Peoples Daily Newspaper, Tuesday 19, November, 2013 by Peoples Media Limited

www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 12 No. 36

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

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Al-Muharram 16, 1435 AH

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Disquiet in NASS . . . As Jonathan presents 2014 Budget today z Management shuts out â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;juniorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; staff >> Pg 2

People queuing to buy kerosene, during the direct distribution of the product, yesterday at Maraban Liman Katagum, in Bauchi state.

Anambra guber: APC demands outright cancellation z Ngige compromised INEC, PDP alleges >> Pg 2

Photo: NAN

Result of the inconclusive poll at a glance APGAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Obiano â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 174, 710 PDPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nwoye â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 94, 956 APCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ngige â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 92, 300 LPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ubah â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 37, 446 Cancelled votes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 113,113 Registered voters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1,763,751

NGF: Presidency Revenue shortfall: 7 killed in lied, says FAAC got it wrong attack on Plateau u Amaechi >> Pg 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NNPC >> Pg 6 village >> Pg 3

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

News

CONTENTS Anambra guber: APC demands outright cancellation News

2-10

Editorial

Op.Ed

Letters

Opinion

Metro

16-18

Business

19-22

Stockwatch S/Report

23 24-25

News Extra

News Feature

Agric

28-29

For the record 30

Why we can’t give military training to youth corps members – Board – Page 40

Int’l

31-34

S/World

Digest

Politics

37-38

Newsxtra

Sports

Columnist

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By Lawrence Olaoye, Abuja & Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it will hold a supplementary election after declaring last Saturday’s governorship poll in Anambra state inconclusive. This is coming as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) alleged that the APC governorship candidate in the state, Senator Chris Ngige, compromised officials of INEC during the voting exercise at the weekend. The APC, in a statement issued yesterday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, insisted that only the total cancellation of the ‘grosslytainted and widely-manipulated election will be acceptable’. The party also called on INEC to come clear on how the election was sabotaged from within itself, with a view to establishing how entrenched the forces of evil within the electoral body are, and also to avert a looming national disaster into which an infiltrated, incompetent and conniving Commission can plunge the country. APC said it is now apparent that INEC has indeed not taking seriously the opinions of Anambra residents as well as local and foreign observers that most of the registered voters in the state were willfully disenfranchised. “First, the electoral commission proposed make-up election in only 65 polling units in Obosi before scaling things up to a supplementary election ‘in those areas where election was cancelled’. But we say, without equivocating, that a total cancellation of the election and the organization of a fresh poll, under the supervision of a credible Resident Electoral Commissioner, will be acceptable to our party,’’ it said. The party also challenged INEC to quickly carry out an internal investigation to determine the extent to which Saturday’s election was sabotaged and compromised to the embarrassment of the nation, saying what occurred on Saturday

may actually be treasonable. ‘’It is not enough for INEC’s detached Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to tell the nation that an INEC official sabotaged the election in a certain part of the state. He must tell the nation who this fellow is, who he/she is working for, what is the extent of the damage he/ she has done to this and previous elections, and whether or not he/ she has access to the Commission’s database of voters’ register, which was apparently tampered with for Saturday’s election. ‘’Prof. Jega must also tell Nigerians why 16 Electoral Commissioners, who migrated to Anambra days before the election ostensibly to supervise things, could not ensure the success of an election in a single state, when even a polling unit behind the INEC office in Awka did not get voting materials till after 9am on election day,’’ it said. Meanwhile, the APC has accused the PDP of being an accessory to the shameful electoral malfeasance in Anambra last Saturday, going by the statement credited to “the discombobulated party” that the election was free and fair. “In its inordinate ambition to humiliate our party at all costs, the PDP has ended up humiliating itself and embarrassing the nation. Or how else does one describe a bizarre situation in which a party will describe as free and fair an election in which its own candidate and his family could not find their names in the voters’ register? The joke is indeed on the PDP! “It is now clear who the PDP is working for, and that the party has no qualms about sacrificing its own candidate and disgracing the nation as long as it will achieve its aim of humiliating the APC’’, the party said. On its part, the PDP alleged that Ngige compromised officials of the electoral body, leading to the delay in the deployment of voting materials last weekend. Addressing newsmen of the outcome of the poll, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said Ngige employed the means to ensure that materials were not delivered in time at

the polling booths so that he will ultimately have an edge over his competitors. Metuh said the APC candidate used the same strategy when he contested against former Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Dora Akunyli and got away with it and thought he could do the same thing last weekend. Metuh further alleged that the game plan of APC was to create doubts in the minds of Nigerians so that they would lose faith in the electoral process. The PDP spokesman called for the prosecution of the INEC official who was arrested last weekend over his failure to deliver voting materials to some units resulting in the outcome of the election being inconclusive. He also accused the Imo state governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha of coordinating the alleged 181 thugs from Osun state that were arrested in a hotel in Imo a few hours to the commencement of voting in Anambra state. According to Metuh, “they had printed and attempted to register the people as election observers and while hiding under that coverage unleash mayhem in Anambra state” before they were arrested by vigilant security operatives. He declared that PDP was aware that APC governors donated huge sums of money to prosecute the Anambra election but they were not aware that the ultimate objective was to use the huge resources to cause confusion in Anambra state during the election. He said the APC was orchestrating its “campaign and use of instrumentality of blackmail and propaganda to discredit the Anambra election because they are conscious of the fact that it is impossible for them to win the election for several reasons”. He wondered why the APC will always applaud and commend INEC anytime it wins elections, like in Edo state, only to turn around to castigate the electoral body anytime it was at the losing end. In the meantime, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has called on Professor

Jega, to resign forthwith for betraying the Anambra electorate and Nigerians in general by conducting a “sham election” last Saturday. Spokesman of the CNPP, Osita Okechukwu, who made the call for Jega’s resignation yesterday day said: “We are making this call on the fact that the eminent Professor Jega from available records bungled the single Anambra state gubernatorial election; and this being the case, what are the guarantees that he will not bungle the 2015 general elections? He added that: “We were perplexed that up till this Monday (yesterday) morning when the gross irregularities were clearly made public by the Returning Officer, Professor James Okuoke resulting in the declaration of the result as inconclusive and cancellation of 113,113 votes; Professor Jega behaving like a hired hand on a television interview Sunday afternoon had sought to defend INEC and its failed exercise. “Jega to our consternation was nervously harping on only 65 Polling Units in Obosi Electoral Ward, even when by his own admission the INEC Electoral Officer whom he claimed had been arrested had messed up the electoral process in the entire Idemili North LGA with 306 Polling Units and total registered voters of about 174,000; claiming that he cannot cancel the total election because of one Electoral Officer’s malfeasance. “The first valid question to our eminent professor is, is the 113,113 cancelled votes from only Idemili North, where no election took place and where a postponed election was supposedly conducted at Obosi and later extended to Abatete and Nkpor Ward 2, without official notification? “Secondly, is it with good conscience that an election was fixed on a Sunday in a predominantly Christian community? “The third valid question to the eminent professor is can we trust the fate of Nigerians in an incapable, inept and compromised hand to conduct the more sensitive and delicate 2015 general elections?”, it further queried.

Disquiet in NASS as Jonathan presents 2014 Budget today By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

here is uneasy calm in the National Assembly ahead of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presentation today, of a N4.7 trillion budget estimate for the 2014 fiscal year to the lawmakers. Civil and business activities, including transportation in and out of the National Assembly Complex, have been placed under strict restriction as the president makes his way to address a joint session of the legislature. As a result of today’s budget presentation, all civil servants working in the National Assembly who are below grade level 015, have been directed to stay away from the parliament until it is 2pm. This directive was part of the security measures to forestall any

action capable of disrupting the budget presentation. In addition, eateries, business centres and banks have been directed to close shops today, in the efforts to ensure a hitch free budget presentation by the President. A statement signed by the Director, Personnel Management of the National Assembly, Ishaya Habu Sarki, said: “Please, note that officers affected who flout this (sic) directives shall be made to face very strict disciplinary action”. Although the statement was not explicit on the reason for these directives, the first time such stern measures were put in place for the budget presentation exercise since 1999, there were indications that something was amiss. Investigations revealed that

the management of the National Assembly deliberately barred the level 01-14 staff from the parliament due to a planned protests by these carders of workers over unpaid welfare packages. It was learnt further that the category of staff had last week issued an ultimatum on the National Assembly management, threatening to disrupt the botched presidential budget presentation unless their accumulated welfare packages were paid by the leadership of the legislature. To stave off protests that could end up being embarrassing scenes for the president therefore, the National Assembly management allegedly put in place the stringent measures. It would be recalled that the 2014 budget presentation scheduled for last week Tuesday

was postponed to today, due to the delay in the passage of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) by the National Assembly. The parliament was not able to conclude the consideration and passage of the MTEF and the FSP, which were submitted by the president in September. On this note, the leadership of the National Assembly met with the president and agreed that the budget presentation be postponed to today to enable both chambers conclude deliberations on the MTEF and FSP report submitted by their respective standing committees. The oil benchmark proposed by the president is $75 per barrel, while the Senate and the House of Representatives proposed $76.5 and $79 per barrel respectively.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 3

News 7 killed in Plateau village

nknown gunmen have reportedly killed seven people and injured scores in an attack on Npol village in Shendam local government area of Plateau state. A report on Hausa service of the BBC monitored last night in Abuja said the attack led to altercations between two ethnic groups in the area. While the Tarok accused Fulani herdsmen of carrying out the attack, the latter have denied the allegation. Plateau state has seen series of sectarian violence over the past one and half decades resulting in reprisals, claiming hundreds of lives while billions of Naira worth of properties were destroyed in the process.

Jigawa youth staging solidarity rally in support of Jigawa state Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, yesterday in Dutse.

Photo: NAN

Amaechi dishonest on missing $5bn excess Crude funds – Finance Ministry By Etuka Sunday and Chris Alu

he Ministry of finance yesterday said Governor Rotimi Ameachi of River State lied when he said $5 billion was missing from the Excess Crude Account (ECA). The Ministry described the statement as false and shocking, adding that facts and figures are there to proof that Ameachi collected N56.2billion from ECA. A statement by the Ministry said Amaechi cannot credibly deny knowledge of the status of the ECA which he has been closely involved and actively participated in making requests to the Presidency for the ECA to be shared for the purpose of augmenting the regular allocations from the Federation Account whenever there

is a shortfall. It said that the $5 billion in the ECA which Amaechi referred to in his statement has been shared to the three tiers of government to make up for the revenue shortfalls during the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee process. The statement said in the November 2013 allocation, Rivers State along with other states, benefitted from the sharing of $1 billion from the ECA to augment the allocations. It is therefore curious that Governor Amaechi seems not to know the whereabouts of the N56.2 billion which Rivers State has received from the ECA this year. Amaechi also accused Dr Okonjo-Iweala of refusing to sign the African Development Bank (ADB) loan for a water project in

Port Harcourt which the statement said it was false. The loan in question has been appraised but it is yet to be negotiated before the minister can sign which also has to go through the African Development Bank and the Federal Executive Council. Therefore the issue of the minister refusing to sign it simply does not arise. The statement said OkonjoIweala handles issues concerning the states on the basis of professionalism and equity. The Ministry of Finance also dismissed said, there is no missing N500 billion from SURE-P funds, saying that the claim was completely false. The total expected funds for SURE-P from subsidy savings for the Federal, state and local gov-

ernments are N816 billion from February 2012 to December 2013. (Please note that SURE-P started in February 2012.) The Federal Government portion managed by the Kolade Committee for the period February 2012 to September 2013 is N300 billion after deductions for Stabilisation and other Special Accounts. As Dr Christopher Kolade confirmed to the National Assembly recently, this is the amount which SURE-P at the Federal level has received from the Federal Government. The balance of N500 billion went to the states and local governments which also have their own SURE-P programmes. This is the amount that is wrongly described as missing.

NGF: Presidency lied, says Amaechi By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

overnor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers state, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of lying on who the authentic Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is. Reacting to a report in the Punch Newspaper, where the Presidential political adviser, Ahmed Gulak, said President Jonathan recognises Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau state as the authentic NGF chairman, Amaechi, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, David Iyofor, said it is undemocratic to recognise Jang. The statement said, “It is a

known fact that in the election for the chairman of NGF held on May 24, 2013, Governor Amaechi got the mandate of the majority of his colleague governors to continue to serve as their chairman when 19 governors voted for him as against 16 that voted for Governor Jonah Jang.” “But for the Jonathan Presidency (according to Gulak) 16 is greater 19! We, like most Nigerians, are further saddened that the likes of Gulak in the Presidency are so ignorant and totally bereft of substance that they lack the capacity to comprehend the quantum of damage comments like that do to the President and the Presidency, they are paid with taxpayers money to serve and

protect”, he added. He said by his comments in PUNCH Newspapers, Gulak has told Nigerians and the world that the Presidency does not respect nor have any regard for the result of a free and fair voting process that produced a clear winner in the NGF election. “It continues to baffle us, like most Nigerians that small, petty minds like Gulak in the Presidency will continue to make undemocratic comments that do enormous and sometimes irreversible damage to the President and the Presidency in their thoughtless, madcap self-imposed mission of persistently pouring intemperate, obnoxious and opprobrious invectives on Governor Amaechi”, the statement said.

While pointing out that the matter in question is not about Governor Amaechi, but about respecting and recognizing a democratic electoral process that produced a winner, he said the Presidency is duty-bound to respect and recognize that democratic process that produced a winner. He noted with regrets that an appointed aide like Gulak refer to elected governors as ‘Amaechi Governors Forum’, adding that Gulak and his likes in the Presidency should be told in clear terms that the Governors Forum is an internal business of the governors, hence who becomes their chairman can only be determined by the governors alone and not the President.

Mark, Aganga, Orji canvas patronage of Madein-Nigeria goods By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

enate President, David Mark, Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, and the Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, has canvassed for a national policy that would make the government and people of Nigeria to patronise finished products made in the country. Speaking during the Made in Aba trade fair held in Abuja, they admitted that continued importation of every product consumed in Nigeria from abroad is not healthy for Nigerian economy. In his remarks, David Mark, who was represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Smart Adeyemi, noted that no nation can rise economically and industrially, if the government and citizens rely on imported finished products at the detriment of the local manufacturers. He said a prohibition of certain finished products remained a positive step towards improving economic activities that would create jobs and empower the people, advising government agencies to identify indigenous firms that produce finished leather products and patronize them. “Aba deserves the presence of the Bank of Industry. Factors that would accelerate social and economic development of the nation should be put in place and Aba should be the main target.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Page 4 Report Tackling cross-border human trafficking through partnership M

iss Queen Ebimaho, an 18-year-old Nigerian girl from Edo, met her untimely death on Aug. 24, just few months after she arrived in Abidjan, in search of greener pastures. She was stabbed to death in mysterious circumstances. The suspects and the person who brought her to Abidjan are freely walking the streets of Abidjan. Also, recently, another Nigerian girl, Miss Erherha Eguono, narrowly escaped death while trying to escape from her traffickers. Eguono, who hails from Delta, was assisted to come to Abidjan by a Nigerian, identified as Chinedu Felix, at a price. Eguono had rejected further conditions imposed on her by Chinedu and left her room in a brothel in Portbouet, an Abidjan suburb. She was hit by a taxi driver who never stopped to know whether his victim was dead or alive. Ciedu has been arrested, while the 22-year-old lady is battling with pains from injuries she sustained in the accident. Eguono said she decided to run away after she was asked to pay huge sums to a woman before being freed to operate independently and ``make her own money’’. “We agreed to come to Abidjan but how I reached here is not known to me. Again, I gave him money to bring me here, why should I pay to stay; am I a slave?’’ she asked. Ebimaho and Eguono are just two out of many Nigerian ladies who have met misfortunes after being trafficked out of the country in search of greener pastures in Cote d’Ivoire. Many have died unreported and many repatriated to Nigeria after several wasted years. Many still hang on with the hope that better days are ahead. Trafficking of Nigerians is not limited to ladies, as many Nigerian young men have been misled into the world of uncertainties. In September, a Nigerian, Bethel Chima, ran amok in a police station in Abidjan, chasing policemen on duty with cutlass. Chima had lived in Cote

“

The Federal Government has been urged to collaborate with non-governmental organisations to fight cross-border trafficking

d’Ivoire for about eight years but started behaving abnormally three years ago. When visited at the Central University Hospital, Cocody, where he was receiving treatment, he spoke incoherently. Chima said that his intention was never to live in Abidjan permanently. “I wanted to go to Europe, I was brought here with the intention of processing my papers to continue but since then, it has not been possible and I no longer see the man that brought me here,’’ he said. Mr. Bassey Akanyene, Head of Nigerian Mission in Cote d’Ivoire, said many Nigerians were abusing the free movement policy in the West African subregion. “As Nigerians, they have the liberty to travel within the region just as nationals of other ECOWAS states but it is good for our citizens to engage in legitimate

President of an Abidjan-based non-governmental organisation, Esan Family for the Promotion and Protection of Peoples’ Rights, Mr. Musa Asemota, described the involvement of Nigerians in human trafficking and prostitution as embarrassing.

businesses and conduct themselves in manners that will not damage the image of the country. “As an embassy, our hands are tied to a large extent; as you know there is no law banning prostitution,’’ Akanyene said. He said the embassy had remained committed towards protecting the rights of Nigerians residing in the country. “We are faced with stranded Nigerians every time, we do our best to ensure they go back home. “We have also constantly preached that Nigerians should respect the laws of the host country and do only legitimate businesses,’’ he added. President of an Abidjanbased non-governmental organisation, Esan Family for the Promotion and Protection of Peoples’ Rights, Mr. Musa Asemota, described the involvement of Nigerians in human trafficking and prostitution as embarrassing. “Government needs to do something. I have always called for officials of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NATIP) to be posted to the borders and Nigerian embassies in the West African subregion. “This will tackle the issues of arrests and prosecution of perpetrators; it will also foster stronger collaboration with other law enforcement agents to tighten

Executive Secretary NAPTIP, Beatrice Jeddy-Agba

up border securities against traffickers,’’ he noted. Asemota, also called for the Federal Government’s collaboration with non-governmental organisations to fight cross border trafficking. He said that the efforts being made over the years by private partners and nongovernmental organisations to check trafficking had remained largely unsuccessful due to lack of government’s backing. “There are NGOs showing sincerity and commitment in the fight against trafficking in persons but they need the right support from government. “This is an issue that con-

cerns all of us; every human being deserves to be respected and treated as one, trafficking is slavery. We all need to rise and stop the embarrassment this satanic act is causing us,’’ he stressed. Analysts say traffickers have used the free movement policy of ECOWAS to rip-off innocent Nigerians and de-humanise them. They say that the ugly development should be checked, through the combined efforts of government and other stakeholders in order to stop the nation from facing continued embarrassment due to the twin issues of cross-border trafficking and prostitution.(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

News Dangote, Bill Gates to fight polio with $6bn By Abbas Aminu Bamalli

he Chairman of Microsoft, Mr. Bill Gates and Alhaji Aliko Dangote said they are putting together $6 billion through the Private Sector, Health Alliance to intensify its fight against polio by purchasing vaccines and other medical equipment that would ensure total eradication of polio in Africa. Addressing newsmen at Ikeja, after paying a courtesy call on the

Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, the duo said they have met President Goodluck Jonathan and the Health Alliance on the issue of eradicating polio from Nigeria and Africa in general. They expressed hope that the ultimate ambition is to eradicate polio from the world, starting from Africa. Dangote told newsmen that it was a thing of happiness that since the fight against polio commenced, there has been appreciable impact

as Nigeria dropped from the rank of countries with high prevalence of the deadly disease. Gates corroborated this when he said, “In the area of health, there is much progress, but there is a lot to be done. It is wonderful to have this state being in the lead of very high immunisation rate in reducing the child death rate, saying, in our foundation and Dangote foundation, we have been around the country to see how we can help you achieve health goals”.

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Resign now, Jigawa professionals tell Gov. Sule Lamido From Edwin Olofu, Kano

rofessionals in Jigawa state has demanded for the immediate resignation of the Jigawa state governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido from office following the arrest of his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha Lamido over alleged money laundering by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). A statement by Malam Sani Zorro, former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), on behalf of the group said the call became imperative in view of the magnitude of the allegations and gravity of the charges levelled against them by both the Department of State Security Service (DSS) and the EFCC. Zorro said their demand for the governor to step aside is without ulterior motive, but for the allegations to be investigated without interference. “We demand the immediate, unconditional resignation

of Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa state, to pave way for comprehensive and unhindered investigations into the allegations, and also provide the governor with the opportunity to clear himself of the allegations. “In the alternative, all members of the Jigawa state house of assembly should cooperate to facilitate the governor’s immediate impeachment, to salvage the integrity of our innocent citizens, failing which we will be compelled to embark on necessary measures to retrieve the collapsing image and glory of the state.” The group added that they are not surprised by the allegations levelled against the governor’s children, because their involvement in government activities and transactions are an open-secret. The statement further warned against the use of the resources of the state to facilitate the legal defence of the two accused persons.

NHRC starts inquiry into illegal demolitions, eviction in South-West Zone

T L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan, receiving a report of Course 35 from Director-General, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Professor Tijjani Bandeh, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

ASUU strike: Etok wants FG to involve salaries commission in negotiations By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

he Chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters, Aloysius Etok, has advised the federal government to involve the Salaries and Wages Commission in any negotiation towards increasing the salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). He said such negotiation would be null and void without the input of National Wages and Salaries Commission. Etok who gave the admonition during an oversight visit of the Commission yesterday, added that it is not appropriate for the federal government to negotiate salary or wage increase without the input of the Salaries and Wages commission. He also cautioned against

sentimental negotiation for salary increase in the civil service, stressing that it was the cause of incessant industrial actions in the country. "We have said this earlier that on no account should Federal government in particular go on to negotiation for salary increase or anything that has to do with wages or salary without the input of the Commission. "They should avoid the issue of sentimental increase or negotiation. We should cancel exceptions. Four months is about a semester", he said. According to Senator Etok, the Commission was expected to have played a prominent role in the 2009 agreement reached between the federal government and ASUU. Responding, the Chairman of National Income, Salaries

and Wages Commission, Richard Egbule, exonerated the Commission from the agreement reached between the federal government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). "When the controversial agreement was reached in 2009, we were there but not as negotiators. We made it known to them that the route they were going was wrong. Today, I wish to say that ASSU did not go on strike because of salary because we handled it very well. "What is controversial was the Excess Workload Allowance, but we have asked them to employ more lecturers to avoid excess workload. There has never been a time any agency was asked to go and compute its own salary but they allowed ASUU to do so. We needed a structural increase where government agency would be factored", he said.

he National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday in Lagos began a four-day public inquiry into cases of demolitions and evictions in the South-West Zone of the country. NHRC Executive Secretary, Prof. Ben Angwe, who is also the chairman at the seating, said the commission would look into all complaints and make recommendations to the Federal Government for appropriate action. Angwe said the commission’s objective was to ensure that people whose rights were violated are addressed by the authority.

He said 11 complaints of illegal demolition were received through Centre for the Defence of Human Rights and Democracy in Africa. The secretary said two of such complaints against Ogun Government were received from the Civil Liberties Organisation. He said the Monday seating was to identify all cases while hearing would commence on today. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lagos and Ogun governments were represented at the hearing, while counsel to various groups or people with complaints were identified.

Borno police investigate killing of 8 herdsmen From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

he Borno state Police Command said it had began investigations into an alleged killing of eight Fulani herdsmen by local vigilante in Mallam-Fatori in Abadam Local Government Area (LGA). Alhaji Tanko Lawal, the Commissioner of Police said in a statement in Maiduguri that the victims were killed at the beginning of the month after an attack on their Tumbun-Gini settlement in Mallam-Fatori by the vigilantes. ``I can confirm to you of an incident at Tumbun-Gini in

Mallam-Fatori in Abadam LGA in which eight Fulanis were allegedly killed by vigilantes. ``The police have commenced investigations into the killings,'' he said. An official of the Abadam LGA who spoke on anonymous condition told newsmen in Maiduguri that the killing was in retaliation to a suspected armed robbery attack at the neighbouring Tumbun-Jaki village on November 7, in which some people were killed and several houses razed down. The official added the Fulani’s were suspected to have carried out the attack in which food stuff, lives stocks and other valuables were looted.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 6

News

Iyayi’s death: Unilorin ASUU wants FG to ban convoys, sirens From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

he Academic Staff Union of University(ASUU) University of Ilorin has called Nigeria government to put an end to sirens and convoys of governors which are terrorising and killing citizens on the roads. The Union, in a statement by its Chairman, Dr Taiwo OloruntobaOju and Acting Secretary, Dr K.N Afoloyan yesterday said the death of Comrade Festus Iyayi through convoys of Kogi State Governor showed kind of ordeal Nigerians go through on roads. “The convoys of governors are not meant to terrorise the governed whose taxes are used to buy the cars, pay their drivers and ensure their maintenance. “We join our voices to that of the Governor of Lagos State who has clamoured incessantly for a stop to the use of sirens to terrorise citizens. We call for a declaration of emergency to tackle the death traps that we call roads in this country”, the statement said.

Revenue Shortfall: FAAC got it wrong-NNPC By Etuka Sunday

he management of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has blamed the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for not listening to some of the reasons advanced for the revenue shortfall to the Federal Account. The Corporation however attributed the revenue shortfall and partial remittance to consistent crude oil theft and vandalisation of pipelines which has led to erratic crude oil production. The Corporation said, “Over the past few months, it has been on the receiving end of acerbic criticisms from over what is perceived to be its

…cites theft, vandalism as reasons for partial remittance role in the revenue shortfall which has brought about the cash squeeze that is affecting almost every tier of government. NNPC said, “to the governors and their commissioners of finance who attend the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meetings, the revenue shortfall is as a result of nonremittance of complete accruals from crude oil sales into the Federation Account. “All attempts by the NNPC to get them and the Nigerian public to understand the real reasons for the shortfall, the growing menace

of the twin evils of pipeline sabotage and crude oil theft, simply fall on deaf ears. The Corporation said, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Engr. Andrew Yakubu recently decried the persistent attacks on major pipeline arteries supplying crude oil to export terminals stressing that the menace has impacted negatively on the nation’s economy. Engr. Yakubu made this known during his submission to the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on the Medium Term

Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the period of 2014 to 2016. He said the Oil and Gas Sector is a key component of MTEF and any impact on it will have a negative effect on revenue flow to the federation account. Commenting on the daily crude oil production figure, the NNPC GMD said that the production figure has been very erratic as a result of the several attacks on the arteries from February to date adding that the daily crude oil production figure ranges between 2.2mpbd to 2.3mbpd as against the projected 2.5mpbd in the 2013 budget.

… CDHR wants judicial panel of inquiry set up From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

he leadership of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a judicial panel of inquiry to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of Prof. Festus Iyayi, a former President of the organization. President CDHR, Comrade Sunny Ennenuvwedia speaking after an emergency meeting held at its National Headquarter in Lagos stressed that the late Prof. Iyayi, was murdered by the ‘Nigerian Ruling Class’ through the network of the Kogi State Governor. Ennenuvwedia said a 7- day ultimatum has been given for the judicial panel to be set up, “failure to which the Human Rights Community will draw a battle line between the ruling class and the Nigerian Masses.” He said “it very unfortunate that Nigerian government could take such heartless position of throwing a direct attack that resulted in wasting the lives of Africa’s most committed scholar and a leading member of the Human Right Community at this crucial period.” Late Iyayi was the second President of CDHR who took over from Late Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti and handed over to Barr. Femi Falana in 1997.

L-R: Director-General, State Security Service (SSS), Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, and InspectorGeneral of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, after their meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

Don makes case for credible electoral systems By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

he integrity of election managers at every stage of election process is critical to the credibility of the electoral systems in the country. “The election managers must be people of proven character, fairness, impartiality, independence and patriotic zeal for the country to achieve a credible electoral system”,

a Professor of Law, Prof. Dakas C. J. Dakas (SAN), stated in a paper he delivered yesterday at Professor Ben Nwabueze distinguished professor of Law lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute of Advance Legal Studies (NIALS) in Abuja. Dakas, who was the guest lecturer at the occasion, also stressed the need for the insulation of the Independent

National Electoral Commission (INEC) from political manipulation and financial stranglehold to secure its independence, through credible process and adequate funding. While commending the recent constitutional amendment, which in part, makes the funding of INEC a first charge on the consolidated revenue fund of the federation, Professor Dakas

said there is the need for it to be holistically anchored on the Justice Uwais led Electoral Reform Panel Report. He also said the electoral system must be transparent and anchored on a credible, accountable system of checks and balances, just as he pointed out that the current Nigerian constitution suffers from legitimacy deficits.

FG makes fresh moves to privatize refineries

igeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, plans to begin privatizing its four stateowned oil refineries before the end of the first quarter, Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke said. “We would like to see major infrastructural entities such as refineries moving out of government hands into the private sector,” Alison-Madueke said in an interview with Bloomberg TV Africa in London. “Government

do not want to be in the business of running major infrastructure entities and we haven’t done a very good job at it over all these years.” A presidential audit of the facilities last year recommended their sale due to inadequate government funding and “suboptimal performance.” The refineries, which have a combined 445,000 barrel-a-day capacity, should be privatized within 18 months, according to the report submitted to President

Goodluck Jonathan in November 2012. Nigeria, a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, produced 1.99 million barrels a day of crude in October, data compiled by Bloomberg show. While Nigeria is also Africa’s top crude exporter and the most populous with more than 160 million people, it relies on fuel imports to meet more than 70 percent of its needs. Its stateowned plants operate at a fraction

of their capacity because of poor maintenance and aging equipment. The West African nation exchanges 60,000 barrels a day of crude for products with Trafigura Beheer BV and a similar amount with Societe Ivoirienne de Raffinage’s refinery in Ivory Coast, according to Nigeria National Petroleum Corp. “We are right now undergoing a major turnaround maintenance program” of the refineries, AlisonMadueke said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

2013 Hajj: Adamawa pilgrims, missing luggage found in Kano, says Amirul Hajj From Umar Dankano, Yola

ilgrims to this year’s Hajj from Adamawa have course to smile as their missing luggage on transit from Saudi Arabian Kingdom (Mecca) after this year’s pilgrimage, two weeks ago have now been recovered at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. The State Amirul Hajj,

Dr. Salihu Bakari made the disclosurewhile speaking to journalists in Yola, Adamawa State Capital on Monday, explaining that the cargo air line mistakenly took the pilgrims luggage to Kano airport instead of Yola International Airport and it has since been communicated that all the luggage would be taken back to Yola, this week. To this end, he urged the

affected pilgrims to remain calm, ‘’the cargo officials have confirmed to us that the lost 360 luggage will all be returned. So, I am appealing to the pilgrims not to get disturbed. They will get their belongings this week. Bakari who is also the state commissioner for local government affairs commended the pilgrims for their good conduct and sanitation at the Holy land.

“I want to appreciate the pilgrims for their conduct at the holy land. The state was also rated the best state in terms of sanitation”, Bakari said and described this year’s hajj exercise as the best in recent years, adding also that, for the first time, all the 1,904 pilgrims from the state participated successfully in the exercise. “All our pilgrims participated

News

in the exercise to the end. We lost two pilgrims, an official and a pilgrim who passed on after performing the hajj exercise. “The challenges we experienced are in the areas of food supply at Mina and the fact that most of the pilgrims are first timers with many of them engaging in spending spree on arrival only to regret later”, Bakari said. He lauded the support of Adamawa students in Medina University for helping the pilgrims from the state particularly in area of language barrier. “They assisted our pilgrims in interpretation. This is the first time we are involving the students in the hajj exercise and it worked”, Bakari said.

Zazzau women commend first female pilot

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

R-L: Senate President David Mark, Body of Benchers led by Justice Dahiru Musdapher and Justice James Ogebe, during their visit to the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors holds 25th general conference By Abbas Aminu Bamalli

igerian Institute of Surveyors (NIQS), is scheduled to hold its 25th Biennial General Meeting and Conference commencing with the induction of newly qualified members. A statement signed by the Secretary General of NIQS,

Adewumi Akinpelu said, the induction will take place at the International Conference Centre Abuja. The statement said the conference with the theme, “‘Nigeria’s Quest for Investment and Growth: Releasing the Potential of Construction Sector Public Private Partnerships”, was

designed to advance the role of Quantity Surveyors in National Development. It said, the theme of the conference focuses on the government’s infrastructure procurement policy in relation to the imperative of economic diversification and the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

The statement further said, this year’s NIQS conference will also underscore the importance of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), to Nigeria’s aspirations for economic diversification and inclusive growth and examine ways through which the private and public sector can collaborate to realize the potentials of PPPs in Nigeria.

FRSC empathises with families, victims of road crashes

From Umar Dankano, Yola

he Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety corps (FRSC), Osita Chidoka has empathised with the families and victims of road crash throughout the country and Africa. The Corps Marshall who was represented by the Zonal Commanding Officer of Zone 3,Bulus Darwang during a church service convened at International Praise Church, Yola, Adamawa state capital to commemorate the Africa Road Safety Day. He disclosed that the remembrance service was also meant to draw the attention of the public through the Road

Safety sensitisation rallies to create awareness on the dangers associated with road traffic and hence the need to embrace best practices. Chidoka revealed that over 1.3 million people die annually through Road Traffic Crashes,(RTC) stressing that it require serious attention. “Road Traffic Crash has become more disturbing because these crashes continue to claim the lives of the productive bracket. It has been revealed that unless immediate and effective actions are taken the menace will continue to destroy the people especially the youths” he said. He said the FRSC saw the need to adopt new strategy to curb the

menace by what he described as domestic enlightenment campaign which involve going to Ministries, private organization and worship places, such as churches and mosques to sensitise the people on traffic rules and regulations. The FRSC boss added that before now, the commission has restricted its rallies to motor parks but has decided to collaborate with religious leaders to sensitise their followers on traffic rules and regulations. “We cannot under estimate the power of the church, that is why we need the church to sensitise its audience and also pray for the commission and the road users”. He said they were pleading

with church to always include Road Safety Enlightenment programmes as part of their activities adding that over speeding, `driving under the influence of alcohol, making phone calls and text messages while driving has been and over loading and others road offence resulted to accident. Responding, the resident pastor of International Praise Church, Yola, Rev Godwin Ngasony commended the commission for their commitment towards preserving lives stressing that he would do everything possible to make sure that the FRSC, enlightenment programmes are included in every service of the church.

s o c i o - c u l t u r a l organisation in Zazzau Emirate, Hardin Zazzau Women Development Association, has described the Rector of Nigerian Civil Aviation College, Zaria, Captain Charity Kalu, as a role model that is worthy of emulation by the women folk. The group made this commendation in a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan on the achievement of Captain Kalu since assumption of office. They disclosed that the Nigerian Civil Aviation College, has passed through series of transformation under the able leadership of Capt Kalu, and as a wife and mother, they are left with no option than to commend the detribalized lady whose matured style of leadership has touched lives of women and children in the Zazzau emirate positively. “We have noticed the transformation taking place at the college for the betterment of all, especially the host community, a thing that has never been recorded in the history of the school. “We want to say here without any fear of contradiction that the Rector of the Aviation College in the last two years has done much for the college. “At 50, Capt Kalu, a recipient of National Honours of (MFR) has shown beyond any doubt that she is capable of handling the institute effectively having been a student of the institute and conversant with the activities of the school. “The institute had been transformed rapidly in terms of development Under her able leadership”, the group said.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

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‘NASARAWASTATE:THEHOMEOFSOLIDMINERALS’ By Emmanuel Yawe Current developments in the global economy have made it compulsory for Nigeria to seek alternative sources of revenue, away from our over dependence on oil. Oil is being discovered everywhere in Africa and other parts of the world. There will soon be an oil glut on the global market with prices plummeting to very low levels. Apart from that, the United States and other developed economies are looking for alternative sources of energy which will make our oil a lowly priced or even unwanted commodity. Agriculture, which is frequently referred to as the mainstay of our national economy in the years past is often mentioned. But while Nassarawa state has huge potentials even for agriculture, there is yet another area in which the state has enormous potentials that can be of benefit to Nigeria’s economy - mining.

ining is one of the oldest economic activities in Nigeria dating back to prehistoric times when man crudely exploited iron and clay, and perhaps other metals, for the production of his cosmetics, crude implements and

utensils. The early European explorers, mainly German, Spanish and British, located and mined tin, galena, gold, etc. for export to their home countries. Records show that organised exploration activities in Nigeria commenced in 1903 and 1904 when the Secretary of State for Colonies inaugurated mineral surveys of the Southern and Northern Protectorates respectively. The principal mineral occurrences discovered by the survey teams included lignite deposits at Asaba, lead-zinc ores at several locations, tin and columbite in the south-east, monazite, limestone and lead-zinc ores at Abakaliki district. Others were coal at Enugu, brine springs at Arufu and Awe, Galena in Jos area, iron ore deposits in Niger and Kwara districts and marble deposits in Jakura. Mining activity in controlled form, however, commenced in the country in 1915 with the production of coal at the Enugu mines. Recently the Federal Government discovered the folly of over dependence on one commodity and embarked on formulation of policy objectives, the implementation of which will avail the nation of the enormous opportunities offered by our mineral wealth. The focus of these programmes is the development of the solid mineral sector with a view to improving its economic importance relative to other sectors of the economy. They are also designed to facilitate favourable climate for foreign investors. The country is endowed with abundant and untapped solid mineral resources in commercial quantity and quality. These minerals, properly harnessed, can be major source of foreign exchange earnings and savings. They constitute a hidden source of immense wealth which has always been available but unfortunately untapped until recently. The development of the sector will also boost the Nigeria’s industrial development, linkages with downstream industries, employment-generation, rural development and general standard of living and consequently enhance the nation’s position and role internationally within the comity of Nations. Nasarrawa State is popularly known by the acronym “THE HOME OF SOLID MINERALS”.. This is so because the state is literally awash with all manner of solid MINERALS” minerals. The three major geological components that make up the geology of Nigeria, namely Basement Complex, Younger Granites and Sedimentary Rocks are all exposed in Nasarawa State. From Karu, Panda, Keffi, Nasarawa Eggon, Wamba, etc are to be found the basement complex which contains Migmatite – Gneisses, Schists and older granites with assorted lodes of mineral deposits. The Younger Granites are exposed in Afu, Andaha and Farin-Ruwa while the Sedimentary Rocks make up the stratigraphic successions in Lafia, Doma, Obi, Keana and Wamba.

UMARU TANKO AL-MAKURA, Executive Governor, Nasarawa State It was in a bid to realise these potentials that some years back, the Nasarawa State Government commissioned Mecon Geology and Engineering Services to undertake a mineral survey of Limestone and Salt deposits in the State with literature review of Marble and Barytes. The state similarly took another bold and progressive step by incorporating Nasarawa Minerals Development Company Ltd., as a tool for the exploitation, production and development of solid minerals in the State. The mission of the company is to prospect, explore, mine, develop and market the minerals that occur in the State in strict compliance to the Nigerian Minerals Act. The Company also has the mandate of not only allocating equity to private investors by private placement, but also of coordinating and facilitating investments in the sector and providing supporting and promotional service to investors within the ambit of the supervisory and regulatory Federal Authority. LIST OF SOLID MINERALS IN NASSARAWA The rocks in Nasarawa State are the hostto Gold inWamba; Baryte at Azara, Wuse and Aloshi; Coals (of the highest rank in Nigeria) at Obi, Jangerigeri, Jangwa and Shankodi; Large Marble deposits at Ugya and Gadabuke/Toto; Tin, Columbite and Tantalite at Afu, Udege Beki and Wamba; Galena in Keana, Adudu, Abuni; Gemstone in Keffi, Nasarawa Eggon and Kokona; Salt deposits in Ribi, Keana, Akiri and Awe; Limestone deposits at Adudu and Jangwa; Clay deposits in Shabu, Glass sands in Lafia and Doma; Granite rocks at Keffi, Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon, TuduUku, etc; and many more too numerous to be listed here. Contd. on paeg 9

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;NASARAWA STATE: THE HOME OF SOLID MINERALSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Foreign experts are all over Nassarawa State in search of its Solid Minerals. To facilitate the take off of the company, Dr. Jatau Shadrach Benson a Senior Lecturer Department of Geology and Mining, in the Nassarawa State University was appointed as General Manager. The company is at present weighed down with teething problems but Dr Jatau remains hopeful and determined that the future of the states economy and indeed that of the whole country depends on diversification to the solid mineral sub sector. An expert with wide experience in the academia and the business aspect of solid minerals, he is poised to give a good account of his achievements elsewhere to make sure his home State of Nassarawa makes the best of its solid mineral endowments. His hopes are based on the several factors that are bound to stimulate the mining sector. First is the diversity of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s metallic and nonmetallic minerals. He said few countries in the world are blessed with such diversity. Second, international investors are prepared to bear exploration costs and risks, if only they can be guaranteed a favourable policy framework. This is to be fund in the new national solid mineral policy of the Federal Government, which replaced the old mining laws and regulations. It has offered a competitive environment for solid minerals development. Third, there is available, on the international technology market, low-cost mineral production processes which, if properly sourced and assembled, will minimise production costs, thereby ameliorating the impact of falling mineral commodity prices as has been the case with precious metals like gold. Deregulation of the mining sector under the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council Decree 1995 allows for 100 per cent foreign ownership of mining operations and other related enterprises. Free repatriation of capital, profits and dividends are added incentives. World Bank finance for mining is now readily available through several agencies. These include the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD); the International Finance Corporation which funds mostly private sector activities; and the International Development Association. Nassarawa State is poised to take advantage of these favourable factors to enhance maximum benefits from the solid minerals in the state. To facilitate value addition to the raw solid minerals, the State established a lapidary centre in Nasarawa to train entrepreneurs on gemstone cutting and polishing after which on graduation they are given soft loans for self-sustenance. Additionally, Governor Al-Makura is always ready to cooperate with federal authorities, especially on matters related to solid minerals development. As a practical demonstration of this determination, the Nasarawa state government recently ceded

equipment, buildings and other facilities of the Nasarawa state Centre of Vocational and Relevant Technology Board(CVRTB) to the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure(NASENI),Abuja. This gesture is to facilitate the take off of the Solid Minerals Machinery Equipment, Processing Development Institute (SOMMEDI), located in Nasarawa. The State Commissioner for Science and Technology Mr. Samuel Meshi who ceded the equipment on behalf of the government expressed the determination of the Al- Makura led government to improve the lot of the common man in the state by tackling the rising unemployment situation and poverty through exploration of minerals and other resources available in the state. FEDERAL LAWS But for all the determination and enthusiasm of Al- Makura to use the solid mineral resources for the benefit of the state, there is one big legal hurdle on how far the state can go. In fact, Nassarawa would have gone far in the exploitation of solid minerals. Unfortunately, the state remains handicapped in its effort because all mineral resources in and under the land of Nigeria belong to the Federal Government as listed in the Exclusive Legislative List in the 1999 Constitution. Under the circumstances, States have limited control over these minerals, except for some provisions in the Minerals Act that allow for the collection of ground rents which is also to be determined by the Minister of Mines and Steel Development. The Federal Government too in realising the strategic importance of solid minerals to our economy has put in place policies and regulatory laws to ensure systematic exploitation of all solid mineral reserves, and a Ministry of Mines and Steel Development was established to handle the sector and all matters relating to it. The states have no option but to operate under these regulations. It was in a bid to supplement the Federal Government effort in enforcing environmental laws particularly as it affects host communities, that the State Government created the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources that will ensure compliance by operators in the mining and other related industry. There is a Directorate of Industry and Mining in the ministry. Abubakar Mohammed Akan who holds a Higher National Diploma in Mining Engineering, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Pure and Applied Geophysics heads the directorate. CONSTRAINTS Under the present circumstances, most of the solid minerals in the State have remained largely untapped, and the small proportion that is tapped undergoes little or no beneficiation, and is mostly marketed in crude form. This is as a result of Contd. on paeg 16

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

News

Court sentences estate agent to 15 years imprisonment Residents, youths protest killing J of 3 pupils in Lagos From Matthew Irinoye, Lagos

ustice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a Lagos High Court yesterday sentenced a 42-year-old estate agent, Michael Kayode Olabameji, to 15 years imprisonment for defrauding 100 accommodation seekers to the tune of N29.8 million. The presiding judge, Justice Onigbanjo found Olabameji guilty of the 99-count charge of obtaining money by false pretences preferred against

him. The judge sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment on each count and added that the sentence is to run concurrently beginning from February 1, 2010, when he was remanded in prison. It would be recalled that Olabameji was charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for defrauding the prospective tenants between January and July 2008. Mrs Olubunmi Bosede, the EFCC prosecutor told the court

that the convict had collected various sums of money from the victims as tenancy and agreement fees for the 16-apartment building located at No. 2, Amuda St., Kirikiri, Lagos While delivering his judgment, Onigbanjo said the convict had inflicted untold hardship and high degree of injury on the victims and deprived them of their hardearned money. “It is immaterial that he had the mind to refund the money to the victims as he had claimed in his confessional statement to the

EFCC. “The convict will be sentenced adequately to deter others,” he added. He said the property which was used by the convict to perpetuate the fraud was actually owned by another person who had leased it to him from 2010 to 2025. Onigbanjo held that it should be managed by the EFCC till the expiration of the lease while the proceeds from the rent are to be paid to the victims as restitution.

Suspected pipeline vandals paraded by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps during a news conference, yesterday in Ibadan. Photo: NAN

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

esidents and youths of Ikota area along the Lekki – Epe expressway yesterday protested the death of three pupils in an auto-crash by unidentified ‘hit and run’ drivers The pupils, eyewitness said were trying to cross the road from one side to the other when knocked down. The tragedy led to a spontaneous protest by residents nearby and Area Boys. The protesters blocked the entire expressway, making passage in both directions, impossible. The traffic gridlock stretching over 10 kilometres built up on the road and trapped thousands of motorists going to work at the early hours of yesterday. Efforts by security agents to clear the road were resisted by the hoodlums and protesters which caused the Police to fire gunshots into the air, to scare away the protesters. Unconfirmed reports say that there were gun duel between the hoodlums and the police. An unconfirmed report said one of the protesters was shot dead by the police exacerbating the anger of the community.

Four children die in Benue of gastro-enteritis From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

t least four children have been reported dead in Otukpo local government area of Benue State following the outbreak of gastroenteritis ailment which is caused by consumption of unsafe water. It could be recalled that penultimate week, two persons died of cholera in the area that is now facing severe water shortage as a result of stoppage of water flow from Otobi water plant by

the contractor (CGC), who have abandoned work on the project over complaints of breach in contractual agreement by the State government. Peoples Daily reliably gathered that records from the Otukpo General Hospital indicate that the children’s’ ward is filled with cases of Cholera as well as gastroenteritis ailments. Worried by this ugly development, residents of the area have called on the Benue State government to act urgently and stem the menace of cholera

outbreak. Mrs. Franca Ogwuche, a house wife lamented over the loss of her five month old baby to due frequent stooling and vomiting. “Our baby’s health deteriorated to an unbearable state that I and my husband, Ogwuche Enokela, a timber dealer had no option than to rush her to St Daniel’s Hospital Otukpo where she died after spending three days on bed”, she said sobbing. Mrs. Ogwuche also disclosed that three other residents of Otobi lost their children to the ravaging

cholera outbreak on the same day her baby died. Another resident, Mrs. Ojochenemi Emmanuel, a yam dealer from Adoka whose one year and four months old baby was heavily dehydrated and looking pale from vomiting and frequent stooling expressed fears that if urgent action is not taken by government, the disease will kill many lime a holocaust. There are said to be several other cases in the hinterlands of the local government. Commenting on the

development in a telephone conversation yesterday, the district head of Otukpo, Chief John Eimonye described the development as unfortunate and appealed to the state government to do everything possible to restore pipe borne water to the area. Similarly, Chief Cyril Ogoh, the ward head of Otobi ward regretted over the so many deaths recorded due to outbreak of cholera and called on the state government to restore safe water to the people of the area.

About 4,000 Nigerians are affected with Leprosy annually-Mission From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

o fewer than 3,500 Nigerians are affected with leprosy annually in Nigeria with about 25 percent having some degree of disabilities. Operations Manager in charge of the Leprosy Mission of Nigeria, Mr. Pius Ogbu disclosed this to newsmen yesterday at a briefing to mark the Mission’s

Policy Makers Workshop in Minna, adding also that the disease was mostly common in poverty prone areas. He said, “We have discovered that the number of persons affected annually by the disease in Nigeria is over 3,500 with about 25 percent of patients having some degree of disability. “The stigma and discrimination against these people in the country are very high due to the myth and

suspicion associated with the disease. “Every new case of persons affected by the disease and discovered was diagnosed for possible treatment with the Mission’s support and care especially as the disease was mostly common in places of poverty, dirty water, poor nutrition and low standard of living.” Mr. Ogbu added that the Mission has earmarked a total of

N50 million for the execution of its projects in Niger State in the next three years. “The Mission will spend N11 million out of the said amount this year on some of its activities which had already commenced in the State, while N20 million will be expended in 2014, with the remaining N19 million set aside for use in 2015,” he said. The Operations Manager stated that the project was aimed at addressing the discrimination,

stigma, exclusion and human rights abuses due to leprosy disease, as well as to improve the quality of lives of persons affected by the disease in four Local Government Areas of Niger State which include Chanchaga, Shiroro Munya and Paikoro. Ogbu further said that the Policy Makers’ Workshop would comprise opinion leaders, Local Government Authorities, Civil Society Group, Politicians and Community leaders.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 11

Money Sense

How to stop overspending

ften times, overspending is a symptom of deeper issues. Compulsive behaviour shows up in many different forms, and overspending can be a cover for an obsessive or compulsive personality that can manifest in addictions in many forms. Going into debt for some people is merely a nuisance, for others, overspending, if not stopped can lead to a financial ruin that can be difficult to recover from. Read on to learn how to stop overspending. Be honest about your overspending: Stop hiding credit bills and creditor calls. Let your family and friends know what you are going through. Most of all be honest with yourself since admitting a problem is the first step toward fixing it. Ask for help from people whom you can trust: Give your ATM cards to a family member to hold for you, asking them to promise to give them back only when you really need them. Set up a plan to pay the bills that are mounting: Prioritize your bills, paying the important dayto-day accounts off first. Call the creditors and make arrangements to pay off the overdue accounts and debts. Go only to stores that sell necessities: Stay away from malls and other places that can trigger your compulsive desire to spend more than you can afford. Remember if you keep going to a

barbershop, you’re going to get a haircut. See a therapist: You need to discover the underlying issues behind your overspending. Find healthy ways to reward

yourself every time you do not give in to the compulsion to spend money. Take a bubble bath, spend time with good friends or eat some ice cream. Develop a gratitude list of

things and people in your life that make you happy. Being grateful for what you have can be powerful tool to overcome feelings related deficiency that can drive you into debt.

…find 5 core reasons, and 14 solutions

f you want to learn how to stop overspending, you’re a step ahead just realizing you have a problem. Recognize these causes? Try these solutions. 5 reasons for overspending Feeling insecure: That big empty hole inside needs to heal properly because there’s no way you’ll ever fill it. It’s hungry as a black hole in space! Feel relief: You may feel a moment’s relief when you buy something, but the money is gone for good. Entertainment: Nothing good on TV, at loose ends? Window shopping can be deadly to your budget. Impress others: Those darn Joneses, co-workers and the cool crowd can cost you plenty! Emotional need: Collectors must own every single what sit variation. Fans must prove they’re the biggest fan ever. Budget is damned! Ways to stop overspending Admit you have a problem: If you can understand what causes your overspending, great. If you can’t acknowledge any problem exists in your life, your budget will suffer for quite some time. Track income, outgo: When you see where you are moneywise, it helps you realize what

damage overspending can cause. Create frugal pastimes: Create a new income stream, take up cooking, sewing, gardening, take a class and get fit. Avoid boredom which leads to default spending. Proxy buyer: Give a smart shopper your detailed list so she can pick your items up when she goes shopping. It keeps you out of the store. Turn naira into hours: Is a new polka dot blouse worth 4 hours of work? Wait 3 days: It’s Tuesday night and you want it. Will you still want it Friday night? Find out! On sale = need? If you need it and it’s on sale, buy. If you don’t need it and it’s on sale, go home! Price book: Write down what this, that and the other store wants for the same item. It can be eye-opening. Shopping lists: Stick to your list of low-cost items you discovered at each store. 1Declutter: Go through stuff in your house 15 minutes at a time. Get rid of items you don’t like, never used, are a bad fit, are a wrong color or that remind you of a bad time. I don’t care how much you paid for it. Keep only what makes you smile. Gratitude: Feel grateful for what you have that makes you smile.

Freeze your account: Account in a block of ice in your freezer can’t make a quick emotional store assault. Good vs. cheap: One good bag outlasts 12 cheap ones. Careful now, don’t buy 3 good bags, then keep all 15! Professional help: A pro can

get you past this when you can’t manage alone. Check online. These tips may help you learn how to stop overspending. Or they’ll show you where you need some counseling. Remember, your life can only improve as you increase your skill in handling your money.

Money Tip: The following four basic guidelines will help you avoid overspending on Internet bandwidth for business use: 1. Understand how much bandwidth you really use. For instance, use the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) statistics from your router to monitor usage. 2. Buy a usage-sensitive connection. Being able to accommodate bursty traffic at times is fine, but if you’re only going to use 64 Kbps, then that’s all you should be paying for. 3. Find an ISP that will offer you a flat service, which you will know the flat fee you’re paying instead of the burstable service. 4. If possible, instead of having one “large” connection, consider buying two smaller connections for disaster recovery and load balancing reasons. For help navigating the decisions you’ll be faced with... and finding the most cost effective solution ... take advantage of the free consultation service provided at: Business Bandwidth

Quote I was part of that strange race of people aptly described as spending their lives doing things they detest to make money they don’t want to buy things they don’t need to impress people they dislike – Emile Henry Gauvreay

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

EDITORIAL

Justice denied Apo 8 victims? of the killings that it received information from some Boko Haram suspects in its custody that an uncompleted building in the Zone E area of the Apo Legislative Quarters was a hide out of Boko Haram members where arms were hidden. It then sent its men to the building in the middle of the night who while digging up arms came under heavy gun fire by suspected members of the sect. Marilyn Ogar, the SSS spokeperson, said in the statement that its men had no choice but to

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t has been over two months since that fateful Friday morning when Nigerians woke up to the sad news of the killings of eight artisans and Keke NAPEP operators by men of the State Security Service (SSS) without a conclusive report of the investigation promised. After the outcry that followed the extrajudicial killings which also left many hapless persons injured, the Senate and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) promised a speedy probe of the matter but it seems like that promise is only being kept in the breach. The Chairman of the NHRC, Professor Chidi Odinkalu and one of his Assistant Directors, Dahiru Bobbo, had told the press back then the commission would immediately commence investigations to ascertain what actually transpired at the scene while urging security agencies to also come clean with informatin on what really happened. The Senate on its part had mandated a joint committee on National Security and Intelligence and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to investigate the incidence. The joint committee had been given one week to submit its report after it was set up on September 24, but after the expiration of that period, it sought and unanimously got a two weeks extension. It is well past the two weeks and we are disturbed that nothing has been heard from the Senate, more than a week after the committee has submitted its report. We recall that the SSS had issued a statement in the wake

We believe such impunity by the government against the people it has sworn to protect is unacceptable. We urge the Senate to live up to its expectation as representatives of the people to ensure that justice is done for the victims of this unwarranted killings.

return fire hence the death of the eight persons. However, accounts of some of the victims and witnesses were at variance with that of the SSS. Some of the victims who were admitted at the Asokoro General Hospital said they were not members of Boko Haram but artisans who came under gun fire attack while they were sleeping in the uncompleted building. That many of them were shot in the back and no sign of digging in the area as claimed by the SSS suggested that there was more to the story the security agency was letting out. Nigerians had hoped that the Senate and NHRC

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investigations would have helped in ascertaining the truth of the matter but it seems Nigerians have to wait longer - or perhaps forever to get to know the truth. We are also disturbed by the attempt to cover up this gross human rights violation by the security agencies and see the silence by no less an organ as the Senate as part of that cover up plan. The insistence by the Chief of Army Staff and the SSS that their men came under fire which could not be corroborated by witnesses and without any evidence to prove such a claim was an attempt to pitch the words of the hapless victims against such powerful organs of the state. Sadly they seem to have won as the tide has turned against the vicitms. Since the fight against the Boko Haran insurgency began, security operatives have taken too much liberties which have seen them violate the rights of innocent citizens. Many unsuspecting citizens have been killed and many more are languishing in detention without trial. We believe such impunity by the government against the people it has sworn to protect is unacceptable. We urge our senators to live up to their expectation as representatives of the people to ensure that justice is done for the victims of this unwarranted killings. We also call on civil society groups to be steadfast in insisting that a thorough investigation is conducted as was done when some Igbo traders were killed by the police again in Apo a few hears ago. It was such steadfastness that led to the eventual arrest and prosecution of the culprits. We hope it will be the same this time.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 13

Opinion The political re-education of General Buhari

e all go through so many stages in life. Though we may differ as individuals, it is safe to generalize that we move from infancy, to adulthood, then to old age. But not all make it to old age. The stages we move through are not similar. Many got prepared in youths to become labourers. Some get prepared to be kings. Some become politicians. In becoming a politician, many in Africa are not like Bill Clinton, who was said to have been inspired in his youth to be J F Kennedy. General Buhari joined politics after he became Head of State. He shares the same fate with General Obasanjo. But he is not as lucky as Obasanjo with regards to politics. While he has been contesting and losing, Obasanjo was literally begged to take the mantle. It is common knowledge that Buhari joined the now defunct ANPP, moved to form his own party, CPC, and has now

drowned in a larger lake called APC. It is in APC that General Buhari is receiving his political re-education from Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu. Were the peasants to be bold enough to face reality they will come to realization that democracy is an iniquitable system, designed to maintain the status quo. In Western democracies, who they need as leaders are entertainers or salesmen and women. Even a fire-spitting ideologue is welcome in so far as he or she

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understands that the masses are there to be beguiled. This attitude led to the emergence of spin doctors like Tony Blair, or an entertainer like Barack Obama. General Buhari came into politics with the wrong credentials: honesty, integrity, and rigidity; he saw things as black and white, not as rainbow as the reality is. Bola Ahmad Tinubu sees it differently. Even Shekarau, who came into politics with borrowed robes of clerics,

came to understand politics as Tinubu understands it. What then is politics according to their definition? It is a venture. It is a profession. It is a trade. The natural law is that you invest to earn profits. Voters are labourers whom you employ with either money or guile for them to do your bidding. They may have expectations, but your job is to tie them to the chase of mirage. What does Buhari expect to gain from the merger that gave birth to APC? Simply put, it is

It is common knowledge that Buhari joined the now defunct ANPP, moved to form his own party, CPC, and has now drowned in a larger lake called APC. It is in APC that General Buhari is receiving his political re-education from Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu.

to capture power at the centre. But minds are being prepared that Buhari may not be APC’s presidential candidate. Were he to be one, he must be a candidate acceptable to Tinubu, to IBB, may be even to Obasanjo. What he is being trained to be is one who lives by politics: the limelight, paid travels, and other perquisites. In the end, for the masses, there is no alternative. Many will jostle, and even fight for a slot on the politics gravy train. What they have been aspiring to do is to build consensus on the removal of Jonathan come 2015. But who replaces him is not yet clear. But Jonathan is, and will be fighting back. But what are the issues? There are no issues. There is only craven need for power in a country that is structured to aspire to nothing. A passing thought: Where is Oduah? She dey kampe! Abdullahi Musa,kigongabas@gmail.com

Hijab: The persecution of Muslim women in Nigeria By Disu Kamor

Nigerian Muslim girl made World record recently, when she was placed amongst “The World’s 50 Smartest Teenagers”. Saheela Ibraheem, just 16, made headlines early this year when she gained admission into the Harvard University, making her one of the youngest students ever to attend that school, and becoming a rising star. Saheela also got offers of admission at 13 other Colleges including the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT), the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Brown, Princeton, Columbia, and the University of Chicago. The genius uses the Muslim head cover Hijab, to school and also attended a public secondary school, which is a Middle School in Piscataway for her high school studies. Strangely, if Saheela had transferred her studies to Nigeria, to complete her secondary school in a public school in Lagos State, during the same period, she would have been denied access to education based on the fact that she wears a Hijab, something that did not matter to the school authority at Piscataway and other educational institutions that she attended. This argument stems from the thinking about an incident that occurred in Lagos, Nigeria sometime ago. At a special press briefing

in Ikeja, on the 14th May, 2013, the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye castigated, so to say, the religion of Islam and civic rights of Muslim pupils in the public schools in the state when she declared that the “use of Hijab and other religious materials in public schools is against government’s policy”. This shocking declaration followed an ugly incident in some public schools in Lagos where school principals had punished and humiliated pupils who came to school wearing Hijab. The social impact of the discriminatory policy that the Lagos State Commissioner for Education championed may not have dawned on her even as she indicated in her recommendation, that Muslim parents should relocate their kids to Muslim-only schools. Obviously, this will lead to segregation and invariably teach impressionable kids intolerance. This type of policy where pupils are forced to remove their Hijab in order to

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study does not augur well for our educational institutions because it is tantamount to making some children feel “different” because of their religion. A few weeks ago, Ambassador Olatokunboh Kamson of the Nigerian High Commission in Jamaica, publicly humiliated a Muslim sister who was attending a monthly meeting of Nigerians resident in Jamaica under the aegis of Association of Nigerians in Jamaica (ANJ). During an introductory session at the meeting, Ambassador Kamson was said to have openly called the young woman, who had a Hijab on, “egungun” (meaning: masquerade in Yoruba language) as she stood up to introduce herself). It was obvious that the Ambassador did not consider the implication of his remark, as being offensive to the Muslim community and the religion of Islam that he seemingly held in low esteem. Despite the

odds against Muslim women however, necessary steps must be taken to safeguard their rights as Muslims. Towards this end, Muslim women should be encouraged to achieve their full potentials while being empowered to become more successful and influential in their fields of endeavour and standing for their rights. In doing this, enabling environment must be created to help them actualize their dreams without any hindrance. They should speak out for themselves and their fellow Muslim women whenever they are discriminated against, like in the use of Hijab. Even if you prefer that no action be taken in the case, (we will always respect your choice), at least we will be able to record the incident and gain better insight into its nature and prevalence. Other things to do, pick up your phone or pen, and contact the Nigerian Embassy in your location. The aim is to demand for justice for the

During an introductory session at the meeting, Ambassador Kamson was said to have openly called the young woman who had a Hijab on, “egungun” (meaning: masquerade in Yoruba language) as she stood up to introduce herself).

voiceless sisters. Write in the social media also and spread the call for justice. Do not delude yourself that you are least affected by their travails. You would recall that it was exactly this type of attitude in Turkey, a country of over 95% Muslims, that paved way for the total ban of Hijab in the country (until a few weeks ago when the ban was finally lifted!). With a constitutional principle of official secularism, the Turkish government had then banned women who wore headscarves from working in the public sector. The ban applied to teachers, lawyers, parliamentarians and others working on state premises. The ban on headscarves in the civil service, hospitals, educational and political institutions was expanded to cover non-state institutions. Female lawyers and journalists who refused to comply with the ban were expelled from public buildings such as courtrooms and Universities. During the ban, a 72 year old Muslim woman died because she was denied medical treatment at Istanbul University Hospital. The hospital administrators denied the seriously ill lady life-saving dialysis because her photo in her medical card showed her wearing Hijab. Instead, they insisted that the frail lady must reproduce another medical card without her wearing the Hijab! So they watched her die. Disu Kamor is the Executive Director, Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), Lagos.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Opinion By Bayo Oluwasanmi

here is no question that troubles the human soul more than the cold, stubborn, obtrusive, universal fact of death. Hardly a day passes which does not remind us of death. In these days of evil, death is continually intruding into the circle of our friends, relations, acquaintances, our families and of course our heroes. It is easier for us to divert our minds or steel our hearts when sorrows and tragedies come, but there is no making terms with death. Death is indisputable fact which we all have to face and meet one day. It is inevitable, unavoidable, and inescapable. What we’re not sure is we know not where it lurks or when it may smite us down. And so two weeks ago death came calling for one of our own – Comrade Festus Iyayi – unannounced and unexpected. The circumstances that led to his death further illustrates that Nigeria is under siege by the predators ruling the country. Comrade Iyayi was snatched from us along Lokoja-Abuja Road in the company of ASUU members on their way to Kano to deliberate on the latest development on ASUU strike. He was killed by one of the escort cars in the convoy of the Kogi Sate Governor, Idris Wada. Nigerians should be up in arms by the wanton cruelty and gross violation of law of decency by primitive governors and the rest of the ruling class. The time for taking action is running short! We have no more tears left to shed for our beloved comrade and compatriot. We cannot explain the loss. We cannot justify the death. Nothing can comfort our stricken hearts in this time of widespread sorrow and grief. I’m persuaded that we have good and sufficient reasons in believing confidently, unhesitatingly, exultingly, that though our comrade is dead, he lives again. But mourning cannot continue forever, especially

Iyayi and the urgency of now in the face of crisis, corruption poverty, and the elected prodigals literally high country for their enrichment. Comrade Iyayi for immediate that greeted other pitched their tents and the oppressed for justice, liberty, equality. They will our memory. He was a

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conscience. He was brilliant and brutal – with truth. We salute him for standing up for what is right, no matter the consequences. We salute him for withstanding the hideous mistreatment from the political tyrants, economic saboteurs, and academic prostitutes. The veneration of our beloved Comrade Iyayi in the hearts of his friends, students, colleagues, admirers, and his many sympathizers will reside on the glorious plane as others who paid the supreme price so that others could live. The sincerity of Comrade Iyayi’s commitment to the poor was never in doubt. As a scholar activist, he fought for the expansion of civil liberties and the rule of law for all particularly the marginalized, the outsiders, the excluded, and the voiceless - the very foundations of the liberal state. As a profound humanist,

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he was always in the forefront demanding, defending, and promoting the rights of the poor. Comrade Iyayi was a thorn in the flesh of tyrants who are immune to reason and tolerance. He was a classic, original, and unafraid writer and non-conformist who always told the bitter truth to power. Ask IBB and his retarded military despots about the pressure and public scrutiny exerted on them by Comrade Iyayi. He was fierce and fiery, charming, and mesmerizing. Comrade Iyayi was always organizing, coordinating, and mobilizing the powerless to fight the ruling brigands and pirates of different sizes, shapes and forms. Nigeria cannot survive without the Iyayis. The best way to preserve his memory is to translate and transform his struggles into the urgency of now. In truth, the oppressors would

economic and unrepentant who have jacked the personal will qualify sanctification martyrs who with the poor in the fight freedom, and for ever live in soldier of

want us to keep quiet. But by asking us to shut up is like asking for democracy without elections. Therefore, we must take the fight to the oppressors at the National Assembly and Aso Rock. We have been violated by degradation, by poverty. The statement by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior that “we live on lonely Island of poverty in the midst of vast ocean of wealth” aptly sums up the abysmal poverty faced by the poor in Nigeria. The evidence of rot in all sectors is well known and deeply disturbing. We live in a permanent state of crisis because of sectarian violence, pervasive corruption, and broken infrastructure. Nigeria’s oil wealth is being administered with comic incompetence. The government rakes in N57bn annually from oil, yet 45 million youth are unemployed, 100

We have been violated by degradation, by poverty. The statement by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior that “we live on lonely Island of poverty in the midst of vast ocean of wealth” aptly sums up the abysmal poverty faced by the poor in Nigeria.

million Nigerians are destitute. No word or words could adequately and graphically describe other maladies that plague the country. They are too frightening to cite. We must organize and not agonize. That’s what I believe Comrade Iyayi would want us to do. The protest movement that bears his signature remains waiting to be renewed and strengthened. The depths of hatred and suspicion in Nigerian society as a result of corruption and inequality are very palpable. The possibility of violence cannot be discounted. We must demand our equal and fair share of the commonwealth. We must reject and eject the jesters and the buffoons, the nincompoops and the scalawags from Abuja. I have never heard of a war that proceeded from dance halls. We cannot wait. We cannot be patient. Our children are shackled by chains of poverty. The promise of democracy has not been made real for us. It doesn’t matter whether you are Igbo, Hausa, or Yoruba, we all want good life for our families, good jobs, decent housing, healthcare, running water, good roads, and uninterrupted supply of power, safety and security. Comrade Iyayi would want us to be committed to the struggle and not complacent, stand up and not sit back or sit down, shout and not silence. We have prayed enough, dreamed enough, we need to awake and keep fighting on his behalf. Every struggle makes a greater struggle necessary. We must create a new movement in memory of our beloved comrade and we need those who can lead it. Comrade Iyayi’s death should spur the new militancy, propel the whirlwind of change, restore our faith, polish our hope, and renew our activism. And that’s the urgency of NOW! byol@aol.com

Kudos to HOCSF on pensioners, but… Sham P.Maigari

et me congratulate the new Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, on his ascension to the exalted post, and commend him for looking in the direction of pensioners as one of his first acts when he assumed office. It is a compassionate gesture that is rarely exhibited by those who assume such high offices. The special committee he set up to process and effect the payment of outstanding pension arrears to thousands of retirees is a clear indication that, unlike some heartless senior civil servants who were arraigned for stealing pension funds, he is

very much sympathetic to the plight of our senior citizens. As the work started in earnest, many pensioners were paid and this lifted the spirits of thousands of those unpaid. However, those spirits were dampened when payments were suddenly stopped without any explanation. This, of course, gave rise to all sorts of speculations among the pensioners. Some suspected that the old practice of saving the huge funds in banks to reap profits for the pockets of officials, a charge that was also leveled against the defunct Pensions Reform Task Team (PRTT), had resurfaced despite the directive by the HOCSF. Others said the government

is now short of funds as a result of crude oil thefts in the Niger Delta which is why it is allegedly finding it difficult to pay salaries to its workers, not to talk of pensioners. Other complaints by the indigent retirees are delays in payments, often on the 6th of the next month, and the realization that a few months after the return of payment to the office of the head of service following the dissolution of the task team they began to notice reductions in monthly payments. Many retirees said their pensions were reduced by amounts ranging from 200 to 400 Naira. If you multiply this by hundreds of thousands what you get is a colossal amount

that presumably is pocketed by officials. In fact, such reductions are commonplace and there is nothing a pensioner can do about it. Those who tried to visit the pension offices in Abuja to complain could not do so as barriers were erected to prevent access to the officials. And so if, for instance, you expect to be paid N500, 000 as arrears and you are paid N450, 000 or less the common joke among pensioners is, “what you see is what you get!” You are then advised to leave everything to God, “unless you want to be a host to hypertension.” May I therefore draw the attention of Alhaji Aji to the anomalies and beg him to

summarily look into them, please? We believe he is the only person who can get the commendable initiative he started back on course so that those of us who are yet to be paid get our long-awaited succour as soon as possible. Finally, we also welcome the centralization of pension management with the creation of the Pension Transition Arrangement Department (PTAD), and believe that it is part of his efforts to make payment of pensions more effective in the country. Once again, kudos to our compassionate HOCSF! Sham P.Maigari, ZangonDakata, writes from Kano <shagarari@gmail.com

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

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Comment National Conference - The pervasiveness of “sovereignty” By Bernard Doro

o say that Nigerians are vibrant debaters is to say the least. As expected the recent inauguration of an advisory committee on national dialogue by President Jonathan has engendered debates and lots of discourse in the Nigerian political space. The naysayers have painted gloomy picture and have adduced many reasons as to why the proposal will fail some have gone to the extent of questioning the motive behind the entire proposal and have cited failed past attempts to buttress their position. I can understand such scepticism as our current political actors have not done much to build trust between leaders and the citizenry. Ironically though, some Nigerians who had been staunch proponents of a national dialogue before now have beaten a retreat for reasons best known to them. However, supporters of such a dialogue have taken to the media to congratulate the President on this bold move and requested that the Jonathan be given the benefit of doubt as to the genuineness of his intention. Different ethnic nationalities have also made their positions known - for or against the conference. The terms of reference for the committee are instructive. And of particular importance to this piece is the discourse around the powers/nomenclature of the

proposed conference - whether it should be sovereign or not. I can understand the passion surrounding this issue as the power given to the conference would determine the future direction of our dear Nation. Obviously there will be winners and losers either way - and to any keen watcher, the position advocated by the different interest groups gives an idea of who the hits and misses are likely to be. My personal opinion is that Nigeria and Nigerians should be the ultimate winners should the conference proceed eventually. I have followed with Interest comments from eminent Nigerians arguing why the conference should not be sovereign. The main argument is that sovereignty is already vested on our elected representatives the National Assembly. As such, opining that there cannot be two

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sovereignties in a country at any one time. My initial reaction is that of surprise and amazement. What is worrying is the fact that such position is openly canvassed by several politicians and even some ‘learned’ lawyers who should know better. I find this position less convincing because it is a perverse representation of ‘sovereignty’. Even if such a position was tenable, why is there no mention of the President and his Vice, the Governors and their Deputies, and the State Assemblies - are they also sovereign or not. In a constitutional democracy like that practiced in Nigeria, no single arm of government is self-sufficient - the court here can strike down acts of the National Assembly that is not in sync with the constitution. How then can we ascribe sovereignty to one of three arms of government?

While I appreciate that there is no universal agreement on the definition of sovereignty - for example, political scientists will look at it in terms of the source of political power within a state; legal theorists and constitutional lawyers focus on the ultimate source of legal power within a state while international lawyers approach sovereignty differently. For the purpose of this discussion, I will concentrate on the Politicolegal view of sovereignty. Political sovereignty signifies the ultimate political authority within a state; legal sovereignty refers to the supreme legal authority within a state. Where else will the ultimate and supreme authority be if not from the people? Elected representatives at the different levels of our political configuration hold power (legislative or executive) in trust for the people where sovereignty

What is worrying is the fact that such position is openly canvassed by several politicians and even some ‘learned’ lawyers who should know better. I find this position less convincing because it is a perverse representation of ‘sovereignty’.

lies. The political representatives are but an agent of the people who serve collectively as the principal and they acquire legitimacy only when the people voluntarily surrender their authority in a social contract. Since Nigeria operates a written constitution, the constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court is supposed to be the highest source of power and authority. Because the constitution defines the limit of governmental power, it should bear the hallmark of sovereignty and not the National Assembly as advocated by some commentators as parliamentary sovereignty is a concept alien to a written constitution. Having said that, for a constitution to be sovereign, it must emanate from the native authority of the people, meaning it must be autochthonous. Where the constitution is truly autochthonous, then we could conclude that it arises from the people, thus offering the legitimacy needed to refer to the document ‘sovereign’. It is common knowledge that the present document was presented to us by military fiat and cannot be said to have originated from the people, as such cannot be sovereign under any guise. It is not possible to build something on nothing. The 1999 document does not enjoy ultimate power because it lies against itself by proclaiming, “we the people”. Bernard Doro,bernard. doro@gmail.com

Mursi: From Presidency to prison By Emmanuel Onwubiko

or decades, political philosophers have contemplated different concepts of governance even as there appears to be unanimity of scholarly opinion that democracy ranks as the finest form due to some factors. Political historians attribute the emergence of the concept of democracy to the dominant practice of civil administration that characterized ancient Greece, and the political concept of democracy was popularized through various scholarly documentations that were made by some original thinkers and persons, like fathers of philosophy- Plato, Socrates among other ancient philosophers. Although these earliest thinkers believed and indeed wrote voluminous intellectual texts to demonstrate the overwhelming utilitarian value of democracy far and above all other forms of government such as authoritarianism; monarchy, and dictatorship but democracy did not become the dominant world player as the most popularly accepted form of government, until the world witnessed two devastating global

wide conflagrations namely, World war one and World war two. In the preamble to the universal Declaration of human rights, the framers indicated that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the World. However, there are several political developments that have contradicted and violated these provisions encompassed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights even as most countries that profess democracy as the best form of government, have often failed to pragmatically bring into effect the implementation of these provisions that safeguard the human rights of their citizens. In the last few months, Egypt has made news for the very reason that twice the population revolted openly and changed an authoritarian government headed by the retired Air force General, Hosni Mubarak, and conducted a general election in which about 14 million returned Mr. Mohammed Mursi of the Moslem Brotherhood as the

President of Egypt. A year after, nearly 18 million ordinary Egyptians again revolted demanding the resignation of Mohammed Mursi for turning what ought to be a democracy to autocracy. But the then President failed to heed the voice of the people and when the unity of Egypt was under imminent threat of disintegration, the military which sees itself as the traditional custodians of the territorial integrity of Egypt, struck and removed Mr. Mohammed Mursi on July 3rd 2013. When he came to power in June 2012, after a narrow election victory, Mursi promised to head a government “for all Egyptians”, but critics complained he failed to deliver during his turbulent year in office. They accused him of allowing Islamists to monopolise the political scene, concentrating power in the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement to which he belongs. It got to a point that the religious minorities like the Coptic Christians were afraid to worship freely in Egypt. Mursi’s administration was also accused of attempting

to inaugurate a theocracy in a country well known as the bastion/cradle of civilization whereby secularism and freedom of worship were respected. The Coptic Christians of Egypt came under considerable attack by loyalists of the Muslim brotherhood and these series of attacks made people to ask questions regarding the capacity of the American trained doctorate degree holder, Mr. Mohammed Mursi, to govern Egypt and lead it into becoming a respectable democracy and a voice for freedom and human rights. But why will anyone in Egypt seek to drive away the Coptic Christians when historically they are traditionally Egyptians? A scholarly website, www. touregypt.net, shows that the fundamental fact that is self evident is that the word Copt is an English word taken from the Arabic word Gibt or Gypt. It literally means Egyptian. While this writer is not in any way an apologist of military overthrow of political power, there are few facts to show that what happened in Egypt, which resulted in the removal

of President Mohammed Mursi may not qualify purely as a military overthrow since an overwhelming number of the ordinary people wanted him out and the man appointed as interim head of government to supervise another election is the civilian chief justice of Egypt – Adly Mansour. The challenge before the interim administration in Egypt is to ensure that the deposed President Mr. Mohammed Mursi and his staunch members in the deposed Muslim brotherhood-led administration are accorded their due legal rights and are not witch hunted. The interim government in Egypt and the military backing it must realize and accept the fact that Egypt cannot exist in isolation and as a member of the United Nation which subscribes to the Universal Declaration of human rights, Mr. Mursi and other political detainees must be given fair trial as stated in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Emmanuel Onwubiko; Head, Human Rights Writers’ Association Of Nigeria; blogs@ www.huriwa.blogspot.com; www.huriwa.org

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‘NASARAWA STATE: THE HOME OF SOLID MINERALS’ Contd. from paeg 9 the following: Inadequate capital for investment; lack of detailed readily available information and data on available reserves; inadequate infrastructural facilities and inability of investors to properly appreciate the issues involved in venturing into the sector. Yet another constraint that hinders most States in the Federation in benefiting directly from the mining activities in their various domains is the non-inclusion of the rates for ground rents in the Mining Regulation authorising them to collect. These constraints not withstanding, Gov. Umaru Al-Makura is determined to ensure that the state benefits exhaustively from its solid mineral deposits. Recently, he announced that the state would go into partnership with Goosh Companies from the US for the mining of barites. He said barite which is used in refining petroleum products and coal would open up big time business that would benefit the state and service the petroleum industry in the country for exports. Mr Marvin Goosh, Chief Executive Officer of Goosh Companies, who spoke at the same occasion with the governor said they were prepared to invest, create jobs and import infrastructure that would benefit the people of the state.“We are here to kick-start your mining development because we have discovered that your state has most of the invaluable underground assets which had remained largely untapped and we are ready to teach you how to benefit from these resources,” He confirmed that revenue from solid minerals could compete favourably with revenue from oil. . WAY FORWARD The way out for Nassarawa and other states is for the Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development to consider determining the rates for which States should use in collecting ground rents resulting from the activities of mining in their respective environments. For now, the progressive government of NasarawaState under the dynamic leadership of Alhaji Al- Makura is moving fast towards the diversification of her

A Foreign investor admiring Nassarawa Solid Minerals.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

economic base for greater self-reliance and political strength. His government has identified the solid mineral sector as the answer not only for now, but, and perhaps more important, for the very long-term future of Nasarawa State. This is important for the following reasons. First, he regrets the fact that the state has not benefitted from the abundant mineral resources. Second, a high level of indigenous technology is applicable in the exploitation of solid minerals. While it is not necessarily desirable that the state should continue to receive pe nuts from crude oil revenues, the State should continue to harness her solid mineral resources for development with whatever means possible. Finally, he has continuously engaged investors – wooing and cajoling them to avail themselves legally and fully of the tremendous wealth available from solid minerals not only for their personal benefit, but more importantly, for the development of the State and nation at large. Having inherited a situation where the state depends almost 100% on Federal allocation, the Governor is taking long-term measures to become less dependent on a single resource (oil) over which she has no significant percentage share when compared with her sister States, particularly of the oil producing zones. In fact Nassawara receives the least allocation of the 36 states in Nigeria. He wants the state to develop a higher degree of self-reliance on other resources available within her borders, the exploitation, development and harnessing of which she should consider investing through the structures that have already been established. The Al- Makura government is fully poised to exploit and develop all her potentials to the highest level. He is willing to use available resources, as meagre as they are, to identify, evaluate and quantify such potentials. In fact the government has a comprehensive package which includes agriculture, water, tourism, human and non-oil mineral resources. The objective is to harness these resources to ensure greater self-sufficiency in food and agricultural production, the development of irrigated agriculture and aqua-culture in addition to hydro and solar power and the growth of high altitude or temperate vegetables and fruits for export. The good climate and topography promote the development of a healthy tourism industry. Effective utilization of human/manpower resources of the State will result in its inestimable achievements. Of tremendous significance as alternatives to revenue from the Federation Accounts, non-oil mineral resources also have very wide ranges of downstream industrial application in the economy. More importantly, for the state, small to medium scale industries and businesses are feasible and adequate for financial and economic viability from appropriately moderate investments. The state government is already taking measures to regulate the activities of the small scale miners -who’s activities are now mostly informal - by forming them into cooperatives and standardising their activities by assisting them in the area of equipment and soft loans.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 17

Club honours 12 persons for selfless service

L-R: Deputy General Manager/Zonal Head of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Gabriel Okenwa, Executive Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Micah Y. Jiba, representative of the Minister of State for FCT, Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan Gwagwa, Mr. Dabara Audu, and Head of Department Works of AMAC, Mr. Alhassan Dakwoyi, during the foundation laying ceremony for the upgrading of Karu motor park, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Usman Shuaibu

AMAC begins upgrading of Karu motor park By Stanley Onyekwere

n continuation of the its effort to transform major parks in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), into world class status, the council in conjunction with Pedags Investment LTD, yesterday began construction works on the remodeling of Karu Motor Park. When completed the park will have a total of 98 loading and offloading bale, 45 car parks, ticketing office complex, transport office complex, Administrative office block, Automate Teller Machine (ATM) centre/ mini-bank, auxiliary locked shops Public toilet, fire service section, refuse collection point, and amongst other facilities, for efficient intra and inter-state transportation. While laying the foundation for the upgrading of the park, the minister of state for the Federal

Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, said the initiative represents one of those complementary projects which reinforce and amplify the programmes and policies of the administration. The minister, who was represented by the Mandate Secretary, Area Council Services Secretariat, Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan Gwagwa, said motor-parks are central in the achievement of efficient, seamless and customer friendly transportation system in any city, as they help immeasurably to harness, regulate and bring about order in commuter logistic and urban development. “There is no doubt that the overall form of the city and the organization of major functions in relationship to transportation affect the efficiency of city operation and the welfare of its people”, the

minister added. While urging the developer to ensure that the construction works are done in keeping with approved specification, the minister challenged the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) as well as other transport unions, market men and women, who would be the end users of the facility, to take more than a casual interest in the construction of the park. Earlier, in his remarks, AMAC chairman Micah Jiba, disclosed that thee rather dilapidated and uncontrollable nature of the park was one of the challenges that spurred us to look for capable bidders that has the capacity to transform the motor park to a world class one where all the necessary amenities including safety standards under the privatepublic-partnership (PPP).

While assuring all genuine allotttees that on completion, no one will be left out, the chairman expressed confidence that the park shall be a model that will be admired by all stakeholders. In a goodwill message, the Chief of Karu chiefdom, his royal highness, Emmanuel Yepwi, who commend both the FCTA and AMAC, for the initiative however called on the residents to support the government’s policies and programmes aimed at improving their standard of living. Similarly, representative of NURTW National president, HOD Mass transit department, NURTW Headquarters, Suleiman A Musa, also assured the council of their support for the remodeling of motor parks in AMAC, saying that motorists will ensure to make very good use of the park. Peoples Daily reports that the park.

Council elated over FG’s solar-powered electricity facility in FCT By Etuka Sunday

he Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has expressed its support for the Federal Government’s light-up Nigeria, access-to-power for rural areas, with installation of a set of new photovoltaic solar power systems for generating electricity in some villages in the council. This is against the background

of the recent execution of the prototype lighting technology in Durumi community, of AMAC, with the inauguration of solarpowered electricity facility in the FCT. In a letter of appreciation to the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the Chairman of the Council, Micah Jiba, described the initiative as part of efforts to provide access to electricity for all.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the SA Media to the Minister of Power, Kande Daniel, the Council assured the Ministry of provision of necessary logistics to enhance the smooth running of the Project in the Council. It would be recalled that Prof. Nebo had last week, in the FCT, flagged off the special Rural Electricity Project tagged ‘Light-Up Nigeria - for villages without access

to the national grid. The Durumi pilot project is expected to cover at least 1050 households, while also providing refrigeration for delicate hospital supplies and other ancillary points for charging of phones and street lights for the village square. Also the major inlet roads and the roads leading to the Chief’s palace and the community school will be provided with street lights.

he Leadership of Caucus Friends Club of Nigeria in Gwagwalada Area Council, of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has honoured twelve personalities, for rendering selfless services to the development of the Club in the area. Speaking at the occasion, the chairman of the ceremony, Chief Michael Nwanike, urged the members as well as officials to tolerate each other for the overall development of the club. On his part, the Grand Patrol of the Club, Raymond Onuigbo pointed out that the leadership of the club had assisted the less privileged ones in the society. He called on the executive members of the club to place on emphasis on the welfare of their members all the times, so as to achieve its objectives. Similarly, the president of the club, Edozie Ukabi, said that his administration would not hesitate to cater for the needs of the club. Ukabi, however, disclosed that the club had provided some relief materials to the orphanage houses especially the friends of the club.

Abaji chairman reiterates readiness to fight meningitis By Usman Shuaibu

he Chairman of Abaji Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Yahaya Garba Gawu, has said that his administration is ready to fight cerebrospinal meningitis, in order to meet the health care needs of the people in the area. Speaking during the immunization sensitization campaign against meningitis around the ten political wards in the council, Gawu said that his administration would continue to give the necessary support to the immunization officers in the area. According to the chairman, the necessary logistics required for the immunization exercise of the children would be provided by the area council, as the provision of proper health care services remains one of the primary priorities of his administration. To this end, Gawu disclosed that his administration would give priority attention to the health care delivery in the 2014 budget, so as to among others enable the council build more clinics will be to cater for the needs of the residents.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Metro

INSIDE FCT COURTS Agent caught with stolen property gets 8 months’ imprisonment

Traders salvaging their wares at Karu market after demolition, on Saturday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

2 students docked for stealing from person with disability T wo students, Benjamin Daniel 20, of Area 1 Masaka and Samuel Ochokwu, 23, of Abacha Road, Mararaba, have appeared before a Grade 1 Area Court, Aso Pada, Mararaba. They are facing a two count charge of criminal conspiracy and extortion. Prosecutor, PC Friday Adaji told the court that the matter

was reported by a cripple, Iliya Sunday of 10 Baba St, Mararaba at the ‘A’ Division Police Station on November2. “On October 31 at about 12 noon the accused came to Sunday’s shop where he sells mobile phone recharge cards. “They conspired and dipped hands into his pocket and stole recharge cards of different mobile communication network

worth N28, 000. “The accused persons took to their heels before they were chased and arrested with some of the recharge cards,” Adaji said. If convicted on the charges, the accused could spend five years in prison. However, the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges. The presiding judge, Mr.

Albert Maga however admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N100,000 each and a surety each in like sum. Maga ordered that the surety must be a traditional title holder with landed property and must reside within the jurisdiction of the court. He adjourned the case to November 21 for continuation of hearing. (NAN)

Police arraign 2 men for theft of electrical cable

wo men, Tanimu Ibrahim, 29, and Samson Sani, 30, were arraigned in a Grade 1 Area Court in Gwagwalada, for alleged theft of a 48-metre armoured cable. Ibrahim of Chikuku Tosoh in Kwali Area Council and Sani of Chikuku Village, in Kuje Area Council were arraigned on two

counts of joint act and theft. The Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Iliya Maji, said that the accused, former guards at Urban Development Housing Estate, Gwagwalada, committed the offences on September 2. He said they collected an armoured cable measuring 48 metres belonging to Tunde

Willison of Jikwoyi Phase 11, Abuja without his consent. Maji said that the matter was reported by Adama Haruna of King Guard Nigeria Ltd, Gwagwalada on November7, adding that the cable was valued at N 336,000. The prosecutor said the offences contravened sections 79

and 287 of the Penal Code. The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty. The judge, Alhaji Hassan Muhammed, granted the accused bail in the sum of N150, 000 each with one surety each in like sum. He adjourned the case to December 2 for hearing proper. (NAN)

Woman, 37, charged with misappropriation of property

he police have arraigned a 37-year old woman, Rukayat Haruna, before a Wuse Senoir Magistrates’ Court, Zone 2, for misappropriation of property. Haruna, a public servant who lives at Plot 696 Ubiaja Crescent, Garki II, allegedly misappropriated some property belonging to Mrs. Afishetu Oniru. The prosecutor, DSP College Bob, told the court that on October

29 Oniru petitioned the Assistant Inspector- General of Police, Force Intelligence Bureau, Force C.I.D complex, Area 10 Garki. He said that the petitioner stated that sometime in June, Haruna misappropriated some of her personal belongings. He said Oniru had listed the items to include 18 karat gold chain valued at 20,000 dollars, one black Brazilian Wig valued at 1,000 dollars, a bag valued at

800 euros and another bag valued 2,000 euros. The prosecution said other items were a bag valued at 1,000 euros, different types of shoes valued 2050 euros and gold slippers valued 200 euros. Other items were gold lace valued at 600 euros and other property estimated to cost 6,450 euros. The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Section 308

of the Penal Code. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Magistrate, Mr. Usman Shuiabu, granted the accused bail in the sum of three million naira with one surety, who must be a public servant of not less than Grade Level 14, in like sum. He said the surety must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court and adjourned the case to December18. (NAN)

Kubwa Upper Area Court, Abuja, has sentenced a property agent, Masudu Adamu, to eight months in prison for buying stolen property. The Presiding Officer, Alhaji Lawal Manir, sentenced Adamu after he pleaded guilty to one count of being in possession of stolen property. However, Manir gave the convict an option to pay N2, 000 in fine. Manir said that the court gave the convict an option to pay a fine because he did not waste the time of the court by pleading guilty. The prosecutor, CPL Arziki Kaura, told the court that in January Patrick Orjiakor of Maitama lodged a report that he entrusted his uncompleted duplex, situated at plot No 642 in Dutse Alhaji layout to his security guard, one Lawal Masin. He said Mansir, now at large, dishonestly sold two plastic tanks, 30 cartons of electric wires, one conjunction box, 40 burglary proofs, four plumbing pipes and one generator set to the convict. Kaura said during police investigation, the stolen items were found with the convict. (NAN)

…as Police arraign man for buying stolen cell phones

he police have arraigned Masaudu Abdullahi of Mabushi, Abuja in an FCT Senior Magistrates’ Court sitting in Zone 2 for buying stolen cell phones. The prosecutor, Insp. Jeremiah Elijah, told the court that the matter was reported at the Lugbe Police Station, Abuja, on November 9. He said the accused bought two phones from one David Ajibade, who is currently facing trial in court for stealing four cell phones. The prosecutor said Ajibade was standing trial for stealing from the house of one Yakubu Babangida of Gosa-Toge Village, Airport Road, Abuja. Elijah said police investigation revealed that the accused bought the two cell phones at N20,000, an offence which contravened Section 317 of the Penal Code. Section 317 states that whoever dishonestly receives or retains any stolen property shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 14 years or with fine or with both. The Senior Magistrate, Mohammed Anka, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 with a surety, who must have attained the age of 40 years. Anka adjourned the case to November 27 for commencement of hearing. (NAN)

PAGE 19

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

INSIDE

Unity Bank: New investor talks heighten

Isa_abdulwahab@yahoo.com, Isaabdulwahab@gmail.com 08033045613

- Pg 22

Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Smart Adeyemi (left), being received by Abia state Deputy Governor of , Mr. Emeka Emmanuel-Ananaba (right), during the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria Made in Aba Fair, yesterday in Abuja. With them is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Senator Enyinaya Abaribe (SMEDAN). Photo: NAN

Dangote earmarks N540m to empower women, youths in Borno By Etuka Sunday

usiness mogul, Aliko Dangote yesterday announced that a total of N540 million has been reserved to empower vulnerable women and youths in Borno State as part of efforts to alleviate poverty at the grassroots. In a statement issued by the Dangote Foundation, women and youths from 27 local governments in Borno state would be empowered to the tune of N540

million to enable them engage in businesses that can sustain them. The statement also said that all necessary arrangements are being put in place to have the grants disbursed to them. “Already, Dangote Foundation has extended the grassroots poverty alleviation scheme to Kano, Adamawa, Yobe and Kogi states with the disbursement of various amounts running to billions of Naira for the women and youths in the states in the scheme that is designed to cover the entire

774 local governments across the federation,” the statement said. “It would be recalled that the chairman of the Foundation, Mr. Dangote had expressed concern over widespread poverty among the people especially the youths and the women at the grassroots and promised that his organization would institute a scheme that would help in addressing the menace. “As a result, the Dangote Foundation came up with a micro grant scheme aimed at

Ja’iz bank appoints new MD from Islami Bank of Bangladesh By Aminu Imam

a’iz Bank Plc, the first fullfledged non-interest Bank in Nigeria, has appointed Muhammad Nurul-Islam from the Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited as its new Managing Director/CEO to steer the affairs of the Bank and better positioned it to realize its vision of being the “dominant noninterest financial services provider in Sub-Saharan Africa.” According to a press statement issued by the bank, until his current appointment, Mr. Nurul-Islam was a Deputy Managing Director at the Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited. He took over from Hassan Usman, who has been acting Managing Director of Jaiz Bank since April. Mr. Nurul Islam is coming with vast knowledge of non-interest Islamic banking experience, having worked for over three decades. He joined the Islami Bank

Bangladesh Limited on the March 30, 1983 as an Officer and within a decade he rose to the position of Assistant Vice-President (AVP) in 1993, Vice-President 1996, Senior Vice-President (SVP) 2000, Executive Vice-President (EVP) 2003, and then Deputy Managing Director (DMD) on February 10, 2010, a position he held until his appointment as MD/CEO by Ja’iz Bank Plc. Prior to joining IBBL, he served at Agrani Bank Ltd., from 1976 to 1983 as a Computer Professional recruited through IBM worldwide Corporation, USA. The new MD holds Masters in Business Administration from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka in 1982, with a major in Finance. He obtained a first class honour division in his MBA, and is a member of many professional associations, including

Life Member, Association of the Bankers’ Bangladesh. Mr. Islam also attended several professional training and seminars in many parts of the world and is an exceptional personality with vast experience in banking and NonInterest Islamic Finance. “He will certainly add a lot value to Jaiz Bank and thus position the Bank to realize its Vision of being the dominant non-interest financial service provider in sub- Saharan Africa”, the statement said.

Muhammad Nurul-Islam

empowering the grassroots dwellers with funds to help them undertake petty trading, which would help in reducing youth unrest and other social vices among the women. “In Adamawa, Dangote Foundation distributed grants amounting to N315 million to women and youths numbering 31, 500 across the 21 local government areas of the state, while 34, 000 people benefitted from the Fund disbursement in Yobe state. In Kano, women especially widows in each of the 44 local government in the state shared N600 million through a multipurpose vehicle created by the state government to ensure smooth disbursement to the qualified women.

DPR inspectors’ll inspect filling stations and gas plants to ensure compliancal – Abuja zone Controller

- Pg 20

ICT Stakeholders urge FG to Increase it 2013 budgetary allocation

- Pg 21 Exchange Rates

CBN as at 15th November, 2013 Buying

Selling

154.71

155.7

€

248.68 250.28

208.02 209.36

Riyal

41.24

41.51

YEN

1.54

1.55

CFA

0.297

0.317

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY Encourage your team to challenge you

e’re all drawn to people who repeat back to us what we already believe. But dissent, not consensus, leads to smarter decisions. Still, few leaders actively seek out challenging opinions. Are you clearly signaling to your team that you want to hear views different than your own? When people are encouraged to express divergent opinions, they share more information, reconsider

assumptions, identify creative alternatives, and alert you to errors. Let your team know you welcome their opinions even—especially— if they differ from yours. Or take it a step further: Enlist a trusted Challenger in Chief to interrogate you about the decisions you’re making, inviting you to rethink, contradict, or even refute your position. Source: Harvard Business Review

Energy PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

DPR inspectors’ll inspect filling stations and gas plants to ensure compliance – Abuja Zonal Controller Alhaji Aliyu Halidu is the Controller of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Abuja zone. In this interview with Etuka Sunday, he spoke on how the Department superintends all the filling and gas plants in Abuja, explaining that his Department’s inspectors would soon embark on the inspection of filling stations and gas plants to ensure their compliance with rules and regulations, among other sundry matters. Excerpts:

an you tell us about the operations of DPR? DPR is an organisation that superintends the oil and gas industry, right from the up-stream activities to the down-stream. We, from time to time, hold media campaigns with the press, in order to enlighten the public of their rights at the filling stations as well as the cooking gas products that they consume, even though all the marketers are also aware of some of the regulations; so that whatever the operators are doing conforms with the rules and regulations of DPR. That is why we want the media to help in the publicity, so that the people out there would know their rights as they buy fuel and cooking gas from the filling stations for their consumption.

So, what is your Department’s core mandate? DPR’s mandate is to regulate all the operations of the filling and gas stations within the confines of the law in the country and also ensure that any operator of a filling station has the genuine license to operate and as such, we ensure that they don’t use the license for kerosene and sell gas or premium motor spirits (petrol), because you can register for both license if you wish; so those that have the license we check them to ensure that they are operating within the dictates of the law. We also check the environment and also to ensure that they are selling at the controlled price. What exactly should the media expect from these sellers s of petrol and cooking gas?

The team of DPR inspectors will lead the media team to the filling stations and gas plants and will ensure that the operators are unaware of the supervision. The inspectors would inspect the filling stations, carry out some checks to ensure that they are in conformity with the rules and regulations of DPR. The petroleum motor spirits (petrol) pumps will also be tested to ensure that they are delivering the right quantity and quality being dispensed. Also, the gas plants or cooking gas that is sold to the public, whether it is the right quantity; all these is meant to give confidence to the public and ensure that they are not short-changed when they are buying products from them. What are the penalties for Alhaji Aliyu Halidu

defaulters?

filling stations must be

do not report operators to

Once a pump is underdelivering, based on the regulations, the pump should be decommissioned; A pump, being a mechanical device, we know it can fail at times, but not all the times; however, in some cases, the operators deliberately tamper with the pumps in order to cheat customers. So, once a pump is under-delivering, the normal thing that we do is to make the marketers put it right and thereafter, we test it to ensure that it is delivering correctly and if it is delivering correctly, then we unseal the pump so that the public will benefit from the sales and if such a marketer repeat the same thing for the second time, if he or she is caught, we take a more stringent action on the filling station and thereafter, we can seal the station for a week then unseal it for operations after the week; but if they continue to repeat the same thing we seal it for a longer time. How do you regulate the influx of kerosene in the mega stations? Any product that comes to the depot for dispatch delivery in the

monitored by our team. Like I mentioned earlier, we do the follow up and ensure that the products, be it premium motor spirit or kerosene and gas, are not diverted and the NNPC mega stations too are not exempted, even though they have the privilege of having regular products more than the other stations and they have a

us on time for quick action on the sales of products that they consume; because in most cases, the public do not want to report promptly or urgently, when they notice any change in sales and they don’t even want to come and lay any complaint of such. You know that there is no way we can observe this issue on a daily basis; moreover,

“

The challenges we normally face are from consumers, who often times do not report operators to us on time for quick action on the sales of products that they consume; stable price; that is why you see much queues in them. And if the products do not get to the point of delivery we do sanction the marketers. What are your challenges? The challenges we normally face are from consumers, who often times

we cannot be in the filling stations on 24 hours basis, or at the particular time that the sales are going on. That is why we use this medium to seek the cooperation of the public so that whatever is happening they should let us know so as to intervene immediately and send our men there.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 21

stakeholders urge FG to increase ICT budgetary allocation Stories By Chris Alu

takeholders in the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) have call ed on President Jonathan to pay more attention to the sector by increasing the 2013 allocation, in order to make it functional and realize the dreams of Vision2020-20 . Speaking at a stakeholders forum in Abuja, Mr. Alphonsus Deke, Chief Executive Officer, New Age Technology, stated

that the only way Nigeria can drive the vision 2020-20 is to pump in much money into the sector in order to achieve the set targets of the sector. Deke explained that up till now the country still import rechargeable lantern and batteries from China, where students manufacture them in their laboratories .According to him, the country is yet to build ICT parks whese student or apprentice ship can learn how to manufacture and couple ICT equipment.

He said that most of the hand are purely manufactured locally in China and sold here in Nigeria, even though at a very cheap price, but that is because the products are locally made there, he stated, adding that it is now time for the country to rise up to the challenge and find solutions for the betterment of the country. He further said that the only way forward is to increase the budgetary allocation for the sector to move things forward. Deke noted that the country

has so far achieved in the telecommunication sector and the use of ICT equipment but has not attain the growth in the sector which according to him, “is not enough because we are sending huge amount of money to those ICT producing countries directly while we the buyers are hear living in wants, the only way to get out of this is to invest more in ICT by creating parks and building ICT institutions for our people to acquire the manpower training for productivity,” he stated.

L-R: General Manager, Marketing and Sales, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. Martin Mabutho, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe, and General Manager, SuperSport, Mr. Felix Awogu, during the Multichoice Nigeria @ 20 Gala Night, at the weekend, in Lagos.

Etisalat announces £1,000 as winning gift for ‘Flash Fiction Price’ in January 2014

unveiled.” The Flash Fiction category is designed to celebrate the short form of storytelling for the upcoming writer. Three prizes will be awarded to the top three writers in this category selected by a high profile judging panel for the Flash Fiction Prize. The category will also produce two runners up, with each receiving a cash sum of £500 and Samsung Galaxy Note for their literary efforts. The top stories will be compiled into an e-book anthology of flash stories which will be promoted online.

tisalat Nigeria, has announced the total sum of £1,000, as winning gift for the top 20 finalists shortlisted for the social media driven Flash Fiction Prize built into the Etisalat Prize for Literature, andslated for presentation in January 2014. Enitan Denloye, director of Brands & Communication at Etisalat Nigeria, while announcing this in Lagos, explained that Flash Fiction is important in the Etisalat Prize for

Literature and in literary circles because “it represents the short form of storytelling, a common stepping stone for accomplished writers. Short stories are where a lot of writers discover and perfect their talent especially in the social media driven world today of digital communication where content is absorbed in 140 characters or less.” In pursuit of its vision of encouraging and inspiring creativity, Etisalat called for

he Nigerian Communications Commission has outlined measures that would help to accelerate high speed broad band penetration that is devoid of nondiscriminatory and open access, optimized deployment strategy; and co-operation of existing operators. Dr. Eugene Juwah, executive vice chairman of NCC, who stated this at a stakeholders forum in Abuja, said that the Commission is committed to putting in place a new broadband deployment environment through an ‘Open Access Model’ in line with the National Broadband Plan.

NCC outlines measures to check high speed broadband deployment

He explained that in order to achieve the nation’s economic transformation blueprint crystallized vision 20:2020, need has risen for a long term widespread deployment of a robust nationwide comprehensive backbone and metropolitan fibre infrastructure hence it mulls a typical Nationwide Broadband Network (NBN) deployment to drive broadband

entries for the Flash Fiction Category in the Etisalat Prize for Literature. According to Denloye, “Entries opened on September 2 and closed September 30, 2013. We received over a thousand entries after close of entries, the public started voting online in keeping with the guidelines of the competition. Voting lasted from the October 1 through 31 and the result of the voting are the top 20 now

growth. Juwah further stated that the Open Access Model has been examined as the model for optic fibre transmission network deployment to bridge the current gap and deliver fast and reliable broadband services to households and businesses. The model is also envisaged to address the challenges of congested and unplanned towns, the challenges

around infrastructure sharing and other issues such as high cost of Right of Way,” he said Also speaking, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication Technology, extolled the measure, stressing that a robust national broadband policy is a sure means of sustaining investments and ensure greater penetration of broadband in the country.

Ict NBC plans Broadcasting Training Institute

he National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has blamed inadequate training schools for the lack of professionalism in the broadcasting profession in the country. NBC Zonal director Mrs. Franca Aiyetan stated this at a forum for broadcast veterans and enthusiast that Nigeria only has two training centers which cannot be equated to the number of broadcast stations in the country. According to her, “there are no adequate schools to train candidates on the professionalism of the job. Only NTA Television College and FRCN train people and it cannot be compared or equated to about 400 broadcast stations in the country.” While calling for more partnership to increase the number of trained personnel in the field, Mrs. Aiyetan urged that the practical aspect of the profession be introduced into the curriculum of tertiary institutions. “NBC wants to ensure that stations meet the best standard and it can achieve this if schools introduce students to the rudiment of the profession in school. The media is dynamic, new things evolve daily,” she said. “We are in the age of convergence, digital switch over. The world will be switching over by March 2015 and unlike some countries who have already switched, Nigeria has decided to wait till January 2015 to avoid mistakes made by those who rushed into it.” Also speaking on the importance of the seminar, Miss Lola Oladimeji, the organizer, said the broadcast world evolves, hence the need to train and retrain in order to get people abreast of what goes on in the broadcasting field. She also disclosed that the seminar will help reduce the rate of unemployment because most of them will become independent broadcasters and producers. She said, “We want to address a situation whereby the graduates that are churned out from our institutions don’t rely on government and private sector rather they will be adequately trained to become independent broadcasters and producers which will in turn reduce the rate of unemployment. “We are aware of the challenges posed by new media but the truth is, it is not everybody that has access to new media. You go to villages and all you see is the small boxes of TV. We are looking at how we can bridge the gap between new and traditional media to achieve a win-win situation,” she concluded.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 22

Business

Unity Bank: New investor talks heighten By A’isha Biola Raji

alks between Unity Bank Plc and one of the three venture capital firms that were reported to be showing interest in acquiring a stake in the Bank had reached an advanced stage. Though most details of the deal are still being held in confidence, sources close to the deal have confirmed that not only has the firm completed their due diligence exercise on the bank but the Management of the Bank has

also met with them to review the outcome of the due diligence and agree on positions. Investigation also indicates that the Bank may be finalizing plans to raise about N35 billion to develop the structure needed to drive its retail business through the Issuance of Rights. All of this is in the run up to the upcoming discussions on the price of the bank’s shares to be offered by the investor, which is the last major phase in the deal and which could result in a dramatic soaring

in the price of its shares. Analysts say these initiatives would see a fresh injection of huge capital into the institution that is geared towards catapulting it into one of the major players in the Nigerian banking industry in the very near future. The deal came to limelight in September after investigations revealed that two foreign and one domestic venture capitalist, keen on investing in high potential financial service operators in Nigeria, had been showing interest

in the bank. With the expected conclusion of the deal by December 2013, analysts say total shareholder funds of the 20 Deposit Money Banks would end another year on a strong note. The funds which had reached an all-time high of N2.37 trillion at the end of 2012, representing a 22% increase over 2011’s end of year figures, will definitely receive a boost from this injection and further strengthen the banking sector.

L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Senator Phillip Aduda, Director General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Engineer Reuben Okeke, and representative of Minister of Power, Mrs. Grace Papka, during induction ceremony for trainees into NAPTIN graduate skills development programme, recently in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

FBN Capital to raise funds for companies across sectors in 2014 By Etuka Sunday

irst Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Capital has said it would help raise funds for companies across the various sectors of the economy that would require capital to boost their businesses in the coming year 2014. The Managing Director/ CEO, FBN Capital, Mr. Kayode Akinkugbe disclosed this at a media parley held in Lagos at the weekend.

Akinkugbe said FBN would be ready to raise funds both in foreign and local currencies for its clients that would require capital in 2014 given the successful privatization of the PHCN successor companies which is expected to impact on the various sectors of the economy. He said in a statement that, “FBN Capital emerged as the first financial institution to have achieved loan signing (in March 2013) for the federal government’s

power sector privatization. In the last nine months we have assisted various clients in structuring and arranging over US$2.4 billion ($723m power sector + $1.7bn from other sectors) of debt finance. Notable transactions include: US$303 million for Kepco Energy Resource Limited , US$315 million for NG Power – HPS Limited, US$225 million for Accugas Ltd (Gas pipeline infrastructure), US$1.2bn refinancing and

expansion debt for EMTS, US$200 million for a major rig services provider,” he said. Commenting on the objective of the forthcoming conference, Akinkugbe said that the forum will enable local and international institutional investors to interact with key policy makers, regulators and management teams of leading corporate institutions in Nigeria. In his comment on the future outlook, he said, “Looking ahead, we expect ongoing activities in the oil and gas, power, financial services sectors and AMCON divestment of the bridge banks to continue to drive market activities.

DHL, Engen announce major African retail partnership By A’isha Biola Raji

HL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider and Engen, Africa’s leading multinational fuel retailer and provider of convenience services, have signed a retail partnership, in a bid to provide customers with better access to global express services. A consumer looking to send documents or parcels overseas can simply walk into an Engen service station to send their

shipment, ensuring greater convenience and accessibility to the powerful global network which DHL offers. This includes all domestic and international shipments to major centres across over 220 countries worldwide. The project, which would be carried out at four Engen service stations in the Namibian capital Windhoek, would be rolled out in phases. Botswana, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Tanzania are

earmarked for the second phase. Consumers will also be able to take advantage of DHL’s new product offering, Express Easy, at the Engen outlets. Express Easy provides an easy way to send documents or parcels, as consumers can choose an envelope or one of seven box sizes and enjoy a fixed price for that size, rather than paying a rate based on the weight of the parcel. Consumers are simply able to pick their box, pay the fixed rate and send their document or parcel to any of DHL’s global

destinations. Sumesh Rahavendra, Head of Marketing for DHL Express SubSaharan Africa, welcomed the news, saying that it would have a great impact on consumers across the continent. Also speaking, the Managing Director of Engen in Namibia, Nangula Hamunyela, said Namibia “Partnering with DHL means that we can extend our capabilities and give our valued customers the access and affordability around express services that they need.”

Transcorp’s oil block: OPL 281 to start production before end of 2014 By Etuka Sunday

usiness Tycoon and Chairman of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp), Mr. Tony Elumelu has announced that the Transcorp’s existing oil block, OPL 281, is expected to begin production before the end of 2014. Elumelu in a letter to shareholders also commended their contributions in the significant progress made by the company in the areas of power, hospitality, agriculture and oil and gas. Giving an update on the recent rights issue by Transcorp, Elumelu said that the company has already made significant progress in key sectors of its business; a development that is already impacting positively on the company’s share price which closed at N3.00 on Friday last week, up from 50 kobo not more than two years ago. Some of the strategic initiatives outlined by the Chairman include the completion of the acquisition of 100% equity stake in the 1000MW capacity Ughelli Power Plc through its subsidiary – Transcorp Ughelli Power Ltd (TUPL). TUPL paid $300m (N48.3 billion) for the complete ownership of the plant. On November 1, 2013, TUPL successfully took over ownership and physical possession of the plant and plans to raise the output from the current 160MW to at least 1,500MW over the next 3 to 5 years. Further significant progress was shown with the signing of an agreement with Hilton Worldwide to commence the development of a 300 room fivestar hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos. This project will commence in the Q1 2014 and complete in 30 months. Just as the Ikoyi project is getting off the ground, Transcorp, and has also completed the acquisition of a site in Port Harcourt for the development of another 300 room five star hotel. “We expect to sign the management agreement in first quarter of 2014 and commence construction by the second quarter,” Elumelu stated in the letter. Another important highlight of the Elumelu communication to shareholders is the news of the production date for Transcorp’s existing oil block, OPL 281, which he said will be expected to begin production before the end of 2014. “This marks a significant progress in the company’s oil and gas strategy” he stated.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

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Stock Watch

Report as at Monday, November 18, 2013

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

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Special Report

How to avoid the many sides of diabetes By Evelyn Okakwu

to it anymore, then the glucose stays outside the cells in the bloodstream. The cells become energy starved and you feel tired and run down. Tingling or numbness in your hands, legs or feet: This symptom is called neuropathy. It occurs gradually over time as consistently high glucose in the blood damages the nervous system, particularly in the extremities or fringes. Type 2 diabetes is a gradual onset, and people are often not aware that they have it. Therefore, blood sugar might have been high for more than a few years before a diagnosis is made. Nerve damage can creep up without our knowledge. Neuropathy can very often improve when

iabetes is an infection associated with excess glucose in the body. Since we all know that the most popular sources of food available in the country are made of up of carbohydrate supplements, it becomes necessary as we join the world in marking the day for the fight against the dreaded disease to showcase some of the symptoms and types of diabetes so that we can find ways of avoiding them even as we struggle to meet the high cost of living in the country. According to a special medical encyclopedia, from the website www.medicineplus. com, there are two types of Diabetes, namely: ‘Type one and Type 2 Diabetes’, which occurs as a result of too much glucose in the blood stream and a lesser amount in the cells of the body. In type 1 Diabetes the high glucose in the blood is as result of lack of insulin because the insulin producing cells have been destroyed. Type 2 diabetes, however occurs when the body’s cells become resistant to insulin that is being produced. Both ways, your cells aren’t getting the glucose that they need, and your body lets you know by giving you these signs and symptoms: Frequent trips to the bathroom: This occurs as result of too much glucose in the blood. If insulin is non-existent or ineffective, the kidneys can’t filter glucose back to the blood. They become overwhelmed and try to draw extra water out of the blood to dilute the glucose. This keeps your

Above picture shows the difference between a normal and an infected kidney

bladder full and it keeps you running to the bathroom. Unquenchable thirst: If it feels like you can’t get enough water and you’re drinking much more than usual, it could be a sign of diabetes, especially if it seems to go hand in hand with frequent urination. If your body is pulling extra water

out of your blood and you’re running to the bathroom more, you will become dehydrated and feel the need to drink more to replace the water that you are losing. Losing weight without trying: This symptom is more noticeable with Type 1 diabetes. In Type 1, the

pancreas stops making insulin, possibly due to a viral attack on pancreas cells or because an autoimmune response makes the body attack the insulin producing cells. The body desperately looks for an energy source because the cells aren’t getting glucose. It starts to break down muscle tissue and fat for energy. Type 2 happens

gradually with increasing insulin resistance so weight loss is not as noticeable. Weakness and fatigue: Glucose from the food we eat travels into the bloodstream where insulin is supposed to help it transition into the cells of our body. The cells use it to produce the energy we need to live. When the insulin isn’t there or if the cells don’t react

tighter blood glucose control is achieved. Other signs and symptoms that can occur are: Blurred vision, skin that is dry or itchy, frequent infections or cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal are also signs that something is amiss. Again, when these signs are associated with diabetes, they are the result of high glucose levels in the body. If you notice any of the above signs, schedule an appointment with your doctor. He or she will be able to tell you if you have reason to be concerned about a diagnosis of diabetes. Signs and symptoms of pre-Diabetes

Normally, the condition does not have any symptoms. However, in some cases people experience symptoms like excessive thirst or hunger, blurred vision, frequent urination, dark patches on the skin, among others. There are different types of diabetes. They include the following: Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). This is a complication of diabetes. It is a state during which the insulin levels in the blood becomes inadequate. This situation results in high blood sugar level as well as accumulation of organic acids and ketones in the blood. People suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) usually have severe dehydration and

significant alterations of the body’s blood chemistry. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) occurs commonly in people who have type 1 diabetes and are insulin dependent. However, people who have type 2 diabetes may also develop diabetic ketoacidosis. In such cases, it is usually triggered by a severe illness. In some cases, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the first sign of diabetes in a person. Causes of Diabetic Ketoacidosis During the condition of diabetic ketoacidosis the body has no insulin. Due to the absence of insulin, the muscle, fat, and liver cells of the body are unable to use the glucose (sugar) in the blood as fuel.

Some other hormones like glucagon, growth hormone, and adrenaline breaks down the cells of these tissues into glucose and fatty acids. Thereafter, these fatty acids are converted to ketones by the process of oxidation. During diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), the body runs by consuming muscle, fat, and liver cells for fuel. During diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), the body shifts from its normal metabolism state that uses carbohydrates as fuel to a fasting state that uses fat for fuel. As a result, blood sugar level in the blood increases as it cannot be transported into cells for future use. Moreover, the patient starts suffering from increased urination and dehydration. Almost 10% of total body fluids may get lost during this condition. Due to excessive urination, significant loss of potassium is also encountered. Classification of Diabetic Retinopathy: This class of diabetes also has two main types namely: •Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy– Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy can be mild, moderate or severe: In this condition, the blood vessels of the retina weaken. As the condition advances large retinal veins begin to dilate. The nerve fibres of the retina also swell. •Proliferative diabetic retinopathy–In this condition abnormal blood vessels or a new blood vessels grow or leak a jelly-like substance, which fills the centre of the eye. This gradually causes the formation of a scar tissue, which causes the retina to detach from behind the eye. This interferes in the normal

blood flow and damages the optic nerve. No symptoms are observed in the initial stages of diabetic retinopathy. However, this class of diabetes can have a devastating effect on the eyes. In the later stages, the several symptoms can be observed, which include: Spots floating during vision, Poor night vision, Poor night vision, Dark streaks or a red film that blocks vision, Dark streaks or a red film that blocks vision, Dark streaks or a red film that blocks vision, vision loss. Diabetic nephropathy: is a condition or clinical syndrome, where the ‘kidney is damaged’ due to long-term complications of diabetes. It starts as a minor damage with poor filtration by the kidneys. As the condition advances and left untreated, it leads to chronic kidney failure and requires dialysis or kidney transplant. Kidney failure will finally lead to death, if quick and necessary steps are not taken. • Management of Diabetes Although the physician (that is the doctor) is in the best place to advice on the management of diabetes, our research has proven that Proper diet management, prevention of the condition of Obesity can help to reduce the risk of pre-Diabetic conditions. Also mot types of diabetes can be controlled in the following ways: •Controlled blood sugar levels •Controlled blood pressure •Modifying the risk factors •Regular eye examinations Finally regulating the rate of carbohydrate intake as well as ensuring proper balanced diet as earlier stated will go a long way to help prevent the situation.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

News Extra

THE NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF QUANTITY SURVEYORS FCT CHAPTER The Chairman, NIQS, FCT Chapter, Alhaji Mohammed Abba Tor and the Senate members welcome all delegates and the General public to The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors 25th biennial general meeting and conference scheduled as follows: Conference theme:“Nigeria’s Quest For Investment and Growth: Releasing The Potential Of Construction Sector Public Private Partnerships” Date:Tuesday 19th - Saturday 23rd November, 2013. Venue:International Conference Centre, Abuja. Time:10:00am You are all welcome

Signed: NIQS FCT CHAPTER

Retailers chase big Nigerian spenders as middle-class grows

arge market, increased spending by Nigerian consumers in other countries and resurgent middle-class have been identified by stakeholders as major drivers of investments to Nigeria. The outstanding effort of the Federal Government in promoting Nigeria’s investment image in other climes also has a fair share, according to industry watchers. The business potential of the sector is enormous and the Retail Council of Nigeria, which made its debut yesterday, is expected to provide structure and direction for the growth of retail business in the country. Andy Jones, export manager for Chambers/ Fosters Traditional Foods of the United Kingdom, said that he looked at Nigeria’s economic data which convinced him of the country’s large market, growing retail sector, varied tastes and limitless opportunities before coming into the country with exquisite food and beverage products. He also underlined the importance of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) in ensuring that investors from his country take advantage of these boundless

opportunities. “We looked at the economic data such as the retail trade, large population, tastes and growing opportunities before we came into Nigeria. We also made enquiries from our partners and equally got some support from the UKTI,” said Jones, at an exhibition in Lagos. Nigeria, with a population of about 167 million people, has a very large market. According to the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) recent research, Nigeria’s middleclass accounts for 23 percent of the entire population. A research carried out by Renaissance Capital recently also validates the resurgence of the country’s middle-class. Analysts say this middle-class has infused dynamism into the country’s market and attracted foreign investments. Ufuoma Odiete, trade and development manager at UKTI, said that investors come into the country in droves because expatriates wish to tap into Nigeria’s high consumption rate abroad. She also identified the large consumer market and government investment promotion abroad as factors that have driven investment into the country in recent times.

“

A research carried out by Renaissance Capital recently also validates the resurgence of the country’s middleclass. Analysts say this middle-class has infused dynamism into the country’s market and attracted foreign investments.

“Consider the large consumer market. Foreigners also notice that Nigerians abroad spend huge sums of money when they go for holidays. Again, the government has done a good job in showcasing the country as a good investment destination,” she said. Tokunbo Chiedu, Chief Executive Officer, Compass Consulting, a firm that specialises in promoting locally-made goods in other countries and finding the right market for foreign investors, said the reasons investors itch to come into the country include Nigeria’s market force, dynamic workforce, the country’s growing economy, among others. According to her, Nigeria is the first stop of international businessmen because many of them are desirous of tapping into varied economic opportunities presented by the country. Also speaking, Nwegbu Tolulope, a stakeholder, said it was impossible for anybody to count commercially-viable climes in the world without giving priority to Nigeria, adding that Nigeria remains a big market in the world and a first stop-shop owing to the largeness and dynamism of its market. She also acknowledged the resurgence of the middleclass as a major driver of investment into the country. “Nigeria is a big market. If you are to count commercially-viable markets in the world, you cannot omit Nigeria because the list cannot be complete without us,” she said. (Source: Financial Times)

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Defence One armed forces, two laws? By Joy Baba

ollowing the concern expressed by some armed officers personnel on the 2007 Harmonised Terms and Condition of Services (HTACOS) on age-on-rank ceiling for officers, the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin and other service chiefs have proposed an upward review of the ceiling that gave birth to the 2012 HTACOS on age-on-rank ceiling. Hitherto, this noble and patriotic gesture was bedeviled with selfish interest, as the same age-on-rank ceiling that was reviewed found its way back in the 2012 document to affect some certain categories of officers, thus making two different age-on-rank ceilings in the armed forces. This, according to stakeholders, has never happened in the history of the armed forces, and no reason has been advanced for such action. According to them, it not only

shows double standards on the part of the armed force council, which according to them, raises lots of questions on the rationale behind these double standards. Some of the questions that readily come to mind are: Is the Commander-in-Chief aware of this act, since he is a civilian and may not have full knowledge of the operations of the armed forces? Another question is: Is there a hidden agenda that Nigerians are not aware of? If answers to these questions cannot be readily provided, it then means that the review was not only done in bad faith but done discriminately which is unjust. These double standards are not in the best interest of the nation, as such an act is capable of creating dis-affection among officers. This is especially so, because the same problem that the review (2012 HTACOS) set out to address is being smuggled back, and curiously, it appears to affect some specific set of people, i.e. the Nigerian Defence Academy 35

“

Regular Course and above. In the first place, the rationale behind the review of 2007 HTACOS was the way and manner officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces are being retired in their prime, causing the nation a huge loss of the experience of these well-trained officers, which the Nigerian governments have invested so much on. In other parts of the world, this cadre of officers are treasured because of their wealth of experience. It is common knowledge that promotion to the top cadre in the forces is based on availability of position to be filled, which usually, are very limited; and to make sure that the nation does not loose these crop of officers necessitated the upward review on the age on rank ceiling. Nigeria today, is faced with a lot of security challenges in almost all parts of the nation with its corporate existence being threatened; raising concerns that this is the time we need the experience of these officers the

These double standards are not in the best interest of the nation, as such an act is capable of creating dis-affection among officers. This is especially so, because the same problem that the review (2012 HTACOS) set out to address is being smuggled back, and curiously, it appears to affect some specific set of people, i.e. the Nigerian Defence Academy 35 Regular Course and above. Revised HTACOS signed by former CDS

Previous HTACOS

most. The Armed Forces cannot blow hot and cold at the same time, what is good for the geese is also good for the gander. The 2012 HTACOS on age-on-rank ceiling should be implemented across the board without any exception as chapter 2.10 purports to do. The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brigadier-General Chris Olukolade, in his reaction to this, said those complaining knew of the law before enrolling in the armed force, adding that it is the younger ones that will benefit from the new law. He also said every officer of the Nigerian Armed Force was given the opportunity to make input before the law was promulgated. The DDI said they were given the chance to have a say and raise issues where necessary before the committee took a decision for the forces, noting that every policy of the armed forces is subjected in a similar manner. According to him, “When they finish the basic work, the policies are circulated to every formation for people to raise observation and have input. “Where you have issues, you raise it to your commander, who will in turn set up a committee to collate the position of the unit. At the end of the day, it goes out before they begin to publish it in booklet. “The moment they publish it in booklet, it has become a law. Even at that stage, if you have issues, you do a paper, called service paper, where you articulate your point as if you are giving lecture. Your language should be formal, not insulting, as you are simply pointing out how you think the policy should be”. The DDI maintained that there is no way attention will not be paid to an articulate paper, noting that this is a case of justice and not of two laws as being alleged. “If anyone is complaining, it means he is in our generation and is not going to benefit from the new law because he knows it is about time for him to go; and if someone who retired last year is asking for his retirement to be backdated, then you can say two laws; or they make it to take immediate effect. “If the fellows complaining are insisting, then they should be subjected to the retirement experience of those who had gone ahead of us, whose total take home as pension is not up to N20, 000.00; so, there won’t be two laws for the armed forces”, he further stated.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Agriculture

The profits, pains and gains of ginger farming in Kaduna From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

aduna state undoubtedly, is one of the major producers of ginger in Nigeria, producing the crop from the gardens to large-scale mechanized processes. The state has grown over 500,000 tonnes of rhizomes. The production of ginger started in 1927, after a research was carried out to find a crop that would generate internal trade for the people of southern Kaduna, which is the traditional home of ginger production in Nigeria. The knowledge of the usefulness of ginger as a valuable export commodity began to decline from 1967, due to lack of attention given to the crop by the Nigerian government and the discovery of the black gold – the oil boom. The Federal and state government made no conscientious effort to revive ginger production and trade. Ginger, which is usually cultivated vegitatively and planted in the soil, with each sprouts forming a new plant has a harvest season of five months after planting and to preserve ginger, the farmer needs at least 5 to 7 months to uproot them before they are fully matured. While they are still tender and mild for dried ginger, mature rhizomes with full aroma, flavor and pungency are harvested 8 to 9 months. Research has however shown that the oil content within rhizome increases with age; so, plants used for this might be harvested even later. Unlike producers of Ginger in India and Pakistan, farmers in Kaduna state harvest the product by hand. Their investigations show that ginger is an important crop spice, which is grown primarily for sales; which means ginger is an economical enterprise. Therefore, there is no doubt that ginger farming is a source of revenue to most farmers in southern part of Kaduna state. For example, Kagarko local government area produces about 70 percent of ginger in the state. The Bank of Industry (BOI) revenues accruing from ginger sales in 2011 showed a gross return of N474, 375 and a total cost of production of N162, 796; thus, the gross margin was N311, 579. The importance of this crop informed the commercial agricultural development projects, assisted by the World Bank, to make ginger one of the valuechain crops in the state. In the same vein, the Bank of Agriculture recently proposed a fund of N2 billion to the Kaduna state government, in order to support small and medium-scale enterprise (SME) farmers. Half of that amount will go the ginger farmers and the reactivation of Kachia Ginger factory. According to the Managing

Director and the Chief Executive, Dr. Mohammed Santuraki, the bank will disburse funds to the farmers, agric entrepreneurs, especially ginger producers, while the state government will provide guarantee fund. The scheme would also provide credit support to about 6,000 enterprises, to be made up of 4,000 macro enterprises and agri-business for farmers in the value chain which includes ginger production for 12,000 indigenes as well as 60,000 people are expected to be directly affected by this. The Kachia ginger factory, established by the Makarfi administration has continuously processed ginger in spices, medicinal products and packaged for export. Ginger is herb; the underground stem is used as a spice and also as medicine. It can be used fresh, dry and or powder or as juice or oil. Ginger is commonly used to treat various types of stomach problems, including motion sickness, morning sickness, and garlic.

The factory, which currently has a total employment of 400 permanent staff and 8,000 casual staff, runs a farm at Dogon-Kurmi, Kurmi Dangana and Kachia, to produce ginger for the factory. Again, research has shown that ginger is widely used worldwide and Nigeria is a country that is known to have widely used different ginger products such as ginger tea, ginger oil and ginger pepper. Ginger, naturally sedative, analgesic and carminative property which is why it is used as a traditional treatment or home remedies for headaches common flu painful menstruation, period, vomiting, cough and cold as well as food poisoning. It can also help in reducing pains caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis by lowering the level of inflammation. Studies also shows that component of ginger is able to stop, as well as slow down the growth of matastasis. Ginger extra can kill ovarian and colorectal cancer cells, thus

“

Ginger farming can change the revenue base of the state and improve lots of the state indigenes. Ginger is a gold mine that should be tapped by the state government in collaboration with national and international companies.

making it a good source of cure for colon and ovarian cancer. According to Dr. Bello of Yusuf Dantsoho Hospital in the state, “ginger is capable of stopping prostaglading from causing inflammation in the blood vessel. The crop is also capable to relieve the patient from migraine, muscle and joint injuries. He also disclosed that ginger when used in form of tea is effective in treating menstrual cramps upset stomach, heart burns, coughing, sore throat and block nasal passage. Ginger, from research, is said to be a high valuable pharmaceutical product and many countries engage in the business of pharmaceutical products have continuously maintained links with Kaduna state. However it is painful to note the ginger product, in most cases, is given at give-away price because of lack of control over the export of the product. Local farmers are paid peanuts by the exporters and some of them still remain in abject poverty and has not felt the benefit of their God given treasure. Ginger farming can change the revenue base of the state and improve lots of the state indigenes. Ginger is a gold mine that should be tapped by the state government in collaboration with national and international companies. The ginger rhizome is important, which can lead to the establishment of more factories that can generate employment to the citizenry. However, the sad aspect of it all is that the ginger farmers under go hard times with little profit to show to the world that southern

Kaduna is the ginger base of the nation. Although, the state government, under the leadership of Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, during the inspection tour of the Kachia Ginger factory has promised to encourage to company to produce at maximum capacity and more hands employed. He also promised to that the state government will buy directly from farmers their ginger produce, in order to remove the interference of shylock middle-men. As good as this news sound, ginger farmers in southern Kaduna, still has their reservation. Alhaji Adamu Kubacha, the Village Head of Kubacha, in Kagarko local government while speaking to this reporter, said his people, who are mostly referred to a Koro tribe are farmers and their major produce is ginger. According to him, some of these farmers have spent nearly 30 to 40 years producing ginger crop, but painfully there is little or nothing to show for their efforts. “Some of them don’t even have a roof over their heads and their children are out of classroom, back to the village. Everybody is a ginger farmer just to make others rich,” he said. However a source close to Kaduna state government, said the governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero is desirous of changing the life of ginger farmers in the state. The source added that the N2 billion collaborator loans from the Bank of Agriculture will be targeted towards improving the production of ginger in the state.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Agriculture

Experts raise alarm on deadly maize virus in Nigeria By Mohammed Kandi

griculturalists and Scientists at both the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have organised an awareness workshop against the deadly maize virus called aflatoxin. They said the campaign was necessary to educate consumers, farmers and the industrial sector on the risks and harmful effects of aflatoxins in food and feeds, as well as the control/reduction strategies.

The experts, who spoke separately at the workshop in Enugu recently, noted that the event was the third in the series, coming after similar those earlier held in Abuja and Ibadan for the north-central and southwestern regions of Nigeria, respectively, as well as to build on on-going initiatives such as the Commercial Agricultural Development Program (CADP). IITA’s scientist and team leader for the Africa-wide initiative for the control of aflatoxin, Dr. Ranajit Bandyopadhya said, “Studies in Nigeria also show high levels of aflatoxin contamination in

maize and groundnut,” adding that “people are consuming these toxins in ignorance, compromising their health”. To mitigate the spread and contamination of grains by these lethal fungal toxins, IITA and partners developed a biocontrolproduct—aflasafeTM— that has proven effective in controlling aflatoxins. Studies show that the application of aflasafeTM infarmers’ field reduced aflatoxin contamination by more than 90 percent, and birds fed with aflasafeTMtreated maize recorded less mortality and had a higher feed conversion ratio.

Adebowale Akande, Ag Results Aflasafe Pilot Manager, said the flag-off, is aimed to introduce aflasafeTM to farmers in the south-eastern part of the country, so that they could adopt and use the product on their farms for both health benefits and higher incomes. “The more people are aware of mitigation options, the better equipped they will be to handle and manage the situation,” Akande added. Also speaking, DirectorGeneral of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, who was represented by Mrs. NAFDAC’s Director of LaboratoryServices, Stella Denloye, said, “The clear

objectives are to highlight the extent of aflatoxin contamination of Nigeria’s staple foods and export commodities … the negative economic impact on trade and foreign exchange earnings and to draw attention to mitigation strategies”. Meanwhile, the awareness/ sensitization workshops are supported by Australia/ AUSAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada/ Finance Canada, the United Kingdom/DFID, and the United States/USAID, through Deloitte Consulting LLC on behalf of the World Bank under the AgResults Initiative.

Kano govt trains 3, 000 youths on use of mechanised farming

he Kano state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, said the State Government had trained 3, 000 youths on the use of mechanized farming. Ganduje, who disclosed this recently in Sokoto State, said the government also provided farming materials free of charge to the beneficiaries to put the new farming methods into practice. “We are taking the advantage of the several dams across the state to encourage irrigation farming’’, he said.

Ganduje stressed that the state government had taken steps to revive agriculture being an age-long and mainstay occupation in the region by introducing an upgraded mechanised farming. “We have taken to modern mechanised farming to create job opportunities as well as to enhance food security’’, he said. He added that arrangement had been completed to train additional 1, 000 youths on various modern farming methods.(NAN)

Group advocates free grazing zones for herdsmen

n non-governmental organisation (NGO), Advocacy for Advancement of Peace and Harmony in Africa Initiative (ADAPHAI), has advised the government to make provision for grazing lands to avoid clashes between farmers and herdsmen. This is contained in a statement issued by the National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Owolabi Ajibola at a news recent conference in Osogbo, on agenda items for the proposed National dialogue in the country. Ajibola also decried the incidents violence and avoidable deaths caused by fracas between the herdsmen and farmers in virtually all communities in the country. He emphasised the need to find a lasting solution to the issue, to avert major communal clashes, saying “I hope the proponents of the National dialogue understand that there is a major issue on ground that is seriously begging for quick resolution in order to save our country from major crisis.” “It is the issue of grazing lands for herdsmen, who have had issues with farmers in many parts of Nigeria that has resulted in deaths and the maiming of innocent citizens. “In as much as we believe in

freedom of movement and liberty to do any business of one’s choice in Nigeria, such freedom and liberty should not on infringe that of others, to ensure peaceful coexistence. “It is incumbent on government and the participants in the proposed National Dialogue to put this issue of free grazing zone on the front-burner of discourse because of its sensitivity. “Definitely, if the proposed National Dialogue is meant to find a lasting solution to the array of issues that are threatening ourcorporate entity, this issue of grazing lands must be taken seriously,’’ he said. The Zonal Coordinator of the organisation in the SouthWest, Mrs. Ojomo Olayinka, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the herdsmen needed government’s assistance through the provision of grazing land. According to her, they supply the bulk of beef to the country, which saves Nigeria some foreign reserve which could have been spent on the importation of animals. He, therefore, urged prominent Nigerians to support the call for free grazing zone for peace and harmony to reign in all communities in the country. (NAN)

A newly procured planting machine by the Kwara state government for its farmers

Ex-minister lauds agric transformation, ban on livestock imports By Mohammed Kandi

he former Minister of Defence, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, has commended the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the Federal Government, saying there is no need to import poultry or poultry products into this country. Mohammed, who also expressed his support for the continued restriction on importation of poultry and poultry products, noted that Nigeria can produce enough to meet its domestic needs. In a statement issued by the Media Special Assistant to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Oyeleye Olukayode, Mohammed disclosed this during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) and 60th anniversary of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria at the ECOWAS secretariat, Abuja,

recently. According to him, “There is no reason whatsoever to import poultry of any kind into this country; because we have the climate, the personnel and the wherewithal. Above all, we have a good policy framework in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.” “The Federal Government’s ban on the importation of certain frozen items such as chicken and other poultry products is a good policy, because we have no business importing what we can produce. It has been said that there is a supply gap in Nigeria but any tendency to fill that gap by importation other than by production should be discouraged,” Dr. Bello warned, adding that, “otherwise, we will continue to be a net importer of livestock products that we can abundantly produce in this country.” According to Bello, Nigeria

can adequately meet its domestic livestock needs of over 160 million people as well as export its abundant livestock and other animal products, in line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government. He also noted that, with over 6,000 veterinary officers currently in the Nigerian Veterinary Council Register, veterinary medicine has grown into full maturity and public acclaim, adding also that the credit should go to eminent men and women who worked hard to lift the standards of the profession to its present enviable status. Dr. Bello expressed optimism that “the future of the profession is very bright, if you view the progress of veterinary services from 1952 when it started to 1965 when former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon signed the Veterinary Act into law and to the present time that you now have many veterinary schools across the country.”

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

For the record How renewable energy research can enhance devt in West Africa (II) Trends: 1970-2013 t is against this background that an attempt is made to quickly make some observations aimed at drawing attention to the urgent need for valorization of the results of R&D in Renewable Energy Technologies within the sub region and urge for complementary action to accelerate the drive towards meeting the electricity and general energy needs of the ECOWAS sub-region. To do this, a 40year dataset for the per capita electricity consumption of selected ECOWAS member states was compared to that of South Africa, China and India, France and USA . Figures 2 and 3 (Appendix) give a vivid and very informative picture from which a lot can be inferred when compared with other development indicators within the same period. Between 1971 and 1985, the ECOWAS region, China and India had very similar consumption rates and marginal growth. In 1971, the figures were between 10KWh (Benin) to 313KWh (Ghana), (Nigeria with 28KWh) while China and India had 151 and 98KWh respectively. The figures for South Africa, France and USA were 2,246, 2,754 and 7,517 KWh respectively for the same year. This represents in excess of 100-300fold the average for the ECOWAS region! Up to 1985, no significant comparative change was recorded for the ECOWAS member states against high growth rates for the developed nations which increased the relative gap between them and the developing nations within the selection. The figures follow closely the socio-economic conditions of these nations during the period. During the period 1985-2010 China’s per capita electricity consumption, significance in the international economic environment and a host of other development indicators saw an exponential growth. Its consumption grew from 363KWh in 1985 to 2,944KWh in 2010. India, at the end of this period, was at the edge of its exponential curve growing from 191KWh to 626KWh in 2010. The USA (with a population just below that of ECOWAS) grew from 10,414KWh to 13,394KWh in 2010 while France and South Africa show similar curves even if at lower gradients. Within ECOWAS the situation was still dismal. Ghana for example actually dropped from its brief maximum of 426KWh in1980 to 299KWh in 2010 (lower than the 1971 figure!) while its 1985 consumption stood at 163KWh. Nigeria has a special significance because it has half the population of the subregion, over 99% of known oil

and gas reserves, nearly 50% of hydropower and over 85% of known coal deposits . Success in Nigeria means pulling at least half the population of the region out of poverty and subsistence! Yet during the 40year study, the per capita electricity consumption of Nigeria was apparently not much better than those of Benin and Togo, those with the lowest figures (within the selected member states of ECOWAS). This was despite Nigeria’s enormous resources and the massive government investments made to boost power production (mainly using natural gas), transmission and distribution within this period. Private investment in electricity generating sets using fossil fuels was equality staggering. From the foregoing, it appears reasonable to conclude that the basic assumptions and consequent strategies devised and implemented, aimed at mitigating the energy challenges of the ECOWAS region, over the last forty years have not yielded the desired results and are unlikely to if the trends of 1971-2010 are extrapolated to2030. The gap in electrical energy consumption between the ECOWAS region and the developed and emerging economies of the rest of the world is likely to increase more or less exponentially pushing the ECOWAS populations further and further into dependence, poverty and disorder (and their consequences) unless a totally new and radical approach is adopted and the political will mastered by the governments of the member states to implement the new approach. It must be appreciated that the mindset that created a problem cannot be relied upon to solve it. Valorisation of Renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency Clearly, from the experience of the last forty years, dependence on oil, gas and large hydropower to meet the energy needs of the region seem untenable. This is largely because most of the oil and gas exploited in the region is exported and forms the bulk of government revenues (thus ‘fuel’

for machinery of government) of producing nations and the resources are essentially under the control of huge American and European oil companies. Oil and gas supplies can be switched off easily leading to severe disruptions , conflicts or even wars. International politics and the colonial heritage of ECOWAS member states leave the region in a highly vulnerable situation which is unlikely to change in the near future. Large hydropower requires big investment, relatively long construction and commissioning time, relatively higher environmental impact and presents potentials for conflicts between nations and states that share the water resource. Solar energy (PV and thermal), bio-gas (digestion), coal, small hydro and mini modular nuclear power remain the only real and effective options available to meet the energy needs of the region quickly, reliably, safely and offering maximum security and local control in the short to medium term. All of these technologies are mature and available. Coal, even though a fossil fuel and contributes to CO2 emission, is included as an option because it is easily possible to use coal (and other biomass) in a manner that is actually carbon negative (carbon sequestration) and reduction in nitrous oxide emissions (310times more potent than CO2 emissions ) from the soil! Small Modular Nuclear Reactors require special consideration because they can play a vital role also in the quest for reliable electricity supply within ECOWAS. Moreover, nuclear power plants provide us with one of the most costeffective tools for environmental conservation. Several African countries like Nigeria and Ghana have for several years had a history of successful operation of small nuclear reactors using local expertise for operation and maintenance. Some have received safety certificates of excellence from the IAEA, in comparison with similar sites in other regions and continents

“

around the world. Small modular nuclear reactors (SMR), reactors with an electric power equivalent of less than 300MWe (some as low as 6MWe), have been in widespread use throughout the world. Currently 131 reactors are in operation in 26countries with a capacity of 59GWe, 14 are under construction and more than 45 new innovative ideas are under development in several countries including South Africa, Brazil, India and China. All principal reactor lines namely: light water reactors (LWRs), heavy water reactors (HWRs), gas cooled reactors (GCRs) and liquid metal cooled reactors (LMCRs) are under development. Some of the reactors are completely sealed, buried underground and could operate continuously for as long as 30years without refueling on site. Such reactors could be considered for deployment to meet critical needs in a distributed manner buying time for the development of other renewable energy alternatives. Despite all the hype about bio-diesel and bio-ethanol, its development and production without competing with food is questionable to put it mildly. The issue of the utilization of marginal land for this purpose may be a fallacy of logic. Solar PV for example, hectare for hectare, yields at least 50times more energy than bio-fuels in terms of electricity generation. Marginal or not, the land would require human and financial resources for its development that could otherwise be used for the production of food. The absence of local processing plants may ultimately lead to the export of yet another raw material destined for the refineries of developed nations. Caution may be desirable to avoid creating more problems than solutions. The only limitations to the effective use of Renewable Energy technologies and coal within ECOWAS, and indeed most parts of Africa (with the exception of South Africa in terms of coal), are mainly five: 1. The lack of effective awareness and understanding of the possibilities offered by Renewable Energy Technologies

Despite all the hype about bio-diesel and bio-ethanol, its development and production without competing with food is questionable to put it mildly.

in meeting the energy needs of the region on the part of decisionmakers within the governments of the member states and other stakeholders including the general public which is as result of2. The myths (which are easy to debunk) associated with these technologies (far too expensive, takes up a lot of land area, cannot meet the demands of industry so on and so forth) that influence perception negatively and are promoted by scientists, engineers and other stakeholders on the ‘payroll’ of the big multinational oil and gas companies and in the case of nuclear power the issues of ‘safety’ and ‘terrorism’ or international politics. 3. Egocentrism on the part of those who dictate policy 4. The lack of courage among scientists and engineers within ECOWAS that are devoted to Research and Development in Renewable Energy Technologies. The absence of this courage prevents the presentation of proposals for and massive investments in Renewable Energy Technologies because of the fear of being branded as ridiculous and/or not serious and endangering their paychecks. 5. The consequent absence of valorization, by the governments of member states, of the results of R&D in these technologies. It is possible to achieve the generation of over 2,000MW annually (more than half of which could be in Nigeria) of electricity in the sub region using only Solar PV technology and through private sector investment alone. If direct government investment matches that of the private sector it could push this figure to at least 4,000MW. An annual growth rate in excess of 30% is easily feasible if the right mechanisms are put in place through a unified action of the governments of the member states. Any member state may independently pursue this strategy without prejudice to the general outcome. Email: ibrahimsoba@caretenergytechnologies.com Abridged version of a keynote paper at the International Symposium on the Valorization of Research Results and Innovation, delivered by Ibrahim Haruna Soba, Ibrahim Shehu Shema Centre for Renewable Energy Research (ISSCeRER), Umaru Yar’Adua University, Katsina, Kastina State, Nigeria, Director, Conventional and Renewable Energy Technologies Limited (CARET) . Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in September, 2013.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

ANALYSIS

he deterioration of the political and security situation in Libya has been worsening throughout the year, stocking fears that the country risks total anarchy and civil war. Violence and instability have increased in parts of the country, while the level of insecurity, particularly in cities such as Tripoli and Benghazi, has worsened. Indeed, a simple survey of headlines such as “Libya: Going wrong”, “Libya on the brink”, “Premier’s brief ‘arrest’ highlights anarchy”, or “Deepening crisis in Libya”, all tell the story of a failing Libya. The latest violent incident which occurred on November 15,epitomises the gravity of the crisis. In the worst street fighting between one of the revolutionary brigades in Tripoli and residents of the city, at least 32 people were killed and about 400 wounded. One of the legacies of the rushed military campaign against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was the dismantling of the security sector and the looting of the weapons stockpiles of the country. The various armed formations and revolutionary brigades that waged the war that toppled Gaddafi, are not integrated into a unified national security architecture. Instead, granting official recognition to a large number of armed groups under the National Transitional Council encouraged the consolidation of the brigades. The recognition brought many of them under the “nominal” authority of either the defence or interior ministry and allowed their proliferation. Yet, the brigades, known locally as Katibas, for the most part, act independently. While only an estimated 50,000 Libyans fought in militias against Gaddafi, the number of brigades has grown and the country’s Warriors Affairs Commission believes that currently, there are 250,000 militiamen under arms. Over the course of the past two years, the various armed elements evolved into different politically- and ideologically-oriented groupings. The major armed groupings now include the Libya Shields, a coalition of militias from Zawya in the west and Misrata in the east, authorised by the government to bolster security in Tripoli; the Zintans, a powerful Bedouin tribal militia whose commanders lead the Qaqaa militia, an 18,000 strong force opposed to the influence of the Shields; the Supreme Security Committee (SSC) that operates as a de facto police and has an alliance with the Shields against the Zintans; and finally the Benghazi federalist group bent on establishing their own administration in the east. The government’s attempts at asserting authority over the various brigades has continued to face fierce resistance due to several reasons; the lack of trust in government, the hatred against the perceived or real role of Gaddafi-era people, and the rivalry for influence. The case of the SSC, one of the many militia groups which the government officially sanctioned to

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International Libya: On the brink of abyss

Libya’s Prime Minister Ali Zaidan was briefly detained by a militia group last month

became a parallel police force, is one such example of this resistance. As a report from the International Crisis Group put it, “[D]espite several attempts to integrate at least parts into the police force and its stated intention to dismantle the SSC by December 2012, the government encountered strong resistance, and some units continue to operate.” Although the General National Congress (GNC) adopted Decision 27 mandating the Ministries of Defence and Interior to remove from the capital all “illegitimate armed formations”, following two days of fighting between Zintan brigades affiliated with the Ministry of Defence and others affiliated with the SSC, GNC chairman authorised a coalition of revolutionary brigades to the task of protecting Tripoli, citing the inability of the army and the police to do so. On November 7, another round of fighting broke out in Tripoli between these rival brigades. Weapons used included automatic guns as well as heavy weaponry such as anti-aircraft guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Although two days earlier Prime

Minister Ali Zeidan announced that the government would, by the end of the year, stop paying militiamen who refused to join the fledgling regular forces, such fighting, and previous failures, cast serious doubt on the strength of the government to enforce such decisions. Following the election of the GNC in November 2012, one of the major political divisions that came to shape Libyan politics has been between the Coalition of National Forces (CNF) and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party (JCP). While the JCP is bent on dominating the GNC and the transitional process, the CNF is alarmed by and opposed to the rise of Islamists. With the polarisation deepening, on July 4, the CNF made the decision “to suspend its participation in the General National Congress, except for the discussion and adoption of the electoral law for the Constitution Drafting Assembly”. Greatly concerned about the consolidation by Islamists and their grip on state institutions, especially after the passage of a

“

controversial political isolation law that excludes many of the Islamists’ opponents from positions of power, the CNF demanded an agreement on a future roadmap to guard against the extension of the GNC mandate beyond its term-ending date of February 2014. The political polarisation has taken a military dimension as various armed groups routinely resort to force to influence the GNC and the government. In a major headline incident that elucidates this dangerous trend, a militia group temporarily detained Zeidan, who was elected last year by the GNC. Perhaps the major incident that best exemplifies this trend of militarisation of politics is the siege of several government ministries including foreign affairs, interior and justice ministers, by armed groups on April 28. The siege, which lasted two weeks, forced the GNC to adopt the controversial Political and Administrative Isolation Law, which seeks to remove Gaddafiera officials from government and bars them from participation in public affairs for ten years. The

True, the situation has not as yet descended into total anarchy and fullfledged civil war. Overshadowed by the events in Egypt and Syria, Libya’s multidimensional crisis attracts little attention.

law prompted the resignation of Mohammed el-Magariaf as chairman of the GNC and first VicePresident JumaAttiga on May 28 and July 16, respectively. The failure to re-establish state authority, the continuing hold of diverse and rival armed groupings, polarisation and militarisation of politics, regional and tribal divisions and fighting, political assassinations, as well as increasing extremism and acts of terrorism, have emerged as the defining features of Libya’s post-Gaddafi transition. While it adds to the argument against externally driven forcible regime change, the worrying and sad state of things in Libya inevitably also raises questions if Libya was worse off today than it was under Gaddafi’s authoritarian rule. As a special report by the Independent aptly captured it: “We all thought Libya had moved on - it has but into lawlessness and ruin.” True, the situation has not as yet descended into total anarchy and fullfledged civil war. Overshadowed by the events in Egypt and Syria, Libya’s multidimensional crisis attracts little attention. But if the trend persists, it is not clear what would stop the country from becoming a major crisis in the region. Given the large amount of weapons moving around in and from the country and the precarious security situation in the Sahel and West Africa, including the surge in armed movements, Libya’s descent into anarchy is sure to affect not only North Africa and the entire Sahel region, but it would also be felt as far as Central Africa and the Horn of Africa regions. Source: Al Jazeera

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

International

Egyptian army accused of war crimes

awyers in the UK have accused the Egyptian military and the country’s interim government of crimes against humanity for the aftermath of the clashes since deposed president Mohamed Mursi was ousted in July. A high-profile legal team accused the military in a recent report of a number of crimes and human rights abuses. The report documented the findings of their investigation since August. “Evidence we have collected in the course of our investigation shows a prima facie case that the following crimes occurred: murder, unlawful imprisonment, torture, persecution against an identifiable group, and forced disappearance of persons and other inhumane acts of a similar character, intentionally causing great suffering or serious injury to body or mental and physical health,” said Tyab Ali, a lead lawyer on the case. He added that the key suspects include top army officers and soldiers.

The legal team, which includes UK-based human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield, and South African international law expert John Dugard, was appointed by the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, the Freedom of Justice Party (FJP) and members of the Shura Council and led by London-based human rights law firm, ITN Solicitors. Rory Challands, reporting from Cairo, said that the legal team was examining what their next step with the case will be. “The most likely avenues are either the International Court of Justice in The Hague or the International Criminal Court to try and find somewhere that they could actually turn this into a prosecution,” said our correspondent. Egyptian state media reported that a panel of Egyptian judges had made a non-binding recommendation to the administrative court that the FJP be dissolved, which is already deliberating a lawsuit to ban the party for its affiliation with the Brotherhood and contravening

Cameroon ‘repels attack’ from CAR, as rebels kill judge

Egyptian Minister of Defence, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi

laws on the formation of religious parties. A Muslim Brotherhoodled alliance has said it is ready for a national dialogue to end the political standoff that has gripped the country and killed more than 1,000 people, mostly Mursi supporters, since July 3 after the army moved to disperse protesters. The Brotherhood, for decades a non-violent underground

movement, denies espousing the use of force and says the army staged a coup and undermined democratic gains made since a popular uprising toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011. It remains to be seen whether either the government or the top Brotherhood leaders, who have rejected dialogue outright and insist that Mursi remains the legitimate president, might be ready to compromise.

Mandela remains “stable but critical”- SA presidency

he health condition of former South African President Nelson Mandela remained “stable but critical,” the South African Presidency said yesterday. “The health of the former President remains much the same as it was when President (Jacob) Zuma last visited him, which is stable but critical while Madiba (Mandela’s clan name) continues to respond to treatment,” presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said. The Presidency made the statement after Zuma visited Mandela earlier in the day. Mandela “continues to recover” at his Johannesburg home, said Maharaj. “President Zuma conveyed the well wishes of all South Africans and those of the peoples of the world to the Mandela

family and assured them that nations are united in their thoughts and prayers for him. In addition, President Zuma expressed the good wishes of the leaders

of the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM) from which he returned last night,” said Maharaj.

Mandela

Zuma used the opportunity to personally present Madiba with the Lifetime Award for Global Peace from the Mahathir Global Peace Foundation which he received on his behalf in Malaysia earlier this year, according to Maharaj. Zuma also informed Madiba that he was looking forward to officially opening the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory Public Facility and the Permanent Exhibition on the Life and Times of Nelson Mandela in Houghton yesterday night, said Maharaj. Mandela was released from hospital in early September following an 85-day stay for a recurring lung infection, the result of his long-time imprisonment during the apartheid times. Source: Xinhua

Libya militia starts Tripoli withdrawal, as regional official escapes assassination

ibyan militia fighters blamed for the worst unrest in Tripoli since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in recent days began pulling out of the capital yesterday and Libyan army units moved in to secure their areas,

government officials said. Clashes between rival militias in Tripoli last week killed dozens of people, highlighting Libya’s struggle to curb former fighters and hardline Islamists who refuse to disarm two

Protesters march during a demonstration calling on militiamen to leave

years after helping oust Gaddafi in an uprising backed by NATO bombs. The withdrawal of some of Libya’s powerful militias from the capital may ease tensions temporarily. But Libya’s nascent armed forces are still no match for the rival militias who control other parts of Tripoli and the country. Militias from the coastal city of Misrata, who clashed with protesters on Friday and Saturday killing 46 people, began to withdraw to the east, including units from groups called Libya Shield and the Gharghour Brigades, a senior official said. “Misrata troops in Tripoli have now retreated and are in the area between the two cities,” said Saleh Jouda, a member of the security

council of the country’s parliament. The defense ministry also said Libyan army units would move into the areas the Misrata militias controlled. Tripoli was mostly calm yesterday with many stores, schools and universities closed in the capital in support of a strike called by the city’s local leaders to demand the Misrata militiamen leave. Kidnappers yesterday also freed Libya’s deputy intelligence chief a day after he was abducted from Tripoli’s international airport, a senior official said. Meanwhile, the military governor of Libya’s Benghazi escaped an assassination attempt that killed a member of his entourage and seriously wounded another.

ameroon’s army has repelled a cross-border raid by gunmen from the Central African Republic (CAR), killing six of the attackers and capturing one of them, the defence ministry says. A soldier and a villager were also killed in the clashes on Saturday, it said. The border area has been tense since rebels in the CAR ousted President Francois Bozize in March. Mr Bozize was briefly exiled in Cameroon before heading to France. Muhamman Babalala in Cameroon says about 400 gunmen are suspected to have launched the attack in an attempt to free CAR rebel leader Abdoulaye Miskine. Mr Miskine, the leader of the Democratic Front of the Central African People (FPDC) group, was arrested in Cameroon in September on suspicion of planning to use it as a base to attack the CAR. He broke away from the Seleka rebel coalition, which overthrew Mr Bozize. “For the moment the situation is under our total control, and order, peace and security has been restored in the attacked village,” the defence ministry said in a statement. It did not name the village. CAR gunmen often raid villages in Cameroon for food, correspondents say. Meanwhile, former members of the Seleka rebel group have shot dead a Central African Republic judge and his assistant, a paramilitary police official has said. “Magistrate Modeste Martineau Bria ...and his aide-de-camp were cold-bloodedly killed on Saturday night” in central Bangui, the official told AFP news agency on Sunday on condition of anonymity. “Ex-Seleka members... sped up to them on a motorbike and opened fire,” he added. The motive for the killing is not yet known. The landlocked nation has been mired in chaos since Selekarebels ousted longtime president Francois Bozize in March. Seleka leader Michel Djotodia named himself president but agreed to hold elections next year. He officially dissolved the rebel movement but its members have continued to stage attacks and robberies. Armed gangs, mainly former Seleka loyalists, now dominate outside the capital Bangui.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

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International

Australia ‘spied on Indonesia President’ …Jakarta recalls envoy

ndonesia is recalling its ambassador to Australia over allegations that Canberra spied on phone calls of the Indonesian president. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the first lady and VicePresident Boediono were reportedly amongst those targeted. The allegations came from documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden which were published by broadcaster ABC and the Guardian newspaper. Indonesia said the ambassador was being called to Jakarta for “consultations”. It is the latest in a series of spying allegations that have strained relations between the two allies. On 1 November Indonesia summoned Australia’s ambassador amid reports that Australia’s Jakarta embassy was used as part of a US-led spying network in Asia. The latest leaked document showed that Australia spy agencies named Mr Yudhoyono, the first lady, Vice-President Boediono and other senior ministers as targets for monitoring, the reports said. The presentation from Australian spy agency the Defence Signals Directorate (now known as the Australian Signals Directorate) showed that agencies attempted to

listen to Mr Yudhoyono’s calls at least once, and tracked calls made to and from his mobile phone, in August 2009, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Guardian added. The news organizations published slides from the presentation, which appeared to show a list of Indonesian “leadership targets” and the handset models used by each target, as well as a diagram of “voice events” of the Indonesian president in August 2009. One slide entitled “Indonesian President voice intercept (August

‘09)” appeared to show an attempt to listen to the content of a phone call to Mr Yudhoyono. Yesterday, Indonesian Finance Minister Marty Natalegawa said: “This is an unfriendly, unbecoming act between strategic partners.” “This hasn’t been a good day in the relationship between Indonesia and Australia.” Indonesia was reviewing all of its agreements related to information exchange with Australia, Mr Natalegawa added.

Djoko Suyanto, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs, told the BBC that Jakarta would summon the Australian ambassador for questioning. However, Sofyan Djalil, the former minister for state-owned enterprises whose name was also on the list of targets, told AFP news agency: “Diplomatic relations always have their ups and downs. This has caused anger in the short-term, but in the long-term we are still neighbours and I think we will overcome this.”

Yudhoyono

Aid efforts in Philippines hit high gear

lobal relief efforts in the Philippines have kicked into high gear, with aid workers,

heavy equipment and life-saving supplies flowing into regions devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.

Philippines survivors receiving aid from a US helicopter in Tacloban

There were initial signs yesterday that communities were beginning to shift from survival mode to the early stages of recovery. Markets were beginning to reopen, though with very limited wares, some petrol stations were pumping and residents were repairing damaged homes or making temporary shelters out of the remains of their old ones. “The darkest night is over but it’s not yet 100 percent,” LieutenantGeneral Roy Deveraturda, regional military commander, said. Nevertheless, residents are desperate to leave the disaster zone amid growing concerns over the lack of food and medicine. And the World Health Organisation (WHO)

is warning of sigificant medical concerns. The November 8 typhoon killed or left missing more than 5,000 people and left four million displaced, requiring food, shelter and water. More than 13 million Filipinos are said to have been affected by the storm, and four million have lost their homes. The first week of the response was chaotic, due to airports in the region being damaged and local governance structures shattered. At the main airport in Tacloban yesterday, a heavy loader was shifting pallets of water and sacks of rice to lorries. On the main road, teams were shifting debris into lorries.

were being stored. But a build-up of hydrogen triggered an explosion in Unit 4, damaging its structure. The removal process, which has been preceded by months of repair work and planning, began yesterday afternoon. “At 15:18 [06:18 GMT], we started to pull up the first fuel assembly with a crane,” a spokesman for Tepco (Tokyo Electric Power Company) said. A recently installed crane is being lowered into the pool and hooked on to the assemblies to place them inside a cask. The fuel rods will then be

deposited into a more secure storage pool with a cooling system. Experts say it is vital that the casks are watertight so the rods have no contact with air - which risks overheating and possible contamination. Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s top government spokesman said he hoped the operation would go as planned. “We hope that this [process] will be conducted in a manner that will not disturb local residents, and that the removal will be done on schedule, properly and safely,” he said.

Japan’s Fukushima begins year long fuel rod removal

orkers at Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have begun removing fuel rods from a storage pond at the Unit 4 reactor building. The delicate operation is seen as a necessary step in stabilising the site. It will take about two days to remove the first 22 fuel rod assemblies, plant operator Tepco says. Overall, more than 1,500 assemblies must be be removed in what correspondents describe as a risky and dangerous operation set to take a year.

Experts say hydrogen explosions after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 have made the current storage facility vulnerable to further tremors. The fuel rod assemblies are four-metre long tubes containing pellets of uranium fuel, and the fear is that some may have been damaged during the disaster. When the tsunami struck, water knocked out cooling systems to three of Fukushima’s reactors, which went into a state of partial meltdown. Unit 4 was undergoing maintenance, so all of its fuel rods

Asia & Middle East Pakistan to try Musharraf for treason

akistan has announced that it would put former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on trial for treason, punishable by death or life imprisonment, for imposing emergency rule in 2007. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced the move in a live television broadcast on Sunday. “Following the judgement of the Supreme Court and a report submitted by an inquiry committee, it has been decided to start proceedings against General Pervez Musharraf under Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution,” he said. “The decision has been taken in the national interest.” The minister said the country’s chief justice would on Monday receive a letter from the government requesting a tribunal of three high court judges to start the proceedings. The government also announced a special prosecutor yesterday. The decision puts the country’s civilian leaders on an unprecedented collision course with the all powerful military. Musharraf, who has maintained his innocence, would be the first military ruler tried for treason in a country that has experienced three military coups in its 66-year history. AfshanAdil,amemberofMusharraf’s legal team and representative of his All Pakistan Muslim League, denounced the decision but said her leader was not afraid. “The government has brought up this case now to divert the attention from itsfailuretoprotectpeople,”AdiltoldAFP news agency. Raza Bokhari, a spokesman of Musharraf, criticised the move calling it an attempt to undermine Pakistan’s military. “We view with grave suspicion the timing of the announcement by the TalibansympatheticNawazgovernment to initiate treason proceedings against former President Musharraf,” Bokhari said in a statement referencing the currentgovernment’swillingnesstohold peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban. “We not only forcefully reject these charges, but also view them as a vicious attempt to undermine the Pakistan Military.” Musharraf is already facing three other major criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, including one related to the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.

Musharraf

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International

War crimes dominate Commonwealth summit C ommonwealth leaders have agreed on steps to tackle high debt and poverty as they staged a show of unity after a summit in Sri Lanka dominated by a bitter dispute over war crimes. Following a three-day meeting in Colombo, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced that a communique had been agreed by the

Commonwealth’s 53 member nations in a summit characterised by “fruitful discussions”. “Issues covered in the communique include development, political values, global threats, challenges and Commonwealth cooperation,” the Sri Lankan president said. But it was a summit overshadowed by calls for an investigation into war

crimes allegedly committed by the Sri Lankan army during the bloody finale in the country’s civil war in 2009, in which the UN says as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians may have been killed. Rajapaksa spent much of the three-day summit deflecting calls for an international inquiry with London-based Amnesty International describing the rising local and

Australia PM Tony Abbott (R), President Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka (2ndR), Prince Charles (middle) with other Commonwealth leaders during the conference in Colombo.

international pressure on the president as “a PR disaster” for Colombo. Steve Crawshaw, Amnesty International director said that those “responsible for past violations, including war crimes, must be held accountable irrespective of rank, and ongoing human rights violations stopped - victims and survivors must see justice done”. “The challenge for the international community is now to keep up the pressure on the Sri Lankan government,” Crawshaw said. Rajapaksa has consistently maintained that no civilians were killed in the final stages of the war. He says he deserves credit for ending a conflict which claimed more than 100,000 lives. The Sri Lankan president has also repeatedly said that Sri Lanka should be allowed to address its past on its own and in its own time. Rajapaksa has also taken a hit from the decision by the leaders of India, Canada and Mauritius to boycott the summit. Canada’s foreign minister even said the decision to allow Colombo to stage such as a gathering was akin to “accommodating evil”.

Police hunt gunman in Paris after newspaper, bank, TV station shootings

olice were hunting a lone gunman on the loose in central Paris yesterday after he opened fire at the offices of a left-wing newspaper and a major bank before hijacking a car to take him to the Champs-Elysees avenue. The shaven-haired assailant, who police said was filmed by video-surveillance cameras, fired shots at the office of Liberation daily, seriously injuring a photographer’s assistant before fleeing, police and staff at the newspaper said. About 90 minutes later, he opened fire outside the suburban headquarters of Societe Generale in the La Defense business district 10 km (6 miles) west of the centre, wounding no one, police and

a spokeswoman for the bank said. He has also been confirmed as the shooter in an incident at a TV station in Paris on Friday. There was no immediate indication of his motive. Shortly afterwards, the same man hijacked a car nearby and forced the driver to drop him on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in central Paris, the driver told police. Police said the description of the car-jacker fitted that of the gunman, who was armed with a hunting rifle or similar weapon. Cartridges found after both attacks corresponded. “As long as this person is still on the loose and we do not know the motives, this represents a

French police are on a manhunt to catch the shooter

threat,” Interior Minister Manuel Valls told reporters outside Liberation’s offices. “We must move fast.” A police helicopter hovered over the Champs-Elysees area to help in the manhunt after

the gunman melted into the crowd. President Francois Hollande, on an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, said “all means” would be deployed to catch the attacker.

Bachelet wins Chile presidential election but faces run off

hile presidential favorite Michelle Bachelet fell short of a decisive victory in Sunday’s elections and while she is favored to win next month’s

Bachelet

run-off vote, she faces an uphill battle to push through an ambitious reform program. Bachelet, who was Chile’s first female president from 2006 to 2010, is expected to beat the governing rightwing’s presidential candidate, Evelyn Matthei, in next month’s runoff vote. But the center-left politician failed to gain the momentum she wanted to earn from an outright victory without the need for a second round, or gain the significant majorities she sought in Congress. Now she will need to woo independents to block the right’s veto power and hope social movements pile pressure on reluctant politicians to approve her flagship reforms to tax and

education. Bachelet’s diverse coalition, which rangesfromtheCommunistPartytothe moderate Christian Democrats, will also need to be kept in check. And she will have to navigate all these tensions at a time when Chile’s economy is cooling. The central bank has forecast growth in Chile of between 4.0 and 4.5 percent in 2013, down from 5.6 percent in 2012. The export-led economy grew 4.7 percent in the third quarter and domestic demand, which has helped fuel growth in recent years, expanded a meager 1.3 percent, data showed yesterday. “Behindthestronggrowthnumbers of recent years, the reality is that Ms. Bachelet is about to take the helm of an

economy that is in worse shape than the one she inherited in 2006,” said Michael Henderson, emerging markets economist at Capital Economics. Under Chile’s unusual electoral system, a dictatorship-era creation which gives the second-place party a bloatedpresenceinCongress,Bachelet’s NuevaMayoriacoalitionnevernurtured much hopes of sweeping the legislative body. The final count has yet to be confirmed, but by Monday morning it seemed Bachelet’s bloc had only definitely clinched the simple majority it needs to pass certain planned reforms, including a hike in corporate taxes, the closing of a business tax loophole and the creation of a state-run pension fund.

Europe and Americas Russia crash plane ‘fell vertically’ at Kazan airport

passenger plane plunged vertically when it crashed onto an airport runway in the Russian city of Kazan, killing all 50 people on board, Russia’s transport minister says. Investigators have found both of the flight recorders, or “black boxes”. The Boeing 737 was arriving from Moscowandtryingtoland,butexploded on impact at about 19:20 local time (15:20 GMT) on Sunday, officials said. The Tatarstan Airlines jet had 44 passengers and six crew on board. A British teacher, Donna Bull, was among those killed. The 53-year-old from Bellersby College in Cambridge was travelling with a Moscow-based colleague, Yana Baranova, who also died. Investigators are now looking at whether a technical failure or crew error may have caused the crash. Russia’s Lenta.ru news website says an act of terrorism has been ruled out. Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said “the plane was vertical, practically vertical,butthe[video]recordings aren’t very high-quality because it was dark”. Investigative committee official Vladimir Markin told Rossiya 24 TV that experts were checking whether poor-quality fuel and weather conditions could have been contributing factors. It was raining in Kazan when the aircraft crashed. The city is by the Volga River, about 720km (450 miles) east of Moscow. Debris and bodies are scattered over a wide area and officials will start collecting DNA from relatives on Monday to help with the identification of victims, Russian media report. Among the dead was Irek Minnikhanov, a son of the president of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, according to the official passenger list. Aleksander Antonov, who headed Tatarstan’s branch of the Federal Security Service, was also among the passengers. The victims also included two children. Russian President Vladimir Putin “expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims in this horrible disaster”,hisspokesmanDmitryPeskov was quoted by the news agency Interfax as saying. A government commission has been set up to investigate the cause, he said. Reports said the pilot, 47-year-old Rustem Salikhov, had already tried to land several times before crashing. The crew had said they were not ready to land because of technical problems, Russian news agencies report. A journalist who said she had flown on the same aircraft from Kazan to Moscow earlier on Sunday told Russia’s Channel TV that there was a strong vibration during the landing in the Russian capital.

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Strange World

Sport scientist loses 24 pounds in 24 hours

oss Edgeley may become everyone’s new best friend after he recently demonstrated that gaining weight doesn’t have everything to do with fat. The 28-year-old sport scientist and writer did an experiment to prove that “your nutrition and self-esteem shouldn’t be governed by the weighing scales if you’re on a diet. So many people are slaves to the scales and have their self-esteem and nutrition governed by them. I hope this experiment will create a healthier relationship between people and the weighing scales and people will realize weight can fluctuate based on many factors, not just fat”. The scientist’s extreme experiment had him trying to lose 14 kilograms in no more than 24 hours. Keep in mind that this was a dangerous experiment that was done under the doctors’ strict supervision, so DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Edgeley’s main goal was that of losing as much water as possible. “As much as 50 per cent to 70 per cent of our body weight is made up of water. So weighing 95kg that means in theory 47.5kg of my body is water weight. Cutting too much water could be fatal since it’s needed for your vital organs to function and even maintain a healthy blood volume, but cutting a lot of water from the body through sweat suits, diuretics and not drinking any that day would dramatically reduce my weight”, he explains. To force the water out of his system, he began his 24-hour experiment by taking a very hot bath with Epsom salt baths. He drank a bit of water spiced with diuretics (vitamin C, dandelion root, caffeine), he didn’t

include carbs nor salt in his diet (salt is known to retain water), he took saunas and went to the gym. By doing that, he managed to lose the 12 kilograms and feel a little light-headed as a result. Since the lost weight was just water, he put it back in just a couple of hours after he had reached his target. Although the method is dangerous and unpleasant, Edgeley succeeded in proving his point that “weighing yourself is an inaccurate measure of body fat and self-esteem”. Here are a few excerpts from the diary he held during those 24 hours: 10:30am I wake up and consult the pages of notes I’ve been compiling from thousands of medical journals over the last few months in preparation. The first note reads: ‘As much as 50 per cent – 70 per cent of our body weight is made up of the water content in your bodies.’ This means your level of hydration can also have a dramatic effect on how much you weight. So put simply, if you were to sweat a lot in the gym or perhaps forget your water bottle, don’t be surprised if you are two or three pounds lighter after the session. It won’t have anything to do with your body fat percentage, but the number on the scales may look better. But with over 24lb to lose I know I needed to incorporate something a little more drastic than forgetting my water bottle to the gym. Instead I begin my day with one ridiculously hot Epsom salt bath coupled with a 100ml bottle of water laced with diuretics.This is the only liquid I am allowed all day. This is all because the body sweats most under hot, humid conditions and there aren’t many things more hot and humid than being cooked like a giant lobster in a

Edgeley (L) before, and after

bath tub. Plus the ‘poisoned chalice’ that was my diuretic-ridden water bottle would also make sure my body didn’t store and hold the tiny amount of water I was allowed for the day – over the course of the day I would go to the loo 20 times. 2pm I drag my weary body to the gym and put it on a treadmill for 45 minutes, while all the time resisting the lure of the water fountain. To make things worse, I was also wearing four layers of clothes with black bin bags sellotaped to my arms, legs and body to increase the amount I sweat. Usually I quite enjoy the gym but those 45 minutes were some of the worst I ever spent down there. 2:00pm – 6:00pm

I won’t lie, this time was all pretty boring and consisted of more baths, more ‘baby food’ and me trying to force down a steak with absolutely no seasoning on. 6:30pm Me and my stomach have fallen out because of the water famine and I could only manage two mouthfuls of steak and a few lettuce leaves. 7:30pm I visit the gym for one last time. Looking gaunt I actually feel surprisingly perky since I just took 150mg of caffeine to help get my body over the final hurdle, plus caffeine is a diuretic itself. The effects soon wore off though and this time I was only able to manage 30 minutes

on the treadmill before my feet would literally not leave the floor and I had to hit the big red emergency stop button. Dragging myself to the changing room I then slowly got undressed and entered the sauna to lose the final six pounds. 9:00pm Standing on the scales for one last time I nervously await the scales decision as it flickers and calculates my number. 13st, I’ve done it! Over 24 pounds lost in less than 24 hours! Wasting no time finding my underwear I ran to my bag and necked a pre-made four litre bottle of water with diluted multi vitamins and electrolytes, much to the amazement of full changing room who had no idea of the last 24 hours I’ve endured.

Woman shuns modern technology for Victorian-era style

Chrisman

hile some people want to make the most of technology by adding more and more fancy gadgets to their daily lives, others simply prefer going back to the basics. Meet Sarah Chrisman, a 33-year-old Seattle resident who decided to ditch almost every aspect of modern life, from cooking to clothing, and embrace a Victorian-era lifestyle. Although she has liked the stories from the Victorian age ever since she was a little girl, the big change took place just 4 years ago, when Sarah received a unique birthday present from her husband. “I have always loved the Victorian era, ever since I was a little girl. My first corset was given to me by my husband on my 29th birthday, and unexpectedly, I really thoroughly enjoyed it.” The feeling she had when wearing the corset determined her to change her lifestyle entirely: Sarah now wears custom-made Victorian clothes, tries not to use any appliances that didn’t existintheVictorianage(suchasthenow mundanewashingmachine),gaveupher car for a 100-years-old bike, she uses old fashioned cleaning methods instead of modern detergents and cooks using the recipes found in 19th century women’s magazines. That’s right, this modern-day

Victorian woman enjoys the 1889 edition of Cosmopolitan, and because she considers her lifestyle very exciting, sheevenwroteabook,“VictorianSecrets. WhataCorsetTaughtMeAboutthePast, thePresentandMyself”. Shealsostudied the Victorian age etiquette. Sarah has the full support of her husband, Gabriel, a Masters of Library and Information Science graduate. “We both love history. He participates and we have a lot of fun together. We’re always experimenting with new ways to enrich our lives”, explains Sarah. The couple’s friends, though intrigued by their new old lifestyle, are very supportive and they still share the same passions. “The wonderful thing is, our friends are friends — our interests are still the same. We still enjoy discussing academic matters and things like hiking”. Ah, hiking! You’d think it would be difficult to engage in such an activity while wearing a corset, but Sarah found a solution: she reproduced the climbing outfit of Fay Fuller, the first woman who reached the peak of Mount Rainier in 1890. Wearing a corset has had outstanding effects on Sarah’s waistline: in just a year, it dropped from 32 inches to only 22. “Honestly, the corset lets me know when I’m full! I don’t have to worry about eating too much”. Apart

from shrinking her waistline, Sarah believes the corset forced her to improve her posture. The people’s reaction to Sarah’s nowadays unconventional ways is usually a positive one, with very few exceptions. “People have mixed reactions. Some are enthusiastic and positive. The other day an old man ran out of a restaurant to tell me I made his day, he said: <You look beautiful>. But there are perfect strangers who find what I wear such a point of contention. Somewomenscreamoppression—that I choose to wear a corset. But I focus on the positives. I don’t find it restricting at all, in fact I’d venture to say that it’s liberating to live how I want to!” Sarah chooses to explore only the bright side of the Victorian age. What you may not have known is that some ideas of today’s technology were born in those times. “As far as technology goes, people don’t realize how early a lot of technology came into being. You could say the Victorian internet was born in the 19th century. And in the 1870s, two inventors Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell independently designed the telephone. And the world’s first public electricity supply was provided in late 1881, when the streets of Godalming in the UK were lit with electric light”, Sarah explains.

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Digest

Men who turn into mid-life fitness fanatics may actually be harming their health By Angela Epstein

truggling to fasten the buttons on a waistband, the glimpse of an emerging paunch, or a sudden realisation that climbing the stairs feels like taking on Everest - whatever the catalyst, an increasing number of flabby, fortysomething men are shaking off their sedentary lifestyles and embracing a programme of highintensity exercise. Researchers Mintel found the biggest growth in bike sales in Britain was among men approaching middle age - more than half of men aged 35 to 44 have one. Known as MAMILs - Middle-Aged Men In Lycra - they exchange nights in front of the TV for frantic sessions on the treadmill in an attempt to get fit, lose weight and reduce the risk of a heart attack. Dr Glyn Thomas, a consultant cardiologist at the Bristol Heart Institute, says: ‘Sometimes men in their 40s may find themselves having a routine medical or health check and will discover their blood pressure or cholesterol is on the high side. This acts as a wake-up call and they throw themselves into exercising and taking on challenges such as 5k or 10k runs.’ However, an excessive, vigorous and unsupervised exercise routine might not be as healthy as it seems. Emerging science suggests there is a threshold of distance, intensity or

duration for even the hardiest fitness fanatic, and overshooting this can have a serious impact, particularly on cardiovascular health. A study presented at the American Academy of Family Physicians found middle-aged men who run marathons are at significantly greater risk of cardiac arrest. This was tragically highlighted by the death of Michael McErlain, a 45-year-old Army surgeon, as he competed in a 44-mile charity D-Day run along the Normandy beaches in France last June. The seemingly superfit Lieutenant-Colonel, from Hindhead, Surrey, died from undiagnosed heart disease. So why does intense exercise put even fit men at risk? As we get older the efficiency with which the heart pumps blood round the body and the way both the heart and the muscles use oxygen in the blood changes and becomes less efficient, says Eddie Chaloner, a consultant vascular surgeon at Lewisham Hospital, SouthEast London. ‘The arteries start to fur up and narrow as part of the ageing process,’ he adds. Undertaking vigorous exercise without building it up in a calm fashion can cause a dramatic rise in blood pressure, leading to an imbalance between the demand of the heart muscle for oxygen and the ability of the coronary arteries to supply it. All of

Greater risk: Middle-aged men who run extensively (like actor Hugh Jackman, pictured) are significantly more likely to suffer cardiac arrest

which could trigger a heart attack, says Dr Thomas. ‘I see a lot of middle-aged men in my clinic who have taken up excessive exercise because they have hit 40,’ he adds. ‘They have panicked because they have put on weight or got high blood pressure and may have been referred to me for further investigations. ‘But people don’t realise that, aside from the risk of a heart attack, taking up exercise this way can actually lead to heart problems. Excessive exercise in middle-aged men can trigger atrial fibrillation - a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. ‘One in five strokes is caused by this - and the kind of stroke caused by atrial fibrillation is more likely to be fatal.’ In a review published in the journal Heart, two leading U.S. cardiologists looked at the heart health of 50,000 people over 30 and found that the 14,000 runners in the study were likely to live longer than non-exercisers, but only if they ran between five and 20 miles a week, not more. The cardiologists concluded that exercising intensely for more than an hour or two may damage the heart, causing its tissue to stretch, tear and scar and raising the odds of dangerous changes in heart rhythm. Taking up intensive exercise can also have an effect on joints, says Professor Tony Kochhar, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at South London Healthcare NHS Trust and BMI The Sloane Hospital. ‘Cycling, for example, can be a particular problem for the hips,’ he says. ‘The body is no longer designed to deliver the way it could in our youth, so we have to adapt.’ There’s no doubt the right level of exercise for middle-aged men is hugely beneficial for health - in terms of heart muscle strength, blood pressure and circulation. By the time they hit their 40s, men start to lose muscle and gain fat. Meanwhile, loss of muscle and bone density, caused by dropping levels of the male hormone testosterone, can make muscles and ligaments stiff and tight, and more prone to injury. Hugh Montgomery, professor of intensive care medicine and director of the Institute for Human Health and Performance at University College, London, says: ‘Exercise can help reduce the risk of so many health conditions from obesity and depression to diabetes and bowel cancer - which is the second most likely disease after heart disease to kill middle-aged men.’ Exercising at this life stage can also give a man’s sex life a boost. A Dublin study of 900 men in their 50s found those who shed their spare tyres through exercise had a higher sperm count and stronger erections, as exercise prevents levels of the male sex hormone testosterone from dropping. Meanwhile, a study by the University

The right recipe: MAMIL Gordon Ramsay on a run

of Montreal of overweight middleaged men who exercised regularly for just a few months found that as their waists shrunk, their mental agility grew. This was thought to be down to exercise improving arterial health, making the body more efficient at using oxygen pumped in the blood to the brain. So how should a middle-aged man go about exercising safely? It’s advisable to find out if you are already at an increased risk of heart disease through diabetes or high blood pressure - both of which can be assessed through blood tests organised by your GP. Tell your doctor of any family history of heart disease and stroke. It’s then important to start by spending several weeks simply becoming more active during the day, perhaps by using the stairs or walking to the shops, says John Dearing, a sports injury surgeon at Carrick Glen Hospital in Ayr. After that, build up your fitness level slowly, perhaps walking 20 to 40 minutes, three times a week. ‘You should walk, cycle or whatever you choose to do with enough exertion to become mildly breathless, but you should still be able to talk in sentences,’ adds Professor Montgomery. It’s not just your heart you need to protect. Warming up is very important to avoid muscle strain - this should take up about 10 per cent of the time of your session, says John Miles, the medical head at Cardiff Blues rugby club. This could include basic movements such as lunges, squats and

stretches for the lower limb muscles. Once you feel as if fitness has improved, and you want to start speeding up then do this gradually. Dr Dearing adds: ‘If you take up, say, jogging, start by doing ten to 15 minutes. If you manage that without a problem, then do 20 minutes the following day.’ Establish distance before you think about speed. Once you can jog a mile-anda-half, you can vary your run with ten seconds of sprinting, followed by slowing down for a minute and then repeating three times - a system known as Fartlek training (from the Swedish for ‘speed play’, it means varying exercise with periods of intensity). It’s important to keep note of any symptoms that could suggest a strain on your cardiovascular system. Dr Thomas warns: ‘If you have any chest pain or discomfort when exercising, you must get it checked out. ‘Heart pain occurs as a crushing pain across the chest, not just on the left side as people mistakenly think. Nausea and breathlessness when exercising can also be a sign of heart issues.’ Unfortunately, there is no castiron guarantee that your heart will be fine. But as Dr Dearing points out: ‘Increasing physical activity has huge benefits - and some exercise is always better than none. ‘But take a sensible approach, otherwise you run the risk of doing more harm than good.’ Source: Dailymail.co.uk

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APC membership drive: An ominous challenge to PDP’s hegemony Analysis By Lawrence Olaoye

aying that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is growing goose pimples over the current membership drive of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is like stating the obvious. Like a vulture feasting on a carcass, the leadership of the APC has been hovering around the aggrieved members of the PDP, particularly, the seven breakaway governors who have literarily become the new bride in the nation’s political circles ahead of 2015 general, nay Presidential elections. Following the delay in the reconciliation move initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan to rein in the aggrieved governors including those of Adamawa, Niger, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kano, Rivers and Kwara states, christened the G7, the opposition APC, currently controlling eleven of the nation’s 36 states, has found an avenue to woo them into to its fold. Consequent upon the calculation that the ranks of the ruling party may have been irretrievably broken as a result of the discordant tunes coming from the feuding PDP chieftains, the leadership of the opposition APC found the golden opportunity of capitalizing on the division to fester its own nests. Although there existed a subtle camaraderie between some PDP bigwigs and stakeholders in the APC, it was done clandestinely. But with the festering crisis in the ruling PDP, the relationship between critical stakeholders in the two parties have burgeoned. With the decision of seven aggrieved governors on the platform of the ruling party to breakaway and the continued bad blood among the members of the ruling party, the leadership of the APC has found an opportunity to extend its dragnet into the enemies frontiers with a view to getting the aggrieved lots in the PDP. To this extent, leaders of the APC including Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the Interim National Chairman of

Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

the party, Chief Bisi Akande and other high heeled members of the party have constituted themselves into a mobilization panel targeting only the PDP aggrieved governors. So far, the APC big-wigs have succeeded in visiting all the aggrieved PDP G7governors including those of Adamawa, Niger, Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kwara and Rivers states. Apart from Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state who seems to have made up his mind to leave the PDP from his words and deeds, others have not been so predictable in their utterances. Responding to the APC’s plea for him to join the progressives movement, Nyako, who has never hidden his disdain for the leadership of the PDP said said “the PDP is very, very sick. If APC means making Nigeria a key player in Africa, or saving Nigeria, securing Nigeria, I don’t mind being in any political party.” Responding to the mission statement of the marauding APC delivered by Buhari, the Kano state governor, who was non committal, said “I will sit down with all stakeholders because there is no decision I can take as governor without consulting the stakeholders of the party. Kwankwasiyya movement is a disciplined movement. We are working as a group and a team,’’ he said. “Certainly we will sit down all of us and look at all the challenges and the consequences if any, and together we will take decision on what to do and communicate to you.” The governor, who had severally hinted that the

Chief Bisi Akande

aggrieved governors of PDP might join the APC if talks with Jonathan breaks down, however said that he was happy that the leadership of the opposition party, which comprised highly respected Nigerians, found him worthy of the visit, pointing out that he had associated in one way or the other with most leaders of the party in the past 20 years. In Dutse, Jigawa State, Governor Sule Lamido also disappointed his visitors as they could not extract much commitment from him on whether he would dump the PDP or not. The governor was reported to have expressed gratitude to the opposition leaders, adding that their initiative went beyond politics because it was about the future of the country. Lamido said he owed Nigeria a duty to make it progress because the country had been good to him. He added that he had achieved much more than his imagination and therefore would support anything being done to rescue the country. Also in Sokoto, the state governor, Aliyu Wamakko told the visiting APC chieftain to give him time to make adequate consultations with his people on the matter. He however dropped a hint which raised the hopes of the opposition when he declared that “ In Sokoto, we believe in justice and fairplay. We believe in true democracy and string united Nigeria. We are in the 21st century and the period of where you can just intimidate people into submission is over.” In Minna, the leader of the G7 and the Niger state governor, Dr, Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu

said: “I said it that the coming together of the ACN, ANPP and CPC brought radicalism closer. The emergence of APC is a harbinger for a proper revolution; a revolution that will now sanitize the politics of Nigeria”. He, however, warned the ruling party to be “cautious, tread softly and be tolerant” with opposition parties, predicting that “the ruling party today may be in opposition tomorrow”. Commending the leaders of the APC for their foresight in coming together, Aliyu said the party’s emergence on the political landscape would bring the best out of the 2015 elections as “Nigerians would have the opportunity to have two major parties to seek for their favour”. Though he was noncommittal about the request of the APC leaders to join the party, Aliyu said: “We have declared ceasefire because we are negotiating. After that, you can come with a blast. If we resolve, we will still be friends and if we don’t resolve, you will have as many of us as possible. As a group, we the G7 are people who keep to agreement.” In Kwara state, governor Abdulfatah Ahmed told the opposition leader that he would consult with his stakeholders and respond accordingly while the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, introduced sarcasm when he told the opposition leaders that he would like to consult first with President Goodluck Jonathan before making up his kind whether to dump the PDP for APC or not. Amaechi’s response to the opposition leaders drew the ire

of the officials in the government circles. While some regard the statement as an assault on the person of the President, others considered it a joke carried too far by the governor. Even as the opposition is moving menacingly among the aggrieved members of the PDP, the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur led party has continued to dig deeper into the trenches. An Appeal court recently ordered the reinstatement of the sacked National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagnsoye Oyinlola, but the PDP leadership has claimed that it has yet to be served the court ruling, close to two weeks after the the judgment. As if that was not enough, the party’s National Working Committee moved swiftly to suspend Oyinlola alongside other arrow-heads of the breakaway group chaired by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje. Critics argue that a party desirous of reconciliation and integration of all its aggrieved members ought to seize the window of the Appeal Court ruling to rein in the aggrieved governors and members. But, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, while briefing newsmen on the resolution of the PDP NWC to suspend Oyinlola and others explained that they were sanctioned for anti party activities and attempting to bring the party’s name into disrepute. With their rejection in the PDP and the reluctance of the President to continue his mediatory roles toward bringing lasting peace into the party, the coast seems clearer for the aggrieved PDP members to try their political luck elsewhere. But the question in political circles is whether the APC would be good enough to accommodate the centrifugal and centripetal forces those breakaway PDP members represent. Already, some foundation members of the APC have shown resentment to the idea of having the G7 berthing Nevertheless, the ruling party’s political hegemony is being seriously challenged and there are fears that the PDP may have its nose bloodied in the 2015 general, nay Presidential elections, if the crisis rocking the party is not remedied.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Politics Anambra Election: APC taking hypocrisy too far, says Ekiti guber candidate APC has no Adeyeye said “The party 10 out of the 30 local councils in elections in the 208 polling units ‘interim’ officials From Adesoji Oyinlola, Lagos must first surrender Osun and Osun State, and cancellation of where election was cancelled, added in Niger state fenifere Chieftain and Ekiti States that it got through six out of the 177 wards in Ekiti that; “Even though INEC ought to By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

ember representing Kontagora (1) in Niger state House of Assembly, Hon. Nuradeen Muhammed Umar, has said that the last week’s appointment of interim officials of All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state was null and void. Umar, who made this known to journalists yesterday, said the appointment lacked wide consultation, which is not in tandem with the norms of APC. According to him, APC has about 30 councilors, few members of House of Assembly and a serving Senator, but that none of them was consulted before the appointment and inauguration. He urged the party supporters in the state not to deal with the appointed officials, saying that no meeting was held before they were appointed. “As far as we are concerned, APC does not have interim state officials in Niger state. Some people in the party just gathered themselves together and inaugurated some people and themselves as the interim officials of the party in the state. The party has more than 30 councilors, a few number of Member at the House of Assembly and a serving Senator; none of us was consulted before the inauguration and there was no meeting held before it was done. So, the inauguration is null and void and no APC supporter in Niger should work with the official,” he said. Umar further said the party would not have any kind of officials until the meeting which was long ago billed for the end of this month is held and issues deliberated upon. It would be recalled that APC inaugurated interim state officials for the party in Minna, last week and Barr. David Umar, a two times gubernatorial candidate under the platform of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and Bako Shettima, the governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) at the 2011 election, were at that meeting.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacked moral rights to complain if voters are disenfranchised in any election in Nigeria.

disenfranchisement of thousands of voters before its complaints on the Anambra State election can be taken seriously.” Adeyeye, who said the APC was taking its hypocrisy too far, noted that; “A party that benefited from the cancellation of votes from

State does not posses the required moral faculty to complain if voters are disenfranchised anywhere in Nigeria.” The governorship aspirant, who hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s decision to conduct a supplementary

L-R: Enugu state APGA Chairman, Mr. Sunday Nwachukwu, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Enugu state, Dr. Lawrence Azubike, PDP Enugu state Secretary, Mr. Steve Oruruo, and PDP state Chairman, Chief Vita Abba, after a stakeholders’ election, recently in Enugu. Photo: NAN

have done better in the Anambra State election, the decision to conduct supplementary elections so as not to disenfranchise voters from areas where elections were cancelled is commendable.” In a statement issued in AdoEkiti yesterday and signed by the Director General, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement (PAAM), Hon Bisi Kolawole, the governorship aspirant maintained that while other parties can complain of disenfranchisement of voters, APC should not. He said “It is very interesting to hear the APC Spokesperson, Lai Mohammed complaining about disenfranchisement of few voters from Idemili North, South and Awka South that he described as the party’s strong support zone. “Interesting in the sense that in Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi of the APC is the governor because votes from six wards, including Segun Oni’s hometown, Ifaki-Ekiti were cancelled. Meaning that the court disenfranchised people from six out of the 177 wards in Ekiti, including Segun Oni and his family members. “This is the height of hypocrisy and it has become necessary for these characters in the APC to be told in plain language that Nigerians are not morons as they think,” he stressed.

Bauchi APC group agitates for internal democracy in party From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

group known as Bauchi state All Progressives Congress Progressive Circle has begun to agitate for internal democracy in the party in state just as they expressed the optimism that th party could win the 2015 general elections if all stake holders could bury their differences and work for the party. Chairman of the group, Alhaji Uba Ahmed Nana, stated this yesterday while

briefing newsmen on the latest development after disruption of the last APC convention to elect the new state Interim Exco of the party in Bauchi. He said “fairness will solve the problems of election of new state Interim leadership of the party. We welcome any officer, who ever he is if he is appointed by the national leadership of the party to oversee the affairs of the party in the state. But if we are to elect our interim chairman, we want fairness; the party should allow us a free hand to elect

whoever we feel will lead us to succeed in order to strengthen internal democracy; not to allow people with selfish interest to hijack the party in order to fulfil their selfish interest. But we need a neutral leader that will build the party” Nana said all the major parties which formed the new APC in the state have their own peculiar internal wrangling before they coalesced into APC, but now that they have merged, all stakeholders should bury all their differences and work

together for the progress of the party in the state. He described the disruption of the last party meeting to elect the state Interim Committee as normal political intrigues but unfortunate. “The the problem is normal and there would be no take over until the right thing is done; we still have time and we will come out more stronger”, The Chairman pledged their support to the leadership of the party to organise another meeting to elect the state interim Leadership.

Anambra: Group tasks INEC on credible electoral process By Umar Muhammad Puma

ollowing the declaration of last Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Anambra State as inconclusive by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a Civil Society Group, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), has called on INEC to improve on transparency and accountability of the electoral process ahead of the 2015 general election. Briefing newsmen on the

outcome of the Anambra election, the chairman of the group, Comrade Zikirullahi M. Ibrahim, noted with concerns irregularities recorded during the process and advised INEC to, among others, address the issue of late arrivals of materials. “We have observed the entire electoral process in Anambra gubernatorial election and have identified critical issues based on reports from our citizens observers which they sent via coded text massages. It

reveals that there were serious shortcomings”. Some of the problems identified by the group include late arrival election materials at polling units; simultaneous accreditation and voting, where individuals being allowed to accredit and vote after accreditation had closed; refusal of INEC officials to accredit individuals with voter’s cards, among others. The group also advised INEC to expedite resolution of election

petitions, as well as made available voters’ register to civil organization as well as publish on time the result of the election by polling units. The group also said that it deployed a total of 633 observers for the Anambra Gubernatorial Election. Out of which 33 were mobile supervisors who moved around the state and 600 assigned to specific polling units. “TMG stationary observers sent in more than 3,000 text messages with over 20,000 individual pieces of

information about the conduct of the Election Day process”., “We call on all the people of Anambra State to remain calm as they await INEC’s announcement of results. We will continue to observe the process and as appropriate issue additional statements and reports. As part of the Quick Count, we will provide independent verification of the official results as announced by INEC to enhance the transparency and accountability of the process”, he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

BRIEFS

CBN flags off consumer awareness campaign in Gombe

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said that since inception of duty of its management in 2009, the financial system was virtually on the brink of collapse. The Director Consumer Protection Department at the CBN, Hajiya Ummi Dutse who made the disclosure yesterday in Gombe while briefing newsmen said there was crisis in the financial market that led to global financial crisis. She revealed that the extensive and in- depth study of the financial system revealed that lack of consumer sophistication was amongst factors responsible for the collapse of the financial system. According to her, CBN had introduced a reform to sensitise the system, adding that the Consumer Protection was included as a cardinal component of the reform programme. Speaking further, the director said as the part of effort to promote sound and stable financial system as enshrined in the CBN Act, consumer protection department was saddled with the responsibility of regulating conduct of financial service providers so as to engender trust in the financial system. Ummi said the awareness campaign by the CBN is expected to kick off today, urging all stakeholders in the state to take the awareness campaign seriously in order to sensitise the public in their areas. From David Hassan, Gombe

Kaduna state govt releases N180m to upgrade abattoirs

aduna State Government has released N180 million as its counterpart funding for upgrading of abattoirs in the state, as three value chains for Commercial Agricultural Development Project (CADP). The Permanent Secretary of the state who is also overseeing Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Paulina Hassan, disclosed this during the CADP/ STAPLE Crop Processing Zone Implementation support supervision mission yesterday in Kaduna. Mrs. Hassan said the state governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, was impressed with 75 percent of his people engaged in agriculture, adding that releasing N180 million, was to assist the World Bank project. From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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News Extra

Keffi old boys make case for taking over alma mater From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

embers of the Keffi Old Boys Association (KOBA) have indicated their interest to take over the management of their alma mater, the Government College Keffi, from the Nasarawa state government. The KOBA arrived at its decision in a communiqué signed by the president of the association, General Emmanuel Abisoye (rtd) at the end of its Annual General

Meeting (AGM), which held at the weekend in Keffi. While commending the state government for her effort in educational programmes, especially the renovation and re-equipping of four science laboratories, KOBA however lamented what it described as the gradual decline in the educational standard of the institution, adding that it intends to take over the running of the school from the owners, through proper negotiations.

Earlier in a welcome address, Gen. Abisoye traced the history of the school, saying that students of the college had “education, culture and were trained to be responsible.” He however expressed fears that the Nasarawa state government, with over 1000 schools competing for the same budget,”may after all not be able to cope with the burden.” “We want to do the state government a favour, let them

please hand over the school to KOBA. We will take over the running of the school,” he pleaded. As part of the activities marking the reunion, the KOBA president announced the donation of a trophy by Justice Nasiru Ajana, the Chief Judge of Kogi state, for the Inter House Basketball Championship, in honour of the late Bashir Muazu Ruma, also an old boy, as well as an annual monetary donation of N100,000 to be lodged in a dedicated account.

L-R: Futures Team, Department of Energy and Climate Change, Whitehall Place, London, Dr. Jan Kiso, member, Department of Energy and Climate Change, London, Mr. Greg Haien, Director General, Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Professor Eli Bala, and First Secretary, Science, Innovation and Climate Change, British High Commission, Abuja, Mr. David Woolf, during the joint workshop on Agenda on Nigeria Energy and Emission 2050 Calculator Project, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Nigerian doctors charge colleagues on regular medical check-up

wo medical experts yesterday in Lagos urged doctors to also seek medical care to stay healthy and avoid sudden death. The two medical experts told Journalists in separate interviews that many doctors were busy taking care of patients without considering their own health. Dr. Kay Adesola, National Secretary, Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), said that recent record showed that many doctors

had died prematurely. Adesola said that it was autopsy that usually revealed that such doctors had certain ailments which were not treated or properly managed. According to him, most doctors go about their daily activities without knowing they have health challenges, and those who were aware of their health status do not find time to go for medical investigations. Adesola said that most physicians were “caught up” in the trivialities of medical practice which affected their

health mentally and physically. He explained, that doctors worked longer hours, see more patients to ensure that they provide solutions to patients’ health needs, as well as make ends meet. “Our patients respect us by hanging- on to every word we say. They depend on our advice and expertise to stay healthy and alive,” he said. Adesola, however, advised doctors to place priority on their health status as they do with their

patients. On his part, Dr Kofo Dabiri, a paediatrician, said that most doctors were victims of extreme psychological distress and heart disease. Dabiri said that most physicians were exposed to occupational hazards, adding that their daily operations affected their emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing. “Doctors are not heartless; their failures weigh heavily on them. (NAN)

ASUU strike: Unilorin VC urges parties to set up implementation committee From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

he Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, has called on the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to put in place a monitoring committee that would ensure that agreements reached between both parties are faithfully implemented in order to forestall future disruption of

academic activities. Ambali who made this submission during an interview with journalists said the establishment of the monitoring committee was necessary so that the agreements reached between the two parties would be seen to be implemented in order to minimise the chances of having conflicts, which could be detrimental to the development of tertiary education in Nigeria. “Whenever agreements

are reached, everybody signs, individuals go home with the signed documents, but nobody sits down to mediate between the two to ensure that what has been signed is being implemented. And that has been our problem. “Whenever an agreement is signed, ASUU hangs on to the document and they continue to open each page as the time goes by and continue to jot down those things that were agreed upon that

have not been implemented. But if there is a monitoring committee in place, ASUU could go to that committee and sound a note of warning on aspect that are being neglected”. The Vice-Chancellor stressed his administration’s commitment towards providing improved teaching and learning environment for students, continuous training and retraining of staff and adequate welfare package for members of staff.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

News Extra

Why we can’t give military training to youth corps members – Board

Workers pelt LG boss with sachet water for non-payment of salary

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

he National Board of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, has ruled out the possibility of including one year military programme, as was requested by some members of the public. Chairman of the Board, Alhaji Tijani Adekanbi told the deputy governor of Niger state, Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto at government house in Minna yesterday during a courtesy visit. According to Alhaji Adekanbi, the primary reason why the NYSC cannot give military training to corps members as is being requested is because, after the one year military training, there is nowhere the corps members will be posted. He said, “If we give them one year military training, we have to absorb them into any of the services”, addingthat if they are allowed to be on their own, it will be dangerous for the country. The Chairman of the board also noted that the scheme is currently working out a guideline that must be followed by all corps members wile embarking on their community development service to ensure that “over ambitious projects”, with huge financial demands are not embarked upon. On the issue of fake NYSC camps and fake NYSC certificates, the Chairman called for more vigilance on the part of employers of labour insisting that that there is no way the NYSC discharged certificates can be forged. He therefore asked employers to always before promoting any staff, cross-check the validity of the NYSC certificates tendered by the worker. He maintained that influential Nigerians who try to make their children evade the mandatory one year service are subjecting them to risk in the future as they would not be eligible for employment or contest election without the discharge certificate. Responding, the Niger state deputy governor, said the NYSC scheme has assisted the state in the implementation of its education and health programmes through the provision of qualified manpower and has brought about exposure.

From Mike Etim, Uyo ome aggrieved striking council workers of Uyo Local Government Council of Akwa Ibom State yesterday pelted the local government chairman Mr. Ekerette Ekpeyoung with sachet water for non-payment of salaries. The incident occurred while the chairman who had taken a position on top of his Hilux truck, to pacify the workers who had gathered in their hundreds at the council premises on the need for the staff to call off their two weeks old strike and go back to work. However, some aggrieved workers who did not agree with the position of the Council boss, in

respect of the non-payment of their three months salaries and leave grants, left the scene and went across the road. According to report, they started throwing sachet of water which landed on the Chairman’s Hilux truck and temporarily disrupted his speech and sent the other workers scampering for safety. Irked by what he termed “disrespect,” the Chairman threatened to throw in a resignation letter if the workers dared walk out on him. Addressing the workers earlier before the incident, the council Chairman had expressed the inability of the council to meet with the workers’ demand stating that

the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of the local government was no longer tenable with the increasing responsibility of the local government. He said the problem of local government calls for the need for federal government to change the revenue formula. “The current revenue formula was formulated in 2001 and since then government has employed a lot of people into the local government system, they have done a lot of promotions, and they have employed a lot of teachers into the primary school system because of the compulsory education.” “They have to change the revenue system and pump in more

money into the local government system. “This is the only way out,” the chairman stressed. Disagreeing with the Chairman’s stance, the Chairperson of the Uyo branch of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Idoreyin Nyong stated that the workers will not resume their work unless their salary allowance were paid. “Our greatest problem is our salary, even if he tells us to work now, we don’t mind opening the doors but we need our money. “I don’t know if it is stolen money but they have paid their salaries. “We are just begging you, if you have to steal money we would not mind,” the NULGE chairperson remarked.

L-R: Conveners, Say No Campaign on the State of Corruption and Impunity in Nigeria, Mr. Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, Comrade Ezenwa Nwagwu, Head of Secretariat, Barrister Samson Itodo, and SNC secretariat staff, Ms. Cynthia Mbamalu, during Civil Society Organisations’ media briefing on high level of corruption and impunity in Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

FRSC blames multiple accidents on Benin-Ore express way on robbers From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

he Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Edo on Monday attributed multiple accidents involving six trucks on the BeninOre expressway to armed robbery attacks. The FRSC toll-gate unit commander, Mr. Adewale Ameen,

who confirmed the accident to newsmen, however said that no life was lost in the incident which lasted for hours on Saturday night. Ameen said the six trucks involved in the accident were burnt beyond recognition. He said, “As I speak with you, the fire is still ranging and our men are on standby to control traffic.

“The robbery incident caused a container to fall across the road and as two other unsuspecting trucks got to the scene, in an attempt to escape from the robbers, they rammed into the container. “But the unfortunate thing was that a truck laden with 33 litres of petrol rammed into the other trucks which caught fire.

“I can confirm that no live was lost in the accident and our men are on ground to control traffic. “We have completely blocked the Ore side of the express and have diverted traffic to the Benin lane. “We are also appealing to motorists and travellers from Lagos end to go through Ogbemudia farms,’’ he said.

Market women charge men to support wives in business From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

he President General of the Market Women and Men Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Felicia Sani has charged men all over the country to support their wives to set up businesses and occupations that would not only transform them to be self-

reliant but stop them from over dependence on the husbands. Sani gave this advice yesterday in Bauchi during the inauguration ceremony of the state’s newly elected executive members of the association where she said that it is high time for the women to ceased being liabilities and contribute to the economic development of the

society. She attributed the endemic poverty faced by the women in the country to laziness on the side of the women adding that the association was formed about 14 years ago with the objective of empowering and promoting entrepreneurship among members. Mrs Sani who opined

that most of the rich people in the nation are successful business men explaining that the association had sourced a loan of N100 million from Edo state government for women’s entrepreneurship development, and promised that all qualified members would get the money and repay it at instalment without

interest. The pioneer state president, Mrs Maryam B. Gazo was swornin during the ceremony alongside her executive council members including Hajiya Lami, Grace Musa, Altine Usman, Indo sarkin fadan miri, yusuf sabo, Danladi Dan madami, ilu Idi and Armaya’u Yahaya.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 41

orld champions Golden Eaglets are in line for plots of land in Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja, officials said. “We have filled forms for plots of land in Abuja,” Coach Manu Garba disclosed to newsmen. “All the players and officials filled these forms.” Some observers had blasted the federal government for not rewarding the history-making team with a more enduring gift like land or houses as was the case when the same team won in 2007. The Super Eagles received plots of land in Abuja when they won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in February. A top official said the government ought to have done a lot more

overnor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State at the weekend dubbed the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Alhaji Aminu Maigari the “coolest and most silent achiever in football administration.” The occasion was the inaugural edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, which held at the Pearl Hall of Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel, Calabar. Speaking after being presented his Football-friendly Governor of the Year award by Maigari, Governor Imoke said, with a matter-of-fact mien. “I receive this award with every sense of humility. But I believe those who do the real work and give us all joy are the Executive Board and Management of the NFF.

Mikel

Iheinacho

families. “The rewards could have been better and so it was very disappointing for both the players and officials,” he revealed. “But it is hoped the government

properly.”

“The gentleman beside me here (Maigari, who presented him the award) is the coolest and most silent achiever in football administration. Alongside, his board, they have turned around the fortune of Nigeria football and are heading for the sky. “I really commend them for their groundbreaking feats. It is a long time that our country, our people have had so much to celebrate within a short span of time. “We have just won the FIFA U-17 World Cup ticket only eight days after lifting the FIFA U-17 World Cup to set a global record. “In fact, the successes have piled up so high that we are almost forgetting that it is in this same year that we won the Africa Cup of Nations.” Maigari, Chairman of NFF Technical and Development Committee, Barrister Chris Green, General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, Nigeria’s FIFA Security Officer ACP Gideon Akinsola and PresidentGeneral of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Dr. Rafiu Oladipo was presented with Football Achievement Awards. Another member of the NFF Executive Committee, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu was named Club Manager of the Year. Super Eagles’ midfielder and Chelsea FC ace, John Mikel Obi was crowned Best Midfielder and King of Pitch (Player of the Year), with Perpetua Nkwocha, four-time African Woman Player of the Year, named Queen of Pitch. Eagles’ number one Vincent Enyeama was crowned Goalkeeper of the Year; Godfrey Oboabona won Defender of the

Year and Emmanuel Emenike, top scorer at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, emerged Striker of the Year. Other winners included Stephen Keshi (Coach of the Year); Jelili Ogunmuyiwa (Referee of the Year); John Shittu (Players’ Agent of the Year); Kano Pillars (Club of the Year); Ade Ojeikere (Journalist of the Year Print); Bimbo Adeola (Journalist of the Year – Radio); Toyin Ibitoye (Journalist of the Year TV) and Lagos State (Best Grassroots Development Programme). Member, NFF Technical and Development Committee and CAF General Coordinator, Etubom Paul Bassey and former Super Eagles’ captain Jay Jay Okocha, also a member of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, were given Special Recognition awards. Present at the awards were Governor Imoke, his wife Barrister (Mrs) Obioma Liyel Imoke, Cross River State Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Patrick Ugbe, NFF President Alhaji Aminu Maigari, NFF Executive Committee members Barrister Green, Alhaji Muazu Suleyman, Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, Chief AnyansiAgwu, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, Hon. Shehu Adamu and Alhaji Ahmadu Muazu Kawu, NFF General Secretary Barrister Musa Amadu, NFF Director of Marketing, Adama Idris and NFF Assistant Director (Media) Ademola Olajire. There were also Alhaji Mumuni Alao, Managing Director of Complete Communications Limited and Mr. Kunle Solaja, General Editor of the SUN newspapers.

Government has since rewarded the team with houses in Calabar and Niger State has offered plots of land to the players and officials in Minna.

he Chief Coach of the Super Eagles Stephen Keshi has disclosed that skipper Joseph Yobo may feature at the 2014 World Cup. Yobo has been overlooked by Keshi since the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in February. But Keshi has now revealed that he plans to ensure Yobo gets his record century of caps before the World Cup in Brazil and if he again proves his worth in those friendlies, he could still make it to Brazil 2014. “Yobo is very much alive in this team than any other player. Yobo and I spoke before the game (vs Ethiopia) and our ambition is to make sure that

he gets that 100th cap and by God’s grace he will get it,” Keshi said. “Now the thing is will he be willing to come back? But we have been talking and he has said no problems. So, why not, if he is here he would have his hundredth cap and if he is in shape, why not the World Cup” Yobo has featured at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups. He lost his first-team in the Eagles to youngster Kenneth Omeruo at the 2013 AFCON in South Africa and even when Omeruo was sidelined by injury, he was not recalled and instead Warri Wolves defender Azubuike Egwuekwe filled in.

Yobo

ormer coach of the Super Eagles Christian Chukwu said that the team still need better preparation to be able to overcome challenges at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Chukwu said that the Nigerian senior male football team had a lot of work ahead of it. “The stake is higher now for the Super Eagles, now that they have qualified for the World Cup. It then means that a lot of work needs to be done. “The higher you go in competitions like this, the higher the stake involved. So, as it stands now the team is a threat to other teams just as other teams are a threat to it,” he said. The former Green Eagles defender and captain said ``even though there can never be a perfect team, it is still better that

the players and coaches should keep working as hard as ever’’. He however commended the Super Eagles and the team’s technical crew for the qualification for the Brazil 2014 World Cup finals. “Congratulations to the team, the players, the coaches and the Nigeria Football Association. “They all deserve to be congratulated although the team still needs a lot of work ahead of 2014,” Chukwu said. The Super Eagles defeated the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of the final qualifying round playoff on Saturday, Nov. 16 in Calabar. The Eagles had defeated the Antelopes 2-1 in the first leg game in Addis Ababa to thus win 4-1 aggregate and qualify for the World Cup in Brazil.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Sports

NWFL cancels Super 6 competition

he 2013 Super Six Competition for the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) will not hold due to lack of funds, the league’s secretary, Isaac Ajisafe, said yesterday. Ajisafe said in Abuja that the competition would be replaced with a ceremonial match between the top clubs in the league’s two groups. The competition normally involves the three top clubs from the two groups of the league and is organised annually by the NWFL. The competition, which is used to round up the women league season, helps in determining the league winners, and it also marks the end of the women football season. The league secretary said that the NWFL board took the decision in view of the limited time available to it and after having waited endlessly for funds to come. “The reason why we have waited till this time is that we were trying to see if we will get funds, but it seems they are not forthcoming. “So, instead of waiting for too long, after having waited this long since July when we finished the league competition, we decided to organise a ceremonial match to decide the league winners. “And it will be between the top club from each of the two groups,’’ Ajisafe said. He noted that the date for the match had not been decided but that it would be part of the programme of the league’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). “Presently, we cannot give a date for the match because we want it to be part of our AGM programme to mark the end of the 2012/2013 season. “And we do not have a date for our AGM yet, because it has to be after the Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). “That is where they (the NFF Congress) will approve the date we will be proposing to them. We will know when the match will hold then,’’ Ajisafe said.

NFF lashes out at companies using Eagles’ for promotions Stories St i b by Alb Albertt Ak Akota t

he Nigeria Football Federation has taken exception to the penchant of some corporate organisations to try and appropriate glory not due to them through excellent performances of Nigeria’s National Teams at international level. Following the Super Eagles’ qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals after a 2-0 dismissal of Ethiopia on Saturday, which made for a 4-1 aggregate win, some corporate establishments have been at their pranks once more claiming part of the glory. NFF’s Marketing Consultant, Mr. Mike Itemuagbor was livid on Monday after soft drinks behemoth, Coca-Cola put out an advertisement in the newspaper: Congratulations Team Nigeria You Qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and We’re Behind You. Go On. Win It For Naija. “We are shocked at the penchant of some organisations to sneak into the picture and try to claim they are among those who have been funding the Super Eagles. The public should be aware that all the companies masquerading as supporters of Super Eagles are only doing so for their own merchantile interests. I will say Coca-Cola and Chivita are guilty in this regard. “This is unacceptable, because they know the right channel to go if they want to be part of the team. The Nigeria Football

uper Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi has defended his inclusion of Chelsea defender Kenneth Omeruo in the weekend’s World Cup play-off

Omeruo

Federation is receptive to offers for sponsorship in several categories but some of the corporate institutions only want to be part of the team when it is winning. “The Government of Nigeria and the NFF’s partners and sponsors should claim the glory for the string of successes that we have seen in our football this year. For those who are outside the frame, using the name of

the Super Eagles for campaigns and identifying their brand with the team is unprofessional and unacceptable, ” Itemuagbor said. It would be recalled that on 7th February this year, the NFF was forced to issue a similar statement after some companies who are not NFF partners or sponsors jumped onto the wagon trying to give the impression they were part of the Super Eagles’ performance that led to victory at the Africa Cup of

Nations in South Africa. “The Nigeria Football Federation wishes to state without ambiguity that only its partners and sponsors have the rights and privileges to use the name of the Super Eagles for any campaigns, promotions or mentions. “We will not hesitate to take legal action against any company, institution or establishment that runs foul of this caution,” Itemuagbor added.

Success out for 3 weeks Sand Eagles set to

dinese-bound Eaglets striker Isaac Success will be sidelined by injury for at least another three weeks. Team officials informed said that Success hamstring injury was a second

Keshi defends Omeruo return

Maigari

against Ethiopia. Kenneth, who was just returning f r o m a s h o u l d e r injury, could not complete Saturday’s game after he suffered a muscle strain. “Kenneth has played competitive matches with his team before joining up with the Eagles. And I think he did very well in the game,” Keshi said. “It was only wise of him to have asked to be changed after suffering a muscle strain.” Omeruo was available selected in yesterday friendly against Italy at Craven Cottage in London.

degree tear, meaning he should be out for at least six weeks. “The scan showed it was a second degree tear, which means he is out for six weeks. Aand we were only acting it up at the World Cup that Success will be fit in time to return for one of our matches at the tournament,” an official disclosed. Success suffered the injury during a group game against Sweden, which finished in a 3-3 draw. The highly-rated striker, who scored two goals at the U17 World Cup in the UAE before the injury, is due at Italian club Udinese in January.

Isaac Success Injured

defend Copa Lagos

he 2013 edition of Copa Lagos the biggest beach Soccer event in Africa has confirmed the second International team for the event and they are Germany the 1998 European Beach Soccer champions. Germany will join Russia, who is already confirmed for the third edition. The tournament, scheduled to start on December 13 will run till December 15 and will hold at the Eko Atlantic Beachfront for the second consecutive year. Reigning World Champions, Russia confirmed their participation after retaining their World crown in Tahiti. Germany becomes the third European country that they will be in Lagos from the 13th of December to participate in the third edition of Copa Lagos. Nigeria’s Beach Soccer team the Sand Eagles are the defending champions and will try to seize the opportunity to remind the world of their prowess on sand despite missing the last World Cup in Tahiti, which Russia won while Germany will also be looking to avenge their 2-1 defeat to Russia at the Euro Beach Soccer League Moscow 2013. Copa Lagos 2013 which is already being backed by the banking giant, FCMB, is expected to be the biggest beach gathering in Nigeria and Africa as there will be fashion shows by top designers and a 3-day concert headlined by top Nigerian acts.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 43

Sports

Goetze ponder Ronaldo deserves Ballon d’Or - Real Madrid Dortmund return R

ayern Munich midfielder Mario Goetze has said returning to the Westfalenstadion will be one of the most difficult moments of his career. Goetze, 21, left Dortmund for rivals Bayern in the summer for 37 million euros, much to the disappointment of his boyhood club’s faithful. The Germany international is to face his former side for the first time since the exit when Dortmund hosts Bayern, who lead the table by four points. “This will be one of the most difficult moments in my career,” Goetze told kicker. “But

ultimately I have to cope with it, because it was my decision.” Goetze added that he could “certainly” understand the animosity of the Dortmund fans, who are set to give the playmaker a hostile reception this weekend. The meeting with Bayern will be followed by Dortmund’s annual meeting on Sunday and the crucial Champions League tie against Napoli on Tuesday. “The whole Bundesliga will be watching this match. It will also have an international resonance like the Champions League final, which has gained us worldwide recognition.”

eal Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said he ‘expects’ superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo is again in fine form for Madrid this season, topping the soring charts in both La Liga and the Champions League, and along with Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery, is seen as a major threat to break Lionel Messi’s run as the world’s best footballer. Argentina international Messi is chasing his fourth straight FIFA Ballon d’Or award. “Cristiano is doing extraordinary things,” Ancelotti told Radio Deejay. “Does he does the Ballon d’Or? Absolutely. “I expect him to win

Triple ruled out of German squad against England G ermany coach Joachim Low has seen three more players withdraw from his squad for the international friendly with England tonight. Midfielder Sami Khedira ruptured knee ligaments during the friendly draw with Italy on Friday and will miss out of the match at Wembley, while is a potential doubt for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. He has been joined on the sidelines by captain Philipp Lahm and Bayern Munich team mate Manuel Neuer, who have both returned to Germany rather than travelling on from Milan to London, while Mesut Ozil will

Mario Goetze

Ancelotti believes Ronaldo deserves the Ballon d’Or.

head to the English capital, albeit not to feature in the game. The Arsenal midfielder did not train much prior to Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Italy and Low has decided to allow him, as well as the Bayern duo, a rest. “The England game is our last chance before the World Cup to try out one or two new tactical variations and personnel,” said the Germany coach. “Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer and Mesut Ozil are part of the absolute backbone of our team and for me, it is more important

Upbeat South Africa plot Spain downfall

South African

pbeat South Africa is confident of becoming only the second country this year to defeat world champions Spain when they meet in a friendly today. “We should not underestimate ourselves,” stressed coach Gordon Igesund ahead of the match at the 90,000-seat Soccer City stadium in Soweto, where Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup. “South Africa can defend,

keep the ball, knock it around, and entertain - our objective is to win this match,” he told reporters. “I am telling the nation that we are going to be competitive against Spain. This match will reveal how far we have come since I took over.” Igesund succeeded sacked Pitso Mosimane in September last year, promising a dramatic improvement in the results of under-achieving Bafana Bafana. But 12 victories, three draws and nine losses later, he remains in

the award. He is a serious professional, who cares about every detail of his game. “If others want to be great champions, they should look at Cristiano.” Meanwhile, Ancelotti has shown his support for the under-fire Raphael Varane while quashing speculation Madrid will make a play for Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo. “Varane is a great talent. He may have made a few mistakes against Juventus, but he’s a great player,” Ancelotti continued “He’s been out for four to five months with a knee injury, but has all the qualities to become a truly great defender.

charge despite failing to reach either of the targets set by the national football association. Told to make the 2013 CAF African Cup of Nations semi-finals, the hosts won just one of four games and lost on penalties to Mali in the quarter-finals. The second mandate a place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil also proved beyond Igesund with minnows Ethiopia emerging shock winners of their second round qualifying group. But star-saturated Spain,

boasting 12 wins, three draws, one loss and a 36-11 goals record this year in all matches hold no fears for Bafana players. “We will take the game to Spain and show them what we have,” promised midfielder Dean Furman from English second-tier club Doncaster Rovers. Spain have won the three previous games between the countries, with the most recent success a 3-2 win in Rustenburg to secure third place at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

now to give other players a chance to prove themselves in these key positions, particularly against such a strong team as England.”

De Bruyne should leave Chelsea, says Hazard

helsea attacker Eden Hazard has urged compatriot and teammate Kevin De Bruyne to leave Stamford Bridge if his playing time continues to dwindle. The 22-year-old De Bruyne has made only six appearances in all competitions under Jose Mourinho this season as he struggles to fight his way into a congested Blues’ midfield. And with next year’s World Cup looming on the horizon, there are fears that De Bruyne could be putting his spot with the Belgian national team at risk with his lack of competitive action. “If he does not play, it is better for him to leave,” Hazard told Het Nieuwsblad. “Playing a World Cup after having not played for a year is very difficult. “If we want to get the best from Kevin in the future it is better that he leaves. But he’s a big boy. He must make his own choices.” Meanwhile, Hazard has hosed down expectation on Belgium in Brazil, believing the aim for he and his international team-mates is to first progress from their group. “The first aim must be to survive the first round because we still do not know the draw but we should not be afraid of anyone because we have a very good team,” he continued.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Sports Michael Phelps

Phelps fuels comeback rumours with doping tests

ichael Phelps, the most successful Olympian in history, has given further indication of a comeback by reregistering with the United States Anti-Doping Agency. The 28-year-old American retired from competition after winning his 18th Olympic gold medal during London 2012. But Phelps has returned to training under Bob Bowman at North Baltimore. Having completed doping tests, he will be eligible to compete in trials for the 2015 World Championships. Rumours have circulated for some time that Phelps is keen to compete at the Rio Olympics in 2016. It would be his fifth Games where, in addition to his 18 golds, he has also won two silver and two bronze medals. Responding to the speculation about a return he said: “Nothing is set in stone. If I decide to keep going and swim again, then I’ll compete. “If I don’t, I guess I’ll reretire. Just don’t compare me to [American football quarterback] Brett Favre [who made several comebacks].”

Vettel proud of 8 consecutive wins at US GP S ebastian Vettel is “proud” of becoming the first driver to win eight consecutive races in a single season. The Red Bull driver broke a record held by Michael Schumacher and Alberto Ascari with victory in the US GP. “Numbers do not make me jump in the car but we realised we

had done it and it makes you very proud,” Vettel said. “You realise what it means to look back at those names. People look back and talk about certain drivers. One day people might talk about our time.” The German has won every race since Formula 1 returned from its summer break at the

Sebastian Vettel Belgian Grand Prix at the end of August. He said the achievement, which he described as “incredible” would not fully sink in until

Davis Cup final: Czech Republic edge out Serbia to retain trophy

adek Stepanek won the decisive rubber against Dusan Lajovic as the Czech Republic beat Serbia to retain the Davis Cup in Belgrade. The world number 44 was too strong for his lower-ranked opponent, winning comfortably 6-3 6-3 6-1. The 34-year-old also won the deciding rubber

in last year’s final against Spain’s Nicolas Almagro in Prague. The Czech Republic became only the fifth country to retain the Davis Cup since the formation of the World Group stage in 1981. They won it for the first time as Czechoslovakia in 1980, before a 32-year wait for their next success. Stepanek added: “The match was the same

[as last year’s final], under the biggest possible pressure that can be. Lajovic, ranked 117 in the world, was a late replacement for the hosts after Janko Tipsarevic was ruled out with injury on Thursday night, but the 23-year-old had 17,000 noisy Serbian fans on their feet when he broke Stepanek in the opening game.

Haye advised to retire after shoulder surgery

Czechs

Christie wins bronze medal in Russia

Elise Christie

lise Christie won her first World Cup medal of the season on Sunday, a day after an on-ice crash nearly ended her Olympic hopes. Christie, a top British medal hope for Sochi 2014, took bronze in the 1000m at her final Olympic qualifier in Russia. This weekend’s World Cup, in

Kolomna, doubles as the second of two Olympic qualifiers for the Sochi Games in February. Short-track involves four to six skaters racing each other in laps of a standard ice rink, in a sport which shares similarities with track cycling’s keirin and ski cross. Competitors must progress through knockout

rounds into the final, then the first over the line wins. Outright speed is no guarantee of winning a race shorttrack is an intensely strategic sport where positioning is vital, making sure you are in the right place to seize split-second opportunities as you dash for the line, without exhausting yourself at the front for the whole race.

ormer world heavyweight champion David Haye has been advised to retire after major shoulder surgery. The 33-year-old Briton had a five-hour reconstruction operation on his right shoulder in Germany on Thursday. “The boxing gods keep hinting that maybe enough is enough,” said Haye, who has cancelled his 8 February bout with Tyson Fury. “He was top class in the cruiserweight division. At heavyweight he faltered at the very highest level. But he got closer on points than any of Wladimir Klitschko’s other challengers. “He brought great excitement with his attitude and punching power and can be Haye announced his retirement in October 2011, three months after losing his WBA belt to Ukrainian Wladimir Klitscho in Germany, but he returned to the ring the following year. Earlier in his career, Haye became European cruiserweight champion and went on to win the WBC, WBO and WBA world titles before stepping up to heavyweight. He beat WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev in Germany in November 2009 to become the first Briton to hold a world heavyweight crown since Lennox Lewis. Haye’s most recent fight was a knockout win over Dereck Chisora at Upton Park in London in July 2012, one of only two fights he has had since 2010. His scheduled June fight with German Manuel Charr was cancelled when Haye sustained a hand injury.

Hurricane claims record Grade One victory

yesterday morning. “It is one of those records that were not meant to be broken ever and it’s very difficult to understand we actually did it.

hampion hurdler Hurricane Fly set a world record for Grade One victories by winning Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown. It was a 17th success at the top level for the Willie Mullins-trained horse, who was ridden by Ruby Walsh. The victory sees him outdo Paul Nicholls’s chasing hero Kauto Star

and American flat horse John Henry. The 1-16 favourite had to hold off his fast-finishing stable-mate Marito (14-1) for his 21st win from 32 starts. The performance failed to impress the bookmakers and despite winning the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2011 and 2013, Hurricane Fly remains third-favourite for next year’s contest. The nine-year-old Montjeu gelding

is about 6-1, behind young challengers The New One (4-1) and Our Conor (5-1). Walsh, who won on all five of his rides at Punchestown on Sunday, was quick to pay tribute to Mullins. He said: “To win 17 is incredible. To keep a horse that fit and that healthy, and to keep running at that level for so David Haye long, is an achievement in its own.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

PAGE 45

Sports

P-i-c-t-o-r-i-a-l

1 2

1. He may not be at the Ballon D’Or ceremony, but Cristiano Ronaldo is too good to be ignored this year. 2. Usain Bolt is named male World Athlete of the Year for a fifth times as Shelly-Ann FraserPryce wins the women’s award. 3.Britain’s former world heavyweight champion David Haye receives a “crushing blow” after it is recommended that he retires

4. England hooker Dylan Hartley says revenge will be on the minds of world champions New Zealand when they go to Twickenham. 5.Scotland fail to score a point as South Africa run in four tries in an emphatic 28-0 victory at Murrayfield.

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PEOPLES DAILY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Sports

Ribery: France can’t afford to miss 2014 World Cup in Brazil

hat are your thoughts on the play-offs against Ukraine, who are standing between you and a place at Brazil 2014? For me it’s very important that we qualify. Ukraine is a good team but France has to be in Brazil. We’re also a good side and need to play well over the two games. It won’t be easy but we can win. What would it mean for France if they missed out on a ticket to Brazil? That would be a catastrophe for the whole country. It’s hard to think about that, we can’t put ourselves under too much pressure. We need to play without fear. How happy were you to have drawn Ukraine? Every team would have been tough, for example playing against Iceland or Portugal wouldn’t have been easy either. There’s so much at stake in these games, you can’t afford to make any mistakes. You have to win. Have you already been in touch with your former team-mate Anatoliy Tymoschuk? Yes, we’ve spoken and we’re both looking forward to the game, but I hope we come out on top. Is it an advantage to

play the first leg away from home? It’s definitely important. If we play well in Ukraine and manage to win then that would put us in a very good position for the return leg at home. Do you feel a sense of responsibility after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which did not go so well for France? It was difficult for us in 2010 and now we have a chance to make amends. We need to beat Ukraine and then we can travel to Brazil and hopefully have a good tournament. Maybe there we’ll be able to give a better account of ourselves again. You just set a new Bundesliga record with Bayern and several players are still out injured. Can Bayern improve even further once they return? If everyone’s involved and nobody gets injured then we’ll get better. When you’ve got a big squad you can make more changes. When you’re playing a game very three of four days and always have to win, the chances of picking up an injury are high. Last year we coped very well, Jupp Heynckes rotated frequently and we hardly had any injuries. It’ll definitely be good for us when everyone’s back. Philipp Lahm recently said he thought Bayern had improved under Pep Guardiola but were not yet playing their best.

What is missing? Sometimes we play well, sometimes not so well. We recently had a couple of problems in the first half and we need to work on that. Our understanding of what the coach wants is improving all the time and he’s always positive. Every match is something different, but we’ll get there. Why is it that you have often had difficulties in the first half? I don’t know. We’re usually better in the second half. When you play every three or four days you travel a lot and that’s not easy. The Club World Cup Morocco 2013 takes place in December. How important is the tournament to you? I think it’s very important. Every title and every competition is important for the club. We want to win it and have fun together. How important is the Club World Cup compared to winning the league or the UEFA Supercup? Every title is completely different, including the emotions they create in you. The atmosphere is always nice after winning, so we have to go to Morocco and win it, both for ourselves and for the club. As a French-speaking Muslim country, will it be a special occasion for you to play in Morocco?

Of course! I’m a Muslim too and Morocco is a footballcrazy country with great stadiums. I’m sure there’ll be a great atmosphere and that it’ll be very different to playing here. We want to go there to win and then we can go on holiday. Have you ever been to Morocco? Not yet no. I’ve been to Algeria as my wife’s from there. I was there for two weeks and had a wonderful time. The people there are very friendly and I’ve got a lot of friends there. So far I’ve only heard good things about Morocco. You have a lot of childhood friends from North Africa. Will they travel to Morocco to see you? I have got a lot of friends from Morocco but I don’t yet know if they’ll go. I think Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians and Egyptians all have a similar mentality as they’re all Maghrebian. They’re wonderful people. Is it harder to play against teams you do not know and have never faced before? That’s not a problem. For us it’s just important to play our game and to win. Would you like to play against Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro and Ronaldinho in the final? That would be great, they’re a good team with good players. We know we can play well and

when we’re focused we can beat anyone. Will you be thinking about Jupp Heynckes at the tournament? Yes I will. He’s a wonderful person and a really good coach. He played a huge part in getting us to Morocco. After such a long and successful year, is it difficult to shift your focus again to the Club World Cup? We’re fully focused and have been professionals for a long time. So far the year has been really good and we want that to continue. When the coach gives us a day off, I still go to the training ground and train by myself in order to stay fit and keep my head in the right place. I need that. When I’m fit, I’m happy out on the pitch. Is it good to be able to showcase your talents at such a tournament before the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 is awarded? Yes of course, but winning the title with the team is more important to me. At the moment I’m fit and very happy. If you win everything on offer, then your chances are higher. What has made you so good in 2013? I’m fit and have hardly had any injuries that are very important. If things stay like that and I can enjoy myself out on the pitch, that’d be great.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Some Interesting Facts

hode Island is the only state which the hammer throw is a legal high school sport. The average lifespan of an eyelash is five months. A spider has transparent blood. Every acre of American crops harvested contains 100 pounds of insects. Prince Charles is an avid collecter of toilet seats. The most common street name in the U.S. is Second Street. Tehran is the most expensive city on earth. The sweat drops drawn in cartoon comic strips are called pleuts. Babies are most likely to be born on Tuesdays. The HyperMart outside of Garland Texas has 58 check-outs. The Minneapolis phone book has 21 pages of Andersons. In the 1980′s American migraines increased by 60%. Poland is the “stolen car capital of the world”. Jefferson invented the dumbwaiter, the monetary system, and the folding attic ladder. The S in Harry S. Truman did not stand for anything. In Miconesia, coins are 12 feet across. A horse can look forward with one eye and back with the other. Shakespeare is quoted 33,150 times in the Oxford English dictionary. The word Pennsylvania is misspelled on the Liberty Bell. NBA superstar Michael Jordan was originally cut from his

high school basketball team. You spend 7 years of your life in the bathroom. A family of 26 could go to the movies in Mexico city for the price of one in Tokyo. 10,000 Dutch cows pass through the Amsterdam airport each year. Approximately every seven minutes of every day, someone in an aerobics class pulls their hamstring. Simplistic passwords contribute to over 80% of all computer password break-ins. The top 3 health-related searches on the Internet are (in this order): Depression, Allergies, & Cancer. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at

Leisure

least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older. The first owner of the Marlboro company died of lung cancer. All US Presidents have worn glasses; some just didn’t like being seen wearing them in public. Mosquito repellents don’t repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito’s sensors so they don’t know you’re there. Walt Disney was afraid of mice. The site with the highest number of women visitors between the age of 35 and 44 years old: Alka-Seltzer.com The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache. Pearls melt in vinegar. It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year’s supply of footballs. Thirty-five percent of people who use personal ads for dating are already married. The 3 most valuable brand names on earth are Marlboro, CocaCola, and Budweiser (in that order).

Say what?

SUDODKU

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Rich guys with lions on Instagram: One young man bravely stands atop a Mercedes sports car with lion while a Lamborghini sits to the right - it appears another man has wisely decided to stay inside the Mercedes rather than play with the big cat. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013

SPORTS LATEST

World Cup play-off: Ghana happy with Egypt security ahead today’s clash in Cairo

hana football authorities and politicians said that they are satisfied with security arrangements for today’s World Cup play-off with Egypt in Cairo after assurances from world governing body Fifa. “After reviewing the plan and detailed security arrangements for the match, the GFA is satisfied that adequate measures are in place for the security of our players, officials and supporters for the match,” the president of the GFA, Kwesi Nyantakyi, said in a statement. Ghana is in a strong position to reach the World Cup finals after a 6-1 defeat of Egypt in the first-leg match on October 15 in the central Ghanaian city of Kumasi. Ghanaian football authorities, players, fans and politicians had called for the venue of the second-leg match to be changed after political demonstrations and violence in football stadiums in Egypt. Ghana’s minister of Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, in a letter to Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke, said the ministry wanted to know from Fifa “who would be held liable, accountable and responsible in the unfortunate event of any Ghanaian being harmed before, during or after the match.” Ghana’s Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien said Ghana had no other option than to honour the match in Egypt. “I am not afraid or scared of the Egypt team. But I am frightened to play in Egypt because of the on-going fights over there,” he was quoted as saying in Istanbul, where the Ghanaian team have been preparing for the match. Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama said he had been concerned about the unstable political situation in Cairo and the safety of the players and supporters. “While we are reassured, we will hold Fifa and the Egyptian authorities responsible for any harm that is caused to any member of our team or supporters,” he said.

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QUOTABLE QUOTE To carry out three kidney transplants within 24 hours is an exceptional achievement, Nigeria has many patients with kidney problems, a transplant anywhere else is more expensive than here. Nigeria should be selfish and use her resources for herself instead of spending those dollars and pounds abroad... – Group Medical Adviser, Garki Hospital, Dr. Ibrahim Wada

Enough of the shenanigans, let Nyako go!

ot many people realise these days the manner in which the governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, was railroaded as the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his state in 2007. The retired Rear Admiral was on his farm when his former boss in the military, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, sent for him. There was minor disagreement over the gubernatorial primaries in Adamawa. Nyako did not “participate” in the primary election just like his colleague, Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger state. But both were handed the party flags in their respective states by Obasanjo under the guise of party supremacy against the dictates of democracy, fair play and justice. In Imo state, there was a similar plot to impose Charles Ugwuh, another friend of the former president, as the PDP gubernatorial candidate. Ugwuh’s case was even more defensible as he, at least, participated in the primaries although he came a distant fourteenth position. But unlike in Adamawa and Niger, Ifeanyi Araraume who won the primaries in Imo state went to court to argue that the substitution of his name with that of Ugwuh, contravened the law and the Supreme Court agreed and declared him the rightful PDP candidate in Imo state. Although some aggrieved members of PDP in Adamawa and Niger states kicked and protested the undemocratic means in which Nyako and Aliyu were imposed on them, PDP defended its decision on the basis of party supremacy. Winning the primaries according to the party is not enough grounds for any party aspirant to lay claims to the party ticket; there might be other factors that the leadership of the party could consider in deciding the ultimate party flag-bearer! Party supremacy is indeed desirable and should be encouraged in our democracy, especially

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GUEST COLUMNIST John Ainofenokhai

Gov Nyako against the background of rampant indiscipline among party members. Yet, party supremacy cannot be an excuse to destroy internal democracy in political parties as the PDP did in 2007 when Obasanjo, single-handed, imposed Nyako and Aliyu on Adamawa and Niger people. The tepid performance of these two governors who are now in their second terms in office clearly testifies to the superiority of free choice, which democracy represents over any kind of imposition. Today, a majority of Adamawa people wish that their governor remained in his farm and continued the exportation of his mangoes rather than damaging their state with his clueless administration that has left the state more divided than at any other time in history. From the outset in 2007, Nyako put forward the wrong foot by appointing un-countable number of aides some of whom were his

Both men are using every available opportunity to parade themselves not only as democrats but more annoyingly as defenders of free choice. They are accusing President Jonathan of being a dictator when they are themselves incapable of surviving in a democratic process. And who can blame them since they are products of undemocratic processes? 7458 1765 9046 1969 0344

wives and children. In fact, there was the issue of the struggle over who was to be the First Lady, which diverted the attention of the governor from issues of governance to mundane domestic quarrels. In Minna, the story is about the same, as the biggest achievement of Governor Aliyu, apart from going about delivering “lectures,” is perhaps the erecting of giant billboards across his state. There has not been any creative effort to improve the life chances of the long suffering people of his state. It is not the poor performance of these two governors that is really annoying their people. What is upsetting many Nigerians, especially indigenes of Adamawa and Niger states is the grandstanding of Nyako and his Niger state colleague on democracy. Both men are using every available opportunity to parade themselves not only as democrats but more annoyingly as defenders of free choice. They are accusing President Jonathan of being a dictator when they are themselves incapable of surviving in a democratic process. And who can blame them since they are products of undemocratic processes? Since Bamanga Tukur was elected the national chairman of PDP, his governor has been waging a relentless war against him over the party structure in Adamawa. Those in the know will agree that the problem of the Adamawa state PDP executive committee precedes the election of Tukur as INEC had queried the congress that produced the dissolved former state executives of the party even under the leadership of Baraje. Nyako manipulation of the party structure in the state was geared towards enabling him to produce his successor. What Tukur simply did was to show courage in correcting the anomalies identified by INEC by organising a proper congress, which anti-democratic forces under the leadership of the governor have sworn to repudiate continually. This threatened the succession plan by Nyako. Truth is, the ruling PDP has been undergoing a process of

transformation under President Jonathan. For too long especially under former President Obasanjo PDP was famed for its petulance and disregard for the decisions of the courts. But nobody can say that about the PDP under Jonathan. Today, the PDP is doing everything possible to return the party to its rightful owners, the Nigerian people. The era in which the governors trampled upon the rights of other members with the connivance and even the support of the party leadership and the presidency is long over. The crisis within the PDP precipitated by the seven rebellious governors including Nyako is all about getting the right balance amongst internal democracy, discipline and party supremacy. Those members who have benefitted from, or are products of the impunity of the past are working hard to stifle the ongoing reforms in the party. Governors, like Nyako, still believe that it is proper for one person in the name of being Governor to decide who replaces him if he is on second term; who contests for all the legislative positions in his state; who contests for all the local government chairmanship and councillorship positions; who is appointed minister, members of boards of parastatals or any other appointive position in his state including party positions. This is the true definition of tyranny and it is for this the rebellious governors seem to be advocating. Nyako has thrown party discipline and all decorum to the wind in his shameful courting of the opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC). He was recently reported to have declared to the ACP leaders that came to visit him in Yola that he has started inviting like minds in the PDP over to APC. In his own words: “As far as I am concerned, I have already distributed kola nuts to the entire Fulani nation and like-minds in PDP to leave en-mass to the APC,” Nyako’s grouse is what he calls the impunity in the PDP. Now, look who is talking! This is the same governor who was a product of impunity in 2007 and whose definition of democracy is “state party executive under the control of the governor.” He has declared to the world that he is APC bound. This man is irredeemable; and this understandable: he was never a politician. If he goes, I do not think PDP will miss him. So, the Party should let him go! Ainofenokhai is a public affairs commentator.

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