THE GUARDIAN, Friday, May 17, 2013
Design national nutrition policy, UK tells Nigeria From Joke Falaju, Abuja
NEWS | 5
Sultan, Oritsejafor urge unity, peace
ORRIED by the low W nutritional intake of Nigerians, the United King-
From Nkechi Onyedika and Itunu Ajayi, Abuja
• Nigeria to host global peace festival Nov
dom government has called on the Federal Government to design a decent nutritional policy for the Nigerian populace. The UK Under Secretary for International Development, Lynne Featherstone, made the call yesterday in Abuja when she led a delegation to the office of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. She explained that her visit to some parts of northern Nigeria revealed that most of the children were undernourished. According to her, she was in the country to draft a tentative agenda for the G8 Roundtable and the New Alliance meetings billed for June 8 in London with the theme: “Nutrition for Growth”.
HE Sultan of Sokoto and the T President, Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, His Emi-
one people under one nation irrespective of our diversity.” Also, the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has said that to build a new and great Nigeria, we must do everything it takes to ensure lasting peace. Speaking at the consultative meeting on the “Role of Religious Leaders and Traditional Rulers in Building a Culture of Peace, National Unity and
nence, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has said that Nigeria must remain one indivisible nation despite the differences in religion, tribe, geographical locations and urged Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of peace, tolerance, unity and brotherhood. According to him, “It is the wisdom of God to make us
Integration in Abuja, the Sultan stressed the need for political office holders, religious leaders and traditional rulers in the country to discharge their responsibilities with justice, fairness and equity. He said: “Wherever you find absence of equity, justice, you find disaffection; wherever you find disaffection, you find friction; wherever you find friction, you are breaching peace; and before you know it,
you are getting reactions like some of the crises we have in the world today. The massage of peace, unity, take centre stage of the sermons in the various mosques and churches across the country”. He observed that the crisis, disaffection and self-destruction in the world today are not the intention of God, but the product of man’s inhumanity to man. The Sultan said: “If since the creation of man, the differences in faith, value disposition and consequences of our
One dies of machete wounds in Plateau violence From Isa Abdusalami Ahovi, Jos HE one-month relative T peace that returned to Wase Local Council of Plateau State after the outbreak of violence early this year is yet to be sustained, as one member of the vigilance group died yesterday of machete wounds sustained in an attack on Wednesday night. It happened at a boundary between Tofa Village and Wase Town, all in Wase Council. Five people were injured in the renewed night attack of Wednesday, leaving many houses burnt. With the fresh attack, the earlier planned peace and confidence meeting billed for yesterday (Thursday) at Wase Tofa could not hold as a result of the new development.
Dignitaries meet in Owerri for Achebe From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri ET to pay tributes to the late Salumogu literary icon, Prof. ChinuAchebe, who passed on on March 21 in Boston Massachusetts, the United States, the Imo State governmentowned Ikemba OdumegwuOjukwu Centre will today, at 11 a.m at WODDI Centre, hold what it called “A Day of Tributes for Achebe”. According to a statement yesterday in Owerri by Director General of the centre, Prof. Fabian Osuji, Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, will be the chief host, adding that both the former contemporaries and associates of the Fallen Eagle on Iroko, as fondly called, are expected to attend. The long list, according to the statement by the former Minister of Education, include members of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), the Eastern Writers’ Association and Conference of Democratic Scholars (CODES), among others, in the academia.
President, Nigerian Cardiac Society, Prof. Solomon Danbauchi (left); Co-Founder Nigerian Heart Foundation, Prof. Olu Akinkugbe; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc., Mr. Emmanuel Ekunno; Assistant Director, Food and Drug Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs. Beauty Okologo and past president, Nigerian Hypertension Society, Prof. Basden Onwubere, at the unveiling of Fight the Good Fight Against Hypertension (FITGAH) organised by Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc in Lagos… yesterday
Accomplice denies statement implicating Goje in alleged N25b fraud case From Abosede Musari, Abuja N an alleged N25 billion Igovernor fraud case against former of Gombe state, Danjuma Goje, an alleged accomplice, Sambo Muhammad Tumu, has denied own statement implicating the former. Tumu, a food supplier to Gombe State Government House, told Justice B.O. Quadri of the Federal High Court, Gombe, at the resumed hearing on Tuesday and Wednesday that his statement was extracted involuntarily by investigators from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He urged the court not to admit his statement in evidence. However, prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu, argued that Tumu’s statement was not extracted involuntarily. In his address on point of law, Shittu noted that facts, as well as circumstances surrounding the statement, indicate that it was voluntarily taken. Giving the information to media yesterday, Spokesman to EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, quoted prosecution counsel as saying, “an accused person who sought for an interpreter and was obliged, who agreed that the interpreter was present throughout the interview, appended his signature to the statement and was allowed to go home after volunteering his statement. Can we, therefore, say there was oppression”? Shittu, therefore, urged the court to discountenance the
submissions of defence and admit the document in evidence, as it is credible, compelling, cogent and watertight. Tumu, alongside the erstwhile governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Danjuma Goje and four others, are facing a N25 billion conspiracy and money laundering charge brought against them by EFCC. Tumu’s counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), insisted that the statement of his client should not be admitted in evidence,
claiming he was not the author and that the document was made under circumstances of threat and promise with the sole intention to implicate the first accused, Goje, by all means. Arguing further on the vulnerability of an illiterate person such as Sambo, to buttress his stance on the document’s inadmissibility, Erokoro cited the Illiterate Protection Act, saying the evidence given by Suraj did not meet the requirement of the Act. Earlier, while being cross-
examined, prosecution witnesses, Solomon Okotie and Suraj Abdullahi, who were the investigator and interpreter, denied inducing, threatening or promising Tumu anything in order to extract the statement. They asserted that the statement was made voluntarily by the accused under a normal and relaxed atmosphere in an open EFCC office. Justice Babatunde Quadri adjourned the case to July 3 and 4 for ruling and continuation of trial.
desperation has not yielded any result order than selfdestruction, shouldn’t we turn to the basis of recognising that God created everybody equal. Before God, whether you are White or Black, we are all the same; the differences is what you make of yourself and what makes you different or acceptable before God is the measure of your goodness that has benefited your neighbour whether he is of your religion, colour, tribe or not”. Earlier, the facilitator of the programme, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, stressed the need to strengthen the ties and relations between people of all faith in Nigeria. He noted that the meeting would fast-track the process of having a global peace festival in Nigeria in November 2013. In his address, Oritsejafor observed that peace is necessary and possible, adding that to achieve peace, have peace, there must be love, integrity, equity, truth and justice. The CAN president, who noted that Nigeria has potential for greatness and can stand tall in the comity of nations, said: “We are not where we ought to be, but we are not also where we used to be”. Also speaking, at Global Peace Foundation, James Flynn, noted that many studies have identified Nigeria as the most religious nation in the world, adding that this is the greatest resource for any nation. He noted that the world is faced with one common challenge of insecurity, adding that all nations of the world need to put in place as a building block for peace. Flynn called on leaders at all level in Nigeria to create an inclusive process towards consensus of shared values and work towards a unique identity for the country as the nation marks its 100 years of amalgamation. He observed that religious and traditional leaders can serve as the conscience of the nation by working together to uplift and build consensus between. According to him, Nigeria can use its religious leaders and traditional rulers to solve its problem to be a model and solution to the world.
N’Assembly decries govt’s non-payment of counterpart funds From Anietie Akpan, Calabar ATIONAL Assembly ComN mittee on Civil Society and Donor Agencies has decried the non-payment of counterpart funding from the Federal Government on European Union (EU)-assisted projects in the country. Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Civil Society and Donor Agencies, Prof. Ini Udoka, who stated this during a courtesy call on Governor Liyel Imoke after inspecting some projects in the state yesterday, observed that things done in Cross River are line with the needs of people. But, he however, noted that the challenge faced by some
of the projects in the country is the non-release of counterpart funds from the Federal Government. Udoka assured that on arrival in Abuja, he would meet with the officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance to address the issue. He averred that the good work done by the state government is an evidence that the people are enjoying dividend of democracy and commended Cross River for establishing Ministry of Water Resources, which according to him, not many states have done so. According to him, the committee was impressed with the institutional framework put in place by the Cross Riv-
er State government to enhance sustainability of its projects. Udoka said they were in the state to inspect projects executed by the European Union (EU) with Federal Ministry of Water Resources, as well as others undertaken by Federal MDAS to ascertain their level of implementation, quality and impact on the citizens domiciled in the state. They visited projects at Ikot Okon Abasi and Akpap Okoyong in Odukpani Local Council Area and said Cross River has put in place structures that give confidence to international agencies, which have singled it out as a model in the country. Responding, Governor
Imoke disclosed that over the years, the state has instituted necessary institutions and strengthened them with the needed capacity to achieve its objectives because of its belief that they will serve the people better. Imoke explained that partnership with donor agencies will enhance further development and that the import of the projects is that they are client-driven and not donor agencies’-driven. The governor observed that there should be a limit to how much is spent on capacity training because it takes about 50 per cent of the project cost and most times, at the detriment of the project and the clients.