Olawale Peter (DSP, SA)and used it as genuine on theNigerian Prisons Service letter

head with a view to using it tobail a suspect in EFCC custodyin Abuja’’, Obetta said.

The prosecutor said thatduring investigation, it wasdiscovered that there was noofficer known as Olawale Peter(DSP, SA), but the accusedpleaded not guilty to the

The Chairman, Associationof Medical LaboratoryScientists of Nigeria

(AMLSN), FCT chapter, DrCashmir Ifeanyi has raised analarm that there is increase ofclinical laboratories in theFederal Capital Territory(FCT), which are not regulatedand approved, saying thatthese can pose a lot of healthhazard to residents and alsospell doom for the health sector

in the country. Dr Ifeanyi in an interview

with newsmen over theweekend frowned thatpresently most laboratories inAbuja do not meet the statutoryrequirements forestablishment as stipulated bythe law of the country.

“The situation here is a caseof fragrant disregard toconstituted authorities bymany non-professionals in thehealth sector, who set upclinical laboratories in the

AMLSN raise alarm over 60% ofLaboratories in FCT not approved

territory. They have refused tosubject themselves to the lawof the federal republic ofNigeria in the establishment oflaboratories”, he said.

Dr. Ifeanyi noted that theimplication of this is that theresults Abuja residents getfrom most laboratory testsconducted in the territory areeither questionable or not goodenough.

He reminded the public thatthe enabling law empowers theMedical Laboratory Scientists

of Nigeria to regulate thetraining, practice alsoactivities of laboratories in thecountry, warning that Abujaresidence should be mindful ofthe type of clinics they visit fortheir laboratory tests.

The laboratory scientistalso called on Nigerians to holdsome government officials inthe health ministry responsiblefor the proliferation ofquackery in the establishmentof clinical laboratories in theFCT.|

By Adeola Tukuru

charges.The Presiding Judge,

Adamu Wakili, granted thembail in the sum of N300, 000each, with a reliable surety whomust be resident in anidentifiable address in the FCT.

He adjourned the matter toDec. 4, 2012 for hearing.

7 arraigned for selling pre-registered SIM cards

Seven persons were onFriday arraigned before aKaru Chief Magistrates

Court, Abuja, for allegedlyselling pre-registered SIM cardsand acting as agents of theNigeria CommunicationCommission (NCC).

The accused, of no fixaddress, are Tony James, ElijahPeace, Blessing Edwin, AgwuJoy, Adedeji Opeyemi, InochaEverest and Henry Ogbonna.

Police prosecutor AbiolaAyewusi told the court that theaccused were facing a two-count charge of criminalconspiracy and criminalbreach of trust.

Ayewusi said Mr OwolabiKolawole of NCC reported thematter at the State CriminalInvestigative Department,Abuja, on Nov. 6, 2012.

“The accused were caughtacting as agents that register

GSM SIM cards for networkoperators. They wereregistering and selling GSMSIM cards to members of thepublic.

“They were caught pre-registering multiple SIM cardsand selling same to members ofthe public.

“During investigation andinterrogation, they all admittedto have committed the allegedoffences. They said it was lack of

job that pushed them intocommitting the offences,’’ he said.

The accused, however,pleaded not guilty to the charges,and Chief Magistrate AhmedShuaibu granted them bail in thesum of N300, 000 each withreasonable sureties, who resideswithin the jurisdiction of thecourt.

Shuaibu adjourned the case toDec. 12, 2012 for hearing andcalling of witnesses. (NAN)

Officials of Abuja Environment Protection Board (AEPB) clearing heaps of refuse at Lugbe village on Saturday. Photo: Joe Oroye

By Adeola Tukuru

PAGE 19PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Management Tip of the DayManage a challenging (and valuable) employee

INSIDE

Genius often comes withdownsides. If you have avaluable (but disruptive)

employee on your team, trythese management tactics:

· Understand the risks. Yourjob is to balance cohesion andcreativity on your team. If theemployee is negatively affectingthe culture, weigh the costs of

1.18 billionshares traded

on NSE

- Pg 21

Email: aminuimam@yahoo.co.uk Mob: 08033644990

BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESS

keeping him around.· Don’t stifle people. The

employee’s limitations may bethe same source of her talents.Take a “control freak” who wantsto own a project completely. Ifyou view this as him work styleinstead of a difficulty, andperhaps give him a separateproject to run with, you can

leverage this talent instead ofsquashing it.

· Keep things moving. Givecreative individuals enoughindependence to innovate, butthen move the project forwardwith individuals who can act.

Source: Harvard BusinessReview

CBN releases revised guidelines for Power, Airline Fund

President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Goodie Ibru presents a souvenir torepresentative of Unity Bank’s chief executive, Yemi Adeyinka, while Lagos Regional Manager, PatriciaAhunanya, looks on during the bank's Special Day at the just-concluded Lagos International Trade Fair

The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has said therefinancing of existing loans

for captive power projects under itsPower and Airline InterventionFund (PAIF) for corporate entitiesthat are not power companies willonly be eligible, if the investmentsare not older than two years from

the date of the application.The apex bank gave this

directive in a circular titled: “N300Billion Power and AirlineIntervention Fund RevisedGuidelines,” posted on its website onThursday.

It, however, explained that suchrestriction would not be applicableto captive power projectsimplemented and managed by

power companies, even as it insistedthat gas-to-power promoters musttender verifiable evidence of off-taker purchase agreements fortheir projects to be eligible.

The revised guideline statedthat the Asset ManagementCorporation of Nigeria (AMCON),by special approval of the CBNmight be allowed to participate inthe fund with respect to acquired

projects of national economicimportance.

In a bid to catalyse the financingof the real sector of the Nigerianeconomy, the CBN had, inaccordance with Section 31 of theCBN Act 2007, approved theinvestment of the sum of N500billion debenture stock issued by theBank of Industry (BOI).

The sum of N200 billion wasthen set aside for the refinancing/restructuring of Small andMedium Enterprises/Manufacturing portfolios whileN300 billion was set aside for powerand airline projects.

The objectives of the fundincludes to fast-track thedevelopment of electric powerprojects, especially in the identifiedindustrial clusters in the country;fast-track the development of theaviation sector of the Nigerianeconomy by improving the termsof credit to airlines and serve as acredit enhancement instrumentto improve the financial positionof their Deposit.

It was also intended to improvepower supply, generateemployment, and enhance theliving standard of the citizensthrough consistent power supply.

NDIC pays N87.8bn toliquidated banks’ depositors

shareholders of three of other bankshave received N1.28 billion asliquidation dividend.

“A cumulative liquidationdividend payment to shareholdersof Alpha Merchant Bank, NigeriaMerchant Bank and Pan AfricanBank (in-liquidation) stood atN373.04 million, N620 millionand N293 million respectivelyduring the period. This was inaddition to the settlement of all thedepositors and creditors of the threebanks”, he said.

Ibrahim noted that despite thechallenges in the nation’s financialmarket, NDIC has been able to settledepositors and creditors of liquidatedinstitutions within the last eightmonths.

Ibrahim, who was representedby Director of Asset ManagementDepartment of the NDIC, OlarewajuSulaiman said that the corporation

has a crucial role to play towardsthe safety, soundness and stabilityof the financial system.

He said that the key mandateof the corporation is to providefinancial guarantee to depositorsof the insured financial institutionsin event of failure with a view toenhancing public confidence in thenation’s banking system.

He reaffirmed thecommitment of NDIC to itsmandate, saying “the corporationhas also contributed immensely tothe various banking reforms thathad been witnessed in the Nigerianbanking sectors and the dynamicsand the dynamics of the globalfinancial market. We shallcontinue to organise capacitybuilding programmes that will aidfinancial inclusion and literacytowards protecting depositors’funds.”

The Africa Finance Corporation(AFC) serves as Technical Adviserto the Fund.

According to the guideline, anycorporate entity, duly registered inNigeria, involved in electricitypower supply value- chain thatincludes power generation,transmission, distribution, gas-to-power projects and associatedservices can access the fund.

It also said: “Eligible projectspromoted by private or publicsector sponsors (or a combinationof both) but must be structuredeither as profit-oriented business ora public service, provided thatcontracted cash-flows or financingsupport exist to ensure repaymentof principal and interest, as well aslong term viability,” can access thefund.

Similarly, it stated that anyairline duly incorporated underthe Companies and Allied MattersAct (CAMA) of 1990 and operatingin Nigeria can participate in thefund. The facilities include longterm loans (for new PowerProjects), refinancing of existingloans (Power and Airline Projects),refinancing of existing leases(Power and Airline Projects),amongst others.

The Nigerian DepositInsurance Corporation ofNigeria (NDIC) has paid a

cumulative insured deposit ofN87.81 billion to depositors ofvarious liquidated financialinstitutions as at August 31st.

Specifically, the ManagingDirector and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the corporation, AlhajiUmaru Ibrahim, who spoke at thecorporation’s special day at theLagos International Trade Fair, inLagos, on Friday, said NDIC paid acumulative insured deposits ofN6.68 billion to 49 deposit moneybanks (DMBs) in-liquidation as atAugust 31, 2012, as againstN6.636 billion paid to 527,942depositors as at December 31,2011.

Besides, he said a cumulativeliquidation dividend of N77.38billion had been paid to depositors,whose claims were in excess of theinsured amount in the 48 closedDMBs as at August 31, 2012, asagainst N73.5 billion paid in thesame period last year.

Similarly, the corporation paidN2.45 billion to depositors of the103 closed Microfinance Banks(MfBs) as at August 31, 2012 asagainst the sum of N2.25 billionthat was paid to the insureddepositors of the closed (MfBs) as atthe end of December last year, while

By Aminu Imam

Dangote Cement Plc hasemerged winner of theprestigious Securities and

Exchange Commission (SEC)endorsed Pearl Award in threedifferent categories in the 2012edition.

Leading the pack of otherbrands, Dangote Cement wasadjudged by the board of governorsof the Pearl Award Nigeria as thewinner Industrial goods SectorialLeadership award, BuildingMaterials category.

The Dangote brand was alsodeclared as the winner of theHighest Profit Margin Ratio' awardin the 'Market Excellence Categoryfor companies quoted on the StockMarket.

The winning streak wascapped with the overall highestaward, having been nominated inall categories and winning morethan any other brand.

The President of the Pearl awardBoard of Governors, Tayo Orekoya

in a letter addressed to the GroupManaging Director of DangoteCement Plc, named CementCompany of Norther Nigeria Plc(CCNN) and Lafarge WAPCOCement as runners up respectivelyin the sectoral leadership category.

Guarantee Trust Bank andPresco Plc emerged runners up inHighest Profit Margin Ratiocategory while NEM Insuranceand Nestle Nigeria Plc wererunners up in the overall highestaward.

Orekoya stated that the awardwould be given out to the winnersduring an award nite scheduled tohold in Lagos on November 25.

He pointed out that theemergence of Dangote Cement Plcas the winner in the threecategories was a great feat, and wasin recognition of the company'soutstanding operational and stockmarket performance in the 2011year of assessment.

"The criteria for the awards,based on verifiable facts and figuresare included in the accompanyingBrochure", the organizers said.

Dangote Cement is Nigeria'sleading cement producer withthree plants in Nigeria and plansto expand in 13 other Africancountries. The Group is a fullyintegrated quarry-to-depotproducer with an expectedproduction capacity of 19mtpa inNigeria by the end of 2012,increasing to as much as35.25mtpa in 2015. The Groupplans to build a further 19mtpa ofproduction and import capacityacross Africa by 2015.

Dangote Cement wins2012 Pearl AwardsBy Muhammad Nasir

By Aminu Imam

…declared as highest profit margin company

PAGE 20 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

S&P raises ratings on 3 Nigerian banks to ‘BB-’

Standard & Poor’s Ratingsagency on Friday raised itslong-term counterparty

credit ratings on First Bank ofNigeria Ltd. (FBN), Zenith BankPlc (Zenith), and GuarantyTrust Bank PLC (GTB) to ‘BB-’from ‘B+’.

The stable outlook on FBNreflects the stable economicenvironment and that thebank’s business and financialprofiles will remain relativelyunchanged over the next 12months. S & P said it expects FBNto retain its strong marketposition as Nigerian bankingsector leader, with relativelystable revenues and moderategeographic diversification.

The bank’s capitalisationshould remain in the 5%-6%range under Standard & Poor’srisk-adjusted capital (RAC)methodology, but there could bedownward ratings pressure ifloans grow faster than currentlyanticipated.

In its view, positive economicprospects should keep assetquality and loss experience at

COMPANYNEWS currently good levels, although

a focus on lending to midsizecompanies may pressure this inthe next 12-18 months.

The stable outlook on GTB, itsaid, reflects the stable economicenvironment and it

views that the bank’s businessand financial profiles willremain relatively unchangedover the next 12 months. In itsview, the positive economic

Sterling Bank

Sterling Bank Plc hasexpressedits commitment to assist

Microfinance Banks (MfBs)access N220 billion Micro,Small and Medium EnterpriseDevelopment Fund (MSMEDF),which would be launched bythe Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) this week.

Managing Director,Sterling Bank Plc, Yemi Adeoladisclosed this recently at theMfB Customer Forumorganised by the bank in Lagos.

He said the fund sought toprovide wholesale funding forMfBs and microfinanceinstitutions for on-lending tomicro and mediumenterprises. The bank CEOlisted other fundingopportunities that the MfBs cankey into to include the N5billion small businessdevelopment funds, $4 millionrenewable energy project, andanother $200 million providedby Ford Foundation to enablethem increase their market

penetration.

OandoFoundation

Oando Foundation, anindependentlyregistered charity unit

of Oando Plc, has awardedscholarships to 225 less-privileged children nationwideas part of the activities tolaunch its Oando ScholarProgramme.

The event, which was heldat Civic Centre Lagos, is in linewith its vision to transformlives in Nigerian communitiesthrough education andeconomic empowerment.

Beneficiaries were selectedfrom Oando adopted primaryschools throughout Nigeria,and the scheme will sponsor 10outstanding primary six pupilsfrom each of the schools,through secondary andtertiary education on annualbasis.

Glo

Globacom hascommenced theconnection of residential

estates in Lagos and other citiesto its fixed line network, ridingon the Glo Broadaccessinfrastructure.

As part of this roll out drive,the company, in a statement,said it has successfullyconnected NICON Town, one ofthe newest residential estatesalong the Lekki-EpeExpressway, in Lagos.

According to Head of GloBroadaccess, Mr. KarunaMenon, Globacom is deliveringhigh quality voice service,data transmission, high speedInternet services and videostreaming to the 433 plots inthe residential estate.

Earnings Report for Banks Source:Pro-share Nigeria

By Aminu Imama

Inflation rates from Oct, 2011 to Sep, 2012Max = 12.9, Min = 10.3 for period in display.Current Inflation rate = 11.3 Source:CBN

prospects in Nigeria will furthersupport GTB’s businessrelationships and earningcapacity”, the agency stated.

The agency anticipates thatGTB’s capitalisation willincrease slightly over the next12-18 months, owing to a strongearning capacity that comesfrom high margins and low costof risk. “We also assume that GTBwill maintain its stable funding

Economic Indicators As at: M2* 

CPS* 

INF 

IBR  

MPR 

91‐day NTB  

DPR 

PLR 

Bonny Light 

Ext Res 

N14,040,713.7m

N14,928,461.1m

11.3

12.0700

12

12.75

8.79

16.37

US$112.0

US$42,796,949,330.6

Sep, 2012 

Sep, 2012 

Sep, 2012 

11/8/2012 

11/7/2012 

11/7/2012 

Sep, 2012 

Sep, 2012 

11/7/2012 

11/8/2012 

and liquidity profile”, it furtherstated.

The stable outlook on Zenith,according to S & P, reflects thaton the sovereign and our viewthat the bank’s business andfinancial profile will remainrelatively unchanged over thenext 12 months. S & P anticipatethat the positive economicprospects in Nigeria will supportZenith’s financial performance.

Diamond Bank Plc hasrevealed that therebranding exercise

embarked upon by the financialinstitution has attracted aninvestment of $170 million (N27.2bn) for both Tier-II convertibleequity and long term investment.

The Chief Executive Officer ofDiamond Bank Plc, Dr. Alex Otti,while speaking at a press briefingto officially unveil the bank’s new

identity in Lagos, on Wednesday,explained that the InternationalFinance Corporation invested $70million as Tier-II convertible equityinto the bank, after which the bankreceived another $100 millionfrom a British bank for a long terminvestment.

Otti, who expressed optimismthat its rebranding exercise wouldhelp to facilitate its goal of becomingone of the leading bank in thecountry in the next few years alsodisclosed that the bank hasconcluded plans to increase itsbranch network to 300 within thenext one -year to enhance customerdelivery services.

He pointed out that the newidentity would add momentum tothe bank’s tradgetory, in terms ofperformance, as well as position itto become a more active player inthe Nigerian Banking industry,adding that this would alsoconsolidate its current marketleadership position in the retailbanking.

According to him, as thebanking industry becomes moreviable and competitive, the bankis determined to leverage on over20 years of stability andexperience; coupled withinnovation and good corporategovernance, to aim for the leadposition in the nation’s bankingindustry.

He added that the new visualidentity also re-affirms itscommitment to delivering

improved profitability and growthfor all stakeholders as well asproviding its customers withinnovative products and servicesto meet their banking needs.

“We have taken a large scaleoverhaul of our visual identity,comprising of our logo, name andbrand colour, the most importantremains the renewed spirit behindour customer delivery.

“We have chosen to embarkupon this brand upon this brandrefresh in order to facilitate our goalof being one of the leading bank inthe country. Our new identity willalso consolidate our currentmarket leadership in the retailbanking state”, he added.

Diamond Bank’s rebranding attractsN27.2 bn long-term investmentFrom Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

The Nigerian Council ofRegistered InsuranceBrokers (NCRIB) and the

National Insurance Commission(NAICOM) have advocated forunity among insuranceoperators in order to move theindustry forward.

The president of both bodiesreiterated this during thecommissioning of the ultra-modern insurance brokers housein Yaba.

The Commissioner forInsurance, Mr. Fola Daniel,while congratulating NCRIB forsuccessful completion of itssecretariat urged operators tocontinue to work together tosustain the development whichhas been entrenched by thefounding fathers of theindustry.

In the past, virtually all theassociations in the insuranceindustry have failed to speakwith one voice, as they arealways at loggerhead on keypolicy issues. The industry isblessed with bodies like, theNigerian Insurers Association(NIA), the Chartered InsuranceInstitute of Nigeria (CIIN),NCRIB, among other insuranceassociations.

For the industry to be highlyrespected, the commissionercalled on these bodies to speakand act as one. Daniel howeverdisclosed that the commissionwill ensure that the industrycontinues to maximise theavailable insurableopportunities in the country.

NCRIB, NAICOMadvocate for unityamong operatorsFrom Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

PAGE 21PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

INVESTORSNEWS BITS

Source:Pro-share Nigeria

1.18 billion shares traded on NSE

Transaction on the floor ofthe Nigeria StockExchange (NSE) last

week remained on thedownward trend the marketrecorded a turnover of 1.189billion units of shares valued atN11.491 billion exchangedhands in 22,277deals compared to 1.512 billionshares valued at N12.950billion that was traded theprevious week in 23,039 deals.

The Financial Servicessector continued its vibrantdominance in the activitychart (measured by turnovervolume) recording the highesttrading volume of 835.158million units of shares valuedat N6.380 billion traded in13,326 deals, representing70.00 per cent, 55.52 per centand 60.00 per cent, of thevolume, value and number ofdeals executed on the stock

market respectively during theweek.

The Consumer Goods sectorfollowed, with a recordedvolume of 178.863 millionshares valued at N3.651 billiontraded in 4,204 deals. The toptwo sectors accounted for 1.014billion shares valued atN10.031 billion traded in17,530 deals, thus accountingfor 85.00 per cent, 87.29 percent and 79.00 per cent of thevolume, value and number ofdeals respectively.

Dangote Sugar Refinery Plcof the Food Products subsectorwas the most active with avolume of 120.168 millionunits followed by Zenith BankPlc and United Bank for AfricaPlc. The top three equities witha total volume of 324.977million units of sharescontributed 27.00% and25.79% respectively to thetotal turnover and value forthe week.

Analysis of the trading

Lafarge Cement WAPCO posts N16.2 bn profit in Q3“Our ReadyMix business has

become a preferred solution inthe concrete sector in Nigeria.We are expanding withthree new plants across thenation”.

Lafarge Powermax is aninnovative 42.5AL high qualityperformance cement that is usedfor large construction projects like

Lafarge Cement WAPCONigeria Plc has declaredprofit before tax of N16.2

billion for the third quarter (Q3)ended September 30, 2012, upby 90 % when compared to N8.5billion recorded within sameperiod last year

Revenue also increased by 57% to N69.8 billion, comparedwith N44.5 billion in 2011, while116 % growth was attainedoperating income as againstN20.1billion in 2011

Within the period underreview, 54 % growth wasrecorded in basic earnings pershare to 361k compared to 234k in last year.

Commenting on the result,Managing Director and ChiefExecutive Officer of the company,Joe Hudson, said: “Outlook for therest of the year remains positiveas we continue to leverage onimprovements and costefficiency initiatives deployedduring the year.

“We are leading the requireddifferentiation in the Nigeriancement market and will continueto deliver value to our customersand stakeholders through ourinnovative products andservices.

activity showed that tradedduring the week were 256units of NewGold ExchangeTraded Funds (ETFs), valuedat N669,100 exchangedhands in 5 deals in contrast toa total of 7,700 units valuedat N20.007 million transactedlast week in 5 deals.

There were no transactionsin the Federal GovernmentDevelopment Stocks, State/Local Government Bonds, andCorporate Bonds/Debenturessectors.

The NSE All-Share Index(ASI), which opened the weekat 26,559.55 closed at26,718.30 therebyappreciating 158.75 points or0.60 per cent. The marketcapitalization of the listedequities increased by N50.588billion or 0.60 per cent to closeat N8.514 trillion.

Three of the sectoral indicesappreciated while three alsodepreciated. The BloombergNSE 30, Bloomberg NSE

Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi,Lagos

Consumer Goods andBloomberg NSE Oil/GasIndices rose by 0.56 per cent(+36.25 YTD), 0.54 per cent(+286.82 YTD) and 0.53 percent (-28.76 per cent YTD)respectively, while BloombergNSE Banking, Bloomberg NSEInsurance and NSE Lotus IIIndices depreciated by 0.28per cent (+54.70 per centYTD), 0.57 per cent (-7.16 percent YTD) and 1.12 per cent(+34.12 per cent YTD)respectively.

Further review indicatedthat thirty (30) equitiesgained while thirty-nine (39)equities recorded pricedeclines and prices of onehundred and twenty nine(129) equities remainedconstant. When compared withthe preceding week, twenty-one(21) equities gained while fifty-two (52) equities recorded pricedeclines and prices of onehundred and twenty five (125)equities remained constant.

Julius BergerLeading construction

company, Julius Bergerhas reported 3Q

earnings of N137 billion,representing a 5.6% increasefrom the N130 billion itmade over the same periodlast year.

Profit before tax arrivedat N7.5 billion, up 11% fromthe N6.8 billion it made overthe same period last year.Net income was N3.79billion, up 38% from theN2.73 billion it made overthe same period last year.

The company increasedits investments in plant,property and eqipment by5.6% over the period. Fixedassets are now valued atN58.32 billion. Earnings pershare for 3Q, 2012 was

N3.15, up 38% from N2.28.

Tantalizers

Quick ServiceRestaurant chain,Tantalizers has

declared a loss of N243million after nine months oftrading in the presentfinancial year.

Sales for the companyover the nine month periodwere N3.17 billion, down7.3% from the N3.42 billionit made over the same periodlast year.

Production costs saw amarginal increase of 1.1% toN1.79 billion reflectingincrease in the economic cotsof the factors of productionsuch as petrol.

Profit before tax fell to -N201 million, a 577%decline as opposed to theN42.1 million it made over3Q, 2011.

Oyo

The Oyo stategovernment has signeda Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with aUnited Kingdom-based milkproducing company, KamaMilk Industry for theprocessing and production ofsoya milk.

When it eventually comeson stream, the company,whose establishment willcost $25 million (N4 billion),will be producing about750,000 metric tons of soyamilk per annum, aside theprovision of about 100,000jobs for the people of thestate.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi,who presided over thesigning ceremony at theGovernor’s Office, Ibadan onWednesday, said that thedevelopment was theproduct of his many foreigntrips which were aimed atimproving the economy ofthe state and enhancing theliving standard of thepeople.

bridges, high rise structures, slabsand beams, spun pipes, gardenpaths and driveways, amongothers.

In his remarks, the FinanceDirector, Fred Amobi, stated: “theoperating income remains strong.Our internal processimprovement initiatives havecontinued to yield positive results

as reflected in the operatingincome. However, the heavy rainshave had the usual adverse effecton volumes during Quarter three”.

With its three plants in Ewekoroand Sagamu in Ogun state,Lafarge WAPCO is themanufacturer of ElephantSupaset, Lafarge PowerMax andElephant Cement.

Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc said ithas officially adopted aholding company structure,

following final approvals byregulatory authorities.

The bank, in a press statementmade available to the NigeriaStock Exchange (NSE), statedthat the holding company(HoldCo) structure is incompliance with the revisedregulatory framework by theCentral Bank of Nigeria whichrequires banks to divest from non-core banking businesses or adopta HoldCo structure.

Under the new structure, theoperating subsidiaries of Stanbic

IBTC Holdings PLC are StanbicIBTC Bank (including StanbicNominees Nigeria Limited),Stanbic IBTC Pension ManagersLimited, Stanbic IBTC AssetManagement Limited, StanbicIBTC Stockbrokers Limited,Stanbic IBTC Trustees Limited,Stanbic IBTC Ventures Limited,Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited andStanbic IBTC InvestmentsLimited.

Stanbic IBTC Capital Limitedand Stanbic IBTC InvestmentsLimited are newly incorporatedcompanies.

Subsequently, the shares ofStanbic IBTC Bank are on full

suspension. The process ofdelisting the bank from thetrading list of the Nigerian StockExchange and listing StanbicIBTC Holdings PLC hascommenced. The entire processshould be completed in about twoweeks.

In line with the provisions ofthe scheme document approvedby shareholders the excess capitalfrom the bank’s sharecancellation will be returned toshareholders as cash. The bankintends to pay shareholders for thecancelled shares within 21working days from 08 November2012.

Stanbic IBTC completes adoption ofholding company structure

PAGE 22 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Shaky finances rattle Nigeria’s airline safetyPassengers arriving at

Murtala Mohammedairport in Lagos could be

forgiven for thinking they hadstumbled into a refugee camp.In a big white tent a throng ofpeople struggle with luggage inthe sapping heat and humidity.In front of makeshift servicecounters they form somethingthat might be a queue but looksmore like a scrum.

The only clue that this is oneof the most important domesticair terminals serving Africa'ssecond-biggest economy and topoil producer is that many wearbusiness suits. Terminal Two,where Arik Air has operated outof a tent for a year while repairwork goes on, is not the onlyevidence that Nigerian aviationis in chaos.

In the last four months,Nigeria has seen a plane crashkill 163 people, the collapse ofone of its main internationalairlines and a central bankorder banning lenders fromgiving its main carriers morecash until they repayburgeoning debts.

Documents obtained byReuters from now defunct AirNigeria suggest financialmismanagement was largely toblame for its collapse lastmonth, though its owner JimohIbrahim disagrees.

Insiders say other airlinesare also in dire financial straits,which could soon have graveconsequences for air safety in acountry that already has one ofthe world's worst records.

An investigation into thecauses has yet to be completed,though a preliminary reportblamed dual engine failure. Forsome it simply added to thelitany of misery in a countryalready reeling from Islamistinsurgency in the north,massive oil theft and multi-billion-dollar corruptionscandals.

Nigeria's government haslong cherished ambitions ofmaking Lagos a regionaltransport hub. When Britishbillionaire Richard Branson setup domestic and internationalcarrier Virgin Nigeria in 2000,that dream seemed withinreach.

Branson pulled out in 2010in frustration at what he saidwas interference by corruptpoliticians and regulators.

Yet the economics that luredVirgin to Nigeria still lookpromising on paper; it hasAfrica's biggest population,economic growth of around 7percent year after year, agrowing middle class and asmall but hugely wealthy elite.

Lagos, the commercial hub,is about 330 miles (530kilometres) from the politicalcapital Abuja, and both arehundreds of miles from oil-producing regions in thesoutheast. Roads connectingthem are poor. Many Nigerians,as well as foreign oil workers,bankers and other businesspeople have little choice but tofly.

Even with two major airlinessuspended in the past fourmonths, nearly 200 domesticflights a day cross Nigeria'sskies.

International carriers suchas British Airways and VirginAtlantic are making huge profitsout of Nigeria.

Yet two years after Branson'sexit, the airline he created,rebranded Air Nigeria, closedlast month. Ibrahim told Reutershe shut it down because of"unreliable staff".

But former finance director,John Nnorom says the companycollapsed under about N35billion of debt and could not evenpay its staff. He thinks suchfinancial woes are widespreadand a real danger to air safety.

"The aircraft we have inNigeria are flying coffins," hetold Reuters. "Many are too old.The ones that aren't are oftenpoorly maintained," hecontinued, adding that he hadtried to petition the aviationministry after quitting AirNigeria.

"I told them, if nothing is done... there will be a plane crashimminently. Days after mymail, Dana's plane crashed."

John Obi, a spokesman forAviation Minister Stella Oduah,admitted the Dana crash was a"wake-up call" but said safetystandards now were morestringent than ever.

A CBN document showsNigeria's only other two majordomestic carriers are deep in thered. The biggest, Arik, owes 85billion naira to state-backed"bad bank" AMCON, set up in2010 to stem a financial crisis.

The other, Aero Contractors,owes AMCON 32.5 billion naira.

Arik's director did notrespond to a request to speak toReuters, and other officials werenot available to comment.

All three airlines have onething in common: ownership bypowerful oligarchs, usually withcore interests in other things.Ibrahim's Nicon investments isin everything from oil to hotelsto insurance. Arik ownerJohnson Arumemi-Ikhide haslucrative interests in oil and

engineering. The super-richIbru family own not AeroContractors but also banks,deluxe hotels and newspapers.

Nnorom accuses Ibrahim ofrunning Air Nigeria like apersonal slush fund, evendiverting Air Nigeria's share ofa 35 billion naira central bankemergency fund set up in 2010.

Ibrahim denies this. He toldReuters Nnorom was adisgruntled employee whom hesacked for embezzling$100,000. Nnorom said it wasa spurious, politicallymotivated accusation and thecharges had been dropped.

Nnorom showed Reuters aNigeria Civil AviationAuthority (NCAA) letterexplaining its decision tosuspend Air Nigeria in June.

The letter quotes a senioremployee as saying "we owevirtually all outstation hotelbills, fuel money, handlingcharges, facility bills. We do notpay ... for fuel even at the hubhere in Lagos. We never departon time due to finance".

It adds that the companystruggles to pay night-stopallowances to staff and that key

"service providers arewithdrawing their servicesbecause we are not paying".

"We sent aircraft for checks,but they came back due (to lackof) funds," the staff memberadds.

The authority concludesthat such evidence plus AirNigeria's "cash-and-carry modeof refuelling your aircraft wereconsidered by the Authority asindicative of a situation of direfinancial distress, whichendangers safe operation".

Ibrahim denies Air Nigeria'sdebt was his fault. He says it had$370 million of debt when hetook it off Virgin and that therehad been no impact on safety.He told Reuters he suspected thecivil aviation authoritysuspension was political.

Nnorom thinks airlinesroutinely lack money to pay forspare parts, maintenance,hangars or handling agents. AirNigeria had 11 aircraft, 10 ofwhich should not have beenflying, he said.

"We could not afford repairsor the changing of engines."

A letter dated September2010 sent by Air Nigeria to theManaging Director of UnitedBank for Africa (UBA) in Lagos,provided by Nnorum, shows arequest to transfer $27 millionfrom the airline's account intothe accounts of companiesowned by Ibrahim's NICONGroup in Nigeria and Ghana.

Nnorom listed another N6billion worth of transfers he hadrecorded going from Air Nigeriainto NICON in 2010 and 2011.

"He was taking money out ofa company of which he ownsonly 50 percent and spending itlike it was his money," Nnoromsaid.

When shown the transfers,Ibrahim told Reuters it wasabove board and he only madethem to NICON to pay it backcapital it had sunk into AirNigeria, on which it had made ahuge loss.

Analysts say Nigeria's poorly

run airlines reveal a failure bythe private sector to makesomething of deregulation.

"The systematic failure ofNigerian carriers to generatemoney in a conventional way,as successful companies,highlights something: airlinesthere have always been treatedas a kind of vanity project," saidAntony Goldman, head of PMConsulting.

"The companies operatinginternational flights to Nigeriaon a commercial basis ... aremaking huge amounts ofmoney."

Aviation minister Oduah hasalso been criticised for herhandling of the sector's variouscrises.

Carriers like Ibrahim say herinexperience in the sector - shewas in the haulage industrybefore President GoodluckJonathan hired her - has led herto focus on the wrong things, likea slow, state-run renovation ofthe airport, instead ofimproving finance andtightening up safety standards.

Two months after the Danacrash, she led a delegation to theUnited States, China and Canadaon a "road show" to drum upforeign investment intoaviation. Critics called itinsensitive and a waste ofmoney. Some officials refused tojoin her.

Oduah's spokesman John Obisaid critics were wrong to blamethe sector's woes, especiallysafety, on her lack of experience.

"When we had those withmore technical experience, wehad more crashes, so thatargument doesn't hold anywater," he said.

He added that she wasworking with the central bankto try to extend cheap financeto the capital-intensiveindustry and import taxwaivers that would help easethe airlines' distress.

If, as industry officials say,the clock is ticking to the nextdisaster, she has no time to lose.(Reuters)

Murtala Mohammed airport in Lagos Source: Reuters

“Even with two majorairlines suspended inthe past four months,nearly 200 domesticflights a day cross

Nigeria's skies.

PAGE 26 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

08028402920sbejike@gmail.com

Justice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo’shurdles to Appeal Court

Nigeria, by virtue of Section42 of 1999 constitution of theFederal Republic of Nigeria".

Observers were worried withthe action of the CJN, who failedto immediately give reasons forher action, more so that theposition she is occupying as theCJN is a public office and hersalary is being paid from taxpayers' money.

It was however gathered fromprivileged sources within the tophierarchy of the judiciary thatJustice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo, in anapplication form for elevation tothe intermediate court she filledfour years ago when Abia Statehad no vacant slot, filled herstate of origin, Anambra Statewhich had vacant slot then.

Though from Anambra State,she was to have picked theavailable slot, despite havingchanged her state of origin in herservice documents to Abia Statewhen she got married to anindigene of the State. Shereportedly lost the Anambra slotto another candidate. Whileapplying for the same elevationthis year, she reportedly filledAbia as her state of originbecause it was Abia that now hada vacant slot, while AnambraState did not have an opening.Following the discovery of themix-up in the state of origincolumn for her in the twoapplications, the CJN reportedlysummoned her to her office andasked whether she filled the twoapplication forms by herself.

She was said to haveconfirmed filling the two formswith different states of origin.

Justice Jombo-Ofo was saidto have read the handwriting ofthe CJN on the wall over theissue and thus, the interventionof the Abia State governor, whichcould not salvage the situation.

Since the refusal to swear herin along with other judges by the

CJN, there has been pressurefrom all quarters on the CJN topardon and reconsider Jombo-Ofo.

It was gathered that thepresidency and the Nigerian BarAssociation (NBA) have kickedoff investigations into the refusalof the CJN to swear in Jombo-Ofo as an Appeal Court Judge.

President of the NBA, MrOkey Wali, confirmed the Bar'sinvestigation during a courtesyvisit to the President of theSenate, Senator David Markafter the incident and promisedthat the Bar would make itsposition known after its meetingwith the CJN.

Mark, at the meeting, saidthat the Senate would insist onthe swearing-in of the judge,adding that the developmentamounts to a threat to theinstitution of marriage.

Source close to the CJN said:"Justice Mukhtar has nothingpersonal against Justice Jombo-Ofo. It is unfortunate that peoplenever thought it wise to seek thetruth of what happened butrather went ahead to rely onmedia reports to castigate andvilify the CJN without getting thetrue facts of the matter.

"When these inconsistencieswere discovered by the CJN, sheconfronted Justice Jombo-Ofowith the facts and when she hadno defence, the CJN thendecided to defer her swearing-in.

He maintained that, "if theCJN were to be vindictive, thewoman may have to facedisciplinary measures as thisborders on the integrity of ajudicial officer, but like a mothershe wants to ensure that justiceis done to all parties concerned.

Meanwhile, the Senate hasurged the CJN to swear inJustice Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo as aJustice of the Court of Appeal.The Senate resolution followed a

Friends, relations and wellwishers of Justice IfeomaJombo-Ofo were on

November 5, 2012 embarrassedand surprised when the ChiefJustice of Nigeria (CJN) and thechairman of the NigerianJudicial Council (NJC), JusticeMariam Alloma Mukhtarquietly dropped her name fromthe l ist of Justices to beappointed as Justice of theCourt of Appeal.

There was a mild drama atthe swearing in ceremony whichheld at the Supreme Courtcomplex in Abuja as JusticeIfeoma Jombo-Ofo was quietlyasked to vacate the seat she wassitting among the other Justicesthat were to be sworn in on thatday. Confused Justice Jombo-Ofo excused herself from thereand watched as her colleagueswere administered oath of officeby the CJN.

It was later gathered that theremoval of the lady Justice'sname followed a controversialpetit ion against her on thegrounds that the state sherepresents is not her state oforigin.

A list of twelve Justices wasinitially released by the apexcourt for the swearing ceremonybut the inclusion of JusticeIfeoma Jombo-Ofo, who wasappointed a High Court judgeon November 4, 1998 followingher call to Bar in 1979, asrepresenting Abia state whereshe had served for many yearsafter her marriage to Mr.Jombo- Ofo, an indigene of thestate, drew the ire of someindigenes of the state.

Information gathered fromthe apex court indicates that apetition was forwarded to theCJN and the Chairman of theNJC, al leging that JusticeJombo-Ofo did not disclose thetruth of her state of origin. Sheis originally from Anambra statebefore her marriage andsubsequently transferred herservice from her home state toher husband's state of Abia.

Those behind the petitionwere reported to have mountedintense pressure and armtwisting techniques to foil herelevation to the appellate court.

Not even a spirited effort byAbia state governor, TheodoreOrji, could save the day forJustice Jumbo-Ofo. It wasgathered that the governor hadwritten a letter to the CJNbefore the date of the swearing-in ceremony, where-in heconfirmed the indegenship ofJustice Jumbo-Ofo who hadserved in the Abia stateJudiciary for over 14 years andalso affirmed that her name wasindeed sent by the stategovernment as one of the state'scandidates for elevation to theappellate court.

Governor Orji urged the CJNto disregard any spuriouspetition or allegation againsther indegenship and swearher in. As if retired JusticeOlufunlola Adekeye knew thatthere was going to be adiscrimination against a femaleJudge when she implored theCJN, Chief Judges of the states,the Judicial Service

Commission and the NJC toreview the policy that marriedwomen cannot reach the peak oftheir career in their husband'sstate of origin.

Retired Justice Adekeye wasspeaking during a valedictorycourt session held in her honouras she bowed out of theSupreme Court, a week beforethe Justices of the Court ofAppeal were sworn-in. Adekeyenoted that complaints of thisnature are becomingincreasingly rampart within thejudiciary and stated that mostwomen transfer their services tothe state of origin of theirhusbands immediately aftertheir marriage which, accordingto her, is logical and incompliance with the tenets ofmarriage that the two spousesshall become one. The nowretired jurist regretted thatwhenever there is vacancy at thetop in the husband's state oforigin, the woman will be deniedthe post and there and thenreferred to her own state oforigin, after climbing the ladderand putting so many years intothe service. An indigene of thestate will nominated to fill thevacant position.

She further observed that thewoman would have hurdles tocross in her own state of originas she did not work there and theauthorities in her state of originwill not be in a position to assessher suitability for the postproperly.

In the words of retiredJustice Adekeye: "It is my viewthat during the existence of hermarriage, the name of herhusband must qualify and makeher eligible to reach the peak ofher career in her husband's state.I think it is unconstitutional aswell as discriminatory to depriveher of her promotion in heracquired state as a citizen of

motion sponsored by the DeputySenate President, IkeEkweremadu and supported byall the Senators.

Ekweremadu observed that,"there is no record of anyobjection to her appointment byher husband, Abia StateGovernment or Abia StateJudiciary". He said the practicalimplication of the decision of theJustice Alloma Mukhtar is thatNigerian women have lost allthey struggled for over the yearsadding that: "Once a woman ismarried outside her community,local government area or State,she cannot aspire to any position(appointive or elective) in herhusband's community, localgovernment area or state, whileit is very unlikely that she willsecure such position in her placeof origin since she has beenmarried out.

"This scenario put Nigerianwomen in very hopelesssituation and most importantlycontravenes S.42 (1) of theconstitution of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria 1999 (asamended)", he added. The SenatePresident, David Mark, pointedout that the refusal smacks ofthreat to the sanctity of marriagefor professional women. Marksaid: "I think the judiciary will becrying louder than the bereavedbecause Abia state is notcomplaining. The governor wasthere, so why should anybodycome and say she is taking Abiaslot because that is what it meansin effect if she was not sworn in.We should do whatever we can toensure that she is sworn in. Thiswill make us think twice about theover emphasizes on indegenshipand place of origin. If you areresident in a place why can't youtake appointment there? Butparticularly on this issue, I thinkit is just a mistake and that themistake will be corrected."

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma MukhtarSenate President David Mark

It is not easy to run an NGO in thiscountry as we are yet to appreciatethe commitment. We are justdoing it voluntarily but withtime, people will appreciate butfor now, we rely solely in fundingour activities from subscriptionfees gathered within our membersand few philanthropists. Weencourage well-meaningNigerians and government to paymore attention to what we aredoing in order to reduce the plightof diabetes patients especiallyamong the less privileged.

What informed yourdecision to start this charitableorganization?

This organization took off onJuly 16 2011. I becamepassionate about it when Irealized the rate at which peoplewere becoming diabetic, at leastone member of every family oranother has diabetes. I realizedthat diabetes is hereditary andthe earlier we create awareness,the easier it will be for us toprevent having more diabeticpeople in every family.

It is almost two yearsdown the line, what would yousay have been yourachievement?

So far, we have generatedawareness through postersinforming people about thesymptoms and control of thedisease. We have dispatched fieldworkers to go round the whole ofMunicipal Area Council in Abujato do this. It has worked because,we have been getting feedbackfrom these people who have beenhaving the symptoms but did notknow that, it has to do withdiabetes. We have organizedseminars where experts, likedieticians have lectured people onthe control and dangers ofdiabetes. Marking the WorldDiabetes Day, we intend to dofree screening for members of thepublic during a walk which weorganized in commemoration ofthe day. However, we hope thatsoon, government willcollaborate with us by supportingour initiative as diabetes isbecoming more dangerous thanmalaria and typhoid.

What plans does theorganisation have to make thedrugs and insulin therapyaffordable?

They are usually expensiveand this is why patients arediscouraged. We are pleadingwith the government to subsidisethe drugs and injection in orderto avoid people skipping drugs orgenerally not controlling theirsugar level as a result of the highcosts of these materials.

PAGE 27PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a kind of disorderthat involves metabolicprocesses that help in the

conversion of glucose into energy.What aids this action is the releaseof the hormone called insulinfrom the pancreas. There aretimes that a disorder inmetabolism comes especiallywhen there is a kind of infection,when an individual has autoimmune response in the body asa result of viral infection.Sometimes other infections liketrauma from burns can upset themetabolic process and lead to ahigh level of glucose in the system.If these are properly treated,symptoms of diabetes can beremoved but then, there areinstances when diabetes comesand stays, especially where it hasto do with weight of the body. Thisis the fat layer that obstructs theinteraction between glucose inthe blood and insulin from thepancreas. Sometimes, it could behereditary; you find out that, inevery generation, there arepeople presenting with diabetes.

Why is it becomingrampant in our society?

There are changes that aretaking place in our livesgenerally; we used to be veryactive people, many Nigeriansused to trek but now, we havebecome largely sedentary. Wehave too many labour servingdevices around that limit thescope of physical activity that canhelp us to burn off energyproperly. Secondly, the foodhabit of Nigerians has changeddrastically; we used to eatwholesome natural food but mostof the food we eat today isprocessed food especially which isnot good for our health. Also, therunning around by Nigerians hasincreased especially amongexecutives who do not know whento stop and rest. Diabetes can beinduced by stress; when the bodyis stressed, there would bemobilization of cholesterol,glucose in the blood and theperson could easily get diabetes.It is only in Nigeria that executivegoes on leave and are recalled andsome don’t even understand thatthey need to rest.

What type of food should adiabetic patient eat?

When we talk about food for adiabetic patient, we are onlytalking about healthy diet; thereis no such thing as ‘diabetic food’in particular because that iswhere we are missing it in thiscountry. Once a person hasdiabetes, he is advised to eathealthy diet characterized by lowfat, low salt, moderate proteinand carbohydrate and then highfibre which is of two types - theone you get from whole grain, sowe advise that people should startusing whole grains especially forbreakfast because most Nigeriansthese days do not eat normalgrains, unrefined andunprocessed food. We have nowfound a strong point we areholding unto which is breakfastcereal like oats, cornflakes, wholewheat bread and any packagedfibre. Those food help in thecontrol of both cholesterol andglucose. We also advise people toeat more vegetables because theyhave insoluble fibre and help inbinding the cholesterol from yourintestine and discharge this

‘Government shouldsubsidise diabetes drugs’

cholesterol along with the wastefibre when you go to toilet. It putsyou at a safe point when it comesto issue of cancer andhypertension. We are also lookingat the rate at which people eatfried food in this country, themore frying we do the more trans-fat we are taking into the systemand the higher the risk ofdeveloping diabetes and thehigher the risk of having cancer.Avoid all carbonated drinks withsugar added; don’t take beveragewith sugar added. We are alsolooking at the time we eat andhow much food we eat. The bodyneeds just enough food that it canhandle and ensure that you don’tskip your meals especially whenyou are on medication. Make sureyou don’t eat late dinner. Youneed a space of about 4hoursbetween dinner and bed time. Ifyou are on medication andrequire a bedtime snack, youshould look for one that isrelatively low in glucose like moinmoin if you can handle it in thenight and if you cannot, getcracker biscuit with a cup of teaor a small bowl of oatmeal.

Could you expatiate on thetwo types of diabetes?

The type-1 diabetes is the typethat hinders the body fromproducing insulin, it is the onethat has to do with auto immune

response and it happens more inchildren. It manifest fromchildhood. These people live withinsulin therapy for life. Type-2 isa more lifestyle related conditionand it is usually presented inmiddle age - age forty and above.With diet modification andregular exercise, it can be putunder control. The body actuallysecretes insulin in this case butonly that it defects in itsfunctioning due to fat layers butwith exercise, this fat layer isburnt and the interruption isreduced. This does not mean thatmedication is not necessary.Usually there is a triangle in thetreatment; diet, medication andexercise and in the middle, wehave, self-blood glucose

monitoring. We are now teachingpeople to know that, up to 70% ofcare is their own responsibilitiesonly 30% come from the healthteam.

What is DHEO all about?DHEO is an acronym for

Diabetic Health andEnlightenment Organization; weare involved in creatingawareness, enlightenment on thedangers of diabetes and itsmanagement.

What have been yourchallenges so far?

DHEO is nonprofit, non-religious, nonpartisan, basicallya charitable organization that isconcerned with the plight ofdiabetes patients; how to managethem so they can live active life.

“We are pleading with thegovernment to subsidise the drugs

and injection in order to avoid peopleskipping drugs or generally not

controlling their sugar level as a resultof the high costs of these materials

November 14 every year is World Diabetes Day. It is celebrated by the International Diabetes Federation,founded in 1991. Meant to address issues concerning diabetes, Diabetic Health and Enlightenment organisation(DHEO), an NGO, has keyed into the initiative by interacting with the media to create more awareness on therising diabetes prevalence. In this interview with our reporter, A’isha Biola Raji, the founder of DHEO Nigeria,Hajiya Aisha Y.B Ali and Mrs. Sarah Abagayi, Head Dietician, National Hospital, Abuja, shared their concernsover the plight of diabetes patients and how the deadly disease can be controlled. Excerpts:

Hajiya Aisha Y.B Ali Mrs. Sarah Abagayi

PAGE 30 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

L-R: Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shehu Shema, his Kaduna State counterpart, Mr. Patrick Yakowa,Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike and Director-General, National Teachers Institute(NTI), Dr. Ladan Sharehu, during NTI 2nd Joint National Graduation ceremony, on Saturday in Kaduna.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Education keyto vocationalefficiency, sayseducationist

An educationist and the QuizCoordinator, FCT Agencyfor the Control of AIDS, Mr.

Ndubisi Ogbonna, on Fridaydescribed education as the key tovocational efficiency, growth andpersonal development.

Ogbonna made this disclosureFriday in Abuja while presentinga paper at the 2012 AnnualPrimary School Children QuizCompetition.

He said that education wouldpropel the ability of a child to readand also form the basic foundationfor building vocations adding thatreading is a skill that must benurtured from a child’s earliestyear.

According to him, mostchildren with learning disabilityhad problems with reading andother related language skills andthat poor reading habits occur inchildren and young peoplebecause it was not considered arelevant leisure activity.

“Once a child knows how toread, he or she still needs supportto reach his or her full potential asa reader,’’ he said.

He however, lamented thatreading is not seen as part of socialinteraction, rather it’s consideredas a friendless or lonely pursuitwhich is not attractive addingthat children with poor readingskills have poor grades, get easilydistracted, frustrated andbehavioural problem at school aswell as had higher chance of beeninvolved in anti-social behaviourlike crime, hacking computersand even examinationmalpractices.

He encouraged parents andguardians, teachers, communityleaders and all stakeholders to stepup efforts in supportingsustainable reading culture inevery Nigerian child.

President, Commonwealth of Learning,Yar’ Adua, others to receive NTI awardStories by Maryam Garba Hassan

The trio of Adamu M. Fika(Wazirin Fika), one timeNigeria’s Permanent

representative at the UnitedNations, Ambassador YusufMaitama Sule (Dan MasaninKano) and the Vice Chancellor ofthe Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria, Professor AbdullahiMustapha, have restated that the

Sardauna of Sokoto andPremier of the Northern region,Sir Ahmadu Bello, founded theUniversity to, among otherobjectives, train leaders thatwould unite Nigeria as a sovereignnation.

A statement signed by thespokesman of the Vice chancellor,Waziri Isa Gwantu, said the triospoke over the weekend, at apublic lecture on the “vision andmission of the founding fathers ofAhmadu Bello University” andbook presentation on ABU at 50,as part of the activities lined upfor the university’s 50thAnniversary Celebration inZaria.

According to the statement,the Vice Chancellor emphasisedthat the University, in line withthe vision and mission of itsfounding father, had since itsinception in 1962, maintained itsadmission and recruitment policy

Director General ofNational Teachers’Institute (NTI), Dr.

Aminu Sharehu, has said thatthe institute would conferFellowship on the President,Commonwealth of Learning,Prof. Ashar Kanwar, GovernorsRochas Okorocha of Imo andIbrahim Shema of Katsina State.

Sharehu disclosed this at thesecond National JointGraduation Ceremony of theNational Teachers’ Institute inKaduna.

He said others to be investedas Ambassadors of the instituteare Prof. Adamu Baike, Chief AfeBabalola, Prof. ThomasAdeyanju, Governors PatrickYakowa of Kaduna State, SuleLamido of Jigawa state andAdams Oshiomhole of Edo state.

Sharehu further explainedthat the late President Umaru

Yar’Adua and late Prof.Babatunde Fafunwa, a formerMinister of Education, would alsoreceive posthumous awards.

According to him, over40,000 primary school teachersfrom 20 states of the federationwere trained in ContinuingProfessional DevelopmentProgrammes (CPD) within thelast three years while 825,000

teachers were also trained underthe MDGs capacity buildingprogramme.

He said the institute hadreceived computers worth N1billion from donor agencies forthe establishment of computerlaboratories in each of the statesand the FCT.

He however, called foradequate funding of the

Group ratesTETFUND, FRSC,others asoutstandingpublicinstitutions

The Independent ServiceDelivery Monitoring Group(ISDMG) has rated the

Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETFUND) and Federal RoadSafety Commission (FRSC) amongthe most effective and efficientpublic institutions in the country.

Executive Director of thegroup, Dr. Chima Amadi,announced the rating in Abuja onFriday at the unveiling of the2011-2012 Service DeliveryReport and Award.

Amadi said that TETFUND hadundergone a transformation of itsvision and mission, departing fromthe usual tradition of piecemealpalliative intervention to a holisticand target-specific model.

“TETFUND is today a successstory of what effectivemanagement, astute leadership,commitment to duty,transparency and accountabilityby public servants can bring tobear in solving challenges,“ he said.

However, he said in the courseof discharging its function, FRSChad initiated some key policies,such as the Road Transport SafetyStandardisation Scheme (RTSSS),which stipulates minimum safetyequipment for fleet operatorsadding that the commission alsorecorded N558,154,027 asrevenues from National VehicleIdentification Scheme (NVIS) andfines from road traffic offenders inthe last six months.

Other outstandingorganisations recognised by thegroup are the National PensionCommission; Abuja GeographicInformation System (AGIS);Bauchi State Universal BasicEducation Board and Bureau ofPublic Procurement (BPP).

Others are Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Central Bank of Nigeria,Federal Emergency RoadsMaintenance Agency (FERMA),Federal Inland Revenue Service,Petroleum Technology Trust Fundand National Agency for FoodDrug Administration and Control(NAFDAC).

Amadi said in assessing theinstitutions, ISDMG followedinternational precedents andmodels for effective deliveryassessment to arrive at its results.

“I must say that the integrityof the assessment is not in any waycompromised by virtue of the factthat the assessed picks the cost ofsuch assessment.

“We are confident thatrecognising achievement ofagencies of government thatdeliver on their mandates will notin any way take the zeal and zingoff our responsibility ofconstructively engaging them onissues of rendering efficient servicedelivery to the people.

“The fact that the drivers ofthese MDAs are Nigerians notcontracted foreign consultantproves that only Nigerians canbring about the much desireddividends of democracy, “ he said.

of drawing candidates and stafffrom different parts of thecountry.

Professor Mustapha whostressed that ABU is the onlyuniversity in the country thathas maintained this policy, adevelopment that hasdistinguished it as the onlysymbol of national unity andintegration, assured that hisadministration is committed totransforming the institution intocentre of academic excellencethat can compete with anyUniversity, not only in Africa,but in the world, the statementadded.

The statement furtherexplained that, the VC noted thatthis agenda of his administrationcan only be achieved by the jointefforts of the teeming Alumni,friends and stakeholders of theUniversity through respondingto the N50 Billion endowmentfund to be launched on the 24thof November as one of the highpoints of the 50th Anniversarycelebration.

In his address, the guestspeaker, Mallam Adamu M. Fikawho was represented by theformer Vice chancellor of theUniversity, Professor AngoAbdullahi, challenged the

University to within the next 50years, develop a more extensiveand effective extramural unit justas its founding fathers directedand also consider developing aneffective distance learning systemthat deploys moderncommunication facilities andonline tutorial to impartfunctional knowledge to themillions who may not be able toenroll on its regular campus-based programmes.

The statement further saidthat in his address, chairman ofthe occasion, Ambassador YusufMaitama Sule, identified the lateSardauna’s philosophy as thepanacea to the myriad social,political, economic and securitychallenges facing the countrynowadays.

While calling for a culturalrevolution to put Nigeria back onthe track of progress, he said thatNigerians must learn to livetogether, while respecting eachother’s religion, tradition, valuesand culture to foster peaceful andharmonious relationship.

He however, expressedoptimism that most of theproblems facing the countrywould be solved if the citizensworked together with adetermination of purpose

Sardauna established ABU tounite Nigeria – Fika, Maitama

institute to enable it executeprogrammes that wouldenhance teachers’ education.

He said 58,320 graduatesacquired professionalqualification in NationalCertificate of Education (NCE),Advanced Diploma and Post-Graduate Diploma in Education(PGDE) between 2005 and2011 .

PAGE 31PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

In spite of the euphoria thatswept across Africa at there-election of the U.S

President Mr. Barack Obama,an African-American, Africain Mr. Obama's second term,just as in his first term, will notget any significantengagement or attention fromWashington, except in itsuniversal obsession withcounter-terrorism and othersecurity-related concerns.Following his re-election lastweek, president Obama foreignpolicy priority appear clearlyto be the Asia pacific, even thepoorer bit of the extensiveregion. He has announced ahistoric visit to Mymmar,former Burma, where theentrenched militaryestablishment is cautiouslycrafting a transition to civilrule.

Mr. Obama will be the firstU.S President to visit thecountry. The strategy seemeda well-laid out Washingtonoutline to contain China in itsbackyard in the overallobsession of the United Statesto remain the pre-eminentpower in the region, anaspiration contested by theshifting balance of power in theregion and even beyond.

The euphoria that grippedAfrica in respect of Mr. Obama'sre-election is obviously andplainly emotional and Mr.Obama has never expressedsuch emotions for his far-flungkits and kin, and if he hashaboured any at all, hasmanaged to suppress it.

Mr. Obama might beengaged in Africa but after histenure in Washington, like hisother predecessors whobelieved that Africa is moreworthy of humanitarian thanof any policy engagement. Itwill not be a surprise that afterhis tenure in Washington,Obama and his wonderfulfamily would take towandering across Africa,hugging babies with swollentummies and even set up afoundation to tackle one ofAfrica's numerous malaise.Like Jimmy Carter, BillClinton and even George W.Bush, Africa would come intoMr. Obama focus after he hasleft the White House. This is notentirely his fault. AmericanPresident is the most powerfulman in the world, but is also ahostage of a ruthless andfaceless but powerful politicalmachine, aggregating anarray of vicious special interestgroups who actually decides inwhat direction Washingtonwould go. Sometimes, theirrational policy of Washingtonas to which war to fight nextand in what corner of the worldor the next regime toundermine or topple, is notactually the function of adeficit of commonsense or logicby any seating President, but

due to the unavoidablepressure of the Washingtonmachine.

President Barack Obamawon his recent re-election bymore numerous votes than waspredicted by pundits. His finelycrafted rhetoric resonatedacross America and struck deepto their sentiments of a fairersociety, especially amongvulnerable groups; Hispanics,Latinos Africa-Americans,white women and youngpeople. In spite of what seemedlike bitter fight over differentvisions for the change ofAmerica between presidentObama and his republicanchallenger, Mr. Mitt Romney,what actually was incontention was the differentstrategies or approaches topreserve the status quo, whilecontaining its harshestexcesses. President Obama'smodest signature legislativetriumph in the last four years,the health care insurance,which barely covered half of allAmericans was a target ofbitter recrimination by therepublican contender, who didnot also spare the president forthe bailout of Chrysler and

ANALYSIS

Obama’s Washington and Africa

Barack Obama

general motors. Given the direstress of the Americaneconomy, Washington'sforeign policy would bedominated in the next fouryears by the traditional geo-strategic and politicalconcerns but also increasinglyby economic considerationespecially with the flow ofcapital. Africa is of less geo-strategic and political concernas far as there are nocompeting ideological orpolitical currents thatthreaten the hegemony orideological dominance ofwestern liberalism.

China's economic andcommercial penetration toAfrica does not offer anyslightest hint of ideologicalcontestation with the westernhegemony. The politicalramification of China'spenetration in Africa would atbest provide a bargainingstrength, which the spinelesspolitical elite are yet to takeup. So, in spite of Africa'sobvious marginalization inWashington's policyengagement, the continentwould remain safely tuckedaway in America's sphere of

influence. Africa's rich mineralresources may matter verylittle in American economy,currently in post-industrialstage. In fact, president Obamahas pledged to seek alternativeenergy sources that wouldfurther marginalize the modestpresence of Africa in America'seconomic life. The fact ofAfrica's marginal impact in anyU.S economy recovery plan isthe objective condition of theun-complimentary economicstructure of the two sides.Therefore Africa in the nextfour years of Obama presidencywould continue as in the past,to evoke Washington moralindignation at the crass andexcesses of its venal politicalelite, the cyclic misfortunes ofits state institutions and theconsequent destitutions andmisery of its vulnerablepopulations. The modest role ofAfrica in any U.S or the largerwestern economic recoverywould continue to feature rawcash flight through the operationsof the World Bank and theInternational Monetary Fund,exploiting the bankruptcy of thepolitical elite. In this regard, theWashington and other western

moral outrage at the deepeningsocio-economic and politicalatrophy in Africa would remaina largely ideological rhetoricwithout any commitment tosubstantive reform, a termcurrently in serious abuse inmost of Africa by the ruling elitesand their western principles. Infact, Washington does not chooseregions or countries to engage outof benevolence or other suchconsiderations. Countries andregions work their way intoWashington's geo-political andstrategic calculations throughenabling relevance acquiredthrough a meticulous growth ofnational power and influence.The choice of President Obama togo to Mymmar after his recentre-election is based on thecalculation of the relevance of thecountry, straddled between Indiaand China, two major U.Sstrategic competitors in theregion. To balance off, Beijing'smassive economic penetration inthe country and marginalize itsrising political influence isobviously among Washington'sreason for a historic presidentialvisit.

African received its mostserious policy attention from theUnited States during the periodof the cold war. According toHenry Kissinger, the veteran ofU.S foreign and security affairs,the cause of majority rule inapartheid South Africa waslargely of minor concern tovoluble liberals in America, butbecame something of America'spolicy concern after the formerSoviet Union and other Warsawstates of the socialist block hasmade it a fundamental policy,which also struck enormouschord to the rest of Africa.Without the influence of theformer Soviet Union and thesocialist block, Washingtonwould certainly have sitcomfortable with the racistregime in South Africa and itsrampaging policy of politicalexclusion and social ostracizationof Africans. In effect, as now as itwas then, Washington's moralrhetoric is considerably way offfrom policy engagement and bothare mutually exclusive in theeffect they are supposed to have.

However, African's relevancein the today's world is notnecessarily a function of U.Spolicy engagement or otherwise,and even the world itself havegrown beyond the merecalculation of one power, even ifit is a 'hyper power' as the formerFrench foreign minister, Mr.Vederine, characterize theUnited States.

In spite of Africa's phenomenallethargy, the continent hasimmense possibilities andopportunities, providing it witha vantage and strategicattention, which clearly the restof the world is determine toexplore.

Despite of the emotions thathas welled up in most of Africa onthe re-election of presidentObama, any expectations of suchreciprocals from Obama'sWashington would be supremelynaïve.

By Charles Onunaiju

However, African's relevance in thetoday's world is not necessarily a functionof U.S policy engagement or otherwise,

and even the world itself have grownbeyond the mere calculation of one power,even if it is a 'hyper power' as the former

French foreign minister, Mr. Vederine,characterize the United States.

“

PAGE 32 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Ghana rescuers find more bodies

Rescue teams haverecovered more bodiesfrom the rubble of a

multi-storey shopping centre inGhana's capital, Accra, whichcollapsed on Wednesday.

Eighteen people are nowknown to have been killed - 69were pulled out alive at the

A combined team of military men and emergency management personnel at the site.

CAR president ‘detains son over unpaid hotel bill’

Melcom store.Faulty construction has been

blamed for the collapse of thebuilding which opened earlierthis year.

The owner of the buildingand the local government officialin charge of building standardshave been detained.

President John DramaniMahama said those responsiblefor the "negligence will pay aprice".

Rescuers on Friday had heardvoices - but no survivors werefound during Saturday.

An Israeli rescue team hasbeen using sniffer dogs to help

locate people buried under therubble.

Officials from Ghana'sNational Disaster ManagementOrganization have blamed poorfoundations for the structure'sweakness.

On Thursday, the GhanaInstitution of Engineering saidthe building did not have apermit, which meant the cityauthorities may not haveinspected the building before itopened.

The Accra MetropolitanAssembly ordered three nearbybuildings which are also ownedby Nana Boadu, the director ofKinsadus Company, to beevacuated.

The property developer hassaid the Melcom store building didhave a permit.

"There is no way I will put upa building and do a shoddy work,"Mr Boadu told Ghana's Peace FM.

"Every document needed tohelp in the investigations I willprovide. I have a file full ofdocuments and receipts showingthe building permit fees," he said.

The president has declared thesite a disaster zone and suspendedhis campaign for next month'selections.

Kenyanpolice hitby deadlyambushSeven Kenyan police officers

have been killed and 21more wounded while

pursuing cattle rustlers in thenorth of Kenya, according to

a senior police official.The attack happened near

Baragoi, in a dry northernregion mainly inhabited bynomad communities.

"The officers were in a teampursuing stolen cattle whenthey were ambushed," theofficial, who did not wish to benamed, said on Saturday.

"Some of the bandits werewounded in the attack andothers killed," during the gunbattle, he said, but could notgive precise numbers.

Some of the wounded officerswere airlifted by plane or byhelicopter to Nairobi fortreatment.

Osman Warfa, provincialcommissioner for Rift Valleyprovince, told Reuters newsagency that 10 others werewounded in the northerncounty of Samburu in theattack.

The police chief of the RiftValley province, where theattack happened, confirmedthat there had been a clash.

"We had an incidentinvolving our officers andthere are casualties," he said.

Cattle theft and the ensuingclashes between rival groupsclaim dozens of lives every yearin Kenya.

It is rare, however, for policeofficers themselves to beattacked.

Police numbers there are lowand the officers are poorlyequipped. The cattle herdershave therefore armedthemselves against attacks fromrival groups.

The group of rustlers policewere pursuing at the time of thislatest clash were alreadysuspected of having killed 13people and wounded three othersin a previous raid on October 30.

Elsewhere in Kenya, in thesoutheast Tana River region,inter-communal violenceclaimed more than a hundredlives in August and September.

The scale and intensity ofthose killings - women andchildren were hacked to deathor torched in their huts - shockedmany.

Some observers have accusedlocal politicians of stirring upinter-communal hatred forpolitical ends.

Security tightened ahead of Sierra Leonean pollsSierra Leonean polls slated

for November 17, 2012will be adequately

secured.The assuarance came from

the country's security chiefs,who also allayed fears of likelyintimidation by securityagents saying that the decisionwas a precautionary measuresto avoid any likely chaos.

According to the securityofficer, the polls will see over15, 000 security personneldeployed under the IntegratedElections Security PlanningCommittee. They comprisemembers of the Sierra LeonePolice, the military, prisons,National Fire Force as well asTraffic Wardens.

Some more 6,599 will alsobe on stand-by.

Mustapha Kambeh, ChiefSuperintendent of Police ofoperations, policy andplanning department at theSierra Leone Police, was quotedlast week saying that themilitary will also have half ofits attention focused on outside

The president of CentralAfrican Republic isreported to have ordered the

detention of his own son forrefusing to pay a large hotel bill.

Police detained FrancoisBozize's son for several days afterhe ran up a bill of up to 12,000euros ($15,000) at a hotel in thecapital, reports said.

The bills include the cost of theroom at the five-star Ledger Plazahotel in Bangui, as well as mealsand services.

Kevin Bozize is reported to havebeen held since early last week.

Both the head of the hotel andthe president's son were initially President Francois Bozize

Supporters of the All People's Congress (APC) celebrate in thestreets of Freetown

detained when Kevin refused topay the bill, Agence France Presse(AFP) news agency says.

"Having been informed of thesituation, his father summonedboth of them and in front of themanager he [Kevin] confirmedthat he stayed at the hotel and saidhe paid all the bills," ananonymous source told AFP.

"Both he and the managerwere detained... but after the factswere verified, the manager wasfreed."

According to AFP, Mr Bozize'sown son is one of several high-profile figures in the state whohave amassed debts at the hotel.

aggression as they havereceived threats from abroad.

"Whatever we are doing ispolice-led," assured FrancisKeili, Director of Research andPlanning at ONS, who is alsoChairman of the IntegratedElections Security PlanningCommittee.

The West African countrysuffered a civi l war that

lasted 11 years. A the time,security forces, especialythose under the regional forceEcomog, tortured and killedhundreds of Sierra Leoneans,creating a lot of sucipionagainst security enforcersamong the civillians.

Meanwhile, one of theSierra Leone's presidentialcandidate has pulled out of

the race in favour of theincumbent President EarnestBai Koroma, bringing it downto eight contenders.

Mohammed Bangura ofthe United DemocraticMovement (UDM) said hetook the decision after wideconsultation with supporterswho urged him to postponehis candidacy.

Mr Bangura`s party, abreakaway faction from thePMDC, is the third largestp a r t y .

He has already called on allhis supporters to vote for theAPC`s Koroma, but insisted hewould remain in opposition.

Currently, the WestAfrican country has five mainparties. They are the rulingAll People's Congress (APC),the main opposition SierraLeone People's Party (SLPP),the People's Movement forDemocratic Change (PMDC),the National DemocraticAlliance (NDC) and theUnited Democratic Movement(UDM).

PAGE 34 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Europe andAmericas

BBC needs'radicaloverhaul', saysLord Patten

A "thorough, radical,structural overhaul" ofthe BBC is necessary in the

wake of the resignation of the directorgeneral, BBC Trust chairman LordPatten has said.

George Entwistle quit onSaturday after a controversialNewsnight report led to a formerTory treasurer being wronglyaccused as a child abuser.

Number 10 sources says the BBChas the capacity to "reform itself".

Lord Patten said a new directorgeneral would be chosen withinweeks.

He said the BBC had to ensureprogrammes were being properlymanaged.

Lord Patten said talks about thenext director general would beginon Sunday, but in the meantimethe acting director general, TimDavie, would be given full support.

Before his departure, MrEntwistle had commissioned areport from BBC Scotland directorKen MacQuarrie into whathappened with the Newsnightinvestigation. He is expected toreport on Sunday.

On 2 November Newsnightreported abuse victim SteveMessham's claims against a leading1980s Tory politician being anabuser in north Wales, but hewithdrew his accusation a weeklater, saying he had beenmistaken.

Lord McAlpine, although notnamed on Newsnight, wasidentified on the internet as thesubject of the allegations. He saidthe claims were "wholly false andseriously defamatory".

Lord Patten, appearing on theBBC's Andrew Marr programme,said his own job was to showlicence fee-payers "that the BBChas a grip, that we get ourselvesback on the road".

Of Mr Entwistle's departure, hesaid: "He's editor-in-chief of a greatnews organisation and I think he felthe should take responsibility for theawful journalism which disfiguredthat Newsnight programme [on 2November].

"And one of the ironies is that hewas a brilliantly successful editor ofNewsnight himself for some time."

FBI probe of Petraeus beganwith “suspicious emails”

Petraeus and Broadwell, TheWashington Post reported.

Attempts by Reuters and othernews media to reach Broadwell, anArmy reserve officer and authorof a biography of Petraeus, havenot been successful.

The FBI and CIA declinedcomment on Saturday.

Many questions in the caseremain unanswered publicly,

Protests in US over slow power restoration

including the identity of thesecond woman; the precise natureof the emails that launched the FBIinvestigation; and whether U.S.security was compromised in anyway.

Nor is it clear why the FBIwaited until Election Day to tellDirector of National IntelligenceJames Clapper, who oversees theCIA and other intelligence

Debt-hit Slovenia votes for new president

Opinion polls indicate that Turk will come first in the election,but not enough for an outright victory

The FBI investigation that ledto the discovery of CIADirector David Petraeus'

affair with author Paula Broadwellwas sparked by "suspicious emails"from her to another woman andPetraeus was not the target of theprobe, U.S. law enforcement andsecurity officials told Reuters onSaturday.

But the CIA director's nameunexpectedly turned up in thecourse of the investigation, twoofficials and two other sourcesbriefed on the matter said.

The FBI was looking into "anissue with two women and theystumbled across the affair withPetraeus," a U.S. governmentsecurity source said.

The FBI probe was triggeredwhen Broadwell sent threateningemails to an unidentified womanclose to the CIA director, a securityofficial said, speaking on conditionof anonymity. It was unclear whatthe relationship of the woman whoreceived the emails was toPetraeus.

The woman went to the FBIcomplaining of cyber harassmentand the law enforcement agencytraced the threats to Broadwell, thesecurity official said. The FBI thenuncovered explicit emails between

Hundreds of Americanshave protested outside aLong Island utility,

frustrated by its slow response to

U.S. General David Petraeus

outages, even as the lights camefor many who lost power in NewYork and New Jersey during thestorm Sandy and a later

agencies, about its investigationinvolving Petraeus.

In attempting to explain thetime between Petraeus' FBIinterview two weeks earlier andthe DNI's notification on ElectionDay, the security official said therehad been no evidence any crimehad been committed.

The CIA director announcedhis resignation suddenly onFriday, acknowledging anextramarital affair and saying heshowed "extremely poor judgment.

The developments likelyended the public career of one ofthe United States' most highlyregarded generals, who wascredited with helping pull Iraq outof civil war and led U.S. and NATOtroops in Afghanistan.

New details emerged onSaturday about developments inthe final days leading to Petraeus'departure from atop the CIA.

Clapper was notified by the FBIon Tuesday evening about 5 p.m. -just as returns in the U.S.presidential election were about tocome in - about "the situationinvolving Director Petraeus," asenior intelligence official said.Clapper and Petraeus then spokethat evening and the followingmorning.

public finances and reformingthe country's pension and laboursystems.

During the electoralcampaign Turk, 60, a law

Slovenia, an ex-Yugoslavrepublic, has opened polls tovote for a new president.

The post to be decided on inSunday's vote is largelyceremonial, but the present headof state, Danilo Turk, has been athorn in the side of centre-rightPrime Minister Janez Jansa as heattempted to implement reformsand austerity cuts.

Opinion polls indicate,however, that Turk will comefirst in the election, although notwith enough of the vote to win inthe first round.

A second round run-off, likelypitting Turk against Jansa'scentre-left predecessor BorutPahor, is set for December 2.

Slovenia, once a model EUcountry is in the throes of one ofthe deepest downturns in theeurozone with the European

Commission predicting last weekthat output will shrink a painful2.3 per cent this year and 1.6 percent in 2013.

Large volumes of bad loans atSlovenia's banks have raised fearsthat the country of two millionpeople may become the latest inthe 17-nation Europeancurrency union to need outsidehelp.

Slovenia's credit ratings havebeen slashed, mostly because ofthe banks, and borrowing rateson its sovereign debt have soaredto seven per cent, a level regardedas unsustainable in the long termwithout assistance.

A new government led byJansa took office in Februaryafter the collapse of Pahor'sadministration last year and haslaunched a series of austeritymeasures aimed at stabilising

professor who worked at theUnited Nations under formersecretary general Kofi Annan,openly and repeatedly questionedJansa's policies.

Men of Long Island Power Authority at work.Lord Patten

nor'easter storm.Power restoration has been

slower there than in other areashit by Sandy, promptingcriticism of the Long IslandPower Authority.

Some of the 130,000 blackedout homes and businesses theutility serves may not havepower restored until the end ofTuesday, LIPA said on Saturday.

In the rest of the regionhardest hit by the storm, mostservice was expected to berestored by the end of theweekend, though that does notinclude tens of thousands ofhomes too damaged to regainpower.

He was among about 300

people staging a rally in front ofLIPA's office in Hicksville, NewYork.

Not all were without power,but some who have power saidthey were there to protest LIPA'slack of communication.

Michael Hervey, LIPA chiefoperating officer, said they wereaware customers have not gotthe information they haveneeded from the utility, partlybecause of an outdatedinformation technology systemthey are in the process ofupdating.

"I certainly feel thefrustration of customers whosepower remains out. Our heartsgo out to them," Hervey said.

PAGE 36 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Children born to overweight mothers ‘more likelyto be fat’... but breastfeeding can offset the effectChildren born to overweight

mothers face a higher riskof being fat themselves –

but breastfeeding can help offsetthe effect, a study has shown.

Being overweight andsmoking during pregnancy bothincrease the chances of a childbeing obese, along with beingheavy at birth and rapid weightgain as a baby.

But breastfeeding and thelate introduction of solid foodscan reduce a baby’s risk ofbecoming overweight by about15 per cent, claim theresearchers.

They say it should help newmothers make healthier choicesfor their babies.

Stephen Weng, whoundertook the study, led by Dr

Sarah Redsell, of NottinghamUniversity’s School of Nursing,Midwifery and Physiotherapy,said complex influences affectedchild development, rangingfrom genetics to parents’lifestyle.

He added: ‘We can speculateabout how breastfeeding mitigates the risk of obesity inchildhood – it could be mixedfeeding, reduced calories frombreastmilk, parental attitudes,or a combination of things.

‘The research shows thatbreastfeeding your babycompared with neverbreastfeeding does have amodest benefit.’

In the UK a quarter ofchildren aged four to five and athird of ten and 11-year-olds are

overweight.Evidence suggests that

children who are overweight byfive are more likely to becomeobese – so overweight itthreatens their health – inadulthood.

The findings come from asystematic review and analysisof data from 30 previous studiesinvolving 200,000 people.

The studies investigatedfactors affecting babies duringtheir first 12 months and theirpotential link with childhoodobesity.

The study, published in thejournal Archives of Disease inChildhood, discovered thatchildren who were breastfed andintroduced to solid food later hada slightly reduced chance ofbecoming overweight.

Children whose mothers

were overweight beforepregnancy were 1.37 timesmore likely to be overweight atthe age of three; 4.25 times morelikely to be overweight at seven;and 2.36 times more likely to beoverweight between nine and 14years.

Six out of seven studieslooking at infant birth weightshowed a significant linkbetween babies who were heavyat birth and obesity in laterchildhood.

Similarly, rapid weight gainin a baby’s first year often led toobesity, with one study showingthose who gained the mostweight were almost four timesmore likely to be overweight atfour.

Children who were breastfed- however briefly - were 15 percent less likely to become

overweight.Giving solid foods early may

be linked to later obesity, withone study showing formula-fedbabies given solids before fourmonths were six times morelikely to be overweight agedthree than those getting themfor the first time between fourand five months.

Smoking during pregnancyalone increased the risk ofchildren being overweight by47.5 per cent. However, thismay be because smoking is agood indicator of other social andlifestyle characteristics, said DrWeng.

He said the findings could beused to compile a ‘checklist’ forGPs and health visitors to helpthem spot infants most at risk ofbecoming obese later in life.Source: dailymail.co.uk

Big inheritance: Children born to overweight mothers face a higher risk of being fat themselves,according to a study which could help parents make healthier choices for their babies.

Link: Six out of seven studies looking at infant birth weightshowed a correlation between babies who were heavy at birthand obesity in later childhood.

If you are heading to the gymor pounding the pavementsin the hope of losing weight,

try to do it before you eat yourbreakfast.

Exercising before the firstmeal of the day is more effectivethan after it, a British study hasfound.

Not only does working up asweat on an empty stomach burnoff more body fat – helping youlose those extra inches aroundthe waist – it also triggers a bigger reduction in artery-clogging blood fats.

Although the benefits ofexercise are well-known, people

have been unsure aboutwhether it is better to do it on anempty stomach or a full one.

Dr Jason Gill, who conductedthe research at GlasgowUniversity, said that whileexercise in itself is good, any donebefore breakfast may be extrabeneficial, because it forces thebody to rely on its stores of fat forenergy.

‘When people talk about losingweight, they really mean losingfat,’ he added.

Ten men made three visits tohis laboratory at the university’sInstitute of Cardiovascular andMedical Sciences, and were given

breakfast each time.On the first visit, the men

didn’t do any exercise. Onanother, they did an hour’s briskwalk ahead of breakfast and onthe third they did the walk afterbreakfast.

Those who exercised burnt offmore fat than those who simplysat around. And those who didtheir walk before breakfast usedup 33 per cent more fat thanthose who exercised after eating.

Tests revealed they alsoexperienced a bigger drop in theblood fats that raise the risk ofheart disease, the British Journalof Nutrition reports.

While the men only did a briskwalk, more strenuous activitycan also be safely carried out onan empty stomach, Dr Gill added.This is because the body hasenough reserves for about 90minutes to two hours of exercise.

However, those who can’tbear the thought of delayingbreakfast shouldn’t despair.

Dr Gill said: ‘The biggestdifference is between doingnothing and doing something.

‘If you are going to dosomething, then there is a slightadvantage in doing it in a fastedstate. But if you find you keel overbecause you can’t do exercise

before you have your slice oftoast, then do it afterwards. Youare still going to get a hugebenefit.’

Either way, however, weightloss will still likely be a slowprocess. Those who exercise beforebreakfast only burnt off arounda tenth of a pound more fat thanthe men who had a relaxingmorning.

Dr Gill said: ‘If they did anhour’s brisk walk every day forten days or so, they would loseabout a pound, which is about asfast as you can really expect tolose weight.’Source: dailymail.co.uk

Exercising before breakfast lets you loseextra weight, a British study has found

PAGE 37PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Since the commencement ofthe new democratic rule inthe country from 1999 to

date, efforts are being made toreview the constitution in orderto correct some of the perceiveddiscrepancies identified in thedocument. Constitution reviewin Nigeria has also been bedeviledby problems as such as suspicionof domination by the differentsections of the country and thepoliticization of the process.

The National Assemblyrecently embarked on theambitious journey of making theNigeria’s constitution ‘perfect’.Members of the NationalAssembly last weekend moved totheir constituencies to seek forpeoples’ view on how to panelbeat the constitution to make itmore workable. Some of the keyareas requiring review,according to the template forvoting on key areas as providedby the House of Representatives,include: the issue of statecreation, the state and localgovernment joint account, singletenure, immunity clause,scrapping of states electoralcommissions, zoning amongothers.

In Katsina state members ofthe House of Representativesfrom the state include 12members on the platform of theCongress for Progressive Change,(CPC) and three from the PeoplesDemocratic Party, (PDP). Themembers last Friday met at thePresidential Lodge of the KatsinaGovernment House to articulatetheir positions on the constitutionamendment exercise. TheGovernment House meeting wascalled at the instance of the StateGovernor, Alhaji Ibrahim ShehuShema. A letter from the office ofthe secretary to the stategovernment dated 5th November2012 with reference number S/SGKT/446/T1/8 signed by oneKassim I. Nagari re-affirmed theinvitation of the Reps membersfor the Katsina StateGovernment meeting.

Certainly beyond the issuesraised in the House ofRepresentatives reviewtemplate, Katsina state has a lotof issues that it needs to presentto the different arms saddledwith the responsibility of thereview. But instead ofarticulating its position, theconstitution review congress tooka political dimension. A memberof the House of Representativeswho spoke on condition ofanonymity said “I left theGovernment House meetingwhen I realized that it has beenpoliticised. How can they dictate

Katsina: The politicization ofconstitution review congress

to us where to hold the meeting?It’s not fair and we cannot acceptit’. Similarly, local governmentsin the state jump in to mobilizingpeople not for any positive inputbut to show opposition to some ofthe issues raised. In one of the localgovernment, a Commissionerfrom the area announced throughthe radio a different venue for thecongress just to frustrate itsattendance. In a particular localgovernment, a senior aide of thestate governor hired a crowd toinsist on maintaining the jointaccount as it is by shouting downthose opposed to it.”

In Danmusa LocalGovernment, the process wasscuttled as it took politicaldimension. The local governmentofficials in the area who felt thatthe exercise was organized by aCPC Rep member stormed thevenue with their supportersmaking it difficult to discuss anymeaningful item of the review. InFuntua local government, thesession was rowdy as a member ofthe House of Representatives forFuntua-Dandume, Dr. MansurAbdulkadir, and his StateAssembly counterpart for Funtua,Alhaji Rabi’u Funtua escapedbeing lynched as peopleaggrieved by their poorrepresentation besieged thevenue and threw it into chaos.The two lawmakers, reports fromthe area indicate, had to besmuggled by the police out of thevenue. However, Abdulkadir via

a text message said that theexercise was not rowdy rather hesaid it was at the end of theexercise that political thugsbesieged the venue and refusedto allow people to comment onthe issues concerned . Equally,in Malumfashi localgovernment, their Rep member,Alhaji Babangida IbrahimMahuta, CPC, had to be rescuedby the police after the session ashis party men waylaid him overwhat they alleged theirabandonment by the lawmakerwho, according to them, hardlyvisits his constituency.

In Kankia local government,the exercise started around10:00 a.m with traditionalrulers in the area, youth, womenand other stakeholders inattendance. The member of

House of Representatives from thearea, Alhaji Ahmad Baba Kaitatold the crowd that gathered atthe venue of the congress that thereview exercise was meant toaddress some discrepanciesidentified in the 1999constitution. The lawmaker notedthat the House of Representativeswas determined to address mostof the concerns identified in theconstitution. He said “fordemocracy to continue inNigeria, we must always look atlapses in the system and addressthem”.

Despite the many attempts bysome unseen hands to frustratethe review congress in Katsinastate, it was observed that therewas general consensus on somefundamental issues concerningthe review exercise. People are

Hon. Aminu Waziri TAmbuwal Governor Ibrahim Shema

The ‘Peoples Assembly’ was held across the nation’s 360 Federal Constituencies at the weekend. OurKatsina Correspondent, Lawal Saidu Funtua, in this piece takes a cursory look at the congress inKatsina state and concludes that the exercise may have been overtly politicized.

ANALYSIS

particularly voicing theiropposition against the state jointlocal government account. Aspeaker at the venue of the exercisein Daura noted that the jointaccount issue was a fraud thatretards local government growthin the state. He wondered “how canour monies be run by a governorwho doesn’t know our areas ofpriorities. That is why all over wesee projects that have no directbearing on the local communities”. Similarly, majority of theparticipants at the congressfrowned at the inclusion of StatesIndependent ElectoralCommissions, SIEC in theconstitution. They argued that thishas made the choice of the peopledifficult at the local governments’level. Malam Usman Kankia said“in Katsina, since 2010 we neverhad elected representatives at thelocal government level’.

The congress also shows thatpeople are totally against thecreation of state police state policearguing that such contraptionwould only empower stategovernments to muzzle theopposition in their domain. It wasalso generally observed that peoplewanted the abrogation of theimmunity clause from theconstitution and rejected the ideaof zoning the office of thePresident. People in Katsina stateit was observed were against theinclusion of the geopolitical zonesor the carving of new ones to beincluded in the constitution. There was opposition to givingtraditional rulers roles in theconstitution. Respondents at thecongresses across the state feelthat traditional institutionsshould remain as they are now.

However, the issue of statecreation divided the congressesacross the state. Respondents atthe congresses in the southernpart of Katsina that have beenclamouring for the creation ofKaraduwa State were of the viewthat more states should becreated. On the contrary,respondents at the congresses inKatsina Central feel that therewas no need for additional statesto be created in the country.

The constitution reviewcongresses across Katsina statewere conducted peacefully despitethe few skirmishes recorded insome areas. Pundits believe thatthe politicization of the exercise,where it was seen as the onlyaffair of the opposition could robthe state of an opportunity toregister its input in the proposedamendment.

“The issue of state creation divided thecongresses across the state. Respondents

at the congresses in the southern part ofKatsina that have been clamouring for the

creation of Karaduwa State were of the viewthat more states should be created. On thecontrary, respondents at the congresses inKatsina Central feel that there was no need

for additional states to be created in thecountry

PAGE 38 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Ondo guber: Petitions against Mimiko'selection dead on arrival, says lawyer

An Abuja based lawyer,Kayode Ajulo, has saidthat the petition filed

against the election of GovernorOlusegun Mimiko of Ondo Stateby the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) and its governorshipcandidate, Chief OluwarotimiAkerodolu (SAN) is dead on

arrival.Speaking at the weekend in

an interactive session withJudiciary Correspondents inAbuja, Ajulo said reports fromboth local and internationalobservers that monitored theOctober 20, 2012 governorshipelection in Ondo State adjudgedthe election to be free and fair.

According to the human

Constitution Review: Faruk urges northern politiciansto challenge offshore, onshore dichotomy

(NAN) reports that Faruk is thechairman of the Gombe StateCentral Working Committee setup by the state government onthe review of the constitution.

The former governor notedthat the issue of offshore andonshore dichotomy was notmentioned in the 43-questionnaire template.

He underscored the need totalk about the issue, challengingthe legislators to table the issueduring their session as thepeople's representatives.

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

CPC beratesOkupe, PDPover attackon Buhari

Congress for ProgressiveChange (CPC) yesterdaytook a swipe on the

Presidential spokesman on PublicAffairs, Doyin Okupe and thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP), foraccusing CPC’s GeneralMuhammadu Buhari of incitinghis supporters to resort to violenceafter 2011 general election.

In a statement issued over theweekend by its National PublicitySecretary, Rotimi Fashakin, CPCalso stated that the PDP-led federalgovernment, under PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, had in the lasttwo years inflicted damages on theNigeria’s nationhood through itspolitical Boko Haram.

According to CPC, “Since theadvent of the fourth republic whicheffectively started on May 29,1999, aside the agitation of theNiger-delta militants for resourcecontrol, there had not been anystructured

infrastructure for mass attackon innocents and religiousinstitutions as had been seen in thelast twenty-five months.”

The party also recalled thatwhile Goodluck Jonathan was stillvying for the Presidentialnomination of his Party, there wasa bomb blast near the Eagle Square,Abuja, during the Independenceanniversary celebration on October1, 2011.

It also noted that thereplacement of Ima Niboro, who wasJonathan’s former Special Adviceron Media, with Ruben Abati, wasowing to a hatchet job the later didfor President Jonathan and PDP, inblackmailing Buhari to be themastermind of the April 2011 postelection violence.

CPC therefore warned thatcontinued demeaning of reputablepoliticians in Nigeria by the duo ofJonathan’s spokesmen, will onlymake the Jonathan’s regime moreinsignificant, adding that Okupe’sintemperate mannerism inparticular constitutes a disgrace toNigeria.

“The good that the President cando to himself will definitely not be inpandering to the obsequiousapologists around him like Okupe,but in properly distilling the well-meaning pieces of advice ofacknowledged Patriots like GMB,”CPC stated.

"In the entire world, nocountry is doing that; if weagree, it will be more dangerousfor us and the cominggeneration, more than thesecurity threat we are facingnow.

"For the betterment of ourcountry and future generation,something needs to be done or webecome slaves in our dearcountry,'' he said.

On the issue of state police,Faruk rejected the idea andinstead advised the Federal

Government to employ morepolicemen.

"Increasing the number ofpolicemen to at least threemillion will go a long way incombating crime", he said.

Faruk noted that Egypt witha population of about 80 million,had 1.5 million policemen, whileNigeria which had over 160million population, had onlyabout 250,000 policemen.Hesaid that establishing state policewould lead to increase in crimeand corruption.

rights lawyer and nationalcommentator, the Ondo Stategovernorship election,conducted by the IndependentNational Electoral Commission(INEC) was perfect, free and fair,pointing out also that the Ondostate electorates havedemonstrated how highlysensitized Nigerians are,politically and in the choice of

who will govern them.ACN and its candidate had

filed a190 paragraphs in 403pages petition at the Ondo StateElection Petition Tribunalagainst INEC's declaration ofOlusegun Mimiko of the LabourParty (LP) as the winner of theelection.

Similarly, the Accord Party(AP) and its candidate, JamesOlawale had also filed its ownpetition at the tribunal, alsoasking for the invalidation of theelection result. While the AP inits petition is alleging that INEComitted its logo on the ballotpaper, the ACN alleged thatMimiko was not duly elected bya majority of lawful votes.

Akeredolu said the electionwas invalid by reason of corruptpractices and or non-compliancewith provisions of the ElectoralAct 2010 as amended.

Commenting on thecontroversy that trailed thepresentation of the report of the20-member PresidentialCommittee on PetroleumRevenue Special Task Force(PRSTF) headed by the formerChairman of the Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu,Ajulo said, "everything aboutthe committee is faulty, once theconception is faulty, everythingabout it is faulty."

He described as embarrassingthe way members of thecommittee washed their dirtylinens in the presence ofPresident Goodluck Jonathanwho gave them the opportunityto serve their fatherland in thatcapacity.

A former military governorof the defunct NorthWestern State, Alhaji

Usman Faruk, has urgedlegislators from the northernpart of the country to challengethe issue of offshore and onshoredichotomy.

Faruk stated this in Gombeon Saturday during the jointpublic hearing organised bylegislators from the six FederalConstituencies in the state on thereview of the 1999 constitution..

The News Agency of Nigeria

Collation, greatest challenge of constitutional review, says Dabiri-Erewapeople during our collation. Theparticipation of the peopleespecially in my constituencyis of high standard and turnoutwas impressive’’ she said.

The lawmaker said since theindependence of the country in1960, “this is the first time it ishappening. This is the first time,we are getting people involvedin the constitutional matters’’.

She said in her constituency,every stakeholder wasrepresented and people werehappy and enthusiastic about

the exercise.“In my constituency, every

stakeholder is represented. Thisis called participatorydemocracy. We only listened tothem as they make their input,ours is to collate their views’’

Dabiri-Erewa said those whocriticised the exercise initially“would by now appreciate whatwe are doing. I am very happyin ikorodu with the way peoplemake their opinion and voicesheard freely. People are fullyevolved.’’ She said.

The lawmaker said that outof the 43 items slated for review,the issues of state creation, statepolice, local governmentautonomy, rotation of power,tenure, immunity clauseamong others generated heateddebates during the constitutionhearing. Nigerians havewitnessed 10 constitutionalreviews since independence,with Nigerians at the grassrootsgetting involved in constitutionmaking during Saturday publicsessions nationwide.

Abuja while reviewing thenationwide public session on thereview of the 1999 Nigerianconstitution in all the 360federal constituencies in thecountry.

The lawmaker said that themajor challenge the exercisemight have was to reflect thetrue wishes of the people ascaptured during the nationwidepublic session on Saturday.

“Well, the only majorchallenge of this exercise is toreflect the true wishes of the

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, with elder statesman AlhajiMuhammadu Arzika at the Peoples Public Session as part of the ongoing constitutional amendmentprocess held in Tambuwal Federal Constituency, Sokoto State, yesterday.

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

By Lawrence Olaoye

Rep. Abike Dabiri-Erewa,Chairman, House ofR e p r e s e n t a t i v e s

committee on Diaspora Affairsyesterday said that collation ofthe peoples’ views will be thegreatest challenge of theongoing constitution review.

Dabiri-Erewa whorepresents Ikorodu FederalConstituency of Lagos State onthe platform of ACN said this in

PAGE 39PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

The National OrganisingSecretary of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP),

Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, atthe weekend said the task ofreconciling the aggrievedmembers of the party may seemeasy from the surface but it isactually a difficult challenge.

Mustapha while respondingto questions from newsmenequally clarified that the partydid not attach any condition tothe reconciliation of aggrievedmembers across the country.

The party's NationalAdviser, Victor Kwon, hadearlier warned that the partywould not take all those who leftthe party back by saying that'snakes and reptiles' would not be

Reconciliation in PDP easy, but difficult,says National Organising Secretary

readmitted but the NationalOrganising Secretary declaredthat all those who are willing toreturn back to the party's foldwould be readmitted.

He added that theReconciliation committeechaired by the former VicePresident, Chief Alex Ekwueme,has begun its assignments evenas he lamented that most stateslost to the opposition in thecountry were actually PDPstates.

He said "Majority of the peoplein the South West, where we havelost elections, are members of thePDP. We lost elections in thosestates because of the divisionamong our members.Reconciliation of these aggrievedmembers may seem simple butit is actually complex. This is

because there are severalconflicting interests involved.

Stressing the popularity ofthe ruling party in the SouthWest, Mustpaha said "The factthat the PDP is the party to beatin the South West came to the forein the recently conductedgovernorship election in Ondostate. In spite of the media hypedone by the opposition, the PDPstill came second even consideringthe late entrance of our candidateinto the race. This shows that ourparty is well grounded in thestate."

He also pointed out that thePDP remains the only nationalparty with presence in all nooksand crannies of the country.According to him, "The PDP is theonly party that does not belong toany individual but to the people.

Mention any of the oppositionparties and you will readilyattach a name to its ownership butthe PDP is the party that belongsto nobody but Nigerians."

The National OrganisingSecretary who stressed that thepresent leadership of the partyunder Alhaji Bamanga Tukur hasvowed to uphold discipline amongits members also hinted that thewelfare of its workers would beimproved soon.

He said the first thing theNational Working Committee(NWC) of the party did onresumption was to review thewelfare packages of the party'ssecretariat workers and that thereview would soon beimplemented. Mustapaha alsodenied the insinuation that theparty was broke.

By Lawrence Olaoye

The All Nigeria PeoplesParty (ANPP) hasdismissed a media report

credited to the GroupManaging Director of NigeriaNational PetroleumCorporation (NNPC), Mr.Andrew Yakubu, that localcrude oil production hasreached an all-time high of 2.7million barrels per day, abovethe budgeted production levelof 2.48mbpd, describing it asan insult to Nigerians.

“Bearing in mind that thenation is presently under thethroes of biting fuel scarcitynationwide and that it is theprimary task of thecorporation to supplypetroleum products, theNNPC brag is nothing butinsult to the psyche of thesuffering masses,” theopposition party in astatement by its NationalPublicity Secretary, EmmaEneukwu, stated.

The party pointed out that“there are very long queues atfilling stations in every part ofthe country, with many ofthem selling fuel far above theapproved pump price. TheNigerian people, who should beenjoying the benevolentgesture of the Almighty insituating such bountifulnatural resources under ourvery feet, are today confrontedby the unnecessary hardshipbrought about by sheerincompetence and corruptionentrenched in the very organof government whose task is tomanage such blessing.

“We wonder why the NNPCwith the other petroleumoutfits under it are not able toensure steady supply ofpetroleum products as well assanity in its distribution,” theparty added.

The ANPP queried thefigure given by the NNPCwhich indicated that Nigeria’scrude oil production per daywas 2.7 barrels, whileasserting that the NNPC hasno metering system withwhich to authoritativelygauge their daily productionlevel.

Eneukwu, call on the NNPCto concentrate on upgrading itsinfrastructure for efficiencyrather than playing to thegallery with nothing to showfor its vaunted performance.

He then called on theNational Assembly in the lightof its oversight function overthe nation’s oil company, toinsist that the NNPC producestatements of accountsreflecting transactionsrelating to the marketing andsales of crude oil in thecountry.

“We believe that thenation’s crude oil accountshould not be shrouded insecrecy; the Nigerian peopleneed to know how theircommonwealth is beingmanaged”, he said.

ANPP queriesNNPC’sfigure of2.7mbpdBy Umar Muhammad Puma

The people of Baruteen,Kaima Local governmentwhich constitute part of

Kwara North Senatorial districthave endorsed the creation ofnew states as well as rotationalPresident between Northern anSouthern parts of Nigeria in theHouse of Representatives Peoples’Public session on the 1999constitution review.

The Federal constituencyunder Rep Zakari Muhammed,the Chairman House Committeeon Media and Public Affairs,

argued on whether or not toretain immunity clause for thePresident, Vice President,Governors and DeputyGovernors in the constitution.

The constituency howeveragreed that they would not besegregated if President are beingrotated within the Northern andSouthern parts of the countrystressing that removal ofimmunity would create a lot ofchaos in the country.

They also disagreed over morethan four year tenure forPresident, voting rightfor Nigerians in diaspora as well

as abolition of bi-camerallegislature among other 38issues raised for reviewed in the1999 constitution.

While Speaking with thisreporter after the constituencymeeting, Muhammed explainedthat the agreement of his peopleon states creation does not meanthat they want to be carvedaway from present Kwara Staterather what they want wasmore local government thatwould be recognisedconstitutionally.

Justifying the action of theHouse and its effectiveness ,

Muhammed said” For us at the7th legislative, we have toldourselves that we are definitelygoing to work for the people ofNigeria and we believe that weare answerable to them.”

He added that the report ofthe exercise would not be sweptunder carpet stressing that theexercise has given Nigerians tovoice out on what they want anddisliked in the constitution.

The House spokesman saidthe report of the exercise wouldnot be delayed after publichearing at National Assembly onthe matter.

Constitution review: Kwara North Senatorial districtendorses state creation, rotational presidencyFrom Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

L-R Imo State Governor, Rocha Okorocha, CBN Governor, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan andAnambra State Governor, Peter Obi, during the fund raising ceremony organized by the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief andRehabilitation held at the State House Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Joe Oroye

PAGE 40 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Constituency Congress: PDPthreatens to petition NASS,Presidency over poor publicity

Some Action Congressof Nigeria (ACN)chieftains yesterday

extolled the virtues of ChiefLam Adesina, a formergovernor of Oyo state, whodied yesterday.

In a telephone interviewwith the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN), Chief SegunOsoba, a former governor ofOgun, said that it was stilldifficult for him to believethat Adesina had died.

“I was with him eighthours before he was said tohave passed on to the eternal

Osoba, Lai Mohammed, othersmourn Lam Adesina

The PDP in Lagosstate on Saturdaysaid that it would

petition the NationalAssembly and the Presidencyover alleged poor publicity of the constituency congress onthe review of the 1999Constitution.

The News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) reports thatthe House of Representativeson Saturday organised thecongress in all federalconstituencies across the

country.The PDP, in a statement

signed by its PublicitySecretary, Mr. Taofik Gani,said that most of the centresdesignated for the publichearing in Lagos Statewere not known to thepublic.

The party also allegedthat the ACN, the rulingparty in the state, hijackedthe congress.“This is somuch that other Lagosianscannot join in the

presentations,’’ it said.The PDP stressed that

the inadequate publicityfor the constituencycongress resulted in a lowturnout, adding that thiswould consequently makethe outcome of the congressunable to reflect the truewishes of Lagos residents.

Reacting, Mr JoeIgbokwe, the state PublicitySecretary of the ACN,described the allegations asunfounded. (NAN)

L-R Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, President Goodluck Jonathan andChairman Dangote Group of Companies Alhaji Aliko Dangote during the Fundraising ceremony organized by the Presidential Committee on Flood relief andrehabilitation held at the State House Abuja yesterday. Photo: Joe Oroye

A former MilitaryAdministrator ofOndo State, Col Ahmed

Usman (rtd.), at the weekendhailed the re-lection of DrOlusegun Mimiko by thepeople of the State saying thatMimiko was a worthy successorwho had taken the state toheights hitherto unimagined.

The former administratorwas in Akure at the weekendwhere he lauded the governorfor the transformation of thestate capital added that thepeople of the state made the bestchoice by reelecting Mimiko.

He said “There is nogainsaying the fact that DrOlusegun Mimiko has recorded

Former Ondo Milad hails Mimiko’s electionFrom Ayodele Samuel, a lot of monumental

achievements which are notonly there for people to see butalso to celebrate. This is a manwho has brought to bear freshideas of his own to develop thisstate into such a modern onewithin the space of three and ahalf years. Indeed, Dr Mimikois a true democrat, a patrioticNigerian who hasdistinguished himself throughimpeccable credential and I amglad that the people of OndoState decided to vote for aperformer who am sure wouldtake Ondo State to even greaterheights during his second termin office.

“Having administered thisstate before, I am aware of theenormous challenge that

governing the state could pose;but for Mimiko to rise to theoccasion and put Ondo State onthe global map, build on thefoundation we were able to laybetween 1994 and 1996, andtoday be a toast of the world, isno mean feat and one isgratified that the people sawthese qualities in him and votedoverwhelmingly for him inspite of the odds against him.

“Dr Mimiko really deservedto be re-elected and I must saythat I am proud of the people ofOndo for not allowing this greatman to slip between theirfingers and he would definitelynot disappoint them as I can seea greater Ondo State in themaking during his second termof office.”

beyond. He was in a jolly goodmood when we last saw,’’Osoba said.

In his reaction, the ACNNational PublicitySecretary, Alhaji LaiMohammed, describedAdesina’s death as a great loss,both to the ACN and Nigeria.

“Nigeria has lost a man ofconscience,’’ Mohammedsaid, pointing out thatAdesina spent his life fightingfor a new Nigeria.

“He relentlessly foughtfor a better Nigeria andremained concerned with the

problems of Nigeria to the last.Nigeria has lost a statesman.’’

Chief Henry Ajomale,ACN’s Lagos State Chairman,described Adesina as a greatleader.

Ajomale told NAN thatAdesina’s departure from thisworld would affect the ACNand Nigeria as a whole.

Meanwhile, Mr AustinNnorom, the South-WestSecretary, Conference ofNigerian Political Parties(CNPP), said that the groupwould support Adesina’sfamily to keep their deceasedfather’s legacies alive.

PAGE 41PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Equatorial Guinea trounce their South Africancounterparts Banyana Banyana 4-0 to lift theAfrican Women’s Championship trophy.

The Super Falcons, who were the defendingchampions did not failed to secure a place in the final,but also could not beat Cameroon in the Losers’ Finalthat was equally decided yesterday.

The Nigerians lost the chance to salvage some lostpride as they lost 0-1 to the Indomitable Lionesses. Itwas a 31st minute strike by Gaelle Enganamouit thatdid the damage to see the Falcons finish their worst-ever AWC in fourth place.

The Lionesses outplayed six-time champions Nigeriato avenge a 2-1 defeat in the group stage of thetournament. Cameroon also eliminated Nigeria fromthe 2012 London Olympics qualifiers.

The Falcons are expected back this morning withthe future of coach Kadiri Ikhana very uncertain.

AWC: EquatorialGuinea are championsas Falcons crash again

Mikel Obi out of Eagles versus Venezuela match

Liuz Suarez

A 73rd minutes goalby Luis Suarez sawLiverpool come from

a goal down to earn a shareof the spoils in a BarclaysPremiership matchagainst Chelsea yesterday.

Captain John Terrygave Chelsea the lead inthe 20th minute on hisreturn to the side, butnumerous wasted scoringopportunities allowedLiverpool back into a gamethey should have lost bytwo or three goals at thevery least.

The result sees Chelseastay in third spot on thetable with 24 points whileLiverpool languish in thebottom half of the table in13th place with 12 points.

From the first whistleChelsea were in control ofthe match and shouldhave taken the lead asearly as the sixth minute.

Eden Hazard playedOscar through on goal andwith only the keeper theChelsea man fired the ballover the crossbar fromclose range.

The Blues continued topile on the pressure andwere rewarded for theirefforts in the 20thminutewhen Terry handed themthe lead from a corner-kickafter some horriblemarking by the Liverpooldefence.

The corner wasdelivered at great paceand terry, completelyunmarked, rose at thefrom post ten-yards out topowerfully head home onhis return fromsuspension.

Seven minutes later andFernando Torres broughtthe best out of BradleyJones in the Red’s goalfrom ten-yards out. Thekeeper, though, parriedthe ball straight to Hazardwho fired wide with anopen goal at his mercy.

Chelsea suffered a hugeset-back in the 39thminute when John Terryhad to leave the fieldinjured after it appearedhe had done some badligament damage to hisknee.

Nonetheless, despite theloss of their captain,Chelsea pressed forwardand Juan Mata foundhimself through on goalafter a great solo run,beating three playersbefore a wasteful shot overthe goal with just thekeeper to beat.

The second halfcontinued in the samevein and only Jones kepthis side in the match as hedenied Torres from a closerange header after theSpaniard got onto the endof a corner-kick in the 57thminute.

Chelsea were then madeto pay for theirinadequacies in front ofgoal in the 73rdminutewhen Suarez drew the Redslevel.

Jamie Carragher got infront of his marker at acorner-kick to flick the ballon at the near post andSuarez was at the back postto header home from onlya couple of yards out, 1-1.Neither side could grab thewinner as honours finishedall square.Ahmed Muade, NRA

President

Suarez’s goal earns Liverpoola point at Stamford Bridge

113 Nigerian refereesfail Cooper TestAbout a quarter of the

Nigerian refereesthat participated in

last weekend’s Cooper Testpreparatory for the newseason scheduled to beginnext month failed theannual ritual.

According to thePresident of the NigeriaReferees Association(NRA), Alhaji AhmedMaude, out of the 528referees that took part in

the exercise only 394 weresuccessful.

This means that astaggering number of 113of the participants couldnot scale the hurdles, andthus are eliminated fromthe list of the referees thatwould officiate at matchesnext season.

The cooper test, which isa mandatory FIFArequirement for testingreferees physical andmental endurance, wasconducted over theweekend at the National

Stadium Abuja.Aside from the number

of referees that failed thetest, no fewer than 21 ofthem were disqualified forvarious reasons includingage discrepancies, health-related questions andsuspensions arising fromlast season’s sanctions.

Peoples DailySports learnt that theexercise was conducted bytop grade FIFA batchedreferees including the likesof Linus Mba, EmmanuelImieri, among others

while the exercise waswitnessed by the NFFsecond vice president,Victor Baribote.

And to ensure thetransparency of theexercise, the latesttechnology, Micro Gate,was used as it helped todetermine the referees’suitability and enduranceduring the matches.

In spite of the largenumber of referees thatfailed the test, Maude wasdelighted that nothinguntoward happened unlike

last year when two deathswere recorded.

“The referees are up anddoing. We did not recordany casualty and weassured you only the bestof them will be in chargeof the proceedings whenthe league resumes thisseason.

None of them can claimhe was unjustlydisqualified or victimized.Everything was done inthe open andtransparently,” he said.

By Patrick Andrew

Chelsea duo of Mikel Obi and Victor Moses havepulled out of Wednesday’s friendly againstVenezuela, coach Stephen Keshi has disclosed.

Already ruled out of the match in Miami is injury-hitRennes defender Onyekachi Apam.

In their places, Keshi has extended invitation to Sharkswinger Gomo Onduku, who has been in splendid form atthe national camp and was part of the team that travelledyesterday to Miami, Florida for the encounter againstVenezuela.

“Bright Dike, who stars in the MLS for TimberwolvesFC has already been invited to play in his stead and weare sure that he will do well in the encounter, especiallyas he is based in the United States,” Keshi declared.

Keshi said that the players had different reasons fornot being part of the game, but that should not bringfears to Nigerians as capable replacements have alreadybeen named for the encounter.

Mikel, for instance, has family reasons. “I have been there before and we don’t have any

grudges against players withdrawing from friendlies,especially when they are compelled to do that, but wewant to be told in time so that we can makereplacements”, Keshi declared on Sunday morning.

All other players invited for the encounter have sinceconfirmed their early arrival, even as the team jettedout last night via Delta Airlines for the game that comesup on Wednesday night in Florida, USA.

NFF president Aminu Maigari, is expected to lead thedelegation for the friendly, that kick starts Nigeria’spreparations for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations to behosted in South Africa.

Mikel, Moses out as Eagles off for USA

PAGE 42 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has refused to write off Arsenal’schances in the Premier League, but warned hisside they must eliminate the defensive mistakes

that have scarred recent performances.The Gunners manager watched in frustration as his

side allowed a two-goal lead to slip for the second time infive days before eventually being forced to settle for apoint in a 3-3 home draw with Fulham on Saturday.

Wenger was critical of a defence that has now conceded12 goals in four games.

“The positive is we can score goals now. The negativeis to concede three goals at home and the chances wegave away I don’t think defensively it was a historicalperformance,” he said.

Wenger was particularly frustrated by the poormarking that allowed Dimitar Berbatov to head Fulhamback into the match after Olivier Giroud and LukasPodoslki had put Arsenal 2-0 up.

And the manager’s efforts to remedy the problem willbe hindered by the looming international week. “I feelwhere we are most guilty is on the corner,” said Wenger.

“We were 2-0 up and Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz, weknow, can create chances. But nobody jumped for theball at all, we just let them score.

“That doesn’t happen very often when you are athome. We have to just keep working on it but it will bedifficult this week because everybody goes away.”

Alex Kacaniklic and Berbatov put Fulham 3-2 upbefore Giroud levelled with his second goal and the homeside were denied victory when Mark Schwarzer savedMikel Arteta’s injury-time penalty.

Giroud’s performance impressed Wenger, who said:“Giroud had a very good game. He had presence, winsthe long ball, he is dangerous and starts to have belief inwhat he is doing.

“I feel there were a lot of positives in his game today.”The result left Arsenal 11 points behind leaders

Manchester United, who came from two goals down towin 3-2 at Aston Villa.

“It’s not an ideal situation, but we have shown beforewe can fight and we have shown today we can fight,”said Wenger.

“There are a lot of positives in our team. At themoment we don’t get the positives we want, but I stillfeel we have good potential in our side.”

Wenger had been angered by Roy Hodgson’s decisionto include Jack Wilshere who was suspended againstFulham in the England squad so soon after themidfielder’s return from a 17-month injury lay-off.

And the manager questioned whether Theo Walcottwould be fit to join up with the England squad for thetrip to Sweden after he limped out of the Fulham clash.

Wenger said: “Walcott has a glute problem and wenearly took him off at halftime, but we left him on andit got worse.

“At the moment he is limping and I don’t know if hewill be capable of joining the national team or not at thismoment. What I can do is pray that everybody comesback in good health.”

Wenger demandsnew attitude fromplayers

You featured at the FIFA U-17 World Cup inNigeria, what’s your memory of thetournament and how did it help you develop

as a player? It was a pivotal experience in my career. In the

group we played against Brazil, including bothNeymar and Philippe Coutinho, and also againstSwitzerland, who won the tournament in the end.

It’s no understatement to say that I would not bewhere I am today without that tournament, becausethrough my experiences at the FIFA U-17 World CupI began to learn about real ‘world football’.

So many young players want to cometo England, not only because they want to playin the big stadiums with their history, but also todevelop their game. Why is English footballimportant to a player like you?

As far as Japanese TV is concerned, there are somany live Premier League matches shown. So when Iwas younger I enjoyed watching Premier League, Icould see the pace and high tempo of it even on TV.Those features attracted me so much when I was childand I thought it was a great league, very impressive.

You look to have quite a happy demeanour,you’re always pictured smiling. Do you think yourpersonality has helped you adapt to your newsurroundings?

I have an easy-going personality; I always try to bevery friendly even to strangers. By living in severalcountries I’ve found I’ve grown up more and more. Iquickly sensed the importance of my time in the

Neymar, Philippe Coutinho

Ryo Miyaichi, all played at Nigeria 2009 FIFA U-17World Youth Championship

Netherlands and I’m sure I am growing up the rightway by living overseas.

You’ve been away from a life in Japan for manyyears, what do you miss most about yourcountry?

I miss Japanese food. Of course I can eat it in theforeign countries too but in my opinion authenticJapanese food in Japan is outstanding.

It’s only 18 months until the 2014 FIFA WorldCup Brazil. Does the idea of potentially playingfor the Samurai Blue there, excite you?

Of course playing in the World Cup is my true dream,but to be honest it’s every kid’s dream.However, Japan still has to play in the final round ofqualifying matches, so our team needs to continuepreparing as a team. As a player, I would like to showmy quality on the pitch at club level so I may then becalled up by the Japanese national team. That’s themost important thing I think.

You’ve joined Wigan Athletic on a year-longloan and you seem to be very excited to be hereand very happy. What is it like at the DWStadium, are you enjoying it?

Every day is exciting for me. All my team-matesand the staff are really friendly, that’s why I settledinto this team so easily and I thank everyone at theclub for that. When it comes to football, Wigan play askilful, passing game and there’s a lot I can learn atthis club.

Wigan prodigy Miyaichi says Nigeria2009 was real World Cup experienceDespite only being 19 years of age, Ryo Miyaichi has already experienced a lot inhis career so far. After impressing at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria back in2009 he was snapped up by Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger declaring that “his rawability has attracted many clubs around the world.”Wenger have the teenager very little time to settle in England and he was soonshipped off to Feyenoord on a season-long loan deal. There, he was named manof the match on his debut and was dubbed as ‘Ryodinho’ by a section of theDutch media.Upon his return to England, Arsenal have allowed him to continue his footballingeducation at Bolton Wanderers and now Wigan Athletic in order to give himgreater experience. The winger admits that he’s ‘enjoying every minute’ of hiscareer, particularly at Wigan where he has shown glimpses of potential greatness.

PAGE 43PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Junior women1. Mercy Chebwogen 18:53.62. Edna Chepkemboi 18:57.03. Jackline Chebwogen 19:01.84. Eva Cherono 19:06.85. Damaris Muthee 19:14.06. Sheila Chemg’etich 19:16.07. Margaret Murinju 19:37.88. Clementine Chelagat 19:38.09. Everlyn Chepkoech 19:40.810. Mbithe Nzisa 19:44.2Junior men1. Peter Namuria 21:51.42. Moses Mukono 21:52.43. Peter Limo 22:05.14. Katui Muia 22:05.65. Hillary Langat 22:13.26. Ernest Ngeno 22:35.57. Dominic Mailu 22:39.68. Alex Mutiso 22:42.49. Raphael Leina 22:44.210. Joshua Maingi 22:45.0Senior women 8km1. Emily Chebet 25:01.82. Jemimah Chelagat 25:03.63. Joyline Chelagat 25:56.04. Nzembi Musyoka 25:07.05. Agnes Katunge pri 26:24.46. Mumbua Kioko 26:33.77. Jane Wanja 26:51.48. Perine Nenkampi 27:12.29. Tabitha Chelagat 27:26.910. Jane Murage 27:28.9Senior men 12km1. Geoffrey Kirui 32:52.72. Silas Kimutai 33:05.63. Caleb Mwangangi 33:22.34. Mark Kiptoo 33:28.05. John Mwangangi 33:30.86. Mike Rotich 33:40.87. Daniel Lemashon 33:57.08. Nicholas Togom 33:58.69. Alex Oloititip 34:02.010. Serian Paul 34:03.4

Moses Mukono a village-mate andtraining partner to world800m record-holder David

Rudisha met his match at the hands ofPeter Namuria, who kept up with hissearing turn of speed from the secondlap before catching him as they cameto the final 200m.

Namuria then showed the 2012World Juniors representative a cleanpair of heels to home in for victory in21:51.40 as Mukono gratefullyaccepted to play bridesmaid in21:52.40.

Peter Limo (22:05.10) executed alunge for the finish line to deny homerunner Katui Muia (22:05.60) in afrenetic dash for the final place in therostrum.

In the junior women’s race, the World3000m junior champion MercyChebwogen stamped her authority bystaging a runaway victory that endedwith the clock reading 18:53.6 whenshe was done with her gun-to- tapedisplay.

Her ferocious front running left therest of the starters that included the LilleWorld Youth sixth-place finisher SheilaChemg’etich who trounced all comersin Nyahururu a week ago competingfor the minor podium positions.

Edna Chepkemboi (18:57.0), whowon silver at the East Africa YouthChampionships in Kampala,eventually finished second as JacklineChebwogen (19:01.8) continued hersolid showing in the series by takingthird.

Meet sponsors KCB have set asideSh1.2m ($14,117) to be shared acrossthe four categories with the winners bypoints at the end of the competitiontaking home $2,353 (Sh200,000).

Following Machakos, Chebet and

Mukono are in pole position to scoop thepay-out since they need to finish amongthe top seven in two of the remainingfive meetings including the final inKericho at the end of January.

Mukono meets his match

Emily Chebet, the 2010 IAAFWorld Cross-Country champion,again acclaim the crown by

notching up her second win on thebounce during the second KCB/AKNational Cross Country Seriesmeeting held in the eastern town ofMachakos over the weekend.

In the men’s long race, World junior10,000m bronze medallist and fifth-place finisher at the Kenyan Olympic10,000m Trial in Eugene, GeoffreyKirui, tore the form book to shredswhen he humbled a field of decoratedrunners including 2010 World juniorchampion Caleb Mwangangi Ndikuand his African Cross gold medallistnamesake John Mwangangi.

The junior races failed to yield arepeat winner from the opening roundlast week as Moses Mukono was forcedto accept runner-up position by PeterNamuria in the men’s 8km withMercy Chemwogen taking thehonours in the junior women’s 6kmwhere Nyahururu winner SheilaChemg’etich came home in sixth.

Emily Chebet, who was last in theopener in Nyahururu a week ago,prevailed over her closest rival in theshape of Kenya Defence Forces athleteand Boston Marathon runner-upJemimah Chelagat in a battle of witsthat lasted more than half of the race.

The winner arrived at the tape in25:01.8 against Chelagat’s 25:03.6after making her winning move about60m from the finish to finally prevailover her closest challenger who hadsustained the surge in the front withno sign of letting up.

Chebet wins again as Kiruiimpresses at AKXC Series in Machakos

Joyline Chelagat, who was eighth inNyahururu, improved to third here in25:56.0 to share the podium with herillustrious competitors in the race thathad the assembled crowd on their feet.

In the corresponding men’s eventGeoffrey Kirui, who saw his Olympicsbid ended at the specially arrangedPrefontaine Classic Kenyan 10,000mselection race in June, made hisintroduction to senior cross-countryrunning a memorable one bystunning the deepest field on show.

The 13:20.54/26:55.73 career bestrunner over 5000m/10000m whowon bronze in the longer distance atthe Barcelona World Juniors used hisfinishing mastery in the business endof the keenly-contested race to breastthe tape first in 32:52.7.

Kenya Wildlife Service runner SilasKimutai followed the winner home in33:22.3 to serve notice of his talent asthe established runners led by the2010 World junior and African 1500mchampion Caleb Mwangangi(33:22.3) in third started arriving atthe finish.

Forces athlete Mark Kiptoo(33:28.0), who captained the Kenyanteam to the Jordan World Cross, provedhis staying power at 36 years old tofinish fourth just above the otherMwangangi and home favourite John(33:30.8) who is the reigning AfricanCross champion.

Commonwealth 10,000m silvermedallist Daniel Lemashon (33:57.0)was seventh while Nicholas Togom(33:58.6), the jackpot winner fromlast season, finished eighth.

PAGE 44 PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

2013 Nations Cup finals

Isaac Chansa and Chris Katongo have joined Zambia forWednesday’s Nelson Mandela Challenge clash against BafanaBafana of South Africa.

The African champions will use this game as part of theirpreparation for the Africa Cup of Nations, where they are drawn inGroup C along with Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia.

Chansa and Katongo of Chinese club Henan Jianye were part ofthe seven-member team that flew out from Lusaka on Sunday.

Also in the travelling party from Kenneth Kaunda internationalAirport was striker James Chamanga, who also plays in China for

Asamoah Gyan

Isaac Chansa Chris Katongo

Ahmed Musa has toldEagles coach StephenKeshi he can lead Eagles

attack at next year’s NationsCup in South Africa.

Jet-heeled Musa has beenmoved from a winger to acentre forward by his Russianclub CSKA Moscow and theresults have been remarkableas he has now scored sevengoals in the league as well as agoal in the cup.

The first of his brace againstKuban Krasnoder on Saturdaywas a typical striker’s goal ashe used his blistering pace toreach a long through ballbefore slotting past a helplessgoalkeeper.

“I am enjoying my new roleas top striker for CSKA. It hasgiven me a chance to score moregoals. I will lead Eagles attackwell if I’m asked to do so too,”Musa said.

He said his goals in Russiacould also be attributed to thefact that he has fully settleddown at the army team afterhis big-money switch frommodest Dutch club VVV Venlo.

“I am also scoring goalsbecause I have adjusted to theleague in Russia and now knowwhat is expected of me,” hedisclosed.

Last month against Liberia inCalabar, the former KanoPillars star was played mainlyas a left winger and scored agoal.

He scored a total of two goalsin the qualifiers for the 2013Africa Cup of Nations, a goalbehind the team’s top scorerIkechukwu Uche.

Three seasons ago, Musashowed he knows his way togoal when he scored a record-breaking 18 goals for KanoPillars playing mostly as aright winger.

Zambia coach Herve Renardhas singled out Ethiopianstriker Saladin Said as the

player to lookout for in the twosides opening 2013 Africa Cupgame.

The African champions andEthiopia will clash in their

opening Group C match onJanuary 21 in Nelspruit.

Renard said he had seen theEgyptian-based player fromWadi Degla in action anddescribed him as a rising star.

“We have to be careful theyhave some very good players like

one striker Said (Saladin). Ithink he is one of the best playersin Africa so we have to verycareful,” Renard said.

The 24-year-old is Ethiopia’stop scorer this year with threegoals in six qualifiers includingone in a 1-1 draw against Bafana-

Renard acknowledges Ethiopia’s Said, wary of threatBafana in a 2014 FIFA WorldCup qualifier earlier this year.

Said also scored one goal inEthiopia’s 2-0 home win overSudan in the final leg qualifierto help clinch the 1962champions place at the SouthAfrica finals.

Dalian Shide. These are the only foreign-based players to have left with the

team from Lusaka. They joined four home-based players on theflight to Johannesburg, where they will be joined by another 17players.

The home-based players include the Power Dynamos duo ofmidfielder Mukuka Mulenga and goalkeeper Joshua Titima.

Red Arrows goalkeeper Daniel Munyau and midfielder ShadreckMalambo complete the home-based call-ups to face Bafana at SoccerCity on Wednesday.

Musa allaysKeshi’s worries,says ‘I canlead Eaglesattack’

... As Chansa, Katongo hit camp for Mandela clash

Bafana Bafana are to take onAlgeria in their last warm-up game before next year’s

African Nations Cup, a fixture yetto be announced by the homecountry but divulged by theAlgerian Football Federation overthe weekend.

The game will be played in

Pretoria on January 13, but theexact venue is not yet to bedecided.

It will be the last game for thehost nation ahead of the start of thetournament on January 19 whenthe South Africans take on theCape Verde Islands at Soccer City.

The South African Football

Association have alreadyannounced two warm-up gamesagainst Zambia on Wednesday atSoccer City for the NelsonMandela Challenge plus a gameon January 8 against Norway atthe Cape Town Stadium.

A further fixture is beingplanned for Durban on December

23 with coach Gordon Igesundtraveling to Europe this week topersuade clubs to release theirplayers to the squad ahead of thedesignated date of January 5.

Details of the opponent are notyet known but SAFA chiefexecutive officer Robin Petersenlast month said it would be one of

the Nations Cup finalists.South Africa have met Algeria

twice before both at Nations Cuptournaments. Bafana scored adramatic late win over Algeriain the 1996 Nations Cupquarterfinals but the two sidesplayed a docile draw in Ghana in2000.

SAFA fixes Desert Warriors, Bafana Bafana friendly

The winning bonus,according to the FA presidentwill not be deserved but meantto boost the players and ensurethe Ghana breaks the jinx ofnot winning the continental

trophy for 30 years.The financial package is

expected to motivate the playersand technical body to end theirtrophy drought since 1982.

Early this week, footballadministrator Takyi Arhinquestioned the reward packagefor the team at next January’sfinals in South Africa.

The former BA Stars ChiefExecutive claimed the amountwas on a high and will have aburden on Ghana’seconomy. But Nyantakyidisagrees and explains whatwent into the slightincrement.

“Monies that sportsmenespecially footballers earn falls

Black Stars to earn $15,000 per matchBlack Stars will earn US$

15,000 for winning amatch at the Nations

Cup. This was disclosed by theGhana Football Associationpresident Kwasi Nyantakyi.

outside a country’s paymentscheme,” he said.

“Footballers earn more thanPresidents so it will be wrongon anyone’s part to draw sucha comparison. In 2008 whenwe hosted the Nations Cup, wewere paying US$ 10,000.

“That figure has seen littleincrements over subsequenttournaments so it is not as if weare making sharp increment.”

Ghana must advance from aGroup comprising DR Congo,Mali and Niger before thinkingabout annexing the trophy.

The Black Stars will camp inAbu Dhabi, UAE for the 19January to 10 Februarytournament in South Africa.

PAGE 45PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

PICTORIAL

1... Wladimir Klitschko retained his IBF, IBO,WBO and WBA heavyweight titles by recordinga unanimous points decision over Poland’sMariusz Wach in Hamburg.2...Novak Djokovic proved his powers of recoveryonce again by fighting back to beat Juan Martindel Potro in the semi-finals of the ATP WorldTour Finals. The world number one came backfrom a set and break down to win 4-6 6-3 6-2at London’s O2 Arena.3...Dani Pedrosa ended the MotoGP season witha win in Valencia after newly crowned worldchampion Jorge Lorenzo had a huge crash.Lorenzo - who sealed the titlein Australia last month - opted to start on slicktyres on a wet track.4....Edin Dzeko’s late winner gave ManchesterCity a dramatic victory over Tottenham that keepsthem in touch with leaders Manchester Unitedand just two points off the top of the PremierLeague.5....World number one Rory McIlroy secured theEuropean Tour money list after finishing thirdat the Singapore Open. The 23-year-old USPGAchampion emulated Luke Donald’s achievementlast year of finishing top of the list in Europeand the United States in the same season.

1 2

3 4

5

PAGE 47PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

Quick CrossWord (67)ACROSS7 Wordsmith (6)8 Completely, absolutely (6)9 East of __, novel by John Steinbeck(4)10 Closed patry-case (3)11 Principal (4)12 In a lost state (6)14 Colour of custard (6)16 Chum (6)19 Liar (6)21 Solemny swear (4)23 Nark (3)24 Legendary animals from Kilkenny(4)25 Disclose (6)26 Chewy nutty sweet (6)

DOWN1 Newly-wed woman (6)2 Knock senseless (4)3 Cough up in advance (6)4 Nippy (6)5 Beaten musical instrument (4)6 Rabbit with pink eyes (6)13 A Pocketful of __, Agatha Christiestory (3)15 High ball in tennis (3)17 Wandering, strolling (6)18 Malignant spirits (6)19 Repairing (6)20 Minor actors (6)22 From Monday to Sunday (4)24 Vital point (4)

Yesterday’s answer

* Source: Weird facts

33. Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants.

34. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

35. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

36. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

37. It's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow.

38. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built,engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

39. A snail can sleep for three years.

FACTSSource: Reader's Digest

Say what?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

The 10-year-old sheepdog, Springer Spaniel feeds orphaned lamb milk from a bottle heldin her mouth on a farm in Devon. The sheepdog has been trained from an early age tonurture needy lambs.

SPORTS LALALALALATESTTESTTESTTESTTEST

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2012

QQQQQUOUOUOUOUOTTTTTABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QUOUOUOUOUOTETETETETEIn the CPC, it's the party that has the last word;

individuals do not decide what they want or don't wantto do...it's the party, not individuals, that sponsors

candidates.– Chief Tony Momoh, CPC Chairman, on

Buhari's decision not to run for President in 2015

People in temper often say a lotof silly, terrible things that theyreally mean – P. Gilliatt

A national newspaper onSunday November 11headlined with a story in

which the Borno stateCommissioner for Information,Mr. Inuwa Bwala, claimed thatthe federal government hasabandoned the people of the state.The Commissioner told TheNation that no federal politicaloffice holder had visited the stateeither to assess the securitysituation, or to symphasise withthe state government and itspeople. The paper said hecomplained that the Presidentand his Vice have refused to cometo the state to boost the morale ofthe people, or to show that theycare and remind the people of thestate that they are part andparcel of Nigeria. “We have beenleft on our own. For some time,nobody has shown that theyreally care, nobody has visited toshow solidarity with us,” he said.Although a team made up of theNational Security Adviser, (NSA)and Chief of Defence Staff hadvisited, the Commissioner saidthe people of the state have beenleft on their own “as if we are notpart of Nigeria. That has been ourgrouse against the federalgovernment.”

For a spokesman of agovernment which has walkedthe tightrope of supportingagents of the federal governmentand dealing with theconsequences of their activitieswhile exposed to the nowpatently-partisan assaults of theJamaatu Ahlil SunnahDiddawati Waj Jihad(JASLIWAJ) (a.k.a. Boko Haram)this public outcry against theneglect of the state by the federalgovernment is bound to make itsmark. The cry against seeminginsensitivity and neglect by thehighest public office holders, oneof whom is a northerner will,sound even louder against claimsby the same commissioner thatBorno state is functioning prettymuch normally. He said marketsand banks open, workers go towork, economic activities go on,flights come and go fully bookedevery day.

Perhaps the Commissionerwas lost over what issues hewanted to raise in a rareopportunity to dispel theimpression that Borno and Yobestates have been virtuallygrounded by the JASLIWAJinsurgency, or as he claimed, bycriminals and political assassinswho have hijacked the cause of

to land and take off any more. Hecould summon the entire StateExecutive Council, Council ofChiefs, Commanders of the JTF,community leaders, civil societygroups and even school childrento Maiduguri airport to meetwith them, in case his securityadvisers caution him againstdriving into Maiduguri.

If the President is advised thatBorno state is so unsafe that hecannot visit under anyarrangement, then the war andthe circumstances of theexistence of the people in Bornoand Yobe need to be fullyreassessed. It should not be lost onthe administration that thedispatch of a Minister to condolethe people of Borno state over theassassination of General Shuwahas been very poorly received bymost people. Why, for instance,couldn’t the President himself, orthe Vice President, lead adelegation to show sympathy andconcern over the loss of a genuineelder statesman whose murderhas tremendous symbolism forthis war?

By the day, the lives of peoplein Yobe and Borno states arebecoming more imperiled. Thecry for help from fellow citizensin the region is responded to withmore violence from both sides.Their elders and leaders havecried to the high heavens againsthigh-handedness; and have beenroutinely reminded that theyare the key to finding solutions tothe very problems they complainover. They have seen an uprisingblossom into a sophisticatedinsurgency, consuming theiryoung people, their socialinfrastructure, economy andcivilization. Their young eitherjoin the insurgency, or pay theprice for it as perennial suspects,or targets of bullets and arrests.Citizens run between the JTF andan insurgency which is deeplyembedded in their communities,and live with endemic fear ofboth. State governments cannotprotect them. The federalgovernment is the JTF, at everydoorstep with finger on triggers,and suspicious of everyone. Well-

Djoliba join ACLeopards in CC Cupfinal, after a dramatic

penalty shoot-out followingtheir 2-0 victory against AlHilal yesterday in Bamako.

Two goals down after thefirst leg in Omdurman, AlouBadra Diallo’s men managed aspectacular come-back in frontof their fans, thanks to IdrissaTraoré Essien and JanvierAbouta’s successful attempts inthe second-half.

On the front foot right fromkick-off, the Malians struggledto find their way through avery solid Sudanese’s defence,despite numerous efforts byIbrahima Traoré, Samba Dialloand Mamane Cissé.

Diallo’s cross just before thebreak was a real danger, but noone managed to reach the farpost fast enough to send it home.

The fans got their hopesrevived in the 52nd minutewhen Idrissa Traoré Essienopened the score from thepenalty spot after one of histeammates was fouled by AlHilal’s keeper, Geinaro Goma inthe box.

And five minutes later, theReds were very close to putnumber two on the score board,but Boubacar Bangoura’s closerange attempt went over thecross-bar. But the home boyscame back for good with twentyminutes to go, thanks to anacrobatic shot by JanvierAbouta.

This semi-final ended on a2-2 draw on aggregate, sendingthe two teams to the penaltyshoot-out to decide on a winner.

Both Al Hilal’s EdwardSadomba and Djoliba’s IdrissaTraoré Essien missed theirattempt, extending the nervebreaking exercise to the suddendeath.

And it’s the Malian outfitwhich ultimately sealed thequalification, 7 penalties to 6,Boubacar Bangoura scoring thewinner after a good save byDjoliba’s keeper in front ofYoussouf Mohamed.

Djoliba AC will face ACLeopards in the CC Cup final,following the 2-1 win onaggregate of the Congoleseagainst the other Sudanese biggun, Al Merreikh.

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

. . . putting the people first

the insurgency. He was doing thejob of an image maker, but hewas doing it badly. If life in Bornois virtually normal, what is thereto complain over the failure ofPresident Jonathan or VicePresident Namadi Sambo tovisit? How can things be normalin a state where being aprominent ANPP member is avirtual death sentence, and inwhich even the recentassassination of GeneralMuhammadu Shuwa isspeculatively linked withpartisan interests?

The attempt to create theimage of normalcy will do greatharm to reality, and the life andcircumstances of the vastmajority of the populationparticularly in Borno and Yobestates. These circumstancesunder which millions of Nigeriacitizens and thousands of soldiers,policemen and other securitypersonnel live in these two statesought to have impressed upon thePresident the need to visit andcommiserate with them.

It has been nothing short ofbewildering that PresidentJonathan has not been able tovisit the two states all this while.The Commander-In-Chief of theNigerian Armed Forces candemand near-perfect cover andprotection to visit Maiduguri,even if he will be limited to theairport. No one believes that theairport is unsafe for the President

Boryobe RepublicCAF Confed.Cup: Djolibajoin ACLeopards infinal

to-do people migrate in droves bythe day. Politicians are targetedand shot, and rich people whochoose to stay are rumoured topay for protection.

Participants who attendedthe North East Summit on Peaceand Security a few weeks agowere bemused by the dramawhich surrounded the insertionof a sentence in the address of theconvener, Alhaji Bello Kirfi,which said that the people of theNorth-east region may considerleaving the federation altogetherowing to a feeling of beingabandoned by the rest of Nigeria.Frantic efforts were made todistance the forum from thestatement, which was“withdrawn” by the author.Which was just as well, because aforum of that nature has nomandate, legitimacy orcredibility to decide the future ofthe beleaguered people of Borno,Yobe and neighboring states.What it could have done, in thelight of a revealing mindset froman elder statesman who hadgiven his entire life to the serviceof his nation, was to devote thewhole event to discussingstrategies on how to reclaimBorno and Yobe states, andintegrate them into the rest ofthe nation. Many people in thathall must know that most peoplein Yobe and Borno feel abandoned,whether it was said so or not atthe forum.

Millions of citizens in Bornoand Yobe states are caught up ina destructive stalemate. Thereare no peace-making initiativesin sight; and no evidence thateither the state or the insurgencywill win this war soon. They havemissed out on the recent hearingson how the constitution of Nigeriashould be amended. They seetheir President visit flood victims,commission projects in States, orsummon elders in states feudingover oil wells to settle them. Theironly contact with the FederalRepublic of Nigeria is the JTF.They should be forgiven forthinking that they live in adifferent country, where violencealone determines how they liveor die. The flicker of hope that anegotiating offer has been put outby the insurgency has now beensnuffed by genuine doubt anddeep suspicious that the crisis isbeing manipulated for narrow,selfish ends. This failure shouldspur other credible Nigerians,particularly those from theNorth to step up and come to therelief of millions of fellowNigerians who are living underintolerable conditions.

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drbabaahmed@yahoo.com

withDr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed

Gov. Kashim Shettima ofBorno state