Wednesday, March 19th, 2014 by Peoples Media Limited

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Vol. 13 No. 21 Wednesday, March 19, 2014

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Confab: Aside N7bn, delegates

demand allowances for aides  We are Nigeria's problem, says Ita-Giwa  Jonathan can't impose referendum on us – Scribe  President blackmailing lawmakers – Junaid Mohd By Patrick Andrew & Lawrence Olaoye

side the total sum of N7 billion to be spent on the National Conference, which includes allowances of delegates, some of the conferees yesterday requested that their retinue of aides be paid allowances by the

government. Already, the sum of N4.96 billion on the basis of N112, 000 per delegate daily has been earmarked for the 492 delegates participating at the confab. Former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America (USA) and chairman of the Board of Directors of Nigeria Deposit

Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alhaji Hassan Adamu, was one of the delegates who demanded to know from the secretariat of the conference if provision would be made for allowances for their aides. But the secretariat replied in the affirmative that no such provision was made, but those per-

sonal assistants who needed to join the conferees to the venue could be accredited to enhance their (the aides') access to the venue, which is the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja. Also yesterday, former Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, angrily

accused some of the delegates at the conference of being architects of the problems currently afflicting the nation. Contributing to the debate on the general principles of the confab, and more specifically on whether or not sitting arrange Contd on Page 2

NASS probes Immigration recruitment tragedy  Reps to

investigate Kaura killings >> Pg 2

Yobe state Governor, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam (left), addressing leaders of Yusufari community, yesterday in Yusufari local government area of the state after inspecting the ongoing Gashua-Yusufari and YusufariYunusari road projects. With him are Commissioner for Works, Lawan Shettima Ali (2nd left), representative of EEC Construction Co. Ltd, Mr. Wang (3rd left), and the representatives of Yusufari community.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

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News CONTENTS News

2-10

NASS probes Immigration recruitment tragedy

Editorial

Op.Ed

Letters

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi & Umar M. Puma

Opinion

Metro

16,18

Business

19-22

Stockwatch

S/Report

24,25

Property

Arts

Irate Jigawa youths heckle former governor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Page 5

Intâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l

Politics

37-38

News Extra 39-40 Sports

For the Record

Columnist

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he two chambers of the National Assembly yesterday directed their committees on Interior, Labour, and Justice to probe the death of 16 applicants during a recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Saturday. In the Senate where the Interior Committee was directed to investigate the matter, the probe decision was taken following a motion titled "Nigerian Immigration Service's Nationwide Aptitude Test and Physical Examination of March 15, 2014", which was sponsored by Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and 10 other senators. Other resolutions which the lawmakers agreed on after a heated debate were, that the executive should come up with a marshal plan on how to comprehensively tackle unemployment, saying this would serve as a permanent solution to the root-cause such tragedies. After observing a minute silence in honour of those who lost their lives, they also commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives or sustained injuries at the recruitment exercise. While ruling on the matter after the debate, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, said the tragedy goes beyond party politics, even as he pointed out that in line with Section 17(3) of the nation's Constitution, if need be, the

Senate shall legislate on increased employment in the country. Leading debate on the motion, Senator Bagudu (Kebbi Central), said the Head of Service of the Federation (HoS) had in 2011 granted approval for the recruitment of 4556 personnel for various cadres for the NIS, including 1343 graduates, 1680 NCE holders, and 1531 SSCE holders. He also recalled that following the HoS' approval, an attempt was made to carry out the recruitment but had to be cancelled in 2012 due to the controversy that trailed the process, which ultimately led to the sack of the immediate past Comptroller General of the NIS, Rosemary Uzoma. Bagudu, who said 700,772 applied for the jobs, added that despite the directives from the Customs, Immigration and Prisons services Board (CIPB) that applicants should not be charged money for application, the NIS ignored the order. Meanwhile, the senators have denied media reports that the 4,556 job slots in the NIS have been shared to federal lawmakers and governors, saying it was only a plot to blackmail lawmakers. "Prior to this tragic exercise, employment into the Nigeria Immigration Service is done in two usual ways. The service has responsibility of employment of junior officers, while the recruitment of senior officers is handled by the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Board (CIPB), making the introduction of consultants and charging of N1,000 per applicant,

a completely new dimension", Bagudu said. Most of the senators who participated in the debate called for the sack of the Interior Minister, Abba Moro and the ComptrollerGeneral of the NIS, David Parradang, for the shabby conducting the recruitment exercise. Meanwhile, at the lower chamber, the House described the whole recruitment process as a scam, and urged its committees on Interior, Labour and Justice to conduct a public hearing by inviting relevant stakeholders and make recommendations for future exercises. Members who contributed during the debate wondered how the interior ministry, as well as the NIS went on to sell thousands of forms to Nigerians, even when the vacancies were not close to the number of forms sold. The lawmakers also urged the federal government to liaise with states and local governments to evolve a job creation scheme that would target the Nigerian youth, especially those interested in small businesses. The House therefore resolved that any subsequent recruitment exercise by any federal agency must be conducted in an environment that is conducive, even as it urged that future exercises must be done via internet-mediated process. Meanwhile, in its bid to avert the incessant killings of innocent lives in southern Kaduna, the House of Representatives yesterday ordered its Committee on Na-

tional Security and Public Safety to investigate the massacre of over 100 people in Bondon village of Moroa Kingdom in Kaura local area of the state. The House also urged security agencies to intensify their efforts to apprehend those behind the killings, so as to bring them to justice. A motion under matters of urgent national importance moved by Rep Gideon Gwani (PDP, Kaduna), said gunmen invaded Bondon in the early hours of Saturday, killing scores, while many houses and other properties were destroyed. "Since 2011, various communities in Kaura Federal Constituency have been targets of attacks by armed gunmen causing deaths, injuries and destructions", Gwani said. He added that prior to Saturday's killings; seven members of a family "were murdered in their house on 1st February, 2014 with houses and property destroyed with assorted grains of food stolen. "Again on the night of Friday, 14th March, 2014 to the early hours of Saturday, 15th March, 2014, a massacre took place in Bondon village of Moroa, leaving behind 123 people dead including children, women, men, aged, physically challenged people dead and many injured with over 240 buildings destroyed and assorted grains of food with other valuable items stolen", he said. The House directed the committee to carry out the assignment within two weeks and report back.

Confab: Aside N7bn, delegates demand allowances for aides Contd from Front Page ments of delegates should be by state, Ita-Giwa, who was apparently supporting the position of former Ogun state governor, Segun Osoba, said some of her colleagues seated there with her were responsible for the country's woes. "Some of the problems facing this country today were caused by some of us who are in this Conference," he said. Some of the delegates at the conference have been playing key role in government since the first republic in various capacities and have one way or the other associated with every administration both military and civilian. The same position was echoed by the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Sanusi. "We are responsible for what Nigeria is facing today and we are also the answer to the problem of this country. There is corruption from the local government to the highest level", the monarch said. Also yesterday, the Secretary to the conference, Dr. (Mrs.) Valerie Azinge, while reacting to the suggestion by President Good-

luck Jonathan that the outcome of the parley may be subjected to a referendum said, it is the prerogative of the delegates, and not that of Jonathan, to decide on what to do. However, while responding to questions from delegates on the seeming presidential fiat, Azinge said the secretariat of the confab does not feel compelled to accept any suggestion from the president on the modalities to be adopted in the implementation of the outcome of the conference. Instead, she said it behoves on the delegates to fashion out whatever modalities they deem fit for the implementation of the resolutions, stressing that this would be applicable since the confab is not a constitutional conference. "On the issue of a referendum, we are not working at cross purposes with the National Assembly. President Jonathan informed us yesterday that the National Assembly is working at amending the Constitution, which will include provisions for a referendum. Let them work. "If the issue of referendum emerges during the deliberation we shall deliberate on it and what-

ever the outcome we shall advice accordingly on the legal framework or otherwise. That is our prerogative", she stressed. Further, the scribe informed the delegates that the secretariat has designed a guideline to assist in conducting the procedures but insisted that it would only be binding after it must have been adopted by the delegates. According to her, the procedures included issues to be deliberated upon and modalities for putting up issues for discussions, adding that for a start, the speech of President Jonathan would be carefully examined next Monday when the confab is scheduled to begin formal business. Also, she added that delegates would be required to make formal written presentations on sundry issues they wish to discuss, noting that it would be foolhardy to expect each delegate to make contribution on every subject matter. Consequently, Azinge said the secretariat proposed that each state or institution would select a member to speak on its behalf for an allotted time dwelling on the preamble, prayer and way forward to make room for the speedy

but carefully thought out deliberations on all the matters which would be raised on the floor. Meanwhile, a delegate, Dr. Junaidu Mohammed, has accused President Jonathan of trying to blackmail the National Assembly into adopting a position on referendum, which he argued is alien to the nation's Constitution. According to him, the referendum suggestion from Jonathan was an illegal means of imposing the resolutions of the confab on the people. "We would assume that everything that is going to be done would be done in accordance with the current law of the current constitution. We have subsisting laws. And in the subsisting constitutional provisions, you cannot go outside those provisions and provide for something which is not there. "A referendum or a plebiscite, whatever you call it, is alien to the current constitution of Nigeria, which came into being in1999 and unless that constitution has been so amended to make provision for it any talk about it is null and void," he declared.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

News

FG opens 'soft power' front against Boko Haram – NSA By Joy Baba & Uche Nnorom, Makurdi with Agency reports

igeria yesterday unveiled a new "soft power" plan to defeat Boko Haram, hoping to win hearts and minds in the restive northeast, as the military said it was tightening the net on the ground. National Security Adviser, Gambo Dasuki, said the government was to introduce schemes to encourage local communities to shun extremism as well as "deradicalise" suspected militants awaiting trial. "It's a stick and carrot approach. We believe that we can win the war against terror by mobilising our family, cultural, religious and national values," he told a news conference in Abuja. He said new tactics were required because the Islamists had infiltrated communities in the remote region, enabling them to spread their message more effectively than the government, he

added. Dasuki's comments came after an upsurge in Boko Haram-linked violence that has killed more than 700 people so far this year; one of the deadliest rates since the insurgency began in 2009. Since emergency rule was imposed in the northeast states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa last May, some 300,000 people have been displaced, piling pressure on local authorities and relief agencies. Last Friday, militant fighters launched a daring strike on the Giwa barracks in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, hurling explosives to break out dozens of their brothers in arms from custody. The attack came after a wave of strikes on civilians in rural Borno, as well as on a boarding school in Yobe, that saw students slaughtered in their beds and prompted international condemnation. In a related development, the NSA has said terrorism is un-Islamic, adding that terrorists twist

and pervert the true meaning and spirit of religious text to win support for their evil cause. Dasuki stated this yesterday at the Roll Out Of Nigeria’s Soft Approach To Countering Terrorism seminar held in Abuja. He also said there is no one particular path that leads to terrorism rather there are many, often complicated paths that lead to terrorism. According to him “While there have been established push factors, conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism such as poverty, joblessness, prolonged unresolved conflict, social injustice, a growing youth bulge, we know for instance that poverty in itself is not an automatic ticket to radicalization”. Meanwhile, Makurdi, Benue State capital was yesterday thrown into panic following the death of two persons said to have been murdered by suspected Fulani herdsmen at the Welfare quarters.

Police sources said a relation of the deceased had reported the death of his brother who went to the farm, only to discover his lifeless body with machete cuts. Confirming the incident, Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ezeala said police also discovered another dead body which was burnt beyond recognition laying beside the corpse of the man that was earlier reported. In another development, one person was allegedly killed by a soldier at Benue Cement Company located in Tse Kucha, Gboko Local Government area of the state. A source at the cement factory who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said problem started between a soldier and a young man in the area, soon degenerated to a big fight which culminated into the killing of one person. Confirming the report, the PPRO said police immediately moved in and removed the blockade from the road while also trying to restore peace in the area.

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan, Leader of the PDP delegation from Kwara state, Hajiya Bola Shagaya, Senator representing Kwara South Senatorial District, Senator Simeon Ajibola, and Mr. Laziz Jimoh, during the visit of Kwara state PDP delegation to the president, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

Insurgency, a ploy to distract Jonathan, says PDP By Lawrence Olaoye

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday alleged that the intractable challenge of insurgency and terrorism in certain parts of the country was a contrived plot by some unpatriotic elements to discredit and distract President Goodluck Jonathan. The party said the nature of terrorism in the country and its intractable nature only suggest that the opposition elements were the ones sponsoring the insurgents. The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the plot was to distract and detract the President, constrain the successful delivery of his transformation programme so as to portray him as non-performing and finally ridicule his score card when time

reckons. The statement said, it was beyond conjecture that the Nigerian version of terrorism is the product of a narrow political persuasion that defies logic and reason. The statement further declared that it was clear that President Jonathan was being persecuted for no other reason than being a Nigerian from the minority, arguing that no leader in the history of the country had faced the height of persecution that the President has been subjected to since he assumed office. The PDP therefore commended the president for not only effectively containing the insurgency but beating down distractions and detractions to post unprecedented landmark achievements in all sectors of the economy in the last two and half years he has been at the helm of affairs.

Why we must remove fuel subsidy –Diezani By Etuka Sunday

he Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, yesterday disclosed that Nigeria could not continue with the payment of subsidy to oil marketers in the country and that there was need to deregulate the downstream sector. Diezani who spoke at the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference in Abuja, said the deregulation would make the oil and gas sector more attractive for investors. She however advised the federal government to ensure that palliative measures are put in place or to ensure that some policies are implemented before the deregulation. Alison-Madueke, said the nation had been faced with fuel scarcity in the last two months and there seemed to be no end in sight in spite of assurances by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. According to her, the current fuel scarcity was as a result of sabotage, diversion, hoarding, panic buying and rumours of imminent pump price increase. She outlined challenges confronting the government to include perennial oil theft, pipeline vandalism and nonpassage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). “The PIB is still with the National Assembly and we hope that it will be passed very soon. However, we have been confronted with the menace of pipeline vandalism for decades and it has become much more prevalent in the last few years. In 2013 alone, all the major crude oil pipelines were severely damaged and vandalised at different points in time, the Bonny-Escravos line from the refinery was not spared either. She said, in spite of these challenges, the country still maintained a stable 2.3 million barrels per day production of crude oil achieved in 2013.

Health Minister makes case for modern facilities at National Hospital By Abbas Aminu Bamalli

he Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu has made a case for the installation of more modern facilities at the newly completed National Hospital’s Trauma Centre to compete with foreign ones. Prof. Chukwu who made the suggestion yesterday in Abuja when he visited the National Hospital for the pre-commissioning of the new Trauma Centre said, it is only by putting in place modern facilities in such a new structure, that the Centre will last long and meet the international standard.

The minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of the facilities put in place to ensure that all patients receive the needed treatment in Nigeria without traveling abroad, saying the hospital management has done well. He also urged the management to take in patients from all over the country noting that, “ once people get to know about this development, they will begin to troop to the Centre from everywhere for quality treatment”. While going round the hospital, the minister also visited the victims of Nigerian Immigration recruitment exercise stampede,

where he sympathized with them and prayed for their quick recovery. Prof. Chukwu disclosed that the management of the hospital had informed him that the Immigration Service has taken the responsibilities for the treatment of the victims. Responding on the new trauma Centre, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Bello Bala Shehu said, the hospital management will do everything possible to ensure that all the lapses are corrected, and promised to ensure that the Centre with 80 bed capacity meet the international standard.

PAGE 4

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Falae suggests gradual fiscal federalism

hat is your view on the suggested referendum for the outcome of the confab?

L-R: Deputy Chairman, National Conference, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Chairman, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, and Secretary, Dr. Valerie-Janette Azinge, before the National Conference sitting was adjoined, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Jonathan has hidden agenda, says Junaidu Muhammed Stories by Patrick Andrew & Lawrence Olaoye

pening.

Will you canvass for fiscal federalism? What do you call fiscal federalism?, he thundered back. The understanding is that you take according to what you produce. He cuts in… Whose understanding? That’s the common agitation by some Nigerians. Again, he asked, “I mean agitation by who?” Some section of the country… Cuts in ….. Let me tell you, the options before Nigerians are very clear: you either have a country or you don’t have a country. Anything that will perpetuate the current injustice, the current irresponsible allocation of resources, illegal abinitio is not going to work. So, whatever you call it; fiscal federalism, resource control is sheer nonsense. I don’t mind the

situation whereby the people the political subunit of the Nigerian state; that is the state and local government are allowed to own what is within their own land. But as far l am concern the territorial waters of Nigeria from the shoreline to 12 nautical miles anything off it doesn’t belong to littoral state- that has been my position even when I was in OMPADEC, it has been my position since I was at the national assembly, even when I was minority leader, anything beyond that is to me null and void. If they want to share what is the land resource can be done provided those littoral states do not claim ownership of resources beyond 12 nautical miles. This my position, it is the position of international law, it is codified as convention anything beyond international is an invitation to anarchy , an invitation to trouble and if they want trouble over this matter there will be trouble.

of the current mess they themselves should clear the mess that they had through bad administration and massive corruption subjected Nigeria to. How apt that comment! Among the conferees are ex-governors, ministers, lawmakers of yore and several men of “timber and calibre” according to Ozumba Mbadiwe of blessed memory. Now, that’s not Ita-Giwa’s concern or her issues with flowers. The thing was on the table directly in front of the chairman, Justice Legbo Kutigi, was a garland decorated in green white green colours. And they were attractive to the eyes.

No, the beauty of the wreath wasn’t Madam Bakassi’s issues. She actually adore the serenity imposed on the table by the colourful flower, the fragrance therein and dignity that it portrays. Now, the issue was having eye to eye contact with the chairman. “Chairman, you have to something about the flowers on the table directly in your front. But why? “We want to have eye to eye contact with you and the flowers have made that impossible,” She said smiling infectiously. Did that engender some laughter? You bet it did and even more. It broke the growing palpable tension obvious in the voices and body language of the delegates.

hat’s your reaction to President Jonathan’s declaration that he has no hidden agenda? In the first place, the moment he says he doesn’t have any hidden agenda, to me as a politician for over 40 years, he has an agenda, otherwise if he doesn’t why did he say it. Let Nigerians decide whether he has agenda or not. We judge people not by their words but by their actions and everything about him, about his body language, about his convoluted speeches, about the actions of the cabals around him tells that not only has he an agenda but an agenda about his own tenure elongation and all he wants is to ratify that aspiration or to use the conference to ratify that nonsense and I don’t see hap-

Florence Ita-Giwa’s issues with flowers

ell, Sen. Florence ItaGiwa, Madam Bakassi, is surely a lady of distinction. She is quite elegant and cuts an image that undoubtedly reflects that. But that’s where flower is not involved. The former senior lawmaker and Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo is a delegate to the sixth National Conference. She caused uproar when she pointedly accused the majority of the delegates for being responsible for Nigeria’s current woes and stagnation. Of course, she was brutally frank. Her position was stoutly supported by subsequent speakers who insisted that as creators

If you read my book the way forward for Nigeria in 2005, if you had read the lecture I gave at the Obafemi Awolowo University last year as a guest lecturer, you would have found in both documents my advocacy. For this national conference, my advocacy is that every ethnic nationality, all of the more than 400 nationalities must be enabled to participate in this conference. You would also find in those documents my insistence that it is only the people in a referendum who can give legitimacy to any constitution. I think it is a display of ignorance for one to say that we can’t have two sovereignties’: the National Assembly and the Sovereign National Conference. Now, how did they come about? The people elected the members of the national assembly meaning that they are superior to those they elected. The creator is always superior to what he creates. So by definition therefore, the people are superior to the National Assembly, to the president, governors, to everybody elected into public office. And so once the people endorsed what have been decided through referendum you don’t go back to the assembly- an inferior authority to legitimize on what the superior authority has already done. So that is the position and whatever has been done becomes the constitution of Nigeria. And there is nothing beyond that. Will you advocate for a fiscal federalism? It is part and parcel of every true federation. It is not an option. But in our peculiar situation since oil has become the most important single source of revenue for all of us, the immediate fiscal federalism in other

words people taking the revenue accruing from their state 100 percent would cause a lot of hardship and in fact it is just about three or four states that will be fairly comfortable. If you are rich in the midst of poverty, your poor neighbours will not let you sleep when they are hungry, all the unemployed in the neighbouring states will rush into the few comfortable states and make life impossible for them: criminals, insurgents etc. So since we are members of the same country, fiscal federalism in my opinion must be achieved over a period so that people can adjust by looking for alternative source of revenue over time, 10 years or whatever. But it is inevitable that it must happen, but let it be gradual so that nobody feels completely left out. The federal government has created a situation: schools, health facilities, how do you fund them? How do you pay salaries, buy drugs, service the situation already established. That’s why is important to as a concession to our common citizenship that fiscal federalism should be pursued through negotiation with the owners of revenue not by decree, shouting at them but through conscious negotiation that it be spread over a reasonable period so that the others can adjust an find alternative revenue resources. I have heard people in my part say that they want fiscal federalism achieved immediately and that doing so will the other states to go and look for new sources of revenue and that the present situation has made most states courtier, going to Abuja to collect oil money and that we must be forced to go and look for sources of revenue. That is a very extreme view which I don’t subscribe to but what I believe we need to do is to accept the principle of fiscal federalism to be implemented and achieved over a negotiable period of time.

Segun Osoba’s true Nigeria

o one would doubt Segun Osoba’s close affinity to the Odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC). Forget Gani Adams, who led the militant group and who is also a delegate at the sixth conference, Osoba was conspicuous and synonymous with the Congress. No, OPC wasn’t the issue, in fact no one seems to take notice of Adams nor associate him with that militant group. It was a certain comment by Chief Awesu that brought Osoba to the klieg light on Tuesday. Awesu had argued that sitting arrangement be according to state so that whenever the delegates want to convey among themselves over their respective state’s interest it

would easy. That’s when Osoba drew the first and major applause of the day. No, we all Nigerians here, he implied in his argument and insisted that delegates should de-emphasized on tribal leaning, religious and state. Instead, Osoba said these elements, which have divided Nigeria for years, should be buried and everyone should sit and relate with one another as Nigerians with broader mind and perspective. That was the mark of a statesman and the audience let him know how much they appreciated that position and his suggestion that delegates should be allocated seats by alphabetical order was unanimously adopted.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 5

News

State of emergency: APC raises alarm over plot to remove 3 governors By Umar Muhammad Puma

he All Progressives Congress (APC) said it has uncovered fresh plot by the Jonathan led administration to impose a total state of emergency in three APC controlled states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. The party, in a communiqué signed by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed at the end of its emergency meeting in Abuja warned against

such plan to remove the democratically-elected governors, saying such action will not advance the cause of peace in the affected states. “We condemn this move unequivocally and urge the President to jettison the idea, if indeed it is being remotely contemplated, because it will not advance the cause of peace in the affected states”, the statement said. Meanwhile, the party commiserated with the families of the

people who died last Saturday at several venues of the job test by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS). “We extend our sympathy and prayers to those who were injured in the stampede, and wish them a speedy recovery”. The party called for a criminal investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the deaths of those innocent Nigerians, and to find out who authorized the fleecing of job seekers by a government agency, what happened

to the money realized from the heist and why the relevant officials did not ensure a better arrangement that could have saved precious lives. The party also announced dates for its Congresses and National Convention. According to the party, the Ward Congress will hold on 5th of April, Local Government Congress on the 12th of April. State Congress on the 23rd of April and National Convention on the 24th of May.

L-R: Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice-President and chieftain of APC, Atiku Abubakar and Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, during the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Irate Jigawa youths heckle former governor

From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

everal angry youths on Sunday smashed some vehicles in former Governor Saminu Turaki’s convoy in Hadeijia local government of Jigawa state. The irate youths whom were said to be angry over the posters of President Goodluck Jonathan the convoy pasted on their vehicles laid ambush while the former governor was returning from Hadejia town. Turaki was attacked on his way out of Hadeijia, where he attended the turbaning of Alhaji Abdulfata Tahir as the new Talba of Hadeijia. Malam Isyaku Maikifi, an eye witness who spoke to our correspondent, said the youths had earlier lined up at the outskirt of the town apparently waiting for the former governor to exit the town as they started chanting ‘bamayi’ when they sighted the heavy convoy coming out. Maikifi said they were particularly angry that Turaki was sent by the President to down play Lamido’s political strength even as they sighted the posters of President Goodluck Jonathan pasted on the vehicles in Turaki’s’ convoy.

Hon. Abba Anas, the sole administrator of PDP in Sokoto state who was with Saminu Turaki when the incidence happened said the youths were sponsored by the Jigawa state government to embarrass Turaki. “We went to Hadeijia to facilitate with our friend who was turbaned as the new Talban Hadeijia. On our way out, some youths attacked our convoy and smashed some vehicles. We are aware of the orchestrated campaign to frustrate our movement in Jigawa. We know that a Special Assistant to Governor Lamido organised these boys to attack us but I want to say how disappointed we are about the whole thing because the government claimed that they are fighting thuggery in politics and drug abuse. It is shocking that the same government will send youths after the convoy of an exgovernor in the state.” The Special Adviser to Governor Sule Lamido on Media, Malam Adamu Muhammad Usman told Peoples Daily that it is ridiculous and mischievous for anyone to blame the government stating that we are not aware of the attack. “It is unfortunate that they are linking the government with

attack on Saminu Turaki’s’convoy in Hadejia. When his convoy was attacked in Gumel two weeks ago was it government that sponsored it? When his convoy was attacked in Baturiyya a week ago was it government that sponsored that? The truth is that Saminu did not achieve anything in Jigawa in eight years. The people cannot

stomach his failure with his latest attempt to come back to politics in the state. His purported attempt at politicising the turbaning ceremony in Hadeijia was what might have angered the youth. The truth is that Lamido’s’performance has endeared him to the people of Jigawa and he remained their leader.”

APC to hold national convention in May 24

nterim National Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday said the party would hold its National Convention on May 24, 2014. Mohammed made the announcement while briefing newsmen at the end of the party’s 9th Interim National Executive Committee meeting (NEC) in Abuja. He said that APC had also scheduled its Ward, Local Government and State Congresses for April 5, 12 and 23 respectively. The party used the opportunity to commiserate with the families of the people who died on Saturday, March 15 at several venues of the job test by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) ``We also extend our sympathy and prayers to those who were injured in the stampede and wish them a speedy recovery.’’

Mohammed called for investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of the applicants and what happened to their application fees. He accused the management and officials of NIS ``for their inability to provide better arrangement that could have saved precious lives. ``The death constitutes the latest in a series of events that have turned Nigeria into a massive killing field in recent times.’’ The scribe urged President Goodluck Jonathan to be proactive in the fight against corruption and incompetence in public and private institutions in the country. He stressed the need for the federal government to renew its strategy in addressing insecurity, unemployment and corruption. (NAN)

Progressive govs target job creation By Umar Muhammad Puma

rogressive Governors Forum (PGF), the umbrella body of the state governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has embarked on policy design sessions to create jobs for the teeming unemployment youth in the country. Speaking during the inauguration of the policy design session, Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum and governor of Imo state, Chief Rochas Okorocha described unemployment as one of the major economic and security challenges confronting Nigeria today. He tasked the panel which comprises economists, policy development experts, commissioners of economic planning from APC states and other technocrats to develop workable and easily implementable solutions to mitigate the problem of unemployment plaguing our society. The governor, who was represented by the Imo state Commissioner of Planning, Ms Adaora Ijezie, said the policy design sessions were part of the APC’s approach to win the confidence of Nigerians and that the party intended nothing less than a total overhaul of the present system which had stagnated development, and only paid lip service to the issues of insecurity and worsening poverty. Also speaking at the event, the Ogun state governor and host of the session, Senator Ibikunle Amosun said the policy design sessions were a follow-up to the Progressive Governance Lecture in Ibadan, three weeks ago which examined unemployment and the crisis of development in Nigeria. The governor explained that APC states would not stop at mere proclamations, but back up their words with actions by designing policies to create jobs in all sectors of the economy. Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Mr. Salihu Lukman explained that the objective of the policy design session was to develop policy proposals that would assist all APC states in their bid to create jobs.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 6

News

Police raid ‘baby factory’, arrest 12

L-R: Representative, Minister of Finance, Dr Chii Akurji, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr Habibat Lawal, during the flag-off of training workshop on public procurement process for professional women and girls, yesterday in Abuja

By Mike Etim, Uyo

even expectant mothers were among the twelve arrested women when men of the Akwa Ibom state police command carried out a raid at a ‘baby factory’ located at NEPA Line, in Ikot Ekpene L.G.A. Briefing newsmen in Uyo yesterday, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Umar Gwadube represented by the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Etim Dickson said the police carried out the raid following a tip-off by a good Nigerian that one Ime Thompson Akpan (female) age 35 and another woman popularly known as Mma Nurse now at large were operating a Baby Factory where 7 pregnant women were camped for commercial procreation. According to the police commissioner, two of the expectant women, Ikwo Johnson Ofuo and Joy Micheal John on arrest and during investigation confessed that they were enticed to the business on the grounds that on delivery, a sum of N400, 000.00 would be given to them if it is a male child while a female child attracts N350, 000.00. A mild drama however ensued at the CID premises when journalists were allowed to interact and question the suspects as one of the accused claimed that he was the father of one of the suspect Ukeme Okon Etim age 18 who delivered a baby boy at the police Medical Unit Ikot Ekpene while awaiting interrogation. Speaking to our correspondent during the interaction, one of the suspects, Blessing Jonah Udoaka said she was ignorant about what she was doing at the Baby factory. She narrated that she was a Bakassi returnee who had lost her parents, pointing out that she ran into a lady who promised she was going to help her but only to find herself at a home with some other girls. She however confessed that a man was assigned to sleep with her and that is how she got pregnant. Another suspect Ikwo Johnson Ofuo while recounting her story said she was already pregnant for her boyfriend when she arrived Ikot Ekpene from Lagos where she was staying with her aunty. She said her mother refused to have her back home because of her condition. She claimed that it was in that condition that a woman she didn’t know saw her and promise to help her adding that, that is how she found herself in the Baby factory. In a related development, the police said that they have arrested one Imaobong Okon Effiong for child theft. According to a report, Imaobong was said to have stolen the baby named Jessy Benson aged four left in her care by one Doreen Benson at Idu Uruan L.G.A.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Borno attacks: Emergency committee distributes materials to victims From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

he Emergency Relief Committee constituted by the Borno state government to assist victims of last Friday’s Boko Haram deadly attacks, yesterday distributed relief materials and cash for five communities. Several truck loads of assorted foodstuffs, plastic buckets, matrasses, blankets and clothing materials among others, were presented to the victims. Our correspondent recalled

that several persons including, security men, and civilians were killed when suspected Boko Haram militants launched an attack in Maiduguri and targetted 21 Armored Brigade, Giwa barracks as well as civilian locations. Sequel to this, Governor Kashim Shettima, who was out of the country on official engagement when the incident occurred, had constituted a high-powered committee to provide temporary shelter and relief materials for the displaced persons. Chairman of the committee, Bulama Mali Gubio, led other

members to donate assorted relief materials and cash to the 21 Armored Brigade, Giwa barracks, Fouri, Foreri, Gambori, Koreri and Wadiya communities. While at the barracks, Gubio presented the materials and N1 million cash to the representative of the Brigade Commander, Col. John Ekperere on behalf of Governor Shettima. He said the gesture was not meant to pay for the lives and property lost in the attack, rather it was a palliative to cushion the sufferings of the military personnel who were wounded

or lost their belongings. He said Governor Shettima has directed the committee to extend government sympathy to the military community over the unfortunate incident. Gubio added that government would continue to support the security forces to ensure the return of normalcy to the entire state. Receiving the donation, Col. Ekperere, thanked the government over the gesture, noting that security forces would not relent in their efforts to guarantee the safety and properties of the people in the state.

Justice Karibi-Whyte stresses need for proper societal conduct By Kekong Susan Eneh

ustice Adolphus Gabriel Karibi-Whyte has stressed the need for proper conducts in every human society, saying that rightness and wrongness of any conduct were determined by the society. Justice Karibi Wyte who is the Pro-Chancellor of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology stated this yesterday

in a paper titled: “In the eye of the Law” he delivered at the 35th anniversary of the founders’ day lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) in Abuja. The retired Justice of the Supreme Court also stressed that the society laid the ground rules for the manner in which people must conduct themselves in the society. According to him, “the

rightness or wrongness of a conduct is determined by the society which lays the ground rules for the manner in which persons must conduct themselves within the society”. He posited that “all rights, duties, immunities, privileges emanates from the constitution, no rights can be enjoyed which do not originate from it”. Commenting on previous legal cases in the country,

the legal luminary applauded the apex court, saying several judgments delivered by the Supreme Court in the country were commendable, just as he said “the rules of interpretation are meant to aid the proper construction of status and so, in the absence of any ambiguity, words should be given their ordinary and natural meaning unless such construction will lead to absurdity”.

CBN begins cashless campaign in Jos From Ado Abubakar Musa , Jos

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday in Jos began an awareness campaign on the cashless policy for stakeholders before July first 2014 deadline. Represented by the CBN Branch controller in Jos, Mathias Kurah, the acting

governor, Sarah Alade said the sensitizing campaign was holding concurrently in other states of the country. She said that the policy was aimed at restructurings the Nigerian financial system and addressing the current difficulties encounter and changing the country into a first world economy.

She further said that if communities would adopt cashless policy, the CBN would broaden its financial contact points to include post offices, motor parks and corner shops. She explained that the cashless policy intends to reduce and not eliminate the use of physical cash payment in Nigeria and

other ills associated with a cash centered economy such as robberies, election rigging, revenue leakage, kidnapping etc. Aminu Yadumu who was a stakeholder said during the campaign that state government officials and businessmen should take up the policy seriously.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

News Kaura attack: Fulani not responsible—Miyetti From Muhammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

hairman of Miyetti Allah cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State Chapter, Aldo Ahmed yesterday disassociated members from the attacks in Southern Kaduna, particularly the recent killings in Kaura local government Area of the state. According to him, Nigerians should stop blaming Fulani’s for any attack that occurs in the country. Reacting to allegation leveled against their kinsmen by Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU)

at the weekend on the killings that occurred in three villages of Kaura, Ahmed said Fulanis are not in war or jihad with any tribe as alleged by SOKAPU. He said, “We are not responsible for the killings in some parts of the country, particularly the one at Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna state. Not until strong evidence is brought to us that show Fulanis to be responsible, SOKAPU leaders should know that as leaders, they should weigh their utterances. “Fulanis are not in war with anybody or tribe. Nigerians need to be fair to us and stop blaming us for any misfortune that befalls

them. The Fulani boy they claimed to have died during the attack in Kaura shouldn’t have been killed so that he would be able to confess where he came from and his tribe”, he said. The group accused Nigerians of attributing any violence to Fulani people which they said was unfair. He blamed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for always excluding Fulani camps each time there was crisis. According to him, their people hardly get assistance each time their villages came under attacks.

On cattle rustling, the Chairman said their members are still battling with the rustlers, saying no doubt some of the rustlers are not Nigerians and they formed a gang to terrorize Fulanis. Peoples Daily contacted a source at NEMA who disagreed with the allegation, that they exclude Fulani camps, urging the Miyetti Allah leaders to always channel their grievances to relevance authority. It could be recalled that suspected Fulanis were said to have killed over 100 people and set ablaze 200 houses at three villages in Kaura Friday night.

L-R: National Security Adviser to the President, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), Minister of Justice, Mr. Bello Adoke Mohammed, and Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki, during a workshop on Role Out of Nigeria’s Soft Approach to Counter Terrorism, yesterday in Abuja Photo: Mahmud Isa

Kenyan arrested at Lagos airport with drugs

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos said it has commenced investigation into the arrest of a 32 year old Kenyan with 2.560kg of substance that tested positive for heroin. The suspect who left Bujumbura, Burundi under the pretext of pilgrimage to Nigeria was arrested following the discovery of heroin hidden inside two pairs of female sandals and under her luggage.

The seizure took place during inward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight from Addis Ababa. The agency said preliminary investigation revealed that she planned to smuggle the drugs into the country under the pretext of pilgrimage. This is her third visit to Nigeria in two years. It was also gathered that she left Nairobi, Kenya to Bujumbura where she collected the luggage containing the drugs before proceeding to Nigeria through Addis Ababa. NDLEA Airport commander, Mr. Hamza Umar while

confirming the arrest, gave the name of the suspect as Imeloah Awino Noah. The commander said the drug was found inside the soles of two pairs of female sandals as well as in a false bottom of her luggage. “She is cooperating with our investigating team”, he said. The Kenyan said her involvement was masterminded by her best friend. “My best friend masterminded my involvement in drug trafficking. I am a diploma holder in Community Health and Development at the African Institute of Development Studies in Western Kenyan town of

Kisumu, Nyanza Province. “After my one year volunteer service, I have been searching for employment. My best friend introduced me to her Nigerian boyfriend who offered to assist me by sponsoring my trip to Nigeria. “Initially, I was reluctant but my friend persuaded me. They bought my ticket and gave me the bag containing clothes where the heroin was hidden. On arrival at the Lagos airport, the drug was detected” Imeloah told investigators. She added that she loves coming to Nigeria to receive blessings from her spiritual

Bauchi CP asks criminals to repent or leave the state From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

he Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Mohammed Ladan has warned criminals in the state to either repent or leave the state. Mohammed stated this while answering question from newsmen in Bauchi, saying that

the command is fully prepared to deal “decisively” with them in accordance with the laws of the federation. He said, “We are working hard to confirm the story whether it is true there are criminals or not. For now, we have sent our surveillance to make any discovery if there is any but up till now we are still

searching we are still looking for the criminals.” According to him, the command is investigating the alleged presence of armed men inside bush in Darazo Local Government Area of the State. The Commissioner said the command has put in place, crime preventive measures which include Aberdeen system

patrol, surveillance on building and suspected individual, stop and search methods, engagement of the services of well screened and recognised voluntary vigilante groups as well as other operational strategies to destabilize the plans of criminals and their preparedness to commit crime in the state.

PAGE 7

Kwara Immigration Service deports nine Nigerien From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

he Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Kwara State Command, Mr. Ahamefule Nwachukwu has disclosed that some citizens of Niger Republic that came into the state have been repatriated immediately. The Comptroller stated this while speaking with Journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday. He said the suspected immigrants did not have valid documents to show that they are members of ECOWAS and genuine foreigners. He said, “There were some suspected illegal immigrants that were brought at a spot at Tanke by a trailer. They did not come in through the border. We mobilized and rounded them up. We have nine of them on ground and they are Nigeriens. We have made arrangements to repatriate them to their country. “It may not be out of place that they could pose security challenge as they have no travel documents. They have come into the country and Kwara State through illegal basis. They do not have national travel documents to show that they are travelers from Niger. “They have identified themselves as Nigeriens. That is why we are repatriating them to Niger. If they were to have normal travelling documents, we will receive them as ECOWAS citizens who have the right of free movement. “In such a situation, they could be suspected to be unwanted elements. If they do not appear to be unwanted elements, since they do not have proper identification, they could constitute security risk. “We are still trying to mop up more of such. Though we did not find any incriminating evidence on them but assuming they were to be terrorists, they do not come with incriminating or dangerous weapons on themselves but people who want to use them are waiting to use them. They will later give them the materials or weapons needed for the operation”, he explained. The Comptroller said they were brought in a vehicle but before the information could reach them, there was no trace of the vehicle. One of the suspects identified simply as Isiaka said they came to Nigeria to do menial jobs like loading of cement and other related works. He denied any motive to constitute security threat stressing that they were just unfortunate as their travel documents had just expired.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 8

L-R: Hon. Anayo Nnebe, Ambassador Vincent Sunny, and Mrs. Josephine Anenih, discussing at the conference.

L-R: Hon. Musa Elayo, Mr. Mark Ogbole, and Alhaji Mohammed Uthman, at the national conference,

Some traditional rulers at the venue of the National Conference, before it was adjourned, yesterday in Abuja.

L-R: Assistant Secretary, Conference Proceedings, Dr. Akilu Sani Indabawa, Assistant Secretary, Finance and Admin, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications, Mr. James Akpandem, at the conference.

Delegates raise their hands for questions during yesterdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sitting.

Photos: Mahmud Isa

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

News

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

s a measure to curb the incessant clashes between Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commenced aerial surveillance of Makurdi and its environs. Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Tactical Air Command (TAC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Umar Omeiza who disclosed this yesterday, explained that the aerial surveillance was

Nigeria welcomes Chinese investors …we will not accommodate substandard products, says minister

By A’isha Biola Raji

n a move to boost ChinaAfrica cooperation, Chinese investment delegates yesterday paid a visit to ministry of state for trade and investment, with the aim of establishing industries that would cover housing and power generation. The leader of the delegates, Mr Zhou Dewen, President and Chairman, Beijing Investment Consulting Company Limited, said they were in the country to look at investment opportunities in Nigeria to establish industries that would tally with their observation. He said the delegates are leaders of most important industries in China hence the seriousness they are expected to attach to the anticipated investment in Nigeria and called on Nigeria government to grant the investors an enabling environment that would encourage them. In his response, the minister of state for investment, Mr Samuel Ortom warned that, there would be no room for substandard products as their activities would be monitored by Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Consumer Protection Council and several agencies. “Our people would not be short-changed whatsoever. They will get hundred percent values for products that would be produced”, he said, adding that both countries have common interest even though China is more advanced.

PAGE 9

Tiv/Fulani clashes: NAF begins aerial surveillance to afford security operatives the opportunity of having a comprehensive aerial view of the environment in order to mobilize and effectively secure the lives and property of the Benue people. Omeiza said the exercise was a directive from the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu to seek solution to the lingering herdsmen /farmers’ crisis. “We don’t want to wait

until the problem becomes very massive like what we have today in the north-eastern part of the country before we act. That is why we have brought the Augusta 109 helicopter for the aerial surveillance of Makurdi and its environs”, he said. The AOC maintained that the surveillance team would concentrate around the riverine areas where the clashes between the cattle herders and the farmers

NYPI condemns allegation on Keffi FMC Director, debunk recruitment scandal By Chris Alu & Kekong Susan Eneh

igeria Youths for Peace Initiative (NYPI) yesterday condemned the allegations leveled against the chief medical director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Keffi, Dr. Giyan Joshua Ndom. Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the group’s president, Alhaji Hassan Adamu said they have uncovered a grand plan by some indigenes to frustrate the medical director because he is not an indigene of the state. According to him, the authors of the plan are those that felt

short-changed in the scheme of things therefore resort to cheap black mail and mischief. According to him, all employment was done according to federal character principles out of which 60% slot were given to the indigenes except for professional cases. He said the CMD used the funds given to him to transform and upgrade the hospital with modern equipment. Adamu said the CMD was attacked by unknown men at his resident when he first resumed work at the hospital, adding that the group has come under one voice to say enough is enough

he wife of Gombe state governor, Hajiya Adama Dankwambo said the present administration will not relent in assisting women to enable them be self-reliance in their day to day activities in the state.

to this negative campaigns and lies against the CMD, “who is performing well and if those behind that act refused to resent from there wicked ways, I tell you that the association is fully prepared to expose them”. Similarly, the Nigerian Unemployed Youth Association has denied recent reports of employment scandal at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Keffi, insisting that the report by one of the national dailies was filled with inconsistencies and that it was a ploy by some individual who were not satisfied with the recruitment exercise to achieve their wishes.

Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo (left), and Group Managing Director, First Bank Plc, Mr. Bisi Onasanya (right), during the 20th Nigeria Economic Summit (NES), yesterday in Abuja. Behind them is the Chairman, Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Funsho Phillips. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Gombe first lady empowers 2,218 women on ram fattening business From David Hassan, Gombe

always starts from, intimating that they has brought in experts who would study the situation with a view to finding lasting solution to it. Omeiza assured the people of the state of their safety, adding that the Augusta 109 helicopter marked NAF 571 would keep surveying the whole of Makurdi and its environs and urged them to go about their lawful businesses without fear.

Hajiya Dankwambo who stated this yesterday in Gombe while disbursing funds to women under her pet programme explained that her office was able to empowered 2,218 women group in Gombe inorder to enable them free from poverty in the society. Represented by the wife

of the deputy governor Mrs. Sintiki Jason Rubainu, the governor’s wife said 200 women were recently trained in skill acquisition programme which she said has made a remarkable impact for the development of the state. She said the ram fattening business proposed by the state

government will help to boost the morale of women who had no direct bearing in their homes. She said 2,218 women group will benefit the gesture in the state and added that the state government had made frantic effort to ensure that each of them gets N30, 000 for the business. Speaking at the event, the Gombe state commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Dahiru Buba Biri appreciated the effort of the governor’s wife and called on beneficiaries to use the money given to them judiciously.

Meanwhile, there was reported heavy exchange of gun fire early hours of yesterday in Agasha, Guma local government area between Tiv youths/ Fulani which according to the Police spokesman, SP Daniel Ezeala was brought under control by the police, maintaining that there were no deaths recorded.

Kano Assembly passes over 1000 motions in 3 years – Danja By Umar Muhammad Puma

he Kano State House of Assembly passed total number of 50 bills since its inception about three years ago, the Speaker, Hon. Isiyaku Ali Danja has said. Danja, who disclosed this yesterday while speaking at the opening of the 2014 legislative retreat for members of the State Assembly in Abuja said the House had within the same period passed resolutions on more than 1000 motions which have impacted on the wellbeing of the people of the State. He said the retreat will provide an avenue for extensive deliberations on topic having direct bearing on legislative processes and “enhance capacity building requirements, thereby keeping the members up-to-date with the best legislative process.” Declaring open the retreat, Kano State Deputy Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said governance in Kano is predicated on the principles of openness, transparency, prudence and accountability which resulted in unprecedented achievements by the administration in the last three years. Representative of the British Department of International Development (DFID) Mr. Kevin Conroy said they have in liaison with the State House of Assembly harmonized about 229 extant tax laws in the 44 local government areas in Kano to 40. Mr. Conroy maintained that after making analysis of the tax laws, the DFID came up with a report which recommended that the laws be harmonized and that as a result of the new legislations, the internally generated revenue of the local government and the State has increased in addition to improving business environment.

PAGE 10

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

News

National Conference: Nupe Foundation protests omission of members By Mohammed Kandi

ational President of Nupe Foundation, Engr. Yusuf Yabagi Sani, has drawn the attention of President Goodluck Jonathan to what he termed,

“sidelining” of its members at the ongoing National onference. The Nupe Foundation, which is a socio-cultural organisation for all upe people in Nigeria, noted with dismay that, “not a single Nupe man or woman is

allowed to represent the Nupe at the conference.” “We express our profound regrets over the inauguration of the Confab by Mr. President today, the 17th day of March 2014, which brazenly short changed

with impunity, the Nupe creed. History and posterity shall detest this injustice,” Sani stated. “Not even a single Nupe man or woman is allowed to represent the Nupe, out of the Ninety (90) slots reserved for Ethnic

Nationalities among the delegates to the National Confab? “It is a grave mistake to sideline Nupe, the number four Ethnic group in this country and this should be corrected immediately,” he further said.

Aside Mallam Sulaiman Ayagi, other officers elected were Alhaji Mustapha M. AlAmin as treasurer, Comrade Chika Kalu, Public Relations Officer (P R O) while Hajiya Hauwa Bello, a non-academic staff of the school’s accounts unit is to serve as Financial Secretary, in line with provisions

of the association’s constitution to co-opt non parents into its administration. The association is presently chaired by Alhaji Baba Abdulsalam, an IT specialist and large scale practicing farmer. In his acceptance speech on behalf of the newly-elected officers, Mallam Sulaiman

Ayagi thanked members of the association and the school management for the confidence reposed in them. He assured all stakeholders of the school the preparedness of the incoming executives towards adding considerable value to the school in order to uplift and uphold its motto of “excellence always.”

Mallam Ayagi was among the brain behind the resuscitation and upgrading of Al-Salafi Islamic Modern School, a community oriented school based in the FCT, Abuja. His interest cut across stockbrokerage, real estate development and education.

Zinaria PTA elects Ayagi as vice chairman By Jamila Nuhu Musa

he Parents-Teachers’ Association of Zinaria International School, Mararaba in Nasarawa state, has penultimate weekend elected its member, Mallam Sulaiman Muhammad Ayagi to the position of vice chairman.

Plateau: Fulani suspends participation in reconciliation process From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

T Yobe state Governor, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam (middle with mic), speaking after inspecting completed Damaturu central drainage system built to prevent flooding in the state capital, on Monday in Damaturu. With him are state APC Interim Chairman, Sani Inuwa Nguru (right), state House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Adamu Dala Dogo (2nd right), and state Commissioner for Works, Lawan Shettima Ali (3rd right).

Mrs. Yero tasks students on healthy living From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

he wife of Kaduna state Governor, Hajia Fatima Ramalan Yero, has called on pupils of various schools to incorporate the habit of healthy living in their lifestyles in order

to ensure great reduction in communicable diseases. She made the call during the official hand over of modern toilet facilities built for the prevention of avoidable deaths from infectious diseases (PADID) in Zaria, Kaduna State.

Yero said 75 per cent of diseases are preventable if people learn to live a healthy life or follow the basic health care rules. “Disease like Diarrhea, Cholera and Malaria can be prevented by simple washing of hands after visiting conveniences.

“Today you will find people, especially our young pupils walking into the toilet and coming out to use the same hand to eat and since the adage goes that prevention is better than cure, we have decided to build these conveniences to encourage our pupils to live a healthy life.

Bauchi: Agency targets 3m for free HIV/AIDS testing, counseling From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

he Executive Secretary, Bauchi state agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria, BACATMA, Dr. Abdulaziz Manga, has disclosed that 3m people are being targeted for free HIV/AIDS testing and

counseling in the state. He was speaking at a forum organised by the Senator A.D Rufai Foundation, in Bauchi state yesterday. Represented by the director HIV/AIDS control in the agency, Mallam Yakubu Usman Abubakar, Manga said that the exercise which is to be supported by the

federal government HIV/AIDS comprehensive response plan is to be carried out within two years in 12 HIV/AIDS prone states and the FCT. According to him, “the project is a federal government initiative to reduce the prevalence of the disease in 12 states, including the FCT by ensuring that people have

access to prevention, treatment and care” He disclosed that the federal government expended the sum of N260m for the smooth conduct of the exercise, and pointed out that more centres for free testing and counseling would be established to meet the estimated target for the state.

FGC Bauchi receives 200 students, staff from Yobe

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

ollowing closure of schools by the federal government over insecurity in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, over 200 staff and students who were

transferred, have arrived at the Federal Government Girls College, Bauchi. The coordinating officer, inspectorate unit Bauchi, Muhammad Tajuddeen Abdullahi, disclosed this yesterday while speaking with newsmen in Bauchi,

and commended parents and students for complying with the directives. Tajuddeen said the over 200 students and teachers have been accommodated by the principals of the schools in Bauchi and Azare. A source in one of the schools

said, before their arrival, “We made contingency plans in respect of classroom and hostel accommodation. Before they came, we had 35 students in each of our classrooms now we have between 40 and 45, which is still conducive for teaching and learning.

he Fulani community in Plateau state has suspended its participation in the ongoing dialogue between it and other communities in the state following increased stealing of their cows. They made the intention known in a letter signed by the group’s chairman in Plateau state, Shehu Buba Umar after pleading with the traditional rulers, local and state governments including security agencies to tackle the problem of cattle rustling in the state which has led to several clashes between the Fulani and other communities. And since the appeal has not yielded the desired result, they decided to withdraw their participation, the statement said. “We are under tremendous pressure from our people and since we are representing them, we have no option than to withdraw from the dialogue pending further consultations.” They further said. It would be recalled that since last year, a dialogue session has been organised by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a foreign non-governmental organization which has been helping in rebuilding mutual relationship and trust that has since collapsed among the various ethnic groups in the state. The letter, addressed to the Senior Consultant for the HD centre, Phillips Ostien, read in parts,”This is sequel to the killing of two young cattle rearers and outright shooting of 40 cattle on the 7th of March, 2014. Similarly, 566 cows were rustled into Vwang village of Jos South LGA on same date. Only 65 cows were recovered till date.”

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 11

Money Sense

Mistakes people make in job interviews Y

ou can never be too prepared for a job interview. You never know what minor element of your personality or

presentation can make or break your chances. While you maybe polished to a luster for the usual interview questions and your

resume is gleaming, what about some of the other intangibles involved in getting hired? After all, for better or for

worse, about a third of hiring managers assess candidates and make a hiring decision within the first 90 seconds or so. Fair?

Of course not but it does mean that it’s critical to control those elements that aren’t just about your previous job performance. Recently, education research firm Classes and Careers published an interesting information graphic that rolls up a slew of less obvious things that influence the hiring process. For starters, there are a slew of nonverbal queues that hiring managers consider mistakes that can cost you the job. The most egregious ones are failure to make eye contact which is at the top of the list. Other deal-breakers include failing to smile, bad posture and fidgeting. In addition, your choice of clothing is important. More than half of hiring managers say that your choice of clothes can be the deciding factor when choosing among similar candidates. In particular, it can be a liability to dress too fashionably or trendy. According to Classes and Careers, here are the 10 most common mistakes people make at job interviews: 10. Over-explaining why you lost your last job 9. Conveying that you’re not over having lost your last job 8. Lacking humor, warmth or personality 7. Not showing enthusiasm or interest in the job 6. Inadequate research about the position or company 5. Concentrating on what you want rather than what the company needs 4. Trying to be all things to everyone 3. Winging the interview 2. Failing to set yourself apart from other candidates 1. Not asking for the job

…and why employers don’t want to hire overqualified candidates

hen you’re applying for jobs, being told that you’re being dismissed because you’re “overqualified” for a job you know you could do well is incredibly frustrating. After all, having higher qualifications than what a job requires should be a good thing, shouldn’t it? To job seekers, being told they’re overqualified can feel like being told by a date that they’re too funny or good-looking and leaves them wondering why it’s a dealbreaker. So why is being overqualified so often seen as a bad thing? It’s understandable to be rejected if you’re not qualified enough, but what’s the concern about the overqualified? When hiring managers label job candidates overqualified, here’s what they are thinking. 1. We can’t pay you enough: Employers will often assume that if you have more experience or education than the job requires, your salary expectations are probably higher than the role pays too. 2. You don’t really understand what the job is: Hiring managers

will worry that in your quest to

get hired somewhere, you’re being overly optimistic about what the work will be like. For instance, that you think you’ll be doing high-level office administration when what they need is someone to run the front desk. Or that the advert might

say data entry, but you assume that surely you’ll be able to quickly prove yourself and take on more interesting work when they really just need someone who will do data entry and be happy with it. Related to that... 3. If you take this job, you’ll be bored: Hiring managers often think that someone who used to do higher-level or more interesting work can’t possibly be happy with less challenging responsibilities, and they assume that you’ll quickly get bored, then frustrated and then want to leave. 4. You won’t be happy working for a manager with less experience than you: If you have significantly more experience than the hiring manager, she may worry that you won’t be happy or comfortable taking direction from her, and that you’ll think you know better. What’s more, if the hiring manager isn’t entirely secured in her skills, she might worry that you do know better and that you’ll be judging her decisions which can lead to her passing on your candidacy altogether. 5. You’ll leave as soon as

something better comes around: Because hiring managers often can’t understand why someone would want a lower position than what his or her background might qualify him or her for, they often assume that you’re only interested in the job because you’re feeling desperate. They figure you’ll take it for the paycheck, but that you’ll leave as soon as something more suited to your background comes along. So what do you do if you’re hearing that you’re overqualified for jobs you actually want? The best thing you can do is to understand the concerns above and address them headon. You can do that by explaining why you’re genuinely interested in the position. For instance, you might explain that while your kids are in school, you want a job with stable hours that doesn’t require the level of responsibility you’ve had in the past or whatever is really true for you. (And that’s key - it needs to ring true for you; don’t make something up.) If you know hiring managers are likely to worry about your

salary expectations, you can also say explicitly that you’re clear about the lower pay that comes with the position, and that it’s fine with you. Ideally, you’d address this in the cover letter, to avoid having your application discarded before you’ve even had an interview. But once you get to the interview stage, be prepared to discuss it again, and probably in more detail. Overall, the idea is to understand what worries managers about overqualified candidates and address their concerns head-on, proactively and genuinely.

Money Tip: Before you give up your current career, you’ll need to assess the advantages and disadvantages and testdrive your budget to determine whether your savings are sufficient to support your lifestyle during the transition.

PAGE 12

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

EDITORIAL

NIS job deaths: Sack Moro now This caused stampede and made the environment insecure.” However, the minister was contradicted by an applicant, who for the obvious reason of personal security, did not want to be identified. He alleged that “They did not make any plans for the applicants. Even during the test, we

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ver 20 persons are reported to have died in stampedes during recruitment exercises conducted nationwide on Saturday, March 15, by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). However, the interior ministry gave the figure of 15, made up of 7 deaths including a pregnant woman at the Abuja National Stadium into which some 60,000 job applicants had crowded to take the job test. Only one entrance was left open, according to news reports Sunday. Another 4 died in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, two in Minna, capital of Niger state and one in Benin City. Over 520, 000 job seekers are said to have been shortlisted to write the test for just 4,566 placements advertised by the NIS, after having paid a nonrefundable fee of N1,000 each. This is a huge embarrassment for a nation described as Africa’s second largest economy, growing at 6 percent annually. This growth is fuelled by oil, revenues from which have unfortunately benefitted the elites and left the masses of the population greatly impoverished. Not showing any sign of remorse, interior minister, Mr. Abba Moro, blamed the impatience of applicants for the deaths. “The applicants lost their lives due to impatience,” he told journalists on Sunday in Jos where he had gone to monitor the recruitment exercise. “They did not follow the laid down procedures spelt out to them before the exercise; many of them jumped through the fences of the affected centres and did not conduct themselves in an orderly manner to make the exercise a smooth one.

Obviously, Moro has overstayed his welcome in this Jonathan government. After the bungled recruitments for the same NIS in 2012 and many other controversies he stirred, we wonder why the latest cabinet change spared him. had to fight…for the question papers. A lot of the papers were torn. We paid N1, 000 during the application process and I tell you now that it’s a total fraud”. We find this applicant’s version of what happened on Saturday more plausible than the minister’s. In Abuja, for example, with only one gate of the gigantic national stadium open and inadequate question papers, it was a

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disaster waiting to happen. It meant that there was inadequate security at the venue. Public outcry days following the tragedy forced Moro to do a kind of penance but he dismissed any suggestion of his resignation. According to him, to do so would be abandoning a job he has been given to do. Very archetypal, isn’t it? Deaths during recruitment exercises conducted by paramilitary agencies of government, including NIS, have become routine. We lament that officials have accepted them as a matter of course, not one to be confronted. This is why the interior minister could so effortlessly explain away last Saturday’s avoidable deaths, as if it was some wild beasts that had been killed. Obviously, Moro has overstayed his welcome in this Jonathan government. After the bungled recruitments for the same NIS in 2012 and many other controversies he stirred, we wonder why the latest cabinet change spared him. We agree with the position of the ruling PDP, surprising as it is, that Saturday’s job deaths should be probed. Reuters quoted the political party’s national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, as saying, “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the untimely death of the young citizens who were at the exercise not only to secure jobs but to be allowed the opportunity to contribute towards the development of the nation”. President Jonathan on Monday hinted of an official inquiry. The investigation, however, must be preceded by Moro’s removal to make its outcome credible.

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PAGE 13

Opinion Lar: The shepherd boy destined for great things (II)

ar’s Spartan lifestyle and belief in the rights of the oppressed and the down trodden were well explained to the new cabinet as the pivot of his emancipation agenda. He was appalled by the infrastructural deficit and lack of capacity in rural areas and he made a commitment to correct that. There was melodrama in the governor’s office at Rayfield Jos when I went to congratulate him on his assumption of political power. Lar’s ADC had ordered me to fill the visitor’s form, but I insisted that he just give my complimentary card to the governor. Lar, who was watching us on the short circuit TV set in his office, came out raging and said, “Look here, ADC this man is my bosom friend. He is qualified to enter my bedroom. From now on anytime he comes here, if I am not at a meeting, you must send him in right away”. Lar had come to judgement! That was what the elite in the state were saying after the “emancipator” had his government’s community development agenda. He set up a think tank of notable Intellectuals in and outside the state who were mandated to reappraise the government’s performance periodically. Most of the drivers of the rural development programme were the rural people themselves. It was a resounding feat he accomplished at the end of his first four years in office.

He re-contested in 1963 and won a second term. But then the military struck again. General Mohammadu Buhari and Major General Tunde Idiagbon overthrew the federal government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari that was only three months in office in a bloodless pustch. The junta clamped down on 12 of the 19 state governors over the mismanagement of security votes. Military tribunals were quickly set up to try the 12 governors; some of them were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment ranging up to 1000 years. Because of their long detention before trial, some of them died one after the other soon after their release. Ogun sate’s first civilian governor, a veteran journalist and popular columnist (Aiyekoto), Chief Olabisi Onabanjo was the first to die, followed by Edo state governor, Professor Ambrose Ali, then Alhaji Sabo Bakinzuwo of Kano state and octogenarian Chief Adekunle Ajasin of Ondo state. As for Chief Lar he took terribly ill and his health degenerated to the extent that he only survived by the amazing grace of God. The undiminished image of Chief Lar and his political star will continue to bestride Plateau state and indeed Nigeria like a Colossus. One could only compare his sterling leadership and altruism to those of late Alhaji Yahaya Gusau, one in the e generation of Northern

civil servants that were fearless, honest, firm and were advocates of responsible governance. Yahaya Gusau resigned as a Federal Commissioner in General Yakubu Gowon’s government when one of his colleagues, Mr. Joseph Sarwan. Tarka, imported-three exotic cars at a time the government had placed a total ban on luxury vehicles. Again when he was appointed as Chairman of the Northern Nigeria Marketing Board (NNMB) a Mercedes Benz car Model 600 was bought for him as his official car. He gave the shocker of the year to the staff of the company when he was invited to see it. Alhaji Yahaya ordered that one car should be returned and the money put back in the account of the the company on the ground that he did not request for such high profile cars. When he bounced back into politics in 1998, Chief Lar managed to do some leg work to gather notable political associates to constitute a strong pressure group known as G34 to confront the military junta. “We cannot go on like this; steps must be taken to send these soldiers back to the barracks”, he said. He took a letter on behalf of G34 to the dreaded maximum dictator General Sani Abacha in which the group said Nigerians were fed up with the soldiers. They should go back to the barracks. That was the message. Shortly

after that, General Abacha died mysteriously and General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over but he hurriedly handed over power to elected General Olusegun Obasanjo in May, 1999. The ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), elected Chief Lar as its pioneer National Chairman. However, internal squabbling crept in when in intrigue and political machinations were at play to remove Chief Lar from office while preparing for his second term. Chief Lar went on the offensive, lambasting President Obasanjo for marginalizing the party that brought him to power. He accused Obasanjo of bypassing the party’s channels of communication. In a letter dated July 19, 1999, Chief Lar alleged that instead of closer interaction with national leaders of the party, Obasanjo preferred to deal with governors, governorship candidates and state chairman of the party. It took Obasanjo three weeks to respond to the issues raised by Lar. He said they were personal matters as “I have always consulted you”, he claimed. “Remember, you have an untainted reputation you built over many years and have a name without blemish.” Subsequently, Chief Lar resigned from PDP and opened a political office in Abuja where PDP political big wigs started to cross over to him. As a result, a peace committee was set up to bring

back Lar and his followers back into the PDP fold. That was the first time there was a big crack in the ruling party. On November 16, 1982, Chief Lar invited Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, the Owelle of Onitsha and the National Chairman of NPP to Jos to host him on the occasion of his 78th birthday. He pronounced Zik as a “hero and eventful man”. He said Zik was able to foresee the gathering storm that threatened to tear down the fabric of the Nigerian nation. He said he trusted that Zik would continue to be a beacon of hope and inspiration to Nigerians. The last public appearance of Chief Lar was sometime in September, 2013 this when he and Professor Jerry Gana led a delegation of Middle Belt elders to President Goodluck Jonathan to protest the nonpayment of compensation for churches and houses were burnt during the April 2011 post-election in April 2011. Before his body was committed to the mother earth, President Jonathan paid glowing tribute to Lar who he said went into politics not to make money but to serve his people and emancipate them. Professor Mary Lar, his widow, said that before the demise of her husband, he held her hand and gave messages to Nigerians, Tarok community, Plateau people and the PDP, to remain united. Concluded Stephen O. Bamigbele retired from New Nigerian as Associate Edito

Why Nwachukwu should not lead the Igbos By SKC Ogbonia

he news of Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu leading the Igbo delegation to the forthcoming national conference is, as expected, triggering a worldwide condemnation. Such appointment, if true, is not only the height of betrayal, it has the potential to destroy the credibility of the confab. General Ike Nwachukwu is a quintessential saboteur, whose only claim to fame is orchestrating genocide against his own people. Simply put, while some bad may lead to good, and even as Nigeria’s main religions preach forgiveness, bestowing this honor on Nwachukwu is the moral equivalence of Christians extolling Judas Iscariot over Jesus. Why is the Igbo memory

so short? What do we tell our fallen heroes, who must be roaring in their graves at the nature of this appointment--an act completely rooted in selfish interests? A leader of the Igbo delegation must not be someone with questionable characters; and Ike Nwachukwu, a Sabo, falls far short of the desired standard. Notice that we have made this mistake of trusting General

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Nwachukwu in the recent past. Lest we forget, when he was marshaled into the senate in 1999 to represent Abia North, some saw it as an opportunity to lend the perceived wazobia connections toward development in Igbo land or even in his senatorial constituency, but he did just the opposite. Further, while running for president in 2003 under NDP, a party supposedly floated by Ibrahim Babangida,

Senator Nwachukwu would also boast of being able to capitalize on the inter-tribal background to gain ground, but outcome remains an embarrassing failure. What is going on? What is the problem with Igbos? The answer is quite simple: there seems to be no penalty for bad behavior in Igbo land nowadays. This cannot continue. This abomination of imposing the likes of Nwachukwu

was marshaled into the senate in 1999 to represent Abia North, some saw it as an opportunity to lend the perceived wazobia connections toward development in Igbo land or even in his senatorial constituency, but he did just the opposite. Further, while running for president in 2003 under NDP, a party supposedly floated by Ibrahim Babangida, Senator Nwachukwu would also boast of being able to capitalize on the intertribal background to gain ground, but outcome remains an embarrassing failure. What is going on? What is the problem with Igbos?

on the people will not (and should not) be condoned in any culture. Definitely not in Nigeria--not the North or the West! The Yourubas, for instance, have not forgiven (and may never forgive) their sons who, they believed, sabotaged June 12 by serving in Abacha’s regime (e.g., Lateef Jakande, Olu Onaguruwa, Ebenezar Babatope, and so forth) let alone someone whose sabotage maimed and killed his own people. To demonstrate that they still matter, Igbo pressure groups (particularly Ohaneze and World Igbo Congress) and Igbo political leaders must act quickly to stop this appointment on its tracks. Dr. SKC Ogbonnia wrote in from Houston, Texas, and is reachable on SKCOgbonnia@ firsttexasenergy.com

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Opinion Sack, prosecute Abba Moro By Jiti Ogunye

n Saturday, 15th of March, 2014, the ides of March, the Ministry of Internal Affairs ( Interior), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), and the public officers responsible for the Ministry and NIS, principally Abba Moro, the Interior Minister and David Parradang, the Comptroller General of Immigrations jointly and severally killed, at least twenty (20) people, across the country during a job recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service in stadia across the Country. The facts and circumstances of the tragic incident, and the fact that it was not unprecedented make these public officers and the Federal Government of Nigeria not only liable for the civil wrong that had been done to the deceased and their bereaved families but also culpable in criminal law for the unlawful killing of the deceased. Apart from, and in addition to being sacked, these public officers, ” and others at large” must be prosecuted. Moro and his ministry and Comptroller-General of Immigrations David Parrradang and the Department of Immigrations invited these Nigerians who died and the traumatized others, who are living, to apply for employment. We have been told that over 520,000 applicants applied for the under 4,556 job vacancies. When the number of applicants hit 4,000, 40,000 or 100,000, the Ministry and Immigrations Department did not turn back subsequent applicants. They kept taking applications from job seekers

who were made to pay for seeking jobs that were not available. Why? The Ministry and Immigrations were engaged in another illicit act of raking in ” internally generated revenue”, to be stolen as the “recruitment exercise administrative costs “. Corruption was, thus, the motivation and driver of this recruitment fraud. Remember,

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the police recruitment scratch card, online application recruitment scam of the past. Recall the Imo State Governor, Ohiakim similar employment scam of the past. The Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) is also on board of this illicit public fleece, dubiously selling online forms to candidates or victims, if you will, to apply for admission into tertiary institutions, far in excess of admission capacity of the tertiary institutions. The money realized is called internally generated revenue, which these institutions, that are fed and sustained by “external” statutory votes and budgetary allocations, have wide latitude to steal. These innocent Nigerians were scammed (and now some of them have been murdered) to apply for jobs that were not available. Not only because the number

transparent and credible. When they invited these applicants, these murderers knew the number of those expected to congregate at each of these venues of tragedy. Did they prepare for them? Were paramedics there on standby? Did they prepare for crowd

of applicants far outstripped advertised vacancies, but also because the publicly advertised vacancies would have been privately filled, anyway, before the public charade, by vested interests, who have turned public service into a fiefdoms of unbridled nepotism and mediocrity. When these murderers got over 520,000 applicants in their hands for less than 4,556 available jobs, they had ample time to embark on arbitrary screening; for example, prune down the number of ” successful applicants to be shortlisted for interview” to say a manageable level of 40,000 applicants, in order to ensure that the applicants did not mass up at the stadia. They did not do so. Why? Simulations and pretences are the hallmark of fraudsters. They wanted to give the fraudulent impression that the exercise was open,

control? No. And to think that these are the institutions in charge of our borders in Nigeria. Porous thinking, negligent reasoning equals porous borders. Our borders, we can now see, are not porous because of the vast land. They are porous because of vacuous and arid mind. Two years ago, an avoidable disaster like this one almost occurred. And the Ministry of Interior and Immigrations who are now the undertakers who have interred these unemployment victims and forced them to embark on an irreversible emigrations out of country and out of life, were very much in the system, then. So, calamity like this had almost occurred before. Did Abba Moro and his co-agents of death do everything, or even anything, in their power to avert this disaster? No. And so, we declare that the

and not a straight mile. The history of heroes is the history of the youth. To be no better or greater than the past is to be inferior, mean and foolish; it is to abuse noble means and to sacrifice glorious opportunities for the performance of sublime deeds. As a result of these retrogressive policies of the Nigerian elders, irrespective of political affiliations, the wingless eagle called Nigeria is cumbered on the ground continuously. And for the youth, this has confirmed the assertion that our help is not going to come from any quarters, the youth must demand for their rights in the country. Unlike some people’s erroneous thought, revolt is a characteristic of every country who aspires to develop

as stability is symptomatic of senility or ignorance. It is the place of youth to rouse the entire citizens from smug complacence to the affirmation of those great ideals of insight on which alone progress and survival of Nigeria depend; life is not stagnant and the old order continually gives way to the new. The spice of life is in action and youth is its bloom; to deny youth the chance to blossom like the flower is to deny development. The government through its NIS agents disciplined us, defrauds us and then snuffed lives out of our compatriots! To worsen our problems, their spokesman, the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro said it boldly that we were tear-gassed and maimed because we were unruly

minister and the Comptroller General of Immigrations, with others now at large, co-conspirators, are criminally liable, and must be brought to justice. Also, under our criminal laws, criminal negligence can be prosecuted. “It is the duty of every person who has in his charge or under his control anything whether living or inanimate, and whether moving or stationary, of such a nature that, if the absence of care or precaution in its use or management, the life, safety or health of any person may be endangered, to use reasonable care and take reasonable precautions to avoid such danger; and he is held to have caused any consequences which result to the life or health of any person by reason of any omission to perform that duty.” The minister and his subordinates were in charge of the immigration recruitment exercise and, in particular, in charge of the public venues where the selection and interview charade took place on Saturday, 15th of March. In Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, applicants, far in excess of a 60,000 capacity National Stadium, were said to have been invited to the venue of the mass slaughter. The Minister and his subordinates owed the dead applicants a duty of care. They breached that duty of care. And they must be held responsible in civil actions ( unlawful killing, breach of fundamental right to life), and in a criminal charge for the resultant damage ( injury) and deaths. Jiti Ogunye, a social justice advocate and attorney at law, is based in Lagos

One step into darkness By Adewale Stephen

he civilized world must feel horrified at the news of the brutal massacre of poor Nigerians that died in their course of striving for a better and decent job last Saturday, 15th March 2014. According to the Punch Newspaper of Sunday 16th March, 2014, 18 people died during the screening exercise that was conducted by the National Immigration Service. According to the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, 520,000 Nigerians applied for the post in which only 4, 556 would be recruited. This indeed is a bad time for youthful ebullience. To ensure we don’t make it to the labour market, they decided to deny us access to qualitative education by their imposition of astronomical fees on higher education. However, we defied them by our determination to obtain higher education and when they found out they couldn’t stop us through this obnoxious policy, they hoard their jobs and start reminding us at every juncture of the way how we are not suitable for the labour market. Right from NYSC camp, they introduced us into what they referred to as Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Development (SAED). For 21 days in the para-military camp,

they kept telling us that we must become the next Entrepreneurs after Dangote, Adenuga and Otedola by getting involved in some menial jobs such as Shoe-making, tailoring, fishery and farming as if that was what Dangote and his breed did before they became the richest men in Africa. With all our intellectual acumen and academic gown, we came back to town jobless. To make ends meet, we fell Ours is a country that underrates the youth. Old people have simply refused to know when to retire or encourage the youth who can contribute meaningfully to the country’s development and hand over the eternal torch to those that follow. They have failed to realize that public life is a relay

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The civilized world must feel horrified at the news of the brutal massacre of poor Nigerians that died in their course of striving for a better and decent job last Saturday, 15th March 2014. According to the Punch Newspaper of Sunday 16th March, 2014, 18 people died during the screening exercise that was conducted by the National Immigration Service. According to the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, 520,000 Nigerians applied for the post in which only 4, 556 would be recruited.

and impatient! Haaa!!! Never before has any government been guilty of such treacherous and ignominious role as the author of this baneful and sadistic attempt to disillusion and swindle an already disenchanted whole for the gratification of the fiendish bliss of the sworded and helmeted political ‘Stalinists’ to whom the upsurge of Nigerian youth is a potential threat to their daily bread. To them, prestige is more important than the people, and the victory that is not based on fraud must be raised on force: justice is out of their agenda and humanism is reckoned as weakness. And so the heartless beast has lived from decade to decade. Sadly, however, I suspect that Nigerian youth in the frenzy of revolutionary propaganda and menial jobs such as barbing; hairdressing, recharge card outlets, taxi driving and daily argument at innumerable newspaper stands across the country will soon learn to sublime our sorrow and demand for our rights. And when we the common people decide to rise, none of them will be safe. Then darkness will set in Adewale Stephen, Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 15

Comment

Jonathan’s curious silence on Simlin

By Karo Orovboni

f you are reading this article then you are privileged and fortunate enough to afford internet connection; I say privileged because there are millions of Nigerians who cannot afford three square meals a day, not to even conceive paying for an internet service. Regardless of who you speak with, they would concur when you that we need a better Nigeria. Having agreed on that, it would be difficult for some to agree to certain facts based on their sentiments to issues or loyalty to personalities and their pockets. The fact remains that Nigeria is what it is today because some people, through their actions or inactions have directly or indirectly affected Nigeria. Another fact is Boko Haram’s recent bestial attack on a boarding school in Buni Yadi, Yobe state; school children were killed. Now, pause for a moment, think slowly about what would be going through the minds of the parents of those innocent children that were killed in their

school. Think about how the parents would look back to the last time they saw their children, the last time the children said goodbye mum/dad. The parents would never have thought it would be the last goodbye they would say to their children, not to even conceive the children would be killed in such gruesome manner. As this was still fresh in the minds of the parents and Nigerians at large, reports broke on how President Goodluck Jonathan’s special assistant on new media, Reno Omokri, posed as “Wendell Simlin”. He sent out a write-up to media outfits, trying to link the suspended Central Bank governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to the increased violent activities of Boko Haram in the north-east region of the country. But Reno Omokri was exposed, as the document was linked back to him, with various examples of seemingly concrete evidence. Now imagine what would have happened had Reno Omokri (Wendell Simlin) succeeded in his smear job, he

would have successfully sent Nigerians on a wild goose chase while Boko Haram continue to maim and kill innocent children. The media has been thronged with calls for Reno Omokri to be investigated, but this has been met with robust silence by the presidency, possibly in the hope that there will be calm or there will be another issue to cover this up and people will gradually forget that this ever happened. Well, we may forget, oh yes we may, but not until the parents of those innocent children that were killed forget about the pain of the death of their children. Some have said Reno was just doing his job; I would advise that if a job description desires a candidate who must be able to: lie to his conscience, morals, and integrity - it’s not worth applying. A job that would be insensitive to the killings of innocent children is no job; but an insult to mankind; which further raises questions surrounding the integrity of your paymaster. Many will rather the status quo continues, for corruption, and injustice to

remain, as long as they continue to make their money, but what about the downtrodden and the poor? What about those who have no voice and cannot be heard? You have a voice but what are you using it for? It is written that those that shut their ears to the cry of the poor will one day cry and will not be heard. So I will like to join my voice with others and implore the president to break the silence on Wendell Simlin as the robust silence from the presidency is deafening. The president had promised to spare no sacred cow in bringing to justice all those involved in the evil perpetration and early termination of innocent souls, this is just the perfect time and avenue to do so. The fact that the story emanated from the presidency should itself prompt the president into swift action and make sure he gets to the bottom of the issue. Reno Omokri’s action is a grievous national security issue and should be treated as such. There are some very important questions that are

begging to be answered. Why did Reno Omokri write such a document? Was the purpose of his piece to disseminate false information just for political gain; are the lives of the children that cheap for people to play politics with – if this is true? Did he act alone or was he under orders? Does Reno know something about the incessant killings by Boko Haram that he may want to avail the security agents with? He may just know something that will help Nigeria nip Boko Haram in the bud once and for all. We all owe Nigeria a duty to make sure issues like this are not swept underneath the carpet irrespective of what your bias is. If we choose to be silent, our silence on issues such as this may well turn out to be sinful silence. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing – Edmund Burke. Whatever we do, posterity will judge us all by the role we played in whatever this nation becomes.

critical positions, to capture the 2013 AFCON title, crushing, in the process, an almighty Ivorian team made up of what would easily pass for African European Champions League Eleven. Jose Mourinho would achieve that feat only by importing into the team Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Frank Ribery, Eden Hazard, Gerard Pique, Bastian Shweinsteiger and David Alaba, younger brother of Taiwo and Kehinde, proud children of my G.O. God, give Nigeria not a Mourinho. The mouthy Portuguese can only lead another Goliath to conquer Goliath. The real Special One is he who can lead a Fulham, a Sunderland or a Cardiff, not Abramovich’s multi-billionaire Chelsea, to crush Manchester City at the fearsome Etihad. Nigeria needs a manager who can lead it, as a Third World country that it is, to kick out the United

States, Japan, Germany, South Korea, China etc. in technology, economy, security, education, health and politics. I would rather God gave Nigeria an Otto Rehhagel, a real Special One, who not only did a big thing and then a new big thing, but also led David to conquer Goliath on both occasions. The German magician, in 1998, led one ordinary German second division side called Kaiserslautern (I almost wrote Kaiser-slaughtered!), without an Abramovich or Dollar Sheikh behind it, first to a comfortable promotion and then sensationally straight to the Bundesliga title (the first and so far only win by a promoted team) ahead of giants such as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Six years later, 2004, this same man led tiny Greece, with no single player Nigerian youths who practically live at football viewing centres could recognize, to capture the European Nations Cup. In the process, the team accounted for the hosts, the defending champions and pre-tournament favourites and winning all its matches in open play. Mourinho would only have achieved the feat with a team already capable of such even with Madam Rebecca as coach, such as Germany, Spain and The Netherlands. Dele Akinola is on linkedIn

Karo Orovboni is on Twitter @ Karo_Orovboni

God, give Nigeria not a Mourinho By Dele Akinola

he General Overseer, Press Clips Pentecostal Church (PCPC), Pastor Mike Awoyinfa, in one of his sermons prayed God to make him a Mourinho. To his credit, it is in his character to sermonize, every weekend, with soul-lifting and changeinspiring prayer points on his back page pulpit. As a ‘Saturday-Saturday Medicine’ member of the Church, not a church worker and therefore not known to the G.O., I feel safe, from time to time, to either say or refuse to say ‘amen’ to whichever of his prayer points I so consider. Awoyinfa was overwhelmed by the heroics of “the guy who inspires me with his guts, with his humour, with his charisma, with his good looks, with his knowledge of football, with his knowledge of management,” Chelsea FC manager, Jose Mourinho. The one who, for instance, nurtured the defunct Weekend Concord newspaper from the cradle with a team of mere eaglet editors and correspondents prayed God to make him a Mourinho. It should have been the other way round: Mourinho should be asking God to make him an Awoyinfa. However, if my General Overseer’s prayer is his wish, I say a loud ‘amen.’ But G.O. stirred the rebel in me when he beseeched God to give Nigeria a Mourinho.

To that I stubbornly refuse to shout ‘amen’. I reject it in Jesus’ name. God, give Nigeria not a Mourinho. G.O.’s hero’s Nigerian version is the exact opposite of the kind of manager the country badly needs at the moment. Nigeria needs a manager genuinely equipped to do new things. Mourinho said: “I love doing new things.” But he never does new things; he only moves to new locations and that can never amount to doing new things.I would rather, God, you gave Nigeria a Vicente del Bosque who has not only done new things, but is also to date the only football manager to have won the Champions League in addition to domestic league titles (with club sides) and the European Championship and the World Cup (with a national team). Managing a national team is a completely different ball game from managing a club for more reasons than one. Sven-Goran Eriksson went a step further in doing

“

new things by going back to a league division four club, Notts County, as Director of Football, with a view to taking the world’s oldest league club to the top of the Premiership in a straight flight. He was on course before resigning following certain unfortunate incidents. God, give Nigeria not a Mourinho. What the country needs is a real Special One who can squeeze milk out of malnourished, “pooku lowo e” cows rather than fat, overfed ones. The country needs a manager, a commander-in-chief, who can lead and motivate poorly-paid, poorly-housed and poorly-fed slumping police officers to restore lasting peace on the Plateau, an ill-equipped army to crush Boko Haram and a trembling EFCC to confront corruption. I would rather God gave Nigeria a Stephen Keshi who led a near-unknown Super Eagles squad, with boys from the low-rated NPL in

exact opposite of the kind of manager the country badly needs at the moment. Nigeria needs a manager genuinely equipped to do new things. Mourinho said: “I love doing new things.” But he never does new things; he only moves to new locations and that can never amount to doing new things.I would rather, God, you gave Nigeria a Vicente del Bosque who has not only done new things, but is also to date the only football manager to have won the Champions League in addition to domestic league titles (with club sides) and the European Championship and the World Cup (with a national team).

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Woman in trouble over cruelty to 9-year old niece

Vehicular traffic caused by construction of an overhead Bridge across the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge Rail line on the outer Northern Expressway, on Monday at Kagini, in Abuja. Photo: NAN

Durumi residents lampoon FCTA special task force over invasion of community Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

arely 24 hours into the operations of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Special Enforcement Task Team on city cleaning and management, it suffered a setback a major setback, as indigenes and residents of Durumi village yesterday, staged a protest against what they described as ‘high headedness of the Task Team leader’. They equally demanded an unreserved apology from FCT Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu, for invading their community without notification, even as they vowed that the Task Team will not succeed until some knotty issues such as compensation and resettlement are addressed. Peoples Daily had reported that the officials of the Mbu-led task force had on Monday embarked on an intensive clamp down on vagrants, hawkers as well as operators of commercial motorcycles, tricycles and other illegal activities including unlawful development of structures

in the FCT. However, Barrister Ephraim Ushafa, who spoke on behalf of the group, alleged that the attitude of FCT Administration towards the affairs of the original inhabitants is appalling, stressing that the Task Team came to the village with the aim to pull down some existing structures without notification. “The government does not have common regard for the indigenes of the territory. Few days ago, we read in the papers that the FCT Minister has set a committee to clean up the city. We are not against the committee. “They can do whatever they what to do, but is wrong for the leader of the committee who is the commissioner of police to arbitrarily pull down people’s home without notice. We should be properly informed of government intention on programme that affects us. “Even our local chief is not aware of the planned demolition. We want to sound a note of warning to the committee that until the issue of compensation and resettlement is addressed, nothing will be

achieved in Durumi community” he threatened. Speaking in the same vein, the Secretary of the Original Inhabitant Development Association (OIDA), Comrade Yusuf Ahmadu Yunusa, said the attitude of the Task Team towards the original inhabitants deserved an apology from the leader of the team, adding that despite genuine intention of government in the development of the territory, the indigenes are not carried along. According to him, “I was surprised when the PRO of Development Control came to verbally announced to residents that the area will be pulled down by the Task Team without consulting even our chief. “We are not happy with the development of event. We are not equally comfortable with the high headedness demonstrated by the Commissioner of Police in this matter. His officers brutalized some residents and tricycle operators. For how long will they continue to treat the original inhabitants as animals?” he queried. Also, the chief of Durumi, Alhaji

Danjuma Tanko Anyidabubo, who condemned the manner in which the Task Team carried out its operation, said his people are not aware of the clean Abuja initiative. It would be recalled that the FCT Administration outlined the Task Team’s terms of reference which include among others identifying all flash points for street hawking/ begging, commercial sex workers and other untoward activities in Abuja metropolis for effective pindown operations. Others are removing all shanties and illegal/unplanned developments in the Abuja City Centre; removal of illegal car marts from unauthorized locations in the FCT; carrying out sting operations in hideouts occupied by suspected criminal elements with a view to forestalling nefarious activities in the Territory; putting in place necessary strategies to reduce gridlocks and ease traffic flow in the metropolis and mounting massive enlightenment campaign in the print and electronic media on the need for residents to comply with City Management Laws.

ne Margaret Ibanga of Aku village, Mararaba, near Abuja, is in hot soup, for maltreating and beating up her sister’s daughter, simply identified as Peace, a 9-year old girl, from Akwa-Ibom, she brought to stay with her. The woman, who had inflicted different injuries all over Peace’s body, was exposed by a concerned neighbor, one Mishak Ogbonna, who reported the matter at the ‘A’ Division Police Station, Mararaba. Ibanga, had pleaded guilty to a two-count charge, and was remanded in prison custody for alleged cruelty to child, when she appeared before a Mararaba Senior Magistrates’ court 1, in Nasarawa state, on Monday. The Senior Magistrate, Mr. Iliya Aku, gave the order after Ibanga pleaded guilty to the two-count charge. Aku ordered that Ibanga should be remanded till March 21, to enable the court to decide a proper sentence for her. He also said that the remand duration would enable the Child Rights Act to take its full course. Earlier, the prosecutor, PC Jacob John, told the court that the matter was reported at the said Police station on March16. He said it was learnt that the accused started maltreating her, beating her up with cane and causing her different injuries all over her body. “The incident has been recurrent, forcing Ogbonna, a concerned neighbour, to report the matter,’’ he added.

... as Kuchigoro community sends SOS to FCT minister over demolition threat

esidents of Kuchigoro community, in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), have sent a safe our soul (SOS) letter to FCT minister, Bala Mohammed, over the threat by the officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), to demolish new structures in the area.

They warned that if nothing is done fast to avert the threat, there will be unprecedented record of human displacement, which could degenerate into chaos, anarchy and motley of social ills. It was gathered that the FCDA officials had threatened to embark on an intensive removal new illegal structures

in the community, this week, when they visited the area last Saturday, without prior noticed In a four-page sos letter signed and sent to the FCT minister, on behalf of the Gbagyis in the community, by peter Oriaran, of Idowu and Orraran associates, the indigenes expressed concern

that if the threat is carried out unscrupulous elements could take advantage of the situation and perpetrate their ulterior motive. They said FCDA threat has disorganized the entire community psychologically and has fostered atmosphere of tension on the hitherto peaceful settlement.

“This contemplated action is unfair, illegal, oppressive and wholly unjustifiable. We hereby send this SOS to you (minister) to urgently intervene in view of the security situation in the country and save the Gbagyi Community from systematic annihilation from human race,” the letter read.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 17

Metro

Pupils of Doveland International School displaying karate skills, during the school’s inter-house sports, at the weekend in Abuja.

Labourers overloaded in a pick-up van on their way to a construction site, yesterday along airport road Abuja.

Staff of Abuja Environment Protection Board on duty around Federal Secretariat, yesterday in Abuja.

Students entertaining guests at education stakeholders’ conference, recently in Abuja.

A cobbler mending his client’s bag, yesterday at Central Area, in Abuja. Photos: Justin Imo-owo

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Metro

Court remands man for constituting nuisance

Mararaba Senior Magistrates’ court 2, has remanded one Anas Ibrahim, 20, of Jabi, Abuja, in prison custody for allegedly constituting public nuisance. The Senior Magistrate, Mr. Jeremiah Danladi, gave the order after the accused had pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge. The accused is facing charges of criminal intimidation, making atmosphere noxious to health and constituting public nuisance. Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Aliyu Mohammed, had told the court that the accused was arrested by surveillance team, attached to ‘A’ Division Police Station, Mararaba, on March 16. Mohammed alleged the accused was smoking Indian-hemp in a public place and also threatened to kill the motorcyclist that conveyed him with a knife, if he did not stop at a U-Turn. The prosecutor said that the offences were contrary to the Penal Code. (NAN)

An itinerant tailor mending his customer’s clothes, in Nyanya, recently.

INSIDE FCT COURTS

3 men docked for stealing 2 blackberry phones

Truck-pusher gets 3 months for attempt to rape minor T A

n Abuja Magistrates’ court has sentenced a truck-pusher, Onyekachi Okwonkwo, 18, to three months in prison for attempting to rape a minor. Okwonkwo of Jabi Upstairs, Abuja was arraigned on one count charge of attempt to commit indecent assault. The Magistrate, Mr. Musa Jobbo, sentenced Okwonkwo with an option to pay N2,000

fine following his plea of guilt. “The punishment is to make you change your lifestyle from that of crime to being a good citizen,’’ the magistrate said. However, the convict in his plea for leniency said: “I had an urge and could not control myself. Please I am begging for forgiveness, I am an orphan.’’ Earlier the Prosecutor, Cpl. Buba Irimiya, told the court that the convict had threatened to

rape the little girl. Irimiya said that one Salama Audu of Jabi Upstairs reported the matter at the Utako Police Station on March 5. He added that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 285 of the Penal code. After the convict’s guilty plea, the prosecutor prayed the court to summarily sentence him under Section 157 (1) of the Criminal Procedure code.

According to him, the section states that “if an accused admits that he has committed the offence of which he is accused, his admission shall be recorded.’’ It adds that this must ``be nearly as possible, in the words used by the accused and if he shows no sufficient cause why he should not be convicted, the court may convict him accordingly.’’(NAN)

…Cleaner to spend 3 years in prison for forgery, impersonation

26-year old cleaner, Emmanuel Agene, is to spend three years in prison, after he was sentence by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chief Magistrates’ court sitting in Karu, for forgery and impersonation. Chief Magistrate Hadiza Shagari, sentenced Agene without an option of fine, after he pleaded guilty to three counts of forgery, impersonation and theft. “I have listened to the plea of the convict; he said it was poverty that pushed him into committing the offence. The reason he gave is not good enough. “Although, the convict sounded remorseful, this showed he regrets his act, but

justice has to take its course in this matter to serve as a deterrent to other youths out there. “Even though he said it was poverty that pushed him to commit the offence, the items he stole with the money are luxury goods. “Though he said it was poverty that pushed him to commit the offence but the items he stole are luxuries. “I hereby find the accused guilty as charged under sections 364, 132 and 287 of the Penal code, respectively, ’’ she said. Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Mohammed Garba, told the court that the convict forged the signature of one Stephen Nwachukwu and withdrew

N356,000 from his account. Garba said that the case was reported at Garki police station by Simon Ameh a member of staff of Sky Bank Plc, Area D branch, Abuja. He said the convict posed as the genuine owner of the account and succeeded in withdrawing the said amount but was later identified through the photograph taken before the money was released to him. The News Agency of Nigeria reports (NAN) that the convict pleaded guilty to the charge and promised never to engage in such criminal act again. “I was employed as a cleaner in a church close to my house on a monthly salary of N5, 000 per month.

“I have a wife and a kid and my salary only sustain us for just a week. “That was why I had to commit this act knowing that I opened the account for Nwachukwu and we have same look. “I used the money stolen from the account to buy TV set, fridge, standing fan, air conditioner, a Samsung galaxy phone. “Other items are mattress, rug carpet, food items and I rented a self-contained room for N40,000 per year. “All the items were seize by the police and the sum of N50, 000 is with the IPO. I asked for more time to enable me sell the items and refund the money to the owner,” he pleaded. (NAN)

he police have arraigned three men, Jonathan Odey, 24; Samson Samuel, 18, and Friday Nden, 18, in a Senior Magistrates’ court, Abuja, for allegedly stealing two Blackberry Q 10 phones. The prosecutor, Cpl David Udeh, told the court that on February 22, at about 2 a.m., one Ezy Chibuzom of No 49, Arsenal Drive, Sun City, Abuja, lodged a report against the accused persons at the Wuse Zone 3 Police Station. He said Chibuzom reported that on same day, at about 1:40 a.m., the accused persons attacked her at Krystal Lounge, Wuse 2, Abuja. Udeh told the court that the accused persons stole Chibuzom’s Blackberry Q 10 and Nokia phones valued at N65,000. He said that the accused persons were standing trial for joint act and theft, contrary to sections 79, and 287 of the Penal code, respectively. The counsel to the accused, Azubike Moneke, however applied for their bail under section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution which presumed an accused innocent until proven contrary. He said they would not jeopardise police investigation and would not jump bail. “I hereby grant the accused persons bail in the sum of N100,000 with two reliable sureties in like sum who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.’’ Eri adjourned the matter to April 2 for continuation of hearing. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

INSIDE

etuka2012@gmail.com/meetetus@rocketmail.com 08066605655,08182721672

FG to increase domestic gas consumption from 1.7bcf to 5.4bcf by 2019 By Etuka Sunday

he Federal Government has announced its plans to grow domestic gas consumption from 1.7 billion cubic feet per day to 5.4 bcf per day by 2019 in line with its Gas Master Plan. The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Engr. Yakubu made this known while delivering the keynote address on the second day of the 2014 Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Abuja with the theme: “Nigeria’s Strategy to maintain its position as Africa’s leading producer”. The NNPC GMD said the country’s reserves stand at 36 billion barrels of oil and about 182 trillion cubic feet of gas and produced an average of 2.2 million barrels of oil per day in 2013 with a reserve to production ratio of 42 years for oil and 155 years for gas.

...Targets 3m barrels of oil per day

“In Africa, only Libya has more oil reserves than Nigeria and despite new discoveries in Sub Saharan Africa, especially in Mozambique, Nigeria still has undiscovered gas potential of about 600 tcf,” he said. Yakubu said that even in recent times with the emerging African oil producers, the discovery of the Ogo field in 2013 with reserves of about 750 million barrels of equivalent shows that the Nigerian Deltaremains one of the most prospective areas in the world. He revealed that about 49% of Nigeria’s licensed blocks (397) are still open and active stressing that the availability of production allowances would also provide a welcome boost for small fields and profitability would increase in the proposed petroleum industry

bill currently before the National Assembly. “Nigeria’s quest to grow its reserves is promoted in the PIB through a robust acreage management system to be superintended by the Upstream Petroleum Inspectorate, involving the release of acreages that have been held without activity. “The passage of the PIB will promote transparency, accountability and good governance and level playing field for players in the Nigerian oil industry. This will doubtless attract the much needed investment in the Nigerian Petroleum Sector,” he said. According to the GMD, despite the above strategies to remain a leading player, Nigeria has faced unprecedented challenges with regards to losses in production

occasioned by incessant vandalism of crude oil export pipelines and domestic crude oil and petroleum product pipelines. Engr. Yakubu stated that in 2013, Nigeria suffered severe attacks on its critical export pipeline system leading to the loss and deferment of about 300,000 barrels per day. The GMD stated that to tackle these challenges and ensure that the country maintains its leading position in oil production in Africa, a number of initiatives have been initiated. These include: measures to address pipeline vandalism, improving small field economics, newacreage management systems, new exploration paradigm shift, attractingnew capital investment and the introduction of new licensing rounds

L-R: Manager, Trade Sales, British Airways, Mr. Ademola Sanya, General Manager, West Africa, British Airways, Mr. Kola Olayinka, and Legal Adviser, Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Afolake St. Matthew Daniel, during a press conference to announce the launch of the British Airways ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ recently in Lagos.

he Federal Government yesterday challenged the National Economic Summit Group (NESG), to review the policy foundation of Nigeria’s education sector developed in 1969 to meet current realities. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan gave this charge at the opening ceremony of the 20th Nigeria Economic Summit. The President, who spoke through Vice President Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo, said: “More than forty years after, this policy foundation is ripe for review, to determine its relevance and fine tune its adaptability to national objectives, in this 21st Century.

-Pg 22

NSIWC approval will enable us pay hazard allowances, says NAMA

-Pg 20

NIA calls for review of Insurance Act 2003, others

-Pg 21

Exchange Rates CBN as at 18th March, 2014

Economic Summit: FG wants 45-year old education policy reviewed By Clem Khena-Ogbena

First Bank partners NESG to chart educational discourse at 20th Summit

In his remarks, the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, stated that the federal government had invested N144.7 billion in basic education between 2009 and 2013. He added the money was given as grants to states to assist them in funding basic education. The minister also said that through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, the sum of N268.484bn was allocated to the universities of which N233.33billion had been accessed, while the balance of N35.154billion had not been accessed. For the polytechnics, he said N129.33billion was allocated of which N116.99billion had been accessed, while the balance of N12.343billion was yet to be accessed. For the colleges of education, Wike said that the sum of N124.38billion

was allocated. Of this amount, he said N106.25billion was accessed, while N18.14billion was yet to be accessed by the beneficiaries. In addition to the funds released through TET fund, the minister said a total of N94.129billion had been released to Federal Universities, through the National University Commission for capital, direct teaching and laboratory cost, and teaching and research equipment. On investment in basic education, he said that between 2009 and 2013, the federal government had invested N144.67billion as matching grants to states. Of the amount invested, the minister said the sum of N98.80billion had been assessed by states, while N45.87billion was yet to be accessed.

Buying

Selling

154.7

155.74

€

257.23

258.90

215.50

216.89

Riyal

41.25

41.52

YEN

1.52

1.53

CFA

0.30

0.32

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY

In over your head? Try an S.O.S.

mbition can sometimes land you in situations where everything is coming at you way too fast and you’re in over your head. Perhaps the problem you were hired to fix is much bigger than anticipated or you’re short on the skills you need. Before you drown, send out an S.O.S.: stop, organize, secure. Don’t make it worse by acting without thinking and moving uncontrollably, such as sending out e-mails you haven’t slept on

or vetted thoroughly. When you stop, you conserve emotional and physical reserves and preserve your political capital. Next, organize, assessing the situation and appraising what you need to do to regain your buoyancy. As for securing what you need to succeed, with the right strategy, you’ll be able to ask for and get the help you need. Source: Review

Harvard

Business

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Aviation Stories from Suleiman Idris, Lagos

ayment of hazard allowances to staff of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA) is said to commence once approval is granted by the National Salaries, Incomes & Wages Commission, NSIWC, the agency has said. The payment is part of resolution NAMA reached with aggrieved aviation union bodies following a meeting with the Labour ministry and representative of the unions who locked in trade dispute demanding the payment of the allowances among others. Peoples Daily gathered that NSIWC is in possession of the letter from NAMA through the Federal Ministry of Aviation which

nited Arab Emirate (UAE) carrier, Etihad Airways said it has launch new programme to improve sleep quality on its long-haul flights. The airline said it has been working closely with a panel of sleep experts from the American Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology (ACPN) in Abu Dhabi to research ways to enhance sleep in-flight. It said the Centre is staffed by American Board-certified aviation psychiatrists and neurologists and is renowned for its work in the field of aviation health. The airline, the official carrier

NSIWC approval will enable us pay hazard allowances, says NAMA

indicates that NAMA is capable of paying the Hazard Allowance from its internally generated revenues if given the approval. The agency General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Supo Atobatele confirms the development and explained among resolutions arrived at the dialogue. “On the receipt of the awaited approval from the NSIWC, NAMA shall commence the payment of the Hazard Allowance immediately. NAMA shall pay one month arrears of salary increment next

week and thereafter shall continue to liquidate the arrears owed to its staff based on a mode of installment payments to be agreed upon between the parties.” He discloses that “the parties shall meet next week to work out the above stated modalities for payment of the arrears. On the harmonization of salaries, the Supervising Minister for Aviation shall convene a stakeholders’ meeting to consider and take decision(s) on the matter. The trade unions should submit

their charter of demands to NAMA before collective bargaining could commence within an agreed timeframe between the parties. Other relevant stakeholders may be involved.” “Based on the above understandings, the trade unions shall not embark on any industrial action on the issues of this trade dispute to enable an amicable resolution of the grievances.” He told our correspondent. Minister of Labour & Productivity, Mr Emeka Wogu, Supervising Minister of the

of English premier league club Manchester City, told journalists it received expert guidance from the ACPN on sleep hygiene and onboard wellbeing, and has developed comprehensive guidelines for sleep in-flight, created for the airline’s guests as a result of clinical studies carried out by the ACPN on patients experiencing effects related to longhaul flying.

Peter Baumgartner, its Chief Commercial Officer said “A good night’s sleep is scientifically proven to benefit one’s health and nowhere is this more important than on a long-haul flight. We understand that sleep is an important requirement for our guests, many of whom fly multiple journeys with us each year.”

“For this reason, we will continue ensuring greater levels of comfort and wellbeing on our flights. The research we have carried out in collaboration with the experts at the ACPN will allow us to significantly improve the cabin environment for our guests and to provide targeted investment in our on-board experience for tangible customer benefit.”

Arik Air savours Etihad Airways launches programme African to improve sleep quality on its flights Achievers Award

New Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau,(AIB), Engr. Felix A. Abali (middle) flanked by his predecessor, Capt. Muhktar Usman (left) and Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi during the hand over ceremony held at the weekend at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Linking Oduah to overhaul of aviation agencies mischievous–Dati

ollowing furore generated over the recent sack of four heads of agencies in the federal ministry of aviation, spokesperson for the aviation parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati yesterday debunked claims by some critics that the former minister of aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, had a hand in the removal of the former heads of aviation agencies. Dati told reporters the federal government had, in its wisdom, decided to effect changes in the top management of the aviation agencies recently, undoubtedly in the public interest. He said the erstwhile managing

Federal Ministry of Aviation, Mr Samuel Ortom, the Chairman of the National Salary, Income & Wages Commission, Mr. Egbule and representatives of the ministry of Aviation, ATSSSAN, NUATE, AUPCTRE and NAAPE attended the meeting.

directors of FAAN, Mr. George Uriesi, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Nnamdi Udoh; rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Capt. Chinyere Kalu and the director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Fola Akinkuotu all worked with the former minister throughout her tenure without any issues. “These gentlemen worked under Oduah when she was aviation minister; so if she wanted to remove any of them she possibly could have done so,” he said. He affirmed Oduah left a wellarticulated master plan for Nigerian

aviation which ‘will be difficult to reverse,” adding that “most of these critics wish things remained the way they were before the Oduah era, so that they could continue with their acts of impunity. We would like to sound it loud and clear that the Nigerian aviation industry can never go back to those days of mindless impunity.” Continuing, he said: “The good news is that the Oduah revolution of the aviation sector has taken firm root and things would not go back to the old days. The truth is that under Oduah, the aviation ministry and NCAA drew up new rules that would govern the

importation of aircraft into the country with a view to stemming the indiscriminate importation of unregistered and low quality aircraft into the country. “The former minister’s achievements in the aviation industry are there for all to see. Is it in safety? Is it in manpower development and operational efficiency? Is it in infrastructural development? Is it the Aerotropolis project or the development of cargo facilities round the country for both perishable and non-perishable cargoes? Dati reiterated that “For the first time, producers of perishable agric produce are being directly connected to international markets for greater profits. New routes have been opened to the Middle East with the signing of new bilateral air service agreements with several countries.”

eading Nigeria and Africa airline Arik Air, says its best is yet to come as the airline relishes the Organisation of the Year award bestowed on it by the African Achievers Award in Accra, Ghana. The awards ceremony held at the Presidential Banquet Hall, State House, Accra, Ghana was attended by African diplomats and State Governors from Nigeria. Managing Director of Arik Air, Mr. Chris Ndulue, said the Organisation of the Year Award is a true testimony of the rare and unique people-centric leadership qualities which the airline has displayed so far in the aviation sector across the globe as noted by the organizers. “This award further confirms the place of Arik Air as not just West Africa’s premier airline but also the pride of Africa. Though Arik Air is a recipient of several national and international awards, every award reminds us of our commitment to continue to provide safe and comfortable airtravel experience for our teeming guests within Africa and across the globe,” Ndulue told aviation correspondents. He stressed that Arik Air will continue to strive to ensure that it transforms air transportation not only in Nigeria but the whole of the African continent. “This was the reason why we decided to change the old order in 2006 by operating brand new aircraft thus becoming the first operator of new aircraft in Nigeria in almost two decades. “The African Achievers Award is a call to do more and we at Arik Air will continue to improve on those qualities that have earned us this recognition because we believe that our best is yet to come. In the months ahead, we are going to be launching new routes as we strive to consolidate our position as the first choice for air travel within Nigeria and other destinations we serve in Africa, Europe and America,” the MD noted.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

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Pension&Insurance NIA calls for review of Insurance Act 2003, others Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

he Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA) has called for review of Insurance Act 2003, Cabotage Act 2003 and Oil Industry Content Development Act 2010. NIA Chairman, Mr Remi Oluwude who made the call during an interactive session between the governing board of the National Insurance Commission NAICOM and insurance industry operators in Lagos stated that there was

urgent need for government to amend the provisions of Insurance Act 2003 and regulation of insurance company investments in line with the realities of business. “There is need to activate the various laws relating to Marine Insurance of refined petroleum products imported into the country. The Insurance Act 2003, for instance, provides that all imports into the country must be insured with an insurance company registered in Nigeria.

This law is only observed in the breach. Consequently, we are seeking enforcement of the Cabotage Act 2003, review of the Insurance Act 2003 and the Nigerian Oil Industry Content Development Act 2010”, he reiterated. Oluwude equally called for the review of the current restriction on investment to ensure safe but adequate returns to stakeholders for the viability of the industry. “Investments on equities suffered losses in 2008 and 2009, yet insurers are expected to maintain

the same proportionate level of investment in prescribed sectors”, he lamented. He added that NAICOM needs to review its position on offshore investment for the purpose of solvency calculation and actuarial valuation which the association has started discussing with the commissioner and his team stressing that there was need for Federal Government to support the quest for accelerated insurance penetration and density in Nigeria through micro insurance and takaful insurance.

Staco PAT grows to N345.3m in 2013 Q3

taco Insurance Plc. has recorded profit growth in its after tax to the tune of N345.3 million for the financial period ended 30th September, 2013 compare to N125 million written in the same period of 2012. This was contained in the

company’s unaudited result released by the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) weekend. According to the result, its gross premium written dropped to N4.3 billion from N6.1 billion recorded in the same period of 2012. In the same vein, the firm

recorded a sharp drop in its gross premium written as it stood at N3.2 billion for the period ended 30th June, 2013 against N4.7 billion achieved in the same period of 2012 while its profit after tax within the declined to N361.8 million compared to N950.8 million written in the

same period of 2012. Similarly, the company’s gross premium written N1.4 billion 2012 against N2.6 billion recorded in the same period of 2012 while Profit after Tax which stood N560.8 million in 2012 declined to N184.8 in the period under review.

Some ministers at the 20th Nigerian Economic Summit, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

Sovereign Trust Insurance pays N1.7bn claims

overeign Trust Insurance Plc. said it has settled claims to the tune of N1.7 billion in the 2013 financial year. A breakdown of the claims from the company showed that energy insurance recorded the highest figure of N645.3 million, followed by motor insurance, accounting for N417.7 million while N235.09 million was paid under the general accident. The sum of N186.6 million was paid on fire and allied perils; N186.04 million for marine insurance and N45.6 million was

the claim paid on engineering. According the Divisional Head, Technical, STI, Mr. Olaotan Soyinka, the company was committed to settling all genuine claims within the agreeable periods. “There is no compromise to claim settlement at the Sovereign Trust Insurance and that will remain so to keep our customers always coming back. Prompt claim settlement no doubt will remain the enduring yardstick for our customers in determining whether we are

delivering on our promise or not. We do not intend to fall short of this obligation and we will continually strive to make good our promise at every point in time.” The Head of Claims Department, Funke Akitunde, stated that the company had put in place a friendly claim process which would ensure that customers were not allowed to go through undue stress in getting their claims settled. “The processes involved from the moment a claim is reported to

the period the customer receives the cheque have been made as seamless as possible,” she concluded. Similarly, the Managing Director, Mr. Wale Onaolapo, said, “Over the years, our prompt claim settlement has helped to strengthen the relationship with our customers; we do not allow them to go through distasteful experience in the process of getting their claims settled. Our processes are hinged on professionalism, speed, ethics and promptness.”

“To enhance the development of these forms of insurance, there is need to enact laws that will guarantee government subsidy because the insurances are for the benefit of the poor who cannot afford conventional insurances. Without Government subsidy, agricultural insurance would be unable to play its role in the development of farming”, Oluwude pleaded. Responding, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Fola Daniel assured that NAICOM will critically look into all the complaints in order to make amendments where necessary.

Old Mutual shareholders to get 6.0 pence as dividend

he board of Old Mutual Plc is recommending a dividend of 6.0 pence per share which is payable to investors subject to approval by the shareholders of the company. The company, with its headquarters in South Africa, has investment in the Nigerian insurance market. The firm in a statement noted that shareholders of the company in the South African, Zimbabwe and Malawi branch registers and the Namibian section of the principal register will be paid the local currency cash equivalent of the final dividend under dividend access trust or similar arrangements established in each country. It added that shareholders holding their shares through Euroclear Sweden AB, the Swedish nominee, would be paid the cash equivalent of the final dividend in Swedish Kronor local currency cash equivalents of the final dividend for all five territories will be determined by the company using exchange rates prevailing at the close of business on 10 April 2014 and will be announced by the company on 11 April 2014. The company said share certificates for shareholders on the South African register may not be dematerialised or rematerialised between 17 April 2014 and 25 April 2014, both dates inclusive. It stated that transfers between the registers may not take place between 17 April 2014 and 25 April 2014, both dates inclusive, for registers excluding South Africa and between 17 April 2014 and 28 April 2014, both dates inclusive, in respect of the South African register. According to the statement, a scrip dividend alternative is not being made available in relation to the final dividend. The company with 16 million customers in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe, originated in South Africa in 1845, Old Mutual has been listed on the London and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges, among others, since 1999. In 2013 financial period, the group reported adjusted operating profit before tax of £1.6bn (on an IFRS basis) and had £294bn of funds under management from core operations.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Business

EnergyNet, NAPTIN collaborate to train more engineers for power sector By Etuka Sunday

nergyNet has said it would collaborate with National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) to produce more engineers through its ‘Student Engagement Initiative’ as part of human-capacity building for the power sector in the country. According to the Managing Director, EnergyNet, Simon Gosling, “It is an exceptional time in Nigeria for business leaders, but equally for the business leaders of tomorrow. It is with this in mind that EnergyNet has launched the ‘Student Engagement Initiative’ which will facilitate some of the brightest Nigerian

students to travel across Africa and the world to understand more about the relevance of Africa’s power sector on the global economy.” Hosted by EnergyNet and Nextier, the ‘Power Investors Summit: Nigeria’ in Lagos (March 20-21st) is the first time these exciting students will meet international organisations and begin to explore how they can play a central role within the broader sector. Supporters and sponsors include IIPELP, NNPC, Banwo and Ighodalo and Norton Rose Fulbright, who have chosen to lead the international development of law students through the Initiative.

He said the Summit in March would be held in association with the Federal Ministry of Power and government bodies including PTFP, NERC, NBET, NAPTIN and NNPC. It will address outcomes from the previous gathering of investors in October, which challenged the provision of gas and the infrastructure to deliver it. Nigeria’s finance sector will drill down on the post-privatisation finance options and NNPC will respond directly to questions raised about their role in the sector. NERC and leading international consultants will discuss the constraints to regulatory practices and how best

to implement a complex structure to support sustainable growth, whilst long term financing and captive power generation also remain high on the agenda. Additionally Geometric Power, Transcorp Ughelli, North South Power - Shiroro, and Copperbelt’s Abuja Disco will discuss post-privatisation strategies and bottlenecks, and for the first time, the Honourable Minister for Power Prof Chinedu Nebo will host a preconference webinar on February 25th to enable investors to understand why he is making the Power Investors Summit: Nigeria the critical location to support private sector and international development. Edo state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (left), signs the relevant documents as Mrs. Vera Obadan (right) is sworn-in as the Permanent Secretary, Edo state Inland Revenue Services, yesterday in Benin City.

Nokia beacons to customers with N25,000 Asha Ice range competition By Chris Alu

anufacturers of Nokia products has announced the launched of Asha Ice phone with a competition based campaign that will offer the phone users to show off their unique fashion style and get the chance to design their own fashion label. The competition will run

for five weeks and is open to customers who love to look best and get noticed. Besides weekly cash prize of N25 .000 to be won by ten lucky winners, the overall winners will have the opportunity of working with a notable fashion designer house in order to showcase his or her talents in a top rated house.

Having a good knowledge of our targets market for these devices are the youths, and we’ve decided to come up with a campaign that will push them to exhibit their creativity in fashion and style industry. We also want to give people the opportunity to share talents with the rest of the world said ‘Deborah

Africa needs knowledge economy using Science & Technology –World Bank By Chris Alu

he World Bank Vice President for Africa, Mr. Makhtar Diop has said that Africans urgently need to acquire higher education in science and technology in order to enable them met the growing demand of the knowledge based economy. Diop stated this yesterday at a forum organized by President Paul Kagama in Rwandan capital, according to him, Africans needs a larger number of scientists, engineers, and technicians who can meet the growing market

demand of the knowledge economy and such expertise will contribute greatly to development and shared prosperity in their countries because of the emerging technological age that is fast approaching. The forum which was with the Themed “Accelerating Africa’s Aspirations, was co-hosted by the Government of Rwanda, and one of Africa’s largest development partners in higher education. The forum aimed to boost science, technology, and engineering capability as a key driver of economic growth and job creation in Africa. Participants at the forum

include the (Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda), private sector participants and development partners issued a communiqué to the effect that they would invest strategically in science, technology, and engineering education to accelerate Africa’s progress into a developed, knowledge-based society within a generation. In his response, President Paul Kagame said: “I welcome the commitment to strengthen and mobilise resources for building capacity in scienceand

Shepard the head of marketing Nokia west and central Africa. To participate in the competition Asha users can down load the App on Nokia store to upload their pictures on Nokia Nigerian face book page and the participants will have topmost pictures of themselves in any outfit based on the theme and colour for each week, she added. technology, in our pursuit of Africa’s socio-economic transformation. Our collective commitment must be followed by concrete action to drive innovation for the development of our people and our continent.” Diop, who delivered the keynote address, said: “To be more competitive, expand trade, and remove barriers to entering new markets, Africa must expand knowledge and expertise in science and technology. Let us set some bold targets: that we will see a doubling of the share of university students graduating from African universities with degrees in mathematics, science and technology by 2025. The time has never been more auspicious to focus on highereducation, particularly in science, technology and mathematics, hestated.

First Bank partners NESG to chart educational discourse at 20th Summit By Aminu Imam

s part of its strategic initiatives for thought leadership, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria’s Best Banking Brand has lent its support to the NESG to chart a new course for the Education sector at the 20th edition of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group Conference (NESG) taking place from Tuesday, March 18 to Thursday, 20, 2014 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The Summit, themed: “Transforming Education through Partnerships for Global Competitiveness” is organized to deliberate on the role of the Nigerian education sector in the transformation of Nigeria. The event, which is projected to drive consciousness and a more significant involvement of the private sector in the education space, whilst gaining the attention and interest of key stakeholders on the centrality of education and learning for economic development and nation-building, will also focus on building national consensus on what is urgently required to rebuild, revamp and reinforce the education sector to secure Nigeria’s future and global competitiveness. President Goodluck Jonathan, who is expected to declare the Summit open will also lead a Presidential Strategy Session with eminent local and international personalities, which will focus on key strategic elements required to bring about the desired changes in the education sector. Other aspects of the Summit will include plenary sessions on thematic areas of the education sector such as Quality and standards; ICT, knowledge transfer and relevance; developing an Integrated curriculum that is fit for purpose; access, equity and inclusion in education, early years education; tertiary education and employability, skills, vocational education and leadership in education. According to the Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney “as a leading financial institution providing innovative services to our numerous customers, we are pleased to be playing an important role in helping to move our country forward through our support of the NESG summit which aims to aid the development of educational activities and in turn the transformation of the economy through manpower development”. FirstBank has been a consistent partner of the NESG over the years and has played a leading role in charting new courses for policy changes in different sectors of the economy.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Stock Watch

Report as at Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

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Special Report

Kaduna health workers strike: Women now deliver babies at home From Muhammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

alama Indo (not her real name), lives in a suburb community of Kaduna state called Unguwar Sanusi; she was nine months pregnant and in labour for her third child. According to her, she always attend anti-natal care at a Model Primary health care in the area, but due to the on-going strike of member of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), Kaduna branch union, she was unable to go to the centre to deliver. Instead, a traditional birth attendant (ungozoma) was called to assist her deliver her baby because her husband could not afford to take her to a private hospital. After a long and protracted labour she was fortunate to give birth to a set of twins, all boys, in her living room. Malama Tani (also not her real name) gave birth to a bouncing baby girl inside her room at a nearby community because the state-owned hospitals and Primary Health Care centers were shut down due to the on-going strike across the state. But she was not as lucky as Indo, because in her case, her husband had to rush her to a private hospital to save her life because she lost plenty of blood after delivering. These two women’s cases are just few out of hundreds of women that now give birth at home, not because they want to but because the hospitals, particularly stateowned, are closed down due to the on-going strike. The strike, which commenced two weeks ago, has greatly or is still affecting the health sector in Kaduna state, as most of the hospitals visited were empty with most of the patients moved to private hospitals and those whose relations could not afford it were moved back to their homes to wait for the time the strike will end. A visit to one of the biggest state-owned hospital, the Yusuf Dan-Tsoho Hospital, which is located in

Daniel Joshua, a patient at Dan Tsoho Hospital, Kaduna

Tudun Wada, was looking like a ghost town as the place was almost totally deserted. Only private security guards, goats, chickens were seen within the premises. Most of the offices, including the delivering room, were all deserted. The only patients still in the hospital were those in the emergency unit, who are mostly accident victims and whose relations could not afford moving them to another hospital. 34 year-old Daniel Joshua has been in the accident unit of the hospital since January 2014, after he got involved in an accident in which he sustained a fracture in his left leg. According to him, he were supposed to undergo a surgery a day before the strike commenced, but that couldn’t hold because of the strike. “I was supposed to undergo a surgery a day

before the workers embarked on the strike and up till now I am still waiting for them to call off the strike. Honestly, it has not been easy because the doctors only visit once in a while to check on us,” he lamented. He pleaded with the state government to find a lasting solution to the strike so that the workers can return to work. His mother, who was seen sitting close to him at the hospital, also pleaded with the state government to come to their aid by reaching an agreement with the nurses union. “We are very much disturbed with the strike; please help us tell government to settle with the union so that our children can get cured. Those whose condition is critical are still here, not because they want to but because we cannot afford going to private hospital,” she said.

It was gathered that people were brought to the hospital on a daily basis but were turned away because there was nobody to take care of them or examine them. The same story was reported at a Model Primary School Health Care Centre, Unguwar Sanusi, where people, particularly women, attend anti-natal and postnatal care. A security guard, who does not want his name mentioned, said ever since the strike began many sick people that came to the hospital were turned back.”Since the strike began, patients were turned back each time they were brought to the centre because there was nobody to take care of them. “In fact, women in labour are brought here but we have to turn them back. The whole situation is sad and we think the government needs to do something about it fast,” he

said. According to the old man, government should address the plight of the common people, particularly

pregnant women, who are now delivering their babies at home. Another resident of Unguwar Sarki, a former Councilor in the area, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Hamza said the model Primary Care Centre was established as a referring Health Center. He explained that the Model Health Primary Centre served communities like Baddiko, Hayin dan Mani, Sabon-Gari, Unguwar Sanusi among others. “The state government needs to take measures to reduce the suffering of the ordinary people, by engaging some non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to help the patients at the hospital pending when the strike ends. These are how things were done in the past,” he said. Similar pathetic tales were coming from other hospitals within the state metropolis; for instance, Gwamna Awon hospital, Kakuri was also deserted by patients; ditto with Barau Dikko Hospital. The health workers, union, which embarked on an indefinite strike on Saturday March1, to demand for the consolidated health salary structure of their members which the state government failed to pay, stayed away from their duty posts.

Daniel’s mother is pleading with government to end the strike

The state chairperson of the union, Comrade Cecilia Musa was quoted to have said, at a press conference, that the strike became necessary as all efforts to make the state government fulfill its promises in that regard was not successful. The chairperson also lamented the lackadaisical attitude of the state government towards the health sector, saying presently, the sector suffered shortage of health workers operating in state-owned hospitals. “The situation is pathetic, because according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one nurse is supposed to attend to six patients; but as it is today, in Kaduna, a nurse takes care of 30-40 patients a day, leading to stress among most of the health workers in the state. “There is need for urgent employment of health workers in the state or else

the sector will crash, because of mass retirement and movement of staff to other states where the CONHESS is paid,” she said. According to her, the union believes that strike action cannot provide the solution to the problem and they believe dialogue should always be a solution to any problem. “We are in a civilized world, which was why the union gave

the state government a month to solve the problem in the past meetings we had with them, but since they refused to fulfill their promise we are left with no option than to embark on the strike,” she added. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which is the national umbrella body, on Friday, March 14, after a meeting with leaders of the

“

Goats and fouls parading the Yusuf Dan-Tsoho Hospital premises in Tudun Wada

health workers, threw their support behind the strike, as they urged them to continue until the state governor responded to their demands. Efforts to reach the state Commissioner of Health on the issue proved abortive as his phone was switched off. However, the state governor, Muktar Ramalan Yero was quoted to have also pleaded with the workers to return to work as, according to him, government is trying its best to look for a solution. But his plea fell on deaf ears. So, while the state government and the union are yet to reach an agreement to end the stand-off, an NGO, Coalition Maternal and Child Health, Civil Society (MCH-CS) partnership, has expressed worry as the country ranks 9th worst in the world on issues related to women, especially maternal health. The group said Kaduna state, where the health

sector is presently suffering, especially maternal health, which according to them, is receiving inadequate funding, noting that in the 2008 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), many of the indicators assessing the strength of maternal and child health care in Kaduna are weak. “For instance, only 18.4% of pregnant women delivered in a health care facility while 79.9% delivered at home; 21.8% of live births were delivered by a skilled provider, and 54.5% did not receive any post-natal care,” the group said. With such a revelation, it means the state government has to rise up to the challenge to end the strike by the health workers because the issue of maternal mortality is of great concern to many and with the on-going strike only God knows the number of women and babies that may die as a result .

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE

Property

Singapore: A trip of inspiration

By M. B. Sabo

arrived Singapore via Dubai to attend an intensive two weeks course on: “Mortgage Banking Strategies, Analysis and Credit Administration.” It was a’ fascinating programme and has added value to my little knowledge on Mortgage. Singapore, sometimes referred to as one-city state, was founded in 1965. It has a landmass of only 716 sq. kilometres and a population of 5.3 million. About 3.8 million are Singaporean citizens. It has a per capita income of $65.048, higher than most European nations. Its unemployment and inflation rates are at 2.1% and 4.6% - respectively. The National University of Singapore ranks 26th in the world, while none of any Nigerian University rank among 1,000th. Singapore ranks the second most investmentfriendly country after Hong Kong. With virtually no mineral resources, Singapore carved a niche in South-East Asia as the financial, maritime and educational hub of the region. Mortgage practitioners in developing nations will appreciate the advances made in mortgage/real estate sector of the Singapore economy. Home ownership rate is at a staggering 91.0%. In percentage terms, Singaporean citizens own about 74% of residential homes, permanent residents/foreigners owned 22% and companies 4%. The mortgage sector in Singapore can boast of an array of products available to its citizens. According to Mr. Alson Kong of Singcapital, the state-owned Housing Board of Development (HOB) has created a variety of mortgage products to open up opportunities to citizens. Such products include: public housing scheme, fiancé/fiancée scheme, orphan scheme, single Singapore citizen scheme, Non- citizen spouse scheme and joint single scheme. As a deliberate state

Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands at twilight

Pickering Hotel in Singapore, where Singapore-based architects, WOHA have added a touch of nature to the city center by integrating three, policy, a robust mortgage sector was developed to fasttrack housing provision. Alson further explained that, through government intervention foreign investments in Singapore real estate has increased, interest rates have remained low and availability of cheap financing has continuously

increased demand for housing. Other factors that made investing on Singapore property compelling include: lower taxes, low crime rate/safety, affordable home loan for the lowincome people, government interest to increase the population and also, the

government’s continuous efforts to cool and stabilize its real estate market. The Central Provident Fund (CPF), which is a comprehensive social security savings scheme for working Singaporeans, also invests its funds in housing provision, especially for its contributors. Contributors

to the Fund can use their CPF savings to service their housing loans from HOB and banks. Savers have the option to buy property in both public housing scheme and private properties scheme. The time is now for the Nigerian state to invest the trillions of naira lying idle in its Pension Commission into the mortgage/real estate sector. Away from the workshop, my curiosities ventured to other side attractions. Singapore has an efficient and modern infrastructure. It has a functional rail, maritime and urban transportation system. One of its busiest rail line commutes over 70, 000 passengers daily. Power outage caused by witches/ demons in Nigeria has since been rested. It is a clean city with beautiful skyscrapers. Singapore has zerotolerance for corruption. It is internationally reputed for running a clean and transparent government. The laws against corruption were enforceable and indiscriminate. It is therefore, not only an investment haven but has judiciously utilized -its resources for national development. In comparison, Corruption is a multi-trillion-naira industry in Nigeria. Reports have it that over $400 billion of the nation’s resources was fritted to corruption. Even the EFFC claimed that over N21 trillion has been laundered in ten years. Unlike in Nigeria, one hardly sees any police or the armed outfits yielding guns/ tear gas canisters in the streets. There was no stop and search by the police or VIO on highway. There are no roadblocks in the city or highway. I have not seen police/warders directing traffic. I see the undue occupation of civil public space by security personnel as a sign of dysfunctional society. We were told that Singaporeans police themselves and taught not break the law at childhood. Singapore has managed its three major nationalities,

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

P A G E

Property FCTA sets up committee on Abuja mass housing scheme By Aminu Imam

p p a r e n t l y dissatisfied with the emergence of illegal and unplanned settlements masquerading as ‘mass housing estates’ across the city, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has inaugurated a 14-member committee to advise it on the decision to exit or continue with the mass housing scheme in the territory. Specifically, the mass housing initiative was introduced by the FCTA in 2000 to facilitate the provision of affordable houses to meet the increasing demand for shelter occasioned by the population upsurge in the territory. The Committee has three weeks to submit its report. But the programme was beset by a myriad of gaps and deficient structures prompting the establishment of a

full-fledged Department of Mass Housing, to streamline procedures and guidelines for proper coordination and regulation of mass housing activities in the territory. This was also confronted with implementation challenges, a development which compelled the FCT Minister to set up a Ministerial committee on October 26, 2011 to carefully examine the challenges in the mass housing sector with a view to making appropriate recommendations for improved service delivery in that sector. The committee submitted its report to the FCT administration for consideration and further action. Consequently, the administration approved the report and last week inaugurated a 14-member White Paper committee headed by the Director of FCDA Engineering Services Department, Adamu Alfa Abu, an

engineer, to look at the document and advice it with a view to give the FCT Mass Housing Scheme the character it desires in conformity with the Abuja Master Plan. Inaugurating the panel in Abuja recently, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. John Obinna Chukwu, an engineer, said the effort will go among way to revolutionize the Abuja Mass Housing sub-Sector to meet the housing needs of the residents. With the White Paper in place, Chukwu assured that a drastic change will emerge in the territory with a view to improve service delivery in that sub-sector, in line with the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.

Part of the Terms of ReferenceoftheCommittee is to critically examine the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee, as it guided the provisions of Mass Housing Development Guidelines for FCT; Guidelines for final Engineering Design of Infrastructure for the Federal Capital City and Satellite Towns; FCT Development Control Manual as well as generate conclusions that will represent the position of the FCT Administration on the matter. Other members of the Committee include the FCT SolicitorGeneral, Managing Director, Abuja Property Development Company, Directors of Urban and

Regional Planning; Land Administration; Mass Housing; Public Building; Satellite Towns Development Agency; Resettlement & Compensation; Development Control as well as SSA (Technical) HMS office; SA (Project) HM Office and SA (Lands) PS Office. Meanwhile, the FCT Minister mandated the task team headed by the new FCT Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, to remove all shanties and other illegal structures in the city centre; put in place necessary strategies to reduce gridlock and ease traffic flow in the metropolis; arrest and prosecute prostitutes who constitute social menace

Property of the week A stunning N550m 7 bedroom Duplex for sale at Jabi.

Kebbi govt to computerise land administration

he Kebbi state government has said, on Tuesday, it would computerise land administration to end multiple land allocation and racketeering in the state. The Commissioner for Land and Housing, Alhaji Hussaini Raha, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi. He said the computerisation would affect land allocation in Birnin Kebbi to ensure that it was in line with the city’s master plan, adding

that the exercise would be conducted in phases. The commissioner said consultants would be engaged for the computerisation programme. “The ministry has presented a memo for executive approval on this plan,” he said. He assured applicants for land that the new strategy would be strict, lawful and transparent. On housing, Raha said the ministry, in partnership with the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), would soon commence the construction of 2,500

Our property of the week is this elegant 7 Bedroom Duplex located at Jabi

Group builds multi-purpose centre in schools From Suleiman Lagos

Idris, purpose children activity center to Hope and Ireti Primary p r i v a t e l y Schools, Ikoyi, Lagos. f u n d e d The center, designed philanthropic by internationally o r g a n i s a t i o n , trained Architect, Bolanle Marinho Oludolapo James Foundation has taken and constructed to its philanthropic exacting standards by role further with the Projectscope Limited, donation of a multi- a foremost indigenous million naira multi- construction company

was commissioned last week by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola. The project will be replicated in at least 10 schools in the state, according to a Trustee and Executive Director of the Foundation, Mr. Akinola Marinho. The site is a single-

storey building on a raft foundation and is approximately 130 square metres in area and finished in brilliant white. The multipurpose centre comprises an Art workshop, Computer room and Music room. The aim, according to him, is to encourage children

from lesser privilege backgrounds to experience and appreciate other educational and artistic means of expression that students in the expensive private schools of Ikoyi and elsewhere in Nigeria and the world take for granted.

Motoring

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Hyundai Genesis Coupe really does have a lot to offer O ftentimes when you’re shopping for a sport coupe, you’ll zero in on one car that seems to get it all right, whether it’s performance, styling or pricing. But just on the horizon are compelling new rivals that you could end up liking even more. So what to do? This could very well be your dilemma when looking at the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. To its credit, Hyundai is doing its best to keep its aging Genesis Coupe fresh. Last year, we lauded Hyundai for making numerous improvements, including fresh styling and serious power upgrades for both engines. And true enough, the Genesis Coupe really does have a lot to offer. Right out of t h e box, t h e base 2.0T

version gives you 274 horses, while the 3.8 models crank it up to a formidable 348. As expected from Hyundai, features are plentiful for the price, including a welcome rev-matching feature this year for automatic-transmission models. Less expected is the Genesis Coupe’s handling prowess, which has established Hyundai as a legitimate performance-car player. That’s a pretty impressive resum&eacute; for an affordable Korean two-door. But is it enough? One new entry for this model year is the 2014 BMW 2 Series. It isn’t a direct alternative, but the base four-cylinder 228i costs about as much as the top-of-the-line Genesis Coupe 3.8 Ultimate and is a more refined and prestigious car. You’ve also got the 2014 Scion FR-S and related Subaru BRZ, which lack the Hyundai’s power

but compensate with superior handling precision. Or, there are always the V8 performance coupes from Detroit, which offer superior acceleration. And hot upcoming models like the impressively redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang and 2015 Subaru WRX and WRX STI sedans will make your decision even harder. Nonetheless, we feel the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe still merits

consideration, particularly if value is a top priority. There’s something to be said for buying a fully developed car near the end of its run, and if that’s your thinking, there has never been a better time to give the fun-loving Genesis Coupe a shot. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is a performance coupe available in six trim levels: 2.0T, 2.0T R-Spec, 2.0T Premium, 3.8 R-Spec, 3.8 Grand Touring and 3.8 Ultimate. The entry-level 2.0T comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, foglights, LED taillights, heated exterior mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, automatic climate control, cruise control, a leather-wrapped tilt-andtelescoping steering wheel,

Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and a six-speaker audio system with a CD player, satellite radio, an auxiliary audio input and a USB/iPod interface. The aggressive 2.0T R-Spec sacrifices a few luxuries (including keyless entry/ignition and automatic climate control), but it adds 19-inch wheels with summer t i r e s ,

and heated front seats. The 3.8 Ultimate tacks on a rear spoiler, auto-leveling xenon headlights, “aero wipers” that Hyundai claims are more effective at higher speeds, a rear spoiler and the R-Spec’s performance-related hardware. The 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is equipped with rearwheel drive and a choice of two engines. The 2.0T models feature a turbocharged

Brembo brakes, firmer suspension tuning, a limited-slip rear differential and sport front seats with black leather bolsters and black cloth inserts. The 2.0T Premium loses the R-Spec’s mechanical upgrades but regains all of the base 2.0T’s standard features while adding a sunroof, rear parking sensors, a power-sliding driver seat with power lumbar, the Blue Link telematics system (with voice text messaging, turn-by-turn navigation and monthly vehicle reports), a 7-inch touchscreen navigation system and a 10-speaker Infinity audio system with HD radio. The 3.8 R-Spec is equipped similarly to the 2.0T R-Spec with the addition of the 3.8-liter V6 engine. The 3.8 Grand Touring starts with the 2.0T Premium’s features and adds illuminated door sills, leather upholstery

2.0-liter inline four-cylinder that generates 274 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic with shift paddles is mandatory on the base 2.0T and 2.0T Premium, while the 2.0T R-Spec comes only with a six-speed manual. The EPA’s estimated fuel economy stands at 21 mpg combined (17 city/27 highway) for the automatic and 22 mpg combined (19 city/27 highway) for the manual. The 3.8 models feature a 3.8-liter V6 engine that cranks out 348 hp and 295 lb-ft. The 3.8 R-Spec is manual-only, while the 3.8 Grand Touring gets the eight-speed automatic. The 3.8 Ultimate offers both. In Edmunds performance testing, a 3.8 Genesis Coupe with the manual went from zero to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. That’s a respectable time, though V8-powered coupes such as the Camaro and Mustang are quicker still. At the pump, you’re looking at 19 mpg combined (16 city/25 highway) with the automatic and a similar 19 mpg combined (16 city/24 highway) with the manual. Standard safety features for the 2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe include stability and traction control, antilock disc brakes, front-seat side airbags, fulllength side curtain airbags and active front head restraints. The available Blue Link telematics system provides roadside assistance, crash response, remote access and monitoring features for parents with teenage drivers (speed, geofencing and curfew limits). In Edmunds brake testing, Genesis Coupe stopping distances from 60 mph have ranged from 112 feet (2.0T R-Spec) to 116 feet (3.8 R-Spec) against a sport coupe segment average of 112 feet. Source: Edmunds.com

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Arts & Culture FROM THE LIVE STAGE

Book Review

Katsina State (1987-2012) KATSINA STATE (Pictorial and Historical Sketches) THE FIRST 25 YEARS 1987-2012 Author: Garba Muhammed Bawa Review by: Buhari Auwalu

Another type of audience

t is often said that one of man’s greatest weakness lies in his inability to access his strength and understand his limitation. Just as part of his strength is man’s ability and insatiable desire to exploit his natural curiosity by venturing into areas considered outside his primary callings. Here lies the reality of the human nature. Literary works tend to give an insight into the mind of such authors, especially if such works are not based on human imaginations or fantasies or outright fictions. In any case, even where such literary works are based in these premises, they can still provide some openings into understanding the subject matter of his writing. It is believed in certain quarters that, people of northern extraction, especially those referred to as Hausa-Fulani have not made significant mark for writing on contemporary issues, even though some of the greatest writers of all times, at least in this country, were from that group, people like Sheikh Usman Danfodio, Sheikh Muhammadu Bello, Sheikh Abdullahi Gwandu, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, Abubakar Imam, Muhammadu Bello Walin Katsina, Ahmadu Ingagwa, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Mallam Aminu Kano, Mallam Bello Kano, Nuhu Bamali, Mallam Abubakar Wazirin Kano, Mallam Bello Daura and others, too many to mention here. The book, “KATSINA STATE” (Pictorial and Historical Sketches) The First 25 Years), written by Garba Muhammadu Bawa, therefore, come as a pleasant and welcome development in the literary world of Northern Nigeria. Divided into five sections dealing with different issues, the book gives

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with Patrick-Jude Oteh 0803 700 0496, 0805 953 5215 (SMS only)

a short history on the creation of the state on 23rd September, 1987, by then administration of President Ibrahim Babangida. As pointed out by the author, the book is not only about the processes which the state went through in its journey toward physical and human development, but a documentation on the personalities and people who played different role in molding and shaping various development efforts of the state in its first twenty-five years of existence as a state. The book is tailored in line with what is known as ‘Development writing or literary works’. An interesting part of the book is the section which the author goes to great length in producing the geographical sketches of all the thirty four (34) Local Government Areas of the state, including their brief

In this book, Garba Muhammad Bawa has not only given us ‘the Pictorial and Historical Sketches of Kastina state in its first twenty five (25) years’, but also the positive direction in which Kastina state is going.

history, leaders and prominent personalities in the area. This is further augmented by the author’s effort in furnishing the readers with brief but important details on the political history and list of traditional leaders in the state, as well as major dates and events in Nigeria’s political development from the colonial era to recent times. In all the book is an important, great and valuable document not only for history students, but the entire public especially scholars, government officials (strengthening all Documentation Departments of all Ministries, Local Government offices and Emirate councils) and future writers who may be inspired by this excellent literary works to embark on similar projects for the benefits of humanity. As it is usually said, ‘people who do not have history, or who do not know where they came from, can hardly understand the direction in which they are going. In this book, Garba Muhammad Bawa has not only given us ‘the Pictorial and Historical Sketches of Kastina state in its first twenty five (25) years’, but also the positive direction in which Kastina state is going. This, it is hope, would inspire others to embark on similar projects to avoid continued wobbling into the abyss of directionless.

ur actors and I were in for a shock in Abuja on Wednesday 12th March 2014 at the performance of The Conquest of The North Pole. The Czech play had earlier premiered in Jos as one of the plays performed during the 8th Jos Festival of Theatre. With the gracious support of the Czech Embassy, the play was also to play in Abuja with the support of Julius Berger, Tormek Group, ENL Consortium and Global Human Resource. The play opened with the conference of five where they meet to set the tone for the entire play as well as the involvement of the fictional Jara Cimmrman who it is believed plays a lot of roles in Czech daily life. This is then followed by the main play which opens in the train station. The sound track of the train rumbles to a stop and the four characters alight. They bid fellow passengers farewell and with the Chief (Sunny Adahson) of the expedition they set to don their skis. He is promptly reminded that they cannot move with the skis over the rail tracks and the main road. They remove the skis and the expedition starts with no incident until they encounter a drift – in the words of Fristenski (David Maisamari), they just sit and do nothing but he is told they are moving to the North Pole!. The teacher (Mark Musa) also acts as the narrator, we get the bits and pieces we do not see on stage. He keeps us up to date with the trials and tribulations of the expedition. It is the Pharmacist (Silas Wuyep) who seems to be the most down to earth member of the group but his constant bickering about his relationship with the druggist leaves us in doubt as to the real reason for his inclusion in the trip as most of his thoughts are full of home. On the journey, they encounter comets the like of which they have not seen before, they encounter stars travelling in the galaxy and then they run out of food. The Chief proposes that they eat the dogs. At the beginning of the expedition, they had not taken sled dogs as they felt that Fristenski has the strength of ten dogs. In proposing to eat the dogs, they are actually proposing to eat Fristenski. They all understand except the person involved. When it was time to axe him, he collects the axe from the Chief and proceeds to cut up the sled which had their load. The issue of hunger was later resolved when Fristenski pulls out a chicken from under his clothes which they eat with delight but throw him the bones. In a rather bizarre twist to the play, they locate the frozen bodies of some explorers who went missing the previous year. In attempting to have some food, they revive one of the frozen bodies who proceeds to berate them over this good they have done to him. In his reasoning, the American Czech (Christopher Okonkwo) tells them that they froze themselves for possibly many centuries to come so that they will be able to share their experiences with people of future centuries. But being woken up after barely a year is akin to some hibernating animal. The Chief gets angry at this and tells him that he is free to remain or follow them back. Thus they conquer the North Pole but they keep the victory to themselves as they were afraid that their former Austrian conquerors will claim the credit. With the explorers posing in a living picture they hoist the Czech flag and a narrator tells us that it has all been a dream as Fristenski was to claim before a group of psychiatrists that he was in the pioneer exploration to the North Pole and with this information the authorities extended his stay in the asylum by an additional ten years. The stellar audience greeted the cast with a standing ovation. This was the beginning of our confusion – from the very beginning, we felt we were not reaching the audience and I could feel the struggle of the actors. The hall being stuffy did not help matters after all the assurances we had been given that the air conditioners were working at full steam. This did not happen at the Merit House venue. This is our second Czech play after Vaclav Havel’s Audience in 2013. Thank you to the Czech Embassy for helping to widen the horizon of our organization and for contributing to our actors having experiences of plays outside of our immediate environment. Thank you too to the audience for exposing us to another kind of audience with a different set of demographics. The next play we will open in Abuja at the end of March is Wole Soyinka’s The Lion And The Jewel.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 30

Arts & Culture Book Review

Tragedy of Victory(II)

Title: ‘Tragedy of Victory Author: Brigadier-General Godwin Alabi-Isama Reviewer: Caleb Oriade Publishers: Spectrum Books, Ibadan Year of Publication: 2013 Number of Pages: 611

An incisive look into the book, Tragedy of Victory by Brigadier Alabi-Isama, that focuses on the merits and shortcomings of the author’s handling of the contentious issues he raised.

rankly, after reading both books, one is more likely to associate with Obasanjo’s evaluation of Alabi-Isama“ as a very intelligent man that would have been among the best officers Nigerian Army had ever produced if he had applied his intelligence and ability fully to productive and positive action in the Army”. While this assessment sounds a tad harsh, AlabiIsama ironically provides the fodder for it in the Tragedy of Victory. The book depicts the author and his best buddy, Akinrinade, as brilliant, arrogant and obstreperous officers who had the misfortune of serving under commanders that were intellectually inferior to them. In fact, the book should have been titled ‘How I won the War with Akinrinade by Brigadier Alabi-Isama’! Either inadvertently or deliberately, the author also diminishes the roles played by 1st and 2nd

Divisions in the war while crediting the eventual victory solely to the efforts of 3MCDO of which they were both its leading lights. The author raves about Adekunle when the latter adopted his ‘480’ Km Calabar-Port Harcourt strategy but this commander became a devil incarnate and an accused murderer the moment he embraced his ‘OAU’ strategy in place of the Pincer strategies that Alabi-Isama put forward. While the allegation that Adekunle planned the ambush to eliminate his two erring officers might be true, the alternative of a fabrication is also not out of the question as it offered an avenue for getting out of ‘OAU’ participation without the attendant punitive consequences of war desertion via court-martial. The so-called implicating memo could have been forged. The tale about the subsequent ‘confession’ by Adekunle in a chat with Akinrinade is also not convincing as Adekunle could be alluding to the imprudence of scheduling an early morning meeting that would require risky overnight trips through enemy territories by his officers. The fact that the Army HQ did not discipline either party on this issue is indeed instructive. Alabi-Isama gives an elaborate account of how his budding military career was derailed with his dismissal from the Army after what he alleges to be a trumped-up allegation of financial impropriety. One does not need to be imbued with clairvoyant prowess to know that the incursion of the military into politics did usher in an era when seniority, discipline and orderliness within armed forces received short shrift. Careers could blossom or bust on the basis of untoward alliances and geopolitical considerations. This could be the situation for a brilliant officer like Alabi-Isama whose course-mate, General Danjuma, was his boss as the Chief of Army Staff. In fact, a more junior officer, Yar’Adua, enjoyed accelerated promotion to a two-star General and the de facto deputy Head of State at the time. Nonetheless, there are always two sides to a coin. In spite of Alabi-Isama’s best attempt

to present his ‘persecution’ case, one still walks away with the impression that there is more to the story than meets the eye. First, it is puzzling that Alabi-Isama would tender his letter of retirement when there was an active fraud investigation involving him. Such a hasty action could be construed, rightly or wrongly, as an evidence of culpability. It is equally strange that, neither Gen. Akinrinade, who was Alabi-Isama best comradein arms, nor Gen. Alli, the author’s assistant at Army HQ at the time of his dismissal, reversed his dismissal and restored his rank when they each assumed the Chief of Army Staff position. In fact, that Akinrinade did not corroborate any of the averments in the book, either by contributing a foreword or via an acknowledgement by the author of Akinrinade’s review of the manuscripts is quite revealing! The foregoing notwithstanding and even if in fact the government’s declaration in the official gazette is true, Alabi-Isama’s dismissal from the Army, instead of an honorable discharge via retirement, is undoubtedly cruel and an unusual punishment that deserves prompt remediation as G*en Gowon averred. The widespread shenanigan of his military contemporaries in and out of uniforms underscores the travesty of his exit. The reason provided for titling the book ‘the Tragedy of Victory’ is one that should generate little controversy. Given the parlous state of the nation and the unbridled plundering of its commonweal, one can hardly rationalize the wisdom of sacrificing over two million citizens in order to force the union. Today, it is difficult to imagine a worse fate than the current Nigerian ills that would have befallen the two or more sovereign units that emerged if we had not fought tooth and nail to prevent the outcome. This will however remain a dream as such a counterfactual scenario now resides in a hypothetical realm. Perhaps down the road, history will eventually commend those who fought hard to keep Nigeria one. The time is just not now.Concluded

Balarabe Musa’s authorised biography for launch in April

he official launch of the authorized biography of frontline politician and elder statesman, Balarabe Musa will hold on Thursday April 10, 2014 at the Ladi Kwali Hall of Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers, a statement said in Abuja yesterday. The occasion is to be chaired by former Governor of Lagos state and leading opposition figure, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. According to the statement, which was signed by the author, Kevin Chrisanthus, the biography captures the entire life and times of the elder statesman, whom has over the years become one of the strongest advocates for good governance in Nigeria. Mr. Chrisanthus noted that the book will unravel the story of the life of one of Nigeria’s most admired politicians of all

time, adding that both his personal and political life have been mirrored in the forth-coming biography. Born on August 21, 1936, in Kaya, community in his native Kaduna state, Balarabe Musa studied at Zaria Middle School (1947 - 1952) and at the Institute of Administration, Zaria (1952 - 1953). He was an accounts clerk (1953 - 1955) and a school teacher (1955 - 1960). He held various managerial positions related to accountancy in the period 1960 to 1976, while studying at different colleges in London to gain additional qualifications. With the return of democracy in 1979, Musa was elected Governor of the old Kaduna State during the Nigerian Second Republic. He held office from October 1979 until he was impeached by the state House of Assembly on 23 June 1981.

During the course of Nigerian Fourth Republic, the renowned left- wing politician he was leader of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), a coalition of opposition parties. Having been elected on the platform of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), a party founded by Mallam Aminu Kano, the radical politician’s mandate was challenged unsuccessfully challenged in court by the dominant National Party of Nigeria (NPN). As Governor, he was frustrated by the Kaduna state house of assembly, which was dominated by NPN members. This resulted in his inability to form a cabinet since he refused to nominate NPN members and the House refused to ratify his candidates. Eventually the House impeached him in June 1981, making him the first Nigerian state governor ever to be impeached.

POEM OF THE WEEK Land of lava and volcanoes It’s nice out, sunny even While dark clouds gather – If it weren’t dangerous I’d Walk around the church With my father. For too long now I have used Being and nothing as a crutch. Waking, feeling prehistoric I can feel the lightness in you – It’s a soft love light. I sit and write about mummy And daddy, tears that came and Went like a cold waterfall Staring right through me as it Floods my mind’s eye. A child’s fists painted with Mud pies, adults with their bleak Smiles swimming out of reach – Moon people do not have to speak Of the volume of their loneliness. If only loss were pintsized. If only a brother was not locked In the mists of rehab – childhood Has no walls only infinite space. Watch me detach myself From that thing, that skin Of a telescope, its core’s pulse – Why are you sullen, something Flawed on the other end of the Line leaving me an uninvited Guest like dark to fathom You out, the sun of your rare Soul-pieces – a deluge is Wrung out, washed out pale Like mysticism’s shroud.

QUOTE “I believe the visionaries and true reflections of society will be rewarded after their lives. Those being rewarded now are giving the public what it needs now, usually applauding its current state and clearing consciences.” ― Hollace M. Metzger

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 31

International

What now for Syria? ANALYSIS

s the Syrian revolution enters its fourth year, a political solution to the crisis remains as remote as it has ever been. All parties to the conflict appear to be stuck in a vicious cycle as they continue to make wrong calculations and wrong judgments. From the very beginning, the regime has locked itself in a state of denial as it continued to claim that it is fighting a global conspiracy aiming at destroying “the axis of resistance”. At other times, the same conspiracy is presented as seeking to replace the secular, minority protector regime with ‘fanatic jihadists’. The opposition, on the other hand, remained as politically naive as it has ever been; believing that its regional and international backers are genuinely interested in the success of the Syrian revolution and the removal of al-Assad regime. Despite the desire to see Bashar al-Assad leave, the Americans have clearly stated that they do not wish to see his regime collapse entirely, nor do they want his Islamist foes to come to power in Damascus. Pundits close to Obama administration circles have gone further by stating that the US has no interest in the conflict so long as it remains contained within Syria’s borders as a clash between two of its enemies, Sunni extremist groups against Shias. Yet, the Syrian crisis appeared to spin out of control last summer, and the Obama administration thinking proved to be miscalcuated too. The use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime against rebel groups, the direct involvement of Iran and Hezbollah in the conflict and the increasing Israeli intervention, including air strikes on military installations in and around Damascus, have caused deep embarrassment for Washington. Hence, after almost three years of sitting idle and watching the Syrian catastrophe unfold, the Obama administration insisted that a follow-up conference for the June 30, 2012, Geneva Declaration by the Syria Action Group should convene and lead to the formation of a transitional governing body from both the opposition and the regime. This did not work out either.

A man carries a woman away from a bomb blast scene in Syria

The regime refused to entertain the idea of a transitional government and insisted on the priority of fighting “terrorism”. It was supported by its two key patrons, Russia and Iran. For the regime, it seems that it was business as usual; planning to hold presidential elections this summer regardless of the Geneva process. In fact, the positions of the regime, the opposition, and the regional and international actors with interests in Syria have not changed much since the early days of the revolution. The reason for that is simply nobody was really prepared to deal with a problem of such magnitude and fraught with such complications, because nobody had expected the Syrian

people to ever revolt in the first place. The failure to spot signs of a brewing storm led to disastrous miscalculations with dire consequences. The regime in Damascus thought that it was immune to revolution. Six weeks before the uprising, Bashar al-Assad told the Wall Street Journal that his country was very unlikely to go through the turmoil that hit Tunisia and Egypt because the foreign policy of his government had tremendous support amongst Syrians. That proved to be a fatal mistake. And by using deadly force to suppress the uprising, Assad was making another mistake; turning peaceful demonstrators into armed militias, fighting not only to bring his regime down, but also

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to protect their lives, honour and properties. Furthermore, by turning the uprising into a sectarianinspired conflict, he prepared the ground for a full-fledged civil war. Consequently, Syria was turned into a battle ground attracting violent extremist groups from all over the world to take part in a conflict that is increasingly turning sectarian. This was Assad’s calculations as he faced the much unexpected revolution. So what was the opposition’s mistake? The opposition’s response to the revolution was pathetic, to say the least. Ignorant about regional and international contexts, it called for a foreign military intervention that would never come.

In fact, the positions of the regime, the opposition, and the regional and international actors with interests in Syria have not changed much since the early days of the revolution.

T h e r e g i m e ’ s determination to fight was also underestimated. The US and Russia positions were misjudged. The inability of the opposition to provide a reliable leadership for the revolution three years after the revolution is also intolerable. Having said all that and at this stage of the conflict, one can hardly talk about a good option in Syria, especially after the failure of the Geneva process. No matter what happens; the division between Syrians will take a decade or more to heal. Foreign interference has already turned the crisis into a civil war wherein the regime and the opposition find themselves stuck in a violent equilibrium, with neither side having the power to remove the other. A prolonged civil war could in turn lead to the disintegration of the state into mini-states defined mainly on sectarian lines; or complete collapse, wherein the current power structure disintegrates before an alternative is in place to manage an orderly transition to a new regime. Either way, the human cost will be immense. A massive refugee problem has already developed in and outside Syria. There is no practical way to estimate the cost in terms of immediate economic suffering or the future impact on the next generation. Source: Al Jazeera

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 32

International

Egypt security forces prevent Islamist news conference

Morocco arrests 102 illegal African migrants

orocco’s authorities arrested 102 illegal migrants yesterday who were attempting to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco, the official news agency MAP reported. Around 600 illegal migrants tried to force their way to Melilla in the Mediterranean from Tigurfateen river, MAP quoted a release from the Moroccan Interior Ministry as saying, adding that 5 security members were injured. Besides the 102 illegal migrants arrested by the authorities, 28 others were injured while climbing the barbed wire surrounding Melilla and were taken to the hospital, the release said. On Feb. 6, 11 African migrants drowned when a group of migrants tried to swim to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from the Moroccan territories. Thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and unrest in Africa attempt to enter Europe each year via Morocco. Most of them try to enter Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish port enclaves near the Moroccan territory. eMorocco and many European countries have tightened the security control against the illegal migration. Source: Xinhua

slamists l i loyal l l to deposed d d President Mohamed Mursi said yesterday that Egyptian security forces prevented them from holding a news conference about the deaths of hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members last year. A pro-Mursi alliance said on its Facebook page that police stormed a building where they were due to respond to a government-appointed panel on the deaths at a Cairo protest camp. Reuters witnesses said police vans surrounded the area. An Interior Ministry official said authorities had no immediate comment on the incident. A security source said two people were briefly detained on suspicion of membership in the outlawed Brotherhood. The panel said this month that the deaths of hundreds of Brotherhood supporters at a protest camp in Cairo last August was mostly the fault of demonstrators who had provoked the security forces into opening fire. The findings mainly echoed the military-backed government’s version of events. But in an unexpected move, the panel also placed some responsibility for the bloodshed on the security forces and said they had used disproportionate force. Meanwhile, a Cairo court sentenced a police officer to 10

…policeman li jjailed il d over IIslamist l i td deaths th

Security forces stand guard outside a police academy in Cairo

years in prison with labor yesterday in connection with the deaths of 37 Islamists last year, judicial sources said, one of the most controversial incidents since an army takeover last July. Three other policemen were given one-year suspended sentences, they said.

The Interior Ministry said at the time that the Islamists, Muslim Brotherhood members and their supporters, had died during an attempted prison break after being suffocated by tear gas in the incident last August. However, a legal source said the men had died from asphyxiation in

the back of a crammed police van while they were being moved to a jail on the outskirts of Cairo. The government has launched a widespread crackdown on the Brotherhood since the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Mursi last July after mass protests against his rule.

Kenya enhances security in Mombasa after arrest of 2 terror suspects

enya’s security forces heightened security in the coastal city of Mombasa yesterday after Monday’s arrest

of two key terror suspects in the tourism resort city. Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa told

A Kenyan soldier stands guard in front of Mombasa’s Musa mosque

journalists in Mombasa that AlShabaab terror group were planning to carryout major terror attack in the coastal city of Mombasa, adding that a bomb was set to be detonated by mobile phone capable of mass destruction. “It’s a major breakthrough on counter terrorism not only in Mombasa but the entire country. We have mounted round-the-clock security in all key installations,” Marwa told journalists in Mombasa. He said the terror group had mounted two improvised explosive devices in a ready for detonation before they police foiled their plot. “The police managed to arrest

two Al-Shabaab members and seized the vehicle a few meters from the Moi international airport,” Marwa said, adding that the security forces were working on collaborated intelligence information. The government administrator said the America FBI were involved in the operation which he termed successful. He said the two AlShabaab members have been profiled and linked with past terror attack in the region. “We managed to monitor their movement from Somalia to Mombasa and managed to recover the powerful explosives,” Marwa said.

Somalia’s al-Shabaab attack army hotel in central town

omali Islamist fighters have attacked a hotel in a strategic central town the militants lost control of last week. A car bomb exploded outside the hotel in Bulo-burde where African Union (AU) peacekeepers and Somali army commanders were staying, witnesses told the BBC. Gunfire continued for five hours and about 14 people - fighters from all sides - died, they said. The al-Shabaab Islamist group said it was behind the attack and that 30 AU and army commanders had been killed. The authorities have yet

to comment on the attack and communications to the central Hiran region went down not long after the fighting and gunfire ended, the BBC’s Ibrahim Aden reports from the capital, Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has waged an eight-year insurgency to overthrow the weak UN-backed government and create an Islamic state in Somalia. Witnesses said the car blast happened at 02:00 local time (23:00 GMT) and the fighting went on till about 07:00. About 24 people were also wounded in the raid and have been

taken to hospital, they said A BBC correspondent says alShabaab had occupied Bulo-burde for more than five years. The town, which has a strategic bridge over the River Shabelle and is at a crossroads linking various regions of the country, was an important base for al-Shabaab. Bulo-burde was captured as part of an ongoing AU and government offensive against al-Shabaab, which controls much of south and central Somalia. The 22,000-strong AU force (AMISOM) is helping the government battle the militants.

AMISOM and Somali government forces march around Buloburde after its capture last week

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 33

International

Iran nuclear talks unhurt by Ukraine crisis - EU I ran and d six i world ld powers sought h yesterday to make headway toward resolving their decadeold nuclear dispute, with Western officials expressing hope talks would not be further complicated by the Ukraine crisis. So far, diplomats said, there is little sign that the worst East-West

f i since i h Cold C ld War W confrontation the would undermine the quest for a deal over Iran’s atomic activity and avert the threat of a Middle East war. The March 18-19 meeting between Iran and the powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - began a day after Washington and the European Union

iimposed d sanctions i on Russian R i offi fficials il over events in Crimea. “I haven’t seen any negative effect,” Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton who coordinates the talks on behalf of the six nations, told reporters. “We continue our work in a unified fashion”.

Ashton (L) shares a laugh with Zarif during yesterday’s talks

B h unity i among the h powers But that on Iran may still be tested in the meeting of their chief negotiators on the issue in the Austrian capital Vienna, with the four Western states and Russia at loggerheads over the future of Ukraine. Russia and the West have in the past differed on how best to deal with Iran, with Moscow generally enjoying warmer ties with the Islamic Republic and suggesting Western fears about any nuclear military aims by Tehran are overblown. The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans on some senior Russian and Ukrainian officials after Crimea applied to join Russia on Monday following a secession referendum. As in previous meetings, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov represented Russia at the talks - which started around 10:30 a.m. (0930 GMT) and are likely to end late on Wednesday. Despite a concerted push to end the decade-old nuclear dispute after a relative moderate, Hassan Rouhani, was elected president last year on a platform to end Iran’s international isolation, big power divisions have re-emerged.

Missing plane: Malaysia rejects criticism of lack of cooperation suicide car bomb attack has It also warned Hezbollah and the killed at least four people in …relatives threaten hunger strike Lebanese army - which Sunni groups

a Hezbollah-dominated area of the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, near the border with Syria. Among those killed in the attack, which struck the village of al-Nabi Othman late on Sunday, was Hezbollah’s local leader Abdul Rahman al-Qadhi, according to Al Jazeera’s Ehab al-Okadi, reporting from Lebanon. “The blast was carried out by a suicide attacker. Hezbollah members knew he was about to

carry out the attack, and tried to stop the vehicle. That was when the attacker detonated the vehicle,” a Lebanese security source told AFP. Hezbollah-dominated areas in eastern Lebanon and south Beirut have suffered a series of deadly attacks, many of them suicide car blasts, since the powerful Shia movement acknowledged sending fighters to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad’s troops as they battle rebels.

The latest attack was claimed by Jabhat al-Nusra in Lebanon, as well as by the little-known LiwaAhrar al-Sunna in Baalbek, a Sunni Muslim armed group opposed to Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian conflict. “LiwaAhrar al-Sunna in Baalbek officially takes responsibility for the heroic martyrdom [suicide] operation ‘revenge for Yabrud’ in the village of al-Nabi Othman,” the group said on Twitter.

in Lebanon say has sided with the Shia movement - to: “prepare for the transfer of the battle of Yabroud into Lebanese territory.” The attack came hours after the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah fighters, captured Yabroud, a former rebel bastion in Syria near the Lebanese border. Hezbollah and Lebanese security forces have said many of the car bombs used in previous suicide attacks came from Yabroud.

as the security situation has improved due to the dwindling number of demonstrators. The protesters have been trying since early November to overthrow

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and rid the country of the influence of her brother, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. “We have agreed to lift the state of emergency and use the Internal Security Act starting from tomorrow until April 30 as the number of protesters has dwindled ... and after pleas from the business community,” national security chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr told Reuters news agency yesterday. The decision had been approved by Yingluck, according to the prime minister’s secretary-general, Suranand Vejjajiva, who spoke to AFP news agency. The Internal Security Act is a

less harsh law but still allows the authorities to impose curfews, operate security checkpoints and restrict the movement of protesters as needed. At least 23 people have been killed since the unrest began late last year, most in shootings and grenade blasts. The protests, which were mainly held in Bangkok and the south, have waned in recent weeks and are now mostly confined to Lumpini Park in Bangkok’s central business district and a few other sites. The use of emergency rule dealt a heavy blow to Thailand’s key tourism industry during what is usually peak season, and also raised fears of a drop in foreign investment.

Thailand lifts Bangkok state of emergency

hailand’s government is set to lift the state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding provinces two months after imposing it to curb anti-government protests,

Thailand police officers take a rest during protests

Asia & Middle East

Israel cannot rely on US over Iran – Defence chief

srael’s defense minister has accused the United States of projecting weakness internationally and said Israel could not rely on its main ally to take the lead in confronting Iran over its nuclear program. Moshe Yaalon, whose remarks were reported in the Haaretz daily yesterday, caused friction with the United States only two months ago when he described Secretary of State John Kerry’s quest for IsraeliPalestinian peace as messianic and obsessive. His latest comments, confirmed by an Israeli official who was present at lecture Yaalon delivered at Tel Aviv University on Monday, displayed deep disappointment with U.S. President Barack Obama’s handling of burning world issues. “We had thought it would be the United States that would lead the campaign against Iran,” said Yaalon, who pointed to the Ukraine crisis as an example of Washington “showing weakness”. It was unclear from Yaalon’s reported remarks where he believed the United States, which on Monday imposed sanctions on two top aides to President Vladimir Putin and nine other people linked to Russia’s Crimean incursion, had gone wrong on Ukraine. Iran and six world powers will try to make headway on the nuclear dispute in talks that started in Vienna on Tuesday, with Western officials hoping the challenge will not be made even more difficult by the Ukraine crisis. Yaalon said that although “people know Iran cheats”, the United States and other nations chose to negotiate with Tehran on restricting activities they fear are aimed at developing atomic arms. “Therefore, on this matter, we have to behave as though we have nobody to look out for us but ourselves,” Yaalon said, echoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s veiled threats of unilateral military action against Iran if diplomacy fails. “Unfortunately, when it comes to negotiating at a Persian bazaar, the Iranians are better,” said Yaalon, a former armed forces chief and a hawkish member of Netanyahu’s rightwing Likud party. In the Middle East, Yaalon said, he had heard “voices of disappointment” over a lack of U.S. support for Sunni Muslim rebels in the three-year-old conflict in Syria.

Yaalon

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

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International Europe and Americas

British woman gets life in Pakistan for drugs smuggling

British woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Pakistan after being convicted of trying to smuggle 63kg of heroin out of the country. Khadija Shah, 26, from Birmingham, was heavily pregnant when she was arrested at Islamabad airport in May 2012. Shah, who gave birth to a baby girl, Malaika, while in jail, denied the charges against her. She had two other children with her at the time of her arrest, but they have since returned to Britain. In 2012, a court in Rawalpindi heard Shah was arrested after 63kg of heroin, with a UK street value of about £3.2m, was found in several suitcases in her possession. Shah claimed she was carrying the cases for someone else and was unaware of the contents. Her family raised concerns for her health, and that of her baby, in a statement in May last year. At the time, the legal charity Reprieve said it was worried the child had not received immunisations that are routine in the UK and there had been an outbreak of tuberculosis in the prison in 2012. Maya Foa, director of Reprieve’s Death Penalty team, said the news was “a terrible outcome” for Shah and her baby. “As happens in hundreds of cases, she was used as a drugs mule without her knowledge and yet is facing life in a Pakistani prison,” she said. “The UK government must ensure that Khadija gets the urgent assistance she needs to appeal her sentence so that her baby doesn’t grow up behind bars.” Prison officials have previously said Shah and her baby were being treated well. A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said: “We are aware that a British national has been given a custodial sentence in Pakistan. “We remain in regular contact with her and we will continue to provide her and her family with consular assistance.”

Shah

Ukraine crisis: Putin signs RussiaCrimea treaty, Kiev rejects pact

resident Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Crimea have signed a bill to absorb the peninsula into Russia. Mr Putin told a special joint session of parliament that Crimea had “always been part of Russia” and the move had corrected a “historical injustice”. Crimea was taken over by proRussian forces in late February after Ukraine’s president was ousted, and declared independence from Ukraine on Monday. US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking in Poland, said Russia’s involvement in Crimea was “a brazen military incursion” and its annexation of the territory was “nothing more than a land grab” by Moscow. The UK’s response was to suspend “all bilateral military co-operation [with Russia] not subject to treaty obligations”, Foreign Secretary William Hague told Parliament. Crimean officials say that, in a referendum held in the predominantly-ethnic-Russian region on Sunday, 97% of voters backed splitting from Ukraine. The EU and US have declared

the vote illegal. Travel bans and asset freezes have been imposed on government officials and other figures in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine, but these have been largely dismissed as ineffectual in Russia. In a televised address in front

of both houses of parliament and Crimea’s new leaders, Mr Putin said: “In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an inseparable part of Russia.” The referendum had been legal and its results were “more than

convincing”, he said. “The people of Crimea clearly and convincingly expressed their will - they want to be with Russia,” he said, and were no longer prepared to put up with the “historical injustice” of being part of Ukraine.

Putin

I have come to boost Nigeria- Cuba relations -Cuban FM

Parilla

he Cuban foreign Minister Mr Rodriguez Parilla, currently on an official visit to Nigeria says he is here to tighten cooperation between the two countries and seek for ways to expand into new areas of bilateral relations. Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Peoples Daily, Rodriguez said at present, there are many Nigerian students studying in Cuba and many Cuban technicians working in Nigeria. He expressed hope that after his current tour in which he will among others have audience with the Nigerian foreign affairs Minister and President Goodluck Jonathan will expand areas of cooperation. He said such areas include scientific research and the

production of biochemical and pharmaceutical products. “We have been working on the production of a vaccine against malaria. We do not have malaria in our country but this could be our contribution to African and Asian countries. We are also working to produce a vaccine against cholera”, he revealed. Speaking further on the issue of cholera, he said Haiti, a poor country suffered a terrible cholera epidemic in the recent past. According to him a medical team from Cuba had been working in all communities of Haiti for 12 years against cholera which he said was imported into the country by accident from Asia. He further revealed that Cuba

would like to benefit from Nigeria’s experience in the oil industry saying this was a top priority area since Cuba will soon start its own sea shell oil production. Looking back at relations between Cuba and Africa, Rodriguez said Cuba is an African country located in South America. He traced the historical ties between the two people and concluded that they have always worked together for the progress of one another. According to him every Cuban has African blood in him adding that African slaves were crucial in the establishment and liberation of Cuba as a free independent country. The Minister also recalled the role of Cuba in the liberation of Angola and South Africa.

Hungary tries 92-year-old communist for war crimes

former senior Communist Party official went on trial in Hungary yesterday charged with war crimes over the suppression of the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising, in a landmark case that may help the country face up to its communist past. More than two decades after the fall of communism, Hungarian prosecutors have charged 92-yearold BelaBiszku over his role on a committee of the Communist Party they say was involved in ordering the shootings of civilians during protests in Budapest and in the town of Salgotarjan in December 1956. The trial has drawn strong

domestic media attention ahead of a national election on April 6. It became possible under a law passed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party that says war crimes and crimes against humanity do not lapse. In the packed Budapest courtroom, the front row was partly occupied by lawmakers of the farright opposition party Jobbik which initiated the proceedings against Biszku in 2012. Biszku, who was one of Hungary’s most powerful leaders in communist times and is the first to stand trial, walked into the courtroom with a cane. Wearing a grey suit and dark blue-rimmed

glasses, he responded to the judge in a firm voice: “I do not wish to make a confession.” Biszku has previously denied all accusations against him. The 1956 uprising against the Soviet-backed government in Budapest represented the first major threat to Moscow’s control of eastern Europe since the end of World War Two. Hundreds of people were executed and tens of thousands were imprisoned after the revolution was crushed by Soviet tanks. Biszku then served as interior minister from 1957 to 1961.

Prosecutors say Biszku was a member of a committee of the Communist Party in 1956 that created armed militia to maintain order and carry out retaliations after the revolution was crushed. They say this party committee directly governed the leading body of the militia, the so called Military Council. Prosecutor TamasVegh said Biszku had abetted the shooting of several people in Budapest on December 6 and in Salgotarjan on December 8, 1956, in a war crime that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. But Biszku’s lawyer Gabor Magyar said the accusations were unfounded.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

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Agabi Should Concentrate On His Campaign Rather Than Castigating Governor Almakura

lhaji Yusuf Agabi is one of the gubernatorial aspirants under PDP in Nasarawa State. He has been in the news recently wrongly castigating Governor Almakura in respect of the very areas of development where the governor has recorded tremendous achievements. Maybe Alhaji Yusuf Agabi is not well informed about happenings in Nasarawa State. Or he just wants to be mischievous, which will at the end of the day discredit him as an aspirant or damage his political career. Mr Agabi has raised some number of issues ranging from lack of infractructure and other amenities. Let me make bold to say that Yusuf Agabi is either ignorant or too blind to see the physical structures put in place by Governor Almakura in all the nooks and crannies of the state. Let me also remind Agabi that in lafia, the state capital, the state government has achieved a total of 70 km of asphalt road with drainages which include twin roads and street lights. That is not all, as all the thirteen local government headquarters have also benefited, with 4-5 km of asphalt road with drainages built for each of them. The rural communities were also not left out, as over 300 km of roads were constructed across the length and breath of the state. This is subject to verification. Agabi should engage the services of professionals to go round the state verify these claims, instead of sitting in the convenience of his living room to make this kind of wrong assertions that may, at the end of the day, consume him. It is an obvious fact that the rehabilitation of all water works within the state and improved power supply through procurement of inputs have tremendously affected the living standards of the common man in the state. Still, on the provision power to rural community, Governor Almakura

has advertised award of contracts in our national dailies for the electrification of rural communities to give them a sense of belonging. Some of the benefiting communities include Rinze, Ancho, Andaha in Akwanga, Panda in Karu, Loko, Mararaba, Udege in Nasarawa, Gadabuke, Umaisha in Toto, Mada Station in Nasarawa eggon. The project will also benefit 4 interio villages each in lafia , Toto, Awe, Keana, Doma, Obi, Akwanga, Wamba, Nasarawa Eggon, Keffi, Kokona, Nasarawa and Karu local government areas. Mr Yusuf Agabi in one of his write-ups claimed thatAlmakura’s government did not record any reasonable achievement in the education sector. Maybe Agabi is blind or he mischievously ignores the unprecedented record of achievements in the education sector. May I use this medium to mention just a few of the achievements recorded by Governor Almakura. There are, the Ta’al model story-building schools across the length and breath of the state of which Agabi and his family are direct beneficiaries. The numerous newly constructed three class room blocks spread across the state, with school desks and instructional materials. One wonders if Agabi is refusing to acknowledge what his immediate and extended family have enjoyed or are enjoying, courtesy of Taal declaration of free education from primary to post primary as well as payment of NECO and WEAC fees of all students in the state. This is aside construction of school for the physically challenged, the blind , deaf and those suffering from other ailments. So what will Agabi offer in the education sector with all that Governor Almakura has achieved. I am sure Agabi is now fully informed that Almakura has miraculously turned around the fortunes of the state . Let me challenge Agabi to highlight the achievements of his so-call party PDP

within the twelve years it ruled Nasarawa State. Can Agabi deliver if given the opportunity to rule? Absolutely no, because he never demonstrated that he is an achiever when he held series of positions in government. Agabi should tell the people of Nasarawa State how many people he empowered within and outside the state. I am sure he is aware of the tsunami waiting for him in PDP, as demonstrated during his senatorial race when he was denied the ticket to run. Can he succeed this time around, with the likes of former Governor Aliyu Akwe, Senator Ewuga, Labaran maku, Senator John Danboyi among others? Where will Agabi fix himself among these seasoned politicians? Let me advise Agabi to face these political gladiators and allow Ta’al to continue with the work of changing the face of Nasarawa State. Right now Almakura is busy with the construction of model hospital with the state of art earth equipment as well as e-library in the three senatorial zones of the state and the new Lafia parade ground. The fire service under construction is part of Ta’al initiative for a new model city of Nasarawa State. These achievements were recorded in less than three years, when in twelve years the PDP could not achieve even a quarter of these achievements. Before I forget, let me recall Agabis comments saying Governor Almakura should stop playing politics with Alakyo killings. What baffles me is whether it is the constitution of the judicial commission of enquiry to investigate the killings of over 70 security operatives or the issuing of white paper to prosecute those behind the deadly act that irks Agabi. Agabi should be wary of his comments regarding people’s lives, and he should know that those killed have families that they have left behind. A word, they say, is a enough for the wise. Iliyasu Yakubu wrote from lafia

PAGE 36

Digest How a healthy husband equals a happy marriage

he stresses and strains of modern living mean that plenty of people seek a divorce. And a new study has shown that a husband’s ‘agreeable personality’ and good health plays a key role in preventing conflict and an enduring marriage. Scientists believe the same characteristics in wives play less of a role in limiting conflict between couples who have been together for a long time, however. ‘Wives report more conflict if their husband is in poor health,’ said James Iveniuk, PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago. ‘If the wife is in poor health, there doesn’t seem to be any difference in terms of the quality of the marriage for the husband,’ he said. The study is based upon a U.S. survey analysing the relationships of 953 heterosexual couples who are either married or living together. Participants ranged in age from 63 to 90 years old and the average length of their relationships was 39 years. The survey of older adults participating in the National Social Life Health and Aging Project, which ran the survey, compared the characteristics of the husbands to the characteristics

of their wives. Each person was interviewed and asked to describe themselves. Mr Iveniuk and his co-authors found many gender differences when they examined personality traits including openness, experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and anxiety. They added a new measure called ‘positivity,’ which was an overarching characteristic described as a person’s overall desire to be seen in a positive light. ‘Wives whose husbands show higher levels of positivity reported less conflict. However, the wives’ positivity had no association with their husbands’ reports of conflict,’

he said. Co-author Linda Waite, Lucy Flower Professor of Urban Sociology at the university, said the study’s measurement of marital conflict could be summarised as, ‘How much does your spouse bother you?’ They found that clashes are not primarily about fighting or violence, but whether one spouse criticises the other, makes too many demands, or generally gets on the other person’s nerves. It also revealed that men who describe themselves as neurotic or extroverted tend to have wives who complain more about the quality of the marriage. Men with self-described

‘Wives Wives whose husbands show higher levels of positivity reported less conflict (illustrated). However, the wives’ positivity had no association with their husbands’ reports of conflict,’ according to the study

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

A study’s shown that a husband’s ‘agreeable personality’ and good health plays a key role in preventing conflict (illustrated) in a marriage

n neurotic wives may consider w worrying to be a more ‘gendera appropriate’ role for women, a according to the study. Husbands reported more ccriticism and demands from ttheir wives overall, but also higher llevels of emotional support. Professor Waite said: ‘Several p previous studies have been about tthe implications of marital status o on health. ‘This research allows us to eexamine individual marriages and n not “married people.” We have the rreports on the quality of the marriage ffrom each person, about their own personality and their own health.’ The researchers suggest that

future studies might examine the question of whether low levels of conflict in marriages require not only the absence of factors, such as poor health and negative traits, but also a better balance of emotional responsibilities between husbands and wives. They believe some of the differences between husbands and wives may change as researchers study younger couples entering later life, compared to the current generation of older couples who may have more conventional gender roles.

protein only men – perhaps because they lose more muscle in old age. Fish may have been particularly good because of the other nutrients it contains, such as omega-3 fatty acids, which are credited with health benefits from easing the pain of arthritis to staving off dementia. Writing in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the researchers said that physical and mental decline have an ‘enormous effect’ on hospitals and care homes and the economy and it is imperative to find ways to keep the elderly healthy for longer. They added: ‘Keeping a higher protein intake could contribute to maintaining elderly functional capacity.’ The research chimes with a high-profile study released last week. It found that eating lots of animal protein, such as meat and cheese, in middle-age can be as deadly

as smoking. However, it concluded that protein is beneficial in old age.

Source: Dailymail. co.uk

Why fish will keep you active

easting on fish could help to keep elderly people active. Researchers from the N National Institute of Health and N Nutrition in Japan asked more 11,000 men and women to fill iin a questionnaire designed to a assess their mental and physical ffitness. Questions included how easy tthey found it to use public ttransport or pay bills and how m much they visited friends or w were asked for advice. They were also quizzed about w what they ate. Those who ate the most a animal protein were 39 per ccent less likely to have failed m mentally or physically seven yyears later. Protein is key for building tthe muscle needed to protect a against falls and fractures but iit is thought the body finds it h harder to absorb and process the n nutrient as we age. As a result w we need more of it to remain h healthy. However, high amounts of

Source: Dailymail. co.uk

Protein is key for building the muscle needed to protect against falls and fractures but it is thought the body finds it harder to absorb and process the nutrient as we age (stock image)

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 37

Confab: Northern Elders’ll align with ACF on Northern agenda - Amb. Yusuf By Lawrence Olaoye

he Northern Elders Council (NEC) has declared that it would align itself now and at all times with the position of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) as the pan northern umbrella organisation on all issues of national importance, especially on the national conference. In a statement signed by the spokesperson of the group,

Ambassador Yusuf Mamman, the group regretted the belligerent posture of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and expressed dissatisfaction at its utterances, which according to him, are to say the least, an embarrassment and un-dignifying to the general position of participation, consensus-building and constructive engagement initiative by the ACF with all and different parts of the country.

He stated “The northern Elders Council reaffirms its total support to participate in the National Conference and assures all Nigerians that Northern delegates will participate and contribute actively and will vigorously defend northern and national interests. The so-called Kano declaration was an exercise in futility. “The Northern Elders Council is always in tandem with ACF’s

position. There was extensive and intensive consultation and presentation by the ACF before the Okuronmu committee, including presentation of memoranda at Minna, Kaduna, Sokoto and Jos. At no time was the idea of a walkout or boycott ever entertained. “We believed in justice, dialogue and consensus - and any group spitting fire and brimstone is not speaking on behalf of the North,” he said.

L-R: Deputy Speaker, Kano state House of Assembly, Hon. Hamisu Ibrahim, Kano state Deputy Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, Speaker, Kano state House of Assembly, Hon. Isyaku Ali Danja, and Retreat Chief Consultant, Engineer Abubakar Kabir Bichi, during the opening ceremony of 2014 Kano state legislator’s retreat, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Ekiti guber: Disqualify Fayose within 7 days or..., aspirant threatens PDP By Lawrence Olaoye

s the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prepares for its ward congress today ahead of the party governorship primary scheduled to hold on Saturday, an aspirant on the platform of the party, Deji Ajayi, has called on the leadership of the party to disqualify his fellow aspirant, Ayodele Fayose, within 7 days or face legal action. Ajayi alleged that Fayose, a former governor of the state on the platform of the PDP, was not a member of the party. This was contained in a letter written to the National Chairman of the Party,Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, from the law firm of Olowolafe & Co,signed by Mr Olasoji Olowolafe and dated March 10th,2014 which was made available to news men in Abuja yesterday In the letter also copied President Goodluck Jonathan in his capacity as the

PDP National Leader, Ajayi argued that Fayose seized to be a member of the party having the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and later Labour Party on which platform he contested and lost the Senatorial election in 2011. The letter by Ajayi’s solicitors read in part “Sir, the subject person was the Governor of Ekiti State between 2003 and 2006 when he was impeached by the State House of Assembly and went on a self-imposed exile”. “Upon his return, he left the party and joined the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and campaigned across the State for that party’s candidate in the 2007 Gubernatorial election”. “In 2013, he did not only join the Labour Party, he was also the candidate of that Party for the Ekiti Central Senatorial seat which he lost with a wide margin to the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria. Sir, it is a

notorious fact that cannot be denied that the subject person, with these antecedents lost his membership of the party”. “It is conceded that the subject person has, to the general knowledge and to the personal knowledge of our client, taken the initial steps towards becoming a member of the party in line with the provision of section 8(17) of the Constitution of the party, however, no recommendation has been made to the National Working Committee for his readmission to the party”. “Sir, assuming without conceding that such recommendation has been made to the National Working Committee of the Party, such readmission has not been ratified by the National Executive Committee of the Party.” “It is consequent upon the foregoing that our client has instructed us to demand and we hereby demand that within

7 days from the date hereon, you redress the illegality and unconstitutionality of the inclusion of the subject person in the electoral process by excluding him in the race immediately,” Ajayi’s counsel submitted.

2015:Okotie wants INEC to recognise party, declares presidential ambition From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

resh Democratic Party (FDP) presidential candidate and founder of Household of God Church, Rev. Chris Okotie, yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to obey the rule of law by recognising his party as a legally registered party in accordance to the ruling of a Federal High Court in Abuja. Okotie, speaking in Lagos, also declared his intention to contest the 2015 presidential election on the platform of his party. Okotie, who lamented INEC’s refusal to recognise his party, said despite the court’s ruling, INEC did not include FDP on the ballot papers that were released in August 2013 for the Anambra State governorship election which held on 16 November, 2013. He insisted that INEC should comply with the court’s ruling to enable the party organise its national convention where it would elect officers to run the affairs of the party. Okotie’s Fresh Party was deregistered alongside 27 other parties on 6th of December, 2012 by INEC on alleged nonperformance but Federal High Court presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, voided INEC’s decision. The judge, while giving the ruling in 2013, said that INEC acted unconstitutionally by deregistering Okotie’s party and that it did not give FDP fair hearing before taking the decision.

Kebbi PDM commences membership registration From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

embers of the Peoples Democratic Movement [PDM] in Kebbi state yesterday joined their counterparts across the country in the party’s registration exercise. Addressing newsmen at the state party office, the state PDM chairman, Alhaji Ibrhaim Adamu Yauri, said that as the exercise would last for one week, Kebbi state would register more members than other political parties in the state. He explained that 200 cards were issued per unit and 225 cards per

ward across the 21 local governments. He said “I am impressed with the turnout and also we registered some member through online including the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kebbi state branch and his members. I can assure the people that with the present development, PDM would deliver in 2015 general election in the state and Nigeria at large’’ he added. Yauri said that out of the strongest three political parties in the country, PDM would carry the day after the election even as he urged the people to support the party and come out e-mass to register for the progress of the country.

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Politics

Why we’re investing in education, by Kauran Namoda LG boss INTERVIEW

ow did you come by the idea of sponsoring 21 students to study medicine abroad and another 80 at Abdu Gusau Polytechnic Mafara? It has been in my mind even before I was elected as council Chairman. The health sector was unfortunately bedevilled with the dearth of medical professionals and other necessary facilities. I have witnessed with sadness times without number when our medically educated people hanged abroad to serve after graduation thereby leaving our beloved country’s health sector with dearth of personnel to man our dilapidated hospitals and other clinics. Education is very important. Important in the sense that without it, all routes leading to better life would be blocked. That is why may administration gave priority to that sector so as to succeed in hitting two birds with one stone. For example, I sponsored 21 indigenous students to go and study Medicine, out of which eleven have already departed for their respective schools abroad. But the main aim is to record various achievements in the health sector. It has become a popular tradition as you have said, that Nigerian medical students do not normally come back to serve their country, but rather chose to stay there, what assurance do you have that these would behave contrary? The students have signed an agreement as legally directed by the council that they will come back to serve the local government and the state at large for three years before they would move to any place of their choice. We will have every constitutional right to challenge them if they breach the contract. In view of effort to provide room for their anticipated services, the council has already swung into renovations and

Lawali M. Liman, elected Chairman, Kauran Namoda Local Government Council and the state Secretary Governor Abdulaziz Yari’s Continuity Movement, has offered to sponsor 21 indigenous students selected from absolutely poor families in the local government to study Medicine abroad. In this interview with Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, the Chairman narrates how he plans to improve commercial activities in the local government. Excerpts: rehabilitation of health structures across the local government as well as the security of required facilities. This is in addition to the total renovation and upgrading of Women and Children Welfare Clinic (WCWC) where the distribution of free medication is fully practiced. What efforts are you making to ensure healthy environment so as to consolidate the impact of free medication? You see, apart from adequate public enlightenment on environmental cleanliness, the council has introduced a weekly environmental sanitation. We use the local government environmental staffers and other necessary equipment to fight malaria and other killer diseases. This is the situation in my local government now, and the most important point to note here is that people are responding positively to that programme to extent that our environmental vehicles are 24-hour busy conveying waste to the appointed dump refuse for final action. Right now, we are virtually ready for the oncoming raining season as majority of functional culverts and drainages across the local government area have been cleared. This is a success to be highly impressed with simply as it would help to reduce

Mr. Lawali M. Liman the amount of threat caused by the disaster of flood that occurs annually. What other viable projects have you delivered for the benefit of your people? When we came on board, we found that some communities were abandoned in almost every aspect in the local government services. In the light of reinjecting sense of belonging to numerous communities in the

“

We have constructed three ultra modern markets across the three zones of the local government. It appears a great achievement as it gives more room and services to the visiting marketers from within and even neighbouring countries

villages, we embarked upon electrification and connection to national grid of Magizawa village which have never dream of such a development before 2012. The said village is now electrified, the situation that paved way for numerous jobs opportunities. Also, Barkeji village hitherto with vandalised facilities has been reconnected to electricity. The project is 100 percent completed, and what we have noticed following the completion of such an electrification projects in both Barkeji and Magizawa villages were very great, because the jobs found in the completed power projects had prevented youth from participating in crime-related activities, thereby achieving the restoration of peace in many areas of the local government. More transformers, aimed at enhancing the power supplies, were installed at Hayin Mahe and Yarima quarters as well as Kungurki area in the local government headquarters. All these were in addition

to the eighteen boreholes already constructed by the local government as fulfilment of promise made during campaign days on adequate water supply. There was shortage of water until we came on board; though the state government had done much to tackle the water scarcity suffered by our people. What about youths empowerment programmes in your local government? About a couple of months ago, we distributed some amount of funds to our teeming youth whom we have trained on various fields to enable them run small scale businesses in what they have learnt. This is followed by security advises received from certain quarters, though our teeming youth were somehow petty traders, but not criminals despite efforts by some unpatriotic politicians to lure them into thuggery. What is your local government doing to improve commercial activities among your teeming populace many of whom are merchants? Before my election as Chairman, my attention was drawn by the rate of rapid backwardness in commercial activities due to urgent need for our markets to be upgraded so that they could compete with other markets and rise up to the challenges in commerce sector. We have constructed three ultra modern markets across the three zones of the local government. It appears a great achievement as it gives more room and services to the visiting marketers from within and even neighbouring countries; therefore, more jobs were provided for our teeming youth. All our aim is to ensure the total reduction of crime rate in the area and to make sure our youth are busy doing what would be enough to take care of them.

Bauchi 2015: Central or Northern Senatorial District must produce governor, says politician From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

he Chairman of the Bauchi State Local Government Pension Board, Alhaji Danladi Abubakar, has said that he would be the last person to support the gubernatorial candidature of any politician from Bauchi South ahead of the 2015

elections. The Board chairman explained that by 2015, Bauchi South would have ruled the state for 16 consecutive years, and therefore stressed the need for the leadership to rotate to either Central or North Senatorial district in the interest of justice, equity and fair-play. According to him, should

Bauchi South continue to hold onto the leadership of the state grabbing it again in 2015, the equation imbalance would have been heavily loaded onto the central and north districts which, he noted, is detrimental to the nascent democracy. Abubakar in a chat with newsmen in Bauchi yesterday

described as ridiculous, political suicide and lopsided chess game for the Bauchi south to insist on holding onto the leadership of the state in 2015 after Mu’azu and Yuguda, both from the same senatorial district, have consecutively ruled for 16 years. The Board Chairman explained that based on political

expediencies, spirit of give and take, and maturity, 2015 ought to be the turn of Bauchi Central or North district to produce the governor of the state. The chairman then advised those politicians from the Southern Senatorial District of the state to drop their ambition in the interest of justice and fairpaly.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 39

Ewuga And The Gbadeyan Judicial Commission Of Inquiry By Rayyanu Bala

ver since the beginning of onslaught on the people of Nasarawa South by Ombatse militia group, the administration of Umaru Tanko Al-makura has not left anyone in doubt as to its determination to put an end to it. It was clear that the motives behind it was only to terrorize the people through killings and mayhem as demonstrated by their various activities in virtually all the communities of Nasarawa South. Needless to say, the Ombatse militia group became more daring in their activities soon after the Alogani incident involving a team of SSS and the Police on 17 November, 2012 when the security operatives stormed their training camp, a discovery that left many people wondering, why the armed training at the time when clamour for peace had become louder in the state. Many people including this writer were unaware of Ombatse and what it stands for until after the Alogani incident. The activities of Ombatse, which later culminated to the killings of security operatives at Alakyo, are what informed the decision of Al-makura-led administration to set-up the Gbadeyan Commission of inquiry to look into circumstances which led to the killings of Security Operatives at Alakyo and other issues related herewith. However, before Al-makura set up this Commission of Inquiry, opinions of people of Nasarawa state as represented by Traditional rulers, Opinion and Religious leaders as well as prominent Sons and Daughters of the state, were sought and consensus were reached as to the necessity of setting up the Commission of Inquiry. And of interest was that this Commission of Inquiry had members whose pedigrees in public life are not questionable, and none of them is from Nasarawa state, at least to demonstrate the fairness and impartiality of the Al-makura led administration. The terms of reference of the commission were also carefully selected not to injure any community or individual in the matter. Al-makura-led administration was moved only by the overall interest of Nasarawa state and its people in setting up this Commission of Inquiry, contrary to what some people some where may want us to believe. So when some people say that Al-makura was only moved by hate against the Eggons I only laugh as the insinuations are very untrue. Why should Al-makura single out only Eggon among all the existing tribes in Nasarawa as the objects of his hatred? What offence have the Eggon as a nation committed for Al-makura as a person to hate them? At least from my little observation, Eggon as a nation have not done anything against Al-makura. The case is between Ombatse militia and the State and Al-makura being the sitting Governor, and responsible Governor for that matter, can not sit by and watch some group of people constitute themselves into government of their own and start visiting violence on others who do not share their views and ideology. Hence the decision to ban Ombatse and any other ethnic militia group in the state. However, despite the ban, the Ombatse activities did not only continue unabated but even took a different dimension when the group was accused of forcefully administrating oath to and inducting people into their cult. The then Commissioner of Police in the state, revealed that to avert possible religious crisis, which could be sparked off by forceful administration of portion to Eggons who reject Ombatse beliefs and practices and to avert growing tension and threat posed by the Ombatse activities, the state government was forced to hold a security council meeting to find a way of solving the problem. It was precisely at this council meeting, according to former Police Commissioner, that a decision was taken to send security operatives to Alakyo to arrest Baba Alakyo. So, on the strength of these therefore what one can deduce is: It was the emergence of Ombatse and

its subsequent activities that gave the Eggon a bad name before the other people of Nasarawa state. Senator Solomon Ewuga at a press interview he granted in Abuja following the release of white paper by the state government on Gbadiyan Commission of Inquiry report which indicted him, was quoted as accusing Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura of criminalizing Eggon. Indeed when I read this news item in the media the questions that came to my mind were: Did Al-makura ask anybody to form Ombatse militia group, or did he directe Ombatse to unleash violence on any community in Nasarawa state, or did he order Ombatse to kill Security Operatives on lawful duty in Alakyo? Of course, every discerning mind will agree with the fact that those who formed/financed Ombatse and those who direct/influence Ombatse to unleash violence on various communities, and those who ordered them to Kill Security Operatives at Alakyo were the very people who criminalized Eggon. Governor Al-makura should not be made a scapegoat, as he is only responding to his constitutional responsibilities as Governor. No responsible leader can afford to look the other way and allow a few people who have unleashed terror and violence on innocent citizens go unpunished. The primary objective of governance the world over is to ensure security of life. Nigerian constitution is very explicit on this. There is indeed, no denying the fact that the Gbadeyan Commission of Inquiry conducted its affairs diligently with neither fear or favour ill-will nor affection. And it was to everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge that the sittings of the Commission were conducted not only publicly but in the full glare of the press. And from the commencement of the sittings of this Commission to the end, nobody among all the lawyers who appeared before the Commission ever raised any objections as to the manner the Commission carried out its mandate, except the Eggon legal team. Thus, the claim by Senator Ewuga that his indictment was premeditated was uncalled for and without basis. The swiftness with which government came out with the white paper was just a sign or rather a demonstration of commitment of the government to live up to its responsibilities. And I am yet to come across a law or precept which says reports of commission of Inquiry must take a specified number of days before white paper could be issued. After all, what time does it really require to go through a 200 page report? And in Nasarawa state we do not know Senator Ewuga as an extra- ordinary being whose daintiness attracts witch-hunt. Rather, I have always seen him (Ewuga) as but an ethnic champion. This can even be attested from the way he venerates his Eggon tribe. For purposes of emphasis, Nigerian laws are no respecter of individual or tribes. You can not commit an offence and says you should not be made to face the wrath of the law simply because you belong to a certain tribe. At least we should learn how to live above this level of sentiment. Gbadeyan Commission of Inquiry has done a very good job and we all believe that all of its recommendations are directed towards not only putting a halt to senseless killings in Nasarawa state in the name of advancing tribal ego but to punish culprits to serve as deterrent to others who might be tempted to follow same path in future. But the question on the lips of many political observers in Nasarawa state is: whether the federal government-controlled security operatives who are statutorily charged with the responsibilities of prosecution, can muster courage and go all out in implementing the recommendations in the Gbadeyan Commission of Inquiry report as contained in the white paper released by the Nasarawa state government? Bala writes from Lafia, Nasarawa state

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

News Extra

Youth minister harps on unemployment

Chief Superintendent of Police Oshupuru Olufemi (left), and Superintendent of Police Charles Onoh (right), of Mopol 24 Presidential Escort jointly decorating Nuhu Bariki (middle), with his new rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) II, on Monday at the State House, in Abuja.

By Albert Akota

Photo: Joe Oroye

Bauchi denies owing pensioners N6bn backlogs From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

auchi State Government has denied owing over N6 billion backlogs of gratuities and pension of pensioners in the state. It would be recalled

that the chairman, Bauchi Pensioners, Alhaji Habu Gar and chairman, Bauchi Local Government Pension Association, Alhaji Yahaya Umar recently appealed to the state government to pay six billion naira owed pensioners in the state.

However, the chairman, state and local governments Pension Board, Alhaji Danladi Abubakar has denied the allegation, while reacting to the claim by both chairmen. Abubakar said, “The backlog of pension not

settled by the government is not up to 6Bn as claimed by the pensioners association, saying the bulk of the money will come from the federal government because the federal government contributes five percent, the state contributes 2.5

percent and the local government contributes 15 percent. “We have challenges of paying them because of dwindling resources, economic meltdown, and because pensions and gratuities increase every month.

Wamakko challenges varsities on research

overnor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto state has challenged Nigerian Universities to undertake researches that would help in finding solutions to the myriads of problems affecting the country. Wamakko spoke on Monday in Sokoto, while opening the First National

Conference organised by the Faculty of Science, Sokoto state University. The conference, jointly organised by the Faculty and an NGO, The Algebra Group, had as its theme, ‘’ Impact of Basic and Applied Sciences on Resource Acquisition and Management.’’ The governor was

represented by the Speaker of the state Assembly, Alhaji Lawalli Zayyana. ‘’ The universities should also do more researches to further improve the living standard of the people. Wamakko said, pledging more support to the university to make it of ‘’ world class status.’’

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Nuhu Yaqub said that basic and applied sciences had helped mankind in solving virtually all challenges in the medical field. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Riskuwa Shehu, who spoke through Prof. Sani Dangoggo, said that the conference was timely,

especially now that Nigeria has scarce resources. While the Guest Speaker, Prof Lawal Bilbis, who is Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi stressed the need for more attention to be given to the provision of quality education at all levels to fast track national growth and development. NAN

CBN: Lawyers reject Emefiele as Sanusi’s successor By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

midst the controversy trailing the sack of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently, some legal practitioners, under the aegis of Public Interests Lawyers League (PILL) have faulted the

nomination of Godwin Emefiele for the position. In an open letter addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend, and jointly signed by Abdul Mahmud and Peter Uwabuike, president and publicity secretary respectively, the lawyers rejected the nomination of Emefiele for the plum job,

describing him as a product of a “corrupt corporate governance environment.” PILL stated that Emefiele, who, until his nomination, was Managing Director of Zenith Bank PLC, presided over a deposit bank that competed with other deposit banks. Based on this, the group argued that

he should not be appointed to regulate over competing rival banks, since he has interest in the sector, even as the league expressed concern that the rivalry that exists between Chief Executives of deposit banks will adversely affect the restructuring regulatory frameworks of the financial sector and

deepen poor corporate governance practices. The league therefore called on President Jonathan to protect the CBN as an apex regulatory institution from influence, to secure its independence and to save it from the kind of injury that it would suffer as a result of possible appointment of Emefiele.

he Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Boni Haruna has said that the national youth policy of the present administration, is set to put in place robust measures which would ultimately reduce, significantly, unemployment in the country. Speaking during a courtesy call to his office in Abuja, by the delegation of members of Villanova Old Boys Association, the Minister expressed sadness at the unfortunate death of some youths last weekend at the Immigration recruitment exercise. He said he was depressed at the news, promising to be committed to alleviating the plight of millions of unemployed youths in Nigeria. Towards this end, the Ministry under his watch would work assiduously in developing entrepreneurial skills and potentials of the youth.

Abuja NUJ council lauds Gov. Wada From Omale Adama, Lokoja

he Abuja Council chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Chuks Ehirim has lauded Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada for the unprecedented level of development his administration has brought to bear on the Confluence State in a relatively short period of time. Ehirim made the remarks yesterday when the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Strategy, Mr. Jacob Edi paid him a courtesy call in his office in Abuja. A statement by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Richard Elesho recalled that the Council chairman singled out the governor for praise on the Agricultural transformation agenda and infrastructural development noting that the level of improvement being brought on road networks in the state deserves special mention. “Each time I travel through Kogi state, I am always amazed at the rate roads are being constructed there. The rural areas are being opened up. The last time, I was pleasantly surprised that Lokoja, the state capital has nearly extended to Ajaokuta, the steel town. The Governor should please keep up the good works.” Ehirim said.

SPORT 41 PAGE

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

SMS- 08036258222, albertakota@yahoo.com

Keshi yet to decide on Osaze’s Eagles ambition

he Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi has said he yet to decide on whether to recall Osaze Odemwingie, who has been on fine form with Stoke City. Osaze has scored three goals in the English Premier League with Stoke since he moved in the winter from Cardiff City. But the striker has not played for Nigeria since 2012 after a public spat with Keshi, which will lead to the player eventually being axed from the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. Sports Radio programme monitored by Peoples Sports cor-

respondent in Abuja, Keshi insisted his team is not about a particular player, and would rather want to maintain team harmony. “I am happy that Osaze is scoring for his club and he is now back to regular action, but that is not enough for me to call him up to the Eagles world cup squad,” Keshi disclosed. “What most Nigerians don’t understand is that, this team is not about a player, but about the team. No player is a boss in the team, but all players are equal. I don’t want to invite a player that would unsettle the team chemistry and unity.

“How come some Nigerians keep talking about two players only? Ikechukwu Uche and Osaze Odemwingie. Are they the only players doing well that have not been invited? How about Lukman Haruna, Michael Babatunde, why are people not talking about them,” he added. “One thing we must know is that it’s only the best we will pick to the World Cup. But what we will not do is pick players who want to lord themselves on other players in the team.” Nigeria will name a 30-man provisional squad for Brazil 2014 on May 13.

Stephen Keshi

Alampasu leads Eaglets to Flying Eagles T he former golden Eaglets goalkeeper, Dele Alampasu will lead 19 other players from the Golden Eaglets to the Flying Eagles training camp in Abuja. Alampasu was named best goalkeeper at last year’s FIFA U17 World Cup and was also picked for the country’s squad to the recent CHAN in South Africa. Some of the other players invited are Wilfred Ndidi, Abdullahi Alfa, Akinjide Idowu, Saviour Godwin, Aliyu Abubakar,

next month for the right to face six-time African Youth Champions Nigeria in May with the overall winners advancing to the final qualifying round in August.

Chigozie Obasi, Dennis Okon Nya and Zaraddeen Bello. They will today join 35 other players who were picked from a two-week open trial in Abuja. The Flying Eagles under Coach Manu Garba have been training for a third week in Abuja ahead of a 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier against either Kenya or Tanzania in May. Kenya and Tanzania will do battle

INVITEES Goakeepers: Dele Alampasu, Abdulazeez Abubakar Defenders: Wilfred Ndidi, Prince Izu

Omego, Dennis Okon Nya

Midfielders: Clement Ogbobe, Akinjide Idowu, Aliyu Abubakar, Abdulahi Alfa, Ifeanyi Matthew, Zaraddeen Bello, Emmanuel Asadu, Prince Bonkat, Mustapha Abdullahi, Chigozie Obasi

Strikers: Saviour Godwin, Nafiu Kabuga, Ahmed Umar, Bernard Bulbwa, Chinedu Enedemu lfa lahi A Abdu

owu

de Id

Akinji

lampa

Dele A

Eaglets to participate at invitational tournament in Togo >>pg 42

Eagles won’t lose sleep over Argentina – Keshi >>pg 42

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Sports

World Cup: Eagles won’t lose sleep over Argentina –Keshi Barcelona’s superstar, Lionel Messi to strike a dagger into Nigerian hearts but Keshi is relishing the prospect of stopping the little magician in his tracks. “Messi is probably the best footballer in the world but we cannot lose sleep about him because there will be 10 others on the pitch that day,” Keshi said. Nigeria will be meeting Argentina for the fourth time in the World Cup group stages following earlier encounters in 1994, 2002 and 2010. The Super Eagles lost all three previous encounters against the South Americans and Keshi is keen to end the trend. “I didn’t feel bad about the fact that we will play against Argentina in the group stages because even if we didn’t draw them, we would have met teams like, Spain, Germany, Brazil or England. “We have been drawn against Argentina. There’s nothing we can do about that. We just have to get ourselves ready,” he said. Nigeria will open its World Cup campaign against Iran Lionel Messi at the Arena da Baixada, Curitiba on June 16. Five days later, the African champions will take on Bosnia-Herzegovina in their he Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi second game at the Arena said that the team is not losing sleep on the prospect Pantanal, Cuiabá befre of meeting Argentina at the 2014 Fifa World Cup rounding off their preliminary finals in Brazil. campaign against the twoEagles will face the Albiceleste on June 25 at the Estádio time World champions, Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre in a Group F game. Argentina. Argentina will expectedly be relying on the brilliance of FC

Eaglets to participate at invitational tournament in Togo

he Golden Eaglets under new coach Emmanuel Amuneke are expected to feature in an invitational tournament in Togo next month. The Eaglets are due to soon begin a training camp in Abuja ahead of this tournament. In the meantime, coach Amuneke has commenced work to build a formidable Golden Eaglets after the team won a record fourth World Cup in November. The former Barcelona forward was in Jos last week to screen players from various academies in the North central state. The former African footballer of the Year was satisfied with the exercise as he was able to pick 32 players in three days. “Eaglets Coach Emmanuel Amuneke was in Jos to screen players who will get chance in the new U17 National team. “He was here in Jos from Friday till Sunday and picked 32 players from 15 academies in the state. He was happy with what he saw as almost 1000 players were involved in the exercise.”

Eaglets coach Amuneke Jos is known for producing stars for the country’s age-group teams like Sambo Choji, Ezekiel Bala, Ben Akwuegbu, Justice Christopher, Ogenyi Onazi, Mikel Obi, Ahmed Musa and Michael Olaitan.

World Cup: NFF seeks support for Flamingoes Flamingoes

he President of the Nigeria Football Federation( NFF), Aminu Maigari has assured Nigerians that the country’s U-17 women’s team, Flamingoes, who are currently campaigning at the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica would continue to improve as the competition hots up. The Flamingoes in their first match of the tournament defeated hard fighting China PR 2-1 at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela Costa Rica. Maigari is of the view that the Nigerian ladies will be getting better as the tourney progresses especially against Columbia today. Maigari hinged his optimism on the preparation of the team before the World Cup and their performance against the Asians in their Group D opener in Costa Rica. Maigari said: “I’m very impressed with the performance of the Flamingoes. They really gave their opponents a run for their money and I know they won’t let Nigerians down when it matters most. We will also give them the needed support throughout the tournament.’’ China will look to earn their first points in Group D when they face Mexico on Wednesday, while Nigeria will be aiming to secure a firm grasp atop the group when they take on Colombia today.

NSC inaugurates committee on concession of Lagos stadium By Albert Akota

he Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Tammy Danagogo yesterday inaugurated the Project Steering Committee and the Project Delivery Team for the concession of the National stadium, Lagos and the Athletes hostel, Abuja. Inaugurating the Committee, the minister charged members to ensure transparency in the discharge of their duty saying that they should reciprocate the confidence reposed on them because they were chosen based on their track records. Giving a brief history on the facilities to be concession, the Director General of the Commission Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye revealed that the decision to concession the National Stadium, Lagos is predicated on the difficulty which aroused from maintaining the stadium after the introduction of the Envelop Budgeting which pegged the Capital expenditure of the Commission to an average of one Billion Naira per annum for all the six stadia and other Sports facilities. According to him, prior to this time several attempts were made in the past at privatizing and concession to no avail until January this year when President Goodluck Jonathan finally gave the go ahead and granted the approval to the NSC to concession the stadium. The Lagos National Stadium was constructed in 1972 for the hosting of the Second All Africa Games in 1973. The Stadium has since hosted major

World, Continental and National events including the FIFA Junior World Championship in 1999. In the case of the Athletes hostel, approval had earlier been secured to convert the facility from hostel to a four (4) star hotel but work was however put on hold on the facility due to paucity of funds. The construction work of the hostel project commenced in 2005 with a 200 room accommodation capacity, presently, work at the hostel has reached a 65 per cent completion level. The NSC obtained the President’s approval to concession the project in July, 2013.

Minister of Sports, Tammy Danagogo

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 43

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KINGS FAMILY WORSHIP CENTRE

CHRIST LIVING DELIVERANCE PROPHETIC CHURCH

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.LIMAN MARK USMAN 2.COMFORT OLUWASEYI ELLAMS 3.OGALA ONYEMAECHI THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PROMOTE THE WELLBEING OF DISABLED PERSONS. 2.TO ADVANCE THE DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT OF DISABLED PERSONS. 3.TO CREATE PUBLIC AWARENESS ON THE PECULIAR CHALLENGES OF DISABLED PERSONS IN THE SOCIETY INORDER TO GARNER PUBLIC SUPPORT. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED:SECRETARY C/O SUITE 7,HILLTOP PLAZA,WUSE ZONE 4,ABUJA.NELSON KEBORDIH 07069399329

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAME HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.REV. ABAYOMI EWETADE - PRESIDENT 2.REV. STEVEN DANGANA 3.PASTOR FEMI ADEFOWOKAN - SECRETARY 4.PASTOR ABAYOMI ADEWALE 5.MS ADETOLA OGUNSAKIN

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.PASTOR SUNDAY JOHN - CHAIRMAN/GENERAL OVERSEER 2.VICTOR PHILIP OBA - SECRETARY 3.MR. JACOB AHMED - TREASURER 4.MR. PETER SUNDAY 5.MR. EMMANUEL OMOLAFE 6.FEMI VINCENT 7.SAMUEL IPEMIDA THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 2.TO ESTABLISH THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS AND THE TRAINING OF MEMBERS AND OTHER RECIPIENTS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PREACH,TEACH AND PROPAGATE THE TOTAL GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY. 2.TO EVANGELIZE THROUGH RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS.

PUBLIC NOTICE

CHARITY FOR HUMANITY FOUNDATION

WOMEN OF DESTINY GLOBAL OUTREACH INT’L

AWO-OMAMMA PATRIOTIC UNION,ABUJA BRANCH

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.AKAABA ABDULRAZZAQ ADOKE - CHAIRMAN 2.MR MATHEW JOHN ONOTU - VICE CHAIRMAN 3.MRS SALAU MEMUNAT AHUOIZA - SECRETARY 4.MRS UMEH CATHERINE 5.MRS ABDULMALIK HABIBA THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO BUILD AND EQUIP HEALTH CENTERS FOR HEALTH-CARE DELIVERY 2.HELPING THE LESS PRIVILEGED AND SEEING TO THEIR WELL BEING IN THE SOCIETY. 3.TO PROVIDE OTHER ANCILLARY SERVICES FOR THE INDIGENT AND THE DESTITUTE. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: AKAABA ABDULRAZZAQ ADOKE 08036310459

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAME HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. EVANG. COMFORT SAMUEL GAIYA 2. SAMIRA TIMOTHY DOGO 3. MARY SAMUEL GAIYA

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.ENGR BERTRAN UCHEM OKECHUKWU 2.CHIEF DANIEL ONONGAYA 3.THEODORE MICHAEL NWAOKWE 4.LONGINUS CHINENYE MBUOM THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PROVIDE A FORUM FOR ALL SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF AWO-OMAMMA RESIDENT IN ABUJA TO MEET AND FRATERNIZE AMONG RHEMSELVES. 2.TO PROMOTE THE NORMS,VALUES AND CULTURAL OF AWO-OMAMMA. 3.TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE MEANINGFUL VENTURES OR PROJECTS IN AWO-OMAMMA.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. TO PROPAGATE AND EXPAND THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN NIGERIA AND ABROAD 2. THE MINISTRY IS REACHING OUT TO THE NEEDY AND THE LESS PRIVILEGE, BOTH SPIRITUALLY AND OTHERWISE. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PUBLIC NOTICE

OKEMINI / ELI-WELIBO LANDLORDS ASSOCIATION

BANKY – EZEBUILO FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PHARM EZEBUILO BANKOLE AMINU 2.ENGR UZOAMAKA. AUGUSTA EZEBUILO 3.MISS EGOLIEM ESOMCHI EZEBUILO 4.MR DUMKENE BANKOLE EZEBUILO 5.MR KAINYECHUKWU CHINWUBA EZEBUILO 6.PHARM OBIORA EZEKWESILI 7.MRS EVAN EZEKWESILI 8.ENGR JOSEPH CHUKWUEMEKA EZEILO 9.MR MOLOKWU AZIKIWE 10. MR OKECHUKWU KENNEDY EZEBUILO THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE ARE: 1.TO CATER FOR THE LESS PRIVILEGES IN THE SOCIETY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: J.O EMELU ESQ.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.MR STEWART MANASSEH - CHAIRMAN 2.KENNETH OCHEI 3.GERALD CHIAGORO 4.HERBERT AKUCHIE 5.NJOKU GOODNEWS - SECRETARY THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO CATER FOR THE INTERESTS OF LANDLORDS IN OKEMINI/ELI-WELIBO COMMUNITY 2.TO PROVIDE LOVE,UNITY AND TRUE UNDERSTANDING AMONG MEMBERS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR.GABRIEL WARMATE

PUBLIC NOTICE

INITIATIVE FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD EDUCATION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR PEACE AND DIALOGUE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAME HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PRINCE IBIBIA ORIAKU 2. MR FELIX BARIKOR 3. BARR JOEL DIDI ESQ 4. MRS MILDRED CHIMA FELIX THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO PROMOTE PEACE PROGRESS NEIGHBOURHOODS.

AND

DEVELOPMENT

AMONG

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OGUBUIKE COMRADE CHINEDU - PRESIDENT 2. LALEYE OLUWASOLA 3. BARRISTER IKECHUKWU EZE 4. PAULINE TARFA 5. IMONG ELINOR ELIE 6. AIR VICE MARSHAL OBINNA CHRISTIAN MARIZU, RTD THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. TO ENCOURAGE DIALOGUE FOR PEACEFUL CO-EXISTANCE IN THE SOCIETY THEREBY ENGENDERING CO-OPERATE/EVEN DEVELOPMENT. 2. TO INCULCATE LEADERSHIP CHARACTER IN YOUTHS. 3. TO ASSIST YOUTHS IN BECOMING VISIONARY LEADERS AND RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS OF NIGERIA AND THE WORLD. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: OGUBUIKE COMRADE CHINEDU (PRESIDENT).

PUBLIC NOTICE

GOD’S OWN CHRISTIAN CHARISMATICS DELIVERANCE MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL

DIVINE CHARISMATIC ASSEMBLY INTERNATIONAL

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PASTOR GODSON EBIRINGA PRESIDENT 2. NKECHI GODSON ASST. PRESIDENT 3. OGECHI CHINEDU 4. PASTOR PROSPER VIGINUS 5. EVANGELIST EUCHARIA CHIDINMA OHANYEREM 6. PASTOR CHINEDU ESOMOUN 7. EVANGELIST COMFORT CHIGOZIE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. TO REACH OUT, PREACH AND TEACH THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST 2. TO INSPIRE AND BUILD PEOPLE OF A CHRIST-LIKE ATTITUDE 3. TO ADMINISTER HEALING, DELIVERANCE, SALVATION, RESTORATION AND PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: ARINZE NKIRU

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CHURCH HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. REV. TIMOTHY UWAKWE PRESIDENT 2. PST. MRS. ONYINYECHI TIMOTHY ASST. PRESIDENT 3. JULIET CHUKWUMA SECRETARY 4. ELDER SAMUEL MADUKWE TREASURER 5. ELDER ADOLPHOS ALAEKWE MEMBER 6. DEACON EMMANUEL JONATHAN MEMBER 7. HENRY UZUEGBU MEMBER AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST TO ALL NATIONS 2. TO PREACH THE WORD OF TRUTH, SALVATION, RESTORATION, ADMINISTER HEALING, DELIVERANCE AND PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS ON THE LOST SOULS 3. TO WIN SOULS FOR GOD AND TO TAKE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE TO HEAVEN. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: ARINZE NKIRU

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

This is to inform the general public of the loss of original certificate of occupancy No. 2cbuw-14c58-5DC3R-AC-3OU-10 with File No. KT10040 in respect of Plot No. 784-N5 Maitama Cadastral Zone A05 measuring 888.88 square meter belonging to Iguda Muhammadu Inuwa. All efforts made to retrieve the said document proved abortive. If found kindly return to the nearest Police Station.

PUBLIC NOTICE

GREATER OLD AWGU YOUTH ASSOCIATION ABUJA

CHRISTIAN LIGHT POWER HOUSE MINISTRIES

MADE ASSEMBLY INT’L

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OBIAJULU NWAFOR CHAIRMAN 2. JULIUS OKEH SECRETARY 3. WILFRED UDEH 4. FRANCIS UDEH 5. OKWUDILI ORJI 6. UCHENNA UDE 7. LAWRENCE OSHIMIRI 8. NJOKU PETER PEACE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO UNITE YOUTHS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF OLD AWGU COMMUNITIES 2. TO CONTRIBUTE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OLD AWGU COMMUNITIES THROUGH SPORTS, CAPACITY BUILDING AND EMPOWERMENT 3. TO BUILD THE MINDS OF OLD AWGU YOUTH COMMUNITIES AND SENSITIZE THEM FOR A BETTER SOCIETY 4. TO EDUCATE AND SENSITIZE OLD AWGU YOUTH ON THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF WRONG DECISIONS AND ACTIONS ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. ARINZE UGWUEKE; 07033103555

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRIES HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CHURCH HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION OF ITS TRUSTEES UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. REV. OMORO PIUS OMORO 2. PASTOR MRS. THERESA ESEOGHENE OMORO 3. HON. DEACON OTHUKE BERNARD OMORO 4. DEACONESS UNUACHOWHO VERA UFUOMA 5. DR. MRS. JULIET AKPOTOR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PREACH THE SAVING POWER OF JESUS CHRIST THROUGH CHRIST JESUS 2. TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST 3. TO GLORIFY GOD BY PRODUCING AND EQUIPPING CHRISTIAN LEADERS FOR CHRIST 4. TO RESTORE THE DIGNITY OF HUMANITY IN LINE WITH THAT OF GOD THE CREATOR ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: A.C. EZINWA (MISS), P.A EZO & CO. LEGAL PRACTITIONER AND NOTARY PUBLIC, NO. 3, OHARISI STREET UGHELLI

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. APOSTLE JAMES IKHIDE EBHOTA 2. NNAJI CHIGOZIE 3. NDU DANIEL OBINNA

SECRETARY

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. RAISING CHRISTIANS THAT WOULD BE MAKING A DIFFERENCE EVERYDAY ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PAGE 45

PUBLIC NOTICE

CHANGE OF NAME

KEKE OWNERS AND RIDERS’ WIVES ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA

REHEMI REFUGE HOME

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS MISS OLUO OGECHI MARIAGORRETTI NOW WISHES TO BE KNOWN AS MRS OLUO MARIAGORRETTI OGECHI. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ENEANWAN BASSEY ESRAK 2. GRACE EFFION BASSEY 3. JULIET ADEBAYO TAYE 4. SHAFALATU AHMED YAKUBU 5. FAVOUR DANIEL RAPHAEL

PRESIDENT GEN. SECRETARY VICE PRESIDENT MEMBER MEMBER

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROVIDE WELFARE OF MEMBERS AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ORGANISATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. AVM KONYE EKEZIE 2. AVM AKPOROKEMO SAMUEL ATTI 3. OLIVER UDEH 4. CHIEF BENSON UGWU 5. PRINCE ABDULAZEEZ IKHARO AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO CATER AND PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF THE AIDS PATIENTS AND SICKLY IN THE SOCIETY 2. TO GIVE AIDS PATIENTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES A SENSE OF BELONGING 3. TO PROVIDE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES TO AIDS PATIENTS WITH A VIEW TO REHABILITATE AND MAKE THEM HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY 4. TO PROVIDE VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN CRAFTS AND ARTS TO THE SICKLY PERSONS IN THE SOCIETY ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: CHIEF IZY A. NWAIWU, IZY NWAIWU & ASSOCIATES, PLOT 438, ZUNGERU CLOSE, AREA 3, GARKI ABUJA. 08033114012

CHANGE OF NAME I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS FATIMA ABU, NOW WISHES TO BE KNOWN AS FATIMA RACHAEL EKUNDAYO. ALL FORMER DOCUMENT REMAIN RELEVANT. THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME I FORMERLY KNOWN AS LAMI S. ZUBAIRU NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESS AS LAMI GANI. ALL FORMER DOCUMENT REMAIN VALID TOTO LOCAL GOVERNMENT EDUCATION AUTHORITY AND GENERAL PUBLIC TO NOTE.

PUBLIC NOTICE

CHANGE OF NAME

CORAL COMMUNITY BASED HEALTH INITIATIVE

BOLUFE ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. SHIMITE KATUNG CHAIRMAN 2. IRENE EKEOMA NWAGBARA SECRETARY 3. AISHA DALIL 4. ALAIN SEIWE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO ADDRESS THE LACK OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE AMONG COMMUNITY BASED FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR 2. TO IMPROVE ACCESS EFFICIENCY, INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AND QUALITY SERVICE FOR COMMUNITY DWELLERS FOR ON GOING AND NEW PROGRAMMES OF HEALTH BENEFIT 3. TO TRAIN PEOPLE AT WARD LEVEL TO ENSURE THEIR COMMUNITIES ARE BENEFITTING FROM GOOD HEALTH CARE ESPECIALLY UNDER THE HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS MARY CHIKAODILI ENWELUZOR NOW WISH TO BE ADDRESS AS MRS. MARY CHIKAODILI UZOCHUKWU ANAJEMBA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID, GENERAL PUBLIC TO NOTE.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. CHIEF BONIFACE ENWENODE 2. CHIEF FELIX ONOWAKPOKPO 3. MR. LUCKY OGREH

CHANGE OF NAME

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO CATER FOR THE WELFARE OF THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

GAN RESCUE FOUNDATION

DOUBLE IMPACT MINISTRY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. GEOFFREY OKECHUKWU CHAIRMAN 2. NKECHINYERE TONIA OKECHUKWU SECRETARY 3. UKWUEZE CHUKWUDALU SILVAN 4. CHUKWUDI UZOCHUKWU AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST TO THE WHOLE WORLD 2. TO IMPACT LIVES THROUGH THE INSTRUMENTALITY OF GOD’S WORD FOR THEM TO FULFILL THEIR DESTINIES 3. TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS 4. TO MOBILIZE AND HARNESS HUMAN AND MATERIAL RESOURCES FOR SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF ALL PERSONS WITHIN HER REACH 5. TO PREPARE SOULS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. GAN ALOZIE CHAIRMAN 2. CHIEF GINGER ONWUSIBE 3. PASTOR ACHILIHU DESTINY CHIBUIKE 4. CHIMAUCHE OKORIE 5. UGOCHUKWU KENNETH CHIDI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT THROUGH SKILL ACQUISITION, POVERTY ALLEVIATION, JOB CREATION AND ACADEMIC SPONSORSHIPS ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: GAN ALOZIE (CHAIRMAN)

CHANGE OF NAME I FORMERLY KNOWN AS RACHEAL O. JOSEPH NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESS AS RACHEAL O. OKAFOR. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID, GENERAL PUBLIC TO NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME

PUBLIC NOTICE

PRINT MEDIA PUBLISHERS GUILD OF NIGERIA

WISDOM RESTORATION MINISTRIES

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MR. TOM OGA UHIA PRESIDENT 2. MR. PETER OSHIOMA EMUEKPERE SECRETARY 3. SIR. JUSTUS NDUWUGWE 4. MR. JIMMY ENYEH 5. MR. SUNNY DAVIDS NKEMSINACHI ONOVO AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO WORK FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE ETHICS AND INTEGRITY OF JOURNALISM 2. TO PROVIDE A COMMON FRONT FOR THE ARTICULATION OF ISSUES PERTAINING TO AND AFFECTING THE PRACTICE AND CONDUCT OF PRINT MEDIA PRACTITIONERS 3. TO PROMOTE THE UNITY OF ITS MEMBERS TOWARDS HARMONIOUS AND COMMON NATIONAL AGENDA OF DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERED BY PRINT MEDIA PUBLISHERS ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR THE CERTIFIED TRUE COPY OF ITS CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PASTOR EMMANUEL KIISHI ADEJUWON 2. PASTOR OLAOLUWA ILESANMI 3. MRS. KEMI ADEJUWON 4. BRO. TUNDE FALEYE 5. PASTOR SHOLA FAKOREDE 6. PASTOR CLEMENT FOLORUNSHO

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS ISAAC ONAWO OSABONYA NOW WISH TO BE ADDRESS AS MOHAMMED ONAWO OSABONYA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID GENERAL PUBLIC TO NOTE.

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS RUTH AMADI DAMSA NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESS AS MRS. RUTH GODWIN NDARNI. ALL FORMER DOCUMENT REMAIN VALID, GENERAL PUBLIC TO NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME I FORMERLY KNOWN AS AMINA ABDULLAHI GIRBO NOW WISHES TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AMINA GIRBO, ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID, ALL STAFF OF BRC BAUCHI AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE

CHANGE OF NAME I FORMALLY KNOWN AS MISS ACHENYO MERCY AMODU NOW WISHES TO BE KNOWN AS MRS ABUKA ACHENYO. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID,NIGERIA POLICE FORCE AND GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME I FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADRESS AS IDRIS SABDAT ONIZE. NOW WISHES TO BE KNOWN AND ADRESS AS IDRIS SAADAT. ALL FORMER DOCUMENT REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME

RETAINED RETAINED RETAINED RETAINED RETAINED RETAINED

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS MOHAMMAD AISHA NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MOHAMMAD JIBRIN AISHA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID, THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE

ALL OTHER DOCUMENTS REMAIN THE SAME ANY OBJECTION THERETO SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: CHAIRMAN

CHANGE OF NAME I FORMERLY KNOWN AS MRS LAMISU IMPERIJU NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MRS LAMISU DUNYA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID, THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

PUBLIC NOTICE

KANAWA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR THE DISABLED

IDEATO PEOPLE AND YOUTHS ORGANISATION

MOUNTAIN OF TOTAL SALVATION MINISTRY WORLDWIDE

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. SARKI ALIYU DANEJI 2. ALHAJI MAHE BASHIR WALIN KANO 3. ALHAJI SAGIR MUHAMMAD 4. MALLAM IBRAHIM KHALIL AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO HELP THE DISABLED EDUCATIONALLY 2. TO ENGAGE THE DISABLED IN TRAINING ACTIVITIES AND PROVIDING WELFARE TO THEM ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ORGANISATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. BONIFACE AWODIKE 2. LUKE EKWUEME 3. IDEATO C. IDEATO OKOLI 4. CHIEF VITUS UCHENNA DIKE 5. OKECHUKWU V. ONYECHERE 6. UDOKA ANYANETO AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO EMPOWER THE PEOPLE AND YOUTHS OF IDEATO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF IMO STATE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE 2. TO EMBARK ON PROGRAMMES THAT WILL BRING AWARENESS TO THE IDEATO COMMUNITIES 3. TO FOSTER BROTHERLINESS AMONG THE PEOPLE OF IDEATO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA 4. TO RALLY SUPPORT FOR, COOPERATE WITH AND ENCOURAGE OUR LEADERS IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF IDEATO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF IMO STATE ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: TEYOJESAM EKO

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. REMILEKUN ELIZABETH SALAU 2. ROTIMI PIUS ADETUNJI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROPAGATE AND PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST 2. TO ESTABLISH LOCAL BRANCHES FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL WORLDWIDE 3. TO ORGANIZE OUTREACHES, CRUSADES, SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS AND REVIVAL SERVICES FOR THE WORKS OF THE GOSPEL ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE ISLAND CLUB

GARDEN OF PRAYER TABERNACLE CHURCH

EVIDENCE OF THE LORD INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CLUB HAS APPLY TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION AND CHANGE OF TRUSTEES OF ISLAND CLUB UNDER PART ‘C’ OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. OLD TRUSTEES: 1. SIR (CHIEF) DR. MOLADE OKOYA-THOMAS, OFR, GCOP - RETAINED 2. ALHAJI (CHIEF) MUSLIU OLAIYA ANIBABA, FCA, GCOP - RETAINED 3. CHIEF OLUSOLA FALEYE, FCA, GCOP - RETAINED 4. CHIEF ADEBAYO ALABI ADEJUMO, GCOP - RETAINED 5. PROFESSOR W. JOHN GODWIN, GCOP - RETAINED 6. CHIEF TANIMOSE ABIOYE - DECEASED NEW TRUSTEES: 1. CHIEF (ARC) ANTHONY MOGBONJUBOLA SOETAN, GCOP. 2. ALHAJI (CHIEF) YAYA AYOOLA QUADRI, GCOP. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME. ANY OBJECTION TO THE ABOVE SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 240 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, P.M.B. 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN TWENTY-EIGHT (28) DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CHURCH HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTERATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PAST OLUWADAIRO ELIJAH ADAMS 2. OLUWADAIRO TEMITOPE JUMOKE 3. DEACON OLUGBENGA AINA 4. OLUFEMI OLAIDE MODUPE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PROPAGATE THE FULL GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE WORLD.

THE TRUSTEES ARE 1. PASTOR OLUWATUNDE SUNDAY OLUWAGBEMIRO - GENERAL OVERSEER. 2. PASTOR ORIADE OYELEKAN. 3. ELDER TAIWO AKANBI. 4. DEACONESS OLUWATUNDE ROSELINE. 5. EVANG. ADENIYI AYOMIDE AIMS AND OBJECTIVE 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTERATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROMTHE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION.

ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION

SIGNED: SECRETARY.

SIGNED: SECRETARY

SIGNED: OTUNBA GBEMIGA ADEWUMI. 08062969700

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

Leisure

Some Interesting Facts

neezes regularly exceed 100 mph, while coughs clock in at about 60 mph. • Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil. • Your body has enough iron in it to make a nail 3 inches

long. • Earwax production is necessary for good ear health. It protects the delicate inner ear from bacteria, fungus, dirt and even insects. It also cleans and lubricates the ear canal. • Everyone has a unique smell, except for identical twins, who smell the same. • Your teeth start growing 6 months before you are born. This is why one out of every 2,000 newborn infants has a tooth when they are born • A baby’s head is one-quarter of it’s total length, but by the age of 25 will only be one-eighth of its total length. This is because people’s heads grow at a much slower rate than the rest of their bodies. • Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood the number is reduced to 206. Some of the bones, like skull bones, get fused into each other, bringing down the total number. • It is not possible to tickle yourself. This is because when you attempt to tickle yourself you are totally aware of the exact time and manner in which the tickling will occur, unlike when someone else tickles you. • Less than one third of the human race has 20-20 vision. This means that two out of three people cannot see perfectly. • Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents. But if you are a woman, you are a better smeller than men, and will remain a better

smeller throughout your life. • The human body is estimated to have 60,000 miles of blood vessels. • The three things pregnant women dream most of during their first trimester are frogs, worms and potted plants. Scientists have no idea why this is so, but attribute

it to the growing imbalance of hormones in the body during pregnancy. • The lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years on average. Every day the average person loses 60-100 strands of hair. But don’t worry, you must lose over 50% of your scalp hairs before it is apparent to anyone. • The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as an encyclopedia.Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream, and is itself made up of 80% water. Though it interprets pain signals from the rest of the body, the brain itself cannot feel pain.

Say what?

SUDODKU SUDODKU EASY 54

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Cheating Ch Che heati he ating ting g dea death! To death! TTourist ouriistt com comes es wit withi within ithi hin in iinches nche ches h so off iinqu inquisitive nqu q isi i iti isiti tive tiv ec ch cheetah heetah heet hee t h wh when hen it pok p pokes kes it its he h head ead d th throug thr through oug gh car sunroof. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014

SPORTS LATEST

Qatar denies 2022 World Cup bribery

atar’s 2022 World Cup organising committee has denied being aware of any alleged payments by the disgraced former head of the country’s soccer association to an ex-vice president of Fifa. Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday that a company under the control of Mohamed Bin Hammam paid $1.2 million to Jack Warner, the former president of North American soccer’s governing body Concacaf and a member of the Fifa committee which chose the 2022 World Cup hosts. One of Warner’s companies requested that payment in December 2010, the Telegraph said, two weeks after a Fifa vote selected Qatar to stage the 2022 tournament ahead of rival bidders the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Qatar’s organising committee has always denied any wrongdoing and on Tuesday again reiterated that its practices were above board. The Telegraph also alleged that $750,000 was paid to Warner’s sons, citing documents it says indicate the various payments to Warner family members were to “offset legal and other expenses” and “professional services provided over the period 2005-2010”. It was reported in March 2013 that an FBI probe into corruption in international soccer had recruited Warner’s son Daryan as a co-operating witness. Opting to host the world’s biggest soccer tournament in a tiny desert state where daytime summer temperatures rarely fall below 40 degrees Celsius has provoked widespread anger. Among those opposing the decision have been Europe’s leading clubs and human rights groups highlighting dire working conditions in Qatar’s construction sector. Fifa president Sepp Blatter previously admitted the governing had made a “bad mistake” over the bid processes for choosing the 2018 and 2022 World Cup venues, which were held simultaneously and led to the suspension of two Executive Committee members who attempted to sell their votes for cash. Qatari Bin Hammam, the expresident of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and a former member of Fifa’s executive committee, challenged Blatter’s re-election as president, but days before the 2011 vote Bin Hammam was accused of trying to bribe Caribbean officials to vote for him in a plot orchestrated by Warner.

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As Nigeria gets richer, more Nigerians live in poverty. That’s the paradox of growth in Africa’s biggest oil producer, its most populous nation and which, as of March 31, may be its topranked economy. –Bloomberg

The Conference is a dictatorial safari

QUOTABLE QUOTE

ome call it a Machiavellian simplification. Throughout the 100 years of existence of Nigeria as a country, there has never been a moment without trenchant agitations for the amendment or outright change of the country’s Constitution. At every turn, the colonial administration responded by handing down a new Constitution. In like manner, the independence Constitution has gone through series of makeover – 1963, 1979, 1989 as well as the failed attempt in 2006 to remove term limits from it. Every government of this country has made one attempt to either amend, change, slash or fondle small and large sections of the Constitution, including the sitting Jonathan administration, which tried but also failed to tamper with term limits. There is nothing wrong with these attempts, so long as they are carried out within the framework of the law. Every constitution prescribes a method by which it can be amended, because all constitutions are contrived and constructed by ordinary mortals. A constitution is not the word of God or Allah like the Qur’an or the Bible, which as a holy text is free of error. Every constitution contains errors and flaws and must therefore from time to time be subject to changes. The Indian Constitution has had 98 amendments made to it in the last six decades. The 200 yearold Constitution on the other had only 27 amendments to this date.

“ 311 689 292 327 454

7458 1765 9046 1969 0344

Wednesday Column Garba Shehu garshehu@yahoo.co.in

Justice Idris Kutigi

Nigerian governments have been amending the Constitution for their personal gains, and not for the betterment of society. Where they try and fail, they reach for the knife to slash sections of it that they did not want as the military under General Olusegun Obasanjo, General Babangida, General Abacha and General Abdulsalami did. In the case of Obasanjo in his second coming as elected civilian President, what he did when he failed to secure the changes to make way for his third term in office was to abandon the process entirely. He did not even deem

it fitting to honour the delegates with a farewell dinner. This brings us to President Jonathan who, like the others before him, made his own effort to amend the Constitution that he swore to protect. His state of denial has not succeeded in wishing away the unsettling question that all he wants is to remove the eight-year bar placed on his tenure by the Constitution. To conceal the selfish motive behind the relentless pursuit of the amendment, the government has successfully been whipping up ethnic, religious and regional sentiments warranting the convention of this “National Conference”. There is nothing wrong in changing a constitution that retains colonial laws or one constitution that harbours a repressive system of government. Who needs a brutal system that protects the rich and persecutes the poor, one that protects the rulers in robbing Nigeria of its wealth? We cannot pretend that there are no problems. The problem with the way Mr. Jonathan is going about it is one, by convening a “national conference” side-by-side with an elected parliament currently

This brings us to President Jonathan who, like the others before him, made his own effort to amend the constitution that he swore to protect. His state of denial has not succeeded in wishing away the unsettling question that all he wants is to remove the eight-year bar placed on his tenure by the constitution. To conceal the selfish motive behind the relentless pursuit of the amendment, the government has successfully been whipping up ethnic, religious and regional sentiments warranting the convention of this “National Conference”.

engaged in a constitution amendment as prescribed by the Constitution itself, he sends a dangerous signal that we have a leader who has absolutely no regard to the institution of parliament. Parliaments all over the world are considered as the repositories of popular sovereignty. A country cannot have two parliaments running concurrently. You cannot say that you are following the Constitution, and you are doing things against it. Two, this budding dictator, the President of Nigeria is going about it in a way suggesting that he is not a firm believer in representative democracy. Why would he not call on the citizens to elect men and women who will represent them at the conference? Instead of allowing representation on the basis of popular mandate, he by himself has directly and indirectly appointed 80 percent of the delegates. The irony of what is happening is not limited to a democratic government’s aversion for the right of the people to choose or elect their representatives. We are a country of robust debate and dialogue; a people who cherish enterprise and hard work. Today we have a government that has reduced us to a frightening new order where tribal and religious arithmetics have chased out ideology, principles and nationalism. It bespeaks of ideological barrenness which one must admit, is hardly unique to Nigerian democracy. The question to ask then is: How did we come to such a pass? The nature of this conference is a page from medieval political literature whence the “wise leader” presiding over the affairs of the “foolish citizens” knows what is best and chooses on their behalf. Then, it was held that the masses are too weak and malleable to be left alone to decide for themselves. But a sacred covenant between a citizen and his state cannot be authored by a ruler no matter how “divine” are his powers. M. K.O used to say that you cannot shave a man’s head in his absence. This then clearly brings out the futility of the National Conference, which really is no more than Dr. Jonathan’s dictatorial safari.

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234 814 292 9046. Cell: +234 802 443 2099; 803 7007 759. e-mail: contact@peoplesdailyng.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141