Nigerian observer 31 12 2014

THE NIGERIAN

The Nigerian

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

PUBLISHED SINCE MAY 29, 1968 • Vo l . 39 • NO. 153 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2 0 14 • N100.00 MIDWEEK MAGAZINE Pages 16-17 Effective Internal Control

Basis for preventing and detecting frauds

Transport Ministry officials dupe OBSERVER Editor

BENIN CITY – In a gangster-like drama, traffic officers of the Edo State Ministry of Transport yesterday at the Oba Ovoranmwen Square (Ring road) hoodwinked the Deputy Editor, Nigerian

Observer, Comrade Leo Atakpu and sped off with his personal car, in a robbery-like manner that shocked other road users.

The Deputy Editor who

was dumbfounded by the action of the officials narrated his harrowing experience which occurred at the city centre as vehicles tried to meander out of the

gridlock associated with the Ring road.

The sheer brigandage style of the officials ended up at the headquarters of the Ministry where the

Continues on page 6

Presidential Campaign

DEVELOPMENT Page 20 Tackling the challenges facing Nigeria’s Steel Industry

Yam Farmers to raise N5bn for Buhari

JOS - A group of yam farmers cutting across some northern states in the country have pledged to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari’s campaign in the 2015 general elections with N5 billion.

The group disclosed Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, this in a statement made Kwara, Niger and Kaduna available to newsmen in states as well as the Federal Jos yesterday.

Capital Territory (FCT), Rev. Jacob Musa, Abuja, would feature at the Public Relations Officer occasion.

(PRO) of the farmers He said that Prof. under the name “Buhari- Emmanuel Garba, who lost Osibajo Presidential the governorship primary of Appeal Campaign Fund the APC in Plateau, was a (BOPCAF), said that founding father of the group. farmers from 10 states of “We have contributed five the federation were million tubers of yam to be planning the fund raiser. donated in support of the Musa said members funding of Buhari’s drawn from Taraba, presidential campaign.

Nasarawa, Plateau, “The five million tubers of

yam will be retailed at a special price of N1,000 each towards raising the sum of N5

billion in support of the APC candidate,’’ it said.

The statement said that the public

presentation of the five million tubers of yam would hold at the Mararaban Demshin

village yam market in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau on Jan. 4, 2015.

It stated that the ceremony would also witness traditional wrestling involving 500 traditional wrestlers from Continues on page 2

PDP House of Reps candidate joins APC

ABUJA - Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives candidate, Ms Aisha Osori, has denounced the party to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) after emerging winner under the PDP. Osori made the announcement yesterday, in Abuja while briefing newsmen at the APC national secretariat.

It would be recalled that Osori emerged winner at the just concluded AMAC/Bwari federal constituency primary in the Federal Capital Territory.

Osori, who was presented with the

membership card of the APC, told newsmen that she decided to carpetcross after watching the APC primary because she believed in Osibajo, who was her lecturer at one time.

“I decided to denounce membership after watching the APC conduct its presidential primary in a fair and competitive manner and after seeing the combination of Osibanjo and Buhari, both men of integrity.

“Osibanjo used to teach me at the University of Lagos, faculty of law, I believe that is a great combination that would

TIT-BIT “It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you ’ll do things differently.”

- Warren Buffett

move the country forward and I want to be part of that team,’’ she said.

According to her, the APC slogan ‘Change’ is enough reason to support the party as she was sure of winning on the platform of APC. Osori noted that more than 70 per cent of Nigerians were youths who wanted the change that “APC represents’’.

On what her contribution Continues on page 2

PRESENTATION: The Head of Service (HOS), Edo State, Mr. Igbaekemen Jerry Obazele (right), being presented with a certificate of membership of Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM) by Sir Peter Edeoghoghon, while the Chairman of Civil Service Commission (CSC), Princess Ekiuwa Inneh (middle) looks on.

LP denies endorsing Jonathan

ABUJA - Mr Abdulkadri Abdulsalam, the National Chairman, Labour Party, yesterday said that the party had not endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections.

Abdulsalam, who gave the clarification in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said the rumour had gone viral on social media.

He said the rumours

had no base or truth.

“The party has not endorsed anybody; if we want to endorse anyone as a presidential candidate, we must hold a

convention where we will collectively and democratically agree.

“No credible candidate has spoken with us for endorsement; the information going round

that we have endorsed Jonathan must be considered as rumour.

“Whatever is our intention to endorse any presidential candidate will be made known

because we will definitely meet and endorse who ever we want as a presidential candidate,’’ he said.

However, he said that no credible candidate Continues on page 2

office in Abuja and signed

by Malam Garba Shehu, Atiku’s Head of Media.

The statement stated that no matter the challenge, democracy

offered the people the opportunity to use the power of their votes to bring about the desired change.

Continues on page 2

Don’t despair, Atiku urges Nigerians ABUJA - Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar yesterday urged Nigerians not to despair or lose hope because of the current

challenges facing the country.

This is contained in a New Year message released by the former vice-president’s media

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News

Yam Farmers to raise N5bn for Buhari Continued from page 1 the 19 northern states and the FCT.

“The aim is to mobilise the wrestlers in the campaign against poverty, crime, killings,

kidnappings, armed robbery, cattle rustling, rape, cultism, election rigging, looting of public fund, smuggling, terrorism and other social vices now prevalent in the society,’’ it

said.

The statement also said that the event would be heralded by a world press conference in Jos, sponsored by Imo Governor Rochas Okorocha.

It added that the event would be attended by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers in his capacity as the Director-General of the Buhari-Osibajo Campaign Organisation on Jan. 2, 2014.

be of value to APC. Reacting to the defection, the APC National Secretary, Mai-Mala Buni, who presented the membership card to Osori, expressed

delight because his party was waxing stronger by the day.

“Such event will be a continuous thing. Our doors are open. Everybody, who is ready to join the party, is welcome anytime, any day,’’ he said.

PDP House of Reps candidate joins APC

Continued from page 1

would be to ensure the success of the APC at the general elections, Osori, who is the CEO of the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, cited experience.

“The years of experience I garnered in the private sector as a lawyer and also as writer, first with Thisday and later with Leadership newspapers will

LP denies endorsing Jonathan Continued from page 1

with the capacity and capability to compete for presidential position had emerged from Labour Party.

On the party’s score card for 2014, he said it had conducted different political education programmes and seminars for women and youths on the forthcoming 2015 general

elections.

He recalled that the party’s convention was held successfully on Oct. 11 in Akure, where he emerged as the National Chairman.

According to him, the party

has given 40 per cent slots to women in its cabinet and relocated its National Secretariat from the noisy Garki market to a more suitable environment, among others.

SEC succumbs to brokers’ pressure, extends capitalisation deadline LAGOS - The Securities an d Exchange

Commission (SEC) has succumbed to brokers’ pressure and extended the deadline for minimum requirement for all capital market operators to Sept.

30, 2015.

Reports state that the commission has been battling with the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers and the Association of Stockbrokers Houses of Nigeria (ASHON) over the extension.

The extension is contained in a statement pasted at the

commission’s web site.

It stated that the approval was given on Dec. 22 at the commission’s board meeting following a review of the status report on the level of compliance by capital market operators.

“The board expressed satisfaction with the efforts made by all operators, particularly those who have complied with the new requirements.

“The board, however, took cognisance of the effect of the global economic situation and approved an extension of the deadline for compliance with the new minimum capital

requirements by nine months, to 30th September 2015, “ the statement stated.

The commission also commended “the commitment of all stakeholders to building a world class capital market that enables Nigeria to realise its aspiration of a prosperous and peaceful nation”.

The extension came on the heels of the plea by some capital market operators due to the ongoing uncertainties in the country that hampered market growth and development.

Inter-Agency Cooperation responsible for peace during yuletide - NSCDC ABUJA - The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has attributed the relative peace across the country during the Christmas celebration to “effective synergy’’ among security agencies.

The spokesperson of the corps, Mr Emmanuel Okeh, told Journalists yesterday, in Abuja that the cooperation of Nigerians in terms of

volunteering information was also very useful in ensuring peace during the period.

“I think the relative peace we have had this yuletide period can be attributed to the renewed synergy and cooperation among security agencies in the country,’’ he said.

Okeh explained that the massive deployment by the Police, DSS, NSCDC and

Don’t despair, Atiku urges Nigerians

Continued from page 1 The statement explained that democracy was as good as those who practised it and elective offices should be perceived as an opportunity to offer selfless service rather than personal enrichment.

It said all political leaders should embrace the spirit of tolerance, adding that people should not become enemies because of political differences.

The statement urged Nigerians to see the New Year with renewed optimism and be active participants in the

struggle to bring about change by democratic means.

The document urged the people to register massively and collect their permanent voter cards so that they could vote for parties and candidates of their choice.

On the current slump in world oil prices, the statement said all leaders should cut down on extravagant lifestyles.

“It is not enough to tell ordinary Nigerians to make sacrifices in the face of economic austerity, while the leaders are reluctant to evenly share the burden of such sacrifices,’’ it said.

Road Safety officials, especially to strategic areas, helped in curbing security threats in the country.

He said that the security agencies also embarked on massive enlightenment campaign and sensitisation of the public on what to do and the numbers to call in cases of emergency which proved very helpful.

Okeh assured that the NSCDC, in collaboration with other security agencies, had also concluded plans to ensure a hitch-free New Year celebration just like it did during Christmas.

He, however, stressed the need for Nigerians to continue to support the security agencies in terms of volunteering useful information and being security conscious.

“I want to also implore Nigerians to always be at alert and security conscious because this task cannot be carried out only by security agencies,’’ he said.

It will be recalled that the NSCDC deployed about 65,000 of its personnel and 15,000 specially trained sniffer dogs across the country to ensure peace during the

Reports state that SEC, on Dec. 19, 2013, issued a new requirement for capital market operators with Dec. 31 as deadline for operators to recapitalise.

The apex capital market regulator increased minimum capital base for broker/dealer by 329 per cent from the existing N70 million to N300 million.

Broker, which currently operates with capital base of N40 million, will now be required to have N200 million, representing an increase of 400 per cent.

Minimum capital base for dealer increased by 233 per cent from N30 million to N100 million.

Issuing houses, which facilitate new issues in the primary market, will now be required to have minimum capital base of N200 million as against the current capital base of N150 million.

The capital requirement for underwriter also doubled from N100 million to N200 million.

A Registrar will now have a minimum capital base of N150 million as against the current requirement of N50 million.

The minimum capital base for corporate investment adviser remained unchanged at N5 million; individual investment advisers will have to increase their capital base by 300 per cent from N500,000 to N2 million.

Also, dealing members of the exchange are contending with minimum operating standards recently introduced for all the three classes of dealing members, including broker dealers, brokers and dealers.

The new standards address the five broad areas of manpower and equipment, organisational structure and governance, effective processes, global competitiveness and technology.

Premier Brewery Onitsha to begin production in 2015 now in place is changed

ENUGU - The Chairman, Board of Directors, Premier Breweries Plc, Onitsha, Prince Arthur Eze said yesterday that the company would commence full stream production of beer in the first quarter of 2015.

Eze said this while addressing shareholders of the company during the 2014 annual general meeting of the company for the year ended March, 2014, held in Enugu.

He noted that with the assurances of the company’s technical partners and the level of reengineering so far achieved, the company would resume its leading role in the beer production industry in the country.

“New boilers have been installed and tested while the old ones are being repaired to serve as standby facility.

A new Ammonia cooling system has been installed along with new compressor.

“A new glycol cooling system has been installed with stainless pipes while the room cooling system that is

from ammonia to Freon to minimise hazardous leaks in the factory,’’ he said.

The chairman said that electricity supply had been stabilised with the installation of a 500KVA generator while water supply was already in place from which the company produces the table water that was already in the market.

Eze explained that with about N1 billion share capital, the company settled a monthly electricity bill of N1 million and a salary bill of N3.4 million.

He assured the shareholders of better days ahead and commended them for their patience and understanding during the turbulence time the company experienced.

Some of the shareholders commended the board members for their efforts to revamp the company.

GES: 11,500 wheat farmers to receive fertilizers KANO - No fewer than 11, 500 wheat farmers in Kano State will benefit from the Federal Government’s fertilisers and other farm inputs during the current dry season farming.

Alhaji Adamu Shehu, the Acting Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the state, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen yesterday.

Shehu said the federal government had started distributing the commodity under its Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) to the registered farmers in five designated centres across the state.

He said under the programme, each farmer would collect two bags of fertilisers and a 50 kg bag of hybrid seeds at a subsidised rate of about N6, 500.

“The distribution of the commodity which started about 10 days ago, is being carried out at Bagwai, DanHassan, Gwarmai, Wudil and Shanono areas.

“The federal government provides the fertiliser and seeds at subsidised rates as part of efforts to boost wheat production in the state and the country,’’ he said.

He also said that there were other farmers who had registered for similar assistance from the federal government, and that their applications were being processed.

The acting director urged farmers in the state to embrace irrigation in order to enhance their socioeconomic status.

He also called on farmers in the state to register to enable them benefit from the GES programme.

MAIDUGURI Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno yesterday presented a budget proposal of about N175 billion for the 2015 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly in Maiduguri for approval.

Shettima said that the proposal, tagged ‘Budget of Fulfilment’, comprised N62 billion recurrent and N113 billion capital expenditures.

He explained that the budget would be financed through N98 billion Statutory Allocation, N39 billion Internally Generated Revenue and N38 billion Capital Receipts.

Shettima said that the budget was aimed at completing all ongoing projects and introducing

viable ones that would have positive impacts on the lives of the citizenry.

“The main target is to improve the living standard of the people and boost the economy of the state.

“The budget is aimed at mobilising available resources to ensure the attainment of targeted goals,’’ he said.

The Ministry of Works got the highest allocation of N23 billion in the budget.

The Ministry of Health got N17 billion and the Ministry of Education N14 billion, to place second and third respectively.

Others included the Ministry of Higher Education, N12 billion and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), N11billion.

Gov Shettima presents N175bn budget for 2015

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News Transport Company Set To Improve Passenger Safety

Cross-section of Horse riders set for Durbar, during 2014 Kaltungo cultural Festival in Kaltungo, Gombe State during the weekend.

ABUJA - The Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTC)) says it has concluded plans to improve the safety of its passengers by regularly monitoring its drivers.

Mr. Tunde Akintola, the company’s Head of Marketing and Communication, said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja yesterday.

Akintola said that the company had improved its customer care services in the interest of passengers.

“We are in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety

Gombe Govt Spends N112m On Six of acute and chronic Dialysis Machines problem renal failure,” he said.

The commissioner said that

GOMBE - The Gombe State Government says it spent N112 million to procure six dialysis machines.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kennedy Ishaya, disclosed this in Gombe on Tuesday during the state Executive Council (EXCO) briefing.

According to him, the amount is only for the machines without the installation.

He said each of the machine cost N28 million and that

four out of six have been received.

“Four of the machines are on ground; we are waiting for the remaining two before installation.”

The commissioner explained that a machine each would be allocated to HIV/ Aids patients, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, while the remaining three would be used for patients with other ailments.

Ishaya recalled that the state government had donated four dialysis machines to the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Gombe, in early 2014.

“The machines donated to FTH, together with the installation, maintenance for one year and two chairs, gulped N120 million.

“The decision to procure the machines for FTH Gombe is informed by the challenge Gombe is facing in terms of

Publisher Joins National Assembly Race In Akwa Ibom IKOT EKPENE (Akwa Ibom) - Dr. Anny Asikpo, a publisher of educational materials in Akwa Ibom, has secured the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) for the House of Representatives elections in the state.

Speaking with newsmen in Ikot Ekpene, Asikpo said that he was motivated by the need to improve the socioeconomic status of his constituents.

He said that his people of Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency had not fared well over the years in terms of human development.

“I want to prove that a representative is solely a servant leader who is sensitive to the needs of his people.

“I want to be their voice and represent their collective interests,” Asikpo promised.

He said if elected, he would give priority to skills acquisition, educational and youth development.

Asikpo, who is also a philanthropist, urged the people of the area to remember how he had rendered selfless service to

them in the past even without being in elected office.

He also advised them to vote conscientiously for the right candidate.

NAN recalls that in 2011,

Asikpo contested for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial seat on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) but lost to the PDP candidate.

nurses interested in becoming dialysis managers would be sent to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, to study the course.

He further said the state’s health major challenge was manpower, adding that there were only 177 nurses working across the 22 hospitals in the state in 2012, including military and police clinics.

He attributed the problem to lack of accreditation of courses in the state’s School of Nursing and Midwifery.

“But now we have met the accreditation requirements, the school is well accredited and so far in three years we have graduated 400 nurses and midwives.

“In line with this, we are also working for the accreditation of School of Health Technology, Kaltungo,” he said.

Commercial activities pick up after Christmas at Idumota in Lagos.

Commission (FRSC) to give daily pep talks to our drivers on the basic tenets of driving.

“We also mandate our drivers to properly check their vehicles every morning before they set out. This is to ensure comfort and safety of our passengers,” he said.

The head of marketing and communication also said that the company had increased its loading depots in 2014 to cover more areas in Abuja to enable passengers in most part of the city to have access to its services.

“In 2014, we were able to open four more depots in places such as Bwari, Mpape, Katampe and Gwagwalada; and we intend to open more in 2015.

“With this, it will become easier to pick more passengers from different parts of Abuja and to reduce the mass transport deficit in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),” he said.

He said that the need to satisfy customers also

prompted the company to pay adequate attention to its Customer Care Unit.

“We ensure that our customers’ needs are adequately addressed and that is why we made efforts to modernise our Customer Service Unit by ensuring that our website is updated on a daily basis.

“We also ensure that our call centres are always functional to respond to their needs.

“Our commuters can easily reach us if they have complaints, and if customers send mails, we respond promptly, that is why activities like hawking and preaching in the buses have stopped.

“These modest efforts fetched us an award as the Best Customer Service Company in 2014 from the Nigeria Customer Service Award,” he said.

Akintola called on passengers to support the company to enable it provide modern urban mass transport services in Abuja.

SANGO-OTA (Ogun) A 32-year-old man, Oke Oladipupo, who allegedly obtained N350, 000 under false pretence, was docked before a Sango-Ota Senior Magistrates’ Court in Ogun.

Oladipupo, who lives at No. 21, Daniel St., IyanaIyesi in Sango-Ota, is facing trial for allegedly

obtaining the money from one Mr. Kolawole Soyinka, on the pretext of clearing a car for him.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Mustapha Abdulkareem, said that the accused committed the offence on June 7 at No. 2, C.A.C. St., Ewupe, in Sango-Ota. Abdulkareem alleged that the accused obtained N350, 000 from the complainant under the pretext of assisting him to clear a car from Lagos Port.

According to the prosecutor, the offence contravenes Sections 319 (a) and 419 of the Criminal Code Vol. 1, Revised Laws of Ogun, 2006.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N200, 000, with two sureties in like sum.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. A.O. Abimbola, said that the sureties should be owners of developed landed properties within the court’s area of jurisdiction.

She said that the sureties should submit their title documents for verification and also show evidence of one year tax payment to Ogun.

Abimbola adjourned the case till February 11 for hearing.

Man, 32, Faces N350,000 Fraud Charge

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News

News

Resolve Leadership Crisis

UPN Publicity Scribe Urges Member ABUJA - Alhaji Bari Salau, the National Publicity Secretary, Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), has advised aggrieved officials of the party to cease fire and embrace peace.

A statement signed by Salau in Abuja also urged the national executive council members to be focused and work together for the party to maximise its gain in 2015 general elections.

Salau said that though INEC had waded in to resolve the crisis, the party believed that “this is not the right time to hold a national convention as it could cause division in the party.

“This is the time to work together for victory.

“After the election when we are able to count our gains and losses, we can then organise a convention to elect our national officers and make room for lower organs of the party at state, local and ward levels.

“That is the spirit of our party constitution.

“Nigerians are watching us and they will repose their confidence in us with the way we resolve our internal problems.

“We have fought a battle in defence of democracy and won.

Let’s embrace peace to win the war,” he urged.

The spokesman, however, commended the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Department of INEC for its intervention in the crisis.

“The ADR of INEC is an institution I would recommend to Nigerian polity. The department, under their director, is a credit to Jega’s sagacity and political intellect.”

Salau said that the institution made the party to believe that members needed each other.

He also commended Nigerians for their understanding of the crisis members of the party imposed on themselves.

“Despite the intensity of its damage, we are able to field 15 gubernatorial candidates and their deputies with a large number of legislative candidates throughout the federation”.

He said that the feat was no doubt a measure of acceptance of UPN by the people as the alternative party in the country.

Salau also urged Nigerians to pray for the country to ensure peaceful general elections next year.

ABUJA - The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has announced the appointment of Mr. AbdulMalik Shaibu as its acting Chief Registrar.

Mr Ibraheem Al-Hassan, the Spokesman of the CCT, said in a statement in Abuja that Justice Danladi Umar, the Chairman of the tribunal, approved the

appointment.

According to the statement, the appointment followed the elevation of the former Chief Registrar, Mr. Bello Kawu, as FCT High Court Judge.

Shaibu’s appointment takes effect from Dec. 18.

Before the appointment, Shaibu was the Director of Legal Services.

Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar (3nd left), Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammad Sidi (3rd right), and Chief Medical Director, Gombe Special Hospital, Dr. Reuben Maifantaya (2nd right), during the Director-General’s visit to the Hospital with Transport Minister to Sympathise with victims of bomb explosion in Gombe recently.

NGO Asks Nigerians To Show Love During Yuletide

ABUJA - Good Access, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has appealed to Nigerians to always show love regardless of ethnic differences.

Mrs. Adama Ahmed, Coordinator of the organisation, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

Tribunal Appoints New Chief Registrar

“Shaibu holds an LLB degree from the University of Benin in 1986 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in October 1987.

“His early career spanned private legal practice and many years in the banking sector before joining the CCT in December 2006,” the statement said.

Concerned Inter-Party stakeholders protesting over replacement of Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ibadan recently.

Ahmed stressed the need for Nigerians to also remember the less privileged, propagate love and promote unity in the country.

She said that Nigerians needed to give hope to the hopeless even in the face of insecurity and other challenges confronting the country.

“There are children abandoned in public places; some have lost loved ones; some are internally displaced

as a result of the insurgency and as such need to be cared for.

“We all need to celebrate these kinds of festive periods with others who do not have the privilege to celebrate; this will help to bring joy and hope to them.

“Nigerians must learn how to give care to those who are troubled and enjoin one another to peace.

“We should try to put behind us all forms of the violence

and crisis bedevilling the country,” she said.

Ahmed called on religious organisations to inculcate the good teaching of love to its congregations and appealed to aggrieved groups to embrace peace in the spirit of this season.

“Religious organisations need to refocus their teaching on love and ensure that they demonstrate this love to their immediate society.

(NAHCON) has urged managers and operators in Hajj and Umrah industry worldwide to close rank in order to stimulate growth of the industry.

This is contained in a statement signed by the commission’s Head of Media, Alhaji Uba Mana, in London and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

The statement quoted Alhaji Muhammed Bello, the commission’s Chairman as having given the advice in London at the third World Hajj and Umrah Convention (WHUC).

Bello reiterated the significance of the forum as it provided platform for participants to think of ways of promoting Hajj and Umrah industry worldwide.

Bello, who was represented by the NAHCON Commissioner in charge of Personnel, Policy, Management and Finance, Alhaji Yusuf Ibrahim, said cooperation and collaboration were effective means of tackling hajj challenges globally.

“We need to move beyond talking to each other to active cooperation and collaboration on all issues of common interest.

“If we do that, we will be assured of brighter future for the Hajj and Umrah industry in the

world,” he said.

He, however, tasked the convention to begin to look inwards in providing solutions to challenges of the industry.

Bello specifically advocated the need to put a stop to looking toward Saudi Government for solutions to problems associated with Hajj and Umrah.

“We need to consider moving beyond the Saudi Government solutions to our problems.

“Our tendency is to look to Saudi Authorities to solve our problems. In doing so, they dish out policies without consulting with anyone,” Bello said.

He said that a global conference such as WHUC would provide an opportunity to think of common stand on issues that affect Hajj.

Bello said such conference would also avail them of the opportunity to make recommendations that could not be ignored by the Saudi Government.

“Take for instance, the new policy they are trying to introduce and implement that Hajj Affairs officers should not own official vehicles.

“This forum can advise them in the spirit of Islam to reconsider this policy. The officials appointed by various governments should be in charge of Hajj Affairs,” Bello said.

leaders”, to cultivate the culture of building worthy successors.

“You have a responsibility to develop a worthy successor. That is, you have to train your followers on what you are doing and explain to them why you are doing it.

“If not, they will make nonsense of the gains you have achieved today,” he said.

However, Bello, urged countries that are relatively ahead of others in the areas of Hajj and Umrah management, not to hesitate to assist their less developed brothers with useful information.

The chairman recalled how a group of NAHCON officials were sent to understudy Indonesia Hajj System in April 2014 and the group returned with very useful information.

This, he said, assisted Nigeria greatly in improving the handling of Hajj operations with the resultant effect of better service delivery to our pilgrims.

“This kind gesture from Indonesia is highly commendable and should be emulated by other countries of the world.

“To other countries that are lagging behind, my advice is that they should never hesitate to ask questions and seek assistance from their more advanced brothers,” he said.

Commission Tasks Managers, Operators ABUJA - The National Hajj He advised participants, whom On Hajj Commission of Nigeria he described as “leaders of

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News

Transport Ministry officials dupe OBSERVER Editor

Continued from page 1

sum of Ten Thousand, four hundred Naira (N10,400) was extorted from him unreceipted for. He narrates his experiences.

“I entered the ring from Akpakpava road end at about 10.00am heading to my office at Airport road and met a gridlock all the way from first East Circular Road Junction to Kingsquare, a huge traffic caused by the nefarious activities of some of the Ministry officials.

I tried to meander my way at the Oba Market road end of ring road to head towards Airport road, when suddenly one of the boys, Kingsley Eribo opened the door of my car and jumped into the car and said “Oga, why you drive like that?” I replied “How? He said you no suppose to drive like that, next time don’t drive like that”. I replied’ okay oblivious of what he meant by “drive like that” and what he had up his sleeves.

“He then asked that I drop him off the way, I told him he was free to get off the car, since I was not the one that asked him in, in the first place.

“Instead of getting off the car as he said, he told me to wait to greet his colleagues and he started calling on them. Then, two others arrived. Still wearing my seat belt, Kingsley Eribo immediately collected the car key and ran away towards the Oba market.

“I then explained my ordeal to the two ministry officials, he invited who were still standing by my car.

They condemned the

actions of Kingsley Eribo and told me that these are the kind of boys spoiling their work and asked me to follow them to report to their supervisor right behind my vehicle.

Then I stepped out and accompanied them, they tried to make some calls and later turned round to say their supervisor was not around. They followed me back to where I stopped the car, only to discover that the car had been driven away by Kingsley Eribo. I got this fact from those who were watching the drama. When I didn’t see the car I made enquiries and some sympathisers v o l u n t e e r e d information that the car had been driven off. My can driven off in my absence, I wonder aloud. I felt these were robbers masquerading as Ministry of Transport officials. Other Ministry of Transport officials with me started making enquires on their own. After several calls they got someone on phone who informed them that the car was with them and they then asked why they drove the car away. These were some of the information I got from their conversation.

“They then told me to go and collect the car form the Ministry of Transport. I asked how? I told them I had some valuables in the car that what was happening was an organized crime. They told me to go and meet one Reverend in the Ministry of Transport who will give me the car. I insisted that one of them must follow me. They then gave me one of their men to

accompany me to the Ministry to collect the car.

He insisted I must pay his transport fare for him to accompany me to the Ministry, I obliged him, but still wondering what the game was.

“We then set off together in a public

and Eribo told him I c o m m i t t e d obstruction”, a blatant lie, I replied.

But in any case, I have been charged and fined N30,000 already even before Evans Ojo knew my offence”.

Mr. Orobosa Omo-Ojo, Commissioner for Transport, Edo State

transport to the ministry. On arrival, he took me to one Rev. Evans Ojo who had affixed a N30,000 charge on the car.

“The official told Evans Ojo I had some valuables in the car which I have come to collect, I then asked him, and not the car?

He yelled at me this time that he had finished with me and almost immediately disappeared.

“Then, I took the pains to explain my ordeal to Rev. Evans Ojo who then pulled a call to Kingsley Eribo, a young boy who had boasted to me at the ring road that his father was a Chief in Benin Kingdom and he can do anything to anybody and nothing would happen. Evans asked him what was the offence I committed

“Torn in between perfecting a criminal action in the face of oppressing an innocent citizen who had identified himself as Deputy Editor of the N I G E R I A N OBSERVER, Evans Ojo took me to yet another official seated in a makeshift office in the ministry’s premises and told him to

review my case.

“The officer then asked me to go get N15,000. I retorted and told him I do not have N15,000 to give to him.

I went back to Evans Ojo who asked me if I have been formally charged? I told him I have not been charged as I do not know why I was here. He told me to accompany him back to the seated officer, he collected the charge sheet” and wrote N10,000 on it.

He told me that nobody can remove the car from the ministry’s premises except the Ten Thousand naira was paid.

“I then went to the office of the Edo State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Orobosa Omo Ojo. His aides told me he was out of office. I immediately made several phone calls to him but all efforts proved abortive.

“I eventually went back to the seated official who was in custody of my car key and several other keys. He told me to pay the ten thousand naira, I paid to him and demanded to have an Edo state government receipt for the

payment. He said: “I do not have receipt to give to you, when Evans Ojo comes back, I will give him all the monies I am collecting and he will go and pay them into the bank”.

“But some of the officials who witnessed our conversation asked me what receipt do I need? I should forget about receipt. At that point, I knew I have been robbed of N10,000.

“Meanwhile, two of the tyres of my car were deflated by the ministry goons. They engaged the services of a vulcanizer who inflates all deflated tyres in their premises for the sum of N200 per tyre. Since I could not move the vehicle with deflated tyres, I was compelled to pay to their agent the sum of N400 to re-inflate the two tyres. Shortly after driving out of the ministry, my tyre at the rear went flat, I managed the car to Oando filling station opposite the secretariat building where I changed it with a spare before locating a valucanizer by the Observer who discovered that the Ministry of transport vulcanizer had removed my valves”.

“They then told me to go and collect the car form the Ministry of Transport. I asked how? I told them I had some valuables in the car that what was happening was an organized crime. They told me to go and meet one Reverend in the Ministry of Transport who will give me the car. I insisted that one of them must follow me.”

THE NIGERIAN

7

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Lagos NDE Trains 727 Unemployed Youths CALABAR - The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Cross River has trained 727 unemployed youths as part of efforts to reduce unemployment in the country, its Coordinator, Mr. Edem Duke, has said.

Duke said in an interview with newsmen in Calabar that the training was conducted between January and December 2014.

“In 2014, we have trained 50 youths in different agricultural programmes including crop production, poultry, food preservation, aqua-culture and others in the state.

“We have also trained 296 unemployed youths in some vocational trades such as plumbing, welding, automechanic, painting, computer repair, fabrication and others.

“Under our Small Scale Enterprise programme, we gave out a soft loan of N20,000 each to 100 unemployed youths to enable them start up a business”, he said.

The coordinator said that the loan would be repaid within three years with a compound interest of nine per cent.

According to him, the gesture is meant to fully engage the youths to be self reliant.

“We have also recruited 81

graduates into our graduate coaching scheme to teach school-leavers who have deficiency in their senior secondary school examinations.

“The programme lasted for three months and we were paying the graduates N10, 000 each per month, and the outcome of the results was appreciable,” he said.

Duke disclosed that the NDE had placed 20 graduates on six months attachment with some reputable organisations, while 20 others are undergoing training in solar energy in Calabar.

The coordinator said anothers set of 100 youths are also being trained in different technical skills under the Advanced National Basic Open Apprenticeship Scheme (A-NOAS).

He said that 60 indigenes of Akampka Local Government are currently been trained on Community Based Technical Skills.

Duke advised the beneficiaries to make good use of the training in order to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s economy.

He lauded the efforts of the NDE Director General, Mr. Malam Mohammed Abubak-ar, for facilitating the trainings at state levels.

ABUJA - Mr. Okey Ezea, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Enugu has pledged to revolutionise agriculture to develop the state.

Ezea told newsmen on telephone in Abuja that he would use agriculture to improve the standard of living of Enugu people, if given the mandate in 2015.

He also promised that his government would base its policies on the principles of comparative advantage.

“One of the lifelines of this state is agriculture and more indigenes of Enugu state engage in agriculture than in any other endeavour.

“This state produces huge amounts of food and cash crops, hence, our decision to emphasis on improving agricultural practice to provide a better life for the people of the state,” said the flagbearer.

However, Ezea noted that a

large population of the people of the state still engaged in farming through crude primitive methods.

“This is why my government will establish a specialised training institution for agricultural science and encourage large-scale introduction of mechanised training.

“In addition to this, we shall

2 Abia Communities End 11-YearOld Strife UMUAHIA - An 11-year-old communal strife involving Umudike and Umudike-Ukwu communities in Abia had been resolved, newsmen reports.

Newsmen report that the protracted crisis followed the carving out of Umudike-Ukwu in 2003 by former Gov. Orji Kalu.

The inter-community crisis, which was characterised by litigations, was brought to an Special Assistant to Director-General of NEMA, Mr. Idris Mohammed (3rd right), presenting end on the evening of December relief materials to one of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Mrs. Zainab Adamu at 29 with the formal admission of the maiden traditional ruler of Area 1, Garki Temporary camp in Abuja. the new Umudike-Ukwu, Eze Ben Oriaku, into the Ikwuano Council of Traditional Rulers.

The ceremony, which took place at the palace of the traditional ruler, was attended by all the traditional rulers in Ikwuano Local Government Area, including that of Umudike, Eze Onyekwe Anyaegbu.

In his speech, the Chairman of the council, Eze Godwin Chionye, urged the traditional rulers of the two-sister communities to bury the hatchet and collaborate to move their communities forward.

While describing the affected communities as one, Chionye admonished them to initiate actions and measures that would promote peace, unity, understanding and cooperation between them.

People purchasing wares at Wuse Market in Abuja.

Other traditional rulers, who took turns to advise the communities, included the immediate past chairman of the council, Eze Joseph Obaji, who also have a holistic approach to said that the creation of agricultural development that autonomous communities was would include the sourcing and “We shall commit enough an unacceptably low capacity, meant to bring development to distribution of improved and resources to strengthen the especially because we are not yet rural communities. high-yielding seedlings to agricultural firms we have in an oil producing state and must They urged the two farmers,” he said.

Enugu state such as the Adarice look inwards for revenue. communities to see themselves According to him, the state has Production Company Ltd, United “So, we are going to shore up an entity, bury the 11-year-old the potential to feed itself, supply Palm Produce Ltd and Premier our internally generated revenue dispute and work harmoniously agriculture produce to other parts Cashew Industry. to be able to boost the agriculture to achieve rapid development in of the country and still have “It is not acceptable for these sector and execute all our their area. enough for export. companies to keep operating at projects,” he said.

Responding, Oriaku said that he had already initiated peace moves with the Umudike community by visiting his colleague (Anyaegbu), who, he referred to as his “father” and pray that God will grant us “business associate”. violence, kidnappings and join hands and ensure peace.

“I have always respected Eze “Let us ensure peace because peace especially in this our many more; we lament the fate Anyaegbu, who I regard as my of such people, we weep for it is a duty that has to be done country.”

The archbishop stressed the father, we are not quarrelling and it is a work that is ongoing. them and pray for them.

“Let us pray for peace – it is need for peace between and we cannot quarrel and many “But here in Nigeria, we need people do not know that we are to look inwards and keep our God’s gift and if we pray, God religious groups, sects, business associates. the author of peace will grant politicians and even rivals. house in order.

“Umudike Kingdom remains The cleric, however, one, the carving out of “I call on the senators, the us our request.

“Let us shun violence, reminded Christians that Christ U m u d i k e - U k w u , members of the house of assembly, the soldiers, the discord, hatred, impunity and lived an exemplary life of notwithstanding,” he said. peace and enjoined them to be traders, the politicians, the all that negate peace.

He assured the people that he “I pray for our country, messengers and angels of would work hand-in-glove with priests, the bishops, the journalists, young and old, to Nigeria; I pray for all of you, I peace. members of his cabinet to bring rapid transformation to the area.

In an interview with NAN after the event, Oriaku explained drastically due to massive trouble started in 2003, sensitisation and mobilisation that when former Gov. Kalu carved from the Independent out Umudike-Ukwu from “That will be our own extend it to two other National Electoral Community. contribution towards the geopolitical zones if the funds Commission and other Umudike He explained that the creation general election because we are there,” Ogunade said. groups. of the new autonomous Ogunade said Voters want the election to be issue “You saw the interest and community was challenged in Awareness Initiative would the intensity with which an Umuahia High Court and the based.

“We want to start the debate partner with other like groups people wanted to get their Appeal Court, Owerri, with the presidential and the media to ensure that permanent voter cards and to respectively, by Umudike, but candidates and also for the debate was successful. register. expressed joy that the two He said the issue of voter gubernatorial candidates in “It is no more business as judgments were in favour of had reduced usual for our politicians, Lagos State. We also hope to apathy Umudike-Ukwu.

Agriculture To Form Bedrock Of Enugu Devt -Guber Candidate

Archbishop Counsels Politicians, Journalists ONITSHA (Anambra) The Archbishop of the Catholic On Peaceful Co-Existence Archdiocese of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke has appealed to politicians and journalists to allow peace to reign in 2015.

Okeke told newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra that Nigerians needed to maintain peaceful co-existence notwithstanding their obvious differences in terms of ethnicity and creed.

“When we look at the television, we see wars,

2015 Polls: Group To Organise Debate For Presidential, LAGOS An Electioneering Group, Voters Governorship Candidates Awareness Initiative, on Tuesday said it had concluded plans to organise a debate for presidential and governorship candidates in the 2015 general election.

Mr. Wale Ogunade, President, Voters Awareness Initiative, made this known while speaking with newsmen in Lagos.

Ogunade said that the debate would provide the candidates and their parties with opportunities to highlight their manifestos to the electorate.

“By the grace of God, in the next few weeks, we will organise a debate for all political office seekers.

THE NIGERIAN

8

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Analysis

Towards Curtailing Corruption In Nigeria

By KINGSLEY MBADUGHA/OMEIZA ROBINSON/AYOBAMI OGUNGBE

MANY Nigerians were tranquillized when the global anti-corruption watchdog announced that our country is one of the 35th most corrupt countries in the world. To some people, the situation in the country is worse than what was reflected in the latest corruption perception table.

Most people believe that in Nigeria, all kinds of evil act corrupt act is obtainable in the country life wire.

Corruption is the major hindrance, a big obstacle to the development across all sectors in Nigeria, this is because virtually all sectors in the country are all corrupt. It has eaten deep into the life wire of the country and that is why it seems as nothing is been done about it.

Nigerian government, police, civil service and businesses are plagued by bribery, extortion and other forms of corruption. While many points to a failure of leadership; corruption is largely a product of an economy fueled almost exclusively by petroleum with no vested interest in developing Nigeria’s infrastructure and manufacturing sectors. The wealthy simply profit from oil while the country wallows deeper into economic chaos.

Nigeria’s roads are dominated by check points where law enforcement agents often demand that their palms be greased before travelling.

They’ve turned check points into bribe collecting points and that is more reason terrorists, kidnappers and other hoodlums are not caught in most of their activities.

What do you expect when a security man whose attention supposed to be on the individuals that look suspicious is focused on the drivers hand hoping to get N20.

Nigeria as a nation is falling deeper into corruption day by day, can you tell me any sector in this country that is free from bribery and corruption?

I doubt because even in football, players most times bribed coaches for them to play for the next game.

Moving aside entirely to the education sector where most times students who are not qualified at the time of the examination are the ones that are referred to as undergraduates. There have been complaints that the Nigerian education sector is poor; why won’t it be, when money is being collected to admit students into higher institution. Have you asked yourself why students mostly score higher in Jamb and

when it comes to PUME, reverse is the case; that will show the level of corruption, bribery and exam malpractice in education system. Very soon in Nigeria the poor who cannot afford to pay up to #150,000, cannot be admitted into the university.

The main issue about corruption in Nigeria does not lie with our government or civil service alone, citizens are also involved in this act.

An electorate sells his/her vote for just a thousand naira that not is even enough for air time subscription as a result of poverty.

The focal point about corruption in Nigeria to a large extent lies right in Aso rock with those that wine and dine with the people in the floor of power both at the national and the state to local level. Embezzling public fund is no more news in the country, it has become a normal daily activities. In this country, abnormality has become normality and that is more reason why all efforts to curtail corruption in the country has become negative.

The country has become so corrupt that the public servants have totally lost trust in the government. The public servants hardly believe anything that the government says which are yet to be implemented. This is because the leadership in the country so far has been treading and is still treading on the ground of promise and fail.

ASUU embarked on strike for a period of 6months last year, even when the government promised to meet up with their demands. There seemed to be no credibility in what government dishes out to the public anymore.

Nowadays we hear such comments likes “ I pray o” whenever it’s heard that the government has embarked on one project or another, the citizens have doubts about that.

It would be difficult to identify any Nigerian leader who can be said to be

successful in fulfilling his promises to the country. No doubt, the country is in this current depressing and distasteful state because her leaders at various levels of

corruption within the bureaucracy is equally as virulent, commenting on this issue in his article “are we really winning the war Against corruption” Uche Igwe said. That , “a major chunk of public sector corruption happens within the

Ibrahim Lamorde, EFCC Chairman government over the years have perfected the art of saying something and to an extent doing another almost at the same time. Even when any effort or whatsoever are made, it is, almost always contrary to the promise made.

Human right watch estimated that the epidemic nature of corruption led to the loss of $380bn worth of revenue between 1999 and 2007in Nigeria. Then about 47 percent of companies that do business in Nigeria till date are Said to be experts to make facilitation payments to public officials in order to get them to do their work. To the observers, the parliament and the political parties are the most corrupt institutions; in line with this, I believe that

Nigerian civil service.

The civil service is meant to be the bureaucracy that services the policy implementation process, but today it has been turned into an arena of looting.

Corruption in the civil service is the rule rather than the exception, Uch Igwee added.

There is this popular saying “wait for your turn” that is to say that one has to patiently wait till he/she gets to higher position and only then and only then can he join the club of bribe collectors and money embezzlers. But this is what happens in a state where abnormality has become normality.

Most persons enter offices with goodwill but after some time, they begin to understand

that one cannot bite more than he can chew. Even at the house of assembly and others at the local level, anyone who fights against corruption in his office stands a risk of being impeached. In most cases, they set the person up.

Nigerian offices are dens of lions where three things are involved; it’s either you join the club, resign or face allegation that could lead to your impeachment, that is the situation of things in Nigerian politics and other sectors in the country.

The country has presented a bad image of herself in the eyes of other countries.

Nigerians in other countries of the world are often suspected because of the evil deeds that those in power are not willing and ready to stop.

So far, the main avenue for war against corruption in Nigeria is through .the establishment of anticorruption agencies. There are multiple versions of these agencies, each pursuing after complex, competing, divergent, and often overlapping mandate in Nigeria. All well and good but what has been their impact?

Some of those agencies have turned out to be the biggest channels for corruption themselves. Some of these agencies when they apprehend someone, instead of charging the person to court, their pocket would be charged with money and that’s the end of such cases.

The anti-corruption agencies have failed. Money controls their minds, even those who wish to fight corruption, their ‘oga at the top’ would suppress their efforts.

Lest we forget, in time past, agricultural and economic indices have largely dictated a country’s growth and increases in complexity and development.

Today, these variables are not all together rendered negligible, but they can hardly match the autocratic nature of influence handled by the political factors within the political sector that weave the fabric of country’s internal development and external relationships with foreign nations. That is why Nigerians have lost all available faith in the possibility of a legitimately elected representative of the people as

“The country has presented a bad image of herself in the eyes of other countries. Nigerians in other countries of the world are often suspected because of the evil deeds that those in power are not willing and ready to stop.”

it concerns the elective process for change of government.

The unending corruption which has eaten deep into the fabrics of our system has helped no one either as both the government and the governed seemed to have been carried away by the turbulent sea of western dependency.

Nigeria is wallowing in corruption, even the coming generation now subconsciously prepare fertile ground for the seed of corruptive influences like grafting, misappropriation and illicit propensity of for wealth.

It is in Nigeria we have, though in small number, members of the so called ‘CABAL’ who seems to be in absolute control of the electoral process, which according to concerned Nigerian citizens has ironically become ‘selection’ as opposed to an election process. It is regrettable to realize that the dreams and counsel of our founding elders has been forsaken for many years to embrace corruption and the profit of greed. Our national anthem reads “arise o compatriots”, how many of our leaders are patriots, you as an individual, how patriotic are you?Feigning ignorance to this prevalent attitude of our rulers and the “chop as I chop” concept a present part and reality of the Nigerian government administration.

Should Nigerians resign to a fate of failure and hopelessness without repair?

Answer to this question is cryptic for it would only lead to more questions. However, there is a plausible possibility for a purge of all impurities from our present polity even though a change has never been a welcome verb for discussion where poorer and politics are concerned. But since, “nature is change is nature, then nature is the part of existence we can affect or effect”. The limited success in the war against corruption has bred deep cynicism among the Nigerian people capable of subverting trust in a democratic system of government.

Conclusively, in a bid to curtail corruption in Nigeria, an effective anti-corruption agency must command public respect, be credible, transparent accountable, and fearless. It must mobilize the necessary political will as well as enjoy considerable operational independence.

Since the war against corruption formally resumed in Nigeria for years, the verdict is that it has been less than effective. Our leaders should restore purity and sanity into the system and reduce the rate at which they perpetrate evil in the country and other sector officials should as well refine and redefine their minds of corruption and bribery.

THE NIGERIAN

9

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Abuja Unguarded Utterances: DSS Warns Political Office Holders ABUJA- The Department of State Services (DSS) has warned political office holders not to hide under the privileges of their offices to make utterances that were against the general interest of the nation.

In a statement issued by the Spokeswoman of the service, Ms Marilyn Ogar in Abuja, the Service warned that such

utterances would no longer be tolerated.

Ogar said the attention of the DSS had been drawn to inciting and unguarded statements and utterances by some politicians ahead of the 2015 general elections.

She added that “of particular interest is the statement of a serving governor calling on men

of the armed forces to rise up in protest against constituted authority.’’

The spokeswoman said such were made with the intent to undermine the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Such actions are irresponsible,

selfish and against our collective wellbeing as a nation.

“It is noteworthy that similar unguarded provocative statements by politicians in the past had encouraged violence that resulted in loss of innocent lives and property.

“It is pertinent to note that no Nigerian is above the laws of this land.’’

According to her, this statement serves as last warning to those seeking to truncate the nation’s democracy by their careless and mischievous

utterances and urge them to retrace their steps immediately.

“This Service and indeed all security agencies will not rest on their oars and are committed to the successful conduct of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria’’, she added.

NEMA Distributes Relief Materials To Displaced ABUJA- The National Persons Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has distributed relief materials worth millions of naira to about 100 persons displaced by insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country, camped in Abuja.

Distributing the items at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in the FCT, the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Sidi, said the gesture was to alleviate their hardship.

Represented by Mr Ishaya Chonoko, the Head of Abuja Operation Office of NEMA, Sani-Sidi said items distributed include bags of rice, beans, maize, salt, guinea corn, millet and gallons of groundnut oil.

Others, he said, include cartons of tin tomatoes, buckets, slippers and toiletries.

The NEMA boss added that “our reason for giving these items is because it is our responsibility, these people have lost everything they have, including food and where to sleep.

“Government decided to

provide these materials to provide succour to these people.

These people are from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.’’

He, however, said NEMA was faced with the challenge of trying to separate the IDPs from non IDPs because of the large turnout of people to collect the items.

According to him, the Agency will soon establish a reliable IDPs camp in Abuja to accommodate all displaced persons in order to avoid a mix up with non-IDPs. The director-general also said that NEMA’s decision to brand all the items brought to the people would prevent the materials from being sold in the market.

He urged beneficiaries of the materials to be of good conduct while in the camp.

ABUJA- The Chairman, Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Gen. Martin Agwai, has described the media as the force behind the popularity of SURE-P in the country.

Agwai said this at the SURE-P end of year dinner for Journalists in Abuja.

He said that because of the constructive criticism of the media, it had helped Nigerians to see the benefits of the SURE-P in the country.

“We are here to celebrate the success of a well nurtured relationship between the media and SURE-P. “We are grateful to those of you who, apart from being critical of the job we are doing, took out time to specially proffer very sincere and helpful solutions.

“Without your tremendous support, understanding, solidarity and cooperation, it would have been pretty impossible for us to get to where we are now,” he said.

Agwai assured the public that SURE-P would continue to make judicious use of its share from the partial removal of subsidy to improve on relevant infrastructure in the country.

Earlier, the President, Nigerial Union of Journalists, Mr Muhammed Garba, thanked

SURE-P for making its office always accessible to the media.

He said that it shows the integrity, openness and transparency of the SURE-P.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Danjuma Sheni (left) and Frist Secretary, Europeans Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Amb. Alan Munday, signing an MoU to finalise participation of EU Observer team in Monitoring 2015 General Election in Abuja recently.

Abuja Airport Experiences Normal Movement Of Passengers

ABUJA- The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, experienced normal flow

of passengers at the domestic say. and international wings as Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, the Christmas holiday end, reports Deputy General Manager,

Corporate Communications Department, FAAN, told newsmen that the airport

kept abreast of its accomplishments.

He urged them to publicise and involve the media more in all its activities, especially in monitoring and evaluation of

projects.

Ighure also called on SURE-P not to compromise the quality of its projects, to ensure their completion.

Media, Force Multiplier Of SURE-P, Says Agwai Also, the Editor-In-Chief, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Isaac Ighure, urged the media team of SURE-P to work harder to make sure that Nigerians were

Bauchi State workers using the ATM as their salaries were paid in Bauchi recently.

experienced normal flow of passengers as some people were still on holiday.

She said the airport would experience heavy traffic flow during the weekend after the New Year celebration.

“I believe that passengers returning today are more of civil servants who returned to resume work.

“We hope to see more passengers after the New Year celebration, especially at the arrival wing.’’

A passenger, Mrs Irish Arnold, toldnewsmen that she travelled to Enugu to celebrate the Christmas with her family and had to come back to Abuja to resume work as a civil servant.

She said “the Christmas break is quite long, including weekend, so it is an opportunity for me to spend quality time with my friends and family.

“I returned today because I have to resume work.’’

Mr Musa Danladi, a student, said he travelled to Bauchi State to celebrate the Christmas with his mother and returned to Abuja today to see a relative.

Mr Abdulsallam Hassan, a businessman, said he travelled to Kano to see his family to celebrate the Christmas and needed to return today so as to resume work.

“If not for my job, I will not have come back today,’’ Hassan added.

THE NIGERIAN

10

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

View Point

Amazing Power Of Gratitude

GRATITUDE is the expression of thanks to someone for a benevolence act. It is done out of a deep and sincere heart. The purpose is to make someone understand that his kind gesture(s) are quiet appreciated thereby motivating him to do more.

Understanding the power of gratitude will unleash wonderful abundance in your life. Many successful and thriving men and women subscribe to this singular reason of appreciation because they feel it is good and they do it because of their understanding that the power of gratitude is incredible.

If you desire to attract positive things into your life and simply feel happy, learn to appreciate and be grateful for the good in your life. Be thankful for the breath in your lungs, your home, your loved one, your job and so on. Look around and simply say “thank you” for anything and everything you find pleasing.

This is one principle of life you will always live to remember.

What it means to be grateful is to be thankful for blessings, acknowledging all the good in life. It means being happy with your present state no matter what is going on. It is a conscious effort to view your life from a positive perspective and rejoice in the good. By default, if you do this, you will not be focusing on the negative things in your life, which is superb. .

To walk with more gratitude in your heart each day, consider adding the following suggestions into your life.

Being journalistic: Each morning or evening write down all the things that you are grateful for. You can include things for that day or life in general. Call it your gratitude journal and let it serve as a reminder for how blessed you are.

Thank those you normally overlook: Each day be mindful of those you come in contact with and try not to

By KINGSLEY AGESE/PIUS ABAH

take those for granted who are of service to you and others.

Record your thank you: if you want to live with more gratitude in your heart, keep tabs of how many times you say thank you during the day and work on increasing the frequency. As you do, you will feel more gratitude in your heart for others and yourself Tell your loved one’s thank you: give your parents a call or the next time you see them, tell them how grateful you are for all that they have done for you. Let your siblings know that you appreciate the times they have been there for you.

Tell your spouse that you are overwhelmed with gratitude for such unconditional love.

Let your loved ones know frequently how grateful you are for them.

Send thank you card out: You can send e-card or regular thank you card to those who you are grateful for on a regular basis, I assure you that if you do incorporate these tips into your daily life and get into the habit of saying.

“Thank you” more often, your attitude and countenance will change for the better. Not only will you feel better, but those around you will as well.

According to scientific research by psychologist Emmons and Mc Cullogh the simple acts of counting your blessings can increase happiness levels by 25%.

Those who make a point of practicing gratitude sleep better, exercise more, feel more optimistic and less materialistic, are more emphatic and joyful and report few physical symptoms such as pain. They can even have sharper minds.

Another exercise is to build a “gratitude 30” into your day.

Select a 30 minutes, period and actively notice all the things you are grateful for as you go through your daily

business. Alternatively, simply taking a few minutes before bed time or in the morning to run through all the things you appreciate in your life can be very effective.

Furthermore, gratitude is a feeling or attitude in acknowledging a benefit that one has received. The experience of gratitude has historically been a focus of several world religions, and has been considered extensively by moral

to different actions.

Indebtedness can motivate the recipient of the aid to avoid the person who has helped them, whereas gratitude can motivate the recipient to seek out their benefactor and to improve their relationship with them.

Gratitutde may also serve to reinforce future pro social behavior in benefactors. For example, one experiment found that customers of a jewelry store who were called and thanked showed a

philosophers such as Lee Clement . The systematic study of gratitude within psychology only began around the year 2000, possibly because psychology has traditionally been focused more on understanding positive emotions.

Gratitude is not the same as indebtedness. While both emotions occur following help, indebtedness occurs when a person passives that they are under an obligation to make some payment of behaviour in compensation for the aid. The emotions lead

subsequent 70% increase in purchase. In comparison, customers who were thanked and told about a sale showed only a 30 % increase in purchase and customers who were not called at all did not show an increase.

The link between spirituality and gratitude has recently become a popular subject of study. While these two characteristics are certainly not dependent on each other, studies have found out that spirituality is capable of enhancing a person’s ability to be grateful and

“Tell your loved one’s thank you: give your parents a call or the next time you see them, tell them how grateful you are for all that they have done for you. Let your siblings know that you appreciate the times they have been there for you.”

“Indebtedness can motivate the recipient of the aid to avoid the person who has helped them, whereas gratitude can motivate the recipient to seek out their benefactor and to improve their relationship with them.” therefore those who regularly attend religious studies or engage in religious activity are more likely to have a greater sense of gratitude in all areas of life. Gratitude is viewed as a prized human propensity in the Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Baha’l and Hindu traditions.

Worship with gratitude to God is a common theme in such

thanks to the Lord with my whole heart”. (Ps.30:12; ps.

9:1).

Gratitude has been said to mould and shape the entire Christian life. Martin Luther king referred to gratitude as “ The basic Christian attitude” the heart of the gospel. As each Christian believes they were created by a personal God, Christian are strongly

religious and therefore, the concept of gratitude permeates religious text, teachings and tradition. For this reason, it is one of the most common emotions that religions aim to provoke and maintain in followers and is regarded as a universal religious sentiment.

In Judaism, gratitude is an essential part of the act of worship and a part of every aspect of a worshippers life.

According to the Hebrew worldview, all things come from God and because of this, gratitude is extremely important to the followers of Judaism. The Hebrew scripture are filled with the idea of gratitude. Two examples included in the Psalms are “O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever “, and “ I will give

encouraged to praise and give gratitude to their creator. In Christian gratitude, God is seen as the selfless giver of all good things and because of this, there is a greater sense of indebtedness that enables Christians to share a common bond, shaping all aspects of a follower’s life. Gratitude in Christianity is an acknowledgement of God’s generosity that inspires Christians to shape their own thought and actions around such ideals . Instead of simply a sentimental feeling christian gratitude is regarded as a virtue that shapes not only emotions and thought but actions and deeds as well.

In the Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican Churches, the most important rite is called the Eucharist, the name

THE NIGERIAN

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

THE NIGERIAN

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014 THE core premise of the 2014 Human Development Report, launched in Tokyo, Japan recently by Prime Minister of Japan Shinzô Abe, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark and Director of the Human Development Report Office Khalid Malik focuses on persistent vulnerability as a major threat to human development, and warns that unless it is systematically tackled by policies and social norms, progress will be neither equitable nor sustainable.

ACCORDING to income-based measures of poverty, 1.2 billion people live with $1.25 or less a day. However, the latest estimates of the UNDP Multidimensional Poverty Index reveal that almost 1.5 billion people in 91 developing countries, including Nigeria are living in poverty with overlapping deprivations in health, education and living standards. And although poverty is declining overall, almost 800 million people are at risk of falling back into poverty if setbacks occur.

WE believe that by addressing vulnerabilities, all people may share in development progress, and human development will become increasingly equitable and sustainable globally and Nigeria must key into various development processes to be part of solution and also be in position to benefit from same.

IT is equally heart-warming to know that the 2014 Human Development Report comes at a critical time, as attention turns to the creation of a new development agenda following the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It is therefore an imperative for the post-2015 SDGs to have a standalone Goal to address vulnerability in the next 15 years.

THE NIGERIAN

A Look At 2014 Human Development Report THE Report holds that as crises spread ever faster and further, it is critical to understand vulnerability in order to secure gains and sustain progress. It points to a slowdown in human development growth across all regions, as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). It notes that threats such as financial crises, fluctuations in food prices, natural disasters and violent conflict significantly impede progress.

OBVIOUSLY , the Boko Haram insurgency poses a great threat to human development in Nigeria and the global community must come to the rescue of the country beyond skeletal military assistance from some developed countries of the world. Boko Haram insurgency alone is not only leading to heavy losses of human lives and property, millions are already rendered homeless and are refugees in their homeland. Livelihoods of over six million persons have been affected and economic life in North Eastern Nigeria have been crippled. Investments in Nigeria are already threatened even though government grandstands that it has what it takes to curtail the threat.

BESIDES, floods and desertification occasioned by Climate Change have continued to wreak havoc and render millions homeless destroying livelihoods and exacerbating food crisis in the country.

AT the moment, the President, Goodluck

Jonathan is seeking $1bn to combat terrorism in the country. This request must not be politicised by anyone and we urge the National Assembly to expeditiously approve the request. The President must demonstrate prudence, transparency and accountability in the use of such funds to assuage the fears of those opposed to the securing of such a facility given our past history as a nation.

Additionally, government needs to make conscious efforts to mitigate impact of Climate Change and tackle ocean surge, desertification and flooding in Nigerian coastal communities. There should be clear cut plans and actions for rehabilitation, resettlements and empowerments for affected and vulnerable persons and communities.

IT is also instructive to point that reducing both poverty and people’s vulnerability to falling into poverty must be a central objective of the post-2015 agenda. For us, eliminating extreme poverty as roundly canvassed by the report, is not just about ‘getting to zero’; it is also about staying there.

FINALLY, the Report calls for governments to recommit to the objective of full employment, a mainstay of macroeconomic policies of the 1950s and 1960s that was overtaken by competing policy goals following the oil shocks of the 1970s. It argues that full employment yields social dividends that surpass private benefits, such as fostering social stability and cohesion. We believe that Nigeria, having had its fair share of the oil shocks during the era should abide by recommendations and prescriptions of the 2014 Human Development Report, if it hopes to overcome its vulnerability challenges by 2030.

THE NIGERIAN

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Health Reducing The Risk Of Diabetes Via Balanced Diet

By JACINTA NWACHUKWU

PEOPLE across the world celebrate the World Diabetic Day on every November 14 to raise awareness on diabetes and its effects on human health with a view to preventing it.

With the estimate of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes, observers say that observing the Day is worthwhile.

They opine that stakeholders in health sector, during the observance, should focus on discussions that will ensure stronger intervention to check the disease.

Medical experts advise that advocacy at the celebration should include educating the public on the need to take balanced diet apart from regular check on the level of sugar in their blood.

Dr Nathaniel Adewole, a gynaecologist with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, said: “when one gets older the chances of developing diabetes is high as a result of poor life style.’’

He said at that stage, many people would require balance diet and healthy living to prevent diabetes.

He advised that people should reduce carbohydrate intake and take a lot of protein and vegetables.

Corroborating this viewpoint, dieticians advised the public against eating junk food and

being overweight as such could lead to developing diabetes.

“People who eat a greater number of fruits and vegetable as well as people who eat a wide variety of foods from the local diet may have a lower risk of developing diabetes,’’ Dr Adamu Onu in Garki Hospital, Abuja, observed.

“The biggest problem with today’s traditional diet is too much salt and too little potassium.

Boosting one’s potassium intake and curbing salt can slash one’s chances of stroke arising from diabetes by 21 per cent,’’ he said.

Beside this, he advised that people should go for blood sugar tests at least once a year to ensure healthy living as early detection of insulin deficiency could prevent diabetes.

Onu expressed concern that the occurrence of diabetes was on the increase, calling for collective efforts of the stakeholders to check the trend.

According to him, diabetes is the absolute insulin deficiency in the blood, while insulin is a hormone, produced by the body to regulate blood sugar concentration.

He insisted that diabetes could be prevented by cutting down the intake of carbohydrates, especially soft drinks and fast food.

Medical experts also observe that diabetes is not limited to

COMMON among women, fibroid has become a threat to black women and is fast becoming one of the major cause of death among women. The disease is known to have some adverse effect on women and if not detected on time can lead to cause of death.

Fibroids are non cancerous tumors that grow from the muscle layers of the uterus (womb) they are also known as uterie fibroid, myomas, or fibromyomas. Fibroids are growths of smooth muscles and fibrous tissues, and can vary in size, from the size of a bean to as large as a water melon.

At least 20% of all women are affected aged between 3050 are most likely to develop fibroids, while overweight and obese women are at significantly higher risk of developing fibroid, compared to women of normal weight.

Types of fibroid There are four types Intramural: These are located in the wall of the uterus, they can develop into pedunculated fibroids (stalks).

Subserosal fibroids: These are located outside the walls of the uterus. They can develop into pedunculated fibroids (stalks), subserosal fibroids can become quite large.

Submucosal fibroids: These are located in the musecle beneath the lining of the uterus wall.

Cervical fibroids: These are the kind of fibroids located in the womb (cervi), and these particular ones are very deadly because they disturb the womb from conception.

What causes fibroids?

A fibroid starts as a single muscle cell in the uterus. For reasons that are not known the cell changes into a fibroid tumor cell and starts to grow and multiply. Heredity may be a factor.

It is thought that a muscle cell in the uterus may be programmed from birth to develop into a fibroid, sometimes perhaps many years after puberty (the start of menstrual periods). After puberty, the ovaries produce more hormones, especially estrogens. Higher levels of these hormones may help

adult alone, insisting that it has been commonly reported recently among children.

Dr Nnamdi Uba, former specialist at St. Mary’s Catholic Hospital, Gwagwalada,

therefore, advised mothers to control their blood sugar level during pregnancy to reduce diabetes in children.

He stressed that expectant mothers should always seek medical attention, especially those who are diabetic, adding

that complications could arise if pregnant mothers indulged in self medication.

The physician further stressed that when a child is obese, it leads to high blood glucose, which leads to lack of much insulin in the body.

According to him, the type of food that children eat can predispose them diabetes related infections.

Uba, therefore, recommended six months exclusive breastfeeding and

subsequent six months complimentary breastfeeding and dietary control.

He urged mothers to observe cleanliness while feeding their children, noting that it would boost their children’s survival and save them from diseases.

For effective fight against diabetes, the Nigeria Diabetes Online Community advises that sufferers should take much of non-starchy vegetables, beans and fruits.

According to it, they should also limit concentrated sweets, including high calorie foods such as ice cream and reduce fruit juice (without sugar) to no more than one cup a day.

“Eat a healthful type of protein at most meals such as beans, fish and skinless chicken, choose foods with healthy fats such as olive-oil, nuts and limit saturated fats from dairy and other animal products.

“Eat slowly and stop when full. Having diabetes does not mean eliminating sugar. If you have diabetes, you can still enjoy a small serving of your favourite desert now and then,’’ it said.

By and large, observers urge medical experts and relevant stakeholders to increase awareness campaigns on methods of detecting, preventing and managing diabetes.

“According to it, they should also limit concentrated sweets, including high calorie foods such as ice cream and reduce fruit juice (without sugar) to no more than one cup a day.”

Fibroid: fribroid to grow, although exactly how these might happen is not understood.

SYMPTOMS More than half of the women with fibroids do not know until the doctor tells them so. The basic symptoms of fibroid include: *Heavy or long menstrual periods *Pain in the pelvis *Constipation or bloating *Pain during sexual intercourse *Reproductive diffusion.

TREATMENT OF FIBROID: The treatment offered for fibroid will depend on whether or not the fibroids are causing any problems, if they are not causing problems, they may need no treatment apart from regular medical checkup. This is called watchful waiting. The doctor examines a woman two or three times a year to see if the fibroids are growing and if the are beginning to cause problems. If the doctor cannot feel the woman’s ovaries

A Killer Of Women

By LAWRENCE OMORODION/MARY OKPEBE

during a pelvic exam, ultrasound should be preformed once a year.

Surgey is the standard treatment for fibroids that are causing pain, heavy or lengthy menstrual bleeding, or other problems. The two types of surgery mostly performed are hysterectomy and myomectomy.

Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus (and usually of the cervic as well). It is the most common treatment for fibroid.

Currently, hysterectomy is the only permanent cure for fibroids.

However, a woman cannot become pregnant or carry a baby after having hysterectomy.

Hysterctomy is often considered when the uterus reaches the size it would be at 12 weeks of pregnancy. In the past, many doctors recommended a hysterectomy because they feared that such large fibroids could hide the

presence of cancer of the uterus.

Now however, test such as ultrasound and MRI can be used to see whether a fibroid is growing rapidly (a sign of cancer). Increased use of these tests has reduced the number of hysterectomies performed for fibroids.

Myomectomy is the removal of fibroids without removoing the uterus. These operation preserves a woman’s ability to bear children. However, a successful pregnancy is not guranteed, only 4or 5 out of 10 women become pregnant and give birth after a myomectomy.

Heavy bleeding can occur when fibroids are removed. A woman is more likely to need a blood transfusion after a myomectomy than after a hysterectomy. She is at higher risk for problems such as infection, blood dots in the legs.

Fibroids may grow back

after a myomectomy and another operation may be needed to remove them.

These risk of re- growth is related to the number, not the size, of fibroids removed. If not more than three fibroids are removed, the risk of regrowth is about 50-50.

How to prevent fibroid Check your family history for fibroid, there has been speculations that genetics may play a role in women who get them.

Check your lifestyle, women have to be careful of what they eat and should avoid foods that are high in fat, sugar and caffeine, these can encourage the growth of fibroid.

Treatment options: There are several treatment options available for patients with fibroid tumors. It ‘s important to take your symptoms into consideration when talking to your doctor in order to decide which treatment option is best for you.

THE NIGERIAN

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Point-Blank

Consider this list of words: unsuccess, non success, u n f u l f i l l m e n t , nonfulfillment, forlorn hope, miscarriage, misfire, abortion, fizzle (colloq.), flop (slang), collapse, debacle, fiasco, dud (colloq.), washout (colloq.), bankruptcy, insolvency, crash, smash, wreck, ruin, fall, downfall.

This is the New Roget’s Thesaurus list of synonyms for what we think of as failure, and it’s pretty complete. In fact, it seems to grow more terrifying as it goes along. “Flop ... fiasco, smash. . . ruin.”

One of America’s great moral weaknesses could be her refusal to accept anything resembling failure.

Men who do not succeed simply have no place in our society. I suppose the indictment should not be limited to America, for the entire Western civilization is success happy. But in America success carries a big whip—a long, stinging whip which begins to strike even small children who are coerced into contests of all kinds and are pushed, pushed, pushed to win. Not to fail—to win.

Of course, no one should ever be urged to fail. That is ridiculous. One should only be urged to do one’s best—succeed or fail in the process. On paper all of this seems so obvious; I wonder at my need to set it down.

And yet I, along with you and most of the people we know, have spent my life trying not to fail. The first humiliating failure I remember occurred when I was about ten years old. I

failure.

My second humiliating failure had to do with what the educational system used to call the Palmer Method.

This, as some of you will recall, was the devil’s own device for torturing children who just didn’t happen to be born with fingers adept at making “round and round” circles and “push- pull” marks time after lime and page after page with nary a line misplaced. The idea was to “rubber rubber” when you wrote, somehow rolling your forearm on the inner muscle and holding the pen just so as you rolled.

The most frightening part of it was the Palmer Method Lady, a veritable frigate of a woman, who came to my class room and sailed haughtily up and down between the rows of desks, peering approvingly or disdainfully down at what we victims were attempting.

She scared the living daylights out of me! Even worse than her rubber heels which kept me from guessing where she would appear next was the smile she gave to the students who could perform that weird ritual with pen, ink, and paper and the snorts we failures received.

I don’t think it mattered one bit whether or not I could make all those circles and push-pulls without a line misplaced or without spilling a blob of ink every time 1 managed to reach almost the last page. still, I was made to believe that if I failed, something was dreadfully wrong with me.

None of this is intended as a diatribe against education.

Failure!

By EUGENIA PRICE

happened to be enlightened beyond her time and kept reminding me that making those “round and rounds” and “push-pulls” need not affect the success of my future life. She had wisdom

time and a rested mind to answer my mail with care, but I often fail to budget my time in order to accomplish these things which I like. I try, and sometimes I succeed, but more often

enough to teach my brother and me that we might not succeed in everything we tackled, but we could always do our best.

Lewis E. Lawes once wrote: “Never give a man up until he has failed at something he likes.” Do you agree with

than not I fail to find time and a back rested enough from having worked on a manuscript or answered “duty” mail. I fail myself and I fail my friends.

So do you, I’m sure.

We all fail our families, our neighbors, and our

“Of course, no one should ever be urged to fail. That is ridiculous. One should only be urged to do one’s best—succeed or fail in the process.

On paper all of this seems so obvious; I wonder at my need to set it down. And yet I, along with you and most of the people we know, have spent my life trying not to fail. The first humiliating failure I remember occurred when I was about ten years old.” flunked mathematics, and I wanted to die, because my grades in school were my pride and joy. I remember crying into my pillow at night with the bitter sting of guilt I carried from that

I only mention these incidents here be cause the suffering I experienced at my failures is relevant.

It was genuine suffering.

I doubt that it marked me, since my young mother

that? I don’t. I see his intent, but I don’t agree. In fact, I think we fail at doing many things we like. I like to write books, but they are not all huge successes. I like to make new friends and have

friends when we refuse to take care of our health. I am failing my mother and everyone else who loves me when I repeatedly allow my self to gain a dozen extra pounds of fat! Right now,

I’ve got it pretty well licked (with my physician’s approval), thanks to Dr. Stillman’s Quick Weight Loss Diet, but no one knows better than I that I can fizzle again. We are all adept at being flascos, washouts, duds, flops.

I was interested in finding the words insolvency and bankruptcy in the Thesaurus list of synonyms for failure.

The mother of a friend of

of a broken heart” because he had failed at his business and could no longer face seeing his wife and children suffer because of his failure.

She wanted me to give her a definite answer, and, of course, I couldn’t. Her letter was just another affirmation of what I am attempting to communicate in this book.

As I see it, God had nothing directly to do with her husband’s death or his

mine, left with unsurmountable debts after the death of her husband, had to declare bankruptcy.

The daughter described the particular shame and agony of such a procedure so graphically that I suffered along with them. “Forlorn hope surrounds such an experience, I’m sure. We have read and heard about—perhaps known— men who took their own lives rather than declare bankruptcy. The suffering from this kind of failure could easily drive a proud man to his death—or a proud woman for that matter. In us all is at least the potential for drastic action when we face the panic of no funds.

Last year a woman wrote asking why God didn’t spare her husband who had, according to her letter, “died

failure. God set into motion certain genetic laws, and some among us inherit smart business sense while others do not. Fortune, good and bad, is also a factor. Bad breaks come into the lives of Christians as well as nonChristians. One of the gentlest, kindest, most loving Christian men I know just can’t seem to make it in his chosen field.

In fact, he’s fried all sorts of other fields and failed in those too. Why? Is there a pat answer here? Is his faith too small? In this man’s case, no. But what of the glib prosperous Christian businessmen who insist upon “giving God the glory”? I purposely italicized that word “insist,” because these fellows talk and write so much about

Continue on Pg 15

THE NIGERIAN

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Point-Blank

Failure! how “God is blessing them” that they make me suspicious! Their pious talk has the ring of relieving them of some of the blame for all those amassed fortunes. It’s almost as though they’re saying,

God’s activity in any life to our under standing of what may be happening. The New Testament is there for us to read—to read and reread—but I dare you to find one line in it which implies that God is going to grant special favors for faith in Himself. In the Old

“Well, I can’t help being so rich and getting richer. I tithe, and the good Lord does the rest.”

Now, I ask you—why would God deliberately prosper one tithing Christian over another?

Would God cause one devout brother to fail at every thing he fries only in order to strengthen that brother ’s faith? Doesn’t God care about strengthening the faith of the prospering brother too?

Does God play favorites?

Would the Lord God “bless” one business with so much profit that the children of the boss can zoom around our highways in sports cars while the children of another equally spiritual man lack money for school supplies?

The idea is ridiculous.

But we are more ridiculous when we attempt to confine

Testament, yes; but its great value is that it moves relentlessly toward the New. Jesus came to reveal God as He is, not as we wish Him to be. Jesus came to make God plain: to clarify the universal human need for a Savior and to be that Savior.

But in His coming, He also said: “In this world ye shall have tribulation. Not once did He even intimate that He and the Father had special favorites among us.

Jesus came to earth as a helpless baby, born into the family of a man and woman of moderate means. He lived penniless, slept on hillsides and in borrowed beds, and ate what people gave Him to eat.

Why, if material “blessings” and financial prosperity are Gods way of showing His love, would His Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, have had to be buried in a

Continued from Pg 14

borrowed tomb?

I went “round the bush” on this subject with a wealthy man who is also a sincere Christian. He gave me the old bromide about gratitude.

“Genie, aren’t we to give God the glory? Aren’t we to give thanks?”

Of course, we are to give God the glory. Of course, we are to give thanks. But St. Paul did say, “In

What about Jesus? Wasn’t He considered a failure by the world in which He lived? His promised kingdom did not materialize at all—at least not in the way the people expected it.

And isn’t this the key to the problem of failure?

Does God measure blessings in dollars and cents, or does He measure them in kingdom terms?

everything give thanks I’ve never yet heard a man thank God for a business failure or the loss of an investment,

Jesus brought the potential for an inward kingdom, a rule for the peoples of the earth so predicated on love

Making even a fair living complicates so many things that I will never believe God equates this kind of socalled success with a “blessing.” He came to simplify, not to complicate.

Another area in which women, in particular, struggle with failure is the matter of childlessness.

Well, this has tormented a certain type of woman since the days of Abraham’s Sarah. But here again we need to be realistic, to stop leaning on old cliches. Does God send every child who is born into the world? Our world is in desperate danger of disaster because we do have a population explosion on our hands! Not only are millions of children going hungry, but cities the world over are frantically hunting ways to dispose of the waste created by the people we already have. Does God care about the environment He created for earth people?

Does He care about the hungry children? Doesn’t God know about the conditions now existing from over-population? Is He really “blessing” the poor family with twelve children and “depriving” another well-to-do man and wife of even one child?

Don’t you honestly think God is more balanced in His viewpoint? Wouldn’t He find it more creative if some of the affluent childless couples adopted and fed and clothed a few of the underprivileged children

that, of course. But I do hope we will free God from always having to act according to what we’ve believed or taken for granted about Him. Children interest me very much. I see what Jesus meant when He urged us to be like them. And I’m sure when two people love each other in Christ that His hand is in the wonder of the coming of their children.

Still, do we dare go on being so pat about Him? Would these child less women feel they were such failures if they looked around at the over-populated world and the starving children in it?

There is really only one point to be made here. We can neither blame nor praise God for our blessings or failures until we have opened our minds enough to let His sanity take over. Is sanity too strong a word? I don’t think so, but how about clear-sightedness?

God sees clearly into each human heart and mind and into each circumstance.

The God who flung the heavens into space, the planets into orbit—the Cod who created violets and waving Spanish moss won’t be confined to any human concept. It is, of course, our distorted concept of Him which goes into that pat answer we concoct, and it is we who are the losers when we do not find Him exactly as we decided He should be.

Everyone fails at

“Now, I ask you—why would God deliberately prosper one tithing Christian over another? Would God cause one devout brother to fail at every thing he fries only in order to strengthen that brother’s faith? Doesn’t God care about strengthening the faith of the prospering brother too? Does God play favorites?

Would the Lord God “bless” one business with so much profit that the children of the boss can zoom around our highways in sports cars while the children of another equally spiritual man lack money for school supplies?” have you? It has been said that “Sometimes a noble failure serves the world as faithfully as a distinguished success.” I believe that, but few of us speak of our “noble failures.” Mainly, I think, because we have been taught not to fail, and if we do, to keep it a secret. We have been led to believe that there is shame in failure,

that the inner being of every man who embraced it could be untangled—freed to reach toward his fellows.

Great riches complicate.

I’m far from rich now, but sometimes I almost long for the old days when I had no taxes to pay, no interest rates to worry about, and no accountant to keep me in Uncle Sam’s good graces.

who will otherwise never know normal, healthy lives?

Isn’t it foolish to nurse a sense of failure at being childless when God’s kind of creativity could remedy it?

Now, I’m sure someone is going to be furious or hurt because I have said God does not “send” children into the world. I did not say

something, or he has made no effort. Only those who make no effort are exempt.

Failure is an integral part of being alive. Success can be, too, but Jesus didn’t come to this earth to scatter blessings and success among the faithful. He came so that everyone could find out what the Father is really like.

THE NIGERIAN

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Midweek Magazine 14.1 Introduction FRAUD is a major economic crime being perpetrated in our banking industry today. Indeed, banking fraud is an international phenomenon which has become pervasive as fraudsters become more sophisticated and daring in their approaches. This nefarious activity could lead and had actually led to crisis in and collapse of many financial institutions worldwide. The demise of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) London is a recent example For one thing, frauds result in huge financial losses to banks and their customers, the depletion of shareholders’ finds and banks’ capital base as well as loss of confidence in banks.

For another, the incidence of frauds and forgeries could, in extreme cases, lead to the closure of some banks as had happened in some parts of the world. Many of the distressed banks in Nigeria today had suffered a great deal from frauds and insider credit abuse.

The subject is of fraud therefore of special concern to the monetary and supervisory authorities who are concerned about the safety of individual banks and the soundness of the banking system. Specifically, the NDIC is charged with the responsibility of protecting depositors. Accordingly, section 39 and 40 of the NDIC Decree No. 22 of 1988 require the insured banks in Nigeria to render to the Corporation, monthly returns on frauds, forgeries outright theft occurring during such month and to notify the Corporation of any staff dismissed.

Fraud means an act of dishonesty, deceit and imposture. According to Kirkpatrick (1985), a person who pretends to be something that he is not is a fraud, a snare, a deceptive trick, a cheat and a swindler. By extension fraud includes embezzlement, theft or any attempt to steal or unlawfully obtain misuse or harm the assets of the bank (Hank Administration Institute, 1989 Fraud can be committed by employees, customers or others, operating independently or in conjunction with others inside or outside the bank.

The purpose of this paper is to increase, through the use of effective internal control, the awareness and capability of bank managers to detect prevent frauds that can be perpetrated against their banks. The rest of paper is divided into four parts.

The second part examines the causes extent of frauds in Nigeria while part three highlights the nature and different types of bank frauds.

In part four the internal control system as a basis for preventing and detecting frauds is examined, and finally the summary and conclusion is in part five.

14.2 Causes and Extent of Frauds In order to be able to propose remedies for eliminating frauds in banks it is useful to identify the most common causes of bank frauds. Also, an indication of the extent of frauds perpetrated in the conventional banks - commercial and merchant - is necessary in order to put community banks on the alert as they too are as prone to frauds as the orthodox banks. It

Effective Inte

Basis For Prevent Fra

By JOHN U. EBHODAGHE

is therefore expected that community bank managers understanding of the major causes and extent of frauds would stimulate them to consider ways and means of making the control measures more effective.

14.2.1 Major Causes of Frauds The causes of frauds are usually grouped into two classes - the institutional and environmental/social factors. The institutional factors arc those traceable to the internal environment of the bank while the environment / social factors are those which result from the influence of the environment/ society on the banking industry.

14.2.2 Institutional Causes of Frauds Various authors and professionals in the industry are unanimous in their identification of institutional causes of frauds.

These are: (1) Volume of Work The amount of work done by bank officials could be so heavy that frauds could easily pass undetected by such officials. (ii) Number of Staff Where an official supervises a large number of staff; there is a high likelihood that fraud could go undetected. (iii) Nature of Services Frauds may be caused where documents of value and liquid assets are exposed to an indiscipline staff or unauthorized persons, for example, customers. (iv) Banking Experience of Staff All things being equal, frauds in banks occur with higher frequency among staff with little experience and knowledge of banking practice. The more the experience and knowledge of a staff, the less the likelihood that frauds would pass such staff undetected unless with his active support. Where professionally qualified bankers are involved in frauds, they are more likely to swindle larger sums of money than the less, qualified staff (v) Inadequate/Lack of Staff Training This could affect the morally weak as well as the morally robust staff in various ways. Lack of knowledge of the forms and ways of dealing with fraudulent practices in banks could affect an otherwise honest staff in apprehending and avoiding the wiles of bank fraudsters. (vi) Poor Management Banks with poor management record higher incidence of all sorts of frauds than those with effective management. Poor management gives rise to ineffective and poor control system and indiscipline among staff thus creating an environment for frauds to flourish. (vii) Staff Negligence In certain cases, staff negligence could give rise to the

perpetration of frauds in banks.

Negligence itself is a product of several factors, including poor supervision, lack of technical knowledge, apathy, pressure, etc. (viii) Recruitment System Poor recruitment system, where cognate experience, relevant technical knowledge, competence, character and other qualities are sacrificed at the altar of non factors such as connections and nepotism, constitute important facilitators of frauds in banks. (iv) Poor Security Arrangement for Documents In banks where security arrangements for valuable documents are weak, poor and vulnerable, it is easy for fraudsters to have their way without detection. (x) Use of Sophisticated Accounting Machines Where sophisticated accounting machines are in use and are manned by inadequately trained staff, errors could arise and thus lead to the production of unreliable records. In the hands of dishonest staff, sophisticated accounting machines could be employed to deliberately omit entries, substitute improper calculation and posting, manipulate documents, substitute fictitious’ documents and alter genuine ones. All of these are different ways of perpetrating frauds. (xi) Frustration Management practices, when negative to the aspiration and developmental needs of staff, could result in the generality of staff being frustrated. Frustration in turn breeds fraudulent practices in banks. (xii) Inadequate Infrastructure Poor communications system, power failure which result in a backlog of unbalanced posting, congested office space, etc also encourage the perpetration of bank frauds. (xiii) Delays in Operational Procedures Delays in operational procedures create opportunities for hatching frauds in banks, thus making prevention and early detection difficult. (xiv) Lapses in the Management Control System of Corporate Customers.

This is a clause example where frauds could be externally hatched and executed. Fraudulent staff in both the banks and in the employment of the corporate customers could collude to take undue advantage of the lapses observed iii the management control system of corporate customers. (xv) Negligence of Customers Traditionally, it is the negligence on the part of customers that provides ample opportunities to bank staff to perpetrate frauds. Negligence of customers takes various forms, including errors that might have

been genuine but which are open to abuse, distortions and defalcations by unscrupulous staff both within and outside the bank in the employment of customers.

14.2 Environmental Causes These have been identified as follows: (i) Personality Profile of Fraudsters Most individuals with inordinate ambitions and without qualms are prone to committing frauds. Such individuals arc bent on making money by hook or by crook Such people dismiss morality as an unnecessary prerequisite for virtuous life. To them, the end justifies the means; they arc usually unscrupulous and opportunistic. (ii) Societal Values The value system in any society is the set of rule that prescribes what is right or wrong within that society Where th6 possession of wealth determines the reputation ascribed to a person, that society is bound to witness unnecessary competition for the acquisition of wealth. This, no doubt, will lead to some people using dubious means to get rich overnight. It can be argued that the main cause of frauds in banks in Nigeria is traceable to the general dishonesty in the society where morality is thrown to the dogs.

Misplacement of societal values, the unquestioning attitude of the society towards unusual sources of wealth, the rising societal expectations from bank staff and the subsequent desire by such staff to live up to such expectations, are also contributory factors to frauds in the country. (iii) Slow and Tortuous Legal Process Delays in the prosecution for fraud cases have a way of frustrating the parties to the case.

A frustrated party can abandon the case midway, leading to miscarriage of justice. The delays can be in form of: • late reporting of cases to the police; • lack of specialised manpower for the investigation of fraud; • lawyers and prosecution witnesses absenting themselves from courts; and • undue delay in investigating and charging of cases to court.

All these make fraudsters have the feeling that they are above the law and as such can get away with any act of illegality. (iv) Lack of Effective Deterrent/Punishment Although this may be considered a moot point, it is argued in some quarters that lack of effective deterrent such as heavy punishment could be a factor contributing to the unabaung perpetration of frauds in banks. (v) Fear of Negative Publicity Many banks fail to report fraud cases to the appropriate authorities as they believe that doing so will give unnecessary negative publicity to their banks.

This attitude encourages

individuals with inordinate ambitions to defraud the banks.

They reason correctly that the banks may not prosecute.

It is very sad to note that some bank staff, whose appointments have been terminated or those retired on ground of frauds stilt manage to secure appointments in other banks.

14.2.4 Extent of Bank Frauds In view of the reasons identified above, the magnitude of the loss arising from bank frauds is on the increase. It is appropriate to have a feel of the extent of loss through bank frauds in Nigeria, to enable us appreciate the havoc this cankerworm is wrecking on our economy. The actual amount involved and actual/expected loss in bank frauds should be multiples of the reported figures in Table 14.1, as many banks failed to render the required returns on frauds. The sum of N2.2 billion was involved in bank frauds in the three years, 19911993, out of which commercial banks accounted for about 94.1 per cent (see Table 14.1). The actual/expected loss to the banking system within the same period totaled about N0.3 billion, with commercial banks accounting for about 95.7 per cent thereof It is obvious from the above analysis that the bulk of bank frauds are being perpetrated in the commercial banks probably because of their large branch network and the low quality of employees when compared with the merchant banking subsector. Bank staff involved in frauds were either terminated, dismissed or retired.

Table 14.2 shows the status and CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele number of staff involved in frauds between 1991 and 1993. are not A total of 5 17 bank staff were fraudulent methods is almost to the dismissed, retired or had their inexhaustible as new methods are fraud c appointments terminated because devised with time. It is especi of their involvement in frauds and worthwhile for community banks interna forgeries during 1993 as against management to be familiar with can suf 436 in 1992 (see Table 14.2). In a comprehensive list of all find re 1991, 514 members of staff of the methods used in committing quite d affected banks were involved in fraud even though some of them 14.3. fraudulent activities. The amount may not be directly applicable to Kitin involved per staff during the 3 - their banks now. The most Compt years period (1991 - 1993) are important and common types of Policy NO.8 million, NO.9 million and fraud highlighted by the Bank Bank D N2. 7 million, respectively, as Administration Institute in Fraud where computed.

Prevention and Detection (1989) time req 14.3 Nature and Types of Series are discussed here. to obta Banks Frauds 14.3.1 Advance fee Fraud withou Frauds in banks vary widely (“419”) Chequ in nature, character and method This may involve an agent unathor of perpetration. There are three approaching a bank, a company uncoll broad categories of bank fraud or an individual with an offer to accoun perpetrators: internal, external access large funds at below cheque and mixed. Internal perpetrators market interest rates usually on a bank fo of frauds are members of staff long term basis. The purported guarant while external perpetrators are source of such funds is not institut persons not connected with the specially identified as the only is draw bank. Mixed involvement way to have access to it is through funds a involves outsiders colluding with the agent who must receive a fee item. T bank staff. It is useful for bank or commission “in advance.” As kiter m management to identify the soon as the agent collects the fee, uncolle category under which various he disappears, and the loan never for a s frauds in their banks fall A clear comes through. Any bank tempor knowledge of this will help in the desperate for funds, especially withdra determination of the best the distressed banks and banks for per solution. needing huge funds to bid for among The most common form of foreign exchange, can easily fall deregul classification employed by banks victim to this type of fraud. When make is on the basis of method used. the deal fails and the fees paid in actual Under the approach, the list of advance are lost, these victims cheque

THE NIGERIAN

17

Midweek Magazine

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

rnal Control

ting And Detecting auds

likely to report the losses authorities. Advance fee can be very dangerous, ially those that are ational in nature as banks ffer substantial losses and covery and legal redress ifficult.

2 Cheque Kiting ng is defined by the US troller of the Currency’s Guidelines for National Directors as “a method a depositor utilises the quired for cheques to clear ain an unauthorised loan ut any interest charge.” ue kiting involves the rised use by depositors of lected funds in their nts. Uncollected funds are e lodgments accepted by a or which it cannot fully tee collectability until the tion on which such cheque wn has determined that are available to cover the The goals of the cheque may be to use these ected funds interest-free hort time to overcome a rary cash shortage or to aw the funds permanently rsonal use. Competition g banks in an era of lation encourages banks to funds available before collection of customers’ es in order to attract

customers, especially business accounts.

14.3.3 Account Opening Fraud This involves the deposit and subsequent cashing of fraudulent cheques.

It usually starts with a person not known to the bank asking to open a transaction account such as current or savings account with false identification but unknown to the bank. The person opens the account with a small initial deposit of cash or cheque. Generally, within a few days, the person will deposit a number of bad cheques and obtain cash in return, either by cashing the fraudulent items outright or by withdrawing cash as soon as funds are available.

The bad cheques may be large overdrafts drawn o n other banks or drawn on bank accounts that are closed or never existed; stolen, counterfeited, forged or otherwise fraudulent; or nonexistent empty envelopes deposited in Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

14.3.4 Letters of Credit Fraud Letters of credit generally arise out of international trade and commerce.

They stimulate trade across national borders by providing a vehicle for ensuring prompt

payment by financially sound institutions. However, in some areas of the world, fraud has historically been a problem, especially in Nigeria, Iran and the Middle East. Most letters of credit fraud are perpetrated by beneficiaries to the credits using forged or fraudulent documents. In these cases, forged or fraudulent documents are presented to the confirming or issuing bank and payment is demanded against the credit. Whether or not the bank pays the beneficiary will depend upon whether the presented documents appear to comply with the terms of the credit. In most eases, if a credit transaction turns out to be fraudulent, it is the applicant who suffers the loss. In addition to fraudulent transactions, the letter of credit itself may be fraudulent. For example, an account officer or an employee of the documentary unit could create a phoney letter of credit application or enter a nonexistent credit into the system using the name and credit capacity of an existing bank customer.

However, to effect payment against a fraudulent letter of credit, the named beneficiary would probably have to be an accomplice in the scheme.

14.3.5 Money Transfer Fraud Money transfer services are means of moving funds to or from a bank to a beneficiary account at any banking point worldwide in accordance with the instructions from the bank’s customers. Some common means of money transfer are mail, telephone, over-thecounter, electronic process and telex. Fraudulent money transfers may result from a request created solely for the purpose of committing a fraud or the alteration of a genuine funds transfer request. A genuine request can be altered by changing the beneficiary’s name or account number or changing the amount of the transfer. The fraud typically involves a non-repetitive, three person transaction.

The perpetrator will obtain the particulars of the account (especially inactive large balance accounts) and names of bank personnel. This information is then used to alter legitimate money transfer or initiate a fraudulent transfer in favour of a third party, usually an accomplice.

14.3.6 Loans Fraud Loans and other forms of credit extensions to business and individual customers constitute traditional functions of banks. In the process of credit extension, fraud may occur at any stage, from the first interaction between the customer and the bank to the final payment of the loan. Loan fraud occurs when credit is extended to a non-borrowing customer or to a borrowing customer who has exceeded his credit ceiling. The fraudulent aspect of this class is that there is intent to conceal it from the head office inspectorate staff on routine check to deceive them with plausible but falsified statements, documents, etc.

Discounting of dud instruments

also fall within this class of fraud.

Some perpetrators of credit frauds go to the extent of applying credit facility approved for one customer to the credit of another who is often unrelated to the first customer. In other words, a credit facility for a customer ‘A’. yet to be drawn down is diverted for the use of customer ‘B’. In some cases, drafts and certified cheques sold against insufficient funds may be concealed in a suspense account instead of debiting the account of the purchaser.

Other categories of loan fraud include: (i) Deceptive customer - false financial statements, pretence of credit worthiness and false guarantees; (ii) False collateral - nonexistent, over-valued, multiplepledged, stolen, counterfeit; (iii) Corrupt bank officer improper loans to insiders, friends/relatives, improper loans benefiting hidden financial interest of officer, kickbacks to bank officers. embezzlement of loan proceeds or loan payments; (iv) Improper use of loan proceeds other than stated business use - criminal enterprise, money laundering, e.t.c.

Loan frauds often inflict huge losses upon victim banks. Years of profit- making effort can be negated by a single loan fraud.

Sometimes, the very survival of the bank is at risk. Fraud losses arising from loans are a significant factor in majority of bank failures worldwide. For all these reasons, prevention and detection of loan frauds must be a top priority concern for bankers.

Loans made through international offices have additional vulnerability to fraud Foreign and business customs can make recovery/collection efforts difficult or impossible if a loan goes bad due to fraud. The value of collateral must receive careful attention (it is probably one of the reasons that foreign guarantees are no longer allowed for naira denominated loans) as special attention must be given to unfamiliar foreign negotiable instruments used as collaterals.

14.3.7 Counterfeit Securities Like counterfeiting of money, counterfeiting of commercial financial instruments is one of the older forms of crime.

Modem photographic and printing equipment has greatly aided criminals in reproducing good quality forged instruments.

The documents may be total counterfeits or may be genuine documents that are copied, forged or altered as to amount, payout date, payee or terms of payment.

A common method is to present counterfeit stocks or bonds as collateral for loans. Other counterfeit items such as treasury notes, cashiers’ cheques, bankers acceptances, or certificates of deposit in counterfeit or altered forms, may be presented to a bank for redemption. The

presenter would then draw out the proceeds and disappear before the financial instruments are found to be counterfeit.

14.3.8 Cheque Fraud The use of cheques as a means of setting financial obligations is an essential feature of a modem economy. Cheque fraud is now common, involving millions of naira annually. Common types of cheques are personal, business, government, travellers’ certified, draft and counter cheques, with each having its own characteristics and vulnerabilities for fraudulent use The most common cheque frauds involve cheques that are stolen, forged, counterfeited or altered.

14.3.9 Money Laundering Fraud This is a means to conceal the existence, source or use of illegally-obtained money by converting the cash into untraceable transactions in banks.

The cash is disguised to make the income appear legitimate. Banks should be advised to avoid handling such funds.

143.10 Clearing Fraud Most clearing frauds hinge on supervision of an instrument so that at the expiration of the clearing period applicable to the instrument the collecting bank will give value as though the paying bank had confirmed the instrument good for payment.

Clearing cheques can also be substituted to enable the fraudster divert the fund to a wrong beneficiary.

Misrouting of clearing cheques can also assist fraudsters to complete a clearing fraud. In other words, a local clearing item can be routed to an up country branch. In the process of rerouting the instrument to the proper branch, the delay entailed will give the collecting bank the impression that the paying bank had paid the instrument.

14.3.11 Computer Fraud Computer frauds can remain undetected for a long time and can take the form of corruption of the programme or application packages and even breaking into the system via a remote sensor.

Diskettes can also be tampered with to gain access to unauthorised areas or even give credit to an account for which the funds were not originally intended.

14.3.12 Telex Fraud Transfer of funds from one location to another can be effected through telex The message, though often coded, can be altered to enable the diversion of funds to an account not originally intended 14 . 4 Internal Control Systems for Prevention and Detection of Frauds The consequences of frauds in banks are very grave. Let it be emphasised that the classic rule of banking, “Know Your Customer” is the key to detecting and preventing frauds. To minimise the incidence of frauds in the industry, bank management have to institute a system of internal control, generally

defined as “the whole system of controls, financial and otherwise, established by the management to carry on the business of the enterprise in an orderly and efficient manner, ensure adherence to management policies, safeguard the assets and secure as far as possible the completeness and accuracy of the records.”

Management has the responsibility under the Companies and Allied Matters Decree (CAMD) 1990 to keep adequate account records.

Management should therefore introduce appropriate controls to prevent, or at least, substantially reduce the incidence, not only of mistakes but also of irregularities and intentional errors, including frauds. The risk of frauds can be reduced by ensuring that key functions within each transaction cycle are always performed by separate individuals.

In particular, adequate segregation of duties should exist among: • those with power to authorise a transaction and to commit the bank to execute it; • those charged, with the duty recording such transactions in the banks’ books; • those who have custody of assets and can determine their release. Internal management control systems can be classified in the underlisted ways: 14.4.1 Internal Checks These are the operational controls which are built into the banking system to simplify the processing of entries in order to secure prompt services, to help in minimising errors and act as insurance against possible collusion.

14.4.2 Internal Audit or Inspection This involves the review of operations and records undertaken within a business by specifically assigned staff. The roles of the inspectorate division are to serve as a watch-dog on bank funds and properties, to ensure that there is no improper application of funds, to ensure that expenditure and revenue are duly authorised and accounted for, to periodically inspect account books in order to ensure that transactions are properly recorded and books are regularly balanced, and to investigate malpractices like frauds, forgeries and theft of bank assets.

The internal audit of banks should be independent and be seen to be so by all members of staff In this regard, the internal auditor should have the authority to carry out such work as he considers necessary (with access to all relevant records) without first obtaining permission of any member of senior management.

For maximum effectiveness, the internal audit function of banks should have direct access and freedom to report to senior management, including the chief executive, the board of directors and where necessary, the board audit committee.

THE NIGERIAN

18

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Economy NIGRERIA economy damnation over the oil slump price becomes for more frightening a few days ago when the White House Officials further bluff the nation and the fraction of the remnant of her stolen oil.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s government has deliberately dragged the nation’s fair economy in the mud.

White House Director of the US National Economic Council, Mr. Jeff Zients, heightens Nigerian’s economy woos when he said a few days ago that the cessation of oil imports from Nigeria had to do with the significant rise in US oil production.

Zients, US Labor Secretary, Thomas Perez, and White House Policy Council Director, Cecelia Munoz, told a few US journalists thus: “Across the last several years, US oil production has ramped up significantly by more than 50 percent to now over eight and a half million barrels per day.” He explained that such a high turn up in local US oil production “has now dramatically reduced our dependency on imports,” Zients noted, adding that “in fact, we now produce more here than we import.”

The Guardian Newspaper reported that the White House official stated that the development is consistent with President Barack Obama’s energy strategy, which has changed “quite a bit over the last few years as we are much less dependent on oil imports.” That strategy has not only left Nigeria in the lurch, but has generally also driven down the international market price of oil to a ridiculous $60 range over the last few weeks. Oil price, which soared around $100 in September, is now $56.52 for the WTI Crude and $61.38 for the Brent Crude oil.

But Zients and other US officials at the press briefing did not address the issue of the ongoing importation from other

The Robber State Can Now Drink Her Oil (2) countries. Now, Saudi Arabia foreign reserve has hits $1.5 trillion dollars while Nigerian’s is a meagerly hovers around $39.5 billion dollars!

The reduction of US oil importation from Nigeria to zero is the very first time since 1973 that the US did not import oil from Nigeria. US Shale oil production is responsible for the infusion of “light, sweet crude,” said to be similar to Nigeria’s Bonny Light oil, and US refineries are said to have preferred buying the locally produced oil, which is cheaper than Nigeria’s light crude.

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole aptly provided an answer to the question I put before Mr. President a few days ago. Here is the question for emphasis: “Is it that Mr. Jonathan knows a thing or two about the oil bunkering at the backwaters of the degraded Niger Delta region”?

Those involved in oil bunkering do not fetch crude oil with bowls or buckets. They do so with cargo ships, Marine tankers and ocean liners and, they are known. It’s alleged that the wife of Mr. President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan owes MT Patience cargo ships 1-10 that are involved in oil bunkering at the Forcados Terminal, Brass in Port Harcourt and other oil producing States in the Niger Delta. These gigantic marine tankers don’t have wings with which they fly. They are regularly being escorted by the Nigeria Navy and other security apparatus across the coaster lines. Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer, accounting for more than two million barrels per day. But from investigation, more than 4 million barrel per day is produced, but only two

By ERASMUS IKHIDE

the excess crude account and yet, the account is empty.

Sometimes we are told they have taken money from it to fund subsidies including subsidy on

is huge such that whereas we have the capacity to produce about 2.4 million barrels a day, what accrues into the federal government account is less than

Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison Madueke kerosene but your royal highnesses, there is nowhere in your various domains where kerosene is sold for N50. So in the name of subsidy, large sums of money are being stolen.

“Things are tough now around the country because the Federal

1.8 million barrel a day.

“From the last time we had a meeting, the handouts they distributed shows that sometime for a period of two weeks, we were losing as much as 700,000 barrels a day and that has been on for the past twelve years. I am

“Things are tough now around the country because the Federal Government mismanaged our national resources and what is being stolen, nobody agrees it is being stolen. What is arguable is who is responsible for this stealing.” oil producing nations, including OPEC members like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and nonOPEC suppliers like Canada. In fact, as at last month, it was reported that, while US completely halted oil imports from Nigeria, it increased its importation from those three

million is accounted for. Even the Nigeria Liquified Gas, NLG is not left out of this bizarre business.

Speaking during a visit of the Association of Enigies from Edo South to him yesterday, Oshiomhole said, “Over the past 18 months, we have not shared

“Then how can we explain that after we have resolved the issue of militancy in the Niger Delta, we have rehabilitated the ex-militants and even awarded contracts to them, that we are losing as much crude oil as that

Government mismanaged our national resources and what is being stolen, nobody agrees it is being stolen. What is arguable is who is responsible for this stealing. When the Federal Government and the President talk about oil theft and the amount that is allegedly stolen

not able to understand why, suddenly, Nigeria cannot protect its territorial waters because the boundaries have not changed and the people are still the same and at the peak of the so-called militancy, we were still exporting about 2 million barrels a day.

to oil thieves and to the best of my knowledge, there is no major known person who has been prosecuted and convicted for oil theft in a way that reflects the magnitude of what is allegedly stolen “What this means is that our budgets have not performed over the past 3 years whereas the budgets have been based on an average of between $77 to $78 and $79 a barrel. The average price of Nigeria’s sweet crude has been around $108 per barrel.

That gives a surplus of over $30.

Ideally, we ought to be saving $36 per barrel and 2.3 million barrel a day over the past three years and if you look at these numbers you will find that what we have in our excess crude oil account should be over $30billion but as we speak, we have barely $3 billon in our excess crude account.

“Now oil price has dropped to $60 and because we have not saved, the naira is undergoing devaluation. Already as low as N180 per dollar and I believe by February when the elections are over, nobody is going to want to hold the naira. Wherever the

election goes, I expect that the naira will hit over N200 per dollar. The inflationary consequence of it is that prices of goods and services will go up and part of the vicious cycle of the devalued naira in the manner that is being done is that the price of petroleum products imported in dollars will go up in naira and government will be asking people who are already poor to pay more money for petroleum products”, Oshiomhole said.

For years to come, Nigeria will lie outside the main stream of countries whose economic recharged itself by their Leaders’ commitment to development.

The price flung blow is so devastating that it will take Nigeria several years of redirection and diversification to recover from it. Unfortunately, President Jonathan’s cringers and lickspittles belief nations grows naturally. There are no naturally grew nations; they stemmed or are forged from leaders intellectual capabilities to think through policy frame work. Savage corruption gives birth to political backwardness, economic stagnation and decimates its currencies.

The singular act of surging corruption will set Nigeria apart from and behind the other aspiring developing countries.

Nigeria which has become a problem child of the globe, a nation of gifted, vigorous people aided in the past by military caste and by great intellectuals suddenly embraces an uncanny passion for unbridled corruption.

The President couldn’t bring his earlier taunted virtues - modesty, toughness, forbearance and a blunt brute into collision with the treasury looters in his government and crush them into pieces.

President Jonathan has brought Nigeria into an artificially stabilized state at a medieval level of confusion and weakness. He could not fight Boko Haram insurgents, nor stop finical haemorrhage, or crude oil theft. His government depicts a logical failure of all that had gone before - or at least of all that had been glorious! The President has pulled himself up by his own bootstraps.

The Otuoke man rarely litters his mind on the crazy patchwork nation whose intermittent socioeconomic status broadly reduces her stance in the comity of nations aspiring to become one of the largest economies in the world by 2020. Perhaps, our President needs to read Nietzsche in which Thus Spake Zarathustra was written: “I say unto you: it is the good war which halloweth every cause.

War and courage have done more great things than charity”.

Nigerians must make the right choice and resolve the nation’s leadership question in next year’s February election before insanity close down our minds.

THE NIGERIAN

19

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Natural Medicine

ANYONE who cared to monitor the print and electronic media in 2014 would have benefited tremendously from the massive health information the outgoing year gave us.

Here are some of them.

Bitter Kola /Ewedu leaves/Calabar bean To start with, Prof. Maurice Iwu, a pharmacognosist, wrote about the benefits of bitter kola. He informed us that it is a cold / sore throat remedy, a detoxifier, a broadspectrum, antimicrobial, a pain killer, an immune booster, a libido enhancer, a lung energizer, an alcohol hangover therapy and a weight eliminator among other things.

Also, he mentioned that there was now a bitter kolabase eye drop for glaucoma with NAFDAC Certification.

His revelation only confirmed the exploits of Prof IB Konola Adefule-Ositelu who patented the new eye drop.

The female professor works at Guinness Eye Centre, LUTH in Lagos State.

On her part, too, she dropped the hint in The Nation of September 18, 2014 that ewedu leaves have antiviral action. Hence, they were used for managing measles, a viral ailment in primordial times, she stated.

In addition to bitter kola eye drop for glaucoma, there is another one used for the same purpose called Eserine. It is made from Calabar beans known as Ased.

Other uses of the beans will surprise you. See, it is employed also for making charms and “catching” witches and wizards by Calabar people.

Immunocal This is a natural remedy for prostate enlargement ravaging men these days by putting their waterworks in serious health crisis. When every other remedy has failed, immunocal – we are told – comes handy. It repairs body cells by raising intracellular gluta thione levels. Through this process, a person’s damaged immune system is rehabilitated paving the way for it to shrink an enlarged prostate gland.

From the foregoing, it is selfevident that immunocal is an immunotherapeutic approach to prostate enlargement.

Indeed, immunocal is a gift to natural medicine in 2014 in Nigeria from Canada.

Bitterleaf to the rescue The outgoing year saw both

With DR. MAO 08030717341

Health Information 2014 Gave Us

Father Anselm Adodo and Prof. Ernest Izebvigie throwing illuminating light on the potentials of bitterleaf.

Firstly, Father Anselm Adodo, director of Pax Herbal Clinic And Research Laboratories, Ewu in Edo State educated the world on the uses of bitterleaf for managing prostate cancer.

The disease is characterized by painful and difficult urination.

Prof. Ernest Izebvigie . on the other hand, is the ViceChancellor of Benson Idahosa University, Benin.

On December 16, 2014 the Edo Broadcasting Service, Benin Announced that he has developed a remedy from bitter leaf for the management of diabetes, cancer and enlarged prostate gland.

According to him, the remedy is 80 percent nature-base and has undergone successful trials. It is not yet known, however, if the drug is available in pharmacies for public use.

Safi blood tonic Also in 2014, we were informed about the health benefits of safi blood tonic as a powerful blood purifier containing over 39 different herbs. Since impurities in the blood lay the foundation for major diseases and illnesses, you can understand the importance of this ayuverdic blood tonic made in India.

Natural medicine practitioners patronize safi blood tonic because it helps them to first meet the fundamental challenges of detoxifying and cleansing the bodies of sick patients before embarking on the secondline category of remedies.

Sometimes, a patient becomes well soon after taking a cleansing, detoxification treatment.

Why? Impurities or toxins were responsible for his sick condition and secondary damage, requiring further therapy, hadn’t yet been done to this body. Herein, also, lies the reason why

The leaves can help a woman to grow thick, long and beautiful hair. They improve blood capillary circulation and oxygen supply to the brain and other parts of the body. This is why

blood pressure disorder, high blood sugar level, high triglyceride level and low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Each of these conditions, on its

knowledgeable natural medicine doctors administer safi blood tonic on patients with passion.

Ginkgo Biloba In 2014, the story of ginkgo biloba was retold to readers.

They were informed that the ginkgo biloba tree appeared on earth 150 million years ago and it has a lifespan of 100 years!! I have been using the leaves of this tree to manage the health conditions of my patients for over 17 years. In case you didn’t catch up with the rehashed ginkgo biloba story this outgoing year, here are flashes of it.

it is a brain booster while it has contributed to healing poor vision as well as buzzing in the ear where poor blood circulation is indicated.

Stroke patients, of course, need ginkgo biloba while aging people with compromised blood circulation should go for the herb.

Belly fat From Erciyes University in Koysen, Turkey in 2014 came information on belly fat, a slow killer.

Studies conducated in the university reveal that belly far is a key indicator of metabolic syndrome or abnormalities which include the following:

own, kills instalmentally. So, watch that protruding stomach of belly fat of yours.

It is not a sign of enjoyment but a harbinger of slow, untimely death.

Miscellaneous items Also, in 2014 we learnt that ripening fruits forcefully with calcium carbide is hazardous.

Avoid such fruits. Eat only mature, ripe fruits from organic sources.

Also, eat beans regularly.

The food is not only a rich source of proteins, it helps to boost your testosterone level as well as libido because it is high in zinc. Furthermore, it is low in fat but high in fibre, an anti-constipation agent.

“ In 2014, the story of ginkgo biloba was retold to readers. They were informed that the ginkgo biloba tree appeared on earth 150 million years ago and it has a lifespan of 100 years!! I have been using the leaves of this tree to manage the health conditions of my patients for over 17 years. In case you didn’t catch up with the rehashed ginkgo biloba story this outgoing year, here are flashes of it.”

Do you eat okro soup? A lot of you would answer in the affirmative. That means you know about okra fruit. Good.

Prof. Maurice Iwu, a pharmacologist, informed us in 2014 that the vegetable has a lot of medicinal properties.

To start with, he reveals that the fresh, mucilaginous juice of Okra has antiinflammatory activity.

Therefore, it is beneficial for gastritis.

Moreover, the juice has anti-

helicobacter pylori action.

Helicobacter pylori is a bacteria indicated in peptic ulcer. Invariably, all that Prof.

Maurice Iwu is saying is that fresh okro juice has beneficial effect in the treatment of either stomach or duodenal ulcer-used in conjunction with other remedies.

This not all. He adds that the juice is helpful for stomach cancer. Finally, he says that studies have shown, however, that the base of the okro fruit is a spermicide. So, avoid it during your reproductive life; or use it as a family planning vegetable.

When you want to stop having children.

Bye-bye 2014 Indeed, the outgoing year 2014 was an eye-opener for us in the world of natural medicine. My advice to you is to absorb the health education the year provided for you and build on it in the coming year 2014. I wish you ALL a prosperous, healthy new year. Amen. Please, always take care of your health.

THE NIGERIAN

20

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Development

The steel industry is a very important sector in the nation’s economy.

The steel industry produces items such as iron rods, barb wires, coils, as well as metal doors and windows, while it forms the bedrock of the country’s industrialisation.

The sector also provides employment to millions of Nigerians, particularly in steel rolling companies which produce steel materials.

Over the years, the steel industry has been facing some harrowing challenges which inhibit its growth and analysts insist that pragmatic efforts should be made to address the challenges and save the sector from total collapse.

Stakeholders in the sector recently identified the problems bedeviling the industry, saying that the challenges included erratic power supply and importation of raw materials.

These problems, they added, were some of the major factors inhibiting sustained steel production in the country.

Besides, the stakeholders noted that the challenges were preventing the steel companies from producing enough steel products to satisfy market demands.

Alhaji Ismail Bello, Managing Director, CrittalHope Ltd., Lagos, whose company produces steel, aluminium windows and doors, told newsmen that the incessant power outages had negatively affected his company’s output and production patterns.

“In the past, the company had up to 2,000 workers, who operated on shift basis, but today the employees are less than 200 and they work on a single shift. The downturn is due to the poor electricity supply.

“We consume about two drums of diesels daily, which translate to 480 litres per day.

If you multiply that by N160 per litre; it means that we spend about N76, 800 on diesel each day.

“What will be our profit margin if we spend so such money on power alone? The poor power situation is adversely affecting our business,” Bello said.

Sharing similar sentiments, Mr. Otori Maliki, the National President, Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSSAN), said that the productivity of many privately owned steel firms in Lagos had declined abysmally

Tackling The Challenges Facing Nigeria’s Steel Industry because of the poor power supply.

He said that the companies, which included Crittal Hope Nig. Ltd.; NIWIL Nig. Ltd. and EUREKA Nig. Ltd., were currently producing at 30 per cent of their installed capacity due to power outages.

Besides, Maliki said that the dearth of raw materials from Aladja and Ajaokuta Steel Rolling mills in Delta and Kogi respectively had hampered the productivity of the steel firms.

He said that under normal circumstances, the steel companies should not to import raw materials, adding that if the nation’s steel rolling mills were functioning well, steel products would be cheaper and more affordable.

Similarly, the Jos Steel Rolling Mill, now known as Zuma Steel West Africa Ltd., is dormant due to inadequate power supply.

The company, which was government-owned, was sold to private owners in 2003.

“We are trying to have access to steady power supply; once we can get that, the mill will come back onstream,” Mr. Innocent Zuma, the Group Executive Chairman of Zuma Steel West Africa, said.

The Ajaokuta Steel Company, the nation’s biggest

steel plant, was established to produce billets for the steel rolling mills, which, in turn, would produce steel materials such as barb wires and rods.

The complex has been

plant into operation.

He rejected the notion that the company was moribund, saying that the erroneous public perception was based on “misinformation and lack

Ukraine have been in operation for over 100 years,’’ Isah, an engineer, said.

He also said that the company had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with REPROM Company Ltd. which led to the renovation of

making efforts to revamp its source of energy so as to enable it to resume operations and supply of raw materials to steel rolling mills.

Mr. Joseph Isah, the Sole Administrator of the company, said that efforts were being made to complete

of knowledge about steel production”.

Isah conceded that although the company had been out of production for years, its technical capacity had never diminished.

He stressed that pragmatic and regular efforts were made

the Light Section Mill.

On his part, Mr. Lalit Saraswat, the Commercial Manager of Top Steel, Lagos, urged the Federal Government to ban the importation steel products into the country.

He said that the proposed

By ABDULLAHI YUSUF

“We are only trying to break even in this sector,” he added.

Besides, Sarswat appealed to the government to make pragmatic efforts to address the current power outages across the country so as to boost steel production.

“Government’s intervention via the provision of electricity, availability of raw materials, good roads, policy on ban of imported steel products and reduced interest rates on bank loans will facilitate plans to turn around the steel industry,” he said.

However, Mr. Julius Idubor, the Personnel Manager of Sun Flag Steel Nigeria Ltd., Ikorodu, Lagos, moaned that the importation of steel products into the country had negatively affected his company.

Idubor said that the continued importation of steel materials had been detrimental to local steel companies, adding that it had adversely affected their sales.

He also blamed the erratic and inadequate electricity supply in the country for the company’s dwindling fortunes.

“The poor power situation is another challenge we are facing because we are constantly on a 133KVA dedicated electricity line provided by Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) in this neighbourhood, without which we cannot work.

“We use electricity and gas to power our furnaces.

Government should help us by improving the electricity

“He said that under normal circumstances, the steel companies should not to import raw materials, adding that if the nation’s steel rolling mills were functioning well, steel products would be cheaper and more affordable. Similarly, the Jos Steel Rolling Mill, now known as Zuma Steel West Africa Ltd., is dormant due to inadequate power supply.” the rehabilitation of the company’s thermal power plant to enable it to generate 110 megawatts, its rated capacity.

Isah said that when the power plant was fully rehabilitated, it would facilitate efforts to put other completed units of the steel

to preserve the company’s equipment, insisting that the facilities were largely intact and in good working condition.

“Ajaokuta Steel Plant’s equipment and facilities are robust, rugged and designed with 25 per cent safety factor.

Similar plants in Russia and

policy would help the indigenous steel companies to grow, while boosting the nation’s economy.

He noted that the steel market in the country had become oversaturated, thereby reducing the profit margin on local steel products.

supply situation because nowadays, our gas supply too has dropped,” he said.

All in all, analysts underscore the need for the government to make tangible and pragmatic efforts to tackle the perceptible challenges facing the country’s steel industry.

THE NIGERIAN

21

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Place Of Prayer

The Law Of Giving Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.

For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again Luke 6:38.

Whatsoever you have received today is a product of what you gave out yesterday. God cannot help you if you are not a giver. Fasting and prayers cannot make you prosperous. If you keep the law and live a holy life but do not give to others, you will be a holy poor man Even God, after He lost man, had to give His son in order gain man back. To gain man back, God had to give man; the word became flesh so that heaven will have a man to give.

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool Jer. 17:11. If your prosperity is not based on the foundation of giving, you will soon lose it. In the kingdom, true prosperity comes only by living a life of giving to others. No wonder the true saying, “givers never lack”. The law of giving to receive works for both believers and unbelievers. The divine principle for having more is to give what you have. Until you give, the right climate that attracts prosperity will not be seen around you.

There are four kinds of giving that determines 4 levels of life

1. The giving you do to keep you where you are giving to the poor and those below your status.

This does not make you rich, but ensures you do not fall to the level of the person you are giving to.

You will never fall to that level if you give to people in that level.

2. Giving to those on the same level with you to sustain your status. You give to an equal to

you, the anointing that took him there will rest upon you.

And without all contradiction, the less is blessed by the better Hebrew 7:7.

4 Giving to God. This is further classified into four kinds of giving to God: I Tithes and Offerings II Seed sowing to establish what you are believing God for

stabilize him so that you will not experience the kind of problem he is experiencing.

3. Giving to your Melchizedek giving to those higher than you.

When you give to a man that is higher than

III. Vows to provoke God into action IV. Thanksgiving offering

With Pastor Samuel O. Osaghae SMS Only 08030809339

God that you are responsible and that He can trust you with wealth. Once you are consistent in your tithes and offerings, you have placed yourself on the right path to prosperity; nothing will be able to hinder your prosperity.

Making vows and sowing seeds is also a very effective means of attracting prosperity from heaven. When you

woman shall bruise the head of Satan. Sowing of seeds in the house of God therefore frustrates the claims o the enemy in that area of need and breaks the covenant right the enemy lays claim to in that area.

(Also see Psalm 126, Isaiah 54:3b).

sow a seed towards a particular area of need, it activates the relevant anointing that bruises the head of Satan Giving your tithes and (authority of the devil or offerings to God enemy) in that very area. consistently is a way at The bible says in Gen. snowing to.

3:15-the seed of the

Jonah gave a thanksgiving offering in the belly of the fish by praising God and God commanded the fish to vomit him, Jonah 2:9-10. In 1 Kings 3:3- 4, we see how God bless

“Living a holy life does not guarantee prosperity, the only criteria for receiving is giving, this is a divine principle and it works for both Christians and unbelievers alike. It takes giving to prosper, not prayer and fasting, thus if you want to prosper, you must become a giver. The devil can only attack your prosperity if you do not build a solid foundation in this aspect of your life”.

Solomon when he brought before Him a thanksgiving offering. As Solomon sacrificed to God in thanksgiving, God gave him a blank cheque. This proves the fact that thanksgiving qualifies you for another receiving for God even blessed Solomon beyond his request.

Living a holy life does not guarantee prosperity, the only criteria for receiving is giving, this is a divine principle and it works for both Christians and unbelievers alike. It takes giving to prosper, not prayer and fasting, thus if you want to prosper, you must become a giver. The devil can only attack your prosperity if you do not build a solid foundation in this aspect of your life. Those that keep holding back will not ha substance, but those that give out freely will have more than enough. See what the bible says in Proverbs 11:24-26: There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

Like the saying goes, Givers never lack”. If you are currently experiencing lack in your life, rather than blame the devil for it, examine your life to see if you have been faithful in giving to God and to men.

THE NIGERIAN

22

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

International Indonesia Finds Bodies, Debris In Search For Missing Jet: Official

JAKARTA - Indonesian rescuers saw bodies and luggage off the coast of Borneo island on Tuesday and officials said they were “95 percent sure” debris spotted in the sea was from a missing AirAsia plane with 162 people on board.

Indonesia AirAsia’s Flight QZ8501, an Airbus A320-200, lost contact with air traffic control early on Sunday during bad weather on a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.

Pictures of floating bodies were broadcast on television and relatives of the missing gathered at the crisis center in Surabaya were shown weeping, their heads in their hands.

Media quoted an air force official earlier as saying one suspected body, luggage and a life vest were among the debris in the Java Sea. “As we approached, the body seemed bloated,” said First Lieutenant Tri Wibowo, who was on board a Hercules aircraft, was quoted by the Kompas.com website as saying.

Search and Rescue Agency chief Soelistyo told reporters he was “95 percent sure” the debris was from the missing plane.

Djoko Murjatmodjo, acting director general of air transportation at the transportation ministry, told reporters some of the debris spotted was red and white, AirAsia’s colors.

“It’s probably from the aircraft,” he said.

About 30 ships and 21 aircraft from Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the United States were searching up to 10,000 square nautical miles on Tuesday.

The plane, which did not issue a distress signal, disappeared after its pilot failed to get permission to fly higher to avoid bad weather because of heavy air traffic, officials said.

Pilots and aviation experts said thunderstorms, and requests to gain altitude to avoid them, were not unusual in that area.

The Indonesian pilot was experienced and the plane last underwent maintenance in midNovember, the airline said.

Online discussion among pilots has centered on unconfirmed secondary radar data from Malaysia that suggested the aircraft was climbing at a speed of 353 knots, about 100 knots too slow, and that it might have

SURABAYA, Indonesia — Indonesian officials coming off a helicopter in Pangkalan Bun say they spotted several bodies

floating in waters near where the missing AirAsia flight was last seen.

The bodies were brought to an Indonesian navy ship.

stalled.

The plane, whose engines were made by CFM International, coowned by General Electric and Safran of France, lacked realtime engine diagnostics or monitoring, a GE spokesman said.

Such systems are mainly used on long-haul flights and can provide clues to airlines and investigators when things go wrong.

Three airline disasters involving Malaysian-affiliated carriers in less than a year have

dented confidence in the country’s aviation industry and spooked travelers across the region.

Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 on a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board and has not been found. On July 17, the same airline’s Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

On board Flight QZ8501 were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans, and one person each

from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain. The co-pilot was French.

U.S. law enforcement and security officials said passenger and crew lists were being examined but nothing significant had turned up and the incident was regarded as an unexplained accident.

Indonesia AirAsia is 49 percent owned by Malaysiabased budget carrier AirAsia.

The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, had not suffered a crash since its

Malaysian budget operations began in 2002.

India is waiting to know what went wrong with the missing plane and will investigate if AirAsia India is following all safety procedures, a senior Indian aviation ministry official told Reuters. AirAsia India, a joint venture of the Malaysian carrier, started flying this year and is expanding operations.

The plane’s disappearance comes at a sensitive time for Indonesia’s aviation authorities, as they strive to improve the country’s safety reputation to match its status as one of the airline industry’s fastest growing markets.

... Bodies Found Near Site Where Plane Disappeared

UK Files Reveal Fears Over Soviet Spy Fallout LONDON — He was one spy who left many others out in the cold.

Declassified British government files reveal how the 1985 defection of a senior KGB agent set off a domino-chain of diplomatic retribution that officials feared could collapse relations with the Soviet Union just as the Cold War was beginning to thaw.

As the two countries sent each other’s spies packing, Britain’s ambassador in Moscow, Bryan Cartledge, warned graphically of the danger posed by a spiral of tit-for-tat expulsions. He cabled London: “Never engage in a pissing match with a skunk: He possesses important natural advantages.”

The spat was triggered by the defection of KGB spy Oleg Gordievsky. For more than a decade, he leaked Kremlin secrets to London; when he came under suspicion, British agents smuggled him out of Russia in the trunk of a car.

Intelligence historians consider Gordievsky — codenamed Hetman — one of the era’s most important spies.

The papers, released by the National Archives under the “30year rule” for declassifying secret documents, show Gordievsky was considered so valuable that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher approved an attempt to cut a deal with Moscow: If Gordievsky’s wife and daughters were allowed to join him in London, Britain

would not expel all the KGB agents he had exposed.

Moscow rejected the offer, and Thatcher ordered the expulsion of 25 Russians, despite objections from Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe. He wanted the number kept to nine, fearing a mass expulsion could scuttle relations just as reforming Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was easing the stalemate between Russia and the West.

In a memo, Howe said that “the Russians would be likely to freeze the Anglo/Soviet dialogue, probably for as much as two or three years.”

Moscow responded by expelling 25 Britons, sparking a second round in which each side kicked out six more officials. But, despite Howe’s fears, diplomatic relations were never severed.

The files reveal that Thatcher agreed to a Foreign Office recommendation to “draw a line under the Gordievsky episode” and not expel Czech, Bulgarian and East German agents the defector had unmasked.

Gorbachev and Thatcher went on to form a constructive relationship. The 1985 documents include a warm exchange of birthday greetings between the two leaders.

Gordievsky’s family was kept under 24-hour KGB surveillance for six years before being allowed to join him in England in 1991.

In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Gordievsky a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.

An entrance gate to Sony Pictures Studios is pictured in Culver City, California .

U.S. Supects North Korea Had Help Attacking Song Pictures: Source WASHINGTON/BOSTON U.S. investigators believe that North Korea likely hired hackers from outside the country to help with last month’s massive cyberattack against Sony Pictures, an official close to the investigation said on Monday.

As North Korea lacks the capability to conduct some elements of the sophisticated campaign by itself, the official said, U.S. investigators are looking at the possibility that Pyongyang “contracted out” some of the cyber work. The official was not authorized to speak on the record about the investigation.

The attack on Sony Pictures is regarded to be the most destructive against a company on U.S. soil because the hackers not only stole huge quantities of data, but also wiped hard drives and brought down much of the studio’s network for more than a week.

While U.S. officials investigate whether North Korea enlisted help from outside contractors, the FBI stood by its previous

statement that Pyongyang was the prime author of the attack against the Sony Corp unit.

“The FBI has concluded the Government of North Korea is responsible for the theft and destruction of data on the network of Sony Pictures Entertainment,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement to Reuters.

North Korea has denied that it was behind the Sony attack and has vowed to hit back against any U.S. retaliation.

The people who claimed responsibility for the hack have said on Internet postings that they were incensed by the Sony Pictures film “The Interview,” a comedy about a fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Because of the hackers’ threats, major U.S. cinema chains refused to show the film. Last week, Sony struck deals with some 320 independent theaters to distribute “The Interview” and also made the film available online.

Some private security experts have begun to question whether

Pyongyang was behind the Sony cyberattack at all.

For instance, consulting firm Taia Global said the results of a linguistic analysis of communications from the suspected hackers suggest they were more likely from Russia than North Korea. Cybersecurity firm Norse said it suspects a Sony insider might have helped launch the attack.

“I think the government acted prematurely in announcing unequivocally that it was North Korea before the investigation was complete,” said Mark Rasch, a former federal cybercrimes prosecutor. “There are many theories about who did it and how they did it. The government has to be pursuing all of them.”

The FBI said its determination that North Korea was behind the hack was based on information from a variety of sources, including intelligence sources, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, foreign partners and the private sector.

“There is no credible

information to indicate that any other individual is responsible for this cyber incident,” the agency said.

Kevin Mandia, whose security firm was hired by Sony to investigate the attack, said the only way to know who the culprits are is to trace the network traffic from the infected machines back to the hackers’ machines. Only the government and Internet service providers have that kind of visibility, he added.

“I don’t have the data that they have to come up with that conclusion,” Mandia, chief operating officer of FireEye Inc, said in a video interview with Reuters.

“Every attack loops through numerous machines,” he said.

“You have to peel that onion all the way back. It isn’t an easy thing to do.”

Mandia, who has supervised investigations into some of the world’s biggest cyberattacks, said the Sony case was unprecedented.

“Nobody expected when somebody breaks in to absolutely destroy all your data, or try to anyway, and that’s just something that no one else has seen,” he said.

THE NIGERIAN

23

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

International

Ebola Returns To Europe With First Case Diagnosed In Britain

Glasgow - A healthcare worker recently back from Sierra Leone was diagnosed with Ebola on Monday by doctors in Scotland’s largest city, the first diagnosis of the deadly virus in Britain during the current outbreak.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that the patient was a female health worker who had been working on the “front-line” with Ebola patients, and was currently in a stable condition in hospital.

Save the Children later confirmed she was a National Health Service employee working for the charity.

The patient returned to Scotland late Sunday via Casablanca and London Heathrow, arriving at Glasgow Airport at around 11:30 pm local time (2330 GMT), according to a Scottish government press release.

She was admitted to Gartnavel Hospital campus Monday after feeling unwell and placed in isolation at 7:50 am.

“All possible contacts with the patient are now being investigated and anyone deemed to be at risk will be contacted and closely monitored,” said the government.

“However, having been diagnosed in the very early stages of the illness, the risk to others is considered extremely low.”

Alastair McConchie from the Scottish health service explained that the patient had been transferred using a specialist ambulance service and was “not showing any great clinical concern”.

The patient was being treated in the hospital’s Brownlee Unit for Infectious Diseases but a transfer was being arranged to

move her to the high level isolation unit in London’s Royal Free hospital “as soon as possible”, according to protocol laid down by the government in London.

British Prime Minister David Cameron later said that “all measures would be taken to protect public health”.

The Scottish government is currently contacting the 71 other people onboard the British Airways flight from London to Glasgow, but stressed there was “negligible risk” as the patient “displayed no symptoms” of the type that could cause transmission.

“Our first thoughts at this time must be with the patient diagnosed with Ebola and their

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 69th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York recently.

friends and family. I wish them a speedy recovery,” Sturgeon said at a press conference.

“Scotland has been preparing for this possibility from the beginning of the outbreak in west Africa and I am confident that we are well prepared.”

Sturgeon confirmed that she had earlier chaired a meeting of the Scottish government’s “resilience committee” and that she was working closely with Cameron.

British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also chaired a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, saying afterwards that the government would review the “procedures and protocols” of NHS workers and other government staff working

in Sierra Leone.

Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom following September’s referendum, but has autonomy over its health service.

However, it has agreed to send any Ebola patients to the highlyspecialised London unit.

Will Pooley, a British nurse, was treated there using the experimental ZMapp drug earlier this year after being diagnosed with Ebola in Sierra Leone.

He recovered and has since returned to the country to help fight the disease.

Sturgeon revealed that the patient diagnosed in Glasgow had been screened when leaving Sierra Leone and also when transferring at Heathrow, but had shown no signs of infection.

“It would appear she has been diagnosed at a very early stage before symptoms were manifesting themselves,” said the first minister.

The last Ebola patient in Europe was a Nigerian UN peacekeeper who was cured after being brought to the Netherlands for treatment.

He was flown there at the request of the World Health Organization in a specially equipped plane and treated at the university hospital in the central city of Utrecht.

Spanish nurse Teresa Romero in October became the first person to be diagnosed with the disease within the European Union.

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in west Africa has risen to 7,842 out of 20,081 cases recorded, the World Health Organization said Monday.

Family members of passengers onboard missing AirAsia flight AZ8501 pray at a waiting area in Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia yesterday.

Jailed Journalist’ Fate In Egypt, Still Uncertain

CAIRO — For a year, three Al-Jazeera English journalists have been locked up in Egypt on terrorism-related charges widely viewed as trumped up for political reasons.

Now, a possible thaw in tensions between Egypt, and Qatar— where Al-Jazeera is based and is funded— has raised a glimmer of hope that the three journalists may be able to resume their lives. A retrial, deportation or a pardon are all possibilities, but the lack of certainty prolongs the torment of the defendants, their families and other journalists.

“It is a very tough experience, not only on him but on his family,” said Marwa Omara, the fiancee of Mohammed Fahmy, the Canadian-Egyptian journalist who was Al-Jazeera English’s acting Cairo bureau chief.

Fahmy and Australian journalist Peter Greste were sentenced to seven years in prison in a trial that ended in June on charges of assisting the Muslim Brotherhood in a plot to destabilize Egypt. The team’s Egyptian producer, Baher Mohammed, got 10 years — seven on the same charges and three more because he was found with a spent bullet casing he picked up as a souvenir, considered possession of

ammunition.

Egypt’s Court of Cassation begins hearing their appeal on Thursday. It takes place as Egypt and Qatar appear to be moving to resolve their bitter rivalry. The tension followed the military’s ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, and Qatar ’s support of the Brotherhood and his Islamist supporters.

Omara said the trial really targeted Al-Jazeera and Qatar, not the journalists, and so will be resolved politically. Fahmy “is a pawn in a cold war between Egypt and Qatar,” she told The Associated Press.

The families of Fahmy, Greste and Mohammed are accustomed to the risks of their sons’ jobs. But they never expected to be dragged into a bigger political dispute in a region roiled by a turbulent transition. The arrest has thrown their lives into confusion. Omara and Fahmy had to put off their wedding, which had been scheduled four months after his arrest.

Mohammed’s wife, Jehane Rashed, delivered their third son while he was in prison.

“I know it is a dangerous job...But I never thought I would have to defend my husband against being called a traitor to his country,” Rashed told AP.

The unprecedented arrest and prosecution on terrorism charges was part of an escalated crackdown on journalists in Egypt in general following Morsi’s ouster. There are at least 12 other Egyptian journalists arrested since last year who are still behind bars, facing various charges including participating in protests or using violence. he three Al-Jazeera journalists were detained in a Dec. 29, 2013 raid on the Cairo hotel room they were using as an office. The arrest came as the government was cracking down on Islamists following Morsi’s ouster.

Authorities accused Al-Jazeera of acting as a mouthpiece for Morsi’s Brotherhood and threatening national security. The station denied the accusations and said the journalists were doing their job, covering protests

by Morsi’s supporters.

In the subsequent trial, no evidence was put forward backing accusations the three falsified footage to foment unrest.

Prosecutors simply presented edited new reports by the journalists, including Islamist protests and interviews with politicians. Other footage submitted as evidence had nothing to do with the case, including a report on a veterinary hospital and Greste’s past reports

out of Africa.

Rights groups dismissed the trial as a sham.

The U.S. State Department has regarded the trial with alarm. On Monday, spokesman Jeff Rathke said the U.S. was expressing its concerns over the imprisonment of the al-Jazeera journalists directly to the Egyptian government.

“We believe that all journalists should be able to do their jobs free from intimidation or any fear of retribution,” Rathke told reporters. “We continue to urge the Egyptian government to respect the freedom of the press, protect civil society and uphold the rule of law, which is crucial to Egypt’s long-term stability.”

Despite hopes for a solution now, the families are taking nothing for granted. Nothing is certain — it’s not even sure that Egypt and Qatar have turned a corner.

“We are biting our nails. And the next three days are going to be pretty tough,” Greste’s mother, Lois, told AP in Cairo, where she and his father Juris have come to attend the appeal’s opening.

“We have spent enough time in Egypt, in Cairo, to have learned not to react to expectations and rumors and talk,” his father, Juris Greste, said. “We will only be

certain of anything when we can embrace Peter and, as I have said before, when we are at 30,000 feet in a civilian aircraft in direction to home.”

The thaw in Egypt-Qatar ties has raised speculation that Egypt will resolve the case either through the appeal process or through a pardon by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. El-Sissi has in the past said he won’t interfere in the judiciary by pardoning the three. But he also said that if it had been up to him, he would have never sent the case to trial and deported the journalists instead.

In one likely sign of the reconciliation, Al-Jazeera shut down its Egypt affiliate, AlJazeera Mubasher Misr, which dedicated its coverage to Egypt and in particular to its Islamists, angering the Cairo government.

But Egypt could be pushing for more — pro-government media, for instance, are demanding Qatar kick out or hand over senior Islamists accused by Cairo of instigating violence.

The Cassation court, Egypt’s highest appeal tribunal, will review the lower court’s proceedings, not the substance of the case. It can uphold the previous verdict or order a retrial.

If it does order a new trial, it

could order them released on bail in the meantime or it could order them held until a new trial date is set.

If a retrial is ruled, authorities could evoke a law passed last month — or the defendants and their families could request it be evoked — that allows for the deportation of foreign nationals who are convicted or are still on trial. That would allow Greste to go home, and would allow Fahmy to go to Canada, if he drops his Egyptian nationality.

Omara, his finance, said his family has already asked prosecutors to allow Fahmy to benefit from the law.

“If this is the only option that we have than yes, we welcome his deportation,” Omara, who is already applying for a visa to Canada— just in case. They also have tentative plans to hold a small wedding party if Fahmy is released. If not, they have applied to get married in jail.

The case of Baher Mohammed is more uncertain. He holds only an Egyptian nationality and so cannot benefit from the deportation law. His family says they have also been denied access to the courtroom, unlike the families of Greste and Fahmy.

“Only Egyptians will suffer?

They have no value?” said Rashed, Mohammed’s wife.

THE NIGERIAN

24

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Development

IT is no longer news that the Adams Oshiomhole led government is a light which has overshadowed the thick darkness of the night that beclouded Edo of Yore. Just like the saying of the holy book, where there is light, the darkness comprehendeth it not, that is, darkness will vanish without delay.

It all started like a candle light shining at the end of the year 2008, then it radiated to an electric bulb light and after which it is now like the full sun of the day and the shining moon in the middle of the Night, with the untiring Comrade Governor’s effort to make the light shine in all nook and crannies of the great “Edo State.”

Nevertheless, there have been some distractions and detractors who never see anything good, nor commend good things, this is because of the blind vision they have for the state and would want all the members of the state to be blind too, their desire is that all the citizens of the state should fall into a big pit because when the blind lead the blind, it is very sure that they will miss their way, and not only miss the way, they will also fall inside a big pit where they will live to regret forever.

When the state was in the hands of the blind, many Edo people contacted the disease of the eye and followed the blind until they got the final destination of the pit, but now is the administration of the man full of vitamin A in his eyes leading every one to victory, there you find a group of people

With IKPONMWOBA OSAZEE JOEL

As 2015 Approaches, No More Distractions In Governance

under the disguise of one political party; who are neither members of a legislature or a group set for checks and balances to start talking and criticizing every step and more of the governor. Haba!

To be precise, Chief Dan Orbih has no moral right to challenge the activities of the present administration because “any one who checks for his neighbour’s problem without seeing his own first is foolish.” Chief Orbih should learn to look at his back, look at the past and the present, so he can make healthy comparisms, if he sees a difference, there is need to commend the Comrade Governor rather than to distract him.

In the case of defection of political party members from the All Progressive Congress, (APC) to the People Democratic Party, it is a sure truth and fact that persons seen to be defectors are already members of the People Democratic Party before now. It is a deliberate attempt by the party to use some hungry media organizations to show these people to make the governor feel bad and distracted, nevertheless very few of them are really defectors, they had some sums of money which had been used to bribe them.

Just like the saying that when the devil gives a gift with the left hand, he takes it with the right hand, when he gives a hand glove, he collects the hand, when he gives a leg socks, he

collects the leg, when he gives hundies, he collects the waist, if finally he gives a cap, he will collect the head, finally the person is gone. So it is the same with the Peoples Democratic Party.

Using Nuhu Ribadu as a

sleep with a dog? Or can a human take in his/her vomit. It is not a surprise to see Nuhu Ribadu take back his vomit because of the greed that lie in within him.

But it was a deliberate attempt to remove him from the APC and fool him, he was given a ticket for the

which will not last, only in a short while in this state (Edo State), every citizen will see the outcome of defection, all for the sake of distracting the Comrade Governor. Now, is it not panning out?

Comrade Governor

Governor Adams Oshiomhole

case study, he cross carpeted to the PDP with a greedy interest, finally he was accepted only to fooled at the end of the day. This was the same man who condemned the People Democratic Party and its leaders in various national dailies, and then he went to meet the people he condemned, can a lion

Adamawa State election but did not win for the primaries, wow!!!, a big blow and a deliberate attempt to make him foolish in the sight of his friends.

On the issue of the defected APC legislators to PDP, it is very clear that Chief Dan Orbih offered the legislators money

“In the case of defection of political party members from the All Progressive Congress, (APC) to the People Democratic Party, it is a sure truth and fact that persons seen to be defectors are already members of the People Democratic Party before now. It is a deliberate attempt by the party to use some hungry media organizations to show these people to make the governor feel bad and distracted, nevertheless very few of them are really defectors, they had some sums of money which had been used to bribe them.”

Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole is a very strong man who has refused to be moved by his detractors and will never be distracted because he is a man of vision and he has a very broad and bright vision for the people of Edo State.

Money should be spent wisely just the way the Comrade Governor is spending it in every sector of the state and it is clear the sectors have enjoyed from the clear policies of the administration of the Comrade Governor.

In the Areas of Agriculture, the governor has spent more than enough to see that its citizen get the best of food to eat, making hunger and poverty history.

In the area of Education, Red roofs are visibly everywhere, with good modern chairs and teaching aids to make the Edo

Children get the best of Education in order to compete favourably with other children of the developed world.

In the health sector, the governor has not left any stone unturned because the citizens have gotten the best of health care, drugs and vaccines have been distributed free of charge, hospitals are built with the best health care facilities on ground to meet the demands of patients.

It is a normal thing in life that, no matter how good a person is, there must be detractors or rather, visionblind critics who will always see the negative side of someone. But in the case of the Oshiomhole led administration, there is no negative aspect, that the opposition can point out but they deliberately make out some, loopholes that cannot be defended.

On the issue of spending tax payers money to travel abroad for holidays, posited by the chairman of PDP against the Comrade Governor, it is just a mere jealousy taken too far. The Comrade Governor does not spend tax payers money but his own money. Even if he spent the tax payer’s money, there is no cause for alarm because there are evidence of what he has used some percentage of the money to do in attracting development to the state.

For the last eight years of governance in Edo State before the administration of the Comrade Governor, there was no evidence of the dividends of democracy but here in this administration, everything is clear to the admiration of every body.

On this note, we urge the Comrade Governor not to be distracted, but stand firm and continue his good work in the state and as 2015 begins, he should be focused on touching all the untouched areas in his development plans.

THE NIGERIAN

25

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Midweek Leisure HERE are some practical tips on how to enter 2015 in grand style, according to Kevin Leman.

The roads that lead to 2015 are many, but only one road will actually take you there successfully and that road is JESUS (Just Enter Successfully Under

How To Enter 2015 In Style Security). However, there are things you ought to do because of your interpersonal relations with others.

1. You must come to terms with any guilt you have about pleasing yourself. Your

Quote Of The Week “To decide where to go, look at where you been! Canaymous”

Go Fruity!

Go Fruity!

Fruits are nature’s way of saying “thanks for being created! Fruits are medicinal, they are therapeutic and most ailments, including cancer, have been treated with fruits so go fruity this season.

primary goal in trying to please yourself is to even things up a bit. You are not after revenge and you have not sold your soul to the devil. You simply want to be a more positive person in every way. Remaining a pleaser who is super suffering, depressed, exhausted or discouraged is not being positive, it is being far less than a balanced-and joyful person 2. make yourself the “primary project” for the year. That is, spend some time and money on yourself.

Buy some new clothes or something else you’ve been wanting for a long time, like a new wall hanging for the study, then wear those clothes and use whatever you buy. I counsel any number of persons who buy a new dress, take it home hang it in the closet, and after three or four days take it back to the store, saying, “it just wasn’t right for me. I want to return it”. this isn’t frugality; it is lack of self-worth. They don’t believe they deserve a new

dress. Begin this new year by having respect for yourself giving due regard for yourself worth.

3. Continuing the primary project for the year idea.

Work out a schedule that gives you regular opportunities to be good to yourself join a health spa and go once or twice a week, set aside Thursday afternoon to go to the library and just read and browse, arrange for Saturday mornings off to go for shopping or whatever. Be focused, plan, set specific targets.

The possibilities are practically limitless. It all depends on what you feel would be good for you if you still can’t think of anything just start brainstorming by using sentences that begin with phases such as, “I’ve always wanted to…. “ or, “if I ever had the time I would…”But instead of just dreaming, finish the sentence and them do it’.

Quote of the week To decide where to go look at where you have been! (anonymous)

Seek Excellence, Not Perfection

By DR. KEVIN LEMAN While pursuers of excellence enjoy meeting high standard that are within reach, perfectionist reach for it, impossible goal so pursuers of excellence value

With Ijeoma Umeh

themselves by whom they are, the perfectionists value themselves if what they do. They get depressed and give up, but the pursuers of excellence may experience

Joke Apart!

By Ijeoma Umeh As 2015 approaches, be set to do exploits, but not those that will land you in jail or send you to hell!

Rather than being arraigned for crime let people arrange the best position for you. Amen.

Rather than being invited as witness to crime you will keep witnessing glad tidings in your own life and the lives of those who have been good to you. Amen.

The life you will live in the year 2015 and beyond will be nothing short of exemplary. Amen.

Your wife, husband, siblings, parents children and other relatives and well-wishers will call you blessed. Amen!

You shall work like an ant and eat like an elephant, because your days of labour, toil and long-suffering shall end in 2014 and will not be carried over to 2015 in Jesus Name! Amen!!!

Merry Xmas, happy new year!

“Your wife, husband, siblings, parents children and other relatives and well-wishers will call you blessed. Amen!”

disappointment but keep going.

The perfectionists are devastated by failure, but the others learn from failure. The perfectionists remember mistakes and dwell on them, the pursuers of excellence correct mistakes and learn from them.

The perfectionist can only live with being number one, but the pursuers of excellence are happy with being number two, if they know they have tried their hardest.

While the perfectionists hate criticism, the pursuer of excellence welcomes criticism; they may finish second and still have a good self-image, but the perfectionists have to win to keep

high self-esteem.

In 2015, seek excellence, not perfection for no one can attain perfection except God! Quote On perfection Perfection is man’s ultimate illusion. It simply doesn’t exist in the universe… it’s really the world’s greatest con game, it promises riches and delivers misery. The harder you strive for perfection, the worse your disappointment will become…

Everything can be improved if you look at it closely and critically, enough. So, if you are a perfectionist you are guaranteed to be a loser in whatever you do.

David Burns.

“The perfectionist can only live with being number one, but the pursuers of excellence are happy with being number two, if they know they have tried their hardest”.

JOKE Akpos Unveils New Year Resolution My name is Akpos, Son of a militant I cannot wait for January before I unveil my resolution because I hear Federal Government is giving amnesty to the one whose resolution is more peaceful.

In 2015, I will not answer question with question, I will only hiss like snake and walk

away.

I will not buy on credit from Mama Sikira, I will only take what I want and walk away peacefully.

I will not toast any girl I will only give them my card.

And I will not use AK -47 again, simplicity is the watchword this new year, so toy gun will be better!

PEOM The Raft Of Reed A raft, a raft of reed I have completed a raft But no friend to help me To paddle the raft across the waves And across the muddy shores Amidst the blue hyacinth Dominating the Benin River Along the Delta flooded river Niger Gulf of guinea coast of West Africa And even the whole Bight of Benin The tiding change of an Empire That once ruled the West Africa Coast Now threatened by hydrofoil wave Of a ragtag armed insurgent With massive foreign destructive weapons Like the Vickings of England Terrorizing, attacking and kidnapping Committing genocidal pogrom convulsion To form a new nation of theirs From an old Benin Kingdom?

It’s a herculean task gangsterism Worst than Boko Haram Along Osse, Ovia Siluko and Benin Rivers The land of Ogiso Igodomigodo The land of Oba Ewedo the builder of Prisons The land of Oba Oguola the digger of the moats The land of Oba Ewuare the great Ogidigan The land of Oba Ozolua Niharomieko the warrior The land of Oba Esigie the conqueror The land of Oba Orhogbua the Navigator The land of Oba Ehengbuda the greatest herbalist It’s a sin to bite the finger that feeds one It’s a crime that cry for vengeance It’s a crime against humanity Indeed, it’s a raft of reed, a raft of reed.

By Chief Osayomawbo Osemwegie Ero Edobsyokhae of Benin Kingdom

THE NIGERIAN

26

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

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THE NIGERIAN

27

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

EVERY WEDNESDAY, WEEK 25, 2014 WATSON WEST 1.2.X FORECAST

By SAM EHEBHA GSM:08056626091

Your Star

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THE NIGERIAN

28

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

No Manchester United Bid For Bale, Insists Madrid - Perez

FLORENTINO Perez insists that Real Madrid have not received any bid from Manchester United for Gareth Bale and ruled out the possibility of selling the winger at any price.

The Welshman has been regularly linked with the Old Trafford outfit in recent months, while they also expressed an interest in the winger before he left Tottenham for Los Blancos in 2013.

United boss Louis van Gaal also recently refused to rule out a bid, telling reporters: “I cannot discus that with you. I discuss that with my CEO and not with anyone of the media.”

But Perez, heading the Madrid delegation to Dubai for a high-profile friendly against AC Milan, has made it clear that Bale is going nowhere.

“We have not received any offer from Manchester United or any other club for

CRISTIANO Ronaldo is more deserving of the 2014 Ballon d’Or than Lionel Messi, according to AC Milan centre-half Alex.

The Brazilian is preparing to come head-to-head with the Portuguese forward when the Rossoneri take on Real Madrid in a high-profile friendly in Dubai on Tuesday.

And Alex insists he will be taking on the best player in the world this year, after a 2014 in which Ronaldo won the Champions League, Club World Cup, Copa del Rey and Uefa Super Cup with Madrid.

“I think Cristiano is the

best,” he told the Dubai Eye. “He had a better year than Lionel Messi.”

Milan clash with the European champions at 17:00CET on Tuesday ahead of the resumption of the continent’s domestic season, and Alex believes Real Madrid will provide a very tough test in the friendly fixture.

“I think it will be a difficult game for us to play,” added the 32-year-old. “But we can put in a great display too. We just have to play the way we have recently.”

The Rossoneri currently lie seventh in Serie A, two points behind Lazio in third.

Gareth Bale,” the Blancos president told reporters.

“What’s more, we would never listen to any offers for Bale whatever the amount.”

Bale

Martino: I Taught Messi Nothing At Barcelona

Ronaldo: Hopefully The

ARGENTINA boss Gerardo Martino has admitted he taught Lionel Messi absolutely nothing during his season in charge at Barcelona.

The coach took charge at Camp Nou for the 2013-14 season, but failed to win a major trophy after Atletico Madrid secured La Liga glory at their expense on the final day of the campaign.

Martino has previously acknowledged he made major mistakes during his time at the helm, but has now gone further by admitting to Argentine newspaper Clarin that he contributed very little to the progression of a starstudded Barca squad.

When asked what he had been able to teach his international captain Messi during their time together at Barcelona, Martino said: “Nothing. Nothing at all. Not to him or to Barca.

CRISTIANO Ronaldo hopes picking up Best Player of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards will lead to him winning the Ballon d’Or in January.

Ronaldo has enjoyed arguably the greatest year of his career, breaking the record for the number of goals in a single Champions League season as he led Real Madrid to their 10th European title, while maintaining his better than a goal-pergame ratio across five prolific years in Spain.

Ronaldo is hotly tipped to follow up his latest accolade by beating Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer to the Fifa Ballon d’Or to win it for the second year in a row, and third time overall.

The Portuguese attacker is hoping that his success at the awards ceremony in Dubai will be replicated in Zurich when the winner is announced on January 12.

He said: “I hope that it can be a good signal but I’m not worried about that.

The people who vote know what they have to do.

“I just feel happy it’s one more trophy for my dedication and hard work.

Everton Keeper Howard Out For Up To “Tim Howard will be Jagielka’s ankle injury, Six Weeks - Martinez out between five and six Phil which also saw the 32-yearEVERTON goalkeeper Tim Howard will be sidelined for up to six weeks through injury, Roberto Martinez has confirmed.

The 35-year-old tore a calf muscle during Everton’s 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke City on Boxing Day, with Joel

Robles deputising in goal for the American in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Newcastle United.

Martinez, though, has admitted that Howard’s injury could force the club into the transfer market as they look to strengthen their options between the posts.

+100 million transfer fee, picking up winner’s medals in the Champions League, Club World Cup, Copa del Rey and Uefa Super Cup in 2014 to boot.

Ballon d’Or Is Next

Ronaldo Better Than Messi In 2014 - Alex

Cristiano Ronaldo

The 25-year-old Bale has netted 33 goals in 66 games since arriving in the Spanish capital in August 2013 for a world-record

weeks with a calf injury,” the Everton boss told reporters. “I thought Joel was very calm against Stoke and did well against Newcastle. But we will assess whether we need cover.”

Everton’s defence has also been disrupted by

old miss the defeat at St James’ Park, with Martinez also revealing the England man is being assessed daily.

The Toffees head into their trip to Hull City on New Year’s Day following three straight defeats which has left Roberto Martinez’s side in 12th place and 12 points behind fourth-placed Southampton.

Martino

I want to say thank you to the people at Real Madrid, - the players, the coach - we had a fantastic season, we won four trophies and we are one of the best teams in the world.

“La Decima was a special moment as Real Madrid have looked forward to winning it.

“To win this award is one of the great pleasures, I am very proud.”

Former Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United star Ronaldo is adamant there is no added pressure on his shoulders despite his standing in the game.

“No, no pressure,” he added. “I don’t have pressure because things come naturally to me. I don’t have to show anything to anyone. I am happy, I do what I like, to play football, to score goals, to make assists and help show we [Real Madrid] are one of the best teams in the world.”

The Globe Soccer Awards, an event that has been streamed live on Goal, has a number of other categories promoting the very best football has had to offer across a hugely successful year.

THE NIGERIAN

29

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Torres Can Return To His Best With Atletico FERNANDO Torres’ - Pantic return to Atletico Madrid could lead to the misfiring forward regaining his very best form, according to Milinko Pantic.

Torres is due to sign an 18month loan deal with Atleti on January 5, after the completion of his permanent switch to AC Milan from Chelsea.

The move comes after the strikers’ Premier League struggles continued into his spell with the San Siro outfit.

But Pantic, who was a regular in the Atleti midfield during the days when Torres was making his name in the club’s youth ranks, believes that the 30-year-old’s return could be a fantastic move for all parties.

“I think it’s great news,” the Serb told AS. “How Diego Simeone will play Torres is his issue, not mine.

If he plays one or two strikers is not my concern.

As a fan, though, I think it’s great.

“He is back home. People will treat him with love, and I hope he gets back to his best – not only for Atletico but also for the national team, as he has been a very important player for them as well.”

Torres scored 91 goals in

244 appearances for Atleti before heading for Liverpool in 2007 to become a big hit with the Anfield faithful.

But the 30-year-old has netted only 55 times in 208 games over the last five seasons, and his solitary goal in 10 matches for Milan has led the Rossoneri to snap him up and loan him out in order to bring in Atleti’s Alessio Cerci.

“I think it’s a strategic signing and both parties can take advantage of it,” Pantic added. “Bearing in mind this signing is in January, when these kinds of deals are not very usual, it comes as a big shock.”

O’Shea Calls For Attacking Support

Torres

Warnock Backs Pardew To Improve Palace Fortunes

WARNOCK was sacked on Saturday following Palace’s 3-1 defeat to Southampton a day earlier, with Newcastle United boss Pardew expected to take over in the hot-seat.

Newcastle confirmed on said: “When we were at Monday that former Palace Newcastle for my first game, I player Pardew had been given remember pulling Alan after the permission to speak to the game and saying: ‘This is the club London club, with confirmation for you, this is your next club’. of the move now expected “I only wanted, this season, to imminently. try and help them stabilise after Warnock only began his second the terrible blow they had when stint at Selhurst Park in August Tony Pulis left. following Tony Pulis’ shock “There were no standout departure and, despite his exit candidates and I said to the still being fresh in the mind, the chairman then that he might as 66-year-old believes Pardew will well put me in charge and then take the club forward. wait for one that is going to take Speaking to talkSPORT, he the club on and this is it. I think Alan is a great appointment.

“He will be given a long contract, which is needed because the infrastructure at Palace is very poor, Premier League-wise, and he will get the chance [to change he continued to impress the things].”

Warnock managed only three Potters faithful.

Premier League wins during his Cheikhou Kouyaté most recent spell at Palace, the club in the bottom continued the Senegalese leaving three. trend by netting his first However, the former Leeds goal for West Ham in a 2-1 United and QPR boss believes he would have turned their fortunes

African Sun Warms Icy England

AFRICA’S finest continued to warm-up the English Premier League on the final match day of the year.

With the African Cup of Nations around the corner, Africa’s stars had another opportunity to showcase their talent on England soil before departing for Equatorial Guinea in the New Year.

Sadio Mane kicked things off from an African perspective as Southampton held league leaders Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at St.Mary’s.

Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez scored the winner for Leicester City in an important 1-0 win for Hull City.

Mame Diouf scored a brace as Stoke City trumped West Brom 2-0 as

loss to Arsenal while Papiss Cisse also found the back of the net in a memorable day for the West African country in the Premier League.

Cisse netted in the firsthalf of a 3-2 win for Newcastle United over Everton, Ivory Coast striker Arouna Kone, who had struggled with injury scored the opener for the Toffees on the day.

Wilfried Bony failed to get on the score sheet as Swansea suffered a 4-1 loss at Liverpool, Kolo Toure was an unused substitute for the Reds in what was the final fixture of 2014.

Neil Warnock

around given time, adding his belief that the club could secure a mid-table finish this term.

“I still don’t think they are far away. All we wanted was a striker and a left-sided defender,” he added.

“I think I can hold my head up with the way we played, with what we had and the tools we had at our disposal. Every manager makes mistakes but we have given them a fighting chance.

“I think in the fight for survival [Palace] have miles more than anybody else. I can even see them going up as high as they did last year, 11th or 12th, with Alan.”

POYET’S men have only won once in their past nine Premier League games and while they have claimed five clean sheets in that time, their lack of goals has been critical.

Sunderland have only scored 16 goals this season - the third lowest tally in the English top flight - and have managed to hit the back of the net just five times in that nine game run.

O’Shea has a suggestion for manager Poyet, although the Uruguayan will have to abandon his preferred patient build-up play, with his Irish captain calling for Sunderland to challenge their opponents with crosses.

“The frustrating thing on Sunday [in a scoreless draw with Aston Villa] was that when you’re against ten men you know you’re going to have a lot of possession but you hope to create more clear-cut chances,” O’Shea told the Northern Echo.

“We got into dangerous positions and maybe we need to be that bit more positive and take people on in the box.

“Then you’re putting them under pressure to get

tackles in.

“We want to put crosses in and make defenders make really tough clearances, rather than put it straight onto their head.

“People might think it’s all down to the strikers but it’s not just them. We have to supply them. It’s a team effort, as it is defensively.”

O’Shea reckons Poyet’s focus on improving Sunderland’s defence could also be costing them up front.

“The whole team unit is working so hard together defensively and maybe that’s why we’re lacking the final bit of energy,” he said.

“We’ve done a lot of work on the defensive side and that’s the balance we’ve got to find.”

The Republic of Ireland international added: “[Forwards] Connor Wickham and Adam Johnson in the first half [against Villa] tracked back well to help us out.

“Attacking-wise we need to help them out a lot more.

If we can do that, we will create more chances.”

Sunderland’s next test is away to Manchester City on New Year’s Day

Koke Thrilled With Torres Return

THE La Liga champions confirmed on Monday that Torres will return to Atleti on loan from Milan when the transfer window opens on January 5, with Italian forward Alessio Cerci expected to head the other way as part of the deal, although that has not yet been verified.

Torres will return to the Vicente Calderon - where he made his professional debut in 2001 - as a shadow of the player that left La Liga for Liverpool in 2007, according to many pundits, but Koke does not agree.

“It is very exciting for us to have Torres back,” the midfielder said, according to the Daily Mail.

“This is still a player that can be one of the best strikers in the world when he is playing regularly.

“This is not a player we are signing at 35 or 36 - at 30 he is still at his peak - and Europe knows that when he is playing at his best that he is unstoppable.”

Torres left Atleti with 82 goals in 214 league games to his name, while the Spaniard was also a success at Anfield, hitting the back of the net 65 times in 102 Premier League matches for Liverpool.

The Madrid-born forward did not win a trophy in three-and-ahalf seasons with Liverpool, however, and joined Chelsea in January 2011 hoping to fill that void.

While Torres would pick up UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and FA Cup

winners’ medals with Chelsea, he never settled at Stamford Bridge and was widely lambasted for his woes in front of goal - managing just 20 goals in 110 Premier League games.

Since joining Milan on a twoyear loan deal at the end of August - which was made a permanent move last week Torres has only played 10 Serie A matches, starting seven and scoring one goal.

Despite evidence of the former speedster’s decline, Koke is convinced Torres can help Atletico defend their Spanish league title in the second half of the campaign.

Diego Simeone’s Atleti sit third with 35 points, four adrift of leaders Real Madrid, while second-placed Barcelona have 38.

“We want to defend our La Liga title,” Koke said.

“Real Madrid and Barcelona are playing well, but it is our dream to retain it - and we have to believe that is possible.

“It is signing players like Fernando that have won the World Cup and Champions League - that will go a long way to helping us achieve that goal.”

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Sports Enthusiasts Tip Enyeama To Win

2014 Glo-CAF Award: SPORTs enthusiasts on Monday in Abuja tipped Super Eagles’ goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama to win the coveted 2014 Glo-CAF Awards.

A cross-section of sports enthusiasts who spoke to newsmen in separate interviews said Enyeama deserved to win this year’s edition of the awards.

Newsmen reports that the list of 25 top contenders for the 2014 African Footballer of the Year award was earlier released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in October.

Also, a list of 20 nominees for the African Footballer of the Year (Africa-based) award was released at the same time.

However, the list of the African Footballer of the Year nominees was further trimmed down to three some days ago.

The three-man shortlist has alongside Enyeama the duo of Cote d’Ivoire’s Yaya Toure who plays for Manchester City in England and Pierre Aubameyang of Gabon who play German side Borussia Dortmund.

Felix Anyansi-Agwu, Chairman of Enyimba International Football Club of Aba, said Enyeama had been outstanding for club and country and deserves to win the award on the basis of this.

“I think the most befitting thing is for him to win the African Player of the Year award.

“He has done very well in his capacity as a goalkeeper, knowing that football is all about performance.

“Enyeama has been there for a very long time and when you judge his performance over the years, he deserves such an accolade.

“Even if it is of the moment, I think having won the Nations Cup and playing very well in his club, he deserves to be the Player of the Year,’’ he said.

Sani Mohammed, a Nigeria Football Association (NFA)

Match Commissioner, said it was very good news for the country that a Nigerian was among the top three nominees for the CAF award.

“It is a welcome development for the country, because Cote d’Ivoire has been dominating the award for quite a long time.

“Out of the three nominees, one of them, Yaya Toure, has won the award six times in a row.

“So, I pray that Nigeria will get the award, especially as

Enyeama has been exceptional for both club and country this year. I think he deserves to get the award for the country,’’ he said.

Jamila Buhari, Nigeria’s first female referee, said Enyeama was well qualified for the award.

“Enyeama deserves to be given the award. We all saw what he offered us at the World Cup. In spite of the fact that we did not qualify for the African Cup of Nations, he

did well.

“He was even picked as the best African Goalkeeper of the Year at the FIFA level.

“My advice to others players is that they should work with passion and play with zeal. They should forget about money. It will come after.

“Enyeama singled himself out among the super Eagles with the passion of playing, and I pray the award finally goes to him,’’ she said.

ensure that the awards this year will be one which would not be forgotten in a long time to come,’’ he said.

NAN recalls that Abuja hosted the inaugural edition of the Glo-CAF Awards in 2005, with Accra, Ghana in 2006.

Lome in Togo hosted the 2007 edition, while the event was held in Lagos in 2008 before it moved back to Accra in 2009.

Cairo, the capital of Egypt, hosted the 2010 edition, while the event was held in Accra in 2011 and 2012, and Lagos hosted the 2013 edition.

This year’s edition will also be held in Lagos on January 8.

The Super Eagles Were A Failure In 2014 - Kanu

Vincent Enyeama

Mobility A Major Challenge To Para-Athletics AUSTIN Chima, a Paraphysically challenged does Athletics Coach with the Development - Coach not mean that we should Rivers State Sports Council, getting to training centres. on Monday identified mobility as a setback affecting athletes participation in para-sports.

Chima told newsmen in Lagos that para-athletes encounter lots of problems transporting themselves to training venues.

He said that the athletes pass through a lot of stress in the bid to be at training venues to participate in training unlike the able bodied athletes.

“The response of athletes to training has depreciated, due to difficulties they face

Seyi Akinwunmi, NFA’s First Vice-Chairman, also said Enyeama deserved to be listed as a candidate for the awards, adding that he was optimistic that he would emerge as the winner.

“I think he should win it. I have given him my vote and I’m very hopeful, first of all as a Nigerian, but having watched Enyeama’s performance. There is no doubt in my mind that he will take it this time,” he said.

Akinwunmi also said this year’s award promises to be more exciting and entertaining.

“All hands are on deck to

“Even when we manage to get them to the bus stop with our wheel chairs, we spend hours before getting vehicles to take them to the training venues.

“Some people, especially commercial drivers and conductors, do not consider our plight because they are always in a hurry and are not always patient with us.

“Those that are not able to force their way into buses and are not assisted by private car owners end up going back home, forfeiting that day’s training,’’ he said.

Chima said such challenge marred the pace of development of the sport in the country.

He, therefore, pleaded with authorities to give utmost attention to the plight of the para-athletes.

According to him, it is essential to offer all assistance to the athletes, who have chosen to distinguish themselves from other physically challenged persons begging on the streets.

“Everybody is talented in one way or the other and the fact that some of us are

allow our talents to die. “ This is the reason why we must be supported by government and individuals.

“The fact that we have decided to develop our talents in the sport means we do not want to be liabilities to our immediate families and the general society,’’ he said.

The coach pleaded with the general public to be patient, considerate and give helping hands to the physically challenged persons whenever they come across them.

The former national team captain has given a below par verdict after the failure of the African champions to reach Equatorial Guinea 2015 Nigeria legend Nwankwo Kanu has scored the country’s football low in the outgoing year following the senior men’s team’s failure to qualify for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations.

The former Super Eagles captain said that there is much work to be done in 2015 to bring back the faded glory of the three-time African champions.

After winning their third title in South Africa in 2013, Nigeria reached the second round at the World Cup in Brazil but failed to qualify to defend their African crown in Equatorial Guinea.

“It is quite clear and we don’t need to shy away from the fact that Nigerian football did not fare well in the outgoing year,” Kanu told Goal.

“This is as a result of the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2015 Africa

Nwankwo Kanu

Cup of Nations holding in Equatorial Guinea.

“So if we are not featuring among the best countries in Africa that would participate in the 2015 Afcon, it simply means that something [went] wrong with our football this year.

“We didn’t do well in the game this year, it’s just the honest truth. There is nothing good to write home about as regards the senior national team of Nigeria.

“Mind you, Fifa rates our performance based on the Super Eagles not the age grade or women national teams’ performances.

“It has been a disappointing year for Nigerian football. But

by God’s grace, 2015 would be a new beginning for us.

“I sincerely pray that everybody involved in the entire crisis and problems that bedeviled Nigerian football in the year 2014 will sit back and look at themselves and have a rethink, have a change of mind and start working in earnest for the growth and good of the game in the country,” Kanu said.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

CMYK THE NIGERIAN

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014

Tackling Building Collapse In Nigeria HUMAN and Social Science researchers note that shelter ranks second in the basic needs of man for survival.

Corroborating this view, experts in building sector hold the belief that having habitable safe buildings will guarantee better life.

In the same vein, Mr Umeora Obiefuna, an author, writes: “The place and priority of buildings to man’s existence and survival is important.

“Buildings, either temporary, permanent or monumental structures need to be properly planned, designed, constructed and maintained to obtain the desired satisfaction, comfort and safety.’’

However, with these specifications that are expected to be followed by engineers, concern citizens have insisted that cases of buildings collapse ought not to have been rampant in Nigeria.

They note that statistics shows that collapse of buildings in Nigeria are common recently involving loss of lives and property.

They cite the recent report on the collapse of a guest house in Lagos in which many people died.

They also observe that the pains that the incident brought upon Nigerians is enormous, suggesting that stakeholders should adopt inclusive approach to understanding the causes of building collapse and solution to it.

In a perceptible reaction to this, Mr Danjuma Abalaka, the Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), observed that building collapse was due to lack of legislation to guide the activities of the operators in the housing sector.

“NIOB has a bill for the enforcement of the

Nigerian National Building Code which has been in the National Assembly for so long; if the bill is passed into law, it will regulate and monitor the activities of estate developers,’’ he said.

According to him, another factor is high cost of building materials and the absence of affordable and alternative building materials.

He also cited the activities of quacks in housing sector, the absence of soil test report and poor structural designs, among others, as causes of building collapse, insisting that many of the building details were handled by quacks.

Abalaka said further that the institute had received reports bordering on absence of co-ordination between the professional bodies and the local town planning authorities, the use of substandard building materials and lack of proper supervision by professionals.

“Other observations on the causes of building collapse include illegal conversion of buildings which often lead to structural deficiencies, flagrant disobedience to town planning regulations by developers and landlords, among others,’’ he said.

He, therefore, called for stringent penalties for those identified to be responsible for collapse of buildings.

He suggested that the town planning authorities should be adequately staffed and equipped with professionals to ensure thorough supervision of buildings at all stages.

“Effective monitoring of projects during and after construction and training and retraining of professionals supported by all stakeholders will go a long way in curbing building collapse in the country,’’ he said.

Abalaka also called on government at all levels to provide an enabling law for the training and effective control of artisans and craftsmen in

the building industry.

“For any structure more than a bungalow, a structural engineer must be involved while construction work should only be carried out by registered contractors and

stressed the need for the government to develop a clear housing policy to regulate the activities of private estate developers in the country.

In his view, Mr Chimezie Uhiara, an architect,

MATTERS IN FOCUS With

SHARON OBI (NAN) He said the result of such test would enable the architects and structural engineers to specify what type of

President Goodluck Jonathan supervised by registered architects, engineers and builders.

“Clients should obtain approvals before they begin construction; they should work with the approved drawings and specifications; and any alterations should be approved before their implementations.

“A regular audit of defective structures must be carried out and such structures marked for demolition should be demolished before they cause havoc on lives and property,’’ he said.

For effective safe practice in building sector, he called for the passage into law of the bill for the enforcement of the Nigerian National Building Code by the National Assembly to ensure effective regulation of the activities of operators.

Abalaka as well

stressed the need for the people who were planning to build houses to carry out soil test of the site of their projects by certified soil experts.

foundation to set for such buildings.

“Government at all levels should intensify public enlightenment, placing emphasis on how

building disasters could be prevented rather than managing situations which might be costlier,’’ he said.

Sharing similar sentiments with Abalaka, he insisted that: “Passing the bill for the enforcement of the Nigerian National Building Code into law has no substitute, with this, construction of buildings will be effectively regulated.’’

Apart from passing the bill into law, Mr Mohammed Attah, the Project Coordinator for the National Director for Standard Awareness Group, a nong o v e r n m e n t a l organisation, called for awareness on the dangers of collapse buildings.

He said the group had begun arrangement to inaugurate sensitisation campaigns on what should be done to stop building collapse.

“The organisation plans to raise five million voices against sub-standard products in Nigeria among other methods,’’ he said.

All in all, concerned citizens opine that that if stakeholders adhere to the recommended preventive measures on building, it will address the issue of rampant building collapse in the country.

TOMORROW ON THIS PAGE “Nothing in the foregoing suggests any consensus in the date and mode of celebration of the New Year’s Day worldwide. The dates adn modes of celebration differ from one place to another. As we celebrate in Nigeria today, there are countries where nothing is happening; and tehre are some parts of the world where the celebration is taking a different dimension entirely. Space will permit us to examine only a few interesting variations”.

-HON JOSEF OMORONTIONMWAN

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