Thursday, August 14, 2014. Edition. by Peoples Media Limited

www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 14 No. 27

Thursday, August 14, 2014

. . . putting the people first

Jonathan appoints Kifasi new HoS, redeploys 9 perm secss >> Page 10

Shawwal 19, 1435 AH

7 killed, 9 wounded in Katsina, Bauchi auto crashes >> Page 5

122

N150

Days

Since over 200 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted

Ebola spreads to Enugu ď Ź FG approves Zmapp for treatment ď Ź US denies travel ban on Nigeria

>>Page 2

L-R: Vice-President (South), Women in Politics Forum(WIPC), Barrister Sharon Ikeazor (APC), former Minister of Women Affairs, Iyom Josephine Anenih, former Plateau state Deputy Governor, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, former Head of State and All Progress Congress (APC) Leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, WIPC Vice-President (North), Hajiya Hafsat Mohammed Baba, WIPC President, Barrister Ebere Ifenolu during a visit by the WIPC members to General Buhari, yesterday in Abuja, to commiserate with him on the bomb attack in Kaduna recently. Photo: Mahmud Isa

New constitution

By Patrick Andrew & Ochiaka Ugwu

Northern, Southern delegates in A make-or-break debate today

head of today's debate for the final consideration of the harmonized report of the National Conference, delegates from the North and their counterparts from the South have held strong but opposing views regarding the draft new constitution allegedly smuggled into the conference report. While the northern delegates have stood their grounds that the new constitution is laced with a third term agenda, their Southern counterparts denied exist

Contd on Page 2

>>Page 6

Impeachment: Enugu dep gov collapses before panel

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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News CONTENTS News

2-10

Editorial

Op.Ed

Letters

Opinion

Metro

16-18

Business

19-22

Stockwatch S/Report

23 24-25

Earth

Update

Middle East Crisis: Finding lasting solution to Israeli/Palestinian conflict – Page 4

Politics

Int’l

S/World

Digest

Sports

Columnist

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Ebola spreads to Enugu By Lawrence Olaoye with agency reports

he Federal Government yesterday disclosed that the dreaded Ebola killer virus has berthed in Enugu with about 21 people who were suspected to have been infected quarantined in the state. This is coming as the Federal Government has approved the use of an experimental Ebola drug, Zmapp, for treatment of patients infected with the virus. Briefing newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC)'s meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said a nurse, who was under watch in Lagos having been suspected to have contacted the virus after contact with the late Liberian carrier, Patrick Sawyer, had travelled to Enugu state against medical instruction. According to him, 198 persons are currently under watch by the Ministry of Health to contain further spread of the disease. Of this number, 177 are in Lagos while 21 are in Enugu following the nurse's travel to the state. He said: "All those who had primary contact have been quarantined. Secondary contacts have also been traced. So far the number of people that have been traced is 198. Out of this number, 177 are in Lagos and are being traced. Some are in quarantine; some are being monitored by health specialists." "21 persons in Enugu are also being watched. This is because one of the nurses that was involved with the treatment of the index case, unfortunately, disobeyed medical instructions and somehow travelled to Enugu," he said. According to the minister: "All those who she was in contact with, including her husband, are under quarantine. The medical team have been able to trace all those who made contact with her." Maku said. He urged members of the public to discountenance rumours and unverified reports over the Ebola epidemic warning that the government will prosecute anybody spreading rumours that could damage public health. "Health workers are now in

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FG approves ZMAPP Meanwhile, Federal Government has approved the use of an experimental Ebola drug, Zmapp, for treatment of patients infected with the virus. And the United States said yesterday it has not issued any travel restrictions on Nigeria and other Ebola prone countries of West Africa including Sierra Leo-

ne and Guinea. The approval of the Zmapp was disclosed by the National Health Research Ethics Committee of Nigeria, which comprises research scientists, is a national body under the Federal Ministry of Health. The endorsement is contained in a statement issued to journalists by Clement Adebamowo, Chairman of the committee yesterday in Abuja. “It is ethical to use these treatments in the current situation without first submitting an application to National, State or Institutional Health Research Ethics Committee for prior review and approval. “In addition, the Committee waives the current requirement that international shipment of any biological samples out of Nigeria should be preceded by the establishment of a Materials Transfer Agreement. “This waiver is to promote rapid international response to this global emergency,” the statement said. In the statement, the Nigerian National Code for Health Research Ethics emphasised that all innovative and non-validated treatments should be carefully and adequately documented. According to the statement, the documentation can form the basis for clinical trials of the efficacy and side effects of the treatment according to established scientific principles. In the statement, the ethics committee enjoined all agencies, development partners and research scientists to follow the guideline for the rapid resolution of the current emergency. “The guideline will contribute to preparedness in case of future occurrences and contribution to scientific knowledge. “It must be noted that all Phase O and Phase I Clinical Trials that may subsequently be designed for treatment of this infection can be approved only by the National Health Research Ethics Committee,” it said. The decision by the committee is coming on the heels of Tuesday’s approval by the World Health Organisation, WHO, on the use of experimental drug, Zmapp, for treatment of Ebola patients.

And according to the U.S. Department of State, no Ebola-related travel restrictions have been issued by the agency for Nigeria, Guinea and Sierra Leone. A “factsheet” issued by the state department on its response to Ebola virus, said the agency only issued a travel warning on August 7, 2014 against non-essential travel to Liberia. “Due to a lack of options for routine health care services, the Department of State ordered the departure of family members residing with embassy staff in Monrovia to begin August 8, 2014.’’ It said U.S. government employees in Liberia would remain on active duty at the embassy and additional staff members are being deployed to assist Liberia in addressing the Ebola outbreak. The state department, however, said the U.S Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, issued alerts for the four West African countries affected by Ebola. The countries, include Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. On Nigeria, CDC had issued “a level two alert”. The level 2 alert notifies travellers of the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria and to inform them of measures they can take to minimise risks of contracting the disease. According to the state department, U.S. embassies in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone will remain open and will continue business as usual. “We remain deeply committed to supporting regional and international efforts to deliver health care as well as contain and control the transmission of the Ebola virus,” the U.S. Department of State said. It added that the U.S. government was monitoring the situation closely and would update its response and travel recommendations as needed. The State Department said the U.S. is working with the WHO and other international partners to help West African governments respond to and contain the outbreak of the Ebola virus. According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, the death toll from the outbreak has risen to over 1000, with more than 1,711 cases.

Northern, Southern delegates in make-or-mar debate today Contd from Front Page

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all our border units. All the entry points into this country and exit points, we have port health workers that are working in our airports and seaports." "We are calling on citizens specifically to cooperate. If health workers say you have had contact with A,B,C, don't move to anywhere, respect that judgement. It is very important. In one or two cases where we have had disobedience, we lost one of them and this one now moved with it to another place (Enugu). So we are urging Nigerians, please, to help us in making sure that all these messages and appeals we are making, we implement them." he said. While maintaining that the preventive measures have been communicated to state governors, Maku said that they have been reinvited to be briefed by the federal government on further collaboration to stamp out the disease from Nigeria. He said that the disease has no recorded cure as he debunked the report that there was Ebola case in Abuja. On claims for treatment for the disease, he said: "The ministry of health set up a special committee specifically to take claims from Nigerians who believe they could help and so far we have had a lot of reports from Nigerians at home and abroad who come forward to say, look they have possibility of developing therapies that could help in fighting the virus." "There is no cure so far, anywhere in the world. Even the trial drug in the US is still a trial drug, it has not been established." During the FEC meeting, automatic hand sanitizer was brought in and the President, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola and some governors sanitized their hands. The machines are to be stationed in strategic places for private and public use.

ence of a third term plot. And today, the venue of the conference promises to be fully charged as the delegates are set to flex muscles on the vexed issue. Kutigi's smart move yesterday also saved the Conference from unnecessary fireworks. Prior to yesterday's proceedings, core northern delegates had drafted a proposal, which they planned to read during the meeting and then submit same to the secretariat. Sensing that there was going to be trouble, Kutigi told delegates they could submit their grievanc-

es about any section of the draft documents to the Conference secretariat, after which the necessary corrections will be effected. In his brief remarks, Kutigi told the Conference: "I welcome you back after the break of the past two weeks. We are in our final lap of the Conference. I apologize for the inconveniences you might have experienced for the shift in date of our resumption. "When you look at the heavy volume made out of the draft report, the notes and proceedings, as well as the 1999 constitution, with amendment, proposed by you, then you will understand the

amount of work we undertook in preparation for this week's meeting. "Let me at this stage, stress this point. We have prepared this draft report to the best of our ability and with all honesty. But we are human beings who can make mistakes. "We are therefore making available copies of the draft so that if we have any doubt about any issue, you can cross check. If you have any doubt about the veracity of any issue, you can crosscheck with the votes and proceedings and then raise the issue and corrections will be accepted. "Let me repeat. We have pre-

pared the main report with all honesty and diligence. Any mistake will be due to human error and without any ulterior motive. "We have been thinking of how to go about it without having any problems. Since everybody has a copy of what we are to consider, everybody should write what he intends to correct and submit to the secretariat. "We want you to write whatever correction you have. Bring it to the secretariat and we will tabulate it. For that reason, we shall be suspending this session in order to allow delegates put down their

Contd on Page 3

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

News Soldiers on red alert against us, El-Zakzaky cries out  Army refutes allegation From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

eader of the Islamic movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shi'ite, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky yesterday raised alarm that, the Nigerian military after allegedly killing his 33 innocent followers in Zaria at the recent Quds Day procession had again put soldiers on red alert against the group. El-Zakzaky made the statement at the end of Nahjul Balagha study session at the Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah, Zaria yesterday. One Division, Nigerian Army has however dispelled the allegation, saying there was no such directive. According to El-Zakzaky, "The Nigerian military, after killing innocent people in Zaria at the recent Quds Day procession, are now on the defensive and therefore, spreading rumour that the

“Shi’ites” was going to avenge the killing of their members. It would be recalled that Shi'ite had alleged the Nigerian military men and officers of killing 35 people, including 3 of Sheikh Zakzaky’s sons and injured many others after the Quds Day 'peaceful' procession. Sheikh Zakzaky however, said yesterday that "the military, having woefully failed in their plan, have stationed all their barracks on red alert to further unleash more violence and spill innocent blood. “We will not be surprised if they decided to detonate bombs in their barracks, or even kill some of their own and say it is the “Shi’ites” taking revenge. They have been doing this all over in the name of Boko Haram. "Because the military was shamed before the world, they realized that if they unleash further

onslaught without justification they would be further condemned; they therefore decided to spread the rumour and as well commission a Lagos and Kaduna- based newspapers to fabricate a malicious story and attribute it to him. “The reporter of the newspaper (not Peoples Daily) was not in existence, but given the name Shehu Dawud. Then another newspaper carried the same story, word to word, but claimed ownership of the story by its anonymous correspondent. Neither of the two newspapers stated where I made the statement. We conducted a press conference here and recorded; it was published and posted on the Internet and YouTube; how could only a Lagos-based newspaper heard what the Al-Zakzaky said?” He queried. He however disclosed that, he had received an invitation from the committee set up by military

under Colonel Benjamin to investigate what led to the “gun battle between the Shi’a sect and the Nigerian military.” The Shi'ite leader described it as ridiculous, adding that, “from this, you can see their foolishness, they have already established that it was a gun battle.” “Shi’a is not a military group. It is a religious belief that cuts across sections of the society. I cannot comprehend soldiers fighting a religious sect; can you imagine, for instance, soldiers fighting a Christian sect? Why call us a sect? I have never believed there is a sect in religion.”, he emphasised. Responding on behalf of the 1 Division Nigerian Army, Deputy Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Abdul Usman told this reporter on telephone that, "as far as I am concerned, I am just hearing that from you now. But I can tell you, there is no such order."

President Goodluck Jonathan (right), sanitizing his hand sanitizer machine against Ebola virus, during a meeting with state governors and their

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Northern, Southern delegates Contd from Front Page remarks.” Kutigi also announced a fresh meeting with regional leaders in a move to break any hiccup that might arise today when delegates reconvene to consider the final report of the Conference. “I will be meeting the leaders of the different delegations while other delegates write their comment on the report. Let us make it tomorrow (today) then so that the secretariat can tidy up the report for a final consideration,” he announced. Soon after the adjournment, southern leaders and their middle-belt counterparts held a press conference, where they condemned plans by any delegates to sabotage the ‘successes’ recorded so far by conference. At the press conference, Chief Olu Falae, represented the South-west, General Ike Nwanchukwu (rtd) represented the South-east, Chief Edwin Clark represented the Southsouth, while Mr John Dara stood in for North-central. The regional leaders unanimously agreed that no individual or group inserted anything into the draft documents. The northern delegates have held a position that the new constitution drafted by some delegates is embellished with a third term agenda and must be rejected. The Southern delegates however said those making the allegation are mischief makers. General Nwanchukwu said the Conference has succeeded has addressed issues that have held the country down have finally been resolved. The regional leaders said they were solidly behind the leadership of the Conference, adding that anyone who felt aggrieved should formally write to the Conference leadership. Chief Falae said delegates from certain section of the country are angry because the Conference has succeeded in reversing the status quo. Other prominent southern delegates who attended the press conference include Prof. Anya O. Anya, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Chief Charles Edosonwan (SAN), among others.

Terrorists list: Airport Immigration brutalise German-based Nigerian in Lagos From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

German-based Nigerian, Ahmed Ibrahim who visited Nigeria for the last Ramadan has been allegedly brutalized by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos on his way back to Munich over allegation that his name is among those on a wanted list of terrorists by the Presidency. The Kwara state-born 32 yearold claimed three officers of the Immigration Service descended on him, with one hitting him with a rod on his head, which is currently bandaged and pictures taken while in the cell showed his blood-soaked cloth was obtained by journalists.

According to him, his ordeal began when he arrived the terminal to undergo his departure formalities and was accosted by Immigration officers, who later seized his passport and was made to miss the Air France flight to Paris enroute the Germany capital. Ahmed said he was made to sleep on the floor of one of the offices, as he was told he will need clearance from the presidency to leave the country, as his name tallied with that of a terrorist on the wanted list of the Nigeria government. Ahmed was later taken to Abuja on Tuesday, only to be detained in the evening, having been told he will return back to proceed on his journey to Europe. He later called

his relative to inform that he is due to be kept incommunicado by the authority. His elder brother, Adam Abdullahi told reporters all his effort to claim of innocence and secure his release and proved abortive, as one of the officers, simply identified as Alaje, insisted on transferring the suspect to the headquarters, in the nation’s capital. Adam said “Ahmed called us on Saturday night after we have seen him off that his passport has been seized by immigration officers who claimed that his name is on the wanted list of persons by the presidency. We ran down only to be told by one Alaje and Umar who were on duty that the case must be taken to Abuja for clearance. They asked us to return on

Monday with a return ticket for our brother and one immigration officer who will accompany him.” “We were told to return with money for return tickets for him and one officer who will accompany to Abuja to ascertain his innocence. But by Sunday night he called again to say he was been beaten by officers on duty, we ran down again from Olambe in Ogun state only to meet him in the cell with his cloth soak in blood while his head was bandage, where he said one officer hit him with a rod.” Adam said the intervention of a Lagos state House of Assembly member representing Apapa constituency 1, Hon. Egberongbe Mufutau could not secure the release of the suspect. Ahmed was taken to Abuja on

Tuesday only to be detained while his mobile phone and other valuables were confiscated. His brother, Ahmed, who was on his way to Abuja yesterday, Wednesday morning told reporters he has been threatened by immigration officers to allow the case be handled internally or he will be dealt with as he said the Deputy Controller of Immigration at the MMIA, and another top officer he identify as King has pleaded that his brother was mistaken for a wanted terrorist. Immigration spokesperson in Abuja, Chukwuemeka Obua was not available as at press time to confirm the development.

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Page 4 Report

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Middle East Crisis: Finding lasting solution to Israeli/Palestinian conflict By Ochiaka Ugwu

he long-running Middle East conflict is a polarizing issue the world over. The latest outbreak of violence has been particularly emotive because of the large number of civilians killed, especially children. Shocking pictures of the dead and dying, and grief-stricken survivors have gone around the world. Images of Gaza’s bombed towns and cities, now mounds of rubble, bear testament to the disproportionate force being employed by the Israeli military to counter the rockets being fired by Hamas. More than 200,000 of the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza have been displaced, and electricity and water supplies have been crippled. Palestinians have had their homes taken away from them and continue to live as captives in their own land. They have lived under occupation for decades and many Palestinians who left in search of a better life are no longer allowed to return under Israeli law. Under the occupation, their daily existence is made more intolerable by numerous checkpoints. In addition, the wall that Israel has erected runs through portions of a future Palestinian state. The increasing size and population of Israeli settlements is a further aggravation. Some of them abroad have succeeded to a certain extent in the West, but there is a negative perception of their status and this has increased after the 9-11 tragedy. Palestinians are denied many opportunities in other Muslim countries where many live in refugee camps. The world wants the Palestinians to live in freedom in Palestine. They would be able to live in their own country of Palestine and prosper without any occupational controls. The Palestinian refugees could return from all the countries where they have lived, either as unwelcome guests or finding a mistrustful acceptance at best, and finally be able to enjoy the full benefits of citizenship in their own state. When Theodor Hartzl, the ideological founder of the Zionist movements in the 1890s, was asked what he proposed to do with the indigenous Palestinian population when his “state of the Jews” becomes a reality, he replied, “We will quietly spirit them across the border”. This was followed by Joseph Weitz’s statement, the head of the Jewish Agency’s colonization department. He confirmed in his 1940 diary. “It must be clear”, he wrote, “that there is no room

Israel versus Palestine: Who do you support?

for both peoples together in this country … not one (Arab) village, not one tribe should be left”. In 1923 Vladimir Jabotinsky, leading intellectual of the Zionist movement and father of the right wing of that movement, wrote: “Zionist colonization must either stop, or else proceed regardless of the native population (Palestinians), which means that it can proceed and develop only under the protection of a power that is independent of the native population. Now, the reality is that Israelis have taken away 78% of the Palestinian land since 1967 gradually sliced up the Occupied Palestine into 70 pieces connecting to ring roads excluding Palestinians from their homes, farms, work, etc. These 20, 000 settlers unlawfully grabbed the Palestinian land, turned

“

Palestine into the longest running concentration camp of this universe with a stamp of infinity. However, in finding lasting solution to the conflict, some commentators have advocated a “one-state solution”, in which Jews and Arabs would be joined in one state, with all inhabitants having the same citizenship – call it Israeli or Palestinian. But such a “solution,” as most observers know, was rejected by Israelis. The Jews had maintained that given the murderous hate expressed daily in statecontrolled Palestinian media toward them, this would be a method for a second Holocaust. Within one generation, Arabs, with their high birth rate and inevitable immigration from abroad, would be a majority. They would unleash a civil war

There is need to urgently solve this crisis as emerging countries of the world would benefit by having more attention and money focused on them instead of resolving conflict and in providing aids.

that would make the Lebanese and the Syrian wars seem like child’s play. With more than half the world’s Jews now living in Israel, Adolf Hitler’s most fervent genocidal wish would finally be fulfilled. A second solution, which was a “Two- State Solution” is favored by much of the world, including the United States government. Again the Jews had said is not much better than ‘one state solution’ and almost as unacceptable to those who support the welfare and future of the Jewish state. They said the example of Gaza is instructive, when former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon in order to advance peace and appease world opinion abandoned Gaza with no reciprocal agreement from the Palestinians. All Jewish inhabitants, most living there for generations, were expelled from their homes by Israel and resettled in “Israel proper.” Today, almost daily bombardments by deadly Hamas rockets force up to one million Israel civilians into bomb shelters. Israel’s forbearance to these affronts is almost unimaginable. The surrounding Arab states and Muslim countries beyond (such as Iran) would certainly join the fray and assist in the final destruction of the beleaguered and helpless Jewish state. There is no doubt that the extent of the humanitarian crisis there has touched the world. There are no words to describe the horror of the incessant bombing. The sheer

level of atrocity, with even UN shelters, facilities and schools being targeted, has seen people rise above narrow ethnicity and religiosity in sympathy with the great level of human suffering. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has described the Israeli onslaught in Gaza as “a moral outrage and a criminal act”. The scribe of the world’s body said, “This madness must stop”. The conflict has seen a rise of anti-Semitism as anti-war protests and Palestinian support campaigns are occurring around the world. Even in the United States, Israel’s most powerful ally. There has been hacking and defacing of Jewish websites and a Florida synagogue was vandalized. While several countries in South America have cut diplomatic ties with Israel, protests, some of them violent, have been raging in Europe demanding stronger action from governments to stop the conflict. In addition, South Africa has lent its voice in condemning the conflict. President Jacob Zuma appointed former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad and Former High Commissioner in the United Kingdom, Zola Skweyiya as special envoys to the Middle East. At a media briefing in Cape Town to report on their mediation efforts, Pahad and Skweyiya said they met with Palestinian and Israeli officials, as well as civil society representatives to convey the South African government concern about the situation and urge an unconditional ceasefire. While there has been strong condemnation against Israel from political organizations and civil society in South Africa, with demonstrations and protests in the country’s major cities, there have not been violent clashes as seen in other parts of the world. A group of South African Jews are running an online petition they intend sending to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu condemning the assault on Gaza and killing of civilians. There is need to urgently solve this crisis as emerging countries of the world would benefit by having more attention and money focused on them instead of resolving of conflict and in providing aids. For peace to return to the region, proponents of peace and conflict resolution have said that there is every need for both parties to see themselves as equal and one human community created by one God. They should stop fanning the ember of hate but embrace each other irrespective of religion or race.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Ebola: ECOWAS staff that assisted Patrick Sawyer dies in Lagos By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has died in Lagos of the Ebola virus. ECOWAS, which made the announcement in a statement on Tuesday, said the staff, Jatto Abdulqadir, 36 works with its Lagos Liaison Office. It added that Abdulqadir, a Protocol Assistant, was among those who assisted the Liberian delegate to a regional meeting, Mr. Patrick Sawyer, who died from the Ebola Virus Disease at a Lagos hospital on 25th July 2014. The commission said Abdulqadir had been under quarantine following that sad incident. “The management of the Commission wishes to commiserate with Mr. Abdulqadir’s family and colleagues and prays for the repose of his soul. Before this sad event, the Commission working in collaboration with Nigerian health authorities, had disinfected all the facilities of the ECOWAS Lagos Liaison Office, as part of precautionary measures to safeguard the health, safety and security of staff members, and will continue to monitor the situation,” the statement said.

Fire outbreak at Benue University causes pandemonium From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

fire outbreak yesterday at the female hostel of the Benue State University; BSU caused pandemonium amongst the students. Several items were destroyed by the inferno which started at about 10am. When our correspondent visited the scene, men of the State fire department were seen struggling to put off the fire. Narrating the incident to People’s Daily, a 300 level student of the Department of Mass communication, Beatrice Terwase said she had just left the hostels to take her bath when she heard screams from the hostel. Beatrice said smoke was seen from a particular locked room, adding that she quickly rushed to pick some items but lamented that she lost several items including iPad, credentials and handset. Dean, Students’ Affairs of the institution Prof. Armstrong Adejoh attributed the incident to possible power fluctuation, adding “you know we have been having issue of epileptic power situation in the school, but it could be due to human error. However, we will set up a panel to determine the cause of the inferno”.

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News

Fake Superintendent of Police nabbed in Kaduna From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

aduna state Police command has arrested a fake senior Assistant Superintendent of police (ASP) Ifeanyi John, driving a Toyota Camry loaded with weeds suspected to be Indian hemp. Parading the suspect before the newsmen in Kaduna, the

Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu said the arrest of Ifeanyi was as a result of the vigilant and intelligent quotient of his officers, who stopped to assist a ‘presumed’ officer along Zaria-Kaduna road when they saw him, but after close observation, they discovered irregularity in his dressing and manner of approach, which led to asking questions about his destination.

The CP further added that his failure to provide satisfactory answers led the patrol team to invite him to their station and after a search, five bags of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp were found in his boot. Speaking to newsmen, the fake superintendent Ifeanyi John, who said the ban on commercial motorcycle by in Lagos by the

Fashola administration forced him to return to his home state, Ondo and where he stole the uniform of his late brother, Ayodele Adegoke and started using it for his nefarious activities. The CP however said, the suspect will soon be charged to court after investigation, saying the car and weeds are in their possession.

L-R: Yobe state Governor, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam, presenting an award to Malam Isa Muhammad Gardi for handwriting 60 copies of the Holy Qur’an, during the opening of the First National Conference on Free-Hand Qur’an Writing Competition, yesterday in Damaturu.

7 killed, 9 injured in Katsina, Bauchi auto crashes From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina and Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

ragedy struck in Katsina yesterday, as a fatal car accident claimed the lives of three passengers and left nine injured. Speaking with People’s Daily correspondent over the incident, the State Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Commission , Alhaji Habu Dauda disclosed that the accident occurred in Tsanni village along Katsina-Dutsin-ma road. He added that the accident involved a Sharon Commercial Bus and a Pilot Jeep that had a head-on collision. He said “it was around 11:00 am

when it was raining that one of the vehicle attempted to overtake on a sharp bend in Tsanni village when the two vehicles had a head-on collision”. According to him, three of the persons involved in the accident died on the spot while nine passengers including five males and four females were injured in the crash. Dauda noted that immediately the accident was reported to his command they quickly rushed to the scene where they evacuate the dead and conveyed the injured to Katsina General Hospital for treatment. In a related development, three soldiers, one female banker with the Unity Bank Alkaleri yesterday were killed while nine others

sustained injuries in a ghastly motor accident that occurred along Dindima village in Alkeleri local government area of Bauchi state. The accident involved an Army Hilux convoy, a Vectra vehicle with registration number AH 951 MGU and a trailer vehicle with registration number GGW 01 AH. Our correspondent gathered from the residents of the area that apart from the female banker that was killed, three soldiers in the army convoy lost their lives in the fatal crash. They said the accident was due to the over speeding and wrong overtaking of the military convoy, which led to a headlong collision with the Vectra vehicle.

While confirming the incident, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) unit commander of Alkaleri, Mr James Adamu Kalaa said that the crash which happened around 9.54am, involved 13 persons, out of which four persons were killed and nine others, including six soldiers sustained injuries. He said when officers of the FRSC arrived the scene of the crash; the army had evacuated the corpses of the three dead soldiers as gathered from the residents of the area. He attributed the accident to dangerous overtaking and over speeding of the army Hilux behind the trailer, which collided with Vectra vehicle coming from the other lane of the road.

Bestiality: Man risks 7-years jail for raping dog in Edo By Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

19 year-old man accused of raping a bitch, on Tuesday, at Iguosa community Ovia North-East local government area in Edo state, faces 7 year’s imprisonment, if found guilty by a competent court. The bizarre incident has triggered outrage among some residents in the area, following the circumstances surrounding the death of the dog he alleged

bestiality was committed with. The accused, whose identity was not disclosed, according to Police Public Relations Officer, Edo state Command, DSP Noble Uwoh has been arrested. Uwoh noted that investigation to ascertain the mental state of the victim has commenced, stating that the offence was contrary to section 214(6 ) of criminal code. “The boy is 18years. He had carnal knowledge with a dog; we will ascertain or the reason behind

his action his motive or if he is mentally imbalanced because the offence is contrary to 214 (6) of criminal code.’’ The suspect, who muttered some few words, admitted committing the offence at an uncompleted building. It was also reported that the undue attention given to him by the bitch attracted passers-by, who interrogated him. Pa Clifford Igiehon who claimed to be the most elderly

man in the community, described the act as an abomination and called for a proper screening of the young man. According to Igiehon, “It is an abomination against the community. The young man came from Uselu community in Benin City and I don’t know why he decided to commit the act here in the community; we don’t want to see him here again so that he would come and spoil our people for us.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

News Abduction of speaker’s children: 5 suspects arraigned From Omale Adama, Lokoja

ive suspected Boko Haram members were yesterday arraigned before Lokoja Chief Magistrate Court 1 over their alleged involvement in the kidnap of children of the Speaker, Kogi House of Assembly, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal. The suspects, Ibrahim Garba, Usman Musa, Husseini Ovaku, Husseini Umar and Ogah Sunday were charged with criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, belonging to an unlawful society and kidnapping contrary to sections

97(1), 289(c) and 100 of the Penal Code Law and 3(3) and 7 of the Kogi state Kidnapping, Thuggery and other related Offences (Prohibition) Law, 2010. They were arraigned through an application urging the court to take cognizance of offences under section 143(C) of the Criminal Procedure code (CPC) signed by Mohammed Abaji Esq.,Senior Legal Officer with the state Ministry of Justice. The suspects, according to Abaji, on April 15, invaded the private residence of the Speaker in Okengwe, Okene Local Government area, while armed with sophisticated

weapons and kidnapped his two sons, three-year old Hafiz and Ogirima, six. The accused, he said, took the children away in a dark blue Toyota Yaris marked Lagos: AKD 224 AY belonging to their mother and later demanded a N200million ransom for their release. Abaji said investigations after their release on Friday June 6, and 53 days in the kidnappers’ den, revealed that the accused and others now at large, who were members of an unlawful society, the Boko Haram, masterminded the kidnap. It was also revealed through

their confessional statements that a Boko Haram leader, simply known as Musa trained them in weapons’ handling in a forest on AjaokutaOkene road, about two-hour walk from the highway into the forest. They were also alleged to have carried out the armed robbery attacks on Ajaokuta and Auchi branches of the First Bank of Nigeria PLC and other robberies in Kaduna state. Abaji told the court that investigations were on-going as he applied for another date for mention but urged the court to remand them in prison custody, opposing

R-L: Sokoto state Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, receiving Award of Excellence from National President, Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), Alhaji Lawal Mahmud, during a visit by the association’s executive members to the governor, yesterday at the Government House, in Sokoto.

Impeachment: Enugu dep gov collapses before panel

Nigeria lacks adequate nurses, midwives - Council From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

he number of nurses and midwives at the health facilities in the country is not enough to render effective health care delivery services to the teeming Nigerian populace. The Chairman of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigerias Alhaji Mustapha Jumare made the assertion yesterday in Bauchi. during the opening ceremony of the council’s Examiners’ workshop with the theme ‘’

professional examination for nurses and midwives in Nigeria: prospects and challenges in a technological era’’. Jumare, who noted that nurses and midwives contribute immensely towards the development of the health sector in the nation however observed that the number of the nurses and midwives accredited by the council is 250, 000 which is too little for the Nigerian population of over 150 million citizens. He, therefore, called on the

Colleges of Nursing and midwifery across the country to increase their admissions to interested applicants just as he asked the federal and state governments to recruit more nurses and midwives in their hospitals ‘’ because without them, our health facilities cannot survive’’. He explained that the workshop which had participants from all the 36 states of the federation was aimed at improving the skills of examiners to effectively assess candidates during schools

or the council’s professional examination in order to produce competent nurse and midwife practitioners. ‘’ At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to utilize the knowledge of information and communication technology , demonstrate skills in constructing objectives and essay test items as well as identify and proffer solutions to the new challenges in professional examination, administration and evaluation among others.

Yobe 3-Star hotel converted to Students’ hostel From Uche Uche, Damaturu

obe state government has converted the 3-star hotel along Potiskum road to hostel for medical students of the proposed state teaching hospital. The State Governor, Alh. (Dr) Ibrahim Gaidam disclosed this yesterday while on inspection of the edifice which is annex to the 200bed capacity ultra modern hospital. He said the decision was born out of bitter experiences in the past where government hotels were mismanaged in the hands of civil

granting of bail to them in view of the enormity of the alleged offences. Counsels to the 1st, 2nd to 4th and 5th accused, Kevin Fenaiye, Safiya Abdullahi and Shu’aibu Ibrahim respectively in their oral applications for bail cited sections 36(5) of the constitution and 341(1) (2)(3) of the CPC emphasising presumption of innocence of the accused. In his ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Levi Animoku held that the laws equally prescribed restraint of an accused where and when necessary. Animoku said that in view of the weight of punishment, especially for kidnapping which is life imprisonment without an option of fine, in line with the state laws, it was not safe to admit the accused to bail. “I am not convinced to grant them bail, the application is hereby refused” he said as he ordered that the accused be remanded at Federal Prisons, Koton-Karfe and adjourned to September 17, for mention.

servants. He stated that if completed and handed over to the hotels management, it would end up in limbo due to negligence. He emphasized that the state government has expended huge sums of money on the structural adjustments in the building hence the need to ensure value for money spent for the benefit of the common man. “We will not hand over this hotel to the state hotel management board. This is because we had some bitter experiences on handling of

hotels by government workers. Look at the state hotels; they have not been generating a single kobo because when the insurgency started in Yobe State, the military personnel occupied almost all the rooms in the hotel. We have spent huge sums of money here which are all public funds and at the end of the day if we hand it over to civil servants to manage, it will end up in limbo,” the governor said. He pointed out that converting the hotel to medical students’ hostel would facilitate government effort towards meeting the accreditation

need of establishing a teaching hospital in the state. “Actually we need something like this for the students of the medical college when it comes to stand… including the doctors and medical staff who will be there. And would be part of the criteria for its accreditation,” the governor stated. He has therefore directed for the merging of the fencing of the 3-star hotel with that of the ultra modern hospital under construction assuring that if need arises, government would construct addition buildings by the premises.

he Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Sunday Onyebuchi, who is facing impeachment for, among others, operating a poultry farm in his official residence, collapsed Wednesday morning while testifying before the seven-member panel investigating the allegation of gross misconduct against him. The deputy governor collapsed a few minutes to noon and was rushed to an undisclosed hospital by members of his family, including his wife, Nneka. The incident forced the panel to suspend proceedings till 2 p.m. The State House of Assembly had on July 24 initiated impeachment proceedings against Mr. Onyebuchi whom it did not only accuse of rearing chicken, but also disobeying the state governor, Sullivan Chime. Mr. Onyebuchi had arrived the Court premises, accompanied by his counsel and aides while he was invited to give evidence few minutes later. However, after about three hours, the embattled deputy governor reportedly slumped and his wife and others came to his rescue. Peter Eze, a member of the legal team defending the deputy governor, said he collapsed about five minutes after the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Ifeoma Nwobodo, and Commissioner for Justice, Anthony Ani, arrived at the court. He explained that Mr. Onyebuchi was immediately taken out of the hall to a hospital for medical attention. It could not be ascertained what led to his collapse. (Premium Times)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

News

Rivers: Police read riot act to kidnappers

he Commissioner of Police in Rivers state, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin has said that kidnappers still operating within the state are in for a hard time, as his Command would not relent in its efforts to rid the state of undesirable elements. He stated this just as the AntiKidnapping unit of the Command arrested two suspected members of a kidnap gang operating in Port Harcourt, in connection with the kidnap of a manager of a petrol station and the threatening of another. The gang’s modus operandi was reported to have included sending threat messages, accompanied by fearful pictures and live ammunition, to their victims, which would be followed by death threat calls. The police commissioner said that the suspects, Ndubuisi Udensi and David Joseph, were arrested by the anti-kidnapping unit, led by Shadare Edwards, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, in a joint operation with the Department of State Services (DSS), Rivers state, following the report of a threat letter sent to one of the gang’s intended victims, a manager of a petrol station in the oil city. Prior to the time the threat letter was sent, it was learnt that unknown gunmen abducted the manager of a petrol station along Omagwa Isiokpo road, Ikwerre local government area of Rivers state, on December 31, 2014. They reportedly shot him in the right leg and took him to an unknown destination. The gang was said to have started demanding for ransom, as a result of which the sum of N1.2million was paid. With the success made from the operation, Ndubuisi’s gang decided to try their luck with the manager of another filling station, Mr. Promise (surname withheld). The kidnap gang reportedly wrote a threat letter attached to frightening pictures of militants to the man, in which they enclosed two AK 47 live ammunition and dynamite detonator. This was followed up with calls demanding for payment of ransom if he didn’t want to be visited by the militants in the photo. Unknown to the gang, however, the police operatives noted the mobile number used in negotiating the ransom. It was later discovered that the mobile number belonged to Ndubuisi. He was thereafter arrested with David in a joint operation of Anti-Kidnapping Unit of Rivers State Police Command and the DSS. After preliminary investigation by the DSS, they were transferred to the police for further investigation. (NAN)

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EFCC arrests two bankers over N661m fraud

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two bankers for allegedly stealing the sum of N661,000,000 from their employers. According to a press release, signed by the EFCC’s Head, Media

& Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren Samuel Obende, the duo, Samuel Obende, a Branch Manager, and Rabiu Alhasan Dawaki, Head of Operations, both of Union Bank Plc, Bello Road Cash Center, in Kano, abused their positions to perfect the heist. They were

saddled with the responsibility for the evacuation and supplying of cash to about seventeen branches of the bank in Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, and Jigawa states. In the course of carrying out their duties, they fraudulently conspired and stole the sum N661,

000, 000. In an effort to conceal the illegal act, they fabricated accounting entries, which deceitfully showed that all the monies were sent to the respective branches. Investigation into the fraud continues.

Drug abuse: NDLEA arrests 11 children, hotel manager

T L-R: Public Relation Consultant, I-Nigeria Initiative, Malam Yashau Shuaib, Director, Defence nformation, Major-General Chris Olukolade, and Coordinator, I-Nigeria Initiative, Ms Ada StellaApi, during a media interactive session on security issues, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

Businessman arraigned over abduction, attempted rape From Uche Uche, Damaturu

30 year-old man, arraigned on 4-count charge of criminal conspiracy, abduction, intimidation and attempt to commit an offence, has been granted bail despite opposition to granting bail by prosecutor. The prosecutor, Paul Wilson told the court that the accused person, Mohammed Idris, a businessman and a resident of hospital road, Potiskum town, in Yobe state, was first arrested by the police in Potiskum, from where the case was transferred from the Potiskum Police Division to the Chief Magistrate Court 1,

Damaturu on July 15, 2012. He told the court that the case was reported to the Police by one Maryam Ahmadu, who stated that her daughter, Zainab Babayo, a 13 year-old girl, was on her way to school when the accused person, Ahmed Idris, of the same address, with his friend, one Musa, of an unknown address and now at large, took the 13 year-old girl to a house at Unguwan Jaji, Potiskum, where they striped her naked and attempted to rape her but was rescued by some passers-by. The prosecutor told the court that the accused persons have earlier threatened to kill the girl should she shout or report the incident to her parents.

Paul told the court that the offenses contradict sections 97,272,379b and 95 of the Penal Code Law. The accused person pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him and though an earlier oral application made by counsel to the accused for bail of the accused was opposed by the prosecutor. The presiding judge, Gambo Hussaini Jimbom, granted the accused person bail in the sum of N100, 000, with one reliable surety who must be a resident within the jurisdiction of the court. The case was adjourned to August 21, for hearing.

27 year-old man docked over rape

27-year-old man, Bayo Lawal, charged with rape of a minor was on Tuesday arraigned at a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. Lawal, who resides at 16, Afolabi street, Ikotun, Lagos, was alleged to have defiled the minor, a five-year-old girl, in an uncompleted building in the area. The prosecutor, ASP Godwin Anyanwu, told the court that the accused allegedly committed the offence at about 11 a.m. on May 25. According to Anyanwu, the girl was playing within their

compound when the accused called her and lured her away. ``Lawal took the five-yearold girl to an uncompleted building beside her home and had sex with her. He attempted to escape through the window when he heard the child’s mother calling her,” he told the court. He said that when the girl came out of the building, she was soiled with semen, adding that the girl’s mother immediately raised alarm and the accused was apprehended. The prosecutor said that the offence contravened section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos

state, 2011. Section 137 prescribes life imprisonment for anyone found liable of defilement of a minor. Lawal, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Magistrate, Mrs. Yewande Aje-Afunwa, granted the accused bail in the sum of N1million, with two sureties each in like sum. Aje-Afunwa also ordered that the accused should deposit N200,000 with the court’s Deputy Registrar. He adjourned the case to July 14 for legal advice from the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). (NAN)

he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said it has arrested 11 children and the manager of a hotel in Kaduna over alleged drug abuse and trafficking . The Kaduna state commander of the agency, Mohammed Jibrin, disclosed this in Kaduna recently, while briefing newsmen on activities marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The theme for the celebration is: ``A Message of Hope: Drug Use Disorders Are Preventable and Treatable’’. Jibrin said the children, seven girls and four boys, were arrested in a hotel room taking psychotropic substance. He said eight of the arrested children were still in junior classes, adding that their parents had been invited to the command for questioning and counselling. Jibrin disclosed that between January and May, the command arrested 210 drug suspects, including five female, with various illicit drugs weighing over 1074.02kg. He said that 80 of them had been convicted and were serving various prison term. Jibrin said that the command had also discovered and sealed an illegal laboratory in Zaria, manufacturing fake drugs. According to him, the laboratory produces drugs from ordinary powder, expired chemicals and substances that are detrimental to human health. Jibrin said the command was also involved in the rehabilitation of drug addicts. Jibrin stressed the need for communities, parents and other stakeholder to support the fight against drug abuse and trafficking to reduce the menace in the state. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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News

Ebola: FG directs laboratories to set up preventive measures

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

he Federal Government on Tuesday directed all laboratory centres to put in place preventive measures in readiness for any Ebola eventuality. The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Halliru Alhassan, gave the order at the inauguration of the Defence Reference Laboratory (DRL) extension building at the Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja. Halliru said that the directive became necessary since it has been discovered that health personnel were at high

risk while providing treatment for victims. According to the minister, it has now become necessary not only to look at both the curative and preventive strategies to contain the disease. He noted that the inauguration of the DRL was timely because the country was grappling with HIV/ AIDs scourge and the Ebola emergency. He also promised that the Federal Ministry of Health would partner the military authorities towards finding a lasting solution to the Ebola challenge. On his part, Minister of

State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, said that if the military was encouraged they would to do more in the area of research. He said that the military was capable of coming out with drugs that would checkmate most medical challenges. Obanikoro also said that the speedy completion of the laboratory underscored government commitment to invest in specialised disease detection. The minister described the facility as the apex medical laboratory of the military, adding that it would serve as bedrock for advancement of research

into the control of infectious and emerging diseases such as Ebola. He explained that the DRL was established in partnership with the United States Department of Defence aimed at building national capacity for laboratory diagnostic research in Nigeria. He disclosed that the construction of the new extension block and its speedy completion was the federal government’s way of investing in specialised diagnostic services and research as bedrock for advancement of medical care and control of infectious and emerging diseases.

L-R: Representative of the Minister of Education, Mrs. Edith Ekpunobi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwabiala, former Minister of Education, Dr. Jerry Agada, and Executive Secretary, National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Professor Junaid Mohammed, during the public presentation of a book, “My Teacher My Hero”, authored by Mrs. Claris Ujam, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin ImoOwo

NEMA donates relief materials to Jigawa flood victims From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has donated relief materials worth millions of Naira to flood victims in Jigawa. Speaking at the occasion, Alhaji Musa Ilalla, the NorthWest Zonal Coordinator of the NEMA said that over 500 victims were expected to benefit from the

relief materials according to the assessment it conducted in the affected areas. Ilalla listed the affected local government areas to include Hadejia, Taura and Ringim. However, reports indicated that the items were received on behalf of the state government by Alhaji Aliyu Waziri, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

The Items include; 200 bags of maize, 200 bags of guinea corn, and 300 bags of rice 60 Jerry-cans of palm and vegetable oil each. Others are; 600 bags of cement, 500 pieces of ceiling board, 300 bundles of roofing sheets, 200 bags of roofing nails, 200 packets of zinc nail, 200 pieces of Shadda and wrapper each.

Responding, Alhaji Aliyu Waziri, the Executive Secretary of the SEMA commended SEMA for the gesture, pledging that the items would be distributed among the victims without any discrimination. Waziri also urged residents to clear their drains and relocate from flood prone areas so as to forestall future occurrence of flood disaster in the state.

No trace of Ebola virus in FMC Yola – MD From Umar Dankano, Yola

he management of the Federal Medical Centre Yola has officially disclosed that the hospital has not recorded any patient as a result of the recent outbreak of Ebola Virus in some parts of the country as being speculated in Adamawa state. The Chief Medical Director of the Centre (FMC, Yola), Dr. Aliyu Danburam, made the development known during an interactive session with members of correspondents’ chapel at his office in Yola yesterday, saying in the interim, the management has set up a committee aimed

at serving as the rapid response team to monitor victims with the Virus. Dr. Danburam also disclosed that the committee is also saddled with the responsibility of identifying group of medical staff that would handle such cases in the event it occurs. Already, he says, the FMC has procured protective dresses for that purpose and liaising with the media for awareness campaigns. “We are also liaising with the supervising ministry so that chances are not taken”, he stated Responding to a question on the widely use of salty water as a preventive measure against

the Ebola Virus which happened some days back, Danburam said it was just the imagination of people. Says the Director, “if Nigerians can be that alert on Ebola and report such things like the insurgency we are having, then things would have been better”. Speaking further, he disclosed that there were no victims of the salt bath in his hospital but that is not to say that people with high blood pressure haven’t felt the effect and their BP upped. On the effect of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)

strike action, Dr. Danburam called for a truce, appealed to the striking Medical Doctors and the government to reach an accord by going back to the round table and talk. “You see, the earlier they talk, the better”. He said. He disclosed that there are twenty six patients left in the hospital including one soldier injured while in a fight against insurgents despite the on-going strike. According to him, “we have had to receive patients from elsewhere and we had no choice but to put in more stamina to cope”.

We’re committed to youth development, Jonathan assures By Lawrence Olaoye

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday assured that his government is committed to youth development and therefore would continue to prioritize and promote deliberate policies in that regard. The president made the commitment at the 2014 International Youth Day Celebrations, with the theme: “Youth and Mental Health: Nigerian Youth at Centenary,” which held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. Jonathan, who was represented by his Vice, Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo, said “as a government, we will continue to accelerate the implementation of the Youth Decade Plan of Action and advance the Youth Agenda through adoption of policies and mechanisms that will facilitate the creation of safe, decent and competitive employment opportunities.” Jonathan, who eulogised the dexterity of the Nigerian youth, maintained that the government was indebted to its youth and would not afford but to honour them. He narrated various intervention programmes and policies instituted by government to bring out the best in the Nigerian youth including the YouWin, SURE-P, Youth in Agriculture, Student Computer Ownership Scheme, Gender and ICT Programmes as well as Girls and Women in Nigeria Initiative, among several others. Jonathan tasked the Nigerian youth to continue to keep faith in their country, saying “All hands must be on deck, and we all must collaborate together to make our country greater. There is no greater pursuit worth our time in the present than advancing the collective interest of our beloved country Nigeria.” The Minister of Youth Development, Boni Haruna, said the 2014 celebration was aimed at creating awareness and drawing attention to the importance of mental health among youth to the development of any society. He said the day was to raise the global awareness on the youth’s challenges such as unemployment, mental health challenges and lack of involvement in leadership.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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News

UNICEF, NPC harp on birth registration in Zamfara From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

child protection specialist under the United nation’s Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF)’s field (B), Kaduna state, Barrister Ladi Alabi, yesterday advocated for incessant public enlightenment towards ensuring birth registration in Zamfara state for economic reasons and for the sake of other federal plans on social services. Barrister Alabi, who was speaking during a 3-day round table dialogue and joint action

planning, organised by the UNICEF, in collaboration with the federal government, at Karma hotel in Gusau, the state capital, said noncompliance to birth registration is a punishable offence by law. She further quoted that, section 48 sub-section A-B under births and death, has defined that, if parents fail or totally refuse to give birth information to questions asked by birth registration officers they shall be guilty of an offence and liable, on conviction, to a fine or imprisonment. The specialist emphasised the

need for parents across the state to know the importance of birth registration, adding that even adults who were not eventually issued birth certificates during their birth could ensure the collection of attestation letter from the National Population Commission (NPC). In his remarks, the state’s Director and Head of Vital Registration, NPC, Abubakar Abdullahi Maradun said, his beat has the largest land mass across the nation, with less number of Birth Registration Officers (BRO), expected to cover over 1,000

kilometres to meet the population requirement. Maradun informed that Zamfara state has over one hundred thousand square kilometres, with only 32 birth registration officers, as against some other states in the North-West that have only 21-24 thousand square kilometres, with over one hundred officers on ground for the same job. He called for more field officers with adequate provision of mobility that would facilitate fast coverage of the state that has the highest land mass across the nation.

R-L: Chairman of National Conference, Justice Idris Kutigi, and his Deputy, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, before the adjournment of the conference, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

NAFDAC sensitizes NYSC corps members on counterfeit drugs By Doyin Ojosipe

he National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC), has urged the Nigerian youths service corps, to avoid buying drugs without NAFDAC registration number as that’s one effective way to tackle the importing and production of drug

counterfeit. Speaking at the NYSC orientation camp, on Tuesday, the NAFDAC Director, Dr. Paul Ohii, represented by Director, Special Duties, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh sensitized the youths on dangers posed by drug counterfeiting to the health and well-being of Nigerians and the world as a whole.

He added that drug counterfeiting could lead to “treatment failures and death, increased and prolonged hospital admissions, development of drug resistance, among others.” He further explained that the use of counterfeit drugs could increase the cost of healthcare services, while posing difficulty in

controlling the disease. He said, it does not only increase prolonged suffering from an ailment, but could also make one lose confidence in the healthcare system of the country. Orhii finally urged the youths to help take the message to the people at the grass roots, as they resume at their primary places of assignment.

Birnin-Kudu urges state to support pregnant women From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

regnant women attending ante-natal care in Birnin Kudu local government area have charged the duo of state and local governments to support their plight against the payments of exorbitant hospital fees before being attended to. The women, made the charge during an exhibition visit on Tuesday by a non-governmental

organisation (NGO), under the aegis of Development Communications (DEVCOMS), at the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kudu. One of pregnant women, Amina Kassim, who came for anti-natal care in the hospital, explained to Peoples Daily that what usually discouraged women from attending clinics for their regular ante-natal was as a result of extra ordinary fees being charged by the hospital.

She said although her husband could afford to pay the N2,000 compulsory fee the hospital charges too much for the antenatal, stressing that many women have been turned away due to the recent hike in the charges. She said two years ago, the hospital charged only N200 per patient for the entire period of a woman’s ante natal; however, according to her, the charges were suddenly jerked up to N2,000, a

situation she said that has forced women to look elsewhere for the services. Meanwhile, the Jigawa state coordinator of the DEVCOM NGO Hajiya Binta Umar stressed that ,it is about time that women particularly those from the rural communities in the state embrace the patronage of ante natal programmes of the state in order to reduce the level of maternal mortality.

Pastor charges men to be Godly, responsible By Ese Awhotu

he Senior Pastor of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja, Dr. Paul Enenche has charged Nigerian men to live responsible lives and put their families on the path of Godliness in order to

secure heaven as response to the myriad of problems bedeviling them and the nation at large. E n e n c h e . w h o gave this charge in his prophetic homily lecture at the 2014 Dunami’s men’s fellowship, held at the M&M event center in Abuja, said families, communities and

Nigeria at large will triumph over their problems when men begin to live responsibly. “Satan comes after a man because if he gets a man, he gets the family, the community and the country” he said. To be responsible and to secure the response of heaven,

Enenche said men must wake up to till and sow the ground, as God is waiting to send rain upon the ground as soon as this occurs. The senior Pastor also warned Nigerian men to be mindful of the friends they keep, advising them to always keep friends who can break the ceiling to save them.

Ebola: Worshipers reject Holy Communion, as herbs consumers stop patronage in Kaduna From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

s the dreaded Ebola virus takes its toll and creating fears among worshippers in Kaduna state, some people are taking precautionary measures, by rejecting to take Holy Communion and make the signs of peace on their foreheads, at the same time consumers of traditional herbs have stopped patronising its hawkers. Investigation by this reporter reveals that some of the worshippers were obeying the recent call from the headquarters of their Church, which prohibits the giving of Holy Communion and the sign of peace till further notice. At the Catholic Church in the centre of the town, the worshippers ignored the call by the officiating priest to come out for the Holy Communion. One of the worshippers, Lydia Benson, said she refused to take the Holy Communion because she was told that it has been suspended because of the Ebola pandemic. Similarly, Martha Audu, who attends another Church along Angwa Boro, in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state, said she stopped taking Holy Communion from Monday, because she was told that it has been suspended, even though she has not been able to ascertain the authenticity of the information. But, in her words, prevention is better than cure. The Ebola virus is also creating panick among consumers of herbal medicine, as many of them have started questioning the hygienic standard of the production of such herbs. A hawker, who simply identified herself as Morenike Adeoti, told this reporter that she has for long been selling traditional herbs, popularly called ‘agbo’, to a mechanic village along Isa Kaita road, in KadunaNorth local government area of the state, but for the past week her customers have shied away from her without giving any genuine reason. But she said she suspected the down-turn may not be unconnected with the Ebola virus. A panel-beater, working in the mechanic village, Tunde Abdul, who said for long he has been taking the herbs for energy and fever, said he had to stop because of the Ebola virus. According to him, the hawkers use the same cup to serve everybody and only use water to wash it adding that he is very concerned about his health, saying that it is better for him to be a mechanic and earn little money than to be a quarantined as an Ebola patient.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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News

Ebola: JNI tasks Imams, Ulamas on sensitization From Muhammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

s the Ebola virus continue to cause panic among Nigerians, Jama’atul Naril Islam, JNI yesterday called on Imams and Ulamas to continue sensitizing their respective followers on the dangers of the disease and the preventive measures they are supposed to imbibe. The JNI made the call in a statement signed by the group’s Secretary General, Sheikh Khalid Abubakar Aliyu made available to newsmen in Kaduna. According to the group, Nigeria has now joined the league of West African Nations with the deadly Ebola outbreak with Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia taking the lead. “As confirmed by medical

experts, the disease was first discovered in monkeys and contacted by those who eat monkeys and other bush meats. “Alas, in Islam eating of monkeys had already been discouraged (Makruh), according to many scholars of Islamic jurisprudence. Thus, we should continue to uphold this verdict as it also serves as a preventative measure. “The culture of personal hygiene as well as proper sanitation must always be emphasized. Thus, Islam is a religion of cleanliness. Cleanliness is half of faith as reported in a sound Hadith. Therefore, we call on Imams and Ulamas to continue sensitizing their respective followers on the dangers of the disease and the preventative measures they are supposed to imbibe.

“More so, our MASAJID (Mosques) managers must maintain high level of sanitation for the teeming congregation of worshipers. Worshipers on the other hand, must cooperate in maintaining the sanitary condition of the MASAJID (Mosques). “Most specific areas where the sanitation and or preventive measures are needed are the surroundings of the MASAJID (Mosques), the toilets/bathrooms and above all, funeral/burial of our dead ones must be conducted with caution. “Symptoms of the disease include fever, sore throat, muscle pains and head - aches. Often nausea, vomiting and diarrhea follow along with severe internal and external bleeding in advanced stages of the disease. “It is therefore, worthy to note

that the entire World is taking stringent proactive steps as well as preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus; therefore the Nigerian Muslims should not be left out in taking proper measures of protecting themselves,” he said. Meanwhile, the Kaduna state government has set up an emergency steering committee to curtail the spread of the disease to the state. Peoples Daily gathered that the taskforce Committee would be chaired by the State Deputy Governor, Ambassador Audu Nuhu Bajoga. The committee would advise government on what steps to take to stop the virus from entering the state, following the state governor’s directive that a task force be formed to tackle the issue of Ebola in the state.

Emir of Gombe/ Chancellor, Gombe State University, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar, (left), ViceChancellor, Gombe State University, Professor Abdullahi Mahadi (right), jointly decorating Chairman, Board of Trustees, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Dr. Musa Babayo (middle), with PhD honoris causa , during the convocation of the university, recently in Gombe.

Insurgency displaces 40,000 in North-east

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday said about 400,000 persons have been internally displaced in the troubled north-eastern region of the country from January, 2014 till date. The information officer of the Northeast zonal office of

the agency, Abdulkadir Ibrahim said the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), from January to July 31, in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states before the explosion of recent attacks in Gwoza and Doron-Baga stood at 360,462. Ibrahim said Borno state alone had 183,031 IDPs, with Adamawa and Yobe recording 147,198 and 30,233 respectively, from January till the end of last

month. The spokesman, who revealed that this had overdrawn the agency, which had to be prepared at all time to meet humanitarian crisis in the region, said “because of the magnitude of cases of areas affected by the insurgency and the numbers of IDPs, NEMA has trained volunteers and Emergency Management Vanguard, who work with the Red Cross to set up camps and

to register internally displaced persons”. He revealed that those recently displaced as a result of the capture of Gwoza by the insurgents are now displaced in Madagali, in Adamawa state and Uba in Borno state with others fleeing to neighbouring Cameroon, adding that those displaced by last Sunday’s insurgency attack on Doron-Baga are accommodated at Central Primary School, Baga.

2014 Christian pilgrimage: NCPC signs air agreement with 3 airlines By Evelyn Okakwu

he Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) has signed Air carrier agreement for the airlift of Nigerian Pilgrims to the Holy Land for this year’s exercise. The formal signing ceremony took place yesterday in Abuja, involving two Air carriers, namely Atlas jet, Travel Aviation Tourism and El-al, respectively.

Addressing the air carriers, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, John Kennedy Opara noted that Nigerian Airlines will also be participating in this year’s pilgrimage exercise which will commence on the 26th of October 2014. In his remark, the Chairman of the NCPC, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh charged the two selected Air carriers to be courteous in dealing with the pilgrims “we expect highest courtesy

for our Pilgrims”, be committed to the course in which you have started and treat our pilgrims with respect”. He noted that the commission would uphold ethical standards, adding that only the best was good enough for the intending pilgrims. “We will ensure that things are done rightly and that you give our pilgrims the best”. Similarly, the Executive Secretary of the NCPC, Mr. John Kennedy Opara charged the two Air Carriers to live up to

expectations in the discharge of this assignment, stressing that; “The welfare of our pilgrims is paramount to us”. We will not compromise our standards”. In his response, the representative of the Atlas jet Airline Mr. Ecrument Filiz, stated that his Airline was ready to give the Nigerian Christian pilgrims the best comfort and safety to make 2014 pilgrimage exercise a wonderful experience.

Jonathan appoints Kifasi as new Head of Service By Tobias Lengan Dapam

resident Goodluck Jonathan has appointed Mr Danladi Kifasi as the new Head of Civil Service of the Federation. Kifasi will take over from Alhaji Abubakar Goni Aji coming Monday, as Aji’s retirement will be due then, having served for 35 years. Kifasi until the new appointment, was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. Minister of Information, Labaran Maku made the appointment known when he briefed State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. According to him, Jonathan congratulated Aji and thanked him for the efforts he put into the improvement of the civil service. Peoples Daily reliably learnt that Kifasi beat two other shortlisted candidates to emerge as the new Head of Service. They are Umar Faruk, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, and Goni Musa, Permanent Secretary in charge of Ecological Fund Office in the office of the Secretary to the government of the federation. President Goodluck Jonathan has also approved the redeployment of nine permanent secretaries across federal ministries. This was contained in a circular issued Wednesday by the out-going Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji. Among those affected are Engr. Emodi Nebolisa of the Ministry of Transport who now moves to the State House; Mr. Adelakun Yemi of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, OHCSF, now in the Ministry of Aviation and Mal. Mohammed S. Bashar, of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs who has been posted to Federal Ministry of Transport. Others include Mrs. Fatima B. Bamidele, of the Ministry of Interior who moves to Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs; Engr. Magaji A.G. of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the Ministry of Interior and Mrs Jamila Shu’ara who moves from the Ministry of Aviation to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. Among the newly deployed Perm Secs were Amb. Danjuma Nanpon Sheni, Mrs Binta Lami Bello who now assume duty at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye Common Services Office, OHCSF. The circular further stated that the processes for taking and handing over by the redeployed and newly deployed Perm Secs should be completed on or before next Wednesday.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Money Sense

Approach to retirement should focus on experiences rather than how much money one needs

ooking at retirement from a different approach, Harvard Business School Professor Michael Norton says the experiences need to be thefocus, rather than how much money one needs. The “doom and gloom” mindset of retirees doesn’t really encourage them to save money, he explains. The focus needs to shift how to set oneself up to do all of those experiences that will make one happy during retirement and maximize their well-being. Research shows that people drastically under-estimate what their retirement “number” is because they tend to think of the bare minimum of what they might need and not think of what they want to do with all of that time they’ll have and how much money they’ll need to accomplish their goals. Norton says this actually increases the number you’ll need to retire, which may feel threatening, but this increase will be for things one cares about instead of things that are doom and gloom. Norton suggests people think of two things when they retire; experiences and leaving a legacy. When people are going into retirement, he is encourages people to have accounts for experiences and accounts for giving to others as you’re saving for retirement, to make sure that when you get there, you’re able to do more of those things. There is also the fear around social security and Norton doesn’t feel that fear is totally accurate. “It’s feeding into this whole negativity around retirement that people are struggling with right now and it can impede us from taking the steps we need to save because it’s so negative and we’re trying to turn this into a more positive decision,” he says. The current trend on how people spend their money is on things that we don’t need and that don’t make us happy. The research shows that while clothes and tv’s

Money Tip:

esearch shows that people drastically underestimate what their retirement “number” is because they tend to think of the bare minimum of what they might need and not think of what they want to do with all of that time they’ll have and how much money they’ll need to accomplish their goals. Norton says this actually increases the number you’ll need to retire, which may feel threatening, but this increase will be for things one cares about instead of things that are doom and gloom.

Quote Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy– Norman Schwarzkopf

are nice, they don’t really change the happiness now and they’re stealing, in a sense, from our future selves because that’s money we could have saved. Even for those struggling to make ends meet,

it’s important to think of their money as whether they’re getting an emotional payoff now and will you get an emotional payoff later, Norton advises. Michael Norton is an

Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Marketing Unit at the Harvard Business School and co-author of “Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Money.” He spoke with Retirement

News Today, providing online retirement news video content. Retirement News Today is a featured network of Sequence Media Group. (Michael Norton, Harvard Business School)

How to pay a living wage and still make money in retail

he average American cashier makes $20,230 a year, a salary that in a single-earner household would leave a family of four living under the poverty line. But if he works the cash registers at QuikTrip, it’s an entirely different story. The conveniencestore and gas-station chain offers entry-level employees an annual salary of around $40,000, plus benefits. Those high wages didn’t stop QuikTrip from prospering in a hostile economic climate. While other low-cost retailers spent the recession laying off staff and shuttering stores, QuikTrip expanded to its current 645 locations across 11 states. Many employers believe that one of the best ways to raise their profit margin is to cut labor costs. But companies like QuikTrip, the grocery-store chain Trader Joe’s, and Costco Wholesale are proving that the decision to offer low wages is a choice, not an economic necessity. All three are low-cost retailers, a sector that is traditionally known for relying on part-time, low-paid employees. Yet these companies have all found that the act of valuing workers can pay off in the form of increased sales and productivity. “Retailers start with this philosophy of seeing employees as a cost to be minimized,” says Zeynep Ton of MIT’s Sloan School

of Management. That can lead businesses into a vicious cycle. Underinvestment in workers can result in operational problems in stores, which decrease sales. And low sales often lead companies to slash labor costs even further. Middle-income jobs have declined recently as a share of total employment, as many employers have turned full-time jobs into part-time positions with no benefits and unpredictable schedules. QuikTrip, Trader Joe’s, and Costco operate on a different model, Ton says. “They start with the mentality of seeing employees as assets to be maximized,” she says. As a result, their stores boast better operational efficiency and customer service, and those result in better sales. QuikTrip sales per labor hour are two-thirds higher than the average conveniencestore chain, Ton found, and sales per square foot are over 50 percent higher. Entry-level hires at QuikTrip are trained for two full weeks before they start work, and they learn everything from how to order merchandise to how to clean the bathroom. Most store managers are promoted from within, giving employees a reason to do well. “They can see that if you work hard, if you’re smart, the opportunity to grow within

the company is very, very good,” says company spokesman Mike Thornbrugh. The approach seems like common sense. Keeping shelves stocked and helping customers find merchandise are key to maximizing sales, and it takes human judgment and people skills to execute those tasks effectively. To see what happens when workers are devalued, look no further than Borders or Circuit City. Both bigbox retailers saw sales plummet after staff cutbacks, and both ultimately went bankrupt. As global competition increases and cheap, convenient commerce finds a natural home online, the most successful companies may be those that focus on delivering a better customer experience. Ton’s research on QuikTrip and other low-cost retailers--now a Harvard Business School case-is applicable across a variety of industries, she says. Toyota’s production system, for example, gives all employees--including workers on the assembly lines--a voice in improving products. But for a publicly traded company under pressure to show quarterly earnings, it’s tempting to show quick profits by cutting labor costs. The bad economy has also made workers willing to take lower-paid positions rather than

join the ranks of the unemployed. New employer-sponsored health insurance requirements under the Affordable Care Act are only going to give employers an additional incentive to shift workers to a parttime schedule. There are also trade-offs to investing in employees. Businesses that spend more on their workers have to cut costs elsewhere. Trader Joe’s streamlines operations by offering a limited number of products and very few sale promotions. Costco stocks products on pallets, as a warehouse would. And the QuikTrip model requires investors to have the fortitude to accept possible short-term drops in profits. “You have to take a loss for a little bit,” says Maureen Conway, executive director of the Economic Opportunities Program at the Aspen Institute. “You have to pay above market. You have to change how you do business.” At the upper echelons of the American workforce, salaries have soared. Companies are accustomed to thinking of their highest-level employees as “talent,” and fighting to hire and reward people who will help grow the company. Now Trader Joe’s and QuikTrip are proving that lower-level employees can be assets whose skills improve the bottom-line as well. (www. theatlantic.com/business/ archive/2013)

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

EDITORIAL

The Kenya pay cuts: Shouldn’t Nigeria follow suit? which is not sustainable. We need to deal with this monster if we are to develop this nation.” Some will say that a 20 % pay cut means nothing to a president whose family is reputed to be one of the richest in Kenya. Even so, the symbolic significance of the decision must not be missed. It shows leadership by example. Again, on a continent where leaders are not contented with their official

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enyan President Uhuru Kenyatta recently announced a courageous fiscal policy decision which would see him and his deputy, William Ruto, take a 20 percent pay cut “with immediate effect”. The cuts meant that his monthly salary would be reduced to 989,600 Kenyan shillings, and Ruto’s lowered to 841,500 shillings. Ministers, on their own part, were ordered to take a 10 percent salary slash. Besides, the President limited overseas trips by government officials to “only the most essential”. According to Kenyan daily newspaper, the Standard, the combined spending cuts would save for the government some 5.5 million shillings a year. Kenyatta hoped to persuade parliamentarians also to accept income cuts, the second in as many years. Last year, the MPs agreed to a 40-percent salary cut, bringing their monthly pay checks down to around 532,000 shillings ($6,100 or 4,400 Euros), still one of the highest in the world and source of disaffection among ordinary Kenyans. Explaining his decisions in a speech on March 8, Kenyatta said, “Wastage in my government will be significantly reduced…We are spending 400 billion shillings ($4.6 billion or 3.3 billion Euros) every year paying salaries; it leaves us only, from our own resources, a figure of 200 billion shillings to transform Kenya. This is a ratio

Nigerian lawmakers will readily legislate for hefty salaries for themselves, but refuse to approve a pay rise for public service workers incomes but also steal from state coffers, Kenyatta is a refreshing example. But more seriously, it is scandalous to spend two-thirds of your annual earnings on paying salaries of government officials alone. It is more so when we consider that Kenya’s economy is driven by mostly aids from the developed world, especially the European Union, which time and

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again has threatened a cutback due to internal pressure. It is welcoming that Kenyatta’s decision has gone without a whimper of protest from his ministers or the parliamentarians. This is in sharp contrast to the Nigerian case, where selfishness of government officials is the order of the day. Nigerian lawmakers will readily legislate for hefty salaries for themselves, but refuse to approve a pay rise for public service workers. Four years ago, former CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, now the Emir of Kano and rechristened Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, alerted the nation to the fact that only 469 (360 representatives and 109 senators) federal legislators accounted for over 25 percent of the annual federal budget. The lawmakers called him names, almost ruing approving his appointment. We commend the Kenyatta example to other African heads of state, particularly those whose nations are foreign aid dependent. A little pruning of public spending, especially the emoluments of government officials will save substantial money for much needed social and physical infrastructure. The huge bureaucracies that have emerged on the continent in the name of democratic structure have made governance painfully expensive. Small government is the in-thing now the world over. Africa should embrace it.

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PAGE 13

Opinion

Nasarawa: Between botched impeachment and 2015 elections By Bala Dan-Alkali

he impeachment proceedings initiated by the 20 PDP lawmakers in the Nasarawa state House of Assembly which culminated in the setting up of investigative panel by the Chief Judge of Nasarawa state and the historic verdict of the 7 man panel headed by Yusufu Shehu Usman(mni) has since become history. This impeachment saga at least to every discerning mind and lovers of peace, progress and democracy was along forgone issue. Even a layman who is not conversant with the law profession knew quite well that the 20 PDP lawmakers have lost out in this case owing to their failure to enter proof of evidence as demanded by law. While it is true that the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria provides for impeachment of President or Vice President, Governor or Deputy Governor but the same Constitution also provides for procedures to follow before such office holders could be impeached. Right from day one, the 20 PDP lawmakers have wittingly or unwittingly failed to adhere to these procedures. For example, the Speaker of the House who is supposed be an impartial judge whose rule within the given circumstance is to wait for the petitioners to transmit their petition to him along with the motion of impeachment supported by 2/3 majority for onward transmission to the state Chief Judge for constitution of investigative panel, could not wait but joined the fray by

appending his signature among the petitioners and supporters of the motion. The 20 PDP lawmakers also failed to adhere to the rule of law when they usurped the powers of judiciary through their outright directive for substituting service in the media. In addition to these, the lawmakers further erred by directing the Chief Judge to disband the investigative panel, knowing fully well that Investigative panel on impeachment once constituted by the Chief Judge nobody can exercise any power over it not even the Chief Judge himself. It is only a court of competent jurisdiction that can direct for its disbandment or stop its proceeding. It was in the light of this that, the position of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) became more apt when

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while presenting its final report on Ekiti election in Abuja last week as it commended the Chief Judge of Nasarawa state, Justice Sulaiman Umaru Dikko for ‘adhering to rule of law in discharging his responsibilities despite the intimidation by the assembly.’ The TMG through its chairman Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi further observed that ‘The Nasarawa State Assembly does to have the legal backing to disband or dismiss the verdict of the probe panel as stipulated in the law of impeachment procedure.’ While stressing that it is only a competent court of law that could disband or dismiss the panel, the TMG noted that the Assembly ought to have gone to the panel to prove their allegations against the governor for the whole

The 20 PDP House Members must come out of their selfdeception and stop acting out as judges in their own case. Nigerian democracy has indeed come of age; therefore any attempt to subvert it, however the antics will be vehemently resisted.

world to see. Apart from TMG, many legal luminaries and many political commentators across the country have spoken on the constitutionality of the action of the Chief Judge as well that of probe panel. From the foregoing, it then becomes clear that the insistence of 20 PDP lawmakers to continue with this impeachment move as announced by the chairman of the House Committee on Information Baba Ibaku is akin to inviting anarchy in Nasarawa state and it also amounts to an affront on the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria; the very Constitution which President Jonathan took an oath to protect. All lovers of peace, progress and democracy as well as lovers of constitutionalism in Nigeria and beyond must therefore, rise up in condemnation of this position of the PDP lawmakers in Nasarawa state. Regrettably however elders of PDP in Nasarawa state including serving Senators and serving Minister were seen even before the full glare of the press throwing all decorum to the wind by staging a rally in support of an illegal and unconstitutional action of members of the State Assembly, despite the glaring situations on ground. This action of PDP elders has once again brought into fore the fact that they (elders) were bereft of ideas of how to advance the cause of democracy and rule of law in Nasarawa state. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not only in Nasarawa state but in the whole country is desperate to

reclaim and to remain in power at whatever cost or else why would the party refuse, not even clandestinely, to discipline or caution House Members over their plans to continue with this impeachment move, since it has been proved that any further action by the State House of Assembly concerning or relating to impeachment of Almakura is not only illegal but unconstitutional, taking into account the verdict of the investigative panel which did not only dismissed all the 16 allegations levelled against Almakura but cleared him of any wrong doing. The state’s House of Assembly must take cognizance of this. The 20 PDP House Members must come out of their selfdeception and stop acting out as judges in their own case. Nigerian democracy has indeed come of age; therefore any attempt to subvert it, however the antics will be vehemently resisted. However, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura in his part must remain focused on his avowed determination to provide service to the people. It has become obvious that the PDP in the state is running short of what to make as campaign issue against Al-makura led administration come 2015 hence the resort to all kinds of mischief to distract the attention of government away from its good policies and programs. We cannot, in this age, afford to have naughty people as our leaders. BalaDan-Alkali wrote from Awe, Nasarawa state.

Ebola: Riding the globalization train By Ifeanyi Uddin

he most recent outbreak of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever has had a most chilling effect. Unlike previous outbreaks in isolated parts of Africa, where high case fatality rates and relative inaccessibility meant fewer deaths, this one appears to be riding on the back of the globalisation train. From its outbreak in Guinea in March this year, the current epidemic is not just describing a swathe of death that threatens to engulf West Africa, but has led to scares around the world. In turn, this one outbreak points up our continued vulnerability from our interface with nature, either through global warming as our economic activities produce more greenhouse gases, depleting the earth’s natural flora cover, and through the latter (or through the African’s love for exotic meat types), driving its fauna to extinction. On the other hand, news that the Americans may have an experimental serum that works wonders on victims of Ebola was a reminder, if one was needed, of the resilience of the human species, especially our capacity to find solutions to whatever problems beset us, once we set out minds to it.

Some distance remains before this wonder serum may be found either off the counter, or via some medic’s prescription. There are three stages to drug testing. In the first stage, promising compounds are put through their paces using human cells grown in laboratories, or computer models of the former. Success at this stage sees the wouldbe medication go through the animal testing stage. Only after this may the drug prospects be tested on healthy human volunteers, and thereafter, ailing persons. The drug certification process then kicks off from this point. It would seem that the American prospect is barely out of the stage two trials. However, a provision of the American drug testing process that allows use in exceptional circumstances resulted in two US aid workers who caught the disease while working in Liberia being treated with the unapproved substance. Apparently, tests on monkeys revealed that the drug had potential for curing Ebola. If reports on the current state of both these US citizens are anything to go by, the ZMapp drug may have more than potential. At this point, the discourse breaks down. Why, it is being

asked have the Americans not dispatched the drugs to Africa? Not just have they used it, but also the use appears beneficial. So non-use for our benefit could mean any of several things. If nothing else, conspiracy theorists have fervid imaginations. More useful context, though, may be obtained from understanding why the Americans began the research into an Ebola cure in the first place. Their concern was not with dying Africans, good for television, though, such sights have turned out to be for the continent’s brain-dead

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leadership. Since 1976, if not before then, Africa has had the virus. Outbreaks were messy, true, but quickly ran their courses. African governments did not appear bothered either. No continental panjandrum, not any of his (they are usually male, these types) apparatchik was ever threatened by the disease. The Americans were worried instead, about the danger to their citizens, were bioterrorists able to produce cultures based on this and other highly fatal diseases; and thought it proper to attack the US with them. And they commissioned researchers to

What has Africa been doing? Liberia and Sierra Leone have shut their borders, requesting their nationals to fast and pray. Nigeria is not praying yet, at least not around Ebola.

work on counter-cultures. It was plain chance, therefore, that one such response was ready in time for this outbreak. The Americans, thus, got a unique opportunity to put their risk mitigation procedures to test. What has Africa been doing? Liberia and Sierra Leone have shut their borders, requesting their nationals to fast and pray. Nigeria is not praying yet, at least not around Ebola. Still certain that it has in place the processes necessary to contain an outbreak of the virus, locally. Although, truth is that much of the domestic prayer assets may be deployed in aid of the return of the kidnapped Chibok girls. Which may explain government’s prohibition of the leading Pentecostal miracleworking pastor from taking on new imports — we may need him later! In essence, then, we are witnessing two responses to the same stimulus. One rational, the other difficult to place. This has been the African dilemma since 1955: an unwillingness to take responsibility for the choices we make, married with the conviction that if we scream ourselves hoarse thereafter, we can get others to pull our chestnuts out of the fire for us. Ifeanyi Uddin wrote in from Lagos

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

PAGE 14

Opinion Lessons for corporate Nigeria By Soji Apampa

ll over Nigeria, it is common to see small contributory savings schemes where market women contribute a daily portion of their trading profit to a collective. What are the characteristics of these groups that make it work and what lessons can corporate Nigeria learn from these groups to ensure that as a group, they maintain high corporate governance standards? In Yoruba, these saving schemes are called Ajo while it is referred to as Adashe in the north, and the Ibo word for it is Esusu. These group savings serve as a source of borrowing in emergencies, a way to grow savings and a means to achieve a communal goal, etc. At the heart of every collective saving scheme is the clan nature of its members. Sociologist, Emile Durkheim defines a “clan” as an organic association that resembles a kin network but may not include blood relation. Clans are characterized by a strong feeling of solidarity and are governed by long-held traditions. In case of a deviance from the traditions of a clan, they are able to correct

their members through peer pressure – there is an implicit understanding that if you benefit from the collective, the collective has a right to redress if you do something that is inimical to the collective. Clans are able to pool risks and share rewards without the strict valuation that a market system calls for or without an intricate system of laws that a bureaucratic form of control requires. Could a clan mechanism of control be scaled up to get businesses in Nigeria to adopt sound corporate governance practices? What if Nigerian businesses were a clan and each member contributed reputation instead of money? This pooled reputation will give an additional goodwill boost to its members. Companies that underperform with respect to agreed corporate governance standards damage their own reputation and this spills over to the reputation of other members of the clan. This spill over effect provides a strong incentive to all members of this proposed ethical business clan to jealously guard entry into the clan and to ensure that admitted members comply

with the traditions of this clan. Such traditions should include integrity, regulatory compliance, transparent reporting, and board independence and sound governance practices. Alternatively, Nigeria could rely on a bureaucratic system of rules and laws to control corporate governance compliance. In the best case scenario, this will generate compliance with laws that are usually an ethical minimum or in some cases lead to a situation where corporations tick all the right boxes according to the law but apply lower standards in practice. Clans solve the problems inherent in these cases by using social capital and interactions to strictly enforce group traditions. Clans are not a solely Nigerian phenomenon. The concept of Esusu is also found in Ivory Coast (Nago), Togo (Jojuma), Bahamas (Esu) and among some AfroCaribbean descendants in North America (Susu). There are several other variants of this concept all through Africa, Europe and Asia. For example, the Chinese – American Hui and the Japanese-American Tanomoshi carry out all of the functions of

a Wall Street investment bank within their ethnic group. They make loans that would be far too risky for any bank because they are able to obtain, interpret, and evaluate information about potential borrowers in ways that traditional banks cannot. None of their practices are explicit – even the rate of interest paid by borrowers is left unspecified and implicit. Entry into a Hui or Tanomoshi is strictly limited by birthright, a practice that guarantees that each member is a part of a social and kinship network, which will support the values, and beliefs upon which the control mechanism is founded. Also, the global microfinance industry uses clans as a means to ensure that loans advanced to borrowers are paid back. They practice group liability, where a group of individuals are responsible for each other’s loans if one member defaults, versus individual liability, where only the borrower is at risk if they default. Why do such clans succeed? Principally, it is because they have a fundamental belief that individual interests are best served by a complete immersion of each individual’s interest

in the whole. Their common values and beliefs provide the harmony of interest that erases the probability of opportunistic behaviour. A sense that their futures are codetermined motivates members of a clan to embrace the “Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno – One for all and all for one” ethos. Currently, Standard & Poors credit rating for Nigeria stands at BB-, which is considered a speculative grade because the country faces major ongoing uncertainties to adverse business, financial and economic conditions. The entrance of short-term speculative investments has been said to cost the Central Bank of Nigeria up to $0.40 for every dollar of shortterm investment in the country Improved corporate governance practices across board will help to attract sustainable investments, which would contribute to the growth of this nation. A clan mechanism of control is a simple way to achieve this. Soji Apampa via Soji. apampa@cbinigeria. comand on twitter: @sojapa

Condition of Nigerian youth and need for political action By Jaye Gaskia

xcept for a few youths, either those scions of the corruptly enriched ruling class, or scions of the precarious and dwindling middle class, or the minute fraction who through exceptional courage or brigandage have managed to pull themselves up by the straps; except for this small category of youths; the condition of the overwhelming majority of youths is dismal and abysmal. So what is the condition of the Nigerian youth, the overwhelming majority, not of the few who by share courage or because of the circumstance of birth? Of the about 57 million out of school children globally, 10.5 million of them are Nigerian children, making Nigeria the country with the second highest concentration of out of school children globally. The quality of education in public schools, where the majority of children attend is appalling, and keeps declining, and this is right across primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. The derelict condition of facilities, the inadequate or sometimes complete absence of necessary basic infrastructures in educational institutions, as well as the declining quality of teaching and non-teaching staff have all combined to create the monumental existential crisis and challenge facing the education sector in the country today, and therefore affecting the overall development and preparation of our youth for a

purposeful and productive life. To further compound the issue, less than 15% of youths seeking admission into tertiary institutions ever get admitted annually. And yet there are no viable alternative structured vocational and skills acquisition institutions of a tertiary status to accommodate these teeming population of youths excluded from all rounded education. The situation with health is similar to the context with education. Health care delivery is witnessing a deep crisis; a combined crisis of both quantity and quality, as well as of access and availability. Our infant mortality rate, as well as the proportion of malnourished children under 5 years of age, though declining is still one of the highest in the world, so much so that Nigeria has remained one of the worst countries to be born for a child globally for some years now.

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So where do we go from here? If this is the appalling condition of youth 100 years after amalgamation, and 54 years after flag independence; how can we undertake a radical break and rupture from this historical trajectory? How can we ensure that we set different parameters, that can set us on a new course, that will ensure a different, and qualitatively more humane outcome for the condition of youth over the next 100 years? The answer it seems to me lie in the political arena in the first instance rather than in the economic arena. Those who control political power not only shape economic policies, but also own and control the levers of the economy and consequently also, the wealth of the nation. The historical task facing this generation of Nigerian youths is to become politically active, in their own interest, not in the

interest of godfathers and other icons of the degenerate ruling class. The duty and obligation we owe to ourselves is to immediately set about building a mass, popular national political youth platform. It will be counterproductive to establish a Youth Party, it will not be representative of all age groups in society; but it will be far more potent to seek to put together a National Political Youth Platform, that will articulate the political and economic demands of youths, that will articulate the generalized condition of youths, and that will actively engage with the political processes, including political parties and electoral processes promoting the interests of youths, and supporting the aspiration of youths in the political process who subscribe to the program and manifesto of the movement.

The historical task facing this generation of Nigerian youths is to become politically active, in their own interest, not in the interest of godfathers and other icons of the degenerate ruling class. The duty and obligation we owe to ourselves is to immediately set about building a mass, popular national political youth platform.

Such a National Political Youth Platform must be built as a united front of youth organisations for a political purpose, including for pursuing youth participation in politics, and in the processes of governance. It must mobilise and organise non-partisanly across the country; and it must use the strength of its supporter base, the scale and scope of its organizing and mobilization to negotiate and engage with all the political parties, ensuring that the concerns of youths are forced unto these parties; and even making strategic decisions for example to support particular parties or candidates in particular elections, if such parties or candidates adopt the platform and program of the youth movement. This task is a daunting task, infinitely more strenuous than simply seeking accommodation within the existing parties and their structures. This National Political Youth Platform should seek not only to gain decisive influence within the youth wings of political parties, and seek to be a beacon of hope and direction to all politically active youths regardless of their current party affiliation, or their current non-party member status. This will be a far more effective and powerful transformative weapon than simply acquiescing to the economic empowerment mantra that seeks to depoliticize and in practical terms, disempower youth. Jaye Gaskia is on witter: @jayegaskia

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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Comment

Osun election: And the winner is .. . Jonathan By John Ainofenokhai

he build-up to the Osun state gubernatorial election was very frightening to all peace loving citizens not only in the state but across the country. The party in government, the All Progressives Congress (APC) approached this election with a matter-of-life-and-death mentality. Even more so, the national leadership of the party saw the election as a win or burst situation. With the trouncing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gave them recently in Ekiti State, the leading opposition party in the country, APC, wittingly or unwittingly concluded that another nosebleed in Osun would portend, in finality, the decimation of the party even before the big one in 2015. No wonder then that the incumbent governor, Rauf Aregbesola, with the leadership of his party, employed all the tricks in the book in fighting the election. They threatened, cajoled, induced and unleashed all manner of propaganda. They accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of bias towards the PDP. They accused the election management body of

releasing ballot papers to PDP members beforehand. They kept “uncovering” one plot or another geared towards compromising the election. At some point, it seemed more like INEC was spending more time responding and debunking the APC allegations than planning to get it right in the Osun gubernatorial election. Predictably, President Goodluck Jonathan in particular was the main target of the APC serial lies and propaganda blitzkrieg. The President was accused of “militarizing” Osun State in order to intimidate the people who are all presumably APC voters and to pave the way for his party members to rig the election. In an unstatesmanlike manner, the APC leadership, as always, continued to demean the office of the President by calling Jonathan all kinds of names just because of an election. Thankfully, the election has come and gone without any major violence, which the APC apparently craved for because of their fear of losing on the day. While nobody should begrudge Aregbesola and his party their victory at the polls, it is certainly worth remembering that the monumental success the election

turned out to be was the result of the commitment of one man to the sanctity of the electoral process. One of the cardinal issues in President Jonathan’s transformation agenda is electoral reform. Remember that on the road in 2011 when he was campaigning for the office of president, he promised Nigerians that if elected he would restore dignity and honesty to our elections as a vehicle for expressing the popular will. He was loud and clear that the era in which elections do not reflect the political preferences of voters will not be part of the testimonial of his presidency. And to be fair, he really showed his hand early in the day as a strong democrat by telling his party men and women that his ambition is never worth the blood of anybody. From the “do-or-die” mentality of the past, evidently there is a paradigm shift under Jonathan pointing to one manone vote! And in disinfecting the electoral process, President Jonathan was correct in his prognosis that lack of adequate security during elections remains a surmountable impediment to free and fair election. In the past, we were all witnesses

to shootings and all kinds of brigandage at polling booths. We also heard and read stories of ballot box snatching and ballot box stuffing and all manner of untoward events that corrupted elections across the land. These are apart from some personnel and the leadership of INEC that did not inspire any public confidence in their ability to make the votes count. The President has admirably banished all those concerns about electoral integrity. First against his own interests, he identified and appointed a man historically linked with the opposition in the country as the head of election management body, INEC. Professor Atahiru Jega, the INEC Chairman, is a happy member of the civil society and a foremost labour leader whose place is assured when the history of democratic struggles in Nigeria will be chronicled. Jega has not only rejigged the operational strategy of INEC for greater effectiveness but more importantly he enjoys the independence, which was alien to his predecessors. Beyond President Jonathan’s commendable neutrality in electoral matters, he has raised the bar by ensuring that the

secured ambience for conducting elections is ever so evident since he assumed office and not even the opposition can deny this. From Edo State to Ondo State through Anambra states, and from Ekiti to Osun State, President Goodluck Jonathan has shown himself a statesman and leader to be trusted by the way he ensured that the common people are protected to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice without any fear and intimidation. Those hurling allegations of tyranny against him in the APC would have used this privileged position to the advantage of their party if their track record is anything to go by. The APC leadership and particularly their governors, unlike President Jonathan who had never interfered with INEC, have basically turned their states’ electoral commissions as mere parastatals of their governments. In Lagos, Fashola used the LASIEC to conduct what has remained the most atrocious local government election in Nigerian history. John Ainofenokhai is on linkedin

are close enough to touch, it is usually a signal to something. She notes that human beings feel more connected when they are touched. It is true that we may not be able to see the impact of touch but Hertenstein feels that it is a great bonding experience which sees the oxytocin levels go up as the heart rate slows down. The climax of our humanity is in our ability to touch. To coin a phrase; to touch is human and thus, any situation that dictates that we do not touch strips off our humanity. Two hundred years ago, a creature that looked slightly human was sighted running through the woods of Aveyrnon in Southern France. Once he was captured, the scientist surmised that he was eleven years and had run away from home for much of his childhood. One of the renowned psychiatrists at the time Phillipe Pinel concluded that the child was an incurable idiot but there was an alternative suggestion from his attendant, Itard who

felt that the child who he had named Victor had been deprived of human physical touch which had retarded his developmental capacities and had made him profoundly averse to human society. After therapy, Victor improved but never regained full normalcy. This enforced loss of human physical touch may have strong social consequences. It may cause self-destructive habits like chain smoking, alcoholism and even self-mutilation. It can also lead to compulsive sex, physical violence, aggressiveness, rape and sexual dysfunction and abuses. There have been many psycho-analyses of deviants which traced the origin of their deviance to the absence of human touch during their formative years. Dr. J.H Prescott earlier suggested in a research that touch deprivation in childhood could lead to physical violence. He found out that most juvenile delinquents and criminals come from abusive parents. A greater percentage of the world’s most prolific serial killers came from homes where there were scarcities of the loving touch that makes man human. It is thus easy to feel afraid for the future of our society in a world where science, technology and most pressingly diseases has dictated an aversion for touch. These are not the times when you will present a handshake to a stranger, an acquaintance or even a friend. The question that dominates the consciousness of any man when he runs into a friend currently is “To shake or not to shake?” Okwuanya Pius-Vincent viaokwuanyavin@gmail. com and Twitter: @ Tovincentokwy.

To touch or not to touch By Okwuanya Pius-Vincent

nteresting scenes jumped at me from a busy road on a Monday morning. A man who was ran over by a hit and run driver lay in a heap at the centre of the road. There were lots of people but then there was no one. The general chorus of the crowd was “ebola”. As I reached the scene, someone had paved a way through the crowd and was putting the unconscious man into a bus. I was impressed by such touch of bravery and humanness which can also be considered stupid in the nosophobic background but a short rotund woman with a glowing fair skin poured cold water on my elation. “Na him younger brother na” she had said in the local pidgin. The scene left me distraught and existential. What if it had been me? I left with the conviction that I could have bled out on the sidewalk. Like a whole lot of us, I have often found myself in a locale where I have no immediate brothers. This newest cause of this collective nosophobia has some ramifications on faith. The faith of man in his neighbour who he had started to see as a little more than a vector and his faith in God who he has been told many a times by authorities that He cannot help him. Karl Marx had earlier stated that religion is the opium of the masses; maybe religion is the opium we need to anesthetize us from the gruelling confrontation with our insensitive egocentrism, our morbidity and our mortality.

When we are faced with a disease that is highly communicable and that has no tested and proven cure, it is the time to take a leap of faith. That is, the kind of faith that made the United States of America to give their afflicted citizens a drug that is yet to be tested on human subjects. Faith is not advising or taking a salt bath nor is it taking one’s own urine. It is the addressing of real problems with effort-based and reasonably possible solutions. It becomes difficult in the 21st century society where faith is subjected to the “Thomasic” lens where touching is believing because now we can no longer afford to touch. “It is all in his touch” sang the legendary artiste, Celine Dion. In that song, she communicated surreptitiously the importance of touch and suggests that love cannot be heard or seen but felt. The loss of touch poses another palpable challenge. Touching is critical in creating bonds and building friendship. It is the

“

fastest and the most precise way to communicate emotions and is also important in the development of attachment. What is there in a mother’s caress that soothes the infant? It is worrying that one of the preventive measures of this ebola outbreak is to avoid touching as often as possible. Matthew Hertenstein, a doctor in Psychology underlined the importance of touch when he stated that with the voice, one can only differentiate two distinct signals but a touch can communicate multiple positive emotions like joy, love, gratitude and sympathy. These are the kind of emotions that the dreaded ebola is threatening to eviscerate from the society. Touches can increase the speed of communication, Laura Guerrero, co-author of Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships who researches non-verbal and emotional communication at Arizona State University submits that if we

It is thus easy to feel afraid for the future of our society in a world where science, technology and most pressingly diseases has dictated an aversion for touch. These are not the times when you will present a handshake to a stranger, an acquaintance or even a friend. The question that dominates the consciousness of any man when he runs into a friend currently is “To shake or not to shake?”

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

PAGE 16

L-R: Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Arch. Ruben Okoya, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) FCT Chapter, Rev. Israel Akanji and Chief Imam, Abuja National Mosque, Ustaz Musa Mohammed, at the FCT Minister’s meeting with stakeholders on ways of containing the Ebola disease, at Life Camp, Abuja, on Monday.

Ebola: Residents want doctors to resume work at public hospitals Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

s the panic over the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease spreads across the country, some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have stressed the need for the striking medical doctors to immediately call off their nationwide strike action and return to work, in the interest of the suffering people. This is coming as the the nationwide doctors’ strike continues to take its toll on healthcare services in public hospitals in the FCT and the country as a whole. They were of the view that in the wake of the raging crisis due to the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus disease in the country, the doctors ought not to be persuaded to suspend their industrial action, to help tackle the scourge. Also, residents called on the government to expedite action on

containing the scourge before the epidemic spread like wild fire in the country especially rural areas. It would be recalled that despite growing public outcry, the doctors have vowed that the strike will still continue because they have not gotten anything tangible from the government. According to them, there have been several meetings to reconcile and come to a midway but till date, government has not done anything concerning our requests. As a result, only nurses and other auxiliary workers are now attending to patients at the various general hospitals and other public clinics. A resident, in Utako District, Abba Umaru, urged the striking doctors should resume work, so as to prove those who are accusing them of sabotage and insensitivity to the real issues affecting the poor masses. He therefore, said it is a work up call for both the doctors and the

government to work together, in order to explore ways of developing vaccines against deadly diseases causing panic among the people. Another resident, Akudo Ibeh, in Wuse, who decried that the plight of the people has been compounded, since the doctors withdrew their services from the public hospitals, said they many are now Describing the situation as unfortunate, she said the aggrieved doctors can’t claim ignorance of the fact that on a daily basis many people are dying because of their absence in public hospitals across the Territory and the country at large. “They (doctors) know that many of our people cannot meet the expense of the outrageous charges by private hospitals, no thanks to the harsh economic realities they are faced with in the society’’, Ibrahim said. Similarly, one Amina Musa, who condemned the lingering strike,

expressed concern over the quality and capacity of the few private medical facilities, where most of the striking doctors have taken their services to. She said that stakeholders should concern when people are left with no other option than to rely on private clinics, most of which operated under poor conditions, with patients only patronising them for consultation services.. She said despite their substandard services, they charged exorbitant fees for their services, some of which are free at the public hospitals. On his part, a discharged patient, Mallam Ali Abu, who was accosted coming out of a private hospital in Gwarinpa Estate, however said he was shocked and sadden to discover that despite the influx of patients into the clinic their charges remained the same.

“I had expected the fees for medical services at the private clinics to be a bit lower than what it was prior to the doctors strike, but to my surprise, they have remained the same,” he said. Peoples Daily reports that Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses on Earth claimed its first Nigerian victim, a nurse, who among those that treated Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian, who died of the disease in Lagos, recently. According to experts, the dreaded disease with 90% of fatality is highly contagious, as it spreads through contact with bodily fluids like blood, sweat and vomit. Some concerned observers have also opined that with heightened threat of Ebola virus, and the doctors bent on trading blames with the government over the protracted strike is more than ever truncating healthcare services in many in Abuja and the nation at large.

Young advocate of peace tasks children, parents on tolerance

young peace and care advocate, Miss Gift Olisa has called on fellow children to rise as leaders of tomorrow and be in the forefront of the movement for peace and sanctity of lives in the society. She said a new Nigeria where love, tolerance, justice reign would be possible if majority of children begin to spread the message of love and peace right from their schools and homes to all especially parents and other

relations. According to her, “as future leaders, we can make peace, development and collective happiness possible if we support our leaders in their genuine efforts to reposition our country and make our tomorrow better.” Little miss Olisa, who spoke at an occasion to mark her 9th birthday in Wuse 2, Abuja, recently, also called for more assistance for orphans and widows especially the victims of

insurgency in the country. “As a child still growing up, I wish to state with emphasis that I am proud to be a Nigerian. I believe that God has a purpose for creating us and bringing us together as one people. “As a country, we are a diverse people made up of different ethnic, religious and cultural groups. But these diverse qualities are the things that should make us stronger and more beautiful rather than weak

and divided us. “Together with our parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, we, the children of today can make a more peaceful and tolerant tomorrow possible, a Nigeria that is peaceful and tolerant; a Nigeria where justice and equity reign; a Nigeria for all of us; a prosperous country made up of diverse, resourceful, disciplined, hospitable, and happy people ,” she declared amid applause by guests at the event.

“Today, terrorism is our biggest challenge; it is a new and complicated challenge in our land. We can overcome it by working together. “Let us, the children begin to spread the message of love, tolerance, understanding and unity among all Nigerians and humanity irrespective of race, belief, culture and geography. That is the safest road to a secure, peaceful and prosperous tomorrow,” the 9-year old added.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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Metro

A young man pushing a wheel barrow loaded with iron poles, yesterday at Lugbe, in Abuja.

A woman hawking boiled corn, yesterday at Gudu market, in Abuja.

An orange seller waiting for patronage, yesterday in Abuja.

A tea seller doing what he knows best, yesterday at Apo mechanic village, in Abuja.

A young man hawking the tools, yesterday at Apo Quarters, in Abuja. Photos: Joe Oroye and Mahmud Isa

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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Metro

Council to sensitize residents on Ebola virus By Usman Shuaibu

he Executive chairman of Kuje Area council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. Ishaku Shaban Tete, has said that plans are in top gear to enlighten residents in the area on the deadly Ebola disease. Tete, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Kuje, urged the people of Kuje to be hygienic at their various communities for the avoidance of the deadly disease. He appealed to the residents not to be panic on Ebola disease, pointing out that the disease was not yet been discovered in Abuja. He revealed that the virus was not an airborne communicable disease, except the person has a body contact with the dead victims or patients with the virus. The chairman assured the residents that the government of the day will do everything possible to prevent the disease from entering into the FCT and Nigeria at large. It would be recalled that the FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has given a directive for the establishment of a quarantine centre in Kuje Area council. Some youths in Kuje had last week, taken to the streets in the area, protesting the choice of the hospital in the area as an emergency Ebola disease control centre, as they threatened to foment trouble if the FCT Administration went to on and implemented the plan.

2 apprentices get 18 lashes for stealing at Zuba

wo teenager carpentry apprentices, Ibrahim Suleman, 16, and Mubarak Aliyu, 14 of Kaduna Road, Niger, have bagged 18 strokes of the cane each, for stealing electrical wire. An Upper Area Court Judge in Zuba, Malam Aminu Sa’ad, sentenced the accused persons after they pleaded guilty to the three-count charge of joint act, house breaking and theft. ``It is very unfortunate that at such a tender age you are already into the act of crime when you are supposed to be concentrating on your studies and thinking of making good grades. ``You are both lucky that you are still minors; I will have had you jailed. Nevertheless, you shall not go scot free. ``You shall be flogged 18 strokes of the cane each to help you have a rethink of a better way to live your life,’’ Sa’ad said. Prosecutor Momoh Ibrahim had told the court that on June 10, Stephen Theophilus of Church Road reported the matter at the Zuba Police Station. Ibrahim said Theophilus told the police that on the same date, the convicts broke into an uncompleted building and stole electrical wire, the value of which was yet unknown. The prosecutor said that during investigation the stolen wire was recovered from the accused persons. He said the offence contravened Sections 97, 288 and 353 of the Penal code respectively. (NAN)

Community leader begs AMAC chair for school By Usman Shuaibu

community leader of TuganAshere community in Abuja municipal Area council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Abubakar Giwa, has called on the chairman of the council, Hon. Micah Jiba, to as a matter of urgency build a

primary school in the community, to save their children from stress of having to trek long distances to neighbouring towns to attend schools. Giwa, who made the call in an interview with Peoples Daily in the community, also urged the chairman to provide a transformer for the residents, in order to boost

socio-economic growth in the area. He further appealed to council chairman to rehabilitate major roads linking Suleja-Zuba, express road, to enable farmers to transport their farm produce to markets for sale during the dry season. He expressed dismay that the

government of the area council had neglected the community in terms of developmental projects, calling on the chairman to focus on the development of the community. The community leader, however, commended the chairman for constructing pipe borne water in the community, to enhance living in the area.

Local praise singers at a function, recently in Garki, Abuja.

Driver arraigned for conspiracy, cheating

he police have arraigned a 30-year old driver, Friday Ibuhor, in a Gudu Upper Area court, in Abuja, charged with criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and cheating. The prosecutor, Ambi Gambo, told the court that the accused, a resident of Kado Kuchi in Abuja, committed the alleged offence sometimes in September 2013. Gambo said a complainant, Julius Esin of Durumi in Garki,

Abuja, reported the matter at the Durumi Divisional Police Station, Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He said Esin, sometime in September 2013, handed over his Nissan bus to the accused for commercial use on an agreement that he (accused) would be remitting N15, 000 weekly to him. The prosecutor added that “Friday Ibuhor worked used the car for 15 days and refused to pay the agreed amount, which total

was N30, 000. He said “the accused person, instead, conspired with one Yinka Adeyemi and Ikem Ugo of the same address but who are now at large, and took the bus to an unknown destination.’’ The prosecutor further told the court that the police later recovered the bus, valued at N1million but it was vandalised. He added that the accused person had confessed committing the crime during investigation,

noting that the offences contravened the provisions of sections 97, 312, 322 and 326 of the Penal Code. However, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused person pleaded not guilty to the charges. The presiding judge, Malam Umar Kagarko, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N100, 000 and a surety in like sum. He adjourned hearing on the case till a later dsate.

Woman docked for assaulting police officer

businesswoman, Susan Pama, 26, has appeared before a Senior Magistrates’ court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, for allegedly assaulting a police officer. Pama, who resides at Tudun Wada village, Lugbe, Abuja, is charged with four counts of Joint act, criminal intimidation, resisting arrest and assault on a public servant. The prosecutor, Cpl Paul Anigbo, told the court on June 17 that one Mr. Babada Kolawole of same address as the accused lodged a report against the accused at the Lugbe Police Station.

Anigbo told the court that Kolawole had reported that the accused threatened to kill his wife. According to the prosecutor, Cpl Baba John was sent to arrest and bring the accused for questioning; but instead of complying with the officer, she resisted arrest and attacked the police officer, while performing his lawfully duty. “She beat up the police officer with the help of her brothers, Victor Pama, and Lucky Idris, of same address who are now at large,’’ Anigbo said. Anigbo told the court that

during police investigation, the accused was unable to give a satisfactory account of herself. He prayed the court to remand the accused in prison custody, because investigation into the matter was still ongoing. He said the offence contravened sections 79, 397, 172, and 267 of the Penal code respectively, which if found guilty; she would be liable to prison term which may extend to seven years, with fine or both. The counsel to the accused, Mr. Friday Okenkwu, applied for her bail under the 1999

Constitution which presumed an accused innocent until proven otherwise. He said that if his client was obliged, she would not jump bail jeopardise further investigation into the matter. Okenkwu informed the court that the accused was pregnant and needed proper medical attention. The Magistrate, Mr. Aliyu Shafa, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with one reasonable surety who must reside within the court’s jurisdiction he adjourning the case until a later date for hearing proper. (NAN)

PAGE 19

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

business@peoplesdailyng.com 08142929046

IPPIS system has saved FG N160Bn, says A. G of the federation By Chris Alu

onah Otunla, accountant general of the Federation, yesterday said the introduction of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System in the public

sector has saved the Federal Government the sum of N160bn in personnel costs. The IPPIS scheme is one of the Federal Government’s reform initiatives that facilitates planning, aid budgeting, monitoring monthly payment

of staff emoluments against what was provided for in the budget; updating and retrieval of personnel records for administrative and pension processes. Otunla while speaking at the opening session of the Mandatory

Continuing Professional Development Program of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria in Abuja said the figure was the total amount saved as at the end of December 2013. The event, which is a bi-monthly training

L-R: Programme Officer, Anti-Corruption Unit , Mr. Newton Otsemaye, Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment Economic for Justices, Mr. David Ugolor, Head Media and Publicity, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Wilson Uwujare, and a Consultant, Mr. Peter Ritchie, during a town hall meeting on the prosecution of fuel subsidy corruption cases in Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

$14bn initiative: US, Nigeria collaborate on infrastructure financing By Mahmud Jika

he Nigerian government have commenced plans to leverage on President Barack Obama’s $14bn investment pledge to Africa for an effective financing structure for infrastructure in the country. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, and the US Commerce Secretary, Penny Pritzker, agreed during a bilateral meeting at the just-concluded US-Africa Summit that increased investment in the area of infrastructure would

further improve the Nigerian business environment, noting that Obama’s focus on power was particularly encouraging. While the two countries agreed to work on the financial structure for infrastructure within the next few weeks, Pritzer noted that US companies were eager to do business in Nigeria due to the ongoing reforms in critical sectors, adding that they could also leverage on the US export assistance facilities scattered around the country. Aganga, who spoke to journalists in Washington

KWASU establishes alternative energy company in Kwara >>Pg 20

DC during the summit, said apart from the investment commitments and the Memoranda of Understanding that were signed during the summit, most investors agreed that Nigeria had the most robust, clear and friendly policies on power, which other African countries should try to emulate. He said, “This means we already have an enabling environment that will encourage more investors to come and invest in the sector. In fact, what these investors were saying was that most of our sectoral policies, which we have

RTEAN, NATA partner on growth of automotive industry

put in place, have encouraged them to come and invest in Nigeria. “That was why when we met with the American automotive manufacturing giant, Ford, during the summit, they said that they wanted to come to Nigeria as quickly as possible because of our new automotive policy. If the new auto policy was not in place, Ford would not be talking about coming to invest in Nigeria. That is the value you get as a country when you have a proper industrial plan and wellarticulated sectorial policy.”

programme designed for ANAN members’ continued professional relevance in skills acquisition had as its theme “Trends in professional practice and regulation.” Speaking at the event, Otunla said the N160bn in personnel costs was saved through the elimination of ghosts workers in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government. This, he said, was made possible owing to some of the reforms which the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation had embarked upon in recent times. He listed some of them as the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System which had helped to link all government accounts thus ensuring better management of government budget, and the introduction of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards which had helped to ensure uniformity in government accounting records. Represented by the Director, Finance and Account, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs. Fatima Mede, he said, “We have been embarking on series of reforms and as you are aware, we have the IPSAS which makes sure there is uniformity in all records and the way we keep our records so that we can have transparency. “We also have IPPIS which has helped save personnel cost. Infact as at December 2013 we have saved about N160bn.” Also speaking at the event, Alhaji Sakirudeen Labode, president of ANAN urged members of the association to abide by the ethics of the profession by familiarizing themselves with the new code of ethics for professional accountants.

CBN Exchange Rates as at 6th JUNE, 2014 Buying Selling

$ € £ Riyal YEN CFA

154.73 207.94 212.44 41.25 1.5028 0.2966

155.73 258.60 213.81 41.52 1.5125 0.3166

Stakeholders link housing deficit in Nig to funding gap >>Pg 21

>>Pg 22

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Business

KWASU establishes alternative energy company in Kwara

From Olanrewaju Lawal,Ilorin

he Kwara State University(KWASU) Molete,Kwara State has confirmed that it has established an alternative energy company called “RanaPoler Solar energy Company Ltd to provide electricity for it immediately community. The Vice-Chancellor of the University,Prof Abdulraheed Na’Allah who disclosed this while speaking at a Symposium on “media and Nigeria’s environmenta:An agenda”, organised in Ilorin noted that

igeria are facing more challenges presently than before. Na’Allah,represented by Professor Funsho Oluleye,a Cordinator to the ViceChancellor Research,Industry and Community Development said media have to set more agenda for both leaders and the led on the need to take proactive measures towards tackling the growing environmental challenges. He stated that natural disasters such as flooding,erosion,oil spillag e,desforestation,afforestation,de sertification and global warming among others need attention of

media. Na’Allah explained that the media should check the incessant issue of gas flaring in NigerDelta region and erosion causing econological emergency in other parts of the country and set agenda for government and the public. “There is also the need to develop best mangement practices in buildings and surrounding natural environment as well as sustainable managment approach geared towards reducing carbon emissions and other environmental pollutants related to building performance

in Nigeria. “We must salvage our environment from degradation and carbon dioxide emissions caused by anthropogenic sources emanating from the built-up environment such as homes,offices and industries. “I must point out that we need to adopt alternative energy as a veritable way of tackling health hazards caused by emissions from power generating sets due to poor electricity supply in the country. “It is in light of this that kwara State University-the university for community

development,took it upon itself to establish an alternative energy company,called “RanaPower Solar Energy Company Ltd”. He added that the university was able to establish the Company in collaboration with three reputable internationa organisations includes; NSB Worldwide Inc(USA),First Sunergy Inco(USA) and Chinaland Solar Panel Manufacturing Company in Nigeria. The KWASU Vice-Chancellor said the University would continue to protect and contribute positive to the nation’s environment.

NSE to support investors’ right to dividends From Ngozi Lagos

Onyeakusi,

n line with one of its core strategic pillars for enhanced market performance and growth via sustaining a “strong investor protection” framework, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has assured its resolve to administer and enforce a 5% sanction on any Issuer that fails to pay dividends to its shareholders within the timeline specified in the resolution passed by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting at which such dividends were declared. It was made clear that the sanction is not a new proposal but part of the already existing general undertaking in the Exchange’s Listings Requirements, which was executed by every Issuer before its securities were approved for listing on The NSE. The Head of Legal and Regulation Division at the NSE, Ms. Tinuade Awe stated that before securities are approved for listing on The Exchange, every Issuer has to execute a document known as the General Undertaking. The General Undertaking sets out the obligations imposed on an Issuer. These commitments include the obligation to notify the Exchange prior to taking certain corporate actions; the obligation to seek the Exchange’s approval before publishing certain information; the obligation to comply with the Exchange’s Listings Rules; the obligation to comply with the directives of

its shareholders in the event of declaration of dividends. “These obligations kick in once an Issuer executes the General Undertaking. They are obligations of long standing, which remain binding for as long as an Issuer is listed on the Exchange. Section 14 of the General Undertaking, which is one of the Listings Requirements sets forth the sanctions for violations of the Rules. Section 14(e) provides that failure of a listed company to pay dividend on the due date shall attract a fine of 5% of the total dividend amount declared. (For the entirety of Section 14, please see our Listings Rules athttp://www.nse. com.ng/regulation/issuerregulation/rules-guidelines; ‘The Green Book’ page 57)” said Awe. “On 21 July 2014, in connection with the publication of certain amendments to the Listings Rules which were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 19 May 2014, The Exchange republished the sanctions provisions of its Listings Rules, i.e., Section 14 on its website. Although Section 14 was published with the amendments, which are new, as explained above the Section is not new. Ergo, Section 14(e) is not a new provision. It is unequivocally binding on every Issuer whose securities are listed on The Exchange. Indeed, the Exchange republished Section 14 of the General Undertaking as Rule 30.5 of the SEC approved “Amendments to the Listings Rules” in order to remind Issuers of their obligations

and the corresponding sanctions under the Listings Rules” added Awe. Commenting on the issue, the Head of Listings Regulation at The Exchange, Mrs Josephine Igbinosun noted that there were a host of reasons why the Exchange may penalize specific conduct. In the instant case, there are two primary reasons, namely: to encourage a change in unacceptable behaviour; and to act as deterrent against engaging in conduct which violates applicable rules. By imposing the 5% sanction set forth in Section 14(e) in the event of a breach regarding the payment of dividends as directed by shareholders, The Exchange is enforcing the payment of dividends to shareholders, in line with their resolution to receive same on a specific date. In essence, Section 14(e) sends a reminder to the directors of the Issuer that the directives of the shareholders in general meetings must be obeyed. “The Exchange wishes to draw the attention of the investing public to the SEC Rule (2013) Part B, Rule 44(1) on Payment of Dividends which also imposes an obligation on Issuers to ensure payment of dividends declared to shareholders not later than seven (7) working days after the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at which the dividend was declared. Rule 601(7) of the SEC Rules provides for Administrative Sanctions; and empowers the SEC to impose fines for non-compliance with its Rules and Regulations. Finally, in order to avoid engaging in conducts

prohibited by the Listings Rules, The Exchange encourages all Issuers to enhance their internal systems and controls; and improve their awareness of the Listings Rules and their obligations thereunder. Moreover, The Exchange

strongly advises against shareholder apathy and encourages shareholders to educate themselves on the provisions of the Listings Rules” added Igbinosun. She further stated that The NSE recently

upgraded its website so as to make information about Issuers, The Exchange and the Nigerian Capital Market more accessible to investors and other stakeholders. Interested parties may wish to visit the website at: http://www.nse.com.ng.

KEBBI STATE OF GOVERNMENT STATE SECRETARIAT MINISTRY OF WORKS AND TRANSPORT (HQ) HALIRU ABDU SECRETARIAT COMPLEX, BIRNIN KEBBI Contract NO: KBSTB\MOWT\131\2014

INVITATION FOR PRE BIDS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE SERVICE SUB-STATION (2) UNITS WITHIN BIRNIN KEBBI.

1. INTRODUCTION The kebbi State Government in its bid to minimize fire out break challenges within the state capital (Birnin Kebbi) is proposing to construct 2 nos fire Service Sub-Station at two different locations 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project includes construction of fire service substation with offices for the station officers, supporting staff, store and 2 nos fire fighting bays. The drawings including the Bills of Quantities will be provided to the bidding contractors on requests. 3. PER-QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS a. Evidence of registration with corporate affairs Commission (CAC) b. Evidence of registration with Kebbi Tenders Board c. Evidence of Tax Clearance for the last three years d. Evidence of VAT Registration e. Reference letter from a reputable Bank f. Company Profile including names, qualification and experience of Company Staff g. Catalog of Similar jobs executed successfully in the past 4. SUBMISSION OF BIDS Bid should be submitted in sealed envelope clearly marked (BID FOR CONSTRUCTION OF 2 UNITS FIRE SERVICE SUBSTATION) and be delivered not letter than one week from the date of this advertisement and addressed to: The permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Transport (HQ) Haliru Abdu Secretariat Complex, Birnin Kebbi. Signed Permanent Secretary, For Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Works and Transport Birnin Kebbi,Kebbi State.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Industry RTEAN, NATA partner on growth of automotive industry

oad Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the Nigeria Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) have partnered with a view to complementing the Nigerian government’s efforts of ensuring the survival and growth of the nation’s automotive industry. According to Executive National President, RTEAN, Alhaji Shehu Musa Isiwele, such partnership would enhance the industry’s contribution to the national economy, especially in the area of transportation. He made

the remark, while receiving the leadership of NATA, led by its national president, Comrade Michael Ajayi Omonay, in in his office, in Abuja. Isiwele further said that the collaboration would not only add value to both organisations, but also assist the government in creating enabling environment for the manufacturing of local vehicles and spare parts in the country. He said RTEAN and NATA would through the partnership ease the pains of Nigerians in

transporting their goods and services, especially, “now that the federal government has launched the national automotive policy aimed at making the nation selfreliant in the manufacturing of Nigerian made vehicles”. Isiwele also pointed out that RTEAN’s robust nature and national spread with over 16million membership across the country, “Stand us out as a viable and dependable destination fodder investments in road transportation business in Nigeria. In his remarks, NATA

president, said the association sought partnership with RTEAN on “National Strategic Stakeholders Dialogue on Nigeria Automotive Industry” to support the policy for the benefit of both organizations and the general public. Omonayin added that the partnership would enhance the implementation of National Vehicular Emission Control programme scheduled to begin in January 2015 by the National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA across the country.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim (left), receiving 2014 Certificate of Commendation from the President, Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (CCSON), Comrade Bassey Williams Etuk (middle), yesterday in Abuja. With them is CCSON Publicity Secretary, Hon. Olayemi Success (right).

Why Africa must overtake Asian, European economies-Fashola From Ayodele Samuel,Lagos

agos State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday stressed the need for African economy to overtake Europe and Asian economy. Fashola while addressing business executives at a breakfast session organized by Mail and Guardian Africa in Lagos, said the African economy have the potential but will require self determination and inspiration from its citizens to move ahead of other economies. Fashola who spoke on the theme, ‘How African cities will be the biggest drivers of the rising Africa story,’ said that the great economies were developed by their citizens and not foreigners, saying “Africa must also take a cue from them.” He lamented that the economy

of Africa is not progressing as it should have been based on the potentials embodied in the continent. “Our current situation may well be a humble beginning but if Africa really wishes to rise, we must ask ourselves what we have contributed to the growth that is taking place in our continent. “How many cell phones, vehicles, household materials were made in African factories. What percentage of the African workforce is employed at the management level on many of the Africa infrastructural projects going on in Angola, Ethopia and others?,” the governor added. He said we have a test at hand and “we can pass that test if we take concrete and well articulated steps to position ourselves to be very competitive and efficient.

“And the test is better passed at this moment when we have another scramble for Africa after the first in 1885-when the world came to the continent to get raw materials for their factories. But today, the new scramble is for the African market because the continent now has the needed population. “As there is another scramble for Africa, all we failed to do at the first must be thoroughly done to avoid a repeat of what occurred 120 years ago, during the first scramble. Fashola speaking on the solution said “First, we must invest in education sector because this sector has remained the surest way to develop a nation. Lagos understands this. And our approach is to include all players in the public and private sector in

order to improve productivity in this key sector. “Our short term plan is in science and technology, to produce youths who can do things with their hands rather than people who work with their minds. This will reduce unemployment. ‘The second is to embrace ICT. Even though we cannot lay claim to the major contribution to the development of the internet age, we stand able and must be willing to use ICT to bridge the huge gap of development between this continent and others. “While the third is to reduce poverty; the impact of poverty stands in the way of Africa’s development. And part of the effort to reduce poverty by the state government is to provide the required infrastructure,” he added.

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NDIC boss bags 2014 commendation award By Mahmud Jika

he managing director of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alh. Umaru Ibrahim. Was yesterday conferred with the 2014 certificate of commendation award by the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria (CCSON). In a statement issued by the head of communication and public affairs of NDIC in abuja stated that, the President of the association, Comrade Bassey Williams Etuk while presenting the award to the managing director stated that the award was in recognition of his enviable leadership style to the Corporation. According to him, their NGO carefully observed the good work of the managing director which informed the decision to award him, and the selection was done in a transparent, rofessionally, and in a proactive decision. This seems to be uncommon in our nation today, and as such, we have chosen to celebrate it to serve as a model to others, realising that Nigeria is blessed with virtually everything but leadership”,Etuk stated. He also said the national award was instituted two years ago by the national body of over 290 civil society organisations (CSOs) as a platform to work with public institutions towards enhancing good governance and promoting efficient service delivery to the citizenry. He pointed that the institution of the award marked a departure from the past when it seemed that CSOs saw nothing good in government and its agencies to an era of identifying and recognising public officers and institutions discovered to have an edge in service delivery. Receiving the award, Alh. Umaru Ibrahim expressed his gratitude to the CCSON for noticing and appreciating the humble contributions of the NDIC to the safety, soundness and stability of the nation’s financial system. He pointed out that the award would motivate Corporation to work harder toward realising its core values of honesty, respect & fairness, discipline, professionalism & team work and passion. In her closing remarks, NDIC’s Executive Director, Corporate Services, Hon. (Mrs) Lola Abiola-Edewor commended the civil society organisations for the award which she said was in recognition of the Corporation’s purposeful leadership and committed workforce

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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Business

Stakeholders link housing deficit in Nig to funding gap By Stanley Onyekwere

s Nigerian continues to battling with her widening housing deficit, some stakeholders in the built industry have identified lack of funds as the major factor fueling the problem. The stakeholders who spoke yesterday in Abuja, at a twoDay workshop on challenges of affordable housing delivery in the country, described funding gap as the key constraints to effort at bridging the country’s current 20 million housing deficit. Speaking at the event organized by the FCT chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), the Managing Director, Suntrust Savings And Loans Ltd, Alhaji Muhammad Jibrin, who was the chairman of the occasion, said paucity of funding is responsible for the very high number of housing deficit in the country. According to him, Nigeria is not alone as financing is the major issue facing the housing sector anywhere in the world, saying that the recent launching of the Nigeria Mortgage Re-financing Company (NMRC) was apt towards tackling challenges of affordable housing delivery in the country. Similarly, the Managing Director of the NMRC, Dr. Sonnie Ayere, said although funding is a major problem in tackling the country’s widening housing deficit, but the issue of legal title is even a bigger challenge. Represented by Temitope Akinyemei, NMRC boss added that part of the problem include tenure of debt in the housing financing market; poor building technology due to insufficient capacity of key players in the sector. He however disclosed that the company is working government and other relevant stakeholders to proffer effective solution needed to bridged identified gap hindering access to affordable housing in the country. In his keynote address, NIQS national president, Murtala Aliyu, said to solve the country’s housing deficit, what is required is to grow the economy for the people to be able to cope with mortgage service responsibilities. He said NIQS have a significant role in affordable housing delivery process in the country, hence the need to ensure that members of the institute are involved in housing sector. “We want to ensure that quantity surveyors are involved in the mortgage financing process in the country’s housing sector, to contribute their quota in enhancing access to affordable housing he stressed. On his part, representative of the Managing director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Gimba Kumo, described the establishment of NMRC as welcome development in the housing sector, as it would

complement FMBN’s effort in the industry. He stressed the need to build cheaper houses, adding that quantity surveyors have a huge

task to ensure that they play their roles well, to help NMRC delivered on its objectives. Earlier in his welcome remarks, Chairman of the FCT-NIQS, Alhaji

Abba Tor, who said the workshop was organized to beam searchlight on critical issues affecting the quest for affordable housing delivery in the country, urged the participants

to take full advantage of the event. He said that papers presented at the workshop were significant on how to tackle the problem of housing deficit in the country.

L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Yemi Adeola, and Managing Director, Arsenal FC, Mr. Ivan Gazidis, at the signing of the sponsorship agreement between the bank and the club, recently in London.

CAC to sanction companies going against CAMA From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

orporate Affairs Commission office in Bauchi state has warned Companies and businesses that default the compliance of the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, (CAMA) just as they will soon face severe sanctions. A statement issued by the state Director, Public Affairs, Churchill Williams and made available to newsmen in Bauchi, the Commission has set up a special an enforcement committee which has commenced a crack down on

the operations of such companies. According to the statement, the special enforcement committee had completed the first phase of the on-site examination exercise in the FCT and had visited various markets, shopping malls and held collaborative meetings with relevant organizations to sensitize the public on the post incorporation obligations of registered companies and the consequences of operating unregistered businesses.” “A total of 474 companies were penalized for non compliance during the exercise in the FCT.

The next phase of the enforcement will be carried out in the 36 states of the federation.” “Under the provisions of the companies and allied matters act, every company, business names and incorporated Associations and NGO, are required to file annual returns every year which informs the commission of the status of a registered entity. Such defaulting companies face the risk of being struck off from the register of companies.” It noted that under section 548 of CAMA , all companies are required to display their registered

names and registration numbers at their various offices, adding that every banking or insurance company is required to prepare and display in a conspicuous manner their statement of affairs twice in a year. The commission sad that companies that comply with the provision of CAMA, stands the benefit of enjoying unhindered treatment of their post registration filings with the commission whereas filings from defaulting companies are rejected out rightly until they update their records.

Airtel unveils ‘touching lives for less privileged’ By Chris Alu

irtel has vowed to support different people across the country through its Airtel Touching Lives Programme. The Touching lives initiative is aims at affecting the emotional and physical needs of many more underserved Nigerians positively whilst also providing comfort for many who have no support. Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, managing director and chief executive officer, Airtel Nigeria, whilst speaking at the launch,

said that the programme is meant to empower the underprivileged Nigerians and tackle the challenges millions of people are facing. “At Airtel, we are passionate about the people we serve and the Nigerian society. Airtel Touching Lives provides a platform for the needy in our society to be identified, heard and also cared for,” he said. He explained that it is in line with encouraging and developing Nigerians’ innate charitable nature that Airtel has commenced the opening of dedicated channels through

which Nigerians can nominate disadvantaged persons in need of special intervention. In much the same way that Nigerians have admirably spoken out to save others using the tools of telecommunication supported by collective action, applications will be sought, collated and assessed transparently. According to him, the primary aim of inspiring Nigerians to remain committed to the ideals of humanity that demand we all as individuals, contribute our bit towards enriching the lives of others, and by extension

developing Nigeria’s Human Capital for the greater good of all. Other significant social intervention projects on the Airtel’s front-burner includes its Adopt-a-School Programme which has been operational since 2011 and takes on the peculiar needs of schools and students across the federation. There is also the Airtel Red Hot Promo which made a new breed of millionaires able to uplift their personal circumstances and become empoyers of labour, as well as the National Call Centre Project, to mention a few.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Stock Watch

Report as at Wednesday, August 13, 2014

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Special Report

Assessing efforts of government towards curbing spread of Ebola By Evelyn Okakwu and Ese Awhotu

ince the discovery of Ebola in Nigeria, through the late Patrick Sawyer, who came into the country from Liberia with the disease, so much has been said about the deadly diseases and its effects if it spreads across the country. A couple of days back, Nigerians exhibited their degree of confusion about the pandemic when rumours about a cure through the use of salt and warm water dominated the news all over the country, with the social media playing a key role in misleading a people already on the verge of confusion. The Nigerian government has since drafted a committee to look into the problem, with the President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, declaring a national emergency on the disease (following the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, WHO) and approving the sum of N1.9 billion special intervention fund to tackle the growing challenges emanating from the outbreak. Also the international community has played its role in the effort to deal with what has variously been described as the world’s deadliest disease in recent times. According to WHO “The Ebola outbreak in West Africa constitutes an ‘extraordinary event’ and a public health risk to other States”. “The current EVD outbreak began in Guinea in December 2013. This outbreak now involves transmission in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. As of August 2014, the above named countries have reported 1 711 cases. 1 070 of which were confirmed, 436 probable, and 205 cases regarded as suspect”. This number, WHO further says include 932 deaths, noting that this is currently the largest EVD

Wash the hands of your children

outbreak ever recorded.” The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the

Bush meat can be the culprit

virulence of the virus, the intensive community and health facility transmission patterns, and the weak health systems in the currently

affected and most at-risk countries. A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop

and reverse the international spread of Ebola.” While this is true, an equally coordinated response would be necessary to avert the national spread of the disease in Nigeria. If the actions of Nigerians last Friday, across the country is any thing to go by, one thing is certainly derivable-that a hand full of Nigerians are relatively ignorant about the prose and cones of maintaining a healthy condition in the face of such a deadly pandemic. What’s more, the chairman, association of Medical Laboratory scientists of Nigeria, Dr, Casmir Ifeanyi has stated that the country is not yet ready to face the wide spread of Ebola, should such become the case, in the country. According to him, the way to containing any disease, globally is through preventive health care which can only be achieved through an authenticated Laboratory based surveillance. A situation which he says is still lacking in the country. “We need to begin to build capacity of health care professionals, particularly,

medical laboratory personnel. Diagnoses and surveillance are all laboratory issues and this is key in dealing with the issue of Ebola”. As noted by the chairman the current industrial action embarked upon by the Nigerian Medical Association has not in any way helped the fight to rid the country of the wide spread of Ebola. More so, the discord among medical practitioner, who have variously fed the public with contrasting information of the state of the industrial action has only aggravated the fears of Nigerians further on the possibilities of winning the fight against the deadly Ebola Virus Other challenges noted by WHO, as regards the virus in West Africa were explained thus; “In light of States Parties’ presentations and subsequent Committee discussions, several challenges were noted for the affected countries: These challenges include: Their health systems are fragile with significant deficits in human, financial and material resources,

Sensitisation is important

resulting in compromised ability to mount an adequate Ebola outbreak control response; Inexperience in dealing with Ebola outbreaks; misperceptions of the disease, including how the disease is transmitted, are common and continue to be a major challenge in some communities; High mobility of populations and several instances of cross-border movement of travelers with infection; Several generations of transmission have occurred in the three capital cities of Conakry (Guinea); Monrovia

(Liberia); and Freetown (Sierra Leone); and a high number of infections have been identified among health-care workers, highlighting inadequate infection control practices in many facilities”. Fortunately for us in Nigeria, such a spread has not been recorded. Both stake holders and some Nigerians have said that the effort of government towards curtailing the spread of the disease among health practitioners has been quite commendable. Yet, as aptly noted by the Dr Ifeanyi; “The way to containing any global

“

I do not exactly see how washing your hands can save people if not for God’s intervention because the body operates a very reflex system. You cannot ask the hand not to go to the skin, in the event of a scratch, what happens in such a case when the hand is already infected. And how do you tell exactly when one’s hand has been infected or not?

disease, pragmatically is through preventive health care system”; which implies the introduction of vaccines along with the acceptable cure for the said disease. Fortunately, a recent report has revealed the existence of drugs capable of curing the deadly Ebola Virus. The drugs which are produced by Tekmira pharmaceuticals, known as Tekmira from the United States, and a similar drug, called Favipiravir; an influenza tablet created by a Fuji Films subsidiary, Toyoma Chemicals-co in Japan, are still been scrutinised for global acceptance by stake holder organisations. However, the discovery of a vaccine to accelerate the final elimination of this dreaded disease is still far from reach. Also the inability of the Nigerian government to close borders has not been without its attending pros and cones. More so, the response of some Nigerians to the popular call to avoid some factors that could lead to the spread of the disease has not been quite encouraging. In this discussion with Nigerians they share their

opinion on the call to desist from eating or hunting bush meat. Mrs Susan Urhomi had this to say: “I and my family have been eating bush meet for as long as I can remember. I can count the number of times I have had to buy meat from the market, because my husband always travels and brings home bush meat of different types and sizes which goes a long way to help in saving our money for buying meat. My husband gets bush meat practically free from his friends and relatives. My people in the village depend on that a lot for livelihood. How can they just decide to stop eating and even hunting bush meat, even when they have no other source of livelihood? Also a man who refused to mention his name had this to say about the need to wash hands often after returning from any place. “I do not exactly see how washing your hands can save people if not for God’s intervention because the body operates a very reflex system. You cannot ask the hand not to go to the skin, in the event of a scratch, what happens in such a case when the hand is already infected. And how do you tell exactly when one’s hand has been infected or not? So the bottom line

is that something should be done to independently curtail the spread of this disease, especially in Nigeria, because take it or leave it, we are very hospitable in Nigeria, we have a culture that naturally encourages mingling with each other in various ways, including through the use of bodily contacts, that are moral and equally warm”. It has been stated that the Ebola Virus can only be contacted when there is a contact with a sick person from the disease. But from the survey conducted during this report, it was discovered that not so many Nigerians are aware of this fact. Also the BBC rightly says concerning the fears created about this disease that; “People are frightened for two reasons. First and most importantly, because there’s no known vaccine, no cure (except recently); second, because of the ghastly physical reality of the disease, as portrayed in those lurid posters” What this means is that while these drugs for the cure could be described as a welcomed development, there is the need for the stakeholders involved, to work with the media in ensuring that people become less frightened and more informed on how to manage the situation.

Minister for Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu

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Mother Earth

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Ebola virus: The ecology of disease

f I were an indigene of Yambuku village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I would have asked the name of the Ebola River, lying in its domain changed, as it has brought odium and stigma to it. Ebola virus is now synonymous with Yambuku. You can’t trace the history of the virus without mentioning Yambuku. That’s the baggage the village has to carry, since the first outbreak of the virus in its domain in 1976. Today, Yambuku is known all over the world, not for any good reason. Even if there are gold and oil deposit in that village, I believe that no one would want to have anything to do with it. But, be as it may, the indigenes of the village were not the people who named the river, Ebola; after all, the river run through it to Sudan. Whether the name is changed or not it makes no difference. After all, The Democratic Republic of the Congo was once Zaire. Don’t blame Yambuku and its people; blame the virus that has become a global terrorist with its fatality rate. It’s unfortunate that it originated from there, as the Yambuku people are equally the victims; the first to suffer the outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Today, the strain of Ebola has been recorded as one of the highest case fatality rates of any human virus; roughly 90 percent. What has been going around has now come to us live, like a thief in the middle of the night, since the masqueraded visit by a Liberian, a harbinger of evil to Nigeria, putting everybody on edge. Trust Nigerians; they seem to be making jokes out of a very serious matter. Nobody wants to shake hand with anybody anymore, as everybody seems to be a victim. Even, market women are not left out of the huge jokes; they’re now wearing globes to sell their wares. Bitter Kola market is now booming, since Prof. Morris Iwu’s inconclusive research on the product suggests it could prevent or cure Ebola Virus. For what was never our own making, Nigerians are now becoming persona non grata of sort in Europe and America. This time again, like every bad thing considered by the western world to have originated from Africa, Ebola virus is said to have come from the animals on the African continent. So, eating bush meat today has been considered a high risk. Africa is not to blame for all of these. We have all forgotten that when we do things in ecosystems that erode biodiversity, like we chop forests into bits or replace habitat with agricultural fields, we tend to get rid of species that serve a protective role. Public health experts have begun to factor ecology into their models, as they claim that there are a few species that are reservoirs and a lot of species that are not. The ones we encourage are the ones that play reservoir roles. The environment’s role in the emergence of diseases is apparent in the connections between the direct consequences of human changes

to urban and rural landscapes and ecosystems, and the secondary effects on disease emergence factors. Overwhelming evidence points to human demographic changes as the major direct and indirect factor contributing to the increase in infectious disease, with somewhat different dynamics and mechanisms at work in urban and rural environments. Poverty, poor living conditions, including lack of sanitation and infrastructure for waste-water and solid waste management, increases opportunities for vector- borne diseases and others pass from animals to humans. The geographic spread and expansion into peri-urban areas of the mosquito Aedes albopictus, exquisitely adapted for breeding in discarded plastic containers and used automobile tires, is a good example of how a potential vector of viral diseases has taken advantage of environmental change. Lack of sanitation and waste water treatment, and industrial scale intensification of animal production systems the world over; contribute to exotic species, and the proliferation and spread of water and food-borne pathogens. Increasingly frequent outbreaks of infections are caused by these and other organisms, many of which may eat alongside or prey on wild mammals and birds as natural parasites. In rural areas population and consumption play a less direct role in contributing to disease emergence, particularly as rural emigration is fuelling the demographic explosion in cities. It is more that urban areas are driving a sustained increase in

the timber trade, agriculture, stock raising and mining, resulting in turn in deforestation and changes in land use that are transforming rural landscapes and natural areas in ways that often facilitate the emergence of disease. The spread and intensification of farming results in the development of irrigation systems, ideal breeding sites for mosquitoes and a habitat for opportunistic insects and rodents that may be vectors or reservoirs for disease. Dams provide a favourable habitat for other vectors. There’s a term biologists and economists use these days, ecosystem services, which refers to the many ways nature supports the human endeavor. Forests filter the water we drink, for example, and birds and bees pollinate crops, both of which have substantial economic as well as biological value. If we fail to understand and take care of the natural world, it can cause a breakdown of these systems and come back to haunt us in ways we know little about. A critical example is a developing model of infectious disease that shows that most epidemics — AIDS, Ebola, West Nile, SARS, Lyme disease and hundreds more that have occurred over the last several decades, don’t just happen. They are a result of things people do to nature. Disease, it turns out, is largely an environmental issue. Sixty percent of emerging infectious diseases that affect humans are zoonotic, they originate in animals. And more than two-thirds of those originate in wildlife. Teams of veterinarians and conservation biologists are in the

Ambrose Inusa Sule,

ENVIRONMENT WATCH globenviron@yahoo.com 0703-441-4410 (sms only)

midst of a global effort with medical doctors and epidemiologists to understand the “ecology of disease.” It is part of a project called Predict, which is financed by the United States Agency for International Development. Experts are trying to figure out, based on how people alter the landscape, with a new farm or road, for example, where the next diseases are likely to spill over into humans and how to spot them when they do emerge, before they can spread. They are gathering blood, saliva and other samples from high-risk wildlife species to create a library of viruses so that if one does infect humans, it can be more quickly identified. And they are studying ways of managing forests, wildlife and livestock to prevent diseases from leaving the woods and becoming the next pandemic. It isn’t only a public health issue, but an economic one. The World Bank has estimated that a severe influenza pandemic, for example, could cost the world economy $3 trillion. The problem is exacerbated

This Yambuku, Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) hospital theatre block was used as a temporary ICU for Ebola patients

“

The scope of the problem is huge and complex. Just an estimated 1 percent of wildlife viruses are known. Another major factor is the immunology of wildlife, a science in its infancy.

mnes

by how livestock are kept in poor countries, which can magnify diseases borne by wild animals. A study released earlier this month by the International Livestock Research Institute found that more than two million people a year are killed by diseases that spread to humans from wild and domestic animals. That’s why experts say it’s critical to understand underlying causes. “Any emerging disease in the last 30 or 40 years has come about as a result of encroachment into wild

lands and changes in demography. Emerging infectious diseases are either new types of pathogens or old ones that have mutated to become novel, as the flu does every year. AIDS, for example, crossed into humans from chimpanzees in the 1920s when bush-meat hunters in Africa killed and butchered them. Diseases have always come out of the woods and wildlife and found their way into human populations, the plague and malaria are two examples. But emerging diseases have quadrupled in the last halfcentury, experts say, largely because of increasing human encroachment into habitat, especially in disease “hot spots” around the globe, mostly in tropical regions. And with modern air travel and a robust market in wildlife trafficking, the potential for a serious outbreak in large population centers is enormous. The best way to prevent the next outbreak in humans, specialists say, is with what they call the One Health Initiative, a worldwide program, involving more than 600 scientists and other professionals, that advances the idea that human, animal and ecological health are inextricably linked and need to be studied and managed holistically. It’s not about keeping pristine forest pristine and free of people; it’s learning how to do things sustainably. If you can get a handle on what it is that drives the emergence of a disease, then you can learn to modify environments sustainably. The scope of the problem is huge and complex. Just an estimated 1 percent of wildlife viruses are known. Another major factor is the immunology of wildlife, a science in its infancy. Most critically, Predict researchers are watching the interface where deadly viruses are known to exist and where people are breaking open the forest, as they are along the new highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific across the Andes in Brazil and Peru. It might mean talking to people about how they butcher and eat bush meat or to those who are building a feed lot in bat habitat. EcoHealth also scans luggage and packages at airports, looking for imported wildlife likely to be carrying deadly viruses. And they have a program called PetWatch to warn consumers about exotic pets that are pulled out of the forest in disease hot spots and shipped to market. All in all, the knowledge gained in the last couple of years about emerging diseases should allow us to sleep a little easier, says Dr. Epstein, the EcoHealth veterinarian. “For the first time,” he said, “there is a coordinated effort in 20 countries to develop an early warning system for emerging zoonotic outbreaks.”

P A G E

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Mother Earth

Africa will gain from Climate Change adaptation - Report

nvestment in climate change adaptation can help promote the livelihoods of 65 per cent of Africans, according to a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This is contained in a statement issued from the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi recently and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. The statement said that such investment could help ensure that the climate change impact which included a projected 20 per cent to 50 per cent in water availability does not reverse decades of development progress. According to the statement, ‘Keeping Track of Adaptation Actions in Africa (KTAA) - Targeted Fiscal Stimulus Actions Making a Difference - is the first graphical report. “It is the first report that presents practical examples of successful low-cost adaptation solutions from around sub-Saharan Africa in one concise handbook. “The report includes examples of successful adaptation projects that have provided the impetus for large-scale government investments and policy action.’’ The statement quoted the report as saying that Africa’s population would have doubled by 2050. It said that the continent would

then be home to two billion people, the majority of which would still largely depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner noted in the statement that `` 94 per cent of agriculture was dependent on rainfall. “The future impacts of climate change, including increased droughts, flooding, and sea level rise, this may reduce crop yields in some parts of Africa by 15 to 20 per cent. “Such a scenario, if unaddressed, could have grave implications for Africa’s most vulnerable states.” The statement further quoted Steiner as observing ``using projects implemented in various countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the KTAA report clearly demonstrated how investment in adaptation actions can provide low-cost’’. “It is not just low-cost solutions to climate change challenges, but can actually stimulate local economies through more efficient use of natural capital, job creation and increased household incomes. “By integrating climate change adaptation strategies in national development policies governments can provide transitional pathways to green growth and protect and improve the livelihoods of hundreds

of millions of Africans.” The statement said that the practical publication responded to the 2013 Africa Adaptation Gap Report that identified the potentially crippling costs of climate change for Africa. It said that the report which was endorsed by the African Ministerial conference on the Environment (AMCEN) suggested greater resilience efforts to mitigate the

Minister for Water resources, Sarah Reng Ochekpe

he Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, has advised the Nigerian Committee on Large Dams (NICOLD) to adopt special considerations in the design of dams and reservoirs. Ochekpe, who gave the advice at the 2014 NICOLD annual general meeting in Abuja, said that such considerations would respond to Nigeria’s peculiar climatic conditions.

in Africa, suggest that future development efforts should incorporate greater resilience to climate change impacts. “The KTAA report is an action guide that showcases ways to do this in various sectors and African countries should use this as the guiding document for investments in adaptation to climate change.” (NAN)

Drought-stricken cows in Athi River, a town in eastern Kenya Photo, Reuters

Minister urges special considerations in dam, reservoir designs The minister, who was represented by Mr Reginald Ikpeawujo, the Director of Dams in the ministry, added that the special considerations would guarantee the safety and environmental sustainability of dams in the country. “In recent times, studies have shown that we need special designs, different methods of constructing dams according to different environmental conditions the world over. “Therefore, I challenge you to be more creative now than ever before by adopting special considerations in the design of dams and reservoirs in response to our climatic conditions. “There is no overstressing the fact that dams contribute immensely to the nation’s economy through its multipurpose uses in irrigated agriculture, domestic water supply, hydro power generation, reservoir, fisheries and tourism.” chekpe added that the meeting, which had the theme: ``Dams Development and Flood Control in a Climate Changing Environment`` was apt in view of the need to address the negative effects of climate change on the environment

impact of climate change. The statement, quoted the President of AMCEN and Tanzania’s Minister of State for the Environment, Dr Binilith Mahenge as saying that`` threats posed by climate change suggests increased efforts in future development. “Particularly in terms of potentially overturning decades of development efforts

globally. “Therefore, I believe that this topic will challenge the professionals to share current knowledge and experience on ways of enhancing the contributions of dams and reservoirs in mitigating the impact of climate change,” she said. Earlier, President of NICOLD, Mr Josephat Okoye, said that the theme of the meeting underscored the need to develop large dams to mitigate the impact of flooding or drought resulting from global warming. Okoye said that Nigeria had recorded 11 dam failures out of the more than 200 dams existing in the country. He urged the Federal Government to establish a code of practice for the design, development and operation of dams in the country. “Dams break analyses should be carried out and emergency preparedness programmes developed for all major dams in the country,” Okoye said. NICOLD was formed in 1973 as the Nigerian representative of the International Commission on Large Dams. It comprises professionals and corporate bodies in the dam development sector. (NAN)

Ebola: FG to employ 490 environmental health officers to man borders

he Federal Government has approved the employment of 490 Environmental Health Officers (EHO) to man border areas to prevent further spread of Ebola disease. The Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, made this known at the inauguration of the Governing Board of Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) in Abuja on Monday. Mallam said that the action was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to boost staff strength to check further spread of the deadly disease. She said that President Goodluck Jonathan had mandated the ministry to employ professionals to man border areas as well as ports, to ensure that those environments were kept clean. She, however, acknowledged the fact that the number to be recruited was inadequate, adding that more would be recruited in due course with the approval of the President. “Ebola is real and the Federal Government is ready to fight it. “Mr President has made funds available to the Ministry of Health to control further spread of the disease. “Nigerians, on their part, should be conscious of their environment and keep the environment clean all the time. “Though the recruitment of additional 490 environmental health officers for this purpose is not even enough because Nigeria is very big and this number cannot reach out to all states.

“I believe that our President is committed to the prevention of this disease.” Mallam said that the ministry was ready to work with the council to ensure the early return of EHO, with the aim of attaining the level of effectiveness witnessed in the past. She stressed the need to key into the initiative by states and local councils for the prevention of diseases. The minister urged the council to report all cases of breach of the code of ethics of the profession by some erring members for discipline. (NAN)

Minister for Environment Laurentia Laraba Mallam

PAGE 28

Emergency Update

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Climate change: NEMA convenes another stakeholders’ discourse By Mohammed Kandi

limate change and its devastating impact is no longer new to Nigerian communities as most part of the country was at one time or the other overwhelmed by the disaster via climate change. Like other countries around the world, Nigeria has experienced adverse climate conditions with negative consequences on the lives of millions of people, the 2012 floods in Nigeria, being the most devastating in the series of flood disasters in the country’s history. Climate change refers to an increase in average global temperatures due to natural events and human activities. This is caused primarily by increases in greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2). An increase in average global temperatures had resulted in droughts, flooding, off season rains and dry spells. It has also caused lakes drying up and a reduction in river flow in the arid and semi-arid region. The result is fewer water supplies for use in agriculture, hydro power generation and other users. Similarly, scientific studies show snows are disappearing rapidly. Climate Change has been confirmed following release of the 4th IPCC Assessment report, which stated that “Africa will be worst hit by the effects of Climate Change which Nigeria is part of it.”Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change. This situation is further worsened by its poor state of economic development and low adaptive capacity. As the impact of global change in climatic conditions continue to resonate in the form of rising temperatures and sea levels, leaving in its trail disasters in the form of floods, desertification and other environmental degradation, Nigerians are becoming more aware of the realities but in most cases lack the capacity to stem the tragedies. They certainly need government assistance as is the case in ‘developed societies’. No continent is absolutely free of calamities resulting from the climate change but the level of planning, preparedness, mitigating strategies varies with nations depending on their determination and commitment to addressing the issues. Europe continues to battle a deep freeze that has killed hundreds of people, with transport and navigation services badly hit across the continent cutting off tens of thousands of people. The 2, 860km-river, which flows through nine countries and is vital for transport, power,

irrigation, industry and fishing, was wholly or partially blocked from Austria to its mouth on the Black sea. Also, Britain experiences constant heavy snow, up to eight centimetres, while flooding in Greece has left dozens of homes under water. Meanwhile, Italy braced for continuous wave of freezing weather which resulted in several deaths. Furthermore, scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gasses produced by human activities. In view of this forecast, there is need for countries to stepup measures for mitigation, preparedness and response to impacts of climate change. In line with the global best practices in combating the scourge of climate change, Nigeria’s reputable disaster

manager, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has once again summoned relevant agencies to a dialogue which aimed at curtailing its impact in the country. The Director-General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi said: “As part of our collective responsibilities as servants of the people, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) need to always come together with the view to re-strategising plan of action towards safeguarding and protecting our citizens.” The Director-General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, was passionate about addressing the incidents of disasters that are associated with the climate change. He lauded his agency’s collaboration with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) on the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction

(SRP) and a flood outlook. While speaking at a forum tagged: “A National Consultative Workshop on Climate Risk, Mitigation, Preparedness and Response in 2014”, Sani Sidi admitted that the documents had assisted NEMA in understanding the early warning mechanism saying “The document provides information on disaster management implication on agriculture, water resources, infrastructure and health with actionable recommendations to anticipated effects.” “This workshop which convened experts to contribute meaningful ideas on ways of addressing climate related disasters in the country is expected to assist in reducing our people’s vulnerability and enhance their resilience.” The Director-General of NIMET, represented by the Director, Weather Forecasting

NEMA DG, Mohammed Sani Sidi Services, Mr. Ifeanyi Nnodu, applauded NEMA for organising the event saying “this event will provide more information that would help members of the public to better understand likely disasters.” In his remarks, the DirectorGeneral of NIHSA represented by Mr. Backley Moses, called for a more pragmatic approach by disaster managers towards unprecedented climatic conditions across the country. According to him, “climate change and variability poses huge challenge to humans and these documents are there to help mitigate hydrological hazards in the country.” The forum was intended to further create awareness about the climate change and its devastating impacts on the people and the environment—to assist them in understanding the signs of potential disaster, as well as desist from acts that are capable of further depleting the atmospheric fabrics in the country.

Thousands of houses submerged in diversting floods that ravaged Lokoja, Kogi state, in 2012.

NEMA deploys safety vehicles to Abuja International Airport By Mohammed Kandi

n a bid to boost safety measures for swift response to emergencies at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has positioned an emergency Response Intervention Vehicle (RIV) and Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulance at the airport. While commissioning the emergency response equipment at the airport, Director-General of NEMA Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi, said the deployment was in line with the agency’s commitment to promote efficiency in disaster management in the country. In a statement by Manzo Ezekiel, a Senior Information

Officer in the agency, the DG said “it was also in furtherance to the collaboration between NEMA and stakeholders in the aviation sector for greater safety in the airports and its environs.” Represented by the Deputy Director Search and Rescue Department of NEMA, Mr. Vincent Owan, Sani Sidi said the newly acquired equipment packed with necessary accessories would be jointly operated by officials of NEMA and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). The DG, who promised that the agency would ensure proper maintenance of the vehicle, also informed that arrangement have been made to train operators on the use of the RIV and MICU respectively. n his remarks, the Managing Director of FAAN, Engr

Saleh Dunoma , represented by the organisation’s General Manager North Central, Oluwole Osituyo, applauded NEMA for deploying the equipment that would boost activities of Aerodrome Rescue Fire Fighting Services.

A safety vehicle at an airport

PAGE 29

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Feature

When people with disability show cased talents at Abuja Trade Fair

Blind man, AbdulRahman Abdullahi at work

he trade fair with the theme, “Showcasing the Potentials of People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) for effective integration” attracted persons with disabilities from different rehabilitation centres and institutions in the country, established for the group to provide them with vocational training in identified trades with view to integrate them into the society, sharpen their innate skills and offer them gainful employment opportunities. The trade fair organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in conjunction with the Federal Capital Development Authority, was to do a follow – up of the empowerment training programme for PWDs that took place in Taraba, Ondo, Rivers,

Katsina, Benue, and Plateau states from 2011 to 2013 and for the government to assess the training and its impact on the beneficiaries. According to the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina, the exhibition was also organised to encourage and motivate Persons With Disabilities who have skills and talents, to exhibit the quality of the modern products they produced and to create an avenue to expose the products to international marketers. Maina, said she is hopeful that the PWDs who successfully undergone the prescribed training enhanced their selfconfidence and afforded them the opportunity to develop as individuals and valued members of the society. She commended them for the unique products exhibited at the trade fair saying it was an indication that they acquired the necessary skills that enabled them to produce the exquisite products displayed at the trade fair. 52 year old Malam AbdulRahman Abdullahi, who is blind and currently the Chairman Blind Association of Nigeria, Bauchi branch, said he was among the people living with disabilities sent to Nigeria Farm Craft Centre, Lagos in 1980 to learn a trade by the Bauchi state government where he was taught how to make local fertilizer, mats, doors mats, and chairs and specializes in weaving chairs. He said currently, he works with the Bauchi state government where he trains young people how to make mats, door mats and

“

“People think that because we are living with disabilities, we cannot do anything but beg, all we need is support from government and wellmeaning Nigerians to bring out the best in us. I believe that every person living with disability has unique talent, all that the person needs is support, to identify the talent and build on it.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr. Habiba Lawal, presenting an award to a PWD from lagos who came first in the exhibition. chairs. ‘Every year, the state government chooses two students from each of the 20 local government areas in the state to sponsor them to come to the vocational training centre and learn a trade of their choice. When you calculate you will see that in a year I train 40 students. On how he manages to weave using colorful rubber thread on the chairs he sells, Abdullahi said, though he is completely blind, he can do a lot of things people with eyes can do. “People think that because we are living with disabilities, we cannot do anything but beg, all we need is support from government and wellmeaning Nigerians to bring out the best in us. I believe that every person living with disability has unique talent, all that the person needs is support, to identify the talent and build on it. Abdullahi who sells a chair for N8,000, called on government to build more vocational training centres so as to accommodate more people living with disabilities because according to him, begging weakens the mind and denies one’s family the opportunity to acquire western education. “When you chose begging as a means of making ends meet, you are denying your children and your generation of unborn, children the opportunity to be educated and do something meaningful with their lives for them to contribute to the

development of the country. That means that they will remain illiterate if care is not taken’, He said. He said one of the contributory factors to the rise in population of beggars in the north, is the attitude of northern leaders as well as wealthy people in the society, who do not want to give support to PWDs, to enable them live decent and comfortable life, instead of begging. Another beneficiary of the training programme who was crippled from birth, and is equally a Senior Assistant Craft man with the Gombe state, and professional shoe maker, Malam Abubakar Yusuf, said he sponsored his own education at vocational training schools in Kano and Gombe states in 1996 and 1998 respectively to become self -reliant. “I grew up with the notion to be selfreliant by doing something meaningful with my life despite my health challenge. Apart from making shoes, bags and belts, I also construct gates, doors, windows and trans- cycling chair for people living with disabilities”, he said. He said he started working with the Gombe state training centre in 2003 and rose to the rank of Senior Assistant Craft man. According to him, every year the state government trains two people in a trade of his or her choice at the centre, which he said has helped in reducing the number of beggars in the state. Cout on pape 29

PAGE 30

Feature

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

When people with disability show cased talents at Abuja Trade Fair Continue on page 30

oday, I own a workshop where I do leather works with staff strength of 5 apart from those who left and are doing well in the skills they acquired. According to him, some of the disabled people who were trained at the Gombe state training centre have gone back to begging because they have no capital to start businesses of their own. He called on government to provide capital for those qualified PWDs as a means of eradicating begging in all the states of the federation. He said however, in the last 10 years, begging in Gombe state has reduced to a minimum level with the training of the PWDs in various trades. It is a well -known fact that people living with disabilities, especially in the northern parts of the country, mostly resort to begging to earn a living, a menace that has eaten deeply into our societies and caused us world embarrassment as the population of beggars among people living with various forms of disabilities, the poor and those who see begging as a lucrative business keep increasing. Stakeholders at the trade fair expressed optimism that with intervention and equipping of vocational training centres at the national and states levels, the plight of the PWDs will change for the better. It would be recalled that early this year, the Kano state governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, waged war on beggars in the states and returned hundreds of children living as Al majirais in the state to their parents in his bid to rid the state of beggars, assumed to have constituted public nuisance. The action was criticized in various quarters. While some saw it as a good development,

especially with the current security challenges facing the country, some felt that the governor should have trained those interested in some skills to enhance quality of their lives, and also enroll their children in schools. Experts say, however, there is need for state governments to equip and renovate disabled persons centres to give those committed among the PWDs opportunity to learn a trade and contribute to the development of the society. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is even more important for the federal government to improve all facilities at the centres nationwide with a view to addressing the current trend of using children for criminal activitiesâ&#x20AC;?, they say. Though the essence of the trade fair is to show case the talents and capabilities of the PWDs, the major challenge that they faced, as discovered by Peoples Daily centred on the fact that their expertise and skills suffered setback as their products are still struggling to be marketable, appreciated and patronised by the public leading to their discouragement. Generally, it was observed that the trade fair was not well publicized leading to a low turnout of people at the event which lasted for three days. It is suggested tha the government should follow up the fair by helping to advertise the products produced by the PWDs for them to become household items. This will encourage them further and give them a sense of belonging. NGOs also have a role to play in this regard by helping to create awareness on how people can benefit from such events where the PWDs will exhibit their products or by establishing a supermarket where their goods can be sold as it is being done in Kenya.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

L-R Perm Sec. Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr. Habiba Lawal, Director Rehabitation at the Ministry Mrs. Victoria Akintoro inspecting some of the product at display.

Some of the products made by PWDs from Kebbi State on the event.

some of the disabled people who were trained at the Gombe state training centre have gone back to begging because they have no capital to start businesses of their own Some of the products mabe by PWDs from Lagos State on display.

photo: by Mahmud Isa

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

PAGE 31

Adamawa byeelection: Group berates opposition to Ribadu

L-R: Minister of Defence, General Aliyu Gusau, Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs 1, Professor Viola Onwuleri, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

From Umar Dankano, Yola

pressure group under the aegis Concerned Youth for Good Governance in Adamawa state has frowned at the actions of some politicians in the state moving against wooing Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to join PDP and contest the October 11th Adamawa governorship bye election. The group in a press statement signed and made available to journalists by it’s chairman, Alhaji Isa Ibrahim Toungo, in Yola yesterday described those against the move, including some PDP members, as spent forces who felt intimidated by Ribadu’s credentials. “Our attention has been drawn to a campaign of calumny against the person and ambition of the much respected Mallam Nuhu Ribadu orchestrated by some spent-forces who felt intimidated by our recent call on Ribadu to dump his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and contest for the governorship of Adamawa state under the umbrella of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We are particularly irked by reports in the media quoting anonymous sources-obviously politicians too intimidated to come out in the open, to the effect that Nunu Ribadu is not welcomed in the PDP or that Ribadu would be imposed on the party from Abuja.” The statement said the sentiments being exhibited by those against Ribadu were uncalled for and a complete misrepresentation of policy and philosophy of the PDP which has always left its doors open to all Nigerians. “In fact, the strength of the PDP lies in its ability to accommodate all Nigerians, from all shades of opinion. “These frightened politicians have resorted to blackmail and fabrication of stories about the purported promises to Ribadu by the top echelon of the party in Abuja”, the statement said. The statement noted that Ribadu and those agitating for him to come to PDP were doing that based on merit and would not subvert any democratic process as being speculated.

Photo: Joe Oroye

2015 elections ‘ll be free and fair, Presidency assures By Lawrence Olaoye

he Presidency yesterday assured that the 2015 general elections would be free and fair considering the successes recorded from the conduct of both Ekiti and Osun governorship elections. Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Affairs, Professor Rufa’i Alkali, at a media interaction in Abuja also alleged that the opposition with use of propaganda, has always been responsible for causing tension among the electorates, given the inordinate ambition for power by most of their leaders. According to him, the peaceful conduct of the governorship election in both Ekiti and Osun states, despite all hues and cries, were clear evidence that the much anticipated 2015 general elections would come and go peacefully

while Nigeria will remain even more united and strong with the consistent efforts being made by President Goodluck Jonathan to deepen democracy in Nigeria. The Presidential Adviser said the successful conduct of the two elections in the south-west was a manifestation of the desire by Jonathan and his team to deepen democracy by guiding against all elements geared towards causing chaos and confusion during elections. He said when the President harped on deployment of security to safeguard lives and property during elections, acting on security reports, the opposition went to town, as usual, with banal propaganda, theatricals and grand standing. He said “It is heartwarming to note that today President Jonathan has kept his words. And INEC too has done its job.

“Indeed President Goodluck Jonathan has now become a hero who all Nigerians are looking towards for making 2015 elections to be free, fair and better conducted. “He said with the turn of events, it is necessary for those he described as political jobbers and master propagandists to allow President Jonathan concentrate more on his desire to fast-track the delivery of Transformation Agenda by his government. While expressing appreciation on the good conduct of the people of Osun State during the just concluded governorship poll in Osun State, Alkali lauded the spirited efforts by INEC in overcoming all shortcomings to make the election a huge success. He also praised efforts by the Security operatives, who he said gave very good account of themselves going by praises which,

according to him, Nigerians have been showering on them. He said, “In those days, we used to hear of the wild-wild west, most especially during elections. For that, many predicted mayhem and chaos during and after the election in Ekiti and Osun States. Then, security issues had to come in. “From what we have seen so far, the two elections in the south-west zone have belied and negated the cliché of ‘wild wild west while affirming the people as most politically sophisticated with preparedness to defend democracy and its ethos. “This is good for Nigeria and this is good for democracy. The lesson is clear. The 2015 that everybody appears to be scared off will not be different from the experiences we have had in Osun and Ekiti states. That is invariably showing that we are already coming of age in Nigeria,” he said.

General election: CD advises INEC, parties to sensitize electorate

he Campaign for Democracy (CD) yesterday advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and political parties to intensify the sensitization of the electorate to avoid low turn-out of voters during elections. This is contained in a statement in Onitsha by the Chairman of Anambra Chapter, Mr Vincent Ezekwueme. “INEC and political parties must carry the electorate along and it is unacceptable where they are not actively involved

in elections through wide spread voters’ education,” the statement said. INEC has scheduled voters’ registration, re-validation and issuance of permanent voters’ cards in Anambra to hold between Aug. 15 and 17. “During the last governorship election in Anambra, less than 25 per cent of registered voters participated in the exercise. “During the last local government election held in January 2014, less than 25 per cent of registered voters

participated during the election,” it said. It noted that INEC and political parties must start to educate the electorate for them to participate actively in the forthcoming exercise. “It is surprising that during the last local government election in Anambra State, more than 50 per cent of Anambra people were not aware that the election was taking place,” it noted. The statement, however, appealed to religious and

traditional leaders, students and civil society groups, to mobilize citizens to participate actively during the forthcoming exercise. It called on INEC to direct its electoral officers in local government areas to constitute mobilization and sensitization committees at the council levels. “With mass participation, our elections would earn the credibility and general acceptance it deserves, which would jettison unnecessary litigation after elections”. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

PAGE 32

Politics

Elechi, PDP move to reinstate impeached Ebonyi Speaker

National Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ambassador Muhammed Wali (left), presenting certificate of return to Osun state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right), on Tuesday in Osogbo. With them are, Osun state Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi LaoyeTomori (right), INEC Secretary, Mr. Oladipo Oladapo (2nd left), and Acting Director, Legal, Mr. Ibrahim Bawa (middle).

Nyako to Adamawa Ag. CJ: you’re frustrating justice From Umar Dankano, Yola

mpeached governor of Adamawa state, Murtala Nyako, yesterday accused the Acting Chief Justice of the state, Justice Bobbo Umar, of frustrating a suit he instituted to challenge the constitution of a probe panel which indicted him. In a statement by the Director of Press and Publicity to former Governor, Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, Nyako alleged that in an apparent move to sabotage the suit, the Acting CJ deemed it right to assign the case to Justice Ishaya,Banu, who is currently on

leave and will resume duty on 15th September, 2014 after the panel have finished its sitting instead of the VacationJudge, Hon Justice Hafsatu Abdurraham, who should have been mandated to handle the case. “It is a misnomer that the case has to be assigned to a Judge who is currently on leave and will resume after the panel has concluded its sittings instead of assigning it to the Vacation Judge who is the right person to handle the case which is a clear signal that the Acting CJ has shown the side he belongs to,” Sajoh said. He said by the nature of the

suit which is an expedited case, the suit should be given an expedited hearing as the panel has only four weeks to turn up its report and possibly indict Nyako as the whole set up was being scripted to indict the former Governor at all cost. He said counsel to Murtala Nyako has filed an affidavit of urgency demanding that the suit should be expeditiously assigned and given accelerated hearing in view of the urgency and the time frame within which the panel will sit. The former governor had filed a suit before a Yola High Court of Adamawa praying it to declare the

setting up of the probe panel illegal saying that it was set in breach of extant laws of the federation particularly sections 128 and 129 of the 1999 constitution of the federal Republic as amended. In the suit filed by the former governor dated 8th August, 2014, he prayed the court to dissolve the panel as he said the defendants have no power to set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate his administration without recourse to the state House of Assembly in line with the provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Enugu Impeachment: Group lambasts panel for sitting in camera

group, Enugu Rescue Group, ERG, has condemned the decision of a seven-member panel appointed by the State Chief Judge to investigated allegations against the Deputy Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, to bar journalists from covering its proceedings. The group said the decision denied the public the benefit of knowing the proceedings of the impeachment plot against the deputy governor, who is an elected public officer of the state. The State House of Assembly had last month initiated impeachment proceedings against the deputy governor. Among the allegations against him is that he is operating a commercial livestock in his official quarters. The group, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Martin Okenwa, said it was concerned about the “speedy” descent of Enugu state into a home of political impunity characterized by assault on transparency and right to information. He said it was pained that the

impunity had persisted despite the protests by the lawyers of the deputy governor. The group also condemned the long and persistent “mopping” in Enugu State and its environs, of newspapers and magazines that carry reports and articles deemed to be critical of the Governor Sullivan Chime Administration. The group said it was concerned that both anti-democratic actions were being perpetrated at the behest of the Enugu State Government with public resources. It said it considered the constant “mopping” of national dailies as gross violation of the letters and spirit of the Freedom of Information, FOI Act, and especially Section 39 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, which upholds the right of citizens to “hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference”. “We further wonder why impeachment proceedings that were broadcast live on televisions in other states such as Nasarawa have become a secret business in Enugu,” it said.

The group contended that an impeachment investigative panel was not a secret cult and its businesses could not and should not be run like one. It stated that Onyebuchi holds the people’s mandate and any trial towards taking away such mandate should be open to the electorate. The ERG added, “We unequivocally maintain that journalists are the eyes and ears of the public and should be allowed to do their jobs in line with 1999 Constitution, global best practices, and universal principles of democracy. “We demand, as a matter of emphasis and urgency that the video coverage of the Panel’s hearing by the electronic media houses should henceforth be allowed to enable the public scrutinize and weigh the decisions of the panel against the testimonies and evidences provided at the hearing. “Importantly, such a critical event in the life of Enugu State and our democracy must be preserved unedited for posterity, which is also

entitled to its own judgments of our words, actions, and inactions today.” The group said Nigerians might consider the panel a kangaroo one contrived to do the master’s bidding if it failed to stop behaving like a secret cult while any “guilty” verdict returned by it against the deputy governor would be unacceptable “because it is a kangaroo decision marred by political Ebola virus.” The ERG urged the Newspaper Proprietors of Nigeria, NPAN, and the Newspapers and Magazines Distributors Association of Nigeria to please call their complicit members and agents in Enugu to order. According to it, the constant carting away of newspapers and magazines impedes the role of the media as the watchdog of the society. “The best way for the Enugu State Government to manage its dwindling political fortunes and growing unpopularity is to desist from doing those things that earn it bad press, not by expending public resources in denying the people access to information,” the group said.

bonyi state governor, Martin Elechi, said in Abakaliki on Monday that Chukwuma Nwazunku remained the Speaker of the State House of Assembly. Mr. Elechi stated that the PDP had met with members of the House over the issue at the party’s secretariat in Abakaliki, adding that the speaker was never impeached. “The issue that led to the said impeachment was not good enough to justify any attempt of impeachment,” he said. In a swift reaction, the Minority Leader of the House, Enyi Enyi, described the party’s interference in the matter as unconstitutional. “It is unconstitutional for anybody who is not the member of the House to interfere in its internal affairs. No person, except the court of law, can declare the impeachment of Nwazunku illegal,” he said. Mr. Nwazunku was impeached on July 21 by 18 out of the 24 members of the House, but has continued to describe the action as illegal.

Omisore stops panel of inquiry in Osun

he PDP defeated governorship candidate in Osun, Sen. Iyiola Omisore on yesterday secured an order to prevent the panel of enquiry on “disturbance of public peace” from investigating him. The state government had set up a panel of enquiry on “disturbance of public peace” to investigate Omisore and Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, in July. The panel’s Chairman, Justice Moshood Adeigbe, made this known at the panel’s sitting in Osogbo yesterday, saying that the panel had received an interim order from the High Court ordering that status quo be maintained pending the ruling on the application. The panel had summoned Adesiyan and Omisore to appear before it following a petition written by Sen. Isiaka Adeleke, that the respondents attacked him during a PDP stakeholders meeting in April in Osogbo. Adeleke, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), had alleged that Omisore and Adesiyan threatened to kill him during the meeting, and urged the commission to investigate the allegation. Omisore, however, refused to appear before the panel, saying that the commission lacked power to investigate him. Meanwhile, Counsel to the petitioner, Mr Lekan Olayiwola, urged the panel to allow the petitioner to go on with the hearing of the matter despite the interim order. Adeigbe, who admitted that the panel is lower to the High Court, however, adjourned the sitting till Aug, 19, pending the vacation of the interim order. (NAN)

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PAGE 33

Politics

You’re confused, frustrated, 2015: Gombe APC vows PDP tells Katsina APC to send PDP

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

he chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (APC), Katsina state chapter, Alhaji Rabi’u Gambo Bakori, has described the recent criticism of his party by the All Progressive Congress (APC) over the running of local government administration as ranting of a confused and frustrated party. Speaking with newsmen yesterday, the chairman said the

allegation by the opposition over alleged illegality in running the councils by the state governor was unfounded and baseless. Bakori said “We are running a government of educated persons. Therefore, how can the government allow aspirants in an election start running them even before the election. This is naked mischief”. He similarly challenged the state party chiarman of APC, Alhaji Mustapha Inuwa, to provide facts over his allegation

that PDP aspirants in the forthcoming local government election have started running the affairs of these councils. The chairman averred that instead of baseless accusation, the APC chairman should concentrate on uniting his polarized party that has no focus or vision to pose any threat to PDP. He added “If you look at APC in Katsina state, they have no leader. Even their so-called chairman is not recongnized by a faction of the party. The chairman should face

this nightmare instead of accusing PDP.” Bakori wondered why as he said a party that bragged that if election is held within seven days, they will win is now crying and boycotting election where the stipulated 90 days notice was given to them. The chairman assured that the PDP would squarely win the forth-coming local government election in the state and said his party would also win the 2015 general election in the state.

Al-makura’s aide warns lawmakers against relaunching impeachment bid

he Nasarawa State government yesterday advised the state House of Assembly members against relaunching impeachment process against Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura. Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Mallam Abdullhamid Kwarra, told newsmen in Lafia that such moves would disrupt governance in the state. “The 1999 Constitution made it clear that once the panel clears the governor of any allegation or allegations, the matter in contention must be brought to an end in its entirety. “The Constitution states in section 188 sub-section 8 that where the panel reports to the House of Assembly that allegations have not been proved, no further proceedings shall be taken on the matter” the SSA stated. He urged the lawmakers to partner with the state government in moving the state forward. “It beholds on us to call on the assembly members to partner the state governor in his effort to change the fortunes of the state and guide it on the path of progress,” he said. Kwarra also reaffirmed the commitment of the Al-makura’s administration to create an enabling environment for the three arms of government to coexist without hindrance. (NAN)

L-R: Chairman, Adamawa state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Joel Madaki, receiving a gift from a member, House of Representatives, Hon. Aishatu Dahiru, during distribution of fertilizer, on Tuesday in Yola. Photo: NAN

Osun Election: INEC defends large security presence at polling units

he Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said yesterday in Abuja that the heavy presence of security personnel at polling units encouraged large voters’ turnout during election periods. The Director of Education and Publicity of INEC, Oluwole Osaze-Uzi, said that the electorate should not be discouraged by few politicians who condemned the use of security personnel during the exercise. The director cited the Osun and Ekiti states governorship elections where large turnout of voters was witnessed in spite of the presence of security operatives. “In Osun governorship

election, more than 80 per cent of people who picked up their voters’ cards exercised their franchise; they went to vote. Did that tell you something? “In Ekiti, more than 75 per cent of people who picked up their cards also went to vote. So is there no correlation? “Obviously, the presence of security is reassuring; it serves as a deterrent to those who will want to cause problems and reassures those who will want to exercise their franchise. “The participation has continued to increase where there is security presence. It is a reassuring factor for those who are law abiding,’’ Mr. Osaze-Uzi said.

The director said what people should be concerned was weather the security personnel performed their duties in accordance with their mandate or not. “The issue should not be whether there is heavy security or not. What we should be focusing on is that do they do their job? “If you see security men on ground on election day and they behave professionally and in accordance with their mandates to protect the electorate and INEC officials and everybody who came out for legal duty, is that not good? “As long as they are polite and they do what is expected of them, why should I be complaining ?” he asked. (NAN)

INEC to conduct Adamawa bye-election Oct. 11

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced that it had fixed October 11 for the Adamawa governorship election. Mr Kasim Gaidam, the

state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), confirmed the date to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola. ``The commission has confirmed the Adamawa governorship election to hold on

October 11, 2014,” Gaidam said. He further said that the full election details would soon be released. The election follows the impeachment of former Gov. Murtala Nyako by the

state House of Assembly in July, with the Electoral Act mandating INEC to conduct a by-election into the office of a governor within three months of his impeachment. (NAN)

packing

From David Hassan, Gombe

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe state has vowed that nothing will hinder its party from sending Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) packing in the forth coming general elections in 2015. The party also said that arrangements have been put in place to ensure that the PDP administration would no longer have a place to hide in 2015 general elections, noting that its party has strategies on how to put an end to hardship in order to eliminate the ruling party. Chairman of the party, Barr. Magaji Doho, who stated this yesterday in Dukku while swearing-in local government party officials and wards leaders also said that he was optimistic with the caliber of people that gave themselves to serve humanity in the party. According to him, “our party will continue to fight until the demand of the masses is met in order to ensure that the dividend of democracy which had failed to yield positive result be restored.” Speaking further, the chairman also called on citizens not to relent in working hard to ensure that the party gets sense of belonging in 2015 general elections, adding that it is their votes that would determine the victory of the party. He enjoined them to shun differences and embraced one another to enable them speak with one voice in order to build the party, stressing that the party can only grow when the electorates agree themselves to work as a team for the progress of the party. In his welcome address, the local government chairman of All Progressives Congress and Sarki Dawaki Dukku, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, emphasized his confidence about the party in the area. He said he would do his best to ensure that the electorates turn up en-mass to vote candidate of their choice in 2015 general elections. He called on the people in area to show love to one another as it is the only way to succeed in life just as he pointed out that there is need for unity among the people in the party. Abubakar solicited support from the electorates which, according to him, would give the party better opportunity to forge ahead even as he said that their mutual understanding within themselves would create an impact in the party.

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Politics

Osun, Ekiti polls: Litmus test for 2015 general elections By Dada Ahmed

or many years, the political landscape of Nigeria, as regards elections, has been plagued by crises, which at times resulted in the loss of people’s lives and property. Political scientists say that the negative development has made many Nigerians to view politics as a dirty game, adding that such perception has compelled them steer away from participating in elections. With this mindset, many Nigerians envisaged some crisis during the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, mostly because self-seeking politicians often foment trouble whenever their chances of winning elections get blurry. Some concerned citizens, therefore, feared that the two elections would end up in crisis, as the contestants squared up to each other, trading words and pointing accusing fingers to one another; all in the quest to garner the goodwill of the electorate. However, the people’s reservations soon disappeared, as the two polls turned out to be quite peaceful, with local and international election observers also describing the two elections as free, credible and transparent, with the process and outcome of the elections tending to reinforce the citizens’ optimism that the 2015 general elections will be similarly peaceful, free, fair, credible and transparent. Prof. Bamitale Omole, the Returning Officer for Osun State Governorship Election, attributed the successful conduct of the election to the early preparations of INEC for the exercise, among other factors, urging the electoral body to sustain the feat in subsequent elections. Mr Micheal Onimi, a historian in Okene, Kogi, recalled that electoral violence started in Nigeria as far back as 1964 but however noted with joy that Nigerian politicians appeared to have learnt some lessons from past happenings “unlike their counterparts in France in the 16th Century whose style of politics led to the 1789

Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

French Revolution”. Onimi, who is also a retired politician, said that Nigerian politicians were now promoting peace because they were obviously aware that “without peace, no nation can experience any meaningful development.” He said that contrary to presumptions in certain quarters, the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun were hitch-free, crisis-free and without any form of violence. Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Mohammed Alli, a politician in Lokoja, said that the two elections signified that democracy is taking firm root in Nigeria. “Nowadays, people appreciate the need for

political tolerance and there is real deepening of democratic tenets. This signifies a consolidation of the country’s democracy,” he added. Shuaibu Sanni, another Lokoja-based politician, urged politicians to learn from earlier mistakes in Nigeria’s political history, while striving to promote peace at all costs, stressing that all the citizens, particularly politicians, should draw lessons from the peaceful conduct of the governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun states in efforts to strengthen the country’s democracy. Hajia Amina Salami, a politician in Lokoja, said that she was particularly happy that women in Ekiti and Osun states performed their

“

We have seen in the Ekiti election where the loser and incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, was, perhaps, one of the first persons to congratulate the winner, Mr Ayodele Fayose. This is unprecedented in the annals of Nigerian politics

civic responsibility by fully participating in the elections. “I am very happy that the two elections in Ekiti and Osun have come and gone, encouraging all Nigerians to breath fresh air, in our quest for peaceful, free, fair and problem-free elections. “As a female politician, I am glad to note that women trooped out en-masse to vote during the elections, which were conducted under a peaceful atmosphere. “I pray that all the politicians in the country will emulate Ekiti and Osun politicians in the 2015 general elections; we should all endeavour to work for peace during and after the elections. “This will usher in a political atmosphere that will stimulate the social, economic and political development in the country in a practical way,’’ she said. Nevertheless, Mr Michael Alabi, a lawyer, commended the winners and losers in the two governorship elections for displaying uncommon spirit of sportsmanship. “We have seen in the Ekiti election where the loser and incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, was, perhaps, one of the first persons to congratulate the winner, Mr Ayodele Fayose. This is unprecedented in the annals of Nigerian politics.

“While we are not unmindful of some people challenging the results of the polls in the court, we have seen elements of political tolerance, respect for the wishes of the electorate in the two polls,” he added. Alabi noted with delight that the two elections demonstrated that country’s politicians had started to imbibe President Goodluck Jonathan’s political philosophy of violence-free elections. Alhaji Sule Abdulrahman, whose house was razed during the political crisis which engulfed Kogi Central Senatorial District in 2007, described the elections in Ekiti and Osun “as rays of hope that the 2015 elections will be rancour-free. “Nigerians have had a lot of traumatic experience resulting from political crises, particularly during elections. “It is high time Nigerian politicians took a cue from the Western nations by playing politics according to its rules,” he said. By and large, analysts urge the citizens, particularly politicians, to adopt strategies that would facilitate the evolution of a good political system in Nigeria, so as to strengthen efforts to fast-track the country’s development. (NANFeatures)

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PAGE 35

International international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

ANALYSIS

he modern model of citizenship is based upon the theory of universal rights and obligations. Its origin lies in the seventeenth century concept of “natural rights” and in the twentieth century has come to be known as the doctrine of human rights. Today, it has become almost impossible to engage in political discourse without referring to rights - the right to life, the right to free speech, the right to abortion, the right to property, the right to security etc all of these rights are put under the umbrella of human rights. Although contending ideological viewpoints use the term human rights in everyday political discourse, it is not clear what the term “rights” refers to and how it should be used. If we define rights as an entitlement to act or be treated in a particular manner, then a lot of questions arise. Where does this entitlement come from and who defines the limits of such an entitlement? At the heart of the notion of “universal human rights” lies the assumption that all humans are born equal. How does this equality translate into equal rights or entitlements in reality or in a world where inequality persists? How should we define equality or justice, how should we define human? Islam and human rights Were we humans at an embryonic stage or our humanity begins at birth, or perhaps we become human once we accept a liberal view of life, other than that, we could be pre-emptively killed by drones or aborted in an act that would ensure a good life for those who are truly human? Furthermore, how could we reconcile human rights based on the notion of equality while knowing that humans are not identical? For example, Muslims acknowledge that humans are created equal by Allah. The Quran (ch49:v13:) says “O mankind We have created you from a single male and female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another but the best of you in the sight of Allah is the most pious of you”. The truth is, early Enlightenment philosophers were not concerned with the rights of women, peasants, workers, or slaves, and instead they were merely hypothesising and legitimising the rights and liberties of the early capitalist white men. Here, the Quran refers to the common ancestry of mankind and equates everyone to the same rank and then distinguishes between them only on the basis of their goodness. While the Quran equates everyone as human, it also discriminates between male and female. For instance, males will receive a larger share of inheritance compared to women. Men have the right to marry up to four wives, but women must be monogamous. For non-Muslims, these differentiations are against the tenets of human rights, and contrary to the principle of equality. Islam does not equate justice and equality to sameness. Parents may purchase different sanitary goods for their daughter compared to their son; they are different but not the same, is that unjust and does it constitute violation of rights?

Is the concept of human rights non-ideological?

The emergence of the concept of human rights is an inevitable consequence of European Enlightenment, writes Moslih [EPA]

In non-Muslim societies, women enjoy rights that men do not. Because of their needs and capacities, women enjoy some rights related to childbirth, maternity leave or child care. Could rights that do not encompass all of humanity be regarded as fundamental human rights? In short, at the social level there is no consensus on human rights that is because rights-based theories are also ideological. The emergence of the concept of human rights is an inevitable consequence of European Enlightenment. The point that values precede rights and the concept of universal human rights faces huge challenges in a culturally diverse global setting. The controversies over the wearing of burqa and freedom of expression in Europe are some examples these challenges. It is a mistake to think that

Enlightenment was a long revolution intended to free man and establish universal human rights. The truth is, early Enlightenment philosophers were not concerned with the rights of women, peasants, workers, or slaves, and instead they were merely hypothesising and legitimising the rights and liberties of the early capitalist white men. In our age the battle has shifted from its exclusive narrative to a universal one. However, its liberal parameters giving primacy to individuals over institutions remain the same and to date individuals precede the formation of “civil society”. The concept of “human rights” is therefore essentially liberal. It holds that individuals have natural immutable rights that are universal. Though Enlightenment deposed religion, it inevitably sat on the same

“

throne. It too declared itself universal, replaced the sovereignty of God with sovereignty of man and God with nature. However, it kept the concept of rule but justified it differently. What is well-being? Understanding this pattern allows us to realise why natural human rights became an important pillar of European Enlightenment. With God and the theory of “divine rights” out of the way, how were we to legitimise rule? This is why Enlightenment philosophers have turned to nature in order to find “objective laws” through scientific methods and human reasoning. Enlightenment did not save Europe from its squabbles, war and injustices; instead, through technological advances it added to the efficiency of war and injustice. It legitimised racism through social Darwinism based on scientific

In our age the battle has shifted from its exclusive narrative to a universal one. However, its liberal parameters giving primacy to individuals over institutions remain the same and to date individuals precede the formation of “civil society”.

discoveries and assumptions. It enslaved millions of people within a monopoly of capitalism. So, is the world more peaceful since Enlightenment and scientific discoveries? Have we become more moral and ethical? What is the relationship between moral progress, science and reason? Furthermore, it is impossible to develop a harmonised human rights philosophy that is not circular. At the heart of the issue of human rights runs the issue of justice and at the heart of justice runs the issue of happiness and it is argued that happiness is attained through acquiring a good life and a good life is one that insures everyone’s well-being. But how do we define wellbeing? Could we define wellbeing without having something in mind? Is well-being value neutral? Could everyone’s well-being be insured or should we settle for the majority, and would this be a moral position? Is morality relative and utilitarian and could we rationalise morality? These questions have led many political philosophers to pursue the lowest common denominator of values among human beings as the foundation on which a social contract could be built. John Rawls proposed his solution in his book A Theory of Justice, arguing that rights come before values. I ask, would that be so if it was not initially agreed that the individual take primacy over society, is this not a liberal value? Source: Al Jazeera

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

International Libya crisis: Head of Tripoli police ‘assassinated’ Rising economies ‘ahead on climate’

‘

Four of the world’s emerging economies have claimed that they are far ahead of developed countries in their efforts to slow climate change. Brazil, South Africa, India and China are known as the BASIC bloc in international climate negotiations. They have also accused developed nations of keeping their carbon emission cuts ambitions at a low level. Ministers from the BASIC countries made the claim after meeting in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Friday. Developed countries have long argued that shares in global carbon emissions from fast emerging economies like China and India were huge and yet they were not committed to making cuts. The two sides have been at loggerheads for years, presenting hurdles to a deal on climate change. “Our [climate change] mitigation efforts are more than developed countries,” Prakash Javadekar, India’s environment minister told the BBC after he held the meeting with his counterparts from Brazil, China and South Africa. “We are going ahead with our voluntary actions which will reduce carbon emissions and also bring about increased energy efficiency from 25% to 50%. “We want the developed world to walk the walk.” The comments come ahead of a major climate meeting of heads of state and government being hosted by UN secretary-general Bank Kimoon next month. The meeting in New York aims at securing political support for a global climate deal next year. But an official with the EU’s climate commission said figures showed an opposite picture. “The latest United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) emissions gap report clearly says that developed countries have cut more than developing countries when we use the same baseline,” said the official, who did not want to be named. The 2013 report said: “Between 2000 and 2010, developed countries’ share in global emissions decreased from 51.8% to 40.9%, whereas developing countries’ emissions increased from 48.2% to 59.1%.” Past negotiations, most notably the Copenhagen summit in 2009, had failed in part because of the conflicting positions of the developed world and rapidly rising economies like China and India.

oll Muhammad M h d S Suwaysii was shot while leaving a meeting in Tajoura, a suburb in the east of the

capital. Two of his colleagues were also taken captive, the interior ministry said. Libya has been gripped by violence involving militias that spearheaded the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. Thousands have been forced to flee recent fighting in Tripoli. More than three years after the uprising, Libya’s police and army remain weak in comparison to the militias who control large parts of the country. ‘Hard-working man’ The official Facebook page of the National Security Directorate of Tripoli said that Col Suwaysi had been assassinated. Interior ministry spokesman Rami Kaal told the BBC that the police chief had been in Tajoura for a meeting with local authorities. “On his way back from Tajoura, their vehicle was ambushed at a

traffic light by two cars with armed men,” he said. “Col Suwaysi refused to get out of the car, and the men shot at the car - he died of a bullet to the head.” Two of Col Suwaysi’s colleagues

complied with orders to leave the car and were kidnapped, he said. Mr Kaal described Col Suwaysi as “a friend and a good, hardworking man”. Several hundred people are

believed to have died in July and August in an upsurge of unrest. The fighting has been centred around the international airport in Tripoli and in the eastern city of Benghazi

The head of police in the Libyan capital Tripoli has been killed by unknown gunmen.

Ebola outbreak: Kenya at high risk, warns WHO

L-R: United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Mahmood Mohammed, discussing with Inspector General of Police Suleiman Abba, during the envoy’s visit to the IGP, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Africa’s young to swell to 1bn by 2050, says Unicef

he findings show a “massive shift in the world’s child population towards Africa”, it says. Its projections indicate that by 2050, about 40% of all children will be in Africa, up from around 10% in 1950. This is despite the fact that child mortality rates in Africa will remain high, it says. The continent currently accounts for about half of child mortality globally and the proportion could rise to around 70% per cent by 2050, according to the Generation 2030/ Africa Report released by Unicef, the UN’s child agency. ‘Seismic demographic shifts’ However, high fertility rates and rising numbers of women of reproductive age mean that over the next 35 years, almost two billion

babies will be born in Africa and the continent’s population will double in size, the report says. “The seismic demographic shifts that Africa’s child

population will experience are among the most important questions facing the continent, and indeed vital issues for the world,” it adds.

Africa’s under-18 population will swell by two-thirds to reach almost a billion by 2050, a new UN report says.

he World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Kenya as a “high-risk” country for the spread of the deadly Ebola virus. Kenya was vulnerable because it was a major transport hub, with many flights from West Africa, a WHO official said. This is the most serious warning to date by the WHO that Ebola could spread to East Africa. Health experts are battling to contain the outbreak in West Africa, where it has killed more than 1,000 people. Canada said it would donate up to 1,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine to help fight the outbreak. Ebola was first reported in Guinea in February, before spreading to Sierra Leone and Liberia. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous state, is the latest to be affected, reporting a third Ebola-related death on Tuesday.The WHO’s country director for Kenya, Custodia Mandlhate, said the East African state was “classified in group two; at high risk of transmission”. Health checks at the main airport in the capital, Nairobi, have been stepped up in recent weeks. The government said it would not ban flights from the four countries hit by Ebola. “We do not recommend ban of flights because of porous borders,” health cabinet secretary James Macharia said. Kenya receives more than 70 flights a week from West Africa. The West African regional body, Ecowas, said one of its officials, Jatto Asihu Abdulqudir, 36, had died of Ebola in Nigeria.

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International

Gaza bomb team disposal hit by blast S

ix people were killed in the Gaza Strip when an Israeli missile exploded amid attempts to dismantle it. The dead included two journalists - an Italian and a Palestinian - and a number of bomb disposal officers. The incident happened in the town of Beit Lahiya, in the north of the Gaza Strip It comes hours before a three-day ceasefire agreed between Israel and the Palestinians is due to expire. Indirect talks aimed at finding a long-term solution to the Gaza conflict having been taking place in Cairo involving negotiators from the two sides. Among those killed in Wednesday’s explosion was Simone Camilli, a video journalist working for several

Gaza bomb disposal

international agencies, including Associated Press. Some 2,000 people have died since the fighting in Gaza

began on 8 July. Those killed include more than 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the UN.

Sixty-four Israeli soldiers have been killed in the violence and three civilians in Israel have also died.

members” had arrived in the northern city of Irbil and would “give more in-depth assessment of where we can continue to help,” he said. The personnel are in addition to about 250 military advisers already in Iraq. A US defence official said the government would continue to explore ways to support “Iraqis affected by the ongoing fighting in Sinjar”, and to prevent “potential acts of genocide” by IS. The UN has said that tens of thousands of civilians, including members of the Yazidi sect, are trapped on Sinjar mountain by IS fighters and need “lifesaving assistance”. The US, Britain and France have been delivering humanitarian aid to the Yazidis

trapped in the north. The US government says its planes have air-dropped nearly 100,000 meals and more than 27,000 gallons (123,000 litres) of fresh drinking water to the area, with the latest operation taking place on Tuesday. The US has also reportedly begun supplying weapons to the Kurdish forces, known as Peshmergas, who have been fighting IS in the north. Meanwhile, a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near the home of newly-appointed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad, Reuters news agency reported, citing security sources and local media. There were no immediate details on casualties. Iraq’s president asked Mr Abadi to form a new cabinet on

Monday, snubbing the incumbent PM Nouri Maliki. The move came after months of political infighting, which experts say has contributed to Iraq’s inability to fight the IS threat. The UN says there are now an estimated 1.2 million internally displaced Iraqis. The rapid advance across Iraq by IS militant fighters has thrown the country into chaos. IS overran Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, in June. Its fighters had taken the central city of Falluja and parts of nearby Ramadi in December 2013. On 29 June, IS said it had created a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching from Aleppo in Syria to the province of Diyala in Iraq.

Iraq: US sends more military advisers to Kurdistan

he US has sent 130 more military advisers to the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel says. The marines and special operations forces will assess the humanitarian situation and will not be engaged in combat, a US defence official said. The US has been carrying out air strikes against fighters from militant group Islamic State (IS). IS fighters have forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. “This is not a combat boots on the ground kind of operation,” Mr Hagel said, in remarks made at Camp Pendleton in California. The “assessment team

Japan angry at Russian army drills on disputed islands

apan says it will strongly protest to Russia over military exercises it is staging on disputed islands off northern Japan. The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said the drills were totally unacceptable. He has been trying to improve relations with Russia at a time of high tension with China over other

islands, but has angered Moscow by backing sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine. Russian media said 1,000 troops and attack helicopters were taking part. The dispute over the islands, known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, have prevented the two

countries signing a formal peace treaty. They were seized by Soviet troops at the end of the Second World War and the Japanese population was expelled in the years that followed. Mr Abe met the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, five times during his first year in office.

He has been trying to improve relations with a country that is becoming an ever larger source of oil and gas to the region. Japan, as a close ally of the United States, imposed sanctions on Moscow over the annexation of Crimea, but has kept them lighter than some other countries for fear of antagonising Mr Puti

Asia & Middle East

Five police investigated after Delhi launches WhatsApp antibribery campaign

ive policemen in India are being investigated for alleged corruption after officials received complaints on a newlylaunched helpline number. Since its launch on 6 August, the helpline has received more than 3,700 WhatsApp messages and 622 calls. Officials said they had received two video and three audio messages and were investigating the reported incidents. Correspondents say there have long been allegations of corruption in the Delhi police force - and the rest of India. Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi last week launched a new helpline number [9910641064], asking the public to send audio or video messages via the instant messaging service WhatsApp “if any cop seeks a bribe or harasses a person”. Advertisements were taken out in popular Hindi and English newspapers as well as on FM radio channels to make people aware about the new helpline. The “response from the public has been good”, deputy commissioner of police Sindhu Pillai told the BBC. Ms Pillai is part of the vigilance department which investigates policemen after complaints of bribery, corruption, bad behaviour with complainants and inaction on complaints.” Most of the messages we have received so far are from people wanting to know about this service, but we have also received some complaints,” she said. “Once we get an audio or video clip, we ask the complainant to come to our office and give a written complaint. We get the recording checked at the forensic science laboratory to make sure its genuine and once the authenticity is established, action is taken against the errant policeman.” Of the five video and audio files received on the helpline, Ms Pillai said her department had initiated action in two cases, involving five policemen, for demanding - and accepting - bribes. In the first case, a complainant sent a video recording of an assistant sub-inspector receiving a bribe of 400 rupees ($6.5; £3.9) while in the second incident, an audio recording revealed four policemen demanding and accepting bribes from a shopkeeper over a period of a year. “We have registered cases against the erring police officers under India’s Prevention of Corruption Act and action has been initiated against them,” Ms Pillai said. The policemen have been suspended. WhatsApp is hugely popular in India because it is easy to use and carries no advertisements.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

PAGE 38

International Europe and Americas

Iraq crisis: France to deliver arms to Iraqi Kurds

rance will supply arms to Iraq’s Kurds “in the coming hours”, French President Francois Hollande has announced. France has received approval from authorities in Baghdad for the decision, French media reports say. Kurdish forces have been fighting militants from the Islamic State (IS) group. The conflict has displaced thousands of people. The US has also reportedly begun supplying weapons to the Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga. A statement from Mr Hollande’s office said the move was “in response to the urgent need expressed by the regional authorities in Kurdistan”. “For several days, France has had the necessary measures in place to support the operational capabilities of the forces fighting IS,” the statement said. “The catastrophic situation faced by the population of Iraqi Kurdistan means the international community must step up its mobilisation,” it went on. Earlier the US announced it had sent 130 more military advisers to the Kurdish region. The marines and special operations forces will assess the humanitarian situation and will not be engaged in combat, a US defence official said. The US has been carrying out air strikes against IS fighters in northern Iraq. The political leader of Iraq’s Kurds, Massoud Barzani, had on Sunday appealed for international military aid to help defeat the Islamist militants. The United Nations has said that tens of thousands of civilians, including members of the Yazidi sect, are trapped on Mount Sinjar by IS fighters and need “life-saving assistance”. The US, Britain and France have been delivering humanitarian aid to the Yazidis trapped in the north. Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki continued to express defiance of moves to replace him. In his weekly televised address, Mr Maliki denounced the appointment of a political rival, Haider al-Abadi, to replace him as a “violation” of the Iraqi constitution. He said he would not give up power until until Iraq’s federal court issued a ruling on an objection that he filed against the nomination. However, with the US and Iran in rare agreement over removing the man who was once their favoured candidate, Mr Maliki’s words may ring hollow, the BBC’s Sebastian Usher reports. With even his own Shia power base having turned against him, any long-term defiance by Mr Maliki only risks worsening Iraq’s desperate political crisis, our correspondent adds.

Robin Williams Committed Suicide by Hanging Himself: Police By Maria Elena Fernandez

s Hollywood tributes pour in, fans across the country are flocking to places made famous by Robin Williams’ iconic roles. Comedian and actor Robin Williams, 63, died from “asphyxia due to hanging,” according to preliminary findings announced at a press conference on Tuesday by Lt. Keith Boyd of the Marin County’s Sheriff’s Office. Williams was discovered on Monday shortly before noon by his personal assistant who became concerned when the actor did not respond to several knocks on the door, Boyd said. Williams’ wife,

Susan Schneider, last saw her husband alive around 10:30 p.m. when she went to bed. Schneider left the home around 10:30 a.m. Monday, assuming Williams was still asleep, Boyd said. Williams had retired to a different room and was found clothed with a belt tied around his neck. The belt was wedged between the closet door and door frame, and Williams “was in a seated position slightly suspended off the ground,” Boyd said. “What that means is that his body looked like he was sitting in a chair.” Schneider returned to the home after Williams had been declared deceased by police and the Fire Department, Boyd said.

Boyd would not say if Williams left a note. The actor also had superficial stab wounds on his left wrist and a pocket knife was found next to his body, Boyd said. Toxicology tests will be conducted, and the investigation will continue to determine an approximate time of death, Boyd said. Rigor mortis had set in when Williams’ assistant found him, he said. The shocking news was delivered as memorials popped up all over the country: from the Hollywood Walk of Fame to his home in Northern California, the house in Boulder, Colorado, that served as the “Mork & Mindy” home, to the “Good Will Hunting”

bench. The Oscar-winning legend battled addiction for decades and recently was suffering from “severe depression,” his publicist said. A father of three, Williams recently posted on Instagram a photograph of him and his daughter, Zelda, on her 25th birthday. In April, he posted a black and white photograph of his son Zak on his 31st birthday. He also had a 22-year-old son, Cody. On Monday night, Zelda Williams, also an actress, paid tribute to her father on social media quoting “The Little Prince” and saying, “I love you. I miss you. I’ll try to keep looking up.” NBC

Canada to donate Ebola vaccine to WHO

Canada says it will donate up to 1,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine to help battle the disease’s outbreak in West Africa.

t comes after the World Health Organization said it was ethical to use untested drugs on Ebola patients. However, experts say supplies of both the vaccine and the experimental drug Zmapp are

limited and it could take months to develop more supplies. More than 1,000 people have been killed by the current outbreak. Canada says between 800 and 1,000 doses of the vaccine, which has only been tested on animals,

will be donated to the World Health Organization (WHO) for use in West Africa. However, it will keep a small portion of the vaccine for research, and in case it is needed in Canada. The current outbreak has

infected people in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. Dr Gregory Taylor, deputy head of Canada’s Public Health Agency, said he saw the vaccines as a “global resource”. He said he had been advised that it would make sense for health care workers to be given the vaccine, given their increased risk of contracting the disease. Even if Canada releases most of its existing doses, experts warn it could take four to six months to make a quantity large enough to have any real impact at preventing the illness, the BBC’s Lee Carter reports from Toronto. On Tuesday, the WHO said that in light of scale of the outbreak and high number of deaths, it was “ethical to offer unproven interventions with as yet unknown efficacy and adverse effects, as potential treatment or prevention.” Last week the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak was a global health emergency.

Hollywood Legend, Lauren Bacall Dies at 89

er Hollywood career spanned seven decades, with a memorable debut aged 19 opposite her future husband, Humphrey Bogart, in To Have and Have Not. More than 50 years later, The Mirror Has Two Faces earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1924, she went on to become one of cinema’s biggest stars, best known for her husky voice and smouldering looks. A Twitter account of the Bogart estate, run by Bacall’s son, tweeted: “With deep sorrow, yet with great gratitude for her amazing life, we confirm the passing of Lauren Bacall.” She reportedly died after suffering a major stroke at home in New York. Bacall collected an honorary Oscar in 2009 in recognition of “her central place in the golden age of motion

pictures”. Born Betty Joan Perske, Bacall took a variation of her mother’s last name after her parents divorced. Her first film performance, as the tough and tender dame in To Have and Have Not, became one of the most powerful debuts in film history. The film featured her legendary lines: “You don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything and you don’t have to do anything. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and... blow. She continued her on-screen partnership with Bogart in Key Largo, The Big Sleep and Dark Passage after the couple were married in 1945. They had two children and were married until his death in 1957. She had another child with her second husband, Jason Robards. Bacall appeared in more than 30

US film and stage actress Lauren Bacall has died at the age of 89. movies, including How to Marry a Millionaire and Murder on the Orient Express. She also acted on stage in New York, winning Tony Awards for best leading actress in a musical in 1970 for Applause and in 1981 for Woman of the Year. A second wave of film acting earned her an Academy Award nomination

in 1996 for her role opposite Barbra Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces. Streisand paid tribute to the Hollywood great, saying: “What a terrible loss for us all... It was my privilege to have known her, to have acted with her. And, most of all, to have had her as a wise and loving friend.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

PAGE 39

Strange World

Young taxidermist sparks controversy for eating the animals she stuffs take my classes and they have all been really complimentary about the steps I take to ensure the most virtuous and human preservation is being carried out.” Elle also points out that she is highly ethical, and that she’ll never harm an animal for the purpose of her work. “I have many connections to farmers and aviculturists across the country that control pests and livestock on their land,” she explained. “I have no intervention in the way that these animals are controlled, and am simply a vehicle of alternative disposal for their owners and keepers.” She said that she also takes

pride in working with roadkill, or animals that she finds dead in wooded areas where she lives. “I keep a paper trail to log the properties of every animal that I find, and acquire all the correct licenses when appropriate.” Elle’s passion for taxidermy stems from her in interest in biology, animal science and conservation. “It allows me to experience the fascination of animal biology, whilst also providing me with the opportunity to preserve animals for educational study. Giving animals new life is an immense privilege to me.” Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Elle Kaye

2-year-old British taxidermist Elle Kaye has a pretty unusual eating habit, even by taxidermy standards – she actually consumes the meat of the subjects she stuffs for her art. Kaye mostly uses roadkill or animals that have died of natural causes, and she tries to eat as much of them as possible, as long as the meat is fresh. The attractive young woman who studied art at Loughborough University said that she decided to eat her subjects because she wanted to recycle and minimize waste. “For me, it’s a lifestyle choice,” she says. “Doing what I do ensures I recycle a deceased animal, as a meat eater, there is no logic in wasting perfectly

edible meat. It’s important to me, because it upholds all of the notions that underpin taxidermy, and it means that I do the animal justice in recycling all of it.” “I’m a big meat eater and I believe strongly in the idea of recycling,” she says. “It doesn’t make sense for me to preserve the specimen then throw the meat away. If I can determine that it’s fresh, I wouldn’t hesitate to eat it. I’m very careful.” Elle works a lot with animals like rabbits, squirrels, deer and birds like pheasants and wood pigeons – they all feature on her workbench as well as her menu. She is a brilliant taxidermist. Her designs are stunningly unique and range from peacock

and mouse ornaments to birdbased fashion pieces. Unfortunately, Kaye’s work is shadowed by her unusual eating habits, which most people find disturbing. She has become the target of abuse and threats online, with people telling her to ‘go to hell’ or that they’ll ‘cut her up’. Elle, however, remains undeterred by such comments. “I used to let it get to me. Now I don’t allow it to affect me. It’s like being an artist. People are so subjective.” Kays says. “I am lucky to have a close network of people around me who support what I do, which has helped to give me the confidence to excel in what I do and push myself. I have had animal rights activists, vegans, vets and animal lovers

French freediver is capable of blowing bubble rings underwater, like a dolphin

rench freediver David Helder has his own unique superpower – he can blow massive bubble rings, whirling vortices that manage to maintain their round shape for a

surprisingly long time underwater. Although he appears to perform these tricks effortlessly, anyone who has ever tried freediving knows that it’s no mean feat. “I had always seen people

blowing vertical rings, I just gave it a try and all I can tell is that it’s a vortex and the air is coming out from your mouth,” said David. “It just spins in one direction creating a vortex. At the beginning, they were

not good, after a couple of weeks, they were quite okay. And then I started to make some combination, trying to make some tricks.” “Now, I’m doing some kind of figures when two rings are

connecting. And I love doing those kind of rings in the sea. Laying on the surface of the sea, I just blow one ring and I can see the fishes – they are kind of eating the ring. It’s another way of interacting with the life in the water.” David described freediving as a sport as being ‘meditative’. “When I’m freediving, I’m someone else. I freedive because for me it’s something spiritual, more than competing or anything else.” He finds a balance between my everyday life and my work when I face situations when he dives. Diving is true, he said, he cannot cheat on himself while he’s doing it. You really have to see this guy in action. The really cool tricks start at the 2:36 mark. “When you are doing a Foreman’s dive, which is quite long, and when you’re not doing static, and you’re blowing rings, and they are all perfect, it’s something very Zen. When you’re very quiet, very calm during your breath-hold, and then you’re blowing rings in the same state of mind, it’s just like… wow!”

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PAGE 40

Digest

A study found that just over 30 minutes of walking a day can cut the chances of breast cancer in over 50s

It is unclear how activity helps but the latest thinking is that aerobic exercise could break down cancer-promoting oestrogen hormones to produce ‘good’ metabolite molecules that lower breast cancer risk

How a daily walk can cut breast cancer risk

lder women who exercise can slash 10 per cent off their risk of breast cancer – and it’s never too late to start, according to a study. It shows just over 30 minutes of walking a day can cut the chances of breast cancer in women over 50. Importantly, researchers found the reduced risk only in women who had undertaken exercise in the last four years. Exercising when younger, or more than four years earlier, doesn’t count, according to the team from France.

They analysed data from questionnaires completed by 59,308 postmenopausal women enrolled on the French arm of an ongoing European investigation into cancer and nutrition. Agnes Fournier, a researcher at the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, led the study which addressed when women should start regular physical activity and how long the effect lasts. She said: ‘We found that recreational physical activity – even of modest intensity – seemed to have a rapid impact on breast cancer risk.

‘However, the decreased breast cancer risk we found associated with physical activity was attenuated when activity stopped. ‘As a result, postmenopausal women who exercise should be encouraged to continue and those who do not exercise should consider starting because their risk of breast cancer may decrease rapidly.’ In the study, researchers converted the total amount of recreational physical activity carried out by the women into a measurement called metabolic task hours (MET-h). Postmenopausal

women who in the previous four years had undertaken 12 or more MET-h of physical activity each week had a 10 per cent cut in the risk of invasive breast cancer compared with women who were less active. Women who undertook this level of physical activity between five and nine years earlier, but were less active in the four years prior to the final data collection, did not have a lower risk for invasive breast cancer. The breast cancer risk-reducing effects of 12 or more MET-h per week of recreational physical activity were independent of body mass index, weight gain and waist circumference. Dr Fournier, whose study is reported in journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, said: ‘Twelve MET-h per week corresponds to walking four hours per week or cycling or engaging in other sports two hours

per week and it is consistent with the World Cancer Research Fund recommendations of walking at least 30 minutes daily. ‘So, our study shows that it is not necessary to engage in vigorous or very frequent activities; even walking 30 minutes per day is beneficial.’ It is unclear how activity helps but the latest thinking is that aerobic exercise could break down cancerpromoting oestrogen hormones to produce ‘good’ metabolite molecules that lower breast cancer risk. Sally Greenbrook, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: ‘Breast cancer is most common in postmenopausal women so it is great to see evidence like this which supports the message that physical activity in this age group is beneficial.’ Source: Dailymail.co.uk

TV-addict children ‘are harming their brains’

hildren spend nearly a year slumped in front of the TV or staring at computer screens by the time they are seven, a former children’s minister has warned. Tim Loughton said this screen addiction in youngsters could cause changes in the brain similar to those seen in cocaine addicts and alcoholics. In a report titled ‘The state our children are in’ for the charity 4Children, the Tory MP cited research by a psychologist suggesting today’s children were at risk of a lifelong dependency on TV and computer screens. The research by Dr Aric Sigman warned that a generation of kids could suffer damage to the body as well as the brain as a result. In the essay, Mr Loughton called for a crackdown on the ‘health and safety’ mentality that stopped children taking part in rough and tumble activities.

He cited NHS statistics that showed half as many children are being admitted to hospital after falling out of a tree than they were ten years ago. In contrast, kids are twice as likely to go to casualty for injuries caused by repetitive strain movements, such as playing computer games for too long, than a decade ago. He said: ‘Should the state be intervening to rebalance the average child’s day, when they’re spending on average - ten times as long on the computer or watching TV as playing outside? The research by Dr Sigman showed 12 to 15-year olds spend on average more than six hours a day staring at screens. At the time, he called for a ban for toddlers and severely rationed for other youngsters and will warn that parents who use technology as a ‘babysitter’ could be setting up their children for a lifetime of ill health.

His work and studies by other researchers link time spent in front of screens with health problems including obesity, high cholesterol and blood pressure, inattentiveness and declines in maths and reading, as well as sleep disorders and autism. In the report, Mr Loughton called for the relationship between the state and families to be rebalanced. Noting that there had been 100 Acts of Parliament in the last 25 years affecting children, he questioned whether these had ‘strengthened families’. He said: ‘The approach I have always favoured [is] where the State is there to serve, to enable, to promote the family, not to stifle it, nor to direct or supplant, other than in those severe cases where neglect or cruelty harms the children The MP for East Worthing and Shoreham also said that a toxic concoction of 24 hour social media,

the sexualisation of childhood and pressures to ‘fit in’ and achieve were fuelling a ‘quarter life crisis’ among

Telly addicts: Children spend nearly a year slumped in front of the TV or staring at computer screens by the time they are seven, a former children’s minister has warned

today’s young people. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

SPORT 41 PAGE

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046, 08036258222, albertakota@yahoo.com

World Cup laurels: it’s a dream come true, says Rodriguez

Minister in dilemma over NFF’s election

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Sports

Crown suspends NFF electoral committee media officer clears Giwa, disqualifies

By Taofeek Lawal

he management of Crown Football Club of Ogbomosho has suspended the club spokesman, Kunle Oyeleye, over his reckless statement on Referee Aniete Udoh, after the club Week 21 home defeat to Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi. The General Manager of the club Fatai Olayinka said the attention of management of club was drawn to the reports written, circulated and posted on social media by the club media officer, concerning the match between Crown FC and Lobi Stars FC played on August 6, in Ibadan. “I want to state that all issues and comments raised in the said

reports are entirely personal views of the club media officer and have nothing whatsoever to do with the position of the club and as far as the club is concerned, the center referee, Aniete Udoh, and his assistants officiated the match to the best of their abilities and competence. The management have taken serious disciplinary measures against Kunle Oyeleye, and he has been suspended, while investigations into the said reports has commenced. We hereby, through this medium, apologize to Aniete Udoh, and other officials mentioned in the said reports as well as the league management company and the Nigeria Referee Association.”

Umeh, Ogunjobi, Odegbami By Albert Akota

he Nigeria Football Federation Electoral Committee yesterday released the list of candidates that have been cleared to contest election into the Executive Committee of the Federation. Briefing sports correspondents in Abuja, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Amoni Biambo, said those cleared are the Proprietor of Giwa FC, Chris Giwa and FelixObuah. Three other candidates who collected forms for the presidency were not cleared. They are NFF Acting President, Mike Umeh; a former Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Association, Taiwo Ogunjobi; and ex-international, Segun Odegbami. Ousted President Aminu Maigari, also collected

form but did not submit. Biambo, said 60 forms were printed but only 24 collected. Recalling the process that led to this stage, he said sale of nomination was extended from June 10 to August 4, while aspirants were screened between 5th and 12th of August, 2014. Explaining why the Acting President, Mike Umeh was not cleared, Biambo said he obtained form for the position of Vice President but returned it as a presidential candidate. Former boss of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Segun Odegbami, was not cleared because he did not attach receipt to the nomination form and no endorsement from his South West zone. As for the former NFA Scribe, Taiwo Ogunjobi, the Electoral Committee noted he is still under ban from participating in football related activities hence, not eligible to contest.

Minister in dilemma over NFF’s election

...NFF dissolves electoral, appeals committees By Albert Akota

he Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Tammy Danagogo has expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the NFF Electoral Committee led by Amoni Biambo, has carried out its assignment so far. Danagogo who brief newsmen shortly after meeting with the NFF Board described the electioneering process as being fraudulent and not transparent. “The process has not been transparent, the process has not been open, the fact is that we are not interested in any candidate. We stand for transparency in the electoral process. “We do not want to get involved in the electoral matter; the forms should be made available to all contestants. There should be a level playing field for all.” In particular, the Minister and the NFF Board frowned at the process that led to the emergence of Chris Giwa, as the sole candidate for the position of Presidency in the upcoming election into the Executive Committee of the NFF.” His words. Consequently, the Executive Committee of NFF has announced that it would propose to the General Assembly, the dissolution of the NFF Electoral Committee and the NFF Electoral Appeals

Committee put in place for the 2014 NFF Executive Committee elections. Following a meeting at the NFF Secretariat in Abuja, the Executive Committee disclosed that it would call an Extra-Ordinary General Assembly of Nigeria football for Tuesday, 26th August, 2014 to ratify its proposals. Acting 1st Vice President, Shehu Adamu said the electoral process has been, unfortunately, littered with avoidable flaws and deliberate disenfranchisement of eligible members of the Nigeria football family. “Following from a statement by the Acting President which was made public eight days ago, in which the NFF said it was worried by the hitches and complaints and widespread criticisms of the process, we have discovered that nothing improved and it was rather allowed to get worse. “The Electoral Committee has failed to satisfy the yearnings of the football family for a fairplay and credibility of the process. We are deeply disappointed at how people have been nonchallantly disenfranchised. In the interest of fair play and based on our commitment to ensuring a credible election that will lift the name of our country, the NFF Executive Committee hereby proposes the dissolution of the Electoral and Electoral Appeals Committee to the Congress, which we are calling for Tuesday, 26th

August, 2014.” Adamu decried the lack of transparency in the entire process and assured that the NFF will consult with world football –governing body, FIFA and the General Assembly on a probable new date for the elections. “As it is, we have to start the entire process afresh. In view of this, it will be impossible to hold the elections as earlier scheduled on Tuesday, 26th August, 2014. We will propose a new date for the General Assembly and consult with FIFA on this matter. “As a result, the Electoral Committee and the Electoral Appeals Committee would have to step aside for now,” he said.

Dr. Tammy Danagogo

Ebola fears: Rwanda wants AFCON Qualifier against Nigeria moved

T Super Eagles

he football governing body in Rwanda, FERWAFA has requested the Confederation of African Football, CAF to find another venue for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Amavubi and Nigeria due to the spread of Ebola in the country. Rwanda is scheduled to

face the Super Eagles on 5 or 6 September in Calabar for the Group A opener of the last round of qualification for the continental showpiece. FERWAFA President, Vincent Degaule Nzamwita expressed his concern, “We are worried about the spread of Ebola in Nigeria.”

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PAGE 43

Sports

Mourinho hails Costa quality

ose Mourinho claims Chelsea’s Diego Costa will prove a bargain buy after the Spain striker marked his home debut with a clinical double in the 2-0 friendly win over Real Sociedad. Mourinho splashed out £32 million to lure Costa from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid and the Blues boss is convinced even that hefty price tag will look cheap by the end of the season. The 25years old certainly looks capable of justifying Mourinho’s faith after making a confident bow for his new club at Stamford Bridge. He took just 57 seconds to open the scoring with a cool finish from an acute angle

and bagged his second with a tap-in after Andre Schurrle’s shot hit a post in the seventh minute. Mourinho was also impressed with the way Costa linked with attacking midfield trio Schurrle, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas, while working tirelessly to close down Sociedad when they were in possession. His qualities look ideally suited to the Premier League and Mourinho said: “Diego is a team player, he works a lot; he is not just about goals. He is about defensive work, his mentality, his ambition. “This is why we didn’t buy a striker in the last transfer window - we were waiting for him.

Mourinho

Eto’o in Liverpool talks

amuel Eto’o will hold a second round of talks with Liverpool later this week after failing to agree to a deal during initial discussions with the club. The striker is keen to stay in the Premier League after leaving Chelsea, with Everton and West Ham also looking into a deal for the 33-year-old. The Cameroon international wants a oneyear contract worth a basic €170,000 a week, while the

Eto’o

Reds have offered a lower package. Meanwhile, the Anfield outfit are willing to top up the 33-year-old’s wages with performancerelated add-ons. Discussions between representatives of the striker and Liverpool officials took place on Tuesday and further talks are planned for Thursday as the Merseysiders seek proven back-up to Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert. Ajax, Everton and West Ham

are among the clubs keen on negotiating a deal for the veteran, while there is also strong interest from a number of Italian clubs. The Cameroonian was released by Chelsea at the end of last season and is currently a free agent. Liverpool have been scuppered in their attempts to sign a direct replacement for Luis Suarez despite selling the Uruguayan for a club-record fee of over €90 million.

Akpala joins Ameobi in Turkey Wenger set for

Schneiderlin deal

oseph Akpala has made a permanent transfer from Werderr Bremen to Turkish Super Lig side Kardemir Karabukspor. The 27-year-old spent last season on loan with the Blue Flames,, for whom he scored six goals in fourteen games before injury scuttled his campaign.”As soon as the chance to return here presented itself again, I wanted to make sure that I signed,” Akpala told BBC Sport. “Despite a difficult time on loan [with injury], I still enjoyed my time at the club and it is great to be a permanent Karabukspor player now.”The club is on track for greater things and I’m really pleased with the opportunity to be a part of it.” Akpala failed to establish himself at Werder Bremen, scoring only once in 19 appearances, most of which came from the bench. He however had a better spell in Belgium were he scored 81 goals in 229 appearances for both RSC Charleroi and Club Brugge, between 2006 and d 2012.

rsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to make an offer of £27m for Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin having opted against pursuing Sporting Lisbon youngster William Carvalho and Real Madrid star Sami Khedira. The north London club are confident that such an offer would be next to impossible for the St Mary’s side to turn down, even though Ronald Koeman has seen a number of his top talents already leave this summer

Wenger

Akpala

following his arrival at the club. Wenger is desperate to bring in a strong tackling, defensively minded midfielder and has been tracking the 24 year old French international for the best part of a year. Schneiderlin has more than proven himself of making an impact at the highest level having helped Southampton from League One to the top half of the Premier League, putting in a superb season last term that secured him a spot in Didier Deschamps’ World Cup final squad.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

PAGE 44

Sports

Kaneria: Spot-fixing life ban appeal refused

ormer Pakistan bowler Danish Kaneria’s application to appeal against a life ban for spotfixing has been refused. The leg-spinner was banned in June 2012 after being found guilty of corruption while playing for Essex during a one-day match in 2009. Kaneria, 33, denies wrongdoing but the Court of Appeal said his application was “totally without merit”. “It is high time that Mr Kaneria came clean about his involvement in these corrupt activities.” “It means Kaneria has exhausted all the legal

options available to him,” Giles Clarke the England and Wales Cricket Board said. Clarke welcomed the decision, adding: “Kaneria acted as a recruiter of potential ‘spot-fixers’ and used his seniority and international experience to target and corrupt a young and vulnerable player. “It is high time that Mr Kaneria came clean about his involvement in these corrupt activities and stopped misleading the Pakistan cricket fans and wider public with his empty protestations of innocence.

Kaneria’s

History maker: Hammon becomes NBA first female coach

ammon…the history maker The San Antonio Spurs has hired WNBA star Becky Hammon making her the first full-time, paid female assistant on an NBA coaching staff. Hammon, who plans to retire from the San Antonio Stars after this season, spent time working with Coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs last season and made a strong impression on an organization with a history of forward-thinking moves. During the 2001/02 season, Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas brought Lisa Boyer

into the team’s practices and some games. Boyer, now an assistant at South Carolina, was not paid by the Cavaliers and did not travel with the team, but did work with the players and coaches that season. Last season, Hammon attended Spurs practices, film sessions and sat behind the bench for the NBA champions at home game this season. She’s been friends with Spurs teammates Tony Parker and Tim Duncan since competing in an NBA All-Star shooting competition in 2008.

CHANGE OF NAME I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS TOJOLA OLUWANBUMI PRISCILLA,NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS UJU OLUWANBUMI PRISCILLA.ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID.GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

Ohuruogu

Ohuruogu regrets break

hristine Ohuruogu says she regrets her decision to take a year off following her 2013 World Championships 400m win. Ohuruogu, 30, intended to scale back her commitments this season before returning to competition ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But the 2008 Olympic gold medallist has confirmed her participation compete at the European Championships which started from Tuesday. “I am not at that level where I can afford to squander a year and take a break like that,” she told BBC Sport. Ohuruogu was part of the England team that took bronze in the Commonwealth Games 4x400m women’s relay in Glasgow. She intends to use the European Championships which take place from 12th to 17th August in Zurich in Switzerland as an opportunity to build up her fitness in the women’s 400m. “The Europeans give me a chance to step up my performance, otherwise I would just be ticking along, and that would not be helpful for my progression in the 400m,” she said.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

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Sports

P-i-c-t-o-r-i-a-l 1.France and Bayern Munich forward Franck Ribery announces his retirement from international football. 2. When the Puerto Rican boxer Orlando Cruz announced he was gay a couple of years ago, the first person I called for a quote was Frank Maloney. 3. Diego Costa has the right ingredients to be a quality player in the Premier League 4. Andy Murray reaches the last 16 of the Western & Southern Open but fellow Briton James Ward is knocked out. . 5. Mark Cavendish finished ninth in the Tour de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ain prologue as he returned to competitive racing for the first time since crashing on the opening stage of the Tour de France.

4 5

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Sports World Cup laurels: It’s a dream come true, says Rodriguez

olombia made three consecutive FIFA World Cup appearances in the 1990s, running out at Italy 1990, USA 1994 and France 1998. It was during the last of those three tournaments that a six-year-old Colombian boy by the name of James Rodriguez started kicking a ball around, encouraged by his father. It would be another 16 years before Los Cafeteros returned to the big stage, and when they did it was James, the kid from Cucuta, who would spearhead their challenge A veteran of one FIFA U-17 World Cup and the 2007 and 2011 U-20 world finals, James made his full international debut in the opening match of the qualifiers for Brazil 2014. Inheriting the No10 jersey once worn by the legendary Carlos Valderrama, the midfielder scored three goals in 15 appearances in the qualifying competition, including the first of Jose Pekerman’s successful reign, in a 1-0 defeat of Peru. In the meantime, he established himself with Portuguese giants Porto before making the move to Monaco in 2013. After enjoying a fine season in Ligue 1, the upwardly mobile James was more than ready to take on the world when he arrived at Brazil 2014. Though injury deprived Pekerman’s side of the services of Radamel Falcao, their leading scorer in the qualifiers, James filled the breach with style. Operating close to the opposition box at all times, he struck a rich vein of form, scoring in every one of Colombia’s five games in the world finals. In doing so he showcased his full repertoire of skills, finding the back of the net in a number of different ways, including a thunderous volley that earned him the Goal of the Tournament award. His haul of six goals brought him the coveted adidas Golden Boot ahead of its South Africa 2010 winner Thomas Muller, Lionel Messi and Neymar. Minutes after he collected the award in Madrid, FIFA. com spoke exclusively to the new Real Madrid man about Colombia’s run at Brazil 2014, his outstanding displays and the individual accolades that have come his way as a result. Two months have gone by since Brazil 2014 started. Has your achievement sunk in yet? I had a great tournament and I was able to help Colombia make

the quarter-finals. We wanted to go even further but we came up against Brazil. They’ve got some great players and our dream came to an end. You scored no fewer than six goals. Which is your favourite and why? I like all six. They were all important because they helped the team to win games. Every one of them was special because scoring goals in such a big competition is unique.

James Rodriguez

The users of FIFA.com voted your first goal against Uruguay the Goal of the Tournament. How many times have you seen it since then? If you tried that move another 100 times how many do you think would go in? I’ve seen it … (pauses and smiles) about 20 times. I always try it in training. You try 100 times and it goes in twice. This time it went in, and right in the corner too, although personally I prefer the one against Japan. It was classier and had a little more magic about it. It was a nice goal. Did the absence of Radamel Falcao, Colombia’s chief goal threat, cause you to take on a more prominent role in the attack? Even when Falcao’s around I always try to take on the responsibility for scoring goals. He scores a lot of them and he’s very important for us. We really missed him. But I’ve always tried to score goals as well as create them. You mentioned the game against Brazil. At the end of it, David Luiz came up to console you and asked the fans in the stadium to give you a round of applause. What did he say to you exactly? My dream was to make the semi-finals and even the final, and he just tried to lift my spirits. That’s what players and colleagues normally do, but it is something that I’ll never forget. Did the way in which Brazil went out of the tournament against Germany give you cause to regret Colombia’s elimination even more? No, that’s football. Every day is different. One day you do well and the next not so well. The

James Rodriguez

only thing is, they lost heavily, which can happen sometimes.

Do you remember anything about that tournament?

Do you think Germany were deserving winners of the World Cup? Germany is worthy champions, and they’ve got some great players. The four sides that got to the semis all deserved to be there.

I remember a little of France 1998. The whole team and the whole of Colombia were dreaming of reaching Brazil. We wanted to make history and we did that. It’s something that will be there forever.

You were only six when Colombia last played in the world finals, in 1998.

Did you follow the tournament after Colombia were knocked out? And did you keep an eye on Thomas

Muller and Lionel Messi, who were also in contention for the adidas Golden Boot? I tried not to follow it so closely, but it was impossible because I wanted to win it. The Golden Boot is a dream comes true. Where are you thinking of putting your adidas Golden Boot? It’s going home and that’s where it’s going to stay. It’s for life.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

Some Interesting Facts

uch of traditional pre-colonial Nigeria operated a parliamentary form of government. The council of elders could make or impeach the King. • General Johnson Thomas Umurakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi on 24 May 1966, with Decree No. 34, dissolved Nigeria’s regions, creating provinces. He unified Regional Public Services under a single Commission. Riots were provoked in Kano and mutiny in Abeokuta; eventually there was a coup. • In 1967 Gowon split the four regions into 12 states. • Gowon’s Decree No. 8 of 1967 after the Aburi conference restored Nigeria as a confederacy. • Late President Murtala Muhammed’s dad, Pam Azatus Iyok was from Dogon-Gaba, near Vom in Plateau state, Nigeria’s Middle Belt. Pam became a Muslim and married Ramat from Kano. Murtala Muhammed’s wife, Hafsat Ajoke was a Yoruba lady. • Ex- President Yakubu Gowon from Jos state (Middle Belt) is a Christian. General Obasanjo was his Army chief who helped him defeat the Biafra attempted secession from 1967-1970. • Nigeria has been ruled for 30 years by Christians (25 years if Azikiwe is excluded). • Mujahid Asari Dokubo, the leader of the southern Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and the most vocal enemy of the north, is a Muslim. • Nigeria is not roughly divided between a Muslim north and a Christian South. The far north, east and far south do have concentrations,

but the rest of the nation defies such demarcations. • In the Southwest, Osun, Lagos, Ogun and Oyo have a higher population of Muslims than

Leisure

Christians according to counts. Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau in the north have Christian majorities. • According to the Senate joint committee, Nigeria’s chief

terrorist leader, Abubakar Shekau is not a Nigerian; he hails from Niger republic. {Shekau is believed by security services to be deceased.}

Say what?

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

QUOTABLE QUOTE We are well paid, I will say it categorically…N14 million as against N200 million that was spent… Which one will you go for? People should stop using money to entice security forces. The Federal Government and the people of Nigeria who have engaged us have the capability of taking care of us. – Marilyn Ogar, spokeswoman of Directorate of Security Services (DSS)

SPORTS Calm down, Ribadu won’t defect LATEST

Monthly salary: Keshi more than N10m – agent By Albert Akota

he Chief Coach of the Super Eagles media assistant, Emmanuel Ado has revealed to newsmen in Abuja yesterday that his client worth more than N10 millions as salary in a month. The representatives of coach also said that Stephen Keshi, 52, will not be accepting peanuts in order to return to his role as Nigeria coach which he left after his contract expired at the end of the World Cup. Keshi led Nigeria to win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa as well as second round at the World Cup in Brazil this June. The Keshi’s media assistant, Emmanuel Ado and lawyer, Francis Kozah went into a meeting with the NFF yesterday afternoon in Abuja, hoping to agree terms so that the trainer can return to the job ahead of the Super Eagles’ 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month. In his previous contract, Keshi was paid 5million Naira monthly ($30,892) with media reports claiming that he has insisted on a new contract worth between 10million and 15million Naira ($61,784 - $ 92,677) monthly. “We are ready for give and take, but not a slave contract. We will not sign a slave contract that does not take care of [Keshi’s] interest. “You media [don’t even know the worth of the coach], I will surprise you. Keshi is bigger than 10million Naira. Keshi is not a 5million or 10million Naira coach and he will not sign a contract of such value. “A club in Angola has offered Keshi a monthly salary of $120,000 (19.4million Naira) recently but he has not taken it. So what is 5million or 10million Naira to him,” Ado asked.

Stephen Keshi

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ll admirers of Nuhu Ribadu should calm down. He will not defect. Unless he is what they thought he wasn’t. I don’t see him pitching his tent in the PDP. History and current reality make crossing to PDP at this juncture, for him, a political hara-kiri. In Adamawa, it is even more suicidal. Presently, the PDP in that state is like being thrown into a container load of rattlesnakes. Anyone that strikes means certain political death. Unless Ribadu is disconnected from history and reality, I don’t see him making that pricey political error. People can forgive a moral gaffe but a political one? I am sceptical. Nigerians are a forgiving lot. We don’t keep grudges for too long. For instance, most Nigerians have forgiven Ribadu for his sundry infringements as EFCC boss. We have rationalized it as genuine mistakes of a patriot and not that of a willing puppet of a megalomaniac President. His integrity has been his most sparkling credential. We think he is incorruptible. We see him as the younger version of Buhari-lean, upright and principled. These were the virtues we thought could even make him president some day. But crossing over to another party just to run for office? It will be like being isolated in a room with a bleeding and sweating Patrick Sawyer. Unless Ribadu is over rated, I am certain he will see the dangers here. The picture to join PDP is uninviting for someone with his reputation. We should calm down therefore, he won’t defect. Still I don’t understand this. The erstwhile anti corruption czar is about to exercise his constitutional right of ‘freedom of association’ and some people are bellyaching. The media has been awash with the speculation of his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC).The defection, according to reports, is preparatory to running for his state, Adamawa, political plumexecutive governorship. To that effect, the ground is being ‘cleared’. An automatic ticket awaits him. “Automatic ticket” is another word for breaking house rules for an anointed should he ponder the offer. PDP is not known to provide a level playing field. Nearly eight years ago, impeached governor, Murtala Nyako enjoyed “automatic ticket”. The former naval chief was, literally, dragged kicking and screaming, from his Sobore Farms, to run for governor. Those in the know say he didn’t invest a penny to be governor. Note that the powers that

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THURSDAY Column Ali M. Ali

aliyumaliyu@yahoo.com

Nuhu Ribadu hoisted him on nine other protesting aspirants, who had toiled and navigated the Adamawa political terrain longer than the sailor, did that not for selfless reasons. First among a cocktail of motives was to ‘checkmate’ Vice president Atiku Abubakar, undoubtedly the major political force at the time. Recall, if you may, that there was no love lost between Obasanjo and his estranged second in command. The idea to completely obliterate Atiku politically in his backyard crystallized in the choice of Nyako at the eleventh hour. The chief ‘recruiter’ and promoter of ‘Project Nyako’ was Professor Jibril Aminu who singly and with the iron fisted support of

“

Obasanjo rubbished the other aspirants. Among the crestfallen were Jonathan Zwingina, Dahiru Bobbo, Awwal Tukur, Abubakar Girei, and Koiranga Jada. All these men were, curiously, disqualified to pave way for Nyako. Secondly the exiled farmer connected with both Abuja (read: Obasanjo) and Adamawa (read: Prof Aminu). Because he was a soldier, Obasanjo was comfortable with him. Because he presented the image of a clown, Professor Aminu was comfortable with him. Both seemed like weaknesses his promoters thought they could exploit at will. They were wrong. Truthfully, Nyako was clownish. In action and in speech, the man had a way of making voters guffaw effortlessly. He connected with ordinary folks unconcerned with the politics of resource allocation by his theatrics. The vote, after all, is for someone who knows something about clowning. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Nyako. It tells us three important things. All of them character defining. One Nyako was a member of the PDP. Two, he was an opportunist. Three, on a level playing political field, he was an upstart. From the looks of things, Ribadu is set to tread that path. But why the hoopla? Is it because it is Ribadu? Every day, politicians in this part of the globe switch

His public persona is such that his admirers find it difficult to fit it into the treacherous politics of PDP in general and Adamawa in particular. It will mean he is guilty of all three vices that defined the character of Nyako. It will mean that he, all along, is no different from all the political charlatans masquerading as patriots. I truly don’t see Ribadu in PDP.

allegiance. They do it with the ease a certain Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian, our president describes as a ‘madman’, brought the Ebola virus into our shores. Guilty as charged in the defection audacity is Atiku Abubakar. I am yet to come across a politician with his staying power. The Turakin Adamawa has amazing tenacity. I have seen him snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. I am yet to come across a politician outside power as organized. When he was forced out of PDP, his ship berthed at the ACN dockyard. In fact, he ran for president on its platform. Despite an evident harvest of electoral doom at the polls, Atiku ran for president on the ACN platform in 2007.The act was one of defiance and personal triumph. This was because a year earlier, in 2006, INEC had disqualified him and therefore, declared him unfit to run for president. He promptly went to court. He won. By 2010, the ex VP had retraced his steps back to PDP, a substantial percentage of his associates however, stayed put in the ACN. Among them were Musa Gwadabe, Usman Bugaje who was his Political Adviser as no2, Boss Mustapha and several others. Last year, Atiku again, defected to newly cobbled APC and reunited with some of his associates from ACN. While quitting PDP for the second time, Atiku vowed never to return. From the onset, he made it clear that he was joining the APC not because he wanted to run for President. It was an intelligent move. The perception was that he is obsessed with becoming president. Though not in Atiku’s class by any stretch of the imagination, Femi Fani-Kayode has defected so frequently to other parties, I have lost track. He had defected from the PDP to APC and back to PDP in a manner that suggests he lacks a political or moral compass. Today nobody bats an eyelid if Fani-Kayode defects to another party. So why then the hoopla? The question begs for an answer. Yes it is because it is Ribadu. His public persona is such that his admirers find it difficult to fit it into the treacherous politics of PDP in general and Adamawa in particular. It will mean he is guilty of all three vices that defined the character of Nyako. It will mean that he, all along, is no different from all the political charlatans masquerading as patriots. I truly don’t see Ribadu in PDP. We should calm down; he dares not defect just because he wants to be governor.

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