Peoples Daily Weekend, Saturday 21 March - Sunday 22, 2015. Edition.

Kero correct: Another subsidy scam window? Pgs 4,14

Abachagate: Jonathan’s dubious concession P 16

341 Days after

PDP National Chairman, Mu’azu, flees? P 6 Will the abducted Chibok schoolgirls ever be rescued?

weekend.peoplesdailyng.com

Saturday, MARCH 21, 2015 Jimada Al-Awwal 30, 1436 AH

. . . P utti ng the p eop l e fi r st

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N150 Vol. 4 No. 35

Presidential Poll: How states may likely vote Pgs 7,8,9,12

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 2

Interview

Why transporters back Jonathan, says RTEAN president A delegate to the National Conference and president of the Road Transport Employers’ Association (RTEAN), High Chief Musa Isewele, says Jonathan’s construction and rehabilitation of several road networks have endeared him to members of the union. Isewele spoke with some journalists yesterday in Abuja. Patrick Andrew was there and brings you excerpts....

W

hy do you support Jonathan?

I’m a transporter to the core and good road saves lives.

Good roads put food on my table.

President Goodluck Jonathan is the only President that has fixed roads than any other president we’ve had in this country. I’ve been in Kano for over 30 years and I have my workshop there. My vehicles used to ply Port Harcourt road once in a month before the president came into power. But now, they can go three times except where there are insufficient goods at the port to load, there would be some delay. If there are goods to load, we usually make three round trips a month.

If you see trucks with MSI Motors written on it, it’s for me. Then there is another with the name ‘Let Lord Lead.’ These are my trucks because I’m a transporter. So, for somebody who fixed roads for me, I have reasons to support him because he’s the only President that remembers the poor.

He is the one who gave us SURE-P vehicles. Some of our members deposited only N130,000 and were given taxis. The union was given 22 vehicles which we distributed to members. With N130,000 you cannot buy quality tiers, but under the president our members got vehicles with same amount repayable in five years.

Again, it’s only this president who has never sent anybody on exile.

He never used the EFCC or ICPC

“

to torment anybody, something that was common in the previous government. We have resolved to support him because we want the unity of this country. I was a member of the National Confab and I know what we discussed there.

Buhari is older than the country.

He should leave the youths to rule and see what they can do because he is among the people that failed us.

When they are talking of corruption in this country, why are you talking of corruption now? People pay judges, is that not corruption? We were in this country in 1975 when they said N2.8 billion was missing. Was there no corruption in 1975? Those under whose watch the money got missing are still alive today condemning others for alleged corruption.

They are now slamming others for corruption which started in their era.

Is leadership about age or dynamism and vision?

We should talk about age because we are in the computer age now. In those days, you could vote for somebody who did not attend more than primary school, but you can’t do that now because he would have to interact with his peers outside the country, and therefore needs to speak in familiar tones with them. How old is Obama? Sadly, we are canvassing for somebody who is over 70 years to come and rule us again.

Are we to substitute dynamism for age in terms of leadership?

I believe that what the youths can do now, the older men cannot do it.

If you consider the modern trend in

These governors are not ashamed of themselves. They are saying change but when they were governor for eight years they never allowed local governments to exist. Those who said they conducted elections, why is it that no other political party won in their states if the election was free and fair? Have you ever seen a Governor that conducted election and another party won in this country?

Chief Isewele growing blue chip companies you would observe that persons above are being wielded out and replaced by younger talents between the ages 25 and 40. So youth is the in-thing now in leadership. I’m not a youth because I was born in 1964, which makes me 61 years now. If I were a youth now, you would say I’m saying this because I’m a youth.

We are looking at leadership that has to do with vision and capability and it may not really have something to do with age, but the determination to effect a change.

What happened when this man was military Head of State? What did he achieve? Supposing it is Murtala Mohammed that is now contesting, I will support him because in the six months he spent, we all know what he did. He reduced the price of water such that one million buckets was sold at one naira. Before he came on board, you will pay for water and you couldn’t get water. But when Buhari was there, he was just sentencing people to 200 and 300 years without lawyers. He asked the military to try civilians. That was what happened.

He is still the same man and nobody has changed him.

The opposition are hinging their campaign on the fact that the PDP has been there for 16 with nothing to show for it.

Rather than talk of PDP for 16 years, you should talk of Jonathan and the first four years he has ruled.

The 16 years they are talking about, most of the top APC members now were formerly of the PDP. Those who were governors under the PDP are the same people in APC now who

are condemning the PDP, instead of them to condemn themselves. What do you mean by change when there is no new person there? It’s only Buhari that is a different person there. All the other people were governors, former senators, members of the House of Representatives on the ticket of the PDP. What did they do? They are the ones talking about corruption but in their states, they never allowed local governments to exist and the constitution says three tiers of government. Those are the people talking of corruption. We should not allow anybody to deceive us.

Some delegates to the National Confab have conducted themselves as if it is payback time for Jonathan that had nominated them?

What we agreed at the confab was to move the country forward.

If they had enforced those recommendations we made at the confab, we would not be fighting now.

In that confab, we said the centre should be weak. Let them weaken the centre, so that it will not be a do or die affair to grab the centre, people will not carry guns and machetes during elections. But because one man is dividing the money and everybody is coming to collect money at Abuja that is why they will not allow the third tier to exist. But with what they are doing now where you are director in the ministry and you are taken a local government other than your own, you can abuse your office and nobody will hold you responsible.

Supposing the centre is weak the desperation to grab the centre won’t have been necessary.

These governors are not ashamed of themselves. They are saying change but when they were governors for eight years they never allowed local governments to exist. Those who said they conducted elections, why is it that no other political party won in their states if the election was free and fair? Have you ever seen a governor that conducted election and another party won in this country?

The first dates for the elections were postponed for different reasons. Now elections have been fixed for March 28. Do you have confidence in the INEC giving us a credible election?

I don’t have confidence in INEC. I’m among the persons that said Attahiru Jega should resign because he said he was ready on the 14th of February when the PVCs had not even arrived in the country.

The card reader machine had not arrived in this country; the 9,000 staff that are to man the processes were not trained. How was he ready?

It seems he had decided the winner beforehand.

Lagos demonstrated yesterday that they have not got their PVC. I watched Ogun State governor on TV where he said about 40 percent of PVCs have not come to Ogun, but election is less than two weeks away.

So, he was not ready at all. He was just economical with the truth about INEC’s readiness for the elections.

He should resign.

We seem to narrow this thing down to Jega not minding Contd on Page 17

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

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Feature

Where’s insurgency victims’ support funds?

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By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

ast year President Goodluck Jonathan constituted a committee on insurgency victims’ support to mobilize resources and administer same appropriately on the victims’ welfare all over the country.

The committee, chaired by a former Minister of Defence, Gen T Y Danjuma (rtd), had as its terms of reference, to identify sources and ways of sustainable funding to support victims of terror activities; to develop appropriate strategy for the fund raising; to ascertain the persons, communities, facilities and economic assets affected by terror activities and to assess and determine the appropriate support required in each case.

Others were to manage, disburse or administer support to the victims as appropriate; to address related challenges as may be suitable; and to advise government on other matters necessary or incidental to support victims of terror activities.

Peoples Daily Weekend gathered that after the Committee’s fundraiser, 60 billion naira was realized to relieve the plights of victims suffering from consistent attacks in various parts of the nation, especially North east and North central.

With those funds available, one would expect that taking a trip to any Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the country, will present a manageable sight.

However, a visit to Kuchigoro IDPs camp, left Peoples Daily Weekend wondering where exactly those funds were either utilised or kept, as stepping into the environment reveals a very pathetic

situation as aside the very poor state of the shacks the refugees use as rooms, there was a general poor sense of sanitation as stench of fresh and dry excreta and dumpsites rent air.

However, the worst hit there turned out to be women, who shared their experiences with our reporter.

They generally lamented on how they face the dangers of contracting all sorts of communicable diseases as well as other viral and sexually transmitted diseases, especially while taking their bath or easing themselves in such an open and unkempt place as the camp.

Though the stories of these women differ, one common thing among them was that they woke up everyday looking expecting a changed environment and also the worry on where their next meal will come from, if individuals, religious bodies and other NGOs do not knock at their door with assistance.

According to Mrs Awa Manza: “Our toilets are not a place where we usually wash because of the way they are built, as even the passersby usually patronize them. All sorts of men, women and children use these restrooms. If it is not because of God that is taking care of us and our children, we are seriously open to diseases from those restrooms though many of us experience regular itching around our private parts.

“We are pleading with the government to come and relocate us to a better place. What can we do in a place where it is not just you that reside, as even when one wants to keep it clean, another person will mess it up. Also, our children are vulnerable because of this kind of

IDPs camp at Kuchigoro after Games Village

Shacks at Kuchigoro IDPs camp. environment, though an NGO has been seriously trying to see whether we can have a standard toilet and bathrooms,” Manza said.

Another refugee who simply identified herself as Mrs Philips also expressed deep worries concerning the toilets in the camp. “It is very unfortunate our sanitation is very poor, as this is not a place one can control as to keep bathrooms clean.

No one cares about any sanitation as both men and women take their bath on this same spot.

“We came from various states with different notions and beliefs, some do not care whether they are at risk of any disease or the bath is untidy,they are not cautious about healthy living,” She said.

Peoples Daily Weekend was

also told that women IDPs have other issues to contend with apart from sanitary issues as the sharing of foodstuff and other donations from religious groups, other NGOs and Individuals is another problem because, according to some of them, those in charge of distribution usually give much focus to people that came from Gwoza, and that has brought serious division and quarrels among the refugees to the extent that on occasions women that are not from Gwoza were scared away by others, not to participate in the sharing of the commodities.

Likewise, the store where the commodities were kept was transferred from its former neutral place to the Gwoza camp inside the

Another part of the Kuchigoro camp.

church, where other IDPS can only view from afar.

It was also revealed that the Gbagyi people that have their ancestral lands in that area collect 3,000 naira from each refugee before allowing her/him to erect a shack for shelter. Now that the FCT has experienced the first rain of the year, the worry of each refugee is how they would make as much as to secure a place for to erect a ‘decent’ shack.

Investigations by our reporters revealed that shelter and food are very scarce commodities in the IDPs camps especially the ones in the nation’s capital of Abuja; so, the question is, where is the N 60 billion raised through the Insurgency Victims Support Fund?

PAGE 4

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Special Report

Kero Correct: Another subsidy scam window?

Nigeria may be heading for another major crisis as the price of kerosene soars above the official price of N50. This is even as the nation might be on its way to experiencing another acute shortage of fuel, following the inability of government to place order for first quarter importation allocation.

Citizens queuing for kerose

By Osby Isibor

E

arly this year, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) initiated a scheme, ‘Kero Correct’ initiative, aimed at getting kerosene to consumers across the country at the regulated price of N50 per litre.

This was announced in a statement issued in Abuja by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the corporation, Mr. Ohi Alegbe.

According to him, the ‘Kero Correct’ initiative was aimed at cutting off the several layers of middlemen who made it difficult for the end user to enjoy the subsidy on the product.

The scheme was also aimed at getting kerosene to the Nigerians

who used the product as their domestic cooking fuel at the correct price.

He observed that though kerosene was the most subsidised product, Nigerians had not been enjoying the subsidy.

He said this was because of the long arbitrage system involved in its distribution and retailing, and diversion of the product by marketers to the construction industry where it was used for blending bitumen.

“The Kero Correct initiative is thus designed to distribute and sell kerosene directly to end users from NNPC retail mega and affiliate stations across the country at the government-regulated price of N50 per litre to ensure effective control,” he stated.

As good as the initiative seemed, it failed to achieve its

aims as not many Nigerians benefited from the scheme.

The government made as much noise as it considered necessary through the media to convey to gullible members of the public the impression that kerosene was being sold at the regulated price of N50. Investigations however revealed that the number of people that benefited from it were insignificant.

A political analyst, Mr. Mike Obasi said, “It’s an obvious fact that the primary purpose of the so-called ‘kero correct’ initiative is to provide justification for the continuous collection of subsidies on a product Nigerians have been paying through the nose to buy.

Year in year out the price of kerosene has been between N120 and N200. Nothing has changed” Over the years, marketers

“It’s an obvious fact that the primary purpose of the socalled ‘kero correct’ initiative is to provide justification for the continuous collection of subsidies on a product Nigerians have been paying through the nose to buy. Year in year out the price of kerosene has been between N120 and N200. Nothing has changed” have continued to flout NNPC’s directive to sell the product at

government regulated price without sanctions against any of them.

The Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) seem helpless in enforcing strict compliance with the new pricing regime.

It is a known fact that everybody that goes to a filling station to buy fuel or kerosene is short-changed, because the dispensing pumps have been tampered with. This has been the major reason why Nigerians do not get value for their money at the filling stations.

Nigerians have remained hapless victims of exploitation because the institutional

Contd on Page 14

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 5

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 6

Groups threaten national protest if FG sacks Jega

From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

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oalition of Civil Society Groups in Nigeria has called on all Nigerians to come out and occupy all the major cities, towns and streets on Tuesday, March 22 if the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega is sacked by the federal government.

According to the groups, their decision would serve as a warning of rounds of protests that will occur across the country.

This was contained in a statement signed by representative of Northern Anti-Corruption Front, Ade Yusuf Yusuf, Comrade Isreal Uwejeyan of Niger Delta Youth Congress and Comrade Rani Rezak respectively and made available to newsmen.

The groups further added that this would ultimately lead to a prolonged national protest if government goes ahead with forcing Jega out of office before the election is hold.

“This measure is indeed very critical if we must save this nation from its dangerous slide to anarchy and disintegration.

We are reliably informed and are convinced that government would force Jega on a supposed terminal leave early next week.

“We are alerting the entire civil society both at home and abroad to prepare for a massive and sustained resistance to save our democracy and nation from this impending threat.

“We therefore call on all Nigerians to come out and occupy all the major cities, towns and streets on Tuesday, March 22, to serve as a warning round of protests,.Let us also seize this opportunity to sound a final warning to FG sponsored OPC thugs, who want Jega out to shut up.

“Let the OPC thugs who are pretending to be championing the southwest interest,bury their faces in shame. We know they are mercenaries and wish to remind them that nobody has monopoly of violence.

“No Jega, no elections, no peace. Period. No card Reader, no elections. We call on the international community to sound a warning to the clueless Jonathan government about further undermining the democratic process. It is unacceptable,” the groups said.

News

PDP national chairman, Muazu flees?

By Osby Isibor

S

trong indications emerged Friday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu has fled the country to Dubai and may remain in self exile until after the presidential election.

Sources in the intelligence and security circles revealed that the embattled chairman had become increasingly disenchanted with the abusive manner the Presidential Campaign of Goodluck Jonathan is being prosecuted and the seeming failure to rein in some of the elements that have gone overboard in attacking and insulting the opposition presidential candidate,

Muhammadu Buhari.

Our reporter learned that Mu’azu “found it tough to sell the candidature of Jonathan to especially his Northeast constituency ravaged by insurgent elements and neglected by the federal government.”

The source further said that, “Mu’azu’s body language made the hawks in the government uncomfortable and who similarly made him uncomfortable. Most of his powers as chairman have been usurped by his deputy, Uche Secondus who is primed now to prosecute the concluding presidential campaign.”

Our correspondent gathered that for some time now, Muazu has not signed a single cheque to

T

he Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is afraid of losing power because they had allegedly looted the nation’s treasury.

personally signed a press statement saying that he was doubtful of a landslide victory for his party’s candidate, Goodluck Jonathan.

Efforts to get the response of Muazu failed, but a top echelon of the PDP yesterday night told Peoples Daily Weekend in a phone interview that Muazu did not flee.

“We were with him in Yobe on Presidential campaign when he had to travel to Dubai to visit his sick mother. If you have his number call him later this night and you will get him because he is returning today (Friday March 20),” our source assured.

NGO tasks electorate on active politics

By Mohammed Usman

A

. R-L; APC Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, in a hand shake with members of the Igbo Delegates Assembly (IDA) of the19 Northern States at the endorsement of Buhari for the 2015 presidential election at the APC Presidential Campaign office, yesterday in Abuja

Ignore IGP, APC tells voters From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has told Nigerian voters to ignore the unlawful order by the Inspector-General of Police urging them to go home after casting their ballots during the forthcoming elections.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the electorate should rather listen to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who said the electoral law does not state anywhere that voters cannot or should not wait to watch and ensure that their votes are counted.

It therefore urged the electorate to make sure they stayed behind to protect their votes after casting their ballots, as was the case in 2011.

APC said contrary to the suspicious directive by the IGP, INEC encourages voters to stay behind and watch their votes counted, saying the law expects such voters to stay behind but to conduct themselves in an orderly manner. ‘’According to Jega, who appeared on Channels TV on Friday morning, the electoral law says anyone that has no business with the electoral process at the polling booths but desires to monitor events should stay at least

Why Nigeria needs change-Osinbajo From Ahmad Ibrahim,Lokoja

offset huge adverts bill in several newspapers with one source pointing at that as evidence of being disenchanted and another insisting that he was being “muscled” out.

A family source told our correspondent last night that the PDP chair had privately confided in him of his disenchantment with the abusive tone the presidential campaign has taken and he vowed that he would never go that low in insulting Buhari.

The family source however stated that Mu’azu didn’t flee but confirmed that he was currently in Dubai en route Saudi Arabia to perform Lesser Hajj.

On Thursday Muazu

Speaking yesterday at the palace of Obaro of Kabba, Oba Michael Olobayo, in the western axis of Kogi State, Prof. Osibanjo posited that Nigerians are suffering because the vast resources of the country have either been stolen or mismanaged.

He pointed out that the electorate have to vote out the PDP in the forthcoming general

elections because time has come for Nigerians to begin to enjoy good governance.

Accordingtohim,Nigerianshavesuffered for too long, with 80% of our graduates being unemployed, even as most of the resources are wasted.

Prof. Osinbajo further said that when the oil was being sold for $38 dollars per barrel

some metres away from the polling agents and completely away from the ballot box after casting their votes. ‘’The INEC Chairman further clarified that all registered voters have businesses with the process and can therefore not be classified as people that don’t have businesses at polling units. ‘’Therefore, the IGP has no constitutional right or powers under the constitution or Police Act to rewrite the electoral law. The role of the police is to maintain law and order or such other assistance as may be sought from the police

by INEC,’’ the party said.

the country’s external reserve was $62 billion, wondering why the reserve stood at $32 billion when the barrel was sold between $100-115.

He therefore stressed the need for Nigerians to effect a change in the leadership of the country, so as to move the nation forward and change things for the better.

In a remark, the Obaro of Kabba, Oba Michael Olobayo stressed the need for peaceful co-existence in the country, urging politicians to continue to imbibe the spirit of give and take.

non-governmental youth group, Grassroot Initiative for Youth Awareness and Peaceful Co-Existence (GRAIPY) has charged Nigerian electorate, especially the youth to participate actively in the forthcoming general elections by ensuring that they collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

The National Chairman of Grassroot Initiative for Youth Awareness and Peaceful Co-Existence, Chief Sunday Okonkwo gave the charge yesterday in Dei-Dei, Abuja during a sensitization and awareness campaign for violence free elections and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.

The sensitization exercise which took the group round the Dei-Dei building materials market enabled the group meet with traders, okada riders, market women and youths in the neighborhood and interact with them on how to conduct themselves during the elections.

Chief Okonkwo said the programme was to enlighten the people on how to actively participation in the forthcoming general elections and strengthen citizens engagement in the electoral process.

“What we are gathered doing here today is to promote the emergence of politically better informed electorate among the women and youth, and to also promote peace and violence-free elections in Nigeria. We use this campaign to educate them on the forthcoming general elections; election is a civic exercise not war”.

He urged them to continue their lawful businesses and remain peaceful before, during and after the general elections.

The highly elated crowd thanked the group for the enlightenment programme while signing the NOA 10 Million Signatures for peaceful elections.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

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Cover

Presidential Poll: How states will likely vote

By Patrick Andrew, Abuja, Adesoji Oyinlola, Lagos, Ado Musa, Jos, Umar DanKano, Yola, Edwin Olofu, Kano, Mike Etim, Uyo

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igeria’s political temperament has heightened in intensity and complexity as political parties work assiduously ahead of the presidential election, which is barely a week from today. The presidential poll which was earlier billed for February 14 was shifted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the submission of the Nigerian military requesting for six weeks extension to enable them crush the insurgent Boko Haram in the Northeast.

That was granted amidst protest from the All Progressives Congress (APC) which asserted that the postponement was a ploy by the PDP to ‘kill’ its soaring momentum that they said was almost overwhelming and sure to deliver the presidency to its candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

There were also the issue of paltry distribution of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) which the PDP also insisted was skewed in favour of some places, especially the strongholds of the opposition APC while deliberately denying electorate in their places of influence their PVCs. For certainty, both Lagos and Kano states, that have the highest number of voters, the PVCs distribution were grossly dismal as were those in Ogun, Abia, Delta, Niger, Gombe, Kaduna, while Borno, Yobe and Adamawa surprisingly enjoyed reasonable distribution despite being in the throes of ‘war’ and under the scourge of Boko Haram.

Nonetheless, with the shift, the leading lights in the political contest took full advantage and returned to the nooks and crannies of the country to canvass and solicit for votes. The PDP and the APC presidential candidates dutifully deployed their lieutenants to convoke townhall meetings, business meetings and all sorts of meetings to further sell themselves and other candidates on their platforms.

Well as hard working diligent students whose examination is just round the corner, the parties have burnt the night candles across the states and hope for the best when the exams finally holds on Saturday. Here our correspondents across the states bring you their assessments of the likely voting pattern of the electorate in respective states, the likely influence and the factors that might swing states to either Gen Muhammadu Buhari or incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

Who wins South West

The South West geo- political zone is the new bride. The zone is unarguably the deciding factor in the coming presidential elections. Although there are a number of presidential candidates, the contest for the soul of the beautiful bride come

President Jonathan March 28 has been narrowed down to a straight fight between the APC candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP. In essence, the South-west is a strategic electoral zone in the calculations of anyone aspiring for higher office in Nigeria.

Therefore, the vested interest exhibited by political stakeholders has generated heated muscle flexing as the battle to control political powers of the region intensifies.

Since 2003, when President Olusegun Obasanjo initiated a serious meeting to negotiate with zonal leaders and sustained the initiative in 2007 for late Umar Yar’Adua and subsequently President Jonathan in 2011, no serious presidential candidate can afford to take the position of the South West for granted. In 2015, neither President Jonathan nor Gen Muhammadu Buhari can afford to undermine the strength, political importance and centrality of the South West.

While Jonathan won five out of the six states in the region in 2011, the situation has since changed, going by the electoral mood of the people clamouring for ‘change’.

The region can be regarded as the home to APC, with four of the six states in the zone being controlled by the party, coupled with the fact that the National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, and the party’s vicepresidential candidate, Yemi Osinbajo, are from the South-West, makes it a hard nut for Jonathan and an easy ride for Buhari.

But it would be foolhardy to say that it

Gen. Buhari would be a stroll in the park for Gen. Buhari, recent events at the last governorship election in Ekiti State, where the PDP took the APC to the cleaner is strong enough to rubbish such permutation.

It probably would have been unheard of then to imagine or predict that the APC, under any circumstance, would suffer the high degree loss it recorded at the last governorship election in Ekiti State. The APC candidate and incumbent governor, Kayode Fayemi, who many had thought was in a roller coaster ride, was roundly trounced by the rampaging forces of the rival PDP candidate, Ayodele Fayose.

Fayose, capitalised on his massive grassroots connection to counter Fayemi and clinched the ticket to govern the state.

That laid some foundation and seems to have created a palpable resurgence as the PDP stepped up efforts to win over the south-west. President Jonathan and the PDP, especially since the postponement of the presidential election from February 14 to March 28, 2015, have taken up the gauntlet, intensified efforts to undermine the seemingly colossal presence of the APC in the region.

Leading the charge against the influence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Fashola, whose performance is the key rallying point of the APC, the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, also is the Coordinator of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation in the South-West.

Mimiko has a solid ally in Fayose,

whose grassroots clout, vehemence and political thuggery makes his territory a little uncomfortable for the APC. In recent weeks, the PDP seems to have touched on the nerves of the Yoruba nation: implementation of the recommendations of the National Conference.

Traditional, religious, business, and youth leaders, as well as market women from across the south-west, and theYoruba elders, represented by the Afenifere, were singled out for their support, using the National Conference, which they supported, as the trump card.

The major argument is that the support of the Afenifere elders for Jonathan’s reelection was needed if their contributions to the National Conference were to be rewarded through the implementation of its recommendations. The belief is that Jonathan, who convoked the conference against the staunch opposition of the APC leaders, would be in a better position to implement its report and its recommendations.

Whatever result the renewed effort by Jonathan to win the south west must have fetched him may simply have vanished after prominent Yoruba leaders at a pan-Yoruba summit in Ibadan, Oyo State, re-echoed the call for true a true federal structure, where all regions in the country will develop at their own pace.

Leading the agitators for a true Contd on Page 8

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 8

Cover

Contd from Page 7 federalism where every region would control its own economy and resources were frontline Yoruba leaders from Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos States and their kith and kin from Kogi, Kwara, Delta and Edo and those from other geo- political zones in the country.

However, Yorubas are known for their high political sagacity and independent-mindedness and may not necessarily be swayed by their leaders.

While Buhari had a good outing during the campaign before the postponement of the election, the same cannot be said of his opponent, President Jonathan, who got a rude shock with the low level reception he was accorded in the zone.

Whereas the APC has large followership in Osun and Lagos, the same cannot be said of its presence in Oyo and Ogun, where the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Labour Party (LB) have considerable influence, especially in Oyo State. However, they could be swing states in the region.

Nonetheless, how well the momentum of change catches on the southwest remains to be seen, even as spin doctors have advised Jonathan to concentrate more energy on the zone than elsewhere. Playing the script of his strategist, Jonathan, who in the 2011 presidential election

How states will likely vote brokered a last minute deal with Tinubu to win the south west, has turned his attention to sociocultural groups and traditional institutions for support.

Political analysts said point blank that the strategy may have little impact, largely because traditional rulers in the south west hardly participate actively in politics. They cannot be expected to mobilise support for any aspirant, rather, they have always played father figure role to all those that come to seek their support. And that Buhari and Jonathan have done.

Battle for the control of Northwest No doubt, there is consternation within the ranks of the Peoples Democratic Party over the high rate of Permanent Voter Card collection in geopolitical zones considered to be the strongholds of the opposition All Progressives Congress.

The ruling party is uncomfortable with the high number of registered voters in states where the APC presidential candidate, is believed to be very popular.

The North-West, believed to be a stronghold of the APC, is the zone where the highest number

State by state Projection South West Ekiti Ondo Lagos Osun Oyo Ogun

PDP PDP APC APC Too close to call Too close to call

Akwa Ibom Cross River Bayelsa Rivers Edo Delta

PDP PDP PDP PDP PDP PDP

Kaduna Katsina Kano Zamfara Kebbi Sokoto

APC APC APC APC APC APC

Taraba Gombe Bauchi Yobe Borno Adamawa

Too close to call PDP APC APC APC Too close to call

Plateau Kogi Nasarawa Kwara Benue Niger

PDP PDP APC APC PDP APC

Abia Imo Enugu Anambra Ebonyi

PDP PDP PDP PDP PDP APC

South South

North West

North East

North Central

South East

FCT

Mu’azu

Oyegun

of PVCs has been collected, according to statistics released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently.

The support for Buhari was further boosted in the region by the defection of Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and his Sokoto State counterpart, Magatakarda Wamako, respectively to the APC from the PDP. Northwest Nigeria comprises of seven states namely, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa and Sokoto states.

Ironically, the incumbent Vice President, Namadi Sambo, hails from Kaduna State where he equally served as governor from 2007 - 2010 before he was made the vice president.

However, since Sambo’s emergence as Vice President, the PDP has enjoyed little support from the people of the state, especially during the presidential election in 2011 when the party struggled to deliver. The dust raised by the outcome of the presidential elections in Kaduna State in 2011 led to the unfortunate post-election violence that claimed the lives of many.

The presidentiall election in the state promises to be tough, as the PDP has been working assiduously to avoid the repeat

“

of 2011 when it nearly lost the election. Sambo has almost relocated to the state meeting several interest groups and persuading them to support the PDP during the forthcoming elections.

The support of the governor of the state, Ramalan Yero, will no doubt increase the chances of the PDP winning the state.

General Buhari is at home in Katsina State, his home state, which is like a no go area for the PDP even though the state is being controlled by the PDP. One of the factors working against the PDP in the state is the lack of unity which is the fallout of the PDP governorship primary, where most of the aspirants felt they were short changed by Ibrahim Shema, who was accused of imposing his Commissioner Resource Development, Alhaji Musa Nashuni, as the PDP governorship candidate.

Nashuni is perceived not be on ground and only riding on the popularity of the incumbent governor whose popularity has equally dwindled after he branded opposition as ‘cockroach’ an allegation which he vehemently dispelled.

This and many other factors would negatively affect the chances of the PDP in the state

which is the home state of the APC presidential candidate.

The chances of the APC presidential candidate recording the highest votes in the state is very high in view of his unmatched popularity.

The governorship candidate of the APC, Aminu Bello Masari, is to a very large extent relying on the crowd pulling strength of General Buhari to win.

Thus, Kano State is seen as the strong base of General Buhari’s support and as such the General is sure of sweeping over four million votes in the state.

With the exceptional performance of Governor Kwankwaso who has transformed the state to a modern city and the choice of a well accepted governorship candidate, his deputy Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the PDP in the state poses no threat to the APC. Since 1999, the PDP has been struggling to get 25 % of votes, the only time it got 25% was when late President Umaru Yar’adua contested in 2007.

In Zamfara State, the coast is equally clear for the APC to triumph owing to the fact that the incumbent governor, Abdulaziz Yari, is working with a former

Contd on Page 9

The North-West, believed to be a stronghold of the APC, is the zone where the highest number of PVCs has been collected, according to statistics released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Contd from Page 8 governor of the state Senator Ahmed Yarima.

In 2011, on expiration of his tenure, he is installed Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi and when they fell apart he singlehandedly removed him and installed his errand boy in the person of Yari. With Yarima being the leader of the APC in the state, Buhari may have his way in the state.

In Kebbi State, the sitting governor Saidu Dakingari, has lost control as a result of the crisis that trailed the PDP governorship primary, which saw the emergence General Bello Sarkin Yaki.

Be that as it may, the election may favour General Buhari, but President Jonathan might get the required 25% votes in the state.

The financial muscle of Senator Atiku Bagudu, the governorship candidate of the APC in the state and the grassroots support of Senator Adamu Aliero, former governor of the state, are working in favour of Buhari.

In Jigawa State, the PDP is at the helm of affairs where Governor Sule Lamido holds sway, but that will not affect the fortunes of the APC, especially at the presidential election. Political observers are of the view that the PDP might win

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Cover

How states will likely vote the governorship election, but the APC will overwhelmingly win in the presidential election.

The overwhelming support of Sokoto State governor, Wamakko, is just as the popularity of Buhari in the north, come sun or rain Wamako is a politician to be reckoned with. His popularity snowballed when he defeated the candidate of his boss, Attahiru Bafawara, in the 2007 governorship election.

Although, Bafawara has moved to the PDP there is the believe that he might be unable to deliver the state to his new party in view of the perception in many quarters that he is not a generous person. In Sokoto State generosity means a lot.

For APC, Sokoto is in the kitty because of the support of Wamakko and the governorship candidate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.

South South

If there were some states that the Peoples Democratic Party never really bother to expend their energy to campaign in, it was

the South- South states.

The party was always so sure that with or without campaign they would easily pick up there three points as in a football match.

In 1999 when Obasanjo emerged the President of the nation under the umbrella of the PDP, some of the highest votes that helped him to soar to victory came from the Niger Delta region of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Cross River States. The states voted em-block for the PDP. The feat was repeated in 2007 when the late Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua contested the elections with a son of the soil, Goodluck Jonathan, as his running mate.

In the 2011 elections, a pittance crowd welcomed Buhari and Pastor Tunde Bakare to these states. Howbeit, today the postulation of the “Carry go” effect enjoyed by PDP in these states have been broken. The game has changed so suddenly, that it is the PDP that is now doing the catch up and using all in its arsenals to try to ward off the main opposition party from taking over the states.

Rivers State will be the

cynosure of all eyes on account of the strength of the incumbent governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who aims at doing the impossible, turning Rivers for the first time to the opposition APC. Rivers, more than any other state in the Niger Delta, had witnessed unprecedented war of attrition between Governor Amaechi and the presidency.

The fall out eventually led to the governor defecting to the APC. As it is now, a cloud of uncertainty is hanging over the state as to who will emerge victorious at the polls. The pair of Amaechi and Buhari are tackling the triumvirate of the heady PDP governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike, President Jonathan and his wife, Patience, who hails from the state.

The frosty relationship between Amaechi and the President, has in no way helped matters.

However, despite the seeming crisis, President Jonathan still enjoys the support of Rivers people. He would definitely win the state with Buhari settling for

forty percent of the votes. But, ask for the governorship election, the chances between the PDP and APC are equal.

In respect of Akwa Ibom State, it is surely a fat chance to bet that Buhari would score higher votes than the president. The reasons are not far-fetched. Akwa Ibom State is a core PDP state under the leadership of one of the strongest PDP governors, who is also the Chairman of the PDP governors’ forum.

Buhari’s in-road to the state as a person and as a presidential candidate is minimal. His hallmark talk of eradicating corruption and insurgency was not able to convince the Akwa Ibom people. This is because Akwa Ibom is not under any insurgency threat, and corruption, the people think is everywhere.

The APC flag bearer has been to the state on two occasions. The first was during the defection of former Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, an influential member of Contd on Page 12

PAGE 10

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

News Igbo Delegates Assembly endorse Buhari

National integration: Uduaghan tasks youths on attitudinal change

By Umar Muhammad Puma

By Stanley Onyekwere

L

eaders of the 19 Northern states Igbo Delegates Assembly (IDA), and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have declared their support for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari for the March 28 Presidential election.

Speaking at the Buhari campaign office in Abuja yesterday, President General of Igbo’s living in the north, Sam Demian Enyama, described Buhari as a man of impeccable character and urged South Easterners to downplay any religious and tribal sentiments in the coming polls and vote Buhari, saying Buhari’s presidency will address the pressing needs of all the regions.

On his part, Eze’udo of the 19 northern states, Uche Egenti said as Igbos who have lived in the north for many years, they know Buhari and what he stands for.

He said “We are here to support

your aspiration to become the president of this country, we know you; it is easier to work with you because of what you stand for. We are not ready to be plunged into another civil war and we are pleading with you to help us re-organize Nigeria again. We want discipline to reign again.

“We want to plead with you to help galvanized Nigeria once more, let the discipline rain again in Nigeria, let the polity be sensitized. A lot of people have complained that the issue about you is religion, but we know you are not a religious bigot. You are a very firm articulated officer of the Nigerian army.

In 1983 when Nigeria was at a verge of collapse, you came in and rescue it.

“We are here to affirm our support on the use of the permanent voters’ card, because it will bring decency in the polity and will bring credibility to the election. We are here to plead with you that you should remember that the Igbo’s are behind you.

Responding, General Buhari said “I am very happy with your kindness

in coming to Abuja to see me and to support the APC. I assure you that you will not regret it. For 16 years when PDP took over this country where are we now. How much was the Naira to the dollar now and how much is it now.

Does it mean that you will not sell the things that you have in your shop now because people cannot afford them because the Naira is now about N230 to the dollar?

“I think that as a community, you are more affected in Nigeria than anyone else. You are the ones that go from Singapore to China and all over the world to make the contacts and order things.. You don’t order them in Naira, but in dollars or pound starlings or yen. Now, you need trailer load of Naira to maintain your businesses.

Remember what we earned from 1999 till now. But then, where is the Nigeria Railways that we have been talking about, where is the Nigeria Airways, where is the Nigeria Shipping line, where are the roads and where is the money we earned.

There are states now that haven’t paid salaries for months. Corrupt PDP governors cannot even pay salaries.

I don’t think you can support this type of government anymore. It will be impossible because the worse has almost happened. If everybody is impoverished, what do we do? Do we eat grass?

Also commenting, chieftain of the APC, Dr. Ogbunnaya Onu, urged the Ndigbo to join the moving train of the APC, as according to him, “the APC train cannot move without the South East. He, however, dismissed claims that Buhari will Islamize Nigeria if elected into office.

On his part, National chairman of the APC, chief John Oyegun said the most unfortunate thing that will happen to this country is when PDP is returned to power. “ I know that in southeastern Nigeria the issue of religion matters a lot, but but I want to assure you that Buhari is not what the PDP portray him to be.

Armed robbers, thugs threaten land developers in Delta communities

By Osakhare Erese, Asaba

L

andlords including property developers in Issele- Azagba, Okpanam communities, Oshimili North local government area of Delta State are currently living in fears of the unknown following alleged murder of three persons in the last two weeks in cold blood by suspected armed robbers, including land speculators operating in the areas.

While the landlords and developers have raised the alarm through their lawyer, they said that the situation might portend further killings if urgent steps are not taken to stop the activities of these men of the underworld.

In a letter of petition dated March 11, 2015, addressed to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Alkali Baba Usman, by the communities’ lawyer, Barr. Afam Nkemnachor, a copy made available to our correspondent, titled: “armed robbery, malicious damage and conduct likely to cause breach of peace” described the present atrocious activities in the communities as pathetic, urging the police to take steps with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book.

A victim of a recent attack, Adinnu Obiora Johnbosco who claimed to have been attacked by the hoodlums, said that he bought a land from Akpoma Quarters, Isele Azagba community where he and some of his workers were allegedly attacked by the suspected hoodlums numbering about eight, armed with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.

But the police commissioner, Baba Usman on a telephone chat confirmed that three persons before the incidence were allegedly murdered in a land dispute, adding that the police at present have arrested and detained 6 persons likely to be charged to court upon completion of investigation.

L-R: ; Director, Community Services, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Odu, Country Representative, WaterAid Nigeria, Dr. Micheal Ojo and Head of Governance, WaterAid Nigeria , Ms Tolani Busan, during the the Press confetence In commemoration of World. Water day, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin. Imo-Owo

D

elta state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has urged Nigeria youths to cultivate attitudes such as hard work, honesty, discipline and patriotism, which are necessary for national integration.

He said for the youths to actively participate in the process of transformation of the country, there is need for a change in mindset and attitude among the youths.

The Governor, made this point in his key note address delivered at the National Integration Roundtable, organized by Integration Summit Group Nigeria, on Thursday, in Abuja.

He however noted that the country must chart the positive way forward for her teeming youths since they are leaders of tomorrow, stressing that since society is dynamic, the youths must be prepared to lead the process and adjust their ways to meet the challenges as they come.

“For positive transformation to evolve and take root in the country, the youths must cultivate such attitude as hard work, honesty, discipline and patriotism, which are necessary for national integration.

“I therefore, urge our youths to dedicate their talents, energies and time to meaningful activities and ventures that will positively impact on the socio-economic and political transformation of the society; this can be achieved if they (youths are prepared physically, spiritually and mentally,” he insisted.

Furthermore, the governor stressed that Nigerians should canvass for peaceful co-existence and national integration, including promotion of civil patriotism over ethno-religious nationalism, as the only panacea for stability in the polity.

He therefore charged all citizens, to be proactive in the propagation of peace and non-violence throughout the country, begging at the family front.

Earlier in his remarks, the Convener of the National Integration Roundtable, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, decried that politics of today has fired up emotions across the length and breadth of the nation, as politicians are now throwing kernels at themselves rather than issue based campaigns.

Amina Sambo urges mothers to guard children against violence From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

W

ife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo has called on Bauchi women to prevail on their children to ensure there is peace in the state during and after the general elections scheduled for March 28 and April 11,2015.

Hajiya Amina Sambo who represented Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan made the call yesterday in Bauchi while addressing hundreds of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women, saying “without peace there cannot be any meaningful development in a society” While charging the women to massively vote PDP to continue with the good work it has started, the Vice President’s wife said “ the PDP government has revitalized the railway for comfortable travels by the masses and is made improved increase into the Dry Season farming

in the country”.

According to her, “Roads such as the one from Maiduguri to Bauchi, Alkaleri to Futuk are being constructed to fast track development, and health care facilities are being provided” adding “ I have just commissioned a Maternity which will improve women and children’s health.”

The road from Kano to Maiduguri will pass through Bauchi and the Bauchi international airport has been built to ease of problem transportation sector saying all these are efforts aim at improving the living condition of the people

by PDP government, she said.

Hajiya Amina Sambo informed that “ the First Lady Dame (Dr. Patience Goodluck Jonathan, could not come due to other pressing assignments, but she would have like to be here personally. But iam here not to campaign but to appreciate you and thank you for what you have being doing for the party in Bauchi state”.

The wife of the Vice President also presented 300 bags of maize, 300 bags of millet and 300 bags of rice to the women who attended the rally and urged them to vote PDP for better life.

Earlier, Bauchi state Governor Isa Yuguda while welcoming Mrs. Sambo, assured that “Bauchi is a PDP state and will vote PDP from the president to the state house of assembly”.

He also asked the women to come out enmasse and vote PDP to continue its good work, pointing out that “no government has ever built schools for Almajiri in the north. Besides, the PDP is providing quality health care service. It has given out over thousands of mosquito nets, and several interventions in the health sector”.

Other women that spoke at the rally included National PDP women Leader, Mrs. Rhoda Jibril, Bauchi PDP women Leader, Hajiya Asabe Tirwum, who enjoined the women to vote for PDP.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Nigeria to celebrate 2015 world water day

By Mohammed Usman

N

igeria is set to join other countries of the world to celebrate the 2015 world water day, Federal Ministry of Water Resources has said.

A statement signed by Acting Deputy Director, Press And Public Relations unit of the ministry, Mrs. Ogundoro Modupe, said that the purpose of the celebration is to raise public awareness on conscious management of fresh water for sustainable development.

According to Mrs. Modupe, “Arrangements have been concluded by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to join the rest of the world in celebrating this year’s World Water Day in Nigeria.”

She said the Ministry has decided to mark the event on Monday 23rd of March, 2015, due to the fact that 22nd March, 2015 is Sunday and a work free day in Nigeria.

She further added that the Theme of this year’s celebration is “Water and Sustainable Development”, saying “This underscores the importance of fresh water in sustainable socioeconomic development of the world.”

All stakeholders in the Water sector are expected to participate in the event which will feature a symposium and exhibition.

It could be recalled that in 1992, United Nations General Assembly dedicated 22 March every year as World Water Day.

News

Borno Guber: Lawyers warn sacked PDP candidate against contempt

By Aisha Biola Raji

T

he claim by Alhaji Mohammed Imam that he remains the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State has been described as a contempt of court.

Justice Armed Mohammed about two days ago sacked Imam as the PDP candidate in Borno State and declared Alhaji Gambo Lawan as the authentic candidate of the party for

the election in the state.

A legal practitioner, Barrister S.A. Umar said in Abuja yesterday that the actions of Imam since the judgement was delivered is nothing short of contempt of court because in the eyes of the Nigerian Laws, Lawan is the Governorship candidate of the PDP given the fact that the judgment delivered in Lawan’s favor by a Federal High Court is declaratory and hence cannot be stayed through an application for stay of

execution.

The campaign organization of Imam, shortly after the judgment was delivered was quoted as saying that Alhaji Mohammed Imam remains the governorship candidate despite the declaration by the Federal High Court.

The court had ruled that the submission of Imam’s name as candidate was null and void and of no effect and ordered that that Lawan should be recognized by the INEC in

place of Imam.

“I was worried as a legal practitioner when I read that very misleading statement from Imam Campaign organization insisting he is the Governorship candidate of the PDP in Borno State because they have filed a stay of execution. It is ignorance of the law to say that the judgement cannot be executed because the judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja, issued on Wednesday against

Mohammed Imam was a declaratory judgment and it is an elementary principle of law that declaratory judgments cannot be stayed vied an application for stay of execution.

“There is a subsisting order of court with competent jurisdiction and that order has to be immediately carried out because the order is binding on all parties as we speak and any action contrary will amount to contempt at Court”.

2015 Polls: Commonwealth observers to redeploy to Nigeria

By Osby Isibor

C

ommonwealth election observers are set to redeploy to Nigeria ahead of Presidential and National Assembly Elections, scheduled to hold on March 28, 2015.

This was revealed in a statement issued by Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, Kamalesh Sharma in Abuja yesterday.

The Commonwealth Observer Group is led by former President of Malawi, Dr Bakili Muluzi.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma constituted the Observer Group at the invitation of the Chairperson of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Commonwealth observers deployed to Nigeria in early February for an election originally scheduled for 14 February. Following a six-week postponement, the Observer Group was reconstituted by the Secretary-General and will be redeployed ahead of polling day.

Mr. Sharma said: “The Commonwealth has been following developments closely since the elections were rescheduled. We are

pleased that INEC has used the additional time to strengthen its preparedness for the elections. We are also pleased that more than 80 per cent of registered voters have now collected their permanent voter cards.

“The Commonwealth urges all involved in these elections to put the interests of Nigeria above all other considerations, and to play their parts in ensuring peaceful, transparent and credible elections. The Nigerian people, alongside the wider region and wider world, expect this in Africa’s largest democracy.”

He underscored the importance of these elections being held as planned on 28 March. He added: “I am encouraged by reports from Nigeria’s leadership that these critical elections will take place as rescheduled. The Commonwealth Charter to which all governments are committed recognises the inalienable right of individuals to participate in democratic processes, especially free and fair elections.”

The Commonwealth Observer Group’s mandate is to observe and consider the various factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process as a

Jonathan congratulates Netanyahu on reelection ...promises closer ties with Israel

P

PAGE 11

resident Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated the newly reelected Prime Minister if Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.

This is just as he promised to be looking forward to continuing to work with him to further strengthen the existing cordial and mutually-beneficial relations between Nigeria and Israel.

The President in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, yesterday said the Federal Government will also continue to

count on the cooperation and support of the Israeli government under Mr. Netanyahu’s leadership as Nigeria strives to overcome the challenges of terrorism, violent extremism and sustainable development.

He wrote “Recognizing that strife and crisis in the Middle East remain matters of great concern to the international community, President Jonathan calls on Prime Minister Netanyahu, his incoming Administration in Israel and other countries in the Middle-East to rededicate themselves to achieving lasting peace in

whole. It will determine in its own judgment whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Nigeria has committed itself, with reference to national election-related legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and international commitments.

The Observer Group will submit its report to the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, who will in turn send it to the Government of Nigeria, INEC, political parties and eventually to all Commonwealth governments. It will then be made public.

A staff support team of six persons from the Commonwealth Secretariat

led by Ms Katalaina Sapolu will support the 10 member Observer Group.

The Observer Group is impartial and independent and will conduct itself according to the standards of the International Declaration of Principles for Elections Observation, to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.

KEBBI STATE GOVERNMENT CONSTRUCTION OF CHIEF MAGISTRATE COURTS AND MAGISTRATE RESIDENCE AT MAIYAMA. CONTRACT NO:KBSTB/HC/067/2015 The High Court of Kebbi State intends to undertake construction project for Chief Magistrate Courts and Magistrate Residence at Maiyama.

The High Court of Kebbi State is hereby inviting Architectural firms, Builders and similar qualified persons to submit bids for carrying out the said construction works Completed Tenders Documents should be returned to the office of the Chief Registrar High Court of Complex Gwadangwaji on or before Monday 11th May, 2015.

The Bids should be accompanied by: a. Company profile (if applicable) b. Certificate of Incorporation (if applicable) c. Evidence of Registration with the Tenders Board d. Evidence of Technical, Operation and Management Capabilities e. List of Similar jobs Secured and Completed f. Financial Capability from a reputable Bank g. Current Tax Clearence for 3years.

All bids should be submitted to the office of the: Chief Registrar, Kebbi State High Court of justice Complex Gwadangwaji The Chief Registrar Reserves the right to reject any bid submitted at no cost or liability to the Kebbi State High Court of Justice or Government of Kebbi State Signed Abubakar Siddiq Bello Chief Registrar

Page 12

Photosplash

L-R: Rivers State Coordinator, Justice Development And Peace Commission, Rev. Fr. Donatus Ukulor; Rivers INEC resident electoral commissioner, Dame Gesila Khan and administrative secretary,INEC Rivers, Mr Royce Obijuru, during an interactive forum with civil society organisations, yesterday in Port Harcourt

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Former head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (R) President Goodluck Jonathan (2nd r) and former chief of General Staff, Gen. Oladipo Diya (L), during the presentation of a book on President Jonathan (people choice), yesterday in Abuja . Photo: Joe Oroye

Nigerian troops patrolling the streets of Mubi in Adamawa State after they dislodged insurgents from the town yesterday

L-R: Director Basic and Secondary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Barrister Chike Uwaezuoke, Minister of State for Education , Professor Viola Onwuliri, and Director, Human Resources of the ministry, Dr. Umar Bello, during the minister’s meeting with principals of unity colleges, recently in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Pupils of Kings and Queens Academy, performing at the World Theatre Day for Children and Young People, yesterday in Lagos

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 13

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 14

Special Report

Kero Correct: Another subsidy scam window?

Contd from Page 4 structures put in place to protect their rights have been compromised.

Many residents of Abuja, who spoke to Peoples Daily Weekend, decried the hike in the price of kerosene and called on the federal government to do something to stem the situation.

“The average man in Nigeria today uses kerosene to cook. But if we go to the filling station, the product is not available. At the retailers’ place where they have it, the price, at N150 per litre, is beyond our reach”, Mrs. Regina Uzoka, a resident of Nyanya, said.

She added: “Nigeria is 55 years, yet we can’t tackle ordinary domestic issue. The problems we have in the country today are simply too much for the people.

We have crude oil, yet we are importing petroleum products.

The government makes promises to the masses. At the end, they forget. Nigerians are tired.

“When will this stop? Since independence, we are still about issues that should be in the past.

Other countries like Ghana have gone far in technology but we are still here.”

Another concerned Nigerian, Usman Baba, said government has disappointed the masses.

According to him, kerosene has become an issue, that he had to buy electric stove, yet the problem has not been solved because there is no electricity.

Baba believed some businessminded Nigerians see this as an opportunity to make money by arranging with the filling stations to buy up the kerosene and thus make it impossible for those that buy in small quantities to do so directly from the stations. He urged government to look into the matter.

“Nigeria has grown beyond kerosene scarcity. Our leaders have travelled to other countries.

They should learn the good things that happen over there and when they come back use the experience to move the nation forward. But instead they don’t do that, what they are interested is in their families and personal affairs. This must change; we need a leader that will give Nigeria a direction.”

They further called on government to set up a task force to enforce the official N50 per litre pump price of kerosene since DPR has failed to do that.

A civil servant, Mr. Ibe Munachim, said many marketers were not selling kerosene at the official price of N50 and this had

made cooking difficult in some homes. He said many dealers were selling kerosene as high as N150 per litre.

Munachim called on the regulatory agencies to sanction marketers selling above the official pump price and urged the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the persistent high cost of the product.

A kerosene retailer in Wuse, Mrs. Josephine Oyemomi blamed the high cost of the commodity on both major and independent marketers.

“They sell kerosene to me at N105 per litre with other charges; how much did they expect me to sell it to make my gain?”

She said that the situation was pathetic and urged the federal government to find a way of addressing the problem.

“Government should set up an independent task force to sanction any erring marketer,’’ she said.

A dealer in one of the filling stations in Area 1, who pleaded anonymity, said that marketers, who were selling above the official pump price, were sourcing the product on their own at varied prices.

It is shocking to note that kerosene sells at a far higher cost than petrol in the country. This is more so as the product is hardly available below the price of N125 per litre. A litre of kerosene now costs between N125 and N200 in most filling stations. Many indigent Nigerians who depend on the commodity to cook are worried that the product is being priced out of their reach. Most worrisome is the fact that the product is not available in most filling stations, even where kerosene price is regulated at N50 per litre.

The federal government

“

President Goodluck Jonathan recently announced a reduction in the fuel price of petrol from N97 to N87 per litre after series of criticisms from Nigerians.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani AlisonMadueke, said the N10 reduction in fuel price was necessitated by the reduction in crude oil prices in the international market.

Even as many commended the federal government for this decision, which had helped in easing the burden of Nigerians, it was also the thinking of majority of Nigerians that the reduction should not be limited to the price of petrol alone. The government should also consider reducing the price of other petroleum products especially kerosene, which is used by most families in Nigeria.

Kerosene has remained the only product used by most families in Nigeria, especially in rural

Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, OPEC President & Petroleum Minister communities, yet not many can afford it.

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) had in the past blamed hike in kerosene price on smuggling and blending of diesel.

PPPRA identified smuggling caused by huge arbitrage in price, use of kerosene in diesel blending and fuelling aircraft, as well as blending cut-backs to produce emulsion used in road construction, as some of the factors responsible for the high cost of kerosene in the country.

Nigeria, the largest oil producing nation in Sub-Saharan Africa is supposed to have met domestic demands for all brands of fuel while exporting surplus to the West African and global markets, but the reverse is the case.

As the largest economy in Africa, it has the enormous

Nigeria has grown beyond kerosene scarcity.

Our leaders have travelled to other countries.

They should learn the good things that happen over there and when they come back use the experience to move the nation forward. But instead they don’t do that, what they are interested is in their families and personal affairs. This must change; we need a leader that will give Nigeria a direction.”

potentials of diversifying her economy as regional hub for fuel exports, but the nation has made itself a net importer of refined fuel from Latin American countries, United States, Asia and Europe where its exported crude oil is refined and again imported by the Nigerian government and sold at high prices. Today, the pump price of PMS, otherwise known as petrol is sold at N87 per litre, while kerosene goes for as high as N200.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had indicated interest in the building of three new green refineries with a total capacity of one million barrels in three states of the federation, but this plan is yet to see the light of the day.

Meanwhile, all the multinational oil firms including Shell Nigeria, ExxonMobil, Total Agip, have all shunned investment in refinery projects in the country.

According to economic experts, the reason behind both local and foreign investors shunning building new refineries is due to the partial deregulation of the downstream sector by the government and the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by the National Assembly which allows government rather than market forces to determine the scope of businesses.

They opined that the passage into law of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would help bring the desired change in the beleaguered oil sector. And they urged the National Assembly and other relevant stakeholders to do the needful to salvage this critical sector of the Nigerian economy

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 15

Politics

PDP, election postponement and inevitability of defeat W

By Umar Ardo, Ph.d

hen Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), the National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, muted in far away London the idea of postponing the February general elections, it immediately crossed my mind that President Jonathan was very well heading for an electoral defeat. And when ultimately the elections were postponed at the instance of the same Dasuki under the guise, this time not of the poor distribution of PVCs as he earlier canvassed in London but, of security situation in the country, I became convinced of the inevitability of defeat of the ruling party, the PDP. Usually in African countries, when defeat stares incumbents in the face they postpone elections. In other words, African leaders generally conduct elections only when they are certain to win. But feeling certain to win and winning are two different things all together. For on most occasions those who shift elections, or try to amend constitutions, or resort to other untoward methods to retain power, ultimately lose it. This therefore forced African incumbents not only to brace themselves up to face the electorate, but over the years also perfected a whole new armory of manipulating elections to remain in power even where they are manifestedly unpopular. Several examples in many African countries, including Nigeria, attest to this assertion.

In the period of reforms towards multiparty democracy in Africa at the beginning of the 1990s, Mathieu Kérékou who seized power in Benin Republic in 1972 through a military coup, planned to move his country on the part of democracy with the intention to get elected as civilian president. He therefore organised early transition programme in which he put off holding general elections, but instead got himself elected as president by the National Assembly in December 1989. However, there was serious popular discontent with the increasing unrest, forcing Kérékou to hold a national conference barely two months later, in February 1990. The National Conference enacted a new constitution which was approved in a December 1990 referendum. Multi-party elections were held in March 1991, which Kérékou lost, obtaining only about 32% of the vote. Kérékou thus became the first mainland African president to lose power through a popular election.

He apologized for the “deplorable and regrettable incidents” that occurred during his rule. His election defeat marked the first time in postcolonial Francophone Africa that an incumbent lost an election.

Kenneth David Kaunda served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991. Eventually, however, economic troubles and increasing international pressure to bring more democracy to Africa forced Kaunda to change the rules that kept him in power. People who had been afraid to criticize him were now emboldened to challenge his competence. Pressure for a return to multiparty politics increased and Kaunda yielded and called for mul-

President Jonathan

“

Prof. Jega

But, without a constitutional amendment, Gbagbo went to the polls, and, like the conspiratorial silence of the Nigerian judiciary in the case of President Jonathan, the constitutional restriction on Presidents serving more than ten years was ignored and never addressed by the Ivorian Constitutional Council.

tiparty elections, first in 1990, then put off for 1991. In the election, the incumbent was defeated by the man on whose street name I live, Frederick Chiluba, under a newly formed political party, Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). He thus became the second mainland African head of state to allow free multiparty elections and to have relinquished power when he lost.

Laurence Gbagbo, who came to power in Côte d’Ivoire in October 2000, was supposed to conduct elections at the expiration of his mandate in 2005. But aware that he was not likely going to win, he delayed holding elections several times. On August 30, 2008, Gbagbo was designated the FPI’s [Ivorian Popular Front (French Front Populaire Ivoirien)] candidate at a party congress for a presidential election scheduled for November 2008; like President Jonathan, he was the only candidate for his party’s nomination. But when it became clear again that Gbagbo was going to lose, the presidential election was yet again postponed for two more years. In October 2010, however, under intensive domestic and international pressure, Côte d’Ivoire held a presidential election that saw Gbagbo face off with Alassane Ouattara.

As the results were inconclusive, on November 28, 2010, a second round of the presidential election was held. Four days later the Ivorian Electoral Commission (CEI) declared Alassane Ouattara the winner with 54.1% of the vote.

Gbagbo’s party complained of

fraud and ordered that votes from nine regions be annulled, but the claims were disputed by the Ivorian Electoral Commission and International Election Observers. The Ivorian Constitutional Council, fully under the control of President Laurence Gbagbo, claiming legal powers under Article 94 of the Ivorian Constitution, nullified the CEI’s declaration based on alleged voting fraud, and excluded votes from nine northern areas.

The Constitutional Council concluded that without these votes Gbagbo won with 51% of the remaining valid votes. Meanwhile, the constitution of Côte d’Ivoire expressively outlawed the country’s presidents from holding office for more than ten years in the same way the Supreme Court of Nigeria expressively outlawed governors and presidents from staying in office beyond cumulative maximum period of eight years. Given that Gbagbo was sworn in as president in October 2000, by law, he ought not to have contested the October 2010 presidential election. But, without a constitutional amendment, Gbagbo went to the polls, and, like the conspiratorial silence of the Nigerian judiciary in the case of President Jonathan, the constitutional restriction on presidents serving more than ten years was ignored and never addressed by the Ivorian Constitutional Council.

With a significant portion of the country’s vote nullified, especially in areas where Ouattara polled well, tensions mounted in the country.

Gbagbo ordered the army to close the borders and foreign news organisations were banned from broadcasting within the country.

Gbagbo was supported mainly by the largely Christian south; his opponents were mostly concentrated in the largely Muslim north.

Ouattara then took a parallel oath of office, based on the earlier pronouncement by the CEI that he won the election. The international community, including the African Union, recognized Ouattara as the duly elected president and called for Gbagbo to respect the will of the people. ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, also recognized Ouattara and demanded Gbagbo to cede power.

Gbagbo responded by launching ethnic attacks on northerners living in Abidjan with his army made up of his ethnic group and Liberian mercenaries.

The UN insisted that he be arrested, arraigned and tried for crimes against humanity. On April 6, 2011, forces loyal to Ouattara moved to seize Gbagbo at his residence in Abidjan after negotiations to end the presidential succession crisis failed. Gbagbo was arrested on the afternoon of April 11, 2011.

He was held in the Golf Hotel, then later transferred to Korhogo where he was placed under house arrest.

On November 29, 2011 Gbagbo was placed on a flight to The Hague without knowing where he was being taken to face his charges. An adviser to Gbagbo described the arrest as “victors’ justice”.

In Senegal, Abdullahi Wade, like General Buhari, was a long-time opposition leader who ran for President four times, beginning in 1978, before he was elected in 2000. He won re-election in 2007 with a majority in the first round, defeating the incumbent, Abdou Diouf.

In July 2008, the National Assembly approved a constitutional amendment increasing the length of the presidential term to seven years. This extension would not apply to Wade’s 2007–2012 term, but his Minister of Justice stressed that Wade could potentially run for re-election in 2012 if he was still healthy. Later, on September 17, 2009, Wade confirmed that he planned to run for a third term in 2012 “if God gives me a long life”.

Wade, during a July 14, 2011 speech to supporters, used the Wolof language ‘’Ma waxoon waxeet’’ (‘’I said it, I (can) take it back’’) in explaining his decision to go back on his 2007 pledge not to run for another term.

The phrase subsequently became a popular rallying cry for the antiWade opposition.

On January 27, 2012, Abdoulaye Wade was officially approved by the Constitutional Council to run for a highly controversial third term.

Following this declaration, enraged mobs engaged in violent protests in the country. After the first round vote, Wade failed to win a majority in the election and would have to face a run-off. He subsequently lost the second round of voting, held on March 25, 2012, to the opposition candidate, Macky Sall; Sall had received the backing of all the candidates who were defeated in the first round, and he defeated Wade by a wide margin. Sall succeeded Wade as President on April 2, 2012.

In the aftermath of his defeat, Wade congratulated his opponent on his victory and peacefully stepped down. Wade’s quick concession was praised by the African Union, European Union, United Nations and the United States. It was pointed out that the leaders ruling some of Senegal’s neighbors (including Guinea, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau) had all previously used the army to maintain their grasp on power. Because of this, Wade is considered among the rare African leaders who are committed to democracy.

So when the Nigerian INEC Chairman postponed the February elections, it was all too clear to discerning persons familiar with the trends of elections in African countries that the Jonathan regime was following the same pattern of sister African regimes doomed to lose elections; after all, Nigeria is also but an African country. One immediate effect of the postponement is the earning of more distrust for the regime from the populace than trust – a definitely unwanted situation for any candidate in an election season. No one gets to this very low ebb and survives an election. The only thing left is for President Jonathan as a person to start a sincere attempt at negotiating his exit with his most likely successor. I am sure he will get a fair deal from the potential winner.

I pray he does.

PAGE 16

Politics

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Abachagate: Jonathan’s dubious concession

By Patrick Andrew

L

ast Tuesday, the lingering negotiations between the Nigerian government and the family of the late General Sani Abacha for the return of large sums stashed away in foreign banks came to a climax with an agreement with the Swiss government for the repatriation of $380 billion.

The money, the last in the tranche, was confiscated in 2014 after it was transferred to Switzerland from Luxembourg where it had been seized since 2006, according to Geneva prosecutors. The money was confiscated, following allegations by the Swiss government that the Abacha family was a criminal organisation. In fact, Abba Abacha, one of the sons of the late maximum ruler, had been detained for 561 days from 2004 to 2006, without receiving compensation.

Switzerland’s top court cancelled the sentence in May 2014, citing procedural reasons.

With the agreement on Tuesday, Geneva prosecutors closed their case with the Abacha family which was opened in 1999.

Abba Abacha was the last member of the family under investigation.

It now remains the processes for the return of the money to Nigeria which will be supervised by the World Bank. The Abacha family had also placed about $500 million (530 million euros) in Swiss banks, though those funds have already been returned to Nigeria.

The authorities have also not only decided to drop their case against Abba Abacha, but the Abacha family as a whole. The Abacha affair began in 1999, when Nigeria asked the Swiss judicial authorities to help it recover $2.2 billion ($2 billion euros) embezzled and siphoned off by Sani Abacha while he was in power. In 2012, Mohammed Abacha was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence for participating in a criminal organisation.

The processes for the recovery of the loot began in 1998 when General Abdulsalami Abubakar, then head of state, raised a Special Investigation Panel to establish “cases of swindled public funds and recover same to the federal government coffers”.

The panel was to determine how much was actually looted by the late maximum ruler. It acted with dispatch obtaining from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) records which revealed that between November 1994 and June 1998, Abacha had taken from the CBN funds totaling $2,263,520,497 in cash withdrawals, travelers’ cheques and telegraphic transfers, in the name of ‘security vote’. That was the period when he took over power and when he suddenly died in office.

Commendable as the effort and amount recovered were, but on a closer look it became obvious that the amount was just

Abba Abacha a tip on the iceberg. According to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, “my predecessor, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, recovered $600 million and £120 million, when we came in, we looked at things again and we discovered that there are much more. I asked my vice president to invite Mrs. Abacha. I asked him not to take her to the office, but to his home and to let her know that these things she is holding must be dislodged.

“Then Mrs. Abacha phoned me, for the first time, she said she did not know I could be generous and could treat her that way. She said she had always feared me. But I told her that we hear that they have $2 billion. We went on and on and we discovered very close to $1.5billion. We hired lawyers and took them to five different places, Switzerland, Britain, Luxemburg, Spain and New Jersey (USA) for a long-drawn legal battle. We got through their lawyers to say we will settle out of court. So, we have a legal document. Our lawyers and their lawyers agreed. The document made me forgo $100 million.

“I know they don’t deserve it, with another $400 million in bond on face value. The agreement was signed and sealed, but when it got to the time of exchange, they

“

reneged. If only for the interest of the nation, nobody should perpetrate this kind of blatant corruption. Governor, (looking in the direction of Kwakwanso) you are making a special request, and I am also making a request, because the money belongs to all of us and should be disgorged, we will not give up until every kobo is recovered. I hold no malice, illfeeling, only for us to do what you can stand before God and man as just.”

Obasanjo said and proceeded to hand over a document to Kwankwaso for Mohammed Abacha. All he has to do is to fulfill his part of the bargain by returning to the public treasury the amount agreed with the federal government. He signed, but the family reneged, stalling the processes that could have led to the squashing of cases against the Abacha sons.

It would be recalled that on May 26, 1999, just three days before handing over power, General Abubakar had promulgated Decree 53 of 1999 on forfeiture of assets by certain persons which listed the monies returned by the Abacha’s.

Under Obasanjo, three tranches of negotiations and agreements were reached but none held

water. In fact, negotiations on the case seemed to have hit cul-delsac just before Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration came on board.

It remained in the cooler until late 2010 when the Jonathan administration opted in what many saw as a political reason to release Mohammed Abacha.

Mohammed hit the ground running for the PDP in Kano choosing to join the fray in the gubernatorial race. He eventually lost out but not before generating some followership to the PDP which had desperately needed the 25 percent constitutional requirement to be acceptable in the presidential polls. Hamza Al-Mustapha was equally on the matt prowling for the PDP. Well, payback time you say.

Well, Obasanjo had failed to profit from their large followership insisting perhaps on taking revenge on the Abacha’s whose father had sentenced him to life imprisonment for a phantom coup along with the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

Many believe that the latest effort at closing the case against the Abacha’s is largely political.

Only recently, Dame Patience Jonathan courted the wife of the late dictator, Maryam Abacha.

Of course, Patience is a wily

The deal is with the Abacha family not with the entire Kano people. So it may not meet Jonathan’s desired impact come March 28 because the Abacha’s political influence despite their stupendous wealth has been waning and the Kano electorate surely know their onions.”

politician, who desires nothing but to maximise whatever votes there may be, especially in Kano where every ounce of support is significant for the PDP. Ibrahim A. Ja’far believes the concession reached in order to close the case is “dubious. Why did the Jonathan government not close the case before now?

It is a cheap political move that President Jonathan thinks will assist him to garner the support of Kano people. “He had his wish in 2011 but now the people may not be readily lured by his antics. The deal is with the Abacha family not with the entire Kano people. So it may not meet Jonathan’s desired impact come March 28 because the Abacha’s political influence despite their stupendous wealth has been waning and the Kano electorate surely know their onions,” he said.

Similarly, a business correspondent in one of the television stations believes the concession granted the Abacha family is another way that the federal government deploys kid gloves in the fight against corruption.

Making reference to the reaction of Transparency International when the concession was first made under the Obasanjo government, the journalist said, “a statement by its Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa, Chantal Uwimana, had said, ‘Allowing the theft of public funds to go unpunished sends the wrong message that those with powerful connections can act with impunity.

The case should have been fully prosecuted and the government has not given adequate reasons for dropping the charges. Corruption is widespread in Nigeria and despite claims by the government to tackle it, few people have been held to account for a series of high profile scandals.”’

Like the John Yakubu case where a paltry N750,000 was forfeited after N32 billion was allegedly stolen, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha’s unpardonable pardon, Bode George, Cecelia Ibru and many others enjoyed plea bargain alas with some political connotation, the closure of the case against the Abacha family cannot but be seen in the same light.

Nura Umar, a Kano indigene, denounced the federal government’s gesture, stressing that it was a Greek gift that has amounted to no good for the average Kano person. “What concession? Well that is one of the ways the PDP government is encouraging corruption. We can’t just continue like this,” he said, stressing that the Abacha’s should have been prosecuted to serve as deterrent to other corrupt elements.

Added to the $700 million previously returned by the Swiss, the $380 million will make it a billion dollars recovered from the Abacha’s. Meanwhile, Switzerland recently warned that the $380 million which it agreed to return to Nigeria, will be withdrawn if the funds are re-looted.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE17

News Yoruba Elders reject ING, Jega’s removal, others From Seyi Ojelade, Ibadan

Y

oruba Elders and Leaders across the Southwest and beyond on Thursday rejected any further postponement of the forthcoming elections, proposed Interim National Government and plan to remove the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Prof. Jega.

This was contained in a communique signed by the convener of Yoruba Assembly, Gen. Alani Akinrinade (Rtd) at the end PanYoruba Summit held at House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat Ibadan the capital of Oyo State.

The leaders urged Yoruba tribe to demand an enabling environment that will encourage federating units to achieve economic development and competitiveness before making their decision at the coming polls.

“Yorubas cannot afford a leadership that is absent of developmental foresights, that lacks innovative thinking and is not capable of producing the right responses and answers to the challenges of multi-ethnic and multicultural politics”.

“The absent of imaginative leadership in Nigeria in developing the right responses to the

insurgency and its terrorist plan to decimate the nation is one we must collectively confront”.

The communique reads.

The summit that had governors of Oyo and Osun states Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Abiola Ajimobi as well as former governors from Osun, Ekiti, Ogun and Oyo states.

All Progressive Change(APC) vice presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo saluted the spirit of yoruba people for their truth and endurance in the last sixteen years.

He said yoruba has been marginalized saying there no yoruba person among the first fifty notable offices in the country.

According to him, yorubas are not afraid of opposition as well as federal government but always stand for truth and nothing but truth.

In his welcome address, governor Abiola Ajimobi said We must collectively resolve whether we want to continue to remain in the current servitude under the PDP or liberate ourselves from the shackles on our feet. A proposed government in which we have been offered the vice presidential slot holds a great hope of tomorrow for us and our children and nostalgia of the past where we participated

effectively in shaping the destiny of our nation.

“In the present political configuration at the federal level, not only are we totally vacant, in spite of our rich political evolution and profound political traits in Nigerian politics, in cases where Yoruba are ever underscored, the worst of us are promoted to lead the best of us. The Machiavellian tactic of dividing us to effectively rule us is on the upswing and they promote an understanding of Yoruba leadership that is laughable and warped in the least. In the same vein we must examine the role being played by that biblical god of money, Mammon, in the fate of Yoruba sons and daughters, especially vis-a-vis the recent violence unleashed on Lagos by the Odua Peoples congress (OPC). Was that violence part of our Yoruba culture for which we are known by the rest of the world?”

He said these are some of the issues that this Assembly must address today. Indeed, the title of this conference should be, to borrow the title of a piece written by that great columnist and former editor of the Nigerian Tribune, Ayo Ojewumi, Where Do We Go From Here?

“For us in our small corridor of power here, we have, in the last four years or so, redefined the concept of governance, so much that,

permit me to be immodest, the last time this land witnessed any milestone comparable to it was during the reign of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Bola Ige. We have also brought back the elusive peace that developmental scientists say is the precondition for development. Before now, you all are aware of how bloodletting was the order of the day in Oyo State”.

Governor Aregbesola in his remarks urged Nigerians to support the use of card reader in the coming elections saying the device will enhance credibility of the elections.

He warned youths not to make themselves available for violence saying yoruba will not fight against itself but ready to confront inequality and injustice.

Aregbesola however condemned a protest organized by the members of OPC in Lagos where properties worth billions of naira were destroyed.

Among other dignitaries present included formost traditional rulers, captains of industry as well as both serving and former public servants.

Participants drawn from Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti states and parts of Kwara, Edo, Delta and Kogi states.

‘Why transporters back Jonathan’ Contd from Page 2 that INEC is an institution.

If Jega is not ready, are we not saying that INEC is not ready?

If the head is rotten, the body will not do anything. We are talking of the head here. People may say there that Jega did not carry them along and they don’t have to say it outside, otherwise, they will be queried and sacked. Somebody interviewed him on this card reader machine and asked, supposing you go to my village where there is no power supply and the battery runs down, what will you do?

He said if the battery runs down, he

will postpone election to the following day. But those who voted before the battery ran down, where are you going to keep their votes? Who will keep it?

Are you going to count one result and say this is for today and count another one for the next day?

In the lead up to the elections, does your association support your political sympathies? Secondly, what is your message for them?

My message for them is that nobody should allow himself to be used as thug. That’s why I have meetings every month. Don’t allow any politician to use you as thug

because their children are overseas schooling in the best universities and they want to give you ogogoro here so that you will carry machete. Have your PVC; go and vote. Me I’m going to vote the person of my choice. But it is left for you as a member because I will not follow you to the polling station.

I observed you at the confab from the very first day to the last day and I passionately followed you. Let me acknowledge that you were always in traditional attire…

Yes, it’s because I have titles. I’m the Serki Yaki of….Ado Bayero gave

me that title. I’m the Oke Oba of Ijebu Ode. I’m Mazi Itu of Ngwa in Abia State. I’m Ojeikere of Esan. I’m the Egboje One of Uromi Kingdom. I’m the Eghonghon of Edo Community in Kano. I have many titles. I have lived for about thirty something years in Kano. I speak Hausa and I speak Arabic.

But eight months after, the National Conference nothing seems to have been done with the recommendations. Are you not worried?

It’s because I’m worried that I support Jonathan because it’s only Jonathan that can implement the

recommendations of that confab.

It’s because he has Nigeria at heart, that’s why he set up that confab. It’s only ex-Presidents that were not at that confab. We had Judges, Emirs, Obas and everybody at that confab and the calibre of the people there were more than those that in the National Assembly. So, if Jonathan comes back, he will implement it.

That is why you see the OPC and the Yoruba elders endorsed him because they see our recommendations meeting the aspirations of the Yoruba nation. That’s the only thing that will unite and move the country forward.

I’m not desperate to govern APC remains antidote to PDP’s misrule —Aregbesola Nigeria — Jonathan

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he presidential standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday reiterated that governing Nigeria should not be taken as a door-die affair, stating that genuine politicians who really want to serve their country need not be desperate.

The president said that Nigerians should be wary of politicians who make desperate moves just to grab power by all means adding that such politicians do not really have the interest of the people at heart.

Jonathan, who was speaking at a book launch entitled ‘The Peoples Choice’ at the State House, Abuja, said that people always ask him why he keeps

smiling even in very tough times, he always responds that it is because he is not desperate about ruling the nation.

President Jonathan also re-stated his commitment to the development of the young people saying that his target is to have an army of young entrepreneurs who could secure the future of the nation in all sectors.

Pledging his continued support and commitment to education, Jonathan said that he purposely ensured that every state in Nigeria is given one Federal University to create access by all to education.

Former military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, and a cream of technocrats and bureaucrats were in attendance at the event.

O

President Jonathan

sun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has reminded the people of the state that change was the only necessary antidote to the nation’s political and socio-economic hardship.

In a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, the governor emphasised the need to return the nation to path of greatness by voting for the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 28 presidential election.

The governor, in company with the former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, said after campaigning in many towns and local governments in Osun

Central senatorial districts, flanked by three senatorial candidates in the state, nine House of Representatives and 28 House of Assembly candidates, they must vote out the PDP. Aregbesola reminded the crowd at every campaign ground of the need for them to be resolute on how to return the nation to path of progress and development by voting General Muhammadu Buhari on March 28 to rescue the nation from its present doldrums.

He averred that what the country yearns for now was a brave, patriotic and committed leader like Buhari for its dwindling fortunes to stop, contending that “with Buhari as President, the na-

tion will witness tremendous turn around because APC’s programmes are targeted at the mass of Nigerian people,” Aregbesola remarked.

Gov. Aregbesola

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 19

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 20

Homes Create a vibe with wall mirrors

By Mariam Humbe

A

well-placed mirror gives a room sparkle, surprise and a bright, open feeling. Here are some smart ideas to try in your own house.

M

irrors are a decorator’s best friend, a well-placed mirror makes the most of a room’s natural light, enhances views, opens a small space and adds oomph to decor. The key lies in pairing the right mirror in the right location to maximize its decor-uplifting potential.

Here are some proven pairings to try in your own house.

Full-length mirror between two windows. Placing a mirror between two windows tricks the eye into thinking that there is another window there and helps maximize natural light. Casually propping a full-length mirror against the wall brings a relaxed mood to the room.

Wood framed mirror in the kitchen. Instantly create a vibe in the kitchen with the addition of a wood framed mirror. Large or small, propped on a shelf or hung from the wall, it all works. The key is to choose a mirror that looks as if it belongs in a living room or bedroom — something with a bit of warmth to it.

Wall mirror behind a chest. Sneakily suggest there is more space than meets the eye in a small apartment by lining a wall with mirror and scooting a chest in front.

The effect is subtle but very glamorous.

Narrow mirror flanked with art.

Whether placed over a console in the entry or above a buffet in the dining room, this combination will not fail you.

Start with a narrow mirror, either rectangular or faceted, and beef it up with two pairs of small, framed artwork. The key lies in the symmetry of the arrangement — pick four equal-size frames and measure precisely when you hang them.

Sunburst mirror over the bed.

There are very few decorating dilemmas that a good sunburst mirror can’t help with. One example is that big, blank space above a headboard. Wondering what to put there? Wonder no more — a wellsecured sunburst mirror should do the trick.

Pretty mirrors behind bedside lamps. No, you won’t be able to look into them, but that is not the point here.

Placing mirrors behind lamps is a great way to ramp up the glow of your lamplight — the pretty frames are icing.

Two mirrors on adjacent walls.

Want to really make a statement? Line two adjacent walls with mirrors to really bounce the light around the room. This works especially well in the dining room, as it gives the impression there is a bigger crowd around the table — but be warned, the multiple reflections created by two mirrors can be dizzying.

Mirror across from a window.

Increase light and views by placing a big mirror directly across from a window.

Reflecting a beautiful view is ideal, but placing a mirror across from any window that gets good light will make your room feel sunnier.

Mirrored backsplash. Open a small kitchen by using mirror instead of tile as a backsplash behind the sink or range. Just be aware that an antiqued mirror will hide splatters better than a clear version.

Round mirror tucked into a bookcase. Tuck a chunky round mirror into the center of a wall of bookshelves to bring a sense of depth to your room.

Bonus: This is a great way to make an old entertainment center work in another way — just place a mirror where the TV would have gone.

Extra-large mirror above the mantel. Fill the entire space above your mantel with a custom-size mirror for a sleek, modern look that maximizes light and opens up the space.

Full-length mirrors in a home gym. A giant wall mirror is functional, but does not make your room look like a public gym. Keep an eye on your form while maintaining a homey feel with one or more full-length mirrors hung or propped against the wall.

Small mirrors propped on a picture shelf. Either paired with art or on their own, a cluster of three small mirrors on a narrow shelf looks charming and allows you to change the arrangement with ease as the mood strikes. Try this in a bath or bedroom. houzz.com

e n i z a

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

d n e k e We

g a M ent

m Entertain

Fashion

‘My hubby paid millions to get my phone number’ Cynthia Morgan refutes surgery claims >>PG 36

Kanye West to headline 2015 Glastonbury music festival >>PG 37

>>PG 37

ps Beauty Ti

od Kannywo

d

Hollywoo

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d Bollywoo

>>PG 34

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 22

Your Body, Image & U Do you monitor the actvities of your teenagers?

With Jacqui Iwu bwreforms@gmail.com 08184825606 (sms only)

Teenagers

S

ome time ago I talked about our teenagers and and some of the things they do that are being frowned on by the society. There are numerous bad behaviours being exhibited by teenagers that most parents tend to neglect or pretend not to notice.

As always, we have three establishments that are supposed to monitor and cater for teenager’s activities---family, school, church/mosque.

Are these group of people actually doing their job starting with the family? Are families passing the buck? If yes, are those they are shifting the responsibilities on doing their own part? Again, are parents supposed to negelct their own duties while waiting for others to take care of the children?

Why do men and women who are not ready to be parents force themselves into parenthood?

Must everyone be a parent? If you know you are not ready to train your child properly why bother to give birth to him/her?

These days, with the economic crunch that has refused to depart from African countries, parents use their jobs as an excuse not to have time to train their children properly.

These parents feel providing money for upkeep is the entire training they need to give to their children. Once they manage to pay school fees, feeding, shelter, the child has been taken care of.

No one cares about the lifestyle of their children. Are your children being brought up as good citizens that will

“

For those of you who cannot afford smart phones and laptops as parents and you see your children in secondary schools using smart phones and laptops and you simply over look them, what message have you sent out? You do care to know how he/she bought the smart phone and laptop knowing that you as a parent did not buy them?

represent their country well and become responsible adults?

When it comes to poor parental both the rich and the poor are in the same boat. Most times, the training you are supposed to give to your children to make them better adults has nothing to do with money, but with you as an individual. Do you spend time your children to know what they do, where they go to and what is/are happening to them as they mature into adulthood?

How many parents sit their teenage boys down to teach them about their body development? Those who dare to do, just rush it once in a while and never take time to follow up and see if their male children understand what they told them about their body growth and how to manage it. You see boys of 16years and above developing and having body changes that they do not understand. Most of

these boys from ages 17 upwards are sexually active and if they are not monitored properly can experiment with anyone. Most of them have wet dreams and they do not understand what is happening to them. Next thing, they turn to friends of their age who are also as ignorant as they are and ofcourse the internet to help them unwind. Whose responsibility is it in the family to teach the male child that as early as 17 years of age, you can make a female pregnant if you have sex? No parent wants to talk about sex neither with the female or male child. It is an abomination, it is a taboo or maybe the teenagers are not old enough to talk about sex.

If they are not old enough, so why do they have sex and watch porn on the internet? Most parents prefer to keep mute and when there are issues and complications like the teenagers contacting all kinds of veneral

diseases and making their fellow teenagers pregnant, all fingers will be pointed to the devil.

Ohhhhh, it is your enemies and the devil at work....they have decided to destroy your family huh?

Lots of teenagers are walking about with all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases without even knowing. Those of them who know are not able to treat it very well. They will simply patronize quacks who will mess up their reproductive system and by the time they mature into full adults, fertility problems will take over.

If parents have close relationship with their teenagers by monitoring what they do, their children will feel free to share their problems with them.

As a parent, if warn your teenage boys and girls not to have male/ female friends but they still do it at your back, what you do is to ask them to invite their friends home

so you can take time to know whom your child is going out with and educate them on what teenage friendship means. You will also have the opportunity to find out the family background of your children’s friends. Even if you warn your children not to attend parties, they will still do it even with their school uniforms on. If you discover your children love to attend parties, organize decent parties so they can bring their friends and see what it means to have a party. That parties are not places where they go to get drunk and sleep around with each other.

For those of you who cannot afford smart phones and laptops as parents and you see your children in secondary schools using smart phones and laptops and you simply over look them.

What message have you sent out? You do care to know how he/she bought the smart phone and laptop knowing that you yourself as a parent did not buy them? Your 20year old child in the university drives a car, meanwhile you do not even do have a bike, yet you never care how he/she got the car he cruises around in the campus?

Are you aware that there are students both the secondary schools and universities who are armed robbers? You think your son is at school but at nights he and his gang robs and steal from people. He even kills in the process of robbing yet, to you, he is just a boy...an innocent boy!!

For the female teenagers, you see your teenager painitng her nails and applying makeup while going to school and it is ok by you. What business does a teenage secondary school girl have to do with fixing artificial nails, nail paints and makeup?

You see her fix brazillian weave and you keep mute. These teenagers do not understand the implications of their actions.

If you are shy to talk to your children, hire a coach to counsel and guide them!

Jacqui IWU is a Body/ Life/Career Coach A Stress Management Expert &Conference Speaker Media Relations Personnel BLOG: http:// bluntjacqui.blogspot.com F A C E B O O K : Beautifulwoman.column TWITTER: @JacquiWORLD

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 23

Womanhood

Folorunsho Alakija: Nigeria’s No.1 billionaire fashion-designer

Early life and education olorunsho Alakija is a Nigerian businesswoman who has replaced Isabel dos Santos as the richest woman of Africa, and also is the richest black woman in the world. She is a business tycoon involved in the fashion,oil and printing industries. She is the group managing director of The Rose of Sharon Group which consists of The Rose of Sharon Prints & Promotions Limited and Digital Reality Prints Limited and the executive vice-chairman of Famfa Oil Limited. Alakija is ranked by Forbes as the richest woman in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion. As of 2014, she is listed as the 96th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes Folorunsho Alakija is a Nigerian billionaire fashiondesigner and Executive Director at FAMFA Oil, an indigenous Nigerian oil and gas exploration and production company.

Folorunsho Alakija was born on July 15 1951 in Ikorodu, Lagos State. She originates from a large family: her dad, Chief L. A. Ogbara, had 8 wives and 52 children in his lifetime.

She was the second surviving child, her mom was the first wife.

She and her younger sister were sent to school abroad when she was seven years old.

They went to a school in Wales, a private school for girls in Northern Wales, and they were the only coloured (black) girls in the school. And because their fellow mates couldn’t pronounce their names, they coined them names - Flo for Folorunsho and Doyle for Doyin.

They were in the school for 4 years, and at age 11 she and Doyle moved back to Nigeria at the request of their parents who didn’t want them to lose their African values, culture and tradition.

In 1976, Folorunsho Alakija got married to her loving husband. The couple have four children, all boys. All of them schooled abroad and are all engaged one way or the other in the family business.

Folorunsho’s mother used to be a fabric merchant and she used to help out, and through that she learnt a lot. After leaving the corporate world in 1984, she went to the UK to study fashion designing.

Career Folorunsho started her career in 1974 as an executive secretary at Sijuade Enterprises, Lagos, Nigeria.

F

Alakija

She moved on to the former First National Bank of Chicago, now FinBank now acquired by FCMB (First City Monument Bank), where she worked for some years before establishing a tailoring company called Supreme Stitches. It rose to prominence and fame within a few years, and as Rose of Sharon House of Fashion, became a household name.

As national president and

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lifelong trustee of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN), she left an indelible mark, promoting Nigerian culture through fashion and style.

In May 1993, Folorunsho applied for the allocation of an oil prospecting license (OPL).

The license to explore for oil on a 617,000-acre block—now referred to as OPL 216—was granted to Alakija’s company,

Famfa Limited. The block is located approximately 220 miles south east of Lagos and 70 miles offshore of Nigeria in theAgbami Field of the central Niger Delta. In September 1996, she entered into a joint venture agreement with Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Texaco) and appointed the company as a technical adviser for the exploration of the

A year after her training, she came back to Nigeria and started her fashion house Supreme Stitches at a 3-Bedroom apartment in Surulere, Lagos. A year after establishing the company, she emerged as the best designer in the country in 1986.

license, transferring 40 percent of her 100 percent stake to Star Deep. Subsequently, Star Deep sold off 8 percent of its stake in OPL 216 to Petrobras, a Brazilian company.

As of 2014, she was listed as the 96th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

A year after her training, she came back to Nigeria and started her fashion house - Supreme Stitches at a 3-Bedroom apartment in Surulere, Lagos. A year after establishing the company, she emerged as the best designer in the country in 1986.

On Folorunsho’s involvement in the oil and gas industry, it is known that through a friend whom she met while was still actively involved in the world of fashion, they got involved in the business of oil.

There was an oil bloc no one wanted at that time for several reasons, it was this same oil bloc they got allocated.

They were approached in late 1996 by the then oil giant Texaco who were sure the bloc had potentials as they had done their homework well. After negotiations that spanned three months they agreed on terms and the rest like they say is history.

Later Texaco became Chevron and they struck oil in commercial quantity.

Philanthropic interests Folorunsho has a foundation called the Rose of Sharon Foundation that helps widows and orphans by empowering them through scholarships and business grants.

On 1 July 2013, the federal government of Nigeria inaugurated the National Heritage Council and Endowment for the Arts and appointed Alakija as vice-chairman of the body.

While inaugurating the council, Nigeria’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Edem Duke, said Nigeria had identified 100 new heritage sites, which “are unique and uncommon assets that we intend to preserve and promote.” He charged the council, which is headed by Igho Sanomi, to “ensure the protection and conservation of places and objects of heritage significance and the registration of such places and objects.”

Personal life Folorunsho married a lawyer, Modupe Alakija in November 1976. They reside in Lagos, Nigeria with their four sons. Her nephew is the British-Nigerian, DJ Xclusive www.naij.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 24

Kiddies World

With Miriam

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

Humbe

ABCDE

HIS AND HERS CORNER

Akwa Ibom Stadium

Akwa Stadium

T

he Akwa Ibom International Stadium is an all-seater national sports stadium located in Uyo, the state capital of Akwa Ibom.

The stadium serves as a home to the Nigerian Super Eagles as well as a center for various social, cultural, and religious events. The contract for the construction of the Akwa Ibom International Stadium complex and Games Village was awarded in 2012 to Julius Berger and was completed in 2014. The 30,000 seater ultra modern multipurpose sports complex was modeled after Allianz Arena.

Construction and Architecture The contract for the design of the stadium was awarded to Julius Berger a structural engineering firm based in Nigeria. They were responsible for the architectural design, execution planning, as well as constructional supervision of the stadium,as well as maintenance. The stadium which seats on 48 hectares of land has some unique features such as bullet proof VIP/VVIP sections, collapsable seats, two digital score boards, digital playback screens, digital flood lights, and 30 emergency exits.

Structure The stadium structure is

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in two phases which includes a 400m-running track for athletic events, and is the pilot part of Uyo Sports Park development, and is enclosed by a white triangular-shaped outer covering that encircles the whole spectator stand. The East Stand and Curves can seat approximately 22,500 people.

The Governors’ Lounge has sitting capacity for between 30 and 40 VVIPs and is located in the Grand Stand on Level Two. It is constructed to carry little more than 30,000 spectators whether for soccer or track and field events, while the Grand Stand can comfortably accommodate about 7,500 spectators, including the VIP/ VVIPs. There is also a sixlane track built specifically for athletes to train.

The Akwa Ibom International Stadium meets the requirements of the International safety standards; it is equipped with emergency service units (to enable exit within 6 minutes), closed circuit security cameras as well as crowd control steel fencing. There are also standby fire fighting equipment and metal detectors which have been put in place to avoid any misfortunes. The stadium has been slated to host the AFCON qualifying series against South Africa on 17 November.

The Akwa Ibom International Stadium meets the requirements of the International safety standards; it is equipped with emergency service units (to enable exit within 6 minutes), closed circuit security cameras as well as crowd control steel fencing.

Time for play

Cartoon Angle

Tom and Jerry

Mickey and Minnie Mouse

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 25

Kiddies World

With Miriam

AFRICAN TALES

How Osato’s greed sent the sky far from earth

Humbe

ABCDE

MODEL OF THE WEEK

Bush Cow and Elephant

I

n the beginning, they sky was close to the earth. So close you could reach up and touch it. And you could eat it! In those days, people always had enough to eat, without ever having to work for it.

Men and women did not have to plow the fields and sow the seeds and gather the crops. Children did not have to fetch sticks for the fire. Whenever anybody was hungry, they just reached up and tore off a piece of the sky.

But people grew careless with the sky’s gifts. They broke off more than they needed. After all, the sky was so big; there would always be enough for everybody.

Who cared about a little wasted sky?

But the sky cared. Soon the sky’s sorrow turned to resentment, and its resentment grew to anger. “I offer myself every day to these people,” the sky brooded, “and they throw me away, half eaten, like garbage.”

“People of Earth!” The sky’s eyes flashed light lightning. Clouds bubbled and boiled. “You have not treated me with respect. You have wasted my gifts. I warn you. If you are greedy, I will leave. I will move far away.”

The people listened and promised to be more careful.

After that, no one broke off more than they could eat. And they always remembered to thank the sky.

But then the time came for the greatest festival of the year, in honor of

the chief of the kingdom. The night rang with music. Bells clanged and drums banged. People stamped and clapped and laughed.

But there was one woman who was never satisfied. Osato always wanted more. Her arms were heavy with brass bracelets. But brass wasn’t good enough for her—she wanted coral beads. And most of all, she loved to eat.

First she helped herself to a handful of noon-yellow sky that tasted like pineapple. Chunk after chunk disappeared into her mouth. Then she ladled out some sky stew, spicy and warm. She lifted the dish to her lips, draining it, dumplings and all. Soon her stomach was stuffed. She loosened her robe. What next? Delicate slices of morning sky, pink and glistening. With a swift movement, she scooped them up and slurped them down all at once.

At last the tables were empty. And Osato was full. She waddled home.

She called to her husband to help, but he had been feasting too and was slumped in his chair, too full even to move. She called to her children to help, but they too were full from the wonderful feast. Still, they forced down a few fingerfuls.

She called to her neighbors to help, but they had been at the festival too and at the sight of more food, they held their stomachs and groaned. But they ate as

much as they could, with worried frowns on their faces and anxious glances above their heads.

But even with the help of the entire village, they could not eat that last piece of sky. Osato had taken too much. No one slept well that night.

The next morning, the sky did not offer his food to the people. Parents had nothing for breakfast. Children cried, hungry. Osato knelt on the ground, rocking and sobbing. “I’m so sorry... “ But the sky just sighed. With a great rush of air, it lifted itself up. High as the tree tops. High as the mountain tops.

High above the earth rose the sky, far beyond the reach of humans. “I gave you all you needed,” its voice floated down to Osato, “but still you took more.

I cannot stand such greed. I must leave. I will not return.”

“But how will we live?” wept Osato.

“What will we eat?”

There was silence.

Osato’s tears fell to the Earth. And the Earth spoke. “Dry your tears,” it said gently. “I can feed you. But you will have to work for your living. You will have to learn to plow fields and sow seeds and harvest crops. And remember what you have learned today. Take only what you need. And I will give it gladly.”

“Oh, I will,” promised Osato through her tears. “I’ll never take more than I need—ever, ever again.”

Make a Cardboard box paper TV

H

ere’s a TV you won’t mind your kids staring at for hours...a cardboard TV that is! When they’re in charge of the design, the programming, and the technology, it’s hard to see television as anything but educational. It’s not a flatscreen, but you can’t beat the price.

What you need: • Large cardboard box • Large roll of white drawing paper (such as butcher paper or easel paper) • Magic markers and crayons • Paint • Decorative materials (optional) • Scissors or a craft knife • Glue

What you do: Remove the top of the box and discard. Set the box on its longest side, so the open part of the box is to the back.

Cut a large rectangle from the front (the part facing you) of the box. This will be your television screen.

Cut a slit on either side of the box long enough to accommodate the paper.

You will be threading the paper through vertically.

Decorate the cardboard tv by painting it and gluing on whatever decorative materials you might have handy.

Unroll the paper and have your child illustrate a story on the paper, starting at the beginning of the roll. Try to be sequential

(“Goldilocks is trying the porridge. Goldilocks is going upstairs”) but don’t worry too much about plot line at this point.

Roll the paper back up again.

Thread the beginning of the roll of paper through both slits in the box, with the drawing facing out through the box.

To turn on the television, one child will have to stand on one side of the TV and draw the paper through the slits while a helper stands on the other side and supports the heavier roll of paper.

Now it’s show time! Invite friends and family to watch your child’s creation, or have Mom and Dad man the TV while your child enjoys his homemade television show!

Josephat, Goddestiny Chikamnso

ACTIVITIES

With the help of the right materials, have a fun-filled weekend colouring the image below, show your work to your parents or teacher for correction. Cheers!

CREATIVITY

Cardboard box paper TV

PAGE 26

Cover

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

How states will likely vote

Contd from Page 9

Nigerians queuing to cast their votes.

the PDP. The second was during the APC campaign rally in Uyo. On both occasions, facing a large crowd who had gathered at the stadium to receive him, he could not sell himself by telling the Akwa Ibom people what he will specifically do for them when he emerges the president.

Despite the massive support President Jonathan enjoyed from the state and his close relationship with Governor Akpabio, he did not actually institute any federal project in the state. The only on-going project is the Uyo-Aba road which is being constructed by the state government on the promise that the federal government will reimburse it.

However, the president in his campaign rally admitted that he had not done much for the state and promised specifically to upgrade the Maritime Academy, Oron which had remained on a polytechnic level to university status, if re-elected. He also promised that the federal government will facilitate the construction of Ibaka Deep Sea Port and other road projects.

For the presidential elections, the president will pick considerable votes than the APC candidate, perhaps more than 80 percent.

The situation in Cross River State is similar to that of Akwa Ibom. The state is more interested in who picks the governorship ticket between the two main rival parties; the PDP and the APC. The pent up grievance of the people is aimed at Governor Liyel Imoke to make sure that his candidate does not win the governorship elections and not necessarily stopping President Jonathan from emerging as the president.

Buhari while in the state at the early stages of his campaign, did not address the seeming problems of the state. The problem confronting the state was how to recover the lost oil wells to Akwa Ibom State and

the issue of Bakassi.

Nevertheless, because of the lingering crisis in the PDP in the state and party members defecting to the APC, the APC flag bearer will definitely pick up reasonable amount of votes in the state but will not be enough to upset the President.

As for Bayelsa State, the president own state, is still remains a “Carry go” for him.

Delta state offers an interesting scenario.

Though the APC has gained some ground, it would be foolhardy to think that Deltans will reject Jonathan. Nearly all the top political shots with considerable influence are in the PDP, and at least 70 percent sure for the party.

But Edo is a hard nut for the PDP. Though there are quite a number of influential personalities in the PDP, like Mr. Fix it, Tony Anenih, Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s political sagacity is unblemished, but not enough to deny President Jonathan victory.

South East

Albeit Governor Rochas Okorocha and Chris Ngige have really tried to sell the APC in the South East, but it is far from being a solace for the party. Even in Imo where Okorocha reins, it is doubtful his defection to the APC will yield the desired clout, instead APGA is seen as the likely party to clinch the gubernatorial election, while the majority will pitch their tenets with the PDP in the residential election.

The same will play out in Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi and Anambra where the majority will vote on sentiments in the presidential poll, but with subtlety during subsequent elections.

North East

Though the SDP has made serious in-road in Adamawa State, however the struggle to outwit each other to emerge victorious in the epic battle is principally between the Peoples Democratic Party and

the All Progressives Congress (APC). The PDP is majorly banking on the incumbency factor to clinch victory.

The major opposition party, the APC is hoping to ride on the crest of ‘change’ and the popularity of its presidential flag bearer to coast to victory. Were massive crowd at the rallies the main criteria for clinching the presidency, the election would have been a foregone conclusion for the APC candidate.

Mammoth crowd have congregated at every rally held by the APC and often such rallies paint a picture of a carnival of some sort.

After last week’s reconciliation meeting, the PDP somewhat came alive but the APC has a slight edge, but it is really a close call in the forth coming polls in Adamawa State.

Since return to democratic rule in 1999, PDP had enjoyed political dominance in Taraba State, but from the 2015 presidential election, the PDP at the state level is currently swimming in a boat of crisis, which has polarized the party even up to the ward level. Several stakeholders elected in 2011 under the party and their supporters today are either in the APC or not seriously campaigning for the PDP. The chances of the President in the state is slim because of the crisis. Martins Andekin, Coordinator of the Taraba Peoples Assembly, told our correspondent that it would be difficult for the PDP to win 25 per cent vote in the state.

While Tiv ethnic group with a dense population in Wukari, Ibi, Donga, Takum, Gassol, Bali and Gashaka local government areas in Southern and Central Taraba districts have declared their support for Jonathan and the PDP, Taraba North, which has the highest number of registered voters with high PVC collection, is the stronghold of the APC and its governorship candidate, Senator Aisha Al’hassan.

Acting Gov. Garba Umar, who was

denied the PDP governorship ticket and still commands cult followership in the state, remains a factor. His supporters are still bitter with the PDP and President Jonathan over the treatment meted out to their leaders during the party primaries, which was skewed to favour a particular candidate.

While Southern Taraba is a conquered zone for the PDP, lots of battle is expected in the Central zone. Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo said the APC is confident of winning the state.

Though Gombe is in the grip of Gov Dankwambo, but whether it will be enough to keep off the APC remains to be seen.

Adamawa is another battle ground but keen watchers say the PDP with the support of SDP is likely to clinch the state.

North Central

Although, President Jonathan had in the 2011 presidential election polled over 70% of the total votes cast in Plateau State, analysts say based on current realities that the March 28 presidential poll would not be like the previous exercise.

Pundits say religion would play a part. in Plateau, Christians are in the majority, but not all Christians would vote according to religious divide in the presidential election.

The disunity amongst stakeholders of the PDP in the state is yet another factor that would obstruct the possible success of the party. Investigation revealed that most of the aggrieved members of the ruling party who felt cheated are either directly or indirectly killing the party, calling on the electorate to vote out the PDP. Many of them had since decamped to APC including the current deputy governorship candidate of the APC, Sunny Tyoden. Investigation revealed that the APC has been widely embraced in the nooks and crannies, but Plateau still remains in the control of the PDP.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 27

Compiled By Doyin Ojosipe

The stolen soup aroma

A

long time ago in the village of Ipetumodu, there lived a poor woman. This woman was so poor that she did not have any soup for her eba. The eba is a starchy paste made from cassava flour and it is rather unappetizing to eat all by itself. Across the street from this poor woman lived another woman who cooked egusi soup every day.

One day, as the poor woman was sitting down to her only meal for the entire day, a small bowl of eba, the aroma from her neighbors cooking wafted down through her window; “Perhaps she will be kind enough to let me have a little soup for my eba” she thought. So she took her bowl of eba and headed over to her neighbor who was busy stirring a big pot of egusi soup.

“Please, may I have a little soup for my eba?”, the poor woman asked.

The woman stirring the egusi soup looked up to see her raggedy-looking neighbor and replied, “If you can’t make your own egusi soup, then you don’t deserve to have any.”

The poor woman went back to her hut and sat outside her doorsteps where the aroma from her neighbor’s egusi was very strong. She would scoop some eba with her hands; inhale a plenty of the egusi soup aroma while she swallowed the lump of eba.

The egusi woman, seeing this destitute neighbor eating her soup’s aroma got very angry. She ran out and yelled at the woman; “Stop eating the

Leisure Poem

EAGLE’S FANG

Many said their world crumbled When nature dismantled And no hope of assuaging desired Yet none is inspired The sun scourged all none was left From the north to south all were stepped The rain of nature is falling sharp and deep Distributor of God’s blessing is fast and quick Reaching the nook and cranny The fang of the eagle has pierced my heart The needle of nature is at my heart Like scorpion stings My heart has been stung My nerves seizes to function For the comatose in there The eagle’s fang has torn my world apart Though they call it sleep But my river is without ship How can I ferry the river How can fish lay?

When water is full of cormorants Where can I see happiness without my vision?

I have searched the moon and sun Rivers are naked with search Thinking all that receded could be found Yet I found not a piece

aroma from my soup!” But the poor woman did not stop; she kept inhaling the aroma from the egusi soup while she ate her eba. She found the aroma from the soup very satisfying.

Everyday, whenever the rich aroma of egusi soup wafted into the poor woman’s hut, she would quickly make a little bowl of eba and go outside to inhale the pleasant aroma. The egusi woman was getting very furious and she decided to take

her case to the Oba, that is the King of their village.

She told the King, “This woman steals the aroma from my egusi to eat her eba; She must be punished.” The Oba heard the story and agreed that the poor woman should indeed be punished for stealing soup’s aroma so he ordered the egusi woman to carry out the punishment.

“She stole your egusi aroma, therefore you shall flog

Search out the mining words in the puzzle

her shadow”, the Oba told the egusi woman. “You shall flog her shadow forty times” she was therefore handed a big stick with which she would carry out justice.

The egusi woman, wielding her big stick to beat the poor woman’s shadow felt very foolish. She felt so foolish that she asked the poor woman for forgiveness and offered to give her egusi soup from that day on.

The fang that knows no bound Thou go where ever thou found Both the rich and the poor The weak and strong Thou tear apart all Why has thy flood no respect for the red kingdom?

Why has thou no care of the pain caused Eagle, bird of nature thou shall not perch Do not perch again on our roof Thy hovering distort our joy Perch not close, go far and wild Go where thou shall die of starvation Where no flesh shall be torn again Go that men could have painless sleep Go never you come again go and go oblivion.

IN HONOUR OF MR. GARBA BUKAR

By John Ocheje

Laugh out loud (lol)!

Side effects…

Akpos was sick, so the doctor gave him a tablet but immediately, he started cutting the sides of the tablet, then the Doctor asked: “Why are you cutting the sides?”

Akpos replies: “To avoid the side effects” My child must bear my name Akpos insisted that his first child must bear his name, so so the day for the naming ceremony came; it was done in a church.

The following conversation took place: Rev: Which name would you like your child to bear?

Akpos: (With smiles all over his face), Akpos!

Rev: No! He has to bear an English name.

Akpos: ok oh, Akposking!

Rev: listen, your son should be named after a Saint in d bible.

Akpos: nawa oh; which kind wahala be this na? Ok Pastor, my son will bear St. Akpostus 1 of Warri.

Akpos loves his Dad! Dad (asks Akpors): who do you like more;

ABANDONED AGRICULTURAL BLASTHOLE COAL COPPER MINER CRUSHER DRILL EXPLORATION EXPLOSION

EROSION EXCAVATION ENVIRONMENT GEOLOGY METALLURGY ORE PETROLEUM PROSPECTING RECLAMATION

REFUSE RENEWABLE POTASH ROCK PRECIOUS SLURRY VEIN

Mum or Dad? Akpors : Both.

Dad - ok if I go to America and Your Mum goes to Paris, where will You go?

Akpors : Paris Dad: that means you like your Mum more?

Akpors: no I like Paris.

Dad: ok, if I go to Paris and your Mum goes to America, where will You go?

Akpors - America.

Dad: (angry) why?

Akpors: because I’ve been to Paris before

Do the right thing at the right time

I used to be mental, weird and dumb, with weird love and a small heart; never handing work on time, always got phone calls home, always get in trouble, suspended and almost expelled; but , one day I saw something that changed my life...and I want to share it with u!

I saw this Quote; “Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.”

So, I started working hard and getting my wishes!

Beauty

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 28

TIPS

Compiled by Isioma Nwabasha

Home remedies for acne

Pimple is an inflammation of the skin where the sebaceous glands (oil glands) are infected with bacteria, swell up and get pus. They can make your life miserable due to its bad appearance. Waking up in the morning after a sound sleep makes one happy and positive about the day ahead. But, if you stand before the mirror and see red, hot and swollen pimples on your face, it may dampen your mood. Don’t rush to the store until you try the following home remedies.

Below is a list of home remedies that can get rid of that frightful pimple.

T

urmeric with lemon juice or yogurt: Try a small amount of turmeric mixed with a little lemon juice or yogurt all over the face and leave it for 15 minutes. It works like magic all the time. The best part is that your skin will look flawless after multiple use. For sunburn, use the same mixture mixed with a little bentonite clay, this is not for dry skin as it tends to dry out skin over time, so mix coconut oil to prevent that.

Lemon juice reduces inflammation and swelling. Ensure you apply fresh lemon juice and not packaged items.

Warm water: Wash your face with warm water at least three times a day. Salt-water is effective in removing oil from the face and mitigating pimples. If you wash off the oil every night before going to bed, the next morning the pimples will start losing its prominence. Hot water will dry the skin but is good for big blemishes. This is best for those who have sensitive skin.

Fresh garlic: This is one of the smelliest acne home remedies, so don’t choose it if your next day

Honey and eggs

emergency is a first date. If you rub raw garlic on and around the problem areas several times a day, you can clear up your skin. You may also eat three seeds of raw garlic once a day for a month to see results. The garlic seeds purify the blood, which keeps pimples away. Alternatively, you can mash two-three garlic cloves in water. Let it soak in water for 10-15 minutes. After that add aloe vera gel into it and apply on the affected area Ice: Ice can be used to quickly get rid of pimples as it helps in improving blood circulation, freeze the skin pores, remove dirt and oil accumulated on the skin. You can either use ice cubes or crushed ice.

Take the ice and wrap it in a piece of cloth and then apply it on the affected skin area for a few seconds.

Repeat the process in a few minutes.

When ice is used repeatedly on pimples throughout the day, it helps in reducing inflammation and will immediately soothe your skin.

Honey: The antibiotics present in honey will fasten the healing process, as well as help in preventing infection. Simply apply honey

directly on the affected area with the help of a clean cotton swab and leave for half an hour. Finally, wash the skin properly with lukewarm water.

Another option is to mix honey and cinnamon together to make a paste and then apply it over the pimples before going to bed. Next morning there will be less inflammation or swelling. Wash the skin properly with cold water.

Toothpaste: The toothpaste that you use every morning to clean your teeth can also be used to treat pimples. For the treatment of pimple, you must use white toothpaste, avoid using gel. Apply it on the affected skin area before going to bed. Next morning after washing your face with water you will notice a significant improvement in the swelling. This remedy should be followed after the ice remedy. Also you must make sure that the toothpaste remains on the pimples for at least half an hour.

Egg: The protein rich egg white may save your day if you apply it before going to bed. If you find yourself making eggs and you happen to have a few pimples, swipe

Cucumber

Acne your fingertip inside the egg shell to pick up some of the gooey white (after you have poured out your egg for what you are cooking) and dab that on the affected areas. You can leave this on for as long as you like.

Boost the treatment by dabbing on lemon juice first, letting that dry, and then covering it with the egg white.

Cucumber: Cucumber is a rich source of vitamins A, C, E and potassium that help in the treatment of pimples. At the same time, its cooling and soothing effect on the skin will also help a lot. Take one or two fresh cucumbers, cut them into pieces and soak them in water for about an hour. The nutrients, such as vitamin A, potassium and chlorophyll present in the cucumber will get transferred in the water. Strain it and drink it. You can also use this water to

White toothpaste

wash your face. You can also make a face mask by grinding one cucumber.

Apply this mask on your face and allow it dry for 15 minutes. Wash your skin with clean warm water.

This treatment will help in cleaning the skin pores and taking out the dirt and bacteria present in the oil glands.

Pawpaw: Pawpaw is a good source of vitamin A and an antioxidant helps in the treatment of pimples. Extract its juice and then apply it over the pimples. Its exfoliating capability will remove the dead skin cells and your skin will become free of clogged pores.

At the same time, the enzymes present in pawpaw will help in reducing inflammation and make your skin soft and smooth. At the same time you can also eat ripe pawpaw to get the various nutrients

Compiled by Miriam Humbe

Fashion

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Get the comfortable feel of ankara, silk mix I

t is always fun and trendy to mix colours and prints, more so when you are doing it with the vibrant fabric of Ankara. You can virtually mix your ankara fabric with dry lace or chiffon or even mix two ankara fabrics of different colours or patterns. The latest trend for most fashion lovers is to design your ankara with matching silk materials and tone them up with nicely embellished sequins, beads, stones, buttons and even feathers.

You can also incorporate ankara with silk on an overall trouser or on a pair of jeans for that comfortable feel.

The ankara and silk mix feel is so playful that you just want to make virtually anything with it, ranging from gowns, skirts and blouses and corporate to evening and casual wears.

For make-up, it is ideal to use the colours of the silk fabric to match your dress.

Wear comfortable heels in shades similar to your outfit for a perfect look.

Page 29

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 30

Pots & Pans Total Time: Preparation: Cook:

30 minutes 10 minutes 20 minutes

With Miriam Humbe

Irish potato cakes

Ingredients Leftover mashed potatoes 1/3 quantity of flour 2 tablespoons skimmed milk 1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbs 1 ½ tablespoons of butter Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions Combine two cups leftover mashed potatoes, a heaping 1/3 cup flour, 2 tablespoons milk and 1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbs in a bowl; knead until smooth.

Season with salt and pepper.

Divide into 4 balls on a floured surface and flatten each into a 3-inch patty.

Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the patties and cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side, adding more butter to the pan as needed.

Season with salt.

Irish potato cakes

Peanut butter banana apple smoothie This is a quick fun smoothie recipe to lighten up your weekend. With just three simple ingredients namely: a banana, an apple, peanut butter and 1 cup crushed ice, make for yourself a fabulously delicious protein-filled snack or lunch and savor…….

Ingredients 1 banana, peeled 1 apple, cored and sliced 2 tablespoons peanut butter 1 cup crushed ice

How to prepare Wash the fruits thoroughly in flowing water Slice into cube sizes Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.

Serve right away.

Makes 1 serving.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

L

et me start by stating the obvious, a typical Nigerian man is very egotistic.

You can’t expect to be his woman and yet rub shoulders with him. That will never work. His definition of a relationship is ‘I lead, you follow.’ And if you tune your ears well, you will hear ‘I own you’.

I have always been an advocate of women being independent whether they are with a man or not. And let me define what I mean because in this part of the world, once the word ‘independence’ and ‘women’ come in the same sentence, people’s antennae go up. An independent woman simply means a woman who takes care of herself and is contented financially, emotionally or otherwise whether a man is in her life or not. It does not mean that she doesn’t need a man; it means she has an identity and does not need to be defined by anyone.

Having said that, let us outline how to love and permanently keep a typical Nigerian man.

Treat him like a king.

Respect him. Don’t talk him down.

Show him a deep admiration for his abilities, qualities and achievements. You don’t have to go on your knees before him to show that you respect him and treating him like a king doesn’t make you less.

Be faithful. The worst thing you can do to a Nigerian man is cheat on him. Don’t even try it.

He is the one and only in your life.

Even if he cheats on you, do not retaliate; you will have no one as your support when trouble hits the fan. Simply walk out of the relationship if he strays, but while you are with him, you have to be 100 percent faithful.

Take care of him. A Nigerian man loves to be cared for by his woman and this entails preparing his favourite meals, cleaning up his house/room, handling his laundry (if you want to stretch it far) and ensuring that he is generally in a good condition.

He wants to know you care. His mother has done a fine job of that for him. He wants you to continue where she left off.

Make love to him like a pro. I must say that to keep a Nigerian man you must be superlative in the field of ‘congo shinesse’ (as opposed to shining, since we do the shining-to hell with you riders!). Nigerian men talk about wanting a good girl in bed or something like that, but in the end they complain when you are not responsive. They do not like inexperienced girls.

So, here is my honest advice to you: be a freak in bed. If you are good in doing the thing, don’t hide it. Blow his mind the whole nine yards. He might be worried about how you got so skilled, but he will get over it when he discovers you are faithful. Just blow his mind and he will always duff his hat for you.

Respect his family. In addition to being able to cook up a storm and hurricane, a woman intending to capture and keep her Nigerian man must be schooled in the art of culture. That is the best way I can put it, even the

PAGE 31

Relationship

How to keep a Nigerian man

“

Most importantly, when you marry a Nigerian man you have effectively married all members of his family as well.

Your actions while they are present should not necessarily correlate with what you will do or say in their absence.

This is very important. The easiest way to be left in the cold world of divorce is to openly revolt against your man’s family, the key word is ‘openly’.

most forward looking man is a traditionalist at heart. You must learn the wisdom, diplomacy and canny ways of your mother and know how to optimise the abilities of your man. You must be able to praise him without making his head too big, cut him to size without hurting his ego and more so schooled in the art of manipulating his intentions without rubbing it in his face.

Patience is the key word here, you might not always have your say, but more often than not you will have your way. Respecting his family is no joke, especially his mother, you have to ‘kiss her ass’ big time. Once a Nigerian man introduces you to his family, it means he is ready to take it far and if you meet them and start acting all pig-headed, he will dump you. Many men have left women because their families said no. So, score high on this one and it shall go well with you.

Most importantly, when you marry a Nigerian man you have effectively married all members of his family as well. Your actions

while they are present should not necessarily correlate with what you will do or say in their absence.

This is very important. The easiest way to be left in the cold world of divorce is to openly revolt against your man’s family, the key word is ‘openly’.

Be religious. Most Nigerian men believe in God. They might not all be religious but they want their women to be. They want partners who would hold up the spiritual front for them. You might be an atheist or agnostic or not of his religion but if he has chosen to love you the way you are, then you should show some respect for his faith. Follow him to church once in a while. If he is a Muslim, learn about Islam or dress as a Muslim woman sometimes.

Give him his personal space. This is not peculiar to just Nigerian men. All men love their personal space. Allow him time with his guys, his family and his hobbies. Don’t cramp his space.

Hanging around your man all the time is suffocating.

Know how to cook. There is

no escaping this one. The saying that “the way to the heart of a man is his stomach” is very true.

At this juncture I must say that if you do not know how to cook and you don’t want to learn, you might as well forget hooking up and keeping a Nigerian man. It is probably one of the tests you will undergo with him and his family. You must learn how to cook the meals he loves, the ones his mother always made for him.

If you don’t learn this, he will stay out to eat another woman’s meals.

Ditch your male BFF. I am sorry but that male best friend has to become just one of the guys.

He and your man cannot share the same space. Nigerian men do not understand the concept of a woman having a close male friend when she already has a man. No matter how platonic your relationship with your friend is, your man will see him as competition.

Do not take gifts from other men. A typical Nigerian man would tell you “bae, if he bought you that handbag and

pair of shoes, you better be in his bed, not mine.” Yes, they are that jealous. They own you as a woman and would proudly call you their property. Hence, do not take gifts from other men asides your man.

As much as he is proud to know he has a woman that is desired by other men, he doesn’t want you to have anything with them.

Be feminine. Furthermore, as you can draw from the foregoing you cannot be a troublemaker and ‘man wannabe’ and still keep a Nigerian man.

You must accept your ‘feminity’, accept it as a gift not a burden and stop interfering in his soccer game or standing in the way of his ‘men’ nights out. A famous poet once wrote: “the easiest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly, and the easiest way to keep love is to give it wings”. This cannot be truer for a Nigerian man.

Indeed, you will need more than abundant measure of the spirit of forgiveness. With a Nigerian man, you will be offended, wronged and still be expected to forgive. It is part of the trade agreement, no pain without gain.

Whether you are a tomboy or just full of womanliness, maintain your femininity. A woman who acts like a man and rubs shoulders with her partner is not appreciated in Nigeria. Even if you are a boss at work, drop your ranks when you are in his arms.

Maintain the things that make you female like nice hair, nails, a clean appearance, clear skin, an alluring scent, light makeup, a gentle nature and a happy face.

Be wise and smart. Foolish women don’t make the cut in Nigeria. You will get cheated on, abused and find yourself at the bottom of very man’s list. As much as a Nigerian man doesn’t want you to be smarter than him, he is also not interested in an airhead.

He wants you to keep him on his toes with your intelligence.

Many ladies believe an outward appearance gets them the man, but the truth is intelligence and wisdom are more important when he starts thinking of a long term relationship.

Be hardworking. No food for a lazy man is a popular saying around here. There is nothing as unappealing as a woman who is slothful and expects the man to spend his money on her. Nigerian men work hard for their money and they want women who have the skills to maintain what they have worked for and not squander it. Find something to do if you don’t have a 9-5 job. No one is born without a talent. If you are hardworking no man will treat you less than you deserve.

Nigerian men are the best in the world, forget what you have been told. Yes, there are bad ones, but then there are bad men everywhere else in the world.

Culled from 360nobs.com with additional reports

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 32

Fiction

He raped, violated her to his death

D

upe spied her husband as he stepped into the bathtub. She wasn’t allowed to raise her head to look at him these days. He had just come from work and was about to take his evening bath. She looked back at the mirror and concentrated on drying her hair with the electric hairdryer. Vincent claimed that the silent whir of the device helped him relax so she timed her hair washing and drying to coincide with his evening baths even though she could have done it at any point during the day. She didn’t work anymore, as Vincent viciously pointed out each time they quarreled. But then, she couldn’t. She had lost three pregnancies in a row and her doctor insisted that this time, she had to stop work and focus on herself for the duration of the pregnancy. Vincent agreed with the doctor. He craved that baby, more than anything else on earth.

After his bath, he would also dress up and they’ll sit at the table to eat dinner. After dinner, they might watch television for an hour or so before they retired. Hopefully, he wouldn’t find anything wrong with the food, or the house, or anything else for that matter. If he did, she was in trouble. It had been a long time since he last beat her. All of seven days. Dupe knew he usually waited for the swellings to go down, the black eye to lighten again before he found something else to get mad about. That was the routine. She wondered if one got accustomed to things such as these.

Her hair was now dry and she was starting to feel the heat of the dryer but she didn’t want to switch it off. Not until Vincent had finished his bath and stepped out of the tub. She turned the control knob on the device to reduce the heat.

Her mind drifted again to the last time he beat her. He had come back from work that night to find that his dinner wasn’t complete. He always ate a bowl of salad after each meal but this time around, his salad bowl was not on the table. Dupe immediately explained that the batch she

made the last time had gotten spoilt because NEPA hadn’t brought the light for two days now. She had wanted to go to the market but she couldn’t without his permission.

“Why didn’t you call me for permission then?” he asked calmly, belying the storm that was to come.

“I did,” Dupe answered quietly, “I called you twice but you didn’t pick up.”

“And you couldn’t try again later?”

“I’m so sorry, darling.”

She said “I’ll go to the market tomorrow.” She didn’t dare say that he had warned her never to call him more than twice if he wasn’t picking up.

“It’s okay.” He told her.

He picked up his fork and continued eating. When he

“

finished his food, he got up from the table and dragged Dupe up by her hair, surprising her. He spun her to face him and gave her two quick slaps.

She tasted the blood in her mouth as her teeth cut her tongue. She tasted the blood as it mixed with the rice she had been chewing. She swallowed them both. He was going to kill her if she spat anything on the squeaky-clean tiles. It didn’t matter that she was the one responsible for cleaning it.

Vincent expected everything around the house to be spick and span at any point in time.

“Vincent, dear, I’m so sorry,” she cried, “it won’t happen again.”

“How would I know that?” he roared into her face.

“I promise, honey, please

believe me.” She begged.

He released her hair and sent her flying to the floor with another slap. Dupe could feel her right eye swelling shut already.

“This is the only way to guarantee that it won’t happen again.” He unbuckled his belt and pulled it off. Dupe cringed as he approached her but she knew there was no escape.

“Please, honey,” she begged desperately, “I love you, I love you very much.”

She knew that wasn’t going to make a difference but she wasn’t even thinking. She was just blurting out the words that came out of her mouth.

She really did love him but Vincent didn’t care about that.

He only cared that he didn’t get his salad.

He released her hair and sent her flying to the floor with another slap. Dupe could feel her right eye swelling shut already.

He beat her with the belt until he was covered in sweat and she in welts. He then stripped her naked and lay on top of her. The tiles were cold and Dupe shuddered. She was too weak to resist as he spread her legs apart and penetrated her. He grunted as he plunged in and out, his right hand crushing her left breast. Her body screamed with pain. But the pain was bearable. At least it receded after a few days.

It was the humiliation that was killing her. It was always there with her. No matter the number of days that passed.

How could a man beat and rape his wife so brutally? She asked herself. How could I have married such an animal? A few more thrusts and Vincent shuddered as he climaxed.

He got off her and walked to the bedroom without a word.

Dupe reached for her torn dress and manoeuvred herself onto it in a bid to lessen the chill of the tiles. She curled up in the foetal position and faced the wall as violent sobs racked her slim body. Somehow, the fault is mine, she thought. It has to be my fault. I probably turned him into the beast he is.

Dupe soon realised that she was weeping in front of the mirror. She quickly opened the medicine cabinet and with the door obstructing Vincent’s view of her face, she wiped her eyes. If he saw her crying, fresh trouble might brew.

“Honey, pass my towel.”

He said suddenly.

Dupe didn’t know if it was the term of endearment he used that got to her but she didn’t wait to analyse it.

She looked at the hairdryer still whirring in her hand and smiled.

“Sure darling.” She replied as she tossed it into the bathtub.

It landed perfectly just inside the tub. With the plug firmly in the socket, the electricity immediately coursed through the water and to Vincent’s long body. She watched calmly as he twerked and jerked in the dance of death. When it was over, she sat on the floor and started sobbing.

Naijastories.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 33

Romance

The DNA test saga

K

athryn had her eyes fixed on the cup in front of her.

“A DNA test?”

“The result may come out negative.” Kathryn responded, not in direct response to Simeon’s question. Her eyes still fixed on the cup.

“May—yeah. Still, I guess it’s only proper you allow me a glimpse of the big picture.”

Simeon said. He tapped lightly on the table as he spoke. “What about a positive result?”

Kathryn could not utter a word in response. She had not expected Simeon to easily accept her proposition. Yet a cold, almost sarcastic stance was least in her expectations.

“Why did you decide to bring this up now?” Simeon continued. “Look at me, Kathryn, and tell me the reason why you are coming up with this after—fifteen years?”

“I owe my son the truth.”

“What?”

Simeon swallowed. He thought he had heard Kathryn say—our son.

“I owe David the truth.”

“I cannot be David’s father; you—you know that too.”

Kathryn raised her head and met Simeon’s gaze. She shook her head, and looked away.

“You told me you wouldn’t get pregnant.”

Kathryn returned her gaze to Simeon. A surprised look neatly sculptured on her face.

“I never knew you do take the words of naive seventeen year old girls so seriously.” Kathryn responded. Her words for once matched Simeon’s—sarcasm.

It also infuriated Simeon.

“Why didn’t you bring me into the picture when the episode was yet fresh?

Why deny me the pleasure?”

Simeon paused briefly, then he continued; “You could have told the world that you were not a virgin before—” Simeon hesitated. The right term seemed to have eluded him.

But it occurred to him that his voice was unnecessarily raised.

“Before I was raped?”

Kathryn offered.

Simeon looked away.“I’m sorry, Katie.” He apologized, “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“What—what we had was only days before I was raped.”

“I . . . I—” Kathryn paused to calm her nerves. Simeon’s stance and the cold air from the air-conditioner made her uncomfortable. It seemed the air-conditioner had been turned up a degree or two.

“I made myself believe you were not responsible. I could not tell my parents there was

a possibility that someone else other than the guy who raped me was responsible for the pregnancy—how could I? Kathryn sighed as a tear ran down her chin. She knew there were a lot she had kept to herself, and even now she was not revealing all of it.

Simeon reached for Kathryn’s hand. “Katie, please, be considerate.

“Considerate?”

“I’ve been married for five years without a child. We’ve been through a lot, my wife and I,” Simeon paused. He seemed to weigh his resolve for revealing so much about his personal life. “I want to be a father, but not exactly by this means.” Simeon pleaded. “My marriage, right now, hangs on an edge. I don’t think it will survive an extra push” Simeon heaved, then he concluded, “I’m sorry, Katie; I can’t walk that path you are about leading me.”

Kathryn slowly pulled her hands from his grip.

Simeon raised his hand to draw the attention of a waiter walking by. Kathryn knew he wanted to settle the bill. She also knew Simeon had said as much as he could: discussion was over.

“Allow me to pay” Kathryn heard herself say. Her voice sounded noticeably weak. “I initiated the meeting.”

Simeon looked at her fully.

Kathryn guessed the sound of her voice more than the words she had spoken had been responsible for the look.

He slowly turned to face the waiter who was standing by his side.

Kathryn looked on as both men conversed. Kathryn knew there was a huge change from the boy she had loved as a young teenage girl and the almost bald man in front of her. Kathryn also knew the receding hair line was least in the changes she had observed.

Kathryn’s mind drifted to that day—four days before she was raped. The day she lost her virginity to Simeon.

“

It had been a Saturday and days after Simeon’s nineteenth birthday.

Kathryn had showed up confidently in front of Simeon’s residence. She didn’t bother knocking on the huge gate.

Simeon was standing there, waiting. He had informed her earlier that he would be alone during the day that Saturday.

Simeon held her right hand as he led her into the sitting room. In her other hand, Kathryn held the gift she had

presented to Simeon on his birthday. His playful refusal to accept the gift had dragged Kathryn to his house. Simeon wanted nothing else than some time with the one he loved.

As much as she knew the troubles that day had come to bring, she still loved every moment of it: she had been young and in love.

Kathryn’s thoughts got the best of her until Simeon touched her hand. Kathryn noticed that the waiter was

As much as she knew the troubles that day had come to bring, she still loved every moment of it: she had been young and in love.

gone.

“I’ll pay on our way out.”

Kathryn got the cue. It was time to leave.

“I’m not asking you to do this for me” her voice sounded low, barely audible, yet she was sure Simeon heard her.

“You’ll be doing it for David.”

“Let time decide that, Kathryn. Now is not the right time.”

“Time?”

Kathryn questioned. “What if there’s no more time?”

“You’ve kept it low these years; I’m sure it can wait a little longer.”

“David needs at least a parent when I’m gone.” her words more than her voice caught Simeon’s attention this time.

“What did you just say?”

Kathryn held his gaze as she said, “I have cancer, Simeon.

It’s terminal.”

Naijastories.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 34

Nollywood

‘My hubby paid millions to get my phone number’

I’m not ready for marriage now- Shank

Y

oruba actress, Bose Alao, who is married to a footballer based in Benin Republic, Rasaq Omotoyosi, said her husband paid millions of naira just to get her phone number after watching one of her movies.

She said people lied to him that she wanted money before releasing her phone number which made the footballer cough out millions of naira. “To tell you the truth, my husband first saw me on television and he started looking for my number, he reached out to the few people he knew. These set of characters lied to him that I wanted money before releasing my number and he gave them millions of naira, yet they gave him fake numbers.”

The mother of three, who is set to produce her first english movie, revealed that the saddest moments of her life is when she is referred to as a Yoruba actress. “infact that is why my next movie is going to be totally in English. I am set to dump Yoruba movies. I am an actress, why can’t people see that,” she said.

Rasaq Omotoyosi,

I have a joint bank account with hubby - Tricia Eseigbe

F

or the first time, actress Tricia Eseigbe and her husband have spoken at length about their six-year old marriage. Tricia, who is enjoying her marriage, however said something most women of this generation would dare not do, she has a joint bank account with her husband. In an interview, the couple explained how they met, fell in love, and how they have been coping with each other. ‘‘Our first meeting was in 1999 on the set of a movie called Live Wire. I was the director of

the movie, while she was the lead character. While on set, we developed a friendship which we sustained even after the movie was completed. When the time was right, we got married.’’

When asked if they had access to each other’s phones and social media accounts, the couple said ‘‘yes, we do. We do not hide anything from each other. We are very transparent with our phones and details of our social media accounts. We have each other’s passwords. We also have a joint account.’’

R

eggae act, Shank, said he is far from ready to tie the knot now. According to him, instead of being in a relationship and pumping his energy into it, he would rather pump it into his career, music.

“Where I am right now psychologically, mentally, emotionally and work-wise, I don’t need the distraction of

an intense relationship at the moment because it requires time and effort and I would rather put that into my music. I don’t have a ‘baby mama’. There is none that I know of and that is what I told them when I was asked if I had a kid at the embassy. I have been careful but don’t worry, I don’t shoot blanks, I shoot straight. I have just been very careful.”

IK Ogbonna is heaven sent-Sonia

S

onia Morales, IK Ogbonna’s pregnant 24-year old Colombian girlfriend in an interview revealed how she met the actor and how she believes their love was made in heaven.

On meeting Ik Ogbonna; ‘‘we have one mutual amazing friend, a girl called Oma. She was just too sure that I and IK would make a perfect match. She introduced him to my instagram page then he did the rest of the work.

He asked for my BB pin.

If someone had told me, I would not have believed. I guess life is full of surprises.

Sometimes all we get to do is follow our intuition. I got to discover a male version of me.

On accepting his proposal; ‘‘I am a very spiritual person. I just know when something is right for me. I never doubted him, not for a second. He makes me happy.

We are too much alike. If we were from the same country, I would have said he was my long lost twin brother. He knows how I breathe, he is capable of reading my mind.

We share same vision when it comes to life, love, success and family. He is my pal of life.’’

PAGE 35

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Kendra, Hank Baskett are ‘Better than ever’

R

eality star, Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett and her husband, Hank Baskett, are

on their way to recovery. Kendra and her NFL hubby opened up to In Touch magazine about their

marriage, which experienced severe problems one year ago after Hank became embroiled in an alleged cheating scandal.

“We are working on it minute-tominute, every day. I believe we are on the road to being better than ever. Sometimes you need a shake-up to get to a place you’ve never been before,” Kendra tells the magazine.

Hank also weighs in on the status of their relationship, echoing Kendra’s sentiments but also adding that during their fallout he suffered from severe depression, which prevented him from handling their issues properly.

The couple, who will appear on season three of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, are coping with their issues in a positive way and Kendra on even dishes, “This is the strongest that I’ve ever seen Hank.”

Because of their growing strength, In Touch reports that the couple is even thinking about renewing their vows to solidify their relationship one more time.

“Renewing our vows is definitely something that we are thinking about, I just don’t like cheese ball stuff. I would want to read our own vows. I think it is really important, especially now, getting over what we went through and entering a place we have never been before,” Kendra reveals.

The 29-year-old mom of two stepped out with her husband at the Dead Rising: Watchtower premiere wearing a new wedding ring, which appeared to be a perfect yellow diamond surrounded by dozens of white diamonds.

Kendra reportedly flushed her other wedding band down the toilet.

Smith stops Madonna from UK No 1 chart Sam Smith has stopped Madonna from topping the UK album chart, denying her the 12th number one of her career.

Madonna’s latest album, Rebel Heart, had been in pole position throughout the week, but Smith’s In The Lonely Hour sneaked ahead at the last minute.

His record undoubtedly received a boost after he performed his new single, Lay Me Down, with John Legend on the Comic Relief show. In the end, he beat Madonna by 12,000 sales, the Official Chart Company said.

In The Lonely Hour has now spent six separate spells at number one, a record for a male solo artist. Only three other albums have done better Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, which topped the charts on eight occasions, followed by Adele’s 21 and Emeli Sande’s Our Version Of Events, both of which managed seven.

Smith also topped the UK singles chart with Lay Me Down, the official Red Nose Day single, which achieved sales of 105,000.

Rebel Heart is Madonna’s 13th studio album and features collaborations with Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys and Avicii. Well-received by critics, it explores the star’s divorce from British film-maker, Guy Ritchie, alongside her regular pet topics of sex, dance and religion.

The last time one of the pop

star’s studio albums failed to reach number one in the UK was 1994, when Bedtime Stories also made its debut at number two. Her greatest hits collection, Celebration, jumped from 38 to 27, but the highest climber was George Benson’s The Ultimate Collection, which rose 17 places to 37.

Hollywood Emmy lifetime honour for TV ‘Golden Girl’

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olden Girls star, Betty White, is to be honoured with a lifetime achievement Emmy award. The 93-year-old, whose career has spanned more than 70 years, will receive the accolade at the 42nd Daytime Emmy awards next month.

She has previously won seven Emmys, including the award for outstanding game-show host for Just Men. Bob Mauro of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences called White an ‘American institution’. “She is one of the most beloved female performers in the history of television. Betty’s career as a female pioneer has followed television from literally the beginning of the medium, winning her first Emmy Award

in 1952, to the digital-streaming future, winning again in 2010.”

White famously played the naive-but-loveable Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls, which led to seven nominations for best actress in a comedy series, with a win in 1985. In the 60s, the legend was a frequent contestant on Password and also appeared on The Match Game and The $25,000 Pyramid.

She had a recurring role on soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful from 2006 to 2009, and can currently be seen on ITV in the prank show, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers.

White will be presented with the Emmy on April 26. Previous winners include Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and Regis Philbin.

Emma, Kline to star in Beauty and the Beast

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scar-winning actress, Emma Thompson has joined the cast of Disney’s live-action take on Beauty and the Beast. The star will play Mrs. Potts, the housekeeper magically transformed into a teapot, whom Dame Angela Lansbury voiced in the 1991 animated version of the film.

Fellow Oscar-winner, Kevin Kline has also signed on to play Maurice, the father of the ‘Beauty’ character Belle.

The film will be released in US cinemas on March 17, 2017.

It was announced in January

that Harry Potter star, Emma Watson had been cast as Belle. It was subsequently confirmed that Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens will play the Beast and that Luke Evans will co-star as the villainous Gaston.

Josh Gad, who voiced Olaf the snowman in Disney’s animated hit, Frozen, is also on board as Gaston’s sidekick LeFou. Bill Condon, Director of Dreamgirls and the last two Twilight films, will direct the movie, which begins filming at Shepperton Studios in May.

PAGE 36

Celebrity gists

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Dakore joins ‘Moments with Mo’!

Cynthia Morgan refutes surgery claims

Award winning actress, Dakore Akande, is set to join Mo Abudu, Dolapo Oni and Bolanle Olukanni as guest host on Moments with Mo. Dakore is a brand Ambassador for Pampers Nigeria, Cow & Gate and also an Ambassador for ActionAid Nigeria with the aim of sensitising Nigerians to align with the poor and disadvantaged in society Joining other regular guest hosts on Moments with Mo – Girls Talk episodes every Wednesday, the refreshing new addition will add more spice and excitement.

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inger Cynthia Morgan has refuted claims of nose and breast surgery in a throwback photo she posted on Instagram. She also hinted at rumours that she lightened her skin. ‘‘That awkward moment when these bloggers say some real bullshit, I myself bow to some bloggers when I read news about myself getting a nose and a boob job even a skin job? ‘‘Ya’all jobless unlike the nose and boob job I spiritually got myself. I was barely 17 on this far left picture and my bra could not even fit properly so I guess your father gave me the money for the boob job. I had to leave the dust on the picture so you guys won’t say I photoshopped the boob. Bloggers be warned about the dead lies you carry about, you don’t even know me.’’

Liza Minnelli enters rehab for substance abuse

L

iza Minnelli has entered rehab. The 69-yearold actress and singer is currently receiving treatment at a rehabilitation facility.

“Liza Minnelli has valiantly battled substance abuse over the years and whenever she has needed to seek treatment she has done so,” the Oscar-winning star’s rep, Scott Gorenstein, tells E! News.

According to TMZ, who first reported the story, Minnelli’s main health issue is connected to alcohol. This isn’t her first time seeking help for addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, which originated from a Valium prescription after the death of her mother, Judy Garland in 1969.

She stayed at The Betty Ford Clinic in the 80s before returning to Broadway. The actress also sought treatment at The Caron Foundation in Pennsylvania.

‘I chose music and it worked for me’

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usic star, Patoranking, has been a source of inspiration for a lot of young men and it is no wonder he has become the name on everyone’s lips.

After opening up a few months ago that he had once been a rat poison seller, the music artist opened up to MTV Base about what it was like growing up in the slums.

He revealed during a media parley organised by MTV Base that he was faced with a life that demanded success in any way possible. ‘‘The slum is not a place that gives many options. There, it was either you make it the right way or the crime way but I chose music and it has worked for me. ‘‘As many of you know, VP Records is one of the biggest record labels in New York so being signed under that label is a big deal for me which is why I am grateful to MTV Base. There are plans for the album to be released soon, hopefully, later in the year.’’

Nick Cannon is dating Jessica White

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ick Cannon is back on the dating scene after his six-year marriage to pop star, Mariah Carey, came to an end earlier this year.

The America’s Got Talent host is now romantically linked to model Jessica White and the two are said to be keeping a low profile ‘out of respect for Nick’s family since the divorce is not final.’

A source close to the new couple said “Jessica and Nick have been friends for some time now,” and reiterated that they were “purely just friends” during his marriage to the legendary pop star.

“Jessica fully respected Nick’s relationship and would never get in between them. When Nick was going through his breakup she was there for him as a friend. Jessica has been in the studio lately and Nick has been very supportive on her music career. They been spending lots of time together and Nick really enjoys her free spirit and easy going attitude.”

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 37

Ent e r t ain m en t

Kanye West to headline 2015 Glastonbury music

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apper Kanye West will headline the annual Glastonbury music festival in England.

Glastonbury organiser, Emily Eavis, said “We are thrilled to let you know that we have the one and only Kanye West headlining Saturday night on the Pyramid stage.”

This will be the 37-year-old’s first time performing at the annual event.

The Foo Fighters and Lionel Richie have

already been confirmed as Friday night’s headliners. The main act for Sunday night is yet to be announced.

Last year’s Glastonbury Festival featured music acts like Metallica, Lana Del Rey Lily Allen, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Haim, Dolly Parton, Arcade Fire, Kelis, Jack White and The Black Keys.

Glastonbury 2015 will take place from June 24 to 28.

Vin welcomes third child with girlfriend, Paloma

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in Diesel is a proud dad once again. The Fast & Furious star announced the arrival of his third child with longtime girlfriend, Paloma Jiménez, on Facebook.

“I hear babies crying, I watch them grow,” he captioned the first photo of his bundle of joy while quoting lyrics to Louis Armstrong and Kenny G’s popular single.

When news first broke that the couple was expecting, reports surfaced

that Diesel backed out of a few promotional stops for Furious 7.

While Diesel maintains a successful film career, he also remains focused on being a hands-on father to his three kids.

“Anything that I say could just fall into the proud father category, but if the angel were here right now, I wouldn’t have to say a word,” he shared on Good Morning America when asked about his other child, Hania Riley.

Entertainers join politics because of their beliefs —M.I

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rom jingles to music and campaign videos, a number of Nigerian celebrities are involved in politics.

According to rapper M.I Abaga, most entertainers are involved in politics simply because of their beliefs. ‘‘I am a musician and I’ll tell you guys the truth. Musicians turn down a lot of money from people they don’t believe in. Most times entertainers will support people without getting paid if they believe in their vision. It is easier to critique and say what you want to say but the truth is, our entertainers are doing a good job of holding true to their conscience.’’

On why he thinks politicians are using more entertainers this year he said: ‘‘they know that celebrities attract attention. The story is not going to be about the entertainer’s political view but the fact he/she is endorsing this person.

People pay attention and then you can pass your message.’’

‘I want people to focus on my music’

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few weeks ago the twitter feud between Wizkid and Skales was all over the internet, as the two artistes and former label mates were at each other’s neck.

In an interview, Skales explained that he simply wants to move past that episode and have people focus on his music. ‘‘We never really fell out; the relationship we had was about music. It’s not like we are brothers. Like I said, it was just business and music. So we were cool, and even till now we are still cool. I have no bad blood against him. I just want to face my music right now. I am about to drop my album and that is all that matters to me right now. ‘‘The truth is, we were not really together. We were just at the same venue. Whatever needs to be said now has already been said on Twitter, so you can pick everything there. Right now, I have put the whole episode behind me. I just want people to focus more on my music. In life, human beings must always fallout.’’

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 38

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Chairman Malam Wada Maida, Oon, Fnge Director/Editor-in-Chief Rufa’i Ibrahim Editor, Daily Hameed M. Bello

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ISSUES

Electricity supply: Beyond apologies WRITE TO US

By Eze Onyekpere

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eforms and improvements in the power sector are fundamental to economic growth and development.

The idea of reforms makes sense if there is a societal agreement on its direction, especially if they will improve lives and livelihood. On the return to civil rule in 1999, improving electricity was one of the core issues that confronted the Obasanjo administration and formed the basis of a number of promises. The promises were centered on uninterrupted power supply, generation, transmission and distribution of 10,000 megawatts by 2007.

The National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) identified the challenges and binding constraints on the growth of the electricity industry while outlining a plan of action for positive change.

The federal government appropriated money and started the construction of new power generation plants and several investments in transmission and distribution. Even state governments started investments in independent power generating plants.

The Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005 was enacted and the chosen reform was the unbundling and privatisation strategy.

The sector’s regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, came on board and has since been rolling out beautiful regulations and all the nice sound-bites.

The monolithic NEPA was unbundled and the PHCN emerged whilst the generation and distribution components were later privatised. The transmission component is still government owned but has been let to a technical manager to run on a day to day basis.

Nigerians expected that as the new power generating plants were completed and started contributing to the national grid, the power situation will improve. But when their completion dates drew near and indeed, some were completed, a new story line merged.

Nigerians got to know that the power plants were designed and constructed without a thought as to their source of fuel which is gas.

So, we have to wait until the gas pipelines have been constructed and connected to the power plants. The waiting game continued until the story changed to we have not made enough investments to guarantee enough supply of gas. Investors do not want to commit funds in gas gathering when the price of gas was not cost-reflective.

To stem the tide, the price of gas was

Peoples Daily Weekend welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed to: The Editor, Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.

Email: opinion@peoplesdailyng.com adverts@peoplesdailyng.com pictures@peoplesdailyng.com contact@peoplesdailyng.com increased. The latest story is that of vandalising of gas pipelines and supply systems. Beyond this story line is another that the transmission grid does not have sufficient capacity to wheel up to 6,000MW of electricity. So, even if the power plants have adequate gas to supply 15,000 MW, the remaining after the wheeling capacity of the grid may not be available to Nigerians or may be difficult to transmit. The privatisation law and policy had defined the capacity of private sector investors who were qualified to take over the assets in generation and distribution.

They should possess technical, financial and managerial capacities.

The technical capacity focuses on an understanding of the industry and its requirements in terms of what is needed to improve the specific company being taken over.

“

A core investor should be able to demonstrate a track record of competence in running similar firms in the past. It should not just be a special purpose vehicle of strange bed fellows collaborating to acquire an asset. The financial capacity demands that the investor has enough funds or will be able to raise funds to turn around the fortunes of the privatised firm. Thus, the core investor should not be a brief case company or a straw man. Managerial capacity refers to the ability to manage human and other resources.

A critical review of the companies (with the exception of one or two) that took over the unbundled firms shows lack of capacity on all three fronts. There is no evidence of in-depth technical capacity. The mere amalgamation of the parts of an entity cannot make a whole. The

The technical capacity focuses on an understanding of the industry and its requirements in terms of what is needed to improve the specific company being taken over.

most irritating part is that straw companies that went to banks to borrow money for the acquisition of the privatised firms were pre-qualified and stated to have financial capacity. A company that borrows to fund an acquisition is not financially capable. Some cannot even pay back the money borrowed to acquire the firms and the banks of course are in no position to lend more when the initial debts have not been paid. This accounts for the lack of new investments a year after the core investors took over. We are now in a situation where the Central Bank of Nigeria has started raising soft loans for the new owners as if to say they are still government parastatals because banks are in no mood to lend money to them. Greedy as the core investors are, they are not even ready to look for equity funds from the stock exchange. They dream of keeping everything to themselves when they do not have the resources to invest and grow the privatised companies. The need for equity is straightforward; you do not pay interest on them until you break even and make profits. This is a long term investment which is needed in the electricity industry. The sector does not need short term double digit interest loans as this will result in a mismatch between financing and the long term nature of the industry.

The managerial capacity to make available electricity meters which will aid collection of bills is not even a priority. On the part of Nigerians, we have done all that the authorities and the regulatory agency told us to do. They told us to wait patiently and hope for improvements; we have been patient enough. They increased tariffs and we have been paying without complaints. They appropriated our money and spent the same as if money was going out of fashion with the attendant fraud and we kept silent if that will guarantee us improved power supply.

What more does the government, NERC and heads of the electricity sector want from Nigerians? We have kept our part of the bargain and apologies will no longer be tolerated. Now is the time to deliver or simply tell us the truth; that this is beyond our capacity and apologise for Nigerians endless waiting. Nothing has changed in the electricity industry except that we are paying higher tariffs. This is not how to reform a sector.

Onyekpere posted this article on Opinion.ng

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PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Opinion

Can hate speech win elections?

By Victor Emejuiwe

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can vividly recall Shehu Shagari’s 1980 inauguration speech, which was titled “My Vision for Nigeria.”

Part of the text reads as follows; “Our problems are many and varied but they are not insurmountable, if we can sink our differences and work like a team, with every one willingly contributing his quota in order to satisfy the legitimate hopes and aspiration of the people. The task of nation building is a collective responsibility of all and posterity will not forgive us, if we should betray the sacred trust conferred on us by the people.”

These words from Shagari are not only visionary and prophetic, but also instructive. One of the country’s problem today is the lack of statesmanship from our leaders. They vituperate at anyone who opposes their interest; forgetting the fact that leaders are automatically looked upon by the citizens as role models. Nigerian leaders have forfeited statesmanship and have made elections look like a battle field; with hate speeches and unfortunate remarks thrown at fellow citizens who oppose their interest.

From Shagari’s speech, the central vision about governance is nation building and this must be embraced by all. Nigeria became the cynosure of the world when it collectively defeated the Ebola virus disease; this boosted our image and relieved citizens from the fear of being wiped out by the EVD. There are many things we could collectively achieve as a nation if we work together. Nigeria could have ended terrorism and poverty if our leaders had genuinely collaborated with stakeholders in order to achieve these. It is unfortunate that our present leaders care so much about their personal ambition than the interest of the public.

The stream of hate speeches emanating

from the media, sponsored by political parties and their supporters shows our weakness as a nation. The utterances and advertisements by this group of persons are enough to ignite violence and destroy the nation that is meant to be built by all.

Those who organised the Abuja Peace Accord on January 14, did this to safeguard the lives of ordinary citizens and preserve the unity of Nigeria. Politicians and their cohorts should know that elections are not won by demonising a candidate or casting aspersions on opponents rather, such attitude stokes the embers of disunity which can set the nation ablaze. The electorate should be wise and not allow themselves to be swayed by unnecessary propaganda.

Unfortunately, when the chips are down, the same men and women who ignited the conflict will be nowhere around the country; they would have flown abroad with their families. It is wrong to pitch citizens against themselves; especially in an ethnic and multi-plural society like ours. Using religion as a campaign issue

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is an introduction of division amongst the multi-faceted religious worshippers in Nigeria.

On a daily basis, citizens are inundated with adverts where those who aspire to lead us and also serving leaders use hate speeches to hound the opposition. From investigations, over 100 support groups that show solidarity for the Peoples Democratic Party do nothing else in the print media other than paying for character defaming adverts against the opposition. The amount spent so far by these various groups on print media advert alone, between December and February 14 is over N1.3 billion which is above the general campaign ceiling of N1 billion approved by the Electoral Act. The All Progressives Congress is not left out as they have spent over N300 million between this duration on adverts via the print media.

Leaders of political parties should know that the truth can never be twisted no matter how hard it is done. People would respond to truth and not propaganda;

Presently, what the public want to see from their leaders and politicians are their achievements.

The people would like to hear them speak about what they have been able to accomplish in the past and how impactful it has been on the society. It is based on this premise that they would decide how to cast their vote. When politicians stand before the people and cast aspersions on their opponents, they already exhibit flaws that do not befit a leader. For discerning voters, they direct their sympathy to the opponent, especially when he/she has none of such flaws.

propaganda might have worked in the past, but because the lives of citizens are not getting any better, it is no longer the best form of campaign. Nigerians are definitely getting wiser by the day.

Presently, what the public want to see from their leaders and politicians are their achievements. The people would like to hear them speak about what they have been able to accomplish in the past and how impactful it has been on the society. It is based on this premise that they would decide how to cast their vote.

When politicians stand before the people and cast aspersions on their opponents, they already exhibit flaws that do not befit a leader. For discerning voters, they direct their sympathy to the opponent, especially when he/she has none of such flaws.

The body language of our leaders shows that they are enjoying the hate propaganda against their opponents. They have succeeded in breeding followers with malicious mannerism which is unhealthy for future generations. This is definitely not the future of our dream country.

Finally, the electronic and print media should not allow themselves to be used as the battle ground of desperate politicians; they should set profit making aside and abide by the ethics of the profession.

Also, the electorate should be weary of politicians who have broken the peace accord signed on January 14 and avoid them at the polls. The peace accord is the only way out of the post-election violence of 2011. If the evil prediction against Nigeria’s break up in 2015 would not come to pass, then politicians and their supporters must guide their utterances.

Elections are not won by hate speech.

Remember, posterity will judge everyone according to the role they play.

Culled from Opinion.ng

Parochialism undermines our progress

By Hamisu Zayyanu Sani

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hile other countries are using their diversities to unite for common good, some Nigerians are preoccupied with parochialism at the expense of our development.

These parochial Nigerians see and interpret every national issue through a narrow prism.

Nigeria’s biggest security challenge today is global terrorism. The outbreak of the Boko Haram insurgency, which has links to deadly terror groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, is Nigeria’s biggest nightmare, not only because of its toll on national resources, but also because of the large-scale loss of lives and property.

The thought of this evil monster makes my heart bleed. When Colonel Sambo Dasuki was appointed the National Security Adviser, I didn’t envy him. Instead, I felt pity for him and prayed everyday for his success. The Boko Haram terrorists have virtually destroyed the northern economy and disrupted its social life. Thanks to terrorism, Nigerians have now been turned into captives of fear. Although the terrorists are largely active in the north-east, their victims are not limited to the north. Wherever and whenever terrorists strike, their victims always include northerners, southerners, Muslims and Christians. Being a northerner, Dasuki really had his job cut out for him from the day he was appointed. It is not a job for which anybody should be congratulated because of its grim challenges.

He needs the prayers of all Nigerians to succeed.

With Boko Haram showing a brutal determination to decimate the population of innocent people, regardless of their ethnicity,

religion or region, the challenges before Dasuki are enormous. It disturbs me, therefore, to see political hatchet men from his own state writing all sorts of nonsense against him for accepting to serve his country. Instead of offering positive ideas on how to help Nigeria achieve victory against the Boko Haram bandits, these political hatchet men are tenaciously attacking him. One narrow-minded fellow from Sokoto State recently wrote that the NSA “is working with the forces of darkness” at the expense of his people. People with such insular mentality don’t even have a basic understanding of our nationhood and the imperative of unity.

They speak as if Sokoto is not part of Nigeria. They don’t see Nigeria beyond their noses.

We should see the appointment of Dasuki as an honour to Sokoto. Instead, these parochial political hatchet men are disparaging him for accepting appointment from the Jonathan

“

administration. The people of Sokoto are citizens of Nigeria and are, therefore, free to serve their country whenever they are called upon to do so.

The constitution doesn’t bar the people of Sokoto State from taking up federal appointments. By appointing Dasuki as his national security adviser, President Jonathan was sending out a message that he could find capable hands in any part of Nigeria to assist him in running the country.

Dasuki’s appointment shows recognition for the people of Sokoto. The people of the Niger Delta (former Mid-west) have historically been political allies of the north. And such long-existing bond of friendship should not be weakened on account of the parochialism of some people.

When I read the disparaging publications against Dasuki, which accused him of working with so-called “dark forces”, I was embarrassed because these kind of hatchet political writers are doing

National assignments or responsibilities should not be reduced to petty local politics to undermine public office holders. Nothing helps the terrorists better than a divided public opinion. Our country’s security officials need total focus on the challenges before them.

They should not be subjected to dirty politics while we are facing a common enemy. We should not play politics with national security.

great harm to the image of the people of Sokoto.

Promoting these kinds of parochial opinions on the pages of newspapers portray our people as being out of touch with the realities of a federal system. Nobody should be vilified for serving his country. Nigeria is facing grave security challenges, and hatchet political writers are, needless, a distractions. The national security adviser should not be distracted by politicians who always want to cause disharmony in government in order to destroy unity at a time the country needs united efforts to defeat terrorism.

Politicians should stop using hatchet writers to undermine the office of the NSA by causing division and disaffection in government. Why would anyone use the office of the NSA to slight the president? Is this insular mentality not taking our democracy to a ridiculous low? Is it because Dasuki would not be anyone’s hatchet man to undermine the president?

I commend him for rising above this parochialism and blackmail. His loyalty should be to Nigeria and the president that appointed him and not to any tin god.

National assignments or responsibilities should not be reduced to petty local politics to undermine public office holders. Nothing helps the terrorists better than a divided public opinion.

Our country’s security officials need total focus on the challenges before them. They should not be subjected to dirty politics while we are facing a common enemy. We should not play politics with national security. Security chiefs should not be reduced to such pettiness of loyalty to local politicians at the expense of national security demands.

Sani can be reached via hamisuzayy@ yahoo.com

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Comment

Boko Haram crippling education in the north

By Japhet Magaji

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ctivities of the insurgents have crippled the educational system of the northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. Thousands of students and teachers have been forced to abandon schools due to the increasingly brazen attacks by the Boko Haram sect.

Unfortunately, the fear of Boko Haram sect has forced many parents to withdraw their children from schools and this has added to the already explosive mix of the large pool of uneducated youths in the north and also increased the rate of debilitating poverty.

February 25, 2014 was a bloody day for the people of Buni Yadi, the sect attacked a Federal Government College located in the town and killed 59 students. They barged into the college while the students were sleeping and threw explosive devices into the dormitories.

According to an eye-witness, ‘‘students who were trying to climb windows in order to escape were slaughtered. The entire four storey building of the school was burnt down. The more than 200 abducted Chibok school girls has also crippled the educational system. Those students are the leaders of tomorrow.

The sect in an attack on September 29, 2013, opened fire on sleeping students and killed over 40 of them in Gujba, Yobe State. Boko Haram which means western education is evil has caused a lot of damages to schools in the north.

Spokesman of the Yobe State, Abdullahi Bego, told IRIN that ‘‘the Boko Haram insurgents had destroyed 209 schools in the state.’’ In Borno State, Governor Kashim Shettima said ‘’ in August 2013, the Islamist rebels destroyed 825

classrooms.’’ With the high number of schools destroyed by the sect, the educational system in the affected states is on the decline, instead of building more schools to add to the existing ones, they have to start building new schools and also rebuild those that were destroyed by the sect.

Parents have also been discouraged to send their children to school due to fear of attacks.

On October 4, 2013, Amnesty International said ‘‘at least 70 teachers and more than 100 school children have been killed or wounded in the northeastern part of Nigeria’’. Due to the frequency of the attack, there have been fears among students, teachers and parents. Teachers are not only targeted in the schools, but also at home. ‘’there was a case where a teacher was killed before his wife and children,’’ Makmid Kamara, Amnesty International’s Researcher for Nigeria, revealed.

In February 2012, the sect burned down three schools in Maiduguri town using homemade bombs. Initially they carried out attacks

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on schools at night or in the early hours so as not to ‘kill innocent pupils’ according to the sect’s spokesperson, Abu Qaqa, but the strategy changed in March 2013 when their leader, Abubakar Shekau said he supports the Mamudo School attack, but fell short of claiming responsibility. ‘’We said we were going to burn down schools that are offering western education because they are not Islamic schools.

They are schools primarily established to wage war on Islam. We fight teachers who teach western education, we will kill them before their students, and we will tell the students to henceforth go and study the Quran. This is what we do, we will continue carrying out such school attacks till we take our last breath,’’ he said.

Since the ongoing crisis began, life has not been the same for kids living in that region, as every facet of their lives and that of their parents have been affected by the insurgents. Children no longer feel safe even in their homes. They also fear going to schools, public places like markets,

The insurgency has affected education in an area that is grossly under-developed and with a high rate of illiteracy. Since 2012, the sect has burned more than 300 schools and deprived more than 10,000 children of their right to education. Figures released by Human Rights Watch indicate that more than 5,000 people, mostly adults have been killed since the insurgency began in 2009.

streams, farms and even social gatherings for fear of being attacked or forcibly conscripted by the sect.

Many public schools in the northeast are under lock and key with many students hawking wares on the streets, some have turned to begging, while others are engaged in criminal activities. The situation in the few still-open private schools is no better, as most parents are scared of sending their children to school.

The insurgency has affected education in an area that is grossly under-developed and with a high rate of illiteracy. Since 2012, the sect has burned more than 300 schools and deprived more than 10,000 children of their right to education. Figures released by Human Rights Watch indicate that more than 5,000 people, mostly adults have been killed since the insurgency began in 2009. But presently, more than 15,000 people have lost their lives. Living with the fear of being killed and without anyone to turn to for protection and assistance, many orphans have joined the insurgents. The militia life has become more attractive to the children who see a possible future of survival.

Statistics has shown that the north has the highest rate of uneducated youths and the attacks on schools, students and teachers will lead to increased rate of school dropouts. Leaders in the north, the various state governments and the presidency should provide security in schools, by so doing, parents will be encouraged to send their wards to school and teachers will feel safe to return to the classroom.

Magaji writes from the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic Bida

Dankwambo and the sweet scent of victory in Gombe

By Sanusi Akko

E

mpty vessels they say make the loudest cacophony, while still waters run deep. This aptly sums up the different political styles and dimensions taken by Senator Danjuma Goje, the state APC leader in his desperate and envious move to miraculously oust Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo come April 11. The Talban Gombe has within a relatively short time in office restored the state to its previous enviable status as the undisputed economic hub of the northeastern region.

Indeed, Goje ever since leaving office in 2011, apparently behaves as if he should remain the sole occupant of that seat and if any other person is to occupy it, the latter must owe total loyalty to him and must not carry out any action without first obtaining his unconditional imprimatur, clearly forgetting that he was a tenant and we, the citizens, remain the landlords of the government house. However, close watchers of Gombe State’s political terrain actually believe that the former helmsman of the ‘Jewel of the Savannah’ is actually sitting on his last leg as a politician and is about to be shown the way out, firmly decisively and irrevocably because his defection to the APC and the tricky hijacking of its state leadership has marked his first step towards unexpected political retirement.

For one, Senator Goje’s antics and shenanigans both on the floor of the Senate and at various political functions both within and outside Gombe have been rash, immature, self-serving, ill-motivated, desperately naïve and unpopular to say the least, and has lowered his estimation irredeemably in the eyes of right thinking Gombians.

Whenever he ventures into Gombe, his acolytes and paid contractors who were privy to the alleged unparalleled looting of the treasury under his watch would swing into action, hiring crowds to turn up at the various routes, Goje traverses, in order to convey a false and misleading appearance of popularity and widespread acceptance by the people to his party and his former victim of political intolerance, General Muhammadu Buhari. Various sums of money are dispensed to unwary youths, whom he prefers to dish pittances to rather than provide them with solid and enduring means of livelihood.

It seems his brand of democracy dividends involves handing out pittances to the downtrodden rather than empowering them financially, educationally or by skills acquisition.

It is indeed not surprising that a desperate and relevance seeking Goje will go to any length

“

to shore up his meager popularity given the fact that his ‘defeat’ of the then incumbent governor, Alhaji Abubakar Hashidu in 2003, was mired in controversy; some observers have fingered former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s over bearing interference in the elections as the singular factor that ensured the ‘victory’ of a beleaguered Goje then a relative green horn in the state and local politics.

Having learnt the ropes of the political arena, albeit in a negative and self-serving, egregious manner, he has spuriously embarked on a bull in a China shop charade, upsetting the apple cart and dangerously portraying himself as an iconoclast who believes that the world begins and ends with him. While Goje hardly engages in parliamentary debate in the Senate to provide the people of his constituency and the country as a whole, the much expected dividends of democracy, the

Having learnt the ropes of the political arena, albeit in a negative and self-serving, egregious manner, he has spuriously embarked on a bull in a China shop charade, upsetting the apple cart and dangerously portraying himself as an iconoclast who believes that the world begins and ends with him.

political fanatic in him was to find its voice during the Senate hearings involving the Securities and Exchange Commission’s newly appointed DG, Mounir Gwarzo.

Apparently out to score cheap political points and take a cowardly aim at the Gombe State government, an impassioned Goje continued to unnecessarily and rudely assail, harass and hector the hapless DG over the N20 billion Infrastructure Bond approved for the state government, even though the popularity and necessity of the bond is unquestioned and unassailable in critical economic, financial and security bond circles and coupled with the huge debt incurred from his locust ravaging regime.

Any evil planned against Dankwambo will amount to nothing, as the Talban Gombe stands shoulders above Senator Goje and his minions such as former Deputy Speaker, Bayero Nafada, and APC governorship candidate, Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya, whom it must be stated where all roundly defeated by the governor in the PDP governorship primaries in 2011 and if Dankwambo could thoroughly defeat minions when he was not an active politician, what would happen now when he has been tested and trusted and has performed superlatively in the socio-economic arena by delivering democracy dividends to his people and the landlords of the government house?

It is common knowledge that no political leader, or public office holder has transformed Gombe as positively as Dankwambo and despite the desperate antics of the Goje-led opposition, the Talban Gombe will triumph over his adversaries, overwhelmingly and resoundingly come April 11.

Akko sent this piece from Gombe State

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 41

Online Comments Chibok parents to FG: We want our daughters, not school

Cele says: I wonder what some Nigerians are ever grateful for. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s visit is a welcome development.

Sandra says: The Chibok Community should have their heads straightened out. Why are they discouraging education and encouraging Boko Haram?

Olabimpe says: Somebody tell me…which is better? to build while trying to find the missing girls or not to build the school at all? There must be something fundamentally wrong with the way some people perceive wellintentioned moves.

Tojulola says: I believe this is not form the Chibok community, but from a group which thinks it can discourage western education.

Madam Iweala did the right thing, education is what the children of Chibok need.

Keshi’s contract renewal tears NFF technical committee apart

Your Name...Gabgab says: We are not surprised, everything in Nigeria has been politicised.

Atiku committed success – Sugar

to

APC’s

SirOscie. says: Atiku is irrevocably committed to the unity of the APC and I believe it will take more than the antics of mischief makers to break that bond. Recently, it was all over the news that Atiku was in his home state, Adamawa, where he convened a stakeholders’ meeting and reconciled disagreeing camps within the party towards ensuring victory for the APC. So I believe he is glued to the APC project.

Nigeria will sink if Jonathan is reelected – Buhari

Truthseeker says: It is indeed unfortunate to see how people make bogus and utopian promises, knowing fully well that they are merely deceiving those who want to be deceived.

Corruption was like water that has overflowed its banks right from the regime of General Ibrahim Badamisi Babangida, as he was the one that institutionalised it. Corruption took a more dangerous dimension during the late General Sani Abacha era. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo unabashedly added more dimensions to the hydra-headed phenomenon called corruption. All these people ruled Nigeria in the midst of uncompromising corruption and the country did not sink and retired General Buhari even participated in virtually all these regimes and kept mum.

Why is he taking all the glory in his administration without giving credit to the late Major General Tunde Idiagbon?

If General Buhari now sees himself as a one-stop-shop solution to all of Nigeria’s problems, why did he not act when his government was overthrown?

Why did retired General Babangida

Gov. Kwankwaso

Naira – Buhari

Onyeeze says: Why can’t the PDP base their campaign on issues like the APC is doing now?

All what they are doing is to abuse the presidential candidate of the opposition party.

Someone tell Dame Patience to shut up I agree to this piece says: You have said it all. This woman is just a hippo. She is a bully and uncouth.

APC international radio station debuts

Gen. Obasanjo, rtd

Prof Osinbanjo

wait until Idiagbon was in Mecca before orchestrating the coup that ousted Buhari?

As far as history is concerned, all the achievements recorded in that regime were conceived, executed and supervised by the most disciplined, courageous and admired late Major General Tunde Idiagbon. If Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as corrupt as he was ruled for the first four years and won a second term and Nigeria did not sink, then nothing will sink Nigeria if Jonathan wins a second term. Buhari should just relax and allow the citizens of this country determine who should govern them. The mud-slinging should stop.

the adverts appeared and I personally checked them before commenting. If yours is a serious government it should have bothered to publicise its change of mind on the issue as it did for the sales.

Lamentations politician

of

a

failed

War Bibi says: Jude Ityovenda you and your sponsors are the failed ones, untruthful article.

Kano: Counting cost Kwankwasiyya projects

of

Maliki K Umar says: Ado, I am glad you started by acknowledging the giant strides made by the Kwankwasiyya administration in infrastructure and education. However, for your information, the property in Kano, Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna have not been sold. The government changed its decision after the advertisements. Similarly, the microfinance banks and garment Industries have not yet been sold. You will agree with me that, being business outfits, they will be more beneficially run by private businessmen. Note also that only a fraction of the GPs have been sold off. Most beneficiaries/occupants have merely paid the initial deposits and have been pleading for reduction in the costs.

The monumental achievements recorded are due to prudent management of state resources and I think the Kwamkwasiyya administration deserves commendation for that.

Maigaskiya says: The author has given concrete evidence that the assets had been advertised for sale and that the proceeds realised far exceeds what is being quoted as cost of the projects.

Malam Umar disagrees and says the assets have not been sold without giving tangible reasons to convince us, or letting us know why we have to believe him. Only Kwankwaso or his spokesman can deny this with convincing reasons.

Maliki K Umar says: I am in a position to know as the chief law officer of the state. The author did not give any concrete evidence. He just speculated that the property have probably been sold.

Maigaskiya says: What I said is that he has given ample evidence to prove that the assets have indeed been advertised for sale by giving the name and dates of the newspaper in which

Jonathan sponsoring ethnic militias to disrupt elections – APC Adamu Idris says: The ruling party will be the losing party

by God’s grace.

Troops sack Boko recapture Bama

Haram,

Josephat U. Eke says: More grease to your elbows, our gallant soldiers. We are praying for your continuous victory. We must overcome these insurgents. Ride on.

No clue yet on Chibok girls – Army Chief Jato says: PDP, Jonathan, another prove of cluelessness.

South West pastors declare 7 days prayer, fasting for Buhari

Odogwu_Aganaga says: All purveyors of middle-eastern religions in Nigeria are knavish frauds who are capitalising on human misery to grab power. All of them should be put to jail, they “preach nothing but greed’.

Pastor Emeka says: God has ordained Buhari to take this country to the promised land and nobody not even my Igbo brothers and sisters with all their hatred can stop him. It is high time the Igbos came out massively and vote for the APC for the liberation of our people in the north.

Pastor Eze Kanu says: Is it not better we stop campaigning against Buhari that who will become the next president of our beloved country?

What do you still see in a man that has made us suffer? Please think twice before making another four years of mistake.

Hassan says: May God save us from the PDP.

OPC elders disown Ganiyu Adams over violent protest COSH says: Gani will die a shameful death.

Obasanjo advocates dialogue with Boko Haram

Myke Oghene says: With the successes of our military, it is naive to talk about dialogue and grievances.

Since he knows they have grievances, Obasanjo should be the protagonist. It is a pity that this man is going senile.

I resisted pressure to devalue

Pastor J O USA says: Hello Nigerians.

Abdullahi-Muhammad says: We are tired of Jonathan’s unambitious and unfocused programmes for Nigerians, PDP must go, Jonathan must go, APC come and take over, Buhari come and salvage Nigeria with your meaningful programmes. Sai Baba Buhari.

MUSA says: Jonathan will be welcomed to Otuoke

by May 29, 2015. Sai Buhari.

Isyaku Wada Faskari says: Change is here insha Allah, no amount of intimidation will stop the good people of Nigeria from voting out Jonathan. Up APC! UP Nigeria.

Ahmed Tijani says: May Almighty Allah in his infinite wisdom and mercy bring a positive and meaningful change to Nigeria and Ngerians through Buhari and Prof Osinbajo.

Mohammed Habibu Baji says: Nigeria must change by the special grace of God because we are tired of Goodluck. Look at the way Boko Haram is killing soldiers in Nigeria, they killed my brother in Maiduguri. I will never forgive Goodluck for that because it is our late brother that solves all our problems.

Personal interest tears Goodluck Support Groups apart

Jessie says: Prof. Ezeh’s wife has also been made the Lagos State coordinator and she brought her family members alongside 300 registered NGOs as members of the committee. She solely dissolved the hard working committee on her own and installed the people she wants.

If Jonathan wants the cooperation of GSG NGOs he should remove Prof. Ezeh and his wife as directors of the group and the national coordinator of Lagos State GSG.

Buhari won’t islamise Nigeria, Osinbajo assures Christian leaders

Apwe Eli says: Plateau people know better. You know nothing my dear prof. so do not waste your efforts. Whether islamisation or not is not just the issue. There is a systematic ethnic cleansing going on in Plateau, orchestrated by these people which no northern leader is talking about. But as soon as they are touched in response to their activities the leaders surface. They did it in Ibadan years back and the governor had to lash out at that Fulani leader who shamelessly went to absolve the Fulani of culpability and accused the locals of attacking his people.

They tell you it is being done by herdsmen whose leaders are in various capacities in the country.

Ariwo Eee says: Apwe Eli, tell us what you know, if the Fulanis are killing Christians in Jos the ‘zoo man is the commander in chief now’, he should know what to do, oh sorry I have forgotten that he is clueless.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 42

Interview

Jonathan should have packed out of Aso Villa before now- Giwa-Amu

L

awyer and Human Rights Activist, Chief Giwa- Amu, believes any performing president or governor would not require the deployment of massive campaign funds to win over the electorate. Also he thinks President Goodluck Jonathan ought to have packed out of the Presidential Villa before the March 28 elections because hand on the wall is clear.

He spoke on these and other issues with our Correspondent, Matthew Aramunde, in Lagos writing. Excerpt...

T

here are fears that the incumbent PDP government at the centre may want to rig the presidential election in order to remain in power.

What does that portend for Nigeria?

First, it will be a grave mistake for the Jonathan-led government to contemplate that dangerous expedition, then for the average Nigerian it would be the entry into another four years of misery and nightmare, another four years of pain, penury, poverty and high level corruption. I shudder when I think about it.

The national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has confessed to being invited to be part of a proposed Interim National Government by President Jonathan and how his refusal led to his being hunted by the powers that be......?

If he is to be believed, then it is a dangerous opening in our political theatre. But, I, as an individual have advised myself to watch carefully and exercise some measure of caution in statements credited to most politicians. Of course, the Asiwaju is a responsible citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, so whatever statement he makes is not to be taken lightly. However, the politician in him speaks loudly and so his statements should be viewed with caution.

The use of dollars by politicians to induce the people is not healthy for the polity. Do you agree?

It is generally believed that except you spend so much money you cannot win election in this country. It is frightening to say the least. Huge sums of money that can better the lot of Nigerians are wilfully squandered on frivolities.

Interestingly, it is to be noted that the ruling PDP was alleged to have in their coffers over N20billion being the proceeds of the fundraising for the presidential campaign.

However, when Nigerians cried blue murder, they quickly attempted to reverse themselves despite the fact that not a few persons believed it was an effort at begging the issues.

They cunningly said the fund was not meant for campaign for the president’s electioneering bid alone, but for all the PDP aspirants.

You seem to disagree with their line of argument?

Look lets lay the facts bare, it is not as if I agree or disagree

Chief Giwa- Amu with what I will describe as a glibly explanation after a glaring blunder. What will, however, remain indisputable is the fact, that no leader under any guisewho has performed creditably, will need to bribe anybody to vote for him. Rather his performances alone will clearly attest to his competence and subsequently be enough to lure the electorate in his favour.

For instance, the governor of Akwa- Ibom State has performed well ditto the governor of Lagos and Ogun States. Those performances should be the bribe the people need to identify with any contestant. I must confess that often times, I have watched with amusement and keen interest our dear president sweating it out in our stadia across the country begging for votes. His works should speak for him not spending large sums to win over the electorate. Let me rest this case by saying that I am truly surprised that Mr. President as I speak with you, has not packed out of Aso Rock Villa because like the biblical narration MENE MENE TEKEL.

“

But not every Nigerian will want to agree with you because the activities of the insurgents tended to have slowed down good governance, especially in the affected region?

Quite frankly, I am surprised that Nigerians can or would still argue in favour of this government. Let me ask you in what way has Boko Haram hinder the president from tackling corruption? In what way did Boko Haram hamper the president from repairing the Ibadan expressway or the Benin – Ore roads? Let me ask you this pertinent question, did Boko Haram prevent the president from giving Nigerians basic necessities like water, power, good roads etc? Personally, I believe the president knew all along what to do to contain the insurgents. His failure to do what he ought to have done makes him culpable and rather unfortunately, is also his albatross.

Corruption seems to have been accepted as a way of life. What is your view?

In the first place, it is the

system that is manifestly defective; let us begin from the religious circle, with the new wave of evangelism, all that these bodies are interested in is donations, financial contributions, nobody wants to know how the money being donated iss gotten, thereby encouraging thievery.

Secondly, our judicial system is weak, high profile criminals are given judicial soft landing, there is no ex-corrupt minister in prison till date, even so with the governors, you commit a crime, you do not get yourself in prison and this encourages crime, thirdly, successive governments do not have an iota of love for this country.

I watch with interest when the America president boasts of the dream of the American nation, how the economy has been made bettered and how more jobs are created. What we get here is how Nigeria could not get arms from America to fight Boko Haram or how there was a system shut down and salary could not be paid between November and December last year. The presidency in Nigeria

Government should not be seen to condone corruption, conduce or connive with fraudsters through its policies. The man on the street cannot appoint an IGP or Chairman of EFCC, so the system can only be screened by the leadership and the Presidency is at the apex.

always give reasons for the negative, while never giving projection for positives, they are always giving space for stupidity and corruption. How can a country grow with all these indices I have just told you?

Then why blame Jonathan?

Every system has its own lapses and defects, it is the duty of good governance to check and block these lapses, and contracts are bound to be awarded in the course of good governance and once awarded it is the duty of government to supervise performance.

Government should not be seen to condone corruption, conduce or connive with fraudsters through its policies. The man on the street cannot appoint an IGP or chairman of EFCC, so the system can only be screened by the leadership and the presidency is at the apex.

Above all, it is my candid advice that our leaders require psychiatric attention at least every two months while they are still in office. Secondly, our leaders should be fully aware of what it takes to govern a country like Nigeria; many of them are politically dead and economically porous.

For example, I don’t see why a non-partisan Akpabio cannot be minister for Works in an APC led government, or why a Fashola cannot be an AttorneyGeneral in a PDP government, provided that the well being of the Nigerian people supersedes individual interest. The less corruption or stealing there is in the system the better for the Nigerian people.

Do you envisage another poll shift?

Shifting the goal post at this time will be destroying the country called Nigeria, as it is there is enough pain, poverty and anxiety in the land, we don’t need bloodshed. As for the use of PVC and card reader to the extent that Prof. Jega has to spend a lot of money to get this things done, I commend him for that innovation, yet I believe that too much money is being spent for rubbish when an open ballot system would have fared better.

Do you think security may be given as the reason for another shift?

Unfortunately polls were conducted in Afghanistan, Iraq even in Syria, and so that hardly be a reasonable excuse. Nigerians will rise if he dare shift the March 28 2015 presidential polls.

PAGE 43

Biographies

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Samuel Ládòkè Akíntolá (1910 – 1966)

S

amuel Ládòkè Akínt́lá or “S.L.A.” was a Nigerian politician, lawyer, aristocrat and orator who was born in Ogbomosho, south west Nigeria. In addition to serving as one of the founding fathers of modern Nigeria, he was also elevated to the position of Oloye Aare Ona Kakanfo XIII of the Yoruba.

After he was trained as a lawyer in the United Kingdom, Akintola returned to Nigeria in 1949 and teamed up with other educated Nigerians from the Western Region to form the Action Group (AG) under the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

As the deputy leader of the AG party, he did not serve in the regional Western Region Government headed by the premier Awolowo but was the Action Group Parliamentary Leader/ Leader of Oppositionin the House of Representatives of Nigeria. At the federal level he served as Minister for Health and later Minister for Communications and Aviation.

Decisions over the direction of strategic alliances by the party, the adoption of democratic socialism as the party’s platform and the battle for supremacy in the party led to disagreement between Chiefs Akintola and Awolowo.

Akintola disagreed with Awolowo’s decision not to join the coalition government.

Akintola felt the Yoruba people of the West were losing their pre-eminent position in business, university and administration in Nigeria to the Igbo people of the East simply because the Igbocontrolled NCNC had joined the government and the AG had not. He also opposed the party’s decision to adopt democratic socialism as its ideology, preferring a more conservative stance.

Criticisms Akintola was accused

by Chief Awolowo of trying to supplant him as Leader of the party. In May 1962 with the Western House of Assembly set to remove Akintola after the party had

Akintola

earlier passed a vote of no confidence in the premier in a party meeting, crisis erupted on the floor of the house. The AG party broke into two factions leading to several crises in the Western Region House of Assembly that led the central/federal government, headed by the Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa to declare State of Emergency rule in the Western region and Chief (Dr.) M.A Majekodunmi, the Federal Minister of Health was appointed as Administrator. Eventually Akintola was restored to power (even though he had lost the legal battle with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council then Nigeria’s highest tribunal) [3] as Premier in 1963. In the general election of 1965, Akintola won his position

“

as Premier, not as member of the Action Group party, but as the leader of a newly formed party called Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), which was in an alliance with the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) the party that then controlled the federal government.

Death Akintola was assassinated in Ibadan, the capital of Western Region, on the day of Nigeria’s first military coup of 15 January 1966—which terminated the First Republic.This was the “Young Majors Coup” or the “coup of the January boys”, which resulted in the assassination of many leading politicians, mostly members of the Northern People’s Congress.

Impact Akintola was dignified

orator and was responsible for completing the founding of University of Ife (Awolowo’s brainchild and currently Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1962 while still a premier in Western Region. He was also involved in development of Premier Hotel and other monuments.

Personal life Akintola was married to Chief (Mrs) Faderera Akintola and had five children, two of whom were later to become finance ministers in the Nigerian Third Republic (Chief Yomi Akintola and Chief (Dr.) Bimbo Akintola). Chief Yomi Akintola also served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Hungary and Samuel Akinola’s daughter-inlaw, Mrs. Dupe Akintola was Nigeria’s High Commissioner in Jamaica.

His fourth child, Chief Victor Ladipo Akintola, dedicated much of his life to ensuring the continued accurate accounting of Samuel Akintola’s contributions to Nigeria’s position on the world stage. He published many works including a biography that highlighted his fathers love of his country and lifelong commitment to its progression (Akintola: The Man and the Legend).

His youngest child, Tokunbo Akintola was the first black boy at Eton college and features prominently in the best selling book by Dilibe Onyeama, Nigger at Eton.

A number of institutions, including Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, were established in both the Oloye’s home town and other Nigerian cities as a means of remembering him posthumously.

Akintola was dignified orator and was responsible for completing the founding of University of Ife (Awolowo’s brainchild and currently Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1962 while still a premier in Western Region. He was also involved in development of Premier Hotel and other monuments.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 44

Archives

Remains of last Russian Emperor and family massacred in 1917 revolution could be exhumed

P

ressure is mounting in Moscow to exhume the bones of the tragic last Russian emperor and his family amid doubts expressed by the Russian Orthodox Church as to their authenticity.

The bones which are believed to belong to murdered Tsar Nicholas II, his empress Alexandra and three of their children were dug up in 1991 and are now buried in a crypt in St Petersburg.

The famous ruler was forced to abdicate his throne during the First World War in 1917 before he and his family were exiled to westernRussia by the Bolshevik revolutionaries that overthrew him.

And on 17 July 1918, the Russian royals were marched into a cellar and mercilessly shot by firing squad on the orders of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin.

The proposal to exhume their remains was backed this week by a pretender to the Romanov throne and a senior official in Vladimir Putin’s government.

And MailOnline can also reveal that eight years after the discovery of the alleged remains of crown prince Alexei - brutally shot aged 13 with other members of his family - they have still not been laid to rest.

Instead his bones - and those of his sister Grand Duchess Maria - lie almost forgotten in cardboard boxes stashed in the Russian state archive with Putin’s government refusing to order a burial in the face of objections from the church.

Many will see this as the final indignity to a boy born to be tsar, pictured here in remarkable private family photographs, who was deprived of his throne by the two Russian revolutions of 1917.

For three hundred years, the House of Romanov was regarded by millions of Russians as the living embodiment of the Russian nation who believed the tsar was appointed by god to rule the empire.

It is widely believed that his remains and those of his wife, their children and several servants were originally found in a forest near Yekaterinburg in 1979 and subsequently dug up 11 years later as the USSR was collapsing.

Regal: For three hundred years, the House of Romanov - eventually led by Nicholas II - was regarded by millions of Russians as the living embodiment of the Russian nation

Objections: The Orthodox Church refuses to accept the opinion of leading DNA experts who say the bones are those of the tsar Nicholas II (top left), his German-born empress Alexandra (bottom right) and their children Exhaustive DNA tests were conducted in Britain and the US involving matches with living relatives, including Prince Philip, after which they were interred in a crypt in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in royal capital St Petersburg in a 1998 ceremony.

The Bolsheviks justified the Romanov’s murder by claiming their royal relatives were supporting the ‘White armies’ - as Nicholas II’s cousin was King George of Britain.

Before murdering them, the chief executioner Yakov Yurovsky said: ‘In view of the fact that your relatives in Europe are continuing their assault on Soviet Russia, the presidium of the Ural Soviet had sentenced you to be shot.’

Now Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna - a claimant to the defunct throne - has made clear the Russian Imperial House would not oppose exhuming the remains of the tsar and four other members of his family if deemed necessary by Putin’s government and the Orthodox Church.

Sergey Mironenko, the senior archivist under Putin, said on Spas TV: ‘To find out the truth it is necessary to listen to the church representatives and exhume the remains that were buried in Peter and Paul Cathedral.’

Behind the controversy is the Orthodox Church’s refusal to accept the opinion of a host of leading DNA experts in Russia and the West who say the bones originally found buried in 1979 in the Urals forest are those of the tsar Nicholas II, his German-born empress Alexandra and their children.

Despite the bones being interred in 1998 close to other Romanov rulers at a ceremony when tsar lookalike Prince Michael of Kent represented the Queen, the Russian church has refused to accept they are unequivocally the right bones.

The discovery of two further sets of small fragments of male and female human remains in 2007 - shown by DNA tests to be haemophiliac Alexei and his sister Maria, 19 - added to the historical mystery.

The church refused to bury them with the rest of their family, claiming the scientific proof was insufficient, yet genetic experts say it is ‘80 trillion times more likely’ that the male’s bones were Alexei’s than not.

Ironically had history taken a different

route, Alexei would have become Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russia’s - as well as head of the Orthodox Church.

Lawyer for the Russian Imperial House, German Lukyanov, said that if the Russian government requires it the Romanov’s descendants would ‘not be against further examination’ of the bones.

He said: ‘It is crucially important to consider the opinion of the Russian Orthodox church about possible exhumation, and for society to come to an agreement on this.

‘Grand duchess Maria Vladimirovna will support the opinion of Russian Orthodox church. ‘ Senior official Mironenko said further tests on the bones should be carried out with experts trusted by the church.

He was ‘strongly against’ burying the supposed remains of the crown prince and his sister without new tests which satisfy the Russian church.

Church representative Vsevolod Chaplin said there was an understandable desire ‘to bury the remains which are now stored in an office’ at the archive.

But added: ‘Many people would like to know the truth - and suspect that the truth is hidden from them.

‘I think that we should allow a wide range of competent experts, and not necessarily only the Orthodox, to the study of all available remains.’

In 2011, the Russian Investigative Committee - its equivalent of the FBI - completed a probe into the royal deaths, and concluded based on DNA evidence that the bodies found in the Urals were genuine, including Alexei and Maria.

Along with the remains of the 50 year old tsar were his 46 year-old wife Alexandra Fyodorovna, their daughters Olga, 22, Tatyana, 21, and Anastasia, 17.

The dismembered bodies of their servants Yevgeny Botkin, 53, Anna Demidova, aged 40, Aloizy Trupp, aged 62, and Ivan Kharitonov, aged 48 were also there - while Alexei and Maria’s bodies were dumped 230ft away.

The church - and some Romanov relatives - have accepted an earlier White Army investigator called Nikolai Sokolov’s account that the royals were disposed of at another location, at

a nearby abandoned iron mine at Garina Yama.

They were supposed to have been stripped and burned to ashes.

However others contend that while they were originally thrown into Garina Yama, the royals were later removed to a new burial place by the Bolsheviks to hide them from the White forces which soon retook the area.

The church also points to a DNA test which failed to find a match between a handkerchief stained with Nicholas’s blood during an assassination attempt in Japan before he became tsar.

They stress the bones said to be the tsar’s did not show marks from a sword wound in this attack.

The scientists leading the identification of the tsar and his family were Peter Gill of the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham, England, Pavel Ivanov of the Genetic Laboratory in Moscow and Michael Coble of the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory in Rockville, Maryland, US. The analysis showed a match between the tsarina Alexandra and Prince Philip. A common female ancestor of both was Queen Victoria. ‘The DNA testing was clear and convincing,’ said Coble.

When the other remains were found in 2007, analysis only confirmed the previous findings, say the scientists.

When the boy’s Y chromosome was compared with the bones believed to be his father Nicholas II’s and a living donor Andrei Romanov who also descended from Tsar Nicholas I - they matched.

Finally, a blood sample from a shirt worn by Nicholas during the Japanese attack - stashed in a St Petersburg museum - showed matching DNA. Church sources say they require 100 per cent certainty.

The Chaplin said it was important not only genetically match a particular individual fragment remains with other members of the Romanov family, but also to consider the integrity of the skeletons, and whether ‘they all correspond to each other genetically’.

The lack of a sword wound led to doubts, he said. A final decision on exhumation would rest with President Putin.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 45

Digest

Damage to the heart can start before the age of 12

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hildren are suffering damage to their hearts as early as 12 due to poor diets, a study has warned.

Researchers found most people start life with robust heart health, but can lose it quickly through unhealthy eating habits.

The American study showed few children under the age of 12 had an ideal diet and almost a third (30 per cent) were overweight or even obese.

The researchers said the better equipped children are to make healthy choices, the healthier their hearts will be in adulthood.

Study senior author Doctor Donald Lloyd-Jones, professor and chair of preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said: ‘Our findings indicate that, in general, children start with pretty good blood pressure.

‘But if they have a horrible diet, it will drive a worsening body mass index (BMI) and cholesterol levels.

‘The better we can equip our children to make healthy choices, the more cardiovascular health will be preserved into adulthood.

‘And those who preserve their heart health into middle age live much longer and are much healthier while they live.’

Researchers examined BMI, healthy diet, total cholesterol and blood pressure – four of the seven components of heart health – in children aged two to 11.

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In the sample of 8,961 children, the researchers found that all children had at least one ideal measure, but none had all four.

An ideal diet score was the least prevalent health indicator, with less than one per cent of children having four or five of the five components of a healthy diet.

The five indicators of a healthy diet include low intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and salt, and high intake of wholegrains, fish, plus fruit and vegetables.

Fewer than 10 per cent ate the recommended amounts of fruit and veg of more than 4.5 cups or more per day or fish, and wholegrains were the least frequently achieved component with just three per cent of boys and 2.4 per cent of girls hitting the target.

Ninety per cent ate more salt than recommended, and more than half consumed more than the recommended number of calories from sugar-sweetened drinks.

Around four out of ten of the children had ‘poor’ or ‘intermediate’ cholesterol levels, according to the findings published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Researchers found ideal blood pressure was the most common favourable measure of cardiovascular health, ranging from 88 per cent to 93 per cent across sex and racial groups.

Previous studies have shown worsening indicators of cardiovascular health, starting in adolescence and continuing

Scientists said the better equipped children are to make healthy food choices, the healthier their hearts would be in adulthood. They said few children under the age of 12 taking part had an ideal diet, and almost a third were overweight or even obese

through adulthood.

Dr Lloyd-Jones added: ‘We really need better surveillance data, especially in children.

‘Information on physical activity, blood glucose and smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke are not available for younger children.

‘Without knowing how much physical activity a child is doing, and therefore how many calories are needed, we can’t scale the diet metrics to a child’s needs.

‘So we used the adult metrics, but understand that it would be difficult for a fiveyear-old to take in as many fruits and vegetables as an

So we used the adult metrics, but understand that it would be difficult for a five-year-old to take in as many fruits and vegetables as an adult.

adult.

‘The bottom line is that we need even better data, but what we do see is that we are

losing an awful lot of our intrinsic cardiovascular health very early in life, which sets us up to be unhealthy adults.

The experts warned people are losing a lot of ‘intrinsic’ heart health very early in life, setting them up to be unhealthy adults

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 46

International Obama appeals to Iran for nuclear deal O

nce again, President Barack Obama has sent video greetings to Iran to mark the new year festival of Nowruz, though this time he included a pitch for a nuclear deal. “This year, we have the best opportunity in decades to pursue a different future between our countries,” Obama said in the video released by the White House.

The United States, its allies, and Iran are negotiating an agreement in which the allies would reduce sanctions on Tehran if it agrees to forgo the means to make nuclear weapons. The prospect of an Iran deal has generated friction with congressional Republicans and leaders in Israel who are suspicious of Iran’s intentions and skeptical of whether an agreement will work.

In the video designed to appeal to younger Iranians, Obama said “the days and weeks ahead will be critical,” and “our negotiations have made progress, but gaps

Indian rescue workers gather at the site of a train accident near Bachhrawan village in Uttar, Pradesh State, India. remain. There are people, in both our countries and beyond, who oppose a diplomatic resolution.

My message to you, the people of

Iran, is that, together, we have to speak up for the future we seek.”

Towards the end of the video, Obama tells Iran: “I believe that

our nations have an historic opportunity to resolve this issue peacefully, an opportunity we should not miss.”

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, told the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, on Friday that talks on Iran’s nuclear programme must not fall at the last hurdle and that all sides should meet each other half way.

Iran and six world powers, including China, are seeking a comprehensive agreement to curb Iran’s most sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years in exchange for a gradual end to sanctions. The powers aim to complete the framework of a final deal by the end of March and reach a full agreement by June 30.

Wang told Kerry that the talks “must not fall short for lack of a final effort”, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the two talked on the telephone.

“All sides should be steadfast in their political will, meet each other halfway and push for the reaching of a comprehensive agreement,” the ministry quoted Wang as saying.

‘We beheaded three Iraqi Kurdish fighters’ T he Islamic State (IS) group claimed to have beheaded three Iraqi Kurdish fighters in an online video and threatened to kill more unless the Kurds stop the bombardment of jihadistcontrolled areas.

Peshmerga forces from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, backed by US-led air strikes, are battling IS in the country’s north and have pushed the jihadists back in Nineveh and Kirkuk provinces.

The video starts with images of people being brought to a hospital and a voiceover saying they were

wounded by peshmerga rocket fire.

The three prisoners, dressed in orange jumpsuits with their hands bound, are later shown kneeling one at a time with masked militants standing guard at locations said to have been hit by peshmerga fire, and are then beheaded. People including young children are visible looking on in the background.

The video was said to have been filmed in Nineveh province, though the exact location was unclear and there was no immediate confirmation from

Kurdish authorities that the victims were peshmerga.

One militant addressed Kurdish regional president, Massud Barzani, saying with “every rocket you launch against Muslims, you will kill one of your prisoners with your hands.”

In February, IS released a video purporting to show more than a dozen peshmerga hostages paraded in cages. It spearheaded a sweeping offensive that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad last year and peshmerga forces moved into a swathe of

disputed northern territory after federal security forces withdrew.

The jihadists have carried out numerous atrocities in areas they control ranging from public beheadings to enslavement and rape.

Meanwhile, an Afghan police chief said seven suspects have been arrested after a Kabul mob beat a woman to death, then set her body on fire and threw it into the Kabul River.

The city’s head of criminal investigation, Mohammad Farid Afzali, said on Friday that the

100-year-old woman has been freed from a Kenyan prison after a national campaign for her release.

Margaret Ngima was jailed at Embu prison last week for contempt of court after failing to pay a fine of 100,000 Kenyan shillings (£780; $1,000).

The great-grandmother was accused of ignoring a court order in a land dispute with another family. Her case caused outrage in Kenya, with her fine eventually paid for by Nairobi senator, Mike Sonko. The senator also sent what he described as a ‘rescue squad’ to secure her release, one week into a three-month sentence.

Meanwhile, President Jacob Zuma should pay R52-million for non-essential upgrades to his Nkandla homestead, the DA claimed.

“Based on her report, Secure in Comfort, the DA has calculated that the president is liable for at least R52.9 million for the non-security upgrades to his private residence,” Mmusi Maimane said.

The party broke down the figure as well, with R7.9-million for a visitors lounge, R2.3-million for a “fire pool” and parking, R1.9-million for a “a social node with a level terrace where a marquee can be erected”, R1.5-million for the construction and renovation of the President’s cattle kraal, R530 950 for a “retaining wall or amphitheatre”, R494 000 for a tuck shop and R30 000

Parents scaling a multi-storey building to help their kids cheat in an examination in India

attack happened the previous night, adding that the motive for the brutal assault was unknown.

Afzali said police “tried to disperse the crowd by shooting in the air, but reacted too late.” Cell phone footage has surfaced in the Afghan capital of the horrific beating. Afzali said the woman was known to have been under psychiatric treatment for the past four years.

Violence against women is endemic in Afghanistan but mob assaults on women in Kabul are extremely rare.

Mosque bombings in Kenya prison frees 100-year-old woman A Yemen kill 55

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t least 55 people lost their lives after multiple suicide bombings targeting mosques attended by Shi’ite Huthi militiamen in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

One bomb exploded inside Badr mosque in the city’s south and was followed by another at the gate as worshippers fled, witnesses said. The third bomber targeted Al-Hashahush mosque in northern Sanaa.

The Huthi militia’s Al-Massira television said hospitals in the capital had made urgent appeals for blood donations. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Friday’s attacks were the deadliest since a car bomb killed 40 people and wounded dozens at a police academy in Sanaa in January.

Yemen’s top security body blamed al-Qaeda for that blast although a leader of the jihadist network denied responsibility.

The Huthis overran Sanaa in September and have since tightened their grip on power.

Their attempts to extend their control into other areas have been

met by deadly resistance from Sunni tribes and al-Qaeda. AlQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is regarded by the United States as the extremist network’s deadliest branch Yemen, a front line in the US war on al-Qaeda, has descended into chaos since the 2012 ouster of longtime strongman, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been accused of backing the Huthis. President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi escaped Huthi house arrest in Sanaa last month and fled to the southern city of Aden, where violence has erupted in recent days.

A security official said on Friday that a top Yemeni officer linked to the Huthis had escaped an assassination bid near Aden.

Four people were killed in an ambush on the Lahj-Taiz road but General Abdel Hafedh al-Sakkaf escaped harmed.

At least seven special forces fighters and four members of the Popular Committees were killed in clashes in Aden on Thursday and 54 were wounded on the two sides.

for “mood lighting”.

“It must be emphasised that while the DA believes the non-security upgrades amount to at least R52.9million, the remainder of the R246million spent at Nkandla does not constitute legitimate expenditure by any means,” the party explained.

“The DA remains firmly of the belief that the upgrades to Nkandla, and the 785 percent cost escalation of the project from an initial budget of R27.8 million, represents corruption and wasteful expenditure of the highest order.”

Also, the British government will strengthen co-operation with Kenya in

the fight against terrorism that poses serious challenge to socio-economic progress in the east African nation.

Visiting British Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, said London will assist Nairobi to combat homegrown and external security threats.

“The scourge of terrorism is a threat to all of us, hence the need to stand united in order to defeat this evil. We need to cooperate with allies like Kenya to enhance security,” Hammond said in Nairobi during a business roundtable organised by Kenyan and British chambers of commerce.

PAGE 47

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Business

By Mohammed Usman

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his paper once reported that an upward review of Value Added Tax (VAT) was imminent. This was based on the adoption of the Medium Term Expenditure Frame work (MTEF) which captured the need for a review of VAT in the 2015 proposed budget by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi OkonjoIweala.

Recently, a national daily had reported that senators approved general tax increment as contain in the 2015 budget report of the Senate Joint Committee on Finance, National Planning, Economic Affair and Poverty Alleviation. The report stated that some sources at the upper chamber said the tax increment will specifically affect the Value Added Tax (VAT) which is currently at five percent to a much higher percentage.

Although the report revealed that the House of Representatives rejected the VAT increment passed by the Senate, the step already taken by the upper chamber in approving the increment may call for the harmonisation of the two versions of the VAT which may make it go beyond the current five percent.

Value Added Tax is a consumption tax. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of international student edition defines it as a tax that is added to the price of goods and services.

However, in Nigeria, issues depicting the level of hardship are already a cause for concern.

For example, the World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, while speaking at IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, stated that Nigeria is one of the top five countries that have the largest number of poor people. He noted that Nigeria is among the three countries with highest rate of poverty. While speaking on internet related issues, the Executive Director of Africa for Affordable Internet (A4AI), Ms Sonia Jorge, said “Over 120 million Nigerians live on less than two dollars per day.”

In a report, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, once said that no fewer than 5.3 million youths are jobless, while 1.8 million graduates enter the labour market every year. Also, a World Bank statistics put the number of Nigerians living in destitution at 100 million. It also put Nigeria among the five poorest countries in the world. The high rate of unemployment and low per capita income are just two of the indices used by the World Bank in arriving at this assessment.

A report also said that a member of the Senate revealed that “Nigerians have already started feeling the hit, following the naira’s devaluation, fuel scarcity and now they want to increase VAT apart from other taxes that have been increased as a result of falling oil prices.”

Already, inadequate supply of electricity has been pushing up prices of goods and services. This is because most production companies depend

VAT increment and ordinary Nigerians

Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Ahmed Makarfi on generators to power their machines. A press briefing by the Campaign Deputy Director General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign

“

Organisation, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, noted that Nigeria’s economy is still being powered by generating sets.

Also, the Kaduna Chamber

Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) at a media briefing said the rising cost of energy from the recent fuel scarcity and poor power

Nigerians have already started feeling the hit, following the naira’s devaluation, fuel scarcity and now they want to increase VAT apart from other taxes that have been increased as a result of falling oil prices.”

generation and distribution have sustained pressure on business operators.

To maintain operation, the cost incurred is passed to the consumers. In this connection, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) linked the reason for high inflation in Nigeria recently to the high prices of food items. The NBS added that the food subindex rose by 9.4 percent (year-on year).

It stated that in February, the consumer price index, CPI, which measures inflation rose by 8.4 percent (year-on-year), 0.2 percentage points from 8.2 percent recorded in January.

In a move that ordinary Nigerians would prefered, according to a report, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mallam Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and some members of the House opposed the increment, even as they said that “it is insensitive and will further subject Nigerians to hardship.”

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 48

Business

Shell completes AEDC meets customers over shortfall in power supply sale of OML 18 oil field stake

By Mohammed Usman

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oyal Dutch Shell said on Friday that it has completed the sale of its stake in a Nigerian oil field for $737 million as the Anglo-Dutch oil major nears the completion of a strategic asset review in the West African country.

Oil and Mining Lease (OML) 18 and “related facilities in the Eastern Niger Delta” were sold to Eroton Exploration & Production Company Limited. Eroton also acquired French oil major, Total’s 10 percent stake and Italy’s Eni’s five percent stake in OML 18, giving it a total of 45 percent holding, Shell said in a statement.

OML 18 produced around 14,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2014.

Shell announced last October that it had signed sales agreements for all five Nigerian oil assets it put up for sale, following a 2013 review of its business in Nigeria. The Anglo-Dutch company completed the sale of OML 24 in November.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s PZ Cussons, the local unit of British soap and shampoo maker, said its nine-month pretax profit fell 23 percent to N3.99 billion ($205 million) from a year earlier.

Turnover dropped slightly to N52.88 billion from N52.59 billion during the period to the end of February compared with a year earlier, it said in a statement, adding that it would pay an interim dividend of N0.20 per share.

Also, Unity Bank of Nigeria swung to pretax profit of N13.63 billion ($68 million) in 2014 versus a pretax loss of N33.63 billion in the previous year.

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he management of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) held a meeting with its customers in Mpape over the recent deficit in power supply to their homes and business premises.

Over 150 customers from various parts of Mpape such as Mashafa, Baby Village, Success Village, Bakassi, Eneje, White Chair, Katampe I and Katampe II, as well as GRA participated in the neighbourhood meeting.

Managing Director of the AEDC, Mr. Neil Croucher, while declaring the meeting open, said: “The essence of this forum is to get to know the challenges faced by Mpape community and to assure them of the company’s readiness to serve them better. We decided to come closer to the people to listen to their plight and chart

a way forward.”

Numerous customers were given the opportunity to speak and ask questions during the forum. A resident, Mr. Leo Ezedike, said: “The major problem faced by the community is the unavailability of light, which is affecting our businesses and cost of living. As far as there is light, payment of electricity bills will go on. So let there be improvement, because government has told us how much they have spent on power, but we have not seen the result. The problem we have in this country is that we mix politics with governance, when we are able to separate this two, we will be better off,” he said.

Mrs. Ngozi Kanu, a customer at Mashafa village, Mpape, said the community would like the AEDC to cut down electricity bills in the

area and to provide new transformers and meters.

“Also, we do not want the community (fellow residents) to handle anything concerning light, since it is a company’s property.

It should be controlled by the officials of the company and not the community,” she said.

Responding to the deluge of issues raised by customers, Croucher, who was represented by the Executive Directive, Commercial Services, Engineer Ernest Mupwaya, blamed the shortfall in power supply to vandalism and poor access to the grid.

He added that part of the challenges included inadequate funding, theft of energy, inadequate generation, inadequate gas supply and health and safety issues, among others. “We don’t have enough power and

Vice president Namadi Sambo (2ndR), inspecting Agricultural produce during the inauguration of Gurara Irrigation Project at kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna state with him are: Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe (R); Gov. Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State (3rdr); Managing Director, Salini Construction Company, Dr Piero Capitanio and others

Interbank rates ease on budget cash flow

By Mohammed Usman

I

nterbank lending rates fell to nine percent on Friday compared with 25 percent last week in anticipation of the monthly budgetary allocations to government agencies.

Nigeria distributes revenue from oil exports among its three tiers of government; federal, states and local government every month. Dealers said February allocations would filter through the banking system by close of business on Friday.

“Lending rates dropped because of the expected cash flows from budget and payment of interest on bonds to some investors,” one dealer said.

Cost of borrowing among banks had shot up to 25 percent last week partly because of debiting of banks’ accounts for premium payment to the

what we give out is what is allocated to us. We are ready to take more allocation. If it is given to us, we will deliver to our customers. I am optimistic that there would be improvement in power supply with all that the government is putting in place,” he explained.

According to Mupwaya, the AEDC is in the process of replacing and reinforcing failed distribution transformers and installation of meters, saying no fewer than 100,000 meters will be distributed to customers every year in its coverage area of the FCT, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States.

The AEDC top official encouraged customers to settle their electricity bills, saying to sustain the business, every customer must pay their bills to the company for better services.

Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

“Although, NNPC (stateowned energy firm) recalled about N100 billion ($503 million) from lenders to its account with the central bank this week, payment of interest on bonds countered the impact on system liquidity,” another dealer said.

The secured Open Buy Back

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(OBB) fell to nine percent from 25 percent last week. The secured fund was four percent point below the 13 percent central bank’s benchmark interest rate.

Overnight placement also fell to nine percent against 25 percent last week. Lending rates among banks are expected to stay steady next week because of the anticipated increase in

liquidity from the disbursal of monthly budget allocations.

Meanwhile, Brent crude oil fell below $54 (Dh198.2) a barrel on Friday and was on track for its third straight weekly loss, hurt by worries of rising supplies from OPEC and the United States. Intensive efforts to clinch a deal between world powers and Iran over its nuclear programmes fed

Lending rates dropped because of the expected cash flows from budget and payment of interest on bonds to some investors,”

concerns that freeing up its flow of oil exports would pile more pressure on the market.

Brent for May delivery had fallen 71 cents to $53.72 by 1120 GMT. The contract is set to decline by more than 1.5 percent this week.

US crude for April delivery slipped 65 cents to $43.31 a barrel, headed for its fifth weekly loss. The contract expired on Friday.

Kuwait’s oil minister said the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries had no choice but to shun oil output cuts, reiterating the emirate’s view that the group will hold its course when it meets in June.

“Oil has been under pressure following remarks by Kuwait’s oil minister and the very slim chance of an approaching deal with Iran,” said Eugene Weinberg, Commerzbank’s head of commodities research.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 49

Oddities

Woman posts adverts to find her son’s father

Compiled by Isioma Nwabasha

Bride smuggled into EU in husband’s suitcase

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young mother who had a onenight stand and got pregnant is searching for the father on classifieds website, Gumtree.

Bianca Fazey, 25, was told in 2011 that she would probably never be a mum after she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome.

However, following her rendezvous in Perth, Western Australia, she was stunned to discover that she was expecting.

The only thing she knew about the father of her child was that his name is Jeremy, he was in his twenties and he was from Morley, a suburb in Perth.

After a fruitless five-month search, she posted an advert on Gumtree out of sheer desperation. Her son, Logan, was at death’s door when he was born.

Doctors battled for half an hour to keep him alive, but he is now a healthy little boy.

Her son’s struggle made her more

determined to find the father, who she met at the Harlem Wednesdays night at Amplifier Capitol.

“I was at my wits end. I tried finding him for months and felt pressured by a friend who was adamant I don’t give up despite exhausting all avenues, she told Daily Mail Australia.

After she posted the online advert, she was subjected to a hateful barrage of messages from people judging her.

Highlighting the fact that the father is just as responsible for the pregnancy as she is, she added: “Sometimes I want to be like one of those people on Maury Povich screaming back at the audience because they have no clue what they are booing about.”

Sickeningly, trolls called her a bad mother and expressed doubts about the future prospects for the child.

Some even urged her to have an abortion, a suggestion that upset her as she has just as much right to be a mother as anyone else.

“I love this beautiful boy with all my heart and I am a fantastic mother, he is strong, smart, happy and very, very loved.”

uspicious border guards were astonished to discover that a man’s over sized baggage turned out to be his beloved Russian wife.

It had seemed a clear case of human trafficking when EU officers opened the trunk and found the scrunched-up 30-yearold woman. But after she stepped out, things took a bizarre turn when it was revealed that the husband, 60, was French and entitled to bring her into the EU legally.

A Polish customs man said: “We were very surprised to open the suitcase and see a woman climb out. She seemed perfectly well, despite being shut in

the case and not in need of any medical attention.”

The couple was travelling to Nice in Southern France from Moscow and thehusband packed his wife in the case before they crossed the border from Belarus into Poland.

The guards checked the couple’s papers and laughed when they found that the husband was French.

“Unfortunately for them, she could have crossed the border freely anyway. Now they face charges of trying to breach border regulations. Foreigners cross the border illegally in many ways, but this is the first time I have heard of a person in a suitcase.”

Test of love: Girlfriend, ex jump into river to see who he loves

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man found himself in a sticky situation when his current girlfriend and his ex threw themselves into a river to see which one he loved the most.

Confused Wu Hsia, 21, had broken up with long-term girlfriend, Jun Tang, 20, after meeting 22-year-old Rong Tsao. But jilted Jun kept hassling him to get back with her and so Wu decided to arrange a meeting between the three of them.

“I was sick of being nagged from both sides. Rong was moaning about Jun and Jun was moaning about her and it all got too much.”

But when they gathered at a beauty spot in Ningbo, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, the situation went from bad to worse.

A police spokesman said: “The girls began arguing and the man’s ex-girlfriend felt insulted by a comment made by the new girlfriend, and so she jumped into the river calling for her former lover to save her.

“The new girlfriend, fearing that he might indeed jump in to save his ex-lover, then jumped in as well and both of them began calling for him to rescue them from drowning.”

Wu settled the matter by jumping in the water to save

his current girlfriend and then taking the soaking wet and slightly injured young woman to the hospital.

The police spokesman added: “He called his brother on the way home and told him to go to the river and rescue the ex-girlfriend.”

Wu’s brother in turn called the fire brigade who arrived at the scene and helped Jun out of the water. “She was taken to hospital but was released.”

The story has gone viral in China, where there is a chronic shortage of women due to the country’s one child policy.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

PAGE 50

Healthy Living

How to prevent STDs A

sexually transmitted disease (STD) is an infection that is spread during sexual contact with another person.

This includes touching, since some STDs can be spread from skin-toskin contact.

In general, STDs are highly preventable. A large number of infections can be avoided if people make positive decisions about their sexual health. The only guaranteed method to prevent STDs is to abstain from all sexual contact. This may not a practical solution for everyone. Fortunately, there are steps people can take to limit their risk of exposure.

Protect yourself before sex Effective STD prevention begins before any clothing comes off.

There are some things you can do to reduce your risks and they include: Limiting your number of sexual partners, talking honestly with potential partners about your sexual history, getting tested along

with your partner before having sex, avoiding sex when under the influence of alcohol or drugs and getting vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B (HBV).

Many people mistakenly think they would know if they or their partner have an STD. This isn’t always true, because not everyone with STD knows they are infected. That is why it is important to get tested before you have sex with a new partner. If you have been diagnosed with an STD, it is important to tell your partner. That way you can both make informed decisions about risks. You should also explicitly ask your partner if they have (or have had) a STD. Honesty about STD diagnoses are important.

An STD diagnosis is not always a deal breaker, however, being lied to can ruin a relationship.

It is always a good idea to practice safe sex. This is true even if you have both been tested. Testing is not

always accurate. Even in the presence of infection, some tests can take a while to turn positive. In addition to testing and practicing safe sex, be aware of the symptoms of various STDs. Many people can have an STD without having any symptom. However, unexplained symptoms are a good reason to refrain from having sex until you or your partner has been tested.

What is safer sex?

Having safer sex means using a latex or polyurethane barrier for all forms of sex. This can include: using a male or female condom for intercourse, using condoms or dental dams for oral sex and using gloves for manual penetration. You should also wash with soap and water after sex. This can help remove any infectious material that is on your skin.

Limits to safer sex Condoms and other barriers are very good at preventing the exchange of infected bodily fluids. They can also help minimise skin-

to-skin contact. This reduces the transmission of diseases that spread from skin to skin. However, it doesn’t prevent transmission entirely. STDs that spread through skin-to-skin contact Get tested regularly include: syphilis, herpes and HPV. There is a common misconception that if you have had unprotected sex once, it is too late to practice safe sex. That is not true.

STDs are not necessarily transmitted every time you have sex.

When using condoms and other barriers for safe

sex, it is important to follow the instructions on the box.

Using condoms correctly makes them more effective.

Some safety considerations include: checking the expiration date, making sure the package has an air bubble, which shows it has not been punctured, putting the condom on correctly, always leaving room at the tip, unrolling the condom onto the penis, not before it goes on, using condom-safe lubricant during intercourse, holding onto the condom when withdrawing after sex,

so that it doesn’t slip off, disposing it properly, never take it off and try to put it on again and never reuse a condom.

Though STDs are common, there are ways to reduce your risk and make sex safer. If you are unsure about the right method for you, talk with your partner or your doctor. Being honest about your sexual practices with your doctor can help them assist you in risk reduction methods.

Safer sex is for everyone, because everyone who is sexually active is at risk.

Health benefits of Vitamin E

V

itamin E is the generic name for ‘tocopherol’ and is available in four different forms. It is a fat soluble antioxidant which can be obtained only as a food supplement. The most widely known health benefits of vitamin E are protection against toxins such as air pollution, premenstrual syndrome, eye disorders such as cataracts, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer and diabetes.

The health benefits of vitamin E come from its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants remove free radicals, the unstable compounds that damage cell structure.

Immunity levels improve when vitamin E is consumed. Another important benefit is that it reduces cholesterol and the risk of developing cancer.

It thins the blood which is another significant health benefit. In other words, it prevents the blood platelets from clumping. High levels of vitamin E reduce the risk of sunstroke and coronary artery disorder or heart disease. Another widely known health benefit of vitamin E is in skin and hair care. Owing to its antioxidant properties, it promotes the circulation of blood to the scalp. Vitamin E helps alleviate fatigue and strengthen capillary walls, while nourishing the cells.

Pure vitamin E oil is extremely versatile. A major benefit for the skin is that it helps the healing process, as it is absorbed by the epidermis layer of the skin, it can be used for treating sunburn or protecting you from the sun.

Another wonderful benefit of vitamin E oil is that it can be used to treat scars, acne and wrinkles because it speeds up cell regeneration. This creates an anti-aging effect which makes the skin look younger. Vitamin E oil

“

benefits the skin by helping it retain its natural moisture content. It makes dull-looking, dry skin look healthier and fresher. You can apply a few drops to your nails and cuticles which is an effective way of treating the skin.

Pure vitamin E oil is extremely versatile. A major benefit for the skin is that it helps the healing process, as it is absorbed by the epidermis layer of the skin, it can be used for treating sunburn or protecting you from the sun.

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PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Church abuse (III)

G

lory be to God in the highest! I believe God has been speaking to you since I started this series. I pray that you’ll obey the voice of God as I continue this series today and look at some other aspects of church abuse with a view to making everybody that constitutes the church to repent and make the necessary changes.

Abuse of the generosity of the church Another form of church abuse common in Christian fold today is the abuse of the generosity of the church and the hospitality of church members by staying idle and living on others in the church. There are cases of people moving in droves to particular churches because they emphasize ‘welfare’ – taking care of the poor, the needy and the less privileged.

Such people never really give their lives to Jesus but just want to collect the material gifts these churches give. This is sheer irresponsibility, and no church should subsidize anybody’s laziness or irresponsibility.

Paul clearly writes against this abuse. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from any Christian who lives in idleness and doesn’t follow the tradition of hard work we gave you. For you know that you ought to follow our example. We were never lazy when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so that we would not be a burden to any of you. It wasn’t that we didn’t have the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.

Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘Whoever does not work should not eat.’”

(2 Thess 3:6-10 NLT) Believers

2.

THE PROOF AND PATIENCE OF FAITH Hebrews 11:9,10; Genesis 13:12,14-18; 17:8; 26:2-5; Acts 7:5; Hebrews 11:10; 12:28; 13:14; John 14:2. y faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country...”

(Hebrews 11:9). This verse brings before us the second proof of Abraham’s faith. In the previous verse, we are told of the place he left; here we are told of the place to which he was called. We learn from him the necessity of patience and constancy of faith in waiting for the fulfillment of the promise.

As it was by faith that Abraham went out of Chaldaea, so it was by faith he remained out of his native idolatrous country. We come out of the world to come into Christ’s Kingdom by faith and remain separated from the world through faith.

Unless a supernatural work of grace had been wrought in

“

B

must not encourage idleness or promote irresponsibility on the altar of brotherly love. Those who genuinely need assistance should be identified and helped. The resources of the church should not be wasted on crafty parasites who pretend to be genuine Christians.

Division in the church Division in the church is a form of abuse because every denomination, assembly or the universal body of Christ is supposed to be in unity. The Corinthian church was abused by members who caused divisions. Paul had to address this. “First of all, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that those of you who are right will be recognized!”

(1 Cor 11:18-19 NLT) Paul’s writings emphasized that division is wrong. “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor 1:10-13 NKJV) Division in the church based on race, colour, tribe, language etc. is a mark of carnality; it does not show that members are mature. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and

not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?” (1 Cor. 3:1-4 NKJV) The church must live in love – no quarrel, jealousy, envy, strife, faction or gang-up, and where such exist they must be addressed and resolved. That we have different backgrounds does not mean we cannot be in one accord like the early church. The church must not be turned to a political party with different caucuses.

Disorder in the church Disorder is another form of abuse. Jesus did not die so that the church would be disorganized.

Pentecostals are often derogatorily tagged penterascals because of some perceived or obvious rascally behavior in the fold. Even, many times, the Pentecostals themselves are embarrassed by some excesses of those in their fold. They may not be talking about it loudly but they are discussing it.

The church must have order in her services and in everything.

Paul talks about order in service in 1Cor 14:26-40 rounding off in verse 40 by saying, “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

(NKJV) Paul particularly left his son in the ministry, Titus, in Crete so that he could set in order the things that were lacking in that church and appoint elders in every city as he had commanded him.

(Titus 1:5) God is a God of order, and therefore there should be orderliness in the church. The church He bought with His blood must be orderly. Believers must know what is proper and orderly

From the Pulpit green pastures

By Pastor T. O. Banso

cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 in church; we must know what is permitted by the Bible and what’s wrong to be done in church. There should be a difference between a night club and a congregation of saints! The unpredictable move of the Holy Spirit should not be used as an excuse for disorderliness – the two are not the same.

Pastor Abuse Church members also abuse their pastors (I’m using pastors in a generic sense) because they don’t know who their pastors are or what role they are supposed to be playing according to the Scriptures. “He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13 NLT) Many believers have wrong, unbiblical expectations of their pastors, and where such expectations are not being met they are disappointed. For instance, some expect their pastors to be like the pastor of their neighbouring church. That pastor prophesies and has a large crowd. Why can’t our own pastor be prophesying? Some pastors, under pressure of not losing their members, have started telling lies saying what God has not told

them just to keep their members.

Such pastors (or prophet) have no excuse. They need to repent and face their calling rather than turning themselves to false prophets.

This is the much I can bring you today. I’ll talk more next week about pastor abuse. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

TAKE ACTION! If you’re not born again, kindly say this prayer now: “0 Lord God, I come unto you today.

I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent and confess my sins. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God” I believe you have said this prayer from your heart.

Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus.

I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things becoming all God wants you to be. I’ll be glad to hear from you. May the Lord be with you

Pattern of life of faith (II) Abraham’s heart, subduing his natural reasoning, he would not have remained in Canaan. He stayed there, “as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles”, patiently waiting for the inheritance. The Christian also has been begotten “to an inheritance” (1 Peter 1:4), but he does not fully enter into it (into heaven) the moment he is called “from death unto life”. He, too, waits patiently for that “inheritance reserved in heaven”.

“For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Walking by faith, not by sight, he set his heart and eyes upon things above and not upon things below. Faith lifts the heart above and beyond earthly things to desire spiritual and heavenly things.

By Pastor W.F Kumuyi 3. THE POWER OF FAITH Hebrews 11:11,12; Romans 4:19-21; Hebrews 10:23; Genesis 22:17; Deuteronomy 1:10; Nehemiah 9:23; Acts 10:43; 26:18; Hebrews 10:3537.

Having spoken of Abraham’s faith, the apostle now makes mention of Sarah’s faith. What a great blessing it is when a husband and wife are both partners and partakers of living,

dynamic faith – both moving in the same direction in faith.

The believing husband and the believing wife are “heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7). Sarah’s faith shows the marvelous power of a God-given faith exercised in the presence of the most discouraging circumstances.

Her faith was intensely practical, relying upon the faithfulness of God, absolutely and completely

resting upon His promise. Her faith survived every trial to which it was exposed.

“Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed” (Hebrews 11:11).

It is through FAITH that we receive Christ (John 1:12), “gladly receive the Word” (Acts 2:41; 8:14), “receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43), “receive the Word of God, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13), “receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness” (Romans 5:17), “receive inheritance among them which are sanctified” (Acts 26:18), “receive answers to prayer” (Mark 11:24), “receive the power and gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 1:8; 2:38,39), “receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36), “receive of His fullness” (John 1:16).

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Sp or T

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Keshi is a failure, says Bonfrere Jo

>>PG 55

100 Caps: A dream come true, says Vincent Enyeama >>PG 55 El Clasico: Messi form spells bad news for Real >>PG 54 Madrid

PAGE 53

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Sports Keshi is a failure, says Bonfrere Jo

Eagles

By Albert Akota

F

ormer Super Eagles’ coach, Bonfrere Jo has described the planned return of Stephen Keshi as the chief coach o f

Nigeria’s senior national team as a bad omen for the team.

To Dutchman Bonfrere Jo, the attempts to return Keshi as coach of the Eagles will only further improvise a side that’s lost its respect on the continent as well as in Europe.

“The situation is not good, not in the past when Keshi was there and certainly I don’t think it’ll improve if he returns. Nigeria doesn’t command respect football-wise in Africa and especially not in Europe anymore.

“The players don’t get to play for top sides or even get good deals there, it’s a sign of the downturn and this is really sad,” Bonfrere Jo told radio station monitor by our correspondent.

He, however, painted a gloomy picture of the state of Nigeria football, predicting doom and that these are very dark days for the Eagles. He described the situation of Nigerian players struggling to make an impact in Europe as a testament to his verdict.

Meanwhile, Uganda will play Nigeria next

week in an international friendly, local soccer body, FUFA has confirmed.

This is coming as a replacement for the botched match against Bolivia which was put up due to security reason as claimed by The Bolivian Football Federation [FBF] “The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) would like to confirm that the national senior team- Uganda Cranes will play a friendly match with Nigeria on Wednesday 25 March, 2015 at the Akwa Ibom International stadium,” reads in part a statement on the Fufa website.

“We are happy to have this friendly match on Fifa designated match dates. It is a high profile match for our team as we plan for the forthcoming international engagements,” said Fufa Chief Executive Officer Edgar Watson.

Uganda and Nigeria last squared it out in 2007 in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Then, Uganda won the Kampala leg 2-1 and lost 1-0 to the Super Eagles away

in Abeokuta.

Both teams will use the friendly to tune up for the 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers that start mid this year. Stand-in Coach of the Eagles, Daniel Amokachi has defended his decision to hand Nigeria Professional Football League players’ call-ups for the forthcoming friendly against South Africa later this month.

Amokachi posits that Nigeria is one of only three countries with the largest pool of talents, and he believes they’ll come good.

“Talent-wise no doubt, I think Nigeria is blessed no doubt, I’ve always said it. If we talk about talent we would readily mentioned Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria in the world, no other country produces talents like these three.

“So you can’t say our league doesn’t have stars, everybody came from the league. I pencilled down about eight players from here and these are players I don’t even really know, so that tells you how much quality we have who can work with the coach and take instructions.”

Page 54

Sports

Weekend fixtures

Barclays Premier League Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion Aston Villa v Newcastle United v Southampton v Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United v Liverpool v

Swansea City Arsenal Burnley Crystal Palace Leicester City Sunderland Manchester United

Hull City QP Rangers

Chelsea Everton

v v

French Ligue 1 Lyon v ETGaillard v Bastia v Caen v Rennes v Toulouse v St Etienne v Reims v Lens v

Nice Montpellier Guingamp Metz Nantes Bordeaux Lille Monaco Marseille

German Bundesliga FC Koln v

SV Werder Bremen

Hannover 96 v

Borussia Dortmund

SC Paderborn 07 v

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

Sport-Club Freiburg v VfB Stuttgart v FC Schalke 04 v

FC Augsburg Eintracht Bayer 04 Leverkusen

FSV Mainz 05 v FC B Munchen v bach

VfL Wolfsburg Borus Monchenglad-

Italian Serie A Chievo v Milan v Empoli v Juventus v Cesena v Lazio v Napoli v Parma v Sampdoria v Udinese v

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

El Clasico: Messi form spells bad news for Real Madrid B arcelona may have only beaten Manchester City by a slender margin but the way their Lionel Messi-inspired attack terrorised the Premier

League champions’ defence is an ominous sign for Real Madrid ahead of the ‘El Clasico’ tomorrow.

Barca sealed a Champions

League last eight place with a 3-1 aggregate triumph following Wednesday’s 1-0 win but some sloppy finishing and an inspired performance from City keeper

Lionel Messi and Ronaldo

Pearson calls for positive against Spurs

Palermo Cagliari Sassuolo Genoa Roma Verona Atalanta Torino Internazionale Fiorentina

Spanish La Liga Atletico de Madrid v Getafe Rayo Vallecano v Malaga Levante v Celta de Vigo Athletic Club v Almeria Granada CF v Eibar Estadio Dep. de La Coruna v Espanyol Villarreal v Sevilla Real Sociedad v Cordoba Barcelona v Real Madrid

N

igel Pearson knows his Leicester City side must be “near our best” when they face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane today as they battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The sides meet for the third time this season at the weekend, with Tottenham looking to get their bid for European qualification back on track and Pearson’s men bottom of the table needing a great escape in order to avoid an immediate return

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson and Tottenham boss Mauricio

to the Championship.

Winless in seven top flightgames, Leicester are seven points adrift of Sunderland - who sit just above the bottom three - going into their final 10 games.

Pearson has urged his side to take a positive approach as they attempt a repeat of their FA Cup fourth round win at Tottenham in January.

Tottenham were swept aside by Manchester United in the first half last weekend, conceding all three goals in the first half, and the London club are now six points behind Louis van Gaal’s fourth-placed side following that 3-0 defeat.

Like opposite number Pearson, Mauricio Pochettino is not reading too much into past meetings ahead of Saturday’s clash.

Pochettino will be hoping Ryan Mason (dead leg) is passed fit, while Harry Kane is set to lead the line against his former club two days after securing his first England callup.

Joe Hart kept the winning margin down to a respectable level.

However, the dominant performance would still have been pleasing for Coach Luis Enrique, who in just a few months has silenced doubters questioning his credentials to become the leader of a side contending for silverware on three fronts.

The Catalan side are on a run of 17 victories from their last 18 games in which they have qualified for the King’s Cup final and moved a point clear of Real Madrid in La Liga.

Luis Enrique and Messi had a highly publicised bust-up in late December with the Argentine left out of the starting line-up for the first game of 2015, which they lost away to Real Sociedad, as he returned late from a winter break.

While Messi has been the talisman, Luis Suarez and Neymar are also looking menacing in a potent three-pronged attack as Barca face a crunch clash with Real this weekend that could go a long way to deciding where the title ends up.

“We are playing well but we cannot get carried away because there is a long way to go,” Messi told reporters.

Aurier banned for insulting referee

Serge Aurier

P

aris St-Germain’s Ivorian defender Serge Aurier has been banned for three European matches for “insulting acts” towards the referee of the Champions League match against Chelsea.

Aurier, who did not play in the 2-2 draw on 11 March, made comments on his facebook page about Bjorn Kuipers over his dismissal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The French side knocked Chelsea out on away goals after extra-time.

Aurier, 22, will miss both legs of his side’s Champions League quarter-final.

Manchester City seek response after defeatsSince

M

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart

anchester City welcomes West Brom to the Etihad Stadium today, desperately seeking a win to keep them in touch in the Premier League title race.

City’s hopes of retaining the title suffered another setback when George Boyd’s goal saw them go down to a shock 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Burnley last weekend.

There was more misery for the champions on Wednesday, as they lost by the same scoreline to much more vaunted opposition, Ivan Rakitic scoring the only goal of the game for Barcelona as City were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League at the last-16 stage.

City now return to league action and, with a six-point gap to make up to leaders Chelsea, they can ill-afford

any more slip-ups.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini was magnanimous in defeat to Barca, and goalkeeper Joe Hart - who produced an outstanding display at Camp Nou was grateful for the backing of the City faithful who made the trip to Spain.

With City faltering, they may have wished for an easier test than facing a West Brom side rejuvenated under Tony Pulis.

the Welshman was appointed on New Year’s Day, West Brom have lost just two of 10 league matches and are up to 13th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Midfielders Chris Brunt and Claudio Yacob are both suspended, while goalkeeper Ben Foster (knee) is also out. Callum McManaman (foot) and Victory Anichebe (groin) are

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 21,- sunday 22, march, 2015

Page 55

Sports

100 Caps: A dream come true, says Vincent Enyeama but I thank God for his grace and mercies over the years and with him I believe I can do great things.

Did you ever think you’d get to this stage of playing 100 games for Nigeria? smiles) I don’t know if I ever thought of it to be honest. All I had in mind was just to play for Nigeria and I wasn’t really counting.

But all of sudden you guys (the media) brought it to my consciousness and now I see it (laughs). Like I said earlier, it hasn’t been an easy ride but I don’t think I thought about coming this far.

The thing on my mind was just to keep playing and keep doing well for my country.

Let’s talk about your club career now, after a bit of a loss of form, you seem to have come back to good form.

Did you just say loss of

Vincent Enyeama

A

s he gets set to make his 100th appearance for Nigeria, Super Eagles captain and first choice goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama has spoken of what it means to him to play 100 games for the Nigerian national team.

He also talks about his club form and so much more. Enjoy.

Congrats as you get set to make your 100th appearance for Nigeria.

How does it make you feel?

Thank you so much. But the truth is it is going to be just another game for me. Don’t get it wrong, I feel very proud of it and I feel very proud of playing for Nigeria.

But the most important

thing for me is to go out there and do well. So the 100 caps doesn’t really come to mind when I’m playing, it’s just the game. But I want to thank Nigerians for their support and love and encouragement towards me. And I hope to keep making them proud.

How has it been playing for Nigeria for 13 years now?

Lionel Messi and Vincent Enyeama

It feels great but I still feel the same as the first day. The fire in me is still burning and I am still going on strong. But I must appreciate my family; my wife and kids for their support and encouragement over the years.

It’s been great for me and I appreciate everyone that has encouraged me over the years also. It’s not been all smooth

Vincent Enyeama in action

form? I don’t think so. We weren’t winning but that’s football and it takes eleven players on the pitch to win or lose a match.

It was a rough patch for us and we conceded goals but I don’t think I lost form.

But thank God we have started winning again and hopefully will get to a good position in the league and maybe a champions league place.

There are some good strikers in the French league like Ibrahimovic and Cavani. Is there any one of them you fear?

Fear? I don’t fear any striker. I would even say they fear me (laughs). They fear me because they know what I can do, so I don’t fear any of them.

They are good strikers and we are all friends but I am not scared of any of them.

BIG PUNCH The military would not have had to cope with Boko Haram on this level if the proper action had been taken at the right time. This is the biggest problem I have with the Jonathan government.

Peoples Daily WEEKEND, SATURDAY — SUNDAY, MARCH 21-22 , 2015

Saturday Column By

Lawal Sabo Ibrahim

T

he news that President Jonathan had cast the first stone against ‘change’ is, to say the least, stale; thus, Nigerians hold their breath for more stoning as directed by the Fake Lady. No, no devil visited our printers, I chose to use fake rather than first because that woman thinks with something else, but her head. A first lady worth her salt will never incite violence among citizens of her nation. But Patience has been doing so for some time now, desecrating the exalted office of the President and bringing disrepute to it. Worse still, is the imbecilic attitude of her husband who ought to be the leader of his family but chose to be the ‘second lady’ of his household.

Yes, the President was very quick in heeding the ‘directive’ of his wife, which she issued during a PDP campaign in Calabar on March 2, 2015, when she said: “Anybody that come and tell you change, stone that person.

Anybody that come and tell you he will change, stone that person.”

Gen Martin Luther Agwai (rtd.), the erstwhile chairman of SURE-P might have underrated the weight of that directive, or the level of control the issuer has on his former employer, as he not only attended the birthday celebration of Gen Obasanjo against the will of the boss few days later, but even went ahead to mention change, and, the first ‘Presidential stone’ hit him almost immediately!

Part of what Gen Agwai, a former UN chief peacekeeper said there, and which most likely drew

“

the ire of persons averse to change, was: “In life you find out that everything needs change, if that is what the community wants, what the people want, you must give it to them and as such, it becomes inevitable.”

I don’t care how Jonathan intends to or is handling that drunken diatribe at Calabar (and many others like it), another part of which said: “Our people no dey born shildren wey dem no dey fit count. Our men no dey born shildren throway for street. We no dey like the people for that side.”

But what I care about is how “the people for that side,” who still want to sustain the corrupt and inept arrangement that gave that inefficacious woman the guts to go this far, will justify their irresponsibility. Well, in my place we have a concept of bastards, and they can come in many forms.

In trying to campaign against an opponent-a more decent and credible one for that matter, someone who has brains in his head and not addled alubo (cassava flour), would be circumspect not to offend the sensibilities of others, especially his supporters or even those yet undecided, but for this provincial militant, there is no sparing anyone (even PDP supporters) who has anything in common with her arch-enemy and symbol of Nigeria’s emancipation from their chronic gluttony (Mohammadu Buhari).

Had there been brain in the head that made those statements, it would have remembered that there are many “people for that side,” in the PDP, some of whom

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Soyinka

on

Radio

Yes, ‘Fake Lady’ is incredibly crude

Mrs. Jonathan were even at the venue where she spat that venom. I wonder how faces of the Amina Sambo’s of this world looked like when Soyinka’s hippo was making that comment!

Yes, her people “no dey born shildren wey dem no dey fit count,” but they give birth to perpetual drunkards that cannot even afford or merit shoes!

It was on record that the same woman had also equated members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to bus conductors, who always ask for ‘change.’ This was months after her husband had likened some Nigeria’s statesmen to touts before he went begging them to support his desperate bid to continue in power.

At another forum, the same woman also described APC’s

Yes, her people “no dey born shildren wey dem no dey fit count,” but they give birth to perpetual drunkards that cannot even afford or merit shoes!

Advert: business: news: lagos:

—Professor Wole Deutschewelle.

Presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari as an old man and brain dead. In her words: “Vote for my husband, Jonathan.

Do not vote for Buhari. He is an old man. People, when they become old, may not reason well and their brain may even be dead.”

Just recently, the same President’s wife when trying to demonise the same Buhari, ended up exposing her lack of concern even for the husband she pretends to so much love. There, she painted her husband as being criminal enough to merit a jailing, and went ahead to tell the whole world that if that happens, she will abandon him!

She was speaking in Ado Ekiti, during a rally of the women’s wing of the Peoples Democratic Party.

At that forum, she said: “If you vote the APC, you will go to prison.

How can you jail somebody for 300 years? I’m not ready to carry food to my husband inside prison oh!”

Reacting to some of Patience’s outbursts, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO), appropriately described her as “an incredibly crude woman,” observing that it was discourteous and inexcusable for a wife of any president with a modicum of decency to make false and infantile

pronouncements about the health status of another man on account of politics.

At that time, APCPCO also observed that much as indecent and disgraceful the outbursts of Mrs Jonathan were in attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians about her husband’s incompetence to lead the country, it is typical of the PDP’s modus operandi to confuse Nigerians with mundane issues instead of the issues of corruption, for which her husband has achieved an unbeaten record.

Here, it is instructive to ask how realistic and effective the non-violence accord signed on January 14 this year by Jonathan, Buhari and others was. Was it meant to be a mere ceremonial endorsement or it simply did not apply on people like Patience? I think one of the mistakes the initiators and facilitators of that accord made was the failure to have its contents interpreted into our local languages because it is obvious that apart from being parochial and insular, this woman’s literacy is not up to the level that she could have comprehended the content of the accord! But, in sane climes, ignorance is never an excuse.

DAN GAYE

My success over Boko Haram enough for 2nd term —Jonathan

Was that why it didn’t come earlier?

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