Peoples Daily Weekend, Saturday 23 May - Sunday 24, 2015. Edition.

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Saturday, May 23 - 24, 2015 Sha’aban 5, 1436 AH

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Blasphemy

N150 Vol. 4 No. 44

Irate youths set Shari’a court ablaze Pg 6

R-L: Chairman Abuja National Mosque Management Board, Etsu Nupe Yahaya Abubakar, Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Vee Pee Namadi Sambo, at the 2015 Presidential inauguration Special Jummu’at prayer held at the National Mosque, in Abuja, yesterday.

Photo: Joe Oroye.

Sovereign Wealth Fund: Wither the rainy day? Pg 47

‘Buhari is an unassuming neighbour’ >>Pg 3

Akume cautions APC against discarding zoning arrangement

404 Days after

Pg 13 Will the abducted Chibok schoolgirls ever be rescued?

Fuel subsidy: Who is holding Nigerians to ransom? *Senate summons Okonjo-Iweala, Madueke, others

Pgs 4-5,6

Page 2

Interview

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he PDP National Working Committee (NWC) recently blamed the loss of the party at the March 28 presidential election on hate speeches embarked upon by some party officials particularly some members of its Presidential Campaign Organisation.

How would you react to this?

Everywhere I go, this question of hate campaign is raised and frankly I am tired of it. This is because it is my Directorate (the Directorate of Media and Publicity) and team that they sought to target, malign and discredit more than anyone else.

We are serious-minded, loyal, responsible and hard-working party leaders, many of whom have either been federal ministers, senators or state governors in the past. They stood up for the president and fought for him when he was faced with the most vicious, malicious and hateful gunfire that this country has ever known.

The truth is that the APC media machine was awesome yet we engaged them fire for fire and bullet for bullet and I do not regret that. If we had not done so we would have lost the election by at least 10 million more votes. We spoke the truth, we engaged the enemy on all fronts and we not only fought them to a standstill, but for the first time, since the establishment of the APC, they were put on the defensive.

After May 29, the APC, despite all their promises of peace and harmony, will try to destroy each and every one of us. That is their nature and we must all be battleready to take them on.

In order to survive the next four years as a party, we must make the necessary changes at the top otherwise we will be utterly decimated. The present leadership of the party, particularly its information organs, has no chance of standing against an APC federal government because they are weak and lack understanding and courage. They will be torn apart if they try it because they do not have the stomach, the grit, appetite or the wherewithal for a long drawn fight.

Instead of preparing to defend the party faithful and enhance the fortunes of members over the next four years, they are making childish and nonsensical allegations, alienating and upsetting many party leaders. They are indeed the enemy within.

The truth is that their allegation is not only baseless, it is also unadulterated rubbish and is being made by those who know nothing about politics, political campaigns, intellectual discourse or political engagement.

Right from the start, they (members of the NWC) had no interest in fighting for our presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, or in ensuring that he won the election. All they were interested

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PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

NWC sabotaged President Jonathan’s re-election —Fani-Kayode Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, was the Director, Media and Publicity of the President Goodluck Jonathan 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation. FaniKayode has consistently blamed the PDP’s loss of the March 28 presidential election to sabotage mostly from some members of the National Working Committee (NWC). He singled out First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Governors Ayodele Fayose, Godswill Akapbio and a few others for their dogged campaigns for the president. He spoke to Ahmed Abubakar on this and other disturbing happenings within the PDP. Excerpts.....

Fani-Kayode

Did they really fight for the president?

Were some of them not fighting for the APC and collecting monies all over the place from aspirants and promising to give them tickets? Were some of them not dividing the ranks of the party?

in was to control others. They were not in the fray, they refused to enter the heat of battle, all they did was moan and bicker from the sidewalk like little children.

Some of them like Uche Secondus, Kema Chikwe, Barrister Jalo, Wale Oladipo, the National Youth Leader, and a few others did their best and supported the president as best as they could but the majority of them were terrible. The only reason we have not opened up on them is out of respect for the president and because we want to ensure that our party remains united.

The fact is that the Presidential Campaign Organisation not only did an excellent job, but also fought a good fight.

We fought a better fight than any other organ of the party had fought over the last two or three years against a relentless, well-funded, well-motivated and well organised opposition. Those that attack us and cast aspersion on our character and blame us for the failure of our party and our president are not seeing things clearly.

Governor Ayodele Fayose’s attack on General Muhammed Buhari before the election stood out as one of the things that worked against the PDP at the presidential election. Could this be true?

That is arrant nonsense. Fayose was not the only one that focused his attention on Buhari. Many of us did because he was the issue for us and everything about him became relevant. In the same vein, for the APC, Jonathan was the issue and they focused their guns on him.

We were effective and that is all that matters to me. We have nothing against Buhari but we had a job to do and we did it as best as we could. Those that lacked the guts, finesse and the capacity to do the job should stop whining. Some of the NWC members were pointing fingers, making accusations and counter allegations against senior party leaders after we lost the elections.

They are more to blame for our defeat than anyone else. After losing the elections the right and proper thing to do is to engage in serious soul-searching, look within, indulge in a period of sober reflection and serious introspection, maintain some sense of self-respect and dignity, refuse to defect to the other side and desist from giving the other side ammunition to fight us in the future.

There is also this allegation that the first lady in the course of her campaigns across the country, did more harm than good to the party, do you agree with this?

It is the same identifiable individuals in the NWC that are spreading that repulsive falsehood and we all know who they are.

The truth is that the first lady was one of the most forceful, credible and powerful voices during the course of the campaign and she did an excellent job for her husband and our candidate. She did not hide in the kitchen but instead, like the true and loyal wife that she is, jumped into the fray and fought for her husband. Why should anyone complain about that?

Let me use this opportunity to commend her courage. That woman is a lioness and I honestly believe that she enhanced the fortunes of the president during the course of what was the most bitter and keenly contested election in the history of Nigeria. Without her strong contributions and lending a strong voice to our cause things would have been far worse.

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti was another person that worked hard for the party and the president. The same can be said about Governors Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, Theodore Orji of Abia, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, the late Oronto Douglas, Dr. Doyin Okupe and a number of others. I commend them all.

Chief Tony Anenih, Sen. Ahmadu Alli, Nenadi Usman, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Governor Peter Obi, Hon. Minister Turaki, Aliyu Modibbo, Senator Amanga, the Contd on Page 16

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 3

Feature

Buhari’s Kaduna neighbours react to new status

By Mohammed Ibrahim

N

igerians from all works of life including the international community reacted to the victory of General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) in the March 28 presidential elections, with most of them describing it as a major leap for democracy, not only in Nigeria but the whole of the black race.

Buhari’s victory is the first of such in Nigeria’s political history and a novel occurrence in the African continent and as such there were reactions from all the nooks and crannies of the country.

The General’s running mate in the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 presidential poll, Pastor Tunde Bakare, described the outcome of the poll as divine and that it will be of immense benefit to the nation.

“We thank God Almighty for this day and I praise President Goodluck Jonathan for his magnanimity. I can assure him that the nation will remember him in kindness and goodness.”

Speaking on the president-elect, he said, “I have no doubt in my mind that General Muhammadu Buhari will go down in the history of our nation as a great leader, who contributed immensely to nation building, while discouraging corruption in the country. He is one of the prides of this country and a good example to coming generations that this country will not forget you if you persevere and keep to virtues, while shunning vices.”

In his reaction, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, noted that Buhari’s victory is a testimonial of viability of democracy in the country. “This is democracy at work and the wish of the people has prevailed.”

According to him, “Nigeria should be able to show leadership on the continent of Africa. We should be a good example to be followed by other aspiring democracies on the continent. We must always, in the interest of the people, ensure a transition without much discord and without dislocation to the country as an indivisible entity. We are not there yet, but by God, I have no doubt in mind that we would get there.”

Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in a statement by Rianne Buter, his Senior Media Manager, congratulated General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) on his victory. “I congratulate Muhammadu Buhari warmly on his election victory. I welcome wholeheartedly the statement from President Jonathan conceding the result. I also applaud the Nigerian people. It is an extraordinary sign of Nigeria’s strength and resilience as a country that there has been this election with its outcome accepted so clearly despite all the challenges

Buhari’s Kaduna residence Nigeria faces. It gives all of us who care about Nigeria great optimism and confidence in its future”.

Reacting, US President Barack Obama, in a statement issued from the White House said, “President Jonathan has placed his country’s interests first by conceding the election and congratulating president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari on his victory.

I look forward to working with President Jonathan throughout the remainder of his term, and I thank him for his many years of service and his statesmanlike conduct at this critical juncture. The last few days have shown the world the strength of Nigeria’s commitment to democratic principles,” Obama said.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, in a statement said: “Nigeria has passed the most important milestone on the road to an enduring democracy, the peaceful transfer of power through the

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ballot box from one party to another. President-elect Buhari has achieved a decisive victory. In spite of serious security threats the people of Nigeria turned out in impressive numbers to declare by whom they wish to be governed for the next four years. President Jonathan has set the stage for a peaceful transfer of power through his gracious congratulatory call to his successor.

“I feel great optimism for the future of my wife’s homeland. A united Nigeria under the leadership of a man so dedicated and capable of curbing corruption and restoring peace and security can reclaim its moral authority as the leader of the continent from which my ancestors came. Arese and I pray for the success of the Buhari administration and will do all we can to work for the strengthening of relations between the United States and Nigeria.”

President-elect General

General Buhari it was gathered has been living peacefully with his neigbours in the state for many years. One of his neighbours, who was also a famous Nigerian was late Shehu Musa Yar’adua, President Obasanjo’s vice president in the 70s.

Muhammadu Buhari’s personal residence in Kaduna is located along Yar’adua Close by Sultan Road, GRA, within the metropolis.

The house is a storey building with milk coloured paint, including the gate to the premises. As a retired military General and former head of state it is normal to see soldiers stationed at the entrance of the house.

General Buhari it was gathered has been living peacefully with his neigbours in the state for many years. One of his neighbours, who was also a famous Nigerian was late Shehu Musa Yar’adua, President Obasanjo’s vice president in the 70s.

According to findings, late General Musa Yar’adua’s residence was also guarded by soldiers as his family and children are still living there. The outgoing governor, Alhaji Muktar Ramalan Yero, also owns a mansion close to the president-elect’s house.

The street in particular is always quite with less movement of people as it is a government reserved area.

When our correspondent sought the opinion of residents on how it feels to be neighbours with the number one citizen, majority of them who have been living in the area for a long time said nothing has changed.

For Aliyu Abdallah, “well it is normal to live close to the house of a former president and now president-elect of Nigeria, General Buhari. I know him because he always passes my parents house.

He is a peaceful human man,” said.

According to the young Abdallah, ever since he won the presidential election the area has witnessed a large turn-out of visitors and security agents. “Well, since he won the election, policemen have been stationed around the street,” he said.

On if there are other changes since Buhari became presidentelect, Abdallah said “there are no changes on our street, it is just that security is beefed up each time he comes for weekend. But it is normal because we understand that he is now the president-elect,” he said.

According to him, only soldiers guarded his home before he won the election, but now the police are involved.

On his expectation of Buhari’s government, he said “we are hoping for a better Nigeria, this is what we want.”

Peoples Daily Weekend gathered from motorists who ply the Sultan road that each time they see an increased number of policemen, they know that the president-elect is in town.

“It is only when he comes around that you see security men but if he returns to Abuja they also leave the area,” a driver, who identified himself as Salisu said.

According to him, the policemen are not only stationed close to Buhari’s house, but at each junction leading to his house. “Each time our president-elect comes to Kaduna, you will see policemen right from Kawo junction to his house at Yar’Adua close,” he said.

PAGE 4

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Special Report

Fuel Subsidy: Who’s holding Nigerians to ransom?

By Osby Isibor, Isioma Nwabasha.

T

he issue of subsidy payment to oil marketers has generated a lot of controversies over the past years.

For instance, in January 2012, Nigerians embarked on one of the worst demonstrations against federal government’s plan to remove petroleum subsidy. For one week, the economy, social and business activities were grounded across Nigeria.

Giving reasons for discontinuing subsidies on prices of petroleum products, the federal government had said it disproportionately benefits the wealthy and poses a huge financial burden on the government.

Subsidy regime according to government diverts resources away from potential investments in critical infrastructure and does not reach the intended beneficiaries.

The current subsidy regime in which fixed price is maintained irrespective of market realities has resulted in a huge unsustainable subsidy burden. The discontinuation of the fuel subsidy scheme will save additional resources for investing in programmes targeted at mitigating poverty and spurring economic growth.

But in spite of the perceived gains of subsidy removal, the federal government has continued to pay subsidy on petrol (whether full subsidy or partial subsidy) and the citizens are the worst for it. Nigerians have continued to groan under a huge price hike of petroleum products that is hardly available.

The perennial confrontation between the federal government and the Oil Marketing and Trading (OM &T) companies over the delay in payment of subsidy claims has led to scarcity of petroleum products in the country, with its attendant hardships on Nigerians.

Nigerians have suffered immeasurable loss of man-hours as scarcity of petrol impedes movement of persons and goods across Nigeria, due to frequent failure of government to pay subsidy within the stipulated 45 days provided in the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) guidelines.

The delay in payment of subsidy leads to accumulation of interest on the fund borrowed by marketers to finance importation of cargoes. It also creates huge exchange rate differentials at the expense of the marketers due to the rise in exchange rate between the time the cargoes are imported and some months later, when the claims are paid.

Following the various subsidy probes, which revealed sharp practices in the administration of the subsidy scheme, claims are being subjected to prolonged verification, which delays payment beyond the 45 days stipulated in the PSF guidelines.

Despite all the painstaking verifications by the government, the two parties have disagreed on government’s actual indebtedness to the importers.

In a bid to find solutions to the current crisis, officials of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, recently met with oil marketers, led by the Executive Secretary of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Mr. Obafemi Olawore.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele led officials of the apex bank to the meeting held

Dr. Iweala in Abuja recently. But both parties could not agree on the exact amount outstanding after the government said it had earlier paid N154 billion.

While Okonjo-Iweala said the outstanding figure was N131 billion, the oil marketers put the balance at N200 billion. As the bickering rages, Nigerians have continued to groan under intense scarcity of petroleum products across the country.

Shortly before the meeting between the government and the marketers, Olawore had told journalists that the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), had suspended its action, following the partpayment of the money owed the association by the marketers.

The current scarcity started when NARTO withdrew their trucks from the roads in protest against the failure of the marketers to pay their transport claims for lifting fuel from the depots to the filling stations.

Following the failure of the federal government to pay subsidy claims, the marketers were unable to pay the tanker owners, whose vehicles lift petrol from the depots to filling stations.

Consequently, the truck owners were not able to pay the salaries of tanker drivers. This development led NARTO to withdraw trucks from the roads, resulting in the ongoing scarcity of petrol.

However, Olawore confirmed that the marketers paid NARTO from the N154 billion subsidy claims paid to the marketers by the federal government.

He said NARTO’s N20 billion outstanding claims would be paid by the marketers as soon as government pays the outstanding N200 billion subsidy claims.

Out of the N354.4 billion subsidy claims owed the marketers by the government, Olawore said N154.4 billion had been paid, leaving a balance of N200.2 billion.

But Okonjo-Iweala insisted that it will be difficult to get the exact amount of debt owed the marketers because of what she called the “rolling” nature of the business.

She suggested that the outstanding

Mrs. Madueke claims will be paid even after the assumption of office by a new government, saying that government is a continuum.

“The understanding reached with the marketers, is that all the outstanding debts owed will be paid based on claims processed

by Petroleum Pricing Products Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

“This is a rolling business and there is no one definitive figure. Even as we talk today by the time we leave, the Executive Secretary of PPPRA may have cleared some more Sovereign Debt Notes and as we speak, the Executive Secretary of PPPRA has been clearing and certifying payments and that is why it is really not a fixed sum,” OkonjoIweala said.

She urged Nigerians not to “get fixated to that particular amount because once they keep supplying fuel to the country, there will always be something to pay and government is a continuum,” apparently suggesting that the incoming administration might inherit part of the debt.

As the controversy over the actual indebtedness of the government to the marketers continues, it is increasingly evident that the current regime of regulation is not sustainable. It is the view of most Nigerians that subsidy payment is a waste of scarce resources, which should be channelled to developmental projects.

Apart from the government’s inability to pay, which has led to perennial crisis, there is huge financial risk on marketers as they pay all bank interest charges after being instructed to import product without payment being made.

The Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), and the Depot Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), say they are worried that the Federal Government has remained mute on their demand for payment of interests on subsidy funds for fuel imported into the country, few days to the end of the tenure of the administration.

Based on government’s silence on this and the resolve of the marketers not to embark

on fresh imports until their outstanding payments are cleared, there are strong indications that the current fuel scarcity in the country may persist beyond the May 29 handover of power to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari by incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

To end the perennial scarcity of petroleum products, Nigerians advocate that subsidy should be removed by the incoming administration as it will be a relief to both fuel users and the government, especially at this period that the price of crude oil at the international market is low.

In his opinion, the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Senator Kabir Marafa, called for the removal of oil subsidy to end the lingering scarcity of the product in the country.

Marafa (APC Zamfara Central), who spoke in Abuja, also called for the deregulation of the oil sector.

He said the unending subsidy claims were as a result of the non-deregulation of the sector. According to him, fuel meant for Nigeria is being diverted to other African countries, where it sells at a higher price.

“With all sense of responsibility, I think Nigerians need to stand up and say enough of this hypocrisy. This thing called fuel subsidy; I do not believe there is one. I do not believe it is benefiting the masses and it does not help them in any way, as far as I am concerned.

So long as fuel is selling at a lower price than some other neighbouring countries, you will continue to have fuel going out through the borders.

“Until the neighbouring countries get enough, the local markets will not be served.

If Nigerians want to help this incoming administration and if this incoming administration wants to help, I think we need to look at the issue of this subsidy and do away with it once and for all.

“If you deregulate the market, you allow whoever wants to bring petroleum products into the country to go ahead and bring it; you regulate only and fuel will not sell as much as it is selling now.’’

He cited the transformation in the telecommunication sector from near comatose landlines to the GSM phones that had reached even the remotest areas in Nigeria as an example.

The lawmaker said: “Before it, everyone will tell you that if there is no NITEL, the common man will not make call. But today, you have people with telephones even in remote villages.

“So also with this fuel thing, we may suffer in the first one or two months. But as the thing starts taking its roots, these things will all go away, our local refineries will start functioning and all these cartels will go.”

He opined that with deregulation, prices would stabilise and petroleum products would be readily available and competition would force down the price of the commodity.

Economic analysts say the protracted fuel crisis in Nigeria is an indication of federal government’s increasing lack of financial capacity to pay subsidy claims, and reasonable grounds for the incoming administration to end the subsidy regime and save the country the embarrassment of perennial fuel shortages. The question now on the lips of every Nigerian is, ‘Is subsidy still relevant?’.

Contd on Page 5

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 5

Special Report

Is subsidy still relevant?

Vox Pop Ngozi Dozie (Motorist)

I am in support of the continuation of subsidy, as that is the only benefit we derive from government.

If it is removed without our local refineries functioning, fuel will become expensive, which will in turn affect the cost of other goods and services and without increase in salary. I don’t know why life is hellish in Nigeria. No light, no fuel, no salary. I have been going to Gwagwalada to buy fuel at N140 a litre because I can’t leave work or my children to spend hours on a queue. Government should pay the marketers and depot owners their money and save us from this uncomfortable situation.

Omonigho Driver)

(Taxi

Janet (black market seller)

I brought a liter of fuel at N166 along Kaduna Road and then resell at N250 a litre. Even though I don’t like the fuel scarcity but it is making my business boom. So what more can I say?

Which one be subsidy?

Suffering is too much in this country. Government should give us fuel. Since the fuel scarcity started I haven’t made much money because of the long period I spend in filling stations. If I don’t work how do I feed my family? Black market is very expensive and buying it is like running at a loss. Since this week, most stations don’t have fuel, how do we survive?

So government should do something.

Kate Onyeme (Commuter)

It is like President Jonathan wants to punish us for not voting for him in the last election. How can we be having persistent fuel scarcity in one of the richest oil producing countries in the world? How can government allow a small clique (marketers and deport owners) to make life brutish for citizens? I buy fuel from black marketers at N300 a litre to power my generator because the weather is too hot. Even the filling station workers are also inflicting suffering on fellow citizens, isn’t it ironic that young boys are seen hawking fuel in front of petrol stations, while the filling stations claim they have no fuel?

Ahmed Sule (Motorist)

It is unfortunate that an oil producing country is suffering from acute fuel crisis. The most unfortunate aspect of it is that no one knows the cause of the scarcity, since after the election, it is almost as if no one is in charge. I have been sleeping at petrol stations just to get fuel to fill my car and generator. Last week at Oando in Wuse, I had to pay a fuel attendant extra N2000 just to get fuel on time as my wife was sick. What kind of country is this? The government is insensitive to our plight and I am delighted that they were voted out.

James Aliyu (Motorist)

Government should totally remove subsidy and deregulate the oil sector so that these oil marketers will stop holding us to ransom. The money used in subsidizing oil price should be channeled into other sectors. This current fuel scarcity is terrible, instead of abating it is on the rise. Yesterday, I spent seven hours on the queue at the NNPC station in Gwarinpa, a time that would have been spent on other profitable ventures.

Government and oil marketers should reach a compromise and save Nigerians from this undeserved hardship.

Toyin Omojide (commuter)

In my opinion, subsidy shouldn’t be removed; we are rich enough to pay for subsidy, why removing it. The funds derived from the partial removal of subsidy, what was it used for? Was the money not siphoned? According to reports, the scarcity has persisted because the federal government has not paid marketers the amount that they are owing them. The federal government or whoever is holding their money should pay them.

So that passengers and drivers will find it easy moving around.

Concerning the black marketers, you won’t blame the boys for engaging in that. If the federal government does what is necessary they will not be on the streets.

As a business person you will want to sell to the highest bidder, you will look for other sources that you know will pay you better.

Niyi Oladosu (driver) No one is explaining anything to us, it is like governance has been brought to a halt. This is the worst fuel scarcity in the history of this country. For the past two weeks, I have not slept well at night because I return late from fuel stations. Sometimes I have to buy from black marketers (10 litres for N2500).

Government should do whatever it takes to address this situation or else Nigerians will be forced to take to the streets. Enough is enough.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 6

News

Irate youth set sharia court ablaze over blasphemy in Kano From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

I

rate mobs yesterday went on rampage and set a Sharia court ablaze over blasphemous statement allegedly made by one Tijjaniyya sect follower, Aminu Abdul Nyass in Kano State.

Eyewitness account stated

that the court, located at Rijiyar Lemo area in the Kano metropolis, was completely razed down when angry mobs, who were impatiently waiting to witness the trial of Nyass stormed the court’s premises.

According to the account, the incident happened at about 11:00am, even before the

magistrate of the court as well as the accused arrived, adding that seeing the delay, the mobs deemed it fit to torch the building as a way of expressing their anger over the alleged offence.

The account added that the mobs were dispersed by prompt timely intervention of Police

officers before the fire fighters of the Rijiyar Lemo division arrived and put off the fire.

The mobs, in their hundreds, then proceeded to emir’ s palace and government house to lodge their complains, demanding for prompt execution of the accused.

When contacted the kano

state police spokesman ASP Musa Magaji Majia confirmed the incident, saying that the police reacted swiftly and brought the situation under control.

He added that six persons have been arrested, urging the people of the state to be law abiding.

Senate summons Okonjo-Iweala, AlisonMadueke, others over fuel scarcity

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Senate has summoned the Minister for Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her Petroleum Resources counterpart, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to appear before it to explain the circumstances behind the lingering fuel scarcity and long queues in the fuel stations across the country.

This is sequel to a resolution of the Senate on Thursday mandating its Committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream) to investigate the persistent fuel scarcity in the country, hence the committee has requested both top ministers in President Jonathan’s government to appear before it and give answers to questions.

Also invited by the joint committee are the Group Managing L-R: HRH Emir of Kano, Alhaji Mohammadu Sunusi; Gov. Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State and Sultan of Sokoto, HRH Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the inauguration of Government Girls College for Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Islamic Sciences, Shuni, yesterday in Sokoto Managing Director PPMC, Director Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Product Pricing and Regulatory Authority (PPPRA).

Others are Major Oil Marketers

By Umar Muhammad Puma the March 28th presidential the visit to take a much-deserved Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), election. rest ahead of his inauguration on Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and National he President-elect, In a statement issued in Abuja May 29th.

Muhammadu Buhari by head of the Media Team of the ‘’He is expected back in the Association of Road Transport yesterday left for Britain on President-elect, Malam Garba country a few days before the Owners (NARTO).

Joint chairmen of the a private visit, his first of such trip Shehu, said General Muhammadu inauguration, refreshed and ready outside the country since winning Buhari will use the opportunity of to hit the ground running once he committees, Senators Paulker

Buhari on private visit to Britain

T

Emmanuel, and Magnus Abe, signed the invitation to all the stakeholders in the oil industry.

A part of the invitation reads: “On Thursday, May 21, Senator Abdul Ningi, drew the attention of the Senate to the lingering fuel scarcity in the country and the untold hardship on the generality of Nigerians.

“He urged Senate to look into the matter with a view to finding the causes and lasting solution to the problem. In view of this, the Senate directed its Committees on Downstream Petroleum sector and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to investigate the matter and report back on Tuesday, May 26.

It added “The Joint Committee on Downstream Petroleum sector and Petroleum Resource Upstream therefore is inviting the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources, Group Managing Director of NNPC, Managing Director PPMC, Director DPR, PPPRA MOMAN (Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria) IPMAN (Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria and NARTO (National Association of Road Transport Owners) to a meeting on Monday May 25, at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.”

The committee’s report, it was gathered, is expected to be submitted to the Senate for deliberation at Tuesday plenary.

5​0 Heads of State to attend Presidential inauguration – Minister

By Patrick Andrew with agency

will witness the inauguration of a new president from an opposition party. he Minister of Culture and The minister, who is also the Tourism, Edem Duke, said chairman, Presidential Inauguration yesterday that at least 50 Planning Committee, said, “Many Heads of State and other delegates​ Heads of State are expected to be were expected to attend the May 29 present; a large turnout of people will handing over ceremony. also be witnessed, especially from Mr. Duke, who said in Abuja on the countries in Europe. activities lined up for the inauguration “This will give credit to the image of the new government, said all the 54 of Nigeria, that we have attracted such countries in Africa had been invited to positive attention to this inauguration grace the occasion. and must ensure that the ceremony This is the first time in 16 years is a success,” he said adding that that the Democracy Day celebrations the committee is collaborating with

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security agencies to ensure adequate security.

“The security agencies are working in close contact to ensure that there will be absolutely no threat to security,” he said. “Arrangement has been made to screen all invited guests, long before the access perimeters of the location.

“That is why we are asking for people who will attend the ceremony to ensure that they are accredited before the day. There is also a plan that in some locations within the city, there might be big screens for members of

the public to follow the activities from their various homes. There will also be restricted access, to avoid traffic in and around the Eagle Square where the event will hold.”

Mr. Duke said the inauguration events commenced yesterday with a Juma​’​at Service at the Central Mosque while a Thanksgiving Service would be held on Sunday at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, at 3 p.m.

“On Thursday, May 28, there will be inauguration dinner at the State House Conference Hall at 7.p.m. while on Friday, May 29, the swearing-in

Nupeng/Pengassan strike: Power situation may worsen

By Lawrence Olaoye

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he Ministry Of Power has warned that the power situation in the country may worsen if the current strike action embarked upon my junior and senior members of Bioengineering and Pengasssan was not resolved.

Briefing newsmen after joining the power minister, Professor Chinedu Nebo, in a meeting with the Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, in the Presidential Villa yesterday, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Godknows Igali, said the

ongoing strike has adversely affected the supply of gas to power installations.

He said “It has become necessary to update our citizens on the current power situation in the country. Prior to the current constraints we have been encountering we have generated between 4,800 megawatts at the beginning of the year with a potential to get up to 6,000 megawatts based on the available gas and hydros.

“Besides, pipeline vandalization which has continued to have very negative impact on the power supply situation in

the country, the on-going strike by labour unions in the oil and gas sector has added additional toll. The current strike by both senior and junior staff unions of the NNPC, (NUPENG and PENGASSIN) has led to further reduction of the amount of gas available to most of our power plants especially in the western axis.

“As at 12.00 noon Friday, 22nd May, 2015, UTOROGU, CHEVRON ORE DO, OB EN gas plants are all shut down while UGHELI and CNL ESCRAVOS are all isolated already. On the eastern axis Shell Gas, ALAKIRI has also been shut

down. This has led to the several power plants being stranded and shut down.

This includes EGBIN, OLORUNSHOGO I & 11, OMOTOSHO 1& 11, GEREGU I & 11, IHONVOR and SAPELE (NIPP) on the western axis and ALAOJI on the eastern end.

“The overall effect is that power supply which had started picking up steadily since the beginning of the week, following repairs of various vandalized portions of the ELP Line and the TransForcados Gas Pipelines has fallen to alltime-unprecedented low of 1,327m was

ceremony will take place at Eagle Square at 9 a.m. in Abuja,” he said.

“Also, on the same day after the swearing-in ceremony, a luncheon will take place at noon at the State House Banquet Hall and the inauguration Gala Night will also take place on the same day and same venue at 7p.m.”

In a remark, Olu Akinyelure, the co-Chairman, Presidential Transition Planning Committee, solicited the assistance of the media in projecting the country positively to the whole world.

at 1.00 p.m. on Friday, 22nd May, 2015.

This situation could get worse if the strike action continues.

The Federal Ministry of Power hopes, that the on-going discussion between the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Petroleum Corporation and, the Labour Unions, will end amicably and soonest to spare the country from such a major disruption of essential service.

Indeed it is hoped the Labour Unions would help restore supply of gas to the power plants even while negotiation are on-going.”

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

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Cover

Spending spree, looting galore

By Patrick Andrew, Umar DanKano, Ayodele Samuel, Mohammed Ibrahim, and Ado Musa

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cross the states, there is desperation, agitation and anger. The reason is simple: allegations of last-minute looting of the nation’s resources, hurried recruitment into the public service and rushed privatisation/sale of key financial institutions and assets have become rampant.

Aside from the citizens, who have openly expressed disdain at the speed with which certain outgoing governors are awarding last minute bogus contracts, both the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the incoming All Progressives Congress (APC) that will kick-start its administrative era on May 29 after the inauguration ceremonies for the President-elect and the state governors, have had reasons to go public with their positions on alleged spending spree and looting of public assets.

For instance, the APC in statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it has been “inundated with calls and messages by concerned Nigerians, alerting it to the unscrupulous actions of some Jonathan administration officials.

“It is incumbent upon the outgoing Administration not to create any more problems for the incoming government than it had already done, or to tie the new government’s hands through some suspicious actions.

“Therefore, the recruitment exercise now being conducted by the Federal Civil Service under the auspices of the Presidential Committee to Assist on Immigration Recruitment usurps the functions of the Board as it relates to recruitment of Senior Officers (level 08) and that of the Immigration Service as it relates to Junior Officers (levels 07 and below).

The PDP reacted swiftly through its Rivers State chapter by alleging, “the looting spree in Government House, Port Harcourt, ministries and parastatals ahead of Governor Amaechi’s exit, on May 29, 2015.”

“Also alarming is the illegal sale of government properties to close friends, political allies and family members. There is frightening illegal employment in Rivers State Polytechnic Bori, where about 500 people have been secretly employed without due process.

“Thousands of persons are being employed to swell the number of civil servants in government and local councils, so that the incoming PDP government will battle with the alarming wage bill.”

“PDP appreciates the employment of Rivers people, but adds that such employment must follow due process, must not be partisan and without hidden

Yero

“

el-Rufa’i

We have heard of breach of trust and stealing of public assets. Our government will certainly insist on accountability, and no one should be in any doubt about our resolve, be it the instigators of any impropriety or those who facilitated and executed it.

agenda,” the state PDP chairman, Felix Obuah, said in a statement.

The statement further alleged “criminal act by political aides in connivance with some senior officials of government,” and warned, “All those involved in this wanton looting to desist, stressing that the long arm of the law will surely catch up with such perpetrators of the act.”

Obuah continued: “Information available reveals that some of the government property stolen and vandalised are mainly the unregistered brand new cars assigned to different departments of government. “Some equipment for the Monorail, government farms, schools, hospitals, government-owned media houses etc have also been stolen and vandalised.”

Rivers State governor-elect, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has also berated the outgoing governor, Rotimi Amaechi, for looting the state’s resources and government facilities.

He said it is unfortunate that a man who has been speaker for eight years and governor for another eight years would condescend to the level of looting doors,

televisions, chairs and other household facilities bought by the Odili administration.

There is also commotion in Kaduna where the state House of Assembly is at logger head with Governor Muktar Ramalan Yero, who was defeated at the last general election in March 28 2015 by the incoming governor and former FCT Minister Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

Following the election, there have been allegations against Yero’s spending spree and alleged last minute looting of government treasury.

The first allegation levelled against him was frivolous allocation of plots of land and governments houses to friends and political associates, but the government dismissed it stating that due process was followed in the sharing of plots.

Next, the state assembly rejected Yero’s to appropriate N2.744 billion SURE-P funds to the 23 local councils. The members that ceding of 50% of the said fund for road project was a violation of the laid down regulations regarding the SURE-P funds and the fact that it was indicated

Fashola in the handing over note of the outgoing government suggest an attempt of last minute looting.

“It is not possible for any local government council to judiciously execute any meaningful project within 2 weeks to the end of the life of this administration,” the Deputy Minority Leader, Aminu Abdullahi Shagari, said.

Then Malam Nasir El’ Rufa’i reacted, “I write to bring to your attention the elaborate steps being taken by the outgoing Kaduna State Government to legitimise the misappropriation of N2.744 billion Local Government Sure-P funds, and to request that you exercise your responsibility of deterring crime by preventing this lastminute looting of public assets.

“The Kaduna State House of Assembly declined to appropriate the Sure-P funds in the 2015 budget, and promptly removed them from the budgets submitted by the 23 local government councils. The state legislators further resolved that the fate of the funds be left to the incoming administration.

“The outgoing governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, however has been putting the legislature under tremendous pressure to approve his utilisation of 50% of the Sure-P funds for a road project, while the 23 local government councils would share the balance.

“Coming from a government whose tenure expires in less than two weeks, the intensity of the lobby for the money indicates a certain desperation that is clearly not in the public interest.

“As governor-elect, it is my duty to caution every official involved in these lastContd on Page 8

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Cover

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Spending spree, looting galore Contd from Page 7

minute deals that the incoming government will ensure that there are consequences for illegal conduct, “We have heard of breach of trust and stealing of public assets.

Our government will certainly insist on accountability, and no one should be in any doubt about our resolve, be it the instigators of any impropriety or those who facilitated and executed it.

“Our transition committee is daily inundated with reports about the dire financial straits in which the outgoing government has placed the state. While I await the formal submission of the committee’s report, I am compelled to publicly affirm that we cannot and will not turn a blind eye to bad behaviour,”he said.

In Adamawa State, the government under the leadership of Barrister Bala James Ngillari is being accused of financial recklessness ranging from contract inflation to diversion of public funds meant for specific projects to less important ones and in some cases outright embezzlement.

Among the allegations of financial impropriety is the provision of 40 units of Toyota 4x4 Hilux vans which, according to the governor’s chief of staff, Chubado Tijjani, cost the government N400 million, while the controversial Suv Lexus bullet proof jeeps were purchased at the cost of N180 million for the governor.

The House of the Assembly led by Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri queried the development, saying the claim was outrageous and unacceptable to the people of the state. Therefore, the House urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the matter in the interest of the public.

Another allegation against Ngillari’s administration is the diversion of public funds and the recent protest by registered farmers and cooperative societies that a loan of N2 billion released to the union by the Central Bank of Nigeria was siphoned. The chairman of the association, Alhaji Suleiman Shalmakuza, disclosed this while handing over the union’s petition to the speaker of the state Assembly last week.

The House set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the allegation and report back to it in seven days. On resumption, the committee chairman and member representing Uba/ Gaya constituency, Hon. Aminu Iya Abbas, confirmed the development to the House which directed the government to refund the loan into the state coffers before the expiration of his tenure.

Political pundits also asserted that the ongoing crisis rocking

Jang

Amaechi

Wike

the State Assembly which has two leaderships was orchestrated by the governor. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri controls 16 members, while Hon. Jerry Kumdisi leads nine members.

Fintiri operates at the Assembly premises, while Kumdisi’s office is at the Government House Yola and has been nicknamed “Government House Speaker” in the state.

Governor Bala through his chief of staff is financing Kumdisi’s faction who were accused of collecting N200 million to impeach Fintiri who is seen as the authentic speaker.

Similarly, the alleged release of N500 million as severance allowances to the nine lawmakers loyal to the governor instigated Fintitri’s faction to invite the Accountant General of the state, Mrs. Augustina Wandamiya, to appear before the House, but she replied in a letter that she was on a trip to Abuja on the invitation of the EFCC. Apart from Lagos State where Governor Babatunde Fashola is handing over to Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, Ogun and Oyo State governors are returning for their second tenure.

Much has not been heard of the state treasury, but observers said since both men are from the same political party, the transition would be seamless.

In Taraba State, allegations are

raging that the acting governor and senator-elect, Sani Abubakar Danlandi, had sold state property to his cronies. Some of the property include house no. 22 Yakubu Avenue, GRA, Kaduna, Degel 11close, GRA Kaduna, no.1 Duwa Road, GRA, Kaduna North and no. 14 Keffi Road, Bamwa, Kaduna South among others.

Kicking against this misnomer, Muri Progressive Forum expressed concern over the sale of Taraba State landed property in Kaduna, Lagos and Abuja, saying there are ulterior motives hinged on the desire for monetary gains by those in government.

The Chairman of the forum, Hussein Sani Muhammad, said the action is ill advised, considering that the present administration’s tenure is winding up. “The attention of the forum has been drawn to the state government’s intention to sell of the state’s landed property by the Taraba State Ministry of Housing and signed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Aminu Muhammad Karim “As a forum of concerned indigenes of the state, we are constrained to make this passionate plea to the current administration to reconsider their intention. The forum is seriously concerned about the motive behind the sudden desire to dispose our common heritage.

All the property belongs to the

indigenes and not just those in political offices.

“The forum also feels that the action is ill advised and ill timed, considering that the tenure of this government has almost come to an end. We do not believe that the government is selling these property in the overall public interest, rather, we suspect some ulterior motives hinged on the desire for monetary gains by those in government.

“We therefore advise that the process be stopped including the sale of the state’s aircraft located in Abuja and Kaduna. We shall pursue all legal means possible to ensure that our landed properties, including the aircrafts are not sold at give away prices,” Mohammed said.

The story is not different in Plateau where last minute appointments, awarding of new contracts and other adjustments have become the order of the day in both Federal and state governments soon after the 2015 general elections.

Virtually, all state governments, particularly those lost political power left their hands after the elections have joined the bandwagon.

The Plateau state government however not left aside in the realignment of government activities in the state. Some weeks back, the in-coming APC led government in a press release

“

This is a manipulative tendency by the outgoing government to leave a burden for the incoming government. We want them to stop before they complicate the matter. The laws that set up the district has not been repelled and you cannot create districts within an existing law that has not been repelled

signed by the chairman of the party , Latep Dabang, accused the out-going administration of governor Jonah David Jang of mass recruitment of over 6000 unemployed youths into the State civil service commission and creation of districts, villages and chiefdoms.

Lateb Dabang said “we are taking a cue from the Presidentelect who says we should draw a line, we should not look back but look forward. But if you provoke the system then we will have no choice but to look backwards. But for now, we have no intention of probing anyone.”

The release said the alleged recruitment and backdating of appointment letters six weeks to the handover was an attempt to overload the system with workers stressing that “the action is not in good faith because the law says that vacancies must be published and interviews conducted before appointment given.”

“This is a manipulative tendency by the outgoing government to leave a burden for the incoming government. We want them to stop before they complicate the matter. The laws that set up the district has not been repelled and you cannot create districts within an existing law that has not been repelled,” it added.

Executive Assistant to the Governor, Clinton Garba, however described the allegation as, “rumours and fallacious statements being peddled either in the media or by word of mouth,” and urged the public to ignore them.

Garba assured that the Jang administration was putting together a comprehensive hand over note with all its actions as contained in the Plateau State Strategic Development Plan; a document which is the guide for the development of the State.

“While the incoming administration has the right to be concerned about modalities for a smooth transition, it is petty for it to begin to peddle unsubstantiated claims in order to further malign the person of the Governor who has done his best for the good of Plateau State and in process scoring some cheap political points.”

However, the APC has severally said that its government would not prove the out-going government of any misappropriation of fund unless it provoked it before vacating office.

In Kano, Niger and Enugu, issues bordering on extravagant spending and looting of government treasury has pitched the states executives and their houses of assembly against each other. Little there have been last minutes threat if impeachments and in some cases actual impeachments.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 9

Interview

Our first priority is education —Masari

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ou contested the gubernatorial election in 2011 and then in 2015. Could you share your experiences with us?

It is difficult for somebody to contest an election in a party that is in the opposition, especially with the way we see opposition in this country. I believe that the opposition is also a partner in the democratic process of a country.

Unfortunately, in some quarters, people in opposition parties are seen as enemies and not as partners. So, my experience since I joined the opposition in 2009 is that for you to be in the opposition, you have to be very patient, persevere and also be steadfast. Once you have an idea that you believe in, remain constant and consistent and at the end, God will definitely crown your efforts with success.

So, my experience has been mixed in the sense that the ordinary person wants change all times, but the powers that be always want to maintain the status quo. The worse is the lack of a level playing ground, we have seen how the simple introduction of card readers made it almost impossible to inflate votes and this has made a little difference.

Really, with the right leadership, Nigeria will get it right.

As the new governor of the state, what should the people expect from you?

Our project is ‘Restoration 2015 for Katsina’. What are we restoring? Traditionally, Katsina is known for investment and consists of highly educated and technically sound people. So, our first, second and third target is education because today in Katsina, in public schools, based on last year’s performance in WAEC, we could not get three percent.

If you take the entire Katsina indigenes whether they live in Lagos, Abuja or anywhere outside the state, 45,800 of them sat for WAEC and only 4,500 got five credits and above in a state where the first middle school in northern Nigeria was established. We were the first to open an education account in the UK for the training of our people.

From 1999 to 2014, we presented over 255,000 students for WAEC and only 32,000 of them got five

Aminu Bello Masari is the governor-elect of Katsina State.

In this interview with journalists in Katsina, he shared his experiences on some of the issues confronting the state and the country at large. Umar Muhammad Puma was there.

Masari

“

Katsina is an agrarian state. Our economy was, until the discovery of oil, dependent on agriculture and livestock.

Where are we today? Forget about imported rice, macaroni, spaghetti and others. If for whatever reason, the imports stop, how do we feed ourselves?

credits and above in 15 years.

During my campaign, I was able to travel to all the local government areas in the state.

We have 34 local governments, I slept in 27 and in each local government, I made sure that I did not follow the tarred road. We will find a rural road to make sure that we see the nook and cranny

of the local government. What did we see? 60 percent of our primary schools have either their roof blown off, or the windows and doors are broken.

On the average, a classroom accommodates about 97 children.

A district head told me that in the whole of the district only one child attended senior secondary

school. The rest dropped out because there were no teachers and classrooms. It is a terrible situation. There was a time we presented over 17,000 students for WAEC and all 370 passed.

We cannot continue like this. So, what we are bringing on the table is the issue of education.

Secondly, Katsina is an

agrarian state. Our economy was, until the discovery of oil, dependent on agriculture and livestock. Where are we today?

Forget about imported rice, macaroni, spaghetti and others. If for whatever reason, the imports stop, how do we feed ourselves?

People said they were surprised that Russia was able to break down even though they have everything. They could not feed themselves at a time because they ran short of food and that exposed the weakness in the system they were operating.

We cannot sit down here and depend on rice from China, India and Thailand when we have water and the land. Before Katsina was created as a state, it was a province. This province was constructing roads, schools, hospitals, court, it had the police, prison services, judiciary and they were paying salaries and carrying out development. Why can’t we do anything for ourselves today?

The province was also making its contribution to the running of the Northern Nigerian government.

Where are we today? If this money coming from Abuja stops the state cannot survive for one month.

As the governor of the home state of the presidentelect, a lot will be expected from you. Considering the lean resources available to government, how do you intend to attract funds to run the state?

The problem is that we have not always been open, democratic and honest with the people. It is not about resources alone.

You think that development depends on money alone, even the military were building roads, hospitals and others. Under the colonial administration, the emirate system built everything.

Democracy is about being open with the people. If you have money, let the people know that you have money and let them have a say on how it is spent.

Every time we talk about lean resources. Lack of development is not only about lean resources, but good management of resources. If you allow the local councils to operate, if you allow a ward to produce a councilor that represents the people and

Contd on Pg 17

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 10

News

Boko Haram: Why Buhari should review death sentence on soldiers –Falana

By Mohammed Usman

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ivil Rights activist, Femi Falana, has called on President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to review the death sentences of 66 soldiers convicted for refusing to fight Boko Haram, in line with his promise to review all operations against the militants.

Speaking in BBC programme yesterday, Falana said it would be unfair to execute the soldiers who had claimed that they lacked the needed weapons to fight the insurgents.

Army spokesman, Sani Usman, said that another 579 soldiers were being courts martial in Abuja for acts of indiscipline and that the trial would ensure professionalism in the army.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that the Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009, had caused “one of the most serious humanitarian crises in Africa”.Mr Falana, who is a prominent human rights lawyer and represented some of the 66 sentenced to death for conspiracy, cowardice and mutiny last year, said the Nigerian government had failed to adequately equip the units fighting the insurgency in the north-east.

“They [the soldiers] did not sign to commit suicide but to fight for their fatherland and since the government did not make weapons available, they were unable to fight,” he told the BBC’s Newsday programme.

“The sentences are awaiting confirmation but we are taking steps to ensure that no soldier, no officer in Nigeria is executed on account of the negligence of the Nigerian state in motivating the soldiers to fight and equipping them.”

He said that outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan “had refused to assist to the request of the convicted soldiers to review their matter”.

“So happily the incoming government of Gen Muhammadu Buhari has promised to review the entire operations in the north-east region and we are confident that the cases of the officers and the soldiers will be reviewed so that justice will be done to them.”

L-R: Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Admiral Usman O. Jibrin; Chairman House Committee on Defence Hon. Adamu Bashir; Minister of State For Defence Col. Augustine Akobundu, President Goodluck Jonathan; and and Chief of Defence Staff; Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh During the Commissioning of the Nigerian Army Radio Station at the Mogadishu Barrack, yesterday in Abuja .

Photo: Joe Oroye

Transition: Chief Imam tasks Buhari on trust

By Umar Muhammad Puma

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eputy Chief Imam of Abuja Central Mosques, Dr. Muhammad Kabir Adam has urged president-elect Muhammadu Buhari, to put the fear of Allah in managing the affairs of the trust that was giving to him

by Allah.

Addressing journalists after special Juma’at prayer to mark the beginning of transition programme in Abuja yesterday, Dr. Adam, urged Buhari to do justice to all Nigerians and to also do all he could to make sure that common man of this country lives

Youths shut down crude oil production in Nembe

By Mohammed Usman with agency report

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ouths shut down crude oil production at two flow stations of the OML 29 (oil mining licence) oil block near Nembe in Bayelsa state on Friday.

Reuters reported that the protesters, who oppose the sale of the block, arrived in about 30 speedboats and climbed the fence at one facility with no resistance and dodged security at the other. It was not yet clear how much production was shut in.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc sold its stake in OML 29 and the accompanying Nembe Creek trunkline in late March to Aiteo Eastern E&P Co for about $1.7 billion.

French oil major Total SA and Italy’s Eni SpA also agreed to sell their minority stakes in both assets, giving Aiteo a 45 percent stake.

A spokesman for Shell said he could not immediately comment and Aiteo could not immediately be reached.

A Reuters reporter saw protesters holding up placards reading “Sale of our wealth by Shell is theft against mankind”, “We are angry” and “Nembe people reject sale of oil field”.

Meanwhile, a further sell-off by some investors booking month-end profits and others covering their short positions could push yields on Nigerian bonds higher.

Traders said the market experienced a sell-off this week after the Central Bank harmonised the Cash Reserves Requirement (CRR) on public and private sector deposits to 31 percent at its rate-setting meeting on Tuesday.

Previously the CRR on private sector deposits was 20 percent and 75 percent for public sector deposits.

a good life.

“We pray to Allah to protect this country, shower his blessings on this country and also pray to Almighty Allah to guide our leaders, let them lead with justice and let them do all they could do to make sure that common man of this country lives a good life.

He said “the central massage of today is on trust. When Almighty Allah give someone position in whatever kind, that position is a trust, so the massage today is that everybody should fear Allah in managing the affairs of the trust that was giving to them by him.

Buhari, who was represented by the former

Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, thanked Nigerians for their support and corporation.

And urged Nigerians to pray for the successful transfer of power on May 29th.

“I personally I’m here to represent the president-elect and some of the governors that accompany me, who is unavoidable absent. The prayers have gone on very well, we are grateful for all the support and corporation of all Nigerians. We have prayed to have a successful transfer of power on the Inauguration Day which is on the 29th of May this year insha Allah”, he said.

EFCC re-arraigns 3 oil marketers over N1.1bn subsidy fraud

By Patrick Andrew with agency report

W

hile debates over irrelevance of otherwise of the subsidy on petroeum heats up, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday re-arraigned three oil marketers— Opeyemi Ajuyah, Abdullahi Alao and Olarenwaju Olalusi– over an alleged N1.1 billion fuel-subsidy fraud.

The EFCC hauled in the marketers even as the two-month old long and tortuous queue for petroleum products continues in major cities in Nigeria.

Besides, tankers drivers are equally on strike for some reasons.

The defendants were charged before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court and were rearraigned on an amended eight-count charge alongside their companies—

Majope Investment Ltd., and Axenergy Ltd. Also, Atteh sought the leave of the court to recall five prosecution witnesses who had previously testified in the trial and was granted.

The defendants had been previously arraigned on Oct.10, 2012 on a nine-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and use of fake documents. They had pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail then.

However, on Friday, the EFCC counsel, Mr Seidu Atteh, informed the court that the prosecution had amended the charges.

Subsequently, Atteh asked the court to direct the defendants to retake their pleas and his request was granted.

He said the defendants had fraudulently obtained N1.1 billion

from the Federal Government between January 2011 and April 2012.

Atteh said the money was for subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 15 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

The defendants were also alleged to have forged a bill of lading, cargo manifest and other documents which they used in facilitating the fraud.

The alleged offences were said to contravene Sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.

The offences also violated Sections 363(a) and 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. Section 363(1) stipulates that the offender on conviction is liable to three years’ imprisonment.

The case was adjourned to October 20 for trial.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 11

News

Uduaghan suspends CSC chairman, members

By Osakhare Erese, Asaba

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elta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has suspended the Chairman and members of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) over gross mismanagement of the recent recruitment exercise into the state Civil Service.

Also, an administrative panel of inquiry has been set up to review the exercise.

The Secretary to the State Government, Comrade Ovuozorie Macaulay, in a statement issued yesterday said that the suspension became necessary as “the recruitment exercise meant to address some vacancies in the Service and respond

to the employment needs of the state has, however been abused and ridiculously mismanaged by the Civil Service Commission” “More embarrassing is the allegation of gross misconduct, abuse of office and fraud involving the sale of employment on account of which some members of

the commission are presently undergoing interrogation by the security agencies”, Comrade Maucaulay stated.

Comrade Ovuzorie explained that the suspension of the chairman and members of the CSC was to sanitise the exercise and pave way for an administrative panel which has been set up to review the exercise.

Tension as 15 political parties pull out of Rivers council polls

T

L-R: Head of Climate, Trade and Gender, Social Development Integrated Centre. (Social Action) Mrs Vivian Bellowu, Executive Director Keen and Care Initiative, Mrs. Josephine Alabi and member, Socialists Workers League, Mr. Adejobi Peter, during social action press briefing on the amended 2012 Petroleum Industry Bill in Abuja, yesterday . Photo - Justin Imo-owo

Ambode receives Transition Committee’s Report Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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agos State governorelect, Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday received the report of the Transition Committee, using the opportunity to reiterate his commitment to maintain the Centre of Excellence status the

state is known for.

The 10-member Committee, headed by the Deputy Governor-elect, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule was set up to make the transition between the out-going administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola and the in-coming one of Mr. Ambode a seamless one.

In his brief remarks, Ambode thanked members of the committee for a job well done and for submitting on schedule. He said the report will assist the in-coming government in ensuring that the tradition of excellence that the state is known for continued.

While submitting the report, the Deputy Governor-elect expressed appreciation on behalf of the members and thanked Mr. Ambode for giving them the opportunity to serve. She said they are ready anytime they are call upon to assist the new government in any capacity

Information minister tasks stakeholders on press council’s sustainability

By Evelyn Okakwu

I

nformation Minister, Senator Patricia Akwashiki has appealed tom stakeholders in the print media to allow the Nigerian Press Council to exist and discharge its mandate of promoting high ethical standard in the journalism profession.

A settlement from the minister’s head of media and publicity, Joseph Mutah said the Minister was responding to comments by the Executive Secretary, Nigerian press council, Mr. Nnamdi Njemanze, who informed her during

a familiarization visit to the Council in Abuja that some critical aspects of the Council’s functions were stalled by litigation from the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).

According to the statement, Sen. Akwashiki said it was essential for the Nigerian Press Council to exist and improve the statutory work of the media, who were expected to be driven by the observance of strict ethical and moral standards.

The Minister is of the opinion that since international development

partners have confidence in the Nigerian Press Council, particularly in the partnership to train journalists in the country, the print media owners should give the Council the benefit of the doubt to enable it to discharge its functions effectively.

It said the Minister, who remarked that lack of funds had been a recurring decimal in government’s ministries, departments and agencies, stressed the need for the incoming administration to adequately fund the Federal Ministry of Information and its parastatals for optimal

capacity utilization.

The statement further commended the staff of the Council for remaining dedicated to duty despite the numerous challenges that impeded their work.

Also according to the statement, the Executive Secretary of the Council, Mr. Nnamdi Njemanze said the Council strove to ensure the promotion of high professional standard in the media through the organization of capacity building programmes in areas of perceived media weaknesses.

here is panic and uncertainty as at least 15 political parties yesterday announced their non-participation in the controversial Rivers State local government elections billed for today.

This withdrawal by the 15 parties was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a joint meeting in Port Harcourt, which was read by the chairman of Labour Party (LP) in the state, Prince Favour Reuben.

Emphasizing that RSIEC was not prepared to conduct the election, Reuben stated that there is so much insincerity in the process for the conduct of the local government election, and urged the electoral umpire to obey a Court order which mandated all parties to maintain status quo.

He said, “We have lost confidence in the ability to conduct a free and fair election. In particular, while RSIEC had claimed that INEC has released the Voters’ Register to it, INEC informed the public that no such register has been released to RSIEC. This is outright deceit and embarrassing. It has come to our knowledge that the RSIEC has breached relevant laws, rules and deviated from observing due process.

“RSIEC should comply with the ruling of the Federal High Court, maintaining status quo in the case seeking to restrain INEC from releasing the current Voters’ Register to RSIEC. RSIEC should immediately postpone the election.”

Borno: Workers call for harmonization of salaries From Yola

A

Umar

Dankano,

pressure group in Borno State under the auspices of the Voice of Southern Borno has called on the state government to fill the gap in salaries between workers in Northern and Southern parts of the state.

Making the call in a press statement made available to newsmen in Yola, chairman of the group, Mohammed Ya’u said it is demoralizing for state civil servants to be receiving different salaries even though they work in the same civil service.

He further urged the state government to implement N18, 000 national minimum wage in the Southern part of the state, being the zone with the least salary package.

He decried the situation in which workers in the Northern parts of Borno state enjoys 60%

implementation of the N18’000 national Minimum wage while the Southern part were left to languish in poverty.

Ya’u added that his group could not fathom the motive behind the disparities in the pay package since they belong and work under the same Borno state government and they go to the same market.

“We see no reason why the northern part should benefit 60% of the minimum wage while the government have not implement even one percent in the southern parts of the state.

“In the contrary, the local government areas in Northern Borno have been enjoying sixty percent (60%) of the said minimum wage even without any verifications and this has created in us, the impression of biased leadership which we are appealing to the state governor to make amend “ Ya’u stated.

Page 12

Photo Splash

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Explorer’s readers club members distributing books to pupils of LEA Primary School Paikpe , FCT, during a Youths volunteer for change programme recently in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

People seeking to be enrolled as ad-hoc staff of INEC for the forth-coming local government election yesterday in Port Harcourt

Minister of Environment, Mrs Lawrencia Mallam inspecting the federal government procured clean cook stoves at the National Stadium yesterday in Abuja

David Godwin (L), a man trekking from Abuja to Ilorin, for realisation of Sen. Bukola Saraki’s Senate presidency ambition, receiving cheers from his admirers in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara state

Mr. and Mrs. Blessing Abednego Akhile during their marriage ceremony at Gospel Faith Mission International, Oke-Aleu street Ikole Ekiti, Ekiti State, recently

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 13

News

Okonjo-Iweala urges staff to support incoming administration

By Osby Isibor

T

he Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has advised members of staff of the ministry to support the incoming administration for the growth of the country.

Okonjo-Iweala said this at the send-off ceremony organised for her and the minister of state for finance at the ministry in Abuja.

She expressed joy over the

achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

She named some of the achievements to include the creation of 1.4 million jobs, the G-WIN programme, National Mortgage Refinancing Company, Nigeria Development Bank and Pension Transition Administration scheme.

She said the projects were beneficial to the growth of the

country and should be continued.

Okonjo-Iweala further urged the youth not to be deterred by criticism but be focused in all their endeavour as it was the only way to success She commended the heads of the various parastatals in the ministry and the staff for their efforts and support.

She said, “We have gone through hard times but they have pulled through’’.

In his contribution, the Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Bashir Yuguda, said the team had done its best as amiable as possible and would continue to serve the nation.

He noted that the ministry had also ensured and encouraged transparency in the administration by ensuring the publications of its activities.

Also, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Anastasia

Nwaobi, said Okonjo-Iweala and Yuguda had demonstrated patriotism in their work.

Nwaobi expressed appreciation to the minister for the humane and passionate way she had managed the economy.

She said the essence of the gathering was to commend their efforts towards the growth of the economy in spite of the various challenges.

Ekiti Kidnapping Saga: CHRSJ lauds Fayose, IGP for prompt intervention

F

Gov Fayose ensuring peaceful relocation of Hausas from Atikankan, Ado Ekiti to Sasa, Ikere road today

Indian hospital offers free medical services to Nigerians

By Doyin Ojosipe

A

n Abuja based Indian hospital, Primus International Super Specialty Hospital, has provided free health care services to some Nigerians at the National Mosque and a branch of Redeemed Christian Church of God, in Abuja.

Addressing press men yesterday, the hospital’s PRO, Alhaji Umar Jibia, said apart from the gesture being a part of its

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the hospital has systematically included the policy to help improve the health of the Nigerians as the country is its host community.

He also said the gesture was aimed at complementing the effort of government in providing qualitative health care services to Nigerians.

“As a responsible organization, we have seen the efforts of both the Federal and FCT government

to provide qualitative health care to the residents of the city; so, we feel we needed to support them to bring qualitative healthcare to the citizens,” he said.

Jibia said the primus hospital has since engaged in the community practice for the past four years, adding that the hospital in conjunction with Health and Human Services Secretariat of the FCTA, had visited places like Wuse, Garki, Deidei and Dudu market to treat traders and the

public.

“We have been doing this in the past few years of our existence in Nigeria and we will continue to provide such free medical camps so that residents of the FCT will feel our presence and our impact on their health,” he added.

Part of the free health care services offered by the hospital included blood pressure (B.p) checks, Blood sugar level, and Eye screening; free medical consultations among others.

Prioritise completion of Ayobo-Ipaja road, residents urge Ambode

S

ome Lagos residents have called on the State Governor-elect, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to complete the Ayobo/Ipaja Road project in Alimosho very early in his tenure.

The residents and some motorists in the area spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

They said the stoppage of work on the project and some of its bad portions had resulted in daily gridlock on the road, causing them great hardship.

“We are appealing to the incoming governor to give Ayobo -Ipaja road priority among on-going road projects

to be completed by him. “ This project has dragged for too long and now that the contractor has stopped work, it is gridlock day and night and the situation is always chaotic. “ Completion of the project within the next three months will put an end to the sufferings we go through on the road, “ Mr Adekunle Ayeni, a resident of Baruwa said.

Another resident of the area, Mrs Sarah Adewimimo, said she often spent about two hours in gridlock trying to access Iyana-Ipaja from her Megida home.

She said if not for the daily gridlock and the bad portions of the road, the journey should not take more than 20 miniutes.

Adewemimo added that she was always late to work because of the situation, calling on Ambode to end all the issues about the road by fixing it soon after his inauguration.

Mr Femi Akintoba , a commercial bus driver who lives in Oluwaga, commended Gov. Babatunde Fashola for starting the project.

He said the fixing of Ayobo, Oluwaga, Opeki, and Ipaja sections had not only solved the flooding in

the area but had also made driving pleasurable.

Akintoba, however, pointed out that the bad portions around Gate Bus Stop was the cause of daily gridlock on the road, urging Ambode to pencil the project down for early completion.

Mr Godwin Andrews, a commuter, described movement on the road as “a very stressful and debilitating experience”.

He urged the incoming administration to speed up the completion of the road to give users a new lease of life. (NAN)

ollowing the constitution of the Special Squad by the Police authority in the land with a view to nipping the recent incessant kidnapping in the bud in Ekiti State, a human rights group in Nigeria, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has applauded the State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose and the Inspector General of Police(IGP),Mr. Solomon Arase for prompt intervention to the spate of the dastard act in the State, explaining that the proactive measure of the authorities has put the kidnapping saga under control.

It however appealed to the Hausa and Yoruba Community in the State on the recent fracas between the two parties see themselves as brothers and sisters by allowing peace to reign across the State.

In a press statement signed by the Executive Chairman of the rights group, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman and a copy was made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, disclosed that the prompt intervention of the Ekiti State government and the Police to curtail the spate of the criminal act were commendable and welcome development.

He urged the people of the state to help the government and the Police authority in giving out useful information to unravel those behind the heinous crime.

Comrade Sulaiman therefore urged the political actors in the state to stop politicizing the criminal act, noting that all hands must be on deck by now in order to stamp out the menace out of the shore of Ekiti State and its environs so that people of the state could be sleeping with their two eyes closed.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 14

Crime Cycle

Stanley Onyekwere pmlcrimecycle@gmail.com 08138559513

Barber docked for sneaking up on bathing female

A

36-year-old barber, Azeez Adewale, charged with peeping at his female neighbour while bathing in the bathroom, was arraigned midweek in Lagos.

Adewale, who resides at No. 23, Arowojobe St., Lagos, is being tried for breach of peace and assault at an Oshodi Magistrates’ Court.

The prosecutor, Corporal.

Kehinde Olatunde, told the court that the accused committed the offences on May 17 at his residence.

He said that the accused was peeping at his neighbour, one Miss Victoria Emmanuel, in the bathroom while she was bathing.

“The accused was secretly

looking at the complainant when she was bathing,” he said.

Olatunde said that the accused was sitting at the passage when the complainant passed with a bucket of water to the bathroom.

“The accused was caught sneaking upon her. He had gone and followed her behind, he went to the back of the bathroom where there is a small hole, stood there and was peeping at her while she bathed,” he said.

The prosecutor said that when the complainant noticed an eyeball watching her, she poured soap water into his eyes.

“While she was bathing,

Police arraign 2 men for criminal assault

T

he police on Wednesday arraigned one Chidubem Oratunwan and Obum Eze, in a Grade 1 Area Court, Kado, Abuja, for criminal force, assault and causing serious hurt.

The accused both reside at Jabi Motor Park, Abuja.

The prosecutor, Insp.

Simon Ibrahim, told the court that the matter was reported at Utako Police Station on April 23 by Cpl. Obim Victor and Tochukwu Obi both of Lagos State.

He said that the complainants went to collect their parcel which was sent to them from Lagos which they agreed to pay N1,000 as cost of transporting the parcel from Lagos to Abuja.

The prosecutor said on getting to the motor park, the accused formed common interest and charged the complainants additional N500, hiking the amount to N1,500.

He said that while they were still having an argument on the amount, the accused formed common intention and beat up the complainants and seize their car key.

Ibrahim said that Tochukwu Obi sustained serious injuries on his body.

The prosecutor said the offence is punishable under Section 149 of the Penal Code.

However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and the Judge, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, granted them bail in the sum of N20,000 each and a surety each in like sum.

The judge said the sureties must be Grade Level Six Officers in the Federal Civil Service.

He further said that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and adjourned the case until June 2 for further hearing.

(NAN)

at midnight begging her to allow him enter that her friend sent him to her, the complainant always ignored him, telling him to wait for day to break,” he said.

The offences, Olatunde said, contravened sections 166 and 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Section 171 prescribes a three-year jail term as penalty for offenders.

The accused pleaded his innocence of the offences and was granted bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.

The Magistrate, Mr Akeem Fashola, adjourned the case to June 8 for mention. (NAN)

she sighted an eye looking at her through a small hole in the bathroom and she poured soap water on the eye.

“The accused forcefully opened the bathroom door, descended on the complainant by punching her severally on her face, and she quickly shouted for help and this attracted neighbours who came to her rescue,” Olatunde said.

He said that before that day, the accused had on two different occasions went to knock on the complainant’s door at 12 midnight asking her to open her door that he wanted to deliver a message.

“The accused knocked at the complainant’s door

CJN Mahmud Mohammed

Man, 40, allegedly defiles minor

A

40-year-old commercial driver, Sesan Tianu, who allegedly defiled the seven-year-old daughter of his neighbour, was arraigned in a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Wednesday.

Tianu, who resides at No. 18b, Adetoke St., Bariga area of Lagos, is standing trial for child rape.

But the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, ASP Godwin Anyanwu, had said that the accused committed the offence on May 3, around his residence.

Anyanwu said that the accused took advantage of the seven-yearold girl. ``As his victim was urinating in front of the house, the accused lured her into his parked commercial bus. ``He inserted his finger in her private part. ``The raped girl screamed but the accused covered her mouth with his hand and he further penetrated into the girl’s private part.

“The accused threatened the victim not to tell her mother. ``The raped girl’s mother noticed blood stain on her pant when bathing her in the night and morning.

“The little girl told her mother what happened to her and then the case was reported at the Bariga Police Station, “ Anyanwu said.

The prosecution submitted that the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.O. Soladoye, ordered that the legal advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the case should be sought.

Soladoye granted the accused bail in the sum of N250, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case to Aug.1 for the DPP’s advice.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 137 prescribes life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of child rape.

(NAN)

Eastern Naval Command arrests 30 ships in 6 months —FOC

T

he Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Nigerian Navy, said on Sunday in Calabar, that it arrested no fewer than 30 ships under its operating bases in the last six months.

Rear Admiral Henry Babalola, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) ENC listed the bases as Calabar, Ibaka, Oron, Bonny, Ikot Abasi and Port Harcourt.

Babalola who spoke during the regimental dinner, after the bi-annual sea exercise, which took place between May 12 and 14, said the ships were arrested while conveying adulterated crude oil and other stolen petroleum products.

Babalola said that the arrests were made possible due to the steady patrol of Navy personnel along the water ways. ``In the last six months, I think we have arrested well over 30 ships and boats and our men have been on steady patrol and we have destroyed several illegal refineries in our operating bases. ``When we arrest a ship, we go further to investigate their patrons and hand them over to the relevant government agencies, like the civil defence and others for necessary action,’’ he said.

He said that the sea inspection was a normal routine exercise of the Navy to secure the economic assets of the country and other multi-million dollars off shore investments and platforms. ``The important of this exercise is that we continue to maintain a continuous presence in our maritime environment, to give confidence to legal and useful users of the maritime sector. (NAN)

Court sentences man,18, to 3 months’ imprisonment for stealing bicycle

A

n Ojo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State on Wednesday sentenced 18-year-old Somtochukwu Otika to three months’ imprisonment for stealing a bicycle after he had pleaded guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mr Teslimi Shomade,

said that the convict would serve the jail term with hard labour or an option of N18, 500 fine.

“Somtochukwu Otika is found guilty of stealing a bicycle belonging to one Miss Chioma Ojiaku. ``His offence contravened Section 278(1)

and is punishable under Section 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

“He is hereby sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour or an option of N18, 500 fine,” he said.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, ASP Godwin Eze, had told the court that Otika stole a bicycle

on May 13, at noon in front of the Diamond Bank Plc., branch located at the Balogun Market, Trade Fair Complex in Ojo. “The accused on the said date did steal a bicycle belonging to the complainant, pretending that he was borrowing it from him,” he said. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 15

Politics

Warman Ogoriba: Going away with his smile

By Patrick Andrew

Y

ou hardly catch Representative Warman Ogoriba without a smile.

In fact, smiling seems his second nature and, for that reason, some say his vivacious disposition is not only infectious but makes it easier for colleagues and subordinates alike to work with.

And as he sauntered into Room 141 accompanied not by the usual retinue of colleagues on the House Committee on Niger Delta but the secretary of the committee and few other staff, one could hardly figure out that he was leaving the National Assembly having served out his second tenure. Outwardly, he cuts the picture of a new entrant: eager and raring to go through with legislative processes.

He had summoned the corps not to Room 022 which is reminiscent of an inquest for that is just what that room is meant for. Ministries, Ministers, Corporate executives, captains of industries, members of Civil Liberty Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, heads of parastatals and several others, are often brought face to face with various committees of the House of Representatives either to attest to or buttress claims during public hearing.

No, Ogoriba had sought the attention of the press corps at Room 141. The invitation engendered curiosity from the members, who wondered what further inquisition the House Committee on Niger Delta wanted to make barely a fortnight before the life of the 8th National Assembly winds down. And so as he strolled in, the corps members’ curiosity was at its peak. Room 141 suddenly went quiet and you could hear the drop of a pin. Many sought to establish what was likely in the offing by searching his countenance.

But that yielded little as nothing but only the regular smiles broadly registered on his face.

The representative of Yenagoa/ Kuloma/Opokuma Federal Constituency and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and Amnesty Programme, merely stretched the puzzle by broadening his famous smiles, and then apologised for coming in late.

“Those of you who know me since 2007 when I came into the National Assembly would testify to the fact that I hardly attend functions late, I am always punctual. I am sorry that I kept you waiting but suffice to say that I had a call from the Speaker for a meeting (Aminu Waziri Tambuwal) and so l did send a text message to your chairman notifying him that our meeting should be shifted from 1.30pm to 2.00pm.

But now I am here,” he said with the constant smile dribbling on his lips.

Ogoriba proceeded to introduce his staff by names, designations and duties. Such was the air of familiarity that the staff stepped forward excitedly to be identified

From left: Chairman, House of Representatives Press Corps, Emmanuel Ovuakporie, Hon. Warman Ogoriba (m) and Kauthar Khaleel, Vice Chairman Press Corps displaying the portrait of Ogoriba at the farewell ceremony.

Photo: Mahmud Isa as if on a podium to receive some prestigious national honour.

And then the BOMB SHELL. “I actually called you here to formally inform you that I will be leaving the National Assembly after completing my two tenures. I came in here in 2007 and was appointed the Chairman of the House Committee on Risk Management and later House Committee on the Ministry of Niger Delta. So I came in to bid you farewell and to thank you for working with me throughout the period.”

The revelation, as it were, prompted unsolicited applause, something quite rare among journalists who hardly acknowledged good-natured remarks with loud applause. The remarks broke the ice, loosen tension and altered the mood of the press corps members who suddenly adjusted their seats and rightly sat at ease. Cameras kept on cue were panned down and tape recorders were put out of cue.

“

The Representative made it clear that it was neither a speech making event nor one for recitation; he only wanted to thank the press corps for working assiduously with him and ensuring that the activities of the committee whenever it came up were kept on the front burner of national discourse.

“Pray for me because I am a politician and I will again begin afresh to learn how to live as nonmember of the legislature. Anything could happen,” he said still wearing his broad smiles.

Seldom does a member of the legislature bring himself this down before the press. His was unique, unsolicited, humane and quite laudable. Isn’t his petition or if you like benign request, one that is catchy for anyone with half a logical spiritual drift would be willing to traverse the oceans to oblige?

So, Representative Ogoriba just strolled in to bid the Reps Press Corps goodbye. What touching

Nigerians should appreciate the people of Niger Delta region for keeping quiet for all these while when our water has been polluted; when oil spills have taken over our land. People defecate on water and drink that water. That is where we are.

moment that!

Nonetheless, one feels impelled to recapture just few moments of Ogoriba’s activities as the chairman of the House Committee on the Ministry of Niger Delta.

Piqued over the poor handling of the flagship East West Road project- the only significant project of the Ministry of Niger Delta, and considering that not a single project done by the ministry had been commissioned since the ministry was created in 2009, the Warman Ogoriba-led committee took the minister, Dr Steve Oru, to task last September.

The committee, which could not hide its disappointment with the slow pace of work on the project, had instituted a weeklong probe into the award of contracts by the ministry, competence of contractors handling jobs, progress made, as well as amount spent.

“Though, we may not have the whole details as to the legality of what the ministry has done by dealing wholly with a subcontractor and shutting out the main contractor, we know that such an arrangement leaves much to be desired; we will get to the bottom of it,” he said in reaction to one of the double-dealing in contracts awarded by the ministry.

Little wonder his committee directed the Ministry and the contractors involved to reconcile discrepancies in the various contract figures awarded by the ministry, “We want to ensure there is a proper reconciliation of all figures. The committee will soon ask the various stakeholders to come back here so that we can screen all the contract figures because what

we have now are at variance with what the ministry has.

“What we want is for the ministry and the contractors to reconcile all their various accounts.

For instance, a situation whereby SURE-P gives money and notifies the ministry one month after does not indicate proper accounting process.

“I think what is appropriate is for SURE-P to notify the ministry one month before making payments to the contractors. If this is done, then there will be synergy in the whole process among the 3 stakeholders.”

Sadly, Ogoriba will leave without leading his committee to invite the President to commission the East West Road.

He holds strong views on the NNDC and equally never shied away from sparing his thoughts on agitation against the Niger Delta region: “The NDDC and the Niger Delta Ministry Acts are very clear in terms of contribution to the funding of the NDDC. There has been no year that the funding in terms of the different ratios of contribution has been as required by the Act. The oil companies are not contributing their own quota, and the Federal Government is not doing enough.

There is a backlog.

“The Ministry came. In the first year, it appropriated N150 bn, and it was like a Greek gift. They gave us N150 billion, gave us East West Roads, transferring East West Road from the Ministry of Works to Ministry of the Niger Delta.

Why did they not keep East West Road and ask the works ministry to embark on a different project? How much is this East West Road?

“It is close to N200 billion and it is in three sections from Delta to Akwa-Ibom. Those are the issues.

In the second year, how much was appropriated? N69 bn. Is it enough to put something on ground? That N69 billion is inclusive of overhead and capital. In 2012, the Ministry got N68 billion inclusive of the investor project. How much is that to develop a region? So, those opinions are just unfortunate.”

“Nigerians should appreciate the people of Niger Delta region for keeping quiet for all these while when our water has been polluted; when oil spills have taken over our land.

People defecate on water and drink that water. That is where we are.

“You see communities in darkness, even when at the other side of it we see Chevron, Shell or Agip in very bright light. And I begin to ask: where is the muchcanvassed issue of community development?”

And finally, Ogoriba said, “I expect the government to take further look into the problems of the Niger Delta region because if anything happens there, it will cause fluctuations in the revenue of this country. And once there is fluctuation in the revenue of this country, it will be difficult for this country to still be the so-called giant of Africa.”

PAGE 16

Interview

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

‘NWC sabotaged President Jonathan’s re-election’ Contd from Page 2

Director of Women Affairs of the PCO, the Director of Youth of the PCO and so many other key members of the Presidential Campaign Organisation were other powerful and credible voices that worked so hard for the president during the campaign.

Instead of leading the party, few individuals in the NWC were busy doing deals with the APC secretly. We in the PCO were not like others that were collecting monies from all the various PDP aspirants in the states and promising them the party’s nomination and ticket. This led to a lot of problems within the party because at the end, they did not give those aspirants what they asked for. Consequently, many of them rebelled and worked against us during the elections.

What is important to us now is to rebuild our party and ensure that we have credible, legitimate, genuine and strong leadership that is prepared to take the incoming APC government head on and keep them on their toes.

We need a fresh leadership that is made up of bright, young, strong and intellectually-inclined minds that are tolerant of dissenting views and differing opinions.

We need a new leadership that is open, kind, fair-minded and accommodating. In order to achieve that, I must add my voice to that of a number of governors and other key stakeholders and leaders in our party who have said that the party’s National Working Committee must go. Sadly, the NWC has become a clog in the wheel of progress.

They have much to learn from what the leadership of the Labour Party and the Liberal Democratic Party did in the U.K. just a couple of weeks ago when they resigned a few hours after losing the election to the conservatives.

They resigned with honour and no-one had to ask them to go or call for their resignation. They did the right and proper thing because they are well educated people who have honour. Sadly, the NWC members lack both education and honour otherwise they would have resigned by now.

The truth is that the NWC has to go and I add my voice to that of Governors Babaginda Aliyu, Sule Lamido, Ayodele Fayose and many others including the overwhelming majority of

governors, party leaders and elders, saying that there is need for a change at the top if the PDP is serious about forging party unity, restoring its fortunes, redeeming itself and winning any election in 2019.

I do not want to rock the boat out of respect for our president and party elders, otherwise I would have said a lot more that will shock the nation and party faithful about the atrocities that these people have committed over the last few years. I have a whole file on it which we compiled during the campaign.

Two members of the NWC specifically were actually working for the APC and were on their payroll. Their job was to destroy our fortunes, pass on our secrets, create discord in our ranks and undermine the efforts of the PCO in the media campaign. That is just one shocker and there are plenty more.

When they accuse us of campaign of hate, was it the Presidential Campaign Organisation of President Goodluck Jonathan that went all over the north just before the elections and told all those worshiping in the mosques that to vote for President Jonathan will be a vote for an infidel? That is what you call a hate campaign and we did not indulge in that.

It was the APC that indulged in that the Friday before the presidential election. Was it the Presidential Campaign Organisation that kept on speaking about President Jonathan and his family in derogative terms and insulting him day and night? The answer is no.

We did not do that. It was the APC that did that. Their hatred for President Jonathan, all our candidates and our party was unmitigated and unrestrained.

The APC were the ones that

“

started and indulged in personal attacks and those that said, from within the ranks of the PDP’s NWC, that we started it, have clearly lost touch with reality.

Again looking inwards, was it the Presidential Campaign Organisation that first coined the phrase ‘Janjaweed and Talibanparty’ which the labeled the APC? No, it was not. Rather it was somebody in the National Working Committee of the PDP. Is that not what you call a campaign of hatred?

We completely reject the grave allegation of indulging in campaign of hatred and where harsh words were used we did not start it and we responded to it in a logical, precise, appropriate, firm and forceful manner. That is the right and proper thing to do.

Taking on the APC and Lai Mohammed is not something that can be done by wearing kid gloves or by behaving in a cowardly manner. You must be ready to stand firm, fight your corner, state your case and remain true to the end without flinching or batting an eyelid.

That was what we did and I am very proud of that. We fought for the president and we did not betray the cause. We did not allow anything to distract us from our objective which was to tell the world about the virtues of our candidate and to tell Nigerians why we believed that Buhari was not the man to lead our country.

Though we lost the election I believe that we discharged our duty and obligation effectively despite the constant hostility and opposition from within. If the NWC really wants to know why we lost the election they should go and search their souls and ask themselves if every single one of them was loyal to the party and

Fani-Kayode to the president. Did they really fight for the president? Were some of them not fighting for the APC and collecting monies all over the place from aspirants and promising to give them tickets?

Were some of them not dividing the ranks of the party? Were some of them not trying to undermine the efforts of the Presidential Campaign Organisation right from the start?

That was what was going on and that is just a tip of the iceberg. We know all these things. We know what we faced from day one. They resented the fact that the president had his own campaign organisation right from day one because they wanted to manage it themselves, run everything and make sure that they had access to funds.

There is no presidential system in the world where a president standing for an election will have the leadership of the party running his campaign organisation. It is never done and it has never been done. You must

The fact is that the Presidential Campaign Organisation not only did an excellent job, but we also fought a good fight.

We fought a better fight than any other organ of the party had fought over the last two or three years against a relentless, well-funded, well-motivated and well organised opposition.

have a Presidential Campaign Organisation of your own at that point and that is what happened.

It happened in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and it has happened again in 2015. The president chose that course and we fought a good fight. Had it not been for the efforts of the Presidential Campaign Organisation and the fact that we fought an aggressive, focused, virile, proactive and strong campaign and returned every bullet the APC fired at our candidates, we would have been completely overwhelmed. We would have lost the election by at least five to ten million votes.

When we came on the scene, we changed the fortunes of the PDP and our candidates for the better because we worked hard.

This is something that had not happened in the last two years because the NWC was weak, divided, incapable, intolerant and indolent.

In spite of the recent unpleasant happenings, do you see the PDP emerging stronger?

The PDP will come back to its old self once the leadership of the party is changed. The NWC needs to go. They created the mess that the party is in and they have widened the deep divisions.

They have almost destroyed the party with their incompetence, greed and pettiness. If the NWC is looking for a scapegoat they should not look in our direction.

Instead they should look within themselves. That is the hard and bitter truth.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Contd from Pg 9 not himself, things will work well, we don’t have local councils now. The needs of the people at the local level may cost N100,000, but If you sit here in Katsina and decide something of N1 million for them, it may not be what they need. The key word is not lack of resources, but involving people in decision making. That is the essence of democracy.

This state under the native authority as a province was doing well. What then happened? We want to look at Katsina in the next 20 or 30 years. There was a time when crude oil was less than 10 dollars and it can happen again tomorrow. The international community decides how much they will buy your oil and the quantity they need from you. So, we have no control over pricing, we have no control over the market and even imported products. How can we depend on something that has a life span? Let us depend on the land to give us food. No country is great when it cannot feed itself.

You contested the APC primary with some people. What is your plan for them?

We have already passed that stage.

Nine of us contested the primary and all of us worked for the success of the APC in Katsina State including preparations for the presidential and National Assembly elections, as well as the governorship poll, each of us was involved and brought in materials for the project. So, we don’t have problems.

Even though the APC was announced as the winner of the election in the state, members of the other parties are from Katsina and we will offer a hand of fellowship to them too. We are going to be magnanimous in victory. We are going to provide leadership and not rulership.

We have no problem in carrying along anybody who has the interest of the people of Katsina at heart. Our key word here is the people and not about skyscrapers. It is not about roads that will not go anywhere, but to develop the people and in turn they will develop the land.

Do you think the emergence of Buhari as president will help your administration?

We are not meeting with Buhari on the platform of political party alone. We have a long standing relationship and now, we have a political relationship. That Buhari is from Katsina State is a plus and it depends on how we manage it. We want him to be a Nigerian leader. We don’t want Buhari to be a regional, zonal or provincial leader.

We want him to be a Nigerian leader that will leave a legacy of good governance and that is the basis on which the people elected him.

So, we will help him maintain and improve on those qualities which the people of Nigeria see in him. We will never do anything that will tarnish his image, his reputation or his standing internationally and nationally. So, for us, his emergence as the president is a plus. When we go somewhere and say I am from Katsina, we want the doors to be open. So for us, it is a plus.

Let us take you back to the issue of education, we are aware that your party has a policy on education.

Are you going to follow it or do you

PAGE17

‘Our first priority is education’

Masari

intend to initiate your own policy?

The first item on the agenda of the APC manifesto is human resource development.

How can you develop human resources without education? Fundamentally, the position of the APC in education is known.

In Katsina, the figures were not produced by me, but in collaboration with the federal ministry of education, Katsina has about 20 percent enrollment rate and some states have 80 percent. So, their approach and mine will be different, but the goal remains the same.

Here in Katsina, we will design a road

“

that will lead us to success on the basis of the programmes provided by our political party in the area of education. We will take roads that will lead us, that will lead Katsina to salvage itself, restore the honour, dignity and integrity of the people. We cannot do that outside education. The road that other states will take to reach the destination will be different from ours, but the objective remains the same.

You were Speaker of the House of Representatives for four years and that means your politics spans beyond Katsina. What kind of

Here in Katsina, we will design a road that will lead us to success on the basis of the programmes provided by our political party in the area of education.

We will take roads that will lead us, that will lead Katsina to salvage itself, restore the honour, dignity and integrity of the people. We cannot do that outside education.

Interview

leadership will you suggest for the eighth National Assembly in order to assist General Buhari in piloting the affairs of the nation?

Luckily, we are going to have a comfortable majority in the National Assembly. What I have seen as a former member of the House of Representatives is that because of the patronage system of the governors, they have destroyed the institution, patronage system in the sense that for you to become a senator, you must be in the good books of the governor. For you to be a member of the House, you must lobby the governor to make you a candidate.

Definitely, at the National Assembly, if you play your card well, it is an opportunity to come into limelight. We need to ask ourselves why people sometimes deviate from why they contested for election to go to the National Assembly. If we go there, what interest do we represent? How do we manage our local interest with national issues? If you are making an Act, it is for the entire country. If you are participating in the budget, you have to find a way of managing your interest.

As long as the interest of your community doesn’t find its way into the national development agenda which is the budget, you are no longer providing representation.

So, the reality of the situation is, let us allow the system to work. In determining the leadership, one has to focus on why we need change. We must get leaders that understand why we need the change in Nigeria. It is not about changing faces or names, it is about changing how we conduct businesses of government at any level. How do we as Nigerians do things. After all, South Africa said it will return our money after Buhari is sworn in. Why? The international community is comfortable that somebody who will manage the resources well is coming on board. These are the kind of people we need and this should also be the vision of those coming to the National Assembly. I hope they are not attracted by the package, but also by the work.

Finally, how would you describe your victory as the governor-elect of Katsina State?

I am a normal person. I don’t look at things in such a way that it will take my mind off the goal. We have promised, we have pledged and we have prayed that God will give us the opportunity to restore the honour, dignity, prestige and integrity of the people of Katsina and this is what we are going to do, we see it as a challenge. As speaker, I was the only person in the country who was given a presidential treatment anywhere I go. I am here because we believe that without executive powers, you cannot make any meaningful contribution to development in this country at this point in time.

That is why I have decided to come back home and see how I can uplift the state because I am a product of public institution. I cannot be there and watch public institutions where 99 percent of our people started from crumble. If we are having 20 percent pass mark in Katsina, where will the state be in 20 years time? It means we will be nowhere in the scheme of things in Nigeria. There are some states in Nigeria that if they stop going to school, it will take us 30 years in Katsina to catch up with them.

PAGE 18

Politics News

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Senate Presidency: APC may conduct internal election for aspirants

Sen. Ahmad Lawan

By Umar Mohammed Puma

T

he Senators elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 28 parliamentary polls may conduct primary elections for the major contenders for the Senate presidency before the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly.

The indication of possible primary election for Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno), Senator Bukola Saraki (APC Kwara), Senator George Akume (APC

Sen. George Akume

Benue) and Senator Ahmed Lawan (APC Yobe), came as a result of the jettisoning of the zoning formula for the presiding officers of the National Assembly.

The 5-man committee setup by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to come out with the zoning formula of National Assembly principal offices and other major positions in President Buhari’s administration recently submitted its recommendations to the party leadership.

However, there was no deliberation and ratification

Sen. Bukola Saraki

of the report as the committee was expanded and asked to make further consultations with relevant stakeholders, including governors-elect and the president elect.

Though the report of the 5-man committee led by Segun Oni, APC Deputy National Chairman, South, was not made public, it was discovered that the committee recommended zoning the office of the Senate president to the North Central geo-political Zone and Deputy Senate President to the North East geo-political zone.

But, there were fears that the

committee was being influenced by some powerful people in the party, a situation that led to the jettisioning of the zoning formula.

The details of how the primary election will be conducted for the main contenders is still sketchy, but a source said the 60 APC senators will elect the president of the Senate and Deputy Senate President from the four contenders including Senator Ali Ndume, Senate Committee Chairman on MDGs, Senator Bukola Saraki, Senate Committee Chairman on Ecology and Environment, Senator George Akume, Senate Minority Leader, and Senator Ahmed Lawan, Senate Committee Chairman on Public Account.

Details of how the primaries will be conducted is not also very clear, but a source who does not want his name on print said the winner and runner-up will be endorsed as Senate president and Deputy Senate President if they are from different geo-political zones.

But in a situation where the runner-up and the winner are from the same geo-political zone, a fresh primary will be conducted for the contenders who are from the same zone in order to get a senator who will be endorsed as APC candidate for Deputy Senate President.

On whether the process will not generate further controversy, the source maintained that it will not create any crisis as all the contenders will sign an agreement to abide by the outcome of the primaries before

the election will take place.

Two of the four contenders who emerge victorious will contest for the Senate President and Deputy Senate President when the 8th National Assembly will be inaugurated in the first week of June.

Meanwhile, the struggle for the Senate presidency by the main contenders from the North Central and North East is still on as many of them intensified efforts to lobby the senators-elect.

The pro-Saraki/Ndume group led by Senator-elect, Dino Melaye (APC Kogi), has so far mobilized about 70 senators for the duo before the recent development.

Pundits had argued that if election into the office of the Senate president is to take place today, without external interference, Senator Bukola Saraki (APC Kwara) and Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno) will take the day. Sarki and Ndume had agreed to support each other should the APC zone the office of the Senate presidency to the North Central or to the North East.

Those in support of Saraki/ Ndume group are of the view that if the APC zones the office of the Senate presidency to the North Central, it should be Senator Bukola Saraki and if it is zoned to the North East, it should be Senator Ali Ndume. The argument in favour of the duo is that they are the only ones in the race for the Senate presidency who are capable and without god-fathers.

Day Senate vetoed Sultan, others, Forum urges rep-elect confirms NAHCON board members to appeal certificate

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

P

etitions made against nominees of President Goodluck Jonathan into the board of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) were on Thursday ignored by the Senate. However, it approved the appointments of the chairman and commissioners of the commission as requested by the president.

President Jonathan had in a letter forwarded to the Senate earlier this month, nominated Abdullahi Muktar Muhammad and eight others as chairman and commissioners respectively in view of the expiration of the tenure of the outgoing management of the commission on the 24th of this month.

The NSCIA in its petition objected to the composition of the entire nominees presented to the Senate for the appointments.

Amongst other reasons cited by the body in the petition, it argued that contrary to the provision of the Act, the president made the nominations, and forwarded the list to the Senate without consultation with the NSCIA or the Sultan.

NSCIA quoted Section 3(2) of the NAHCON Act, 2006, which states that “The President shall, after due consultation, appoint persons of proven integrity as Chairman and members of the commission, subject to confirmation by the Senate”, to substantiate its position.

Also, one Abdulmumini Adamu equally kicked against the nomination of Abdullahi Muktar Muhammad, as the chairman designate, but gave no specific reasons.

But, the earlier petition filed by the Association for the Promotion of Consumer Rights International was withdrawn before the committee looked into the petitions.

The committee in its recommendations after going through the petitions, though dismissed that of Mallam Abdulmumini Adamu, on account of non - appearance before it for substantiation, but counseled the Senate to use its discretion on the one filed by the NSCIA vis - a - vis confirmation of the appointments of the nominees.

The recommendation reads thus” The committee conducted the screening in line with its

mandate from the Senate, but it is constrained to make specific recommendations on the nominees because of the sensitivity of the petition from the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) which came half way into the exercise .

“The Senate is kindly requested to consider and give further directives and guidance on the matter” But the Senate while considering the report yesterday, ignored the NSCIA’s petition by confirming the appointments of the eight nominees as proposed by the president.

Those confirmed aside the chairman designate were, Yusuf Adebayo Ibrahim, from Oyo state as Executive Commissioner, Abdullahi Modibbo Saleh, from Adamawa State also as Executive Chairman.

Others who are all in the category of Commissioner (Non Executive) are: Alhaji Ibrahim Ezeani from Enugu State, Adeyemi Ademola Fuad from Osun State, Alhaji Enewari Zikeyi from Bayelsa State, Hajiya Aisha Muhammad, from Kebbi State and Danjuma Salihu Usman from Adamawa state.

forgery judgment

By Isioma Nwabasha

T

he Benue Youth Forum in Abuja has called on Christian Abah, the member-elect representing Ado/ Okpokwu/Ogbadibo federal constituency in Benue State, to appeal the judgment passed by Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court Abuja, voiding the certificate of return issued to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the ground of certificate forgery.

A statement signed by the President of the forum, Mr. Terna Hemba, said the judgment needs to be appealed, as the judge did not conduct proper verification on Abah’s certificate before passing the judgment.

He explained that Abah acquired the relevant certificates that he used to fill INEC forms which qualified him to contest all

elective positions in the country, saying the forgery case was used against him in the 2011 general elections which he won, but was denied by the court.

Hemba stated that the plaintiff, Hon. Hassan Saleh, wants to use the same method he adopted in 2011 to go to the House of Representatives which is against the wishes of the masses.

The statement added that the embattled member-elect has a genuine certificate which would be tendered in a competent court of law anywhere and anytime.

According to the president, ‘‘I tell you Saleh has failed this time because his antics will not work.’’

The president therefore called on Abah’s supporters to remain calm as the case would be tackled at the Appeal Court, saying Saleh wants to tarnish the rising political profile of the member-elect who he sees as a threat to him.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Tourism

Ezeagu: Tourist complex of caves and springs

L

ocated in the southern central pan of Enugu State, the Ezeagu Tourist Complex is a half hour drive from the state capital and sits in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The complex features exotic foliage, a beautiful waterfall, a natural spring and lake and a three kilometre long cave full of tunnels and chambers.

Take a thirty minutes drive from the bustling capital city of Enugu State to Ezeagu Tourist Complex. The complex exhibits one of the natural wonders of nature. Measuring about 22 hectares in size, it comprises a lake, a cave and a waterfall (spring water). Pilgrims are continuously attracted to this site following the believed curative nature of the water from the fall. The waterfall, locally called ‘Ogbagada’ is about 23 meters high. The water rushes down the cliff with a thunderous sound that can be heard from a distance. One great phenomenon about Ogbagada is its associated ability to signal the beginning of harmattan through an unusual loud noise from the falls. Its splendour is expressed by the almost 5 kilometres long Obinofia cave whose sheer size and compartments is awe-striking.

The surrounding landscape is a marriage of various land forms with unique weather condition and exotic vegetation.

The cave has several tunnels branching out in different directions. Some of the tunnels are inter-connected, often opening up into large chambers which are two to three high and up to ten metres wide.

Enugu State is a mainland state in southeastern Nigeria.

Its capital is Enugu, from which the state - created in 1991 from the old Anambra State - derives its name. The principal cities in the state are Enugu, Agbani, Awgu, Udi, Oji-River, and Nsukka.

Geography Enugu State is one of the states in the eastern part of Nigeria. The state shares borders with Abia State and Imo State to the south, Ebonyi State to the east, Benue State to the northeast, Kogi State to the northwest and Anambra State to the west.

Enugu, the capital city of Enugu State, is approximately 2½ driving hours away from Port Harcourt, where coal shipments exited Nigeria. Enugu is also located within an hour’s drive from Onitsha, one of the biggest commercial cities in Africa and 2 hours drive from Aba, another very large commercial city, both of which are trading centers in Nigeria.

The average temperature in this city is cooler to mild (60 degrees Fahrenheit) in its cooler months and gets warmer to hot in its warmer months (upper 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and very good for outdoor activities with family and friends or just for personal leisure.

Enugu has good soil-land and climatic conditions all year round, sitting at about 223 metres (732 ft) above sea level, and the soil is well drained during its rainy seasons. The mean temperature in Enugu State in the hottest month of February is about 87.16 °F (30.64 °C), while the lowest temperatures occur in the month of November, reaching 60.54 °F (15.86 °C).

The lowest rainfall of about 0.16 cubic centimetres (0.0098 cu in) is normal in February, while the highest is about 35.7 cubic centimetres (2.18 cu in) in July.

History The name of State derives from its capital city, Enugu.

The word “Enugu” (from Enu Ugwu) means “the top of the hill”. The first European settlers arrived in the area in 1909, led by a British mining engineer, Albert Kitson. In his quest for silver, he discovered coal in the Udi Ridge. Colonial Governor of Nigeria Frederick Lugard took keen interest in the discovery, and by 1914 the first shipment of coal was made to Britain. As mining activities increased in the area, a permanent cosmopolitan settlement emerged, supported by a railway system. Enugu acquired township status in 1917 and became strategic to British interests. Foreign businesses began to move into Enugu, the most notable of which were John Holt, Kingsway Stores, British Bank of West Africa and United Africa Company.

From Enugu the British administration was able to spread its influence over the Southern Province of Nigeria.

The colonial past of Enugu is today evidenced by the Georgian building types and meandering narrow roads within the residential area originally reserved for the whites, an area which is today called the Government Reserved Area (GRA).

From being the capital of the Southern Provinces, Enugu became the capital of the Eastern Region (now divided into nine States), the capital of now defunct Federal Republic of Biafra, thereafter, the capital of East Central State, Anambra State, (old) Enugu State, and now the capital of the present Enugu State through a process of state creation and diffusion of administrative authority. enugustate.gov.ng

Twin caves

Three kilometre long cave full of tunnels and chambers

Natural spring

PAGE 19

Page 20

Homes

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

By Mariam Humbe

Decorative hallways announce your lifestyle H

Art on corridor walls

allways are very important part of your home. They are “face” of your home – so they need to be unique and stylish.

Hallways are narrower than the average room. This space is also very hard to decorate because of uninterrupted space that is marked with long stretches. We suggest you not to ignore them. They will represent you and your lifestyle and give an important message of you and your lifestyle right from the entrance.

Hallways are giving us bunch of opportunities. Providing us their glory of decor, which picked by you, can be modern, classic, o whatever you prefer. Put some family photos, choose best ones and hang them. It is great idea, and everybody will notice it.

Very good idea is to collect unusual mirrors grouped on a white wall. They will create an interesting and quirky feature wall that will make your hallway just perfect.

This area is a real treasure and we suggest to make them effective.

Combine furniture, mix styles and you will get perfect result. Add your character to the design of your home and have fun creating it.

Here are some cool ideas that are helpful especially for those of you who have small space for your hallway. Use this space the best you can. Here are a few creative designs.

Look through this article and choose design that best suits you and your small space .

Shelving hallway

Seating arrangement hallway

Mirrors and frames hallway

e n i z a

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

d n e k e We

g a M ent

m Entertain

Fashion

ps Beauty Ti

od Kannywo

d

Hollywoo

PAGE 21

d Bollywoo

I became richer after divorcing my ex-wife —Zaki Azzay

>>PG 37

‘Village headmaster’ >>PG 36 dies at 75

I made the first move on >>PG 36 Kanye —Kim

Yemi Alade, Wizkid nominated for ‘Best International Act Africa’ >>PG 37

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 22

Your Body, Image & U

Suffering from lack of sleep? Stress is on you!

S

leep is a nature gift from God and should come naturally. Unfortunately, in our today micro wave and very stressful life, lots of people miss their natural sleep and hardly know the bad health effects . You see people screaming at each other early in the mornings, agitated, angry, anxious and irritated for no good reason and you wonder..what- the- heck?

Such persons get to their work place and all they do is slam doors , throw files at their slow employees for small mistakes and hardly take time to even listen to explanations.

Some will enter the board meeting gulp down cups of black coffee and snacks just to keep awake but hardly pull it through. At the end of the day, they carry their files back home and instead of getting some sleep, they still keep awake late nights, missing their sleep once more. This attitude goes on constantly and before you know it, they are out of control, they burn out and sometimes need clinical therapy and counseling to get back on track.

Sadly in this part of our world especially in Nigeria, most people do not believe they have to pay someone to heal them just by ‘’talking’’, though they need this counseling more than others due to the high level of stress and economic problems, we have here.

Rather than seek counseling and therapy, they will go to medical doctors for drugs mostly of sleeping pills. Check this out folks, if you have tried being hooked on sleeping pills am sure you will agree with me that, the after effects are worse than not sleeping at all.

It will get to a stage , you will not sleep without them and when you finally wake up in the morning, you are fatigued and do anything for days.

Natural sleep energizes you , keeps you fresh, alert and fully charged for work for the day. See the difference? So why try to coat and cover the source of your problem rather than tackle it naturally? It will even get to a stage, where the sleeping pills will stop working and those who are hooked on them wake up in the middle of the night romancing the ceiling and walls of their apartments till morning.

I also do not blame our medical doctors because some of them after administering the sleeping pills, will also tell the patients that he/she must

Sleepless victim

have to see some stress expert or a clinical psychology expert for some therapy/counseling.

But Nigerians will never take this advice. To such people, counseling is for the western world. How can they pay someone hourly just by sitting down and talking about their work/relationship/romance/ marriage garbagge? Ok, do not talk about it...keep bottling them inside and keep being depressed, and a total wreck until one day when you get knocked down by a hit and run vehicle because your vision was blurred that you never even noticed, a car rushing towards

“

you. You will also get to work one day and your boss calls you in his or her office and say to you- ‘I am sorry, you are hardly focused for some months now and all you do is to lazy about and we cannot afford to keep you....you are fired!!!!!’

A haaa...your eyes will clear abi?

Now you will cry home and gulp more of pills and pills to even numb your emotions of being sacked from where you get your daily bread. This is the time the pills will send you to your doom! Trust me I cannot butter my words here or else most people will not understand the implications

of depriving their body of good night sleep. Maybe alcohol will be added to the pills!! Start preparing your tomb space with this baaaaaadddddd combo just to sleep. Must you pass all through these just to have a good night sleep? No way folks...absolutely not!!!!!!

Alcohol consumption just to sleep and forget your sorrows is worse than pills. So when you now combine both of them......you are done!!!!!

I have said it earlier that sleep is something that comes easily and naturally when your body is free of junks and stress and other health problems.

Natural sleep energizes you , keeps you fresh, alert and fully charged for work for the day.

See the difference? So why try to coat and cover the source of your problem rather than tackle it naturally?

With Jacqui Iwu bwreforms@gmail.com 08184825606 (sms only) By the way, someone wrote me sometime and wanted to know why i said that stress is dangerous. Can you beat this folks? At this age, an adult is still wondering and seeing stress as a normal lifestyle that should be neglected. This same stress has sent lots of people to their untimely graves without even they knowing it was stress killing them slowly. The same stress has crumbled lots of marriages and sent most people out of jobs because they never managed their feelings properly to achieve/do anything good.

Anyway, i cannot finish talking about causes of sleeplessness without talking about high level of stress. Other things that create sleeplessness are – too much consumption of unhealthy-junk foods day after day, health issues, terminal diseases, stale romance/ relationships, lack of regular excercise, too much alcohol, depression etc. I cannot finish explaining how all these create sleep deprivation today but the most two causes that a lot of Nigerians have are –high level of stress, consumption of junk foods. Some of the things I mentioned here can also create stress and are taken care of when tackling or treating stress.

Those who have high level of stress hardly sleep. People under stress are so worked up that their entire body system hardly gives them any comfort including sleeping well. Most of them seek comfort in sleeping pills like i said earlier but the situation gets worse.

If you are under stress, you can not cure it with drugs. You discover what is causing your stress and deal with the root of it. The pills cannot ask you certain questions about your life activities and counsel you on things to do. All the pills do is to numb and knock you out making you unconcious of what is happening around.

If you are a junk food lover, try swtiching over to healthy stuff and see the difference.

Deprive yourself a good night 7-8hrs sleep every night for one week and you will appreciate reading this. For the women..ever heard of ‘’beauty sleep’’? This freshens your skin daily without creams.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 23

I’ll lead peace movement after office, says Jonathan

By Lawrence Olaoye

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday gave insight into his likely preoccupation after handing over power to the Presidentelect, General Mohammadu Buhari, when he declared that he would lead a movement for peace in the country.

The President made the declaration while receiving an award of Epitome of Peace presented by the Field Superintendent of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, Federal Capital Territory Field, Apostle John Buzu, at the Presidential Villa.

Jonathan, who stressed the need for peace and tolerance in the country, expressed optimism that he would have followers across the

...Gets Apostolic peace award

nation who would help in spreading the message of peace.

“One thing I have decided I will do after leaving office is to be talking to faithful of all religions: Christians, Muslims and other religions, on the need for Nigerians to live in peace.

“This is because when there is crisis in any part of the country, nobody can practise his own religion.

If there is crisis anywhere, people cannot go to the mosque, they cannot go to the church.

“We need peace in this country, no matter our religious persuasion or belief. That will be one of my main

commitments when I leave office: to reduce discrimination in this country based religious divides or ethnicity. I believe I will have so many apostles that will follow me to do that.” He said.

While thanking the church for honoring him with the award, the President pointed out that many Nigerians have in one way or the other made sacrifices for the country acknowledging that he was lucky to have been singled out for recognition.

The clergyman in his prepared speech told Jonathan “You are a democratic President with theocratic

mindset. Your leadership style is characterized with a reverent fear of God and a forgiving spirit. You are not autocratic, domineering or oppressive in your leadership attitude.

Though sometimes you are despised and insulted by some persons, you are very accommodating, cool and forgiving.”

He added that the church resolved to bestow the award on him because of the legacy of peace he bestowed on the country having conceded victory to the opposition at the 2015 Presidential election.

University Don advocates good leadership in Nigeria

By Usman Shuaibu

T

he Dean of the faculty of Law at the University of Abuja, Dr. Kasim Musa Waziri, has advocated for good leadership in the country for the benefit of Nigerians.

Waziri, who stated this in an interview with newsmen during his annual symposium tagged “leadership and service” which was organized by the law students of the University on Thursday in Gwagwalada, urged Nigerian youths to always embrace good leadership whenever they are in the corridors of power.

He frowned at the corruption which had eaten deep into the fabric of our nation, and urged students to stay away from it.

The Dean therefore, advised the youths to rise up to change things for better when things were not properly done in the society.

The Head of Department of the Public and International Law in the institution, Barr. Lanre Aladeitau, pointed out that the symposium was organized to enlighten the law students on the concept of leadership.

He said: “The youths have fantastic ideas as well as synergies and if not properly molded, they would become the problems for the society”.

Aladeitau, however, told Nigerian youths that the leadership was all about service to the nation not an opportunity to acquire wealth for themselves.

On his part, the president of the Student Union Government (SUG) of the University, Comrade Olajengbesi Pelumi, called on Nigerians as well as youths to embrace change for the betterment of the country and the society at large.

He also urged Nigerian students to shun any act capable of jeopardizing their future careers, while calling on them to maintain peace and harmony in anywhere they found themselves.

Former General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 div. Maj.-Gen. Joseph Shoboiki, reviewing the parade during the pulling out parade in honour of some retired senior infantry officers in Jaji, Kaduna yesterday.

News Mysterious fire destroys properties worth N20m in Delta

By Osakhare Erese, Asaba

A

mysterious fire outbreak which occurred in the mid night along Jarret Street Asaba, Delta State on Thursday night has consumed two buildings with properties estimated at N20m naira destroyed.

Reports said that the incident rendered no fewer than 36 families homeless as the mysterious fire outbreak started at wee hours (at about 2pm) and razed the two buildings owned by separate businessmen.

It was reliably gathered that the fire started shortly after there was a restoration of power supply by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) on the first building before it spread to the next building where the tenants were chased out, living their properties to save their lives.

Investigation revealed that in the tragic event, the two buildings were reduced to ruin and the fire was still on while sympathizers were seen gathering the debris from the burnt buildings.

Although no life was lost, but owner of the first building, Mr. Chinedu Adigwe who spoke to our correspondent, said that he was away when he received distress calls that his house has been razed down by fire, adding that everything in the house were also ruined at the time he arrived home.

He said “I was at the airport when they called me that my house was on fire, when I came to the house, I saw everything burnt”; adding that he could not ascertained the cause of the inferno.

Unconfirmed sources said that at the restoration of the light, the switched box sparked off light were it suddenly spread to other parts of the building.

Mr. Adigwe Chinedu who regretted that there were 26 rooms in the house and that nobody picked even a dime from their rooms, disclosed that all efforts made by the fire service men to extinguish the fire, proved abortive.

One of the tenants, Vivian Nwebili who spoke to our correspondent on the incident, however called on the State Government and public spirited individuals to come to their aid as their hopes seemed to have been dashed.

Anglican Bishop urges Buhari to ensure peace, economic stability

By Evelyn Okakwu

P

rimate of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Bishop Nicholas Okoh, has charged the presidentelect, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari to ensure that his administration brings about peace and unity, as well as sustainable economic development across the country.

Speaking during the second session of the Ninth synod of Anglican Bishops at the Cathedral Church Of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja; Bishop Okoh said Nigerians at this time require unity and a sense of safety.

“Nigerians need unity; they want to be known as a people of one country; in a situation where a people cannot move freely from one part of the county to the other; there will be problems. And we want to ensure that we also move along with the other parts of the world economically, and technologically, so in any way they can help us; they will get the full support of Nigerians.

He lamented the rate of pipeline vandalism which he described as part of the reasons for the ongoing fuel crises and perpetually unstable power supply, saying that is an utterly regrettable condition that must be stopped.

“It is difficult to understand why some Nigerians have resolved to keep us perpetually in darkness and denying us easy access to petroleum products. The problem we have in Nigeria is that vandals are setting us back. And these are people from among us; even though they may have collaborators from outside, they are people from among us.

It is not unlike that they have international collaborators who smile to the bank, selling all brands of generating sets. This is a war the incoming government must fight and win”.

He congratulated the president and his deputy, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo,

over their victory at the polls; and commended the nobility of the incumbent in conceding defeat.

Similarly, the primate commended the Nigerian Armed forces for their recent travails in the fight against terror, and expressed hope that the Chibok girls would be found soon.

Also speaking at the event, Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo corroborated the point made by the primate on pipeline vandalism, adding that enshrining aspects of zoning in the constitution would help reduce tensions during elections and unnecessary costs of campaigning.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 24

Kiddies World

With Miriam

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

Humbe

HIS AND HERS CORNER

Jos: City of beautiful landscapes, waterfalls

A helping hand for mum

Cartoon Riyom rocks

J

os is a city established in 1915, with an intricate history, a prosperous industry and fabulous sightings that make it a great place for a unique holiday. It is home to over one million people and it is one of the most vivid and colorful cities in Nigeria. Jos is also known as the “home of peace”, being one of the safest cities in the country.

What is more, Jos is characterized through impressive ridges and high rocky hills as well as various others interesting geographical formations that make it a great spot for picnic, barbeques, trekking and hiking trips.

Another remarkable feature it presents is its small hamlets and villages that add color to the whole picture. Locals are extremely friendly which will allow tourists to feel extremely welcomed here.

In addition, you have lots of things to visit in Jos. For example, the Wase Rock is a fascinating, abrupt plain that rises at 250 m above the Wase town. It is a spectacular geographical feature which

“

stands out in the typical savanna landscape. It is the ideal place for avid climbers. Likewise, those who seek some relaxation can go to the Rayfield Holiday Resort situated at 4 km away from Jos. It is placed in a wonderful environment that offers tourists countless facilities and entertainment opportunities such as fishing, horse riding, swimming, boating, sun bathing as well as various indoor games.

It is the best place for an isolated getaway.

Moreover, you definitively have to visit the Kurra Falls.

They are a result of the mining activities that used to be developed in the area and provide magnificent landscapes.

And just as beautiful are the views at Kurang Volcanic Mountain. Here you will be able to admire the popular spring waters and many other natural beauties. Finally, end your day by having fun at the Solomon Lar Amusement Park.

It features many entertainment facilities, movies and recreation options that you can benefit from along with your family and friends.

ABCDE

Scobydoo and friends on a trip

Here you will be able to admire the popular spring waters and many other natural beauties. Finally, end your day by having fun at the Solomon Lar Amusement Park.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse cooking dinner

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Kiddies World

PAGE 25

With Miriam

Humbe

ABCDE

MODEL OF THE WEEK

AFRICAN TALES

The little girl and her mysterious delicious fruits

T

here was once a young girl from a village far away, who had a special talent for finding the very best foods in the bush. Her oranges were just a little sweeter, her plums just a little larger, and her bananas had just a little more flavor. Everyone wondered where she located such delicious fruits. But, nobody ever asked the girl about her secrets of the bush; especially after they heard the story about her and the Spider.

One day, Spider asked the girl to help him look for food.

He was too lazy to work for himself and was sure he could trick this girl into sharing her secrets. He didn’t know how clever this girl could be.

“Little girl, nobody finds fruits as sweet as yours,” cooed the spider. “Will you please take me with you when you go looking in the bush?”

“I’ve never done that before,” replied the girl.

“It would mean so much if you could do it one time,” pleaded Spider.

“Well, I suppose I can do it just once,” agreed the girl.

“Do you promise to keep my secrets?”

“You can trust me,” promised the lazy spider.

“What do you like to eat?”

“Well, I like plums and bananas, of course, but I especially love honey.”

“I think I can help you,” grinned the girl.

Spider couldn’t believe his luck.

The girl led Spider along the path into the bush. She took him down trails into areas where people rarely ever go.

Spider grinned because he knew he was about to learn her secret places for finding the very best food. After learning this, he would never again have to work hard for good food.

“This plum tree,” explained the girl, “does not have much fruit so most people ignore it, but its plums are the sweetest ones in the bush.”

Now, Spider was just as greedy as he was lazy. As soon as the young girl showed him the secret plums, his eyes became wide and his mouth began to water. Then, Spider shoved the little girl into the bushes. He rushed past her and climbed up into the tree. Then, he ate every single one of the plums. He didn’t even leave one plum for the little girl. And, he didn’t even say thank you!

After his feast, Spider rubbed his very full belly and thought, “This is the best day of my life! What a great idea!

I can’t believe she showed me where her plums are found.

I wonder if she will take me to any bananas? She must be very foolish.”

Spider looked down at the girl with his biggest smile and she asked politely, “Do you want any of my special bananas?”

He raced down out of the tree before the girl could change her mind.

The girl continued down the path showing Spider her secrets of the bush. They walked further down the trail into areas where people rarely ever go. “Over here is a small patch of the very best bananas,” declared the young girl.

Again, as soon as Spider learned the secret, his eyes became wide and his mouth began to water. Again, he shoved the little girl into the bushes, rushed past her and climbed the banana plants. He ate every single one of the ripe bananas.

Again, he left the young girl with nothing -- not even one banana. And once again, he didn’t say thank you!

His belly was so full, but Spider was not satisfied. He wanted to learn more of the secret places of the bush. He thought to himself, “This girl is really foolish, as long as she guides me, I will continue to eat all of her food.”

Again, Spider looked down at the little girl and smiled.

Once again, the young girl looked up at Spider and politely asked, “Are you too full or would you like to find some honey?”

One more time, Spider rushed out of the tree and followed the girl down the trail before she had a chance to change her mind.

The young girl guided Spider deeper and deeper into the bush where people rarely ever go. “Over here,” she instructed, “is a very special tree. Deep inside a small hole is the most delicious honey in the bush.”

Now, this girl was not nearly as foolish as Spider thought. She planned to teach this greedy spider a lesson.

She remembered that Spider loved honey and was not surprised at all when his eyes became wide and his mouth started to water. She also wasn’t surprised when he shoved her into the bushes, ran past her, climbed up the tree, and squeezed into the hole. Again, he ate all of the sweet golden honey, sharing nothing with the young girl. He didn’t even share one drop. And once again, he didn’t even say thank you.

When Spider had eaten his fill, he tried to climb out of the tree but he couldn’t get out the hole. His stomach had grown too large. He was stuck!

“Help me, young girl,” cried the spider. “I cannot get out of the tree!”

“You wouldn’t be stuck if you hadn’t been so selfish,” scolded the girl.

“I’m sorry for what I did! Please call for help,” cried Spider.

“I am not as foolish as you think. You aren’t sorry for what you did. You are only sorry you are caught in the tree.”

Finally, a smile crossed over the little girl’s face and she said she would do as the spider asked. She cried for help -- as softly as she could, “Help! Help! The foolish spider is caught inside the honey tree. Help! Somebody come and help this greedy spider!” Nobody could hear her whispers for help. And, nobody could hear Spider’s cries from deep inside the tree. They were too far into the bush where people rarely ever go.

Finally, the little girl looked up at Spider with a clever grin. “Good bye, Spider, I am going to get some huge oranges for my family. If you want to eat some, just follow me there.” She waved to him as she left to go down the trail.

CREATIVITY

Make an envelope at home

L

earn how to make an envelope from a sheet of paper. It’s really easy!

Normal envelopes are boring and handmade ones are awesome. When you make your own envelope, you can make it in whatever color or pattern you want. You could use Christmas paper to make a Christmaspatterned one for a Christmas card, for instance.

Well, maybe you’ve run out of envelopes and just don’t feel like going to the store. Anyway, stop asking questions and let’s get on learning how to fold an envelope shall we?

Making an envelope - step by step

Step 1: If you have a greeting card, you can make an envelope for it from a sheet of paper. The sheet of paper should be slightly wider than the card, and about 2.5 times as tall. You can use scrapbooking paper or wrapping paper to make really colorful envelopes.

Step 2: Place the card at the bottomcenter of the sheet of paper, then fold in the sides of the paper so that they cover the edges of the card.

Step 3: Fold up the paper (with the card still inside it) along the top edge of the card.

Step 4:

Fold down the two top corners.

Make it so that they almost reach down to the edge of the bit you folded up in the last step, but not quite.

Step 5: Fold down the top flap to close.

Step 6: Use glue or a sticker to hold the flap down. If you’re going to post your envelope in the mail, then it’s worth gluing or taping the sides shut too just to make really sure that your card is extra secure.

Finished!

Here’s what it looks like from the front side. How did your envelope turn out? This is hoping you found the instructions clear.

Miss Hannah Nyabam is saying hi; inviting you for a drink

ACTIVITIES

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

PAGE 26

e-Learning

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Could video games increase your risk of Alzheimer’s?

Research by the University of Montreal found a link to mental illness. They claimed that gaming (stock image shown) uses the caudate nucleus in the brain. This can lead to a loss of grey matter in the hippocampus, and reduced volume of the hippocampus is associated with neurological and psychological disorders

V

ideo games could increase the risk of people developing Alzheimer’s disease in later life, according to controversial new research.

The scientists claim that players navigate the screen using a key area of the brain called the caudate nucleus, which has been known to lead to loss of grey matter in the hippocampus.

Previous studies have shown reduced volume in this region, which controls memory, learning and emotion, is associated with neurological and psychological disorders including dementia and depression.

The research was conducted by scientists from the University of Montreal in Canada.

They said that if gamers have less grey matter, owing to extended use of the caudate nucleus, then they may be more prone to mental illness.

In the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers tested 26 players and 33 non-players who wore skull caps that recorded their brainwaves and eye movements.

These movements were monitored as the player negotiated a virtual maze decorated with trees and mountains from which they had to retrieve objects.

It found the players were twice as likely to use their caudate nucleus (81 per cent) during navigation rather than the non-gamers (42 per cent) who tended to rely on the brain’s spatial memory system, the hippocampus.

The caudate nucleus is the brain’s ‘reward system’ and has also been linked with drug and alcohol addiction.

Dr Gregory West, of the University of Montreal, said: ‘For more than a decade now, research has demonstrated action video game players display more efficient visual attention abilities.

‘Our current study again confirms this notion.

‘We, however, also found action video game players use navigation strategies that rely on the caudate nucleus to a much greater degree than non video game players.

‘Past research has shown people who rely on caudate nucleus dependent strategies have lower grey matter and functional brain activity in the hippocampus.

‘This means people who play a lot of action video games could have reduced hippocampal integrity, which is associated with increased risk for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.’

The researchers added that people across

the world now spend three billion hours a week playing video games, and it is estimated the average young person will now have clocked up almost 10,000 hours by the time they are 21.

But the effects of intense gaming on the brain are just beginning to emerge.

As past research has promoted video games as having positive effects on attention, it is important for future research to confirm gaming does not harm the hippocampus.

The researchers said brain scans will be required to further underline the findings and should investigate the direct effects of specific action video games on the caudate nucleus and the hippocampus.

However, Tim Parry from Alzheimer’s Research UK said that it was difficult to draw conclusions from the research.

‘The risk factors for Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia are varied and complex, but this study does not add Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto to that list,’ he said.

‘This study focused on a specific navigation task in young adults and did not look long term at memory and thinking skills, so we cannot draw any conclusions about video games and dementia risk.

‘We do know that a healthy diet and plenty

of exercise are both important for reducing dementia risk.’

And Professor Chris Chambers, a Cardiff University brain scientist, told MailOnline: ‘What this study tells us is that gamers, not surprisingly, learn to pay attention differently to non-gamers.

‘But the study doesn’t show that gamers have a shrunken hippocampus or that they are more prone to brain diseases.

‘The researchers didn’t study MRI scans, but even if they did, drawing conclusions about Alzheimer’s disease we would require us to track gamers and non-gamers into older age and compare rates of diagnosis.

‘What the researchers propose is an interesting conjecture but it remains a conjecture.’

Previous research has also shown brains of people who regularly play computer games differ from those of infrequent gamers.

A study in teenagers showed the ‘reward hub’, which is involved in addiction, was larger in regular players.

Brain scans showed a larger ventral striatum, which is the hub of the brain’s reward system, in regular gamers.

Playing computer games has been linked to a range of effects from addiction to improved reasoning.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 27

Compiled By Doyin Ojosipe

How the ostrich got his long neck

O

nce upon a time, Mr. Ostrich was a sober minded, serious husband, who was always willing to assist his wife in her family duties. “My Dear”, he said to her one evening, when their large clutch of eggs seemed almost ready to hatch,” my black feathers cannot be seen in the darkness, so I will guard our eggs by night, and at the same time keep them warm for you. That will leave you free to relax and enjoy yourself until daybreak each morning.”

He settled down clumsily to his unaccustomed task, while his flighty wife was more than thankful to be relieved of a duty which she already found a trial.

She fluffed up her feathers and, to show how pleased

she was, she set off in a joyful high-stepping dance among the low termite-mounds that surrounded their nest.

The big birds had chosen the site with care, for they knew that a sitting ostrich hen, with her head down, looks from the distance like a grey mound of earth. They had decided to rear their young on the shortgrassed plain lands because they could see all round them, for in those days the ostrich had a short neck like a guineafowl and partridge. They had learned the hard lesson that in long grass their enemies could attack them before they realised their danger.

To keep their precious eggs safe from the dreaded fires that swept across the plains, the two birds had carefully

Leisure

scratched away a broad band of dusty earth in the grass round the slight hollow that was their nest. On the whole they were a happy pairalthough from time to time the husband had disapproved of his wife’s high-spirited ways.

At this particular time, she should behave more sensibly as she had her eggs to look after. He wriggled his massive thighs on the ground as he had seen his wife do, to shift the position of the eggs so that they lay more comfortably in their bed, and settled down to his long night’s wait.

It was full moon. The silvery light shed strange shadows and threw up ghostly figures among the surrounding mounds of earth.

Word search puzzle, enjoy yourself!

Laugh out loud (Lol)!

Akpors, the most intelligent!

Teacher: who is a pharmacist?

(Only Akpos raised up his hand)

Teacher: So, only Akpos is the most intelligent student I have in this class? Is there no one else? (The class was quiet as grave yard) Teacher: Ok, Akpos! Use this cane and flog everyone ten strokes of each!

(Akpos with a wide smile gave each of the students, ten hot strokes of the cane.

Teacher: Okay, Akpos now, tell these dumb students who a Pharmacist is.

Akpos: A Pharmacist is a farmer who assists people.

Stay motivated…

AGRONOMY ANIMALS APPLES BEEF BIODIVERSITY BIOTECHNOLOGY BREEDING CATTLE

CERTIFICATION CHICKENS COMPOST COTTON COW CROFTING CULTIVATION DISTRIBUTORS

ECO LABEL ECOSYSTEM ELEVATOR FARMERS FARMING FERTILIZERS FLAX FOODS

FRUITS FUNGICIDE GRAIN GRAPES GREEN MANURE

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big.

One day you will wake up and there won’t be time to do the things you always wanted.. Do them now! Paulo Coelho The Best things happen when you are awake.

The only question in life is whether or not you are going to answer a hearty yes! to your next adventure. Joseph Campbell Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and accomplish them.

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

Dr. Seuss Beautiful things don’t just happen; if you want something marvelous you must make something marvelous.

Everyone wants happiness, no one wants pain; but you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.

If “Plan A” didn’t work, don’t worry about it, the alphabet has 25 more letters; stay cool.

Beauty

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 28

TIPS

Compiled by Isioma Nwabasha

Effective homemade hair treatments Egg-yoghurt hair pack

Eggs are extremely rich in protein and are known to be effective in moisturizing hair and cleansing the scalp. If your hair is oily, use egg white. If it is dry, use the egg yolk and if it is normal, use both the white and the yolk. With an egg, combine five spoons of yoghurt, which helps protect your hair from further damages. Apply the mixture and wait for 30 minutes. Wash off with cool water and then apply shampoo and conditioner.

Since your hair is constituted of protein, the best way to care for it is with a protein-based treatment. While different kinds of treatments are available in salons, you can readily go for homemade protein hair packs. They help in making up for the damages done to your hair. Egg, yoghurt, mayonnaise, avocado and coconut milk can be used to make homemade protein-rich hair treatments.

Yoghurt-cream-egg hair pack

Mix milk cream with yoghurt and add a whole egg to it. Apply for deep conditioning.

Banana-avocado hair pack

Take one banana, a ripe avocado, wheat germ oil and rose oil. Mix them thoroughly and prepare a fine paste. Apply the pack on your scalp and hair. Wait for one hour and wash off with cool water. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual.

Egg yolk-honey hair pack

Mix an egg yolk with two spoons of honey and one spoon of almond oil. Use this pack to moisturize dull and dry hair.

Avocado-coconut oil hair pack Mayonnaise-avocado hair pack: Avocado-coconut milk hair pack

Mash a ripe avocado and add two spoons of pure coconut oil. Add about 10 drops of rosemary essential oil. Blend the ingredients and apply evenly on the hair strands. Wait for 30 minutes and wash off to get soft and silky hair.

Mix two spoons of mayonnaise with mashed avocado and whip. Use this amazing protein treatment to offer deep conditioning to your hair.

Coconut milk is a rich source of protein. Mash a ripe avocado and mix five spoons of coconut milk. Add two spoons of olive oil and apply the mixture on the hair and scalp, wait for 30 minutes. This pack effectively prevents breakage of hair, dandruff and at the same time stimulates hair growth.

Mayonnaise-egg hair pack

Avocado-egg pack Coconut milk hair treatment

Since coconut milk is a great source of protein, massage the hair roots with it and wear a shower cap. Leave it overnight and wash off the next day.

Combine an egg with mashed ripe avocado and two spoons of olive oil. Apply on the hair strands and wait for 30 minutes. This hair pack hydrates your hair and prevents further damages.

Both mayonnaise and egg are high in protein. Mix the white of an egg with two spoons of mayonnaise. You may also add a spoon of yoghurt. Blend well and use this to tame your frizzy locks on a bad hair day.

Aren’t these homemade protein hair packs effortless to make? So, why waste money on protein treatments at a salon, when you can easily make them at home? Use them to get a healthy and beautiful hair in no time.

Compiled by Miriam Humbe

Fashion

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 29

Dress down your outfit with flat footwear

G

one are the days w h e n h e e l s higher than an inch was the best footwear option for dresses.

In fact, these days it’s more fashion forward to pair flat footwear with dresses and skirts. Plus, flats or heels of an inch or less can effectively dress down an outfit. It’s unexpected, refreshing, and for many an extremely comfortable option.

The outfits here showcase an assortment of dress silhouettes with an equally large assortment of flat footwear styles. These examples are by no means exhaustive, but they are a good base to work from.

Some pairings are a lot more wearable than others because they create conventionally flattering proportions by elongating the leg line.

Pairing flat sandals with shorter hemlines is the most You can wearable option because the wear these combination makes your beautiful legs look longer. Showing sandals for part of the kneecap is ample all occasions skin, and there is no need to show more if shorter lengths are not your thing. Wearing low contrast sandals further lengthens the leg line, thereby offsetting “that stumpy feeling”. Bookending the colour of the sandals with your hair is another slam dunk that grounds the look. Curved hemlines visually elongate the leg line even further.

Flat sandals with knee-length hemlines Wearing a longer hemline with flat sandals can feel a little short-legged but there are ways to overcome that. Try wearing a dress with a high-low hemline, or again, create a low contrast between the colour of the sandals and your skin tone. Both strategies make the lower leg look longer while wearing a longer hemline.

Flat sandals with long hemlines Preventing the short-legged feeling with midis and maxis can be overcome in two ways. Wear maxi lengths with side vents to give the illusion of a shorter hemline.

This is especially effective as you stride because the vent opens to expose leg skin.

Wear midi styles with asymmetrical hemlines because the broken line of the hem adds structure to the leg. That’s why the straight hem of the midi skirt in the bottom right corner looks the most “stumpifying”. It’s a fashionable look that requires a relatively long leg line to look more proportional.

Loafers and d’orsays with shorter hemlines These examples showcase high-vamped footwear with an assortment of dress lengths, which are the trendiest combinations at the moment, and the toughest to pull off. The exposed foot skin of sandals helps elongate the leg line because “skin equals structure”. High-vamped footwear shortens the leg line. To some extent, you have to be at peace with the shortening effect of high-vamped footwear.

The principle is the same. A shorter hemline offsets some of the stumpy factor of the outfit, and half a kneecap is ample skin if short hemlines aren’t your thing.

Pointy toed flats also help elongate the leg line. Dress silhouettes that are cut fairly loose prevent the hem of the skirt from riding up to a shorter length.

Sneakers and birkenstocks with dresses It’s extremely fashionable to pair sneakers with dresses, which we discussed at length a few months ago. Pairing Birkenstocks with dresses is just as fashionable. In both cases the point is to create proportions that are just flattering enough, instead of striving for conventionally flattering proportions.

On the left, the asymmetrical hemline and visible kneecap elongates the leg line. On the right, the side slit creates leg exposure which visually lengthens the leg line. The repetition of white in both the top and bottom parts of the outfits creates a

Yellow tan sandals

Skinny spotted leggies on pencil s andals

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 30

Pots & Pans

With Miriam Humbe

Soya chunks curry

S

oya chunks also called soya nuggets are used widely in India as they are considered healthy, protein rich, a good alternate for those who want to refrain from eating meat. Often, a simple soya chunks goes great with fried rice for a quick meal.

Ingredients (240 ml cup used) • 1 cup soya chunks / meal maker / soya nuggets (heaped cup) • 2 onions finely chopped • 1 sprig curry leaves • Pinch of mustard (optional) • ¼ tsp. of cumin • 1 green chili slit • 1 tsp. ginger garlic paste • ¼ tsp red chili powder • ½ tsp garam masala (1/2 teaspoon coriander powder if you garam masala is strong) • Coriander leaves for garnish • Oil and salt as needed • Pinch of hing

To grind • 2 tomatoes • 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut or magaz seeds (optional)

Cooking instructions: * Bring 3 cups water to a boil, switch off the stove. Add soya chunks and leave them in hot water till they soften. Debris settles down, discard the water and squeeze off the water.

Rinse them in cold water and repeat squeezing off the excess water. Set this aside for later use. If you are using large chunks you can cut each one Soya chunks curry is mainly eaten with rice

to two * Add oil to a pan, add mustard cumin when they begin to splutter add hing, and curry leaves, onions and green chilies. Fry till the onions turn golden. * While the onions fry, grind the tomatoes and coconut or magaz. * Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears * Add the grinded tomatoes and coconut. * Fry till it begins to leave the sides of the pan. * Add red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, soya chunks and salt. * Fry for 3 minutes stirring often, till the soya chunks are coated well in the masala * Pour water just enough to make a thick gravy. * Bring the water to a boil and cover and cook on a low flame for about 5 to 8 minutes, till soya chunks are cooked well.

The oil begins to float on top. * Garnish with coriander leaves

Notes If you do not like to use coconut , use more onions or magaz seeds to get a good amount of gravy

Plantain milkshake : Kids special T his is a super natural crunchy energy drink for your kids. Plantains are natural super foods that many people are unaware of! They are very reliable sources of starch and energy.

Milkshakes are always kid’s favorite. Let’s make it healthy too…Enjoy

Health benefits of plantain • Vitamin C: This antioxidant helps build up your immune system .

• Vitamin A: Plays a role in vision and enhancing skin complexion • Fiber: Helps to keep bowel movements regular and reduce constipation • P o t a s s i u m : Important components of cell and body fluids that help control heart rate and blood pressure.

Ingredients

1/2 of one plantain 1/4 litres of frozen milk 1 spoon of Boost 2 tablespoons of sugar 2 tablespoons of crushed peanuts 2 tablespoons of cornflakes

How to prepare: Step 01 Blend plantain, milk, boost, and sugar together.

Step 02 Pour into glass and garnish with peanuts and cornflakes.

Plantain milkshake

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 31

Relationship

Cougars and cubs: Can there be a long term relationship?

C

ougar relationships seem to have become a trend now with mature women increasingly going out with men several years younger. The term cougar refers to a 40 plus woman who is sexually interested in much younger men Individuals with considerably younger partners may find their relationship trivialized, their status reduced to superficial labels like ‘cougar’ or ‘sugar daddy’. Such terms can be used to both glamorize and demean this romance, without ever addressing the core issues involved in such unions. Thanks to high-profile celebrity couples and popular shows like Cougar Town, the word ‘cougar’ has been extended well beyond its original definition, a seductive older woman who gravitates towards much younger men and is now indiscriminately applied to any woman dating a younger man.

Not every older woman in a relationship with a younger man is a cougar. A cougar is, by definition, predatory in nature.

She is often fixated with youth and beauty. Her ego is gratified by her ability to attract a younger man. She is not necessarily interested in commitment. At the same time, indiscriminate use of the term ‘cougar’ can verbally devalue the significance of meaningful unions between older women and younger men.

Such relationships have no less inherent worth than any other relationship. However, sizable age differences of any kind can have a material impact on the relationship.

So what is it that attracts older women into a relationship with younger men? Here are some reasons why mature women seem to be increasingly getting hooked to the role of a cougar.

Younger men are more sexually desirable A major attraction of cougar relationships is the sexual aspect. As women enter their 40s, they experience a surge in their testosterone levels and are more confident of desires.

Ironically around the same time men’s levels are dipping which tones down their libido. This may be one reason why older women are attracted to younger males who can give them a better time in bed that aging males ridden with midlife crisis cannot.

In fact the cubs too find the selfassurance and sexual confidence of older ladies a huge turn-on so that the relationship turns out to be mutually satisfying.

Not every woman is looking for a father figure Many women in their 40s and above have already made a mark in their professional fields. These successful women are used to taking decisions on their own, as well as managing subordinates and co-workers. It is difficult for them to suddenly fit into the role of helpless females looking to be bailed out by a father figure.

These self-assured women will thus be more comfortable with younger men who would look up to them and appreciate the position and success they command.

An older woman married to a much younger man A younger companion is a big ego boost With increasing years, many successful and mature women may feel a need to be seen in the company of much younger men.

This may be their way of proving that they are still sexually desirable and showing to the world that they still have what it takes to attract younger, goodlooking males.

How about a trophy boyfriend?

If trophy wives are the sign of ultimate luxury for older and successful men, then why not the same for women? Ladies who are in the prime of their professional and social lives often like to show off the much younger boyfriend they can afford. It is not only a mark of their material and social success but also a public advertisement, as it were, of their own sexual desirability.

The charm of the ‘metrosexual’ male For women in their 40s who have grown up with Archie Bunker, the young ‘metrosexual’ male is like a breath of fresh air.

He does not make mother-in-law jokes like the 40 plus men. The younger man is in touch with his feminine self. All these make

“

him much preferable to the older man whose idea of a night out is watching a game of football while scratching his beer belly.

While there may be many appealing aspects to the cougar relationship, how feasible are they in the long run? All said and done, the basic premise of cougar relationships is sexual attraction, which in itself can be an insufficient reason to form a long-term attachment.

Let him chase you Despite him being a younger man, he is still a man. He is likes the hunt and the chase. Let him take the lead in asking you for your phone number and the first date. It doesn’t diminish you as a strong confident woman.

His pursuit will prove that he is really into you. Also, keep options open and date other younger men in order to figure out if he is the guy you want. It may be hard especially if you feel a connection. But, it prevents you from getting emotionally attached too soon and it allows you to see him fully.

Here are some other problems that cougar relationships may face in the long run.

Lack of companionship Cougars and cubs belong

to practically two different generations. It is unlikely that they will share the same kind of interests and pursuits. Sexual attraction cannot keep a couple together. To be in a long term relationship it is essential that two people share common values, life goals and enjoy the same kind of social activities.

Growing impact of age disparity Yet another challenge that cougar relationships have to deal with is the effect of age disparity. Although women in their 40s have what it takes to attract twenty-something males, but what about when these women enter their 50s? Will they continue to have the same hold on their men who may be just getting into the prime of their lives? It will be increasingly difficult for partners to deal with feelings of insecurity, jealousy and possessiveness that such a wide age gap is bound to entail.

The question of children A mature woman may find genuine happiness with a younger man. But if she wants children from the relationship, how feasible will it be for a twenty plus man to take on the role of a father? Indeed if the man is himself yet to grow

If trophy wives are the sign of ultimate luxury for older and successful men, then why not the same for women? Ladies who are in the prime of their professional and social lives often like to show off the much younger boyfriend they can afford. It is not only a mark of their material and social success but also a public advertisement, as it were, of their own sexual desirability.

up emotionally, it is doubtful whether he will be able to fulfill the responsibilities that come with being a father. Again if the woman already has children from a previous marriage, it may be difficult for them to reconcile to the fact that their mom’s partner is barely older than them.

Matches your expectations Before you start dating, figure out your relationship expectations. Limited quality time vs. quantity time may suit the busy cougar schedule better.

And, after years of a serious relationship or marriage, dating for fun with no strings attached may be what you need. But if there is an expectation for a serious relationship, then seek a younger man who wants the same. Don’t be afraid to voice what you want. By being on the same page in the beginning, it will prevent frustration and heartbreak later if he doesn’t want the same thing. Also in early conversations, find out what he wants from the relationship.

Is he marriage minded? Does he eventually want children?

These discussions don’t have to happen on the first date. But as your relationship progresses, it’ is best to tackle them head on as it steers the relationship in the direction that you want.

Beware of being mommy Some younger men seek out older woman as a mother type. It is an easy role to fall into since he may appeal to your nurturing side. It starts off innocently such as letting him borrow money or moving in if he doesn’t have a place to stay. Watch out for the early signs and avoid this type because he is not looking for a confident woman who can contribute to the relationship.

He wants someone to fill the role that his mother no longer does.

You have raised your kids and you don’t want to raise another one.

Younger men offer the cougar an exciting romance that she may not have experienced before. By not having the baggage of exes and divorce, it is more alluring and refreshing than dating men of the same age. Once expectations are determined and the mama boys and players are weeded out, the cub of your dreams may show up for some casual fun. Or be the new love of your life.

And yet despite these challenges, the growing popularity of cougar relationships is proof enough that it may be more than a fad. In fact some of the celebrity cougar relationships have made the trend much more socially acceptable and has reduced much of the stigma that comes with an older womanyounger man pairing.

If nothing else, the highprofile cougars of today have made it clear that mature women have as much right as anybody to have a mutually fulfilling relationship with men of different age groups. And whether or not the relationship can be a long term one, ultimately depends on the kind of equation between the partners involved.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 32

Fiction Caught in the exam fever

‘E

xam timetable is out, have you seen it?’

I had just finished playing football that evening when I heard the statement that makes my blood run cold each time. Exam timetable is out. Exam period was such an unwelcome period at this time of my life; at any time of my life.

There is absolutely no theatre arts in my head. That would have been pardonable if I were studying any other course but no, I am a final year student of Theatre Arts at the University of Modakeke, Osun state. Before I go on, let me tell you a little about myself and my life at the university.

I am from a family of five, the last of three children and the only male child. Everyone in my family, except my mom thinks I’m the dumbest of the pack. I take no offence though, because I’m used to the notion and although I’ll never admit it to anyone else; I actually think they’re right. Try as I might, the books never seem to stick in my head and believe me, there was a time I actually tried.

That was during my SS3 days. I ended up with 3 Bs and 5 Cs in my WAEC, a result I was delighted with until I showed it to my dad.

He simply looked at me pitifully and patted my head.

‘I still wonder where your own brain comes from.’

That sealed my academic fate. I couldn’t be bothered with studying after that episode. True, the man was brilliant – a first class degree in chemistry, two Master’s degrees and a Ph.D. could testify to this – but that gave him no right to put me down. He was the Dean of the Science Faculty at O.A.U. and a highly respected man in the world of academia.

Who cares? Mum was also brilliant. She had graduated at the top of her class at the University of Ibadan and still held the record for the highest ever score in the final M.B.B.S. exams but mum was different. She recognized the fact that not everyone was cut out for the academic life. She tried to push me gently along but mostly; she just let me be me. My sisters were chips off the old block. Off dad, not mom. The lot of them were pompous academics, always looking down their snotty noses at less fortunate folks like myself.

Both of them had graduated with first class honours, one in Pharmacy and the other in Petrochemical Engineering. By studying arts, I was destined to be the black sheep of the family.

Let’s leave my family alone for a while and talk about happier surroundings; school.

I love being in school. There was so much freedom to do as you wanted. Here, I truly lived.

I played football, hung out with friends and generally had fun.

You might point out that I didn’t mention going to class. It’s not as if I don’t attend classes. I do, but I have strict rules for doing so.

Rule number one: I don’t attend classes fixed before nine o’ clock.

The reason for this is simple. For

Exam fever me to function effectively during the day, I need at least eight hours of sleep and I’m a classic late sleeper. I never sleep before midnight. Rule number two: any lecture fixed after four p.m. is not mine to attend. This is because I play football between four and six thirty every day. I have always wanted to play football for a living but father wouldn’t hear of it. I grudgingly gave up the dream but decided to keep playing just for the fun of it. That was the only way I could keep myself sane.

Rule number three: I never attend lectures that last longer than two hours. I can only stand books for so long.

As I trudged back to my hostel room, I indulged in my once-asemester fact-finding session.

I pulled out my Blackberry smartphone and opened my browser. My fingers flew over the buttons of my keypad in a blur. ‘Why do students have to write exams?’ I hit the Enter button and Google came up with a host of unhelpful websites about examinations. I angrily closed the browser again. I was now in

“

my hostel. I unlocked my door, dropped my phone and got into the shower. I was still brooding over the looming exams and I forgot my ritual of singing off-key in the shower. The more I thought about it, the sadder I got. By the time I finished dressing up, I was depressed. I checked the time. 7:15 p.m. It was way too early to sleep but I didn’t feel like visiting any of my nightly haunts. I picked up my phone and it rang, as if on cue.

It was Habeeb calling. Habeeb was my friend from secondary school. A more brilliant, more serious version of myself, we had seen many good and bad times together.

‘Habeeb, how far na?’ I said into the phone.

‘Kay, I dey o.’ he replied, ‘how your side?’

‘Not bad, bro.’ I got up to switch on the lights.

‘Have you seen the exam timetable?’

I groaned. ‘I haven’t. Have you?’

‘Oh boy! I have o. Our first paper is on the first day of exams.’

He paused for a while before he

spoke again. ‘Speaking of exams, I have something to discuss with you.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Kay, I’m changing my life. I know we’ve been sitting together for exams since our 100 level days but we can’t do that anymore.’

Habeeb said, his voice sounding more surreal with each word.

‘What are you talking about?

This is our final exam.’

‘I’m really sorry. You know how it is, there’s always the chance that they’ll postpone the exams. You can still study.’

‘Are you being serious? You know I’m no good at studying.’

‘I’m really sorry, bro.’ He said as he ended the call.

I flopped back on the bed.

I refused to believe this was happening. After managing to get by for the past three and a half years, I was in trouble. Usually, I did as I pleased for the better part of the semester and when exams came around, I crammed as much as I could. Whatever I didn’t remember in the exam hall, Habeeb told me. He came out with As and Bs, mostly As while I

Kay, I’m changing my life.

I know we’ve been sitting together for exams since our 100 level days but we can’t do that anymore.’

came out with Bs and Cs, mostly Cs. I didn’t mind and neither did he. Our relationship was perfect.

Until now. Why, I asked myself, would Habeeb pick a fortnight before our final exams to become the devout Muslim he has never been? Why on earth couldn’t he wait till graduation before making such a decision? I soon slept off and dreamt of giant exam questions, holding axes, chasing me.

The next day, my mood was yet to lift but I was motivated enough to attend an 8:00 a.m. class. As I headed to class, I hoped the lecturer would be generous enough to give us tutorial questions. Two hours and a rumbling stomach later, the lecture was over. The lecturer had refused to give us tutorial questions. When we asked for an area to concentrate our studying on, he replied cheekily that we should concentrate on the whole semester’s work.

Two weeks later, the exams started. The first four papers came and went quickly. They were not difficult and I was sure I wouldn’t fail any of them. So far, so good. The last paper was the one I dreaded the most. Professor Johnson’s History of the Arts.

The course sounded straight forward enough until I wrote the test earlier in the semester. The man had a habit of concocting his questions in such a way that you’d have no idea what he was asking.

He never asked what or why in his exams. Rather, he asked questions that made you rue the day you decided to study Theatre Arts. This was a course I couldn’t cram for.

As soon as the invigilator gave me my question paper, I glanced at it and I felt my brow getting wet. Of the four questions, I had only a vague idea of what he wanted in one. The other three could have been asked in Greek for all I understood of it. When the invigilator yelled for us to start, I decided to fill my answer booklet, regardless of whether I was right or wrong. Here goes nothing, I thought as I picked my pen. I used up every single page of the booklet and by the time I submitted, I was convinced that I would fail the course. No one in his right senses would give me anything more than ten percent in that paper.

As I walked back home in despair that Friday afternoon, an idea slowly took form in my mind. I turned it over and over until I was sure it would work. I did my research that night and on Saturday morning, I put my plan into motion. As I was told by someone who attended the same church as he, Professor Johnson was a very religious man. He not only went to church on Sunday but on Wednesday and Friday as well. He even helped with the cleaning on Saturday. That was the centre piece around which my plan was built.

Naijastories.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 33

A fateful encounter

Romance

Fateful action

I

shall never forget that night.

It was raining heavily outside and the lights were off in my bedroom. I stood at my window through which a streetlight cast a gentle glow. My bedside digital clock read 11:30. On a normal night, I would already be asleep by this time. On this night however, for some reason, I was too wakeful to sleep. Perhaps it was because of how the wind beat so relentlessly at my window; I shall never know.

But looking back, I’m glad I was unable to sleep. If it had not been so, I never would have met her.

I don’t recall how long I stood there before I heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen. I listened intently and heard what sounded like someone banging on the backdoor. I felt a wave of panic and the first thought that came to my mind was, burglars! But on second thought, I decided it might be someone needing shelter from the storm. Arming myself with a flashlight, I proceeded to the kitchen to investigate. As I opened the kitchen door, I was greeted by a strong wind blowing and rain pouring in through the wide open backdoor. I immediately ran and closed it, making a mental note to always check that it was locked in future. Nevertheless, there were already large pools of water on the kitchen floor; and drops of something dark too. Shining my flashlight on it, I recoiled at the sight of what it was. Blood! These drops formed a path from the backdoor to the kitchen tabletop.

Following this with my flashlight, the beam of light fell on what looked like legs. I moved my flashlight sideways until the light shone on the face of a woman. I almost dropped the flashlight out of shock. Holding the flashlight with a firmer hand, I once more flashed the light on the face of the figure that lay propped up against the tabletop.

It was the most beautiful face I had ever seen; I could not help staring in wonder at it. Her eyes were shut and she was so still that I thought she might be dead. But then I noticed the slight rise and fall of her chest. I breathed a sigh of relief; it would have been sad to see such a striking face go to the grave. The glare of the flashlight must have disturbed her, for she screwed up her eyes. I promptly put off the flashlight and felt the

“

wall for the light switch. Turning it on, I moved towards her and bent down to touch her. The next thing I knew, I felt a very strong grip on my left hand. I stared in surprise at the thin hand that held mine so tightly. My eyes moved from the hand to her face and I shifted back a little in shock. Her eyes were open and she looked at me as if she were a caged animal waiting to strike. I dared not move; if she was as strong as this in her present state, who knew what she could do to me. However, this act seemed too much for her, as she grimaced and her grip slackened.

Looking closely at her now, I saw that her lips were very pale and I remembered with a snap all the drops of blood on the floor. I searched her body for the wound and noticed her left hand covered with blood held her left side. The

wound must be there, I thought, and she must have lost a lot of blood.

I wasted no time and pulled her up to her feet. Placing her right hand over my shoulder, I half-supported, half-dragged her to the spare bedroom and laid her on the bed. I gingerly removed her left hand from her side and tore the cloth to get a better look at the wound. It was a large diagonal gash from which welled dark red blood. What could have made such a laceration, I could not comprehend. Suddenly she gave a groan. Immediately, I ran to my room and frantically searched for my first aid kit, all the while thanking God that I had for once listened to my mum and kept one in the house. I found it at the back of my wardrobe where it had gradually been covered

I wasted no time and pulled her up to her feet. Placing her right hand over my shoulder, I half-supported, half-dragged her to the spare bedroom and laid her on the bed.

with cobwebs and ran back to the room. Setting it down on the table by the bed, I began to treat the wound, using my little knowledge of first aid (courtesy of my mum).

I collected an old clean shirt from the wardrobe and tore two long strips from it. Tying one above the wound, the flow of blood reduced and I used the remaining cloth to clean up the blood around it.

Using cotton swabs and antiseptic spirit, I cleaned the wound. All the while, she made not a sound nor moved. Placing the other strip on the cut, I applied pressure over it and wound bandages round her waist to hold it in place and untied the strip above it.

Satisfied with my work, I peered at her and was surprised to find her asleep, breathing smoothly. I was about touching her again when I recalled what had happened previously in the kitchen. Not wanting to repeat the episode and disturb her sleep, I went to my room leaving both bedroom doors ajar. Climbing into bed, I tried to go to sleep, but it eluded me. Thoughts were running through my mind; who was she? Where was she from?

What had she been doing outside on a night like this? Did she have a home? Was she a missing person?

How had she gotten that injury?

Was someone after her? Was she in any danger? So many questions and only one person held all the answers: her.

To be continued next week.

Naijastories.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 34

Nollywood Inyanya, Ubi Franklin alleged fraud saga: Mgt replies German event organiser

The controversies surrounding the European tour of Nigerian singer, Iyanya, is not far from over as one of the management team, the Triple MG record label, decided to speak to Nigeriafilms.com on the truth of what actually transpired between the organizers of the show and the music team.

Triple MG said; ‘Mr. Alwin Williams, who blew the lip on the flop told could not keep his promise of refunding their flight money when the team missed their flight to Europe.

Inyanya and Ubi Franklin

U

bi Franklin was alledged to have collected more money without completing their European tour, how true is that?

That’s not true. We completed six shows and the reason why we did not complete the last show was because we were not paid for the last show and the guy that released the story isn’t anyone relevant to the story because he had nothing to do with the tour.

Two of his business partners had something to do with the tour and are currently begging us not to do anything like retaliating. So for him to release a story like that is certainly not true. What you need to ask him is, how much did he put into the tour?

What he actually said is that 12 million naira was already spent on the show?

From his pocket? Ask him why haven’t his business partners that invested heavily in the tour said anything? That is just a simple question you have to ask him.

Is it true that Alwin came all the way down to Nigeria to make the whole visa preparations for Iyanya and Ubi? Yes, it’s true he came to Nigeria.

Is it true Iyanya and Ubi did not have their passport photographs ready and had to take passports outside the embassy?

That’s just rubbish. These are two grown adults and this is not the first time they are receiving visas. They have every visa you can think of, you don’t need anybody to fly from another country to help two grown men with visas. It was his choice to have flown all the way to Nigeria because no one asked him to come to Nigeria to come and take two men to the embassy.He is telling me he got into a plan all the way from Europe just to come and get two men to go and get visa.

Is it true that Ubi collected 5.4million naira for the show?

That’s very untrue. If we want to talk about the whole story, there are so many people involved and we will be here for the next two days. He made a payment of 3.4million to the guy that got him the contract, I don’t remember his name, we asked the guy and he

“

said he paid 3.4 million, they took five hundred thousand (500,000) for booking fee and they gave Ubi 2.9 million, so please do your mathematics, where did the 5.4million naira come from?

The guy also pointed accusing finger at Ubi’s girlfriend that part of the money, 5,000,000 naira was used to get her the engagement ring?

The engagement thing happened before the tour started.

One thing I should let you guys know is that you shouldn’t be getting stories from people who are jobless. Ask him how much he invested in the tour, zero? Listen, I can munch all the chat messages we have had with this guy where he has been begging me to do shows when he knows he has our outstanding balance. Okay, ask him what about all the money that is in his wife’s account? Ask him

to produce all the outstanding money that he owes. Almost 12,000 euros he owes us from the shows. Tell him to go to his wife’s account and bring it. Tell him to go and pay the person that did the visa for us, tell him to go and pay that person first about 6,800 euros tell him to go and pay that person first before he starts releasing stories. You should have asked him why has his other business partners not come out to say anything?

Also, Iyanya and Ubi were also accused of not wanting to fly with Economic class flight but preferred Business class flight despite the fact that Economic class has already been booked for them but they preferred direct flight all through without any stoppage?

Bro, it’s just common business sense. If I am within Europe and the contracts states that all tickets

The first agreement in the contract was six shows and they were completed. If we go to court, there was no seven shows on the contract. The seventh show came out just before we came for the tour. We did not complete the seventh show because we were not paid for it simple.

are Business class before we leave Nigeria it’s there in the contract.

Listen, without any contract, there wouldn’t have been any show.

Our agreement was that when we get to Europe, he pays us the full balance that was remaining and we still continued the show without collecting all our balance.

Everything he is saying is void.

Is it true that Iyanya and Ubi were just moving to London without staying where they were scheduled to stay?

Ask him, did he take care of us the weeks that we were not having show? No. But he said you guys stayed in a 5 Star hotel and all your needs including feeding was taken care of?

Tell him to produce the 5star hotel receipt. Tell him to show you the statement of account of every money that came out of his pocket to pay for the tour. Speak to his business partners, ask how much they invested and then you will know what is going on.

So what was the main reason why Iyanya did not perform on the last show?

He was being owed money from the shows and he still owes us money for the flight. Missing the flight was not our fault, he agreed that he will refund the money. Ubi paid for our flight and he said he will refund the money that was our verbal and whatsapp agreement that money was still outstanding but had nothing to do with the last show. The last show hasn’t been paid for and some previous shows were outstanding, it had nothing to do with that. The show was completed. The first agreement in the contract was six shows and they were completed.

If we go to court, there was no seven shows on the contract. The seventh show came out just before we came for the tour. We did not complete the seventh show because we were not paid for it simple.

Missing your flight, whose fault was it?

We didn’t deliberately miss our flight; there was a good reason why we missed our flight that I don’t have to go into that.

It was agreed by both parties that he will refund the money we had expended in the trip but he did not refund that money and it is still outstanding and four shows are still outstanding that he has not paid and he did not pay for the seventh show. Ask him to show you the receipt of the hotels that we stayed in, he never paid for anything that has to do with the show.

Source: Nigeriafilms.com

PAGE 35

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Hollywood

Saban films buys John Travolta’s ‘I am wrath’ for North America S

aban Films has picked up the North American rights to John Travolta’s actionthriller I Am Wrath, directed

by Chuck Russell (The Mask, Scorpion King).

Hannibal Classics struck the deal with Saban at the Cannes film market, where a teaser and other promotional materials were touted to buyers. Christopher Meloni, Sam Trammell,Amanda Schull and Rebecca De Mornay also star.

I Am Wrath, now in postproduction, tells the story of unemployed engineer Stanley Hill (Travolta), who witnesses the murder of his wife Vivian (De Mornay), who was attacked by thugs in a parking garage.

Wracked with guilt, Stanley is haunted by the image of Vivian dying in his arms. When Detective Gibson (Trammell) is unable to

Travolta

‘True face of Shakespeare’ appears in botany book

T

he portrait was engraved by William Rogers in 1597 A 400-year-old botany book contains what could be the only known portrait of Shakespeare made in his lifetime, according to an academic expert.

Botanist and historian Mark Griffiths cracked an “ingenious cipher” to identify the playwright in an engraving in the 16th-Century work.

“This is what Shakespeare looked like, drawn from life and in the prime of life,” he said.

Details of his discovery are revealed in this week’s issue of Country Life.

Mark Hedges, the magazine’s editor, hailed it as “the literary discovery of the century”.

Speaking at London’s Rose Playhouse, he said the Shakespeare portrait was the “only known

verifiable portrait of the world’s greatest writer in his lifetime”.

He added that the engraving showed the Bard aged 33 and “in his prime”.

“He’s written Midsummer Night’s Dream and he’s shortly to write Hamlet. He has a film star’s good looks.”

Historian Mark Griffiths holds a copy of The Herball book It is not the first time such claims have been made about a Shakespeare portrait.

In 2009, a painting known as the Cobbe portrait was put on show by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The trust said it was convinced the artwork - thought to date back to 1610 - was an authentic portrait, but some critics said the picture was not of Shakespeare.

‘Lost’ my fair lady songs to be performed after 60 years

A

udrey Hepburn (right) played Eliza Doolittle in the 1964 film version of My Fair

Lady Seven songs dropped from the musical ‘My fair lady’ will be heard in public for the first time in almost 60 years when they are performed later.

Composers Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner cut two songs and a ballet from the show after the first night in 1956.

Five more numbers had been dropped before the show even reached the stage.

The scores were found in an archive by the University of Sheffield’s Dr Dominic McHugh and will be performed during a

special concert in Sheffield.

Dr McHugh said it was “the most exciting discovery I’ve ever made”.

He added: “My Fair Lady is such a cultural phenomenon that to find material that belonged to it briefly and was then lost for a good 50 or 60 years was extremely thrilling.”

The rediscovered songs will be performed by University of Sheffield students The original stage version starred Julie Andrews as Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle, who was transformed into an upper-class lady by linguistics professor Henry Higgins, played by Rex Harrison.

The show started out in New

bring the killers to justice, Stanley turns to his old friend Dennis (Meloni) and decides to take matters into his own hands.

The film has sold in a number of key foreign territories, including the U.K., China, Latin and South America, Australia/ New Zealand, France, Spain, Poland, Portugal, the Middle East and the Phillippines. Hannibal anticipates being fully sold out by the end of Cannes.

Patriot fully financed I Am Wrath. Producers are Michael Mendelsohn, Rob Carliner and Johnny Martin, with Hannibal’s Richard Rionda Del Castro and Patricia Eberle executive producing.

“Travolta is perfect in this film,” said Del Castro. “He presents as a family man that you would not want to cross.”

Haven, Connecticut, before going on to become a Broadway hit.

The first performance in New Haven included a 15-minute sequence featuring the songs Come to the Ball and Say a Prayer for Me Tonight plus a ballet scene.

But the show was too long, and this sequence was deemed superfluous, so was never performed again.

Come to the Ball was meant to be “Rex Harrison’s big showstopper” after Eliza had shown herself up at Ascot racecourse, according to Dr McHugh.

Frederick Loewe (left) and Alan Jay Lerner were “ruthless” if a song did not fit in “It had been designed to show off his talents in terms of comic wit and charm,” Dr McHugh said.

“He was trying to persuade Eliza to carry on with the lessons.

She came back from this dreadful scene at Ascot and wanted to give up the lessons, and he persuades her in song.

“He says, ‘Come to the ball with me.’ By the end of the song she’s persuaded. The ballet depicts the next series of lessons, and then at the end of the series of lessons she sings Say a Prayer For Me Tonight.”

The songs had been cut for reasons of length rather than quality, Dr McHugh said.

“All the accounts say the show was wonderful at the first preview, but that it went on all night. It really needed that bit of trimming.

They were very clever at finding a solution that still worked in dramatic terms.”

Say a Prayer For Me Tonight was later reworked and used in Lerner and Loewe’s 1958 film musical Gigi.

Other songs written for My Fair Lady, including Lady Liza, Please Don’t Marry Me and Shy, were ditched during or before rehearsals and so have never previously been performed.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 36

Celebrity gists

I made the first move on Kanye —Kim Kardashian

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apper Kanye West seems obsessed with his wife, but the reality star, said she was the one who made the first move, about six months after her marriage to Kris Humphries ended.

While speaking to Access Hollywood, Kim Kardashian said; ‘‘I think it was six months after I was newly single in 2012, I was like what am I waiting for? I called Kanye because I’m sure it was really hurtful that I got married and, even though it is not like we communicated all the time, I knew what he was thinking. He has always been a good friend to me, we’ve always been there for each other and then he invited me to a fashion show of his in Paris and then the magic happened.’ ‘ Speaking on how long it took before they finally got together, the Keeping Up With The Kardashian star said ‘‘When I first met Kanye, we worked on a project together and there was definitely a spark, but we were in other relationships and we kept our distance. We stayed in touch here and there and then when he wasn’t in relationships.’’

‘Financial problem nearly dashed my hope of becoming a singer’ For four years, Sunusi Hassan Musa, popularly known as Sunusi Multimedia, has carved a niche in the music industry in Kano State. The 24-year old, who aspires to become Kannywood’s movie singer, has 46 songs to his credit. In this interview with Mustapha Adamu, he shares his experiences. Excerpt.

C

Gaga gets over 30 wedding dress sketches

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ady Gaga has a lot of options when it comes to her wedding dress as top designers have been putting out sketches ever since the celeb revealed that beau, Taylor Kinney, popped the question, and while she hasn’t made it clear what kind of dress she wants to wear on her special day, Gaga told Women’s Wear Daily that whatever she chooses is going to be for her groom-to-be.

“It will be totally for Taylor. It is all about my man. I haven’t really thought about anything specific yet, but whatever it is, it will be totally for him.”

Top designers— including Karl Lagerfeld, Monique Lhuillier, Alberta Ferretti, Donna Karan Atelier, Diane Von Furstenberg and nearly 30 others submitted sketches to the fashion magazine, with designs ranging in both colour and cuts, while also adding an extra oomph to compliment Gaga’s signature style.

‘Village headmaster’ dies at 75

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eteran actor, Mr. Femi Robinson, popularly known as the Village Headmaster, for the role he played in the television series by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) with that title, is dead.

His two sons Seun and Wole Robinson announced his death on his Facebook page. The Facebook status read, “This is to notify you that we lost our father, Femi Robinson, this morning – Seun & Wole Robinson (sons).”

The cause of his death is unknown.

Ironically, his last post on Facebook was on Friday where he talked about protecting one’s family name, urging the public to join hands with him to fight corruption. The late Robinson was a graduate of Botany at the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in the 60s.

an you tell us about yourself?

I was born in Tudun Murtala area, Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State. I attended Irshadul Ummah Primary School, also known as KTC. I also had my secondary school education there. I am currently awaiting admission to Bayero University Kano.

What inspired you to become a singer?

As we all know, singing consists of passing a message.

Hence, I realised that I can pass various messages to different groups of people through my talent. Therefore, I decided to focus on youths who are the ‘real actors in the field of love’ as majority of my songs are love songs. Thus, I ventured into music to share emotions with the youths across Kano State and environs.

When did your career begin?

I have been singing since 2010 and have 46 songs to my credit so far.

Can you tell us some of them?

I have “Babban nazari”, “Dare mahutar bawa”, “ So kenan”, “Gyara Kayanka”, among others.

Which is you most favourite song?

My favourite song is titled “BABBAN NAZARI” Do you sing for kannywood?

Well, the fact is that all my songs can be used in Kannywood movies, but only three of them were used as playback songs in movies.

The three songs are BABBAN NAZARI, DARE MAHUTAR BAWA and SO KE NAN. What are your challenges?

The only challenge I have faced so far is financial which nearly shattered my ambition of becoming a singer. But I believe that the challenges faced in every human endeavour lead to development and prosperity.

Do you make music videos?

No, for now, but I have the will and inspiration to make exciting videos.

How do you think your songs contribute to societal development?

Like I said earlier my music touches different aspects of life, especially the youths. So, I have songs that enlighten the public on societal ills. These songs include “GYARA KAYANKA”, DUNIYA and KU DAKATA. These songs enlighten the general public, especially the youths on the dangers associated with social vices such as drug abuse, thuggery, theft, among others.

What message do you have for your fans?

My message to my fans always remains the same, we should share love with one another and live as one.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 37

Entertainment I became richer after divorcing my ex-wife - Zaki Azzay

Yemi Alade, Wizkid nominated for ‘Best International Act Africa’

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inger Zaki Azzay said he is now richer than he used to be after divorcing his ex-wife.

According to him, things are better now and he is glad. The ‘Marry am’ crooner, who recently bought a G-Wagon and also completed his Makurdi estate, believes it was his wife who was behind him not achieving all of that when they were together.

“It is very true that since I left my exwife, things have been better for me. I know for certain that it is true and it has a spiritual connotation. I don’t know why but it is left for God. All I know is that I was married to a woman who I loved so much and I thought she loved me the same way. But unfortunately, I discovered otherwise. I cannot say all the things she did to the press because of my children.

I don’t want to go into details but it is God’s will. Nobody can prosper in life without God’s grace,” he said.

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igerian pop sensation, Yemi Alade, as well as pop star, Wizkid have been nominated alongside South Africa’s The Soil and AKA, as well as DRC’s Fally Ipupa, Ghana’s Sarkodie and Stonebwoy, and Kenya’s Sauti Sol for BET’s 2015 “Best International Act: Africa” category.

Ice Prince, Davido, Tiwa Savage and Mafikizolo were nominated in the past for the prestigious music award.

Janet Jackson to release new music, go on world tour

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fter seven years out of the spotlight, singer Janet Jackson is coming back with a new music and a new world tour. The singer announced the fantastic news via Vimeo. In the video, Jacksonthe 49-year old pop star said she is currently in the music studio laying down new tracks.

“I promised you’d hear it from my lips, and now you will. This year, new music, new world tour, a new movement. I have been listening. Let us keep the conversation going.”

Janet Jackson last dropped her 10th studio album, Discipline, in 2008. Since then, she has only made a few appearances since she secretly married Qatari billionaire, Wissam Al Mana.

Tim Godfrey-led Xtreme crew bags 9 award nominations

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ultiple award winning kingdom singer, Tim Godfrey, is at it once again. The 2014 NEA awards nominee led his Xtreme team to top the nomination chart of the biggest Gospel Music award in Nigeria.

In the “Crystal Award 2015” nomination list released recently, Godfrey, who shot to the limelight with his Agidigba hit song, bagged nine nominations including that of the artiste of the year and song of the year with his mind-blowing single “Amen”.

The spanking single “’AMEN’ (with a remix which featured Skales) was also nominated in the Best Inspirational/ Urban Song category, while the worship song, “Na You Be God” featuring CCIOMA and Eben (which was among the biggest gospel songs of the year 2014) was nominated in the Best Worship song category.

The 2015 Crystal Award has been tagged ‘Third Year of Inspiration’ and interestingly, winners would be selected by a committee.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 38

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OUR PEOPLE

OUR VISION

Chairman Malam Wada Maida, Oon, Fnge Director/Editor-in-Chief Rufa’i Ibrahim Editor, Daily Hameed M. Bello

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ISSUES

Fuel crisis, deregulation and the incoming govt

By Tope Adesipo

T

he history of fuel scarcity in Nigeria is quite strange, there is hardly a year without fuel crisis coming in between. Meanwhile, Nigeria is an oil producing country, the largest in Africa and its crude is preferred by many nations of the world. Ironically, many of the nations buying fuel from Nigeria are satisfied with the oil situation in their own country, but sadly Nigeria has been engulfed in incessant fuel crisis for many years. In the last four weeks, there has been acute shortage of fuel which has led to long queues at filling stations. The latest crisis seems to be the longest in the history of the nation, vehicle owners, commercial drivers and the general public who depend on fuel for mobility and production of goods and services have suffered untold hardship.

The informal sector made up of artisans and shop keepers are the worst hit. Against the background of the collapse of electricity supply despite privatisation, artisans and shop keepers rely daily on generators to power appliances and make a living.

Without fuel, it is impossible for them to make their daily bread.

The current crisis is not caused by the global trend in the crude oil market. Last year, crude oil price crashed internationally, negatively impacting the economies of key oil exporting countries. This scarcity is caused by the refusal of oil marketers, who import refined fuel products into the country for domestic use, to continue to do so until the federal government pays what it purportedly owes them in subsidy payments. Subsidy, the difference between the landing price of fuel and the fixed domestic price, is paid for by the state to guarantee cheaper price of imported petrol.

There are also reports of banks refusing to open letters of credit to major oil marketers as the reason for this latest crisis.

In essence, it is an artificial scarcity caused by the refusal of some sharks. A group of oil marketers and storage companies who have been in connivance with politicians for years and have been ripping the country through subsidy payments. A probe launched into the subsidy payments in 2012 in response to the demands of the mass movement and

WRITE TO US

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Email: opinion@peoplesdailyng.com adverts@peoplesdailyng.com pictures@peoplesdailyng.com contact@peoplesdailyng.com strike early in January that year revealed a rip-off and embezzlement to the tune of $1.1billion. But except for a few arrests and circus trials, it has been business as usual for oil marketers, government officials and politicians.

Despite being an oil-producing nation, Nigeria relies on imports for over 70 percent of domestic fuel needs. This is primarily because its few refineries are not functioning at optimal capacity. Over five decades after oil was discovered in commercial quantity, Nigeria can only boast of four refineries with a combined oil distillation capacity of 445, 000 bbl/d. But even with this amount if compared to total local petroleum consumption in 2014 of 305, 000 bbl/d, it means that Nigeria does not have to import fuel at all. However in 2013, the “combined refinery utilisation rate was 22 percent” (US Energy Information Administration). This significant shortfall had to be taken care of by importation meaning that much of what the country gains in crude oil sale and foreign exchange earnings is lost to fuel imports and subsidy payments.

Nothing illustrates this absurdity than the current situation where, according to the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) for instance, the federal government owes importers and storage companies N200 billion ($1billion) in subsidy

payments. This is after the initial payment of N154 billion in April. A large part of the N200 billion is for forex differentials claimed. What accounts for this huge differential is the devaluation of the naira as the government could not stem its freefall against the dollar with a dwindling foreign reserve. From N168 per dollar last November, a dollar now exchanges for N199.90 at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approved interbank channels. This means that even if the federal government is able to pay the marketers their outrageous claims, the next few months of fuel imports will see an accrual of similar monstrous claims.

Some are calling on the incoming government to abolish fuel subsidy and embark on total deregulation. Proponents are of the view that Nigeria cannot continue to subsidise the pockets of a few oil marketers.

They believe it does not make economic sense to spend billions of naira on subsidy when, according to them, in reality the masses are not feeling the impact. They also say deregulation will encourage private investors to build refineries. In sharp contrast, the Obasanjo government gave license to Dangote and others to build refineries in 2005 but they have even converted those licenses to importing refined fuel. According to reports, it will cost $2 billion to build a standard refinery in Nigeria.

We all agree that corruption is the biggest issue in the petroleum industry and the recent probe of the NNPC has revealed the age long suspicion that it is a cesspool of corruption, but before we all ask the incoming government to embark on full deregulation, this is what the government must do. It must curb corruption, reform the NNPC and the oil sector, try to diversify the economy and develop the capacity to refine fuel for our own domestic consumption. These are all significant reforms. The reason for subsidy is because of cost induced in importation. The difference between the landing cost and the fixed pump price by the government is the subsidy paid to the oil marketers. A high fuel price for an economy would lead to chaos, as 70 percent of the population lives in abject poverty and unemployment is biting harder (forget the NBS statistical abracadabra).

Why is it difficult for government to build refineries to meet our daily consumption needs? This is a fundamental question we need to ask ourselves. The cartel that controls the marketing and supply of oil in Nigeria are politicians of the two major parties, their big business partners and international collaborators. With this cartel in place, deregulation will never work. Diesel is a good example. It has been deregulated for many years and is supposed to bring the price down. But the price of diesel has refused to come down. The cartel wants to continue importing fuel while owning refineries in Sao Tome and other African countries.

I believe Buhari is strong willed to challenge the cartel. He will need to fight tooth and nail. Some of them are his supporters and members of his party and his government must find a way of making our local refineries work. It is a paradox for our refineries to only work at 22 percent utilisation rate, the new government should ensure that the existing refineries are working at optimal capacity and find a way to build new ones.

Adesipo posted this piece on Abusidiqu.com and can be reached via twitter @tope414

PAGE 39

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Opinion

Nigeria’s brand of repression

By Tolu Ogunlesi

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n a visit to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, last week, I saw the city’s much talked about monorail project.

Underwhelming would be an understatement.

It was difficult to believe that what I was seeing is what the state government expects the world to accept as a landmark achievement.

The bit I saw was a stretch of concrete beams that runs along the Nnamdi Azikiwe Road and then stops abruptly in the middle of nowhere, after only about one kilometer. From what the website says, this is supposed to be a section of the 5.4-kilometer first phase of the project. The other phases are still being ‘contemplated’.

The question that you can’t help but ask is why is Nigeria’s third biggest state economy with a budget twice that of Liberia and Sierra Leone combined struggling to complete 5.4 kilometers of monorail, five years after the foundations were laid?

In Lagos, there is a similar scenario. The first phase of the city’s light rail, the 27km ‘Blue Line’, is years off schedule and still nowhere near launch. In Calabar, the story is not very different. A monorail project that, according to news reports, kicked off in April 2007, was in the news this week: Not because it is now running but instead because the locomotives have finally been delivered.

There is not much to suggest that it will commence operations before Liyel Imoke steps down as governor.

At the federal level, the stories are just as depressing. Abuja’s intra-city light rail remains unfinished. The Abuja-Kaduna ‘standard-gauge’ railway, under construction since 2011, is not yet in use. It was reportedly finished in December 2014 (the news was full of celebratory stories at that time) and due for launch early in 2015. In March, President

Goodluck Jonathan assured that he would ride on it before May 29; he now has barely two weeks to fulfill that promise.

Where do these unfinished and in some cases abandoned projects leave us? 16 years and millions of cubic feet of hot air (promises and vows and foundation-layings and newspaper headlines) after we welcomed democracy with much fanfare, there is not a single functioning brand new railway project to present as a ‘dividend of democracy’. All that we have succeeded in accomplishing in that time, note that a child born when President Olusegun Obasanjo took office in 1999 would today be preparing for university, is revamping railway systems constructed during colonial times. The Lagos-Kano line opened in 1912, and went into decline from the 1970s, finally stopping to function sometime around 2002.

It was revived in 2012, but today still runs as slowly as it did a century ago. Yet, the outgoing government has been celebrating with the same verve that other countries reserve for nuclear testing and Mars Missions.

And that is how Nigeria works on standards that would not pass muster anywhere else in the world. I was recently in Addis Ababa and caught a glimpse of the city’s brand new lightrail system, currently running trial services (and ready to launch in a few months). To do a bit of comparison, consider that the combined annual budget for Ethiopia’s nine states and two city administrations is only a little more than that for Lagos State (in dollar terms).

Putting Nigeria and Ethiopia side by side got me thinking about the concepts of state repression, government efficiency, standards of livingand the relationship between them.

Let me explain. You see, Nigeria, unlike Ethiopia, is not a country you would classify as a repressive state. Our democracy, nowhere near perfect, generally grants us the

freedom to say exactly what we feel about our governments. No internet site is banned here and there is no danger of the government pulling the plug on the internet. There has always been a plurality of opinion in our media, intensified in recent years by social media. Our democracy has always permitted the existence of opposition parties and we have seen in recent weeks a most un-African feat of opposition coalition dethroning an entrenched ruling party. Ethiopia is a different place. There are several things you would write and say freely in Nigeria that would earn you a lengthy jail term in Ethiopia; there is much that Nigeria tolerates that the Ethiopian government would frown upon.

And yet, Ethiopia knows how to get stuff done with an ambition, focus and efficiency that we can only fantasize about in Nigeria. It is currently building a dam that when finished (scheduled for completion in 2017) will be the largest in Africa at an estimated cost of about $4.7bn – a fraction of what the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation annually gambles with in the name of SAAs and subsidy fraud, or the civil service in the name of ‘ghost workers’ and pension scams. Ethiopia, landlocked and lacking in natural resources, will be depending on taxpayers and borrowed money to pull off this wonder. No soothsayers are needed to guarantee that they will get it done. This time last year, the dam project was already 30 percent completed, according to a BBC report.

Nigeria on the other hand stays busy doing what it knows best: making grand plans and tying them up in endless webs of scandals and controversies. The Mambilla Dam project, conceived more than a decade ago during the Obasanjo era, and touted as Nigeria’s equivalent of China’s Three Gorges project, has not left what Nigerians love to call the

‘drawing board’. The feasibility study for the project was first inaugurated a decade ago.

I have been wondering: What is the point of reveling in the fact that we are a democracy if the lives we lead are guaranteed to remain hellish year after year, decade after decade?

Where, in fact, is the truth of our ‘freedom’ and ‘openness’? Is there not a case to be made that Nigeria’s own repression is of a different kind than the conventional kind; that, it presents itself, not as a direct and ruthless government control or intrusion in the lives of citizens, but as an exceptional abdication of responsibility to the people and to their welfare, so that those people are kept trapped in a permanent state of infrastructural dysfunction?

Isn’t it unconscionable that after the tens of billions of dollars in state funds that have gone into the power sector since 1999, President Jonathan will be handing over a generation profile that is only marginally higher than what President Obasanjo inherited from the military in 1999? Where else in the civilised world would this happen? In that same time, China has added several tens of thousands of megawatts of capacity. These scenarios have also led me to wonder and not for the first time: Is Nigeria perhaps an irredeemably jinxed entity?

The stage is now set; the clock will soon start to tick. If the past is anything to go by, our future will be an easy one to predict, as follows: in 2019, we will still be here, lamenting our electricity and public transport woes, wondering what happened to the grand dreams sold to us by the All Progressives Congress and Buhari, wondering what the point is of calling ourselves a country.

Culled from Abusidiqu.com

Jonathan’s goodbye service and Mea Culpa

By Dan Onwukwe

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few days remain until the end of his presidency and there are still much he can do, if he chooses to. A promise of a smooth transition and that is why he must direct his cabinet to cooperate with the incoming administration of Muhammadu Buhari to avoid the allegation that he (Jonathan) has not given the president-elect any ‘useful tip’ to kick-start his government.

As he puts finishing touches to his exit, Jonathan has shown us the other side of him that we didn’t know. He has reserved his best for last. His candour in defeat will be one of his enduring legacies. During the last three weeks, there have been farewell speeches, breakfasts, luncheons and dinners.

But, it was at the church valediction service that his soft, emotional side played out. Penultimate Sunday, he waxed emotional as he relived his presidency, his defeat and what might await some of his ministries and top aides. He asked them to brace up for tougher days ahead. He foresaw prosecution, just as he expressed deep pain and disappointment in the hands of those he claimed had benefited so much from his government. But, he ought to know that, that is human nature: that those who grovel at your feet when you are in power will be the first to spit in your face when you lose. From where he left off at the valedictory service organised by the Anglican Communion, Abuja, May 10, President Jonathan, continued last Sunday, May 17, this time at the Aso Rock Chapel in the Villa. It was the second time in two weeks that the First Lady, Dame Patience, would be part of the farewell service. What made the headlines on Sunday was, first, the president seeking forgiveness from Nigerians that the policies of his administration might have

hurt directly or indirectly. What a way to say goodbye. Only the first family can tell their story better. I am more concerned about Mr. President’s report of seeking forgiveness.

“For the eight years that I have been there as vice-president, acting president and president, I can say that no one is perfect. We have done certain things that probably we shouldn’t have done, but we didn’t do them deliberately. So, for those that we offended, it was as a result of the exigencies of the office.

We plead that such people should forgive us.”

Is this apology a pointless exercise? Why should the president do that? These are some of the questions some people have asked in the last two days. The important thing is that leaders are human. And like everyone of us, they make decisions every day in the course of governance. Some of these decisions are big, some small, personal, professional and even innocuous. Some of the decisions they make are far more profound that they inevitably affect people’s lives and general well being.

A few weeks ago, the Lagos State governor,

“

Babatunde Fashola, while reviewing his 2,900 days in office apologised to those he might have wronged by the actions or inactions of his policies.

Like Fashola, President Jonathan did cut the image of a very remorseful leader.

The expression on his face looked genuine when he sought ‘forgiveness’. Those who misunderstood his apology should realise: that is what responsible leaders do when they discover that the judgment they have made had probably let them down. It is a sign of contrition and perhaps a bold and sincere effort in making restitution. This is exactly what psycho-historians, Aaron Lazare and Nicholas Tavichis advised leaders to do if they feel their decisions had hurt people. It is in this regard that Tavichis in his book, “Mea Culpa”: A Sociology of Apology and Reconciliation, reminds us that even though apologies speak about acts that cannot be undone, not tendering an apology might compromise present and future relationships, especially when the leader knows that there

Nevertheless, it is a gracious thing for President Jonathan to have sought for forgiveness for real or imagined ‘wrongs’ to Nigerians. I repeat, that whatever may be his inadequacies (and they are many), he is leaving on a high. And history will be kind to him. By what he has done since after the March 28 election, he has broken away from the self-destruct histrionics of the PDP.

will always be life after politics, or even future endeavours in which you might meet the same people you have offended when in authority.

It is therefore important that we forgive them. Jonathan, and even Governor Fashola need our commendation. It shows humility, strong character, and perhaps competence.

But let us ask the question: what really distorts a leader’s judgment when in power and inexorably leads him to make flawed judgments that he realizes only when he wants to exit the stage? This remains a puzzle that neuroscientists have had to grapple with for decades. A research carried out

by Andrew Campbell, J.O Whitehead and Syndey Finklelsten which was published in the Havard Business Review, (February 2009 Edition) reveals that sometimes leaders are ‘tripped’ into making wrong decisions by bad advisers. Some of the flawed decisions are also as a result of uninformed bias.

Nigerian leaders are more guilty of this error of judgment. Nevertheless, it is a gracious thing for President Jonathan to have sought for forgiveness for real or imagined ‘wrongs’ to Nigerians. I repeat, that whatever may be his inadequacies (and they are many), he is leaving on a high. And history will be kind to him. By what he has done since after the March 28 election, he has broken away from the self-destruct histrionics of the PDP. What then can our leaders do to avoid this dug-in situation and the pain to seek forgiveness?

The answer is simple: knowing when to reject the advice of aides and when to believe in your own conviction.

Onwukwe posted this piece on Opinion.ng

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PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Comment

Buhari’s cabinet: Meritocracy or ‘clientelism’?

By Jude Feranmi

F

ellow countrymen, in some other epochal situation, the peace we enjoy today will be a thing of hope. The gospel of change that has seen enough converts to unseat an incumbent president is a testament to our budding democracy. Today, we are all better for it. Now is the time to start hoping that those campaign promises were not as empty as Dokubo’s threats before elections.

To sit back, relax and hope is the least we should be doing now. Our duty as citizens is to demand that the kind of life that we deserve should be given to us. Nothing more, nothing less.

We are at a critical juncture in the presidency of Muhammandu Buhari, which we all want to be a successful one. Though, it is yet to begin officially, a lot of decisions that will make/mar the presidency are in full gear. One of these decisions is the structure and content of the cabinet of the incoming president. You see, when we elected Muhammadu Buhari, the APC flag bearer, we also elected prima-facie all the people who will occupy the roles of ministers, special advisers, director-generals, permanent secretaries amongst others. These people make up the civil service. In a nutshell, these people run the country’s business. They are the determinants of the level of success that we will achieve in the next four years and how the presidency performs.

Actually, when we lament the problems

of leadership in our country, what we are lamenting is the problems of finding the right people to occupy these offices. We usually elect presidents who end up filling these offices with politicians instead of technocrats or at instances where technocrats have been appointed, they have been incapacitated by politics. The constitution which ensures that each state produces a minister makes it worse. It is such that the governor has a stake on who becomes minister from that state or party leader. What we end up with

“

is a conflation of people who are being paid for a favour or two they have done for the governor or the party leader, they are usually characterised by people who know next to nothing when it comes to the offices they are gifted. Clientelism is that stage of political development where democracy is run by exchanging political favours in exchange for support. I need not define meritocracy.

My advice to the incoming president is that all prosperous nations have something in common. A responsible government is

A responsible government is made up of experts in their chosen fields, not politicians who know next to nothing about a field they preside over. Countries like Singapore and Germany are what they are today because of the caliber of people who run their governments.

made up of experts in their chosen fields, not politicians who know next to nothing about a field they preside over. Countries like Singapore and Germany are what they are today because of the caliber of people who run their governments. Coming back home a little, Akinwumi Adesina and Omobola Johnson were icons of Jonathan’s presidency.

The more experts you have, the easier it will be to achieve the vision of a better Nigeria. The time for politics is over, the time for governance is here and making the mistake of putting a round peg (politicians) in a square hole (technocrat) will mar your presidency. You have promised to deliver a better Nigeria, politicians can’t deliver a better Nigeria, only technocrats can. I can promise you sir, those nominated will be reminded of the responsibilities of their offices, be they politicians or technocrats and failure to rise to those responsibilities will not be permissible.

To my fellow countrymen: This is the time to be more vigilant. The life we get is the life we deserve. The kind of life we demand is what we will get. If we sit back and relax, waiting and hoping, suffering and smiling or wailing and praying, the only change we will end up with is that which we have gotten, a change in the people occupying positions. A better Nigeria is possible and achievable, only if we demand it.

Feranmi posted this article on Omojuwa.com

Of silly trekkers and misplaced priorities

By Ololade Ajekigbe

I

f you are oblivious of the latest reality show going on in Nigeria, then you must have been hibernating under a rock or something. What started as the ‘ambition’ of a young man to ‘fulfill a promise’ he made two years ago to trek from Lagos to Abuja to celebrate in solidarity with General Muhammadu Buhari if he emerges winner of the 2015 presidential election has quickly escalated into a competition of sorts resulting in not less than eight other young Nigerians trekking from one part of the country to the other to show support for their political candidate. Like almost every other venture in Nigeria, the bandwagon effect has taken its full course on this trekking madness.

The list keeps growing everyday. Since the Katsina State born Suleiman Hashimu pioneered the trend, the roll call of trekkers is on the rise. Men, women, the physically challenged and even a nursing mother (whom I personally think should be arrested for endangering the life of a baby) have all jumped on the ‘trekking train’. And just when we thought we had seen it all, in the latest wave of absurdities, five men have chosen to take things several notches higher by vowing to trek from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia in solidarity with Buhari. At first the trekkers appeared to only be trekking for the president-elect, but unsurprisingly, just like in mainstream politics, the ‘Jonathanians’ not to be outdone have two to three people of their own taking up the ‘challenge’ in honour of the soon to be former president. They claim to be celebrating their hero who displayed rare statesmanship by conceding defeat thereby averting what could have resulted in a war.

As amusing as this theatrical show may

be, it brings to the fore the deeper problem of unemployment among the youths. The truth is that there are many young people with too much time on their hands. A look at the age bracket of the people who have embarked on this adventure reveals their average age to be 35 years old. Now, these are men and women who are in their prime; the heydays of their lives, and so when we have young people who should be putting their strength and agility to productive use trekking the length and breadth of the country to celebrate politicians then we need no one to tell us that we are in trouble. Pray, if these trekkers had regular jobs or private businesses they were growing would they have the time or energy to waste on a senseless venture? And if at all they had to trek for a cause, there are several worthy causes they could have channeled their clearly abundant energy into.

There are only scanty parts of Nigeria that can boast of six hours of uninterrupted power in a day (as a matter of fact, in my area, we barely enjoy six hours of power supply in two

“

weeks), yet nobody has thought to trek to the PHCN head office or the federal ministry of power to protest this shameful cross that we have been condemned to carrying through the years. Our politicians have been robbing us blind, looting the treasury at will but all we do as young people is to complain and insult each other on social media. Nobody has opted to trek to the EFCC or ICPC head offices and the ministry of justice to demand that more should be done to bring corrupt government officials and politicians to book.

The scourge of cancer, HIV, kidney diseases and other terminal illnesses all require volunteers to create more awareness to the plight of those who are suffering from these ailments, yet these youths never thought of walking to raise funds for these causes but find it very convenient to trek for a politician who doesn’t know them and may never even dignify their self inflicted ‘long suffering’ with a handshake. Yet we wonder why young people are not taken too seriously in the scheme of things, especially when it comes to running

for political offices. It is the same reason why we keep recycling the same old politicians who have been ruling even before I was born.

General Yakubu Gowon became Nigeria’s head of state at age 32. The late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu became the military governor of the eastern region at the age of 33. Chuka Umunna, the British Labour politician has been a Member of Parliament for Streatham since 2010 when he was only 31 years old. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the critically acclaimed Nigerian author and novelist won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book, as well as a host of other awards before she was 30. Indeed, there are several other young people who are not in the limelight but are excelling in their various fields of endeavour, yet some young able bodied Nigerians believe that the best way to gain recognition is by trekking for politicians whose children live in luxury and school abroad. It is a pathetic situation, an error of ignorance and a fallacy of reasoning.

A look at the age bracket of the people who have embarked on this adventure reveals their average age to be 35 years old. Now, these are men and women who are in their prime; the heydays of their lives, and so when we have young people who should be putting their strength and agility to productive use trekking the length and breadth of the country to celebrate politicians then we need no one to tell us that we are in trouble. Pray, if these trekkers had regular jobs or private businesses they were growing would they have the time or energy to waste on a senseless venture?

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 41

Online Comments

Mu’azu

Obasanjo

Anineh

PDP crisis: Mu’azu, Anenih resign

in Nigeria.

ALSCON shuts down again, to lay off workers

Maigaskiya says: They are just looking for a scapegoat, as they have refused to direct the blame to the appropriate quarters. Whether anyone likes it or not, the buck stops at President Goodluck Jonathan. In fact, it was him who symbolizes the PDP that Nigerian voters rejected and not Mu’azu or Anenih.

Olatunbosun Ola says: Will ALSCON reopen/rehire its workers?

Amaechi’ll serve in key position under Buhari – Tinubu

Johnny says: The best job for Governor Amaechi is the Chairman of EFCC.

Five men to trek from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia in solidarity for Buhari

APC inaugurates 13-man welfare committee for youths

Felix says: This is the height of joblessness.

Moses Ola Olu Famuyiwa says: Will you also cross the Red Sea by foot?

Pastor impregnates housewife, two daughters in Delta Odogwu_Aganaga says: Why was his “name withheld”? That is how journalists protect criminals.

President Jonathan: An exit of a gallant leader

David Machoka says: Well said. I am not a Nigerian, but the way President Jonathan conceded defeat shows that he is a matured politician. Nigerians should respect him Onu Mbah says: Jonathan saved us from what is happening in Burundi today. God will always bless and prosper him for choosing the path of selflessness unlike other politicians.

Odogwu_Aganaga says: Onu Mbah and David Machoka, with due respect, the two of you are just singing the heroism of a nonhero. After ruining our economy, you are praising him to the skies for being defeated at the polls. What would you say about his refusal to honour the agreement not to run for a second term? Didn’t he choose to do last what he should have done first? He deserves no commendation for trying at the eleventh hour to put a good spin

Lamido Sanusi

Diezani

on his ineptitude. He said stealing is not corruption and declared his unwillingness to prosecute corrupt members of his administration; he oversaw a government that sponsored extortion from poor job seekers in the subterfuge of giving them immigration job. He and his wife deserve a serious time in jail.

He has started again, can’t he leave the new government alone, can’t he emulate other past leaders and enjoy his stolen wealth? Buhari should beware of this man.

Yomi Falade says: Ben, ex-President Obasanjo is the encyclopedia of Nigerian politics. He is helping the Buhari administration.

There is nothing wrong with Obasanjo helping Buhari to succeed.

Why I’m contesting Senate Presidency – Senator Ali Ndume

Ben says: Has the senator cleared himself from the Boko Haram sponsorship allegations? Is it right for someone with such a sensitive allegation hanging around his neck to be elected in the Senate? I hope we don’t start electing armed robbers and kidnappers into the Senate.

Diilii says: Nigeria is a joke.

Obasanjo submits strategy report on economy, security, others to Buhari Ben says:

Five Boko Haram ISIS trainees killed in Iraq

Moses Ola Olu Famuyiwa says: Jonathan should ask for their corpses so as to give them proper burial in Nigeria, as he did for Nigerians killed for trafficking drugs in Asian countries. Drug dealers and Boko Haram are equal.

Speaker tussle in Abia set to implode PDP Moses Ola Olu Famuyiwa says: Money is talking. Money is power

Hon Tony Oneweek Muonagor says: Nice one my great National Youth Leader. The importance of effectively accommodating the welfare of Nigerian youths in our new government cannot be over emphasized. Kudos to you for this initiative, I implore this team to do their best and write their names in gold. Change is here.

Sanusi faults Diezani, insists $18.5bn missing in NNPC Odogwu_Aganaga says: Nigerians should be pitied. On May 29, those who prodigalized the country’s resources will walk away freely and await their life time pension.

It is a big shame.

Electronic media and moral decadence in our society

Abubakar Bello (GNIPR) says: Media education has become necessary, especially at post-primary levels of our educational system. A healthy dose of media consumption for youths will remedy the negative consequences of perverted messages we are frequently bombarded with, which is depleting our moral virtues.

Also we need adequate regulation.

Most Asian countries have a framework that moderates media content before audience consumption.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 42

Politics

Speakership: Season of endorsements, gale of denials

By Patrick Andrew

S

ince Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was elected governor of Sokoto State and the coast became clear for a new leadership to emerge in the House of Representatives, there have been avalanche of aspirants to replace him.

At some point, no fewer than eight names were touted to be keenly interested in stepping into his shoes as the number four citizen of Nigeria. However, it was Abdulmuminin Jibrin that formally threw his hat into the ring, daring other aspirants to enlist in the contest if they had the heart to do so. The APC (Kano) lawmaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Finance dared even the party’s zoning arrangement by insisting that he would contest irrespective of the position of the party on the zone to produce the next speaker.

Then, others joined the fray: Yakubu Dogara, Femi Gbajabiamila, Pally Iriase, Mohammed Monguno and Mojeed Alabi, who only made a superficial showing at the induction of newly elected members of the National Assembly.

Albeit the eighth Assembly will formally be inaugurated on June 6 or thereabout, the media have been agog with press statements by aspirants who have fallen over themselves to convince their colleagues and stakeholders on why they should be considered the right candidate to be elected speaker of the eighth Assembly. In the process, various groups have emerged all angling to prove why their candidate should be seen as the right choice. They have endorsed their preferred candidates, often asserting that they represent the voice of their respective zones.

However, endorsements have equally generated denials. First, a group had declared support for Jibrin on behalf of the north west zone. That was immediately spurned by another group which questioned the rationale behind the north west producing both the president and speaker from the same political platform and under the same dispensation.

That seems to open the floodgate of endorsements and denials.

Last weekend, these activities took a turn for the worse following the endorsement of Femi Gbajabiamila and Mohammed Monguno for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

The duo were endorsed by members of the North-East caucus with a condition that they will back the current minority leader, Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) for the same top job in the House if the position is zoned to the south-west, while backing Monguno for the deputy speakership position.

Further, the northern groups under the auspices of the Northern Youths Political Merger Group and the Northern Youths Forum for Democracy also declared their support for the aspiration of Gbajabiamila ‘in view of the overwhelming support that the south-west gave the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.’’ Coordinator of the groups, Hon. Musa Mujahid Zaitawa, said it would be inconceivable and a great disservice to the nation if the Lagos lawmaker is not elected speaker of the House.

“The youths from northern Nigeria have resolved to support the south-west in the contest for speakership as a reward for their immense contribution to the victory of the APC without which the story might have been different,” the group noted in a statement.

“Any attempt, therefore, by whatsoever group, forum or organisation that claims to

Gbajabiamila

Dogara

Monguno

have taken the decision against the northern youths interest and decision to support the south west for the position of speakership is baseless and unfounded,” he said.

Gbajabiamila’s rally was punctured by some colleagues who felt that the declaration of the north east caucus was not holistic. Though it was said that 36 out of the 48-member caucus from five north-east states were present at the meeting where himself and Monguno were endorsed, another faction led by Hon. Binta Bello (PDP, Gombe) at a press briefing in Abuja, disassociated herself and other PDP lawmakers from the said endorsement.

“The north-east caucus did not endorse Monguno and Gbajabiamila,’’ Bello asserted, stressing that they were shocked to see their names in some national dailies alleging that they had endorsed the candidature of Munguno and Gbajabiamila for a joint speakership ticket of the House.

“We wish to state categorically clear that we were neither consulted nor informed about the publication before it was published.

We want to make it abundantly clear that at no time did we sit to endorse Monguno from north-east and Gbajabiamila for any joint ticket. Some of our names were only added to the list by these desperate people,’’ she said.

The group, according to her, had demonstrated a pattern of campaign depicting the height of desperation.

“The sponsors of the publication also used attendance list of one of the consultative meetings held by one of the aspirants to mischievously say that we endorsed

Gbajabiamila and Monguno,’’ she added.

She, therefore, urged the sponsors of the publications to desist from misleading the public.

“As distinguished members of the eighth Assembly, we should at all times conduct our affairs honourably and with decorum.

“As loyal party members, we are still awaiting the decision of the leadership on the zoning of National Assembly leadership positions. Also, those of us who are members of the PDP, our party has not taken a stand yet on who we should support and until such time, we will not be party to any endorsement,’’ she said, giving the impression that the PDP caucus in the House wants to dictate the pace in the election of the new leadership of the eighth assembly.

She listed Ahmed Yarima, Haliru Jika, Salisu Ningi and Abdulrazaq Namdus, Adamu Kamali, Barden Garbas, Ibrahim Baba, Sabo Garba and Ali Isa as those that have nothing to do with the endorsement.

Hardly had the ink dried when another endorsement and dis-endorsement saga arose.

Penultimate Friday, some lawmakers from the north central zone comprising 20 members purportedly threw their weight behind Gbajabiamila’s quest to be speaker.

The statement said it was the resolve of the zone for the minority leader to lead the eighth House come next month.

All seemed well until, midweek when another group emerged to denounce the endorsement. “We want to make it abundantly

clear that at no time did we sit to endorse Hon. Gbajabiamila as Speaker. Our names were only added to the list and we didn’t sign the notice. We are still awaiting the decision of the APC on the zoning of National Assembly leadership positions,” the group led by a newly elected member, Mark Gbilah, said.

Gbilah, who went on to reveal that newly elected members would prefer that aspirants unveil their manifestoes to them at a forum than be forced by party positions and some bigwigs of any party, listed among others Honourables Beni Lar (Plateau); Suleiman Kwande (Plateau); Emmanuel Udende (Benue); Chris Adabah (Benue); Orker Jev (Benue); Mark Gbilah (Benue) and Adamu Entonu (Benue), as those denouncing the alleged endorsement.

And so it was a week of endorsements and a gale of denials. Someone joked that serious horse-trading was going on and that once a particular lawmaker is undervalued by any aspirant the next thing he does is to go to the press to dis-endorse the candidate usually in the guise of representing a zone, or groups of colleagues.

“Look it is all about sharing of offices and doling out of largesse. The lawmakers do not want to be taken easily by their colleagues aspiring to be speaker. It is horse-trading that is playing out and whoever feels cheated in the secret comes open to ginger regional sentiments in the hope of getting his or her due.

“It is alleged that after being ‘seen’ they compare notes and whoever was inadvertently or deliberately undervalued must go public to denounce the endorsement just to show how relevant and influential he could be and ultimately to convince the aspirant to up his value,” someone who should know said.

Another averred that this is just a tussle between the APC chieftains in the north east and south west for the control of the House leadership. In fact, last April, a meeting of the party’s leadership to resolve the issue ended in a deadlock due to the tussle between leaders of the two geopolitical zones for the office of the speaker of the House.

At the meeting, the leaders agreed on the zoning of the office of the Senate president to the north-central and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the south-east, while the speakership was undecided.

“

Look it is all about sharing of offices and doling out of largesse. The lawmakers do not want to be taken easily by their colleagues aspiring to be speaker. It is horse-trading that is playing out and whoever feels cheated in the ‘secret’ comes to the open to ginger regional sentiments in the hope of getting his or her due.

PAGE 43

Biographies

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Sylvanus Epiphanio Olympio (1902 – 1963)

S

ylvanus Epiphanio Olympio (6 September 1902 – 13 January 1963) was a Togolese political figure who served as Prime Minister, and then President, of Togo from 1958 until his assassination in 1963.

He came from the important Olympio family, which included his uncle Octaviano Olympio, one of the richest people in Togo in the early 1900s.

After graduating from the London School of Economics, he worked for Unilever and became the general manager of the African operations of that company. After World War II, Olympio became prominent in efforts for independence of Togo and his party won the 1958 election making him the Prime Minister of the country.

His power was further cemented when Togo achieved independence and he won the 1961 election making him the first President of Togo. He was assassinated during the 1963 Togolese coup d’état.

Early life and business career Sylvanus Olympio was born on 6 September 1902 in Lomé in the German protectorate of Togoland. He was the grandson to the important Afro-Brazilian trader Francisco Olympio Sylvio and son to Ephiphanio Olympio, who ran the prominent trading house for the Miller Brothers from Liverpool in Agoué (in presentday Benin). His uncle, Octaviano Olympio had located his business in Lomé, which would become the capital of the protectorate, and quickly became one of the richest people in the German and then French colony of Togoland.

His early education was at the German Catholic school in Lomé, which his uncle Octaviano had built for the Society for the Divine Word. ] Following that, he began study at the London School of Economics, where he studied economics under Harold Laski. Upon graduation, he worked for Unilever first in Nigeria and then in the Gold Coast. By 1929, he was located to be the head of Unilever operations in Togoland. In 1938, he remained in Lomé, but was promoted to become the general manager of the United Africa Company’s, then part of Unilever, operations throughout Africa.

During World War II, the colony came under the control of the Vichy France government which treated the Olympio family with general suspicion because of their ties to the British. Olympio was arrested in 1942 and held under constant surveillance in the remote city of Djougou in French Dahomey.[8] The imprisonment would permanently change his view toward the French and he would become active in pushing for independence of Togo at the end of the war.

Political career Olympio became active in the domestic and international struggle to gain independence for Togo following World War II. Since Togo was not formally a French colony, but was a trustee under the rules of the League of Nations and then the United Nations, Olympio petitioned the United Nations Trusteeship Council for a host of issues pushing toward independence.[9] His 1947 petition to the Trusteeship Council was the first petition for resolution of grievances taken to the United Nations.[10] Domestically he founded the Comité de l’unité togolaise (CUT) which became the major party opposing French control over Togo.

Olympio Olympio’s party boycotted elections during the 1950s within Togo because of heavy French involvement in the elections (including the 1956 election that made Nicolas Grunitzky, the brother to Olympio’s wife, the Prime Minister of the colony as head of the Togolese Progress Party). In 1954, Olympio was arrested by the French authorities and his right to vote and run for office were suspended. However, his petitions to the Trusteeship Council led to the 1958 elections where French control over the elections were limited, although involvement remained significant, and Olympio’s CUT party was able to win every elected position in the national council. The French were then forced to restore Olympio’s right to hold office and he became the Prime Minister of the Togo colony and began pressing for independence.

From 1958 until 1961 he served as the Prime Minister of Togo and also served as the Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Justice for the colony. He connected with many of the other independence struggles throughout the continent; for example making Ahmed Sékou Touré, first President of Guinea, conseiller special to his government in 1960. In 1961, as part of the transition of power away from French control, the country voted for a President and affirmed the Constitution developed by Olympio and his party. Olympio defeated Grunitzky with over 90% of the vote to become the first president of Togo and the Constitution was approved.

Togo-Ghana relations One of the defining dynamics during Olympio’s Presidency was the tense relationship between Ghana and Togo. Kwame Nkrumah and Olympio were initially allies working together to gain independence for their neighboring countries; however, the two leaders split when fighting over the eastern part of the German colony which had become part of the British Gold Coast and eventually part of Ghana. The division resulted in splitting up the land of the Ewe people. Nkrumah proposed openly that Togo become part of Ghana while Olympio sought to have the eastern part of the German colony returned to Togo.

The relationship became quite tense with Olympio referring to Nkrumah as a “black imperialist” and Nkrumah repeatedly threatening Olympio’s

government.

Relations between the two countries became very tense after 1961 with multiple assassination attempts against each leader resulting in accusations against the other leader and domestic repression leading to refugees receiving support from the other country. Exiles opposing Nkrumah organized in Togo and exiles opposing Olympio organized in Ghana creating a very tense atmosphere.

Togo-France relations The French initially treated Olympio with significant hostility during the transition to independence and later, after Olympio became the President in 1961, the French became concerned that Olympio was largely aligned with British and American interests. Olympio adopted a unique position for early independent African leaders of former French territories.

Although he tried to rely on little foreign aid, when necessary he relied on German aid rather than French aid. He was not part of the alliances between France and their ex-colonies (notably not joining the African and Malagasy Union) and fostered connections with former British colonies (namely Nigeria) and the United States. Eventually, he began to improve relations with France and when relations with Ghana were at their most tense, he secured a defense pact with the French in order to ensure protection for Togo.

Domestic politics Domestic politics was largely defined by Olympio’s efforts to restrain spending and develop his country without being reliant on outside support and repression of opposition parties.

His austere spending was most significant in the realm of military policy. Initially, Olympio had pushed for Togo to have no military when it achieved independence, but with threats from Nkrumah being a concern, he agreed to a small military (only about 250 soldiers).

However, an increasing number of French troops began returning to their homes in Togo and were not provided enlistment in the limited Togolese military because of its small size. Emmanuel Bodjolle and Kléber Dadjo, the leaders in the Togo military, repeatedly tried to get Olympio to increase funding and enlist more of the ex-French army troops returning to the country, but were unsuccessful.

On 24 September 1962, Olympio rejected the personal plea by Étienne Eyadéma, a Sergent in the French military, to join the Togolese military.

On 7 January 1963, Dadjo again presented a request for enlisting ex-French troops and Olympio reportedly tore up the request.

At the same time, Togo largely became a single-party state during Olympio’s presidency. Following a 1961 unsuccessful attempt on Olympio’s life in which Grunitzky’s Togolese Progress Party and the Juvento movement under Antoine Meatchi were accused, the opposition was outlawed.

Meatchi was imprisoned for a brief period before being exiled and other opposition leaders left the country. The result was that Olympio maintained a significant amount of authority and his party dominated political life.

Foreign policy Olympio largely pursued a policy of connecting Togo with Britain, the United States and other countries. In 1962, he visited the United States and had a friendly meeting with President John F. Kennedy. In many respects, he was a cultural linkage between British and French west Africa and spoke both languages fluently and connected with the elites in both circles.

Assassination Shortly after midnight on 13 January 1963, Olympio and his wife were awakened by many members of the military breaking into their house. Before dawn, Olympio’s body was discovered by the U.S. Ambassador Leon B. Poullada three feet from the door to the U.S. Embassy. It was the first coup d’état in the French and British colonies in Africa that achieved independence in the 1950s and 1960s, and Olympio is remembered as the first President to be assassinated during a military coup in Africa. Étienne Eyadéma, who would claim power in 1967 and remain in office until 2005, claimed to have personally fired the shot that killed Olympio while Olympio tried to escape. Emmanuel Bodjollé became the head of the government for two days until the military created a new government headed by Nicolas Grunitzky, as President, and Antoine Meatchi, as Vice President.

The assassination sent shock waves throughout Africa. Guinea, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, and Tanganyika all denounced the coup and the assassination, while only Senegal and Ghana (and to a lesser extent Benin) recognized the government of Grunitzky and Meatchi until elections in May. The government of Togo was excluded from the Addis Ababa Conference which formed the Organisation of African Unity later that year as a result of the coup.

Aftermath The army increased dramatically from 250 in 1963 to 1,200 by 1966.

And when protests in the Ewe region, Olympio’s ethnic group, caused chaos in 1967, the military under Étienne Eyadéma deposed the government of Nicolas Grunitzky.

Eyadéma ruled the country from 1967 until 2005. Olympio’s family remained in exile for much of that period and only returned to the country with democratic openings at the end of Eyadéma’s rule.

Olympio’s son, Gilchrist Olympio, is the head of the party Union of Forces for Change and has led the main opposition in Togo since the mid-1990s.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 44

Archives

Nazi letter to Soviet wartime agent found in Japan

A

birthday letter from a Nazi foreign minister to a legendary spy credited with helping turn the tide of Germany’s advance on Moscow has been found in Tokyo, a book dealer said Tuesday.

Unknown to Adolf Hitler’s regime, Richard Sorge accurately forewarned his Soviet paymasters that the Nazis were preparing to tear up a non-aggression pact and march into western Russia.

Under his cover as a journalist and press attache to the German embassy, Sorge ran a spy ring in pre-war Tokyo, reporting to Moscow what both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan were planning.

Historians say the 1938 letter from Joachim von Ribbentrop, marking Sorge’s 43rd birthday and praising his “outstanding contribution” to the embassy in Tokyo, underlines how trusted he was by the Germans -- and therefore how valuable he was to the Soviets.

“The letter comes from pre-World War II time. It is interesting in that it allows you to surmise” the Nazis’ trust in Sorge, said Yoshio Okudaira, who works at antique book dealer Tamura Shoten in Tokyo’s Jimbocho district.

The letter came with a signed photograph of Ribbentrop, who was Hitler’s foreign minister from 1938 until 1945.

Although Sorge was a German national and a Nazi party member, he spent part of his childhood in the Soviet Union and was a committed

“

German Nazi Chancellor and dictator Adolf Hitler (3rd L), Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano (2nd L) and German Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (L) in 1939 (AFP Photo/)

communist who later began spying for Moscow.

In 1933, at the Soviets’ behest, he moved to Japan as a correspondent for the Frankfurter Zeitung.

Vital information Known for his womanising and heavy drinking, Sorge was also a keen political ob-

server whose insights brought him respect, and ultimately, high-level access inside the German embassy.

He became a personal aide to German ambassador Eugen Ott, a position that gave him an excellent vantage point on Nazi policymaking, and made him privy to vital

While the Soviets did not fully believe this intelligence at the time, they did act when Sorge told them he had learned Japan did not intend to invade Russia from the east, preferring to concentrate on winning territory in resource-rich Southeast Asia.

information about the German war machine.

It was there that he learned of Hitler’s intention to unilaterally revoke the non-aggression pact with Moscow and invade the Soviet Union from the west.

While the Soviets did not fully believe this intelligence at the time, they did act when Sorge told them he had learned Japan did not intend to invade Russia from the east, preferring to concentrate on winning territory in resource-rich Southeast Asia.

This vital information allowed Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to reposition vast military resources from the far east to the west, helping to turn back the advancing German army in late 1941.

Okudaira said this snap-

shot of history came as part of a bundle of Nazi-related documents brought in by a customer who was disposing of a dead relative’s collection.

“I thought, ‘Here is interesting stuff,’” Okudaira told AFP, adding that the customer did not know the nature of the letter.

Okudaira said the letter and photograph would be auctioned off, although he cautioned that they were written by Ribbentrop’s secretary, making them relatively ordinary administrative documents.

Sorge’s spy ring was broken up by the Japanese authorities. He was disavowed by the Soviets and hanged by Japan in 1944, although posthumously rehabilitated by post-Stalin Russia.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 45

Digest

Can’t sleep? Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique

The 4-7-8 breathing technique has been described as a ‘natural tranquiliser for the nervous system’ helping reduce tension and allowing the body to relax

Y

ou’ve tried a warm bath, a hot, milky drink and even counting sheep, but you’re still lying wide awake wondering why you can’t fall asleep.

Now, one scientist claims he has a way of getting insomniacs to slip into a slumber in just 60 seconds – and it doesn’t involve prescription drugs or strange lighting.

Dubbed the 4-7-8 breathing technique, the method is described as a ‘natural tranquiliser for the nervous system’ helping to reduce tension in the body.

It was pioneered by Arizona-based Dr Andrew Weil who says on his YouTube channel: ‘It is utterly simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere.’

To do the 4-7-8 breathing technique, you first need to exhale completely through your mouth while making a ‘whoosh’ sound.

Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

Now hold your breath for a count of seven.

After this time has elapsed, exhale completely through your mouth, making another whoosh sound for eight second in one large breath.

Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three times for a total of four breaths.

‘Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth.

‘The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time,’ Dr Weil says.

‘Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation.

‘The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4-7-8 is important.’

The technique is based on pranayama, an ancient Indian practice that means ‘regulation of breath.’

The Harvard-trained doctor claims that 4-7-8 is such a powerful technique because it allows oxygen to better fill the lungs.

This extra oxygen can have a relaxing effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness.

During times of stress, the nervous system becomes over stimulated leading to an imbalance that can cause a lack of sleep.

As well as relaxing the parasympathetic nervous

system, Dr Weil says 4-7-8 helps you feel connected to your body and distracts you from everyday thoughts that can disrupt sleep.

He says it can also help anxiety.

On a Youtube video explaining the technique, a commenter wrote: ‘I tried it and immediately felt better.

“

‘I take meds for OCD and anxiety...I was feeling anxious when I stumbled onto this. One set of four and I feel way less anxious.’

Dr Weil suggests practicing the technique twice a day, for six to eight weeks until you’ve mastered it enough to fall asleep in just 60 seconds.

Dr Weil suggests practicing the technique twice a day, for six to eight weeks until you’ve mastered it enough to fall asleep in just 60 seconds.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 46

International Burundi protesters defy police crackdown

By Osby Isibor

A

nti-government protesters in Burundi marched on the streets of Bujumbura on Friday, defying one of the heaviest pushes by police to end weeks of demonstrations.

At least two protesters were shot dead and eight wounded in clashes with the police, the Red Cross said, the latest victims of the unrest triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term, in which more than 20

people have died.

Heavy gunfire was heard on Thursday in suburbs of the capital, with intense bursts of automatic weapons, as protesters hurled rocks from makeshift barricades.

The crisis, which began in April after the ruling party nominated Nkurunziza to stand again in the June 26 presidential election, deepened last week when a top general staged a failed coup attempt.

On Friday, protesters in the city’s Cibitoke district shouted and

blew whistles to try and encourage others to come out to the streets, while in the neighbouring district of Mutakura, around 100 protesters did the same.

“We try to bring people together, then we will go to neighboring districts,” said one protester.

An AFP journalist was denied entry by the police into Musaga, a flashpoint district that has seen some of the worst violence.

“It’s for your safety,” a policeman said, claiming to have

been ordered to block journalists’ access to the area.

“There are a lot of police on the streets to terrorise us,” said Steve, a protester.

Nkurunziza said in an address to the nation on Wednesday that most of the Central African country was secure and that the upcoming parliamentary and presidential votes would be peaceful.

Police officers were stationed at the entrance of each neighbourhood, where barricades

set up the day before had been cleared.

Opposition and rights groups said Nkurunziza’s bid for a third five-year term violates the constitution and the terms of a peace deal that ended a 13-year civil war in 2006.

Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader and born-again Christian, who believes he has divine backing to lead, argued that his first term did not count as he was elected by parliament, not directly by the people.

Ireland votes in historic gay marriage referendum

I

rish voters will go to the polls to decide whether to embrace the most radical social change they have ever been asked to make, a constitutional amendment to legalise gay marriage. If it is approved, Ireland will become the first country to introduce gay marriage in a popular vote rather than by legislation or through the courts.

That would be a momentous step for a once-traditional country, which retains for many, particularly outside Ireland, an image of a place steeped in conservative social values.

Campaigners for a Yes vote in the referendum say this image is outdated. After two decades of the most wrenching change Ireland has experienced since independence nearly a century ago, the Irish are ready to embrace one of the world’s most liberal ideas.

In the battle between traditional and modern Ireland that has been the most striking feature of the gay marriage debate, modernity has the upper hand. “This is going to be a defining moment in modern Ireland and in what we as its citizens expect from a modern state,” says Michael Barron, who heads BeLonG To, a gay youth group spearheading the Yes campaign.

After months of sometimes loud but mostly dignified arguments, voting in the referendum begins today. Voters are being asked to insert into the Irish constitution a clause that reads: “Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.”

Opinion polls show that a majority of voters back gay marriage. Yet this support has been declining in recent days as the final arguments on both sides were being made. The most recent polls, last weekend, showed that support ranged from 53 to 69 percent. With such a variation, the result could go either way, both sides agree.

The Yes campaign has featured emotional testimonies from young gay people and their friends and families. Their votes will be essential if the measure is to be passed. Its central theme is equality, a concept that has proven surprisingly resonant. (The official title of the measure being voted on is the Marriage Equality Amendment.) Gráinne Healy, head of the Yes campaign, says: “Many Irish people know what it is like to be excluded.

A woman walks past a burning barricade during a demonstration against the Burundian president in Kinanira neighborhood of Bujumbura.

Al-Shabaab attacks Kenya

A

l Shabaab militants attacked a village in the northeastern Kenyan county of Garissa, the ministry of interior said on Friday.

The Somalia-based al Shabaab group, which has carried out frequent attacks in Kenya in recent years

‘Ethiopia’s economy to grow by 10.5% in 2015/16’

E

thiopia’s economy is expected to grow by 9.5 percent this fiscal year ending June before accelerating to 10.5 percent in 2015/16, the World Bank said on Friday, adding that inflation will remain in single digits during this period.

The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has touted its economic achievements before Sunday’s election, although no one doubts it will sweep to power again, as critics said it stifles any real opposition.

There is just one opposition member of the outgoing parliament.

Lars Christian Moller, the World Bank’s lead economist and program leader for Ethiopia, told Reuters that falling oil prices would help quicken Ethiopia’s growth in 2015/16. “If lower oil prices are passed on to

consumer in the form of lower fuel prices, it gives additional disposable income to consumers,” Moller said in Addis Ababa.

The Ethiopian government has targeted annual growth at about 11 percent for the past five years.

Moller said the service and agriculture sectors are likely to drive growth, along with the booming construction sector, most visible in the capital where new multi-storey office blocks and shopping malls have altered the city’s skyline.

He added that growth eased slightly in 2014/15 due to below par rains in the mountainous Horn of the African nation, which remains one of the world’s poorest countries despite boasting one of the highest growth rates across the globe.

Annual inflation is likely to remain in single digits, in line with the

government target, Moller said.

The bank predicted inflation would average 7.2 percent this fiscal year, rising to 8.2 percent in the next fiscal year. After peaking at 64 percent in 2008, inflation in Ethiopia has eased in the past two years, staying below 10 percent.

“We basically interpret that as a policy choice,” he said, adding that in the past, monetary policy played a larger role in facilitating growth. “They have now shifted their priorities so that they can have some degree of price stability, so that means monetary policy will be adjusted so that an inflation target can be met.”

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s ruling party has expelled seven former top officials and suspended 13 others, an official announced on Friday, in an ongoing purge targeting allies of exdeputy president, Joice Mujuru.

to try to force Nairobi to pull its troops out of Somalia, struck a university in the same area last month, killing 148 people.

A statement said the militants entered Yumbis village, 70 km (45 miles) north of Garissa town, but were driven back. “Security forces on Thursday evening thwarted an attempted attack at Yumbis village,” it said.

“Security forces swiftly mobilised and engaged the militants in a gun battle. No casualties were reported.”

A police source in the area who did not wish to be named said the militants roamed Yumbis for an hour in two trucks bearing Kenyan registration plates. They hoisted their black flag on a mosque where they held prayers, before they headed out to a nearby village called Damajale.

A combined force of police and the army drove them off about three hours later, the source said.

Kenya’s tourism industry, a top foreign exchange earner has borne the brunt of the attacks, as worried tourists cancel their bookings.

Meanwhile, activists and officials said Islamic State (IS) fighters were combing Palmyra, detaining and killing dozens of people two days after seizing the historic Syrian town.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS fighters have killed 17 men and that it has unconfirmed reports of the killing of ‘tens’ more.

Governor Talal Barazi of the central province of Homs, which includes Palmyra, said on Friday that IS fighters have abducted men and “might have committed massacres.”

IS group has massacred hundreds of Syrian and Iraqi soldiers, following past conquests, often boasting about the killings online.

PAGE 47

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Business

Sovereign Wealth Fund: Wither the rainy day?

By Mohammed Usman

A

s part of efforts to utilise valuable excesses and plan for a sustainable socio-infrastructural improvement, Nigeria joined other countries of the world to establish a national Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia online, “A sovereign wealth fund (SWF) is a state-owned investment fund investing in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals or in alternative investments such as private equity fund or hedge funds. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally. Most SWFs are funded by revenues from commodity exports or from foreign-exchange reserves held by the central bank.

“This SWF was founded for the purpose of managing and investing these funds on behalf of the government of Nigeria. The fund commenced operations in October 2012 and was set up by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority Act, which was signed in May 2011. The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority is a Nigerian establishment which manages its sovereign wealth fund, where the surplus income produced from Nigeria’s excess oil reserves is deposited. It is intended to invest the savings gained on the difference between the budgeted and actual market prices for oil to earn returns that would benefit future generations. The fund was allocated an initial $1 billion in seed capital.”

The intents or mandate of the authority is to build a savings base for future generations of Nigerians, enhance the development of Nigerian infrastructure, promote fiscal stability for the country in times of economic stress and carry out other matters as may be necessary in furtherance of these objectives.

Speaking on the issue, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi-Iweala, stated that “The establishment of an institutional foundation for the Sovereign Wealth Fund is a victory for all Nigerians and a credit to the president who assented to the Bill.” She added that it also demonstrates the determination of the federal government to improve the lives of Nigerians through far sighted policies and initiatives.

“We have started putting together a quality team to ensure that we realise the objectives

Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

that inspired the establishment of the SWF. I am sure the team realises what is at stake and is ready to do the necessary work so that the country can start enjoying the benefits as soon as possible.”

The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, according to Sahara Reporters, has been ranked second out of 51 global sovereign wealth funds under the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute transparency index ranking for 2014. According to the report, the Managing Director/CEO of the Authority, Uche Orji, who was presenting

“

extracts of the 2014 financial result and performance in Abuja, said the new rating leapt NSIA from global joint 33rd to global joint second out of 51 Sovereign Wealth Funds ranked by the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute.

Continuing, he said “Our responsibility is to keep the investments safe and keep Nigerians informed about what is going on. Many people see this as a mark of transparency.

We have decided to be as open and transparent as possible with our shareholders. If it impresses somebody and we

are recognised with a ranking, great, but, that is not what we are working towards, we want to ensure that at any point in time the people know where their money is being invested,” he said.

Highlights of the financial results for the period ended December 31, 2014, Mr. Orji said, showed net income growing by over 3,024 percent from N505.7million to N15.8 billion, while total revenues grew by 267 percent from N1.96 billion to N7.2 billion.

To this end, the essence of the SWF as encapsulated

We have started putting together a quality team to ensure that we realise the objectives that inspired the establishment of the SWF. I am sure the team realises what is at stake and is ready to do the necessary work so that the country can start enjoying the benefits as soon as possible.”

in the mandates of the NSIA is to build a savings base for future generations; enhance the development of Nigerian infrastructure, promote fiscal stability for the country in times of economic stress and carry out other matters as may be necessary in furtherance of these objectives.

But recently, the fund has been mired in controversy, as its objective of promoting fiscal stability for the country in times of economic stress is already compromised. All through, the coordinating minister for the economy and finance minister has being saying that the economy is healthy, but only recently, she admitted that the federal government has been borrowing to pay salary.

Also, the 2015 budget shows a considerable deficit.

Another area of consideration is the socio-infrastructural state of Nigeria which is moving from bad to worse.

The expectations of future generations in Nigeria still lie in the socio-infrastructural need which is presently in dismay.

For instance, while speaking with Peoples Daily Weekend, Pham. Okenwa Enyeribe, who is the head of a group called Revolutionary Council of Nigerian People, said Nigeria with a population of over 170 million cannot generate up to 3,000 megawatts of electricity at the moment. Citing an example, he stated that South Africa with 52 million people generates 40,000 megawatts, saying the state of tertiary education in Nigeria is uncalled for.

Also, guaranteeing future generations with a legitimate source of welfare is another issue. In this line, Enyeribe said 80 percent of Nigerians are living below one dollar a day, a livelihood of poverty, squalor and misery. He stated that 75 percent of them are unemployed.

For the health sector, in a write up by Bolaji Aregbesola, so many factors are responsible for the inability to design appropriate programmes that will address major health challenges. He added that some of them include lack of political will by government and political actors, improper investment in the health sector, the inability to see the link between health and development, lack of policy to address health problems and weak systems. Improper investment in health sector was mentioned above. So, going by NSIA’s objectives and the ranking, Nigeria await its reality.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 48

Business

CBN raises N111bn in T-bills

By Mohammed Usman with agency report

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria sold N110.99 billion ($558 million) in Treasury bills at lower yields across all tenors compared with the previous sale on May 6, the central bank said on Friday.

Investors submitted a total of N243.39 billion in bids at the auction held on Wednesday, compared with 329.97 billion bids at the previous auction.

The yield on the threemonth bill fell to 9.95 percent

from 10.09 percent at the previous auction, the central bank said, adding that it sold N32.43 billion of the threemonth paper.

The bank sold a total of N22.82 billion of the six month paper at 12.75 against 12.89 percent yield at the last auction.

It also sold 55.68 billion worth of the one-year paper at 13 percent, compared with 13.39 percent last month.

Meanwhile, Greek refrigerator maker, Frigoglass, has agreed to sell its glass business to Nigerian aluminum

can producer, GZ Industries for $225 million (202 million euros) in an effort to cut debt and focus on its cooler business, it said on Friday.

Frigoglass, which sells coolers to beverage companies including Coca-Cola HBC and brewers in Europe, has been hit by volatile conditions in Europe which have hurt bottlers’ spending on refrigerators.

The company said it had agreed to divest all its glass container operations in Nigeria and Dubai and the complementary plastic crates

and metal crowns businesses in Nigeria to GZI Mauritius, the holding company of GZ Industries.

“This move will substantially deleverage our balance sheet, as well as allow us focus on developing our cooler business into a new dimension,” Frigoglass CEO, Torsten Tuerling said in a statement.

Frigoglass expects to complete the sale in the second half of the year and will use the proceeds to reduce its debt. All 1,588 employees at its glass operations will be transferred to

the new owner, it said.

In a separate statement, Frigoglass announced a net loss of 3.9 million euros in the first quarter of the year after a loss of 3.4 million euros in the same period in 2014. Sales dropped 3.4 percent to 120 million euros, mainly reflecting lower revenue from its Africa and Middle East operations.

Frigoglass shares have climbed 38 percent so far this year, outperforming a 2.4 percent rise for the Athens bourse’s general index.

SimbaPay launches free UK to Nigeria money transfers

S

L-R: Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar and Commissioner for Transport, Lagos State, Mr Kayode Opeifa, exchanging signed agreement on ceding of Lagos railway red line from Federal to State Government

imbaPay, a leading digital money transfer provider, has announced the launch of its money transfer service to Nigeria.

Using the SimbaPay app or website, Nigerians living in the UK can send money to any bank account or mobile phone in Nigeria instantly. SimbaPay charges zero fees for money transfers to Nigeria.

“We are excited by the launch into Africa’s largest economy.

It is awesome to eliminative the high transfer fees for Nigerians in the UK who are sending money to their loved ones,” Nyasinga Onyancha, CEO for SimbaPay, said.

Nigerians living in the UK with a bank account, debit card or credit card will be able to use the SimbaPay app from any mobile phone, tablet or computer.

Transfers made using SimbaPay are credited within seconds to recipients’ bank accounts or mobile money wallets eliminating the inconvenience of queues and old school paperwork. The service will gradually be rolled out to Nigerians living in other EU countries.

SimbaPay provides daily locked-in exchange rates for the Nigeria Naira (NGN). It can be downloaded for free from the Apple or Android app stores.

Lafarge shareholders approve N15.9b dividend

S

hareholders of Lafarge Africa Plc have approved N15.86 billion for the 2014 financial

year.

The shareholders gave the approval at the company’s 56th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos on Friday.

The dividend translated to N3.60 per share compared with N3.30 declared in the corresponding period of 2013 or a growth of nine per cent.

The National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Mr. Sunny Nwosu, lauded the company for the dividend declared in spite of the challenging operating

environment.

Nwosu said the company should consider a bonus in the current year to compensate shareholders for their support in the past years, adding that the company offered bonus last about 12 years ago.

He also called on the company’s incoming chairman to pursue strategies that would move its operations to the next level.

The Chairman, Standard Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Anono, urged the company to ensure enhanced dividend pay outs in the years ahead.

Anono said the management

should continue with their good work and pursue marketing strategies to remain competitive in the industry.

Also speaking, the National Chairman, Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN), Mr. Boniface Okezie, called for an increase in production to ensure product availability across the country.

Okezie noted that the company had the capacity to compete favourably in the industry, adding that it should work toward reduction in cement price. ``If we want affordable houses for Nigerians and to beat our competitor in the market, we need

to bring down the price of cement.”

Earlier, the company’s Chairman, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, commended the shareholders for supporting its expansion plans. According to him, arrangements are in top gear to increase production lines capacity of the company to ensure availability of its products across the country.

Osunkeye said the medium to long-term outlook remained positive for Lafarge South Africa Holding (LSAH). ``The recent strengthening of Rand versus the Naira will increase the value of the South African profits to the group and it is a testament to

Fuel scarcity: DAPPMA urges total deregulation of oil sector

T

he Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) on Friday reiterated the need to deregulate the oil sector to enthrone the peace that has trailed the sale of diesel.

The Executive Secretary of the association, Mr. Adewole Olufemi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that deregulation would enhance competition in the

sector.

Olufemi said like diesel, deregulation would eliminate incessant scarcity of other petroleum products in the country.

“Diesel is not scarce, you can go to any filling station in the country to buy it at a different price. Deregulation will afford marketers to sell their products without government’s

interference,” he said.

Olufemi said total deregulation of the sector would make the products available and encourage competition in the sector.

“Deregulation will be in the best interest of everybody. We have always called for this because we know that everybody will benefit from it. The government will only be responsible for

regulating the price after the landing cost of the products has been ascertained,” he said.

He noted that petroleum products had not been sufficient due to lack of competition in the oil and gas sector. The scribe advised Nigerians to embrace this step whenever the government makes the move to deregulate the oil sector.

the advantages of having added Lafarge South Africa to the group,” he said.

According to him, the creation of Lafarge Africa has transformed the company into a group equipped to accelerate and withstand challenges in the African market, stressing that the company’s production capacity grew from 4.5 million tonnes to about 12 million tons during the period under review.

Osunkeye said 3.5 million cubic meters of ReadyMix concretes and over five million tonnes of aggregates were added to the company’s portfolio. ``All of this is about building on the foundation which was laid over the last few years and the transformation into Lafarge Africa Plc is a natural progression to take our company to the next level,” he said.

He, however, attributed the high price of the company’s cement to poor power supply in the country which also contributed to high cost of production. ``We are looking at a way to reduce cost and increase sales.”

On the demand for bonus issues, he said that it would be granted if adjudged to be in the overall interest of the company.

(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 49

Oddities Compiled by Isioma Nwabasha

Man sneaks into women’s loo to eat faeces A

ccording to a news report from China, a man regularly sneaks into women’s loo to eat faeces.

The report said the Guangdong man was caught emerging from the toilet after indulging in his mindbogglingly disgusting habit.

Shanghaiist.com, a legitimate news source, suggests he has done it for eight years. A translation of the broadcast said: “A man has been spotted on multiple occasions entering a ladies’ restroom at a shopping centre in the Pengjiang district of Jiangmen city, Guangdong province, and eating excrement found in the toilet.

“According to a security guard at the shopping plaza, the man has been spotted visiting the toilets since early this year. He goes to the second floor ladies’ room to find faeces to eat. He usually comes between 8am to 10am during the first half of the day and

then comes again at around 3pm,” the guard said.

He added that the man walks in on women before they are able to finish flushing the toilet.”

The news source claims a local female resident told Guangdong TV that reports of the man wandering into public restrooms have left her feeling incredibly uneasy, because he is seen lurking in another female toilet nearby.

A doctor from the No. 3 Hospital of Jiangmen city said it is possible that he has a history of mental illness.

The women’s toilets at the mall have been locked up and residents are now calling on the government to help seek treatment for the man.

The man when confronted said he eats faeces when he is hungry and always feels better after eating it, adding that he has been doing so for eight years.

Pregnant Zimbawean sues ex for ‘seduction damages’

A

pregnant Zimbawean woman identified as Chido Fortune Mutonhori has sued her ex-fiancee, Tafadzwa Hwehwe, for $15,000 for breaking her virginity, getting her pregnant and then dumping her for another woman.

According to a Zimbabwean website, Chronicle.co.zw, Chido, through her lawyers, filed a $15,000 suit at the Bulawayo High Court in Zimbabwe in which she stated in court papers that her ex boyfriend had broken his promise of getting married to her while they were dating. ‘‘After deflowering and impregnating me, Hwehwe has taken away my pride as a woman and left me embarrassed and humiliated before my own people. He will visit me in Harare during which we would have sexual intercourse and I am now pregnant and expecting his baby. However, in March 2015, I discovered that he has been associating with another woman, fathering a child with her,” she wrote.

She stated in court papers that she was suing him for ‘seduction damages’ as his action has reduced her chances of having a normal future marriage. “Therefore, plaintiff prays for payment of $10,000 in seduction damages for the period between January 2013 and March 2014. She also claimed $5,000 in damages for breach of promise to marry her and the cost of suit on a higher scale,” the court paper read.

3 women rape man at gunpoint, steal sperm

A

South African man has told how he was kidnapped and raped by three women in Cape Town. The 33-year old man, whose identity is being kept away from the media, said the women had stopped him in their car to ask for directions and as he was talking to them, one of them brought out a gun and forced him into the back of their black BMW and drove away.

He said they drove him to an unknown place far from where they kidnapped him, then began touching him to get aroused. When he didn’t, because the only thing he felt then was

fear, the women forced him to drink an ‘unknown substance’ from a bottle to make him hard.

He said all three women then took turns on him and when he came, they took his semen in plastic bags, placing them in a cooler box. After they had finished, they kicked him out of the car around Kwazakhele township, Port Elizabeth, and made off with his sperm.

A South Africa police officer said. ‘‘This is really confusing to us because we have never heard of such a thing before.

The man was fully conscious throughout his ordeal and he is still traumatised.’’

Woman gives birth to twins with different fathers

A

new mum has given birth to twins who have two different fathers. The incredible case was revealed after the woman, identified only as T.M., named her current boyfriend as the father of her twins.

But T.M. admitted before maternity papers were signed that she had actually slept with a different man a week after she believed she conceived with her boyfriend. A paternity test was carried out and it was revealed

that the two men had each fathered one of the twins, who are now toddlers.

Now the woman’s original partner only has to pay out child support for one of the children.

Passaic County Judge, Sohail Mohammad, made the ruling in the paternity case, the New Jersey Law Journal reported. Paternity tests showed the woman’s former boyfriend was certainly the father of one twin, but wasn’t the father of the other.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

PAGE 50

Healthy Living

Amazing benefits of carrot juice

Carrots

C

arrots are a rich source of necessary nutrients and minerals. It helps treat and prevent diseases and improves our vision, skin, hair, nail etc. Drinking carrot juice daily is a habit that everyone should imbibe, as it is both healthy and tasty as well.

What makes carrot juice so nutritious is that it contains a large amount of beta-carotene, vitamins and potassium in it.

Improves immunity and controls heart diseases: Betacarotene makes it a rich source of vitamin A. It also helps improve the immune system. The abundance of vitamin A in carrot juice can help improve your sight and the daily intake can prevent the onset of heart diseases and stroke. Vitamin A in addition keeps the lining of the internal organs healthy in order to prevent it from being infected by pathogenic organisms.

Reduces cholesterol: Here comes an amazing benefit of carrot juice, the potassium present in carrot juice can reduce cholesterol levels. It is good for the liver

as it reduces fat and bile in it.

Potassium, along with manganese and magnesium stabilizes blood sugar level, thus helping to reduce the risk of diabetes.

Aids in clotting of blood: Vitamin K present in carrot juice helps blood to clot.

Heals external wounds and gums: Vitamin C helps to heal wounds and keep the gums healthy.

Prevents cancer: It also acts like an anti-cancer agent, increased intake of carotenoids in carrot juice decreases instances of bladder, prostate, colon and breast cancer.

Protein building and bone health: Vitamin K, present in carrot juice is essential for the protein building process in the body. It also helps in the binding of calcium that in turn leads to the faster healing of broken bones. Potassium present in carrot also helps to improve bone health.

Cleanses the Liver: Carrot juice cleanses and detoxifies the liver.

Toxins in the liver are released from the system and excreted after regular consumption of carrot

juice. The bloodstream cannot rid the body of toxins and bile through the kidneys. This has to be ejected from the skin. Carrot juice aids this process and ensures that harmful bile is removed from the body.

When the liver functions well, it prevents the accumulation of fat and aids in its rapid digestion, preventing weight gain and obesity.

For the women, carrot juice is not just about good health, but also about looking beautiful. Its beauty benefits include: Reduces dryness and scarring: Potassium helps reduce skin dryness and reduces scars and blemishes. It also gives life to your skin by improving its tone. It will also help improve hydration and thus keep your skin moisturized.

Prevents acne: Since it is high in essential oils, it also helps prevent acne by detoxifying your body.

Source of vitamins needed for skin: This juice effectively acts as a vitamin supplement for your skin.

It also contains so many healthy nutrients that it can reduce skin

related problems like eczema A glassisofcaused carrotby juice which deficiency of vitamin A, dermatitis and rashes.

Fights ageing: The betacarotenoid when entering the body changes into vitamin A and reduces cell degeneration and thus slows down aging of the body.

It largely improves the amount of collagen in the skin and thus helps in maintaining elasticity and reducing the visible signs of aging like sagging skin and wrinkles.

Although carrot is a healthy vegetable, eating it with loads of sugar, cashew and raisins is unhealthy. Many people love the natural taste of carrot juice, but you

can also add other fresh juices such as orange, lemon, ginger or mint to give it a different flavour. Carrot and cinnamon juice together forms a very healthy antioxidant rich drink which can reduce cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes.

It is said that drinking fresh carrot juice is better than eating it raw because the nutrient content will be even more concentrated in the juice.

Ensure you drink at least one glass of carrot juice each day to burn fat and get the fab, svelte body you have always yearned for!

Get that glowing and beautiful skin you love!

How to lower bad cholesterol

Almond and nuts

B

ad cholesterol is a pain, isn’t it?

When was the last time you tried getting rid of bad cholesterol but

only quit because the process was too difficult or expensive? Well, reducing bad cholesterol isn’t a straight forward

and easy process that happens overnight. It requires complete dedication and time. But then, what if there are certain foods that can make the process much easier?

What is bad (LDL) cholesterol?

There are two types of cholesterol, bad (LDL) and good (HDL).

Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterol: Usually, around two-thirds of the cholesterol is transported by LDL particles.

These particles are like ferries, which transport cholesterol to different body parts. If you have an excess of LDL in your bloodstream, these particles dump it in the arteries, causing blockages and even heart attacks.

Many people refer to LDL as bad cholesterol for this particular ability of creating blockages. The only saving grace is that you can easily reduce the amount of LDL if you follow a regular fat-free diet.

Reducing Bad (LDL) Cholesterol: LDL cholesterol can lead to blocked arteries, which can lead to heart disease, stroke and other arterial diseases like arteriosclerosis.

Let’s look at some foods that help you reduce LDL cholesterol naturally.

Oatmeal, oat bran & high-fiber foods: Oatmeal is rich in soluble fiber,

an agent known to reduce LDL cholesterol. Having only 5-10 grams of soluble fiber can help reduce LDL cholesterol. You can even eat one and half cups of cooked oatmeal, to get the right amount of fiber in your diet.

Fish and Omega-3 fatty acids: Eating fish rich in omega-3 can be of great help in your quest to reduce LDL cholesterol. Some fish which contain the highest amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids include: Lake trout, mackerel, herring, salmon, sardines, halibut and albacore tuna.

Remember to grill or bake the fish to ensure that you don’t add unwanted fat to it. Other sources of omega-3 fatty acids include canola or ground flaxseed oil.

Almonds, walnuts and others: Almonds, walnuts and other types of nuts help reduce LDL. As nuts are also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, they help keep the blood vessels unclogged. It is recommended that you eat around 45-50 gms of nuts daily. By doing this, you can effectively reduce LDL cholesterol from your body.

Olive oil: Olive oil is rich in anti-oxidants, which help reduce bad cholesterol.

However, these antioxidants don’t reduce or flush the good HDL from

the body. As extra virgin oil isn’t that refined or heavily processed it contains more antioxidants. In fact, the lighter the colour of the oil, the more processed it is.

5. Stanol or sterol fortified foods: There are many foods available in the market, which are enhanced with stanols and sterols (plant chemicals) that usually inhibit cholesterol absorption. Fruit juices, yogurt and some other foods contain added sterols, which can reduce more than 10 percent of the body’s LDL. Apart from increasing the abovelisted foods in your diet, there are certain precautions that you should take to ensure that you maintain a low LDL cholesterol level.

Avoid junk food: Junk food contains many transfats that usually increase the LDL cholesterol level in the body. Thus, the best thing to do is avoid junk food.

Avoid sweets: Sweets can increase blood sugar, as well as LDL cholesterol levels. If you are aiming to reduce the amount of LDL in your cholesterol, the best thing to do is avoid sweets.

Follow these tips to get rid of bad cholesterol and stay healthy and happy!

PAGE 51

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Signs of a backsliding Christian (IV)

L

ast week, I started another section of this message and under how to avoid backsliding, I discussed the following: watch and pray, walk in the spirit, do regular self examination, embrace holy living, listen to and respond to anointed messages that convict sinners of sin and call back sinning Christians to the path of righteousness, and respond to God’s discipline.

I want to quickly discuss the remaining things you must do as I round off this series.

•Seek the Lord daily and don’t neglect fellowship with fellow Christians. Don’t let the devil isolate you from the ministry of the church.

He can do that by making you see faults in other Christians causing you to want to have nothing to do with them. By that, he also keeps you away from fellow Christians who can speak into your life and support you in your hours of trial, and the devil can exploit this to draw you away from God. Withdrawal from fellowship will deny you the protection of the church and other benefits that church membership offers. “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.” (Heb 10:25 NLT) Soldiers fight in unit not separately.

•Pray for one another. In addition to personal prayers, believers need one another’s prayer to stand and keep standing because we are all members of the body of Christ. 1 Cor 12:26 says, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” (NLT) We should be our brothers’ keeper.

It was the prayer of Jesus that saved Peter. May be he would Hebrews 11:13-16

W

e ought to give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard” (Hebrews 2:1).

More especially do we need to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is teaching us today in this passage on the subject of faith.

Many preachers and teachers are confused and they misinterpret this passage: “These all died in faith, NOT HAVING RECEIVED the promises” (Hebrews 11:13).

They fail to rightly divide the Word of truth and so weaken the faith of many. This chapter uses the word “receive” a number of times: “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed”.

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises” “...and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son”, “Women received their dead raised to life again”, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise”

have ended like Judas Iscariot who committed suicide. “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’” (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV) We need each other, and we need one another in the Christian race. Soldiers don’t fight separately; they fight as a unit. “Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.” (Eph 6:18 NLT) •Encourage one another.

This is one of the key benefits of fellowshipping with fellow believers. There are times when a believer is weary or his faith is low, encouragement from a fellow Christian becomes an energizer.

According to Titus 1:9, a person to be ordained an elder/pastor/bishop is expected to be able to encourage others with right teaching based on the trustworthy message he has been taught. In fact, there are Christians who have been giving a special gift of encouragement. Rom 12:8 says, “If your gift is to encourage others, do it!” (NLT) Everybody needs encouragement at one point or the other. The person giving it now will soon need it. No Christian is superman. Discouragement is one reason people backslide. Christians ought to be like that apostle, Joseph or Joses named Barnabas by the other apostles, and Barnabas means son of encouragement. (Acts 4:36) Indeed, he was an encourager.

In this passage where his name is first mentioned in the Bible, it says he sold his land and brought it to the apostles. (Verse 37) We see Barnabas later being a great encouragement to Paul, John Mark and the early church.

Christians should deliberately encourage one another. That’s why the epistles are full of words of encouragement to the church then and indeed the church today.

Apostle Peter said, “My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens.”

(1 Peter 5:12 NLT) Paul wrote to the Romans, “I’m eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other.” (NLT) Did you see that? The people Paul wrote to needed encouragement just as he did too. Every Christian needs encouragement. The writer of the Book of Hebrews says, “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.”

(Heb 10:24 NLT) And Paul, writing to the Corinthians said, “Encourage each other.” (2 Cor 13:11 NLT) Timely encouragement can save many believers from backsliding.

•Persevere in whatever hardship or persecution you’re going through.

Hardship and Persecution is another reason people backslide. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim 3:12 NKJV) Did you see that?

Expect persecution the moment you choose to live a godly life.

If you’ll not backslide, you must endure to the end; you must stand firm despite all persecutions. Jesus said, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” (Matt 10:22-23 NKJV) Matt 24:12-13 says, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But

From the Pulpit green pastures

By Pastor T. O. Banso

cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (NKJV) Persecution is part of the Christian package.

Mark 13:12-13 says a similar thing.

“Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (NKJV) Despite persecution, you mustn’t backslide; determine to endure to the end and God will help you. He’ll keep you from falling. (Jude 24) You must not allow hardship or persecution to abort your journey to eternity with Jesus. You’ve laid your hand to the plough; you mustn’t look back no matter what. “Let this encourage God’s holy people to endure persecution patiently and remain firm to the end, obeying his commands and trusting in Jesus.”

(Rev 14:12 NLT) 2 Tim 2:3 says to endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ. Stand firm, stand strong in the faith. Don’t go back because of any negative experience you’re going through. You won’t backslide in Jesus’ name. And if you’ve backslidden, repent and return to Jesus. The Lord will forgive you and receive you back. Always remember that your affliction is temporary. “For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the

joys to come will last forever.” (2 Cor 4:17-18 NLT) Halleluiah, the troubles you see will soon be over!

TAKE ACTION! If you’re not born again, I urge you to take the following steps:*Admit you’re a sinner and you can’t save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start to attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. There you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God. 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 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’ve said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations!

You’ll need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you’ll 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 the Lord make you a Cedar Christian. May you grow into Christ in all things becoming all God wants you to be.

The perseverance of faith (Hebrews 11:11,13,17,35,39).

Scriptural interpretation (fully treated in the third section of this study) will remove all confusions.

The faith of Bible believers was (and is) incorruptible and could not be conquered by adverse circumstances. The eye of their hearts saw clearly the blessings God had promised and they were persuaded that they would be theirs in due season. The Scriptures commend the perseverance of the Old Testament believers. Despite all the assaults of temptations and trials around them, they persisted in clinging to God and His Word.

They lived by faith and died in faith.

1.

THE CONSTANCY OF FAITH Hebrews 11:13,14; Genesis 25:5,8; 48:21; 49:28-31; 50:24; 1 Kings 8:56; Numbers 24:17,19; Job 19:25-27; Isaiah 9:6; John 8:56.

By Pastor W.F Kumuyi “These all died in faith, not having received the promises...”

Each one of the Old Testament characters died in the firm expectation of the promised Messiah, believing and beholding the heavenly glory afar off. Their eyes of faith were strong, they were endowed with long-distant spiritual vision. With the telescope of faith, they saw them afar off, were fully persuaded and embraced

them (Hebrews 11:13). Faith sees the invisible clearly, brings strong persuasion in the heart and makes us to embrace God’s promises.

“These all died in faith”. To die in faith is to have an assured confidence in God till and at the point of death. They had a firm belief in the reality and existence of life and fellowship with God after death. They entrusted their departing souls into the care of a

loving and faithful God. They had strong faith believing in the final, blessed rest in the heavenly country prepared for them by God. Their chief aim and supreme desire was to lay aside all hindrances, live like “strangers and pilgrims on the earth”, “[seeking] those things which are above... [setting their] affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1,2).

Do you have such faith that sees the promises afar off; being fully persuaded, do you fully and firmly embrace those promises?

Are God’s promises really precious to us? Do our hearts cling to them with love and delight? Do we plead those promises before the Throne of Grace? Does our daily walk show that we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, that we are “partakers of the heavenly calling”?

PAGE 52

Sp or T s

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Flying Eagles will not disappoint Nigeria 54 in Canada, says Chilarvert

Adebayor reveals thoughts suicidal

53

Supper Eagles:

lack of funds forces nff to re-hire keshi Only weapons of mass 55 -Minister destruction can stop 53 Barcelona trio- Juventus

PAGE 53

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Sports

Super Eagles coach: Lack of funds Adebayor reveals forces NFF to re-hire Keshi - Minister suicidal thoughts

T

ottenham Hotspur’s Togolese striker, Emmanuel Adebayor, revealed in a candid Facebook post that he considered suicide over a feud with his family.

The 31-year-old, who has barely featured for Spurs this season, also claimed that he had had a knife held to his throat by his brothers, Peter, who died in July 2012, and Kola.

“Many times I wanted to give up,” Adebayor wrote. “Ask my sister, Iyabo Adebayor, how many times I have called and was ready to commit suicide. I kept these stories for years.

“But if I die, no-one would know my story, no-one would learn from it. Some people say I should keep these stories private, but someone has to sacrifice himself, someone has to talk about it.”

It is the third time this month that Adebayor has published a lengthy post on Facebook about his disagreements with members of his family.

In the latest 1 649-word offering posted in English and

French, he alleged that he was threatened with a knife after refusing to give Kola money to set up a car business during his time at Monaco.

“I was very tired and decided to go take a nap. I woke and a knife was held to my throat,” Adebayor wrote.

“As I opened my eyes, my brothers (Kola and Peter) were there. They were shouting and they claimed that I was wasting their time.

“Peter was going mad and Kola was supporting (him). I asked them, ‘Is this the only way to solve this issue? If yes, then kill me and take the money.’ It’s only at that moment that he put the knife down.”

Adebayor explained that he had taken to Facebook after his siblings spoke out about “family issues” on social media.

Adebayor has been at Spurs since 2011, following previous spells with Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid, but has made only 10 appearances this season, scoring two goals.

Dr T. Danagogo

By Albert Akota

O

utgoing Sports Minister, Tammy Danagogo, has admitted that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) reappointed Stephen Keshi as the Super Eagles coach because the federation was not in a position to hire a foreign coach. They were broke.

Danagogo was regarded by the critical sports media as the biggest backer of Keshi whose bid to be reengaged as the national coach was almost frustrated by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) after he fell short of guiding the Super Eagles to defend the Africa Cup of Nations she won in South Africa.

Nigeria was missing in Equatorial

Guinea in the very next edition.

Danagogo, who opined that Keshi, whose monthly salary is N5million, is a bargain as Nigeria was not in position to cough out N30 million the least amount any foreign coach would be asking, monthly to handle the national team.

“So, hiring Keshi was a reasonable decision because we can meet the payment of his salary.

But the same cannot be said of the federation to sustain paying the monthly bill of a foreign coach. In addition to that, I don’t follow the bandwagon that said we should employ a foreign coach who in reality is no better than the coach of Enyimba of Aba,” Danagogo said.

Aside from the argument

against a foreign coach, the minister said Keshi was the sentimental favourite to return as the Eagles coach as he did not consider any other indigenous coach to be better than Keshi.

“That is also another area where I held contrasting opinions with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). When they were looking for a local coach, I said none of the local coaches they were bandishing around are better than Keshi in terms of exposure and knowledge and they cannot be entrusted with the national team. The other good coachesSamson Siasia and Manu Garbaare currently engaged with the national junior teams,” recalled Danagogo.

Emmanuel Adebayor

World Cup: Ezeh dismisses Brazil threat

W

ith only nine days left before the Flying Eagles opening fixture against Brazil at the FIFA Under 20 World Cup, FC Porto Under 19 forward Chidera Ezeh is brimming with confidence.

Five-time champions at U20 level, the Seleção Sub-20, have included some marquee names on their roster including Fluminense striker Kenedy, who is attracting genuine interest from Chelsea ahead Chidera Ezeh

of the reopening of the transfer window, and Real Madrid’s Jean Carlos.

Those Brazilian names might ring a bell globally, and definitely in South America, but Chidera Ezeh says he’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with the attackers and has pointed out that the Nigeria U20s prepared adequately for the tournament in New Zealand.

“We respect all our opponents but we don’t fear

them,’’ Chidera Ezeh told noted.

“In these modern days all the teams are good and what we saw here (in Germany) is not different from others and surely we will gain a lot of experience playing them.

In the build-up to the mouth-watering clash against Brazil in New Plymouth, the Flying Eagles were involved in three scrimmages and won all the games, scoring 14 goals.

Page 54

Sports

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Flying Eagles will not disappoint Nigeria in Canada, says Chilarvert

The coach of the U-20 national male team, the Flying Eagles, Manu Garba, has released his final list ahead of the FIFA U20 World Cup. The list has continued to receive thumbs up from fans since it was released penultimate Friday afternoon.

The ex-footballer, Amobi Ezeaku Chilarvert, speaks on Garba’s final squad for New Zealand 2015.

Flying Eagles

M

anu Garba has released a strong squad for the FIFA U20 World Cup, will this team make Nigeria proud Yes. The current Under 20 team will make Nigerians proud.

They would be a delight to watch at the World Cup in New Zealand.

I have 100 percent confidence in the team. They shall bring back the trophy.

Both Kelechi Iheanacho and Simon made the final list even when both players didn’t take part in the major part of the final training phase, is that a reason to worry?

This is no reason to worry at all.

Both players have been playing consistently for their respective club-sides. Coach Manu has a way of also keeping tab on the players.

From day one of the screening and build up of this team, his selection had always been based on current form. Remember, I was a part of that team from day one. So it should not be a cause of

worry to Nigerians.

Kele is in fine form now and we should expect the very best of him. The same applies to Simon.

The expectation for Manu Garba and his technical crew to deliver is high, will that in any way affect the team?

The expectations for Coach Manu’s team would affect the team in a positive light. Recall that till this moment we have not lost a match.

So the winning trend shall flow throughout the duration of the World Cup. Coach Manu, Nduka Ugbade and Fancy Ewulu know how to boost the psychology of the players and this time it would not be different.

Can you rate the strength of each department of the team: defence,midfield and attack?

Let me start from the goalkeeping department, which is primary to me. My friends Joshua Enaholo, Alampasu and Leke are great goalkeepers.

We started camping together and the attributes they possess

are next to none. Anyone that starts during the tourney should give in his best. That department is sealed and Nigerians should not worry about that.

A defence line that has Musa Muhammed, Ndidi, Nwakali, Bello and the rest is a promising one. The experience gathered over the years at the rear gives me great confidence that we have one of the greatest defence packs.

The midfield is nothing to worry about. Sokari is an amazing fellow.

He is swift on the ball and lovely to watch.

Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, musa Yahaya, Ifeanyi Matthew, Bernard and Saviour are great midfielders. The midfield role in the team is one that would instill more confidence in all Nigerians.

Wow, To the attack where Chidera Ezeh (El nino), Kele of Mancity and Taye Awoniyi would be operating I just think the job is almost done.

It’s a good feeling really because I know my teammates and what they can do. They have never stopped believing, the whole

Manu departments are secure.

How rich the bench of a team determines how compact a team is, does the Flying Eagles team have a reliable bench?

Every player on the team now can play. It is even so difficult to know who would be on the bench. It’s a team of relatively equal strength and abilities.

How far will the Flying Eagles go at the World Cup? The Flying Eagles shall

get to the finals and then lift the trophy. Let me use this opportunity to wish the entire team well.

We are praying for them all.

We have being together even when most of us were dropped.

Coach Manu, Coach Nduka and Fancy are like fathers to most of us. I also congratulate those dropped today. The 9 of them are great guys.

Thanks for the chat Thank you so much.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 23,- sunday 24, may, 2015

Page 55

Sports

Only weapons of mass destruction can stop Barcelona trio- Juventus

F

ormer Juventus defender, Moreno Torricelli, believes that only weapons of mass destruction can stop FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

The retired defender, who played for Juventus for six

years between 1992 and 1998, believes that the Spanish giants are favourites for the Champions League final – suggesting that only serious weaponry can stop Barcelona’s front-three.

Torricelli touched on the Italian side’s chances

in the final, saying that the Bianconeri will need to be more focussed than ever if they’re to keep out the Catalan club.

“Defensively, Juve are organised but they will need great intelligence and preparation to stop Barca,” he

continued.

“They will have to work harder than they have at any other point this season.

“They’ve all got experience in this competition but Juventus can score goals and they will be a threat.”

In his six years at Juventus,

Torricelli won the Champions League once, the Serie A three times, and the Coppa Italia twice.

The Champions League final will be played on June 6 in Berlin, with both sides aiming to do the treble.

Barca Trio

Why I like Gerrard ahead of others- Zidane

Z

inedine Zidane sees elements of himself in Steven Gerrard as the former England midfielder prepares to call time on his Liverpool career.

Gerrard will wave farewell to the Premier League in Sunday’s swansong at Stoke City, bringing to an end a remarkable 17 years in the first team at his boyhood club.

And he has clearly won some high-profile admirers

along the way, with World Cup winner Zidane speaking of his admiration for the 34-year-old.

“Why did I like him so much? Perhaps there was something about him that reminded me a little bit of myself.

“He made a lot of noise out there on the field but was quiet off it, meaning that he was someone down to earth and grounded away from the game who just said what needed to be said.

“He preferred to do his talking on the field, using his voice, his combative spirit and above all his ability on the ball that could make the difference in a game.”

The Frenchman wanted to have Gerrard, who will

continue his career with the LA Galaxy, as a team-mate when a move to Real Madrid appeared to be on the cards, but they only ever shared a pitch as adversaries.

“I would have really liked to have played alongside him. But he has always remained loyal to his own club, Liverpool, the club of his heart,” Zidane added.

“That also is another characteristic that is particular to him, I don’t think there are too many players who have spent their entire career playing for just one club.

“That is a great strength of his too. It was never possible, because of course he stayed with Liverpool, but I would have loved to play with a guy like him.”

Barcelona will survive without me — Xavi

X Steven Gerrard (left) and Zinedine Zidane

avi has reassured Barcelona’s supporters the club will continue to progress without him nestled in the heart of midfield.

The 35-year-old confirmed that he will leave the Catalan giants at the end of the season to join Al Sadd in Qatar, bringing his lengthy

association with Barca to an end.

Having arrived as an 11-year-old, Xavi broke into the first team in 1998 and went on to establish himself as an integral figure as Barca prospered with their tiki-taka style of play.

And he has no doubt the club will enjoy further

success, pointing to the way they have coped with similar high-profile exits in the past.

“The team is more important than any individual. The team have played without me this season and been fantastic.

There are always going to be home-grown players at this club.”

Barcelona midfielder Xavi

BIG PUNCH

Peoples Daily WEEKEND, SATURDAY — SUNDAY, MAY 23-24 , 2015

Saturday Column By

Lawal Sabo Ibrahim

A

“

mi man: Have you heard that Prof has been appointed the VC of North West University?” It was my friend and boss of close to two decades, Ali M Ali, that asked me the question in my office, penultimate Friday around 8PM. He was announcing the appointment of his friend, and our common lecturer, Professor Mustapha Ahmad Isa, during my first attempt at a Master’s degree in 1996, at the then, Department of English and European Languages, Bayero University, Kano.

Even the ‘meaningless’ phrase that began Ali’s statement (ami man), was part of the history of our sojourn of that period, and relates to one of our former lecturers, now deceased, who taught in the university for about 15 years, free-of-charge!

Eight of us registered for the Master’s degree in English Language then; among whom were, Ali M Ali, Asabe Sadiya Mohammed (now PhD), Ayuba Yakubu Tahiru (from Ghana), Ruth Para Umaru, Alawiyya Aliyu Musa and myself.

Professor, then Dr Mustapha Ahmad Isa, was virtually the youngest of our lecturers and was one of those who strengthened my aspiration (that was not to be), to complete my Phd before I reached 40 years!

Though most of us did not finish that course mainly due to the communication gap between our department and us (remember no GSM then), the experience afforded me the pedestal upon which I eventually did my Master’s degree. It was from the same department, which nomenclature has now changed to English and French. Incidentally, the thesis I started working on then, was the one I updated, completed and submitted to fulfill the requirements for the certificate I hold now. Also, Prof was the one who ‘completed’ the work he started in my first attempt, by supervising the work.

Most of all though, was the fact that, my return to ‘complete’ my Master’s degree ten years later, was as a result of the encouraging remarks I got from Advert: business: news: lagos:

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Profs Mustapha Isa and Aliyu Kamal, when I accompanied a friend and then colleague at Kano State Polytechnic, Muazu Ahmed, who was doing his Master’s at the department.

One of the courses Prof took us during the first attempt, which I liked much, was English Around The World; a study that showed how the language was being used in various territories of the world from the native to the ‘pidginised.’

It even influenced my choice of research topic that had to do with bilingualism (English/Hausa Code-switching).

All through my interaction with Professor Mustapha Ahmad Isa that spans to date, when he serves as one of my career referees, I find him to be an amiable, approachable, easygoing, level-headed, but highly meticulous person.

To put on the record, Prof.

Mustapha Ahmad Isa is a Professor of English Language, the Director of Academic Planning, and member of the Bayero University Governing Council. He is also a former Director of the Management Information Systems Unit (MIS) of the same university.

He was born in May 1965, at Yola Quarters, in Kano City.

He obtained a Primary School Certificate from Shahuci Primary School in 1977, and a Grade II Teachers’ Certificate, from the School for Arabic Studies (SAS) in 1982. He had a B.A. Hausa (Language) degree from Bayero University Kano in 1987, missing a First Class by a fraction of a percentage. He later obtained an M.A. in 1990 and a PhD in 1994, from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, with a Major

“

8620 9705 9046 1969 0344

It’s not zoning to compromise quality leadership and competency of an individual. I believe we have a very determined party leadership. We have resolved to follow our leadership and the criteria set by that leadership, including myself. No, that we would not use zoning to determine and compromise the credibility, the qualification of an individual.

—Asiwaju Bola Tinubu speaking on the zoning of elected offices in the NASS.

Prof MA Isa: Amiable linguist in North West

Prof. Isa in Theoretical Linguistics, and a Minor in Applied English Linguistics.

Prof. Mustapha Isa has been with the Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University Kano, since 1994, where he has taught virtually all the courses in the language section – undergraduate, PG Diploma, Masters and PhD. He has co-authored nine books and published 32 articles in university-based journals and chapters in books. Some of his works were published in the USA, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom.

Prof. Isa has supervised numerous B.A. projects, Masters theses, and PhD dissertations in various areas of English Language and Linguistics. For 15 years, he has served as an External Examiner in five Federal and three State Universities in Nigeria. During this time, he has examined over 50 Master’s and 17 PhD candidates, mainly in the areas of Morphosyntax, Word Formation, Semantics, Pragmatics, Media English, Critical Discourse Analysis, Applied Linguistics, and the Teaching of English as a Second Language.

All through my interaction with Professor Mustapha Ahmad Isa that spans to date, when he serves as one of my career referees, I find him to be an amiable, approachable, easy-going, level-headed, but highly meticulous person.

In addition to teaching and research, Prof. Isa has also had numerous other responsibilities at the departmental, faculty and university levels. He is currently the Editor, Bayero Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies; and Chairman, Bayero University Annual Report Committee.

A veteran basketball player, Prof Mustapha Isa is a man of many other talents. He has travelled to over 20 countries and enjoys reading and site seeing.

Thus, when I heard the news of his appointment as the Vice Chancellor of the North West University, I felt yes, whoever discovered him, means well for not only Kano or our academic community alone, but the entire Nigerian nation nay the international academic community.

With his wealth of experience, youthful disposition, diverse backgrounds, international linkages, as well as highly upright upbringing as was displayed throughout my interaction with him, North West, not even the university now, but the zone, has got a real academic that will advance its frontiers in education and many other fronts.

Welcome on board Sir, and wish you a very successful tenure and much more.

DAN GAYE

Gov. Lamido on Lesser Hajj, leaves N14bn debt-News

He should atone for it while there.

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