Vol. 7 No. 94 Wednesday, March 14, 2012 Rabiul Thani 21, 1433 AH N150

WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM

PAGE 3

Drama as man attempts jumping off mast in Abuja

I N S I D E

>>PAGE 3

Reps summonminister over RiverNiger dredging

Police Inspector,soldier, 4 otherskilled in Mubi

Al-Mustapha:Fasheun appealsto Jonathan

Unijos studentsprotest stabbing of2 colleagues

Nigeria’s GDPgrowth rises to7.6%

>>PAGE 3 >>PAGE 8 >>PAGE 10 >>PAGE 19

Malam Inuwa Musa descending from a telecommunicationmast he climbed yesterday at the premises of the FederalHigh Court in Abuja, after he alleged that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar owes him N15 million.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Law tomuzzleLabourunderwayBy Richard Ihediwa & Ali Alkali

Contd on Page 2

Contd on Page 2

Britain defends botchedSokoto hostage rescueBy Ikechukwu Okaforadi,with agency reports

Senators kick, say ‘it’s anti-people’

Ahead of alleged moves bythe Federal Governmentto completely deregulate

the petroleum sector, a bill

seeking to effectively make itimpossible for the organisedLabour to present a commonfront to mobilise for strikes hasbeen tabled before the Senate,yesterday.

Sponsored by SenatorHeineken Lopkobiri, PDP fromJonathan’s home state,Bayelsa, the bill which split theSenate in a heated debate seeks

The British government ismaking spirited efforts todefend its decision to

mobilize its security operativesalongside their Nigerian

counterparts for last week’sfailed bid to rescue a Briton andan Italian in Mabera town ofSokoto state.

The abortive bid to rescueBriton, Chris McManus andItalian, Franco Lamolinara inNigeria was the hostages’ “best

chance”, Britain’s DefenceSecretary, Philip Hammondtold that country’s parliamentyesterday.

A decision to act was takenbecause “there was asignificant possibility” the

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PAGE 2 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Law to muzzle Labour underwayContd from Page 1

Britain defends botched Sokoto hostage rescueContd from Page 1

an amendment to the TradeUnion Act to make itmandatory for members oforganised labour to decidethrough ballot on whether toembark on a strike or not onany issue.

The bill is coming on theheels of fears that the FederalGovernment would, in thecoming weeks, go ahead toimplement the total removal ofsubsidy on fuel, which manyfear might attract anotherround of public resistanceunder the umbrella of theorganised Labour. The billhowever split the lawmakersleading to the postponement ofthe debate.

The principal Section 226 ofthe bill provides for“Requirement of ballot beforeaction by trade unions”.

Leading the debate on thebill, Lokpobiri said the draft lawwas not meant to stop theorganized labour fromembarking on legal strikes, butto ensure a more democraticand orderly manner fordeclaration of strike.

He said, “My intention is forthis Senate to democratize theentire process of calling a strike.My intention is not to preventany trade union fromembarking on any legitimatestrike. My intention is to ensurethat Nigeria goes along with allother countries of the worldwhere things are done in betterstandardized way. It is veryspecific”.

Lokpobiri argued that

strikes as contemplated by theTrade Union Act does notaccommodate strikes againstgovernment except wheregovernment is the employerand is based on trade disputesand not for political gains andother issues such as increasesin price of fuel.

According to Lokpobiri, “itis instructive to note, Mr.President, that strikes ascontemplated by the TradeUnion Act does notaccommodate strikes againstgovernment except wheregovernment is the employer.The use of the platform of tradeunion for political gains is nota trade dispute”.

Lokpobiri recalled thedecision of the Appeal Courtruling in the case between theFederal Government of Nigeriaand Adams Oshiomhole in2005.

According to him, “the NLCcalled a general strike againstgovernment’s policy ofincreasing the prices ofpetroleum products, includingthe introduction of a N1.50 taxon every litre of petrol. TheCourt of Appeal held that thiswas not a legitimate tradedispute”.

Immediately Lokpobirifinished with his lead debate,the Senate was split into twowith some lawmakerssupporting the bill while othersstrongly opposed it.

Those who supported thebill, include Senators AyoguEze, Ita Enang, JamesManager, George Sekibo,Magnus Ugbesia, Bassey Otu,

Wilson Ake, among others,while those who kicked againstit include Senators JoshuaDariye, Ahmed Makarfi, ChrisNgige, and Olufemi Lanlehin.

Commenting, Senators Ezeand Enang argued that labourunions have joined politics withlabour issues and often veer offtheir mandate when there is agovernment policy that doesnot concern them.

According to Enang, “Tradeunions in Nigeria have fullyveered away from functions ofunionism and ventured intopolitics with boxing gloves.Trade unions have ceased tonegotiate welfare of workers,this bill seek to ensure thatwhen a decision on strike istaken, it will depend on votesby workers.”

However, kicking againstthe bill, Senators Dariye,Makarfi, Ngige and Lanlehinargued that Nigerians will bedenied their fundamentalhuman rights if the bill waspassed. Dariye in his oppositiondescribed organized Labour asthe most democraticinstitution in Nigeria whoseaffairs the Senate should notinterfere with.

Ngige also kicked against thebill saying it is anti-people andan attempt to drag the nationbackward.

The debate on the bill washowever inconclusive asSenate President David Markadjourned the session to allowall the lawmakers to maketheir contributions before theSenate will take its position onthe issue.

“We will take the debate tological conclusion and if itbecomes necessary, we willtake a division,” Mark said.

It would be recalled thatformer President OlusegunObasanjo drafted a similaranti-labour Bill in 2004which culminated in theTrade Union Amendment Act2005.

The Trade UnionAmendment Act 2005,specified that, the latitudegiven to the Nigeria LabourCongress (NLC), as the onlylabour body in the countrywas to be removed, givingopportunity for the formationof more labour organisations.

Obasanjo, in his letter tothe National Assembly, hadaccused NLC of talking thelaws into their hands, becauseit was the only labour unionin the country. The majorfunction of the Trade UnionAmendment Act 2005 was todecentralize the authority,and followership enjoyed bythe NLC.

Another tenet of the Act2005 is found in section 12,subsection 4, which makes themembership of any TradeUnion in the countryvoluntary, and as such, noworker shall be victimized forrefusing to be part of a unionor participate in industrialaction. Section 16 subsectionA of the ‘Act’ states that onlywith the express consent ofworkers could such a TradeUnion collect check off duesfrom salaries.

kidnappers knew their locationwas known, the defencesecretary further told the MPs.

Explaining further, MrHammond said by Thursdaymorning: “The assessment onthe ground was there was asignificant possibility thekidnappers, if present, werealready aware their securityhad been compromised and, ifthey were not, the level ofmilitary activity in the townmeant there was a real risk ofthem developing thatawareness.

“The military judgementwas the hostages were facingan imminent and escalatingthreat and while an immediaterescue attempt wouldinevitably involve risk itrepresented the best chance ofsecuring the release of Chrisand Franco alive.”

According to wire servicereports, Mr Hammond wasgrilled over the failure of theUnited Kingdom authorities tonotify the Italian governmentbefore the raid.

He told MPs that the UKgovernment had kept in touch

with the Italian governmentthroughout the 10 months thetwo men, found dead duringthe raid, had been held.

The two countries’ securityservices had also kept in closecontact and the Italians hadknown of the general “directionof travel”, he furtherexplained.

Pressed to disclose when theItalian government wasinformed about the plannedoperation, Mr Hammond saidhe could not specify a time.

The urgency was evidentfrom the fact that the raid tookplace in daylight. It wasdeemed too risky to wait even12 hours for dark”

He said that the go-aheaddecision was taken at a Cobrameeting chaired by Britain’sForeign Secretary, WilliamHague which ended just before9am on Thursday, and the“responsible officials” thenwent away to contact the UKambassador to Italy, who wasthen to go, as soon as possible,to inform the Italian foreignministry.

The operation began at10.58am. On Friday the Italian

president said it was“inexplicable” that the Britishgovernment had not told Romeabout the rescue attempt untilit had begun.

He told MPs the operationhad lasted about 90 minutesbut that the bodies of the twohostages had been found by thetroops in a room at the rear ofthe compound with “earlyindications clear both menwere murdered by their captorswith automatic gun fire beforethey could be rescued”.

Mr Hammond said the UKand Nigerian government hadworked closely together to tryand establish where thehostages were being held -learning of the location afterdebriefing captured suspects lastWednesday.

He also rejected the idea thatany ransom had been paid,saying that as far as he knew nodemand had ever been made.

“The deaths of ChrisMcManus and FrancoLamolinara were a terribletragedy. But let us be clear thatthe responsibility for theirdeaths lies squarely with thepeople who kidnapped them, held

them, threatened them, andthen murdered them in coldblood.

“Terrorism and kidnappingcan never be justified. Many ofthe group responsible for thekidnapping and murder of Chrisand Franco, including theirsenior leaders, are either dead orhave been contained - andimportant achievement inreducing the threat of futurekidnapping.”

For Labour, shadow defencesecretary Jim Murphy said: “Webelieve the government took theright course of action in seekingto rescue two innocent captives.”

But he questioned theapparent failure to keep theItalians informed.

Mr Murphy also said: “Thistragedy is another painfulreminder the UK must retain theability to act across the globe. Itis also reflective of thevindictiveness of our opponentsand the valour of our forces.

“Can you convey theappreciation of Parliament as awhole to the commanders of theSpecial Boat Service for theirremarkable efforts andbravery”, he urged the defencesecretary.

PAGE 3PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Drama as man threatens to jump offtelecom mast in AbujaBy By Sunday Ejike Benjamin &Mohammed Kandi

A 50-year-old man, MallamMusa Inuwa yesterdayclimbed a telecommuni-

cations mast of about 300 metershigh in the premises of the FederalHigh Court Headquarters, Abujato protest the N15 million allegedlyowed him by former VicePresident, Atiku Abubakar.

An eye witness account said,Inuwa first approached the courtregistry staff requesting to file asuit to recover N15 million debtfrom Atiku, but was told to go to a

federal high court in Yola as theAbuja federal high court has nojurisdiction to entertain thematter if filed.

Not satisfied with theexplanation, Inuwa demanded tosee the Chief Judge, JusticeIbrahim Auta. Again he was toldthat he could only see the ChiefJudge with his lawyer.

Inuwa came down from thethird floor of the court's buildingand headed for the mast. Adocument recovered from himby the court's securityoperatives which they deniedjournalists from going through

was captioned; "I will not comedown until the federalgovernment and Nigerians comeinto this matter".

Inuwa who climbed the mastand was busy making calls withhis hand set insisted he won't comedown until either Atiku or theInspector General of the policecame before the mast.

At first, the Area Commanderof Police, Mr. Sunday Odunkoyathreatened to use force to bring himdown to no avail.

The police force called for theservices of the NEMA AccidentResponse vehicle, Fire Service

and hospital ambulances withthe plan to climb and force himdown.

Inuwa remained defiant untilCSP A.A. Baba, an officer fromCriminal Investigation Bureaufrom FCT police command cameto the rescue.

Baba who spoke in Hausalanguage displayed a documentwhich he used to persuade Inuwa,saying it was an undertakingobtained by IGP from Atiku to payhim the N15 million debt.

Inuwa who climbed the mastby about 12.30noon, came downat about 3.57 pm.

The Police Public RelationsOfficer of the FCT Command,Jimoh Moshood told journalistsafter Inuwa was driven away in

Reps summon minister over non-completionof River Niger dredging

a Hilux van with registrationnumber, NPF 21288 that thecircumstance which led toInuwa's suicide attempt wouldbe thoroughly investigated.

Meanwhile, Atiku's media aide,Garba Shehu in his reaction toInuwa's action said, "We honestlysuspect that the man has a mentaldisorder, if there is one Nigerianwho pays all his bills that one isAtiku Abubakar.

"If the idea of his pole climbingis to get N15 million from theTuraki, this certainly is not thebest way to go about it.

"Left to me, I will say that theman should simply be ignored. Hewill climb down when he gets tiredof staying up there", Garba Shehuadded.

The Court of Appeal sitting inEnugu has quashed theappeal filed by Chief Andy

Uba of PDP challenging the decisionof the election petition tribunalwhich nullified his election.

The appellate court ruled thatthe case was time bound and thetime allowed for it to be entertainedhad lapsed.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Uba's electionas senator representing AnambraSouth, was nullified last Decemberby the tribunal in its ruling on thecase instituted by APGA'scandidate Mr. Chuma Nzeribe.

Justice Abdulkadir Jega, wholed four other justices yesterday,ruled that the court had nojurisdiction to entertain the matter,as the 60 days allowed by law todetermine the case had lapsed.

The judge, therefore, struck outthe case for lack of jurisdiction.(NAN)

Andy Ubaloses again

Two policemen were killedwhile a soldier was injuredin a shootout with suspected

members of the Boko Haram sectin Kano yesterday evening. Theincident occurred at Gwammajaquarters.

According to eyewitnesses,gunmen had opened fire at thethree armed personnel at a checkpoint.

The unspecified number ofattackers were said to have arrivedat the check point on motorcyclesand opened fire at the officers whilethey were busy carrying out stopand search on vehicles.

Though details on the latestincident were still sketchy,eyewitnesses told our correspondentsthat the suspected gunmen escapedafter killing their victims.

However, one of the attackerswas also reported to have been gunneddown in the process. Spokesman ofthe Joint Task Force, Lt. IkedichiIweha confirmed the incident.

2 policemen, 1assailant killed,soldier injured incheckpoint raidFrom Edwin Olofu & Bala Nasir,KanoThe House of Representatives

yesterday summoned theTransport Minister, Idris A.

Umar, to appear before it to explainthe delay in the completion of thedredging of the River Niger projectawarded since 2009.

Following a motion moved byRep Ibrahim Ebbo raising the fearsthat the project may have beenabandoned in spite of the moneypaid the contractors, Umar wouldbe facing the House Committee on

Marine Transport chaired by RepIfeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Also to appear alongside theTransport Minister are theManaging Director of the NationalInland Waterways Authority(NIWA), Arc. Ahmed AminuYar’adua and all the contractorsinvolved in the project.

The lawmaker explained thatthe dredging of the River Nigerwould be of tremendousimportance to the socio-economicdevelopment of the country justas he expressed worry that a

By Lawrence Olaoye

substantial amount of money hadbeen paid to the contractors sincethe commencement of the work in2009.

He alleged that work on theproject had stopped, as no actionwas seen going on even as hewarned “if no concrete actions aretaken, the contract might soon beabandoned”.

Our investigation reveal thatBaro Ports is currently at 70percent completion but the LokojaPort has been abandoned.

Yar’adua in recent interviewdisclosed that the Lokoja Portcontract has been revoked from theinitial contractor and re-awarded.

Yar’adua had explained thatthe dredging of the River Nigerproject contract components wasboth physical and scientific.According to him, the dredgingcomprises of a scientificcanalization of only ship routeswith installed navigational aids toallow all year round sailing byvarious sizes of cargo andpassengers ships.

While assuring that the N4billion Onitsha ports would beready for commissioning by theend of the year, Yar’adua disclosedthat the 572 kilometre Baro(Niger)-Warri (Delta) has beencompleted.

President GoodluckJonathan yesterdaycommissioned Voice of

Nigeria’s (VON) ultramodernsuper transmitting station and itsrevolving antenna, located atLugbe, Airport Road, Abuja.

The President who wasrepresented by his deputy, Arc

Mohammed Namadi Sambo at theevent, stated that the project wasin line with the FederalGovernment’s commitment tomeet the 2015 global deadline forthe digitisation of the broadcastindustry and international bestpractices.

“We are today empowering theVoice of Nigeria to robustly projectour international profile and make

Nigeria heard positively and morewidely around the world,” addingthat “the transmitting station weare commissioning today(yesterday) is therefore aimed atmaking VON better able to meetits vital obligation of telling ourstory from our own perspective.”

The President noted that VONestablished in 1961, as an externalarm of the then Nigeria

Broadcasting Corporation, was inrecognition of the critical role thecountry was playing in freeingother African countries from theshackles of colonialism.

“Nigeria understood in herearly history that it needed anexternal voice to reach the worldas the leader of Africa and toprovide a platform for rallyingAfrican voices,” he stated.

Jonathan commissions VON’s super transmitter, revolving antennaBy Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

L-R: Minister ofInformation, MrLabaran Maku,FCT Minister,Senator BalaMohammed, Vice-PresidentMohammedNamadi Sambo,Chairman, SenateCommittee onCommunication,SenatorEnyinnayaAbaribe, andDirector General,Voice of Nigeria(VON) MalamAbubakar BobboyiJijiwa, during theCommissioningceremony of theultra-moderntransmissionstation, yesterdayin Lugbe, Abuja.Photo: Joe Oroye

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012PAGE 4

Reps back IGPon roadblocksThe House of Representatives

yesterday rejected a motionseeking to compel the Acting

Inspector General of Police,Mohammed Abubakar, to returnpolice check-points across thecountry.

According to the lawmakers,the use of road block to curb crimeson the highway was not onlycrude, with its attendantencumbrances, but had proved tobe grossly ineffective in the face ofthe new security challenges facingthe country.

Rep Friday Itulah (PDP, Edo)who moved the motion, said thedecision of the Acting InspectorGeneral of Police, to dismantle roadblocks nationwide had exposed

Nigerians using the highways torobbery incidents.

Rep Bimbo Daramola (ACN,Ekiti) who stated that the issue wasabout weighing available optionsopen to Nigerians, however notedthat the inconveniencesencountered at the road blocks bytravelers should be weighedagainst the sense of securityprovided by the police checkpoints.

Besides, rather thandismantling the road blocks,government should strengthen theexisting structures to be bettereffective in the provision ofsecurity on Nigerian highways, hesubmitted.

Dissenting, Ayo Omidiran(ACN, Osun) said the argumentfor security on the highways

through the road block byproponents of the motion was notjustifiable. “With the new securitychallenges confronting us in thiscountry, how many kidnappers orbombers have been apprehendedat any of these road blocks? Sheasked.

She warned that the return ofthe road block would only increasecorruption by the officers.

Lawmakers said the use of roadblocks was crude and thereforeundesirable. They resolved thatthe police should be encouraged totrain and re-train its officers andmen, and improve on the patrol ofthe highways.

After thorough debate, themotion was rejected through voicevote by majority of thelawmakers.

An Abuja Chief MagistratesCourt yesterdaysentenced a 34-year-old

fake soldier, Tony Okheguai, to30-month imprisonment forimpersonation and forgery.

The sentence was deliveredby the Chief Magistrate, Mr.Ahmed Shuaibu, after hisguilty plea before the court.

Shuaibu sentenced theconvict to six-monthimprisonment with an option ofN5,000 fine for impersonationand two years imprisonmentwith an option of N10,000 finefor forgery.

The chief magistrateordered that the sentenceshould run concurrently.

Earlier, the Police Prosecutor,Sgt. Effiong Atteh, had told thecourt that the crime was reportedby Capt. J.G Kwelle of theNigerian Army GarrisonIntelligence Detachment,Mogadishu Cantonment,Asokoro, on March 1.

He added that the convict onFeb. 15, at army field basecheck-point, Suleja, Niger state,unlawfully paraded himself asa Lieutenant of the NigerianA r m y .

Atteh further told the courtthat the convict also forged anidentity card belonging to theArmy, adding that the offencecontravened Sections 133 and364 of the Penal Code. (NAN)

Fake soldier sentenced forimpersonation, forgery

A Chief Magistrate Court inAbuja yesterday, threatened to issue a

bench warrant on a popularNollywood actor, Jim Iyke,should he fail to appear before iton April 17, 2012 to explain hisrole in an alleged N15millionshare scam.

The actor is answering to aone count criminal charge thatwas preferred against him bythe Nigerian Police Force.

He was accused of usingfraudulent tactics to acquire 15percent equity shares of a musiccompany, Untamed RecordsLimited.

Police told the courta thatinvestigation into the caserevealed that the accused, aresident of Sunnyville Estate,Abuja, hoodwinked one HabibaAbubakar into granting himaccess to share documents of therecording company.

The court had on November11, 2011, granted the accusedperson bail in the sum of N500,000, after he pleaded not guiltyto the charge that was enteredagainst him by the police. Heequally produced two personsthat stood as sureties for him.

When the matter came up forhearing yesterday, the actorfailed to appear in court, just ashis counsel, Mrs. Esther Uzoma,told Magistrate Azubike Okeaguthat her client was mobbed whenhe went for a video shoot in

Cameroun last week, saying hewas receiving treatment atCidar Press Hospital in Abuja.

Not satisfied with theexplanation, the prosecutingcounsel, Inspector DanjumaEbune, urged the court to issue abench warrant against theaccused person, saying hisabsence in court yesterday wasa deliberate ploy aimed atfrustrating his trial.

The prosecution told the courtthat he brought three witnessesto testify in the matter yesterday,stressing that the police was notready to settle the case out ofcourt.

Though Magistrate Okeaguexpressed his displeasure overfailure of the accused person toappear for trial yesterday, hehowever conceded to adjourn thecase till April 17, warning thathe would not hesitate to issue abench warrant should he fail toappear on the next adjourneddate.

Travails of the actor followeda petition sent to the InspectorGeneral of Police by the managerof the record company, HabibaAbubakar, who alleged that theaccused person surreptitiouslytransferred 15 percent of thecompany’s equity shares to hisname.

The prosecutor said theaccused person had turnedviolent when he was confrontedwith the allegation, threateningto kill Mrs. Habiba for reportingthe matter to the police.

Court threatens bench warrant onNollywood actor over N15m scam

The Nigeria Security andCivil Defense Corps(NSCDC), Kuje divisional

headquarters has arrested a 23-year-old man, Suleiman Sanifrom Katsina state over thealleged vandalisation of PHCNcable at Kiyyi near Gimbiya RiceMill in Kuje area council ofAbuja.

According to a statement bythe NSCDC public relationsofficer, FCT command, Akinbinu

David Sani, who is a labourer atTipper Garage in Kuje, inconjunction with oneMohammed who is presently atlarge, vandalised the cable beforehe was arrested by the NSCDCofficer on surveillance within thearea.

Items recovered from himwere a hacksaw, empty bags andcables.

However, the matter hadbeen handed over to the police forfurther investigation andprosecution.

NSCDC arrests man, 23,over cable vandalisationBy Rukaiya Muhammad

Defence Minister urges Nigeriansto enlist in anti-terror war

By Emmanuel Iriogbe

Minister of Defence, Dr.Bello HaliruMohammed has charged

Nigerians on the need to continueto volunteer information thatwould help in the fight againstterrorism in the country.

The minister stated thisyesterday in Abuja in his firstreaction to the recent bomb blast

in Jos, Plateau state and the killingof two expatriates by a group ofkidnappers in Sokoto state.

He reiterated government’sdetermination to sustain its spiritedsearch for the terrorists whereverthey may be in the country.

On the need for citizens to

volunteer information on theoperations of terrorists, the ministerdisclosed that the recent successesachieved by the security agencieswere due to the willingness andsupport of Nigerians who sharegovernment’s vision on the waragainst terrorism.

By Lawrence Olaoye

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar adorning the new police uniform

By Lambert Tyem

FG acquires camouflage uniforms for police

The Federal Governmentyesterday acquired andhanded over camouflage

uniforms for the police force.The new uniform according

to police authorities is to be usedas one of its operational outfits.

Force Public RelationsOfficer, Deputy Commissionerof Police (DCP) Olusola

Emmanuel Amore said that theActing Inspector-General ofPolice, MD Abubakar’sappearance in the new policecamouflage yesterday was aprocess of test running theuniform.

“The advantages of the newpolice camouflage include thatit is cost effective to maintain;operationally durable; highlycustomised with security

features to forestallimpersonation andenvironmentally friendly.

“The police boss is using thismedium to call on generalpublic to come up withconstructive criticismsregarding the new policecamouflage, so that publicopinion will be given adequateconsideration,” the policespokesman said.

PAGE 6 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Butcher urge govt to pay veterinary doctors’ salary

A group, under the aegis ofButchers DevelopmentAssociation has appeal to

Kogi state government to takedecisive steps to prevent theimpending strike action by theveterinary doctors in theinterest of the state.

The secretary of ButchersDevelopment Association, AlhajiIdi Ibrahim, who made this

to ensure that the demand ofvet doctors are met by thestate government, noting thatattempt to allow them go onstrike, the butchers wouldhenceforth stop killing cows,because of the poor sanitarysituation around theneglected abattoir.

According to Ibrahim, theveterinary doctors are of greatassistance to the association ofbutchers in Kogi state in the

From Sam Egwu, Lokoja appeal in an interview with ourreporter yesterday in Lokoja atthe Abattoir site, stated that themembers of the association arehelpless without vetinarydoctors.

Ibrahim, who doubles as thesecretary of Kogi MarketTraders Association, statedthat the Commissioner forAgriculture and NaturalResource, should doeverything humanly possible

A non-governmentalo r g a n i s a t i o n ,Yitzhak Rabin for African

Development has begun theconstruction of a state-of-the-artsinternational institute/resourcecenter, for the teaching of Hebrewlanguage, the history of theJewish nation, and other science

governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechiin Port Harcourt at the weekend.

Dr. Ogini explained that theinstitute which will initiallycomprise nursery, primary andsecondary schools, is namedafter former Israeli PrimeMinster, Mr. Yitzhak Rabin inview of his values and peaceovertures which led to hisassassination in 1995. Mr. Yuval

By Miriam Humbe related courses in Port Harcourt,Rivers state which is expected tocommence academic activitiesbefore the end of 2012.

President of the NGO, Dr.Blessing Ogini, announced thisduring the foundation layingceremony of the institute by theDeputy Head Mission, Embassyof Israel in Nigeria, Mr. GeorgeDeek and the Rivers state

NGO sets up Hebrew language school in Rivers

area of advice on which animalis good or bad for consumption.

He said that the plight ofthe veterinary doctors iscompounded by lack ofserviceable abattoir in thestate where clean andhygienic meat could bebought, warning that thesituation could degenerate intoan epidemic.

A veterinary and expert whospoke to our correspondent and

Rabin, first son of the late PrimeMinister was present at theceremony.

He also explained that theschool has been designed tointernational standards to curtailthe desire of Nigerian parents tosend their children abroad insearch of quality education, inaddition to creating a greaterimpact on Nigeria-Israel

relationship and cultural values.Also speaking, Mr. Deek, said

he did not just come to lay afoundation stone, but to make astatement that Nigeria could andmust provide high qualityeducation for its younggeneration, right here in Nigeria,most especially in Port Harcourt.He added that "we are here tostate what you will make here,what Nigeria will make witheducation, will decide nothing lessthan the future of this country".

Missouri Secretary ofState, RobinCarnahan, has called

on Nigerian women to have achange of attitude towards oneanother irrespective of religionand tribe especially duringelections and when there isunrest in any part of thecountry.

Mrs. Carnahan made thiscall yesterday in Abuja whiledelivering a lecture at a publiclecture on women in politics,with the theme: How toorganise, fundraise, mentorand deal with the media,organised by the United StatesMission, Nigeria inpartnership with theNational Center for WomenDevelopment.

She said the lecture wasorganised to commemoratethe 2012 Women's HistoryMonth and the struggles ofwomen, celebrate centuriesof progress and reaffirm theUS’ steadfast commitment tothe rights, security anddignity of women worldwide.

According to her, Nigeriais one of the countries wherewomen destroy their fel lowwomen’s polit ical carriersbecause of religious and tribaldifferences which she said ispartial ly responsible forwomen's inabil ity to holdpolit ical positions in thecountry .

"We hope that this eventwould help in changingNigerian women politicians'strategies and attitudetowards one another duringelections when they need thesupport of one another toachieve the most talkedabout women polit ical andeconomic development inNigeria."

Womenpoliticians urgedto changeattitude

The Special Task Force (STF)known as Operation SafeHaven and Plateau State

Police Comand, yesterday, saidit has mapped out new securitymeasures to curtail the spate ofthe bombings in Jos.

Speaking while unfoldingthe new security measures, theCommissioner of Police, Mr.Emmanuel Ayeni said the newmeasures were arrived at aftera meeting between the Chief ofDefence Staff, Air ChiefMarshal Oluseyi Petinrin andall stakeholders in the state.

Ayeni, while unfolding thenew measures said that Plateaupeople are tired of carryingcorpses.

He also directed thathenceforth, all vehicles must

From Nankpah Bwakan, Jos be packed outside the church,except those of officials, whomust arrive early before theircongregations andrecommended for perimeterfencing of al l churches andmosques, the training of allsecurity personnel workingin worship places to teachthem the rudiments ofsecur i ty .

Security operatives put new strategy against bombings in Jos

L-R: Lagos state Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Prince Adesegun Oniru, the state governor, Mr.Babatunde Fashola, and Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olutoyin Ayinde, during the governor'sinspection tour of Ajido erosion and other illegal sand mining sites, yesterday in Badagry, Lagos state.

pleaded anonymity, stated that75 percent of diseases affectinghuman beings would alwaysemanate from abattoir becauseof bad environment, stressingthat this may lead to outbreak ofcholera, if adequate care was nottaken.

He cited tuberculosis andanthrax, which are killerdiseases that are inherent inanimals, if there is no adequateinspection and control.

By Maryam Garba Hassan

Governor Aliyu Wamakko ofSokoto state has approvedthe implementation of the

N18,000 minimum wage witheffect from March, 2012.

This was contained in astatement signed by the Sokoto

Sokoto Gov approves implementation of newminimum wageFrom Muhammad Abdullah,Sokoto

Ayeni called on leadershipof churches in the state topurchase security equipmentand enjoined youths tocooperate with securityagencies.

According to him, "All ofus have roles to play. Everyworshipper must subjectthemselves to search whilethere must be no accessibility to

worship centres. When yoususpect any object, do not gonear. You can carry only yourbible or your Qur'an.

"You must avoid clusteringworship centres after worship.We observe that after worshippeople cluster around to gossip.Your business is worship and goto your house after that;endeavour to quickly go to yourhouse."

state Head of Service, AlhajiAbdullahi Wali, and madeavailable to journalists in Sokotoyesterday.

According to the statement,Wamakko mandated the stateministry of finance to implementthe new minimum wage thismonth.

It stated that the same gesturewill be extended to civil servants

working in local governmentcouncils and local governmenteducation authority immediatelyafter verification exercise of theirworkforce.

It would be recalled that,Wamakko had during the swearingin ceremony weeks ago, pledged tocommence the implementation ofthe new minimum wage thismonth.

PAGE 8 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Nigeria remains united despitebomb attacks, says NOA

Finbar’s Catholic Church,Rayfield, Jos which claimedseveral lives.

He said considering therecurrence of bomb blasts in partsof the country, it was obvious thatthe primary purpose of theperpetrators was to disstabiliseand disintegrate the nation.

However, he said, theattempts to disguise the bombingsaga as a religious war had failedas Christians and Muslims acrossthe nation still live together inunity and the spirit of

brotherhood.While commiserating with

the families of those who losttheir loved ones in the attack,the Director-General called forrestraint in grief. Headmonished them to shun anyurge for retaliation as dialogueremained the only option for ameaningful resolution of thecrisis.

He called on the Boko Haramsect which has claimedresponsibility for the Jos bombingas well as many other terrorist

The Director-General,National OrientationAgency (NOA), Mr. Mike

Omeri, says despite the challengesof terrorism confronting thenation, Nigerians remain unitedand their nationhood remainsunthreatened.

According to a statementsigned by Fidel Agu, Asst. Director(Press), Mr. Omeri made thisremark while reacting to lastSunday’s bomb blast at St.

By Tobias Lengnam Dapam attacks in parts of the country todesist from violence and embracepeace and dialogue for the redressof their grievances.

He also warned the youths tobeware of persons who seek to usethem for bloodshed and disunitynoting that no well meaningperson would jeopardise the livesof the youth to achieve any goal.Mr. Omeri said the strength ofthe nation and “the youth whoare tomorrow’s leaders, lie in ourunity as a people irrespective ofdifferences in tribe or creed”.

First Lady begs Boko Haram, MEND

L-R: Former Chairman, Governing Board of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Colonel Lawal Gwadabe, former CorpsMarshal/Chief Executive of FRSC, Dr. Olu Agunloye, Corps Marshal/Chief Executive Officer of FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, andChairman, House of Representatives Committee on Road Safety, Hon. Nasiru Sani Zangon Daura, during a farewell dinner in honourof the retired senior officers of FRSC, on Monday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

The wife of the President, DamePatience Jonathan yesterdayappealed to all aggrieved

groups in the country to embracedialogue to end hostility andinsecurity across the country.

Mrs. Jonathan made this appealduring her 'Thank You Visit andAdvocacy Campaign for Peace’ toIbadan, the Oyo state capital, sayingno development could thrive in anatmosphere of chaos.

This was coming as the BokoHaram sect intensified hostilitieswith the latest bombing in Jos, thePlateau state capital while theMovement for the Emancipation ofthe Niger Delta (MEND) made goodits threat by blowing oil pipelinesshortly after the death of anOctober1,2010 bomb blast suspectat Kuje Prisons in Abuja.

She said the current securitychallenges in the country called forsober reflections adding thatexpectations must be jointly workedfor, to achieve desired harmony andco-existence across the nation.

The First Lady charged allelected public officers to deliverelectioneering promises and provideadequate security for people, calling

on politicians and their supportersto shun violence in the interest ofpeace.

In her word: “We, the women ofthis country are saying enough isenough for violence, we cannotcontinue becoming sudden widowsand our children becoming orphanas a result of issues which can beresolved at the round-table, we aretired of painful actions from selfishpeople. Women have resolved topreaching peace starting from ourhomes, streets, wards, localgovernments and constituencies.We urge our husband to emulatethe path of peace.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi in his

speech, commended PresidentJonathan for his resolve at ensuringpeace and snatching our countryback from the jaws of violentindividuals who have sought to re-christen it as a nation of bomb-throwers.

The governor furthercommended Mrs. Jonathan’slaudable fight for a worthy place androle for the women of the federationthrough her women empowermentinitiatives.

"The tireless commitment to theimprovement of thelots of womenin Nigeria, you have effectivelyentered history books as one of thechampions of women liberation on

our continent". In her welcome address, the wife

of the Oyo state Governor, Mrs.Florence Ajimobi called for peaceand harmonious relationshipwithin the country saying womenplead for immediate end to violence,destruction and wanton waste oflives and property in the nation.

In her remarks, the Minister ofstate, Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Oloye Jumoke Akinjideenjoined all ethnic groups andnationals in the country to unite andsupport President Jonathan for thesuccess of his transformationalagenda which could only thrive inatmosphere of peace.

In a bid to ensure speedydispensation of justice to thepeople of the state, the Gombe

state government has provided17 vehicles to judicial officers ofboth Appeal Court and HighCourt respectively.

Presenting the keys of thevehicles to the chief judge onbehalf of the governor, thedeputy governor, Mr. JasonRubainu said it

was part of the government'sgesture to provide its highranking functionaries withbefitting tools to carry out theirjobs effectively.

He said the four V8 LandCruisers for the Chief Judge andthe Grand Khadi werepurchased at the rate of N19.5each, while those of the HighCourt Judges and Khadis of theSharia Court of Appeal wereacquired at N12.5 each.

Receiving the keys, the stateChief Judge, Justice Hemanreiterated the determination ofthe judiciary to the adjudicationof justice especially at this periodwhere the state and the nationwere facing daunting securitychallenges.

He explained that theprovision of the vehicles to theState Chief Judge, the GrandKhadi, High Court Judges andKhadis of the Sharia Court ofAppeal would certainly assist inimproving their performance.

Earlier, the Secretary to theState Government (SSG), AlhajiAbubakar Sule Bage, describedthe presentation of the vehiclesto the senior judicial officers aspart of the administration’sgesture of extending dividends ofdemocracy to all segments of thesociety.

Gombe govtprocures 17vehicles forjudicial officers

Fasehun appeals to Jonathan on Al-MustaphaBy Tobias Lengnam Dapam

Unknown assailants weresuspected to have killedtwo local security guards

in Jibia Market and Motor Park inJibia local government area ofKatsina state.

Confirming the incident tonewsmen, yesterday in Katsina,the Katsina Police Commandspokesman, ASP Shehu KokoMuhammad gave the names ofthe two security guards as Usmanand Maisamari.

He debunked insinuationsthat the two security guards werekilled by suspected ritualists,adding that doctors report hadindicated that no part of thedeceased bodies was missing.

According to him, one of thedeceased had his collar bonesbroken as a metal rod was piercedinto it as well as his throat.

ASP Muhammad noted thatthe police in the area had beguninvestigation with the hope ofapprehending the suspectedassailants.

2 security guardskilled in Katsina From Lawal Sa'idu Funtua, Katsina

From Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

Following the January 30death sentence passed onMajor Hamza Al-Mustapha,

and Lateef Shofolahan, by JusticeMojisola Dada of the Lagos HighCourt, the founder and presidentof the Oodua Peoples Congress(OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, hasappealed to President GoodluckJonathan and well meaningNigerians to save the lives of theduo for the future of the country.

Fasehun in a statement, saidhe followed the events keenly for14 years but wondered why thetrial which had taken longerthan any in the history of thenation ended in a capitalpunishment.

“How can Nigeria explain tothe world that a man held incustody for 14 years in acontroversially conducted trialultimately ended up with capitalpunishment? Discerning peopleknow that should Al-Mustapha

will be seen to have been unfairlytreated and his rights disparaged.It can throw a cog in the wheel ofamity, unity and tranquilitybetween the north and south.

“Today, this danger is real,more than ever. Nigeria mustrealize that panacea for disunityand disharmony and the road toprogress and development lie insocial justice, fairness to all andgood bilateral relations betweenthe south and the north.” Fasehunnoted.

PAGE 9PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

L-R: Former Gombe state Governor, Senator Danjuma Goje, in a handshake with Chairman and ChiefExecutive Officer of Links Group, Alhaji Abdulmumini Yunus, after their private visit to Vice-PresidentMohammed Namadi Sambo, at the State House, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

NASS will only support SNC if….– Senate leader

The National Assemblyyesterday reiterated itsearlier position that it

will support any dialogue tomap out terms of co-existenceand unity among the variousnationalities in Nigeria but notin the name of SovereignNational Conference (SNC).

Leader of the Senate,Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba(Cross River), made thisdeclaration when receivingrepresentatives of NigerianBar Association (NBA) who

From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

The Director-General of theNational Youth ServiceCorps (NYSC), Brigadier

General Nnamdi Okore-Affia,has said henceforth corpsmembers will be engaged inskills acquisition trainingprogrammes to help thembecome self-employed after theservice year.

He made the statementwhile addressing Batch A Corpsmembers deployed to Abia,Bayelsa, Anambra, Ebonyi,Edo and Ondo states during hisorientation course tour to thecamps.

According to him, thelabour market is oversaturated; therefore corpsmembers must availthemselves of the new

opportunity in order to live avery productive life after theservice year.

He encouraged corpsmembers to be securityconscious in view of the priorityattached to their security andsafety. "In addition to the skillacquisition, martial artstraining has been introduced toprepare you people for self defenceespecially the female ones among

you", he said.Okore-Affia further hinted

that in response to the securitychallenges facing corps membersin their respective places ofassignment, the NYSC hasestablished Distress Call Centre atthe national headquarters Abujato receive and respond to callsfrom corps members in distress forimmediate intervention.

He advised them to make use

Corps members to benefit from skills acquisition trainingBy Etuka Sunday

Private firm to invest N1.7bn to expand Gurara FallsFrom Iliya Garba, Minna

Worried by the dwindlingfortunes of GuraraWater Falls, the Niger

state government hascommitted a private firm toinvest the sum of over N1.75billion to upgrade the waterfalls into an international tourist

site.The state's Commissioner for

Tourism and Culture, AlhajiMohammed Garba Abubakar,disclose this yesterday in Minnain an interview with newsmen.

Alhaji Abubakar noted thatunder the new arrangementwith the indigenous company,the state government is

expected to provideinfrastructure such as accessroads, clinic, electricity andwater supply to the prime touristsite while the promoter willdevelop the structures.

The commissioner said theprivate firm which entered intoa similar MOU with the Nigerstate government and deliveredthe ultra modern Kure Marketin Minna, is expected toconstruct a befittinginternational conference centre,a gold course, chalets, a mini zooand a mini sports complex for thecomfort of guest that will visitthe water fall.

He attributed the recent slidein tourism activities in the stateto the security challenges in thecountry and assured that withproper marketing andpromotion, Niger state couldbecome the center of tourism inthe Northern states.

paid a courtesy call to theSenate, saying, "We know thatall over the country there isthis clamour for SovereignNational Conference. I don'twant to preempt the issue but Ibelieve that the sovereignty wehave today derives from theconstitution; and you cannothave another sovereigntyoutside the constitution.However, there is need forNigerians at every level toengage themselves indiscussing the terms of ourfederation.

"So, as National Assembly of

the Federal Republic ofNigeria, we will supportNigerians dialoguing anddiscussing the terms of ourunity. But where we have amajor issue, is the issue ofsovereignty," said the Senateleader.

He also noted the issue ofsovereignty can only be takencare of when discussion onconstitution review is resumedon the floor of the NationalAssembly, which will be verysoon after they pass the budget.

"The next majorengagement after passing the

budget is the constitutionalreview. We have received thesubmission of the NBA. It is aresource material; we arelooking at it".

Senator Ndoma-Egbahowever reminded the NBAteam, led by its president,Joseph Daudu, thatconstitution amendment is nota-one-way traffic, saying,"Apart from the constitutionalaspect of the amendment, thereis also the political aspect of theamendment; because if you takethe constitutional process

without building the politicalprocess and necessaryconsensus you will fail."

The Senate leader assuredNBA of the support of theNational Assembly in any wayit can, saying NBA is tooimportant not to have a directinterface with the nationalassembly because there isurgent need to do somethingabout the Nigeria's criminaljustice, the speed of dispensingjustice, the thorny issue of plea-bargain and, of course, theelectoral reform.

In a bid to bring lasting peaceto troubled spots along bordercommunities between

Nasarawa and Kaduna states,the National BoundaryCommissioned (NBC), isbringing the two states to aroundtable for dialogue aimedat finding a panacea to therecurrent boundary disputesbetween the states.

Nasarawa state deputygovernor, Damishi Luka Barau,who is also the chairman of thestate boundary committee, onthe occasion of the joint meetingof officials on Nasarawa/Kaduna inter-state boundary,which held yesterday at theTaal Conference Hotel, Lafia,pointed out in an address thatpeace and harmoniouscoexistence along boundariescommon to the two states is anecessary requirement to dousetension caused by mutualsuspicion and mistrust amongthe people.

While noting that the twostates have shared commonsocio-economic aspirations sincethe days precedingindependence, the deputygovernor however lamentedthat despite this long-standingfraternity, there have beenfrequent cases ofmisunderstanding across borderareas of Nunku/Gwaska andAngwan Maiganga/AngwanRagga, which if left unresolved,will constitute a threat to thesocio-economic development ofthe communities.

On his part, Alhaji MuktarYero, Kaduna state deputygovernor, disclosed thatrepresentatives from the stateare attending the meeting inLafia, "to resolve all disputes

between the two states", stressingthat the states have a longstanding history and wonderingwhy there should be disputesbecause of the creation of a state(Nasarawa).

Nasarawa, Kaduna tocollaborate for peace alongborder communities

By Ali Alkali

of the DCC only when in distressnoting that payment of allowancewas not the reason for setting upthe center. He cautioned thefemale corps members againstindecent dressing whichnegates the culture andtradition of their hostcommunity stressing thatcorps members must integratewith their host communities inorder to work effectively.

Court ordersarrest of Bauchieducationcommissioner forcontemptFrom Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

The Bauchi state highcourt 6 has ordered thearrest of Bauchi state

Commissioner for Education,Alhaji Aminu Ibrahim Yasi fordefying a court order.

A bench warrant of arrestwas issued against thecommissioner for his non-appearance in court to defendthe suit filed against him by acompany called Alpha OneConnexions Limited.

The presiding judge, JusticeMohammed Sambo issued thebench warrant for the arrest ofthe commissioner overcontempt and has adjournedthe case to 29th of March 2012for hearing.

The counsel to the plaintiff,Sama'ila Idris, filed theapplication for the arrest of thecommissioner for allegedlyrefusing to obey the recentcourt order to pay them theircontract fee of N4.9 millionafter the company constructedthe InformationCommunication Centre [ICT]in Government SecondarySchool, Kofar Idi, Bauchi.

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

The Standards Organisationof Nigeria (SON) has saidit would soon commerce

registration of importers totackle influx f substandradproducts into the country.

The Director-General ofSON, Mr. Joseph Odumodudisclosed this to newsmen in

Lagos during the SONmanagement staff retreat.

He said that the staff weredrawn from differentdirectorates across the countryfor a three-day retrainingprogramme with the theme:"From Strategy to Action:Transforming Nigeria'sEconomy ThroughStandardisation".

SON begins registration to checkinflux of substandard products

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012PAGE 10

The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations better known as the Zero Corruption

Coalition, has criticised the Senate on the current probe of the Pension Fund management by the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishments and State and Local Government Administration.

This came as a result of allegations and counter-allegations against the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), the Pension Commission (PENCOM) and pension fund managers.

In a statement issued by the Chairman, Steering Committee and national secretary of ZCC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, said though ZCC frowned at acts of illegality and abuse of office and due process: “the issues of pension reforms and whatever infractions that may have been committed by the PRTT should not be lumped together and used to push to the back-burner the fundamental issues of large scale corruption that has been uncovered in the management of pension fund.

“That it appears that the senate committee by it actions and conduct is restricting its

investigations into the allegations of infractions leveled against the PRTT, rather than deal broadly with the serious substantive issues of criminal looting of the pension fund which has led to the death of countless pensioners, denial of benefits for civil servants and their families and exacerbated corruption among active civil servants’, he said.

Rafsanjani said, the allegations against the PRTT should be isolated and thoroughly investigated by a law enforcement agency and treated on its merits without undermining the work done “and the fundamental

advances that the PRTT has made on the pension fund management.

“The ZCC demands that the Senate Committee should focus on the findings of rot, corruption and criminality that have been uncovered in the course of the PRTT’s work, and as a matter of national priority and urgency, ensure that all those indicted in the mismanagement and looting of the pension fund are publicly disclosed and referred to the appropriate agencies for prosecution”.

ZCC also commended the House of Representatives on its patriotic stand against the call

for disbandment of the PRTT and called on the Senate to do the same adding that the PRTT “be disbanded after the current pension system has developed internal control measures and a dedicated team appointed within the Head of Service to manage the funds in collaboration with an oversight team from the anti-corruption agencies”.

It called on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to demonstrate his support for the fight against corruption by giving the necessary support to the establishment of an independent Pension Funds monitoring team.

ZCC chides Senate on pension probe By Muhammad Nasir

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

By Lawrence Olaoye

Minister for State, Trade and Investment and founder of Oracle

Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, Dr. Samuel Ortom yesterday extended humanitarian aid to inmates of the Makurdi minimum prison and secured the

release of six prisoners. Dr. Ortom who visited the prison

in company of his wife, Eunice, the Benue state Commissioner of Information, Conrad Wergba and other members of the Foundation, wept openly for what he described as “the destruction done to the lives of youths” in the 18-20 age bracket and few aged inmates.

He explained that the visit was part of the vision of his Foundation, established since 2002 to reach out to the needy adding that it has over the years treated people with snake bites and other ailments.

Ortom urged those still serving their terms as well as the freed convicts to keep faith in God for

a turnaround in their lives, just as he also advised the prison officers to take good care of the inmates.

The minister assured the Prison authority that he would liaise with his colleague in the Interior Ministry to take reforms to the Makurdi prison, promising to construct a borehole as well as donate a transformer, new

tyres and N50,000 for the servicing of the prison vehicle.

Wife of the minister, Chief Mrs. Eunice Ortom who doubles as the chairman of the Foundation said the intervention was borne out of love for the downtrodden and urged the freed prisoners to appreciate the gesture by turning a new leaf.

Minister donates items to prison, frees inmates

Students of University of Jos on Monday took to the streets to protest the

stabbing of two female colleagues by some youths around the area.

The students, who poured into the streets along Bauchi Road and Zaria Road, blocked the entrances to the school.

NAN reports that the two female students were attacked by youths of Angwan Rogo, who were said to be returning from a nearby burial ground.

The visibly angry students chanted war songs, with some screaming “enough is enough’’.

Others also shouted slogans that border on the need to end the persistent attack on innocent students whenever there was a crisis in the city.

Registrar of the University, Mr. Danjuma Damdam, who confirmed the protests, described the attack as unfortunate.

He explained that one of the stabbed students was in a critical condition and on admission at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

“It is true that two female students were stabbed by some unknown persons on Monday, but one of them was treated in our clinic and discharged.

“The second victim, whose condition is critical is being treated at JUTH,’’ Damadam said.

The registrar, who said that the attack was ``callous and unwarranted’’, decried the situation where students and staff of the university would normally bear the brunt of any disquiet in Jos.

Damdam said, however, that security operatives had taken control of the situation. (NAN)

Unijos students protest stabbing of 2 femalecolleagues

L-R: Kwara state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, , Minister for Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, Kogi state Deputy Governor, Architect Yomi Awoniyi, and Senator Bukola Saraki, during the North-Central Zone meeting of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Senate President’s house, Monday in Abuja.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has

challenged the Nigerian Academy of Sciences (NAS) to make use of scientific knowledge to proffer solutions to major problems bedeviling the country.

Receiving a delegation of Fellows of the Academy, led by its president, Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe on a courtesy call, the Speaker said it was not acceptable that Nigeria produces some of the finest scientific minds in the world and yet it still imports practically everything it needs.

“I think that there is something wrong when a country that has produced some of the finest scientists in the world yet it still imports practically everything it uses,” Tambuwal told the delegation.

The speaker stated that time has come for scientists in the nation’s ivory towers to unlock the mystery in science for the benefits of the people, adding that the time for excuses was gone.

“Right now, there are abundant farm produce all over the place, but soon, they will start to go bad, because of poor storage, and then, foodstuff will become expensive.

“Can’t our scientists produce

some very basic machine that could be mass produced for our farmers?

“Isn’t there a way that our scientists can improve on our farm tools? Why is Nigeria practically the only country in the world that has not eradicated polio? Where is the Nigerian car?

“Why the over reliance of oil, when we could so easily diversify by exploiting our mineral potentials? Why, despite the abundant sunlight and many waterfalls are we still without adequate electricity?

“Why do our houses collapse so frequently and why are our roads so badly built? Why can’t we make Ajaokuta work?

Can you people do anything about the railways?” He asked.

Responding to the requests of the Academy, Rt. Hon. Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, assured that the House would collaborate with the Academy to enact appropriate legislations backing their operations.

Professor Ibidapo-Obe had earlier solicited for the support of the Speaker and the House for the passage of a bill to back the establishment of the Academy, which was established in 1977.

He also sought for the partnership of the House in the Academic’s quest for a way forward in science and technology for the development of the country.

Apply science to our challenges, Tambuwal tasks NAS

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012 PAGE 11

While the dust of last Sunday’s bomb blast at Staint Finbarr’s

Catholic Church, Rayfield is yet to settle, unknown assailants Sunday night attacked Bum-Chugwi village in Jos South local government area of Plateau state killing two persons.

Confirming the incident,

special adviser to the state governor, Mr. Pam Ayuba, told our correspondents that the attackers raided the village on Sunday at about 8pm.

He confirmed that bullet were extracted from the bodies of the dead victims and the three wounded persons were rush to Vom Christian Hospital where they are receiving medical attention.

Meanwhile, the Chief of

Defence Staff, Air Chief Mashasl Oluseyi Petinrin met with all the security chiefs in state to re-strategise on ways of surmounting the activities of Boko Haram in the country and vowed that the Boko Haram must be prevented from achieving their aims.

Speaking to newsmen in Jos, shortly after visiting the scene of the blast, and after a close door meeting with Governor Jonah Jang, Petinrin said: “Suicide

bombing is an admition of defeat. It means you are not doing very well that is why you now allow members of your organisation to start killing themselves.

“Otherwise, if you can achieve your aims without getting your members killed. You will do so but because the terrorists behind all this acts have discovered that they have no any other means of inconveniencing the society they resort to suicide bombing”.

2 killed near Jos as Petinrin meets with security chiefsFrom Nankpah Bwakan & Bayo Albabira, Jos

The Partnership for Transforming Health System (PATHS 2), a

Department for International Development (DFID)-sponsored programme, has donated the sum of eight million pounds (about N2.3 billion) to assist in the reduction of maternal mortality in Kaduna state.

The PATHS 2 National

Programme Director, Mike Egboh, disclosed this in Kaduna during the flag-off of an emergency transport scheme for pregnant women in the state.

He regretted that Nigeria contributes only two percent to the world population but has one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world.

According to Egboh, his organisation has expended N1.4 billion out of the money to

procure drugs and equipment and support the training of all cadres of health workers for the health care facilities in the state as well as for the established 36 health-care facilities aimed at creating awareness for what he described as positive behavioural change.

He noted further that the balance of N900 million has been deployed to procure additional drugs and equipment are expected to arrive the country

within the next three months.He said: “Nigeria is the second

country in the world after India with the highest maternal mortality rate in the world and contributes 10 percent to the world’s total maternal death.

“The emergency transport service is aimed addressing the delay in accessing care during obstetric emergencies such as delay in reaching health facilities due to distance, poor road

conditions and lack of means of transportation among others that are known contributors to maternal mortality.

“The drivers involved in the scheme are motivated through volunteers; non-payment mechanism that ensures that they are able to convey mothers especially at night when the chances of getting commercial transport in hard-to-reach areas is high.

DFID commits N2.3bn to combat maternal mortality in KadunaFrom Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

The Chief Magistrate Court number eight has granted bail of 21 suspects charged

with impersonation at the Police Training Schools Yelwa, Bauchi state.

Presiding Magistrate, Isa Mohammed, granted the separate bail applications of the accused at the cost of N200,000 with a surety who is a resident

within a court’s jurisdiction and has landed property worth N1 million, must swear an affidavit and write an undertaking and adjourned the suit to 28th and 29th March respectively for further mentioning.

The suspects were arraigned separately by police prosecutors after which counsels to the suspects separately filed bail applications which were not opposed by the prosecutors.

21 police certificate forgery suspects granted bail

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condemned the bomb

explosion at St. Fimbarr’s Catholic Church in Jos last Sunday during which about 10 persons were reported killed with several others injured.

Canvassing community policing to enable people keep an eye on persons with suspicious movements, the ACF in a press statement in

Kaduna on Monday described the incident as disheartening.

The statement signed by the ACF national publicity secretary, Anthony Sani, said: “The ACF and northern leaders reiterate that Nigerians of all religions, of all regions and of all ethnic extractions must stand up and deny the common enemy the pleasure of knocking our heads together and unleashing religious conflict which will do no one any good.

“Standing up to terrorists

requires patriotic courage, some measure of risks and sacrifices.

“If Nigerians fail to realise that the problem of insecurity across the nation is a collective responsibility aimed at checkmating the attackers, we would be helping them to succeed in their aspiration to destroy the country.

“The ACF condoles with the government and people of Plateau state, with the catholic church and with the families who lost their loved ones.

ACF condemns Jos church bombing

Delta state government has closed down a private n u r s e r y / p r i m a r y /

secondary school in Asaba, over what it described as “dishonest documentation”.

The government said that the management of the school, Lumen Christi Nursery/Primary/Secondary school, obtained its operational license through false information to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

A letter to this effect was written to the proprietor of the school, a copy of which was made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba yesterday.

The ministry said that it had observed that the documentation leading to the approval of the school was dishonestly done.

The letter signed by Mrs. R.E. Ohwevwo on behalf of the commissioner in the ministry, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, said: “we wish to inform you that the ministry has observed that the documentation leading to the approval of your schools was dishonestly done”.

“Based on this dishonest approach, the licenses for Lumen Christi Nursery/Primary/Secondary Schools are hereby withdrawn and the school closed with immediate effect”.

The ministry directed the Chief Inspector of Education in Asaba, the Commissioner of Police and the State Security Service Director, to ensure enforcement of the closure order.

Meanwhile, academic activities resumed yesterday at Delta government-owned New Era Primary School, in Okpanam, near Asaba, which was demolished on Saturday by a man who claimed to be the owner of the land where the school was built.

Delta shuts school for ‘dishonesty’

L – R: Ogun state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, National President of NAWOJ, Mrs. Asabe Baba-Nahaya, the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mrs. Funmi Wakama, and Ogun state chairperson of NAWOJ, Mrs. Folake Ade-Adeniji, after the visit of NAWOJ officials to the governor, recently in Abeokuta.

PAGE 12 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Boko Haram: Cut out thered tape, Mr. President

Last week’s approval by theFederal Executive Council(FEC) of the White Paper on the

recommendations of the PresidentialCommittee on Security Challenges inthe North-East zone may have taken toolong but all the same it came as awelcome relief to weary Nigerians. Thegovernment’s inexplicable delay intaking a decisive action to contain thegrowing menace of the Boko Haram sectwas disturbing, more so as the sect, overtime, has taken its violent campaignbeyond its traditional enclave in theNorth-East to other parts of thecountry, but mostly in the North.

The fringe Islamic sect whichemerged early in the last decade as apeaceful splinter group turned violentafter its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, waskilled in 2009. Now it has becomemonstrous, cutting short lives ofinnocent persons in its frequentattacks mostly targeted at securityagents. Its violent bombings and gunattacks last year, for instance, claimednearly 500 lives. Besides, this yearalone almost the same number ofhuman lives were lost to the nearlydaily deadly attacks by the group, withthe deadliest being the January 20multiple bomb blasts in Kano in which186 people were confirmed killed.

This is why we, like many otherNigerians, find very disturbing theJonathan administration’s sluggishapproach to containing this monster.To begin with, we are worried that it

“It is sad that a governmentwill continue with a circus show

while more and more of itscitizens are getting killed by anerrant group that should have

been stopped in its tracks longbefore now with good

intelligence gathering by oursecurity agencies

EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITORIALORIALORIALORIALORIAL

took the government more than 18months of dilly-dallying- since February2010 when Jonathan took over powerand the Boko Haram insurgency had notquite reached its present level – for it toset up the presidential committee led byelder statesman, Alhaji Usman GajiGaltimari in August last year. Equallydisturbing is the fact that it took nearlysix months for the Government to come

out with a White Paper on the report ofthat all-important panel.

The Galtimari committee submittedits final report to the government inSeptember last year. In the report, thepanel had recommended among others:“The federal government shoulddiversify and strengthen its means ofcreating avenues for internationalintelligence sharing and inter-agencycooperation through diplomaticchannels/pacts”. However, the federal

government committee set up underthe Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moroto look into the recommendations andcome up with a White Paper tookalmost half a year to turn it in. Thisshould ordinarily not have taken morethan three weeks.

Now that the White Paper is beforehim, the President has chosen toforward it to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Ministerfor Justice, where it is to be gazetted.We are almost certain it will take moreof red tape before this important publicdocument comes out forimplementation if at all thegovernment summons enough courageto do that. It is sad that a governmentwill continue with a circus show whilemore and more of its citizens aregetting killed by an errant group thatshould have been stopped in its trackslong before now with good intelligencegathering by our security agencies.

We have said this in our previouseditorials and feel it bears repeatinghere that what it takes to tackle theBoko Haram menace is the politicalwill on the part of our leaders, mostespecially the President, and notendless committees and expressions ofpious indignation whenever the secthits a new target. And the time todisplay that political will is now so thatthe government can deal with thissecurity challenge once and for all andstave off the mass hysteria that isalmost gripping the nation.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012 PAGE 13

By Okechukwu Peter Nwobu

If the leaders of northern Nigeria, in one of their fabled nocturnal meetings, decide

not to allow their agricultural produce to head South, there will be starvation of near biblical proportions in the South, at the very least in the short term. Once the order to stop the southward flow of agricultural produce filters through the communication system peculiar to the North, it will become law and inviolate to the peasants and all. Such is the hold of Northern leaders on their people. Such is also the reality that the North feeds the South with its vast agricultural output.

A visit to any market in the South will reveal that at least seventy percent of the foodstuff are of Northern origin including but not limited to beans, tomatoes, ginger, onions, pepper, potatoes, guinea corn, millet, wheat, yams, benniseed, cowpeas, ground nut, carrots, sugar cane, the full range of livestock and so on. Have you not noticed that every time it is Islamic fasting season, the quantity of agricultural produce to the South is reduced to a trickle with attendant spike in prices, even in the face of reduced quality?

While many including this writer doubt the population figure ascribed to the North and abhor the injustice behind the lopsided number of local government areas, inflated and

skewed respectively to unfairly corner a larger piece of the national cake, its vast territory and agricultural potential are real but grossly under-utilized. This scenario of stopping the flow of foodstuff to the South will not happen because firstly, the North cannot consume all it produces and secondly, its highly impoverished people need the money that their back breaking farming activities yield.

The current level of agricultural output from the North is less than the tip of the iceberg of their true potential to feed Nigeria and Africa and supply the agricultural raw materials required to sustain a wide range of agro allied industries that should be located in the North. The North is blessed with renewable agricultural resources, unlike crude oil which in Nigeria’s case will run out in less than forty five years, that is, if technological advances will not make crude oil irrelevant long before the wells dry up. What will it take to make the North realise their full potential and march into the 21st century confidently and emerge as an economic miracle? The world will always need agricultural produce for food and industrial raw materials, in ever increasing quantities, thanks to the red hot economies of China and India, who in addition to their industrial demand, also produce staggering numbers of newly emerging middle class every year who feed better.

The astronomic rise in the

price of crude oil has also led to increasing production of bio fuels from agricultural produce, whose additional advantage is its smaller carbon footprint (when compared to fossil fuel), in a world caught in the understandable frenzy of global warming. All the foregoing explains why prices of agricultural produce are going up and will continue to go up. The agro based industrial parks that should blanket the North will produce processed livestock, canned, bottled, bagged or tetra packed food for local consumption and export to a world that still craves rapidly disappearing processed natural foods and not their synthetic replacements. Imagine processed tomatoes, onions, ginger, carrots, beans, chilli pepper, potatoes, ground nuts, vegetable oils, sweeteners and syrups from grains, livestock feeds, cotton etc, proudly made in Northern Nigeria.

To attain these desirable goals will mean taking quantum leaps in attitudes, behaviour and political will, because what is required is far beyond the present level of thinking made worse by mental laziness at all levels of officialdom. The starting point is large scale mechanised agriculture. Before the issue of land reform and redistribution became a victim of political brinkmanship, 4,500 commercial farmers were the cornerstone of the Zimbabwean economy. Their mechanised farms earned Zimbabwe most of

its foreign exchange and the title of the food basket of Southern Africa. The territory of Northern Nigeria is bigger than Zimbabwe and already has existing dams and irrigation systems which can be expanded to make the North the food basket of Africa.

Presently, only Kwara state is making marginal head way with a handful of erstwhile Zimbabwean commercial farmers. The attempt in Nasarawa State is mired in all kinds of difficulties starting from official indifference, lack of basic infrastructure to foot dragging by banks that daily change the conditions for even already agreed commercial loans. Why is the North not willing to shake itself out of its self imposed lethargy and take advantage of these unique opportunities? For how much longer will they remain victims of the curse of oil and the dismantling of regional governments in Nigeria? The curse of oil has made them seem lazy and contended with the monthly handouts from the Federal government. In 1967, General Yakubu Gowon in order to weaken Biafra, created twelve states and destroyed regional systems of government during which ground nut pyramids were part of the Northern landscape. Today, we have states that are too small to be viable and too weak to challenge the accumulated powers of a federal government which has repeatedly failed to provide the kind of leadership regional leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu

Bello and Dr Michael Okpara provided. Apart from Lagos, other states of the federation are not viable, especially the Northern ones. I believe that if the monthly allocation is stopped, the North will witness within two years an agricultural revolution that will be the spring board for an economic miracle that will change the face of the North within a generation. Why not pretend that the federal allocations have ceased in order to focus on the problems? Can Northern leaders summon the political will and moral fibre that will cause them to look upon their own people with pity and resolve to push past official indifference and develop a concerted plan of action with measurable yardsticks, to chart its progress?

Is the North patently lazy as their sole dependence on federal allocations seems to suggest? The vanished groundnut pyramids which made the region the world’s largest exporter up to the early 1970s and the various foodstuffs in our markets are proofs that the answer is an emphatic no. They bear testimony to a people as industrious as anyone in Nigeria. The only problem is that this back breaking farm work is at subsistent level. This is where the governments, leaders and wealthy moguls of the North should step in to fashion out investor friendly packages that will bring in commercial farmers from all over the world. How I wish that Sir Ahmadu Bello were alive to run with this vision;

Contd. on page 14

North’s economic miracle is coming

By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye

Great expectations are usually piled on our universities as very

essential intellectual factories for the production of manpower for achieving our lofty dreams and aspirations as a people. Every year, the universities are expected to give the country quality graduates duly equipped with sound intellect and skills to assume very important and strategic positions in both private and public institutions for the advancement of national development goals.

But what appears to be seriously in doubt now is the reliability of the National Universities Commission (NUC) as an ally in this aspiration, either because it has run out of quality ideas, or it is being savagely influenced by some unwholesome sentiments. It is tragic that we have had to sit passively and watch a handful of men and women that constitute the NUC churn out a cocktail of clearly misguided policies whose only benefit is their ability to effectively erect uncrossable mountains before otherwise brilliant students and promote devastating mediocrity in the university system, with far-reaching implications to the larger society. While several local and foreign observers are bemoaning the quality of the graduates our universities

are turning out these days, the NUC is busy compounding the problem by formulating policies that can only further devalue the degrees awarded in Nigeria.

I wish to examine one of the most offensive and pernicious of these policies, and I would like to begin with an illustration. A young girl who chose English Studies as a course of study sat for the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), and passed very well. She went to her university of choice, sat for the Post-UTME tests and performed brilliantly and was offered admission by the university. But when she packed her bags and went to the university to register in order to commence her programme, she met a brick wall. Even though that university had stated in the JAMB brochure that it required a pass in Mathematics to admit students to study English, she was now told at the departmental office that only a credit in Mathematics will qualify her for an admission. Okay, she would be considered if she had a credit in a science subject. That is what the almighty NUC had decreed. And so, despite her marvelous performance in English, Literature and other arts subjects, she is at home now, while those who managed to merely crawl above the pass mark in English but had a credit in Mathematics are there now

studying English! And if she is unable to get the Mathematics eventually or her parents do not have the resources to take her to a university outside Nigeria whose curricula was drawn up by sane and progressive minds, that’s another great journalist, writer, artist, scholar, researcher, teacher, etc., brutally frustrated out of university education and consigned to the roadside by the NUC and its backers. Needless to add that many other brilliant youths like this girl will suffer the same fate in the various departments of Theatre Arts, Foreign Languages, History, Linguistics, etc., and the faculties of law across the nation just because of this outlandish condition placed before them by the NUC.

Now, are we merely interested in just admitting all manner of students into the universities and giving them degrees after a number of years or do we have the future in mind? Who should be encouraged to study English, the person who is very good in the subject, or the person who manages to obtain a credit pass in it but does well in Mathematics? We know very well that it is only in very few cases that we have people who are very good in Mathematics and the sciences also excelling in English and other arts subjects. We are already complaining that the there are graduates of English

and other arts subjects whose written and spoken English are so horrible that one feels very sad reading them.

Newspaper editors can readily tell you the amount of work they do on reports sent in by reporters these days to make them readable. It is no longer shocking to go to even a university and see a secular issued by a high ranking university staff riddled with unpardonable grammatical errors. Some of the young men and women graduating from the Law School these days write and speak semi-literate English. Instead of the fellows at the NUC to help in combating this malaise by encouraging square pegs to fit into square holes, they are, for self-serving reasons, formulating outlandish policies, usually wrapped with attractive covers, to further compound the problem. And if they are allowed to continue having their way, Nigeria may face the embarrassing situation of having judges in future writing court judgments in unreadable English, or law reports appearing in substandard grammar.

And as today’s reporters graduate to tomorrow’s editors, one can only dread to imagine the kind of language that would convey the news, editorials and feature articles in Nigerian newspapers, or whether even literary works from Nigeria will still be intelligible to properly

educated people. In as much as we want to encourage the study of Science in this country for very good reasons which we need repeat here (and there are many candidates flooding the faculties of Sciences annually), we must not use that as an excuse to frustrate the emergence of Nigeria’s future men of letters!

Now this policy is already creating terrible problems in secondary schools, and I wonder how many people are taking note. I never really knew the extent of the harm already done until recently, when a friend and I visited his son’s school. My friend was given his son’s result sheet and even though his son had taken the first position in his class, my friend was a very sad man. Why? The poor boy had FAILED. It was boldly written in his result sheet. And the reason is that despite the fact he had scored very high marks in the other subjects which had earned him the first position in his class, he had failed Mathematics by just a few marks. And so, because of that, he had FAILED the examination for that term! Wonderful!

Now, somebody should please just tell me what on earth this kind of totally bankrupt and senseless policy is meant to achieve? In fact, I was so moved that I had to go and confront the principal of the school, and

Contd. on page 15

Universities: Crisis of great expectations

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012PAGE 14

Jonathan, rule of law and the illegality in Kogi

If Ojukwu was a hero who then is a villain?

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WRITE TO US

By Abdullahi Abdulrahman

President Goodluck Azikiwe Ebele Jonathan has often affirmed his commitment

to upholding the only enviable legacy left by his former boss, the late Umaru Musa Yar’adua, which is the rule of law. When former Bayelsa state Governor, Timipreye Sylva, altered the results of the primaries that produced the 2011 candidates for seats in the state House of Assembly, Federal House of Representatives and the Senate, a lot of complaints were published which the President as a democratic man listened to respected and acted positively at last.

However, the issue that is now threatening to tarnish the image and reputation of the Jonathan administration is the Kogi state governorship tussle. Akintola Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), former president of the Nigerian Bar Association,

recently argued that INEC was wrong in recognizing the election of Waza, What was the platform on which the election was conducted? Was it the primary election that was knocked off by the Supreme Court judgement of February? The Supreme Court held that Idris’ tenure ended on May 29 2011. It means the primaries were a nullity. There was a primary election held in March, 2011 before Idris went to court to argue that his tenure should be extended. If the Supreme Court held that Idris’ tenure ended on May 29, 2011, it means

then that the primaries that were held after the expiration of Idris’ tenure ought not to have been held. “To my mind, it is the candidate that won the March 2011 primaries that

ought to have been considered. The election that produced Wada is not right. In any case,

it is a mute point that the court has to clear”, said Akeredolu. The candidate being referred to by the SAN was no other than Echocho, but Echocho too was no longer a candidate

as affirmed by Farouk A d e j o h , D i r e c t o r , Public Affairs and Strategy to former Governor Idris who faulted the claim that Echocho had a subsisting ticket. Adejoh said that by participating in the new governorship p r i m a r i e s held last S e p t e m b e r ,

Echocho had surrendered his mandate. “I don’t think he has any issue to pursue; Echocho

actually voided his own nomination and expression of interest form. He was screened and cleared for a fresh primary. He contested that primary and lost before squealing that he was standing by the result of the March primaries that he won. The truth is he had surrendered that mandate. This simply implies that the PDP had no candidate at all”.

I demand that, as a matter of urgency, the abnormality in Kogi state should be corrected by asking the PDP to relinquish power to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) whose are watching and waiting to see the firm reaction of President Jonathan as someone who believes in Yar’adua’s only left legacy: rule of law.

Dr. Abdullahi Abdulrahman is the President, Justifiable Democracy Platform, Nigeria

By Anthony A. Kila

Once a person and above all a personality dies it is common practice to

treat him or her with kindness and with more compassion and general understanding. After death, hatchets are buried and hitherto foes are seen through less hostile prisms. The case was not different in the case of the Emeka Ojukwu, but we also saw something beyond mere compassion. In death, Ojukwu was not just buried with compassion and dignity, he was apotheosized.

It must be said at this point that Emeka Ojukwu was neither the first military officer nor military governor nor regional leader nor politician to die and get a state funeral in Nigeria. Many other leaders have held such posts after

him and many more have had state funerals before him but I doubt anything can be compared to what we saw for the Biafran leader. No doubt, the National Burial Committee chaired by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa and co-chaired by Senator Uche Chukwumerije did a fantastic job but the Eze Igbo Gburugburu had led a life with an end only few can even dream of.

The glorification of the dead Emeka Ojukwu began in Lagos where he grew up and studied in Nigeria like me. Protagonists of the occasion were not just the expected Lagosians of Igbo origin shouting “Igbo Kwenu” but a host of well known Nigerians from different parts of the federation.

The process of apotheosis of Ojukwu was initiated by Dr Tunji Braithwaite, the

Lagos based legendary lawyer, politician and childhood friend of the late Biafran leader, who in his capacity as chairman of the Lagos event for Ojukwu stunned most listeners when he took the microphone and in an unusual short speech, for Nigerian standards, declared that his friend, Emeka, only waged war against corruption, lies, and injustice not against his fatherland.

The speeches that followed Dr. Braithwaite’s oration were by other well known Nigerians of different national descent and their speeches were all in line with the chairman of the occasion’s speech.

Later during the proper funeral rites, former military head of state and commander in chief of the Nigerian armed forces during the civil war, General Yakubu

Gowon, although not physically present at the ceremony was represented and his message amongst other things read that “Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu loved Nigeria so much, he merely wanted to opt out because of the perceived injustice meted out to his people”.

In the last weeks since he passed away, media reports online and in print have been full of reports and testimonies by analysts and observers praising and repositioning Emeka Ojuwku as not just a rebel or defender of his people but a true patriot and champion of justice.

As if not to be outdone by others, the governor of Niger state and chairman of the northern governor’s forum, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu was even more direct and went to the point of

empathizing with the late Ikemba. Aliyu who spoke at a funeral held in honor of the late Biafran leader at his birthplace in Zungeru, Niger State, said Ojukwu fought for the emancipation of the less-privileged. He said Ojukwu was misunderstood, positing that the former Biafran warlord was forced by the circumstances to take up arms and protect his people. In Aliyu own words “He was forced to take up arm to protect his people. If I was in his shoes I could have done the same!”

I personally love all these but even when we are crying or laughing, we must see through our tears and thus we must ask ourselves as individuals and as a people if Ojukwu is a hero, who then is the villain?

Anthony A. Kila lives in London, United Kingdom.

Cont. from page 13the present leaders of the North who benefitetd prodigiously from his policies think of no one else but themselves. Will they shift their gaze from influence peddling, manning the choicest ministries and government agencies, oil blocks and crude oil lifting contracts to look upon their own suffering masses? Will they be willing to stop the exploitation of the minds of their own people while they grow obscenely rich? These are the leaders who as military and civilian rulers are responsible for the disgraceful failures of Nigeria and the abject poverty which every study has found to be more acute in the North. It is traditional, perhaps fashionable but nonetheless selfish to make Northern communities believe God ordained one person in their community to be the heart of that community whose name he bears. It is mindless

exploitation to offer these leaders their daughters in return for basins of food placed under dogonyaro trees for the wretched of the community.

And while this exploitation of Northerners by Northern elite is going on, their masses are told that Southerners are the scourge of Nigeria, irrespective of the fact that in the only free and fair presidential election in Nigeria in 1993, Northern masses voted overwhelmingly for a Southerner ahead of a Northerner. Unknown to them, their worst enemies are not Southerners but their leaders who have left them and other Nigerians adrift. As long as these Northern leaders focus their eyes on crude oil, they will never allow the Niger Delta keep 50% of revenues derived from their land and waters that can no longer support farming and fishing activities of any kind. They fear that with 50% derivation, they will lose their oil blocks and

crude oil lifting contracts. Do these leaders not know that the North will earn billions of dollars annually from agriculture, a renewable resource unlike crude oil that will some day run out or become irrelevant? Do they not know that while they amass amazing personal wealth, the ranks of their wretched, the ‘legendary almajaris’, armed with begging bowls and gullible minds swells, perhaps someday soon, to their own peril?

Very soon, what worked between the 1960s to date, that unleashed the almajaris on the streets of the North against Southerners will no longer work. When you look to the Gulf and see what their Muslim brothers are doing in Dubai, Oman, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, to reinvent their societies to face the challenges of the 21st century, you will realise that the failures in Northern Nigeria has got nothing to do with their

religious beliefs. The example of the Gulf nations is an eloquent testimony that poverty is not a virtue but along with its twin brother ignorance, are curses.

The North which once produced 80% of Nigeria’s total grains output must use its agricultural endowments to dig itself out of the hole which she dug and fell into. They must take away the begging bowls and daggers and send their children to school to equip them to work in the farms and factories that will spring up all over the North. When we add to the equation, the equally untapped, vast mineral deposits beneath the soils of the North and their potential multiplier effect, then we can begin to understand how big the economic miracle of Northern Nigeria can be.

If they chose to continue to ‘almajarise’ Northern youths in sustained poverty and ignorance, someday soon they

will sink their daggers into the opulent flesh of their leaders in what will be fits of righteous anger for making their lives meaningless. Imagine for a moment the additional vast agro based industries in other parts of Nigeria based on cocoa in the Southwest; oil palm, rice, coco yams, yams and cashew in the South East and parts of the South South; cassava, corn, mango, citrus fruits, plantain, banana, rubber and timber in parts of the South East, South West and South South. I believe I am not the only one the Lord has allowed to photograph the great future of Nigeria and its endless possibilities. If our leaders are clueless and not interested in sacrificial leadership, then they do not deserve to be called leaders but thieves!

Okechukwu Peter Nwobu is reachable at okechukwunwobu@yahoo.co.uk

North’s economic miracle is coming

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012 PAGE 15

Nigeria: A world of greys (I)

Contd. from page 13it was then I learnt that almost every school now in Nigeria is operating this policy as a fallout to the NUC policy on English and Mathematics. Now, it is enough that Mathematics remains a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools, but to pronounce that a child had failed a terminal examination merely because he did not do well in Mathematics does grave damage to the psychology of such a child. Assuming the will of the child to continue in school is sapped in the process by such a devastating verdict? Now, time has come for us to agree that we cannot all be experts in numbers, and that it amounts to inflicting grave damage on both the psychology of our youths and the society each time the NUC callously denies a child university education simply because such a child was created to be another Wole Soyinka instead of a Chike Obi! That is why we have various fields of study to cater for individual peculiarities and endowments. So, the NUC must be called to order and stopped from elevating what is clearly a misplaced passion to a destructive superstition. Indeed, I would be glad if anyone can come out to tell me how much

Mathematics had contributed to earn Wole Soyinka a Nobel Prize?

What one finds very annoying is that some of the fellows at the NUC and their cousins at the various Faculties and Departments churning out these obnoxious regulations would have ended their careers as roadside traders or artisans if such policies were operational when they themselves were admitted for degree programmes several years ago. I am also reminded that why Nigerian rulers have till now showed no interest in this totally backward policy is because their children are all studying abroad where such needless inhibitions are non-existent. That is really sad. Nothing kills a country like acute selfishness in its leaders.

But, what is all this fetish about Mathematics, by the way? A school principal told me the other day that English and Maths constitute the core and the foundation of all branches of learning, and that once a child excelled in both subjects in secondary school, such a child would be adequately equipped to capture a degree in any discipline any day. Interesting argument, isn’t it? So, why don’t we take it a step further by immediately

collapsing the dwarf wall between Arts and Sciences and then start compelling every child to take combined honours in, say, Physics and English, or Pharmacy and Theatre Arts, or even Mechanical Engineering and French, and so on?

I have also heard that too many candidates are applying for the few spaces available in our universities, and so this policy was put in place to significantly scale down the number of applicants. If at all this is true, then it is very unfortunate. If one million people, for instance, are applying to the read law or English, and the Department or faculty can only admit 300 students, the most sensible way to get the best qualified is to offer admission to the candidates who had performed better than others in the relevant subjects and not the irrelevant subjects! The same thing should also apply in reverse to those seeking admission to the Faculties of Engineering or Medical Sciences. I will be alarmed if these faculties deny admission to somebody who had excellent grades in the core sciences simply because he had a pass in English, but offer admission to the person who managed to obtain credits

in the core sciences but had a distinction in English. Then we are preparing the ground for multiple, enduring disasters in this country which the NUC must be held solely responsible.

It is possible that the ego of the nation’s “Mathematicians”, especially, within the ranks of the NUC and their friends, may have been overplayed here. Why the premium place given to English at the expense of Mathematics in the university admission process when both of them are compulsory subjects in the secondary and primary schools?, they may have reasoned. Well, the Federal Government must urgently save the future of this country from the destructive ego of a few men and women. English (for now) is the nation’s language of communication, and that is the only reason we insist that people pass it so that when they are in the classroom, they can at least understand their teacher. That is also the reason foreign universities (in English-speaking countries) insist on candidates obtaining good grades in TOEFL, before offering anyone admission. But what is the argument for Mathematics? Somebody should please tell me.

Indeed, it is difficult not to also

suspect that some clearly self-serving reasons are motivating this pernicious policy. In fact, the whole thing smells and tastes like a very clever stratagem for creating a very large market for the countless “Mathematics Made Easy” pamphlets which have flooded our markets. And one would not require a soothsayer to suggest that the advocates of this policy and their cronies may be among the happiest beneficiaries.

The Federal Government must put a halt to this madness and restore sanity to the system by throwing this obnoxious policy into the nearest refuse dump. May be, too, the NUC is fast outgrowing its usefulness. Time may have arrived for its powers to be significantly abridged. Some might even be thinking that it should even be scrapped. Why not? I don’t mind the universities maintaining autonomous existence and formulating their individual admission policies without NUC breathing down their necks.

Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye can be reached at scruples2006@yahoo.com4. Jonathan, rule of law and the illegality in Kogi

Universities: Crisis of great expectations

By Samuel A. Caulcrick

Where are the Sam Alukos of the present time? Years gone by, bold

economists were never afraid to come out of the cupboard and challenge populist economic theories. Nigeria, meanwhile, is littered with celebrated economists - graduates of faculties of social sciences of ivy-league colleges. Where are Nigeria’s graduates of the best world faculties of engineering? The Nigerian society accords them high regards; offering them recognition, but there is no better time to earn that respect than now. Most of these fellows graduated with flying colours - at least on paper. Why can they not take Nigeria out of this logjam? These people ought to realise that they were trained with the wealth of this nation (either personal or public). Besides, most still carry Nigerian passports, in spite of dual nationality. In other countries, economists and engineers, in their separate fields, argue from both sides of schools of thought for a way-forward; in Nigeria, they all hum the same tune with no positive result. Everyone considers it wise to conform with a popular theme; afraid to differ.

Nigeria’s economic growth is gloss-painted and that is why it has not translated to jobs or joy. The country’s external earning is made up of 96% of the proceeds from oil that is extracted by foreign companies that operate 90% outside of the economy. It is the reason why many public holidays

have not affected the economy. That Nigeria needs to diversify sounds like a broken record, as if Nigerians are not willing. We are bamboozled everyday with economics and technical jargons that have not improved the living standards of Nigerians - both rich and poor. It is not that the rich live a better live, they are only able to afford unnecessary alternatives to a good life. The Nigerian economy has faltered long enough; electricity, that the rest of humanity has taken for granted, has become a puzzle. Every Nigerian knows how to produce electricity, because we all have individual generators; it is the production of electricity of sound economies of scale (the commercial electricity) that is eluding us. Enough of the lame excuses and unfulfilled promises; most people are beginning to lose their patience.

To say there is nothing wrong with us is to put it mildly. The elites in Nigeria fiddle, whilst the country burns. The madness is such that even the privileged amongst us still live below par when compared with the living standard of the least privileged in some sister countries - where you turn on any switch, there is always light; you open any tap, there is always water. We are so busy trying to survive individually with little or no capacity left to nation building. Those in position of trust and responsibility often lace their decisions with personal interest. Whatever that is suggested for nation building that does not put money into their pockets is considered rubbish. So, for

many years we continue to panel-beat unworkable systems, hoping that it would work for individual self and not for the country. Monetarism as a form of capitalism, for example, is not working in Nigeria; yet it is not on the discussion table. Most people hope that their time will come, just as it had profited some of their friends or relations. Do not get me wrong, capitalism is still it, but it not this type that has fuelled corruption.

However, if we have to continue with this madness, we need to fix three things with all sincerity: We must revisit the method used to determine the value of the currency (naira) against other currencies in order to reduce distortions that militate against an equitable value; find a way to empower government to control the cost of borrowing, i.e. interest rates; and reduce the pressure on the oil receipt that government, its arms and agencies exert, by funding the national treasury through tax and only that.

The first must-do, as listed above, concerns the exchange rate of the naira. As of today, because of the faulty tax system in Nigeria, majority of those that are willing to buy the forex from government at whatever price are largely under-taxed. This generates a faulty market force and the ensuing value of the naira is, therefore, suspect. The system produces a large volume of loose money in the system that causes a distortion of unparalleled colossus, particularly as what they are willing to pay is what is used as the official exchange rate for everybody in the

country. Even if we say it is OK for Nigerians, what about those wanting to invest in Nigeria? It definitely is a disincentive to foreign investors, who fear that such a system will dilute their investments down the years. You could imagine an investor bringing in a billion U.S. dollars into Nigeria, only to have it valued to a fraction of what it is worth in dollar terms, say in 10 years due to the madness at the bi-weekly WDAS at the CBN. In these regards, only quick-get-in and quick-get-out kind of investment would risk coming to our shores.

The second must-do is how to effect a workable cost of borrowing. It is a fact that the money in the banks does not belong to the banks; it is depositors’ money. The banks need deposits to remain in business, and we all know that who pays the piper dictates the tune. For as long as the largest single depositors in Nigerian banks are still individuals, government’s control of interest rates will remain a mirage. One of the ways most states, in a capitalist economy, use to dictate the tune of interest rates is through the proceeds of the Insurance Industry. Since it is through legislation that we have to insure this or that, the volume of premium deposits in such a regime would soon add up to become the largest single deposits in local banks. With the high volume of insurance premium deposits, the government would have created a pool for domestic borrowing at cheaper costs. The government could then use that leverage to

exert authority on the banks to enforce CBN or whatever regulatory stated interest rates. Individual depositor would have no choice, but to conform.

The third must-do is the urgent need for tax reform. Most economists agree that government is a collective entity that has to be funded by compulsory contributions from every matured member of the community that meets certain criteria. The process is known as taxation. There is no alternative to tax for the running of governments and there can never be a perfect tax system, but the goal is toward social equity. Usually, government owns certain percentage of every naira in the citizen’s pocket as tax. People pay higher as their wealth increases. It makes sense because they have more to lose. The thorny issue of the removal of subsidy, for instance, from the premium motor spirit (PMS) could easily have been addressed by tax that compels the rich to pay their fair share. Besides, one of the reasons given was that the not-too-poor were those benefiting from the subsidy. That group could have been made to pay more through tax. In doing so, the process would have shielded the poorer members of the society from the “poll-tax” or equal tax, which is what the removal of subsidy tantamount to.

Samuel Akinyele Caulcrick resides in Lagos.

To be continued

Samuel Akinyele Caulcrick resides in Lagos.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012PAGE 16

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A truck pusher, along Kugbu hill, yesterday, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Dear reader, Metrowelcomes humaninterest stories in yourneighbourhood. Pleasecall or send SMS to08065327178 or e-mailjomarch4@yahoo.com to inform us abouthappenings in yourarea. Share yourexperiences or those ofyour friends andneighbours with fellowreaders.

Agric ministry allocates 14,800 metrictonnes of fertilisers to farmers

The Federal Ministry ofAgriculture and RuralDevelopment has

allocated a total of 14,800metric tonnes of fertilisers to besold by Agro dealers to farmersin the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), under the ministry'sGrowth Enhancement Support(GES) Scheme for the 2012farming season.

This was disclosed by theSecretary, FCT Agriculture andRural Development Secretariat,Mrs Olvadi Bema Madayi.

Madayi said in a statement inAbuja that "government

distribution is inefficient, costly,displaces private sector and leadsto massive waste of publicresources", hence, the need toresort to distribution of theproduct to farmers throughdealers.

Under the GES scheme, thegovernment has seized fromprocuring and distribution offertilisers. The private sectorsnow commercialise agriculturalinputs to farmers nationwide.

Seeds and fertiliserscompanies are required to buildtheir supply chains to reach thefarmers in villages and sell tothem directly.

The scheme replaced the

former subsidy programme anddistribution system on fertiliser"whereby only 11 per cent offarmers nationwide", accordingto the secretary, get thesubsidised fertilisers.

However, government willprovide subsidies for seeds andfertilisers directly to farmers,which she said is intended toincrease the percentage offarmers getting the subsidisedinputs from 11 to 90 per centthrough the improved targeting.

Recall that the secretariat lastweek embarked on the second fieldtrial for the effective delivery offertilisers and improved seeds toselected segment of FCT farmers

Three Primary Schools inKwali Area Council haveemerged winners in the

Inter primary Schools Scienceand Quiz Project ExhibitionCompetition at the state level.

The three schools are LEAShangari, Islamiya and LEAPiri, according to final resultcompiled by a panel of judges atthe conference hall of Kwali areacouncil.

Speaking at the event, theChairman of the Council,Hon.Joseph Shazin who wasrepresented by his Chief of Staff,Elisha Etsu reiterated hisadministration's readiness toensure that academic pursuit inthe council was judiciouslyexecuted.

He also expressed happinesson the success of the pupils beforeand during the competition inthe council describing it as mostsatisfactory.

The chairman promised tomade additional incentiveavailable through the office ofthe Executive secretarytoward teachers up- liftmensuch as promotions as at whendue and timely payment ofallowances.

The Local EducationAuthority Executive (LEA)Secretary in Kwali, JosephKakastu made presentations tothe winning schools. In hisshort speech before thepresentation, admonishedlosers in the competitionagainst taking it hard uponthemselves and the winners.

To the winners, theexecutive secretary warnedthem against overconfidencestressing that learning was acontinuous process hence theneed for them to put in more sothey do not become losers infuture competitions.

Science projectcompetition: 3schools emergewinners

Tenant accuses caretaker, guard of theft(UBE) Commission in WuseZone 4, Abuja, had earlierreported the case to Karu PoliceStation on February 29, 2012.

Attah had claimed beforethe police that he rented thesaid apartment in Karu since2006, but quit theaccommodation due to theincrease in rent, leaving hisproperties in the apartment.

discovered that his twotelevision sets valued atN150,000, his wife's personaleffects such as clothes, shoes andother items valued atN180,000 had all vanished.

Emah and Balogun deniedcommitting the offence whichcontravenes Sections 79 and288 of the Penal Code and weregranted bail by SeniorMagistrate Celestine Odo in thesum of N150,000 each withone surety in like sum.

By Adeola Tukuru

under the Growth EnhancementSupport Scheme which is the newmethod of distribution of fertilisersand seeds to farmers.

In the phase of the exercise, nofewer than a hundred small scalefarmers in Kuje Area Council ofthe FCT had received two bags offertiliser each at 50 per centsubsidy of the prevailing marketprice in the ongoing trial of 'e-wallet' system.

The farmers also received50kg of improved rice and maizethrough this platform, which isunder the GrowthEnhancement Support Scheme,presently being piloted by theFederal Ministry of Agriculture.

The caretaker of a propertyin Karu and a securityguard are to re-appear

before an Abuja SeniorMagistrate's Court on April 2,2012 over charges of theft.

Tenant to the property inquestion, Alhaji Umar Attahof Universal Basic Education

By Josephine Ella

By Josephine Ella The Police Prosecutor,Sergeant Stephen Emigoa toldthe court that the complainantalleged that he locked therooms and gave the keys to thecaretaker of the house, IsaacEmah, 48, in the presence ofthe security guard, EmmanuelBalogun, 45.

However, when he returnedto evacuate his properties, he

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012PAGE 17

Chairman, Abaji AreaCouncil, Hon YahayaMusa Muhammad, has

called on both local and foreigninvestors to collaborate with thecouncil by investing in the Abajitrailer park/container terminal.

Yahaya gave the chargeyesterday at the publicpresentation of the terminal,stating that the presentation wasto provide container and ware-

Abaji tasks investors on trailerpark/container terminal

house terminals and takingcognizance of Abaji as the southernentry and exit point of the FCT. Henoted the importance of the projectconsidering the economicadvantage it represents to thedredging of the River Niger atLokoja, Kogi state.

The Chairman furtherdisclosed that the developmentwas a way of beefing up therevenue base of the councilespecially after completion.

“The project is to providetrailer and articulated vehicles

C ustomers waiting to buy roasted yam at Area 1, yesterday, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Adeola Tukuru Two security men arecooling theirheels in prison after being

convicted of stealing 75 litresof diesel from the companywhere they worked.

Obaje Nicodemus, 27 andPeter Dashak, 25 weresentenced to one monthimprisonment each by anAbuja Senior Magistrate'sCourt presided over by SeniorMagistrate Khadijat Mustaphafor joint act and theft.

Prior to their conviction, ,one Agada James residing inDona Crescent, Maitama wassaid to have reported thematter to the Maitama PoliceStation on March 3, 2012.

The convicts, bothresidents of Royal Security,Idu-Karmo, Police Prosecutor,Corporal Emmanuel Adikwutold the court, connived tosteal the litres of diesel meantfor the generating set of thecompany they were attachedto in Maitama, HauweiTechnologies Limited, withthe intent of selling theproduct.

Despite their plea forleniency, the duo, whopleaded guilty to the offence,which contravenes Sections79 and 287 of the Penal Codewere sentenced accordinglywithout any option of fine.

The magistrate said theirsentence was meant to be alesson to them and a deterrentto others in the society whoare criminally minded.

Guards jailedfor theft of 75litres of dieselBy Josephine Ella

An Upper Area Court inGwagwalada, FCT onTuesday ordered that a

22-year-old woman, Ene Okpe,of Angwan Tiv, Gwagwalada beremanded in prison custody foralleged mischief.

The Police Prosecutor, Insp.Suleiman Haruna, told thecourt that on March 7, theaccused bought some roastedmeat of N100 from one UsmanYawo in Gwagwalada.

Haruna said that Okpe laterintentionally pushed theremaining meat valued atN25,000 into a drain.

He said that the case wasreported by Yawo atGwagwalada Police Station onMarch 7, at about 4 p.m.

The accused, however,denied the allegation againsther.

The Judge, Mr BabagindaHassan, ordered that she beremanded in prison, andadjourned the case to April 25,for continuation of hearing.(NAN)

Court remands22-year-oldwoman foralleged mischiefBy Josephine EllaA 42-year-old

businessman, HassanKareem, was on Monday

sentenced to six monthsimprisonment by an Abuja SeniorMagistrates' Court for breach oftrust and cheating.

Senior Magistrate HadizaShagari, who convicted Kareem

Businessman bags 6 months imprisonment for breach of trustafter he pleaded guilty, however,gave him an option to pay N3,000fine.

Police prosecutor AhmedMohammed had told the courtthat one Haimbar of LobitoCrescent, Wuse 11, Abuja, lodgeda complaint against the convictat the Maitama Police Station.

Mohammed said the convictwas given N350,000 by thecomplainant sometimes in 2008to purchase a vehicle forcommercial use.

He said the convict agreed tobe remitting N40,000 monthlyto the complainant.

The prosecutor said although

the convict bought a ToyotaCorolla car with registrationnumber: AA 851 NTT, with themoney given to him, he later soldit and converted the money to hispersonal use.

He said the offence waspunishable under Sections 312and 322 of the Penal Code. (NAN)

A 40 -year-old privatesecurity personnel,Matthew Adah has

admitted guilt before an AbujaChief Magistrate's court, tocharges of criminal joint act andtheft of four gallons of 28 litres ofdiesel valued at fifteen thousand-eight hundred naira from hisemployer.

Adah, of Aku village,mararaba, in Nasarawa state,was arraigned by the Policebefore Chief Magistrate AzubuikeOkeagu, for allegedly conspiringwith one Adeyemi Sunday (nowat large), of same address , andstole the said item.

Police prosecutor, InspectorPhilips Akwogu, had told the

Guard pleads guilty to allegation of theftcourt that on March 3, oneGodwin Agaba, of no. 6 Udi Hillclose, Aso Drive, Maitama, Abuja,reported the matter to the Police.

According to him, thecomplainant informed the police

that the accused and hisaccomplice sold the diesel andconverted the sales proceeds inpersonal use.

Akwogu, said the offencecontravenes sections 79 and

287of the Penal Code,respectively.

However, after the accusedpleaded guilty to the chargesagainst him, the Magistrate,found him guilty accordingly,and fixed March 15 forjudgment.

By Stanley Onyekwere

A 28-year-old servant,Danjuma Ezra, was onTuesday sentenced to

two months imprisonment bya Karu Senior Magistrates'Court in the FCT for stealing.

The police prosecutor, Sgt.Abiola Oyewusi, had told thecourt that on Nov. 11, Ezra was

Man, 28, jailed for stealingBy Josephine Ella arrested by an Anti-Bomb

Squad Officers.Oyewusi said Ezra stole the

detonating cord wire from thecompany after the day's workby taking the wire out of thecompany premises withoutpermission of the authority.

He added that the convictwas looking for where to sell thewire before he was arrested,

adding that the offencecontravened Section 288 of thePenal Code.

Ezra, a staff of China CivilEngineering ConstructionCorporation, pleaded guiltyand Senior Magistrate AsmauAkanbi, consequently,sentenced him to two monthsimprisonment with an optionof N10,000 fine. (NAN)

at appropriate parking lot,especially in view of the heavyvehicular traffic along Abuja-Abaji- Lokoja High way" He,said.

He however revealed thatabout 40 hectares of land hasbeen cleared for the purpose, theperimeter fence was in place,while work on the road networkand the drainage was also at inan advanced stage.

He used the occasion to appealto the Federal Capital TerritoryAdministration (FCTA) to assist the

council by providing water and alsointerface with the council in orderto ease the challenges of residents.

"If we must grow as a nationour thinking should be positivetowards taking Nigeria and theeconomy to a greater height. Forus as a local council and the thirdtier of government which is theclosest to the people, our challengesare enormous and tasking,therefore concerted efforts must beput in place to ensure that theliving standard of the people whichwe govern is improved", he said.

PAGE 19PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Management Tip of the DayDelegate, then disengage

don’t be tempted tomicromanage the process. Agreeon the expected outcomes andjust let go. If you’ve asked a teammember to take care of animportant presentation, don’tspend endless time on edits andcorrections.

Be clear on the parametersand remove yourself so she cando it her way, not yours. This ismuch more efficient than takingover, and the end product willlikely be better.Source: Harvard BusinessReview

INSIDE

Flight schedule

LOS-ABJ: 07.15, 11.40, 14.00,16.30, 17.00, 17.20, 18.30.

ABJ-LOS: 07.00, 09.30, 10.30,11.15, 16.15, 19.15, 19.35

ABJ-KANO: 18.40

KANO-ABJ: 08.35

ABJ-SOK (MON): 09.35

SOK-ABJ (MON): 11.35

LOS-ABJ: 06.50, 13.30, 19.45

ABU-LOS: 07.30, 13.00, 14.00, 19.00

LOS-ABJ: 07.02, 08.10, 12.06,15.30, 17.10

ABJ-LOS: 07.20, 09.36, 13.05, 14.40

LOS-ABJ: 9.45, 11.45, 2.45IRS AIRLINES

AIR NIGERIA (MONDAY - SUNDAY)

DANA AIRLINES (MON - SUN)

AEROCONTRACTORS (MON - SUN)

ABJ-SOK (FRI): 10.10ABJ-SOK (WED/SUN): 11.20

SOK-ABJ (FRI): 12.00SOK-ABJ (WED/SUN): 13.20

LOS-ABJ (SUN): 12.30LOS-ABJ (SAT): 16.45

ABU-LOS (SUN): 10.30, 14.30, 19.30

ABU-LOS (SAT): 18.30

ABJ-LOS (SAT/SUN): 13.05, 18.00

LOS-KANO: 08.10KANO-LOS: 11.25KANO-ABUJA: 11.25ABUJA-KANO: 10.08

ABJ-LOS: 11.30, 3.45, 4.45

LOS-KANO: 6.15LOS-KANO (SAT/SUN): 16.30KANO-LOS: 07.30KANO-LOS (SUN/SUN): 10.30

Entrusting a project tosomeone else can be tough.But if you don’t rely on

others, you’ll always end updoing everything yourself. You’llalso shortchange those who couldlearn by taking on new tasks.

Once you delegate something,

BUYING SELLINGCFA 0.2985 0.3185• 206.4817 207.8147£ 247.112 248.7073RIYAL 41.3001 41.5667$ 154.9 155.9

CBN 1st Mar, 2012EXCHANGE RATES

PARALLEL RATES BUYING SELLING• 210 212£ 255 257RIYAL 40 42$ 158 159

Arik Air picksPeacock as

general sales...

- Pg 20

S/N BENEFICIARIES SUB-TOTAL (N)1 FG (52.68%) 727 billion

States (26.72%)L/govt Councils (20.72%)Derivation (13% of Mineralrevenue-oil/gas)Value Added Tax (VAT)

2 Transfer from excess crude A/c 187 billionOther disbursement 182.7 billionRefund by NNPC 7.6 billion

3 Grand Total 921.6 billion

FAAC allocation for the month of February 2012shared in March, 2012

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

BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESS

Nigeria’s GDP growth rises to7.68 % in Q4 2011 – NBS

Nigeria’s economyrepresented by its Grossdomestic product (GDP)

grew 7.68 % in the fourth quarterlast year, faster than the 7.40 % inthe previous quarter because of astronger performance in the non-oil sector, particularly telecoms,the National Bureau Of Statistics(NBS) said yesterday.

The NBS’s report said Nigeriapumped an average of 2.4 millionbarrels per day in the last threemonths of the year, down from 2.6million barrels per day a yearearlier due to production outagesbut the non-oil sector grew 9.07 %in the fourth quarter, higher thanthe 8.93 % recorded in the sameperiod in 2010.

“This growth was largelydriven by improved activities inthe telecommunications, buildingand construction, hotel andrestaurant and business services,”the NBS said.

Nigeria’s economy grew 7.36% in the full year 2011, down from7.98 % in 2010, largely in linewith expectations. The decline ingrowth reflects global economicsluggishness. Growth in Nigeriaoutperformed most developingeconomies.

Nigeria is reliant on oil exportsfor more than 95 % of its foreignexchange revenues but only 15 %of GDP. Agriculture is the largest

Director-General, National Institute for Hospitality & Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Alhaji Munzali Dantata (l) ina chat with the Lagos state Commissioner for Tourism, Mr. Disun Holloway (r), when the DG paid acourtesy visit on the Commissioner, in Lagos recently.

contribution to GDP, making upabout 40 % of it.

Telecoms surged in Nigeria inthe past decade after privatecompanies were allowed to takeadvantage of the huge mobilephone market potential in thecontinent’s most populouscountry.

“This sector continued toperform impressively and hasremained one of the major driversof growth in the Nigerianeconomy, with its contribution tototal GDP increasingcontinuously,” the NBS reportsaid.

“The telecommunicationsector recorded a real GDP growthof 36.31 % in the fourth quarter of2011,” it added, but did not give acomparative figure for theprevious quarter.

Investors are optimistic aboutthe consumer potential inNigeria, but so far the telecomssurge has not been followed inother sectors.

Nigeria plans to change thebase year for its GDP this year fromto 2008 from 1990, a move that

could lead to a “huge jump” in theestimated size of the West Africancountry’s economy.

When Ghana made a similarmove to recalculate its GDP lastNovember, its estimated outputshot up by 60 %, catapulting it intothe ranks of the middle incomecountries.

The National Assembly isdeliberating on an amended 2012budget proposal put forward byFinance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala last month.

Okonjo-Iweala widened thefiscal deficit projection in this year’sspending plans to 2.97 % lastmonth, from the 2.77 % in aprevious budget plan presented lastyear due to lower revenueexpectations.

The government was expectingto receive more funds afterremoving fuel subsidies on Jan. 1,but it was forced to reinstate thempartially after tens of thousandstook to the streets in more than aweek of protests.

And the National Assemblyusually adds to the budget. “This isa cause for concern at a time whenthe government is trying to at leastfreeze recurrent expenditure andinitiate some fiscal consolidation,”said Standard Bank’s Samir Gadio,adding that if they do it this time,the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)would most likely be “forced totighten monetary conditionsfurther”.

Dangote Sugar stockgrossly undervalued

The shares of Dangote SugarRefinery Plc have beenrated high by analysts at

FSDH Securities Limited, sayingthe shares are currently tradingat a very heavily discounted rate.

Dangote Sugar shares closed atN3.92 per share last week. But intheir review of the performanceof the company and its futureprospects, analysts at FSDHSecurities said the fare value forthe stock is N6.94 per share.

In arriving at N6.94, theanalysts said that they reviewed

top line and bottom line of thecompany in relation to its thirdquarter result ended September31, 2011.

According to them, they usedtwo valuation methods which areDiscounted Future Earnings(DFE) and Discounted Free CashFlow (DCF).They projectedTurnover, Earnings BeforeInterest and Tax (EBIT), EarningsBefore Interest Tax Depreciationand Amortisation (EBITDA) andProfit After Tax (PAT) for theperiods ending December 2011,2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

They also estimated turnoverof N106.25 bn, N120.74bn,N137.21bn, N153.19bn andN 1 6 8 . 7 3 b i nrespectively.Similarly, theyestimated EBIT of N18.83 bn,N25.03bn, N28.44bn,N28.69bn and N31.60 bn, andEBITDA of N20.41bn,N26.61bn, N30.02bn,N30.27bn and N33.18bn for thesame period.

“Looking at our estimate of thecapital expenditure of thecompany within the forecastperiod and the notional tax onEBIT and adjusting for the networking capital, we arrived atFree Cash Flow (FCF) of N11.47billion, N16.12billion,N18.16billion, N18.40billion andN20.44billion. We forecast PATof N6 billion, N7.97 billion,N12.48 billion, N13.94 billionand N15.35 billion”, the analystsstated.

“We applied a terminalgrowth rate of 7.40 per cent. Weused a beta value of 1.32x basedon the 5-year historical returnson the company share price andthe Nigerian Stock Exchange(NSE) All Share Index (NSE ASI).

By Aminu Imam with agency report * Povertyincreasing, inspite of growth

By Abdulwahab Isa

PAGE 20 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Ekiti partnersKeystone Bank ondevelopment

Ekiti state government andKeystone Bank would sooncommence strategic

partnership aimed at ensuringrapid development in key sectorsof the state’s economy.

New law to enforcepatronage of localvehicles debuts

A new era in the nation’sautomotive industry is setto unfold as the Federal

Government has givenindication of its desire to movefrom word to action in thedefinite revival of the localautomotive industry.

American firm set toinvest N240bn inNigeria’s solarenergy project

The problematic powersector in Nigeria may soonreceive a major boost, as

the Minister of Power, ProfessorBarth Nnaji is billed to meetwith some American powerinvestors to invest in solar poweras an alternative means toaddress the .

Dutch tradeministerdemands 30 percent returns oninvestments inNigeria

“I will not take anything lessthan 30 per cent returns onour investments in Nigeria”.

The Minister of Trade from theNetherlands, Simon Smits toldthe Minister of Trade andInvestment, Olusegun Agangain Abuja at the weekend.

Govt defends costof airports repairprojects

The Minister of Aviation,Stella Oduah-Ogiewonyi,has defended the choice of

12 airports selected for ongoingrenovation, adding that theaction was not influenced by anypolitical considerations.

Oil prices fall onChina’s loweconomicprospects

Crude oil prices fell for thefirst time in four days,after Chinese economic

data signalled slower growth inthe world’s second-largest userof oil.

COMPANYNEWS

FAAN appeals for understandingover airports re-modelling

The Federal Airport Authorityof Nigeria (FAAN) yesterdaysaid the re-modelling of the

airports across Nigeria will comewith challenges that will demandpassengers’ understanding,especially those using theinternational wing of the facilitiesas there will be intermittentdisruptions to both technical andno-technical equipment at theairports.

Speaking against thebackdrop of a technical problemthat temporary threw theinternational wing of the MurtalaMohammed Airport in Lagos intodarkness on Sunday, GeneralManager, Public Affairs of theagency, Mr. Akin Olukunle saidthe problem is inevitable as thereconstructions will allow forcertain equipment to be tamperedwith.

Akin said the power outagewas as a result of a technical faultthat will be temporary stressing

that effort have being gearedtoward ensuing a similar incidentdon’t take place while the workscontinue simultaneously.

”What happened was atemporary thing. We had atechnical problem around2:30pm to around 7pm. It is aproblem that we don’t wish toexperience again. Our men areworking hard to alleviate theplights of passengers who mayhave to bear with us”, he toldreporters.

According to him, “This may

South Africa, Tanzania make QatarAirways new expansion driveSouth Africa and

neighbouring Tanzaniaare the two Africa nations

that recently made the list of fivenew routes announced by Doha-based Qatar Airways in theairline’s further expansion of itsrapidly-growing internationalnetwork.

This will include passengers’routes, more cargo services andcapacity increases and otherdestinations to be served directlyfrom the airline’s Doha hub,while Tanzania, Iraq, Serbia andMyanmar featured in thepassenger route expansionprogramme over a six-monthperiod starting in May.

Qatar Airways said newfreighter services will beintroduced to Korea, Pakistan,South Africa and Oman, whilefrequency of passenger flightswill also be step up todestinations in Europe, MiddleEast, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Unveiling the expansionprogramme at the on-going ITB

Berlin, the world’s largest travelshow taking place in theGermany capital, QatarAirways Chief Executive Officer,Akbar Al Baker said thenorthern city of Erbil andcapital Baghdad, lraq will beintroduced to the carrier’s MiddleEast network in May and Junerespectively.

“Qatar Airways will inducta second Tanzanian point to itsAfrican map with the launch offlights to Kilimanjaro.” He said.

“Today’s announcementreflects the importance QatarAirways places on expanding itsportfolio of passenger and cargodestinations, and offer morefrequency on existing routes toprovide more choice, moreflexibility and more options,”said Al Baker, while addressingthe press conference in Berlin.

“We are entering newpassenger and cargo marketswhere we see a need for more airservices, particularly wheresuch markets are under-served

and in need for extra capacity.He said “This year alone will

see Qatar Airways take deliveryof one new aircraft every 15days, so as we bring them in,they will quickly be inductedinto service and we will continueto look at new opportunities.”

Qatar Airways has seen rapidgrowth in just 15 years ofoperation, currently operating amodern fleet of 105 aircraft to112 key business and leisuredestinations across Europe,Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific,North America and SouthAmerica

As part of its 2012 expansionprogramme, Qatar Airwaysrecently launched flights to theEuropean capital cities of Tbilisiin Georgia and Baku inAzerbaijan, its first new routesof 2012. Later this month,starting March 21, QatarAirways will launch dailyscheduled services from Doha tothe Rwandan capital Kigali, viaEntebbe.

Arik Aircraft in mid-air

Stories from Suleiman Idris,Lagos

Arik Air picksPeacock as generalsales agent

With a new sales officeopened in the ancientcity of lbadan, Arik Air

has announced the appointmentof a leading tour agency, PeacockTravel and Tours, as its GeneralSales Agent (GSA) in Ibadan.

The appointment authorisesPeacock Travel and Tours topromote and sell Arik Air’sproducts and services in Ibadanand the surrounding stateswithin the south west zone of thecountry.

Speaking at the ceremonymarking the agreement, ArikAir’s Managing Director, Mr.Chris Ndulue told the gatheringthat, “The new office in Ibadanwill bring Arik Air’s products andservices closer to our guests inOyo and neighbouring Osun andOgun states. It is now easier

to book tickets from Ibadan tofly to any of Arik Air’s domesticand international destinationsand enjoy the airline’s services.”

Responding, PeacockChairman, Chief Segun Phillipssaid the company willreciprocate the gesture withquality service geared towardsrevamping the Ibadan airport.

“I feel elated that ourcompany has been appointed asArik Air’s GSA for Ibadan. I amalso happy for the people ofIbadan, the politicalheadquarters of the South-West,as the GSA will enhance theeconomic integration of thesouthwestern Nigeria.

“Our appointment will resultin rejuvenating Ibadan Airportwhich had hitherto beenunderutilised for the benefit ofthe passengers. We thereforecongratulate the people of thearea who will be benefiting fromour first class services, andhaving us bring Arik Air to theirdoor step.”

Peacock becomes Arik Air’ssecond GSA in Nigeria after theappointment of RemlordsTravels and Tours as GSA forAkwa Ibom and Cross Riverstates last September.

continue for some time, but in thenext three to four months, just asthe minister of aviation Mrs.Stella Oduah has assured, thesystem at the airport will becomenear perfect.”

The spokesman affirmed themanagement’s effort to repair allthe malfunctioning equipment atthe terminal within the nextcouple of months.

Akin reiterated, saying “wehave been making it known to thepublic that we are working onsome of the major airports in thecountry, especially the Lagosairport. So, the outage ofyesterday was simply as a resultof the on-going work on theterminal”.

He however added that, “Weare hopeful that before the end ofthe first quarter of this year,everything will return to normaland the complaints will bereduced to the barest minimum.”

PAGE 21PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Gashaka-Gumti National Park: Wherebird watchers have the fun of their lives

There can be nothingequally as exhilaratingas spending a day amidst

a true bird's watchers delightat the Gashaka-GumtiNational Park, which isacclaimed to play home to awide variety of bird species, asure reason it has turned out tobe one of the most appealingbird areas in Africa.

Uniquely located in theremote mountainous region ofnorth-eastern Nigeria,between the boundaries ofAdamawa and Taraba states isthe Gashaka-Gumti NationalPark (GGNP). Its name isderived from Gumti village inAdamawa state and Gashakavillage in Taraba state and isalso consisted of approximately6,600 sq km of sheer wilderness.

Taraba state hasundoubtedly earned theacronym, "nature's gift to thenation" because of the beautifulsceneries which adorn itslandscape. The breath-takingGashaka-Gumti National Parkclearly personifies this sloganwith its natural and beautifulweather, rivers, hills, forestsand various species of animals.Tour guides take tourists andvisitors round the park to havea firsthand feel of Taraba state'stourist attractions andpotentials.

Ecologically, the park issituated in the sub-SaharanGuinea Savannah Zone ofAfrica in the highlands of theSavannah area of Nigeria,south of the Benue River. It isthe main watershed/catchment area of the TarabaRiver, the major tributary ofthe Benue River.

It also shares internationalboundary with the Republic ofCameroon, adjacent to FaroNational Park in that Country.Immediately to the south of thepark is the awe-inspiringMambilla Plateau.

Gashaka-Gumti is amongthe seven National Parks inNigeria. It is the largest, mostscenic and biologically diverseconservation enclave. Itsmountains harbour populationsof rare and endemic species. Forinstance, in Leinde FadaliForest, Scientists havediscovered new species ofAcanthaeceae, a red floweringshrub of the genus Metarungiawhose nearest relatives arefound in the East AfricanMontane Forests. Othermajestic animals found thereinclude the rare AdamawaMountain Reedbuck, Black &White Colobus Monkey, Oribi,and Klipspringer.

The numerous unspoiltrivers of this park containHippos, Crocodiles, Otters anda wide variety of fishes (over

60 species; 2 are new to science)and various aquatic andamphibious life. The Park'secosystem is rich in birdlife(over 477 species so faridentified) and butterflies (300species out of which 5 speciesare new to science).

The convenient time forpark -viewing or holidaying isfrom late December to April.This period is when visitorsmay conveniently see a lot ofwildlife species, variedpicturesque sceneries, differentvegetation-types and pursue acombination of ecotourism/recreational activities, researchand education as well as fieldtrips.

During this season,accessibility is made easierthrough maintenance of tracksand trails, and improvedvisibility by regulated bush-burning. From late July toNovember, accessibility is,however, very difficult asflooded rivers, streams,overgrown vegetation andmarshy areas have cut off accessto many places of recreationalinterests.

It is not out of place to say, inthe praise of Gashaka-GumtiNational Park, that it containsover 500 unique species of birds.Above and beyond, the sight ofassorted animals and dramaticenvirons will no doubt make anappeal to visitors who throng inthere, helping them to discovernature and to unravel some ofthe many best kept secrets aboutAfrica's long-standing charismaand magnetism.

Birdwatchers would gladlywant to know that this is abirdwatcher's haven and thereare a wide variety of bird species.The Gashaka-Gumti NationalPark is known as one of the mostimportant bird areas in Africa.Birdwatchers are able to findmore than 500 species here, andthis is no overstatement. Visitingbird watchers gladly find thatnew species are constantlyadded to the list.

A description of how to get toGashaka-Gumti Park, for firsttimers goes thus. The town ofSerti on the Yola to MambillaPlateau is the gateway to theGashaka Park. Travelerscoming from the South ofNigeria will pass throughWukari, Mutum Biyu and Beli.Travellers from the North cantravel via Yola, Numan,Jalingo, Mutum Biyu and Bali.

The park can be reached byroad through Mayo Belwa,Ganye and Toungo village.There are daily flights from YolaAirport. From Yola, there areseveral different forms of publictransport to both Serti andToungo. It is advisable forTourists are advised to drive ina 4-wheel drive vehicle becauseof the terrain of the park.

There are about 500 species of birds to watch

Gashaka Gumti National Park landscape. INSET: Tourists groping their way through the rocky paths

PAGE 22 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

The Executive Chairman,Federal Inland RevenueService,(FIRS) Mrs. Omuigi

Ifueko has observed lack of synergyamongst revenue generatingagencies of government at all levelsis a factor militating against effectivetax collection and administration inthe country.

She made the observationyesterday while receiving oncourtesy visit, the managementteam of Revenue MobilisationAllocation and Fiscal Commission(RMAFC) led by its Chairman Engr.

Elias Mbam,A statement issued by RMAFC

Head, Public Affairs, andMohammed Ibrahim quoted Ifuekoas suggesting effort to bridge the gapamongst the revenue generatingbodies .

Towards this end, FIRS boss calledfor more collaboration amongststakeholders to raise the bar in taxcollection and administration so thatadequate revenue could be realisedfor governments at all levels tocontinue to address Nigeria’s diversedevelopment challenges.

Mrs Omuigi particularly stressedthe need for greater collaboration

between the Federal Inland RevenueService and the RevenueCommission in information-sharingon the activities of revenuegenerating agencies, adding that herAgency also stands to benefitimmensely from the Commission’swider network amongst the threetiers of Government.

Earlier in a remark, Engr. EliasMbam had observed that the countrywas losing huge revenue in a form oftaxes from spectrum utilisation byGSM users for phone calls andinternet data transfer.

Mba said taxes from such sourcescould provide additional funding

windows for the provision of basicinfrastructure and services bygovernment at all levels.

He observed that presently, theGSM subscribers from all the serviceproviders, in addition to otherinternet data transfers, are over 50million in the country. According tohim, if each user is charged a littlepercentage of the amount spent oncalls and data transfer, a lot of revenuecould be realised.

For instance, on the average, if aminimum of N20 is charged persubscriber per day, over 1 billion nairawill be realised therefore giving overN365 billion enough to provide access

to free education in all public schools,adding that “the initiative willprovide all Nigerians the opportunityto go to school”. The Chairmanquickly added that, “the proposed taxis targeted at high income-earnersand business executives who spendquite a fortune on business calls anddata transfer while the common manpays little or nothing”.

To actualise this therefore, heopines that amendment of allrelevant laws should be effected to fasttrack the take-off of the proposedTelecommunication Federation Taxwhich should be administeredthrough a Board of Trustees.

FIRS boss decries lack of synergy among revenue generating bodiesBy abdulwahab Isa

Market indicators of theNigerian Stock Exchange(NSE) recorded further

appreciation on Tuesday followingprice gains by some highly capitalisedstocks.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that both the All-Share Index (ASI) and marketcapitalisation grew by 0.64 per cent.

The ASI appreciated by 136.63points to close at 21,227.98 againstthe 21,091.35 recorded on Monday.

Also, the market capitalisationgrew by N43 billion to close atN6.699 trillion from the N6.656trillion posted on Monday.

NAN reports that Nestle, for thesecond consecutive day, led thegainers’ chart, appreciating byN23.09 to close at N486.70 pershare.

Dangote Cement trailed withN5.45 to close at N116 per share,while Julius Berger appreciated byN1.30 to close at N27.47 per share.

Berger Paint rose by 38k to closeat N7.98 per share, while Unilevergained 34k to close at N29.40 pershare. Market analysts attributedthe market rebound to expectationsfrom financial results of companieswhose financial year ended onDec.31, 2011.

On the other hand, NewGoldtopped the losers’ chart, depreciatingby N25 to close at N2, 601 per unit.

Guinness followed with a loss ofN11.94 to close at N229.56 per share,while Zenith dropped 50k to close atN13.21 per share.

UAC Property dipped by 45k toclose at N10.45 per share, while FirstBank lost 35k to close at N10.60 pershare.

The banking sub-sectorremained the toast of investors with152.01 million shares worth N1.1billion traded in 2, 149 deals.

Zenith was the most traded stockin the sub-sector, accounting for 44.5million shares valued N604.9million in 381 deals while FidelityBank followed with 22.9 millionshares worth N33.1 millionexchanged in 72 deals.

The consumer goods sub-sectorcame second on the activity chart asinvestors traded 36.2 million sharesvalued at N4.1 billion in 866 deals.

Nigerian Breweries traded 24.2million shares worth N2.4 billion in228 deals, while Dangote Sugar had3.5 million shares valued at N13million exchanged in 115 deals.

In all, a total of 234.5 millionshares worth N5.4 billion were tradedin 4, 003 deals on Tuesday againstthe 288.9 million shares valued atN4.5 billion traded in 4,165 deals onMonday. (NAN)

Market indicatorsrise by 0.64%The National Bureau of

Statistics (NBS) yesterdaysaid that the country’s Gross

Domestic Product (GDP) stood at7.68 per cent in the fourth quarterof 2011.

The Statistician-General of theFederation, Dr. Yemi Kale, disclosedthis in a statement made availableto the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja.

He said that the figure was 0.92per cent below the 8.60 per centrecorded in the correspondingperiod in 2010.

“On an aggregate basis, theeconomy, when measured by theReal Gross Domestic Product (GDP),grew by 7.68 per cent in the fourthquarter of 2011 as against 8.60 per

cent in the corresponding quarterof 2010,” the statement said.

It said that the 0.92 percentagedecrease in Real GDP growthobserved in the fourth quarter of2011 was due to production shut-down in the oil sector during theperiod.

“On a nominal basis, the GDPfor the fourth quarter of 2011 wasestimated at N10.05 trillion asagainst the N9.46 trillion duringthe corresponding quarter of 2010,thus indicating an increase,” thestatement said.

The NBS said that the country’sGDP became more relevant becauseof Nigeria’s objective of being amongthe 20 largest economies in theworld by the year 2020 would be

measured by GDP.“Out of the 46 countries that

had released their GDP in thefourth quarter of 2011, onlyMongolia and China stood at 14.9per cent and 8.9 per cent,respectively.

“Two countries, as at the timeof this report, grew faster thanNigeria, and China is ahead ofNigeria in current GDP rankings,”the statement said.

It said that many countrieswhich Nigeria surpassed continuedto either recorded negative growthor grow slower than previouslyestimated during the visioningprocess.

“Nigeria may not need thedouble digit growth envisaged in

the vision’s blueprint despite thefact that attaining double digitgrowth is within its (Nigeria)capacity,” the statement said.

NBS said that the GDP growthwas driven by growth in activitiesof the solid minerals,telecommunications, wholesaleand retail trade, building andconstruction, hotel and restaurant,real estate and business servicessectors.

“These sectors, which make upapproximately 30.8 per cent of thenation’s GDP, each grew at anaverage rate of over 10 per centduring the year.

“Most vibrant is thecommunication sector, which grewat an average rate of 34.8 per centin 2011.

“On the other hand, the oilsector output decreased as a resultof the facilities shut down in thesector,” the statement said.

The bureau also stated that at218.15 million barrels, crude oiland condensate productiondecreased by 6.9 per cent in thefourth quarter of 2011, with anaverage daily production of 2.4million barrel.

It stated that the productionfigure was lower when comparedwith the 234.33 million barrelproduction recorded in the fourthquarter of 2010, with acorresponding average productionof 2.6 million barrels per day.

“Crude oil production, with itsassociated gas components, resultedin a growth rate in real term of 0.40per cent in oil GDP in the fourthquarter of 2011 compared with the6.68 per cent recorded in thecorresponding quarter of 2010.

“Real GDP, driven by non-oilproduction activities, grew at 7.68per cent in the fourth quarter 2011,” the statement said.

“Accordingly, the Nigerian oilsector witnessed unprecedentedlevels of disruption compared torecent times due to temporaryshutdown of facilities such as atBonga, a 200,000 barrel per day(bpd) facility, which supplies about10 per cent of Nigeria’s total crudeoutput.

“However, the sector benefitedimmensely from the highinternational crude oil marketprice and the exchange rate regimeof naira against the dollar in spite ofdecline in daily average productionin the quarter under review.

“The oil sector contribution ofabout 14.64 per cent to real GDP inthe fourth quarter 2010, however,dipped in the corresponding 2011to 13.54 per cent,” the statementsaid. (NAN)

Nigeria’s GDP peaks at 7.68% - Bureau of statistics

PAGE 28 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Ford Explorer 2012 redesigned and reloadedBy Nuel Shepherd

Rotate them diagonally - frontright to rear left and front leftto rear right. However, this

pattern can change depending on thedrivetrain of the vehicle, and the typeof tire. Your vehicle manual willcontain detailed rotationinformation. Keep in mind sometires (especially on sports cars) aredirectional and are meant to spinonly one way. They will have a largearrow on the sidewall to indicate this.

9. Keep the tyres inflated. Under-inflated tyres can reduce the tire lifeby 15% and will slightly decreaseyour gas mileage, perhaps by 10%.Inflating tyres is perhaps the easiest

of all activities, and many stores selltyre gauges for a very small cost.Checking your tyre pressure everyother time you get gas will reducetyre wear and prevent these issues.Monitor your tyre treadwith apenny. Insert the penny into thetread with Lincoln’s head down. Ifthe top of his head is not obscuredby the tread, your tyres need to bereplaced.

10. Keep the front end aligned.If you notice your car shaking whiledriving at high speeds (not whilebraking - shuddering while brakingindicates warped rotors), or if yourtread is wearing unevenly, then you

may need an alignment. This is alsokeyto extending the life of your tyresand will keep the tread even forincreased safety.

11. Get your car off to a good startevery time you drive it. Start the carand drive off slowly and gently untilthe car reaches operatingtemperature. This reduces the strainon the engine while the oil is still coldand thicker. Another option is to useelectric engine space heaters, andstart the drive with a warm engine.Accelerate promptly to the targetspeed. For most modern cars, idlinga cold engine is bothcounterproductive and wasteful.

Additionally, as you accelerate,release the gas a bit to cause theautomatic transmission to upshiftwhile you are not pressing hard onthe gas. This causes less wear on theinternal clutches. It is easier on theclutches for the car to shift when youease up on the gas.

12. Use your parking brake. Evenif you are driving a car with anautomatic transmission, use yourparking brake regularly, especially ifyou have to park on aslope. It helpskeep the brakes adjusted in the rearof the car and makes them lastlonger. Do not use your parkingbrake in the winter time because

your brake will freeze and it will bestuck until it thaws out.

13. Wash your car: Road salt,sludge and pollution can lead tocostly body work. Without regularcleaning, you can start to notice ruston the bottom of your doors withinfour years. Another three to fouryears and the corrosion will creep tounderbody components, like brakelines. It can cost thousands in rust-related repairs if you neglect to washyour car, especially near ocean/gulfshorelines where the road sand ormorning dew might be salty.

Your car needs human-like treatment (III)

Concluded

The Ford Explorer has long beenone of the best-selling SUVs inthe market. A capable tow

vehicle and off-roader, it also offersgenerous interior space, comfortfeatures and safety technologiesnecessary for day-to-day tasks.

The 7-passenger Explorer isavailable in both front- and four-wheel drive configurations, with achoice of three trim levels: Base, XLTand Limited. A 290-hp 3.5-litre Ti-VCT V6 engine and six-speedautomatic transmission with Select-shift manual mode are standard onall trims.

The 4x4 models come with a user-friendly terrain management system,while an efficient 237-hp 2.0-litreturbocharged Ecoboost four-cylinderengine with direct fuel injection isavailable for four-wheel drive models.

Explorer Base trims are well-equipped with 17-inch wheels, airconditioning, cruise control, MP3capability and MyFord driver connecttechnology; XLT trims add 18-inchaluminum wheels, fog lamps and areverse sensing system, along with aUSB port, satellite radio and theSYNC communications andentertainment system.

Limited trims are further outfittedwith 20-inch aluminum wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control,heated front seats, leather upholstery,HD radio, Intelligent Access withpush-button start and a rearviewcamera.

Standard safety features on everyExplorer include AdvanceTrac withRoll Stability Control and CurveControl function, traction control,anti-lock disc brakes and a tyrepressure monitor, as well as Ford'sMyKey owner control feature and sixairbags.

Industry-first second-rowinflatable seatbelts are available onXLT and Limited models, packagedwith a Blind Spot Information System(BLIS) with cross-traffic alert.Additional options include ActivePark Assist and adaptive cruisecontrol with collision warning.

Redesigned in 2011, the FordExplorer carries over with minimalchanges for 2012. A six-speedautomatic transmission withSelectshift is now standard on all trimlevels, while a four-cylinder Ecoboostengine is available on every model.Additionally, XLT trims are nowequipped with a USB port and theSYNC communications andentertainment system.

The Reverse Sensing Systemoffered on the Explorer is a reverseonly parking aid system that usessensors mounted in the rear bumper.Parking Aid features both front andrear sensors.

As the vehicle approaches largeobjects such as other vehicles ordriveway obstacles, it beeps warningsounds. The frequency of beepingincreases as the object is approached,until a solid tone is emitted at a

distance of about ten inches.This works becausea low-cost,

high-performance ultrasonic range isfitted to the vehicle. Generally, fourintelligent sensors are used to form adetection zone as wide as the vehicle.A microprocessor monitors thesensors and emits audible beepsduring slow reverse parking to helpthe drive back up or park the vehicle.

To the customer, thisarrangement makes for easier andconvenient reversing and parkingmanouvres, especially for vehicleswhere drivers have limited view at thefront, rear or corners of the vehicle.

The Reverse Aid, which isavailable on the Windstar, Explorerand Mountaineer, is a next-generation technology underdevelopment.Between petrol and dieselengines (1)

The diesel internal combustionengine differs from the gasolinepowered Otto cycle by using highlycompressed hot air to ignite the fuelrather than using a spark plug(compression ignition rather thanspark ignition).

In the true diesel engine, only airis initially introduced into thecombustion chamber. The air is thencompressed with a compression ratiotypically between 15:1 and 22:1resulting in 40-bar (4.0 MPa; 580 psi)pressure compared to 8 to 14 bars(0.80 to 1.4 MPa) (about 200 psi) inthe petrol engine.

This high compression heats theair to 550 °C (1,022 °F). At about thetop of the compression stroke, fuel isinjected directly into the compressedair in the combustion chamber. Thismay be into a (typically toroidal) voidin the top of the piston or a pre-chamber depending upon the designof the engine.

The fuel injector ensures that thefuel is broken down into smalldroplets, and that the fuel isdistributed evenly. The heat of thecompressed air vaporizes fuel fromthe surface of the droplets.

The vapour is then ignited by theheat from the compressed air in thecombustion chamber, the dropletscontinue to vaporise from theirsurfaces and burn, getting smaller,until all the fuel in the droplets hasbeen burnt.

The start of vaporisation causesa delay period during ignition andthe characteristic diesel knockingsound as the vapour reaches ignitiontemperature and causes an abruptincrease in pressure above thepiston.

The rapid expansion ofcombustion gases then drives thepiston downward, supplying powerto the crankshaft. Engines for scale-model aeroplanes use a variant of theDiesel principle but premix fuel andair via a carburation system externalto the combustion chambers.

As well as the high level ofcompression allowing combustion to

take place without a separate ignitionsystem, a high compression ratiogreatly increases the engine'sefficiency.

Increasing the compression ratioin a spark-ignition engine where fueland air are mixed before entry to thecylinder is limited by the need toprevent damaging pre-ignition.

Since only air is compressed in adiesel engine, and fuel is notintroduced into the cylinder untilshortly before top dead centre (TDC),premature detonation is not an issueand compression ratios are muchhigher.Early fuel injection systems

Diesel's original engine injectedfuel with the assistance of compressedair, which atomized the fuel andforced it into the engine through anozzle (a similar principle to anaerosol spray).

The nozzle opening was closed bya pin valve lifted by the camshaft toinitiate the fuel injection before topdead centre (TDC). This is called anair-blast injection. Driving the threestage compressor used some powerbut the efficiency and net poweroutput was more than any othercombustion engine at that time.

Diesel engines in service todayraise the fuel to extreme pressures bymechanical pumps and deliver it tothe combustion chamber bypressure-activated injectors withoutcompressed air.

With direct injected diesels,injectors spray fuel through 4 to 12small orifices in its nozzle. The earlyair injection diesels always had asuperior combustion without thesharp increase in pressure duringcombustion.

Research is now being performedand patents are being taken out toagain use some form of air injectionto reduce the nitrogen oxides andpollution, reverting to Diesel's originalimplementation with its superiorcombustion and possibly quieteroperation.

In all major aspects, the moderndiesel engine holds true to RudolfDiesel's original design - that ofigniting fuel by compression at anextremely high pressure within thecylinder.

With much higher pressures andhigh technology injectors, present-day diesel engines use the so-calledsolid injection system applied byHerbert Akroyd Stuart for his hotbulb engine. The indirect injectionengine could be considered the latestdevelopment of these low-speed hotbulb ignition engines.

PAGE 29PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Jay-Z may have 99problems, but gettingto the venue isn’t oneThe rapper brought the beat

to South By Southwest, butnot before he needed a police

escort to make it from the airportto the show, which started 40minutes late.

Jay-Z played a hits-filled setfor a standing room-only crowdafter flying in late Mondayafternoon. He was on the townwith his wife, Beyonce, in NewYork City the night before to seefellow SXSW participant The-Dream, perhaps explaining hislate arrival in Texas.

The show at the Austin CityLimits Live venue marked theend of South By Southwest’sinteractive conference and anunofficial start to South BySouthwest’s music conference,which gets under way onTuesday.

The 80-minute show, topromote American Express’ newpartnership with Twitter andstreamed live online, was packedwith his hits, including “99

The man who never died closes6th Jos festival of theatre 2012

It was a night of highs. The guestswere led into a hall to watch thefinal performance of the Salasa

dance workshop. That over it wastime to move over to the performancevenue for the final performance of thefifth play in the seven days festival. Itwas the second performance ofBarrie Stavis’ The Man Who NeverDied, the true life story of one of theleaders of the Industrial Workers ofthe World (I.W.W). The ninety minutesplays filled with songs, dance andprison life eventually brought thefestival to an end.

The festival which had the activesupport of the US Mission, Nigeriawith logistic support from the AllianceFrancaise, Jos, had opened onFebruary 25th with a performance ofEmeka Nwabueze’s When TheArrow Rebounds. It would be recalledthat the performance was lastperformed at the 2011 MUSONfestival in Lagos.

The next play to grace the stagewas Lonne Elder III’s Ceremonies InDark Old Men. This play directed byOsasogie Efe Guobadia is the storyof the family of Mr. Russell Parker. Thefamily of four had onlyAdele(Olajumoke MitchellOlatubosun working thus she catersfor the family. She has given her fatherand her brothers a two weeksultimatum to get jobs or get out of thehouse. They eventually get jobs underthe supervision of the con man, BlueHaven (Ebuka Ifebunso) who helpsthem to turn the once thriving barbingsaloon to a shop for the sale of illegalwhiskey and card games. In theirattempts to break even, BobbyParker( Emmanuel Ekpe) theyounger of the Parker brothers is killedin a robbery incident in town. This iswhat brings the family’s friend of manyyears, Mr. Jenkins (James AnthonyAkolo) to break the news and findsout that his friend, Mr. Parker (AmboreIbrahim) has been gone for manydays with a younger lover (JulietEjenma). With the death of Bobby, thefamily’s tragic woes comes to a tragicend.

This is followed by another familytragedy, Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo’sBargain Hunting which was directedby Emmanuel Emasealu. On thetenth anniversary of his father’s death,Ari (Godwin Bamah) decides to selloff all his late father’s property andlegacies. His mother, Rachel (PhebeObodo) resists the move.Dada(Nicholas Inegbenoise) isalready in the house to buy off all thehousehold items and then entersLeah (Peggy Ada Kalu) who alsoresists the sale of their late fathers’property. In the course of the familytussle with Dada caught in themiddle, hidden family secretsemerge – it was their mother whohad killed their father in an act ofmercy killing as their father wasterminally ill. The play was brought allthe way from Port Harcourt.

Leonell Echa directed the nextplay, Dipo Agboluaje’s For One NightOnly – a migration fantasy. The playis set in the United Kingdom and tellsus the story of Eddie (Amanam

Lawrence) and Bode (Anre John)who both meet in the UK whileworking as illegal immigrants in anorchard. They decide to create theirown show – the Bode/Eddie showand they try in theri fantasy to tour thisaround the UK and hopefully theywould end up in Covent Garden. Thisbecomes an uphill task as with nopapers they are constantly dodgingone form of problem and landing inanother. Eventually the come incontact with Uncle, an elderly illegalimmigrant who advises them to goback to where they have come fromas the illusive search for the goldenfleece will only land them in trouble.They are told to even run from thepolice siren. At the end, the dream ofmaking it big in the UK entertainmentindustry is at best a fantasy.

The roll call of plays eventuallyended with Barrie Stavis’ The Man WhoNever Died. The story of Joe Hill is anextremely painful one. Almost a centuryafter he was unjustly killed in aconspiracy between the police, the lawcourts and a sell out fellow labouractivist, Tom Sharpe (Umoren DavidUbong), the trial of Joe Hill (EbukaIfebunso) is still generatingcontroversy. His innocence has beenproven and the fact that he never got afair trial has also been proven but withhis dexterity in composing songs andwinning strikes, the establishment ledby John T. Moody(Yusuf Dauda) couldnot have allowed him to go onhumiliating the state and jeopardisingtheir business interests. He was toobig a risk and with the whole town inhis payroll, Joe Hill just could not beallowed to continue his winningstreaks.

It was a well thought out festival. Itwas well executed despite the bombblast in the city of Jos on Sunday 26th

February at the COCIN headquarterschurch a day after the festival opened.It was expected that the Jos theatreorganization would have called off thefestival after the bomb blast but theystill managed to continue and theaudience turn-out wasunprecedented in the history of thefestival.

There were three workshops –Arts Management, Directing andSalsa Dance which according to thefestival producer is geared towardsfinding a meeting point betweenfuture plays in the theatre repertoryand other art forms. The 2012 JosFestival of Theatre employed over 100artistes with some of them beingyouths who are going on stage forthe first time. It was a particular delightwatching a lot of them singing joyfullyand meaningfully in the finalperformance of Barrie Stavis’ TheMan Who Never Died.

According to the festival producer,the next move of the Jos based outfitis to look at the possibility of sharingsome of the festival plays with theAbuja audiences. The US Mission,Nigeria which utilized the festival aspart of the 2012 annual AfricanAmerican History Month is to becommended for such an initiativewhich was well utilized by the JosRepertory

FRFRFRFRFROM OM OM OM OM THETHETHETHETHELIVE STLIVE STLIVE STLIVE STLIVE STAAAAAGEGEGEGEGE

withPatrick-Jude Oteh

0803 700 0496, 0805 953 5215(SMS only)

chain, led the crowd in severalrap-a-longs and kept everyone ontheir feet. Fans lined up forentrance more than two hoursbefore show time.

“You had a beautiful time andI had a beautiful time,” Jay-Z said

Problems,” ‘’Dirt Off YourShoulder,” ‘’Empire State ofMind” and “Glory,” his ode toBlue Ivy Carter, the 2-month-olddaughter he has with Beyonce.

“I’m feeling a lot of love in thisbuilding,” Jay-Z said. “I’m feelinga lot of love in this city today. I’mfeeling a lot of love in this citytonight.”

His appearance was fitting ina year when rap appears to be amain draw at South BySouthwest. Little Wayne, Nas,T.I., B.o.B. and many others alsohave shows scheduled in Austinthis week.

Jay-Z, wearing a cap with apolka-dot brim, his trademarksunglasses and a sparkling gold

to the crowd. “That means everysingle person in this building fromthe front to the top, front to thetop, everybody, everybody,everybody, scream.”Source: http://www.sxsw.com

Ebuka Ifebunso as Joe Hill addressing the Wobblies in BarrieStavis' The Man Who Never Died directed by Patrick-Jude

Ebuka Ifebunso as Ezeulu & Ejiroghene Oghenechovwen as Akuebue in Emeka Nwabueze's WhenThe Arrow Rebounds directed by Patrick-

Ekene Edward Asogwa as Mr. Goodcountry and his congregation in EmekaNwabueze's When The Arrow Rebounds directed by Patrick-Jud

PAGE 30 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Every Day is for the Thief

Lagos is a marketplace, biggerand more exciting than theopen-air Samarkand bazaar

immortalized by Wole Soyinka in hismost recent collection of poems.Samarkand might offer the ‘bric abrac’ and an electrifying wedlock ofphilosophers and poets, but Lagos’most marketable offerings are itsstories. Its prime position on the listof the world’s mega-cities mightaccount for this. Partly. But then,why bother about the origins of astory when the story itself is there infront of you, swaggering, taunting;daring you to produce one that cantrump it.

Enter Teju Cole, and hisswashbuckling theory of Thieves,Owners, and Ownership, as outlinedin his debut novel, Every Day is Forthe Thief. The phrase itself is the firsthalf of a Yoruba proverb, ojo gbogboni tole, ojo kan ni ti olohun -Everyday (is) for the thief, one day(is) for the owner. It is ‘the’ story ofLagos, I deliberately say ‘the’ and not‘a’ because when you reach the finalfull-stop in the novel, you get thefeeling that you have just crossed theline directly next (in intensity) toactually experiencing the city.Forget that it is a slim novel; it is notthe size of the barrel that mattersbut how full it is.

Everyday is for the thief. Thievesabound in Lagos, and in this book.Every minute, every page is for thethief - the pickpocket, the dubiouspetrol station attendant, themurderous armed robber, thecompact disc pirate, the hostage-taking area boy, the bribe-takingpolice, customs and embassy officers,the thieving politician whose actionsand inactions account for powerfailures and fuel scarcities. All of theabove are part of the cast of Cole’sstory, narrated by a young man whohas returned to Nigeria (and morespecifically, Lagos), for the first timein many years, on a visit. It is - to usethe hackneyed phrase - a trip downmemory lane, the “down” especiallyapt because coming from New Yorkto Lagos is a literal descent into chaos,into the Hobbesian jungle.

The narrator is a thinly disguisedversion of the novelist, a fictionalcreation who plagiarizes a real one.This return to Lagos is therefore akilling of two birds with one stone(more accurately resurrecting twobirds with one breath of inspiration);one person travels to Lagos, but tworeturn, the writer and the narrator.This, you should know by now, issomething Lagos is highlyexperienced at accomplishing. Oneperson comes in, and a different oneemerges. Four dreams go in, andnone return.

The author’s note, which seemsunnecessary because of the fact thatit appears as a ‘snapshot’ of authorand narrator side by side, smiling -albeit disowning each other. Cole isadamant in that “he (the narrator)and I are not the same person.” Butit is because he has somehow hintedof the fact that there might be two ofthem that he now has to convincereaders that each one is anindependent existence. We wouldhave been quite happy on our own

to merge and separate the twopersonas as our imaginations please.

This is a book of images, beyondthe many that the narrator sketches(in near-filmic detail) through hiswords, there are also photographicones as well, miniature renderingsof grainy black and white shotscaptured by the narrator (or theauthor?), and scattered like chunksof poetry across the pages. They areimages of Lagos - of hawkers,headgear, fruits, rusted rooftops,ships, cops, etc, the kind of residuethat would result from a ‘destructivedistillation’ of a city like Lagos, wereit possible to take it as a chemicalcompound.

It is as though the narratorrealized, whilst telling his story, thatattempting to capture the ‘idea’ ofLagos would be like trying to use thebare hands to demonstrate to anaudience the kind of fireworks displaythat accompanied the recent BeijingOlympics. Imagine the sense ofcrushing inadequacy that wouldaccompany such an attempt. Coleis therefore one of the more honestchroniclers of Lagos; the inclusion ofthe photos is an admission - even ifmerely symbolic - of the fact thatwords are pitifully inadequate incapturing a happening city likeLagos. Perhaps one day we wouldfind even more honest persons who’dbe willing to accompany their verbalofferings with DVDs tucked into aflap on the inside back covers of theirbooks.

The journey begins in New York,at the Nigerian Embassy in thatcity, where we quickly - andagonizingly - realize that the famed‘Nigerian mentality’, like theNigerian citizen, also possesses a‘passport’ that allows it to travelabroad and exhibit itself. So that itwould be seen at work the way aband of Nigerians would, forexample, be seen - or heard -unashamedly conversing in loudvoices in their native language inthe cramped aisles of a suburbanAmerican grocery store. America

and its arrogant ideals of justice andequality halt at the door of theEmbassy, and Nigeria (re)assertsitself - extorted cash becomes the finalarbiter on rendered service, just asit would be back home - as theembassy officials take bribes to‘expedite’ passport processing.

It is from New York therefore thatthe ‘descent’ begins; the descent ofthe plane onto the tarmac in Lagosis an indication not of acommencement but merely anattainment of another ‘degree’ ofdescent.

The narrator is a meticulousrecorder, and one can almost hearthe grinding of machinery behindhis eyeballs as he faithfullyassimilates, onto hard drive sectionsof the brain specially conscripted forthis purpose, details of what his eyessee and his ears ear. And like allobsessed with detail, he is eager toinduct us into this elite club of theobservant. Take for example hismention of the fact that the Lagosairport “is named for a deadgeneral.” Why, you wonder, do weneed to know that the general is dead,when we all know that many of theworld’s greatest airports are(similarly) named after deadstatesmen? But no, the ‘dead’ is therefor a purpose, to qualify not so muchthe General but the comatose spiritand air of the place, the obsoletenessof the architecture, theformaldehyde-tainted process of“disembarkation, passport controland baggage claim.”

This is not the sort of novel thatNigerians are used to. There is apalpable ‘distance’ between whathappens in Every Day is for TheThief and what we are made to see.Because everything that happens inthis novel is filtered to us throughthe perspective of a seemingly aloof,unNigerian-in-thinking, andsometimes condescending narrator,that sharp edge of drama andmelodrama - Africa Magic-typedrama - that many have come toassociate with Nigeria is absent. We

PEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OF

THE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEK

I bear your moods likeAny mother would; I do –

You unrivalled beast

Still you can’t beTouched; pirate – I hunt

You down in night air

You are the sourceOf everything – welcome

Me home with your

Head of wet, dead leaves –Your body the farm that will

No longer deprive

An insomniac – where isYour spirit of giving like theBloodlines of the phoenix

What is this virgin ashThat remains behind and what

Can I make out of it

I am held captiveIn your transparency –

Stay, stay and don’t fade

Turning in the airThere are two pairs of eyes

Here – how far is it still

To the next hourPushing by like a pulse –

The escape of blood

Where lions roaredWe grew up – grounded

Where Kevin Carter

Stood up from hellTo eternity – perhaps as

A girl you meant

To love me – what do peopleDo in the wilderness except use

Their voice to cry out

The journey of lovePerfected – is one that is half

Of tragedy speeded up

These words are likeThe deceased – they can no

Longer breathe on their

Own; they’re hushedMelting slow, sturdy – burning

Like sin against skin

He kissed my neck –Swallowed me whole like oldWeathered prophetic ghosts

We drown our sorrowsIn pots of tea – caught in the

Routed abyss of

Whatever is authenticIn the secret writings of every

Poet will be posed

As the words of a prophetYou don’t have to know theMeaning of the word ‘Sufi’

To know it – only knowThis; that it is based on faith

See your journey

As a ministry – aService to energies of light

And spaces bundled

Tight – surroundedBy frozen water, an

Illuminated lake

In the darknessRemember the ordinary

Before doing the

ExtraordinaryAssume the position of God –

Be willing to serve others.

Title: The triple goddessBy Unknown author

“If you born poor its notyour mistake, but if you diepoor its your mistake.”–– Bill Gate

QQQQQUOUOUOUOUOTETETETETE

see a widow, but only years after shebecame a widow, and ourparticipation is limited only tohearing about how she became awidow. We are told the how, but wedo not see those gun-totting robberspumping their bullets at herhusband, we do not see her handsflailing in the air and her bumthumping the ground at themoment she realizes that she hasbeen rendered husband-less, we donot see the endless trail of professionalmourners whose expertly wornmien will wear down the most stoicalof resolves, and we do not see thosewicked in-laws waiting for wives tobecome widows so they can get achance to exercise their evilcharacters. Instead, when we see heryears later, even the narrator hasto confess that she is a woman “inwhose radiance he can see nothingthat looks like grief.”

Another interesting thing is thatin its slide-show of iconic Nigerianimage after image, Every Day is forThe Thief draws from the same ‘pool’that Nollywood draws from, andfollows the same mode of sequence -a flow or juxtaposition of ‘whollyNigerian’ images that combine toattempt to tell a story. We have heardof the word made flesh, Every Dayis the film made word (text). Thedifference that in the case of Cole’snovel, between the time it drawsfrom that pool and presents it to us,something has happened to it,stripped it of banality andmelodrama, and given it the kind ofponderous sheen that a noveldeserves. It is Mrs. Adelaja, thetriumphant widow, and the othersubversions like her in the story,that thus set it apart.

So much for thieves then, themind soon seeks to know who the“owner” is. And not only do you wantto know this owner, you want toknow if s/he or they will be gettingthe promised day in the sun soon.

Eventually you are forced toassume that the owner is none otherthan the narrator himself. He it iswho is set apart from the thieves;who expresses shock, disgust, alarm,disappointment - and sometimesamusement - at their antics. Alas,after the thieves have had their fillin the spotlights, their fifteen hoursof fame, there is no karmic justice toswing down and shame them. Theowner sees them, watches them at‘work’, shakes his head at theirimpudence, and then returns home- to New York.

Every Day is for The Thief is aphysical, as well as a psychicjourney, bringing the narrator faceto face with a past that he left behind,frozen in time in Nigeria when heleft. It is evidently a past he did nottake along to New York, so that nowthat he is back he has to face it, standup to it and reclaim it. This is not aneasy task; “the past continues togather around like floodwater,” hetells us. At one point he informs us ofhis decision not to look up old friends,only to later speak of “variousreunions with friends and family”.The struggle between memory andforgetting doesn’t let up easily.

It is the story of this struggle, partnarration, part meditation, that Coletells us in prose that is at once preciseand haunting, even long after thefinal word.

Source: African writer.com

The book cover

By Tolulope Ogunlesi

BOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEW

PAGE 31PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Afghanistan: The dead just keep piling upANALYSIS

The entertainment industry focuses on US soldiers, while civilians are often absent from films (EPA)

Irvine, CA

It’s a well-worn ritual - theexpression of outrage and“shock”, as President Obama

put it. The “condolences to thefamilies” offered by senior leadersof the occupying power to the latestvictims of their supposedly benignoccupation.

Of course the action in question- which is always the latest in awhole series of actions, with theprevious ones convenientlyforgotten by the time the next onehappens - can “not represent theexceptional character of ourmilitary and the respect that [wehave] for the people ofAfghanistan”. “We” don’t do that.That’s what “they” - the peoplewhom we have occupied/sentsoldiers into Afghanistan/Iraq/Pakistan/Yemen/ to destroy - do.They are the barbarians who hateus because of “our values”, asPresident Bush so eloquently putit.

We will urge calm andinvestigate - just like we’reinvestigating the burning ofQurans, urinating on dead fightersand mutilating dead children, andall the other insults and injuriesupon Afghans, Pakistanis, Iraqisand other benighted peoples. Thoseresponsible for the deaths will facejustice, or whatever we say isjustice, unless of course a militarycourt somehow determines justiceto be something else than we toldyou it would be, in which case thatis just another example of how fairour system of jurisprudence is.

Compensation will be paid tothe families of the dead and injured,although not too muchcompensation. Certainly not morethan the cost of one or two Hellfiremissiles, or the salary of one of themercenaries to whom we pay threeto four times the wages of a soldierso that we can say we’re reducingthe number of “troops” in yourcountry. In fact, we’ll pay as littleas possible, as low as $100 a head,if you’ll take it.

Imperial hypocrisySay what you want about

Israel, at least it doesn’t pretend to“respect” Palestinians. The whole“shooting and crying” act went outof style by the time the al-Aqsaintifada erupted. But Israel/Palestine is an old-fashioned ethno-territorial conflict. It’s hard to keeppretending you respect someonewhose territory you’re violentlytaking over and resettling withyour own people; and when youhave as much power as Israel doescompared with its foe, after a whilewhy even bother? “We have

The dozens of military bases serve thesame purpose for the perpetuation of

American empire as colonies once did forthe British and the French. Along with thebases come well over 100,000 troops, atleast two carrier groups and untold tens of

billions of dollars worth weapons andsecurity relationships with local regimes

“

After an Americansoldier killed 16Afghan civilians,the US apologises- but willprobably notlearn its lesson.

exacted from them a very highprice,” Prime Minister Netanyahusaid bluntly, after the latest Israeliattack in Gaza killed severalmilitants along with a 55-year-oldman and a schoolboy. “Naturally,we will act as necessary;” collateraldamage no longer requires anapology.

The Obama administration isin a far tougher situation. It can’tafford to appear too imperialist,precisely because it is enmeshed ina series of ongoing militaryengagements across the Muslimworld. Yet even though well over50 per cent of Americans opposethe continued US presence inAfghanistan, and even if thepresident is sincere in his stateddesire to withdraw combat forcesfrom Afghanistan as soon aspossible, the huge Americanmilitary footprint across theregion will not easily shrink.

The dozens of military basesserve the same purpose for theperpetuation of American empireas colonies once did for the Britishand the French. Along with thebases come well over 100,000troops, at least two carrier groupsand untold tens of billions of dollarsworth weapons and securityrelationships with local regimes.

Just as importantly, thecorrupt and authoritarian natureof the regimes the US must dealwith - if they were honest anddemocratic, the US wouldn’t beallowed in the door - makes thesituation even worse, as their owninterest in holding onto power willtrump taking any action thatmight lead to a US withdrawalfrom their territory, except on theirown terms.

In Afghanistan in particular,the government that the US putinto power has been so endemicallycorrupt that its own actions onlyexacerbate the enmity of mostAfghans towards Americans.

But neither Afghanistan’sinternal problems nor the intenseviolence of the Taliban account forwhy American troops - like every

other occupying force in history -so routinely behave inhumanelytowards the occupied population.

Strategic forgettingIn a fascinating but sadly

overlooked Washington Post op-edearly this year, MIT professor JohnTirman attempted to explain whyAmericans have shown so littleconcern for the civilians of othercountries killed on their behalf. Hepointed out a number of reasons,including the self-perception thatsuch behaviour is so outside thenorms of American morality thatit can only be an aberration, andthe absence of civilians from films,novels and documentaries aboutthe wars.

The entertainment industryalmost always focuses onAmericans. The latest film fromthe military-entertainmentcomplex, Act of Valor, thoroughlyembedded actors with themilitary’s most elite killers forvideo game-style mayhem.Accordingly, most Americans toohave no reason to consider thereality of the violence in whichsoldiers are engaged.

Afghan analyst on USsoldier’s shooting spree

Perhaps most important, asTirman points out, is that frontiercountries like the US have a longhistory of conquest, killing andoppressing indigenous peoples athome. Quoting a Wall Street Journalarticle by Robert Kaplan, he arguesthat “the red Indian metaphor is

one with which a liberal policynomenklatura may beuncomfortable, but Army andMarine field officers have embracedit because it captures perfectly thecombat challenge of the early 21stcentury”.

If Americans have yet to beginto own up to the genocide of thenative peoples of their country,what hope is there that they willlook critically at the death anddestruction wrought on equally“uncivilised” and “savage” peoples15,000 kilometres away?Especially, as the quote makes clear,when everyone from commanderson the ground to commentatorsback in Washington - not to mentiondrone operators a few kilometresaway in Virginia - confuse the early21st century with the early 19thcentury? We can only imagine thatthe average American estimate ofnative American deaths duringthe conquest of the West wasn’tmuch better than the averageestimate - about 10,000 - of Iraqicivilian deaths (about 2-3 per centof the actual total).

But it’s hard to blame theaverage American when theirleaders purposefully mislead themabout the number of dead, eitherby refusing to do “body counts” orby declaring, as did PresidentObama’s top counter-terrorismadviser, John O Brennan in Augustof last year, that “there hasn’t beena single collateral death” fromdrone strikes in the Af-Pak theatre

last year - without themainstream media offering anyserious rebuttal.

Rewriting historyUltimately, with rare

exceptions - such as post-World WarII Germany and Japan, whichwere thoroughly defeated andwhose peoples largely acceptedAmerican occupation and therebuilding of their countries alongWestern lines - imperialoccupations inevitably end withthe occupier forced to make anignominious withdrawal, leavinglittle but death, anger and brokenhearts to show for their presence.

Lessons are rarely learned, andrather than try to heal theincredible psychological trauma onthe soldiers who fight these wars,Chuck Norris and SylvesterStallone will ensure that history isrewritten to highlight thesuffering of the brave soldiers whowere betrayed by weak leaderswho didn’t give them the tools towin.

Meanwhile, untold numbers ofreal soldiers suffer all sorts ofphysical and psychic trauma,bringing the violence back to theUS in ways that ultimately willprove every bit as damaging as the9/11 attacks. And back inAfghanistan/Pakistan/Yemen/Your Country Here, poor andbrutalised peoples will once againscrape by their meagre lives, withnot even the glimmer of hope thatthose who are most responsible fortheir unending suffering - fromWestern leaders and corporatemanagers to local politicians,warlords and religious zealots - willpay for all the harm they’vecaused. And in Damascus, Basharand his military commanders willsurely offer a toast of gratitude tothe unhinged American soldierwho reminded the world thatman’s inhumanity knows noethnic, religious or nationalboundaries - before resuming theirown, far more deliberate slaughter.

Source: Aljazeera

PAGE 32 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Belgium takes Senegalto court over fugitiveBelgium has launched a bid in theUnited Nation's highest court toforce Senegal to bring HisseneHabre, dubbed "Africa's Pinochet",to trial for crimes againsthumanity.

The former Chad president,offered a safe haven in Senegal afterhis overthrow in 1990, deserved tobe prosecuted for the terrible torturevisited on his victims, Belgium'srepresentative Paul Rietjens told thecourt on Monday.

The case brought before theInternational Court of Justice (ICJ)is the most serious internationalattempt to date to put Habre, 69,on trial for alleged atrocitiescommitted during his eight-yearrule.

Senegal, under pressure fromthe 54-member African Union,agreed as long ago as 2006 to tryHabre, but has since been draggingits heels.

"These victims, who accuse himof crimes that deserve to beprosecuted, deserve justice" Rietjenssaid. "Many of them were tortured,incredibly tortured."

Belgium took up the case underits "universal jurisdiction" law aftera complaint was lodged by a Belgianof Chadian origin, but Senegal hasblocked three extradition requestssince 2005 and another request is

pending.Senegal's President Abdoulaye

Wade has repeatedly said thatwhile Dakar has never refused toprosecute Habre, it did not haveeither the "ad hoc" jurisdiction orthe funds.

Wade has been Senegal's leadersince 2000 but polls suggest he islikely to lose his bid for re-electionlater this month.

Belgium indicted former Chad president in 2005 for crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture (AP)

Brussels now argues that Dakar'srefusal to prosecute Habre or havehim extradited "violates the generalobligation to punish crimescommitted under internationalhumanitarian law". It took its caseto The Hague-based ICJ in 2009.

"The organisation of a trial inSenegal has not progressed one iota,"Rietjens, a director general of legalaffairs in the Belgian government,

Over 1,000 Chadian children displaced by Boko Haram are to receive US donation

told the 14-judge bench."It is not enough to ratify the

conventions against torture andmake fine speeches about theobligations they imposed," he said.

The head of Belgium's centralauthority on judicial cooperation,Gerard Dive, told the court how avictim described the brutal way inwhich a relative was murderedunder the Habre regime.

Guinea has taken thenecessary measures toqualify for debt

cancellation as soon as possible, theInternational Monetary Fund saidon Monday, further underscoringrenewed donor confidence in acountry that has emerged frommilitary rule.

IMF "directors supported thesteps taken by the authorities toreach the completion point underthe HIPC Initiative as soon aspossible," the IMF board said in areview of Guinea's economy.

The World Bank and IMF'sHeavily Indebted Poor Countriesinitiative was launched in 1996by donors to cancel the debts of theworld's poorest countries.

The IMF cautioned on Mondaythat Guinea's economy wouldremain vulnerable even after itsdebt burden was written off. Iturged the authorities to ensurethat any further borrowing is doneat low-cost terms, especially asGuinea develops its mining sector.

The IMF expressed concern thatnew mining and relatedinfrastructure projects in the WestAfrican country would createlarge financing needs, pushingpublic debt levels up again.

Guinea ended two years of ruleby a military junta withpresidential elections in late 2010that brought President AlphaConde to power. It is the world'slargest supplier of aluminum orebauxite, although political turmoilsince independence from Francehas curbed investment.

IMF says Guinea’ssteps qualify it fordebt relief

transportation and familyreunification assistance for thechildren who are stranded in theremote village of N'Gbouboua in theLac region of western Chad.

The money will also enable theInternational Organisation forMigration (IOM) to buy essential non-food items such as blankets, soap,sleeping mats, buckets, jerry cans,hygiene kits, toothbrushes andmedicines for the migrants.

According to the report, IOMrecently sent an assessment team toN'Gbouboua and found out that boththe children and adults are living inwretched conditions, sleeping on theground in rough shelters that theyhad built for themselves. They hadno access to clean water or sanitationand the children were surviving bybegging for food, water and otherprovisions from villagers.

The IOM Chad Chief of Mission,

Qasim Sufi said the US funding istimely because it will enable them torescue those children and help themto return home to their families.

"Since the IOM assessment teamreturned from the area, which canonly be accessed from Chad by 4WDvehicle on unmarked desert roads anda ferry river crossing, more migrants,including unaccompanied children,have continued to arrive in N'Gbouboufrom Nigeria."

Major technologymanufacturers must beheld more accountable

for e-waste costs, a leading UKcharity has said.

Computer Aid, whichdistributes donated tech tocommunities across Africa, saidlaws should be put in place to ensurethat firms "deal with theconsequences" of unwantedequipment.

The call comes as theorganisation celebrated sending its200,000th refurbished PC to thedeveloping world.

Many technology companiesrun e-waste schemes to helpcombat the problem.

However, Computer Aid'snewly appointed chief executiveTom Davis said more could be doneto ensure that technologycompanies were "good corporatecitizens".

"I think that the richestcompanies in the world, who profittremendously from IT, have anultimate responsibility to dealwith the consequences of all thethings they've brought to us," hesaid.

Anja Ffrench, the charity'sdirector of communications, toldthe BBC that dangers of e-waste,which can be harmful when notcarefully disposed of, have ledcountries such as Nepal to rejectcharitable donations of technologybecause of health and cost concerns.

"If all countries were to do thatthey would cut themselves off fromreceiving technology from othercountries, which would be a greatshame.

This is their only way to accessICT - through refurbishedmachines"

End Quote Anja FfrenchComputer Aid

"The organisations thatComputer Aid provides to arereally disadvantagedorganisations who would not beable to afford new equipment. Thisis their only way to access ICT -through refurbished machines."

Computer Aiddemandsgreater e-wasteaccountability

Egypt house votes to expel Israeli envoyEgypt's lower house of

parliament has called for theexpulsion of the Israeli

ambassador from Cairo and haltingof gas exports.

The vote was taken by a show ofhands on a report approved by theArab affairs committee of thePeople's Assembly calling for "the

expulsion from Egypt of the Israeliambassador and the recall ofEgypt's envoy from Tel Aviv", theofficial MENA news agencyreported on Monday.

According to the text, the MPshave also called for a halt of gasexports to Israel.

"Egypt will never be the friend,

partner or ally of the Zionist entitywhich we consider as the first enemyof Egypt and the Arab nation," readthe text.

It also called on the Egyptiangovernment "to revise all itsrelations and agreements with thatenemy."

The motion is seen as largelysymbolic as only the ruling militarycouncil can make such decisions.There was no immediate commentfrom Israel on the vote.

Egypt and Israel have beenbound by a peace treaty since 1979but ties have strained since HosniMubarak was forced to step down aspresident last year by a popularuprising.

Israel has responded cautiouslyto the Arab Spring and in Januaryit congratulated Egypt on theinauguration of its first post-revolutionary parliament. It hasrepeatedly stressed the importanceof preserving the treaty between thetwo countries, and has called onEgypt's new leadership to publiclystate their commitment to theaccord.

The Qur'anic pupils, known asTalebs, and their teachers, theMarabout, who fled from the

eastern Nigerian villages ofDougouri, Folkine, Koyorom andMalfahtri three weeks ago, followingthe clashes between the Islamistmilitant group Boko Haram andNigerian forces are to receive US aids.

African Press Organisationreports that the US embassy in Chadhas agreed to provide funding for

The text presented to parliament said: 'Egypt will never be the friend orally of the Zionist entity' (GALLO/GETTY)

PAGE 33PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Concerns over Chinese detention reformsChina is set to pass landmark

legislation granting morerights to detainees, but

human rights organisations andrelatives of some of those alreadybeing held are concerned that it willhave little effect on the activities ofso-called secret "black jails".

The revised criminal procedurelaw, which is expected to be passedby the country's legislature today,would render all evidence collectedunder torture unusable, grantsuspects immediate access to alawyer and oblige authorities to tellfamilies within 24 hours of arelative's detention, among other

measures.But Nicholas Bequelin, a senior

Asia researcher at Human RightsWatch, told Al Jazeera on Tuesdaythat there were concerns overwhether the reforms would havea positive impact in cases otherthan straightforward criminaldetentions, such as thoseconcerning national security,terrorism or corruption.

"The positives are that, onpaper, most criminal defendentswill have better rights," saidBequelin.

"But the problem is the lawalso has big loopholes. It in

particular gives the authority tothe police to suspend notificationand to effectively secretly detainpeople in a number of cases... Thisis really a major concern andprobably a step back in terms ofprogress towards the rule of law.".

He noted that anotherprovision would allow police todetain people for up to six monthswithout informing anyone of theirwhereabouts.

"These people are [detained] inplaces that the police choosethemselves. Not a formaldetention centre, but a policeguest house or any place really

that they want to keep someonein."

In Beijing, Al Jazeera's MelissaChan joined one woman seekinginformation about her missingdaughter and others who saidtheir family members had beendetained at one such facility -known in China as 'black jails'.

"These black jails areessentially extra-legal secretdetention centres that allowofficials to throw anyone in therethat they want, without chargeand without arrest," ourcorrespondent said.

"Most of the people in black jails

A man has been killed andanother injured in anarson attack on a mosque

in Brussels, the Belgian capital."A suspect was taken into

custody at the scene," policespokeswoman Marie Verbeke toldthe AFP news agency onMonday. She said the victimapparently died of smokeinhalation. "The mosque wasapparently almost entirelyburned down."

Public broadcaster RTBF anda stream of social media userssaid the victim was a 47-year-old imam and that a group of atleast 50 people had gatheredoutside the Shia mosque.

Police confirmed this

Imam dies in arson attackon Belgian mosque

Police said that a suspect set fire to the building and the victim apparently died of smoke inhalation (AFP)

are not petty criminals, but ratherordinary citizens who have storiesof corruption to tell.

"Precisely because theirevidence threatens thegovernment, officials whoseinterests would be harmed by anyrevelations go after them," she said,adding that the centres allowedauthorities to bypass the law, asno one imprisoned there was givenany due process.

"There are black jails despite thenew criminal procedure law that'sgoing to be passed," Chan said. "Theshowpiece legislation will onlymatter if it is actually enforced."

information and said theyreceived a call at 6:45pm (1745GMT) and the body was pulledout 45 minutes later.

A witness saw the suspect, aman, set fire to the building,Verbeke said, but no other detailswere immediately availableabout him.

Vincent Van Goidsenhoven,the mayor of the Anderlechtdistrict, said the suspect hadthrown a Molotov cocktail at themosque, Belga news agencyreported.

The area around the mosque,near Belgium's maininternational railway hub, hasa large immigrant Muslimpopulation

Gunmen have attacked anAfghan governmentdelegation at a service in

southern Kandahar province for16 villagers shot dead in a killingspree by a US soldier.

At least one Afghan soldierwas killed as the delegation,which included two brothers ofAfghan President Hamid Karzai,came under fire, Abdul Razaq,the police chief for Kandaharprovince, told the AFP newsagency.

"There was an armed attackon them from a distance and thefiring continued for about 10minutes," said a local reporter atthe scene in Panjwayi district.

"Bullets were coming like rainon us," another witness told AFP.

The attack came as hundredsof students took to the streets ofthe eastern city of Jalalabad, asanger over Sunday's killings bythe unnamed US soldierprompted more anti-US protests.

About 400 universitystudents shouted "Death toAmerica -- Death to Obama",burning the US president ineffigy and blocking the mainhighway to Kabul beforedispersing after about two hours.

Abdul Rahim Ayoubi, amember of the Afghanparliament from Kandahar, toldAl Jazeera that many locals werestill deciding how to respond tothe attacks.

"And once they decide, there

Afghan officials attackedover US killings

will be no army, no force thatcan stop them," Ayoubi said.

The Afghan Talibanthreatened on Tuesday to beheadUS troops in revenge for thekillings by the US soldier.

"The Islamic Emirate onceagain warns the Americananimals that the mujahideenwill avenge them, and with thehelp of God will kill and beheadyour sadistic murderoussoldiers," Taliban spokesmanZabihullah Mujahid said in anemailed statement.

The US embassy in Kabul haswarned its citizens to be on theirguard, mindful of a wave ofdeadly protests last month overthe burning of Qurans at a USmilitary base.

In Washington, Obamawarned the US public against ahasty withdrawal fromAfghanistan, after a weekendpoll said most Americans believethe war is not worth the cost andwant an early withdrawal.

The United States and itsNATO allies are looking towithdraw their 130,000-oddcombat troops from Afghanistanby 2014.

Leon Panetta, the US defencesecretary, told reporters that theshooting suspect would bebrought to justice under the USmilitary legal code, and couldface the death penalty ifconvicted.

Asked if the suspect could be

Afghan students in Jalalabad protested and burned an effigy of Barack Obama on Tuesday. (Parwiz/Reuters)

Bahrain added to web censorship blacklist

Reporters Without Borders hasupdated its 2012 "Enemies ofthe Internet " list to include

Bahrain and Belarus.The updated list, which was

released on Monday to mark whatthe organisation called "World DayAgainst Cyber-Censorship", stillincludes countries such as China,North Korea and Saudi Arabia fromthe previous year.

The Paris-based non-governmental organisation thatadvocates freedom of the press saidthat internet users in 2011 were "at

the heart of the political changes inthe Arab world and elsewhere".

In Bahrain, RWB said, thegovernment "has bolstered itscensorship efforts" in reaction to thepro-democracy uprising that beganon February 14, 2011.

"Bahrain offers a perfectexample of successful crackdowns,with an information blackoutachieved through an impressivearsenal of repressive measures:exclusion of the foreign media,harassment of human rightsdefenders, arrests of bloggers and

netizens (one of whom died behindbars), prosecutions and defamationcampaigns against free expressionactivists, disruption ofcommunications," the report said.

In Belarus, RWB said, "TheInternet - a mobilisation andinformation platform - has receivedthe full brunt of the authorities'brutal crackdown on theopposition."

The report continued that "some100 Belarusian journalists wereinterrogated in 2011 alone, andover 30 given prison terms".

PAGE 34 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Scores missing inBangladesh ferry sinkingScores of people are feared dead

after a ferry collided with abarge south of the

Bangladeshi capital, and rescuershave begun retrieving bodies,officials said.

The double-decker Shariatpur1 ferry was hit yesterday earlymorning by another vessel in themiddle of the Meghna Riversoutheast of Dhaka, ShahidulIslam, a local police official, toldAFP news agency.

"About 35 passengers wererescued by another ferry. Butmore than 150 passengers remainunaccounted for," Islam said. Thevessel was thought to have beencarrying about 200 people,although the exact number is

Annan awaits Syria response on peace planKofi Annan, the UN-Arab

League envoy to Syria, sayshe expects a response from

Damascus on "concrete proposals" heput forward during his recent visitto the country, as governmentforces continued a military assaultin the northern province of Idlib.

The former UN chief wasspeaking from the Turkish capital

Ankara yesterday, where he wasmeeting a delegation from theopposition Syrian National Council(SNC) .

“I am expecting to hear fromSyrian authorities today since I leftsome concrete proposals for them toconsider," Annan told reporters afterthe meeting. "Once I receive theiranswer we will know how to react."

Israel and factions in the GazaStrip have agreed to anEgyptian-mediated truce to

end days of cross-border violencethat have left 25 Palestinians dead,according to Hamas and IslamicJihad officials.

Gaza's Hamas leadership andthe Islamic Jihad faction confirmedthe ceasefire with Al Jazeera onTuesday, after four days of Israeliattacks. Israel accuses Palestinianfactions of firing rockets into thecountry.

A spokesman for Islamic Jihadsaid the group was ready to respecta truce if Israel ended its"aggressions".

"We accept a ceasefire if Israelagrees to apply it by ending itsaggressions and assassinations,"Daud Shehab said.

The senior Egyptian official toldReuters news agency yesterdaythat both sides had "agreed to endthe current operations", includingan undertaking by Israel to "stopassassinations", and "to begin acomprehensive and mutual (periodof) calm".

An Israeli minister confirmedthat an "understanding" had beenreached for a truce.

"In fact there is anunderstanding, and we arefollowing what's going on in thefield," Matan Vilnai, home frontdefence minister, told public radiowithout going into detail butadding that "apparently things arecalming down".

Israeli air attacks on Gaza killedseven more people on Monday,taking the death toll to 25 inhostilities that erupted on Friday,Palestinian medical sources said.

Islamic Jihad said two of thedead were members of its militarywing, the al-Quds Brigades.

Israel has said it is hitting backat scores of rocket attacks, withmore than 40 fired on Mondayalone.

In a strike on the Jabalia refugeecamp in the northern Gaza Strip,a 65-year-old man and hisdaughter were killed.

Medics also reported six air raidsin the early hours of Monday thatinjured 35 people, and another tworaids around the city of KhanYounis, which left two dead and twoothers wounded.

Medics said another strike killeda 15-year-old boy and injured sixother students near a school innorthern Gaza.

Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan,reporting from Gaza City, earlierquoted Islamic Jihad sources assaying that the Egyptians, at thebehest of Hamas, were trying toestablish an informal truce.

However, our correspondentsaid, "Islamic Jihad is veryreluctant to abide by that at themoment ... They are extremelyunhappy that the Israelis arepursuing what they call an'assassination policy'."

Eighteen of the Palestinianskilled since Friday were identifiedby medical officials as fighters andfive as civilians. At least 74Palestinians, mostly civilians, andthree Israelis have been wounded.

"Sometimes there is collateraldamage, and of course Israel is sorry

Israel andGaza factionsagree on truce

unknown.Divers had so far recovered more

than 30 bodies from inside thesunken ferry, local police officialMohammad Shahabuddin Khantold the Associated Press.

"The death toll is likely to rise asmore bodies are feared trappedinside," Khan said. "We will get abetter picture of the casualties oncethe sunken ferry is pulled out of thewater."

Hundreds of anxious people,many of them weeping, gatherednear the scene of the accident, inMunshiganj district, about 32kmsouth of Dhaka, to look for loved oneswho were on board the ferry.

Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque,reporting from near the scene of the

accident, described "a sea ofgrieving people" waiting to getword about the status of their lovedones.

"One by one rescuers arebringing out bodies. I have seenbodies of children, women andthere is a crowd of people herecrying and it's quite anastonishing scene here at the edgeof the river," Haque said.

Dulal Dewan, a survivor,described a scene of chaos as theferry collided with the other ship.

"I was awakened with a bigjolt," said the businessman, whowas asleep on the top deck. "Ijumped into the river in darknessas the ferry started going down."

"In minutes there were

Annan arrived in Turkey onMonday after negotiations inDamascus over the weekend aimedat ending the escalating violencethat activists say has killed over8,500 people in a year.

Annan, who met with SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assad, has notdisclosed what those proposalsentailed.

"Let me say that the killingsand the violence must cease,"Annan told reporters. "The Syrianpeople have gone a lot and theydeserve better," he said.

The envoy said he had had a"useful meeting" with Syrianopposition members who "promisedtheir full co-operation which willbe necessary if we are going tosucceed".

Burhan Ghalioun, the head ofthe SNC, said the aim of talks wasto find a political and diplomaticsolution in Syria, otherwise foreigngovernments would deliver onpromises to supply weapons to rebelforces in the country.

The latest diplomaticdevelopment came as Syriantroops pressed an assault on rebelstrongholds in the Turkish border

3 climbers missing on frigid Pakistan mountainFeelings of triumph over the

first winter ascent ofGasherbrum-1 by a Polish

team were marred by growingconcern Tuesday over the fate ofthree other climbers last seen highon the Pakistani mountain five daysago, battling temperatures of 70below zero and ferocious winds.

The three - an Austrian, a Swissand a Pakistani - were just short ofthe summit in the Karakoramrange when they were spottedFriday by a Polish team that wasdescending after it had reached thetop of the 8,611 meter (28,251 feet)-high peak.

Pakistan Alpine Club presidentManzoor Hussain said he hopedweather might allow a helicopterto circle the peak later Tuesday totry and locate the missing men.Cloud and high winds hadprevented any aircraft getting nearthe mountain since Friday.

Hussain said he feared the menwere dead.

"Frankly, there is no possibility ofthem surviving a night or two upthere," he said. "I feel we have lost them."

Mohammad Ali, the manager ofthe tour agency that helped organizethe trip, said he hoped the men hadmanaged to descend to a lower campon the mountain and were still alive.

"They are very experienced," hesaid. "We very much hope they areOK."

All the climbers on themountain, also known as HiddenPeak, were part of the sameexpedition, but were attemptingdifferent routes. The two Polessummitted early on Friday afterbesieging the peak along with severalother climbers for more than twomonths.

Winter ascents of the world's 14highest mountains are some of mostprized achievements left in climbing.

screams all around," he said."People were shouting for help."

Dewan said he was rescued bya nearby boat, but eight otherfamily members travelling withhim were still unaccounted for.

Coastguards, fire brigade andpolice rescue workers rushed tothe site after the accident at 2:30am (2030 GMT Monday).

Ferry accidents, often blamedon overcrowding, faulty vesselsand lax rules, are common inBangladesh, a low-lying deltanation of 160 million people.

In April last year 32 peoplewere killed after a passengervessel sank in the Meghna riverafter colliding with a cargo ship.

region on Tuesday.The UK-based Syrian

Observatory for Human Rightssaid Syrian forces used heavymachine guns to rake the town ofEl-Baraa in the Jabal al-Zawiyaregion, a rebel bastion innorthwestern Idlib province.

The Observatory said armedfighters hit back before dawn withan attack on a military checkpointin the town of Maaret al-Numanin which at least 10 Syrian soldierswere killed.

In Khan Sheikhun, anotherrebel bastion in Idlib, fightersattacked troops in heavy militaryvehicles, damaging two of themand seizing others, theObservatory said.

It also reported clashes in DeirEzzor in eastern Syria, in Aleppo inthe north, and in Daraa in thesouth.

The army has since March 9mounted an offensive in themountainous region near theTurkish border in a bid to seizecontrol of the city of Idlib, whichbears the same name as theprovince, and other towns wherethe rebels are based.

Syrian troops pressed an assault on rebel strongholds in the Turkishborder province of Idlib (Reuters)

Manzur Hussain, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan

PAGE 35PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Lover offered me £2,000 to abort our Down’sboy... but look how full of life he is now!A horrified mum told last

night how she wasoffered £2,000 to abort

her baby - after the daddiscovered he could haveDown's syndrome.

Lisa Mackin angrilyrejected the cash and is nowthe proud mum of cheerylittle Tommy, two.

She was told the moneywould "help her get over it".

But Lisa, 28, said: "I lovemy baby and the thought thatsomeone could put a price onhis head was just disgusting.

"There is no amount ofmoney in the world anyonecould give me. I've lost a babybefore, so I know how awful itfeels.

"I said, 'I 'm not going toabort my baby and take twogrand off you - it's not going tohappen'.

"He called the evening Ilearnt Tommy could haveDown's syndrome. When I

Proud ... Lisa and son Tommy

realised what he was saying,I had never felt so muchanger. I was screaming andshouting. I was so shocked. Wenever spoke again after that."

Lisa, of Romford, Essex, wasdelighted when she found shewas pregnant with Tommy inthe Spring of 2009.

She said the dad - who wehave agreed not to name ather request - was also excited.

But after her 12-week scanshe was told she needed ablood test. She was then toldthere was a one-in-13 chanceof the baby being born withDown's syndrome. Anothertest confirmed the geneticcondition.

But Lisa, who also hasthree daughters, said: "TheDown's syndrome has made nodifference. It's incredible tosee him get to the milestonesin his life."

Tommy's dad has neverseen him. But Lisa added: "If

he wanted to, I wouldn't stopit. The door's open if he wantsto play a part in Tommy's life."

The dad regrets hisreaction to the news aboutTommy - and ins is ted themoney offer was not a bribe.

He told The Sun: "I didn'tthink I'd be able to cope. Wewere discussing abortion andI said, 'I'll give you £2,000.You can take the g i r l s onhol iday , i t ' l l he lp you getover it ' .

"It was never meant to be,'I'll give you two grand to killthat baby'. I feel really bad."

Br ib ing your partner tohave an abort ion wi thmoney is simply abhorrent.

No partner should everput pressure on their spouseto abort a child, whether ithas Down's syndrome or not.

When my now ex-partnerand I had Elliot, we had noidea about Down's syndrome.All parents must experienceshock when they f ind out ,but we soon real ised howmany fantast ical ly happychildren and parents thereare who deal with it.

The problem with most

people's perception of Down'ssyndrome is they don'tunderstand they 're normal ,lovely children inside.

El l iot 's g iven us a l l thepleasure any child would. Wehad another son, Ethan, twoyears after Elliot.

He doesn't have Down'ssyndrome but not for amil l isecond did I hope hedidn't.

Any parent who considersabort ing a chi ld because i thas Down's syndrome shouldspend some t ime with afamily that has one.Newborn ... Lisa with Tommy

‘I could die if I cry’: Agony of young woman who is so allergicto water that her TEARS cause potentially deadly burning rashA young woman fears she

could killed by her owntears because she is allergic

to water.Katie Dell, from Flint, North

Wales, suffers with the conditionaquagenic urticaria, which is sorare it affects just 35 people in thewhole world.

When she cries, her tears bringout a painful rash. And long soaksin the bath are out of the questionbecause they trigger burninginflammation.

The 27-year-old was evenforced to give up her job as a danceteacher because her perspirationcaused a painful reaction on herskin.

The condition, which can insome people trigger potentially adeadly anaphylactic shock, isgetting worse and she fears it willend up killing her.

She said: 'Sometimes I feel likea prisoner in my own home. I havedays where I want to crawl intobed and cry but of course, I can't.

'Someone said I could die fromit but I don't want to know aboutmy life expectancy. Until theyfind a cure I just have to live withit. I'm taking each day as it

comes.'Mrs Dell's symptoms began at

16 when she had her tonsilsremoved. Doctors suspect thepencillin she was given may havedisrupted histamine levels in herbody.

Her husband, Andy, 32, hasgiven up his job as a deliverydriver to be her full-time carer.

She said: 'People didn't

understand my condition andwould give me a funny look whenI told them I couldn't shower.

'My condition is worsening butI don't want to think about whatI'll be like in 10 or 15 years.

'Andy has been amazing anddoes all the things I'm not allowedto do, like the washing up.

'I have to be in and out of thebath in two minutes and Andy

has to wash my hair for me.'There is currently no known

cure for aquagenic urticaria butMrs Dell is trialling a new drugto try to control her condition.

'At the moment I'm taking adrug that transplant patientstake,' she said.

'In the same way the drugtells their body not to reject a newliver or kidney, it is telling my

body not to reject the water onmy skin.

'Next they want to try a drugthat cancer patients take to tryto build up my immune system.

'The next stage after that ischemotherapy but I don't reallywant to go down that routebecause it makes you ill.'

Flare-up: Katie Dell beforeexposure to water (left) and withinstant red patches under hereyes while cryingHelp: Katie with her husband Andy, who has given up work to be her full-time carer

PAGE 36 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Change your DNA with just 20minutes of regular exerciseA series of experiments have

revealed that just a fewminutes of relatively

strenuous exercise candramatically change a person’s

Coffee drinkers would have to consume between 50 to 100 cups in order to have a similar effecton their muscles

DNA.The changes are not to the

code of life itself, but to its‘punctuation’. These chemicalsactivate, silence and crank upgenes and their actions.

In the case of muscle, exerciseappears to crank up the genesneeded to burn fat and sugar andsupport the body.

Just 20 minutes pedallingflat out on an exercise bike makesa difference, the journal CellMetabolism reports.

Researcher Juleen Zierath, ofthe Karolinska Institute inStockholm, said: ‘We often saythat you are what you eat.

‘Well, muscle adapts to whatyou do.

‘If you don’t use it, you lose itand this is one of themechanisms that allows this tohappen.’

Professor Zierath andcolleagues from Denmark andDublin began with twoexperiments in which healthymen who didn’t regularlyexercise were put through theirpaces on an exercise bike.

After they stopped, slivers ofmuscle were taken from theirthigh and the DNA analysedfrom chemical changes.

This revealed the changes tooccur after just minutes.However, the gentle exercise

Circumcision ‘lowers risk of prostate cancer’Circumcision may protect

against prostate cancer, astudy shows.

A study found that men whohad been circumcised beforethey had sex for the first timewere on average 15 per cent lesslikely to develop the illnessthan uncircumcised males.

They were 12 per cent lesslikely to develop less aggressiveprostate cancer and 18 per centless likely to suffer the moreaggressive form.

Jonathan Wright, of theFred Hutchinson CancerResearch Center in Seattle, saidthat infections were known tocause cancer, with sexuallytransmitted infectionscontributing to prostatecancer.

Because circumcision canprotect against infection DrWright reasoned it may alsoprevent cancer.

He and a team studied3,399 men, around half withthe disease and half without,and discovered the statisticsbacked up the theory.

Those who had beencircumcised had had theoperation before their firstsexual intercourse.

The researchers say that aswell as protecting againstchronic inflammationcircumcision may toughen theinner foreskin and remove thespace beneath wherepathogens can thrive.

cancer in some men.‘Although observational

only, these data suggest abiologically plausiblemechanism through which

Monday in the journal Cancerand add to the longstandingdebate over whether boysshould keep their foreskin.

The World HealthOrganization alreadyrecommends the controversialprocedure based on researchshowing it lowers heterosexualmen’s risk of contracting HIV,the virus that causes AIDS.

Last year, scientists alsoreported that wives andgirlfriends of circumcised menhad lower rates of infectionwith human papillomavirus orHPV, which in rare cases maylead to cervical and othercancers.

Last week, researchersreported that African menwho were circumcised wereless likely to be infected with aparticular herpes virus.

Circumcision rates varywidely between countries.According to a 2007 reportfrom the World HealthOrganisation three-quarters ofmen in the U.S werecircumcised for non-religiousreasons.

However, the rate is 30 percent in Canada and just six percent of men have undergonethe procedure in the UK.

In September, the RoyalDutch Medical Associationdiscouraged circumcision,calling it a ‘painful andharmful ritual.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Dr Wright said: ‘Thesedata are in line with ani n f e c t i o u s / i n f l a m m a t o r ypathway which may beinvolved in the risk of prostate

A father and great grandfather at a Jewish circumcision ceremony. Three-quarters of men in the U.Scompared to six per cent of men in the UK are circumcised for non-religious reasons

circumcision may decreasethe risk of prostate cancer.Future research of thisrelationship is warranted.’

The results were published

Difference: A brief session on abike can transform a person'sDNA

won’t to. The person needs to beout of breath and while able tospeak, have difficulty carryingout a conversation.

Further experiments on cells

in the test-tube linked thechanges to the contraction ofmuscle.

Coffee had a similar effect.But, unfortunately for those who

would choose a cappuccino overa trip to the gym, it takes 50 to100 strong coffees to mimic theeffect of exercise on muscles.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

PAGE 37PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

I’m the best man for thePDP chairmanship,says Adamu Bello

I the array of aspirantscontesting the position of thePDP National Chairman, do

you consider yourselfexperienced enough to steer theship of the party if elected?

I have gathered enoughexperience to the lead the party; Iwas privileged to have worked withvery prominent Nigerians in theprivate and public sectors over theyears. In the private sector, I wasable to work with people like chiefJerome Udoji, MobalajiAnthony,Ibrahim Domchida , ChiefChris Ogunbanjo, Pius Okigbo,Mallam Musa Bello, Dr. Babatundeof the famous Daily Times. So youcan see that I have corporateexperience. I served in the famousJerome Udoji Commission and that'sthe kind of experience I have.

In the public sector’sadministration again, it is hard tofind a person who have served inthe cabinet with almost 150 councilmembers. Because when I was aMinister, at the beginning we wereabout 50 in the cabinet of (PresidentOlusegun) Obasanjo. After finishingthat task, they retained about threeof us; then he reshuffled his cabinetand another batch came and evenbefore they finished he reshuffled hiscabinet, people were coming andgoing; I have served with nothingless than 120 Ministers. I have theexperience. I have the privilege ofserving with people like TheophilusDanjuma, Mallam Adamu Ciroma,Chief Bola Ige ,Tony Annenih, a lotof people, Liyel Imoke, Emeka Chikelu, Okonjo-Iweala, Yomi Edu; workedwith President Obasanjo for so manynumbers of years. So that kind ofexperience is the kind of experiencethat I have gathered, only very fewpeople can hardly match them. Sothat kind of experience I havegathered is what I want to put tobear on the leadership of the PDP

In the banking industry, I washonoured by being made a fellow ofthe Chartered Institute of Bankerstwenty tears ago in 1992. I also haveserved in the DisciplinaryCommittee of the Nigerian Instituteof Bankers, that was in 1992. So Ihave this rich experience of service,rich experience which has beenrewarded and I feel having done this,I have experiences and educationalbackground to go into the PDP andbe the Chairman.

Frontline aspirant to the position of theNational Chairman of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) at the forthcomingNational Congress, Mallam Adamu Bello,visited the headquarters of Peoples Dailylast week. The politician had a no-holdsbarred interview with the management teamwhere he explained why he is gunning forthe party's number one position as well ashis vision for the party. Lawrence Olaoyewas there. Excerpts:

Number two is the issue of directapproval in terms of organizingpeople. When I was a minister ofAgriculture, it took me about twoand half years to bring all the farmersin Nigeria under one group. It hasnever been the case even when therewere different associations of farmers,it was under my tenure that we wereable to bring them to form what iscalled the All Farmers Association ofNigeria (AFAN) with AdmiralMultala Nyanko as its President; thenAde Koka was its Vice President.

Anyone who aspires to leadthe PDP as it is must be ready tobe a lackey of the President, areyou prepared to be a lackey?

First of all, I disagree with youentirely that you have to be a lackeyof the President to survive as thechairman of the PDP. Somehonourable men have occupied thatposition who agreed with thePresident in taking certain actionsand they cannot be said to be thelackeys of the President. Take the caseof Ahmadu Ali under presidentObasanjo when it looked like thePresident was dictating, but peoplemust not forget that PresidentObasanjo and Col. Ahmadu Ali weremilitary people. They came from aparticular background. Most of thethings done by Ahmadu Ali andpeople thought were being dictatedby the president were things beingshared which they agreed withwhich you and I may not agree with.

When I get into the office, I will doonly that which is right. But I willrespectfully tell you that this is thesituation. As the leader of the party Iintend to enforce the motto of theparty: justice, unity and progress.Progress of the country Nigeria.Unity of the people of the party andthe people of Nigeria. Justice to themembership of the party and justiceto every Nigerian. That is what Iintend to do.

How are you going to managethe crises in the party if you getelected as the Chairman?

Thank you very much, you see,the PDP's membership cuts acrossthe various strata of the country;with various ideologies; it's not likethe Socialists party; it is not aCommunist party. The history of thePDP was something you could likenedto that of the ANC ,the AfricanNational congress in South Africa.The parallel is this, the ANC was

formed to fight against apartheidin South Africa; for theemancipation of the blacks. The PDPwas formed to fight against militarydictatorship in Nigeria to see to theinstallation of democracy. PDP mainaim was to ensure that the militarywas out. People got together,everybody, Abubakar Rimi,progressive , non progressive, allcame together. Alex Ekweme ofNPN was there , Solomon Lar NPPwas there, Bamanga Tukur, ChiefOlusegun Obasanjo, all these peopleI am taking about belong to differentcolouration in terms of politicalmovement before, but just as theANC fought against racismapartheid, they fought against themilitary rule.

A party like the PDPencompasses everybody that is whyit is such a huge party becauseeverybody from the political classcame together. Now we want tobuild a consensus around what wewant to do for the party. To bringunity , peace and progress. That wemust try to do to ensure that thereis justice, people do not move fromthe party, internal democracymust work. So if I become thechairman of the party that is whatI intend to do

There are talks that in spiteof the fact that the PDP had beenin the saddle of power sinceinception of democracy,nothing has really changed interms of the nation's economyand the welfare of the people.How do you react to this?

You see, I tend to disagree thatwe have not progressed. When I tookover as the Minister of Agriculture,the growth rate was 3% but by thetime I left office, the growth rate hasbecome 8%. The problem is that ofincome distribution and it is an issuethat the government needs toaddress. So when I become thechairman of the party I will ensurethat pro-poor policies are put in place;because the country is growingabout 7 to 8 percent now and thegrowth rate of the population isabout 2.8 percent. It means that thestandard of the living of Nigeriansmust be raised by approximately5%. But a few people are enjoyingthese growth rates, it is not goingdown to the poor masses. Thecurrent statistics has shown that thepeople who live under the dollar aday has increased; so now it's an issueof distribution and policies that areput in place, like the NDE and otherpoverty reduction or eradicationprogrammes. These needed to workso as to ensure equitable distributionof wealth. So this is something thatthe party will address but it is reallynot correct that the economy hasnot grown. The economy hasgrown but there are things thatmust be adjusted if this countryshould stabilize.

What is your view about thevision of the party? There is thisperception that corruption wasendemic under the PDP duringthe administration in which youserved as a minister; how wouldyou react to these?

My own view about a vision of aparty is a vision that will reflect allwhat I said earlier on. You must runthe party that tries to unite its

members; that works for theprogress of the country; that is thekind of party that I want. The partythat the people will be happy toidentify with; we must ensure thatparty has the best value that willshow the way. Coming to the issue ofcorruption that you talked about,there is corruption everywhere,there is corruption in government,and there is corruption in the privatesector in Nigeria. You see corruptionon the road. It is very important forus to remember the efforts that thePDP government has done over theyears, because it was PDPgovernment under PresidentObasanjo that set up EFCC to fightcorruption; it was under Obasanjothat the ICPC was set up to fightcorruption. Corruption is somethingthat must be fought everywhere. Ittakes two to tango, they say. Thereare people who came to give money;there are people who force things tostop working to force you to givemoney. Those who give money toinfluence things should beindentified. You see when you're ingovernment, the issue oftransparency becomes veryimportant. A minister can not givecontract just like that; due processwill come into play, a lot of thingswould change, now e-payment arebeing done by the PDP government.There are challenges; if you close oneloophole, another one appears. So itis apparent that we a must all unite,not only the PDP government, tofight corruption in this country. ButPDP has institutionalized the fightagainst corruption. Though someabuses must have taken place in thefight against corruption but it wouldbe inappropriate to say that the PDPhas not fought corruption.

There are allegations ofirregularities in the procurementand distribution of fertilizersduring your time as theAgriculture minister, will youclarify this issue?

Throughout my period asMinister of Agriculture, there wasnever a time anyone successfullyaccused me of messing up thefertilizers acquisition anddistribution. Well I had a clash withone Senator who was the Chairmanof Senate Committee on Agriculture,if I remember correctly. Basically hewanted some companies to be givenfertilizer contracts and they didn'tmeet the criteria. So they did not get

the kind of quantity he wanted,they went to town. I say since theinception of this administration, interms of democracy, nobody exceptAdamu Bello fought the legislativearm of government and came outsuccessfully. When I fought theSenator he was sacked as theChairman of the committee. Hiscolleagues after seeing the process Iwent through before awarding thefertilizer contracts, they sacked himas the chairman of that committee.During my time, there was nofertilizer cartel as 87 companieswere supplying fertilizers. After mytenure, about three or fourcompanies were doing so. I was themost transparent Minister ofAgriculture.

There are indications that theNorth-East governors areworking on a consensuscandidate, if at the end of the dayyou are not the consensuscandidate, how are going tomanage the fallout?

This issue of consensuscandidate, I think people aremaking mistakes about it. Aconsensus comes out if peopleinvolved in an issue cometogether and agree. If thegovernors meet and say this isour consensus candidate, it's theconsensus for them; it's not theconsensus for the contenders. So,a consensus candidate emergesif the governors dialogue withall those who are contesting andthey come out with onecandidate; that is a consensuscandidate. I will appreciate thesupport of the governors if theysupport me but I want to be inthe election. If I'm made aconsensus candidate, that doesnot mean I will not dialogue withmy co-contestants. Anyconsensus without thecontestants is not a consensus.

How have you beenreaching out to thestakeholders in the party inthe bid to realize yourambition?

Yes, I've been talking tovarious stakeholders in theparty; the governors, theministers, the party chairmen;ordinary members; the delegates,members of the press so that theycan vote for the candidate that willmake the party proud.

INTERVIEW

Mallam Adamu Bello

PAGE 38 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

The House ofR e p r e s e n t a t i v e syesterday threatened to

invoke its constitutional powersand order the arrest of theDirector General of the NigeriaStock Exchange (NSE), OscarOnyema, for ignoringparliamentary summons.

The threat issued by theHouse Committee on CapitalMarket chaired by Rep HermanHembe came as the panel openeda two-week investigation intofactors that led to the failure ofthe capital market with a viewto proffering solutions.

The Committee expressedanger at the absence of Onyemaat the public hearing which itsaid was meant "to examine thecauses of the financial andregulatory crisis that has grippedthis country's capital market"with a view to taking steps torestore public confidence in themarket.

Members of the committeesaid that they were furtherangered by the fact that Onyemawrote a letter to the committeestating that the committee hadno oversight functions over theNSE.

The chairman in his rulingsaid that should Onyema fail toappear before it today, it wouldissue a warrant of arrest tocompel him to appear in order togive accounts on the activities ofthe NSE.

The Committee had invitedOnyema to appear with a proofof his academic qualificationincluding proof of participationat the National Youth ServiceScheme.

The Director-General of theSecurities and ExchangeCommission (SEC), ArunmahOteh, identified the securitychallenges presented by the BokoHaram sect as a major setbackin the effort to rebuild confidencein the capital market.

In her comments, Oteh toldthe committee that insecurity inthe country was seriouslyhaving negative effect on thestock market.

According to her "The spate ofbombings by the Boko Haramsect has led to an increase in theperception of insecurity in someparts of Nigeria whichconsequently has negativeimpact on the market"

Chairman of the committee,Herman Hembe, noted that "TheNigerian market have seen overN20 trillion wealth evaporate"adding that "moneys set aside forretirement along with lifesavings have been swept awayas the market declined over theyears".

The chairman whilehighlighting the factors thataided the failure of the capitalmarket, said "The generalconsensus is that the crisis wasavoidable and its root causes canbe found in widespread failuresin regulatory oversightincluding the failure to stem the

Reps threaten to arrest NSEboss for ignoring summonsBy Lawrence Olaoye

Edo lawmaker seeks review oftown planning policies

``The town planners should inliaise with geographers to do a properreview of the state town planningsystem to prevent futureoccurrences of rainstorm disaster inthe state.

``Town planners should be aliveto their responsibility and ensurethat people stop building houseswithout approved plan,'' he said.

He recalled that, Owan East andOwen West local government areasof Edo were also affected byrainstorm disaster two weeks ago.

Kabiru said that deforestationwas a major problem, which neededto be tackled, adding that almost allthe trees in the affected areas hadbeen cut down without replacement.

He urged relevant agencies toprovide relief material to amelioratethe pain of the affected people andmonumental damage done to thecommunities. (NAN)

Member representingA k o k o - E d oconstituency in the Edo

House of Assembly, Mr AdjotoKabiru, yesterday in Benin calledfor a proper review of the state,stown planning policies.

Kabiru made the call during theconsideration of a motion moved byBamidele Oloruntoba representingAkoko-Edo 11 on the rainstormdisaster that hit Igbigere andOgboshafe villages of Akoko-Edo inEdo.

He said the call had becomenecessary because so many houseswere built against the direction ofthe wind thereby causing havocwhen it rained.

``The monumental damagedone to these communities by therainstorm is better imagine becauseof the building of houses against winddirection

Ekiti Assembly ready to ensure effectiveuse of state resources – SpokespersonThe Ekiti State House of

Assembly on Mondayexpressed its determination

to monitor the financialoperations of the executive armof government to ensure effectiveuse of resources.

The Chairman, HouseCommittee on Information, Mrs.Omowunmi Ogunlola toldreporters in Ado-Ekiti that theAssembly, comprising 24members of the ruling ACN andtwo PDP lawmakers was not arubber stamp.

She said the Assembly hadestablished a new office to beknown as "Budget Place" forscrutinising the yearly financialestimates of government,starting with the currentfinancial year.

The lawmaker said the officewould collate and analyse all datafor the preparation of the budget.

"This present assembly isinsisting that fullimplementation of annual

budgets is achieved and realistic,''she said.

Ogunlola said the lawmakershad no apologies for theharmonious relationship betweenthe legislature and the executivearm of government, saying suchrelationship was necessary for theprogress of the state.

She said the lack of harmonybetween the legislature and theexecutive in the past wasresponsible for the lack of progressand development in the state.

Ogunlola said the assemblyhad passed 29 bills and sixmotions since its inauguration sixmonths ago. (NAN)

Party gives reasons for not fieldingcandidate in Kebbi guber electionThe Progressive Action

Congress (PAC) says theparty is not fielding a

candidate in the upcominggovernorship election in Kebbibecause of its alliance with the CPC.

PAC National Secretary, Mr BalaMohammed gave the explanation ina telephone interview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abujaon Tuesday.

The Supreme Court had nullifiedthe election of Gov. Saidu Dakingari

of Kebbi State and ordered a fresh pollwithin 90 days.

INEC, on its part, fixed May 31for a rerun election, although someparties, mainly ANPP and ACN,have rejected the date alleging thatthe date was picked to favour PDP'scandidate.

Muhammed explained that sinceCPC had fielded Abubakar Mallamfor the poll, PAC opted to support theCPC candidate because of the alliance.

```The party is not going to

compete with CPC since we had beenin alliance, especially for Adamawaand Sokoto governorship electionduring which our party worked forCPC.

`` This alliance has been inexistence before the April generalelections, and it stands.

` ̀Our supporters in Kebbi areseriously working with CPC andcanvassing for votes from otherpolitical parties to ensure its successin the election. (NAN)

A commissioner in Jigawastate and four other seniorgovernment officials

yesterday resigned theirappointments.

They included; Alhaji SalisuMahmuda, the JigawaCommissioner for EconomicEmpowerment, a Special Adviserto the Governor, Alhaji TukurGantsa, and two Special Assistants,Saleh Danzomo, and Saleh KO, SaniAdam.

Also, a member of state'sPrimary Education Board, AlhajiIsa Alhassan

The resignation was containedin a statement signed by theDirector of Press to Gov. SuleLamido, Malam Kyari Jittau.

The statement did not disclosethe reason for their resignation.

But investigation by the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) revealedthat the former appointeesresigned to contest for positions inthe executive council in theforthcoming PDP state congress.

Meanwhile, Lamido hasapproved the resignations anddirected the Commissioner forAgriculture, Alhaji Rabiu Isa, tooversee the Ministry of EconomicEmpowerment. (NAN)

Jigawacommissioner,4 senior govt.officialsresign

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women in a queue during the local government congress of theparty, last Saturday in Mayo-Belwa local government area of Adamawa state. Photo: NAN

tide of un-regulatory marginloans administration.

Other identified causes of themarket failure, according toHember are dramaticbreakdowns in corporategovernance including too manyfinancial firms acting recklesslyand taking on too much risk; anexplosive mix of excessiveborrowing and risks byhouseholds as well asunregulated hot money.

On the scope of the probe,Hembe said "In thisarrangement, we would lookinto organisation structuralissues of both the NSE and SEC,funding issues, procedures andapproval practices that impactedon the actions that took place andmay still exist, review of acts of

parliament where necessary,realities of stockbroking businessin Nigeria, use of waivers "

In her presentation, Otehfurther blamed the increasingwoes in the capital market on theapathy by local investors.

"Given the losses suffered byshareholders from the marketcrisis in 2008, many localinvestors became hesitant toreturn to the market" Shedeclared.

The SEC boss informed thecommittee that the Commissionhad concluded arrangements toboost the confidence of investors.

"The Commission is at anadvanced stage in theestablishment of an InvestmentProtection Trust Fund asrequired by the Investments andSecurities Act."

PAGE 39 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

L-R: Adamawa state Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako, Special Adviser to the President on PoliticalMatters, Malam Ahmed Gulak, Taraba state Governor, Danfulani Suntai, and Gombe state Governor,Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo, after their meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday atState House, Abuja on the forthcoming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention.

Photo.Joe Oroye

occupies the position of theparty's National Legal Adviser,National Youth Leader, DeputyNational Woman Leader, Ex-officio member and NationalVice-Chairman from the zone.

Those who attended themeeting held in Mark's officialresidence include two formergovernors in the north centralzone; two former NationalChairmen of the party; ChiefSolomon Lar and SenatorAhmadu Ali as well as otherstakeholders.

The leaders at the meeting

Mark confers with North Central leaders over PDP National Conventionresolved to work together as ateam in order to bring dividendof democracy to their citizens.

Mark in his remarks notedthat the zone was synonymouswith PDP and would remainunited in order to attractdividends of democracy to thepeople.

Those in attendance at theparley were Acting NationalChairman, Abubakar Baraje,two former nationalchairmen; Solomon Lar andAhmadu Ali, governorsGabriel Suswam of Benue

Ahead of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)'sNational Convention

scheduled to hold on 24th ofMarch, the Senate President hasmet with stakeholders from thezone to consider which of thestates in in the North Central isto provide candidates for thepositions zoned to the area.

The meeting which held a fewdays ago was to harmonize thepositions of the zone on who

Congress include: they must beCard-Carrying Members as wellas Financial Members; theymust have proven integrity;they must have reasonable andproven experience; thosepresently holding any positionwithin or outside the partymust follow the necessaryprocedures to allow them vie forparty offices at the NationalConvention; strict emphasis willbe placed on the position of theParty guiding the acceptablebehavior of Aspirants orCandidates for elective positions;

National Congress: PDP screensaspirants, sets conditions for contest

Acting National Chairmanof the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP), Alhaji

Abubakar Kawu Baraje,yesterday disclosed that theparty would screen all aspirantsjostling for positions in theforthcoming National Congress.

Baraje in a statementemanating from his office saidthe screening scheduled to holdnext week is in line with theprinciple of due process laiddown by the party'sconstitution.

The Chairman equally gaveconditions the aspirants wouldhave to satisfy before they couldbe cleared to contest forwhatever position in thecongress.

According to him, a

and the true identities of theaspirants will be ascertained bythe Screening Committeeincluding their antecedents.

Commenting on the petitionsarising from the just concludedWard and Local GovernmentCongresses, Baraje counseledthat the aggrieved shouldforward their complaints to theAppeal Panel Committees set upfor that purpose just as hewarned that the party will notentertain petitions that are notrouted through the establishedchannel of communication.

"We accept only petitionsthat follow due process. Thosenot received by the AppealPanel Committees will not begiven attention in Abuja. Thisis what we mean by dueprocess", he said

Screening Committee has beenconstituted by the NationalWorking Committee (NWC) ofthe party. He added that the listof the screened aspirants wouldbe released three days to theNational Convention.

According to the NationalChairman, the Party willadhere strictly to due process inthe processes before and duringthe National Convention,insisting that it is in the bestinterest of the respectiveaspirants to familiarizethemselves with the rulesgoverning the conduct of theexercise.

"This is a Due-processNational Working Committeeheaded by my humble self. Bynow, our Party members knowwho I am as far as complyingwith rules and regulations is

concerned. They also know thatthis NWC will not acceptanything less than the rules andregulations guiding the conductof our elections into PartyOffices. We have beendisplaying the rules at thevenues of the various congressesconducted so far across thenation. This is why we have hadvery little complaints perhapsthe first time in the history ofthe Party", he said.

Pre-requisite conditions setby the party for the aspirantsto qualify to contest at the

Richard Ihediwa with agencyreports

State, Aliyu Babangida ofNiger, Ahmed Abdulfatah ofKwara state, Jonah Jang ofPlateau as well as DeputyGovernor of Kogi State, YomiAwoniyi.

Others were former DeputySenate President IbrahimMantu, Ministers of interiorAbba Morro, his trade andinvestment counterpart,Samuel Ortom, Senators andHouse of Representativesmembers from the zone as wellas state party chairmen in thezone among others.

Gombe deputy governor condemnsattacks on police stations, banks

condemnation in Ashaka onMonday during a condolencevisit to the Emir of Funakaye,Alhaji Mohammed Ribadu,over the recent bomb attackson Ashaka Police outstationand two banks in the area.

"We have seen the effect, thedamage done to the banks andthe police station and we aresure that God will bring an endto this happening," he said.

He described the attacks asunfortunate.

The Deputy Governor saidthe government wascommitted to protecting livesand property and urged thepeople to report any suspiciousperson in their communitiesfor appropriate action.

The deputy governor alsocondoled with themanagement and staff ofAshaka Cement Company overthe attack which occurred intheir premises.

He assured them thatadequate security would beprovided by government toensure the safety of staff andproperty.

In his response, theCorporate Affairs Manager ofthe company, Alhaji YunusaMohammed, thanked thedeputy governor for the visit,saying the company would alsotake measures to protect livesand property. (NAN)

The Deputy Governor ofGombe state, Mr.Tha'anda Rubainu, has

condemned the continuedattacks on police stations andbanks in the state by gunmen.

Rubainu made the

By Lawrence Olaoye

The leadership of the rulingPeoples Democratic Party(PDP), Niger state chapter,

has endorsed the consensusoption for the emergence of theparty's National Chairmanahead of the March 24 NationalCongress.

Niger PDP Chairman, Dr.Abdulrahaman Enagi, whodisclosed the position of the statesaid that he and some others hadreached out to their colleaguesacross the country on theinterest of a consensus candidatefor the national chairmanship ofthe party.

He said the state was insupport of the consensusarrangement because it fostersunity among the members justas he disclosed that feelerscoming from all the zonesindicated that they haveaccepted to abide by the idea.

Enagi said it was expectedthat the North East zone whichthe position has been zoned towould come to the congress witha consensus candidate forratification by the delegates.

He hinted that the NorthCentral Zone met recenlty toendorse its candidates for thepositions of National YouthLeader and Legal adviserassuring that they would comeout with one candidate for eachof the position.

PDP NationalChair: NigerendorsesconsensusarrangementFrom Iliya Garba, Minna

DLG harps on peace for development From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

The Director of LocalG o v e r n m e n tadministration, Lokoja

local government council,, Kogistate, Daniel Iyaji has describedpeace and unity as the bedrockof functional development thatno government should toy with.

The chairman who statedthis yesterday in Lokoja, said hisadministration was committedto ensuring restoration of peacewhich was borne out of his firmbelieve in the efficacy of peace

as a panacea for progress anddevelopment.

While calling on youths inthe area to shun violence andembrace progressive ventures,Iyaji called on the political classto be more committed to thewelfare of the people

He enjoined the presentadministration not to bedistracted despite the arriys oflitigations, but to be focused inpursuing peoples driven policiesand programs.

The DLG noted that the duoof Governor Idris Wada and Yomi

Awoniyi are the necessaryingredients required to propelthe state to an enviable height.

Iyaji maintained that thepast administration has laid avery solid foundation for thetake-off of the new governmentand called on all aggrievedparties to toe the path of peace.

He promised to use theresources of the localgovernment to better the life ofthe people and remained focusedin the drive to put Lokoja localgovernment on the achieverschart.

PAGE 40 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2012

Zamani Lekwot, had late lastyear complained about theproblem to Vice PresidentNamadi Sambo which theywelcomed and urged that it willbe conceded to the minority amongthem who are voiceless but verystrategic in the block votes thesouthern Kaduna zone ensured forthe victory of PDP since 2007 andsubsequent elections in the state.

According to the forum, theZone 1 of the state has over eleven

PDP National Congress: Southern Kadunalobbies for Organising Secretary

Southern Kaduna EldersConsultative Forum hasurged the Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) toconsider the minority of thezone for the position of NationalOrganising Secretary of party.

A statement by AlhajiAbdu Suleiman, said thatalthough the position had been

positions; zone 2 got seven whilezone three got only four in spite ofthe contributions it made duringthe previous elections.

" Zone 1 which contributed only16% of the votes cast at polls havefifty percent of all appointments,Zone 2 who contributed 33% of allthe votes cast have 33% of theappointments, while Zone 3 whocontributed 51% of the Votes casthave only 17% of theappointments"

zoned to Kaduna state, Forumfeared it might not go to themdespite the contributions theymade to the victory of theparty in the state and thecountry in general.

"The statistics of Federalappointment of personalitiesfrom zone 3 of the state,previously and currently, onlyfavored the majority”, it said,citing the incumbentGovernor Patrick Yakowa,

who was Minister of SolidMineral Resources, Minister ofstate for Aviation, Mr. HassanHyet, Senator NnenadiUsman, Minister Finance,Minister of State for power,Arch. Nuhu Wya andcurrentSpecial Adviser toPresident on Special Duties,Senator Isaiah Balat.

Besides, it argued that formergovernor of Rivers State andChairman of the Forum, General

Anambra state governor,Peter Obi has beenaffirmed as a perfect

leader with a vision, passion andzeal to continue where DimOdumegwu Ojukwu stopped indriving the Igbo agenda.

A member of the House ofReprsentatives for OgbaruFederal Constituency Rep AfamOgene in a chat withjournalists at Nnewi, notedthat Governor Obi consistentlyplayed central role inadvancement of Igbo causesand given the Igbo race

Anambra governor, a worthysuccessor to Ojukwu, says Rep Ogene

stronger voice and presence innational and internationalaffairs.

Ogene noted that suchquality leadership broughtIgbo sons and daughterstogether to give Ojukwu thekind of unrivaled burial that hereceived.

He explained that GovernorObi attracted national burialfor the late Ikemba withoutmuch ado . Despite not being inthe ruling PDP, he has remainedChairman of the South-EastGovernor's Forum, Vice

From Lawal Sadiq Sanusi,Kaduna

Chairman of the NigeriaGovernors' Forum, HonoraryAdviser to the President on theEconomy and member NationalEconomic Management Team,he said.

The lawmaker observed thatIgbos appointed into Federalposition secured endorsement ofGovernor Obi while he hasremained in fore-front inchampioning issues thatconcern Ndigbo which he saidremained his sterling attributeto transform him into a strongIgbo leader.

With only three days tothe Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) state

congress in Plateau, only thechairmanship seat is beingcontested, the party'sOrganising Secretary, MrMichael Dachom, has said.

Plateau PDP: Only chairman has achallenger in Saturday’s congress - official

``All the positions in thePlateau State Executive Councilare unopposed. Only theChairman, Haruna Dabin, isbeing challenged,'' Dachom toldthe News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Jos on Tuesday.

Dabin is being challenged by

Mr. Gideon Barde, who equallyhails from Kanke LocalGovernment Area.

He said that the party wasready for the congress, pointingout that stakeholders hadcontinued to meet toward apeaceful exercise. (NAN)

INEC says it is committed toensuring greaterenlightenment of the

electorate to ensure better andmore conscious voting in 2015.

Prof. Okey Ibeanu, technicaladvicer to INEC ChairmanAttahiru Jega, said this in aninterview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) onTuesday in Abuja.

Ibeanu said the idea ofintroducing voter education tosecondary schools was crucial todeveloping conscious andsupporters of democracy infuture.

``It's a very importantprogramme because secondaryschool is like the formative levelof civic engagement.

``So if you catch them youngyou are likely to get a bettereducated, better consciousvoters and supporters ofdemocracy in future.

``But the important thing isto get the programme wellthought through in terms of thecontent, the strategy, how tomonitor what is happeningand how to sustain it over along time,'' Ibeanu said.

The Commission said onMonday that it wouldintroduce voter education tosecondary school curriculumin order to make pupils activeparticipants in the electoralprocess.

Prof. Lai Olurode,Chairman Board of ElectoralInstitute, INEC, said this at around table meeting of expertson voter education forprincipals and students ofsecondary schools.

Olurode said the movewould educate pupils on how tothumbprint on the ballotpapers as well as theimportance of voting correctly.

``And this will addressvoter apathy and checkmateinvalid votes during elections.

He said the commissionwould not want the newgeneration ``to fall inside thesame pit fall of mistakes the oldgenerations of voters aremaking.'' (NAN)

INECexpressescommitmentto betterpolls in 2015

Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)'s chairmanshipaspirant Alh. Bamanga

Tukur has expressed regretsover the dwindling fortunes ofthe party, stressing that itrequires a surgical operation.

Tukur who said this duringa courtesy call on GovernorGabriel Suswam at theGovernment House, Makurdialso likened the party to a housewith leaking roof that should bemended. He assured that hewould mend the party whenelected its Chairman.

He observed with bitternessthat the party at the lastgeneral election lost the entireSouth-West and only managedto clinch few Senate seats,adding that commitment,discipline, ideals and principlesof the party have been eroded.

Tukur who is the chairman,African Business Round-Tablesaid Nigeria with all itspotentials cannot lead the wholeof Africa, insisting that the PDPmust be seen to provide theneeded foundation and be thedriver.

He solicited for support fromthe state, promising to be a teamplayer for the growth of theparty.

"I am a team player and i likecompetition because it bringsout the best in me and I wantto the best", he said.

Governor Gabriel Suswamwho described. Tukur as astatesman, noted that hepossesses the qualities to restorethe party's lost glory.

He contended that the PDPneeded an experienced person toreconstruct the party, assuringthe former governor of oldGongola State that the statedelegates would vote him atnational convention of theparty.

"We have over 100 delegatesand are assure you that all theirvotes would be yours on March24th 2012", Suswam promised.

Chairmanship:TukurlamentsPDP’sdwindlingfortunesFrom Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

L-R: Assistant Chief System Analyst, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. GodwinImonruna Iruafemi, Deputy Director of DPR, Mr. Dozie Irrechukwu, and Deputy Director Gas, DPRMr. Oliver Okparaojiako, during an interactive session between Senate Committee on Gas and DPRofficials on Monday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa