peoples daily newspaper, wednesday, june 13, 2012

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

Vol. 8 No. 58 Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Rajab 23, 1433 AH N150. . . putting the people first

>> PAGE 3 >> PAGE 4

Al-Qaeda blamesGermany for

Nigeria hostage’sdeath

>> PAGE 6

Gunmenkill 8inKano

>> PAGE 3

Internal crisis:PDP

indictsself

Arunma Otehlocked

outof SEC

From Edwin Olofu, Kano

Constituents to Farouk Lawan:

NCAA groundsAir Nigeria

You’re a disgrace

Contd on Page 2Hon. Farouk Lawan

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

Contd on Page 2

Constituents of the embattled member of theHouse of Representatives,

Rep Farouk Lawan, yesterday re-ferred to him as a disgrace for hisalleged involvement in the $3million scam in the Fuel SubsidyProbe scandal.

Farouk Lawan, who representsBagwai/Shanono Federal Con-stituency of Kano state in theHouse of Representatives, is cur-rently enmeshed in the scandal,after oil mogul, Femi Otedola fur-ther compounded his problem byadmitting paying $500,000(about N80 million) bribe directlyto the lawmaker in a sting opera-tion involving security agents.

When Peoples Daily interacted

with Rep Lawan's constituents inhis constituency, which is about100 kilometers away from theKano metropolis, most of those spo-ken to expressed disgust over theissue.

Chairman of the Peoples Demo-cratic Party (PDP) in Bagwai Lo-cal Government Area, AlhajiZangina Dangada, said they wereshocked by the revelation, describ-ing the whole saga as a completedisgrace if the allegation is finallyestablished against the law-maker.

“We are not happy with thedevelopment, and therefore, wecall for further investigation andif at the end, a prima facie case isestablished against him, he has toface the music for bringing us a

Following an industrial action embarked upon recently by engineers of Air

Nigeria, the Nigeria Civil Avia-tion Authority (NCAA) yester-day asked the airline to halt itsoperations pending when theNCAA is satisfied that its aircraftare in good condition.

The move by the aviationauthority, Peoples Daily learnt,was part of drastic measures bythe aviation ministry to scrutin-ise the operations of all airlineson the domestic route after alle-gations that the regulatory au-

thority has failed in its supervi-sory role culminating in the re-cent air mishap involving a DanaAirline plane which crashed inLagos, killing all 153 persons onboard.

A competent source privy tothe marathon meeting at theNCAA headquarters in Ikeja yes-terday, told our reporter that thedecision was arrived at after alengthy deliberation by safetyinspectors of NCAA who havebeen on their toes ever since theDana disaster.

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSNews 2-11

Editorial 12

Op.Ed 13

Letters 14

Opinion 15

Metro 16-17

Business 19-22

S/Exchange 23

S/Report 24

Motoring 26

Newsxtra 27

Arts 29

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Remove police controlfrom Presidency now

- NHRC, Page 4

WE WANTTO HEAR

FROM YOU

International 31-34

Strange World 35

Digest 36

Politics 37-40

Sports 41-47

Columnist 48

PAGE 2 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012

Contd from Page 1

NCAA grounds Air Nigeria

Constituents to Farouk Lawan: You’re a disgrace

By Lawrence Olaoyewith agency reports

Contd from Page 1

monumental disgrace,” the PDPchieftain declared.

Another staunch member ofthe PDP in the area, Ali KatakoCommander, said he was not sur-prised by the development, say-ing that those who until latelybelieve in quality representationhave now been exposed to the dirtyside of it.

Katako explained that Bagwai/Shanono areas had nothing toshow for Farouk Lawan’s long rep-resentation in the National As-sembly, stressing that “no physi-cal presence of any meaningful de-velopment in the two council ar-eas.”

Katako added: “We felt for himat this trying moment in view ofthe fact that he is one of us; but Iam afraid, Farouk has to face theimplication of what he has done”.

He accused the ranking law-maker of neglecting his constitu-ency that has remained faithful

to him for almost 14 years, add-ing that “we had expected somemeaningful development in re-turn for the political gesture”.

For Abubakar Usman, a chief-tain of the All Nigeria PeoplesParty (ANPP) in Shanono localgovernment, the only thing theycould do for Rep Lawan was prayfor him at this point in time. Healso alleged that the lawmaker hadnot brought any developmentalprojects to Shanono even thoughhe admitted that to some extent,he had been vocal in the Housebut insisted that that did not trans-late in any way into helping hispeople who are in need.

“We sent him to go and repre-sent us but he is not doing any-thing for us in the constituency.The whole matter should be in-vestigated and let the truth comeout; we will pray for him for themeantime,” Usman said.

Farouk Lawan had last Sun-day denied collecting any bribe

money from any oil marketerin respect of the assignmentcarried out by the ad hoc’s com-mittee he led.

He had also claimed that nomember of the ad hoc commit-tee took bribe.

However, after FemiOtedola’s confession, FaroukLawan made a u-turn, claim-ing this time that he collectedthe $500,000, but that he didtook the money simply becausehe wanted to nail the oil mag-net, who he claimed had putmuch pressure on him.

Meanwhile, elder states-man, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, hassaid that the bribery allegationagainst Lawan may be a delib-erate set-up by influential peopleto undermine the House reporton its investigations into the sub-sidy regime.

Yakasai said he had hisdoubts about the allegation lev-eled against Lawan, insisting

that security agents could beused for the interest of somehighly influential people.

He pointed out that Lawanhad served as the Chairman,Integrity Group in the House ofRepresentatives and cannottherefore stoop so low to de-mand bribe and collect same byhimself openly.

In the meantime, aides andassociates of the lawmaker latelast night denied rumours ofFarouk Lawan's arrest, whichhad been rife yesterday. Theaides, who pleaded anonymity,said the lawmaker was in resi-dence at about 9.30pm whenone of our reporters contactedthem.

Speculations were rife sinceevening yesterday that RepLawan had been arrested afterhe, along with Femi Otedolawere invited and interrogatedat the Police Force headquar-ters.

The engineers in Air Nigeria,under the auspices of NationalAssociation of Aircraft Pilots andEngineers (NAAPE) had on Fri-day June 1st embarked on anindustrial action to press homedemands for improved welfarepackages, thereby grounding theoperations of the airline.

Media Assistant to the Direc-tor-General of the NCAA, SamAdurogboye, who confirmed thedevelopment to our reporter onphone, however said, “NCAA didnot technically ground the air-line but based on the strike em-barked upon recently by its en-gineers, the authority needs tore-certify the airline for the fewdays it went out of operations.The re-certification will mostlikely last a day or two”.

The National President ofNAAPE, Engineer Isaac Balami,had told journalists last Fridayin Lagos that the “The airline wasnot grounded due to safety rea-

sons as we did communicate tothe press but due to welfare pack-age which we believe that if wedid not intervene or come into thewhole issue, it could lead to inci-dent or accident.”

Balami noted that “there wasa delay because the managementof Air Nigeria did not agree withthe association on the issues thatwere on ground and because ofthat, it took us a lot of time beforethe Chairman of Air Nigeria, Mr.Jimoh Ibrahim addressed ourmembers on the issue.”

In a release made available toour correspondent, Air Nigeriaaffirmed that it operated in strictcompliance to safety regulationsand has at no time compromisedon standards and would there-fore like to assure the public of itscommitment to always offerquality and safe air services.

However, it would be recalledthat in November, last year, en-gineers working in the servicesof Air Nigeria cried out that the

airline has for a long timemuscled the department to workagainst laid-down safety rulesand regulations in Nigeria’s avia-tion industry.

The workers, who at thattime declared they would not re-turn to work until the manage-ment of the airline puts every-thing that will guarantee thesafety of passengers in place, ac-cused the airline’s top manage-ment of undue interference andthe lack of basic tools among oth-ers, which they saidcharacterised the operations ofthe airline for one year running.

Speaking on behalf of the ag-grieved engineers then, Engr.Balami said all efforts to compelthe airline’s management tocomply with laid-down rulesproved abortive hence the work-ers’ action.

Engineer Balami said the air-line had put undue pressure onits engineering department todeploy 10 out of the 11 aircraft

owned by the airline for flightoperations against the instruc-tion of the maintenance depart-ment who certified only sevenfit for flight and called for theimmediate disengagement of theCEO for safety reason.

In a mail address to AirNigeria's Chief Executive Of-ficer, Mr. Kinfe Kashaye and ob-tained by Peoples Daily at thattime, NAAPE stated: “From thelook of things here in Air Nige-ria, your engineers at this pointare dangerous to the aircraftand for safety reasons, NAAPE isinsisting that you call the Headof Maintenance back and thatyou are to RESIGN as the CEOwith immediate effect, to avoidany accident or incident afterwhich the aircraft should be safefor Nigeria passengers to flyyour airline.”

The association stated fur-ther that the action of the domes-tic carrier ran contrary to whatwas obtainable in the 21st cen-tury.

Lawyers demand Tambuwal’s resignation,want Otedola, others arrested

Public Interest LawyersLeague (PILL) yesterdaycalled for the resignation of

Speaker Aminu WaziriTambuwal to allow forindependent investigations intothe $3 million bribery allegationsagainst the Chairman of theHouse ad-hoc Committee thatinvestigated the nation’s subsidyregime, Rep Farouk Lawan.

This is also as the group hascalled for the arrest andprosecution of all those thatparticipated in the bribery sagaincluding the Chairman of ZenonOil that offered the money; Clerk

of the Committee, BonifaceEmenalo, Rep Jerry Alagbaoso,who allegedly played the role of afront-man and CaptainIheanacho, in whose house thebribe was allegedly delivered.

Sahara Reporters, an onlinemedia quoted the League’sPresident, Abdul Mahmud andthe Secretary, Kelvin Okoro, asstating that the Speaker knewabout the bribe a week before thebubble burst without him takingany action.

“It is also in the public domainthat Aminu Tambuwalconfronted Farouk Lawan withthe video clip of his criminalmisdemeanor,” the group said.“Lawan is reported to have owned

up, partly to a certain sum andnot the bribe sums in full.However, further revelationshave forced Lawan’s hands and hehas since accepted receiving thesum of five hundred thousanddollars from Femi Otedola.”

PILL stated “Farouk Lawan ismerely the face, disgraced by theoutcome of his own perfidiousadventure, of an orchestratednetwork of members who work thecommittee system to intimidateand harass sections of our polity forbribes,” it said. “The committeesystem feeds into the culture ofsettlement and patronage promotedby the leadership of the House.”

In the House system, PILL said,“No one becomes chairman, or vice

chairman and, or a member of ajuicy committee if that individualhas no capacity to deliver theperfidious. To deliver means tomake monetary returns to theSpeaker,” the group alleged.

Asking questions about whatSpeaker Tambuwal knew, whenhe knew it and what he did withwhat he knew, PILL was of theview that the Speaker didnothing. “Farouk Lawan was theSpeaker’s principal pick to headthe Ad hoc committee, and theSpeaker’s decision was eitherborne out of a warpedcommitment to our country or hemisjudged his men. PublicInterest Lawyers League thinks itis neither. He protected his men.”

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012

Oteh locked out of SECThe embattled Director-

General, Securities andExchange Commission

(SEC), Ms. Arunma Oteh, who hasbeen sent on compulsory leavepending the investigation ofallegations into her stewardship,was left stranded when she arrivedyesterday morning only to find outthat she could not be able to getinto her office in the CentralBusiness District, Abuja.

The latest development iscoming on the heels of an orderwhich came from the SEC Board,after a marathon meeting onMonday night, to allow forinvestigation into some of theinitiatives under Oteh'sstewardship, such as Project 50,which is a programme packagedby the DG to celebrate 50 years of

capital market regulation inNigeria.

It was also gathered that Ms.Oteh, apparently angered by theaction, has already taken up thematter with superior authoritiesto challenge the Board's decision,which she declares as a clever ployby members to earn themselvesan illegal tenure extension, as theirterm of office is officially expectedto terminate in the next 72 hourson Friday.

Also, contract staff of thecommission were yesterday barredfrom its premises.

The 15 affected staff arebelieved to be those engaged by theDG. A staff, who declinedidentification, said that only“confirmed staff” were allowed intothe office.

By Aminu Imam andAbdulwahab Isa

Earlier, a statement signed byMr. Edosa Aigbekaen, secretary tothe commission, said that theboard, after its 66th meeting heldon Monday, directed Oteh toproceed on compulsory leave.

The statement said that thecompulsory leave was for anindependent investigation of SEC’sProject 50 programme.

As part of the resolution, theBoard appointed the most seniormember, the ExecutiveCommissioner (Operations), Ms.Daisy Ekineh, to take over asacting Director-General and ChiefExecutive.

The board also directed theInterim President of the Council ofNigerian Stock Exchange tocommence the disengagementprocess.

The Board, which has UdomaUdo Udoma as chairman, haseight others as executive and non-executive members, includingDaisy Ekineh, as ExecutiveCommissioner (Operations);Lawal Stores, as ExecutiveCommissioner (Finance &Accounts); Charles A. Udora, asExecutive Commissioner (Legal &Enforcement).

The SEC board might havebeen influenced by a lot of therevelations that emerged duringthe capital market probe by theHouse of Representatives in Marchand later in April to May thisyear.

Meanwhile, some staff of theSEC whose names featured in thelist as members of Project 50committee during the recentcapital market public hearinghave denied ever being membersof the committee.

The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), yesterday, indicteditself by confessing that

there was an internal crisis in theparty arising from administrativelapses.

The party, through itsNational Publicity Secretary,Chief Olisa Metuh, in aninteraction with newsmen ownedup to an administrative face-offbetween the office of the NationalChairman, headed by AlhajiBamanga Tukur and that of theNational Secretary, headed byPrince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

Metuh, who admitted theexistence of administrative errorsas reported by some national dailies,told newsmen that the party’sNational Working Committee(NWC) had resolved the matter.

He said the administrativelapses reported were normal in aparty as big as the PDP, especially

with a new members of the NWCthat were just settling down to getuse to their official duties.

While confirming that therewas a rift between the office of theNational Chairman and that of theNational Secretary, Metuhasserted that the reports havetaught the NWC members somelessons and has made everyone tosit-up even as he added that themembers are now more united

By Lawrence Olaoye than ever.He added that there was no

question of division or camps in theNWC, insisting that all theexecutive members of the party arecompletely loyal to PresidentGoodluck Jonathan who is also theleader of the party.

On his alleged conspiracy inSouth Africa with the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo, and thechairman of the Nigeria Governors’

Forum (NGF), Rotimi Amaechi, onthe possibility of their pairing as thePresidential and Vice-Presidentialcandidates respectively by theparty in the 2015, Metuh said hewas only part of PDP delegationthat went to South Africa tocampaign for the emergence of Rep.Bethel Amadi as the President ofPan African Parliament, saying henever discussed 2015 electionpolitics with anybody.

Internal crisis: PDP indicts self

…Ekineh now Ag. DG

Borno state governor, AlhajiKashim Shettima,yesterday, raised an alarm

over the rapid population growthof the country, while millions ofunemployed youths are roamingthe streets, saying the situationhas plunged the nation into serious

dilemma, making it to sit on a ‘kegof gun powder’.

Governor Shettima stated thisin an interactive session withnewsmen at the GovernmentHouse in Maiduguri, saying youthrestiveness due to unemploymentwas the root cause of persistentBoko Haram insurgency.

The governor warned thatunless governments at all levels

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru,Maiduguri

put in place urgent measures tocheck the menace, the nation willcontinue to witness serioushurdles.

He explained that leadershiprequires a lot of courage anddetermination; as such, leaders atall levels must be prepared to workfor the people no matter thesituations they found themselvesin, stressing that he is ready to

transform Born state despite thesecurity challenges which havebedeviled the state for sometime.

Shettima stated that very soonthe Borno state government willexplore means of cultivating 1000hectares of lands across the 27 localgovernment areas of the state, soas to provide employmentopportunities to the teemingyouths of the state.

Boko Haram: Nigeria is sitting on keg of gunpowder, says Shettima

Yobe Deputy Houseleader killed

Unknown gunmen havekilled Yobe State House ofAssembly Deputy Leader,

Hon Adamu Degubi, who wasrepresenting Nangereconstituency, at his residence inPotiskum local government areaof the state.

An eyewitness who spoke to ourreporter after the attack, said thegunmen numbering four camearound 7:46 am in the morningand shot Degubi till he died.

The witness further disclosedthat the gunmen came in a 98model Honda car and fired severalgunshots into his head and chest,and ran away with their vehicleinto a nearby bush.

When contacted, policespokesman, Adamu Salihu, said:“I am just hearing about the attack

and killing of a politician in thetown. When we get the report wewill send our men to the area forinvestigation.”

Speaking shortly after theaccident, the Speaker of YobeHouse of Assembly, Hon AdamuDala Dogo, said: “one of ourmember was shot and killed bysuspected gunmen at his Tandariresidence today at about 7.46am.Degubi was about to go to his officein Damaturu, the state capital,when gunmen, about 4 innumber, ambushed him on theway and shot him in the head andchest, before he slumped on theground and died.”

From Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

Non-compliance to thePlateau stategovernment’s ban on the

operations of commercialmotorcycle, popularly known asokada, within Jos metropolis wasobserved yesterday.

Our correspondent whomonitored the enforcement of theban in the state capital, observedthat in certain places like Rikkos,Yanshanu, Bauchi Road, FarinGada, Gangara Dilimi, BukuruMarket and some parts ofTerminius Market, okada riderswere freely operating.

In few areas where enforcementwas successful, combined securityoperatives comprising of the SpecialTask Force (STF), Civil DefenceCorps, police, Federal Road SafetyCorps, were stationed at the mainroad to arrest defaulters.

However, the Commissioner ofInformation, Abraham Yiljab, toldour correspondent that the exerciseis a huge success, sayinggovernment is happy that thepeople are co-operating withgovernment ban of okada.

He acknowledged that therewere cases of non compliance incertain areas, but attributed it tolack of awareness of thegovernment's pronouncement onthe ban of okada operation withinthe Jos Greater Master Plan.

Against this background, heassured that they would continueto enlighten okada riders untilthey cooperate.

He announced that a mobilecourt has been set up to trydefaulters, adding that privatemotorcycle owners must registerwith government, to prove thatthey are not using the motorcyclesfor commercial purposes.

Okada ban:Plateau decriesnon-complianceFrom Nankpah Bwakan, Jos

L-R: Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim, Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo,shaking the Chairman, Inter-Agency Maritime Operations Committee, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogbor,during the inauguration of the committee, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012PAGE 4

Al-Qaida blames Germanyfor Kano hostage deathThe North African branch of Al-

Qaida (AQIM), has blamedGermany for the death of a

German kidnap hostage killedrecently during a rescue bid in Kano.

It would be recalled that EdgarFritz Raupach, who was reportedlykidnapped in January by gunmenin Kano, died on May 31, 2012 assoldiers launched a failed bid on thehouse where his abductors kepthim.

Nigeria's military authoritieslater said it had no idea gunmenheld Raupach inside the home andthat kidnappers stabbed him todeath as the raid began.

The group which claimed itheld Raupach, issued a statementon an internet forum this weeksaying the hostage's death cameonly after the German governmentrefused to negotiate with it.

An Associated Press (AP) report

quoted the terrorist group in amessage to German authorities onMonday night that:"Yourgovernment gave the green lightfor the operation."

“However, the group haddemanded that German officialsrelease Filiz Gelowicz, a Germanwoman convicted last year ofsupporting a foreign terroristnetwork. Gelowicz's husband wasamong a group convicted of plottingunsuccessfully to attack U.S. soldiersand citizens in Germany.

German officials releasedGelowicz from prison in late Aprilon probation after she served two-thirds of her sentence.

According to AP, in themessage, first reported by the SITEIntelligence Group, AQIM alsowarned European governments toavoid "dealing in foolishness" duringhostage negotiations, as that would

President GoodluckJonathan yesterday atthe State House Banquet

Hall, presented letters ofcredence to 93 newAmbassadors, warning them toavoid promoting ethnicity intheir respective countries ofposting.

He charged the ambassadorsto see themselves as Nigeria'sPresident in their countries ofposting hence, the need toalways work towards the unityof the country.

"You should remember thatyou are posted to represent thePresident in your countries ofposting and not your state orethnic group. You must protectNigeria as one united country.

"You are the torch-bearers ofour vision and purposes as weengage the world. Go out andserve the nation withdedication and pride," hecharged.

The President posited thatthe nation's diplomatic servicemust raise its standards in linewith international bestpractice by exhibiting qualityservice delivery andprofessionalism. PresidentJonathan also noted that onlya dynamic, confident and

Jonathan urges newenvoys to shun ethnicityBy Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

endanger lives.In Berlin, a government source

said yesterday that Nigerianauthorities raided the house onlyin an effort to arrest terrorists, notas part of a rescue operation forRaupach.

"German authorities were notinformed beforehand," the officialsaid. "Nigerian authorities havealready said ... they had noknowledge of the whereabouts ofthe German." The source spoke oncondition of anonymity because ofthe sensitivity of the issue.

Raupach had worked forDantata & Sawoe Construction Co.Ltd in Kano before his abduction.

AQIM released a statement inMarch claiming they hadRaupach, as well as a video showinghim disheveled and asking inGerman and English for hiscountry to help win his freedom.

The family of late MoshoodKashimawo Olawale Abiola,yesterday, called on the

Federal Government to recognisedhim as a former president of thecountry, in view of the fact that hewon the June 12, 1993presidential election withoutrancor.

The request of the family wasmade known by Alhaji Bashiru

Abiola, Head of the Abiola familyduring the celebration of the annualJune 12 anniversary held inAbeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

He emphasized further: “Wewant the Federal Government torealise that this man won theelection and he should be declaredas a former president of thiscountry. That is what we arelooking for’, just as he lamented thefinancial difficulties being faced bythe family since the demise of itsbreadwinner.

June 12: Family demandsex-president status for Abiola

List of heads of mission

1. Amb. Chive Lor Ignatius Kaave (Argentina)2. Amb. Felix Ebodor Awanbor (Belgium)3. Amb. Lawrence Olufemi Obisakin (Benin Republic)4. Amb. Okwudili Odi Obidigbo Nwosu (Burundi)5. Amb. Hadiza Mustapha (Cameroon)6. Amb. Ojo Uma Maduekwe (Canada)7. Amb. Garba Abdul Zakari (Chad)8. Amb. Victoria Jolaade Bosede Inipede (Congo Brazzaville)9. Amb. Katherine Uyok Okon (Czech Republic)10. Amb. Grant Okechukwu Ehiobuche (Democratic Republic of Congo)11. Amb. Sunday Benjamin B. Bassey (Equatorial Guinea)12. Amb. Akinyele Oladipo Fayomi (France)13. Amb. Ademola Oluseyi Onafowokan (Ghana)14. Amb. Ayodeji Lawrence Ayodele (Greece)15. Amb. Abdul Rahman Sallahdeen (Indonesia)16. Amb. Tukur Mani (Iran)17. Amb. Eric Tonye Aworabhi (Italy)18. Amb. Olatokunboh Kamson (Jamaica)19. Amb. Taofeek Oladejo Arapaja (Jordan)20. Amb. Solomon Akintola Kayode Oyateru (Kenya)21. Amb. Haruna Garba (Kuwait)22. Amb. Fidelia Obi-Nnadozie (Liberia)23. Amb. Mohammed Lawan Gana (Malawi)24. Amb. Zhiri James Gana (Mexico)25. Amb. Matilda Kwashi (Mozambique)26. Amb. Biodun Nathaniel Olorunfemi (Namabia)27. Amb. Alexander Nwofe (North Korea)28. Amb. Akinyemi Farounbi (Philippines)29. Amb. Samuel Wodi Jimba (Poland)30. Amb. Abba Abdullahi Tijjani (Romania)31. Amb. Assam Ekanem Assam (Russia)32. Amb. Ayibakuro Peter Ogidi-Oke (Rwanda)33. Amb. Abubakar Shehu Bunu (Saudi Arabia)34. Amb. Katyen Catherine Jackden (Senegal)35. Amb. Eyo Asuquo (Sierra Leone)36. Amb. Femi Akenson Rotimi (Sri Lanka)37. Amb. Haliru Sodangi Shuaibu (Sudan)38. Amb. Fidelia Akuabata Njeze (Switzerland)39. Amb. Adamu Babangida Ibrahim (Syria)40. Amb. Chukwudi Newington Okafor (Thailand)41. Amb. Matthew Sunday Adoli (Togo)42. Amb. James Shuaibu Barka (Tunisia)43. Amb. Cornelius O. Oluwateru (United Arab Emirates)44. Amb. Frank Ngozi Isoh (Uganda)45. Amb. Ibrahim Auwalu (Ukraine)46. Amb. Francis Chukwuemeka Okeke (Vatican)47. Amb. Matthias Ojih Okafor (Vietnam)48. Amb. Sifawu Inu-Umoru Momoh (Zambia)

proactive foreign service couldeffectively and efficiently servethe interest of the country.

According to him:"Defending the interests ofNigerians living and operatinglawfully in your countries ofaccreditation must be seen as aprimary assignment", anddirected the ambassadors topursue multilateral diplomacyand build beneficial bilateralpartnerships with the hostcountries, adding that suchmust be anchored on mutualrespect and mutualresponsiveness.

Speaking on behalf of thenew ambassadors, Chief OjoMaduekwe promised that thecurrent challenges would notdeter them from giving thecountry a good representation.

62 ambassadors and 24deputy heads of missionreceived letters of credence.However, as at the time offilling this report, theirpostings were yet to be madepublic.

Among the 11 women thatreceived letters of credencewere former Minister ofAviation, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze,Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Mrs. HadizaMustapha and Mrs. VictoriaOnipede.

Hasfat, daughter of late Abiolain her remark, praised the activeroles of June 12 apostles and theircommitment, adding that herfather will remain happy in hisgrave. “I am sure that my fatherin the grave will be comfortableand fulfilled for the love andaffection always shown to himwith the celebration of June 12,and I want to express the familyappreciation to everybody, we aremuch grateful and happy”, shestated.

The Nigerian VotersAssembly (VOTAS),yesterday, demanded for

more national monuments to benamed after late M.K.O Abiolasaying he was not a sectionalleader.

The convener of VOTAS,Comrade Moshood Erubamistated this at the June 12, 2012

commemoration held at theParliament Building, AgodiSecretariat, Ibadan, noting thatrenaming University of Lagosafter Abiola was too small for hisstatus.

He added that a posthumousdeclaration of Abiola as thewinner of the June 12presidential election and placinghis photograph on the walls ofall state houses, federal

institutions and Aso Rock Villawill be the only solution tohonour him.

While calling for prosecutionof all those behind theannulment of June 12Presidential election withadequate punishment,Erubami called for restorationof Abiola's philosophy andrekindle the spirit of 'HOPE 93'abolition of poverty.

…Voters Assembly wants morenational monuments named after himFrom Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji,Abeokuta

R-L:PresidentGoodluckJonathan,presentingletter ofcredence toMrs BiancaOdumegwu-Ojukwu,widow oflateOdumegwu-Ojukwu asanambassadorto Spain,yesterdayat the StateHouse,Abuja.Photo: JoeOroye


FG to deploy armed policemento unity schools, othersThe acting Inspector-General

of Police (IGP), MohammedD. Abubakar, yesterday,

ordered all Zonal AssistantInspectors General (AIGs) andCommand Commissioners of Policeto ensure the immediatedeployment of armed policemen to

all Federal Government-ownedinstitutions as well as UnitySchools across the federation.

This is coming at the heels ofthis week's armed attack byunknown gunmen near FederalGovernment College, Kano.

Acting Police spokesman, FrankMba, in a statement, said "The IGPhas ordered the strengthening of

By Lambert Tyem security and further directs allZonal AIGs and command CPs, toensure that security is provided inand around all unity schools andFederal Government institutionswithin their areas of jurisdiction.

“The Nigeria Police Forcewishes to reaffirm its commitmentto the protection of life and propertyof all Nigerians and once again

seeks the support and collaborationof all well meaning Nigerianstowards the realisation of this nobleand constitutional goal,” thestatement said.

The police also warned citizensagainst peddling rumours in themedia, adding that care andcaution be applied in matters ofnational security.

Human rights lawyers, ledby Mr. Femi Falana havecalled on anti-graft

agencies to arrest and prosecuteFarouk Lawan, the chairman ofthe House of Representativescommittee which probed the fuelsubsidy regime, over the alleged$600,000 bribery scandal.

Falana, who made the call on aTV programme monitored inLagos, said corrupt leaders shouldbe isolated and prosecuted.

He said the prosecution ofLawan would not in any way affect

From Ayodele Samuel andOjebola Matthew, Lagos

the credibility of report of hiscommittee on the oil subsidy scam.

Falana said since there arereports that there are ampleevidence that Lawan allegedlycollected the bribe, securityagencies should fast track theinvestigation in order to get to theroot of the scandal.

According to him, “We arerunning a system premised onprimitive accumulation ofwealth,” which he said is fuellingcorruption, adding that “for theruling class, it is business asusual.”

Also, a foremost Niger Deltaactivist, Ankio Briggs, who backed

Falana, said that the developmentwas a sad thing and called for athorough investigation into thematter.

She queried: “Could it be thePeople’s Democratic Party (PDP)’sway to put a question mark on theFarouk Lawan-led committee’ssubsidy probe report? We need tobe careful while investigating thisallegation.

“We do not have credible andresponsible government in Nigeriaanymore. The people must rise upand make their leadersaccountable for their actions”.

Most lawyers spoken to on theissue said with the development,

the report of the committee canno longer enjoy any iota ofcredibility.

Mr. Ebun Adegboruwa, ahuman rights lawyer, saidcorruption is a cankerworm thathas eaten deep into the fabric of thecountry.

He said no effort should bespared in getting to the root of thematter since there is a videorecording of the transaction.

He demanded that the video beshown on national television sothat all Nigerians can see, addingthat once the evidence is proved,the report cannot enjoy anycredibility.

Bribery saga: Falana, others call for Lawan’s arrest

Unknown gunmen haveinvaded ChakarumVillage in Vwang District

of Jos-South local governmentarea of Plateau state and killed twomiddle-aged persons in a nightattack.

A witness told ourcorrespondent that the attackersinvaded the village in the eveningof Monday, at exactly 7:30pm.

The attack left one Dung

Mwantiyi and Nyago Pam, whowas ambushed by the invaders ontheir way from the usual weeklymarket, dead.

According to the witness one ofthe villagers was shot diedinstantly while the other gave upthe ghost at Vom ChristianHospital in Jos-South localgovernment area.

Confirming the incident tonewsmen, the managementcommittee chairman of Jos-Southlocal government, Mr. Peter

From Nankpah Bwakan, Jos Vwang Dung said the incident iscondemnable, regretting that thenight raid of communities in thearea has continued to set backefforts towards restoring lastingpeace in the state.

He said: “The peace building inJos-South local government area,one of the council areas that a stateof emergency was declared hascontinued to suffer a set backfollowing the killing of two middleaged men in Chakarum village inVwang District of Jos-South.

“The incident is quite disturbing;despite the peace building measuresbeing put in place by theadministration some people are hellbent on thwarting the good intentionof the people, I want to appeal forcalm in the community. Be lawabiding; you should also be securityconscious at all times and report anysuspicious movement to thesecurity agencies,” he said.

Dung assured the people of hisadministration’s commitmenttowards ensuring peaceful co-existence in the area adding thatno meaningful development cantake place in an unstable politicalenvironment.

Gunmen kill 2 in Jos night attackThe management of theNigerian NationalPetroleum Corporation

(NNPC), has called on members ofthe public to beware of persons whoare impersonating its GroupManaging Director (GMD), Engr.Austen Oniwon on the internetusing various social mediaplatforms.

A statement issued yesterdayby Mr. Fidel Pepple, Acting GroupGeneral Manager, Public AffairsDivision of the NNPC, stated that“the activities of these criminallyminded persons entail the issuanceof fake letters on the internet withthe aim of defrauding innocentmembers of the public includinginvestors within and outsideNigeria”.

It stressed that “thesecriminals were taking advantageof the growing popularity andutilisation of the internet especiallythe social media platforms toperpetrate their fraudulentactivities.”

Mr. Pepple noted that thedamage done by the activities ofthese fraudsters on the hard-earned reputation of the GMD wasincalculable.

He explained that the GMD doesnot have any account in any of thesocial media networks (Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn, etc,) and urgedthe public to disregard any requestallegedly coming from him.

NNPC raisesalarm overimpersonationof its GMDBy Muhammad Nasir

Members of Nigeria Union of Pensioners protesting at the office of the Head of Service of the Federation over non-payment of theirpension, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Thousands of retirees whosepension money has not beingpaid by the federal

government yesterday stormedthe office of the Head of Service ofthe Federation, at the FederalSecretariat in Abuja, demandingfor the immediate payments oftheir benefits.

The protesters arrived theHoSF office carrying placardswhich read: ‘refusal to pay pensionis a systematic extermination ofthe elderly, FG stop it’, ‘Head ofService please save the soul of theelderly’, ‘Previous and PresentPension Administrators andManagers are worst than ArmedRobbers’, ‘pay us our 53% withoutdelay’.

It would be recalled that theofficial anti-corruption agency,Economic and Financial CrimesCommission, EFCC, recentlyarrested and charged to court,some Federal Government topshots, including a permanentsecretary and other directors forallegedly diverting severalbillions of naira meant for thepayment of pensioners.

Many pensionsers in thecountry had been subjected tobelitling conditions and others lostthier lives in the course ofcontinued demand for thepayments of the monthly pension.

Pensionersbesiege Head ofService’s officeBy Lawal Sadiq Sanusi


L-R: NYSC Coordinator in FCT, Mr. Frank Ekpunobi, with NDE Coordinator, Mr. Mohammed Shuaibu,during a visit by the NYSC coordinator to NDE office, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

The Minister of Interior, Mr.Abba Moro yesterday saidthe Federal Government

would set up special committeethat would take stock of aliens inthe country with a view tomonitor their activities in orderto address insecurity.

Moro made this knownyesterday when he led officers ofthe Nigerian ImmigrationServices, Nigeria Prison Serviceand the Nigeria Security andCivil Defence Corps (NSCDC) ona courtesy visit to Gov. PatrickYakowa in Kaduna state.

The Minister attributed theincessant criminal activities inthe country, especially inKaduna to foreigners.

"This would monitor theactivities of all the aliens andeven Nigerians, who have takenup arms against Nigeria and puta stop to the mindless killings ofinnocent citizens,'' he said.

On his part, Gov. Yakowa saidthe state government wouldcontinue to support all thesecurity agents in tacklingsecurity threats in the state.

Gunmen kill 8 in separate Kano attacks

Unknown gunmen onMonday eveningattacked a mini shopping

plaza in Naibawa area of Kanometropolis and shot dead two youngmen.

Kano state police CommandPublic Relations Officer (PPRO),Rilwan Mohammed Dutse whoconfirmed the incident, said thegunmen arrived the area on amotorcycle and opened fire on six ofthe young men that were in theplaza to buy items killing two on thespot and injuring four others in the

process.He said the police were alerted

on time and they respondedpromptly but before they could getthere the gunmen had fled the area.

Dutse added that the remainingfour were rushed to the hospital andthey are currently receivingtreatment, promising that the policewill get to the root of the matterbecause investigations havecommenced.

Our correspondent gatheredthat the victims were students ofFederal Government College,Kano.

There were speculations thatthe Federal Government College,

Kano was attacked, but both thepolice and the management of theschool have denied the story.

In a similar vein, gunmen shotdead six persons at Rimin Kebe inTudun Murtala, Ungogo localgovernment area of Kano, the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

An eye witness told NAN inKano yesterday that the incident,which happened at about 10:00p.m on Monday, left many othersseriously injured.

The eye witness said thesuspected gunmen stormed the areain a Honda Civic car.

The witness said the victimswere sitting in front of a house when

the gunmen opened fire on them andzoomed off.

Contacted, the Police PublicRelations Officer, DSP Rilwanu Dutse,confirmed the incident. He however,said that only three persons werekilled during the incident.

Rilwanu said that investigationhad since commenced while securityhad been beefed up in the area.

Meanwhile, the state policecommand had also denied a report ofan attack on GovernmentSecondary School Yar'tofa inWarawa local government areaof the state. "There was no suchincident of attack on the school",the PPRO said. (NAN)

Security: FGto take stockof aliens inNigeria

From Edwin Olofu, Kano withagency report

Shema did not sack 5,000LG workers - CommitteeFrom Lawal Sa'idu Funtua, Katsina

A committee set up byKatsina stategovernment to verify the

actual staff strength of all the34 local governments of thestate has dismissed rumoursthat the state governor, AlhajiIbrahim Shehu Shema haddirected the sacking of 5, 000workers.

The committee stated thiswhile addressing a joint pressconference, yesterday withother government officials andthe labour union.

The chairman of the

committee, a permanentsecretary in the state civilservice, Alhaji Usman Musa,noted that the committee set upto verify the genuine workersin the local governmentpayroll only made someobservations.

The chairman, representedby a member of the committee,permanent secretary,Ministry of Lands, Alhaji SalisuKado, noted that some of thefindings made by thecommittee include, theproblem of over aged staff, whoover stayed in the service.

He added that the

Nigeria graces Africa Cultural Festival in Venezuela

Nigeria is set to feature atthis year's AfricanCultural Festival holding

in Caracas, Venezuela, courtesyof efforts by the NigerianTourism DevelopmentCorporation, NTDC.

This was unveiled during avisit to the tourism village bythe Venezuelan Ambassador toNigeria as represented by his

ABy Miriam Humbe Consular offficer, Mr. AntonioGarcia.

The envoy said the annualfestival which commenced in2005, is held to showcase Africa'srich cultural heritage and thisyear's edition will featurecountries like South Africa,Guinea, The Gambia, Senegal,and Nigeria among others.

The event is also expected tohold in Caracas, with theparticipation of a dozen African

artistic and cultural groups likethe Benin national balletcompany and Gnaoua musiciansfrom Morocco, as well as a numberof Venezuelan groups and artists,an economic seminar, culturaldisplays by troupes from Nigeriaamongst others.

Mr. Garcia suggested thatNigeria should attend with a 16-man delegation promising thatthe Venezuelan government willsponsor ten while the NTDC will

sponsor the remaining six.On his part, the Director-

General of NTDC, OtunbaOlusegun Runsewe agreed intotality with the envoy'sinitiative saying it willstrengthen ties between Africancountries and the SouthAmerican country.

He expressed his delight inparticipating at the fiesta saying,"We will seize the opportunity toshowcase our tourism strength."

committee also uncoveredthose incapacitated still in theservice while thousands of localgovernment workers werefound to be absorbed into thesystem through irregularappointment and others did notturn up for the screeningexercise.

According to him, "as for the3,591 we found that they wereemployed in an improper way.We recommended that thegovernment should find waysof regularising theirappointments. A committee tothat effect has been set-up bythe governor".

Governor Patrick IbrahimYakowa of Kaduna statehas reported increases in

cases of polio disease in twolocal government areas ofKubau and Ikara local in thestate.

He was speaking whilehosting the leadership of theFederation of Muslim WomenAssociation of Nigeria(FOMWAN), Kaduna branch,yesterday. He disclosed thatthe number now makes it fourlocal government councilswhere cases of polio prevail,adding that the other two areBirnin Gwari and Igabi.

Describing the situation asdisturbing, Governor Yakowarevealed that causes of theincrease according to reportsgiven to him, were the Fulanimigration and erring motherswho refuse their children to beadministered the poliovaccine. He urged theFOMWAN to assist thegovernment in sensitisingwomen across the state duringthe cause of their activities.

Earlier in her speech theAmirrah of FOMWAN Kadunachapter, Saudah NuhuMaiwada stated that herorganisation found it necessaryto participate in advocacy forthe acceptance of polio vaccineand also assist during itsadministration with the hopeof achieving total eradicationof the disease from Kadunastate.

Polio casesrise inKaduna -YakowaFrom Mohammed Adamu,Kaduna

From Mohammed Adamu,Kaduna

The Northern StatesGovernors Forum(NSGF), has complimented

former Head of State, GeneralAbdulsalami Abubakar who is 70years old today (Wednesday),describing the former Nigerianleader as the father of the nation'sdemocracy.

Chairman of the forum andGovernor of Niger state, Dr.Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu said at70, General Abubakar hasremained a reference point ongood governance, diplomacy,and conflict resolution, notonly in Nigeria but the worldover.

In a statement signed by hisChief Press Secretary, DanladiNdayebo, Governor Aliyu saidthe forum is proud of GeneralAbubakar's landmarkachievements and remarkableleadership qualities which hehas exhibited in acceleratingthe growth and development ofNigeria and the Africancontinent as a whole.

The forum made reference toAbubakar's dogged commitment toethical rebirth as symbolised bythe handing over of power todemocratically elected civiliangovernment in 1999, whichopened a new vista of hope for adynamic Nigeria.

NortherngovernorscongratulateAbdulsalamiat 70From Iliya Garba, Minna


Minimum wage: Katsina LGs cash strapped

The Katsina stateCommissioner ofLocal Government

and Chieftaincy Affairs,Alhaji Sani HamisuMakana, has disclosedthat with theimplementation of the

new minimum wage forlocal government staff,the councils are left withlittle for developmentprojects.

Speaking at a pressconference, yesterday inKatsina, Makana notedthat if the 5,000 droppedworkers were to beincluded in the local

Subsidy bribery: Don’t divert from report implementation, NLC warns FG

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua,Katsina

council’s payroll most ofthem would not havepaid their salaries.

”With this situationafter the payment of thesalaries, some councilswere left with onlyN2million in theircoffers for capitalprojects. And you knowthese workers are only a

small fraction of people atthe local level”, headded.

Similarly, thecommissioner dismisseda rumour making therounds that some of theaffected workers who hadlinks in the ministry hadtheir appointmentsbackdated to escape the

sack.He said: “I will like to

assure you that thisrumour being peddled isthe work of mischiefmakers. I want to assureyou that even thoseaffected in my localgovernment, I don’tknow any of them.Nobody even approached

me over the issue”.Makana averred that

the issue of the affectedstaff was clear asaccording to him theirappointment wasirregular, while otherswere either over aged,had overstayed or wereincapacitated tocontinue in the service.

‘Relocated Tafawa Balewa LG still operating temporarily’

The newly relocatedheadquarters ofTafawa Balewa

local government area inBauchi state has beenoperating on atemporary site several

months since itsrelocation to Bununudistrict.

The CaretakerCommittee Chairman ofthe local government,Alhaji Idris IbrahimHalilu, made thedisclosure whileanswering questions

From Ahmed Kaigama,Bauchi

from newsmen in Bauchi.According to him,

when we were relocatedwe moved some of thecouncil properties toBununu, but we left manyin Tafawa Balewa basedon security advise, thesecurity operativesadvised us to stop moving

the council properties fornow in order to achievesustainable peace, and aslaw abiding citizens, weobeyed their advice. Inthe interim we haveopened temporary files torun official activities andeverything is going onsmoothly without

hitches”.The chairman said the

challenges faced by thenew council headquartersis the ability of few staffersto go to work in Bununuespecially the SayawaCommunity for securityreasons. “I don’t knowwhat they mean; they are

not the only Christianseven Christians fromTapshin and other parts ofthe local government goto work in Bununu withoutany problem and over 90percent of our workers nowgo to work unlike beforewhen majority can’t go towork in Tafawa Balewa”.

The Nigeria LabourCongress (NLC), hassaid that the

ongoing accusations andcounter accusationsbetween the chairman ofthe Adhoc Committee ofthe House ofRepresentatives on fuelsubsidy regime, Farouk

Lawan, and thechairman of ZenonPetroleum, Femi Otedolaover allegations ofbribery involving thesum of $600,000, shouldnot be used to divertattention on theimplementation of thereport of the committee.

NLC in a statementissued by its ActingPresident, Kiri

By Nasir Muhammad,Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

Mohammed, saidNigerians should not beoverburdened with anissue that should strictlybe the burden ofappropriate securityagencies, particularlythe Economic andFinancial CrimesCommission (EFCC).

The statement read inpart: “Whether or not thechairman or the entire

members of the adhoccommittee solicited forand receivedgratifications tocompromise the outcomeof the committee’sinvestigations thoughquite disturbing, the finalreport of the committeestill contains names anddetails enough forthorough and

t r a n s p a r e n tinvestigation. Thereport, which has beensubmitted to theexecutive arm, must besubjected to properinvestigation andprosecution of all thoseindicted.

“We saw in the reporta confirmation of ourposition. We have, since

the mid 80s, insisted thatsubsidy does not exist inthe petroleum sector,rather it has always beena conduit for a few croniesof successivegovernments withinterest in the petroleumsector to siphon publicfunds for their privatebusinesses…”

Russia to develop thermovisionsatellite in Taraba

Russia, in her zeal tobuild traditionaland responsive

relationship with Nigeria,is building a thermovision,an instrument for theinterpretation of satelliteimages located on theearth’s surface.

Russia’s Ambassador toNigeria, Alexander D.Polyyakov, mentioned thison Monday, at a pressbriefing on the eve of thestate reception markingRussia’s 22nd NationalDay.

According to him, thepilot project located inTaraba uses Russiansophisticated technologyin addition to Russianspecialists who are capableof locating a number of

promising mineraldeposits particularlyhydrocarbons and solidminerals. “It is importantto note that, neighbouringstates like Adamawa,Bauchi and Gombe havealso shown their interest inthis project,” he said.

He said an agreementsigned between the twocountries on theconstruction of NuclearPower Plant (s) on the4th of June in Moscow, isstill standing as long as itcomplies with thecondition of peace. He said,“Russia recognises theright of every country todevelop its own nuclearpower capacity, with thecondition of peacefulnature of correspondingprogrammes, theiraccountability and strict

By A’isha Biola Raji adherence to the IAEAsafety standards.”

He said Russia will notrelent in providing statescholarships for theNigerian students to studyin Russia. “This academicyear, Nigeria wasallocated 70 Russianscholarships, which ismore than any othercountry currentlyallocates for Nigeria,” hementioned.

He stressed that, thefederation is about to signa number of agreementswith the help of the‘Russkiy Mir Foundation’to grant equipment as wellas continuously updatesets of teaching materialsof the Russian language tothe Universities of Lagos,Ibadan, and University ofNigeria Nsukka.

Rufa’i solicits aid for personneldevelopment

The Minister forEducation, Prof.Ruqayyatu Rufa’i,

has urged donor agenciesto collaborate with theministry in the provisionof continuous capacitydevelopment forpersonnel in the educationsector, for the attainmentof the education goals of

the country.Speaking at the

presentation of theministry’s four-yearstrategic plan foreducation toI n t e r n a t i o n a lDevelopment Partners inAbuja, Rufa’i also statedthat the units of theministry, and the steeringand coordinating team forthe implementation of the

strategic plan willconstantly liaise with thedonor agencies to ensurethat actions taken aretargeted with specificpriorities.

Moreover, shehighlighted the need toassist states in thedevelopment of theirsector plans, adding thatthe states need to linktheir plans with dataavailable in the nationalaction plan for education.

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi


3

4

4L-R: Chairman, Kebbi Salariesand Pension ReconciliationCommittee, Senator FaroukBello Bunza, presenting thecommittee’s report to the stategovernor, Alhaji SaiduDakingari, yesterday in BirninKebbi. Photo: NAN

L-R: Bauchi state commissioner for Hisbah and Enforcement, Malam Jibrin Hassan, Chairman, Bauchistate Shariah Commission, Malam Mustapha Ilelah, and Commissioner for Information, Alhaji MohammedDhamina, during a news conference on the activities of the commission, yesterday in Bauchi. Photo: NAN

2R-L: Yobe state Governor,Malam Ibrahim Gaidam, in achat with Emir of Tikau, AlhajiMuhammadu IbnGrema, during the governor’svisit yesterday to Nangeretown to attend the burial ofHouse of Assembly member,Hon. Adamu Abubakar Degubiwho was killed by gunmen.

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L-R: Minister of State forFederal Capital Territory, ChiefOlajumoke Akinjide, felicitatingwith Nigeria’s Ambassador toJordan and former DeputyGovernor of Oyo state, AlhajiTaofeek Arapaja, after thepresentation of letters ofcredence to the newlyaccredited ambassadors byPresident Goodluck Jonathan,yesterday at the State House,in Abuja.

Rivers state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tamunoiyoriari S. Parker (middle), vaccinates first Nigerian child, Christabel Emmanuel withpentavalent vaccine, during the national official launching and incorporation of the vaccine, on Monday at Eneka Primary Health CareCentre. With him is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr.Ado Muhammad (left).

1 2


L-R: Chairman Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman, Zenon Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola, Anambra state governor, Mr. Peter Obi,Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, and Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, during the Economic ManagementTeam meeting, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

The North-east chapter ofthe Christian Associationof Nigeria (CAN), has

declared that PresidentGoodluck Jonathan and the CPCpresidential candidate, Gen.Muhammadu Buhari havedisappointed the electorate inthe region.

North-east chairman of CAN,Reverend Shu’aibu Mbyal, statedthis while briefing newsmen inBauchi.

He said: “The two Nigerian

leaders betrayed the people ofNorth-east because they came tothe North-east and asked forpeople’s votes, and people cameout to vote for them massively.But here was post-electionviolence many lives were lost,and we are still battling with somany hoodlums and insurgenciesand many problems of insecuritywhere unknown people attackplaces of worship killing innocentsouls but none of them visited anystate in the North-east to condolethe people”.

The cleric warned Christians

against the reprisal attacks butadvised Bauchi state CAN to doall it could and follow to thelogical conclusion the allegationsof extra-judicial killing bysoldiers during the recentsuicide attack in a church inYelwa, in order to bring theperpetrators of the act to justice.

According to him, enemiesof peace are trying to bringChristians and Muslims againsteach other by attacking placesof worship and advisedworshippers to pray for peaceand stability.

North-east CAN saysJonathan, Buharidisappointed electorateFrom Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

The Chief Justice of Nigeria(CJN), Justice DahiruMusdapher, on Monday,

warned the newly appointedjudges and khadis against theconversion of ex-parte injunctioninto a bulldozer for thedemolition of substantial justicein the country.

Addressing the openingceremony of this year’sinduction course for newlyappointed judges and khadis inAbuja, the CJN, who is also thechairman, Board of Governors ofthe National Judicial Institute(NJI) held that ex-parteinjunction was designed with

good and laudable intentions, asa vehicle for the carriage ofinstant justice in proper cases.

While urging the newlyappointed jurists to eschew anyact capable of bringing thejudiciary into disrepute byadhering to the ethics,comportment and integrity ofthe Bench, Musdaphercommended the administratorof the NJI, Justice Umaru Eri,for the provision of continuingjudicial education to judicialofficers and their support staff.

In a key note addressdelivered at the occasion, aretired justice of the SupremeCourt, Justice GeorgeOgunatade, described interim

injunctions as the greatest banein the administration of justicein the country.

Oguntade told the newlyappointed Judges and Kadis to bevery careful in granting aninterim injunction, saying that:“Interim injunction is a usefultool in the hand of justiceadministrators, yet it should notbe granted to please politicians”.

The NJI administrator,Justice Eri, in his remarks saidin view of the impact of ICT inthe administration anddispensation of justice, it has nowbeen made compulsory for allJudicial Officers to be computerliterate in order to enhance quickadministration of justice.

CJN warns against abuse of injunctionsBy Sunday Ejike Benjamin

Kaduna State AgriculturalDevelopment Project(KADP), under the National

Programme for Food Security(NPFS), has donated 18 maizethreshers to nine communities inthe state to enhance food security. The KADP Gubuchi sitemanager, Malam AhmedAbubakar said in a statement inZaria that the threshers wereaimed at encouraging small scalefarmers to boost their farmingactivities across the state.According to him, “eachparticipating community wouldbenefit with two units of themachine”

Malam Abubakar tasked thebeneficiaries to justify the gestureby making judicious use of themachines, adding that by so doingdrudgery and labour cost would bereduced.

Responding on behalf of thebeneficiaries, Malam Yakubu Bellocommended the state governmentfor the gesture and assured ofmaximum utilisation of themachines accordingly.

The beneficiaries are ApexGroups at Gubuchi, Likoro,Turuwa, Ungwar Kanawa,

Buruku, Iri, Jagindi, KarshinDaji and Fadan Atakar.

Food security:KADP donates18 maizethreshers to 9communities

At least 300,000 farmersfrom Bauchi state are tobenefit from e-wallet

fertiliser distribution systemintroduced by the FederalGovernment.

The Commissioner ofAgriculture, Alhaji TasiuMuhammad while briefing

newsmen on the activities of hisministry yesterday, said so far300,000 farmers have alreadyregistered for the e-walletfertiliser distribution thisfarming season.

He said Bauchi state isamong the first states in thefederation to embrace the policyfor the distribution of fertiliserto the farmers directly, saying

that arrangement have beenconcluded to roll-out the sales offertiliser in all the remaininglocal government areas after theformal launching at Gwaramvillage in Alkaleri localgovernment by the stategovernor.

The commissioner statedthat pest control chemicalsworth N22million was also

.3 million farmers to benefit from e-wallet fertiliser distribution in Bauchi

The Coordinating Ministerfor the Economy andMinister of Finance, Dr.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala yesterday, launchedcommunity services, womenand youth employment pilotproject of the Subsidy RemovalReinvestment andEmployment Programme(SURE-P) in Yola, theAdamawa state capital.

Launching the programme,she said the FederalGovernment is set to create wellover 370,000 jobs to tackleyouth/women unemploymentin the country, adding that theFederal Governmentrecognises the place of youth innational development, withtheir roles which according toher is significant in therealisation of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’sTransformation Agenda andthe nation’s Vision 20:2020.

Against this backdrop, Dr.Okonjo-Iweala hinted thatgovernment has placedsignificant emphasis onestablishing mechanismstowards finding lasting andsustainable solution to youthunemployment in the country.

Adamawabenefits fromsubsidyreinvestmentprogrammeFrom Blessing Tunoh, Yola

From Moh’d Adamu, Kaduna

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi procured for the control ofoutbreak of pests such asgrasshoppers, army worms etc.

He added that over 1000cotton farmers are expected tocultivate over 1000 hectaresduring this years’ farmingseason, saying that already 52agricultural workers weretrained at Sabere farms in Yolafor cotton production.

RMRDC seekscollaboration withmanufacturers onraw materialssourcing

The Raw Materials Researchand Development Council(RMDDC), said it would

sign a memorandum ofunderstanding with twomanufacturers on sourcing rawmaterials locally.

Prof. Peter Onwualu, theDirector-General of the council,told the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja that thememorandum would also enablethe two manufacturers toproduce quality products.

He identified themanufacturers as a spiceproducer with the brand name"Tiger" and producer of body careproduct called "Kate's BeautyCare Products".

He said that the companyproduced all kinds of spices fromginger, pepper and curry,among others, adding that thecompany was already sourcingginger, one of its raw materials,from Nigeria.

He said that the Kate BeautyCare Products was producingsoap, fragrant and cream,among others, stressing thatsome of the company's rawmaterials were being imported.

Onwualu stressed that thecompanies needed to beencouraged in terms of localsourcing of raw materials.(NAN)


Don't rush to bomb attackscenes, newsmen toldThe chairman of the Plateau

State Council of the NigeriaUnion of Journalists (NUJ),

Mr. Katdaba Gobum, hascautioned newsmen againstrushing to bomb attack scenes.

Gobum who gave the warningin Jos yesterday when he hostedthe state's Commissioner forInformation, Mr. Abraham Yiljap,who is on a tour of media houses inPlateau, said that such rush to thescenes had proved fatal on manyoccasions.

He recalled that some

journalists narrowly escaped beinglynched by angry youths,protesting the suicide bomb attackon Christ's Chosen Church of Godon June 10, calling for caution inthe effort of newsmen to gathernews.

“The journalists were attackedin the NTA vehicle and and onlyescaped miraculously. We mustnot allow that to happen again,''he told his colleagues.

Gobum reminded hiscolleagues that their lives weremore important than the reports,

pointing out that journalists mustfirst be alive to be able to reportevents.

He also expressed shock thatreporters of New Nigerian andDaily Trust newspapers alsonarrowly escaped death as theyattempted to snap the bombedchurch.

The NUJ chairman, whodescribed the attack on journalistsby mobs as “unfortunate andcallous'', reminded newsmen of therisks involved in journalismpractice, calling for wisdom in

carrying out assignments.Gobum called on government

and security operatives to alwayscome to the protection of journalistsat scenes of such violence, sayingthat journalists should be givenspecial protection in the course oftheir assignments.

Yiljap, in his reaction,expressed sympathy withjournalists over their plight andthe hazards of their profession,pledging government's assistanceto them in the execution of theirmandate. (NAN)

The TY Danjuma Foundation(TYDF), has expressed itssatisfaction over the

performance of one of its grantees,an NGO called FAHIMTA, forresponsively carrying out itsmandate of developmental projectswith meager resources in twocommunities in Bauchi state.

Selected the best grantee for theyear 2010, FAHIMTA is one of the16 grantees that won the

foundation’s multi-million nairagrants to undertake an assortmentof community developmentprojects such as infrastructuralassistance, youth empowermentand women literacy andentrepreneurial skillsdevelopment.

Presenting a cheque ofN3million to the Chief ExecutiveOfficer of FAHIMTA, MaryamGarba, the Foundation’schairman, Board of Trustees, Gen.TY Danjuma said “our grantees are

By Mohammed Kandi the engine room driving the workwe do at the foundation.”

He further stated: “In 2010 theFoundation funded FAHIMTA toconstruct a block of two classroomseach and gender based toiletfacilities in two communities ofFulataran and Kasuwa Dole inDarazo and Gomawa localgovernment areas in Bauchistate”.

The chairman added that theNGO completed the project inrecord time and in line with the

Foundation rewards NGO with N3m over community projectfoundation’s objectives, engendersgovernment’s participation bydeploying a batch of seven teachersto the schools following thecommissioning of the buildings.

According to him, thefoundation is not a substitute togovernment but an organisationthat is ready to assist thegovernment in supporting especiallythose living at the grassroots.

Receiving the incentive,however, the CEO of FAHIMTA,Maryam Garba, who expressed her

appreciation to the foundation,described it as transparent, focusedand enthusiastic towardsphilanthropic service tohumanity.

Announcing that theFoundation had also providedadditional grants for theconstruction of staff quarters for theschools to facilitate the process oflearning by teachers and thepupils, Garba assured of the NGO’sreadiness to utilise the fundseffectively.

Bauchi youthprotestsuspension offemale lawmaker

Hundreds of youths inBogoro local governmentarea have staged a

peaceful protest over thesuspension of the only femalelawmaker in the Bauchi stateHouse of Assembly, RifkatuSamson Dannah, representingBogoro constituency overrelocation of Tafawa-Balewacouncil and district headquarters.

The youths yesterday, appealedto the Speaker, Bauchi House ofAssembly, Hon. Yahya Miya towithout any further delay rescindthe punitive decision and reinstatethe suspended lawmaker.

Leader of the youth, Mr. GowonMadaki said the action of the Houseis a threat to the survival of thenascent democracy and a threatto unity and nation building aswell as the need to carry womenalong.

Gowon warns that democracydemands equal representation andwondered why the House hasdecided to operate where there isabsence of freedom of expressionand against the rule of law.

According to the youth leader,there will be no meaningfuldevelopment where theconstituency is not wellrepresented in the House.

The Police Public RelationsOfficer Bauchi state command,DSP Abdullahi Abubakar Idris,while responding on thedevelopment, said the commandhas not received any report overthe protest of youth in Bogoro butpromised feedback when thecommand gets the report.

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

Abdulsalami is a soldier for democracy – AtikuFormer Vice-President Atiku

Abubakar has describedformer Head of State,

General Abdulsalami Abubakaras a soldier for democracy inNigeria.

General Abdulsalami, whotook over from late General SaniAbacha handed over the reins ofgovernment to former PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo on May 29,1999 after successful conduct ofdemocratic elections.

Atiku in a statement issued byhis media office in Abuja, saidalthough General Abubakarexhibited great valour in theNigeria Army, his greatest feat asa soldier is the building of a solidfoundation for democracy toflourish in Nigeria.

The former Vice Presidentwhile eulogizing the former Headof State on the occasion of his 70thbirthday anniversary, notedthat it is not by sheer coincidence

that the Fourth Republic haswitnessed the longest stretch ofdemocratic governance inNigeria.

He attributed this to the honestand firm commitment to makedemocracy thrive in Nigeria bythe then outgoing militarygovernment headed by GeneralAbubakar.

“It is not therefore by sheercoincidence that the seed ofdemocracy, which he planted 13

years ago, has continued to flourishand remains enduring.”

He paid glowing tribute toGeneral Abubakar for his enviableloyalty and steadfastness in theservice of the country.

According to Atiku, “GeneralAbdulsalami is not just a Generalof the Nigeria Army; he is aGeneral for democracy in Nigeria.His greatest feat is how hesuccessfully planted the seed ofdemocracy in Nigeria”.

The NYSC Foundation haswarned beneficiaries of itssoft loan scheme to pay up

or risk having their names madepublic just as it has concluded plansto re-start the loan scheme withan enhanced fund.

Executive secretary of thefoundation, Mr. AkinsanyaAkinnigbagbe, who made thisknown in a statement madeavailable to our correspondent,disclosed that the foundation isbeing owed over N6million, whileexplaining that given pressurefrom different quarters, thefoundation is set to begin thedisbursement of enhanced loans ofN400,000 to N450,000 each todeserving beneficiaries.

He said the foundation wasfinding it frustrating that most ofthe ex-corps members, whobenefitted from the loan schemeadvanced to them to establishsmall scale businesses, were yet tomake any payments on the loansthey took.

Akinnigbagbe told ourcorrespondent that more thanthree years after making the loanof N250,000 per individualavailable to them, only a handfulhave made some payments on theloan with a tenure of 15 months,describing the situation asdiscouraging and militatingagainst the continuation of thescheme.

The executive secretaryinformed that over 50 ex-corpsmembers were the initialbeneficiaries of the grant,disclosing that due to the failure ofthe recipients to repay, 526 othershave had to wait long to benefitfrom the scheme designed toempower ex-corps members to owntheir own businesses.

NYSCFoundationwarns loanschemedefaultersBy Abubakar Ibrahim

L-R: Director General, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Otunba Segun Runsewe,presenting souvenirs to representative of the Venezuelan Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Antonia Garua,during the latter’s visit on Monday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa


DANA: Enough of theseavoidable air calamities

Penultimate Sunday, Nigeria wasthrown into mourning again by thecrash of a Dana Air Jetliner MD 83.

The aircraft, operating Flight 992 fromAbuja to Lagos, crashed into a crowdedresidential area, Iju, in Lagos, less than 5kilometres to the airport. All the passengersand crew on the flight, numbering 153, plusscores of others on the ground at the crashsite, perished.

It was a tragedy of monumentalproportions. And we in the Peoples Dailyjoin millions of others across the countryand the globe to condole and commiseratewith the families, friends and loved ones ofthe victims, and pray to God to grant themthe fortitude to bear the loss.

The fatal crash occurred at a time thatthe Federal Government is pumpingbillions to improve the physical conditionsof the nation's many airports. But it is thetragedy of our nation that while theairports are getting all the priorityattention, very little, if any attention is paidto the activities and operating proceduresof the airlines and of the actual physicalconditions of the aircraft in their fleets.Revelations and new facts that have beencoming into the public domain since theDana Air crash are clear proof of negligenceand, in some cases, outright abdication ofresponsibilities by the institutions andauthorities responsible for supervision andensuring safety, technical quality and highstandards of conduct among airlineoperators in the country.

It is clear to us, from what has beencoming out from reliable sources evenwithin Dana Air itself, that all was not wellwith the aircraft before it crashed. Its age,22 years, apart, there is talk that the aircrafthad some technical problems even at thepoint of its purchase in 2008 by Dana Air.But even more importantly, an unnamedengineer with the airline itself has disclosedto the media that even on the day of thefatal crash, the aircraft, which flew intoAbuja from Calabar, had developed a

“It is our hope that the panelwill do a very thorough job andthat the government on its part

will, for once, address theissues that will be raised in thereport and faithfully implement

its recommendations. Thiscountry has had more than itsown fair share of avoidable airdisasters. A way must be found

to put a stop to it

technical fault which took engineers hoursto fix.

An investigation has now been orderedinto the circumstances surrounding thecrash, and a high-powered panel has alreadybeen named to do it. This is quite in order.But as we await the report of theinvestigation, what seems obvious to us isthat Dana Air failed to exercise the care anddiligence required of it as an airline to whichpassengers had entrusted their safety andlives. How on earth could Dana Air owners ormanagers have failed to know that their 22

year old aircraft, with a long and knownhistory of technical problems, was notairworthy? More precisely, how could theyhave failed to see that flying that aircraft thatday, in spite of their awareness that it wasfaulty and advice by even the airline'stechnical staff against using the aircraft thatday, was gambling with the lives ofpassengers? Was it the profit motive at workagain that day?

But no less worrying is the failure of theCivil Aviation Authority and othersupervisory bodies in the aviation sector to

do their job. One common denominatorthat runs through all the many air tragedieswe have had in this country is thenegligence and failure by the authorities toeffectively supervise the operations of theairlines. At the bottom of this failure iscorruption. This ties the hands of theauthorities, making it impossible for themto effectively play their supervisory role inthe sector.

It is very disturbing seeing the averageage of the aircraft in the fleets of the airlinesoperating in the country today. This rangesfrom 20 to 30 years and above. Some of theairlines have and fly aircraft that are over40 years of age. The airline operators say weshould not worry, that the age of an aircraftis not what determines how safe it is. We donot share this view. Even in countrieswhere the level of corruption is not high,the age of an aircraft would still be animportant factor in determining how safe itis. For, the older the aircraft the higher thedemand for regular maintenance andservice which many airlines may not feelinclined to do, seeing it as a drain on theirincome and profit.

Here in Nigeria, with highly corruptofficials abdicating their supervisoryresponsibilities and allowing the airlineowners a free hand to do as they like and toput profit above safety, old aircraft is simplya disaster waiting to happen.

The issue of the age of an aircraft is oneof the many that the investigation panelwill have to address. But, above all, thepanel must seriously look into the issue ofmaintenance and service regime of theaircraft in the airlines' fleets. This is aconstant source of problems.

It is our hope that the panel will do avery thorough job and that the governmenton its part will, for once, address the issuesthat will be raised in the report andfaithfully implement its recommendations.This country has had more than its own fairshare of avoidable air disasters. A way mustbe found to put a stop to it

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012 PAGE 13

President Goodluck EbeleJonathan is seen byNigerians in different

ways. But I wish to dedicate thiswrite up to what the commonNigerians say about him, becausethere can hardly be a highlyplaced Nigerian who has asincere assessment of thePresident. Those who are close tohim give him 99 or a 100 percentperformance which is A+ in anyexamination. Those who are farfrom his government score himotherwise due to their feelingsthat they are not part of theruling class, or that theirexpectations from thegovernment are not met.

So after following events fromone year ago, I have come acrosshundreds of Nigerians who havediverse and similar opinions onthe government of the day. Thisarticle samples, thereupon, thesincere expressions of dozens ofthe common Nigerians most ofwho are not political in theviewpoints.

Nay, for a common man whomay not have seen the Presidentphysically except probably on thescreens of television or throughthe wave of the radio, anyassessment would be from asincere mind because he feels thegovernment in his house, on thestreets, in the markets, in theschools, in the offices and in theirentire non-political lives. Nothoping to satisfy anybody but theNigerian patriots, most ofNigerians are happy that thegovernment has effectively,though with difficulties andchallenges, preserved thedemocracy, unity andindivisibility of Nigeria. This is

the greatest joy any patriot hasto celebrate.

There are challenges all overthe sectors of the economy. Theeducational system, powergeneration, road constructionand maintenance, healthcaredelivery, transportationdiversification, agriculture, artsand culture, as well asgovernance itself are seekingattention. But four from fivethings that have, even ifgradually, been tackled by theJonathan administration are:

Religion: Owing to the factthat some religious activities inNigeria have been to an extentintertwined with criminalbeliefs, political thuggery andeconomic penchant, it hasbecome difficult to decipherbetween genuineness andquackery in religious bearings. Insuch difficult and complexsituation, the government hasfearlessly remained absolute infostering understanding betweenthe religious yearnings ofNigerians. Some faithlessreligious adherents had thoughtthat the coming on board ofPresident Jonathan wouldpolarize religious affinity in thecountry, to the extent that manyeven thought that he would be aNiger Delta President. Today, itis on record that the Niger Deltapeople seem to be disappointed bythat thought. And this has ledsome of the youths to revert tothe former hostilities theyengaged the previousgovernments in. Theconstitutional provision thatevery Nigerian citizen is entitledto his or her religion has beendoggedly upheld andmaintained.

Corruption: That those in

authority are seen as the causeof every bad thing that happensin the country because of theheavy corruption,mismanagement of the publicmoney and impoverishment ofthe people is not novel in thecritical assessment of Nigeriangovernance and socialresponsibilities. These have beenthe primary causes of all thesocial evils pervading our nation.Poverty strikes harder,corruption eats up our fabrics andmisappropriation of public fundsis quotidian.

dollars per month).However, a theoretical

analysis of the multi-facetedproblems facing the nation tendsto show that the incompetenceand corruption that pervades oursociety today are extensivelyresponsible for the rise in the levelof civil disturbances. But thegovernment of today in its effortsto curb the excesses of thesebusiness people has startedsomewhere. The President hasalso ordered a cut in the squandermania tendencies of publicofficers. Though gradually, it is

Jonathan in the eyes of NigeriansBy Muhammad Ajah this group. But as a respondent

concluded, sponsors of suchinhuman endeavours must berich and cannot be doing so onmoney earned from their humansweat.

The untold truth is that thiskind of civil disturbances hadchallenged past civiliangovernments. Some of the pastleaders employed differentapproaches to quench it. Someeven applied military approach.But this government has keptfaith in the democraticprocedures and employed force tothe barest.

Price control: Reference to myarticle titled, Can the FG controlprices?, I recalled my experiencesin price control in Egypt, and nowSaudi Arabia and England. Thefirst time I visited Saudi Arabiawas in 1993 i.e. about 20 yearsago. I was there just last year andsurprisingly, the things I boughtfor instance for 10 Saudi Riyalshave remained so or have rathercome down in prices. The price ofa litre of fuel was as less as N19and it has remained so for over20 years.

National orientation: InNigeria, due to the somewhatvisionless plans or instability orunderfunding of the NationalOrientation Agency, thisgovernment organ isincapacitated to carry out itsconstitutional functions. I oftenwonder, as many Nigerians dotoo, if this agency is functional atall. This is because many effortsaimed at assisting practically thebest upbringing of the Nigerianchild meet the wall at the agency.

Either due to the bureaucraticbottlenecks in the nation’s civilservice system, or corruption

So Nigeria suffers another aircrash disaster. Anger, grief,questions, claims, finger

pointing and shock haveengulfed the nation. Well beforethe incident, the history andphysical condition of the planeat the time of its purchase werequestionable. A retired Nigeriaairways pilot had predicted twoweeks before the crash(Vanguard, 21 May, 2012) thatsuch a disaster was in the offingon account of the ‘cutting ofcorners’ and sharp practices thatcharacterised many airlines.Capt. Tito Omaghomi hadalleged that current pilots are‘forced’ to report and enter faultson scraps of paper instead of thestatutory log books. Such piecesof paper could then easily bediscarded (without trace) if theobserved anomaly may requireexpensive maintenanceprocedures.

The governor of Akwa Ibom(Gov. Akpabio) also called theManaging Director of Dana Airnot long (weeks, maybe days?)before the crash and warned himabout the air worthiness of theirplanes (Vanguard, 3 June,2012). This warning came afterthe same ill-fated Dana Airplane developed a fault en-routeLagos from Uyo. The plane was

said to have hovered above Lagosskies for hours before it couldfinally land in Lagos airport.Furthermore, staffs of Dana Airhave told Channels TV that theplane was forced to fly that daydespite it being classified as unfitby technicians. All these eventsprior to the disaster of 3 June2012 are precursors of long-overdue radical changes to theNigerian domestic airlineindustry.

Let’s take a look at how Japanwas able to cope with a similardisaster almost 30 years ago.

When in 1985 a Boeing 747owned and operated by JapaneseAirline (JAL) crashed killingabout 500 people, the incidentnot only shocked the Japanese tothe core, it jolted them to striveeven harder for perfection. Theirnational pride was at stake, thereputation of JAL as an efficientand dependable airline not onlysuffered, Japanese citizens alsorefused to fly with JAL. So afterthree different boards resigned(not to mention a suicide or two),the management of JAL came up

with a brilliant air safety plan.The integrated maintenance

of all JAL planes was cancelled.Every aeroplane wassubsequently allocated apermanent maintenance crewwho knew the history of theiraero plane and was compelled tofly on it for every trip it made.This is a practical example of riskmanagement. To further assurethe public, the names of all themembers of maintenance crewfor each plane were made public.No hiding place. Nigerianscannot only learn from this, butwe can take it to the next level. Itherefore propose the followingrisk management measures.

As a preamble, only brandnew planes should be used fordomestic operations. All airlinesthat have planes more than 20years old should have theirlicenses suspended until theymeet the new criteria. Secondly,each commercial airlineoperating within Nigeria shouldbe compelled to have apermanent engineeringmaintenance crew for each

individual aeroplane. This wouldensure continuity (and improvethe quality control) ofmaintenance issues. It will alsocreate jobs, by the way. Thirdly,10% of the seats of eachcommercial aero plane (and notexceeding 10 people for planeswith over 100 passengers) mustbe reserved for the permanentengineering maintenance crewwho MUST be accompanied byat least two representatives fromthe management side of theairline company. In other words,a flight carrying 150 peopleshould (as an example) have 7maintenance crew and 3administrative staffaccompanying the 140passengers.

The rationale for thisapproach is simple: If an aeroplane is well maintained, theengineers and representatives ofmanagement should have noqualms escorting the passengersto their destination. In otherwords, let us share the risk. Andwe should share this risk not justwith the rank and file (i.e.

technical/engineering staff) likethe Japanese do, but also withmanagement staff of eachNigerian airline. Subsequentlywhen the pilots complain of afault or the engineer’s request fornew parts, the management willtake such complaints or requestsmore seriously. Those who thinkthis is far-fetched or extremeshould tell us if the lives ofmaintenance crew ormanagement staff are morevaluable than the lives ofpassengers. Besides, the JapaneseAirline (JAL) has been doing thissince the mid-1980s and neitherthe sky nor their profits havefallen as a result. If we are seriousabout progress and safety, letsadopt this modified version oftheir technique.

May the soul of the departedfind eternal peace...and may theguilty be punished at the end ofthe Dana Air crashinvestigations.Z. Aliyu can be reached [email protected]://lowhangingfruits.blogspot.co.uk/

Japanising Nigeria’s airlines:Let us share the risks!

By Z. Aliyu

Continued on page 15

“A theoretical analysis of the multi-faceted problems facing the nation tends

to show that the incompetence andcorruption that pervades our society

today are extensively responsible for therise in the level of civil disturbances

For all the years before 2011,the oil industry was under siege.The so-called cabal or mafiascontrolled the main stay of thecountry’s economy. Oil, and byextension gas, runs oureconomy. Before 2011, nogovernment had had the courageto look into the eyes of these‘untouchable’ oil barons. Weknow that the prices of oil controlthe prices of local commoditiesand foreign imports. Majority ofthe people are not finding lifeeasy. Yet, some states have notimplemented the minimumwage of N18,000, (about 114 US

a step forward in the fight againstcorruption. And many citizensbelieve the sincerity of this move.

Boko Haram: This is achallenge that has belittled thefederal government’s efforts inrepositioning the country.President Jonathan himselfadmitted sometime ago that thischallenge is also from within thegovernment circles, probablyinterpreted that the Boko Haramhas links with state and federal,the security services, thelegislature and judiciaryapparatuses. Much has been said,and should have been known of


My lessons from life as a Chinese central banker

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

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WRITE TO US

When I became one ofthree academicmembers of the People’s

Bank of China’s Monetary PolicyCommittee in April 2010, I knewI was unprepared, despiteteaching economics for nearly 20years in the US and Hong Kongbefore returninAg to China. Infact, few people could have beenprepared: China has a large andmixed economy and itsinstitutions are still young. Thefinancial crisis made my taskeven harder, since it exposed thedeficiencies in traditionalmacroeconomic theories.

Following my term on thecommittee, I think I have learntthree fundamental lessons, whichmay be useful for those trying tounderstand how monetary policyis made, not least in China.

First, central bankindependence is an unhelpfulsuperstition. In theory,independence is a good defenceagainst pressures from politiciansfacing re-election. The PBoC isunder the control of the statecouncil, and not run under byautonomous bank staff. This maysuggest that Chinese officials aresubject to strong political whims.Perhaps, but Chinese leadersoften stay in office for as long as10 years and are as concernedabout their legacy as long-serving central bankers such as

Alan Greenspan.In reality, China’s close co-

operation with economic agenciesis a stronger defence against localgovernments, equity investorsand property developers – all ofwhom push for easy money policies– than a purei n d e p e n d e n c emodel. The MPCconsists of officialsnot only from thecentral bank, butalso from thefinance ministry,and the banking,securities andi n s u r a n c er e g u l a t o r yagencies.

Knowing this, Iwas neverthelessshocked when theChinese premierrecently said thatonly two factorshad the potential to undermine hisgovernment: corruption andinflation. He does, of course, havesome influence over these factors.

My second lesson: do not beoverconfident in the power of priceinstruments. Textbooks preachthat prices are the mostfundamental signals in a marketeconomy. However, in reality,price signals in the monetarysystem may not work quicklyenough. We should be modest inour expectations for interest andexchange rate policies.

Take the trade balance, whichdoes not respond quickly toexchange rates. It depends uponexisting contracts betweenimporters and exporters, whichcannot quickly respond toexchange rate changes. It might

be a policy objective to reduce thetrade surplus but a fastappreciation of the renminbiagainst the dollar is likely to causespeculation of furtherappreciation, creating bubble-likeexchange rate dynamics.

My third lesson: respectinvestor sentiments but worksteadily and patiently againstthem. These are actually the mostimportant drivers of economicfluctuations.

Unfortunately for centralbankers, I estimate that monetary

policies can influence, at most, 50per cent of investments. In China,this figure was about 70 per centbefore the financial crisis. Acentral banker must respectinvestor sentiments, not becausethey are correct but because they

have anoverwhelmingmomentum,like a huge oiltanker. Howdo you changethe directionof such a hugetanker? Steerearly ands t e a d i l y ,while stayingpatient andnot expectingi n s t a n tresponse.

Since thef i n a n c i a lcrisis, China’s

central bank has been carefullysteering against investorsentiments. Between August2008 and June 2009, Chineseinvestors were largelypessimistic. Monetary policieswere then aimed at delicatelychanging investors’ mindsthrough cuts in interest rates anddeposit reserve ratios. By mid-2010, however, investorsentiments had swung in theother direction – annual outputgrowth was running at 10 percent. Tighter policies were then

pursued, together with strongerbanking and property marketregulations. By mid-2011sentiments finally stabilised.

Looking to the future, what isthe most important question forChina’s central bankers? In myopinion, it has to be how to lowerChina’s huge stock of broad based-money in renminbi – equivalentto $14tn or 190 per cent of grossdomestic product. Thirty per centis locked up at the PBoC, giving itthe largest central bank balancesheet in the world. An amountthis large is a perennialdestabilising force for the entireeconomy, which is at the mercyof the mood of the depositors.

China needs reform. It mustenhance the size of its securitiesmarkets, especially the bondmarkets, in order to lure bankdeposits. China must alsoimplement bank loansecuritisation, ie convert some ofthe good quality bank loans intobonds so that banks can raisecapital and become more robust.Until these steps are taken thecapital account cannot be fullyconvertible, the exchange ratecannot be fully liberalised and therenminbi cannot be a genuinelyinternational currency.The writer is a professor ofeconomics at TsinghuaUniversity and a formermember of the People’s Bankof China Monetary PolicyCommittee.

Nigerian CSOs: How well and how right?By Salihu Moh. Lukman

George Soros, in his book TheAge of Fallibility, madethe point that ‘society is

suspicious of those who claim tobe virtuous and not withoutjustification’. The claim of beingvirtuous is very conventionaland inherent with civil societyactors. Whether they live up tothis virtuous claim or not, is opento value judgement, subjectivityand like Soros assert, the burdenof proof is certainly that of theclaimant.

It is quite unfair to come togeneralised conclusionsregarding assessment of the workof civil society organisations.However, it is very valid to checkthe extent to which they, throughlived reality and based oncombination of both impact anddemonstrable commitment toimproved public welfare,strengthen cultural, social,economic and political life ofsociety. Impact presupposesreference to some standards andvalues. This could be a problem.In the first place, do we havestandards or values? If we do, arethey shared or do they in anywayaggregate to some form ofexpectations? Do these standardsor values by whateverestimation determine publicperceptions, and morespecifically the orientation of thework of civil society actors? Whoare these civil societyorganisations, anyway?

Civil society organisationsinclude trade unions, professionalassociations, faith-based groups,

media organisations, community-based groups and other forms ofnon-governmental organisations.In the Nigerian context, it is a farcry to claim any known sharedstandard or value with respect toactivities of these organisations. Atbest, regressive trend in oursocietal life, which accounts forcrashed standards and valuesystem, tend to strengthen the riseof these organisations based on theneed to raise the capacity of citizensto address social, economic andpolitical developmentalchallenges.

A second factor is acombination of declining publicand private sector services coupledwith inflexible and shrinkingemployment environment. Thismade the work of civil societyorganisations to serve asalternative source for incomeearning opportunity besidesproviding services. Thirdly, theexistence of repressive andunpopular governments for morethan twenty years in the countryalso serve as impetus for theproliferation of organisations thatseek to challenge the legitimacy ofpolicy, programmes andultimately the existence of thesegovernments.

No doubt, the existence of theseorganisations assistedconsiderably to open up space forthe expression of dissentingopinions and what could beregarded as alternative voices.Unfortunately, this verycharacter and attribute has cometo serve as a shield for opportunisticand nuisance activities of somecivil society organisations. In some

respects, the nation has witnessedsituations where actions andpositions of groups regardingmatters of public policy andmanagement of resources hardlydepart from prevailing horridpractices associated withgovernment. If anything, wherethis is the case, it also raisedquestions about the efficacy of, atthe minimum, strategiesemployed by these organisations.

Key assumption that connoteslegitimacy to the existence of civilsociety organisations is that theyare expected to be knowledgedriven. Which means that actors,or at least leaders, have requisiteskills to investigate problems ofsociety, proffer solutions anddevelop plan to facilitate buy-in byother segments of society andgovernment. This bears certainpresuppositions to the effect that theorganisation also has capacity tomobilise the needed resources for itsactivities and to that extent, it willrestrict the scope of mobilisation ofresources to implement activityand the operational cost that comeswith it.

Regulation would be needed tofirstly test the assumption.Secondly, to provide conditions forvalidating the assumptions. Andthirdly to ensure that suchconditions are upheld andrespected by actors who seek tovoluntarily engage in this mode oforganising. Unfortunately, givenpotentials for institutingframeworks that leads to repressiveand authoritarian practices,which could emasculate genuineorganisations of the people,discussion of regulation as far as

matters of civil societyorganisation is concerned appearsto be very unpopular and in somecases offensive, perhapslegitimately so. But for how longshould we continue to shy awayfrom open discussions and debateabout the need to establish clearand shared national standardsregarding the work of civilsociety organisations, which iswhat the whole debate aboutregulation is about?

It is important however thatwe quickly recognise that thecontext of the debate is not tosuggest the complete absence ofstandard but basically tohighlight the existence of verylow regulatory requirement andstandard, which is todayresponsible for a situation thatportends legitimacy andaccountability problems.Legitimacy here basically refersto question of justification for theexistence of these organisationswhile accountability deals withresponsibility of theseorganisations to be answerable tothe citizens or groups they seek toserve.

In terms of legitimacy, thebest way to present the argumentis to say that there are many civilsociety organisations that wouldnot be missed by Nigerians ifthey are to close shop. Theseorganisations are predominantlybureaucracies and have no directbearing to the people and theiractivities not designed toprimarily meet the immediateneeds of the people. Where thereis any correlation between theseactivities and the needs of the

people, it could as well becoincidental.

There are of course veryridiculous cases where activitiesare designed purely based on theavailability of funding. Thisbrings us to the problem ofaccountability. There are twosides to this issue, i. e. financialand programme accountability.The easiest is financialaccountability, which is just toensure proper book keeping andexpenditure based on approvedbudget. The second has to do withstructures of debate, consensus,planning, implementation,monitoring and report.

This is the democratic ethosthat validates and emphasises theauthority of civil societyorganisations to the struggle fordemocracy. A very glaring issuehere is that the dominance ofbureaucracy in the life of anyorganisation, particularly insituations where such abureaucracy is the central pillarand perhaps the only existinglocus of power and given completeabsence of membership,subscription or any form ofaffiliation, the moral authorityand claims to democraticprinciples is weakened.

It is important that this servesas the point of engagement in thedebate. The sad thing is that thisis also the point of engagement byrepressive regimes. Through theseengagements, vibrantdemocratic organisations – tradeunions, students’ organisations,human right groups, etc. – havebeen trampled upon by especially

By David Daokui Li

Continued on page 15


There is a strong allegation ofbribery involving an oilmagnet and a prominent

member of the House ofRepresentatives panel thatinvestigated the fuel subsidyscam. This new twist will furtherdent the integrity of the legislativechamber, business communityand Nigeria as a whole.

While there are several anti-corruption agencies in thecountry, there are no cleardemarcations on which of themshould be responsible forinvestigating and prosecuting thecase as they simply duplicatetheir mandates. Multiplication ofagencies performing similar roleshave been drains on the nation’spurse.

The cost of governance inNigeria is one of the highest andmost expensive in the world. Thedubious duplication of functions,financial recklessness, nepotismand cronyism in recruitments arelargely influenced by theestablishments of unnecessaryagencies, which also promotecorrupt practices.

In an effort to address the highcost of governance, a PresidentialCommittee on the Rationalisationand Restructuring of FederalGovernment Parastatals wasestablished. Led by former Headof the Civil Service of theFederation, Steve Oronsaye, thecommittee has proposed somepositive initiatives as well as somecontroversial suggestions. Whilethe committee recommends far-reaching decisions to reduce theexcessive overhead and recurrentexpenditures, which in some

quarters have been translated tomean retrenchment of workers,the report indeed exposesduplication of responsibilities andschedules of duty among agenciesof government.

The committee was able toadhere strictly to its terms ofreference which include; to studyand review all previous reports/records on the restructuring ofFederal Government parastatalsand advise on whether they arestill relevant, to examine criticallythe mandates of the existingFederal agencies, parastatals andcommissions and to determineareas of overlap or duplication offunctions, and make appropriaterecommendations to eitherrestructure, merge or scrap theduplicates.

The key recommendations ofthe report include the abolition of38 agencies, 52 mergers andreversion of 14 agencies todepartments in their relevantministries. Generally, itsuggested that statutorycommissions should be reducedfrom 263 to 161. It furtherrecommends a managementaudit of 89 agencies to capturebiometric features of theiremployees as well as discontinuegovernment funding ofprofessional bodies and councils.The Committee stated that itfound duplications and overlapsin the mandates of many agenciesand parastatals, noting thatsuccessive administrationsestablished these agencies withoutregard to existing laws. The reportindicated that the FederalGovernment will be saving aboutN1 trillion within 3 years ofimplementation.

It is noteworthy that someagencies could be strengthenedwith added empowermentthrough mergers of, for instance,the proposed National EmergencyManagement and RefugeeCommission (NEMAREF) andRevenue Mobilisation Allocationand Fiscal Commission (RMAFC)that may be saddled with fixingsalaries of public servants to takeover the functions of FiscalResponsibility Commission (FRC),which was created by formerPresident Olusegun Obasanjo fewyears ago.

Meanwhile, the committee hasrecommended the merger of theanti-corruption bodies such as theEconomic and Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC), IndependentCorrupt Practices Commission(ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau(CCB). If the government acceptsand implements therecommendations, these bodieswould serve as department withinthe larger Anti-CorruptionCommission (ACC). According tothe report; “The establishment ofstrong departments among others,in the proposed consolidatedstructure is desirable as theywould handle Prosecution,Investigation, Prevention(Advocacy), and Assetdeclaration/ forfeiture.”

The report also recommendsthe elevation of the Code ofConduct Tribunal (CCT) to Anti-Corruption Tribunal to try allcorrupt cases in the country. Therecommendation if implementedwould ensure that regular courtsthat are overburden with othercases will no longer try corruption-related matters whether bypoliticians, civil servants or

business persons.The report clearly states that:

“The Code of Conduct Tribunalshould be renamed Anti-Corruption Tribunal andupgraded to the status of a Courtof Superior Records with theresponsibility for handling onlycorruption cases from theproposed merger of EFCC, ICPCand the Code of Conduct Bureau.Extant anti-corruption lawsshould be repealed, while a newone is enacted to accommodatethe consolidation of EFCC, ICPCand the Code of Conduct Bureau.”

Some of the cases beinghandled by EFCC, ICPC and othersought to have been brought to theCCT for quick determination. TheCCT is a court of summary trialwhich by law should not wastetime in deciding most other casesthat are before the other anti-corruption bodies like EFCC, ICPCand CCB. The nation does not needa special court as being advocatedin some quarters to deal with thecases of corrupt public officers. Asit is presently constituted, theCode of Conduct Tribunal has thepower to impose punishmentsranging from vacation of officeand disqualification from holdingany public office by officers foundguilty of contravening any of theprovisions of the Act, especiallyon misconduct and corruptpractices. It also has the power toseize and forfeit to the state of anyproperty acquired through abuseor corruption in office.

It is glaring that the regularcourts are ineffective in attendingto corrupt cases, such that high-profile cases involving politiciansdrag on for many years withoutan end in sight. On the other hand

Rationalisation and anti-corruption agenciesBy Yushau A. Shuaib the suspects continue to enjoy their

loots while their lawyers who arepaid hefty fees deliberately prolonglitigation endlessly.

It was only lately after theappointment of Justice UmarDanladi as Chairman of the Codeof Conduct Tribunal that somecorrupt cases like that against theformer Governor of Lagos, AhmedBola Tinubu were dispensed withwithin a short period. Thisdemonstrates capacity and abilityof the tribunal to expedite actionson cases brought before it.

The proposed Anti-CorruptionTribunal (ACT) from existingCode of Conduct Tribunal (CCT)should be independent andautonomous with the capacity forrepression of corruption acts andobserve the principles ofexpeditiousness, effectiveness andefficiency in the administrationof justice. Branches of the tribunalshould also be created in each ofthe six geopolitical zones tofacilitate speedy trials and disposalof corruption cases.

The administration ofPresident Goodluck Jonathanshould examine the report andimplement the worthyrecommendations therein. Thesubmission should not be sweptunder the carpet like similar pastreports on rationalization,especially that of Ahmed Joda andAllison Ayida. In ensuring fairnessbefore the implementation of thereport, the government shouldengage the stakeholders,especially the labour and thelegislature to iron out grey areasbefore their endorsement.Yushau A. Shuaib wrote fromFinanace Estate, Wuye, AbujaE-mail: [email protected]

that is pervading all nooks andcrannies of the society or merenegligence, the NOA needs to bemade functional especially nowthat the leadership has beenreinforced with a new director-general, Mr. Mike Omeri. NOAshould swoop into action and workwith Nigerians who havegenuine plans that can assist inchanging the image of ourbeloved motherland.

This also refers us to the needto enhance the proper utilizationof the National Youth ServiceCorps (NYSC) programme. It hasbeen discovered that a largechunk of the participants in thisprogramme lobby even bybribing their ways through theirschool authorities and the NYSCfor juicy posting i.e. places wherethey are not effectively utilized

Jonathan in the eyes of NigeriansContinued from page 13

Nigerian CSOs: How well and how right?military regimes. Some of theseregimes have promoted,sponsored and in some casesdirectly formed counterorganisations with dubious valuesthat have outlived them and tosome extent also contributing tolowering standards. In addition,experiences of other countries,including contemporary policy of

the US government of war onterror, have been and are beingused to suppress civil societyorganisations in the name ofregulation. What should be theappropriate response? Avoiddebate to raise standardsregarding the work of civil societyorganisations? This could be self-destructive.

There is the international

dimension to this debate. First isthe currency of borrowedlanguage and the use of conceptsand phrases that hardly capturesnational contexts and realities. Insome cases, it is a case of overgeneralisation of nationalconditions. Secondly, there is therole of international donorcommunity and what are nowgenerally referred to asInternational Non-GovernmentalOrganisations (INGO). Thegeneral trend is that they imposepolicies and practices thathighlight technical competence onissues of project development andmanagement. This has thepotential to diffuse political anddemocratic roles of civil societyorganisations and in fact supportthe movement towardsconsolidating bureaucraticcontrols.

The question is, to what extentare there regulations to check theabrasive influence of donorcommunity and INGOs regardingthe development of standards thatinformed the work of civil societyorganisations? Given the volumeof resources at their disposal,although only relatively high atnational level, their influence,power and impact is certainlyenormous. Expectedly, theNational Planning Commission isto be the regulatory agency.

Paradoxically, it is also abeneficiary in some ways of theactivities of these organisations.To what extent therefore can itregulate the work of organisationsit draws support from? A readilyproposal is to insulate it from anyform of financial or so-calledtechnical support fromorganisations it is expected tocompetently and impartiallyregulate. Without any doubt, thenation has the resources and thecapacity to attain this feat.

With respect to setting orraising standards or valuesthrough regulation, it isimportant that Nigerians, inparticular civil societyorganisations, engage these issuesand begin to concretely raisestandards. The starting point isbasically what can be calledadvocacy for-self and against self-degeneracy. Advocacy for-selfwould be to come up with thoseproposals that would strengthendemocratic ethos but Advocacyagainst self-degeneracy would beto establish basic principles of dosand don’ts. The challenge isbasically a question of developingthe democratic mechanism forenforcement, including that ofself-regulation.

Without any hesitation, thisis at the moment very weak andneeds to be strengthened. In fact,

it could be argued that there is arelationship between lowstandards regarding the work ofcivil society organisations, on theone hand, and the preponderanceof authoritarian values andpractices in both government andprivate life. To considerableextent, this is also the naturaloutcome of repressive measuresover the years.

To therefore address thisreality is both a nationaldemocratic imperative andorganisationally obligatory if theconsideration is to guarantee thatcivil society organisationspredominantly act to deliverpublic good. The starting point isto guarantee the existence ofconditions and availability ofnational resources for the work ofcivil society. The most criticalfactor of regulations is thereforeissues of source, structure ofdistribution, conditions and accessto the resources. The nation needsto summon the courage to addressthem and civil societyorganisations and actors have aresponsibility to open up andengage the debate.Salihu Moh. Lukman is ofPeople and Passion Consult,Suite 301, Zeto Court, No. 3,Oshogbo Close, Area 11, Garki,[email protected]

Continued from page 14

for the nation building but collectfat allowances. Others do lobbyto be posted within their states orneighborhoods. I think it isagainst the primary aims andobjectives of setting up theprogramme. And the new NYSCboss, Brig. Gen. Nnamdi Okorie-Affia should take note.

Mr. President should becommended and encouraged,even while we demand for moreselfless sacrifices from him for themandate given to him. As heseeks loftiness in governance, letthis second year of his tenure bebetter, so that Nigerian patriotswould continue to stand by him.Muhammad Ajah is a writer,author, advocate ofhumanity and goodgovernance based in [email protected].


The Police yesterday,arraigned a 19-year-oldhouse help, Onyekachi

Okoye of Apo village at an AbujaSenior Magistrate’s Court forallegedly setting a house ablaze.

Okoye is standing trial on atwo-count charge of mischief andtheft, offences which contravenesthe provisions of the Penal Code.

Police Prosecutor, Jeremiah

The Abuja Municipal AreaCouncil (AMAC) hasdeclared tender opening for

2012 fiscal year projects, in its bidto deliver the dividends ofdemocracy to the people in the areaof infrastructural development.

Speaking at the ceremony to

mark the official declaration for thetender opening, the Vice-Chairman, Hon. Musa Alli Gozasaid that the council would ensurethat transparency is maintainedin the selection of companies for thevarious projects to be executed,stressing that the best would berequired of the preferredcompanies.

Declaring the tender projects

open, the Tender Board CommitteeChairman, Hon. Idris Tanko saidthat the tradition of the council isto start projects with the tenderopening, and that all thecompanies that registered withAMAC as far as 2012 fiscal yearprojects is concerned would be dulyconsidered.

"We want every company thatregistered for this project to be

AMAC opens tender for 2012 fiscal year projectscarried along," he said, stressing that

analysis would be done by thetechnical department to reveal thepreferred companies for the projects.

"After the declaration of tenderopening, there is going to beanalysis, and the analysis resultwould be done by the technicaldepartment," he added.

Tanko appealed to thecompanies to ensure that their

By Etuka Sunday documents are intact and correctsince analysis would be done on thatbasis.

He also added that anycompany that succeeds must beready to give the best, saying,

"For the companies that wouldsucceed, we urge you to give us thebest of what you have applied for,be it construction, Electricity orwhatever".

Elijah told the court that the casewas reported at the MaitamaPolice Station by Mrs FatimaAbubakar of Garki II, Abuja, onJune 8, 2012. Elijah alleged thatsometime in April 2011, theaccused, a house help to thecomplainant, stole N500,000from her house and set it (house)on fire.

He also alleged that the

FCT SURE to recruit corpsmembers

The Minister of State for FCT,Olajumoke Akinjide hasdisclosed plans by the Federal

Capital Territory (FCT)administration to recruit corpsmembers, under the Subsidy Re-investment Programme (SURE) ofthe FCT.

Akinjide, who revealed this,while receiving the new NationalYouth Service Corps (NYSC)coordinator for the FCT, Mr. FrankEkpunobi and other officials,yesterday, in her office said theinitiative would no doubt, address theemployment need of corps members,who have served in the territory.

Earlier the NYSC coordinator,told the minister that out of the16,000 corps members serving invarious parts of the FCT, 7,000 weredue for the passing-out ceremony,

scheduled to take place tomorrow atthe NYSC orientation camp inKubwa.

He requested for the relocation ofthe camp to a more conducive areafor effective administration, asaccording to the him, the presentlocation provided no room forexpansion and as well portendsecurity risk to corps members.

The coordinator also requested fora mass housing plot for NYSC officialsto address the problem ofaccommodation confronting them.Responding to the requests, Akinjidecommended the FCT NYSC for theefforts towards ensuring that itsoperation is devoid of negativeincidents.

He directed the Chairman, FCTNYSC Governing Board, Mrs.Blessing Onuh to ensure that theacquisition of a new site for the NYSCis captured in the 2013 budget, afterwhich a budget line would be drawnfor actual development of the plot.

House help ‘carts away N.5mfrom boss, sets house ablaze’

accused, who pleaded not guilty,was unable to give a satisfactoryaccount of her action duringinterrogation.

Magistrate Aliyu Shafagranted the accused bail in thesum of N50,000 with a reliablesurety, who must reside withinthe jurisdiction of the court. Headjourned the case to June 25,2012 for hearing. (NAN)

Traders across some marketsin the FCT have expressedconcern over the poor

sanitary condition of the markets.The markets visited by

correspondents of the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) inAbuja yesterday included theOrange market in Mararaba,Nasarawa state, Karu market andDei Dei market.

The traders said that they faceda lot of sanitary challenges,especially during the rainy season.

Mr Sule Mohammed, a carrotseller, underscored the need toevacuate refuse on a regular basis.

Mrs Sarah Eze, a Gari seller,urged the managers of the marketto improve the sanitary condition

of the market. market, noting thataccess to the market and shops poseda serious challenge whenever itrained.

Alhaji Baba Ibrahim, theChairman of the Fruits andVegetable Traders Association ofthe market, however, told NANthat the association wascollaborating with the NasarawaUrban Development Board(NUDB) to clean the market.

“The association is working withthe Nasarawa Urban DevelopmentBoard (NUDB) to make sure themarket is kept clean, because wefind it difficult to attract highpatronage during rainy season.”

Ibrahim, however, said that themarket would soon relocate to its

Mararaba Market traders decry poor sanitationpermanent site covering aboutseven hectares.

He, therefore, called on the stategovernment to provide the marketwith facilities such water, accessroad, public toilet and a parking lot.

According to him, the revenuegenerated by the association is usedto provide security, sanitation andgeneral welfare of the members.

At the Dei dei Market, NANobserved that most traders sold theirwares in the open as there were only afew lock-up shops.

Malam Abubakar Inuwa, the ViceChairman of the traders association,said that the sanitation issue was a bigchallenge to them due to the lack ofassistance from government agencies.

He urged the FCT administration

to provide the necessary facilities inthe market to ensure a healthyenvironment.

NAN observed indiscriminatedumping of refuse and the lack ofdrainage facilities as well as a difficulttopography.

NAN learnt that the traders paidN200 per week for the cleaning of themarket and its environs.

Also speaking with NAN on thesanitation efforts at Karu MarketAbuja, the Market Manager, MrAyuba Karo, said: “AMAC is reallymaking efforts to help us clean themarket by bringing their truck to packthe refuse on weekly basis.

“Before they came to assist us, wewere responsible for cleaning themarket on our own.”

FCT schools to representNigeria at world competition

Resort in Calabar recently, had23 teams from 16 states inNigeria competing for the twocoveted spots and the right torepresent Nigeria at the WorldCup.

According to a statement fromthe Public Relation Officer of theEducation Secretariat of the FCTAdministration, AnthonyOgunleye, GSS Jibi came first inthe Social Enterprise Businesscategory while JSS Jikwoyi camefirst in the Socially ResponsibleBusiness category, during thenational competition.

Peoples Daily recall that bothschools came first and second atthe 2009 SAGE World Cup whichtook place in Brazil.

Junior Secondary SchoolJikwoyi, representing Nigeria,had won the SAGE World Cup, arecord four of the last fivecompetitions which took place asfollows: Ukraine in 2007, Abujain 2008, Brazil in 2009 and USAin 2011 by consistently defeatingteams from countries like the USA,Russia, China, Singapore, Canada,South Africa, Great Britain andGhana amongst others. Reactingto the feat, the Minister of the FCT,Senator Bala Mohammed and theSecretary for Education, MallamKabir Usman, expressed delight atthe victory of the students andpromised that both schoolsrepresenting Nigeria will be goodambassadors of the country.

By Josephine Ella

By Josephine Ella

Two schools in the FederalCapital Territory (FCT),Junior Secondary School

Jikwoyi and GovernmentSecondary School Jibi havequalified to represent Nigeria atthe 2012 Students for theAdvancement of GlobalEntrepreneurship (SAGE) WorldCup, slated for next month in SanFrancisco, United States ofAmerica (USA).

The national competitionwhich took place at the Tinapa

Taking a risk as this picture captured, along Apo resettlement village, yesterday, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa


Poor sanitary conditions ofmarkets worry FCT traders

A market, being a placewhere all sorts ofconsumables are sold,

ordinarily ought not to beassociated with filth.

Even if for no other reason,for the sake of the health ofthousands of people who dailyflood the market place topurchase food items and othergoods, they should be kept clean.

Unfortunately, this cannotbe said of many markets in theFederal Capital Territory (FCT)and its environs.

With the exception of a fewmarkets like Wuse and the Garkimarket which sometimesappear clean from the outsidewhile heaps of refuse are yetseen unattended to at corners,filth remains a perpetualfeature of others.

The worse scenario is thatthe situation appears not tohave abetted with time, ratherit would seem just little or noeffort is being made toameliorate the situation.

It was in view of the seemingworse dimension that this uglytrend has assumed of recentthat traders in FCT and itsenvirons have raised alarm over this poor sanitarycondition of the markets inwhich they operate.

During a tour of some of themarkets, two traders, Mr. SuleMohammed and Mrs Sarah Eze,who sell carrot and garrirespectively at the MararabaFruit Market in Karu LocalGovernment of Nasarawa state,harped on the need to improvethe sanitary condition of themarket.

Eze said the market wasusually, an eye saw wheneverit rained as customers struggle

through refuse and mud toaccess the shops.

Although, the Chairman ofthe Fruits and VegetableTraders Association of themarket, Alhaji Baba Ibrahim,told NAN that the associationwas in charge of clearing therefuse generated in the market,one wonders why the conditionof the market has remainedvery appalling of recent.

However Ibrahim hasassured that the situation would improve as he said: “Theassociation is working with theNasarawa Urban DevelopmentBoard (NUDB) to make surethat the market is kept clean,because we find it difficult toattract high patronage duringrainy season’’.

According to him, themarket would soon be moved to

its permanent site as theassociation had bought sevenhectares of land for the purpose.

He, therefore, called on thestate government to on theirpart, provide the necessaryinfrastructure, and amenitiessuch as water, public toilets andparking lot for the market.

Ibrahim said the revenuecollected by the association wasbeing used to provide security,keep the market clean andattend to the general welfare ofthe members.

Investigations revealed thatthe situation was not differentat the Dei-Dei market, asettlement under Bwari AreaCouncil of the FCT, where heapsof refuse welcomed ourcorrespondents.

The vice-chairman of thetraders’ association of themarket, Malam AbubakarInuwa, claimed that theassociation had never receivedany assistance from thegovernment in keeping themarket clean.

He called on thegovernment to come to the aidof the association in achievingthe objective.

It was further observed thatrefuse was indiscriminatelydumped on every availablespace in the market, and thesituation is made worse by thetraders themselves, who misusethe few available facilities.

Inuwa said members of the

association task themselves topay between N50 and N200 perweek to keep the market clean.

The situation was, howeverdifferent when NAN visited theKaru Market also in Abuja.

The Manager of the market,Mr. Ayuba Karoh said the AbujaMunicipal Area Council(AMAC) was making effort tokeep the market tidy.

He said the traders wereresponsible for keeping themarket clean and “AMAC assistby providing a truck to disposethe refuse on a weekly basis.Before they came to assist us, wewere doing everything on ourown’’.

Karoh also said that therewas a collaborative effort underthe Public-Private Partnership(PPP) project to clean up themarket.

He said the governmentplanned to build a modernmarket in Karu for allcategories of traders.

From finding, it was glaringthat the markets surveyedlacked the appropriate wastemanagement facilities, hence,traders resort to indiscriminatewaste disposal.

It therefore, behoves on theappropriate authorities toprovide a suitable waste binsand dumpsite for all themarkets.

This would go a long way inbringing the menace ofindiscriminate waste disposalunder control.

By Josephine Ella with agencyreport

A section of the Nyanya market submerged, recently.

Refuse unattended to along the Nyanya market. Photos: Mahmud Isa


Front view of the locally architectural design toilet building at the Arts and Crafts villagein Abuja. Photos: Miriam Humbe

A heap of refuse begging for attention at the Arts and Crafts village, opposite SheratonHotel and Towers, in Abuja.

Pupils of Turkish International School doing the warrior dance steps at the LanguageFestival which took place at the Shehu Yar'Adua centre in Abuja recently.

A car passing through the newly constructed main gate, at the Army Housing Estate inKubwa, Abuja.

Pupils of Turkish International School clad in Fulani attire entertaining guests at the Language Festival organised by the school, at the Shehu Yar'Adua Centre, recently in Abuja


Management Tip of the DayMinimise the emotional impact of firing someone

when his last day is, how hispeers will be notified, etc.

Listen, don’treact. Losing a job can betraumatic. Don’t get caught upin responding to youremployee’s emotions. Listenwith respect. Offer to talkagain later when the emotionsare not so raw.

Talk to your team. Firingan employee impacts everyoneon your team. Not only does itchange work assignments, butpeople might also wonder abouttheir own job security. Sharewhat information you can toreassure the people left behind.Source: Harvard BusinessReview

INSIDE

One of the hardest things todo as a manager is to tellan employee he’s fired.

Here are three tips for handlingthis gut-wrenching situation:

Bring answers. When aperson is let go, he’s likely to havea lot of questions and concerns.Come prepared to address hislogistical questions, such as

BUYING SELLING

CFA 0.2753 0.2953• 194.3375 195.5921£ 240.6372 242.1907RIYAL 41.3012 41.5678$ 154.9 155.9

CBN 11th June, 2012EXCHANGE RATES

PARALLEL RATES BUYING SELLING

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

Etihad Airways tocommence direct

Lagos, Dubai flights

- Pg 20

Email: [email protected] Mob: 08033644990

BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESS

among others.The management of First

Bank of Nigeria Plc saidpromoting robust socio-economic platforms thatenhance the well-being ofNigerians in the Diaspora is aventure that resonates with itspolicy of advancing thoughtleadership and impacting livespositively.

NIDOA is NigerianGovernment's recognizedumbrella organization for allNigerians residing in the Northand South American continents,including the Caribbean. Theorganisation seeks to promotethe positive image of the nationand provides a networkingplatform for Diaspora Nigerianprofessionals, their hostcountries and the NigerianGovernment.

FirstBank has recentlysupported the Conventionof Nigerians in Diaspora

Organization in the Americas(NIDOA) in Arlington, Virginiawhich provided a forum foraddressing social, economic,immigration, and other issuesaffecting Nigerians livingabroad.

The forum attracted theattendance of notablepersonalities including NigerianAmbassador to the USA, Prof. AdeAdefuye, Chairman/CEO,Global Energy USA, Mr. KennethYellowe, Chairman, NIDOA, Mr.Ganiyu Dada, top governmentfunctionaries, diplomats fromforeign missions, foreigninvestors, and Nigerianprofessionals in the Diaspora,

FirstBank partners NIDOA onempowering Diaspora Nigerians

First Bank Headquaters in Marina, Lagos

By Aminu Imam FirstBank's Spokesperson,Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney saidthe Convention providedanother opportunity for theBank to identify with ongoingefforts geared towardsaddressing critical issuesinvolving the welfare ofNigerians and showcasing theuniqueness of 'Brand Nigeria' asevidenced by the sterlingcontributions of DiasporaNigerians to the countries wherethey are resident.

"As a Bank that is proudlyNigerian, we believe insupporting initiatives thatpromote the heritage of ournation, the resourcefulness ofher people and provideplatforms for Nigerians topursue and realize their dreamsirrespective of who they are andwhere they reside. FirstBank

has been supporting suchinitiatives over the decades andwe intend to continue in thisregard," she said.

According to Ani-Mumuney, the leadingfinancial institution also usedthe forum to showcase itsFirstDiaspora suite of productsspecially designed to cater to thefinancial needs of Nigeriansliving abroad. FirstDiasporaoffers Current, Savings, FixedDeposit and Domiciliaryaccounts in Naira, Euros, USDollars and Pounds Sterling.Customers signed up toFirstDiaspora will also enjoyonline banking services thatallow customers to carry outintra-bank, inter-bank andinternational transfers fromtheir accounts, speedy e-mailalerts and monthly e-

statements, investmentadvisory services and adedicated 24-hour customercare center that givescustomers access speak withofficials of the Bank irrespectiveof time zones.

"The FirstDiaspora teamconsists of professionals whounderstand the dynamics ofglobal markets and trendspeculiar to individualcountries. They are alwaysavailable to provide excellentservices to customers residingabroad, while each customerhas a dedicated relationshipmanager that will alwaysensure that the customer'sneeds are met in a timely andefficient manner," she added.

It would be recalled that theBank recently signed apartnership arrangement withRia International MoneyTransfer Services (Ria) in a bidto offer Diaspora Nigeriansanother platform forconvenient and reliable moneytransfer transactions.

In addition to receiving cash(USDollar/Naira) over thecounter, Ria customers have theoption of having theirremittances credited directlyinto their accounts with theBank, providing flexibility andsupport for the cashless societyinitiative of the CBN.


MTN opens thirdswitch and datacentre in Ghana

MTN Ghana hascommissioned a thirdstate of the art, high

capacity switch and data centreat Legon Accra, in addition tosimilar facilities at Sakaman inAccra, and Kaase in the AshantiRegion.

Intel’s plans forvirtual TVcome into focus

Intel is counting on facial-recognition technology fortargeted ads and a team of

veteran entertainmentdealmakers to win overreluctant media partners for itsnew virtual television service.

Nutricimacommits torealisation ofMDGs in Nigeria

Leading food and beveragefirm Nutricima Limitedhas stressed its

commitment to supportingefforts at realising theMillennium Development Goalsas it affects food and nutritionin Nigeria.

Stanbic IBTCforecastsN3.043bn Q3profit

Stanbic IBTC Bank onMonday presented itsearnings forecast for the

third quarter 2012 on the floorof the Nigerian StockExchange, estimating ProfitBefore Tax at N3.890 billion .

Weak Nairaholds up CBN’sself-sustainingforex market

The current illiquidity inthe nation’s foreignexchange market, with

the attendant persistentpressures on the naira, maydelay the proposed reforms atthe bi-weekly Wholesale DutchAuction System (WDAS) by theCentral Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

West Africa BCEAOCenbank cuts rateby 25 basis points

The Central Bank of WestAfrican States (BCEAO)on Monday cut its key

lending rate by 25 basis pointsto 3 percent on adverseinternational environmentweighing on the region’sgrowth, the bank said in astatement.

COMPANYNEWS

By Muhammad Nasir

A robust PPP will help develop Nigeria’sinfrastructure, says Bi-Courtney chairman

The Chairman of Bi-Courtney AviationServices Limited, Dr

Wale Babalakin has reiterated theneed for government to create anenabling environment for privateinvestors to invest in thec o u n t r y ’ sinfrastructuraldevelopment,especially in the aviation sector.

Speaking in Lagos at aceremony as part of activities tomark the 5th anniversary of theMurtala Muhammed Airportterminal two (MMA2), which wasbuilt and managed by thecompany, Dr. Babalakin saiddisregard for terms of agreemententered into with privateinvestors by government will

continue to stifle developmentalefforts of Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) if it is notrevised.

He said part of the measures tobe taken by government thatwill encourage investors shouldinclude a strong legal instrumentthat will not erode the confidenceof would-be investors when theyrealise they will recoup theircapital in the long run.

He said the decision of theFederal Government to use theMMA2 as a springboard to furtherdevelop infrastructure has shownthe successes that will be recordedif similar projects are allowed tobe replicatedacross Nigeria giventhe enabling environment.

He said “The failure of PPP inNigeria can be put to ignorance.

We all pay lip-service to thecontent of PPP, but very few peopleare knowledgeable about it. It isonly by involving the privatesector that this nation would goon the right path. For this tobe encouraged, we have been onthis for about four to five yearsnow.

“We know the beating wehave taken; but we know thatgoing forward wouldfind succour. Nigerians mustlearn a lot about PPP and whenthey learn about it, we willchange sincerely and with that agreat nation is in the offing,”

While also affirming that theFederal Airports Authority ofNigeria (FAAN) has derailedfrom the terms of concessionagreement they entered into

Etihad Airways, thenational airline of theUnited Arab Emirates

(UAE), has confirmed that itwill commence direct flightsfrom Lagos into the heartlandof the UAE from July 1st, 2012.

The airline told reportersthat the direct flights will linkAbu Dhabi and Lagos six timesa week and will be operated bya two class A330-200 aircraftwith 22 Pearl Business class and240 Coral Economy seats.

Etihad said Lagos becomes

the 83rd destination in itsglobal network and the returnflights will create a new linkbetween Nigeria, Africa’s thirdlargest economy, and the UnitedArab Emirates.

Etihad Airways Presidentand Chief ExecutiveOfficer, James Hogan said: “Thelaunch of our services to Lagosis consistent with our strategy oftargeting areas of strong growthin emerging markets. TheUnitedArab Emirates is a majortrade partner of Nigeria, whichhas a

population of more than 150

million people, the largest inAfrica and the seventh biggestin the world.”

He said the Lagos schedulewill provide seamlessconnections over Abu Dhabi tokey North and South EastAsian destinations and marketsin the Indian sub-continent andAustralia.

Mr. Hogan noted: “Nigeriais also enjoying strong economicgrowth, driven by significantforeign investment,particularly from China, whichmeans there is increasingdemand for travel between

Etihad Airways to commence direct Lagos, Dubai flightsLagos and other emergingeconomies.”

Following the launch ofservices to the Seychelles inNovember 2011, Tripoli andNairobi in January and April2012, the addition ofNigeria marks anothermilestone in Etihad Airways’expansion plans in Africa.

The flight schedule is madeup of early morning and latemorning flights to Abu Dhabi,six times a week on the A330-200 with its 22 Pearl BusinessClass and 240 Coral EconomyClass configuration.

Stories from Suleiman Idris, Lagos

prior to the construction of thefacility valued at N35billion, theChairman said, “If we would havebeen allowed to move at

our pace today, we would havehad a power plant at the airportand that power plant would haveserved the entire airport andsome neighbours, so, we are notjust going to sit down, because ittakes a lot as we have the purviewof developing Nigeria, anddeveloping Nigeria entails usbeing on top.”

He said, “There is reluctanceby new entrants, which is largelydue to our bad experience butwithin a few years, the companyconceptualised and delivered anairport terminal that has becomea reference point in Nigeria’saviation industry”.

Nigeria premier carrier,Aero Contractors said ithas added

renowned travel portal,Wakanow as an additionaldistribution means toincrease the airline’s saleschannel.

It said the platform, whichwill enable customers buy tickets

directly on-line is in addition toother sales/booking andpayment options provided byAero for the customers’convenience.

According to the airline, thetravel portal allows its user toexplore all travel optionsavailable noting it hassignificantly simplified the

purchasing process for Aero’spassengers with a credit ordebit card and Internet access.

Passengers can now quicklyand easily purchase an Aeroticket anywhere in the world, 24hours a day, seven days a week,by providing only the necessaryinformation over a secureconnection.”

Aero Managing Director,Captain Akin George said, “Theidea was to make travel a loteasier for Nigerians, especially inthis Cash-lite policy of the CentralBank of Nigeria (CBN). As Nigeriacontinues to enhance its Internetservices and paymentinfrastructure, this type ofsales channel will witness agrowing demand and will soonbecome the leading source forticket purchase.”

Wakanow is Aero’s latest sales channel


Nasarawa state Deputy Governor, Hon. Dameshi Barau Luka (2nd right), Commissioner for Finance,Professor Mohammed Mainoma (right), Regional Head (North-Central),United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr.John Idoko (2nd left), and the state Branch Manager, Mr. David Ogwuche (left), during the presentation ofN10,000,000,00 cheque to the state government for the displaced persons of Assakio community,yesterday in Lafia.

Business activities haveremained low at theNnamdi Azikiwe

International Airport, Abuja,10 days after the tragic Dana Airplane crash at Iju-Ishaga, nearLagos.

The crash on June 3, claimedno fewer than 153 passengersand some other people in abuilding the plane crashed onto.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that only a fewintending travellers could beseen at airlines’ offices at theairport.

Some intending passengersand airport workers toldNAN that the latest crash hadmade many intending travellersto shun coming to the airport.

Mrs. Talatu Turaki, a foodvendor at the airport said thatthe development had affectedher business adversely, makingsales to drop drastically.

“As you can see, there is notmuch business today, not onlynow but since last week whenthe Dana plane crashed.

“Many customers have notbeen coming to buy things andthis has affected my business alot. My food wasted because I

kept hoping that things wouldchange.’’

Mr. Saka Olomojoba, anairport taxi operator, said thatas at 10 a.m., it had notreached his turn to conveypassengers out of the airport.

“Maybe people are nowscared of flying, I noticed thatthe human traffic at the airporthad reduced since the planecrash,’’ he stated.

The Terminal Manager atthe international wing of theairport, Mrs. Cecelia Oguana said that only British Airwaysleft the airport to London as at11 a.m. on June 12.

She said that at least threeinternational flights would haveleft the airport by the same timepreviously.

The Domestic Wing TerminalManager, Mr. MohammedMukhtar, said that most localairlines which left the airportbetween 7 a.m. and noon onJune 9, had not made returntrips.

Regional Manager of theFederal Airports Authority ofNigeria (FAAN), Mr. ChrisBature said the situation was notdue to the accident, adding that

traffic in the early days of theweek was usually slow.

“I don’t think it was due tothe plane crash because peoplehave been travelling ever sincethe plane crashed. But Mondaysand Tuesdays are not our peakperiods for the out-flow ofpassengers.

“It is at weekends that youwill see many passengerstravelling out. They travel outmore during the weekends.

“That notwithstanding, it iswrong for people to think thatthey will not travel by air again.

“People need not to be afraidbecause we are putting moremeasures to make the aviationsector safe,’’ Bature said.

He disclosed that FAAN hadembarked on 10-days trainingfor its staff on how to saveairplanes from bird strikeswithin the nation’s air space.

“Part of the upgrading andsafety measures include theongoing training for our Bird/Wildlife Control Officers onaircraft bird-strike avoidance,’’Bature added.

Seven people are undergoingthe bird-strike control course,organised by FAAN. (NAN)

Business hits low ebb atAbuja airport after crash

Nigeria has so far made over$9 billion from theexportation of the

liquefied natural gas (LNG),according to chairman ofEmerald Energy ResourcesLimited, Dr EmmanuelEgbogah.

A former Special Adviser onPetroleum Matters to Nigeria's

late President Umaru Yar'Adua,said the money was accrued fromexport of the product over aperiod of eight years.

He made this known duringa lecture delivered at theinauguration of Abuja chapterof the Nigerian Association ofPetroleum Explorationists(NAPE).

He said in the lecture titled,"Nigeria oil and gas, Yesterday,

today and a guide for thefuture" that besides the $9billion the government hasearned as its shares from theoperating six trains of theNigeria Liquefied Natural Gas(NLNG), industry watchersare expecting further revenueof over $8 billion as foreigndirect investment (FDI) on theconstruction of the plannedTrain 7.

He added that the NLNG hascontributed immensely to thereduction of gas flaring in thecountry.

"Nigeria accounts for abouteight per cent of the globalliquefied natural gas (LNG)supplies. The NLNG's six-trainfacility has a capacity for 22million tonnes per annum(mpta) of LNG, and up to 5mtpaof natural gas liquids (NGL)."

"Since October 1999 whenthe first LNG cargo was loadedfor delivery to France andfollowing a final investmentdecision by the shareholders in1995, Nigeria LNG has broughtsignificant value to Nigeria. Inline with government's visionof generating as much revenuefrom gas as from oil, NLNG hassuccessfully pioneered gas

Nigeria reaps N1.4tr from gas exportsBy Muhammad Nasir

FG inaugurates inter-agency maritimeoperations committee

The Federal Government,as part of efforts atensuring a safe maritime

industry, has inaugurated athirteen member Inter-AgencyMaritime OperationsCoordination Committee(IMOCC).

The Committee aims atproviding synergy amongagencies operating in theindustry, was inauguratedyesterday in Abuja by the Vice-President, Arc. MohammedNamadi Sambo on behalf ofPresident Goodluck Jonathan.

The Vice President, who saidthe committee was part of theadministration’s efforts atproviding comprehensivesecurity for the maritime sectorconsidering its importance toeconomic growth, lamented thelack of synergy among thevarious agencies operatingthere, saying “this hasunfortunately led to gaps,which criminal elements havetaken advantage of toperpetrate illegal activities.”

He charged all agencies inthe industry to shun rivalryand embrace cooperation andcollaboration, as there was aninextricable linkage betweenmaritime security andnational prosperity.

The Terms of Reference ofthe Committee are: Identifyand address factors that havesustained illegal bunkeringand pipeline vandalism in thePetroleum Industry; identifyand address the factors thatenable illegal entry of shipsinto Nigerian waters; examinethe problem of importation ofcontrabands through the seaand proffer solution; examinethe common phenomenon ofnon-compliance withdomesticated internationalconvections and local maritimelaws and make appropriaterecommendations; study

factors responsible for thefailure to implement the LocalContent and Cabotage laws inthe Maritime sector andrecommend measures toaddress the situation; design aframework for collaborationamong relevant governmentagencies in the sector and;suggest other measures thatwill enable the achievement ofgovernment’s objectives forMaritime sector in the vision20: 2020.

VP Sambo further taskedCommittee members to besensitive to some operationalguidelines, which heenumerated as: the need for arobust electronic surveillancesystem; pull together platformsfrom all relevant agencies toestablish physical presence andcontact on Nigeria’s waters andwith vessels and; engage inregular collation and analysisof information from agenciesoperating in the maritimeindustry.

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

monetisation.“It is the most significant

arrow-head in government'squest to end gas flaring in thecountry with the attendantenvironmental benefits. It isalso the biggest singlecontributor efforts to diversifythe Nigerian economy andincome portfolio." he said.

"The success, which greetedthe NLNG, has accelerated theexecution of plans now at anadvanced stage, for thebuilding of the seventh train.The NLNG project grew in lessthan 10 years of production to asix-train operation producing22 mtpa of LNG, withprogressive plans for a seventhtrain intended to raiseproduction to about 30 mtpa ofLNG", he added.

Niger Republic expects itseconomy to grow 15 percent in 2012, President

Mahamadou Issoufou said onTuesday, citing forecasts fromthe IMF and the World Bank.

Issoufou made the growthforecast, which compared withestimated 3.8 per cent GDPgrowth in 2011, at an event inChatham House in London.(Reuters/NAN)

Niger’seconomyto grow15 pct in2012


Interior of Oasis Mall, Karu, Abuja. Oasis when completed will have retail space fo over 27,000sqm with a building area of over 35,000 sqm and comfortable parking for about1,400 cars at any time making it the largest shopping Mall in West Africa.

The Federal Government hasbeen urged to tap into theNigeria’s pension

contributory scheme and alsodevelop the insurance sector ifthe troubled mortgage sub-sectormust be grown to meet Nigeria’sestimated shortfall of 16 millionhousing units.

According to the ChiefExecutive Officer of Abuja-baseda mortgage bank, Sun TrustSavings & Loans Ltd,Mohammed Jibrin “The PensionReform Act, 2004, has made itpossible for people to have acontributory pension scheme inplace. The pension industry hasan estimated N2.4 trillion ofpension funds undermanagement.

“These are mostly long-termfunds and are the most qualified

to support the mortgageindustry in attaining itsmillennium development goals.But these funds,understandably, are mostlylocked up in governmenttreasury bills and bonds.

“These (pension) funds haveto be unlocked and madeavailable for the real estatesector. This is because the fundsare basically long-term and youmay not have the problem we(mortgage banks) experiencetoday in terms of mismatch inthe maturity profile of the loanswe grant, because mortgageloans are long term as againstthe deposits we take that aremostly short-tenured.

“If you do an actuarialvaluation of the pension fundsmanaged by the PFAs (Pension

Fund Administrators), theminimum average number ofyears the money will remainwith the PFAs is about 20 years.This is what we call long termmoney. This is the type of moneyyou expect should go into thehousing and mortgage sector”

He revealed thatstakeholders have been makingefforts to sell the idea togovernment, saying, “Therehave been varied meetings andposition papers to this effect. TheMinister of Housing and UrbanDevelopment, Ms. Ama Pepplehas been holding stakeholdermeetings with the sector. Shehas set up committees, she isdoing a great job honestly andthe Federal Mortgage Bank hasbeen providing the necessarysupport to this effect.

“I am aware that theMinister of Finance and theCoordinator of the Economy, Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala iscommitted to and looking at thehousing sector as a catalyst forgrowth and employmentgeneration. I know that thehousing and finance ministerhave been working together toensure that the housing sector isjump-started seriously this year.It is on top of their radar. Theidea is to create jobs in theeconomy.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) needs to get involved tooby providing the necessaryfunds and credit guarantees tothe Federal Mortgage Bank ofNigeria in particular and to thesector in general. The Nigerianhousing sector is one of the most

FG urged to tap into pension, insuranceto boost mortgage development

Stories by Udenna Orji

diagnosed sectors of theeconomy. The issues that aremilitating against itsdevelopment are very clear.”Jibrin said.

The poor development ofNigeria’s mortgage industry hasalso been blamed on the low levelof insurance penetration andawareness in the country. TheManaging Director of UnionAssurance Company Limited,Mr. Godwin Odah, who madethis known to newsmen said noeconomy could successfullythrive without a vibrantinsurance sector which wouldbreed entrepreneurship thatwould lift the housing sector.

Odah described insurance asa mechanism for mobilisingfunds, adding that mortgage andhousing remained scarcebecause there were no funds.

“We need long term funds,which is what life insuranceprovides”, she said.

Nigeria makes advances inmarble & granite production Nigeria’s quest to wrest the

lucrative buildingmaterials sub-sector from

rampaging Asian exports receiveda boost recently when fast-risingindigenous marble and graniteproducer, Onshore FrontiersLimited (OFL), consolidated itsemerging leadership of the marbleand granite market with itssuccessful installation of state-of-the-art multi-blade cuttingmachines for granite and marbleproduction in Nigeria.

With this installation, OFL’sproduction of polished marble andgranite slabs and tiles in Nigeria isnow at 100 square metres per day.

Although, Nigerian naturalstones are globally acknowledgedto be among the best and mostbeautiful decorative stones onearth, cheap and sub-standardmarble and granite products

imported into the country havecontinued to frustrategovernment’s efforts to growindigenous marble and graniteproduction.

OFL gained acceptance into themarket through its use of cutting-edge technology to manufacturenatural Nigerian stones to globalstandard for all applications fromfloor to ceiling.

The company’s equipmentinclude a 10 ton round disk crane,an automatic polisher, a slabcutter, a manual polisher and aprofiler and its colourful productsinclude Shendam Purphyry, TotoRose Marble, Abaji Clouds, AfricanMulti color, Red River Granite,Jakura White, Lokoja Brown, UkeSpecial, Lokoja Grey. Theseproducts are used for Table Tops,Bath Tubs, Kitchen Tops,Unpolished Tiles, Profiled Edges

and as Polished Tiles.A leading light in the Abuja

property and construction market,OFL’s products are granite andmarble slabs and tiles fromgranites and marbles mined inNigeria. OFL’s exclusive designsand top notch finishing havemade the company a reliablepartner for the marble andgranite needs of high qualityconscious operators in theconstruction industry. Thecompany describes Nigeriangranite and marble as “the bestand most beautiful on earth”

The Chief Operating Officer ofOFL, Arome Aduku told PeoplesDaily that “OFL is set up to satisfylarge scale users of granite tiles andslabs like hotels, high rises,industrial complex, airports andchurches where large volumes andconsistent colours are required”.

Real Estate DevelopersAssociation of Nigeria(REDAN), has called for a

national strategy to boost thedevelopment of low cost housingand social housing in Nigeria.

Among its proposed options isthe need for governments at thevarious levels to compel estatedevelopers in high brow areaslike Ikoyi, Lekki, Asokoro inAbuja, Port Harcourt toincorporate in their schemes,low cost housing for the workersthat are serving residents andowners of high end properties inthese estates.

This means that on-going andnew developments in high browareas must make provisions forthe low and medium incomegroups with 10 per cent of housesin such estates set aside for thelow income group, another 10per cent for the medium incomeearners and the balance of 80per cent set aside for the high

income group.To achieve this, REDAN is

facilitating a meeting ofstakeholders, including theMinister of Housing, FederalHousing Authority (FHA) andthe Federal Mortgage Bank ofNigeria (FMBN). According to aREDAN official, Mr. SholaEnitan, the association is alsocanvassing support for socialhousing provision wherebypeople in distress can betemporarily accommodated indecent government houses beforethey are able to sort themselvesout.

No Nigerian should beallowed to spend all his earningspaying house rent to landlords,either private landlord orgovernment for ever, and in asituation by which governmentis the landlord, the tenants musthave the opportunity to buyingoff the apartment at the long runwithout much sweat”, he said.

REDAN strategises toboost affordable housing

PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012

Towardsreviving Plateauas ‘centre forpeace andtourism’

Initially, particularly inthe years before the onsetof the violent crises which

persisted in Plateau state forover 11 years, most people sawthe state, especially Jos, thecapital as a second home.

People from around theworld and within the countrytook advantage of thefavourable climate and

beautiful tourist sites to visitthe state on a regular basisand even acquire landedproperty in anticipation ofmaking it their retirementhome. These activities in nosmall way went a long way toboost the economy of the state.

The story today isunfortunately, the reverse.The crises that rocked theplateau spanning over adecade have regrettablytaken its toll on Plateau'stourism industry and

virtually crippled businessactivities as residents live infear of the unknown.

Visitors who hitherto,thronged the Plateau alsoknown as the ``Centre forPeace and Tourism", either tosavour the luscious scenic sitesor to hold conferences,workshops and seminarsbecause of the tranquilatmosphere of peace in thestate have taken other options.The crises have also restrictedthe fear-stricken residents to

particular areas considered"safe" to them.

The General Manager,Plateau State TourismCorporation, Mr Michael Zirecalled how the state used torecord an average of 300,000tourists annually when it waspeaceful. ``Because of thestate's unique sites, weatherand topography, touristsusually flocked in fromvarious directions and thestate kept attracting allmanners of visitors all year

round,'' he said.He expatiated that while

many tourists were attractedby the clement weather,others were fascinated by theinterlocking rocks, addingthat some of the tourists justwanted to enjoy the naturalhabitat, the green lush, thefruits, the vegetables and thewaterfalls.

The Assistant GeneralManager (Wildlife) in Plateaustate Tourism Corporation, MrTimothy Nyam said a majortourist destination was theWildlife Safari Park in Jos,home to a wide variety of wildanimals like lions, buffalos,leopards, pythons, crocodiles,hippopotamuses, monkeys,jackals, baboons, amongothers.

He also noted that othertourism sites included theNational Museum in Jos,renowned for itsarchaeological items, potteryand fine specimens of the Nokterracotta heads andartefacts, which dated as farback as from 500 BC to 200AD.

Other key sites, he added,included the Museum ofTraditional NigerianArchitecture with life-sizereplicas of traditionalbuildings, a Tiv village andancient mosques.

Riyom Rock in Jos renowned as one of nature's most spectacular rock formations

By Miriam Humbe with agencyreport

Nyam said, "Assop Falls,well-liked by persons interestedin picnicking, swimming andbeautiful scenery, have alsoproved to be a good location forpeople shooting local soapoperas and advertisements,'' headded.

The tourism officer saidthat other tourism sites in thestate included the Kurra Falls-- renowned for rocky hillsand lakes - and Wase Rock,with its striking dome-shapedfeature.

He said that other sites

included Kerang Highlands,some volcanic hills whichproduced natural springwaters, the Shere Hills,popular among mountainclimbers, and the Riyom Rock,renowned as one of nature'smost spectacular rockformations.

Some of the touristattractions in Plateau are thePandam Game Reserve, theKahwang Rock Formation inBangai village, Riyom LocalGovernment Area, as well asthe Miango Rest House, aretreat and conference centrethat was established by SIMNigeria Christian missionariesin 1914.

The tourism corporation'sGeneral Manager, Zi stressedthat in spite of the allure ofmany tourism sites in Plateau,the state was currentlyrecording less than 10,000tourists annually.

"Since the violence began,we hardly get tourists. It is asad situation that has affected,not only the tourism sector butalso the entire economy ofPlateau,'' he said.

Zi stressed that the influxof people into the state hadstimulated its growth with themultiplier effects of increasedpatronage of hotels, marketsand farms, among others.

"Tourists, after a busy

foray into the rocks and hills,usually return to a warmnightlife, as they patronisevarious relaxation jointswhere they enjoy localdelicacies like roasted fish,'' hesaid.

Mrs Mary Atin, who dealsin bush-meat and fish by thefoot of Shere Hills recalled thattourists used to buy a lot ofdelicacies such as fish peppersoup, stick meat or roastedbush meat from her, but that"tthese days, one hardly seestourists visiting Shere Hills".

"The situation is worse inthe rural areas where most ofthe good tourism sites arelocated, as prospective touristsstayed away from the sitesbecause of the fear thatassailants could strike anymoment,'' she said.

The Vice-Chairman, thePlateau chapter of HotelOwners Association, Mr.Maurice Yenvel stressed thatthe hospitality industry wasworst hit by the protractedviolence in the state, as mostpeople now preferred to stayindoors even duringfestivities like Sallah andChristmas.

He added that members ofhis association were strivinghard to make hotels moresecure, calling on the stateand Federal Government toearnestly work for therestoration of peace inPlateau so as to enable thestate to fully attain itspotential.

Nevertheless, asstakeholders strive to workfor the restoration of peace inthe state, the Plateau stateTourism Corporationbelieves that it could recoupthe great losses it had

incurred over the years dueto the lull in business.

Nyam believes that the``the revenue will even tripleif the Pandam Wildlife Parkand the Wase Rock GameReserve can live up to theirpotentialities,'' he said.

Nyam, however, notedthat inadequate finance hadstunted the growth of thetourism sector over theyears, adding that morefunds should be injected intothe ecotourism sub-sectorsince it was a capitalintensive venture.

Nyam furthermore,called for a strong public-private partnership in effortsto re-package the tourismindustry and train moderntourist guides, whilemounting a sustained checkon private tourismcompanies to ensure theymet modern standards.

He also proposed betterpackaging for the tourismsites, such as ensuring thedriveways and walkways inthe parks are paved to easethe tourists' movement.

It is believed that thePlateau state Governmenthas taken the right step toboost tourism in the state byearmarking N25 million inthis year's budget to restockthe Jos Wildlife Park.

The Commissioner forTourism, Culture andHospitality, Mr SylvanusDongtoe said that the moneywould be used for theacquisition of more animalsafter the recent successrecorded in breeding newanimals, which included apair of porcupine, a strippedhyena, a male duiker and aground herubill.

Assop falls near Jos D-G NTDC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe Gov. Jonah Jang


Boy, 11, ‘playing in the street’ whenarrested for taking part in Bahrain protestAn 11-year-old boy arrested for

allegedly taking part in anti-government protests has

been freed ahead of his trial.Ali Hasan says he was playing

in the streets near his him in al-Bilad al-Qadeem, a suburb of theBahrain capital, Manama, with twoother children his age when he wasarrested for ‘joining an illegalgathering’ and other claims.

Protests have been held inSadad calling for his release for thelast month, and that finally

His arrest provoked protests from women and children along with human rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja, right.

happened on Monday eveningaccording to his lawyer, Mohsen al-Alawi.

The sixth-grade student sat hisexams while in prison and is amongthe youngest suspects detained incrackdowns on protests led byBahrain’s Shiite majority whichseeks a greater political voice fromthe ruling Sunni dynasty.

He will appear before the courtagain on June 20.

Hasan said the two boys he wasplaying with ran off after being

Ali Hasan flashes the victory sign after being released from prisonahead of his trial on June 20.

approached by plain clothes policeofficers in a car.

One of the officers ordered himto stop or he would shoot if he triedto get away and he was later orderedto identify other boys where he lived.

Among the accusations the 11-year-old faces is the allegation thathe blocked a road with a rubbishskip, but his lawyer, ShahzalanKhamees, said this was impossiblebecause ‘you would need twogrown men to lift it’.

He was moved to differentpolice stations for the first fourhours of his detention, accordingto the Independent, in order todisorientate him.

Mrs Khamees said: ‘He is verysad all the time. All he says is “Iwant to go home. I want mymother”. He is frightened and saysthey are going to punish him. Heis only a child.’

It is not the first time that theBahrain authorities have beenaccused of targeting schoolchildren - three teenage school girlssaid they were beaten in custody bythe police there in May last year.

More than 50 people have diedin Bahrain since unrest began inFebruary and martial law wasimposed after mass rallies.

Martial law was declared afterrallies of up to 200,000 peopletook place.

The monarchy set aboutcrushing demonstrations by callingin troops from Sunni Saudi Arabiaand the United Arab Emirates.

Last November, aninternational inquiry into thebrutal crackdown found that‘excessive and unnecessary force’had been used and that detaineessuffered electric shocks, andbeatings with rubber hoses andwires.

There are continued reports ofarrests and torture at the hands ofthe Sunni authorities. In Marchthis year, the UN asked for theBahrain government to investigateallegations that tear gas, rubberbullets and birdshot pellets werebeing used against protesters.

A Bahraini boy holds a placard depicting a jail door in protestagainst Hasan's arrest.

Khadija Habib, right, kisses her son after his release from prisonwhere he was detained for 'joining an illegal gathering'.

More than 50 people have died in Bahrain since unrest began inFebruary and martial law was imposed after mass rallies.

Eight opposition leaders havebeen sentenced to life in prison anda Bahrain policewoman is currentlyon trial for torturing a French TVjournalist who was taken intocustody.

Earlier this week, Nabeel Rajab,head of the Bahrain Centre forHuman Rights, was arrested aftertweeting a comment that criticisedthe Gulf nation’s ruling caste.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk


You are a liar; I didn’t declare war onyour media empire, Brown tells MurdochGordon Brown yesterday

accused Rupert Murdoch oflying on oath in his claim to

the Leveson Inquiry that the formerprime minister ‘declared war’ on hismedia empire.

Mr Brown said an alleged‘unbalanced’ phone call the tycoonclaimed was made after The Sunswitched its backing to the Tories didnot take place.

‘This call did not happen. Thethreat was not made. I find itshocking. There is no evidence thatit happened,’ he said.

In a statement issued last nightby News Corporation, Mr Murdochstood by his evidence.

But in extraordinary testimonyto the judicial inquiry into mediastandards, Mr Brown also insisted hedid not give consent for The Sun topublish a story about his son’sdiagnosis with cystic fibrosis.

He said he was ‘shocked andsurprised’ that Mr Murdoch had toldthe inquiry he had said that inallowing his newspaper to supportthe Tories, he had ‘declared war onthe government’, leaving him ‘noalternative but to declare war on yourcompany’.

Mr Brown rejected evidence

from the newspaper’s former editorRebekah Brooks that he and wifeSarah had agreed to the publicationof details of the illness of their son,Fraser, though he appeared toaccept that it was not obtained byaccessing his medical records aspreviously claimed.

And he accused The Sun ofdistorting reports on the war onAfghanistan to make it appear thathe had ‘evil intentions’ and did notcare about British troops.

Mr Brown’s claims are seriousbecause they charge Mr Murdochand Mrs Brooks of not telling thetruth at the inquiry.

Witnesses must swear on oathto give truthful evidence, and couldbe charged with perjury if they havenot done so.

The former PM’s evidence washis first major public appearancesince he spoke in the Commons ayear ago to attack the ‘criminal-media nexus’ he said had beencreated by the Murdoch empire.

A defiant Mr Brown appeareddetermined to contradict MrMurdoch’s evidence in which theformer prime minister was allegedto have vowed to go to war with hiscompany.

Battle: Gordon Brown and Rupert Murdoch have been engaged in an incredible war of words with theformer Prime Minister accused of making a 'threatening' phone call to the media mogul when The Sundropped support for Labour in 2009.

Cosy relationship: Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah with Rupert Murdoch and his wife Wendi shortlyafter Mr Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, but their relationship eventually turned sour.

Evidence: Gordon Brown has started giving evidence yesterdaymorning as he was drawn into the Leveson firestorm.

the conflict. But the former PMdismissed that claim.

He also denounced claims in TheSun that he fell asleep at a memorialservice, insisting he was bowing hishead to pray, and also attacked itscoverage of a letter he sent to themother of a dead soldier that wassaid to have contained 25 mistakes.

He added that he felt he did nothave the support of The Sun ‘foralmost all the time that I was primeminister.

‘You have to remember that

when I started off as prime minister,the first thing The Sun did was try toruin my first party conference bylaunching their huge campaignabout how we were selling Britaindown the river and demanding notonly a European referendum butdemanding that I support it,’ he said.

An emotional Mr Brown alsorejected Mrs Brooks’s evidence thathe and his wife gave permission forthe paper to reveal that their sonFraser had cystic fibrosis.

Source: Dailymail.co.ukBig day: Gordon Brown with his wife Sarah arrive at a rain-soakedRoyal Courts of Justice this morning.

‘I am alleged to have acted in anunbalanced way. This conversationnever took place. I am shocked andsurprised that it should be suggested,’Mr Brown said.

He said he had spoken to MrMurdoch weeks after The Sun’sswitch to the Tories in 2009, but theconversation was aboutAfghanistan.

In her evidence, Mrs Brooks toldthe inquiry that Mr Brown had been‘extraordinarily aggressive’ inresponse to The Sun’s coverage of


Nigeria Question: The Priceof Niger Delta Oil Money

the country and the origin anddevelopment of variousconcomitant issues and eventsthat have shaped the oil industryin Nigeria. The histories behindthe events are evolved in rather adramatic manner that the readerwades more into the concaves ofthe heavily loaded book. Forresearchers and students ofhistory, the book would be a readycompanion, a one-stop shop for acompendium of facts and figures,an indispensable collection ofNigeria’s oil movement and thecause of the Black Gold.

increases of pump prices of oilwhich have made the Black Goldproducer one of the countrieswith the highest pump prices inthe world? You would find thehistory of those increases, thepresidents or the Heads of Statethat did it, up to the anti climaxof full deregulations. And talkingof past leaders, the book treatsyou to a chronological leadershipjourney of the country from theAzikiwes to the Jonathans andtakes out time to exposeYar’Adua/Jonathan ratheroverlooked 7-point agenda which

Writing a book on theNiger Delta astempting as it is, is an

uphill task but Mr. M. O. AjahJnr. simplified this task bytaking a holistic look at thescenario that has come to beknown as the Niger Delta, thebackground, the problem, thesolutions proffered by variouspeople and the way forward.

As big as the book is - 1,240pages - one is at a dilemma as towhat should not have been thereor what should have been therethat is not there.

M. O. Ajah Jnr. has writtenfrom a point of knowledgeshowing absolute understandingof the Niger Delta, its people,culture problems and militancy.His style is captivating and hediscusses the issues with a flatnarrative that lures you into thebook the more.

The book drives its majorstrength from a wide use ofvarious styles to convey themessage and the solidity of theresearch carried out by thewriter makes the book morecompelling to read.

The book starts with thehistory of the Niger Delta, itspeoples, the states and all theareas that make up the states. Itthen goes ahead to discuss whatthe issues are and how theconflict gradually developed tobecome a major factor of nationaland international concern.

The greatest asset the bookhas is that it lays out facts barewithout forming any opinion. Itis left for the reader to discernand apportion blames wherenecessary according to thedictates of the reader’s mind.

In discussing the causes of thecrisis, the author mentions issuesof environmental degradationand devastation, neglect of the oilproducing communities bygovernment and the oilcompanies who are solely drivenby the profit motive; poverty andunderdevelopment and the usualinter ethnic wars for supremacywhich have shaped the Nigeriansociety even before the advent ofthe country as an entity.

Who would have thoughtabout writing a book like thisbefore 1956? Who would haveknown how the history of thiscountry were to be rewrittenfrom a single discovery in 1956at Olobiri in the present dayBayelsa State? But that singulardiscovery has led to manyproblems and blessings, cursesand fortunes, death and births,motion and inertia and of course,the writing of this wonderfulbook: Nigeria Question: ThePrice of Niger Delta Oil Money.

Again, the authormaintained such style that isengaging and compelling. Thebook starts with a richbackground of the story of oil in

The book front cover

Our deep condolences toall those that died in theDana plane crash, the

suicide bombing in Bauchi andthe Allied Air plane crash inAccra, Ghana. It has indeedbeen a weekend of rainingsorrow. We are deeply sorry toall those that died. We are verysorry.

I am not going to dwell on thetragedy but rather the events thatpreceded it.

Take back to 2004/2006when there were a spate of aircrashes in Nigeria. Planes werepractically falling out of the skies.We were promised heaven andearth. We were told this wouldnot happen again. We were toldthat gone were the days whenwe would rely on foreigncompanies to help us withsearch and rescue. We were toldthat the memories of all thosethat died would remainevergreen in our hearts and it isthis that would help us to do theright things, get the rightequipment, immortalise thedead.....

Fast forward to 2012 – almosta decade later. Check the firstfootages from the burning planeand the burning houses. Whatdid we see and what did wehear? We were told that the firstfire fighter that arrived – only one– did not have water. It wasjoined by another one later thathad water which was soonexhausted. Fast forward to ourprimitive show – people usingbare hands to try to put out theraging fire in three or morehouses and a burning plane.Barely clad young men andwomen were scooping waterfrom surrounding gutters to tryto put out the fire! This is thesearch and rescue that we hadbeen promised almost adecade.

Move over to Ghana – we sawthe Ghanaian Minister of Aviationaddressing the press and theworld with clothes that you willknow were just thrown on in theface of the emergency. Barely anhour later the Vice President ofGhana was there and later thePresident. Fast forward to ourown – our honourable Minsterof Aviation addressed the worldfrom the boardroom of NCAA.The very familiar script – thiswould never happen again. Setup a high probe to look at whathappened. Even the script beingread by the minister did not giveone the confidence that thesepeople know what they aredoing. Even the manner of thespeech was pathetic. Noinspiration, nothing!

Take the picture back to allthose who lost loved ones

almost a decade ago – thedeaths of their loved ones musthave been in vain. This I believeis a recurrent thought in theminds of many. A death is usefulif and when lessons learnt areused to avoid recurrences. Butthis has not been the case.When the anniversary of theOke Afa canal tragedy wasaround the corner, we heardfamilies crying that they hadbeen abandoned. Let us not goas far back as the families ofthose who died in the militaryplane crash. We heard a lot ofthe cries of those widows andchildren at the Oputa panel.

Now, Dana Air hashappened. We have seen thatall the talk about search andrescue, world class equipmentetc just like everything that wedo is all talk. Back to ourquestion in Woza Albert – whatkind of country is this? I addwhat manner of shamelesspeople are these?

Very soon, we will be toldthat it is time to fast and pray forthis country. A day of fastingmight even be declared that weshould all go on our knees to

This sad script again!

FRFRFRFRFROM OM OM OM OM THETHETHETHETHELIVE STLIVE STLIVE STLIVE STLIVE STAAAAAGEGEGEGEGE

with

Patrick-Jude Oteh

0803 700 0496, 0805 953 5215

(SMS only)

By Ikenna Emeka Okpani

Contd. on page 30

BOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEW

“The Niger Delta question is a liveissue which would continue to

agitate the mind of Nigerians evokingvarious passions and pity, fever andfantasy, seizures and succour and of

course pride and prejudices

With this book, you probablyneed no other in any form for thepurpose of understanding andappreciating the story of theNiger Delta.

Is it about what people havesaid about the crisis or about oil inNigeria or about the conflicts andintrigues? You have over onehundred pages of a dose of them.Is it about the rather phenomenal

has seemed to become a mantra.The significance of discussing theagenda lies in its Niger Deltacontent, part of which has led tothe creation of the Niger DeltaMinistry.

From there the author carriesthe journey to a crescendo with atypical glance at the Niger Deltaand the nationalities that make

“Now, Dana Air hashappened. We haveseen that all the talkabout search and

rescue, world classequipment etc justlike everything that

we do is all talk. Backto our question in

Woza Albert – whatkind of country isthis? I add what

manner ofshameless people

are these?

pray to God. Who are wedeceiving? Let the games goon and let us continue toupdate those familiar tragicscripts that we shamelesslyroll out with each tragedy. It ispathetic, sad and extremelypitiful. What manner of countryis this?

To the dead from Lagos,Bauchi and Ghana, onceagain, we are very sorry! Very,very sorry!


For the first time in thehistory of Nigeria, twolittle Nigerian children

artists will be dazzling thenation, the entire Africancontinent and the world withunprecedented massages to theNigerian and African childrenas well as their African leaders.The young artists Bushra (7years) and her sister Huda (5years) are releasing their UnityKids video album to the publicvery soon. The publicpresentation of this uniqueAlbum will be announced indue course.

The children have not onlyshown their own readiness tojoin the struggle to move thenation/continent forward fromtheir tender ages, but have,through their songs, preachedto their mates in particular andthe Nigerian/African people ingeneral the need to bepatriotically hopeful,positively inspired, obedientlysubmissive to constitutedauthorities, totally loyal totheir parents, even while

honouring and respecting theirteachers, elders and seniors,and above all thankful to Godfor their wonderful andbeloved families.

The album is made up ofNine (9) tracks with twointerviews, one from the twolittle children (at thebeginning) and the other fromtheir mother (at the end).Titles of the tracks are:

1) Nigeria is a PromisedLand

2) Our President, listen to us3) We are one4) Let’s make Africa great5) I believe in unity6) Little children7) So so precious8) Thank God for my family9) Save our futureThose who are interested in

promoting excellence inNigerian/African children andwish to encourage thesechildren can contact themthrough this medium or thecontacts on the scanned CDattached herewith.

There can be no doubt thatthe recognition of the efforts ofthese children will surely

PEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OF

THE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEK

The grey birds thronged thesky, swift and silent, belying

the chaos to unfold.

All the while, a silent hushmirrored the heavens, thevillage bursting with the tale

yet untold.

Finally, silent teardrops meetthe bloodstained earth,stroking her contours.

But it turns into a violentlover, pounding and crushing

with incessant showers.

A panicked mother wails outloud and runs among

dwellings burned to theground.

Searching frantically undercharred remains and there

she found,

The girl child, whose cry splitthe harsh beauty of the wax-

like carnage beneath herfeet?

In the village centre peacefulblack bodies lay strewn

belying the terror of minutes

Past. With intense fervor, thestill black rebels had slashed

with murderous savageryand exploding pain.

The onslaught caught thevillage unawares, now beingerased by the deluge of rain.

The people’s hearts bled.The land wept but covered

up the gore, to tell a lie.

Enduringly, the earth shifted,and spoke her healing,

resilient words under the nowazure sky.

Unspoiled richness, theycame to say

It was, after all, just anordinary day.

Title: An ordinary dayBy Khalthum Umaru

There is something that is muchmore scarce, something rarerthan ability. It is the ability torecognize ability.–– Robert Half

QQQQQUOUOUOUOUOTETETETETE

Unity Kids debut in AbujaBy Muhammad Ajah

invigorate them to render moreservices to their father land(Nigeria and Africa) andhumanity in a more guided,dedicated and inspirited

manner.Muhammad Ajah is an

author, based in Abuja. [email protected]

up the entity, thereby giving thestory a twist that flaunts the bloodand flesh of the delta. Thediscussion in a subtle waypresents an inference that israther poignant vis-à-vis thedestruction that has led to theerosion of not only the culturalheritage of a people but their veryvine of existence in a manner thatevokes pity. The hidden suasion

in that particular chapter is thefact that what would havenaturally been a blessing of Godhas led to the curse of the people.

Elevating the journey to afever peach, Mr. Ajah descendson the struggles yanking out thestrugglers in a most benignmanner devoid of the usualjudgemental approach.

At this point, the journey hasbecome rather a roller coaster one

as it anchors at the Bakassi baydiscussing the Nigeria Cameroonjinx – a breaking event, if youlike, and how a people and thetotality of what they representwere sacrifices on the altar ofinternational diplomacy andstatesmanship in a subtly bizarreway. The consequences of theevent and the oil or local contentof it, if you don’t mind, areunearthed.

This is closely followed with anx-ray of the fall out of oilprospecting in the delta –gangstarism, joblessness, youthrestiveness, the all enticingkidnapping business, extendedpoverty and prostitution,hawking and child abuse and ofcourse the high cost of living evenin very rural communities.

The trip round the delta doesnot end there as it takes you tothe efforts of the FederalGovernment at solving the issuesof development in the regionthrough the creation of manycommissions and setting up ofvarious programmes. It touchesdown on the efforts of governorsin the recent past and the petprojects of their beautiful wivestowards that end.

In a form that makes itcomplete as a book on the NigerDelta, the author discusses thestands at various positions of themany pan Niger Deltaorganisations and theirdetractors, if you don’t mind.

To acquaint you with theterminologies that have come todefine the Niger Delta strugglesa section of the book wasdedicated to unravel many ofthem. The book moves aheadwith a compendium of quotes andstatements by Nigerians fromvarious works of life on the NigerDelta question.

The Niger Delta question is alive issue which would continue

to agitate the mind of Nigeriansevoking various passions andpity, fever and fantasy, seizuresand succour and of course prideand prejudices.

What Ajah’s book does is topresent them with cutting edgeresearch.

However, one observed defectof the book is that of a collection offacts and figures presented in amanner that is not too coercive.It may well be that the book wasa contribution in a contest for thebiggest books on the earth, but ifnot, how does one explain theexistence of chapters that do notcontribute in any way to thedevelopment of the story of thebook . Such content like the pastleaders, some inauguralspeeches, the listing of someformer governors as strugglers inthe battle for the delta, the heavydose of quotations from variouspeople, the pictures of past Headsof State and current leaders of theFederal Legislature have noadditional impact on the book.

Others include the verbatimreproduction of communiqués ofvarious meetings of groups on theNiger Delta which bearsimilarity to one another and ofcourse the inclusion of thebudgets of States of the federation.

In the overall assessment, thebook is a quality onerecommended for all researchersand students, politicians and allNigerians as well as theinternational community. Mr.Ajah has succeeded in adding tothe literature of the delta in thismajor book. It would be difficultto find any book that is morecomprehensive like this by Mr.Ajah on the Niger Delta. I standto be corrected.Ikenna Emeka Okpani is theHead of Media andPublication, Nigerian Societyof Engineers

Nigeria Question: The Price of Niger Delta Oil MoneyContd. from page 29

The book back cover


The mythof MullahOmar

A decade of the US-led NATOwar against the AfghanTaliban has done little to

erode the influence of one of themovement's most powerfulsymbols: the one-eyed, deeplysecretive spiritual leader,Mullah Omar.

The killing of Osama binLaden in May 2011 greatlyundermined the global reachand reputation of al-Qaeda.Despite battlefield victories anda $10m reward, the samesuccess has eluded allied forcesin their hunt for the shadowyleader of the Taliban.

Never seen and barely heardby most Afghans during his five-year rule, Omar was little morethan an ever-increasiing myth.The perpetuation of that mythtoday is considered by many anagging failure of NATO and auniting factor for the Taliban.

The grinding corruptionwithin the government ofPresident Hamid Karzai has ledAfghans in parts of the countryto whisper his name andreputation for righteousness.

"No matter how much moneywe pour in, how hard I try, thesepeople will stand by MullahOmar for his perceived justice,"one senior official in Kandaharrecalled telling an Americangeneral.

"They say the Talibancleaned up this place [Kandahar]from vice; from dog-fighting andbird-fighting and sodomy."

The rise of Mullah Omar isshrouded in mystery, butlegends about him areeverywhere.

According to one account, inthe heat of the war against theSoviet Union, Omar continuedfighting after shrapnel struckhis right eye.

The pillaging and chaos thatfollowed the Soviet withdrawaltried his patience, it is said, andthe raping of a group of travelersby a local warlord in Kandaharled him to gather theultraconservative force thatbecame the Taliban.

Another account claims hewas visited in a dream by theProphet Mohammed, whorevealed that Mullah Omarshould lead the country out ofchaos.

"Mullah Omar was a nobody,except for some brief glory fromthe anti-Soviet days," said OmarSharifi, an Afghananthropologist and historianwho has been a close observer ofthe Taliban from their earlydays.

"He was the most obscurecharacter on the Kandaharpolitical map. The invoking of anold myth was what helped himestablish legitimacy."

To formally announce hisleadership in 1996, MullahOmar, then 36 years old,brought forth the purportedcloak of the Prophet Mahammad(PBUH), one of Afghanistan'smost cherished Islamic relics.

For the first time since thereign of Ahmad Shah Abdalimore than 250 years before,Omar donned the cloak in thepresence of about 1,500 religiousleaders, including the lateOsama bin Laden.

"Wearing the cloak was amasterstroke," Sharifi said,adding that it linked the ex-guerrilla fighter to both Abdaliand the Prophet.

But Wahid Muzhda, anAfghan analyst and one-timehigh-ranking official in theTaliban foreign ministry,disputes that narrative.

"From what I know, fromsources close to Omar, and froma chat with the keeper of theshrine [where the cloak is kept],Omar did not wear the cloak."

"With great respect, he heldthe cloak in front of the religiousleaders gathered for allegiance."

This gesture, more than anyother, was the impetus thatallowed Mullah Omar, withoutany deep political or tribal base,to become the iron-fisted ruler ofabout 90 per cent of Afghanistanuntil the US invasion in 2001.

Perhaps his official title putit best: Commander of theFaithful, Emir of the IslamicEmirate of Afghanistan.

There is no consensus aboutthe birth of the Talibanmovement, or the hands behindit. Many, like Muzhda, believethe movement grew in responseto the chaos following Sovietwithdrawal. Backing from ISI,the Pakistani intelligenceagency, came later, when theysaw the movement's potential,he said.

But others, like Sharifi,question that theory. The design

for a movement like the Talibanexisted long before Mullah Omarwas picked as its chief, he said.

Sharifi explained that thepower vacuum and socialanarchy of the 1990s gave theTaliban and its leader amomentous rise - even past theexpectations of their allegedbenefactor, the ISI.

"How do you create amovement in a tribal societythat goes beyond the deeplyrooted tensions between tribes?"Sharifi asked. "Throughreligious zeal, and throughcharisma of leadership. MullahOmar had that charisma in hispower of delivery."

Such "charisma" was tightlycontrolled, some say by hisalmost complete absence fromthe public realm.

The spiritual leader of theTaliban received his onlyeducation at a seminary inPakistan, according to somereports. Others suggest he waseducated in local religious schoolsin Kandahar. Sharifi believesMullah Omar did not have thecapacity to sustain the myth thatsurrounded him.

Emal Pasarly, an Afghanjournalist with BBC Pashto, hasinterviewed Mullah Omar threetimes by phone in four- or five-minute conversations that wererecorded on the spot without priorarrangement. The last suchconversation took place late in2001, after US B-52 bombers hadstarted pounding Taliban-controlled areas.

"The impression I was left withis that he either does not

ANALYSIS

understand the nuances of issues,or that he is too smart and doesnot want to give clues on his innerthoughts," Pasarly recalled.

Poet Bari Jahani remembersvisiting Mullah Omar office witha delegation of Afghan academicsand activists in the early days ofTaliban rule. The room wherethey gathered was dark andwindowless.

"Everybody was giving himpraises; that he has a good system,that he has brought security,"Jahani recalled. By his account,the mullah was "tall andhandsome" and listened in quiet.

"When it was my turn, I said, 'Iam sorry, most of what I have [tosay] is bitter.'"

Jahani said he informedMullah Omar about thediscontent he perceived frompeople on trips to Kabul andJalalabad about the strictreligious measures imposed uponthe country.

"Mullah Omar stared andstared and stared. Eventually,when I gave him the chance torespond, he stood up, hugged me,said 'God be with you' and left. Thatwas it."

If the leader was vague andmysterious, the mandates of theTaliban were not.

Women were prohibited fromschool and work. Television setswere outlawed. Photography wasbanned. Artists were threatenedwith imprisonment if they daredindulge in visual creation.

The Taliban also bannedmusic. Travellers crossing theTorkham border from Pakistanwere greeted by broken

Mullah Umar

instruments strung from a tree.In the dearth of media, Mullah

Omar became synonymous withhis "sayings" beamed out on RadioVoice of Sharia, the only localbroadcast service under theTaliban government.

But the mullah never spoke onVoice of Sharia; it was renownedanchor Sangar Niazai who read outthe brief "sayings of theCommander of the Faithful".

The day the Taliban capturedKabul, Niazai was one of only twowho showed up for work at theradio station. The rest of the staffstayed home in fear.

"On my own initiative, I satbehind the microphone and recitedpatriotic poems," Niazai said. "Therest of the broadcast we filled withbrief messages about the change ofregime, and patriotic songs. Therewas no Taliban policy yet."

In the days that followed,Niazai's deep, "mountainous" voicefuelled the image of Mullah Omaras a larger-than-life figure. MullahIshaq Nizami, who was then thenewly appointed director generalof radio, recited the moreimportant messages.

"The director general was soenthusiastic that he wanted to readthe news and the sayings in themorning, at noon, and also in theevening," Niazai recalled. "Wetold him this is not your job. Youare the director. We, theanchors, are supposed to bereading the news."

It is believed that MullahOmar slipped into Pakistan afterthe US invaded in 2001. SomeUS and Afghan reports placehim in Karachi. He has issuedseveral recorded and writtenmessages from undisclosedlocations over recent years.

Believed to be 52 years old,he remains at large; credibleinformation about him is scarce.Even some of the grainy imagesof him that have circulated inthe past near-decade have beendisputed.

Mullah Omar may likelynever come public, Sharifi hassaid, because the man couldnever match the myth.

Source: Aljazeera.com

“The spiritual leader of the Taliban received his onlyeducation at a seminary in Pakistan, according tosome reports. Others suggest he was educated in

local religious schools in Kandahar. Sharifi believesMullah Omar did not have the capacity to sustain

the myth that surrounded him.


Scores arrested after Tunis art riots

At least 86 people have beenarrested after SalafiMuslims and others

clashed with police in Tunis overan art exhibition many sayinsults Islam.

Protesters blocked streets andset tyres alight on Mondaynight in the working classEttadamen and Sidi Husseindistricts of the capital, hurling

The protesters set fire to part of a courthouse during their overnight fighting with police [AFP]

19th AUsummitshifted toAddis Ababa

The 19th summit of theAfrican Union (AU) earlierscheduled to take place in

Lilongwe, Malawi between the 9thand 16th of July, 2012, has beenshifted to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

According to a statementreleased by the AU’s Directorate ofInformation and Communication,the summit, themed “BoostingIntra-African Trade” will still holdon the earlier dates.

“Journalists are informed thatthe 19th Ordinary Session of theSummit of the African Union,which was initially scheduled totake place in Lilongwe, Malawi, isnow taking place in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. The dates for the summitremain unchanged, i.e. 9-16 July2012,” the statement said.

The AU did not however giveany reasons for the change ofvenue.

According to the release, the24th Ordinary Session of thePermanent RepresentativesCommittee (PRC) will hold between9th and 10th July 2012.

The 21st Ordinary Session of theExecutive Council will holdbetween the 12th and 13th of July2012 while 19th Ordinary Sessionof the Assembly of the African Unionwill commence on 15th and end on16th July, 2012.

petrol bombs at police in someof the worst confrontations thecity has seen since last year'srevolt.

An Interior Ministry officialtold the Reuters news agencythat 86 people had beendetained overnight and sevenmembers of the security forceshad been wounded as they triedto quell the rioting by using

tear gas and firing into the air.By morning, protests had

spread to a number ofresidential districts, with youngmen preventing trams frompassing through the Intilaqadistrict of the capital, whereshops remained closed. Therewas evidence of looting in someareas, where shop windows weresmashed.

ECOWAS Parliament, IPU unite against child trafficking and labour

The Speaker of ECOWASParliament, Senator IkeEkweremadu has called for

concerted efforts amongnational and regionalparliaments to combat themenaces of child trafficking andchild labour.

Senator Ekweremadu madethe call at the opening of aregional seminar themed"Joining the Initiatives andExperiences of NationalParliaments for EffectiveCampaign against ChildTrafficking and Labour" hostedin Abuja for national andregional parliamentarians ofWest Africa.

Speaking during the jointseminar by the ECOWAS

Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), theSahel and West Africa Club andOrganisation for EconomicCooperation and Development,Senator Ekweremadu describedchild trafficking and child labouras two sides of an ugly coin.

According to a release signedby the Special Adviser (Media)to the Senator Ekweremadu,Uche Anichukwu, the Senatorraised an alarm over thenumber of children between 5-14 years trapped in child labourglobally which he said the UnitedNations International ChildrenEmergency Fund (UNICEF) putat about 250 million.

He warned that the menaceof child trafficking and labourwere realities and portendedgrave danger to not only the

MuslimBrotherhoodurged to sharepower inEgypt

The head of the TunisianIslamist party and thebrains behind a successful

transitional coalition with twosecuralist parties has flown toCairo to persuade the MuslimBrotherhood in Egypt to sharepower.

The trip by Sheikh RachidGhannouchi, the head ofEnnahda, comes as Dr MohamedMorsi, the Brotherhood'scandidate, is poised to win thesecond round of the Egyptianpresidential elections thisweekend - head-to-head againstAhmed Shafiq, the last primeminister of the Mubarak regime.But the Tunisian Islamists arewarning Morsi it would be ahuge mistake to take the lion'sshare of the political spoils.

The clashes came a day aftera group of Salafis, who follow astrictly conservativeinterpretation of Islam, forcedtheir way into an art exhibitionin the upscale La Marsa suburband defaced works they deemedoffensive.

The work that appears tohave caused the most fury andpolarised Tunisians spelt out thename of God using insects.

It was the latest incident in aseries of confrontations betweenhardline Salafis and moresecular state and civilinstitutions, includinguniversities, which have flaredover the past year in Tunisia.

"These artists are attackingIslam and this is not new. Islamis targeted," said a youth, whogave his name as Ali and waspreparing to confront police inEttadamen.

"What has added fuel to theflames is the silence of thegovernment, which has taken nodecision," said Ali, who did not

describe himself as a Salafi.In a statement released before

the protests, Ennahda, themoderate Islamist party thatnow leads the government,condemned what it described asprovocations and insults againstreligion but urged its ownsupporters to respond peacefully.

future of the young ones, butthat of West Africa as a sub-region if not urgently tackledwith vigour.

The Speaker who is also theDeputy President of theNigerian Senate said while itwas true that several MemberStates of the ECOWASParliament had passed one formof legislation prohibiting thescourge, the sub-region neededa coordinated and regional basedapproach towards ending theugly phenomenon since childtrafficking and labour thrive asinternational syndicates.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU hasreassured of its commitment tochampioning the legislativeinterventions and partnershipsneeded to checkmate the twin

Burkina Faso grants amnesty to President Blaise Compaore

The Burkinabe parliamentgranted amnesty toPresident Blaise Compaore,

who came to power in a 1987coup, and to his predecessors in

Burkina Faso's parliament has granted immunity from prosecu-tion to President Blaise Compaore who came to power in a coup in1987, and to all previous heads of state since the West Africannation became independent from France in 1960.

the top job.The immunity from

prosecution covers all heads ofstate since Burkina Faso gainedindependence from France in

1960.It will affect former leaders

Saye Zerbo, in power from 1980-82, and Jean-BaptisteOuedraogo, who served from1982-83, as well as to the 60-year-old Compaore. All threecame to power following coups.

Among other measuresadopted by the deputies was theintroduction nest year of a"moderating" upper houseSenate, said Jerome Bougouma,the minister for territorialadministration.

The parliament also decidedto set upper and lower age limitsfor presidential candidates --they can be from 35 to 75 yearsold.

The opposition boycotted thevote, arguing that the reformsare devised "mainly to helpPresident Blaise Compaore tomaintain power."

The constitutional reformswere proposed last year by aconsultative council puttogether by Compaore afterpopular protests and mutiniesagainst his regime sprang up.

The rural country is one ofthe poorest in the world, withnearly half of its 16 millionpopulation living in poverty.

Protests first broke out inFebruary over high food prices,unemployment, rising costs andlooting by troops. Soldiers andparamilitary police joined in inApril, going on the rampage inseveral towns.

The political reform groupdid not agree to a proposal toallow Compaore to seek a freshmandate in 2015.

That idea, backed by hisparty, faces wide opposition inthe impoverished west Africannation.

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem evil of child trafficking andlabour.

The Secretary-General of theGeneva-based organisation, Mr.Anders Jonhsson, gave theassurances while speaking at theopening of the seminar.

The Secretary-General whowas represented by Mr. MartinsChungung urged global effortsat stamping out the scourge. Hesaid the IPU would continue topartner with national andregional legislative bodies toensure the safety of children andgood governance.

Also speaking, the Presidentof the Pan-African Parliament,Hon. Bethel Amadi said economicintegration remained a reliableand easy way of stemming theevils of child-trafficking andlabour.


China remains target of US sanctions on IranThe United States has

granted exemptions fromtough, new sanctions on

Iran's oil trade to seven moreeconomies, leaving China the lastremaining major importerexposed to possible penalties atthe end of the month.

Washington gave waivers toIndia, South Korea, Turkey andfour other countries in return forsignificantly cutting theirpurchases of Iranian oil,

Some believe Obama wants to appear tough with China ahead of the US presidential election[EPA]

Secretary of State HillaryClinton said on Monday.

China, which alone buys asmuch as a fifth of Iran's crudeexports, and Singapore, wheremuch of the country's fuel oil isblended, did not receive suchwaivers, ramping up pressureon two important US tradepartners in Asia.

The sanctions, which theUnited States may imposestarting on June 28, are

Washington's most aggressivemeasures yet to force Iran toreveal its nuclear programme.

The United States and theEuropean Union believe Iran istrying to enrich enoughuranium to build a nuclearweapon, while Tehran says theprogramme is strictly forcivilian purposes, primarily tocreate medical isotopes for use inprocedures such as x-rays.

Beyond the 27-country EU,

which has banned Iranianimports from July underseparate sanctions, other buyersof Iran's crude have pledged tocut purchases by up to a fifth.

"By reducing Iran's oil sales,we are sending a decisivemessage to Iran's leaders: untilthey take concrete actions tosatisfy the concerns of theinternational community, theywill continue to face increasingisolation and pressure," Clinton

said in a statement.She is hosting talks with

ministers from India and SouthKorea, Iran's second- and fourth-largest oil buyers, this week inWashington.

Geng Shuang, a spokesmanfor the Chinese embassy inWashington, said hisgovernment "opposes unilateralsanctions imposed by one countryon others". He added that Chinawill push for a diplomatic solutionto the Iran nuclear issue throughnegotiations.

South Africa, Taiwan,Malaysia and Sri Lanka will alsobe exempt from the sanctions,Clinton said. Japan and 10 EUcountries had been grantedexceptions in March.

Yemeni army drives fighters from Zinjibar

The Yemeni army hasdriven fighters associatedwith al-Qaeda from the

key southern city of Zinjibar, ahard-fought objective that theyhad contested for a year.

Fighters calling themselvesAnsar al-Sharia, or Supportersof Islamic Law, had occupiedparts of Abyan province as wellas Zinjibar, its capital, since thespring of 2011. The fighters,who are thought to be tied to al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen,declared the area an Islamicemirate.

But yesterday, thegovernment pushed the fightersout of both Zinjibar and Jaar, a

nearby town, during a fightthat inflicted casualties on bothsides.

Five soldiers were woundedafter hitting landmines inZinjibar, a military official toldthe AFP news agency.

The state-run SABA newsagency said troops swept intoJaar early on Tuesday, sparkingfierce clashes and forcingfighters to flee towards anotherQaeda stronghold, the southerncoastal town of Shaqra.

The fighters had controlledJaar, like Zinjibar, for more thana year.

Clashes in the town betweenthe two sides had left 28 dead,

two of them soldiers, militaryand local officials said onMonday. The fighters hadoccupied an army-ownedmunitions factory in the town.

Locals said they saw vehiclescarrying armed men, weaponsand furniture heading easttowards Shaqra. Fighting thereover the past day has left eightfighters dead, a military officialsaid.

The fighters distributedpamphlets in the townapologising to residents fordragging Jaar into a conflictwith the army and for thedamage caused by the fighting,according to locals.

Yemeni forces launched an all-out offensive on May 12 to reclaim towns and cities lost to Ansaral-Sharia [Reuters]

Pakistan probefinds ex-envoy‘wrote memo’

A judicial investigationhas concluded that thecountry's former

ambassador to the US did writea letter to American officialsseeking their help in reiningin country's powerfulmilitary, Pakistani state TVand an opposition leader said.

The investigation resultcould lead to treason chargesagainst Husain Haqqani, andpossibly add to pressures onPresident Asif Ali Zardari.

Zardari himself could bethreatened if any evidencesurfaces showing he ordered,or knew of, the memo.

Haqqani has denied anyrole in the affair and said thecommission report was"political and one-sided".

The former envoy, whoresigned from his post after thescandal broke, said that hislawyers would be challengingthe commission's proceedings.

The commission wasinvestigating politicallyexplosive allegations thatHaqqani sought US assistancelast year in warding off analleged military coup in theaftermath of the US raid thatkilled Osama bin Laden.

The scandal pitted theweak civilian governmentagainst the army, and drew inother the feuding powerbrokers in Pakistan - theSupreme Court, the oppositionand the media.

The accusations werebrought to light by ManzoorIjaz, an Americanbusinessman of Pakistanidecent with a history ofmaking unsubstantiatedallegations.

The report was read out incourt and is due to be releasedlater on Tuesday.

Opposition legislatorKhwaja Asif said theinvestigation concludedHaqqani tried to underminePakistan's constitution andwas not "loyal to the state".

Retired Justice NasiraJaved said the commission wasworking on orders from theSupreme Court and said thatcriminal proceedings againstHaqqani on treason chargescould now begin.

Supporters of Haqqani andthe government accuse theSupreme Court and the armyof working against Zardari andthe political party he heads.

Shelling inHoms asUN warns ofescalationDistricts of the Syrian city

of Homs have come underrenewed attack from

government forces, withactivists reporting heavyshelling as the United Nationswarned of a recent escalation inviolence.

Residents of the Khalidiyadistrict told Al Jazeera onTuesday that they had beentrapped in their homes for thelast three days withoutelectricity or water. Otherneighbourhoods were reportedlytargeted as well, and videos fromthe city, long a rebel stronghold,showed explosions in built-upareas.

Abo al-Barra, a doctor inHoms, told Al Jazeera that thereare wounded civilians in need ofevacuation. "They are severelyinjured," he said. "The womenare badly injured, there areserious injuries."

The Associated Press newsagency, meanwhile, reportedheavy fighting in the easterncity of Deir Az Zour, whereactivists said at least 10 peoplewere killed by artillery fire fromthe Syrian army. Amateurvideo of the attack showed deadpeople in a street as survivorsscreamed in panic and tried toremove their bodies.

The violence comes asPresident Bashar al-Assad'sgovernment faces mountinginternational pressure overbrutal tactics against theopposition, with the UNreporting witnesses describingthe use of children as humanshields. The UN report releasedon Monday also said childrenhad been victims of detention,torture and sexual violence.

"The secretary-generalexpresses his deep concern at thedangerous intensification ofarmed violence across Syria overthe past several days, and thegrave danger facing civilians inareas under fire," Ban Ki-moon'soffice said in a statement. "Thebloodshed and fighting must stopat once."


Thousands in Moscowmarch against Putin

Critics say Putin has moved to tighten restrictions on freedom of expression since his re-election[Reuters]

As many as 100,000Russians have marchedagainst President

Vladimir Putin's return to theKremlin for a third term, citypolice said.

The Moscow policedepartment said yesterday thatup to 18,000 people had set offon a demonstrations that was dueto conclude with a mass rallyagainst Putin's rule. Organisersput the figure at about 100,000,as protests swelled well beyondthe limit of 50,000 people.

The protests come one dayafter Russian police raided thehomes of prominent critics ofPutin, who was elected toanother six-year term of office inMarch, having served as primeminister since his first two termsof office ended in 2008.

Monday's early morning

raids, carried out by policearmed with assault rifles,appeared to signal a shift in tonein dealing with protests as Putinstarts his new six-year term.

Despite the raids, Al Jazeera'sRory Challands, reporting fromMoscow, said the crowdsrepresenting the variouspolitical groups in the nation,remained united in theiropposition to Vladimir Putin.

The speakers on stage urgedthe crowd "to carry on anothersummer of protests. In Occupy-style actions", as Putin hasalready started his third term aspresident of Russia, ourcorrespondent said.

One demonstrator told ourcorrespondent that the post-election mood is different.

"Before when we were goingto the rallies, we were worried

because of the illegitimateelections and we requested a newvote. Now we realise thisillegitimate authority is makingdecisions which break all therules."

Though the president todaycame out in a "conciliatory tone",saying the demonstrations weresigns of a healthy democracy,and that he wanted to engage indialgoue with the nation's manypolitical groups, ourcorrespondent said for themasses gathered in the capitaltoday, Putin's actions belie hiswords.

On Friday the presidentsigned a law that increased finesfor violations of public order atstreet demonstrations, ignoringwarnings from his human rightscouncil that it wasunconstitutional. Opponents

said the law was an attempt tosilence dissent.

The new law increases finesfor protests to as much as300,000 roubles ($9,200) forparticipants and one millionroubles ($30,600) for organisers- almost equivalent to Russia'saverage annual salary.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, oneman said "The laws that arebeing adopted now are beingmade by people who don't loveour country, our children, orthemselves. And the point ofwhat is going on here is to stopthese people."

Officers beat down the doorsof Alexei Navalny, theincreasingly popular anti-corruption blogger, as well asKsenya Sobchak, a mediacelebrity and more recent Putincritic.

Cuban boxing great,Teofilo Stevenson, dies

Cuban heavyweight boxinggreat Teofilo Stevenson,who won three Olympic

gold medals, has died of a heartattack at the age of 60, accordingto Cuban state media reports.

"The Cuban sporting familywas moved today by the passingof one of the greatest of all time,"said a statement read on the newson Monday night.

Stevenson was born on March 29,1952, to a family of modest means, inLas Tunas province in eastern Cuba.

He fought in his first match at theage of 14, and two years later won hisfirst international title in the CentralAmerican and Caribbeanchampionship.

Known affectionately on the islandby the nickname "Pirolo", Stevensonwas famous for his punishing right,

He refused an offer of $5m from promoters to fight MohammadAli, then World Heavyweight Champion [Reuters]

polished technique, deft hand andfootwork, and his sportsmanship.

Considered by some to be the mostaccomplished amateur boxer inhistory, Stevenson first won gold in1972 in Munich and followed that upin 1976 at Montreal.

In 1980, he won his third Olympictitle in Moscow, becoming the secondboxer to win gold at three separategames after Hungarian Lazlo Papp.

Felix Savon, Stevenson'scountryman, accomplished the featin 2000.

He refused an offer of $5m fromUS boxing promoters to turnprofessional and fight MohammadAli, then heavyweightchampion of the world,reportedly saying "what is $1mcompared to the love of 8 millionCubans"?

Chavez rallies supportersin re-election bidHugo Chavez has led his

biggest rally since he wasdiagnosed with cancer a

year ago, seeking to stage a showof strength as he heads into a re-election campaign to extend his13 years of socialist rule.

The Venezuelan presidentstood on top of a lorry in Caracasas it drove through huge crowdsof supporters who cheered andthrew roses and confetti as hemade a dramatic re-entry intothe public eye after months ofkeeping a low profile duringcancer treatment.

The 57-year-old Chavez, aformer army paratroopcommander first elected in 1998,is seeking another six-year termin the October 7 presidentialvote.

The rally in the Venezuelancapital was all the moreimportant after his oppositionrival, Henrique Capriles, put ona show of youthful vigour onSunday by leading a 10kmmarch with hundreds ofthousands of supporters toregister his candidacy.

"I give this to you with apromise to fight, to battle, and ofcourse to win," Chavez said as hehanded electoral officials his planfor government.

Chavez had entered thebuilding appearing to walk withsome difficulty, hand in handwith two of his daughters.

Outside, several giantinflatable Chavez dolls waved

their arms above the crowd as thepresident's fans danced to musicpounding from speakers.Hundreds of buses that ferried hisfollowers to Caracas stood parkedin side streets.

Turkey to allow Kurdish lessons in schools

Turkey has announced plansto allow schools to teach theKurdish language as an

elective subject, a step aimed atreconciliation that Kurdishminority activists argue does notgo far enough.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan , theTurkish prime minister, told hisruling party members inparliament on Tuesday that if"enough students come together,Kurdish can be taken as anelective lesson, it will be taughtand it will be learned''.

Erdogan told parliament themeasure was "a historic step".

The government is trying tostop decades of fighting withKurdish fighters seekingautonomy in the largely Kurdishsoutheast.

The teaching of Kurdish haslong been banned in schools onthe grounds that it could dividethe country along ethnic lines.

In recent years Justice andDevelopment Party (AKP)

government has adopted a softerapproach, permitting Kurdish-language institutes and privatecourses as well as Kurdishlanguage television broadcasts.

However, it is the first time

Turkish public schools will be ableto offer Kurdish language coursesat a time the government hasfaced criticism for dragging itsfeet on its so-called Kurdishinitiative.

Erdogan said his government would allow elective Kurdish-lan-guage lessons along with some other dialects [AFP]


Woman, 24, admits leaving one-year-old to drown in a bathwhile she spent 45 minutes drinking with a neighbour·Danielle Reeves from Caterham, Surrey accepted she consumed some wine but ‘wasn’t drunk’·Emergency services were called to a house in September last year after the boy was found lifeless

Trial: She initially denied the allegations against her but admitted she was to blame when she appearedin the dock at Guildford Crown Court

Danielle Reeves, 24, fromCaterham, Surrey acceptedshe consumed some wine butsaid she 'wasn't drunk'

A woman has admittedletting a toddler drown ina bath by leaving him

alone while she had a 45-minutedrink with a friend.

Danielle Reeves, 24, hadbeen looking after the one-year-old boy at a house in Surrey.

She admitted a charge ofmanslaughter afterdramatically changing her pleawhen she appeared before a judgeat Guildford Crown Court.

Her voice trembled as she

stated 'guilty' after her barristerhad asked for the charge to beput to her again.

The judge ordered reports tobe compiled on Reeves by theProbation Service and apsychiatrist before he sentencesher later this summer.

Emergency services werecalled to a house in Septemberlast year after the boy was foundlifeless in the water.

Police arrested the defendantamid suspicions she had been

drinking at the time.She initially denied the

allegations against her butadmitted she was to blame whenshe appeared in the dock.

Judge Christopher Critchlowwas briefly told that Reeves wasmaking her admission on thebasis that she had left theyoungster for around three-quarters of an hour and had beentalking to a neighbour and thatthe boy was just out of sight.

She also accepted she

consumed some wine but 'wasn'tdrunk.'

The guilt was on the basis of'gross negligence,' the court wastold.

Aisling Byrnes, defending,asked for sentencing to beadjourned and urged JudgeCritchlow to release her client onbail again in the meantime.

'She has attended court todayin full knowledge that she wasgoing to enter a plea to thisserious charge,' she said.

'She's aware that a sentencefor a case such as this is likely tobe a sentence of immediateimprisonment.'

She added that her client'sappointments with probationersand psychiatrists would bemuch easier to carry out on bailrather than in prison.

Judge Critchlow agreed topostpone the sentencing and toldthe defence and prosecutingcounsel, Ruby Selva, that hewould deal with the matter onJuly 30.

He re-admitted Reeves, ofStirling Drive, Caterham,Surrey, to bail on the sameconditions as previously - a nighttime curfew, electronic taggingand that she does not go within400 metres of a specific address

in Redhill, Surrey or contact orattempt to contact prosecutionwitnesses.

He added a furtherrequirement, that she complywith the Probation Service inpreparing the report

Disabled girl, 16, found starved down to 23 pounds by her mother fourmonths after social services received first emergency call

A 16-year-old girl withcerebral palsy weighedonly 23lbs and could not

walk or talk when she was removedfrom her family home after beingstarved by her mother.

Darlene Armstrong measuredjust 3'10'' tall when she was rushedto hospital in Chicago in March.

The severely disabled girl couldhave been rescued four monthsearlier if the Illinois Department ofChildren and Family Services(DCFS) had followed set procedures,an investigation by the ChicagoTribune revealed.

Darlene's mother, RosettaHarris, 50, pleaded guilty toendangering the life of a child.

The mother, who had no priorcriminal record, was sentenced to18 months of probation and orderedto undergo parenting classes.

Doctors at the Comer Children'shospital said the girl, now 17, hadbeen starved for a considerableperiod of time.

When Darlene was brought tohospital she weighed only 23 lbs -just over one and a half stone - thetypical weight of a two or three-year-old child.

A shocking photo of Darlene inhospital shortly after she wasrescued was leaked to the press bylaw enforcement officials, as aninvestigation was launched intohow the social services dealt withthe case.

Hospital officials did not believethe mother's story that she fed herdaughter eggs and grits forbreakfast, steamed rice andchicken, chocolate protein drinksand snacks throughout the day.

On November 17 DCFS

received an anonymous emergencycall that Darlene Armstrong was notbeing fed and had not seen a doctorin 'many years'.

Under the agency's rules aninvestigator needs to respond to anemergency call within 24 hours,and, if they do not see the child onthe first visit, they are expected toreturn every day until they seethem.

An investigation by the ChicagoTribune revealed that aninvestigator into the case walkedaway from Darlene's home on threeoccasions without seeing the 16-year-old.

Starved: Darlene Armstrong, pictured here in hospital, weighedonly 23lbs and could not walk or talk when she was removed fromher family home after being starved by her mother. Lawenforcement officials leaked this picture to the media.

Guilty: Rosetta Harris wassentenced to 18 months ofprobation after pleading guilty toendangering the life of herdaughter, she told reporters shewas a 'good mother'

Crime scene: Rosetta Harris admitted that she didn't know thelast time her daughter had been outside or seen a doctor. This isthe suburban Chicago street where Harris starved the severelydisabled teenager

Although an investigator wentto the home within the required 24hours after receiving the hot-linecall she left after Harris' brother saidthe mother and daughter were notat home. The social worker left hercontact details at the home.

The same social workerreturned on January 3 and whenno-one answered the door, she left anote asking Harris to call. The samething happened on February 27.

It was not until a fourth visit,on March 14, that the social workergot into the home. Harris said herdaughter was not there but theinvestigator heard whimpering.

After Harris carried her skeletaldaughter out, the investigatorimmediately called 911.

'An investigation this badlyneglected is a failure of supervisionand management,' KendallMarlowe, a DCFS spokesman told

the MailOnline on Mondaymorning.

'We are taking appropriateactions to right that ship and ensurethis organization places the properpriority on child safety,' he added.

The Chicago Tribune alsorevealed that the investigator failedto look up the family's history withthe protection agency, as isrequired.

In 1996 the DCFS took one-year-old Darlene and her siblings intoprotective custody after anemergency call was made that thegirl was not being fed properly.

Three years later the childrenwere returned into their mother'scare.

Harris admitted to removingDarlene from special educationclasses in 2000 because she wantedher daughter to stay at home, theTribune reported.


Poisoned by plastic: Chemicals in waterbottles and food packaging have beenlinked to infertility and birth defects (I)

raising additional concerns aboutthe kinds of plastics that are usedas containers in microwaveovens.

So prevalent is BPA that testsby the U.S. Centers For DiseaseControl And Prevention in 2004found it in 93 per cent of urinesamples taken from a group of2,517 people.

Furthermore, a landmarkreport on BPA published in 2008by the U.S. National ToxicologyProgram concluded that therewere concerns over BPA’s effectson the brain, behaviour andprostate gland development infoetuses, infants and children. Italso found that because of the ratioof body weight to exposure, ‘thehighest estimated daily intake ofBisphenol A in the generalpopulation occurs in infants andchildren’.

This is because if a man of180lb and an infant weighing20lb ingested 5mg, the infantwould have taken in more of thesubstance than the man, relativeto their size.

One of the biggest concernsabout BPA and phthalates is thatthey act as what scientists call‘environmental oestrogens’, so-

When Juliette Scarfeinvites you to potterabout the kitchen of her

home in South London, you fail tonotice anything odd at first - andthen it dawns on you. It is acompletely plastic-free zone.

‘I won’t have it in my house, Iwon’t have it in my body and Idon’t want it anywhere nearanyone I love,’ she says. ‘It’s allaround us and it’s poisoning us.The problem is, we’ve all come totake it so much for granted thatwe just assume it’s safe. Well, itisn’t!’

Juliette is a 33-year-oldformer lawyer who gave up theprofession to launch Bare SkinBeauty, her own brand of organiccosmetics, earlier this year. She isalso one of a growing number ofpeople who are turning their backson plastic bottles, plastic-lined tincans and anything edible thatcomes in plastic packaging.

‘I hate plastic bags, I no longerdrink from plastic bottles and Iwon’t cook with, or store food in,any kind of plastic,’ she says.

Instead, you find cotton, juteor hemp shopping bags in herdrawers. In the fridge, her food isstored in glass, ceramic orterracotta containers. All hercooking utensils are made fromwood and her food processor ismade of glass.

‘I had to search for agesrecently to find a blender thatwasn’t made of plastic,’ she says.‘It took a while, but eventually Ifound a glass one.’

And Juliette isn’t some lonefanatic. Look around you andyou’ll see cyclists, joggers andpedestrians who would once havebeen seen clutching plastic bottlesof water now holding stainless steeland paper containers instead.

‘Our sales have doubled yearon year for the past three years,’says Neil Tomlinson, founder ofAquapax, which sells water indurable paper cartons. ‘Slowly,people are learning about what’sin plastic and they’re turningtheir backs on it.’

So, what exactly are thesepeople learning? And should youfollow their example?

During the past five years,public awareness has slowlygrown over concerns aboutcompounds in some plastic bottlesand food containers.

The compounds on whichmost concerns have focused areBisphenol A (known as BPA),which is used in toughpolycarbonate products and epoxyresins that line tin cans, and agroup of plastic softeners calledphthalates.

Research has shown that thesecompounds can leach fromplastics into the food and drinksthat we consume - more so if theyare heated to high temperatures,

What a load of rubbish: Consumers are gradually turning their backs on plastic because of healthconcerns.

called because they mimic thehormone in our bodies.

Minuscule amounts can makean impact and many studies havefound evidence that they affectthe development of foetuses in thewomb.

Scientists say thatenvironmental oestrogen can actas an ‘endocrine disrupter’, whichmeans it can affect sexualdevelopment, leading to breast,

prostate and testicular cancer,reduced levels of fertility, andundescended testes. In pollutedrivers, it has lead to fish andmolluscs actually changing sexfrom male to female. The problemis that not all studies have foundevidence of this at all.

Over the past few decades anestimated £150million has beenspent on research into BPA,resulting in the publication of

more than 5,000 papers - andscientists are still arguing overwhether or not it is harmful.

Professor Richard Sharpe of theMedical Research Council’s CentreFor Reproductive Health, a worldauthority on endocrinedisruptors, says there are realconcerns, but much of the mostdamning research could not beverified by other scientists.

‘Replicability is the guardianof scientific integrity,’ he says.‘But some of the most criticalexperiments simply could not berepeated.

‘The trouble is that some peoplehave been convinced that BPA isthe devil’s poison and responsiblefor all kinds of ills. When anyonesays their research does notconcur, they are accused of beingin the pay of the plastics industryor of using the wrong kind of micein their experiments.’

Such concerns also extend tophthalates - there are 25 differentkinds and several are alreadybanned in children’s toys in theEU and for certain types of foodpackaging.

Laboratory tests on rats andmice have found that some maleoffspring of females exposed tophthalates suffered birth defectsand sexual developmentproblems. But when largermammals were tested, the resultscould not be duplicated.

One fact that has been provenin tests in several developedcountries, including Denmarkand Israel, is that male fertilityrates have fallen by about a halfand rates of testicular cancerhave soared since the use of plasticsbecame widespread after WorldWar II. Is this a coincidence, orcause and effect?

Breast Cancer UK believessomething is clearly wrong. It wasat the forefront of a successfulcampaign to have baby-feedingbottles containing BPA banned inthe EU this year. Now it wantsthe ban extended.

‘We think there is enoughpeer-reviewed evidence againstBisphenol A and other chemicalsin plastics for the government totake a precautionary approachand ban them in any plastics thatcome into contact with food,’ saysClare Dimmer, the charity’schairwoman.

‘For the government’sNational Cancer Plan to beeffective, ministers must lookbeyond lifestyle choices as thecause of soaring cancer rates andconsider our routine exposure tochemicals like BPA.’

The problem if you want toavoid BPA and phthalates is thatyou probably can’t. They are allaround us, in compact discs, carparts, carpets, floor tiles,cosmetics - the list is endless. If yousee plastic that is soft and pliable,then it is because of phthalates.Have you ever noticed how a re-used water bottle becomes brittleover time? That is because thephthalates have leached out of it -and you have drunk them.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

“Scientists say that environmental oestrogen canact as an ‘endocrine disrupter’, which means it can

affect sexual development, leading to breast, prostateand testicular cancer, reduced levels of fertility, andundescended testes. In polluted rivers, it has lead tofish and molluscs actually changing sex from male tofemale. The problem is that not all studies have found

evidence of this at all What's the alternative? Daniella Hunter's children use stainlesssteel flasks


Rep Abbas Abdullahi Machika

There is no crisis in the CPC – says Rep

How would you scorethe administrationof President

Goodluck Jonathan in thelast one year?

As far as I’m concerned theexecutive has done nothing totackle the challenges thathave besieged this countryfrom the day PresidentGoodlock Jonathan was swornin as the president. If you lookat all the indices on theground, there is bitingpoverty in the land which isincreasing at a geometricalrate; there is stack insecuritythat is threatening theinternal structure ofgovernance and the society ingeneral. There are so manychallenges and on the otherhand there are very little orno effort at all that is beingmade by the executive arm inorder to tackle these issues. Sofor me, the administrationhas done nothing, rather weshould continue praying toGod Almighty for a change; achange that would affect ourpeople’s daily lives positively.

What are yourachievements so far as amember of the 7th

Assembly?I came into the Assembly

January this year; I metbudget deliberations going on.So after the budget waspassed, there is virtuallynothing that I have done apartfrom the normal legislativebusiness of oversight andpassage of some motions andbills. If you look at thecontents of the bill that arebeing passed by the 7th

Assembly, you would agreewith me that the parliamentis a very serious one; with re-engineering policies directionfor this country through theintervention of crediblelegislation by the House.Secondly I would comment onthe searchlight of thisparliament on theintervention on the petrolsubsidy crisis in which italigned itself with the peoplewhich led to the investigationof the sector, and a lot of thingswere uncovered.

Having passed that report,we now hope that theexecutive arm would execute

Rep Abbas Abdullahi Machika who represents Faskari/Kankara/Sabuwa Federal Constituencyof Katsina state in this interview with Umar Mohammed describes the ongoing leadership tusslein the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) as democracy at work insisting that thosepoliticians involved in the upheavals in the party are those seeking politicl relevance.

INTERVIEWthose resolutions. otherwisewe are heading for a coalisioncourse between the executiveand the legislature; because itis no longer a report as peoplekeep talking about on thepages of newspapers. Evenwith all due respect to some ofthe legal officers of thegovernment, it is no longer areport but the resolution of theHouse of Representatives. Sowe expect them to beimplemented in totality.

Your party the CPC isfacing internal crisis, whatdo you think should be doneto salvage the party?

What is happening in myparty is a positivedevelopment because the CPCis always the party to beat,because of its acceptance bythe majority of Nigerians. Ifyou look at the history ofpolitical party formation inNigeria, especially in a multi-party democracy like Nigeria,then you would appreciatethat one, CPC as a politicalparty was registered barelysix month to the generalelection, and in a countrywith over 70 million voters,with about 776 localgovernment areas, with atleast 10 wards in each local

“Some other people would say Buhari saidthis or that, but whatever Buhari said, he

is entitled to say it as a citizen of thiscountry that is governed by the

constitution and under democratic settingwhich guaranteed his freedom of speech

Government areas, with overone hundred thousand pollingunits, people shouldappreciate the effort it takesto make a membership drivefor a political party to cutacross the federation, giventhe geographic formula forelection victory that isentrenched in theconstitution as well as in theElectoral Act. Two, for partymembership drive accordingto Electoral Act, you now haveto go for the processes of partycongresses from the ward levelup to the National

Convention. If you look at allthese time line activities, youwould definitely give kudos tothe CPC for participating inthat election. The third thing

is that the CPC as a politicalparty, with not even a singleCouncillor in the country, wasable to produce a sittingGovernor in Nassarawa state,and a considerable number ofSenators and Members of theHouse of Representative, alsowith considerable numbers inthe state Assemblies acrossthe country.

I don’t think there is apolitical party in the entireAfrican continent that canmeasure up with theseachievements that the CPC asa party has achieved in a

shortest possible period of time.So all these talk about thecrisis in the CPC, they fail tolook at the other side of it.What is happening in myparty is not crisis, no. It ismulti-party democracy inaction, our party allows peopleto voice out their dissent andin resolving that dissent, otherdissenting voices and opinionwould emerge. What we do isto look at the constitution ofthe country, the party’sconstitution, and the ElectoralAct. These are the threefundamental differences thatgovern multi-partydemocracy in Nigeria. Youcannot stop somebody fromsaying no I disagree with thisor that, or I don’t want thisperson to be my NationalLeader. So all these crisis aremanifestation of fewindividuals who, when theybecame irrelevant, would justdust off their papers and comeout to say that they are theNational leaders of the CPC;that is not how it is done.Anybody can just move toAbuja, secure an office or hotelaccommodation and hire un-employed youths and say thathe is this and that. No, youhave to follow through dueprocess; through properconvention, approved and

supervised by the relevantauthorities.

All these people that areclaiming to be the nationalofficials of the party are noteven recognized by theparty’s constitution. So howcan somebody that is not evenrecognized by the constitutionjust wake up from sleep andsaid that they have dissolvedthe executive that is fullyrecognized by the constitutionof the country, and theElectoral Act. But becausepeople don’t have anything todo than to be relevant at allcost, and then people wouldstart talking that the CPC isin crisis; what crisis?

Some other people wouldsay Buhari said this or that,but whatever Buhari said, heis entitled to say it as a citizenof this country that isgoverned by the constitutionand under democraticsetting which guaranteed hisfreedom of speech. Because ofthat, some people ingovernment became jitterybecause of his statement.Everyone is entitled to hisown rhetoric, but Nigeriansshould understand that asmuch as they have reasons tobe afraid of what Buhari said,that does not change thetruth. Once there is anymanipulation of electionresult in any part of the worldnot only Nigeria, it is part ofhistory, you have seen whatis happening in the Arabcountries. I think what theGovernment officials shoulddo is to take it as an advise.For God sake we Nigerianshave short memories, peoplelike late Chief ObafemiAwolowo (of blessed memory)have on many occasion,during his time, made somany inflammatorystatements; in factinflammatory statementswas his trade markthroughout his politicalcareer. So why Buhari? Theanswer is the PDP is afraid ofBuhari, because they knowthat they cannot beat him ina free and fair election. Theyonly sit down in their housesand write election results.Allow people to vote, allow thevotes to be counted, that is theonly way you can test yourpopularity as a politicalparty .


Anenih begs PDP womento vote AirhiavbereFormer Board of trustee,

BoT, Chairman of PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,

Chief Tony Anenih yesterdaytasked women across the stateto embark on house to house,ward to ward sensitizationCampaign on the ideals of therebranded umbrella party.

The elder statesman whileaddressing women who were

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin clad in traditional attires saida vote for the PDP July 14Governorship election will putthe state on a sound politicaland economic pedestal.

The state chairman of thePDP, Chief Dan Orbih,reminded them that it was anissue-based campaign andremain united.

The Women marchedthrough the streets of BeninCity in a road show, chanted

songs of support forAirhiavbere (rtd)’scandidature.

Wife of the Edo PDPgubernatorial candidate, Mrs.Yetunde Airhiavbere, who ledthe wpmen through majorstreets of Benin City, the statecapital, also said the road showwas to sensitise and canvassvotes for her husband ahead ofthe governorship poll.

State woman leader of the

PDP, Mrs. Eghe Tes-Sorae, saidthe awareness andsensitisation campaignorganised by the Edo Southsenatorial district of the party,was to show that the partywas ready for the election.

She urged the youths ofthe party to shun violence,vote wisely and rightly anddefend their votes, saying,“There is no need fighting.After voting, stand there andlet it be counted. You don’tneed to fight, no need to shootgun.”

The Progressive ActionCongress (PAC) onyesterday called on

Nigerians to use June 12 forsober reflection on how toconsolidate on thec o u n t r y ’ s d e m o c r a t i cdispensation.

The National Chairman,Chief Charles Nwodo, made thecall in an interview with theNews Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja.

Nwodo noted that 19 yearsafter the conduct of 1993general elections, the exerciseremained fresh in the minds ofmost Nigerians in view of itsimportance to the country’sdemocratic process.

The chairman said 1993poll “would have placed thecountry on a high level of ademocratic space and maketribalism and religious bigotrya thing of the past. “

He regretted that thecancellation of the electionbrought the country backwardin terms of democracy.

Nwodo commended theFederal Government forrenaming of University ofLagos after Moshood Abiola.

He, however, expresseddelight that the action hadrekindled the hope of Nigeriansin the ability of government torecognise the input of thosewho sacrificed their lives forthe survival of the country.

“ Every citizen eligible voterof that time knew MKO andwhat he stood for, especially inthe survival of democracy inthis country.

“ The students thatprotested should not be blamedbecause some of them were notborn to know about the conductof the 1993 election and itssubsequent annulment,’’ headded.

He contended that thechanging of UNILAG to MAUnot affect the academicstandard the University wasknown in the comity ofuniversities in the world.

“ MAU is not enough for therole Abiola played for thesurvival of our democracy.

“ The peaceful conduct of1993 election should beimbibed in the conduct offuture elections in thecountry,” he advised

June 12: PACcalls for soberreflection

Senate President, DavidMark, has urged theopposition parties in the

Benue State to put aside theirgrievances and join hands withGovernor Gabriel Suswam tomove the state forward.

Mark who made thispassionate appeal yesterday inMakurdi during a solidarity visitto Suswam to congratulate himon the recent Supreme Courtjudgment which upheld his re-

election, noted that there was alot to be done in the state toenhance its development.

The Senate President furthersaid he was confident that thegovernor would emergevictorious because he won in afree and fair election that wasattested to by foreign observers.

“You won in a free and fairelection but, Nigerians beingwhat they are, took you to theSupreme Court. Now theSupreme Court judgment hasmarked the end of the road,” he

said.Mark, who urged Suswam to

forgive those who took him tocourt, also advised him to bringthem on board to contribute to thedevelopment of the State.

He equally applauded themedia for the responsiblereportage of the one year courttussle and advised them tocontinue to be objective andcriticize government whennecessary.

On his part, Suswam thankedthe Senate President for the visit,

Mark urges opposition parties to cooperate with SuswamFrom Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

noting that he has continued toplay a fatherly and leadershiprole in the scheme of affairs of thestate.

The governor restated his callon the opposition and all Benueindigenes to join hands with himto build a virile state that wouldbe the pride of the people.

He also pledged not to losefocus but work for the overallinterest of the State and alsothanked God for the SenatePresident’s successful medicaltreatment abroad.

The Kaduna State Chairmanof the Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN) Mr

Mohammed Soba, yesterdayadvised democrats in the countryto desist from introducing ethnicdimension to June 12, issue.

Soba made this known inKaduna in an interview with theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

He said that June 12, hadbecome a national political

problem that affected all parts ofthe country and should not betreated like a regional issue.

NAN reports that June 12 ofevery year is being celebrated inhonour of late Chief M. K. O.Abiola by some civil societyactivists, politicians anddemocrats.

The day is marked as ademocracy day by the groups incommemoration of the

cancellation of the presidentialelection by the erstwhile militaryregime of former PresidentIbrahim Babangida.

The poll was widely believedto have been won by Abiola in afree and fair contest.

Soba said, “the significance ofJune 12, has remained anindelible mark in our nation’spolitical history in view of theunity, peaceful coexistence and

Don’t introduce ethnic dimension into June 12 , ACN Chieftain cautionscredible elections it representedabout two decades ago.

“It has become a recurrentdecimal because of the refusal ofsuccessive governments toaddress injustice, corruption andelectoral fraud againstNigerians.

“However, those who alwaysview the June 12, as a regionalissue are worse than thearchitects of the June 12 debacle,

L-R: Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Human Rights, Hon. Rotimi Makinde, Chairman of the committee , Hon. Beni Lar, and Executive Secretary, NationalHuman Rights Commission, Professor Bem Angwe, during the committee over-sight visit to the commission, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

’’he said.Meanwhile, no planned

activity is taking place in Kadunastate to mark the day because ofwhat activists attributed to“security reasons’’.

However, a group ofpoliticians and human rightsactivists are celebrating the daywith a breakfast and publiclectures in Lagos under theauspices PRONACO.


FG desperate tosack Oshiomhole, says Audu

Prince Abubakar Audu,former Governor of Kogistate has said the federal

Government and PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) are in ahurry to stop Governor, AdamsOshiomhole’s re-election on July14 2012 urge Action Congress ofNigeria, ACN, should doeverything within its power tokeep a strong cohesion to resistthem.

Audu who contested lastDecember Governorship electionon the platform of ACN, which

gave victory to Governor IdrisWada, dropped the hint at a fundraising luncheon for Oshiomholere-election in Benin City at theweekend where over N750million was realised.

‘I appeal to our colleagues herethat the task ahead of us is not asmall one, we are not only fightingthe PDP, but we are not fightingthe federal Government’, he said.

First Civilian Governor of theState, Chief John Odigie Oyegun,argued that there was no Nigerianliving in the state who has notbenefitted from the governmentunder the leadership of Adams

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

The acting President of theNigeria Labour Congress,(NLC), Comrade Kiri

Mohammed, has raised concernsover disturbing politicaldevelopments ahead of the July 14th

governorship elections in Edo state. Mohammed therefore called on

politicians and their apoliticalstructures to adjust to fair play inpolitical activities especiallyelections.

The Acting NLC President in astatement made available tonewsmen noted that ComradeAdams Oshiomhole, has publiclycomplained at various times aboutsinister plans by some politicians tomanipulate the elections.

According to him, “Thegovernor said some politicians fromthe state led by the leader of a majoropposition party in the state werereported by the media to have hada meeting with the Presidency acouple of weeks back to perfect plansfor the manipulation of the election.We are still worried that thePresidency has not found itexpedient to deny holding suchmeeting for this purpose till date.”

Mohammed however assuresNigerians on labour movementcommitment to a free and fairelections in the country even as headded that the movement wouldjoin other patriotic Nigerians tocontinue to promote and defend theideals for sustenance of democracyin the country.

“While we reaffirm ourconfidence in the leadership of theIndependent National ElectoralCommission INEC, we stronglyadvice it’s Chairman, Prof.Attahiru Jega to be extra vigilantand careful in the handling of theJuly 14th election in Edo State.

“He must not allow anyone,including INEC staff orcommissioners to compromise hiscredibility. Every registered votermust be allowed to freely votewithout intimidation. And all thevotes must count.

“INEC must not submit to thepressure coming from certainpolitical quarters that Federal civilservants should be used as adhocstaff for the election instead ofmembers of the National YouthService Corps. While the Federalcivil servants certainly have a roleto play in electoral administration,the corps members have provedtheir capacity for neutrality andwillingness to work for free and fairelections as was shown in the lastgeneral elections in the country.”

The statement also called on alldomestic and international electionmonitoring groups to gear uppreparations for observance of theupcoming Edo gubernatorialelections to ensure records oftransparency and accountability ofthe electoral process at the elections.It also urged the Inspector Generalof Police IGP to come out andreassure Nigerians that all securityagencies that will be drafted for theelection in Edo state will be fullyprepared, and to remember thatthey were recruited to protect livesand properties without bias.

Edo guber polls:Labour calls forvigilanceBy Joy Baba

FG to host World Bank’s African Remittance Institute

The Federal Government ofNigeria has indicated itsinterest in hosting the

proposed African RemittanceInstitute of World Bank inNigeria.

The 3.4 billion US Dollars bankis to facilitate the remittances ofAfrican in the Diaspora, of whichover 70 per cent of remittancesare from Nigerians living inabroad.

Announcing this whilereceiving Rep Abike Dabiri-Erewaled House of RepresentativesCommittee on the Diaspora in his

office in Abuja, the Minister ofForeign Affairs, Amb. OlugbengaAshiru said Nigeria wasinterested in hosting the bank.

Ashiru told the visitinglawmakers that a memo to thateffect had been written toPresident Goodluck Jonathan forhis information and approval.

He said Nigeria having thelargest number of her nationalsliving abroad from Africa, wouldfind the proposed remittanceinstitute helpful and rewarding,if located in the country.

Earlier, Rep. Abike Dabiri-Erewa had wondered why theFederal government was not too

keen to have the AfricanRemittance Institute in Nigeriadespite the huge benefits of it tothe country.

She urged the FederalGovernment through theministry of Foreign Affairs as wellas Central Bank of Nigeria andMinistry of Finance to showinterest and fast track the processof situating the bank project inNigeria.

Dabiri-Erewa (ACN-Lagos)said with over 12 billion US Dollarsremittances by Nigeriansannually back home and withover 70 per cent of Nigerians fromAfrica in the Diaspora, Nigeria

should not missed the opportunityof hosting the Institute.

“We want Nigeria to showinterest in locating the WorldBank Africa remittance Institute.We are not hearing anythingabout the government eagernessin having this all importantinstitute’’

“Let me say here that 70 percent of remittances to Africa fromthe African Diasporas are fromNigeria. So I think it should be inNigeria being the hub of DiasporaAffairs in Africa’’ she said.

Over eight million Nigeriansare living abroad with majorityof them in UK and US.

By Lawrence Olaoye

Oshiomhole either directly orindirectly, especially in area ofroad construction and educationrevolution in public primary andsecondary schools.

The 2011 Vice PresidentialCandidate of All Nigeria PeoplesParty, ANPP, who defected to CANin May this year, said that thedecision of the governor to beginroad rehabilitation in denselypopulated areas before going tochoice areas in GovernmentReservation Area was anindication that Oshiomhole’sgovernment is truly people’sdriven.

Former foreign Affairsminister, Chief Tom Ikimi,recalled how he became disturbedsix months after governorOshiomhole’s swearing in thatthere was no tangibledevelopment occasioned bypaucity of funds as a result of theeconomic meltdown which shookthe foundation of the World.

He noted that he becameconvinced when he rolled out hisblueprint to democratisegovernance in the State, whichhe admitted will make theelectorate to give him themandate for the second term.

Anambra North: Okadigbo’s wife in fresh affidavit forgery scandal

The hope of filling thevacuum created by non-representation of Anambra

North Senatorial District in theNational Assembly in the 7th

Senate is becoming a mirage asthe legal tussle is drifting into anew dimension.

The twist, which pundits sayis becoming an eye-opener, is therevelation that the affidavit

purportedly sworn to andadmitted by high court asExhibit Number 1387, whichallegedly proved that LadyMargery Okadigbo, wife of lateSenate President, Dr ChubaOkadigbo, won the election mighthave been forged.

This followed a startlingrevelation coming after a requestby Senator (Dr) Alphonsus Uba

Igbeke to the assistant chiefregistrar/commissioner for oath,Chief Magistrates’ Court,Orumba North MagisterialDistrict, Ajalli (formerlyassistant chief registrar/commissioner for oaths, Otuochajudicial division of the AnambraState High Court).

In the letter captioned:‘Confirmation of affidavits of facts

purported to have been swornbefore Commissioner for Oaths’dated 25/4/2012, Senator Igbekehad requested, “Kindly confirmwhether the said affidavits offacts were sworn to at saidRegistry as appears on the face ofthe said documents and whetherthe signature that appears on theaffidavit as that of commissionerfor oaths is yours.”

L-R: Speaker, ECOWASParliament and DeputySenate President IkeEkweremadu, with amember of the parliamentfrom Niger Republic, Hon. AliAmadou, during the openingof the 2012 firstextraordinary session of thethird legislature of theECOWAS Parliament, onMonday in Abuja.


The Progressive ActionCongress (PAC) hascommended the Action

Congress of Nigeria (ACN) andthe Coalition for ProgressiveChange (CPC) for theirongoing merger talks.

The National Chairman ofthe party, Chief Charles Nwodo,made the commendation in aninterview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) onTuesday in Abuja.

Nwodo said naturally the

PAC hails ACN, CPC merger talksbeauty of democracyrested on the strength of theopposition, where there was nostrong opposition to challenge theruling party, there was likely tobe misrule by the governmentin power.

“ Where there is no strongopposition, there is tendencyfor apathy and people who do notmerit particular positions willget them.

“ The merger talk betweenACN and CPC is a sign of hope

coming for Nigeriansto participate fully in the act ofgovernance,” he said

He stressed the need for otheropposition parties to collaboratewith ACN and CPC inorder to have a formidable forceagainst the ruling party,because ACN and CPC mergerwas not enough to challenge theruling party.

“ Even the civil societies,NGOs and other democraticforces should come together to

Kwara AD faults PDPgovt’s education system

The Alliance for Democracy(AD), Kwara state chapterhas noted that the

administration of PeoplesDemocratic Party(PDP)government has neglectededucation sector for other projectsin the state.

The party in a statementsigned by its state Chairman, Mr.Billiaminu Aliu and Mr. MichealOlogunde, state Secretary notedthat what the presentadministration has done so far onthe sector was “abracadabra”.

“The Alliance for Democracy,AD, Kwara chapter had earliercondemned the free/qualitativeeducation purported to be onground in Kwara state. WhatAlhaji Fatai Ahmed and the PDPruling party did so far in the areaof education in Kwara state is surelyan ‘abracadabra’.

“If not, how would one describethe type of education systemwhich Parents Teacher areforcefully financing in Kwara statewithout the state governmentfinancial contributions towardsthe educational growth in the

state.”The party observed that the

money realized from PTA levy wasused to maintain the schools andpart of the money even went to theKwara state governments cofferstressing that the stategovernment had neglected thesector in totality.

“Again, of recent, Kwara stategovernment had passed a circularto all Head Teachers in all thePrimaries and Secondary Schools,to collect N250:00 each from thepupils in primary schools,N500:00 each from JuniorSecondary Schools students,N600:00 each from seniorsecondary school students andN600:00 each from every teacherincluding the head teachers”.

The party challenged PDPgovernment to tell the world whatit was using the money collectedfor while it was spreadinginformation that its operating freeeducation in the state.

AD however urged the presentadministration to employ qualifyteachers in all the core subjects inthe schools stressing that studentsfailure was due to insufficientteachers in the major subjects.

L-R: National Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande, Lagos state Governor, MrBabatunde Fashola, former governor of the state, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, and chairman of the occasion,Alhaji Balarabe Musa, during the 19th anniversary lecture of June 12, yesterday in Lagos. Photo: NAN

A group, the Campaign forDemocracy (CD),yesterday decried “the high

rate of human rights abuses in thefive states in eastern Nigeria.

The states are Abia, Anambra,Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.

The group made thecondemination in a communiqué itissued after the South-East RegionalConvention of the body in Onitsha,Anambra between June 8 and June10.

It said that the groupcondemned the muzzling of humanrights activists in Enugu andEbonyi, describing the actionsas “anti-democratic tendencies’’.

“Convention notes that thoughthe Enugu State matter is sub-judice, CD will support all legalmeans to ensure that justice is donein this matter. ’’

The statement condemned thehigh rate of thuggery in Anambra,allegedly being orchestratedby some groups.

It advised Gov. Peter Obi to

conduct Local Government electionwithin the next three months,adding that “CD will employ allweapons democratically tenable andlegally available to achieve this, ifhe fails to heed the advice”.

On Abia, the group urged theState Government to re-instate civilservants disengagedwithout benefits on the ground of not being indigenes of the state,noting that theaction would enthrone social justiceand equity.

The communique said that CDwould take appropriate legal actionsto address the injustice within 30days if the decision was not reversed.

It, however, advised Gov. RochasOkorocha of Imo to engage labour inmeaningful dialogue, addingthat “CD condemns the currentrelationship with labour asunnecessary’’.

The conventionapproved the appointment ofMr Jude Chukwu as the newChairman of CD in Abia.

CD decries human rightsabuses in South-East states

Ondo legislator commends Mimiko

The LegislatorRepresenting IreleConstituency in Ondo

state, Mr Afolabi Iwalewa hascommended Gov. OlusegunMimiko for various developmentprojects going on in parts of thestate.

Iwalewa told the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) inAkure that the governor and histeam deserved opencommendation because hisadministration had succeeded intransforming the state with thenew projects.

“His transformation agendain the education, the healthsector, road construction,provision of infrastructure andcommunity developmentprojects had earned himcommendation by thelegislature and the people of thestate,’’ Iwalewa said.

The legislator said that theassembly had just concluded a twoweek of oversight function toinspect projects being executed bythe executive arm of the stategovernment.

“It is our constitutional

responsibility to monitorexpenditure of the Ministries,Departments and Agencies (MDAs)as appropriated and approved bythe assembly,’’ the legislator said.

The House Committees,according to him, have beeninspecting projects in some parts ofthe state to ensure compliance withgovernment standards andspecifications by contractors.

He called on the people of thestate to give their support to theLabour Party and the governorduring the Oct. 20,gubernatorial election .

join the merger.“ This time around, the

opposition must be united in onespirit, if their dream of assumingthe mantle of leadership in thiscountry is anything to go by,”he added.

He further said that ACN andCPC were in the front lane toserve as a meeting point for otherprogressive elements to follow.

He expressed optimism thatthe merger would not take a longtime to achieve the desired result

of wrestling the mantle ofleadership from the rulingparty.

“ We are quite aware of thefact that the merger talk willattract saboteurs from somequarters, but the experience ofthe past is enough to overcomethe challenges ahead.

“ We urged other oppositionto start organising themselvesnow in order to join the crusadefor the betterment of Nigeriansand the country at large,” hesaid.

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

Some members of the House ofRepresentatives yesterday inAbuja said that June 12, was

an important day in the history ofNigeria’s democracy.

In a separate interview, Rep.Ganama Kwaga (PDP-Adamawa)said that elections held on June12,1993 were devoid of religious andethnic sentiments.

“This was a day Nigerians cameout without religious differences tovote for two Muslims as Presidentand Vice President respectively,” he

said.Ganama said that the election

was the most transparent, free andfair elections ever held in thecountry, the day marked theagitation for democracy byNigerians.

According to the legislator, theday gave birth to May 29, that wasdeclared a public holiday.

Rep. Godfrey Gaiya (PDP-Kaduna), the Chairman of HouseCommittee on Sports, described theday as a turning point in the

struggle to entrench democraticprinciples in the country.

He said that it would bemeaningful if the day was declaredMoshood Abiola day as it was donein the case of Martin Luther KingJnr. in the U.S.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) recalled that on June 12,1993, late MKO Abiola was assumedto have won the presidential electionthat was annulled by formerMilitary President IbrahimBabangida.

Lawmakers say June 12 is turning point to country’s democracy


Stephen Keshi

The CAF has appointedreferees from Guinea totake charge of Saturday’s

2012 African WomenChampionship qualifying matchbetween the Super Falcons ofNigeria and the Zimbabwe SeniorWomen National Team, which isscheduled for the Teslim BalogunStadium, Lagos.

Therese Sagno will be at thecentre, with compatriotsDoussou Sakho (AssistantReferee 1), Fatoumata Toure(Assistant Referee 2) and AissataKeita (Reserve Referee) tosupport. The MatchCommissioner is FlorianeAffoutou from the Republic ofBenin.

The Super Falcons, who wonthe first leg 2-0 in Harare on May27, will fly into Lagos today tointensify their preparation forthe return leg match.Zimbabwe’s delegation isexpected to arrive in Nigeriatoday aboard a South AfricanAirways flight.

The winner on aggregatequalifies for the 2012 AfricanWomen Championship finals,holding in Equatorial Guinea inNovember.

Time was when thepresence of Nigeria in anycompetition in the

continent and beyond evokedfear in other competitors.

Not anymore. Nigeria latelyhas become also ran in almostall the events the country hasparticipated in and the Ministerof Sports, Honourable BolajiAbdullahi, believes it’s high timethat has got to stop.

Yesterday when members ofthe Senate Committee on Sportsvisited to intimate him of theirplans to tour the six sportingfacilities on the mandate of thesenate, the minister lamentedthe deplorable state of thenation’s facilities and slump infortunes as evident by recentfailures to qualify for majortournaments.

Abdullahi told Senator IbrahimAdamu Gumba, who led membersof the committee to his officethat the National SportsCommission (NSC) that had beenin the past been accused ofdoing little or nothing to gingersports development in thecountry, was disturbed andwants to redress the situation.

The minister told thecommittee members that thecommission was working roundthe clock to re-jig Nigeriansports in all facets stressing that

new departments and units havebeen created with specificdirectives on talents discovery,mentoring, monitoring andexposure to internationalevents.

He used the occasion tosolicit the cooperation andsupport of the committee forthe commission’s preparation forthe London 2012 SummerOlympics, which will be held nextmonth.

Senator Gumba had earliersaid the mandate to tour thesefacilities was given following theadoption of a motion on thedwindling state of general sportsdevelopment in the country,adding the senate wants thetrend thwarted.

Coach Danladi Nasidi, the chief sweatmerchant of the U-15 squad, hasfinally pruned his team to 20 aheadof the 8- Nation Adidas U-15 Youthchampionship, Mexico 2012.

Initially, he had 26-players but heopted to cut down the number toallow for maximum concentration asthe team enters the final phase ofits preparations for the forthcomingfiesta.

The list was released Lokoja wherethey are camping and comprise ofthree goalkeepers, eight defenders,five midfielders, and four strikers.

Of the lot, seven of the playersare new discoveries while thirteen

Mexico 2012: Nasidi trimsU-15 to 20 others had represented Nigeria at

the median edition of the BarclaysPremier League U-13 YouthChampionship in 2010.

It would be recalled that the bulkof the players had graduated fromthe Under-13 that participated inthe Barclays Premier League U-13Youth Championship in 2010 wherethey defeated Liverpool 4-0, Fulham6-0, Birmingham 4- 1, Chelsea 3-0 andSporting Lisbon 2-0 to win the 2010International Youth Championshiporganised by the English PremierLeague.

The Nigeria side will represent theAfrica continent and will be facedwith the likes of Spain, Argentina,China, Colombia, Costa Rica,Denmark and host Mexico.

Abdullahi bemoansdwindling sportsfortuneStories by Patrick Andrew

Guineanrefereesfor SuperFalcons,Zimbabwe

Keshi begs Eagles forgoals

Ike Uche

Bolaji Abdullahi, Minister ofSports

Mohammed Abubakar, IGP

The Minister/Chairman of theNational Sports Commission,Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi and the

Acting Inspector-General of Police,Alhaji M. D. Abubakar, will be at thehierarchy of the governmentdelegation to watch the Super Eaglesversus Amavubi Stars at the UJEsuene Stadium, Calabar on Saturday.

Confirming this yesterday, theminister said himself together withseveral top government officials willgrace the match to cheer the Eaglesto victory.

“I will certainly be in Calabar tocheer the Super Eagles. It is a veryimportant match and we must doeverything possible to mobilize allNigerians to back our team forvictory on Saturday,” said Abdullahi,who will be Special Guest of Honour.

Also yesterday, the NFF formallyinvited the Acting Inspector-Generalof Police, Alhaji MohammedAbubakar to be a special guest at

the big match.Nigeria must win Saturday’s game

to make progress in the qualificationseries for the 29th African Cup ofNations finals, which holds in fiveSouth African cities from January13through February 4 next year.

Both teams finished it 0-0 in the

first leg played at the Stade Regionalde Nyamirambo, Kigali on February29.

Nigeria failed to qualify for the2012 edition of the Nations Cup thatwas jointly hosted by Gabon andEquatorial Guinea. It was the firsttime in 26 years that Nigeria was notat the tournament.

Meanwhile, the Rwandans areexpected to arrive in Lagos thisevening and will be accommodatedfor the night before travelling toCalabar tomorrow.

Minister, Imoke, IGP,others to cheer Eagles

THE LISTGoalkeeper: Muraina Sanni,Adewale Makanjuola, UdohAkpanDefenders: AnnasMohammed, Ajayi Abiodun,Philip Samson, HamzaTanimu, Lazarus John,Ajetomobi Ojo, Isah Hussaini,Abubakar Babaji.Midfielders: Abbas Ibrahim,Etiboy Akpan, Obasi Chigozie,Clement Ogbobe, NjokuJacob.Attackers: Chidera Eze, EkeneOnwuka, Binaventure Dennis,Awoniyi Taiwo.

Coach Stephen Keshi is aworried man. He has starteda rebuilding process that’s

beginning to take shape. The teamis full of potentials and sometimesthe players show depth andpurpose in plots and they rebuffoffensive incursions with

Aristocratic disdain.Yet Keshi remains far from his

dreams and indeed the aspirationsof Nigerians. He wants his labourrewarded with an offensive displaythat will restore pride andconfidence to Nigeria among thecomity of soccer powers.

But that can’t be possible unlessplayers score goals. He wants goals,and wants them beautiful and ingood supply. This weekend inCalabar, he wants Eagles to scoreplenty goals to please his in-law,Governor Liyel Imoke.

While addressing his charges atMonday breakfast and soon afterAminu Maigari, the NFF presidentspoke, Keshi went emotional andpleaded with the players to “pleasescore some goals for me, forNigerians and the rest of the worldwho long to see Nigeria rise again.”

Again, yesterday before thetraining session began, Keshi wentphilosophical. He asked the players

who among them would not wantto please his in-law. None couldthink otherwise and then hechallenge them to do him the favourof having the smile of his governorin-law.

“Last time, we were not quitesatisfied with the goals that wescored against Namibia, but thegovernor was still happy that wewon the game. But we could seehe would have love to see moregoals.

“This time around, we want toscore more goals, so that I can evendemand for a room to sleep andrest in Calabar in my in-law’s house.or is there any of you that won’twant to win the smile of my in-law?”

Well, you hear a pin drop. Theplayers were touched. It seems toignite a certain passion, inflame theirminds and they promised to scotchthe Amavubi Stars in manner similarto what the Black Stars did about afortnight ago to Lesotho.


Wigan Athletics andSuper Eagles wingattacker, Victor

Moses, has dismissedrumours linking him withmoves away from the clubas mere speculation andnoted that his focus now iswith the Eagles and nothingmore.

Moses caused a stir onthe flight from Malawi toAbuja, when NFF TechnicalCommittee Chairman, ChrisGreen, who is a supporterof Manchester United, toldhim that the best place forhim to ply his trade will beon the red side ofManchester.

But Eagles boss, StephenKeshi who was a shoutingdistance away from whereGreen was joking with theEagles ace, countered bytelling the Wigan star tosign the dotted lines forLiverpool. “Because if youdo that you will never walkalone”, he said. Keshi is aknown supporter ofLiverpool.

Petit Enugu Rangerswinger, Ejike Uzoenyi, whowas watching the drama, willnot be left out of the talkwithout making his owncontributions. “Arsenal isthe best club side in theworld and I will advise Mosesto sign for them”, he said.Ejike is a supporter of theLondon Gunners.

Moses was by now totallybemused at the argumentsover his next port of call andwhen prodded by EaglesMedia Officer, Ben Alaiya,where he would be nextseason, as the likes ofLiverpool, Tottenham, hispresent club; Wigan,Chelsea and latelySunderland have all laidclaim to him, he flashed adisarming smile and said, “itsonly Nigeria for now.

“My agent and otherpeople know where best Ican play and they areworking on it, at the righttime a decision will betaken.”

With that all contendersfor Moses withdrew intotheir shells, at least for themeantime.

Determined to curb incidences of match-fixingespecially as the season gradually winds up, theNigeria Premier League (NPL) board has constituted

a Special Task Force that will monitor all matches andensure that nothing suspicous was done.

Chairman of the board, Chief Rumson Victor Baribote,disclosed while urging the league secretariat to redoubleefforts at facilitating a smooth conclusion of the season.

Baribote said that members of the task force weredrawn from various professional bodies and included sports

Victor Moses

Novak Djokovic Rafael Nadal Roger Federer

Mr Dominic Iorfa,Chairman of LobiStars FC of Makurdi,

Dominic Iorfa, is disturbedover the increasedtendency towards win-at-all-cost and pleaded in theinterest of domesticleague for the premierleague clubs especially toeschew the desperationto win all matches.

Iorfa, who wasapparently reacting toLobi Stars 0-1 loss to 3SCin Ibadan on Sunday, saidthe ugly desperation tousing all manners of dirtytactics, does not argur wellfor the development ofthe domestic league.

“The attitude of winningat-all-costs at home willnot help the developmentof football in Nigeria butit will further bring itdown.

“Everybody who isinvolved in footballmanagement at any levelshould join in the effort tocheck this development,”said Iorfa, a former SuperEagles striker.

On the match, Iorfa whowas in the country’s teamto 1988 Seoul Olympics,said he saluted thecourage and skillsdisplayed by both teams,adding that “the officiatingwas fantastic”.

“The match is one of thebest matches I have everwatched. The teamsplayed well and theofficiating was veryalright,” he said.

The former player of thedefunct BCC Lions ofGboko said that his teamwould improve with theremaining matches of theleague.

It would be recalled thatit was Iorfa who blew thewhistle on the allegedmatch-fixing plan bySunshine Stars during lastseason’s round of matches.

The case was laterhandled by the NFForganising and disciplinarycommittee and somepenalties were imposed onthe clubs and officials. Itlater went to the appealwhere it was referred tothe Nigeria Police.

Nothing though hasbeen heard from thepolice since the matter totransfered to its domain.

journalists who would be deployed to various centresnot only to report on the matches but keep an eye onhappenings at these venues.

Baribote, who is the second vice president of theNigeria Football Federation (NFF), said the board has vowedto restructure the league by restoring sanity and leavingno stone unturned to effect the necessary changes.

He urged the 20 clubs and their officials to desist fromwin-at-cost syndrome but work to improve on quality toattract patronage.

Novak Djokovic mayhave beaten RafaelNadal six times last

and won three Grand Slamin the process, yet he haslost twice to Nadal at GrandSlam finals this year.

The latest of such soaringrevenge from Nadal wasMonday’s French Openwhere Djokovic was deniedthe opportunity of becomingthe fourth man in history towin all four Grand Slams inone year.

But the World No 1 isundaunted. In fact, Djokovicis looking forward to a newrivalry at the summit of men’stennis with his archrival,Nadal. But he clearly singled

out Nadal as his main foe.He declared ‘war’ on

Monday after losing a hard-fought French Open finalagainst Spanish claycourtking Rafael Nadal. However,he still believe the sport’sbiggest matchup was stillbetween 30-year-old RogerFederer, holder of a record16 Grand Slam titles, andNadal, who at 26, already has11 majors topped by arecord seven at the FrenchOpen.

“We are very young, andwe played over 30 timesagainst each other, andhopefully we can have manymore battles in the nextyears,” Djokovic said.

Five-time major winnerDjokovic – who holds theWimbledon, US Open andAustralian Open titles – onMonday missed his chanceof emulating Don Budge(1938) and Rod Laver (1962and 1969) by holding all fourGrand Slams at once.

A disastrous double faultcost him a chance to stretchthe Roland Garros final tofive sets against Nadal afteran overnight rain delay – onlythe second time in historythat the final had to befought in the third week.

“I think the sport isexperiencing some reallygood times now,” saidDjokovic, who beat a

struggling Federer in straightsets on Friday to set up thefinal with Nadal.

Federer believes he has afew more years of top-levelcompetition left in him,including playing at the 2016Olympics, even though heturns 31 in August and is busylooking after twin girls whennot on court.

Djokovic’s immediate goalis to take a week off beforepracticing on grass todefend his title atWimbledon, an eventdominated in the pastdecade by Federer, whoholds six All England titles,just one short of the sevenheld by Pete Sampras.

Novak says his rivalry with Nadal has just began

Super Falcons gaffer,Kadiri Ikhana, has againturned his search light

for brighter prospects onthe U-20 female team theFalconets and has giveninvitation to three playersto their senior colleagues inthe Falcons camp.

The three, who are by nomeans new to the seniornational team assignment,are Ngozi Orji, FranciscaOrdega and Osinachi Ohale.They are to assist Ikhana toprosecute this weekend’sAfrican WomenChampionship qualifieragainst Zimbabwe in Lagos.

This latest poaching bringsthe number of the Falconetsin the Super Falcons to six.The trio of DesireOparanozie, Gloria Iroegbuand Esther Sunday, whofeatured in the first fixturein Harare, Zimbabwe, hadearlier been poached on.

Ikhana said his plans areto regularly call up playerswhom he tags ‘Super Falcons’even though they alsofeature for the U20 side.

“We always have intentionof inviting the U20 playersbecause some of them havealready been capped for the

Falcons in the past so they arereally Falcons.

“The U20 team came backbarely four days to our trip toZimbabwe making it difficultfor us to invite all the playerswe needed.

“We took three now as wehave been with set of playersfor six weeks and couldn’t addmore new players close to thematch against Zimbabwe.”

Though he said the playersare crucial in his plans against

Zimbabwe, he howeverinsisted that no player hasautomatic shirt in the squad.

“No one has a permanentshirt yet. We have five daysto the game and we willchoose the players who arefit to play the game.Everyone has a chance toplay and so no one has theright to the shirt.”

Ikhana had early called upSweden-based quartet ofPerpetua Nkwocha, RitaChikwelu, Faith Ikidi, andHelen Ukaonu for theZimbabwe clash.

The duo of Chikwelu andIkidi hit the on Tuesday whileUkaonu and Nkwocha are tojoin them today from Lagoswhere the team will relocateto Abuja later today.

The former Nigerianplayer said the Europe-basedplayers will to return to theirclubs after the Zimbabwe tiewhile the domestic Falconswill play the friendly againstSouth Africa’s BanyanaBanyana on June 23 in Lagos.

Match-fixing: NPL sets up special task force

Again, Ikhanapoaches on Falconets

By Patrick Andrew

Francisca Ordega

Iorfaurgesclubs toeschewwin-at-homesyndrome

Mosessays focusis nowEagles


Birmingham stopper’s desireto remain in the Midlandshas given the Baggies an

edge over rivals Tottenham andQueens Park Rangers

New West Brom boss SteveClarke is closing in on the full-time capture of keeper BenFoster from neighboursBirmingham.

Clarke is poised to offer£3million for Foster, who had asuccessful loan spell at theHawthorns last season and iskeen to stay in the Midlands.

Foster is also wanted by QPRand on Tottenham’s wish-list, butAlbion has been encouraged bysigns that he wants to join themand is willing to discuss terms.

Blues will finally cash in onFoster after failing to winpromotion back to the PremierLeague at the first attempt lastseason.

Foster was also an option forQPR, but knows that West Bromstill rate him highly now Clarkehas succeeded Roy Hodgson.

Andrey Arshavin

The season is over. Clubs arecounting their blessing as well aslosses and would like to makeamends and even beef up theirsquads where noticeable lapsesexist. And the transfer market isagog barely 24 hours after majorEuropean leagues dropped thecurtain.And so to keep abreast with latestrumours, we begin daily doses ofmovements within the marketboth for players and coaches like.

Transfer

Arsenal is ready to cut theirlosses on Andrei Arshavin andreplace him with his Russian

international team-mate AlanDzagoev.

Arshavin re-joined Zenit StPetersburg in a loan deal that willexpire after Euro 2012, but theGunners are prepared to listen tooffers for a permanent transferfor the 31-year-old.

He failure to adapt to theEnglish game, Arsene Wenger’steam are said to be ready to investin Dzagoev, who many people seeas his compatriot’s eventualsuccessor in the national team.

The 21-year-old scored a bracein Russia’s 4-1 demolition of theCzech Republic in the second

game of Euro 2012 on Friday.Despite his young age the

attacking midfielder has alreadyplayed more than 100 games forCSKA Moscow and scored fivegoals in his first eight caps for thenational side.

Although Dzagoev could beavailable on a cut price deal withhis contract due to expire at theend of next season, Arsenal couldyet face competition for hissignature from London rivalsChelsea.

The Blues are currently inrebuilding mode and are especiallylooking for reinforcements inattack, and Dzagoev - a self-confessed Chelsea fan - could fitthe bill.

Arsenal line up Dzagoevas Arshavin replacement

West Bromto pay £3mfor Foster

Marouane Fellaini hasopened the door to aChelsea move after he

admitted that he wants to play atEuropean level.

The Everton midfielder who signeda new long-term contract inNovember has admitted that the lureof continental competition is strongand that he has always dreamed ofplaying in the Champions League.

A move to Chelsea would allowFellaini to play at a higher level takingon the giants of Europe, includingBarcelona and Real Madrid.

The Belgium insists he is happy atGoodison Park but admitted thatmissing out on Champions Leaguewas not perfect.

Fellaini said: “If I have got to go, Iwill go. If not, I repeat, I am at Everton.

Fellini opendoor to Chelsea

Salomon Kalou

Liverpool has entered therace to sign former Chelseaace Salomon Kalou, according

to German outfit Schalke 04.New Reds boss Brendan Rodgers

knows the forward from their timetogether at Stamford Bridge, andnow it seems the NorthernIrishman is lining up the 26-year-old free agent to bolster hisattacking options at Anfield.

However, Bundesliga sideSchalke are also attempting tosnap up the Ivory Coastinternational, and remainconfident of landing their mandespite this latest interest fromthe Reds.

‘Liverpool is in the market forhim [Kalou], but I know he wantsto leave England. That can be anadvantage for us,’ said Schalke’sboss Huub Stevens.

The Dutch manager had alsotargeted Tottenham midfielderRafael van der Vaart, but Stevensadmits signing his countryman willbe a tricky task.

Kalou on Liverpool hit-list

Zenit St. Petersburg hasopened informal talks withArsenal over re-signing

Andrey Arshavin, as the forwardcontinues to impress at Euro 2012.

Arshavin is all but certain to quitArsenal this summer, having fallenout-of-favour with Arsene Wengerafter asking to return to Zenit onloan last January.

The decision to leave northLondon upset Wenger, but

Arshavin underwent something ofa rejuvenation back in hishomeland, scoring three goals andassisting four more in 19 matches,as Zenit cruised to the Russianleague title.

However, with Arshavin’s stockon the rise, Zenit have returnedto the negotiating table, and heldinformal talks with Arsenal overthe weekend, with a propermeeting set to follow.

Zenit value Arshavin at around£5 million, but Arsenal want torecoup a decent amount of the£15 million they handed over inJanuary 2008, and have asked forcloser to £8 million.

The Gunners know they hold allthe cards, and have also receivedtentative interest from Fulham,something that has alerted Zenit,especially as Arshavin’s familywould love to remain in London.

Arshavin bid re-open between Arsenal, ZenitLuka Modric

Big-spending Paris SaintGermain has made a movefor Tottenham playmaker

Luka Modric.The oil-backed French side

could end up wreckingManchester United boss Sir AlexFerguson’s hopes of landingCroatia midfielder Modric , as it isbelieved they are ready to offer£30million-plus.

United have already had a £22mbid knocked back, and Fergusonis growing frustrated in hisattempts to land Modric.

PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti has

identified Modric as one of his toptargets this summer, and hadscouts at Croatia’s Euro 2012 winover the Republic of Ireland onSunday.

Tottenham refused to sellModric last summer when Chelseatargeted him and Chairman DanielLevy is unlikely to allow him to gowithout a fight this time.

It is also believed Modric wouldprefer a move to Old Traffordrather than PSG, but the Frenchclub has made things verycomplicated for Fergie as heattempts to land him.

PSG ready to outbid United for Modric

Liverpool has been put on red alert after Juventus winger EljeroElia revealed he is ready to join another club in the next fewweeks.

Elia, 25, managed to win the Serie A title during his first season atJuventus, but he only made four league appearances and is now lookingto get his career back on track.

Liverpool has been strongly linked with a move for the Dutch forwardwho would relish the chance to showcase his talents in the PremierLeague.

Elia just missed out on a place in the Holland squad for Euro 2012and is now hoping to finalise his long-term future in the next fewweeks after confirming he will leave the Italian giants.

Elia, speaking on Dutch TV channel Eredivisie Live, said: “I’ll leaveJuventus. I’ve already agreed with Juventus that I will be joining anotherclub.

“I just have the desire to start enjoying football again and my agentis evaluating all offers.”

Juventus winger alerts Liverpool

Olivier Giroud

Arsenal heads the queue to sign£10million-rated Montpeliierstriker Olivier Giroud.

The Frenchman smashed 21 goalsin 36 games to help his side claimtheir first-ever Ligue 1 title lastseason.

Gunners boss ArseneWenger has had Giroudwatched and is thoughtto be considering aswoop for the 25-year-old.

Montpellier manager Rene Girardadmits he is likely to lose his prized asset tothe North Londoners in the near future.

Speaking to french radio station RMC, hesaid: “Arsenal is very interested and Giroudwants to play in England.

“If Arsene agrees with the president LouisNicollin, he will sign for them.

Arsenal chase£10m rateGiroud


Tyson Gay is confident ofmaking the US team for theLondon Olympics, the

American 100 metres recordholder following his successfulreturn to the track after a longabsence.

Gay, in his first appearance fornearly a year following hipsurgery, clocked 10.00 secondsinto a headwind to win the B raceat the New York Diamond Leaguemeeting last Saturday.

The time put the 2009 worldchampionship silver medallist, and

the world’s second fastest manbehind Jamaican Usain Bolt, inthe mix to win an Olympic spotin the ultra-competitive US trialsat Eugene, Oregon in less thanthree weeks.

Only the top three finishers ineach event qualify for nextmonth’s London Games.

“It is going to be a dogfight,”Gay told Reuters in a telephoneinterview from Boston.

“I think (2004 Olympicchampion Justin) Gatlin is runningthe best of anyone in the United

States right now. Walter Dix (and)Mike Rodgers are also runningwell ... (but) I feel confident inmaking the team.”

Gay, who could not even joguntil March, said he did not feelas bad physically as he thoughthe would after Saturday’s race.

“That was my first time runningin so long but I didn’t feel as soreas I thought I would,” said thesprinter who has teamed up withsponsors Gillette to gift $25 000to the high school track and fieldprogramme at Lexington,

Kentucky where his careerbegan.

“I think these next two weeksare very critical for me to trainsmart. I think that will help meget over the hump. The only timeI feel pain is when I come intoknee flexion,” added the 2007world champion.

An injury in the 200 metres atthe trials left Gay at less than fullspeed for the 2008 Beijing Gamesand he went out in the semifinalsof the 100, denying him a chanceof a first Olympic medal.

Although defeating Bolt andworld champion training partnerYohan Blake would be a toughproposition in London, Gay is stillhoping to pick up a medal if hequalifies.

“That would be very special,”said the softly-spoken American.“That would solidify my career.That is the only thing I am missingbesides the world record. Butrecords come and go. Once I geta medal I will be able to keep thatclose to me for the rest of mylife.”

Gay warms up to face Bolt, Blake, upbeat for place in Team US

Ekpe Udoh in action

Ogun state will host secondedition of the ParliamentaryGames (PASAN) scheduled

for next month.Indication to this effect

emerged following the approval ofGovernor Ibikunle Amosun to havethe Games held in the state.

The president of theassociation, comrade Fatai Jimoh,confirmed this yesterday notingthe the governor threw the dooropen for the Games because hesaw that as an opportunity for theparliamentary workers to improveon their health and thus mentallyand physically alert to render theirservices to the nation.

Senator Amosun, according toComrade Fatai, also believed thatthe Games would create neededopportunity to build socialrelationships and thus strengthenties and foster national unity.

Peoples Daily Sports recalls that

Portuguese sprinter FrancisObikwelu injured a musclein his right leg and will be

out of action for between fourand six weeks, putting him indoubt for the London OlympicGames, his club said yesterday.

“Obikwelu’s participation inthe London Games isdependent on the way and onhow fast he recovers from theinjury,” Sporting said in astatement.

Nigeria-born Obikwelu, 33,holds the European 100 metresrecord and clocked 9.86seconds when he took thesilver behind Justin Gatlin atthe Athens Olympics in 2004.

The sprinter’s woes comeafter a series of injuriesaffecting Portugal’s high-profile athletes which havegenerated concerns about thechances of the country’sOlympic team winning medalsin July and August.

Portugal will be without bothits Beijing medallists after2008 Olympic triathlon silvermedallist Vanessa Fernandesruled herself out and triplejump champion Nelson Evorasuffered a leg injury.

The President, Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Tijjani Umar,yesterday confirmed that D’Tiger’s proposed training tour to Chinais still intact and stressed that preparations for the Olympics

Games remain boisterous.Umar, who recently unveiled the names of both the home and foreign-

based players called up to the camp to begin preparations for theGames, said the team is preparing for the London Olympic Gamesqualifier, holding in Caracas, Venezuela, from July 2 to July 8.

The home-based players and their technical officials, who departedNigeria on June 8 to join their foreign-based colleagues, are expectedto secure one of the three slots for the Games.

Umar said the players are upbeat and raring to go. He also said thatthey have promised Nigerians that their participation at the OlympicGames which would hold from July 27 to Aug. 12, would not be ajamboree.

“We know that the assignment before us is a big one and as so weneed to prepare very well,” he said. Umar expressed the hope of agood outing by the D’ Tigers, saying the players since their last outingin Holland in December had been training in their respective locations.

He said 12 foreign and 12 home-based players were in camp andthat there would be the final selection of players for the qualifiers atthe end of camping. He added that the team would depart for Venezuelafrom China at the end of the month.

Obikweluin doubt forOlympics

in the first edition of the Gamesheld year, five events werecompeted for and these includedfootball, table tennis, lawn tennis,badminton and scrabble.

Parliamentary workers from thethirty-six states of the federationand the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) had participated in the firstedition held in Abuja and are alsolikely to feature in next month’sfiesta to be held in Abeokuta.

Jimoh though did not confirmwhether events at whichparticipants would compete forhonours would be increased.

Meanwhile, Jimoh on behalf ofPASAN has commiserated with thePresident Goodluck Jonathan andthe families of those who lost theirlives in the Dana Air crash in Lagos.

He described the crash as amonumental loss to the country andprayed for the repose of the soulsof those who died in the crash.

Ogun to host PASAN Games NBBF says D’Tigers Chinesetraining on track

Team Kenya has swiftly replaced injured Moses Mosop withEmmanuel Mutai as it doubled efforts towards increased medalhauls at the Games. Mutai, a Daegu World silver medallist and

2011 London Marathon champion had initially been dropped fromthe star-glut list of marathoners.

But following the Mosop’s tendon injury and his doctor’sconfirmation that he would be unable to participate at the Games,Athletics Kenya yesterday extended invitation to Mutai.

Similarly, the athletics federation enlisted the services of thecurrent World 800m men record holder, David Rudisha, as well aswomen 5000m and 10,000m Daegu gold medallist, Vivian Cheruiyot,for possible double at the Olympics. Rushida will seek the doublethe 4X400m relay team.

Athletics Kenya Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat said yesterday that theyopted for replacement following a letter from Moses and his doctorthat he has been blighted byinjury and would be unable toparticipate at the Games.

“We have brought in Emmanuel(Mutai) and although we aresorry for Mosop missing London,any runner we have is as goodas any other. Mosop injured histendon and we received a letterfrom him and his doctors thathe could not compete inLondon,” “Emmanuel helped Abel(Kirui) win the World title inBerlin and he was in our originallist we had pre-selected for theOlympics and that is why wehave him in the team.”

Paris Marathon championStanley Biwott is on the stand-bylist as the federation ruled outconsidering either World recordholder Patrick Makau or Geoffrey

Mutai who won both Boston and New York marathons last year.“We asked their agents to give us a report why they dropped out

of the London and Boston races and we are yet to receive any fromMakau or Mutai. We will still continue pressing for the report but wehave looked outside the pre-selected list to name Biwott as thestandby in case anything happens,” Kiplagat, also a Member of theIAAF Council, said.

London will be the second outing for Mutai, the World MarathonMajors winner, after he braved illness at the Berlin Worlds to followKirui, to the tape in 2:06:53 for silver in 2009. Having set the Londoncourse record of 2:04:40 last year, Mutai fell short of retaining his titlein April, finishing seventh in 2:08:01. The 27-year-old clinched theMajors by finishing second at New York last fall in 2:06:28 behind hisnamesake Geoffrey having been a runner-up in London the year before.

While confirming the women 10,000m Olympics Trial would be heldthis Saturday on the final day ofthe National Championships thatwould start tomorrow, Kiplagatsaid adding that Cheruiyot, whoclinched the long distance doublein Daegu, would go for both racesin London.

“Yes, she has told us she isinterested in competing at bothTrials and the one week periodwe have between theChampionships and the OlympicsTrial is enough to rest.

“Others like Linet Masai andSally Kipyego have also stated theywill go for both races,” Kiplagatexpressed.

Masai is the 2009 Worldstitleholder in 10,000m and wonbronze in Daegu while Kipyegonicked silver in the 25-lap race inSouth Korea.

Kenya adds Mutai to Olympicssquad, dream double for Rudisha

David Rushida Emmanuel Mutai


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A. WEST INDIES LEGEND SIR VIV RICHARDS SAYS ANDREWSTRAUSS'S ENGLAND HAVE ALL THE INGREDIENTS TODOMINATE TEST CRICKET FOR YEARS.B. UEFA IS TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED RACIST CHANTINGDURING THE EURO 2012 MATCHES BETWEEN SPAIN ANDITALY AND RUSSIA V CZECH REPUBLIC.C. PAUL CASEY WITHDRAWS FROM THE US OPEN STARTING INSAN FRANCISCO ON THURSDAY AS 14-YEAR-OLD ANDY ZHANGREPLACES HIM IN THE FIELD.D. WORLD INDOOR TRIPLE JUMP CHAMPION TEDDY TAMGHO,A RIVAL TO PHILLIPS IDOWU, MISSES LONDON 2012 BECAUSEOF AN ANKLE INJURY.E. NETHERLANDS MAY BE ON THE BACK FOOT FOLLOWINGTHE LOSS TO DENMARK, BUT RAFAEL VAN DER VAART HASCOME OUT FIRING BY CLAIMING GERMANY HAVE ONLY THREECLASS PLAYERS.F. IBF SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION CARL FROCH WANTSA REMATCH WITH MIKKEL KESSLER IN OCTOBER, ACCORDINGTO HIS PROMOTER.G. DEBUTANTS EXETER WILL TAKE ON DEFENDINGCHAMPIONS LEINSTER IN POOL FIVE OF THE 2012-13HEINEKEN CUP.

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Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza,Utako, Abuja. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos,Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 803 606 3308. e-mail: [email protected]: 2141– 6141

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2012

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Stunningstrike earnsPoland draw

Nigeria’s ImmigrationService showed a rarelack of ingenuity recently

when they arrested Chinesetraders in the Kano Kwari textilemarket. It is doubtful if the bestinterest of the state and that of thenation have been taken intoconsideration before carrying outthis muscle-flexing exercise. Theeconomies of Kano, the North andthat of the country have severelybeen undermined by bomb andgun attacks from the beginning ofthe year. To add the expulsion offoreigners to this matrix is todoubly jeopardize the businessprospects of Kano.

The reader may recall that onTuesday, two weeks ago, theComptroller of the ImmigrationService in the state, Dr. BriscaIfeanyi announced the arrest of 43Chinese nationals, 34 men and 11women on the basis that they werefound to be “scavenging in themarket, which is found to behurting the nation’s economy”.

He announced that this wasthe beginning of a new policy torid the markets in Kano and Lagosof “economic saboteurs” but thatforeigners who came to “invest andcreate jobs” are welcomed by thefederal government.

As the report on Channels TVwent on to add, traders in themarket have for years beencomplaining about the increasingdominance of the Chinese.

I know, for instance, that theLebanese traders andbusinessmen who had dominatedbusiness for decades, if notcenturies in Kano had beenspeaking against the Chinese whohave come to displace them in thecity, not only in the textile marketbut in service sectors such asrestaurants, supermarkets andbakeries. “You Kano people nowprefer the Chinese. You don’t likethe Lebanese anywhere,” is arefrain I have heard many times.But the Chinese who are todayAfrica’s largest trading partnersaren’t just a problem to the Arabs.China has today supplanted thecontinent’s traditional tradingpartners, that is the Europe andthe United States.

When the KLM airlines endedtheir more than 50-year run atthe Kano airport last week, onereason they cited, besideinsecurity is about the fact of thesharp drop in passenger levels.“Your businessmen now traveleastwards, no longer Europe,” saidtheir manager.

As for the local textile tradersin the Kwari market, the problemis simply one of contest foreconomic space. Retailers ofsimilar products located in closeproximity, located close to oneanother are considered closesubstitutes, alternatives or rivals.

down-turn, depression on acontraction of the economic space,the tendency is for players in thatspace to focus upon thosedifferences such as theirnationality, race or religion.Limited resources, in this case theeconomic space, idealisticallyregarded as a property of allhumans, becomes the object ofover-exploitation, severe contestand ruin. The result is the type ofrivalry as Kano witnessed in recentyears.

People have been talking aboutChinese incursion into the marketsfor a long time. I know many whoview the Chinese as being sly withtheir eye on this particularmarket, seeking its takeover, inchby inch. “Their aim is to take overthe market,” some have said.

In trying to solve the problem,the best any government could dowas to seek an expansion of theeconomic space by promotingpolicies and actions that engendergrowth and development. This notbeing the priority of our currentrulers, it is therefore unsurprisingthat there would be a resort toactions like this capable of causingpublic embarrassment.

While I do not propose at allthat Nigeria should sacrifice hernational interest with any nation,in dealing with China, Nigeriamust do a delicate balancing act. Ihave no accurate sense of thestrength or levels of our bilateralrelationship. But given whatChina is to the world today – thefastest growing economy, thelargest trading partner on the

Kano’s double jeopardy

A spectacular strike bycaptain JakubBlaszczykowski allowed

Poland to fight back to draw 1-1against Group A favouritesRussia yesterday in a gamemarred by violent clashesbetween rival fans outside thestadium.

Blaszczykowski's brilliantgoal just before the hourcancelled out a first-half headerby Russia's Alan Dzagoyev,leaving the Euro 2012 co-hostsneeding to beat the CzechRepublic in their final groupgame to progress.

The result leaves Russia topof the standings with four pointsahead of the Czech Republic onthree and Poland with twowhile Greece are bottom withjust one point.

Poland had dominated theearly exchanges at the nationalstadium, looking dangerousfrom a couple of early set pieces,with right back SebastianBoenisch forcing a point-blanksave from Russian keeperVyacheslav Malafeyev.

But Russia, who have neverwon on Polish soil, steadily gotinto the game and took the leadwhen Dzagoyev sent a loopingheader into the net from captainAndrei Arshavin's inswingingfree kick after 37 minutes.

The Poles respondedstrongly in the second half,however, and Blaszczykowskicut onto a Ludovic Obraniakpass on the edge of the box inthe 57th to hit a scorching driveinto the corner of the net to senta thunderous roar around thestadium.

The match was in danger ofbeing overshadowed by the firstserious clashes between fans atthis year's tournament.Russian and Polish youthsfought bloody running battleson the way to the ground withpolice firing tear gas and rubberbullets.

Russia's supporters werekept in the stadium after thegame in a bid to head off furthertrouble.

Today’s matchesDemark vs PortugalNetherlands vs GermanyResultsRussia 1 Poland 1Greece 1 Czech Rep. 2

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

. . . putting the people first

The Nigerian trader comes intothis contest seriouslydisadvantaged. The greatinequality of nations and economicresources amongst nations is a fact.For this reason, it is taken forgranted that the small country iscondemned to impotence,dependence and exploitation. Sowhen a franchiser or dealer of goodsmade in China sits next to theoutlet of the mainstream firm,direct from China, you know thatthe contest is unbalanced rightfrom the beginning.

The fate is the same for that“major distributor,” who goes toChina to make that order at themaker’s factory, only to find thatthe maker of those goods hasdecided to operate an outlet in thesame market. The franchiser willbe marginalized.

It is also a fact of the economiclife of nations that in times of a

African continent and the leadingprovider of support and foreign aidas it now stands - it is no doubt inour interest to be friendly withChina.

This country needs China andmust be friends with partners whohave shown the new way tomassive technology transfer anddirect foreign investment. To gainfrom such a relationship, we mustextract our foreign policy from thegrip of Europe in particular. Yes,the Chinese are bullish and that ishow they conquer markets.Nigeria had a neo-colonial past andcannot afford to be duped for thesecond time. Based on this, it is thenfor our governments to have theChinese set a better tone and tenorof their relationships withNigerians. At the end ofeverything, Nigeria must havethe best of friendship with othernations with our national interestsupreme in our mind. But it isdifficult to see this being achievedwhere foreigners are seized andbundled out of the country. Sure,Nigeria won’t herself like hercitizens being treated that way.

Patriotic frenzy, if carried toofar, can expose a country toridicule. The whole idea ofglobalization is to remove obstaclesand restrictions to internationaltrade. Perceived disadvantagescan be discussed and resolved atpolitical and diplomatic levels. Thecrude approach adopted by Dr.Ifeanyi’s Immigration Servicereminds one of late Idi AminDada’s barbaric expulsions ofIndian businessmen, a decisionthat took a toll on the Ugandaneconomy. Impulsive andimpetuous handling of delicatediplomatic, political and economicissues should not be subjected tocrude force. These can send thewrong signals elsewhere and hurtNigeria. There are Africancountries such as Ghana and CoteD’Voire where the dominance ofNigerians in particular businessesdoesn’t go down well with theirindigenous competitors. Shouldthe Immigration Services in thoseAfrican countries descend onNigerian traders and bundle themoff into detention like commoncriminals?

Protectionist sentiments arerealities of American andEuropean markets. Yet it isunlikely if any U.S. or Europeangovernment will carry out raidsand arrests of foreign nationalsperceived to dominate theirmarkets. Free and fair trade issuesare discussed at political anddiplomatic levels so as not to harmexisting relations. Dr. Ifeanyi’sham-fisted tactics are thoughtlessand needlessly overzealousdemonstration of patriotism. Theywill hurt Kano, the North and theentire country.

Gov. Rabiu Kwankwaso

MUSINGSMUSINGSMUSINGSMUSINGSMUSINGSBy

Garba Shehu

[email protected]

“While I do not propose at all that Nigeria shouldsacrifice her national interest with any nation, indealing with China, Nigeria must do a delicatebalancing act. I have no accurate sense of the

strength or levels of our bilateral relationship. Butgiven what China is to the world today – the fastestgrowing economy, the largest trading partner onthe African continent and the leading provider ofsupport and foreign aid as it now stands - it is no

doubt in our interest to be friendly with China

peoples daily newspaper, wednesday, june 13, 2012

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