Monday, August 12, 2019 Edition

Monday, August 12, 2019/ Thul Hajj 4, 1440 AH

Vol. 32 No. 025

1942 Days after

Floods destroy 500 houses, farmlands in Bauchi-Agency

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peoplesdailyng

. . . putting the people first

The nation awaits rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls

DisCos suspension won’t affect most electricity consumers- TCN >>>page 5

Eid-El-Fitri:

Shun preachers of violence, Buhari tells Muslims >>>page 5

As Lawan,Gbajabiamila, others urge sacrifice, patience

L-R: Emir of Daura Alh. Umar Farouk Umar, President Muhammadu Buhari, President Alpha Conde of Guinea Conakry, Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina and Elder Statesman Alhaji Mamman Daura Praying during the Eid-ElKabir Celebration , yesterday at the Daura Katsina State.

Photo: NAN

Eid Durbar: Ganduje bans district heads from Emir Sanusi’s palace

PDP wins all seats in Bayelsa LG elections pAGE 16

Borno gov. shelves Sallah activities, as troops repel B/ Haram attack pAGE 6

>>page 3

5 children die in Lagos inferno -Police pAGE 4

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

News

CONTENTS News 2-14 Editorial Op.Ed

11 12-13

Politics 15-17 Feature Business Metro

18 19-20 21

World Analysis 22 Africa News

23

World News

24

Flood destroys 500 houses, farmlands in Bauchi -Agency From Ahmad Bauchi

Mohammed,

F

lood has destroyed over 500 houses and farmlands in five local government areas in Bauchi State.

The five local governments affected are Shira , Zaki, Bauchi, Gamawa and Alkaleri Local Government Areas.

Our correspondent gathered that the worst hit area is the northern zone of Bauchi State, where people are currently taking refuge in a temporary Internally Displaced Persons ,IDPs camp set up by the government.

Over 100 homes were destroyed by flood in Dindima village in Alkaleri Local Government Area.

Many homes and bridge were destroyed in Liman Katagum in Bauchi Local Government Area, Director Relief and Rescue, State Emergency Management Agency, Kabiru Yusuf Kobi said

over 200 houses were affected in Shira while in Zaki over 200 houses were affected , but they are still compiling the list while some of the houses are still falling down.

Kobi said lack of drainage in the two local government areas contributed to the flooding in Shira and Zaki.

The state governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed pledged to assist the victims of flood disaster in Disina district of Shira Local Government Area and other part of the state.

The Governor made the pledge when he led top government officials on a sympathy visit to the District Head of Disina, Alhaji Abdullahi Mustapha, in his palace and District Head of Zaki Alhaji Usman Mahmood in their palaces.

While assessing the flood situation which has continued to ravage communities in Bauchi State due to heavy downpour, Governor Bala who

was represented by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Alhaji Abubakar Y Suleiman, who is Acting on his behalf since he travelled for the 2019 Hajj, directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to assess the damages caused by the disaster and assist the victims.

He sympathized with the victims of the flood disaster and urged them to consider it as an act of God and advised them to take precautions by ensuring that water ways were not blocked.

The District Head of Disina, Alhaji Abdullahi Disina, said the recent flood disaster has affected houses and farmlands and described flood as the major challenges facing the area and advised government to immediately embark on construction of culverts and drainages to avert reoccurrence of the incident.

The member representing Disina Constituency at the State House of Assembly, Alhaji Saleh Hodi Disina, also expressed gratitude to the Governor for his quick response less than 24 hours of the incident.

While at Zaki Local Government, Governor Bala expressed shock on the number of houses and properties affected by the flood disaster in the area.

The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the local government, Alhaji Yahuza Abdulkadir appealed for immediate government support to the victims in order to alleviate their sufferings.

Some of the victims interviewed

by Journalists explained that for over 10 years now their lives have being threatened by the flood and called on the government to come to their aid just as they called for construction of drainages to avoid reoccurrence of the incidence every rainy season.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

News

News Editor, Ese Awhotu

NYSC, Police, army uniting Nigeria, says Buhari

By Lawrence Olaoye and Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has said that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Armed Forces are the national institutions uniting the country.

In a statement made available to newsmen yesterday by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President made the remarks yesterday in Daura, Katsina state while receiving the youth corps members at his country home in Daura during the Eid el-Kabir Sallah celebration, alongside the President of Republic of Guinea, Prof. Alfa Conde.

He challenged members of the NYSC to live up to expectation of the founding fathers by utilising their education and privilege of visiting different parts of the country to unite Nigerians.

Buhari said the primary focus of the NYSC was to expose graduates to the beauty and diversity of the

country, and return to their states or any part of the country to share their experiences.

The President said they should always emphasize the common values of peaceful co-existence, kindness and hospitality that cut across all cultures and religion in Nigeria.

The President said the entire nation depends on past and serving youth corps members to bridge the country, since they have the first-hand experience of living with different ethnic groups in various parts of the country, studying their cultures and traditions, and enjoying hospitality, which underpins every community in Nigeria.

“From Lagos, Port Harcourt and other parts of the country, you are at the end of the country. This posting will make you know this place, Daura, and you can disabuse the minds of those who are not educated about the other side of the country.

“It is only the NYSC that is merging us together and of course, the police and soldiers,” he said.

The President noted that in every meeting with former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who initiated the programme in 1973 to promote unity and understanding among Nigerians, he always remembers to appreciate the ingenuity of the programme and need for continuity.

In his remarks, the President of Guinea said the diversity of Nigeria remains its greatest strength, urging the youth corps members to always see themselves first as Nigerians, before identifying with their ethnic background.

“First, you are Nigerians before you are from any other part of the country. So promote the unity of the country regardless of your tribes,” he added.

The Chief Liaison Officer of NYSC in Daura, Aliyu Abdullahi, said it was a privilege to serve in the hometown of the President, and also meet with him and the Eid el-Kabir special guest, President Conde, urging the President to intensify the fight against corruption.

Abdullahi commended

President Buhari for the efforts to restore peace, security and unity in the country, assuring him of the prayers and support of the corps members.

Buhari donated two cows and ten bags of rice to the corps members, and some money, while the President of Republic of Guinea also complemented with two cows.

In his sermon, Sheikh Yusuf stressed the importance of sacrifice in the cause of humanity, noting that, it was the hallmark of service to Allah as demonstrated by the Prophet Ibrahim when he attempted to sacrifice his son in deference to God’s command.

“Sacrifice in all forms must be made to earn the rewards of the Almighty and advance the cause of humanity”, he maintained.

Yusuf, however, implored those that are able to sacrifice animals during the Eid to share part of the meat with the less privileged and needy to enable them receive the blessings of the Eid. In a related development,

the Emir of katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman in his sallah message enjoined the people to continue to pray for leaders at all levels to enable them surmount the challenges facing the nation.

The Emir also directed people to pray for continued peace and stability in the state and the country at large.

He commended the security agencies for their efforts to end the menace of cattle rustling, kidnapping and other social vices in the state.

Alhaji Kabir Usman, however, advised youths to desist from all forms of drug abuse to become useful members of the society.

The Emir who noted that, the provision of security is the responsibility of everyone and not government alone, charged district and ward heads as well as other members of the public to ensure the proper monitoring of the movement of people in their domain to avert any breakdown of law and order.

Nigerians urged to pray for peace, unity From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

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Curtailing small arms, weapons solution to insecurity, says DG NATForce Page 7

Digest

25

Feature

26

Sports 30-31 Back Page

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President Alpha Conde of Guinea Conakry ,watching President Muhammadu Buhari slaughtering the Sallah Ram for the Celebration, yesterday at the Daura Katsina State.

Photo: NAN

20 people killed, 80 animals burnt in Bauchi auto-crash

From Ahmad Bauch

T

Mohammed,

wenty people and eighty animals have been burnt to death beyond recognition in an accident that occurred along Potiskum - Sade road in Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Command, DSP Kamal Datti Abubakar, confirmed the incident in Bauchi over the weekend He said: “The

incident happened on Sallah eve last (Friday) night around 9.30pm.

It was a head-on collision between a J5 bus motor vehicle and an 18 seater Hummer bus.

“The J5 was coming from Potiskum heading towards Bauchi carrying goats while the Hummer bus was from Bauchi. They had a head-on collision which resulted to fire and 20 people were burnt beyond recognition.”

When asked on the identity of the deceased, he said he could not give that at the moment.

He however, said that, “Nineteen corpses were recognized by family members through the manifest in which they wrote their details at the motor park.”

The Police Spokesman said that a mass burial was held for the deceased on Saturday at 9am at Darazo in Darazo Local Government Area of the state.

Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Darazo Local Government, Garau Adamu said the passengers came from different places and it occurred between Kari and Sade

and he attended the mass burial of all the victims in Darazo.

Many eye witnesses blamed the accident on pot holes dug by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency FERMA who embarked on rehabilitation the road; they didn’t fill the holes on the road which caused the accident.

Chairman of the council said he will meet with the officials of FERMA after the public holidays in order to find the best way they can filed the potholes to avoid future occurrence

igerians have been urged to engage in constant prayers for peace and unity of the country and never allow anything to disunite them.

The call was made yesterday by the Imam of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’a Wa’ikamatis Sunnah ( JIBWIS), Saeed Abdullahi, in his sermon during Ed-elkabir prayer held in Jos. While calling for the peace and unity of the country, Abdullahi also called on all and sundry to fear Allah and help the needy. “ People should imbibe the spirit of fairness in their day to day life. They should also fear Allah in all they do.

“Muslims should inculcate the culture of praying to their leaders at all levels and shun bad whishes because leaders are like drivers of vehicle. “ If you pray bad to leaders is as equal as praying bad for the entire country, “ he said.

He, however, task parents to give proper training to their children and not allow them to be roaming around.

Aliyu Sange, who is the National Secretary of the group, called on Federal Government to be fair to the country’s security personnel who often sacrifice their lives for the peace of the country.

L-R: Oba of Lagos, Riliwan Akiolu; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat; APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Ministerial nominee, Babatunde Fashola; APC Chairman in Lagos State, Alhaji Tunde Balogun and Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, during prayers to celebrate 2019 Eid-el-Kabir, yesterday in Lagos.

Photo: NAN

Eid Durbar: Ganduje bans district heads from Emir Sanusi’s palace From Edwin Olofu, Kano

T

he Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has directed 36 out of 44 local government district heads not to attend Daushe Durbar at the palace of Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II. The government countered an announcement from the Kano Emirate Council on local radio inviting all district heads to attend the grand Daushe Durbar, which

usually holds a day after Sallah A statement by the governor’s spokesman, Abba Anwar, on Sunday, said Ganduje directed the district heads not to heed to the emir’s directive but go to their respective emirates for their durbar “Against some calls circulating in the social media, that all District Heads were directed to attend Hawan Daushe at Kano Emir’s palace, the Kano state government has directed all Hakimai to attend Hawan Daushe

at their respective Emirates.

“It is therefore directed that District Heads from Bichi Emirate should attend their Hawan Daushe with the First Class Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, District Heads from Rano Emirate should attend Hawan Daushe with their First Class Emir Alhaji Dr Tafida Abubakar (Autan Bawo).

“All District Heads from Karaye Emirate should attend Hawan Daushe with their First Class Emir,

Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Abubakar II, all District Heads from Gaya Emirate should attend Hawan Daushe with their First Class Emir, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulkadir and those District Heads from Kano Emirate are also directed to attend Hawan Daushe with their First Class Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II. “While directing all Hakimai to comply with this directive, the state government wishes all Muslims fruitful, peaceful and prosperous Sallah celebration. As all measures

to have smooth, peaceful and hitch-free celebration are put in place,” the statement reads.

However, earlier in the day, Ganduje and Sanusi had participated in the Eid-el-Kabir prayers held at the Kofar Mata Central Eid ground in Kano township, and led by Sanusi.

On May 8, the governor assented to a controversial law establishing four additional emirates with first class emirs in Rano, Bichi, Karaye and Gaya.

PAGE 4

News

Gov.Okowa greets OdigieOyegun at 80 From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

G

overnor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, has felicitated with former Governor of Edo and elder statesman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, as he clocks 80 years on Aug. 12.

Okowa, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, on Sunday in Asaba, described Odigie-Oyegun as a quintessential administrator and first-class political leader whose leadership credentials were exemplary.

He commended the Octogenarian and immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for his strong convictions and unwavering commitment to humanity, which engendered his astonishing accomplishments in life.

Okowa said: “Your Excellency, your life has been that of service to the people of Edo and the nation and we can’t thank you enough for your great deeds.

“As you join the Octogenarian club, we thank you for your kind contributions to nation-building.

It is my prayer that the good Lord will continue to uphold and guide you in all your future endeavours.

“As you mark 80 years today, we celebrate you and all that you have accomplished through your humble beginnings to your illustrious career as a top notch civil servant; first civilian Governor of Edo, pro-democracy activist and first elected National Chairman of the APC. “On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I heartily rejoice with elder statesman and leader per excellence, a perfect gentleman and a man of immense wisdom, Chief John OdigieOyegun, CON, as he celebrates his 80th birth anniversary on Aug. 12, 2019.

“It is our prayer that God will continue to protect you and grant you good health to render more services to mankind.”

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

5 children die in Lagos inferno-Police

By Ese Awhotu

T

he Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the death of five children in an inferno that occurred in Abagbo village, Takwa-Bay in Lagos.

The five children who lost their lives in the inferno were locked inside a room in Abagbo village.

The Lagos police spokesperson, Bala Elkana said in a statement on Sunday that

the incident which occurred last Tuesday was being investigated following a report it received at the Takwa Bay Police Station.

“Takwa bay Police Station received an information that there was a fire incident at Abagbo Village, Takwa-Bay on August 6 which claimed the lives of five children from the same family.”

The victims were Folake Ogundiya, Abigail Ogundiya, Daniel Bakare, Chidima Achomye, and Khadijat.

The victims were aged thirteen, eight, six, two, and one respectively.

An eye witness said two of the children were burnt beyond recognition.

However, according to the Police statement, Florence Asoye, the mother of the children left them in the care of her neighbour before leaving the house on the day of the incident.

The neighbour, who was identified as Suliat, however,

reportedly locked the children in the room and went out.

“The mother of the victims stated that she left home at about 1830hours to Takwa-bay Jetty only to come back to see her room completely razed down by fire.

“She left her children under the care of one Suliat but locked the children in the room and left to an unknown destination.”

When Mrs Asoye returned, she met her room completely burnt and her children dead.

The orchestra of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Suleja Region, performing yesterday during the monthly combined worship service of the Church.

Photo: NAN

Floods destroy 300 houses in Yobe

N

o fewer than 300 houses and several farmlands have been destroyed by devastating floods in Ngalda, Yobe, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports.

The floods, which followed days of persistent rainfall, also destroyed schools and livestock.

NAN reports that Idi Gubana, the state’s Deputy Governor, who visited the community on Friday, expressed shock at the level

of destruction and promised government’s support to the victims.

“The level of destruction is devastating; it is quite unfortunate.

Government will provide relief materials to the victims,” Mr Gubana said.

He said that Governor Mai Mala Buni, who is currently in Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage, had directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA),

to provide food, clothes, mattresses and blankets to the victims.

“The agency will provide 140 bags of rice, 141 blankets, 141 pieces of women wrappers, fives bales of men clothes, mosquito nets, buckets, among others,” he said.

He assured the victims that government would work toward finding a permanent solution to the yearly flood in the area.

“The acting Secretary to

the State Government will liaise with the Ministry of Environment and SEMA to work towards relocating people in the affected area to a more secured abode,” he said.

He commended the community for hosting most of the affected families in their houses.

“You have exhibited a good spirit of brotherliness that is worthy of commendation and emulation” he said. (NAN)

FCT: Kwali LG chair swears-in supervisors, aides, secretary

By Usman Shuaibu

T

he Executive Chairman of Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. Danladi Chiya has sworn in supervisory councilors, senior special advisers and the council secretary.

The names of the supervisory councilors are: Abdullahi Wakili (Supervisory Councilor for Education), Abdulkareem Shuaibu (Supervisory Councilor for Works), Bala S. Mallami

(Supervisory Councilor for Health), Mohammed Husseini (Supervisory Councilor for Special Duties), Simon G. Dogara (Supervisory Councilor for Agriculture) and the position of Supervisory Councilor for Environmental Sanitation went to Yusuf Lasa Tampe.

Special Advisers include: Abubakar Adamu (Senior Special Adviser on Works), Adamu Yakubu Dabagi (Senior Special Adviser on Education), Gideon Dda

Shazin (Senior Special Adviser on Health), Jerimiah Dako (Senior Special Adviser on Chieftaincy Affairs), Simon Zhokwo (Senior Special Adviser on Agriculture), Yakubu Musa (Senior Special Adviser on Environmental Sanitation), Prince Babangida Sarki Kwali (Special Adviser on Media) and Ibrahim Bako maintained the position of Special Adviser on Security.

However, the position of the Council Secretary went

to Mallam Bako Iya Pai while Alhaji Isah Iya Pai was appointed as the Chief Press Secretary of the Council.

The chairman charged the appointees to work hand in hand with him to move the area council to the next level tasking them on the provision of quality services to the electorate(s).

He further urged the political appointees to always provide purposeful leadership capable of satisfying the aspirations

of their people, as he said the appointees should not see their appointments as an avenue to amass wealth for themselves.

Chiya, however, advised the appointees to assist the party supporter financially whenever they channel complaints to them.

Meanwhile, the chairmen of Bwari, Gwagwalada and Kuje area councils among the APC supporters attended the inauguration ceremony of the political appointees in the area.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

News

Eid-El-Fitri: Shun preachers of violence, Buhari tells Muslims As Lawan, Gbajabiamila, others urge sacrifice, patience

By Lawrence Olaoye, Christiana Ekpa Abuja, Uche Uche, Damaturu and Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has advised Muslims to distance themselves from those who preach violence.

The President said that, the greatest commitment Muslims can show to Islam is to put its good virtues into pactice, and to make justice and righteousness the guiding principle of everyday life.

He expressed worry that violent extremist ideas sometimes shown by some Muslims give Islam a wrong name.

According to his Special Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, via his verified Twitter handle, @ BashirAhmaad, the President spoke on Sunday during his Eid-el-Kabir message to the nation.

This is even as the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has urged Nigerians, particularly the Muslim faithful, to remember the purpose of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, which he said, is to commemorate the trials and triumph of Prophet Ibrahim.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, also yesterday urged Nigerian Muslims to rededicate themselves to the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

President Buhari stated, “I wish all Muslims in Nigeria and around the world happy and joyous Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.

“The greatest commitment Muslims can show to Islam is to put its good virtues into practice, and to make justice and righteousness the guiding principle of everyday life.

“Muslims should strive to be the mirror through which others see the good virtues of our faith.

“Islam is a religion of peace, and we should reject violent extremist ideas that give Islam a wrong name, because our conduct leaves more lasting positive impressions than our words.”

He added that, “The only way we can neutralise the evil that is violent extremism is to distance ourselves from the activities and teachings of those who preach violence against innocent people — which flies in the face of the teachings of Islam.

“Boko Haram became a deadly force and a major security scourge because Muslim societies were

indifferent from the beginning to the activities of extremist preachers who manipulate innocent and gullible followers.

“Extremism is like a cancer, which must be detected and destroyed from its early stages of growth.

“It is noteworthy that despite occasional setbacks, Boko Haram have been so militarily weakened and scattered by our Armed Forces that they are no longer in a position to occupy any part of Nigeria, let alone hoist their flag and impose their reign of terror longer than 24 hours.

“As our armed forces get more equipped and trained, in addition to being more motivated and reinvigorated, this administration is relentlessly committed to protecting Nigerians, no matter what it takes to bring a permanent end to this evil.

“And this assurance applies not only to Boko Haram terrorism, but also to the challenges of kidnapping, cultism and other forms of banditry.

“All will be dealt with uncompromisingly, until we see the back of these evils plaguing our country.”

The Senate President speaking through his Media Adviser, Ola Awoniyi, in his Sallah message, admonished Nigerians to be steadfast in their commitment to building the nation of their dream.

“I urge all to take inspiration from the exemplary virtues demonstrated

by Prophet Ibrahim through his sacrifice, patience, steadfastness, generosity and obedience to Allah’s command and constituted authority,” the statement read in part.

Mr Lawan, who is in Saudi Arabia participating in the Hajj, also enjoined Nigerians to always remember their shared heritage and destiny of national greatness and to be guided by the Nigerian spirit of firm confidence as they tackle the contemporary challenges of nationbuilding.

In a similar message, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, asked Nigerian Muslims to rededicate themselves to the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

The Speaker, who is also in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, said the teachings

of the Holy Prophet should be replicated by all Nigerians.

In a statement by his Media Adviser, Lanre Lasisi, the lawmaker said Eid-el-Kabir is a festival of sacrifice that reminds one of the needs for sacrifice and obedience.

“It is my strong belief that if the charity and generosity displayed by the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) to the less-privileged and the community are replicated by every one of us, the greatness Nigeria desires is assured,” the Speaker said and prayed for Allah’s blessings to be on Nigeria and Nigerians.

Equally, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Ahmed Idris Wase has enjoined the Muslim Ummah to always be guided by the attributes and lessons from the life and times of Holy Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W) which symbolizes peace, love and tolerance.

According to his Sallah Massage issued by his Chief press secretary, Umar Muhammad Puma, he urged the Muslim community in the country to be worthy ambassadors of the faith and pray for the progress of the

nation.

Similarly, the Governor of Kaduna State , Mallam Nasir ElRufai has felicitated with the Muslim community on the occasion of Eid-ElKabir.

He called on Muslims to reflect on the meaning of the festival of sacrifice.

He said that in troubled times, there are poignant lessons from the act of absolute faith in Almighty Allah that the festival commemorates.

While urging the community to celebrate the festival with modesty, Malam El-Rufai called for a renewed commitment to exemplary conduct, goodwill and peaceful relations with other members of the great family of humanity.

Also, Yobe State Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni has enjoined faithful Muslims to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice in imitation of Prophet Ibrahim who offered to sacrifice his son, Ismail.

This was contained in the governor’s Sallah message and made available to our reporter in Damaturu, Yobe State by his Director-general, press affairs Abdullahi Bego.

Branch Imam, Al- Habibiyyah Muslim society, Imam Sulaiman Aliyu with other worshippers slaughtering the Sallah ram, during Eid-El-Kabir celebration at the AlHabibiyyah praying ground, yesterday in Guzape, district, Asokoro Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

DisCos suspension won’t affect most electricity consumers - TCN

T

he Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says the suspension of some Distribution Companies (DisCos) from the Electricity Market does not affect most electricity consumers in their franchise areas.

Ndidi Mbah, the General Manager Public Affairs of TCN, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Mrs Mbah said the impact of the disconnection was minimal and was mostly done in feeders near the Disco’s headquarters, adding that only the people around that area were

affected.

NAN reports that TCN had in the last few weeks issued suspension and disconnection orders against Port-Harcourt, Kano, Enugu, Eko, and Ikeja DISCOs over allegations of infraction of market rules.

According to TCN, the suspension order is due to default in the Market Conditions/Market Participation Agreements.

NAN also reports that TCN, however, lifted he suspension on Enugu, Eko, and Ikeja DISCOs after they complied with the market conditions/participation agreement while Port-Harcourt

and Kano DisCos are still on suspension.

Mrs Mbah said the suspension was a partial one, adding that TCN was mindful of the impact of the disconnection or suspension on consumers.

“When DisCos are suspended, it does not necessarily mean they get a disconnection order.

“For instance, a DisCo might have up to 80 feeders, but only two of them will be affected and this is roughly less than three per-cent.

“The partial disconnection is to make sure that DisCos quickly rectify the event of default that led to the

suspension,’’ she said.

Mrs Mbah said the suspension could be seen as a yellow card, “which means they are still in the game, it is like a warning.’’

According to her, TCN has a right to disconnect every power but it will not be fair for them to disconnect a DisCo completely.

“So, you are expected within a certain time to rectify the problem that led to the default, so that is the purpose of the suspension.

“But no DisCo has ever been disconnected totally. It will not be good for the grid,’’ she said.

She said three DisCos which

were suspended, Eko, Ikeja and Enugu had rectified what led to their suspension and were now fully back in the market.

Mrs Mbah said that Port-Harcourt and Kano were still under suspension, adding that they were making plans to settle their default.

According to her, it is the market rule that the DisCos agreed on that is being applied by TCN. Some of the DisCos were suspended for failing to increase their security order to the acceptable level, while some did not pay 100 per-cent of their invoice for service charge.

(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

PAGE 6

News Christian Forum urges sustained prayer for peace in Nigeria From Uche Makurdi

T

Nnorom,

he Northern States Christian Elders Forum, NOSCEF yesterday condemned the ongoing crisis between the Jukun and Tiv ethnic nationalities that has resulted to killing of two students and a staff of the Federal University of Wukari in Taraba State last week.

The Forum made the condemnation during the presentation of relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs to the six local government areas affected by herdsmen attack including Agatu, Kwande, Makurdi, Ukum and Guma.

State Chairman, NOSCEF, Prof. Peter Agogo lamented over the growing insecurity situation in Northern states and solicited for sustained prayers from Nigerians for an end to the attacks and killings to enable the IDPs return to their ancestral homes.

Prof. Agogo applauded the efforts of Governor Samuel Ortom in ensuring that the perennial crisis is nipped in the bud for the return of enduring peace in the state.

“It is our prayer that the crises should stop so that the people can go back to their ancestral homes, where they truly belong”, Prof. Agogo said.

The state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Reverend Akpen Leva, also lamented over the killings in the region, commending the National leadership of NOSCEF for donating assorted relief materials to cushion the sufferings of IDPs wallowing in penury in the camps.

Rev. Leva appealed to the federal government to fulfill its promise of settling the displaced victims to facilitate their safe return home.

National Security Officer of NOSCEF, Engr. Sule Kilang, condemned recent kidnapping and killing of Christians, and expressed regrets that people in authority have continued to keep mute over the matter.

Engr. Kilang called on people in the Middle Belt including traditional rulers to rise up aggressively to the challenge of protecting their communities against external aggressors for peace in their domains.

Items donated by the Christian group include; 65 cartons of Minimie noddles, 36 bags of rice, 19 bags of Dangote salt, 18 cartons of chicken flavour (Maggi) and 30 cartons of detergents among others.

Borno gov. shelves Sallah activities, as troops repel B/Haram attack

By Ese Awhotu

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orno Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum on Sunday shelved the Sallah celebration as dozens of Boko Haram insurgents engaged troops in gun duel in Gubio local government area of the state.

The governor had to travel to the affected local government yesterday, where he spent the most of the day, raising public confidence after soldiers of the 5 brigade repelled dozens of Boko Haram fighters who stormed the council at 6pm, leading into seven hours of gun battle that ended at 1am. The Governor’s trip came after he set aside activities lined up for the Sallah celebration including a lunch with stakeholders of the governing APC and a traditional visit of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn

Umar Garbai Al-Amin Elkanemi to the Government House, which usually takes place at 4pm of every Sallah day.

Zulum postponed the Shehu’s visit to Monday, putting security first.

The Governor, alongside a member of the House of Representatives representing Gubio, Kaga and Magumeri federal constituency, Usman Zannah and some government officials, first visited headquarters of the 5 brigade in Gubio town where a meeting, hosted by the Brigade’s commander, Colonel I.A Ajose and attended by the theatre commander, operation lafiya dole, Major General Benson Akinroloyo and the caretaker chairman of Gubio, Zannah Modu Gubio and other government officials, was held.

Caretaker chairman, Modu

informed Governor Zulum that were it not for a gallant resistance by soldiers of the Brigade, the insurgents could have gained control of Gubio on the Sallah Eve. Addressing a developing apprehension raised by the caretaker chairman on whether the Brigade was executing Gubio town, theatre Commander Benson, who oversees the fight against insurgency, assured Governor Zulum that the Army was going to maintain its presence. He, however, admitted that the Army was changing strategy, part of which include operational movement of troops from one location to another.

Governor Zulum praised the 5 brigade for the gallantry and patriotism of soldiers under the command.

He said Borno government

will sustain its support for the military by interventions on logistics, funding of volunteers in the Civilian JTF, hunters and vigilantes who complement the military in fighting insurgents as well as continued mobilization of citizens to cooperate and support the military.

From the Brigade headquarters,Governor Zulum moved to Gubio township centre and addressed hundreds of citizens around district head’s palace. He assured them of the military’s continued presence.

The Governor presented additional patrol vehicles to more than 300 volunteers of the Civilian JTF and vigilantes helping with community surveillance, intelligence gathering and sometimes, fighting alongside the military in front lines.

Children making Du’ah (supplications), during the Eid-dil Kabir Prayers, at Railway Quarters Gangare Jos Plateau state, yesterday.

WHO, Malaria Consortium distribute drugs to 150,000 children in Yobe

From Uche Uche, Damaturu.

W

ith a determined effort to rid Yobe State of the live devastating effect of malaria, the Yobe State Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and a Malaria Consortium are delivering seasonal malaria prophylaxis to nearly 190,000 children aged 03 – 59 months across 60 wards of Yusufari, Tarmuwa, Bade, Machina, Nguru and Karasuwa local government areas that reported highest malaria cases in 2018 to in

the State.

This is contained in press statement from the technical section of WHO and made available to our reporter in Damaturu, Yobe State by Dr Chima Onuekwe, which explained that the reason for the high record is related to the fact that Yobe is one of three states mostly affected by the current humanitarian emergencies in north-east Nigeria as a result of the activities of Boko Haram insurgency.

“More than two-thirds of health facilities in the state are partially or not functioning

leading to weakened healthcare service delivery, according to WHO health resources availability mapping system (HeRAMS) and malaria burden in 2018 was 70% among vulnerable populations that include children under five and pregnant women,” the statement stated.

It pointed out that, overall, malaria accounts for more than half of all deaths recorded in North East Nigeria compared to other causes including cholera, measles and hepatitis E, thus the seasonal malaria chemoprevention

campaign being currently implemented at this auspicious time aims at maintaining an adequate level of antimalarial medicine concentration in targeted children in order to kill any malaria parasites during this period of high malaria transmission.

The Officer-in-Charge of WHO Nigeria, Dr Clement Peter reiterated that WHO’s recommendation for seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaign across the Sahel subregion of Africa has proven to be an effective and evidence based intervention against malaria.

Eid-EL-Kabir: AL-ANSAR Home host widows, orphans

By Paul Efiong

I

n the spirit of sacrifice which is the significance of Eid-el-Kabir , the management of Al-Ansar Home has organized a welfare programme for the widows and the

needy in FCT for them to know and feel the essence of the celebration.

The management of the Home, advised them to live a life of sacrifice according to the teaching of Islam for the betterment of their homes and society at large.

The advice came from the Ameera of the Home, Hajiya Amina Abubakar at the weekend during the two days welfare programmes involving health and moral enhancement for widows and orphans in Kuje area council of FCT.

The Home also distributed clothing’s, food Items and other valuables to the widows.

One the widows, Mariam Mohammed thanked the Al-Ansar organization for taking care of them especially at this festive period.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

Jilted 14 years old girl commits suicide

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

A

14 years old senior secondary school student of Kess College in Ekredjebor, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State has allegedly committed suicide over a failed relationship with her boyfriend in the area.

It was gathered that the girl identified as Favour Ejiro Oghenevo was at home alone when she allegedly carried out the act.

She was said to have left a suicide note at the scene of the incident stating the reasons why she allegedly took her life.

Giving details of the incident, an anonymous source said that, the victim, the only child of her parents, had hung herself on the ceiling fan in their residence as the body was discovered lifeless by one of her friends who came visiting her.

Her mother, Mrs Rosemary Ejiro Oghenevo who spoke to journalists in the area in tears said, “ I don’t know what happened to my daughter and the devil’s handwork in her. Favour has killed me, my only child and hope, see what the enemies have turned me into, I am finished. It was one of her friends who found her body and called me, i was not at home at all, the enemies have finished my life, my only one eye and where do I start from.”

The Police Commissioner in the state, Adeyinka Adeleke confirmed the incident saying that investigation was ongoing as the body of the girl has been deposited at the Ughelli North Central Hospital for autopsy, adding that no arrest had been made so far.

News NAPTIP arrests suspected human trafficking syndicate in Delta

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

E

do and Delta Zone of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested some persons involved in human trafficking and assisting people in illegal migration in Delta State.

It was gathered that the arrested persons whose number names were not disclosed to journalists was part of the clampdown exercise of the Agency in collaboration with the Delta State taskforce against Trafficking in Persons and Illegal Migration.

Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr Peter Mrakpor who confirmed the arrest of the suspects to journalists on Sunday in Asaba, said it was part of the moves by the state government to fight against human trafficking in Delta State He said that it was becoming disturbing for fellow Nigerians to persuade parents to send their children abroad on the pretense of better life but with the ulterior motive of converting them to slaves on arrival in the unknown land

The Commissioner explained that the trade has brought untold pains and torture to youths who waved aside the warnings, thinking that there was better life abroad than Nigeria, adding that the process portends death untimely for those who have been involved in the act Mrakpor insisted that there was no better way in life in any part of the world than Nigeria, noting that If one could raise N1.5miillion to travel into crisis and suffering, such amount of money could help a person raise a big business that

could catapult he or she to the lime light.

“We want to appeal to parents to know that the man or woman who is approaching you, your son or daughter that there better life in the United Kingdom, United States, Or Malaysia that the person is deceiving you, it’s unfortunate that parents do not do proper investigation and know the background of people who come to ask for their children to be taken abroad, and the taskforce by the state government will ensure all these will not see the light of the day,” he said

Outgoing Commandant, Maj.-Gen. Abdullahi Tarfa (R), presenting the hand-over note to his successor, Brigadier General Usman Musa, at Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peace Keeping Center Jaji in Kaduna .

Photo; NAN

Curtailing small arms, weapons solution to insecurity, says DG NATForce From Yola.

T

Umar

Dankano,

he federal, states and local government councils have been charged to double their security intelligence networks in tracking the trafficking of illegal small arms and light weapons circulating in our societies.

Dr.Osita Emmanuel Okereke,Director General of the National Taskforce for the Prohibition of Illegal Small Arms, Ammunitions,Light/ chemical Weapons and Pipeline Vandalism (NAT FORCE) gave the charge in Yola,Adamawa state capital, weekend, while fielding questions from journalists.

He propagated that curtailing small arms and light

weapons remain sacrosanct, if the nation want to get out of its present insecurity challenges.

Dr.Okereke said the proliferation of these arms and weapons have traumatized the nation’s economy and security because they are used by hoodlums to carry out heinous crimes across the nation.

He explained that the high rate of killings, kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and the rampaging herdsmen on our communities were as a result of the proliferation of these weapons.

According to him, this reasons informed the introduction of his organization to curtail these illegal importation and possession of small arms and weapons by

individuals across the nation.

He said, he was in Yola to properly inaugurate the commission which had undergone so many challenges where it battled 19 cases in court and came out victorious.

Okereke said although their bill is still at the national assembly and has not been pass into law but he is sure that nobody will want to stop such an important bill like theirs which has been actualized in all ECOWAS nations remaining Nigeria.

He said this sequel an agreement reached by all ECOWAS nations in 2009 which Nigeria was part of it .

According to him , the agreement was that all ECOWAS nations should checkmate the illegal movement and

possession of small arms and light weapons by individuals across ECOWAS nations gear toward curtailing the insecurity challenges ravaging most of them.

He maintained that if perpetrators of these heinous crimes are not in possession of illegal arms, they cannot be able to carry out these crimes adding that insecurity should be a concern to every Nigerian.

Okereke asserted that the agreement reached has made his organization sacrosanct because the police, army and civil defence cannot do it alone.

He said his organization has planned to recruit 350 persons per each Local Government Area from every aspect of lives across the nation adding that this a way of introducing

internal security in all Nigerian villages and communities. “ We going to recruit and train 350 interested persons per each local government areas across the nation because there are communities that have no army, police and civil defence, when there is a distress call it will be difficult for them to reach there either because of terrian or logistic challenges “ “Let everybody watch his community, that is why we are not doing the recruitment only base on academy qualification, even if you are a truck pusher, Mama put or anything you do for a living “ “This is because we want to get accurate information about every community so as tackle the insecurity challenges bedevilling our nation” he said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

News African English teachers hold international conference in Abuja

By Usman Shuaibu

A

n international Teachers Forum, African regional body: Teachers of English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL) in collaboration with Government Agencies and other organizations has organize the 4th International conference and Exhibition in Abuja, with the Theme, “Teachers in Action: Exploring Global Issues Through Classroom Research.”

The President TESOL African, Dr. Okon Effiong said the conference held at the weekend in Abuja aims to enhance teachers capacity through research , will reply in the teaching of English language to other languages.

This conference will also serve as platform for teachers of English to interact and proffer ways and solution for issues of research at the classroom level.

According to him, this also creates awareness for the numbers of English teachers joining this association for the enhancement of their professional status.

President, TESOL International Association, Deborah Healey, said the conference will address challenges’ facing teachers of English to languages, she thanks the African body of the association for organizing this conference which will impact positively.

She said the international association will always support the continental bodies. many English teachers from many African countries attended the conference.

Masari to Nigerians: Hold your leaders accountable in peaceful manner From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

G

overnor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has urged Nigerians to always put leaders in their prayers, and hold them accountable in a peaceful manner.

In a good will message felicitating with Muslims on the occasion of Eid-El-Kabir, signed by the Director General, Media, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi, the Governor observed that prayers,

not confrontation, are what Nigerian leaders require to help them navigate the ship of state through the turbulence of security and social challenges besetting the nation.

He said although it was within the right of citizens to request for a fair deal from the government, it is however, counterproductive to allow the heart to rule over the head by being confrontational in the approach.

While calling on Muslims to imbibe the virtues of respect

and obedience to the command of Allah, equality and love for one another, which the annual Pilgrimage seeks to teach, he stated that the last thing the country needed is disobedience to the Constitution, which prescribes legitimate methods of seeking the government’s attention.

Governor Masari also took exception to ethnic profiling for criminal activities common on equal measure across the nation, saying that no one ethnic group

or region in Nigeria has the monopoly of innocence or guilt for the slew of criminal activities that have continued to challenge the efforts of security organisations in the country.

He particularly called on the media not be too generous with its space to elements whose conversations are only tailored to widen our fault lines, nothing that our diversity ought to be a source of strength that will make Nigeria one strong and united nation.

Parish Priest of St. Luke Catholic Church, Kubwa, Rev. Fr. Innocent Joji (5th L), Supreme Knight, Sir Diamond Ovueraye (M), Rev.Fr. Solomon Uko(4th R) and other participants during the 12th Annual Memorial Lecture of Rev. Fr. Ojefua, yesterday in Abuja

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he Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaiman has advised parents to ensure that they enroll their children in schools to prepare to become good leaders of tomorrow..

Emir Rilwanu made the call Sunday when he addressed his subjects after a mini Sallah Durbar organised to honour Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir who was represented by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly Abubakar Y Suleiman in his palace after Eid prayers in Bauchi.

He lamented that over poor enrollment of children and out of

G

Nnorom,

overnor Ortom has advised Muslims to be tolerant and live harmoniously with people of other faiths and to commit themselves to the Holy

D

elta State Police Command said it has arrested three persons following the stolen golden casket of late Michael Ibru from his grave.

Police Commissioner in the State, Adeleke Adeyinka who confirmed this to journalists in Asaba on Sunday, disclosed that the suspects arrested were security guards attached to the late Ibru’s estate in Agbarho Otor in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state, adding that the suspects have made useful statement to the Police.

The gold casket according to the family members of the deceased, is worth N50million including other expensive materials that were buried alongside the business mogul in his home town some few months ago amidst fanfare and highly placed personalities.

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

school children that was alarming in the state.

The monarch tasked Stakeholders to ensure effective awareness and mobilization of parents, guardians, communities, religious and traditional leaders.

“As well as the school based management committees on the importance of enrolling all schoolage children into schools”,.

Alhaji Rilwanu advised Government to continue to invest significant amount of time and resources in order to turn around the fortunes of the education sector, which is a bedrock of development of any society describing education of children is the best thing he could do to his wards and children.

The Speaker of the state Assembly double as an acting Governor Alhaji Abubakar Sulaiman urged the state citizens to remain law abiding.

He assured that the present administration is committed to provision of peaceful atmosphere as well as developmental programmes for its citizens.

Eidel Kabir celebration has been going on peacefully in Bauchi State.

In a related development the Bauchi State Police Command has ordered the deployedf three thousand and sixty seven (3067) Officers and Men comprising Conventional Police and other Tactical Teams of the Command as well as necessary logistics

to ensure peaceful Sallah celebrations in the State.

In a statement signed by Police Public RelationsI Officer PPRO DSP Kamal Datti Abubakar said the Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Police Command, CP Habu A. Sani wishes to assure the good people of Bauchi State, the Commands readiness to perform its statutory responsibility of protection of lives and property of innocent citizens in the State during the celebration” He said, the Command will collaborate with Sister Security Agencies and all critical stakeholders to ensure that, the celebration is peaceful and hitchfree.

The statement said, “Personnel

deployed for this critical assignment are under strict instruction of the Commissioner of Police to be civil but firm in the discharge of their duties”.

He assured that the Command is prepared to deal with hoodlums, political thugs and other disgruntled elements that may attempt to cause break down of law and order before during and after the festive period and enjoins them to cooperate with Police and other Security Agencies in their efforts towards ensuring peaceful celebrations, and report any suspicious person or object to the nearest Police Station or call the Command emergency phone number 08151849417

Eid-el-Kabir: Ortom urges Muslims to be tolerant

From Uche Makurdi

News

Delta Police arrest 3 over late Michael Ibru’s stolen golden casket

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

Page 9

“We are investigating the incident as it was gathered that during the Forceful entry of the tomb that workers at both the Ibru Clinic and MFC ( Michael and Cecilia Ibru Foundation) noticed the strange movement of persons around the tomb yard and raised the alarm, knowing that people are already aware of their movement, the hoodlums fled the premises, on a close search, it was discovered that the gunmen had poured acid around the tomb to crack the tomb to enable them remove the gold casket, the acid container, the hoodlums brought and other equipment they left at the tomb have been recovered by the Police as our investigation continues,” Adeyinka said However, the President General of Agbarha Community, Napoleon Ibodje told journalists that it was not time for him to speak on the incident, adding that he will be doing that at the appropriate time.

DELTA STATE POLYTECHNIC

Otefe, P.M.B. 03, Oghara, Nigeria.

INVITATION TO TENDER FOR TETFUND YEAR 2018 ZONAL INTERVENTION 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe – Oghara is a beneficiary of the Year 2018 Zonal Intervention from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

1.2 Accordingly experienced and competent contractors/suppliers are hereby invited to submit technical and financial bids for the project listed below: 2. SCOPE OF WORKS/SUPPLY 2.1

3. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. m.

4.

5.

6.

The

7. a. b. c. d. e.

s/n

Description

1. (Lot 1)

Procurement , Installation, Testing and Commissioning of Civil Engineering Machines TETFUND/POLY/OTEFE/ZN/ 2018/01 and Equipment; comprises 1Nr Plastic Bending Portal Frame, 1Nr Deflection Beam, 1Nr Compacting machine, 5Nr Cement Fineness Test Apparatus, 1Nr Compacting Core Machine, 2Nr Schmidt Rebound hammer, 1Nr Struts Buckling Apparatus, 1Nr Frictional Loss in Pipe Apparatus, 1Nr Flow Visualization Apparatus, 1Nr Hydrostatic and Property of Fluid, 10Nr Beam Mould, 1Nr hydrology Apparatus, 1Nr water Hammer Apparatus, 2Nr Point and Hook Gauge, 1Nr Hydrometer, 1Nr Digital Theodolite, 3Nr Planometer, 1Nr Radical Circular Saw, etc

Code

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS (state the minimum qualifications that the bidders must meet such as :-) Evidence of Certificate of Incorporation issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) including Forms CAC2 and CAC7; Evidence of Company Income’s Tax Clearance Certificate for the last three (3) years valid till 31st December, 2019; with minimum average turnover of N200 million; Evidence of current Pension Compliance Certificate valid till 31st December, 2019; Evidence of current Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Compliance Certificate valid till 31st December, 31st December, 2019; Evidence of current Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Compliance Certificate valid till 31st December, 2019; Evidence of Registration on the National Database of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers by submission of Interim Registration Report (IRR) expiring on 31/1/2020 or valid Certificate issued by BPP. Sworn Affidavit disclosing whether or not any officer of the relevant committees of the (state name of the procuring entity) or the Bureau of Public Procurement is a former or present Director, shareholder or has any pecuniary interest in the bidder and to confirm that all information presented in its bid are true and correct in all particulars; Company’s Audited Accounts for the last three (3) years - 2016, 2017, 2018; Evidence of financial capability to execute the project by submission of Reference Letter from a reputable commercial bank in Nigeria, indicating willingness to provide credit facility for the execution of the project when needed; Company Profile with the Curriculum Vitae of Key Staff to be deployed for the project, including copies of their Academic/Professional qualifications (in case of construction: COREN, QSRBN, ARCON, CORBON etc.); Verifiable documentary evidence of at least three (3) similar jobs executed in the last five (5) years including Letters of Awards, Valuation Certificates, Job Completion Certificates and Photographs of the projects; List of Plants/Equipment with proof of Ownership/Lease (where applicable); All documents for submission must be transmitted with a Covering/Forwarding letter under the Company/Firm’s Letter Head Paper bearing amongst others, the Registration Number (RC) as issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Contact Address, Telephone Number (preferably GSM No.), and e-mail address. The Letterhead Paper must bear the Names and Nationalities of the Directors of the Company at the bottom of the page, duly signed by the authorised officer of the firm.

COLLECTION OF TENDER DOCUMENTS Interested companies are to collect the Standard Bidding Document (SBD) from the office of the Registrar on evidence of payment of a non-refundable tender fee of N10,000.00 per Lot, paid by a Bank Draft in favour of Delta State Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara.

SUBMISSION OF TENDER DOCUMENTS Prospective bidders are to submit bid for the above Lot; Two (2) hard copies each of the technical and financial bids with softcopy of financial bid only in MS Excel format, packaged separately in sealed envelopes and clearly marked as “Technical Bid” or “Financial Bid”. Thereafter, put the two sealed envelopes together in a bigger sealed envelope addressed to office of the Registrar, Delta State Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara and clearly marked with YEAR 2018 TETFUND ZONAL INTERVENTION TETFUND/POLY/OTEFE/ZN/ 2018/01. Furthermore, the reverse of each sealed envelope should have the name and address of the bidder and drop in the designated Tender Box at the office of the Registrar not later than 12 Noon Monday 23rd September 2018.

OPENING OF BIDS Technical bid documents will be opened by 12noon on Tuesday 24th September, 2019, in the conference room of the Polytechnic. All bidders or their representatives, relevant professionals, and NGOs are invited to witness the public Technical bid opening exercise accordingly, while the Financial bids will be kept un-opened. Please, ensure that you sign the Bid Submission Register in the office of the Registrar, as the Delta State Polytechnic Otefe will not be held liable for misplaced or wrongly submitted bids. For further enquiries, please contact the “TETFund Desk Officer (Procurement)” on e-mail mudiagalawrence@gmail.com.

GENERAL INFORMATION Bids must be in English Language and signed by an official authorized by the bidder; Bids submitted after the deadline for submission would be returned un-opened; All costs will be borne by the bidders; Only pre-qualified bidders at technical evaluation will be invited at a later date for financial bids opening, while the financial bids of unsuccessful bidders will be returned un-opened; The Delta State Polytechnic Otefe is not bound to pre-qualify any bidder and reserves the right to annul the Procurement process at any time without incurring any liabilities in accordance with Section 28 of the Public Procurement Act 2007.

Signed: Dr. Benson Omonode (Registrar)

Eid-el-Kabir : Emir of Dutse prays for lasting peace in Jigawa

Bauchi Emir advises parents to enroll their children in school From Ahmad Mohammed, Bauchi

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

Prophet’s injunctions of piety, honesty and charity.

He also, urged them to intensify prayers for the unity and peace of the country.

The Governor who stated this in a message to Muslims on the celebration of Eid-el-Kabir,

noted that there is no alternative to peace, adding that it is only in an atmosphere devoid of violence that meaningful development takes place.

He stressed on the duty of religious organisations to always call on God to intervene in affairs

of the country and cause peace to prevail.

The Governor described as unfortunate, the situation where security operatives have also become victims of attacks, maintaining that the development calls for worry

and deserves to be urgently addressed.

He tasked Benue people in general to commit themselves to the sustenance of democracy as the best form of government, irrespective of its perceived shortcomings.

T

he Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Muhammad Nuhu Sunusi has prayed for continued peace that the state enjoyed for several years.

The emir also appealed to Fulani herders to be cautious and restrict their animals to specific routes so

as to refrain from encroaching into farmers lands to avoid conflicts.

Alhaji Nuhu Sunusi who earlier slaughtered a ram to mark the symbolic sacrifice Sallah also appealed to the state government that severe capital punishment must be administered to any convicted child rapist.

He made the plea yesterday at

a traditional Sallah address at the emirs palace asked the governor of the state to make sure that, “our children are saved from te rising cases of pedophiles across the state”.

Alhaji Nuhu Sunusi said, “there is no doubt that one of the menace afflicting the present day society is the rising cases of rape against women and children, I urge the government

an those in positions of authority to severely punish offenders to serve as deterrent to others”, he stated.

He then urged the people of Jigawa State to celebrates peacefully according to the teaching of Islam and avoid any harmful celebrations in the state.

Plateau varsity to begin faculties of health sciences, law in 2020– VC

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he Plateau State University, Bokkos, will start a Faculty of Health Sciences and a Faculty Law in 2020, the Vice-Chancellor, Yohanna Izam, has said.

Mr Izam told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Bokkos that the arrangements had commenced for the take-off of the faculties.

He said contract for the construction of structures for the Faculty of Health Sciences had already been awarded and the contractor had commenced work.

“It is a one-year project but we are working with the contractor to see if we can achieve it in 10 months.

“We think it is feasible because

we have gotten a significant level of funding for that project.

“What this implies is that in the next 10 months we will start the processes for commencing programmes in the health sciences.

“We have the plan to take off with phase one with a minimum of three departments,” he said.

The vice-chancellor said the National Universities Commission (NUC) approval, as well as accreditation and certification by relevant professional bodies, were being sought.

He stated that the establishment of the health sciences faculty was a priority to the management of the school because of its importance to

the people of Plateau and Nigeria.

Mr Izam stated that the establishment of the faculty would be a big achievement because of the politics of health sciences education.

According to him, even within the catchment area, you find out that thousands of people apply, but only a few get admission.

The vice-chancellor also said that approval for upgrading facilities for the take-off of the Faculty of Law had been granted by the visitor of the school, the Governor of Plateau.

“The approval by His Excellency is in response to our memo to rehabilitate one of the structures that would be remodelled as a take-off structure for the faculty.

“We are also hoping that before the end of the year, the rehabilitation will be completed,” he added.

Mr Izam added that the university was also constructing a befitting complex for the Department of Mass Communication.

He said that the complex was being constructed with funds from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to enable the university to meet the full accreditation condition of the NUC. “Apart from the projects listed about, the construction of the new health centre, as well as ministadium, has also commenced,” he said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

ne w s

Eid-el-Kabir: Prices of rams stable in Abuja

P

rices of rams in the FCT have remained stable, a day to the Eid-elKabir celebrations, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports.

A NAN correspondent, who visited the Dei-dei Livestock Market and Dutse Market, reports that the prices of small, average and big rams at both markets ranged from N30,000 to N120,000.

This is against the price range of between N35,000 and N120,000 within the same period last year.

NAN reports that in spite of the low cost, some of the sellers complained of low patronage this year and expressed dissatisfaction with the low offers by some customers.

At Dei-dei market, a ram seller, Munir Tanko, blamed the low patronage currently being witnessed in the ram market on the state of the economy.

He said some of the ram sellers, particularly those from the North-East, had lost their animals to the insurgency in the zone and had been forced to import from Niger Republic and Chad, to remain in business.

He lamented that in spite of the exorbitant cost of transporting the livestock, customers had continued to offer low prices for the animals.

“Transporting these animals to Abuja and other states can be very expensive.

This is exclusive of their feeding, yet their value has continued to drop with customers seeking cheap bargains after complaining of a paucity of funds.

“I and some of my boys have been able to sell a few rams out of the more than 200 we brought.

“Some buyers come, price the rams and go without buying as the price may have exceeded their budget.

From Ahmed Birnin Kebbi

Idris

T

he Kebbi State Secretary to the Government, SSG, Alhaji Babale Umar Yauri Mni has called on the adherent of the two religions in the State to engage in activities that will promote peace, understanding and unity.

In a Press Statement issued to newsmen yesterday after the sermon prayed and was signed by the Permanent Secretary in charge of the General Administration and also overseeing the cabinet office Alhaji Yakubu Tafida Yauri,

“It is not our fault; we did not buy them cheap too; even the ones we reared ourselves are expensive because it is not easy to feed and rear animals for two or more years; it costs money,” Tanko said.

Another seller, Isah Mai-Dabino, told NAN that patronage was fair in spite of the prevailing economic situation, saying that people were offering “low but acceptable offers”.

According to him, Eid-El Kabir is a divinely-ordained festival, even though sacrificing ram is not mandatory, particularly for those who cannot afford it.

Some of the buyers, who spoke with NAN, groaned over what they called the skyrocketing prices of the livestock.

A buyer, who identified himself as Akeem Adesola, told NAN that he came to purchase a big ram but ended up with a small one because he could not afford his choice due to its high price.

“The one I ended up buying cost me N35,000, while the medium size I had wanted to buy was going for a negotiable price of N60,000.

“I have visited many ram markets around town but I could not buy any because of the high cost; that is why I came here, hoping it would be better,” he said.

Another prospective buyer, Aminu Yunusa, pointed out that Allah did not put a burden on anyone who could not afford the sacrifice.

According to him, it is obvious from all indications that the prices may be higher in the few hours remaining for the festival.

“If you can afford, buy it; if you can’t, leave it. It is not compulsory for anybody who cannot afford it; it is not a luxury; it is for sacrifice,” Mr Yunusa said. (NAN)

AKWA IBOM COLLEGE OF EDUCATION,

AFAHA NSIT AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA. INVITATION FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION FOR YEAR 2018 (TETFUND) ZONAL INTERVENTION PROJECT

1.0

INTRODUCTION

1.1 In Compliance with the Public Procurement Act 2007, Akwa-Ibom College of Education, Afaha Nsit, Akwa Ibom State hereby invites interested, experienced and competent contractors/suppliers to submit pre- qualification documents for year 2018 (TETFund) Zonal Intervention Project mentioned below: 2.0 2.1 3.0 a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. m. n. o.

SCOPE OF WORK/SUPPLY Procurement and installation of ICT Equipment with complete accessories and 500KVA Power-generating set.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Evidence of Certificate of Incorporation with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) including Form CAC2 and CAC7; Evidence of company Income’s Tax Clearance Certificate for the last three (3) years valid till 31st December, 2019.

Evidence of current Pension Compliance Certificate. (PENCOM) valid till 31st December, 2019; Company’s Audited Accounts for the last three (3) years; 2016, 2017 and 2018; Evidence of current Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Compliance Certificate, valid till 31st December, 2019; Evidence of Current Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Compliance Certificate valid till 31st December, 2019; Evidence of Registration on the National Database of Federal Contractors, Consultant and Services Providers by submission of Interim Registration Report (IRR) expiring on 31/1/2020 or valid Certificate issued by (BPP); Sworn Affidavit disclosing whether or not any officer of the relevant committees of the Akwa-Ibom College of Education, Afa Nsit, Akwa-Ibom or the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) is a former or present Director, Share holder or has any pecuniary interest in the bidder and to confirm that all information presented in its bid are true and correct in all particulars.

Evidence of financial capability to execute the project including Reference Letter from a reputable Commercial bank indicating willingness to provide credit facility for the execution of the project when needed.

Company Profile with the Curriculum Vitae (CV) of key staff to bedeployed for the project, including copies of their Academic/Professional qualifications. (In case of construction: COREN, QSRBN, ARCON, CORBON etc).

Verifiable documentary evidence of at least three (3) similar jobs in the last five (5) years including letters of Awards Valuation Certificates, Job Completion Certificates and photograph of the projects; List of plants/Equipment with proof of ownership/lease (where applicable); For Joint Venture/Partnership, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) should be provided (all the eligibility requirements are compulsory for each Joint Venture partner); Letter of Authorization from original equipment manufacturer; All documents for submission must be transmitted with a Covering/Forwarding letter under the Company/Firm’s Letter Headed Paper bearing amongst others, the Registration number (RC) as issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Contact Address, Telephone Number (Preferably GSM No.), and Email Address. The Letter headed Paper must bear the Names and Nationalities of the Directors of the Company at the bottom of the page, duly signed by the authorized officer of the firm.

4.0 SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS Prospective bidders are to submit pre-qualification documents, two (2) hard copies of the Technical bids packaged in sealed envelops and clearly marked as “Technical Bid” and addressed to the Registrar, Akwa-Ibom College of Education, Afa Nsit, Administrative Building) and clearly marked with (the name of the project).

Furthermore, the reverse of sealed envelope should have the name and address of the bidder and drop in the designated Tender Box (Registrar’s Office, Akwa-Ibom College of Education, Afa Nsit, Akwa-Ibom, Administrative Building) not later than (12 noon on Monday 2nd September, 2019 which must not be less than three (3) weeks, counting from the date of the advertisement).

5.0 OPENING OF PRE-QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS The Technical bids will be opened immediately after the deadline for submission (12 noon on Monday 2nd September, 2019) in the Board Room, Administrative Building in the presence of Bidders or their representatives. Please, ensure that you sign the Bid Submission Register in the Office of Registrar, Administrative Building of the Akwa-Ibom College of Education, Afa Nsit, Akwa-Ibom will not be held liable for misplaced or wrongly submitted bids. For further enquiries, please Contact the Head, Procurement Unit.

6.0 GENERAL INFORMATION a.

Bid must be in English Language and signed by an official authorized by the bidder. b.

Bids submitted after the deadline for submission would be returned un-opened. c.

All costs will be borne by the bidders. d.

All pre-qualified bidders will be contacted at a later date for collection of Tender documents; e.

The Akwa-Ibom College of Education, Afa Nsit, Akwa-Ibom is not bound to pre-qualify any bidder and reserves the right to annul the procurement process at any time without incurring any Liabilities in accordance with Section 28 of the public procurement Act 2007.

Signed: Idorenyin T. Uko (Registrar)

people.

The two religions teaches peace, good neighborliness and kindness, therefore Nigerians should eschew hate speech, fake news and continue to encourage love, harmony, peaceful coexistence and respect for one another at all times, the SSG stressed.

He further explained that the occasion should serve as a constant reminder to all Muslims to live a life of sacrifice for the common good as well as continue to show love and respect

among themselves and people of other faiths.

He said the present administration led by Governor Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu is committed to the development of the State using available resources for the benefit of the people, hence the need for Nigerlites to support the laudable programmes and policies of the present administration designed to improve the living standard of the populace.

“We must not forget to

remember our brothers and sisters who are currently performing the Holy Pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia”.

It is my hope and prayer that Almighty Allah will reward their acts of worship and grant them journey mercies as they return home at the end of the pilgrimage, the SSG stressed.

Alhaji Babale Umar who expressed optimism that the Hajj exercise would spiritually rejuvenate pilgrims to better contribute to the socioeconomic development of our State.

Win souls for Christ through actions, Okowa urges Christians From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

D

elta Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged Christians to win soul for Christ through their actions.

He made the call on Sunday (while speaking at the second Mega Convention cum Dedication of a 7 Floor Prayer Tower at Church of God Mission

International, Benin City, Edo. Okowa said, “a Christian cannot afford to live a careless life; he should win souls for Christ with his deeds, because, if he fails to win by his actions, he has failed.

“It is my prayer that God will renew your strength as Christians; just imagine a Nigeria without people to serve God; God

PAGE 11

Letter to the Editor

EDITORIAL

Kebbi govt. calls for peace, unity

further stressed that the feast of Eid-el-Kabir is a test of faith in commemoration of the sublime submission

by Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) to the call for sacrifice.

The SSG called on the people of the State to be very vigilant, security conscious and report all suspicious characters, movements and objects to security agents, Security is everybody’s responsibility; therefore, all hands must be on deck in complementing government efforts towards safeguarding lives and property of the

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

has a purpose for this country and we pray that our nation will be great for the Lord.

“It is important that we preach about salvation, about the kingdom of God, rather than things of the world; it is not fair when we do not preach about salvation; salvation first and any other thing comes after.

“As a Christian, you should work hard so that you remain in the kingdom of God.” He thanked the church for inviting him to inaugurate the prayer tower built by a member of the church, Mr Ifeanyi Nwachukwu, noting that Christians should at all times, serve God with whatever they had.

Earlier in a sermon, Bishop Feb Idahosa urged Christians to go and woo more people to Christ since they had been delivered and seen the light.

“You have been delivered, go and bring more people to be delivered; your job is to introduce those who need to be delivered, because God can accommodate everyone of us.”

M

Happy Eid-el Kabir

uslims all over the world Sunday celebrated the Eid-el Kabir (Greater Festival), also referred to as Eidel Adha (Festival of Sacrifice).

The festivities officially commence with the two rakaat prayers. This particular Eid, which is usually celebrated on the 10th of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja, is celebrated to commemorate the readiness of Prophet Ibrahim to use his only child then, Prophet Ismail, for a sacrifice, in obedience to God’s command.

our Muslim brothers and sisters across the country to also use the period to engage in sober reflections and prayers for the peace and progress of our nation. We further appeal to the Muslim faithful to imbibe those lessons that can be learnt during this period, especially drawing from the complete subservience of Prophet Ibrahim to Allah, which teaches us to be patient, tolerant and obedient to God and the constituted authority.

Besides, Muslims are enjoined, during this period, Just as he was about to be nice to fellow to apply the knife, the human beings, We wish to Almighty rescued the most especially the particularly child by providing a enjoin our Muslim poor, the needy and ram in the place of the wayfarers, whether brothers and child. The Eid-el Adha or not they belong to is usually preceded by sisters across the the same faith. This millions of the Muslim country to also should encourage faithful standing on use the period us to show concern Mount Arafat on the for the plights to engage in 9th of Dhul Hijja. These sober reflections of fellow human are the ones who have and prayers for beings through the been fortunate to travel the peace and sharing of food and to Mecca for the Hajj, other gifts, thereby itself one of the major progress of our inculcating in us the nation pillars of Islam. virtues of kindness, compassion, In Nigeria, the federal love, tenderness, warmth and government has declared today affection, all of which negate and tomorrow as a public holiday all forms of hostility, conflict in commemoration of this and aggression that are now solemn festival. The celebration prevalent in the Nigerian nation. involves durbars, exchange of gifts, visits, greetings and Beyond the call on the other forms of merriment. To Muslim faithful to thoroughly ensure trouble-free festivities imbibe the spirit of patience, nationwide, the police have made tolerance and obedience to “robust and elaborate security constituted authority, we arrangements”, supervised by seize this opportunity to urge assistant inspectors general of our leaders at all levels of police and commissioners in governance to eschew all forms zonal and state commands. The of corruption and injustice that plans include the deployment of have smeared Nigeria’s image officers “on visibility patrols and globally, and have been at the for crowd controls at Eid praying root of the insurgency and grounds and other venues of the other forms of criminality we festivities. “They are under strict are witnessing. While calling instructions to be civil, polite for self-restraint among all and and compassionate, but firm”, sundry, we wish our Muslim the police spokesman said. brothers and sisters in Nigeria and the world over happy EidWe wish to particularly enjoin el Kabir festivities.

“

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Still on the Presidency, Shi’ites and the Police

By Yushau A. Shuaib “Please, in the name of God don’t fight or fire…”– DCP Usman Umar

T

he above were the last words of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Usman Umar, who was shot while attempting to rescue one of his officers, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sani Shehu, during a violent protest by members of the Islamic Movement In Nigeria (IMN), a Shi’ite group, in Abuja.

Umar was later certified dead at the hospital.

As a Muslim and a Northerner, I am deeply concerned and worried about the activities of Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East, armed banditry in the North-West and the seeming uncontained Shi’ite protest in Abuja, North-Central Nigeria.. The root causes of most crises in Nigeria are the disappearance of means of livelihoods, the lack of jobs and human insecurity, alongside the deepening incidence of poverty and immiseration.

Also, ignorance, impunity, acts of lawlessness, the expressions of fanatical ideologies and sectional sentiments that are being exploited and manipulated by political elites.

On Wednesday, July 17, 2019, the Nigerian Police announced restriction on all forms of protests in Abuja to the Unity Fountain area, to contain what had become the daily processions and protests of Shi’ite members. The Force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba said that by that directive, intending protesters were expected to steer clear of all critical national infrastructure, especially in the “Three Arms Zone.”

A few days later, precisely on July 19, the Presidency issued a statement seemingly indicating the likelihood that the Buhari administration would obey a decision of the courts to release the leader of the Shi’ites in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim Elzakzaky.

A presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, in the statement, said: “Rallies and street dances (by Shi’ites) ostensibly to openly insult the president and other leaders, threatening bloodshed, will lead nowhere… The Buhari administration has absolutely no hand in the on-going court case and the courts are free to determine the bail request and the outcome.”

In its reaction, the Shi’ites wondered how the Presidency would make such a claim when the government has contemptuously refused to obey court orders in this regard. In its statement dated July 21, the Shiite spokesperson, Ibrahim Musa, wrote that: “In December 2016, Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court freed Sheikh Zakzaky from the illegal detention ordered that he, along with his wife, be compensated to the tune of N50m, a house be provided for him in any part of the country he desires and security be provided for his protection.

The Buhari government deliberately acted in contempt of court and refused to respect the judiciary. So which court is the presidency talking about that will decide the fate of our leader?”

The following day, July 22, Shi’ite members stormed Abuja with a procession that commenced from Wuse and moved towards the Three Arms Zone, which accommodates the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, and the Supreme Court.

When the procession was becoming rowdy and confrontational, DCP Umar, who had peacefully contained more than two-dozen Shi’ite protests in the last few months, thought he could re-enact his magic wand in pacifying and engaging the protesters to be peaceful.

As the Officer in Charge of Operations

at the Abuja Police Command, Umar had saved many lives by defusing highly violent protests in the Federal Capital Territory in the past. A very religious, detribalised and patriotic Nigerian, DCP Umar had a golden rule, which he proudly announced to his team whenever they were on sensitive assignments. He often told members of his squad that: “Policing is not kill-and-go but a humane profession of saving humanity.”

In several instances whenever his team was provoked, he would always insist that live ammunition should not be fired.

That was the same directive he had earlier issued on the day he was killed while on duty.

A few days after the death of the police officer, precisely on July 26, the judiciary designated the Shi’ite movement in Nigeria a terrorist group, after the Federal Government sought a court order to proscribe the group. Justice Nkeonye Maha who issued the order also restrained “any person or group of persons” from participating in any form of activity involving or concerning the IMN “under any name or platform” in Nigeria.

With this development, the Presidency should work with credible intelligence to ensure that the Shi’ite issue does not snowball into a major crisis that could worsen the current insecurity in the country, because radical ideologies are usually – rather, unfortunately – given further life through the use of coercive force on its subscribers or membership.

It is necessary to point out that Shi’ite members seem to be more sophisticated in their ideologies than similar groups, as they are scattered across diverse fields such as the academia, business, media, judiciary, military, security, civil service, and politics. Members of the movement don’t necessarily proclaim their affiliation but generally identify with the broader category of being Muslims and perform pilgrimage in Mecca without being stopped by their regional arch-rival, the Saudi-Arabia. Their foreign supporters, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran, have, to some extent, exercised restraint in the last four years of the Shi’ite issue in Nigeria, which simply indicates behindthe-scene workings of intelligence services and diplomatic efforts in keeping the matter from frothing to the surface.

Even the powerful Trump administration is struggling to counter Iran’s network of proxies across the globe, notably in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen.

During the American war in Iraq, Iranianlinked Shi’ite militia hit foreign forces with lethal roadside bombs that penetrated even armoured vehicles. The Pentagon has officially disclosed that: “those attacks killed hundreds of U.S. troops between 2003-2010.” Several years after, the militia groups still wield significant influence in the country and elsewhere. Iran certainly knows how to exploit the chaos in some countries to promote its ideologies and interests in keeping its rivals off-balance.

In its efforts to address the challenges confronting our nation, the Presidency needs to deploy more sophisticated responses by thoughtfully engaging in diplomacy and negotiations for amicable solutions, rather than the utilisation of military or police force. When some Shi’ite members were killed in a similar altercation with the military in Zaria in 2014, not only did the Defence Headquarters tender an apology and set up a panel to look into the incident, President Goodluck Jonathan also personally reached out to and empathized with Sheikh El-Zakzaky for peace to reign. This is one approach that could be extended or built on.

Yushau A. Shuaib. Author “An Encounter with the Spymaster” www.YAShuaib.com

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

Opinion

Fake news and media integrity

By Oliver Ejike Uja “The art of the reporter should more than anything else be a celebration of the truth …

The fundamental obligation of the reporter is to truth”. - Kergal keane

T

he media play a very important role in any democratic society. It is the duty of the press to educate, inform, and entertain and conscientize the people. This helps in building a politically conscious masses or electorates that can make informed decisions.

The press is regarded as the ‘fourth estate of the realm’ principally because of the role in holding government to account. Thomas Jefferson in acknowledging the role of the press said; “were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the lather”. This further underscores the place of the media in shaping and building the society. However, for the media to continue playing this role requires commitment to the core principles of journalistic practices as enshrined in the code of ethics of professional journalists. The Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists points out “journalism entails a high degree of public trust. To earn and maintain this trust, it is morally imperative for every journalist and every medium to observe the highest professional and ethical standard”. It is this that confers integrity on the media.

Fake news are falsehood, conjectures, pernicious propaganda or half truth which are intentionally passed on as truth and authentic information or stories intended to mislead and achieve sinister objectives or financial gain. Fake news is nothing new in journalism.

There was the ‘Yellow Journalism’ with its overtly concocted and sensational stories several decades ago.

However, the explosion in social media platforms and how technological companies operate has made the problem pervasive. Dr. Kristen Dembroski outlines the following as attributes of fake news: Purpose – Misled; Spread misinformation; False or propaganda published under the guise of authentic news; Sensationalist; extreme; Fuels passions and prejudices; May provoke violence.

The American presidential election of 2016 made false journalism and fake news blossom and become a treat to the mainstream traditional journalism. Anders Hofseth summed it up saying that “The media of the

world may be facing a crisis more serious than a media economy in a freefall, a crisis involving the foundations itself: Trust. Not the trust in the single news piece or the single publication, but the entire idea of editorially controlled news media”. When the audience no longer trusts the information in the media, then the integrity of the media is already undermined. In this situation there is dissonance and they would have to look for multiples sources to validate the authenticity of the information or news. But the audience by nature may not have all the time because they have other things bordering them – jobs to do, dates to keep, meetings to attend, numerous other things occupying their time and mind. This may result in apathy for media contents. Hofseth argues that “by itself, fake news poses little threat beyond the need for increased alertness.

But fake news attacks society’s system for information sharing. It’s casting shadows of doubt over the credibility of media, and creating the impression that the media is offering just one of several possible truth, thus making it sort of optional which fact you care to relate to”. This mirrors John Milton’s didactics in his Agreopagitica. But unlike Milton, the situation creates a vacuum because the society’s information system has been dislocated, devalued and news or information becomes what anyone can distill from an event. This is akin to relativism.

Fake news is more rampant in the internet because of the way social media and some news platforms operate. Facebook for example have always denied being a news platform claiming that it is only a technology company. Consequently, the platform is not bound by ethical and professional conduct of the traditional media outlets or organisations. It was only recently after much outcry by the public and industry players that it reluctantly decided to take down or block lots of fake news and dubious materials.

Aidan White admonished facebook saying “facebook would do well to stop denying it is a publisher and face up to its responsibility as a news provider”. He further stated that “it needs to recorgnise and apply the principle and standards of journalism and free expression that have guided the work of journalism, editors and publishers”. It is this lack of accountability that has made fake news flood the social media and other websites. Today, millions of people get their news through these platforms. “Integrity, authority, humanity and evidence: Are there better words in the lexicon of journalists? This was the question Lyse

Doucet, BBC chief International Correspondent asked in her acceptance speech as she received the 2017 British Journalism Review Charles Wheeler Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcast Journalism.

Sadly, fake news is just an off shoot of post –truth era where there exists not just ‘Truth’ and ‘lie’ but the third ‘Ambiguity’ where people grope and pick which information they relate to.

The basic danger in fake news is that it makes people doubt almost every news or information and this can be very destabilizing to any society. Think of a situation where people no longer believe in any information coming from the authorities or politicians – it is the beginning of social breakdown. This is a threat to democracy, modern society and reality. In his Agreopagitica, John Milton averred “Though all winds of doctrine were let loose to play upon the earth, so truth be in the field, we do injuriously by licensing and prohibiting to misdoubt her strength. Let her and falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter”. This position is seriously being challenged by the level of fake news in the internet and out there. For Gary Kasparov, “If you can convince people that real news is fake, it becomes easier to convince them that your fake news is real”. He further submits that “The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform and push an agenda, it is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate the truth”.

This is the major problem since news then teeters dangerously towards relativism. And this is why Stuart Allen believes that “More than a question of semantics, the nature of proper identity to be affirmed by the journalist within a democracy continues to be hotly contested… nowhere have the tacit assumptions informing a collective sense of identity been more openly challenged than by the emergence of the ‘citizen journalism’ movement … citizen journalism has succeeded in rattling the foundations of the craft” Prompt identification of fake news is one way of ensuring that it does not spread but this may not be that easy. Applying logic and common sense is very essential. When one looks closely and pitches the facts together, one can clearly see the bigger picture.

Checking out other credible sources can help to know the status of the story. It is important to check the Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the title and other graphics to know whether it is old information that is being presented in a new context or whether some trusted media sites have been impersonated or faked.

Collapse of secondary education

By Levi Obijiofor

M

ass failure in secondary school examinations and widespread cheating by students in examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have become a regular feature in the academic calendar of higher education institutions.

The situation is not getting better. The outcomes of the November/December 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) released last week are profoundly depressing.

This year’s WASSCE results were very bad indeed, even though a senior WAEC official believes the results represented an improvement in previous years’ record.

In an examination in which more than 70 per cent of students failed, it is difficult to accept the view that the results should be interpreted as an improvement. If it were so, the previous years’ results must be described as outrageous and disgraceful.

Consider the figures released by WAEC last week.

Of the more than 246,850 students who took the examination, only 72,522 students (or 29.37 per cent) received credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. Despite this shocking performance, WAEC’s chief of the Nigerian national office, Charles Eguridu, argued that even though less than one-third of the students who sat for this year’s examinations received five credits, the abysmal results still represented an improvement on previous years. For example, according to Eguridu, in 2013, only 26.97 per cent of students (or 80,135 students) received five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.

In regard to examination malpractices, Eguridu said the results of 28,817 students in the 2014 examinations were withheld. In 2013, a total of 38,260 students had their results withheld for misconduct.

The results raise a number of disquieting questions such as: What are they teaching students in secondary schools? This question touches on the curriculum contents of secondary education. Other questions include: What is the level of student commitment to academic studies and knowledge acquisition? Do students still see value in hard work and in achieving excellence in academic studies? What are parents and guardians teaching their children and dependants?

Poor performance by students suggests they are being distracted by many delights of the digital era, including involvement in criminal activities driven by new technologies. The environment also affects students’ performance. When students look around and realise they have no future in an environment in which they are surrounded by hopelessness, they wonder how they could survive. Gradually they start to look up to crime as the way out of their social and economic deprivation, particularly when they fail to identify good role models they can emulate, or viable opportunities for survival.

One of the challenges that confront our society is how to revive our crumbling secondary education. It is a very difficult task. Students can be fundamentally as good or as bad as the quality of upbringing they receive at homes and in their schools. When students are regularly exposed to corrupt practices and other reprehensible types of conduct, they will try to imitate what they see on a daily basis.

In March 2011, the Federal Government said it would unveil a new senior secondary school curriculum that would take effect from September that year. The new curriculum was touted as the government’s answer to low standard of education at the secondary school level. Questions were raised at the time about what the curriculum was designed to achieve and the usefulness of introducing a new curriculum when the prevailing curriculum had not been implemented. At that time, the government said one objective of the new curriculum was to produce secondary school graduates who would be sufficiently prepared and trained for university and polytechnic education. That curriculum is yet to achieve results. Mass failure in the West African School Certificate Examinations is a troubling feature of secondary school education in Nigeria. There are diverse ways to explain the shocking results.

It could be that secondary school teachers are incompetent, inexperienced, and are not teaching students topics that are covered in the examinations. It could also be that students are not motivated to learn.

The problem could also lie with the education system in the country, particularly with the visible absence of facilities that could be used to promote quality teaching and learning in schools. It could be that a large number of students do not prepare adequately for their senior school

examinations.

If students are brought up on the belief that hard work is useless, they will explore available short cuts to succeed in their academic studies. If students grow up with the assumption that people who succeed in life are those who engage in sharp practices and other fraudulent behaviour, we have no right to expect them to excel in WASSC examinations or to refrain from involvement in examination malpractices.

We must not overlook the impact of government neglect of secondary education in general. For many years, secondary education was abandoned by state education departments. Added to that must be rampant indiscipline among secondary school teachers and students. We must not discount the impact of the lack of moral uprightness by students on their overall performance in WASSC examinations. Similarly, we must include the adoption, by unmotivated teachers, of surface and uncritical approaches to teaching that encourage students to engage in rote learning rather than deep learning practices.

There is also the erratic review of secondary education curriculum, a programme of study that fails to mirror the 21st century realities of higher education.

Add to this the decrepit state of equipment in secondary schools, such as rat-infested science laboratories that look more like historical museums.

Our secondary school system is dying fast. The tragedy is no one seems to worry. This is why Federal and State ministries of education have paid little attention to the crisis in that sector. State governments in particular have shamelessly relinquished their responsibilities to finance, administer, and provide all necessary facilities to sustain quality secondary education. The message really is that if you want quality education in public secondary schools, you must be prepared to pay for it.

That, again, is the tragedy of the government abdicating its responsibilities to the citizens.

Part of the reason why private schools are booming in Nigeria is because public secondary schools have been abandoned by state governments. Although private schools charge exorbitant fees, some parents pay the fees nevertheless just so their children can receive good education. Sadly, many parents cannot afford to pay excessive fees for the education of their children. This is

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

Comment

Drug abuse among youths in Nigeria African Independent Television (AIT) has been a victim.

Credible media organisations are ready to publish correction and retractions but not fakes. Also, if there are so much inappropriate materials pop ups and other embedded links, it is a red flag. The address and other contacts of the author should be clearly stated and functional and it is very important to check out if the information or story is loaded with strong, emotional or absolute language. Is the language moderate?

Media literacy is a way of battling fake news. This involves the understanding of how the news sources and media work. If the audiences are knowledgeable the problem will be reduced because fake news exits because of money from advert and political patronage.

Most platforms that disseminate such stories aims at attracting traffic – number of visits and time spent on the websites.

Seeking out truth and also giving out prompt accurate and truthful information is important.

Moreover, news sources must build trust and integrity in order to be believed. For example, in a shooting at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California, U.S, on April 3, 2018, Chief Ed Barberini of the San Bruno Police department was on hand giving press statement on the unfolding situation. This prompt release of relevant information helps in checking speculations and fake news.

Prof. Lai Oso, President Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) advised that “government needs to be more forth coming in terms of its public communication functions. It is not when things have gone to a very low level that it begins to panic about information; it must be concerned about credible information”. Many reputable social media, online news platforms and blogs are veritable sources of news if managed by credible professionals that adhere to the journalistic code of ethics of accuracy, impartiality, objectivity, truthfulness and public accountability. If fake news are promptly identified and debunked or set straight by the trusted credible media organisations, it will go a long way in checking the pervasiveness and threat of fake news. In this, it not enough to tell the news but also telling what is ‘no news’ as it breaks.

Uja, a Research Officer wrote in from Abuja.

the more reason why state governments must finance and revive secondary education. It would be interesting to compare the performance of students who attended public secondary schools with those of students who studied in private schools. The result will be undisputed.

It will expose the inadequacies of public secondary schools in Nigeria.

Every child has the fundamental right to be educated, at least up to the secondary school level. That obligation rests substantially with state governments.

If governments abandon their responsibility to ensure that every school age child attends school, parents will be compelled to fork out money for school fees, even if grudgingly.

In many countries that I have visited, it is the primary duty of government to finance primary and secondary education. Quality education is the key word here. There is no point providing ramshackle structures that are not fit to serve as classrooms. There is no point in establishing schools that lack basic amenities, including qualified teachers.

Consistently poor performance by students in examinations conducted by WAEC suggests a downward slide in secondary education across the country. Why is it that state education ministries have remained unflustered despite consistently pathetic academic performance by secondary school students? That nonchalant attitude has exposed the culture of neglect that has enfeebled secondary education in Nigeria. State governors and politicians are busy plotting how they will triumph in next year’s general elections. For that reason, they cannot discuss or address questions about poor quality of education at the secondary school level.

Those questions have been consigned to the “too hard basket”.

There must be something in our culture that rewards laziness and sharp practices by youth. Our social values have been discarded and in their place we have adopted Western cultural values that do not fit our social norms and cultural practices. Above all, important institutions of society that contribute to shaping the moral character of everyone have collapsed.

Levi Obijiofor is a Public Affairs Analyst.

By Kareem Itunu Azeez

W

hen David Jones wrote the music “Stay Alive” and after I listened to it, I began to imagine what he was thinking, and how he arrived to a point where majority of his hit songs would be against the abuse of drug usage, its grip and seduction.

David must have taught of the peer pressure syndrome, taking the first step into the wicked world of drug abuse, and how far those who ventured ended in tears and almost shattered hope. David, perhaps, was thinking in the same direction as I am, but we are not here to discuss music. However, he was talking to you and I, the great Nigeria youth.

Drug abuse has various definition as perceived by scholars, doctors, psychologists, even parents, but one definition that will stick to my memory for many years to come is that of the farlex partner medical dictionary (2012), which defines it as a “habitual use of drugs not needed for therapeutic purposes, solely to alter one’s mood, affect, or state of consciousness, or to affect a body function unnecessarily (as in laxative abuse)”. They were talking to us, the Nigerian youth.

Today, ingenuity has been introduced into drug abuse with complex mixtures, experimentations and new discoveries. This has resorted to the abuse of lizard dung (especially the whitish part), pit toilet/soak away fumes (bio generic gas), “goskolo”(a concoction of unimaginable substances), robin blue powder cocktail, “gadagi” (a substance resembling tea leaves), pharmaceutical products, (tramadol, rohypnol) and many more. Codeine containing cough syrup mixed with soft drinks is gradually taking over alcohol in youth parties. That’s also an excerpt recored in written piece, by vanguard of June 23rd 2016, exactly two years ago, from the words of Dr. Martin Agwogie a Drug Demand Reduction expert with NDLEA. Do you know who he was talking to? – The Nigerian youth.

Few months back, a recorded video trended

across the spheres of Nigeria media. It was about the discovery by the BBC Africa of how drug abuse has increased to a level whereby pharmaceutical companies now sell illegally in the name of cough syrups, pain relievers whereby an excessive intake might lead to situations where able men and women are bound in chains for rehabilitation purposes. Do you also know why this video was let out at the stake of the company’s name which I will not mention? They were talking to the youths. Yes, the once great Nigeria youths.

It’s a challenge for men and women like you and I, going through this life to be around while the abuse of drug is on a rampage with reckless abandon. Should we fold our hands and accept the tag of a ‘wasted generation’? If No is your answer as mine is, then it’s high time we know the causes of this abuse of drugs, it’s effect on us, and how it can be stopped – a permanent solution. I am talking to you, the Nigerian youth Frustrations, depression, poverty, and lack of proper security for drug usage might be the known reasons for its addiction. Ayo Adegoke, a lecturer of English and French semantics, and a one time drug addict, said in an interview with THISDAY, “Drugs can reduce a professor or president of a country to the level of a mechanic, who is also on drugs. It does not discriminate; it will reduce you to its level until you become a scum to the society.” He pointed out blankly, ‘it does not discriminate’ Although now aged 65, this man was once a youth.

The Effесtѕ оf drug abuse The effect of the negative substance is limitless. Here are a few; Alcohol for example, іѕ a ѕubѕtаnсе thаt has been consumed by mаn since mаnу centuries ago іn order tо gеt ѕресіаl bodily ѕеnѕаtіоn аnd іѕ deeply еmbеddеd in diverse сulturеѕ of thе wоrld. It іѕ used in almost аll раrtѕ оf thе wоrld yet many реорlе аrе nоt even aware thаt іt іѕ a drug. Many Nigerians do not regard аlсоhоl аѕ a vеrу роtеnt drug duе to thе fact that іt іѕ rеаdіlу available аnd іtѕ use іѕ socially accepted by thе ѕосіеtу. In ѕоmе societies оthеr than

Nіgеrіа today, drinking bеhаvіоur is соnѕіdеrеd іmроrtаnt fоr the whole ѕосіаl оrdеr аnd ѕо drinking is defined and limited in accordance wіth fundamental motifs оf the сulturе. In Nіgеrіа, аlсоhоl hаѕ contributed іmmеnѕеlу tо various road ассіdеntѕ аnd сrіmеѕ. Mаnу уеаrѕ аgо, alcohol used to bе thе рrеѕеrvе оf аdult mаlеѕ, but rесеnt studies ѕhоw thаt аlсоhоl іѕ nоw аbuѕеd by thе уоuths, including the fеmаlеѕ. Alсоhоl іѕ іn thе соmроѕіtіоn of many bеvеrаgеѕ and varies grеаtlу іn thеіr nаturе аnd ѕtrеngth. Sоmе hаvе frоm .3-20% while ѕоmе others соntаіn up tо 50% аlсоhоl. Whеn this аlсоhоl іѕ tаkеn in еxсеѕѕ, the following effects соuld bе еxреrіеnсеd in the body; (tragicly enough these statistics have been brought forward, because the youth dominate the family of drinkers in today’s Nigerian society.) * It deadens the nеrvоuѕ system. *It іnсrеаѕеs thе heart-beat. *It causes thе blооd vеѕѕеlѕ tо dilate. *It саuѕеѕ bad dіgеѕtіоn nоtаblу оf vіtаmіn B еѕресіаllу whеn taken on empty stomach. *It interferes wіth thе роwеr оf judgmеnt аnd роіѕоnѕ thе higher brаіn аnd nеrvе сеntrе еtс.

Finding Solution To This Plague.

If you think education and enlightenment are the only way to curb abuse of drug among the Nigerian youths, I advise you to think again.

If you think counseling is enough to change that man in your streets with senses of the air, then you haven’t met Nneameka Ikechukwu, a graduate of industrial chemistry. It saddened my heart as I read his words on a daily Nigeria newspaper, covered live, on May 2018. In his words as a Tramadol user, he said, ” As for me, I hardly get hungry when I take Tramadol and I think that is what caused my weight loss. I used to take 100 milligram (mg) but now I do not feel it again. If I want to feel the effect, I will consider from 200mg and above,” Nnaemeka Ikechukwu said.

Considering his level of Tramadol consumption, one would worry for his health but defiant Ikechukwu said whether he takes

drugs or not, he would still die. “Why should I not be high because something must kill a man? Oga reporter you are boring me here. In fact, I even need to smoke now. If you do not smoke, drink and do not do all these things you still die, so there is no need,” he queried.

The 25 years old graduate of Industrial Chemistry from a university in the Eastern part of Nigeria is one of the educated folks caught in the web of drug abuse. One would think that formal education is enough to deter him from being an addict; rather his quest for success was the propelling force. Remember he is a youth, prospective leader of tomorrow.

He said a friend introduced him to Tramadol that is cheap and readily available but he does not take codeine, which he thinks has different effects on people.

What then do we do to save our already peril nation from the claws of hard drugs and it’s abuse? Let me make this clear to the average Nigerian youth who sees excessive drug usage as the way out from our current economic predicament. Rehabilitation centers should be equipped AGRESSIVELY, then other known factors can come in such as education, counselling, and medical checkups for the victim of this sweet, sweet, addiction.

More over, as a nation, judging by the high increase of this menace, the government of the day would also solve this issue of drug abuse by decreasing the high rate of unemployment among the youth, because an hungry man is an angry man. When there’s job there’s joy.

In a nutshell, drug abuse is a self-destructive indulgence that leads to significant problems and distress. It has suddenly assumed an alarming proportion among youths in Nigeria and could get worse if care is not taken. We must do something now to stem the tide before it brings calamity on our society. God bless the Nigeria youth.

Kareem Itunu Azeez is a Public Affairs Analyst.

Orphans of the African Continent

By Owei Lakemfa

F

ive million fellow Africans in Western Cameroon are between the hard hitting hammer of the Cameroonian military and security forces, and the anvil of an armed opposition that has risen to defend the victims.

With unending military operations, life for these people has become a vicious circle of harassment, arrests, torture, mass murders, disappearances and mass displacement. Although Cameroon has six neigbouring countries – Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Equitorial Guinea, Republic of Congo and Nigeria, for historical, linguistic, social and cultural reasons, it is to Nigeria these Cameroonian refugees flee. But even when some of them manage to take refuge in Big Brother Nigeria, they are abandoned and sometimes, even delivered into the hands of the intolerant Cameroonian government. For instance, on January 17, 2018, 47 Cameroonian opposition leaders, including Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, leader of the Southern Cameroun opposition, who are political refugees in Nigeria, were holding a meeting in a hotel in Abuja when agents of the Department of State Services (DSS) swooped on them. In total disregard of all conventions on refugees, including the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention, which makes it obligatory for signatory countries like Nigeria to protect refugees, and Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognises the right of refugees to seek asylum from prosecution in other countries, the Buhari administration delivered the helpless captives to the stone age Paul Biya government in Cameroon.

Despite this illegality and the fact that the lives of these political refugees are in danger, no known international agency, including the UN and the African Union, has actively intervened to protect the lives of these men or guarantee them fair trial.

The Nigerian government might have engaged in such illegality because it has a military alliance with Cameroon against the terrorist Boko Haram, is not known itself to be friendly with legality including court orders, and has a similar self-determination movement in the eastern part of the country.

As it stands, these men and those they lead in Cameroon, are orphans. But in reality, Cameroonians, in general, have been orphaned by a continent and world that tolerates the dictatorship, exploitation and gross misrule that have been their lot since the 1884-85 Berlin Conference that carved out Africa for European colonisation. Yes. The current repression in Cameroon has colonial origins.

At the Berlin Conference of Western predators, France and Britain agreed to cede Cameroon to Germany. After the latter lost the First World War, France and Britain seized and shared the German colonies as war booty. Togo and Cameroon were in-between French and British colonies, and the two European nations, insensitive to the fact that the peoples of these colonies were one, simply sliced them up. One third of Togo was given to Britain, which annexed it to its Gold Coast colony (now Ghana). Britain was also given Western Cameroon, which became British Cameroon, and was annexed to its Nigerian colony. In 1922, the League of Nations, successor to the UN, recognised Togo and Cameroon as Trustee Territories.

The Cameroonians who had fought wars against German colonialism, decided to fight for freedom. On April 10, 1947, some trade unionists and nationalists founded the anti-colonial party, the Union des Populations du Cameroon (Union of the Peoples of Cameroun) UPC. The UPC was established primarily, to separate Cameroon from France. Secondly, to establish a socialist economy and use the country’s resources for the general wellbeing of Cameroonians, and not, for

France and the neo-colonial Cameroon elite it had established. Thirdly, to reunite British Cameroon with the rest of the country. Making little progress in the anti-colonial struggle, the UPC in December 1952, dragged France before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), demanding it repossess Cameroon, a UN Trusteeship, from the French, and, allow the people, unfettered independence. The UPC returned to the UNGA again in 1953 and 1954, making the same demands for independence.

Losing confidence in the UN’s commitment to the independence of colonised peoples, the party in April 1955, launched a “Proclamation Commune”, in which it declared Cameroon’s independence from France. On May 22, pro-independence protests broke out in the country and France not only resorted to brutal force to suppress the liberation fighters, but also banned the UPC on July 13, 1955.

France followed this up with the severe repression of Cameroonians. The year before, France had begun a similar suppression of the independence movement in Algeria; it was a criminal war in which the French slaughtered some two million Algerians. Simultaneously, it was engaged in a similar war in Vietnam, a colony it had split in two. But in the decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Vietnamese on May 7, 1954, militarily defeated the French.

Fearing a similar humiliation, France deployed Lieutenant Colonel Jean Lamberton from IndoChina to stamp out the Cameroonian resistance to its continued colonisation. In a similar strategy its British brothers were adopting at that time in Kenya, the French burnt down villages and towns, built and herded the populace into camps called the Cameroun Pacification Zone (ZoPac), where they were tortured, starved, and sometimes executed.

On September 13, 1958, the French military killed

the UPC secretary general, Reuben Um Nyobe.

In order to neutralise the UPC and hand over the country to pliant people, that same year France assisted Pro-French Cameroonian elites led by Alhaji Ahmadu Ahidjo, to establish the Union Camerounaise Party to which it handed over the country on January 1, 1960 in a symbolic gesture of independence. The UPC fought on for true independence. Ten months later, on November 3, 1960 agents of the French secret service, the Service de Documentation Exterieure et de ContreEspionnage (SDECE) poisoned the UPC president, Felix-Roland Moumie, in Geneva, Switzerland, in one of the most infamous murders in history.

On February 11, 1961, two referenda were held in British Cameroon, in which Northern Cameroon by 60 per cent voted to join Nigeria, while Southern Cameroon by 70.5 per cent, decided to join Cameroon. The understanding was that it would be a bilingual federation in which Southern Cameroon would have the status of a Special Area. The replacement of that federation with a unitary system, is what has led to today’s virtual civil war between Southern Cameroon and the rest of the country. The Southern Cameroon demand has transformed from federalism, to selfdetermination and now, secession. On August 31, 2006 the South Cameroon Peoples Organisation (SCAPO) declared Southern Cameroon, the Republic of Ambazonia.

In the rest of Cameroon itself, the repression, dictatorship and poor governance, has continued.

President Ahidjo dictated for 22 years before handing over to President Paul Biya, who has remained in power for 36 years now. So, it is not just the South, but the entire Cameroon that is orphaned and needs salvation.

Owei Lakemfa, former secretary general of African workers is a human rights activist, journalist and author.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

PAGE 14

ne w s Eid-el-Kabir: Prices of rams stable in Abuja

P

rices of rams in the FCT have remained stable, a day to the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports.

A NAN correspondent, who visited the Dei-dei Livestock Market and Dutse Market, reports that the prices of small, average and big rams at both markets ranged from N30,000 to N120,000.

This is against the price range of between N35,000 and N120,000 within the same period last year.

NAN reports that in spite of the low cost, some of the sellers complained of low patronage this year and expressed dissatisfaction with the low offers by some

customers.

At Dei-dei market, a ram seller, Munir Tanko, blamed the low patronage currently being witnessed in the ram market on the state of the economy.

He said some of the ram sellers, particularly those from the North-East, had lost their animals to the insurgency in the zone and had been forced to import from Niger Republic and Chad, to remain in business.

He lamented that in spite of the exorbitant cost of transporting the livestock, customers had continued to offer low prices for the animals.

“Transporting these animals to Abuja and other states can be very expensive. This is exclusive

of their feeding, yet their value has continued to drop with customers seeking cheap bargains after complaining of a paucity of funds.

“I and some of my boys have been able to sell a few rams out of the more than 200 we brought.

“Some buyers come, price the rams and go without buying as the price may have exceeded their budget.

“It is not our fault; we did not buy them cheap too; even the ones we reared ourselves are expensive because it is not easy to feed and rear animals for two or more years; it costs money,” Tanko said.

Another seller, Isah MaiDabino, told NAN that patronage was fair in spite of the prevailing economic situation, saying that

people were offering “low but acceptable offers”.

According to him, Eid-El Kabir is a divinely-ordained festival, even though sacrificing ram is not mandatory, particularly for those who cannot afford it.

Some of the buyers, who spoke with NAN, groaned over what they called the skyrocketing prices of the livestock.

A buyer, who identified himself as Akeem Adesola, told NAN that he came to purchase a big ram but ended up with a small one because he could not afford his choice due to its high price.

“The one I ended up buying cost me N35,000, while the medium size I had wanted to buy was going for a negotiable price of

N60,000.

“I have visited many ram markets around town but I could not buy any because of the high cost; that is why I came here, hoping it would be better,” he said.

Another prospective buyer, Aminu Yunusa, pointed out that Allah did not put a burden on anyone who could not afford the sacrifice.

According to him, it is obvious from all indications that the prices may be higher in the few hours remaining for the festival.

“If you can afford, buy it; if you can’t, leave it. It is not compulsory for anybody who cannot afford it; it is not a luxury; it is for sacrifice,” Mr Yunusa said. (NAN)

Win souls for Christ through actions, Okowa urges Christians

PAGE 15

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

Eid-El-Kabir: APC urges Muslims to imbibe lessons of sacrifice

By Tordue Salem, Abuja

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) celebrates yesterday celebrated with Muslim faithfuls in the country on the commemoration of Eid ulAdha.

In a statement signed by its

National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the party also “urge all to imbibe the lessons of the important Islamic festival which exemplifies sacrifice and fulfillment of promise as demonstrated by Prophet Ibrahim (RTA)”.

According ti the party, “as we celebrate the Sallah feast with

family, friends and loved ones, Muslim faithfuls and indeed all Nigerians are implored to show love to neighbours and cater for the less privileged around us.

“In our national life, Eid ul-Adha is a reminder for us to make our individual and collective sacrifices for the well-being, unity, peace

and development of our dear country, Nigeria.

“We must therefore shun the disruptive and divisive utterances and actions emanating from some unpatriotic quarters lately.

In our private capacity, official duties, wherever we find ourselves, we must all

exhibit the pan-Nigerian spirit. We should embrace our country’s diversity and harness it for good. We must see every Nigerian as a brother. We should take advantage of his strength, help him with his weakness.

That is the only way we can grow as a country”.

From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

D

elta Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged Christians to win soul for Christ through their actions.

He made the call on Sunday (while speaking at the second Mega Convention cum Dedication of a 7 Floor Prayer Tower at Church of God Mission International, Benin City, Edo. Okowa said, “a Christian cannot afford to live a careless life; he should win souls for Christ with his deeds, because, if he fails to win by his actions, he has failed.

“It is my prayer that God will renew your strength as Christians; just imagine a Nigeria without people to serve God; God has a purpose for this country and we pray that our nation will be great for the Lord.

“It is important that we preach about salvation, about the kingdom of God, rather than things of the world; it is not fair when we do not preach about salvation; salvation first and any other thing comes after.

“As a Christian, you should work hard so that you remain in the kingdom of God.” He thanked the church for inviting him to inaugurate the prayer tower built by a member of the church, Mr Ifeanyi Nwachukwu, noting that Christians should at all times, serve God with whatever they had.

Earlier in a sermon, Bishop Feb Idahosa urged Christians to go and woo more people to Christ since they had been delivered and seen the light.

“You have been delivered, go and bring more people to be delivered; your job is to introduce those who need to be delivered, because God can accommodate everyone of us.”

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, left receives the President of Guinea Conakry, Alpha Conde at the Katsina International Airport, . The visiting President was on his way to Daura to meet President Muhammadu Buhari.

General Overseer, Christ Evangelical and Life Intervention Ministry, Pastor Yohanna Buru (R); with his wife, Grace (4th,R) and others sharing food and other items to children and physically challenge persons to celebrate 2019 Eid-el-Kabir, in Kaduna .

Photo: NAN

Kebbi govt. calls for peace, unity From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi

T

he Kebbi State Secretary to the Government, SSG, Alhaji Babale Umar Yauri Mni has called on the adherent of the two religions in the State to engage in activities that will promote peace, understanding and unity.

In a Press Statement issued to newsmen yesterday after the sermon prayed and was signed by the Permanent Secretary in charge of the General Administration and also overseeing the cabinet office Alhaji Yakubu Tafida Yauri, further stressed that the feast of Eid-el-Kabir is a test of faith in commemoration of the sublime

submission by Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) to the call for sacrifice.

The SSG called on the people of the State to be very vigilant, security conscious and report all suspicious characters, movements and objects to security agents, Security is everybody’s responsibility; therefore, all hands must be on deck in complementing government efforts towards safeguarding lives and property of the people.

The two religions teaches peace, good neighborliness and kindness, therefore Nigerians should eschew hate speech, fake news and continue to encourage love, harmony, peaceful co-

existence and respect for one another at all times, the SSG stressed.

He further explained that the occasion should serve as a constant reminder to all Muslims to live a life of sacrifice for the common good as well as continue to show love and respect among themselves and people of other faiths.

He said the present administration led by Governor Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu is committed to the development of the State using available resources for the benefit of the people, hence the need for Nigerlites to support the laudable programmes and policies of the

present administration designed to improve the living standard of the populace.

“We must not forget to remember our brothers and sisters who are currently performing the Holy Pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia”. It is my hope and prayer that Almighty Allah will reward their acts of worship and grant them journey mercies as they return home at the end of the pilgrimage, the SSG stressed.

Alhaji Babale Umar who expressed optimism that the Hajj exercise would spiritually rejuvenate pilgrims to better contribute to the socioeconomic development of our State.

Oyegun a true patriot, democrat - Buhari

By Lawrence Olaoye

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has joined members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in congratulating Chief John Odigie Oyegun on his 80th birthday, describing him as true example of a patriot and democrat.

In a statement made available to newsmen

yesterday by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, Buhari congratulated Oyegun on the milestone, which has been highlighted with memories of great achievements like turning a Permanent Secretary at the age of 30, winning a gubernatorial election in early 50s, and providing visionary leadership to unseat an incumbent government for

the first time in Nigeria’s history.

The President affirmed that the former chairman of All Nigeria’s Peoples Party (ANPP) and APC set a standard for consistency, honesty and integrity in Nigeria’s politics as he championed building of strong democratic institutions, and promoted the virtue of looking beyond elections and positions to

growing and unifying the nation for posterity.

As an active participant in Nigeria’s political development and governance for many years, Buhari believed Chief Oyegun’s depth of wisdom, maturity, tolerance and penchant for always putting the interest of the nation above self should serve as a lesson to both old and younger political actors,

that the greatest investment for building a nation is personal sacrifice.

The President rejoiced with family members, friends and associates of the former governor of Edo State as he turns an octogenarian, praying that God will give him good health and strength to keep serving the nation and humanity.

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

politics PDP wins all seats in Bayelsa LG elections

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won all eight seats in the local government election in Bayelsa State. The election was conducted by the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC) on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bayelsa has eight LGAs. The All Progressives Congress (APC) did not

partake in the election because of some alleged irregularities.

The Returning Officer, Frank Ebikumor, on Sunday in Yenagoa announced that Dengiye Ubarugu of the PDP polled 42,539 votes to defeat the candidate of ADC who polled 1,031 votes in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA. In Southern-Ijaw, the Returning Officer, Nwiwu Johnson, announced that Nigeria Kia of the PDP scored

107,150 to defeat the candidate of the AD who scored 2,489 votes.

In Ekeremor LGA, the Returning Officer, Victor Ayibatonye, announced that Perekeme Petula emerged winner with 62,529 votes, as other parties had no vote.

Also, in Sagbama LGA, where Governor Seriake Dickson hails from, the Returning Officer, ThankGod Apere, announced that Alah

Embeleakpo had 96,468 votes as other parties had no vote.

In Brass LGA, the Returning Officer, Timothy Ogiaba, announced that Victor Isaiah of the PDP scored 28,667 votes while LP scored 2,948 votes.

Read also: Bayelsa election tribunal strikes out nine petitions, dismisses five others Ogbia LGA, Ebiye Ogoli, the Returning Officer, announced that Turner Ebinyo of the PDP scored 17,661 votes to defeat

the ADC candidate who scored 1,017.

And in Yenagoa, the Returning Officer, Goodhead Abraham, declared that Uroupaye Nimizuoa of the PDP scored 98,831 votes to defeat Lawrence Kwokwo of ADC who scored 636 votes.

In his remarks, Remember Ogbe, the BYSIEC Chairman, said the process was peaceful in all the areas where elections were conducted.(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

politics

Edil- Kabir: Niger APC charges for religious tolerance, Congratulates Nigerlites From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna.

T

he Niger State chapter of All Progressive Congress APC has congratulated the people of Niger state on the celebration of this years Edil- Kabir while urging for peaceful coexistence amongst the people devoid of political, tribal and religious differences.

The party Chairman, Engr.

Mohammed Jibrin Imam in a sallah message issued by the Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Idris A. Abini appreciated the support, cooperation and peaceful conduct of its supporters thus far and charged for its sustainance.

Engr Imam told Muslims and non Muslims to eschew religious tolerance in the spirit of sacrifice, sharing, commitment and loyalty as exemplified by the Holy Prophet

Muhammad (SAW) in the Holy Quran.

He therefore, appealed to APC supporters and the entire citizens to be patient with the present administration in the state as it is doing all that is humanly possible to ensure the provision of dividend of democracy.

The APC Chairman noted that development can not be achieved in an atmosphere of rancor and acrimony as dialogue remains the only option in resolving issues.

He urged communities to report any suspected movement to the security agencies immediately they noticed any sign while wishing Muslims in the country the best celebration advised them to maintained peace and obey laws and order during and after the festival.

PAGE 17 DELTA STATE POLYTECHNIC Otefe, P.M.B. 03, Oghara, Nigeria.

Tel: 234(0)54 340 500 www.otefepoly.edu.ng E-mail: otefepoly@yahoo.co.uk INVITATION FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION FOR TETFUND 2017 ANNUAL INTERVENTION FOR PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE/PROGRAMME UPGRADE AND PROJECT MAINTENANCE INTERVENTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe – Oghara hereby invites interested, competent and reputable contractors and suppliers with good track record for timely delivery of projects to submit technical bids in respect of the following items to be procured with the Polytechnic’s TETFUND Interventions.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK 2.1 TETFUND YEAR 2017 ANNUAL INTERVENTION FOR PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE/PROGRAMME UPGRADE Lot No Description Lot 1 Construction of 1No. Block (one suspended floor building) of offices and classrooms for the School of General Studies, Comprising departmental offices, classrooms, conference room, restrooms for male and female.

Lot 2 Procurement and installation of furniture and equipment for the block for the School of General Studies

Code TETFUND/POLY/OTEFE/ 2017/01 TETFUND/POLY/OTEFE/2017/02

2.2 TETFUND YEAR 2017 PROJECT MAINTENANCE INTERVENTION Lot No Description Lot 3 Renovation / Rehabilitation of Academic Staff Block in School of Business (2006/2007 Tetfund merged intervention projects).

Lot 4 Renovation/Rehabilitation of Block of (4) classrooms in Office Technology Management Department (2006/2007 TETFUND Merged Intervention Projects) Lot 5 Renovation/Rehabilitation of Academic Staff Offices and classrooms building at School of Applied Sciences (2006/2007 TETFUND Merged Intervention Projects).

Lot 6 Renovation/Rehabilitation of Science Laboratory Technology Building (TETFUND Year 2005 Intervention Project).

Code TETFUND/POLY/OTEFE/M/17/01 TETFUND/POLY/OTEFE/M/17/02 TETFUND/POLY/OTEFE/M/17/03 TETFUND/POLY/OTEFE/M/17/04

3.0 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS INTERESTED CONTRACTORS/SUPPLIERS ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS: i. Evidence of Incorporation of company with Corporate Affairs commission. ii. Company’s Audited Account for the last 3 (three) years, duly stamped by a Registered Auditor. iii. Evidence of Current Tax Clearance Certificate (2016, 2017, 2018) iv. Provision of Tax Identification Number (TIN) v. Certificate of compliance with Pension Reform Act, as issued by the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) and stated to be valid till December 2019. vi. Evidence of compliance with ITF Amendment Act 2011 and stated to be valid till December 2019. vii. Evidence of Financial capability and banking support viii. Verifiable evidence of similar jobs successfully executed, or being executed, within the last five (5) years, including type, cost, location and evidence of award and satisfactory completion. ix. Evidence of VAT registration with evidence of past VAT remittance for completed projects. x. Corporate profile to include a list of key personnel of the company, their CV’s, copies of their credentials including technical qualification, years of cognate experience (with evidence) and current certificate of registration with relevant professional bodies. xi. A Sworn Affidavit by a Director certifying that: a. The documents submitted for the pre-qualification exercises are not only genuine, but correct. b. None of the Directors of the Company had ever been convicted by Law. c. The Company is not bankrupt. d. None of the Officers of the Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe – Oghara is a former or present Director of the Company. xii. Include Certified True Copy of CAC registration forms CO2 and CO7 containing names of directors and shareholders. xiii. Certified copy of memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company xiv. Original Bank Statement of the past twelve (12) months xv. Company’s registered address, functional contact address, GSM phone numbers and email addresses. xvi. Reference letters from three (3) previous Employers for similar projects, satisfactorily completed. xvii. Company’s Banking Detail including Account name, account number, bank name and branch, and sort code. xviii. Evidence of Financial Reporting Council. xix. Evidence of Registration with NSITF valid till 31/12/19 xx. Evidence of Registration with BPP data registration (IRR). Expiring 31/12/19 3.1 INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD PLEASE NOTE THAT: i. Only prequalified bidders will be invited to bid financially. ii. All submissions must be made, adequately substantiated with documents and must be verifiable. iii. The Polytechnic shall deal directly with only the authorized officers of interested companies whose telephone number is indicated in the letter of authorization and not with their agents. iv. This pre-qualification exercise shall not be construed as a commitment on the part of the Polytechnic to award the contracts to anyone or even award of a contract at all. v. A company indicating interest in more than one project should submit their profile for all the projects they are interested in. vi The Polytechnic is not bound to accept the lowest or any tender 4.0 SUBMISSION OF TENDER DOCUMENTS Contractors should submit duly completed Technical bid documents addressed to the Registrar, Delta State Polytechnic, PMB 03, Otefe – Oghara, in sealed envelopes with the project title inscribed on the top right corner, their company name and address on the reverse side of the envelop, in the Office of the Registrar, Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe – Oghara.

5.0 The closing date for the submission is six weeks from the date of this publication. Please note that late submission of Tender application shall not be accepted.

6.0 OPENING OF PRE-QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS The Technical bid documents will be opened by 12noon on the last day of the sixth week from the date of this publication, in the conference room of the Polytechnic.

All bidders or their representatives, relevant professionals and NGOs are invited to witness the public Technical bid opening exercise accordingly.

Successfully prequalified Bidders will be given the Blank Financial BOQ’s and Specifications on same day, for eventual completion and submission, five working days thereafter 7.0 OPENING OF FINANCIAL BIDS Financial bids from prequalified Technical bidders will be opened, ten (10)working days after the technical bids opening date by 10.00am in the same venue

Signed: Dr. Benson Omonode (Registrar)

Lagos AAC pledges allegiance to Sowore, disowns rival

T

L R ;Mr.Saheed Aderonmu;Oyo State APC,Secretary Mr.Mojeed Olaoya;Former Governor of Oyo State,Abiola Ajimobi and Alh.Abidemi Siyanbade , yesterday during the 2019 Eid-El-Kabir Prayer Grand Ibadan.

Photo: NAN

Sallah: Bauchi gov. assures on devt, peace, security From Ahmad Mohammed, Bauchi

B

auchi State Government has reassured people of the state of its commitment towards the maintenance of peace and security for sustainable development in the state.

The State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed gave the assurance in his 2019 Eid-El Kabir Message to the entire people of the state.

Senator Bala Mohammed

said while government is doing everything possible to to protect the lives and property of the citizenry, there is need for them to cooperate and pray for the success of the administration.

The Governor pledged the determination of the present administration in the state to continue with the good work of providing the necessary infrastructural facilities and social amenities of the upliftment of the living standard of the people.

He recalled that, Eid El Kabir celebrations

symbolized the extent of total submission of Prophet Abraham when he answered the call of the Almighty to sacrifice his only son Prophet Isma’il, and implored muslims to emulate the prophets sacrifice in their wordly dealings.

According to him, Muslims should integrate the teachings of Eid-El Kabir in practical day to day interactions and promote relationship with their brothers and sisters, both Muslims and followers of other religions.

He enjoined them to use the Sallah celebrations to reflect on their past activities spiritually in the last 12 months as according to the governor, such reflection and self-assessment will afford them the opportunity to enjoy the mercies of Almighty Allah in the hereafter.

Senator Bala Mohammed who noted that, sallah celebrations are normally characterized by high traffic flow, appealed to people to observe traffic regulations in order to reduce accidents on highways through the period.

He therefore called on parents to ensure that they do not allow their wards to be involved in criminal activities as reports during festive periods in the past indicated an increase in criminal activities.

The Governor used the medium to regret that, some disgruntled elements are bent on disturbing peaceful atmosphere through the use of thugs, and saying that, his administration has put all appropriate machinery in place to deal with the unfortunate trend.

he Lagos State Chapter of the African Alliance Congress (AAC) said on Sunday that it would not recognise Leonard Nzenwa as the national chairman of the party.

The publicity secretary of the party in the state, Elias Ozikpu, expressed the position in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He was reacting to the reported sacking of Omoyele Sowore as national chairman by a convention of the party on August 9 in Owerri and the subsequent naming of Mr Nzenwa as the new chairman.

Mr Sowore, also the presidential candidate of the

party in the 2019 elections and 28 others were reportedly expelled for alleged anti-party activities and insubordination at the convention.

The AAC presidential candidate is currently being held in connection with the recent #RevolutionNow march he spearheaded.

Mr Nzenwa, while speaking after the programme, condemned the #RevolutionNow march by Mr Sowore and others, saying AAC did not sanction the protest.

He promised that the party would have a new lease of life under him, accusing Mr Sowore of working against the interests of the party and Nigerians.

But Mr Ozikpu has described Mr Nzenwa as an impostor, saying that Mr Sowore remained the AAC national chairman.

He said the convention in which Mr Sowore was purportedly expelled and Mr Nzenwa announced was a ‘kangaroo arrangement” by those hell-bent on hijacking the party.

Mr Ozikpu pointed out that Mr Nzenwa had earlier been expelled from the party at a recent convention in Abuja, saying there was no way the Lagos AAC and genuine members would recognise him as chairman.

“Nzenwa is not the chairman of the party. We don’t recognise him in Lagos AAC and genuine

members of the party don’t recognise him as chairman.

“Our chairman remains Mr Omoyele Sowore and that is the leader we all know. Nzenwa is just an impostor, who just wants to hijack the party and that is why he and others went to Owerri to announce the expulsion of Sowore,” he said.

“But the questions to ask are: why Owerri? Is Owerri the headquarters of the party?

Who and who were at the so called convention where he was announced as chairman? The whole thing was a kangaroo arrangement.

“We had our national convention recently in Abuja and

the same Nzenwa was expelled by the party while a vote of confidence was passed on Sowore.

So Nzenwa can’t claim to be national chairman.

“The national secretary of the party is putting a disclaimer in newspapers to counter Nzenwa’s claim. He is not our chairman and we don’t recognise him.”

Mr Ozikpu urged members to keep faith with the party and remain loyal to Mr Sowore even with his current travail.

He described AAC as the party of the people with the main objective of having a country that would work for all. (NAN)

Buhari, Ramaphosa agree to meet in South Africa over consular, trade issues

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari and South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, have agreed to meet in October to discuss issues relating to the wellbeing of their citizens and ways to further strengthen trade relations between the two largest African economies.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and

Publicity, confirmed this development in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.

“In a telephone conversation with the South African leader at his country home in Daura, Katsina State, President Buhari accepted an invitation to visit the (South Africa) country,” the presidential aide said.

According to him, the two leaders will consider recurrent issues concerning the wellbeing

of the Nigerian community in South Africa and the need to promote trade and investment.

Mr Shehu also quoted an earlier letter of invitation by the South African President saying “Your visit will provide an excellent opportunity for our sister countries to further consolidate and advance our strategic partnership and cooperation on matters of peace, security and socio-economic

development in our continent.

“We will discuss issues of mutual interest and concern in global governance.’’

Mr Ramaphosa said the meeting would provide an opportunity to inaugurate a binational commission for both countries to “effect the strategic decisions taken in 2016 to elevate it to the level of Heads of State.’’

The News Agency of

Nigeria (NAN) reports that over 120 Nigerians had so far been reported killed and their businesses destroyed in xenophobic attacks across South Africa over the years.

Various groups including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) had been embarking on peaceful protests against the frequent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa.(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

Stock Watch: Friday, August 2, 2019 Low

OPEN Volume Close High

5.80 6.15 0 3.94 3.94 0 0.27 0.27 0 0.64 0.64 0 8.60 8.60 0 67.00 68.30 0 3.79 4.21 0 9.65 10.05 0 31.50 34.00 0 1.90 1.92 0 18.45 18.45 0 1.72 1.84 0 23.25 23.25 0 0.20 0.20 0 0.20 0.20 0 6.10 6.10 0 1.75 1.75 0 186.00 186.00 0 6.00 6.65 0 14.60 14.55 0 1.80 2.00 0 3.37 3.37 0 4.30 4.70 0 14.00 14.00 0 7.35 7.80 0 1.62 1.65 0 1.91 1.96 0 4.95 4.95 99 0.33 0.33 0 21.85 21.85 0 29.60 30.70 0 0.20 0.20 0 12.20 13.05 0 32.60 32.95 0 72.00 72.00 0 1.18 1.18 0 1.53 1.53 0 31.50 31.50 0 0.51 0.54 0 0.20 0.20 0 23.25 23.25 0 0.44 0.44 0 0.30 0.30 0 1.36 1.36 0 0.72 0.72 0 0.52 0.49 0 1.83 1.83 0 2.45 2.45 0

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Trades

5.80 6.00 ACCESS -0.35 3.94 3.94 AFRIPRUD 0.00 0.27 0.27 AGLEVENT 0.00 0.64 0.64 AIICO 0.00 8.60 8.60 BERGER 0.00 67.00 67.00 BETAGLAS -1.30 3.79 3.79 BOCGAS -0.42 9.65 10.05 CADBURY -0.40 31.50 31.50 CAP -2.50 1.90 1.90 CAVERTON -0.02 18.45 18.45 CCNN 0.00 1.72 1.72 CHAMPION -0.12 23.25 23.25 CONOIL 0.00 0.20 0.20 CORNERST 0.00 0.20 0.20 COURTVILLE 0.00 6.10 6.10 CUSTODIAN 0.00 1.75 1.75 CUTIX 0.00 186.00 186.00 DANGCEM 0.00 6.00 6.25 DANGFLOUR -0.65 14.60 14.60 DANGSUGAR 0.05 1.80 2.00 DIAMONDBNK -0.20 3.37 3.37 EKOCORP 0.00 4.30 4.30 ETERNA -0.40 14.00 14.00 ETI 0.00 7.45 7.60 FBNH -0.35 1.62 1.67 FCMB -0.03 1.92 1.98 FIDELITYBK -0.04 4.95 4.95 FIDSON 0.00 0.33 0.33 FIRSTALUM 0.00 21.85 21.85 FLOURMILL 0.00 29.60 29.60 FO -1.10 0.20 0.20 FTNCOCOA 0.00 12.20 12.20 GLAXOSMITH -0.85 33.50 33.50 GUARANTY 0.55 72.00 72.00 GUINNESS 0.00 1.18 1.18 HONYFLOUR 0.00 1.53 1.53 IKEJAHOTEL 0.00 31.50 31.50 INTBREW 0.00 0.53 0.53 JAIZBANK -0.01 0.20 0.21 JAPAULOIL 0.00 23.25 23.25 JBERGER 0.00 0.44 0.44 JOHNHOLT 0.00 0.30 0.30 LASACO 0.00 1.36 1.36 LEARNAFRCA 0.00 0.72 0.72 LINKASSURE 0.00 0.52 0.52 LIVESTOCK 0.03 1.83 1.83 MANSARD 0.00 2.45 2.45 MAYBAKER 0.00

Stock Close Gain UPL 2.14 0.17 LIVESTOCK 0.52 0.03 SOVRENINS 0.21 0.01 OKOMUOIL 80.00 3.80 GUARANTY 33.50 0.55

Low 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

OPEN Volume Close High

Symbol CHANGE

Trades

0.21 0.21 0 0.21 0.21 MBENEFIT 0.00 0 0.43 0.43 0 0.43 0.43 MCNICHOLS 0.00 0 2.05 2.05 261 2.05 2.05 MEDVIEWAIR 0.00 0 184.80 184.80 0 184.80 184.80 MOBIL 0.00 0 0.20 0.20 970 0.20 0.20 MULTIVERSE 0.00 0 3.50 3.50 0 3.50 3.50 NAHCO 0.00 0 18.00 18.00 0 18.00 18.00 NASCON 0.00 0 78.50 78.70 0 79.50 79.50 NB 0.80 0 0.78 0.78 0 0.78 0.78 NEIMETH 0.00 0 2.60 2.60 0 2.60 2.60 NEM 0.00 0 552.20 552.20 150 552.20 552.20 NESF 0.00 0 1,475.00 1,475.00 0 1,475.00 1,475.00 NESTLE 0.00 0 1.60 1.65 0 1.60 1.60 NPFMCRFBK -0.05 0 4.60 4.80 0 4.60 4.75 OANDO -0.20 0 80.00 76.20 0 80.00 80.00 OKOMUOIL 3.80 0 64.00 64.00 0 64.00 64.00 PRESCO 0.00 0 0.50 0.50 0 0.50 0.50 PRESTIGE 0.00 0 12.30 12.30 0 12.30 12.30 PZ 0.00 0 4.20 4.20 0 4.20 4.20 REDSTAREX 0.00 0 0.20 0.21 0 0.20 0.21 REGALINS -0.01 0 0.50 0.50 0 0.50 0.50 RESORTSAL 0.00 0 0.21 0.23 0 0.21 0.22 ROYALEX -0.02 0 640.00 640.00 405 640.00 640.00 SEPLAT 0.00 0 0.20 0.20 0 0.21 0.21 SOVRENINS 0.01 0 46.50 46.00 0 46.50 46.50 STANBIC 0.50 0 102.00 102.00 122 102.00 102.00 STANBICETF30 0.00 0 1.97 1.96 0 1.97 1.97 STERLNBANK 0.01 0 203.00 203.00 0 203.00 203.00 TOTAL 0.00 0 6.10 6.10 632 6.10 6.10 TRANSCOHOT 0.00 0 1.15 1.21 0 1.16 1.18 TRANSCORP -0.05 0 9.60 9.60 0 9.60 9.60 UACN 0.00 0 1.74 1.92 0 1.74 1.74 UAC-PROP -0.18 0 7.60 7.80 0 7.90 7.95 UBA 0.10 0 6.00 6.05 0 6.00 6.05 UBN -0.05 0 2.89 2.94 0 2.89 2.91 UCAP -0.05 0 36.30 37.00 0 36.30 36.30 UNILEVER -0.70 0 0.27 0.27 0 0.27 0.27 UNIONDAC 0.00 0 1.00 0.99 0 1.00 1.00 UNITYBNK 0.01 0 2.04 1.97 0 2.14 2.14 UPL 0.17 0 0.23 0.23 0 0.23 0.23 VERITASKAP 0.00 0 4.50 4.99 0 4.50 4.50 VITAFOAM -0.49 0 11.30 11.50 0 11.30 11.65 WAPCO -0.20 0 0.40 0.40 0 0.40 0.40 WAPIC 0.00 0 0.59 0.61 0 0.59 0.61 WEMABANK -0.02 0 21.20 22.70 0 21.70 22.50 ZENITHBANK -1.00 0 Copyright © 2019 NgTradeOnline

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Stock Close Loss DIAMONDBNK 1.80 -0.20 BOCGAS 3.79 -0.42 VITAFOAM 4.50 -0.49 DANGFLOUR 6.00 -0.65 UAC-PROP 1.74 -0.18

Stop investing in Ponzi Schemes, SEC urges Nigerians

By Etuka Sunday

N

igerians have again been advised to desist from investing their money in various investment schemes that are not registered to carry out fund management functions.

This was stated weekend by Ag. Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Mary Uduk in the face of various unregistered schemes luring unsuspecting Nigerians with unreasonable returns.

Uduk while enjoining investors to be wary of any investment that is proposing return levels that are unreasonably high, also advised investors to always cross check that such fund managers and the products they are offering are registered with the SEC. According to her, the capital market is properly positioned to attract Nigerians and provide benefits to Nigerians who invest therein.

She said the SEC has been doing a lot in terms of investor education to assist people understand whatever issues they have around the capital market.

“But besides that, there are new products coming up every day in the Nigerian capital market.

We have a lot of ethical funds, one of the safest areas to invest in is in Mutual Funds, Collective Investments Schemes and we encourage Nigerians to be part of these and others”.

The Ag. DG said the SEC is presently undertaking various initiatives to make the capital market more user-friendly such that people can participate in it with greater ease, comfort and convenience.

She said “There is the added and all-important purpose of ensuring that the gains of your participation, be these dividends, proceeds from share sales/ transfers, etc. accrue to you seamlessly, without sweat and in

the shortest time possible.

“The purpose is also to ensure that you do not fall victim to the antics of fraudsters who purport to be able to double any amount of money you make available to them as investment value.

“These fraudsters or promoters of Ponzi Schemes are the false prophets of the investment environment, they are the ill wind that blows no good and at whose sight you must flee; they are to be avoided. This is one message you must keep spreading to family, friends, relations and acquaintances in order to save them from the agony of loss of their hard–earned money”.

Uduk therefore advised the general public to distance themselves from such schemes, adding, “Please note that anyone that subscribes to these illegal activities does so at their own risk.”

She also informed investors that the SEC is currently leading the entire capital market industry

in an effort to migrate all shareholders to an e –Dividend regime.

The essence of the e-Dividend Mandate Management System she said, is to eradicate or reduce to the barest minimum the incidence of unclaimed dividend.

“Unclaimed dividend is an undesirable feature of the Nigerian capital market which denies investors/shareholders the gains of participating in the capital market. It denies the economy access to the huge amount of money which should have accrued to shareholders and would have gone into circulation to oil the wheel of the economy.

“It is a consequence of the bottlenecks which are inherent in the erstwhile paper dividend warrant regime such as postal system inefficiency, change in investors’ addresses, poor fidelity and human fallibility in dividend payment processes, amongst others.

Uduk stated that the e-Dividend regime bypasses these limitations by ensuring that dividends which do not exceed 12 years of issue are credited directly to an investors account after declaration by the paying company and within a stipulated payment period through simple interbank transfer.

Recall that the e-Dividend registration exercise started on November 23, 2016.

Other initiatives by the SEC to ensure that Investors get the benefit from investing in the market, according to Uduk include, Multiple Subscription Regularisation, Direct Cash Settlement, dematerialisation, National Investor Protection Fund, Recapitalisation of capital market operators, corporate governance scorecard, new rules for products innovation, development of commodity exchange, Collective Investment Schemes among others.

Forex Intervention: CBN injects $280.04m, CNY 28.3m into Retail SMIS

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) has received a boost of $280.04million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which also injected the sum of CNY 28.3million in the spot and short tenored forwards segment of the inter-bank foreign market.

The latest interventions in the inter-bank foreign exchange market, which were announced on Friday, August 9, 2019, by its Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isaac Okorafor, were for requests in the agricultural and raw materials sectors as well as Renminbi-denominated Letters of Credit.

Mr. Okorafor further expressed satisfaction over the stability of the

foreign exchange which according to him, was largely due to sustained intervention by the Bank.

He reiterated assurances that the Bank’s management would remain committed to ensuring that all the sectors of the forex market continue to enjoy access to the needed foreign exchange.

It will be recalled that the Bank on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, offered authorized dealers in the wholesale segment of the market the sum of $100million, while the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the invisibles segments each received the sum of $55 million.

Meanwhile, $1 exchanged for N358 at the Bureau de Change (BDC) segment of the foreign exchange market, while CNY1 exchanged at N46 on Friday, August 9, 2019.

Chairman, Dome Entertainment Center in Abuja, Dr obiora okonkwo (L); his wife, Gina, answering questions from newsmen after delivering a keynote lecture during 2019 International Youth Day celebration at Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra

NCC, NACCIMA deepen collaboration in digital access for economic growth

By Etuka Sunday

N

igerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) have agreed to deepen collaboration in the area of digital access for economic growth in the country.

The duo communicated the commitment during a courtesy visit by the new executive council of NACCIMA led by its National President, Saratu Iya-Aliu, to the NCC Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

The NACCIMA executives, who were received by Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB),

NCC, Hafsat Lawal, on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said, the choice of NCC as the first organisation to visit after their recent inauguration, was to seek areas of collaboration to further increase the frontier of private sector players leveraging digital platforms.

Speaking, the National President said, “communication is the way to go now to do business. You can stay in your house and advertise your products for patronage online.

“Communication is an important aspect of business, therefore, we really want to find out all the ways and means to make it easy for our members to participate in this

communication business, and NCC is into training and educating the people on how to use communication to do their business effectively,” she said.

NACCIMA President, Iya-Aliu praised NCC for its commitment to deepen digital penetration for economic growth and inclusiveness in the country.

“As the voice of private sector in Nigeria, we have noticed the important role which the NCC has been playing in digitising the economy. It has helped to bring a lot of efficiency into the private businesses and we give you commendation based on this drive,” she said.

Also speaking, the Director General of the association, Ayoola

Olukanmi, who took time to explain the vision of the newly-constituted executives of NACCIMA, also commended NCC for the leap it had recorded in digitising the economy, noting that “beyond using digitisation for social interactions, it has also become a powerful tool for enhancing business growth.”

He cited digitisation, women/ gender issues, digital training for members as well as startup development, among others, as areas where NACCIMA would like to collaborate with the Commission.

In her response, the EVC rep., Lawal thanked the NACCIMA team for the visit, and told them that as NCC deepens digital access, the

Commission constantly engages in collaborating with various agencies and stakeholders as avenues to deliver on its various mandate of protecting, informing and educating the consumers of telecoms services on their rights, obligations and privileges.

She, however, asked the association to articulate their demands and areas for collaborations and forward same to the Commission’s Management for consideration, assuring them of the NCC’s readiness to deepen stakeholder collaboration and partnership, promote competition and inclusive growth for private sector players represented by NACCIMA in the country.

Page 20

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

Promote peaceful coexistenceCandido charges Muslims, others

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abdullahi Adamu Candido has called on Muslim faithful to promote unity and love as they celebrate eid-Kabir Sallah.

Candido opined that EidKabir became a symbolic event in the history of mankind, given the bounty of rewards that followed the patience and perseverance of Prophet Ibrahim, who held on tenaciously to his faith in God despite affliction.

In his Sallah message to residents of the council, Candido urged them to shun divisive tendencies, as development and progress can only strive in an environment in which unity, peace and mutual respect reign supreme.

He equally charged the residents and Nigerians to draw lessons from the prophet’s example by eschewing tendencies that could sever the unity and stability in the council and Nigeria as a whole.

“I enjoin all Muslims across the country to share in the felicity of the Eid-Kabir, which comes with significant lessons for mankind.

“This symbolic Islamic festival is a constant reminder to us that, there will always be great rewards when we have abiding faith and patience in trying periods, persistence in prayers and tenacity in our belief.

“It also reminds us of the sacrifice we are expected to make not only for the purpose of spiritual fulfilment but also for the progress of mankind and development of our community and the nation at large,” the AMAC Chairman stressed.

Candido also urged residents of the council to support the policies and programmes of the government at the local, state and federal level in creating a nation that would work for all.

He added that the administration rolled out people oriented programmes and policies that would uplift the living standards and their well being in his second tenure tagged “Next Chapter Agenda.”

The Chairman, who assured the residents that the government is playing its part to ensure that public resources are properly channelled to the their benefit.

He therefore enjoined the people to ensure that these energies are not wasted by shunning actions that can make these efforts useless.

The AMAC boss further explained that the council is working assiduously with relevant security personnel towards ensuring a hitch free celebrations in the council and FCT at large.

METRO

Page 21

Eid-el Kabir: Ohaa hosts FCT stakeholders, preaches love

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

s Muslim faithful yesterday joined their counterparts across the globe to celebrate this year’s Eid-el Kabir, Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Sir Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa played host to religious, traditional and political leaders they in the FCT. Ohaa while congratulating FCT residents, tasked them to continue to love and live in peace with one another for the overall development of the Territory.

Ohaa who made the call while addressing the residents at the official residence of the FCT

Minister in Life Camp, Abuja.

He said: “We thank God for giving us peace in the FCT and I congratulate all of us for maintaining that peace. Let us all continue to work together and support our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari to continue to lead us in the right direction.

“The essence of this celebration (Sallah) is love, if we love one another, we will not have to fight or kill one another. We are happy that we have all come together in the FCT to celebrate.

“We believe that the minister that will come to the FCT will continue on the good work of the former FCT Administration and we need to support the person.”

Reitrating the FCT Administration’s warning against flood during the rainy season, he said: “Be careful because the report we are having about the flooding is not good.” He further warned against blocking of drainages.

Also speaking, Senator Philip Aduda, thanked the Permanent Secretary for the invitation to celebraye Sallah and commended him for the competent way he has managed the FCT so far. He also commended him for bringing people together to celebrate Sallah.

Aduda therefore promised that he and his colleagues at the National Assembly would continue

to support the FCTA through legislation, saying “we won’t be a clog in the wheel of progress.

“Politics is over now, we promise to remain together and work for the good of the FCT irrespective of whatever party that brought us together. Politics is now gone and it is now time to work for the progress of Nigeria.

“This country is bigger than any of us. FCT is bigger than any of us. It is God that giveth power”, he concluded.

Our correspondent reports that in attendance were several traditional rulers led by the Ona of Abaji, religious and youth leaders, top management of the FCTA as well as Area Council Chairmen.

Ameera AlAnsaar Home( The Helpers), Hayiya Amina Abubakar (right) distributing Food Items to widows and the needy as part of the organization’s EId-el Kabir celebration at the weekend in Kuje Area council.

Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imoowo

Foundation empowers Abuja women, youth with vocational tools

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

s part of activities to mark 2019 International Youth Day celebration in Abuja, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Helpline Foundation for the Needy, has empowered no fewer than 85 vulnerable women and youths with working tools for various vocational endeavours.

In particular, some of the items distributed include sewing machines, tools box for both mechanics and electricians, grinding machines among others.

The foundation also used the occasion to dole out food items to widows drawn from selected clusters across the six area councils of the territory to mark the El-Kabir celebration.

Speaking during the occasion,

the President and Founder of the Foundation, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, revealed that the programme was organised in partnership with Right Care Empowerment Foundation and Make a Difference for the Needy Foundation.

She disclosed that that the working tools were provided by FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

She stressed the need for government at all levels and relevant organisations to go beyond funfairs that characterized every festivities and used such occasions to empower the vulnerable in the society, just as she identified youth empowerment as the only antidote to crime reduction.

“It has been our tradition for over 17 years to seize every

opportunity and occasion to put smiles on the faces of the less privileged especially women and youth.

“We have been consistent in assisting the vulnerable and this year International Youth Day, we decided to empower some youths in various skills to grow their business.

“It has been our philosophy and our slogan that “nobody is too poor to give and nothing is too small to give”. In that token, we approach our partners to put something together for our women and youths for this year International Youth Day. “We should move beyond funfair to empowerment of the vulnerable in the society. And I think it is the right way to go,” Ahmadu said.

In his remarks, Head of News of Independent Television (ITV), Abuja station, Comrade Ikharo Attah, tasked the beneficiaries to judiciously put the working tools to effective use, warning that it is ungodly not to make maximum use of such items.

While commending the foundation for its consistency in assisting the less privileged in the society, he also drew biblical references on the need to continue in the path weakness and generosity.

One of the beneficiaries, who spoke to our correspondent, Mr. Emmanuel Ekele, expressed gratitude for the kind gesture, assuring that his working tools will aid him in no small measure to improve on his mechanic skill.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

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world news

On Hong Kong protests: Issues and implications

By Charles Onunaiju

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n the past one month, Hong Kong, the iconic city of international commerce, finance, shipping and other logistics has been in turmoil, with extremist radicals wreaking havoc on its reputation. By now, it is obvious to any discerning person that the sustained protest by extremist radicals, has little to do with the proposed amendment of legislation on fugitive offenders ordinance and the mutual legal assistance in criminal matters ordinance by the Hong Kong legislative council. The proposed piece of legislation actually had its origin in the instance of a Hong Kong resident, who allegedly murdered his pregnant girlfriend in Taiwan and fled back to the Hong Kong.

Against the background of the heinous crime, Hong Kong special Administration Region HKSAR which has no jurisdiction over the case took the decision to amend the aforementioned ordinances that would allow it to cooperate with the Mainland, Macao and Taiwan on extraditing criminal suspects and fugitives on individual cases through special arrangement. This seemingly piece of innocuous legislation to seamlessly network national crime prevention and apprehension of criminal suspects was just all it takes to orchestrate violent disruption of one of the world’s most stable and prosperous cities.

Even as the Hong Kong authority has decided to withdraw the proposed legislative amendment to further consult more widely and extensively. The question to ask is why are the protesters turning more violent and even more desperate. As at last count, they have invaded the Hong Kong legislative council chamber and thoroughly vandalized its facilities, turned against the building that houses the offices of their central government and wantonly desecrated the insignia of their national government and in addition massively provoked the local police by invading their headquarters.

Ordinarily, there is nothing, the Hong Kong residents would want than the continuous prosperity, stability and efficient governance of their city and the fact that Hong Kong has grown even more fabulously prosperous since its return to the embrace of their Chinese motherland in 1997, the question is simply, who beats the drum for disruption of the city.

Prior to the return of Hong Kong in 1997 to its Chinese homeland after more than hundred years of British colonial domination, a famous American International business magazine, Fortune on 25th of June, 1995 published a special issue with the screaming headline “The death of Hong Kong”. In the article, the

Chinese President Xi Jinping magazine wrote “it’s time to stop pretending. Supposedly, Britain’s handover in less than 750 days of Hong Kong, the world’s most aggressively pro-business economy to China, the world’s largest still officially communist dictatorship, is going to be non event... what’s indisputably dying, though is Hong Kong’s role as a vibrant international commercial and financial hub”.

Ten years after Hong Kong returned to the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China, the same Fortune Magazine published a lead article on June 28, 2007 with a headline that “Oops! Hong is hardly dead”.

In the article, it wrote, “well, we were wrong. In advance of the handover of Hong Kong to China, Fortune wrote a cover story for its international editions. “The Death of Hong Kong” (June 29, 1995) predicting that under Chinese rule Hong Kong would lose its role as an international commercial and financial hub. Yet ten years after the handover on July 1st 1997, Hong Kong is far from over and hardly dead.”

Twenty years after its

“

decolonization, Hong Kong has largely prospered but the recent event of extremist radicals holding the city by the jugular through disruptive and violent protests pose the real danger to the future of Hong Kong than the earlier paranoid of the Western political establishment and media about the prospects of the city under the sovereignty of the Peoples Republic of China, Like the arbitrary grab of most of Africa through colonial conquest, Hong Kong was seized by the British, when it launched the opium war against a weak China under the corrupt and feeble Qing dynasty in the 1840s.

In 1842, the Qing dynasty having been defeated by the British was forced to sign the treaty of Nanjing which ceded the Hong Kong Island to London. Again, 1856 the Anglo-French allied forces waged the second opium war and compelled the Qing dynasty to sign the Treaty of Beijing which transferred the Kowloon Peninsula. And in 1898, the British further forced the weak Qing dynasty to sign the “convention for the extension of

Hong Kong territory” through which the territory was “leased”| to Britain for 99 years. Even after modern China was founded in 1949, the unified national leadership of the new China with the Communist Party of China at the core, deferred the question of Hong Kong, even when it has the military capability and political will to abrogate the humiliating treaties and take back the territory by force. However, with the concerns for stability of Hong Kong and welfare of its residents China followed through the 99 years “lease” of the territory.

And to assuage the concerns of the international community and Hong Kong residents about the future of the territory, its stability and prosperity, the Chinese Central government adopted the unique and the epochally imaginative approach of “one country, two systems”, to guarantee the unique way of life and system of Hong Kong as it returned to China’s sovereignty at the expiration of the 99 years of “lease” to Britain. The “one country, two system” simply implied that while the mainland

Like the arbitrary grab of most of Africa through colonial conquest, Hong Kong was seized by the British, when it launched the opium war against a weak China under the corrupt and feeble Qing dynasty in the 1840s. In 1842, the Qing dynasty having been defeated by the British was forced to sign the treaty of Nanjing which ceded the Hong Kong Island to London

is avowedly “Socialist”, the Hong Kong special administration region can maintain its capitalist system. Under the framework of the “one country, two system”, Hong Kong has been managed by Hong Kong residents and enjoyed a high degree of autonomy.

With most concerns about the future of Hong Kong after its return to the sovereignty of China dissipated as the territory continue to grow prosperous and stable, and the mainland Socialist China growing even more prosperous and influential, why is suddenly Hong Kong in crises. The continuous prosperity of Hong Kong does not fit into the western narrative of Beijing’s alleged meddlesomeness in the affairs of the territory.

At the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China’s sovereignty in 2017, President XI Jimping remarked that “since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has maintain prosperity and stability. Hong Kong has kept its distinct features and strengths.

Its allure of being a vibrant metropolis where the East meets the West has remained as strong as ever. Under the practice of “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong has retained its previous capitalist system and way of life, and its laws have remained basically unchanged”.

If Hong Kong has staunchly retained its vibrancy why would a piece of legislation introduce by its own government to its legislative council provoke the mayhem that the city has witnessed. Prior to the vicious protests, U.S. senior officials, including the Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State, Mr. Pompeo and the National Security Adviser have made remarks infringing on the sovereignty of China and have met some arrow heads of Hong Kong opposition.

Even the speaker of the U.S. congress, Mrs. Nancy Pelosi has referred to the violent protests as “a beautiful sight to behold”.

However, to provoke and distract Beijing and undermine her world standing and influence, seem to be the main reason, why Hong Kong has been set on the boil.

But despite the wanton and acute interference in the affairs of China using Hong Kong and even Taiwan, as baits, history has shown that those who play with fire will only get their hands burnt. Despite provocations, Beijing is expected to maintain its famed restraint and decorum but also firm in resisting external manoeuvres as it has historically done in the affairs of her people and territories, some whose status quo are derived from history’s leftovers.

Mr. Onunaiju, is director Centre for China Studies, (CCS) Utako Abuja.

PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

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ECONEC holds 6 TH Int’l symposium on Political inclusivity

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he ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), the umbrella organisation of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in West Africa holds its 6 th Biennial General Assembly in Abuja, Nigeria on 6-7 August, 2019, to be preceded on Monday 5 th August by an International Symposium on the Promotion of Inclusivity in the Electoral Process.

President and Commander-inChief, Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Muhammadu Buhari is expected to officially declare the Symposium open.

Other high profile dignitaries expected to grace the occasion include Nigeria’s Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr JeanClaude Kassi Brou, Vice-President Finda Koroma, Secretary General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Office in West Africa and the Sahel, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and the Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Ketil Karlson.

The twin events is organised

by ECONEC in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria and the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) with funding from the EU and the German Government.

The symposium will provide a platform to discuss the legal frameworks and desirable practical steps for enhancing the participation and representation of women, youth and Persons with Disability (PWDs) in the electoral process in West Africa.

The ECOWAS Commission and EMBs in West Africa set up ECONEC in 2008, among other objectives to promote free and credible elections; promote independent and impartial election organisations and administrators; strengthen public confidence in the electoral process through free and credible electoral procedures, and to develop a crop of professional election personnel with integrity, a strong sense of public service and commitment to democracy.

The other objectives are to bring predictability to the framework for elections; engender commitment to the promotion and consolidation of democratic culture to create a conducive environment for the peaceful organization of elections; encourage the sharing of experiences, information, technology and election documents by EMBs and cooperation for the improvement of electoral laws and practices.

The Network is also mandated to promote gradual harmonization of electoral laws and practices, as appropriate, capitalizing on good practice in electoral matters; rationalization and pooling of resources to reduce the cost of conducting elections; and to improve the working conditions of its

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Libya conflict: Fighters agree a truce during Eid al-Adha O n Sunday morning Muslims gathered in Tripoli’s Martyrs Square to perform Eid AlAdha prayers The UN has welcomed a truce agreed by Libya’s main warring parties during the three-day Muslim festival Eid al-Adha.

It follows a car bomb attack on Saturday in Benghazi which killed three UN staff.

The truce involves the UN-backed Government of National Accord and the rogue general, Khalifa Haftar.

His forces have been attacking the capital, Tripoli, since April. More than 1,000 people have died, according to the World Health Organization.

Gen Haftar agreed to the truce “so that Libyan citizens can celebrate this Eid in peace”, his spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari explained.

The truce started on Saturday at 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT) and would last until the same time on Monday afternoon, the spokesman added.

Eid al-Adha is the Muslim festival which commemorates when God appeared to Ibrahim in a dream and told him to sacrifice his son but before the sacrifice goes

ahead, God provides a lamb to be sacrificed instead.

The festival happens after the Hajj - the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Deforestation: Did Ethiopia plant 350 million trees in a day?

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thiopia says it planted more than 350 million trees in just one day which, if verified, would be a world record.

But is such a feat even possible?

We’ve been looking at the numbers.

Why plant trees?

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the £1.1bn tree planting project earlier this year to tackle deforestation and climate change.

The United Nations says forest cover in Ethiopia fell from 35% of total land area in the early 20th Century to a little above 4% by the 2000s.

The initial target was to plant 200 million tree saplings in 12 hours on 29 July, but Dr Getahun Mekuria, the Innovation and Technology minister, said the country ended up planting more than 350 million tree seedlings.

Their aim is to plant 4.7 billion trees by October this year.

How was it organised?

The handing out of the seedlings to volunteers across the country was completed three days before the event, the government says.

Some government employees were given the day off to help and officials from the UN, African Union and foreign diplomats also took part.

Most of the seedlings were of an indigenous species, but there were also fruit trees such as the avocado.

Officials were assigned to count the seedlings being planted by volunteers, reported the BBC’s Kalkidan Yibeltal in the capital, Addis Ababa.

So how likely is it that such a high number of trees were planted?

An expert said it is possible but only with proper planning.

“It is not impossible, but it would take a very well-organised effort,” said Tim Christophersen, who coordinates work on forests and climate change at the UN. He told AFP that one volunteer could realistically plant about 100 trees a day.

More than 23 million of Ethiopia’s 105 million people took part, says Dr Teferra Mengistu, the National Forest Sector Development Program coordinator.

So if all these people planted 100 seedlings - the 350 million figure would be surpassed easily. However, there is no available tally for how many trees each person planted.

Planting 350 million trees, Mr Christophersen said, would require about 864,000 acres of land.

But we don’t know much land was used during this 12-hour effort.

The head of one government-

linked organisation told the BBC they’d been ordered to plant 10,000 trees, but had to pay for them out of their own budget.

So they planted 5,000, but reported the full amount.

And there is also a discrepancy between figures for some areas given out by the Innovation and Technology minister and the numbers posted on the website of the prime minister.

We have asked the prime minister’s office for clarification but have yet to get a response.

The UN has praised the Ethiopian government and called on the region to follow its lead.

“Other African nations should move with speed and challenge the status quo,” said Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, director of UN environment’s Africa office.

However, the claim has also been viewed with scepticism by some.

“I personally don’t believe that we planted this much… It might be impossible to plant this many trees within a day,” said Mr Zelalem Worqagegnehu, a spokesman for the opposition Ezema party.

Some critics of the prime minister say he is using the campaign to distract from the challenges his government is facing, including ethnic conflicts which have forced

some 2.5 million people from their homes.

Was it a record?

Guinness World Records says it has not received an application from Ethiopia to verify the recordbreaking attempt.

“We are always on the lookout for new record-breaking achievements however, and so we would encourage the organisers of this event to get in touch with us to register an application,” said Jessica Dawes, a spokeswoman for the organisation.

Ethiopia would need to provide accurate evidence of the treeplanting, the people who took part, where it took place and timings. There also have to be two independent witnesses who can confirm the record results.

The current world record holder is India.

In 2016, 50 million trees were planted by more than 800,000 people in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

And if you’re wondering about the official record for the most trees planted in a day by one person, that’s currently held by Canadian Ken Chaplin.

He planted 15,170 red pine seedlings in Saskatchewan, Canada in 2001.

Source: BBC

Burundi beer fans blamed for shortage of the brew

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eer is a popular drink in BurundiImage caption: Beer is a popular drink in Burundi Fans of one of Burundi’s mostpopular bottled beers are being told it is their fault that there is a shortage of the drink.

The dearth of Amstel is “caused by an increase in demand”, Remy Ndayishimiye, spokesman for Burundian brewery Brarudi, told

the BBC in a statement.

“We are doing our best to restore the happiness of our clients,” he said.

Amstel beer drinkers told the BBC they were annoyed as they had been obliged to drink other locally bottled beers such as Primus and Royal.

Their other option is to drink Skol, which is imported from

neighbouring Rwanda.

“Not many of us can afford Skol because it is expensive - it’s hard to get our Amstel nowadays,” one drinker complained.

But an industry source told the BBC the real reason for the shortage was a lack of foreign currency - as some raw ingredients need to be imported to make the brew.

Brarudi also produces CocaCola which is also reportedly in short supply in Burundi.

The World Bank says the country has suffered “persistent foreign exchange shortages with the drop in international reserves” since the 2015 political crisis that saw President Pierre Nkurunziza win a controversial third term in office.

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Yemen conflict: Southern separatists seize control of Aden

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den has been the temporary base of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s government Yemeni separatists have taken effective control of the port city of Aden after days of fighting with troops loyal to the internationally backed government.

Forces aligned with the UAEbacked Southern Transitional Council (STC) - which wants an independent south - said they had seized control of military camps and the presidential palace.

The opposing Saudi-led coalition said it had responded with military action.

The government itself characterised the STC’s seizure of Aden as a “coup”.

Coalition forces had called on the STC to withdraw from their positions in Aden or face further action. It said it launched its strike against a “threat” to the country’s government.

With the STC in control of Aden on Saturday, both sides agreed to a ceasefire, which appears to be holding despite the strike.

Southern separatists have fought alongside pro-government forces for much of Yemen’s civil conflict but it has long seemed an uneasy alliance.

What’s the situation on the ground?

The southern port city of Aden has been the temporary base of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s government. The president himself is based in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

An official with the separatist Security Belt militia told AFP that

it seized the presidential palace on Saturday without a fight.

“Two hundred soldiers from the Presidential Guard were given safe passage out of the palace,” the official said.

A civil war within a civil war

By Sebastian Usher, Arab Affairs Editor Erstwhile allies, the separatists and forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi are now engaged in a showdown that could see the Saudi-led coalition fragment and create a new civil war within the civil war in Yemen.

The fracture within the coalition may deepen – as divisions between its two major players, Saudi Arabia and the

UAE, are exposed.

The Emiratis have nurtured the Southern Transitional Council as a key force within the coalition, while the Saudis have stuck with President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who still spends most of his time in exile in Riyadh.

Privately, the UAE and the forces it supports do not think he’s up to the job.

The separatists believe that Islamist forces within the coalition have been strengthened and emboldened by the Saudis and could take over the south, even permitting al-Qaeda to make a comeback there.

That’s their rationale for acting now – as they maintain

that whatever the outcome of the conflict against the Houthis, which is currently all but stalemated, Yemen can’t be put back together as a unified country.

Officials said the separatists had also seized control of the interior minister’s house and military barracks belonging to Mr Hadi’s forces.

“It is all over, the [Southern Transitional Council] forces are in control of all the military camps,” an official in Mr Hadi’s government told Reuters news agency.

The foreign ministry described the takeover as “a coup against institutions of the internationally recognised government”.

The UAE, which has armed and trained thousands of southern separatist fighters, earlier called for calm and a renewed focus on battling the Iran-backed Houthis, who took over the capital Sanaa in 2014.

What has the cost of conflict been?

Doctors Without Borders on Saturday described Aden as “a battlefield” and said its hospital there was “stretched to the limit”.

It said it treated 119 patients in less than 24 hours amid the fighting.

The United Nations said as many as 40 people have been killed since 8 August, with 260 injured.

Yemeni security officials told AP news agency that number was higher, saying there had been more than 70 deaths.

The civil war in Yemen has devastated the country, killing thousands of civilians and causing shortages of food and medical care that have affected millions.

After eight years of conflict, Yemen is frequently referred to the world’s worst man-made humanitarian disaster.

There have been at least 7,200 civilian casualties since 2015 - but other groups estimate the true number is much higher.

Children are especially vulnerable: the UN humanitarian office says that 7,508 children had been killed or maimed since 2013.

A large majority of the population need humanitarian aid to survive, with most unable to secure their own food, and millions, the UN says, “just a step away from famine”.

Canadian Kristian Lee Baxter released from Syria detention

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Canadian tourist held in Syrian detention since 2018 has been released.

Kristian Lee Baxter arrived in the country on 26 November and stopped contacting his family about a week later.

His mother, Andrea Leclair, previously described her son as a “world traveller” and “adventurer”.

“I thought I would be there forever,” Mr Baxter said during an emotional appearance at a news conference in Beirut on Friday.

“I didn’t know if anyone knew if I was alive,” he added.

Lebanon’s security chief Abbas Ibrahim, who appeared alongside him, said the Canadian was detained for “reasons related to breaking Syrian law”.

Mr Ibrahim was also involved in securing the release of a US traveller, Sam Goodwin, from Syria last month.

Canada has advised citizens against travelling to Syria since civil war broke out in 2011.

“Syria is not safe for personal travel,” the advisory on their website says.

“Attempting any form of travel in this very hazardous security environment

would place you at grave risk.” luggage, which arrived there by plane Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia after him.

Freeland told reporters in Calgary on The driver was reportedly detained Friday that she is “personally relieved on the border when a metal detector was by this outcome and I’m sure Mr found in her son’s bag, Ms Leclair said.

Baxter’s family and loved ones are as The circumstances of Mr Baxter’s well”. detention and release have not been She added that despite the positive revealed by officials. outcome in this case that it “should remind us all ABIA STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION to exercise a high degree (TECHNICAL) AROCHUKWU of caution when traveling (ASCETA) P.M.B. 1000, AROCHUKWU, ABIA STATE, NIGERIA to dangerous parts of the RE: INVITATION TO TENDER world”. is to refer to the College’s Advertisement placed in leadership news paper “I’m ecstatic that Kristian 1.andThis peoples Daily Newspapers of July 15, 2019 as well as the Federal Tenders of Monday July 15 – Sunday July 28, 2019. Contractors and the public is is on his way home,” said Journal hereby informed that the following two (2) projects have been added to the Lots: Ms Leclair in a statement, NON REFUNDABLE DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT LOT TENDER FEE(N) and thanked Canadian Procurement, installation, testing and commissioning of 7.

10,000.000 equipment for science, Technical and vocational course officials and the Lebanese comprising 2Nr PH meter table, 5Nr microscope with camera, 2Nr Digital scale balance 50kg and 100kg, 1Nr Egg government for their incubator, 2NrDigital hot air oven 30ltrs, 2Nr laboratory centrifuge 12 buckets,1Nr Auto veterinary hematology assistance in the case.

Analyzer, 4Nr Fume cupboard,1Nr Hammer Mill, 1Nr cooled incubator, 2Nr Muffle furnace etc.

Mr Baxter, who was 44 Supply and installation of Library Furnitures comprising 10,000.000 8. of 50Nr modern school library furniture’s double sided when he went missing, was bookshelf, 140Nr high quality universal quad study carrel with 4 work and seats complete,8Nr Executive office tables, supposed to return home on 32Nr high executive visitors chair, 1 Nr high quality 20 seater oval executive conference chair, 9Nr metal glass file 13 December. cabinet, 15Nr one door refrigerator 190L, 15Nr Samsung 32-4series HD digital LED TV, 15Nr shredding machine, Ms Leclair told CTV News 70Nr stainless steel waste paper basket, 15Nr HP Desktop computer all-in-one pavilion 24 intel core etc. Supply and in January that her son had installation of PHE GYM equipments comprising of cardio equipments such as 10Nr Orbitrac Elliptical bike, 10Nr Manual Treadmil exercising machines with stepper, 15Nr been staying at a village near stationary exercise air bike, 3Nr 5.0HP AC commercial PRO Motor free motion reflex T11.8 treadmill with dynamically the Lebanese border after spin-balance, etc. Supply and installation of strength Training Equipment such as 5Nr commercial bench. arriving there from Beirut.

Press, 5Nr two color tone metallic power coating 45 degree hyper extension,etc, supply and installation of He reportedly disappeared Tummy Trimmer such as 5Nr AB coaster tummy trimmer, 10Nr tummy trimming double wheel AB roller, 10Nr while attempting to locate kettlebell(2kg-20kg) 10Nr Resistance band. VAT inclusive a driver who had gone back 2. All other information remains same. to Lebanon to retrieve his Signed: Mr. Ikechukwu Odoemelam, (Registrar)

education WAEC plans computer – based tests for SSSC Examination Maryam Abeeb, Abuja

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he Registrar of West African Examinations Council , (WAEC), Dr Iyi Uwadiae has revealed that the council is working on Computer-Based Tests and will consider it for the objective papers in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.

He made this known in an interview in Abuja during the 37th annual conference of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa with the theme , “Innovations in Educational Assessment.”

He added that before the CBT takes over, the council must be sure that the five-member countries, their governments and the schools had been able to provide the necessary facilities, and candidates were also ready.

“We are working very hard on the CBT. Right now, we have about three to four centres that are fully equipped for CBT. But one thing you must know is that our exam is an achievement test, not a selection test. So, we have essays, we have practicals and we have objectives.

“But what we are trying to do first and foremost is to ensure that the objective component of our examination is exposed to CBT. But while we are doing that, we have to also look at the readiness of the various schools.

But we are working toward that; we are sensitising the various governments in Nigeria and in the other countries.

“So with time, we will be there. We cannot give targets for now. This is because whatever you do in one country, you must do in the others. The schools, the countries, the students and the candidates must all be prepared.

We are in charge of five countries.

Malpractices are everywhere and in the five-member countries.

You know of course that our exam is a high stake exam and people want to pass; yet they have not prepared. So especially, students who get themselves involved in malpractices are those who did not prepare for the exams, “he said.

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Nigeria needs 273,000 teachers to achieve pupil-teacher ratio - FG

Maryam Abeeb, Abuja

T

he Federal Government through the Ministry of Education has disclosed that the 20,000 public secondary schools accross the country require 273,000 technical teachers to achieve the aspiration of the ministry of one teacher to 20 pupil’s ratio.

This was revealed by the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, Prof Josiah Ajiboye in Abuja, while presenting two reports on the Technical Teacher

Training Advisory Committee and the Inter-Ministerial Advisory Committee to the Permanent Secretary, Mr Sonny Echono.

The teacher training committee had been inaugurated by a former Minister of State for Education, Prof Anthony Anwukah, on April 4, 2019, while the second committee was set up by the Permanent Secretary on April 30.

The committees were aimed towards providing the necessary framework to empower youths through skills’ acquisition and capacity building for national

economic development.

He said, “Findings indicate that there are over 20,000 public secondary schools which require over 273,000 technical teachers to achieve the aspiration of the ministry of one teacher to 20 pupils ratio.

According to Echono, the Federal Government would establish six new technical education colleges before the end of the year.

He said additional 10 technical colleges would be established within the next three years, noting that this would empower youths

with the necessary skills to be selfreliant and employers of labour.

He said, “The present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari places emphasis on technical and vocational education and training, as this is the bedrock of the socioeconomic growth of any nation.

“Apart from the technical colleges, the Federal Government will also establish more polytechnics, register monotechnics and vocational and other innovation enterprise institutions which will all equip youths with skills.”

The President, Teachers of English to Speakers of other languages (TESOL) Africa, Dr. Okon Effiong (middle) Lead Presenter, Andreas Grundtvig (right) and the President, International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, Harry Kuchah, during Africa TESOL 4th International conference at the weekend in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Educationist seeks private sector partnership in technical education Maryam Abeeb, Abuja

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he founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Chief Afe Babalola, has urged Ekiti people to join hands with the state government in its bid to reposition technical and vocational education, saying this will tackle youth unemployment.

Babalola, who said government alone could not fund education due to the competing needs of other sectors, urged the private sector to adopt a new approach towards supporting the state government

in tackling the series of deficit confronting it in the institutions of learning.

The ABUAD founder spoke in Ado Ekiti while playing host to members of the Board for Technical and Vocational Education, led by its Chairman, Kayode Babade, who paid him an advocacy visit in his office.

He said both the government and the private sector could partner to lift the educational sector in the state. He noted that the efforts of Governor Kayode Fayemi and the chairman and members of BTVE had significantly helped the fortunes

of technical colleges in the state that were already dying.

“I strongly believe the private sector must go beyond just the payment of education levy and be ready to join hands with the state government in expanded funding for its education sector. This will ensure the technical colleges produce graduates who can transform this state and in extension, the nation,” Babalola said.

Babalola said he fashioned out strategies for integrating entrepreneurship into the educational curriculum in ABUAD

in line with what obtains in the Western world because of his passion for education. He therefore pledged to donate a hostel complex to Government Technical College, Ado Ekiti.

Babade, who described the ABUAD founder’s pledge of a hostel building as a big relief, said “lack of adequate accommodation is one of the nightmares of the technical college in Ado-Ekiti.”

The BTVE chairman urged all able Nigerians to emulate Babalola and intervene in the educational sector.

N4.9bn allocated for book devt Fund -TETFund

Maryam Abeeb, Abuja

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he Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Prof Suleiman Bogoro has disclosed that a total of N4,950,000,000 have been approved as the Book Development Fund for tertiary institutions.

Bogoro who was speaking while inaugurating the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Book Development Fund in Abuja, stated that

already, N2,589,438,751 has been utilised for the intended purpose.

The executive secretary stated that the fund was allocated to ensure adequate production and supply of locally developed academic texts in line with the mandate of the Fund.

“The Book Development Fund intervenes in three interrelated areas, Development and Publication of Academic Books as well as conversion of high quality thesis into

books; Support for Professional Associations Journals and Establishment and sustainability of Academic Publishing Centers(APC)” he said.

The executive secretary revealed that the TAG was inaugurated to ensure production of exceptional quality manuscripts for the academia as well as to serve as mentors to young and midcareer academics.

The TAG among other things is expected to harvest theses

and masters’ dissertation from across Beneficiary Institutions for possible conversion into books, screen proposals on manuscripts and thesis/ dissertations for development into academic textbooks and advising TETFund on fundable manuscript/thesis or dissertation.

The Advisory group is also expected to screen and advise TETFund on submissions from professional associations to support production and

learned journals and ensure the establishment and proper functioning of APCs via the three sub-committees.

Responding, the chairman of the TAG, Professor Charles Aworh stated that the advisory group work diligently to ensure that it met the vision and goals of the executive secretary, in line with the TETFund mandate.

The committee will serve for two years and will have its membership renewed subject to satisfactory performance.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, august 12, 2019

26

Feature

The man behind the festival that ‘united the African Diaspora’

L

ast week saw 20,000 people of African descent gather on the beaches of Portimao, Portugal.

They were there for Afro Nation - billed as the first festival to celebrate the African Diaspora.

In its debut year, the “historic” four days featured live music from Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica, the UK and the US. And who was it organised by? A 34-yearold Nigerian promoter from Dagenham, who goes by the name SMADE. SMADE, real name Adesegun Adeosun Jr, had the idea in May last year, inspired by a vision of creating an “unforgettable experience” that would “celebrate love, peace, unity and the beauty of African culture”.

But with a saturated festival market, he knew there would be pressure to pull Afro Nation off.

“This year we have already seen tons of festivals which failed,” he says.

No expense was spared when it came to acts and it boasted performances from Afrobeats and Bashment icons such as Burna Boy, Davido, Busy Signal and Buja Banton.

Notable black British artists also graced the stage, such as J Hus, Ms Dynamite, Stefflon Don, Octavian, Mostack and Ms Banks.

As a self-proclaimed “soldier for a united Africa”, SMADE thought it was worth the risk.

It was important, he says, “not just for black people, but for other races to come down and celebrate African culture coming together”.

And come together they did - in droves.

Before the festival, many had compared it to the likes of failed urban music festivals, Fyre Festival and VestiVille. The racial undertones of the criticism, SMADE says, made him more determined for it to be a success.

“We had a lot of doubters and naysayers,” he says. “Sometimes black people don’t like to support one another until it is successful.”

He initially expected 5,000 attendees. To his surprise, the first wave of tickets sold out and SMADE tripled his expectations.

He then he prepared in his own way.

“We are Muslim, so I fasted for three days and prayed with a team of about 55 people. I wanted it to go smoothly and it worked,” he says.

“I wanted it to be a success and break stereotypes - and show you can have thousands of black people in one place and it can be incident free.”

And, he says, it was.

‘Sound systems shook the ground’

By Shamaan Freeman-Powell, BBC News, at Afro Nation It is not unusual for African and Caribbean people to point out each other’s differences.

(Let’s not even get into the plantain pronunciation debate...)

But Afro Nation proved both cultures have way more that unites, than divides them.

Sound systems shook the ground at beach parties, pool parties and boat parties - where you could find Jamaicans doing the Shaku Shaku and Nigerians Dutty whining.

The sun beamed down on people of all creeds, shapes, shades and sizes - and every one of them was celebrated, unapologetically.

Some wore the colours of their native countries while others opted for a riotous clash of neon, glitter and sparkling embellishments In the year Stormzy was praised for being the youngest black male to headline Glastonbury, Afro Nation proved, unequivocally, that there are dozens of

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“

drugs, gangs or alcohol,” he says.

“Even now, I don’t drink or smoke, I only tried alcohol when I was 30 - because even my dad encouraged me to ‘release a little.’”

SMADE studied full time alongside working at a post office and in various retail positions - all to fund his promotions.

“At first I didn’t even know I was a promoter. I was in my first year at uni and was throwing house parties every weekend.”

Before long, he left the house parties behind and took his Afrobeats raves to bigger and better venues.

“Afrobeats was popular but not in clubs.

I was hitting a niche market, so as time went on we ended up selling out clubs across the country.”

Over the past decade, SMADE made great contacts with upcoming Afrobeats stars such as Davido and Wizkid, hosting huge events and contributing to the massive success of Afrobeats in the UK. But in 2016 SMADE says he became “a victim” of his own success and “lost everything”.

He had held a sold out show at an arena, when almost 2,000 people without a ticket “rushed the doors”.

Guests had to be refunded, damages had to be paid to the venue and he had to save his reputation with the emergency services.

Over the past decade, SMADE made great contacts with upcoming Afrobeats stars such as Davido and Wizkid, hosting huge events and contributing to the massive success of Afrobeats

“It was embarrassing. It was the only time I ever thought about not doing this business again.”

But he praises his wife and mother of their three children, who inspired him to carry on.

He says these experiences became lessons which prepared him for Afro Nation and gave him the confidence to persevere when ticketholders started re-selling tickets, and some performers took to social media to announce they had pulled out.

“They didn’t believe. And I know they regret it now,” he says.

“But it’s a lesson - we should all believe in black companies and not just support Glastonbury or Wireless.”

SIGNED: ADEBISI A. SOGUNLE ESQ. A.A. SOGUNLE & ASSOCIATES LEGAL PRACTITIONERS 9, IDOWU LANE, OFF KODESHO STREET, IKEJA- LAGOS. bismack2006@gmail.com

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AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To preach and propagate the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by establishing churches, outreaches, campus fellowships etc Any objection to this registration should be directed to the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja within 28 days of the date of this publication.

talented black artists, often ignored by the mainstream, who are more than ready to grace main stages.

People from all over the world soaked up the atmosphere, enjoyed the food and music and learned the latest dance moves.

Locals stared in bemusement at the abundance of black and brown faces before taking pictures from the sidelines, expressing their joy for the festival’s success.

For me though, the highlight of the festival was seeing flags from more countries than I could count swaying in the cool summer breeze, proudly representing one nation, one people, one Africa.

Looking forward, SMADE says he hopes the festival will shine a light on black talent throughout Europe, Africa and the Caribbean and inspire the next generation to work together.

“It showed the world what talented artists we have and how beautiful our culture is,” he says, adding that knowing this was something that had inspired him.

He travelled to London from Lagos, Nigeria aged 19 to study advertising and marketing at the University of Arts, London.

As the oldest of 12 children, the pressure was on to be successful and “lead by example”.

“The younger ones were looking up to me, so I ran away from anything dodgy, like

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SALE SMADE came to London aged 19 to study advertising and marketing

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Nigeria to play friendly with Ukraine in September

Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in November

N

igeria’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying build-up starts with a friendly away to Ukraine in September, according to the country’s football federation (NFF).

The Super Eagles have risen 12 places to 33rd in the Fifa world rankings, following a third place finish at last month’s continental event in Egypt.

The NFF has quickly secured a 10 September date against the Eastern Europeans as Nigeria prepare to open their Cameroon 2021 campaign against

Benin in November’s Group L fixture.

“We have secured a Grade A international friendly match for the Super Eagles against the Ukraine in Kiev, on the 10th of September,” Amaju Pinnick, the NFF president confirmed.

“It is part of our on-going drive to expose as many players as we can to global football, so this should be another springboard for our young stars.”

The two countries have never met at senior international level.

Gernot Rohr

Despite having a year left on his contract, coach Gernot Rohr, who has been linked with a move away from Nigeria, is set for showdown talks with his employers in couple of weeks.

His managerial style and tactical decisions came under intense criticism at the last two tournaments in Russia and Egypt, but the NFF has publicly backed him to continue in his role.

However, Rohr told a local newspaper (The Punch) last week that both the country’s sports ministry and football

authority must work together to ensure success for the three-time African champions.

“For the future, if it’s with me or without me, they should both find a way together to work in the same direction - the sports ministry politics and the officials of NFF,” he said.

“You cannot improve Nigerian football if you don’t have a good relationship.

The infrastructures, the pitches and togetherness, we need them.”

Source: BBC

Rashford double as Man Utd beat Chelsea

>>>PG30

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PEOPLES DAILY, monday, august 12, 2019

S p r Nigeria Professional Football League confirms 2019/2020 kickoff date

T

he 2019/20 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season will officially start on Sunday, September 22, 2019.

According to the official communication sent to participating clubs by Salihu Abubakar, the chief operating officer of the League Management Company, (LMC), Matchday 1 fixtures will be played on September 22 and the season will run until May 17 next year. The league is expected to take a break from December 30 to January 10.

Unlike last season, where an abridged competition format was adopted and a champion was determined after a post-season play-off tournament held in Lagos, the 2019/2020 season will be returning to its original 38 matchday format.

The newly released NPFL time-table is subject to change and will feature only four matchdays outside the weekends, which if implemented, will be the fewest played on weekdays in the league in recent times.

Before this latest development, many clubs had placed their preseason activities on hold, with only the teams participating in Caf starting training camps.

Enyimba are the defending champions of the NPFL, having won a record eight league titles.

The People’s Elephant won the championship play-offs staged at the Agege Stadium ahead of Kano Pillars, Enugu Rangers, Akwa United, Lobi Stars and Ifeanyi Ubah who all took part in the Super-Six tournament.

t

Rashford double as Man Utd beat Chelsea

M

anchester United recorded their biggest Old Trafford win over Chelsea since 1965 to condemn Frank Lampard to a miserable start as a Premier League manager.

Marcus Rashford scored twice, either side of a closerange effort from Anthony Martial, who had been given the number nine shirt back following the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan.

Substitute Daniel James completed the scoring with a goal on his debut nine minutes from time.

The final scoreline was harsh on the visitors, who were the better side before the break and hit the frame of the goal through Tammy Abraham and Emerson, but still suffered their worst ever opening-day defeat in 104 league seasons.

The ecstatic home supporters did not care about that though, as the negativity of a difficult summer was swept away by their best result against Chelsea since they beat them by the same score in the 1994 FA Cup final.

United had to pay Leicester £80m - and make Harry Maguire the most expensive defender ever - to land manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s number one summer transfer target.

Maguire’s England teammate Rashford may grab the plaudits with his brace but the Yorkshireman’s authoritative performance underlined why his new boss wanted him above getting the big name midfield or striking reinforcements so many United fans have demanded on social media.

His calmness under pressure helped ensure that when the home side looked shaky in the first half they did not add to their concerns with self-inflicted mistakes.

Maguire was happy to keep it simple in possession and push the ball on to Paul Pogba when he could, and had the awareness to spot team-mates in trouble, something former United boss Jose Mourinho rather churlishly said on TV might be frequently needed in the case of Luke Shaw.

The game was still in the

Marcus Rashford has scored all four of the penalties he has taken in competitive senior matches for club and country, including shootouts balance when Maguire stepped up to challenge Abraham on the edge of the United box. Maguire calmly took possession, leaving Abraham on the floor in the process, and strode away, setting in motion the attack that ended with Martial bundling home.

Risky strategy Lampard went for an early morning run around Old Trafford to prepare for his Premier League debut as Chelsea manager.

The Blues’ record goal-scorer has made some bold decisions already, despite being barely a month into his new job.

He has picked seven homegrown players in his senior squad: the four in action against United - Abraham, Mason Mount, Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori - the currently injured duo of Ruben LoftusCheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi, and promising defender Reece James.

It is an unprecedented number for the Roman Abramovich era. But, while it

is the philosophy of promoting youth from within that Chelsea’s fans have wanted, it comes with risk.

For every powerful fourthminute shot from Abraham that thunders off the inside of a post, there is the moment Mount had when, presented with a shooting opportunity from an angle on the right of the United box, the 20-year-old elected for a cutback, which ran disappointingly through for new United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Given that investment in youth, this summer’s transfer ban and the departure of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, Lampard took a brave decision to sell David Luiz to Arsenal on deadline day.

The Brazilian may not be the most reliable defender but his experience is valuable and Luiz’s replacement on Sunday, Kurt Zouma, struggled badly.

He not only conceded the penalty but was also caught out of position and gave away possession, both expensive

mistakes in an era when top teams routinely build from the back.

Chelsea’s inability to stem the flow of goals in the second half will be a major concern for Lampard, whose name was still being sung heartily by the visiting fans at the end.

A word for the referee United’s opening goal came from the penalty spot.

Referee Anthony Taylor played an excellent advantage after Andreas Pereira had been fouled, allowing play to continue as Zouma brought Rashford down.

Never a regular penalty taker for club or country, two of the three penalties Rashford has scored were in the World Cup last-16 shoot-out with Colombia last year and in the fourth-minute of injury-time to give United their memorable Champions League victory against Paris StGermain in March.

Man of the match - Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

James Ward-Prowse to use being dropped by England for Nations League as motivation for the future

S

outhampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse intends to use his England disappointment as motivation for the future, having proved his ability to recover from setbacks in the past.

In May, the midfielder was one of four players cut from Gareth Southgate’s long squad list for the Nations League Finals in Portugal, where England went on to finish third.

It is not the first time Ward-Prowse, who has two England caps to his name, has had to deal with feelings of rejection, after chastening experiences with exSaints bosses Ronald Koeman and Mark Hughes, but he has every intention of bouncing back again.

“In football you have to be able to deal with the ups and downs. That’s what I’ve learned the most in the last couple of years,” he told reporters.

“Football is not always going to be a good rise and you are not going to progress all the time, you are going to get things in the way that halt you.

“You have to enjoy the good moments, of course, but you also have to work through the tough times and maintain that belief in yourself and that is all I have done.

“It was a good couple of weeks away training and you come back feeling rejuvenated and inspired.

“I have based my game all around being professional and working hard

and that has helped me get through the the player’s fortunes change again, tough times. however.

“The priority at the minute is He scored seven goals in 16 ensuring I do that well and, if I do that to appearances from January to April, his a good enough standard, then hopefully best return as a professional, having I should be making England squads on a failed to find the net in his previous 21 more regular basis.” stretching back to February 2018.

The departure of the Dutchman that summer offered a second chance Source: bbc that Ward-Prowse grasped, but he was overlooked once MOHAMMED more by Hughes at the beginning I, formerly known as SHAFI’U GARBA now of last season.

R a l p h wish to be known and addressed as SHAFI’U H a s e n h u t t l ’ s MOHAMMED. All former documents remain arrival in valid. Authorities concerned and the general December saw public should please take note.

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SPORTS Nigeria - A country of contradictions latest

Arsenal edge out Newcastle to kick off Premier League campaign with a win

P

ierre EmerikAubameyang’s second half strike handed Arsenal a 1-0 win in their opening Premier League game of the season at Newcastle.

Steve Bruce, taking charge of the Magpies for the first time, starts his tenure on Tyneside with a loss.

In a match that was far from a classic, the visitors’ brand new away kit was perhaps the brightest part of a dull, rainy afternoon in the north east.

A throwback to their early 90s design, this performance and result also proved to be reminiscent of Arsenal teams from that era.

With a number of Newcastle fans staying away from St. James’ Park in protest at owner Mike Ashley, the atmosphere inside the ground was also very flat.

The first half seemed to play out like a hangover from preseason with neither side able to take control, passes going astray and few opportunities being created.

Newcastle debutant Joelinton’s header from Matt Richie’s cross quarter of an hour into the game was the first notable goalscoring opportunity but the Brazilian’s header glanced wide of Bernd Leno’s left hand post.

A few minutes later a speculative right-footed Jonjo Shelvey volley from the edge of the penalty area cannoned off the right hand post and away.

Source: BBC Taye Taiwo and Oduamadi

Advert: business: news: lagos:

I

n 1965 a German flew into Nigeria with a dream to find his place under the sun. He did not come with much, only his brain, his dreams and his little suitcase.

He was lucky to have won the bids for the construction of Eko Bridge and was luckier to be introduced to Police Commissioner Joseph Dechi Gomwalk, the Military Governor of Benue Plateau State. The Governor gave him a modest water construction contract. The German proceeded to execute the contract with speed. It was not only the speed but the quality of work that impressed the Governor.

Gomwalk did not hesitate to introduce the obscure German contractor to General Yakubu Gowon, himself an indigene of Benue Plateau who happened to be the Military Head of State at the time. He also introduced him to Mobolaji Johnson, the Military Governor of Lagos.

Gowon and Johnson gave the little known contractor some jobs in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria. Again his performance was top grade. Thus started the upward swing of Julius Berger, Nigeria’s construction giant that is reputed for quality jobs and therefore much sought after in the Nigeria of today.

The rise and rise of Julius Berger to some astronomical heights is such that the company will not be wrong to describe Nigeria as God’s own country.

In Abuja, the hand of Julius Berger can be seen in such National Monuments as the Aso Rock Presidential fortress, the Federal Secretariat, the National Stadium, the road networks and more. In the early nineties, the Julius Berger construction site in Abuja was described as the biggest construction site in the whole world.

A few years back I was involved in an intricate problem with a family that is very close and dear to me. A gentleman with whom we have been friends for close to forty years was facing a ‘revolt’ by his two female children. The first daughter after graduating in a Nigerian University went to the United Kingdom to do his masters program. There, she fell in love with his classmate, a white American boy and they decided to get married.

Before he got married, my friend confided in me that if he got married and had children, he was not going to allow the children to marry foreigners. He had lost to foreign lands half of his family members who either went abroad to study or got

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married to foreigners. They have refused to come back and have almost forgotten about home.

For this reason, my friend did not give his consent to the marriage and did not even attend the wedding ceremony which took place in London.

The second daughter also went to do her masters in the United Kingdom. Unlike her senior sister, she completed her studies and came back home intact. She got a good job in Lagos and was making steady progress and for these reasons became an instant celebrity to me and my friend. Then the unexpected happened.

I remember the day I was driving at a suicidal speed to Abuja Airport to drop a friend who was getting late for his flight. My friend’s daughter kept ringing me repeatedly. When I finally picked up the phone, she kept yelling in a manner that was not in her character. I could not comprehend what she was saying because I was on top speed. My pleas that she should stop her screaming until I got to the airport fell on deaf ears. She continued with her monologue until I got to the airport. It was only then that I got the bombshell.

She had found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. He was a white American boy and her father did not want to hear any such thing.

She wanted to bring the boy for introductions but the father warned her not to try any such thing because two of them were not welcome. I calmed her down

“

with a promise to help.

Getting my friend to support the daughter’s marital plans was very difficult. At a point he bought a machete and got it sharpened.

He confided in me that he was going to behead the American boy and face the consequences if he ever dared to come near his house. That was how bad he felt about two of his daughters getting married to foreigners and lost in foreign lands.

I set up a meeting with the boy who took a flight from Lagos and we met in secret, away from my friend. He told me he came to Africa and was in Senegal for a few years. When he was transferred to Nigeria and he saw the abundant untapped opportunities here, he took an instant decision: Nigeria was his country, his last bus stop in life. My friend’s fears that he was going to lose his daughter to a foreigner and to a foreign land were unjustified.

After much effort, my friend was dissuaded from beheading his prospective son in law, a proper colorful traditional marriage and white wedding took place; the young couple have three children and are doing very well professionally. Recently they bought a duplex in Victoria Island of Lagos.

So far, I have talked about realized dreams in Nigeria.

But this a country of shattered dreams too.

Look at the case of Chief MKO Abiola. Nobody heard of him in the first Republic. When the military took over power in 1966, he managed to ingratiate

After much effort, my friend was dissuaded from beheading his prospective son in law, a proper colorful traditional marriage and white wedding took place; the young couple have three children and are doing very well professionally

himself to the powers that be in the military. His businesses were heavily patronized by his military friends in government.

He became stupendously rich and decided to take a shot at the Presidency of Nigeria in an election organized by the military. He won that election convincingly.

The same military that made him a multi - millionaire, the same military that organized an election that he won, decided to void the election. In frustration he declared himself President of Nigeria. The military then decided that he was not the president of Nigeria but a prisoner. He died in prison.

Omoyele Sowore should have known that declaring yourself president or calling for a revolution in a coup prone country like Nigeria - when there is a government in place - could attract fire and fury.

Recently, kidnapping for ransom became the most frightening security nightmare in Nigeria. In Taraba, a state that is already on the slippery road to anarchy, kidnapping has been elevated from pure crime to a thriving industry.

The mastermind of rampant kidnappings in Taraba, Mr. Hamisu Wadume was recently trapped by the police in Ibi and arrested. He was handcuffed and the police were taking him to Jalingo the state capital when they came under the heavy fire power of soldiers from the military cantonment in Takum.

Three crack police detectives who had earlier arrested Evans another notorious kidnapper were gunned down. The military then proceeded to set the notorious kidnapper free.

Some of us who have no other job but to report events in Nigeria are yet to find out the true meaning of this country.

DAN GAYE El-Zakzaky’s Trial: Police beef up security in Kaduna - News

Why not, IMN is now banned!

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