Saturday 23 - Sunday 24, August 2014. Edition.

131 Days

Why David Mark may not be Senate President in 2015 >>PAGE 16

Since over 200 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted

weekend.peoplesdailyng.com

. . . Pu ttin g th e people first Vol. 4 No. 5

SATURDAY — SUNDAY, AUGUST 23-24, 2014

SHAWWAL 28-29 1435 AH

N150

Bizarre: Man rapes chicken to death

>>PAGE 42

Keshi disowns Super Eagles >>PAGE 54 4 Fear of Ebola: Truck-load of smuggled monkey meat confiscated by Customs, yesterday in Katsina State

Dialogue with Boko Haram: Is FG really sincere? >>PAGE 7

Recap of 2014 Confab landmark >>PAGE 4 decisions

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Interview

Our parks are well secured

T

– RTEAN Nat. President

here are cogent reasons why government among other sectors should upgrade their security apparatus in the country and particularly in the FCT including motor parks, is there anything your association is doing toward this in this garage?

I have to use this opportunity to appreciate the effort of the Nigeria Police Force in looking into these insurgent activities including those who spread rumours. Some of those things we have done are to have metal dictators that can check underneath vehicles whether such is moving out or from the parks.

Unlike before, all vehicles are now being checked at the gate before they enter our parks. We also have other dictating devices that are used to check the luggage owned by commuters before they enter the park.

All vehicles coming into the park are asked to stop outside the gate, while the passengers proceed on foot into the park after searching them and their luggage.

Passengers are further searched before they board a vehicle. These are some measures we put in place to make sure that the park is safe for everybody including commuters. The law enforcement agents also play a role in the security of this park.

Recently, when there was a rumour that that the motor parks were going to be attacked, a joint task force comprising of the Police, DSS, Military and Civil Defense came into the park on three occasions to comb the whole area.

Some shops that were illegally built were equally demolished.

These are the joint efforts between the law enforcement agents and our union officials. It is my belief that gradually the general public would be aware of what we are doing and would change their negative perception against our park.

In view of the expensive nature of some of these high profile security apparatus and their sophisticated cost of maintenance, would your organization wants to look toward that direction since people lives are involved in order to beef up security in this park?

Yes, we should have loved to do so, remember too as your rightly pointed out, some of these gadgets are very expensive for us as a union to buy. That is why we always plead with the government to bail us out from this kind of unwanted situation. As I told you earlier, we are doing our best, that is why you see all vehicles into and from the park are thoroughly screened to make sure we left nothing to chance.

Alhaji Abubakar O. Sadiq is the National President of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN). In this interview with journalists in his Abuja office, he reiterated his earlier call on the federal government to install close circuit cameras in motor parks as a measure in curtailing insurgency in the Federal Capital Territory; he equally commended the FCT Minister for his proactive steps in tackling insecurity. Excerpt:

Alhaji Abubakar O. Sadiq If we were buoyant enough, there is nothing wrong if we can install CCTV cameras here, after all lives are worth more than anything money can buy. That could have equally helped us to

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have a record of people, activities and movement in and out of the park. In the near future, we intend to buy those devices, once fund is available for us for that purpose. The haphazard nature of

this park makes that impossible at the moment. Government on its own part, particularly the area council has to improve on the infrastructure in their motor parks.

All vehicles coming into the park are asked to stop outside the gate, while the passengers proceed on foot into the park after searching them and their luggage. Passengers are further searched before they board a vehicle.

Changes like these are not always easy; would you say commuters are cooperating with you?

They have no alternative because life is involved. They must help us to help them too, but you know changes of this type…. and a typical Nigerian attitude of always wanting to rush to his or her destination is one of those challenges we must expect here.

But generally speaking commuters are cooperating with us. Whoever you ask to stop, first of all thinks of his or her life, he would wait and cooperate. Everyone is cautious and responsive.

Those that manned the gate, were they trained or are they from a Private Guard company?

The park is given to RTEAN, but there are other Unions within here. And because it is a joint operation, each union nominates people. They are properly trained.

The training was conducted by the NPF. And they wear the mufti. Apart from those that you see in the gates, we also have heavy presence of other security agencies here though most of them are not always on uniform for security reasons.

While emphasize here is on those who came into the parks, how do you screen those that lives here, do you have any internal mechanism to screening squatters?

We know our members. We only check those that we don’t know. Those that we are already familiar with, that are squatting here, would not want anything to happen to their vehicle. Anybody that comes into the park has to book. You just don’t enter motor parks, you enter and book and to some extent we can get your record, we can get the time of your entry, departure and destination.

You recently received an award of excellence from Yoruba community in the Federal Capital Territory, Please tell us about it?

I was recognized by the Yoruba Council of Chiefs here in the FCT because of my hard work and industriousness. You know some people have impacted positively on the lives of others without knowing it that was exactly what happened because all along I have been of immerse assistance to some people not knowing that some are seeing. So, I was called for that on merit ground. The award has been a boaster to my aspiration to assisting those who I can help irrespective of religion background, skin, colour and political affiliations.

“All vehicles coming into the park are asked to stop outside the gate, while the passengers proceed on foot into the park after searching them and their luggage.

Passengers are further searched before they board a vehicle”

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 3

Feature

Gov Akpabio

Deputy Gov. Udom Emmanuel

Umana Umana

Sen. Helen Esuene

Nsima Ekere

2015: Akpabio’s succesion headache

By Mike Etim, Uyo

H

aving done exceptionally well with his “Uncommon Transformation” a programme that totally changed the face of Akwa Ibom state making it one of the fastest growing developing state in the annals of the nation, one would have thought that choosing a successor after his 8years in office come 2015 would have been a very easy task. But that has become rather daunting. The issues have become a pain in the neck of Governor Akpabio as the party is now enmeshed in a bitter struggle on not just who succeeds him but his choice of a candidate.

Akpabio, without mincing words, remains the most vocal and the most popular governor the state has ever elected since it was created in 1987. He is the first minority governor from the Annang tribe to govern the state dominated and ruled by the majority Ibibio tribe.

According to findings, the governor has made more headlines than any other governor in the country for the right or wrong reasons. He is a newsmaker within and outside his state. As the chairman of the PDP Governor’s Forum and Chairman of the Finance Committee of the PDP, his words and actions are weighty.

To date, his influence has attracted to the state the greatest number of seminars hosted in the country. Organization fall over each other to come to the state to see what could be referred to as the “8th wonder” in terms of infrastructural development. After their visits, these visitors, go back home with tales not of moonlight but of reality on how a state should be governed and developed in the country.

Prior to date, Akwa Ibom State was relatively not news worthy as it’s potentially was often mimicked to be that of providing services of houseboys and house girls to other part of the country. But today under Akpabio, the state has suddenly erupted as the Asian Tiger of the south-South.

With about N20bn of Federal allocation allocated monthly to the state, the oil rich state is now a bride of potential investors.

In terms of awards giving for excellence from various organizations, governor Akpabio must be sitting on top of the medal table. Yet, it is amazing that with all this attributes Akpabio is not at ease at home.

The battle for succession in 2015 has become his major headache. The quest on who takes over the mantle from him has polarized the party along senatorial and ethnic lines.

The real battle for succession began last year when in a dramatic turn of event, Akpabio unceremoniously against all odds removed from office a strong member of his cabinet, the then Secretary to the State

Government (SSG) Umana Okon Umana.

Prior to his removal, Umana was the perceived choice of the governor and it came as a rude shock his sudden removal.

The nature of his removal was what took the public as a surprise. His office was sealed off by security personnel before he could resume duty in the morning and no formal announcement was made by the government as to why he was removed from office.

At the swearing-in ceremony of a new secretary to the State Government, Udom Emmanuel the next day, Governor Akpabio thanked the immediate past SSG, Mr. Umana Umana who was equally present at the swearing-in occasion. The Governor thanked the immediate past SSG Mr. Umana Umana for his unwavering support and meritorious service to the state.

He urged the people of the state to accept changes for the growth and transformation of the state. “We must accept changes now and then in the growth towards total transformation. So, today as we witness the oath taking for office of the Secretary to the Government of Akwa Ibom State, we must remember that change is a part of life to sustain the momentum of what we are doing” the Governor stated.

Commending the immediate past SSG, Akpabio said Umana will go down in history since 1960 as the longest serving permanent secretary in this part of the world.

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He said his successor would be any one from any part of the state who would continue on his programme of Uncommon Transformation.

But no sooner had he removed Umana, the governor changed his song to say that the next governorship candidate should emerge from the Eket Senatorial District.

Despite Akpabio’s comment on Umana, his removal, was also seen as a welcome development in some quarters of the state as members of the party and other aspirants believed that Umana was using his position as the Secretary to the State Government to positions himself to take over from Akpabio and also witch-hunt others who were eyeing the position.

He was also accused of being behind the removal of a former Deputy Governor of the state Mr. Nsima Ekere from his position because of Ekere’s ambition to become a governor in 2015.

His removal made room for a level playing ground for other aspirants who were eyeing the position. In his quest for choosing a successor before Umana’s removal Akpabio had jettison the issue of zoning to pick his successor.

Though, chosen to govern the state by the zoning formula, adopted by the immediate past Governor, Obong Victor Attah’s government, Akpabio argued that though the party zoned the governorship position to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District where he hails from, other aspirants numbering over 40 from other Uyo and Eket Senatorial Districts contested against him. And for that reason, he said his successor would be any one from any part of the state who would continue on his programme of Uncommon Transformation. But no sooner had he removed Umana, the governor changed his song to say that the next governorship candidate should emerge from the Eket Senatorial District.

He based his position on the grounds that Uyo Senatorial District has produced a governor in the person of Obong Victor Attah 1999-2007. He, Akpabio, from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District 2007-20015 and that Eket should have their turn in 2015.

The state is made up of the three senatorial districts.

Though this move was applauded by pundits on the grounds of justice, equity and fairness but many believed that Akpabio resolved to this strategy to knock out Umana who was a strong contender in the succession race and who is from Uyo Secretarial District and pave the way for his perceived successor Udom Emmanuel who took over from Umana as the Secretary to the State Government, and who hails from Eket Senatorial District.

Akpabio’s intension to foist Udom as his successor is seen as a slap to the old block in the party who regards Udom as a new kid on the bloc who is not familiar with the political terrain of the state.

Before his appointment as the secretary to the State Government and incursion into politics Emmanuel was an Executive Director on the Board of Zenith Bank Plc from December 2006 – 2013. He also double as Non-Executive Director, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) from 2008 to 2013 and

Director, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBBS) from 2009; Non-Executive Director, Zenith Bank, United Kingdom; Zenith Bank-Gambia; Zenith Bank-Sierra Leone; Zenith Insurance; Zenith pensions and Custodian; Zenith Securities; Zenith Trustees and Zenith Registrars.

Presently in Eket senatorial District, two prominent figures have indicated their intension to battle Akpabio’s candidate.

They are the current serving Senator representing Eket Senatorial District in the National Assembly Helen Esuene who has set her machinery in motion named Ibom Consolidated Assembly and the only female in the race so far. Another figure is the former Deputy Governor of the state under Akpabio, Nsima Ekere, who was dislodged from his position as the Deputy Governor for indicating interest to check over from Akpabio while in office and Benjamin Okokoh who contested the position against former governor Victor Attah in 2003.

A seeming crisis is also playing out in Eket Senatorial District as the Oron tribe known as the “Oron Nation” in the District is saying that it is their turn to produce a governor.

There argument is propounded on the grounds that Akwa Ibom State is made up of three Ethnic Groups – the majority Ibibios who are spread into the 3 Senatorial Districts, the Annangs in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and the Ibibio and Oron’s in Eket Senatorial District. The group at different fora, had accused Akpabio of not directing his support to the Orons to clinch the ticket but rather made it an open contest between the majority Ibibio tribe and Oron in the Senatorial District. Akpabio in his response had said that the position on who governs the state is based on Senatorial District and not on tribe and Federal Constituency.

Despite the zoning of the Governorship position to Eket, aspirants and Elders of the party (PDP) from Uyo have been kicking against Akpabio’s ploy, and had ordered aspirants from the zone to vie for the position.

Already Bassey Albert a former Commissioner for Finance and a key figure of the Akpabio government who was dropped from the cabinet and from Uyo Senatorial District is in the race.

Don Etiebet, a former Chieftain of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party ANPP, a former Minister of Petroleum and currently a BOT member of PDP both at the Federal and the state level and Akpabio’s kinsman, at the 55th birthday Celebration of Umana in words targeted at Akpabio said “we are against targeted zoning to a friend. Targeted zoning cannot produce the next governor of the state”.

As the situation stands now, Akpabio is at a logjam on how to produce a successor.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 4

Special Report

Recap of 2014 Confab landmark decisions

R-L: President Goodluck Jonathan, receiving the report of the National Conference from the chairman, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi on Thursday, at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

By Patrick Andrew

F

ive months and four days following his inauguration of the sixth National Conference, President Goodluck Jonathan dropped the curtain on the confab with the receipt of the final resolutions and recommendations from the 494 delegates.

Jonathan reminded them that at the inauguration, he had mandated delegates to patriotically articulate and synthesize the aspiration of the Nigerian people: their thoughts, differences and make recommendations for a stronger, more peaceful and politically stable and indivisible Nigeria.

The expectation of his administration was for delegates to take decisions based on national consensus and to spare no effort in doing so, irrespective of the likely emotive and sectional thorns which may be in their paths.

“There were those who set out to input ulterior motives to our modest efforts at reshaping and strengthening the foundations of our nationhood to deliver better

political cohesion and greater development agenda,” he said.

However, he was enthralled by their incisive deliberations during the conference

“

and stressed that the ability of the delegates to resolve every issue without pandering to primordial sentiments or undermining the essence of the debate was manifest demon-

The Land Tenure Act should remain in the Constitution but be amended to take care of those concerns, particularly on compensation in Section 29 (4) of the Act to read “land owners should determine the price and value of their land based on open market value.

stration of their commitment to building a strong nation.

Jonathan thumbed up for the delegates for their gallantry in the tasking quest of conscientizing Nigerians in the tenets of true unity, oneness of spirit and building consensus for a nation strong in concept and principle, social-economic and political developments.

“Our moment for national rebirth is here. We have to rekindle hope. It is a new dawn in Nigeria and a new nation is at the door.”

Leaving no doubt about whose table the bulk of the work now rests he said, “You have done your patriotic duty; we the elected people must do our own…Let me assure you that your work is not going to be a waste of time and resources…”

Retired Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, who chaired the conference acknowledged the necessity for the conference to wit: the fears, disappointments, aspirations and hopes, “which have accumulated over 100 years.”

The failed hope, disappointment naturally led to distrust among the people. “it is

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 5

Special Report only to be expected that the debate would be robust; and indeed the debates were robust. It was only to be expected that tempers would fly; and tempers did fly.

“We did not try to ignore or bury our differences. We addressed these differences while respecting the dignity of those holding these differences and sought to construct solutions which would become building blocks for a just and stable nation.”

Indeed, tempers did fray. A case in point was during the debate on whether 75 percent or two third majority would be the bases for resolving any issue. Then, there was the matter of consensus. The derivation principle and the Land Use Act presented situations where debates went regional.

But then, the leadership of the conference showed no little comportment, maturity and yet was flexible allowing sundry expressions of views until the matter was finally resolved. There were shifts here and there enabling aspects of the Acts to be amended where they deem necessary while views strongly held by some delegates of the North were retained.

Kutigi said adopting all the resolutions through consensus; “is a message that we wish the world to hear loud and clear. Nigerians are capable of not only discussing their differences but are also capable of coming up with solutions to these difficulties. We showed courage in tackling substantial and fundamental issues.”

The retired Justice observed, “the only time we tried to consult the President during the conflict over voting percentages at the very beginning of the conference, we were told that the issue was for us to resolve. At no time after that did you meet with us or speak to us,” he said, to clearly indicate that there was no hidden agenda and the leadership did not come under any external influence.

On the delegates Kutigi noted,“Your comportment, mature reasoning, and articulate presentation of persuasive opinions towards resolutions of critical and even controversial issues will always be remembered.

“It was my joy and national pride to serve as chairman of the conference in which you played such a significant role as delegates. My interaction with you has once again rekindled my hope of a better Nigeria for the present and future generations.”

He went on to submit three Reports in 22 volumes and annexures totaling about 10, 335 pages. These contain more than 600 resolutions dealing with issues of law, issues of policy and issues of constitutional amendments, which the delegates approved.

And with the submission of the report Justice Kutigi said, “We have finally laid to rest the apprehension that a national conference will lead to the disintegration of Nigeria. We have held a national conference and we are more united today than ever.”

Also speaking were: Chief Edwin Clark, who led the southern delegation said, “we came in, we came out and we conquered.” The conference in his consideration has deepened understanding amongst Nigerians, renewed hope for a better Nigeria. This renewed zest for one nation means Nigerians are ready to face the challenges of multi-racial society and have resolved to live together, ethnic differences notwithstanding.

“We will continue to live together in this country; we have nowhere else to go. We are all true Nigerians. A new beginning has started, a new Nigeria has started,” he said.

Clark believes as indeed others do that the endeavours, resolves and painstaking deliberations would be of value if only the recommendations were put to use and drew no little applause when he pleaded with President Jonathan to force implementation of the resolutions.

R-L: Chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Kutigi with his deputy, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi pay rapt attention to debates of the confab.

1994/1995 Constitutional Conference (CC) Tiga, Zamfara, Sardauna, Katagum, Ghari, Ibrahim Coomassie The Chairman of the Arewa Consulta- convoked by late head of state, Sani Abacha Kainji, Bayelsa, Orashi, Anioma, Ekiti, Ebtive Forum (ACF) and former Inspector and the National Political Reform Confer- onyi, New Oyo, Ogoja, Itai, Ijebu-Remo General of Police, who led the northern del- ence, NPRC, convoked by former President and Rivers East. Some of the states have since been created. egation, praised the courage of the confer- Olusegun Obasanjo.

Resource Control/Derivation Creation of 18 New States 2014 ees for baring their minds and differences Principle/Fiscal Federalism 2014 openly, thus deepening understanding of National Conference: Recommended the creation of 18 new NC: the apprehensions which eventually makes The Conference noted that assigning it possible for delegates to resolve to work states (three per geo-political zone)..

Among them are Apa, Edu, Kainji, percentage for the increase in derivation for a united, indivisible entity.

During the conference, he said, the Katagum, Savannah, Amana, Gurara, principle, and setting up Special IntervenNorthern delegates had course to strongly Ghari, Etiti (South East zone), Aba, Adada, tion Funds to address issues of reconstrucobject to certain positions not necessarily to Njaba-Anim, Anioma, Orashi, Ogoja, Ijebu tion and rehabilitation of areas ravaged by insurgency and internal conflicts as well as sustain divisive tendencies but to strength- and New Oyo. Apart from the 18 proposed states, the solid minerals development, require some en bonds and engender appreciations of technical details and consideration. The Conference also recommended one new the peculiarities which constitute Nigeria.

He summed up Northern delegates’ insist- states for the South East to make the zone Conference therefore recommends that ence on certain matters thus “we did so for have equal number of states with the other Government should set up a Technical zones except the North West which has sev- Committee to determine the appropriate one Nigeria.” en. It also recommended that states willing percentage on the three issues and advise Chief Olu Falae We have finally laid the foundation for to merge can also do so based on certain government accordingly.

2005 NPRC: Recommended an increase true federalism. We have redesigned the conditions.

2005: NPRC said 36 states structure is in the level of derivation from the present concept of governance; we have breathed life into Nigeria and hope in the next 100 too expensive and that the situation will be- 13% to 17% in the interim pending the reyears we shall achieve an egalitarian soci- come worse given the number of requests port of the expert commission. Massive ety where the rule of law prevails and where for the creation of new states some of which and urgent programme of development of the interests of all Nigerians are accommo- would need to be met for the sake of peace infrastructure and human resources of the Niger Delta should be embarked upon by and stability of the economy. dated.”

1994/1995 Constitutional Conference the Federal Government.

Below are the highlight of its recom1994/1995 CC: It said in determining mendations made compared with those recommended the creation of 20 new states of the previous conferences, namely the namely Gombe, Apa, Nasarawa, Hadejia, the formula, the National Assembly shall take into account allocation principles especially those of population, equality of states, internal revenue generation, land mass, terrain as well as population density provided that the principle of Derivation shall be constantly reflected in any approved formula as being not less than 13% of the Revenue accruing to the Federation Account directly.

The various mineral resources should be controlled and managed by the Government of the Federation through an arrangement which involves Oil Producing States and Communities, in particular, the rights and privileges which the Mineral and Mining Act of 1999 confers on States, Local Governments, Communities and land owners should equally be extended to the case of petroleum resources.

Public Finance/Revenue Allocation 2014: That the sharing of the funds to the Federation Account among the three tiers of

“

You have done your patriotic duty; we the elected people must do our own…Let me assure you that your work is not going to be a waste of time and resources…

Contd on Page 18

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

News NFF: Minister backs August 26 poll as stakeholders allege SGF interference

A

s the Nigeria Football Federation Electoral Committee forges ahead with its preparation for elections into the Executive Committee slated for August 26 in Abuja, the Minister of Sports, Tammy Danagogo, has sent solidarity message to the delegates and stakeholders.

The ministerial backing for the election is coming even as the NFF President Aminu Maigari, has indicated his resolve to seek extension at the General Assembly slated for Warri, Delta State on the same date, August 26, 2014.

Mr. Danagogo, is anchoring his support for the decision of the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Amoni Biambo, to go ahead with the election on the agreement he reached with the then Acting President, Mike Umeh and President Aminu Maigari.

A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Patrick Omorodion, stated, “The Honourable Minister of Sports and Chairman National Sports Commission, Dr. Tammy W. Danagogo, has wished all delegates, candidates and stakeholders to the Elective Congress holding in Abuja, on the 26 of August, 2014 a very successful congress”.

According to Omorodion, the Minister took cognizance of: “The resolutions reached in his meetings with the Maigari led faction and the Umeh led faction of the NFF. “The advisory letter from FIFA dated 14 August 2014, which stated inter alia, “…it is advisable that major decisions are frozen until after the elections of 26 August…” and that nothing has happened to alter that position.

“That all parties who were genuinely interested in participating in the NFF elections and felt disenfranchised ought to file their complaints and seek redress through available channels including the Elections Appeals Committee, it is time for all parties to put aside their personal ambitions and promote the corporate good of Nigerian Football.

“The Honourable Minister is looking forward to a cordial and prosperous working relationship with the board that will be inaugurated after the elections of 26 August 2014, in Abuja to take Football in Nigeria to greater heights”.

But, on Thursday, Head of Media at the NFF, Ademola Olajire, in a statement said the Federation was in possession of another letter from FIFA, expressing backing for the August 26 Congress and shifting of the election into the Executive Committee.

However, the Electoral Committee Chairman, Biambo, faulted the decision of the Maigari-led board to postpone the election when the body has followed all the laid down procedures.

Members of BringBackOurGirls campaigners during one of their processions in Abuja, yesterday

Nigerian Army to be reorganised - COAS T

he Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah has stated that the Nigerian Army will soon be reorganised to enable it effectively carry out the task of protecting the territorial integrity of the nation.

Minimah said the reorganisation has become very necessary because the Nigerian Army intends to stop at nothing in riding the nation of terrorists and their activities.

Minimah stated this Friday in Calabar during his familiarisation visit to army formations and units under the 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Enugu.

Addressing men and officers of the 13 Brigade Nigerian Army

in Calabar, Cross River State, Minimah said, “The army is ready to defeat terrorism and insurgency in the country.

“First and foremost, we will reorganise the army, renew our doctrine and then do our training with the new equipment we have”, he said.

In a related development, the Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has urged the Special Forces involved in the ongoing campaign against insurgency in the North East to ensure the sustenance of the resolve to confront the security challenges facing the nation.

Obanikoro spoke at the burial ceremony of an Air Force Combat Pilot, Ft Lt. Akweke Jr. Nwakile,

who died in a helicopter crash on July 21, 2014 while serving with the Joint Task Force Operation Zaman Lafiya in Bama, Borno State.

Obanikoro said that Nwakile who was the pilot of the ill-fated Mi-35 helicopter was able to manage to force-land it to save the other crew members, Flight Lieutenant NM Halilu, the Co-Pilot and Warrant Officer Augustine Nwanonenyi, the aircraft technician who survived the crash.

The Defence headquarters had said that the aircraft was not brought down by enemy fire but had technical fault while on a training mission at a location South of Bama.

The minister urged security

Probe panel summons ex-commissioners, LG chairmen in Adamawa

T

he Justice Bobbo Umar Panel in Adamawa has invited all former Commissioners for Local Government Affairs under former Governor. Murtala Nyako to appear before it.

The panel was set up by Adamawa Acting Governor, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, to probe the activities of the Nyako administration.

The panel issued the invitation yesterday when, Mr Kennedy Dauda, the incumbent Permanent Secretary, concluded his submission on financial activities of the ministry.

It also invited all former Permanent Secretaries in the ministry and former 21 local government chairmen who served between June 2007 and June 2014 to appear before the panel on Saturday.

In another development, the state Accountant-General, Malam Mohammed Na-

sir, has been suspended. (NAN)

Fintiri, Adamawa state Ag. Gov

operatives to emulate the virtues, courage and selflessness displayed by the 28 year old attack pilot and to see his deadth as a call to duty to serve the country.

He said, “Flight Lieutenant Akweke Junior Nwakile, died on July 21,2014 in a helicopter crash while serving with the Joint Task Force (operation Zama Lafiya) in Bama. His death, though in the line of duty, was a gallant sacrifice for peace to reign Nigeria.

“Though his air craft was not brought down as a result of enemy action, I am told that he was able to force-land the aircraft when it malfunctioned such that the other two crew members survived the crash,” he said.

Emir of Bade heads Yobe Hajj team

By Abubakar Ibrahim

G

overnor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe state has approved the appointment of His Royal Highness the Emir of Bade, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Suleiman as the Amirul Hajj of the state.

According to statement issued and Signed by one Engr. Baba Goni Machina, the Emir would be supported by members of the Amirul Hajj Team for the 2014 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia namely Hon. Muhammad SirajoWakil, Hon. Buba Ibrahim Kalallawa, Mai Aliyu Usman, Alhaji Sani Inuwa Nguru, Alhaji Muhammadu Guza and Alhaji Musa Lawan, Others are Hon. Chiroma Mashio, Alhaji Baba Machina (Yobe State University), Alhaji Ibrahim Jauro and Alhaji Bukar Kime who is Secretary of the team.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 7

Cover

Dialogue with Boko Haram

Is FG really sincere?

T

his is a big question that requires urgent answers with the latest capture of Gwoza, Damboa and Buni Yadi in Borno and Yobe states despite the emergency declared in both states including Adamawa since May last year. It has arisen after glaring confusion in President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration manifested once more over the strategies to end the ceaseless menace of the Boko Haram insurgents causing worrisome insecurity in Nigeria.

At no time has the violence been so troubling to the government and citizens alike than post abduction of over 250 girls from the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state.

While promising relentless military action against the sect members, President Jonathan has not ruled out peace deal with them though prevaricating in between unsure steps. The die seems to have been cast on the military strategy with reports of mutiny by soldiers demanding better equipment. Tales of surrender of armoured vehicles to the insurgents also questions the wiseness of military options in the face of large-scale economic challenges facing the nation.

Before inviting the United States, France, China and the rest into the battle principally to rescue the missing girls, the Federal Government had made attempts

The kidnapping of school girls in Borno state and ratcheted attacks on major towns in the North-East has heightened the call for review of approaches to the Boko Haram crisis. News Editor, Abubakar Ibrahim looks at the inconsistencies that characterise policies of the Federal Government despite veiled commitment to peace…and insistence on war. through the Barrister Tanimu Turaki committee for dialogue and the recent fact-finding committee headed by General Ibrahim Sabo. Before that, individuals like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Islamic scholars, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi and Dr. Datti Ahmed made several attempts that have seemingly been frustrated in the inner circles of the Presidency.

Some of the abducted Chibok school girls in Boko Haram camp

Then came some ray of hope when the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Boni Haruna, in June spoke of Jonathan’s willingness to offer amnesty to members of the Boko Haram as part of his administration’s youth-friendly programmes and policies.

To mark the nation’s Democracy Day in Abuja, the minister said series of integration programmes had been lined up for

members of the sect who would surrender their arms and embrace peace.

Amnesty is often granted to certain categories of criminals on the discretion of the president if deemed necessary to restore convicted individuals fully into society.

Similarly, it is used to douse criminal actions deemed pervasive or has the capacity to derail the peace, order and good governance in a country. According to Wikipedia, “Amnesty in U.S. politics in 1872 meant restoring the right to vote and hold office to ex-Confederates, which was achieved by act of Congress. Those were true amnesties, pardoning past violations without changing the laws violated.

“The last act of amnesty passed in Great Britain was that of 1747, which pardoned those who had taken part in the 1745 Jacobite Rising.

“The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986 granted amnesty to about 3 million illegal immigrants in the United States”.

On that basis, the New York Times, on January 2, 2014, called on the United States to grant amnesty to Edward Snowden, the fugitive who stole U.S. state secrets when working for an NSA contractor and released them to the world.

But Nigeria’s Presidency quickly disowned the Minister with a denial of amContd on Page 8

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Cover Contd from Page 7

nesty to members of the Boko Haram sect.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who addressed State House correspondents said the President did not use the word ‘amnesty’ but rather created opportunities for those who wanted to denounce terrorism through the Presidential Fact-Finding Committee and Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolutions of Conflict in the North Eastern part of Nigeria.

“Let me refer you to the speech by the President. If you read the speech line-byline, you will see that it contains the very message that the President wanted to put across.

“In that speech, if you look at, I don’t think the President used amnesty, instead he spoke about those who are willing to renounce terrorism and those who are willing to embrace peace.

“Opportunities have been created for them through finding committee and through the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolutions of Conflict in the North Eastern part of Nigeria. So I will refer you to the speech by the President”, the presidential spokesman said.

Is FG really sincere?

Insincerity or inefficiency?

I

n analysing the inconsistency of government’s approach to the crisis, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had reproached President Goodluck Jonathan , scoring the president’s performance below his expectation.

Fielding questions on the Bloomberg Television Africa recently, he lamented the lackadaisical manner with which President Jonathan handled the Boko Haram issue.

Obasanjo recalled his overtures three years ago when he visited Borno State shortly after the sect bombed the United Nations building in Abuja, which he said was rebuffed by the government. He said that if the government had acted on his recommendations, the Boko Haram menace would have ended.

Obasanjo also criticised government’s handling of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnap which, in his view, President Jonathan thought was a hoax.

“The president did not believe that those girls were abducted for almost 18 days,” said Obasanjo, adding that the president’s initial reaction affected the operation.

“If the president got the information within 12 hours of the act and he reacted immediately, I believe those girls would have been rescued within 24 hours, maximum 48 hours”.

Obasanjo alluded to Nigeria’s multireligious outlook and advised that terror-

“

President Jonathan

US President Obama

ism must be tackled from the source by understanding the root cause of the agitation.

But a Presidency source who craved anonymity, said characteristically that Obasanjo’s attack was expected since the two fell out after the internal rift in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which culminated in the defection of some loyalists of the former president to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“It is apparent why the former president is attacking President Jonathan. But we have decided not to join issues with him. We know how he resolved the Boko Haram issue under his watch and what he did at Odi, his arm-twisting politics in Ekiti, Plateau and others,” said the Presidency official.

What the government should do –Shehu Sani nother principal character and human rights activist who has in the past made efforts to mediate between the Federal Government and the Boko Haram Islamic sect, Comrade Shehu Sani expressed willingness to take the negotiation further by outlining steps the

A

Abubakar Shekau

Omeri, said, “Nigeria is totally committed and focused towards ensuring that our beloved daughters are returned safely and in good health”.

Whether this will lead to a prisoner swap demanded by Boko Haram is not clear but as the 2015 elections near, Nigerians and the international community are watching to see how long the Ping-Pong game lasts. The choice lies between politics, genocide and lasting peace for rapid development. It’s also a choice between expensive armaments from abroad and free education for all Nigerians.

Federal Government should urgently take to ensure the release of the over 200 girls seized by the sect and end the menace of insurgency in the northeast.

However, Sani is miffed by the Presidency’s contradictions in declaration of total war against Boko Haram and opening the door for amnesty.

“How can the insurgents come out and enter the open door of the amnesty when there is a price tag on the head of the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, by the United States, which was also supported by the Nigerian government? How can the insurgents enter the open door of amnesty when already there is an anti-terrorism law that outlaws the group and criminalises any form of communication with its members?

“How can the insurgents embrace the open door provided by the amnesty when there is a state of emergency in places that will go after any insurgent that rears his head up? How can the insurgents embrace the amnesty when Nigeria sponsored the resolution at the United Nations that blacklisted the group?

How can the insurgents avail themselves of amnesty when Nigeria invited the United States, Israel, France and Britain, whose drones are already hovering over their heads? I think what we have is a President that is confused and does not know how to handle the Boko Haram situation”.

Sani added that the two or three attempts to negotiate with the insurgents collapsed because the government changed its mind at the end of every deal.

“When we travelled to Maiduguri with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, we came back with some suggestions and advice from the insurgents themselves on how to end the violence. But when we took the suggestions of the insurgents to the government, they threw it away.

“At that time, it was the then National Security Adviser, Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi, who felt that they were on top of the situation and that they were determined to crush the insurgency once and for all.

As such, we were humiliated and disappointed by the action of the government.

“The second attempt was the one that Dr. Ahmed Datti made in his capacity as the representative of the Boko Harm group. He too was frustrated and disappointed by the same government.

“Now, the Federal Government also appointed me as a member of the Dialogue Committee and I declined to serve because at that time I made contacts with the insurgents to find out if they had the interest of dialoguing further for amnesty and they told me they were not interested because the outcomes of the previous two attempts were not honoured by the government.

“After that, I had no other option than to pull out and I declined the offer to serve on the committee. A week after the Chibok girls were abducted, I reached out to the government and gave them the name of the person, whom I believe would be in a position to talk to the Boko Haram leadership to free the girls.

“Surprisingly, the government never got back to me but went directly to the person and he mediated and negotiated with the insurgents. The girls would have been released about two weeks ago but the President cancelled the deal upon his return from France. This has always been the attitude of the government.

“The conditions are not really different from what they stated in the video the sect released some weeks ago. They demanded

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 9

Cover

Minister of Youth Dev, Boni Haruna

Special Duties Minister, Tanimu Turaki

National Coordinator, NICSUN, Mike Omeri

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

the swapping of their members who are in detention for the freedom of the girls and I don't really see anything wrong with that because to free the girls, you must either use force or negotiate.

“The second step is to invite Islamic clerics in northern Nigeria, who have been neutral and have not made their feelings about the insurgency known and still enjoy the respect by the insurgents.

These clerics should serve as the team of negotiators.

Sani criticised the involvement of foreign troops describing it as a compromise of Nigeria’s sovereignty and pride as a nation.

“It is unfortunate and shameful that Nigeria, which has been undertaking peacekeeping missions around the globe is now resorting to assistance from other countries.

“Nigerians have a misconceived opinion that the West is here to fight our war.

The Western world does not fight any war unless it threatens its own national security or a direct attack on itself. The U.S for instance is not even prepared to go into Ukraine to drive away the Russians apart from imposing sanctions.

They backed down in Syria. Even when they were fighting Gaddafi, they did not enter the city but shot from the sea and air.

“I have heard the President raising some false sense of hope thinking that with their intervention they would help us. If you look at the kind of people the U.S sent to Nigeria, you will discover that they have only two set of people: intelligence experts and experts in hostage negotiations and some aircraft to do some surveillance around Yobe and Borno states. So, the presence of foreign military experts is not in the best interest of Nigeria. We have a role to play in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

“We need to do is to fund them and equip them to be able to deliver on their mandate. The recent discord between the Ministry of Finance and the military over the money that was allocated for defence and security is very clear that we are having some problems somewhere and corruption is a contributory factor in sustaining insurgency in the north. We don't need the US, France, Israel and Britain

in combating terrorism and protect us”.

dier back if he's held in captivity”, Obama said. “We don't condition that.”

Obama said, lawmakers were aware that the U.S. could agree to a prisoner swap with the Taliban “for quite some time,” and he defended how his administration handled the formal notifications, saying that when the opportunity to free Bergdahl presented itself, “We seized that opportunity.”

So, why is President Jonathan not working on the lead provided by the likes of Sani to tow the Obama lane in recovering so much number of girls from the risk of being sold or psychologically maimed for life? Why is he not emulating the Obama option when he did the same to end the Niger Delta militancy?

Though a difficult decision, the US values its citizen in this context than think of the potential risk those Taliban leaders could be in the future.

In Great Britain, the Irish Republican Army or (IRA) formed in 1969 carried out active and high profile military campaign to press for autonomy of Northern Ireland lasting over two decades. It lasted that long because the British govern-

ment held adamantly to “not negotiating with terrorists”.

The Provisional IRA that fought against the British in Northern Ireland, claimed to represent the largely Catholic nationalist community in Northern Ireland.

But along the line, the policy of violence was gradually undermined by increased faith in politics together with a number of peace initiatives and a loss of support for a violent programme - the conciliatory handling of the situation first by Prime Minister John Major and later by Tony Blair is often held up as an example of an effective approach to a peace process.

Despite the famous Omagh bombing in 1998, the bloodiest single incident killing 29 people, reconciliatory moves were hastened leading to ceasefire and the popular Good Friday Agreement that year.

Global precedence

T

rue to the expectations of Comrade Sani on prisoner swap to end the captivity of Chibok girls, President Barack Obama defended his recent decision to release five Afghan Taliban leaders detained at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in June, saying the country had an obligation to not to leave its military personnel behind.

“Is there a possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to us? Absolutely,” Obama said during a press conference on the released detainees. “That's been true of all the prisoners that we have released from Guantanamo. There's a certain recidivism rate that takes place.”

But the president added, “I wouldn't be doing it if I thought that it was contrary to American national security.”

“Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American sol-

“

While promising relentless military action against the sect members, President Jonathan has not ruled out peace deal with them though prevaricating in between unsure steps. The die seems to have been cast on the military strategy with reports of mutiny by soldiers demanding better equipment. Tales of surrender of armoured vehicles to the insurgents also questions the wiseness of military options in the face of large-scale economic challenges facing the nation.

Another government gimmick? hough the National Coordinator, National Information Centre on Security Update in Nigeria, Mr. Mike Omeri, at a press conference in Abuja, expressed the Federal Government readiness to explore all options, including negotiation, provided it was in line with international best practices, the new move, it was gathered, was informed by the recent United States swap of five Taliban leaders detained at Guantanamo Bay for an American soldier.

The move by some foreign powers, including those opposed to Nigeria negotiating with Boko Haram, but already negotiating with armed groups in the interest of their nationals, allegedly shocked the Jonathan administration.

Omeri, said, “Nigeria is totally committed and focused towards ensuring that our beloved daughters are returned safely and in good health”.

Whether this will lead to a prisoner swap demanded by Boko Haram is not clear but as the 2015 elections near, Nigerians and the international community are watching to see how long the PingPong game lasts. The choice lies between politics, genocide and lasting peace for rapid development. It’s also a choice between expensive armaments from abroad and free education for all Nigerians.

T

PAGE 10

News Kenyan businessman claims US ‘owns’ Ebola

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Kenyan businessman has reportedly made claims that the United States government owns the Ebola virus that continues to rock West African countries.

According to the Business Daily, Joseph Aura told the High Court in Nairobi that the US had patented the Ebola virus, its vaccine and cure in 2012 and should be compelled to bring the health crisis to a stop.

The claim was made in court papers supporting Aura’s request to have the Kenya High Court throw out a case filed by the Consumers Federation of Kenya lobby group seeking to compel national carrier Kenya Airways to stop flying to West African nations hit by the Ebola epidemic, the report said.

Aura made the claims as Nigeria, one of the affected West African countries, declined to use an experimental drug from the US. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised the total death toll to 1 350, and said deaths were mounting fastest in Liberia, which now accounts for at least 576, according to AP. (News24)

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Flood: 7 yr-old girl killed as bridge collapses in Kaduna From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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seven year old girl, Theresa James, has lost her life in an early morning flood occasioned by heavy rainfall at the Anguwar Yelwa community in the Chikun local government area of Kaduna State.

The flood also pulled down some parts of the Anguwar Yelwa Sabo bridge, cutting away a part of the community from the metropolis.

Eyewitness account revealed that the flood which was caused by two days heavy downpour, washed away houses and yet to be estimated amount of property were damaged.

Speaking to this reporter, a

resident of the area, Solomon Daye (17) said they were fast asleep when they suddenly discovered water rushing into their home. Before long, he said, the flood water got as high as his shoulders.

“So, in the morning when the rain subsided, there was my neighbour who went to a night vigil and left her four children at home.

Three of the children slept on the bed while the other one slept on the floor and since they’re little children, could not escape the flood.

So, when the flood came, the three children who were on the bed were raised up on the bed while the one on the floor; Theresa James, seven years old died as she could not escape,” he said.

Similarly, the Shepherd incharge, Cherubim & Seraphim Church Movement, one of the buildings that collapse, Rachel Olaoye, called on the Kaduna State Government to come to their aid, adding that this was not the first time residents would experience flooding.

“In the evening yesterday around 1a.m when the rain started, we thought it was a normal rainfall, but before we could do anything, the gutters and our homes were filled with water and then we all, both the elders and children, climbed the ceiling. It’s unfortunate we lost a child.

“This is what happened last year, which prompted me to go and seek for a loan of N670,000

to erect this concrete wall you’re seeing today. This has helped to reduce the flow of water into this area. If part of the bridge did not collapse, there wouldn’t have been any flood.

“Because of this erosion problem I went to the Kaduna State House of Assembly and Chikun Local Government Headquarters three years ago asking them to help us see what they can do concerning erosion but to no avail”.

As at the time of filing this report, men from Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) were seen around the place trying to assess the level of damages .

Immigration to recruit 5,000 officers in five years

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he Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, on Friday said the Federal Government planned to recruit 5,000 officers into the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) over the next five years.

Moro said this in Abuja at the 2014 Comptroller-General’s annual conference and stakeholder’s forum in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the service.

The two-day conference was organised by the service with the theme: ``Effective Border Control Systems and Procedures for National Security”.

He said recruitment was aimed at enabling the service to increase the number of officers manning the country’s 4,400 square kilometre borders. ``We owe Nigeria and Nigerians the duty of securing our borders in spite of the security challenges the country is facing now,” he said.

He said due to the extensive responsibilities of the service, the ministry was committed to supporting it towards being a world class migration management organisation in technologically-driven society.

Earlier, the Comptroller-General of the NIS, Mr David Parradang, had called for the recruitment of at least 5,000 new officers annually into the service over the next five years.

He expressed concern over the unmanned 1,400 illegal border routes in the country. (NAN)

L-R: President, Association of General and Private medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Dr Frank Odafe, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu and the Ist Vice President, AGPMPN, Dr. Tope Oyelade, during the Association courtesy call on the Minister Health, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Obasanjo, Amosun register for national ID From James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

F

ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed confidence that the ongoing identification and registration of all Nigerians by the federal Government through the Office of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) will stem the tide of insecurity currently facing the country.

Obasanjo who stated this in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital while presenting himself for registration at the NIMC office in Abeokuta yesterday said “it is a document every Nigerian deserves to have”.

He said despite the fact that it came late in the day “we thank

God that after the initial step in 1979, more than 30 years ago, we have come back to it and I hope that this step that we are taking now will be sustained and will serve the need of all Nigerians” .

“It will also help us to maintain a little bit of security. Our francophone sister countries have had this for many years. When we first made the attempt in 1979, there were people fighting against it, today, because it is a project, the document whose time should have come before now”.

The former President expressed hope that other institutions that are keeping separate identification of individuals in one form or the other will join hands with NIMC so that with one

identity card, “you don't need a driving license, you will not need another card for voting, you will not need another card for your contributory pension, you will not need another card for your health insurance”.

“With one card, you will not only be identified, you will be able to do your business throughout Nigeria”, Obasanjo said.

He advised the NIMC to include blood group of individuals, so that even if anybody had an accident and he needs blood transfusion, the identity card will reveal what blood group he belongs and what type of blood he requires.

On his part, the Director of IT and Identity Database, NIMC, Abuja, Aliu Aziz said President Goodluck Jonathan would launch the national identity card next

week, signalling distribution of the card to those who had registered earlier.

On the issue of blood group raised by the former president, Aziz said, it’s not included in the card because the commission cannot verify the blood group of people but the card has the National Identification Number expected to be in the database of the National Health Insurance scheme that can be used to connect and get that information.

On his part, Ogun State Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun while registering at Oke Mosan office of the Commission noted that the exercise would help government to do a lot to execute many of its projects and policies for Nigerians.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 11

Bauchi residents want INEC to extend voter registration From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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esidents of Bauchi state have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extended the Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR) just as they lament poor conduct of the exercise.

The residents explained that with the massive turnout of eligible citizens, it was necessary to extend the period of the exercise by some weeks.

Mallam Mohammed Jada urged INEC to change the process of CVR to enable prospective voters register with INEC without necessarily waiting for a particular period close to election to register as voters.

Jada said, the INEC registration exercise was very distressing and needs decentralization, adding that “INEC as a public institution needs to redouble its effort to be accountable and to be more efficient in the management of its responsibilities”.

A lady, Jennifer Morgan called on INEC to consider extending the registration period. “I don’t see for instance, why we have to wait upon years after one process of registration and then you allocate 3 or 5 days in a few months to an election and ask everybody to go and register within those times. It’s not been fair to us” Morgan said voter registration should be a continuous process for people who reach voting age

rather than at special times.

Our correspondent who monitored the exercise in Bauchi local government reports that in Makama Hardo and Dan iya/ Hardo wards, many residents had hard times registering as well as collecting their voter's cards.

They complained that the exercise was stressful and tasking because of the large turn out of people as result of the merging of more than 70 polling units in a particular ward.

At the Baba Sidi primary school where the exercise was conducted, a housewife, Mrs Mary Sunday lamented the failure of INEC to maintain the registration and collection of the voter's cards

at the designated polling units within the local government.

A businessman, Mallam Isa Barshi also said " If you observe carefully, the adhoc INEC staff are battling to cope with the mammoth crowd because of the merging of all the polling units in just a ward. To make matters worse, there is just one computer to register everybody , which will make the exercise more stressful" He said.

Reacting to the development, the INEC resident Commissioner, Mr Samuel Madaki said that the exercise experienced some hitches because it was the first day and the large turnout of voters at the ward was overwhelming.

L-R: Comptroller General Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr. David Parradang; Minister for Interior, Mr. Abba Moro; and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Interior, Mr. Abubakar Magaji, during the 2014 Comptroller Generals’ Annual Conference and Stakeholders Forum, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Moro threatens to sanction corrupt Immigration officers

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

M

inister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro has threatened to sanction corrupt elements in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

Moro gave this threat yesterday in Abuja, during the 50 years anniversary of the service.

He said, "the service must commit to seamless service delivery at home and in diaspora. Particularly, we must comply with Mr President's charge that travel documents must be delivered to Nigerians within twenty four hours. Anything to the contrary is unacceptable.

"I enjoin you all to render selfless and patriotic service.

Business as usual will no

longer be tolerated, while corruption and extortion will be appropriately sanctioned".

The minister added that New Visa Policy, aims at attracting foreign direct investment to the country,adding that "the handling of nonNigerians at the port of entry must present Nigeria in good light to the international community.

Also speaking, Chairman House Committee on Interior, Umar Bature, urged the government to properly equip the service to fight the influx of illegal immigrants into the country.

He appealed to members who will form the 8th assembly to work in line with the current global challenges and formulate laws that will uplift the service.

Ebola: Nanosilver distributors say it’s not a pesticide

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inerals for Life Ltd, Nigerianowned Abuja-based biotech company involved in the manufacture, distribution and marketing of mineral solutions such as Nanosilver, vitamin/mineral infused water amongst others to boost the body’s immune system, says it donated Nanosilver to assist in treating Ebola patients because of the product’s immune-booster capacity.

The agency, in a press release yesterday, signed by its coordinator, SubSaharan Africa, Adetunji Fadayiro, said its brand of Nanosilver is classified as a dietary supplement.

It said its attention was drawn to ‘a claim that Nanosilver solution which is marketed for human consumption and ingestion is a pesticide’.

It reads, “Nanosilver is approved by the USA Department of Agriculture and Food with a pesticide registration.

Nanosilver is also approved by the

same USA Department of Agriculture and Food with Food Establishment approval. Nanosilver is also approved for purchase by the USA Government Veterans Hospital Association (both as a disinfectant and supplement).

Nanosilver has well over 15 government approvals for various uses.’’

On the use of Nanosilver to treat Ebola patients, the firm said it donated its ‘Nanosilver immune booster (with the status of a food supplement) to assist patients of the Ebola pandemic because of the history of the use of Silver Solution’, adding that it never claimed Nanosilver is ‘a cure for Ebola’.

It congratulated the Federal Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Ministry of Health for their proactive approach in fighting the Ebola disease, which has resulted in the recovery of some patients treated with antibiotics and immune boosters.

News 3-day old baby learns to feed self

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hree-day old Baby Amara Chiedozie, has shocked British doctors by learning to feed herself.

According to UK Dailymail yesterday, Amara weighed 6lbs 3oz when she was born on August 3 at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, UK. The baby, whose pictures were displayed on the newspaper glugging milk from a bottle, looked like any other contented three-week-old, except for the fact that she was already capable of holding the container on her own.

Her mother, Onyi Chiedozie, 20, from Nigeria, claimed she has been doing it since she was three days old.

The strength of her grip at such a tender age has amazed her family and medics.

She said: ``When we were feeding, she started shaking, and then she just grabbed the bottle. She was holding it by herself. ``We couldn’t believe it because babies don’t normally do it that young. I’m so shocked that I have been documenting it every day. It’s unbelievable. ``When she doesn’t want it she will push it away; she isn’t strong enough to throw it away, but she does push it, like she does with her dummy. ``If she is really hungry, she starts shaking. Then she will just grab the bottle as you give it to her,’’ she said.

Miss Chiedozie said her progress had astounded medical professionals.

The student added: ``Even nurses are really surprised.

When my health support nurse came, she was shocked as well.

She couldn’t believe that this could happen. ``Whenever we go to appointments, we take pictures of her doing it. The midwife and even the doctor we had an appointment with on Saturday were actually amazed. They couldn’t believe it.’’

Chiedozie, who also breastfeeds Amara regularly, said: ``The breastfeeding is better now, it’s comfortable. It used to be painful and sore before but it’s good now. (NAN)

Baby Amara Chiedozie

PAGE 12

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Photosplash

L-R, Director General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) Dr Ngeri Benebo, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment Mrs Rabi Jimmeta and Director, Basel Convention, Oyo State, Professor Oladele Osibanjo during the Annual Federal\States Regulatory Dialogue on the Implementation of Environmental Regulations in Abuja yesterday.

People waiting to register for INEC voter cards at LEA primary school in Gwagwa, yesterday in Abuja

Erosion site at Tasha 2, Gwagwa Karmo road, yesterday in Abuja

L-R: Lagos State Head of Service, Mrs Oluseyi Williams, Gov.Babatunde Fashola and Deputy Governor AdejokeOrelope-Adefulire, at a retreat for members of the state executivecouncil and body of permanent secretaries, yesterday in Lagos.

Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, inspecting a quarterguard of corps members, on thursday during his visit to Sokoto state orientation camp in Wamakko.

Photos: Justin Imo-Owo & NAN

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 13

News Ebola secondary contact: Two new cases confirmed – Minister

No Ebola in Katsina From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

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he Minister for Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has confirmed that Nigeria has now recorded the first two cases of Ebola Virus Disease in secondary contacts of the index case, the Liberian-American.

Chukwu stated in a press briefing yesterday that the two patients were spouses of primary contacts of the LiberianAmerican adding that they were among the secondary contacts who have been under surveillance.

This now brings to four the total number of Ebola Virus Disease patients currently under treatment at the isolation ward, he said.

According to him, that also means that the total number of cases of Ebola Virus Disease so far reported in the country is fourteen, the number of deaths still remains five, while the number of those successfully managed and discharged also stands at five.

He assured that the Federal Government, working with the Lagos State Government and other partners, would continue to maintain vigilance, strengthen containment activities, and reassured the Nigerian public and the global community that efforts would not relent until the very last case of the Ebola Virus Disease was seen in Nigeria.

L-R: Acting Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba and Minister of Police Affairs, Mr Abduljelil Adesayan decorating Dan’azumi Doma (M) with his new rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police, during decoration of promoted senior police officers, yesterday in Abuja

Stakeholders decry late start for SPHCDB From Ibrahim Sidi Muh'd, Gusau

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takeholders of human resources for health in Zamfara state have decried the prolonged delay in the Bill for the review of the law establishing state’s primary health care development board.

This was contained in a communiqué signed by the state advocate and Communication Officer of the Save the Children, Isah Ibrahim at the end of a one day meeting on human resources for health organized for His Royal Highness Desk Officers (HRHDO) across the state and the 14 local Councils of the state, supported by Save the children.

The statement expressed concern over the inability of lawmakers of the state to pass the reviewed law which had the first and second reading before the Assembly in August 2013, adding that the excessive delay in the passage of the bill has been a great threat to government’s and partners’ effort in addressing maternal mortality rate in the state.

The communiqué appealed to Governor Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar and other key stakeholders, to intervene so as to ensure the law review was given due consideration to enable the board function properly, with a view to achieving the objective of primary health care under one platform as approved by the federal government.

"After the review of the state

of primary health care under one roof in Zamfara state, participants registered their concern about the expiration of one year without the passage of the review law sent to the state house of assembly by the executive arm of government of the state.

With this development, the state has become one of the few states of the federation that does not have a functional primary health care development board,’ the communiqué informed.

The stakeholders further called on the state government to consider the adoption of the draft state Human Resources for Health policy developed by the state in collaboration with international donors in the state.

atsina State Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Mannir Ibrahim Talba has dispelled insinuation that a member National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, in the state’s orientation camp was detected with the dreaded Ebola disease.

Talba who stated this while briefing newsmen in Katsina, noted that the corps member was only detected with malaria and has since being treated and discharged from the camp clinic.

He noted that the corps member who is from Lagos state has since been discharged and redeployed back to Lagos, adding “ the report from Lagos indicated that the corps member has since returned to his normal life”.

The commissioner therefore assured that the state response committee on the dreaded Ebola Virus is on the alert to move swiftly in case of any detected case of the disease in the state.

Talba added that the state government had provided them with all the necessary equipment and kits for tackling the disease, disclosing that the government had created three isolation centres in three senatorial zones of the state.

Similarly, as part of measures put in place to check any possible spread of the disease into the state, the government has banned the movement of dead bodies into the state, the commissioner said.

He also added that proper measures have been put in place to screen immigrants crossing into the state from neighbouring countries. He said “ immigrants especially those from the affected countries will be thoroughly screened at the border”.

The commissioner therefore called on traditional rulers, community leaders and the press to assist the committee in educating and enlightening the public on the symptoms and protective ways of handling the disease.

Ebola can be cured – Pharmacist

By Abubakar Ibrahim

A

pharmacist, Mr. Ben Amodu has defied the notion worldwide that the deadly Ebola disease can only be managed, by insisting on the availability of permanent cure.

Speaking to Peoples Daily, Pharm. Amodu who is a researcher in areas of phytho-medicine said he has produced an herbal drug with the required combinations that could cure and prevent Ebola as well as dengue fever and leishmaniasis.

The herbal preparation, he said, has also been successfully used, in clinical studies, to treat hepatitis B and C, cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis.

“Our product combinations cure and prevent EVD. We equally

have combinations that have 97% effectives against all forms of fever.

“In science, you talk about cure when the disease can be stopped at any level of infestation. The first thing the disease does is to attack the immune system beyond imagination. In fact, my drugs have not only been able to treat HIV/AIDS, but were able to cure hepatitis. So in all these diseases, our products have able to tackle them, either by prevention or curative purposes.

They bring the viral low within the acceptable limits by World Health Organization (WHO) by less than 500”.

He added that his malaria drugs had vaccine effect, adding that if they are used for a period of one month, would remain protected for a year.

Appreciating the way a British

firm has started a trial on EVD, the Chief researcher said that while the firm was coming on board, he and his team of researchers were already ahead, adding that his products have been tested and listed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

He said while the British firm’s research would be extended to 2015, his product would be used now for the treatment of Ebola and has no side effects.

He therefore commended the government for setting up a committee on EVD and NAFDAC Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii for requesting his products for verification.

Amodu also called on the government to fast-track its protocols on the test of products by various

researchers.

The Director General of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, had confirmed in an interview with The Guardian recently that Amodu had submitted samples of hispoly herbal preparations for the treatment of EVD to the Scientific Committee on Verification of Herbal Cure Claims.

Amodu, and his team of researchers from Halamin Herbal centre at Apo District, Abuja and Department of Histopathology and Cytology, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) Jos, Plateau State, found that the poly herbal preparations strengthen the immune system through many cytokines and chemokines regulations.

Pharm. Ben Amodu

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Crime Cycle

Stanley Onyekwere pmlcrimecycle@gmail.com 08138559513

Motorcycle NGO seeks institution to train ex-convicts snatcher A to spend 6 years in jail

O

ne Abubakar Musa, a motorcycle snatcher, is to spend six years’ imprisonment, after a Kaiama Area court, Kwara, sentenced him accordingly.

Musa was convicted after he had pleaded guilty to the charges of criminal trespass and theft of a motorcycle.

In his judgment, Malam Ahmed Yahaya, sentenced the convict to one year imprisonment for stealing the bike.

He, however, held that for being a habitual criminal, the convict should serve another five-year jail term.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presiding officer said the two jail terms should run concurrently.

The Police arraigned Musa, popularly known as “OC kitchen” in prison for similar offences he had been previously jailed on two occasions.

The Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Adah Michael, had told the court that the convict on August 11, stole one TVS motorcycle belonging to one Alhassan Abubakar, from the owner’s compound.

She said the stolen motorcycle was later traced to the residence of the convict at Atiku Fulani camp in Kaiama.

The prosecutor said the convict confessed to have sneaked into the yard of the complainant and stole the motorcycle.

The Prosecutor, who called a witness to testify and present the stolen motorcycle as exhibit, said Musa was a habitual criminal that specialised in snatching motorcycles.

She said the convict was imprisoned for similar offence in 2011.

Non-Governmental Organisation, the Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation, has called for the establishment of an institution to train ex-convicts, for proper reintegration into the society.

The President of the organisation, Mr. Hezekiah Olujobi, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, Oyo state.

NAN reports that the Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation is engaged in advocacy for ex-convicts to ensure their access to justice and reintegration into society.

Olujobi said there should be a re-entry process for ex-convicts to enable them to be counseled, trained and empowered before reintegration back into society.

“Ex-convicts need an institution which they should pass through for some months before they can go back to the society.

This will help to rehabilitate them,” he said.

He pointed out that it was risky for government to discharge prisoners and abandon them

without providing facilities for their rehabilitation.

“It is not advisable for them to be released without providing for their rehabilitation. It can lure them to back to their past if they don’t have anything doing to engage them.

“This will cause more havoc in the society rather than peace.

When they are released, counseled and even empowered, there will be peace in the society.

“There is no way ex-convicts won’t go back to committing criminal acts when there is nobody to counsel them once out of prison,” he said.

According to him, the organisation, is engaged in training ex-convicts to enable them to be reintegrated back into society.

Olujobi called on government at all levels as well as publicspirited individuals to support the centre in bringing succour to exconvicts.

“We call on government and all well-meaning Nigerians to partner with us so that there will be peace in our society,” he said.

Apprentice docked for stealing sewing machine

T

he police have arraigned an apprentice, Zubairu Kabir, 33, in a Senior Magistrates’ court, Life Camp, Abuja, for allegedly stealing a sewing machine, belonging to his employer, Yahaya Hanafiu.

The accused, who resides in Dakibiyu village, is standing trial for theft.

The police prosecutor, Mr. Audu Bitrus, had told the court that Hanafiu of Dakibiyu village reported the case at the Life Camp Police Station on August 14.

T

He alleged that the complainant had on August 13, returned from his place of work and discovered that the accused, who lived with him, burgled his house.

He said Kabir packed his employer’s properties, including a sewing machine and one android cell phone without his consent.

According the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and the Senior Magistrate, Abdullateef Abolaji, admitted him to bail in the sum of N10, 000

with two reliable sureties in like sum.

Abolaji said the sureties must have a reasonable means of livelihood and should be resident within the jurisdiction of the court with a traceable and verifiable work address.

He also said that the sureties must deposit a copy of either their driving license or national ID card with the court registry and adjourned the case to September 1 for further hearing.

Mohammed Bello Adoke

Court dissolves 14 years marriage over lack of care

A

n Igando Customary court in Lagos has dissolved a 14year old marriage between Anirat and her husband, Samson Animashaun, over lack of care.

The court President, Mr. R.I. Adeyeri, in his judgment, said all

efforts to reconcile the couple had proved futile, reports the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Adeyeri said the court had no choice than to dissolve the union and i hereby hold that ``both parties are no longer husband

2 brothers in trouble over alleged intimidation wo brothers, Danladi and Danlami Makoso, have appeared before an Area court in Kaiama, Kwara state, for allegedly threatening to deal with one Abdulwahab Mahmud.

Mahmud had filed a direct complaint before the court that the two brothers, his neighbours at Alfa Hadi compound, Gabasawa area of Kaiama, Kaiama local government area, trespassed and dug soak-away a piece of land

Hon. Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, CJN

he inherited from his maternal grandfather.

He said the duo intimidated him and threatened to deal with him when they were challenged. ``I pray to the court to prosecute the accused accordingly for the offence in the interest of justice,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused were brought to court on a three-count charge of criminal

conspiracy, criminal trespass and criminal intimidation contrary to sections 97, 348 and 397 of the Penal Code Law. In his ruling on the case transferred from a Kaiama Magistrates’ Court, the Area Court presiding officer, Malam Ahmed Yahaya, granted bail to the accused.

Yahaya adjourned the case to August 25 for continuation of hearing.

and wife, they are free to go their separate ways.’’

Animashaun, 37, a furniture maker, had told the court his wife flirt around.

“My wife is a prostitute, she sleeps around with different men, she is dating different men, they pick and drop her in front of our house.

“She received calls from them even at night in my presence, after the call, she will dress up and leave the house to come back at will.

“I once caught her with a man called Baba Ayin living in Isheri inside our room,’’ he said.

He said that his wife parked out to live with another man that was why she wanted to divorce him.

“My wife moved to live with one of her men friends and abandoned me,’’ he told the court, and asked the court to grant her wish.

Anirat, 34, a trader, on May 5 filed a petition and urged the

court to dissolve her 14-year-old marriage over lack of care.

“My husband does not take care of us even when my children were sick, I single handedly paid the hospital bill, he refused to give me money,’’ she claimed.

He denied me access to my children and threatened to kill me if l ventured to move near them.

Anirat, a mother of four, said that since she left her husband’s house, her man had been threatening to kill her.

She adds: ``He said that if I come home to see my children that he will kill me that he is ready to go to jail for that.’’

According to her, my husband use to visit my parents’ house to render abuses and curses on them.

She pleaded with the court to dissolve the union, saying that she could not continue to cope with a man who was not responsible.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 15

Politics

Adamawa Guber: I will get PDP waiver, says Marwa

By Lawrence Olaoye

G

en. Mohammed Buba Marwa, former military administrator of Lagos state and a frontline governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Adamawa state bye-election, yesterday said the party would grant him waiver ahead of the October 11 governorship poll.

He allayed the fears that the refusal of the party to grant him over may jeopardize his chance of participating in the September 6th primary of the PDP. Marwa, a former Ambassador to South Africa, stated that he applied for waiver through the normal processes noting "I am confident that it will be amicably resolved" as he does not see any difficulty to the waiver process.

But the former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, Barr.

Ahmed Gulak, has declared that there is nothing like automatic waiver in PDP, stressing that all the due processes must be adhered to before any aspirant is granted waiver.

Besides Marwa, former Presidential candidate of defunct, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and former ACN gubernatorial aspirant Engr.

Marcus Gundiri, were seeking waiver of the PDP to contest the party's primaries.

According to Marwa, who submitted his nomination form at the PDP national secretariat, "certain-

 No it’s automatic – Gulak ly there is provision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) constitution which says all members who aspire to run for any office whether party's position or actual government or elective positions, should have spent a minimum of two years failing which they will not be able to run, unless they are

Gen. Buba Marwa

Benue Guber: MINDA condemns open contest From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

A

s the governorship race in Benue State gathers momentum, the MINDA axis has condemned moves by certain influential individuals of Tiv extraction to persuade, lobby and otherwise influence the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC ) Benue State chapter to throw open the 2015 contest.

The MINDA axis, which comprises of Iharev, Masev and Nongov people of Makurdi, Gwer, Gwer West and Makurdi local governments, stated this in statement in Makurdi yesterday, that it was a calculated attempt to insult them.

The group said the series of efforts to dissuade the leadership of the two dominant political parties in the State from considering MINDA was baseless. It said the argument was that it lacked qualitative and credible individuals to govern the state was an insult.

"We condemn this mischief in all its ramifications and urge such people to desist forthwith", they warned.

Furthermore, they said it was rather mischievous an attempt to introduce Tiv political into arena,

granted a waiver of this position.

"I don't see any great difficulty with this in the sense that when the former chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur became chairman, you will recall the party structures were dissolved and new congresses were organized for the party and all the new members that crossed

adding that the concept of Ichongu versus Ipuusu dichotomy, noting that such dangerous connivance is capable of polarizing Tiv nation politically.

"We note and appreciate the fact that the question of leadership of Tiv politics since the introduction of partisan politics in Tiv land has always been resolved and canvassed on individual leadership qualities as exhibited by the likes of late Sen. J.S. Tarka, late Mr. Aper Aku, first civilian governor of the State late Mr. Aper Aku and presently Sen. George Akume.

While insisting that the governorship seat must be zoned to MINDA, the statement which was signed by over 39 prominent APC members from the four local government area including Hon. Augustine Utsaha, a retired Justice of the Customary Court, Hon. Fidelis Anweh, former Head of Service of Benue State, Hon. Avine Agbom and Hon. Benjamin Adanyi all members of the State assembly urged other parties in the State intending to contest the governorship position to adopt a MINDA candidate for the election in 2015.

over then from the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), spent less than two months and were deemed qualified to run in the congresses and today they remain in elective positions.

"Nobody asked them for waiver, and none was given, based on that we have full confidence that

Ahmed Gulak

the issue of waiver will not be an issue, because if it has been done in Adamawa state for others it will be extended. In any case, it is also fundamental that almost everybody in the party will ask for waiver because fresh registration took place at that time and so you will find out almost everybody has spent less than two years in the party."

Marwa, however, stated that he was not afraid of former ACN presidential aspirant, Malam Nuhu Ribadu's entry into the race, noting "when you say afraid, maybe there are other people afraid of Marwa."

But speaking with newsmen on Thursday evening after he submitted is form, Gulak who insisted that there is nothing like automatic waiver for new members seeking to contest, noted that the mandatory two year provision must be adhered to.

He added that the process of seeking for waiver must as contained in the party's constitution emanate from the ward, state, zonal levels of the party before the national party will address it.

"The process is clear and no one can circumvent it" he said.

Screening for aspirants will commence on August 28, while the PDP primaries will hold September 6 ahead of the governorship election scheduled for October 11.

Adamawa bye-election: Stakeholders canvass for Atiku’s intervention From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he impeachment of former Governor Murtala Nyako, which now squarely places former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the undisputed leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa state, is being put to play in the forthcoming governorship by-election in the state.

The development has been further blossomed with the defection of the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Malam Nuhu Ribadu to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last Saturday.

Consequently, Atiku is now being looked upon to give direction in the battle to capture Adamawa, by ensuring the selection and choice of a formidable candidate that would not only neutralize but gain advantage in the confusion presently created with the entry of Ribadu into the PDP. It was gathered that before now, the state, which has Christians as majority but who unfortunately are divided, were looking forward to a situation in which the governorship seat will be rotated between the two dominant reli-

gions in the state after the exit of Nyako.

However, following alleged moves to impose Ribadu on the PDP as its candidate for the scheduled October 11, governorship election by the duo of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu and the Principal Personal Secretary to the President, Alhaji Hassan Tukur, some elders in Adamawa state desirous of equity and fair play, have approached Atiku to lead the way and give a sense of belonging to the generality of the people of the state.

Atiku is known in the politics of the state, to have a good rapport and understanding with both the Christian and Muslim groups in the state, and understand what constituted the majority and has over the years been able to manage their varied interests.

Giving the present confusion in the PDP, the former Vice President is believed to have quietly cashed in on the development and is believed to have thrown his weight in support of Barrister Boss Mustapha, a Christian from Kilba ethnic group for the governorship race.

Atiku’s position is seen as a

decisive move aimed at pacifying the Christians in the state that are angry over their having sacrificed former Deputy Governor Bala James Ngilari in order to allow for the successful impeachment of Murtala Nyako with the hope that there will be a level playing field in the PDP which is now being thwarted by the party’s leadership and some hawks within the presidency.

It was further gathered that the resolve of Atiku to support Mustapha is based on some Christian leaders that met and pleaded with him to give them a Christian candidate as a form of compensation.

This was just as it was gathered the governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 governorship election in the state, Engr Marcus Gundiri, also a Christian from Hong, is said to have commenced consultation on the possibility of his returning to the APC should Ribadu be granted waiver to contest without according him the same privilege, since he defected to the PDP before the former Chairman of the EFCC.

PAGE 16

Senate Diary With Ikechukwu Okaforadi

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A

nalysts are already making both positive and negative postulates concerning the potentials of the incumbent Senate President, David Mark, in returning to the Senate as the Presiding officer or otherwise.

However, while these assumptions are making the rounds, those close to the number three man of Nigerian politics are claiming vehemently that no force can force free the Senate from the grips of Mark in 2015, citing reference to his political sagacity and doggedness.

On the contrary, other observers have equally left a blueprint of what the Senate composition would look like in 2015, and to this end, have concluded that this may be an end of the road for this very respected David Mark.

Presently, about eighteen serving Governors who, all things being equal, would conclude their second term of office next year, have perfected plans to storm the Senate in 2015.

In addition, a lot of these ex governors are coming to the Senate from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), which will make the battle for the Senate President more fierce than ever experienced in the history of Nigerian Senate.

Analysts have submitted that with ex governors dominating the Senate, financial inducement and political intimidation are already ruled out as a possible determinant of who emerges Senate President, nay principal officers after the 2015 general elections. Power for power, tact for tact, money for money, and connection for connection is the very best way to describe what will play out in the struggle for the number three seat of Nigeria.

Another factor which many observers believe would impinge on the possibility of Mark marking another term as Chairman of the National Assembly is the emergence and influence of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

One likely outcome which cannot be ruled out in 2015 elections

is the presence of more opposition senators in the hallowed red chamber, especially considering the growing strength and vigour of the opposition party in Nigeria.

This given therefore, the leadership of the Senate would definitely be keenly contested between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition APC. Moreover, based on antecedents of how the Nigerian Governors Forum works as a political cult, even if the PDP is able to grab the post of Senate President, it is most likely that the incoming ex governors would constitute themselves into a power block and a force to reckon with in the process leading to the choice of Senate President.

Therefore, based on record on ground, analysts explain that these ex governors would campaign that one of them should lead the upper chamber, especially as this would help to protect their political and other interest in the parliament.

Those who have painstakingly observed the trend of events in the political realm of Nigeria would understand that whatever the ex governors make up their minds to achieve, they usually stop at nothing to get it realised.

This was the bitter experience and a horrible price which President Goodluck Jonathan had to pay until he was able to dismantle the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) led then by Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers state.

Recall that the NGF took President Jonathan to court over alleged illegal deductions for the Sovereign Wealth Funds and they won the case. Other examples of NGF footprints in bulldozing their way out still abound in records.

In the face of money politics currently in vogue in the country, coupled to the doctrine of political patronage, there is no gain saying that all the ex governors aspiring for the upper legislative chamber would surely displace their respective contenders.

Those that would be coming to the Senate are Godswill Akpabio, Jonah Jang, Sullivan Chime, Chibuike Amaechi, Gabriel

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Why Mark may not be Senate President in 2015 Suswam, Sule Lamido, Emmanuel Uduaghan, Liyel Imoke, just to mention few of them.

Moreover, recall that at the time the one hundred and nine senators met and elected David Mark to be their President, the Senate was already softened and filled with less aggressive characters through the political scheming of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It was then that a lot of bigwig senators like Chimaroke Nnamani, Arthur Nzeribe, Sa’ad Abubakar, Senator Dansadau, Ken Nnamani, Joy Emordi, among others, lost their return bid.

As political analysts would say it, these group of senators killed Obasanjo’s controversial third term bid, and inadvertently killed their tenures, as they lost their return bid.

In addition, Mark emerged as the Senate President because the post had been zoned to the North Central then. Though Nasiru Mantu was then being considered for the job, but for his ignoble role in championing the cause of third term, stakeholders in his constituency conspired against him and he was voted out of the Senate.

It was his exit that necessitated the choice of David Mark as the Senate President; being the next longest serving and ranking senator from the North Central at that time.

However, presently a lot of other lawmakers from the central Nigeria have graduated into ranking senators, and therefore can proficiently and comparatively contest with the incumbent.

In addition, as some of the former governors from the central zone join the Senate, there is every tendency that the political structure of the Senate would also be adjusted to suit the interests of the ex governors.

Senate President David Mark By adventure, if Mark is returned again after 2015 general elections, he would be setting a political record which would be very difficult for another politician to break in the history of Nigeria.

Observers have given him kudos for his exhibited political sagacity, which has culminated into a profound stability and perceived unity of purpose in the hallowed red chamber.

However, behind these kudos and eulogies, trails packed up and concentrated grievances by some of the ex- governors, who believe he had trampled on their toes and worked contrary to their interests at various points, including during the defection crisis. From another point of view, the most pronounced impression among Nigerians today is that the Senate, under David Mark, has lost its independence and courage especially on critical national issues affecting Nigerians.

Most of the governors who

“ Gov Lamido

Gov Ameachi

would join the Senate next year, especially those from the opposition APC, would therefore not see reason why he should be returned as the Senate President.

Political observers have reasoned that democracy in Nigeria would be better defined and administered after the 2015 general elections. Reason for that is not fare fetched. The National Assembly, particularly the Senate, would be peopled by more aggressive and independent minded persons.

It has also been calculated that the presence of the opposition APC would be felt more in the Senate after 2015 elections, as it seems they would win more seats in the parliament.

In this regards, the opposition lawmakers who would join the Senate next year, will be opposed to Mark Presiding again. Given the events and controversies that trailed the aborted defection of eleven PDP senators, the APC lawmakers would seize every opportunity to pay him back in 2015.

Behind these kudos and eulogies, trails packed up and concentrated grievances by some of the exgovernors, who believe he had trampled on their toes and worked contrary to their interests at various points, including during the defection crisis.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE17

Politics

Adamawa Guber: Fintiri, Ribadu, Marwa, others for PDP Primaries

T

he Peoples Democratic party (PDP) has said that all aspirants contesting the October 11 Adamawa governorship election will be subjected to party`s primaries.

The National Organising Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abubarkar Mustapha, made this known in Abuja on Friday, when he received, Alhaji Buba Marwa, nomination and expression of interest form.

Abubakar, who described Marwa, a former Military Administrator, as a man who performed greatly in public service and that PDP was lucky to have his likes in its fold.

He assured that the PDP under its current leadership would ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants, noting that the September party primaries would be fair, just, credible and transparent. ``We are doing this with all sense of responsibility because if all the aspirants realise that the exercise to produce a candidate is transparent, they will agree that the people have spoken.”

“Hence the people have spoken, it means that God has spoken and they will rally round whoever emerges through credible exercise. We have no doubt that with your track records, you will undergo the process with decorum and decency,’’ he said.

The PDP organising secretary assured that the party would support whoever emerged as its candidate at the primaries for the election to reclaim Adamawa.

Earlier, Marwa said that if given the opportunity to govern Adamawa, he would ensure better service delivery to improve the lives of the people of the state. ``I am fully convinced

Some new Special Advisers to the Acting Governor of Adamawa, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, taking oath of office, yesterday in Yola with all humility that I have the intellectual capacity and experienced required to this exalted office, which I had previously served in similar capacity twice,’’ he said.

Marwa said the North-East, especially Adamawa, was facing challenging times in areas of security which was hindering the state progress.

He explained that with his military and intelligent background and as a former governor in the North-East and Lagos State, he would ensure that security in Adamawa was restored.

“Upper most in my mind is the need to quadruple the space of physical development in our great state.It is for these reasons

and due to poverty in Adamawa that we will pursue the cardinal programmes of our party to make life more meaningful for the people,’’ he said.

The former Lagos State military administrator said it was unfortunate that Adamawa was at the bottom of the ladder of all states due to unsatisfactory past leadership.

Marwa said he would replicate his development stride in Lagos and Borno if elected as governor of the state. He said that he had applied for waver from the PDP leadership and expressed optimism that his request would be granted.

He expressed the hope that the party leadership would adhered to the principles of internal

...as Fons cautions PDP against anointing candidates From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he member representing Jada, Ganye, Toungo and Mayo-Belwa Federal Constituency, Ahmed Nwangubi Fons has advised the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in both the state and National levels to allow free and fair Primaries in the forth coming Adamawa governorship byeelection scheduled for October 11th, 2014.

Hon. Nwangubi Fons, dropped the advised in an interview with pressmen in Yola yesterday stressing that, “Only the best and credible candidate from the People’s Democratic Party can conveniently defeat the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate at the polls.

According to the member who was also a former member of the Adamawa StateHouse of Assembly, the over 11 aspirants who have

signified their intentions to vie for the Adamawa State Governorship bye-election on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) can best be described as democracy in action.

He called for unity of purpose, sacrifice and necessary compromises on the need for them to work as a team which is the needed tonic that will see them completely chase the elements of opposition.

Ahmed Fons maintained that the bye-election would be devoid of violence as only popular and acceptable candidate chosen by the people will carry the mantle as per what happened in Ekiti state, stressing that no candidate will be imposed on the people despite the large number of aspirants in the race.

Commenting on the much talk around of the anointing candidate, Hon. Nwangubi Fons disclosed that “the PDP leadership of now is not the same like that of the

past. “We have experienced such practice and it failed, why somebody somewhere should now talk about anointing candidate for the party”.

He regretted He further emphasized that, if such decision might be orchestrated by the leadership “why then did they allowed aspirants to purchase intent forms individually, assuring that if such practice takes place the party will face another chaos and division”.

Commenting on the Acting Governor being among the aspirants jostling for thenumber one seat in the state, Hon. Nwangubi believed that “Ahmed Fintiri has the constitutional might to join other titans in his bid to win the race, coupled with the numerous achievements he has been able to make within the short period in office” adding that though the period is short to access his performances, but I believe he has done.

democracy and ensure due process at all elections. Marwa is one of the 14 aspirants that had purchased the PDP expression of interest form to contest the Adamawa governorship election.

Others were the Acting Governor, Alhaji Umar Fintiri, Dr Ahmed Gulak, a former Political Adviser to the President on

Political Matters, Alhaji Hawwa Tukur, son of the immediate past PDP National Chairman.

The others were Dr Aliyu Idi Hong, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Umar Ardo and Malam Nuhu Ribadu, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

Afe Annang urges Udom to run for 2015 Governorship race

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ressure has been intensified on the Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, Mr Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, to throw his hat into the ring and contest in the forthcoming governorship elections in the State.

Already, major ethnic and socio-cultural groups across the three senatorial districts of the State have drummed support on Mr. Emmanuel not to waste any time in presenting himself as the man capable of consolidating on the gains of Governor Godswill Akpabio’s administration.

The latest in this regard is the foremost apex body of royal fathers and leaders in Annang ethnic nationality, known as the Afe Annang.

The Itai Afe Annang, Okuku Effiong Eside, while playing host to the Secretary to State Government, told him that he has their nod and full support as the right Akwa Ibom son to succeed Governor Akpabio in 2015, especially since he is from favoured Eket Senatorial District.

Speaking through the Obom Afe Annang, Dr. Akpan S. Okpongete, the socio cultural group eulogized the sterling attributes of Mr Emmanuel, describing him as one who has brought his huge wealth of

experience in the private sector to bear in complementing the uncommon transformation gesture of Governor Akpabio.

The traditional fathers in a prayer led by Rev S. Akpakpan committed Mr. Udom Emmanuel into God’s hands, praying for Divine guidance and protection on him at all times.

Speaking, Mr Udom Emmanuel had told the royal fathers that he was in the palace to thank them for all the support and advisory role in the success of Governor Akpabio’s administration.

Mr Emmanuel was also full of appreciation to the Afe Annang for their show of love to him and their encouragements, and call on them as intercessors to continue advocating for the sustenance of peace and development in the State.

He appealed to the Afe Annang to continue preaching the Gospel of unity and peaceful coexistence among the people of the state as instituted by the Governor through an even spread of development to all parts of the state.

With the continuous pressure on him from various parts of the state, the SSG is however yet to make an official pronouncements on his decision concerning the election.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Special Report

R-L: Chief Richard Akinjide, Chief Edwin Clark and Ambassador Hassan Adamu during one of the plenary sessions of the confab.

Contd from Page 5 government should be done in the following manner: Federal Government – 42.5%, State Governments – 35% and Local Governments 22.5% That the percentage given to population and equality of states in the existing sharing formula be reduced while that assigned to Social Development sector be increased to a much higher percentage so as to ensure accelerated development of all parts of the country.

2005 NPRC: No specific recommendation, but advised that the number of local government in a state should not count as a criterion for revenue allocation 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference: The National Assembly shall determine the Revenue Allocation Formula which formula shall each time remain in force for a period of not less than five years from the day the bill shall be assented to by the president.

Forms of Government 2014 NC: t recommended the Modified Presidential System, a home-made model of government that effectively combines the presidential and parliamentary systems of government. The president shall pick the vice president from the Legislature. The President should select not more than 18 ministers from the six geo -political zones and not more than 30% of his ministers from outside the Legislature.

Reduce Cost of governance by pruning the number of political appointees and using staff of ministries where necessary.

2005 NPRC: The Conference recommended the retention of Presidential System of Government. The number of ministries at the centre should be reduced to between 15 and 18 and to a maximum of 10 at the state level. Similarly, appointment of Special Advisers should be pegged to six and not more than three at the state level.

Appointment of special assistants should be made from within the public service.

1994/1995: Recommended presidential system and federalism.

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Legislature 2014 National Conference: i-cameral legislature, but all elected members of the legislative arms of all the tiers of government should serve on part-time basis.

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Power

Sharing/Rotation

2014

NC: It recommended that the presidential power should rotate between the North and the South and among the six geopolitical zones while the governorship will rotate among the three senatorial districts in a state.

2005 NPRC: The principle of power rotation should be enshrined in the Constitution so that executive positions rotate at federal, state and local governments.

The office of the president, governors and local government should rotate in such a way that all the geo-political zones in the federation, states, local governments, as the case may be should have a chance to produce a president, governor and local government.

It should not however be included in the constitution because of the emotive nature of the issue. There should be legislation by the National Assembly to ensure that the office of the president should rotate between the north and the south as well as amongst the geo-political zones of the country on the basis of equity, justice and fairness. The principle should be applicable to states and local government on senatorial basis for the governorship and at ward or district for the position of chairman of LGs. 1994/1995 CC: Rotational Presidency should be enshrined in the Constitution.

The same logic should apply to rotation of the governors and chairmen of LGs. It recommended multiple vice presidents with a way to ensure that at least one comes from the same zone as the president.

Local Government 2014 NC: ocal Government will no longer be the third tier of government. The federal and states are now to be the only tiers of government. States can now create as many local governments they want. The Joint State/Local Government Account be scrapped and in its place the establishment of a State RMAFC with representatives of LG and a Chairman nominated by the Governor.

The Constitution should fix the tenure for Local Government Councils at three years. Conference recommends the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commission, SIECs. 2005 NPRC: The Conference retained three levels of government comprising federal, state and local government coun-

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cils.

1994/1995 CC: The Local government shall be a third tier of government in Nigeria, but in order to save costs, a local government council shall consist of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and elected Councillors without a legislative arms.

Each State shall maintain a special account to be called “State Joint Local Government Account” into which shall be paid all allocations to the Local government councils of the state from the Federation Account. State Houses of Assembly to create local governments and the life of local government officials will be three years.

Immunity Clause 2014: he immunity clause should be removed if the offences attract criminal charges to encourage accountability by those managing the economy.

2005 NPRC: Recommended that immunity clause as enshrined in Section 308 should be amended to remove immunity provision for crimes bothering on corrupt practices, economic and financial crimes and other serious offences such as suicide and murder.

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Independent Candidacy 2014 NC: t recommended that every Nigerian who meets the specified condition in the Electoral Act should be free to contest elections as an independent candidate. 2005 NPRC: Recommended the recognition of Independent candidate in election 1994/1995: The Conference recommended that Independent Candidature should be recognized and should be in the constitution.

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Governance 2014 NC: he conference recommended the creation of the office of the Accountant General (Director-General) of the Federation as a distinct and separate office from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federal Government. The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation shall oversee the accruals of revenue into and disbursement from the Federation Account as and when due; and shall administer these funds as required by the Constitution, while the office of the Accountant General of the Federal Government shall oversee the accounts of the Federal Government.

2005: Separation of the offices of the

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Photos: Mahmud Isa

Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

The Attorney General for the Federation shall be appointed by the President for a single term of six years subject to the confirmation by the Senate.

Anti-corruption: 2014: Special Courts to handle corruption cases should be established in the light of undue prolongation in the trials and prosecution of corruption cases in the regular courts. A non-convictionbased asset forfeiture law should be enacted with broad provisions to deal with all issues of proceeds of crimes by the antigraft agencies and the courts.

2005: Special Courts should be set up for prosecution of cases emanating from corrupt practices and such cases should not last more than 90 days. Secondly, it recommended that the authorities should Investigate and confiscate corruptly acquired wealth of past rulers and bring them to justice.

Re-introduction of the War Against Corruption and EFCC and Code of Conduct should be made members of Screening Committees at all levels of government to screen all candidates aspiring to political office before elections.

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Land Tenure Act 2014 NC: he Land Tenure Act should remain in the Constitution but be amended to take care of those concerns, particularly on compensation in Section 29 (4) of the Act to read “land owners should determine the price and value of their land based on open market value.

2005 NPRC: 1994/1995 CC: Recommended that the Land Use Decree should be reviewed in line with the recommendations made by the Nigeria Law Reform Commission in 1991. It rejected the suggestion that the law should be completely abrogated.

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National Anthem 2014 NC: Re-introduce the old National Anthem.

Religion 2104 NC: he Conference recommended that there will be no government sponsorship of Christian and Muslim pilgrimages to the holy lands. It also resolved that churches and mosques should begin to pay tax to government.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 19

Omo Virgin Forest Reserve

Tourism

Wildlife at its best

Wild-life at the Omo Forest

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ocated in Ogun State, about 135km north-east of Lagos and some 20km from the coast, Omo Forest Reserve lies within a tropical lowland rainforest and it has the most complex and productive vegetation type in the country; estimated that it supports about 8000 species of plants.

The reserve’s terrain is undulating and elevation reaches about 300m on some rocky hills. The eastern border is formed by the Omo river which, with its many tributaries, drain the reserve.

Omo is contiguous with five other, highly degraded, Forest Reserves, the largest of which is Oluwa Forest Reserve to the east.

The vegetation is mixed moist semi-evergreen rainforest.

Due to selective exploitation in the past, the forest is largely mature secondary, with pock-

ets of primary forest along river courses and in other areas where log extraction is difficult. Average annual rainfall is over 2,000mm.

The large forestland is named after the Omo tree, which is indigenous to the area. The Omo river lies somewhere within the

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Omo is contiguous with five other, highly degraded, Forest Reserves, the largest of which is Oluwa Forest Reserve to the east. The vegetation is mixed moist semievergreen rainforest.

Wooden bridge across the Omo River

132,000 hectares of land, which make up the forest reserve.

Within this expanse of land is a 460-hectare forest block, to

the south of the confluence of the Omo River, which has its tributary in the Owena River. This 460 hectare block is constituted of a so-called ‘virgin’ forest which has been declared a Strict Nature Reserve (SNA) and a Biosphere Reserve by the government.

The Omo Forest Reserve within Ogun State, Nigeria, is of great conservation value with 200 species of tree, 125 species of bird and many mammal species including forest elephant, chimpanzee and white-throated guenon monkeys, all of which are seriously endangered. The Nigerian Forest Elephant Group (NFEG) was established in 1989 in order to protect the 1300 km² Omo Forest Reserve and work towards its long-term conservation. Paignton Zoo Environmental Park began supporting the NFEG in 1993 and has been involved with the programme ever since, although management of the programme was officially handed over to the Nigerian Conservation Foundation in 2006.

With logging, poaching and uncontrolled farming threatening the biodiversity in the Omo Forest Reserve, the conservation goal of the project is to ensure the survival of the Omo Forest ecosystem by education in schools and raising conservation awareness amongst the local community. Also, general practical conservation activities are supported.

WAZA Conservation Project 10025 is implemented by the Omo-Oluwa-Shasha Forest Conservation Project, with support provided by Paington Zoo Environmental Park. Other stakeholders involved in the project include the Nigerian Conservation Foundation and ProNatura International (Nigeria). mydestination.com

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Homes

By Mariam Humbe

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ave you been fed up with the same kind of homey appear that the living room tasks for your visitors if you have a household get-together?

For those who have the high-ceilinged kitchen area, perform you intend to possess something which your supper visitors may impress more than while you serves your own delicious house prepared foods?

Contemporary chandeliers offer bright, diffused light and simple, elegant styling that blends beautifully with all contemporary and many traditional decors.

The living room may be

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ay attention to size. Fixtures should be proportional to the room. A good rule of thumb is to take the dimensions of your room in feet and add them together. The number of feet in the sum is how many inches your chandelier

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onsider how you use the room. For rooms used primarily for entertaining, late-afternoon cocktails or after-dinner coffee, general lighting may be all you need. In a room like this, a center light provides the main general light, with sconces and smaller lights filling in the spots that the chandeliers miss. Is there anything more traditional than a crystal chandelier?

where your family members spend most of their time, but it’s about more than comfortable seating and the right-sized flat-screen TV. Proper lighting accentuates the room’s design scheme and creates a sophisticated feel that’s characteristic of traditional design.

Choosing and placing the chandelier, sconces, lamps and can lights can transform your traditional space. Here are seven tips that can help.

should be.

Long pendants and tall table lamps can help balance rooms with very high ceilings. Hang chandeliers 78 to 84 inches high; place sconces at least 60 inches high.

Don’t forget the dimmers. Especially for general lighting centered in the middle of the room, dimmer switches are essential. That way, you can achieve any type of mood you want. For bright, cheerful illumination, turn up the lights full blast. For night-time events, turn down the lights to make a traditional scheme, like in this French country room, even more romantic — and appearances even more flattering.

se task lighting to define zones. Living U rooms are for a lot more than lounging.

For rooms that get a lot of use, consider task

twist on tradition in this room.

Task lighting also includes desk and side table lamps that illuminate areas used for paying bills or writing thank-you notes. The symmetry in this room, right down to the matching pairs of lamps, defines traditional style.

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fabulous touch that can show off a painting, a focal point or a special accessory by directing attention to a specific spot.

lights to brighten work areas. Task lighting includes built-in can lights that direct a flow of bright light onto a reading or working area. An orb chandelier adds an updated

lay with accent lights for style. Don’t forget about accent lighting when planning your living room. Sconces are a

e n i z a g a M

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

d n e k e e W ment Entertain

Fashion

s Beauty Tip

od Kannywo

Why I am called General – Kannywood’s Mohammed Bello >>PG 34

Hajiya Mairo Tanko AlMakura: Amazon with a heart of gold PG 23

Feel rejuvenated in tropical yellow and peach PPG G 29

d Hollywoo

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d Bollywoo

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Your Body, Image & U Idleness makes the body sick

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Sleeping idle youngman

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hen next you see someone who chose to be idle, observe him/her very well and you will notice how sluggish, weak and sometimes unintelligent they are. I said ‘’who chose’’ because, i have come to discover that most people who claim to have no job are either gunning for dream jobs that they will only get in their dreams while they sleep considering the economic and political situations in Nigeria presently or, they are simply too lazy to work/do any thing.

Let us face this, there are no ready white collar jobs waiting for unemployed people anywhere in this country. The ones that surfaces comes in from few companies and establishments and not regular. You will see a company advertising for one job position and you have thousands of unemployed people applying for just one position? It ‘s nauseating!

Fraustrating!!!

Our unemployed youths are pretty aware that there are no jobs, yet most of them refuses to forget about Government and big companies giving them jobs and looking for what they can do as jobs on their own, with their skills, talents to survive.

Talk to these youths and see how they reason. They are just not ready to start something that cannot give fast bucks.

Do you also blame them? What do we actually expect from them when we live in a society where your size of wallet and material acquisitions speaks for you and no one

catering, small trading of beverages etc for few months then, starts her own. No way!

Says who? She will querry you on how such a graduate like her will stoop so low to be a hair stylist, bake and sell provisions. If you see anyone of them that is a little bit convinced to do this, the fast question will be---where will i get capital to start after training? Check her phone, she is using a tablet/Ipad.. more than one expensive phone that cost more than what some of them can use to start small trading. These unemployed ladies will prefer to live expensive lives than settle for small jobs for a start.

Meanwhile these are job areas people who are focused can turn into a millionaire job with perseverance. So why won’t we have millions of unemployed youths scattered all over Nigeria? or the males, their own is even worse. Those of them not into yahoo..yahoo. internet scam stuffs, will never agree to learn skills like phone repairs, shoe making(whatttt?

Shoe making? You must be insane to suggest such for them... shoe making is for abokis only?) How about Farming like – rabbit, snail, poultry farming etc.....no way....!!

These are dirty jobs for low lives who did not see the four walls of the university.. they will be quick to answer!

Meanwhile these unemployed males have all it takes to create these jobs for themselves. At the same time, the mugu they are exploiting on the internet who lives in Europe could be a dairy product farmer millionaire’s wife or daughter whose husband/father owns a big ranch with cows, goats. Yet you cannot open a poultry here in Nigeria where 97 percent of Nigerians buy and eat chicken and you have free land space to do your business.

Starting a small poultry farm by

care to know the quality of your personality. Take for instance, politics is around the corner and we will be going to the polls early 2015.

Look around in your clan, community, state and see how many poor school teachers, lecturers, civil servants who are educated, with good manners, credible personality are gunning for any post. No one will nominate them not to talk of electing them. This is because, they do not have cash to spread around and bribe people for one thing or the other. They also do not have flashy cars to cruise around in the villages and and throwing wild parties here and there.

They are nobodies yet, some of these poor educated people are the REAL persons the masses need to deliver them from this political rubbish/nonesense we are in today. So when you see youths, graduates who by the way use Ipads, iphones, Blackberry phones and all kinds of expensive gadgets,

“

refuse to create jobs by themselves, stay idle, we tend to wonder what is wrong with their brains. These youths rather than do what they call poor man’s jobs, chose to stay idle. Yes, it is their concious choice to remain idle till they get their dream jobs that will give them fast cash and quick luxury.

Examine most of these idle youths closely, the females are so fat, sleep all day and only interested in eating, fashion, celebrity gossips and enjoying themselves with who ever that offers free meals and entertainment.

Make no mistake about this, there are always people who provide these free meals and entertainments 24/7. So why will they bother to do a poor man ‘s job? hat exactly are jobs in the category of a poor man’s job you might be wondering huh? Invite a female graduate to learn hairdressing, bakery, sewing,

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Examine most of these idle youths closely, the females are so fat, sleep all day and only interested in eating, fashion, celebrity gossips and enjoying themselves with who ever that offers free meals and entertainment.

With Jacqui Iwu bwreforms@gmail.com 08184825606 (sms only) the way, cost less than an Apple/Samsung Ipad.

Same applicable to rabbit/ snail farming. It is all about your humility, focus, determination and zeal to create a job for yourself and be productive rather than being idle.

The maga in U.S whom they are trying to steal from could be a Baker Millionaire who started baking with his mother’s oven at the age of 17years but today, a multi fast foods millonaire/billonaire.

They will google him and to them he just became a billonaire over night huh?

No starting point?

No sacrifices, no hard work and discipline? t times during my empowerment coaching sessions, what i listen to some of these youths say made me askAre we safe in this country in future?

My neck hurts as i type this ....pretty hurts... just the mere fact of seeing how our youths have lost their mindset and this whole ugly attitude is making their entire body sick not just physically but mentally, spiritually!!

I took this call to empower them and i have no regrets at all. That also will not make me not to whip them in my own way to achieve my results of making them better persons.

Your body being sick is not just when you have ebola, malaria, etc but when you think and behave left handed.

There is need for our unemployed youths to have a positive mindset so they can help themselves and their society.

Jacqui IWU is a BodyImage, Life &Career Coach A Stress Management Expert &Conference Speaker Media Relations Personnel BLOG: http:// bluntjacqui.blogspot.com FB: http://facebook. com/beautifulwoman. column TWITTER: @ JacquiWORLD

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Womanhood

Hajiya Mairo Tanko Al-Makura: Amazon with a heart of gold

By Miriam Humbe

H

ajiya Mairo Tanko Al-Makura is the beautiful second wife of Governor Tanko AlMakura of Nasarawa state.

Her beauty transcends beyond the surface as she reaches out to the needy in her state through her pet project, Tallafia Women and Youth Foundation.

According to her, the Tallafia Foundation was founded with the aim to assist and support all disadvantaged persons in the society. Looking back at the nearly four years that her husband has spent in the Lafia Government House, Hajiya Mairo is full of gratitude to the Almighty God for the rare privilege to positively touch lives and put smiles on the faces of the people around her. She believes that with the help of contributions from well meaning Nigerians, the society will be a better place for all.

Although mostly unsung in her home state and beyond, the Tallafi founder is basically working round the clock to empower the people of Nasarawa state.

Hajiya Mario Tanko Almakura is an Amazon with a heart of gold who stands all for selfless service and unity. She has on various fora, called on Nasarawa State women living outside the state to unite and always partner with each other for the benefit of their home state.

Mario Almakura made this call recently when

she hosted a delegation of women from Nasarawa state who lived in Abuja.

She reminded them that it was only through constant interaction they would know and assist each other in times of need. She stressed that occasional meetings were not enough.

Her concern for the health and well being of Nasarawa people caused Tallafi Foundation to conduct free eye treatments in partnership with the Eye Center for Blindness and Prevention and Desert Center at Karu, Nasarawa state. The four day eye treatment and examination benefited over 50 persons.

The beneficiaries who were tested and treated got the best service possible, all for free. This helped to restore full vision for many persons, many of whom had given up on the possibility of ever recovering their sight. The eye treatment exercise was done under the personal supervision of Hajiya Mairo Al-Makura.

In another development, Hajiya Mairo Almakura also donated baby items, household items and a huge cash donation on behalf of Tallafi Foundation to Mr. and Mrs. Akaba David Dayi who gave birth to a set of quadruplets at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia. While delivering the items to the family, Mairo Almakura said the items we presented out of concern for the lucky family, by way of support. While praying for God to grant mother and children good health, Hajiya

Mairo used the occasion to encourage people to assist the less privileged.

In recognition of her selfless contributions to society, the founder of Tallafi Women and Youths Foundation, Hajiya Mairo Tanko Al-makura recently bagged the West African Distinguished Achievers Award in Accra, Ghana.

Hajiya Mairo Tanko Al-makura who was represented by her Special Assistant, Hajara Samson, said her delight at Tallafi Foundation is to support and assist the less privileged in the society especially women and youths, “we at Tallafi Foundation are working tirelessly to uplift the living conditions of women and youths in this very difficult economic situation so that they can build a home for a better societal growth.�

Hajiya Al-Makura bagged the award alongside wife of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT minister Hajiya Aisha Bala Mohammed, wife of the senator representing the FCT Hauwa Philip Aduda and the special Assistant on Media to the FCT minister, Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi among others.

The award was conceived by Digest international and Aziki Multi media in conjunction with some media outfits in Nigeria and Ghana.

Hajiya Mairo Tanko Al-Makura

Hajiya Mairo Almakura (r) and guests at the Commissioning of a borehole in Lafia donated by Tallafi Women and Youths Fodation

Her Excellency Mairo Tanko Almakura on a visit to Emir of Lafia on enlightenment campaign for her NGO Tallafi Women and Youth Foundation

Hajiya Mairo Almakura 7th from right with some of the 100 widows who benefitted from her NGO at Lafia in Nasarawa state

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 24

World Kiddies SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

With Miriam

Humbe

ABCDE

HIS AND HERS CORNER

Katsina Emirate

Front view of Katsina emir’s palace

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mir of Katsina Palace: The palace of Emir of Katsina is built in unique traditional architectural designs which attract tourists. It is decorated in white and green paints depicting national colours. The colourful festivities and Durbar on Salah days continue to attract thousands of tourists both within and outside the country.

Katsina State (State, NorthCentral Nigeria). The State was carved out of the old Kaduna State in September 1989. It is bounded in the north by Niger Republic, in the east by Kano State, in the south by Kaduna State and by Sokoto State in the west.

The state is made up of two emirates which feature prominently in the establishment of the seven Hausa Kingdoms.

The lineage between Bayajida and Daurama produced the founders of Daura, Katsina, Zaria, Kano, Rano Gobir and Biram. The legendary Kusugu well where the snake called Sarki was slain is one of the tourist attractions of Daura.

Katsina was founded

by Kumayo and before the Fulani conquest had been an important seat of learning and a commercial centre of the transSaharan Trade. It provided one of the earliest education centres of the north.

The state government in its bid to provide effective and comprehensive health care services for all and sundry expanded and upgraded all existing health centres. Rural health centres in Bakori and Faskari have been converted into General Hospitals. The Government also constructed the Katsina Specialist Hospital in its-effort to provide special health care services. There is a children’s hospital located at Malumfashi.

Katsina consists largely of scrub vegetation with some wooded savanna in the south.

There are 34 local government

areas in the state namely as shown on the left hand side. The indigenes are Hausa and Fulani with pockets of other ethnic groups such as the Ibos and Yorubas.

Katsina State Government attaches a lot of importance to education. Scholarships are awarded to deserving indigenes to study relevant courses in institutions of higher learning at home and abroad.

In the field of special education, adequate plans have been made to provide each Local Government with special schools for the blind.

The state has also established an Education Resource Centre with Headquarters at Dutsin-Ma. The Centre has the responsibility of inspecting schools, designing and developing curriculum and ensuring effective supervision of teaching in schools.

The state’s industrial policy objectives include improving living standard, provision of regular employment, balanced industrial growth through establishment of industries in rural areas. Katsina state has large deposit of kaolin and asbestos and other needed minerals for good industrial take off.

Katsina is one of the few states in the country where crops are grown all the year round.

Apart from farming during the rainy season, dry season farming is done along river banks and along the numerous dams built by the State and Federal Governments.

Another important tourist attraction is the Gobarau Minaret built about 300 years ago. It was built of baked clay and mud and has been a thing of wonder to the inhabitants of the city. Legend has it that in those days, because of its height, it was used for surveillance purposes from where warriors could see enemies advancing on the ancient city.

Hanging on to Big brother

CARTOON Tom and Jerry

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 25

World Kiddies

With Miriam

Humbe

ABCDE

MODEL OF THE WEEK

AFRICAN TALES

How the Jackal got his black back

Buhari Imam

ACTIVITIES

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nce upon a time, the jackal saw a little girl sitting up in a tree.

‘Why are you sitting up there, pretty child?’ he asked.

‘I am tired, I must rest,’ she replied.

‘Come down, and I will carry you home on my back,’ said the jackal.

‘I am a sun child. I ride on no jackal’s back,’ was the haughty reply.

But the jackal coaxed and cajoled with such a sweet tongue that at last she relented and climbed down to seat herself on his back, and away they went. Now, although she was small and light, the jackal began to feel uncomfortable. This was due to

the remarkable heat of the sun child.

‘Jump down,’ he said, ‘I see a pretty bird that I will shoot for you with my bow and arrow.’ But she refused. ‘Jump down, jump down,’ pleaded the jackal, pretending no more, for his fur was starting to singe. Still she refused. He grew frightened and started to use threats. ‘I will jump into the water with you; I will sting you with my secret sting!’ She just laughed and held tight.

The jackal could stand no more, and with a howl leaped into a dense Bush and the little sun child was swept from his back. Then, singed and sorry, the jackal ran away into the veld, carrying with him forever the mark of the sun child.

With the help of the right materials, colour the image below. Show your work to your parents and teacher for correction.

Cheers!

CREATIVITY

How to make paper slippers

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hen you are travelling and find that you have forgotten to pack your bedroom slippers - here is a pair that you can fold in a jiffy from a piece of heavy paper. The pair are so easy to make that anyone can do them! All sorts of fancy costume touches could be added like jewels, papers cut outs and glitter that you can really transform them into cute little slippers. It is a great rainy day afternoon fun activity for children too.

Thanks and have fun making the paper slippers Step 1: Choosing the right paper Get a piece of paper that almost measures double your foot length. Just to make sure you have enough paper. You can tape two sheets together to get your size.

Step 2: The folding starts Here you are going to fold over the 2 sides about 1.5 inches to form your slippers. Make sure you crease the folds well - use the back of a spoon to help.

Step 3: Folding the sides over This step you will continue to fold over the sides again. Keeping Folded paper slippers

with the same 1.5 inch fold over just like you did in previous step. Fold over one more time so you have your paper looking like picture 2.

Step 4: Making the sides of the slippers Now that you have folded over and over - stand up your last fold to form the sides of your slippers.

Step 5: Folding up the heel Almost like wrapping a gift - fold over the back two sides and tape the tip over to form the heel of your slippers Step 6: Measuring you size Place your foot into the back of the heel and measure how much you will need to fold over to make your top part of the slippers.

Step 7: Glue the top to the sides Using strong glue - fold over the top and glue the sides to the top. You can use paper clips to keep in place as it dries Step 8: Adding the details to finish off your slippers Here, cut out some of the flowers from the paper and glue them to the top to give it some style but have fun with adding the details to your slippers.

Flat paper slippers

So have fun making the paper slippers

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 26

Learning

#Bring Back Our Books

By Lawal Sabo with Agencies

I

n this era of the ‘bringbackhashtag’ vogue, it will not be out of place if one suggests one more that relates to reading. This is especially with the discouraging performance of Nigerian students in school certificate examinations over the years, and the dismal communicative competence of most of them both verbally and in written even beyond that level.

As Sir Francis Bacon said, “reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man,” it will be tantamount to crying for the moon when a nation expects something positive from a generation which abhors reading to an extent that a joke was created that ‘if one wants to hide something from Nigerians he should put it in a book.’

In the past, Nigerian youths up to the mid-80s, used to cherish reading and undertake it for both studies and leisure. And, virtually every genre was available and patronised by a section of them. Those were the days when even those who had nothing to do with the English Literature relish in the African Writers Series. Others who were interested in romance were reading Mills and Boon, while those with bias in crime, espionage, and sundry topics patronised the Nigerian Pacesetters Series, and the EuroAmerican authors like the HadleyChase collection, Sydney Sheldon, Frederick Forsyth, Geoffrey Archer and several others. The vogue then was reading and peers often compete in the number of books one reads in a period, especially during vacations. They also loaned and exchanged books among themselves due to paucity of funds to have personal collections.

But these days, the most important pastime of our youths rests in foreign football leagues, porn or music streaming and video games. Those who find a little time to read still do it online, and they often go for trash like the wild rumours often peddled on social media. Thus, they normally spend hours on end browsing through diverse sites (mediums) without really deriving any benefit.

In fact, Nigerian youths seem to be one of the sets of people who misunderstood and grossly misapply the concept of the world as a global village. This, they do in especially using the internet for quite trivial reasons without derivable benefits to them or the larger society.

With this, it is gratifying to hear that Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, will be World Book Capital from April 23rd 2014 to April 22nd 2015. It beat cities like Oxford (United Kingdom), Lyon (France), Ganja (Azerbaidjan), Incheon (Republic of Korea), Moscow (Russian Federation), Pula (Croatia), Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), Vilnius (Lithuania) and Yaounde (Cameroun) to emerge winner of the coveted position.

The nomination does not imply any financial prize, but is an exclusive symbolic acknowledgement of the best programme dedicated to books and reading.

The WBCC Selection Committee is made up of a representative from UNESCO as well as the International Publishers Associations (IPA-UIE),

the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Booksellers Federation (IBF) The title is held from one World Book and Copyright Day (April 23) to the next (April 22), during which the nominated city will implement the programmes in its proposed bid It was on 2nd November 2001, that the UNESCO General Conference adopted the 31C/Resolution 29, establishing the yearly nomination of the World Book Capital City The title ‘World Book Capital’ is conferred by UNESCO on a city in recognition of the quality of its programmes to foster the promotion of books and to encourage reading.

The concept was initiated in 2001 with Madrid as the first city to be given the title, followed by Alexandria in 2002 and New Delhi in 2003. Port Harcourt, the current World Book Capital City, will hand over to Incheon of the Republic of Korea in April 2015.

Rainbow Book Club submitted a bid to UNESCO with the support of

“

the Rivers State government that led to the emergence of Port Harcourt as the UNESCO World Book Capital 2014, the first sub-Saharan city to receive this honour! With the theme: Books: Windows to our World of Possibilities.

Undoubtedly, this honour will have a catalytic effect on the Nigerian youths, especially those in the Delta region, by creating an army of social change agents who, informed and empowered by reading, will work collaboratively to build a peaceful, prosperous and just society. 2014 also marks 100 years since Nigeria was formed by the British colonial government. This milestone in Nigeria’s history presents a unique occasion for positive change.

In celebrating this honour, Hay Festival in conjunction with the Rainbow Book Club rolls out the Africa 39 project, which aims to celebrate 39 of the best African authors under the age of 40 who have the potential and talent to define the trends that will mark the future development in Africa.

Their writings will be published in a

book titled AFRICA 39- New Writing from Africa, South of the Sahara. The book will be edited by Ellah Watakama Allfrey, the former deputy editor of Granta, and the preface will be by the 1986 Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka.

Hay Festival is an international non-profit organization based in Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. They create international festivals and promote literature, education and literacy.

The ’39 Project’ which was first held in Bogota, the 2007 UNESCO World Book Capital, and Beirut, UNESCO World Book Capital 2010 will be gracing the Port Harcourt Book Festival, which will hold from the 20th of October to the 25th.

The success of World Book and Copyright Day, launched in 1996, encouraged UNESCO to develop the concept of World Book Capital City, selecting Madrid as the Capital for 2001. This was again a success, and so UNESCO’s General Conference resolved to make the designation of a World Book Capital City an annual

The vogue then was reading and peers often compete in the number of books one reads in a period, especially during vacations. They also loaned and exchanged books among themselves due to paucity of funds to have personal collections.

event.

UNESCO invited the International Publishers Association, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and the International Booksellers Federation to participate in the nomination process, to ensure the three major branches of the book industry can participate in the decision.

The nomination does not include any financial prize; it rather acknowledges the best programmes dedicated to books and reading.

The nominating committee welcomes programmes — presented by or endorsed by the mayor of the city making the application — that promote and foster reading. The programmes are to run from one World Book and Copyright Day and the next. The nomination committee will turn its attention to certain criteria: • The degree of participation of all levels (from the municipal to the international level) • The programme’s potential impact • The scope and quality of the activities proposed by the candidates, and the extent to which they involve writers, publishers, booksellers and libraries • Any other projects promoting books and reading • The extent to which the programme respects the principles of freedom of expression, as stated by the UNESCO Constitution as well as

by Articles 19 and 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and by the Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials The following cities were at various points designated as World Book Capitals: Madrid (Spain) 2001, Alexandria (Egypt) 2002, New Delhi (India) 2003, Antwerp (Belgium) 2004, Montreal (Canada) 2005, Turin (Italy) 2006, Bogota (Colombia) 2007, Amsterdam (Netherlands) 2008, Beirut Lebanon (2009), Ljubljana (Slovenia) 2010, Buenos Aires (Argentina) 2011, Yerevan (Armenia) 2012, Bangkok (Thailand) 2013, Port Harcourt (Nigeria) 2014, Incheon (South Korea) and Wrocław (Poland) 2016.

On the 24th of June 2014 the UNESCO committee decided to award Wroclaw to be the next World Book Capital after Incheon. In 2016 Wroclaw will not only become the first Polish city to hold the World Book Capital Title, but it will also be theEuropean Capital of Culture during that year. The committee stated that “Civic leaders in Wroclaw have developed an excellent programme that will promote reading among the wider public all through the year”. The Director-General also thanked the selection committee “for its valuable work in favor of the promotion of books and of reading, through a global initiative that highlights the commitment of cities from different regions of the world.”

Apart from Wroclaw, three other cities competed for the title of the World Book Capital in 2016. Those cities were Brasilia(Brazil), Montilla (Spain) and Sharjah (United Arab Emirates).

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 27

Leisure

Compiled By Doyin Ojosipe

A

IDS: Hey baby girl!

Glad to have you here in Nigeria.

Ebola: Thank boss. How has your mission been?

AIDS: Has been very much successful, but just a couple of impediments I have encountered since the ntroduction of condom and a few other contraceptives. ...

Ebola: Really!

AIDS: Yea! That notwithstanding, I’m still making impact enormously.

Ebola: Kudos boss! More grease to your elbow.

AIDS: Thanks baby shawarma. Hope you’ve set down good strategies for the achievement of your quest?

Ebola: Yes of course! I’m no dumb head! In fact, a victim of mine died recently.

AIDS: Like seriously! That’s awesome... So tell me more.....

Ebola: The issue here is that I’m trying to bring the popular saying “there’s love in sharing” into play. Nigerian bats and apes have decried the constant share of their meats by bush meat lovers; without partaking in their problems as well. So, my aim is to balance the equation and erase partiality.

AIDS: Whoa! That’s good.

So what actually motivated your migration into Nigeria?

Ebola: During my intensive survey, I discovered that so many of Nigerians enjoy munching bush meat, and for that, I’ve come

to make them also, partakers of me as well! as you know, “DIARIS LOVE IN SHARING”.

AIDS: So, who is free from your TENTACLES? Ebola: Those who desist from consuming bush meats; especially monkeys and bats have less possibilities of contacting me.

AIDS: I discovered that you’re more powerful and contagious than I am; what’s the secret?

Ebola: (blushing)..... O yea!

Well, the secret is the incessant complaints tabled by monkeys and bats. Their complaints have made me so furious. I’ve made it a point of duty to move into anybody who comes in contact with those I have affected.

AIDS: Hmm! You’re really awesome! Can we hang out sometime?

Ebola: (smiling) Stop flattering me boss! I will be on my way now. I’ve got someone to inflict somewhere...... about the hang out; I will give it a thought (winks).

AIDS: Alright. Take care and good luck my Rosalito Pepperto.

Ebola: Thanks boss!!

Funny!!! Right!!! But very serious......Well, brothers and sisters, avoid bush meat and other meat that is said to have the disease, make a wide research about the virus in order not to catch it, be vigilant, so you don’t fall a victim...... Pray without season and ceasing.

Laugh out loud

Cross out the ebola symptoms (word search)

The bush rat and the bat

A BLEEDIN BLOOD DIRECTCONTACT EBOLA FATAL FEVER FILOVIRUS

FLUIDS HEADACHE HUMANS IMMUNESYSTEM ISOLATE INFECTION INTERNALORGANS

MAMMALS PATHOGEN PRIMATES RASH STERILIZATION VOMITING

BUSH rat called Oyot was a great friend of Emiong, the bat; they always fed together, but the bat was jealous of the bush rat.

When the bat cooked the food it was always very good, and the bush rat said, “How is it that when you make the soup it is so tasty?”

The bat replied, “I always boil myself in the water, and my flesh is so sweet, that the soup is good.”

He then told the bush rat that he would show him how it was done; so he got a pot of warm water, which he told the bush rat was boiling water, and jumped into it, and very shortly afterwards came out again. When the soup was brought it was as strong and good as usual, as the bat had prepared it beforehand.

The bush rat then went home and told his wife that he was going to make good soup like the bats. He therefore told her to boil some water, which she did. Then, when his wife was not looking, he jumped into the pot, and was very soon dead.

When his wife looked into the pot and saw the dead body of her husband boiling she was very angry, and reported the matter to the king, who gave orders that the bat should be made a prisoner. Every one turned out to catch the bat, but as he expected trouble he flew away into the bush and hid himself. All day long the people tried to catch him, so he had to change his habits, and only came out to feed when it was dark, and that is why you never see a bat in the daytime.

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

TIPS

COMPILED BY PATRICK ANDREW

A

ge, they say, is in the mind.

That’s being consolatory, an attempt to run away from reality, some argue. No matter how one pretends about it, it takes its toll on one. Still people crave for youthful look. That’s a nature desire: wanting to live on and on and in a vigorous state devoid of the frailties that come with age.

The desire tends to be stronger in women. Again, it seems nature and nothing to be wary of. Every woman wants to look younger, whether she is 30 or 60. However, in spite of one’s best intentions and efforts, as one grows older, one tends to lose the natural, beautiful glow of our skin.

Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks to use to look younger no matter your age. The main tip to follow is to take good care of your skin every single day. Remember, the healthier your skin is, the younger it looks. To find out more this, we again serve you with some of the best approaches to staying young despite passing the broom of youth and even far beyond.

So here are some of the most effective ways to look younger regardless of your age.

1. Increase your vitamin C intake One of the best ways to look younger is to increase your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C stimulates the production of collagen in the skin, which means it’s good for keeping your skin looking fresh and young.

Vitamin C is good for the skin all over the body so it’s important to add foods rich in Vitamin C to your eating plan. Consider eating oranges, bell peppers, kiwis, grapefruits, tomatoes and

Carmen Dell ‘Orefice at 80 still looks stunning

your skin a beautiful glow. You can add a little bit of bronzer to your foundation, or apply it on your nose, cheeks and forehead using a large brush.

6. Care for your hands daily While it’s important to care for your face every day, don’t forget about your hands. Make sure you care for your hands properly every single day. If you are on a budget, try rubbing your facial products into them. It’s not necessary to use special hand creams. Also, don’t forget to use sunscreen daily. This is a huge step to look younger no matter how old you are.

7. Wear the right makeup Did you know that some colors you might be wearing can wash you out and even emphasize all your wrinkles and fine lines? To look younger, make sure you wear the right colors on your lips, eyes and cheeks.

8. Go for a more natural look and stay away from the bright, bold colors.

It’s possible to look younger

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala strawberries.

2. Boost your protein intake Protein plays a significant role in almost each aspect of the skin, including collagen production, appearance, cell turnover as well as structure. This makes it a vital nutrient in your eating plan. Opt for lean protein like fish, sirloin steak, pork loin chops and chicken breast.

Low-fat dairy foods, eggs, nuts and beans are also wonderful sources of protein. Read also – 7 Wonderful Foods That Will Give You Great Skin 3. Use oil in your salads Mayo is great and tasty, but not so healthy. I suggest you to start using oil in your salads. Try combining a bit of canola or olive oil with a bit of vinegar on your healthy salad. When you mix greens with some oil, not mayo, your body absorbs Vitamin C, E

and any other antioxidants much better. Plus, it’s super healthy! Such salad will help combat free radical damage and help keep your skin looking glowing and youthful no matter your age.

4. Don’t use your powder Although powder has its wonderful value, I don’t recommend using it when you are trying to look younger. The longer your powder is on your face, the more it creeps into your fine lines and small wrinkles, making them even more visible.

You can still use your foundation to hide blemishes and even things out, but try not to use your powder.

5. Add bronzer All those age spots and sunspots that tend to crop up on the skin can easily be hidden with bronzer.

Not only does bronzer mask all those discolorations, it also gives

Beverly D’Angelo at 60 years

Susan Sarandon was 65 when she posed for this picture no matter your age, you just need to pay attention to your skin care routine and your diet. You also some reasonable exercise and proper relaxation to enable your body adapt to the changes it is experiencing. Of course, proper dieting cannot be excused.

COMPILED BY MARIAM HUMBE

Fashion

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 29

Feel rejuvenated in tropical yellow and peach I

t’s funny what impact colours have on our individual self confidence. It’s also all so easy to be inspired and rejuvenated by the shades in the colours of peach and yellow. The shades of yellow and peach absolutely look like sunshine itself on a beautiful warm day. These citrus-y tropical colors are the perfect inspiration for the bright sunny day.

So even if you’re thinking of a yellow bridesmaid dress, there is definitely no surer way to warm up pale yellow than with a little pink and peach.

You can use this color combination for a dinner or wedding party. These pastels look like the walking version of a fruity drink or a bowl of sorbet. Keep your fingers crossed that when you

Coral diamond beaded ring Side brooch polka necklace and earrings

Yellow heeled gladiator sandals Side brooch polka necklace and earrings

are wearing these light fabrics and pastel shades, sooner than later, you become the centre of attraction everywhere you go. For those of you planning to appear your very best this season, put the delicious colors of yellow and peach on the list of colors to consider!

Yellow clutch purse

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Pots & Pans

With Miriam Hum,be

Okra Soup with fresh fish and assorted meat O

kra soup is a delicious soup popular in several parts of the world. It is also a popular Nigerian Soup and known as Miyan Kubewa in Hausa language.

Some folks love their okra soup chunky, while others want it smooth, but all that really matters is that the soup comes out tasty and delicious.

Okra soup is very easy to prepare.

Below you’ll see how easy it is to make this soup.

Ingredients: * 2 cooking spoons Red Palm Oil *500grams Assorted meat(Beef, Shaki(Cow’s Tripe), Ponmo(cow’s skin), turkey, chicken(you can use anyone of choice or all if you choose) *200 grams Assorted Fish (Dry Fish, Stock Fish,Fresh or Iced Fish )(you can use anyone of choice or all if you choose) * 1 tablespoonful ground Crayfish * 1 small onion bulb( for cooking the meat).

You can add some to the soup if you want to. * 2 handfuls of shredded green Vegetable – Pumpkin leaves or Spinach * 2 big stock cubes (bouillon cube) * Pepper to taste * Salt to taste

How to Preparation: Before you cook the Okra soup - Chop the okra into tiny bits, but if you want it less chunky, you can grate it with a grater. Set aside - Shred or cut the vegetables into thin sliced and set aside. Season the stock fish and assorted meat with a stock cube, onions and salt to taste. Cook until tender.

- If you’ll be using shaki (cow’s tripe) or ponmo (cow’s skin), you need to cook them first before adding the other meat because they are tough .

- Add the fresh or iced fish and precook for 5 minutes.(that’s if you’re using this) - Transfer to a tray, leave to cool a bit, serve and enjoy!

Now, to cook the Soup... * In a clean dry pot, heat up the palm oil , add the chopped or grated okras and stir-fry for 5 minutes until you begin to see the okra mucilage(‘’until it begins to draw a bit’’) * Add the stock from the cooked meat and fish. Add the ground crayfish, pepper, stock cube and the cooked assorted meat and fish (don’t include the precooked fresh fish yet, so that it doesn’t overcook and break into pieces).

Cover and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Okra is also a vegetable, so try not over cook it. * After 5 minutes, add the vegetables, salt to taste and the Precooked Fresh or iced fish. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until the fish is well cooked.

And you delicious Okra soup is ready. See how easy it is to make a yummy okra soup. You really don’t need all the assorted meat and fishes. Just serve with pounded yam, tuwo or semovita and enjoy.

Homemade Orange juice

T

here is nothing as satisfying as a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. It may take a couple of minutes longer, but the taste is worth the effort and the wait. Try it out: Make some and see if you want to go back to drinking bottled juice again!

How juice

to

extract

the

the seeds. If you want to go seedless, use navel oranges.

Soften the orange. Tightly squeeze or roll the oranges firmly with the palm of your hand across the counter or table to soften them up.

Juice the orange. Grip the one of the orange halves tightly and squeeze it by hand, using a plain juicer to coax all the juice out.

Cut the orange. Slice the orange in half and remove

Add pulp. Scrape the orange with a spoon and add

the pulp directly to the juice if you use a hand juicer. If you prefer clear juice, pour the juice through a strainer before drinking.

Drink up!

Enjoy a crisp, cold glass of freshly squeezed, unpasteurized orange juice, the way it was intended to be!

PAGE 31

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Relationship Having fun and raising children in long relationships

By Maria Fitzpatrick

T

here are different qualities to sex at different stages in a long relationship’ Don’t expect to be one and the same.

One of the more ridiculous myths about “true love” is the idea of the soulmate – that there is someone out there who is your perfect match.

A good relationship is about navigating the numerous differences between you – over politics, food, money, how to raise children. It’s those differences that make life more interesting, as our lover opens up a whole new way of seeing or understanding the world. Enjoy what others have to offer rather than trying to change them to fit your own template of how life and love should be.

Accept that your partner is fallible. Expecting someone to be everything you need and everything you are not is a recipe for disaster. We all make mistakes, particularly in our love-lives, as relationships are never easy. But if you can exercise forgiveness in small ways at the start of a love affair then you’re more likely to find ways to forgive the bigger hurts and transgressions, if and when they happen.

Learn to talk about “why”.

There are good rows and bad rows but make no mistake – everybody argues. Ridiculing or humiliating each other is not a good idea, or a good omen. But if you can both talk honestly about what irritates or upsets you and why, you are more likely to understand each other better. It can feel easier to avoid being honest if we feel that could be hurtful, but it is only with honesty that trust is built, and trust is the essence of a good relationship.

Accept that sex changes.

There are different qualities to sex at different stages in a long relationship: first, passion; the urgency of reproductive sex; snatched sex in the early years of parenthood; then the slower intimacy of midlife onwards. But our culture presents only one type as being valid: youthful, vigorous, usually penetrative.

It is possible to maintain a happy sex-life for decades with the same person. It may not be as often, or the sort of sex that you think you should be having, or think others must be having (but aren’t) – just relax and enjoy this special kind of intimacy together.

Appreciate what life still has to offer while you can. The great wonder of middle age is that we know our time is now limited.

If you have managed to surf the ups and downs of bringing up children, work and making ends meet all within the same relationship, the rewards can be great. You have a wealth of shared memories to laugh over. You accept each other in your entirety.

Rather than fearing getting older, remember that many couples in a

long relationship find these to be their happiest years together.

‘Set aside time without the children. Easier said than done, but important’ Forget trouble for a little while and laugh together. A good laugh is like good sex: spontaneous and uninhibited and an act that unites two beings as one. It’s worth going out of your way to have a good laugh, especially if things have been rocky. Go to a place where you used to laugh or where there’s a good chance of laughter.

That moment when you exchange a look and end up laughing, often over a shared memory, is the best way to understand each other again. It can be pretty sexy in bed too – as long as you’re laughing together. hut up and listen. No matter how bad things are, give your partner a chance to speak. Given silence in which to speak or rant, they’ll say more than they meant to – even more than they knew they were thinking. It can be surprising and revealing and paves the way for honesty. We tend to jump in with an opinion before we’ve heard each other out. Don’t scream, keep your cool: it makes a big difference. So often, things can be resolved by learning to listen.

Arrange time without the children. When you have kids you adore, find time to be just you alone so you remember and remind each other of who you were before they arrived, who you are now, and who you will be when they are gone. It’s natural that attention shifts to the children, but it’s a good idea to remember why you are together, and have a child together, in the first place. It’s possible to make it work by setting aside a time in the week and asking a relative to mind the children. Easier said than done, but important.

Invest in the relationship with your partner’s family. These relationships can be rocky. Keep yours smooth by remembering birthdays and anniversaries, by butting out of family disputes, and by never forcing your partner into the position of taking sides with you against their mother, father or siblings – those relationships go back a long way.

Try to establish a friendship with the most sympathetic of your inlaws who can be your defender, if necessary, when you are not present. An ally in the family can

S

“

Black couple in love also fill in aspects of the past that may help you to understand your partner.

Don’t snoop. If you’re tempted to check your partner’s inbox or online

There are good rows and bad rows but make no mistake – everybody argues. Ridiculing or humiliating each other is not a good idea, or a good omen. But if you can both talk honestly about what irritates or upsets you and why, you are more likely to understand each other better.

history, stop, talk to yourself (whatever the psychologists say, it’s good for you). Ask, “Wait a minute, am I doing this because I think my partner is up to no good?” If so, have it out with him or her – you don’t need evidence, you need a conversation.

Suspicion needs healing.

The internet is a great place for expressing wishful thinking – but it’s important your partner is able to talk to you about those feelings.

PAGE 32

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Fiction

The longest two weeks of my life W

edding eves make most men if not all, tense. I was not an exception. I woke in the claws of trepidation, another young man tying the nuptial noose. Dread and uncertainty lodged in my heart like a nub. Sprawled on the double bed I stared up at the glassy ceiling, chewing the bitter pill of doubt. Though I was very much addicted to my fiancée, one could never really say never.

It was Saturday. Tomorrow, there would be no turning back.

I rubbed my hands on the other side of the bed where she should have lain, but grasped a handful of white sheets instead.

I imagined her pear-shaped face, her graceful neck, and her soft and succulent body lying by my side for the rest of eternity. But at some point in that train of thought, the picture of her being became crude, a graph of rough pixels; a mottled face, wrinkled hands and flabby skin. Nah. I grimaced and shook my head in reject.

Adama—the only terrestrial constellation in a world of mere mortals would never fade into such . . . such an old ugly lady.

She would with time lose a little lustre, I knew, but not even age could take away her sublime, man-enhanced gorgeousness.

She would have been here, but for our earlier agreement— which was her idea—a week ago, to stay exclusive of each other till D-day. Prior to that, we were livein-lovers who practically knew all there was to know about ourselves, which was why I thought the idea ludicrous when she had brought it up.

It was two weeks to our wedding day. Though the day was yet unborn, the cold that breathed through the small spaces around the locked windows was very much alive, biting into my bones until I could bear it no longer.

That was when she brought it up.

“Emeka Love,” She said softly, trailing a slender finger with a polished brown nail down my sticky chest. That was her cue whenever she wanted something she knew I would not readily grant.

“Yes,” Still breathless, I waited to hear her demands.

“I was thinking,” So she went on. I listened, though my attention was divided for her good as it were. Or was it mine? I wasn’t so sure, for her smile unlike the rest of her, as she massaged me was no surgeons genius. Her eyes misted in that alluring way that had me speechless. The almost nonexistence creases on her face lit up, moving up and down like the picture of the sea waves in the painting I had up on my wall.

“I was thinking, that maybe . . .” she rolled up doll.

“Wait . . .” she mock-scolded.

Pursing her lips in a smile, she placed a firm hand on my chest, expertly extricating herself from my lecherous grasp. Then she continued. “You know since we

Waiting by the fence are getting married in two weeks, I think it would be a good thing if we took a little break from ourselves, to see each other again on the 15th.” She rubbed her feet against my thighs and down my legs.

I held her hands and digested what she had just said. I didn’t like the idea.

“But . . .”

“Then our honeymoon would be perfect. Imagine having me after missing me for two whole weeks. It’ll be great don’t you think?” she said, cutting me in mid-speech in that voice of hers that reminded me of the Madonna’s of the world, made me wonder why she never took up a career in music.

“Is there any need for that really?” I asked.

“Yes there is,” she purred, sitting up on the bed. Her skin glistened as daylight trickled through the thin fabric of the curtains. “Think about it. Just imagine seeing me for the first time in my wedding gown, for the first time in two weeks.” She added dreamily. Adama had always been one for theatrics. That day, as she went on and on about the good a short break will do us, I had no choice but to oblige her. They became the longest two weeks of my entire life.

How I got through to my wedding eve without her was still a miracle to me. We had lived together every day for three whole years that I had gotten completely dependent on her—it was the time, when coupling was encouraged to promote marital longevity and bliss. Now you understand how clumsy I had become in taking care of myself.

It was no fun without my Adama.

I got out of bed, slipped my feet into a pair of bathroom

slippers and walked lazily into the bathroom which was a few steps away from my bedpost. The sun hurt my eyes so I drew the curtains. I made a mental note to see my doctor. I brushed my teeth and walked back into the room.

By now, my eyes had become accustomed to the early morning stream of light. I walked with brisk steps into the kitchen, as if expecting to see a brewing pot of coffee or my robot busy cooking a pre-programmed meal. But no, the machine sat in a heap in a small corner of the kitchen, its metallic body and silver buttons staring blankly at me. Adama had not been so kind as to leave the robot’s activation codes with me.

She changed them before she left, forcing me to get used to my own kitchen—a practice that had long faded since the twenty-second century.

My empty pots shone like the top of my head, which my friends considered funny for a man my age. My father had it; I was told my grandfather too was bald from birth, so it did not come as a

“

surprise when I started losing hair from my crown at the early age of twenty two. Not even the modern day advancements in medicine could retard aging and maybe save my falling hair—not that I lost any sleep over it.

With a little difficulty, I set alight the monolithic electric cooker, filled up a teapot with cold tea from a tea dispenser and set its white bottom on the lighted rings. It did not take five seconds before the pot hissed to be let down. I turned off the heat and poured myself a steaming cup of black tea.

Walking back to the room, I placed the hot cup on my leg rest, sat down on the bed and rubbed my hands together to ward off the cold. So much for a depleting ozone layer; Onitsha was freezing cold instead of boiling hot like the twenty-first century tomes that lined my Library wall had foretold. Unluckily for me, my Heat Regulator had broken down two to three weeks ago and all agencies concerned were too busy working with the Capital

By now, my eyes had become accustomed to the early morning stream of light. I walked with brisk steps into the kitchen, as if expecting to see a brewing pot of coffee or my robot busy cooking a preprogrammed meal.

to forestall an earth bound meteorite, which was expected to hit Abba in three weeks. My calls for a technician had been ignored.

Dispelling the cold, I thought about what lay ahead for me. The prospect gave me joy, but the jitters were more.

Marriage!

Most thought the institute old fashioned and rather remained live-in-lovers who considered having children as absurd. I had insisted on tying the knot with Adama, seeing the vultures that circled from a distance, awaiting the right time to swoop-in for the sultry kill. Not that I wanted children—that would have been like bringing angels into hell—but Like few guys, I wanted to cling to that one person I knew, that one person I could vouch for who was free from the growing epidemic of HIV, Herpes and Candida and the many more diseases that littered the streets. And most importantly, I wanted to be with that one person I cared about. Love was a strange word, almost alien to this century.

I had no such faith that if push came to shove, my brideto-be would remain the faithful chick, regardless of her endless promises of loyalty. I was frightened beyond words.Ladies were never to be trusted with such matters, I thought, for they were fickle beings, susceptible to guile and hollow deceptions of the human-man. I stood up and paced the length of my room. At some point, I walked to the window, yanked it open and looked out. I saw a couple; hands intertwined walking past the glittering macadam with a sorrowful smile on their aged faces. I looked long at them, envying, wishing I could have such bliss in my day.

Naijastories.com

PAGE 33

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Romance

Jealousy looms at the return of Dayo

“Y

ou and I babe, I think we should get together,” he had said it exactly like that eight years ago. They both knew she would say yes, she had been pining for him from the very first day she had met him. She had pined for him through three relationships with the most popular girls in their secondary school. She had endured watching him steal a kiss in corridors and bumped into him groping the girls and making them squeak in hidden corners.

She had resigned herself to a life of unrequited love.

Then summer had come and gone and she had returned to school a much more grown up girl.

Dayo and three quarters of her classmates had begun to pay her attention but she only had eyes for Dayo.

But that was eight years ago.

Everything had been simpler then.

“Last time I checked, you had a girlfriend and I had a boyfriend,” she told him.

“Bunmi?” He shrugged, “She’s cute but she’s terribly dull.”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t be dating her then,” “Well she is good in…”

“Ok TMI!” He burst out laughing. It was a deep rumbling roar and it sent shivers down her back. She smiled and looked away. They didn’t say anything after that but she could sense him looking at her.

“Do you love him?” he asked her softly. She gave his question genuine thought. She had been dating Temi for three months and she still felt like she was little more than his favourite acquaintance.

There was a time when he had called her every day but that had slowly dwindled to once a week.

She rarely saw him, he was always at work or in meetings or running errands. But when she was with him, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace. His company was like being in a black hole where nothing and no one existed. It was a little like being drugged. He was handsome, smooth and silent and almost a complete stranger.

“I don’t feel comfortable talking about him with you.”

Her response was met with silence.

“You don’t keep secrets from me.”

“Times have changed.”

He shrugged, not bothered by her snapping. She didn’t want to talk about Temi, she didn’t acknowledge that what she was doing to him was very like what Dayo had done to her on several occasions. At least they hadn’t kissed yet… …She must have blinked, for she felt Dayo’s lips pressed against hers.

She stopped thinking.

She could smell him – the scent of musk and sweat.

She could feel him – his tightening grip on her, drawing her closer to his solid frame.

She could hear the little sounds escaping from the both of them, the notification sounds from their blackberries, the whining from Rumble and Tumble, the engine of a car outside. She could even hear the faint buzzing of a hovering mosquito, but she was too far gone to care.

Eventually, as though by mutual agreement, they pulled apart. She

Has she find Mr. Right? struggled to maintain eye contact with him but she soon gave up. It occurred to her that she could be living in a sort of loop. Living and reliving the past. Because that’s what Dayo was, the past. Right?

His phone rang and he walked over to it, looked at it and groaned.

Picking it up he said, “Gotta go.”

She walked with him to the front door, as though she were in a kind of trance. At the door, he turned and gave her waist a quick squeeze before kissing her lips gently.

“I’ll call you. We’ll talk.”

She nodded absentmindedly and watched him as he walked towards his car. She wondered who had called him. As his car receded, she let a wave of jealousy wash over her. Their four year separation had

“

not restored her faith in him.

She felt someone’s gaze on her and when she turned, her eyes met Lanre’s. He was looking at her curiously. Any moment now he would walk over to her with questions; she spun on her heels, walked into her house and closed the door gently behind her.

Alone now, she leant against the door and ran through the sequence of events in her head. Dayo was back in her life and he seemed determined to stay in it.

She stared at her phone vibrating and was tempted to ignore it. She wished to stay in bed and avoid the steps she would have to take today. But life had to go on, she had work, she had her puppies to feed and according to her phone, she had her brother’s birthday to attend.

She sat up abruptly. She had completely forgotten about his birthday which was uncharacteristic of her, but then Dayo’s presence in her life had been a wonderful frightening distraction.

First things first, she would attend to the needs of her dogs, then go over to Lanre’s to apologize before heading to work. The time now was 7am. She grabbed the big tee hanging on her chair and pulled it over her head. Satisfied she looked fairly decent, she jogged to the kitchen and grabbed the puppy food from the store. Rumble and Tumble had keyed in to what was going on and were wagging their tales and barking at her in their excitement. She gave the two of them a quick brush of their coats and then laid out their food and water for them.

First things first, she would attend to the needs of her dogs, then go over to Lanre’s to apologize before heading to work. The time now was 7am. She grabbed the big tee hanging on her chair and pulled it over her head. Satisfied she looked fairly decent, she jogged to the kitchen and grabbed the puppy food from the store.

Often Lanre took them for walks but today she decided she would come home early to take them herself. It was best she maintained a little distance from Lanre. Things were complicated enough as it was.

She left the pups to their devices and took herself upstairs for a quick shower. Usually she laid out what she would wear the night before but there had been nothing usual about the last few nights. She chose a pair of black slacks and a silk cream top, she would change to her sportswear at the centre.

Lanre was washing his car. She watched him for a moment dipping the jumbo sponge into the bucket and then swirling the soap and water on his precious vehicle. He seemed more tense than he usually was. His movements were stiff and awkward as though his body was in pain. He had shaved his head again recently. He liked being bald but the stubble around his lip and chin grew unfettered. He pushed his glasses further up his nose as she strolled up to him.

“Good morning.”

He mumbled a greeting in return but he didn’t turn and he didn’t smile. She sighed.

“I’m sorry I ran in to my house like that yesterday. It was rude.

Forgive me?”

He didn’t respond. Instead he continued the circular motions on his car. She bit her lip nervously.

He was overreacting but he was a wonderful friend and she had already lost Ada. She didn’t want to lose another person in her life.

“Please talk to me.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because…well…we are friends.”

“What in God’s name gave you the impression that I wanted to be friends?”

She opened her mouth and shut it again.

“Lola,” he continued, “I bought you Valentine’s day gifts, walked your dogs when you were busy, I even invite you for all my family events. Why on earth would you assume my aim was to plait your hair and engage in pillow fights?

And on top of it all you choose that criminal over me!”

She immediately regretted having told him that Dayo had been incarcerated. At the time she was eager to put Dayo behind her, but her indiscretion was now being thrown in her face.

“You walk around like you’re some victim but you are cheating on your boyfriend; and don’t deny it because I saw that dude coming out of your house with a big grin on his face.”

This was getting out of control.

She tried to stall the onslaught of his words with her hand, to no avail.

“You women are such hypocrites! You say you want a good man, then shack up with the first criminal that comes along!”

Lola slapped him before she knew that a slap had been what her hands were itching to do. She regretted her action when she observed tear drops swimming in his eyes; she knew it wasn’t as a result of the physical impact of the slap.

“Lanre, I…” He wasn’t listening.

He had lifted his bucket and headed towards his front door. He didn’t give her a backward glance.

Naijastories.com

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

No lly l lywood wo o d

MI sets to drop new single C

hocolate City rapper, r M.I Abaga is set to drop a new song, and it is rocking the country like never before, pulse. com has said.

The new track is titled ‘King James’, and from the looks of it, it is bound to mark a new era for the Loopy Music boss.

M.IAbaga has been in the news after posting a message about quitting music. The message read, “This was the last straw...if you don’t hear any MI music again, you know who to blame...no regrets except for the fans...I’m sorry it’s over...I’m finally done with this.”

The message sparked a huge outcry amongst his fans, with many contemplating if he had quit music. M.I further created more tension when he deleted the entirety of photos off his Instagram profile. But he’s back now.

New artistic photos over the past 48 hours have shown M.I on a new campaign for his new ‘King James’ single, and they all bear messages with a conscious meaning.

M.I talks about leadership in poignant images which inspired deep thoughts and reflection.

Wizkid album ready but no release date

Why I am called General

P

M

ulse.com exclusively gathered that Wizkidhas completed his long-awaited sophomore album but no date has been fixed for the release.

The album follows his multi-platinum 2011 debut ‘Superstar’.

‘The album, I can authoritatively tell you is ready but I can’t confirm a release date’, EME boss, Banky W disclosed to Pulse.ng in an exclusive interview.

– Kannywood’s Mohammed Bello

ohammed Lere Known as Kannywood’s “1st civilian general,” Bello Mohammed Bello is a household name in the industry. According to Bello, he got the nickname from his colleagues, school mates, fans and friends.

“II excel in whatever that comes es my way. I’m good at acting, scriptwriting, twriting, producing, directing, musicc scoring, editing and also I sing. In all, I have made a reasonable mark k to some extent that one must call me a General,” he told PREMIUM MIUM TIMES. Bello also boasted of being the only Kannywood star able to speak k nine international languages: French, ch, Arabic, Jamaican Patois, Hindu, du, Spanish, Telegu, Urdu and Kannada. nada. He said he learnt some of the languages through his travels. ls.

He said he was yet to comee across another Kanny wo o d celebrity rity or even Nollywood ywood who can speak as much languages as hee can. “ They might exist but maybe be I have not c o m e across one yet. For now, I think I am m the only one, and the only General eral Bello Mohammed Bello.

Bello, o”” According to Bello his life and career all started in Jos, Plateau State, his birth place and home. “I have had this desire

since childhood to make a mark in anything I do.

I strive hard to make sure I am always the best. During my school days I was a very good football player. I was the best basketball player p y of myy time, and I won several medals playing table tennis also I have won for my boxing c l u b several wining b e l t s defeating

opponents during boxing matches,” he boasted. Film and acting has

always been his ambition and Jos, being within the hub of the northern film industry, Bello was quick to take advantage of that.

He noted, since he joined, the industry had really improved beyond everyone’s expectations, especially in y p terms of budgeting, modern mode gadgets and operators. “I can bold boldly say that Kannywood is a stone tthrow away from Nollywood. We have h girded up our loins and we will soon catch up with them, them ” he said.

On feuds between him and other Kannywood stars such as Ali Nuhu, Adam Zango, he said, he always has a very good time with his colleagues. colleagu “All of us are o one family.

I, personally, am having havin a good ride in Kannywood wit with my pals and colleagues, but I might be tough if one crosses my c way in whatever means whatev to discomfort me. There, I shall not relent to hit re back, but all in all, we are one big happy happ family in Kannywood, Kannywood ” he said.

A multiple awardmultip winning actor and producer, produce one of his outstanding o roles was in Hanyar Hany Kano.

“People speak spea so much about abou my role in the film, Hanyar Kano, but the role I played in my simplest the film was m what I know ever. I was just doing w best, that is acting, and I gave my deserved,” he producer what he des said. He said the entertainment industry should expect more from him as his best was yet to come.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Ho H o lly l l y wo o d Jackie Chan ashamed over son’s arrest

S

ir Paul McCartney is reportedly making music with Kanye West, as they head into the studio together.

The former Beatles singer and the outspoken rapper are said to have already recorded a number of tracks, that could be featured on a new album, reported New York Post’s Page Six. One song, tentatively titled P*** On My Grave, has already sparked some buzz, with Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian overheard telling friends she was a little surprised that the pair chose such a provocative name.

Kanye has spoken of his admiration for the Beatles in the past, while Paul has also said he would be interested in collaborating with a rapper such as Kanye or Jay Z. The Beatles star even tweeted he had bought a copy of Yeezus and considered recruiting the Grammywinning rapper for his song Appreciate.

J

S

inger-actress Jennifer Lopez reportedly wants to move in with her rumoured boyfriend, choreographer MaksimChmerkovskiy.

The “On the floor” hitmaker, who previously insisted she was just friends with the professional dancer, is reportedly ready to go public with their romance, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“They can’t get enough of each other.

Her chemistry with Maks is electric. She’s never felt this way about any man in the past,” said a source.

Lopez, who has twins Max and Emme, 6, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, was previously said to be taking her romance with Chmerkovskiy

C

oronation Street is set to welcome two new bad boys to the cobbles who will cause chaos for the Platt family.

Sean Ward is joining the cast as Kylie Platt’s (Paula Lane) ex Callum, while Oliver Farnworth has been cast as Michael Rodwell’s (Les Dennis) long-lost son Gavin.

Kylie will go in search of Callum, her son Max’s biological father, to try to get answers about his recently-diagnosed ADHD and find out whether it has been passed on by his dad, but will end up getting dangerously drawn back into her old, wild life.

Sean said: “I am delighted to have been given this unique opportunity to join such a brilliant and much-loved show. It’s a great honour and it will be a professional challenge to play bad boy Callum. I’m very much looking forward to working closely with Paula.”

Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn said: “Sean is already pulling off that

ackie Chan has said he is ashamed and saddened over his son’s detention on drug charges in Beijing, and he apologised to the public.

The Hong Kong film star wrote on his microblog that Jaycee Chan would have to face the consequences of his actions, but they would do so together.

“Regarding this issue with my son Jaycee, I feel very angry and very shocked. As a public figure, I’m very ashamed. As a father, I’m heartbroken,” Jackie wrote.

Jaycee Chan, 31, was detained with Taiwanese movie star Kai Ko, becoming the latest highprofile celebrities to be ensnared in one of China’s biggest anti-drug crackdowns in two decades.

Police said both actors tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug, and that 100 grams (3.53 ounces) of it were taken from Jaycee’s home.

“Jaycee and I together express our deep apology to society and the public,” Jackie wrote.

Extending from his fame as an actor and singer, the elder Chan is a high-profile public figure in mainland China and was named by Beijing as an anti-drug ambassador in 2009.

“I hope all young people will learn a lesson from Jaycee and stay far from the harm of drugs,” he wrote. “I say to Jaycee that you have to accept the consequences when you do something wrong. As your father, I’m going to face the road together with you.”

Ko, 23, was part of an anti-drug campaign two years ago, in which he joined other celebrities in a public service announcement declaring: “I don’t use drugs.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping declared in June that illegal drugs should be wiped out and that offenders should be severely punished. The crackdown has snared more than 7,800 people in Beijing alone, according to police.

Detained previously was Gao Hu, who acted in the 2011 movie “The Flowers of War.” And Beijing performing arts associations and theater companies have pledged to not hire any actors connected with drugs.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired footage of a police search of the younger Chan’s home in Beijing in which he is shown, his face pixelated, pointing out to officers where he stashed bags of marijuana. Police said they acted on a tipoff from the public.

Chan is accused of aiding and abetting other drug users, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment. Two other people detained in the same case were accused of selling drugs while Ko is accused of using drugs

holy grail of creating a character that, whilst dark and dangerous, also has a truly infectious charm and he’s going to be a fantastic character.”

Meanwhile, ex-burglar Michael, who has got close to Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth), much to the horror of the rest of her family, is due a visit from his estranged troublemaker son.

But will Gavin be able to tempt him off the straight and narrow, and will he make life even more difficult for the Platts?

Oliver said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the cast of Coronation Street. Having spent my childhood in the North, to be given the opportunity to return and work on such an iconic, popular TV show is a dream and feels like a natural homecoming. I can’t wait to tread the cobbles.”

Stuart added: “Sexy, confident, engaging and yet still with edge and depth, Oliver as an actor has got it all and I can’t wait to see Gavin light up our screens.”

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Entertainment Xtra Nollywood gets first French movie

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he Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood, took a leap at the international market with the production of the first French movie, titled Ecole Buissonniere.

Produced by Sandesco productions, the Nigerian-French movie is fully subtitled in English for non French speaking people.

According to Ekwem Ogechi, the movie producer who spoke during a press conference in Abuja, the purpose of the movie is to create employment for French graduates in the country and bridge the gap between French students and the French audience.

“We want people who are French-speaking to understand that what they have learnt so far in school is not a waste. Many have studied and forgotten that they could also put the French they have learnt into practice since government cannot create employment for everyone.

“I love the French language; that is why I came up with this initiative. We have to justify what we read in the university.

“It is all about the introduction of the Nigerian-French theatre to Nigerians. We are looking at Nigerians who have studied French over the years who can produce their own movies,” she said.

The movie has no release date yet.

Many men irresponsible liars, says Halima Abubakar

H

alima Abubakar is one of Nollywood’s star actresses and has created an edge for herself over the years. The pretty actress, who has been way in and out of controversial issues lately, has revealed why she isn't married yet.

The actress said she can’t ask a man to marry her, so it is only when she sees a man that wants to settle down with her, that can make her get married. "Will I ask a man to marry me? Is it not when you see the man that you want to settle down with that you can decide to marry?

She also went further to say “You can’t just settle down with anybody because you need to marry. I don’t want to go into marriage and rush out of it. There is a lot of mistrust and we also have so many irresponsible men so to speak. There are lots and lots of liars among men out there, if they meet a girl that really loves them, they won’t know because they are used to lying” She said she is not hoping for marriage and it is going to happen when it will happen “I am not hoping. It’s going to happen when it will happen. I am not searching for a husband. So, don’t quote me on that. I am just going to tell you, and as usual I don’t talk about any relationship. I am just giving you a general insight of what life is about."

Ghanaian,Yvonne ignored Iyanya over ice bucket challenge The minute Iyanya nominated Yvonne Nelson for the ALS ice bucket challenge, we knew he'd probably dug up an old war...you know, why would he dare choose someone he treated like that?

Some said maybe Iyanya still fancies her, while others said he simply wanted to see if she'd forgiven him and accepted the fact that he'd had to move unto the next cute girl...ah ah, Iyanya...give us a break!

Since Don Jazzy took up the challenge and nominated Iyanya and others who were supposed to either accept the challenge within 24 hours and/or make a donation to the ALS foundation, Iyanya accepted the challenge and nominated his ex and arch enemy, Yvonne Nelson.

Now, Yvonne threw it all back at him! What a shame...Yvonne doesn't want to have anything to do with the ice bucket challenge, much less with who nominated her...maybe if John Dumelo had choose her, we know she'd gladly accepted it...see her reply on Twitter about her nomination... ’Say sh*t and I’ll block you if I see it. SIMPLE! You live in America and think Africa is America? People in my country don’t have potable water to drink and you display your ignorance on my post?

No one asked you to follow or check my page… Ilovemyafrica! Ourpartoftheworld,’ she tweeted.... oops! Iyanya, that must have hurt.

That means, anymore word from this dude to her...he be gone!

Halima Abubakar

Big star give Tiwa savage goose pimples

N

ot too long ago, Mavin Records first lady, Tiwa Savage, was in the studio to record a song with Solid Star titled ‘Baby Jollof’.

The Pop queen confessed her admiration for the super talented singer. She took to her instagram page to share a video of the recording session where she gushed about how talented solid star is and how working with him gave her goose pimples.

Yvonne Nelson

DJ Jimmy Jatt’s tops iTunes Nigeria chart Popular DJ, Jimmy Jatt’s The Industry, has displaced Tuface’s Ascension from the number one spot on the iTunes chart for Nigerian albums.

The Industry, which was released August 17 at the Intercontinental Hotel to mark JimmyJatt’s 25th anniversary features over 60 artistes.

It has 26 digital tracks and, according to its producers, is the biggest collaborative album out of Africa. Jimmy Jatt, real name – Adewale Amu, has being a fixture on the Nigerian entertainment scene since the nineties.

His first ever single Stylee featuring Tu Face Idibia, Mode 9 and Elajoe, was released in 2007 and was off his debut album, The Definition. Glasses Up is the theme song for his 25th year anniversary. It features TuFace Idibia, Sound Sultan, Burna boy.

Tiwa Savage

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 37

Entertainment Xtra

The Kardashians may be known for their glitzy lifestyle, but off camera, eldest sister Kourtney Kardashian is closer to granola girl than glamour queen.

T

he mother of two, with another on the way, opened up to Natural Health’s September/ October issue about her love of yoga, organic food, Ayurvedic cooking and gentle beauty products.

“I pick apart everyone’s pantries,” she told the magazine about trying to get her famous relatives on board with her clean lifestyle. “They think I’m superannoying.”

While Kardashian, 35, didn’t grow up eating organic foods, she discovered them once she began having kids.

“Starting off, I was big on breastfeeding; I nursed my first for 14 months and my second for 16,” Kardashian said about Mason, now almost 5, and Penelope, 2. “That was important to me. Then I began making their baby food myself, all of it organic. After that, I was super cautious about what to introduce into their diets. I called a bunch of the restaurants in my neighborhood that I had assumed served allorganic food, and so many didn’t!”

Kardashian discovered Ayurveda cooking after doing a cleanse and meeting her yoga teacher.

“We would do yoga for an hour and then she’d stay for another hour and cook with me,” the reality star said. “That’s where I got all

of my rules. In our house, we do everything whole: whole milk and full-fat cheeses. And I use ghee and coconut oil for cooking.”

Kardashian also turns to her Ayurvedic friends for health advice for her kids, though she has no problem consulting their pediatrician and giving them conventional medication when necessary. he expectant mom also gives in to cravings from time to time. “I develop a thing for Nilla Wafer cookies every time. I have no idea why! I’ve also been into cheese and pickle sandwiches. Everyone thinks I’m gross when I order them.”

Well into her third pregnancy, Kardashian said she’s ready to try yoga again after starting during her last pregnancy. “I was anxious, and it just helped me feel calm,” she said.

Staying calm and grounded while constantly in the public eye can’t be easy, so Kardashian sets boundaries sometimes.

“I’ll set times, like, ‘On this day, I need everyone to leave me alone,’” she told Natural Health.

“Being able to communicate that is important. I do become a recluse once in a while. It’s so nice to just be at home and to not have to deal with the outside world.”

T

Kim Kardashian And since having children she shuts out more of the outside world, ignoring the tabloids and

Kourtney Kardashian turning off Google Alerts. “I’m busy with the kids, and they show you what life’s about, what’s

Continental fame beckons for big brother hotshots as season 9 begins From Suleiman Idris, Lagos* ome Sunday September 9th, it will be the beginning of more Swag, more Glamour and more of the *Big Brother Africa *phenomenon as the continent’s biggest reality show returns for its ninth season with the housemates competing for a massive prize pot of USD 300 000 – with more twists than ever before. eport emanating from the which are built with magic, fun and organisers reveals that the mischief in mind. For 91 days, they’ll new season will be known as* do their best to outshine each other Hotshots* stating that this season’s in the hope of convincing Africa housemates have hidden talents; that they’re the continent’s biggest they adore the spotlight and will let *Hotshot*. nothing stand in the way of their They’ll party like A-listers, rub pursuit of fame & fortune. shoulders with celebrity guests and M-Net Africa Regional Director face formidable challenges – all (West Africa), Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, while negotiating Biggie’s famous told reporters that viewers are in curveballs and twists. for almost as many surprises as the The logo for *Big Brother housemates. “We work hard to make Hotshots* hints at the glamorous each season of *Big Brother Africa* aspects of this season – but viewers bigger than the last – and we’ve really will have to stay tuned 24/7 to see upped the ante this year,” she says. what Biggie has planned for the “*Big Brother Hotshots* is going talented group of housemates! to bring viewers exciting innovations, The show will also afford heart-stopping twists and uniquely Nigerian star IK Osakioduwa returns African glamour, 24/7 for 91 days. for his 6th stint as host and will Both fans and housemates are in for taunt, tease, comfort and dance with some unmissable television!” she the housemates on the *Big Brother* added. stage as a fantastic host to help give The housemates will start the them a chance to shine.

IK Osakioduwa, Mr. Big Brother game in two ultra-glamorous houses

C R

really important,” Kardashian said. “They make it really easy for me not to pay attention.”

Nollywood gets first French movie

T

he Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood, took a leap at the international market with the production of the first French movie, titled Ecole Buissonniere.

Produced by Sandesco productions, the Nigerian-French movie is fully subtitled in English for non French speaking people.

According to Ekwem Ogechi, the movie producer who spoke during a press conference in Abuja, the purpose of the movie is to create employment for French graduates in the country and bridge the gap between French students and the French audience.

“We want people who are Frenchspeaking to understand that what they have learnt so far in school is not a waste. Many have studied and forgotten that they could also put the French they have learnt into practice since government cannot create employment for everyone.

“I love the French language; that is why I came up with this initiative.

We have to justify what we read in the university.

“It is all about the introduction of the Nigerian-French theatre to Nigerians. We are looking at Nigerians who have studied French over the years who can produce their own movies,” she said.

The movie has no release date yet.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 38

OUR MISSION “To be the market place of ideas and the leading player in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the truth, maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards while delivering value to our stakeholders”

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LETTERS Sanitizing our campaign financing through legislation WRITE TO US

Kingsley Nnajiaka

P

olitics according to Professor Harold Laswell, a renowned political Scientist, is who get what, when and how. However, in Nigeria politics is more than that. In Nigeria, politics entails being in the mainstream of the national power and controlling state apparatus to the disadvantages of others as well as being a major economic player.

It also involves recommending people for appointments, getting political appointments etc. One of the ways one can join politics in Nigeria is through campaigning for a candidate for an election either in cash or in kind to support ones favourite candidate to win an elective position so as to control the machineries of the state.

Campaign financing is a very serious business when it comes into politics in Nigeria. Different methods are employed during campaign so as sway voters to the candidate’s side, and create animosity in the mind of opposition. Some of the candidates and the political parties share money, others distribute rice, and beans etc. In the last Edo and Ondo Gubernatorial elections, all the parties went as far as printing T-shirts with the pictures of their candidates, face caps with the party log embossed on it, wrappers, flags, pens, books, laces and banners which they use to brand their campaign vehicles. Ruling parties like Action Congress of Nigeria of Edo State and the Labour Party of Ondo state respectively used states resources to their own advantages and to the detriment of other opposition parties. Investment into politics is usually rewarded with political appointments, award of contracts and receiving undue advantages. However, campaign during an election is being regulated by the election umpire, that is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This done via Electoral Act which stipulates the amount of money each candidate or political party should spend in an election.

Under the Act, there are ceilings set by the Act which a candidate of political party should not exceed. Spending above these limits or ceilings are tantamount to violation of extant laws and appropriate

Peoples Daily Weekend welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed to: The Editor, Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.

Email: opinion@peoplesdailyng.com adverts@peoplesdailyng.com pictures@peoplesdailyng.com contact@peoplesdailyng.com section becomes applicable against such offenders.

The issue now is, how far has the Electoral Act being able to regulate the campaign finance of political parties or their candidates ? How realistic are these ceilings to the present day Nigeria cum Africa where people are resorting to money politics or “politics of stomach” as a result of poverty and unemployment that are ravaging out society leaving it beyond repairs.

Section 90 of the Electoral Act provides that the commission shall have power to place limitation on the amount of money or other assets, which an individual can contribute to a political party. The Act goes further under Section 91 to place limitation on electoral expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a presidential election to one Billion Naira and Two Hundred million Naira for that of governorship. However, the Act did not provide the basis or formula in which these expenses should be calculated. Moreover, the Act also set limits for other elective positions, but it is imperative to note that for the past three years this Act is observed in breach than in compliance due to inherent flaws noticeable in the Act. In fact, experience has shown that both the 2011 general elections and gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo states election these extant provisions of the law regulating the campaign finance was violated with impunity due to some flaws in the Act

which gave room for these violations to occur.

For instance, the Act excluded the expenses of candidates or their party incurred before the candidate is emerged as party candidate or its flag bearer. It is important to note that the money spent before a candidate emerges as a party candidate at times is more than the money the actual candidate spend to win an election. A lot of money and party intrigues play itself out before a person is emerged or anointed as the flag bearer as the case maybe. The more worrisome aspect of it all is that the political party expenses is not recognised. The Act only emphasis on the candidates expenditure while being silent on the party’s commitment. Since there is no provision for an independent candidate in Nigeria, the issue of differentiating between candidate’s expenses from that of its political party does not hold water. In fact, political parties and their candidates are sexism twins that are inseparable. Similarly, candidates are not under obligation to report to the INEC. As a result they hide on this loophole to keep their violations unchecked. Based on these loopholes it becomes as a matter of necessity to amend the provisions of the Electoral Act dealing with campaign financing so as plug these flaws and grey areas hindering the effective implementation of the Act. It is suggested that Section 91 that deals with these limitations/ceilings should be

amended so as to make the limitation of ceiling anchored on the number of registered voters in the constituency putting into consideration the national consumer index.

Again it is equally submitted that Section 91 ( 8) of the Act should be amended to make the political party expenses part of the money or expenses to be considered in ascertaining whether a candidate has exceeded the ceiling. Since they two are sexism twins, it then means that any money spent is for that particular purpose.

Added to this, is the pre-election expenditures should be considered in determining this ceiling. Because preelection expenses is actually where candidates actually spent money . Thus, Act should be amended to include it when calculating this ceiling.

Non reporting of these expenses is one of the main reason the violation of the provisions of this Act is going unchecked. If the issue of candidate’s expenses is properly reported, the violation will reduced drastically. Hence it is suggested that the Act should be made to impose the duty to report on expenses and resources used for elections on the candidate. And such reports should include election contributions and election expenses. Parties will still be under obligation to report their expenses used for general administration and in support of particular candidate. And the template for such report should be developed by the INEC. And the amendments should confer the electorate or any tax payer power to sue for the enforcement of the campaign finance provisions.

Finally stiffer sanctions such as vacation of office upon proof of excess expenditure should be included in the Act so as to serve as deterrent to violators.

For us to curtail monetisation of our elective position there is urgent need for our legislatures to revisit the provisions of our Electoral Act especially on the area that deals with campaign financing; the earlier we do that the better for the sanctity of political life.

Nnajiaka wrote in from Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Opinion

What manner of people are Nigerians?

By Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú

R

epresentative democracy is supposed to be an ordered society administered for the greater good but the reality in Nigeria is different. What we have as democracy is an enormous monster fed on corrosive corruption and cloaked in a deceptive array of primary colours. It bore no good fruit and yields no dividend.

Politicians are not subject to scrutiny nor are they held to account because almost everyone is waiting for their turn “to eat” at the table; everyone hopes to “make it” by benefitting from the rot someday. What kills faster than foolishness? Nigeria is what it is and its people are where they are because stupidity has taken their critical facilities hostage.

Without a shred of doubt, patronage and indulgence have been the hallmark of political life since men began wielding power. To check the abuse of power, reasonable people are wont to think that “right is might”. Perhaps so. In advanced democracies, where core ethics have their roots in strong Judeo-Christian traditions, man is believed to be inherently noble in pursuit of the greater good.

In Nigeria, democracy is an albatross.

Wrong is might and odd is right and it is always defended as right especially when a meal ticket goes with it. Nigerians are not particularly squeamish if rulers, politicians, chiefs, and other symbols of authority assert control over those from whom their wealth is derived. Does that sound like intelligent behaviour? No! Such behaviour belongs to level one stupidity.

In Nigeria, the compulsory prerequisites for climbing the ladder are: a total lack of conviction, a spineless personality, demonstrable and higher than normal predisposition to avarice, dependable ability for stealing, for conversion and a generally destructive acumen. To be a leader, you must have unusual appetite for power, money, and inordinate ability to dismiss those stupid enough to vote for you. On the other hand, the “others”, yes others, go about their daily lives, they go to church for prayers against their shrinking

budgets, dwindling purchasing power and increasing bills.

They blame demons and evil spirits for lack of electricity, for bad public schools and institutions and for crumbling infrastructure. They drink anointing oil when afflicted, they cast and bind the spirit of epidemics and diseases by sprinkling salts in their abode, they drink brine at odd hours to placate the malevolent spirits like Ebola, they go for special anointing so they can work like a rat and eat like an elephant.

What kind of people petitions God to help them build roads and equip their hospitals? What kind of nation closes its factories while “pastorpreneurs” build the largest Church auditoriums in the world?

What kind of people welcome politicians bringing rice, kerosene and T-shirts in exchange for their votes? Stupid people?

Yes! You are right!

Humanity and indeed all religions teaches the essence of living in one simple sentence: Do as you will be done by. This singular exhortation defines the ways of an upstanding human being; the one who does no harm; the one who does good; or the one who does no harm and does good. While these may seem easy, it is astonishingly hard to follow.

The average Nigerian has occasional flashes of rationality but it is rare and easily overshadowed by a hanging cloud of supreme stupidity and senselessness.

For Nigerians, stupidity is on display 10 times over rationality. They see so much stupidity and senselessness around all the time but are never fully convinced of their own stupidity.

Professor Carlo Cipolla, could have had

“

more profound understanding of human stupidity had he studied the Nigerian. The man, whose gift to humanity was “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity” was an economic historian and professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley.

Excerpted below are the basic laws as Prof Cipolla defined them: First Basic Law: Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.

Second Basic Law: The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.

Third (and Golden) Basic Law: A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.

Fourth Basic Law: Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be costly mistake.

Fifth Basic Law: A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person. The corollary to the Fifth Basic Law: A stupid person is more dangerous than a bandit.

From these five basic laws, we can understand why Nigerians are stupid, why they elect stupid leaders and why they cannot stop doing stupid things.

The Nigerian situation also explains to a rational observer that the out-and-out thieves and bandits controlling their resources and destiny are bad enough, but the truly stupid thieves are worse.

After the civil war, bandits took hold of Nigeria and since then, they became progressively bolder. Every set that governs distributes the commonwealth to their own advantage while the impoverished people stand aside and look.

Bandits make money while causing others to lose it but a stupid person cause losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.

After the civil war, bandits took hold of Nigeria and since then, they became progressively bolder. Every set that governs distributes the commonwealth to their own advantage while the impoverished people stand aside and look. The stupidity index went up since 2010 and Nigerians have fared worse. It is no longer enough that leaders are bandits, the really stupid ones at the helm are causing the nation to bleed money.

The ills of the nation finds explanation in the systemic stupidity of the leaders and the collective stupidity of the governed. It is on this basis that I seek to extend the Fifth Basic law by providing a second corollary to the Fifth Basic Law: A stupid person in position of leadership is more dangerous than the algebraic sum of the total population of the governed with its effect equal in quantitative terms to a nuclear bomb.

We have become a nation of takers, not makers. An insufficient number of us are productive and of slight economic value while too many of us are merely taking and consuming the insufficient amount of things that are produced! The consequence is; we will eventually run out of things to take. Over the last four decades, policy decisions have been taken systematically to ensure Nigeria does not achieve its potential. Though the routes are different, the actions of very powerful but stupid people have consequences that are not ultimately distinguishable from that of thermonuclear destruction.

Stupidity kills. It is evidenced in the hundreds of thousand lives cut short every day and many other hundred millions not really living a decent life.

Yet Nigeria’s manifest destiny and development depends on non-stupid leadership taking charge of the country. Is it possible? Yes. Is it probable? Not quite!

We have undertakers in power!

Bamidele is a member of Premium Times Editorial Board.

Why are Iraq oil markets stable?

By John Defterios, CNN

U

sually, airstrikes, rebels seizing control of oil fields and refineries, plus a severe refugee crisis are a recipe for market panic.

That is the situation unfolding in Northern Iraq, but without a spike in prices, even though energy companies are retrenching.

There’s been a growing list of small and medium sized explorers who have suspended operations: London listed Afren, Dublin based Petroceltic and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, known as TAQA here in the UAE. Chevron, a major oil company, is trimming non-essential staff and others will likely do the same.

Gulf Keystone, an early mover in the Kurdish Region, said the situation is not good, but after fortifying their facilities, production is holding steady at 25,000 barrels a day.

What we have now, after the initial panic when ISIS made its move into Iraq, are two distinct camps: Explorers suspending operations and producers battening down the hatches and producing as best they can. According to the Kurdish Regional Government, supplies up north are still above 300,000 barrels a day.

Chaos, violence the new normal in Iraq Tucked into the IEA’s latest monthly report is one of today’s harsher realities: ISIS has taken control of seven fields, which typically produce about 80 thousand barrels a day.

Energy and security sources here in the region tell me that oil is starting to find its way onto the black market, offered at a heavy discount.

Life after fleeing from ISIS in Iraq Beyond the fighting, other complex problems still exist that could easily tilt the balance in Iraq. In Baiji, near the country’s center, 300,000 barrels of refining capacity is off-line after ISIS rebels fought for control, according to the Iraq Energy Institute’s Luay alKhatteeb.

Oil is being exported via pipeline from the Kurdish region through the Port of Ceyhan in Turkey. Tankers

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have sailed, but Baghdad is blocking sales with an on-going dispute over who actually controls that oil.

Despite all that, Iraq continues to supply the market with an ample level of crude. According to the IEA’s monthly report, overall production is 3.1 million barrels a day, down slightly from the month before. Exports are up again to 2.44 million and that is what the market is concentrating on.

But there is a price to pay for the violence in the north and political infighting in Baghdad. The country’s original target of expanding capacity to over 4 million barrels a day will be missed, according to al- Khatteeb.

With this level of uncertainty, the international oil companies (IOCs) may tighten their purse strings, waiting to see if the U.S. intervention can help stabilize the country before committing more money for exploration and

Despite all that, Iraq continues to supply the market with an ample level of crude.

According to the IEA’s monthly report, overall production is 3.1 million barrels a day, down slightly from the month before. Exports are up again to 2.44 million and that is what the market is concentrating on.

production.

The big bounty for Iraq and the energy majors remains the oil rich south around Basra which, despite initial security threats against international oil workers, is pumping and exporting crude at near record levels. BP initially trimmed staff when ISIS began its march into Iraq, but at the end of July, CEO Bob Dudley went out of his way to assure investors production is back up to normal with plans for expansion.

“The Rumaila field is now the second largest producing field in the world at about 1.4 million barrels per day,” said Dudley. “If you think about the map of Iraq, it is down in the bottom of the funnel, near the Kuwait border, in the desert, in an unpopulated area.”

Lukoil has put $4 billion into the West Qurna 2 field in the south -- one of the world’s largest oil fields -- and despite initial delays is still producing 300,000 barrels a day without interruption. What we have learned in the past two months of fighting, is another harsh reality: Money talks.

Iraq may have difficulty staying glued together as a country or even passing a petroleum law to govern revenue sharing, but securing production and distribution have been paramount. And that persistence earned the country $53 billion last month alone.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Comments

One mad man, multiple tragedies and gains

By Ahmad Sajoh

W

hen President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said the Ebola Virus was brought to Nigeria by one madman by name Dr. Patrick Sawyer, many People believed he was right. But was Dr. Sawyer really a madman? Or was he a desperate patient looking for better health care as his supposed wife wants us to believe? But come to think of it, if he is truly mad, will the ECOWAS put him on a list of delegates for a meeting in Nigeria? And if he is looking for better health facilities will Nigeria whose Medical Doctors are strike be his first option ? Most of these postulations do not just add up.

However, to make matters worse, new conspiracy theories are being woven around the whole scenario. I have read severally on social media and listened to a lot of Bus-stop chats where people claim that the Federal Government brought in Mr. Sawyer and his Ebola Virus to find a new centre of discussion away from Boko Haram , Chibok and even the controversial new single-term infested draft constitution. Others are also saying that the coming of Ebola to the shores of Nigeria will create opportunities for some Government fat cats to make money from the tragedies of ordinary citizens. This has been our bane always. Whenever people’s welfare is in contention, officials of government use the opportunity to permutate on their own gains from the process.

But in truth the Ebola Virus is tragic for the country. It has caused deaths, it has created panic and above all it is affecting how we relate to each other. When I saw a video clip of Ministers of the Federal Republic hitting knuckles as a form of greeting rather than handshakes during their weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, I felt sad. Why should people at the highest levels of leadership in the country display such comical expression as a statement on

Ebola? Are they really aware that they are encouraging the sense of panic in the land?

Are they aware that the hold our collect trust and desire to remain courageous and stead fast in the face of all tragedies?

A few weeks back, some smart bitter kola merchants played a smart one on gullible Nigerians by saying the fruit was an antidote to Ebola. Many people went wild on the fruit. A piece was bought for as high as N500.00. A few people, who normally made less than N1000.00 sales a day, suddenly sold their wares to the tune of N10, 000.00 or more. In the end, it turned out to be a hoax. But if that was a pain in the pocket and just a bitter taste in the mouth, what followed a few days later was a Monumental tragedy for the Nation.

Some very wicked persons played a stupid prank on most Nigerians by Sending text messages to the effected that bathing with and sipping brine will protect one from contacting Ebola Virus. Pronto, people started taking salt water all over the country. Various version of it came up. Some said it has to be taken in the dead of the night. Others introduced some incantations to go with it. In the end many people with high blood pressure suffered adverse Consequence. A number of deaths

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from such misfortune were reported to have occurred in Jos. From Jalingo in Taraba State came reports that women with early pregnancies were said to have suffered miscarriages. A number of fatalities were also recorded in some other locations. Salt Water as Ebola Cure? Well that is Nigeria. When I heard of it while in Sokoto, I quickly got in touch with my family and warned them not to partake in the evil ritual. I had a number of questions for the advocates of the salt water solution.

What were the specifications? How much salt and to how many litres of water? What quantities of brine are to be consumed?

Why did the proponents of the salt water solution introduce incantations and what are they? Supposing Moslems had their own incantations, and Christians had a different one, which one truly works? I wonder if Babalawo’s had their own incantations too.

But then the reality is that the whole process is a big hoax. Who was responsible for this assault on our collective psyche? Only God knows.

Another set of victims of the Ebola scare are the sellers and consumers of a popular delicacy that goes by the name “Bush Meat “ it is usually processed meat from bush Animals. The sale of such meat has

The coming of Ebola to the shores of Nigeria will create opportunities for some Government fat cats to make money from the tragedies of ordinary citizens. This has been our bane always. Whenever people’s welfare is in contention, officials of government use the opportunity to permutate on their own gains from the process.

World economies take turn for the worse

By Jeremy Gaunt

C

hina’s economy is slowing. The euro zone’s is a flat line. Japan’s sank in the second quarter. Britain has wage deflation. The U.S. economy is ticking over at best.

In a world preoccupied by geopolitical crises - from Ukraine, Iraq and Gaza to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa - the global economy has taken something of a back seat. But there are increasing signs it is in trouble despite being awash with cash from record low interest rates.

Many policymakers across the world would like to move away from this ultra-loose monetary policy, which they introduced to drag their countries out of the financial crisis. But the economies are not playing ball.

Essentially, the economic doldrums have pushed back the time when central banks can start the process of normalising monetary policy. Indeed, in many places it is more likely that central banks will loosen more than pull in.

Take China. Data in July showed cash flowing into the economy plunging to a near six-year low. The housing sector, around 15 percent of the world’s second largest economy, is also faltering.

So although overall growth projections for the year remain roughly on track, the latest data has brought the potential for looser Chinese monetary policy.

“The shrinking amount of cash flowing into the economy will harm economic growth,” Chen Dongqi, deputy chief at the government think-tank Academy of Macroeconomics Research, told Reuters.

“The window has been opened for cutting interest rates and the reserve requirement ratio.”

In a similar vein, the issue in the moribund euro zone is not one of reining in monetary largesse but of whether the European Central Bank should extend it by buying government bonds in a quantitative easing programme.

The bank has already thrown more than 1 trillion euros ($1.34 trillion) into the economy, much of it repaid, and is poised to inject up to another 1 trillion euros if necessary.Yet there was no growth across the 18-country bloc in the second quarter and inflation is running at a deflationthreatening 0.4 percent.”The risks surrounding the economic outlook for the euro area remain on the downside,” ECB President Mario Draghi said earlier in the month.

Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a fellow at the Petersen Institute of International Economics, reckons that the main problem facing central banks is that the pillars of world economic growth are not level and that economies are not working together.

“There is no country (now) to pick up the slack,” Kirkegaard said. “From the perspective of the U.S. consumer coming to

the rescue of global demand, forget about it.” That was underlined by the latest U.S. jobs data, which showed steady job creation but flat wages in the private sector and little improvement in long-term unemployment.

Along with an economy expanding at only a modest rate, this has all been enough to persuade Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen to lower expectations for a rate hike until hiring and wage data show the effects of the financial crisis are “completely gone.”

Britain, the fastest-growing Group of Seven economy this year (albeit from a low base), is in a similar place. Minutes of the central bank’s last meeting showed the first split vote on interest rates since 2011.

That underlined the desire of some to start hiking now.

But the meeting took place before data showed average wages in Britain falling for the first time in five years, inflation dropping and employment growing more slowly.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney responded to the wages data by saying that the bank would want to be confident that wage growth was sustainable before raising rates, even though it was not necessary for them to be growing faster than inflation.

Expectations for the BoE’s first hike since the financial crisis have been gyrating since then but generally are further back than before.

SUMMER DOLDRUMS? Draghi and Yellen will be among the

even been banned officially by some state Governments. I’m sure animal right activists and environmentalist will rejoice at this God sent reprieve for some evidently endangered species of Animals. For the hunters, sellers and consumers, it is really tragic.

But for the Animals, Animal rights activists and environmentalist, it is indeed very cheering news. Dr. Patrick Sawyer may be one mad man who brought the Ebola Virus to Nigeria, but the gift he delivered to the country has multiple effects.

Unfortunately most of it is tragic. Those who may claim some benefit from the occurrence are indeed very few. But some of them may surely smile home with millions of Naira, because in Nigeria, every tragedy is a means to make money for some people.

The Ebola epidemic may not be over, but there are countless lessons to learn from it. The most important lesson for us is the reality of the universality of tragedy. We have always reacted to tragic occurrence in other lands as alien to us. We have often ignored such occurrences and faked immunity to them. Now Ebola has taught us that Liberia is not too far away from Nigeria.

In the like manner, I wish those who see the Boko Haram insurgency as essentially a North-East phenomenon should begin to have a rethink. It is a Nigerian problem and could consume the whole Nation if not properly addressed.

The sacking of Gwaza is a Metaphor for the vulnerability of the entire Nigerian Nation. We are paying too much premium to politics at the expense of all other SocioEconomic needs of the Nation. We have allowed politics to consume all our attention.

What we need is sufficient political will to address pressing issues and national calamities such as Boko Haram and the outbreak of Ebola Virus in our land.

Sajoh writes from Wauru Jabbe, Jimeta- Yola central bankers gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this week for an annual symposium. They may be at pains to explain whether what is happening in the global economy is sustained trouble that many share, or just specific glitches.

Japan, for example, suffered its biggest contraction since March 2011 in the second quarter, falling at an annualised 6.8 percent. But it is hoping it was mainly due to an April 1 sales tax hike that hit household spending.

Similarly, some of Britain’s falling wages can be tracked back to comparisons with a year earlier when they boomed after a cut in the top tax rate. That impact will disappear.

But the G7 as a group is growing well below trend. The United States, Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Italy and Canada averaged growth of just over 2 percent a year between 1981 and 2013. The projection for this year is less than 1.5 percent.

And that is before any potential longerterm impact from Russia sanctions, disrupted Middle East oil flows or other geopolitical pressure.Many policymakers, including Carney and Draghi, have acknowledged that a lot of what is happening is out of their control.

“Heightened geopolitical risks, as well as developments in emerging market economies and global financial markets, may have the potential to affect economic conditions negatively, including through effects on energy prices and global demand for euro area products,” Draghi said earlier in the month. There has been little so far on the horizon to change this.(1 US dollar = 0.7489 euro) Culled from cnn.com

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 41

Online Comments I’ll consider joining PDP if Satan converts to Islam – El-Rufa’i

1.OLAIYA JAMES says: This man is very insincere. Years ago he championed the course of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but when he lost out of whatever personal interest he had sought to secure he began to demonize the party. Well, many know that he is not different from his co-political fair-weather friends who demonized a party today and tomorrow join the same party for personal gains.

Some say whenever he is broke he will go back to the PDP like other politicians whose main aim is self while pretending to be nationalistic. That’s just the typical Nigerian politician for you.

Boko Haram: Mutineers risk death sentence – Army Chief

1.Moses Ola-Olu Famuyiwa says: Chief of Army Staff, Kenneth Minimah, has shown the world how little he knows about human right. Everywhere in the world, the military tradition is death penalty for mutiny, but it seems the CAS has changed it to life imprisonment.

My candid advice to Minimah is for him to learn from his counterparts elsewhere.

He should know that despite being a soldier, he does not have the right to take another person’s life. That can only be done in warfront, but you can’t take life at no other time or without pronouncement of the law court.

No, sir, you do not have right to denial other person his right to life nor should carry out extra-judicial killing just because you think you have the power to do so.

So, you should go and learn more and be a lot more civilized when handling delicate matters especially those involving the life of other citizens.

2.thomas ayan says: After reading such stories, one suspects that the leadership of the military may be acting to forestall any further military mutiny which could escalate subsequently.

I’m not at war with Kwakwanso, Amaechi, others – Ribadu

1.Wilcox says: Without any reservation, I think Sir leaving the A P C is one the best thing that you have done. I wish you the best in your political sojourn in the PDP.

2015: INEC creates 30,000 more polling units

1.S. Maigari says: Kano had “initial 10,127 units” and now has additional “9,809 new units,” making it second largest in the country with a total of 19,936 polling units.

Lagos, which remains the state with most polling units, currently has adding “11,023 new units,”. However, one would have thought that to be fair and clear any room for suspicion, its previous units should have been mentioned. INEC should in future be explicit in the release of figures.

Gowon’s offer to mediate end to insurgency

1.Mike ifeanyi says: Not only pay cut but overseas medical tourism 2.Odogwu_Aganaga says:

Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd)

Gov. Tanko Almakura

CBN Gov. Godwin Emefiele

” . . . begging the insurgents to stop . . . .”Haba, Mr. Gowon! Good intention but one painfully recalls that you never volunteered to step in to quell the slaughter of Igbos when your kinsmen were having a field day.

Instead, they continued in their hate and received your support. Religion, they say, is the last refuge of scoundrels—-so let it be with the war criminals.

where they are innocent persons to carry out his suicide mission.

(NPF)! We just have to clamp down hard on crime in this country. There isn’t an option!

And, of course it’s all in line with tackling the insecurity challenges in the country.

Again, I say to the NPF, good police work and keep it up!!

Nasarawa lawmakers treading the path to anarchy

1.abdullah musa says: The law requires civilized and principled people to enforce it. Apparently, the PDP intends to use force to continue ruling Nigeria.

The burden of stopping them rests on all Nigerians or sane Nigerians if they are the majority. Also, their brand of politics is such that they need access to public till to finance their campaigns, and intimidation.

Apparently, being unprincipled, they will trample upon the law if they will be allowed to get away with it. They are convinced they can always rely on the Armed Forces of Nigeria (army and police) to deter any uprising.

The armed forces are simply the number one enemy of democracy. Again, it is up to us to continue living under the boot.

2.Moses Ola-Olu Famuyiwa says: There is no Democracy in Nigeria. What we have is militacracy: that is why Jonathanled government is using the military to oppressed Nigerians. Labaran Maku, the minister of information, is no new person to acts disinformation.

I am sure should there be trouble now in Nassarawa all those formatting trouble will fly out of Nigeria with their families. They want to remain in power to continue looting the treasury. No, we will not allow it.

To hell with their military, we will defend our rights, we will defend our democracy and no military threat will deter us.

Police nab ‘suicide bomber’ in Lagos airport

1.Moses Ola-Olu Famuyiwa says: He wants to become Boko-Haram hero.

He seems rather out of his senses, must be lazy and incorrigibly lazy and therefore a ready tool for the devil.

If he is fed-up of with his life, he should simply have done away with himself rather attempting to destroy others as well.

In fact, , why can’t he simply jump into the ocean, instead of going to the airport

DSS quizzes, releases Waku over 2015 comments

1.Odogwu_Aganaga says: Naijaria is a joke. The black man is a joke. A big big big joke!!! Their leaders are mostly psychopathic, psychopathetic, greedy, corrupt, power-hungry, selfish, perverts, you name it. Naijaria is the cesspool of all that is bad about the black race. Wake up man!!!! Naijaria is a joke, Nijarians are jerks!!!

South-East rally: What TAN did not tell the people

1.Adamu says: This write up is laced with bias, are we saying GEJ hasn’t done enough to warrant a second term in office? Despite the security challenges, GEJ has done well and he deserves a second term…

Nigeria can control Ebola, says AUN President

1.gtersoo18 says: It is not true that the FG is not doing enough to forestall the spread of the EVD! This report is misleading, an attempt to misinformed the people. One draws this conclusion based on the commendation of the even the United Nations (UN),which only recently praised the GEJ- led administration for its efforts to stop the spread of the dreaded virus. Check your sources, well!!

2.martins says: I sincerely think that the FG has done a lot and is still doing much more to check the spread of the EVD. The citizenry should on their own cooperate and adhere to the precautionary measures announced by the FG. The FG’s efforts have started paying off with the discharge of an infected doctor with high hopes on discharging some other infected Nigerians soon.

Kaduna Police Command arrests, parades 65 criminals

1.gtersoo18 says: Job well done, the Nigeria Police |Force

14-year-old girl killed, one other beheaded in Plateau

1.gtersoo18 says: May The Good LORD, grants us, our leaders the wisdom to solve the problems of crime and insecurity in this nation of ours, amen! There are some fights that are not ours but the LORD’s!!

Why isn’t the Tea Party sending a militia to Ferguson?

1.abdullah musa says: Apparently, for a long period to come, America may not change its psyche. The circumstance of blacks going to America was different from that of the whites: the whites conquered the Red Indians, while blacks were sold to the whites by their own brethren.

I think that today affirmative action has been ruled out as unconstitutional. Nobody will thus stand for the blacks. Africa that sold its children to slavery and eternal damnation cannot lend a helping hand.

May be Liberia ought to open its doors again. But no ‘American’ black will venture there, preferring slavery to freedom.

CBN, Western Union launch Outbound Money Transfer 1.abdullah musa says: Capitalism vanquishes competitors.

It does not weep over their graves.

International operators once they see a lucrative opening will go for it, even if it means emasculating millions.

That was how the West built industries: dispossessing peoples of their lands and converting self-employed persons to employees, liable to be sacked.

With this new CBN policy, may be hundreds of thousands of independent forex operators will be liquidated: the strongest ones amongst them being agents of the multinationals.

In modern world government can make it mar. That is why elections are important.

But that is why capitalists do not favor free and fair elections. Their agenda must not be subject to democracy.

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Newsxtra Nigeria‘ll be stronger after 2015, Pastor predicts

N

igeria will be stronger, prosperous and more united than it is currently after the 2015 general elections, according to the President, Kingdom Life Global Mission, Evangelist Omoreje Ali Egbule.

Speaking to herald the commencement of 40 days fasting and prayer for the country, which begins today, Egbule said current woes are end times occurrences which will usher in a spiritual and material dawn for the country.

According to the Evangelist, who urged Nigerians irrespective of their faith to join in praying for Nigeria, the unpleasant events bedeviling the country including spates of insurgency, economic woes and increased social decadence are temporary adding that Nigeria will emerge to lead the world.

“Nigeria is unique in human and material capital. It will not be a failed state by 2015, instead Nigeria will emerge stronger after the elections of 2015. We need to come together to pray for fasting and prayer for 40 days.

“The current problems facing Nigeria is a spiritual conspiracy but we shall overcome that is why the Nehemiah Project has the theme: The Nigeria Nation at 100: Setting the agenda for a prosperous and great nation through prayers and prophetic proclamations.”

He said Nigeria will not only lead Africa economically but one of the 15 leading world economies by 2025 adding on the spiritual front Nigeria will lead the charge for the global spiritual revival.

The fasting and prayer will end on October to culminate with the 54th Independence anniversary of Nigeria. The prayer and fasting programme is the third edition. The first was held in 2012.

Bizarre: Man rapes chicken to death I t was not what the hapless chicken bargained for. At best it was meant to serve as food for humans. But one 19-year-old apprentice welder (names withheld) thought otherwise and opted to have carnal knowledge of the chicken.

The apprentice was caught making love to a hen. The fowl reportedly died during the act. The taboo was said to have been committed by the apprentice at about 11.20 p.m. at Continental area of Akure metropolis, in Ondo state.

The suspect, it was learnt, had committed same taboo with a goat in his home town, Afo in Ose council area of the state, some time earlier.

He was said to have been excommunicated from his home town because of the offence which made him to move in with his brother in Akure.

Speaking with newsmen, the owner of fowl, Mrs Stella Akintola, who resides in the same building confirmed that the man actually made love to her chicken.

According to her, she went to bed early but was woken up by the noise coming from the chickens at the back of her room, an indication that someone was disturbing their peace.

The discovery Akintola said she went outside only to find that the back door was still opened. According to her, she became curious and “I shouted to know who was still at the backyard only for him to appear from the corner of the house, saying he went to the toilet because he had a running stomach.”

Akintola said she was not convinced especially as she noticed that the noise from the chickens’ pen stopped abruptly.

She said she went to where the chickens were but nothing was found. “It was when I visited the toilet that I found one of the them

The alleged chicken raper and the victim stone dead with its feathers littering the floor,” she said.

Still unaware that the suspect was the cause of the death of the bird, Akintola said she raised an alarm only for him to confess that he was responsible for the death of the fowl.

Akintola said the suspect confessed and begged her for forgiveness, saying he would pay any amount for the dead fowl.

She said she decided not to report the matter to the police because she could not stand the rig-

our she would be subjected to by the police over a “minor offence.”

Report had it that there were evidence that the man actually had sex with the hen when it was examined by the owner and others living in the building.

A spirit directed me to do it — Suspect In an interview with newsmen, the suspect, who declined to speak initially, however, said a spirit directed him to do what he did. He said: “I was already sleeping when a spirit just came upon

‘Pastor’ rapes pastor’s daughter

T

he Oyo State Police Command has arrested a self acclaimed pastor, who allegedly raped the daughter of a genuine pastor of a popular church during a robbery operation.

The suspect, Ayodele Ademola, aged 55 and a woman, Aina Mohammed were among other 22 suspected criminals paraded by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Okaula at the state Police Command yesterday.

The police boss said: “On July 22, 2014 at about 11:45pm, one pastor reported that four armed

men jumped into his compound, knocked on his window and ordered him to open his main door.

“He stated further that he complied and three armed men entered his living room while one was standing outside with a gun.

“They ordered everyone to lie down and ransacked the whole house. They carted away valuable items. The robbery victim revealed further that during the robbery operation, one of his daughters was raped by one of the men.

“On receipt of the information,

policemen of the command swung into action and through investigation led to the arrest of all the members of the robbery gang.

It was the devil —Suspect “Ademola, in his confessional statement said he did not know what came over him when he raped the girl.’’

He said: “My wife is dead. I have three children, a boy and two girls. When we were robbing the house, we ordered all of them to lie down. Then, I saw the girl who had a wrapper round her waist. I ordered her to remove her pants

'Suicide Tourism' to Switzerland doubles

M President Goodluck Jonathan

me and directed me to go to the back of the building. I did not know what I was doing again until when I discovered that I had slept with the hen.”

Contacted, the police image maker, Wole Ogodo, said since the matter was not reported to the police, he could not comment on it. Ogodo noted that “it is what members of the public bring to our notice that we investigate. This is a strange occurrence if what you are telling me is the truth.”

ore than 600 people traveled to Switzerland to die between 2008 and 2012, and the numbers doubled over those years, researchers during the week.

Many of those choosing to die came from countries with strict laws forbidding voluntary assisted death, Dr. Saskia Gauthier of the Institute of Legal Medicine at the University of Zurich reports in the Journal of

Medical Ethics.

“While assisted suicide is strictly restricted in many countries, it is not clearly regulated by law in Switzerland. This imbalance leads to an influx of people —‘suicide tourists’— coming to Switzerland,” Gauthier wrote.

Gauthier identified 611 cases of people, ranging in age from 23 to 97, who came to Switzerland to organize their own deaths with the help of

“right to die” groups such as Dignitas.

“The main reasons were neurological disease (47 percent), followed by cancer (37 percent), rheumatic and cardiovascular disease," Gauthier writes. Most came from Germany and Britain but the number of Italians coming ballooned from four in 2009 to 22 in 2012, while the numbers from France nearly tripled from seven in 2009 to 19 in 2012.

but she refused. I then begged her to do so and she did. It was the devil. I was the only one that raped the girl.”

One of his partners in crime, Azeez Rafiu, 27, confirmed that it was the ‘pastor’ that raped the girl.

He said: “We warned him but he would not listen. It was this same pastor that introduced me to the group.

“He promised to buy me a motorcycle after he had paid me N10,000 for taking him round the city. I never knew he was an armed robber until he deceived me that we were going to a party but ended up robbing a house with other members. That time, he told me it was too late for me to turn down his invitation.”

The police boss said all the suspects would soon be charged to court.

One of the suspects, Aina Mohammed, a married woman, said her husband did not know she was an informant to a gang of robbers.

During interview, she said, her boyfriend who is in Agodi Prison linked her with the other suspects.

PAGE 43

Biographies

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

10 facts about 42nd US President, Bill Clinton A ugust 19th marks the 68th birthday of President William J. Clinton (Bill Clinton), whose eight-year term dominated the decade of the 1990s.

Clinton was the second-youngest president ever elected, when he defeated President George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot in a wild 1992 election. He was 46 years old at the time of his inauguration.

During the administration of William Jefferson Clinton, the U.S. enjoyed more peace and economic well being than at any time in its history. He was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term. He could point to the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country’s history, dropping crime rates in many places, and reduced welfare rolls.

He proposed the first balanced budget in decades and achieved a budget surplus. As part of a plan to celebrate the millennium in 2000, Clinton called for a great national initiative to end racial discrimination.

After the failure in his second year of a huge program of health care reform, Clinton shifted emphasis, declaring “the era of big government is over.” He sought legislation to upgrade education, to protect jobs of parents who must care for sick children, to restrict handgun sales, and to strengthen environmental rules.

President Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, three months after his father died in a traffic accident.

When he was four years old, his mother wed Roger Clinton, of Hot Springs, Arkansas. In high school, he took the family name.

He excelled as a student and as a saxophone player and once considered becoming a professional musician. As a delegate to Boys Nation while in high school, he met President John Kennedy in the White House Rose Garden. The encounter led him to enter a life of public service.

Clinton was graduated from Georgetown University and in 1968 won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. He received a law degree from Yale University in 1973, and entered politics in Arkansas.

He was defeated in his campaign for Congress in Arkansas’s Third District in 1974.

The next year he married Hillary Rodham, a graduate of Wellesley College and Yale Law School. In 1980, Chelsea, their only child, was born.

Clinton was elected Arkansas Attorney General in 1976, and won the governorship in 1978. After losing a bid for a second term, he regained the office four years later, and served until he defeated incumbent George Bush and third party candidate Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential race.

Clinton and his running mate, Tennessee’s Senator Albert Gore Jr., then 44, represented a new generation in American political leadership. For the first time in 12 years both the White House and Congress were held by the same party. But that political edge was brief; the Republicans won both houses of Congress in 1994.

President William J. Clinton (Bill Clinton), 42nd President of USA

In 1998, as a result of issues surrounding personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern, Clinton was the second U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives. He was tried in the Senate and found not guilty of the charges brought against him. He apologized to the nation for his actions and continued to have unprecedented popular approval ratings for his job as president.

In the world, he successfully dispatched peace keeping forces to war-torn Bosnia and bombed Iraq when Saddam Hussein stopped United Nations inspections for evidence of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. He became a global proponent for an expanded NATO, more open international trade, and a worldwide campaign against drug trafficking. He drew huge crowds when he traveled through South America, Europe, Russia,

“

Africa, and China, advocating U.S. style freedom.

Since he left office in 2001, President Clinton and the former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, haven’t left the front lines of the American political scene. Here are 10 facts you may not know about one of the most public of all presidents.

1. Presidents Clinton and George H.W. Bush are the only consecutive presidents who were left handed.

2. Another connection between President Clinton and George H.W. Bush: They are both 6 feet 2 inches and tied for fourth place among the listing of tallest presidents.

3. In 1996, President Clinton became the first Democrat to be elected to a second term since Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936.

(President Barack Obama repeated the task in 2012.)

4. A cat named “Socks” was one

After the failure in his second year of a huge program of health care reform, Clinton shifted emphasis, declaring “the era of big government is over.” He sought legislation to upgrade education, to protect jobs of parents who must care for sick children, to restrict handgun sales, and to strengthen environmental rules.

of the most famous of all presidential pets as part of the Clinton family’s stay in the White House. But President Clinton was also reportedly allergic to cat dander.

5. Clinton is the only president who was a Rhodes Scholar. Other people at Oxford in 1968 as scholars with Clinton were Strobe Talbott and Robert Reich.

6. Clinton was just 16 years old when he shook hands with President John F. Kennedy in 1963, just four months before Kennedy’s death.

Clinton later said he “muscled” his way through the line to meet JFK at the Boys Nation event.

7. Clinton was known as the “Boy Governor” when he won election in 1978 at the age of just 32. He lost his next election in 1980, but then he won three consecutive elections.

8. Clinton excelled as a saxophone player in high school, even earning first chair in a state band of students.

But the future president made a career change after meeting Kennedy—and deciding he couldn’t be as good as John Coltrane.

9. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech so impressed a teenaged Clinton that he memorized the entire speech right after it was given.

10. Clinton moved to Dallas in 1972 to work on George McGovern’s presidential campaign.

Another young mover-and-shaker who worked with Clinton on the McGovern campaign was Steven Spielberg.

PAGE 44

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Archive The Bengal Famine:

How the British engineered the worst genocide in human history I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. The famine was their own fault for breeding like rabbits.”

-Winston Churchill

T

he British had a ruthless economic agenda when it came to operating in India and that did not include empathy for native citizens. Under the British Raj, India suffered countless famines. But the worst hit was Bengal. The first of these was in 1770, followed by severe ones in 1783, 1866, 1873, 1892, 1897 and lastly 194344. Previously, when famines had hit the country, indigenous rulers were quick with useful responses to avert major disasters.

After the advent of the British, most of the famines were a consequence of monsoonal delays along with the exploitation of the country’s natural resources by the British for their own financial gain. Yet they did little to acknowledge the havoc these actions wrought. If anything, they were irritated at the inconveniences in taxing the famines brought about.

The first of these famines was in 1770 and was ghastly brutal. The first signs indicating the coming of such a huge famine manifested in 1769 and the famine itself went on till 1773. It killed approximately 10 million people, millions more than the Jews incarcerated during the Second World War. It wiped out one third the population of Bengal. John Fiske, in his book “The Unseen World”, wrote that the famine of 1770 in Bengal was far deadlier than the Black Plague that terrorized Europe in the fourteenth century. Under the Mughal rule, peasants were required to pay a tribute of 10-15 per cent of their cash harvest. This ensured a comfortable treasury for the rulers and a wide net of safety for the peasants in case the weather did not hold for future harvests. In 1765 the Treaty of Allahabad was signed and East India Company took over the task of collecting the tributes from the then Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. Overnight the tributes, the British insisted on calling them tributes and not taxes for reasons of suppressing rebellion, increased to 50 percent. The peasants were not even aware that the money had changed hands.

They paid, still believing that it went to the Emperor.

Partial failure of crop was quite a regu-

lar occurrence in the Indian peasant’s life.

That is why the surplus stock, which remained after paying the tributes, was so important to their livelihood. But with the increased taxation, this surplus deteriorated rapidly. When partial failure of crops came in 1768, this safety net was no longer in place. The rains of 1769 were dismal and herein the first signs of the terrible draught began to appear. The famine occurred mainly in the modern states of West Bengal and Bihar but also hit Orissa, Jharkhand and Bangladesh. Bengal was, of course, the worst hit. Among the worst affected areas were Birbum and Murshidabad in Bengal.

Thousands depopulated the area in hopes of finding sustenance elsewhere, only to die

of starvation later on. Those who stayed on perished nonetheless. Huge acres of farmland were abandoned. Wilderness started to thrive here, resulting in deep and inhabitable jungle areas. Tirhut, Champaran and Bettiah in Bihar were similarly affected in Bihar.

Prior to this, whenever the possibility of a famine had emerged, the Indian rulers would waive their taxes and see compensatory measures, such as irrigation, instituted to provide as much relief as possible to the stricken farmers. The colonial rulers continued to ignore any warnings that came their way regarding the famine, although starvation had set in from early 1770. Then the deaths started in 1771. That

year, the company raised the land tax to 60 per cent in order to recompense themselves for the lost lives of so many peasants.

Fewer peasants resulted in less crops that in turn meant less revenue. Hence the ones who did not yet succumb to the famine had to pay double the tax so as to ensure that the British treasury did not suffer any losses during this travesty.

After taking over from the Mughal rulers, the British had issued widespread orders for cash crops to be cultivated. These were intended to be exported. Thus farmers who were used to growing paddy and vegetables were now being forced to cultivate indigo, poppy and other such items that yielded a high market value for them but could be of no relief to a population starved of food. There was no backup of edible crops in case of a famine. The natural causes that had contributed to the draught were commonplace. It was the single minded motive for profit that wrought about the devastating consequences. No relief measure was provided for those affected.

Rather, as mentioned above, taxation was increased to make up for any shortfall in revenue. What is more ironic is that the East India Company generated a profited higher in 1771 than they did in 1768.

Although the starved populace of Bengal did not know it yet, this was just the first of the umpteen famines, caused solely by the motive for profit, that was to slash across the country side. Although all these massacres were deadly in their own right, the deadliest one to occur after 1771 was in 1943 when three million people died and others resorted to eating grass and human flesh in order to survive.

Winston Churchill, the hallowed British War prime minister who saved Europe from a monster like Hitler was disturbingly callous about the roaring famine that was swallowing Bengal’s population. He casually diverted the supplies of medical aid and food that was being dispatched to the starving victims to the already well supplied soldiers of Europe. When entreated upon he said, “Famine or no famine, Indians will breed like rabbits.” The Delhi Government sent a telegram painting to him a picture of the horrible devastation and the number of people who had died. His only response was, “Then why hasn’t Gandhi died yet?” worldobserveronline.com

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 45

Digest

Could mice hold the secret to longer life?

By Katie Couric

H

arvard researcher say there’s no ‘limit on the human lifespan’.

No, it is not just a belief, but the truth is that human cells do undergo process of self renewal.

However, at some stage this process suddenly stopped leading to aging. This has remained a puzzle. But that puzzle may well be unscrambled with the latest findings by Harvard scientists.

My peers of a certain age will remember an Oil of Olay commercial about deciding not to grow old gracefully, but rather to “fight it every step of the way.”

And while we spend billions trying to turn back time, the Fountain of Youth has yet to be found at the bottom of a lotion bottle.

But one researcher from Harvard Medical School, David Sinclair, believes the secret to stopping the aging process is closer than we think. “I wouldn’t begin to put a limit on the human lifespan,” he says.

Sinclair has spent the past 20 years looking for ways to help people live longer, healthier lives.

In an exclusive look at his strictly guarded mouse lab, Sinclair showed us how his research team is looking to stop the clock on aging.

It was Sinclair’s research on resveratrol, a molecule found in grapes, which made headlines

a decade ago when it showed promising results in keeping overfed mice as healthy as lean mice. Sinclair even chose to test resveratrol on himself, something he has been doing for the past 10 years, and he says he’s feeling

fit and healthy. Likewise, his parents, who are in their 70s, report similar results from taking resveratrol.

Today, Sinclair has taken his research even further. By prematurely aging mice, he is able

to test new molecules on them in an attempt to return them to their younger, healthier state.

He’s hopeful that the molecules will one day help prevent or delay diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s in humans. All of this, of course, is still very much in the

research phase, but Sinclair is confident that his work will lead to many of us living longer and healthier lives.

“Can we one day live to 150?” he asks. “I don’t see why not; it’s just a matter of when.”

First test-tube baby penguin says hello to the world Eric Pfeiffer

O

fficials hope the first penguin hatched via artificial insemination at SeaWorld in San Diego will help make strides in conservation efforts. To science, she’s simply known as “184.” But on the empirical cuteness scale, the world’s first test-tube penguin scores a “100.”

The still unnamed baby Magellanic penguin was hatched at SeaWorld in San Diego 12 weeks ago, but the first images of her were released to the public this week.

She’s the first penguin to be born using artificial insemination, a technique researchers say will help them increase diversity in the

“

captive penguin population and help their studies of the creatures.

“The goal of our research center is to study a species’ reproductive biology, to learn as much as we can about that and use this to not only monitor the health of not only our zoological populations but wild populations as well,” said Sea World’s reproductive center Scientific Director Dr. Justine O’Brien.

The baby penguin is reportedly doing well. Twelve weeks after her birth, she is mingling with the natural-born penguin population and has transitioned from being hand-fed by a team of biologists to eating fish on her own.

There are an estimated 1.8 million Magellanic penguins living in the wild. The species is

Sea World says that it successfully completed the first artificial insemination of an animal in captivity in 2000 but that this was the first time the technique had worked on a penguin.

typically found in South America around the Falkland Islands, Chile and Argentina. The species is considered “near threatened,” as its numbers have been affected by oil spills, diminished fish populations and climate change.

O’Brien says the successful breeding of 184 is not only helpful for research purposes but could

help scientists in future efforts to increase the wildlife stock of penguins and other species.

Penguin 184 has a special place in history. Hundreds of baby penguins have hatched at the Sea World facility, but they were all natural births. Sea World says that it successfully completed the first artificial insemination of

an animal in captivity in 2000 but that this was the first time the technique had worked on a penguin. O’Brien tells NBC San Diego that she and her team went back and forth between trying the process with frozen and thawed sperm sampled before finally managing to succeed with a test run in May.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 46

International

Poll: Israeli Jews, Arabs oppose intermarriage Britain won’t help T Syria to tackle hree-quarters of Israeli Jews and nearly two-thirds of Israeli Arabs would not marry someone from a different religion, according to a poll.

Conducted by Haaretz and the Dialog Company midweek, the poll found that opposition to interfaith relationships was highest among Haredi Orthodox Jews, at 95 percent. But 88 percent of traditional and religious Jews, as well as 64 percent of secular Jews, also opposed inter-dating.

Seventy-one percent of Muslim Israeli Arabs opposed interfaith relationships, but only half of Christian Israeli Arabs were opposed.

Across religious denominations, Israeli Jews would be much more opposed to their relatives marrying Arabs than they would be to relatives marrying non-Arab gentiles. Only a third of secular Jewish Israelis would be opposed to a relative marrying an American or European Christian, but a majority would oppose a relative marrying an Arab. Seventy-two percent of Israeli Jews overall would be opposed to a relative marrying an Arab.

Islamic State militants

The Israelis and Arabs will not share a joyful moment such as this Opposition to intermarriage was lowest among immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

More than half would avoid having a relationship with a non-

Gaza: Hamas executes 18 suspected informants

H

amas sources in Gaza say 18 people were yesterday executed for allegedly collaborating with Israel. The killings came after an Israeli airstrike left three senior Hamas leaders dead on Thursday.

Officials in Gaza say at least two more Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes overnight, and Israel said more rockets were fired from Gaza. More than 2,070 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 66 Israelis, mostly troops, have been killed in six weeks.

A Thai national in Israel was also killed by rocket fire early on in the conflict. No-one was injured by the rockets which hit Israel on Friday morning.

Hostilities between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza resumed on Tuesday, scuppering

efforts in Cairo to achieve a long-term ceasefire deal. Hamas has insisted on a lifting of the economic blockade of Gaza as part of any longer-term deal.

Israel has vowed to pursue its campaign until “full security” is achieved through the disarmament of Hamas and other groups in Gaza.

Hamas sources said Friday’s executions had been carried out by what it called the Resistance, which may suggest the involvement of other armed Palestinian factions. Hamas officials told Reuters that the first 11 executions were carried out at an abandoned police station.

Witnesses said another seven people were shot by men in Hamas uniforms outside the AlUmari mosque in central Gaza.

Jew, but if they were to fall in love with a non-Jew, only 35 percent would insist their spouse convert.

Two-thirds of Israeli Jews see intermarriage as a serious threat

to Jews worldwide, and one-third see it as a serious threat to Jews in Israel. The poll questioned 505 respondents and had a 4.4 percent margin of error.

Collapsed mine in CAR kills 25

A

t least 25 people have died in a collapse at a gold mine 60 km (40 miles) north of the Central African Republic town of Bambari, aspokesman for the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels said yesterday.

The mine at Ndassima is carved deep into a forested hilltop north of Seleka’s military headquarters in Bambari. It is owned by Canada’s Axmin but was overrun by rebels more than year ago and now forms part of an illicit economy driving sectarian conflict in the country.

Also, two tour buses have collided near Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, leaving 33 people dead and 41 injured, officials say.

One of the vehicles overturned

in the crash which happened early in the morning about 50km (31 miles) from the popular holiday destination. Ukrainian, Saudi and Yemeni citizens are said to be among the injured, some of whom are in a critical condition.

Egypt’s roads and railways have a notoriously poor safety record. Thirty ambulances were sent to the scene to take the injured to nearby hospitals and the local motorway was closed off.

According to Egypt’s state news agency Mena, one of the buses was heading from Sharm ElSheikh to Cairo when it hit a bus coming in the opposite direction.

First reports said that Russian citizens may have been among those hurt but updates referred to a Ukrainian.

South Sudan rebels change stance on Ugandan troops

S

outh Sudan rebels have agreed to let Uganda maintain its forces on South Sudanese soil until a regional body deploys a peacekeeping force, a spokesman for the Ugandan government told Reuters yesterday.

The new stance by the rebels, which is a 180-degree turn from their earlier position of demanding withdrawal of the troops from South Sudan, could open a way to mend ties between the insurgents and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

At least 10 000 people have been killed since fierce fighting

erupted in December, pitting President Salva Kiir’s government forces against supporters of Riek Machar, his former deputy and longtime rival.

Since the conflict in Africa’s youngest nation erupted in mid December, the Ugandan leader has stood by the South Sudanese government, angering the rebels.

Peace initiatives by the regional group of nations, the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), have so far failed to end the conflict, fought along ethnic lines between Kiir’s Dinka community and Machar’s Nuer people.

Ofwono Opondo, the Ugandan government spokesman, said a rebel delegation in Uganda met a government team led by Salim Saleh, brother of President Museveni, who acts as his senior advisor on defence and security.

“We explained to them why we deployed in their country and they agreed that we can stay there until IGAD deploys,” Opondo said.

“They also agreed that a military option cannot bring lasting peace in South Sudan.”

Opondo said Ugandan officials explained to the visiting rebels that Uganda had not deployed its troops to take sides in the conflict, but rather it went “in to stop a

genocide”.

The rebels said they were encouraged by their meeting and that they recognised Uganda’s influence on the South Sudanese leadership and its potential to help find a settlement.

“We believe it can play a positive role in influencing the GoRSS (Government of the Republic of South Sudan) to commit to the ongoing peace process,” the statement said.

Analysts say Uganda is reluctant to pull out its troops, a move it fears could trigger a collapse of the Kiir-led government, creating a full-blown war across a nation that has emerged as one of its key

Britain on Friday ruled out negotiating with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the battle against the hardline Islamic State (IS) movement that has bases in northern Syria as well as in over one third of Iraq.

With pressure growing for action against the group that beheaded a U.S. journalist this week, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the only way to tackle the threat was by working with the Iraqi government which has troops on the ground and that dialogue with Assad would not advance the cause.

“We may very well find that on some occasions we are fighting the same people as he is but that doesn’t make us his ally and ... it wouldn’t be practical, sensible or helpful to even think about going down that route,” Hammond told BBC Radio.

Meanwhile, the outgoing UN human rights commissioner has launched a blistering attack on the UN Security Council, saying “international paralysis” and competing national agendas have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and allowed the “killers, destroyers and torturers” in Syria to believe they can act with total impunity.

Navi Pillay, whose six-year tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ends this month, made the comments as new figures showed that nearly 200,000 people have been killed in Syria over the past three years.

“Tragically it is probably an underestimate of the real total number of people killed during the first three years of this murderous conflict,” Pillay said yesterday, adding that she deeply regretted that the current proliferation of armed conflicts had pushed the humanitarian disaster in Syria “off the international radar”.

Speaking a day after the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution promising tougher efforts to stop wars, Pillay said it was scandalous that the suffering of the Syrian people was going unheeded.

“The killers, destroyers and torturers in Syria have been empowered and emboldened by the international paralysis,” she said.

export markets.

Regional countries and some western powers have voiced concern in the past that Uganda’s deployment was complicating efforts by IGAD to resolve the conflict.

On May 9, Machar and Kiir signed a ceasefire and agreed to form an interim government by August 10, but they missed that deadline as peace talks in Addis Ababa stalled.

Last week, the United Nations Security Council warned it could impose sanctions on the warring sides, due to repeated violations of the ceasefire, amid growing fears of a man-made famine in the country. – Reuters

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Focus

Facts about Ebola experimental drugs

There is no approved or scientifically proven treatment for Ebola, and no vaccine. “Vaccine” and “treatment” are not interchangeable terms. There are several experimental drugs in development. Several potential treatments have been tested in primates.

By Caleb Hellerman

T

he race to develop an effective treatment or vaccine against Ebola is on as the largest outbreak in history continues to spread in West Africa.

Meanwhile, questions about whether unproven treatments are appropriate to use, and who should get them, are inspiring passion and resentment.

On Wednesday, an Iowabased company called NewLink said it has enough doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine to begin clinical trials in the next few weeks, if such trials are approved.

Meanwhile, a shipment of 800 to 1,000 doses of the vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, was delivered to health officials in Liberia, as a donation from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The Canadian agency developed the vaccine but says its stockpile is gone. Earlier in the week, we learned that Mapp Biopharmaceuticals also sent its entire stock of the experimental drug ZMapp to the government of Liberia. Left undetermined is which individuals will receive any of the drugs.

As we track these and other developments, here are 10 facts to keep in mind about Ebola and experimental drugs:

1. There is no approved or scientifically proven treatment for Ebola, and no vaccine. Whether the setting is primitive or in a developed country’s advanced hospital, existing treatment is primarily supportive: giving fluids, carefully monitoring vital signs and responding to acute medical crises.

2.

There are several experimental drugs in development, with the potential to be useful against Ebola. The market for these drugs is small -- Ebola is a rare disease, almost completely confined to poor countries -- so funding for drug development has come largely from government agencies in the United States and Canada.

3. “Vaccine” and “treatment” are not interchangeable terms.

A vaccine is given to prevent infection, whereas treatment generally refers to a drug given to a patient who has developed symptoms. ZMapp, given to American medical workers Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantly when they were seriously ill, is not a vaccine.

4. Another term you may hear is “post-exposure prophylaxis,” meaning a drug that is given to a person who has been exposed to an infection, but is not yet sick.

A familiar example is the rabies vaccine, often given to someone after they have been

Corpse of Ebola victim being disposed of. bitten by a rabid animal. Some promising Ebola drugs, like Tekmira’s TKM-Ebola, have been developed and tested as “postexposure prophylaxis.”

Be warned: The terms can become confusing because research is ongoing and there’s no clear evidence to define the

window of time for treatment to be effective -- or if this type of drug might still be helpful once symptoms develop. This uncertainty influences the decisions that doctors and health officials have to make in determining if and when to use experimental drugs, especially those in short supply.

5. No Ebola treatment has been formally tested in humans with the illness. ZMapp has been given to at least three people in the current outbreak (the two Americans and a Spanish priest); experts say they are studying the cases, but there is not enough evidence to say whether the drug will be effective in others.

6. At least one Ebola therapy (TKM-Ebola) has been tested for safety in a small clinical trial; it was given to healthy human volunteers to see if they suffered any adverse effects. To date there

“ Doctors experimenting some drugs on bat.

have not been serious side effects.

7. One experimental postexposure prophylaxis drug was given to a German researcher in 2009 after he pricked himself with a needle thought to carry Ebola.

He did not develop the disease.

8. A handful of potential treatments have been tested in primates that have been infected with Ebola. Macaque monkeys are the usual test subjects.

9. The U.S. National Institutes of Health says a safety trial of an experimental vaccine could begin as early as September. Other companies are also preparing for new clinical trials.

10. At least one group of researchers -- at the University of Texas Medical Branch -- is working with a $26 million award from NIH to test the possibility of combining multiple therapies, similar to the HIV-fighting “cocktail” approach.

There are several experimental drugs in development, with the potential to be useful against Ebola. The market for these drugs is small -- Ebola is a rare disease, almost completely confined to poor countries -- so funding for drug development has come largely from government agencies in the United States and Canada.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Business

Nigerian cement potential capacity now 58.5m tones

N

igeria’s cement potential capacity will reach as high as 58.5m tonnes annually shortly If all the key players in the cement industry conclude their short-term expansion plans. This will make Nigeria the leading cement manufacturer in Africa, beating South Africa’s capacity that stands at 18.3m tonnes and Egypt’s 48m tonnes.

Last week, Dangote Cement announced that it was adding 6m tonnes through its newly-built lines C and D at Obese plant.

With this, it is expected that the Nigerian cement market will get 12MTs from just the Ibese cement factory, a feat equivalent to about 24 million bags of cement per annum. By implication, the company’s capacity will likely reach 29m toones a year before the end of this month.

Earlier, Dangote Cement, the largest cement maker, told Real Sector Watch of its plans to reach 35m tonnes earlier than expected, while introducing other products.

“Before the end of the year, we will be putting in place a minimum of two cement plants,

if not more. That shows the confidence in the short and long terms,’’ said Devakumar V G Edwin, group managing director, Dangote Cement (DangCem), in a recent interview.

With the transaction which has seen Lafarge Group transfer its shareholdings in businesses in Nigeria and South Africa into forming Lafarge Africa, 12m tonne capacity is already guaranteed.

“The intended Lafarge Wapco/ Lafarge Africa consolidation, with a unified management across four businesses in Nigeria is much better positioned to deliver growth than Lafarge Wapco as a stand-alone company,’’ noted CSL Equities, economic and market research firm, in its June report, while projecting Lafarge Africa’s future.

Similarly, the United Cement Company of Nigeria (UniCem) is investing N84 billion in an additional 2.5m tonne cement line project to double its 2.5m tonne existing capacity to 5m tonne per annum by 2016, and consolidate its position as Nigeria’s third largest manufacturer.Also,

Cement factory in Obajana Ashaka Cement is investing N100 billion to increase capacity to 4m tonne per annum, Real Sector Watch has gathered.

“We are now increasing the production capacity to 4 million tons per annum by improving the existing cement plant to 1.5m tonne per annum. This will entail the building of a coal-fired captive power plant and building of a complete new cement plant of 2.5m tonne per annum capacity at the total estimated

cost of over N100 billion,’’ said Umaru Kwairanga, chairman, AshakaCem, during the expansion capacity groundbreaking ceremony held in Gombe State, recently.

In 2010, BUA International Limited acquired Damnaz Cement Company Limited and became indirectly the majority shareholder in Cement Company of Northern Nigeria and its technical partner. The firm also acquired Edo Cement Factory.

A pact was subsequently signed for the construction of a $500 million new plant and ancillary projects at Edo Cement situated in Okpella. It is expected that the plant has the potential capacity of 2.5m tonnes.

Renaissance Capital attributed the growing fortunes of the sector to beneficial government incentives, notably the Backward Integration Policy, which initially limited cement importation to market players committed to developing their own domestic production capacity. They also add that eventual outlaw of finished cement importation as well as aggressive infrastructure developments around the country have ramped up the growth of the industry.

Other stakeholders also concur.

“The backward integration policy of the government along with the strong support of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment has been a catalyst for the growth of the cement sector. It should be emulated in other manufacturing sub-sectors as a role model,’’ said Olivier Lenoir, managing director, Unicem

Nigerians pay more for food as FG’s income declines by N154.6billion

T

he federal government was N154.56 billion short in July of N784.88 billion it collected in June.

The Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, revealed while at the end of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), meeting stating that only about N630.32 billion revenue was realized.

Similarly, cost of food stuffs has risen according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which adduced the Food index edged higher to 9.9 percent in July from 9.8 percent in June.

This means that since March this year Nigerians have had to pay more for food items especially stuff like bread and cereals, meats, and fish groups.

On the decline in revenue, the minister said the sharp decline was largely due to a series of shutdown of trunk lines and pipelines at various terminals noting that Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), for instance was forced to shut down severally.

This Force Majeure, according to him, is always declared by a company to bring to the attention of their customers about unforeseen developments in their operations that may likely make meeting obligations to scheduled contracts difficult or impossible.

The minister also identified the substantial decline experienced by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, in their Companies Income Tax, CIT, collections as also contributory to the dip in revenue for the month under review.

In spite of the shortfall in revenue accruals, the minister said FAAC still distributed a total sum of N654.58 billion to the three tiers of government as allocation from all revenue sources, an amount that is N30.31 billion more than what was shared in June.

Meanwhile, the rising cost of food stuffs was weighed upon by slower increases in the dairy, sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery; and coffee, tea and cocoa groups, according to NBS. “After increasing at a faster pace for the previous three months, the pace of price increases measured by the ‘All items less farm produce’ or Core sub-index eased in July,” a report from the National Bureau of Statistics said.

Prices, it added, rose by 7.1 percent (year-on-year), a full percentage point lower than the rate recorded in June, while slower price increases in the alcoholic beverages, tobacco and kola; clothing and footwear; housing water, electricity. Gas and other fuel; and many other divisions contributed to the muted increases in the Core sub-index.

On a month on month basis, the agency said price increases in the headline index eased for the second consecutive month, with prices increasing by 0.65 percent in July, lower from a 0.77 percent increase in June.

The slower price increase of the Headline index in July were equally driven by a slower rise in all areas that contribute to the index, with Urban prices (year-on-year) increasing at a faster pace for the third consecutive month in July.

Rural prices, on the other hand, followed a similar trend over the period, increasing by 8.1 percent from 8.0 percent in June. On a month on month basis, the bureau said the pace of increases in Urban prices eased in July after advancing faster for two consecutive months, with Urban Headline index increasing by 0.70 percent, about 0.1 percentage points lower from June. The Rural All-items index rose at a slower pace by 0.60 percent in July, down

from 0.74 percent in June.

The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the 12-month period ending in July 2014 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve-month period was recorded at 8.0 percent, unchanged from the average 12-month rate of change recorded in June 2014.

The corresponding 12-month year-on-year average percentage change for the Urban index stood at 8.1 percent in July, unchanged in the previous month, while the corresponding Rural index eased to 7.8 percent for the Month of July.

Food prices, as observed by the Food sub-index, the report stated, rose by 9.9 percent (year-on-year) in July, marginally higher from 9.8 percent recorded in the previous month.“This is the highest price increase observed in a year, and an advancement in the pace of price increases for the fifth consecutive month,” the report said.

It attributed the price increases during the month to price increases in fruits, vegetables, and potatoes, yam and other tuber groups.

On a month-on-month basis, food prices increase recorded approximately the same rate of change for four consecutive months by 0.8 percent, with highest price increases recorded in the Fruits, Meats, Fish, and Potatoes, Yam and Other Tubers groups.

On average annual rate of change of the Food sub-index for the 12-month period ending in July 2014, the report said it was 9.5 percent, unchanged from the previous month.

After increasing for three consecutive months, the pace of increase of “All items less Farm Produce” or Core index, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural products slowed during the month under review.

Prices rose by 7.1 percent, down from 8.1 percent in June, indicating the slowest price increase recorded since the beginning of the year. Price increases on a month-onmonth basis also slowed to this year’s low, as prices rose by 0.2 percent, down by 0.5 percentage points from June.

Foodstuff

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 49

Xtra Feature

Zamfara: FG, UNICEF committed to birth registration

By Ibrahim Sidi Muh'd, Gusau

T

he efforts of the federal government to establish a comprehensive databank on life births, still births and deaths through the National Population Commission (NpopC) has again received a boost from the UNICEF which organized a two-day stakeholders round table meeting in Zamfara state aimed at expanding awareness in obtaining these indices for economic purposes in the state and the nation in general.

In the past, records of births, deaths, still births were only left in the hands of many non- professionals, many of whom used the issuance of NpopC certificates for financial gains and as such failed to give the true position of the persons affected by such records. The situation drew the attention of the federal government to use one of its organs identified as NpopC in drawing up the databank, which can be referred to at any point in time to know the population of any particular part of the country as is done in developed nations.

Such figures would no doubt assist in designing programs and projects affecting communities, it can also form a yardstick in ascertaining damages caused by manmade or natural disasters and

how assistance can be advanced in order to ensure that all affected persons are not left out and governments can be seen to be fairly discharging its sworn responsibilities to the people.

As a sign of identifying with such noble objective and to ensure that Nigeria too followed such global standards, the UNICEF which is concerned most especially about child growth and welfare, lend its goodwill to Zamfara state by partnering with the NpopC which had severally complained of inadequate manpower to fully capture all indigenes of the state and issue them with the certificate to give professional advice and support on how to handle the objective and make it a huge success.

The round table dialogue brought together stakeholders that included officials of the NpopC, health workers including doctors, journalists, traditional rulers, officials of the universal basic education board and local government officials through the ministry for local government and chieftaincy affairs all of whom have divergent but direct linkages with communities at all levels making it easier to reach out and enlighten people on the importance of vital registration whereby there will be records on anything concerning the populace.

It was clear that, the idea be-

hind organising the 3-day round table dialogue facilitated by UNICEF was aimed at digging deep to come up with multiple ways of inculcating the people across the state to positively understand why the registration of birth and death that occurred at homes and hospitals are ought to be recorded.

Among other category of facilitators been selected for preliminary conduction of birth registration in the state were town criers and Information Officers of the 14 local government councils of the state bringing about close to 200 people.

By achieving the desired goal, when managing its economic national plan, the federal government would be able to share out the due allocations to every community across the six geopolitical zones of the country so that too much grudges by the ruled against the leaders over mismanagement of public funds would be downhear to barest level.

There were efforts by the federal government's organs legitimately burdened with the designation of multitude number of lucrative programmes that have direct impact on human but, the number of birth and death, which were not captured by the operations rendered by the NpopC following dearth of cooperation from the affected communities, had stressed the whole system.

It was learnt that, all that is directly allocated by the federal government were unfortunately consumed by the largest number of unexpected beneficiaries, the situation that is believed to be the cause of high rate of unemployment and abject poverty among the populace. It is based on such a negative development that UNICEF extended its commitments to save the nation's economy from total collapse.

The Field 'B' office of the

“ Min. of Health, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu

Gov. Abdulaziz Yari UNICEF based in Kaduna state had recently laid a burden of the absolute path-finding towards the success of the exercise on the shoulders of a Child Protection Specialist (CPS), Barrister Ladi Alabi who, organised a 3-day round table meeting in collaboration with the National Population Commission (NpopC).

Barrister Alabi, while discussing on the federal government plans pertaining utilisation of resources and allocations, has strongly warned that, "It is worthy to note that, birth registration of a child facilitates easy access to healthcare and sound education provided by the government.

It also helps to secure job in the public sector as his or her birth is duly recorded, therefore, could benefit all provisions made for the registered citizens.

It would be worthy of note that, findings by the UNICEF showed the importance of traditional rulers and the need to work with journalists in Zamfara state.

This was so because people under the 17 emirate councils are loyal to the monarchs, and that they are addicted to the services of media

organisations.

Investigations by security experts in compliments with UNICEF operations around the globe had it that, negligence on birth, death and still birth registrations by the governments especially at the centre are liable of having accrued rate of crime as the threatening level of unemployment would continue to conceive abject poverty among the populace.

The exercise would facilitate government’s acquisition of the true figure of its plebeians that would guide economists in running their proposals over sharing of due allocations across the nation. It would also help to easily run the affairs of the governments at all tiers.

In developed countries, organisations that were burdened with the comprehensive figure of people in the country and for the federal government’s plans on national economic, they ensure all birth and death registrations and report to the authorities in control, which could be used to easily control the economy and crime.

Among other category of facilitators been selected for preliminary conduction of birth registration in the state were town criers and Information Officers of the 14 local government councils of the state bringing about close to 200 people.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Healthy Living

Cost of obtaining oral health care

With

Dr. Samuel Omodele Awosolu 08108155239 (SMS only) samawosolu@yahoo.co.uk (Text only) Dental problems are massive and under reported in the general population as in most developing countries, yet access and affordability prevents the problem from abating, bearing in mind that preventive oral health is cheaper than the curative aspect in most occasions.

Diet as we all know impairs on general health and indeed oral health most especially , the drawback is that whilst dietary styles in the western world is changing for the better that in the developing world seems to have progressed to the poor level that caused oral health problems in the developed nations. Whilst there are no clear cut statistics to determine this accurately it becomes clear that the reportage of those in the treatment theatre or frontline I mean the dentist is one of increasing worsening oral health status of the average citizen. This can be extrapolated to be a general reflection of the population as a whole. n the United Kingdom for example The NHS National Health Service was created to tackle this inequality to access health care and oral health care inclusive.

It is worth mentioning that no health care is perfect no matter the best intentions , however they are to be seen in trying to address teething health issues for example obamacare was derided by the opposition parties as being socialist , communist and of poor quality even by Ben Carson one of the foremost neuro surgeons known for hemi spherectomies that is dividing the brain into two in a living person whilst the person survived. There are different schemes for dental health worldwide from capitation where a monthly contribution is paid by the patient and passed to the dentist or general practitioner minus the administration fees.

I H

ealth care delivery has its teething problems and limitations. There is the ideal of healthcare delivery being affordable, accessible and without any prejudice to health, race, gender etc.

Inequality on the other hand is not acceptable ideally in the delivery of health care services and indeed oral health care.

This brings the discourse to the crux of the matter. It is believed by many school of thought that the oral health care status of the individual indeed reflects on the general well being of the individual. This does not resonate well with the majority of the populace.

This is easily attributable to the level of awareness /education/ perception. A sizeable majority of the population feel that the teeth is not as important as other organ systems , heart, lungs , kidney etc.

The reverse is actually easy to actualise as the oral cavity is the inroad to the innermost parts of the body; it is then subjected to a lot of wear and tear.

It is easier to pay a medical doctor or physician a couple f thousands in consultative and treatment fees as the other may request for some tests from laboratory obtain blood etc then he prescribes medication.

In contrast most people that visit the dentist come at the terminal stage of tooth decay and any

other debilitating disease , so the treatment is often not conservative, A lot of people then have the misinformed notion dentistry is all about extraction, However far from dentistry just being an extraction of the teeth. Dentistry however is more than that there are restorative procedures, dietary advice, advice on cessation on smoking etc. t is necessary to say that most pre requisite to set up a private dental surgeries are quite more extensive, expensive than a medical consulting room. The machinery have to be shipped from overseas, similarly consumables are to be shipped from overseas very rarely are things used in dentistry, manufactured locally. With the exchange rate unfavourably skewed against the Nigerian currency, the naira... Rotary instruments need to be maintained with parts from overseas and engineers hard to source even locally. Then there is the attendant epileptic power supply so incurring costs of generating sets , inverters or solar energies, Other complimentary equipment , x-ray machine, panorex x ray machines, annual license fees, professional staff bills , rent, regular continuing education as the professional field is rapidly changing and new innovations and techniques and materials the dentist then needs to update himself and move with the times.

I

Local Government fees, taxes and rates. In government hospitals these fees are highly subsidised.

This brings the decision to set dental fees up, the overheads are important to view and sometimes the dentists are realistic about the initial profit. It might be necessary to set achievable profit levels. The foregoing makes dental services likely to be a little on the above average cost. entists and most professionals are not helped with their inability to access soft cushioned loans from the banks who in turn inform of the myriad of banking regulations placed on them by the apex banks, a sort of catch 22 situations.

D

The treatment that can be provided by the dentist are clearly specified, some may be excluded like laboratory fees, specialist treatment etc.

There are medical insurance schemes where costs of the treatment are reimbursed to the dentist. Corporate dental schemes for parastatals , banks and oil companies covering their staff and relations and the ones of course for office holders up to a dastardly and stupendous amount of 100 million naira ,� hmmmm there is God oh“.

There are saving schemes done usually with the dentist consent for more specialised treatment where orthodontics, straightening of crooked teeth is involved.

The National health insurance scheme is currently implemented in only three states in the federation, years after the promises. The Minister of Health has promised cover for an age group by year end, I am watching a la siddon look, not a sceptic though on this I sure am.

The downer is that the PHCN just like every promise over r promise year after year still generates the same wattage twenty years after; again there is God in everything we do. o rather than move forward my people in these times and since the last millennia I beg that we have in relative time moved backwards... The prepaid meters promised and manufactured in the country so I was told was ready tell that to the IKEJA PHCN. Let it be known that when people see value in leadership followership is a for gone conclusion so rather than titles, awards it is time to evaluate and do actual performance. Next time we go to the dentist we need to value the subtle and subliminal factors that make dentistry seem costly. Once a year visits to the dentist is much cheaper and will not break the bank or leave a hole in anyone’s pocket.

S

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

FROM THE PULPIT The battle is the Lord’s (II) A

s I said in my introduction last week, life is full of battles both physical and spiritual. People are faced with battles over health, marriages, children, finances and businesses, career etc. In these battles, there are victims or causalities and there’re victors. But in Jesus’ name you’ll not be a victim; you’ll be a victor. You won’t be the overpowered; you’ll be the overcomer.

Don’t be intimidated by your enemy’s reputation Child of God, whatever is the challenge you’re facing now, have faith in God. Believe that the battle is not yours; it is God’s. Let your trust not be in any other thing, any other person or yourself. Don’t be intimidated by the credentials or reputation of the opposition.

That is immaterial when God is fighting your battle for you. “The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory — for all its strength, it cannot save you.” (Ps 33:16-17 NLT) Goliath had far better credentials than David but David still cut off his head. You’ll cut off the head of that challenge in Jesus’ name.

Yes, because God is fighting on your side. If God is fighting for you, it makes no difference those who’re fighting against you. (Rom 8:31) They’re already defeated.

Don’t fear; those who’re with you are more than those who’re with them. (2 Kings 6:16) He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) The battle is the Lord’s.

Jonathan told his armour bearer that they should go across to see the pagan Philistines encamped against them in battle declaring, “Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”

(1Sam 14:6 NLT) And true to

Jonathan’s faith declaration, God fought for them. They defeated an army stronger and better equipped than the Israelites. In fact, the Bible says the army of Israel was deeply afraid of the Philistine army. 1 Sam 13:6 says, “When the men of Israel saw the vast number of enemy troops, they lost their nerve entirely and tried to hide in caves, holes, rocks, tombs, and cisterns.” (NLT) It was that bad. Verse 7 says, “Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear.” (NLT) Israel was so disadvantaged to the point that none among the Israelites had a sword or spear, except Saul and Jonathan. (Verse 22) So, physically speaking, it was a lost battle. But God always responds to the faith of people who believe in Him. Jonathan and his armour bearer were daring; they had faith in God, and God fought the battle for the Israelites.

The Philistines were roundly defeated. God will do the same for you if you‘ll trust Him to fight your battle for you. I decree, all your ‘Philistines’ will flee before you in Jesus’ name. According to the word of God, “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.” (Deut 28:7 NKJV) This word shall be fulfilled in your life in Jesus’ name.

God shall silent every boastful enemy Without the children of Israel fighting any battle God defeated the Egyptians for them. He buried them in the Red Sea. Also without the people of Judah using any weapon, God destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and boastful King Sennacherib ran home from camp. He couldn’t enter Jerusalem just as the prophet had said. (Is 37:33-35) It was a national disaster for the Assyrians,

unprecedented massacre! God did it for the Israelites because Hezekiah, the king of Judah, cried to Him for deliverance (Verses 1520) and God took over the battle as His. Expectedly, the enemy lost.

When King Sennacherib who was overwhelmed by mysterious death of 185,000 soldiers in his army got home, he was killed by his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, right before his god.

(Verses 36-38) Just as the Lord defeated the Egyptians, the Assyrians, Goliath and the Philistines, the same way He defeated the Ethiopians when King Asa of Judah put his trust in Him alone. (2Chron 14:9-13) Ordinarily, Judah was no match for the Ethiopians just as Judah was no match for the Assyrians. The Ethiopians came against Judah with an army of one million men and three hundred chariots. They were superior.

King Asa of Judah admitted this when he told God that it wasn’t a problem for God to help with many or with those who have no power. He trusted God and went in His name against the superior army of the Ethiopians.

God turned the battle against the Ethiopians; the powerful fled before the weak, and the weak pursued the powerful! God gave the victory to Judah. In the name of Jesus, all the powerful forces fighting against you, their power will fail them. God will turn the battle against your enemies. He’ll overthrow them; they shall not prevail against you. You may be weak but you shall pursue them and humiliate them.

The strength of the army isn’t what is important when God is involved. The God who defeated the Egyptians, the Assyrians, Goliath and the Philistines and the Ethiopians will defeat all your enemies. Call upon Him like Moses did. Cry unto Him like

GREEN PASTURES

BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 Hezekiah cried. Cry unto Him like Asa did. Put your trust in Him like David did.

The psalmist says, “I do not trust my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. It is you who gives us victory over our enemies; it is you who humbles those who hate us.” (Ps 44:6-7 NLT) With the best army in the world, Assyria under Sennacherib was defeated without Israelites firing one shot. The scripture cannot be broken. Put your trust in the Lord; let Him fight your battle for you. “The strength of a horse does not impress him; how puny in his sight is the strength of a man. Rather, the LORD’s delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Ps 147:10-11NLT) Lift up your head to the Lord – He is the Lord strong and Mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

(Ps. 24:8) Ex 15:3 calls Him, “A man of war” (NKJV), “A warrior” (NLT) Verse 6 says His right hand is glorious in power and dashes the enemy to pieces. (NLT) God’s right hand will give you victory in the battles of life. He’ll shatter all the powers against you.

Conclusion: The battle is the Lord’s doesn’t mean go to sleep.

No. The Israelites, David, people of Judah etc. all did something.

You must keep obeying God’s Word and follow His instructions; you must keep praying. Face your enemy in the name of Jesus. Do all you need to do and can do in His power, and He’ll magnify your efforts. It may look as if the enemy

will swallow you or overpower you. No. God will not deliver you to the will of your adversaries. (Ps 27:12) The waves of the battles of life may toss and roar, but they can never pass the bounds set by God. “‘Do you not fear Me?’ says the LORD.’ Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.’” (Jer. 5:22 NKJV) Your enemies are under the perpetual decree of God not to triumph over you! “The ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:5 NLT) You’ll win the battle over that sickness, marriage, child, business, career etc. Have faith in God. He’ll fight your battle for you.

TAKE ACTION! If you’ll like to give your life to Jesus, kindly say this prayer now: “0 Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of and confess my sins. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today.

By this prayer, I know I am saved.

Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God”

Following christ till the end Luke 9:59,60,57,58,61,62; John 21:19-23; Revelation 14:4

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any people profess they follow the Lord.

While some follow Him aright, others do not. To hear the Lord say, “Follow me” is a great privilege and call. The response of some is, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.”

They prioritized on personal obligations, pursuit and goals before responding to divine imperative. Christ teaches that we should place the spiritual above the mundane, divine call above legitimate personal obligations and leave earthly concerns that conflict with God’s demands upon our lives for others to handle.

Out of personal volition, some other people say, “Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest” without knowing the full implications. They soon renege on their promise because of their unwillingness to pay the

accompanying price. “I will” indicates readiness, decision, determination to follow the Lord and fulfil destiny in spite of difficulties and challenges that may come. Not to sound frivolous, we need to thoughtfully weigh the words we speak in the presence of Christ. “And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.”

This represents yet another of group who express their desire to follow the Lord but prioritize on self or other pressing obligations above Christ. All who are called or seek to follow the Lord but do not give Him first place in their lives are not “fit for the kingdom of God.” The word, “follow” is repeated in verses 57,59 and 60. Christ’s call and demand from everyone to “follow” is ever current. This call is personal, pertinent and peculiar. Christ teaches that following Him requires erasing every other person, programme, project and problem competing

BY PASTOR W.F KUMUYI for attention from the mind and concentrating on Him. People who take the decision, possess the determination and maintain the discipline to follow the Lord through are those who will eventually get to heaven.

Following Christ till the end is His desire, demand and declaration.

1.

THE MASTER OF TRUE FOLLOWERS John 13:13,15; Matthew 6:24; Luke 6:40; 2 Timothy 2:19-21; Exodus 21:1-6.

“Ye call me Master

and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.” Jesus is our Master. Every believer must acknowledge Him as his only Master who has no rival. Accepting Jesus as Master comes with obligation: “that ye should do as I have done to you.”

As our Master and Model, we are to live like Him, obey Him in all things and serve Him. No true believer can serve two masters at the same time. Two masters will have conflicting perspectives, understanding, approaches, outlooks, worldviews and projects. It is literally impossible

to obey two masters. With Jesus as our Saviour, Lord and Master, we cannot belong to two religions at the same time. Neither can we take money, man, Satan or society to be our master. Our resolve will be to follow, live, walk, pray, think and act like Jesus. Our yardstick for decision on any issue regarding our faith will be, “what would Jesus do?” Having been cleansed, “sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work”, we will continue to “follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart”. The covenant between us and the Master will generate commitment from us towards Him. To own Christ as a loving Master who gave us salvation, healing, deliverance and entitlement to heaven will lead to reciprocal bonding to Him. While those who backslide lose all the privileges and blessings they receive from the Master, believers who cleave to Him bear the marks of divine ownership.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

S P OR T Page 52

Women’s World Cup: Nigeria face Germany in World Cup final g 54 Page

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

Sports What is Drogba bringing back to the Bridge?

Didier Drogba

By Taofeek Lawal ake no mistake about it. He is one of the deadliest strikers in football world. Didier Tebily Drogba is a goalkeeper’s nightmare anytime he is on the pitch. The defenders dread him too. He is a player who delivers his team whenever the need arises. Today, he is a legend for both Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire where he gave his best during his youthful years. Though he was unlucky not to have won any trophy for his country but his exploit earned him respect in the continent as he was named twice as Africa Best Footballer by the Confederations of African Football (CAF) in 2006 and 2009 respectively. Drogba is a global brand that everyone would like to be associated with. He is a leader both on and off the pitch and possesses the charisma that attracts team mates and coaches alike. He is a match winner anytime and his touches are legendary, accurate and precise.

The former Elephants captain who announced his retirement from international football this month made his mark in the English Premier League (EPL) during his first stint in Chelsea. He moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2004 and by the time he left in 2012, he has become a folk hero in Chelsea’s history book. It was Jose Mourinho who noticed the predatory instincts in him and brought him to the Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £24million one of the highest in the EPL then.

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The big forward did not disappoint his master as he was part of the team that won the League shield back to back during the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons. By the time he left former English champions in 2012, the goal poacher has won 12 trophies with the London club. He won the League title 3 times (2004/05, 2005/06, 2009/10), FA Cup 4 times (2006/07, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2011/12), League Cup 2 times (2004/05, 2006/07), Community Shield 2 times (2005, 2009) and the Champions League in 2011/12 season.

Drogba singlehandedly delivered the elusive trophy to Chelsea owner, Roman Abrahamovic through his man of the match display against Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. He not only scored the equalizing goal at the tail end of the game, his last penalty kick after extra time gave Chelsea the first ever Champions League trophy.

Many have questioned Mourinho’s decision to bring the “predator” back to the Bridge at the twilight of his career.

They attacked the Portuguese tactician for offloading Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba and bringing a player who they argued has past his prime at the age of 36. To them, Drogba at that age has nothing to offer again at the top level while Eto’o and Ba at age 34 and 29 could still deliver if given the chance.

Defending his signing, Mourinho described Drogba as “one of the best strikers in Europe” believing that the Ivorian still have some points to prove as the race to the

league title start in earnest. “He is still very adapted to the needs of the Premier League and we are thinking about it in a nonemotional way. If you bring him back it is not because he is Didier or scored the most important goal in the history of Chelsea, or because I read I need an assistant, no. If I bring him back, and the decision has to be made soon, it is because as a player he has qualities to make the team stronger. The team is not about the eleven. It is about the different options and as an option I would not say no about the possibility,” Mourinho said.

No one should blame Mourinho for bringing back Drogba to the rigours of the English league. Despite the presence of the trio of Fernando Torres, Eto’o and Ba as his front men, Chelsea went trophyless last season as the aforementioned players

failed to deliver when it mattered most.

Although, Drogba could be a fringe player at the club this season, Mourinho believes that his presence at the club could inspire the younger players in the team to give their best. Also new players like Cesc Fabregas, Luis Felipe and Mario Pasalic will need a player of Drogba calibre around them. Diego Costa who joined from La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid will enjoy Drogba’s partnership and influence on and off the pitch to adapt to the high tempo of English football and deliver the trophies to London club at the end of the 2014/15 football season next year May. Remember, Champions League trophy still eludes Mourinho at Chelsea and who knows with Drogba around, the former Real Madrid manager could deliver the foremost trophy in Europe to owner

NFF on fire

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ootball lovers on Wednesday received with shock the news that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Glass was gutted by fire amidst ongoing power play among football administrators at the Glass House. Peace has eluded football administration in Nigeria immediately after the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil.

It has been a case of accusation and counter accusation between Aminu Maigari faction

and Mike Umeh faction over who will administer football in the country. The fire coming at the time when Maigari was just reinstated back to office as NFF President

by FIFA must be probed so that Nigerians can know whether Maigari has something to hide or it is an act of sabotage from his “enemies” who want to nail his coffin at all cost. This madness at NFF must stop once and for all.

PAGE 54

Sports

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

I’m not in charge of Super Eagles, says Keshi Stories by Albert Akota

F

ormer Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi speaks to Peoples Daily Sports about his future with the Super Eagles and his contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), list of players for the AFCON 2015 qualifiers against Congo, South Africa, lucrative offers from elsewhere and others, excerpts.

We shall be talking to the Super Eagles coach Stephen No no no, I’m no longer the Super Eagles coach because I don’t have a contract with them at this moment.

So shall we say ‘former’ Super Eagles coach then?

Yes, that’s better.

Alright, former Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi. A lot has been said about your position with the Super Eagles and negotiations between your representatives and the NFF have been protracted.

Tell us what exactly the issues are.

Well I think the NFF should be in a better position to answer that, because I have already told them what I want and they haven’t gotten back to me, whether it’s a yes or no. so that’s how it stands now.

But we understand that you have asked for an N15m monthly salary and the NFF are insisting on the N5m they already offered.

Okay, my friend let me be the interviewer now. If you have worked at a place for almost three years on the same pay and having recognized that you have done well and your employers want you to continue but still on the same pay, would you take it?

(Laughs) Probably not Okay, thank you for your honesty, because that’s what I think too.

There’s the argument that there’s been a lot going on at the Glass House, with the forthcoming elections which may have somewhat stalled their negotiations with you and also the recent being their office which was gutted by fire on Wednesday. Maybe there’s been too much for them to handle after all.

What? Fire? How and when? You mean the NFF office?

Yes Oh my God, that’s bad. Whoa.

I hope everybody is okay though, and I hope it wasn’t serious.

The building was badly affected but nobody got hurt. Coach, you’ve asked for N15m a month. What if they offer N7m?

Well, if there’s an improvement to their initial offer, I might consider if I’m free, but I haven’t heard from them. If there is an improvement and everything is in place, then I will talk to them.

Looking back now, at the offers you have lost – the ones from South Africa and Angola, would you say you are disappointed?

No, I am not disappointed because I see it as the will of God. If God had wanted me to be in any of those places, I would have been there now.

I don’t think it is a problem because I see it as the will of God and I have taken it that way. So for as long as there is life, there’s always another opportunity.

You were said to have been involved with the technical committee in selecting of players for the AFCON qualifiers against Congo and South Africa.

I selected the players because they (NFF) called me to do so and I did. I did so and advised the secretary (Dayo Enebi) to contact the players.

I hope the coach that will lead them to the games will find them useful, because every coach is different and view players differently, and the major reason why I did the selection is because I have the Super Eagles in my blood and it wasn’t difficult. I wish the players and the team well.

But coach, there’s also been talks about hiring you on a temporary basis to oversee the games against Congo and South Africa if your contract isn’t sorted before then. Would you be up for it?

No, no no. I cannot do that. I am a professional and I cannot do that. There has to be a contract for me to lead the team for games.

I am a patriotic Nigerian and I have showed it many times, but now it’s about my career and I cannot lead the team for the two games with the hope that my contract will be sorted. That’s not a professional way of doing things.

Interesting Coach, but why did you leave out the trio of Babatunde Michael, Osaze Odemwingie and Victor Moses from the list?

For Babatunde Michael, he’s just returning from the injury he sustained at the World Cup and he’s not yet in a good shape to play matches and he knows it.

For Osaze, I just didn’t want to put him on the list for now.

For Victor Moses, well he just

Former Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi moved to a new club and I want him to settle down for a little bit.

If they are not on the team doesn’t mean we do not have other players that can do the job.

Finally, so what’s next for Coach Stephen Keshi?

I’m just here and waiting for the next opportunity that comes.

There’s nothing much really.

Thank you very much for your time Coach.

Thank you my dear, you’re welcome. Take care of yourself.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23,- SUNDAY 24, AUGUST, 2014

PAGE 55

Magath confident Fulham will return to EPL next season

By Taofeek Lawal

Despite not picking a point from their last three games, Fulham manager Felix Magath is adamant the team can make an immediate comeback into the English top flight despite their early struggles.

The German was saying this after their 0-1 home loss to

Wolves in the third game of the Championship > league.

Fulham, Cardiff City and Norwich were relegated to the second division at the end of last season. While the other two are in second and sixth respectively, Fulham are in 23rd position. The 60-year-old however admits the task of winning promotion from

Sports

Gbolahan Salami excited with Super Eagles invitation

By Taofeek Lawal

the Championship is bigger than he and club owner Shahid Khan had anticipated. “I’m convinced that we can manage it this season,” Magath said. “He [Khan] knows that it might be more difficult than we thought.”

Fulham remain pointless following Wednesday’s 1-0 home loss to Wolves.

Women’s World Cup: Nigeria face Germany W in World Cup final

Gbolahan Salami

By Albert Akota

N

igeria will play Germany in the Fifa U-20 Women’s World Cup final in Canada at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium on Sunday after beating Korea DPR and France respectively.

The Nigerians female team defeated Korea DPR 2:6 to breeze to the finale for the second time in the competition while Germany overran France 2-1.

Four goals from star woman Asisat Oshoala plus one each from Courtney Dike and Uchechi Sunday

arri Wolves striker, Gbolahan Salami has revealed that he is excited with his invitation to the Super Eagles camp for the game in the Africa Cup of Nations against Congo and South Africa.

Salami who has scored 11 goals for the Warri side revealed to FCNaija.com that he is a very happy man with the recognition from the National Team coaches.

“I must confess that I was very happy and i jumped up for joy when I learnt that I have been invited to join other players for the Super Eagles Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo and South Africa.”

It shows there is a reward

ensured the Nigerians recorded an emphatic win against the pacy Asians who got their consolation goals through Ri Un-Sim and a penalty from Jon So-Yon. An early goal through Dike was set up by player of the match Oshoala and made no mistake in putting the ball past goalkeeper Chol Ok. Oshoala doubled the lead in the 24th minute after capitalising on a poor touch from defender Song Kyong-Hui before making mince meat of the Korean goalkeeper and scoring into an empty net.

Asisat Oshoala

Fabregas in Chelsea colours strange-Wenger Fabregas

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rsenal manager, Arsene Wenger said that it was

strange to see former Arsenal midfielder, Cesc Fabregas in a

Chelsea shirt. Fabregas spent eight years at Arsenal and captained the side before moving the Barcelonain 2011.

After three years with the Catalan side, the Spain international decided to return to England but Wenger turned down the opportunity to re-sign the player and he completed a £30 million move to Arsenal’s London rivals, Chelsea. Fabregas made his EPL debut for Chelsea in their 3-1 win against Burnley and Wenger stated that though it was strange seeing the player in blue, he has no regret turning down the opportunity to bring him back to the Emirate. “I have no regrets that Fabregas joined Chelsea. My only regret is that he left us in the first place.

It was strange to see Cesc in a Chelsea shirt. We have to accept that players move. It was difficult for me to see him leave but we accept he moved,” Wenger said.

for hardwork because I have done my best this season for Warri Wolves this season. It is long expected and I promise to do my best to justify the confidence reposed in me.

It is a call to service and it is an opportunity to meet and train with the foreign based players,” Salami said. “This invitation has shown me that if I do my best in Nigeria, I can also get to play for the senior national team. I am so happy and I can’t wait for the camping to start,” he added.

The Super Eagles will begin camping for the games against Congo and South Africa, September 1, in Calabar as the match will come up September 6th.

EPL Week 2 fixtures 23, Aug. 2014 Aston Villa v Newcastle

Chelsea v Leicester

Crystal Palace v West Ham

Southampton v West Brom

Swansea v Burnley

Everton v Arsenal

Hull v Stoke

Tottenham v QPR

Sunderland v Manchester United

Manchester City v Liverpool

Nigeria Premier League table Team Kano Pillars Nasarawa Unt’d.

Dolphins Warri Wolves Enyimba Abia Warriors Lobi Stars Giwa Akwa United Heartland Sunshine Stars Sharks El Kanemi Warriors Taraba Enugu Rangers Bayelsa United Gombe United Crown Kaduna United Nembe City

P 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24

W 11 11 10 11 10 11 12 10 10 8 8 9 9 10 9 9 8 8 8 5

D 7 5 8 4 7 4 1 5 5 10 10 7 5 2 4 3 5 3 3 8

L 6 8 6 9 7 9 11 9 9 6 6 8 10 12 11 12 11 13 13 11

P 40 38 38 37 37 37 37 35 35 34 34 34 32 32 31 30 29 27 27 23

BIG PUNCH We are confident that under such a condition, there would be a free and fair election. So we are asking the federal government to lift temporarily the curfew — Lai Mohammed, APC National Publicity Secretary on the Adamawa governorship poll

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY — SUNDAY, AUGUST 23-24, 2014

Re: Agenda for IBB O ne would have just kept quiet to the misinformation of Abu Najakku in another of his “Agenda for Ibrahim Babangida 2” but just like the words of an American Motivational speaker Jim Rohn you don’t encourage people on the negative path, you educate them. It will amount to encouraging him on the negative path if one keeps quiet as he exposes his follies.

It is very illogical that Abu Najakku wrote that General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida spoke about 2003 election as if he was speaking about 2015, albeit if that fact is acknowledged

by Najakku, this means that by inference he knows that IBB is visionary, contradictorily however , he painted his intention in lucid colour on where his sentiment lies especially when he brought into play issues surrounding General Muhammadu Buhari’s relationship with IBB on what was strictly their military engagements.

Most irrational is the point made earlier that General Babangida is now an ordinary Nigerian who is in Tawdry time and the same ordinary Nigerian in Tawdry time he referred to in his first write up of Tuesday of the 12th August 2014, that he is now calling on to be in the forefront for “search for competent and God fearing leader who can manage our complexity, appreciate our diversity, guarantee our national security and stability and ensure our prosperity”.

With his skewed mind he has conceded that IBB is not an ordinary Nigeria living in “Tawdry Times” after all, but again he wrote about IBB many failings. Lest I forget the IBB University Lapai was not established by the Chief Servant Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu as he posited, but was established by the administration of Engr.

Abdulkhadir Kure, forgiven!

Because his write up is a product of not a well researched writing; writings scarcely researched are always the attributes of hatchet work.

A logical mind will not refer to IBB personal ventures as failing ventures, listing projects like the proposed University, Magazines, and IBB proposed book as failings shows the depth of the mind of the writer. IBB, the writer will accept is not a man you referred to as a man of failings, whereas I will not give his Ignorance the luxury to explain

the positions of all the projects listed, I will point it out that Najakku should stop taking the name of Daily Trust to disrepute and making the Newspaper lost in affairs of honour, because of the shallowness exhibited in the writing.

Nigeria Media will continue to fall over themselves whenever IBB speak because, they know that IBB is one of the few Nigerians that have assumed conveniently the role of elder statesmanship and always take steps that will continue to keep the nation as one. IBB has always being there, for the service to Nigeria and has remained a symbol of true nationalists.

Everybody following development of events in the country will know that the ambition of General Babangida in 2011 was a product of calls from the people, handing over power and taking over power to every good Muslim should always be seen as the act of God, No matter the scheming and aspiration of an individual, if Allah SWT has not granted one power it will not be possible.

Based on this belief one could just expect Najakku to know that Allah SWT has his appointed time for everybody. What evidence has Abu Najakku therefore has to show that IBB is rapacious, IBB would not have stepped aside in 1993 if he is so selfish as painted

by Najakku against national interest.

IBB was not the only Nigerian leader who took over power through coup even General Buhari came through coup against an elected government, it should be therefore clear to Najakku that certain variables based on the providence of Allah SWT make

“

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SATURDAY COLUMN By

Mahmud Abdullahi

Gen. Ibrahim Babangida certain leaders to emerge.

Some Nigeria leaders by design of Allah SWT died while in office so also there were leaders

who emerged from where and when people least expected, a typical example is our present President Goodluck Jonathan

His administration opened the economy of Nigeria and the potentials of the people of Nigeria to come to terms with the fact that government could not be a good businessman hence he came up with commercialization and privatization of some government agencies; a policy that has been adopted by succeeding administrations.

who nobody ever gave a chance to rule Nigeria.

The more people like Najakku accept certain variables and happenings as the act of God, the more objectives they can be, rather than always hiding under one sentiment or the other to support any body in their own estimation the best to rule Nigeria.

IBB was able to ensure that sound economic policies were put in place, his administration opened the economy of Nigeria and the potentials of the people of Nigeria to come to terms with the fact that government could not be a good businessman hence he came up with commercialization and privatization of some government agencies; a policy that has been adopted by succeeding administrations.

The question is that, do policy aimed at making the economy more productive and peopleoriented a way of liberalizing corruption, deregulating hunger and privatizing poverty?

Today government is pursuing Privatization, and the ones before it did same because it is the best for the nation in the new economic order that could easily link the nation’s economy to the international communities.

Najakku can be forgiven for his elementary and disjointed psyche about how a country should be ran, no policy that is sustainable and with long term benefit, has no immediate side effect. IBB is not and will not be the first Nigeria leader whose policy has come under condemnation, but today all his policies condemned were being rewind to make the nation relevant economically yet people like Najakku cannot read in between the line.

Babangida as a gallant officer took responsibility of the annulment of the election in 1993, and the annulment from what IBB has said times without number has given the hint that the election was not annulled based on personal interest but National interest which mechanics and systemic structure people like Najakku may chose to be unaware of.

Extolling the virtues of Buhari and be insolent to IBB will not in any way change anything for the former , it pays no body to try to set the two distinguish Nigerians against each other in a bid to do the other a favour, Najakku should look for another Hatchet job , this one is a bad Job done.

Abdullahi was a one-time Chief Press Secretary to the Niger State Government.

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +2348142929046. Cell: +234 8024432099; 803 7007759 e-mail: contact@peoplesdaily-online.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail. com ISSN: 2141– 6141