Friday, December 05, 2014 Edition

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Friday, December 5, 2014 Safar 13, 1436 AH

. . . putting the people first

Insecurity: 5 PDP Govs meet with Obasanjo

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S/Africa still holding Nigeria’s $15m arms money

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N150 Vol. 15 No. 8

Independence Day bombing: Court orders counsel for Okah

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Defection threat: Presidency woos Bamanga l PDP suspends former chairman l ‘I didn’t take Mua’zu to court’

By Lawal Sabo & Ahmed Abubakar

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he Presidency is said to be making frantic moves to stop the former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur from defecting to another party.

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L-R: Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, National Order of Merit Award recipient, Professor Niyi Osundare (Humanities), President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Adekemi Osundare, and Chairman, Governing Board, Nigerian National Order of Merit Award (NNOMA), Professor Etim Moses Essien, during the 2014 merit award ceremony, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Army repel attack, bombard insurgents in Gombe, Yobe

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235 Days after NFF appeals Committee nullifies Will the abducted Chibok schoolgirls ever be rescued?

Pinnick’s election

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News

CONTENTS News 2-10 Editorial 12 Op.Ed 13 Letters 14 Opinion 15 Politics 16-18 Business 19-22 Stockwatch 23 S/Report 24-25 Int’l 27-31

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Army repel attack, bombard insurgents in Gombe,Yobe From David Hassan, Gombe, with agency report

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unmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents were said to have opened fire on residents when they attacked Bajoga town of Gombe State in the early hours of Thursday.

According to an eyewitness who spoke with our correspondent, the incident occurred around 6:am when suspected insurgents invaded the town Funakaye Local Government Area and started shooting sporadically which he said attracted residents of the area to scamper for safety.

The source also said after shooting sporadically, the attackers went to the police divisional and area command headquarters and bombed them, noting that a bank and a school located in the area were also bombed by the attackers.

He said it took security

agents three hours’ gun battle to repel the attackers but stressed that the insurgents had also reportedly advanced their mission to Ashaka town.

Speaking further, the source said many residents had to flee to the bush for safety even as he said no one can tell the casualty figure as at the time of filing this report.

According to him, the insurgents were well-armed when they drove into the town in more than twenty Hilux vans with a view to laying siege on the town the source said.

He said, ”up till now as I am talking to you, there is sporadic gunshots in the town which made many flee the area while others were trapped in their houses.”

It could be recalled that there was a similar attack by the Boko Haram on Ashaka town also in Funakaye Local Government where one policeman was injured.

Confirming the incident to newsmen , the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) DSP Fwaji Atajiri said in the early hours of Thursday Gunmen attacked Bajoga town, but the security agents were able to repel the attack.

He said the area is under control of security agents, urging that residents should report any suspicious movement within their vicinity.

The police spokesman also advised residents to go on their normal businesses even as he said the security agents would do everything possible to ensure that lives and property of citizens are protected.

Similarly, Air Force jets yesterday bombarded Boko Haram insurgents as they regrouped to launch another attack on Damaturu the Yobe State capital.

According to reports, the

insurgents were regrouping at Garin Itace, otherwise called firewood town located 20km on the outskirts of Damaturu, to re-launch an attack on the town where the jet bombarded them.

Reports quoted security sources as saying that some local residents sighted the insurgents and alerted security agents who took proactive steps to attack them before their plans were hatched.

The sound of bombardment by the jet fighter coupled with pockets of gunshots during the operations sent most residents back to their homes before the 6pm that the curfew took effect.

Some of the residents were even compelled to leave the town.

Governor Gaidam who was returning to Damaturu from Abuja, was said to have been turned back to Kano by security agents.

Defection threat: Presidency woos Bamanga Contd from Cover Page

Jigawa govt, police disagree over Lamido’s missing car – Page 9

Vogue 32-33 Feature 34 Digest 36 Metro 37 Newsxtra

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Sports 41 Columnist 48

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As at the time of going to press, President Goodluck Jonathan was still being expected to hold a meeting with Bamanga to convince him to remain in the PDP. This is as an earlier attempt by the First Lady to intervene in the matter hit brick walls as she was said to have been shunned by Bamanga.

Peoples Daily checks revealed that this is a fallout of the court case instituted against the current national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu.

A source close to Bamanga, told our reporter under anonymity that the former national chairman was deliberately being humiliated and had began contemplating defecting from the PDP. According to him: “After his unceremonious ouster as national chairman mid last year, Bamanga was continually being hounded, to the extent that someone was sponsored to institute a court case against Ahmed Muazu.”

This was even as the PDP has yesterday suspended Bamanga for the said court action against the present PDP chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

The reasons the party gave for the suspension stemmed from the meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC) at the party secretariat yesterday.

According to a press statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, “the reason for Tukur’s suspension is for instituting a

claim and counter claim in suit FHC/ABJ / 821/2014; Gurin vs PDP & 3 others.”

He was also accused of not exploring and exhausting the party’s internal mechanism of redress and for attempting to stop the forthcoming national convention to nominate the party’s presidential candidate as well as regularize the position of the national chairman and other members of the National Working Committee.

It stated that: “The NWC hereby suspends Dr. Bamanga Tukur and Aliyu Buba Gurin for one month and refers them to the National Disciplinary Committee for infringing on section 58(1)(a)( b)( h)( l) of the PDP Constitution 2012( as amended).

“The NWC which made the decision at its 395th meeting held yesterday, December 3, 2014 said it has also reviewed recent national developments as they affect the party. Amongst others, the NWC deliberated on the court case instituted against the National Chairman of the Party, Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu by the former National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur.”

It would be recalled that recently a court case challenging the legitimacy of the present PDP Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu was instituted before a Federal High court that also struck out the case.

Meanwhile,Tukur refuted claims that he was the one who instituted the legal action against Adamu Mu’azu, describing it as

false and mischievous.

Tukur, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Media Prince Oliver Opkala, said the outcry was totally misrepresented.

According to Okpala, “there is complete misrepresentation of facts bordering on the case instituted against the National Chairman of PDP and 3 others by a member of the Party Alhaji Aliyu Buba Gurin.

“It must be put forward in its proper legal and historical perspective that Alhaji Dr. Bamanga Tukur never initiated nor filed any case against Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu contrary to reports making headlines in National Dailies and waves in social media.

“The wrongful report and misrepresentation of facts to the effect that Alhaji Bamanga Tukur filed a case urging the court to oust Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu out of office as National Chairman of the PDP is not only untrue but gross distortion of facts relating to the case instituted and filed by Alhaji Aliyu Gurin,” he said.

He added that Bamanga was joined in the suit as a codefendant in the suit and as is required in law, he filed his own counter affidavit stating his own side of the case in relation to the suit filed by the plaintiff, Alhaji Aliyu Buba Gurin.

“A co-defendant in a case cannot by any imagination in law be deemed as a plaintiff who initiated and filed a suit before a law court.

“Let it be also noted that at no

Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

time did Alhaji Bamanga Tukur react to the Court judgment and did not inform any reporter or journalist as being erroneously reported that he “has vowed to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.

“The important legal argument hereinafter is how can a co-defendant who was also sued in a case by the plaintiff vow to challenge the judgement of a case he did not institute on appeal.

“For avoidance of doubt, this case was instituted by Alhaji Aliyu Buba Gurin a PDP member against PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Alhaji Adamu Muazu and INEC as 1-4 defendants,” the statement concluded.

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

News

Insecurity: 5 PDP Govs meet with Obasanjo From James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

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o fewer than five governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Hilltop resident in Abeokuta; the Ogun State capital.

The governors who included Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger) Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Liyel Imoke (Cross River) discussed the state of

the nation as it pertains to security and economy.

Addressing journalists after the closed door meeting which ran for over three hours, former President Obasanjo said they discussed about the state of the nation “The visiting governors were concerned about what you may call the situation of the nation; security, economy. We have discussed most o f them”.

“What I have raised in my public pronouncement in recent times was not to castigate anybody, not to bad-mouth anybody, not

to run anybody down but out of genuine concern for the situation of this country and that is the same thing that has brought them and I want to thank them”.

He added “We looked at these issues closely, very objectively and we came to the conclusion that yes we have a bad situation, but not irretrievably bad. Something can still be done and what is required now is the will and the courage to do something when and how it needs to be done”.

“We agreed on that and I appreciate their (Governors)

coming to me because of the respect and honour they have for me, this task is not for one man and it is not even a task for one group, it is a task that requires all hands on deck” Obasanjo said.

Babangida Aliyu who is the Chairman of the PDP Northern Governors’ Forum said, “All of us are his (Obasanjo) children both administratively, politically and in reality and we have come to consult with the oracle of leadership and politics of this country . The issue of Nigeria is beyond partisanship; we must tell all Nigerians to rally

L-R: Rivers state All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Aspirant, Mr. Peterside Dakuku, Speaker, Rivers state House of Assembly, Mr. Otelemaba Amachree, Rivers state Deputy Governor, Mr. Tele Ikuru, and Rivers state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, during the state APC governorship primary, yesterday in Port Harcourt.

Photo: NAN

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he National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adamu Mu’azu, yesterday inaugurated the party national convention planning committee scheduled for December 10.

The convention committee is headed by Dr Bello Haliru

I

Mohammed.

Addressing members of the committee, Mu’azu charged them to work together as a team towards the successful conduct of the national convention, where President Goodluck Jonathan will be formally ratified as the presidential candidate of the party.

He said they have exhibited high level of commitment and

loyalty to the party, declaring that the national leadership of the party has confidence in their ability to organise a hitch-free convention.

Mu’azu, however, assured them of the support of the leadership of the party.

In his response, the chairman of the committee, Dr. Mohammed, said the task before the committee

is a daunting one that requires them working 24 hours till the convention date.

He said notwithstanding the onerous task they will deliver on their mandate.

The convention committee chairman assured Mu’azu that the committee will commence work immediately they leave his office where the inauguration took place.

Jigawa govt, police disagree over Lamido’s missing car From Edwin Olofu, Dutse

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here is sharp disagreement between the Nigeria Police Command Jigawa state and the state government over Governor Sule Lamido’s missing ‘official’ car.

While the Police told newsmen yesterday in Dutse Jigawa state capital that a Land cruiser SUV, an

official escort of the Jigawa state governor was snatched at gun point by armed robbers.

The Director of Press to the governor, Umar Kyari who spoke to Peoples Daily on phone denied knowledge of the governors missing car, saying that he is surprised by reports reaching him that the governor’s ‘official car’ was missing.

Kyari further clarified that none of the governor’s official car is missing, noting that a car attached to the protocol department was stolen, stating that the stolen car is not in the governor’s convoy.

However, in an interview with our reporter the Jigawa state Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Abdul Jinjiri said armed robbers snatched an SUV Land Cruiser

which he said is the official escort vehicle in the governor’s convoy.

He added that the driver of the vehicle is still in detention, being interrogated by the police over the missing SUV, noting that “although he may be granted bail but as I speak to you the driver is being questioned over the missing vehicle of the governor’s convoy”.

Jinjiri stated.

Independence Day Bombing: Court orders counsel for Okah

By Doyin Ojosipe

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Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday directed the Legal Aid Council to get a lawyer to defend Charles Okah, one of the suspects charged with complicity in the October 1, 2010 bomb blast at the Eagle square in

South Africa still holding Nigeria’s $15 million arms money -Report

By Tobias Dapam with agency report

PDP inaugurates convention committee

By Ahmed Abbubakar

together and let us put our nation in the right place”.

Akpabio who also spoke said “The intention here is that all Nigerians are determined to reposition the country, we have no other country than Nigeria and so, no matter the challenges we may face today, we must work together as a team to redeem the situation”

Abuja.

Following the incidence, Okah was charged with terrorism, and has been facing the court.

His defence counsel, Mr Festus Keyamo, who had defended him since the case started four years ago was relieved.

The decision relieving

Keyamo as Okah;s counsel was communicated to Justice Gabriel Kolawole at the last adjourned date by a lawyer from his law firm named John Ainetor.

When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, Okah was in court but there was no counsel to defend him.

This development prompted the court to direct that arrangements be put in place to get a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council to defend Okah, so as not to deny him fair hearing.

The court adjourned the case till February 19 and 25, 2015.

ndications emerged yesterday that the South African government has not returned the $15 million seized from arms dealers purportedly buying arms for the Nigerian military.

According to reports, the money remains frozen in South Africa and has not been returned to the Nigerian government contrary to earlier claims.

In October, several media articles quoting the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, reported that the money seized in connection with two dubious arms deal had been released to the Nigerian government.

However, Mr. Mnguni has told PREMIUM TIMES that the reports are false. Apart from the High Commissioner, the spokesperson of the South African National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, Nathi Mncube, and a South African source that is knowledgeable about the matter but requested not to be named, told PREMIUM TIMES in separate correspondences that the money was yet to be released to the Nigeria government.

Rather than return the money, there is possibility that the money may never be returned to the Nigerian government again.

Responding to enquiries about the extent of the investigation into the seized arms money, Mr. Mncube, who declined to give specific information because the NPA does not respond to matters under investigation, however, said the money may be forfeited to the South African government.

“In terms of our law, proceeds of crime are forfeited to the state,” he said.

On his part, Mr. Mnguni vehemently denied the reports credited to him that the matter has been resolved diplomatically and the money returned to the Nigerian government.

He said it was not procedural for the South African government to return frozen money in the manner suggested in the reports quoting him.

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

News

Two killed, 300 cattle rustled, IED detonated in Plateau From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

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o fewer than two persons were reportedly shot to death while three others largely injured on Wednesday at about 6 : 00pm in Ginarumbu village along Yelwa - Ibbi road by suspected Tarok youths in Shendam local government area of Plateau state.

All the victims were said to be residents of Yelwa.

Alh. Yakubu Haruna Dangawan who is the Chairman of Yelwa Community Association revealed that about seven other people who were residents of Yelwa were also recently attacked and killed at the same Gina Rumbu, of Shendam LGA. He gave the names of the deceased as; Sani Ibrahim and Abubakar Abdullahi.

According to Dangawan, the victims of the incident were on their way back from a market usually held every Wednesday in

Yamini village, when they were suddenly attacked by gunmen. He said the three injured victims have been taken to Sokoto and Bauchi states for medical treatment.

His words, “five residents of yelwa were on Wednesday attacked by on their way from Yamini village to yelwa after a market day. Two of them were killed while three were seriously injured and have been taken to Sokoto and Bauchi states for medical treatment.”

The chairman further called on the government to do everything possible to restore peace in the area to avoid any tendency that would repeat the 2014 crises in the area, where scores were killed and property worth millions of naira were destroyed. He stressed that this kind of attack and killing currently happening were resemblance of those ones before the main 2004 crisis started.

The chairman also suggested that if the government would

mount security check points in places like; Ginarumbu, Kanhawa and Gidan Uku where attacks take place, such indiscriminate act would be stopped.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 310 cattle were said to have been rustled by the alleged Tarok youths in Mikang local government area of Plateau State, belonging to Fulani herdsmen According to the Plateau chapter of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) , the suspected youths alleged to have come from Langtang LGA of the state had attacked several Fulani settlements in Mikang and went with their cattle on Tuesday.

The chairman of MACBAN in the state, Alhaji Haruna Boro Hussaini revealed that over 800 cattle were chased out, but about 500 were found scattered in the bush while but 310 were still nowhere to be found.

Hussaini said “we are getting

tired of these attacks; these Tarok youths have continued to rustle our cattle, yet nothing is being done about it. It seems they want to stop us from rearing cattle entirely.”

In response to the alleged rustling by the Tarok Youths, the leader of the youths in Langtang north, Manaseh Zunkur denied the allegations of the attack stressing that no Tarok youth rustled Fulani cattle.

The leader said, “it was when the crisis was intense that our youths used to rustle their cattle, because they burnt down our homes, but now that there is peace we no longer rustle their cattle.

Other people may be rustling the Fulani cattle but they always want to blame us.”

When contacted for comment, the Plateau state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Emmanuel Abu said he could not verify the incident, saying the DPO in charge of the area was not

around.

In a related development yesterday, members of the Police anti-bomb squad, in Plateau state detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) mounted in Laranto market in of Jos North local government of Plateau state.

The detonated IED which was confirmed by the Plateau state Special Task Force (STF) , said the IED was discovered close to; Tin City school of Electronics under a culvet at Laranto market area in Jos north local government area of the state.

STF spokesman Captain Ikedichi Iweha who confirmed the incident said the bomb was detonated without hitches, calling on people in the state to be watched dog of their environment.

Captain added that “terrorists from the north east are looking for areas to cause trouble especially during this festive season. We urge people to remain vigilant and never take things for granted.”

Aspirants boycott Taraba APC Primaries From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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hree Governorship Aspirants of the Taraba State APC have Thursday boycotted the party primaries, saying, they are jointly dissatisfied with the process.

The aspirants, Dr. Mohammed Julde Suleiman, Alh. M.T. Ibrahim and Barr. Yusufu Akirikwen, in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the electoral committee, Hon Kola Shittu, complained about the processes and irregularities observed in the gubernatorial primaries, adding that the chairman was in Jalingo some days before the election day without their consent.

“This development is considered unacceptable in any Democratic setting”.

It was further gathered that the concerned aspirants requested from the chairman, all necessary information including list of accredited delegates to accord them successful participation in the process of the primaries, but all requests were turned down.

“But this request has not been honoured by you, even though you are eager to go ahead with the process of the primaries regardless of the fact our request has been denied.

“We are ready and also prefer to opt out of the primaries as our request has not been met by your committee”.

When contacted, the state chairman APC, Jika Ardo said it’s not party’s constitution to release list of delegates to aspirants.

Meanwhile, another aspirant, Zakari Aliyu was disqualified because he had two indigene certificates, while the only remaining aspirant, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan participated in the process.

Representative of the Director, Tertiary Education Department, Ministry of Education, Mr. Johnathan Mbaka (8th left), in a group photograph with staff of Federal Ministry of Education and contestants in the Grand Finale of the 2014 National Youth Debate Competition, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Oil price drop won’t distort economy, Jonathan assures …Confers 2014 National Merit Award on Osundare

By Lawrence Olaoye

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resident Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians and foreign investors that the current slide in the crude price at the international market would not adversely affect the nation’s economy.

Jonathan gave the assurance yesterday while receiving a delegation of multinational industrial giant, General Electric (GE), led by its Vice Chairman and CEO, Mr. John Rice, at the Presidential Villa.

The President said that the government would do everything

possible to maintain domestic economic stability, and urged the company to maintain its confidence in the country.

“We promise our people that even with the drop in oil prices, the economy will be stable.

“I urge you to maintain the confidence you have in this country before the oil price drop, and even expect better management from us.

“Sometimes, it is when you are challenged that you do better than when everything looks good.

“So, I assure you, other investors in this country and all Nigerians that the government

will do everything necessary to stabilise the economy and that the drop in the price of crude oil will not create so much distortion in our economy,’’ he said.

The President thanked GE for its commitment to increase its investment in Nigeria with the attendant benefit of job creation for many more Nigerians.

The GE boss expressed his company’s appreciation of the support and encouragement being extended by the Federal Government to foreign investors and assured the President that fluctuations in global oil prices will not affect the commitment of

GE to the country.

President Jonathan also yesterday conferred the 2014 National Order of Merit Award on a renowned poet, Prof. Niyi Osundare, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Osundare emerged the 71st recipient of the award which commenced in 1979 with the investiture of the late renowned author, Chinua Achebe.

He was presented with a medal and certificate while the award also has a N10million cash reward which the President said would be made available to the winner electronically.

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PAGE 5

News Bauchi 2015: Group urges Jonathan to endorse FCT minister From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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political group known as democracy and justice vanguard had urged President Goodluck Jonathan to without any further delay endorse the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir to rescue the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) or forfeit the slot to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

The protem chairman of the group, Alhaji Bala Rambo stated this in a chat with newsmen in Bauchi saying that endorsement of the FCT Minister is the only panacea that will serve as a gauge valve with the current drama between Governor Yuguda and the PDP chairman, Mua’zu who

are desperate to plant their loyalist to succeed the governor come 2015.

Rambo added that the timely intervention of Mr President is the only solution to rescue the PDP from being hijacked by the

two political gladiators whose personal interest is fast consuming the popularity, acceptability and influence of the party in Bauchi state.

“We urge Mr. president not to hesitate in its renewed

commitment to intervene in the current political quark mare in Bauchi state, with a view to allow the FCT Minister to take over from Yuguda, if at all PDP want to avoid the disgrace it suffered from the opposition in 2007” said Bala.

Royal father warns against do-or-die politics

Katsina NDLEA burns N800m worth of illicit drugs

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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ational Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Katsina Command has burnt 6, 795.213 Kilograms of illicit drugs seized by the agency in the state.

Speaking during the destruction of these drugs, yesterday in Katsina, the state commander of the agency in the state, Hajiya Maryam Gambo Sani said the quantity of drugs seized from 558 convicts were worth N800 million.

The commander noted that the drugs destroyed are made up of 5, 878.990 kilograms on cannabis sativa and 916.223 kilograms of psychotropic substances, adding that the drugs destroyed were those seized from persons convicted by the courts.

She further disclosed that between January to November 2014 had arrested 571 suspects out which according to her 17 females, stressing that the destruction of the drugs ‘is an indication of our common grief and anger against the drug menace’.

In his remark, the Chairman of NDLEA, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade raised alarm that West Africa is under attack from narcotictrafficking while lamenting that insurgent and criminal groups are threatening the stability of the sub-region.

He similarly stressed that besides the burning of the illicit drugs, the is adopting measures to identify, trace, freeze and confiscate illicit drug proceeds.

Also speaking Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina state, expressed satisfaction with the seizure of the illicit drugs made by the agency, saying that it had prevented them from getting into the hands of youth.

The group had described the FCT Minister as the only credible person worthy to govern the state, following his giant stride in FCT, apart from his commitment to ensure the corporate existence of Nigeria when he move for the implementation of doctrine of necessity during the dark days of late president Yar’adua at the senator chamber.

“We are challenging those claiming to be agents of the FCT Minister and by extension serve as their bread winner through juicy contracts for keeping silence in the struggle to actualize the governorship dream of the FCT in spite of the benefit they enjoy with a promise to canvass support for the Minister” Rambo fumed”

From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, and Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, during the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primaries, yesterday in Sokoto.

Photo: NAN

NEMA blames incessant building collapse on architectural designs From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

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he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has blamed incessant collapse of buildings caused by flood and other manmade disasters across the country on the poor architectural designs and the use of inferior building material, ineffective building codes as well.

Speaking yesterday at the opening ceremony of a one day workshop titled ‘building community resilience through better laws and communitymanaged early warning system’ organised by NEMA, the head of the Sokoto operations office, Alhaji Sa’ad Bello emphasised

the need to educate the general public on the importance of early warning information.

Represented by his assistant, Thickman Tanimu, the head of the Sokoto operations office said, the attitude of neglect in ensuring effective building codes has resulted into the disasters of building collapse, the incident which had claimed the lives of sizeable number of people and properties across the country.

He stressed that the use of warning system has eventually required the adoption of a people-centred approach that focuses not only the science and technology behind the early warning, but also on the social and psychological aspects of early warning, eraly action, and

on activities to build a culture of prevention rather than the short term response.

“Ensuring citizens’ safety is a primary responsibility of government, but must forge partnership with local leaders, civil society, the private sector, the scientific and academic communities, and the media to implement effective early warning system”, said Alhaji Bello.

In a shoot aside interview, the assistant head of the SOO, Thickman Tanimu, added that, the aims were also to enlighten the general public to consider number of signs naturally given by the some animals and birds on the possible attacks by any disaster around the communities.

President Jonathan condoles Anyiam Osigwe family

By Lawrence Olaoye

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resident Goodluck Ebele Jonathan yesterday extended his heartfelt condolences to the AnyiamOsigwe family on the untimely death of their son, brother, husband and father, Nze Micheal Anyiam-Osigwe.

A State House statement signed by Reuben Abati,Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)

said, “President Jonathan joins them in mourning Nze Michael who, like his brothers, was his very good friend and associate.

“The President believes that the late CoordinatorGeneral of the AnyiamOsigwe Foundation who was particularly committed to promoting national unity and progress through education will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

“President Jonathan also believes that the AnyiamOsigwe Foundation’s Memorial Lectures which have featured many distinguished personalities including serving and former Heads of States and Government from all parts of the world will stand to Nze Michael’s eternal credit.

“The President prays that Almighty God will receive Nze Michael’s soul and grant him eternal rest.”

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s 2015 election draws nearer, Kpop Ham Dr. Danladi Gyet Moude of Jaba Chiefdom of kaduna state yesterday warned politicians in the country to resist any tendency that may bring disharmony among the people, saying politics is not a do-or die affair.

According to him, there should be respect among politicians, instead of hatred.

He said Nigerian politicians as it’s now need to sustain all democratic principles with regards to the way they play politics.

The royal father made the plea when he received stakeholders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Zango Kataf local government area of Kaduna state who paid him homage at his palace in Jaba local government area of the state.

He further urged the southern kaduna people to unite themselves and to reject any divisive actions during the next coming election.

Mr. Yohanna Allahmagani who led the delegation to the royal father’s palace, said zoning arrangement between Jaba and Zango Kataf federal constituency still stands for equity and justice among the people of the area.

“This visit was at instant of PDP stakeholders to strengthen the bond of unity among the politicians towards the peaceful conduct of next Saturday primaries for legislators in the state,” he said.

While former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Juri Babang Ayock appreciated the existing understanding between the two local government areas in the zone 3.

It could be recalled that former state commissioner of finance, Mr. Sunday Katung was endorsed by the stakeholders in the zone to flag the party for the federal constituency.

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

News Jonathan urges more women in development

By Maryam Garba Hassan

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resident Goodluck Jonathan has harped on the need for women empowerment and more involvement of them in the socio-economic development of the country.

He said this will lead to the achievement of maximum progress and development.

Jonathan made the call while receiving an award at the Women Empowerment Leaders Award, a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Lady Mechanic Initiative (LMI).

The President, who spoke through the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, regretted that women and girls have been disillusioned and unable to develop their full potentials due to stereotype in the past.

Commending the initiator of the Lady Mechanic Initiative, Lady Sandra Aguebor Epkeruoh, for creating an entry point for women into a male dominated business, Jonathan said the development shows that women have overcome role of stereotype.

“Let me commend the indefatigable Lady Sandra

Aguebor Ekperuoh, NPOM for creating an entry point for women to one of the most lucrative enterprises which hitherto was dominated by men. I salute her courage and resilience considering what she must have gone through

within the last ten years in a male dominated profession.”

Earlier in her welcome address, the Founder and Initiator Lady Mechanic Academy, Sandra Aguebor, said the LMI was created to help young women escape

the clutches of despair and poverty.

She noted that more than 2,000 young women apply for the programme yearly, regretting however that there is space for only 150 trainees per annum.

Catholic Bishop of Yola, Most Rev. Stephen Mamza (left), presenting relief material to an internally displaced women, yesterday at St. Theresa Cathedral, Jimeta, in Yola. With him is NEMA Adamawa state IDPs Camps Leader, Mr. Saad Bello (middle).

Photo: NAN

Niger speaker holds special session for disabled persons From Yakubu Mustapha,Minna.

N

iger state House of Assembly Speaker, Barrister Adamu Usman has held special session with the association of persons living with disabilities in Minna as part of activities to mark this year’s International Day of Persons with Disability, with the view of educating them on the programmes designed for their welfare.

Barrister Usman disclosed that a private bill he personally sponsored and passed into law by the state legislature has been assented to by the

governor.

He said, the law provides for the establishment of a commission to cater for the protection, rehabilitation and wellbeing of person with disabilities in the state.

The speaker, who assured members of the association that the next state legislature would ensure full implementation of the law, sa id he dec ided t o s p o ns o r the bill because of his passion and interest for improved living condition of physically challenged persons in the state.

He explained that with the assent of the law by the

governor, the state legislature is fulfilled on its mission to create a sense of belonging to persons with disabilities.

Usman advised members of the association not to be discouraged by their disabilities; rather they should be challenged to be self reliant, adding that there is ability in disability.

The speaker therefore, urged the sate ministry of gender affairs and social development to put all the necessary structures in place to ensure speedy take off of the commission.

In their separate remarks, Chairman State Joint

Association of Persons with Disabilities and People Affected with Polio, Isah Umar and Awal Ahmad commended the speaker for his foresight and prayed God to reward him.

They described the passage of the bill by the state legislature as a milestone in the life of disabled persons in the state, adding that they would ever remain grateful to the speaker for the initiative.

It would be recalled that the speaker, Barrister Adamu Usman had earlier sponsored a private member bill that gave birth to the establishment of the state vigilante corps which is now operational in the state.

Kaduna Poly wins gold at national education exhibition From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

K

aduna Polytechnic has won the gold medal (Polytechnics category) at the just concluded 3rd National Education Innovations Exhibition held at the old parade ground Abuja.

The Exhibition was organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Federal

Ministries of Communication Technology, Health, Science & Technology and Industries Trade & Investment.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the institute’s Deputy Registrar, Information & Protocol Alhaji Lawal Muhammadu Kamba and made available to newsmen in the state.

He said Kaduna Polytechnic team stormed the event with catalogues of Innovations

such as tomatoes processing plant, Acha and Rice DeStoning Machine, Motor control panel, Solar Tracker, Textiles materials, Sugar Cane Juice Extracting Machine, ENACTUS Project Evergreen, Briquette Machines etc.

The Sugar Cane Extracting Machine won the trophy for the Institution.

R e c t o r , K a d u n a Polytechnic, Dr. Mohammed Bello Ibrahim who led the

Institution team to the occasion commended the organisers for the event.

He said the leadership position of Kaduna Polytechnic in the comity of Polytechnics in Nigeria, especially in the area of entrepreneurship education is no longer in doubt.

He assured that the Polytechnic will continue to train students to be employers of labour after graduation.

Eagle square blast: Court directs Legal Aid Council to get counsel for Okah

By A’isha Biola Raji

J

ustice Gabriel O. Kolawole of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday, directed that the legal aid council to liaise with the DCR, (Deputy Court Registrar) litigation, to source for a counsel for Charles Okah, the younger brother to ex-leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Henry Okah.

The court directed that the legal aid should work with the court registrar to acquire for the accused, a counsel who had practiced for minimum of 10 years and qualified for becoming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

He warned that if after the counsel had been appointed, and it is established that the accused is not cooperating, it would be taken that they (accused) are deliberately frustrating the proceeding of the court.

Okah, alongside one Obi Nwabueze, are facing trial for the 2010 Independence Day twin bomb blasts at the Eagle Square, that led to the death of not less than 12 people, with several others injured.

According to the Judge, even though the second accused person Obi Nwabueze has not decided whether he is in need of a counsel or not, as he has not expressed his preference, there is no way the trial could continue without a counsel representing the accused. He said, “The human rights commission should be able to take such cases.”

The prosecutor, Dr Alex Iziyon SAN urged court to disregard the jurisprudent as Okah is using his words to deceive the court. He said, “The accused is using the excuse to delay the court proceeding; my Lord, do not be swayed by his eloquent speech.”

Charles Okah had pleaded that the state grants him a counsel due to his financial status. Also based on the fact that, he had not been granted bail as to be able to raise money for a new counsel.

He said, “If I had been granted bail like the Boko Haram suspect, Senator Ali Ndume who still receives salary monthly, my financial situation won’t be like this.

“I am requesting for a state assisted counsel preferably, one that is of equivalent status as that which was provided by the state as prosecution that is SAN.” The judge also pointed that Okah’s offence is a capital offence.

He however adjourned the case to 19th-25th February 2015.

He also ordered that both accused be taken back to Kuje prison where they will be able to hold conferences with the appointed counsel.

It will be recalled that one of the alleged organizers of the bombing, Mr Osvwo Tekemfa Francis, a.k.a ‘General-Gbokos’, died in prison while the trial was going on, as the high court, in a part judgment, jailed one of the accused persons, Edmund Ebiware, to life imprisonment.

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PAGE 7

Tax Alert

TAXPAYERS REGISTRATION, ASSESSMENT AND COLLECTION WITH STANDARD INTEGRATED GOVERNMENT TAX ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM (SIGTAS) Standard Integrated Government Tax Administration System (SIGTAS) which was created in Created in Canada by CRC Sogema is in place in over 20 countries around the world with implementation currently underway in several other countries. It was ccustomized to reflect Nigeria tax legislation and it replaces the current Web portal systemused for all taxpayers and all tax types in Nigeria.

All taxpayers will be registered in SIGTAS. In SIGTAS, a taxpayer can be an individual, a small business, or a legal entity, such as a partnership or a large incorporated company. Also, small businesses (unincorporated) are registered under their owners. These businesses are called “Individual Enterprises.”For incorporated businesses, details of directors/partners are recorded.

These are recognized in SIGTAS as “Non-Individual Enterprises”.

Transfer of Taxpayers to SIGTAS With the launching of SIGTAS, data from Webportal will be converted into SIGTAS, and a new Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) will be automatically assigned to each taxpayer .Tax balances will also be transferred into SIGTAS. And a single and unique TIN will be issued to cover all taxpayer’s affairs.

value (50% of Line 3). Although the taxpayer has recorded this on his return as N500, SIGTAS applies the configured formula for the assessment calculation for this tax type, and corrects the figure to N1000 for the purpose of the assessment.

Assessment Issued • After verification of the data capture, the assessment is calculated and printed.

• Assessments are then sent to taxpayers • If there is any discrepancy, assessments are based on SIGTAS’ calculations, not the taxpayer’s.

• The assessment shows the taxpayer’s name, TIN, tax type, tax period, summary information from the lines of the remittance, the amount of tax payable and the due date. It also bears a unique document number.

Payment • The taxpayer presents the assessment document to the Bank cashier, along with a cheque or cash payment.

• The unique document number identifies the taxpayer, tax type, tax period, amount due and due date when it is captured into SIGTAS.

OVERDUE PAYMENTS • If the payment is not received by the due date, the account is included in a report for collection action, and a reminder notice is generated automatically and sent to the taxpayer.

• Again, the reminder bears a unique document number, so that it too can be used for payment purposes.

• After double-checking to ensure this information matches what is on the document, the cashier accepts the payment and posts it to the account, issuing the taxpayer with a receipt generated from SIGTAS. Payments can only be made when associated with a SIGTASgenerated document – if the assessment notice itself is not available, another payment document can be printed from SIGTAS for this purpose.

Audit • The progress and result of an audit are recorded in SIGTAS. TAX RETURN SUBMISSION If a discrepancy is identified, a reassessment can be generated from • Taxpayer submits tax return according to schedule for SIGTAS based on the new figures. particular tax type.

• The reassessment notice bears a unique document number, • Tax return is registered into SIGTAS with unique so that it can be used as a payment document by taxpayers. document Collection number.

• Tax debts remaining unpaid after a final notice has been • For certain tax types, supporting documents such as issued can be handled by SIGTAS, through which cases are Financial managed and tracked Statements can also be registered on the taxpayer’s file.

For cases eventually referred to Tax Investigation, the SIGTAS Tax Account and the Collection history can together contribute to the TAX RETURN DATA CAPTURED background material required for litigation.

• If the tax return form (remittance) has been fully filled out, Objection data from each line is captured into SIGTAS. • A taxpayer who disagrees with an assessment (either the • As data is captured, SIGTAS displays the correct values original assessment, or a reassessment generated as the result of an for calculated fields, in addition to whatever the taxpayer has audit), may lodge an objection. submitted (using two columns).Line 3: 2,000 2,000 • The objection is registered and then processed in SIGTAS. Line 4: 500 1,000 All requests and information about ITAS implementation should be For example, Line 3 is a declared value and Line 4 is a calculated forwarded to : Itas.changemanagement@firs.gov.ng

Registration and account setup for New Taxpayers on SIGTAS • The taxpayer submits a completed registration form to JTB/ FIRS. • The form is verified and its data captured into SIGTAS • The TIN request process ensures that conditions are met for the issuance of the new TIN. • A single and unique TIN is issued to cover all taxpayer’s affairs.

• All required tax accounts are connected to a taxpayer’s single and unique TIN. Tax accounts include: Value added Tax (VAT), Company Income Tax (CIT), Withholding Tax (WHT), Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) etc.

In SIGTAS, all the different tax types are configured with the appropriate rules which apply to them, such as schedule, tax period, formulae for assessment calculations, penalties, etc.

PAGE 8

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

News Igala day summit holds December 13

By Albert Akota

T

he much awaited Igala Day Summit is now scheduled to hold on December 13, 2014 at the Area 10 Old Parade Ground, Garki in Abuja.

The summit which is been convene by the Ayegba People’s Assembly, a Socio-cultural organization of the Igala people from Kogi State is aimed at addressing issues affecting the Iglala kingdom.

According to the convener, Comrade Ocholi Ameh Oboni, the convocation of the Igala Summit is to talk on the issues bothering population demography, dredging of the River Niger, proposed Igala national radio station and television and the Igala national sovereign conference 2015 to commemorate 500 years of Princess Inikpi.

He said other socio–political discourse will be deliberated upon.

Comrade Oboni while urging all Igala son and daughters to participate actively in the epoch making event, said lectures will be delivered by Dr. Tom Miachi and Prof Sam Egwu.

ACF commends Army, others for repelling insurgents in Damaturu

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

A

rewe Consultative Forum (ACF) has commended the action of military with the support of other security agencies, including the civilian JTF in securing Damaturu, Konduga, Mubi, Hong and other towns in Adamawa state in repelling the deadly attacks by the militants.

This was contained in statement signed by National Publicity Secretary of ACF and made available to media in Kaduna.

The statement also urged the communities to be proactive in sharing intelligence with military and other security agencies in order to prevent any likely attack by the insurgents.

The statement read in part, “The attack on Damaturu, Yobe state capital and Konduga in Borno state by Boko Haram militants on Monday 10/1214 where hundreds of innocent people were killed, were most unfortunate and disturbing.

“However, the recent success recorded by the military and other security agencies in repelling the deadly attacks by the militants in Damaturu and Konduga are most encouraging and soothing.

“The action clearly demonstrates how gallant our military could be, when properly equipped with the necessary arsenals, logistics and moral support.

“ACF therefore wishes to call on federal government to re-double the current effort, reinforce the fighting troops and security agencies including and especially intelligence outfits in all the areas of confrontation so as to keep the current success

National President, Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA), Mrs. Felly Minimah (middle), inaugurating new block of classrooms at Guards Brigade NAOWA Day-Care and Primary School, Mambilla Barracks, yesterday in Abuja. With her are, Zonal Coordinator, Guards Brigade, NAOWA, Mrs. Stella Omozoje (left), and Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Guards Brigade, Major Charles Ekeocha (right).

Photo: NAN

Umar left N14.8bn debt – new Taraba Ag. Gov

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T

he Taraba State Acting Governor, Alh. Sani Abubakar Danladi has said that the State Government is indebted to the tune of over 14 billion naira, a situation which according to him has created hard times for government to run its affairs, even to pay workers’ salaries.

Danladi expressed this when the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Jalingo.

He explained that the state government’s indebtedness

followed overdraft and loans collected by his predecessor, Alh. Garba Umar during the two years of his administration as Acting Governor, pointing out that such action succeeded in crippling government’s activities.

“I enjoin Civil Servants and NLC to be patient with government of the day as efforts are being intensified to address the situation and I want you to know that things are no longer as they were before October, 2012”, he advised.

The Acting Governor, who also blamed Civil Servants for allowing politicians meddle into

government affairs, assured that he would make a state-wide broadcast next week with a view to letting the public be aware of the monetary position of the state treasury.

Sani Abubakar further directed all suspended Accountants to as a matter of urgency return back to their duty posts, adding that due process was not followed before their suspension.

Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Taraba State Chapter, Comrade Mark Magaji said that they were in Government House to congratulate him over his

victory at the Supreme Court, his reinstatement as the Deputy Governor and confirmation by the House of Assembly as Acting Governor.

While assuring the Acting Governor the Workers’ unalloyed loyalty to enable him succeed, Comrade Magaji complained of nonpayment of civil servants’ salaries for the months of September, October and November, 2014. He poised that with Sani Abubakar Danladi at the whelm of affairs, peace will definitely return to crisis prone areas, with an optimism that those who were displaced would return to their places of abode.

visit to the National Secretariat of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna.

According to him, top military officers, politicians, contractors and government officials are smiling to the banks daily with millions and that is why they do not want the insurgency come to an end.

“We all know that some people are benefiting from this insurgency

and that’s why they don’t give a damn to the number of lives lost or property destroy in as much as their bank accounts is growing.

“On a serious note, I know what I’m saying. I have information about this. If not for the benefits this well placed Nigerians are getting from the insurgency, they would have stopped this madness long ago. Let me also inform you that if Jonathan is re-elected he

will not stop boko haram and that is why we (Nigerians) have to think twice before electing him for another four years,” he said.

Okorocha who said he was at the ACF office to solicit the support of those he termed as fathers, promised that he will stop insurgency if elected as president without any hassle, because all he has to do is to make it nonprofitable to those benefiting from

Well placed Nigerians feeding fat on Boko Haram -Okorocha T From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

he Governor of Imo State and presidential aspirant under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Owele Rochas Okorocha has said that some well placed Nigerians are feeding fat on the Boko Haram insurgency at the expense of deaths of innocent Nigerians.

He stated this when he paid a

Economy badly managed under Jonathan- Atiku From Ayodele Samuel,Lagos

F

ormer Vice President and All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Aspirants, Atiku Abubakar has pledged to reposition the economy of the country if elected the next president in the 2015 general elections.

Abubakar, who was in Jalingo on a familiarization visit with Taraba APC delegates for the next party convention coming up in Lagos, said the country’s

economy has badly managed under President Goodluck Jonathan.

“For the fact that there is drastic fall in the prices of crude oil, petroleum is not reason enough why the country should go into economic crisis, the reason why the country is passing through economic crisis is because the economy has been badly managed in the last six years”. He added that if the economy has been properly managed, there wouldn’t be

any crisis even if the price of oil comes down.

Atiku Abubakar further disclosed that the logical thing to do is to have a sound economic management which according to him, APC government is about to offer.

Former Vice President reiterated the need for the people of the state to have a change of government, pointing out that the time has come for them to abandon the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and vote for the All

Progressives Congress (APC).

“Votes for PDP should be stopped, all should vote for the APC, PDP will never produce any tangible thing in Nigeria, take for instance, insurgency in the North East, which PDP led government cannot surmount”.

While calling on Delegates to vote for Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan as their Governorship candidate, he added that a vote for Aisha is a vote for APC taking over Taraba State Government House in 2015.

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PAGE 9

News

Ogbomoso University senior staff begin strike

From Seyi Ojelade, Ibadan

S

enior Staff Association of Nigerian University (SSANU), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso Branch has commenced indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries and allowances by the owner states.

A female member of the association, Mrs. Oyekanmi was reported dead of terminal disease on Tuesday due to lack of funds to buy usual medications which she

has been using for the past years.

The Chairman of SSANU, LAUTECH branch Comrade Alesinloye Abimbola Muraina disclosed this on Thursday at a press conference held in Ibadan, explained that the said indefinite strike began on Wednesday December 3, 2014.

He said the step became necessary when the Union lost a female member due to nonavailability of money to take care of her hospital bill when needed, while many of our members’

children have been sent out of school for inability to pay up their wards school fees.

He disclosed that the university management has informed the union that funds to defray the outstanding arrears of allowances and salaries are not available because owner states government (Osun and Oyo) kept defaulting in fulfilling their financial obligations.

Specifically, he alleged that Osun state was yet to release salary bills for the months

of December, 2013 and July, August, September, October and November, 2014 saying despite all these, our members have been left to starve while they continue to work. “the Congress of SSANU, LAUTECH Branch having critically examined the trend in non-fulfillment of the University Management obligation of payment of salaries albeit systematically reducing our members to ‘working beggars’ decided to apply last but

L-R: Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Muhammad , NPCDA Director, Primary Health Care System Development, Dr. Nnnem Ihebuzor, and NPCDA Head, Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development, Dr. Madani Thiam, during the constitution and inauguration of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) to scale-up access to zinc and oral rehydration salt in Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

FG, states urged to provide adequate security in tertiary Institutions From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

T

he Federal and state governments have been called upon to provide adequate security in tertiary institutions in the country particularly in the north east in view of the current prevailing insecurity.

The provost of the newly established Bauchi State Institute of Education, Dr Garba Ibrahim Kirfi gave the advice yesterday in a press briefing held at the Conference Hall of the Institute.

Kirfi observed that most of the

tertiary institutions particularly Colleges of Education do not have fences and security personnel on their school campuses, thereby exposed to security threats.

The provost emphasized that the security tertiary institutions require is different from those being provided in government establishments like secretariats because tertiary institution admits thousands of students from diverse background.

He also stressed the need for government to allow tertiary institution to set up and manage

their security outfits saying “we have thousands of youths from diverse background and there is always a lot of conflicts among them so there is need for security unit to manage the conflict”.

The Provost disclosed that 1,450 students are undergoing existing Programmes in the institute while the institute has 53 staff handling the courses. He expressed the determination of the Institute to recruit more staff.

According to him, the existing programmes are Basic Certificate in Adult Education,

Certificate in Adult education, Diploma in Adult Education and Diploma inEconomics and Social Development.

Dr Kirfi said plans are on the way by the management of the Institute to introduce more vocational skills for out of school youth as a way to empower them to be useful to themselves and the society.

He commended Isa Yuguda led administration for the establishment of the institute in order to train more teachers to increase access to education.

Oyo ex-SSG calls for diversification of non-oil sector From Seyi Ojelade, Ibadan

T

he former Secretary to the Oyo State Government and immediate past chairman, Odu’a Investment company limited, Chief Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli has said that Nigeria’s failure to diversify into the non-oil sector during the oil boom era was one of the greatest undoing’s of the successive leaders in Nigeria, especially since the recent oil windfalls which earned the nation billions of dollars annually among the comity of other oil producing nations in the world.

With the recent fall of the price of crude oil in the international market, Alli, a lawyer, businessman and politician gunning for the governorship ticket of Labour Party in Oyo State said all hope should not be seen as lost yet, saying there is still hope for the country if the leaders can put on their thinking caps now and begin prudent management of meager resources accruing to the purse of the government.

As state governments are finding it difficult in paying workers salaries due to the dwindling allocations, Alli said his

home state of Oyo could withstand its current state of paucity of funds if those in the saddle could muster enough courage to curb noticeable wastage, capital flights and other sundry spendings like junketing across the globe without corresponding effects on investment drive to boost the economy of the state.

Alli said that the state has the capacity to be financially independent if the resources are properly utilised adding that, ‘Oyo State would still be flourishing if funds have not been wasted on projects that were not masses

oriented.’

During a mega rally organised by his campaign team in Ibadan, Alli expressed worry that older politicians were still aspiring to hold sensitive positions after being in the saddle for several decades.

He said, “Today, government is saying that it has no money to execute projects and pay salaries.

I think this is false claim that is totally avoidable if the government had planned for the future of the state. What has it done with the huge allocation collected in the past years before the recent problem? “

painful option of embarking on an indefinite strike until the salaries of October, November and the last tranche of accrued 2009/2010, 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 earned allowances are fully paid.” He said.

SSANU boss added that the on-going strike action is inconjunction with unions and university associations called on parents and guardians to prevail over the issue at so as to stop National University Commission (NUC) from canceling 2013/2014 academic session which is pending within the school calendar.

Muraina further explained that, the deceased member of union has been on medications using her monthly salaries and allowances to manage her ailment but when there is no money to further her treatment, she gave up.

He however called on the Chancellor of the institution, former governor of Lagos state and National Leader All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come and rescue the situation.

Jigawa govt, police disagree over Lamido’s missing car From Edwin Olofu, Dutse

T

here is sharp disagreement between the Nigeria Police Command Jigawa state and the state government over governor, Sule Lamido’s missing ‘official’ car.

While the Police told newsmen yesterday in Dutse Jigawa state capital that a Land cruiser SUV an official escort of the Jigawa state governor was snatched at gun point by armed robbers.

But the Director of Press to the governor, Umar Kyari who spoke to Peoples Daily of phone denied knowledge of the governors missing car, saying that he is surprised by reports reaching him that the governor’s ‘official car’ was missing.

Kyari further clarified that none of the governor’s official car is missing, noting that a car attached to the Protocol department was stolen, stating that the stolen car is not in the in the governor’s convoy.

However, in an interview with our reporter, the Jigawa state Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Abdul Jinjiri said armed robbers snatched an SUV Land Cruiser which he said is the official escort vehicle in the governor’s convoy.

He added that the driver of the vehicle is still in detention being interrogated by the police over the missing SUV, noting that “although he may be granted bail but as I speak to you the driver is being questioned over the missing vehicle of the governor’s convoy”.

Jinjiri stated.

News

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PAGE 10

NGO asks Nigerians to stand up for democracy

By Ahmed Abubakar

W

ith the general elections two months away next year, and amidst fears of violence, a non-governmental organisation, Stand Up For Nigeria has appealed strongly to Nigerian youths to say no to violence and resist being used by politicians.

The group, which is youth driven, in a statement by its Secretary, Adeyemi Moyegun, drew attention of Nigerians to the recently published report of the International Crisis Group warning of the danger of electoral violence “before, during and after the February 2015 state and federal elections”.

Stand Up For Nigeria which draws its members from across the country noted that the “current political, ethnic and religious tensions mean the danger is very real.

“During the previous elections in 2011, more than 500 people were killed and thousands displaced. The ongoing terrorist insurgency in the northeast of Nigeria potentially adds to the danger this time.

“It is imperative that such violence is not repeated, and that instead the elections unite our nation, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.

“Stand Up For Nigeria is committed to ensuring that violence is avoided, and has published a code of conduct for the elections, with do’s and don’ts for parties, campaigners and voters. Our message is the same as ever: stand up for Nigeria.

“This means conducting the election campaign in the spirit of democracy and pluralism. Nigerians can disagree about which parties or candidates they prefer, while respecting the rights of their compatriots to think and vote differently”.

The group noted that “In a healthy democracy, elections are fiercely contested and arguments are often passionate, but political differences must never be allowed to descend into violence.

“Nigeria is a young democracy, but after several decades of instability and even civil war, there is at last a generation of young voters who have only ever known democracy.

“We are the voice of that generation, and we ask all Nigerians to seize the opportunity to establish our country once and for all as a peaceful democracy in which differences are resolved at the ballot box and not on the streets.

“We understand that after several years of insurgency, Nigerians are tired, stressed and weary, but we pray that they will not allow their frustrations to bubble into violence that would threaten the very existence of democracy in Nigeria.

“We believe that the future of our country is bright. But it is up to us all to build that future, and fulfill Nigeria’s destiny. This means that before during and after the polls, we must be vigilant, cool-headed and committed to nonviolence.

“As patriotic Nigerians, we are determined to use the elections in February to unite our nation and not divide them. We call on our compatriots of all political persuasions to join us, and to Stand Up For Nigeria”.

Ruqayyatu, Okojie, others bag ECAN excellence awards

By Maryam Garba Hassan

E

ducation Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (ECAN), Abuja Chapter, has organised its first annual awards of excellence in Abuja.

The annual event which is the association’s maiden edition, appreciated both serving and former captains of the education sector for their various contributions to the development of the sector at all levels in the country.

Recipients of the awards include former minister of education, Prof.

Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, who received the award for the Most Outstanding

Contributor to the development of education in Nigeria, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr. Mac John Nwabiala, Pillar of education transformation, Prof.

Julius Okojie, Executive Secretary, NUC, for Most Outstanding Contributor to revamping of University education.

Others are the immediate past Minister of state for education, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, for Promoting Quality Basic Education, Executive Secretary of National Examination Council, NECO, Prof. Promise Akpala, for being the Most Innovative Chief Executive Officer in the sector among others.

In his welcome address, Minister of Education and

Chairman of the occasion, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, represented by his Special Adviser Media, Chief Nnamdi Olegbaratu, said education is key to everything and mother of all professions.

He said no nation can rise above it educational level and teachers.

He commended ECAN for introducing pay back system by appreciating deserving educationists and stakeholders who have performed well in their respective organisations.

In his welcome address, Chairman ECAN Abuja Chapter, Chukwuyen Ukwuatu, said ECAN as the integral part of the activities of all stakeholders in the education sector, took the

decision to undertake an appraisal of activities of the players in the sector with a view of making judgment on their performances and devising the awards as the association’s commendation for useful efforts.

According to him, the recipients of the awards have distinguish themselves in the areas of their individual or corporate assignment and are fit for any award as many of them are already recipients of various awards from other sources which he said confirms the legitimacy and transparency of the association’s judgment.

He urged the recipients not to relent on the good work they are doing for the benefit of humanity.

L-R: Deputy Corps Marshal, Motor Vehicle Administration, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRCS), Mr. Charles Theophilus, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, and FRSC Corps Marshal, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, during a visit by the FRSC Corps Marshal to Comptroller General of Customs, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Ado-Ekiti jail break: 193 inmates recaptured

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

T

he Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), said its officers recaptured 193 inmates since the attack on Ado-Ekiti

prison.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the service, Ope fatinikun gave this indication in a statement issued yesterday.

The statement appealed

to Nigerians, especially nearest communities and Neighboring states of Ekiti,Ondo,Edo,Oshun,Kogi and Kwara states to watch out and report any suspicious individuals

to the nearest Prisons or Police stations.

It would be recalled that last week attack on the Prison facility in Ado-Ekiti, set free some 435 inmates.

Major shake up at Lagos Police Command From Matthew Aramunde, Lagos

G

olden girl ,Chioma Ajunwa a Chief Superintendent of Police who until her recent deployment this morning was the Divisional Police Officer, Meiran division is among divisional Police officers redeployed in what appeared to be a major shakeup within the Lagos State Police Command.

The move is seen by stakeholders as the Police boss promise when he resumed months ago to rejuvenate and reinvigorate his men in the fight to rid the metropolis of crime and criminality

The posture which is a departure from known norms saw more women given field posting even as career officers were also deployed to do field assignments.

As the news filtered around, there were noticeable relaxation from some men and officers in the Division of the deployed officers who were seen as toughies while in other Divisions there were expressions of sadness and regret for the departing “caring officers”.

A police source who craved anonymity, however posited that the development is an occurrence that every police officer should at all times be prepared for most especially

when it becomes pertinent that is to purposely strategize the command to ensure utmost security in Lagos.

However others feel the manner of the posting brought about by unconventional redeployment of career officers to the field, cannot be devoid of some political undertone most especially as the 2015 general election is fast approaching.

Notables among those who were redeployed are; CSP Aniefiok Akpan who was redeployed as Divisional Police Officer from Pen Cinima Division, Agege to Shomolu Division, SP Williams Akintunde from Oko Oba to Morogbo, CSP Ishola Olanrewaju from Trinity

Division to Apapa Division, W/ CSP Chioma Ajunwa from Meran Division to Isheri Division, W/CSP Aishat Haruna from Ikoyi Division to Lion Building, CSP Monday Agbonika from DFA to Oke Odo Division, CSP Ben Osuji from Igando Division to Area ‘K’ as 2nd In Command, W/CSP Mariam Yusuf 2ic ‘X’ Squad SHQ to Area ‘F’ as 2ic and others.

The Lagos police public Relation Officer, DSP Keneth Nwosu when contacted confirmed the development, positing that it is one of the state police authority’s decision to strengthen the state security at this crucial period.

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Page 11

Money Sense

5 Things on your résumé that makes you look old

By Jacquelyn Smith

A

ge discrimination is still rampant in the workplace; and it often starts before workers even get hired.

A 2013 AARP study found that nearly half of all older job seekers reported being overlooked for a job because of their age.

That’s why it’s so important that you not make yourself seem old on your résumé, says author Marc Miller in a recent LinkedIn post.

“The format and contents of your résumé says a lot about your age,” he says. And no matter how qualified you are, if your résumé makes you “seem” older, there’s a good chance it’ll end up in the “no” pile.

“You do not want to be filtered out by the staff that are screening initial résumés and lose the opportunity to demonstrate your talents and skills,” he says.

To avoid this situation, Miller suggests you stop including these five things on your résumé: 1. Your home address: “For many years, we sent our résumé and cover letter through the mail,” Miller explains. “We put our home address right on the top.”

Today there is no longer a need to put your home address on the résumé, since

“We ditched our home phone five years ago, and I am quite a bit older than 45,” Miller says. “If you still have a home phone and do not want to give out your cell phone number, get a Google Voice number.”

…and 5 signs you’ve found your dream job

By Emmie Martin

D

o you like your coworkers?

We all have our own definition of “dream job.”

Some think it’s about earning a fat pay check or being offered great benefits; others believe it involves having good work-life balance, the ability to help others, or the chance to make the world a better place.

But while many people have defined what a “dream job” means to them, so many can’t figure out whether they’ve actually found one.

Joel Peterson, chairman of JetBlue Airways, says having your dream career means you think you have the greatest job in the world; not just any job, but the best one.

“If you’re planning out your future, you’re not likely to be satisfied with a series of jobs that merely keeps food on the table,” he writes in a recent LinkedIn post.

“Instead, turn your progression of jobs and assignments into a career that creates relationships, promotes learning, and makes a difference.”

Here are five ways to tell if you’ve found your dream job: 1. You excel at your job: “There’s no sense in fighting Mother Nature on the career front,” Peterson says, remembering his days struggling through piano lessons as a child. If you’re not in a position where you can be great at your job, it’s always going to be difficult to truly love it.

Don’t stay in a miserable position where you can’t excel, look for something that better suits your skills and talents.

2. You don’t mind the grunt work: Every job comes with tasks no one wants to do, but if you truly love what you’re doing, these annoying duties become one small part of a larger project. However, if you constantly complain about these small irritants, you’re probably not in the right position. “In your torrent of objections and cautions, you’ll never build a great career — and you might just keep others from achieving their dreams,” Peterson warns.

3. Your job fits your personality type: Whether you have a creative, pragmatic, or analytical mind, your career should reflect

it. For example, trying to make a creative mind work in a cut and dry industry will leave you tired and miserable. Your dream job should seamlessly fit with who are.

“While this alone shouldn’t determine what you choose, make sure you understand your dominant traits and those of industry leaders,” Peterson advises.

4. You like your peers: You should like who you work with; you spend half your week with them, after all. Additionally, genuinely liking your coworkers makes you more productive and motivated at work, while the opposite can actually degrade your performance, Peterson says.

5. You look forward to Mondays: We all love the weekend, but it’s important to look forward to going into work on Monday morning as well. Your job should be an enjoyable part of your life, not simply a vessel to propel you from weekend to weekend. “As Confucius said, ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.’” Peterson quotes.

it’s almost always sent electronically, he explains.

“If the employer needs your home mailing address, they can ask for it.”

2. Your hotmail or AOL email address: One telltale sign that you are over 50 is an aol.com or hotmail.com email address, or one from your cable provider, says Miller.

Create a Gmail account immediately.

3. Your home phone number: Who under the age of 45 still has a landline?

“We ditched our home phone five years ago, and I am quite a bit older than 45,” Miller says. “If you still have a home phone and do not want to give out your cell phone number, get a Google Voice number.”

4. Double spacing after periods: “I am going to go out a limb and declare that putting two spaces after a period is obsolete,” Miller explains. “It is how most of us were taught to type on a typewriter.

Therefore, most of us who do this (I have taught myself to stop putting two spaces after a period and it was hard) are over 50 years of age.”

Miller says he has heard that this has been used as a method of screening out older candidates.

5. Your outdated skills: Limit the skills you list on your résumé to current and relevant ones.

“I could list that I wrote MS-DOS control programs, wrote machine level code developing word processors, managed IBM mainframe computers, and lots of other obsolete technologies,” he says. “Unless I was applying for a position that required these skills, all it tells the reader is I am over 50 years of age and maybe older.” www.insiderbusiness.com

PAGE 12

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

EDITORIAL

We need to show leadership consultants. While the government team discovered that Nigeria had no new evidence to present to the ICJ, the legal consultants believed that an application for a review of the 2002 judgement would not only fail, it “will be diplomatically damaging to Nigeria.”

We at Peoples Daily knew that other than give the impression that the government hadn’t given up on

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P

resident Goodluck Jonathan was right to have resisted pressures from certain quarters to ask for a review of the October 10 2002 decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, taking oil-rich Bakassi peninsula away from Nigeria and giving it to neighbouring Cameroun. Our only quarrel with him is he equivocated on a very sensitive matter that required of him firmness.

First, when he addressed the first ever Plenary Session of the United Nations devoted to rule of law, in New York, President Jonathan declared Nigeria’s “unwavering commitment” to implementing the ICJ decision. Two days later, and back home, he was literally armtwisted by the National Assembly to reconsider his position. He was apparently swayed by the lawmakers’ claim that they had “new and fresh evidence” to force the court to revaluate its decision.

Persuaded, President Jonathan, after a meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly, raised an eight-man committee to advise him on what to do. As it turned out, the so-called fresh evidence was the “discovery” that the National Assembly did not domesticate the judgement of the ICJ as required under the Vienna Convention on treaties. But whose fault was it?

Ours, of course. A case that was raised to such a dizzying height of patriotism collapsed just as quickly.

That we had no chance of getting the ICJ to change its decision was confirmed by two teams the federal government recruited – one made up of governors of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, leaders of the National Assembly, the SGF, justice and foreign affairs ministers as well as DG, National Boundary Commission, and the second comprising international legal

We enjoin the Federal Government to closely monitor developments on the peninsula to ensure Nigerians do not suffer any injustice Bakassi, the naming of the two panels would not fundamentally alter an already bad case. First, we left it too late in the day to reopen the matter; we had a 10-year window to return to the ICJ decision but didn’t until just two days to the judgement becoming status –barred. What difference had proponents of a review hoped to make in that short time? None whatsoever.

The very factors that made us lose Bakassi in the first place are still there, some very much our own making.

First, the notes exchanged between and treaties signed by Britain, Germany and France during the

OUR MISSION “To be the market place of ideas and the leading player in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the truth, maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards while delivering value to our stakeholders”

1884-5 Berlin Conference that broke up Africa into European ‘spheres of influence’ that put Bakassi in what was to become independent Cameroun, a “fact” accepted by the ICJ. Two, the Charter establishing the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the precursor to present AU, accepted the immutability of colonial boundaries; this has not changed till today. Three, a report done by late Justice Teslim Elias, before he became Nigeria’s attorney-general, made it very clear that the disputed peninsula was Cameroun’s, not ours. And four, Nigeria did not begin to change all the maps showing its boundary with Cameroun and placing Bakassi in the territory of the latter until 1994 when Cameroun took its claim to the peninsula to the ICJ. Prince Bola Ajibola, a former Nigerian attorney general and minister of justice, sat on the ICJ panel that decided the Bakassi matter between our country and Cameroun. Ten years on, and at 78, he does not believe we had a good case. “All (we) are now doing is belated and overtaken by events. What (we) ought to have done was to have put (our) house in order before even independence and immediately after independence.” We didn’t and today we have lost the peninsula – for good!

However, this is not to suggest that Nigerians there should be abandoned to their fate. Indeed, the Green Tree Agreement that Nigeria and Cameroun signed at the instance of the UN says Nigerians in Bakassi, though now under Camerounian jurisdiction, must enjoy their inalienable right to protection under the law. We enjoin in the Federal Government to closely monitor developments on the peninsula to ensure Nigerians do not suffer any injustice.

OUR PEOPLE

OUR VISION

Chairman Malam Wada Maida, Oon, Fnge Director/Editor-in-Chief Rufa’i Ibrahim Managing Editor Abdul-Azeez Abdullahi

Chief Operating Officer Ali M. Ali

Deputy Manager, Production Abdul-Rauf Musa

Ag. Editor, Daily Lawal Sabo Ibrahim

Manager, administration Hassan Hammanyaji

Head, Lagos Bureau Adesoji Oyinlola

Acting Editor, Weekend Patrick Andrew

“To be a reputable, profitable, innovative and technologically reliant media company offering world class services and products”

Page 13

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Opinion

Criminal tendencies in a single story (II)

By Adamu Tilde

N

igerian leaders cannot be miraculous changed men or women of their country but the changed men or women of their country’s changed circumstance.

It is not surprising that today, Boko Haram wahala enjoys the same unilateral view from both angle. To many Southerners, particularly those of the lower stratum and those obsessed with false superiority complex, Boko Haram is a grand conspiracy of the Northern elites to destabilize Jonathan’s regime. Never mind the simplicity and hollowness of the postulation and argument.

How will a rational human being destabilizes his enemy’s regime by first destroying himself and his economy and environment?

Similarly, to many Northerners, at the altar of sounding juvenile, Boko Haram is a grand conspiracy by GEJ-led government to downsize, decimate and decapacitate Northern Nigeria. Never occurred to the proponent of this school of thought the many years of illiteracy, poverty, poor distribution of wealth and economic stagnation that characterized the region for so many years—these in so many ways, may contribute to the proliferation and domestication of terrorism.

Thirdly, it is on religion and sectarian affiliation. The common belief, on which perception is built, with respect to single story, is religion. The usual disposition of thought toward the non-member of one religion is total condemnation of his/her belief system. Narrowing the scope of the writing to intrareligion affiliation, one will quickly seen, as evidently displayed here at home and globally represented— the total intolerance of other people interpretation of text. The usual perception is that, for instance, as in my case, I am Sunni Muslim, even in my Sunni affiliation, I am a living witness to the regrettable way of exchanging words and open despisement of the other fraction of the Sunni as a result of differences in the interpretation of text. Giving the single story that we used to hear from our teachers, parent or read from books authored by our sect’s intellectual arm, which is often a portray of the other sect as bad, evil, and many unprintable names while our sect epitomised everything good. With this mindset, one will be full of empty boast of himself and sect that, they are the only good people on earth and any other person represents devil. Our think-tank will never tell us, Oh! Those people you are seeing, they are good in this or that. No, the only thing we will

hear about the other sect is evil.

On this note, I want to illustrate one trend that I found it so disgusting when it comes to unilateral view of issues and single story of personality, says a writer.

For instance, since the serialization of HAJJ AND THE SAUDIS; IN DEFENCE OF SHEIKH; IS THE NORTH A LIP by Malam Adamu Adamu, which revealed to many readers a glimpse romanticism of Malam Adamu with Iran and their policies. From that on, I have read many distasteful comments on his personality which was only judged by the afore-mentioned write-ups, one of the menacing effects of single story. Unbeknown to many of the so-called commentators, Malam Adamu epitomized humility and sincerity. He lives a true life without an iota of pretence. It was reported from impeccable sources that, once his brother built a befitting house for him to relocate, Malam said thanks and declined the offer. He was given a slot of deputy governor in his state, yet he declined. His pen could have secured him billions assuming he is greedy--hence, many writers who are unmatchable to his wit and sagacity are today millionaires, until today, he lives a modest life. It was to his integrity that he was to write one of the aforementioned articles as a result of his

humbleness and humility.

He was supposed to be at Sultan Bello mosque for the marriage solemnization of Namadi’s daughters, he could have been the Walee (the person to give a daughter out for marriage) assuming he is after this temporal world, yet, he openly declined and chose to honour the birthday celebration of his teacher. Funny enough, the very teaching and people that made Malam Adamu a potential monster before their audience, were the very one scavenging on the left-over of political loot. What a pity! And what an incidental hypocrisy!

One interesting thing with Malam Adamu that will left one in astonishment of that paragon of virtues that he represent is, he is not use to missing the fasting of Monday and Thursday. He is with his people.

He lives among them. He loves them and they love him.

Alas! Single story put a blind eye to all these virtues and dwell on shortcomings which are not in any way match-able to the virtues. Mallam Adamu, despite the afore-mentioned virtues, is equally a victim of single story and unilateral interpretation of issues and events. Suffice to have a diagnosis of the referred articles of his. In all the articles,

Malam Adamu never failed to mock, ridicule, denigrate or lookdown on people that did not share his romanticism with Iran.

His intolerance, resentment, despisement and pathological hatred for their (those that didn’t share his sect) scholars and followers are usually very glaring.

To him, they represent anything but evil. Indeed, single story creates stereotype.

Conclusively, life is a journey which man can never carried it all by his self. We cannot live in isolation and can never be independent of others. We have to live in groups and societies. And that society will not necessarily be homogenous. It is certainly going to be heterogeneous. Single story creates stereotype. We should imbibe the habit of giving the benefit of doubt and of course learn how to have a bi-lateral view of issues and interpretation of events. For a peaceful and successful living and interaction among the constituent of the entity called earth, we must learn to live by the ethos that depict our humanity. Unquestionably and undeniably, we must uphold the principle of live and let others live.

Concluded Adamu Tilde via adamtilde@gmail.com

Terrorism: Media reporting is Islamaphobic (I)

By Nasiru Garba

O

ne of the distinctive characteristics of the times we live in is the overwhelming presence of violence in our societies. Whether it is a bomb going off in a market place, or the hijacking of an aircraft where innocent people are held at ransom to achieve political ends, we live in an age, where the manipulation and loss of innocent lives has become commonplace.

Such is the all-pervasive nature of indiscriminate violence, that “terrorism” is considered as one of the prime threats to peace and security in our societies.

The word terrorism came into wide usage only a few decades ago.

One of the unfortunate results of this new terminology is that it limits the definition of terrorism to that perpetrated by small groups or individuals. Terrorism, in fact, spans the entire world, and manifests itself in various forms. Its perpetrators do not fit any stereotype. Those who hold human lives cheap, and have the power to expend human lives, appear at different levels in our societies. The frustrated employee who kills his colleagues in coldblood or the oppressed citizen of an occupied land who vents his anger by blowing up a school bus are terrorists who provoke our anger and revulsion.

Ironically however, the politician who uses age-old ethnic animosities between peoples

to consolidate his position, the head of state who orders “carpet bombing” of entire cities, the exalted councils that choke millions of civilians to death by wielding the insidious weapon of sanctions, are rarely punished for their crimes against humanity.

It is this narrow definition of terrorism that implicates only individuals and groups, that has caused Muslims to be associated with acts of destruction and terror in the popular media.

Often, the religion of Islam is held responsible for the acts of a fringe minority among Muslims.

Could it be possible that Islam, whose light ended the Dark Ages in Europe, now propound the advent of an age of terror? Could a faith that has over 1.2 billion followers the world over, and over

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7 million in America, actually advocate the killing and maiming of innocent people? Could Islam, whose name itself stands for “peace” and “submission to God”, encourage its adherents to work for death and destruction?

For too long, have we relied on stereotypical images in the news media and in Hollywood films, for answers to these pertinent questions? It is time now to look at the sources of Islam, and its history, to determine whether Islam doe The Glorious Qur’an says: “…take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.” [Al-Qur’an 6:151] Islam considers all life forms as sacred. However, the sanctity of human life is accorded a special

place. The first and the foremost basic right of a human being is the right to live. The Glorious Qur’an says: “…if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.” [Al-Qur’an 5:32] Such is the value of a single human life, that the Qur’an equates the taking of even one human life unjustly, with killing all of humanity. Thus, the Qur’an prohibits homicide in clear terms.

The taking of a criminal’s life by the state in order to administer justice is required to uphold the rule of law, and the peace and security of the society. Only a proper and competent court can decide whether an individual

While Islam in general is misunderstood in the western world, perhaps no other Islamic term evokes such strong reactions as the word ‘jihad’. The term ‘jihad’ has been much abused, to conjure up bizarre images of violent Muslims, forcing people to submit at the point of the sword.

has forfeited his right to life by disregarding the right to life and peace of other human beings.

Even in a state of war, Islam enjoins that one deals with the enemy nobly on the battlefield. Islam has drawn a clear line of distinction between the combatants and the noncombatants of the enemy country.

As far as the non-combatant population is concerned such as women, children, the old and the infirm, etc., the instructions of the Prophet are as follows: “Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman… Do not kill the monks in monasteries” or “Do not kill the people who are sitting in places of worship.” During a war, the Prophet saw the corpse of a woman lying on the ground and observed: “She was not fighting. How then she came to be killed?” Thus non-combatants are guaranteed security of life even if their state is at war with an Islamic state.

While Islam in general is misunderstood in the western world, perhaps no other Islamic term evokes such strong reactions as the word ‘jihad’. The term ‘jihad’ has been much abused, to conjure up bizarre images of violent Muslims, forcing people to submit at the point of the sword.

This myth was perpetuated throughout the centuries of mistrust during and after the Crusades.

Unfortunately, it survives to this day.

Nasiru Garba via gnasiru@gmail.com

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PAGE 14

Opinion

Do the youths of today have a tomorrow?

By Semirah Bello

N

igeria has numerous challenges that have hindered its development, but the most threatening of them all is the lack of proper policies that will ensure that youths are well groomed and put to proper use.

The way the youth are being used by unscrupulous politicians is not only detrimental to the society but a way of wasting the lives of these innocent souls considered the engine room of any nation.

Looking at youths of today and considering the way things are going, it can be concluded that Nigeria is in big trouble, the youths of today are either cultist, bandits, thugs, armed robbers and all other forms of negativity and this acts are dragging the country from bad to worse, the leaders handling affairs of our nation today are highly corrupt individual embezzling funds meant for developmental projects, lying to the public to get whatever they want, killing innocent citizens for their workers, begging, hawking, carrying out 419, deceiving each other, doing hard drugs, being hooligans, been used as suicide bombers and partaking in illegal dealings. When, they are meant to be in school studying to become a better citizen, who will contribute to the society. Well they are not all to be blamed for their actions,

but the question is, who is then to be blamed for the failure of our youths today? Is it their parents, siblings, community, or our so called government?

To me everyone is to be blamed for the problem that our youths are facing. Parents contribute hugely to the bringing up of their children, but instead of doing that, they pursue money. Their mothers want to be career women, been at the top of their game while they neglect their family. Am not saying you should not aim high, but they are a limit to everything. They don’t pay attention to their children, and with that the children seek for help from the wrong hands and

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that’s the beginning of doom, their fathers feel as if it’s not even their duty to take care of the children, mean while every child needs a father figure by his or her side, and if they don’t get it the female tend to go and sleep around with older men, and the guys who are not guided well go astray.

It’s like siblings do not even realize the strength they hold in bringing up their younger ones.

The elder ones do not even care about what’s going on with their younger once and they do not set good role model example for their younger once, so once the younger once see that their elder once are going astray and nobody is saying

anything they tend to follow the same path, thinking it’s the right thing to do, and when they need advice from their elder once, they are nowhere near helping them, so they tend to seek this advice from the wrong people.

The community play a very huge role in the bringing up of children till they become adults, they need to look after them to make sure they are on the right path, they need to challenge the youths to become better people, they need to provide lots of opportunities so they won’t be idle, they need to provide for the less privilege, the homeless and orphans. But no, the community of today is

But no, the community of today is doing the opposite; they don’t care about one another, everyman for himself, they don’t care if the members of their community are going to school? Have they eaten?

Are they moving on the right path?

Hope they are not been abused, or molested? And others.

doing the opposite; they don’t care about one another, everyman for himself, they don’t care if the members of their community are going to school? Have they eaten?

Are they moving on the right path?

Hope they are not been abused, or molested? And others. The community members just sit and watch while the community dies.

Everybody blames the government for their misfortune, everybody blames the government for not getting job, everybody blames the government for the country been at the state it is, am not saying the government are not to be blamed, but before blaming the government, blame yourself, if the government do not provide job for you, can’t you provide one for yourself? Must you have a white collar job, they are lots of entrepreneur work you can do, and you mustn’t wait for our failed and corrupt government?

Yes the governments contribute to the state the country is today, but no matter how they try we still survive. Yes the government is to be blamed, but they are to be blamed for the society been badly, not you as a person, blame yourself for what you become tomorrow.

I beg of the youths of today to stand up and change for the better.

I believe we still have hope.

Semirah Bello, a final year student in the Department of mass communication, Bayero University, Kano.

Should Garba Umar UTC return as Taraba governor?

By Ahmed Bala

A

fter the unfortunate plane crash involving governor Danbaba Suntai, his associates have endlessly turned the state to a theatre of political war. The war is not to develop the young state, neither was it aimed at improving the well being of the people rather to retain power for continuation of state looting.

The cabals, as we call them here, had a tough battle, it was a battle between good governance and selfish political ideology. The battle brought good radiance to the state; the man at the helms of affairs seems not worried with the political distractions and ranting. Alhaji Garba Umar UTC was determined to give the people of the state a taste of good governance. He acted as the state governor for two years and few days but his footprint remains legendary. He took the opportunity to write his name with gold on the hearts of Tarabans, the state could not have had it better while Governor Suntai was away.

Umar gave his best in the last two years, he has embarked on a lot of projects that has changed the face of Taraba state. He completed the 13billion Naira Jalingo-Garba Chede road. The project was less than fifty percent completion when Governor Danbaba Suntai was involved in that unfortunate crash. The Takum 250 beds

general hospital was completed, equipped and commissioned by the Umar administration. For some inexplicable reasons the project was ignored. Umar while he was Acting Governor awarded a N17 billion contract for the rehabilitation/reconstruction of the Bali-Gembu road, a federal road. The project is more than eighty percent completion and also approved a 18000 minimum wage since 2013 for the state civil servants.

The administration of Umar Garba is on the verge of completing the College of Nursing previously abandoned for almost five years before the supreme court judgment.

Umar initiated and completed

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some projects at the Taraba State University as well as settled outstanding contractors claims at the college of education, Zing.

Apart from restoring monthly running cost to ministries, departments and agencies, which had been suspended for more than two years, Umar administration provided funds for the provision of social amenities to the people. Rural electrification projects was also been initiated and commissioned in addition to the sinking of boreholes around the state. Under the education sector, Umar government paid all the required counter funds for Universal Basic Education and settled outstanding scholarship allowances to Taraba state

students for three years. To reinvigorate the economic sector, he also approved about seven hundred million Naira as counterpart funds to enable the Taraba Microfinance bank and the ministry of Poverty Alleviation obtained funds from the Central Bank and the Bank of Industries respectively as loans for small and medium enterprise in the state.

The list of achievements under Alhaji Umar Garba cannot be exhausted.

Although Taraba State is not exempted from the financial crunch affecting all states including the Federal Government due to the well known global economic issues, the state is not indebted. It has

neither negotiated nor received any loan under Umar.

As the next election approaches, Tarabans must impressively threw away divisive tendencies like religion and ethnicity.

They must demonstrated maturity and voted for stability rather than the desperate politics of tribe, region and religion, being fruitlessly orchestrated by a small band of politicians.

PDP delegates should take the lead by standing by the truth, their choice should of a man that understand the people he wants to govern, Umar is experienced, he steer the ship of the state and he steered it successfully.

Ahmed Bala wrote in from Bali, Taraba state

Although Taraba State is not exempted from the financial crunch affecting all states including the Federal Government due to the well known global economic issues, the state is not indebted. It has neither negotiated nor received any loan under Umar.

Comment Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PAGE 15

The inspiration of young Momoh

By Abdulrahman A. Adams

I

t all began in 1973, during the military rule of Yakubu Gowon.

Momoh Jimah (MJ Snr) was a secondary school student in Okene, Kogi State with his parents based in Ilorin. He commutes between the two towns during holidays but it was a bitter and tough journey. Then, with the 911 Truck commuters, it took approximately 10 hours to arrive, the other end from the other.

The inspiration came one day when young Momoh thought of how to erase this situation and raise more money that can finance his school fees as well as earn him extra money that could be used for transportation. He decided to send to his kin brother who lives in Kaduna to lease him his camera because he saw the opportunity to develop a career in photography.

Though, without any formal training, young Momoh got a positive response from his brother (MJ Jnr) with a guide manual on how to set and operate the Camera.

Because it was an analogue Camera (of 1970s) the aperture had to be set manually depending on the light intensity available in the area to capture. He mastered the aperture control while snapping his school mates doing different

activities.

Few years later, from the money earned from his new skill, he decided to open a shop to advance from being itinerant to a shop owner maintaining the same business. By this time, he has mastered the skill and was thinking of employing an assistant.

With the money he generated (profit) he was able to finance his school up to his B.Sc. and was posted to serve in Enugu in 1979. There, he met the Kano State Civil Service representatives who were scouting for graduates that will work with Kano State

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government owing to the fact that there were few graduates in the North. By 1980, he was in Kano after successfully passing the Civil Service Interview. He worked for only three years as a commercial teacher at Rumfa College (1980-1983); all this while without neglecting his photography occupation.

After disengagement from service, he moved back to Ilorin to continue managing his profession i.e. photography. With that he proceeded for his first masters degrees making it three in total all with money he generated from his

Photoshop.

His first major expansion came around 1985, when he setup a business centre in University of Ilorin using the then old copier machine that is feed with scrolled pape r; and b ecau se h e was determined, both businesses were well sustained and managed.

He moved northwards to Kano again, this time, to Bayero University, that was in 1996, not as a student but as an entrepreneur.

He established his photocopy business which made him the first person to begin photocopy at Old site Library of BUK. Determined

But no, the community of today is doing the opposite; they don’t care about one another, everyman for himself, they don’t care if the members of their community are going to school? Have they eaten?

Are they moving on the right path?

Hope they are not been abused, or molested? And others.

Now that the gloves are off…

By Kingsley Amaku

I

think the gloves are now off and the knuckles are out. No one should be left in doubt as to what we face today. The show of shame has taken another dimension. I could not imagine that what happened at the National Assembly yesterday, where the police without hesitation raped our democracy and desecrated the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly by teargasing and locking out members of the National Assembly from the National Assembly complex would or could happen in my lifetime.

But it happened. They had only one thing in mind; to show the speaker of the National Assembly “Who is the boss”. As if the idea to lockout the head of an arm of the legislature was not heinous enough, they teargased him and all the members of the National Assembly who sought peaceable entry into the National Assembly to perform their constitutional duty to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation.

The crime of the speaker against PDP has been legion but the deepest cut it would appear is his audacity to defect from PDP to APC recently. The police have since his defection acquired remarkable agility in dispatching law enforcement; first they stripped him of his security (as they are wont to do these days), in order to terrorize his mind and expose him to harm no matter how

irreparable. Secondly, they tear gassed him in the hope that he has a health precondition so that like Oyi, the Former Senate President Chuba Okigbo he could die from the teargas.

This makes one wonder, has this become a new state policy, a grand scheme of intimidation, using the police and the SSS paid by the Nigerian people to brutalize, demonize, humble and eventually destroy anyone who dares to disagree with the President? Could this be the new but systematic way of dethroning democracy and the entrenchment of the police state? Because, this is not a happenstance, this looked very choreographed. The punch had on the 31st of October reported that the PDP had in a meeting after the defection of the Speaker of the House declared that he would not be allowed into the National Assembly again. Many including myself discountenanced the report as being at best mischievous. How naïve I was, this new show of shame by police at the National Assembly has fully and surely established the report as accurate and factual.

But beyond the police action we must begin to search deeper where we are taking Nigeria? Can we see the cliff, the precipice we are tilting the country towards?

We are gradually destroying the country in the name of politics and heating up the place in a manner that undermine the country?

Every state you go to, the police a critical institution of state have fully sustained this idea that it is in

reality the armed wing of the PDP. This trend is unconscionable and is emerging the biggest threat to our democracy. The action of the police completely undermines the democratic state; it undermines the judiciary and the legislature and threatens the rights of our people to live in liberty and freedom.

For those who are in doubt on the legal remit of power under the constitution, the 1999 Constitution clearly spells out the cardinal principles on how authority is exercised by the three tiers of Government. It is safe to say that all our Constitutions from 1960 to date have vested in the National Assembly or Parliament power to Legislate in respect of the powers or privileges of the Houses and of members thereof.

In our parliamentary practice

“

prior to 1979 the powers and privileges of parliament and of members of Parliament in this country are similar to the powers and privileges of parliament in the United Kingdom.

Section 50(2) of the 1999 Constitution clearly lays out the procedure for the removal or vacation of the office of the Speaker of the House of Representative.

Section 50 (2) says that “The President or Deputy President of the Senate or the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives shall vacate his office: (a) if he ceases to be a member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, otherwise than by reason of a dissolution of the Senate or the House of Representatives; or (b) when the House of which he was a member first sits after any

It is also hard to imagine and cannot meet logical deduction of fact that the IG has in all of this including this most recent attempt that smacks more of a coup acted alone without the ordering or authority of his Commander in Chief. If this is deduced then one must ask if this is the return of Abacha?

Then I pity Nigeria.

with his entrepreneurial drive, Mr. Momoh, never forgot his old occupation and was carrying it along to wherever he goes.

“Though, I started with the “traditional old business plan model” that is not fully written, but major management principles and ideas, source of funding and expenditure, recruitment and location etc. are clearly outlined and observed”.

Today MJ Photo/ALHERI Busine ss Ce ntre /Dandorayi Consultancy is a registered trade name in Lagos and Ilorin as well as Kano. Even though the Photoshop is now managed by his younger brother, he decided to make it a family business in order to ease transition as well as diversification.

ALHERI Business Centre is an enterprise with eight permanent staff and many casual staff which is managed by Mr. Momoh himself with four branches located in BUK’s old campus and Kofar Famfo respectively.

Mr. Momoh much later in 2002 added a consultancy service on management and legal issues which is functional and thriving.

The consultancy is known as Pandora in Business Centre situated at Kofar Famfo in Kano.

Abdulrahman A. Adams wrote in from BUK, Kano.

dissolution of that House; or (c) if he is removed from office by a resolution of the Senate or of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of that House.

The police have not come up with any position showing that any of these conditions have been met or anyone has alleged that any of these conditions have occurred before this latest attempt it has made which is tantamount to an overthrow of government in violation of section 1(3) of the Constitution. I have not seen neither have I heard of any law enforce in Nigeria giving the police powers to determine who is speaker or member of the National Assembly. What is even worrying is the growth of this new police power as it spreads across the country from Rivers state to Edo State, from Ekiti State to Adamawa State, from Nasarawa state to Abuja. Police now determines who seats at the legislature and which faction is worthy of its protection.

It is hard to imagine and should not be imagined that the President is not aware of this situation. It is also hard to imagine and cannot meet logical deduction of fact that the IG has in all of this including this most recent attempt that smacks more of a coup acted alone without the ordering or authority of his Commander in Chief. If this is deduced then one must ask if this is the return of Abacha? Then I pity Nigeria.

Kingsley Amaku via kconwukwe@gmail.com

PAGE 16

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

2015: As APC sets to conduct first Presidential primaries Analysis

By Umar Muhammad Puma

A

ll is now set for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential primaries scheduled for the 10th of December 2014 to pick the party’s presidential candidate for the 2015 general election. It would also serve as a litmus-test for the party’s quest to take power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in next year’s presidential election.

Five contenders namely; former Head of state, Muhammadu Buhari; former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; Chairman Progressives Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha; Serving Governor of Kano State, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwatso and Mr Sam Nda Isaiah have all expressed their readiness face the delegates in the historic event.

Chairman Presidential Screening Committee, Dr. Ogbunnaya Onu while presenting certificates to the five aspirants that were screened by the committee, said all the aspirants have qualified to run for the Presidential primaries, and that any one of them can become the flag bearer of the party.

“Today marks the rising of this great giant in the mission to ensure that the problems confronting our nation are taken care of because we know that there is really nothing wrong with Nigeria except we have not had the proper leadership. The APC is determined to give the proper leadership to our people.

“We took the aspirants through a very rigorous part to making Nigerians know the calibre of persons, one of which will be the flag bearer of our party to run for President. We also tested their understanding of the problems of this nation.

“During that exercise, we found that these men are so distinguished that there is not one of them that will not make a great difference to our lives. The goal of the party is to control government at the national level so that the problems of our country, those problems that people thought cannot be solved, the APC will show that they can be solved”.

In a bid to ensure a successful outing, which would eventually bolster the chances of the party in the coming election, the screening committee announced a new strategy that they said was aimed at harnessing the support base of the individual aspirants towards achieving a strong foundation to put the APC in a position to challenge the ruling PDP. To that regard, Onu disclosed that the committee’s insistence on signing a letter of commitment by all the five

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari aspirants is to assure the party that they are running to offer service, and for the others to support the winner and collapse their structure into the party so that the party can move into the election united.

He added that the details in the letter include the commitment to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians, improve security and for those who lose to support the winner by collapsing their structure into that of the party so that the APC can go into the elections as a united party.

Part of the agreement read; “I, on behalf of myself and my primary campaign Organization undertake to accept the outcome of the primaries and actively support whoever emerges as the winner and shall not decamp to any other political party or in any way obstruct the smooth execution of the presidential campaign.

I further affirm that during the campaigns and later in government, I shall be guided strictly by the party manifesto. In the event of my nomination, my campaign team will immediately be collapsed into the party campaign structure for a properly united and focused presidential campaign”.

Muhammadu Buhari, one of the leading aspirants said after he was screened “I’m happy with the screening committee and how it was constituted, the exercise went smoothly and it ended without hitches. This has shown that our party is well prepared for 2015”.

He said the committee dwelled

more on the issue of insecurity, job creation.

Chairman of the convention committee, and a former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, while answering questions from reporters on the update of work by his committee, said about 8,000 delegates both elected and statutory from the 36 states and the FCT are expected to converge at Teslim Balogun stadium in Lagos for the All Progressives Congress National Convention.

“We have briefed all the five Presidential aspirants of our party on the arrangement that we made toward the successful conduct of the exercise, this is something that is being done transparently and it is going to be shown live on television for the whole world to see.

Asked why the committee chose Lagos for the Presidential primaries, despite protest by some aspirants, Kayode said, “this is a democratic party, for us as a committee the process is more important than who will eventually emerge. We have not taken that decision on our own, but with full inputs from all the aspirants.

“Yes we have received complaints from them but all the decision we took was done with all the five aspirants’ representatives , this is something that is being done transparently”, he said.

Nigerians are watching with keen interest to see how the APC would choose its presidential flag bearer. This is because many political

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar observers are of the belief that the process and choice of who emerges as the APC presidential candidate would definitely determine the party’s future.

Though the party’s constitution specifically stated that the presidential candidate shall emerge through direct or indirect primary election, the APC NEC has, adopted indirect primary. This much was confirmed by APC’s National Organizing Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso. Unlike the direct primary where every card carrying member of the party will determine the candidates, the statutory and elected ad-hoc delegates will choose the party’s candidates at all levels, including ward, local governments, state and national level.

“The APC presidential primary as well as other primary elections of our party will be by indirect primaries; delegates primaries. The party has toyed with the idea of direct and indirect. In the last NEC meeting, we decided on indirect. This means that the delegates will be drawn from across the federation in line with the constitution of our party that stipulates delegates to National Convention.

“We have chosen the methodology. We have also chosen the dates. We are going to have our Special Ad-hoc Congress to elect ad-hoc delegates to the Congresses and National Convention. It has been worked out and we are going to publish it so that we will know the delegates. So, we are set for the

primaries of 2015 general elections,” he said.

Article 12 of the APC Constitution, which focuses on the composition of party organs, states that the delegates to the national convention, where the presidential candidate will be elected, include members of the Board of Trustees; national chairman and all members of the NEC; serving and past Presidents and Vice Presidents who are members of the Party; serving and past Governors and Deputy Governors of States who are members of the Party; serving and past members of the National Assembly and Speakers and Deputy Speakers and Leaders of State Assemblies who are members of the Party.

Others includes members of the State Working Committee (including that of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja) of the Party; all Party Chairmen and Secretaries of the Local Government Areas; all Local Government Area Council Chairmen who are members of the Party; as well as three elected delegates (at least one of whom must be a woman) from each Local Government Area in Nigeria.

All said and done, considering all projections and permutations the day of reckoning is close when the battle of the titans will take place.

Who win the APC’s Presidential ticket? The campaigns go on and the campaigners roar by. The contenders are strategizing and everyone waits with bathed breath for the eventual pronunciation of the winner.

PAGE 17

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Politics

PDP: Zhin, Ireti, others insist on congress in FCT

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

s the National Assembly race in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) heats up, aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are divided over the option of a consensus candidate.

The division became clear during a meeting between the aspirants and the 270 delegates drawn from the six area councils of the FCT. Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the meeting, leading House of Representatives contender, Hon. Danladi Zhin, maintained that the PDP Congresses billed for Saturday, December 6, 2014 would hold as scheduled.

Zhin said he was looking forward to the election on Saturday as consensus was completely out of the party’s constitution.

“Consensus is a matter of understanding, who is consenting to who, who is stepping down for who? The word stepping down is not found in the democratic dictionary. It has to be something done willingly from the heart of someone, looking at his strength and the strength of his fellow contestants,” he said.

Also speaking, one of the Senatorial aspirants in FCT, Mrs. Ireti Kingibe, decried the lack of inclusiveness in the handling of party issues leading to the primaries.

Ireti maintained that democracy was for the people to have a choice; it is about fairness and for everyone to have a stake.

According to her, democracy cannot survive if it is not allowed to thrive, she stressed that the people should be allowed to speak rather than resort to consensus candidate.

Earlier, the State Chairman of PDP in Abuja, Alhaji Waiwai Suleiman, said the party encourages consensus candidate and advised all aspirants to work towards a consensus candidate to maintain the party’s unity in the territory.

L-R: National Publicity Secretary of All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and APC Deputy National Chairman (South West), Chief Segun Oni, during a press conference on the state of the nation, yesterday in Abuja, Photo: Mahmud Isa

Hold Amaechi, APC responsible for post election violence - Group

By Ali Abare Abubakar

A

group, Elite Youths Support and Development Initiative (EYSDI) has called on Nigerians and the world at large to hold Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and the All Progressives Congress (APC) responsible for any post 2015 election violence.

EYSDI made the call in a statement signed by the duo of Barristers Tokunbo Olu and Smart Fred, president and secretary respectively and issued to journalists in Abuja yesterday.

According to the group, the call became necessary following statements made by both Governor Amaechi and the APC national chairman, Odigie Oyegun, during the APC salvation rally in Abuja, where Governor Amaechi was

alleged to have said “What is the essence of going to court when the Federal Government doesn’t obey the law? That’s why the APC say we won’t go to the court any longer.

If you rig us out, we would rig ourselves in; we will form our own government. We have met on that and we have agreed on that. We will install our own government and there would be two governments.”

Similarly, the group further alleged, at the party mega rally for the re-election of its governorship candidate in Osun at the Osogbo Township Stadium in Osogbo, the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said, “the battle line has already been drawn. The APC will no longer accept any stolen mandate. We shall not recognize any government that emerges through rigging in

February 2015.”

“The APC will set up a new government, which will be a peoples government if the PDP rigs the 2015 Presidential election” Part of the statement issued by EYSDI reads: “Those who doubt Governor Amaechi’s proclivity for actions that could threaten peace should recall the recent threat by Amaechi to lawyers in Port Harcourt to the effect that he would provide black suits to thugs disguised as lawyers to beat up lawyers if they dared to go to the street to protest the long closure of the courts in Port Harcourt.

“Equally significant is that the APC leaders’ statements were made after the salvation rally the main highlight of which was a most unruly blockade of the entrance of

the police head quarters for hours.

“Nigerians recall with sadness that before the 2011 elections, certain persons close to the APC leadership had similarly threatened to make the country ungovernable and we are all witnesses of the level of violence that ensued. Indeed, only a few are able to distinguish between the violence that followed these threats and the Boko Haram insurgency.

“With such sense of Déjà vu, we urge all Nigerians to hold Amaechi who had already stated his desire to run and relocate abroad after the election, where he claimed several embassies have already given him forms for grant of residency in their respective countries and his APC counterparts responsible for any possible future violence incited by their statements”.

Only APC will end corruption not Jonathan - Oyegun

By Umar Muhammad Puma

N

ational chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun said unlike Jonathan’s government, it is only the APC government that will fight corruption with every resource available at its disposal.

“Any officer in an APC government accused of corruption shall be thoroughly investigated and severely sanctioned if found guilty. Our government shall lead by example and signal, through its explicit conduct, a zero tolerance for corruption.

The party also assured Nigerians that to ensure a focused

and sustained campaign; a structure will be put in place to undertake a continuous review of the process and to ensure that the progress of the fight against corruption is on track and in alignment with stated objectives and the rule of law.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, at the party national Secretariat, Oyegun said the current leadership of the PDP is so corrupt and cannot fight corruption, which he believed the country’s institutions have been compromised and “the continued survival of the country is threatened.”

Speaking on the party’s plans to end corruption, Oyegun

said: “Our administration will strengthen anti-corruption agencies and reinforce the rule of law. We will save trillions of Naira being stolen, and use it to rebuild lives, provide education, expand infrastructure and take back our nation from occupiers. We will not tolerate corruption, and we will punish those who think they can get away with it. This is our pledge, and commitment to the people of Nigeria.

“The anti-corruption agencies shall be decentralized and states/ local government encouraged to establish similar agencies within their jurisdiction. The use of the ombudsman institution will be reviewed and streamlined

for efficiency and to meet public expectation.

The enforcement of contracts shall be a national article of faith. A framework for the encouragement and protection of whistle blowers shall be institutionalized.

“An APC government shall launch a comprehensive, nationwide and sustained campaign to fight corruption.”

According to Oyegun, the fight against corruption would be total and rooted in the belief that all major religions in the country and the culture abhor corruption and impunity.

“When PDP asks you to trust them with your lives, fortunes and your future, ask them what

they have done over the pension’s scam, billions that belong to Nigerians who worked hard all their lives for our nation. Ask how you can trust them when they cannot account for hundreds of billions of your money stolen by people very intimately tied to the PDP leadership.

“Ask them to explain the missing N20b from the CBN revelations. Ask them what has been done with the billions which went to oil and gas producing states controlled by the PDP. Ask them how much was spent by the federal government against the huge expenditure contributed by APC governors of the North-East in the fight against Boko Haram.”

PAGE 18

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Politics

Patience advocates increased employment for disabled persons

L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, Senator George Sekibo, Rivers State PDP Governorship Aspirant, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and Minister of Sports, Mr. Tammy Danagogo, during a grand reception to mark Nyesom Wike’s meeting with PDP delegates, yesterday at Obio/Akpo, in Rivers state.

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

A

s part of the activities to mark this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities slated for December 3 of every year, the First Lady and President of African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM),Dame Patience Jonathan, has advocated increased participation of disabled persons in our national life.

She called for the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of our political, social, economic and cultural life, saying, “It is only through this that the total well-being of the citizenry can be achieved.”

A statement issued by her Media Adviser, Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele, stated the First Lady made the remark when the management of A. Aruera Reachout Foundation (AARF), the families of children with disabilities and vulnerable children, visited her at the State House to thank her for the recent successful heart surgeries of children taken abroad.

Dame Patience Jonathan was, however, overwhelmed by the gesture, and called on every well meaning Nigerian to see how the disabled persons can be gainfully employed in the economic life of the nation by promoting the removal of all types of barriers.

According to her, “International Day of Persons with Disabilities aims to promote an understanding of disability issues, including the mobilization and support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.

“The contributions made by these persons with disabilities as agents of change and development in our nation, cannot be overemphasized.”

She enjoined the various arms of government to take the lead in showing how these persons can be integrated into the society for sustainable development and the economic rejuvenation of the country.

Photo: NAN

APC Primaries: Group wants Nasarawa killings investigated From Gambo Ahmed, Lafia

T

he Mada Development Association (MDA), Kokona Local Government chapter of Nasarawa State has appealed to the police authorities in the state to investigate the killing of four young men during the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries on Tuesday allegedly by the military.

The MDA made the call in a press statement signed by the MDA chapter Chairman, Mr. Dokong Maruku and Secretary Silas Kassa and made available to journalists in Lafia yesterday.

According to the statement “Tuesday the 2nd December, was slated for APC State Houses of Assembly party primaries nation-wide. In Kokona East Constituency it turned out to be a bloody or preferably said, a black Tuesday as the lives of four innocent young men were lost and

several people were injured as a result of careless or intentional use of bullets on people by some hired military men by one of the aspirants”.

The statement has it that “The process which started peacefully but later turned ugly because of manipulative tendencies were observed as Amba Ward delegates were called and the rule was that they can only go into the venue of the election with their cards as an indication of being genuine delegates but the APC Chairman Kokona LGC refused them their cards and started telling them otherwise stories. In the process, a soldier hit one of the delegates (Dimka Boka) on the head causing a deep laceration because of he and others were insisting they should be given their cards.

As according to the statement, some few minutes later, the aspirant Daniel Oga Ogazi arrived in a convoy led by the military Hilux

vehicle with 177/33 registration number and at the back were three others military vehicles one had registration number 177/23.

The statement also has it that “On arrival of the convoy, the environment became rowdy and tensed up and several people were gunned down with different degree of injuries”.

According to the MDA Chairman, the young men were sitting and unarmed, the soldiers came from their behind caught them unawares and asked them to kneel down which they did and were individually shot on their heads and death resulted instantly.

The statement also expressed regret that the four innocent young men of Mada extraction were killed and others injured were never in any way members of any “Ombatse” as being speculated in Garaku and Lafia as according the statement Honourable Jacob Okari and the Gimbiya Toni were

mishandled and humiliated, they are of Gwandara extraction and are vying for the same seat with Daniel Oga Ogazi”.

Confirming the incident, the Nasarawa State Police Command image projector, DSP Ugochukwu Thedore, on telephone, told Peoples Daily that on Tuesday 2nd December, 2014 during the APC House of Assembly primaries at Garaku, Kokona LGC and information revealed that there was misunderstanding between two aspirants a situation which became rowdy.

He said also that information revealed that some people were suspected to appeared in army uniform, stormed the venue and started shooting sporadically and on process resulted casualties with four people suspected to have been killed, adding however that investigation is ongoing in order to ascertain the real cause of the skirmishes.

Benue 2015: I’m still in the race - Ugbah

By Ali Abare Abubakar

F

oremost governorship aspirant in Benue State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof Steve Torkuma Ugbah, has debunked insinuations suggesting he has been barred from the APC guber primaries, insisting that he is very much in the race.

Ugbah made this known via a statement issued to journalists yesterday, signed by his media adviser, Simon Imobo-Tswam.

In the statement, Imobo-Tswam described the report recently carried in a section of the media (not Peoples

Daily) suggesting that state chapter of the party has barred Ugbah from the party’s guber primaries scheduled earlier to hold yesterday but was postponed to today, “as not only baseless, wicked and satanic, it is calculated to mislead his teeming supporters across the state who are gearing up to give him the party’s nomination tomorrow or anytime the state EXCO permits one to be held”.

While the said report attributed the origin of the story to the state APC Chairman, Mr. Abba Yaro and quoted him as saying Ugbah has been excluded from the race and that although he has bought his

Nomination Form, and has been duly screened, Ugbah “remains on his own”, the aspirant maintained that “Yaro has no power, authority and locus, either as the State Chairman of the APC and/or an individual, to stop, disqualify or bar Ugbah from contesting in our party’s Primaries, now rescheduled for tomorrow, Friday December 5, 2014”.

The statement went on to say that “there is no provision in the party’s guidelines or constitution as well as the nation’s constitution that gives Abba Yaro (or anybody by whatsoever designation in the state EXCO) the power, right or privilege to disqualify/

bar any aspirant, least of all, an aspirant of Prof. Ugbah’s calibre, who, besides purchasing and returning his Expression of Interest/Nomination Forms, has been duly screened and passed by the APC Governorship Screening Committee, sitting Ilorin, the Kwara state capital”.

Part of the statement reads: “First, he was refused the Nomination Form after paying the statutory fees on grounds of a bogus and non-existent “Handling fees).

That pathetic attempt to extort money from him collapsed when the National Secretariat of the party received Ugbah’s nomination papers,

and wished him luck. Today, it is this phoney statement about Ugbah being debarred. It does not get weirder.

“In the light of the foregoing, Prof.

Ugbah wishes to call on his teeming Delegates/party faithful as well as his supporters and sympathizers across the other political parties to disregard the said story or stories, in totality, whether they are in print or verbal.

“Ugbah wishes to assure them, and very powerfully so, that he, Steve Torkuma Ugbah, the leading contender for the governorship ticket of our great party, remains very much in the race. These desperate antics only confirm him as the candidate to beat”.

Page 19

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

GE's $1bn investment to create 2300 jobs–Diezani

By A’isha Biola Raji

T

he Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Maduake yesterday signed a pact on the planned $1 billion investment by General Electric (GE) for multi model manufacturing and assembly facility in Calabar which she said is expected to create over 2300

jobs thereby boosting Nigeria’s economy.

Speaking while signing the pact, the Minister said, “GE’s investment is expected to create 2300 jobs, 300 of which will be direct GE hires and the remaining 2000 indirect jobs created through GE suppliers that will support its expected operations.”

General Electric (GE) is

an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in New York and headquartered in Fairfield, finding solutions in energy, building, transportation amongst others.

Diezani said GE made a commitment of $1billion investment plan in Nigeria for over a 5-year period. $250

million out of the $1 billion would be earmarked for capital expenditure, which according to her would make Calabar a regional hub for manufacturing, service and innovation.

“The Company also pledged to spend an additional $800 million over 5 years in local souring of goods/services, labour, staff welfare and

Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke (right), receiving document from Vice-Chairman, General Electric (GE), Mr. John Rice (left), during the signing of the establishment of multi- million dollars manufacturing company for power, oil and gas

by GE and FG, yesterday in Abuja. With them is President, GE Nigeria, Mr. Lazarus. Angbazo (middle).

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

training,” she said.

She said the investment by GE was made possible through the signing into law of Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry development Act in April, 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Meanwhile, GE announced that Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has emerged as the preferred bidder to build General Electric’s multi model manufacturing and Assembly facility in Calabar.

Julius Berger has also been contracted to build a training facility on the manufacturing site that ensures on-going employee development.

Speaking on the choice of Julius Berger, the Minister said, “They are choosing the company with proven records and proven credentials in similar jobs. They are choosing a Nigerian Company that will in turn, create more jobs,” she concluded.

Also speaking, the Vice Chairman, GE, Mr John Rice said, GE will provide one-year to fouryear training programs locally and internationally for repair engineers, welders, fabricators, machinists and special processing.

He said the project will have an improved ability to support a broader range of product lines in power generation as well as oil and gas exploration and production.

According to him, the emergence of Julius Berger in a competitive bidding process is in fulfilment of the pledge made last year by the GE Chairman Mr Jeff Immelt of investing in Nigeria, using Nigeria Company with quality.

The project is expected to be completed after 24 months by Julius Berger Plc.

FG slashes oil price assumption to $65 per barrel

T

he federal government has slashed the oil price assumed in its 2015 budget by 11 percent to $65 a barrel from $73, in light of lower world oil prices.

The Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala said this yesterday through a spokeswoman yesterday.

It was the second time in a month the benchmark has been cut, after initially being lowered from $78 a barrel.

Other oil exporting countries including Russia and Mexico have said they expect oil prices to be lower next year than assumed in their budgets, which may be revised.

The spokeswoman gave no further details but said Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was working on a statement.

No time was given for when the statement would be issued.

Nigeria depends on oil for around 75-80 percent of

government revenues and its finances have been hammered by a steep drop in oil prices since June.

Its oil money is distributed between three tiers of government; local, state and federal, with the federal portion being used to fund finance ministry budgets, along with tax receipts. The budget assumes a benchmark price that is usually conservative, so money over and above that is deposited into an oil savings account to

cushion against shocks.

The minister has often wrestled with parliament to keep the benchmark low and accumulate more savings, but the Excess Crude Account (ECA) is all too easily raided for spending. It has declined by billions of dollars to around $4 billion over the past two years even while oil prices were at record highs.

The allure of Africa’s biggest economy to foreign investors has been growing, especially for

SON considers stiffer penalties Nigeria needs N655.2trn to fix its for substandard imports infrastructure in next 30yrs — Oteh >>Pg 20

>>Pg 22

buyers of its attractively priced debt, but they worry about its tendency to squander its oil windfall in bloated government spending and patronage.

Nigeria’s central bank devalued the naira by 8 percent and raised interest rates sharply last week, as it sought to stem losses to its foreign reserves from defending the currency against weaker oil prices.

The naira has consistently tested the lower end of the new band.

Okonjo-Iweala has said Nigeria still has funds to pay salaries and keep debt obligations but with crude likely to fall, the government would increase taxes on luxury items and ban nonessential government travel to cut expenditure.

Reuters

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Business Court bars BPE from handing Kaduna Disco to Northwest Power Ltd

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Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday gave an order restraining the Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPE, from handing the litigious Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Disco, to the favoured bidder, Northwest Power Limited, NPL. The court order was on the request of the reserved bidder, Leda Consortium Limited, following the denial of the BPE to invite it to complete the Share Purchase Agreement of the Kaduna DISCO after the failure of NPL to pay the remaining 75 percent of its bid price despite extensions of the deadline.

According to a copy of the court order, after listening to the arguments of counsels to the plaintiff and the defendant, the court ruled both parties should “maintain status quo with regard to the subject matter of the suit pending the determination of the defendant notice of preliminary objection.”

Leda had taken the matter to court after what it termed BPE’s “brazen violation of set contractual obligation” and said BPE seemed set to perpetually extend the deadline for Northwest to complete the payment of the bid price.

In its originating summon, Leda asked the court to declare that the defendant cannot arbitrarily and /or repeatedly extend the time prescribed for payment of the 25 percent initial deposit considering the sale of the Kaduna Disco and the 75 per cent balance in favour of any or (preferred) bidder without regard to the inputted contract in the bid process on the bases of a uniform rule set by BPE. It also asked the court to rule that “any belated payment of the bid price Kaduna Disco by any or the preferred bidder after the expiration of the specific time is invalid as against the reserved bidder and compose a breach of contract duty of the defendant.”

Leda asked the court to issue “an order setting aside or annulling any belated receipt of payment by the defendant of the 75 percent balance of the bid price from any or the preferred bidder.”

The court ruled that it would hear the defendant’s notice of preliminary objection together with the substantive suit on December 12 2014.

Managing Director, Brentford Services Ltd., Mr. Abdul Shuaibu (right), signing an undertaking to pay the sum of N15million tax, during FIRS tax enforcement exercise, yesterday in Abuja. With him are FCT Regional Coordinator for FIRS, Alhaji Galadima Saleh (left), and Tax Controller, Area 11, Mr Dennis Abah (middle).

Photo: NAN

SON considers stiffer penalties for substandard imports From Ayodele Samuel,Lagos

T

he Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) yesterday stated that it was considering stiffer penalties for foreign nations exporting substandard goods into the country.

SON Director General, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, explained that these countries do not mean well for the economic development of the nation, stressing the need for stricter punishment to be deployed to curb the influx of substandard goods into the country.

Odumodu during a stakeholders’ forum on the maritime industry tagged: “Seamless importation: Building stakeholders’ synergy and fostering trade without compromising standards” said

this move by the agency was to also boost local production in Nigeria, noting that if these products continue to flourish in the Nigerian markets, it would further worsen the unemployment situation and lead to economic loss to the nation.

He stressed that over 90 per cent of fake products in the nation’s market are imported. “We need to take firmer actions against countries that are selling death to Nigerians. We must take stricter actions. It is a self-intervention activity. We are losing our people because they are selling death to us, but more importantly, we also need industries in Nigeria. If they continue selling these products to us and our industries continue to die, when are we going to have jobs open up to our own children.

“The point I am also trying to make is that the people selling

this product to us are not ready to change because they are making money from it. So, we have to help ourselves,” he said.

Odumodu appealed to stakeholders for a close collaboration to combat substandard goods in the country, maintaining that Nigeria is living dangerously patronising substandard goods.

“This is why we are here today to appeal to you; we all have to be part of the change process.

Everybody is under this siege; you do not know who can be affected next .We are leaving dangerously in this country and all of us have a role to play. It is about us and I said it earlier that you can make all the money you make clearing the consignment but let us clear good consignments that will add value to our lives,” he said.

According to him, made-in-

Three journalists emerge winners in SEC essay competition

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

T

hree journalists have emerged winners in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) capital market Essay Competition for journalists held in Abuja at the weekend.

The journalists are; Edozie Ifedi of Bussinessday Newspapers who came first, Iheanyi Nwachukwu of Businessday Newspapers who emerged second and Okey Onyenweaku of Business Hallmark Newspapers emerged third prize winner.

For winning in the essay competition, the journalists will be sponsored by SEC

on training courses both in Nigeria and abroad.

This is in pursuance of its objective to strengthen interest in reading and writing about the Capital Markets on the part of professional journalists and to engender the spill–over consequence of such enhanced interest in the wider society.

Only in October, SEC sponsored seven journalists on training both in Nigeria and the United States of America.

This gesture by the Commission was redemption of the 2012 and 2013 prizes to winners of the SEC Essay competition.

Nigeria goods suffer neglect and destruction in the global market bringing nothing but economic loss to the country.

He said to tackle this challenge, two of its laboratories had been accredited to ensure that any product that undergoes any form of test in Nigeria, will be accepted globally.

“Sometimes we export products like cocoa to the United Kingdom and when they test it and it does not meet standards, they destroy it but now we have a testing laboratory that is widely acclaimed and this is not a Nigerian thing. Once we test and certify any product here in Nigeria, nobody can challenge it anywhere in the world and this is why we must also build capacity,” he said.

Naira closes slightly weaker

N

aira closed at 180.10 naira to the dollar yesterday, slightly weaker than Wednesday’s close of 179.90. The currency was steady at 180.30 naira for much of yesterday’s session in relatively calm trades.

However, it remained outside the central bank’s new target range of 160-176 naira to the dollar, which the bank set last week, when it devalued the naira by 8 percent to halt the decline to its foreign reserves.

At a forex auction late on Wednesday, the central bank sold $289 million at 168 naira to the greenback, more than the $200 million it offered, to meet demand for dollars.

The central bank did not intervene in the market, dealers said, adding that expectations of the bank’s intervention reduced volatility yesterday. Some commercial lenders sold dollars on behalf of their clients. (1 US dollar = 180.15 naira) Reuters

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Business

Govt tasks power investors on performance From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

V

ice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has warned that Federal government will not hesitate to sanction any core investor that does not deliver on the performance agreement that was executed with the government in respect of the power company.

He stated this yesterday in Kaduna at the physical handover of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, (KEDC) to its new owners, the North West Power Limited.

Sambo warned that government will not hesitate to sanction any core investor that does not deliver on the performance agreement that was executed with the government The Vice President urged the new owners to transform the company to a world class company by delivering quality of service to its customers and living up to their social corporate responsibility, with the aim of getting customers’ satisfaction and profitability..

Sambo who was represented by the Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprises, Benjamin Dikki reiterated the present administration’s commitment to take Nigeria out of its perennial darkness within the shortest period.

"It needs to be restated that the electric power reform program became imperative in order to improve efficiency, reduce losses and cost. No doubt, this reform will lead to increased access to electricity, engender private sector investment, improve infrastructure and create employment for the growing population of our citizenry.

"The participation of the private sector would bring about higher generation capacities through the provision of more efficient and cost effective power stations and improvements in electric power distribution, in the areas of billing and collection, transmission networks, etc.

Such capital injection and efficiency have been inadequate in PHCN over the years, resulting in gross inadequate power supply with the attendant negative effects

Forecast: Naira to steady on dollar sales

D

ollar sales from oil companies could help Nigeria's naira stabilise in the next few trading sessions after hitting record lows. Other African currencies are seen range bound or weaker due to rising importer demand.

Traders expect Nigeria's naira, which has hit a record low of 187 to the dollar, to steady next week, anticipating dollar sales by the state-owned oil company.

The economy's vulnerability to falling world oil prices prompted the central bank to devalue the naira by 8 percent and raise interest rates sharply last week.

"We are expecting large dollar sale from NNPC next week and some of the oil companies to boost dollar liquidity in the market and further calm the market," another dealer said.

The naira closed at 180.10 to the dollar on the interbank market on yeserday, weakening from 177.40 last week.

Dealers said sustained central bank dollar sales have helped calm the market.

on the citizenry and economy at large," he said.

Mr. Benjamin said the hand over is made possible because $163m have been paid by the new owners North West Power Limited and the money is in the Federal Government Account.

L-R: Head, Brand Management, First Bank, Victoria Onwubiko, Head, Mobile Financial Services, First Bank, Mike Ogbalu, MD/ CEO Sweet Sensation, Lady Kehinde Kamson, and Executive Director, Sweet Sensation Mr. Olatunji Kamson, during a press briefing on First Bank and Sweet Sensation partnership for Firstmonie mobile payment services at all Sweet Sensation outlets, on Wednesday in Lagos.

"It needs to be restated that the electric power reform program became imperative in order to improve efficiency, reduce losses and cost. No doubt, this reform will lead to increased access to electricity, engender private sector investment, improve infrastructure and create employment for the growing population of our citizenry.

"The participation of the private sector would bring about higher generation capacities through the provision of more efficient and cost effective power stations and improvements in electric power distribution, in the areas of billing and collection, transmission networks, etc.

Such capital injection and efficiency have been inadequate in PHCN over the years, resulting in gross inadequate power supply with the attendant negative effects on the citizenry and economy at large," he said.

Earlier, the Chairman North West Power, Alhaji Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar said its business plan seeks to address the weak infrastructure, metering inadequacies, safety and skills gap as well as reduction in the overall aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses.

"As a company, we are committed to delivering energy efficiently and in a sustainable manner to over two-third of North Western region of Nigeria, comprising of Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States with a view to achieving the objective of the power sector reform.

"It may interest you to know that the choice of the name: North West power limited to bid for the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company was not coincidental. It was a strategic decision taken by us in order to have a platform that would complement our persistent desire to develop the region where we all belong.

"It is also interesting to note that 95% of all the shareholders of North West Power Limited comes from North Western region of this country and historically, Kaduna was not only the capital of the North West but the whole Northern region. We all belong to the North and we owe our people the duty to use our God given talents and resources to provide services that can change their lives, revive vibrant industrial

activities that were lost and create massive employment opportunities within the value chain that can engage our teaming youth in more productive activities," Alhaji Abubakar said.

In his welcome address, the Managing Director of Kaduna Electricity Distribution

Company (KEDC), Alhaji Idris Danlami expressed delight that the privatization exercise was finally put to an end.

He however charged the new owners to maintain the present status quo of stable power supply for of not less than 23 hours except where there is collapse of power.

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Business

Nigeria needs N655.2trn to fix its infrastructure — Oteh

T

he Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arunma Oteh recently presented a review of SEC’s journey to world-class as a capital market community, covering where the Commission was in 2010 when the SEC started its reform program to where it is today and where it should be in 2025, Aminu Imam reports.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria was established in 1979 as the apex regulator of the Nigerian capital market. It is a Federal Government statutory body supervised by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Its activities are currently governed by the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2007. The SEC has the overarching mandate of investor protection, ensuring orderly and equitable dealings in securities, developing the market and shielding it from all forms of abuses.

In regulating the market, the Commission undertakes many activities meant to protect investors, market operators and ensure market integrity, which include: Registration of securities and market intermediaries to ensure that only fit and proper persons/institutions are allowed to operate in the market; Surveillance over exchanges / capital trade points / trading systems to forestall breaches of market rules as well as deter and detect unfair manipulations and practices which may cause market disruption among others.

The popular saying that ‘good deeds shall not go unrewarded’ could best describe the SEC Director-General, Ms Arunma Oteh, who recently presented a review of the Commission’s journey to world-class as a capital market community, during an Infrastructure Conference in Abuja, during the launching of a detailed Master Plan for the Commission at the weekend.

According to Oteh, the Nigerian economy will require N655.2 trillion ($3.9trillion) to fix the deficit infrastructure in the next 30 years as SEC Nigeria launches a 10-year Capital Market Master Plan.

Ms Oteh, while speaking during the launching of the Master Plan, at the just concluded 4th Capital Market Committee retreat in Abuja, stated that if the policy actions in the master plan were vigorously pursued, the Nigerian capital market would be in the position to generate the $3.9 trillion needed to meet the infrastructure deficit in the next 30 years.

“We want a bond market that will enable us to meet the infrastructure deficit estimated at USD3.9 trillion over the next 30 years. We want a market that does more for housing finance,

SEC 7 L-R, Chairperson Capital Market Committee Retreat planning Committee, Mrs. Toyin Sanni, Minister of Power Prof Chinedu Nebo and Director-General Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Arunma Oteh during the Infrastructure conference in Abuja at the weekend. enabling Nigeria close down the 17 million housing unit deficit while supporting entrepreneurship by doing more for SMEs and start ups. We want a capital market that combines all the elements needed to support Nigeria to actualize its aspirations of peace and prosperity for all citizens,” she said.

Before assuming office, the SEC boss disclosed that the stock market in 2003 had total capitalization of only N1.4 trillion, which grew 7 fold to N10.2 trillion by 2007 and peaked at N12.65 trillion by March 2008.

However, she said this was a highly concentrated market where 15 of the 20 most capitalized companies were banks, together accounting for almost 60 per cent of market capitalization.

“There was subsequently a painful unprecedented market correction, in which the market lost about 70 per cent of its value. This experience decimated investors’ confidence and contributed to systemic banking

“

crisis on the heels of the global financial crisis,” she stated.

On her assumption in office, Ms Oteh said her first task was to ensure that investor confidence is restored, adopting a posture of zero tolerance to wrongdoing while strengthening SEC enforcement machinery through partnerships with the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Nigeria Police.

According to her, “We instituted legal proceedings against over 260 individuals and entities for various forms of market infractions seeking to disgorge all illegally gotten wealth and restitute investors.

We have revamped our investor protection and dispute resolution mechanism by strengthening the SEC’s quasi-judicial Administrative Proceedings Committee (APC), developing a robust complaint management framework, setting up the National Investor Protection Fund and strengthening AntiMoney Laundering and Counter

Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT) framework.”

She added that “we have invigorated our rulemaking, ensured adherence to the principles of securities regulation as espoused by members of the International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) in which we are a leading member. We have also enhanced market transparency through implementation of global best practice in corporate governance and financial reporting, issuing a new Code of Corporate Governance and supporting the adoption of the International Financial Reporting.”

The SEC DG said, “Beyond serving as a source of long-term finance, I believe capital markets play more profound roles in our society. They are enablers of socioeconomic development because they hasten the rate of capital formation, foster a meritocracy and promote good corporate governance, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Ms Oteh, while speaking during the launching of the Master Plan, at the just concluded 4th Capital Market Committee retreat in Abuja, stated that if the policy actions in the master plan were vigorously pursued, the Nigerian capital market would be in the position to generate the $3.9 trillion needed to meet the infrastructure deficit in the next 30 years.

“In addition, capital markets broaden access to economic prosperity by allowing ordinary citizens participate in the successes of businesses, they help accelerate wealth creation and wealth distribution by facilitating access to capital for small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs).

Capital markets can equally catalyze housing finance which does not only provide shelter but also creates jobs and collateral for businesses.

“Prior to 2010, when the SECled reform agenda started Nigeria had a budding capital market even well before independence. The stock market in 2003 had total capitalization of only N1.4 trillion which grew 7 fold to N10.2 trillion by 2007 and peaked at N12.65 trillion by March 2008. This was a highly concentrated market where 15 of the 20 most capitalized companies were banks, together accounting for almost 60 percent of market capitalization. There was subsequently a painful unprecedented market correction in which the market lost about 70 percent of its value. This experience decimated investor confidence and contributed to systemic banking crisis on the heels of the global financial crisis.

The DG further said, “When I joined the SEC in January, 2010, we felt that we had no choice but to commence a far reaching reform programme that would address these challenges. It was a period of general malaise, investor apathy and high uncertainty.

“There were regulatory lapses, many cases of wrongdoing leading up to the crisis and most worrisome; a market that was way below its potential in terms of breadth, depth, liquidity, sophistication and governance.

Where others saw gloom, we saw an opportunity to build a world class capital market made up of world class institutions operating in a conducive environment.

“Our reform agenda was largely based on the report of an Industry Committee established by the SEC in 2008, titled: “Making World-Class Potential a Reality”.

Oteh expressed its SEC’s appreciation to President Goodluck Jonathan, whose administration, she said, has been very supportive of the capital market. She also said the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been SEC’s key advocate in this administration pushing for the elimination of stamp duties and value added tax (VAT) on market transactions while being instrumental to the much-needed forbearance for stockbrokers.

“These important initiatives

by Mr. President’s administration have enabled our own reforms in the market”, she emphasized.

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Stock Watch

Report as at Thursday, December 4 2014

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Peoples Daily, Friday, DecEMber 5, 2014

PAGE 24

Special Report

Are we on the road to an HIV vaccine?

By Meera Senthilingam

however, is that these antibodies form too late, when people are already infected. In fact, they usually only form a while after infection. The goal for vaccine teams is to get the body making these ahead of infection.

“We want the antibodies in advance of exposure to HIV,” explained Koff. The way to do this goes back to basics: tricking the body into thinking it is infected.

“We can start to make vaccines that are very close mimics of the virus itself,” Mascola said.

Teams at his research center have gained detailed insight into the structure of HIV in recent years, particularly the outer coat, where all the action takes place. Synthesizing just the outer coat of a virus in the lab and injecting this into humans as a vaccine could “cause enough of an immune

I

t only takes one virus to get through for a person to be infected,” explained Dr. John Mascola. This is true of any viral infection, but in this instance, Mascola is referring to HIV and his ongoing efforts to develop a vaccine against the virus.

“It’s been so difficult to make an HIV/AIDS vaccine.”

Those were the words of many working in HIV vaccine development until the results of a 2009 trial in Thailand surprised everyone.

“The field is energized,” said Mascola, director of the Vaccine Research Center at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, describing the change in atmosphere in the vaccine community.

The trial included over 16,000 volunteers and was the largest clinical trial ever conducted for a vaccine against HIV. It was also the first to show any protection at all against infection.

Two previously developed vaccines, known as ALVACHIV and AIDSVAX, were used in combination, with the first priming an immune response against HIV and the second used as a booster once the immunity waned.

The duo reduced the risk of contracting HIV by 31.2% -- a modest reduction, but it was a start.

To date, only four vaccines have made it as far as testing for efficacy to identify their levels of protection against HIV. Only this one showed any protection.

“That trial was pivotal,” Mascola said. “Prior to that, it wasn’t known whether a vaccine could be possible.”

In recent years, there have been parallel findings of an equally pivotal nature in the field of HIV prevention, including the discovery that people regularly taking their antiretroviral treatment reduce their chances of spreading HIV by 96% and that men who are circumcised reduce their risk of becoming infected heterosexually by approximately 60%.

Both improved access to antiretrovirals and campaigns to increase male circumcision in high-risk populations have taken place since the discoveries, and although numbers of new infections are falling, they’re not falling fast enough.

In 2013, there were 35 million people estimated to

“

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HIV antiretroviral drugs being displayed

be living with HIV globally.

There were still 2.1 million new infections in 2013, and for every person who began treatment for HIV last year, 1.3 people were newly infected with the lifelong virus, according to UNAIDS. A vaccine remains essential to control the epidemic.

A complex beast Scientists like Mascola have dedicated their careers to finding a vaccine, and their road has been tough due to the inherently complicated nature of the virus, its aptitude for mutating and changing constantly to evade immune attack, and its ability attack the very immune cells that should block it.

There are nine subtypes of HIV circulating in different populations around the world, according to the World Health Organization, and once inside the body, the virus can change continuously.

“Within an individual, you have millions of variants,” explained Dr. Wayne Koff, chief scientific officer for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

HIV invades the body by attaching to, and killing, CD4 cells in the immune system.

These cells are needed to send signals for other cells to generate antibodies against viruses such as HIV, and destroying those enables

HIV to cause chronic lifelong infections in those affected.

Measles, polio, tetanus, whooping cough -- to name a few -- all have vaccines readily available to protect from their potentially fatal infections. But their biology is seemingly simple in comparison with HIV. “For the older ones, you identify the virus, either inactivate it or weaken it, and inject it,” Koff said. “You trick the body into thinking it is infected with the actual virus, and when you’re exposed, you mount a robust immune response.”

This is the premise of all vaccines, but the changeability of HIV means the target is constantly changing. A new route is needed, and the true biology of the virus needs to be understood. “In the case of HIV, the old empirical approach isn’t going to work,” Koff said.

Scientists have identified conserved regions of the virus that don’t change as readily, making them prime targets for attack by antibodies. When the success of the Thai trial was studied deep down at the molecular level, the protection seemed to come down to attacking some of these conserved regions. Now it’s time to step it up.b.

In January, the mild success in Thailand will

be applied in South Africa, where over 19% of the adult population is living with HIV. The country is second only to bordering Swaziland for having the highest rates of HIV in the world.

“The Thai vaccine was made for strains (of HIV) circulating in Thailand,” said Dr. Larry Corey, principal investigator for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, which is leading the next trial in South Africa. The strain, or subtype, in this case was subtype B. “For South Africa, we’ve formed a strain with common features to (that) circulating in the population.” This region of the world has subtype C. An additional component, known as an adjuvant, is being added to the mix to stimulate a stronger and hopefully longer-lasting level of immunity. “We know durability in the Thai trial waned,” Corey said. If safety trials go well in 2015, larger trials for the protective effect will take place the following year. An ideal vaccine would provide lifelong protection, or at least for a decade, as with the yellow fever vaccine.

A broad attack The excitement now reinvigorating researchers stems not only from a modestly successful trial but from recent successes in the lab and even from HIV patients themselves.

Some people with HIV naturally produce antibodies that are effective in attacking the HIV virus in many of its forms. Given the great variability of HIV, any means of attacking these conserved parts of the virus will be treasured and the new found gold comes in the form of these antibodies -- known as “broadly neutralizing antibodies.”

Scientists including Koff set out to identify these antibodies and discover whether they bind to the outer coat of the virus.

The outer envelope, or protein coat, of HIV is what the virus uses to attach to, and enter, cells inside the body. These same coat proteins are what vaccine developers would like our antibodies to attack, in order to prevent the virus from entering our cells. “Broadly neutralizing antibodies” could hold the key because, as their name suggests, they have a broad remit and can attack many subtypes of HIV. “We will have found the Achilles heel of HIV,” Koff said.

Out of 1,800 people infected with HIV, Koff and his team found that 10% formed any of these antibodies and just 1% had extremely broad and potent antibodies against HIV. “We called them the elite neutralizers,” he said of the latter group. The problem,

response against a range of types of HIV,” Mascola said.

The vaccine would not contain the virus itself, or any of its genetic material, meaning those receiving it have no risk of contracting HIV. But for now, this new area remains just that: new. “We need results in humans,” Mascola said.

Rounds of development, safety testing and then formal testing in high-risk populations are needed, but if it goes well, “in 10 years, there could be a first-generation vaccine.”

If improved protection is seen in South Africa, a firstgeneration vaccine could be with us sooner.

Making an Impact When creating vaccines, the desired level of protection is usually 80% to 90%. But the high burden of HIV and potentially beneficial impact of lower levels of protection

warrant licensing at a lower percentage.

“Over 50% is worth licensing from a public health perspective,” Koff said, meaning that despite less shielding from any contact with the HIV virus, even a partially effective vaccine would save many lives over time.

The next generations will incorporate further advancements, such as inducing neutralizing antibodies, to try to increase protection up to the 80% or 90% desired.

“That’s the history of vaccine research; you develop it over time,” Corey said. He has worked in the field for over 25 years and has felt the struggle.

“I didn’t think it would be this long or this hard ... but it’s been interesting,” he ponders.

But there is light at the end of tunnel. Just.

In 2013, there were 35 million people estimated to be living with HIV globally.

There were still 2.1 million new infections in 2013, and for every person who began treatment for HIV last year, 1.3 people were newly infected with the lifelong virus, according to UNAIDS. A vaccine remains essential to control the epidemic

Statistics on HIV/AIDS

“There has been no virus controlled without a vaccine,” he concluded when explaining why, despite antiretrovirals, circumcision and increased awareness, the need for a one-off intervention like a vaccine remains strong.

“Most people that transmit it don’t even know they have it,” he said.

“To get that epidemic, to say you’ve controlled it, requires vaccination.”

While marking the 26th annual World AIDS Day, NYU’s College of Dentistry hosted a seminar to discuss the progress of an HIV/ AIDS cure. David Levy, a virologist at NYU, spoke on Dec. 1 to highlight some of the research he and fellow colleagues have gathered, remaining hopeful of current and future HIV treatments.

With 35 million current HIV-infected patients across the globe, Levy said research objectives have shifted from creating a vaccine to finding a cure for the pandemic.

Levy emphasized the ultimate goal of eradicating the virus from each infected individual.

Levy gave the exceptional example of Timothy Ray Brown, a man who, after suffering from leukemia and undergoing two bone marrow transplants, was cured of HIV. “The idea that this is even possible has, to a large extent, been an impetus for the

flowering of cure research,” Levy said. “There’s hope that it might actually be possible to eradicate the virus from people.”

There are currently 36 medications licensed for HIV treatment, including a post-exposure prophylaxis preventing transmission from mother to child, which breaks the chain of HIV transmission.

Testing models like the clinical studies that focus on HIV-positive individuals and using animal models to experiment treatment were discussed during the seminar. The models continue to lie at the forefront of research. Levy’s lab predominantly uses the cell culture model, which focuses on primary cells in vitro.

Levy said, however, that animal models remain the most promising of models, using both monkeys and mice.

“Animal models are of course extremely valuable, and monkeys have become a much more useful model,” Levy said. “It’s a hopeful time in this field because there’s a lot going on.”

Candy Petrolle, an administrator in NYU’s basic science department, found Levy’s seminar to be an enlightening reminder of HIV research’s progress.

The lack of medical students in attendance, however, disappointed her.

A health worker sensitizing children on the dangers of the virus

“I didn’t know about some of the drugs they’ve been using, so that was informative for me,” Petrolle said. “But I was hoping more students would come today, because they’re the ones who will be treating HIV-infected patients in the future, not us.”

Levy has begun screening compounds that could reverse latent cells carrying the HIV virus, focusing his research directly at the latent virus.

“What we need is to reach down molecularly to that latent virus and cause that cell to die, and that’s what cure therapy research is all about at this point,” Levy said. “Everything’s been going in incremental steps.”

Dentistry professor Joan Phelan said NYU has been at the forefront of HIV research throughout the turbulent history of the pandemic, improving the research and treatment over the past two decades.

“From the very beginning, we were already asking our students to take care of HIV patients, and now, students working in the clinic have HIV patients and treat them extremely well,” Phelan said. “This seminar is not a celebration, but a marking of what’s happening in HIV infection in 2014.”

Source: CNN

PAGE 26

Peoples Daily, friday, November 28, 2014

Islam

Money: How much is Enough?

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llah says: “The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things), until ye visit the graves.”

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All Praise is due to Allah! We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our evils and bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and final messenger to mankind. May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon His last and final Apostle, his Household, his companions and all his followers till the end of time.

It is an undeniable fact that money is an important and integral part of life since its creation. It has served man and will continue to make difference in his life; either bad or good. The ancient man understood it as a mere instrument of exchange for services and goods whenever the need for either or both arose. As time goes the essence of money became very sophisticated and complicated such that without access to it at the moment of wants or needs, life becomes meaningless. So, man had to put on extra time and energy to make sufficient money to off-set his liabilities and that of his immediate families; and in some cases for the distant ones also.

In Islam there are stipulated ways of making legitimate wealth.

The essence of money making is

islam explained

By Husain Zakariyya Yawale +234-8052952900 (sms only) islamexplained35@yahoo.com not the ultimate at all where the end justifies the means. One must strive to access only legitimate or halal funds. That means it is not only what you do with your money that matters; how you get it get matters more.

The Shari’ah lays down clear principles that no individual is absolutely free to acquire or exploit wealth independently by drawing a line between what is lawful and unlawful. It is for Allah that owns the absolute right to draw this line and no none else. The Qur’an condemns the people of Midians, an ancient Arabian tribe for claiming to hold to unrestricted right to acquiring and expending wealth without recourse to the laid down principles expounded by the Shari’ah. Allah says: “They said: “O Shu’aib!

Does Thy (religion of) prayer command Thee that we leave off the worship which our fathers practised, or that we leave off doing what we like with our property? Truly, Thou art the one that forbeareth with faults and is right- minded!”[Hud: 87] Though Islam allows ownership and administration of wealth by individuals, it is not without bounds and regulations.

Every type of wealth must be administered in line with the

stipulated laws both in the process of acquiring and administering it.

There certain rights in one’s wealth which must be attended to. There are zakator annual dues, sadakat or occasional charity, rights of kith and kin, parental rights, and religious obligations. All these expenditures should be attended to by the rich.

In the not very distant past, people work very hard to earn legitimate wealth. When in the end they were able to do so, they prostrate to Allah in thankful to Him. Today, people have devised smarter ways of making huge wealth within a short period. When they eventually did, they indulge in sinful ways with impunity thinking that enjoyment is found in immorality!

In Islam, therefore, wealth is not an exclusive right of their owners with limitless freedom to expend it without resistance to gratification of one’s whims and desires. The wisdom is that both acquiring and expending of wealth are considered as acts of worship. This position has been strengthened by the original purpose of creation of man. The Qur’an says: “I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me. No sustenance do I require of them,

“

The Shari’ah lays down clear principles that no individual is absolutely free to acquire or exploit wealth independently by drawing a line between what is lawful and unlawful. nor do I require that they should feed Me.”[az-Zariyat: 56-57] Another verse that brings more the essence of creation is thus; “Say: “Truly, My prayer and My service of sacrifice, My life and My death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: No partner hath He: This am I commanded, and I am the first of those who bow to His will.”

Thus, you and your possessions are exclusive rights of Allah; for He is the Giver, the Provider and the Cherisher of every living thing on this earth and elsewhere.

Similarly, in Islam it is not how much you wealth you possess, but how you acquired and expend it. What concern Allah about one’s wealth are the means to its attainment and administration.

The usual questions which should preoccupy a wealthy man’s instinct should be how he acquired it; was it in accordance with set rules and regulations of wealth acquisition in Islam or not?

Secondly, how did hedisburse it; was it also in the same manner or otherwise? Thus, theprocesses of acquisition are as important as the processes of administering it. In fact, the rewards are the awe-inspiring, just as the punishmentgruelinglysevere!

In Islam also, the heaps of one’s wealth may not be basis for happiness or contentment.

Happiness cannot be bought by money, nor contentment attained by the amount of one’s wealth!

A wealthy is happier when he looks around him and sees many people happy as a result of his benevolence and generousity.

The more a wealthy man puts smiles in the faces of his family, his friends, his neighbours and the community he resides, the more he enjoys his wealth. The

more you touch the lives of poor people directly or indirectly the more you attain much scanty happiness and satisfaction. Thus, an idle wealth is a curse to its owner. It does not give him the joy that is usually associated with it.

In Islam, the amount of wealth is not an indication of God’s preference of a rich man over a less affluent. How many less prosperous men are happier than stingingly rich men and women? Everyday we read in the newspapers and television headlines of celebrities committing murders and homicides by hanging without any sensible justification.

Their reasons generally are not unconnected to lack of happiness and contentment. The memories of Robin Williams a comedian and actor and an American fashion designer L’Wren Scott, committed suicide by hanging are still very fresh. While those of Lee Thompson Young a TV star and Don Cornelius the creator of the famous Soul Train show also shot himself in head! These and many famous rich men and women commit suicides despite their quantum of wealth and fame, is enough evidence that wealth is not synonyms with contentment and joyfulness! It is also not in-synch with the assumption that the more wealth you have, the happier you become! So the question; how much is enough to make one happy, still remains unsatisfactorily unanswered!

Allah says: “Say: “In the bounty of Allah. and In His Mercy;In that let them rejoice”: that is better than the (wealth) They hoard.”[Yunus: 58] Finally, may Allah in His infinite mercy grant us contentment with the little blessed sustenance we possess!

P A G E

Peoples Daily, friday, November 28, 2014

International

Another climate change summit: Don’t give up the many not the few. Because it is ordinary people living in flood and drought prone areas, dependent for their livelihoods on fishing, farming and forests, or living in cities engulfed by pollution or in housing that cannot protect them from storms or heat waves, who are bearing the brunt of our experiment with the world’s climate.

The United Nations - where every country has a voice, not matter how small, relatively poor or vulnerable - are still the only place where we can hope to secure action that takes full account of these peoples’ rights.

At Lima, we need governments to make sure that the direction is right. They need to agree a goal of ending carbon pollution and deliver renewable energy for all people on this planet by 2050.

ANALYSIS

T

he fact that the world’s biggest emitters have come together takes us beyond the ‘you go first’ mentality.

Many have simply lost faith in global climate negotiations summits such as COP 20 starting in Lima, Peru today. But while the process has not delivered the climate action we need, I would argue that this year key things have changed and that we must continue to demand from our politicians that they listen and act and, by that, safeguard the future of next and current generations on this planet.

As nations start the latest global round of climate change negotiations in Lima, Peru today, it is easy to be cynical. Because in the 20 plus years that our governments have been meeting for global climate meetings, emissions have risen more than ever before. This year is already predicted to be the warmest since records began.

And yet, this is a moment of opportunity. Because things are changing, really changing.

In the climate movement, in the economy and in the politics of climate change. Today, the climate movement all over the world is reenergised. The largest ever climate march in New York this September was a powerful symbol for the global rise of a movement that is stopping pipelines and coal plants as well as forcing renewable energy solutions all over the world.

In economics, too, we live in a different world: Costeffective, sensible renewable energy solutions have made quantum leaps. Renewables are the most economical solution for new power capacity in an everincreasing number of countries.

One hundred percent of new power capacity added in the United States in August was

renewable and countries such as Denmark and Germany are producing new “clean electricity” records almost every month.

China is installing as much solar this year as the US has ever done.

Bilateral agreement The recent bilateral agreement between China and the United States to cut pollution and drive cleaner energy sources is, in addition, a sign of changing politics. Many said that such an agreement was impossible, that it would not happen in our lifetimes. And yet it did. Only a fool would argue that the action proposed by these two biggest polluters and biggest economies is enough.

“

Inside Story - Is it too late to act on climate change?

It is not enough, experts have already told us, to protect our planet from a potential three or four degree Celsius rise in global temperatures - with all the disastrous consequences that would have for us, our children, and our ecosystems.

But the fact that the world’s biggest emitters have come together moves us from a “you go first” mentality, that had paralysed global climate negotiations for years, to an “I will act if you will act” frame. At Lima, others must now follow and our pressure must speed up the action.

Because we need an agreement to tackle the climate crisis, which meets the needs of

The recent bilateral agreement between China and the United States to cut pollution and drive cleaner energy sources is, in addition, a sign of changing politics.

At Lima, we need governments to make sure that the direction is right. They need to agree a goal of ending carbon pollution and deliver renewable energy for all people on this planet by 2050.

And in Lima, governments must agree to renew and review their targets every five years, starting in 2025.

Not just to cut pollution, but to help the vulnerable adapt to climate change, and to support poorer countries to provide sustainable energy access for their populations.

Every government should already be pr e p a r i n g t h e i r “intended nationally determined contribution” - their offer towards the Paris deal. Before March 2015 we must see concrete, ambitious plans from each and every one of the world’s polluting nations - to phase out coal and nuclear power, to install solar and wind energy, to increase energy efficiency, to build cleaner and more livable cities, and to protect forests.

In Lima, governments must agree to review whether these plans are enough to prevent climate chaos and whether the effort is shared fairly between richer and poorer nations before they meet again in Paris in December 2015.

In Lima, we expect scientists, business people and investors, city mayors, faith leaders and civil society organisations from all over the world to be calling for more ambitious climate action. The climate movement gets broader and more effective day. It is an unstoppable force now - and in Lima and Paris, we will make our voices heard.

Kumi Naidoo is the Executive Director of Greenpeace International.

Courtesy; Aljazeera

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PAGE 28

International ICC ultimatum over Kenyan leader Uhuru Kenyatta’s case

Sierra Leone’s president lauds Chinese efforts in Ebola figh

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he President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma commended the Chinese government for its continued support and commitment to the ongoing fight against the spreading Ebola virus disease (EVD) on Tuesday.

Koroma made the remarks during a meeting with a Chinese senior representative for Ebola fight, Xu Shuqiang at the State House.

President Koroma described the appointment of Xu Shuqiang as a significant addition to the intervention of China and applauded the Chinese government for treating Sierra Leone as a special friend.

He stated that the Chinese government had made four interventions in terms of equipment, funds, laboratory capacity and personnel that had come very handy in the fight to eradicate Ebola.

He stated that the rapid Ebola test kits will increase laboratory capacity and equally cut down the waiting time that would help the country to move ahead of the virus. Source;Xinhua

Algeria not worried about oil prices plunge: minister

A

lgeria said it’s not worried about the repercussions of the plunge of oil prices in the global market over its economy and financial balances, the state-run TV channel reported.

“Algeria has some useful mechanisms that would help it resist to financial shocks,” Finance Minister Mohamed Djelab said in a statement, referring to the oil price drop.

The minister further added that the oil-rich country “has been adopting a preventive policy for more than ten years, including the Oil Revenue Regulation Fund, which helps the nations compensating repercussions of oil prices plunge.”

“Algeria has been able to pay its foreign debts, and eventually enabled the country to secure huge financial reserves,” he said.

The Regulation Fund for Oil Revenues was established by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2000. The fund receives oil extra revenues based on a reference price of 37 U.S. dollars a barrel, which is set by the government in its annual budget. Source; Xinhua

T

he International Criminal Court (ICC) has given prosecutors a one-week deadline to bring evidence against Kenya’s president or to drop charges.

Further delays in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s case would be “contrary to the interests of justice”, it ruled.

Mr Kenyatta was the first head of state to appear before the court since he was formally charged in 2012 with crimes against humanity, which he denies.

The prosecution has repeatedly asked for more time to build its case.

It says witnesses have been bribed and intimidated, and the Kenyan government has refused to hand over

documents vital to the case.

Mr Kenyatta denies inciting violence following the disputed 2007 elections in order to secure victory for thenPresident Mwai Kibaki and says the ICC case is political.

‘Co-perpetrator’ Rejecting the prosecution’s latest request for a delay, the court’s judges said it needed to indicate within a week whether it would withdraw charges or that the “evidentiary basis has improved to a degree which would justify proceeding to trial”.

Mr Kenyatta won presidential elections in 2013, with the backing of Mr Kibaki.

He used the case against him to rally nationalist support by accusing The Hague-based

About 600,000 people were forced to flee their homes

court of meddling in Kenya’s affairs.

He is accused by the ICC prosecution of being “an indirect co-perpetrator” in the post-poll ethnic massacres of 2007/2008.

Mr Kenyatta was elected in 2013, despite facing charges at the ICC

Some 1,200 people were killed in the violence and 600,000 were displaced.

Mr Kenyatta’s deputy William Ruto is on trial at the court on similar charges after his legal team’s efforts to throw out the case failed.

He and Mr Kenyatta were in opposite camps during the 2007 election, with Mr Ruto accused of fuelling violence to bolster opposition leader Raila Odinga’s chances of becoming president. He denies the charges.

Mr Ruto formed an alliance with Mr Kenyatta in the 2013 election, opening the way for him to become deputy president.

The court’s decision to charge Mr Kenyatta caused international controversy, with the African Union (AU) accusing it of “hunting” Africans because of their race.

The prosecution denied the allegation, saying it pursued justice impartially.

Ebola crisis: Appeal to reopen schools

A

campaign group has urged the rapid reopening of schools in three Ebola-hit West African states as some 5m children are being denied education.

Education had become “one of the first casualties of the crisis” in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, it added.

The “most marginalised” would bear the brunt of the crisis for generations to come if “safe schools” were not reopened, the group said.

Ebola was declared a health emergency after it was identified in March.

Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma said the country still had only 406 beds, or less than one-third of the number required, to treat Ebola patients.

The UK has been heavily criticised

by Sierra Leoneans for being slow in building a promised treatment centre.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 6,055 people have died of the deadly virus in the three states.

Schools were shut to reduce the risk of children becoming infected.

The Global Business Coalition for Education said reopening schools would not only give children an education, but it would also provide a “first line of defence in tracing and monitoring potential cases of Ebola”.

Indications were that 54% of children were unlikely to return to the classroom if they were out of school for a year, its report, published in collaboration with A World at School, said.

“Being out of school can have a crippling impact for vulnerable children, especially girls who are more subject to high-risk situations, including pregnancy and early marriage,” it added.

“The risk of child labour increases rapidly as contributing to the household economy becomes critical for families.”

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama renewed calls on Tuesday for Congress to approve $6bn (£3.8bn) in emergency aid to fight the outbreak.

He made the plea as medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres

(MSF) again strongly criticised the international response.

It described it as patchy and slow, with the job of tackling the crisis largely left to doctors, nurses and charity organisations.

The MSF report said foreign governments - notably the UK in Sierra Leone and most recently China in Liberia - were continuing to build

Ebola treatment centres.

But these were sometimes in the wrong places and using underqualified local staff.

This week 250 Nigerian healthcare workers have been trained in Lagos ready for deployment to Ebola-hit countries as part of the African Union’s efforts to help combat the epidemic.

Health workers must take extraordinary measures to protect themselves from the virus

Page 29

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

International

Palestinian shot after stabbing two Israelis

A

Palestinian man has been shot and injured by an Israeli security guard, after he entered a supermarket in the West Bank and stabbed two Israeli civilians, police said.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said a 16-yearold Palestinian entered the supermarket in the settlement of Maaleh Adumium, east of Jerusalem, and stabbed two Israeli shoppers.

Samri said the two shoppers, in their 50s, were moderately wounded and taken to a hospital in Jerusalem.

Police said the alleged attacker was from the village of Al-Azariya east of Jerusalem. Maaleh Adumium is around 10km from Al-Azariya.

The security guard shot the attacker in the legs and police later arrested him, Samri said.

David Assaraf, the spokesman for Israeli police in the West Bank, told the AFP news agency that officers were called to the scene after gunfire was reported, finding the two Israelis and the alleged attacker lying wounded on the

ground.

“Two more [Palestinians] were arrested and are under investigation,” he said.

Police said they were caught trying to flee the scene but provided no further details about how they may have been involved.

Tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank have been high since June, when Palestinians kidnapped and killed three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank. Israelis retaliated by abducting and burning alive a Palestinian teenager in East Jerusalem.

The kidnappings set off a series of events that led to the 50-day Gaza war, which left more than 2,100 Palestinians and 71 Israelis dead.

Revenge attacks from both sides have been happening since summer.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli PM

U.S.-led strikes against IS in Syria have no tangible results: Assad Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that airstrikes are insufficient in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) militants, and that the strikes by the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition were not helpful.

“

You can’t end terrorism with aerial strikes ... Troops on the ground that know the land and can react are

essential,” Assad said during an interview with a French magazine.

The U.S.-led anti-terror

coalition started their strikes against the positions of the IS in Syria late last September.

However, the strikes have

so far done little to quell the momentum of that terrorist group. The coalition noted that there was no coordination with the Syrian troops regarding the war on the IS, known locally as Daesh.

“That is why there haven’t been any tangible results in the two months of strikes led by the coalition. It isn’t true that the strikes are helpful,” Assad said.

“We are running the ground battles against Daech, and we have noticed no change, especially with Turkey providing direct support to these regions,” the president added.

Meanwhile, Assad said that the current French leadership is working against the interest of the Syrian people.

“We will work with any French dignitary or government in our common interests. But the current administration is working against the interest of our people and that of the French people.”

Source;Xinhua

Asia & Middle East China rejects Britain’s “moral duty” to Hong Kong

C

hina on Wednesday rejected Britain’s “moral duty” to Hong Kong, adding some British lawmakers’ attempts to meddle in China’s internal affairs is “not acceptable” and “doomed to fail.”

“Britain has no sovereignty over, no governance of, and no superintendence over Hong Kong since Hong Kong returned to China in 1997,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

In an emergency debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Members of Parliament called on the British government to condemn China for refusing a delegation from the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee to visit Hong Kong. Some MPs claimed that as a party of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, Britain still has a “moral duty” to Hong Kong.

The Joint Declaration has made clear the respective obligations and responsibilities of China and Britain on China’s resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong and arrangements for the transitional period, said Hua. “Some British lawmakers tried to use this so-called ‘moral duty’ to mislead the public and interfere in China’s internal affairs. This is not acceptable, and the attempt is doomed to fail,” she said.

Iranian ambassador “unhurt” in Yeman explosion: spokesperson

T

he Iranian ambassador to Yeman was not hurt in Wednesday’s explosion in the capital Sanaa, the Foreign Ministry said.

“According to the latest information, all of the Iranian embassy staff in Yemen are all right,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said.

A powerful car bomb hit the residence of the Iranian ambassador to Yemen on Wednesday morning, killing at least three people and wounding 17 others, some in critical conditions.

The house of the Iranian ambassador was seriously damaged, but the ambassador was not inside when the bomb went off.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

“It was not an important issue,” Afkham said, but “the details of the incident are under investigation.”

After a long delay of dispatching an ambassador to Yemen, Iran sent its envoy, Hossein Niknam, to Sanaa last week, signaling Iran’s “political will” to establish relations with the Arab state, the Iranian spokeswoman said, also hoping that Sanaa could play its part in improving the bilateral relations.

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Page 30

International

Lee Rigby murder: Killers lose legal challenges T wo men convicted of killing Fusilier Lee Rigby in May 2013 have lost legal challenges against their sentences.

Michael Adebolajo’s attempts to have his conviction overturned and whole-life sentence reduced were rejected by three judges at the Court of Appeal.

Michael Adebowale, who was arguing for a reduction in his minimum sentence of 45 years, also had his case thrown out.

Fusilier Rigby’s estranged wife Rebecca said: “We are relieved that this is over and justice has been done.”

She added: “I would like to thank everyone for their continued support over the last 18 months and hope I can now build a future for my son Jack and ensure Lee’s memory lives on.”

Rebecca Rigby spoke briefly outside the Court of Appeal Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, sitting with Lady Justice Hallett and Mr Justice Openshaw, said the sentences were “just” punishment for the “horrific and barbaric” murder.

The pair had “gloried” in what they had done, he said.

Adebolajo’s attempt to challenge his conviction was “misconceived” and “completely hopeless”, he said.

“They inflicted upon the family of Fusilier Rigby suffering extremely difficult to describe, and something they must live with for the rest of their

Michael Adebolajo, left, and Michael Adebowale killed Lee Rigby in London in May 2013 lives,” Lord Thomas added.

Adebowale, 23, watched the proceedings via video link from Broadmoor.

Adebolajo, 29, waived his right to do so from Frankland Prison, Country Durham.

‘Memory alive’ Fusilier Rigby was killed on 22 May last year outside Woolwich barracks in south-east London.

Adebolajo and Adebowale drove into the 25-year-old before hacking him to death.

Fusilier Rigby’s fiancee, Aimee West, said she was “relieved” and “thankful” after the hearing.

She added: “I hope that this is the last we will hear from them both, so that I can focus on rebuilding my life and keeping Lee’s memory alive.”

long-term average.

And the first eleven months in the UK have produced an average

temperature 1.6C above the longterm.

A separate study by the UK Met Office says the observed temperatures would be highly unlikely without the influence of greenhouse gases produced by humans.

The global figures come in estimates from the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

If this year’s current global trend continues for the next two months, the previous record years of 1998, 2005 and 2010 will be overtaken by a narrow margin.

The Secretary-General of the WMO, Michel Jarraud, said the preliminary data for 2014 was “consistent with what we expect from

a changing climate.”

In 1878, there was a strong El Nino (where warmer water rises to the surface of the Eastern Pacific Ocean) and this is seen very clearly as a large spike in global temperature.

This event was remarkable for an extreme drought in India where it is an estimated more than five million people died. There were droughts in nothern China also associated with this El Nino. The famine caused by the drought in India spurred scientists to begin work on climate patterns, leading eventually to discovery of the El Nino-related “Southern Oscillation” - the idea that the ocean and atmosphere are connected.

The cool 1960s and 1970s are likely

World on course for warmest year

I

n the first 10 months of 2014, global average air temperature was about 0.57 Celsius above the

This year is in the running to be the hottest globally and for the UK since records began, early estimates show.

Pope Francis dismisses ‘authoritarian’ Swiss Guard commander

P

ope Francis is removing the commander of the Swiss Guards, with the pontiff reportedly unhappy at the officer’s strict authoritarian style.

The news that Daniel Anrig would not be continuing as commander was published in the Vatican’s daily newspaper.

He will leave the Vatican after Christmas at the end of an eightyear stint, and be replaced by his deputy.

Since his election Pope Francis has made efforts to reform the church and make it more open.

The notice in the L’Osservatore Romano said: “The holy father has ordered that Colonel Daniel Rudolf Anrig end his term on 31 January, at the conclusion of the extension of his mandate.”

Col Anrig’s approach has riled colleagues, with one Swiss Guard telling Italian media “this is the end of a dictatorship”, on news of his departure.

No official reason has been given for the dismissal by the Vatican.

The 110-strong Swiss Guard are responsible for the personal

security of the Pope.

They have served the papacy for

Anrig has been a Swiss Guard for eight years

five centuries, first coming to Rome to protect Pope Julius II in 1506.

Europe and Americas Bristol mother Charlotte Bevan and missing baby CCTV issued

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CTV footage of a mother and her four-day-old baby who have gone missing from a Bristol hospital has been issued.

Charlotte Bevan disappeared from St Michael’s Hospital with her daughter, named Zaani Tiana, between 20:30 and 21:00 GMT on Tuesday.

Police and her boyfriend Pascal Malbrouck have made a direct appeal for her to get in touch.

Det Ch Insp Simon Crisp said he was convinced the 30-year-old has her baby’s “best interest at heart”.

“I have a message for Charlotte, it’s not a crime to take your own baby from hospital,” he said.

Ms Bevan did not have a coat or shoes and is thought to have been wearing hospital slippers, while her baby was wrapped only in blankets.

‘Left unexpectedly’ Overnight temperatures in the city were close to freezing.

Officers searched the surrounding area and although they found nothing a wheelie bin wrapped in tarpaulin was taken away by forensics officers.

“I’ve spoken to [hospital] staff and they are convinced she is a caring and thoughtful mother,” Det Insp Crisp said.

“What worries me is that she left unexpectedly and didn’t tell friends or family.

“If you are with a friend then they, or you, have nothing to fear from coming forward.”

Mr Bevan was due to leave hospital on Thursday.

A spokesman for University Hospitals Bristol, which runs St Michael’s Hospital, said Ms Bevan discharged herself for “reasons unknown to us” and there were no signs she was planning to leave.

“Charlotte and her baby were seen by staff at 20.30; when staff went to check on her at 21.05 they found Charlotte and her baby missing and immediately sounded the alarm,” he said.

‘We all love you’ Mr Malbrouck urged Ms Bevan to “come back”.

“The last two days as a family was amazing and I really want to do that for much longer. I’m waiting for you,” he said.

Her mother Rachel Fortune also appealed for her daughter to “please get in touch”.

“We all love you,” she added.

Friends have said Ms Bevan, from Bristol, is part of a “happy couple” and her disappearance is totally “out of character”.

She is described as white, around 5ft 8in tall, of average build with dark wavy hair.

She was thought to be wearing a black top and black trousers when she left the hospital on Southwell Street, while the baby was in blue and white striped and coloured blankets.

Police are continuing to scour the city for the newborn baby and mother, and said they are investigating a number of unconfirmed sightings.

Page 31

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Politics Extra

Women must take their place in Zamfara politics - Aishatu Maradun Interview

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ou have now been elected as the PDP state Woman Leader, what fruitful service do women expect from you?

I will first of all ensure women empowerment is the priority of the next government of PDP in the state especially having been satisfied that, the ruling APC would no longer be given any chance by the good people of the state to rule again. I will facilitate that first in order to restore the lost conscious in women so that they could be able to understand why women were the most needed category of voters being used to form a government at all levels.

How do you hope to achieve your dream?

It is very easy because, all good women across the fourteen local government areas of the state, be it politicians or otherwise have been clamouring for the change of government in the state, and believe you me, they entirely have respect for my words as you have seen during our election, when they patiently waited to hear what I will say in terms of which direction

Aishatu Maradun is a bonafide woman member of the Zamfara State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). She was recently elected as state Woman Leader. In this interview with journalists, she spoke on the need for gender equality especially when it comes to politics and some other issues.

Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d was there. women are to follow in all kind of affairs. I sat with the Chairman of the PDP, Senator Hassan Nasiha, and discussed on the fate of women especially after forming the government of the state. He assured me of every required support and cooperation to ensure that the living standard of women in the state would be taken care of, they would be empowered to the extent that they can measure shoulder to shoulder with men in every aspect of politics and the run of government affairs. We would never allow any politician to see women as political tool kits who could only be used during campaigns and elections, this time around; my office would go about setting of committees that

“

This is the time women of Zamfara State would show the world of talents they were blessed, you see, we have heroes in women as that of men, they can competitively run the most complicated offices run by the state government, we have an alarming number of well educated women who can serve to move the state forward to the next level of development

would work harder to ensure that women were given equal attention with men in all manifestos designed by candidates vying for political offices. This is the time women of Zamfara State would show the world of talents they were blessed, you see, we have heroes in women as that of men, they can competitively run the most complicated offices run by the state government, we have an alarming number of well educated women who can serve to move the state forward to the next level of development.

Are you suggesting that all political offices in the government should be shared between men and women?

That could not be possible because it is too early to embark upon crusades like that, but would come into being gradually, especially when it is noticed that women have lucrative roles to play in taking the state’s crawling economy to greater height, for example, we have knowledgeable women and vocal enough to struggle for bills in favour of the state economy in the two national assemblies. Zamfara State is blessed with women icons in different kind of trades like in commercial sector, education, judiciary and even internationally legitimate high profile businesses.

They have much to contribute in building new Zamfara State which took men from 1999 to date without

Aishatu Maradun reaching the targeted destination, let them be given the chance to see how eventually dreams would turn to reality.

How would you assess the position of women under the ruling APC in the state?

Absolutely poor because, women’s votes were used to gain access into power by the APC but, at the end of the day, they became the first category of victims targeted to politically victimize in the state.

During campaign days, Governor Yari promised to empower women across the state as soon as he was elected. He promised that the sum of 30,000 naira would be given to each woman after every six months in order to ensure that they were

empowered. After nearly the end of his first year in office without giving a penny to any woman, he smashed down the amount to 25,000 naira. Unfortunately, up till now, women across the state could not see anything from the state government, but Governor Yari is still fooling them by making another promise to give 5,000 to each woman despite that only some days remain for his deceptive APC to vacate the Government House for PDP by God’s grace. So, the act of rating women as ignorance as played by the APC government has clearly shown how deceptive the party has been, and time for women in Zamfara State to retaliate is fast approaching.

Politicians advised to accept results From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

N

igerian politicians have been advised to learn from the virtues of world best politicians who would accept the outcome of elections in good faith while calling on the

electoral body INEC to exhibit fairness and transparency in the electioneering processes.

A female politician and House of assembly flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded primaries in Niger State, Hajiya Hannatu Jibrin Salihu gave the

advise after her victory over the incumbent, Usman Magaji who was going for the third term, appealing to him to work together for the success of the party in the general elections.

“In any game there is a winner and loser but I will like to work with them as a

team, therefore, I extend my hands of fellowship to show my magnanimity in victory for them to accept in good faith as in spirit of sportsmanship”.

It could be recalled that the primary could not hold at Lapai, headquarter of Lapai local government area which Hajiya

Hannatu seeks to represent due to crisis and was rescheduled to the following day at UK Bello Minna where she won with 31 votes against the incumbent Usman Magaji who got 29 votes while the 3rd contestant, Mohammad Abubakar Nakorji had zero vote.

Plateau South delegates endorse Pwajok From Ado Musa, Jos

A

head of the December 8 PDP gubernatorial primaries, the delegates of the party in southern Plateau have accepted and endorsed the senator representing Plateau north Sen. GNS Pwajok as their choice gubernatorial candidate

after an interaction session with the delegates.

The chairman of the delegates’ forum in Quan Pan LGA said their decision was in clear recognition and appreciation of Pwajok leadership qualities which distinguished him among other aspirants in the race.

The forum chairman who assured Pwajok of their total solidarity encouraged the senator to be courageous noting that his aspiration is divine.

Also in Shendam where he was given a colourful reception the delegates assured him of their total support noting that

they resolved to pitch their tent with GNS because they realized he is in the winning side.

While speaking to the delegates Pwajok appealed to them to make plateau and its future their focus and be properly guided as the elect the party flag bearer.

He said he is in the race not

as a person from plateau north or Berom but as a true democrat and a plateau indigene.

He said his visit is not to joint issues with other aspirants but to solicit their support to ensure his emergence as the PDP candidate and eventually as the next governor for a better and greater Plateau.

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Page 32

When Total supported AWACIO to empower Kwali youths FEATURE

By Stanley Onyekwere

I

n furtherance to its goal of training and educating women, adolescents, and children in a way that will yield positive transformation in their lives, the Aids for Women, Adolescents, and Children International Organization (AWACIO), a nongovernmental organization, has empowered some youth with various vocational skills, in Kwali Area Council, of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A total of 24 youth acquired skills in Vulcanizing, POP making, painting, Pastry and hall decoration, phone repairs and Tiling respective, after six to eight weeks entrepreneurial skill acquisition programme tagged ‘Kwali Youth Empowerment Programme’, which was powered by Total Exploration and Production (E&P) Nigeria Ltd, and facilitated by AWACIO, in collaboration with the host Kwali community.

Also, each of the trainees was given various equipment relevant to their individual trades, to help them put into use the skills garnered from the programme.

Some of the items include air pumping machines, manual tile cutter, hammers, locally made oven, painting brush, shovel, trowel and among other equipment free of charge.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at Kwali Town Hall, on Wednesday, the

Some of the start-up equipment doled out to the trainees.

Executive General Manager (EGM), Corporate Services, Total E&P, Vincent Nnadi, said the programme, which is part of its corporate social responsibility package to indigenous communities, aimed at reduction of the rural poverty of the masses.

He said so far, the organization has impacted the lives of over 500 people in rural communities of

the FCT. “Our policy in Total is to build the capacity of individuals such that they can become part of important members of the society and contribute to the national economy; so this ( the programme) is just implementing what we have already in our organization.

“This is the fourth Area

Council we have visited so far; we have been in Bwari, Kuje, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), and now we are ending the year (2014) in Kwali,” Nnadi said.

Looking into the future, he said the organization plans to take the proggramme across all the area councils in FCT, and “we are planning for the last set of the area councils by next year, where we are going to deploy our human capacity programme. So, our plan is to cover all the area councils.”

“

The Etsu of Kwali, Alh. Shaban Audu (Middle) flagged by other chiefs and community leaders at the occasion.

I’m very happy that how Total through have come to our community with a very life changing programme, because I know with this skill my life can never remain the same

On why the focus being on the rural areas of the FCT, he explains; “this is where you have the larger population; this is where you have the real people; and this is where you have people who really need to be trained.

“In the urban areas, where you already have people who have trained themselves or may have acquired education or have thing or the other to do; but in the rural areas you have the population that we can reach out to, so it’s been very interesting for us keep the focus on people in rural areas.”

Similarly, in her opening speech, the Founder and Chief executive officer of AWACIO, Dr. Claudia C. Okeke, described the training initiative as a wonderful programme, as the youth were able to successfully go through the programme and get something out of it, expressing hope that they (the youth) would take it to the next level by passing it down to others within the area, so that Kwali as a whole can become a more industrious environment in the FCT. “We really appreciate Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd, for committing so much into building of communities; they have done so much in helping and partnering with us to build up rural communities in FCT. “Also, the people of Kwali community have been very supportive to the organization, as they have been able to assist us and show that they are really interested in what we were doing with their youth.

“There are some communities one can go and they would not really be interested in what we are doing, but for the Kwali people they were really interested in our programme, as they want to see that the youth here succeed in life,” she noted.

Commenting on the some of the challenges encountered during the programme, she said that: the only problem we had was the distance in driving from Abuja city centre down to the community, and being able to ensure that both the trainers and trainees were doing what we expected of them.

“Other than the issue of distance, the youth were quite very eager understanding and cooperative with the organization, so we didn’t have any problem executing the programme. It was an amazing experience, which is that the youth have that zeal to do better in life by becoming more productive in the community.

“Generally, the challenge we have as an organisation is that we want to be able to get more youth Continued on page 34

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Page 33

Photo Splash

Scavengers looking for valuables in refuse dump, yesterday in Area 1, Garki, Abuja.

Women taking ride in a tractor, yesterday at Gwagwalada, in Abuja.

A commercial motorcyclist conveying his passanger, yesterday at Gwagwalada, in Abuja.

Woman patronizing a chicken seller, yesterday at Kuje, in Abuja.

A man loaded his motorcycle with cow heads, yesterday at Kuje, in Abuja.

Photos: Justin Imo-Owo

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Page 34

Metro Continued on from 32

empowered with various skills; we want to grow more of them.

“Yes, we have empowered 24 youths in Kwali, however we don’t want them to be limited just to this number of persons but we know that they can easily be multiplied into a huge number that can also impact on positively the community.

However, on the cost implication of executing the programme, she said because it is a community project, the organization cannot weigh the total financial implication of the executing the programme in the community.

“So, it is a collective effort by both the benefiting community, AWACIO and Total that have really helped to effective channel resources and time need for the programme,” she stressed.

On his part, the Etsu of Kwali, Alh. Shaban Audu, said when the NGO came to seek their partnership, in order to actualize its plan for their youth , they didn’t know that it was going to turn out good; therefore only few youths made themselves available for the programme.

He expressed confidence that the little youth that were trained

When Total supported AWACIO to empower Kwali youths in various vocational skills, are going to have a multiplying effect on others, because they too are going to train some other people, and above all be well placed economically.

“The popular saying that an idle hand is a devil’s workshop, but since that they are now going to be meaningfully engaged, by trying to put into practice their acquired skills they are no longer going to be the devil’s workshop.

“And their immediate communities and the larger society are going to be better for it. Therefore, we are calling on AWACIO and Total to come back again to carry out a need assessment of the people in the area, so that they can further train our youth in such area of interest,” he said.

He however urged the trainees to ensure to gout in the society, and implement whatever they have been exposed to during the programme.

“Let them (trainees) not go and sit down at home without trying to actually put to use whatever kind of

OSUN STATE POLYTECHNIC, IREE, OSUN STATE INVITATION FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR FOR 2013 TETFUND SPECIAL INTERVENTION PROJECT The Polytechnicwishes to bring to the notice of interested competent and reputable Companies that the institution would want to procure some equipment under the TETFUND Special Intervention Project as listed below: LOT 1: PROCUREMENT OF ICT EQUIPMENT Pre-qualification Requirement • Certification of Incorporation/Business Registration • Current Tax Clearance Certificate for the last three(3) years • Value Added Tax Registration Certificate • Verifiable Evidence of previous experience in area of interest • Company profile • Three years Audited Accounts/Evidence of Financial Capability • Evidence of Compliance With Pension Reform Act,2004 • Evidence of Compliance with NSITF Reform Act • Evidence of compliance with statutory provision of section 8(1)-(3) of the Industrial Training Fund Amendment Act,2011 SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS: The application for Pre-Qualification must be submitted in a sealed envelope and boldly marked PRE-QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS FOR LOT Number and should be addressed as follows: TheRector, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, OsunState.

CLOSING DATE: Eligible Contractors are expected to submit relevant documents within two(2) weeks from the date of this publication and the prequalification documents will be publicly opened for processing at 12:00 pm on 19th December 2014 at the School’s Admin building reception, only qualified companies will be short listed and invited to Tender.

PLEASE NOTE THAT: The pre-qualification invitation shall not be construed to be commitment on the part of the Polytechnic nor shall it entitle any company to make any claim whatsoever and or seek any indemnity from the Polytechnic by virtue of such company having responded to the advert. The Polytechnic is not under any obligation to include your company on its list of contractors.

SIGNED:REGISTRAR

One of the beneficiaries, Jummai John, the only female who acquired skills in painting, being presented with a paint roller. skills they have been able to acquire.

“Also, they should improve on the skills and establish their own little workshops, because I’m sure AWACIO and Total are coming back to monitor and assess their progress, in order to see how to assist them to do even better in their chosen vocations,” he stressed.

Peoples Daily gathered that (AWACIO), an internationally based NGO dealing with the affairs and health issues of women, adolescents, and children, in most recent years, the founder, Dr. Okeke, has developed compassion for the affairs of women and has channeled her efforts to their needs and plights.

From the different testimonies by the trainees, there is no doubt that with the skills they acquired they are better positioned to be able to carter for themselves and their families, and by extension help curb crime in the society.

For one of the beneficiaries, who was the only female who acquired skills in painting, Jummai John, with her current status, she is now more encouraged to do more in life.

She explained that she chose to learn painting, which is a male-dominated vacation as an interesting challenge, “in order to prove the cliché that ‘what a man can do, woman can do it even better’.

“When I found out that in this part of the world it was only men that were into painting vocation, and when I heard of the youth empowerment programme, I decided to enroll for training in painting, so as to show that we (women) can do it too.”

Narrating her experiences during the programme, she said, because I was the only female who enrolled in the painting, and when we started the training it was a bit difficult for me, especially when it comes to painting ceilings, as I have not experience that before.

But I had in mind that I can do it, so I just

focused on learning the trade (painting) during the programme.

Prior to the training, she said had acquired skills in hair dressing, but was yet to collect her certificate, so when she heard of the programme, she decided to add more skills to her life.

“And am ashamed of who I have become, but rather proud to have succeeded in becoming a female painter,” she expressed.

Similarly, Abdulah Innocent, who was trained in POP making, while thanking the organisers for the programme, said with the new vocational skill he acquired, his life has been transformed positively.

“I’m very happy that how Total through have come to our community with a very life changing programme, because I know with this skill my life can never remain the same.

Not left out, one of the trainers, Samuel Etsu, said all the trainees were exposed to various aspects of their chosen trades, to make them very effective in the real world.

Highpoint of the occasion was the presentation of the startup equipment, awards and certificates to the trainees, while a cultural dancing group, which was brought by the Estu Kwali added colour to the event.

A cross section of the trainees during their graduation ceremony.

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Page 35

Strange World

Australian dad lights up world’s largest christmas display

W

hen Australian lawyer David Richards started decorating his family home for

Christmas four years ago, little did he know that the simple pastime would snowball into a huge passion. The father-of-three is now a self-proclaimed ‘crazy

Christmas lights guy’.

Impressed with the display of lights at his home last year, Richards was invited to transform Petrie Plaza in Canberra’s Central Business District into an epic Christmas spectacle this year. And Richards has not disappointed – this year’s display consists of a whopping 120 kilometers of lights and over one million light bulbs. Petrie Plaza now features a 3-D image constructed of lights, covering more than 41,000 square feet, in the shape of three large Christmas presents.

The spectacular display has won Richards a place in the Guinness Book for the third time. He won the record last year when he decorated his home with

Beautiful “Skeleton Flower” turns transparent when it rains

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he Diphylleia grayi is a beautiful white flower that turns transparent

upon contact with water. When it rains, the clusters of lovely blooms magically transform into

glistening, crystal-like blossoms.

Because of this amazing phenomenon, the Diphylleia grayi is commonly known as the ‘skeleton flower’.

The plant generally grows on moist, wooded mountainsides in the colder regions of Japan and China. It is recognizable by its large, umbrella-shaped leaves that are topped with small clusters of pearly white f l o w e r s . Wh i l e t h e p l a n t i s perennial, and can grow up to a height of 0.4 meters, the flowers bloom from midspring to early-summer in shady conditions. As the petals of these flowers are soaked in water, they slowly begin to lose their white pigmentation, turning completely transparent over time. When dry, they return to their original white version.

Luckily, you don’t have to travel all the way to Japan or China to take a look at these wondrous blossoms becoming translucent. Scroll down to watch a timelapse video of these amazing flowers change from white to glassy transparent with the coming of the rain!

502,165 lights, and once before in 2011. “Christmas lights really get people into the festive spirit,” Richards told Guinness. “We decorated our home for years, and people came from everywhere to see our lights. This year, who knows how many people will come along?”

“We had 12,000 people walking down my driveway on Christmas Eve last year,” he added. “There were queues of hundreds and hundreds of people.

But this year, I’ve more than doubled the number of lights – it’s far, far bigger.” He also revealed that he goes through the painstaking effort every year in order to raise funds for the SIDS and Kids charity.

“My family had a tragedy in 2002 when we lost our onemonth-old son Thomas,” he explained. “SIDS and Kids helped us so much, so this is our way of giving back to them.” The family

managed to raise $138,000 last year by asking for a gold coin donation when people visited their light display. “I am the crazy Christmas lights guy just because I tried to raise money for SIDS and Kids.”

Richards has been working on this year’s display for the past nine months – he called on lighting architects, electrical engineers, civil engineers, and designers to make it happen.

Construction began in October – 22 tons of steel were used to create towering structures that support the 120 kilometers of light. 200,000 visitors are expected to walk through the twinkling display. The SIDS and Kids ACT Christmas Lights s how is c u rre nt ly ope n for visitors and will continue until New Year’s Eve. Entry is by gold coin donation. You could find out about the event on: inthecitycanberra.com.au.

Chinese university student creates his own marvel avengers suits

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hinese student Zu Bingqun is living the dream of almost every comic book lover in the world. No, he hasn’t become a superhero himself, but he does have an amazing collection of Avengers suits that he built himself, from scratch. Zu said that by building the suits, he is trying to fulfill his own childhood dream of becoming a superhero.

A senior student at the Changchun University of Technology, Zu has been working on the outfits since 2012. He starts by downloading a blueprint of each superhero’s

suits and buying the necessary materials for the build online.

He then begins the painstaking process of molding each part of the suit and putting it all together.

His Avengers collection presently includes two Iron Man bodysuits, a Captain America suit, and a Thor costume. He’s also strayed outside the Avengers and made a Batman costume as well. All the costumes he makes are exact replicas of the ones used in the movies – the Iron Man mask can open and close and he even fixed LED lights to the palm and chest.

PAGE 36

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Feature

Nigeria’s Immunisation Programme and contentious GAVI Report

T

he focus and pursuit of Nigeria’s immunization programme has attracted commendations and further supports from some of the donor agencies, including the Geneva based Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), which appraised and scored Nigeria 80 per cent in terms of commitment to immunization in its 2013 Country Report.

The rating encouraged the Bill and Melinda-Gates foundation, the European Union, Dangote Group, Japan, Canada, Germany and Norway to bring in their support for the immunization program in Nigeria.

GAVI as an organization, is involved in bringing together public and private sectors with shared goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in poor countries with a model designed to leverage financial resources and expertise to make vaccines more affordable, available as well as make provision more sustainable, by working towards a point where developing countries can pay for themselves.

One of the beneficiary countries, GAVI is working with is Nigeria whose programme is being managed by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and supervised by the Federal Ministry of Health, where a team of professionals that are strategically placed to carry out the programme considered vital and critical in the health sector. Interestingly, since July 2012, when Nigeria signed the Aide Memoire (AM) establishing the terms and conditions of cash grants to it from GAVI and a Partnership Framework Agreement (PFA) in December 2013, the programme has been operated smoothly in accordance with laid down rules drawn up by GAVI. As part of its policy, GAVI in June this year, sent a team of Auditors to examine the accounting records of its funds to Nigeria being managed by PHCDA, and in October 2014 and went ahead to release a 46 page Audit Report on the country on its cash support programmes for a number of mechanisms that included the Health Systems Strengthening (HSS), Immunisation System Support (ISS), operational Cost for Vaccine campaigns (Measles SIA, Meningitis and Yellow Fever) and Vaccine introduction Grants (VIG).

The GAVI Audit report queried the procurement method adopted by the NPHCDA insisting it did not comply with international competitive bidding process, adding that the specification standards and civil works on some of the incinerators sites constructed by the NPHCDA did not meet up with designed standards.

The Geneva based donor agency also requested that Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) carries out a thorough and detailed investigation saying it and its partners have a zero tolerance on the misuse of funds.

Nigeria’s immunization programme against the childhood killer diseases has been described as one of the sectors that has achieved considerable measure of success in the country, Doyin Ojosipe reports.

Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan The EFCC has the responsibility of pursuing individuals responsible for any criminal activity.

However, a close scrutiny at the GAVI Audit query indicated that there was a mindset of the type of report it wanted even before the audit team commenced their work which led them to throw due process and procedure of auditing to the dogs. Significantly, the GAVI Audit team failed to follow the provisions of the Partnership Framework Agreement (PFA) which was signed by both GAVI and Nigeria.

Curiously too, investigation also shows that the GAVI auditors in its haste to carry out a designed agenda were not careful enough as they dabbled into areas that have no connection whatsoever with its support funding thus made no attempt for indebt verification and double checks as expected in such an important report.

“

And as if acting a script, GAVI used a sledge hammer on Nigeria by announcing a suspension of the country its funding based on the Audit Report without reference to the Partnership Framework Agreement which ought to be the guide in its dealing with the NPHCDA on the pretext that the overall level of risk of its programme in Nigeria is high.

But records available at the Federal Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance faulted the position of GAVI, which faulted the audit methodology adopted

by GAVI, saying it deviated from all known auditing procedures and processes as well as their own terms of reference.

The Federal Ministry of Health is particularly concerned over the reason the GAVI team had in visiting some of the sites unaccompanied and in the

process went to the wrong places.

A clear reference point is the case with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where they mistook the Territory’s Cold room as a project of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency’s (NPHCDA) project. The two projects are different in size and capacity, yet the team recorded that of the FCT for NPHCDA. Similarly, it was gathered that the GAVI team of Auditors for reasons best known to them refused to meet with the relevant people in key positions that were prepared with details situation reports and explanation on various projects and expected to give explanations to questions that might be raised by the team. This lack of adherence to laid down procedure may have led to the discrepancies in its Report.

For instance, the response to the GAVI query was given within the stipulated deadline of June 30, 2014 with attached evidence that captured all details that GAVI needed to know and verify. In the response by Nigeria, it stated that contrary to the CPA report which alleged that about USD 8.077m was unaccounted for; available and authenticated records showed that it was only USD 233,000 that was yet to be verified but being compiled.

Moreover, GAVI team of auditors indicated that they were coming back to Nigeria for reconciliation and verification on three different occasions between June 30, and September 19, 2014 but later gave reasons for postponement on each occasion.

Again, curiously, on September 19, 2014, the CPA requested for information pertaining to 2014 accounts which was outside the Audit year and this led the Nigerian team to seek for clarification if the CPA intended to open a new Audit for 2014 and on October 25, the CPA team responded by saying that there was no new Audit and without any suspicion, the available requested materials were forwarded to the team.

After this, officials from GAVI met with the Chief Executive Officer

Curiously too, investigation also shows that the GAVI auditors in its haste to carry out a designed agenda were not careful enough as they dabbled into areas that have no connection whatsoever with its support funding thus made no attempt for indebt verification and double checks as expected in such an important report.

of the NPHCDA during which it was agreed that a team from GAVI would stay back in Nigeria to reconcile and verify the NPHCDA finance, but nobody showed up.

Interestingly, at another meeting with the former Minister of Health, Professor Chukwu, GAVI officials notified the Nigerian team that a larger Audit was being planned to create an opportunity to verify the country’s performance and therefore requested that a joint statement be issued to enable it enter its funding cycle and accordingly, a letter of understanding dated October 17, 2014 was subsequently signed jointly by GAVI and the former minister. Surprisingly, GAVI later sent a report without Nigeria’s comments claiming that USD 2.2m was unaccounted for using the joint statement as basis.

According to GAVI, the USD 2.2m in contention was meant for Advances to staff, Printing contracts, Incinerators, Motor vehicle procurement, tax remittance to FIRS and disbursement to UNICEF. The initial CPA report had alleged that USD 4.22m was unaccounted for but when Nigeria responded in its June report with evidence of expenditure and retirements under staff advances, GAVI refused to take note of it even though it did not complain of any imbalance relating to Nigeria’s responses in that regard.

Further verification indicated that on the printing contracts, for which USD 0.44m was the issue in contention, Bauchi and Kaduna States confirmed that cards were not only received but utilized for the campaign while the balances are presently in stock.

Findings further showed that the audit report with regards to tax remittance to FIRS by the NPHCDA is far from what is contained in the FIRS records. This was captured in the letter by the FIRS to the NPHCDA dated November 6, 2014, with the title; “RE: REQUEST FOR CONFIRMATION OF TAX REMITTANCES” in which the tax agency stated that a total of N237, 621,198.30 on the GAVI Alliance funded project was remitted to it.

In the same vein, the Corporate Affairs Commission in another letter to the NPHCDA upon request of the verification of the status confirmed that the 107 companies carrying out contracts with NPHCDA were legally registered companies but these were ignored by the GAVI team of Auditors.

Interestingly too, remittance to UNICEF by Nigeria, which was alleged by the GAVI team to have been diverted was found to have been unfounded as UNICEF confirmed in writing the receipt of funds due to it from NPHCDA. On the disbursement of cash to staff, it was gathered that it followed laid-down financial regulations, in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) practice, which pays Duty Travel Allowance (DTA) as well as in line with the monetization policy of government where staff are paid their entitlements for outside field works.

Stakeholders have said there is need for GAVI to clear all ambiguities before taking a position on any of the beneficiary countries of its support funding programme in the overall interest of its set objective.

PAGE 37

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Parent-Child Relations

. . . A guide to raising children

Creed values vs. functional values

I

t is the family which nurtures morality and values (such as truth, justice, love, courage, honesty, and responsibility). All these are based upon the concept of creed ‘aqidah’, where fundamental values are put before functional values. The two are not always compatible. In some societies, the pleasure of life in this world is the ultimate objective.

For Muslims, however, achieving eternal life in the Hereafter by living a good life in this world is the balanced ultimate objective. This means that achieving success in the afterlife does not contradict having a good life in this world; success in the Hereafter can and should be done without neglecting this world.

Staying alive in this world is only a means to achieving eternal life. The Prophet advised a Bedouin how he should put his trust in God but, at the same time, follow the laws of the natural sciences as well as the laws of the social sciences. “Tether your camel [so that it does not go astray l, and put your trust in God [asking for His Mercy while you are away],” A balance is needed between this worldly life and the Hereafter as follows: ‘Work for your life in this world as if you are going to live forever, and work for the Hereafter as if you are going to die tomorrow.” (ABU-TALIB, 1996) Talmudic scholars say: Live everyday as though it is your last day, for who knows whether or not that is the case. A good case in point is to compare the condition of people who lived in former communist countries. Communism is supposed to care for workers more than capitalism, but in reality workers in communist countries experienced worse conditions. Though the functional values in communist countries were asserted to care for people, the deep-rooted values were those of conflict, oppression, and destruction for other classes of the society.

The capitalist profit -driven countries of the West did better than communist regimes because of the prevalence of deep-rooted Christian values of love, charity, and mercy.

That is why these countries developed more care provisions for the poor and the needy, whereas the masses under communism suffered more.

Communism’s eventual collapse was largely due to its tyrannical values and worldview The ideology is based on conflict, confrontation, and the destruction of property rights. Although these regimes purported to establish the authority of the working class, in reality, the proletariat remained the oppressed majority, contrary to the declared aims of Marxist ideology.

The communist philosophy was skin deep, dysfunctional and utopian, whereas the situation in the West was much better. Capitalism does not deliver a form of

utopia on earth.

Based on the concept of unguided freedom in personal ownership and a self-interest profitdriven philosophy, it has brought some unjust socio-economic conditions to the working people.

However, deep-rooted religious values and Christian charity in the West have helped to alleviate some of the damaging effects on the poor working class, thus reducing some of the harm done by industrialization.

This is in contrast to the communist party elites working for their own interests by means of the huge bureaucratic machine which they created. It was the working classes under communism who were the major victims of these regimes. Deeply-rooted charitable and religious values are crucial for the benefit of societies and individuals.

Although a vast body of literature and research on parenting exists in the West, our human knowledge is very limited indeed.

People are not just a product

“

“made in the USA” or “made in China;’ about which we have good knowledge. We are made by “The Creator of the Universe:’ Only our Maker and Fashioner knows everything about us. In her book Parenting Experts: Their Advice, the Research and Getting it Right, Jane Rankin, a psychologist, asserts that a considerable gap exists between what the gurus of parenting preach and what the continuing scientific research of the last 30 years shows. Popular Western parenting experts of the twentieth century like Benjamin Spock, T. Berry Brazelton, James Dobson, Penelope Leach, John Rosemond, and others differ on many important issues of parenting like spanking, setting limits, working mothers, daycare, potty training, television, etc.

Although we should encourage continual research on parenting, using all the available tools of the social, natural, and spiritual sciences, yet we must humble ourselves about the outcome of human research. We need to

seek guidance and wisdom from Divine Knowledge.

The Agricultural Model of the Family Children are Like Plants, Parents are Like Garderners “Culture” comes from the word “cultivatior Children and human beings are similar plants in so many ways. Both need care an tending and will grow best in a good environment that has been specially prepared for ther For the youngest plants, in areas with high pollution, the best environment is a greenhouse as plants need to be hardened off before their transplanted outside. It gives them a head start for upon being transplanted, these plants grow larger, stronger, and more resilient to disease than other plants. Children need protectiction and nurturing for healthy moral developmet “Then, our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants” (Psalms 144:12). A child raised in a good home environment will be stronger, healthier, and more resistant to the moral diseases cir-

A balance is needed between this worldly life and the Hereafter as follows: ‘Work for your life in this world as if you are going to live forever, and work for the Hereafter as if you are going to die tomorrow.”

culating in the larger culture. This analogy, so plain to agricultural societies is less obvious in industrial societies, where most people have little experience of growing plants. However, children of course, are more than just plants.

Plants are passive, where, 19 children are active bundles of energy, full of intellect and will. They need to play an active role in their own development and also need to learn to set limits to their own behavior. Children still need much assistance, and the best way for a parent to provide this is to encourage and enhance the development of good habits that will someday turn into sound chaacter and high virtues.

ACTIVITY 8: THE THREE MAJOR WORRIES OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Discuss with the family: What are the causes of these three major worries and how can they be prevented?

In 1997, the late William Buckley (the Conservative columnist) and Senator George Mc-Govern (the Liberal Democrat), during a graduation ceremony at South East State University, Cape Girardeau, identified three major worries: The first is the deconstruction and dysfunction of the American family, resulting in a high percentage of illegitimate children. The second is the destruction of the environment, where a great deal of pollution is being poured onto the land, air, oceans, waterways, and forests.

The third is alcoholism, which is destroying people’s health and families.

ACTIVITY 9: APPLICATION OF ATTRIBUTES TO CHILDREN (ALPHABETICALLY) Parents are to sit with their children and discuss each of the following traits and suggest one practical way to inculcate it in each child.

ACTIVITY 10: DISCUSSING THE REAL CAUSES OF VIOLENCE IN CHILDREN Discuss with your children some horrible events from their experiences. In the United State: the Columbine High School Massacre was shocking. Two boys, aged 18 and 17, killed 15 people and injured 26, using guns and bombs. Shooting and laughing just as on TV, movies and video games, they then shot themselves dead.

They had made 19 bombs at their homes. Such incidents were not rare: about 22 similar incidents in the United States took place in the followingmonths. Why did they do it? Who is responsible? How could it have been prevented? Why should be done to prevent similar incidents in the future? What lessons can be learnt? How do we cure the real causes of violence?

ACTIVITY 11: DEALING WITH SOCIAL PROBLEMS Discuss with your family the causes and effects of smoking, taking drugs, illegitimate pregnancies, alcoholism, suicide, and divorce. Suggest practical ways of improving society with your family.

PAGE 38

Weekend Revue

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

With Tobias Lengnan Dapam lovelengz@yahoo.com 07036990957

My life with Ik Ogbonna is better than having a joint bank account – Sonia Lareinaa

C

an we get to know who Sonia is and what she does?

I was born 19th January 1991 in a family of three, as only girl and the oldest child. I study at University of Belgrade in Republic of Serbia, At Faculty of Political Sciences - Department of Social Policy to be more specific. At the moment I am busy with my masters. I also do work of a translator because I fluently speak Five languages (does pidgin counts too? laughs). From time to time I do modeling jobs, but I really don’t take them truly serious.

Nollywood actor, IK Ogbonna, is a lucky man to have made the choice of dating his Colombian woman whom he adores so much that he can’t stop talking about her anywhere and in every slightest interview he gets. He even plays with her on the social media page thereby teaching young couples in relationship on how to make their woman happy. In an interview session with Nigeriafilms. com, the lovely model and student led us into her world of academics, career and love life which she finds more pleasing as it helps to show how mature a woman is.

Where are you based, Nigeria and Colombia?

All my life I have been citizen of a word. I hardly lived in South America though. I was mostly based in Europe at relation FranceHolland-Serbia because of my education. Lately route Europe-Nigeria became very frequent in my schedule.

What do you find fascinating about IK and why did you accept to date him?

We are too much alike. If we were from the same country I would seriously doubt that he might be my long lost twin brother (laughs). He knows how I breathe!

What was your parent’s reaction about you dating him?

They all adore him in my family because of his amazing personality and the fact that he treats me like a real man should. Every normal parent is happy with their children’s happiness.

Are you dating him for fun or you expect something serious from him like marriage?

There is very, very small circle of people I let come close to me. I don’t have time or energy to let myself be around too many people. Ik is my best friend and a very special part of me.

How will you feel if he ends up not marrying you, won’t you see it as a waste of time?

If someone is part of your destiny, nothing and none will be capable of changing it. In any other case every experience is a priceless blessing we learn from- if we

are smart enough of course.

What is your perception about career women in marriages?

Personally I could never feel complete, satisfied, fulfilled or happy by sitting home 24/7. I’m very ambitious person, i love challenges, my mind works extremely fast, I’m restless business-minded woman and I don’t see how a healthy marriage can affect my personal progress. Your man should support you, advice you, motivate you, encourage you, be proud of you, help you grow into better person by each and every day not control you or lock you in the kitchen. Remember, you are his partner not his child or a maid. Only frustrated, insecure, weak men will try to stop their women from their own professional progress.

That’s not love!

Do you support women working while in their husband’s home?

Hmm, that depends on circumstances. But in general, I love my man ambitious, hardworking, goal-oriented, man that believes he can and will get whatever he decide to go for.

Is there any crime if a lady takes her guy or husband out on a date, have you done such and to who?

Not at all. If he treats you like a queen 24/7, he also deserves to be surprised with a date out, abi?

If Ik was not a star, would you have still accepted him?

I didn’t even know he was a star before I came to Nigeria.

As you remember, I’m not Nigerian neither I lived in Nigeria. Beside, takes much more than a “star” to impress me. There are plenty stars but there is only one Ik. Do you believe in long distance relationship?

As I said, if someone was meant for you, no other person or situation can possibly change that. In that case, distance can only work in your favour and help you realize some amazing things.

If you were opportune to change something in Nigeria, what would that be and why?

Nigeria is amazingly beautiful country. You guys are extremely blessed with Natural Resources, just that organization is missing. Also, education must be more available to all social classes, not only a privilege of the rich. Same problems my own country is facing as well.

Do you smoke either in Nigeria or your country Colombia?

I don’t smoke at all.

What is your best Nigerian food?

Afang soup and pounded yam. When I don’t eat it, I dream about it.

What have you been up to with Nigerian kids that you are being adored by them?

As I had chance to mention before, I do study Social Policy and one of the programmes I’m into is called “Education of children in Third World Countries “. Since I came to Nigeria, i used the opportunity to visit schools in different slums and areas. Point is to bring these children necessary things they need on daily bases to study, to motivate them and encourage them, make them believe in themselves and to teach them that, even though it might not be easy, they can work towards building better lives for themselves and their families .The key to a brighter future of every society is educated youth. Besides, these kids are amazing. Too sharp, all they need is opportunity.

Can you have a joint account with IK and how well do you trust him to that?

I already joined my life with him. What’s a bank account comparing to that?

Can you adapt to any

situation in Nigeria if you end up marrying IK? Every new place in this world will be different than one you are used to. The thing is - y ou c an 1) e n joy t hos e differences and learn about and from them or 2) you can see them as a problem- but that’s nothing but a question of your own choice and point of view. I choose to love Nigeria and to see it as my other home.

What do you value most about yourself and why?

I love the way my mind function- I see everything as a blessing. I’m not a slave of negative thoughts, I hardly judge and I never hate. I can transfer my positive energy to people around me. I’m endlessly thankful to God for blessing me with wisdom and unconditional faith. I believe I can get anything I decide to go for. Truly priceless What is that thing that people don’t know about you?

Random People hardly know anything about me Why have you not been seen dressed in Nigerian fabrics?

Oh I did! I have a collection of Ankara dresses and skirts and I especially love rocking them in Europe.

Source: Nigeriafilms. com

PAGE 39

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Weekend Revue

Mercy Aigbe reacts to husband’s beating story P

opular Yoruba actress, Mercy Aigbe Gentry, has denied the viral reports that her husband was recently beaten to a pulp, Nigeriafilms.com has said.

According to the Actress, the report shocked her when she came across it, wondering what those behind the rumour wanted to achieve in the first place.

It would be recalled that report went viral on the online media platform that Mercy’s husband, Lanre was recently beaten mercilessly by one of Governor Mimiko’s special aides, Bashorun Akinloye Akinboni, on November 26, 2014 at his hotel premises in Ikeja, Lagos in the presence of Gospel artiste, Atorise and popular Yoruba movie presenter, Segun Adisa.

The same reports further claimed that Mr. Bashorun allegedly got angry and carried out the act on realizing that Mercy Aigbe’s husband had tried to play a fast one on him.

The bone of contention behind the fight was that Mr. Bashorun had rented an apartment from Mr Gentry only to find out after payment that the same house had been rented to Gospel singer, Atorise.

“So when Bashorun Akinloye Akinboni went to his hotel last night and coincidentally met Atorise there, an argument ensued and Bashorun Akinloye Akinboni lost his temper and pounced on Larry Gent beating him to a Pulp.

When the beating got too much and blood was gushing from all his body, Atorise took to his heels, leaving the venue in one piece. Right now, he has bandage on his legs, arms,” the report claimed.

Contradicting the story Mercy refuted the reports and insisted it was nothing but a false rumour to tarnish their images.

Lanre and his wife Mercy Aigbe

French Institute to host World Music Concert next weekend

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

F

rench Institute said it has concluded plans to host World Music Concert next week Saturday in Abuja.

The Institute in a statement issued yesterday by julietta

Alice O Reilly

Ofuyeta, indicated that the concert will be organized in collaboration with Diamond Music Entertainment.

It said the concert which will take place in the city hub (Wuse 2) will feature a lot of sensational artiste.

Some of the top artiste penned down for performance included: Julietta (Queen of pop), Blaqboi, Mike Wonder, Oso Onidirin, Mazsteel, Jayson Gold, Noel Empraw, Bem Sar, Bullet T, Lady Ucha and Akawo D Tax collector.

Others ar; Root Boy panama, Lady joy, Igbom kuta, Diamond Star, Bartho and his Band, Lawrence, Papa kosa, I rep Diamond crew and MC- Maquine of Ray power.

The statement added that the aim of the concert was to popularize musical practice for young people from all social backgrounds.

Men of my generation are not romantic- Clarion Chukwura

N

Before you insult me, get a living first – Olamide warns

N

igerian celebrities with flaunting of material wealth and money is no longer

news as they have continually explained that it is their own way of showing their happiness to fans who made them who

ollywood actress, Clarion Chukwura, has described men of her generation as not being romantic.

Clarion stated that men are full of themselves that they have large doses of carry overs from the generation of their parents and grandparents.

She noted that despite the fact that her generation was not romantic, she feels that her son’s generation (Clarence Peter) was more romantic than hers.

“I would say that a great number of Nigerian men are players; and the women have decided that their best way to fight back is to do what the men do. Now, both married men and women engage in extra-marital affairs. To them, it’s no big deal, it is fun,” she said.

they are today.

The latest to also show his wealth online is rapper, Olamide. The singer, according to nigeriafilms.com, posted a picture of himself using a huge sum of money to make call while another large amount was placed beside him.

Knowing how attacking some fans can be, the rapper immediately warned his fans that before they say abusive words to him, they should make sure they have made a living for themselves before attacking him.

“Monday morning ... Back on my grind… Before you comment your nonsense...

Hope say you de make money? #OLIC (Olamide Live In Concert) in 27days.. Street ti take over #streetot,” he stated.

Clarion Chukwura

PAGE 40

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

SporT 41 Page

Peoples Daily, thursday, friday, December october 5, 2, 2014 2014

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

Brazilians

NFF re-affirms Nigeria, Brazil friendly

By Albert Akota

E

mbattle President of Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has dismissed a report in a section of the media that the much –anticipated international friendly match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Selecao of Brazil scheduled

for March 29, 2015 had been cancelled.

“It is not true that the match had been cancelled. There is nothing like that. What people are probably not clear about is the fact that Brazil will play France around the same period.

“Brazil will play France on March 26, while they will fly to Nigeria to play the Super Eagles

at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium on March 29. The two games and dates are quite different,” Pinnick clarified yesterday.

He stated further: “We are working hard at ensuring that we utilize all the FIFA free days for international friendlies next year.

There are about 10 of those dates and we will get opponents for the Super Eagles for each and every

one of them.

“We have firmly put behind us the Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Our focus now is on building a much stronger team through giving opportunities to foreign based players who had either been on the fringes or previously shut out, and also taking good look at those players on the do-

Electoral appeal Anfield stadium C’tee rubbishes expansion Ajunwa’s claims begins Monday >>>Pg 42

>>>Pg 43

mestic scene who have shown some promise.”

Brazil, five time champions of the world, played the Super Eagles in Nigeria previously, winning 3-0 in June 2003 in a friendly organized as part of activities to test –run the National Stadium, Abuja ahead of the 8th All-Africa Games that Nigeria hosted four months later.

NFF appeal C’tee nullifies Pinnick’s election >>>Pg 42

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Page 42

Sport

By Albert Akota

M

embers of the NFF 2014 Electoral Committee yesterday dismissed a report presented to some journalists by the chairman of the committee, Barr. Okey Ajunwa, as a mere minority report that is of no consequence - and therefore null and void.

Speaking in Abuja, the members lampooned Okey Ajunwa and stated that they are merely holding back from revealing the much they know about how he has, unfortunately, conducted himself since he was appointed to head the committee.

“Barr. Ajunwa failed in several aspects in this assignment. He failed to invoke the meeting of the Electoral Appeals Committee and it was when time had ran out on the appeals that he woke up suddenly to call for a hearing,” the members said.

Meanwhile, the Executive Committee of Nigeria Football Federation has accepted in its entirety, the decision of the NFF

Electoral appeals C’tee rubbishes Ajunwa’s claims 2014 Electoral Appeals Committee as conveyed to the NFF General Secretary, Barr. Musa Amadu, after the Committee’s meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, 3rd December, 2014.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande praised the members of the committee for a thorough job, and opined that the dissension of the chairman of the committee with a small area of the appeals was of no effect.

“It is a committee that was put in place, and the principle of committees is known all over the world.

The chairman of a committee

NFF appeals C’tee nullifies Pinnick’s election,

By Albert Akota

T

he crisis rocking the Nigeria Football Federation reared its ugly head again yesterday, when the chairman of the Elections Appeals Committee, Okey Ajunwa announced the nullification of the election of NFF President Amaju Pinnick.

Mr. Pinnick was elected president of NFF on September 30 in Warri, Delta State.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the Appeals Committee chairman, Okey Ajunwa said the election of Mr. Pinnick was faulty and therefore nullified.

Also, three other executive committee members have their elections nullified.

Amaju Pinnick

They are Vice President Seyi Akinwumi, Felix Anyansi representing South East and Rabiu Inuwa representing North West.

The Committee has consequently ordered that fresh elections be conducted within seven days to replace those whose elections have been nullified.

Mr. Amaju Pinnick and Seyi Akinwumi have also been directed to stop parading themselves as NFF president and vice president respectively.

In the bye-election, the Appeals Committee said all the candidates cleared for the August 26 election in Abuja and September 30 election in Warri, that are from the affected zones and offices are eligible to contest.

Four contestants Muazu Suleyman, Sani Fema, Shehu Dikko and Leonard Igbokwe, had filed appeal to challenge the outcome of the September 30 election in Warri, Delta State.

But, rather than allowing the committee to publicly release its findings, NFF through its spokesperson, Ademola Olajire, rushed to issue a statement on Wednesday suggesting that the committee has validated Mr Pinnick’s election.

According to Olajire, ““All the members, except the chairman upheld the elections of Anyansi-Agwu and Sharif Rabiu Inuwa, and also maintained that the Appellant had no locu standi to, challenge the entire election.

“In conclusion however the NFF 2014 Elective Congress held in Warri on Tuesday 30th 2014 is hereby upheld in its entirety.”

Apart from Ajunwa, other members of the Appeals Committee signed the resolution of the committee released by the NFF on Wednesday.

There have been allegations of bribery and intimidation aimed at watering down the report of the committee.

has a casting vote; when there is a tie among the members. In this case, all the other members voted to uphold the NFF 2014 Elective Congress in its entirety, and that made the chairman’s dissenting voice to be meaningless.

“The NFF Executive Committee had the power to stop the NFF 2014 Electoral Appeals Committee from hearing the appeals, because the Electoral Code was clear on timing.

The appeals must have been submitted within 14 days after the election, and the hearing must have been done 14 days after the appeals.

Everything was supposed to have been concluded, in this case, by 24th October 2014, as the last appeal was presented on 10th October, but the

first sitting of the committee took place on 29th October.”

Yahaya-Kwande, who is a Member of the House of Representatives, said the magnanimity of the NFF Executive Committee in allowing the committee to sit, deserves praise.

“Instead of the entire process of appeals and hearing to be concluded by the end of October, we had a situation in which the Electoral Appeals Committee held its first sitting on 29th October.

“There is not much to be said about the decisions other than to commend the members and accept it in its entirety.

The NFF Executive Committee takes this whole thing in good faith

and we can now properly set out on putting plans and processes in place to accomplish our vision of taking Nigeria football to heights never before attained.”

The NFF 2014 Electoral Committee issued a press statement on Wednesday night conveying its decision to uphold the NFF 2014 Elective Congress in its entirety.

NFF General Secretary, Barr.

Musa Amadu has already conveyed the Committee members’ report to the Minister/Chairman, National Sports Commission, Dr. Tammy Danagogo through the office of the Director General, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, world football governing body FIFA and the continental body, CAF.

Elite referees arrive London for quality programme

By Albert Akota

N

igeria’s 11 elite referees for a two weeks capacity enhancing programme in the United Kingdom flew into London on Wednesday, excited at the quality of the programme and the resource persons at hand.

Former President, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, had secured sponsorship from insurance firm, Senforce Insurance Limited, for the programme, which will see the referees engage in question-andanswer sessions to analyse English Premiership games, get involved in mini-workshops and visit top

Referee

playing grounds Wembley and Emirates as well as the offices The Football Association.

Led by the President of Nigeria Referees Association, Alhaji Ahmed Maude, the delegation traveled through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and landed at London Heathrow in the evening.

They commenced the two –week exercise yesterday.

“Honestly, I am highly impressed by the richness of the programme, the content as well as the resource persons who will be handling the various aspects.

“This

kind

of

programme

will go a long way in improving Nigerian referees, and I can tell you that we are all determined to pay rapt attention to every aspect of the two –week exercise in order to gain so much,” Ferdinand Udoh, seen as the rising star of Nigerian refereeing, said yesterday.

The delegation also included the Chairman of NFF Referees Committee, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed Fresh. Other referees involved are Shuaibu Abdullahi, Usman Isha, Samuel Pwadutakan, Tope Orowole, Egudia Efosa, Ukah Ndubuisi, Peter Ogwu, Paul Umuago, Musa Dung Davon and Olayide Olayinka.

Page 43

Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PUBLIC NOTICE rural community enterprise-culture promoters association

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED association HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

Trustees 1.mal. abdullahi adamu dangoni bichi 2.jamilu tukur ibrahim (wakilin maigarin danbatta) 3.ashiru dallatu 4.sani muhammad bichi 5.abdullahi sarki abdulkadir AIMs and objectives: 1.to encourage the rural community to actively participate in the benefiting agric and health intervention.

2.to encourage the rural community to develope sustainable businesses in agric and health related products.

3.to contribute to the social need and economic development of the rural communities and their families.

4.to promote advocacy and empowerment activities through linkages ,health and agric intervention for the rural youth and their families.

5.and any other activities that will be of benefit to the health,agric and economic development of the rural communities ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRARGENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. Signed alh. tasi’u ibrahim(secretary)08065393592

PUBLIC NOTICE OTONYASERE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION DELTA STATE

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MR ARIEJA AUSTIN 2. ANTHONY GAGECHE 3. DAVID ARIEJA 4. EJIRO OMAFURU CAPTAIN THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.TO FOSTER UNITY AND LOVE AMONG MEMBERS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. Signed MR ARIEJA AUSTIN

PUBLIC NOTICE

IGBO-EKENE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. HON. EMMANUEL OSORA IGBOKA IGBOKIDI 2. BARR. ROSE MANDE 3. ENGR. THOMAS IGBOKIDI CHUKA THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.TO ENHANCE UNITY, PEACE AND HARMONY AMONG THE IGBOS 2.FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ANY OBJECTIVE TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION SIGNED: BARR. ROSE MANDE

PUBLIC NOTICE RIGHT STEPS FAMILY OUTREACH IN NIGERIA THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.DR. CHI HENDRICKS - CHAIRPERSON 2.MRS. GLORY KARTAY - VICE CHAIRPERSON 3.EVANGELIST MC NWANKWO - SECRETARY 4.EVANGELIST FRIDAY ADIMA 5.ELDER JULIUS NKWO EKWENYE THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO SUPPORT,FEED AND PROVIDE HOUSING FOR STREET,HOMELESS,A BANDONED,ORPHANED AND DESTITUTE CHILDREN AND MOTHERS IN NIGERIA. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: ADIMEKWE PERPETUA

PUBLIC NOTICE FRIENDS AND PARTNERS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE INITIATIVE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED initiative HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

Trustees 1.Prince Omoi Obande 2.Godwin Acha Efada 3.Chris Owhigho Odize 4.Philip Edache AIMs and objectives: 1.Embarking on Community Development Projects in Rural Communities 2.Enhancing the welfare of the displaced and less privileged in our society.

3.Provision of care and support to the poor, vulnerable and the marginalised group both in Nigeria and globally through economic empowerment and embarking on capacity building projects.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

PUBLIC NOTICE LAPAI LITERACY CLINIC FOUNDATION THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED foundation HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

Trustees 1. Dr. OLOJEDE ADESHINA. 2) PROF. ROSEMARY OGOCHUKWU IGBO. 3)MR. BITRUS DAUDA AJANGS. 4) MISS. SAMUEL ADEOLA ESTHER. 4) Barr. CHIKA CHINEDU AKUCHIE. AIMs and objectives: 1) to fight Literacy, empower youths and adult.

2) To uplift the poor in rural village by creating awareness to acquiring basis Education, combating HIV/AIDS, Drug abuse and other deceases.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. Signed Chika Chinedu. (secretary)

Signed KHANOBA & KHANOBA (SOLICITORS & ADVOCATES)

PUBLIC NOTICE WELLNESS INITIATIVE FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN NIGERIA

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1 OF 1990.

PUBLIC NOTICE

OTUNNEDIUTO SOCIAL CLUB OF NIGERIA.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CLUB HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. HON DOOSHIMA JOSEPHINE ANEH (JP) - CHAIRPERSON 2. MIMI RUTH IYOGUN - SECRETARY 3. JUSTINA OGEJUMA 4. LILIAN YAKUBU MACHU

TRUSTEES: 1 Uche Benedict, 2 kalitus igboekwe, 3 Goodluck Nwankwo.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: 1. PROVISION OF SKILLS ACQUISITION TRAINING FOR WOMEN, INDIGENT CHILDREN AND ORPHANS. 2. PROVISION OF SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ORPHANS AND INDIGENT CHILDREN. 3. PROVISION OF SUPPORT TO EXISTING MEDICAL FACILITIES TO ENSURE RECEIPT OF ADEQUATE MEDICAL AID TO WOMEN, ORPHANS AND INDIGENT CHILDREN. 4. PROVISION OF SKILLS ACQUISITION AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES FOR WIDOWS. 5. SUPPORTING AND PROVIDING SPORTS EVENTS FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

Aims and objectives : 1.To secure, improve and ensure the welfare and progress of all members 2. promote unity, solidarity and goodwill among members.

3.To encourage cordial relationship among members.

4.To under take other activities which in the opinion of the club are auxiliary, incidental or conductive to the promotion of afore mentioned

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FOtRWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS

ANY OBJECTIVE TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRARGENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION Signed: Barr. Okeke Nkiruka.

PUBLICATION.

Signed NKIRUKA BLESSING NWANKWO LEGAL PRACTITIONER.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

OBU GARPU WOMEN ASSOCIATION ABULOMA PORTHARCOURT

IGBO NDI-OMA FEMALE LAWYERS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.MRS PRISCILLA EKENE 2.TUBOPRIBIA HAROLD 3.MRS. ENTHONIA HAROLD 4.THERESA LAWSON 5.MRS. OBERENIBIA SIMEON 6.MRS. MINA REUBEN

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.ADIMEKWE PERPETUA 2.NJOKU IJEOMA 3.IBEZIM HELEN NKECHI 4.KATCHY IFEOMA 5.DAKO IFEOMA TERESA 6.AKANIRO FRANCISCA 7.OKECHUKWU NGOZI 8.IGBOKWE PRUDENCE

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PROMOTE PEACE AND UNITY AMONG MEMBERS. 2.TO PROTECT THE INTEREST OF MEMBERS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. NWANKWO CHINEDU NDUBUISI 08037662644,09099639340

PUBLIC NOTICE ADAEGO CHARITABLE WELFARE FOUNDATION THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.MADAM MARY AMADI 2.MRS. PRISCILLA NKEMKAH 3.MRS. MONICA UGWUANYI 4.BARR. ELENDU AWA 5.MRS. EVA-MARIA CHUKWU THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO CATER FOR THE WELFARE OF THE LESS PRIVILEGED WIDOWS. 2.TO REACH OUT AND INSPIRE KINDNESS TO THE NEEDY. 3.TO INSPIRE AND BUILD PEOPLE TO IMBIBE THE ATTITUDE OF CARE. 4.TO ESTABLISH CARE GIVING CENTERS. 5.TO VISIT THE SICK,THE BEREAVED,THE UNFORTUNATE AND ENCOURAGE THEM. 6.TO PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE MATERIALS TO AID THE PROPAGATION OF CARE GIVING. 7.TO DEVELOP A WIDER VISION OF MATERNAL VALUES AND TO STRENGTHEN THE FAITH OF THE WOMEN AND GIRL CHILD IN CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRARGENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

SIGNED: INCORPORATING SOLICITORS

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO EMPOWER WOMEN AND YOUTHS THROUGH SKILL ACQUISITION. 2.TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR HUMAN AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: IJEOMA NJOKU 08033316131

PUBLIC NOTICE

STEPH PIOTTI FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.MR. STEFANO PIOTTI 2.SARAH BEBE UTOMI THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO SUPPORT THE LESS PRIVILEGED INDIVIDUALS BY OFFERING THEM MORE CHANCES IN LIFE. 2.TO PROMOTE PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE AMONGST NIGERIANS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: OUR LADY’S SOLICITORS SUITE A31,MAITAMA COMPLEX, BEHIND FARMER’S MARKET,MAITAMA,ABUJA 08055527042

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

Church of freedom and reconciliation

COMMITEE OF FRIENDS IJARE, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Pastor valentine chukwunonso ifeadigo-president 2. Evangelist ifeoma ukamaka ifeadigo 3. Pastor Christian emuchay-vice president 4. Pastor Christian dioke- Secretary 5. Elder sunny okonkwo 6. Evangelist imeh edet 7. Evangelist nkiruka madu

The Trustees Are: 1. Abiodun Francis Oluwole 2. Awosiyan Juliana Bolatito 3. Major general Adebayo Omosebi Joshua 4. Chief Joseph Adekanle Oni 5. Soji Oluwole 6. Elizabeth Adebola Odumakinde 7. Engr. Chief Ropo Alabi 8. Barr. Adedefe Oni 9. Ibukun Lawrence 10. Dr. Kayode Adesola Adekunle

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1. To spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2.to convert people to Christian way of living.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

The Aim And Objectives: 1. To care for the less privileged of Ijare in Ondo State.

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs, plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED:SECRETARY

SIGNED: Uduebor O. S. 08036411184

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

DIAMOND CHARITY HOUSE INITIATIVE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.AISABOR A. RAYMOND - CHAIRMAN 2.AISABOR O. CHRISTIANA - MEMBER 3.AISABOR E. MICHEAL - MEMBER 4.AISABOR O. RICHMOND - MEMBER 5.BARR. IKEZUAGU - SECRETARY THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO CATER FOR THE ORPHANAGES AND PROVIDE HOMES FOR THE NEEDY IN THE SOCIETY. 2.TO CARE FOR THE LESS PRIVILEGE IN THE SOCIETY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED:IWUAGWU NNAMDI 08064332700

PUBLIC NOTICE CROWN OF GRACE CHRISTIAN CENTRE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CENTRE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: I. ITOTOH KESTER ISEMIUBHOBHO 2. EGUAGIE RITA OSARETIN THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: I. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. EUGENE EGU FOR. EQUINOX SOLICITORS, ABUJA O8O92I45386

MOTIVATED WOMEN FOR GRASSROOT SUPPORTS AND DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.ABIOLA OLUSHOLA AJIBADE (MRS) 2.OLUBUKOLA ADENIKE JINADU (MRS) 3.AIRAT IYABODE OMILABU 4.FLORENCE MODUPE KOLEADE (MRS) 5.COMFORT OPEYEMI MORAKINYO (MRS) 6.DEBORAH OLUBUSAYO AJIBADE (MISS) 7.BUSAYO OLUFUNMILOLA KOLEADE (MRS) 8.RUMEH DAVIES (MISS) THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO FOSTER AND PROMOTE THE SPIRIT OF LOVE,BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND GOOD RELATIONSHIP AMONG MEMBERS.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.FELIX ALILIONU - CHAIRMAN 2.CHIEF FRANK UMEH 3.THEOPHILUS PEPPLE - SECRETARY THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO CATER FOR THE WELFARE OF MEMBERS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: IWUAGWU NNAMDI 08064332700

PUBLIC NOTICE IWEROKO AND AMEREN UGOGOMEJE FAMILY TRUST,KOKO THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED FOR CHANGE OF TRUSTEES TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.CHIEF VICTOR NANNA - RETAINED 2.MR. TONUKANRIN AJOFODIN - RETAINED 3.PA JACOB EVERETT - RETAINED 4.MR. PATRICK OLOLO - RETAINED 5.MR. ADEOYE AKPIRI - RETAINED 6.PA SAMUEL ITOR - RETAINED 7.MR. RALPH KODJOE-ASMAH - REMOVED (OLD) 8.PA RICHARD AMORIGHOYE - REMOVED (OLD) 9.MR. OMATIMEYIN NANNA - REMOVED (OLD) 10.MR. EDWARD OMAMOFE DAIBO - APPOINTED (NEW) 11.MR. PAX ORITSEWEYINMI ASMAH - APPOINTED (NEW) 12.MR. THOMPSON OKOTIE - APPOINTED (NEW) 13.HON. OLAYIMI JOHNSON NANNA - APPOINTED (NEW)

SIGNED:SECRETARY

SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

BAMBOO AND RATTAN WEAVERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

CAPITAL CLUB WEST AFRICA.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CLUB HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. SUNNY ANEGBODE AKAU 2. OKATAHI HARUNA.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: (1) Jean Claude Meyer (2) Matcham Russell Kay (3) Daniel ferster (4) Ashok Gopinath.

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: Empowering the youth through quality fine art and creative craftsmanship

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: provide a forum for members to network.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED:SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE ABIGBAMI ETHICS, SKILL AND SOCIAL WELFARE INITIATIVE

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named INITIATIVE has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for Registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act,1of 1990.

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named INITIATIVE has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for Registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act,1of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.Oyetoro Hafiz Adebimpe 2.Yusuff Saheed Adejare 3.Kolawole Akeem Alani 4.AjaoYekinni Kolawole 5.Salau Ganiyu 6.Alabi-Sepo Iwaleso Jacob 7.Okunola Matthew Adeola

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.Oyetoro Hafiz Adebimpe 2.Odeyemi Ademola Ayodeji 3.Olaide Dosumu 4.Windapo Oluwakemi Yetunde

Signed: Barr. Chinenye Ali 08062313818

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THESAME. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS CHANGE OF TRUSTEES SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsi Street, Maitama, P.M.B. 198, Garki, Abuja within Twenty-Eight (28) days from the date of this publication.

ADVANCEMENT OF ELECTRONICS APPLIANCES DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA BONNY

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

ISEYIN CITIZENS AFRICAN WOVEN FABRICS AND SKILL ACQUISITION INITIATIVE

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.To provide skill acquisition in African woven fabric for Iseyin Citizens

PUBLIC NOTICE

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.To provide social stability, personal and capital development, and economic empowerment to the youths in our society.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsi Street, Maitama, P.M.B. 198, Garki, Abuja within Twenty-Eight (28) days from the date of this publication.

Signed: Barr. Chinenye Ali 08062313818

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED:SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

This is to inform the general public that Messrs First Planet Travels limited has applied to Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for grant of an Agent of Foreign Airline.

Any person or organization that has objection or representation as regards this application should do so within 28 days from the day of this publication.

Such objection or representation be forwarded to: The Director General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA), Aviation House, P.M.B .21029 Ikeja. Ikeja, Lagos.

association of urban bus owners onitsha.

CHANGE OF NAME i formery known as HASSAN HARUNA henceforth wish to be called AHMED MOHAMMED.All former documents remains valid. general public take note.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT.THE UNDER LISTED ABANDONED, UNCLAIMED VEHICLES, MOTORCYCLES AND OTHER ITEMS AT.THE NIGERIA POLICE “B” DIVISION HEADQUARTERS MAKURDI BENUE STATE COMMAND WIL BE DISPOSED TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AFTER TWO WEEKS OF THIS PUBLICATION. IF YOU HAVE ANY COMPLAINE WRITE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE BENUE STATE COMMAND BE FORE THE EXPIRATION DAY OFTHIS PUBLICATION

ADVANCEMENT LEGACY FOR INDIGENT CITIZEN & ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE

LOSS OF DOCUMENT This is to inform the general public of the Loss of Original Right of Occupancy for Plot No. 667, Cadastral Zone B12, Duboyi, Abuja, with file No: SO 60420 belonging to Hassan Ahmed Danbaba of 17, MagajinGari Road, Sokoto. All effort made to trace the said missing documents proved abortive. If found kindly return to Garki Police State.

General public to please take note.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: to promote members interest. sign secretary.

Ora Secondary Commercial Grammar School Old Students Association.

PUBLIC NOTICE

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Onwudinjo norbath sopuluchukwu. chairman.

2. okafor jude ebele. vic chairman.

3. kanu ngozi. financial sec.

4. Itesi christian ogbonna. secretary.

5. anene anayo. treasurer.

6. nwakamma nkemdilim.

7. Eyisi sunday . .

8. okolocha barthromew .

AUCTION. AUCTION. AUCTION

THE ITEMS ARE 1SCRAP PEUGEOT 504 SALOON CAR WITH REG NO XE 940 ASC 2 ONE ACCIDENT OPEL OMEGA CAR WITH REG NO BC 523 DKA 3 ONE SCRAP V/WAGEN JETTA . CAR WITH REG NO AG 742 KMK 4 AND TWENTY TWO MOTORCYCLES AND OTHER ITEMS. FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT AUCTIONEER IBRAHIM M GARUWA PHON 08065561932

This is to inform the general public of the losT TO FIRE OF THE ORIGINAL DEED OF ASSIGNMENT IN RESPECT OF HOUSE NO. 6N YAMUSA ROAD, KOFAN GAYAN LOW COST HOUSING ESTATE, ZARIA. THE DEED WHICH BEARS THE NAME OF ISLAMIC TRUST OF NIGERIA ,ZARIA WAS ONE OF THE ITEMS LOST TO THE FIRE INCIDENT AT NO. 30 AMINU ROAD, INSTITUTE OF ADMINISTRATION, ABU ZARIA ON 20TH MAY ,2011 THIS IS FOR KADUNA STATE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CMPANY LTD(KSDPC) AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO TAKE NOTE. SIGNED:DR ALIYU ABUBAKAR TANKO

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Initiative has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for the registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MRS. OLUFUNMILAYO OMOLEWO 2. CHIEF OLUYEMI OLUKIRAN 3. DR. TAIWO ABIDEEN LASISI 4. MRS. AGNES IYABODE OLAYINKA TOLA-WINJOBI 5. MR. LUKMAN ADEFOLAHAN 6. MRS. DEBORAH OLAOLU SALAMI Aims and Objectives : 1. To promote and encourage quality and credible leadership.

2. To protect the rights of indigenes.

3. To promote peace, justice and equity.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE MARANATHA GOSPEL ADVANCEMENT & DELIVERANCE MINISTRY The general public is hereby notified that the above named Ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for the registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PROPHET OKONJO IKENNA JOSEPH 2.PASTOR OKONJO CHUKWUDI 3.PASTOR OKONJO CHUKWUKA STEPHEN 4.PASTOR OVAKHENA ALIDU MUSA 5.PROPHETESS AGUNWANI MERCY 6.PROPHETESS MUSA NAFISATU OCHUWA Aims and Objectives : i) To propagate and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. ii) To win souls for the kingdom of God. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED BARR. NANCY 08030531349

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: (1)High Chief Adetona Sunday Abel (chairman) (2)Alhaji ADEBAYO, Aderemi Ishaq (secreatry 3) Chief Mrs ABIOYE, Elizabeth Adenike (member) (4)Pastor Jolayemi Samuel Olu. (member ) (5) Chief Mrs Adefila Rachael Gbonjubola.(member) aim and objetive: to care for the welfare of its members

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MATIAMA,

ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED:SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

MASJIDIL AZIM FOUNDATION

This is to notify the general public that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part ‘C’ of Companies and Allied Matters Act.of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Hajiya Zuwairatu Mantu 2. Barr. Umar Mantu 3. Engr. Usman Mohammed 4. Alh. Mohammed Sani Garba AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1. To propagate the teachings of Islam.

2. To encourage brotherhood and corporation among the Muslim Ummah.

3. To educate orphans and less privileged in the society.

4. To promote religious harmony among Muslims.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this Publication.

Signed: BARR. S. M. ABBA (SOLICITOR) 08035339654, 08025313018

PUBLIC NOTICE

PHEUMA BREED WORSHIP MINISTRY

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Ministry has applied -to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for the registration under part “C” of the Companies and .Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MOMOH ITODO EMMANUEL 2. PEACE UFOMA GWAMNA 3. AROME AGENYI 4. APEH BLESSING NGOZI 5. MOSES UGBEDE SIMEON

- CHAIRMAN - SECRETARY

Aims and Objectives : 1. To raise an army of worshippers, a people that will influence their world with kingdom culture.

2. To reveal the almightiness of God in the hearts of people through teaching, preaching and demonstration of the gospel thereby provoking a revelation based worship.

3.

To organize crusades and outreach events.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: SECRETARY 07067467552

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

VACANCY! VACANCY!! VACANCY!!!

FESTRUT GROUP OF COMPANIES LIMITED Plot 2311, Opposite Ministers’ Hill By Aso Radio, Katampe District-Abuja.

Position: CHIEF OPERATIONS & INVESTMENTS OFFICER Minimum Qualifications; 1. Must possess a minimum of a first degree certificate in Administration/ or social sciences from a reputable University.

2. Must be ready to work with minimum supervision.

3. Must be articulate and a team player.

4. Must be married.

5. Must be between 35- 40 years old.

6. Must have cognate experience in the banking sector and/or in investment institutions.

7. Must have cognate experience in the real estate sector or other allied sectors.

8. Must be a computer literate.

9. Must possess good communication skills.

10. Must be fluent in English and Hausa languages.

11. Must be a Christian.

12. Must have the ability to act as an interface between the company and Clients.

13. Must have the ability to drive the company to new heights.

Scan and send copies of your passport photograph and curriculum vitae to the following email address: thankgod. enahoro@festrutgroup.com,ask4tg@yahoo.com SALARY: Very attractive.

Tel: 08105086220, 08077089275 This advert closes on the 10th December, 2014.

PUBLIC NOTICE CHRIST BELIEVERS ARMY RESTORATION ZION INTERNATION CHURCH This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. DR. JOHN OLAYE - General Overseer 2. APOSTLE ALFRED O. AGAGHA 3. APOSTLE CENSUS OLUBA 4. PROPHET ISREAL OLUBA

PUBLIC NOTICE

MILDTOUCH MEDICAL OUTREACH

PUBLIC NOTICE

YABA CLOTHING DEALERS ASSOCIATION

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Organization has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for the registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named ASSOCIATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2004.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. DR. OMOROGBE OWEN STEPHEN 2. DR. ODIASE NWAGBOGWU JUDE 3. DR. ODIGIE UWAGBOE 4. IDUH ADIMABUA EMMANUEL

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Mr. Sunday Ekwunife 2. Mr. Eugene Ekwealor 3. Mrs. Patience Adiele 4. Mr. Emeka Iwuoha 5. Mr. Hipolite Okpala

Aims and Objectives : 1. To Enlighten People on health issues.

2. To give assistance to medically challenged persons.

3. To promote health malntenz nce culture 4. To conduct free medical tests at the Grassroot Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED Kingsley Jato Ikhine Esq. Tel: 08038786304

Any objection to this Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: Eze Ikenna Fred

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To preach and protect the interest of members.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: BARR. VICTOR OYONAKPARE 08033350961

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

This is to inform the general public of the LOSS OF ORIGINAL COPIES OF LAND DOCUMENTS IN RESPECT OF PLOT NO. ANVE 21 OF ABOUT 540SQM IN APO LAYOUT (AMAC) DEVELOPMENT LEVY RECEIPT WITH FILE FCT 3006 DATED 3/19/07 BELONGING TO KUSA ZEWOSHI. The land document was submited by Auta and Sons Nigeria Limited to Asa Savings and Loans, for Loan facility.

All efforts made to trace this document proved abortive. If found, please return to the nearest police station. AMAC and general public take note.

Aims and Objectives : 1. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ

6. Mr. Malachy Okafor 7. Mr. Ebere Eberechi 8. Mrs. Christiana Udeogu 9. Mr. Victor Onwuagha 10. Mrs. Mercy Iwuala

Space for sale

Space for sale Space for sale

Anfield stadium expansion begins Monday

L

iverpool set to begin work on Monday to increase Anfield’s capacity from about 45,500 to 59,000.

The five-time European champions’ £100m project can go ahead after they completed the purchase of the final house which will need to be cleared in order to make way for the expansion.

The first phase of the work will begin on the Main Stand, which will feature a new third tier, adding 8,300 seats.

The Anfield Road Stand will then be expanded to add a further 4,800 seats.

The work is expected to be completed in time for the 201617 season, and will significantly enhance the club’s ability to garner matchday revenue.

The project will also include additional conference and banqueting facilities, a new club shop and more car parking.

The expansion is part of a wider £260m regeneration of the Anfield area of the city.

According to the planning application approved by Liverpool City Council, the redevelopment will allow the club to host international fixtures and European finals.

It said there are parts of the stadium that currently “fall below current Uefa and Premier League standards, which restrict the club’s ability” to host major games.

Uefa insist upon at least a 50,000-capacity stadium, corporate accommodation and a minimum standard for players and match officials’ changing rooms.

A memorial to the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster will be moved to form part of the Hillsborough Memorial Garden.

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Peoples Daily, friday, December 5, 2014

Some Interesting Facts

E

arth is the only planet not named after a god.

The world’s oldest piece of chewing gum is over 9,000 years old!

Scientists have tracked butterflies travelling over 3,000 miles.

The silkworm consumes 86,000 times its own weight in 56 days.

If removed from the stress of the modern world, the average human would sleep about 10 hours a day.

To produce a single pound of honey, a single bee would have to visit 2 million flowers.

A colony of 500 bats can eat approximately 250,000 insects in an hour.

One in Five adults believe that aliens are hiding in our planet disguised as humans.

Travelling masseuses in ancient Japan were required by law to be blind.

The bloodhound is the only animal whose evidence is admissible in court.

James Fixx, the man who popularized jogging in America died of a heart attack while running.

The average American spends about a year and a half of his or her life watching commercials on television. What are you doing?!

Get out and spend that year and a half doing something productive!

Ancient Greeks practiced a form (ineffective) of birth control that

consisted of having a woman hold her breath, making her squat, and sneezing.

The FDA permits up to 5 whole insects per 100 grams of apple butter.

There are no naturally occurring blue foods, even blueberries are purple!

The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham is present in all the important meetings of the

Leisure

University of London.

The elephant is the only mammal that can’t jump!

Just like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue is different.

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds.

400 Quarter Pounders can be made from a single cow.

Only 38% of Americans eat breakfast every day.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 11% of the World is left handed.

A “Jiffy” is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second.

A Boeing 747’s wingspan is longer than the Wright brothers’ first flight.

A broken clock is right two times a day.

A duck’s quack doesn’t echo anywhere, no one knows why.

Say what?

SUDOKU SUDOKU EASY 198

PHOTO OF THE DAY

‘Jasper Doest brings nature, anywhere in the world, closer,’ said the judges of his elegant pictures of macaques in Japan, which are boldly and unusually portrayed with their eyes closed - a technique which rarely works with portraits and which bagged him joint winner in the Wild Stories category. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

friday, DECEMBER 5, 2014

SPORTS latest

Chelsea to retain Drogba as back room staff-Mourinho

S

triker Didier Drogba will have a role to play at Chelsea when he quits playing says Blues boss Jose Mourinho.

The 36 years old Drogba, in his second spell at the club, scored as Chelsea beat Tottenham 3-0.

“The important thing is he is here and will finish his career with Chelsea,” said Mourinho, whose team top the Premier League by six points.

Mourinho added: “It looks, for me, that he’s going to stay doing other things when he finishes his career.” Drogba won 10 trophies in his first spell at Chelsea between 2004 and 2012, and scored 157 goals in 341 games. He rejoined the club at the start of the season after leaving Turkish side Galatasaray.

Since returning to Stamford Bridge, the Ivorian has netted five times and set up Eden Hazard’s opener against Spurs.

The league leaders are now unbeaten in 23 games in all competitions, equalling a club record. “ It’s re markabl e ,” s ai d Mourinho, when asked about Drogba’s displays. “First of all, he’s a team player. He’s not selfish, not vain. He’s a humble guy who plays for the team, fights for the team. He’s fantastic.

“I was expecting exactly this.

I played against him at Real Madrid and I could feel the kind of potential he still has.”

Mourinho also confirmed Gary Cahill suffered no lasting damage after the defender was substituted at half-time against Tottenham following an earlier clash of heads with Jan Vertonghen.

Didier Drogba

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. . . putting the people first

QUOTABLE QUOTE The significant improvement Nigeria has made in the 2014 Corruption perceptions Index released

by Transparency International is as a result of clinical surgical incision made by President Jonathan.

– Presidential aide Reno Omokri

What happens when oil prices fall?

W

hen politicians, fund managers and development professionals look to highlight the success of democratic Nigeria, they typically point to one, key statistic: when the military stood down in 1999 after an almost unbroken generation in power, per capita income in Africa’s most populous state was USD1,940; by 2013, under civilian rule, it had leapt to USD5,360.

Growth in GDP has been robust, foreign reserves are up (on the precarious levels of 1999, although currently under pressure as revenues drop), debt is down, telecoms and banking have boomed. The international media regularly contrasts Nigeria’s vibrant private sector in the South with the apocalyptic brutality of the Islamist insurgency that has been sweeping the North-East of the country.

A rather less heralded statistic associated with the apparent dividends of the new constitutional era in Nigeria is the price of oil in an economy where oil and gas typically generate at least, and in recent years very much more, than 90 percent of overall export earnings. Oil was hovering around USD10 a barrel when General Abdulsalami Abubakar left office, just as prices begin a sustained an exponential boom, peaking at USD140/barrel in 2008 and until June this year still well above USD100.In short, oil production and prices remain the cornerstone of the Nigerian economy.

Now prices are falling. In an industry were forecasting is a notoriously inexact science, there is a rare consensus as to how gloomy the outlook for the industry presently appears.

Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called for austerity measures – no mean feat in an election year – but a sustained fall in oil prices is set to present profound challenges for a political culture untested in such a scenario.

Some of the biggest names in oil and gas in Nigeria began reviewing their position well before the current slide. Shell and partners Total and Agip have been selling interests in assets licenced to Joint Ventures with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Chevron and Conoco Phillips have also been divesting. Local companies have been taking over, doubling their slice of Nigeria’s average 2m barrels/day output, according to NNPC data, to 7 percent in 2013, up from a little over 3 percent in 2012.

Diezani Allison-Madueke, five years as Minister of Petroleum Resources, has heralded the flight as a process of empowerment that has seen foreign companies give way to indigenous players – although many are relatively unknown and have been able to raise without apparent difficulty

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Friday Column Anthony Goldman

Diezani Alison-Madueke relatively large sums without a public listing or, indeed, in some cases, any significant pedigree in upstream operations.

Shell and other players continue to see a long-term future in Nigeria in deepwater operations and liquefied natural gas, where contractual terms and security conditions are more favourable. The new entrants to the Joint Ventures will have to face unresolved issues with financing and security, licence renewals and uncertainty of the passage of the much delayed and diluted Petroleum Industry Bill, a blueprint for reform stalled in the National Assembly since 2008.

Some of the new players are widely regarded as enjoying good political links that might facilitate an improvement in the often tense and adversarial negotiations that characterised

“

the relationship between the International Oil Companies and NNPC. In five blocks where Shell has exited, Mrs Allison-Madueke has entered into Strategic Alliance Agreements, where third-parties help raise finance in return for a lucrative share of revenue.

But structural changes in the industry will be harder to overcome. Sustained, buoyant prices and innovations in technology have encouraged huge investor interest in less developed parts of Africa. There have been major discoveries in Ghana, Uganda and Mozambique, and promising indicators in many more countries.

Critically, developments in fracking in the US have changed market dynamics: in June 2014, the US, for the first time in a generation, sourced no oil imports at all from Nigeria. For much of the 2000s, the US was Nigeria’s principal customer, accounting for more than half of all sales. Changes in the market for gas are only more pronounced still.

Officials note the declining interest from the US has been more than offset by rising demand from Asia, and believe that falling prices may actually facilitate a more bold approach to policy making than any of Nigeria’s three post-military administration’s have contemplated.

Efforts to remove fuel subsidies, a delicate issue that triggered massive street protests in 2012 despite widespread corruption and abuse of the subsidy regime, might prove easier to implement if the cost of fuel were to be lower and falling.

A more limited export market for Nigerian gas might encourage greater efforts to monetise gas

Efforts to remove fuel subsidies, a delicate issue that triggered massive street protests in 2012 despite widespread corruption and abuse of the subsidy regime, might prove easier to implement if the cost of fuel were to be lower and falling.

locally as an energy source for newly privatised power companies looking to tackle Nigeria’s chronic and long-standing shortages – a critical constraint on efforts to develop genuine growth in the non-oil economy.

A more realistic assessment of an increasingly competitive international market even in Africa, and tighter margins on costs and profit, may also add momentum to efforts to promote the PIB and end the regulatory uncertainty that has blighted the industry in Nigeria since 2007: although there has been some movement within the ownership of existing licences, with the exception of the award of blocks to two well-connected new oil companies, no new acreage has been offered since 2006.

In his May Day speech this year, President Jonathan complained that Nigeria’s problem was not the wealth it generated, but how it had been disproportionately distributed, highlighting the issues facing an oil producing nation at the end of a long oil boom that has bought or leased more private jets than almost anywhere, but where millions still live without electricity, sanitation or even basic security.

The tension between the huge benefits that have accrued to the few compared with the meagre crumbs enjoyed by the many that have characterised the boom years will be harder to sustain in more difficult times. The new oil elite that has emerged faces a critical challenge: to sustain the conspicuous consumption of recent years and face all the potential for instability that may herald; or look to the opportunities a more competitive oil industry might generate.

Antony Goldman is director of Promedia Consulting, which specialises in political and security risk in sub-Saharan Africa.

DAN GAYE Rivers protesters shut PDP national headquarters – News

Abi Mbu no dey Abuja again?

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234 814 292 9046. Cell: +234 802 443 2099; 803 7007 759. e-mail: contact@peoplesdailyng.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141