Monday, August 10, 2015 Edition

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Monday, August 10, 2015/ Shawal 24, 1436 AH

Civil Defence uncovers fake fertiliser factory in Niger << pAGE 5>>

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Communal clash leaves 2 dead in Plateau << pAGE 3 >>

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Vol. 16 No. 83 N150

Nine Kogi workers die pursuing entitlements >> pg 3

<< pAGE 10 >>

Buhari scraps multiple federation accounts << pAGE 2>>

l Orders payments into single treasury

l As Jonathan meets with president

Nigerian returnees from Cameroun at Adamawa Red Brick Factory Transit Camp waiting to be taken to their permanent camp by NEMA officials, yesterday in Yola.

Photo: NAN

Borno gives condition for Boko Haram talks with FG 483 Days after Will the abducted Chibok schoolgirls ever be rescued?

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

T

he Deputy Governor of Borno state, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha said Sunday that the media report of Boko Haram’s plea to negotiate with the Federal Government is a welcome idea, but on condition that the militants should be fully “committed to laying down their arms for peace” in the North East of Nigeria.

Contd on Page 2

Seven refugees wed in Bama camp >> page 8

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News CONTENTS News 2-11 Editorial 13 Op.Ed 14 Letters 15 Politics 16-18 Business Stockwatch

19-22 23

S/Report 24-25 Education 28 Health 30

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Buhari scraps multiple federation accounts I

By Lawrence Olaoye

n a clear departure from practices in the past when government revenues were being remitted into multiple accounts, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered all ministries, departments and agencies to pay all monies accruable to the government into a Treasury Single Account (TSA).

This directive was contained in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande.

According to the directive, this measure is specifically to promote transparency and facilitate compliance with sections 80 and 162 of the 1999 Constitution.

“Henceforth, all receipts due to the Federal Government or any of its agencies must be paid

into TSA or designated accounts maintained and operated in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), except otherwise expressly approved,” he stated.

A TSA is a unified structure of government bank accounts enabling consolidation and optimal utilization of government cash resources. It is a bank account or a set of linked bank accounts through which the government transacts all its receipts and payments and gets a consolidated view of its cash position at any given time.

This presidential directive would end the previous public accounting situation of several fragmented accounts for government revenues, incomes and receipts, which in the recent past has meant the loss or leakages of legitimate income meant for the federation account.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari

had earlier promised state governors at the inaugural meeting of the National Economic Council, NEC, in June, that all revenues prescribed for lodgement into the federation account will be treated as such under his watch and that he will ensure strict compliance with all relevant laws on accounting, allocation and disbursement.

Since then, the presidency has worked with relevant agencies of the federal government to evolve this policy directive.

This directive applies to fully funded organs of government like the Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Foreign Missions, as well as the partially funded ones, like Teaching Hospitals, Medical Centres, Federal Tertiary Institutions, etc.

Agencies like the CBN, SEC, CAC, NPA, NCC, FAAN, NCAA, NIMASA, NDIC, NSC, NNPC, FIRS, NCS, MMSD, DPR are also

affected.

For any agency that is fully or partially self-funding, SubAccounts linked to TSA are to be maintained at CBN and the accounting system will be configured to allow them access to funds based on their approved budgetary provisions.

Meanwhile, former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday met with President Muhamadu Buhari behind closed doors.

The meeting took place inside the President’s official residence.

The parley took place less than 24 hours before Buhari had a similar meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the same venue on Friday.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, confirmed the two meetings.

Details of discussion at the Thursday meeting were not available at press time.

Borno gives condition for B’Haram negotiation with FG l As militants kill 4 more

Quick wins from Buhari’s trip to Benin Republic – Page 15

Metro

32

Int’l 39 S/World

39

Digest 40 Sports 41 Columnist 48

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Contd from Cover page he deputy governor gave the conditions for negotiations in Yola, the Adamawa state capital, while returning from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp where over 3, 000 Borno indigenes returning from Cameroon Republic are kept.

His words: “I heard and read from the media of the said pleas for negotiations by the insurgents, but sincerely speaking I do not know its source; no authenticity of the speculation. The insurgents are tired and they want true and sincere negotiations, it is left to the Federal Government to accept or reject their advances, depending on the genuineness of their approach to this incessant insane massive killings and bombings in Nigeria including schools, markets and hospitals.”

While addressing the returnees camped in Mubi South, Mustapha said 3, 488 have so far returned to Nigeria via Mubi, a border town to Cameroon.

He said they had been refugees in Cameroon after the the Boko Haram attacks in Gambouru and Ngala communities of Borno state.

“The Borno state government will identify with the plight of these returnees,” pledged Mustapha, adding that the returning refugees would be evacuated from Adamawa after they must have been thoroughly screened by Immigration and

T

Military personnel at the Sahuda entry border post.

He said however that they would be temporarily camped at Fufure and Malkohi designated camps in Adamawa State where they would be searched and screened by security agencies. Recall that the Federal Government had expressed its readiness to negotiate with the Boko Haram militants if the true leaders of the group can be identified and if properly represented.

Addressing a dinner in Abuja, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said the government cannot afford to negotiate with anybody masquerading as the leader of the group and in the end, collect money from government fraudulently.

Mr Adesina reiterated the determination of President Muhammadu Buhari to end the insurgency by December 2015.

For over five years, the Nigerian military have been engaging the Boko Haram sect in a battle of who controls the north-east and the President’s spokesman said that winning the battle was high on the priority of the administration of President Buhari.

However, despite the negotiation arrangements being nursed, the Boko Haram militants yesterday struck a local village in Borno state.

Suspected members of the

Borno Gov Kashim Shettima dreaded Boko Haram sect on Sunday, blocked the MaiduguriDamboa high in Borno state killing four travelers security sources and a member of youth vigilante group, Abba Yusuf told newsmen.

Our correspondent reports that the village which suffered bloody attacks, is about 125 kilometres away from Maiduguri.

Similarly, the assailants wounded three persons and abducted two others, before fleeing the scene.

It was gathered that the insurgents, armed with assault rifles waylaid some motorists in a remote Nwajurko village near Damboa local government area, south of the troubled state.

“The militants ambushed commercial motorists along Maiduguri –Damboa road, precisely around Sabon garin Damboa axis killing four persons, abducting two young men and leaving three persons with sustained gunshot wounds”, the vigilante member further added.

He said the militants have fled from their major campaign in the Sambisa forest following the ongoing heavy offensive being launched by the federal troops.

A source at Biu General Hospital, who declined identification, told newsmen that three surviving victims were brought to the hospital and they were in critical condition because they sustained serious gunshot injuries.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

News

Lack of new ideas cost PDP presidency – Wulus

By Ochiaka Ugwu

T

he inability of the chieftains of the opposition People Democratic Party (PDP) to bring in new ideas in articulating their strategy in the build to the 2015 polls may have cost them the presidency, a chieftain of the party, Olisa A. Uzoewulu (Wulus) has said.

While in an exclusive interview

with Peoples Daily in Abuja, Wulus, a founding member of the party in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) blamed the party’s central body for their inability to think outside the box that would have ensured PDP’s victory at the polls.

The first Secretary of the FCT PDP also accused those close to former President Jonathan of shielding him from great

individuals who would have advised him on how best to manage the state, thereby depriving him the opportunity of tapping from the intellectual resources of good party men.

The Abuja based political stalwart stated that while the ruling APC was busy gathering men of ideas that formed their think tank group, PDP was lacking new ideas and was waiting to benefit from

the flaws of APC which did not happen.

His words, “I think there are so many reasons people have proposed. I will have to draw comparism with the APC objectively which some people may not like. If you look at the APC from their concept, from the beginning one thing they gave good credence to and exploited is idea.

L-R: Kano state Deputy Governor, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, the state Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, Chairman Governing Council of Bayero University Kano (BUK), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, and BUK out-going Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, discussing during the inauguration of Committees on Social Reforms and Centre for Islamic Civilisation at the VC’s office on Saturday, in Kano.

Buhari to Senate PDP caucus: We’re not selective in fight against corruption

By Lawrence Olaoye

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration was not selective in his fight against corruption.

The President in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, urged those which felt their rights have been infringed upon by the anti graft agencies to approach the court as he promised to uphold the rule of law at all times.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Senate caucus has recently alleged that Buhari’s anti corruption crusade was targeted at their members.

But Buhari had maintained that he has not interfered in any way with the anti graft agencies in the performance of their duties.

The statement read “We have noted with regret, the allegation by members of the PDP Senate Caucus that the present administration is being selective and partisan in its prosecution of the war against corruption. ‘We state without equivocation that the allegation is false, baseless and totally unjustifiable.”

Communal clash leaves 2 dead in Plateau

Gov. Ganduje reconstitutes Hajj tribunal, Welfare Pilgrims Board A

From Ado Abubakar Musa,Jos

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

G

ov.

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has approved the reconstitution of the Kano State Hajj Tribunal, with Chief Magistrate Abubakar Haruna Khalil as Chairman.

Other members are Alkali Mahmud Sadiq, Alh. Usamatu AbdulAziz Sanka, ASP Magaji Musa Majia – PPRP, Malam Bako Muhammad

and Alhaji Ali Sa’adu as Secretary.

A statement signed by signed by Baba Hakiku Dantiye, Director General Media and Communication to the Exec.

Gov. of Kano State emailed to the Peoples Daily yesterday said, while congratulating them Gov. Ganduje urged them to ensure that any pilgrim that breaks the law either at home or in the Holy Land is punished according to the law so as to serve as deterrent to others.

Meanwhile, Gov. Ganduje has also approved new membership for the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board with immediate effect. They are: Sheikh Abba Adam Koki as Chairman. Alhaji Ibrahim Isa, Alhaji Isma’ila Umar, Alhaji Lawan Gwammaja, Alhaji Nafi’u Ali Baba as members Others are Alhaji Yusuf Lawan, Alhaji Bello Sani, Malam Ali Dan Abba, Gwani Sanusi Abubakar and Alhaji Gambo Kwaru The Governor also said that

it would consider completing its inherited projects on the basis of availability of funds, need by communities and time constraint, the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has disclosed.

The governor made this known while receiving the report of the committee set up by the government on completion of ongoing projects, at the council chambers, Government House, Kano.

Saturday, during his official declarations, to contest the incoming governorship election slated for this year.

According to him Kogi state is the most backward state in the country. He said, his successors in the office reversed the progress of the state from “the fastest growing state, to the most backward state in Nigeria” Audu added that it was during his administration that he built all the existing infrastructures in the state today with little resources available to him compared to what his predecessors got. he said “ my administration has

more sense than money while his predecessors has more money than sense” . Saying they have failed woefully to manage the state.

He promised that when elected, he would rebuild the state and solve some immediate problems within six months. “ I did it before and i will do it again and even more, you all saw the development that took place in kano, I will repeat it here in our beloved state” amid thunderous cheering from the crowd.

The ex governor who likened his patriotic efforts to consistently contest, to that of our present

President Muhammadu Buhari who contested in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and was always rigged out but in 2015 God sent all the riggers to sleep and our beloved President was able to make it, saying the same thing will happen in Kogi in November. This time the crowd was thrown into chorus of change..

Dignitaries at the occasion include former ministers, National Assembly members; Party chieftains include Hajia Halima Alfa, Representatives from other states and more than half of the expected delegates in the incoming primary.

Lokoja standstill for Kogi ex gov.Audu From Ahmed Ibrahim, Lokoja

T

he Kogi state capital, Lokoja stood still for former governor of Kogi state, and state’s leader of All Progressives Congress Prince Abubakar Audu who formally declared his interest to contest the incoming governorship election slated for November year.

Audy said Kogi state need to be rescued from this present government lead by the People’s Democratic Party PDP. Ex governor Audu who was addressing a mammoth crowd at the township stadium in Lokoja,

t least two persons were left dead killed yesterday in Bisichi, and Kasa communities of Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau State in another string of attack after an alleged killing of eight persons on Friday last week Ikramatu Musa who is a resident of the area gave the names of the deceased as Abdulahi Saidu 67and 65 years Iliyasu Samaila, adding that they were at the police station to receive the corpses for of the deceased .

Recalled that Berom and Fulani communities in Barkin Ladi accused each other over the incessant killings in which both communities lost their members in Kasa and Tafawa in the LGA. Alh. Yakubu Abubakar who is a youth leader in Bisichi, alleged that “Berom youths attacked our farms and killed our people. Few days over eight persons were killed and a 70 years old man was killed today.”

He added that Iliya Ismaila, who was one of the deceased was shot in his farm yesterday afternoon while secretary, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Barkin Ladi, Muhammad Adam said Berom youths from Kasa killed Suleiman Ali on his way to the cattle market.

When contacted on the incident, the STF Media officer Captain Ikedichi Iweha, in the state, he said the information on the attack had not reached him as at press time.

PAGE 4

Page 4 Report

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Will the IDPs return home soon?

By Ochiaka Ugwu

T

he fact remains that the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country is rising by the day. No thanks to the nefarious activities of Boko Haram insurgents, farmers/herdsmen clashes and communal conflicts witnessed in many parts of the country. In my interaction with most of these IDPs in their Abuja camp, I saw the burning desire to return to their abode which they said they missed so much. One told me that no matter whatever, anybody or institution will do for them here, it will never substitute for home. To this category of people, East or West, North or South home is the best.

This brings me to the main issue. When our pleasuretrip senators led by Senate President Bukola Saraki visited the IDP camps located in North East, he assured them on their timely home return. The optimism expressed by these distinguished senators is worthy of praise as it is always good to give hope even in the face of hopelessness. But our visiting senior lawmakers should note that quarter life is far better than death by soliciting for quick return where terrorist are having a field day. There is every need to exercise caution so as not to complicate the situation in the North East and further endanger the lives of the people.

According to the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, “your quick return and your welfare is a major concern of government and we are all working very hard to make you comfortable”. Ekweremadu should be reminded that there is no “quick return” in the face of glaring danger facing the people who are suffering for no fault of theirs. We all know that this visit is from the relaxed Abuja base where the roads are rehabilitated every year despite not being in bad condition, is quite different for our Senators, but we beg them to speak little or not at all. They even travelled under a heavy security arrangement showing that they are aware of the danger associated with the region.

These helpless Nigerians have been containing the situation in this part of the world for almost half a decade.

Though Nigerians appreciate the high-mindedness of the Saraki-led senate for embarking on this visitation as they can choose to stay in the comfort of their taxpayers paid mansions in Abuja just like other previous leaders have done, but the last thing Nigerians will tolerate is for the senators to complicate the situation for these helpless citizens, being used to Abuja’s high class lifestyle and highly paid bureaucracy.

The displaced persons’ homes have been burned down,

Africa-Nigerian-displaced their social structure which supports life gone. Their markets destroyed beyond rebuilding.

Their water supplies spoiled and their means of livelihood taken away from them. Some are still yet to recover from the trauma caused by these terrorists. As the Borno governor, Kassim Shettima confessed to newsmen that he is an optimist but also a realist, that Nigerian Army is no match to Boko Haram insurgents. He went to indict his predecessor saying that his government did not take care of anywhere outside the Maiduguri capital. He narrated how these refugees are just existing and

not living.

To add to the difficulty, there are mines on the roads.

Boko Haram with its mission to destroy farming in the northeast, lived up to their task by strewing mines also in the farms. There is no soon return to this till the relevant authorities complete their work on these issues.

More aware IDPs Support Project via donations of ordinary good spirited Nigerians has purchased a bulldozer to clear out areas where they are rehabilitating displaced persons temporarily. These are the type of complex measures at a time when a return home may be

“

deadly and unreasonable.

Indeed, the truth of the matter is that anybody who is returning now may be facing greater danger and uncertainty.

You will either be slaughtered

by Boko Haram or be blown off by landmines which the Army is still removing. One may risk staying at the comfort of his home, but for how long will one stay indoors without engaging in life tasking activities that keeps body and soul together.

It is visible to the blind and audible to the dumb that terrorists still run around those areas. While the army may soon dismiss the insurgency, there

The optimism expressed by these distinguished senators is worthy of praise as it is always good to give hope even in the face of hopelessness. But our visiting senior lawmakers should note that quarter life is far better than death by soliciting for quick return where terrorist are having a field day.

will still be danger for a while in those decades-long abandoned and now over terrorized parts of Nigeria. It will be stupid to think that Boko Haram will just be rooted out just like that. The possibility of them engaging in guerilla warfare is high in the mind of every right thinking person schooled in uprising.

They can even come back angrily in retaliation of the bloody nose the military has given them this time around with the help of the civilians who have provided information on their hideouts.

Truth be told, it is wrong to simply promise them they will return home soon. I think this is the highest level of insensitivity by any quarter it is coming from.

It is normal to say nice words that will rekindle the hope of people who are in difficulty.

But it must be said with caution especially when safety of life and property is on the line.

Commendation goes to our most distinguished senators for their visit and the donation of N10 million to this needy population. We urge them to return to Abuja and focus on how to better the lot of these people and other Nigerians who are suffering in the midst of plenty. As a matter of urgency, they should liaise with the relevant authorities in bringing lasting peace to North East and other parts of the country where there is crisis. Resources should be made available to rehabilitate these people scattered by this evil situation. A mechanism should also be developed to make sure that fairness and justice are re-established to prevent the resurgence of terror in the future.

However, no matter the situation there is every need to plan their return whenever it will be. Return and resettlement of refugees and IDPs is a condition in which all individuals displaced from their homes during conflict are assured the option for a voluntary, safe, and dignified return to their homes or resettlement into new homes and communities. Once they reach their destinations, returnees should have recourse for property restitution or compensation, and should receive strong reintegration and rehabilitation support to build their livelihoods and contribute to a long-term economic and political development. With proper support, displaced persons can serve as critical and essential human resources toward the rebuilding of our nation and whipping it into line. Return and resettlement can represent a visible end to violent conflict, legitimize the new political order, and restore normal life for the conflictaffected population. We must do everything as a people to give these people are better life pending when they will finally return home to their permanent place of residence and the time is now.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

News

Gen. Ibrahim takes over as NDA commandant

L-R: Member, House of Representatives, Hon. Lado Suleja, Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, representative of Lagos state Governor, Mrs. Adebunmi Adekanye, and Hon. Rabiu Kaugama, during the welcome and victory party for Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday in Lagos.

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

F

Photo: NAN

Kaduna resumes 2nd batch of civil servants verification today From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

K

aduna State Government will commence second round of verification of the payroll of its civil servants in the state today.

The government said it will enable it to authenticate the outcome of the first exercise conducted recently.

It could be recalled that the State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai in his maiden state broadcast to the people said government saved N120 million naira in one month, as a result of the first verification exercise in the state.

This was disclosed in

a statement by his Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan which was made available to newsmen.

According to the statement, the Head of Service, Mrs. Alisabatu Dada Onazi has already signed a circular to all MDAs and Local Government Councils detailing how the exercise will be conducted in the three senatorial zones of the state, Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan respectively.

He said Permanent Secretaries/Overseers, Staff Officers and other relevant Directors are expected to identify their staff and their authentic APP, PSN Secret File Numbers and N Numbers for the purpose

of the exercise. They should also be at the verification centers to identify the staff.

“For the purpose of documentation, every staff member is directed to present the original and photocopies of the following: Letter of first appointment, letter of present appointment and last promotion.

“Every staff member is required to present any of these four documents for identification: Nigerian National Identity Card, Nigerian National Voters Card (temporary voters card will be accepted), International or ECOWAS Passport; and Nigerian National Drivers License,” he said.

All Civil Servants and

Local Government employees, the statement added, must physically present themselves for screening in this second round of the verification exercise as a pre-condition for the issuance of the July 2015 salary cheques “The biometric verification exercise is designed to provide the government an accurate and reliable record of its personnel numbers, and clean-up its payroll. Data collected from the exercise will enable the government to determine if the billions of naira that are being expended monthly on staff salary are being paid to identifiable and verifiable civil servants, and make savings from an updated personnel record,” he said.

We’ll revoke multiple land allocation to individuals-Okowa From Osakhare Erese, Asaba

D

elta State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has said his administration will revoke multiple government land allocations to single individuals in Asaba.

The governor dropped the hint at the weekend during the child dedication and thanksgiving service of Mr Amaju Pinnick, Chairman, Nigeria Football Federation [NFF] at the First Baptist Church, Warri.

“In Asaba, when we find that a single individual have been allocated, four, five, six to ten plots of and we know that he needs just a plot or two and there are others who don’t have, that is the area we are saying no to,” the governor said.

He asserted, “if you are

allocated a plot of land, you deserve it because you are a human being, when somebody gets ten plots of land and even some fifteen and twenty, and others don’t have and it is all from government, it is not right, if we find such, we will revoke them, so that others can benefit,” reiterating, “we believe that is the right thing to do and that is the right way to go.”

He however, assured that government will not revoke land that has been allocated to Churches stating, “there is no way that the land that has been given to a church that my administration will revoke, I believe that the church and government are partners in the development of the state for the common good of the people.”

He used the occasion to call on those who applied for

the different empowerment programmes to be patient, noting that while sixty thousand applications were received, only 6, 000 persons will benefit in the first instance while another set of 6,000 persons would be engaged every six months.

According to him, “as a people, we need to partner with government, government cannot do all, it requires partnership, we need to continue to pray for government, we have started our empowerment programmes, when we brought the forms out about three months ago, 60,000 Deltans applied, they will need to be patient.”

He stated that the jobs which include skill acquisition, farmers’ support, production and processing programmes would be given based on merit.

While congratulating Mr

Pinnick for the child dedication and thanksgiving, Governor Okowa said, “it is always good to thank The Lord, the book of Psalm is very clear that if you thank Him, He will bless you the more, in everything you do, thank God and when you are doing such, you will work in the way of The Lord for the common good of all.

The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Warri South chapter, Rev. Justin Okoroji Jnr had appealed to Governor Okowa not torevoke land given to the Church, adding, “it is our prayer that God who has put you up there as Governor will sustain you in the name of Jesus, as you humble yourself continuously, God will grant you the grace to lead your people, our people to prosperity in Jesus name.”

ollowing the recent redeployment of top officers in the Nigerian Army, Major General Mohammed Ibrahim has taken over command of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

Major General Ibrahim who is succeeding Major General Mohammed Inuwa Idris as the 27th Commandant of NDA is a seasoned infantry officer.

Addressing Principal Staff Officers, Deans and Head of Centres of the academy during the handing over ceremony, the outgoing Commandant, Major General Idris described the new Commandant as a seasoned and thorough-bred infantry officer who is endowed with vast exposure and experience that will be brought to bear in piloting the affairs of the academy.

He noted that NDA was particularly lucky that its successive Commandants in the recent years were people who enjoyed a warm and cordial relationship with each other since their days as cadets at the academy, adding that they all shared common values and goals, which he said had helped to sustain consistency in policy and vision for the academy.

General Idris however assured that the new Commandant will continue with the developmental strides that have been entrenched in the academy, as he possess the capacity to improve on them.

While calling for support for the new Commandant, the outgoing NDA boss pointed out that far reaching reforms have been achieved under his 18 months leadership of the academy, stating that, the real reforms were intangibles like character development of cadets and realignment of academic and military training towards meeting present challenges and those of the future.

In his response, General Ibrahim applauded his predecessor on the various developmental projects scattered round the academy and innovative ideas he adopted during his tenure as Commandant.

He used the medium to charge the staff to embrace team spirit in order to be able to succeed in the task of producing well trained officer cadets for the nation.

Until his appointment as NDA Commandant, Major General Mohammed Ibrahim was the Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation at the Army Headquarters, Abuja. He also served as Director Policy at the Department of Policy and Plans, Army Headquarters, and Commander 1 Brigade, Sokoto.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

PAGE 6

News Fake fertilizer factory uncovered in Minna

From Yakubu Mustapha,Minna

N

iger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered a factory where some unscrupulous people were mixing coloured clay with Notre granule Urea which was sold to members of the public as fertilizer in Minna the state capital.

The fake factory that sells the adulterated fertilizer is located behind the General Abdulsalam Abubakar Motor Park at Tunga, was discovered by the Surveillance team of NSCDC at the weekend.

The State Commandant, Mr.

FRSC goes tough on road traffic defaulters, impounds 2,000 vehicles in Delta

Philip Ayuba stated this while speaking to journalists at the weekend on the discovery of the illegal factory where 50 Kg of the adulterated product was tagged: “TAK Agro NPK 20:1010”.

He noted that the illegal factory was allegedly owned by one Alhasan Karfe, now at large, in conjunction with his other accomplice in crime.

“We are here because of what our surveillance team has been able to discover. The illegal act is being perpetrated by some unpatriotic Nigerians who want to make money through a dubious means and the people are adulterating Fertilizer. What the people do is criminal because that they just got coloured clay and mixed it

with Notre Urea for it to have the smell of Fertilizer,” he said.

“And by perpetrating this act, what these people are doing here at this illegal factory is not good for this country because they are helping to reduce the development of people in the area of putting their money in the business of farming. So, it is another way of sabotaging the economy of this country because we know those who must have bought this type of fertilizer are into the business of farming”, he added.

Ayuba stressed that the suspects took to their heels on sighting his surveillance team and melted into thin air , while no arrest was made yet, adding that efforts were being made to locate the said owner of the

factory, Alhasan Karfe and his workers.

He noted that among the items found inside the factory included tipper loads of coloured clay, some sachets of notre urea and empty 50 Kg bags with the inscription of the illegal company’s name on them as well as stitching machines among others.

He intimated that unsuspecting Nigerians who might have fallen victims of the illicit acts of the fleeing suspects would have wasted their hard earned money by purchasing the adulterated product said to have been sold at N4, 500.00 per 50Kg bag.

This is against the the genuine fertilizer being sold at about N7, 500 per bag or more

depending on the approved producers of fertilizers by the regulatory authorities.

Ayuba therefore advised to ensure any fertilizer purchased was tested henceforth and proved to be genuine before leaving the shops.

He said, that he has ordered his men to lock up the illegal fertilizer factory with padlocks and place some of his men to be on guard duty at the premises with the view that the fleeing suspects did not come back to commence their illegal business activities while efforts were being intensified by the security agency to get the fleeing suspects arrested.

By Osakhare Erese, Asaba

F

ollowing increase in avoidable road accidents associated with heavy duty vehicles, like trailers, Delta State Command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has declared war on road defaulters and impounded not less than 2,000 trailers and associate vehicles that failed to comply with road safety rules and arrested their owners.

Speaking on the arrest at the weekend, the state Sector Commander, Mr. Kumven Rindom, said the command had declared a five day action tagged ‘Operation Scorpion’ focused on trailers and associate vehicles as there had been increasing accidents associated with them.

He said they are on the lookout for trailers that are not road worthy, drivers, without driver’s license, those with no reflection on the body.

Mr. Rindom said in their last meeting, it was agreed that all trailers and associate vehicles must meet with certain standards and anyone that failed would be impounded to check increase in road crashes, adding that sensitization had been on, and that those that were arrested are the ones that failed to comply.

“As we are concluding the operation today, we have impounded over 2,000 vehicles and their owners dragged before a mobile court for punishment, it is an on-going operation till we get to the desired target: he said.

It would be recalled that the state command of the FRSC had declared a five-day operation scorpion to fish out trailers that failed to comply with road worthiness and rules.

L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council, Mr. Chuks Ehirim, Chairman, FCT Correspondents Chapel, Mr. Raphael Ekpang, Vice-Chairman, Joy Akpaida, and Secretary of the chapel , Mr. Jide Oyekunle, taking oath of office during their swearingin ceremony after the election of the FCT Correspondent s Chapel, at the weekend in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Cult duel leaves 5 dead in Benue From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi At least five persons were feared dead, in Makurdi the Benue state capital, at the weekend following a bloody clash by alleged rival cult groups and members of a vigilante group in the town.

Peoples Daily learnt that the clash also left about six persons sustaining varying degree of injuries, including an Indian national (names withheld) who was allegedly shot in the head.

According to our source, the fight for supremacy by the cult groups started at the Welfare Quaters area of the town where no fewer than three persons were

shot including members of the vigilante group in the area who were alleged to have intervened in the fight.

“They have turned Welfare Quarters into a den of arms wielding cultists and it is unfortunate that our law enforcement agencies are turning a blind eye and not doing anything about it.

“Yesterday the cult groups in the area engaged each other in a bloody fight that left three persons dead; many persons were injured while several families fled their homes for fear of being killed by the arms wielding young men.

“In a bid to stop an escalation

of the fight, the vigilante group on duty in the area tried to stop members of the gangs from further unleashing mayhem in the area but some of them were also got shot for their boldness.”

It was further gathered that some members of the feuding cult gangs who were bent on avenging the deaths of their members in the fight, snatched a vehicle and chased the fleeing rivals to a popular bar located on MakurdiOtukpo road where they opened fire indiscriminately on innocent persons.

“It was at that drinking spot that one other person was killed and the Indian national was

shot on the head, he was said to be a contractor with a leading telecommunication outfit in the town, he was this morning flown in an air ambulance to Abuja because he is in critical condition while others are receiving treatment in public hospitals in town”, the anonymous source said.

When contacted, State Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Austin Ezeani who confirmed the development, said the Police had recorded two deaths, two others seriously injured while one arrest was made at the spot of the incident.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

News

Kwara police arrest goats thieves, recover stolen cows From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

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he Kwara state police command has arrested six suspected cattle rustlers and two thieves of 64 domestic

animals in various parts of the state.

While speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Friday, during the suspects’ parade, the command’s PRO, Ajayi Okasanmi, said the

cattle rustlers were intercepted at Oke Ode area in Ifelodun LGA of the state on July 24, 2015 carrying 11 cattles in Mitsubishi Canter truck with registration number Lagos LSD 795.

“On interrogation, the suspects could not give any satisfactory account of themselves. This triggered the suspicion of the detectives and on interrogation, they confessed to have stolen the R-L: Director Services, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), Malam Idi Mukhtar, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna Correspondents Chapel, Comrade Garba Muhammad, during their visit to Chief Operating Officer, Peoples Daily Newspapers, Malam Ali M. Ali, at Accident Emergency Ward National Orthopedic Hospital Dala, on Friday in Kano.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Chief Imam, 2 others remanded in prison custody in Benue

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

An Upper Area Court Judge in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, Mrs. Edalfene L. has ordered that the Chief Imam of Gboko central mosque, Alhaji Suleiman Dangiwa and two others be remanded in prison custody for contempt of court.

Commissioner Public Complaint Commission, Alhaji Abuabakr Tsav who disclosed this to Peoples Daily said the chief Imam and two others were also sentenced to two weeks imprisonment.

Alhaji Abubakar Tsav stated that his office has been inundated with the imprisonment of the chief Imam and two others, averring that the Judge who remanded the chief Imam last week Friday had relocated to Makurdi, the state capital to

commence her annual leave.

He explained that there was conflict of leadership of the central mosque, Gboko between the Chief Imam and one Mallam Jagaba.

While frowning at the conduct of the judge, the retired Lagos State Police Commissioner said, he had contacted the service of a lawyer to seek the release of the Chief Imam and others since the judge has gone on her annual leave.

Tsav who suspected foul play, said his office (Public Complaint Commission) would commence investigation into the matter and promised to push the issue to appropriate quarters.

Retired military officers commend Buhari for steps to end insurgency The Chairman of the Retired Army, Navy and Air Force Officers Club,

retired Maj.-Gen. Zamani Lekwot, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for addressing the security challenges in the country.

Speaking in Kaduna on Saturday during the annual meeting of the Kaduna State chapter of the association, Lekwot said Buhari was doing well in his attempt to control the situation. ``What we need to do is to pray for him and to support him in any way in terms of encouragement and advice to end the insurgency for peace, unity and stability. ``I believe President Buhari is a seasoned professional, intelligent and also our colleague who has the country at heart, so we need to support him.’’

Lekwot said the retired officers were now advisers on national or state issues, adding that they were ready to

respond to any call by the government for service to the nation.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the association in Kaduna, retired Brig.-Gen. Tai Pedro, said that one of the achievements of the association was the settlement of its members’ pension Pedro said the members’ pension was now paid timely.

He described the association as a symbol of national unity while its members met from time to time to share views for national development.

He called on the Federal Government to review the pension because the last review was in 2010.

He said that the Pension Act ought to be reviewed every five years or together with any Federal Civil Service salary review whichever was earlier. (NAN)

cows.

“They also confessed that they were syndicate comprising of both Fulani and Yoruba extraction.

They sell their stolen cows in Igbeti and Ibadan in Oyo state”, he said.

The PPRO said that investigation had established the owner of the truck and the receivers.

Similarly, the command arrested two domestic animal thieves, at Ganmo in Ifelodun LGA of the state on August 2, 2015 at 5:40 am in a taxi cab with registration number Kwara X5 498 LRN while conveying two goats.

“On interrogation, it was revealed that they have been involved, for a long time, in stealing of domestic animals, while the owner were asleep.

“Investigations took the detectives to the receiver of the stolen goats at Elerinjare, Idofian, who took to his heels on sighting the detectives while abandoning 10 rams, 61 goats and one vehicle”, he said.

Also, Okasanmi said that policemen in Osi Ekiti, who acting on a tip off, intercepted one Garba Umar, male, a butcher, resident of Oke Oja in Ekiti State alongside the driver of a vehicle allegedly used in conveying a stolen cow from a Fulani camp near Obbo Ayegunle of Ekiti LGA of Kwara state.

“The vehicle, a panel van car with registration number Ekiti AH 610 ADK was also impounded”, he said, adding that the suspects would soon appear in court.

Okasanmi said that any person whose domestic animals were recently missing should come to the State CID, in the Police headquarters to establish ownership and collection without delay.

The PPRO assured residents of the state of the determination of the command to keep vigil on their lives and property, and warned would-be criminals and criminals to leave the state or be caught and dealt with according to the laws of the land.

Robbers raid Deltapoly hostels, cart away cash, valuables

By Osakhare Erese, Asaba

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ampaging armed robbers operating in Ozoro community and its environs, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, at weekend raided two hostels of the State owned Polytechnic and carted away school fees receipts and N100,000 cash.

A female Ordinary National Diploma, (OND), student of Accounting Department of the Polytechnic, Felicia Akani was

allegedly robbed of her school fees receipt by the rampaging hoodlums in a popular hostel along Campus Two roads at the wee hours of the night.

According to the student, the boys came at about 10 p.m. in the evening, and ordered that she opened her burglary protector, but she said she was scared, and as such, did not say a word but quietly switched off her phone and hid it. She added that before she knew it, they

had already poured a substance alleged to be acid which melted her burglary proof.

She narrated that when they succeeded in gaining entry into her room, she started begging them not to harm her, because, according to her, they were armed to the teeth. She said, she was surprised, when the robbers did not request for money or any valuables, but simply yelled at her to provide her school fee receipt for the

session.

At that point, she breathed a sigh of relief within her but was still scared thinking they would rape her. However, that did not happened, rather, they simply left her room, and continued their raid in other rooms within the same hostel, adding that they did not take money or valuables from her.

She said in the morning of the following day, she quizzed other hostel neighbours to know

what the robbers collected from them, and was surprised when everybody in the hostel said that they too were surprised that the robbers did not collect money or phone, but rather took their school fee receipts before absconding that night.

Reacting on the incident the Police Public relations Officer in the State, Mrs. Celestina Kalu, confirmed that the police were investigating the act, saying that no arrest was made.

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News

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Jos communities harp on critical condition of roads

Red Cross trains resource persons from 12 violence- prone states

From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

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T

os Communities of Anguwan Rogo-Anguwan Rimi area of Jos north local government area of Plateau state, have decried over bad condition of roads in their areas.

Alhaji Sani Bala Tanko who a community leader in Anguwan Rogo and Business Development Manager lamented during an interview yesterday in Jos , the Plateau state capital.He said, it was an insensitivity of mass population of the said area by the last administration that led to the critical condition of the roads and lacking of other social amenities.

According to him, they have cried severally for the past 8 years but nothing was even as in the past, Jang administration had claimed to have appropriated the bill on number of roads including that of Anguwan Rogo-Anguwan Rimi.

Tanko however called the present administration of Lalong to come to their aid, saying they have confidence in him and therefore fulfil his campaign promises of addressing their longing problems.

He further noted that if damaged roads were rehabilitated, it would help to ease movements of vehicles and even pedestrians

APC chieftain sponsors of refugees wed in Bama camp

S

even female Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Bama, in Borno, were on Sunday married to their suitors at an elaborate wedding in Maiduguri.

The event took place at the Government Reserved Area (GRA), residence of Alhaji Aji Kolo, the treasurer of the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who sponsored the event.

Kolo said he decided to sponsor the wedding to give a sense of belonging to the IDPs who lacked the resources to sponsor the weddings themselves.

He said the object was to help strengthen the institution of marriage in the community.

The newly wedded brides expressed joy at the event and thanked Kolo for the gesture.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Amina Bukar, said she had wanted to formalize her wedding since last year but for lack of resources.

Bukar noted that Kolo had assisted the IDPs in the locality on several occasions, adding that his philanthropic disposition was unparallel.

(NAN)

he International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has ended a ten days trainer’s training exercise for resource persons chosen from 12 violencestates in the country.

The training which ended over the weekend objected to finding ways of assisting casualties in case of emergencies.

According to the committee, the exercise was categorised in two phases. The first phase took place in Port Harcourt which comprised of Bayelsa, Rivers ,

Kaduna, Delta and Niger States while the second phase comprised of Plateau, Bauchi, Adamawa, Borno, Gombe Yobe and Kano States.

The Head of First Aid and Prehospital Emergency Care Programmes ICRC, Geneva, Eric Bernes, during the training said the training included a stimulation exercise in which participants were brought closer to the realities they would be faced with during emergencies.

Benson Agbro of Programme Responsible First Aid Activities, ICRC while speaking during the

programme explained that the programme has been running since 2009 which focused on conflict- prone states especially in the North East and the Niger Delta areas.

He further said each state had sent three of their best training officers and the trainers whom were expected to go back to their respective states and train members of their communities.

He said , “They came with a lot of expectations regarding the new type of injuries they have been seeing, a lot of trauma cases, bomb explosions, body parts and

dead people, these are the areas we have covered we are also looking at triage, using available resources to get as much people to save lives.”

He said apart the 12 states; the ICRC was considering other states such as Nasarawa and Benue states which have witnessed conflict cases in recent past.

Nurudeen Magaji who is a participant however said in the past six years, through the Nigeria Red Cross Society, they have trained about 1,200 community First Aiders.

Intending Muslim pilgrims during the closing of their induction course for 2015 pilgrimage, on Saturday in Gombe.

Photo: NAN

Sokoto council disburses relief materials to flood victims From Raji Bello, Sokoto

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ftermath of the flood incident that ravaged many communities in Sokoto state, Gwadabawa Local Government, one of the councils affected has started the disbursement of relief materials worth N820,000 to the victims in the area.

The affected communities include Gwadabawa town, Mammande, Gidan-Doagza,

Kililawa and Galadunchin-Tsabre, all ravaged by flood, Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman of the Council’s Caretaker Committee, Alhaji Aminu Aya, noted that 65 of the victims from Gwadabawa, headquarters of the local government, benefitted in the first tranch.

Each of the beneficiaries, according to Aya got a bag of rice, a bag of millet, a rubber mat, a blanket and N 5,000 cash.

He assured other victims from

four other communities that they would get their own relief materials within the next 48 hours.

“The gesture is not in any way compensation, but an attempt to alleviate their sufferings.

“We have since reported the disaster to the state government through the State Emergency Management Agency which has promised to come to their aid.

“We are also appealing to the National Emergency Management Agency, other donor agencies,

corporate organisations and wellmeaning individuals to assist them.’’

The Secretary to the local government, Alhaji Ibrahim Shuni, who promised further assistance, however, warned the beneficiaries against selling the items.

Also speaking, Alhaji Abdullahi Rabah, the Chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Emergency and Disaster Management, lauded the council’s gesture

Association to tackle menace of illegal orphanages, homes

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he Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators in Nigeria (ASOHON) on Saturday, said that it was ready to help combat the emerging menace of illegal orphanages and homes in Nigeria.

This is contained in a press release signed by the National President of the association, Mrs. Dele George, and the General Secretary, Dr Gabriel Oyedeji.

ASOHON is the umbrella body of orphanages and homes in the country.

According to George, the emergence of illegal orphanages

and homes has led to the disturbing operations of baby factories in the country which is not a healthy development for the country.

The statement said that the association had also concluded plans to hold a national conference to arrest the crime head on.

George, also the founder of Little Saints Orphanage, Lagos said, ``The purpose of the conference is to bring together all operators of orphanages in Nigeria. ``The seminar will be on how to improve social interventions services in the country.

``It will also be a forum for the harmonisation in operations of homes and orphanages with a view to abating incidences of malpractices inherent in the sector. ``Our goal is to chart a course for our industry and brainstorm on actionable solutions to problems confronting the association and Nigerian orphans. ``We hope to bring orphanages across the country together to network and exchange information and ideas that will provide a way forward to the many challenges that abound,’’

the statement quoted George as saying.

Also, Oyedeji said, ``we want to share our experience with other orphanage and home operators across the country. ``The idea is that after the conference, members will go back to their respective states and rally other orphanages in their state to form a united chapter in their states. ``It is crucial that the illegal operations of some orphanages and homes be nipped in the bud now,’’ the release quotes Oyedeji as saying. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

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News

Sokoto NUJ rejoices with Tambuwal over Body of Benchers membership From Raji Bello, Sokoto

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he Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Sokoto state, has felicitated with Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal over his admittance to the Body of Benchers as a Life Bencher.

The union in a statement signed by its Secretary, Abdallah Elkurebe, a copy made available

to Peoples Daily in Sokoto, stated that the admittance is not only worthy but also timely.

According to the statement: “The news of the admittance of Governor Aminu Tambuwal into Nigeria’s highest body in the legal profession got to us with little surprise in view of his excelling leadership qualities.

“These leadership qualities found in the governor are

in tandem with the needs of the times, now required for Nigeria’s development and for those of us who are privy to them; Tambuwal’s admittance is not only worthy but also timely.

The Union also said it believes the Body of Benchers’ ratification of his admittance only further confirms people’s belief and trust in Tambuwal’s

style of leadership and the governor’s contribution to the development of the legal profession as well as the transformation of the nation’s judiciary.

“To have been called to the Bar in 1992 and only to be admitted to the Body of Benchers as a Life Bencher only stands him out as a distinct legal practitioner,” it statement concluded.

L-R Kano state Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe during their visit to President Muhammadu Buhari, last Friday at the State House in Abuja

Photo Joe Oroye

SEMA confirms 2 persons dead in Kachia flood From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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t least two people were said to have lost their lives following flood disaster that ravaged communities in Kachia, Kachia LGA of Kaduna State, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said.

The Executive Secretary, SEMA Hon Ezekiel Baba-Karik, after a visit to the flooded communities disclosed that farm produce and houses were also destroyed.

Baba-Karik who urged the people to always follow building plans and advises from experts while building condoled the families of the deceased victims.

“Two people died as a result of the flood in Kachia. Several houses and crops were also destroyed by the flood. The government of Kaduna State is saddened by the incident but we will also do everything ithin our powers to assuage the sufferings of the people. We sympathize

with families that lost their love ones including Alhaji Sani Abubakar who lost a son.”

“We are calling on the good people of Kaduna State to make sure they follow building plans so as to avert future flood occurrence. As the rainy season intensifies, we are calling on the good people of Kaduna State to make sure their gutters are cleared,” Baba-Karik said. he SEMA boss said there was the need to reactivate Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), for quick response to emergencies adding that the Vice Chairman of the Local government and the Education Secretary will be Chairman and Secretary respectively.

Kachia LGA chairman, Mr. Abel Daniel said he was in a retreat in Zaria when the incident happened, but had to rushed down to see things himself.

“I appreciate SEMA because this incident happened but

immediately they were at the scene here. No one is praying for disaster to happen but with your experience, and as the Executive Secretary of SEMA, I know that you will take disaster management in kaduna State to a greater height. We have to invite others in the council to take you round the science and for you to condole the families that lost their love ones,” the Chairman said.

Mr Abel who said they were lucky to have a governor like elRufai, said with the autonomy of local councils, they will established LEMCs immediately.

The District head of Kachia, Dr Sabiyu Suleiman said what happen was unfortunate adding that he saw how one boy get drowned along the river.

“We are happy to hear that the deputy governor of the state was at the scene of this incident which shows that the government is for the people.

People who has money always go and build anywhere they want

and parked into the structures without contacting relevant authorities,” Suleiman said.

The District head who said many people don’t want to identify with traditional rulers, said such act lead many people to build in disaster prone areas.

“It is wrong for people to build in disaster prone areas.

Must of them don’t seek for advises. Had it been this incident happened at night, the effect would have been devastating.

Every year, flood kills people on this Kachia bridge but Children will always want to swim across when the river is full to the brim. That was what caused the two deaths,” the District head added.

Similarly following torrential rainfall, the River kaduna has over flown its boundary causing panic among residents. At the u/ Maisamari in Malali ward of Kaduna North Local Government Area, some premises have already been immersed in water.

1200 IDPs deported by Cameroon arrive Yola From Umar Dankano, Yola

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ith the ongoing mass deportation of Nigerian refugees by the Cameroonian Republic, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has commenced evacuation of displaced Nigerians to the Damare NYSC IDPs camp in Girei local Government Area of Adamawa state.

Many of the displaced persons who hailed from GamboruNgala Local Government area of Borno have started arriving Yola weekend where they would be lodged for some time before their pending journey to Maiduguri.

Addressing the first batch of the IDPs made up of 1, 200 arrivals at Damare Camp in Yola, the NEMA official in charge of camps, Alhaji Sa’ad Bello, urged them to be responsible and law abiding during their stay in the camp.

Bello assured them of nice accommodation, food and healthcare during their stay in the camp.

Also addressing IDPs, the army officer in charge of security at the camp, Lt F.C Ndukwe, tasked the on respect for constituted authorities and the need to be security conscious in reporting any strange face among them to the relevant authorities.

Ndukwe who read the dos and don’ts in the camp, urged them to be their brothers keeper and avoid quarreling among themselves. “ If you do what we tell you and abide by the rules I can assure you that you will not have problem during you stay in this camp”, Ndukwe said.

Many of the IDPs who spoke to newsmen lamented their ordeals in the hands of Cameroonian authorities and thanked God for bringing them back to Nigeria safely. “ Nigerian Government and NEMA in particular deserve commendation the way they are handling us with the support of other agencies. “ I did not waste much time after arriving this camp before getting a mattress, bucket and food among others; In fact, I am proud to be Nigerian”, an IDP who simply identified himself as Modu said.

Similarly commenting on the issue, representative of Borno state government who is also the zonal vice chairman of the All Progressives Congress Borno south noted that the exercise was going on smoothly noting that about 900 deportees are expected to arrive the camp on the first day.

He note that the exercise has been going without any hitch as he said they received most of the deportees in good health adding that even the three women that gave birth, in the camp are in good health.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

News

Osun: Group urges women to rise in defence of Oloyede

By Doyin Ojosipe

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frontline human rights activist in Osun State and Chairman, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO), Comrade Adeniyi,Alimi Sulaiman has declared that Osun State Governor,Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola been the curse to the State and her citizens, because the governor has destroyed economy of the State beyond redemption which made it difficult for the people to eat

three square meals again.

Comrade Sulaiman also stressed that the present economy quagmire facing the State which made her not to be able to fulfill the common sense obligation of payment of Salaries to its workforce and retires alike for period of six (6) to eight (8) months, and as well put the State into debt regime which no government has ever put Osun State into since its creation in August 27th,1991, as a result of visionless and bad governance of Mr. Aregbesola.

He however, regretted the coming of Aregbesola to the governance of the State by turning the State to where his (Aregbesola) Son’s Mother-in-Law, Mrs. Ayo Omidiran would be organizing a Summit and by implication, they have turned the State into family affairs, describing the proposed summit as political jamboree and wasting of meager resources of the State where nothing meaningful would not come out of it and after thought of the criminally mismanagement of the allocations

accrued to the State from Federation Account.

Reviewing the 36 pages Petition letter authored by a serving courageous Judge of the State High Court, Justice Olamide Folahanmi Oloyede to the State House of Assembly, Economy and Financial Crime Commission(EFCC),Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission(ICPC),among others, through a Statement issued and signed by Sulaiman which a copy

Non-payment of salaries: 9 Kogi workers die

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ine out of the 142 staff placed on compulsory leave without pay since 2011 by the Kogi State Transport Company have lost their lives under hunger-related circumstances.

Two of the deceased’s’ colleagues, Mr Ndakwo Mohammed and Mr Anate Audu-- who disclosed this in a statement circulated among media houses in Lokoja on Sunday, said that a number of their colleagues were also in lifethreatening situations .

They said that the workers who had put in years of services ranging from 10 years to 23 years, had been facing untold hardship and were now in deteriorating health condition due to lack of money to feed and pay for medical treatment.

“Many of us have been ejected out of our houses and our children chased out of schools due to our inability to pay rents and schools fees,” the statement said.

It explained that all efforts to seek redress through the

intervention of the state house of assembly and several letters to the state governor, Capt Idris Wada had proved abortive.

The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) recalls that the Kogi State Transport Company had, though a circular dated June 30, 2011 and signed by its General Manager, Mr Augustine Tokula, directed all the 142 members of staff of the company to immediately proceeded on compulsory leave without pay.

The fate of the workers have since then been hanging in the

balance as the government has continued to remain silent on the matter.

Both Mohammed and Audu appealed to the state government to take a definite position on their matter, saying that they could no longer live with their present condition.

The workers have also indicated their interest to embark on peaceful protests on major streets of Lokoja, and have written to intimate the State Security Service and the police of their plan. (NAN)

L-R: DirectorGeneral, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Malam Muhammad Sidi, and Borno state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zanna Mustapha, acknowledging cheers from Nigerian returnees from Cameroun, during a visit to their camp in Mubi.

Photo: NAN

Kebbi to secure N5b loan to support rice farmers From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi

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rrangements have being concluded by the Kebbi State Government in secure a five billion naira loan to assist rice farmers in the state This was disclosed yesterday by the state Governor, Senator Atiku

Abubakari during his official visit to the State National Serial Research Institute Gwandngaji while assessing the varieties of rice being cultivated by the branch.

He added that the state government will do everything possible in supporting the branch in order for them to carrying out their espionage

work with the aim of improving their varieties of rice for the local farmers across the state.

Governor Atiku Bagudu has also directed the State Ministry of Agriculture and the Rice Farmers Association to collaborate with the National Cereals Research Station and come out with modalities on how to assist

farmers in improving their yield by producing the right quality and quantity of rice in the state.

“Am assuring you people that kebbi state would be the leading state in terms of producing rice in the country and am also going to make tools available to the farmers at a subsidised rate” he said.

was made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Sunday, maintained that the contents and heaps of evidences contained in the said petition would not allow it to die, as being thought in some quarters in the State, stated that the petition is a must to read for Osun indigenes at home and abroad, insisting that the petition will not die until it is attended to, as no solution was coming to the State insight.

Speaking further on the mirage of problems facing the State, he opined that only solution to the problems is for Mr. Aregbesola to answer to the posers being raised by the erudite jurist in her petition and as well come out with the truth of picture of the financial status of the State without any hidden agenda like criminal increment of workers’ salaries from #1.3 billion to #3.6 billion and non disclosure of actual allocation accrued to the State federation account where the evidences had shown to the world.

He therefore reiterated the commitment of the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State(CSCEO) to put the Aregbesola’s government on its toes for the common good of the generality of Osun indigenes and habitants, adding that the Coalition would ensure disconnection of Aregbesola’s systematically provision of p o ve rt y ,h u ng e r,d e a t h ,f ai l u re , financial quagmire, illiteracy and underdevelopment as dividends of democracy to the people.

According to him; “There is no doubt that Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola’s government has become a curse to the people of this State because of his hidden agenda propaganda and cosmetic policies.

Aregbesola thought that because people of the State loved him and they will not ask questions about the governance, particularly, the fund accrued to the State again, not knowing that the second term in office will give the opportunity to the people to ask for the Aregbesola’s account of stewardship of his first term in office when so much of our common wealth are siphoned by the few individuals from Lagos and Osun.

We want Aregbesola to truthfully tell us what went wrong with our State and he should know that only truth and justice can heal it, as employment of brigandage against opposition in the State, cannot help Aregbesola in solving the mirage of problems facing the State presently“.

Meanwhile, Comrade Sulaiman has urged the women activists in Nigeria to rise up in defence of a courageous woman Judge, Justice Olamide Folahanmi Oloyede, who authored a 36 pages petition, calling for the thorough and credible investigation into the alleged gross financial misconduct of the Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola’s government which led to the present financial quagmire facing the State.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

EDITORIAL

n November 2013, the third African- Arab summit was held in the capital city of Kuwait.

The summit co-chaired by the then chairman of the African Union, the Prime Minister of Ethopia, Mr Hailemariam Desalegun and the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-jaber al Sabah, brought together leaders and heads of government of 21 member Arab League and 54 member African Union.

The summit which had the theme: “Partners in development and investment” said in its communiqué that it aimed to deepen south – south co-operation and closer relations between government and peoples of the two regions, through strengthening diplomatic and consular relations. The communiqué which contained eight points, including the issue of palestine, promised to create conditions to facilitate investment in both sides, enhance more robust trade flows and particularly seize the opportunities in investment in energy, agriculture and rural development. To leverage on these key sectors, the summit promised to institute an Arab-African economic forum.

The summit also resolved to establish an African – Arab cultural institute to boost cultural convergence that has historically been at the heart of Arab-African co-operation. The communiqué also called for the reform of the united nations security council to specially reflect the current global reality and called for debt relief for countries engaged in peace building, reconstruction and development in the two regions. A key part of the communiqué created an implementation of resolution and

follow- up mechanism.

The high point of the two-day summit was the announcement of a two billion us dollar ($2 billion) package in soft loan and investment in Africa. On the closing of the summit, the chief host, the Amir of Kuwait, expressed satisfaction at the work of the meeting and hoped that critical institution mechanism has been put in place to sustain the momentum of the cooperation between the two sides and warned that the path to success of the

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Lessons of the African - Arab summit

However, we dare say that inspite of the huge natural endowment of the regions, majority of their people are still mired in poverty, corruption, political repression and exclusion which narrow the social and political space cooperation will not be easy.

The region where the summit was held is enmeshed in numerous political practices; from the fall out of the Arab spring, a populist politican rebellion against the mostly authoritarian regimes in the region and the seemingly intractable Isreali-palistine imbroglio, yet the third African- Arab summit was held successfully. We recall that the summit was originally scheduled for the first quarter of the year; but Kuwait was embroiled in political crises,

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following the Amir’s dissolution of the parliament, the only lively debating chamber in the mornachies of the region. The fact that the meeting held amidst the continuing crises in Syria, a conflict in which many arab states are involved in one way or the other, including the turmoil in the region’s largest and most influential state, Egypt, is enough reason to congratulate the organizers. The decisions of the summit and the practical steps taken to enhance cooperation are worthy and we clearly identify with those commendable resolutions.

However, we dare say that inspite of the huge natural endowment of the regions, majority of their people are still mired in poverty, corruption, political repression and exclusion which narrow the social and political space the two regions and make upward mobility, which would release the stored-up energy and creativity of the middle class, a distance dream.

The Arab and African states in cooperation in the framework of the African-Arab roundtable need to remove inhibitions that prevent their various people from full involvement in political, social and economic life of their respective countries. while applauding the decision to host the summit in Africa in 2016, we welcome the enabling resolutions and visions of the Africa-Arab leaders, and urge them to sustain the momentum and build a practical mechanism for the people of the two regions to engage themselves. Because the two region contains the world’s most dangerous conflict zones and flash points, we urge for a mechanism that seeks to reduce the negative consequences of these conflicts whose potential to undermine the co-operation cannot be underestimated.

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PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

2019: PMB’s Projected Political Balance Sheet

By Abdullahi Musa

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ccountants define a balance sheet as a picture, a snapshot, of the financial affairs of a company at a certain period of time, for a given year, say 31st July 2015 for example. In setting up a new company, particularly when the public is being invited to invest, projected profit and loss account and balance sheet are prepared for five years to show where the company intends to be.

Nigerians gave current President Buhari a four-year mandate, terminating on 29 May, 2019, with option for renewal (subject to election) for another four years. President Buhari, in order to be rightly guided in the discharge of his mandate, should direct whoever is going to be his Minister for National Planning, to prepare a projected political balance sheet so that both the President and the electorate know what the anticipated position of Nigeria will be in 2019, the end of PMB’s first term.

President Buhari has tied himself, his party, and his administration to solving some critical problems, namely, youths’ unemployment, insecurity, and I think, fighting corruption, and sanitising the economy. On two of the critical problems, we may answer one for the President, while he is said to have provided part of the answer for the other as was reported during his electioneering campaign.

It was reported that candidate Buhari promised to improve the value of Nigeria’s Naira such that one Naira will fetch one dollar in exchange. Now, officially, one dollar is equal to 199 Naira, or their about. It was military President Babangida who deregulated the foreign exchange market. He started by equating N3 to $1. The nosedive continued to where we are. I think Babangida introduced SAP in 1986. So the challenge seems to be to reverse the journey of nearly 30 years in 48 months.

I am not privy to President Buhari’s strategy on how to achieve his target, but my interest will be in knowing the implication of a one Naira one Dollar economy. On the surface, it may mean a Nigerian with N30000 you will be able to buy a $30000 dollar car. A minimum wage earner, saving N1500 monthly, will be able to buy it in 20 months. At current exchange rate, it will cost him or her 5, 970,000! (Five million, nine hundred and seventy thousand) Paradise has come down to earth you may say.

On the other hand, an American who used to purchase a barrel of Nigeria’s crude oil for roughly $3 dollars now will pay $50-plus dollars. To them hell has come down to earth. Without necessarily trying to analyze all the possible ramifications of exchange rate appreciation, the bottom line is: our imports will become cheaper while our

exports become dearer.

With regards to tackling youths’ unemployment, the National Planner ought to capture for the President where the starting point is. How many youths are now unemployed? And by solving the problem, how many does the President intend to get employed? It is not possible to freeze the unemployment figure.

Every year, higher institutions graduate youths who will swell existing numbers. The National Youths Service Corps says it accepts over 200,000 corpers every year, from just over 2000 in 1973 when the scheme started, a multiplier of 100!

There must be a comprehensive data base. How many get employed naturally without federal government intervention?

What are the qualifications of those who are to be employed?

Are the majority of those who studied Islamic and Christian religious knowledge going to work in religious establishments?

Will government then finance the

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construction of more mosques and Churches so that they get employed as Imams and Pastors?

Joke aside, what will be the main thrust of the employment drive: self employment, government employment, external employment, or a combination of the three? Without a clear understanding of the starting point, the make-up of the unemployed and the sectors they are going to be directed to, it is difficult to accomplish this mission, or to know when the target is reached or missed. In view of the security challenges, we may consider doubling the number of police and armed forces. But can the government afford it? Of course it can, once corruption is contained.

Providing security to Nigeria is what made Buhari enroll into the armed forces of Nigeria. In that capacity he became military Head of State. So when he promised recently that the insurgency will end this year we have to believe him. However, any follower

The success of the war on insurgency means that those uprooted from their homes go back and resume normal life.

Someone says that no public school operates in Maiduguri; all school buildings now host IDPs

of current happenings in the world know that the Malian insurgency, that of South Sudan, that of Somalia, the ones in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and even Egypt are not over. Most Nigerians, in as much as they want the insurgents vanquished, they are highly interested in finding out who really sponsored these insurgents to be the monsters that they have become?

The success of the war on insurgency means that those uprooted from their homes go back and resume normal life.

Someone says that no public school operates in Maiduguri; all school buildings now host IDPs. Why are IDPs settled in camps in other places? It is also important to the administration to know who sponsored the insurgents and why. Whoever did or is doing it is an enemy of Nigeria. What is the objective? To destabilise Nigeria? To excise the North East from Nigeria?

By subjecting himself to the rigors of electioneering, by absorbing all the insults from Jonathan’s hunting dogs, by surviving an assassination attempt, President Buhari is the patriot the like of whom Nigeria has never produced. But if he does not deliver, many shallow - minded Nigerians will write off his good intentions. In the interest of those who revere him, let his blueprint be clear, achievable.

Abdullahi Musa a commentator on national issues

Killing DISCOs? Time for rethink

By Biola Sobowale

“FG takes over Yola Disco from private investors.”

PUCH, July 24, 2015, p 27.

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he story went on to state the reason for the takeover. According to the report by Everest Amaefule, “Followingthedeclarationofforcemajeure

by Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company, the core investor in the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, the Federal Government has taken over the beleaguered power firm.”

YEDC is the first but might not be the last DISCO to be taken over by the FG before long. While the decision might appear to be in the public interest, in the short term, it portends grave danger for the Nigerian economy. As more DISCOs go under, privatization of the power sector, a dream since the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, was introduced is becoming unraveled.

Unlike the privatization of the banking, airline and communications sectors, which succeeded under Babangida and Obsanjo respectively, the first attempt at privatization of the refineries under Yar’Adua and power sector under Jonathan, have created more problems than they have solved. And, there are dangers ahead.

First, reversal of the privatization of refineries, which Obasanjo criticized,

and now a power company will inevitably make it more difficult for governments (FG and States) to privatize any business or sector in the future. Capital is a coward; it dreads uncertainties, especially when the capital investment is colossal and the recovery period is several decades. Taking over enterprises previously managed by public sector appointees invariably amount to re-investing in a business with a great deal of accumulated rot which we were fortunate to discard.

Political connections, rather than competence, inform appointments to even the most strategic economic organizations in this country and it is still to be proved that we have changed our orientation in that regard. Nigeria once had a Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, who read History. He naturally left a “rot” in the system which his more able successors required years to clear. Certainly, none of the investors in DISCOs acquired a unit which required less than ten years to be turned around.

Unfortunately, as things stand right now, it is doubtful if any of them will last the next five years. The reasons are not hard to discover.

Without exemption, the DISCOs were the victims of 419 agreements signed with the Jonathan administration. Certainly, among the factors inducing them to invest in the sector were the promises regarding the power generation by 2014 and years beyond. Four highly respected

individuals, President Jonathan, Vice President Sambo, and two former Ministers of Power, Professors Barth Nnaji and Nebo promised Nigerians, and by extension the DISCOs, the following: • Jonathan in ROAD MAP ON POWER – 14300MW by December 2013.

• Sambo in 2015, 20,000MW soon (whatever that meant).

• Nnaji – 5000MW by 2011, 2012 • Nebo –6000MW by December 2013, 2014, and 10,000MW by December 2015.

If a private entity had promised those with whom it was signing agreements so often and failed to deliver on the promises, it would have been declared fraudulent and the victims would have headed for court. The DISCOs, which must have believed these pronouncements, before parting with their funds, would probably

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not have bothered if they knew Jonathan and Nebo would leave us in darkness on their way out.

It is bad enough that DISCOs were fraudulently promised power supply, from which they were to make their money, their predicament was deepened when the same government also guaranteed them tariff increase by 2015 which is now almost impossible for them to receive with only five months left in the year. Suddenly, the DISCOs are requested to go and negotiate the new tariffs with their consumers. That means no tariff increase for 2015. Yet, every DISCO must have factored the tariff increase into their projections for this year.

Most Nigerians must have missed the announcement by the DISCOs, in the PUNCH of July 15, 2015, page 34, by Mr. Ernest Orji, of Eko Electricity Distribution

When Jonathan, Sambo, Nnaji and Nebo were feeding Nigerians with atrocious lies about power generation, they were warned on these pages, in several articles that the crisis we have on our hands would be one of the consequences of their unpatriotic pronouncements

Company, EKEDC. According to Orji, “large investment in distribution network was still a mirage as the goal post keeps moving. It is scary, as many of us cannot meet payment obligations.” In addition to the Federal Government, DISCOs are also behind in their obligations to banks and other creditors and are being pushed steadily to the brink.

The collapse of DISCOs, and reversal of privatization of the power sector, at a time when the Federal Government itself is cash-strapped will result in a serious setback to the Nigerian economy immediately. Nobody can guess when the mess resulting in reversal will be cleaned up and Nigerians can once again be sure of who is in charge of power distribution.

When Jonathan, Sambo, Nnaji and Nebo were feeding Nigerians with atrocious lies about power generation, they were warned on these pages, in several articles that the crisis we have on our hands would be one of the consequences of their unpatriotic pronouncements.

In the article POWERFUL LIES; FAMILIAR STORIES ABOUT BLACKOUTS, I made the point that the fixation of Jonathan on re-election is inducing the government to lie to investors in the power sector. It was bound to back-fire. Now the crisis is about to become a calamity.

Biola Sobowale is a public affairs analyst

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Comment

Beyond El-Rufai, Shehu Sani and battle of beggars

By Erasmus Ikhide

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ountries across Europe, in desperate bid to stem the tide of terrorists attacks, have wrestled with the issue of the Muslim veil – in various forms such as the body-covering burka and the balaclavas, which covers the face apart from the eyes. The debate takes in religious freedom, female equality, secular traditions and even fears of terrorism. The veil issue is part of a wider debate about multiculturalism in Europe, as many politicians argue that there needs to be a greater effort to assimilate ethnic and religious minorities.

In June this year, at a meeting with religious leaders, Prime Minister Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet ordered the Chad’s security forces to burn all burkas sold in markets. The Chad’s government banned people from wearing the full-face veil, following two suicide bomb attacks which killed more than 33 people.

The banning order forcefully added that any clothing that covers everything but the eyes was a camouflage. The attackers were on motorcycles when they blew themselves up outside two police buildings in the capital, N’Djamena.

The prime minister said the veil was used as a “camouflage” by militants and said the security forces will burn all full-face veils sold in markets. The full-face Islamic veil was also banned in May in public places in Congo-Brazzaville, to “counter terrorism”.

As a countermeasure, Governor El-Rufai ordered the ban of hawking and street begging following July

7 bomb blast at Sabon Gari Local Government Secretariat in the state that killed 25 people and left 32 others injured.

A suspected female suicide bomber had sneaked into the secretariat and detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strapped to her body on that fateful Tuesday morning while civil servants were undergoing staff verification.

The statement further warned all beggars and hawkers to stay off the streets until further notice, warning that any of them found on the streets would be arrested, until these measures are relaxed. In addition, the government reiterates that the ban on commercial motorcycles popularly known as ‘Achaba’ remains in force.

The governor hurriedly put beggars’ rehabilitation centre in place in Kakuri, a Kaduna suburb to cater for the immediate needs of the mendicants while further measures were drastically being work out for vocational training and skill acquisition purposes. Forwardlooking countries of the world today viewed begging in modern society as backward-looking. Indian for instance, had for several decade, established 158-acre as Beggars’ Rehabilitation Centre in Magadi that includes hospital, various skill acquisition of all hues, man-made lake, and a bus terminal for BMTC, and so on.

Now, a pretty clear picture emerges – the beggars would not have any of such in Kaduna state.

They are screaming blue murder and attracted the attention of a maniac Senator who was once a comrade.

Even Senator Sani could not reflect on the fact that as the FCT minister governor El-Rufai established modern Beggars’ Rehabilitation Centre that accommodated and trained 20,000 beggars in various trade and skill acquisition. This perhaps accounted for the enormous support his governorship bid received in the colony of beggars.

The ill-founded outburst of Senator Shehu Sani against the banning of hawking and street begging in Kaduna State by Governor Nasir ElRufai didn’t amuse Nigerians and international community alike, who sensed crass opportunism in the convulsive tiff.

That Senator Shehu Sani appears miffed and bloodied by the governor’s efforts to complement all that he Sani has been preaching over the years to reclaim the nation from the gutter did not portray the latter in positive light.

Luckily enough for Senator Sani, he slightly escaped setting the reputation he has built over the years alit. But political observers who have come to the conclusion that the survival of Nigeria state must come with the solid of ideas of people like comrade Shehu Sani may have been recoiling in horror from their earlier conviction that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It has started dawning on them that both the light and the tunnel may have disappeared, after all.

The conduct of Senator Sani is a gross disservice to his people and downgrading of that life-engrossing occupation known as governance.

The question is how did creative valuation such as genuine concern for

the poor descend to such banality? Do Senator Sani know that his negative stand can thwart the expectations of the beggars? Those who say political education is lacking in most of those who pontificate may be right, all the same.

Overtly, Senator Sani’s real reason for attacking Governor El-Rufai policies has come to light. “For that reason, he has decided on his own not to even appoint people who identify with me in anyway and who are also seen to be from my camp”, Senator Sani lamented Governor El-Rufai’s governance style. It’s clear that Governor El-Rufai does no wrong whatsoever other than that Senator Sani failed to get patronages from the governor.

Now this, shall we say that Senator Sani values political grand standing more than national well-being?

Better still, shall we say he values his future political ambition more than the safety and security of Nigerians?

Shall we say that it’s better to pretend to be on the side of the people so as to ride on their back to power? What would have happened if El-Rufai had ordered the banning of hijab? What purpose does political power service if it cannot redirect the affairs of people and state?

Senator Sani’s attack on Governor El-Rufai lacks substance but rich in egoistic flavour: “He is a governor, I’m also a Senator. He is not bigger than me, neither am I bigger than him”. He is a technocrat, while I’m an activist and a revolutionary. So, my power base is the common people the masses who constitute my strength.

They are the people I have lived with and fought for over the years”.

Senator Sani was not done yet: “Kaduna is a place I have I lived all my life and since I came out of prison in 1998, I have never been out of Kaduna for more than two weeks and I’ve never been appointed to any public office which I will live in Abuja and not know what is happening in Kaduna. So, I can tell you that within Kaduna North, Kaduna South and metropolis of Kaduna, there is hardly any street that I don’t know anybody.“ Instead of consolidating on the banning order of the governor and throw his weight behind the governor’s policies of rehabilitation, Senator Sani seek to cut the earth under the governor’s feet so as to expose him to ridicule.

Such outright denunciation, rabid denigration and sweeping antagonism of a man in the same state, on the same political platform, which had clamoured for different approach to governance calls for serious introspection.

Senator Sani derisively concluded his diatribe on El-Rufai thus: “He has to take consideration of the fact that he met people that were impoverished, that were muscled, harassed and demoralized by the government of the PDP. So, first of all, they don’t need harsh policies that will further impoverish and alienate them. We need to carry them along, taking cognisance of the situation which we find them in.

I fundamentally differ with him on that issue”.

Erasmus Ikhide, a Public Affairs analyst writes in from Lagos, Nigeria.

Kofar Waika: Ganduje’s forgotten constituency Sulaiman Muhammad Ayagi

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o a first time visitor of a community called Kofar Waika, one will be welcomed and bewildered by an imaginary suspicion whether it is in the metropolitan Kano which shares neighborhood with Isyaka Rabi’u Juma’at Mosque, Gwauron–Dutse and notable institutions like the Northwest University, Gidan Zakka and the State Water Resources & Engineering Construction Agency’s new headquarters; or a squalor–like community reminiscence of the erstwhile Nigeria’s ugliest clime called Maroko!

Nevertheless, the immotorability of the less than

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1–Kilometer road left much to be desired from a so-called government elected by thousands of its residents.

The state of bewilderment which becomes our daily nightmare is not only experienced by the community first–time visitor, rather hundreds of thousands of its residents continued to gasp in the midst of plenty that the so–called infrastructural development the incumbent and immediate–past administrations are clamouring to have achieved and continued are nothing but a “window dressing.” It is illogical to patronize projects with mere window dressing status to the detriment of other pressing social projects having direct

bearing to a population close to ¼ (one–quarter) of a state in the south–south geopolitical zone.

Kofar Waika would have been a local government had it been God, in His mercy locates us in that geopolitical zone!

Whereas the Kofar Waika community remained displeased with the past and present administrations style of governance, we hasten to respectfully made to believe that selectivism of projects citing and execution occupy substantial portion of the present leadership main preoccupation, a development considered inimical to the Oath of Office sworn for fair, equity and justice in the course of project execution and

In fact, premature deliveries notably inside vehicles are recurring feature amongst pregnant mums courtesy of the (immotorability) of the road neglected over the years occasioned by inaction of the hitherto people shouldered with such responsibility! What a shame of a society that boasts of triple Fly–Over bridges in the state capital while innocent lives of future leaders are being truncated and sent to graves untimely!

leadership responsibilities. One needs not be on air either at “Freedom Radio, Express Radio or any other electronic media to cast aspersion and innuendoes on the state leadership before government attention is brought to address people’s plight.

Kofar Waika residents abhors in strongest terms engaging the services of “political foot– soldiers” to champion its cause having knew the repercussion involved in such action as it negates the teachings of the holy book.

Without fear of being misquoted or contradicted, one humbly says that no any responsible leadership will allow his subjects to remain in perpetual suffering typical of the Kofar Waika community – whose only alternative, if deprived continuously consequent to human–induced sufferings to seek redress in 2019 elections!

I call on the present state leadership to honour their electioneering pledge to rebuild the road; prior to that, undertake a few minutes inspection of the subject road.

Had it been the leadership listens to people’s suffering,

one would have loved that an audience be sought with pregnant women in the area and the neighborhood of Unguwar Dabai, Tudun Yola amongst others for their side of the story.

It will be a stunt revelation! No Godly person will like to pass Kofar Waika road to Isyaka Rabi’u Juma’at Mosque junction with his pregnant spouse without having to rethink of his action!

In fact, premature deliveries notably inside vehicles are recurring feature amongst pregnant mums courtesy of the (immotorability) of the road neglected over the years occasioned by inaction of the hitherto people shouldered with such responsibility! What a shame of a society that boasts of triple Fly–Over bridges in the state capital while innocent lives of future leaders are being truncated and sent to graves untimely!

It is hoped that “Khadimul Islam” will see the true meaning of his newly–adopted name in line with the suffering of Kofar Waika community!

Sulaiman Muhammad Ayagi, a Public Affairs Analyst can be reached on 0802 334 0986

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

PAGE 14

News

Custom officer drags RCCG to court over land encroachment From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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Nigeria Customs Officer, Kayode Akinagba Joseph, has dragged the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) of No 15, Guru Road, Bauchi,to court seeking an order for the church to pay him the sum of N50 million for allegedly trespassing on his land located at Birshi Gandu, Dass Road, Bauchi metropolis Joined along as second defendants in the suit number BA/131/15 instituted at the High Court Eight, Bauchi, is the RCCG, Shekina Area Parish, Federal Low Cost, Bauchi and the RCCG, House of Mercy Parish, Dass Road, Rafin Zurfi, Bauchi, as third defendant.

A statement signed by the Plaintiff’s counsel, A.S. Idris and M.K. Musa (Mrs) for G. Hassan and Co Equity Chambers Bauchi,made available to newsmen in Bauchi at the weekend, Kayode claimed that the second and third defendants, Pastors Aikulola D. Oyeyemi and Kunle Idowu Ajayi, approached him to sell some portions of his land to the RCCG. According to the counsel to the plaintiff the first transaction for the sale of a portion of their client’s plot of land was made on September 26, 2014, and the second was made January 2, 2015.

The counsel explained that “agreements were written and signed for the transactions

between the Plaintiff and one Dr. E. A. Adeboye for and on behalf of the first defendant.

“The first defendant has now, without the plaintiff’s consent, unlawfully encroached upon some parts of the land that was not sold to it and erected a church thereon, an act which the plaintiff sees as an attempt to unjustifiably usurp the encroached portion from him” Kayode through his counsel claimed that on May 13, 2015, the second defendant Pastor Aikulola Adewumi, took some pastors who were unknown to him to his house without his consent saying the third defendant pastor Kunle Ajayi was part of the pastors that went to his house without his consent.

Kayode who said that they knocked at his door while he was asleep and was woken up added that when he came out the second and third defendants said that the reason they were at his house was to warn him to forgo the portion of the land encroached upon by the first defendant.

He said efforts to make the defendants leave the encroached land have failed as the RCCG has started using part of his land for church programmes while members of the RCCG always pass through the plaintiff’s main gate to the church even when he openly told them to open up their entrance and fix their own gate.

The Plaintiff among others is therefore asking the court to give an order of declaration that

the RCCG action amounts to trespass and direct it to adjust the structure of the church erected on his land at Birshi Gandu, along Dad’s Road, Bauchi.

He also wants the court to direct the defendants to pay N50 million for trespassing and another N450,000 estimated to be cost of this action including lawyer’s fees.

When the case was mentioned yesterday in court, counsel for the defendants Barrister Aniekan Mande, requested for an adjournment which falls within the eight days of the device of the writ of summons.

The presiding judge, Justice G.M. Mohammed, then adjourned the matter to October 12, 2015 for hearing.

Mentally Kaduna govt to employ 2,500 sanitary officers From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna The Commandant General of while speaking to the media at state because most of the health derailed the close of a one week cleaning problems encountered by the state the SAEI, Mohammed Yahaya its effort to ensure clean and program organized by Safety and is a result of the bad environment. said the organization which is a woman killed nhealth environment, Kaduna Environmental Initiative held in The Permanent Secretary Non Governmental Organisation state Government has commended Safety and is concerned, adding that the Kaduna yesterday. by vehicle in advertised for the recruitment of According to Mallam Salihu Environment Initiative for exercise which was flagged off by 2,500 sanitary officers in all the ,as a start, sanitary officers will partnering with the state the Governor of Kaduna State, Ilorin 250 wards in the state. be employed for all the 25 wards government on environment Mallam Ahmed Nasir El- Rufai

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From Olanrewaju Lawal,Ilorin

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destitute whose name could not be identified has been killed by a moving vehicle at Akerebiata area of Sobi in Ilorin.

It was gathered that the woman is a known madwoman in the area who has been in the area for about 10years.

The woman was said to have been hit at weekend around 7am leaving her body scattered.

A source who craved anonymity said that the victim was about crossing the road when she was knocked down by a moving vehicle.

“All effort to apprehend the driver of the vehicle proved abortive has he ran away”.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi confirmed that a madwoman was knocked down by a vehicle at Sobi road.

“A case of hit and run at Akerebiata along Sobi road, à Female known destitute was knocked down by a moving vehicle”. ”The body was smashed and scattered beyond recognition on the main road. The remains were packed by Ilorin East local government”.

The Permanent Secretary at the state Ministry of Environment, Mallam Ahmed Salihu disclosed this

of the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

He added that environmental hygiene is paramount to the

cleaning saying it is time for the people of the state to take the issue of clean environment serious.

stated from the Kawo fly over bridge and terminated at the Levities round about covering a total of ten kilometers.

L-R: UNICEF Representative, Mr. Dipak Roy, representative of Sharda University in India, Dr Daleep Parimo, and Rector, Federal Polythecnic Oko, Professor Godwin Onu, during an international workshop on academic contents of tertiary institutions, yesterday at Oko, in Anambra state.

Photo: NAN

FRSC confirms death of 14 persons in Ebonyi road accident

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he Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), on Sunday confirmed the death of 14 persons in an auto crash that occurred on Saturday at Amasiri Secondary School junction, along Afikpo-Okigwe road in Ebonyi.

Mr Roland Ogbuke, Afikpo Unit Commander of FRSC , told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that

the accident involved an articulated vehicle and a 14-seater bus.

According to him, the bus was conveying members of the Assemblies of God Church, Isu in Ohaoazara Local Government Area, who were returning from a burial. ``We received a distress call on Saturday and immediately

mobilised my rescue officers to the scene of the incident. ``We are not sure of the cause of the accident, but an eye witness told us that the articulated vehicle was trying to dodge a heap of sand on the road and ended up hitting the oncoming vehicle. ``The impact of the hit by the articulated vehicle threw the bus

to a tree some metres away from the road and squeezed it into some zero shape that mangled bodies of the occupants. ``We had to mobilise a nearby quarry company which used its heavy duty machine to cut the tree and the bus, in order to evacuate the mangled bodies of the passengers,” he said.

Ogbuke remarked that the crushed passengers were mostly women, adding that their relatives and church members, who were in other vehicles, helped FRSC officers in the evacuation process. ``The police in particular, assisted the FRSC in evacuating the bodies to the Mater Misericordae Hospital, Afikpo,’’ he said. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Quick wins from Buhari’s trip to Benin Republic

By Lawrence Olaoye

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ince President Muhammadu Buhari got sworn-in a little over two months ago, he has taken the challenge posed by Boko Haram insurgents, who have been ravaging the North-East region, seriously.

This is because he made it clear in his campaign promises that he would make Nigeria inhabitable for the delinquents as soon as he gets into power.

The quest to eliminate the dreaded insurgents has taken the General to countries like Chad, Niger, Cameroun and even to the United States of America. Though his official trip to Benin Republic was on the invitation of that country for the celebration of its 55th independence, the challenge of Boko Haram to Nigeria still reverberated at the occasion.

Benin Republic’s President, Dr. Boni Yayi, who played host to Buhari at a colorful gala launch in his honour expressed great concerns about the scourge of Boko Haram in Nigeria.

As a demonstration of solidarity, the Beninoise President pledged to contribute 800 soldiers to the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) troops currently on campaign against the insurgents in the North east and the Lake Chad region.

The military contribution made by the Beninoise President to a task force comprising of countries in the Lake Chad Basin Commission, to which his country does not belong, only demonstrated the

trust and respect he accords Buhari as a leader and Nigeria as a country. The MNJTF is a creation of countries in the Lake Chad Basin Commission including Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.

As a testimony to the integrity of the Nigerian President, the Beninoise government also conferred on Buhari the honour of Grand Croix du Benin (Grand Cross of Benin), being the greatest honour of the land. He was equally decorated with the local traditional tittle of Mene of Gbene of the land.

Before announcing the national honour, Yayi said “You are a man of integrity. The integration of the subregion is your concern. Your coming here brings our two countries together. Our customs services should meet about economy.

Benin is the 37th state of Nigeria.”

The Beninoise President also pledged continuous cooperation with Nigeria in the areas of commerce and trade which would be of mutual benefits to both countries.

At the Nigerian Embassy, Buhari demonstrated his unpretentious self when he told the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) not to contemplate returning home if they are gainfully employed in Benin. He bluntly asked them to stay back and live peacefully with their host and not come back home only to be unemployed and add to the challenge of unemployment currently plaguing the nation.

He said “I believe a lot of you are doing well and are

ANALYSIS

Only court can decide senate forgery caseUnity Forum

By Ali Abare Abubakar

S •President Muhammadu Buhari better-off here. So, the question of facilitating your coming home does not arise. We don’t want you to come back home and be unemployed.

Don’t come and add to our problems. If you have something doing here, please continue doing it.”

Though some critics have taken upon him for being blunt, but truth being told, he has been able to sieve politics from reality.

The President, in his determination to ensure that those in Diaspora are not left to suffer indignities being melted out to them, sometimes by their host countries, undertook to establish more consulates in some countries beginning from Benin Republic. The Nigerian Ambassador in Benin Republic, Dr. Lawrence Olonisakin, had earlier requested for the establishment of two other consulates in that country which the President expeditiously granted.

Responding to requests for two more consulates in Benin Republic to compliment the Nigerian embassy, Buhari said “I think I will direct your Ambassador to make the request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that by the time we are doing the next budget, it would be included.

“Although we are trying to cut down on the number of ministries, the morale of Nigerians in Diaspora must be considered. This is because we are so many. We are aggressive whether in business or other facets of life. So, we as a government will do everything possible to look after Nigerians wherever they are.”

Buhari also acceded to the request made for the establishment of a branch of the National Open University (NOUN) in Benin Republic when he urged the Ambassador to immediately liaise with the Federal Ministry of Education for consideration of the proposal.

On what the government would do to encourage them to facilitate their businesses, the President urged the Nigerian community to channel their requests through the Ambassador who would turn his report to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the government to examine and respond appropriately.

Buhari, during his event loaded visits to Benin Republic, also took time to commission the Nigerian International School established by the members of NIDO in that country for their children.

According to them, the Nigerian International School was exclusively established for those to be taught in English Language as a medium in a society where French language predominates. The idea behind the school is to ensure that Nigerian children are reconnected to their roots as against being subsumed by the French policy of assimilation.

Considering the widespread acceptance Buhari received in Benin, it has become evident that his administration would not only enjoy the cooperation of the nation’s neighbours as there are clear indications that Nigerians abroad would be accorded more respect and recognitions by their hosts henceforth.

enators under the aegis of the Unity Forum have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to allow the law takes its course regarding the alleged forgery in the senate which is being investigated by the police.

The forum made the call in a statement signed by its chairman, Musa Maigida Abdu, issued at the end of its meeting held last week to review issues bothering on good governance, peace and unity in the country.

The senators who maintained that the country’s constitution does not approve for independent candidates, with aspirants having to vie for seats through political parties, argued that there cannot be smooth sailing in the affairs of the country if the senate and executive do not work together especially as the ruling party controls the Red and Green chambers of the national assembly.

While commending President Buhari’s effort to fight corruption, the forum however noted that “Nigerians want to know if there was forgery in the National Assembly on the 9th June, 2015 when election of principal officers to place in the Senate.

“The Unity Forum believes that opportunity has come for Buhari to allow the law to take its course. The police should publish its report and the judiciary which is another independent arm of government must do its duties.”

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Politics

Kogi Guber: I’m more qualified than Audu - Kadiri

By Umar Muhammad Puma

A

• Former Kogi state Governor, Prince Abubakar Audu (middle), acknowledging cheers from his supporters at a special rally to declare his intention to run for the 2015 Kogi governorship election on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), on Saturday in Lokoja.

Photo: NAN

Ex-Buhari campaigner wants N971b subsidy fund disbursed among LGAs From Raji Bello, Sokoto

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former member of the Buhari Support Group (BSO), Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed Binji has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to reallocate the N971 billion earmarked by the federal government for petroleum subsidy in 2015 to the 774 local governments in the country.

He said the funds if made available to the third tier government would revive the socio-economic development of the people at the grassroots.

He made the call in a statement signed and made

available to Peoples Daily in Sokoto yesterday.

Binji also reasoned that such additional funds could be used by the third tier governments to execute more people-oriented development projects, as well as to pendant the sufferings of the grassroots.

According to him, a breakdown of the N 971billion earmarked by the federal government for the subsidy in 2015 showed that the figure stood at about N 80.9 billion monthly.

“Also, if we further divide the money into the 774 local governments across Nigeria, it shows that each of them can get

an additional N104 million.

“This shows that the Nigerian government is wasting a huge amount of money annually on the petroleum subsidy.

“A local government in Nigeria currently receives an average of between N120 million to N150 million per month, from the federation account,’’ he explained.

According to Binji, if the money earmarked for the subsidy for this year is reallocated to the local government councils each of them would get an additional seventy per cent of their average monthly allocations from the federation account.

He further suggested the formation of a seven-man independent monitoring committee in each ward across Nigeria to monitor the operations of their respective local governments.

He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for vigorously pursuing the fight against insurgency, corruption and other related social vices.

He noted that with the current tempo Buhari was diligently handling the affairs of the nation, Nigeria would soon restore her lost glory in the committee of nations.

Gombe tribunal orders ICT to testify on documents From David Hassan, Gombe

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he governorship tribunal sitting in Gombe at the weekend has ordered an ICT official from the National Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs. Abinbola to account before the tribunal what really transpired during the governorship election that took place in Gombe State.

It could be recalled that one Mohammed Lawal Umar, who claimed to be a staff of INEC under ICT unit, appeared before the tribunal in Gombe in order to testify on relevant documents but was later objected by the counsel to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Barr. Dangana who told the court that the said Umar was not the right person to testify on relevant documents before the court, praying the tribunal to reject

the application filed by counsel to the petitioner.

Counsel to the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya as well as the party, Mr. Akintola (SAN) tendered an application requesting the tribunal to allow an official of the ICT from the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission to testify on relevant documents of what transpired at the just concluded general election in the state.

He told the court that an official from the national headquarters of the commission under ICT unit has appeared before the court and was ready to testify on the relevant documents on the matter.

In his submission, requesting the court to allow the ICT official from the commission to testify on the matter, Mr. Akintola called on the tribunal to suspend the proceedings

that mandated the INEC’s Head of Operations, Mr. Patrick Dele Loko who was already in the witness box testifying on relevant documents, saying that the application would enable the ICT official to testify on documents regarding to governorship election that took place in the state.

While submitting its application to the tribunal, both the two leading counsels of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, Mr Solomon and Ayodele (SANs) objected the application filed by counsel to the petitioner by asking the court to use its powers to reject that application filed by the leading counsel to Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, Mr. Akintola (SAN) who requested the suspension of INEC Head of Operations at the witness box in order to enable the official of the ICT to testify before the tribunal.

The counsels however insisted

that there’s need for the INEC Head of Operations who is already in witness box to complete his assignment saying that with the application issued by Mr. Akintola (SAN) seeking for the suspension of the witness to enable another witness to testify, will mislead the proceedings and asked the tribunal to reject the application.

After listening to both parties, the chairman of tribunal, Justice Mohammed Sirajo ruled that the application filed by counsel to the petitioner seeking the suspension of INEC witness from the box to enable the ICT official testify before the court would not be granted saying that there would be no cross examination after the Head of Operations INEC have completed its verification on relevant documents but said that the ICT official would be invited to the box to testify when the Head of Operations INEC concludes its assignment.

n aspirant for the governorship election in Kogi State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Alex Usman Kadiri, has declared that he is more experienced to govern Kogi State than the former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu.

Kadiri stated this while reacting to Prince Abubakar Audu’s comment that most of his co-contestants seeking the ticket of APC to contest the November 25 governorship election in Kogi State are young school leavers without required experience to do the top job.

Kadiri, who spoke to journalists at the APC national secretariat in Abuja yesterday shortly after obtaining his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, said: “I personally believe that I have more experience than Abubakar Audu, he knows that.”

While lamenting that bad governance is the bane of development in the Confluence State, he promised that if given the opportunity to serve, he doesn’t need more than four years to correct the anomalies.

“It is not my intention to hang on to the governorship of Kogi State more than four years,” he declared.

He attributed margilisation of certain parts of the state since its creation in 1991 as part of the problem bedeviling Kogi State, adding that foremost businessmen like Omokore and Tunde Ayeni have no investments in the state because of disconnection between the government and the people of the state.

Kadiri promised to address youth restiveness and all other anomalies in the state and the sky will be the limit.

He also said that the idea of consensus was good one but may not work out now after the aspirants have been made to part with a whooping N5.5million each to obtain forms, adding that the timing is rather late.

While lamenting that the situation where the people of the state who have lived together for over 20 years don’t intermarry each other, he stated that Kogi’s predicament is beyond mere electoral promises but addressing fundamental issues of unity among the populace and disconnection between the leaders and the led over time.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Politics

Kogi Guber: Audu slams other aspirants

• Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, (left), in a handshake with Senator Barnabas Gemade (right), during the inauguration of Senate Committee on Rules and Business, recently at the National Assembly, in Abuja. With them is Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Babajide O m o w o r a r e (middle).

Photo: Mahmud Isa

From Ahmad Ibrahim, Lokoja

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leader of the All Progressives Congress and former governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu has alleged that majority of those contesting the November 21 gubernatorial poll in the state under the platform of the party are agents of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Fielding questions from newsmen in Lokoja, shortly after formally making known his intention to contest the forthcoming election, Prince Audu said he does not believe there is anybody dragging the ticket of the party with him.

He pointed out that majority of those who bought forms to contest the election were sponsored by the PDP to cause confusion in APC with a view to frustrating its victory in the governorship poll, insisting that the ploy would never see the light of the day.

The former governor further alleged that some of the aspirants were given N10 million to purchase form, so as to cause crisis, stressing that until recently these aspirants were prominent members of the Peoples Democratic party.

He pointed out that his decision to vie for the governorship position was informed by his desire to pull the state out of the woods, noting that the state was currently in bad shape and has to be salvaged.

The APC stalwart said if given the mandate, he would tackle the problem of infrastructural decay headlong, even as he decried the dilapidated of the state capital, which pointed out, is presently the dirtiest in the country.

He equally promised to improve the well-being of the people through whom he stressed are suffering in the midst of plenty, assuring that the entire segments of the state would be carried along in his developmental programmes.

According to him, Kogi is sick and all hands must be on deck to revive her, saying he cannot afford to fold his arms and allow things to continue to degenerate, even as enjoined other well-meaning individuals to shun their differences and work collectively in moving the state forward.

APC to screen 27 aspirants for Kogi guber election

By Umar Muhammad Puma

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he All Progressives Congress (APC) will today commence the screening of 27 aspirants who obtained its forms seeking to become the flag bearer of the party in the forthcoming Kogi governorship election, schedule for November 25 2015.

Investigation revealed that the APC has sold both nomination and expression of interest forms to 27 aspirants that indicated interest for the plum job within the past ten days, at N5.5 million each, out of which two were women who got the forms for free.

The aspirants whose screening will commence today comprise a former Kogi State governor, Prince Abubakar Audu, Barrister James Ocholi, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane, Mr Sani Halilu Shuaibu, Alhaji Suleiman Baba Ali, Air Vice Marshall Saliu Atawodi, Mr Muhammad Abdullahi, Senator Nuruddeen Abatemi Usman, and Hajiya Hadiza Ibrahim.

Other governorship aspirants include the veteran journalist and one of the founding fathers of Newswatch Magazine, Mr Yakubu Muhammad, Chief Clarence Olafemi, Mr Suleiman Ejeh

Abutu, Mr Sunday Ejibo, Otunba Suleiman Lanre Ipinmisho, and Dr. Tim Nda Diche.

Also in the race are a seasoned banker, Mr Habeeb Abdullahi Yakeen, Prince Rotimi Yakub Obadofin, Mr Babatunde Irukera, Mr Olusola Oluworanti, Dr Onukaba Adinoyi, Pharmacist Aliyu Zakari, Senator Alex Usman Kadiri, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Umar, Mr Idris Hussein Kashim and Dr. Sanusi Abubakar.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja at the weekend, one of the aspirants, Alhaji Haliru Sani Shuaibu said it is incumbent on the citizenry in the state to vote into power persons imbued with the exposure and competence that can rescue the state from the pitiable state it has found itself over the years.

Shuaibu who hails from the Igala speaking part of Kogi State particularly blamed successive Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led administrations in the state for the backwardness of the state.

According to him: “Kogi State is backward today not because it doesn’t have the right calibre of persons to take it out of the wood; I have heard a section of our citizenry say the problem lies with power shift; that the state is backward because my Igala

people have been administering it without tangible results for all to see.

“I beg to differ on this proposition. For me, such talk is a creation of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP had a hand in the backwardness of the state because for the past twelve years, it produced the governors that brought the state to its knees. It mismanaged the state in spite the huge resources at the disposal with those saddled with the responsibility of administering the state. The power shift mantra belongs to the PDP. For progressives like us in the APC, the problem of Kogi is not power shift.

“Kogi’s problems revolve around getting the right persons that can do the job. It doesn’t matter where the person is coming from. It is about who can take the state to the next level and this explains why I am in the race.

I have the wherewithal to bring smile to the faces of our people who have suffered immensely from years of neglect and poor governance.”

Shuaibu remarked that it was unfortunate that of the twenty seven mineral resources in Kogi State, successive administrations who are bereft of ideas to

administer the state were only able to explore only two of the abundant mineral resources in the state.

Promising to transform the state within six months if voted into power, he revealed that his blueprint to transform the state lays special focus on Social security, human development, Creation of jobs, and Agricultural development.

Asked what he makes of claims by one of his rivals and former governor of the state, Abubakar Audu that his ilk are like fresh school leavers that lack requisite experience to administer Kogi State, he retorted; “I would prefer not to respond to his claims. Audu is our leader in the APC in Kogi State. I have tremendous regard for him. Yet I was shocked to hear that he also picked the form to contest election again.

“He is not the one managing our affairs for us. I have been managing my business successfully for years. I am a well educated and we’ll cultured man. I am more than qualified to administer Kogi State as far as aspiration is concerned. I am aware that there are moles among us but these are issues I should be voicing out now” the Ankpa born politician noted.

APC wins Katsina Reps bye-election From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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he All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Representatives candidate, Alhaji Sani Aliyu Danlami has won the bye-election for Katsina Central seat.

Declaring the result in the early hours of yesterday, returning officer for the election, Professor Shehu Salihu Muhammad disclosed that the APC candidate scored 21, 485 to emerged the winner.

He added that the Peoples

Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the election, Dr. Muktar Kabir Usman scored 5, 890 while the National Conscience Party, NCP candidate, Alhaji Ahmad Shehu Sani scored 179 votes.

It could be recalled that the seat

became vacant after the winner in the 2015 general election, Sheikh Umar of the APC died shortly after the election.

However, the bye-election recorded poor turn out where only 16 % of registered voters voted in the election.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Politics

Probing Jonathan alone’ll bring chaos, Prof Nwala Interview The recent trip by President Muhammadu Buhari to the United States had with it great expectations. From your own point of view, has the visit returned with it these expectations?

The most important thing is that President Muhammadu Buhari has visited the United States of America. He also had a one-to-one chat with President Barak Obama. He must have also given President Obama and the American stakeholders the preview of what to expect from his government. I don’t believe we should just be swayed by the euphoria of the visit. We do hope that in the course of time, we shall be able to decipher what he has brought back to us. I was expecting however that America would have collaborated with other Western countries to join forces with the African multi-national counterparts to fight the Boko Haram sect, and also provide them with the necessary tools to achieve this. We are still expecting the reports on that case. Another key area that I wanted to hear more information about is in the area of corruption, which has engulfed the Nigerian nation. In that aspect, I don’t know where we are going to start to stop the scourge. Americans have all the records, right from the military era of General Yakubu Gowon to the present administration. I am sure that they will be happy to see how our president is going to tackle corruption in this country.

Buhari’s posture on corruption since his military days has been very firm. That is more reason why so many people see him as well-deserving to become the president of Nigeria at this crucial time when the nation is tilting towards collapse due to the evils of corruption. No doubt, he is very serious about it. I think he will write his name in gold if he can squarely tackle corruption in this country, including all those mighty forces that have over the years cornered the resources of this country, including those in the oil wealth.

There is so much talk about ministers stealing money and so on and so forth. They should be dealt with seriously to serve as a deterrent to others. Many questions arise as regards the oil wealth. Who are the people controlling the oil blocks? What are the bases for assigning oil blocks? What are the conditions?

Professor T. Uzodinma Nwala is a renowned scholar and statesman. He is currently the President of Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), a nongovernmental organization of Igbo intelligentsia, elders, clergy, and patriotic Igbo figures, whose vision is to rebuild and develop the Igbo nation and advance the spirit of her culture and civilization. He speaks on the recent trip of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United States, planned probe of the Jonathan government and other national issues in this interview with our reporter, Ahmed Abubakar.

How much are they making from oil blocks? These are the salient questions that require urgent answers from the president.

Our hope and prayers revolve on that fact that the president will close his eyes and deal with corruption not minding whose ox is gored. He should be above board in this fight, including cases involving his friends, his political allies, and those who are his enemies. The Jonathan government should be probed.

Governments before former President Goodluck Jonathan should equally be probed. Buhari cannot just start with Jonathan and close his eyes on others.

What is your take on the insinuations that the probe will only concentrate on Jonathan’s government?

That will be chaotic. It will send this country to a state of chaos. I don’t know what the justification is in probing Jonathan’s government alone. It will simply be interpreted that the corrupt people before Jonathan installed the Buhari government, and gave him conditions that he should not ask them any questions.

Do you see probing Jonathan’s government alone as witch-hunting?

It is if Buhari does that. If he concentrates on Jonathan and his ministers only, he simply wants to create a chaos in the country. It will be obvious even to a child. What about all those stories about Halliburton and others like that? America has the records. I thought that what he went to do in America was to discuss with President Obama to help him to track the resources of

“

• Professor T. Uzodinma Nwala this country stashed in America and in other countries, not minding who has lodged such.

Would you say that President Buhari might be afraid of the leaders before Jonathan? This is because there are insinuations that Obasanjo said he would expose all past evil deeds in the country if his regime is probed?

I will congratulate Chief Olusegun Obasanjo if he will expose those corrupt practices; and also

confess what he has done when he was in power. He will then become a saint. If he can expose his own deeds, those of Shagari, Buhari himself, Babangida, Abacha, Abdulsalami, Yar’adua and Jonathan, then he would have solved the problems of this country. He would have written his name in gold.

It is reported that America has turned down Nigeria’s request for assistance in fighting the insurgency.

How do you think this will

I don’t know the forces therein. However I am worried that President Buhari is running this country with himself and what other people may regard as a cabal. Such cabal wants to set the tune for the kind of government they want to run before the Buhari cabinet is formed. A lot of people see it as being misguided

affect the fight?

America is not the only country that has the arms to fight the insurgents. But their stance seems suspicious because if they really and sincerely want to help in the fight, they should deploy all resources.

Some people have described this administration as very slow. In fact they now tag President Buhari as ‘Baba go-slow’. What is your view on this?

I don’t have enough information to make a judgement on that. The only thing we have is what we see from a distance. I don’t know the forces therein. However I am worried that President Buhari is running this country with himself and what other people may regard as a cabal. Such cabal wants to set the tune for the kind of government they want to run before the Buhari cabinet is formed. A lot of people see it as being misguided.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Komolafe’s deployment part of restructuring, not fraud-NNPC clarifies

By Etuka Sunday

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he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has debunked reports in a section of the media that the recent deployment of former Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division, Mr Gbenga Olu Komolafe, was due to allegations of fraud.

The Corporation however, explained that the deployment of Komolafe was part of ongoing reorganization that commenced

earlier in the week with the appointment of a new Group Managing Director and retirement of eight Group Executive Directors and has nothing to do with any allegation of financial malfeasance.

NNPC while describing such reports as mischievous and unprofessional, urged members of the public to discountenance such reports and called on journalists to adhere to the ethics of their profession and avoid unnecessary speculation.

Recalled NNPC in a statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Ohi Alegbe, announced the redeployment of Mr. Gbenga Olu Komolafe as the Group General Manager, Special Duties.

Until his appointment, Mr. Komolafe was the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of the Corporation.

The most senior General Manager in the Crude Oil Marketing Division, Mr. Musa Yola Usman, has been directed

to function as the Group General Manager in acting capacity.

Meanwhile, the new Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has appealed to friends and well-wishers to stop placing congratulatory adverts on him in the media.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Ohi

Alegbe.

Dr. Kachikwu who assumed duty as the 17th GMD of the Corporation on Tuesday 4th August, 2015, said he sees his appointment as a serious national assignment that does not require the frivolity of congratulatory adverts and the celebration they connote.

He said he would rather appreciate that friends and wellwishers support him with their prayers for divine guidance to carry out the onerous task ahead.

L-R: Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, and Director General Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Joseph Odumodu, during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on standardiszation of electricity, at the weekend in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

FG urged to focus more on maritime sector for revenue

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he Managing Director, Ocean Service and Logistics, Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, on Saturday urged the Federal Government to focus more on the maritime sector which could be the nation’s main revenue earner.

Ezenwa made the plea during the 8th Anniversary of Transport Development Symposium and Transport Development Award held in Lagos.

She said that the maritime sector was presently generating more than one trillion naira as revenue.

The expert explained that if

more attention was given to such industry everybody would benefit from its huge potential which had yet to be tapped.

“Maritime industry is underdeveloped in Nigeria. If we all go out and see what can be done to the nation’s waters, we will realise that the maritime sector is enough to be the nation’s source of revenue generation.

“I wish to always encourage youths I come across to focus more on the maritime industry and put in their best and not by lobbying for political appointments,’’ Ezenwa said.

She advised maritime journalists to focus more on activities and critical issues in the maritime industry to enable government to discover the potential of the industry and make it the hub in the West Africa region.

Also speaking, Capt. Warredi Enisuoh, Director, Shipping Development, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) urged maritime journalists to throw more light on their reports to enable technocrats and investors come into the country.

Enisuoh said many stakeholders found it difficult to operate due to lack of adequate knowledge of shipping operations.

He, however, urged stakeholders, mostly indigenous ship owners, not to hesitate to make enquiry from NIMASA for them to be properly guided on what should be done to register their ships.

Enisuoh said NIMASA had improved on its efforts in surveillance of the nation’s territorial waters He said that this showed that NIMASA was on top of its statutory

duties.

Mr Felix Kumuyi, Publisher and Editor of The Quest Media Group, organisers of the symposium, said there was need for effective policies and modern technologies for optimum performance of the maritime industry..

Kumuyi suggested that government should appoint tested retired military officers to tackle security issues.

He also suggested that retired directors from the Federal Ministry of Transport should also be appointed to improve the maritime sector. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Business Ambode woos Indian investors

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ov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Saturday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthen trade relationship with investors from other countries.

Ambode said this during a courtesy call on him by the High Commissioner of India, Mr Ajjanpor Ghanashyan, at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja.

He said that his administration was determined to further strengthen trade with the India.

According to him, the state has created an Office of the Overseas Affairs and Investment-- to make the State more investor-friendly and safer. ‘’We have established Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment, so that we can strengthen bilateral relationship. We need more investors to come into Lagos, so that we can create employment and grow our GDP. ‘’Whatever it is you think we can do to increase the number of investors from India, we are ready to talk, ‘’ he said.

Ambode expressed his appreciation to the visitors, noting that Lagos could draw inspiration from India as a modern democracy, and from the way its economy had thrived, in spite of its huge population.

He assured the High Commissioner that Lagos was ready to expand its frontiers to accommodate investors willing to set up their businesses in the State. ‘’We are in dire need of a platform that allows for food security, since this will directly impact on the lives of the residents of the State. ‘’It will also improve the economy of the State, increase the internally generated revenue, and translate to further employment opportunities for our unemployed youths, ‘’ he said.

Ambode listed software technology, manufacturing, as well as Agro and Agro-allied sectors, as possible areas where such bi-lateral relations could be strengthened.

According to him, his government will ensure that the State is safe, conducive and investor-friendly, to accommodate new businesses and investors willing to partner with Lagos.

In his remarks, Ghanashyan said his country was willing to partner with Lagos as it remains the economic hub and capital of Nigeria, as well as home to many India investments.

He informed Ambode that the crux of the visit was to invite him to address a delegation of 150 businessmen that would visit Lagos in the coming week,s as well as to seek ways to strengthen bi-lateral trade between India and Lagos State.(NAN)

CBN, banks to improve on infrastructure to enhance cashless Nigeria From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

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ollowing success recorded in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy in five states and the Federal Capital Territory, the banking sector has assured its resolve to improve in infrastructure development across the country to speedy up implementation of the policy nationwide.

This, among others were the fall out of the bankers committee meeting held weekend in Lagos.

Giving an update on cashless policy while briefing the press immediately after

the meeting, the Managing Director, WEMA Bank Plc, Segun Oleketunji stated that the banking sector has succeeded in implementing the policy in five states, namely, Lagos, Ogun, Anambra , Kanu River and Abuja adding that it was poised to ensure seamless spread of the project to the rest of the remaining 31. “ Essentially, the intention is to roll out nationwide, we were held back on this because we want to ensure seamless implementation of the project. So we are looking at infrastructural development in other states, such that when it is roll out, it will be without any

challenge to the customers and the banking sector generally”, said Oleketunji.

According to him, the sector has invested a lot of money in infrastructure for the scheme to ensure a safe transaction via the platform Oleketunji who guaranteed the safety of the platform urged all bank customers to migrate their transactions to the platform adding it would avert their challenges associated with the use of cash.

Corroborating, the Director, Corporate Communications CBN, Ibrahim Mu’azu while giving clarification on bank charges on excess withdrawal within these five states where

cashless policy has commenced stated; “we are in the no that some wrong application of the policy had occurred, but it was in the past and new directive has been given by the bankers committee by the CBN that in all such situation unintended as it were, all the charges to be refunded to the customers and it was done with immediate effect.

He noted that the cashless policy is an ongoing project which could never be suspended, “it is at difference levels of implantation. But the actual final position of charging fee was what was deferred from 2014 to 2015”, he assured.

L-R: Nigeria High Commissioner to Zambia, Mrs. Sifawa I. Momoh, President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and Zambia President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, Margaret D. Mwanakatwe, during the commissioning of the 1.5 metric tonnes of Dangote Cement Plant and 30 mw Coal Fired Power Plant by vice-president, recently in Lusaka, Zambia.

European shares slip as German data disappoints

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uropean stocks fell on Friday, weighed down by the German market after an unexpected fall in industrial output there, while jobs data reinforced expectations of a U.S. interest rate rise soon.

Germany’s DAX fell 0.8 percent. The DAX is down about 7 percent from a record high reached in April, although it is up nearly 20 percent from the start of the year.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index and the euro zone’s blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index retreated by 0.9 percent and 0.8 percent respectively.

German industrial output declined and exports fell more

than expected, raising questions about the strength of the recovery in Europe’s largest economy.

European shares also remained lower after the U.S. data.

U.S. employment rose at a solid clip in July and wages rebounded after a surprise stall the month before, opening the door wider to a possible Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September.

“Many traders still believe that a rate hike will arrive in September or October,” said ActivTrades chief market analyst Carlo Alberto de Casa.

Greek stocks edged back up for the second day after steep losses earlier in the week caused

by persistent concerns about Greece’s debt problems.

Belgian postal operator bpost sank 8.8 percent, making it the heaviest faller on the STOXX Europe 600, after its second-quarter earnings missed forecasts and it said it expected its regular mail business to decline more than previously expected.

Finnish tyre maker Nokian Tyres also dropped 1.5 percent after a cut to its full-year profit forecast, while a fall in U.S. media stocks also hit their European peers on Friday.

Earnings season has generally been encouraging, however. Fifty-seven percent of the companies on the STOXX

600 index have beaten or met profit expectations with their results so far, with 66 percent achieving or exceeding revenue estimates.

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena rose 8.8 percent after it reported a second consecutive quarter of profit, as it continued a recovery after being hit hard by the euro zone debt crisis and a scandal over loss-making derivative trades.

The FTSEurofirst is up around 15 percent since the start of 2015, as economic stimulus measures from the European Central Bank (ECB) have propped up the region’s stock markets, in spite of the worries over Greece.(Reuters)

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Capital Market

NSE bags oil, gas award

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he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has won the 2015 Financial Institution Award of the Oil & Gas Year.

The award was presented to The Exchange last week at the Oil & Gas Year Nigeria Award ceremony, an annual event held to celebrate individuals and institutions who have distinguished themselves in their areas of specialization.

According to the organisers of the event, this award was being conferred on the NSE in recognition of its first-ever dual listing with the London Stock Exchange through the $500 million Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Nigerian independent hydrocarbons company Seplat Petroleum Plc. The listing was the largest European IPO of an exploration and production company since the 2008 financial crisis.

With almost 50 per cent of locally sourced capital and more than 65 percent of trading volumes done on the Exchange, the role of capital markets in advancing local oil and gas firms is clear.

We, at The Oil & Gas Year Nigeria 2015 (TOGY), recognize your relentless efforts to support Nigeria’s indigenous companies and your involvement in some of the most prominent deals, it is an honour to give you the Financial Institution of the Year award”, the organisers added.

Commenting on the award, the Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar N. Onyema, OON said, “We are delighted and humbled to receive this important recognition for the groundbreaking transaction.

This award affirms that Lagos and London capital markets are truly in partnership to facilitate

more dual listing in both markets. I am confident that this award will encourage more listed companies to leverage our partnership to access capital. The award is a tribute to the effort and passion of the great teams at Seplat, The Nigerian Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange who collaborated to make the transaction a reality”.

In November 18, 2014,

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) signed a capital market agreement with the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) to jointly promote the development of the Lagos and London capital markets. The agreement supports African companies seeking dual listings in both markets and follows the implementation of a new settlement process between the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

Subsequently, the two exchanges co-hosted a one day capital market dialogue themed Lagos: Capital Markets in Partnership, on June 22, 2015 at the London Stock Exchange. The NSE led a strong team of corporate finance experts, lawyers, capital market operators, regulators and companies keen to explore a London/Lagos dual listing, to the event.

Vitafoam PAT dips by 12.8%

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itafoam Nigeria Plc. has posted a drop in profit after tax of 12.8 per cent for the first quarter of 2015 as it decreased to N341.1 million from N391.3 million recorded in the same period of 2014.

Revenue however improved to N9.3 billion from N8.8 billion written in 2014.

In the vein, the firm had announced a rise in turnover to the tune of N4.7 billion in the financial period ended 31st December, 2014, from N4.3 billion recorded in the comparable period of 2013.

The company however posted a loss after tax of N124.7 million against a loss after tax of N204.4 million recorded in 2014 Vitafoam Nigeria Plc last week launched two new products, ‘Vitafoam Early Days Breastfeeding and pillows’ to mark this year Breastfeeding Week.

Speaking during the launch in Lagos, the Group Managing Director, Vitafoam Nigeria, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi, stated that the move would enable the company to increase its market share and also meet the changing needs of its customers.

A statement from the company said the Lagos State First Lady, Mrs. Bola Ambode, unveiled the products, which were aimed at reducing infant mortality in the country, as part of the World Breastfeeding Week celebrations.

Adeniyi was quoted as saying that the company remained committed to the production of innovative products, not just to meet the needs of the customers, but to enhance shareholder value.

He added that the operations

of the company had transcended the production of mattresses and pillows to quality baby furniture, among other things.

He said, “Vitafoam has ventured into production and supply of flexible, semi rigid and rigid polyurethane foam products including furniture, bed and beddings. This expansion gave birth to some of its current subsidiaries: Vitapur, Vitagreen, Vitasco and Vitabloom.”

He said the new products introduced by the firm would help protect mother and child against the challenges of breastfeeding in public places and problems such as back pain.

Unveiling the products, the Lagos State first lady was quoted as saying that Vitafoam Nigeria deserved commendation for the production of childcare products aimed at reducing infant mortality in the country and for being a good corporate citizen.

She called on the government and organisations in the country to support such initiatives in order to help build a better society.

She explained that the Lagos State government had increased the maternity leave from three months to six months with 10day paternity leave in order to support proper child care.

On the World Breastfeeding Week, Adeniyi, was quoted as saying that the company’s support for the week led it to produce products, which would ensure that mothers breastfed their babies in comfort either in private or public.

He thanked the Lagos State government for its efforts, through such initiatives as the extension of maternity leave, to ensure that children receive proper care.

nigerian_stock_exchange

Stock market soars by 4.18% Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

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he stock market last week recorded significant appreciation as the market indicators ended higher.

Specifically, the NSE AllShare Index appreciation by 4.18% to close at 31,441.71 basis points from 30,180.27 basis points it opened with while the Market Capitalization of listed equities as well increased by 4.18% t to close at N10.777 trillion from N10.345 trillion recorded the previous week.

Similarly, all the Indices finished higher during the week, with the exception of ASeM Indices that closed flat.

Review of activity in the market showed that a turnover of 2.382 billion shares worth N18.989 billion in 19,769 deals were traded by investors in contrast to a total of 1.366 billion shares valued at N17.953 billion that exchanged hands in 17,391 deals the previous week.

The Financial Services

Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 1.996 billion shares valued at N13.195 billion traded in 11,232 deals; thus contributing 83.79% and 69.49% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Conglomerates Industry followed with a turnover of 106.534 million shares worth N425.527 million in 1,150 deals.

The third place was occupied by Natural Resources Industry with 100.021 million shares worth N50.103 million in 16 deals.

Trading in the Top Three Equities namely – Continental Reinsurance Plc.; Zenith International Bank Plc., and Axamansard Insurance Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 1.033 billion shares worth N5.209 billion in 2,339 deals, contributing 43.39% and 27.43% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Also traded during the week were a total of 6,639 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N999,551.05 executed in 22 deals compared

with a total of 26,580 units valued at N1.719 million transacted last week in 24 deals. (See sum A total of 14,473 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N15.576 million were traded this week in 6 deals.There was no activity recorded last week in debt board.

Thirty-seven (37) equities appreciated in price during the week, higher than sixteen (16) equities of the preceding week. Twenty-nine (29) equities depreciated in price, lower than fifty-five (55) equities of the preceding week, while one hundred and twenty four (124) equities remained unchanged, higher than one hundred and nineteen (119) equities recorded in the preceding week.

Sequel to the scrip issue of 1 for 5 declared by Academy Press Plc,a total of 100,800,000 units were added to the outstanding shares of the company on 3rd of August 2015. By this action, the total outstanding shares of Academy Press Plc now stood at 604,800,000 units.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Business

Custom impounds 600 bags of smuggled rice, 5 cars From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T L-R: Oral Care Consultant, Colgate Palmolive, Dr. Ogechukwu MacJohnson, Chairman, Alliance for Cavity Free Future (ACFF), Dr. Olabode Ijarogbe, Dean, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Lagos, Professor Arotiba Godwin Toyin, and Director, Dentistry, Ministry of Health, Dr. Bimpe Adebiyi, during Alliance for Cavity Free Future (ACFF) workshop, on Saturday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

ERA/FoEN hail Buhari on UNEP Ogoni report, says pitfalls still in HYPREP From Ayodele Samuel,Lagos

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he Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has hailed the Federal Government for approving a $10 million take-off grant for the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Assessment on Ogoniland and reconstituting the Governing Council of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP), saying both moves indicated the current administration is on the right path in tackling oil pollution in the Niger Delta.

The $10 million grant is to begin a set of activities to fast-track the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Assessment on Ogoniland.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media

and Publicity, Femi Adeshina said that President Muhamadu Buhari also approved the re-composition of the Governing Council of HYPREP to include: One representative each from the Ministries of Petroleum and Environment, a representative from Rivers which is the impacted state, four representatives from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Others are two representatives from Ogoni, One from the United Nations and one from the secretariat.

In a statement issued in Lagos, ERA/FoEN commended the Buhari administration for the decision, but however cautioned that the HYPREP was still “a contraption” without the backing of the law as it was domiciled under the Ministry of Petroleum.

ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Godwin Ojo said: “We are pleased that the present administration

has started taking steps that correspond with its promise that within the first one hundred days in office it will start implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Assessment on Ogoniland.

“While we see a body language indicating the President wants to sincerely tackle the pollution in Ogoniland and the entire Delta, we are however not comfortable with the HYPREP which does not have a legal framework backing it which the Ogoni people demand.

What the UNEP recommended is an independent body to oversee the implementation of the report not one domiciled in a federal ministry.”

The UNEP’s scientific study released in 2011 exposed the largescale, continued contamination of the water and soil in Ogoniland, and the serious threat this poses to human health. In one case, UNEP

found that a community drinking well was polluted with benzene, a cancer causing substance, at levels 900 times above the World Health Organisation guideline.

The report presented to the Goodluck Jonathan administration on 4 August 2011, was however not implemented throughout the life of that administration. Instead, the government hurriedly set up the HYPREP without the consent of the Ogoni people and started awarding projects that did not correspond with the recommendations of the UNEP. “For us, this is the opportunity to reiterate our call for the establishment of an Ogoniland Environmental Restoration Authority as an urgent priority; establishment of the Environmental Restoration Fund with at least $1billion of initial financing”, Ojo stated.

AMAA, Facebook sign partnership agreement

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wards (AMAA) has signed a partnership agreement with Facebook for the promotion of African and Nigerian talents.

Mrs Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, founder of AMAA,disclosed this during the AMAA 2015 Sponsors’ Gala Night held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

She said the agreement would give an `unprecedented’ opportunity for the brands to engage with millions of African movie fans.

Anyiam-Osigwe said th e details of the agreement was contained in an e- mail from Facebook’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

According to her, part of the agreement reads : ``A commercial and cultural partnership leveraging AMAA’s platform cum

Africa’s film and entertainment and Facebook’s global platform.

“It is aimed at leveraging the digital reach of the most persuasive social network.

“Over the past decade, AMAA has helped cement Africa’s status on the global film scene.

“And as Facebook launches its first ever presence in Africa, it’s working with AMAA to drive digital impact in film and entertainment,’’ she said.

Anyiam-Osigwe further quoted the agreement as saying that: ``with 1.4 billion active users; 120 million of whom are in Africa, the Facebook partnership offers the opportunity to further amplify African brands to the world’’.

She, therefore, said the partnership would offer African talents and film projects specific

opportunities to engage the users through official vibrant pages on Facebook and instagram.

According to her, it will build a new opportunity to explore and discover Africa’s most accomplished visual artistes, musicians and other entertainment talents and experts.

Anyiam-Osigwe said that the organisers decided to stage a road show for AMAA 2015 in Los Angeles to expose it and African talents to the world.

“The world cannot get to meet African stars if those stars do not showcase their capacities to other countries,’’ she said.

On the limited attraction of African films to the Western world, Anyiam-Osigwe said it had affected returns on investment.

“For instance, 11 million

dollars was spent on shooting ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’, and not a million dollars has been made from it,’’ she said.

She, therefore, urged Nigerian institutions to support local efforts at making the film industry viable.

NAN reports that there are 28 categories in the AMAA 2015 with 125 nominees.

South African film, `iNumber Number’, and Ivorian film, `Run’, topped the nominations with 12 nominations each.

Mauritanian film, `Timbuktu’, followed with 11 nominations while Kunle Afolayan’s October 1 received the fourth highest number of nominations, with eight.

NAN reports that the 2015 edition of the AMAA is holding outside the country for the first time on September 26, in Durban South Africa. (NAN)

he Headquarters Monitoring Team of the Nigeria Custom Service, Idiroko Axis said its has intercepted goods Valued at N39,054,500.00 between 31st July and 1st August, 2015.

Team Coordinator Deputy Comptroller Yahaya Usman Biri, told newsmen that the seizure includes 600 bags of parboiled rice and five brand new Toyota Corolla cars while acting on intelligence along the Lagos Shagamu Expressway.

He stated that the five 2015 Toyota Corolla cars has a duty paid value of 35,154,500.00; thus bringing the DPV of the two seizures to N39,054,500.00 only.

He stated that the first seizure was on 31st July, 2015 at 0410hrs along the Lagos Shagamu Expressway while on an information patrol.

Biri said that his team was trailing the product which they believed must have come from unapproved routes.

He added that the consignment was loaded in a DAF truck with registration number XS 250 KTU and declared that two suspects, one Mr. Maruf Bello and Pastor Ajayi Joshua were arrested at the point of interception and have been detained in the NCS facility at Ikeja for further interrogation.

He put the Duty paid Value of the consignment at N3,900,000.00 only.

He noted that importation of rice is not prohibited but that its importation is restricted to the seaports at a duty and levy of 10% and 60% respectively.

Biri maintained that his team shares intelligence with other Customs Units and Commands on ways of effectively blocking smuggling of items in total disregard to the fiscal policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

He stated that smugglers will have a hectic moment with them in the days ahead following the fine-tuning and re-jigging of their operational modalities in conjunction with other customs formations.

He promised that his team in concert with other NCS teams will remain undaunted in the discharge of their functions despite the hostility exhibited by smugglers.

He pointed out that his team and others are sincerely committed to the task of suppressing smuggling.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Stock Watch:

Friday, August 7, 2015

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Peoples Daily, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

PAGE 24

Special Report

Weeping for a lost generation

I

received his phone call out of the blue earlier this year.

“I am Muhammad,” he said, “Ramzi’s youngest brother.”

“I will come to see you,” I told him simply.

Ramzi, my dearest Syrian friend - Ramzi the philosopher as I sometimes called him had died of a brain tumour two weeks earlier in the port city of Lattakia, and after an emotional phone call offering his mother and sisters my deep condolences, I had feared my links to his family were over.

When the opportunity arose, I travelled to Saarbrucken.

It felt unreal to be sitting with Ramzi’s youngest brother on the sunny towpath of the Saar river, disturbed only by the occasional dog-walker - light years away from the chaos of war that had caused this newly qualified lawyer to abandon his career and risk everything, even his life, to get away.

“On 1 August last year I was called up to Assad’s army. I left immediately to Beirut, legally on my passport before they could stop me. Sunnis like me are sent to die on the frontline while Bashar and his clan sit safe at the back. I refused to fight against my own people,” he said.

“Ramzi, my mother, my sisters, they all begged me not to do it. They told me: ‘It is too dangerous. Those crooks will take your money and throw you overboard, the boat will sink, and you will die alone at sea.’

“But how could I fight for the man who is destroying my country?”

Beirut is expensive for Syrians - it cost Muhammad $1,000 (£645) to stay there for a month - so as soon as he could he caught a boat to Mersin, southern Turkey, where he spent a further three months - and another $2,000 - researching how to make the crossing to Italy.

He eventually found a people smuggler he trusted, and at one hour’s notice of departure, handed over $6,000. He was collected by minibus in the middle of the night and taken to a beach. There he was put in one of many inflatable boats, along with about 500 others, and transferred in the dark to a freighter waiting just outside Turkish territorial waters.

“We stayed in that ship for seven days,” he told me. “It was like living in a giant metal box.”

They were nearly all Syrian, mainly young men like him escaping the draft, some travelling with women and children.

“It was December and very cold. At first the sea was calm, but after Greece it was very rough. When we reached Italy

Muhammad knows he is one of the lucky ones.

While desperate migrants in Calais fling themselves at lorries heading to the UK and risk death trying to walk along the Channel Tunnel, this young Syrian refugee is living in comfort in Saarbrucken, southwest Germany.

Migrants suffer greatly the captain tried to land at Catania but was rejected. They told him they were not ready for him today. He went on another 12 hours north to the port of Crotone and was accepted.

He turned off the engines and

disappeared. We had never seen his face because he kept it covered. When the Italians came on board they asked us ‘Who is the captain?’ and noone knew. He had become an asylum seeker like us except

he did not have to pay! Now I know why it is so expensive - we had to buy the ship which stays in Italy!”

I did not have the heart to tell him the ship would have been worthless, except for

scrap. Its name was Sandy, he told me.

It was clear, Muhammad said, that the Italians wanted to be rid of the new arrivals as quickly as possible. “They gave us a quick medical

check, then transferred us to Milan - 17 hours on a bus. In Milan we had to give a single fingerprint, then we were free to go. They never asked to see our papers. They just waved us north.

“I knew Germany was the best place to get asylum, so four of us rented a taxi to Ulm. We paid the driver 500 euros (£354) each and he drove us through Austria into Germany. In Ulm they told us

Muhammad after migrating to Germany

“

He eventually found a people smuggler he trusted, and at one hour’s notice of departure, handed over $6,000. He was collected by minibus in the middle of the night and taken to a beach. There he was put in one of many inflatable boats, along with about 500 others, and transferred in the dark to a freighter waiting just outside Turkish territorial waters.

On board enroot Europe

The helish condition of migrants

the fastest place to get German residence was Saarbrucken, so we rented another taxi for 200 euros each to take us from Ulm to Saarbrucken. In Saarbrucken they told us to catch a train to Lebach, the camp where asylum seekers are registered about 20km to the north. We were exhausted - all this travel and no sleep!”

The interviews at Lebach camp, he told me, had been surprisingly easy.

“As soon as they knew I was from Syria, they never even asked why I was claiming asylum. They just took all my details, then everything else followed. They understood. It was the same for my friends.”

Just three weeks after arriving in Germany illegally, he was granted asylum, then given a German residence permit and a renewable threeyear travel document valid anywhere inside the Schengen Area.

Courtesy of the German government he has been accommodated in a modern two-bedroom flat in central Saarbrucken sharing with three strangers. He benefits from free health cover and free German language lessons for four hours a day Monday to Friday. On top of that he receives 400 euros per month cash to cover food and utility bills and other essentials.

Muhammad telephoned home to tell his family the news. They wept and wept, with happiness for his safety and with sorrow for his distance from them.

Nine days later Ramzi died.

Source: BBC

Feature

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Why do wrestlers so often die young?

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r Perfect died in 2003 of acute cocaine intoxication at the age of 44. The Ultimate Warrior died last year of a heart attack, aged 54. Most recent to go was “Rowdy” Roddy Piper who died suddenly on 31 July of a heart attack. He was 61.

So do former wrestlers die younger than athletes who take part in other sports?

“Yes the statistical evidence is quite strong when we look at the mortality rate for wrestlers compared to other sports and the general population,” says John Moriarty of Manchester University.

Wrestlers who competed in the 1970s and 80s were living and partying like rock starsEric Cohen, Wrestling journalist Researchers like Moriarty face some difficulties getting hold of data, as no official body collects statistics about the deaths of those who have spent a career in the ring.

His approach has been to aggregate the findings of others who have studied the problem.

He points to research by academics at the University of Eastern Michigan who studied a group of 557 former wrestlers.

Of the 62 wrestlers in this group who died between 1985 and 2011, 49 died before the age of 50.

Furthermore, 24 of the 49 died

Mr Perfect, The Ultimate Warrior and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper may sound like names from a comic book, but the cognoscenti will recognise them as former superstars of the world of professional wrestling. All of them also died unexpectedly and at a relatively young age.

Rowdy Roddy Piper (right) in action with Chris Jericho (centre) in 2009

Rowdy Roddy Piper prepares to throw Hulk Hogan to the ground

“

Mr Perfect, The Ultimate Warrior and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper may sound like names from a comic book, but the cognoscenti will recognise them as former superstars of the world of professional wrestling. All of them also died unexpectedly and at a relatively young age.

Mr Perfect died in 2003 of acute cocaine intoxication at the age of 44. The Ultimate Warrior died last year of a heart attack, aged 54. Most recent to go was “Rowdy” Roddy Piper who died suddenly on 31 July of a heart attack. He was 61.

before the age of 40, and two even died before the age of 30.

Mortality rates for wrestlers aged between 45 and 54 were 2.9 times greater than the rate for men in the wider US population, the study found.

More or Less: Behind the stats Cardiovascular disease was the most common cause of death.

But how does this compare with other American sports?

In 2014 Benjamin Morris investigated this for the statistical blog FiveThirtyEight, looking at a group of wrestlers whose careers had ended in 1998 or earlier.

He found that 20% of those who in 2010 would have been aged between 50 and 55 had died, compared with just 4% of former American footballers of a similar age.

Why might this be?

Both activities involve their competitors exposing themselves to physical harm, and the training regimes for both wrestling and American football are punishing.

But New York-based wrestling journalist Eric Cohen points to two important differences.

“There is no off season in pro-

wrestling. American footballers play, what, 16 a games a season?

And then get half a year off.

Wrestlers can be in the ring five to six times a week,” he says.

Some past performers were part of a generation who made unhealthy and poor personal lifestyle choicesWWE statement The other difference concerns the activities outside the ring and off the field.

“Wrestlers who competed in the 1970s and 80s were also living and partying like rock stars,” Cohen says. “In the past the business has had a lot of issues with its stars abusing steroids and recreational drugs.”

Piper admitted taking steroids and cocaine, and drinking heavily while competing as a wrestler.

The WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.) accepts that the culture of some of its former employees contributed to the problems they experienced in later life.

“Unfortunately, some past performers were part of a generation of wrestlers who made unhealthy and poor personal lifestyle choices, which in some

cases continued beyond their years in the ring,” a spokesman said in a statement.

“Today’s athletes take great pride and personal responsibility for their overall health and wellbeing.

“Notwithstanding, WWE talent are subject to random drug testing and expected to live healthy lifestyles, reinforced through our Talent Wellness Program, which was instituted in 2006.”

Cohen believes things are broadly are getting better.

“Thankfully we don’t have nearly as many wrestlers in their 20s or 30s dying any more,” he says.

“But as crazy as this may sound there was an incident in Mexico recently where a wrestler died in the ring.”

The hope among wrestling fans is that today’s crop of superstars will live longer than their predecessors.

But the deaths of Roddy Piper and others serve as dark reminders of the journey that professional wrestling has been on.

Source: BBC

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Education

Turning FUGA into a world class varsity my dream - VC Sir, can you shed light on the activities of FUGA since inception to date?

S

ince the commencement of the 2014, 2015 academic session, so far, we have two faculties in place, the faculty of Arts, Management and social sciences and the faculty of science. The faculty of arts, Management and social sciences offers Bachelor of Arts (B.A) on English language, Islamic studies, History and International relations.

It also offers Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in accounting, Business administration, economics and development studies, geography, political science and psychology.

The faculty of science also offers B.Sc in biological sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics. By next session we shall start the faculty of agriculture and to support the fast growth of the faculty of agriculture, we have also established a center known as center for irrigation and desert studies.

Currently, we have a total of 240 undergraduates, that is the 100 level but we earlier started the school of preliminary studies before then, that was last year and the preliminary study has two programmes; the remedial and IJMB programmes. So we have three categories of students in this campus; the remedial, IJMB and the 100 level and the 100 level students are the ones we matriculated recently. So, presently we have students population of 552 for the 2014, 2015 session. In terms of staffing, we have recruited 418 senior staff and 180 junior staff giving a total of 598 regular staff of the university, we have also through effort engaged some lecturers as sabbatical while others as visiting lecturers. So that is the status of the university now.

How do you intend to address the challenges of getting the needed manpower to make the institution one of world class universities as you said?

I am also in the area of agriculture and that has really given me the opportunity to see that when it comes to the issue of manpower in the area of the center for irrigation and desert study, I easily overcome it and I can say we have overcome it.

Presently we have a Professor who is a director of that center, and we have a senior lecturer who is a programme leader in desert studies because the center of desert studies has two programmes; desert studies. What we did before we started the center for irrigation and desert studies, we brought in not less than 30 professors into the workshop to produce a blueprint for us on how to start the center. So

The newly established Federal University of Gashua (FUGA) Yobe has taken off with a maiden matriculation of 240 undergraduates recently. In this interview with Uche Uche, the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Shehu AbdulRahman sheds light on the present situation and challenges of starting and staffing the institution, insecurity and how he tends to address these issues to make it one of the best in West Africa: Excerpt.

Professor Shehu Abdul Rahman, Vice-Chancellor, federal university of Gashua, Yobe State. we have already programmed all we are going to do and we are following our strategic plan for the center and it is really helping us. We have also designed how we are going to attract the needed manpower.

Presently we have a professor as the dean of the faculty of agriculture on tenure appointment and the director of programme studies is also a professor of agronomy who is also on tenure appointment. We also went to some of the universities and based on my discussions with their vicechancellors, we are getting some of them on tenure appointments, some as visiting lecturers and some as Sabbatical lecturers, so when you combine the two, you will see that

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

we have overcome the problem of manpower for the staffing of the center and we are working with our strategic plan for the center.

Sometime ago, your state Governor accused you of operating from Abuja, and the status of infrastructure in the university?

When we received our appointments, by instruction we are supposed to stay in Abuja for one year to prepare a working document for the smooth take off of the university and the instruction from the then minister of education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i was that we should work closely with

the National Uiversity Commission (NUC), National Implementation Committee and the federal ministry of education to produce a working document and all these agencies are in Abuja so we stayed in Abuja to produce the working documents.

And the one we produced is the academic blueprint. More importantly to ensure proper planning to guide the operations of the university from inception to maturity which covers a period of 25 years from year 1 to year 25. So that was why I spent some months in Abuja. Immediately we finished producing the document, that very month, we located to Gashua, I, the registrar, Alhaji Sule Dauda and all the staff.

Coming to the issue of insurgency, we thank the Almighty for his favour because I can say in Gashua we are enjoying the favour of the Almighty and have never experienced any kind of insurgency.

But in any case, anything we want to do, we are very sensitive. This is because, when you say Gashua, Gashua is part of Yobe state and so we have to be very vigilant, we have to work very closely with security agencies in everything we do or want to do , even when it comes to inviting students for aptitude test or anything, when we invite contractors for the opening of tenders, we first make sure we have security agencies, sufficient number of them, we have been working with them and for that reason, so far, our students and staff have rest of mind to go about their studies and their duties and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any problem hindering our productivity.

In the area of infrastructure and physical development, we have constructed a perimeter fencing

I am also in the area of agriculture and that has really given me the opportunity to see that when it comes to the issue of manpower in the area of the center for irrigation and desert study, I easily overcome it and I can say we have overcome it.

covering 250 hectares which can take the next development of the school. In fact this is the first thing we did, to fence the perimeter of the university, and we have constructed 2 500-bed capacities male and female hostels respectfully, this is in addition 1 number of storey building office complex which is now under construction. Others include the construction of a 500seat capacity lecture theatre and a 300-seat capacity auditorium. a 1000-seat capacity lecture theatre, renovation and upgrading of 12 numbers of senior and junior staff quarters, renovation and upgrading of 2 laboratories and one central library and 3 blocks of VIP toilets among others, What are the challenges the university is currently facing?

As a new university located in a non-state capital and established when the nation is faced with myriads of socio-economic challenges, the Federal University Gashua FUGA) necessarily has to be confronted by numerous problems. But one of the major challenges we are facing for now is the restriction in the TETFund guidelines that do not allow funding of some critical projects like roads and houses. That is why we have no option than to solicit for support in this direction from the State government to provide the university with road network and staff quarters. Others include inadequate structural facilities like classrooms, offices, hostels, laboratories, staff quarters, as most of the ones inherited on the take-off site had to be pulled down due to their dilapidated conditions and the university made effort to rebuild some of them as well as construct new ones, these to mention just a few.

What is your advise for the pioneer students recently matriculated?

I first of all congratulate the students who are the pioneer undergraduates of this university and at the same time I would like to advise them on the need to be ever prepared and ready to earn the degree for which they are matriculated. They should also imbibe the spirit of hard work, dedication and law abiding in order for them to cross the hurdles ahead of them. They should adhere strictly to the university rules and regulation, to be of high moral standards and be respectful to constituted authority. I enjoin them to steer away from extremism and intolerance in socio-ethnic and religious activities, vices which are the major factors that mitigate against positive contribution to nation building.

PAGE 28

Education

Akon plans to bring solar power to African education

U

.S. entrepreneur and recording artist Akon hopes to launch a new project in Africa within the next few months supplying electronic learning devices and setting up smart schools, according to a report in PCTech.

Akon made his fortune as an R&B and hip hop artist, but his entrepreneurial spirit was inspired by the 600 million Africans still eating and working by candlelight. He launched Akon Lighting Africa in February 2014 with the goal of bringing solar power to nearly half the 600 million people living without electricity, according to NBC. So far the company has provided solar street lamps, micro-generators, charging stations and home kits to people in 14 countries.

“The solar power we are providing can be used to connect all sorts of devices – telephones to communicate, fridges to keep food — so why not to power computers too?” Akon said, according to PCTech.

Though Akon was born in St. Louis, Missouri, he was raised in Senegal, West Africa until the age of 7, and there he experienced electricity shortages, NBC reported.

In the U.S., 2,000 Akon fans got involved in his campaign when they showed up at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park July 19 for the Passport Experience Festival. Proceeds from ticket sales went toward Akon Lighting Africa, according to NBC. Akon attended the Global Entrepreneurship Summit July 24 in Kenya along with U.S. President Barack Obama. He followed that with a two-week roadshow that included stops in Kenya, Rwanda, CongoBrazzaville, Nigeria, Niger and Benin.

During the roadshow, the three founders of Akon Lighting Africa — Akon, Thione Niang and Samba Bathily — announced their long-term objective to use solar energy for education in Africa, PCTech reports.

“We presented the outline of a new project we hope to launch within the next few months to supply learning devices and to set up smart schools” Akon said.

Akon Lighting Africa puts top priority on African development, Niang said. “Access to energy will drive rapid transformations in Africa. Electrification first, education next.”

Akon Lighting Africa and Solektra International, its main partner, hope to establish a presence in 25 countries by the end of 2016.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Ukrainian varsities offer admission to 20,000 Nigerian students

By Christiana news agancy

popoola with

A

senior Ukrainian education expert and sales/marketing director of More Educational Services Ltd, Mr. Maksym Tsygankov has assured Nigerian prospective students and university graduates who wish to study in selected countries in Europe of being accepted at their universities of choice and of procuring the requisite travel documents with relative ease.

Mr. Tsygankov gave the assurance recently at a press conference/workshop organized to formally unveil the platform at the mini hall of Cata apartment hotels, Ajao Estate, Lagos.

He said that Nigerian students

have one of the brightest academic prospects in Ukraine in specialized fields of medicine, engineering and financial studies.

The education expert hinted that he was in Nigeria to save thousands of intending Nigerian students from two-timing, unrecognized agents and to offer them an alternative, legitimate and cheaper platform to fulfill their dreams.

“There has been a growing demand for studies in Ukraine from most African/Nigerian students, most of whom unfortunately always fall into wrong hands due to improper/inaccurate information and frustration from the seemingly endless demand for different international and local documents,” he said.

“More Educational Services in

conjunction with the body of tertiary institutions in Ukraine have decided to help facilitate and implement new easier educational services including consular processing for numerous qualified Nigerian students, without hitches”.

He said all documents will be transacted in English from the various Nigerian institutions into Ukrainian language and vice versa.

His words, “We will help identify, initiate and facilitate educational exchange programmes with numerous Nigerian secondary/tertiary institutions, private and public schools as well as with federal and state governments.”

According to Tsygankov, diploma and Master’s studies in Ukraine span two years, while

first degree programmes and doctorate programmes span four years. Itemizing the required documents for admission, he said: “prospecting Nigerian students are expected to present a copy of their birth certificates, WAEC result and bio-data from their international passports.”

Declaring that Ukrainian tertiary institutions have the capacity to admit 20, 000 students every year, he put the tuition expenses at N275, 000. He stated his organization’s readiness to partner with reputable Nigerian institutions, missionary schools, federal and state governments to help provide qualitative, sustainable and uninterruptible educational programmes in specialized fields for indigent students.

Applicants during the 2015 PostUnified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), on Saturday in IleIfe. Photo: NAN (8/8/15).

Bello appointed 10th VC of Buk From Edwin Olofu,Kano

T

he 12th Governing Council of the university, while exercising the powers conferred on it

by Section 4 of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act 2003, at its meeting on Friday 7th August, 2015, considered the submission of the Selection Board and approved the appointment of Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello as the 10th Vice-Chancellor.

In an unprecedented, brief, formal but emotional ceremony at the Council Chamber, at about 12 noon, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed CFR, Ajiyan Katagum, broke the news to the new Vice Chancellor and handed over to him an appointment letter.

Professor Bello’s appointment is for a period of five years, starting from Tuesday, 18th August, 2015.

The Pro-Chancellor explained that while they would join

the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, in celebrating a successful tenure, it is their duty to seek divine assistance to enable his successor achieve the same success.

He further advised the new Vice-Chancellor to hold on to his values of humility, firmness and knowledge and to accord every one he comes in contact with, dignity.

Prof. Bello in his acceptance speech expressed appreciation

to the Council for finding him worthy of the responsibility and promised to carry everyone along.

“Leadership is a collective responsibility,” he said, “so that we can build on what has been done”.

Prof Bello was particularly happy that the Council has been spared the recent dissolution of FG agencies and bodies, and that he would be guided by their wisdom and experience, in addition to the advice of members of the wider University Community.

Forex: CBN directs banks to prioritise demand for school fees, others

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria has directed authorised foreign exchange dealers to give priority to customers seeking foreign currency for payment of school fees and personal allowances for overseas travels.

The apex bank said this in a statement by the Director, Corporate Communications Department, Alhaji Muazu

Ibrahim, over the weekend in Abuja.

The bank assured forex users that it would continue to meet their demand so long such demands were for legitimate purposes.

“All legitimate requests for foreign currency for eligible transactions such as remittances for school fees, Business Travel Allowance, medical and other

eligible transactions shall be fully met at the official exchange rate.

“Already, all the legitimate demand for such transactions through recognised channels has so far been fully met by the CBN. “The CBN hereby directs all authorised dealers in foreign exchange in Nigeria to henceforth treat as top priority all legitimate demand for foreign exchange for eligible transactions,” it said.

It stated also that holders of Naira denominated debit and credit cards would continue to have access to the use of their cards at Automated Teller Machines in any part of the world.

It stated that the amount was subject to an annual limit of 50,000 dollars, noting that ATM withdrawals would continue to be at a maximum of 300 dollars per day. (NAN)

Page 29

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Health

Measles P neumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles, HIV/ AIDS and malnutrition are the primary killers of children in the developing world. These children die because they are poor, they do not have access to routine immunization or health services, their diets lack sufficient vitamin A and other essential micronutrients, and they live in circumstances that allow pathogens (disease-causing organisms) to thrive.

The possibility that children will become seriously ill or die depends largely on whether their immune systems can fight off infections.

Malnutrition, combined with unsanitary or crowded conditions, makes them extremely vulnerable. Measles, for instance, rarely kills in industrial countries but can cause up to 40 per cent mortality among infected children in dire and overcrowded situations which may occur following earthquakes, floods or when populations are displaced by conflict.

Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a virus.

In 1980, before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.

The disease remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. Approximately 145 700 people died from measles in 2013 – mostly children under the age of 5.

Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family and it is normally passed through direct contact and through the air. The virus infects the mucous membranes, then spreads throughout the body. Measles is a human disease and is not known to occur in animals.

Accelerated immunization activities have had a major impact on reducing measles deaths.

During 2000-2013, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 15.6 million deaths. Global measles deaths have decreased by 75% from an estimated 544 200 in 2000 to 145 700 in 2013.

Signs and symptoms The first sign of measles is usually a high fever, which begins about 10 to 12 days after exposure to the virus, and lasts 4 to 7 days.

A runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks can develop in the initial stage. After several days, a rash erupts, usually on the face and upper neck. Over about 3 days, the rash spreads, eventually reaching the hands and feet. The rash lasts for 5 to 6 days, and then fades. On average, the rash occurs 14 days after exposure to the virus (within a range of 7 to 18 days).

Enanthem • Koplik spots—bluishgray specks or “grains of sand” on a red base—develop on the buccal mucosa opposite the second molars • Generally appear 1-2

days before the rash and last 3-5 days • Pathognomonic for measles, but not always present Rash • On average, the rash develops about 14 days after exposure • Mild pruritus may also occur • B l a n c h i n g , erythematous macules and papules begin on the face at the hairline, on the sides of the neck, and behind the ears • Within 48 hours, the lesions coalesce into patches and plaques that spread cephalocaudally to the trunk and extremities, including the palms and soles, while beginning to regress cephalocaudally, starting from the head and neck • Lesion density is greatest above the shoulders, where macular lesions may coalesce • The eruption may also be petechial or ecchymotic in nature • Patients appear most ill during the first or second day of the rash • The exanthem lasts for 5-7 days before fading into coppery-brown hyperpigmented patches, which then desquamate • Immunocompromised patients may not develop a rash Clinical course • Uncomplicated measles, from late prodrome to resolution of fever and rash, lasts 7-10 days • Cough may be the final symptom to appear Modified measles • Occurs in individuals who have received serum immunoglobulin after exposure to the measles virus • The incubation period may be as long as 21 days

• Similar but milder symptoms and signs may occur Atypical measles • Occurs in individuals who were vaccinated with the original killed-virus measles vaccine between 1963 and 1967 and who have incomplete immunity • A mild or subclinical prodrome of fever, headache, abdominal pain, and myalgias precedes a rash that begins on the hands and feet and spreads centripetally • The eruption is accentuated in the skin folds and may be macular, vesicular, petechial, or urticarial Who is at risk?

Unvaccinated young children are at highest risk of measles and its complications, including death. Unvaccinated pregnant women are also at risk. Any nonimmune person (who has not been vaccinated or was vaccinated but did not develop immunity) can become infected.

Measles is still common in many developing countries – particularly in parts of Africa and Asia. The overwhelming majority (more than 95%) of measles deaths occur in countries with low per capita incomes and weak health infrastructures.

Measles outbreaks can be particularly deadly in countries experiencing or recovering from a natural disaster or conflict.

Damage to health infrastructure and health services interrupts routine immunization, and overcrowding in residential camps greatly increases the risk of infection.

Transmission The highly contagious virus is spread by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact or direct contact with infected nasal or

Health Matters Dr. Longwap AbdulAziz Saleh

e-mail: longwapabdul@yahoo.com, Text: 08039537913 throat secretions.

The virus remains active and contagious in the air or on infected surfaces for up to 2 hours. It can be transmitted by an infected person from 4 days prior to the onset of the rash to 4 days after the rash erupts.

Measles outbreaks can result in epidemics that cause many deaths, especially among young, malnourished children.

In countries where measles has been largely eliminated, cases imported from other countries remain an important source of infection.

Laboratory testing Alternatively, laboratory diagnosis of measles can be done with confirmation of positive measles IgM antibodies or isolation of measles virus RNA from respiratory specimens.

For people unable to have their blood drawn, saliva can be collected for salivary measlesspecific IgA testing. Positive contact with other patients known to have measles adds strong epidemiological evidence to the diagnosis. Any contact with an infected person, including semen through sex, saliva, or mucus, can cause infection.

Treatment No specific antiviral treatment exists for measles virus.

Severe complications from measles can be avoided through

supportive care that ensures good nutrition, adequate fluid intake and treatment of dehydration with WHO-recommended oral rehydration solution.

This solution replaces fluids and other essential elements that are lost through diarrhoea or vomiting.

Antibiotics should be prescribed to treat eye and ear infections, and pneumonia.

All children in developing countries diagnosed with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements, given 24 hours apart. This treatment restores low vitamin A levels during measles that occur even in well-nourished children and can help prevent eye damage and blindness. Vitamin A supplements have been shown to reduce the number of deaths from measles by 50%.

Prevention Routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunization campaigns in countries with high case and death rates, are key public health strategies to reduce global measles deaths. The measles vaccine has been in use for 50 years. It is safe, effective and inexpensive. It costs approximately one US dollar to immunize a child against measles.

The measles vaccine is often incorporated with rubella and/ or mumps vaccines in countries where these illnesses are problems. It is equally effective in the single or combined form.

Adding rubella to measles vaccine increases the cost only slightly, and allows for shared delivery and administration costs.

In 2013, about 84% of the world’s children received 1 dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services – up from 73% in 2000.

Two doses of the vaccine are recommended to ensure immunity and prevent outbreaks, as about 15% of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose.

Conclusion Measleskilled over 500,000 children in 2003, more than any other vaccine-preventable disease.

The measles death toll in Africa is so high – every minute one child dies – that many mothers don’t give children real names until they have survived the disease.

Measles weakens the immune system and renders children very susceptible to fatal complications from diarrhoea, pneumonia and malnutrition. Those that survive may suffer blindness, deafness or brain damage.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Page 30

Healthy Living

Poor appetite in babies What worrying

does to your health

W

I

t can be scary if it seems like baby’s not eating enough.

We’ve got the real deal on what it could mean if your infant or toddler has a poor appetite and how to get back on track.

What is considered a poor appetite for a baby?

In a perfect world, your baby or toddler would eat exactly the right amount of food — at the right times — each and every day.

But that’s not even realistic for adults, so why expect it from your tot? Fact is, just like for grownups, a baby or toddler’s appetite changes from day to day, week to week. And depending on where they are with their growth spurts, it may seem like your baby or toddler either can’t get enough food — or practically subsists on air. That said, there are definitely times when your baby or toddler’s

poor eating is because of a health concern.

What could be causing my baby’s poor appetite?

Know this: Babies grow at the fastest rate from 0 to 6 months, then start to slow between 6 and 12 months, and slow much more from 12 to 18 months. So it’s highly possible that your 15-month-old is eating less now than when he was 11 months just because he doesn’t need as many calories.

If a phase of slower growth doesn’t seem like the answer, take a look at what your baby or toddler has had that day that isn’t food: He may have filled up on juice, milk or other liquids, so he’s just not hungry for that pasta or sweet potato. He may also just be a little under the weather with a virus and not in the mood to eat (most of us aren’t when we’ve got a bug).

N

relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.

Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but lesstraveled route. If going to the market is an

unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.

danger. Unconsciously your body prepares itself to either run away from danger or becomes very alert in order to fight predators.

But many of the things we worry about today cannot be dealt with by fighting or running away. Credit card bills, bad relationships or stress at work cannot be dealt with physically, so our body remains in a state of anxiety, ready for action.

This means the stress hormones are still circulating in the blood stream. Theresa Francis-Cheung says over a prolonged period of time, raised levels of these chemicals can start to have a toxic effect on the glands, nervous system and the heart, eventually leading to heart attacks, increased risk of stroke and stomach ulcers.

Because your body has tensed ready to respond to the threat you are feeling, this muscle tension can turn into aches and pains causing headaches, back pain, weak legs and trembling.

This tension can also affect your digestive system triggering bouts of constipation or diarrhoea.

You may also become more prone to infections. It is widely accepted that stress and anxiety can lower your immune system, making you more susceptible to picking up colds or more serious illnesses. With excessive worry, ourimmune systems have little time to recover so you become even more tired and lethargic.

Loss of libido is another symptom of worrying. ‘To have a fulfilling sex life you need to feel healthy and relaxed in body and mind. When you are worn down by worry, you are neither,’ says Theresa.

Worry may also make you absent minded or neglectful of your health. You may feel too stressed to eat properly so you are not getting enough vitamins and minerals in your diet. This could speed up the ageing process as you are not replenishing your skin, muscles or brain with the right nutrients from your food.

Excessive worry could even lead into depression. If you start to worry about everyone and everything day and night, feel that life is unfair and justice does not exist or become paranoid that people will betray you; these could be the first warning signs of depression. Talk to your doctor or a trained counsellor if you are starting to feel like this.

There are steps you can take to stop worrying and start living.

Click on the links below and above to find out how.

When should I bring my baby to the doctor with a poor appetite?

Closely track what your baby or toddler eats for a few days.

Don’t be alarmed if it’s just a couple days of poor appetite, but if it continues for a week or so, it’s worth getting him checked out. Also, if his loss of appetite is accompanied by a fever, rash or changes in his stool (he’s got diarrhea or is constipated), give your doctor a call.

What should I do to treat my baby’s poor appetite?

Be patient. In most cases he’ll start to eat more on his own, so provide lots of different ageappropriate food choices. Make sure your toddler is getting about 16 ounces of whole milk (after 12 months), but cut out the juice and other liquid calories. thebump.com

Stress management: avoid unnecessary stress ot all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.

Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the

hen you worry, your body responds to your anxiety the same way it would react to physical danger.

To help you cope with the physical demands you are about to ask your body to perform, your brain releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. They trigger a range of physical reactions that will equip your body for action.

Your heart rate increases, your breathing becomes heavier and you may sweat more. You may also become pale as the blood moves away from the skin towards the muscles to help them prepare for the ‘fight or flight’ situation your worry has created.

The ‘fight or flight’ response is your body’s instinctive reaction to

Avoid hot-button topics – If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.

Pare down your to-do list – Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks.

If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.”

Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely. helpguide.org

How worry affects your brain Worrying also has an effect on our brains. Excessive worry disturbs your peace of mind making it harder for you to concentrate on one task at a time.

This means it may also be difficult for you to fall asleep at night. Once you are suffering from insomnia, many worriers start to worry about that as well making their symptoms even worse.

dailymail.co.uk

PAGE 31

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Cobblers on the move, yesterday at Millennium Park, yesterday Abuja.

Abuja natives chieftain dumps PDP for APC Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

T

he coordinator of Abuja natives, Engr. Danjuma Bussa has finally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Bussa, who was the community relations consultant to the immediate past FCT Minister on Land Swap policy of the Administration, revealed that he has been received by his Kabusa ward chairman of the party amidst jubilation.

Speaking on why he left the

PDP, Bussa said lack of internal democracy in the selection of candidates at all ties of government made him to jump ship, stressing that it will be difficult for the PDP to regain its stronghold in the territory.

"I have been an APC supporter even before the elections. I am a progressive man by nature and birds of the same feathers flock together; the problem of PDP in the FCT is that the party lacks internal democracy.

“Just look at the way the candidates that contested the National Assembly elections emerged.

They practically imposed them on

us. No consultation was done because they have a godfather somewhere. Immediately after the party's primary, my body and soul was for the APC," he affirmed.

On whether he will not be seen as a betrayal, Bussa said, "I should not be seen as a betrayal because many people also moved shortly after the elections. Those who are dissatisfied with the way things are done in the PDP left.

The difference is that some left earlier than most of us."

He, however, called on the incoming FCT Minister to carry Abuja natives along in the policies that affect the original

inhabitants, even as he pledged to continue to mobilize support for the incoming minister.

According to him, "we will work with him or her to ensure that the Abuja natives are carried along. We should be involved in the policy of the administration.

In fact, we should be given right of first refusal because if the policies are wrong, we the natives will suffer it most."

Bussa also called on the incoming FCT minister to review some of the policies of the immediate past administration with a view to accommodating the opinions of the original inhabitants.

The coordinator commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment in the fight against corruption in the country, noting that corruption has been the bane of development.

“The president has done so well within the short time in office. The fight against corruption is total because it is the bane of development in Nigeria," he noted.

He however revealed that the official ceremony of his movement from PDP to APC will be performed after the swearing in of a new FCT Minister.

FCTA vows to clamp down on street trading of money

T

he Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCT) has warned Bureau de Change operators hawking money on in and around Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, to desist forthwith or face the full wrath of the law.

According to the FCT Permanent John Obinna Chukwu, who gave this warning during an unannounced inspection tour of areas used by the Association of Bureau de Change of Nigeria (ABCON)

and Black Market Operators under the aegis of Zone Four Traders Association, noted that it’s illegal to hawk money on the streets.

Chukwu stressed that the Federal Capital City has been well planned and designed with a Master Plan and that the laws of the land must be respected to make Abuja clean and safe.

He admonished the operators that there are rules and regulations lay down by the Central Bank of Nigeria in

doing such business, advised them to acquire offices/shops for easy identification by their prospective customers in order not to allow criminals and hoodlums take advantage; noting, “it’s the standard all over the world”.

The Permanent Secretary reiterated that the FCT Administration would leave no stone unturned in its effort to wipe out criminals and hoodlums in the entire 8,000 square kilometres of the Federal

Capital Territory.

Chukwu seized the opportunity to call on the members of Wuse Zone Four Property Development Company Limited whose property has long been abandoned due to protracted court case to sheath their swords to get the property fully developed to add to the beauty and aesthetic of the Federal Capital City, Abuja.

The Permanent Secretary decried that the place as it

is today is an eyesore and therefore unacceptable to the FCT Administration as city managers.

The FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu and the FCT Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), Alhaji Bello Bakori as well as some top government functionaries in the FCT Administration accompanied the Permanent Secretary on the emergency inspection.

PAGE 32

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Photo Splash

Consumers scrambling to buy Kerosene as scarcity persist, yesterday at NNPC filling station, in Abuja.

Man hawking pillows, on Saturday at Durumi village, in Abuja.

Refuse collecting on duty, yesterday at Garki 11, in Abuja.

Pick up van carrying passengers, yesterday at Bwari Road, in Abuja.

Local manicure man attending to his client, yesterday at Kabusa village, in Abuja.

Photos: Justin Imo-Owo

PAGE 33

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Metro

Secretariat to take illegal taxi operators off Abuja roads next week Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

The Transportation Secretariat, of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has reiterated its readiness to begin intensive clamp down on unregistered and unpainted taxis, otherwise known as KabuKabu barred from operating in the Territory, by the end of this week.

The Secretariat said the decision was reached after an emergency meeting of the management to deliberate on the recent order from the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase on the operators of unpainted and unregistered taxis to get their services registered within two

weeks or face the consequences for flouting the order.

Reiterating that at the expiration of the deadline (end of this week), the Secretariat warned that any unregistered and unpainted taxi seen within the Territory would be impounded and would not be released until such operator comply with the rules guiding taxi operation in the Territory .

A statement signed by the Director Administration and Finance, Mr Abdulhamid Suleiman, who is overseeing the activities of the Secretariat, noted that the Inspector General of Police order was in tandem with its policy on the activities of the

Kabu-Kabu operators in the FCT. “The Transportation Secretariat had in April 2014 given all Kabukabu operators in the Federal capital Territory six months which expired first October, 2014, to perfect the registration of their operation with any of the licenced Taxi operators in the Territory.

“Also, get their taxis painted to the colour of their chosen Licensed operator and have their Biodata captured in the Transportation secretariat data before they could be allowed to operate within the Territory,” the statement added.

The Secretariat therefore called on all illegal operators

of all forms of taxi services to once more avail themselves this window of opportunity and get their taxi services properly regularised to avoid a situation where they would have brushes with the law enforcement agents.

“The Secretariat would also to state that mere painting of one’s taxi to Abuja taxi colour does not amount to complying with the order as the operator must register under any of the licensedoperators.

“We assure all those wishing to comply with the directive that the processes of the registration would be seamless just as it called for the cooperation of all stake holders,” the statement said.

• Scavenger on the move, yesterday at National Assembly Quarters, in Abuja.

Kuje market to enhance development for residents - claims Greenhouse Chair

By Usman Shuaibu

The Chairman of Greenhouse International Ventures Limited, Barrister Ose Ogunkorode, has said that the completion of Phase 1 shops project of Kuje main market will enhance development for the residents in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Ogunkorode, who stated this while addressing Kuje residents during the commissioning ceremony of Phase 1 corner shops in Kuje market, with the completion of the section of the market, the residents would witness a tremendous change and development in area.

He said completion of the project would boost the morale of the marketers or traders to

carry out their transactions in the market anytime of the day.

He pointed out that Kuje is well placed in the scheme of things in terms of attracting the right investment to drive socio-economic growth of the residents.

He pledged to allocate the shops for the original indigenes of the entire Kuje community before the other traders who indicate interest to purchase the shops.

The Greenhouse Chairman who is the private developer, handling the project, however, told the gathering that as the phase 1 market was commissioned the efforts would be intensified to embark on the phase II of the market project, and thanked the chairman of

Kuje Area Council, Hon. Ishaku Shaban Tete, for the necessary support rendered to the company to carry out its work successfully.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Kuje Area Council, Hon. Ishaku Shaban Tete, said that his administration deemed it necessary to develop as well as modernize the Kuje main market in order to meet up with the modern standards.

He pointed out that the market project was made possible through the concerted efforts of the area council Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement in collaboration with Greenhouse International Ventures Limited.

According to him, the market boost of lock-up shops, warehouses, police post, public toilets, adequate parking spaces,

shopping plaza and slaughter slabs with meat selling area.

The chairman, therefore, charged the entire people of Kuje to make use of mortgage loan facilities rendered by the ASO saving and loans limited to rent available shops in the market.

Earlier, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Yahaya Suleiman, commended the Kuje Chairman for focusing on developmental projects in the area.

In their separate remarks, the Gomo of Kuje, Alhajij Jibrin Tanko and the District head of Gwargwada, advised the Kuje Area Council boss to always live up to the expectations of the electorate who voted him into power.

Chukwu enjoins residents to support Buhari Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory (FCT),John Obinna Chukwu, has enjoined residents of the Territory to continue to support the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari, to enable it achieved its goals in the FCT. Chukwu made this call when some elders of the Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja (OIDA) paid a courtesy call in his office on Friday.

He stressed that the call has become necessary to ensure that President Buhari’s Administration gets the necessary support, understanding and cooperation of the citizenry in “his patriotic efforts to change the country for the better.”

The Permanent Secretary reiterated that this is a new dawn and therefore the partnership and support of all the citizenry with the change mantra of the government is very paramount.

He assured that the government recognises the rights and privileges of all Nigerians residing in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

He further pointed out that Abuja is real, noting that it is today the seat of government, housing Mr. President, all organs of the government as well as members of the diplomatic community.

According to him: “I admonish all the residents of the Federal Capital Territory to also support the security agencies to continue to maintain peace and security of the entire 8,000 square kilometres of the Territory by living in peace, providing useful information and reporting any suspicious movement and person (s) to the security agents in order to nip any security breach on the bud.”

Speaking earlier, the President of OIDA, Pastor Jeji Danladi thanked the Permanent Secretary for the warm reception accorded his team.

He however pleaded with the Permanent Secretary to carry OIDA along in the developmental strides of the Federal Capital Territory.

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Money Sense

How to improve your productivity level at work

T

here are a number of ways in which productivity at work can be improved.

Sometimes, at work, morale can be low, and motivation can decrease. As a result, productivity can suffer, and poor productivity in the workplace will lead to incomplete or inaccurate results. This can attract the attention of your managers, who will be unhappy with your poor performance.

There are a number of methods and techniques you can employ to help boost your productivity and improve your business reputation.

Try to remember what first attracted you to your career:Reignite the passion you once had for your job. Try to remember the reasons why you chose your particular career, and focus on the benefits of your working life. When you are passionate about something, you have more focus and enthusiasm for it, and this can help boost your productivity.

Use a day planner to help organize tasks: Carefully plan the day, and prioritize important or urgent tasks.

Productivity is often lost when you try to take on too much work at one time. Instead, focus on one or two tasks, breaking them down into manageable chunks. When you see your task list decreasing, you will have more time to manage the rest of your workload, and your productivity will increase.

Reevaluate your to-do list at about halfway through your work day to see how you are doing. Make sure you are on track to accomplish all that you need to do, revise your list as needed and get back to work.

Working together as a team boosts productivity:Work to get along with colleagues and managers.

Working in an environment that is enjoyable, with strong working relationships and a feeling of mutual trust, will in turn boost your morale and improve your productivity.

Avoid unnecessary distractions:Avoid distractions, especially if you are working from home and the temptation to watch TV or talk to friends on the phone is quite strong. Try to avoid any interruptions and distractions at all times; you may need to work in a different location to do so, such as the local library.

Eat a nutritious diet to keep healthy:Keep your energy up by eating a well-balanced diet and ensuring that you are getting enough rest. You are much more likely to be productive if you are awake and alert.

Keep a clean, organized work surface: Decide where things belong and return them to their place when you are no longer using them. Do the same with your electronic desktop so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t waste time searching for documents, tools or files.

â&#x20AC;Śand how organisations can improve productivity

I

mprove employee productivity by following these steps.

Employees with high morale, job satisfaction, and support from leadership and peers tend to have high productivity levels. But when employees show signs of slacking off, or not taking pride in their work, you may need to take steps to improve productivity.

Boost employee productivity by listening to employee concerns: Poll all employees within the organization; give them an opportunity to voice their opinions. This can often be done through online services, and employees can submit their thoughts anonymously. Since some employees are afraid of speaking up in person, allowing them to speak directly to management without revealing their identities can help you find the source of productivity problems.

Provide employees with clear, specific goals: Productivity could be low because employees are not sure what the task entails, what the outcome should be, the steps to accomplish the task, or their specific responsibilities.

Employees lack motivation when they are not sure what they should be doing, yet have no one to discuss it with.

Become less hands-on: Some employees do not feel motivated when they think every move they make is closely scrutinized. By giving them room to demonstrate responsibility and competence, you will give them increased job satisfaction and increase their productivity.

Delegate work: If an employee has demonstrated the capacity to handle more, or more advanced, work, then give her more responsibilities. Sometimes when workers are given simple, repetitive tasks, their productivity falls. When leadership shows them it believes they can handle more, by providing them with challenging tasks, it can increase productivity.

Make work a more fun.

Encourage people to stay engaged by adding a few elements of fun into boring tasks. Put on some funky dance music or allow pets at work one day a week.

Challenge employees to do their best work: Encourage pride in their work by giving them

difficult tasks and the tools to complete them effectively.

Give encouragement regularly while avoiding any undue criticism: Make your encouragement sincere.

Give employees creative input into their tasks: Offer choices in assignments or in the way tasks will be completed whenever possible.

Reward employees for completing tasks or to motivate them to take on new tasks: Implement creative rewards, such as a personalized parking space, a plaque for their favorite break chair or a gift certificate for a massage. Allow employees to come up with ideas for rewards.

Keep communication with employees open: Listen to their complaints and pay attention to the problems going on in the workplace. Spend time listening to their suggestions.

Use money to keep employees from looking elsewhere: Regularly offer small bonuses or raises to loyal employees. Set up a raise schedule, so that employees can see what awaits them if they choose to stay.

Page 35

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

International Weeping for a lost generation international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

ANALYSIS

By Diana Darke Saarbrucken Why is the US still using a Nazi tall ship?

M

uhammad knows he is one of the lucky ones. While desperate migrants in Calais fling themselves at lorries heading to the UK and risk death trying to walk along the Channel Tunnel, this young Syrian refugee is living in comfort in Saarbrucken, southwest Germany.

I received his phone call out of the blue earlier this year.

“I am Muhammad,” he said, “Ramzi’s youngest brother.”

“I will come to see you,” I told him simply.

Ramzi, my dearest Syrian friend - Ramzi the philosopher as I sometimes called him - had died of a brain tumour two weeks earlier in the port city of Lattakia, and after an emotional phone call offering his mother and sisters my deep condolences, I had feared my links to his family were over.

When the opportunity arose, I travelled to Saarbrucken.

It felt unreal to be sitting with Ramzi’s youngest brother on the sunny towpath of the Saar river, disturbed only by the occasional dog-walker - light years away from the chaos of war that had caused this newly qualified lawyer to abandon his career and risk everything, even his life, to get away.

“On 1 August last year I was called up to Assad’s army. I left immediately to Beirut, legally on my passport before they could stop me. Sunnis like me are sent to die on the frontline while Bashar and his clan sit safe at the back. I refused to fight against my own people,” he said.

“Ramzi, my mother, my sisters, they all begged me not to do it.

They told me: ‘It is too dangerous.

Those crooks will take your money and throw you overboard, the boat will sink, you will die alone at sea.’

“But how could I fight for the man who is destroying my country?”

Beirut is expensive for Syrians - it cost Muhammad $1,000 (£645) to stay there for a month so as soon as he could he caught a boat to Mersin, southern Turkey, where he spent a further three months - and another $2,000 - researching how to make the crossing to Italy.

He eventually found a people smuggler he trusted, and at one hour’s notice of departure, handed over $6,000. He was collected by minibus in the middle of the night and taken to a beach. There he was put in one of many inflatable boats, along with about 500 others, and transferred in the dark to a freighter waiting just outside Turkish territorial waters.

“We stayed in that ship for seven days,” he told me. “It was like living in a giant metal box.”

They were nearly all Syrian, mainly young men like him escaping the draft, some travelling with women and children.

In the hold with other passengers In the hold with other passengers “It was December and very cold. At first the sea was calm, but after Greece it was very rough.

When we reached Italy the captain tried to land at Catania but was rejected. They told him they were not ready for him today. He went on another 12 hours north to the port of Crotone and was accepted.

He turned off the engines and disappeared. We had never seen his face because he kept it covered.

When the Italians came on board they asked us ‘Who is the captain?’ and no-one knew. He had become an asylum seeker like us except he did not have to pay! Now I know why it is so expensive - we had to buy the ship which stays in Italy!”

I did not have the heart to tell him the ship would have been worthless, except for scrap. Its name was Sandy, he told me.

On the deck of the Sandy It was clear, Muhammad said, that the Italians wanted to be rid of the new arrivals as quickly as possible. “They gave us a quick medical check, then transferred us to Milan - 17 hours on a bus.

In Milan we had to give a single fingerprint, then we were free to go. They never asked to see our papers. They just waved us north.

“I knew Germany was the best place to get asylum, so four of us rented a taxi to Ulm. We paid the

driver 500 euros (£354) each and he drove us through Austria into Germany. In Ulm they told us the fastest place to get German residence was Saarbrucken, so we rented another taxi for 200 euros each to take us from Ulm to Saarbrucken. In Saarbrucken they told us to catch a train to Lebach, the camp where asylum seekers are registered about 20km to the north. We were exhausted - all this travel and no sleep!”

The interviews at Lebach camp, he told me, had been surprisingly easy.

“As soon as they knew I was from Syria, they never even asked why I was claiming asylum. They just took all my details, then everything else followed. They understood. It was the same for my friends.”

Just three weeks after arriving in Germany illegally, he was granted asylum, then given a German residence permit and a renewable three-year travel document valid anywhere inside the Schengen Area.

Courtesy of the German

government he has been accommodated in a modern two-bedroom flat in central Saarbrucken sharing with three strangers. He benefits from free health cover and free German language lessons for four hours a day Monday to Friday. On top of that he receives 400 euros per month cash to cover food and utility bills and other essentials.

Muhammad telephoned home to tell his family the news. They wept and wept, with happiness for his safety and with sorrow for his distance from them.

Nine days later Ramzi died.

Ramzi, in the courtyard of Diana Darke’s house in Damascus, in June 2011 “I know I have been lucky,” Muhammad told me. “I will do my best to repay Germany. I will work hard and study, to make Ramzi proud of me.”

His young brown eyes filled with tears and together we sat by the river, weeping for the waste and the suffering of a lost

generation.

On the drive back to England it started raining as I approached the port of Calais. Miserablelooking young men were hanging around at the roadside getting wet. Before long, I knew, some would be attempting to clamber on to lorries, or scale the fences guarding the Channel Tunnel.

A migrant jumps a fence in Calais hoping to reach the Channel Tunnel My sailing was diverted to Dunkerque and as I watched the men grow smaller in my rear-view mirror, I thought of Muhammad’s words: “Of course I am lonely, and sad I may never see my family again.

But after the chaos I left behind inside Syria, it is paradise here.”

Migrants approach a fence in Calais Diana Darke is author of My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Revolution (2015) Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine’s email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Page

International Rwandan UN peacekeeper kills four colleagues in CAR

Mali hotel siege: Several killed in Sevare, four UN workers saved

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t least 12 people are thought to have been killed, including five UN workers, in a hostage siege at a hotel in the central Malian town of Sevare.

A further four UN workers survived by hiding in cupboards for almost 24 hours as the attack unfolded.

The suspected Islamist gunmen had retreated to the hotel after attacking a nearby army base.

The siege was ended after government troops stormed the building early on Saturday.

No group has said it carried out the attack.

At least two of the gunmen are dead and seven have been arrested, while five Malian soldiers were said to have been killed in the attack.

Minusma, the United Nations’ mission in Mali, said in a statement that two Ukrainians, a Nepalese, a South African and a Malian died in the siege.

The four that walked out alive had kept in touch with the outside world on their mobile phones.

The gunmen burst into the Byblos Hotel early on Friday, sparking fierce exchanges of gunfire with the army who soon surrounded the building.

Mali has been fighting Islamist rebels in the north for a number of years.

In recent months Islamist militants have shifted their attention from the north of Mali, where French and UN peacekeepers are stationed, to the south and centre of the country, says the BBC’s Alex Duval Smith in the capital, Bamako.

Sevare, which is about 600km (370 miles) north-east of Bamako, is a trading hub that serves the historic riverside city of Mopti.

A local resident told the BBC on Friday that it was the first time the town has faced an attack like this.

“Since the beginning of the fighting in Mali, we haven’t experienced such a situation in Sevare.”

“We would expect these things to happen in Gao or Timbuktu, but this is the first time it has happened in Sevare,” he said.

MINUSCA was deployed in September last year following interreligious clashes that claimed thousands of lives [AFP]

U

N mission in Central African Republic says peacekeeper also wounded eight others before being gunned down himself.

A Rwandan UN peacekeeper in the Central African Republic has shot dead four of his colleagues and wounded eight others at their base before being

gunned down himself, military sources have said.

The UN said it was opening an investigation into the killings which it called the worst such incident to hit the peacekeeping mission in the country since it was deployed in September 2014.

“A Rwandan soldier picked

up his gun and killed his [four] colleagues before being felled.

There were five dead and eight injured,” said a source close to the MINUSCA mission on Saturday.

The shooting happened at the Rwandan contingent’s base in the capital Bangui and the reasons for the violence

remain unknown, said a CAR military officer on condition of anonymity.

Rwandan military officials were unavailable for comment.

Known by its French acronym of MINUSCA, the mission was deployed last year following interreligious clashes that claimed thousands of lives.

Women’s horror rape stories in South Sudan’s Bentiu

W

omen in displacement camp recall sexual attacks committed by soldiers, as government cautions against believing claims.

Aid groups say all parties in South Sudan’s civil war are guilty of sexual violence against women [Al Jazeera] Bentiu, South Sudan - The displaced women of Bentiu have horrific stories to tell.

They came from villages in Unity State in South Sudan. When recalling home, one of the first things they’ll mention, and with pride, is that they owned cattle.

Cattle are South Sudanese gold.

The greater the number of cows one owns, the higher the social status. The women described their lives as simply “happy and peaceful”.

But quickly our conversations turned to husbands and uncles,

sons and neighbours who were killed or who they haven’t seen since the country’s almost 20-month civil war came to their doors.

Anna fled her village in May. The 50-year-old woman says when South Sudanese soldiers arrived in her village, they treated her family and neighbours “like animals”.

She says they killed her husband when he was trying to protect their cattle, shot her sixyear-old stepson in his bed and gang-raped her and her daughter.

When I asked if she tried to plead with the soldiers to show some humanity she said: “If you opened your mouth, they would kill you.”

She told me she spent five days at the mercy of soldiers thinking, “There was no God if something like this could happen,” but telling her six children that “they would be safe again when they arrived at

the UN Mission in South Sudan”.

She says before the soldiers left her village they burned her home, making sure to also burn the family’s supply of sorghum.

Then, what was left of Anna’s family began their almost week long walk to safety at the displacement camp in Bentiu.

But arriving at the camp doesn’t mean an end to the violence for everyone - certainly not for Mary, a 24-year-old woman who hoped to become a doctor, before war forced her to take her two small children to the displacement camp.

She hasn’t seen her husband since she left home.

If he’s alive and she reunites with him, she says she’ll tell him that she was raped, because he needs to know. But she says she will understand if he leaves her.

Like many women in the camp, Mary would walk into the bush to collect firewood to sell.

She says one day she and a group of women were gang-raped at gunpoint by South Sudanese soldiers.

When I asked her why she thought the men hadn’t killed her she said: “We were almost as good as dead. After they did a bad deed and they leave you like that, you’re as good as dead. You’re useless. All that’s left is that they shoot us.”

Anna and Mary’s stories are not unique in the camp.

In fact, during our visit, the International Rescue Committee or IRC, held a meeting with some of the community leaders to address the growing number of reported rapes of women, while they’re deep into the bush collecting firewood.

The women are aware of the dangers and are taking risks to survive. Food is already scarce as the camp population has doubled to about 124,000, since the beginning of the year.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

International

Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi moves to tackle corruption

I

raqi Prime Minister Haider alAbadi has unveiled sweeping reforms to reduce government costs and fight corruption after protests across the country.

He said senior political appointments should not be based on sectarian or party quotas and moved to abolish the posts of vice-president and deputy PM. Most of Mr Abadi’s proposed reforms will require parliamentary approval.

The move follows recent antigovernment protests sparked by unreliable electricity amid a major heatwave.

On Friday, Ayatollah Ali alSistani - Iraq’s most influential Shia cleric - also urged Mr Abadi to “strike with an iron fist” against corruption and make political appointments based on ability rather than party or sectarian affiliation.

Iraq’s system of sharing government posts between sectarian groups has long been criticised for promoting unqualified candidates and encouraging corruption.

The country has three vicepresidents - two Shia and one Sunni - and three deputy prime ministers - a Shia, a Sunni and a Kurd.

One of the Shia vice-presidents is former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has previously said he supported reform.

S

Pakistan stumbles upon its ‘biggest’ child sex scandal

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Baghdad and other cities have seen weeks of protests over poor services Reform was the promise on which Haider al-Abadi was brought to power to replace his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, whose policies alienated many Iraqis, especially Sunni Muslims.

The hope was that a less corrupt and sectarian government would help in the fight against Islamic State militants. That

Japan remembers Nagasaki atomic bomb, 70 years on urvivors of the devastating attack spoke at the memorial service in Nagasaki An emotional memorial service has been held in the Japanese city of Nagasaki where US forces dropped an atomic bomb during World War Two, 70 years ago.

Speeches at the ceremony criticised the attending Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his plans to loosen the restrictions on what Japan’s military can do.

At least 70,000 people died in the attack, which came three days after another bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

Asia & Middle East

Nagasaki was only chosen after a cloud obscured the original target, Kokura.

A solemn ceremony in front of guests from 75 countries, including US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, began on Sunday with a declaration read out by children.

A minute’s silence and bells marked the time of the explosion in 1945 at 11:02 (02:02 GMT).

Nagasaki mayor Tomihisa Taue then delivered a peace declaration to the ceremony.

He said there was “widespread unease” about Mr Abe’s bid to alter the country’s pacifist

Survivors of the devastating attack spoke at the memorial service in Nagasaki

battle remains very much in the balance.

It’s been complicated by growing public anger over crippling power cuts in sweltering summer heat. Protests have erupted across the country against official corruption and incompetence.

Mr Abadi has now moved to

try to meet those demands in a bid to maintain a fragile unity against the jihadists.

Mr Abadi’s seven-point plan also includes a requirement for a number of government positions to be filled with political independents - a move aimed at cracking down on corruption.

It also calls for a reduction in

West Bank arson attack: ‘My heart is burned’

P

alestinians gather to remember Saad Dawabsheh, the latest victim of a suspected Israeli settler attack in Duma.

‘Every Palestinian is my child, so it’s not the first time that a crime has been committed against a child of mine,’ Mohammed Dawabsheh said [Nigel Wilson/ Al Jazeera] Duma, occupied West Bank - Dozens of people sat in Saad Dawabsheh’s living room, waiting for his funeral to begin. The elders spoke softly to each other, while some younger women sobbed as they embraced.

The scene on Saturday was grimly familiar, as just a week earlier, residents in the Palestinian village of Duma said goodbye to Saad’s son, 18-monthold Ali, who was burned alive while he slept in his home - an attack believed to have been carried out by Israeli settlers.

Saad, 32, died on Saturday morning after being badly burned in the same arson attack.

“My heart is burned,” Saad’s mother, Rehab Zaid, told Al Jazeera. “I had my child [Saad] with me. He had dinner with me and his family before he went

back to his home at midnight.”

Just a few hours after Rehab last saw her son, Saad’s house was firebombed. The father of two tried desperately to rescue his family during the attack - carrying out his four-year-old son, Ahmed, and his wife, Riham - but was unable to locate Ali in time. Saad sustained burns to 80 percent of his body in the attack.

“Since that day, everyone kept telling me not to worry, that Saad was going to be okay,” Rehab said.

“I was living on that hope. But this is what God has chosen.”

Across the room, Saad’s father, Mohammed, sat on a plastic chair, his weathered face contorted in grief. Clutching a wooden walking stick, he scolded the sobbing women: “Why are you crying? Do you think crying will bring him back?”

Mohammed said the crime did not shock him, because he has gotten used to seeing Palestinians suffer in similar ways.

“Every Palestinian is my child, so it’s not the first time that a crime has been committed against a child of mine,” Mohammed told Al Jazeera.

Recounting how Saad tried to save his family, Mohammed said:

hock and anger as police discovers 400 video recordings of more than 280 children being forced to have sex in Punjab.

Officials in the Pakistani state of Punjab have called for a federal inquiry into what it called the largest-ever child abuse scandal in the South Asian country’s history involving nearly 300 children.

The government of Punjab state on Sunday ordered a judicial investigation into the scandal that came to light last week after discovery of about 400 video recordings of more than 280 children being forced to have sex.

“Those involved in the case will be severely punished. They will not be able to escape their fate. The affected families will be provided with justice at any cost,” Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper website .

So far seven people have been reportedly arrested by the police over the case that has shocked the nation of 180 million.

Most of the victims were under 14, including a six-year-old boy, Rai Babar Saeed, district police chief of Kasur, where the incident happened, told reporters, adding that a 10-year-old schoolgirl filmed being molested by a 14-year-old boy.

Videos of these assaults were filmed and thousands of copies are believed to have been sold in Hussain Khanwala village in Kasur district, the police said.

One of the victims said he was injected in the spine with a drug before he was assaulted, they added.

The scale of the scandal emerged earlier this week after the victims’ parents clashed with the police during a protest against their failure to prosecute the men who orchestrated the scandal.

Pakistan has seen a similar tragedy in the late 1990s, when 100 children were sexually abused and murdered in Lahore by Javed Iqbal Mughal, a serial killer.

Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston, reporting from Islamabad, said that a gang of 25 men has been involved in the crime, coordinating it.

“Some of the victims’ families started to speak up. This is creating a lot of controversy in Pakistan,” she said.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

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International

Ukraine conflict: OSCE cars torched in rebel Donetsk T he overnight attack took place near the hotel where the observers are based in the rebel-held eastern city of Donetsk.

The observers are monitoring a fragile ceasefire between government forces and Russianbacked separatists.

But violence against them has increased in recent weeks.

The cars were set on fire early on Sunday morning, causing reinforced glass on their windows to crack and paint to peel off.

Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk blamed the attack on rebel “partners in crime”, while the separatists said on their official website that “Ukrainian saboteurs” were responsible for it.

The incident follows two protests at the mission’s headquarters in Donetsk. OSCE vehicles were damaged on one of these occasions.

OSCE officials said in a statement: “There are, it seems, some who would like the OSCE to stop reporting on what is going on in Donetsk.”

The OSCE has more than 500 observers throughout Ukraine, two-thirds of whom are based in

A

Japan remembers those killed

by Nagasaki bomb

P

Four armoured vehicles belonging to the OSCE in Ukraine have been destroyed in an apparent arson attack, the monitoring mission has said. the east.

The BBC’s David Stern in Kiev says they have come under

increased pressure lately, and OSCE officials say they have been “targeted”.

But they say they have no intention so far of stopping their monitoring mission.

Haitians begin voting in long-delayed elections fter a campaign period pockmarked with violence, Haiti’s long delayed elections are finally taking place amid a “climate of terror,” according to one human rights group.

Voting began at 6am (10:00 GMT) on Sunday, with elections held for the chamber of deputies and two-thirds of the senate that have been repeatedly delayed since 2011. Polling stations will close at 4pm local time.

Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds, reporting from Port-au-Prince, said voters have been filtering into voting precincts in the capital.

While the conduct of the elections was generall peaceful, there were reports that two polling stations have been trashed, he said.

A presidential poll is set for October 25, in a nation where President Michel Martelly, who is barred from running again by the constitution, has been ruling by decree.

Nearly six million eligible voters in this mountainous country of 10.3 million are choosing 119 deputies and 20 senators from 1,855 candidates registered from 128 political parties.

According to Haiti’s electoral system, one-third of the senate is supposed to be renewed every two years, but following the cancellation of elections to the senate in 2012, two thirds of the seats are now up for grabs.

The fragile democratic system was further weakened in January, when the country’s parliament dissolved after failed negotiations over a new

Europe and Americas

electoral law and left Martelly ruling by decree.

Despite mass protests, the government waited until March this year to set a new date for this year’s voting.

‘Physical attacks’ In a report published on Wednesday, the National Human Rights Defence Network (RNDDH) warned of escalating clashes in the poorest nation in the Americas.

“As election day approaches, verbal confrontations turn into physical attacks, into killings, into beatings,” said the RNDDH. The organisation said it had already counted nine armed clashes, five murders and several incidents of beatings and stabbings in its tally of partisan violence.

Describing the new elections as “a major milestone for democracy”, UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on Saturday for Haitians to observe violence-free voting.

“The secretary-general urges the political parties, candidates and their supporters to campaign peacefully and to resolve any disputes that may arise through dialogue and established legal procedures,” Ban’s spokesman said in a statement.

The abundance of seats has generated a crowded field with 128 registered political parties and no fewer than 1,855 candidates [Reuters] The elections, and the overhanging potential for violence, must also contend with another challenge: a record number of office-seekers.

The political atmosphere is crammed tight with the large number candidates and observers are expecting disorganised and crowded voting.

“We are allowing five political party representatives to be present simultaneously within the station,” said Pierre-Louis Opont, president of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council, during a Thursday press conference.

“It’s up to the agents to determine shifts in their observation work,” he said.

Some lower house seats, particularly in the capital of Port-auPrince, have as many as 30 candidates.

Though voting will be monitored by observers from the EU and Organisation of American States, some politicians fear that a crowded field will marginalise smaller parties, allowing big parties like Martelly’s Repons Peyizan to control procedures.

The system will not be helped by Haiti’s tradition of low voter turnout, in which participation has hovered around 20 percent since 2006.

rime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy are expected to attend services in Nagasaki on Sunday [Reuters] Japan has marked the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki that claimed tens of thousands of lives in one of the final chapters of World War II. Memorial services were held on Sunday in the now bustling port city, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy in attendance.

Bells tolled as ageing survivors, the relatives of victims and others remembered the devastating blast at 11:02am local time (02:02 GMT) on August 9, 1945.

About 74,000 people died in the initial blast near a major arms factory from a plutonium bomb dubbed “Fat Man”, or from aftereffects in the months and years following the bombing.

The attack on Nagasaki came three days after American B-29 bombe r E nola Gay droppe d a bomb, dubbed “Little Boy”, on Hiroshima, the first atomic bombing in history.

Nearly everything around it was incinerated by a wall of heat up to 4,000 degrees Celsius - hot enough to melt steel.

Ferguson march on Michael Brown’s shooting anniversary

A

The abundance of seats has generated a crowded field with 128 registered political parties and no fewer than 1,855 candidates [Reuters]

sombre march is expected to be held in the US town of Ferguson on the first anniversary of the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

Participants will observe a fourand-a-half-minute silence to reflect the approximately four-and-a-half hours that Mr Brown’s body lay in the street.

The shooting of the 18-yearold by white police officer Darren Wilson sparked demonstrations across America.

It fuelled a national protest movement against racial bias by the police.

Activists and religious figures from across the country are among those who have gathered this weekend in Ferguson, a suburb of St Louis, Missouri.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Page 39

Strange World

Popeye has 49cm forearms and travels America to compete in armwrestling contests

By James Dunn

J

eff Dabe travels the country taking part in the World Armwrestling League Competed until he was injured in 1986 and started with his left in 2012 His massive forearms and hands give him a huge advantage over others He was born with oversized limbs but scientists found no disorders An armwrestler with 49cm forearms has earnt himself the nickname Popeye from fans as he travels America competing to become the world champion.

Jeff Dabe’s monster forearms measure 49cm in circumference, with the strongman capable of holding a basketball in each hand.

Tests have been conducted to discover what makes Jeff’s arms so large, as family photographs show he was born with over-sized limbs.

Jeff discusses his life with HUGE hands Tests have been conducted to discover what makes Jeff’s arms so large, as family photographs show he was born with over-sized limbs Special: Having looked for signs of gigantism and elephantiasis, the University of Minnesota concluded that there were no signs of the disease or abnormalities, Jeff’s wife, Gina, said - he was simply born that way Having looked for signs of gigantism and elephantiasis, the University of Minnesota concluded that there were no signs of the disease or abnormalities Jeff’s wife, Gina, said he

Competitive edge: The arm wrestler, from Stacy, Minnesota, USA, has been competing in arm wrestling tournaments since the 1980s, with his giant paws giving him a natural advantage

was simply born that way.

The arm wrestler, from Stacy, Minnesota, USA, has been competing in arm wrestling tournaments since the 1980s, with his giant paws giving him a natural advantage.

He said: ‘I arm wrestled as a senior in high school.

‘The fans way back then were the ones that named me Popeye.’

Having made a promising start in the sport, Jeff, 52, popped his right arm during a contest in 1986, causing him to stop competing.

Massive: Jeff Dabe’s monster forearms measure 49cm in circumference and he is capable of holding a basketball in each hand

High hopes: Jeff is now training and hopes to become the world armwrestling champion in the World Armwrestling League Starting again: It wasn’t until 2012, when Minnesota armwrestling champ Josh Handelland came to town, that Jeff decided to start competing seriously again this time using his left arm It wasn’t until 2012, when Minnesota armwrestling champ Josh Handelland came to town, that Jeff decided to start competing seriously again - this time using his left arm.

He would then go on to become the State Champion himself, which would see him invited to compete on the World Armwrestling League

Shocking size: Jeff says that people ‘freak out’ when they see the size of his hands

(WAL) circuit.

Jeff said: ‘Thanks to the World Armwrestling League I am now competing with people from all over America.

‘It’s so fun to travel to places we wouldn’t normally go.

‘I was always good at arm wrestling, but the size of my hands did shock people at first - I had the strength to back it up.

‘People freak out when they see my hands in real life.’

Farm hand: Jeff would build up strength carrying out farm chores such as chopping wood, shovelling and working with heavy equipment Focus: Recently Jeff has begun taking arm wrestling more seriously, welding his own practice table and hitting the weights

New hobby: The WAL sees Jeff and Gina, 53, travel across the United States to compete in tournaments in the likes of Las Vegas The WAL sees Jeff and Gina, 53, travel across the United States to compete in tournaments in the likes of Las Vegas.

Initially, Jeff did not focus purely on arm wrestlingbased training - he would build up strength carrying out farm chores: chopping wood, shovelling and working with heavy equipment.

Recently, though, Jeff has begun taking arm wrestling more seriously, welding his own practice table and hitting the weights.

Gina said: ‘I always encourage Jeff no matter what he does - and it’s so fun.

‘Everyone thinks Jeff is really funny and we do lots of goofy things together.

‘This is just the next phase.

‘I love the tournaments, and he gets me on aeroplanes to nice hotels and beautiful places.

‘We are so proud of him.’

Fans favourite: The crowd love to see Jeff armwrestle and his family are extremely proud of him Digits: Jeff’s mobile phone looks tiny in his huge hands but he can still make calls and send texts Inspiration: Loving wife Gina says she likes to encourage Jeff in whatever he does Epic proportions: This photo shows just how bug Jeff’s hands are compared to a normal person’s Source: Dailymail.com

Having made a promising start in the sport, Jeff, 52, popped his right arm during a contest in 1986, causing him to stop competing

Page 40

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Digest

Stress really can ruin your diet

By Colin Fernandez

S

tress makes us abandon our commitments to healthy eating, scientists have found.

It seems when the going gets tough, we are more likely to comfort ourselves with a pastry rather than a piece of fruit.

Researchers at the University of Zurich put people watching their weight under stress: immersing their hand in ice water for three minutes.

They were then presented with a choice of one unhealthy snacks such as cake or a doughnut and a less tasty snacks including a banana or broccoli.

The subjects were recommended to eat the healthier item, but were told they were free to choose either.

The scientists found that the 29 individuals who underwent the stressful ice bath treatment, considered ‘taste’ more important than ‘health’ when it came to their snack, and indulged in the unhealthy option.

Brain scans also found that the stressed participants showed patterns associated with loss of self-control in the brain.

The investigators say that their study indicates that even moderate levels of stress can impair selfcontrol.

Todd Hare, one of the authors

said: ‘This is important because moderate stressors are more common than extreme events and will thus influence self-control choices more frequently and for a larger portion of the population.’

He added: ‘One interesting avenue for future research will be to determine whether some of the factors shown to protect against structural brain changes following severe stress--such as exercise and social support--can also buffer the effects of moderate stress on decision making.’

Brain scans also found that the stressed participants showed patterns associated with loss of self-control in the brain. The investigators say that their study indicates that even moderate stress can impair self-control The authors note that in both humans and rats, the edge can be taken off stress by indulging in ‘rewarding stimuli’.

They also note that a common theme of stress research is that when stressed individuals focus on the here and now rather than future goals.

The research is published in Neuron.

Previous research by the University of Konstanz, in Germany which tested how much ice cream individuals ate when they suffered a social rejection found that not all stressed people

Stress makes us abandon our diet, making us more likely to comfort ourselves with a cake rather than a piece of fruit, a new study has revealed

indulge.

The previous study classified people into ‘skippers’ who avoid food when stressed and ‘munchers’ who indulged.

However, when faced by a positive experience, the ‘munchers’ ate less and the ‘skippers’ ate more.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Brain scans also found that the stressed participants showed patterns associated with loss of self-control in the brain. The investigators say that their study indicates that even moderate stress can impair selfcontrol

Why women feel more pain than men in break-ups

By Daniel Bates

T

he tears, the anger, the tub of ice cream – it’s the classic picture of a woman going through a break-up.

Scientists believe that women actually suffer more emotionally than men when a relationship comes to an end. But the good news is that they bounce back much faster.

After being dumped, women are more likely to be angry, anxious and far more likely to put on weight than men, researchers found. But they are also ‘less destructive’ and turn to friends and family for support, which helps them to move on.

Men never actually reach this point and just ‘make peace’ with being single again, even though it leaves resentment that can linger for years.

The US researchers said the difference was due to biology, with women having ‘more to lose’ by being with the wrong person – especially if they are hoping to have a family – but recovering better as they are more open with their feelings.

The scientists surveyed 5,705 people in 96 countries, including the UK, and asked them to rank the pain of a break-up on a scale of zero to ten, with zero being no effect and ten unbearable.

Women averaged 6.84 when it came to emotional anguish

compared to 6.58 for men. They also suffered more physically, with an average of 4.21 versus men’s 3.75.

On top of that, women reported more anger, anxiety and fear, though men felt more depressed and lost focus.

Women were more likely to panic, suffer insomnia and turn to comfort food, being significantly more likely to put on weight than men.

Craig Morris, a professor of anthropology at Binghamton University in New York and lead author of the study, said women overcame their problems by relying on their social support network.

He said that although men may ‘make peace’ with the situation they don’t express a definite ‘I’m over that’ sentiment as clearly as women.

Professor Morris, whose findings were published in the journal Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, described the typical male reaction as ‘self-destructive’.

He said: ‘This can last for months or years. Then they just sort of “move on”, usually via another relationship.’

Women were more likely to panic, suffer insomnia and turn to comfort food, and as a result are significantly more likely to put on weight after a break up than men Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Scientists believe that women actually suffer more emotionally than men when a relationship comes to an end.

But the good news is that they bounce back much faster, researchers said

Women were more likely to panic, suffer insomnia and turn to comfort food, and as a result are significantly more likely to put on weight after a break up than men

SporT 41 Page

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

Nothing to worry about Keshi’s suit- NFF NFF politics destroyed Women football - expert admits >>>Pg 46

Gbolahan Salami

By Albert Akota

N

igeria Football Federation (NFF) has said its lawyers have responded to former Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi’s suit against the body, following his recent dismissal.

Keshi is demanding $5m (about N1billion) for damages from defamation based on various

allegations levelled against him by the NFF’s disciplinary committee.

Reports say the former Togo and Mali coach, who is one of only two Africans to have won the African Nations Cup as player and coach, wants to clear his name.

However NFF president Amaju Pinnick has assured that the body’s legal team is on top of the matter and that there is nothing to worry about.

“We have received the letter from Keshi’s representatives and we have gone through it,” said Pinnick.

“There is nothing to worry about. We have directed our legal department to study it and as I speak with you we have responded to the persons who sent the letter, so Nigerians have nothing to worry about.”

Keshi had a raucous

relationship with the NFF while coaching the Super Eagles between November 2011 and June 2015. He led the team to the AFCON crown in 2013 and the World Cup last 16 in 2014, but ultimately paid the price for failing to qualify for the 2015 AFCON. Meanwhile, Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Sunday Oliseh, has invited 23 home–base professionals who will kick start preparations for

next month’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier away to Tanzania.

At the head of the pack is Warri Wolves’ forward, Gbolahan Salami, who scored one of the goals when the Eagles opened the race with a 2-0 win over Chad in Kaduna in June.

There are also regular faces like Solomon Kwambe and Nelson Ogbonnaya.

Oliseh has also called up a handful of players of the U-23 squad that survived a stern test in Brazzaville on Sunday to qualify for the African U-23 Championship finals, alongside former junior international goalkeepers, Olufemi Thomas and Ikechukwu Ezenwa.

The coach invited new faces, led by top scorer in the Glo Premier League, Tunde Adeniji of Sunshine Stars.

The players are expected to report at the Bolton White Apartments, Abuja, on Monday, August 17. Nigeria plays Tanzania in Dar es Salaam on September 5 in one of the Match-day 2 games of the qualification series for Gabon 2017.

The match will be Oliseh’s first task in charge of the Super Eagles.

Goalkeepers: Olufemi Thomas (Enyimba FC); David Obiazor (Heartland FC); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Sunshine Stars).

Defenders: Orji Kalu (Enugu Rangers); Solomon Kwambe (Warri Wolves); Idris Aloma (Enyimba FC); Chima Akas (Sharks FC); Nelson Ogbonnaya (Heartland FC); Samson Gbadebo (Lobi Stars); Jamiu Alimi (Shooting Stars); Stephen Eze (Sunshine Stars).

Midfielders: Ifeanyi Mathew (El-Kanemi Warriors); Usman Mohammed (FC Taraba); Azubuike Okechukwu (Bayelsa United); Lawson Ichul (Warri Wolves); Kingsley Sokari (Enyimba FC); Etebo Oghenekaro (Warri Wolves) Forwards: Ezekiel Bassey (Enyimba FC); Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves); Bright Ejike (Heartland FC); Tunde Adeniji (Sunshine Stars); Bright Onyedikachi (FC IfeanyiUbah) and Prince Aggrey (Sunshine Stars).

Selby seeks Super Falcons Mourinho international profile unimpressed with resume camping with Al Haymon fight >>>Pg 44

medical team >>>Pg 43

today

>>>Pg 42

PAGE 42

Sport

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Super Falcons resume camping today

Super Falcons

By Albert Akota

I

nterim Coach Chris Danjuma has invited to the camp of the Super Falcons a total of 35 players in preparation for the Women’s Football Tournament of next month’s 11th All-Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo.

Onome Ebi, Francisca Ordega, Halimat Ayinde, Esther Sunday and Josephine

Chukwunonye who all missed Sunday’s defeat in Equatorial Guinea which meant ouster from the 2016 Olympics race – have been called again, but injured star forward Asisat Oshoala is left out.

Osinachi Ohale, Ngozi Ebere, Desire Oparanozie, Ngozi Okobi and Evelyn Nwabuoku, who were at the FIFA World Cup in Canada in June, are joined by junior internationals Yetunde Adeboyejo, Chinaza Uchendu and

Chinwendu Ihezuo.

All the players are to report at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Abuja today with their international passports and training kits.

The Super Falcons will play host Congo-Brazzaville, Tanzania and Cote d’Ivoire in Group A of the Women’s Football Tournament of the All-Africa Games. Cameroon, South Africa, Ghana and Egypt are in Group B.

Amuneke upbeat as Eaglets draw Chile, Croatia, USA

Nigeria Handball team qualifies for final

N

igeria’s national Under-20 handball team has made the final of the ongoing U-20 Inter Continental IHF challenge trophy. They defeated hosts, Ethiopia, in the semi-final by 32 goals to 26.

The slippery Nigerians ensured that at half time they were leading by 15 goals to 9. Nigeria had earlier beaten Mozambique 29-18 having won their first game against Cape Verde 30-23.

There are seven teams taking part in the tourney. The top two teams qualified for the semi finals while the third best will feature in the 5th and 6th place playoffs. The tourney which started on the 4th is expected to end on the 8th August 2015.

Speaking from Addis Ababa, the Captain of the Nigerian team, Abdulmajid Mudashiru said, “we thank God for the opportunity to attend this tourney as part of the plans to rejuvenate the game back home. Our coaches were able to work us into a solid web which helped us to get to the final.”

On the possible outcome of the final, “it would have been easy to discountenance the Cape Verdes team because we beat them in the first match. They have improved with every game, just like us but I must confess, I have tremendous respect for them.

They are a strong and tough opponent. We will do our best to win but the team will do their best not to lose to Nigeria for the second time but between us, we need that trophy more than them.”

Handball qualifies for final, beat

Dili blasts Oshoala, Ebi, others for boycotting Falcon’s match

A

Golden Eaglets

By Albert Akota

G

olden Eaglets Head Coach, Emmanuel Amuneke is upbeat about his team’s chances to defend their FIFA U-17 World Cup despite being drawn against host Chile, Croatia and USA in the group phase.

The official draw was conducted

by FIFA Event Manager, Jaime Yarza amidst pomp and ceremony at the iconic Centro de las Artes (Art Centre) 660 in Santiago, and Amuneke reckoned that his team’s route is cut out.

“The draw is a welcome development because we had been waiting anxiously for long to know

about the teams we are going to meet and it is interesting that we are in the same group with the host team, Chile,” admitted the former African Footballer of the Year.

“I think our group like the rest is not an easy one and we were not expecting anything less. As such, we must be ready to play any team after all, we are the defending champions.”

Incidentally, four-time record champions, Golden Eaglets would have the honour of playing the opening match of the tournament against Team USA on October 17 at the 47,000 capacity Estadio Nacional Martinez Pradanos in Santiago.

“We know there won’t be any

easy game for us and we have to redouble our efforts and continue to prepare well since we know now our group phase opponents.

“All this while, we had been working generally but we would now be working specifically with our opponents in mind,” noted Amuneke who was an assistant when Nigeria won the U-17 trophy in 2013.

The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be held between October 17 and November 8 across eight cities and the Golden Eaglets’ other group phase matches is scheduled to hold on October 20th against host Chile in Vina del Mar and against Croatia on October 23 at Coquimbo.

hosts Ethiopia Nigeria’s national Under-20 handball team has made the final of the ongoing U-20 Inter Continental IHF challenge trophy. They defeated hosts, Ethiopia, in the semi-final by 32 goals to 26.

The slippery Nigerians ensured that at half time they were leading by 15 goals to 9. Nigeria had earlier beaten Mozambique 29-18 having won their first game against Cape Verde 30-23.

There are seven teams taking part in the tourney. The top two teams qualified for the semi finals while the third best will feature in the 5th and 6th place playoffs. The tourney which started on the 4th is expected to end on the 8th August 2015.

Speaking from Addis Ababa, the Captain of the Nigerian team, Abdulmajid Mudashiru said, “we thank God for the opportunity to attend this tourney as part of the plans to rejuvenate the game back home. Our coaches were able to work us into a solid web which helped us to get to the final.”

On the possible outcome of the final, “it would have been easy to discountenance the Cape Verdes team because we beat them in the first match. They have improved with every game, just like us but I must confess, I have tremendous respect for them.

They are a strong and tough opponent. We will do our best to win but the team will do their best not to lose to Nigeria for the second time but between us, we need that trophy more than them.”

s Nigerians continue to react to the Super Falcon’s failure to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Chairperson of the Nigeria women league has attributed the loss to the refusal of the team’s top players to come for the match.

Dilichukwu noted that the Equatorial Guinea team would not have able to defeat the Nigeria women team had several of their other top players based abroad come for the game.

She stated that the girls have developed apathy playing for Nigeria because of the way the Nigeria government has treated them.

“You know that we played the game without several of our regular first team players, and as a mother I have followed these girls and I have seen it and i know that every other person will feel the way these girls are feeling.

“These girls tried, did everything, played the AWC and won the cup and nobody appreciated them. So, all these time we are calling them and they refuse to answer us I knew that they were not happy and I knew that they said the country did not appreciate them, and I knew they were kind of nursing some kind of, you know, and you can see where it has landed us.

“Oshoala was not there, Ebi was not there, Alima was not there,

Alinko was not there, Esther Sunday was not there. You want me to continue calling their names. I said eight of our regular national team players were not there.

So, tell me who played. We now had to go to U-20 to pick some girls who played at the qualifiers the other day to make up the team.

The Chairman of the Nigeria women committee urges the new government to consider hosting the ladies for winning the last Africa Women Championship.

Oshoala

Page 43

Sport

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Benzema heads to Arsenal in record transfer bid

A

rsene Wenger has repeatedly denied any interest in Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema this summer, but that could all be about to change, despite the Arsenal coach’s belief he doesn’t need the forward to win the Premier League title.

The Daily Mail reported Wenger has been given the allclear to launch a bid for the Real

Madrid forward that would eclipse the £42.5 million club-record fee the Gunners paid for Mesut Ozil in 2013.

Although Real are reluctant to sell the France international, Wenger reportedly believes a big fee plus a huge wage to beat Ozil’s current £150,00-a-week package will see Benzema arrive in North London before the window slams shut.

Baines injury worry Martinez Mourinho unimpressed Eden Hazard receives treatment

with medical team

J

ose Mouinho was left less than impressed by his medical team for treating an Eden Hazard knock late in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Swansea City.

The Premier League champions were already at a numerical disadvantage as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had been sent off for bringing down Bafetimbi Gomis, with the striker slotting away the resulting penalty to level the scores.

Chelsea were momentarily

down to just nine players in the closing stages when the club’s medical staff rushed to treat winger Hazard, who went down with a knock, and subsequently had to leave the field.

And Mourinho, who reacted furiously at the time, felt their decision could have cost Chelsea the match in the dying embers.

“I wasn’t happy with my medical staff because even if you are a medical doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand

the game,” Mourinho said.

“If you go to the pitch to assist a player, then you must be sure that a player has a serious problem.

“I was sure that Eden didn’t have a serious problem. He had a knock and was very tired.

“My medical department left me with eight fit outfield players in a counter attack after a set piece and we were worried we didn’t have enough players left.”

Ighalo nets first English Premiership goal

Everton full-back Leighton Baines

E

verton full-back Leighton Baines may need another operation on his left ankle, according to manager Roberto Martinez, who described the injury as a “disaster”.

Speaking after Everton’s 2-2 draw with Watford in the Premier League on Saturday, Martinez claimed Baines had looked “stronger than ever” before hurting the ankle he had surgery on in May. Martinez was expecting a big season from the 30-year-old England international.

Martinez also hailed the impact of Arouna Kone, who teed up Ross Barkley to make it 1-1 at Goodison Park and then scored the second equaliser himself to cancel out Odion Ighalo’s 83rd-minute effort for Watford.

It was only Kone’s second league goal for Everton since he arrived from Wigan at the start of the 201314 season, with the Ivory Coast international having struggled with a knee injury for the majority of his Everton career.

O

dion Ighalo got his first goal in the English Premiership as Watford played a 2-2 draw against Everton at the Goodison Park.

The Nigerian replaced Jose Manuel Jurado in the 74th minutes of the game and made his impact felt nine minutes later after making a mess of the Toffees defence to

put his side in the lead after Ross Barkley leveled Miguel Layun’s opener.

He shimmied inside to leave Jagielka and Chelsea target John Stones in his wake before finishing calmly.

But three minutes later, the Watford backline was undone, as Kone coolly slid a shot past Gomes

Marseille boss quits after defeat

M

arseille boss Marcelo Bielsa announced his resignation minutes after their opening-day Ligue 1 defeat by Caen.

The 60-year-old, who was linked to the vacant Mexico job this week, was just starting his second campaign in charge, having finished fourth last season.

He handed his letter of resignation to the club’s president before announcing the decision in a

news conference.

“I have finished my work here, I will return to my country,” the Argentine, who had not told his players, said.

Caen won the match 1-0 with Andy Delort, a summer signing from Wigan, scoring in the 27th minute, Bielsa managed several clubs in Latin America before spells as manager of Espanyol, Argentina, Chile and Athletic Bilbao.

Odion Ighalo

on the angle to cap a thrilling firstday spectacle.

This will definitely be good news for Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh who hopes to lead Nigeria to victory against Tanzania in September’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Page

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GBAKKA INDIGENOUS WOMEN FORUM

ANTI GRAFT AND INDISCIPLINE INITIATIVE

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED 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. Mrs. Lois Maikori 2. Mrs. RifkatuChidawa 3. Mrs. Margret Gwamna 4. Mrs. BriskillaBabuwa 5. Mrs. Paulina Zhin 6. Hon. HadizaGani 7. Mrs. Tani Markus 8. Mrs. Grace Yemson

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Barrister Dominic UchennaAnyanwu 2. Dr. AgboolaAdewale Dixon 3. Mrs. Tina O. Agbarha 4. Hon. (Pastor) Agboola Emmanuel Kehinde 5. Mr. Odeh Peter Odeh AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To promote the elimination of corruption, graft and indiscipline.

2. To organiseprogrammes, seminars, workshops, etc to sensitize citizens on the desirability to eschew corruption graft and indiscipline.

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.

- Chairman - Secretary

Aims and Objectives are: 1. For the empowerment of indigenous Abuja women.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsistreet, Maitama, Abuja within 28 Days of this publication.

PUBLIC NOTICE SHAMMAL AGRICULTURAL INITIATIVE

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Hajia Samira Jibir 2. HajiaHadizaAminaMasari 3. Mrs. Felicia Henderson 4. Mr. AminuAbdullahi BK 5. Mr. MuntariZubairu The Aim and Objectives: 1. To support and promote agriculture.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

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CENTRE FOR CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINGKING DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA (CCCTDA)

WEST AFRICAN YOUTH FOUNDATION FOR AGRICULTURE AND SKILL ACQUISITION

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990 THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Darlington Richfield - President 2. Frank ChidiAgbo 3. Efenji Olivia Amaka - Secretary THE AIM AND OBJECTIVES: 1. Creating platform for empowering youths and skill acquisition.

2. To ensure provision and fertilizer to all farmers.

3. To provide avenue for business interaction and maintenance of profitable dialogue among youths in agribusiness and agro allied matters.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: BARR. CHIDINMA OSAROBOR 08082368899

PUBLIC NOTICE LIFE CARE FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOUNDATION

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED 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. Barrister Dominic UchennaAnyanwu 2. Dr. AgboolaAdewale Dixon 3. Mrs. Tina O. Agbarha 4. Hon. (Pastor) Agboola Emmanuel Kehinde 5. Mr. Odeh Peter Odeh AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To promote the elimination of corruption, graft and indiscipline.

2. To organiseprogrammes, seminars, workshops, etc to sensitize citizens on the desirability to eschew corruption graft and indiscipline.

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.

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for Registration Under Part “C” of the companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The Trustees are 1. Dr. Mercy OvuokerieOgbe - President 2. Mr. ElohozinoEfue 3. Rev. Wellington EkaweleOgbe 4. Mr. OgbeOyiye I. Emmanuel 5. Arc. Esther Ewoma Wellington - Secretary Aims and Objectives 1. To derive a culture of excellence in thinking and performance through the development of critical and creative thinking as core social values and key organising concepts for all educational, social and attitudinal reforms in Africa societies.

2. To carry out research and programs that will promote critical and creative thinking in Africa.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar – General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent off AguiyiIronsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

IGBO-DEDICATED FORUM

EVE-CROSS ROAD CARE INITIATIVE

The general public is hereby informed that the above named has applied to the corporate affairs commission for registration under part “C” of the companies and allied matters act 1 of 1990

The general public is hereby informed that the above named has applied to the corporate affairs commission for registration under part “C” of the companies and allied matters act 1 of 1990

The general public is hereby informed that the above named 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. Mrs. Hadiza Eric Seaman 2. Mr. Eric Seaman 3. Mrs. HajaraEmuekpere 4. Mrs. Maureen Dashion 5. Mr. Samuel Olumode AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To promote the health of people living with hiv/aids and sickle cell.

NAME OF TRUSTEES 1. ChidiAzodo - Member 2. Chike Boniface Ejimofor - Chairman 3. Ikechukwu Anthony Anaeto - Member 4. ChidiKyrianNjoku - Secretary 5. ObinnaAmadi - Member AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To act as vanguard, mouth piece to the Igbo Youths.

2. Promotor of Igbo Culture, trading, unity and economic advancement.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS CHANGE 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.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar- General Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris crescent Off AguiyiIronsistreet, Maitama, Garkia, Abuja within 28 days of this publication

The Trustees Are: 1. Evelyn Steve-Ogar - President 2. Mr. Mike FolorunsoOmoloju 3. Ms Esther OffieOnah 4. Ms Stella Maria Oda - Secretary 5. Rev. Fr. SebatianSanni 6. Mrs. Philo ObuleIhieje Aims and Objectives: 1. Committed to the course of widows.

2. To empower vulnerable widow.

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: SECRETARY

Signed: CHUKWUMA LOUIS O. SOLICITOR

Signed: GT LOCUS CONSULT 08037000996

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE PILLARS, A JOSEPH ANYAKORA NKATAUKWUOJELE FOUNDATION

The general public is hereby informed that the above named 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. Michael AzubuikeNchekwubeMbanefo 2. GeorginiaChidinmaUde 3. Pamela Anah Aims and Objectives: 1. Welfare support for children (orphans and less priveliged) widows and widows.

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: GEORGINIA CHIDINMA UDE SECRETARY 07034338528

FLAMES OF REVIVAL MINISTRY WORLDWIDE

CHRIST FREEDOM EMBASSY CHARISMATIC CHURCH

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Abuja for the registration under part C of the companies and allied matters Act No I of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Bishop Dr. Awajionyi Festus Nteile 2. Evangelist Okpilolo Edith Edijana 3. Elder Evuarherhen Joseph Obah 4. Deaconess Florence Odhemela AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To propagate and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. To establish local branches for the propagation of the worldwide.

3. To organize outreaches, crusades, seminars, workshops and revival services for the works of the gospel.

4. To win souls for the kingdom of God. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris cresent off AguyiIronsistreet, Maitama Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

Sign: SECRETARY

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Dr. David Oviemo-King 2. Mr. OgbedoborOhenero Emmanuel 3. Mrs. Mercy Oviemo The Aim and Objectives: 1. To propagate and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. To establish local branches for the propagation of the gospel worldwide.

3. To organize outraches, crusades, seminars, workshops and revival services for the works of the gospel.

4. To win souls for the kingdo of God. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Secretary

Page

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

James Ogbu Foundation

GIRL-UP NIGERIA FOUNDATION

The New Minds Economic Empowerment Initiative

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.

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.

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. James John Ogbu 2. Janet James Ogbu 3. Emmanuel Cletus Onoyima 4. Evelyn Emmanuel Onoyima

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Mrs Stella Okotete Osadjere (President) 2. Dr. (Mrs) Ufuoma Awomosu 3. Mrs Ruth Omonome Ojougboh (secretary) 4. omamuli Rewane THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To encourage and campaign for the education of girls of school age in our society.

2. To preach and campaign against harmful practices against the girls in our society.

3. To assist the less privilege in our society.

4. To enlighten and educate girls against harmful practices.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.Mr. Terrence Benjamin Chukwu 2.Mrs. MaryJane Isioma Onochie-Nwogu 3.Mr. Chibuzor Onochie 4.Mr. Maduabuchi Christian Chukwu

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To cater for the needs of the less privileged in society with particular reference 2. to the physically challenged, widows and orphans.

3. To provide opportunities for care, treatment, advocacy and development for sickle cell patients.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. Signed: secretary

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO RAISE YOUNG AND GLOBAL ECONOMIC LEADERS THROUGH SYSTEMATIC TRAINING, MENTORING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. 2.TO ASSIST THE LESS PRIVILEGED. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARRISTER FRANCIS AZUH 08035964257

PUBLIC NOTICE

CHRISTLIFE JUBILEE ASSEMBLY

GLOBAL DYNAMITE ORGANIZATION

FORT ROYAL HOMES COMMUNITY RESIDENTS

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ORGANIZATION 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 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.MRS OGWUELEKA NKOLI RANYE (CHAIRPERSON) 2.MRS ODILI ADA VERONICA 3.MRS ANOWI THERESA ANULIKA 4.ANI CELESTINA CHINYERE (SECRETARY) 5.MRS ODUNUKWE NONYE. THERESA 6.MRS OKONKWO EDITH NNEKA

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.MR MUHAMMED BARAU - PRESIDENT 2.ALH. BAKORI A. USMAN 3.MR AKWAJI JAMES 4.MR ABUBAKAR ABDULATEEF 5.PST INNOCENT WILLIAM 6.MR OKECHUKWU NWANKWO 7.MR ALABA SIDESO 8.MR ODUSANYA OLADEINDE - SECRETARY 9.MR OVOSI PIUS 10.MR ASU EKIYE THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO UNITE ITS MEMBERS AND CATER FOR THEIR WELFARE. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

THE TRUSTEES: 1. JOY OKOROAFOR 2. IKENNA O IKENNA 3. FAVOUR N OKOROAFOR 4. PRINCE O EMMANUEL 5. CHRISTIAN UGOCHUKU THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO PREACH THE WORD OF GOD.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.To fight against domestic violence and child abuse in the society.

2.To fight girls child right,domestic violence.

Any objection to this 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.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

SIGNED: BARR TAOFEEK SALAHUDEEN

PUBLIC NOTICE THE OGULAGHA KINGDOM PROFESSIONAL WELDERS AND FITTERS 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.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.ATO DECK PERE - CHAIRMAN 2.LUCKY KEREDE - VICE-CHAIRMAN 3.MATTHEW IGERE - SECRETARY 4.LONDON NEWMAN - P.R.O 5.FRANCIS IBIME - TREASURER 6.OYATEDE PHILLIP - FINANCIAL-SECRETARY THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.FOR THE WELFARE OF ITS MEMBERS. 2.TO ASSIST IN THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE KINGDOM. 3.TO HAVE CONSULTATIVE MEETING WITH LEADER OF THE KINGDOM AT INTERVALS ON MATTER OF COMMON INTEREST. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE HUMAN RESOURCES AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOUNDATION

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Oladunni Rachael Afolabi 2. OmololaOdunlami 3. OlutayoOmotayo

- Chairman

The Aim and Objectives: 1. To encourage community empowerment programs for youth, and growing children.

2. To implement community sensitisation and development projects that will improve and capacity of the ignorant mind.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

FINGER OF GOD SPIRIT AND POWER MINISTRY

COMMUNITY RENAISSANCE, EMPOWERMENT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY 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.REV. JOE OMABA ADAKOLE 2.PASTOR DAN WILSON IDU 3.DEACONESS TINA PIUS 4.KEREN MARTHA ADAKOLE 5.MRS ESTHER ABBE THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. 2.TO PRAY AND MINISTER TO PEOPLE WITH SPIRITUAL NEEDS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET PMB 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

This is to inform the general public that the above named Initiative has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Shinkafi Mohmud Aliyu 2. Mohammed Lamido Balarabe 3. Franklyn Mbadinuju Umeukeje 4. Mohammed Haruna Uwais 5. Adeboye Adewale Adeniyi 6. Chike Adaka The Aim and Objectives: 1. To promote the renaissance of community values.

2. To assist in conflict management efforts aimed at bringing peace to troubled communities.

3.

To assist in the re-integration of persons affected by conflicts back into normal community life.

Any objection to this 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: Secretary

PUBLIC NOTICE

CHANGE OF NAME

CHUKWUMA CANCER CARE FOUNDATION

I, formerly known as BALA MOHAMED now wish to be known and addressed as IBRAHIM USMAN DISINA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Mr. Nwabuzor Humphrey Chukwuma 2. Mr. EjiehNnamdi 3. Mr. Nwabuzor Prince The Aim and Objectives: 1. To care for the cancer patients.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguiyiIronsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Secretary

Signed: SECRETARY

CHANGE OF NAME I,FORMALLY KNOWN AS ANDREW TIMEYIN OBUSZE. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS ANTHONY CHUKWUKA OBUSEZ. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAINS VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME I,FORMALLY KNOWN AS OKIGBO ARIANNA NKEMDILIM, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS OKIGBO ZARA ARIANNA NKEMDILIM. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAINS VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Page

PUBLIC NOTICE EZURUEZU MBAISE ASSOCIATION

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. Chief Bon Nwakanma, San, Oon 2. Chief Innocent Nwoga, Mfr 3. Barr. Okechukwu Chris Unegbu 4. Dr. OkechukwuAguwa 5. Dr. Joseph Iroegbu 6. Chief Mike Ahamba, San 7. Prof. (Mrs.) Viola Onwuliri AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To promote social and community development of Mbaise people.

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: BARR. OLOLA IDOWU SAMUEL 08032113524 sirmuel96@yahoo.com

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

This is to inform the general public of the loss of original copy of conveyance of provisional approval in respect of plot No. BRD/C/70 size 850M2 at Ringing Dakwa, belonging to ODENIGBO JOE.All efforts to trace the said documents proved abortive.

If found kindly return to the nearest police station.The general public should please take note.

This is to inform the general public of the loss of the followings: 1. Original copy of conveyance of statutory R of O in respect of plot No. B403 of about 700m2 at FilinDabo layout, at Dei-Dei residential district 2. Original copy of conveyance, offer of term, grant/conveyance of approval in respect of plot No. 3418 of about 2500m2 within old Kaida road layout, belonging to Enekebe Samuel O. All efforts to trace the said documents proved abortive. If found kindly return to the nearest police station.The general public should please take note.

THIS SPACE IS FOR SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

OGONI RESTORATION & DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION

PEARL AMAZING CHARITY FOUNDATION

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1 OF 1990.

SIGNED: RICHARD ODUDOH 08063287787

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION 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. DEBORAH BOSEDE ODUKOYA 2. MICHAEL AKINSOLA JOHNSON 3. ABAYOMI ADEBOLA ODUKOYA 4. SHERI OLUWAKEMI JOHNSON 5. DORCAS ABIOLA ADEROGBA 6. AYODELE OLUSEYI ODUKOYA 7. BABATUNDE OLUSOLA ODUKOYA 8. OLUKEMI OLAKANPO 9. MICHAEL ADEDOYIN ADEROGBA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.TO PROMOTE SKILLS ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT. 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: MIKE ADINYE ESQ 08057236164

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

UNITED FRIENDS CLUB OF COAL CITY

KALEEMULLAH POULTRY FARMS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVE

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. DR. WELI VINCENT - CHAIRMAN 2. ERABANABARI KOBAH - SECRETARY 3. FESTUS BARINYIMA LEGBARA - TREASURER AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO DEVELOP AND CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PEOPLE OF OGONI. 2. TO HELP AND EMPOWER THE LESS PRIVILEGED. 3. TO RESTORE THE RIGHTS AND EQUITY OF OGONI PEOPLE 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.

This is to notify the general public that the above-named Club has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Cap C20, LFN 2004.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. CELESTINE OKOLIE - CHAIRMAN 2. UCHENNA IGBOKWE - SECRETARY 3. EMEKA ONYEISI - TREASURER AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PROMOTE AND FOSTER FRIENDSHIP AND CO-OPERATION AMONG MEMBERS OF THE CLUB. 2. TO CREATE AN AVENUE TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF HER MEMBERS. 3. TO ASSIST IN FIGHTING POVERTY IN NIGERIA THROUGH THE MOBILIZATION OF HER MEMBERS TOWARDS SELF-4. 4. EMPLOYMENT AND TOTAL SELF-DEVELOPMENT. 5. TO GENERATE FUNDS FOR SELF-HELP DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS. 6. TO ENCOURAGE AND PROMOTE HARD WORK AND TRANSPARENCY AMONG HER MEMBERS. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent Maitama FCT, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

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.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. DR. OLAOFE MUSA 2. OLAOFE IDIAT ABIOLA 3. SANNI ABDULRAUF AJADI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.TO PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF THE UNEMPLOYED YOUTHS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL SERVICES. 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.

CHANGE OF NAME I Formerly Miss Fajemibola Oluwatoyin Laide, now wish to be known and address as Mrs. Ogunmola Oluwatoyin Laide. All former Document remained Valid NSCDC and General Public to note.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF LOSS OF ORIGINAL LAND ALLOCATION DOCUMENTS IN RESPECT OF PLOT NO. 1715 IN CADASTRAL ZONE C12 OF KABUSA, ABUJA, BELONGING TO DANIEL OGOHI. ALL EFFORTS MADE TO TRACE THE MISSING DOCUMENT PROVED ABORTIVE, IF FOUND PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST POLICE STATION.

THIS SPACE IS FOR SALE PUBLIC NOTICE FINISH STRONG FOUNDATION FOR THE VULNERABLE THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION 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. ENGR. STEVE OVAT - CHAIRMAN 2. BARR. FAITH OGHARHERHEN - SECRETARY 3. PEGGY OMOYENI 4. LOVELYN IRUAYENAMA 5. ADEOYE ABODURIN AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO CREATE BASIC EDUCATION FOR YOUTH IN RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES. 2. TO ADVANCE THE RIGHT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS TO ERADICATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. 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. Tony Makwe Esq, Legal Practitioner, Consultant & Notary Public

SIGNED: BARR. TOBE LORDLY 08038563003

THIS SPACE IS

THIS SPACE IS

THIS SPACE IS

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

SIGNED: SECRETARY

PEOPLES DAILY, MONday, AUGUST 10, 2015

Some Interesting Facts 1. During the ice age, 32,000 years ago, a squirrel buried a seed. Now the seed has been used to grow a flower.

2. We’ve found over a thousand planets outside our solar system just in the last 20 years.

3. There’s a planet where it rains glass, sideways.

4. The world’s oceans contain 20 million tons of gold.

5. If the oceans dried out, the salt left over would cover the continents to a depth of 5 feet.

6. There are more cells of bacteria in your body than there are human cells.

7. There’s a species of jellyfish that is essentially immortal.

8. Ladybirds can fly at speeds up to 60 kph.

9. There’s a 3.5-inch aluminium sculpture on the moon.

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Leisure

10. Scientists have found a tiny crystal of zircon that is 4.4 billion years old.

11. You can listen to what interstellar space sounds like.

12. It takes a photon, on average, 170,000 years to travel from the core of the sun to the surface.

13. Then it takes just 8 minutes from the sun’s surface to your eyes.

14. A Mars-sized object crashed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago, chipping off a chunk of rock that became the moon, and making the Earth’s axis tilt slightly.

15. 1 11,111,111 × 111,111,111 = 12345678987654321.

16. Our first ancestor to walk on land was a four-legged fish called Tiktaalik.

17. Teenage brains really are different to adult ones.

18. There are roughly 2 pints of water in every cubic foot of soil on Mars.

19. You can use a blue whale’s wax earplug to work out its life history.

20. There’s a mammal in Australia that has sex until it disintegrates.

21. An orgasm can clear your sinuses.

22. There’s a mantis that can camouflage itself to look exactly like an orchid.

23. There’s an insect that has gears.

24. Life expectancy has doubled over the last 150 years.

quick crosswords

CROSSWORD SOLUTION 27

Say what?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Unusual: The major difference with this Wodaabe pageant is that it is the women judging the men - who are wearing makeup and dresses.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

QUOTABLE QUOTE “I wish to advise people who erected residential buildings on government premises to vacate such places before the expiration of the deadline to avoid any form of embarrasment.”

. . . putting the people first

monday, AUGUST 10, 2015

- Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai

SPORTS The looters have come home to roost lat-

Mourinho positive of Chelsea squad

C

helsea manager Jose Mourinho refused to discuss his remaining transfer window plans after the Premier League champions were held to a 2-2 opening-day draw with Swansea City.

Mourinho’s men twice led at Stamford Bridge thanks to an Oscar free-kick and a Federico Fernandez own goal.

Swansea debutant Andre Ayew levelled in between those first-half goals but the complexion of the game changed early in the second period when Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off a professional foul on Bafetimbi Gomis.

Chelsea came into the match on the back of defeats to Arsenal in the Community Shield and Fiorentina in midweek friendly but Mourinho suggested that he would not be panicked into chasing new signings.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho

Neymar sidelined over infection

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eymar will miss Barcelona’s UEFA Super Cup and Supercopa de Espana games after being diagnosed with mumps.

Barca is due to take on Sevilla in the Super Cup in Tiblisi on Tuesday, before two legs of the domestic Supercopa against Athletic Bilbao on August 14 and 17.

But they will have to do so without the Brazil forward, who has come down with the viral infection.

Barcelona forward Neymar

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“President Jonathan’s party, the PDP is another source of worry. Even if Jonathan were a man of high moral standards, the PDP would drown him. It is a gathering of avaricious and greedy men and women.

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hey do not have an ideology in that party.

There are certain agreements and minimum standards even among wild beasts in the bush.

In the PDP, nothing is morally repulsive. The only thing they agree on in the PDP is that Nigeria is a war booty to be looted.”

Those were my words in this column, published first on May 30, 2011 and reproduced on May 24, 2015. Captioned ‘Can we trust this President?’, my column first appeared a day after Jonathan was sworn in as President in 2011, having won the presidential contest on his own steam.

Four years after, having watched his performance in office, I felt like plagiarising my own work, so I reproduced it again – asking my readers to judge if I was wrong or right in predicting four years earlier that President Jonathan and his band of PDP looters would lead us to doom.

One reader was outraged because he felt I had scandalised him. A top shot in the PDP, he called me to make a serious protest. What irked him in particular was my blanket classification of the PDP as“a gathering of avaricious and greedy men and women.”On phone, he told me he was a foundation member of the party and it was libellous to publish that he is avaracious and greedy because he is not. While agreeing with me that the PDP has its bad eggs, he exonnorated himself from the vices I accused all party members of.“I am not avaracious and I am not greedy” he protested.

I sympathised with him, even offering my column the following week to enable him state his case. He declined.

Since my big PDP friend was not prepared to come out in the public to state his case, I will respect his person by keeping his identity secret.

On reflection and as a Christian, I remebered the Biblical story of Lot as told in Genesis 19. This man called Lot lived in the city of Sodom.

The city was so full of sin that God in His anger decided to destroy it. He sent two angels to do the nasty job and the men found succour in Lot’s house.

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Monday Column Emmanuel Yawe royawe@yahoo.com 08024565402

PDP Acting Chairman, Dr. Haliru Mohammed By evening, a large crowd of homosexuals both old and young gathered outside his house, calling on him to bring out the two visitors for a taste of their ass. The crowd persisted on defilling the men even when Lot offered them his two virgin daughters as alternatives to satisfy their libido. In the end, Lot and his two daughters were saved and the city destroyed with a rain of brimstone and fire by the angels of God. I know for certain that there are a few Lots in the PDP. My anger and blanket condemnation must have been born out of frustration which in psycology fuells agression. This party had the singular opportunity of making Nigeria great but for some strange reasons decided to run it aground. It is not for want of good advice that the party went astray.

In the beginning, Solomon Lar raised the first major alarm. In a letter to President Olusegun Obasanjo dated July 19, barely two months after the party came to power, the first National Chairman of the party complained of marginalisation by the government it had just installed. He was roundly ignored and later eased out of office. Then followed a

succession of party chairmen, each with a sad tale to tell.

Chief Audu Ogbe for instance confessed that he signed his resignation with a loaded gun pointed to his head. Soon, the PDP became a one man orchestra – hardly a platform for the people and even less for democracy.

The end result is what we have today. If we are to believe the Comrade Governor of Edo state, one minister under PDP government of Goodluck Jonathan helped himself (most likely herself) to a whooping heist of $6billion. If the legendry Ali Baba of Saudi Arabia came alive again, his eyes would be filled with green. If this thief were around on the day Jesus was nailed to the cross, she would have substituted one of those two men who were the greatest thieves of their time who shared with Him the shameful and painful death of crucifixion.

But that is what the PDP gave us - one minister stashing away $6billion in just one account.

What about her other accounts; what about the other ministers?

The tragedy in the PDP today is that the shit has hit it’s ceiling fan and everybody under the umbrella stands the

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risk of being sprayed with it.

This time, it is not me who is accusing the party of harbouring avaracious and greedy men and women. Workers of the party are accusing it’s officials of running the secretariat aground financially by squandering N12 billion in nine months.

Led by Chairman and Secretary of PDP Staff Welfare, NgoziNzeh and Dan Ochu-Baiye respectively, the workers are calling on anti gratf agencies to probe the activities of members of the party’s National Working Committtee (NWC).

Ochu-Baiye, who read the statement signed by 74 staff members of the partyaccused it’s NWCof financial sharp practices and incompetence in running the affairs of the party.

He also accused the NWC members of using party finances to fund frivolous personal obligations as weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals, among others, running into hundreds of millions of naira.

He also mentioned the allegation by Ndudi Godwin Elumelu who paid N750million naira to the NWC to obtain the gubernatorial ticket of the party in Delta State.

He added that the governor of Kogi was requested to pay one billion naira to the same NWC to retain his ticket.

“How on earth will any political party undergo this level of tortuous mismanagement and expect to win elections?” he asked.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief OlisaMetuh, described the allegations as baseless.Metuh said the staff members were misguided in the pursuit of their interest when the PDP was fighting the cause of Nigerians with the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The music coming out of Wadata House now is what you get when looters come home to roost.

DAN GAYE

Oil can no longer sustain Nigeria - Buhari

Then let’s go back to the farms