Peoples Daily Newspaper, Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Vol. 8 No. 24 Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Jimadal Akhir 4, 1433 AH N150

WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM

PAGE 5

I N S I D E

We are winning battleagainst Boko Haram –IG

Critics don’t bother me,says Kwankwaso

Northern monarchsconverge on Dutse

Windstorm sacks 230families in Gombe

>> PAGE 7 >> PAGE 7>> PAGE 4>> PAGE 3

Subsidy probe: Masstransferin policeWe won’t be

intimidated– Tambuwal

Yobe state Governor, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam (right) taking a look at some vaccines, during a visitto inspect some veterinary drugs procured to boost livestock production in the state's 17 localgovernment areas, yesterday in Damaturu. With him is the Permanent Secretary in the stateMinistry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ligali Ma’aji.

Apologise to Nigerians,ACN tells Jonathan

Contd on Page 2

By Lawrence Olaoye & Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,yesterday declared that the House would not be intimidated bythe antics of those indicted in the consideration of the reports of its

investigations into the administration of the nation’s subsidy regime.Setting the stage for the consideration of the report of the Ad-hoc

Committee chaired by Rep Farouk Lawan yesterday, Tambuwalwarned that there would be no sacred cows as the Green Chamberconsiders the report.

He said: “The probe of the oil sector has raised so much dust fromcertain segments of the polity such that it became clear that theintention was to frustrate it. For those who regard the oil sector as asecret society or sacred cow, I wish to state without equivocation that it

By Lambert Tyema

Acting Inspector General ofPolice (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar yesterday

ordered the immediate transferand redeployment of 53 deputycommissioners of police (DCPs),including the Force PublicRelations Officer (FPRO), OlusolaEmmanuel Amore, and 38assistant commissioners of police(ACPs) across the country.

The transfer may not beunconnected with the call forthe IG to make the police forceresponsive to security demandsin the wake of increasingterrorism and other violent

Contd on Page 2

JTF discovers another bomb factoryin Kano, kills 3 suspects in Maiduguri

Reps backpedal onabsentee companies >> PG3

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSNews 2-11

Editorial 12

Op.Ed 13

Letters 14

Opinion 15

Metro 16-17

Business 19-22

S/Exchange 23

S/Report 24

Motoring 26

Tribute 28

Arts 29

The Peoples Daily wants tohear from you with any news

and pictures you think weshould publish.

You can send yournews and pictures to:

[email protected]@[email protected]

Phones for News:070-3775636409-8734478

Farewell AbdulkadirSanusi Dantata, 8

WE WANTTO HEAR

FROM YOU

International 31-34

Strange World 35

Digest 36

Politics 37-40

Sports 41-47

Columnist 48

PAGE 2 PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Contd from Page 1

Mass transfer in police

is not. All public agencies in theoil sector are the creation of Actsof the National Assembly and thisHonourable House has no powersto legislate for the creation ofsecret societies. Similarly, allprivate sector corporate bodiesoperating in the sector are thecreation of the Corporate AffairsCommission and that Commissionalso is not vested with any powersto incorporate secret societies. Letit therefore be known that in ourdrive to sanitize the polity, thereare no sacred cows and we do notintend to discover any.

“Let me reiterate the fact thatwe are discharging aConstitutional assignment hereand it is therefore incumbentupon us to do our duty withoutfear or favour. Let me also remindyou that we are fighting againstentrenched interests whoseinfectious greed has decimated ourpeople. Therefore, be mindful thatthey will fight back, and they dofight dirty,” the Speakercautioned.

He continued: “I have heardall kinds of insinuations,including the one about anti-graftagencies waiting for a‘harmonised version’ of this reportbefore taking any action. Let mequickly say here that this is at bestan excuse that cannot stand afterall the same agencies accept andinvestigate petitions fromindividuals, how much moreresolutions of this House, there willbe no such document. So, theyshould just go ahead and do theirjob and where they find anyperson or body culpable, theyshould proceed in accordance withthe law.

“Our only interest here is tomitigate the suffering ofNigerians by showing how thesubsidy regime has been hijackedfor the benefit of a few. At the endof our deliberations, we hope thatthe executive arm will act uponthe resolutions of this House andbring more transparency to bearon the system,” Tambuwalcharged.

Meanwhile, the Action

Congress of Nigeria (ACN) hascalled on President GoodluckJonathan to apologise to Nigeriansfor his government’s ill-advisedremoval of the purported fuelsubsidy in January insisting thatthe report of the House ofRepresentatives Committee thatprobed the management of thesubsidy has shown that theremoval was an egregious errorof judgement that has leftNigerians feeling swindled bytheir government.

ACN in a statement issuedyesterday in Lagos by its NationalPublicity Secretary, Alhaji LaiMohammed, pointed out that“against all informed pieces of advice,even from well-informed industryinsiders and analysts, PresidentJonathan approved the removal offuel subsidy and went ahead to defendit. Well, the President is human andtherefore can also be wrong. Butwhen he is, as it has now been proved,he should be humble enough toadmit it and apologise”.

It said after the apology, thePresident should then revert the fuel

price to the pre-January price of N65per litre and then proceed toimplement the recommendations ofthe committee without delay,especially the prosecution of allindicted persons and companies.

The party also said whether ornot the committee recommendedsuch, the President should fire allthose who advised - or misadvised -him on the fuel subsidy issue,especially the officials who wastedpublic funds in organising thecharade called stakeholders’ meetingswhich, as it turned out, was anorchestrated scam, as the decision toremove the subsidy had already beentaken.

‘’In more-civilized climes, thosewho bandied spurious figures toNigerians and hinted that theeconomy would collapse if the subsidywas not removed - would by nowhave tendered their resignations– with apologies - over thediscovery that what thegovernment has been subsidizingover the years are corruption andinefficiency, not fuel,” the partystated.

Contd from Page 1

We won’t be intimidated – Tambuwal

1 DECOMPOL CLEMENT O. ADODA DC 21/C OYO STATE2 DECOMPOL RASHEED O. AKINTUNDE DC 21/C BENUE STATE3 DECOMPOL YAKUBU O. JIBRIL,FSI DC 21/C PLATEAU STATE4 DECOMPOL VICTOR NOSA OJO DC 21/C EKITI STATE5 DECOMPOL ADEMOLA OMOLE DC 21/C ABIA STATE6 DECOMPOL DAN BATURE DC 21/C ONDO STATE7 DECOMPOL OLUFEMI O. OYELEYE DC ZONE CID ZONE 2 LAGOS STATE8 DECOMPOL ABDUL D. DANWAWU DC 21/C CORSS RIVES STATE9 DECOMPOL IBRAHIM ADAMU DC21/C NIGER STATE1 0 DECOMPOL HENRY A. FADAIRO DC21/C TARABA STATE1 1 DECOMPOL WILSON A. INALEGWU DC PRESIDENTIAL/VIP MOVEMENT1 2 DECOMPOL THOMAS ETOMI DC21/C RIVER STATE1 3 DECOMPOL MICHEAL OGBODU DC21/C ANAMBRA STATE1 4 DECOMPOL AUGUSTINE O.EVBAKHABOKUN DC21/C KOGI STATE1 5 DECOMPOL DAMIOLA SAMUEL ADEGBUYI DC PANTI LAGOS STATE1 6 DECOMPOL DENNIS ANYAGAFU DC ADMIN WELFARE FHQ1 7 DECOMPOL KAYODE C. ADERANTI DC PEACEKEEPING FHQ1 8 DECOMPOL TAIWO LAKANU DC 21/C DELTA STATE1 9 DECOMPOL SALISU FAGGE DC HOMICIDE FCID2 0 DECOMPOL ADAMS AUDU DC FORCE LIAISON OFFICER NASS2 1 DECOMPOL ISHAKU BARAU DC OPS ZONE 2 LAGOS STATE2 2 DECOMPOL SAMUEL SUNDAY ANJORIN DC MSD ‘F’ DEPT FHQ ANNEX LAGOS2 3 DECOMPOL OLUSOLA AMORE DC OPS ZONE 6 CALABAR2 4 DECOMPOL AUGUSTINE I. IWAR DC ADMIN ZONE 1 KANO STATE2 5 DECOMPOL AHMADU BABA DC ZONE CID ZONE 1 KANO STATE2 6 DECOMPOL STEPHEN OTITOJU DC 21/C BAYELSA STATE2 7 DECOMPOL ABUBAKAR MARAFA DC 21/C ADAMAWA STATE2 8 DECOMPOL ABUBAKAR ADAMU MOHAMMED DC CID KADUNA STATE2 9 DECOMPOL EMMANUEL T. INYANG DC CID DELTA STATE3 0 DECOMPOL SALIHU GARBA DC21/C KEBBI STATE3 1 DECOMPOL LAWAL SHEHU DC DFS II FORSEC3 2 DECOMPOL MOHAMMED K. MOHAMMED DC 21/C JIAWA STATE3 3 DECOMPOL NYATS N. JATAU DC 21/C GOBE STATE3 4 DECOMPOL EMAH E. BASSEY DC 21/C ENUGU STATE3 5 DECOMPOL AMINCHI S. BARAYA DC 21/C BORNO STATE3 6 DECOMPOL ISTIFANUS SHETIMA DC 21/C EBONYI STATE3 7 Ag. DECOMPOL RABIU YUSUF DC CID KANO STATE3 8 Ag. DECOMPOL SULE PHILIP MAKU DC FQM FHQ3 9 ACPOL ZANNA MOHAMMED DC OPS KOGI STATE4 0 ACPOL IBRAHIM O.S.OGUNJEMILUSI DC INTERPOL FCID4 1 ACPOL ANTHONY OGBIZI MICHAEL DC G.I. FCID4 2 ACPOL HYELASINDA KIMO MUSA DC OPS ZONE 5 BENIN STATE4 3 ACPOL DIBAL P. YAKAD DC OPS ZONE 9 UMUAHIA ABIA STATE4 4 ACPOL TITUS LAMORDE DC ADMIN ZONE 7 ABUJA4 5 ACPOL OGBUSUA AJA OLEH DC OPS ZONE XI OSOGBO46. ACP CHIKA A. MAIDAMA DC ZONE CID ZONE 11 OSOGBO4 7 . ACPOL NAPHTALI MIYIM DC DEPUTY COMMANDANT POLICE

COLLEGE, MAIDUGURI48. ACPOL ERO OGA DC ANTI FRAUD FORCE CID ANNEX

LAGOS49. ACPOL MOHAMMED DAN MALLAM DC ADMIN FORCE CID ABUJA50. ACPOL INNOCENT EKEWEZOR DC ADMIN ZONE 3 YOLA51 . ACPOL LADI BAUTA

crimes.The affected officers were

drawn from the variouscommands and formations inthe country and are expected toresume duties in their newcommands latest next week.

According to a release postedon the police website, a total of91 senior officers comprising 53DCPs and 38 ACPs are movedfrom their present stations to newones.

To this end, Mr. Olusola E.Amore, a deputy commissionerof police would report to Calabar,the Cross River state capital asdeputy commissioner in chargeof operations while hisimmediate predecessor, Mr.Emmanuel Ojukwu, anassistant commissioner of police,was posted to take charge ofAbuja Zone 7 CriminalInvestigation Department (CID).

Deputy Commissioner ofPolice, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, whobenefited from the lastpromotion exercise, is to takecharge of the presidential Villaand VIP movement.

IGP M.D. Abubakar

DETAILS OF THE POSTINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

N41bn subsidy refund: Repsback-pedal on absentee coysBy Lawrence Olaoye

In order to avoid litigations thatmay rubbish the entire reportsof its investigations into the

nation’s oil subsidy management,the House of Representativesyesterday resolved to re-invitethose companies that failed toappear before the Ad hoccommittee to defend themselves.

The Farouk Lawan-ledcommittee had in itsrecommendation number xxxconcluded that their refusal toappear before the committeemeant that they had something

to hide and thereforerecommended that they refundfunds in excess of N41 billion.

It further mandated therelevant anti-corruption agenciesto ensure full recovery of the funds.

But in a dramatic turn, theHouse reconsidered therecommendation through amotion moved by Rep TobyOkechukwu urging the House toaccord the affected companies afair hearing. Based on the motion,the House resolved to re-invite the

affected companies to appear beforethe committee within two weeks.

This decision may not beunconnected with the threatsissued by the 17 companies to suethe House for redress on the matteras they claimed that they were notproperly invited to appear beforethe committee.

Clarifying the decision of theHouse to rescind therecommendation, ChairmanHouse Committee on Media andPublic Affairs, Rep Zakari

With the one monthultimatum the FederalGovernment gave

foreign carriers to reduce theirarbitrary fares into Nigeria endingtoday, both local and foreigncarriers are in for a shock reactionas the Nigerian Civil Aviation

Authority (NCAA), has said it isprepared tohalt the operations ofany airline.

The agency rolled out newoperational guidelines for theairlines mandating them to file alltariffs showing rates, fares andcharges to be included in the singleintegrated fare.

A document obtained by our

correspondent which details thenew regime and circulated to thecarriers by the Director-General ofthe agency, Dr. Harold Demuren,said pursuant to section 30 (4)(e-d) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006,any failure to comply with the newregulatory regime would lead togrounding of any errant carrier.

The NCAA directive also

30 days ultimatum: NCAA to sanction airlines over non-disclosure of faresspecifies that “other than approvedstatutory taxes which are collectedonly on behalf of appropriateregulatory authorities, everyother component of the cost oftravel shall be included in thesingle integrated fare”.

The new measures, it is believed,are a fallout of investigation by theauthority detailing how British

Airways and Virgin AtlanticAirways both from the UnitedKingdom were exploiting Nigeriansby only making public to them theexpensive fares on their systemswhile travelling but only displayingthe cheaper fares for the regulatoryagency for it to access themandatory five percent ticket salescharge.

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

Mohammed said the decisionbecame inevitable because they donot want the companies to employlegal means to rubbish theoutcome of the investigations.

According to him, the decisionwas taken in the best interest of thenation even as he pointed out thatthe companies were just givingflimsy excuses with a view torubbishing the efforts of the Houseto enthrone probity andtransparency in the nation’s oilsector.

May engage private prosecutors

The Economic and FinancialCrimes Commission (EFCC)has arraigned seven persons

before Justice Candide Johnson ofthe Lagos State High Court,Igbosere Division, for stealing andconspiracy to commit fraud.

According to EFCC, "thosearraigned were Umeh Ndidiamaka,a former staff of United Bank forAfrica; Emeka Onoh, a formersecurity officer with the bank andthree others: Augustine Afagimoh,Samuel Mebele and Obialla Donatus,who are said to be associates ofNdidiamaka.

"The others are Delight-InInternational Limited and WaterInnovation Nigeria Enterprises,companies owned by the accusedpersons.

"The accused persons who werearraigned on a five-count chargeof conspiracy pleaded not guilty tothe charge when it was read tothem. They were said to have onor about the 11th of June 2009,attempted to steal the sum of N42.5 million from United Bank ofAfrica Plc.

In line with the declaration bythe trial judge that he prefersarraignment to be followed withimmediate commencement oftrial, counsel to EFCC, RotimiOyedepo, told the court that he wasready to proceed with the trial andthat he had come to court with fourprincipal witnesses.

Ojo Oladimeji, an InternalAuditor/Investigator with UBA,was the first witness presented bythe EFCC counsel. He told the courtthat a customer of the bank got analert that his account had beendebited to the tune of N42.5million.

EFCC docksbanker, six othersfor N42.5m fraudBy Lambert Tyem

Chairman of the SubsidyReinvestment andEmpowerment (SURE)

Implementation MonitoringTeam, Dr. Christopher Kolade,yesterday, said that the fuel subsidyprobe by the Farouk Lawan ledHouse of Representativescommittee would not affect thework of the committee.

Dr. Kolade noted that the probereport had nothing to do with themoney saved from the partialwithdrawal of fuel subsidy inJanuary, 2012.

Fielding questions from StateHouse correspondents in Abujaafter meeting with PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, he pointed outthe legislature was only lookinginto how subsidy regime wasmanaged.

According to him, "they (Houseof Representatives) are discussinghow the subsidy fund wasmanaged which has nothing to dowith what we are doing. Our workis on how to manage the fundssaved from subsidy and use it toprosecute certain projects."

He said ministries, departmentand agencies (MDAs), havecooperated fully with hiscommittee in the work it has doneso far especially because theyrealised the importance of theassignment.

"We have received cooperationfrom them because everybodyunderstands that this programmeis meant to deliver some benefit toNigerian people. So, we havemeant no resistance," he said.

Dr. Kolade assured that thecommittee has not been too slow incarrying out its mandate, notingthat having just been set up andbeing a new programme, it wouldtake time to build the structureand arrange who was to do what.

Subsidy probereport won’taffect SURE-P,says KoladeBy Abdulrahman Abdulraheeem

L-R: Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee on Subsidy Regime, Hon. Farouk Lawan, Chairperson, HouseCommittee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Gas,Hon. Irona Alphonsus Gerald, discussing shortly after consideration of subsidy report, at NationalAssembly, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

A wild rumour that SenatePresident David Mark wasdead sprang up yesterday

but was swiftly dispelled by sourcesclose to the No.3 citizen.

The sources described asmalicious and politicallymotivated the rumour whichmade the rounds especially inpolitical circles in Abuja.

Peoples Daily learnt thatSenator Mark had after the seriesof events that heralded his 62ndbirthday which was markedwhich much fanfare in his Otukpocountry home in Benue state,

taken a week’s leave to unwind inthe State of Israel.

The Senate President,according to our sources, had alsoused the opportunity to treat aminor injury on one of his leg, saidto have been sustained prior to histrip.

The sources revealed thatSenator Mark is expected back inthe country today. It would berecalled that the Senate Presidentwho recently celebrated his 62ndbirthday admits glamour andfanfare, had reportedly travelledto Israel on holiday.

Associates deny rumoured deathof Senate President

The Inspector General ofPolice, MohammedAbubakar, yesterday,

declared that the Nigeria PoliceForceand other security outfitswere recording “landmark”successes in the fight against BokoHaram insurgency in some partsof the North.

Speaking to newsmen inMaiduguri, the Borno state capital,after inspecting various police

formations, Abubakar argued thatthe current development in thebattle against Boko Haraminsurgents proved that police aregradually defeating the group.

He said: “It is no longer newsthat victory is now on ouroutside, while the sect is losing,because its prominent leaders,sponsors and members areeither captured or killed duringconfrontation, making thegroup too weak to continue itshitherto widespread violentcampaigns.”

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru,Maiduguri

IGP: We are wining battleagainst Boko Haram sect

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012PAGE 4

Critics don’t botherme, says Kwankwaso

The governor of Kano state,Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwasohas lashed out at the critics

of his administration, saying theydon’t bother him in the course ofpiloting the affairs of the state.

Governor Kwankwaso madethis known during an exclusivesession with the management ofthe Peoples Daily yesterday inAbuja.

According to him, “They don’tbother me, and I go ahead withmy work as a committedpolitician”.

According to the governor, “Ilearnt a lot from the issue ofcritics; at one time they went to

Radio Kano and abused us, theywanted me to stop it but I said no,let them go ahead and do it. If theylook at you and say it should belike this and give you the basicreasons which are positiveenough and you are convincedby them, then you can adapt. Butwhen their complaint is baselessand unrealistic, you just ignorethem and do your best.

“Those who believe in usbelieve in our ideologies and thatis why we have other parties andthen you will find out at the endof the day, they will go to wherethey belong because if you takeme to their party, it is like takingme to prison because whateverthey say is good is what I don’t

believe and whatever they say isbad I don’t believe it and that iswhat we call democracy. So, thatis where are and as the peoplecontinue to criticise and at theend of the day, by the grace ofGod the truth will prevail.

On education, the governorsaid the state government issponsoring 500 students to Chinaand India for postgraduatestudies in order to learn differentskills that would make them tobecome useful citizens that willadd value to the state when theyreturn, adding that “we aresending our people there, wewant them to learn theirlanguage, to be exposed andthink like graduates”.

NTDC introduces deviceto curb fraud in hotelsfraudulent workers in theindustry who have beenoperating at the detriment ofgenuine practitioners.

Speaking further, Runsewecommended HOFA for its vitalrole in employment generationand advised the members toalways put together tour packagesas a product to advance thegrowth of the hospitalityindustry.

He noted that certain taxeslevied on hotel owners bygovernment agencies had beenstopped to encourage them justas royalties on music played inhospitality outfits as demandedby indigenous musicians is

superfluous because according tothe NTDC chief, they are helpingto promote such artistes byplaying their music.

The NTDC boss also revealedthat an internet database wascurrently developed by thecorporation and Hotels will begiven unique individualpasswords where they coulddisplay their facilities andservices to the entire world.

Otunba Runsewe reiteratedhis promise to give outthousands of the Startimesdigital decoders procured fromthe Nigerian TelevisionAuthority to every Nigerian-based hospitality outfit like

Hotels, Tour Operators, Eateries,Parks, Travel Agencies, with 6months free subscriptionpackage to encourage andsupport them while promotingviewership of local content aswell as the maximization of profitfor all parties involved in thecollaboration.

Reacting to the DG’s address,the chairman of HOFA, EngineerOnofiok Ekong, who was visiblyexcited, lauded the NTDCinitiative reaffirming hisconfidence in the corporationsaying, “NTDC has done it beforeand is doing it again but wecannot say the same thing aboutother government agencies.”

By Aminu Imam

L-R: Kano state governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, receiving some copies of Peoples Daily fromthe Chief Operating Officer of Peoples Media Ltd, Malam Ali M. Ali, during a visit to the governor by themanagement of the media outfit, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Ahead of July 14, 2012governorship election inEdo state, a yet to be

identified policeman allegedlyshot dead a middle aged mansimply identified as Mr. Sunny.

Sunny, who is Youthchairman of Ugbor, GovernmentReservation Area in Benin City,alongside a few others, was saidto have attempted to stall policeinvestigation of a victim of rape.

It was learnt that as at thetime policemen visited the houseof the alleged rapist to effect hisarrest, a scuffle ensued and oneof the policemen was disarmedwhich led to the shooting.

It was gathered that shortlyafter the death of Sunny, youthsin the area threatened to burndown the police station, asituation which created tensionleaving shop owners, residents inthe area to scamper for safety.

When our reporter visited the

scene of crime at Ugbor, residuesof bonfire and roadblock werevisible for several hours ascommuters were forced to usealternative routs.

Some of the landlordsinterviewed on condition ofanonymity, tasked the police tounmask the killer of theCommunity leader.

They flayed the “lawlessness”of law enforcement agents whomthey cautioned to be civil.

The state Commissioner ofPolice, Mr. Olayinka Balogun,who confirmed the report, said,two people fought and the youthleader tried them at a kangaroocourt presided over by him andfound one of them guilty andordered his boys to flog theaccused.

He said, the punished personwent to the police station andbrought policemen to arrest theyouth leader at his residence.

But to the chagrin of thepolicemen, the youth leaderbrought out a gun and fired atthe policemen.

Police kill youth chairman in BeninFrom Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

Minister of Police Affairs,Navy Captain CalebOlubolade, has described

the traditional institution as akey factor in the nation’s questfor an enduring peace andsecurity.

Speaking while receiving theManagement of the NationalInstitute for CulturalOrientation (NICO) in his office,he expressed the willingness ofthe ministry to support anyeffort aimed at mobilisingtraditional rulers and localgovernment administrators toplay more inclusive roles inreturning the country to thepath of peace and security.

According to Olubolade, thetraditional institution, beingthe custodians of the cultureand traditions of the people,must be woken up to performone of their primaryresponsibilities of ensuring

peaceful co-existence andsecurity with the multipliereffect on the nation at large.

According to James Odaudu,Assistant Director,Communications, the ministerassured that the Ministry ofPolice Affairs would collaboratewith the National Institute forCultural Orientation in itsefforts to mobilise traditionalrulers and local governmentadministrators, based on itsbelief that those formentingcrises in some parts of thecountry live among the peopleand could be curtailed bycommunity leaders.

The Executive Secretary ofthe National Institute forCultural Orientation, Dr.Barclays Ayakoroma hadearlier told the minister thatthey were in the ministry tosolicit assistance for itsforthcoming NationalConference on Culture, Peaceand Security.

By Lambert Tyem

Monarchs key to national peace,security, says police minister

In a bid to curb the activities offraudsters within thehospitality industry, the

Nigerian Tourism DevelopmentCorporation (NTDC), hasperfected plans to make hotelssafer by introducing a bio-metricsystem of identification.

Director-General of the NTDC,Otunba Olusegun Runsewe saidthe mechanism which will soonbe fully operational across thecountry, was being developed bya United States-based outfit andencompasses automated methodsof recognising staff working inhospitality outfits with a centraldatabase where such identitieswill be collated.

Runsewe said this when headdressed members of the HotelOwners Forum Association(HOFA) in Abuja, yesterday,adding that the technology whenintroduced, would do away with

By Miriam Humbe

Former Vice President AtikuAbubakar has condoled theformer Chief Justice of

Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore onthe death of his wife, describing awife as one of the precious gifts.

In a condolence message issuedby his media office in Abuja, theformer Vice President saidBelgore’s wife had become a pillarand source of strength to thefamily of the retired jurist.

While praying for the reposeof the deceased, the former VicePresident said the greatest tributeBelgore and his children could payto the memory of the matriarchof the family was to make herproud in life and death throughgood conduct such as benevolence,humility, affection and love ofhumanity.

Atiku condolesBelgore overwife’s death

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012 PAGE 5

R-L: Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Chairman Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme, Dr. ChristopherKolade, General Mamman Kontagora and Dr. Akachukwu Nwafor, all members of the committee, during their meeting with PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, at the State House, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

The Economic and FinancialCrimes Commission (EFCC)said it had arraigned the

quartet of Felix Nwosu, Sadau Isa,Aliyu Hamza Hassan and UsmanNuhu on a four-count charge forconspiracy, illegal dealing andrefining of petroleum products,before Justice E. S. Chukwu of theFederal High Court Uyo, AkwaIbom state.

The commission disclosed that

EFFC docks 4 illegal refiners, 2 bankersBy Lambert Tyem

not guilty necessitating the defensecounsel, B.B. Mfon, to apply fortheir bail.

"But the judge turned down thebail application, on the groundsthat he intended to conclude thecase as quickly as possible. Hetherefore adjourned theproceedings to April 27th, 2012for continuation of trial, andordered that the accused persons

JTF discovers another bomb factory in Kano

Terrorism: Court decides Ndume’s application tomorrow

The Joint Military TaskForce (JTF), yesterday,discovered another bomb

making factory believed tobelong to members of the BokoHaram sect in the Kano state.

The spokesperson of JTF,

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A Federal High Court inAbuja will tomorrowdetermine whether or not to

quash the four-count chargepreferred against Senator AliNdame by the FederalGovernment.

The Senator representing BornoSouth Senatorial District had, at the

the suspects, who were denied bailby the judge, were alleged to beillegal operators of refineries whichhave a capacity of 33,000 litreslocated at Ohaobu-Ndoki village inUkanfon Local Government areaof Akwa Ibom state.

According to Wilson UwujarenAg., Head, Media and Publicity ofthe EFCC, "When the charges wereread to the suspects, they pleaded

last sitting on the matter brought amotion before the court seeking toquash the charges against him.

According to the motion onnotice brought pursuant to Section6(6) (b) of the 1999 Constitution ofNigeria, as amended and under theinherent jurisdiction of the court,the embattled Senator also seeks anorder discharging him of the saidcharges.

Ndume is standing trial forallegedly hoarding information onplanned terror attacks andproviding logistics to the convictedspokesman of the Boko Haram sect,Ali Sanda Umar Konduga (aliasUsman AI- Zawahiri).

He told the court that the proofof evidence filed by the prosecutiondoes not link him with the allegedcriminal charges, adding also that

Lieutenant Ikedichi Iweha,disclosed this while conductingnewsmen round the facilityamidst tight security in HayeHotoro Arewa, a suburb of Kanometropolis.

Iweha said the securityagents got a tip-off on thearrival of one of the kingpins ofthe insurgency group and putthe house under surveillancefor a long time.

Iweha stated that theydecided to raid the house in thewee hours of Tuesday addingthat at the end of the operation,his men discovered someimprovised explosive devices(IEDS) in a house that isisolated from the denselypopulated area.

He added that assortedcontainers, drums of liquidsubstances, charcoal, household items and videos of lateAlqaeda leader, Osama BinLaden, were among itemsdiscovered in the house.

He further stated thatthough the main target escapedarrest, few persons werearrested, besides the two housewives with some number ofchildren that were rescued fromthe site.

Meanwhile three suspectedmembers of the Boko Haram sectwere Monday afternoon, killedby operatives of the JointMilitary Task Force, (JTF)during a gun battle alongMaiduguri-Biu road in Borno

state. Spokesman of the JTF, Lt-

Col. Sagir Musa, in a statementyesterday said that the incidentoccurred at about 12.00pm,after the gunmen had allegedlysnatched a vehicle from acivilian at gunpoint and drovetowards Biu town, headquartersof Biu local government council.

According to Lt- Col. Musa,few minutes after the incident,JTF troops on a routine patrolalong the road received adistressed call and theysubsequently laid ambush on thegunmen.

"Our personnel were on aroutine patrol when they werealerted that some Boko Haramterrorists, who snatched a

vehicle had driven towards Biuaxis, the troops trailed thecriminals and waylaid them.However upon sighting the JTFvehicles, the suspects firedsporadic shots at their direction,the soldiers hurriedly fired back,leading to an exchange ofgunfire, with all terrorists dead,while no casualty was recordedfrom our side", the spokesmansaid.

He further explained that thevehicle was recovered andhanded over to its owner andurged the public to assistsecurity agencies with usefulinformation on the hideout ofBoko Haram members as well asother hoodlums who hide underthe current security challengesto perpetrate crimes.

An Upper Area Courtpresided over by ActingSole judge, Mrs. Kpadoo

Chia, had convicted andsentenced the district head ofMbalaagh, in Buruku LGA, ZakiToryila Nyitse, to three monthsimprisonment for snatchingand marrying another person'swife.

Zaki Nyitse is also to pay thesum of N20, 000.00 failure ofwhich he will go to prison for 12months.

Delivering judgment in thecase filed by one Tortiv Torkulaagainst Chief Nyitse, the trialsole judge held that there wasoverwhelming evidenceagainst the accused to prove heforcefully took another man'swife with four children.

The judge dismissed asuntrue claims by thetraditional ruler that he was thefirst husband of the woman,adding that the punishmentwould serve as deterrent to theconvict who is supposed to becustodian of the Tiv culture.

Monarch bags 3months forsnatching anotherman’s wifeFrom Uche Nnorm, Makurdi

No explosion atTinCan Island Port- NPA

The Management of NigerianPorts Authority (NPA) hassaid there was no explosion

at the TinCan Island Port asreported by some newspapersyesterday.

NPA General Manager, PublicAffairs, Michael Ajayi, in astatement, said: "It is true thatthere was a fire incident at thestacking area of Terminal 4Boperated by TinCan IslandContainer Terminal (TICT) atabout 16.15 hrs of Monday, but itwas not an explosion as reported."

He said "a diesel truck whiledispensing fuel into a Rubber TyreGantry (RTG) at the stacking areaof Terminal 4B had a burst hosewhich spilled fuel on the generatorbeing used for that purpose andthis resulted in fire outbreak.Consequently, the heat of the fireaffected a 40 foot container."

Ajayi however, said there wassuccessful evacuation and rescueoperation and the extent ofdamaged cargo in the containerhas been assessed.

"It is also important tomention at this juncture thatthere was no life lost in theincident,” he added.

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

From Edwin Olofu, KanoMustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

... Kills 3 Boko Haram suspects in Maiduguri

be remanded in prison custody".It would be recalled that

officers of the State SecurityService (SSS) had arrested theaccused persons on March 2nd,2012, at Ukanafon localgovernment area of Akwa IbomState, along with three others:Sunday Udedike, Yusuf Lawal andAbdullahi Haruna, who arepresently at large.

the charge is devoid of essentialingredients to suggest thecommission of the offences forwhich he stands charged.

The trial Judge, JusticeGabriel Kolawole, after listening tothe submissions of counsel inrespect to the motion to quash,adjourned till tomorrow for furtherhearing and determination of themotion.


Power sector hearing: Police collectelectricity bills, says witness

A resident of Adeke inMakurdi, Benue statecapital, yesterday,

revealed to the panel set up bythe Nigerian ElectricityRegulatory Commission, NERCthat the Nigerian police collectelectricity bills from them.

The source who pleadedanonymity divulged this duringthe NERC public inquiry onelectricity metering and otherrelated matters in the Nigerian

electricity supply industry to theshock of the panel members andaudience.

She maintained that theonly transformer in the areathat is situated at the outskirt ofthe state capital is owned by themobile police and supplieselectricity to over 500consumers.

"Since we do not use meters,they collect N2000 from us on amonthly basis and simply writeour names in an exercise book toindicate that an individual has

paid his bill for that month", shesaid.

The embittered residentpassionately appealed to NERCto come to their aid and ensurethat another transformer isprovided for the community,expressing their readiness to paybills to PHCN rather suffercontinual exploitation by thepolice.

In another instance, one Mr.Peter Idoko, an Immigrationofficer in Lafia who resides inMakurdi, lamented over the

attitude of one Luke Ode, a PHCNstaff who extorted N20, 000from him to provide a meter butfailed to do so.

"He did not issue any receiptto me but made me to sign anundertaking and up till date, Ido not have a meter", Idoko said.

Several other complaints byconsumers ranging fromirregular billings, non billing at

A Federal High Court sittingin Ikoyi, Lagos, Presidedover by Justice Binta Nyako,

yesterday fixed trial of formerMinister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, till October 10, 2012.

He was brought to court by theEconomic and Financial crimesCommission (EFCC), over allegedmoney laundering charges.

The court fixed the date after itturned down a request by theaccused person to stay furtherproceedings in the matter pendingthe determination of an appeal hefiled at the Supreme Court on theadmissibility of his statement ofaccount by the Court of Appeal.

During yesterday's proceedings,Fani-Kayode's counsel, Chris Uche(SAN), informed the court that amotion exhibiting the CertifiedTrue Copy (CTC) and the notice ofhearing of the matter at theSupreme Court has been filed.

He added that a counteraffidavit filed by the complainantto the motion at the apex court hasalso been exhibited.

He thereafter urged the courtto adjourn the matter pending thedetermination of the appeal sayingthe defence has fulfilled therequirement of the law byexhibiting the CTC.

The request was howeveropposed to by the EFCC's counsel,Nelson Okedinachi, on the groundthat the defence is only looking foran avenue to stall the matter.

According to him, "There is noapplication before the court becausethere is no prayer on the face of themotion paper".

He added that the appeal beforethe Supreme Court is merely anacademic exercise since the matteris starting 'de novo' before JusticeNyako and the plea of the accusedhave been taking afresh.

Nelson noted that what thedefence is asking for is a stay ofproceedings which was not coveredby the EFCC.

He then urged the court todiscountenance the motion and fixea date for the trial of the accusedperson.

In her reaction, Justice Nyakodeclined to stay proceedings in thematter on the ground that the

appeal has nothing to do with thematter before her.

"It has to do with theadmissibility of a document. I willadjourn for hearing", the judge said.

Justice Nyako then adjournedthe matter to October 10, 2012 forhearing.

It would be recalled that theformer Minister was on February16, 2012, re-arraigned by theEFCC on a 47-counts charge ofmoney laundering before JusticeNyako.

Fani-Kayode: Court fixes October 10 for trial

Some improvised explosive materials recovered at another bomb factory, yesterday in Kano. Photo: Edwin Olofu

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Federal University ofAgriculture, Makurdi hasexpressed willingness to

offer admission to families of the22 parishioners who died onEaster eve when a churchcollapsed on them.

Vice Chancellor of theUniversity, Professor Daniel Uza,made this promise yesterday inAdamgbe, Vandeikya localgovernment area during acondolence visit on the parishpriest, Rev. Fr. Cosmas Jooli.

Prof. Uza who said though

Varsity to absorb families ofBenue Easter tragedy

all and illegal disconnection byPHCN reared at featured publichearing.

Speaking with newsmen,Chairman of the Panel Barr.Bamidele Aturu said thecommittee is charged with theresponsibility of gatheringopinions on issues of metering,adding "we do not have anythingto do with tariffs".

admission into the institutionwas very competitive,maintained that he wouldensure that applicants from thefamilies who possess theminimum qualification andwish to study at the universitywere given preferentialconsideration.

He explained that theinstitution's initiative was tolessen the pain of the loss of lovedones as well as secure the futureof the families who lost mostlyyoung people in an agrariancommunity.

From Francis Iwuchukwu,Lagos

By A'isha Biola Raji

The Minister of Health, Prof.Onyebuchi Chukwu hassaid that malaria still poses

as public health problem withabout 90% of the generalpopulation under risk.

Chukwu made thisdeclaration yesterday in Abujaat the World Malaria DayCelebration 2012 ministerialpress briefing.

He said Nigeria with itshigh prevalence, contributesa quarter of malaria burdenin Africa.

Statistic according to him,might be scary but notedthat, "survey conducted in2010 showed 52% childrenbetween 6 months to f ivetested positive to malaria byrapid diagnostic test andprevalence higher in ruralareas with about 55.9%."

He said the need to turnthe situation around in

90% of Nigerians proneto malaria, says minister

Nigeria and the African subregion has however led to theAfrican Summit on Roll BackMalaria inaugurated inNigeria on April 25, 2000which later metamorphosedinto World Malaria Day in2 0 0 8 .

He said the theme of thisyear's celebration taggedSustain Gains, Save Lives:Invest in Malaria with theslogan "let's work together"was aimed at having amalaria-free nation therebyreducing socio-economiceffect of the disease.

The minister howeveroutlined steps that have beentaken in combating malariamenace among which are,strengthening coordinationof malaria control efforts inthe country and organisingTechnical Working Group(TWG), Roll Back Malaria (RBM)partner that meet monthly toproffer solutions.

Russian firm submits report onminerals survey of Taraba

A delegation from theRussian Embassy on astudy tour of mineral

resources in Taraba state hassubmitted its report to the stateGovernment.

Presenting the report to GovernorDanbaba Suntai yesterday atGovernment House, Jalingo, the

leader of the delegation, ValeryShaposhnikov, expressed delightwith the vast mineral resources inTaraba state and stressed the needfor partnership to harness them.

He said the agency theyrepresent has over the years engagedin research and partnership withseveral countries with a view toenhancing their economic wellbeing.

Shaposhnikov added that apartfrom the geological survey ofmineral resources, they alsocarry out surveys on road andbuilding constructions to ensurequality projects.

Responding, Governor Suntaiassured of the preparedness of thestate government to actualisethe second phase of the studytour in the interest of the state.

From Yusha'u Alhassan, Jalingo


Doctors in Lagos statepublic Hospitalsyesterday shut medical

services as they began anindefinite strike following the stategovernment’s use of policemen todisrupt their meeting andattempt to arrest their chairman,Dr. Akinmuyiwa Odusote.

The state government hadordered the doctors to appear

before a disciplinary panel set upto try the doctors for embarkingon three days warning strike andfor refusing to answer the queriesissued them.

At the Health ServiceCommission (HSC). office at LagosHospital yesterday, armedpolicemen were deployed at theentrance, preventing people fromentering the venue of thePersonnel Management Board,meeting, the disciplinary panel

Doctors shut Lagos hospitals indefinitelyset up to try the doctors.

The 1,100 doctors ingovernment’s employ shunnedthe disciplinary panel set up bythe government to try them forembarking on the three dayswarning strike.

The doctors went to the venueof the PMB sitting on Lagos Island,Lagos, but refused to face the paneland dared the government to doits worst.

As a result of the presence of

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos hundreds of doctors at the venueof the PMB sitting, activities inLagos hospitals were virtuallyparalysed as there were no doctorsto attend to patients.

Newsmen gathered that as thedoctors were holding a congressmeeting, the government sentpolicemen to disperse them butthe adamant doctors regrouped atanother location for the meeting.

The police also came to disruptthe meeting and ordered the

chairman, Medical Guild,Odusote to follow them to the LionBuilding Police Station, an act thatangered other doctors intodeclaring indefinite strike.

Last week, the HSC issuedqueries to the 1,100 doctors whowent on strike but they did notanswer them. The governmentordered them to appear before thePMB to explain why they did notanswer the queries issued to them.

L-R: Professor Daisy Eruvbetine of University of Agriculture Abeokuta, President, Farm and Infrastructure Foundation (FIF), ProfessorGbolagade Ayoola, Country Director of Oxfam, Mr. Tunde Ojel and Campaign Manager of Oxfam, Mrs. Jamillah Miranjisi, during a publicpresentation of publication on policy audit of food reserve system in Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Nigeria, Germany partner on energythe energy challenges facingNigeria.

The permanent secretary ofthe ministry, Martin I.Uhomoibi, who stated this whilebriefing journalists in Abuja, saidthe agreement was reachedduring the visit by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan to theGerman Chancellor.

He also state that in line withthe partnership, a wind energyplant would be established inAdamawa, in addition to coal andpower plants in various parts ofthe country.

Uhomoibi explained that the

understanding was reachedduring the commissioning of thebilateral commission between thetwo countries, adding that thepartnership marks a new downin the bilateral relationshipbetween both Nigerian andGerman private sector.

Speaking further, he statedthat the benefits of the partnershipwould soon become concrete,pointing out that Germaninvestors had already made itclear that they are ready forbusiness, without much waste oftime.

"A solar plant would be

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Foreign Affairs Ministryhas disclosed that Nigerianand German governments

have concluded plans tosynergise efforts towards solving

Sokoto state governmentyesterday issued a 72 hourultimatum to persons using

official plate numbers on theirprivate vehicles to return themto their respective ministries.

A release signed by SeniorSpecial Assistant to the governorKabir Ahmed, warned that anygovernment official found

perpetuating the act, would bedealt with appropriately and suchpersons would be referred to theoffice of the Head of Service fordisciplinary action.

“Sokoto state governmenthaving observed with dismay theway and manner unauthorisedpersons are using official numberon their private vehicles, hasdirected the Federal Road SafetyCorps nationwide to impound

those vehicles and deal with suchpersons according to the relevantlaw of the FRSC.

The use of official platenumbers on private vehicles hasbecome rampant especiallyamong local government officersand politicians who use them onall sorts of vehicles to secure“immunity” against securitychecks on the highways”, thestatement added.

From Sadeeq Aliyu, Sokoto

The Sultan of Sokoto, AlhajiSa'ad Abubakar will todaycommission five first class

Emirs guest houses constructedby the Jigawa state governmentin Dutse.

The guest houses which wereconstructed by the stategovernment are aimed atproviding comfort for thetraditional rulers especiallywhenever they are in the statecapital for functions.

The commissioning of thelodges would be a prelude to theNorthern Emirs meetingscheduled to hold in Dutse today.

Lamido has since theinception of his administrationharped on official residences forprincipal governmentfunctionaries in the state capitalwhich according to him, wouldnot only reduce governmentspending on hotel bills but alsobeautify the city.

Investigations by ourreporter revealed that themagnificent buildings are thefirst of their kind to beconstructed by any stategovernment since the time of theprotectorate administrationwhen the then NorthernRegional Governmentconstructed houses for Emirs inKaduna.

Wamakko issues 72-hour ultimatumover illegal use of official plate numbers

Sultan tocommissionEmirs’ lodgesin DutseFrom Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

Windstorm sacks 230families in Gombe

Windstorm destroyedabout 230 houses atMalam Sidi town in

Kwami local governmnet area ofGombe state last weekend.

A District Head in the area,Muhammadu Maimalunta, whodisclosed this while speaking tonewsmen, said that the disasterrendered 200 families homelessand destroyed property worthmillions of naira

Consoling the victims duringhis assessment visit to Malam-Sidi,Gombe state deputy governor, Mr.Tha’anda Jason Rubainu, notedthat the area was prone towindstorms at this season of theyear.

He however stressed the need

for the people to desist fromindiscriminate felling of trees tominimise the extent of storm,desert encroachment and relatednatural disasters.

The deputy governor furthertold the people that his visit wouldalso inform the kind of assistancegovernment had in stock for theaffected people, thanking the localgovernment for supporting theadministration’s programmes andimbibing the spirit of peaceful co-existence.

Commenting, the caretakerchairman of Kwami localgovernment area, Alhaji Ya’uGimba Marafa, appreciated thegovernor’s concern, recalling thata similar incident occurred in thearea last year and governmentcame to their aid.

From Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

established in the University ofIbadan under the energypartnership", he stated, addingthat in democratic collaboration,good governance andentrenchment of Nigeria'sdemocracy, including assistingNigeria in addressing its securitychallenges would be emphasised.

Meanwhile, during thebilateral talks between Nigeriaand Germany, PresidentJonathan and Chancellor Merkelagreed that bilateral relationswould include areas such asimmigration, good governance,education, among others.


4

2 3

1

2

3L-R: Niger state governor, Dr.Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu,presenting a souvenir to CorpsCommander, Artillery, Major-General Annon Kalayi Kwaskebe,during a visit by the latter to thegovernor, at the GovernmentHouse, on Monday in Minna.

1

4Demonstrators protesting againstFarouk Lawan report on oil subsidyprobe, yesterday in Abuja. Photo:Mahmud Isa

Staff of National EnvironmentalStandards and RegulationsEnforcement Agency, sealing off anMTN mask for its proximity to aresidential home, yesterday inAbuja. Photo: NAN

L-R: Sokoto state governor, AlhajiAliyu Magatakarda Wamakko,Acting Inspector-General of Police(IGP) Mohammed Abubakar, andSultan of Sokoto, AlhajiMuhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III,during the IGP’S visit, on Monday toSokoto. Photo: NAN


L-R: Senior Programme Coordinator of African Child Policy Forum, Mrs. Violet Odala, President, Campaign for Democracy (CD), Dr. Joe Oke-Odumakin and President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, during a workshop on African childpolicy, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Jonathan, 5 others nabbed over human trafficking

The Katsina State Commandof the Nigeria ImmigrationService, has nabbed one

Promise Jonathan and fiveothers over alleged humantrafficking.

Parading the suspects before

newsmen in Katsina, theController of ImmigrationService, Katsina, Alhaji UmarBulama, noted that the othersuspects include, Mr. Uche HarrisNnadibe, Loveth Ebere, EbunOlubuno, Tosin Akinnemi andTracy Job.

He noted that the suspects

were arrested while trying tocross the Kwangwalam border inNigeria into Niger Republic ontheir way to Algeria and Libya.

The controller noted that of allthe six suspects it was onlyPromise Jonathan that wascarrying genuine travellingpapers, adding that fake

travelling documents were alsorecovered from them.

Bulama disclosef that the sixsuspects including two males andfour females who were under theleadership of Nnadibe, would behanded over to the NationalAgency for the Prohibition ofTrafficking in Persons (NAPTIP)

for further investigation.Earlier, the ring leader of the

suspect, Nnadibe stated that hewas only on humanitarianmission as the suspects onlyapproached to assist them toreach Agades in Niger Republicon their way to Algeria and Libyain search of greener pastures.

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua,Katsina

Speaking at the ongoingMinisterial Platform to markone year of the Jonathanadministration yesterday inAbuja, Arc Onolememennoted that there werecurrently 116 abandonedroad projects in the country.

The minister, whoremarked that it was notpossible for the ministry toundertake the entire

Works minister decries low budgetary allocation for road constructionBy Mohammed Kandi

The Minister of Works, ArcMike Onolememen, hasattributed inability for

the ministry to completemoribund road constructionprojects across the country toinsufficient budgetaryallocations and said theongoing road projectsrequired about N960 billion.

reconstruction of the roadsconsidering unsatisfactorybudgetary provisions,disclosed that such projecthave been prioritised.

He further said plans wereon to partner with the privatesector so as to fast track theroad constructions in thecountry, saying, “We want toachieve at least 2,000kilometers of road

construction through public-private partnership by nexty e a r ” .

On the Lafia-Akwangaroad which is popularly called“dead curve”, the assured of atemporary correction on theroad pending when enoughfunds would be allocated for itscompletion, declaring thatover N400 million wasrequired for the task.

The United Action forDemocracy (UAD), onMonday began peaceful

protest to warn FederalGovernment against sweepingthe fuel subsidy probe reportwhich indicted some topgovernment officials under thecarpet.

Members of the civil societygroup, who defied threats bysecurity agents against holdingany rally, later convened atAllen Junction at the centre ofIkeja where they sensitisedmembers of the public on theneed to force the government toimplement the report.

In a leaflet the group gave outto people, it said among otherthings, it wanted the immediatepublication of the reports of thepower sector, fuel subsidy,petroleum sector and pensionprobes and the implementationof the reports.

“We call on Nigerians to beready to fully resist any furtherhike in fuel prices and inelectricity tariffs whenever suchis announced,” it said.

The UAD disclosed that theFederal Government is planningto increase electricity tariff bymore than 80 percent from Juneand that there are still plans bythe government to hike the costof fuel in what it called thegovernment’s plan for totalderegulation of the downstreamsector of the petroleumindustry.

Fuel subsidyreport: Protestbegins in LagosFrom Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

now beginning to replicatelaudable and breath takingproject they see and admirewhenever they find themselvesin other parts of the world.

He suggested however thatthe remodeling work shouldinvolve the expansion of theInternational Wing of the Lagosairport stressing that theterminal building needs to be

Passengers commend FG on airports remodeling projectFrom Suleiman Idris, Lagos path in ensuring that Nigerian

airports meet the standards withother airports across the worldespecially what is obtained inEurope.

“With the on-goingremodeling of the airports,Nigeria will be rated amongstcountries that have befittingairports when completed and itgoes to show that our leaders are

expanded or a new terminalbuilding built to accommodatethe rising in passenger traffic.

Also, the Head of PublicAffairs of the Federal AirportAuthority of Nigeria (FAAN),Mr. Akin Olukunle said theFederal Government throughthe agency is leaving no stoneunturned towards makingNigerian airports meet global

standards.“We have over seventy

percent completion at GAT,Lagos, that of Kano is almostcompleted, Abuja, Port-Harcourtand the rest of them. As youknow, we are replacing all theobsolete facilities at the airportsto make the travellingpassengers feel comfortable”, headded.

The Federal Government hasreceived kudos frompassengers in Lagos over

efforts to improve the comfort ofpassengers through theremodeling of airports across thecountry.

Officials who spoke to ourcorrespondent at both theinternational wing of theMurtala Mohammed Airportand the General AviationTerminal (GAT), whereconstruction works arecurrently ongoing, described theaction as a step in the rightdirection.

Other also lauded the effortof the Federal Airport Authorityof Nigeria (FAAN) under whosepurview lies the remodelingproject of the airports acrossNigeria.

Monday Iwunacho, a Europe-bound passenger, said theFederal Government is on right

The president of the group Mr.Abdullahi Abdumajeed, said theneed to act fast and proffersolutions to ethnic, religious andpolitical violence in the countrywas necessitated by themilitancy, uprising and all otherforms of terrorism that aggrievedmembers of the public areadopting to present theirdissatisfaction.

The summit themed“Building Bridges and BreakingBarriers”, is geared towards

Youths cut across the tworeligions – Islam andChristianity in Nigeria

have made moves to put an endto the spate of violence going onin the country.

This was declared in Abujaduring the first Nigerian YouthsMulti-Stakeholders DialogueSummit organised by theNigerian Youths United ActionCoalition Group (NYUAC).

bringing together youths fromconflict and post conflict areas ofthe country to dialogue andadvocate peace to reign in thecountry.

Abdulmajeed said it isworrisome that the vulnerablegroup (youths) that suffer theeffect of these crisis are being usedto perpetrate it hence the need tounanimously declare an end toit. “Nigerian youths areunanimous in our condemnationof mass killings in the name of

religion resulting in mutualdistrust and hatred across ethnicand religious lines”, he declared.

It is within this frameworkthat the group launched theDialogue Summit with theobjective of facilitating anduniting under a single umbrellato resolve the security issue in thecountry.

The summit was attended byChristian Association of Nigeria(CAN) youth wing, Patriot SimonA.S Dolly, Yusuf Saeed Moh’d,Assistant Coordinator, MuslimStudent Society of Nigeria(MSSN), Zone A.

Violence: Youths say enough is enoughBy A’isha Biola Raji


The one-week face-offbetween doctors andnurses of the Federal

Medical Centre (FMC),Abeokuta over allegedrefusal of a doctor to respondto query issued him foralleged nonchallance toduty, has finally resulted intotal shutdown of the healthinstitution, as all otherworkers yesterday joined thenurses in a solidarity strike.

Peoples Daily reports that

Workers shut downFMC Abeokuta

the hospital has now becomea ghost town, as in-patientshave equally left the wardsto seek medical attentionelsewhere, while alldepartments in the hospitalhad been grounded.

It would be recalled that,the genesis of the crisis wastraced to Dr. B.H Soile whoupon being advised by theChief Nursing Sister of thehospital, Mrs. IyaboAdesina, to mind his duty,allegedly assaulted thenursing boss verbally.

Dr. Soile was later

queried by the authorities,but he refused to answer it,hence, the nursingassociation saw hisadamance as insulting totheir boss, and theymobilized for strike.

Yesterday, otherdepartments of the centremet and resolved to equallydown tool in solidarity withthe nurses.

As at yesterday,whenour correspondent visited thehospital, it was a completelyshutdown with union leadersmulling another meeting.

From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, Abeokuta

The trial of the 30-year-old youth pastorof the Redeemed

Christian Church of God,Akolade Arowolo at theLagos High Court sitting inIkeja, who was alleged tohave slaughtered hisbanker wife, TitilayoOmozoje, could notcontinue yesterday asslated at the instance of theprosecution.

At the resumed hearingof the matter before JusticeLateefah Okunnu, theDirector of PublicProsecution, Mrs OlabisiOgungbesan told the courtthat the three witnesses whoappear before the court wereunavoidably absent.According to her, the threewitnesses are two policeofficers and a neighbour ofthe deceased, Mrs Alaka.

She stated that policeofficer Cletus was on coursewhile his counterpart is onleave; Mrs. Alaka was not in

town too. She consequentlysought for the adjournmentof the matter till today(Wednesday) to enable themproduce the witnesses,adding that the prosecutionstill had five more witnessesto call.

When asked for hisopinion, Arowolo’s counsel,Olanrewaju Ajanaku said hehad no objection as long asthe trial continued today.

Hearing in the mattercontinues today,JusticeOkunnu ordered.

The prosecution had sofar taken seven witnessesincluding Omozoje’s sister,father and step mother aswell as the security guardand a neighbour of thedeceased including twopolice officers.

The last witness wasInspector Solomon Ailoyen,who claimed that on theday of the alleged murder, agreen Honda Accord wasfound parked by the road atAswani junction with thecar keys in the ignition andblood on the steering wheel

and door.“I was on vehicle patrol

with three others in myteam on June 24, 2011when we were called toAswani junction that somepeople were fighting butwhen we got there they saidthey had gone.”

He added that at Aswanijunction, there washowever a car that theywere told was abandoned.

“A green Honda Accordwith registration no RK129AJA was pointed out tome, that it had beenabandoned by a man. Whenwe looked into the vehicle,we saw blood stains on thesteering wheel with the keystill in the ignition. Thevehicle was later driven tothe Aswani Police Stationwhere we left it for safekeeping.”

30-year-old Akolade wascharged to court forallegedly stabbing his wifeto death, on June, 24, 2011,at their residence located at8, Akindeinde Street, Isolo,Lagos.

From Francis Iwuchukwu,Lagos

Wife murder: Absence of prosecutionwitnesses staalls trial of suspect

The National YouthService Corps (NYSC)in Taraba state said it

had strictly adhered to thenew posting policy asdirected by the DirectorGeneral, Brig. GeneralNnamdi Okorie-Affia for the2012 Batch ‘A’ corpsmembers, saying it will fasttrack grassrootsdevelopment.

Taraba state NYSCCoordinator, Hajiya ZainabIsah in a press statementlauded the posting policywhich she described as “awelcome development to usin Taraba state.”

The FederalGovernment had announceda new posting policy of corpsmembers to only four sectors

namely; Health, Education,Rural Infrastructure andAgriculture.

Giving a breakdown ofdeployments to thesesectors, Hajiya Isah saidabout 130 corps memberswere posted to ruralinfrastructure andagriculture respectively;about 260 posted toMinistry of Health whileEducation gulped about780 corps members.

She said the state wasable to achieve zero rejectionof corps members because ofthe proper arrangement ithad earlier made with theministries before the postingcommenced.

“Initially, corpsmembers were posted toestablishments according totheir areas of specialisationyet some establishments

rejected or under-utilisedthese corps members butwith the new posting policy,corps members no longerface such."

She added that the newposting policy was receivedas a welcome developmentin the state as the fourcommissioners overseeingthese areas met to ascertaintheir absorption capacitieswhich enabled us projectproperly and avoid rejectionof corps members by theiremployers”.

Hajiya Isah howeverurged corps members to bededicated to duty in theinterest of nationaldevelopment.

She added that the mainaim of the new policy is torestore national integrationand youth empowermentwhich are the coreobjectives of the NYSCscheme.

From Ayodele Samuel,Lagos

‘New NYSC posting will promotegrassroots devt’


UK deports 52 NigeriansFifty-two Nigerians

yesterday lost their legalrights to remain in the UK,

the Europe Correspondent of theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN)reports.

NAN investigation in Londonrevealed that the arrangementhad been concluded for thedeportation of the affected

Nigerians made up of 41 malesand 11 females on a charteredflight late yesterday.

Mr. Mohammed Isa, Head ofImmigration Section in theNigerian High Commission whoconfirmed the development, saidalready a manifest documentingdetailed offences of those to bedeported has been forwarded to

appropriate authorities in Nigeria.He said the deportees, who

breached the rules of their stay inthe UK, include asylum seekers,over-stayers and convicted drugtraffickers that have completedtheir terms.

Isa said it was not true thatNigerian deportees were beingmaltreated by the UK authorities.

He said the two countriesrecognised that immigration issuescould become an irritant to theexisting excellent relation hencethe signing of a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) in 2008 toregulate and manage thedeportation processes especiallythe return of those who have losttheir right of stay.

Isa, who noted further that anenforced removal of Nigeriansfrom the UK was ‘certainly’ not thepreferred choice of either theCommission, the British Authorityand those affected, advisedNigerians to obey the rules of theirhost countries and avoid gettinginvolved in criminal activities(NAN)

The governor Niger state,Dr. Mu’azu BabangidaAliyu has commended the

management of the NigerianMaritime Administration andSafety Agency (NIMASA) for itsefforts in building human capacityfor the Nigerian maritimeindustry.The governor stated thiswhen the Director General ofNIMASA, Ziakede PatrickAkpobolokemi led themanagement and some staff of theagency on a courtesy visit to theGovernment House in Minna.

Gov. Aliyu expressedappreciation of the governmentand people of Niger state over the

decision of the Agency to establishan Institute of Maritime Studies atthe state-owned IbrahimBabangida University, Lapai,saying this is a sure way ofcorrecting the dearth of seafarersglobally.

“The world is in short supply ofseafarers by about 50%. To buildhuman capacity in this arealocally, we must empower ourinstitutions to contribute to thetraining of seafarers. I want toassure NIMASA that we would doall that is necessary to support thisInstitute. Even though youhavesaid NIMASA would sponsor theestablishment of this Institute100%, as a responsiblegovernment, we will not hesitate

to commit resources to this projectif need be”.

Governor Babangida, who hasacquired vast experience of themaritime sector over the yearsduring his appointment as theDirector of Maritime Services inthe Federal Ministry of Transportand later as its permanentsecretary, observed that the DG ofNIMASA has proved everybodywrong by galvanising thoughtswith a clear vision of repositioningthe maritime sector.

The governor immediatelyannounced the constitution of ahigh powered committee led by theVice Chancellor of IBB University,Professor Ibrahim Adamu Kolo towork with NIMASA to facilitate a

smooth take-off of the institute.Earlier, Mr. Akpobolokemi

informed the governor that theAgency has been granted approvalto establish an Institute of MaritimeStudies in IBBU for the purpose oftraining seafarers for the award ofcertificates, diplomas, degrees andpost graduate certificates.

He said, “We are here to informyou that the National Assemblyhas approved our proposal toestablish an Institute of MaritimeStudies at the IBB UniversityLapai. The agency will undertakethe construction of the institutewhich will be in line with globalstandards and fund it until such atime when we feel it is matureenough to stand on its own. Ourdesire is to attract the best brainsto this Institute through adequatefunding to make it trully worldclass”.

The DG therefore appealed tothe government of Niger state andthe management of the IBBUniversity to provide a suitable siteand ensure a peacefulenvironment for theestablishment of the Institute.

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

Aliyu commends NIMASA for setting up institute in IBBU

Funtua local governmentcouncil in Katsina state hasrehabilitated 55 boreholes

and constructed new ones acrossthe area.

The chairman of the localcouncil caretaker committee,Alhaji Abdu Isa who disclosed thisin an interview with newsmen,noted that the aim of thewaterworks was to ease watersupply difficulties in the area.

Similarly, the chairman averredthat the council had also providedwater tanks in specific points in thearea where he added that the localcouncil water tankers supply thesespecial tanks with safe drinking water.

He stated that when hiscommittee inaugurated, it met198 nonfunctional boreholes outof the 303 spread across the 11wards in the area.

Isa stressed that as part of effortto tackle water shortage in thearea, the council had concludedplans to build 44 new open wells inareas that were in dire need of cleandrinking water.

According to him, the councilhad begun the mobilisation ofcommunity development com-mittees to educate them on waysof accessing community and socialdevelopment projects fund.

Funtua LGrehabilitates77 boreholesFrom Lawal Sa’idu Funtua,Katsina

CMD ATBUTHsupport reviewpolicy on wastemanagementFrom Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

The Director-General of theNational OrientationAgency, Mr. Mike Omeri,

has condoled the former ChiefJustice of Nigeria, Justice AlfaBelgore on the demise of his wife,Alhaja Fatimah Belgore.

The DG in a statement issuedyesterday by the agency's ChiefPress Secretary, Paul Odenyi,noted that the death of AlhajaFatimah will deny the nation, thepeople of Kwara state and theBelgore family, a matriarch,whose motherly advice andnobility is needed at this period.

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

NOA boss condoles Belgore family

From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji,Abeokuta

The 10-day training asdesigned by the office of thegovernor’ wife is holding at ValleyView, Government House, Oke-Igbein, Abeokuta.

The participants were in highspirit when our correspondentvisited the centre, as tutorsengaged them in both theoreticaland practical aspects. Some of thetrainees expressed appreciation tothe governor’s wife for herinitiative on the programme,which they hope would createopportunity for them to be self-employed rather than continue torot away at home with certificates.

On visit to the training centre,the initiator Mrs. Folusho Amosun,

Ogun state governmentunder the banner“Mission to Re-Build” has

commenced the in-house trainingfor 1,200 unemployed graduates,recently offered skill acquisitionprogramme by the office of thestate governor’s wife.

Our correspondent reports that,the programme cuts across variousvocations which include shoemaking, pedicure and manicure,barbing training, decorations,fabric beading, nail extension,necklace beading and millinery-hat training among others.

Ogun begins training of unemployed graduatessaid she is of the conviction that itis easy to earn a living once onehas a skill ‘by my profession. “I ama guidance counselor and a loverof vocational training. I alwaysbelieve that it’s so easy to earn aliving once you have a skill”.

L-R: Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, President, Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Malam Umaru Aliyu,and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Malam Mohammed Sada, during the 2012 Architects Colloqium, on Monday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN


SWF: Let the fund beThe decision of the Federal

Government of Nigeria to establisha Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF)

seems to have generated morecontroversies than may have beenanticipated by the government.

Firstly, the governors had opposed theestablishment of the Fund on the groundsthat it was illegal and unconstitutional,just like the Excess Crude Account that itreplaced. Secondly, many of thegovernors believe that the Fund is anoppressive instrument that the federalgovernment intends to use to dictate tothem how to expand their respectiveallocations from the Federation Account.

However, in spite of having beenpassed into law since May 2011, the SWFhas continued to attract sundry politicalwrangling and opposition from theGovernors’ Forum and agitations againstits implementation have remainedunabated.

Peoples Daily recalls that from onset,government had insisted through its thenMinister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga,that, “We need an enhanced strategy andframework to effectively transform ourfinite endowment (oil) into an investmentin the growth and development of ourcountry, so that we can achieve ever-growing wealth for our generation andfor generations of Nigerians to come.”

Further, government hinged theinevitability of the Fund on theimperative of saving for the rainy day,and cited the late-2008 global economicmeltdown, which left many nations infinancial quagmire as yet anotherreason.

Nonetheless, opposition against theoperation of the Fund has remained. Andgovernment response has been that theSWF is a necessity because Nigeria couldbe in danger of a massive depreciation of

“Our support for theSovereign Wealth Fund is

predicated on theunderstanding that the Fund is

an investment owned by asovereign nation with the

mandate to invest in financialassets such as stocks, bonds,precious metals, property and

other financial instruments

EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITORIALORIALORIALORIALORIAL

its currency, a collapse in reserves and ahuge growth in deficit, owing to fluctuationof oil prices.

Only last week, in apparent reaction tosustained opposition, the CBN Governor,Lamidi Sanusi Lamidi and theCoordinating Minister and Minister ofFinance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at separatefora in New York and Abuja respectively,reiterated the essence of deliberatelyinstituting a policy that seeks to engender asaving for the rainy day, especially in the

face of recurrent fluctuation in oil prices.Both reminded their respective

audience, which included economicexperts, industrialists and members of thecivil societies, that Nigeria hugely relied onoil earning, which accounts for about 80percent of government revenues, adevelopment the government sees asunhealthy and must therefore be correctedto guard against the uncertainties of the oilindustry.

"Our major concern is a major decline

in the price of oil or (domestic) outputwould lead to a massive depreciation ofthe currency…. some of the states outsideof the oil-producing region mightactually find themselves in a situationwhere they are not able to pay salaries,"Sanusi told his audience in New York.

Peoples Daily appreciates the positionsadduced by all concerned, more so that,as a federation of three tiers ofgovernment, none should have themonopoly over others in decisions crucialto the wellbeing of all.

Our support for the Sovereign WealthFund is predicated on the understandingthat the Fund is an investment owned by asovereign nation with the mandate toinvest in financial assets such as stocks,bonds, precious metals, property andother financial instruments.

We recall that the very first SWF inthe world was the Kuwait InvestmentAuthority, which was established in 1953before Kuwait secured its independencefrom the United Kingdom. The Kuwait’sFund was created from crude oilrevenues and is reported to be currentlyvalued at about two hundred and fiftybillion US Dollars ($250 billion).

Had Nigeria the foresight to adoptsimilar strategy soon after independence,perhaps the nation would have hadsufficient resources to address ourinfrastructural deficiencies.

Rather, profligate habit became ourwont, while fluctuation of oil prices keepsthe nation’s reserve depleted resulting inwidespread poverty as a result of lack ofaccess to the basic necessities of life.

We therefore urge the FederalGovernment to come out with a politicalsolution to break the gridlock for the goodof our citizenry, who are daily exposed tothe frailties of basic economicfundamentals.

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

MALAM WADA MAIDA, OON, FNGE

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

ALI M. ALI

GM PUBLICATIONS

ABDULAZEEZ ABDULLAHI

MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION

HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

EDITOR, DAILY

AHMED I. SHEKARAU

ACTING EDITOR, WEEKEND

RICHARD IHEDIWA

HEAD, ADVERT/MARKETING

HUSSAINI ABDULRAHMAN, CNA

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

industry by putting thepeople first, upholdingthe truth, maintaining

the highestprofessional andethical standards

while delivering valueto our stakeholders”

“To be a reputable,profitable,

innovative andtechnologically

reliant mediacompany offering

world classservices and

products”

OUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISIONOUR VISION

DIRECTOR/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRUFA’I IBRAHIM


We shall not waverNigerians will recall thaton Sunday, January 8,2012, we had to cut short

our recess in response to anational crisis as a result of thesudden removal of fuel subsidyby the Executive Arm ofGovernment.

The commitment andpatriotism shown by membersduring that period of emergencyfinally led to the gradualresolution of that crisis.

Today, we are here toconsider the product of thatsacrifice. Before you is the reportof the Ad-hoc Committee on themonitoring of fuel subsidyregime which was set up toverify and determine actualsubsidy requirements.

And I must commend theChairman of the Committee,Hon Farouk Lawan and the restof his Committee Members, fortheir courage, dedication andprofessionalism. They weregiven a crucial assignment andthey handled it with theintegrity and patriotism itdeserved.

By Aminu Waziri Tambuwal

The probe of the oil Sector hasraised so much dust from certainsegments of the polity such thatit became clear that theintention was to frustrate it. Forthose who regard the oil sectoras a secret society or sacred cow,I wish to state withoutequivocation that it is not. Allpublic agencies in the oil sectorare the creation of Acts of theNational Assembly and thisHonourable House has no powersto legislate for the creation ofsecret societies. Similarly allprivate sector corporate bodiesoperating in the sector are thecreation of the Corporate AffairsCommission and thatCommission also is not vestedwith any powers to incorporatesecret societies. Let it thereforebe known that in our drive tosanitize the polity, there are nosacred cows and we do not intendto discover any.

However, that is only onepart of the job. We now have the

more crucial duty of consideringthe report andrecommendations of thecommittee. Usually in a mattersuch as this, one is accustomedto hearing differing opinionspresented passionately. Orpassions presented as opinions.

But we must never forgetwho we are and where we are,because Nigerians are watchingus very closely and history willjudge what we do here today. Itherefore urge each andeveryone of you to look at thisreport dispassionately.

We must be fair in ourcomments and set aside allprimordial sentiments so that wecan do justice to this importantdocument.

9. Let me reiterate the factthat we are discharging aConstitutional assignment hereand it is therefore incumbentupon us to do our duty withoutfear or favour. Let me alsoremind us that we are fighting

against entrenched interestswhose infectious greed hasdecimated our people. Therefore,let’s be mindful that they willfight back, and they do fightdirty.

I have heard all kinds ofinsinuations, including the oneabout anti-graft agencieswaiting for a ‘harmonisedversion’ of this report beforetaking any action. Let mequickly say here that this is atbest an excuse that can not standafter all the same agenciesaccept and investigate petitionsfrom individuals, how muchmore resolutions of this House,there will be no such documentso they should just go ahead anddo their job and where they findany person or body culpable,they should proceed inaccordance with the law.

Our only interest here is tomitigate the suffering ofNigerians by showing how thesubsidy regime has been

By Ozodi Thomas Osuji, Ph.D

Igbos play the victim role to controlthose in power in their world (II)

Generally, I think aboutsomething, have noanswer and go to sleep and

by the time I get up in themorning the answer may cometo me. Thus, as usual, thismorning I woke up at 5 AM andthe answer as to why Igbos playvictim came to me (and I went tomy computer room and typedit…this paper; as usual I type forabout an hour or a little over anhour then went and took showerto get ready for the day. If laterduring the day I deem what Ityped interesting I share it withother people).

I now understand why Igbosare playing the role of victims;they use that role to controlpeople! The socially powerlessplays the victim role and if youfall into his trap and see him as avictim you do what he wants youto do. That is to say that they areusing their victim plays tocontrol people.

Women generally play thevictim role. Women arephysically weak vis a vis men.They know that men arephysically stronger and if theychoose to can strangle them.They see themselves as at themercy of men. They still want tocontrol men and play the victimof men role as a way of gettingmen to have pity on them andout of pity do what they ask mento do; that is, they use their victimrole playing to exercise powerover men, to get men to do asthey want men to do. In effect,women are actually engaged inaggression; they are engaged insocial aggressive behavior whenthey play their eternal victimpsychological role on men,

In America, minority persons

were emasculated by white men;they were feminized and nowbehave like women; they play thevictim role that ordinarilywomen indulge in. Thus, blackAmericans see themselves as thevictims of white folks and doeverything in their powers tomake white men feel guilty andout of guilt do as black folk askthem to do.

White psychologistsunderstand this phenomenonhence ignore black play atmaking whites feel guilty byenumerating the bad white mendid to them (didn’t black menenslave their fellow blacks inAfrica, one once asked me, sowhat is the big deal over slavery).

It is weak white liberals thatallow black folk to manipulatethem with their guilt and victimploys. As matters of fact, whiteconservatives want to attackblacks who play at been victimsfor they see them as disgusting;their attitude is: get out of here;who wants to see your goddamned groveling weak ass!

(White conservatives do nothave regard for the literaturechurned out by African studiesfolks; such literature largely seeblacks as victims; they see suchwriting as cry baby stuff. In thereal world powerful people oppressthe weak and it is so all over theworld and during all historicaltimes.)

For our present purposes,minority persons, that is,powerless persons use victimplays and exploitation of guilt tomake the powerful to have pityon them and out of sympathy doas asked to do. In effect, they useguilt and victim play to exercisepower and control over thestrong; they use their infernalvictim psychology to control the

powerful in their society.(Ngozi Iweala did that a bit

when she told the 25 memberExecutive Directors Boardinterviewing her for thepresidency of the World Bankthat she was raised in Biafra,hence had a deprived childhood;she was playing at getting liberalwhite folks sympathy: look atpoor me; have pity on me; allowme to manage your money foryou. Folks do not hire victims tomanage their moneys! The ladyis a classic histrionic cumnarcissistic personality who useswomen’s wily appeal to sex aspower to control men. I am notbuying her ploys; to me she is anincompetent clod. Her boss,Jonathan played the victim roleby telling Nigerians that hisfather was a poor fisherman andthat he went to school shoeless;he made Nigerians to have pityon him and out of pity electedhim...I was not fooled for I wentfor competence hence I supportedBuhari. The clever rogue istaking them to the cleaners.)

The lesson from all these arethat folk’s use victim plays tocontrol people; victim plays is anattempt to exercise power as awoman, effeminately.

The Nigerian politicalculture has effeminized Igbosand like women they now playat victims and try to arouse guiltin the powerful persons who ruleNigeria; they hope that bymaking Nigerians see them asvictims, by arousing guilt inthem that Nigerians would havepity on them and out of pityallow them to rule Nigeria. Ineffect, Igbos are doing whattraditionally women do: usevictim plays to try to exercisepower and control over otherNigerians and people in general.

But because they attackpeople their strategy does notwork for them. This is becausethose they put down will alwayscounter attack them, even killthem so their victim playsimpresses no one and do not getthem the power they seek. Theyseek to get other Nigerians to seethem as orphans, as victims andsay they have been oppressed andnot allowed to rule Nigeria andfrom so doing now allow them torule Nigeria. They are not likelyto be given the opportunity to ruleNigeria, not for as long as theyinsult Nigerians, right and left.

Of course, if real men like mego into politics in a few years Igboswould rule Nigeria. I have analpha male psychology; I inheritedit from my ancestors for in our areathe Osuji-Njokus dominated thepeople around them. Before whitemen came to our world if youdared talk back to my ancestorsyou were punished; I knew mygrandfather Osuji; he used to sendlocal men to jail for daring to talkwhen he talked. Like my ancestorsI have a dominant ego and if mydesire was to be in politics there isno doubt that I would dominatethe people as my ancestorsdominated them. I do not acceptany human beings, black orwhite, power over me. Thus, Igboclowns kept making noise aboutOjuklwu’s alleged power when tome he was no more than a rat.Ezegburugburu my foot; if I hadpolitical aspiration I wouldtransform the block head to myservant.

The salient point is tounderstand what function thisvictim play serves for Igbos. In amanner of speaking I am gladthat I had not left Nigerianinternet forums as a part of mewanted to do years ago when I

recognized that I had had my sayand ought to move on. But byhanging around I have finallylearned about Igbos psychology;I have learned about theirtendency to attack folks (putthem down) and when counterattacked feel persecuted andthereafter play the victim role.All these are self-defeating lifestyle. They are losers.

Look at them attacking meand thus making an enemy ofme, encoring my wrath, a manthey should have tried to make afriend of for I have unusual skillsthat if deployed on their behalfwould serve them well. Since I donot fear any human being bornof woman if I fought on behalf ofIgbos I would bring about changesin that bedlam called Nigeria,changes that would serve Igboswell. But, no, these folks tried toalienate me and after ignoringthem for a while my dominantspirit comes charging andsometimes does destructivethings to them.

When one of them, anNkwerre motor park riffraffcalled me an Osu (apparently, hemisread the Osu part of my lastname...we are the priests of thegods, the servants of God, thepeoples spiritual leaders, Ndi ishimuo of amadioha) I wasmotivated to kill him, literally.Imagine a man whose people myancestors used to buy as slaves,and we still have some of them inour town as our former slaves,calling this Nwa-Diala, freeborn,a slave! I wanted to silence thatdirty mouth of his forever. Butupon second thoughts I realizedthat I gained nothing by swattinga mosquito to death.

In the end I have shown themas the naked emperors they are. I

hijacked for the benefit of a few.At the end of our deliberationswe hope that the executive armwill act upon the resolutions ofthis House and bring moretransparency to bear on thesystem.

Together we can do all thingsconstitutionally required of usbut not without sacrificing ourpersonal comforts, personalaspiration and even personalopportunities that do not benefitthe public good. For as many areprepared and determined tomake these personal sacrificeand to stand on the side of theordinary Nigerians whosemandate we hold, I say let’smarch on dear colleagues.Being remarks by Rt. Hon.Aminu Waziri TambuwalCFR, Speaker, House ofRepresentatives, during theconsideration of the reporton the House’s ad hoccommittee on petroleumsubsidy yesterday

Contd. on page 15


Letter to all Nigerians from a Sierra Leoneanresources around him. Who arethe successors to this greatwealth called Nigeria?

The aspiration, needs,values and beliefs of the youngones are the keyfocus of everyeffective nationalc u r r i c u l u m .Youths should bemore useful totheir societiesthan merepatient seekers ofwhite collar jobs.When values andc h a r a c t e rescapes thecurriculum, howwill dignity andprogress notescape the people?The hope ofNigeria is in itscurriculum. If Nigeria is topresent to the world those greatnation-builders it once won theattention of the world with,

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

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

to:

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

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

SMS: 07037756364

WRITE TO US

Dear Nigerians,

May God have mercy onyou. Your country’sname reminds me of

abundance - the ceaseless andabundant flow of the RiverNiger. The great resource thatis ever willing to serve Nigeriansas well as non-Nigerians, likeme, and countless others. It doesnot stop there; there are alsocountless resources -humannatural and other resources -scattered all over the “Niger-aria” that force the envy andadmiration of many people whowere not blessed wit theNigerian citizenship.

Yet, here we are sheddingtears in recognition of the wasteit has suffered in the hands ofthose who have mismanagedit. The tear drops force theirway out even more when weconsider how ignorant theNigeria youth is of the

By Amara Femoh Sesay then it should be reflected inwhat is going on in the schoolspresently. The worst kind ofslavery a country will eversuffer is to leave its abundant

resources in the hands ofignorant successors.

What wrong could the peopleof Nigeria do to their blessed

nation if they restrainthemselves from thosedestructive desires that will notonly ruin their possessors butthe nation as well. Will Nigeria

l o s eanything ifit losses allits corruptcitizens? Itis a commonk n o w l e d g eto both thecorrupt onesand thosewho are not,that nobodygains fromh a r m i n gf e l l o wh u m a nb e i n g s .Surely, thec r i m i n a l s

are running to the evilconsequences of their crimes.What do we gain when all wehave toiled and killed for is left

Two of the remaining SouthWest states, namely Ogunand Oyo were finally

reclaimed in 2011 from the PDP.Now, with our party, the ACNcontrolling 5 of the six states andthe possibility that the sixth state,Ondo which is controlled by theLabour Party will eventually betaken over by the ACN in 2013,your political mission ofreclaiming the South Westcompletely back to our party, theACN South West reclamationproject would have beenconsummated. Having thereforeaccomplished this mission, whatnext? Are you going to remain inthe South West and wield yourinfluence on our polity from thereor you will move across the Nigerto the North, East and South andseek to export your politicalacumen and dexterity in a waythat would produce theempowering and liberating resultcapable of defeating the PDP in2015? If you decide to move acrossthe Niger to the North, East andSouth, will you be driven bypersonal agenda of aspiring for thepresidency of our great nation, orwill you be doing so in a selfless wayas a statesman?

If events and speculations areany reference, it would appearthat the former would be more thecase. Should this happen it wouldblur objective reasoning, hindersnegotiation with other oppositionparties and potentially sabotagemergers and alliances, resultingin a strong probability for thereturn of PDP in 2015. Thepotential consequence of such anexercise would be an increase inthe number of failed presidentialcandidates, candidates that byevery measure are our nation’sbest, yet defeated by a distantincomparable PDP candidatewhether in the person of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan or any otherknown PDP leader today. This willbe a frightening projection and canonly add to the frustration ofNigerians. It is bad enough thatwe will have to leave with a PDPgovernment that has proved to beincompetent and incapable of

governing our diverse nation withour multifaceted problems foranother 3 years. Short of strongerword, it will be a tragedy to have aPDP government up to 2019.

If accounts of the failed alliancebetween the ACN and CPC of 2011are anything to go by, one of thefactors that account for theinability to contract an agreementwas the perception, rightly orwrongly, of your personal agenda.While it is my belief that it alsoreflects problem of low confidenceon the other negotiating oppositionparties, I also think that you needto do something to boost theconfidence of Nigerians that youare truly a nationalist. Mysuspicion is that unless this factoris addressed, trust between the CPCand ACN, between Gen. Buhariand yourself and above all betweenNigerian people and yourself willbe weak and alliance and mergernegotiations will be feeble.

How do you boost the confidenceof Nigerians? This is a difficult task.However some of the parameterswould include how together withother ACN leaders you are able torestructure party governance inACN. At the moment, with all senseof responsibility, party governancein ACN is not systemic, especiallyat lower levels of the partystructures. Since the end of the 2011elections, activities of the party inmost states outside the South Westand Edo is on recess. In the case ofKogi and Adamawa there was somehigh momentum around thegubernatorial elections. ForAdamawa, it was clear that theparty at national level was notconscious of the electoral strength ofthe party until it was too late. Infact, even media organizationscontrolled by interests that are inthe party were completely ignorantof the strength of the party.

The only reason this was so wasthe disconnect between the partyleadership and realities in our

states. This is on account of poorparty management, weakgovernance and care freedisposition on the part of ourleaders. It was this care freedisposition that made me to arguethat my national leaders prefer tolive in their comfort zones in myletter to Gen. Buhari. It may alsobe as well a reflection of lowconfidence and trust regardinginformation provided byfunctionaries of the party and howthe information facilitates decisionmaking in the right direction.

Related to the above is the factof poor party management andweak governance, stategovernments controlled by theparty are not guided by strongparty programmes and policies.Each of the six state governmentsrespond to challenges of governingtheir states based on the foresightsof the Governors. It is difficult, ifnot impossible, to find a threadthat connect the six statesgoverned by our party in terms ofpolicies and projects. The closest isthe commitment to free education,which could be argued as beinginspired by a conscious effort toappropriate the Awo legacy of freeeducation. This needs to bestrengthened by clear andunambiguous partycommitment.

To further buttress the aboveargument, our legislators in theNational Assembly are not inanyway guided or regulated bythe party. Engagement betweenthe party leadership and membersis irregular and in most casesmembers are left with theirinitiatives. If an audit of theconduct of our members in theNational Assembly is to take place,there is no guarantee that manyof them will not be as guilty, if notmore guilty, than PDP legislators.One glaring result of such an auditwould highlight the fact that ourparty representatives in both the

in the hands of our enemies andthe only thing left with us is ourgraves? If we turn our backs toall opportunities for reform, ofwhat use will a big anddeformed nation be to ourmodern world?

Despite the problems andconflicts Nigeria as a nationendures, no sane mind can denythe fact that Nigeria holds agreat potential, if its peoplecooperate in development andnation-building. When thepeople become good neighboursto one another they won’t sufferand perish in the midst ofabundance.

I dream of a Nigeria that willno longer be Nigeria (in thesense that the word Nigeria issynonymous with crime andcorruption) I dream of a Nigeriathat will ever be Nigeria (in thesense of its blessings andbeauty) When the peoplebeautify their beliefs and

two chambers don’t even vote as ablock.

Talking of audit and partygovernance, some two weeks ago,the Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC)released audit report of politicalparties, including our party, ACN.By the media report, the PDPappear to be more accountable andtransparent than our party. INECaccused our party of not keepingproper accounting books. Inaddition, INEC accused our partyof not having annual budget. I amyet to see a public rebuttal of theINEC audit report from our party.As a loyal member of the party, Imust be honest to confess that I amscandalized and everythingneeded to correct this image isrequired.

Let me quickly point out that,perhaps if I am from the SouthWest, I may not be challenged as apolitician to take this approach ofwriting to Gen. Buhari and nowyourself. Perhaps, I may be pre-occupied with managing otherresponsibilities that may not allowme to envision the need for theseletters. Being from the North andwith my experience during the lastelection as a privileged candidateof our party for Senatorial seat, Iknow how futile elections will be inthe absence of a united opposition.I am certain that if we as theopposition parties are not united,current regional, ethnic andreligious divides will continue todominate our politics and in thecircumstances, oppositionpresidential candidates will recordpoor electoral outcomes, no matterthe magnitude and echo of oursupport.

I have no doubt in my mind ifthere is good party managementsystem and strong and effectivegovernance, some of these issueswill not require any publicattention. This letter may even notbe needed and there would have

been guaranteed strong connectionbetween party structures andmembership on account of whichour leaders can gauge the pulse ofmembers and design responses andinitiatives covering wide range ofproblems, including elections andour candidates.

In any event, who are thepossible candidates for our partyfor 2015? Things remainingunchanged, our party will be oneof the strongest opposition parties.The second strongest oppositionparty being the CPC. For the CPC,the truth is that Gen. Buhari is theparty’s live wire. He is the party’slive wire more as a presidentialcandidate because that way, histeaming supporters will beanimated electorally. Just studymost of the responses to my letterto Gen. Buhari and you can notbut appreciate that. In fact, thereare many people who argued thatthe absence of Gen. Buhari as acandidate will demobilize themfrom voting. This is where theproblem lies. Many of these peoplehardly understand the schemingof other terrible politicians whoengineer a situation where ourloved Gen. Buhari, with all hispatriotism and integrity becomesurrounded by crooks and rogueswho are only interested in theirelectoral victory. It is these samepoliticians who are bound to poisonthe mind of the General aboutyour (Tinubu) motives and blockprocesses of negotiations. To be fairto many of them is to recognizetheir lack of consciousness about theelectoral consequence for Gen.Buhari’s electoral failure. They arehowever very conscious andsteadfast about their own smallelectoral design, partly becausethey are dealing with a narrowconstituency.Lukman writes from Suite301, Zeto CourtNo. 3, Oshogbo CloseArea 11, Garki, Abuja.

Open letter to Asiwaju Bola AhmedTinubu on 2015 agenda (III)

By Salihu Moh. Lukman

Contd. on page 15


Letter to all Nigerians from a Sierra LeoneanContd. from page 14

character, they will achievetheir aims, by God’spermission. Let the brave onesamong the good-doers comeforward wherever they are. Letthe hope of the people reflect inthe willingness of the youngones to embrace reform. Thereis great hope for Nigeriab- andnobody should say there is nohope for Nigeria. Let it not be acause of despondency to thosesincere and diligent Nigeriansthat things are not going wellin their beloved nation. Letthem rejoice in the fact thatnations with more problemsthan Nigeria have risen togreat heights in the past. Letthis awareness motivate themto start work at once. Weakminds say: “There is no hope”.The strong and wise mindsreply “We have been appointeda new office and there is a lot ofwork to do” Nigeria is the officeof every Nigerian. Its progressshould be the concern of very

worker and whoever has goodintention for Nigeria hasalready entered his office,rather, he has already startedreceiving his remuneration.Why should we shed tears whenwe have all the resources toavert the pains andfrustration? Is it not this sameNigeria that has served as thenourishing mother of manygreat minds in diverse fieldsand endeavours of life?

I have spent what I considerto be the best of my life on earthin Nigeria. During this period,I have seen many things thatsignify hope for the future ofNigeria. As a student, I comeacross many young intelligentand morally uprightNigerians. As a neighbour, Ihave never encountered asituation that makes me feellike returning home; rathereveryone around me has donehis best to make Nigeria a homeaway from home for me. As amember of society, I have seenmen with vision and energy to

reform Nigeria. As a friend, Ihave met with very kind andsincere Nigerians. As ateacher, I have seen studentswho have the potentials ofbeing nation builders, ifprovided with the conduciveenvironment. In brief, there isa lot of good locked within theNigerians we see around. Allthey need is somebody toawaken them, somebody to tellthem “yes”, you can”.Somebody to inspire andmotivate. Are you the one?

If you are the one then bepatient about proving yourworth? Do not let anger orfrustration lead you toviolence, lest you destroy thevery lives you stood up todefend. Do not cry even as youfeel powerless to reform thesociety and do good things foryour people. Keep the gooddream then one day you shallwipe away the tears of yourpeople with your utility andservices to them. Praise Himwho made you a Nigerian,

reform yourself and be patientabout bringing reform insociety. Don’t let up, just go on!It may take a long time to seethe change you desire, but yourefforts will never waste, evenif all the circumstances pointto that effect. If you can changea single Nigerian, then wecan’t quantify the benefit youwould have brought to theworld through that change. Ifyou can’t change anybody andfind the people very obstinatein crime and corruption, thennever give up.

Your good will, endurance,kindness and sacrifices areinspiring to the very peoplethat have caused you so muchpain. Also, your efforts arestrong foundation for those whowill tread the path of reformafter you. No doubt! you did notlose anything. Rather yougained a lot and left a lot forothers to gain from. So don’tgive up! Continue to educateyour people on what they standto lose by not being upright

nation builders. The people arenot as bad as you think theyare just ignorant of theconsequences of their evilactions. So educate them.

Education, not violence norindifference or migration, isthe answer. If the people areenlightened, they will learnlessons from all the war-torncountries around them. Lookaround Africa and see whereviolence led nations to. At theend somebody like me who wasborn and bred in Sierra Leone,in a war-torn country came torealize that war, in most casesmeans-Waste All Resources.

Also, you can’t run awayfrom what you have. You run,run and run yet one day youwill realize the need to run backhome. Take note and ACTNOW.Amara Femoh Sesay, aSierra Leonean foreignstudent in Nigeria wrote fromBayero University, [email protected]+2348077380646

Contd. from page 13

stripped away their clothes andshow them as they came to theworld, naked. In doing so I helpedthem to stop pretending to besupermen for supermen they arenot.

Having performed thatexistential task for them I mustbe careful not to disrespect them;I must respect them as I mustrespect all human beings. I saythis because having seen throughtheir clownish behaviors I wastempted to dismiss them asprimitives and not respect them.At a certain point, if truth mustbe said: I did not respect Igbos; Idid not even see them asintelligent or fully human! I sawthem as racists see black folks aschildlike.

I must correct thatmisperception of Igbos for they arehuman beings albeit imperfectones, as all of us are. Many of themare actually good.

In elementary school I had twooutstanding teachers, Mr. Bassey(from Calaba) and Mr. Ajayi (aYoruba). In secondary school I hadone outstanding teacher, Mr.Akagha, an Igbo. The man is asgood as any teacher can be. Hewas totally dedicated to his job andcared for us boys. He recognizedmy unusual gifts and would bringbooks to me to read. I liked the manso much that I actually went allthe way to New Jersey to see him(he had come to Rutgersuniversity to do graduate workand I was then a graduate studentat the University of California).The point is that some Igbos aregood, very good and I must nevermake the mistake of disrespectingthem. Understanding them, yes,but disrespecting them never. If I

disrespect them I disrespect me forafter all I am one of them, theyare my people.

ConclusionBy observing the public

behaviors of Igbos I was initiallytempted to relegate them to thedustbin and ignore them.However, by paying some qualityattention to them I discovered thatI could learn about theirpsychology. Over the past severalyears I have done exactly that.

Lately, I observed that theymaneuver to get other people tosee them as innocent victims thatother people oppress. I also notedthat despite playing the victimrole they tend to attack people.They have bad mouths. They saythe most nasty things aboutpeople, especially about theirNigerian neighbors, Hausas andYorubas (and about you if youdared to ask them to correct theirways...I dared asking them not toput down Hausas for frompersonal experience I know thatHausas are as good as otherHuman beings, I went to schoolwith them, in what is called Highschool I had a Hausa boy, he wasabout eighteen and that boy wasa wiz in mathematics). I learnedfrom growing up in multiculturalLagos that all of us are people so ithurt me badly when I saw myfellow Igbos always insultingother Nigerians and I spoke up andthey turned their anger at me andcalled me every insulting namethey could muster. Well, I learnedthat they do attack peoplepsychologically hence are not thevictims they claim to be.

If they are not victims wheredo they get off playing the victimrole? I asked a question and asusual the universe gave me theanswer. In this essay I have

outlined some of the reasons whythese bright but misguided peopleplay at being victims while feelingsuperior to folk and attacking folk.

They want to be seen asvictims so that they control thosewho see them as victims! Likewomen and minority persons inAmerica they are employingvictim psychology in their questfor power in society. I will look intothis phenomenon some more butfor now I have written the insightinto the issue that I just gained.

Although this is not directlyrelated to the topic at hand let meobserve what anthropologists tellus. They tell us that in primitivesocieties people used socialostracism to control people, to getthem to obey the rules of the land,to do as expected to do. People whodidn’t go along with others wereshamed. Primitive folks fearedbeing shamed for that meantbeing rejected by their people.Primitive folks struggled to beaccepted by their people andfeared shame more than theyfeared death itself.

Igbos use shame to controlpeople. If you appear to deviatefrom their social norms they tryto shame you. They would call younegative names (it is calledimanjakiri and Iko Okwu). Theywill say the nastiest things aboutyou, most of them lies, to shameyou, to humiliate you. The idea isthat since you are like them, aprimitive, you would fear beingshamed and thus conform to theirmores. They tried that primitivegame on me and it did not workon me.

It did not work on me becauseof my background. Althoughnominally Igbo I am notculturally Igbo. I was born incosmopolitan Lagos. Still a

teenager I came to the West andmy socialization was completedin America. Thus, culturally I amWestern rather than African. Myinstinctive reaction is typicalAmerican, no kidding. Therefore,these people could not control mewith their play at shaming meor arousing guilt in me orpresenting themselves as victims.Like conservative Americans(and I am politicallyconservative) when theyengaged in their victim playsinstead of having pity for them Idismissed them as weaklings.Man-up; do not behave like awoman. It is women who usevictim role to get what theywant.

In sum I have learned a lot byobserving these crazy butobviously gifted people. I amgrateful to them for voluntarilybehaving in the odd andeccentric ways they behave thusarousing my curiosity andconsequent observation of them.By writing about theirinteresting malady I have helpedin healing them of it. Thus, I havebeen useful to them.

I could have simply ignoredthem, overlooked their obviousparanoid behaviors and notbothering to explain to them whatthey are doing. But a part of mewanted to help them and did sodespite their bad mouthing me.

Each of us must perform hisexistential task for all of us. I haved performed my chosen task forthese people. As their inheritedOnye Ishi Muo of Amadioha,apparently, I came to this lifetime to help heal them of theirparanoia and in so doing helpunleash their obvious talents.

When they stop alienatingother people, fighting with the

world, I believe that they wouldbecome as competitive as the bestof human beings. When they getrid of their self-defeatingparanoid behaviors superstars ofscience and technology will risefrom them.

At present they are wastingtheir mental energy pretendingto be very important persons, asparanoids do. All they need to dois accept their existentialnothingness, as healthy people doand then figure out what theyare individually good at andcommit their lives to doing it andthey become real achievers, notthe pseudo achievers they claimto be.

*I wrote this essay in a littleover one hour. I suspect thatmany Igbos will devote enormoustime refuting my thesis insteadof learning from it. What they doreminds me of what my Swamitold us. An old and a young monkwere trying to cross a river. Theysaw a smashingly good lookingwoman in proper dress. The oldmonk did not want the woman towet her clothes so he decided tocarry her across the river and didso. When they reached the otherside of the river he put her downand continued on his journey.The younger monk kept shakinghis head saying: you defiledyourself by touching thatwoman; we are not supposed totouch women. The older manignored him but he kept at it.Finally, he said; I carried thatwoman for, may be, five minutesbut you have been carrying herfor over an hour now! Cheers,Dr. Ozodi Thomas Osuji,from Imo state, obtained hisPhD from [email protected]

Concluded

Igbos play the victim role to controlthose in power in their world (II)


Some farmers in the FCTyesterday, criticised theNigerian Meteorological

Agency (NIMET) for itsinaccurate weather forecasts anddelay in releasing the 2012Seasonal Rainfall Prediction(SRP).

Speaking with the News

Abuja farmers carpet NIMETfor inaccurate forecasts

Agency of Nigeria (NAN), ChiefMoses Gilbert, an AgriculturalScientist, blamed NIMET for notreleasing its SRP in Januarywhen farmers would be able tofollow up the prediction easily.

He complained that theforecast released by the agencywas confusing, adding that it

was creating more problems forfarmers, ``because we cannotsee what they predictedhappening.

``NIMET predicted in Marchthat there would be normalrainfall across the country,meaning there would not beflooding but now in Lagos,

Ibadan and some other parts ofthe country, we haveexperienced flooding.

``As you can see now, Abujahas not witnessed a proper rainfall since the beginning of theyear; this could not allow us togo into farming because nobodyknows what would happen next,''he said.

Mr Ahame Audu, a farmerat Gwagwalada area of the FCT,said since the beginning of theyear, none of the predictions ofthe agency on weather had cometo reality.

He also accused NIMET of notcommunicating with farmers inthe rural areas by interpretingthe seasonal rainfall predictionsthat was released by the agencyonce a year in local languagesthat the farmers couldunderstand.

Mrs Patricia Emabino,another farmer at Nyanya in theFCT, said there was nothing toshow that the governmentagency cared about farmers likeother stakeholders who used theweather and climateinformation.

`` Most farmers across thecountry become victims offlooding and low harvest of farmcrops because of wronginformation or as a result of nothaving access to the weatherinformation provided by theagency.

``Sometimes, even whenthe forecast is released, youwill realise that it never comestrue,'' Emabino said.

Last month, Dr AnthonyAnuforom, the DirectorGeneral of NIMET, during thepresentation of the SeasonalRainfall Prediction, apologisedfor the delay in releasing thepredictions.

He urged stakeholders thathaving been delayed for amonth, the SRP would still beuseful to stakeholders,especially the farmers and theaviation sector.

Anuforom had said thatalthough the agriculturalsector would mainly experiencesome losses, due to the excessiverainfall in 2011, there wouldbe normal rainfall across thecountry within the year.

He urged stakeholders,especially farmers to make useof the predictions. (NAN)

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

has warned land speculators inKafe District of the FCT againstencroaching on other peoples’lands.

Mr. Hope Thompson, a TownPlanner with the DevelopmentControl Department in the AbujaMetropolitan ManagementCouncil (AMMC), gave thewarning in an interview with theNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN)in Abuja yesterday.

He said that privatedevelopers at Kafe District, avirgin land located aroundGwarimpa Estate in the FCT, hadformed the “habit of notdeveloping their property withinthe boundary allotted to them.

“They encroach on otherpeoples’ lands, public utility andflood-prone areas,’’ he said,warning that the FCTA would nolonger condone the act.

“We have commenced dailymonitoring and enforcement toensure that developers follow thenormal procedure to avertdistortion of the Abuja MasterPlan.”

Thompson said the FCTA hadalso started removing illegalfences erected on green lands andother people’s plots.

He said the FCTA demolishedsome illegal buildings anddrinking joint on the roadcorridor at Mbora District as wellas shanties and private officesmade of containers that wereerected on a planned busterminal.

He said that although enoughnotice was given to the affectedpeople before the demolition,most of them ignored it. (NAN)

FCTA warnsdevelopersagainst landencroachment

Vehicles trapped under a collapsed scaffold near a construction site Central Area, yesterday inAbuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Dear reader, Metrowelcomes humaninterest stories in yourneighbourhood. Pleasecall or send SMS to08065327178 or [email protected] to inform us abouthappenings in yourarea. Share yourexperiences or those ofyour friends andneighbours with fellowreaders.

avoid vandalisation.The Coordinator said the

NDE FCT is ready to commencethe Rural AgricultureDevelopment Training Scheme(RADTS) with 120 trainees,who will be groomed in allaspects of Agriculture as amodern business and jobcreator.

He noted that the centre canaccommodate 500 in no

distant future.Responding, the Chairman

of the Bwari Area Councilthanked the NDE for choosingthe area council for locatingthe multi-purpose skillsacquisition centre.

He pointed out that thecommencement of theAgricultural Skills training inBwari is very apt, in view ofthe fact that Bwari is famouslyknow as the food basket of theFCT.

He said the NDE project will

NDE to train 120 in agriculturecommences operation.

This was disclosed by theFCT coordinator NDE, Engr.Muhammad Ada Shuaibuduring a courtesy visit on theChairman of the Area Council,Hon. Yohanna Peter Ushafa.

According to him, it is onlyvery wise to put the centre intoimmediate use with thecollaboration of the council,being its catchment area, to

assist to develop the areacouncil by equipping its peoplewith modern Agriculturalskills, creating more jobopportunities throughmultiplier effects and reducethe rate of criminality andrestiveness among the youths.

The Chairman assured theNDE of the total support of thearea council, promising tomobiles his people toparticipate totally, and thepossibility of assisting thegrandaunds after the training.

if not for the position of thebuilding.

According to him, the collapseof the scaffolding pipes might beas a result of the repeated rainfallsthat have taken place in Abuja,because the building scaffoldingpipes had been erected for morethan a year.

"As we were working close tothis building, we heard a loudsound and we rushed out to findout what happened, that waswhen we saw that these scaffoldingpipes had collapsed. But, we thankGod that there were nobodyclimbing it to work and no liveswere lost, but as you can see, it fellupon high tension cable and fivevehicles have been destroyed.

"The scaffolding pipes has beenplace since a year ago and mighthave collapsed as a result of therains that have been falling sincethis year, which has soften theground," he said.

A senior worker at theconstruction site, who pleadedanonymity said that the collapsedof the construction scaffolding pipescame as a surprise to everybody,as there were no prior signs ofcollapsing.

He assured that necessaryaction would be taken to correctwhat went wrong, but refused tocomment on whether or not thecompany in charge of the buildingwould compensate owners of thedamaged cars.

Collapsed scaffolding pipes damagefive cars at Yobe Laison Office

Cars worth millions of Nairaand a power cable suffereddamages yesterday, when

massive scaffolding pipes meantfor the construction of the Yobestate Liaison Office in Abujacollapsed on the ill-fated vehicles.

Investigations revealed thatthe incidence which occurred atabout 2.pm did not claim any life,however, five cars weredamaged.

An artisan in the area, IkeFrancis who described theincident as a common man mademistake, said such incident iscapable of causing more damages

By Josephine Ella

By Josephine Ella

No fewer than 120trainees are to receivetraining in agriculture

in the newly completedNational Directorate ofEmployment (NDE) multi-purpose skills acquisitionscentre located at Bwari AreaCouncil of the Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT), soon when it


The owner of this Peugeot 406 loaded two mattresses on the roof of his car in order to‘save cost’ as seen along Airport road, yesterday in Abuja. A brick layer putting finishing touches to a building, yesterday in Utako district of Abuja.

Scavengers removing some useful materials from the debris, yesterday at Basa Village, in Abuja.A man taking a ride behind a truck not minding the risk as was captured along ChurchGate, yesterday in Abuja. Photos: Joe Oroye

A woman preparing meal in African way as recorded at Federal Housing Estate, yesterday in Lugbe, Abuja.


Traders barricade Abuja-Keffi road over market row

The plight of residents of theFederal Capital Territory(FCT) and people residing

in settlements in theneighbouring Nasarawa state,compounded yesterday, astraders in their hundredsobstructed vehicular movementalong the Mararaba - Nyanyaroad for several hours.

Our correspondent, gatheredfrom a resident, EmmanuelOkere, who was among thosetrapped by the obstruction thattraders under the auspices ofMararaba Building MaterialTraders Association wereprotesting the seal up of theirmarket by the court, which wasenforced by the police.

Chairman of the association,

Mr. Victor Cheta said thatsecurity men in the marketcalled him at 4.30 am andinformed him of the presence ofthe police with court officials fromMararaba who said they were atthe market to enforce a courtorder that the traders failed tocomply with.

However, contrary to this, hesaid the association did not getany court order even when it isin court with the owner of theland where the market is located.

Cheta revealed that the landis on lease for 17 years and hadonly been occupied by the tradersfor only 12 years when thelandlord demanded for 100,000from the 252 shop owners.

Meanwhile, Counsel to theAssociation, UgochukwuAzubuike faulted the court order

arguing that it was neithersigned by the Registrar nor on hisbehalf.

The lawyer recalled that in1996, an association entered intoa legal lease with the owner of anempty plot of land, developed itand gave out to traders for 17years.

According to him, the tradershave no business with theoriginal land owner as they aretenants to the association whowent into lease with the owner.

He said that a court ofcompetent jurisdiction hadearlier dismissed the case infavour of the traders insistingthat the judgement was notappealed on when the purportedcourt order came.

"The High court sitting in itsappellate jurisdiction said that

The Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT)administration said

arrangement has beenconcluded for the FCT MicroFinance in Kwali to commenceoperation in the next couple ofweeks.

Speaking at the flag-off ofthe United Nations IndustrialDevelopment (UNIDO)/Hewlett Packard (HP)Learning Initiative forEntrepreneurs at the AbujaEnterprise Agency (AEA) inWuse, the Minister of State forFCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akiajidesaid the bank is intended toprovide financial support toyoung entrepreneurs in theFCT.

The minister saidparticipants of the initiative,undertaken by the AEA incollaboration with the UnitedNations IndustrialDevelopment Organisation,UNIDO and other partners areexpected to enjoy financialservices, such as loans from themicro finance bank when itcommences operation.

She explained that theentrepreneurship programmeis also targeted at creatingopportunities for the youths toget gainfully employed and toensure the provision ofenabling environment forbusiness growth in theterritory for the benefit of thepeople.

"It will also encourageparticipants to learn and gettrained under conditions thatwill generate ultimateproductivity," she added

Also speaking, theManaging Director of the AEA,Mrs Altine Jibrin said theprogram will train students,aspiring entrepreneurs andsmall business owners toharness the power ofInformation Technology toestablish and grow theirbusinesses which in turn helpsto create economic opportunityand influences the lives ofmillions.

She added that theprogramme combines face toface training and on line toolsto address the educationalneeds of students regardless oftheir backgrounds, locations orcircumstances.

FCT MicroFinanceBank tokick-off soonin Kwali

Emmanuel told the court thatthe accused, who resides atAnguwa Tiv, Kuje, FCT, drovea Fiat truck with registrationNo. AT800AGL on April 6 in adangerous manner alongObafemi Awolowo Way, JabiMasalachi junction, Abuja.

Emmanuel said that in the

process, the accused lost controlof the vehicle and ran into aMazda bus with registrationnumber XR885ABD driven byone Henry Ibisagba of DusteBakuma Village, Abuja,causing the death of Bello,theconductor of the bus.

The prosecutor said the

offence contravened Section 27of the Road Traffic Act, but theaccused pleaded not guilty tothe charge.

Chief Magistrate RahmatuGulma ordered that the accusedbe remanded in prison custody,and adjourned the case to May14 for hearing. (NAN)

Police arraign driver, 31, for causing conductor’s death

A 31-year-old driver,Sunday Onyegbule, wasyesterday arraigned

before an Abuja ChiefMagistrates’ Court on a chargeof causing the death of oneNasiru Bello, a bus conductor,through dangerous driving.

Police prosecutor Simeon

A chief magistrate court inKaru has issued awarrant of arrest against

one Barrister Kennedy Arinze,who absconded from court overa case of criminal conspiracy,forgery and attempt to commit

crime between him (BarristerArinze) and the Commissioner ofPolice.

Barrister Arinze allegedlyconspired with his colleague, oneBarrister Kenneth Anakwe toapply and obtain from the LandRegistry of the AbujaGeographical Information

System (AGIS), the certified truecopy of the title document of alanded property of a nominalcomplainant with a view to re-selling the land illegally.

The Chief Margistrate,Shuaibu Usman, who decried thelevel of involvement of somelawyers in criminal matters,

Court issues warrant of arrest against absconding lawyerconfirmed that the signedwarrant emanated from hiscourt and was imperative sincethe accused (Arinze) had failedto appear in court.

He observed that somelawyers cash in on client'snaivety to indulge in illegalactivities in breach of their oathas legal practitioners.

Counsel to Complainant,Barrister Steve Imokhe,explained that when the accusedapplied for the document, heneither obtained a policeextract, newspaper publicationnor a court affidavit as requiredby law, before the certified truecopy could be issued, describingArinze's action as "suspicious,unprofessional and a breach ofdue process".

Cosmetics hawker at Karu junction, Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

By Josephine Ella

By Josephine Ella the people he brought to court hadno legal relationship with theowner of the land. The battle nowis that he obtained an interimorder purportedly issued.Meanwhile, the interim order hasnot been served when theybrought the police to seal up themarket," he said.

Although the trafficcongestion was brought undercontrol at about noon whensoldiers arrived to remove theobstacles erected on the road bythe angry traders, as at presstime, the market was still underlock and key.

Meanwhile efforts to reach theDivisional Police Officer ofMararaba Police station, SUPOLAliyu proved abortive as he wassaid to be engaged in a tightschedule.

By Josephine Ella


Management Tip of the DayEven high performers need feedback

stars both positive and negativefeedback. Tell them how muchyou appreciate their good work.

Identify and sharedevelopment areas, even ifthere are only a few. Talk withyour stars about how theymight achieve the next level ofperformance. And, don't miss

the opportunity to solicit inputon how you are doing as amanager.

Ask questions such as "Howcan I help you improve?" or"What can our organisation doto support your great work?"Source: Harvard BusinessReview

INSIDE

Some managers assumetheir star employees don'tneed feedback. They're

clearly doing a good job and theydon't need to improve, right?Wrong. Even your topperformers need input to stayengaged, focused, andmotivated. Frequently give your

BUYING SELLING

CFA 0.2922 0.3122• 203.2332 204.5465£ 248.869 250.4772RIYAL 41.2634 41.53$ 154.75 155.75

CBN 23th Apr, 2012

EXCHANGE RATES

PARALLEL RATES BUYING SELLING

• 210 212£ 254 256RIYAL 40 42$ 157 158

NAHCO staff getsTurkish Airlines

rewards for rare actof honesty

- Pg 20

Email: [email protected] Mob: 08033644990

BBBBBUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESSUSINESS

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, 2.45

IRS AIRLINES

AIR NIGERIA (MONDAY - SUNDAY)

DANA AIRLINES (MON - SUN)

AEROCONTRACTORS (MON - SUN)

ABJ-SOK (FRI): 10.10

ABJ-SOK (WED/SUN): 11.20

SOK-ABJ (FRI): 12.00

SOK-ABJ (WED/SUN): 13.20

LOS-ABJ (SUN): 12.30

LOS-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: 08.10

KANO-LOS: 11.25KANO-ABUJA: 11.25

ABUJA-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

S/N BENEFICIARIES SUB-TOTAL (N)

1 FG (52.68%)States (26.72%)L/govt Councils (20.72%)Derivation (13% of Mineralrevenue-oil/gas)Value Added Tax (VAT)& Transfers 613.7 billion

FAAC allocation for the month of March 2012 Agbaje, Aig-Imoukhuede,Bisi Onasanya, othersshortlisted for African Banker Awards 2012

L-R: Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Roberto Colamine; Group Managing Director/CEO , UBA Plc, Mr.Philip Oduoza; General Manager, Corporate Finance and Control ,Nigeria Agip oil Company (NAOC),Stefano Pujatti ; and Group Managing Director, NAOC, Mr. Ciro Pujatti , during a Send – forth dinner partyOrganized by UBA in honour of Mr. Stefano Pujatti in Abuja recently.

By Aminu Imam

The African Banker Awardshas released its shortlist ofnominees for the 2012

competition. The winners will beannounced at the Awardsceremony on the 30th May,which comes to Africa for the firsttime.

Usually held during theannual World Bank/IMFmeetings, this year's eventcoincides with the annual AfricanDevelopment Bank (AfDB)meetings in Arusha, Tanzaniawith the bank as the OfficialPatron for the Awards.

With a record number ofentries received for this year'scompetition the Bank of the Yearand Banker of the Year categoriesboth have 7 nominees competingfor a trophy. Anglophone andFrancophone Africa are nearevenly matched in the Banker ofthe Year category where theshortlisted candidates are: AigbojeAig-Imoukhuede, ManagingDirector of Access Bank, Nigeria;Amadou Kane, PrésidentDirecteur Général, BanqueInternationale pour le Commerceet l'Industrie du Sénégal (BICIS),Senegal; Bisi Onasanya, Group

Unions rejectsallegationsagainst NNPCBy Muhammad Nasir

Some unions comprising theNigerian NationalPetroleum Corporation

(NNPC), Nigeria Union ofPetroleum and Natural GasWorkers (NUPENG) andPetroleum and Natural GasSenior Staff Association ofNigeria (PENGASSAN) havekicked against the allegationsleveled on the NNPC by theFarouk Lawal-led Ad-hoccommittee's report in the Houseof Representatives on the oilsubsidy probe.

In a response to theallegations, the GECs stated that

the Corporation deducted thesum of N488,255 billion inaddition to the payment ofN981,648 billion by the Centralbank of Nigeria (CBN) in2009,the sum of N407,801billion, in addition to thepayment of N402,423 billion byCBN in 2010 and the sum ofN847,942 billion in addition tothe payment of N844,944billion by CBN for 2011 contraryto section 162 of the Constitutionas amended.

In a statement signedyesterday by the GroupChairman PENGASSAN, F.OJohnson, Ag.Group SecretaryPENGASSAN, M.C. Nwobodo,Group Chairman, Nupeng,Richard Otovwiewiere andGroup Secretary, NUPENG,Ahmed Tijjani Sani, noted thatthe allegations are weighty andgrievous and are capable ofinfluencing and incitinginnocent Nigerians against theirmembers and portraying thecorporation in underserved badlight.

The Group also noted that theNNPC management has alreadymade public that it neverreceived any such payment fromthe CBN, adding that the issuesof figures and facts are verifiable.

However, the Group has callon the relevant agenciesincluding the Nigerian LabourCongress (NLC), Trade UnionCongress (TUC) and SecurityAgencies to take the issueseriously and demand fulldisclosure of whether the saidamount was ever paid, to whomand for what purpose, addingthat they will leave no stoneunturned until their demand forfull disclosure is met.

Managing Director & CEO ofFirstBank of Nigeria; JamesBenoit, CEO & Executive Directorof AfrAsia Bank, Mauritius;Olusegun Agbaje, ManagingDirector of Guaranty Trust Bank,Nigeria; Othman Benjelloun,Chairman and CEO of BMCEBank Group, Morocco; and PaMacoumba M. Njie, ManagingDirector of Trust Bank, TheGambia.

Nigeria and South Africacompete neck and neck in thehighly anticipated Bank of theYear category with Access Bank,FirstBank of Nigeria, StandardBank Group, and StandardChartered in the running;however they face stiffcompetition from heavyweightsEquity Bank, Kenya;Attijariwafa Bank, Morocco; andEcobank (ETI), Togo.

However, it is East Africa thatdominates the anthropologicalFinancial Inclusion categorywith the line-up comprisingBanque Rwandaise deDéveloppement (BRD), Rwanda;BRAC Tanzania; Equity Bank,Kenya; Banque Populaire,Morocco; and Trust MerchantBank SARL, DR Congo.

The Best Retail Bank category

makes its debut this year with thefirst-time nominee Coris BankInternational, Burkina Faso goingup against the previouslyshortlisted candidates DiamondBank, Nigeria, Millennium BIM,Mozambique, Banque Populaire,Morocco, and the National Bank ofEgypt.

Commenting on this year'sentries Publisher of African Bankermagazine, Omar Ben Yedder said:"We are excited to recognise andcelebrate these African championsin Arusha during the AfDB annualmeetings. The entries havebecome stronger year on year, andthe committee is impressed by therole financial institutions areplaying in driving growth,especially the increasing numberof big ticket deals and also smallerones, creating a blueprint forothers to replicate."

The African Banker Awardsare organised by African Bankermagazine, IC Events andBusinessinAfrica Events. It is alandmark event that bringstogether over 300 key industryplayers and top governmentofficials from Africa and aroundthe world to celebrate excellenceand best practices in Africanbanking and finance.


FG to build twoemergency powerplants in Lagos

The Federal Governmenton Monday said it wouldbuild two emergency

power plants in Lagos to ensureadequate power supply in thestate.President Goodluck Jonathansaid this at the opening of the6th Lagos Economic Summittagged, “Ehingbeti 2012”.

Ghana expects tomake $160bnrevenue from gasyearly

Ghana is estimated to rakein $1 billion (aboutN160bn) in revenue a

year from the gas industry, anamount that can enable thecountry repay the three billion-dollar Chinese loan facilityfrom the Chinese DevelopmentBank. Vice president John Dramani Mahama made thedisclosure at the weekend at thejust-ended Third Ghana PolicyFair.

Nigerian wirelesscommunicationsexpo holds inAbuja

For the first time ever, theNigerian WirelessCommunications industry

will gather to share cuttingedge technology and knowledgewith global industry leaderssuch as Motorola and AmericaInternational Radio. TaggedNigerian WirelessCommunications Expo, the twoday event holds the 5th & 6thof June 2012 at the ShehuMusa Yar ‘Adua Centre, Abuja.

HP affirms IP as‘Secret Ingredient’to EconomicGrowth

HP recently held aroundtable discussionwhere they laid

emphasis on the vital role ofintellectual property (IP) as acatalyst for economic, socialand cultural prosperity.

AssociatedDiscount Houserepositionsthrough revenuediversification

Associated Discount HouseLimited (ADH) hasannounced a Profit before

Tax of N766million for 2011financial year representing animproved performance of 571percent over the correspondingperiod of the previous financialyear.

COMPANYNEWS

Experts project 20, 000 jobs fromproposed new national carrier

Experts in the aviationindustry has posited thatthe country will generate

about 19, 500 jobs from direct andsupportive industries if theproposed National Flag Carrier isestablished with a sum of N985billion.

A group of professionals led byan aeronautic engineer andManaging Director of AirGoldAviation, Engr Ifeanyi Okochasaid in Lagos that a feasibility studycarried out by the group showedthat it will require the amount tocome upstream will soon besubmitted to the presidentGoodluck Jonathan.

Okocha explained that whenthe carrier is established,it will becalled ‘Nigeria Airlines’ affirmingthat the proposed carrier by the

group will not be managed by civilservants with civil servicestructure, but professionally byprofessionals.

The aeronautic expertreiterated that the servicestructure was responsible for thedefunct liquidated NigeriaAirways Limited (NAL).

“If Nigeria Airways Limitedwas managed professionally; thenational carrier would still beoperating till today. But it was runin a civil service manner” he said

Also, he said the time NAL wasliquidated, the national carrierhad four large maintenancedepartments, which according tohim should have been convertedto Maintenance Overhaul andRepair (MRO) facilities.

Regrettably he lamented thatthey have closed down, therebydenying the Federal Government

the opportunity of generatingrevenue, adding that today, if theconversion was done, airlines inNigeria and other internationalairlines would have been doingtheir C and D checks in thecountry.

According to him, out of the19,500 jobs on offer from theairline, 16,000 will be graduates.8,000 will be aviationprofessionals, 2,960 will be juniorstaff, the management staff will bemade up of 400 personnel and 20top management staff and 120expatriates.

The proposed national flagcarrier will commence flightoperations with 48 airplanes andwill introduce an aeronauticindustrial section 12 months afterit commenced operations withanother 10, 000.

Okocha said that the group is

Stories from Suleiman Idris, Lagos

relying on the FederalGovernment to fund the projectwhich will be in form of loans, whileit directs the Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN) to supervise theproject.

“What the FederalGovernment needed to do is toinvite the Minister of Aviation,Finance and the Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN) Governor to takelook at the project. We will pay backwithin 10 years period and withinthree years of commencingoperations, the carrier will betaken to the Nigeria StockExchange”

He said the group will bring inaircraft manufacturing bases to belocated in Ibadan, Kaduna andAbuja, positing that Lagos hasbecome congested and thereforewould be constrained to providethe large expanse of land requiredfor the project.

L-R; Managing Director, Turkish Airlines, Mr. Ali Bulut presenting a gift to Mr. Lateef Salami Ibrahim ofNAHCO in his office for his rare act of honesty.

As the 30 days deadlinegiven to two Britishairlines, British Airways

and Virgin Atlantics to reducetheir air fare for passengers inNigeria expires today, a travelagent expert has described theaction as needless saying thegovernment should ratherconcentrate on building neededinfrastructure instead ofmeddling into privateinvestment of operators.

Speaking in Lagos during thefirm 3rd Annual GeneralMeeting, Chairman of SabreTravel Network, Mr. AnthonyKila affirmed that governmentcannot dictate to people how torun their private business.adding that rather than tryingto force the operators to reducetheir fares, the governmentshould investigate why Nigerianairlines are not flying.

He said “The FederalGovernment should mind theirbusiness; they should build roads,

fix electricity and not tamperinto private business. If they wantNigerian Airlines to fly, whatthey should do is not to force peopleto lower their price. They shouldgo and study why Nigerianairlines cannot fly and removethose problems.

He asserts that “they shouldreduce the interest rate; whybusiness cannot operate in thesystem? They should ensuresafety, and if you look at thestructural issues affecting theairlines, it is a fault problem,wrong economics and ridiculouspolitics for them to be doing whatthey are trying to do.”

Mr. Kila pointed out that theprobe by the senate committee onaviation on high fare beingcharged by BA and VAA iswrongly misplaced and chargedthat the committee should bedealing with the airlineseconomic fare that affectmajority of Nigerians instead ofharping on premium fare.

“If you look at data, theproblem of fare they are talkingabout is premium fare, noteconomics fare. The fares of thoseairlines are cheaper in economy,compared to Ghana. It just showstheir own incompetence withpeople dealing with things thatthey have not checked with.”

“Economic fares is cheaper inNigeria, premium fares is moreexpensive, so we have a House ofAssembly and our politicianstroubling themselves onpremium fares when majority ofNigerians actually fly economy.Are they thinking of majority ofNigerians or they are thinking ofthemselves?” Kila queried.

On the proposed Fly NigerianAct, he reiterated that thegovernment cannot force peopleto fly a particular airline positingthat travellers’ preference for aparticular airline is based on thereliability, timeliness, safety andgood customer service of theairline.

Expert chides FG over fare hike, saysinfrastructure is key to industry

Nothing could have comebetter for an act of honestyand patriotism for a staff

of the Nigerian Aviation HandlingCompany (NAHCO), Mr. SalamiLateef Ibrahim, as TurkishAirlines rewarded him with an allexpensive paid returned tickets toIstanbul, Turkey for his humbleact of submitting the sum of25,000 pounds and 5,000 euro hefound inside an aircraft at theinternational wing of the MurtalaMohammed Airport in Lagos.

Ibrahim, who is a cabincleaning team leader, found thewallet containing the amountduring a routine cleaning of anaircraft belonging to a differentairline.

The Managing Director of theairline in Nigeria, Mr. Ali Bulut,said that Mr. Ibrahim deserves itfor his honesty saying “this is anact that should be rewarded andencouraged because it is good foraviation industry in Nigeria”adding that even though theincident did not take place onTurkish Airlines’ aircraft, we arehappy that it happened at least inthe industry.

The NAHCO staff who wasinitially rewarded with a rebateticket by the Turkish AirlinesStation Manager at the airport,Mr. Ovunc Bilgen had the ticketupgraded to a full return ticketby the Managing Director of theairline in Nigeria, Mr. Ali Bulut.

Ibrahim told reporters that“where I come from, good behavioris rewarded even if it is notdirectly to you; when I found thewallet inside the aircraft whilecleaning it, I submitted it tosecurity and airline personnel andthe passenger came to collect thewallet in my presence. I want tothank Turkish Airlines forrewarding me on this. I thankthem’.

It was also discovered that thesame act happened in September

NAHCO staff getsTurkish Airlinesrewards for rareact of honesty


Stakeholders brainstorm on givinghotels a Nigerian identityBy Miriam Humbe

With the happenings inthe tourism sectoraimed at further

boosting it with the the wind oftransformation blowing it,going by the attention beinggiven it by the variousstakeholders, Nigeria may soonachieve her dream of takingher rightful place on the globalmap as a tourist destination ofchoice. This is thanks to theinvigorating efforts of theSegun Runsewe-led NigerianTourism DevelopmentCorporation, NTDC.

The Director-General of theNTDC, Otunba Runsewe at anevent in Abuja yesterdayhosted stakeholders in thehospitality industry. Theywere the members of HotelOwners Forum, Association,HOFA, Abuja. It was time toformally present to them theStarTimes decoders foronward installation at theirhotels with six monthssubscription all for free, at theexpense of the NTDC. Theessence of the gesture was tomake the tourism potentials ofthe country known to thewhole world.

The NTDC, in partnershipwith the Nigerian TelevisionAuthority, NTA, is set to air a''Tourism Hour'' on its networkwhere vital issues affectingtourism development inNigeria such as vacancyplacements, national securityand other topics as well ascontemporary issues will bediscussed.

Runsewe announced thatthe decoders would be madeavailable to operators of theNigerian-based hospitalityoutfits like Hotels, Eateries,Parks and Travel agencies inall the 36 states of thefederation and Abuja andadded that he was interestedin seeing the industry grow.

In order to add value to theservices rendered in thehospitality industry, Runseweannounced soothing measuresaimed at strengthening thesector which included the veryimportant issue of security.According to him, the NTDCwas working at introducing amachine with a biometric-data of all staff of hotels acrossthe country. This would checkthe issue of theft and othercriminal tendencies in hotelswhile giving visitors anassurance of safety of theirlives and property.

The NTDC also announcedplans to make available the air-conditioned buses available intheir fleet at anytime to be usedto transport tourists from theirhotels to tourist sites and alsooffer free consultancy servicesto operators. Front desk staffsof hotels are to be made to dressNigerian as the NTDC plans to

provide them locally madefabrics. This is aimed at givingour hotels a Nigerian identity.

Star Times television setswith in-built decoders atsubsidised rates are to be placedin most Nigerian hotels. TheDG disclosed that havingconcluded discussions with theNTA, the TV sets are to be madeavailable to hotels, eateriesand gardens who will pay a fewthousands less than the normalprice obtainable in the market.

President of the HotelOwners Forum Abuja,Engineer Onofiok Ekong, whilespeaking on behalf of hiscolleagues in the industry, saidthe hospitality industry wasthe highest employer of labourin Abuja and by extension,nationwide and called on otheragencies of government toemulate the NTDC asaccording to him, there was theneed for all to work together tomove this country forward.

In Taraba state, the 2012annual Nwonye fishingfestival, which has turnedTaraba a new haven of tourismfor both local and internationalvisitors came to an end duringthe weekend. The biggest catchof 280kg was made by HuduYakubu with two runners-upin this year's festival, whichattracted so much attentionand expectedly, launched abigger drive to the state'seconomy, finance, hotels and

Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, Otunba Segun Runsewe presentinga StarTimes decoder to Engineer Onofiok Ekong, President (HOFA) which will be distributed nation-wideto all duly registered hospitality outfits in an event in Abuja yesterday.

Taraba state Governor, DanbabaSuntai

totality.Virtually all hotels in

Wukari and its environsaround Zaki Biam were fullybooked by guests ahead of theNwonyo fishing festival evenas security was beefed up in thestate to safeguard lives andproperty. Governor of Tarabastate, Danbaba Suntaipromised to build anInternational Airport toprovide the necessary airtravel access to Nwonyo.

With the activeinvolvement of the NTDC wayback in 2009, OtunbaOlusegun Runsewe promised topartner the Taraba Stategovernment to develop not onlyNwonyo festival but also otherabundant tourism potentials inthe state. Since then, Nwonyobecame a big event ofinternational reckoning withthe collaborative efforts of thestate's Tourism Board.

Meanwhile, the efforts of theDG at repositioning thetourism sector have continuedto receive due recognition in allquarters. Only recently, thefirst class Chief of Idoma land,The O'chi Idoma, His RoyalHighness, Agaba-Idu AliasIkoyi Obekpa bestowed onRunsewe, the exceptionalChieftaincy title of "Odejo ofAagboko" during the 2012annual Aagboko Day Festivalheld in Otukpo.

In the same vein, Oba ofYoruba in Abuja, Oba OlusegunSalau presented the certificateof Balogun Yoruba of Abujachieftaincy title to OtunbaSegun Runsewe, which wasreceived on his behalf by theDeputy Director, Press, Mr.Akin Onipede during the YorubaDay celebration held in Abuja.

The collaborative efforts, it ishoped, will yield the desiredresults in good time so as todiversify the nation's economy.This is calling on all Nigerianswithin and outside the sector togive their utmost contributionsto the tourism sector to ensureits growth.

From right: Oba of Yoruba in Abuja, Oba Olusegun Salau presenting a certificate of Balogun Yoruba OfAbuja chieftancy title to Otunba Segun Runsewe, DG( NTDC). Collecting it on his behalf is Deputy Directorof Press, Mr. Akin Onipede during the Yoruba Day celebration recently held in Abuja.


Germany partners Lagoson waste conversion

Lagos state government andthe Federal Republic ofGermany are to collaborate

in developing institutionon waste management aimed atachieving a sustainable mutualdevelopment.

The state Commissioner forthe Environment Mr. TunjiBello, made this disclosureyesterday at the flag- off of a fourDay workshop on the Theory ofConstraints, TOC for Lagos Statecharacterization study, at Ikeja,the state capital.

The workshop was sponsoredby the state government inconjunction with Messrs ATAssociation, a consultant toGerman Federal Ministry ofEducation and Research, underIGNIS,( income generation andclimate protection byvalorisation of municipal solidwastes in a sustainable way infuture megacities).

Bello, who noted that thestate government hadsuccessfully implemented somecore areas of waste managementhierarchy which includestorage, collection/evacuationand transportation, said that thelast component which istreatment and disposal of wastemanagement programme in itsmove to improve servicedelivery had been left undonealbeit in a sustainable manner.

Bello, who was representedby Permanent Secretary in theministry, Mrs. Titi Anibaba,explained that in realisation ofrehabilitation of existingdumpsites, transfer loadingstations and development of twonumbers of sanitary landfill sitesin Epe and Badagry areas of thestate, the state government hadgone ahead to initiate andimplement waste to wealthprogramme with the goal ofachieving the hidden value ofwaste as a resource, such asenergy, compost, biogas, ethanolamong others.

His words: “It is pertinent tostate that ever since thecommencement of the processtowards achieving this

initiative, the constituent/composition of municipal solidwastes that is peculiar to Lagoshas always been a contemporaryissue by proponents of variousproposed projects towardsexecuting a detailed projectfeasibility studies even throughefforts which has been expendedby the ministry and Lagos Statewaste Management Agency,LAWMA, is not enough and thereis need to do more.

“It is pertinent thatunderstanding thecharacteristics of waste isfundamental to selecting,designing and implementingmanagement solutions in thewaste management industry.Towards achieving this, theministry in collaboration withGermany under IGNIS haveagreed to kick start the wastecharaterization study throughTOC.”

According to thecommissioner, the workshop isexpected to impart onparticipants on how best toascertain whether wastes arebeing stored, collected, disposedor handled in accordance withthe regulations; minimizationor reuse of certain wastematerials; and whether disposalor constructive use options canreduce costs liability.

“The success of this workshopis a sure gateway to manycollaborative efforts betweenLagos state Government and theFederal republic of Germanythrough the institution of abilateral relationship that willdefinitely improve delivery ofall our service delivery of all ourservice provider in the wastemanagement sector.” thecommissioner stated.

In his brief address, Mr BarryUrban, representative ofGerman AT association, saidGermany has beencollaborating with the stategovernment for the past 10years in the area of exchangeprogrammes on capacitybuilding and “Germany is readyto further improve on thecollaboration in the area ofwaste management.”

The 12-month Gas-to PowerEmergency Supply Planannounced last week by

the Minister of PetroleumResources is expected to startyielding results in the next fewweeks as 500m metric feeds(mcf/d) of gas will be madeavailable to the NigerianIndependent Power Plant, NIPP,to generate about 2000MW ofelectricity.

The Minister of PetroleumResources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, made this disclosureon Monday at a press briefingin Abuja where she explainedthat the emergency plan was

Gas to Power: 500 million metric feeds of gasto be delivered to NIPP soon–Alison-Madueke

the NIPP pipeline around Oredoare key elements of thisaddition. These projects are allin advanced stages and shouldbe completed within the nextfew weeks,” she explained.

Apart from the 180mmcf/dof gas to be delivered in the nextfew weeks to the NIPP, Alison-Madueke said the balance of320mmcf/d (equivalent of1300MW) will be delivered overthe next 12 months.

“As you know, new plantsare continually coming onstream. In addition to the180mmcf/d above, a further320mmcf/d will be deliveredand deployed to these plantsover the next 12 months,” shesaid.

To meet the target, she saidthe emergency plan willleverage on the excessprocessing capacity inPanOcean to process gas that

will be rerouted from Oredo byNigerian PetroleumDevelopment Company, NPDC; access additional gas atEscravos, and expand theUtorogu Hub, adding that“with these interventions newplants at Ihovor, Omotosho andGeregu NIPP’s will receivesignificant boost in gas supply”.

The minister said she hasdirected the contractorhandling the ELPS Phase 2 toimmediately deploy additionalresources to accelerate theexpansion of the pipeline fromOben to Lagos and to deploypragmatic contracting strategyto enable expeditedprocurement of critical itemslike line pipes.

She said the criticalintervention would requireadditional funding which isbeing sourced throughgovernment’s public/private

the first concerted effort toaddress the absence ofalignment between theNIPP’s and the necessary gassupply to power them since2005 when they wereconceptualized.

Throwing more light on the500mmcf/d of gas to be madeavailable to NIPP, Alison-Madueke said that 180mmcf/d of gas will come fromEscravos, Utorogu, Ughelli andOredo.

”Ongoing activities such asthe laying of the Olorunshogopipeline, the completion of theEscravos Lagos PipelineSystem A and the completion of

By Muhammad Nasir partnership funding initiative.Earlier in the day, the

minister and her counterpartin the Ministry of Power, ProfBarth Nnaji, had constitutedan 11-man made up of officialsfrom the Ministry of Petroleumand Ministry Power to align theNIPP’s with gas supply.

Members of the committeeinclude Toyin Olagunju, Sa’iduMohammed, Edwin Udezi, ToluLukanbi, O. Ajisafe and S.A.Babalola (all from thePetroleum Resources Ministry).

Others are Engrs. DagogoJack, Clement Oke, SimeonAdakulu, Chike Madueke andLuis Edozien (all from theMinistry of Power).

It would be recalled that lastweek, Mrs Alison-Maduekeannounced a 12-month gasemergency plan to address thechallenge of gas supply to powerplants.From Bimbo Ogunnaike, Lagos

L-R: Edo state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,Dr Adewunmi Adesina, during a one-day Agribusiness and Investment Summit organised by the Edostate Government, on Monday in Benin City.

Shares of Wal-Mart Stores,the world’s largest retailer,fell on Monday in response

to a New York Times reportalleging the company coveredup a whistle-blower’s complaintsof widespread briberyinvolving $24 million (aboutN3,840 billion) at its Mexicansubsidiary.

The stock, which had gained4.5% this year, was down almost5% by noon and will no doubt fallfurther as more informationemerges over the next few days.

It could be recalled thatSiemens AG was fined $800million in 2008 afterinvestigators uncoveredevidence that the Germanconglomerate paid about $1.4billion in bribes to foreigngovernments over a decade.

That was the largest fine ofits kind ever paid. A year later,Kellogg Brown & Root and itsformer corporate parent,Halliburton pleaded guilty tocharges of paying $182 millionin bribes to officials in Nigeria.Kellogg Brown & Root agreed toa $402 million fine.

And BAE Systems, the U.K.

Wal-Mart Stores hit by N3.84bn bribery scandalBy Aminu Imam with agencyreport

defense contractor, was fined$400 million after investigatorsfound the company made “falsestatements about its ForeignCorrupt Practices Actcompliance program.”

If the money involved in theWal-Mart case proves to be morethan reported so far, thecompany, which has more than$6 billion in cash on its books,could still write a check to thegovernment to pay a fine withoutbreaking a sweat.

However, it will take morethan just money to repair Wal-Mart’s tattered reputation.(Source: MSN)

PAGE 25PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

Emerging security challengesand Gombe state’s developmentSince its creation over 15

years ago, Gombe statehas been a peaceful state

with a lot of commercialactivities undertaken by theresidents.

Apart from theagricultural activities of thepeople of the state, many ofthe residents are alsoinvolved in commerce andtrade.

Due to its sereneatmosphere, Gombe Stateonce stood out as a choice stateto visit in the entire North-East geopolitical zone of thecountry.

However, concernedobservers note that negativesecurity situation inneighbouring Borno and YobeStates in the past three years,has had some snowball-effectson living in Gombe.

The observers are quick topoint out that thecomparative peace and orderin Gombe state, perhaps,informed the decision of theCourt of Appeal in Jos totemporarily relocate itsoperations to Gombe in 2011because of the grave securitysituation in Jos.

However, the currentsecurity situation in GombeState has now turned out tobe a serious source of concern,

particularly when adevastating attack waslaunched on the DivisionalPolice Headquarters inGombe on Feb. 24, killing 13persons, including policemen.Several others were alsowounded.

The attack apparentlynegated the claims of thestate’s Commissioner ofPolice, Mr Orubebe Ghandi,now an AIG, that GombeState was largely peaceful,with only little violentcrimes.

“Most of the crimes hereare those that have to do withland disputes, perennialencroachment on grazinglands, incidences of car thefts,activities of political thugsknown as ‘Kalare Boys’,’’Ghandi once told NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN)shortly before the attack.

He, nonetheless, concededthat the emerging securitychallenge related to somethreats of attack, allegedlyissued by the Boko Haramsect, adding that the threatswere giving the police a causefor concern.

Prior to the Feb. 24 attack,some assailants, believed to bemembers of the Boko Haramgroup, on Sunday, Oct. 16,2011, launched a pre-dawnbomb attack on the 34th

Mobile Police Force Base in

By Iliya Habila

Suspected Boko Haram sect members arrested by SSS over the 60 unexploded bombs

The 60 unexploded cans of bombs recovered in Gombe recently

Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state

Kwami, few kilometres awayfrom the Gombe metropolis.

Four persons were killed,while about 15 vehicles weredestroyed in the attack whichrazed a building in the policecompound.

Observers note that thebombing incident turned outto be a precursor of similarattacks, as peace has sinceremained elusive in GombeState, which was oncereputed for its remarkabletranquility.

In December 2011, somefaceless assailants attackedTumfure Resort, a hotel thesuburb of Gombe, with gunsand explosives and wounded15 persons.

Shortly after the incident,another group of attackersstormed Jubilee Hotel in theSabon Layi neighbourhood ofGombe city and shot two mento death.

Some days after, somegunmen also shot two personsin Horizontal Hotel in the BCGarea of the city.

However, one chillingturning point in the growingviolence was last year’sshooting of worshippers atDeeper Life Bible Church,Gombe, in which sevenpersons, including thepastor’s wife, were slain.

Besides, a pastor of theBaptist Church in Bajoga,

Funakaye Local GovernmentArea of the state, was alsomurdered in cold blood bysome unknown assassins.

All the same, the Feb. 24attack on the Divisional PoliceHeadquarters in Gombe wasadjudged by observers to bethe most devastating one,sending chills down the spinesof the residents andcompelling the government toimpose a curfew on the citythat fateful night.

In a broadcast to the peopleof the state, Gov. IbrahimDankwambo, condemned theattack in strong terms anddescribed it as strange in thestate.

“It was a strange incident,we have never expected thiskind of incident in GombeState but it has happened. Butas believers, we know thingshappen and they happen, asordained by God,’’ thegovernor said, as he tried tocalm the people’s nerves.

“The situation is nowunder control; we havedeployed more men andresources to restore normalcythroughout the state,’’ he

added.To confront the growing

problem of insecurity in thestate, Dankwambo set up a13-member committee toinvestigate the causes of theattack and profferrecommendations.

Inaugurating thecommittee, chaired by AlhajiUsman Faruk, the formergovernor of the defunctNorth-Western State,Dankwambo assured thepeople of his government’sreadiness to safeguard theirsecurity.

“Although the nation isgrappling with various formsof security challenges,especially in the North-Eastregion, it is the responsibilityof governments, at all levels,to ensure the security of livesand property of the citizens.

“We shall certainly, notshy away from thisresponsibility,’’ he stressed.

However, observersmaintain that the growingmenace of insecurity inGombe state will definitelyaffect the hitherto vibrantcommercial and socio-

economic activities in thestate.

For instance, Dr SalehOmar of the Gombe stateUniversity stressed that thecurrent security situation inthe state would consequentlymar its robust socio-economicactivities, akin to whathappened to neighbouringstates that had witnessedsimilar challenges.

Omar, who commendedthe government’s efforts totackle the problem,nonetheless, called for thescrutiny of all the issues

behind the crisis in a holisticand pragmatic way.

He opined that theunderlying factors couldinclude hunger, poverty,unemployment andinequality; as such issueswere usually the raisond’être behind people’s violentacts.

“Commercial activitieswill definitely be affected andthis will ultimately affectthe socio-economicdevelopment of the state andthe country at large,’’ hesaid.

Sharing similarsentiments, Dr EsromJokthan, the Dean of Facultyof Education of Gombe stateUniversity, stressed that thecurrent insecurity problemsin the state, which led to theimposition of a curfew, hadbeen affecting the socio-economic life of the people,particularly those on theuniversity’s campus.

He stressed that the crisishad seriously affected thestudents and lecturers, whohave had to forgo certainlectures because of thesecurity situation, whilebusinessmen and women werealso seriously affected by therestrictions slammed on thepeople’s movement.

Alhaji Haruna Yakubu,the Emir of Pindiga, whostressed the need to promotepeaceful coexistence amongadherents of different faiths,implored the people to eschewany evil acts, while followingthe teachings of theirreligions.

The emir, who noted thatno religion preached violence,admonished the people to

always ensure peace andharmony within the society,so as to enable them to carryout their socio-economicactivities without anyconstraints.

Yakubu particularlynoted that revenuegeneration activities andbusiness in the state couldnever thrive under a chaoticatmosphere, fuelled by acurfew, thereby causingnegative implications for thestate’s economy.

Rev. Abare Kalla, theChairman of ChristianAssociation of Nigeria (CAN)in Gombe state, alsobemoaned the situation, inwhich the tranquil nature ofthe state had been marred bythe violent attacks.

He, however, called onMuslims and Christians topromote a peacefulcoexistence, while praying forGod’s intervention andprotection.

“Muslim and Christianclerics should emphasisepeaceful coexistence becausethe two religions underscoreit; so, we need to abide by thefundamental bases on whichour faiths are found,’’ he said.

Kalla stressed that eventhough the curfew imposed onthe Gombe metropolis hadbeen having some negativeeffects on the state’sdevelopment, the measurewas, nonetheless, imperativein efforts to ensure peace andprotect the people’s lives andproperty.

On his part, Alhaji SaleDanburam, the Secretary-General of the Jama’atulNasirl Islam (JNI), urgedMuslims and Christians tofervently pray for God’sintervention, stressing thatGod’s protection wasabsolutely indispensable.

He also implored theleaders to be just in thetreatment of the people,saying: “Whatever we do, weought to do it right; we shouldalways treat people fairly,irrespective of their religious,ethnic or politicalinclinations.’’

Danburam, nonetheless,urged the authorities topunish those fomentingtrouble and reward the goodcitizens.

A political chieftain,Alhaji Baba Magayaki,advised the people of the state

to remain united, whilerejecting efforts byunscrupulous elements to setthem against each other.

However, the securitysituation and the curfew inGombe state have been takingtheir toll on businesstransactions in the state, andits capital in particular.

Mr Friday Njoku, abuilding materials dealer inthe New Market, Gombe,lamented that he was unableto get supplies for days as aresult of the menacingproblem of insecurity in thestate.

He noted that the curfewslammed on the Gombemetropolis had seriouslyaffected many businesses,calling on the government tofind lasting solutions to thecrisis.

Malam Haruna Tahir, awelder, recalled that he lost aN250,000-job at the peak ofthe crisis period “because mycustomers, who were in ahurry to get the job, took thejob to another place’’.

Students are not left of thescenario, as they also havesome tales to tell.

Mr Meshach Malgwi, a300-Level student of Gombestate University, said that theinsecurity problems of thestate had negatively affected

the university’s lectures’schedule and the students’study periods.

“The curfew in Gombehad made many students tomiss their lectures,’’ he said,adding that it had alsoaffected virtually all thepeoples’ socio-economicspheres of life.

Also speaking, MissBlessing Chidi-Ebere, astudent of the Federal Collegeof Education (Technical),Gombe, said that on manyoccasions, the students had totrek home after lectures sincecommercial motorcyclistsusually rushed homenowadays to beat the curfew.

Analysts agree that thebreakdown of peace andsecurity in Gombe hassignificantly affected socio-economic activities in thestate and they call on all thestakeholders to makeconcerted efforts to restorepeace.

They also advise thefederal and stategovernments to initiate moresecurity measures to tacklethe growing menace ofviolence across Gombe state,while devising plausiblestrategies to promote thestate’s peace anddevelopment.

(NAN Features)

“Although the nation is grappling withvarious forms of security challenges,especially in the North-East region, itis the responsibility of governments,at all levels, to ensure the security of

lives and property of the citizens


Iconic British MGB sports carreborn for the 21st century

The modern-day take on the classic British sports car is expected to be launched in 2014

For the Beijing Motor Show,Land Rover enlisted popculture personality Victoria

Beckham to spice up its life withthe Range Rover Evoque SpecialEdition, an Evoque reworkedbumper to bumper. Think of it asan expensive way to never give up

Victoria Beckham’s signatureRange Rover Evoque for $129,000

on the good times.Beckham's first 18-month tour

as a wannabe auto designerincludes giving the Evoque matte-gray paint, mohair floor mats(inspired by her mama) and nakedbaseball-stitched leather in a nodto husband David Beckham, who

doesn't play baseball. The resultsare something kinda funny, acelebrity-styled SUV that's notjust for Saturday night divas.Range Rover will start selling theposh Evoque in China later thisyear at a starting price of about$129,000.

up to us and say "we used to have anMGB". It's struck a chord', he said.

The original MGB was launchedas a soft-top roadster in 1962, with afixed-head coupe following threeyears later in 1965.

It was built until October 1980 at

MG's factory at Abingdon in underthe umbrella of MG, the BritishMotor Corporation and itssuccessors, British Motor Holdingsand British Leyland MotorCorporation. More than half a millionwere built altogether over the 18 yearlifespan, of which more than 125,000are the hard-topped MGB GT coupes.

Work on a successor for the MGBhad been undertaken as long ago as1968, but British Leyland had pulledthe plug on that project by the end of1970.

When the Abingdon factoryfinally closed in the autumn of 1980,British Leyland did not replace it. Butsecond hand versions of both the GTand Roaster versions of the MGBcontinue to provide affordable sportymotoring for many and sell forbetween £1,500 and more than£9,000 depending on condition.

MG cars were the creation of CecilKimber, general manager of MorrisGarages in Oxford, who, in 1923,fitted special sports bodies ontostandard Morris chassis.

After years as part of BritishLeyland and its many incarnations,it has undergone a tumultuous fewyears - having been sold toGermany's BMW; who thenoffloaded it with the blessing of thelast Labour Government' to theinfamous 'Phoenix Four' directorsled by John Towers, before it wentbust, sparking a major scandalinquiry.

It was then snapped up for a songby the Chinese and is now owned bythe Shanghai Automotive IndustryCorporation (SAIC) which also ownsRover, which it has renamed 'Roewe'for the Chinese market, and runs theMG factory at Longbridge inBirmingham which assembles somecars such as the MG6 from kitssupplied from China.

The iconic British MGB sportscar that brought affordablesports car motoring to the

masses is to be reborn in the 21stcentury - designed by Britons but builtin China.

The new MG Icon was unveiledas one of the undoubted stars of theBeijing Motor Show and is a moderntake on a much loved classic which isstill seen widely on the road today.

It was unveiled by the MGcompany which is now part of thegiant Shanghai Automotive industry

Corporation (SAIC) which also ownsRover following the collapse of MGRover under the controversialstewardship of the 'Phoenix Four' ledby John Towers.

Its British design team said theyhad taken cues from the original MGBto create a modern take on the sportscar. Although the show model is acoupe, a soft-top roadster is also setto follow.

But the Chinese love of Britishsports cars carried through to the MGstand itself which proudly bore thecompany badge.

Alongside mini-skirted Chinesegirls were references to 'MorrisGarage' from which the letters aresaid to derive, pictures of thecompany's founder Cecil Kimber anda giant map of the United Kingdom

painted as a patriotic Union Flag inred white and blue.

There were even photographs ofSpitfires on the walls.

Insiders say the car is likely to goon sale around 2014 at a price ofaround £16,000. Although it will bemanufactured in China, it is possiblethat some could be sent to the UK inkit form for final assembly at MG'sLongbridge factory in Birmingham.

The MG Icon project's chiefdesigner, Birmingham born SteveHarper, 53, who started as an Austin

Rover apprentice and also worked onthe MG Metro and MGF sports carduring his 35 year career, said: 'MGin China is seen as a young person'sbrand. It's also a global brand.

'We didn't want to create a retrocar. But we wanted to show how theMGB would have developed had itsproduction not been ended in 1980.It's sporty, small but practical.

'There are two seats in the back ifyou need to take the kids. We'reshowing a coupe. But why not aroadster?'

And Anthony Williams-Kenny,37, who is global director of designfor all of the Shanghai AutomotiveIndustry Corporation (SAIC) said:'We set out to create a modern car,not a retro car.

Southampton-born father of two

Mr Williams-Kenny, who studiedautomotive design at CoventryUniversity and worked himself forseven years for the MG Rover groupat Longbridge, added: 'Since we tookthe covers off we've had so manypeople from around the world come


Subsidy probe: Culprits must notgo unpunished – Committee (IV)

signals were ignored by relevantagencies. The Committee wishes toencourage whistle -blowing byregulatory agencies on threats tothe economy with the hope thatproactive measures could be taken.

46. The Committeerecommends that the PPMCManagement be overhauled. Infurtherance to aboverecommendations of thecommittee, institutionalmechanisms be urgentlydeveloped to ensure themonitoring of actual delivery ofkerosene to the Nigerian masses.

47. The PPMC should deploymodern state-of-the-art devices toprotect its facilities and pipelinesto eliminate wastages arising fromvandalism. In the short-termhowever, PPMC should establisha surveillance system whichshould incorporate Community-protection and using part of thebridging funds on the PSFTemplate to finance this.

48. All the extant circularspreventing the Nigeria CustomsService from carrying out itsstatutory functions beimmediately withdrawn by theCentral Bank of Nigeria and theFederal Ministry of Finance.

49. The Committeerecommends that NNPC takesimmediate action to pay theN46billion owed the NigeriaCustoms Service and the N6billionowed to the Nigeria PortsAuthority

50. The failure of NPA toprovide this Committee the vitalvessel data particularly the IMOnumbers is an indication thateither NPA has a very poor recordkeeping system or that it was adeliberate ploy to cover up thecollusion between its officials andimporters. We recommend aninvestigation into the operationsand activities of this Authority.

51. The port operations of the

Nigerian Ports Authority beinvestigated with a view todetermining the extent to whichits officials are complicit in theclassification of maritime areasfor reception of Nigerian boundpetroleum products as “offshoreCotonou” and “offshore Lome” inthe face of evidence that theseVessels never did lighter at thosePorts.

52. In the course of thisinvestigation, a lot of efforts weremade to establish cases of roundtripping and diversion ofproducts, including the use of thedata from Llyods List Intelligenceresulting in the cases so farreported. However given the scaleof connivance and collusion bygovernment officials involved inthe certification process, theCommittee believes that furtherinvestigation will reveal morecases. It is thereforerecommended that all the dataobtained in the course of thisinvestigation, especially from theLlyods List Intelligence beforwarded to the relevant anti-corruption agencies for a moredetailed investigation.

53. The present Managementof PEF (M)B should be overhauledand the Board when constitutedshould comprise of persons ofimpeccable integrity who shouldbe knowledgeable in aspects of itsmandate. This is withoutprejudice to the coming into forceof the Petroleum Industry Act.

54. PEF(M)B should establisha tracking system on all trucksfrom point of loading to point ofdischarge (retail outlets) anddirect that all trucks involved withtransportation of products shouldinstall approved tracking deviceson them.

55. It is hereby recommendedthat the regulatory capacity of theDPR be strengthened. TheNational Assembly should

31. Payments for PMS witheffect from the second quarter of2012 should be based on certifiedtruck outs at depots confirmed atthe retail outlets and no longer ondischarges from vessels into tankfarms. Consumption should bedefined in a way to exclude what isimported but only what is put inthe tank.

32. The markets of opportunitysituated within Nigerian territorialwaters which are designated“offshore Cotonou” or “offshoreLome” to qualify for FOREXpayment and to evade payment ofappropriate levies, dues and taxesto the Nigerian government shouldbe discontinued forthwith.

33. A Marine TransportationSystem should be put in place thatis safe, secure, reliable, costeffective and efficient to reduce thepresent high cost of doing businessin Nigeria.

34. Any importation withoutpermit or where the difference isabove approved quota should notbe entitled to any amount on theTemplate.

35. It is strongly recommendedthat Marketers without storagefacilities and retail outlets shouldbe excluded from participating inthe PFS Scheme as this will end thebazaar that constituted a seriousdrain on the nation’s economy andcreated room for abuses.

36. The services of theaccounting firm of AkintolaWilliams, Deloitte and OlusolaAdekanola & Partners should bediscontinued with immediateeffect for professionalincompetence on this particularassignment.

37. In view of the above the 2firms should be blacklisted frombeing engaged by any FederalMinistry, Department or Agency(MDA’s) for a period of three years.

38. This Ad-Hoc Committeeshall in its monitoring stage

conduct extensive and thoroughinvestigation into the operations ofthe PEF(MB) in order to ascertainthe management of the bridgingfunds under the subsidy regime.

39. Penalties should also beindicated for non-compliance andpromptly imposed to ensure thesmooth operation of the Scheme.

40. The Nigerian PortsAuthority (NPA) should beencouraged within a time frame toimprove on the draught level of theNigerian waters to encourage theberthing of ALL types of vessels soas to eliminate the present ship-to-ship (STS) transfers by importersof petroleum products.

41. All those in the FederalMinistry of Finance, Office of theDirector-General Budget, and theOffice of the Accountant General ofthe Federation involved in theextra budgetary expenditure underthe PSF Scheme (2009-2011)should be sanctioned inaccordance with the Civil ServiceRules and the Code of ConductBureau.

42. The payment ofN999,000,000 in 128times within24hrs (12th& 13th January, 2009) bythe Office of the Accountant -General of the Federation shouldbe further investigated by relevantAnti-Corruption Agencies.

43. The National Assemblyshould enact an Act to criminaliseextra budgetary expenditure.

44. CBN and the FederalMinistry of Finance shouldcritically examine and review thepolicy guiding payment forimportation of petroleum productsto avoid the current fraudulentsystem that allows importers tobring in products from off-shore“Lome” or “Cotonou” to qualify forforex payments.

45. The Committee notes thatseveral alarms were raised by theCBN on the escalation of subsidyfigures but these early warning

commence the process ofamending the Act to make theAgency autonomous.

56. The DPR should takeimmediate steps to bring allfacilities and depot owners intocompliance with internationalbest practices by ensuring theinstallation of modern meteringgadgets and sealable and non-return valves, to eliminate therampant cases of round-tripping.

57. The DPR should brace upto its role of Regulation andcompel the NNPC/PPMC tocomply with all the regulationsissued to ensure transparency andaccountability.

58. In order to reduce andgradually eliminate lightering,associated inefficiency and cost,Government should invest in theprovision of Single Point Mooring(SPM’s). This provision should befollowed up by institutingRegulations to compel Owners ofJetties, depots and storage facilityowners to develop pipelinethroughput availability tofacilitate direct delivery ofimported products by heavyvessels, in-shore Nigeria.

59. There should be adeliberate policy by Governmentto encourage the utilization of gasin automobile, domestic(cooking), and industrialfacilities.

60. As a matter of urgency andin furtherance of our nationalsecurity requirements, a nationalstrategic reserve should beimmediately enhanced so toaccommodate 90days stop gapstrategic reserve.

61. We strongly recommendthat relevant StandingCommittees of the NationalAssembly should be moreproactive in their oversightresponsibilities to forestall futureoccurrences.

Concluded

Chairman of the Committee, Hon.Faruk Lawan

Petroleum Minister, Mrs. DiezaniAlison Madueke

Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mr.Austen Oniwon

Chairman, Petroleum Products PriceRegulatory Agency (PPPRA), Ahmadu Ali


Farewell Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata

Our first meeting was in late1974. He was the youngmanaging director of the

defunct Dantata Land and SeaLtd. I was a young engineerstarting a career with Mobil OilNigeria Limited. We were bothpresent at the meeting called bythe Kano regional office of Mobilto discuss issues associated withthe haulage contract beinghandled by Dantata Land and SeaLimited. He made a detailedpresentation. He was eloquentand well informed about thesubject matter. It was my firstencounter with a member of theDantata dynasty and I came outof the meeting very impressed. Hecrowned it all with a display ofgenerosity by giving us asumptuous lunch at the popularChinese Restaurant located at theCentral Hotel, Kano.

Then our paths crossed againin 1978, when I was working in aconsulting firm owned by hisuncle, Aminu Dantata. I was theonly African among the fiveresident consultants running theoutfit. He wanted the firm toconduct a feasibility Study for himfor a possible takeover of amoribund company engaged inmetal fabrication. As was typicalthen of most indigenousbusinessmen, he wanted one ofthe expatriate staff to handle hisproject. Our expatriate MDwanted me to handle the projectbecause of its technical nature andbeing the only engineer in theteam. He would have none of it.The customer was always rightand the project was assigned to acolleague. After about six monthswithout any appreciable progress,Abdulkadir came to the officecomplaining bitterly. Luckily, theconsultant handling the projectwas on leave in the UK. The MDasked him if he would allow me tohandle the project in the interim.He consented. During that period,Abdulkadir was highly mobile andspent most of his time in the skiestravelling all over the globe. Thiswas partly responsible for thedelay in completing his Study.Noticing this, I promptly showedhim my house and consultationswere taking place there sometimesat 11pm. 1 had asked him to visitme at his convenience, 24 hoursround the clock. As a result of thisconcession and my technicalbackground, the Study wascompleted within three weeks. Hewas still skeptical. But after hereceived a favourable response onthe Study from his bankers, hisviews changed. He barged in toour office and congratulated myMD for having me. From thenonward my name became“Doctor”! He narrated thisepisode to many of his businesscolleagues and this was veryhelpful to me especially after Istarted my firm AICS in 1980.Most of my foundation clientswere friends of AbdulkadirDantata!

His plan to take over themoribund company wasunsuccessful. He suffered otherbusiness reverses. He took it all

with equanimity and kept flyingall over the globe looking for theelusive investors! His moraleremained high and his resolvecast in iron. One day he met agroup of Germans and afterseveral discussions an enterprisewas born. It was named Dantataand Sawoe. It started operationsin Kano and within a short timeits stone quarry was supplyingmost of the chippings used bycontractors throughout Kanostate.

Through the influence of afriend, he was able to gain accessto the highest office in the land.The additional contact, coupledwith the company’s good trackrecords, brought in megacontracts and the turnover of thecompany grew exponentially.Soon the headquarters of thecompany was moved from Kanoto Abuja as Dantata and Sawoejoined the league of big players inthe construction industry. Thisended his years in the wilderness.He became fulfilled. He becameappreciated. He was at last ableto set up an enterprise that wassuccessful!

I returned home and settled inMinna in 1993 and our meetingsbecame more frequent, mostly atthe mansion of our mutual friend,General Ibrahim Babangida.Unknown to both of us, GeneralBabangida noticed thatAbdulkadir always called me“Doctor”. One day GeneralBabangida “corrected” him bydeclaring that I am an Engineerand not a Doctor. He respondedcheerfully by remarking that evenamong the Engineers, I am a“Doctor”! There was a biglaughter but we both kept thedetails to ourselves!

Again, during my long sojournin Kano, my village community atLapai embarked on an ambitiousnew Juma’at Mosqueconstruction. Additional fundshad to be raised from externalsources for its completion. Thelate Abdulllahi Kure Mohammedand Abdurrahman Gara sentYusuf Suleiman to Kano to meetme, to link up with AbdulkadirDantata. When I saw him, hekindly remarked that he would doanything for me, Gara and Islamand donated generously. A fewyears later, in the first class cabinof Nigerian Airways Airbus onflight from Kano to Lagos, he

came to my seat and teased thathe learnt that in my dear NigerState, contractors now have toswear by the Quran or the Biblebefore they can collect theircheques for work done for thegovernment. He added that acheque was issued to his companybut that he had told his staff to

“Through his legacies in the Dantata and Sawoe, hehas amply demonstrated to his country men and women

that it is possible to achieve success and greatness,through hardwork and talent without resorting to

corruption and terrorism. To his staff at Dantata andSawoe, he has raised the bar to the highest national

level and it is now their turn to raise it to the internationallevel. If they can do this, it will be a befitting tribute

avoid going through such anordeal and wait for the arrival of anew governor before going tocollect the cheque. A few monthslater, a new governor arrived andhis staff went and collected theircheque!

Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantatahas gone back to his maker. Those

who were lucky to have mingledwith him will remember him forhis wit, sense of humour, hardwork, tenacity of purpose,organizational ability, courage,kindness, philanthropy andpatriotism.

Through his legacies in theDantata and Sawoe, he has amplydemonstrated to his country menand women that it is possible toachieve success and greatness,through hardwork and talentwithout resorting to corruptionand terrorism. To his staff atDantata and Sawoe, he has raisedthe bar to the highest nationallevel and it is now their turn toraise it to the international level.If they can do this, it will be abefitting tribute.

Farewell Abdulkadir and mayAllah grant you Aljanat Firdausand give all that you left behindthe fortitude to bear the great loss.Amen.Engr. Abdulkadir S. Idris isa Management [email protected], Minna, Nigerstate.

By Engr. Abdulkadir S. Idris

Late Abdulkadir Sanusi Dantata


In the name of our sisters:Everything Good Will ComeBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEW

when I get home. Instead, yougive me wahala. Daddy can I buyice cream. Daddy can I buy EnidBlyton. Daddy my jeans aretorn. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. Youwant me dead?”” (p20).

The entire row of daughtersand ladies rocked with laughter;and the universality of thepassage made the meaning ofwahala obvious. Now, that isgood writing!

Sefi Atta’s book gently throwsup a lot of troubling issues andone learns to admire the darkintelligence that plotted thesechapters. And she can play withwords in the manner of a sisterflirting with her brother. Thewords pop up and hide again andreappear in delightfully strangeplaces. Hear this:

“The wind popped myumbrella inside out, flipped myskirt almost to my waist. Itripped tears from my eyes andknocked my braids backwardinto my face.” (p78).

Sweet, like biting into a juicy,free-range, truly organicmango. Sweet.

In the beginning there werewalls. Atta’s book reminds me ofthe beginning of the end,perhaps. Anyone nostalgic forthe Lagos and Nigeria of the 70’sand 80’s should hurry and go getthis book. The book says to me:There are walls but they arecoming down, slowly oneverything that we hold dear.Atta assures the reader gently,ever so gently, that we stand onthe shoulders of giantnightmares. And our anxietiesdrink deep and long from the wellof our fears. The book gently joinsthe debate on the impact ofglobalization on ourcommunities. We see withstartling clarity the impact ofthe new religion on Nigeria, theflight of deep introspection bythe intellectual class and theslow birth of a society withoutsoul, wrapped in the filthy colorof money – green. As we movefrom traditional notions ofnation states to the

and unspeakable sadness. Thereader never gets over the shockof witnessing enormous waste ofpotential and resources. And Iam not talking about crude oil.Atta writes in the grandtradition of the writers beforeher. And she says to me thatlanguage is all in the mind.When t listen to the poets andwriters of my childhood, they arespeaking and writing in Englishbut I smell the earth of myancestors, I smell the mustysweat of my ancestors’masquerades speaking to mefrom across the Atlantic,comforting me, soothing me.And in these books, they tell methat this earth also belongs tome. Atta has taken a rightfulplace in that pantheon of greats.

The book wears its frailtiesgently on its sleeve and we aredrawn to the writer’s humanity.The book is not without itsweaknesses; in its unnecessaryexplanation of Nigerian terms,one senses a yearning to reachout to a mass market. Whywould anyone bother to explainthat eba is “a meal made fromground cassava?” When nextyou read about pasta, remindthe author to footnote itsexplanation.

Sister Atta, you speak to mein your book. You speak to mefrom deep in the bowels of myancestors’ coven. You speak to mehowling, bawling, and soakingme in the song of our mothers’grief. In the feverish insistence ofyour voice, in the feverishinsistence of your rhythm, in thepounding of your feet on the earthof our mothers, you speak to me.And joy rides our senses goingplaces in the heart where fear stillclings to life. Our sister, look atjoy bounding up and down thestreets of happy memories. Oursister, in your book, joy takes meby the hand and sets me free todream of the way things used tobe. I don’t remember much ofChicago. I will never forgetEverything Good Will Come.Source: African writer.com

Naked Light and the BlindEye (2010, FutureFiction London) by

Sanya Osha avoids all the usualclichés one comes to expect froma typical post-colonial novel. Itis bold, experimental and filledwith lush imaginings. Some ofits many strengths includesubtle engagements with oralforms of artistic expression,stunning depictions of theunderbelly of a post-colonialsociety and a staunch refusal togive in to lachrymosesentimentality in spite ofseveral excuses to do so.

The novel, set in post-colonial Africa, begins with thestory of a middle-aged man whois experiencing a maritalbreakdown. Through his innerthoughts we get a glimpse of hispersonal history—he had been apromising young man from arustic background, whoembarked on an early search fora more cosmopolitanenvironment and its materialtrappings. By dint of hisingenuity and peculiarsensitivity, he rose above thelimitations of his backgroundand came to enjoy the materialand professional benefits ofurban existence.

But his domestic peacebecomes jeopardised by thedrawbacks of his society as awhole. He eventually becomesinvolved with a much youngerwoman, whose temperament,history and set of values are atvariance with his own.However, through her, he is

defeated and eventually dies as aresult of the very insularity oftraditional values which hethought he had overcome.

His wife, on the other hand,falls victim to reactionarytraditional mores and thisprovides an added twist.Eventually the man’s non-traditional outlook findsexpression in a son he had from aprevious marriage. His son is acreative artist caught in conflictwith a philistine society. Thenovel then traces the son’sattempt to find creativeexpression of his personal visionof inchoate progressivism and aplayful kind of creativeanarchism.

The dead man’s village isemployed as a microcosm of theOgoni tragedy, in terms ofexplaining the larger dimensionsof official brutality, repressionand cynicism in Africa, andcollective efforts to resist them.(The essence of the tragedy is theexploitation of a helpless ethnicminority by the combined forcesof government and multinationalcapital, resulting in humansuffering.)

The novel’s importance lies inavoiding conventionalmoralising that might havearisen from the chosen subjectmatter. It also stresses thesanctity of the individualviewpoint as opposed to thepublic one. Furthermore, itavoids any form of politicalsermonising, while narrating thestruggle to maintain artisticintegrity.

Sanya Osha’s work ought toreplenish many of the ossifiedtraditions of post-colonialliterature.

African writer.com

By Ikhide R. Ikheloa (Nnamdi)

A Novel that Shines the Eye

By Nal Abdelrasaq

So she called me the otherday, fruit of the loins of theson of my grandpa’s

brother. And she said, you mustcome visit us, you must bringyour family to Chicago to comesee us. We are family, she said,it is good to do these things, shesaid, peering past the tatteredcurtains of our frayingrelationships. And my heartsaid, go to Chicago and rest a bit.What kind of life is this that youare living? Every day you go tothe same place and you talk tothe same people who have thesame ideas and the same opinionson the same things. And everyday you go home exhausted fromthis madness. And my heart said;go to Chicago with your familyand rest. The salt mines will bewaiting for you.

And so, we went all of us, toChicago, armed with the hope ofrest and communion with ourblood. And I went to Chicago withSefi Atta’s book, Everything GoodWill Come. One week is a longtime to be away from the saltmines of my daily existence.What would I do with myself fora week; I am not used to thepleasures of doing nothing. Andso I thought, the book would keepme company as I await thereturn to the salt mines of mycondition.

Everything Good Will Comewas a delicious choice. Atta’sbook is about relationships. Wefollow Enitan, the maincharacter as she celebrates thepassages of life with a delightfulcast of relationships, a colorfulspectrum that includes herconstantly feuding parents, herfriend Sheri, and her boyfriends.The issues that the bookaddresses are refreshinglyuniversal and Western readerswho have overdosed on horrificstories about Africa may curetheir hangover with this book.The book throbs with lyricalprose:

“Hot were the days as Iremember them, with runny-egg sunshine and brief breezes.The early afternoons were foreat and sleep breaks: eat a heavylunch, sleep like a drunk.” (p7).

It would be hard to imaginelaconic words like these used todescribe any part of Africa.Refreshing. Nice.

Inside the plane to Chicago,we passed the book around andread enchanting nuggets of prosethat spoke to us. My daughtersgleefully read the followingpassage to two white ladies seatedby them:

“I smiled at my father. Hewas always miserable afterwork, especially when hereturned from court. He wasskinny with a voice that crackedand I pitied him whenever hecomplained: “I’m working allday, to put clothes on your back,food in your stomach, pay yourschool fees. All I ask is for peace

i n d i v i d u a l i s mfoisted on us by thescourge that iscapitalism, we canonly hope that, justas the cell phonerescued us from thefeckless tyranny ofland based, state-owned telephonesystems, the newdispensation will liftus from the debris ofour currentcondition. But firstyou must go readAtta’s book. Thesister can write.

Yes, the sister canwrite. She weaves abeautiful story ofcourage withu n r e l e n t i n ginsistence. She saysout loud to a jadedworld: We comefrom a land ofincredible beautyThe book cover

BOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEW


The wizard in Ngugi’s craw

I did not enjoy reading NgugiWa Thiong’o’s hefty almost800-page tome The Wizard

of the Crow. This is a shame,for I love Ngugi. I remember hisbook Weep Not Child with muchfondness. I will alwaysremember the chemistrybetween the two maincharacters young Njoroge andMwihaki. As a boy, I fell in lovewith the way those two fell inlove. Ngugi is a gifted writerand a noble son of Africa. ButNgugi has always been givento quixotic journeys; I sayquixotic because I am not quitesure his experiments in thisbook were productive,especially to the extent that hehas not been able to foster asubstantive dialogue on whatand how we shouldcommunicate our literature asAfricans. The question remainshanging in the air: What shouldbe our language of discourse?Ngugi’s latest book is short onanalysis but long on theatrics.Any experiment as ambitiousas Ngugi’s has to acknowledgethat the novel as a medium isnot a constant. Africa’s oraltradition breathes free andvibrant on YouTube, Facebook,and on blogs. In The Wizard ofthe Crow, Ngugi bringstogether an unlikely riot - of thevoice, the written word, and thenarrative - on print. It simplydoesn’t work.

The Wizard of the Crow is a

familiar, dated, perhaps tiredtale. Think of the stereotypicalAfrican novel and its recurringcharacters. There is the

supreme dictator (The Ruler)in an imaginary country(Abruria) teeming with long-suffering people, there are thefawning hangers-on, and thereis the idealistic great blackhope (Kamiti), schemingfreedom for the masses. Throwin some magic realism and atedious literary ride is born.Despite Africa’s best efforts, IdiAmin’s buffoonery is as datedas my platform shoes. We havenew buffoons. This book is whathappens to the writer stuck inexile for too long, livingdecades mummified in despair,fretting about the Africa thathas moved on.

The reader wonders howNgugi could spread tediumthrough almost 800 pages. Theclue is in its unrelentingwordiness, displaying armies ofwords where a word (or blessedsilence) would richly suffice.Ngugi is understandably veryunhappy with Africa; he mustprocess his anxieties and stressthrough writing because theGuinness book of Records mayhave just logged in the longestangriest riff on paper ever. Imean ever. It is sheer tedium,the book as a medium flies likea lead balloon under the weightof so many issues, several ofthem unresolved. Theattempted use of humor, satireand hyperbole is grotesque anddoes little to mask Ngugi’soverly documented rage. Contd on page 30

The book cover

PEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPEOPLESPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OFPOEM OF

THE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEKTHE WEEK

The sky was a weariedshepherd in the cave of

gloomThe black thunderclouds

were recalcitrant elephantsRaging furiously on themonumental mountain

rangeProtesting over therumoured imminent

resurrectionOf the conquering glory ofthe redeeming sharp sun

rays

Lightning hurled the fragiletime bomb across the skyA crash, a bang and a roarcrippled the lanky landlordsThe mortally wounded walls

groaned, cursed andcrashed

Over the sharp floods thatdevoured the vast

landmarksLike famished dogs feasting

on delicious thighbones

The downtrodden brooksroared like seven thundersThe numerical murmur of

the galloping snowywaterfalls

Enriched the harmoniousheartbeat of the kettle drumThe wailing waves were tiredtroops of travailing timbersHerded hysterically towards

the monolingual sawmill

The victorious sunrays arepotent poets' prime pen pals

Digging up the goldendreams buried in the cold

roomsWithin the footfalls on thefoot mats under the foot

stoolsThe global altar smells of

the genius' refreshingmidnight oil

The balmy eternal tempo ofthe watchful creative heart

beats

Title: Digging upthe dreamsBy Adeola Ikuomola

“Courage is rightlyesteemed the first ofhuman qualities... becauseit is the quality whichguarantees all others.”–– Winston Churchill.

QQQQQUOUOUOUOUOTETETETETE

Ngugi’s unresolvedanxieties and strong politicalviews mar the quality of thebook. The book providedabsolutely no new insights intothe African condition,whatever that may be and theobservations appear dated - likea slide rule competing with theawesome wonders of an iPod.Africa has moved on, for goodor for bad, a realization thatstubbornly eludes Ngugi. Ngugimay still be stuck in the sandsof his time. The reviews byWestern reviewers do not getthis, they are fairly swooning.They see Africa painted as onewoeful place full of exotic BenOkri type imagery. Even atthat, Ngugi’s experiment withmagic realism is simplyfarcical. Be warned: You arenot going to get much in termsof hard hitting critical reviewsof this book; the Westernreviewers are largelypatronizing. The late greatJohn Updike provides a largelyavuncular panning of the bookbut I agree with him when hesays: “The author of this bulkybook offers more indignationthan analysis in his portrait ofpost-colonial Africa.”

Readers may havedifficulty relating to the notionof a lone savior with amonopoly of good solutionswalking around weighed downwith his supreme sense of self-importance. Well meaningvisionary statements aremistaken for communitymandates and the anxiety is toreplace the buffoon’s tyrannywith that of the pen. It is trulyfarcical when you really thinkabout it. The African Big Manlives in the tyranny of ourpolitics and in the tyranny ofour writers’ pens. Their alteregos of the African Big Man livein our writers as reflected intheir idealistic do no wrongattitudes; the main charactersof their books indict them asbeing clueless or indifferent totheir role in Africa’s mess.What it boils down to is thatthese are autobiographicfantasies that involve the ME inthe author, systems be damned.

However, given Ngugi’sbrave fight for justice inpostcolonial Kenya, his work inensuring Africa’s rightful placein the World history ofliterature, and the trauma ofhis forced exile, any assessmentof his work ought to benuanced. Ngugi put a lot ofeffort into this tome - six booksin one, first writtenpainstakingly in Kikuyu - andthen translated into English.Ngugi remains a visionary; ourwriter-warriors should carryhis ideas on their giantshoulders and continue thefight he started - on Facebook,YouTube and on blogs. I saluteBwana Ngugi Wa Thiong’o.Source: African writer.com

By Ikhide R. Ikheloa (Nnamdi)

BOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEWBOOK REVIEW

Ngugi wa Thiong'o


State crime and street crime:Two sides of one coin? (II)

One Saudi entrepreneuradmitted openly when hewas taken to the court that

he paid as much on the books asunder the table to governmentofficials, when he purchased theOmar Effendi store chain. With thelack of any serious judicial inquiriesor punishment of the beneficiariesof these deals, public funds remainin personal bank accounts, whileworkers who invested their livesremain on the streets.

Post-Mubarak state crimeIt is Wednesday, February 29,

and winds are blowing down streetsigns and sand across the Cairo-Alexendria desert road. Just abouthalfway between the two cities isSadat City - a haven of slaverywithin the sturdy walls of theEgyptian private sector. Here, bothlocal and foreign investors come tobenefit from Egyptian subsidised gasand electricity, extravagantly lowland rent prices - paid by theEgyptian population - and beyondall, to exploit the Egyptian workforce. They do all these within the"legitimate" Egyptian law.

The labour law was penned in2003 as Ahmed Nazif's cabinetbegan the speeding up process of neo-liberalism in Egypt. The law wasmeant to increase liberties on bothsides: including the right for businessowners to fire workers within acertain timeframe - in exchange forincreased liberties for workers tounionise. The only hitch was thatthe latter is never implemented. Inmost private factories today, if youorganise, you lose your job. Inparallel to the renewed labour law,"austerity" became a central tenetof government policies; this meantdownsizing the public sector - anddoing so in the most brutal manner.

At the Legrand plant, theworkers have been striking for thepast 34 days, as of writing,demanding better compensation inline with the 2003 law. One of theworkers, Zakareya, told me: "We willprotest for one month, in the secondmonth, we will bring our families tojoin us, but in the third, we will turninto criminals. 600 families turnedcriminal."

The current government, in thespirit of the old, is on the verge ofsigning a new pact with the IMF,which by all indicators will includethe agreement to impose a ValueAdded Tax (VAT). The VAT imposestaxation on consumption, which thepoorest in Egypt spend a majority oftheir wages on.

The VAT is a model of taxationby which the government taxes thepopulation based on consumptionrather than income. As workers arepushed out of permanentemployment due to governmentpolicies such as those in theprivatisation programmes,hundreds of thousands of workersacross the country are forced intoirregular jobs that do not guarantee

them a steady paycheck at the endof the month, that don't providethem with healthcare and that maybe lost at any moment.

If the government is to imposeVAT, it is just one more form of policythat will rob the Egyptian populationof any chance of a decent standardof living. It is a criminal logic imposedfrom above that the largestpercentage of the population - thepoor - will pay a larger part of thecosts than the rest who could easilyafford to pay more.

In 2004, during the fast-trackneo-liberalism era of Mubarak'sreign, a flat-tax law was penned,whereby the maximum income taxbracket was slashed from 35 per centto 20 per cent. That policy remainsin place today.

These policies are crimes.Many call the VAT the poor tax,

should we not consider a stolen set ofwheels the rich tax?

Prior to the revolution, streetvendors lived in constant fear of thepolice driving them away, takingtheir merchandise or locking them

up. Now, all over the country, streetvendors have taken control of thestreets. Their occupation of publicspaces is their way of fighting backagainst a criminalised statestructure in which they have noplace.

Thus, without large capital torent or purchase a shop on the mainshopping area, these sellers canmake their own share of profits inspite of government regulations. InTunisia it was the self-immolationof Bouazizi, one such "informal" fruitvendor, who set a fire of rage acrossthe region against the criminals wholegitimise their actions with astatist narrative.

Alternatives to crimeThe current political

leadership - SCAF, the unelectedgovernment and a majority ofelected parliamentarians - isusing the excuse of an existing"economic crisis" as reason toentrench a criminal tendency,rather than to look for newsolutions. These crimes includemore loans for which the poor will

pay, an entrenchment of openmarket policies that will lead toincreased food prices,maintenance of tax evasion forthe richest echelon of society andthe maintenance of labour lawconditions that favourentrepreneurs over workers. Thelist goes on.

The January 25 uprising,which started in response tosuppression and the polarity ofthe standard of living, is amessage clear enough that theburden of the cost of running acountry such as Egypt must bebroadened. This should alsoinclude, among other things,progressive taxation,significantly reduced subsidiesfor private industry, internaleconomic restructuring (insteadof increased external loans) andindependent monitoringmechanisms over public fundswith judicial authority.

We must realise that theresistance taking place on thestreets is a battle to undo thehegemony of capitalism, no matterif under the rule of the NationalDemocratic Party (NDP) or theMuslim Brotherhood (MB) or theSalafis or the Supreme Council of theArmed Forces (SCAF).

On October 28, 2011,businessman and MuslimBrotherhood economic adviserHassan Malek praised the Mubarakgovernment's economic policies,stating they were merely plaguedwith corruption and favouritism.Malek's statements point to amaintenance of the previus regime'seconomic agenda under newoversight: that of their arch-enemies.

Furthermore, in recent months- since receiving a majority of

parliament seats - the Brotherhoodhas taken significant steps to deepenthe economic neo-liberal stance of theMubarak regime that once repressedthe movement. We have everyreason to believe that the economicconditions that brought about thestart of a revolutionary process aregoing to be maintained.

In Egypt, as elsewhere, themodel of societal organisation of adeep partnership betweencapitalism and the nation-state isimploding. The mechanism of thenation-state today acts as a tool tocontrol and suppress the masses onbehalf of the ruling class. If theeconomic conditions during theMubarak regime remain largelyunchanged, then the logic ofrepresentation itself falters.

In 1993, Max Weber wrote thatrepresentation is a "structure ofdomination" (Economy and Society,p235). Since the revolutionaryprocess started, every day countlessnumbers of Egyptians have beenprotesting or striking against theunaltered reality of their daily lives.This phenomenon is yet anotherexample of the faltering of a nation-state's governance.

As the ruling class has beenforced to pass the mantle from onegroup of businessmen to another,the conditions for revolution againstthe rulers are maintained. If theserealities do not change, eventually,street crime will become for manythe only resort to try and achieveone's right to decent living.

If we permit state crimes tocontinue flourishing, the populationwill continue to sow the seeds of itsrulers' crimes.

ConcludedCulled from Aljazeera.

Criminal acts by the state created the environment for revolution

ANALYSISBy Philip Rizkki

“The current political leadership - SCAF,the unelected government and a majorityof elected parliamentarians - is using theexcuse of an existing "economic crisis"

as reason to entrench a criminaltendency, rather than to look for new

solutions.


Chinese leader calls forSudans to exercise restraint

critical moment for the Republicof South Sudan because ourneighbour in Khartoum hasdeclared war on the Republic ofSouth Sudan," Kiir said.

"I have undertaken this visitbecause of the great relationshipthat I value with China. China is

one of our economic and strategicpartners," he added.

Kiir's visit comes days afterhe ordered troops to withdrawfrom the oil-rich Heglig regionafter seizing it from Sudan, amove that brought the twocountries to the brink of all-out

South Sudan"s President Salva Kiir Mayardit (L) inspects an honour guard with his Chinese counterpartHu Jintao (not pictured) during an official welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in BeijingApril 24, 2012.

President Zuma on track for second term

Ban Ki-moon, the UNsecretary-general, hascondemned air raids by

Sudan on South Sudan, and calledon the countries' leaders to return todialogue.

"The secretary-general condemnsthe aerial bombardment on SouthSudan by Sudanese armed forces andcalls on the government of Sudan tocease all hostilities immediately,"Eduardo del Buey, deputy UNspokesman, said on Monday.

Ban "reiterates that there can beno military solution to the disputesbetween Sudan and South Sudan",the spokesman said.

"No negotiation with those people,our talks with them were with gunsand bullets. "

"He [Ban] calls on President[Omar] al-Bashir and President[Salwa] Kiir to stop the slide towardfurther confrontation and urges bothsides to return to dialogue as a matterof urgency."

The UN chief's call for calm cameafter Bashir ruled out any future talkswith his southern counterpart, whois in Beijing to drum up support fromChina.

Kiir was expected to plead his caseto Chinese authorities, but analystssaid China was unlikely to take sidesand would keep pushing for talks.

China has been a key ally andthe largest economic partner ofdiplomatically isolated Sudan, but itis keen not to alienate the South, theworld's newest nation and source ofmost of Sudan's oil.

Bashir, who visited the oil-richtown of Heglig on Monday, said thetime for talks with Kiir's governmentwas over.

"No negotiation with those people,our talks with them were with guns

Jazeera that the internationalcommunity needs to send inpeacekeepers to the disputed region.

"I would say, send an additionalelement of peace keeping forces which

…UN’s chief too

South African President Jacob Zuma (L) and Deputy PresidentKgalema Motlanthe take a salute before his State of the Nation addressat Parliament in Cape Town, February 9, 2012.

Chinese President Hu Jintaocalled for restraint from thetwo Sudans yesterday after

South Sudan President Salva Kiirtold Hu that his country's largernorthern neighbour had declaredwar on the newly-independent state.

Hu "stated that he very muchhoped that both Sudans wouldproceed from the broaderconsiderations of the fundamentalinterests of both countries' people andregional peace and stability andadhere to choosing peace, respectingeach others' sovereignty andexercising calm and restraint," statetelevision said.

He urged both sides to settle theirdisputes through peacefulnegotiations and give and take, itadded.

"The urgent task is to activelycooperate with the mediation effortsof the international community andhalt armed conflict in the borderareas," the report paraphrased Huas telling Kiir during a meeting inBeijing.

"China sincerely hopes thatSouth Sudan and Sudan can becomegood neighbours who coexist inamity and good partners whodevelop together," Hu added.

Kiir told Hu that Sudan haddeclared war on his newly-independent country, followingweeks of border fighting betweenthe two countries.

"It (this visit) comes at a very

war.Sudanese war planes bombed

a market in the capital of SouthSudan's oil-producing Unity Stateon Monday, residents and officialssaid, an attack the southern armycalled a declaration of war.

Sudan denied carrying out any

air raids but its President OmarHassan al-Bashir ramped up thepolitical tension by ruling out areturn to negotiations with theSouth, saying its government onlyunderstood "the language of the gun".

Weeks of border fighting havebrought the neighbours closer to afull-blown war than at any timesince South Sudan split from Sudanas an independent country in July.

The two territories went theirseparate ways last year withoutsettling a list of bitter disputes overthe position of their shared border,the ownership of key territories andhow much the landlocked Southshould pay to transport its oilthrough Sudan.

The disputes have alreadyhalted nearly all the oil productionthat underpins both strugglingeconomies.

For China, invested in the oilsector of both nations, the standoffshows how its economic expansionabroad has at times forced Beijing todeal with distant quarrels it wouldlike to avoid.

Sudan had been one of China'stop foreign suppliers of crude oil, butthe latest Chinese customs data showcrude imports from Sudan fellnearly 40 percent in January andFebruary compared to a yearearlier.

is going to cost some money, butwhich so far has been opposed by theUS and others because we alreadyhave three UN organisations there,"he said.

and bullets," Bashir told soldiers inthe town, which the South occupiedfor 10 days.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter, theformer US president, has told Al

South Africa's PresidentJacob Zuma is thefavourite to win a second

term to lead the ruling ANC in arace dominated by factionalpolitics instead of policy reformsfor Africa's most powerfuleconomy.

More than a dozen insiders inthe ruling African NationalCongress told Reuters that Zumahad the race in hand eventhough there are strong factionsin the party who want him outand could make things difficult.

"It's Zuma's race to lose," saidone senior ANC member.

The winner of December'sparty vote is almost certain tobe its nominee in the 2014presidential election. Since theANC enjoys virtual one-partyrule, its nominee is almostassured of winning the five yearterm as president.

The race will be fought at thelocal level with little attentionpaid to warnings from all threeof the major global credit ratingsagencies who have said theeconomy is on the wrong trackunder Zuma, posing long-termrisks to stability.

The battle to lead the 100-

year-old ANC according to partyinsiders is a two-horse racebetween Zuma and DeputyPresident Kgalema Motlanthe.

Zuma has a commandinglead in delegates and unlessMotlanthe make huge strides bythe electoral conference inDecember, Zuma should securevictory.

Motlanthe, or any othercandidate, is not going to openlydeclare their challenge to Zumadue to a party culture whereraising one's hand too early istantamount to political suicide.

The race will be foughtbehind closed doors, leaving outa public that has grownincreasingly angry at the ANCfor not doing enough to fix abroken education system,failing hospitals, rampantpoverty and chronicunemployment.

"Motlanthe has strongsupport but it's all about timingand we want to make sure thathis chances are good beforenominations open," said a sourceclose to the deputy president.

The ANC, a former liberationmovement that became theruling party when the white-

minority apartheid regimeended 18 years ago, is a broad-tent political grouping withmembers ranging from hard corecommunists to business moguls.

Its consensus-buildingapproach has stifled radical ideasfrom the left that includenationalising mines and seizingwhite-owned farmland.

But it has also allowed a rot to

set in. Its allies, its members andvoters have criticised it forturning a blind eye to corruptioneating away at social welfarespending.

Zuma, Motlanthe and manysenior leaders have facedsuspicions of corruption, withmany in the party using leaks ofgraft on rivals as a way to settlepolitical scores.

"The perception thatcorruption is increasing on hiswatch, and that Zuma can bebought, weigh him down," onesenior official said.

Comments from Nedbankchairman Reuel Khoza, one of thecountry's most respectedbusinessmen, touched a nervewhen he warned democracy isunder threat from politiciansincapable of running thecountry.


California to vote onending death penaltyVoters in California will have

the chance to cast ballots ona referendum on ending the

death penalty in November.The "Savings, Accountability

and Full Enforcement forCalifornia Act," or SAFE California

Act, garnered enough supportsignatures, and will be consideredon November 6, when Americanshead to the polls for generalelections, Debra Bowen California'sSecretary of State said on Monday.

Supporters collected more than

California has executed 13 inmates since reinstating the death penalty in 1978

In power since 1999, Chavez, centre, is running for a third six-year term in the October 7 presi-dential election

Chaveztelephone callquashes deathrumours

Hugo Chavez, theVenezuelan president,has said by phone that he

will return home this week aftercancer treatment in Cuba, in anapparent bid to quash rumoursfanned by a nine-day silence thathe had died in Havana.

The 57-year-old leader alsosaid he would need to return toCuba for another round ofradiation and tests.

"I should be there in Caracas,God willing, on April 26," Chaveztold state television VTV onMonday, in a telephone call thatmarked the first time Venezuelanshad heard his voice live on statemedia in more than a week.

"It's tough," he said. "Just askanyone who has had radiationtherapy about the effects it has.[But] I am pretty far along in theradiation sessions."

Andres Izarra, Venezuela'sinformation minister, laterpublished several photos on theTwitter, the microblogging site,showing Chavez wearing a tracksuit and standing in a garden withhis daughter Rosa Virginia andother family members.

Another photo showed himthrowing a weighted ball in agame of bolas criollas, atraditional Venezuelan sportsimilar to bocce.

Putin stepsdown asUnited Russiaparty chief

President-elect VladimirPutin tried to distancehimself from the fraud-

tainted ruling United Russiaparty yesterday, announcing hewas stepping down as itschairman.

Keen to protect his own ratingswhich are higher than those of aparty discredited by claims itsvictory in a parliamentaryelection in December wasachieved with the help of fraud,Putin proposed outgoing PresidentDmitry Medvedev as its newleader instead.

"In line with political practicehere, the president stands aboveparties," Putin told the leadershipof United Russia, describing thehead of state as "a consolidatingfigure for all political forces in thecountry".

"In this regard, after theinauguration in May I deem itnecessary to step down aschairman," Putin said.

The powerful prime minister,who will be sworn in as presidenton May 7, suggested that a partycongress in the second half of Mayshould elect Medvedev as the newchairman.

Putin, 59, has also said thatMedvedev, a long-time ally wholed United Russia's campaign inthe December election to theDuma, the lower house ofparliament, will become primeminister.

the 504,760 valid signaturesneeded to place the measure on theballot.

If the measure is approved, the725 California inmates now onDeath Row will have theirsentences converted to life in prison

without the possibility of parole. Itwould also make life without parolethe harshest penalty prosecutorscan seek.

Backers of the measure saidabolishing the death penalty wouldsave the state millions of dollarsthrough layoffs of prosecutors anddefence lawyers who handle deathpenalty cases, as well as savingsfrom not having to maintain thenation's largest death row at SanQuentin Prison.

If the measure passes, $100min purported savings fromabolishing the death penalty wouldbe used over three years toinvestigate unsolved murders andrapes.

"Our system is broken,expensive and it always will carrythe grave risk of a mistake," saidJeanne Woodford, the formerwarden of San Quentin prison,who is now an anti-death penaltyadvocate and an official supporterof the measure.

When the death penalty wasreinstated in 1978, "we did nothave an alternative sentence thatwould keep convicted killers behindbars forever. We certainly did notknow that we would spend $4bnon 13 executions," she said in astatement.

If passed, California wouldbecome the 18th US state toeliminate the death penalty.

The measure will also requiremost inmates sentenced to lifewithout parole to find jobs withinprisons. Most death row inmatesdo not hold prison jobs for securityreasons.

Although California is one of 35states that authorise the deathpenalty, the state has not putanyone to death since 2006. Sincereinstating the death penalty in1978, it has executed 13 inmates.

A 2009 study conducted by asenior federal judge and law schoolprofessor concluded that the statewas spending about $184m a yearto maintain Death Row and thedeath penalty system.

Supporters of the proposition,such as the American CivilLiberties Union, are portraying itas a cost-savings measure in a timeof political austerity.

They count several prominentconservatives and prosecutors,including the author of the 1978measure adopting the deathpenalty, as supporters, and arguethat too few executions have beencarried out at too great a cost.

Opponents of the measure,such as former Sacramento USAttorney McGregor Scott, howeverargue that lawyers filing "frivolousappeals" are the problem, not thedeath penalty law.

"On behalf of crime victims andtheir loved ones who have sufferedat the hands of California's mostviolent criminals, we aredisappointed that the ACLU andtheir allies would seek to scorepolitical points in their continuedefforts to override the will of thepeople and repeal the deathpenalty," said Scott, who ischairman of the Californians forJustice and Public Safety, acoalition of law enforcementofficials, crime victims and othersformed to oppose the measure.

The Criminal Justice LegalFoundation, meanwhile, remainsone the biggest backers of the deathpenalty in the state and opposes thelatest attempt to abolish it inCalifornia.

Former US Presidential candidate,Edwards, on trial over mistress moneyProsecutors have portrayed

disgraced Democraticpolitician John Edwards as a

liar as he went on trial for allegedlyusing campaign money to hide anaffair from the public and his cancer-stricken wife.

In their opening statements onMonday, prosecutors argued that theformer US senator broke the law byaccepting the cash as an illegalcontribution to his 2008 presidentialcampaign so he could maintain hisclean family-man image.

But Edward's defence lawyers onMonday said that his "sin" was not acrime.

The 58-year-old Edwards, a two-time presidential hopeful, faces sixcriminal charges related to acceptingnearly $1 million to hide his affairwith videographer Rielle Hunter andthe child he fathered with her.

Prosecutor David Harbach saidin opening statements that Edwards'"image of a family man was criticalto his campaign," and that he woulddo "anything to maintain his chanceof being president."

But the credibility of their keywitness, former top Edwards aideAndrew Young, was quickly calledinto question.

Presiding District Court Judge

Catherine Eagles ruled that Edwards'lawyers could mention that Youngcalled three trial witnesses in recentweeks - a possible violation of federallaw.

Young also was forced toacknowledge two arrests - one for hisrole in a 1997 car accident, and thesecond for drunk driving in 2006 inwhich he spent a night in jail.

At the time of the scandal,Edwards was married to his collegesweetheart, attorney ElizabethEdwards. The couple had fourchildren, including a teenage sonwho died in a freak automobileaccident in 1996.


Israel approves three West Bank settlementsnorthern West Bank, alongwith Rechalim, which is hometo about 200 people. Sansana,home to around 250 people, isin the southern West Bank,near Hebron.

Condemning thedecis ion, Nabi l AbuRdainah, a spokesman forMahmoud Abbas, the

An Israeli court found the settlement of Ulpana to have been built on Palestinian land and ordered itsdemolition

Israel has approved threesettlement outposts in theoccupied West Bank, the

office of Prime MinisterBinyamin Netanyahu has saidin a statement.

At a meeting late on Monday,a ministerial committee"decided to formalise the statusof three communities which

were established in the 1990sfollowing the decisions of pastgovernments," the statementsaid yesterday.

The three outposts overwhich the decision was made areBruchin, Rechalim andSansana.

Bruchin has nearly 400residents and is located in the

Egypt bars US-based civil society groups

Egypt has rejected a requestfrom eight US-based civilsociety groups for licenses to

operate in the country after acrackdown on their activitiessparked the first diplomatic spatwith Washington since the topplingof President Hosni Mubarak.

In a move that might damageCairo's relations with Washington,the Insurance and Social AffairsMinistry rejected the applicationsbecause it believed the groups'activities violated statesovereignty, Egyptian state newsagency MENA reported onMonday.

MENA said requests from theCarter Center for Human Rights,Coptic Orphans, Seeds of Peace andother groups had been rejected.

"I don't understand how acharity group like the CopticOrphans, which works with over35 churches in Egypt to providemedical and social aid, wasrejected," said the group's lawyer,Negad al-Borai.

Sanne van den Bergh, fieldoffice director for the Carter Center

in Egypt, said the group had notbeen formally notified of thedecision to deny it a licence "but weare aware of the media reportsabout it and we are looking intothem".

"Everyone is still underindictment and the case isproceeding. The Egyptians aredoing everything they can to

escalate this and the confrontationwith civil society more broadly "

The Egyptian decision came onthe same day that Interpol'sheadquarters in France refused arequest by Egypt to issue worldwidearrest warrants for 15 employees of anumber of US-based non-governmental organisations thatoperate in Egypt.

Amnesty says Muslims in Europe face discrimination

Amnesty Internationalsays in a new report thatMuslims in several

European countries face

discrimination in hiring anddaily life because of rulestargeting their customs.

The report pays special

Palestinian president, said"Netanyahu has pushedthings to a dead end yetagain".

Palestinians are awaiting aformal response fromNetanyahu to a letter they sentlast week in which Abbasrepeated his call for an end toall settlement activity.

The Israeli government hadcommitted to the SupremeCourt that it would regulate thestatus of the outposts, andNetanyahu on Sunday formeda new four-man ministerialcommittee to seek legalsolutions to the contestedprojects.

An activist protests againstillegal settlements nearRamallah in the occupied WestBank [Reuters]

Hagit Ofran of Israelisettlement watchdog, PeaceNow, slammed thegovernment for establishingnew settlements in what hesaid was a deceitful way.

"The Israeli government isproving its true policy, thatinstead of going to peace it isbuilding new settlements," shetold the AFP news agency.

"This is the first time since1990 that the government ofIsrael decides on establishingnew settlements, and thegovernment's manoeuvre, ofestablishing a committee toestablish the settlements, is atrick aimed at hiding the truepolicy from the public. "All theyears these outposts weren'tlegal, the state said they aren'tfor real, and now they suddenlyare."

The Netanyahu governmenthas also been trying to preventthe demolition of another illegalsettlement, Ulpana, after a courtfound it was built on privatePalestinian land.

The Israeli prime ministerhas informed the cabinet that hehas asked Yehuda Weinstein, theattorney general, to find asolution that would legalise theoutpost and prevent itsdemolition.

Israel considers settleroutposts built withoutgovernment approval to beillegal, but the internationalcommunity views allsettlements as illegal, whetherapproved by the government ornot.

Critics are concerned that the move signals a governmentcrackdown on civil society activities in the country.

attention to national laws or localrules against wearingheadscarves or face-coveringIslamic veils in countries such asFrance and Belgium.

The human rights groupspoke to Muslims who have hadtrouble getting jobs or had tochange schools because ofdiscrimination.

It notes the rise in politicalmovements that targetMuslims or Muslim practices.

The report comes after farright leader Marine Le Penscored a surprisingly strongthird-place showing in France'spresidential elections. Her anti-immigrant platform singledout Muslim practices forcriticism.

In this photo taken on July 24, 2010, a Muslim woman wearing aniqab is seen with children at Place Concorde in Paris, France.

Syria’s Assad ‘finished,’Tunisian leader says

Bashar Assad's internationalallies must realize the Syrianpresident is "finished" and

persuade him to step down to avoidfurther bloodshed, Tunisian PresidentMoncef Al-Marzouki said in anewspaper interview publishedyestersday.

"The Russians and Chinese, andthe Iranians must understand thatthis man is finished and they cannotdefend him. They must persuade himto leave power and hand over to hisdeputy," Marzouki told the regionalArab newspaper Al-Hayat.

Assad "will go one way or another... dead or alive," he added.

Addressing the Syrian leaderdirectly, he said: "It's better for you andyour family to leave alive, because ifyou decide to leave dead, that meansthat you have caused the deaths oftens of thousands of innocents. Enoughblood has been shed."

Tunisia, whose peacefulrevolution a year ago sparked the ArabSpring uprisings that saw offautocratic leaders in Egypt, Libya andYemen, offered to give Assad politicalasylum in February to stem the

violence in Syria, where the UnitedNations says government forces havekilled 9,000 people.

Syrian authorities say they arefighting foreign-backed Islamistmilitants, who they blame for killingmore than 2,500 soldiers and police.

UN observers are launching amonitoring mission in Syria to overseean April 12 cease-fire agreementbrokered by former UN SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan.

Fewer than a dozen from a plannedmission of 300 observers have arrivedso far, and the violence has continued.Activists said 30 people were killed acrossSyria on Monday.

Marzouki said the mission had littlechance of ending the killings. "I do notexpect it to succeed, because the numberof observers is very small. Threehundred people cannot do anything,"he said. "In Kosovo there were thousandsof observers."

Meanwhile, activists said threeSyrian intelligence officers were killedin Damascus yesterday, the latest attackon regime targets as the country's 13-month conflict grows increasinglymilitarized.

Members of the first UN monitoring team in Syria visit pro-SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assad areas in Homs city on April 22, 2012.Violence continued in Syria on Tuesday despite the present of UNobservers.


Europe's oldest sufferer of arare ageing disease has toldhow in just 20 years his

body has become that of a 160-year-old.

Dean Andrews' body has agedeight times faster than normal

Speaking out: Dean Andrews,20, has told of his life withprogeria, a rare ageing diseasethat meant he was unlikely tosurvive his early teens

Rare condition has left Europe’s oldestsufferer, 20, with the body of a 160-year-old

due to a rare condition calledHutchinson-Gilford progeria.

He is one of just four progeriasufferers in the UK and out ofonly 74 cases worldwide, Deanis thought to be the second oldestsurvivor.

Now Dean has decided to tellthe story of his life so far in thehope of providing inspiration toother sufferers.

He said: 'I've never let mycondition hold me back. I'vealways tried to do whateveryone else does and even if Ifailed, at least I tried.

clothes for a 0-3-month-old babybut the health visitors told menot to worry.

'They said he was just smalland there was nothing wrongwith him but I carried on takinghim to the doctor regularlybecause his appetite was small.'

In other ways Dean'sdevelopment was quite normal,but when he started walking atthe age of 18 months, Dawnnoticed that he would tire moreeasily than her other children

Dawn said: 'We would bewalking along the street and he

would complain that his legswere hurting. At first I justthought he was lazy but then Inoticed there were certain thingshe couldn't do, like cross his legsduring assembly at school.'

The mystery was eventuallyexplained when a geneticistbroke the news that he hadprogeria.

Dawn said: 'The day before wewere told, the doctor rang up andtold us to come in and said that Ishould bring someone with me. Iknew then that it was bad. Ithought it might even be cancerbecause his hair used to fall outso easily.

'There was so littleinformation available aboutprogeria at that time that Ibasically had to teach myselfeverything. All we were told wasthat Dean was ageing eight timesfaster than normal and that hewould probably not live past 13.

'I didn't know how to break itto Dean at that time because hewas so young. I just told him thathe had a growth problem.

'It was really hard to take andI ended up on anti-depressantsbut it was Dean himself whogave me hope, he never letanything get him down.'

Dawn lives in Birminghamwith Dean, her husband Wayne,43, and children Sophie, 15, andLewis, 12. She also has an olderson Nathan, 23, a warehouseassistant, and fosters her nieceAnnabel Timby, 14.

'They said he was just small':Aged two (left), Dean wasdeveloping differently fromother children and would growtired more easily. It was not untilthe age of seven (right) that ageneticist would diagnose him

She split with Dean's fatherMark Andrews, at that time anairport baggage handler, in1998 and met Wayne aroundthe time of her son's crushingdiagnosis.

Now both Dawn and Waynedevote their lives to Dean's full-time care at their council terracehome in Erdington.

WHAT IS PROGERIA?

'I'm lucky to be so loved': Dean with his mother Dawn Thomas, 41,and her husband Wayne, 43, who care for him full-time.

'My family have kept megoing and I've got verysupportive friends. I'm verylucky as they do everything

they can to make me happy.'Dean weighs just 3st 10lbs -

but his small body holds a bigpersonality.

Hutchinson-Gilford ProgeriaSyndrome is an unusual geneticcondition that occurs in anestimated one in eight millionlive births.

The symptoms are similar tonormal ageing but appear inchildhood and advance rapidly,with the first signs showing ininfancy.

Sufferers experience limitedgrowth and alopecia across thewhole body. They often sharedistinctive features including anarrow nose, a small jaw and alarge head in relation to theirbody.

Health issues associated withprogeria have much in commonwith illnesses often suffered bythe elderly, including loss ofeyesight, kidney failure andheart problems.

Wrinkled skin, hair loss andsmall, frail bodies add to their'old' appearance, but sufferers donot experience the mental ormotor deterioration associatedwith normal ageing.

There is no known cure oreffective treatment for thecondition, and those diagnosedwith it rarely live past 13.

She said: 'We have just triedto make every moment count forhim as best we could. I've nevertried to treat him any differentlyor tell him that he couldn't dosomething, if he wanted to trysomething he would have a go.'

Dean said: 'When I was atprimary school I wasn't reallyaware that there was anythingdifferent about me.

'I only really became awareof my condition when I was about13 and it was decided that Ishould go to a special school.'

Progeria causes rapid ageingand sufferers of the geneticdisease are prone to arthritis, eyeproblems, heart disease andbaldness. By the age of 10, mostprogeria children look likeoctogenerians. They are said toage at eight times the normalrate, meaning Dean hassurvived the equivalent of 160years of ageing.

In his 20years, Deanhas learnt todrive, beenengaged, gotfour tattoosand once evenstarted am e c h a n i c scourse atc o l l e g e .However, hewas forced toquit when hewas unable toget his tiny 4ft1in frameover the cars'bonnets.

Nevertheless,h i sachievementsa r ea s t o u n d i n gc o n s i d e r i n gthat when hewas diagnosedwith progeriaat the age ofseven, hismother DawnThomas, 41,was told hewould not livebeyond hisearly teens.

Back then,the conditionwas so poorlyd o c u m e n t e dthat mostdoctors hadnever evenheard of it.

Dawn said:'When Deanwas about sixmonths old Inoticed he wasa lot smallerthan he shouldhave been. Hewas stillw e a r i n g


Al Pacino in Scarface: A new antidote could reverse the damaging effects of cocaine

Computer game tackles depressionin teenagers using fantasy gamePlaying a 3D computer

game could be just aseffective at treating young

people with depression as face-to-face counselling, new researchhas suggested.

The study, published onBritish Medical Journal websitebmj.com, found that manyadolescents are loathe to seek helpfor mental health issues.

To tackle that problem,researchers developed aninteractive fantasy game calledSparx which sees each playerchoose an avatar and then facechallenges to restore balance in avirtual world overrun by ‘Gnats’(Gloomy Negative AutomaticThoughts).

They found that the self-helpgame, which uses cognitivebehavioural therapy techniquesto help young users, had as muchbenefit as more traditionaltreatments, reducing symptomsof depression and anxiety by atleast a third.

Of the 187 young people inNew Zealand studied as part ofthe trial, significantly morerecovered completely in thegroup playing the computer

game.A total of 44 per cent of those

who completed at least four of theseven modules in Sparxrecovered, compared to 26 percent of those who were receivingface-to-face treatment.

The authors of the study, whoare based at the University ofAuckland and the University ofOtago, said Sparx is an ‘effectiveresource for help seekingadolescents with depression atprimary healthcare sites.’

They added: ‘Use of theprogram resulted in a clinicallysignificant reduction indepression, anxiety, andhopelessness and animprovement in quality of life.’

The game treatment couldprove a cheaper, and moreaccessible, way for someteenagers with depression to gethelp. In the Sparx group, 95 percent of the adolescents said theybelieved the game would appealto other teenagers and 81 percent would recommend it to afriend. Satisfaction was also highin the group who had traditionaltreatment.

Source: Dailymail.co.ukEffective treatment: Research has discovered that playing a computer game could be as good atbattling depression than a face-to-face meeting.

Cocaine overdoses canhave a devastatingimpact, causing kidney

failure, strokes and evendeath.

Now scientists are on theverge of creating an antidotethat could reverse thedamaging effects in accidentand emergency rooms.

Scientists at The Scripps

Research Institute have shownthat an injectable solution canprotect mice from anotherwise lethal overdose ofthe Class A drug.

If they can find a way toproduce the solution cheaplyand in large quantities theysaid there was no reason whyit couldn’t go forward forhuman clinical trials.

‘This would be the firstspecific antidote for cocainetoxicity,’ said study author DrKim Janda.

‘It’s a human antibody so itshould be relatively safe, ithas a superior affinity forcocaine, and we examined it ina cocaine overdose model thatmirrors a real-life scenario,’ hesaid.

Cocaine is involved in morethan 400,000 emergency-room visits and about 5,000overdose deaths each year inthe United States. In 2008there were 235 deaths linkedto cocaine abuse in Englandand Wales.

In 2005, Dr Janda reportedthat injections of a mouse-derived anti-cocaineantibody, GNC92H2, couldkeep mice alive despite cocainedoses that killed unprotectedmice.

The passive vaccine workedby crossing the blood-brainbarrier, which caused thecocaine molecules to diffuse outof the brain tissue. At the sametime it reduced the drug’seffects on the heart and nearbyorgans.

However, mouse antibodiesare not ideal for use in humansas human immune systemseventually develop a reactionagainst them.

In the new study, Jandaand Dr Jennifer Treweek, useda genetically engineeredmouse that can produce fullyhuman antibodies againstcocaine molecules.

The best of these antibodies,GNCgzk, showed ten times thecocaine-binding affinity ofGNC92H2, the molecule usedin the 2005 study.

In a test that simulated areal-life emergency situation,mice were first given a cocaineoverdose, and three minuteslater were infused withGNCgzk.

About half of untreatedmice were killed by such adose. While GNC92H2 reduced

Antidote for cocaine overdose shows promise in lab teststhat rate to about 28 per cent,the new GNCgzk antibodiesreduced the mortality ratefurther, to 20 per cent.

More strikingly, a stripped-down version of GNCgzk -which contained only theantibody’s cocaine-bindingsegments - reduced themortality to zero, as well assignificantly reducingoverdose signs such asseizures.

‘There was a reversal of thesigns of cocaine toxicity withinseconds of the injection,’ saidDr Treweek.

Dr Janda said the treatmentcould be useful not only inreducing the immediate effectsof an overdose, but also inpreventing near-term relapses.

‘A lot of people thatoverdose end up going back tothe drug rather quickly,’ DrJanda said, ‘but this antibodywould stay in their circulationfor a few weeks at least, andduring that time the drugwouldn’t have an effect onthem.’

Likewise, this antibodycould be administered topatients in addiction recoveryor detox programs as atreatment to supplementother medications, such asantidepressants andcounseling.

An acute relapse duringthis recovery period would beimmediately nullified by theantibody dose that is alreadyin circulation.

The findings were reportedin the journal MolecularPharmaceutics.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk


President GoodluckJonathan has spoken of theneed for all Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) members,including political office holders’ tosubmit to the authority of theparty.

The President added that he tooin his capacity was under theauthority of the party’s nationalleadership and could be scolded ifhe derails from the ideals andmanifesto of the ruling party.

He made the remark whilehosting a dinner reception for thenew National Working Committee(NWC) of the party by led AlhajiBamanga Tukur in thePresidential Villa on Mondaynight. President Jonathan also toldthe National Chairman to find away for the party to be self funding

Call me to order if I deviate,Jonathan tells PDPBy Abdulrahman Abdulraheem in order not to allow money bags to

take over its affairs. ”It shows that the President

himself is under the Chairman.The President cannot be amaximum ruler. The President isselected by the party and mustserve the party not the partyserving the President. So, if thePresident is deviating, thePresident must be called upon sothat we all know that the party issupreme and we must all follow thedictates of the party.

President Jonathan expressedthe commitment of members of hisgovernment to the PDP, saying thatgovernment would not take a majordecision without first consulting theparty since the PDP would receivethe blame if the government failed.

In his remarks, the NationalChairman of the PDP recalled hiselection promise to ensure equity

and justice in the running of theparty, stressing that the issue ofdiscipline in the party must also beaddressed if it was to be properlyrepositioned.

Among the personalities presentat the dinner were Vice PresidentNamadi Sambo, Speaker of theHouse of Representatives, AminuTambuwal, his Deputy, EmekaIhedioha, former PDP Chairmen, DrAhmadu Ali and Prince VincentOgbulafor, former Speaker of theHouse of Representatives, GhaliUmar Na’aba, former Chairman ofthe PDP Board of Trustees (BoT),Chief Tony Anenih, immediate pastNational Secretary, Dr. MusaBabayo, Minister of the FederalCapital Territory, Senator BalaMohammed, former NationalSecretary of the party, OJoMaduekwe and Alhaji TankoYakassai.

be seen in the level ofdisenchantment amongNigerians, adding that never inthe nation’s history of over fiftyyears had such gross ineptitudeand lack of respect fortransparency, been witnessed ascurrently with PDP-led federalgovernment.

In addition, the party said,“The Nigerian people havewatched with disgust, theplundering of their commonpatrimony by a mindlessly sleazyregime; the institutions of statehave become corrupted in suchludicrous manner as can be seenin the recent indictment of NNPCand the Finance Ministry by therecent probe of the over N2.67trillion nebulously expended on abogey called Fuel subsidy.”

While lamenting that nocommensurate infrastructuraldevelopment is witnessed in thecountry, particularly with overN30 trillion accruing to thenation’s coffers in the last twelveyears, which it said is five timesmore than the cumulative yearsof the nation’s existence, CPCmaintained that Buhari did notsay anything different from theexpressed views of many otherconcerned Nigerians.

The party therefore chargedpeople of good will across thecountry to speak eloquently aboutthe pollution of the democraticatmosphere by PDP’s persistentcorruption of the electoral process,emphasizing that Nigeria is goingthrough the most horrific phase ofits evolution.

Metuh not qualified toattack Buhari, says CPC

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Congress for ProgressiveChange (CPC) has taken aswipe at the newly elected

National Publicity Secretary of thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP),Olisa Metuh, saying that his politicalexposure and the circumstancethrough which he emerged to theposition makes him unqualified tocast any aspersion on the person ofCPC’s national leader,Muhammadu Buhari.

CPC, reacting to the recentstatement credited to the newNational Publicity Secretary ofPDP, where he allegedlycharacterized CPC’s NationallLeader, Muhammadu Buhari, asa despot, explained that the partywas not shielding Buhari from PDP’sattacks, but expressed shock thatsuch attack was coming from aperson surrounded by unpalatablepolitical circumstances.

The statement issued by theparty read, “Whilst we are notperturbed by the persistent andscurrilous attacks by PDP on ourNational leader, it is a matter ofconcern that an individual thatemerged as his Party’s spokesmanfrom an intimidating andautocratic process would be theauthor of such insidious anddisparaging attack on thequintessential patriot of ourgeneration.”

The party said theinsightfulness of Buhari’s statementin alerting the nation about theineptitude in governing the nationby PDP in the last two years could

Governor Ibrahim HassanDankwambo has urgedpoliticians to stop using the

youths during political activities tomaim and kill innocent citizens in abid to satisfy their political ambition.

The Governor made the callwhile speaking recently at the flag-off of four township roadsconstruction in Billiri.

The Governor also hinted themammoth crowd that hisadministration was planning toempower about 1,200 youths witha view to making them self

employed and productive in thesociety.

According to him, theseyouths would be empoweredeconomically through trainingand not by arming them withaxes, cutlasses and cudgels toterrorize members of the societyin the name of politics.

He affirmed that his task as agovernor was to build a virile,united, progressive and peacefulsociety; and not to overwhelmhimself with evil urge to maim orkill as it is unacceptable to God andmankind, even as it carries severepunishment too.

Dankwambo urges politiciansto stop abusing youthsFrom Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

L-R: Delta state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy Chairman, Mr Emmaunel Ighomena, withformer PDP woman leader, Mrs Geogrenia Eboloere, during the inauguration of PDP South-South ZonalExecutive, yesterday in port harcourt . Photo: NAN

The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) Zamfara state Chapterhas finally resolved to

participate in the forth comingLocal Government Electionscheduled to hold in June this yearin the state.

It also urged all its membersand supporters to remain calm andlaw abiding before, during andafter the election for peace toreign.

Alhaji Ibrahim Umar DanGaladima, the Secretary of theParty in the state made thisknown while speaking tonewsmen shortly after theirmeeting at the premises of theparty’s headquarters in Gusau,capital of the state.

Ibrahim said PDP as a party,will definitely take part in theelection, being it the most popularpolitical party, expressingoptimism that they will wingreater part of the seats.

According to him, PDP in thestate is still alive, and that itspopularity has never ever for oneday declined as speculated bysome groups and individuals.

He explained that the partyduring the meeting instructed allthe stakeholders, particularlywards and Local GovernmentChairmen, to ensure only popular

candidates are nominated so as toavoid problem that may erupt.

The Secretary of the partyfurther revealed that theparticipation of the party in theelection become imperative,considering the fact that the spiritwith which it ruled the state is stillmaking impact in the minds of thepeople of the state.

Zamfara PDP to participate in LG polls- Scibe

Aregbesola: Rep berates Omisore, PDP over comment

Sequel to the threat by a PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP)chieftain in Osun state, Senator

Iyiola Omisore, to attack the convoyof Governor Rauf Aregbesola, amember of House of Representativefrom the state, Hon. Rotimi Makindehas described the threat as “aranting of a confused man that haslost respect among his kinsman.”

Makinde, who represents Ifefederal constituency where Omisorehails from, noted with emphasis thatOmisore was a notorious agent ofdestruction who has become aliability to his family, constituency,party (PDP), the state and Nigeria.

“Omisore is already in cage andwould need to be further tamed.We know his lineage are of goodreputation, but he, Sen. Iyiola hasbecome so notorious and enjoy

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos being referred to as agent ofdestruction and by extensiongiving the good people of Ife a badname.

“At the last election, he wasfloored and rejected by the peoplein all the polling booth in the landincluding his family compounddespite all his acclaimed clout,money and thugs. Let him realisethat the days are over when hewould come home and recruit

innocent youths for untowardpurposes like his close lieutenantAdedotun Adebowale (Meere)who is standing trial for murderand kidnap case.”

Senator Omisore had overthe weekend alleged that theOsun state governor, OgbeniRauf Aregbesola was using thugsas security agents, saying thatthey will raid the convoy of thegovernor of any thugs.


Following the continuedappointment ofNortherners as Minister

of the Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT) by successiveadministration, a groupknown as the Nigeria

Group drags Jonathan tocourt over FCT MinistryBy Sunday Ejike Benjamin Humanitarian Association has

dragged President GoodluckJonathan to an Abuja FederalHigh Court asking it to declarethat the Ministry is not theexclusive preserve of theNorth.

In the suit dated April 20ththe plaintiff, Igwekala Leo

Ugomaduefule through hisCounsel Nnadozie Anozie alsoasked the court to declare asunconstitutional and unjustthe continued decision toappoint the FCT Minister fromthe north and that the FCTMinistry is not the exclusiveright of a particular part of the

A group of protestersstormed the NationalAssembly yesterday in

protest against the allegedmoves by some people to pushfor the removal of the Ministerof Petroleum Resources, Mrs.Dieziani Allison-Madueke.

The group led by Mr. EbiKen Alagba, President of ChangeNigeria Initiative, alleged thata rival group under anunidentified CSO has beendistributing $200 and $500notes to the unsuspecting publicto protest for the removal of theMinister of Petroleum.

According to him, the saidpromoter, one Abubakar Saidufrom Kano State was said to beliving in a three star hotel inApo and was being sponsored bysome prominent Kano men.

He said, "we called his cellline several times to fix time anddate to see him but he switchedoff his phone since yesterday,Monday, but we are notdeterred if his group is notregistered we know what to doto such fake people."

Alagba alleged that Saiduhad been distributing dollars tosome members of the public tomobilize them to come to theNational Assembly and protest

Subsidy reports: Group protests alleged moves to remove Oil Ministeragainst the Petroleum Minister.

He said "we are not againstthe probe report of the FuelSubsidy Monitoring Regime ofRep Farouk Lawan because forthe first time the FederalGovernment encouragedreforms in the petroleum sectorof the country."

"But if the report is designed torubbish the Minister we will notbe part of it and you know that allthe companies that were indictedin the report nobody mentionedher name or any link with thecorruption that took place in thesector."

He added "she championedreforms in the sector and gave itfull support yet some group ofpeople are fighting for herremoval, this is really uncalled

for in this modern day Nigeria."Similarly, Bello Abubakar, a

member of the group said "ourquarrel with the probe report hasto do with the fact that the Lawanreport only investigated from2009 when the previous yearstoo were engulfed withcorruption."

"So what happens to thoseyears of rot and those who werebeneficiaries of the fuel subsidyregime," Bello asked.

Placards displayed by theyouths had graffiti such as 'we sayno to Lawan Report if it is a ployto discredit President GoodluckJonathan and remove theMinister of Petroleum from officeon the ground of ethnicity?."

Other placards read "wasLawan committee hijacked by

political enemies of PresidentJonathan's government?"

The protesters who arrived theNational Assembly at about 8amto register their grievances camein various vehicles but were wellbarricaded by armed anti-riotpolice men who stood guard at thefirst entry point of the NASSComplex.

The other group that laterjoined the protesters was the IjawYouth Forum.

NASS Management tooensured that security was beefedup at all the entry points of thecomplex and visitors withoutauthorization tags were turnedback at the first entry point assome visitors were asked todisembark from shuttling buseswithin the complex.

country.He asked the Court to

determine whether thePresident of the Federalrepublic of Nigeria hadpursuant to the powersconferred on him bySection147 of the 1999Constitution exercised same inaccordance with Section 14 [3]of the Constitution.

“Whether the continuousexclusion of the Southernersfrom being appointed asMinister of the FCT is not inbreach of Section 14 [3] of theConstitution.

“Whether a Southerner isnot entitled to be appointed asthe Minister of the FederalCapital Territory incompliance with section 14 [3]of the Constitution”?

In an affidavit deposed byUgomaduefule, he averredthat since the creation of theFCT on February 6th 1976 bythe administration of lateGeneral Murtala Mohammed,no person from the southernpart of the country has beennamed as the Minister of theTerritory which he said is inobvious breach of theConstitution and against thespirit of the Federal Character.

Cited as defendants in thesuit are President Jonathan,the Senate President, SpeakerHouse of Representatives,Secretary to the Governmentof the Federation [SGF] and theChairman of the FederalCharacter Commission.

CNPP calls forprosecution ofKogi ex-governor

Kogi state chapter of the Conference of NigeriaPolitical Parties CNPP

has given Economic andFinancial Crimes CommissionÉFCC and Independent CorruptPractices Commission ICPC twoweeks to commence the processof prosecuting Alhaji IbrahimIdris former governor of thestate for financial crimes whilein office or risk unimaginableprotest.

This was sequel to the earlierpetition written to the antigraft Agencies by HonourableDino Melaye urging them tobeam their searchlights on theactivities of the former governorwhile he was in the office forpossible investigation andprosecution.

In a press release jointlysigned by the seventeenchairmen of the political partiesoperating in the state a copy ofwhich was made available tojournalists yesterday in lokojathreatened to protest to theCommission’s s headquartersfor failure to bring AlhajiIbrahim Idris to account for hisstewardship while he was inoffice.

The state Chairman ofAction Congress of Nigeria whois also the chairman of theCNPP, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo,lamented the lukewarmattitude of the chairman ofEFCC Ibrahim Lamorde to treatthe petition brought to him,which was received andacknowledged by the registrarof the commission monthswithout action.

The Chairman noted thatthe confidence that Nigeriansreposed in the Commissionduring the tenure of AlhajiNuhu Ribadu has begun towane saying that Lamordeneeded to convince thecitizenry that he was the manbehind Ribadu’s sucess as hisappointment was applauded byNigerians by bringing theformer kogi governor to book.

Ametuo stated that despitethe weighty allegations byDino Melaye against AlhajiIbrahim Idris, the Commissionchose to look the other way,stressing that the failure of theagency to invite him forquestioning and interrogationwithin two weeks, it wouldmobilize kogites to protest to thecommission’s office in Abuja.

According to him “ we wantto draw the attention of the antigraft agency to senator SmartAdeyemi newspaper report onthe nine years of Idris misrule,asking the former governor tokeep quiet waiting for when theanti graft agencies will pickhim” he stated.

He challenged lamorde towade into the allegationsagainst the former governornow that he is no longer underthe immunity clause so as torekindle the hope of Nigeriansthat this will not be anotherJames Ibori saga.

By Lawrence Olaoye

From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

Former Vice-PresidentAtiku Abubakar hascondoled the former Chief

Justice of Nigeria, Justice AlfaBelgore on the death of his wife,describing a wife as one of theprecious gifts from God.

In a condolence messageissued by his media office inAbuja, the former Vice President

said Belgore’s wife had become apillar and source of strength tothe family of the retired jurist.

While praying for the reposeof the deceased, the former VicePresident said the greatesttribute Belgore and his childrencould pay to the memory of thematriarch of the family was tomake her proud in life and deaththrough good conduct such asbenevolence, humility,

affection and love of humanity.“Children are like a mirror,

which reflects the memories oftheir dead parents. A wife ormother takes credit for everygood virtue demonstrated byher children in life and death.And the best way toimmortalize the late matriarchof the family is to make herproud by their conduct in life,”Atiku sai.

Atiku condoles with Belgore over wife’s deathBy Lawrence Olaoye

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Solomon Adeola, DeputyChairman, Hon. Auwal Jatau, and member, Hon. Samuel Adejare, during a hearing over the query raised by theauditor general on the accounts of NAFDAC, at the National Assembly, on Monday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa


guarantee transparency inthe conduct of governmentbusiness.

Mr. Emmanuel Bello, thePermanent Secretary in theMinistry of Information, saidthe ministry would organiseworkshops for publicinstitutions to educate andsensitise workers on theproposed FOI law.

Bello urged the House tomake copies of the lawavailable to workers at local

Kogi Assembly to domesticate FOI Act, organises public hearing

government level and to thegeneral public.

Ekweremadu commendsFG’s efforts in security andpower sectors

Deputy Senate PresidentIke Ekweremadu says theefforts being made byPresident GoodluckJonathan’s administrationwill boost security and powerinfrastructure.

Ekweremadu gave theassurance when Vice-

President Namadi Sambopaid him a condolence visit inAbuja on Monday over thedeath of his father, His RoyalHighness, Igwe MathiasEkweremadu.

A statement issued by UcheAnichukwu, his SpecialAdviser (Media), quotedEkweremadu as saying thatthe Federal Government hadmade adequate inputs to re-engineer the nation’seconomy, especially in the

area of power and security.“We understand clearly all

the efforts you are making inthe power and securitysectors.

“We believe that with thehelp of God, in a short while,we will see the manifestationsof all your efforts.”

He expressed appreciationto the vice president and theNigerian government for thegreat solidarity shown at hismoment of grief, describing itas a sign of leadership.

Sambo described the deathof the late Igwe Ekweremaduas a sad loss to the deputySenate president and theentire nation.

He prayed for the repose ofthe soul of the departed andfor God to grant the family thefortitude to bear the loss.

Sambo was accompaniedby Gov. Isa Yuguda of BauchiState, Gov. Idris Wada of Kogiand the Minister of PoliceAffairs, Navy Capt. CalebOlubolade.

In a related development,a delegation of the staff andmanagement of the ECOWASParliament, led by itsS e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l ,Mohamesd Diakite, also paida condolence visitto Ekweremadu, who is alsothe Speaker of theParliament.

The ECOWAS Parliamentdescribed the death as “a sadloss to the CommunityParliament and ECOWAS as awhole’’.

ascertain the facts about thereport.

“So, we take this one as areport for now until the factshave been unearthed. For us toswallow everything hook lineand sinker, will not be fair tothose who are being accused.So there should be fair hearing,both sides must be heardbecause they have their owninformation, those who havebeen operatives on the groundhave their own information,and that if you recall I was thechairman of the committeethat first unearth this issue of fraud on fuel subsidy.

“So I think that it doesn’tmean that we would concludethat there is no transparencyin the way and mannergovernment does business. ’’

On transparency ingovernance at the state levels,Yuguda said that most of thestate governments had enactedthe procurement and fiscalresponsibility laws as part ofmeasures to promotetransparency and financialdiscipline.

He said that the stategovernments would continueto partner with the Federal

Subsidy probe: Yugudawants judicial protectionfor indicted persons

Government in promotingtransparency in governance.

NECA sues Reps over auditof 180 companies

The Nigeria Employers’Consultative Association(NECA) has filed a suit againstthe House of Representativesover its decision to investigate180 NECA member-companieson tax matters.

In the suit filed at theFederal High Court, Lagos,NECA said that the power of theHouse Committee on Finance toinvestigate all revenuesaccruing to the Federation didnot extend to NECA member-companies

The House Committee onFinance of the House ofRepresentatives, in nationalnewspapers on April 2, calledfor the investigation andauditing of tax returns in 180companies from 2006 to2 0 1 1 .

NECA said that it took theissue to court following thefailure of the House ofRepresentatives’ Committeeon Finance to restrain itsConsultant, OlusolaAdekanola & Co, fromcommencing audit and

inspection of the books ofcompanies in the privatesectors.

The plaintiff said thatNECA companies “not being‘’persons’’, ‘ ’authority’’,‘ ’government ministry’’,‘ ’government department’,’which executes or administerslaw made by the NationalAssembly, disburses oradministers monies appropriatedor to be appropriated by theNational Assembly are outsidethe investigatory powers of the

House of Representatives.The plaintiff also called for an

injunction restraining theAttorney-General of theFederation, the Speaker, Houseof Representatives, Clerk,National Assembly, Chairman,House Committee on Financeand the audit firm, OlusolaAdekanola and Company, fromproceeding with theinvestigation of Corporate TaxReturns (2006-2011), aspublished by a nationalnewspaper.

Governor Isa Yuguda ofBauchi state says thoseindicted by the House of

Representatives’ report on fuel subsidy should be given fairhearing to ascertain their levelof involvement in the allegedscam.

Yuguda stated this whilefielding questions from StateHouse Correspondents in Abujaon Monday.

He said that the entirereport should be subjected tocross-examination to ascertainthe facts contained in it.

“This is necessary becausethe report is yet to be put to test.

“The governor, therefore,urged Nigerians to be fair tothose implicated in the report,saying that the indictedpersons should be allowed todefend themselves in the courtof law.

“Well, the House ofRepresentatives report is aninvestigation that was carriedout and there were lots ofdiscoveries that were made andthat report is yet to be put totest. Is as if you makeallegations and theseallegations will be put to seriesof cross examinations to

The Kogi House ofAssembly organised apublic hearing in Lokoja

on Monday as part of steps toensure effective legislation onthe domestication of theFreedom of Information(FOI) Act.

The one-day hearing drewcontributors from civil societyorganisations, the stateMinistry of Information andthe general public.

The Chairman,Committee on Information,Chief Saidu Akawu-Salihu,said that the FOI Bill, whenpassed into law, would serveas a wake-up call for allgovernment offices to keep up-to-date records.

He said the law wouldrepeal the ‘Official Secrets Act’which hitherto had shieldedpublic officers from divulginginformation considered topsecret.

In his presentation, MrIdris Miliki, ExecutiveDirector, Centre for HumanRights and ConflictResolution, commended thecommittee for taking steps todomesticate the FOI act.

Miliki urged the House toensure that all the Bills passedinto law by the House werecodified and published ingazette for properenforcement.

He noted that eventualdomestication of the FOI Actwould boost the fight againstcorruption and

Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state

Gov. Wada IdrisChairman, Committee on Information, Chief SaiduAkawu-Salihu


Imo Speaker callsfor immortalisationof political leadersThe Speaker of the Imo State

House of Assembly, ChiefBenjamin Uwajumogu, has

emphasised theneed to immortalise political leaderswho contributed meaningfully tothe socio-economic and politicaldevelopment of the country.

The speaker made the call inOguta Local Government Area ofImo on Monday while unveilingHole 18 Golf Club in honour of lateDr R.B.K Okafor, a political leader inthe state.

The Speaker said that

Okafor, who worked selflessly for therealisation of Nigeria’s Independencein 1960 and other people who foughtfor the restoration of democracy in1999 should be honoured.

He described Okafor as avisionary leader who fought for thecreation of the old Imo State.

The Chief of Staff to Imo theGovernor, Chief Eze Madumere,called on prominent Imo citizens toidentify themselves with the club.

He noted that the idea ofhonouring Okafor was a welcomingdevelopment, adding that

Okafor’s political vision assisted thelate Gov. Sam Mbakwe indeveloping the old Imo.

Madumere told political officeholders to emulate Okafor and toleave legacies they would beremembered for after their serviceto the nation.

The Captain of the club, Mr.Albert Ariche, described the club asa place of many opportunities.

He called on the StateGovernment to invest on the club toattract more amenities to make itmore attractive.

The ACN in Osun onMonday, advised leaders ofthe PDP to stop making threats

and to allow peace to reign in thestate.

The advice was contained in astatement signed by Mr KunleOyatomi, the ACN’s Director ofPublicity and Strategy, and madeavailable to the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.

Sen. Iyiola Omisore, a PDPchieftain had on Saturday in a chatwith newsmen, warned Gov. RaufAregbesola against the use of private

ACN advises PDP chieftains to embrace peace in Osunsecurity guards or “to riskinterception”.

Omisore had argued that it wasunethical for the State Governmentas part of the federating states, to beusing unofficial security guards notknown to the State Security Service.

NAN recalls that an Islamic sectJamat’at Ta’awunil Muslimeen inIwo had on April 17, at anews conference in Osogbo clarifiedthat the governor had no secretdealing with the body.

The clarification followed areport by a national daily on April

14 that the SSS had identified thesect as part of the governor’sIslamisation agenda.

However, the ACN in its reactionwarned that the threat by thepolitician to “attack, stop and disarm”the governor’s convoy was borne outof desperation and warned himagainst violence.

Oyatomi called on the PDP toallow peace to reign as “such actwould be treated as an assassinationattempt and will be decisively resistedby the state’s security forces.

”We call on all lovers of peace to

advise Omisore and his cohortsagainst this act of desperation first inhis own interest and in the interest ofpeace and survival of democracy.

“If the PDP in the South West evenhas a private army, it will be suicidalto use that illegal army against theChief Security Officer and ChiefExecutive of a state in the federation.

“When did it become theresponsibility of a senator todetermine who constitute thesecurity convoy of the governor? IsOmisore now the National SecurityAdviser?,” he asked. (NAN)

Obi said that 24 hoursclearance at the port was verynecessary to reduce the cost ofdoing business in the country.

In another interview, theMinister of Finance, Dr NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, said thatgovernment through thepresidential committee on portreform was working hard to ensure24 hours clearance at the port.

She said that government hadalready awared contract for therepairs of Apapa road in Lagos.

“I believe that the contract todo that road will be taken care of;it’s a costly thing because so manyheavy trucks go on that road.’’

Okonjo-Iweala said thegovernment was also workinghard to ensure that modernmachines were installed at theports by the concessionaires tofacilitate speedy clearance ofgoods.

She explained that efforts werebeing made to ensure that emptycontainers were removed fromthe ports.

NAN recalls that with theinauguration of the ports reformcommittee, the government gaveapproval to eight agencies thatwould operate within the ports tospeed up the clearance of goods.

The approved agencies includethe Nigerian Ports Authority; theNigerian Maritime and SafetyAgency; the Nigerian CustomsService; and the Nigerian Police(Ports Authority Command).

Others are: the State SecurityService; the National Drug LawEnforcement Agency; theNigerian Immigration Service;and the Port Health Authority.

All other agencies are expectedto work in the ports when the needarises. So far, at least 2,080overtime containers out of the5,000 littering the Lagos portshave been moved to the IkoroduTerminal.

Gov Obi applauds FG’s port reform

The Anambra Governor,Dr Peter Obi, hasapplauded the Federal

Government’s ongoing port reformaimed at ensuring cargo clearancewithin 24 hours.

Obi made the commendationin an interview with the NewsAgency of Nigeria (NAN) on thesideline of the Spring Meeting of theWorld Bank and the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) yesterdayin Washington DC.

He said the reform wouldexpand trade in Nigeria. “Quitefrankly, under the present regime,we have started what I will call adeliberately organised reform inthe port because in the past whatwe’ve been doing is just giving lipservice to port reform.

“We’ve concessioned the portbut those who are supposed toinvest money have not reallyinvested any money.

“Every port today operates 24hours; most of the ships come in atnight; before morning they finishoff loading and they have modernequipment that can offload shipsin hours.’’

Obi noted that it was cheaperto offload a ship in Ghana than inNigeria because the ports in thecountry lacked basic offloadingfacilities.

He said though 60 to 70 percent of goods entering West Africawere destined for Nigeria, theimporters preferred to use the portsin neighbouring countries due tothe lack of port facilities.

“They use Contonu portsbecause it operates 24 hours andclearance is fast. These are thethings the ports in Nigeria arebeginning to do now, and I mustsay that the process is slow but it isbeginning to get to what isexpected.

“All that is required is to pushthem to ensure that the reformgoals are achieved. “

Representing Zuru federalconstituency in the Houseof Representatives, Alhaji

Abdullahi Dan-Alkali, has calledon the Federal Government toupgrade the Zuru Uhola culturalfestival to international standard.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the Uholacultural festival is an annual eventthat attracts the Zuru people fromall over the country and abroad.

Dan-Alkali, who is theChairman of the 2012 Uhola

Cultural Festival, told NAN onMonday in Zuru, Kebbi, that theNigerian Tourism DevelopmentCorporation (NTDC) shouldpartner with the stategovernment to develop thefestival.

“The Zuru emirate canpackage the festival to attracttourists and boost the culture andthe heritage of the people togenerate revenue.

“The Uhola festival had overthe years served as a symbol ofunity among the variouscommunities that had workedhard to retain the culture andtraditions of the people.

“And the people will be proudto host tourists from all over theworld as our cultures are unique.’’

Dan-Alkali described the 2012Uhola festival as a success, addingthat every indigene of Zuru wasproud to be at the annual eventthat had retained cultural valuesof the people over the years.

NAN reports that the Emir ofZuru, Maj.-Gen. Sani Sami, haddirected each community toestablish a museum to preserveshrines and traditional worshipplaces in their localities. (NAN)

Legislator calls on FG to supportZuru Uhola festival in Kebbi

L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Rivers state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, with Adamawastate Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako, during the Forum's meeting on committees constituted to lookinto the excess crude account and oil subsidy, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Senator Iyiola Omisore onMonday denied mediareports that he threatened to

attack Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun.Omisore’s rebuttal was

contained in a press release madeavailable to newsmen in Osogbo.

He dissociated himself from themedia report, saying politics is not ado or die affair.

“I can never descend so low tothe extent of nursing such a

Omisore denies planning to attack Osun governorsenseless ambition of attacking theconvoy of a sitting governor being aformer deputy governor myself anda lover democracy.

“I am a man of peace, I amcommitted to peace and stability ofthe state, I have no other state to layclaim to than Osun and I willcontinue to work for its stability.”

Omisore described the mediareport as unfortunate, insisting thathe was misquoted, adding: “I have

no problem with Aregbesola or anypolitician whatsoever.”

He clarified that the interviewhe granted only emphasised thatthe PDP would not allow the ACN torig any election in the state.

Omisore stated that the PDPwould not condone the use of thugsunder any guise to rig election inthe state, as was allegedly done bythe ACN during the April 2011general elections.


It’s fireworks at the Santiago Bernabeu the home of nine times UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid, who

welcome four times champions Bayern Muniich in acracker of a match that will determine who faces

Chelsea in the final.And there is a jinx to be broken. Jose

Mourinho has lost three of his five ChampionsLeague semifinals and the combative coach is

determined to improve that record as he lined uphis squad in the second leg duel against the Germans.Apart from pedigree, the hosts command an impressive

record against the visitors. They have won 17 of 22 games anddrawing three. That of course is an incredible and, indeed,intimidating record.

And they boast of solid home record. This season, Real have won10 of their last 11 home games in the Champions League and havenetted 22 goals in five outings at the Santiago Bernabeu in thisyear’s competition.

But Bayern are no pushovers. They have have a 2-1 advantageover Real and will indeed not shy away from compact defensiveand offensive approach considering the potency of their attack

However, they are at greater risk than their hosts in view ofhaving seven players each a card away from missing the finalshould they pull through.

Defenders Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm- who keptCristiano Ronaldo quite for a considerable period of the firstleg-and Holger Badstuber, midfielders David Alaba, Luiz

Gustavo and Toni Kroos and forward Thomas Mueller, are at theverge of exit. Here is where Real’s mesmerising talismanCristiano Ronaldo will take full advantage. He has been inscintillating form this season with 42 goals eightof which are in this fiesta.

Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain andcreative forces Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil,who plays for Germany alongside many ofthe Bayern players are all available for Realto deploy against Bayern.

Besides, Real Madrid will rely on their homeform. The Whites lost the first leg 2-1 inMunich and need to score at least oneunanswered goal to progress to the final.

Madrid have won all five of their homematches this season, scoring 22 goals andconceding five, a record that they may notbe in hurry to let drop.

Bayern have been less impressive on theroad in the competition and the last time theyvisited the Bernabeu was in 2007 when theylost 3-2 and a similar result would see them goingthrough on the away goal rule. They would, of course, hope for a

repeat result at the worst.

UEFA Champions Leaguea

By Patrick Andrew

The Nigeria Football Federation has concluded arrangements to organize introductory courses for Five-A-Side(Futsal) and Beach soccer coaches and referees this week.

While the Beach Soccer course will take place at theConfluence Beach Hotel, Lokoja, the Futsal course will hold atthe FIFA Technical Centre, Abuja starting from todaythrough Saturday.

Nigeria's FIFA Instructor in beach soccer, Mr. SundayOkayi, who is also the only African FIFA Instructor in thegame, says the nation has huge potential in the game consid-ering the vast coastal lines available.

"The NFF has approached world football-governing body,

FIFA to conduct a high-level Coaching and Refereeing Course for usto enable us build a sound and professional capacity as we aim tokick-start the Beach Soccer League before the end of this year. Wehave faith that FIFA will accede to our request”, said Okayi.

Nigeria finished sixth at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup finalsin 2007 and 2011, won the African Beach Soccer Championship in2007 and 2009 and is ranked number 11 in FIFA's all-time list.

In December last year, the Supersand Eagles showed much groundNigeria has gained against the world's powers in the game by win-ning the COPA Lagos

Invitational Tournament after trouncing four-time world cham-pions Brazil, South Africa and England.

NFF organizes Futsal, Beach Soccer courses

MEN’S OLYMPICFOOTBALL DRAW

Group A: Great Britain,Senegal, United ArabEmirates, UruguayGroup B: Mexico, SouthKorea, Gabon, SwitzerlandGroup C: Brazil, Egypt,Belarus, New ZealandGroup D: Spain, Japan,Honduras, MoroccoThe top two teams fromeach group go through tothe quarter-finals.WOMEN’S OLYMPICFOOTBALL DRAWGroup E: Great Britain,New Zealand, Cameroon,BrazilGroup F: Japan, Canada,Sweden, South AfricaGroup G: USA, France,Colombia, Korea DPRThe top two teams fromeach group and the two bestthird-placed teams qualifyfor the quarter-finals.

Allianz Arena beckons onBayern as Mourinho seeksto break semi-final jinx


No fewer than 15 teamsare participating in theEnugu State Federation

Cup which kicked off onMonday in Enugu.

The state’s FA Chairman,Chidi Ofo-Okewa, disclosed thatparticipating teams have beenurged to acquaint themselveswith the current rules andregulations of the game andensure fair play.

The chairman expresseddelight with the fledglingcomposition of some of the teamsmaking their debut in thecompetition and expressed thehope the eventual championwould be a worthyrepresentative of the state at thenational level of thecompetition.

“The team that emerges asthe state’s champion will surelydo well at the national level ofthe federation cup.”

Meanwhile, in one of thematches played in thecompetition, Global FC of Enugudefeated Winners FC of Enugu5-3 in a penalty shootout, afterthe two teams had battled to a 1-1 draw during regulation time.

In the second match, EnuguAngels FC also defeated DisdevtFC of Enugu 5-3 in anotherpenalty shootout after they hadplayed out to a 3-3 draw.

Ocean Boys’ manager,Samson Unuanel hasjoined the Super Falcons

as an assistant coach to KadiriIkhana.

The Ocean Boys’ gaffer who isexpected to combine the Falconsand Ocean Boys assignments hasresumed duty after the NFF gavetheir approvals.

He would assist Ikhana to meetNFF’s target of winning gold atthe 2012 African Women’sChampionship in EquatorialGuinea and the next twoeditions.

He also expected to win gold atthe 2015 All Africa Games inCongo-Brazzaville, semifinals ofthe 2015 FIFA Women’s World

Cup in Canada as well as qualifyNigeria for the 2016 footballevent of the Olympic Games inBrazil, among others.

An elated Unuanel said thatthe appointment as SuperFalcons’ assistant coach is adream come true.

“I’ve been longing for it andpraying for such opportunity, Iam happy it has come true. Ithas been my aspiration to coacha national team just as it’s theambition of every player to playfor the national teams.

“I’m going to utilise it to thefullest and I thank coach KadiriIkhana for believing in me andthe NFF for approving me as anassistant.

“Ikhana requested for me as hisassistant and the NFF hassanctioned it. I am going to workwith him to fully realise thetargets given to him.

“I’m not intimidated by thetargets, Ikhana is an achieverand together, we’ll surpass thetargets. I was sceptical workingwith the women but 10 days Ihave been in camp with themhas doused those fears, they areintelligent and lovely people towork with,” he said.

Unuanel said he is notabandoning the Brass-based sidein their hour of trials butinsisted that the fight to save theteam from the drop iscontinuing.

“No, I’m not abandoning theteam. I’ll combine both jobs.Besides, I have capable assistantswho will hold fort when I’m notavailable.

“Reports on their matchagainst Dolphins showed thatthey played very well. We lostplayers in the mid-seasontransfer. We got some rookies, inthe next three, four matchesthey will blend with the old ones.

“Our position is not okay, I’mconfident we’ll pull through.We’ll try and pick three pointsagainst Niger Tornadoes intoday’s midweek match inYenagoa. “I pray governmentpromises of fund will come trueso as to motivate the players.We’re united in making surethat Ocean Boys are saved fromrelegation,” he said.

Spain coach Vicente DelBosque says that formerglories will count for little

when they go to the EuropeanChampionships in Poland andUkraine in June.

Spain won the World Cup inSouth Africa in 2010 and thelast European competition inAustria and Switzerland in2008, casting aside thecountry’s reputation as under-achievers on the internationalstage.

“I think we have to be likenormal people. We can be proudof what we’ve achieved, but atthe same time it belongs to thepast, and we have to face thefuture. “And if we want to keepour feet on the ground there isno other possibility than toforget that we won it, andprepare for the future,” DelBosque said in an interview.

Former Real Madrid coachDel Bosque said an essentialpart of the country’s recentsuccess was consistency of playacross all national teams,which gave him a range ofoptions at his disposal.

“We can put in any playerwe want and he will adaptimmediately,” he added.

Spain take on 2006 WorldCup winners Italy in their firstGroup C match in Gdansk,Poland, on June 10.

Unuanel joins Falcons’ coaching setup

Raheem Lawal

Nigeria U23 player,Raheem Lawal, has saidhe is ready to step up to the

Super Eagles after he earned morepraise from coach Stephen Keshi.

The Atletico Belares of Spainmidfielder said he will grab hischance at full internationallevel after Eagles coach StephenKeshi again hinted he is beingconsidered for promotion to thecountry’s main team.

The Olympic Eagles star, whonetted three times againstAlgeria as Nigeria faltered at theAfrica U23 Championship last

year in Morocco, was speaking onthe back of a recent declarationby Keshi that he was beenconsidered for role in the midfield.

“I am happy to hear the newsthat the Eagles coach isconsidering me,” an elatedRaheem told a wire service fromhis base in Spain. “I have alwaysprayed for an opportunity withthe Eagles and I must say I ameager to come and serve myfatherland. For the coach toconsider me means my hardwork here in Spain is not beingover looked.”

On the latest over his possiblemove away from Belares, Lawalsaid he would prefer to be quieton that for the time being.

“I don’t want to talk about mymove anymore until everythingis in place. I know there areseveral offer at the end of theseason, but I would prefer to besilent on it for now,” he said.

EPL side Tottenham, RealMadrid youth team and twounnamed clubs from Germanyare reportedly interested in theservices of the versatilemidfielder.

Lawal set for Eagles call up

The UJ Esuene Stadium inCalabar has been scoredhigh by officials to stage

Nigeria 2014 World Cupqualifier in June.

Nigeria are shopping foralternative match venue for aWorld Cup qualifying match athome to Namibia on June 3 aftersecurity concerns over the initialchoice of Kaduna, whichrecently suffered a deadly bombattack by a terrorist sect.

Nigeria are also due to hostRwanda on June 17 in a returnleg match for the 2013 AfricaCup of Nations qualifying series.

“We are pleasantly surprisedwith the state of the UJ EsueneStadium pitch and facilities,” a topofficial on the inspection team said.

World Cup qualifier: Calabar scores top marks

Chief Patrick Ekeji, DG, NSC

Jegede Opeyemi Bambo, aParalympics GamesPower-Lifter, has

successfully undergone asurgery to correct a para-umbilical hernia at theUniversity of Lagos TeachingHospital (LUTH).

She was discovered to have

The grass is lush green. It is thebest among all the inspectedstadiums in terms of everythingespecially the pitch, but(Stephen) Keshi (Eagles coach)has the final say.”

The Calabar stadium staged a2012 Nations Cup qualifieragainst Madagascar inSeptember 2010, which Nigeriawon 2-0. Officials have alsoinspected the Obafemi AwolowoStadium in Ibadan.

Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) spokesman AdemolaOlajire confirmed the inspectionvisits, adding, “we are stillmonitoring situation in Kaduna,but we just want to have a planB should there be a need for that.”

Olajire also disclosed that the

Dan Anyiam Stadium is notunder consideration to host theEagles qualifiers. “I don’t know

where Owerri came from. We areonly looking at Ibadan andCalabar,” he said.

the hernia during the medicalexamination of athletes for thequalifying competition by theInternational Power-liftingFederation but the medicalteam of the National SportsCommission (NSC) was able tocontain the problem enablingher to compete for thequalifiers.

U.J. EsueneStadium, Calabar

London 2012: Opeyemiundergoes successfulsurgery, resumes training

Miss Jegede, who in spite ofthe umbilical hernia qualifiedfor the London Games, willresume light training for thecompetition after five weeksfrom the date of the surgery-April 6 and will resume normalrigorous training after sevenweeks to be ready for the games.

It was after her qualification

that the NSC organized for herto undergo a successfulsurgery at LUTH.

Her recovery programmeis being managed by the NSCmedical team and they haveassured that Jegede will be fitenough to train and competeat the Paralympic Games inLondon.

15 teamsfeature inEnuguFederation Cup

Del Bosqueurges Spain toforget WCup,Euro wins


Sinivie Boltic

The Kick-boxing Federationof Nigeria (KFN) has saidthat it intends to maintain

visibility for the sport through itsin-house sponsorship initiative, toattract sponsors for itsprogrammes.

Emmanuel Peters, KFN boardmember, told the News Agency ofNigeria (NAN) on Monday inLagos that the initiative hadnecessitated a rotationalsponsorship of some of itsprogrammes by members.

To this effect, Peters said thathe would be sponsoring thefederation’s forthcoming OpenChampionships slated to hold inMakurdi from June 12 to June 17.

He said that the body had todepart from the norm by choosingan entirely different venue for theOpen Championships.

“We decided to stage this eventin a totally different location,away from the Lagos and Abujaaxes. We decided to break themonotony by taking it elsewhereto enable athletes from thoseparts to have a feel of thecompetition at their doorsteps; ifyou like.

“It is an opportunity for athletesin the state to showcase theirtalents, which will also serve asan avenue for the federation toidentify emerging grassrootstalents in the sport,” he said.

The board member said thatthe body is currently engaged inan aggressive awarenesscampaign to popularise the sportin all the nooks and crannies ofthe country.

He added that the KFN’s in-house sponsorship initiative wasalso part of the aggressiveawareness campaign to sustainthe sport.

“There is no separatecommittee to get sponsors, we areall in it and have written lettersto corporate organisations,approached private individualswith proposals which we aremonitoring,” he said.

When asked about the stepsbeing taken by the federation toupdate its technical officials withthe current trends in kick-boxing,he said that KFN was workingclosely with the World Associationof Kick-boxing Organisation(WAKA).

Peters, who is also a member ofthe federation’s technicalcommittee, said that it was theduty of WAKA to expose the sportto major international gamessuch as the Olympics.

He added that the reason whykick-boxing was not featured as anevent at the 2011 All AfricaGames was because Mozambique(the host) was not proficient in thesport and excluded it from thegames’ list.

The Nigeria BasketballFederation (NBBF) hasarranged top grade

friendly matches for D’ Tigres tokeep the players in shape andabreast with theircontemporaries ahead of theLondon 2012 Olympic Games,this Summer.

The President of thefederation, Alhaji Tijani Umar,listed some of the countries toinclude Brazil, Argentina, Chinaand Russia who have allqualified to participate in theforthcoming Olympic Games.

The president, who expresseddelight with the mood in theteam, also said the preparationswere in top gear for D’ Tigres torelocate to China where theywould tune up for the Games.According to him, the teamwould use the opportunity inChina to play some friendlymatches with top Chinesebasketball teams plus the crackChina national basketball squad.

Besides, he said that D’ Tigerhas scheduled to play a friendlymatch in Brazil from 26th to 29th

of June before cross over to

The London 2012Olympics Ant-DopingLaboratory on Monday

received the seal of approvalfrom the World Anti-DopingAgency (WADA).

“With the approval, theLondon 2012 Anti-DopingLaboratory will be able tooperate and attain the higheststandards of sample analysisduring the Olympic Games andParalympics Games inLondon,” WADA PresidentJohn Fahey said in a statement.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that theOlympic Games is to hold fromJuly 27 to Aug. 12 while theParalympic Games is

scheduled for Aug. 29 to Sept. 9.“Doping athletes must know

that there is a very good chancethey will be tested this summer,”the Europe Correspondent ofNAN quotes Fahey as sayingfurther.

He assured that the laboratorywould live up to its billing asWADA had ensured it was thebest available to help incurtailing cheating in sportsthrough doping.

“Everything scientificallypossible with the assistance ofgrowing intelligence will be doneto make sure that their(athletes) efforts to cheat aredetected by the experts at thelaboratory,” Fahey said.

In his reaction, JonathanHarris, LOCOG Head of Anti-Doping, described WADAaccreditation as a green lightsignal that the laboratory isready for the games.

“The successful partnershipbetween LOCOG,GlaxoSmithKiline (GSK), theproviders of the laboratory, andKing’s College London, theoperators, has enabled us topresent to WADA a brilliantlaboratory on time for theGames,” Harris said.

NAN gathered that WADAaccreditation process, whichspanned a two-year period, wasbased on two InternationalStandards for Laboratories.

These standards required thelaboratory to undergo a seriesof rigorous tests to establish itsanalysis credentials.

The process also involvedseveral site visits from WADA’sScience Department and the“ISO/IEC” accrediting bodyprior to the granting ofaccreditation.

Assessments were alsofocused on the facility,equipment, procedures andstaffing during three formalinspections and dummysample testing. More than6,250 samples are beingexpected to be analysedthroughout the Olympic andParalympics Games.

“The invitational was heldbetween April 13 and April 18.We displayed our capabilities andalso improved our skills inpreparation for the Olympics.

“At the invitational, we pitchedour skills with wrestlers fromother countries suchb as Iran andthe U.S. and we are able todetermine our skills level.

“We did our best at theinvitational. Although, I lost atthe first round in 84kg, however,I got to the final in two othercategories where I lost to Iran. Thisshows that we need more trainingand exposure and which we canget through more competitions,”he said.

According to him, although the

Apart from these, Nigeria maylikely have other candidatesbecause the Nigeria WrestlingFederation (NWF) would attendother qualifiers in China fromApril 27 to April 29 and in Finlandfrom May 2 to May 4.

Boltic, currently in Yenagoa,said on ‘phone that constantparticipation in internationaltournaments would prevent themfrom being rustic before theOlympics.

According to him, participationin the just-concluded invitationalin Punjab, India, had furthersharpen their skills andtechniques which, he said, wouldhelp brighten their chances at theOlympics.

D’ Tiger to play Russia, Brazil, China in pre-Olympics friendly matches

World body approves 2012 LondonOlympics Anti-Doping Laboratory

We lack competent training partners,says Olympic-bound wrestler

Olympic-bound SinivieBoltic has lamented thelack of modern training

equipment in the country andappealed to the National SportsCommission to make up for thisby arranging more internationaltournaments to enhancewrestlers’ skills and preparationstoward a good performance at theJuly 27 to Aug. 13 London 2012Olympics.

Boltic, who qualified lastFebruary in freestyle category(90kg) at the Senior Worldqualifiers in Istanbul, Turkey,was one of the four wrestlersalready qualified to representNigeria at the Olympics.

Others were Adibo Dick,freestyle (96kg) and two females,Amarachi Obiajunwa, (72kg)and Blessing Oborodudu (63kg).The three qualified at theOceania-Africa Continental inCasablanca, Morocco in March.

federation is planning anotherinternational competition, hewill, however, prefer trainingtour of Bulgaria or Germany.

KFNadoptsinnovativesponsorshipinitiativefor visibility

for USA, while playing matcheswe will also be finalizing ourfriendly match with Britain andRussian, because we have billedto play Brazil on 26th of Junebefore it neighboring countryVenezuela where we also agreedto play match.

“The Federation agreed to playthese countries because they are

neighboring country Venezuelafor another friendly match.

“The federation can’t afford toplay friendly matches with nonOlympics teams because it maybring down the level of ourpreparation ahead of Olympicgame challenges. “We have 4-nation tournament in China inearly June, we will leave China

also the countries we may likelymeet when the global event startproper in London, “he said.

Further, Umar said that theNBBF will work assiduously toensure the D’ Tiger not onlyparticipate at the global eventbut put the green white green inthe medal table at the LondonOlympic games.

Nigeria’s D’ Tigres

By Albert Akota


Enugu Rangers havewarned Enyimba tohands off forward Razaq

Adegbite because he has yet tobe cleared to play for them.

Rangers have even gone aheadto declare the forward, who hasscored three goals for them thisseason, wanted.

Officials said the formerGateway FC of Abeokuta star wasproperly transferred on apermanent basis this seasonafter he completed a loan spell

the previous term.A top management staff of

‘The Flying Antelopes’, whospoke on the basis of anonymity,said, “It is quite painful howplayers in Nigeria behave. Thiswas a player who just escapedbeen punished after abandoningduties and travelling to Ukrainefor trials without permissionwhen he returned.

“Now he is nowhere to be foundand his service is needed to helpus charge for the league title. We

are hearing that he has joinedEnyimba but that to the best ofmy knowledge is a very big lie.”

Another top official saidRangers paid out N1m for a loandeal involving Adegbite lastseason and this season, they paidthe player’s agent three millionto make the transfer apermanent one.

However, in a strange twistAdegbite said he remains aRangers player and will soonrejoin the team.The Chief Coach of Police

FC, Mukaila Ali, hasexpressed confidence in

his team’s ability to impressand progress to a reasonableextend in the on-goingFederation Cup competition inthe FCT.

“I rate my boys very highbecause they have done wellin spite of the fact that the weekhas been stressful. Today, Ithank God we won, as it’s goingto take us to the quarter-finals,” Ali said while reactingto his team’s 1-0 win over FRSCFC of Abuja in a third roundmatch.

Paul Titus of the Police FC hadscored their winning goal infifth minute into the game.

Speaking also on the match,Ali’s FRSC counterpart, AkinOnigbinde, applauded theperformance of the team butstressed that they would needto improve in certain aspectsfor the team to meet thedesired expectation.

“It is a very good game but Ibelieve luck was a little bitagainst us. You could counthow many occasions we hitthe woodwork. “But I believethat it is how God wants it. Ihave to give the playersencouragement because westill have our league matchesto play. “We still need to workon our passes, as thepenetration passes are notcoming. So, we need to workon that more,” he said.

“I am still a Rangers playerand I took permission to stayback with my family for somedays and I will hit Enugu thisweekend,” he said.

“There is no truth in reportsmaking the rounds that I havesigned for Enyimba. I am justreading it in the media and Ihave not had any meeting withany Enyimba official. My desireto win a trophy with Rangersthis season is paramount on mylist this year.”

Police Machinecoach happywith team’sprogress in2012Federation Cup

Rangers warn Enyimba off Adegbite

FC Abuja coach wants NNL to scrap Abridge League Format

The Nigeria PremierLeague (NPL) has saidthat it will sanction clubs

hosting league matches thatfailed to provide necessarymedical personnel and facilitiesat the venues.

Tunji Babalola, the ActingExecutive Secretary, NPL toldthe News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Monday on phonethat the board viewed stronglyissues relating to players‘

welfare.Babalola, who spoke against the

backdrop of Bolton Wanderer’sFabrice Muamba survival afterhis collapse on the field of play, saidit was mandatory for the clubs toprovide medical teams at matchvenues.

It would be recalled thatMuamba collapsed on the field ofplay during an FA Cup quarter-final tie between Bolton andTottenham Hotspur at White

Hart on March 17. He spent 40days in a specialist hospital afterbeing pronounced dead for 78minutes.

“We have our rules andregulation; as a club it ismandatory to have a medicalteam to be headed by a qualifieddoctor, there must be provisionof well equipped ambulance.

“Without the provision of thisamenities, matches will bestopped and the host clubautomatically losses three pointsand get sanctioned,” thesecretary said.

He said with thecommencement of the secondstanza of the NPL all clubs wereexpected to have concluded theirhealth fitness test for theirplayers, which will certify themfit for the season.

Babalola, however, called onthe federal and stategovernments to live up toexpectation and provide facilitiesin the public hospitals, andprovide adequate remunerationfor health workers.

“The NPL cannot do this alone;they (governments) shouldensure that the hospitals arewell equipped, for instance thehospital that resuscitatedMuamba is not owned by theEnglish Premier League.

“Medical personnel should beadequately compensated, so

they won’t leave the shores ofthis country because of poorremunerations, which havelead to academic brain drain inthe country,” he said.

He explained that beforematches’ kick-off, matchcommissioners and assessorswere expected to inspect thevenues and ensure that thenecessary logistics were in placeand assured that the NPL wouldensure that the clubs do not toywith players’ welfare. Muambawas discharged from hospitalon April 16.

However, Mutiu Adepoju,the Manager of the ShootingStars Sports Club (3SC) ofIbadan prayed that such anincident does not occur in theNigerian league.

“We pray such thing does nothappen and such has nothappened for a long time. Wealways do check-ups as andwhen due,” Adepoju said.

He said that although thequality of health services in thecountry was not comparable towhat obtained in developedcountries, clubs still managedto conduct medical screening ofplayers.

“We do check-ups eventhough they might not be assophisticated as they are inEngland, but we try to do thebest we can,” he said.

NPL to sanction venues withoutmedical facilities

Nigeria Premier League, Sunshine vsKwara United

PUBLIC NOTICE

DISTRIBUTORS AGENT ANDTRUCK OWNERS ASSOCIATION

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE-NAMEDASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FORREGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT1990.THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. OBA (DR) IDOWU ISENIBI, JP PRESIDENT2. MR. MBAMALU PIUS SECRETARY3. ALHAJI AUDU NABADO4. ALHAJI MUKHTAR HARUNA5. ALHAJI BALA MUHAMMED6. ALHAJI TANKO ABDULLAHIAIMS AND OBJECTIVES:1. TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT THE INTEREST OF MEMBERS.2. TO PROMOTE UNITY, LOVE AND PEACE AMONG MEMBERS.3. TO OFFER ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT TO MEMBERS IN TIMES OF NEED.4. TO BRING UNDER ONE UNITED UMBRELLA ALL THE DISTRIBUTORS AGENTSAND TRUCK OWNERS IN OBAJANA, KOGI STATE.5. TO FOSTER UNITY AND PROGRESS AMONG MEMBERS.

ANY OBJECTION(S) TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THEREGISTRAR, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT,OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA. WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THISPUBLICATION

SIGNED:SECRETARY

The Chief Coach of FC Abuja,Friday Christopher, has calledon the Nigeria National League

(NNL) to adopt a normal leagueformat instead of the currentabridged format that has beenadopted since the league resumes.

Christopher, who made the callwhile reacting to his team’s Week 120-1 loss to Jos University TeachingHospital (JUTH) FC in an interview,said that the abridged league was tooshort to get the best from players andt e a m s .

An abridged league form,according to him, is a situation whereteams are divided into groups to playfewer matches instead of the normalleague with 38 matches.

“Naturally, when you assemble ateam, you need time for the team toblend, sometimes teams getorganised after several matches inthe course of the season.

“Our team, for instance, picked upafter Week 10 of the league and if itwere the normal league, I would haveboasted and beaten my chest that wewill do something better. In any case,we are optimistic of promotion to the

Nigerian Premier League nextseason,” Christopher said.

He said the team was preparing fora normal league but got a shockerfrom the NNL on the day the drawswere made, describing such an act as“unprofessional”.

“In professional football, teams usethe first stanza of the league which isnormally 19 matches to assessthemselves. It enables the teams tosee which players to drop and thoseto bring in. That gives room fornecessary adjustments,” the coachsaid .

He commended the match officials

for good officiating so far. “As for me,the officials are doing very well.Tactically, they are sound,”Christopher said.

His JUTH counterpart, HassanAbubakar, expressed optimism thathis club would gain promotion to theNigeria Premier League after theclub’s two successive home wins overSarduana FC of Sokoto and FC Abuja.

“Our boys played according toinstructions. The players respondedpositively. We still have three awayand three home matches. We willbrace up to pick up some points in theaway matches because if we do, wewill be comfortable,” Abubakar said.He noted that their hope of promotionwas further brightened by theplayers whom, he said, were wellm o t i v a t e d .

“The players are motivated. Theyhave been paid their salaries andallowances. I am happy with themanagement for what they aredoing,” Abubakar said.

JUTH now occupies the secondposition on the Group A table with 18points.

On officiating, Abubakar said: “The

officiating in the first stanza is very good but there arefunny things happening in this second stanza of thel e a g u e ” .

He called on NNL officials to always move round toinspect matches in order to put things right and helpteams to get fair officiating.

Chief Emeka Inyama

SPORTS LALALALALATESTTESTTESTTESTTEST

ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT:ADVERT: 0803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 74580803 311 7458BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS:BUSINESS: 0805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 17650805 689 1765NEWS:NEWS:NEWS:NEWS:NEWS: 0803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 33080803 606 3308LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS:LAGOS: 0805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 19690805 327 1969

0803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 03440803 454 0344

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza,Utako, Abuja. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos,Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 803 606 3308. e-mail: [email protected]: 2141– 6141

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2012

QQQQQUOUOUOUOUOTTTTTABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QABLE QUOUOUOUOUOTETETETETEFirst they ignore you.First they ignore you.First they ignore you.First they ignore you.First they ignore you.

TTTTThen thehen thehen thehen thehen they laugh ay laugh ay laugh ay laugh ay laugh at yt yt yt yt you.ou.ou.ou.ou.TTTTThen thehen thehen thehen thehen they fy fy fy fy fight yight yight yight yight you.ou.ou.ou.ou.

TTTTThen yhen yhen yhen yhen you winou winou winou winou win— Mahatma Gandhi— Mahatma Gandhi— Mahatma Gandhi— Mahatma Gandhi— Mahatma Gandhi

10-man ChelseasubdueBarcelona toreach ChampionsLeague final The Almajiri Initiative, a

new school system thatseeks the integration of the

Tsangaya (itinerant school) orQur’anic School System and thatof western education (Boko) justlaunched by the FederalGovernment in partnership withthe states and local councils is agood new development even if, asI suspect, it is happening justaccidentally. The shortcomingidentified with the TsangayaSchool System is that itencouraged rote learning of theHoly Scripture and did not kit itsbeneficiaries with skills to earnlivelihood as adults.

The accidental aspect of newpolicy is that it may have sprungup as a slogan, a jargon or gimmickto spin votes for politicians. Buteven if it were so, patrioticinstitutions and citizens canhijack it, that is assuminggovernment is not well-meaning,to turn it into a tool for a desirablesocial change. That should bringabout the empowerment ofchildren, their fathers andmothers and the largercommunity using education.

The policy initiative whichjust launched amidst fanfare bythe government in Gagi, a villagein Sokoto State, is to ensure thesetting up of 400 such schools thisyear. TV pictures of the well-builtschool, furnished classrooms,facilities and the transformedoutlook of your regular rag-tag,barefooted Almajiri all cametogether to tell the story of a first-ever effort to carry along thesocially underprivileged children.The President, Dr. GoodluckJonathan, in inaugurating thescheme, said there were 10millionof such children roaming thestreets of mostly Northern cities.How can a society develop withoutguaranteeing right to educationto all its children?

The refusal of Muslims toembrace the Western schoolsystem has its roots in themalfunctions of colonial rule whenschools came here, not merely asagents of education andsocialization but of conversion ofMuslims to Christian faith. Onaccount of this, Muslims,especially those found in the Northwho make up Nigeria’s largestcommunity-or something close tothat- did not enroll their childrenin schools. The sad aspect of it isthat this deficit in faith in the BokoSystem remained largely

unaddressed for the more than100 years of the existence of thiscountry. Based on this faultyfoundation, this country has bornethe burden of an uneducated massof humanity,some might say fortoo long. This accounts for whymany things had gone wrong, andare bound to go wrong with oursystem. The fact that a policy iscoming at this time presupposesthat there is consciousness on thepart of those that rule us that wecannot continue to pretent that allis well. The pioneers/ground-breakers of this progressivesystem of education are worthy ofcommendation.

Seeing our vast population, inthe current parlance, humancapital, we need to invest more in

education if this country is to makea meaningful attempt atachieving national development.Things have been going wronglyfor us due mainly to lack ofeducation.

The democratic processrequires enlightened masses whocannot be manipulated by vestedinterests in the political system.Armed with education and securefuture, the Almajiri will resist thepressure to be recruited as thugsby politicians. They (masses) willknow and press for their rights,which the political class mustsatisfy, or suffer the consequencesof disobedience to the electoratewhen they vote.

As one writer asserted,without access to universaleducation, democracy becomesdumbocracy – the rule of theignorant, for the ignorant and bythe ignorant – a scenario whichNigeria has come dangerouslyclose to enacting.

We all know that the newAlmajiri Initiative is a challengeboth in terms of money and moreso, acceptability to the segment ofthe population it is targeted at.There will, for instance beresistance by the beneficiaries ofthe out-going order. For everydecadent system, there arebeneficiaries who will defend it tothe last. But the thing that will

Almajiri schools:Good step or hot air?

The season has beenturbulent for them andat a stage they were

almost in discomfiture, butyesterday at the Nou Camp,10-man Chelsea against all oddseliminated defendingchampion Barcelona to reachthe Champions League final.

John Terry inexplicably gotan unnecessary red card, butthat did not stop Chelsea fromsecuring a 2-2 tie on the nightand winning on 3-2 aggregate.

Two months ago, Chelseawere the butt of several soccerfans for their dismal formworsened by the sack of AndreVillas-Boas, but the coming ofstand-by coach Roberto DiMatteo not only injectedvibrancy into the team but theplayers seem to have attaineda certain hitherto unknowngut.

Now, owner RomanAbramovich, would sure hopeto realise his life-long dream ofwinning the UEFA ChampionsLeague, a quest that has seenhim sack several coaches.

Barcelona trailed 1-0 fromthe first leg but took a 2-0 leadin the game on goals by SergioBusquets in the 35th minuteand Andres Iniesta in the 44th.

Terry was given a red cardin the 37th for fouling AlexisSanchez, but rallied as Ramiresscored on a lob over goalkeeperVictor Valdes in first-halfinjury time, tying theaggregate and giving Chelseathe advantage on away goals.

Three-time FIFA player ofthe year Lionel Messi, sent apenalty kick off the crossbar inthe 59th after Didier Drogbapulled down Cesc Fabregas.Messi hit a post late, Barcelonahad a goal disallowed for offsideand substitute Fernando Torressealed the win when he scoredon a breakaway in the 90th.

They face today’s winnersbetween Real Madrid andBayern Munich on May 19.

Didier Drogba

even be more potentiallydamaging to the new scheme isthe attitude of the government toeducation and to almosteverything. We know thegovernment of the day as one thatonly announces schemes andleaves them at thatno follow-up,no follow-through.

In a normal situation, thispolicy on Almajiri is a noble act tohelp our poor and underprivilegedsections of the population to growinto a better youth of tomorrow.Let us hope that the policy workswell, and that it doesn’t end in agreat deal of chest thumping andhot air.

According to the late BritishPhilosopher and Mathematician,Bertrand Russell, “those who thinkeducation is expensive should tryignorance”! Therefore, noinvestment is too much for theeducation of socially andeconomically vulnerable groupslike the Almajiris.

Benue waits on Gitto!I followed an interesting on-line

discussion on the gift of a Churchbuilding to the President’s OtuokeCommunity by the constructiongiant Gitto. Some have called it“Gittogate”.

In trying to defend that it is nota bribe or payback to the Presidentfor lucrative contracts that Gittomay have garnered from thegovernment, the President’s MediaAdviser, Reuben Abati said this wasa normal case of Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR). That a God-fearing construction company,Gitto, found a God-fearingcommunity, which by accidenthappened to be where the Presidentcame from. Their dilapidatedChurch needed a make-over andthey gave it one, finish.

Problem is, not manyNigerians have bought intoReuben’s argument. To beconvinced that this was an honest-to-God CSR, they are asking Gittoto go to Benue State where adecrepit Church building inAdumgbe, Vandeikya LocalGovernment fell on haplessworshippers on Easter-eve. Itkilled 22 to 40 of them.

When they are done with this,St. Finbarr’s Church bombed inJos, the Plateau State capital byBoko Haram is beckoning. Andthen, all those Mosques awaitingtotal rebuilding in troubled Borno,Yobe and elsewhere. Where areyou, Gitto?

MUSINGSMUSINGSMUSINGSMUSINGSMUSINGSBy

Garba Shehu

[email protected]

“In a normal situation, this policy onAlmajiri is a noble act to help our poorand underprivileged sections of the

population to grow into a better youth oftomorrow. Let us hope that the policyworks well, and that it doesn’t end in a

great deal of chest thumping and hot air

President Goodluck Jonathan

Peoples Daily Newspaper, Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Documents

Transcript of Peoples Daily Newspaper, Wednesday, April 25, 2012