Friday 24th January, 2014 by Peoples Media Limited

Vol. 12 No. 84

Friday, January 24, 2014

. . . putting the people first

C Cholera outbreak kills 4 in Bauchi >> Pg 5

Rabiul Awwal 23, 1435 AH

N150

4 Kano factory workers drown in sewage >> Pg 4

Rivers crisis:

APC orders NASS members to block Executive Bills . . . 2014 Budget, ministerial confirmation inclusive  It's an onslaught against Nigeria, says PDP >> Pg 2

Nigerian-made Nissandebuts in April By Stanley Onyekwere

R-L: Yobe state Governor, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam, in a chat with Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ahmad Lawan, after the National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday in Abuja.

hief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nissan Motors, Mr. Carlos Ghosn, yesterday announced that the company plans to roll-out the first made in Nigeria 4 X 4 Utility SUV in April this year, using the old Volkswagen Assembly plant owned by its partners. “We are interested in producing popular cars, totally adapted to the needs of Nigerians; and we also plan to bring the company’s global suppliers to make vehicle components in Nigeria”, Mr. Ghosn said during a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan. At the meeting, held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, The Nissan CEO commended the new automotive policy of the Nigerian government. According to Ghosn, the new policy would encourage the inflow of investments and technical expertise to boost domestic vehicle production. He added that it was possible to produce two to three million cars in Nigeria annually with the consequent creation of thousands of direct and indirect Contd. on Page 2

NationalAssemblybeginsdebateon2014Budgetnextweek

>>>>> Page 3

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

News CONTENTS News

2-10

Editorial

Op.Ed

Letters

Opinion

Metro

16-18

Business

19-22

Stockwatch S/Report Islam Int’l

23 24-25 26 27-31

2015: INEC promises to be unbiased umpire –Page 9

Vogue

32-33

Digest

Politics

37-38

Newsxtra

Sports

Columnist

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Nigerian-made Nissan debuts in April Contd. from Page 1 jobs. A statement signed by Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, said Jonathan assured Mr. Ghosn that his administration was committed to rapidly developing Nigeria’s automobile industry through diligent implementation

of the new automotive policy. Jonathan stressed that a key objective of the new policy was to make new cars affordable to more Nigerians. “The only way to reduce the preponderance of second hand cars on our roads is to produce good quality cars with affordable pricing locally. “The automobile industry in

Nigeria has a huge potential for growth. The market is not just Nigeria, but the entire West African region”, the president said. According to the statement, Jonathan also met with President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, who assured him of his personal participation in the WEF on Africa,

scheduled to hold in Abuja in May this year. It added that Jonathan later received the Mayor of Atlanta in the United States of America, Mr. Kasim Reed and Mr. Claude Dauphin, the President of Trafigura, a leading international commodities trading and logistics company.

Rivers crisis: APC orders NASS to stop 2014 Budget, ministerial nominees By Lawrence Olaoye & Umar Muhammad Puma

he All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday directed its members in the National Assembly to stop consideration of all legislative proposals from the Executive arm of government, including the 2014 Budget as well as confirmation of all nominees to military and civilian positions. The party’s position, taken at a meeting of its interim National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held yesterday in Abuja, is expected to remain in force until the rule of law and constitutionalism are restored in Rivers state in particular, and Nigeria in general. But in a swift riposte to the APC order, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the directive as an onslaught against Nigeria. The APC’s communique, issued at the end of the NEC meeting, was read by the Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. He said that in view of the joint resolution of the National Assembly on Rivers state and other constitutional breaches by the Presidency, the party had no

choice than to take the action in order to restore constitutionalism and the rule of law in the country, especially in Rivers state. “Despite blocking the entrance to the Government House in Port Harcourt and forcing the governor to use another entrance; as well as preventing an aircraft chartered by the state governor from taking off, alleging that the governor was trying to smuggle out a legislator wanted by the police, no apology was offered to the governor. “If the act of impunity and lawlessness continue unabated and the police persists in being used as an enforcement arm of the PDP to the detriment of our members, it will have no alternative than to ask our teeming members all over the country, and especially in Rivers state, to take whatever steps that are necessary to protect their lives and property”, the communique further said. According to the APC spokesman, the culture of lawlessness and impunity being promoted and supported by the Presidency, and execution by Rivers state Police Commissioner, Joseph Mbu, whom he said, has become the de facto military governor of Rivers state and sole administrator of

PDP in the state, must be stopped. The party commended the courage, maturity and political sagacity of Governor Rotimi Amaechi in the face of serial unprovoked and unwarranted assaults on his person, his constitutional right and those of the government and the people of Rivers state. “The conduct of Governor Amaechi represents our party’s maturity and compliance with the rule of law in response to escalating impunity. The APC is proud of him”, Mohammed stressed. The meeting was chaired by Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, and had in attendance General Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the governors of Rivers, Lagos, Edo, Nasarawa, Kwara, Borno Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Ekiti, and Ogun states. Similarly, and the deputy governors of Oyo, Imo, Kano, and Zamfara states, as well as other party leaders, attended the meeting. In the meantime, reacting to the call by the opposition leadership to its national lawmakers to block Executive Bills, especially those from the Presidency, the PDP said such

was a clear and direct call for anarchy. The party added the APC’s call was a vindication of PDP’s earlier position that the mega opposition party was out to destroy the institution of democracy and the unity of the nation. The PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, stated that, “in asking that service chiefs should not be confirmed by the Senate, the APC has revealed its devilish plot to undermine the nation’s security system, create a state of anarchy and pave way to unleash mayhem on the people”. The ruling party also said, “in trying to frustrate the passage of the 2014 Budget, the APC has also exposed its plot to cripple the nation’s economy and plunge the people into untold hardship”. According to the PDP, “by attempting to cause confusion in the National Assembly, which is the citadel of democracy, it is now clear to all Nigerians the APC has commenced the implementation of its orchestrated plot to truncate the nation’s democracy, push the country into a state of chaos and achieve its doomsday predictions; a plot which must be stopped”.

intends to reform the AMCON by setting up supervisory agency that will oversee the management of the AMCON funds. According to the Bill, the agency which will be independent, will have a board of trustees, to include representatives of the CBN, financial institutions, National Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and Ministry of Finance, among others. Speaking earlier on the need to allow the Bill pass second reading, Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Bassey Otu, who sponsored the Bill, said when passed into law, the Bill will prohibit any employee or member of the board of AMCON from being involved in the purchase of assets acquired by

the company. He also said that assets under litigation could be acquired by AMCON if the amendment being proposed are passed by the lawmakers, provided there is no restraining court order. Making a short remarks after the debate on the Bill, Senate President, David Mark called for punishment of those found culpable in the inability of the AMCON to manage the debts which it was set up to manage. He regretted that even as government is being asked to subsidise AMCON, those who contributed to its inability to live up to its responsibilities are going unpunished.

Senator Abdul Ningi, including other senators who made contributions on the Bill, regretted that years after AMCON was set up, it has not been able to live up to its responsibilities, one of which was to recover debts owed by commercial banks. On this bases, the Senate mandated its committee on banking to find out the exact amount which CBN injected into the AMCON, how judiciously the company has been able to utilise it, and how much it has recovered. Meanwhile, the Bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, with a directive to conclude legislative works on it and return it in one week period.

N5.6trn AMCON funds fruitless - Senate

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

enate has lamented the inability of the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) to effectively manage the N5.6 trillion which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had injected into the company to make it effective and efficient. To this end, the Senate yesterday passed for second reading, the Bill seeking to amend Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) Act, with a view to making the company live up to its responsibilities and expectations. The Bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to Amend Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Act 2010,”

Policemen bar suspended REA Boss from office, as SGF cancels board's decision By Etuka Sunday

our heavily armed policemen deployed by the supervisory board of Rural Electrification Agency (REA) yesterday prevented Mr Kenneth Achugbu from reporting for duties following his suspension by the board. The policemen were said to have been acting on the orders of the board chairman, Senator Jon-

athan Zwingina even when a letter was received from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to rescind the suspension. Narrating his ordeal, Achugbu said he was denied access to his office by the policemen even when the letter that was obtained from the SGF to cancel the suspension was pasted on the REA’s notice board. He noted that their action was based on interest, just as he ac-

cused it of hijacking the agency and mounting pressures on him to pay money for unexecuted projects, a case Achugbu claimed he had reported to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) earlier. Meanwhile, insider sources said a copy of the SGF’s letter was sent to Zwingina Wednesday to call off the suspension, adding that Achugbu’s lawyer was considering taking a legal action on the board members on their actions.

Recall that the supervisory board led by Senator Zwingina took the majority decision last Tuesday after the board meeting on the grounds of underperformance and inability to execute several projects under NREA. The board immediately appointed the most senior Director in the agency, Engr. Mohammed Abubakar Wasaram as acting Managing Director pending when the issue would be resolved.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

News NASS opens debate on 2014 budget next week By Ikechukwu Okaforadi & Mohammed Umar Puma

he National Assembly will commence debate on 2015 N4.6 trillion Appropriation bill (budget) forwarded by President Goodluck Jonathan next week. The Appropriation Bill was submitted late last year to the National Assembly by Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on behalf of the President after some face off between both chambers over the appropriate benchmark for crude oil. Meanwhile, as part of preparations for the debate, Senate has opened a register for registration of the names of the Senators who would want to make contributions during the three-day debate

which will commence on Teusday and end on Thursday, next week. Senate President, David Mark,who announced this before commencement of yesterday’s plenary, following a letter from the Senate Leader,Victor Ndoma-Egba,told his colleagues to prepare for a robust debate that would ensure effective and efficient 2014 budget. In a related development, Senate also referred the names of the service chiefs nominated by President Jonathan to its committees on Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force for screening. While urging the committees to ensure that their report on the screening is submitted in one week time, Mark also enjoined the committees to expedite legislative actions on it.

Similarly, the Senate referred nomination of Umaru Faruk Ahmed, from Katsina, by President Goodluck Jonathan, for appointment as a member of the Governing Board of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to its Committee on Works, charging them to carry out legislative action on it and submit report in seven-day period. However, efforts made by Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano Central) to fault the appointments of the service chiefs, were dismissed by the Senate President. Gaya,who came with a point of Order 53 of the Senate Standing Rule, had argued that President Jonathan violated the law by appointing and giving portfolios to the service chiefs before submit-

ting their names for confirmation. He argued that President Jonathan ought to have nominated and submitted the names of the service chiefs to the Senate for approval before assigning offices to them. Responding, David Mark, while ruling him out of order, said assigning offices to the service chiefs does not mean that they have been confirmed, even as he hinted that it was the reason the service chiefs have not been decorated formally in line with their new offices. In an unrelated development, Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States of America, Prof. Ade Adefuye, has indicated that the country’s trade volume with the United States has hit $48 billion mark.

R-L: Chairperson, House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, a member of the Committee, Hon. Abimbola Daramola, and Nigerian Ambassador to the United States of America, Professor Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, during the envoy’s visit to the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

CBN releases new draft guidelines for Finance Houses

he President of Finance Houses Association of Nigeria (FHAN), Mr Samuel Durojaye yesterday said that the Central Bank of Nigerian (CBN) has released draft guidelines for the operations of the sub-sector. Durojaye also disclosed an impending overhaul of the sub-sector

in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. According to him, the CBN in the draft, proposed N100 million as the new capital base for the subsector. The FHAN President described the proposed capital base as ideal for the operations of the associa-

tion’s members. Durojaye also said that the association had studied the proposals and made recommendations to the CBN. NAN reports that the association had in 2013 projected a new capital base of N250 million, as against the current N20 million.

He said that N20 million was not enough to operate as a finance house, in addition to the increasing overhead costs. Durojaye said their support for the proposed new capital base stemmed from the fact that it would assist in leveraging further financial intermediation.(NAN)

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ECA: Nigeria’s GDP to grow by 7% in 2014

he UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has listed Nigeria among selected West African nations to witness a GDP growth of 6.9 per cent in the current fiscal year. The ECA, in its annual World Economic Outlook, released yesterday in Addis Ababa, projected that the African economy would on average grow by 4.7 per cent GDP in 2014. It also said there would be a growth of 5.0 per cent in 2015. The report, presented to journalists by the ECA’s Chief Forecaster, Adam EiHiraikia, listed Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Burkina Faso among those economies. It said there would be a growth from the 6.7 per cent in 2013 to 6.9 per cent in 2014. The UN agency also said the GDP growth would, at that, be supported by improvement in global economic and regional business environment. It also said high commodity prices and easing infrastructure constraints, as well as increasing trade and investments from emerging economies, would help in this direction. The agency said factors like medium-term growth prospects, increasing domestic demand from emerging class of new consumers associated with urbanisation and rising incomes would be responsible for the expected growth. The report said inflation across Africa will decline slightly from the average 8.0 per cent in 2013 to 7.8 per cent in the current fiscal year. It said fiscal deficit will decline from 1.8 per cent of GDP in 2013 to 1.7 per cent in 2014. The report, however, expressed concern that the record of economic growth in the continent had not impacted positively on the African peoples. It said poverty remained high and income remained low and cannot meet daily demands. (NAN)

Reps fault Presidential reports on Bakassi By Umar Muhammad Puma

he House of Representatives yesterday faulted the report of the presidential committee on Bakassi resettlement which it said has failed to co-opt the real inhabitants of Bakassi peninsula, rendering it to be lopsided in its conclusions. The House said the real

inhabitants of the peninsula, comprising of Igbo traders, Ijaws, Ibibios, Orobho and people of the riverine areas of Akwa Ibom were neither included nor consulted by the committee. Consequently, the House asked its special duties committee to comprehensively investigate the issue of the inhabitants’ omission from the

report, with a view to reviewing the committee’s finding. Sponsor of the motion, Rep Robinson Uwak (PDP, Akwa Ibom) said there is the need for urgent review of the report that was since submitted to the president for implementation. Rep Uwak said the presidency has made a provision for the resettlement of the people of Bakassi in the proposed

2014 budget, which may not be benefited by the targeted people if it scaled through as it is presently. The lawmaker clarified that there is a difference between the people of Bakassi local government and the inhabitants of Bakassi peninsula, saying that the committee could only interfaced with the Bakassi local government’s communities,

but not the inhabitants. He added that there is a difference of about 40 KM between the Bakassi local government and Bakassi peninsula. He then lamented the action of the Cameroonian authorities in violating the bilateral agreement signed with the Nigerian government on the taking over of the peninsula.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

News

LASU students protest, disrupt Exams, stone Vice Chancellor From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

R-L: President Goodluck Jonathan, in a handshake with Chairman/Chief Executive, Renault Nissan, Mr. Frederique le-Greves, during the 2014 World Economic Forum, yesterday in Davos.

4 Kano factory workers drown in sewage From Edwin Olofu, Kano

our workers of Kano Tans Leather Factory located at Challawa Industrial Area of Kano were yesterday drowned, while attempting to evacuate industrial waste in the company sewage treatment plant. According to an eyewitness account the incident which happened at about 7.15am yesterday sparked off protest by the workers of the company over what they described as negligence of the com-

pany to hire experts to evacuate the sludge. The protesting workers were said to have started hauling missiles on the management staff, causing pandemonium around the area, prompting the deployment of armed soldiers to the premises of the company. It was gathered that one of the late staff was said to have been instructed by the management to start the evacuation process, but in his attempt he slipped off the ladder and fell

into the 30 feet sewage pit. The Chief Security Officer of the company, who identify himself as Musa Umar disclosed that the other colleagues were on a rescue mission to save the life of the unfortunate staff which resulted to their tragic death. Kano state police spokesman, ASP Musa Magaji Majiya confirmed the death of the four workers while trying to evacuate the sewage affluence at the company premises at 07.15hours.

Majiya gave the names of the deceased as Saleh Abdullahi, 35 years, Ibrahim of Gasau area, Ibrahim Isa (30) of Gadama village, Dahiru of Digga area, and Ado Mohammad (33) of Panshekara village. On his part, the Kano state Commissioner of Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas Sanusi said that the state government will enforce the edict to compel the all industries in the state to install modern technology to evacuate industrial waste.

Health workers strike hits FCT public hospitals By Abbas Aminu Bamalli

s the three day warning strike embarked by the Members of Joint Health Sector Union, (JOHESU), and Assembly of All Healthcare Professionals, (AHPN), entered its 2nd day yesterday, its members in the Federal Capital Territory FCT, fully complied with the directive of their leaders to suspend services in all public hospitals, beginning from Wednesday 22nd January to Friday 24th. Speaking to journalists, the Public Relations Officer, National Hospital, Mr. Tayo Hastrupp, who admitted that the action had negatively impacted services at the hospital, called for greater understanding between health professionals in the country and government. According to him, doctors were on ground to attend to in-patients and some out-patients at the hospital, including patients at Emergency Department at the facility. The situation was also not different at Federal Staff Hospital where a private security guard

was said to have spent over half an hour pleading with an old patient who managed to come to the facility for treatment and could not be attended to as a result of the strike. The warning strike came after seven days of working grace granted by JOHESU and the Assembly of All Healthcare Professionals ran out this week within which gov-

ernment was to address issues in dispute. The union said it was agonized when an appraisal meeting between both sides on January 16 showed the health ministry has virtually not implemented any of the issues in contention. Also, the Union criticized government rationale for the position

of a surgeon-general. “The information provided on the need for the post of the Surgeon-General cannot be a compelling factor to waste scarce public funds for an ego trip,” said the union in a statement. They also claimed selective wage increases targeting doctors distorts health care.

We are satisfied with operation of joints account – says LG boss From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

he Executive Chairman of Sakaba Local Government Council in Kebbi State, Brr. Ibrhaim Mohammed has said that there members are satisfied with the control of Joint Account by the Governor Usman Dakingari. He stated this yesterday in his office while receiving the working journalists in the State who were on media tour, describing the way Governor Dakingari operates the state Joint Account as the best in the country through his transparent and open door policy.

According to him, “we like the way our Governor control ours the account because he has been transparent and honest with us. He has approved projects, especially if the proposal has direct bearing or impact on the electorates.” Bar. Mohammed further pointed out that following the Governor’s approval projects in the council area, such as the construction of township roads, cattle market and 10 Housing units at accost of over N200 million have been executed. He also pointed out that construction of roads have been divided into three phases. He stressed that

phase one has been completed, while the contractor handling the second phase has resumed work. He assured the people that before the end of their tenure his administration would complete all the projects, including that of the state government. The chairman then called on the youth to be law abiding citizens and not to allow them to be misused by any of the politicians as the nation depends on them for future leadership. He however called to support the leadership of Governor Dakingari administration for more dividends of Democracy in the area.

tudents of the Lagos State University, Ojo yesterday continued their protest against closure of the University’s e-portal, disrupting the university’s second semester examination while destroying properties in the process. Protesters, in an attempt to mob the University Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Obafunwa, when he tried to evade the riotous students who had blocked the main gate and made bonfires on the LagosBadagry expressway was stoned and pure water sachet thrown at him. The students are also protesting against the poor facilities in the school, despite what they (students) described as huge school fees being collected from them. Most of them, who claimed to have paid about N250,000 as school fees, kicked against the shut-down of the school registration portal, which they said meant that some students, who could not complete their registration before the portal was shut down, would have an extra academic year.

…As court stops ABU from appointing new Registrar From Edwin Olofu, Kano

he National Industrial Court in Kano has restrained the management of Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU), Zaria from appointing a new registrar pending the termination of the suit before it. The plaintiff, Dr. Isa Mohammed Abbas filed a suit before the court over his illegal removal from the position of the university registrar. The Presiding Judge, Justice Lawal Mani while delivering the verdict said the court has ruled in favour of the motion filed by the plaintiff, requesting the court to restrain the university from its intention to appoint new registrar and refused the defendant’s prayer, asking the court to dismiss the application. Counsel to the plaintiff, Mr. Atiku Abdurrauf informed reporters that the suit was filed, challenging the illegal removal of the registrar of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and asking the court to look into the case in its entirety. He claimed that since the court ruling is in favor of the plaintiff, harm will not be done by appointing new registrar. The matter has been adjourned to March 2014 for hearing.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 5

News

No ballot box snatching in 2015, says Jega From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

hairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday assured political stakeholders in Kaduna that the 2015 general election would be devoid of ballot snatching and other electoral vices. This is just as he assured the people that the Commission would conduc a free and fair election with the results reflecting the choice of the majority of the people. He also disclosed that all political parties de-registered by the commission would not longer be registered. Jega said the commission alone could not conduct the 2015

general elections, stressing the need for collaboration with politicians and other relevant stakeholders for free and credib polls. Jega, who spoke at the closing ceremony of a four-day retreat for INEC's commissioners, said the new digitalised system would render such act invalid, noting that any politician with such wishful dreams should perish it. He said henceforth, every polling booth would have a specialized digital number and all voting cards for that particular station would carry the digital number. This, according to him, would make ballot box snatching difficult for politicians. "When you register in poll booth A, your registration number is one, everybody that regis-

tered there will bear number one, which means that polling unit is A1. If your polling unit is B you have B1/1-500. If your voting card is registered under B unit and it finds its way in A unit, that vote automatically becomes invalid," he explained. On why the retreat was organized, Jega said it was put in place for them to deliberate and find ways of correcting past mistakes the Commission encountered during previous elections. "We came together to brainstorm on problems encountered by the Commission in previous elections and after three days of deliberation, we concluded that some of the major problems facing the Commission include the delay in the supply of voting ma-

terials to polling booths, competent personnel and security coverage for the staff. We in the Commission cannot solve these problems alone. We need the collaboration of other agencies like the security agents." He further explained that it is important for people contesting elections to ensure that they play by the rules of the game, "because when you snatch boxes from one polling unit to another, you stand the chance of losing voting counts as they will all be declared invalid. With this new system and other initiatives put in place by the commission, the 2015 elections will witness a free election, even though I cannot assure you that it will be perfect as we are learning day by day," he stressed.

L-R: Stalwart of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, Interim National Secretary of APC, Alhaji Tijjani Musa Tumsa, and Deputy National Chairman of APC, Alhaji Bello Masari, during the National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Cholera kills 4 in Bauchi From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

our persons have been reportedly killed following a fresh outbreak of Cholera in Bauchi local government area of Bauchi state. Our correspondent gathered that out of the twenty persons that were hospitalised at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital,

nine persons tested positive to Cholera while the remaining eleven are under investigation. While responding to questions, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sani Malami told reporters yesterday in Bauchi that the state government has risen to the challenge by establishing three primary Health centres at Bakaro, Kofar Dumi and Kofar Ram in Bauchi lo-

Atiku condoles Oba of Benin By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

ormer vice president Atiku Abubakur has commiserated with Oba of Benin Kingdom, Oba Erediauwa and the entire Benin citizens over the demise of his wife late Queen Esther. In a statement issued yesterday from his media office, the former vice president described the late Queen as, "an etch reflection of the Benin royalty and tradition". He also called on the monarch and the people of the kingdom to take solace and know that the Queen lived a life worthy of emulation and that she was a lover of culture and royal etiquette.

cal government. Dr Malami said,"The state government has dispatched a group of medical personnel within the state to chlorinate sources of drinking water such as wells and reservoirs. They are also responsible for sensitizing the people to report any suspected case to the closest Health care centre." The Commissioner appealed

to residents of the state to ensure that they maintain clean environment and personal hygiene in order to curtail the spread of the disease. "Residents should ensure that their sources of water are treated and free from bacteria in order to prevent any outbreak of Cholera. "They should also maintain clean environment and personal hygiene as part of preventive measures", he called.

Corruption: CACOL disagrees with Jonathan From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

he Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), has disagreed with President Goodluck Jonathan over a statement credited to him that corruption is not the cause of all Africa's problem. Jonathan spoke on Wednesday during a televised debate titled, 'Africa's Next Billion,' held at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Mr. President said that in terms of security, the onslaught being unleashed on the people of the northern part of the country by members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, remains the biggest challenge of his administration. President Jonathan said it was wrong for anybody to hold the belief that corruption is the cause of all the problems confronting Africa. Speaking on behalf of the Coalition, its Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran averred that the statement suggests the disconnection of Mr. President from the barrages of poverty and problems facing the Nigerian masses. He said, "It is so unfortunate that our leaders are far detached from the realities. "It is a known fact that corruption is the main reason why nothing is working in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. "As a matter of fact, corruption is the biggest problem of Nigeria and the bane of development in other African countries. "Every problem confronting Nigeria today has its roots in corruption. Even the problem of insecurity, as typified by Boko Haram, is a product of corruption. It only takes a president who is neck-deep in corruption not to accept the menace as the root cause of Africa's problem. The anti-corruption crusader however stressed the need to clamp down on the growing trend of corruption, so that the Nigerian masses could get the dividends of democracy.

NTI tasks primary school teachers on Mathematics, Science Education From Muhammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

ational Teachers Institute's Director General, Dr Aminu Ladan Sharehu yesterday tasked teachers nationwide to be more dedicated in teaching Mathematics and Science Subjects to their pupils, particularly in primary schools. Speaking during a closing ceremony of Cycle ll, 1st Cohort National Training on strengthening

Mathematics and Science Education (SMASE) held in Kaduna, Sharehu said the essence of the training is for the primary school pupils to benefit. According to him, this could be achieved by cascading the training as structured by SMASE project. He said, "Participants from FCT, Gombe, Kogi, Nasarawa and Sokoto should note that the successful completion of the training is just the beginning of a long journey towards achieving the ultimate goal which

is to cascade to 200 core teachers in each selected state and beyond." The NTI DG represented by the Registrar of the Institute, Mrs. Safiya Balarabe said SMASE project has come to stay and will be sustained in Nigeria. She further requested the SMASE Technical Committee and the National Coordinating Unit to Come up with a comprehensive guideline for conducting SMASE training at national, state and local levels.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 6

News Gone are the eras of violence in Kaduna – Yero

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

aduna State Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has said that the era of violence and destruction has gone and given way to a new atmosphere of peaceful coexistence and development in the state. He made this assertion during the official presentation of flag to PDP returnees who defected from the party. Governor Yero said his administration, which is on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party believed that before people will benefit from any development, there must be an atmosphere of peace and that is what PDP stands for. According to him, the people of Kaduna should be weary of those who are preaching sermon of discord and disunity among the people. “I have said it times without number that what we need in Kaduna state in particular and Nigeria in General is peace and you cannot leave your house because your roof is leaking and go to another man’s house to help him fix his. In his own speech the deputy Governor, Amb. Audu Nuhu Bajoga said he is confidenct that those runaway member of PDP would surely come back to the party, especially with the new restructuring and reconciliation move at the National Headquarters. In his own remark, one of the returnees, who is a chieftain of the defunct ACN in Sanga Local Government, Mr. Sunday Ibrahim Modecai said the light has come and the people have seen the truth, that no party is concerned with the peaceful coexistence in Kaduna, like the PDP. In the same vein a founding member of party, Hon. Husaini Dembo said he has wandered in the desert and found that there is no place like home - the PDP he is very happy to be back at home. In his own remark the chairman of People Democratic Party in Kaduna, Chief Abubakar Gaiya Haruna, tasked all the returnees and decampees to immediately go to their various wards and register in order for them to be full card carrying members of the PDP.

BATN, stakeholders laud Lagos smoking ban, fault grace period From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos, and Hassan Haruna Ginsau, Abuja ritish American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) and other stakeholders in the tobacco industry have commended the recent passage into Law of the Lagos State Public Place Smoking Bill. BATN and the stakeholders described the new law which bans smoking in “non-smoking areas” as balanced, adding that law accommodated the views of all stakeholders whilst also maintaining its responsibility to protect the citizens of Lagos State from the effects of second

hand smoking. Addressing the new Law,the Head of Regulatory Affairs of British American Tobacco, Mr. Sola Dosunmu, welcomed the passage of the Law which he says expressly seeks to protect the non-smoking public from tobacco smoke and also guarantees the adult cigarette smokers’ right to continue to enjoy the smoking of a legal product in private places, open places and in other designated smoking areas. Dosunmu however noted that that a 12 month grace period for owners to implement any changes envisaged under the new Law was more realistic and in tune with international

standards as opposed to the 6 month grace period given by the Lagos state government. Speaking further, Dosunmu debunked the insinuation that the Tobacco industry was opposed to the passage of the Law, rather he reiterated that the Tobacco industry has always advocated for the passage of balanced, evidenced led and workable Laws. This he opined, the Lagos State House of Assembly has to a large extent achieved by the passage of this Law. The Law stipulates the penalties for smoking in a “no-smoking area” at N10, 000 fine or imprisonment for a term not less than one month and not

exceeding three months or both. Bill. The Law also stipulates the penalty for non-compliance by owner/ occupier of a “no-smoking area” at N100, 000 or 6 month imprisonment or other non-custodial punishments that the judge may deem fit. The Law allows for owners of Hotels, Bars, Night club and Tertiary institutions to demarcate at least 10% of their premises as a Smoking Area for their adult customers who chose to smoke. The Law allows for Smoking in open places such as on the street, roads and highways as well as in private homes and residences.

First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan (middle), wife of the Vice-President, Hajiya Amina Sambo (5th left), wife of the Deputy Senate President, Mrs. Ike Ekweremadu (5th right), Group Managing Director, Sandex Car Care Lady Mechanic Academy, Mrs. Sandra Aguebor-Ekperuoh (4th left), in a group photograph with other lady mechanics, during their visit to the First Lady, on Wednesday at the State House, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

Fire destroys Edo Deputy Speaker’s residence in Benin

he official residence of the Deputy Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Festus Ebea, has been gutted by fire. The fire which razed down the bedroom portion of the house and personal effects estimated at millions of Naira, was said to have

started on Wednesday night. Ebea, who is representing APC Esan South-East in the House told newsmen that he was able to retrieve his certificates, adding that the fire destroyed documents relating to his Office. He said it took the combined

efforts of the neighbours who came with fire extinguishers and water to put out the fire. The deputy speaker listed some of the personal effects destroyed to include, computers, plasma TV, air conditioners, phones, Bank documents, official

documents and an undisclosed sum of money, among others. He, however, gave God the glory that no life was lost, saying that the cause of the fire may be traced to an electrical fault. ``I do not suspect any foul play,’’ he added. (NAN)

Privatization: FG threatens to fire non-performing investors off. Gas is still the best option. To okay renewable energy policy Speaking further he said, “There’s ased on the Power Purchase By Etuka Sunday

Agreements (PPA) with the new owners of electricity, the Federal Government has threatened to revoke licences of non-performing investors. The Chairman/CEO of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi who disclosed this in a presentation at a session in Chatham House, London, told the audience that the privatisation of the Nigerian power sector was not a sweetheart deal, warning that government can withdraw non

performing licences from any investor. “The agreement allows for takeover if investors fail, and what we did was that before the sale, we brought out the Fit and Proper Guidelines to ensure generators have the technical and financial capacity to run the network. So at any time we feel that your technical capacity is weak; you are asked to get a proper technical team. But if you cannot, you are asked to divest your shares to people who have the capacity to run

the network.” he said. Meanwhile, on the need to diversify power sources, the NERC boss told the Roundtable that the ministry of power has just finished a national power policy on renewables which articulates a framework of gradually increasing the portfolio of renewable energy. The policy he said would be finalised and approved shortly. He however, explained that at this stage where the country is still

trying to build a strong load base, gas remains the best options. He said although the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) modelled 10 per cent of grid power to be based on renewable, there is presently no renewable power on the grid. “The challenge over gas seems to suggest that focusing on renewable will be a strategic idea. But we are trying to build a strong load base and renewable will not in the short term be a strong load base for industrial take

investment going on in coal. We have licensed over 2000mw of coal power, but in the short term focus on hydro and gas is Nigeria’s more strategic future. The Mambilla project and other big hydros could give us up to 10,000mw in the future. My view is that we have to keep increasing the load base through more investment in gas powered plants and hydro as well as keep encouraging micro entrepreneurs to put in more renewable power projects,” he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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News

NSCDC arrests 4 for oil theft in Ogun From James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

en of the Ogun State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested four men suspected to be vandals in Imobi Fowoseje in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State. The suspects, Bashir Popoola, Olayemi Adebanjo, Azeez Musendiku, and Segun Adenuga, who were arrested in the early hours of Thursday, were caught pulling out of the pipeline area in two different vehicles loaded with petroleum products. This was contained in a release signed by the NSCDC image maker in Ogun State, Kareem Olanrewaju, copies of which were made available to newsmen in Abeokuta. According to Olanrewaju, “incessant vandalism activities,

have been reported in the area in recent time which prompted NSCDC to beam its search light on the petroleum pipe lines within Odogbolu local government area of the State while access to pipe lines in the area had been placed under strict monitoring by the security agent.” He added that “vandals in the area had recently changed their modus of operandi in order to prevent being caught by members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the area. They, in recent time are in the habit of operating in the dead night.” “Based on this information, the NSCDC team went hunting for them in the night. They were however, caught after they had successfully dug and vandalised a petroleum pipe line located at Imobi Fowoseje area of Odogbolu local government”, he said. During interrogation, one of

the suspects, Bashiru Popoola, also known as “Igi Nla” said that the “operation was his first time and that he was introduced to the illicit business by Ade but that he asked his younger brother, Olayemi Adebanjo to follow them because he could not render him the financial assistance he had earlier sought for. On his part, Segun Adenuga, who claimed to be a friend to Olayemi, said he was told by Bashir Popoola and others (now at large) to assist them in conveying some chemicals as a result of which he followed them. While the fourth person, Azeez Musendiku, claimed to be a battery charger, whom Bashir asked to bring battery to start one of the two vehicles that had battery problem, saying that “the location of the vehicles in question was not initially known to him. Commenting, Mr. Kareem Olanrewaju, the Public Relations

Officer, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, said the Corps decided to give the area a special attention based on the increase that was observed on the activities of vandals in the area. “Our initial attention was on day time before we later noticed a change of tactics by the vandals, whose operation had been changed to night time to prevent arrest”. Kareem stated that, the suspect will be given opportunity to prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt, stressing that their actions is prosecutable and that will be pursued by the NSCDC to the logical conclusion. Exhibits recovered from the suspects included, a Mazda bus with Reg. No XZ 363 FKJ(Lagos), Opel Car with Reg. No FKJ 186 AQ(Lagos), 35 of 25 litres of PMS, 68 empty of 25 litres were also recovered at the scene of the vandalization.

Four men suspected to be petroleum pipeline vandals were paraded by the Ogun state Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), yesterday at Imobi Fowoseje in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State.

20-year-old sentenced to 100hours community service for theft

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Ignatus Okeke, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Jan. 16, at about 1:00 a.m., on Shapati Road, Ibeju Lekki in Lagos. “The complainant, one Mr Joseph Ahie, said he heard strange

noises at the back of his house and when he got there, he did not see anybody but could sense that someone was around. “He called his neighbour and they laid ambush for the men,’’ he said.

Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced a 20-year-old man, Bankole Mutailu, to 100 hours of community service for stealing solar energy batteries and some cables. Mutailu, of no fixed address,

had pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession and theft of goods. The Magistrate, Mrs Y.R. Pinheiro, sentenced the accused to 100 hours of community service after he requested for leniency.

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

Newly wedded couple dies in Katsina fire accident

ragedy struck in Katsina in the early hours of yesterday as a newly wedded couple died in a fire incident the burnt their house at Kwabran Dorawa quarters in Katsina metropolis. A senior brother to the bride, Malam Abdulhafiz Yusuf told Our Correspondent that it was in the early hours of yesterday around 1:30 am that they received a distress call that their sister Asiya Yusuf and her

husband Abdullahi Abubakar Coach were taken to the General Hospital Katsina. He noted that the couple who were only two month old in marriage met their death while sleeping in their house, adding that the fire that burnt the house

was suspected to have been started by electric fault in the house. He added that on reaching the hospital they found the couple already dead from the burns they received from fire, adding that from what they saw at the house

the deceased husband made unsuccessful attempts to rescue himself and the wife through the window. Yusuf said they consider the incident as an act of God and the deceased were already buried according to Islamic rites.

51 females, 9m kg of narcotics nabbed in 2013 From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

he Lagos State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday disclosed that 51 female were among 490 suspected drug traffickers arrested last year while a total of ,163.963kg of narcotic drugs mainly cannabis (marijuana) were seized from drug traffickers within the state. Giving a breakdown of seized drugs by the anti-narcotic agency in 2013, Lagos State Commander, Mr Sule Aliyu said NDLEA convicted 79 of them while 128 others cases are pending in the court. Aliyu said the agency also successfully counseled no fewer than 320 drug addicts affirming “We are making steady progress in tackling the abuse of cannabis among youths in the State as well as tracing ethamphetamine production factories in Lagos.” He explained that the large cannabis seizure made in 2013 and the illegal drug factories uncovered in residential areas within Lagos require active participation of stakeholders in drug control programmes. “The seized drugs include cannabis 9,047.675kg, psychotropic substances 78.15kg, methamphetamine 33.734kg, heroin 2.703kg and cocaine 1.701kg” Aliyu told journalists. The Lagos command said it carried out community mobilisation and enlightenment efforts in the year under review including the establishment of drug free clubs in schools, antidrug awareness campaigns at motor parks, churches and mosques. Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, also expressed satisfaction with Lagos state Governor Babatunde Fashola’s commitment to partner with the agency in eradicating illicit drugs from Lagos State. “I am happy with the prompt response of the Governor to the discovery of Clandestine Laboratories in the State. The provision of two operational vehicles to the Lagos command in 2013 and established a committee to address the problem of methamphetamine production laboratories by the State Government is an appreciation of our efforts” Giade stated.

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Photo Splash

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Amb. Ifeoma Akobuogu-Chinwuba (2nd right),welcoming Chairman of Nigerian Community in Cocody, Chief Alade Azeez (2nd left), Chief Ekechi Okpara (middles) and others to her first meeting with Nigerian community , yesterday in Cote d’Ivoire. Photo: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

R-L: Borno state Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, discussing with Luka Apagu Mussa, during the National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Mr Kenneth Umezurike, lecturer, Department of Mass Communication and Media, Lead City University, addressing the audience at the Martin Luther King’s Day lecture, yesterday in Ibadan. Photo: NAN

Accident victim at the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Lagos as joint health workers strike continues, yesterday in Lagos. Photo: NAN

IGP Mohammed Abubakar(left), POWA National President, Mrs, Zahra Bunu-Abubakar (middle), speaking during the visit of the POWA executive to the Police headquarters, yesterday in Abuja. With them is DIG Emmanuel Udeoji (right). Photo: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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News

Fed poly Bauchi students protest over ASUP strike

From Bauchi

Ahmed

Kaigama,

ederal Polytechnic Bauchi Students staged a peaceful protest over the continued closure of polytechnics across the country, urging federal government to honour the agreement it made to the association since 2009. The students demanded for full implementation of the consolidated tertiary institution salary structure (CONTISS 15) migration across board, review of polytechnic act to remove disparity between the Higher National Diploma certificate and the University certificate. Others are the establishment of National Polytechnic Commission and the need to improve funding for education with 26 percent of the nation’s budget. President of the Student Union Government, SUG, Comrade Abubakar Abdullahi Bako, while addressing news men in Bauchi lamented that the strike has paralyzed academic activities in the various campuses across the nation with no positive response from the federal government. According to him, “the ongoing problem between the ASUP and the reaction of the federal government towards funding has proved that the polytechnic community which comprises of both students and lecturers are regarded as second class citizens in their father land”. “The president’s declaration of overhauling the entire education system include saving the technical education. But unfortunately, this has been crippled by the insensitivity and nonchalant attitude of the federal government towards the challenges of the polytechnics in the country” On his part, one of the union leaders and a HND one mass communication student, Tsummani John, decried the dichotomy between the university and the polytechnic system of education, saying that polytechnics were created to bring about technological advancement ,but universities are given more recognition and priority over polytechnics. “We want the federal government to find a lasting solution to this problem of dichotomy between the university and Polytechnic certificates which has caused untold embarrassment and hardship to polytechnic students,” he said

Senate wants East–West Road completed, commissioned Dec 2014 By Patrick Andrew

he Senate ad hoc Committee on SURE-P has charged the Ministry of Niger Delta to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the East West Road is completed and ready for commissioning on or before December 2014. Giving the charge yesterday when the Minister of the Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe appeared before it, the Committee expressed dismay at the slow pace of work in the road which contract was initially awarded in 2006 at the cost of N197 billion. The current contractual value of the road stands at N349.8 billion, out of which N236 billion has been expended on the work. Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), said he was pained at heart because nine years

after the contract was awarded the citizens of Niger Delta and Nigerians as a whole were yet to heave a sigh of relief from the hardship occasioned by the bad condition of the 338 kilometers road. The road serves as the bridge between West and the East and South-South geo-political zones. “It is the desire of government to deliver the road to the people of Niger Delta and Nigerians on or December 2014. You must, therefore, work assiduously to ensure that this dream is realized and that the people get relief from the trauma arising from the bad condition of the road. “You must give us guarantee that the targeted dated which you have canvassed will be met and that nothing stops President Goodluck Jonathan and members of this committee from

going to commission the road come December,” Ningi demanded from Orubebe who had in 2012 promised to deliver the road to the people by December 2013. That date was missed because of paucity of funds according to the minister who went further to state the financial difficulty was partly addressed especially following SURE –P’s assistance with N51.1 billion which has been expended in the work. The minister, who had to explain the huge variation from the initial cost to the present value, argued that the project was awarded without due drawings and designs which evidently did not take into account the 42 dual-carriage bridges, 1004 culverts and other essentials. The minister said already 66.7 percent of the work has been

completed stressing that what essentially remains is the laying of the alsphat, pavements, hanging of bridges and other crucial final touches. Orubebe assured that should the N113 billion needed to complete the work be released and other necessary funds, the ministry would no option but to be on the necks of the contractors handling various sections of the road to complete them. On disbursement of SURE –P funds, he disclosed that ministry does not pay contractors instead it only issues certificate of completion of works after its consultants must have okayed work, then forward same to the ministry’s engineers for further evaluation before it sends the certificate to SURE-P for similar evaluation before final payment.

Immigration Service gets 7 DCGs By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

L-R: Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshall Adeshola Amosu, exchanging pleasantries with Ministerial nominees Hon. Mohammed Wakil, and Senator Muslim Obanikoro, during their courtesy visit to the State House, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

he Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has approved the elevation of Seven Assistant Comptrollers General (ACGs) to the ranks of Deputy Comptrollers General (DCG). NIS in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chukwuemeka Obua, revealed that the newly appointed DCGs include; Malgwi Henry Yasika, Olaitan Joseph Olasunkami and Adike Chibueze John. Others are Ifeadi Emmanuel Udochukwu, Abeshi Maktins Kure, Babandede Mohammed and Oredipe Ayotunde Gbenga.

Yauri Emir tasks journalists on objective reportage From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

he Emir of Yauri Dr. Zayanu Abdulahi has cautioned journalists across the country to be fair and objective in their report as the nation rely on them.

He made this called yesterday at his palace in Yauri while receiving working journalists in Kebbi state, adding that journalists as watch-dog of the society they should not be used by the politicians to crippled the country. In his words, “the society

depends on your daily report as a weapon to know what is happening in the country. Without you we shall not know what might have happened yesterdayor what is happening today and tomorrow. Therefore, we expect you people to bring Peace and Unity to country through your reports on

daily basis.” He however commended the Kebbi State Governor, Saidu Usman Dakingari, for renovating the Palace of Yauri emirate. The Emir then prayed for the country to have patriotic leaders in the forthcoming 2015 general election.

Kebbi MDGs train village health workers From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

ebbi State Government, incollaboration with NorthWest MDGs-CGS, has commenced two days workshop on OSSAP-MDGs village Health Workers Scheme across the four local governments areas of the state. The programme, which started at the Saffar Guest Inn in Birnin Kebbi, was declared opened by the Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Saidu

Usman Dakingari. He said the programme was based on the Village Health Workers Scheme [VHW] under the MDGs-CGS programme, explaining that it was aimed at fast tracking MDGs Goals 4 and 5. The Governor was represented at the event by the Permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, Alhaji Babale Umar, who described the VHW programme as way to facilitate the improvements of basic key household practices like hygiene and sanitation, prevention

of vaccine, diseases and other preventive diseases and illness, as well as promoting health living lifestyles for the whole family. The governor further pointed out that the schedule of the VHW scheme include full time job basis, collection of data on uptake of health care facilities, advocacy in the use of health care facilities and mobilization of households in designated ward in one week. “VHW scheme like other MDGs CGS programme in the state will be given the necessary

support and encouragement for its successful implementation in the state’’ he said. Speaking earlier, the Zonal Technical Officer in charge of North-West, Dr. Zainab Mohammed Idris, commended the efforts of Kebbi state government for being at the fore front of actualizing the assistance and support needed in the state. Idris then urged participants to be committed to the programme in order to reduce the health hazard in the state.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

News

Niger Delta women demand empowerment By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

omen societies from the Niger Delta region have urged the Niger Delta Ministry to come up with policies and programmes which would empower women from the area with skills, formal education, and business opportunities. Briefing the Niger Delta Minister, Godsday Orubebe,

during a ‘women civic reorientation and empowerment summit’, which was held in Abuja yesterday, the women, led by Christy Okanze, said that if women are not empowered with skills and education, they hardly fit into the society. They emphasised the need for the ministry to come to their aid, pointing out that women from the region are facing hard times in

their efforts to eke out a living in the region. While demanding that the women needed to be carried along by the Niger Delta ministry, they also demanded for a slot in the list of those who will send delegate at the upcoming National Conference. Some of the women who spoke at the summit said, “Niger Delta Muslim women are not being

carried along. “We want to build schools for Muslim kids, the Muslim women in the Niger Delta are being taken for granted in the region, and it was a Muslim that brought amnesty to the Niger Delta region”, one of the women said. Speaking earlier, Orubebe, represented by the Minister of State, Darius Ishaku, said the summit will help to direct the

Malam Ishak Hadejia. The order for the arrest was announced by the Jigawa state Police Commissioner, Mr. Kayode Theophilus, while speaking at the post-election interactive session with other security chiefs and journalists. He said Hadejia’s planned arrest was to get the politician prove his allegation that police had actually snatched ballot boxes during the last Saturday’s council elections in the state. “One Ishak Hadejia would

answer questions over his interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Hausa service that our men snatched ballot boxes. He would also have to tell us where he saw a uniformed police officer or even if it was not police with evidence to prove his claim”, the commissioner said. Mr. Theophilus denied the involvement of any uniformed personnel in ballot box snatching or assisting in any

election misconduct during and after the elections. According to him: “I and the AIG were in Hadejia and Malam Madori on the election day; there was nothing like that”. The JISIEC had cancelled the Hadejia and Malam Madori local government elections over alleged ballot box snatching, and other election irregularities. The two local government where elections were cancelled are strongholds of the opposition APC.

Jigawa LG polls: AIG orders arrest of APC chieftain From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

ew days after the cancellation of Hadejia and Malam Madori local government council elections by the Jigawa state Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC), the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone I, Mr. Tambari Yabo Muhammed, has ordered the immediate arrest of an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in the state,

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwabiala, Supervising Minister of Education, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, Mission Director in Nigeria, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Mr. Michael Harvey, and Team Leader, Education USAID in Nigeria, Dr. Jill Jupiter Jones, during the minister’s and USAID Team partnership meeting on quality education in Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Niger Delta women towards selfconfidence and independence, among others. He also said the ministry has designed a Niger Delta Action Plan (NDAP), which will focus on environmental degradation, unemployment and poverty, among other challenges faced by women in the region. Speaking on the import of the summit, he said, “the summit will provide opportunity to discuss the modalities for women engagement as mediators that could help in negotiation and peaceful settlement of disputes in the various communities”. Meanwhile, the minister has promised to open a record of “serious” women organisations, with a view to maintaining a regular relationship with them, such that they will serve as change agents in the region.

CJN pays tribute to late Justice Saidu Kawu

he Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mukthar, yesterday said the late Justice Saidu Kawu had been immortalised through his contributions to the Nigeria law reform. The CJN revealed this when she paid a condolence visit to the family of the late jurist at his Ikokoro family compound, off Niger Road in IIorin, Kwara state. The CJN, who said she first met the late Justice Kawu in 1962, described him as a complete gentleman. She prayed God to grant him eternal rest and give his family the fortitude to bear the loss. The Acting Kwara Grand Khadi, Justice Olohuntoyin Mohammed, offered special prayer for the CJN and for the repose of the soul of the deceased. The CJN was accompanied on the visit by some justices of the Supreme Court, as well as judges of the Court of Appeal and Kwara High Court. Late Justice Saidu Kawu died on Dec. 25, 2013 at the age of 90 following a brief illness. He was one time Chief Judge of Kwara and joined the Supreme Court bench in 1984. (NAN)

Council boss seeks FG’s intervention on Tiv farmers’, Fulani herdsmen’s incessant clashes From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

hairman of Makurdi local government council in Benue state, Godwin Donko has appealed to the federal government to intervene in the incessant clashes between Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen that has resulted in the deaths of several people. Donko, who made the

appeal during an interview with newsmen yesterday, lamented last Sunday’s killings in Adeke community, admitting that the council lacks the capacity to handle the crisis. “It is a pathetic situation. There seem to be no solution to this crisis. I have been confronted with this crisis since I assumed office as chairman. The local government lacks the capacity to handle the situation.

“All measures and efforts put in place by the state governor in resolving the crisis has not yielded any positive result. So. I plead with the federal government to intervene”, he appealed. The council boss suggested that grazing reserves as well as ranches should be set up with all facilities in place for the herdsmen to rear their cows. While frowning at the lukewarm attitude shown by

the police during the recent crisis, he accused the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area of complicity and bias, noting too, the frosty relationship existing between the mobile police officers and residents of Adeke. Meanwhile, a meeting of Tiv stakeholders with the Ter Makurdi, Chief Sule Abenga, as well as chairmen of Gwer and Makurdi local government areas

was yesterday convened by the Benue state Commissioner of Police, Adams Audu. The Benue police spokesman, DSP Daniel Ezeala, told our correspondent on phone that the police commissioner urged the stakeholders to go back and preach peace amongst their people, hinting too that a similar meeting would be held with the Fulani leaders as well as other tribes resident in Makurdi.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 11

Money Sense

How to minimise your car’s fuel consumption and reduce vehicle air pollution

nvironmental pollution due to the emission of uncombusted gaseous components of your car could be harmful to humans and the Environment. Fortunately, what is required to check the problem is so beneficial to the owner of the vehicle in terms of reduced cost of the fuel consumed by the vehicle. While it is recommendable to buy vehicles that are powered by “green” (unleaded) fuel and equipped with catalytic converters, simple common sense measures could just be very effective. We should first of all understand the subject of gaseous emission and pollution in engines. How catalytic converters reduces emissions from engines The following gases are associated with car engines: Nitrogen (II) Oxide (NO), Nitrogen (IV) Oxide (NO2), Carbon (II) Oxide (CO), Hydrocarbons (represented in this case as HC), Gaseous Nitrogen (N2), Carbon (IV) Oxide (CO2) and Water (H2O). Gases that are associated with catalytic Converters are divided into harmful entering gases and normal leaving gases. Entering gases are: NO, NO2, CO and HC; that are converted by the Converter to the leaving Gases which are evidently N2, CO2 and H2O. A closer look will reveal that the Nitrogen Oxides were reduced to gaseous Nitrogen Molecule while CO and HC were oxidised to CO2

…and how to reduce atmospheric pollution in vehicles with combustion engines and diesel engines Combustion engines…

aseous Pollution caused by vehicles with combustion Engines depends on incorrect regulation of Ignition devices. This can be reduced by all of the processes below: 1. You should avoid driving in low gear for long period except when it is absolutely necessary. This means that you should always change the gear and avoid over-revving the engine. 2. The starter of the engine must not be kept longer than needed. You should always check the efficiency of the sparking-plugs. 3. You should always check to make sure that the Carburetor is perfectly adjusted. 4. You should substitute the air filter with an approved type if you suspect that it is clogged. 5. Also you might want to consider buying vehicles fitted with catalytic converters Diesel Engine… Diesel Engine vehicles

and H2O respectively. Here are some ways to economise your fuel Vehicle fuel economy: Reforming fuel economy standards could help reduce oil consumption by cars and light trucks, and other options could complement these standards. General driving rules to save fuel and prevent air pollution 1. You should drive as smoothly as possible by maintaining constant speed and avoiding sudden burst of acceleration or hard braking. You must remember to put off your Engine whenever the car is not in motion. You should also avoid keeping your “cold starter” on for a long period of time. 2. If you have a choice of the road to travel, you should always endeavour to choose the easiest, straight and least congested road. This is because stopping and frequent changing of gears could increase fuel consumption. 3. You should maintain your vehicle in good working condition. You should do this by, • Checking and putting your tyre pressure in order • You should check to replace your air filter and fuel injection pump • Always top up or replace Engine oil at regular interval • Remember to check the ignition system and adjust your spark plug 4. Drive in a way, that allows and keeps the engine revving near the point of its maximum Torque. 5. Avoid overloading of the vehicle and always keep the windows close

Money Tip: Examine services you’re paying for and not fully using, like the cell phone plan with unlimited texting or the premium cable package. Are there less expensive options that would make you just as happy? Would bundling (buying several services from the same provider) save money? Make it a family discussion. That way, everyone is pulling in the same direction.

Quote also could cause pollution to the Environment when there are certain Malfunctions within the Engine system. This could be as a result of incomplete combustion of the fuel, as such, you should adopt the following rules to minimise or eradicate the

problem: supply system (injection pump or Injectors) periodically. This is because air pollution is intensified when the system is faulty. 2. You must have the fuel filter checked periodically because the pollution is also

increased when the air filter is clogged. 3. You should have the Engine turned when it is observed that the exhaust fumes are very dark. 4. Also you should have the fuel oil filter checked and replaced regularly.

Be you in what line of life you may, it will be amongst your misfortunes if you have not time properly to attend to pecuniary [monetary] matters. Want of attention to these matters has impeded the progress of science and of genius itself – William Cobbett

PAGE 12

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

EDITORIAL

Damn the West and its local apologists reacted sharply to the action of the Nigerian government, some threatening diplomatic sanctions. For instance, a state visit being planned by President Jonathan to Canada for February has reportedly been cancelled by the Canadian government. The cancellation came in the same week it was revealed the President had signed the anti-gay/lesbians law. Reports said the Nigerian Ambassador to Canada, Ojo

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espite protests and intense pressure from some countries in Europe and America, groups and activists campaigning for so-called gay rights, President Goodluck Jonathan has finally signed into law the anti-same sex marriage bill passed by the National Assembly last year. The criminalization of same sex relationship is indeed one action that deserves commendation. This is because the ban is not only in tandem with the wishes and sensibilities of Nigerians, it is also in tune with the historical, cultural and religious values of the people. The Senate had passed the bill in November 2011, while the House of Representatives did so on May 29, 2013. The President assented to the Act on January 7. The law provides that gays, lesbians in Nigeria will risk a 14-year jail term if they do not retrace their steps. Also, any person who operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organizations directly or indirectly will earn a 10-year imprisonment. Those who administer the solemnisation of a same sex marriage will bag a 10-year jail term, according to the law. As expected, individuals, groups and countries disposed to same sex relationships

Nigerians have unanimously thrown their weight behind their government and are fully in support of the same sex marriage ban Maduekwe, was told to inform President Jonathan that the state visit to Canada scheduled for February 13-14 had been cancelled. There were also threats by the United States (US) to withdraw aid to Nigeria in protest against the law. But the US government later denied the report tacitly. The US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, said while fielding questions from newsmen on whether his country would

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”

withdraw financial aid to Nigeria on HIV/AIDS that “absolutely not. But we have to look at it very carefully and make sure that everything we do is in compliance with the new law.”According to him, “as you know, we put millions of dollars in the fight against HIV/AIDS and again, I am not a lawyer; I read the bill and it seems to me that it may put some restrictions on what we can do to help fight HIV/AIDS in this country. These are the issues we are looking at as we look at the bill.” The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon also has condemned the Nigerian action. The good news is that Nigerians have unanimously thrown their weight behind their government and are fully in support of the same sex marriage ban. Religious leaders across faiths, regional groups and opinion leaders have all endorsed the action of the Nigerian president and the parliament for approving a law banning something that clearly goes against morality, culture and religion. Therefore, the government has nothing to fear because its action has the imprimatur of the generality of the Nigerian people. Nigerians have spoken unequivocally against anything that further threatens the values they cherish very much.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 13

Opinion Obasanjo’s letter: Jonathan, address the substance, not style By Tunde Ali

pen letter writing in Nigeria’s political scene is not a new phenomenon. It is dated back to the first republic if not beyond. Politicians use the medium in lieu of press release. The undisclosed reason of the writer is either to protest or express concerns about the state of affairs of the nation, proffer solutions to identified problems ; or to expose the indecorum of the addressee, be it individual, organization or government. The tone and style of such letter is direct, pungent and critical. Since the 70s Students Union Leaders and other pressure groups have written and published several public letters to the President, Governors and other top government officials and decision makers on the subject of national interest which were considered to be at- stake, vulnerable, abused and or in jeopardy. Some were also written to expose the unethical and indecorous behavior of a public officer. For example, a published letter of corruption against J.S. Tarka by Godwin Dabo during General Gowon’s administration;- “if you Tarka me, I will Dabo you”. Chief Awolowo wrote a public letter to President Shehu Shagari titled “My dear Shehu”. In this letter Papa Awo attentioned President Shagari

about the collapsing state of Nigerian economy and its implication on the common man. Suggestions and advice were offered by Papa Awo in the letter to his political opponent, who neither paid attention to “voice of reason” nor “voice of wisdom’. The consequence was the Military coup of 1983 led by the duo of Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon. Other public letter writers were inspired by either the spirit of nationalism or sense of patriotism. Their role is that of a whistle blower. They intended to cry out and notify the innocent public about an observed shady and gullible behavior of a public officer or government policy that is considered unfair and unjust. The most resent of these letterwriters is the retired General Olusegun Obasanjo, former President and a respected elder statesman. His critical writing and fierce outspokenness is dated back to the regime of Buhari/Idiagbon, when he sternly warned the junta coup plotters to stay away from his administration’s legacies, when the former tagged themselves as an off-shot of MuritalaObasanjo regime. Having been on his own and piloted the affairs of the nation thus far from one crisis to another, Obasanjo’s latest intervention came with his blasting condemnation

of Dr. Jonathan as having disappointed God and man. The letter dated December 2, 2013 was obviously not the first from the former president to the incumbent as Obasanjo stated in the letter that Jonathan had neither bothered to act or acknowledge earlier letters sent to him. The 18 page letter literally drips anger at the president’s perceived failure as he (OBJ) described President Jonathan as deceitful and a danger to Nigeria’s corporate existence. Incidentally this letter has generated responses that are unique and unparalleled. It has led to letters and counter letters written either to attack OBJ or to defend JGL depending on the side of equation which the writer belongs. The nation was also treated to a letter that was purportedly written by Senator Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo, and several others. One factor that eluded all the reaction letters was that none of them refuted the allegations of the Obasanjo’s letter. Reactions were centered on the tone, the style and the absence of civility with which OBJ wrote his letter. Ironically this implies Nigerian’s acceptance of the culture of indecency in the public office. Most of the response, even from the elder statesman , Chief Edwin Clark, did not addressed the substance of OBJ’s letter. I

hope future reactors and letter writers will desist from chasing the shadow and call a spade a spade! It is only in Nigeria that the political profiteers and despicable public office holders will shamelessly demand to be treated with civility, when in actuality they deserve vilification. A person entrusted with public office is expected to uphold the sanctity of the office. When the code of office is abused and the people’s trust betrayed, they neither deserve to be treated with civility nor respect. They have proved themselves to be ignoble; therefore they should not be dressed with garlands of honor In a democratically spirited country, with incorruptible judiciary and the dependable fourth estate, the two presidents should have been taken to task to at least defend the allegations and accusations levied against them. Yet both of them among others remain a sacred cow, walking our streets and parading themselves in a holier than thou pretense. The content of OBJ’s letter remains relevant, and it is in the interest of the nation and the incumbent president to address it honestly and sincerely. I am not persuaded by anybody’s perception or acceptance of Obasanjo, it is obvious that it takes a thief to follow the foot-steps of another thief. If OBJ who was reported to

have declared N20,000 in his bank account in 1999 (Code of Conduct Bureau), end up living in a multi-billion naira edifice that was constructed on Abeokuta rocks before the end of his two terms in office could depict President Jonathan Good Luck as “deceitful and dangerous to Nigeria’s corporate existence”, He must have seen something that most of us are not privy to. It will amount to intellectual suicide to consider the cross letter wars between the two presidents as a figment of class conflict. JGL is a product of OBJ’s political school. Why should Nigerians not take him serious? Why should JGL window dressed the issues raised in OBJ’s letter? Why was he evasive in his 10 page reply? Why was he unduly sentimental and emotional in his 10 page reply? President Jonathan GoodLuck has the right to confirm, refute or defend himself of the allegations. What Nigerians will not settle for is an evasive letter that is tainted in sentiments and emotions. Nothing short of sincere and concrete answers and explanations to his predecessor allegations will make a difference. Dr. Tunde Ali is the president of Citizens for Good Government & Accountability (CIGGAC).

Bala Mohammed: One minister too many By Mustapha Minjibir

hose who know Senator Bala Mohammed share a concern about his apparent inability to meet the expectations of even the most optimistic among them. When he was named FCT Minister in 2010 it was their view that President Goodluck Jonathan must have had an exaggerated impression of the man’s loyalty and ability. The widely held opinion posits that the overriding factor considered was his fanatical adoption of Goodluck Jonathan as political idol in a careless desertion of the Arewa struggle for a northern candidate. Senator Bala Mohammed brought this critical assessment upon himself by the juvenile exuberance he exhibited in breaking ranks with his geo-political constituency, evidently motivated solely by self-serving persuasions. Certainly, he cannot be compared to Nasir el-Rufai or Adamu Aliero in terms of positive impact on the development of the FCT and

this cannot be divorced from the glaring differences in the resumes’ of these achievers and that of Bala Mohammed. From his remote background in Duguri town in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State to an academic career at the North-East College of Art and Science and the University of Maiduguri, Bala Mohammed briefly strayed into journalism through a local newspaper in Jos before migrating to the civil service as an administrative officer in a ministry in Abuja. That was all he garnered before getting elected as a senator in 2007 to represent Bauchi South

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senatorial district on the wings of a godfather, from which position he leap-frogged to a ministerial appointment It was clear that while appearing to be a committed advocate of a Jonathan Presidency, Senator Bala Mohammed actually had his heart and mind on the enviable rewards in the offing and when it eventually materialized, there cannot be a more appetizing enticement to seize the day. Little wonder that Senator Bala Mohammed, as FCT minister, gradually lost steam for his fanatical defense of Goodluck Jonathan. He was instead completely consumed by a personal transformation

agenda. The notoriety of land racketeering in the FCT as an official black market for its ministers soon moved to the next level. Abuja’s highways also witnessed a new generation of ministerial kid drivers cruising exotic cars and limousines with the usual thrill-seeking bravado of spoilt children. Unavoidable mishaps involving these kids were often covered up but the stories still made it to the grapevine especially when a young Mark Musa got run over on the hazardous Shehu Musa Yar’adua way in 2011. His hapless family was left to mourn without the slightest indication of justice taking

The much- touted sanctity of the Abuja master plan is a thing of the past because even the FCDA is involved in desecrating it with all manner of arbitrary revocations and allocations of plots without regard to the Master Plan or the guaranteed rights of allottees with authentic certificates of occupancy. These incidents have resulted in a plethora of lawsuits and shrill public complaints in the media which cannot be good for the image of the Jonathan Administration that was once the jewel of inestimable value to Senator Bala Mohammed. It is therefore hardly surprising that the public profile of the FCT Minister has become a liability to the government he is supposed to be part of.

its course. Even the battered exotic car that crushed their son was spirited out of police custody while the privileged offender enjoys an immunity even his father would not get. All these episodes took place as Bala Mohammed presided over the affairs of the FCT. The much- touted sanctity of the Abuja master plan is a thing of the past because even the FCDA is involved in desecrating it with all manner of arbitrary revocations and allocations of plots without regard to the Master Plan or the guaranteed rights of allottees with authentic certificates of occupancy. These incidents have resulted in a plethora of lawsuits and shrill public complaints in the media which cannot be good for the image of the Jonathan Administration that was once the jewel of inestimable value to Senator Bala Mohammed. It is therefore hardly surprising that the public profile of the FCT Minister has become a liability to the government he is supposed to be part of. Mustapha Minjibir resides in Wuse II, Abuja.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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Opinion Mu’azu: The new helmsman at Wadata Plaza By Adamu Oyanki

t was with relief and indescribable joy that the entire executive council members of Nasarawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) received the news of the emergence of one of the nation’s finest politicians, Alhaji Adamu Ahmadu Mu’azu as the National Chairman of our great party. It would be recalled that PDP, the largest political party in Africa has been plagued by pockets of avoidable crisis since last year and concerned members and other relevant stakeholders have been working round the clock to ensure its resolution. So, the widely applauded election of Alhaji Muazu, as a successor to our father, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, from all intents and purposes, is a welcome development capable of reconciling all aggrieved members and healing the wounds arising from the crisis. As President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said recently, the choice of Mu’azu was predicated on the fact he is a bridge builder capable of reaching out to aggrieved party members and his legendary pedigree as a politician who has proven his mettle as a political icon with exceptional leadership qualities. What makes the new chairman’s case exceptional is that in a nation where people diabolically plot their way to positions of leadership, Mu’azu, with the elastic patience equivalent to that of a vulture, waited patiently until, in a clear endorsement of his leadership qualities, the enormous task of managing the affairs of PDP was thrust unto his laps. No doubt, the providential circumstances surrounding his

emergence as the leader of the party will justifiably attract messianic expectations not only from party members but also majority of Nigerians. To really underscore the fact that he understands the problems of the party and the way forward, the new PDP boss declared before his election that ‘’among the various problems we have in the party today is the issue of lack of respect

WRITE TO US Peoples Daily 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 SMS: 08134607052

for hierarchy. As a result, the party is suffering from lack of transparent internal democracy as enshrined in our constitution. There is need for us to be more pro-active on the issue of internal democracy.’’ Those that know Mu’azu intimately declare that as a puritan, he wields his moral authority like ‘koboko’ (horsewhip). He is an unyielding goal-getter who has the enviable ability not to look back once his hands are on the plough. It is equally necessary at this juncture to factor in his predilection for excelling in anything he does. In the discharge of his duties in the public sphere over the years, Mu’azu has been adjudged to be a shrewd and morally determined individual, who knows how to bend slightly when necessary to accommodate the opinion of others, but also long enough to seize the right moment to snap

back. Stripped of its grammatical ambiguity, he does not suffer fools gladly; neither does he compromise on his principles. As a visionary and by extrapolation, a missionary, he is generally seen as one who will bring his wealth of experience to bear on the fortunes of our great party. Political analysts are of the view that as a young and charismatic politician, it will be a lot easier for younger elements of the party to relate with him positively as he will positively disposed to understanding their needs and aspirations. The record of his sterling performance as governor of Bauchi state for eight solid years (1999-2007) can always stand him in good stead. It is a well known fact the greatest asset of any politician goodwill and fortunately, Mu’azu enjoys this political capital to a considerable degree across the country. That is why his friends,

associates and acquaintances cut across the entire geopolitical zone of the country. Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu was born on the 11th of June 1955 in Boto, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State and had his primary school from 1962 to 1968. Thereafter, he proceeded to

Gindiri Boy’s Secondary School in the then Benue-Plateau state from 1971 to 1975, where he obtained Division one (Distinction) in the West African School Certificate Examination. Not quite satisfied with the academic laurel in his kitty, his thirst for further education found expression at School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria from where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Quantity Surveying. He started his working career from 1980 to 1983 as a Quantity Surveyor/Project Manager in the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Welfare, Youth, Sports and Culture in Kano State. His determination to build an intimidating academic profile led to a ‘break in transmission’, in a manner of speaking, in Mu’azu’s working career as he returned to his alma mater in 1983 and obtained

a Master of Science degree in Construction Management. With the masters degree in his kitty, Mu’azu went back to his home state where he served as property manager of the Bauchi State Investment and Property Development Company before attending Birmingham University in the United Kingdom for a second Masters degree in Construction Economics. From 1984 until his election as state governor in 1999 where he served for two terms ending in 2007, Mu’azu worked as a businessman in the private sector. Between 1984 and 1987, he was chairman of the Federal Polytechnic in Idah; chairman of the Benue-Plateau Construction Company in Jos from 1986 to 1990. He was also a member of the Bauchi State Scholarship Board during this period. Between 1987 and 1997, he served in a number of capacities, including Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and a member of the Bauchi State Rural Development Council. Prior to his recent election as PDP Chair, he is Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA and PENCOM. Mu’azu, a Muslim, is married with seven children. Judging from the foregoing, I can assert with authority that Mu’azu has the entire wherewithal to navigate our party out of troubled waters. As a well-known revolutionary, political pundits are of the opinion that with, the dreams of its founding fathers will be realized sooner than later. Adamu Oyanki wrote in from Lafia, Nasarawa state

The patience of First Lady Patience Isiaka Aliagan

ame Patience Faka Jonathan is by far Nigeria’s most visible and influential first lady. Having worked with the First Lady for some years now, I can conveniently say that I know her pretty well enough and that most of the things being bandied in the press and the social media about her are outright falsehoods designed to disparage her for certain political ends. For the benefit of unsuspecting Nigerians who may have taken hook, line and sinker the spurious tales by some of these overzealous writers about the person of Dame Patience Jonathan, I decided to take this trip round her personality. An average person would have been cowed by the avalanche of attacks against her person by her ‘traditional enemies’ but Patience Jonathan is as a strong woman who would not be intimidated by any man or woman. Some of her friends describe her as an iroko tree that remains standing even in the face of a terrible storm. Her uncommon energy and nerve have seen her overcoming many undeserved attacks against her person. One of her friends said this of her “she does not lose sleep at all when these attacks come. She might get angry sometimes at this unjust treatment but that does not stop her from being who she is. And it does not prevent her from moving on.” The first lady’s go-getter spirit is also probably one trait that irks her opponents. When she sets her mind into doing something, there

is no going back. She is a woman of strong character. Instances of this included during the mounting opposition to her husband in the wake of the 2011 election; she went round the country and mobilised Nigerian women to vote for her husband. It is acclaimed that her mobilization prowess contributed to the victory of her husband in that election. It is equally this feat that earned her the enmity of those opposed to her husband ascension to the presidential seat. Through the Women for Change and Development Initiative which she founded in 2010, Patience Jonathan has launched a massive women movement never seen before in the history of Nigeria. It would be recalled that in spite of the seeming opposition by her attackers to the floating of the women organization at its inception, Patience Jonathan was not discouraged as she criss-crossed the length and breadth of Nigeria to launch the organization and she propelled the advocacy for the endorsement of the 35% affirmative action on women representation in

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appointive and elective positions. The zeal and passion with which she has pursued the empowerment of Nigerian women are said to be unparalleled. She succeeded in encouraging the Jonathan administration to fulfil its pledge of rewarding the Nigerian women for their votes during the 2011 elections. Thus, until the last cabinet reshuffle, there were 13 women in the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan occupying sensitive portfolios such as aviation, petroleum resources, education, water resources, environment, works and housing, finance, among others. Her admirers claim that her influence encouraged the appointment of several women into sensitive positions in the country. The nation, they claim, now has the first female Chief Justice of the Federation, possibly in deference to her campaigns. Through her campaign also, women are now more visible in all areas of the national life and across the states of Nigeria. Perhaps more than any First Lady before her, Patience

Jonathan’s love for the needy, the physically challenged, women and children, is unequal. She demonstrates this love and care for them during her empowerment activities. Through her A.Aruera Reachout Foundation, she has trained over 4,000 women and youths in vocational skills such as tie and dye of fabrics, tailoring, candle making, etc. The people, upon their graduation, are provided with capital and starter packs to enable them start their businesses. In addition to this, she provides overseas medical treatment for children with heart ailments. I recall an incident during an empowerment scheme for women in Abuja sometimes in February 2013. The first lwas there, as usual, to hand over empowerment items to the women. It was a programme for adults and for women with physical ability to cope, but in the group that came there were a few teenagers and one person with physical disability who was also nursing a child. The sight of the young physically challenged mother overwhelmed the First Lady,

I recall an incident during an empowerment scheme for women in Abuja sometimes in February 2013. The first lwas there, as usual, to hand over empowerment items to the women. It was a programme for adults and for women with physical ability to cope, but in the group that came there were a few teenagers and one person with physical disability who was also nursing a child. The sight of the young physically challenged mother overwhelmed the First Lady, who instead of handing over the empowerment item to her simply told her to step aside. The young woman who did not understand the reason for her treatment as such began to brood and was crying inwardly.

who instead of handing over the empowerment item to her simply told her to step aside. The young woman who did not understand the reason for her treatment as such began to brood and was crying inwardly. Many people at that event did not know what the First Lady was up to. After telling the teenagers that what they needed was not job but education, she asked that their names be documented. She gave them a token and advised them to go and look for admission to further their education and then come back for financial assistance. After the teenagers and the other groups had left, the First Lady then called the physically challenged woman who was now visibly crying. She asked about the paternity of the child, and the woman replied that the father was at home. The First Lady was angry why a man without a means of livelihood would impregnate such a woman in her present condition. This is just one instance of the numerous humanitarian efforts of the First Lady. Many are unknown to people except to those that benefited. And when she undertakes a public presentation of items to the needy, she would not only ensure that the right items are given out, she would sometimes sit all through to ensure that the people are given what she directs that they be given. She could sit for hours, even physically handing over these items to the people. Sometimes we wonder how she gets the strength to do all these. Dr. Isiaka Aliagan is in the Office of the First Lady

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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Comment Changes in the military’s headship By John Ainofenokhai

ometime ago, President Goodluck Jonathan, while attending a military ceremonial function, had remarked that he was not a military general. Many analysts wondered if the president really understood the enormity of the power of the office he occupies. How on earth can a man who is constitutionally recognised as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria claim that he is not a general? If Jonathan is not a general, how come he is commanding other generals? Never mind the president’s humility and candour, which have become the defining features of his persona. Even his opponents do not begrudge him of this unassuming mien which has been mistaken for weakness by little minds farting all over the place. If there is any doubt that Jonathan is perfectly on top of things, the clinical and noiseless manner he most recently effected changes in the top hierarchy of the military has put all that to rest. In a sweeping change, Jonathan had removed the former chief of Defence Staff, Ola sa’ad Ibrahim, the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, and

his counterpart in the Navy, Vice Admiral Joseph Ezeoba. The only survivor of what the Daily Sun sensationally termed “Hurricane Jonathan” is the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, now appointed Chief of Defence Staff. In the recently announced appointments, Major General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah was named the new Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin takes over from Ezeoba as the Chief of Naval Staff; while Air Vice Marshal Adesola Amosu, now steps in as the new Chief of Air Staff. The changes, although a military affair, appear to be well received not only in the barracks but also the civilian population in the land. Feelers coming in suggest that the president, in making the recent appointments in the top echelons of our military structure, had exhibited a high sense of equity and balance in the plural society that our country is. Whether it is viewed from the religious prism of Christians and Moslems, the balance speaks for itself in the appointments. From the geopolitical perspective, the list of the new service chiefs shows exemplary balance between the North and the South. In other words, it is safe to argue that

Jonathan, in reshuffling the top military positions, paid serious attention to the most important fault lines of our political architecture, which are religion and the North-South divide. It is reassuring that our president is not ignoring the touchy issues of our national unity. Similarly, the appointment of the new service chiefs satisfies the provisions of the federal character as the directive principle of state policy embedded in our constitution. The whole idea of the federal character principle is to forestall the domination of one group over others in the government so as to give every group in the plural Nigerian state a sense of belonging. And indeed, as the Constitution provides, it is easy for every group to see a little of itself in the recent appointments in the military made by the president. But beyond the issue of ethnoreligious balance in the recent appointment of the service chiefs is the emphasis on operational effectiveness and professionalism. The records of the new service chiefs, as made available, really inspire renewed confidence in the ability of the Nigerian armed forces to defend the people against external aggression and internal insurrection. The former service

chiefs have done a marvellous job in containing the threats to national security especially against the terrorist insurgency of the Boko Haram sect. Particular mention must be made of the sacrifices of the Nigerian Army under Ihejirika. However, from all indications, apart from the attainment of the mandatory retirement age by almost all the former service chiefs, it is quite clear that they had given their best to their fatherland. It is also very discernible that the tactics and the stratagem of terror have changed, thus requiring new response patterns and offensives from the military. And it was fitting for the president to retire the former service chiefs, these patriots, honourably after completing their period of service to allow for fresh ideas and hands in the management of our national security. As if to underscore the point being canvassed above, the new Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, has given a marching order to his staff in the military to end the Boko Haram terrorist activities within three months. This is a welcome development and a sweet song that all Nigerians want to listen to over and again. Although, there are many naysayers out there who see the directive from the newly appointed chief

of defence staff as a mere product of sensational excitement of a new office, Jonathan knew full well, as commander-in-chief, what he wanted to achieve with the rejigging of the top military hierarchy. Without saying any word, the president knows that the war on terrorism has passed the tactical phase of containment and is, therefore, ready for the final onslaught to dislodge the insurgents and any other group who would want to test the might of the Nigerian state It is even more reassuring that in effecting the recent changes in the top military hierarchy, Jonathan did the noble thing of forwarding the names of the new service chiefs to the Senate for ratification in line with a recent court judgment obtained by human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo. It is on record that Jonathan is the first president to do so, thus underlining his ardent belief in the rule of law and due process. Given the deft manner and tactical manoeuvring with which he has handled the changes in the top brass of the military, who would argue again that President Jonathan is not a General or even a Field Marshal? John Ainofenokhai via Jonny4deals@yahoo.com

Why Nigerian men in America kill their nurse wives By Abiodun Ladedpo

n Texas, Babajide Okeowo had been separated from his wife, Funke Okeowo, with whom he resided at their Dallas home. Upon the divorce, the husband lost the house to his wife, along with most of the contents therein, as is usually the tradition in U.S. divorces where the couple still has underage children. Mr. Okeowo, 48, divorced his wife because not long after she became a RN and made more money than him, she “took control” of the family finances and “controlled” her husband’s expenditure and movement. The husband could no longer make any meaningful contribution to his family back in Nigeria unless the wife “approved” it. He could not go out without her permission. Frustrated that his formerly malleable wife had suddenly become such a “terror” to him to the point of asking for in court and getting virtually everything for which he had worked since coming to the US thirty years prior, the husband got in his vehicle and drove a few hundred miles to Dallas to settle the scores. He found her in her SUV, adorned in full Nigerian attire on her way to the birthday bash organized in her honor. She had turned 46 on that day. Mr. Okeowo fired several rounds into his wife’s torso while she sat at the steering wheel, mercilessly killing her in broad daylight. Death is death no matter how it comes. But the goriest of these maniacal killings is probably the one that happened here in Los Angeles, California. Joseph Mbu, 50, was tired of his RN wife’s “serial disrespect” of him. The disrespect began as soon as she

became a RN. Gloria Mbu, 40, had once told her husband he must be “smoking crack cocaine” if he thought he could tell her what to do with her money now that she made more money than him. Before she became a RN, Mr. Mbu had been very strict with family finances and was borderline dictatorial in his dealings with Mrs. Mbu. However, Mrs. Mbu learned the American system and would no longer allow any man to “put her down.” When Joseph Mbu could not take it anymore, he subdued his wife one day, tied her to his vehicle and dragged her on paved roads all around Los Angeles until her head split in many pieces. It often comes to Nigerian men living in the US as a rude shock when their wives become the household’s bread winner. Having been accustomed to the docility, domestication, subjugation and outright terrorization of women back home, many Nigerian men are astounded when their wives assert their financial, behavioral and social independence. It is commonplace for Nigerian men to take important family decisions without consulting

“

their wives; to travel out of town and indeed out of country without consulting their wives. Some do not even bother to inform their wives! It is not a big deal for Nigerian husbands to answer phone calls from their girlfriends while lying in bed with their wives; to buy expensive gifts for their girlfriends and making only perfunctory, casual attempt to conceal such gifts. It is nothing strange for Nigerian men to, in fact, bring those girlfriends to their matrimonial homes while their wives are home! Some Nigerian men think they have the carte blanche to do what they want because they are the bread winners. What’s the wife going to do to them? Beat them? Leave them? Leave them after one, two or three children? Who’s going to marry her? So Nigerian men think. This cruel and phenomenal hostage-taking by Nigerian men in Nigeria is what Nigerian women in America are trying to stop. And they figured out the easiest way to begin curtailing these bullish husbands’ wings is to improve their own potential to earn more. A good way to earn a decent pay in the US

(unlike in Nigeria) is to become a Registered Nurse. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salaries of RNs, based on information from May 2012, is $68,000, while the mean annual salary is $69,000. The middle 50% of RNs earns between $54,000 and $78,000. Only 10% of RNs earns less than $44,000, while some 10% earns more than $97,000. The BLS also reports average hourly wages: The median hourly wage of a RN is $32.00 and the mean hourly wage is $33.00. The middle 50% of RNs earns wages of $27.00 to $40.00, with 10% of them earning less than $22.00 while 10% earns more than $48.00 an hour. Nigerian men in the US are quick to send their “newlyimported” wives to these nursing schools in the hope that once the women graduate, they (the husbands) could take control of their finances and continue their enslavement. You can imagine a man who was probably a menial worker earning less than $30,000 annually in an expensive place like

It often comes to Nigerian men living in the US as a rude shock when their wives become the household’s bread winner. Having been accustomed to the docility, domestication, subjugation and outright terrorization of women back home, many Nigerian men are astounded when their wives assert their financial, behavioral and social independence. It is commonplace for Nigerian men to take important family decisions without consulting their wives; to travel out of town and indeed out of country without consulting their wives. Some do not even bother to inform their wives! It is not a big deal for Nigerian husbands to answer phone calls from their girlfriends while lying in bed with their wives; to buy expensive gifts for their girlfriends and making only perfunctory, casual attempt to conceal such gifts.

California or New York going back to Nigeria to “oppress” the village with dollars. He finds a “village girl,” brings her to the US and sends her to nursing school. When she graduates and makes twice his salary, he begins to feel inferior to her and his macho instincts take control of him, catapulting his emotions over his sense of reason. If the RN wife decides to take a second or third job, she can easily triple or quadruple the gap between her earnings and those of her menial job husband’s. Working long hours takes the wife away from home and because nurses are expected to work overnight shifts, you end up with a husband who is usually home alone at night with just the children. Since even “normal” marriages can be potentially stressful endeavors, adding spousal jealousy and a husband who sleeps alone half of the time to the equation will certainly test the limits of the marriage. It is the reason why even when such husbands do not go over the hill to kill their wives, they divorce them in epidemic numbers. A friend in New York told me that RN women there are being divorced in droves as if they are plagues. What is the big deal if a RN wife makes more money than her husband? There are several other professions in which wives make more money than their husbands. In fact, I know of a few military couples with the wives senior in rank to their husbands even though they joined the military at the same time. Yet, nobody is killing or divorcing anybody. Is this strictly a RN thing? Abiodun Ladepo lives in Los Angeles, California, USA, and is reachable on Oluyole2@

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Hygiene: PHCDB trains food handlers in 79 public schools By Stanley Onyekwere

n a bid to ensure best practices in food handling, the Primary Health Care Development Board (PHCDB) of the Federal Capital Territory Health and Human Services Secretariat (FCTHHSS) has organized a two-Day training workshop for food vendors, school cooks and food masters as well as health masters in the FCT public schools on proper hygiene. The participants at the workshop would be trained on importance of periodical medical checkup for food handlers,

How police arraigned guard over missing 54 planks

importance of food nutrient, food preservation and preparation, hygienic way of handling foodstuff and hand washing respectively. Speaking at the opening of the workshop held at the Government Science Technical College (GSTC), Garki, Abuja, on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, said 158 persons from 79 Secondary and primarimary Schools in the Territory are being trained simultaneously in two separate centres, in the city and Gwagwalada. He said cholera and diarrhea outbreak is often as a result of poor hygiene practices by people involved in the preparation and handling of food, especially in

public places. According to him, the workshop is a wholesome training avenue aimed at bringing all the relevant stakeholders on ground, to know what is expected of them, in the preparation and handling of food for the consumption of children in public schools, so as to prevent the outbreak of diseases. He added that the FCT-PHCDB decided to focus on children in primary and secondary schools because they more susceptible to contracting diseases, as they have low immunity against infectious diseases. “Because children are agents of change, if we educate the food masters, health masters, school cooks and food vendors, it would

help preventing the outbreak of diseases in the society, because they are the ones, who would instill best personal hygiene practices on our children, who would take the message back to their parents at home. “If by this time, Nigeria is still having the outbreak of cholera, which means that the level of health education especially personal hygiene is still low, so there is the need to enlighten the public on personal hygiene. “Common infectious diseases like cholera and diarrhea can be transmitted through dirty environment and poor personal hygiene from infected person to other people, so we need to educate the public especially the

food handlers in public schools on best practices.”, Mohammed said. Also speaking, Principal of GSTC, Mohammed Idris Ondekus, who hailed the FCTPHCDB for the workshop, describing it as the best so far for food handlers in public schools, said it was timely, as the participants will learn more healthy ways of handling food. “Those directly involved in the workshop will gain a lot, because ordinarily some of them out of ignorance may not know about how to take care of themselves not to talk more of even taking care of the environment where they handle food”, he added.

security man, Mohammed Abubakar, was on Tuesday, arraigned in an Abuja Senior Magistrates’ court for alleged stealing of 54 pieces of wooden planks worth N48, 000. Abubakar, 26, of IPEN Estate Gwarinpa, is accused of stealing 54 pieces of planks kept at a site belonging to an Engineer, Mohammed Bello. The prosecutor, Sgt. Salihu Mohammed, told the court that one Bello of Karsana Village, Abuja, lodged the complaint at the Gwarinpa Police Station, Abuja, on January 12. He said that the accused is the security guard of IPEN Estate, belonging to the complainant. Mohammed said that on January 10, the accused stole 54 pieces of the wooden planks which were kept under his care at the site. He said that during police interrogation Abubakar confessed to have stolen only 15 pieces of the said planks and sold them at the rate of N5, 250 to an unknown person. He said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 287 of the Penal code. However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge. The Senior Magistrate, Mr. Abdullateef Abolaji, admitted Abubakar to bail in the sum of N20, 000 and two sureties in like sum. He ordered that the sureties must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction and must have traceable and verifiable home and work addresses. The magistrate also ordered that the sureties must possess valid international passports or a driver’s licence, which they must deposit with the court as he adjourned the case to January 27 for hearing proper. (NAN)

A driver trying to avoid gridlock at City Gate on Airport Road almost skids off into a drain, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN.

Total, AWACIO task widows on skills acquisition By Evelyn Okakwu

ess privilege widows in Bwari Area Council, of the Federal Capital Territory have been urged to rise up to the challenges facing them amidst the tough economic setting in the society by becoming self-employed through acquisition of entrepreneurial skills. The call was made when a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Aids fo women, Adolescence, Children International Organisation (AWACIO) in partnership with Total Nigeria Limited, organised

a skill acquisition programme aimed at empowering women in the area. Speaking during the event held at the Women Development Center, Bwari, the Executive general manager, corporate services, Total Nigeria Limited, Vincent Nnadi, said the Nigeria society where every person dreamed and relied on working only in offices is fast passing away. “The Nigeria we have at present is that which seeks to focus on what you have to offer and what you can do for yourself. “You can only better the society if you can do something for

yourself, your neighbour, and consequently, the country at large”, he added. Earlier in her remark, the Chief Executive Officer of AWACIO, Dr. Claudia Okeke, noted that the programme was a huge success despite few challenges. She said AWACIO bought and distributed eleven ovens, ten sowing machines and nine dryers for the widows, so as to enable them start something after the training. One of the beneficiaries of the programme, Mrs. Jumai Danjuma, a mother of three who lost her husband three years

ago, said she was doing nothing before the information reached her about the programme and thanked AWACIO and Total for the advice and gift donations. She said: “I was not doing anything in particular, just selling Sugarcane, so I cannot completely tell how grateful I am. I hope that this gesture will spread across all parts of the FCT and the whole country.” Another beneficiary, Mrs. Christiana Chimeze, said she had been into bakery of cakes and other snacks before she learnt about the programme and came to better her knowledge for best result.

PAGE 17

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Metro

A Gbagi dance troupe entertaining people, at their cultural day, recently in Dutse, Abuja.

A middle aged man carrring heavy goods yesterday, within Central Area, in Abuja.

Local drummers entertaining guests at an education summit, recently held in Abuja.

Kiyi Primary Health Centre, Kuje, under lock and key due to the ongoing health workers strike, yesterday in Abuja.

An over loaded cab, on the move along Gwagwaladaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Lokoja road, yesterday in Abuja . Photos: Justin Imo-Owo

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Metro INSIDE FCT COURTS

Guard bags 3 months’ imprisonment for negligence

Grade 1 Area Court in Kuje, Abuja, has sentenced a 32year old security guard, Mohammed Lawal, to three months in prison for negligence. The presiding judge, Mr. Nuhu Ibrahim, convicted Lawal after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of negligent conduct.

convict an option to pay a fine of N7, 000. The judge also ordered the convict to pay N219, 000 as compensation to Mr. Mathias Eze, the complainant. Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt Niyom Ishaya, had told the court that Eze lodged a report against

Station in Abuja on January 20. He said Lawal neglected his duty post at Fort Royal Estate, Airport Road, which allowed thieves to break into the estate and steal 42 inch Plasma TV, valued at N100, 000, a microwave valued at N19, 000 and a power generator.

offence contravened the provisions of Section 196 off the Penal Code. The convict pleaded guiltyy to the charge and begged for leniency, saying: “I stole because I needed money to take care of my sick brotherr who lives in Gwagwalada.’’

Travel agent charged for breach of trust, cheating

Students of Complete-man International School in a group photograph with some Directors of Abuja Geographical Information System Photo: Mahmud Isa

Traders to sweep premises for 2 weeks for receiving stolen property

n Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court in Karu, has sentenced two traders, Mustapha Jamilu and Rufai Saidu, to two weeks of community service for receiving stolen property. The Senior Magistrate, Mrs. Jacinta Okeke, said the two are to sweep the premises of the court for two weeks after they pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of receiving stolen property brought against them by the police. “Since you were sincere enough to change your plea from not guilty to guilty without wasting the time

of the court, I hereby sentence you to two weeks of community service. “Since you were not aware that the items sold to you were stolen, I hereby order that you both should sweep and clean the court premises for the period of two weeks or risk serving a prison term of two weeks without an option of fine. “My order will take effect from today (Wednesday) under the supervision of the prosecutor in this matter, Cpl. Umar Mohammed,” Okeke ruled. The prosecutor had earlier

told the court that the accused persons bought six pieces of stolen wrappers from one James Daudu, for N1, 000 each. The wrappers are sold for N5, 000 in the market. Mohammed said that all the six wrappers where recovered from the convicts at the time of their arrest, and that the offence was punishable under Section 319 of the Penal code. The convicts, who were first arraigned on December 24, 2013, pleaded not guilty when the Police First Information Report (FIR) was read and translated to them

in Hausa Language. They were granted bail in thee sum N50, 000 and two reasonablee sureties each in like sum. However, before the triall began, they made an application n through the prosecutor, to change their plea, claiming theyy did not understand the contents of the FIR when they were firstt arraigned. The magistrate accepted thee application and asked that thee FIR be read out to the convict forr the second time, “in the interest off justice’’. (NAN

NGO: Police arraign director for intimidation, cheating

he police have arraigned the Director-General, Policing Nigeria Awareness Initiative, a NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO), Egbe Akparakwu, in a Wuse Zone 2, Magistrates’ court for alleged criminal intimidation and cheating. The prosecutor, Cpl. Abu Okpanachi, told the court that the General Manager, Macworld Global Ventures Limited, Abuja, Mr. Amuche Okoro, lodged a complaint

against the accused through a petition, sometimes in July 2013. Okpanachi said that the accused awarded a contract in the name of his company to the complainant for the supply of household, office equipment and renovation of the office complex for N12. 5 million. He said that with the direct supervision of the accused, the complainant supplied all the house and office equipment. The prosecutor said that

the accused presented the complainant with two Diamond Bank Cheques of N5.1 and N7.3 million, which both bounced. Okpanachi said whenever Okoro approached the accused for the payment of the money, since the two cheques were dishonoured, he would intimidate and threaten him. He said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 397 and 322 of Penal code respectively. The accused pleaded not

guilty and denied the charges. If convicted, he is liable to 10 years in prison. The Magistrate, Mr. Mimi Katsina-Alu, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum. He ordered that the sureties must have fixed address and resident within the court jurisdiction. Katsina-Alu adjourned the case to February 17 for continuation of hearing. (NAN)

he police have arraigned a travel agent, Akpoi Felix, 37, in a Grade Two Area Court in Kado, Abuja, charged with criminal breach of trust and cheating. The Prosecutor, Cpl. Friday Idi, told the court that tthe complainant, one Okenla Folorunsho, lodged a report against the accused at the Gwarimpa Police Station on December 22, 2013. According to Idi, the complainant resides at No. A11, 5JJ Olukeye St. Dove A Court Estate, Abuja. He said the complainant gave N1, 35 million to the accused for the purchase of an airline ticket. The prosecutor said tthat the accused, residing at Plot 146, First Avenue, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja, ran away after collecting tthe money. Idi said that sometime around the end of last yyear, the accused was apprehended by the police. He said that the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 312 and 322 of tthe Penal code respectively. According to the two sections, the accused is lliable to a maximum of 10 years in prison with an option of fine or both if convicted. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Presiding Officer of the court, Mr. Ahmed Ado, admitted Felix A tto bail in the sum of N250, 000 with two sureties. He ordered that the sureties must be civil servants not below grade llevel 10. Ado adjourned the case tto March 12, for further hearing. (NAN) h

PAGE 19

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

INSIDE

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

Nigeria’s cement industry attracts $8billion new investments - Pg 20

L-R: World Bank Country Director, Francoise Marie-Nelly;DFID Statistician, Mr. Staurt Martidale; African Lead Specialist, World Bank, Mr. Adrew Dabalen; and Statistician-General, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr. Yemi Kale, during the workshop on review of National Bureau of Statistics’ Strategic Implementation Plan 2012-2014, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

NBS/World Bank report scores retail, sales sectors of economy high By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

he retail and sales sectors. of the economy have been adjudged recording tremendous improvement in a joint survey conducted by the World Bank and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). They show improvement from 22% to 24 % and manufacturing from 6.5% to 7.7% from the 2012/13 round of the survey. The survey also reveals the resilience of Nigerians in developing coping mechanism in times of economic shocks. The General Household Survey (GHS) – Panel launched yesterday is a nationally representative survey that contains detailed information

on household socioeconomic and income generating activities. The NBS administers the GHS-Panel survey every 2 years, working with the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Team, on a sub-sample ofthe 5,000 GHS households first surveyed in 2010. The GHS-Panel data is collected in two visits designed to coincide with major periods of the main agriculture season (post-planning and post-harvest). Two roundsof survey have been implemented so far: 2010/11 and 2012/13. This data launch is for the 2012/13 round of the survey and the data and documentation “goes live” (be online) today. At the Launch, the Country Director of the World Bank in

Nigeria, Marie Francoise MarieNelly commended the Government for recognizingthe importance of statistics in development and improving statistical data in the country. She said the World Bank and partners would continue to support the National Bureau of Statistics to produce high quality data for the country and Africa as a whole. “Statistics is an essential tool for the success of the transformation agenda,” said Maria Francoise Marie-Nelly at the Launch. Using the GHS-Panel data, the World Bank will undertake a multi-year analytical work program on labor markets, social protection and welfare dynamics that will lead to the dissemination

We inherited obsolete power equipment–Ogun commissioner From James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

gun State government has declared all the power generating equipment procured by immediate past administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel toboost power generation as obsolete. State Commissioner for finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun who made the declaration in Abeokuta yesterday at a stakeholders’ meeting organized to analyze the 2014 budget, said the equipment was obsolete and besides, it emits black fumes. She said expert has advised the it would be an economically waste putting the equipment to use as they emit poisonous substance. According to her, the Chinese company that supplied and

installed the equipment on the order of previous administration had approached the current administration demanding payment balance of N5 billion and another N3 billion for installation. “The company from which Daniel administration bought the equipment requested for a balance of N5 billion and N3billion installationfee. But a consultant noted that if the state government had so much, it could procure a better and new model of the power generating equipment. “When we came into office, we met the power equipment on ground. N9billion had already been spent on that equipment, they were asking for additional N5billion. In addition, they wanted N3billion to install it. When you want to spend that

kind of money, you have to do cost benefit analysis, which we did. We called in some power experts, they looked at the equipment and said these equipment are about 20 years old”, Adeosun said. “To install it with N3billion, with that money, you can buy brand new equipment which is going to be far more efficient than that average equipment. They said if you have that kind of money, we do not advise you to implement this equipment. I’m sure you’ve gone past that power plant.” While citing the instance of the power plant being used by Dangote Cement factory, the Commissioner said the state government had informed the contractor, to look for somebody who can buy the plants so that the money would be used to buy modern equipment.

of a series of policy notes in 2014 and 2015. This work program is a main pillar of the World Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy for Nigeria (FY2014-FY2017) and is inspired by the Nigeria’s Transformation Agenda (TA), which includes a focus on job creation to address protracted problems of unemployment and reducing poverty. The work program has been developed in consultation with various World Bank’s sectors as well as country counterparts and development partners. An innovative feature of the new data is that a number of key topics such as labor market dynamics, inequality and middle class formation are analyzed from different angles. Among these, are; the link between job creation and poverty reduction, and the link between household income diversification and the emergence of an embryonic Nigerian middle class.

CBN earmarks N132bn fund for women Controller -Pg 22

Self– Assessment -Pg 21 Exchange Rates CBN as at 21st JANUARY, 2014 Buying

Selling

154.7

155.7

€

253.83 255.47

209.23 210.59

Riyal

41.25

41.52

YEN

1.47

1.48

CFA

0.301

0.321

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY What to do when communication styles don’t match

hen good communicators fail to actually hear each other, it’s often due to a mismatch of styles: to someone who prefers to vent, someone who prefers to explain seems patronizing; explainers view venters as volatile. Remember that your conversational partners do have something important to tell you – even if they’re not communicating it well. While they talk, focus on their left eye. Remain patient. After

they finish talking, say to a venter, “I can see you’re really frustrated”; to an explainer, say, “I can see that you really had a lot that you had to say.” Then continue, with either type of communicator, to reframe the conversation by defining practical long-term, short-term, and ASAP follow-up steps. Handling the conversation this way will enable you to remain cool, calm, collected, and communicative. Source: Harvard Business Review

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Business

Nigeria’s cement industry attracts $8billion new investments From Ayodele Samuel,Lagos

igeria’s cement industry has attracted additional investment worth $8 billion, driven largely by the implementation of the Federal Government’s Backward Integration Policy. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, who disclosed this during a business meeting said that federal government was targeting an increased production capacity in the sector from about 28.5 million metric tonnes last year to about 38 metric tonnes in 2014. “We have had a major success in the cement sector. For the first time ever in the history of Nigeria, we exported cement in 2013. We had capacity of 28.5 million metric tonnes last year.

...new textile policy out soon

Our current demand is between 18 to 20 million. However, this year, it should be about 39 million metric tonnes, and we should have one of the largest, if not the largest cement factory in the world in Nigeria. “The success recorded in the cement sector is what we want to replicate in other sectors under the National Industrial Revolution Plan. According to the latest information from cement manufacturers, total investment into the cement is between is between $7bn and $8bn and employs about 1.6million people. The impact of the success story in the cement sector will be felt more with the inauguration of the new Mortgage Refinancing

Institution that will support building and construction in housing. The housing sector has a lot of potential in terms of job creation.” The minister noted that, in line with the Federal Government’s Industrial Revolution Plan, a new policy that would revamp and fast-track the growth and development of the cotton, textile and garment sector would soon be unveiled. He said that the policy would address the multifaceted problems facing the sector, including access to long-term finance to help textile manufacturers increase their production capacity. Aganga said, “The new policy on Cotton, Textile and Garment should have been out last year but

we have decided to do one more round of consultation this month. I hope that by February this year, the policy on Cotton, Textile and Garment will be out. Already, there are certain aspects of it that we have started implementing. For instance, in the area of finance, the Federal Government provided N100bn CTG Fund but there a case from the textile industries that they needed it at lower interest rate and for a longer term. President Goodluck Jonathan has graciously approved that the Bank of Industry implements this by converting the loans to equity. We have started implementing this already but we hope the new policy on CTG, which will be out soon , will address most of the challenges facing the sector.”

Comptroller, Nigeria Customs Service, Seme, Mr. Willy Egbudin, showing kegs of groundnut oil seized by the command, on Wednesday in Seme. Photo: NAN By Abdulwahab Isa

resident and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has identified negative perception of socio-political situation in Africa as responsible for robbing the continent huge investment flow. Speaking during a live telecast of a business platform “Africa’s next billion” alongside other leaders including Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan and Ghana’s John Mahama, Dangote stated that the rong perception of the security and political situation in Africa had made investors especially from the West lost sight of the potentials in the continent. According to him, the African

Etisalat Nigeria to sponsor music competition in 5 states By Chris Alu

irector of brands and Communications, Etisalat Nigeria Mr. Enitan Denloye has said that the fourth season of the Etisalat sponsored Nigerian idol 4 musical competition will hold its audition in five states of Lagos, PortHarcourt, Benin, Calabar and Benue from January 25th to February 23rd 2014. According to him, the audition train will move from the ancient city of Benin at the Excalibur Hotel on January 25th to Port-Harcourt at the Presidential Hotel on February 1. He said that calabar Monty Suites hotel will be the location point on February 8th, while Makurdi will play host on February 15th at Smileview hotel extension. Denloye explained that the final stage of the auditions will hold in Lagos at Dream Studios, Omole on the 22nd and 23rd of February. He said Etisalat had identified the competition as a platform that recognizes and celebrates music talent among the youth. “The Nigerian youth community is dynamic. However, music still remains a huge part of their culture. At Etisalat, the youth segment is one of our major markets, and that is why we are continuing our sponsorship of the Nigerian Idol competition to connect with them in a way they can easily relate with,” he said. Also speaking the Head, Events and Sponsorships, Etisalat Nigeria, Modupe Thani said it was necessary to spread the reach to other parts of the country. According to her, there is an abundance of talent in the country and Etisalat through the competition, is giving them a chance to voice their dreams. She said that the show will be aired on select terrestrial and cable television stations with the winner announced at a grand gala on the 1st of June. And that the winner of the show will get N7.5 million, a brand new SUV car, a Galaxy Tab, a Blackberry, and iPod.

WEF 2014: Dangote identifies wrong perception as depriving Africa of investments countries have also done little or nothing to remedy the ugly situation. Explaining that the situation in Africa was not as bad as being painted, the business mogul said corporate investors don’t check what Africa is truly about, but based their judgement and perception on what they read in newspaper, which is not always positive. “For instance foreign investors wait for election to be concluded, after then, they tried to check the stability of government of the

day for at least two years but then, it’s more difficult to take any decision because the tenure of the government is coming to end and by so doing, foreign investors are scared of incoming or incumbent and the cycle keeps going on. “But then I don’t think there is anything to be afraid of because no government is against business, every government is pro-business. Most business risk is perceived not actual risk”, he stated.

Dangote lamented that Africa isn’t good at telling its’ our own stories, people often rely on stories they heard from others to make their decision, most times those stories are not true. People always underestimate Africa.” He therefore advised that Africa of 2050 should be a united Africa, one common market, with free movement of goods and people all across. “As at today, an American has more access to Africa than myself taking visa issues into consideration. I would require 38 visas to visit

38African countries outside of ECOWAS. “The government needs to make a policy where we don’t supply/export raw materials out alone, we want to be involved. We want those factories to be set up and produce here, run it for us for about 4-5 years, and then we can take over production ourselves. “Majority of our raw materials have been exported, processed abroad and brought back with atleast 10per cent higher than the original cost” he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 21

Tax Alert

Self–Assessment W

ith self-assessment a taxpayer must compute his tax liabilities, pay the tax due and file the relevant returns with evidence of payment of the tax on or before the due date. The relevant tax authority shall accept all tax returns submitted by the taxpayer. The tax authority shall carry out necessary checks to ensure that all required information has been appropriately entered into the tax return forms. Failure by a taxpayer to submit the tax returns forms on or before the due date is a breach of these regulations and the taxpayer shall be liable to pay such fines together with interest as may be prescribed in these regulations or under the relevant provisions of the applicable tax laws. Forms for filing tax returns (a) In the case of the Personal Income Tax Act and other taxes on individuals, the tax return forms shall be as prescribed by the Board of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). (b) In the case of taxes on companies, the tax return forms shall be as prescribed by the Board of FIRS. (c) In the case of the tax return forms required under the Value Added Tax Act, the forms shall be as may be prescribed by the Board of FIRS. (d) In the case of all other taxes not covered by paragraphs (a) – (c) of the regulations, the tax return forms shall be authorized by the relevant tax authorities responsible for the collection of such taxes. Mode of filing returns (i) A taxpayer must file tax returns under the selfassessment regime in person or engage the services of accredited agents to file returns on his behalf. (ii) For an agent to carry out the services required under the regulation, the agent must be fully certified by any one of the under listed bodies: The Association of National Accountants of Nigeria The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (iii) For the agent to render the services under the selfassessment regulation, the agent must have the accompanying seals of any of the bodies listed in (ii) above. Signing of forms where agent is engaged by the taxpayer: Where an agent has been engaged by a taxpayer for the purpose of filing tax returns: (i) In the case of filing returns for Personal Income Tax Act,

Acting Chairman, FIRS, Alhaji Kabir Mashi the forms must be signed by the taxpayer in person. (ii) In the filing of returns under the Companies Income Tax Act, the forms must be signed by a director or the company secretary. (iii) In either (i) or (ii), the agent shall sign alongside any of the signatories mentioned in (i) and (ii) above. Listing and delisting of agents by relevant tax authority: FIRS, in the exercise of its responsibilities may: (i) Compile annually a list of agents upon being satisfied that they are knowledgeable in the provisions of the applicable tax law, rules and regulations; and (ii) Remove from such list, in consultation with the relevant professional body, any agent who fails to satisfy the standards referred to in the regulations. Time for filing returns: For Personal Income Tax ActThe due date for the filing of selfassessment returns under the Personal Income Tax Act shall be on or before the 31st day of March of every year. For Companies Income Tax ActThe tax due for filing selfassessment returns under the Companies Income Tax Act shall be six months from the end of the accounting year; For Petroleum Profits Tax ActUnder the Petroleum Profit Tax Act, a company shall file a return of its estimated tax for an accounting period within two months after the commencement of each accounting period while instalment payment shall commence not later than the third month of the accounting period and the final return shall be filed within five months after the end

of the accounting period with evidence of payment of the final instalment. For Value Added Tax ActTaxable persons and agents of ministries, departments and agencies of government subject to Value Added Tax (VAT) shall render a return of activities of the preceding month and remit VAT due on or before the 21st day of the month after the month of transaction with evidence of payment. Extension of time for making returns: (1) For the purpose of filing income tax returns, a taxpayer may apply in writing to the Board of the FIRS for an extension of time within which to file returns provided the taxpayer: a. Makes the application before the due date of filing returns; and b. Shows good cause of its inability to comply. (2) The Board may in writing grant the extension of time for making returns to such time as it may consider appropriate. Conditions for granting extension of time for making returns: (1) In granting any extension, the Board of the FIRS shall take the following into consideration: In the case of an individual taxpayer, on the death of the taxpayer within the period of filing of the returns. In the case of a company, on the death of any principal officer of the company, such as the chairman. managing director or company secretary, within the period of filing of the returns. Where the company experienced a fire or natural disaster within the period of filing. (2) The company must provide

verifiable evidence of the fire or natural disaster or of the death of the principal officer of the company. Consequence of late filing under the period of extension: Where an extension is granted, any late filing outside the period of extension whether accompanied by payment of tax due or not shall be penalised for late filing. Approval to extend time not to alter time for payment of taxes: Any approval granted by the Board of the FIRS shall not be construed as to alter the time within which payment of taxes shall be made under any applicable tax law provision. The filing of returns for VAT is excluded from this extension. Installment payments of tax: (1) A taxpayer may make instalment payments of tax due by commencing payment in the relevant year of assessment in a manner that the final instalment payment shall be made not later than the due date, provided that: (a) The taxpayer notifies the FIRS of his intention to make instalment payments. (b) The taxpayer files returns on or before the due date with evidence of payment of the final instalment. (c) The FIRS shall not approve more than three instalment payments from the due date. (d) The payment of VAT is excluded from instalment payments. payment of tax due Where a tax falls due and is not paid under any enactment by any person from whom it is due, whether or not the payment of such tax is secured by a bond, the

tax due shall be paid on demand by the FIRS or by delivering the demand notice in writing to his place of abode or business or through his agent, registered post or approved courier service. Administrative assessment for failure to file returns: The term “administrative assessment” means an assessment raised by the Board of FIRS where a taxpayer has failed to file returns and pay taxes due on or before the due date or where there is an understatement of tax in the returns filed. Administrative assessment not to relieve a taxpayer from obligation to file returns A determination of the tax payable through administrative assessment shall not relieve taxpayers from the obligation to file tax returns of their businesses, in the case of a company or full disclosure of income from all sources in the case of an individual. Administrative assessment shall include penalties and interests imposed as part of the liability due, effective from the time the returns became due. Failure to file returns after extension of time Where a taxpayer, agent or employer fails to file the tax returns for an accounting period after the time extended by the Service, the taxpayer, agent or employer shall be liable to pay prescribed penalties for late filing of returns from the due date of filing. Determination of penalties and interests The determination of penalties and interests shall be as prescribed under the relevant tax laws, rules and regulations issued by the Service from time to time. Dispute resolution / appeal procedure Where a taxpayer is dissatisfied with any administrative assessment levied on him under the self-assessment regime, he may seek redress as follows: (a) Lodge an appeal with the appropriate tax office responsible for the assessment. (b) If dissatisfied with the decision of the appropriate tax office, he may appeal directly to the Executive Chairman. (c) In the event that the assessment complained of remains unresolved, the taxpayer may appeal directly to the Tax Appeal Tribunal. (d) Any further appeal from the Tax Appeal Tribunal may be lodged at the Federal High Court for resolution. (e) Time within which to appeal or raise objection shall be as prescribed by the relevant tax law.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Business Investment tribunal freezes GOSORD securities, others T

he Investment and Securities Tribunal (IST) has ordered that the assets and bank accounts of GOSORD Securities Ltd and two others be frozen for six months. The other two parties are Messrs M. Kujinmuyi and Erasmus Mbakwe. The tribunal ordered that all accounts being operated in the name of GOSORD Securities Ltd should also be frozen for six months from the date of the judgment. The suit had commenced via an originated summons dated March 12, 2012, and filed on

March 13, 2012, by the Security and Exchange Commission. The application was accompanied with a motion exparte brought pursuant to Section 290 (2)(F) of Investment and Security Act, 2007, dated March 12, 2012, and filed on March 13, 2012. The tribunal, had on March 15, 2012, granted an order of interim injunction freezing the first respondent’s account number 601890821702 and 311155757548. It also ordered the freezing of all order accounts operated on behalf of the first respondent and

the second and third respondents. “Secondly, an order of interim injunction restraining the first respondents and its staff from operating any of their accounts or any other account maintained with the second and third respondents pending the determination of the originating summons.’’ The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the applicant had on July 27, 2012, availed to have received several written complaints against the first respondents from various investors. Kujinmuyi, had on March 18, 2009, alleged fraudulent

sales of 9,155 units of First Bank shares and non-remittance of the proceeds of sale of her shares in the sum of N848,240 by the first respondent. The applicant also observed some discrepancies with Kunjinmayo’s First Bank shares in the first respondent’s custody. Secondly, Erasmus on Jan. 31, 2005, alleged fraudulent disposition of 692,505 units of his Unilever Nigeria shares. Thirdly, COK Integrated Investment complaint was contained in a letter dated May 12, 2012, titled “A Letter to defraud us of N5, 239, 418.79’’. (NAN)

L-R: MD/CE, Nigeria Insurance Deposit Corporation (NDIC), Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, presenting a souvenir to the retiring Board Secretary and Director, Legal Department, Mr. Alheri Bulus Nyako, during a send forth luncheon in his honour, recently in Abuja.

World Bank, EU support FG job creation with $300m By Abdulwahab Isa

s part of its contribution to the federal government’s amnesty program, the World Bank, in conjunction with European Union and other International Development Association is providing for government the sum of $300m to finance job creation program in Nigeria. The program which has a five year life span tagged -State

Employment and Expenditure For Results project has three main component. The three components of the program include youth employment and access to socio-economic services; public financial management reforms; and project coordination and implementation support at the federal and state levels. The program was initiated by the World Bank three years ago in a bid to improve the

living conditions of the people of the Niger-Delta. Secretary to the National Planning Commission, Ntufam Ugbo, said the program was part of the World Bank’s contribution to the Amnesty Programme of the federal government. He spoke in Abuja during a national policy dialogue on monitoring and evaluation for the SEEFOR project, with a theme: “The imperative for

an efficient monitoring and evaluation system for effective delivery of the SEEFOR project.” Ugbo said the program commenced in July 2013 in four Niger Delta states of Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers and was aimed at enhancing opportunities for employment, especially among youths as well as improving public financial management in the beneficiary states.

CBN earmarks N132bn fund for women Controller From Ahmed Kaigama Bauchi, with agency report

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said that N132 billion out of the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF) had been earmarked for women. The CBN Branch Controller in Bauchi State, Malam Musa Muhammad, said this in Bauchi yesterday during a sensitisation workshop for state governments, financial institutions and the organised private sector on MSMED Fund. Muhammad explained that the amount, which represented 60 per cent of the total fund, was earmarked for women considering the peculiar challenges women were facing in accessing financial services. ``The Revised Micro finance Policy, Regulatory and Supervisory Framework in section 4.2(IV), provides that women access to financial services should increase by 15 per cent annually in order to eliminate gender disparity. “In order to achieve this, 60 per cent of the fund has been earmarked for providing financial services to women, ‘’he said. The controller said that the MSMEDF, which was launched in August 2013, had broad objective of channeling longterm, low-interest funds to the MSME sector of the economy through participating financial institutions. He said that the specific objective was to reach over two million MSMEs over a 10-year period in which 60 per cent was targeted at women entrepreneurs. “The CBN believes that developing the MSMEs is the key to economic advancement and wealth creation. “To ensure a sustainable economic development programmes, policies and guidelines must be designed such that all factors and peculiar needs and requirements of stakeholders are noted and addressed, ‘’he said. He said that the sensitisation workshop had become necessary having recognised the importance of state governments as stakeholders in the administration of the fund due to their closeness to the grass roots. “In view of that, the CBN has developed operational guidelines for the state government’s participating in the MSME development fund. Muhammad further explained that the fund covers social development with 10 per cent and commercial development with 90 per cent. He said that all state governments including the FCT shall access a maximum of N2 billion each for the maximum of three years per circle at 9 per cent interest rate.(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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Stock Watch

Report as at Thursday, January 23, 2014

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Special Report

Dealing with blindness through consumption of yellow cassava Y By Omowumi Alake

e l l o w cassava is a new, yellowfleshed breed of one of the most popular root crops in the tropics. Regular cassava is a staple crop in tropical countries which 300 million people rely upon for at least 10% of their daily caloric intake, in 15 African countries, “In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cassava is estimated to provide more than 1000 kcal/day to over 40 million people”. Three yellow root cassava varieties, UMUCASS 36, UMUCASS 37, and UMUCASS 38, are being grown (under the Harvest Plus Project)[2][3] in Nigeria for their high concentrations of β-carotene. β-carotene is a precursor to Vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is a major issue, especially in Africa. Nigeria in particular sees a prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency in nearly one third of children under five years old. Since cassava is a major food staple, yellow cassava shows great potential to alleviate Vitamin A in Africa. Yellow cassava is similar to ordinary varieties of cassava (Manihot esculentum) but it has a yellow flesh inside the root, which is generally white in ordinary varieties. The new yellow varieties have high yields and are resistant to many pests and diseases. Like ordinary cassava, it does not need nutrient rich soils or extensive land preparation and does not suffer during droughts. Vitamin A deficiency is common in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, it affects about 20% of pregnant women and 30% of children under five. It can impair immune systems and vision which could cause blindness and, in some cases, death. Yellow cassava contains high levels of β-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A. Cassava is also a major source of carbohydrates, 80% of which are starches. The new, yellow cassava can provide up to 25% of daily recommended Vitamin A intake. Since cassava is a major part of many people’s diets, introducing

cassava bio-fortified with Vitamin A is an excellent innovation to improve health on a large scale. Social/Cultural Benefits/ Issues: It is normally risky to change the colour of a staple crop because colour preference can negatively affect consumer adoption rates. This is not the case with yellow cassava. Since local consumers often add palm oil to white cassava flour in their foods, they are normally accustomed to the golden colour. Therefore the yellow colour has been shown not to deter consumers. On a taste panel comparing fufu produced with different types of cassava flour, the fufu containing yellow cassava flour was preferred. The experiment also concluded that the yellowness of the fufu added to the appetites of the taste testers. By most accounts, Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is widely prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, VAD reportedly afflicts about 20 per cent of pregnant women and about 30 per cent of children under the age of five years. Research has shown that VAD lowers the victim’s immunity and impairs his or her vision, while deficiency in

Minister for Agriculture, Dr Akinkunmi Adesina (2nd right) with a sample of cassava

the micronutrient could lead to blindness and even death.

Surgery: Yellow cassava may come to the rescue

Researchers have also identified night blindness

as the first sign of the VAD, with a proviso that complete blindness could occur if there is no proper therapy with appropriate medication. However, there is some cheery news: Scientists have developed the Yellow Cassava; a new cassava variety that is fortified with Vitamin A. Recognising the importance of the new crop variety, the Federal Government on July 31, 2013, launched theYellow Cassava under its Agricultural Transformation Agenda. The new cassava species was launched, in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Root Crop Research Institute of Nigeria (NRCRI), under the HarvestPlus initiative. The programme, which constitutes a vital component in the designed efforts to improve the nutritional and public health of Nigerians, particularly aims at fighting VAD. It also aims at providing

more Vitamin A in the diets of Nigerians. The strategy is somewhat plausible and pragmatic because the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that not less than 70 million Nigerians eat cassava-based foods every day. Dr Tosin Bewaji of Gold Cross Hospital, Lagos,

“

describes Vitamin A as an essential fat soluble body nutrient, which is available in human foods. He identifies the functions of Vitamin A as maintenance of good vision, immune functions, embryonic development and bone metabolism, among others. ``VAD is more prevalent among children and pregnant women and its burden is greater in sub-Saharan Africa, which includes Nigeria, according to statistics from the WHO. ``For children, VAD causes severe visual impairment and blindness; it increases the risk of severe illness and common childhood infections such as measles, weakened immunity and death. ``VAD occurs during any one of the three-month periods of pregnancy, when demand of the unborn child and the mother becomes high. ``This is the period when night blindness is prevalent,” he said. Bewaji says that a more pragmatic solution to the deficiency is by encouraging the people to eat Vitamin A-rich diets or foods that are fortified with Vitamin A. ``The Yellow Cassava is a good innovation as it provides a lasting solution to fighting VAD,” he said. Observers say that the Yellow Cassava is gaining appreciable popularity among farmers and even consumers. They note that the cassava stems are already being multiplied, with the aim of spreading the production of

theYellow Cassava across the country. Mr. Muyideen Adekunle, the Chairman of the Oyo State chapter of Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), says that the HarvestPlus programme and its partners are already distributing theYellow Cassava stems to farmers. Adekunle says that the stems have been distributed to farmers in eight major local government areas in the state. He says that for experimentation, the cassava stems are to be planted on two hectares of specially prepared land, so as to boost their production. ``The IITA and HarvestPlus representatives in Oyo State have been mobilising farmers to embrace the planting of the cassava in different communities. ``This is being done through the help of the association. ``The cassava stems are given to farmers to cultivate; after the stems’ multiplication, the farmers are advised to distribute the stems to others in their communities,” he says. Adekunle says that about 1,500 farmers are now into the cultivation of the Yellow Cassava in Oyo State. He, however, proposes the initiation of a public awareness campaign to sensitise farmers and Nigerians to the nutritional benefits of the Vitamin A cassava. However, Mr. Pius Adewuyi, the Extension Officer, Agricultural Development Program (ADP) in Oyo State,

In Nigeria, it affects about 20% of pregnant women and 30% of children under five. It can impair immune systems and vision which could cause blindness and, in some cases, death. Yellow cassava contains high levels of β-carotene, which is a precursor to vitamin A.

A blind beggar being led by his wife

says that Nigerian families are gradually embracing theYellow Cassava. He stresses that the ADP, with the help of the NCGA, ensured that about 1,250 farmers across the state have access to the cassava stems. ``The farmers have started producing food such as garri, fufu andlafun from the Yellow Cassava. ``They are also very aware that this new breed of cassava is very good for their health, especially in efforts to fight eye problems and improve the children’s growth,” he said.

All the same, observers underscore the need to make pragmatic efforts to boost the production of theYellow Cassava, insisting that the cassava variety is not yet available in commercial quantities. A cassava trader, Mrs. Olusola Popoola, however, says that demand for the Yellow Cassava was still low ``Our farmers have not started the production of the new cassava in large quantities,” she says. Nevertheless, Mr. Michael Emure, a cassava processor,

attests to the good quality of theYellow Cassava in producing varieties of food. ``The Yellow Cassava is more convenient to process than the white cassava. ``One would need to add palm oil to the white cassava while making yellow garri,” he said. The HarvestPlus initiative, however, predicts that by the middle of this year, more than 150,000 Nigerian households will be eating foods made from theYellow Cassava. Source: NAN

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Islam

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

The life span of a nation (I) A

llah says: “To every people is a term appointed: when their term is reached, not an Hour can They cause delay, nor (an hour) can They advance (it In anticipation).’’[A’araf: 34] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All Praise is due to Allah! We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our evils and bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and final messenger to mankind. May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon His last and final Apostle, his Household, his companions and all his followers till the end of time. Everything has commencement and expiration except Allah, Who is the chief architect and Sustainer of everything. The earth and the heavens, and all that are in them will one day perish, just as it was never there some time in the past. We all believe to some extent that whatever has beginning must have an end, notwithstanding the length of time. Thus, in the same vein, all nations and civilizations enjoyed three stages; emerging, advancement and declining. Nations like humanbeings have their life expectancies. They grow, developed and ultimately collapsed! Human history is full of instances and proofs of crumbled civilizations. Many great nations have dominated the world at particular time in history. Others we have some relics and remnants of their modernizations and histories, yest many more others have eluded the level of our imaginations o r archealogy! The world, they said is about 4.6 Billion years! But, what we can dig or discover are still not beyond 500 million years! Thus, big chunk of histories have evaded the ability and capability of the modern archeology to guess. Thus, we just have to rely on substantially on holy

books most especially the Old Testament and the Qur’an in building up pictures of what was buried by time. Nations are akin to humanbeings in so many aspects, such that either can be inflicted by numerous illness and viruses. In the same vein, reasons of their sickness can be caused or simply happen by sudden anomalies in the system beyond our ability. If swiftly attended and taken the right steps to fix the abnormalities, the system is restored to normalcy. In fact, there are problems in a given nation that do not have the capacity to cripple it to a halt or total collapse, just as there are complications that can wreck devastating havocs. Sometimes such glitches will lead to gradual disintegration or sudden breakdown. Nations that are healthy are those that give their citizens unique identity, secured protection, offer unlimited opportunities for all members, and above all serve a rallying point to all without discrimination. In appreciation, the natives must employ all their strength and might to protect it against intruders and enemies. Thus, to maintain a healthy nation is more difficult to, when compared with keeping physically fit. While human body can send an immediate signal of all is not well, a nation, depending on its vastness a n d

health status, may take longer time before positive attention is given to numerous difficulties at various levels. The humans that constitute the nation must

ISLAM EXPLAINED By Husain Zakariyya Yawale +234-8052952900 (sms only) islamexplained35@yahoo.com be carried along in dealing with every problem in unison. In the same vein, nations, just like human body, can suffer from corruption, oppression, immorality and host of them. So also can human body can suffer from difficult to cure diseases, such as cancer of the liver, the pancreas and lots of them. Whenever a nation is due for termination, different types of problem will bedevil them from various angles. In the olden time, the braves and the courageous will be exterminated in the war fronts. The nation will finally yield to the mightier, and its history will be written on their behalf. Allah in His infinite wisdom has allotted life span to everything in confirmation

taste of death: and only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. only He who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): for the life of This world is but goods and chattels of deception.”[aiiImran; 185] And: “Every soul shall have a taste of death: and we test you by evil and by good by way of trial. to us must ye return.’[alAnbiya’: 35] And: “Every soul shall have a taste of death In the end to us shall ye be brought back.”[alAnkabut: 57] “Say: “The angel of death, put In charge of

of His lordship over all creations. He says concern the expiration of humanbeings: “Every soul shall have a

you, will (duly) t a k e y o u r souls: t h e n shall ye be brought back to your Lord.”[asSajadah: 11] And: “We have decreed death to be your common lot, and we are not to be frustrated.”[al-

Waqi’ah: 56] The language and style of the Qur’an is a very unique elegance especially when a particular aspect is very significant. Thus, the repetitions here are in essence stressing the importance the human lives span, come what may! Similarly, Allah odes not finalize an issue without sending signals, and usually clear indications that the end of one is eminent. The Quran, like all previous divine books, is full of reminders and warning to mankind at various stages of their tenure on this mother earth from time immemorial. The mare facts that man has to pass many stages rom cradle to grave finally, is a clear testimony that man has a specified time to spend on this earth. In a very lengthy ayah, Allah reminds man of his origins, his stages he went through and his final end in sequences and progression he cannot alter! He says: “O mankind! if ye have a doubt about the Resurrection, (consider) that we created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed, In order that we may Manifest (Our power) to you; and we cause whom we will to rest In the wombs for an appointed term, then do we bring you out As babes, then (foster you) that ye may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that They know nothing after having known (much), and (further), Thou seest the earth barren and lifeless, but when we pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs). This is so, because Allah is the reality: it is He who gives life to the dead, and it is He who has power over all things. And Verily the Hour will come: there can be no doubt about it, or about (the fact) that Allah will rise up all who are In the graves.”[al-Hajj: 5-7] Here Allah is clearly informing us that under normal circumstance everyone must pass through these different stages of life before he eventually vamooses to the great beyond! When next Friday comes, in sha Allah we will continue……

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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International Geneva II: Great Expectations?

Muallem (middle)

ANALYSIS

iplomacy is a cumulative process. Geneva II begins where Geneva I left off. At Geneva I, held on June 20, 2012, the action group for Syria, which included Russia and the United States, agreed on the principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led transition. According to the group communique, the first key step in the transition involved the establishment of “a transitional governing body” with full executive powers, formed on the basis of “mutual consent” involving “members of the present government and the opposition”. The objective of Geneva II is to launch the negotiation process between the Syrian regime and the opposition delegations focusing on the mechanisms for implementing the Geneva I objectives. Syrian Foreign Minister WalidMuallem can say all he wants about the regime and President Bashar al-Assad being red lines. As a seasoned diplomat, he knows that the mere fact of his presence at negotiations organised according to the Geneva I political framework means that the train for the Assad family’s exit has left the station. To the chagrin and misfortune of millions of Syrians, this train might take months, if not years, to reach its destination. This is not unique to the Syrian conflict. The experiences with civil wars in Bosnia in the 1990s and in Lebanon in the 1980s demonstrate that the first peace initiative rarely, if ever, succeeds at producing an agreement to end the conflict.

Years of talking and fighting preceded the Taef accords in Lebanon. Four failed peace initiatives preceded the Dayton accords in Bosnia. The same pattern of a lengthy process of talking while fighting will likely repeat itself in Syria. At Geneva II, the international community is laying to rest the idea of a final solution in Syria that can be reached through a unilateral military victory. Political negotiations are the only game in town. Three years into the conflict, the regime patrons and the opposition military backers acknowledge that money, weapons and fighters are means to prevent their ally’s military defeat though they will be unable to secure its decisive victory over its opponents. Even the most ardent Syrian regime patrons are now admitting that the status quo ante can no longer be restored in Syria. Going forward, the most likely scenario is a war of attrition that is interspersed with political negotiations. The pace and tempo of the

civil war will likely increase in between negotiation sessions, as each side seeks to achieve military gains for the purpose of leveraging them for a better outcome at the negotiation table. Building on their collaboration in getting the Syrian regime to dismantle its chemical weapons’ arsenal, followed by their success in convening the Geneva II conference, Russia and the US now co-own the Syrian conflict. The chemical weapons agreement and Geneva II are partly the result of increased diplomatic traffic between Moscow and Washington. This budding working relationship will be severely tested. It is much easier to pressure the Syrian regime to send a delegation to Montreux than to convince it that it is time to give up power. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that to date, there remains a wide gap between the Russian and US perspectives on the form of the desired end-state in Syria. While they share the

“

same interest of maintaining Syrian state institutions, the Russian leadership remains highly skeptical of whether a divided Syrian opposition provides a credible alternative to the Assad regime. In his remarks at Geneva II, the Russian foreign minister’s emphasis on a secular regime in Syria highlights Russia’s fear of an Islamist coalition ruling the country post-Assad. As we look at the lessons learned from past models of international mediation and what they tell us about the elements of success for a mediation of the Syrian conflict, we should focus on two such mo d e l s : T h e D a y t o n accords which in the 1990s brought an end to the civil war in Bosnia and created the architecture for a postwar federal state; and the Bonn 2001 Conference in which the international community enabled an interim government to come to power in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban regime.

In popular state formation theories what distinguishes or indeed makes a state a state, is its ability to project the use of force.

Geneva II is unlikely to become the Syrian war’s Dayton moment unless one key condition is met: Divisions in the Syrian opposition are mitigated. The Syrian opposition delegation to Geneva II is far from being inclusive, lacks serious grassroots support in the country, and does not control the opposition fighters on the ground. The competing agendas of their regional backers is partly to blame for the divisions inside the Syrian opposition. To date, regional actors including Saudi Arabia and Turkey are more interested in pursuing competing agendas in Syria by throwing their influence and support behind different armed groups than by working together to help forge a credible and united Syrian opposition. These intra-regional divisions are usually best addressed in a Middle East-based mediation mechanism. However, since the demise of the Egyptianbacked Quartet, there is no such regional mechanism. Egypt is unlikely to revive the old quartet given its fractious relationship with Turkey. UN Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is best positioned to fill that void by devoting a good part of his mediation efforts to promoting better coordination between these three regional players. In Bonn, American and Iranian diplomats worked together to ensure a political settlement in Afghanistan. This was preceded by a modest and quiet USIranian rapprochement. We might be facing a similar opportunity in Syria. Whether such collaboration will materialise or not, will depend on two factors: Progress in negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 on the nuclear file; and the decision by Iranian leaders, in particular Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to play a conciliatory regional policy in Syria and Lebanon. So far, Iran’s objective in S y r i a has been to prevent the Syrian regime’s military defeat. Thanks to Hezbollah and Iraqi fighters, this objective has been accomplished. Iranian officials claim that they have played a role in persuading Assad to dismantle his chemical weapons arsenal and to attend Geneva II. Disinviting Iran from Geneva II was a bad move that will complicate conflict resolution efforts in Syria. Without Iran, there will be no peace in Syria. It is not clear yet what conditions and what incentives must be in place for the Iranian regime to abandon the Assad ship. Source: Al Jazeera

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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International

CAR risks spiralling into genocide- UN expert

he UN chief’s special adviser on genocide prevention has warned of a “high risk of crimes against humanity and of genocide” in the Central African Republic. Adama Dieng and other UN officials briefed the Security Council on Wednesday on the continuing and unprecedented violence between Christians and Muslims in the country. More than half the country’s 4.6 million people need assistance, according to the UN, and nearly one million have fled their homes after mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in a March coup d’etat that ousted former President Francois Bozize. Christian self-defence groups known as “anti-balaka” (antimachete) have taken up arms against them, and the UN estimates that retaliatory violence has claimed thousands of lives. The officials spoke of children being beheaded, entire villages burned and a complete breakdown of law and order, and they urged the deployment of more peacekeepers as soon as possible. “The level of hatred between these communities shocked me,” Dieng said, listing widespread reports of summary executions, mutilation and sexual violence among the “widespread and massive” human rights violations. Restoring peace will be difficult “without addressing the current culture of impunity,” he added. Dieng and the other officials spoke after a visit last month as violence spiralled. Despite the dark outlook for the country, they expressed hope at this week’s election of Catherine Samba-Panza as interim president, and at the $496m in humanitarian assistance newly pledged by international donors. They also welcomed the approval by European Union foreign ministers this week of a potential joint military force of about 500 troops to assist the roughly 1,600 French troops and about 4,600 African troops trying to restore order. Samba-Panza pledged after her election to hold talks with armed groups. “I want to meet with the armed groups and listen to them,” she told reporters. “If they took up arms, then there is a reason for that.”

South Sudan government, rebels sign ceasefire deal S outh Sudan’s government and rebels signed a ceasefire yesterday after more than five weeks of fighting that has divided Africa’s newest nation and brought it to the brink of civil war. Fighting between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing the vice president he sacked in July, Riek Machar, erupted in mid-December. The conflict quickly deteriorated into all-out war between the regular army, who are being backed by Ugandan troops, and defectors and ethnic militia, with the violence also pitting members of Kiir’s Dinka tribe against some from Machar’s Nuer group. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes in the oilproducing nation, one of Africa’s poorest. Both sides have previously said they were close to a deal, but disagreements have until now pushed back any signing. Rebels had demanded the

South Sudan army soldiers

release of 11 of Machar’s allies, detained by the government and accused of attempting a coup. That demand was dropped as a precondition but both sides agreed to discuss the issue of detainees on a separate track. Rebel spokesman Garang said freeing the detainees was

“not so much of a demand since everyone recognises the need for their release”. The rebels have also demanded that the Ugandan army must leave South Sudan. Diplomats at the talks said the deal would call for an end to “involvement by foreign forces”. Government forces have

retaken control of major towns that had been captured by rebels, though often with the assistance of Ugandan forces. South Sudan won its independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict between the northern and southern Sudanese.

Amnesty says Egypt violence on ‘unprecedented scale’

gypt has seen violence “on an unprecedented scale” since the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last July, Amnesty International says. The human rights organisation accused security forces of regularly committing abuses and said rights and liberties in the country are being eroded. Amnesty’s report comes two days before the third anniversary of uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to quit. Egypt has not yet officially commented on the report. Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said in the report: “Egypt has witnessed a series of damaging blows to human rights and state violence

on an unprecedented scale over the last seven months. “Three years on, the demands of the ‘25th January Revolution’ for dignity and human rights seem further away than ever. Several of

its architects are behind bars and repression and impunity are the order of the day.” The report says 1,400 people have been killed in po l i t i c a l violence since President Mursi

Egyptian police bundle a protester in to a police vehicle

was forced from office by the army in July, after weeks of mass protests. There has been “no proper investigation” into the deaths of more than 500 Mursi supporters when the army forcibly dispersed their sit-in protest in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square last August, the report noted. “Instead of reining in the security forces, the authorities have effectively handed them a mandate for repression,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. “Once again in Egypt, the rhetoric of ‘countering terrorism’ is being used to justify sweeping crackdowns that fail to distinguish between legitimate dissent and violent attacks.”

South African strike hits platinum mines

R-L: President Goodluck Jonathan, in a handshake with Rwanda President Paul Kagame, during the 2014 World Economic Forum, yesterday in Davos.

latinum production in South Africa has stopped, with up to 100,000 workers affected by a strike at three of the world’s biggest mines. Workers at Impala Platinum, Anglo American Platinum and Lonmin mines embarked on an indefinite strike from early Thursday, after their demand to double the minimum monthly wage to $1,200 was rejected. The wage dispute has pitted South Africa’s Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) against mining firms, in a conflict neither can afford to lose. The strike is aimed at “forcing the employers to the negotiating table”,

said AMCU secretary general Jeff Mpahlele. It is the largest strike since the 2012 illegal wage protest of Marikana, where 34 miners were shot dead, and the country’s deputy president has said the government will act “decisively” to enforce law and order. Kgalema Motlanthe said at a labour conference on Wednesday that relations between workers and employers would only get worse if the two sides dug in their heels. In an address to the Leadership of Trade Union Federations, he said: “The mining sector in our country has been in turmoil and in some instances there has been lots of loss of life.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 29

International

UN envoy meets Syria rivals to salvage talks A

U.N. envoy met with delegations from Syria’s government and its foes on Lake Geneva yesterday, trying to salvage peace talks after an acrimonious start by focusing on local ceasefires and prisoner swaps rather than a political deal. The first day of the talks on Wednesday was dominated by fierce rhetoric from President Bashar al-Assad’s government and its foes. Brought together for the first time in almost three years of war, each accused the other of atrocities and showed no sign of compromise. Despite the bitterness, officials still hope they can salvage the process by starting with more modest, practical measures to ease the plight of millions of people on the ground, especially in areas cut off from international aid. “We have had some fairly clear indications that the parties are willing to discuss issues of access to needy people, the liberation of prisoners and local ceasefires,” U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said. More than 130,000 people are believed to have been killed,

nearly a third of Syria’s 22.4 million people have been driven from their homes and half are in need of international aid, including hundreds of thousands in areas cut off by fighting. Wednesday’s opening ceremony saw global powers vigorously defend their sides, with Western countries, Arab states and Turkey all joining the opposition in demanding a

transitional government that would exclude Assad. Russia, his main global supporter, said the focus of talks should be on fighting “terrorism”, a word the Syrian government applies to all of its armed opponents. In the most dramatic moment of the conference, Assad’s foreign minister accused opposition fighters of raping dead women,

killing foetuses and eating human organs, drawing a rebuke from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for using inflammatory language. Foreign Minister Walid alMoualem also dismissed any suggestion that Assad might leave power, saying no international forum had the right to question the president’s legitimacy. Western and Arab states declared Assad must go.

Ki-moon (R) holds a joint news conference Brahimi

Rights group says Muslims massacred in Myanmar amid official denials

ecurity forces in western Myanmar massacred at least 40 Rohingya Muslims last week, including women and children, a human rights group said yesterday, quoting witness accounts, despite official denials of the killings. Bangkok-based Fortify Rights said it spoke to witnesses and other credible sources who confirmed the massacre, which would be the deadliest incident in western Rakhine state since October 2012, when ethnic Rakhine Buddhists fought minority Rohingya Muslims.

“The actual number of deaths may be higher but information is circumscribed by governmentimposed restrictions on access to the area,” the group said in a statement. Rakhine state government spokesman Win Myaing told Reuters yesterday that he visited the area and found no evidence of mass killings. Government-run media yesterday also carried denials of a massacre. Reports of the attack began circulating after a Jan 13 clash between police and Rohingya

villagers in Maungdawtownship, a remote area that is off limits to journalists, while access by humanitarian groups is strictly controlled. In the next few days, state and national government spokesmen said police had been attacked. But they denied reprisal killings amid calls by the United Nations and the U.S. and British embassies for an investigation. The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper yesterday said Rakhine state officials found no evidence that women and children

were killed, and quoted Rakhine state chief minister Hla Maung Tin accusing foreign media of reporting “false news”. The newspaper said the bloodstained uniform of a police sergeant was recovered near the spot where about 100 Rohingya armed with knives and sticks attacked a police patrol. The differing accounts illustrate the difficulty in obtaining first-hand information in parts of Myanmar that remain off limits despite a wave of democratic reforms since military rule ended in March 2011.

Thai court defers election date ruling, capital calm

hailand’s Constitutional Court yesterday deferred a ruling on whether a general election scheduled for February 2 can be postponed, as protesters

Shinawatra (middle)

who say they will boycott the vote kept up pressure on the government to step down. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra declared a 60-day

state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas from Wednesday, hoping to prevent an escalation in the protests now in their third month. The Election Commission says the country is too volatile to hold a general election now and that technicalities mean it is anyway bound to result in a parliament with too few lawmakers to form a quorum. The government says the decree to hold the election on that date has been signed by the king and cannot be changed. “The Constitutional Court has accepted this case and we will look at the legal issues involved. If there is enough evidence, we may hand down a decision tomorrow,”

said court spokesman Pimol Thampithakpong. The protests are the latest eruption in a political conflict that has gripped the country for eight years. The emergency decree failed to clear the demonstrators, though the capital has been relatively calm this week. Broadly, the conflict pits the Bangkok middle class and royalist establishment against the mainly poorer supporters of Yingluck and her brother, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by the military in 2006. Nine people have been killed in outbursts of violence, including two grenade attacks in Bangkok last weekend.

Asia & Middle East Abe sees World War 1 echoes in Japan-China tensions

apanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said Japan and China should avoid repeating the past mistakes of Britain and Germany, which fought in World War One despite strong economic ties, according to his main government spokesman in Tokyo. Abe was speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. His comments were provided by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga after the Financial Times said Abe had told reporters that China and Japan were in a “similar situation” to Britain and Germany before 1914, whose close economic ties had not prevented the conflict. He also said China’s steady rise in military spending was a major source of regional instability, the newspaper reported. Suga said earlier in the day that Abe’s comments should by no means be interpreted to mean that war between the two Asian giants was possible, noting that Abe had said dialogue and the rule of law, not armed forces and threats, were needed for peace and prosperity in Asia. Sino-Japanese ties, long plagued by what Beijing sees as Japan’s failure to atone for its occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 1940s, have worsened recently due to a territorial row, Tokyo’s mistrust of Beijing’s military buildup and Abe’s December visit to a shrine that critics say glorifies Japan’s wartime past. Suga told a news conference that Abe - noting that this year is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One - said Britain and Germany clashed despite their deep economic ties. Asked if China and Japan might clash militarily, Abe replied that such a conflict “would be a great loss not only for Japan and China but for the world and we need to make sure such a thing would not happen”, according to Suga. China and Japan, the world’s second- and third-largest economies respectively, have deep business ties and bilateral trade that was worth nearly $334 billion in 2012, according to Japanese figures.

Abe

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

International

Ukraine anti-government protesters call brief truce for new talks

nti-government protesters in Ukraine agreed yesterday to a truce of several hours in clashes with police while new talks took place between opposition leaders and President Viktor Yanukovich, Interfax news agency said. Protesters, who have been

bombarding police with petrol bombs and cobblestones in Kiev since Sunday, told opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko they would suspend further action until 8 p.m., the agency said. Klitschko is one of three opposition leaders who has been leading demonstrations against Yanukovich since

November, when he pulled out of signing a free trade deal with the European Union in favour of closer economic ties with Russia. The unrest swelled into peaceful mass rallies against the four-year rule of Yanukovich which turned violent on Sunday when hard-core radicals broke

Klitschko (middle) talks with pro-European integration protesters at the site of clashes with riot police in Kiev

away from the main protest area in the capital Kiev and clashed violently with riot police. Three people have been killed on the side of protesters - two of them from gunshot wounds - and more than 150 police have been injured in the worst street violence in postwar Kiev. Interfax said protesters agreed after Klitschko went to the barricades where protesters are confronting police from behind a curtain of black smoke from burning tyres and appealed to them to observe a truce until 8 p.m. The new round of talks between Yanukovich and Klitschko, former economy minister Arseny Yatsenyuk and far-right nationalist Oleh Tyahnibok were due to begin at 3 p.m., opposition sources said. In an initial round of talks on Wednesday, Yanukovich refused to make any real concessions to opposition leaders’ demands for the dismissal of his government and repeal of sweeping antiprotest laws rammed through parliament by Yanukovich loyalists last week.

Berlusconi to be investigated for ‘witness tampering’

ormer Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is to be investigated for alleged witness-tampering in an underage prostitution trial. He and his lawyers are accused of meeting the female witnesses to discuss the evidence they would give. Berlusconi was convicted last year of paying for sex with an underage prostitute Karima El Mahroug, also known as “Ruby the Heart Stealer”. It is the latest in a string of legal cases hanging over Berlusconi. Forty-five people are under investigation in this latest case, according to Milan judicial officials, including Ms El Mahroug and senior members of Berlusconi’s legal team, Niccolo Ghedini and Piero Longo. Also being investigated are other young women who attended so-

called “bungabunga” erotic parties at Berlusconi’s villa near Milan. He is alleged to have paid monthly sums to them to testify that the gatherings were innocent dinners rather than erotic parties. Berlusconi, in a statement released yesterday, again asserted his innocence and accused the judiciary of victimising him. He remained “more convinced than ever of the need to keep fighting to the end for what I profoundly believe in”. The former prime minister was sentenced to seven years in custody last July for paying for sex with a prostitute aged under 18 and abuse of office. The court found he had used his influence to release Ms El Mahroug from police custody. He remains free while appealing against the verdict.

A former nightclub dancer, Ms El Mahroug has always denied having sexual relations with Berlusconi. The leader of Italy’s centreright Forza Italia party suffered another setback last year when he was expelled from the Senate after a conviction for tax fraud was upheld.

He also lost his immunity from prosecution. Though he was given a fouryear jail term, reduced to one, he is not expected to go to prison because of his age - 77. But he may have to do a year’s community service.

Berlusconi

Europe and Americas

Bolivia ‘to build first nuclear reactor’

olivian President Evo Morales has announced plans to build the country’s first nuclear reactor. Mr Morales said the development of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes has become a strategic priority for his country. Speaking to members of the Bolivian Congress, he said that Iran, France and Argentina had volunteered to help with the development of the project. Only three countries in Latin America have operating nuclear power stations. Brazil, Argentina and Mexico began their nuclear programmes in the 1970s. Chile has only small-scale, experimental nuclear reactors. “Bolivia cannot remain excluded from this technology, which belongs to all humankind,” Mr Morales said in his annual state of the union address in La Paz. “We have decided to create a high-level energy commission. This is a priority of the Bolivian state,” he said. Mr Morales, an outspoken critic of the United States policies in the region, is running for re-election in October. Last month, Bolivians gathered in the central square in La Paz to cheer the launch of Bolivia’s first telecommunications satellite. President Morales, who went to China for the launch, said it would end Bolivia’s dependence on foreign powers for its communications. The satellite is named Tupak Katari, after an indigenous hero who fought Spanish colonial rule.

US eases uniforms for religious observance

he US military has eased restrictions on beards, religious tattoos, hairstyles or apparel that troops can display while in uniform, as long as they do not jeopardise “unit cohesion”. The Pentagon said on Wednesday the rules it unveiled marked the first time the agency had laid out a general policy on the issue. “The new policy states that military departments will accommodate religious requests of service members unless they have an adverse effect on military readiness, mission accomplishment, unit

cohesion, and good order and discipline,” spokesman Lieutenant Commander Nate Christensen said in a statement. As long as a unit’s mission is not put at risk or its safety jeopardised, the regulations would allow an exception to standard “clean-cut” grooming standards on religious grounds, including facial hair or other hairstyles, tattoos and piercings that reflect a soldier’s spiritual faith. However, certain apparel or other expressions of religious faith would not be permitted if it “interferes with the wear or proper

function of special or protective clothing or equipment,” such as helmets, flak jackets or flight suits, Christensen said. The policy mainly affects Sikhs, Muslims, Jews and members of other groups that wear beards or articles of clothing as part of their religion. It also could affect Wiccans and others who may obtain tattoos or piercings for religious reasons. But advocacy groups expressed concern that the updated policy does little to protect Sikhs and others from the whims of their commanders.

“What is disappointing is that the presumptive bar on Sikh articles of faith remains”, said Amardeep Singh, a spokesman for the human rights organisation Sikh Coalition. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, said he welcomed any move to broaden religious accommodation in the US military. “We’ve dealt with this issue on a number of occasions, whether it was with beards or with head scarfs or even in support of the Sikh community on the issue of turbans and skullcaps for the Jewish military personnel,” he said.

Morales

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 31

Strange World

Steven Kutcher – The man who gets insects to act

ave you ever wondered how the insects in movies do exactly what they’re supposed to? How do they know they’re even in a movie scene and play along with the plot? Like the spider that bites Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) in Spiderman. The bees that swarm Matt Damon in We Bought a Zoo. The spider that walks four feet and slips into a slipper in the cult classic, Arachnophobia.Or the giant mosquitos in Jurassic Park. It turns out that there’s actually a person behind all these shots, manipulating the insects to do his bidding. That man is Steven Kutcher, 69, an entomologist who has been working in Hollywood since 1976. He has been a part of over 100 feature films, numerous commercials, music videos and

TV movies. “I think of myself as a bug wrangler, a consultant. I’m not the cheap guy who trains dogs and chickens and happens to have a tarantula,” he said. “I’m both a scientist and an artist. I think Steven Spielberg said I was the first entomologist in the film industry. I brought the science of insect behavior to the film industry.” It’s pretty obvious that Mr.Kutchertakesimmensepride in what he does. His first film came about rather unexpectedly. His childhood love for insects led him to an entomology degree from University of California, and a master’s degree from California State University. He was preparing to completely immersehimselfintheprofession whenoneofhisformerprofessors got a call, asking for someone who could tend to the locusts in Exorcist II. The professor

Steven holding a butterfly

recommended Kutcher. Hefoundthathelovedthejob and considering the fact that one of every three Hollywood movies at the time featured insects, there

was always plenty of work. But Kutcher had his biggest break in 1990 – a nine-month stint on the sets of Arachnophobia. He actually held an ‘arachnid

Olympics’ of sorts to determine the best three species (out of 500 spiders) for the role. “Two tarantulas played the king and queen spiders, but the delenas

were in most scenes,” he said. So what’s his secret? What makes Kutcher so special that scores of insects dance to his tunes? Well, he refuses to divulge most of his trade secrets, but he says it isn’t too hard if you know what you’re doing. He says that getting insects to ‘act’ is just a matter of creatively modifying their normal behavior with light, heat, wind, or textures. If Kutcher needs a mosquito to stay still like a statue, he would place it in a cooler first. To keep a tarantula still, he would briefly cover its eyes. There’s even a video where he demonstrates how a tarantula freezes the moment he obstructs its vision. To get a fly to clean itself, he’d gently place a bit of honey on its head. And to protect Matt Damon from horrible stings, he used young house bees that are easy to handle and less likely to sting.

‘Mr. Incredibeard’ and his truly incredible beard styles

wenty-nine earold Isiah Webb is blessed with amazing genes that have helped him grow a truly legendary beard. It’s rare to find men these days with such a thick overgrowth of facial hair. But Webb isn’t content with just having a long beard. He has transformed it into various weird shapes and styles, posted pictures online and watched them go viral. Webb calls himself ‘Mr. Incredibeard’. “Beards run in my family, so I’ve always really known; it’s kind of tradition,” he said. “One of my ancestors, Jay Gould, was a railroad tycoon with a pretty awesome beard, and we actually look alike in many ways. Maybe one day I will be able to make a few billion dollars as a beard tycoon.” I must say, he does look like he’s well on his way to becoming a ‘beard tycoon’, if there really is such a thing. He wears it in so many creative ways – a bowl to eat noodles from, a ‘bearded elf beard’, a ‘stairway to heaven beard’, and even a ‘fries & a beard shake’. Yes, he actually uses his beard to hold a burger, some fries and a shake so that his hands are completely free. I think that’s just for the

photograph though, I don’t suppose he’d really eat food off of his beard. Oh, wait, he would. Isiah puts up these photographs every Monday, on his various social media profiles. Webb gives most of the credit for Incredibeard to his wife – she pushes him to keep growing it and comes up with unique design ideas. “She brings the beard art to life,” he said. “Incredibeard would be nothing without her.” On his blog, he talks about the various products he uses and provides styling tips to

his fellow beard enthusiasts. His secret go-to product for all kinds of styling is the Bearded Bastard’s Woodsman Mustache Wax and Beard Oil. With such a long name, the product better live up to expectations. And it does, but with consequences. “If you’ve ever wanted to smell like a lumberjack in the middle of Alaska with an axe in one hand while using the other hand to slap a bear in the face with a salmon, this is the product you want,” Webb says. He paints quite the picture, doesn’t he?

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Weekend Revue Selena Gomez seeks Jamaican Babe, advice from Sunshine Haye, claims love Katy Perry Davido got her pregnant

WITH TOBIAS LENGNAN DAPAM lovelengz@yahoo.com 07036990957

Davido

he ‘Come and Get It’ hitmaker - who ended her year-long relationship with Justin Bieber last y year - admits she’s turned to t the 29-year-old singer - who is c currently dating John Mayer - for h help understanding why men s struggle to deal with her life in t limelight. the She told Seventeen magazine: “ actually talked to her about “I g guys who are intimidated by s strong girls. “I haven’t found someone y who could understand my yet l lifestyle, support it, love me t through it, and not be threatened b it.” by

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old star reunited with Justin, 19, earlier his month but, before their romance gets too serious, she has urged him to attend anger management classes following a police raid on his home in Calabasas, California, last week. A source said previously: “She’s told Justin he has to mend his ways if they are to start seeing each other regularly again. “She just wants some pleases [and] thank yous, as well as some good behaviour if things are to get serious again. “She has told Justin he needs help with anger management and that he should book classes.” Katy Perry

Sunshine

23year old 23 ld pretty tt Jamaican J i babe, b b Sunshine S hi Haye H has h claimed l i d that th t she h is i pregnantt for f Nigerian musician, Davido. The Jamaican, who is a hair model and video vixen, took to her Twitter handle to state that she hooked up with the 21 years old ‘OmoBabaOlowo’ during one of his UK tour and they had some tryst which resulted in a pregnancy she is now carrying which may produce twin girls in the next four months. Haye further stated that she is so happy that she is expecting the ‘Gobe’ crooner’s babies and has already chosen names for the twins and has gone on to decorate a Disney themed nursery for the babies. But those who are in the know say Davido and the babe had been an item since 2012 and that they have been exchanging messages and that anytime Davido went to London, they were always together. Pulse.com also gathered that on her birthday in April, Davido sent her several messages, telling her how much he loved and missed her. But as is expected, the Davido camp had dispelled the story that has been making the round, denying knowledge of the babe’s existence or Davido having anything to do with her.

Harrysong – Tele Mi features KCee in new video

‘Jack Ryan’ Franchise hi iin question ttii after ft snub from younger moviegoers

T Harrysong in new video

ulse.com has reported that 5 star music label-mates, KCeeand Harrysong, collaborate once again on the Del B – produced song. It added that ‘Tele Mi’, which is also growing as a hit caller tune with MTN subscribers – the telecom network where Harrysong had his ‘Mandela’caller tune tribute downloaded by over 2 million subscribers. Harrysong who wants to be known as Mr. Songz now – arguably holds the title for penning the most hits over the period of a year from working with a long list of established and rising artistes including KCee. The new monster hit single from the songwriter, singer, performer and producer doesn’t just get a new video but a dance.

Selena Gomez

he fate of Paramount’s marquee spy franchise has been thrown into question following the soft debut of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit at the North American box office, where the action thriller failed to connect with younger audiences unfamiliar with author Tom Clancy’s iconic character, Hollywood Reporter has said. Director Kenneth Branagh’s reboot, starring 33-year-old actor Chris Pine and in a bid to relaunch the series, opened to a soft $18 million over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. More than a third of the audience was over the age of 50, while only 15 percent was under 25, according to exit-polling service CinemaScore. All the, 63 percent of the audience was over the age of 35. Movies fueled largely by older adults could certainly transform into box office hits -- consider Gravity or

Taken, although they feature older actors in the lead roles -- but the Jack Ryan franchise has always been an all-audience play. And by casting Pine, the studio hoped to ignite interest among the younger set. Whether the studio and cofinancing partner Skydance

A scene from Jack Ryan’s Franchise

Productions decide to pursue another installment now largely rests on JackRyan’s performance overseas, where it is off to a solid start, as well as its ability to drum up continued interest among older adults in the U.S, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 33

Weekend Revue Kevin Hart, Ice Cube’s “Ride Along” film breaks box office record

omedian/actor Kevin Hart and former rap star Ice Cube’s buddy-cop comic film, ‘Ride Along’ has br broken the box office record for an any film opening on the Martin Lu Luther King weekend. The movie walloped up to 47.8 million in sales in its op opening week. The Martin Luther King we weekend is reported to be a sk skeptical release period for m major motion pictures due to th the 4-day weekend. Hence, box of office earnings during this time ar are often tabulated differently. ‘Ride Along’ opened at 47.8 m million dollars, surpassing th the previous record holder, Cl Cloverfield, that opened with 46 46.1 million dollars back in 20 2008.

LLindsay i d Lohan L h announces new fifilllm

indsay Lohan has announced she will be starring in a new film titled, ‘Inconceivable’. The star made the surprise declaration at her debut at the Sundance Film Festivalrecently as a strong defence to her ‘fresh start’ campaign. The actress said she is back and ready to work, adding that she is

most excited especially about coming to the Sundance Festival for the very first time. “I’ve never had the honour of coming here before, to bring something to the table, which is starting fresh for me,” said Lohan, smiling broadly. “And I’m filming my Oprah docu-series right now, so I get to that to the people who have been

Lindsay Lohan on set

watching that as well. “It’s a nice change to be back among people that are in the industry that I’ve been in since I was a kid.” However, Lohan has been working with an Oprah’s own network production team on an upcoming reality series, focusing on the actress. She also stated of her directorial projects, including T The Canyons; “It’s therapeutic for me to throw myself into something that really excites me and something that I love to do so much,” she said. T There’s nothing better than having seen all of your ideas and thoughts tthat you’ve been thinking about tto come to fruition and to share tthat with people. I think that’s why I’ve always loved making movies so much. So it’s nice to be able to have another position in the film rather tthan just showing up and being on tthe set.”

OJB O JB Jezreel J l tto release l autobiography t

JB Jezeel has indicated his interest to release his autobiography. The singercum-music producer recently returned to Nigeria from India where he underwent a kidney related surgery. The reported husband of three wives and eight children, in 2013, turned to Nigerians for help. He ‘begged’ members of the public to raise the sum of N16 million for his medical treatment abroad. It took the intervention of Governor Rotimi Amaechi to quickly help him raise the cash. Few months after he returned to the country, OJB Jezreel has indicated his interest in writing a book to be titled ‘The Celebrated Beggar’. He explained that the book will contain details of his kidney transplant. The singer’s residence is undergoing renovation. He recently had a cameo appearance OJB Jezreel in Maheeda’s music video. and Wives

British B iti h Soap S Opera’s O suicide storyline draws mixed reaction

A Scene from the Soap Opera ‘Suicide Story Line’.

ore than 10 million people watched the long-running soap Coronation Street on as Hayley Cropper, sick with incurable pancreatic cancer, took an overdose of drugs and died peacefully in the arms of her loving husband, Roy. Some praised the storyline for its sensitive handling of terminal illness and death, but others said it risked encouraging suicides. Right-to-die campaigner Jane Nicklinson, whose late husband suffered from locked-in syndrome and waged a court battle for the right to have a doctor help him end his life, said the story had “done our cause proud.” But anti-euthanasia group Care Not Killing said that the program was “in great danger of normalizing an occurrence that is actually very rare indeed.” Television network ITV said in a statement that “Coronation Street regularly features storylines that concern sensitive medical and social issues, and it was recognized that Hayley becoming terminally ill would

have a profound resonance for our audience.” The network said writers and producers had consulted with the suicide-prevention group the Samaritans and cancer charities about the scripts. The Samaritans had expressed concern that the show would cause a spike in people taking their own lives. It said calls to its telephone helpline after Monday’s show were up by almost a third compared with the same period last week. But chief executive Catherine Johnstone said the makers of Coronation Street had covered the issue sensitively and had acted responsibly by consulting the organization about the plot line. British soaps are grittier than their U.S. counterparts, generally set in working-class communities. Coronation Street takes place in the fictional Manchester suburb of Weatherfield. A British critic once noted that “American soaps are about watching beautiful people suffer. We like to watch ugly people suffer.”

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

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Feature

Nigeria: Celebrating beyond the centenary

Sir Obafemi Awolowo

By Chijioke Okoronkwe

resident Goodluck Jonathan recently described Nigeria’s amalgamation in 1914 as an ``Act of God,’’ a subtle way of saying that the country will remain ever united. Former Nigerian leaders and opinion leaders across the ethnic the country also agreed that Nigeria has come to stay as a sovereign nation. In all the presentations to the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference, no ethnic group called for the break-up of Nigeria. “From our consultations in 11 states visited so far, there is no single submission that agitated for the break-up of Nigeria. “We are happy that Nigerians have indicated interest to live together in peace, Dr Akilu Sani-Indabawa, the Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference stated. Former Head of State Ibrahim Babangida, said Nigeria would surmount the current challenges threatening its corporate existence; as many developed countries passed through such challenges and still survived as nations. ``We have cause to rejoice, during these 100 years, Europe endured two world wars; Russia went through a revolution, a civil war and finally from being Russia to Soviet Union and back to Russia. ``During this time, Spain and Yugoslavia have gone through horrendous civil wars. During this time, several countries in Asia, including China went through civil wars that almost brought them to their knees. “Yet today, Europe is one of the fastest growing economies

Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe

in the world. China is destined in a few years to become the biggest economy in the world. `` Yes, during the past 100 years of our existence, we also have gone through a horrendous civil war. The events that led to the war and the war itself have left lasting effects on all of us,’’ Babangida said. `` We Nigerians have cause to rejoice that even though in our history, we have met with obstacles, we have experienced ups and downs; each generation had sought to the best of its ability to tackle these obstacles. ``That we are still a united nation is sufficient cause for congratulation,’’ the former military leader added. On his part, President Jonathan said that the centenary celebration was moment ``for sober reflection,’’ stressing that the country would overcome the present challenges confronting the nation. “Whatever challenges we may have faced, whatever storms we may have confronted and survived, Nigeria remains a truly blessed country. Legal experts have also debunked the assumptions that Nigeria had legally ceased to exist going by the provisions of the Jan. 1, 1914

“

amalgamation document. According to Prof. Akin Oyebode, a lawyer, Nigeria will not expire as the amalgamation came into force through an act of the British Parliament and not by a treaty. Oyebode said that the process of amalgamation started in January 1900, when the British Parliament issued an Order-in-Council. The order, mandated the Royal Nigeria Company (a successor to the United African Company), to ceded its power to the British Crown, which resulted to the amalgamation of the Southern Protectorate. Oyebode said the British Parliament also issued an Order-in-Council which resulted in the amalgamation of the Northern Protectorate in 1906. ``The amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates took place in 1914 through another Orderin-Council,’’ he said. He noted that Nigeria got her independence in 1960 also through another Orderin Council. Oyebode supported the convening of the national conference because the 1999 Constitution, shared some features and characteristics with the Amalgamation

Alhaji Ahmadu Bello

Act, enacted without the participation and consent of Nigerians. Prof. Itse Sagay, a professor of lawyer, also restated that the amalgamation of Southern and Northern protectorates in 1914 was through an act of the British Parliament. “It was a union imposed on us by the British who were colonial overlords, then recognised by international law, which was a legitimate power to join the Northern and Southern protectorates. “So, it was not a treaty at all; If it was a treaty, both parties could have sat round the table to negotiate their merger. But there wasn’t anything like that at all. “The people just woke up one morning and found out that they have been joined together by the superior colonial force,’’ he said. To Gov Martin Elechi of Ebonyi, Nigeria is already a sovereign nation and Nigerians had every reason to celebrate the nation’s 100 years of amalgamation. ``Despite the many challenges the nation had faced and still facing, it is necessary to celebrate her successes rather than dwelling in her failures as a nation.

So, it was not a treaty at all; If it was a treaty, both parties could have sat round the table to negotiate their merger. But there wasn’t anything like that at all,The people just woke up one morning and found out that they have been joined together by the superior colonial force,’’ he said.

“We have had many trying periods ranging from military coups to bloody civil war and other sociopolitical upheavals; but we have remained one strong indivisible entity. “The occasion of our centenary anniversary will indeed provide us a moment to reflect on how far we have journeyed as a nation; and how to channel energy towards overcoming our challenges, Elechi stated. Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo also restated that the unity of Nigeria is nonnegotiable. “Presidents will come and go, governors will come and go, but the Nigeria nation will remain forever. ``It is important that we pledge our continued commitment to the indivisibility of Nigeria. ``I am unrepentant in my conviction that the unity of this country is nonnegotiable. “We can talk on how to grow the economy, we can talk on the best time to create jobs, we can lament what we have not done right, but we cannot discuss whether Nigeria is a reality, Oshiomhole stressed. Even though the corporate existence of Nigeria is nonnegotiable, that existence would be greatly enhanced by good governance and exemplary leadership. The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Anthony Obinna, harped on this when he called on Nigerian leaders to render selfless service to the people. He said, “Our public and private sectors are all corrupt and if nothing is done urgently to save the situation, the country cannot develop. Source: NAN

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Tribute

How BBC’s Komla Dumor became the face of Africa F

ollowing the untimely death of BBC presenter Komla Afeke Dumor, 41, BBC Africa editor, Solomon Mugera looks back at his short, but brilliant career.

omla Dumor was the face and the voice of Africa - a new young, enterprising, internationally connected, ambitious African, with a can-do attitude. Telling the African story When pioneering the launch of Africa Business Report on BBC World News, he sets out to challenge the stereotypical view of Africa. He was passionate about telling the story of how the continent was changing, of rapid economic growth and technological advances. But he was not a praisesinger. He was determined to present a balanced story, warts and all, and to show the human face behind the headlines. Even as a number of African countries were being heralded for being among the world’s fastestgrowing economies, he wanted to dig deeper. For he knew that while in those countries a select few were wining and dining in five-star hotels and driving the latest luxury cars, in the same neighbourhood there were families struggling to live on $1 (£0.60) a day. “There must be balance or please, don’t patronise me,” he used to say. Visiting oil-rich Angola in 2012, he made two memorable pieces - one at the country’s Porsche dealership, the other with a woman who was using a wheelbarrow to fetch water. She only agreed to talk to him if he used his immense frame to help push the barrow for a while, which of course he did. Although he was blessed with the voice, the face, the on-screen presence and the authority to be a broadcasting legend, he was an accidental journalist. Born in Ghana to a family of academics, Komla set out to become not a journalist or broadcaster but a doctor. He had enrolled at Nigeria’s University of Jos, in 1988, to study medicine. Komla’s meteoric rise Unlike his brother Korshie, who went on to become a doctor, Komla abandoned the course and returned to Ghana for a fresh beginning. He took a degree course in Sociology and Psychology. During a strike at the University of Ghana in 1998, KD, as he was known to his peers, saw a job advert for a traffic news reporter at the local Joy FM station and thought he would give it a go to earn some extra money.

Late Komla Afeke Dumor

Komia‘s Kids His career in broadcasting was born. He would do traffic news

rounds on his scooter - telling listeners how to beat traffic jams - and then race to lecture halls for

“

his lessons. By the time Joy FM offered him the much-coveted role of hosting its morning show in 2000, Komla had become a household name. While Komla thought his journey into broadcasting was an accident, friends say communication ran in the family DNA. Natural choice His mother, Cecelia Dumor, graduated with a Master’s degree in Mass communication. She is thought to have moulded Komla’s career in journalism before she died in 2008. The BBC’s Komla Dumor, had a unique presenting style. By that time, Komla’s feet were firmly under the table at the BBC World Service. His father, Ernest Dumor, was a Professor of Sociology.

After his success at Africa Business Report, Komla was the natural choice to host the BBC’s flagship Focus on Africa TV programme in 2012 - its first TV news programme for the continent.

The prominence of his family did not begin with the parents. His grandfather Philip Gbeho, was a renowned musician. He was asked by the country’s founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, to compose Ghana’s national anthem following independence from the UK in 1957. “He had a deep baritone voice and Komla seems to have inherited not just the voice but even his grandfather’s body physique,” says cousin, Dzifa Bampoh. Three years after joining the BBC’s African service in 2006, Komla went on to present TV programmes. After his success at Africa Business Report, Komla was the natural choice to host the BBC’s flagship Focus on Africa TV programme in 2012 - its first TV news programme for the continent. Once Komla was asked what he loved about Africa: “Its resilience. After all, we have been through, we are still here.” His extra-large size was commensurate with the passion with which he spoke about Africa. At a Ted talk in 2013, he gave four points about telling the story of Africa. He wrapped up his presentation saying: “Hire the best talent to tell the story, or the view is great from my hotel.” Despite his towering figure, he never came across as intimidating - unless you were a politician with something to hide, being interviewed by him. He loved people, because he believed stories are about people: to tell a story well, you need to understand people. But he didn’t see people in terms of contacts like some journalists. He saw people as human beings and collaborators in a mission to tell the African story. This is why the Mandela family chose him to share their experience of losing their father and grandfather last year - and why they have now paid their own tribute to Komla. Nelson Mandela’s daughter, Makaziwe, described Komla Dumor as a “shining star of Africa” A graduate of Harvard University, with an MA in Public Administration, Komla married lawyer, Kwansema in 2001.They have three children: daughter Elinam Makafui (God has always been there for me, Praise him), aged 11; son Elorm Efadzinam (God loves me, he comforts my heart), eight; and daughter Emefa Araba (I am at peace), two. He will be sorely missed. BBC Africa

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 36

Digest

Sugar-free fizzy drinks make people eat more food By Emma Innes

any dieters opt for sugar-free drinks in a bid to shed some excess pounds, but new research suggests this tactic is not effective. U.S. researchers found that overweight and obese adults who drink diet fizzy drinks consume more calories from food than those who drink regular fizzy drinks. The researchers, at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School

of Public Health, examined national patterns in adult drink consumption and calorie intake. They discovered that those who opt for diet drinks do not end up consuming fewer calories overall. ‘Although overweight and obese adults who drink diet soda eat a comparable amount of total calories as heavier adults who drink sugary beverages, they consume significantly more calories from solid food at both meals and snacks,’ said Dr Sara Bleich, associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s

Department of Health Policy and Management and lead author of the paper. Using data from the 1999 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers looked at national patterns of drink consumption and caloric intake. Consumption of diet drinks has increased considerably in the past few decades from three per cent in 1965 to 20 per cent today. Individuals who drink diet soda typically have a higher BMI (Body Mass Index) and consume more snack food than those who

It is thought the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks affect the brain’s ability to control appetite meaning people are more likely to snack

Overweight people who drink diet fizzy drinks eat more meaning they do not consume fewer calories overall

drink sugary beverages. Earlier research may explain why the investigators found higher consumption of food among heavy adults who drink diet beverages. Artificial sweeteners, which are present in large quantities in diet soda, are associated with a greater activation of reward centres in the brain. In other words, among people who drink diet soda, the brain’s sweet sensors may no longer provide a reliable gauge of energy consumption because the artificial sweetener disrupts

appetite control. As a result, consumption of diet drinks may result in increased food intake overall. ‘The results of our study suggest that overweight and obese adults looking to lose or maintain their weight - who have already made the switch from sugary to diet beverages - may need to look carefully at other components of their solid-food diet, particularly sweet snacks, to potentially identify areas for modification,’ said Dr Bleich. Source: Dailymail.co.uk.

The seven deadly sins that ruin a woman’s diet plans By Amie Keeley

re you a snacker, a binger, or just too busy to make a healthy dinner? All women have a dieting downfall that is defined by their ‘eating personality’, researchers claim. They found would-be slimmers fall into one of seven types that determines their relationship with food when trying to lose weight. The vast majority, 69 per cent, said they were ‘rushers’ – those who make bad diet choices because they are often on the go and do not have time to prepare proper meals. These women, mostly office workers or mothers with young children, often resorted to readymeals and takeaways. The poll for money-saving website FreeDeliveryLand.co.uk, asked 500 women aged between 20 and 65 how they would describe their eating habits when trying to lose weight. Around 7 per cent said they were ‘pickers’, who snack in between meals, while 6 per cent

identified themselves as ‘bingers’, starving themselves all week before eating a huge amount over a very short period of time. Just 5 per cent were comfort eaters and 4 per cent said their downfall was using food as a reward. The remaining 4 per cent saw themselves as ‘socialisers’, piling on the pounds by going out drinking. None viewed themselves as ‘settlers’, who put on weight during relationships by eating the same-sized portions as their partners. The survey follows warnings from government health chiefs which claim half of all Britons will be obese by 2050, costing the economy £50billion. More than a quarter of adults (26 per cent) are obese, up from just 8 per cent in 1980. A spokeswoman for FreeDeliveryLand.co.uk said: ‘It’s too easy to grab food on the go now and although our intentions may be good, we don’t always pick the healthiest option. ‘Once you fall off the dieting

wagon, then it’s downhill all the way. ‘Key is to plan ahead. So think about what you’re going to have for your three main meals – and

yes, I mean three, don’t skip breakfast, and then plan the healthy snacks you can have in between. ‘Replace the crisps with a

handful of nuts, the chocolate bar with a piece of fruit and the fizzy drinks with a glass of water.’ Source: Dailymail.co.uk.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 37

UPP tasks new PDP boss on courageous leadership By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Inter-Parliamentary, Hon. Mohammed Sani Idris Kutigi (middle), in a group photograph with stakeholders from his constituency, during their visit to him, yesterday at the National Assembly, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Ministerial nomination: Osun PDP elders, islamic group hail Jonathan By Lawrence Olaoye

lders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State yesterday commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the nomination of Mallam AbdulJelili Oyewale Adesiyan from Osun state. They described the choice as "appropriate,politically correct and in conformity with the wishes of Osun people." Similarly, a religious organisation, Islamic Political Committee of Osun state has lauded Jonathan for picking a Muslim scholar to represent Osun state in the federal cabinet, affirming that the Presid.ent by

his action, has demonstrated a sense of fairness and love for Muslims in the state. " We assure the President that the nominee is well versed religiously in addition to his educational and political qualifications. His religious qualification, we believe, is an asset especially in reaching out to disenchanted Muslims within and outside Osun state ", the statement signed by Sheikh Adio noted. The two groups had issued separate statements yesterday. While the statement from the PDP elders was signed by its chairman,Chief Lai Ogunrinade,that of the Islamic Political Committee was signed

by Sheikh Imran Adio,its Coordinator. The PDP elders said by nominating Mallam Adesiyan ,the Presudent had listened to the voices of the party that "truly grassroots nominee should represent the state at the federal cabinet as a way of spreading the many accomplishments of the president's transformation agenda. "We the elders of PDP in Osun met and we commend Mr President on his choice of Adesiyan. The choice is the best that has ever happened to the party in the state in recent times. Adesiyan is a grassroots politician,a man of the people who can best represent the president in this crucial period .

" As the President has listened to us,we pledge our unalloyed support to the transformational presidency of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. At our meeting were elders from all the thirty local governments and we all resolve to work more assiduously for the success of the Jonathan presidency", the statement said. The elders assured the president that the ministerial nominee from the state would not disappoint him and the people of Nigeria ,explaining that "the nominee is a competent and experienced administrator,a team player and disciplined politician well known for his love for the people"

NEF’s Ihejirika ICC threat can cause national-ill will – Chukwumerije By Patrick Andrew

en. Uche Chukwumerije, (PDP-Abia) yesterday urged the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to stop fanning the embers of ethnic and religious sentiments through its plan to drag the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Azubuike Ihejirika and six others to the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) in The Hague to answer for atrocities allegedly committed in Bama, Borno state. The Senator said the threat

was capable of “unleashing a national-ill will that will do no one any good” adding that the intent was ‘biased, provocative and indifferent to the demands of national unity." It could be recalled that a release signed by the Forum’s spokesman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, on January 17 had indicated that necessary processes would be kick-started to charge Gen. Ihejirika and six others for extrajudicial killings by soldiers in Bama and the strangulation of

civilians in Giwa Barrack, with the use of underground detention centre. “Let it be emphasised ab initio that senseless sacrifice of a human life is indefensible. Violations of human rights have remained the bane of Africa. “The situation in the universally acknowledged difficult terrain of borderless war such as terrorism, counter-terrorism and guerrilla-like conflicts offers a unique challenge,’’ he said. Chukwumerije added said the motives of the Prof. Ango

Abdullahi-led group were beyond concerns about human rights violations since the Bama incident had been investigated and put to rest. He averred that the incident had last June been thoroughly investigated by Senate which findings revealed an exaggeration of the death toll and noted that the position was confirmed by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that gave a far lesser number of persons than was reported.

he United Progressives Party (UPP) has asked the new chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Adamu Mu'azu to be bold and courageous in leading the party so as to achieve the desired goals. In a congratulatory message issued yesterday by the chairman of the party, Chekwas Okorie, the party said, "Leading a political party is a heavy responsibility that demands courage, integrity, boldness, patriotism and political sagacity to achieve desired goals". The party also expressed confidence in the capacity of the new chairman to administer the party and avoid the pitfalls that truncated the tenures of his predecessors. It commended the PDP leadership for making a right choice, expressing hope the that the new chairman would justify the confidence placed in him by carrying party members along in his efforts at building a strong political platform that will strengthen Nigeria's democratic process. In the statement, the party promised to contest all elective offices, including the presidency, even as it reiterated that the presidency had been zoned to the south east geopolitical zone for 2015. It also admonished politicians to imbibe issuebased politics, by avoiding politics of bitterness, rancour and intimidation, saying it is will affect Nigeria's young democracy. "UPP extends its hand of friendship to all political parties in the spirit of the party’s motto: Love and Unity, as we gallantly march towards 2015 presidential election in which the party will contest all elective offices including the presidency", the statement read. It said the best way to celebrate Nigeria's centenary is for the citizens to render selfless service to the fatherland, participate actively in the electoral process, vote and ensure that their votes are counted and counted in the overall result of the 2015 elections.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Politics 2015: Delta guber aspirant vows to tackle insecurity From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

I instructed Rep Kwande to join PDP not APC – Jeremiah Useni By Umar Muhammad Puma

ational Chairman of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Gen. Jeremiah Timbut Useni, in a letter addressed to the Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal stated that Kwande had acted against his counsel.

In the letter, the former FCT minister informed the House that prior to his formal defection, Kwande had been advised to quit the DPP and join PDP but instead of heeding the directive given to him, the legislator acted otherwise. After reading the letter, which content had excited some PDP

members who chanted the party slogan, Tambuwal said he read it out for two reasons. First, to avoid being accused of having an ulterior motive if he did not; and second, he read the letter in order to keep reminding his colleagues who may want to abandon the parties on which platform they were elected to the House, to

first of all inform their party Chairmen before announcing their intentions. Meanwhile, a member hitherto on the platform of the APC planning to contest the 2015 governorship election in Ekiti state, Rep Opeyemi Bamidele, yesterday officially decamped into the Labour Party (LP) on the floor of the House.

Delta state gubernatorial aspirant in the 2015 election, Tony Prest, has stated his determination to tackle insecurity, which has become a major bane and a “recurring decimal” in the state. In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, Prest described security of lives and properties as a must for meaningful development that will attract foreign investors and critical for ensuring and sustaining socio-economic development. According to him, Delta has the resources and human capital to address our current state of insecurity. Prest lamented that Delta, which was once a land of relative peace and security, “has over the years become a haven for diverse criminal activities including armed robberies, student-cult related violence, assassinations, militancy, political thuggery, kidnappings, ethnic and communal violence and so on. “We will partner with government security agencies on better modern communication and surveillance equipments, improved logistics and community policing. “We are determined to put an end to these and other types of criminal activities. To this end, my administration shall enhance consultations and collaboration with registered trained local vigilantes, neighbourhood watch and community based security groups,” he said. The businessman noted that the Nigeria Police Force and foreign police units would be consulted for advice and assistance in crime fighting and deterrence. He said state police units in the United States and Britain are already being considered for this purpose.

L-R: Kaduna state Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, one of the decampees, Mr. Husaini Dembo and People Democratic Party (PDP) Kaduna state Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Haruna, during a reception for decampees from opposition parties to PDP, yesterday in Kaduna.

Bafarawa urges 2015: DSS warns judicious management politicians against of Nigeria’s resources provocative statements

ormer Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has stressed the need for leaders and managers to make judicious use of Nigeria's resources. He made the remark yesterday in Sokoto shortly after his investiture as the Grand Patron and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk management of Nigeria. He said ``Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and natural resources. ``What we are however lacking is judicious management of these resources and this is what

we urgently need. ``If we had managed our resources well, Nigeria would have gone very far in terms of development.'' The former governor, who appreciated the institute for the investiture, said ``I am assuring you of my modest support and sacrifice to ensure the success of the institute's activities.'' Earlier, Dr Oladipo Abiodun, the President and Chairman of the Council of the Institute, said the gesture was aimed at recognising Bafarawa's contributions to the development of the state and Nigeria in general. (NAN)

epartment of State Service (DSS), yesterday warned those making provocative statements ahead of 2015 general elections to desist from such or face the full weight of the law. The warning is contained in a statement issued by Marilyn Ogar, the Deputy Director Public Relations, DSS. Ogar said the attention of the service had been drawn to incessant provocation statements by some Nigerians threatening violence ahead of the election. ``Such comments are offensive, misguided and directed

at stirring hate among Nigerians. ``This service and other law enforcement agencies have the mandate to protect the country and its citizens. ``We, therefore, warn all subversive elements that are bent on promoting divisive and disruptive agenda to refrain from such as the full weight of the law shall henceforth be brought to bear accordingly.’’ The DSS boss urged Nigerians to remain law abiding and assist security agencies in ensuring the safety of all. (NAN)

Bauchi Youth leader congratulates Mua’zu hails Yuguda By Umar Muhammad Puma

hairman of Bauchi Volunteer Group, Alhaji Danladi Kwano, has commended the governor of Bauchi state, Mallam Isa Yuguda over the role he played in the emergence of former governor of the state, Ahmed Adamu Mua'zu,

as the new Peoples Democratic Oarty (PDP) chairman. Mu’azu was picked as a new Chairman of the PDP replacing former Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, who resigned from the position last week. Speaking to reporters in Abuja yesterday, Danladi said, "Mallam Isa Yuguda has proven

to the people of Bauchi state that he is indeed a man of his words by nominating Mua'zu as his candidate for the chairman of our great party, Mallam can do anything that would bring peace and progress not only to Bauchi state, but the entire country". "If Mua'zu would want to contest the Presidency of this

country, I have no doubt that Yuguda would support him, because he believes in the progress of this country". On the performance of Yududa's administration, Danladi said the governor has delivered about 85% of his campaign promises to the people of Bauchi state by providing the people with

basic social amenities. "He has build state University, International Airport, teaching hospital, as well as general hospitals in each of the 20 local government areas of the state, and has build four 85kilometre roads linking neighboring states of Jigawa, Kano and Gombe, and 12 community radio station across the state, among others", he said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

News Anti-Gay law will preserve cultural values, says clergyman

Sponsor mass weddings, NGO urges Jonathan From Edwin Olofu, Kano

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

resident of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Rev. Dr. Felix Omobude has assured Nigerians that anti-gay law would help to boost godly cultural values in the country. The message was contained in a statement by Omobude, appreciating the courage of President Goodluck Jonathan for proscribing same sex marriage which the three major religious groups have aversion for. “The Nigerian people Celebrate marriages between men and women, how can they now be told otherwise? To canvass a marriage between two people of the same sex is strange to us”, he said. The cleric commended the National Assembly which it said “did what was right and the President has done very well by assenting to the bill”. He appealed to all Nigerians to support good intentions of the President, with a charge on international community, especially Europe and United States of America to exercise restraint on Nigeria’s stand on the issue by demonstrating high level of understanding for the nation’s rich cultural heritage. “Nigeria is a great nation in terms of human and material resources. Whatever setbacks we suffer now is only a passing phase”, he said.

L-R: NUJ Senior Assistant National Secretary, Mr. Gbenga Bamidele, NUJ FCT Chairman, Mr. Chuks Ehirim, National President, Malam Garba Mohammed, during a news conference, on Wednesday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

Sokoto govt to establish Hisbah, says Lawmaker

he Sokoto state government on Wednesday said it had concluded plans to establish a Hisbah Department in the state, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The Chairman, House Committee on Religious Affairs, Alhaji Muhammad Hamidu (APC- Angaza), disclosed this in an interview with the NAN in Sokoto. Hamidu said that the “the importance of the Hisbah Department in the state can never be over emphasised”. "It is to give more power and authority to the Hisbah in con-

trolling the unlawful acts by the people in the state. “These acts include such extravagance in marriage ceremonies and sexual harassment in which the people are so much stressed on," he said. Hamidu said that the committee had visited Kano and Zamfara states for information gathering and experience sharing on how to run the department. “The visitations had no doubt further guided and impacted on the committee in this direction", he said. NAN reports that Hamidu

moved a motion at the House on Wednesday towards the establishment of the department. "This is due to the sensitive nature and importance attached to this matter and the need to conduct public hearing. "The committee is requesting for additional one month within which to submit its final report," he said. The Speaker, Sokoto State House of Assembly, Alhaji Lawal Zayyana, said that the House had agreed to the request for the extension by one month. ( NAN)

NDE disburses N2m for 100 women, youths in Niger From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

he National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Niger state has disbursed the sum of N2 million for 100 women and youths to embarked on micro businesses in the state. The state coordinator, Engi-

neer Abdullahi Mohammed disclosed this in Minna while disbursing the said amount to the beneficiaries at NDE office said, the 100 were selected out of over 200 participants after one day orientation exercise conducted for them. Engineer Mohammed urged

the lucky beneficiaries to be prudent in the management of the loan as he advised them to use the fund for the purpose it was meant for. The said amount was disbursed to 100 micro operators. Some of the beneficiaries who were already into micro business-

es were urged to use the loan to enhance such businesses in order to improved their economic base and standard of life. Responding, Talatu Shehu on behalf of the beneficiaries assured well utilization of the loan to the benefit of their respective families.

resident Goodluck Jonathan has been advised to emulate the mass wedding policy introduced by the Kano state government and copied by some northern states in the country with a view to assisting indigents who are of marriageable. Executive Director, Voice of Widows, Divorcees and Orphans Association of Nigeria (VOWAN), Hajiya Atine Abdullahi who made the plea while speaking to newsmen in her office in Kano, believed that with such policy, fornication and prostitution as well as its relative vices would be stemmed. VOWAN which marked its tenth anniversary mid-last year; originally proposed the mass wedding before it was taken over by the government. She also disclosed that with the number of responsible citizens in the country, which the mass wedlock would foster, the nation will have reduced its insecurity problem. According to her, the huge amount of money stolen and siphoned abroad to lie fallow in some foreign accounts would be enough to bankroll some of these marriages, which is capable of manifesting into positive results in the nearest future. Atine added that the FG could also encourage multinational companies and other organizations, to as part of their corporate social responsibilities, to sponsor marriages as well due to its positive effects on society. “What I would advise is for Jonathan (President Goodluck) to borrow a leaf from Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who through his wisdom and foresight have ensured the government’s sponsorship of mass wedding for indigents, in addition to a little start-up fund for the new wives to begin a trade. “With this you would observe that it is a two-in-one arrangement where besides assisting the beneficiaries in resolving their social deficiencies, it is also a medium to empower them with some stipends for investment to sustain the marriage. So, I would advise Mr. President to clone and adopt the Kano approach to solving divorce issues in the country”, she stressed.

Coalition tasks Kaduna on funding of health sector From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

coalition of advocates on reproductive health has called on the Kaduna state government to increase its funding of childbirth spacing services. This was also as the coalition, lamented that the budget line of the Kaduna state government of one million naira was inadequate

to cater for the needs of pregnant women in each local government area. Speaking at the end of a twoday strategic planning and organizational development workshop on Wednesday in Kaduna, the Vice Chairman of the coalition, Malam Shehu Mohammed Makarfi also called for timely releases of funds to ensure qual-

ity delivery of the services in the state. Makarfi further called for the passage of Free Maternal and Child Health Bill into law to ensure safe motherhood in the state. In his own remarks, the Kaduna State Team Leader of Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, NURHI, Mallam Kabir

Abdullahi expressed satisfaction with the level of successes it has recorded so far in the state. "Since the commencement of NURHI project more women have accessed childbirth spacing services and commodities, especially the modern method - a practice that was initially seen as a taboo in some areas. "The uptake in Kaduna state

alone has now increased by more than 15%; this was achieved by the involvement of traditional rulers and religious leaders in the campaign", Abdullahi said. The coalition comprises of traditional rulers, religious leaders, women groups, health professionals, and civil servants to mention but a few.

PAGE 40

Photo Splash

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed; Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, and Gombe state Governor, Alhaji Hassan Ibrahim Dankwambo, during governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit to the minister, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Executive President, United African States, Professor Brimmy Olaghere (middle), delivering a lecture during the inauguration of United African States, yesterday in Abuja. With him are Commissioner for Human Relations and Development, Mrs. Halima Garba-Agbatutu (left), and President, Infrastructure Bureau for Africa, Mr. Alfred Ajagbe (right). Photo: NAN

Members of Concerned Lawyers Forum demonstrating over non appointment of Chief Judge of Rivers state, yesterday in Port Harcourt.

L-R: Former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George, Director-General, People Democratic Institute, Dr. Lanre Adebayo, and Chief Executive, Smagh@ Co. Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Agboola Fisher-Thomas, during a visit by George to the Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters, on Tuesday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Photo: NAN

L-R: Executive Director, Editorial Operations, News Agency OF Nigeria (NAN), Mr Isaac Ighure, former Managing Director of NAN, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, Acting Managing Director, Otunba Jide Adebayo, and Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, Mr Jones Afolabi, during a send off party for Mrs Oyo, yesterday in Abuja Abuja. Photo: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Stories by Albert Akota

he Chief Coach of the Super Eagles Stephen Keshi has insisted his 52nd birthday will not be celebrated until the team achieve the ongoing Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa. Keshi clocked 52 yesterday, but said the birthday has to wait as Nigeria prepare to take on Morocco for a place in the last four of the CHAN. Keshi said: “As a matter of fact we have suspended any form of celebration till we achieve what we came here to do in South Africa”, he said. The management of Green Court Hotel, will however steal a time during lunch hour to celebrate the coach, as the staff pulled out birthday balloons and cakes for the former Anderlecht of Belgium and Strasbourg of France skipper. The players also sang the happy birthday song for Keshi, who was a bit taken aback by the spontaneity of the event. “All these for me, I’m surprised but very grateful”, the coach said as he admired the birthday balloons in the dining hall. Birthday wishes have poured in from everywhere for ‘Big Boss’. Nigeria Football Federation

PAGE 41

Keshi suspends birthday celebrations for CHAN President, Aminu Maigari, took his fatherly role a step higher when he was one of the first to wish Keshi a happy 52nd birthday via a phone call early Thursday. After him was the chairman of the NFF technical sub-committee, Chris Green. In his message, Maigari said Keshi’s birthday is another opportunity for him to demonstrate his coaching and leadership credentials by winning the ongoing African Nations Tourney (CHAN), in South Africa. “On our part in the NFF, I can assure you that support will not be lacking despite the huge challenge of funding football,” he said. “We congratulate you on the occasion of your birthday and while wishing you many happy returns we pray that you continue to bring Nigeria joy through excellent coaching of the national team with the immediate task being victory at the ongoing CHAN tourney.”

The team continued training Yesterday evening at the Green

Point training ground in Cape Town in preparation for Saturday’s

quarterfinal against the Atlas Lions of Morocco.

Keshi admires his birthday balloons as players clap away in Cape Town

Maigari rejoins Eagles in Cape Town Kano Pillars set T for Super 4 without Gambo, Ubale Gambo Mohammed hampions Kano Pillars will be without strikers Gambo Mohammed and Manir Ubale at the Super 4, officials have disclosed. Gambo has not recovered fully from injury, which cost him a place on Nigeria’s squad to the 2014 CHAN, while Ubale is not fully match-fit after he was granted compassionate leave to get married. Pillars spokesman Idris Malikawa said that Gambo has not fully recovered from injury. “He has returned to training, but he has not fully recovered and so will not feature in the Super 4,” he

informed. The Pillars 25-man squad will be led to Abuja by goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai. They have also included Cameroonian defender Isaac Hele, who has returned from Sunshine Stars, as well as several recent signings like Abdul Haruna, Ezekiel Henry, Henry Mba, Adamu Hassan, Eneji Otekpa and Kingsley Udoh. Pillars will play their opening Super 4 game against Warri Wolves at 4pm on Friday. Enyimba and Bayelsa United are the other clubs in this pre-season tournament.

he President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari departed the shores of Nigeria yesterday night to rejoin the Eagles B squad in Cape Town ahead of Saturday’s potentially-explosive African Nations Championship quarter final duel with Morocco’s Atlas Lions. “I have total confidence in the Eagles to overcome the Moroccans on Saturday and go ahead to lift the trophy on the first day of February,” Maigari said as he left Abuja for Lagos, en route South Africa. Victory for the Eagles on Saturday will take the Aminu Maigari administration closer to its 11th trophy in 41 months in charge of Nigeria football. Trophies that have been won include the FIFA U-17 World Cup (November 2013), Africa Cup of Nations (February 2013), African Women Championship (December 2010), African Youth Championship (May 2011), Conquistador (high-profile friendly with Argentina, June 2011), Catalunya Cup (high-profile friendly with Catalonia, January 2013), Mandela Challenge (high-

profile friendly with South Africa, August 2013) and all three editions of the COPA Lagos International Beach Soccer Tournament since 2011. Nigeria, making her first appearance at the African Nations Championship, take on Morocco inside the Cape Town Stadium in the first quarter final tie of the

Alhaji Aminu Maigari

National League season to kick off Feb 15

he 2013/2014 season of the Nigeria National League (NNL), earlier scheduled to commence this weekend, will now start on Saturday, 15th February, according to NNL Chairman, Chief Emeka Inyama. After a meeting with President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji

Aminu Maigari in Abuja yesterday, Inyama disclosed that an agreement has been reached to move the kickoff date by three weeks. “We looked at a number of challenges on ground, and came to the conclusion that it would serve all the stakeholders and the National League body itself well to postpone

the commencement of the season by a few weeks. “The NFF President gave us assurance that within a few weeks, the Federation would be able to assist the NNL with some money for purpose of payment of indemnities of match officials. “This burden has been borne

competition. “Our expectation is for the Eagles to surmount the North African obstacle and go on to win the Cup, so that we can present it to ourdear President, His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR) as our first gift for the Centenary celebrations,” Maigari added.

previously by the Clubs, and they have made it clear they are no longer able to shoulder the responsibility, added to the fact that it is rather untidy for the Clubs to be paying indemnities of match officials,” Inyama explained. Also at the meeting were NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa

Amadu, Director of Competitions, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, Assistant Director (Communications), Mr. Ademola Olajire and Special Assistant to GS, Dr. Christian Emeruwa. NNL Board Members present were Hon. Kunle Soname, Mr. Emmanuel Zira, Mr. Nuhu Tanko and Mallam Dodo Isa, alongside the Executive Secretary, Mr. Lawrence Katken.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 42

Sports

Efe, Onazi, Ogu, Okwuosa Bayelsa United back to lift CHAN trophy By Albert Akota

he Super Eagles players abroad and in South Africa have been sending messages of goodwill to their mates taking part in the ongoing CHAN African championship with most of them declaring that they believe there will be no stopping the Nigerian side from winning the trophy at stake. Celtic of Scotland defender, Efe Ambrose has been calling every other day to check on the welfare of his

mates from team administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor. “We have players who are experienced enough to win the championship and by God’s Grace they will”, he said. Lazio midfield ace, Ogenyi Onazi called from Italy to wish Coach Stephen Keshi happy birthday and his teammate’s goodluck in their game against Morocco on Saturday. “At this point there is no stopping our team from winning the championship again”, he declared. Onazi said he has been in constant

touch with some of the players in the team and he was certain that they have the right frame of mind to win the tournament. Central defender, James Okwuosa, who plies his trade in South Africa with Chippa United, physically came to the Super Eagles Garden Court hotel abode, the third time he was doing so yesterday morning. “I have come to see my friends and teammates and also to wish our lovely coach, Stephen Keshi, a happy birthday”, he said on Thursday morning. I also believe the team has crossed its biggest hurdle and by the end of the tournament Nigerians will surely smile”, he said. Midfielder John Ogu, also called all the way from Portugal where he stars for Academica De Coumbria on Thursday. “We are so happy with what our mates are doing there in South Africa; they are really making us proud and help to tell them that we are backing them all the way to winning the trophy. There is no stopping Nigerian football again, we have come to stay at the very top with Coach Keshi. Happy birthday to the Big Boss”, he said excitedly.

Nigeria’s top clubs set for preseason tournament in Abuja today

igeria’s flag bearers in the 2014 CAF club competitions will feature in a Super 4 tournament from today in Abuja. League champions Kano Pillars, runnersup and Federation Cup winners Enyimba, Federation Cup beaten finalists Warri Wolves and third-placed Bayelsa United will do battle. Kano Pillars and Enyimba will represent Nigeria in the lucrative CAF Champions League, while Bayelsa United and Warri Wolves will fly the country’s flag in the CAF Confederation Cup.

CHANGE OF TITLE NAME WE FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS: PASTOR OSADOLOR IZEVBIGIE AND MRS JOY ISOKEN IZEVBIGIE NOW WISH TO BE ADDRESSED AS: BISHOP (DR) OSADOLOR IZEVBIGIE AND REV (MRS) JOY ISOKEN IZEVBIGIE RESPECTIVELY. THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD TAKE NOTE PARTICULARLY C.A.C. ABUJA FOR DOCUMENTATION PURPOSES. SIGNED: BARR SOLOMON AKHIGBE - 08037257296

Kano Pillars

Bayalsa

AF Confederation Cup campaigners want to use this platform to show Nigerians what they can do on the continent. Though they will be missing the services of goalkeeper Emmanuel Fabiyi and Kola Anubi, the coach Ladan Bosso-tutored side have made a number of shrewd signings, namely Mutiu Adegoke (3SC), Ikechukwu Gabriel, Samuel Tswanya (Pillars), Kabiru Sanusi

and Kazeem Yekeen (Kwara United). Benin Republic international defender Salomon Junior said that they are ready and will use this tournament to show Nigerians that they are capable of on the continent. “We are going into the Super 4 with the aim to give good account of ourselves, to show Nigerians that we are capable of representing the country well in the Confederation Cup,” Junior said.

Enyimba

he league runners-up are set to clinch the Super 4 after they beat Pillars to win the Charity Cup in November in Warri. They have been preparing for the new season in Otta, near Lagos, for several weeks now. They have recruited new players like Mfon Udoh(Akwa), Chibuzor Madu (Rangers) and Ezekiel Bassey (Lobi), who will compliment the core of the

squad from last season. Goalkeeper Femi Thomas said that they are battle ready to win the trophy as they are used to winning in Enyimba. “We are so excited that we will play the Super 4.It will toughen us ahead of action in the league and on the continent,” Thomas said. “It is a task ahead of us, Enyimba are winners, no matter how big or small the competition is.”

he champions will campaign in the CAF Champions League and they have recruited several players to beef up the team, while they will be without several others who are away on national team duty. Midfielders Shehu Abdullahi and Rabiu Ali are away at the CHAN in South Africa. Pillars have lost championship-winning coach Mohammed Babaganaru, who led them to back-to-back victories in the league. The Kano club will therefore be handled by Coach Abdu Maikaba pending the appointment of new head coach. New signings include Eneji Otekpa (Enyimba), Kingsley Udoh (Heartland), Henry Ezekiel (Sunshine Stars), Ezekiel Mba(Akwa United) and Nura Mohammed (Enyimba).

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THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO ASSIST THE LESS PRIVILEGED,PHYSICALLY,MENTALLY AND SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS IN THE SOCIETY. 2.TO PROMOTE SOCIAL,DEVELOPMENTAL AND CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: N.A.WEYINMI & CO. 08033544839

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO PROVIDE HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SUPPORT TO CHILDREN,ELDERLY,THE SICK,THOSE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES,THE DISABLED PEOPLE AND ALL OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND ACROSS THE NATION. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: GABRIEL EGWU 08030889908

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO FOSTER AND ENGENDER THE SPIRIT OF BROTHERLINESS AND UNITY AMONG MEMBERS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: OKECHUKWU C. ONWUEKWE 08063500235

PUBLIC NOTICE

DYNAMIC WORD DELIVERANCE MINISTRY

RELIABLE FOOTBALL CLUB

LIVING HOPE CHRISTIAN OUTREACH

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

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CLUB HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT CAP C20 LFN 2004 THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ATTARI THEOPHILUS 2. GORDON PROMISE MMEO 3. FRANCIS NWOSU ESQ 4. KOLAWOLE OSEH 5. DAVINSON OHURUOGU 6. OLUSHOLA ATOYEBI 7. PAUL ADIGWU 8. HENRY GEORGE ULAMO 9. MORGAN OTIOMA 10. NNAMDI EZE 11. ABASS TAIWO AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: 1. TO PROVIDE AVENUE FOR RECREATION FOR MEMBERS 2. TO PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AMONGST MEMBERS ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION OF THE ABOVE NAMED CLUB SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET. P.M.B 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAY OF THIS PUBLICATION SIGNED FEN, BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS SUITE 17 BATAIYA PLAZA (BY FCDA) PLOT 1271, 3 RAHAMA CLOSE, AREA 11, GARKI, ABUJA

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.REV.DR.EMMANUEL N.MGBECHI (GENERAL OVERSEER) 2.MRS NGOZI P. EMMANUEL 3.PASTOR NELSON UKAMA 4.MRS BLESS AMEDE 5.MR BENARD OGBU THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO ALL NATIONS,SET THE CAPTIVE FREE,TRAIN AND EMPOWER THEM FOR WORLD EVANGELISATION. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED:BARR.OBI.C.

TRUSTEES: 1. OBAGBEMI DARE OLANIPEKUN - PRESIDENT 2. AWOBAJO OLALEKAN AKINWUNMI -TREASURER 3. OBAGBEMI OLADAPO OLANIKE - SECRETARY AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN NIGERIA AND ALLOVER THE WORLD 2. TO PROVIDE SECONDARY ROLE SUCH AS HEALTH, EDUCATION, POVERTY ALLEVIATION, CHARITY, SELF EMPLOYMENTAND HUMANITARIAN SERVICES ANY OBJECTION THERETO SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIR COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: OBAGBEMI O. D

PUBLIC NOTICE

JOHNSON TENIOLA FAROMOJU FOUNDATION

ANOINTED SAINTS ASSEMBLY

PASSION GLOBAL CHURCH

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED BODY HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO THE CORPORATION AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR THE REGISTRATION UNDER THE PART “C” OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1990 TRUSTEES: 1. JOHNSON TENIOLA FAROMOJU - CHAIRMAN 2. OLUBUSOLA OLUREMILEKUN FAROMOJU - VICE CHAIRMAN 3. OLUGBENGA OLUFEMI FAROMOJU -CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 4. TOLULOLA OLUMIDE FAROMOJU - SECRETARY 5FOLUSO YETUNDE FAROMOJU -TREASURER AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT TO THE GIRL CHILD AND BOY 2. TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT TO CHILDREN 3. TO SUPPRT EFFORTS TO TRAIN AND BETTER EQUIP MEDICAL AND SOCIAL WELFARE PROFESSIONALS FOR THE IMPROVED DELIVERY OF HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION EMPOWERMENT ANY OBJECTION THERETO SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIR COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: ESTHER GAMBE ESQ, SOLICITOR

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACTS NO 1 OF 1990

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. REV. PROF. ADEKUNLE AKOREDE ABRAHAM 2. MRS. OLASUNMBO OLUREMI ABRAHAM 3. REV. DR. PHILIP IFEOLUWA AKINSIKU 4. PASTOR MRS. LANRE TAYLOR 5. PASTOR BABALOLA PAUL ABRAHAM AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. 2. TO PRAY AND DELIVER PEOPLE FROM THE OPPRESSION OF THE DEVIL. 3. TO PREPARE PEOPLE READY FOR THE LORD

TRUSTEES: 1. PASTOR GABRIEL OSHOBOKE CHAIRMAN/FOUNDER 2. MRS. ESTHER OSHOBOKE 3. MR. ABAYOMI FAMUYIWA - SECRETARY AIMS & OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST 2. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO ALL NATIONS 3. TO EVANGELIZE AND WIN SOUL TO GOD IN JESUS NAME

ANY OBJECTION THERETO SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIR COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

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

SIGNED: BUKOLA ASIYANBI ESQ SOLICITOR

SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

DORCAS CHARITY FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN CARE HOME

KINGDOM PRIEST ASSEMBLY INTERNATIONAL

WORLD EVANGELISM BIBLE CHURCH INT’L

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CHURCH HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PROPHET DR. SAMSON AYORINDE 2. PROPHETESS MERCY AYORINDE 3. REVEREND KUNLE ADEOYE 4. BROTHER DANJUMA ABEKU 5. BROTHER SULEIMAN AILOJE 6. DR. PETER OLALEYE AGUNBIADE 7. SISTER PEACE AYORINDE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO ALL NATIONS OF THE WORLD ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: TOKILEGAL: BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS, SOJITOKI@YAHOO.CO.UK 08033282935

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANY AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1990. TRUSTEES: 1. OBADARA DORCAS ADEBISI PRESIDENT 2. OBADARA EZEKIEL KAYODE PATRON 3. OBADARA MIRACLE DAMILOLA SECRETARY 4. OBADARA VICTORIA IBUNKUN – OLUWA MEMBER 5. ADESANYA ADEYEMI ELIJAH MEMBER 6. AKINOLA MODUPE OLUWAYEMISI MEMBER 7. BARR. GBONJUBOLA OLAWOYIN MEMBER 8. SEJORO YETUNDE VICTORIA MEMBER AIMS & OBJECTIVES 1. WELFARE OF CHILDREN AND WOMEN 2. TO SEE TO THE GENERAL WELLBEING OF WOMEN EITHER YOUNG OR OLD 3. PUT SMILE TO THE FACES OF THE HOPELESS ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL,CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION,PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, AGUIYI IRONSI STREET,MAITAMA,ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. EKPENISI EMMANUEL 08060035089

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ISHADIMU ILORI SAMSON 2. EZEALA UJU ANNAH 3. EMELIEZE FRANCIS EDOAMAKA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL. 2. TO WIN SOUL FOR CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL,CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION,PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, AGUIYI IRONSI STREET,MAITAMA,ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PAGE 45

CHANGE OF NAME

PUBLIC NOTICE

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS MISS JUSTINA SIMON AKPAN, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MRS. JUSTINA INNOCENT IKPOTO . ALL FORMER DOCUMENT REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD TAKE NOTE

END TIME GENERAL OF HOLY GHOST MINISTER OUTREACH

THE TRUTH PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OUTREACH

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED OUTREACH HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANY AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE; 1. DR ADEWALE ADEYEYE PRESIDENT 2. APOSTLE ALEX BAMGBOLA CHAIRMAN. 3 REV. DR GBOLAHAN OLUTAYO VICE CHAIRMAN. 4. REV MRS MERCY EZEKIEL MEMBER. 5. PASTOR ADEDAMOLA ADESINA MEMBER. 6. PASTOR ADESEGUN ADENEKAN MEMBER. 7. PASTOR PHILIP AKINOLA SECRETARY THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE; 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL,CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION,PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT,AGUIYI IRONSI STREET,MAITAMA,ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: WOLE OWABOYE AND CO.

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

CHANGE OF NAME I FORMERLY KNOWN AS NAOMI IBRAHIM, NOW WISHES TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MRS NAOMI PHILEMON JOSIAN, ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID , THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME I FORMERLY KNOWN AS MISS AMOO OMOBOLAJI GRACE, NOW WISHES TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS MRS OJO OMOBOLAJI GRACE, ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID, STERLING BANK PLC, ICAN AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

TRUSTEES: 1. AYODEJI SONOIKI CHAIRMAN 2. EBERE SONOIKI SECRETARY AIM AND OBJECTIVES TO PROVIDE FREE HEALTH CARE SERVICES ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL. CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET. PMB 198, MATIAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

HOPE RESTORATION MEDICAL FOUNDATION

WEST AFRICAN CENTRE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND DEVELOPEMNT

SEEDGUIDE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC ARE HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA, FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES & ALLIED MATTERS ACTS NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE 1. REUBEN CHIZOR 2. MS. IFEYINWA NWABUZO IFEMESIA 3. HENRIETTA EGOZUCHA OBI UDOM 4. DR. ADA MUOFUNANYA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROVIDE FREE MEDICAL TREATMENT TO THE POOR, ETC ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI ST, MATAMA GARKI ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION SIGNED: BARR GOZIE UDEMEZUE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CENTRE HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANY AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE; 1. PROF JAMES BLANCHARD 2. DR. KALADA GREEN 3. DR. AMAKA MOMAH-HARUNA THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE; 1. TO PROMOTE RESEARCH AND EXPERIEMENTAL WORK FOR THE LOCAL HEALTH INDUSTRY IN WEST AFRICA 2. TO ENSURE POLICY ADVOCACY AND CERATE AWARENESS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND PROGRAMME SCIENCE IN WEST AFRICA. 3. TO ACT AS A ONE STOP SHOP FOR GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND PROGRAMME SCIENCE PROMOTION IN WEST AFRICA ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL,CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION,PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT,AGUIYI IRONSI STREET,MAITAMA,ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: EZENWA C. ANUMNU ESQ

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED MINISTRY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANY AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE; (1) PASTOR GODDY OKOSUN (2) MRS MIRIAM OKOSUN (3) MR FAVOUR OKOSUN

- CHAIRMAN - MEMBER - MEMBER

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE; 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL,CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION,PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT,AGUIYI IRONSI STREET,MAITAMA,ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. VICTORIA UDOWA, VICTORY CHAMBERS, 08033553106.

PUBLIC NOTICE

CORNELIUS - ADVANCE AFRICA FOUNDATION

GENDER RELEVANCE INITIATIVE PROMOTION

OMI YO MADE EDUCATION FOUNDATION

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OPE MAKANJUOLA 2. ABAYOMI OLUJIMI 3. OLADIPO MAKANJUOLA 4. OLUWAROTIMI MAKANJUOLA 5. OLAYEMI OLADUNNI 6. OLAOLUWA MAKANJUOLA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. PROMOTING GOOD HEALTH 2. ADVANCE EDUCATION 3. ADVANCING LEADERSHIP, INGENUITY AND ENTERPRENEURSHIP 4. PROMOTING PEACE, DEVELOPMENT AND INCLUSIVENESS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ILEVBARE RITA IZILAFE 2. YEWANDE RACHEAL SHITTU 3. OLONIJU FRANKLIN OLADAPO 4. BADERINWA INUADE IYABO 5. TUNYAN SOLOMON AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. ADVANCE GENDER MATTERS 2. ADVANCE FEMALE RIGHTS 3. ADVOCATE AGAINST WOMEN ABUSE 4. TO HELP THE HELPLESS AND HOPELESS WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN 5. TO EMPOWER WOMEN WITH SKILL ACQUISITION PROGRAMMES IN THE SOCIETY ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OLORI OSHIN RHODA MODUPE 2. MR. ABEL ADIDU BOLUWADE 3. CHIEF OLUFEMI AYENI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. ADVANCE EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2. TO CATER FOR THE LESS PRIVILEGED 3. TO PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

JULDE & FADA MALLAM FOUNDATION

HUNKUYANA DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION ABUJA AND ENVIRONS

THE YOUTH CULTURE & HUMAN DIGNITY INITIATIVE

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. YUSUF MOHD BABA SHAMMA 2. SAMAILA MUSA 3. MAL. MAGAJI JIBRIN SECRETARY 4. UMAR NASIRU UMAR 5. SULEIMAN UMAR 6. ALH. ALIKO DANGOTE 7. ALH. ISAH SOLO 8. SAFIYA ABDULLAHI 9. MAL SALIHU YAHUZA 10. MUSTAPHA SHEHU ABDULLAHI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROMOTE THE UNITY AND PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE AMONG ITS MEMBERS ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: MAMMAN AUDU ESQ. 07036607276

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MR. CALLY IKPE 2. MR. SAM KARGBO 3. PROF. JAMES TSAGIOR 4. MR. PHILIPS TRIMNEL 5. MR. PATRICK DOYLE 6. MISS LOVE IDOKO 7. MR. INALEGWU EGWA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROMOTE DECENCY AMONG YOUTHS ESPECIALLY ON TELEVISION 2. TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE DENIGRATION OF OUR WOMEN IN MUSIC VIDEOS THAT PRESENTS THEM AS SEX OBJECTS ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MUHAMMAD JIBRIN 2. MUHAMMAD KHADIJAT BABA-MUHAMMAD AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO ASSIST THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY 2. TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP TO BRILLIANT OR INDIGENT STUDENTS 3. TO ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER 4. TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: OMEGA REIGNS CHAMBERS, 3RD FLOOR, STANDARD PLAZA, AMINU KANO WUSE 2, ABUJA

SIGNED: BARR. NNENNA OKORIE; 07035560494

PAGE 46

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

PUBLIC NOTICE

IMO INDIGENES ELECTRICAL DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF LAGOS

BIODUN AND BOLADALE OLORUNFEMI FOUNDATION

IN THE MATTER OF GSM MINERALS NIGERIA II LIMITED (IN VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION)

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. FRANK NKEM CHAIRMAN 2. VITALIS MMEJE SECRETARY 3. MUOBIKE ALPHONSUS 4. SAB MUOGALU 5. CYRIL UZOMA OGHAEGO 6. JUDE OKOLI 7. BENNETH OJIMBA 8. CHRISTOPHER ONYEJEKWE 9. FABIAN EZEREADI EZEOJIKA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROMOTE THE INTEREST OF MEMBERS 2. TO FORM A FORMIDABLE ASSOCIATION TOWARDS FOSTERING UNITY AMONG ALL IMO INDIGENES TRADING IN ALABA INTERNATIONAL MARKET, OJO, LAGOS STATE ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. AGUGOESI VICTOR IKEM; 08035757908

AND IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, CAP. C20 LFN 2004

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. DR. BIODUN NATHANIEL OLORUNFEMI 2. MRS. BOLADALE ADEBOWALE OLORUNFEMI 3. MRS. SOPE ADEYINKA BORK 4. MRS. OMOLOLA EDWARDS 5. MR. OLUMUYIWA OLORUNFEMI 6. MR. OLUSEYI OLORUNFEMI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO ASSIST THE LESS PRIVILEGED WOMEN, WIDOWS, CHILDREN AND PREGNANT TEENAGERS 2. PROVIDING ASSISTANCE IN ICT AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY GSM MINERALS NIGERIA II LIMITED 188 AWOLOWO ROAD, SOUTHWEST IKOYI, LAGOS

NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING UNDER SECTION 468 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT IN PURSUANCE OF SECTION 468 OF THE ABOVE ACT, THE FINAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ABOVE NAMED COMPANY WILL BE HELD AT AELEX (LEGAL PRACTITIONERS & ARBITRATORS), 7TH FLOOR, MARBLE HOUSE, 1 KINGSWAY ROAD, FALOMO, IKOYI, LAGOS ON THE 25TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2014 AT 10AM PROMPT. AGENDA 1. TO LAY BEFORE THE MEETING, THE ACCOUNT OF THE WINDING UP OF THE COMPANY AND GIVE ANY EXPLANATION THEREON. 2. TO CONSIDER ANY OTHER BUSINESS RELATING TO THE WINDING UP OF THE COMPANY. DATED THIS 22ND DAY OF JANUARY, 2014 BY ORDER OF THE LIQUIDATOR OLANIPEKUN OREWALE A MEMBER ENTITLED TO ATTEND AND VOTE AT THE MEETING IS ENTITLED TO APPOINT A PROXY TO ATTEND AND VOTE IN HIS STEAD. A PROXY NEED NOT BE A MEMBER. A PROXY FORM IS ATTACHED.

PUBLIC NOTICE

COME AND SEE JESUS FOUNDATION

AGRO & ALLIED PRODUCTS DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF ANAMBRA STATE MOTTO: NO AGRO DEALERS, NO GES

NIGERIA SOCIETY FOR QUALITY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. REV. ANTHONY OLUWASEGUN OLATOKUN 2. MRS. COMFORT ADEBOYIN OLATOKUN 3. REV. FEMI BABALOLA 4. MR. EMMANUEL OLUWAFEMI OLATOKUN 5. MRS. ELIZABETH OLAMIDE IBILOYE 6. MRS. CECILIA OLAWUMI MOSES 7. MRS. FELICIA OLATUNDUN OLAGBOYE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO ESTABLISH AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CENTRE WHERE PEOPLE CAN GATHER TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURE, PRAY TO GOD, BE ALONE WITH GOD AND HOLD CHRISTIAN RETREAT 2. TO ENHANCE PEOPLE’S KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST’S TEACHINGS OF HOLINESS, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, FINANCIAL BREAKTHROUGH, PEACEFUL LIVING WITH OTHERS AND SO ON. 3. TO BRING PEOPLE CLOSER TO GOD THROUGH DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAMMES 4. TO PROMOTE PEOPLE’S STANDARD OF LIVING THROUGH PROGRAMMES ON HOW TO BE SELF RELIANT 5. TO CATER FOR THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY BY GIVING THEM SCHOLARSHIPS 6. TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENT POVERTY ERADICATION PROGRAMME BY GIVING PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND EMBARK ON AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND OTHER ENTERPRISES 7. TO PARTNER WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND INTERNATIONAL BODIES IN ACTUALIZATION OF THE SET OBJECTS ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: A.Y. AKINTUNDE, ESQ.

CHAIRMAN SECRETARY MEMBER

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROMOTE THE INTEREST OF MEMBERS 2. TO FACILITATE NEARNESS OF FARM INPUTS TO FARMERS 3. TO HELP THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED SOCIETY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. CHRIS OBI CHAIRMAN 2. HAROLD SAMUEL TSUMBA 3. ROSEMARY NWANGWU 4. NGOZI KAY OKORO 5. MICHAEL ROBINSON 6. DR. NNADOZIE ISINGUZO 7. IFEYINWA FELICIA UMENYI 8. IBIAM OGALUONYE OGUEJIOFO 9. PROF. CHARITY ASHIMEM ANGYA 10. JUSTICE BENEDICT KANYIP

SECRETARY

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROMOTE THE APPLICATION OF QUALITY CONCEPTS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF SELF AND THE SOCIETY AS A WHOLE 2. TO INCREASE THE USE AND IMPACT OF QUALITY IN RESPONSE TO SOCIETAL NEEDS 3. TO PROPAGATE KNOWLEDGE OF QUALITY AS A GLOBAL PRIORITY, AN ORGANIZATIONAL IMPERATIVE AND A PERSONAL ETHIC. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF JUDAH PRAISE MINISTRY

YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY SECONDARY SCHOOL PARENTS TEACHER’S ASSOCIATION

AREA CHAIRMEN’S WIVES ASSOCIATION FCT CHAPTER

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

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MR. AKINOLA KABIRU CHAIRMAN 2. MR. ALI AHMAD VICE CHAIRMAN 3. BARR. EMENIKE OTUONYE MEMBER 4. MRS. IJEOMA UGORJI MEMBER 5. MRS. ADENIYI FOLAJUWON GENERAL OVERSEER AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO ENSURE THAT THE BEST OF QUALITATIVE AND FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION IS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE STUDENTS OF YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY SECONDARY SCHOOL 2. TO ASSIST THE STAFF OF YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY SECONDARY SCHOOL IN ANY WAY THE ASSOCIATION DEEMS BENEFICIAL TO THE SCHOOL. 3. TO LIAISE AND COORPERATE WITH OTHER AGENCIES AND ASSOCIATION CATERING FOR THE WELFARE AND EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENTS 4. TO ENCOURAGE THE PARENTS AND TEACHERS TO STIMULATE AND PROMOTE A DESIRE FOR LEARNING IN EVERY CHILD IN THE SCHOOL 5. TO PROMOTE FORUM (FOR A) FOR DISCUSSIONS OF MEANS OF IMPROVING ALL ASPECTS OF STUDENTS’ PERSONAL, INTELLECTUAL, MORAL, SOCIAL, DISCIPLINE, CULTURAL AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: EMENIKE OTUONYE ESQ.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. NWAKASI CHUKWUEMEKA RAPHAEL 2. OBATAYO FOLASHADE OBOLANLE 3. OBIEFULE KINGSLEY OKWUDIRI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 2. TO RAISE PEOPLE OF PRAISE AND PRAYER 3. TO REACH OUT TO THE LESS PRIVILEGED, ORPHANS, WIDOWS, AND THE SICK ONES, ETC ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: DANIEL A. ONYILO ESQ.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MRS TAMAR YOHANA 2. MRS. HANATU SHABAN 3. MRS. CHRISTIANA MICAH

CHAIRLADY VC SECRETARY

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO FOSTER UNITY AMONG FCT WOMEN ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

GREATER KETTI COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT FORUM

LICENSED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (RC NO: 2242)

THE CANCER CONSCIOUSNESS INITIATIVE

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

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR CHANGE OF ITS TRUSTEES UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE OLD TRUSTEES ARE: 1. E. SUNDAY FALEGAN 2. JAMES SOBOLA 3. F.A.A. FASHOLA 4. B.N ONYIA 5. M.A UDOM 6. U.D EHUEHIE 7. MOHAMMED SALIHU OTHMAN THE NEW TRUSTEES ARE: 1. NTISONG DR. ESSIEN EKIDEM 2. OTUNBA DELE AKINTOLA 3. ALHAJI ABDULLAHI IWOVOFU EDOCHIE 4. CHIEF DR. JOHN EKERE JAMES ETIM 5. CHIEF AUGUSTINE IFEANYI NZEDIEGWU 6. EVANG. PETER OKELUE AGU 7. ENGR. VICTOR FASAN AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MALLE MATHIAS ZAKARIYA 2. MUSA PAUL BETALUSNAYI 3. BUSSA ABANANYA JAMES 4. ALEX JOSHUA AKATA 5. PIUS AYENAJEYI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF MEMBERS ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED INITIATIVE HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT NO. 1 OF 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. DR. HANNATU AYUBA USMAN 2. AMINA AYUBA USMAN 3. PROF. OLUMIDE ADEUJA 4. DR. SAAD AHMED AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. TO CREATE AWARENESS ON CAUSES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER AND ALL ALLAYING COMMON FEARS PERCEIVED 2. TO FACILITATE AVENUES FOR CANCER SCREENING BY COLLABORATING WITH HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, INSTITUTIONS, STATE GOVERNMENTS, NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ETC. 3. TO COLLABORATE WITH CANCER PREVENTION SOCIETIES, SUPPORT GROUPS, FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH THE MAIN AIM OF IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF THE POPULACE 4. TO INCORPORATE CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY IN SCREENING EXERCISE 5. TO FACILITATE BREAST SELF AWARENESS AND HEALTH TALKS ON HEALTHY LIVING ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPERATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PAGE 47

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

Some Interesting Facts

rom the exuberance of a community festival at a mud mosque in Mali to the solitude of life ‘off the grid’ in Wales, taking in both sweeping landscapes and the minutiae of an ant colony, these stunning images have been named the winners of a worldrenowned photography competition. The winners of the Travel Photographer Of The Year awards, which were announced today, give both armchair travellers and seasoned explorers a glimpse of the magnificence, beauty and poignancy of this planet and its inhabitants. This vibrant, entertaining and sometimes thought-provoking selection, taking in both places that many of us will never travel to and familiar destinations, were captured by the hugely talented amateur and professional photographers who beat entrants from nearly 100 countries. The top prize – the Cutty Sark Award for the Travel Photographer of the Year 2013 – was awarded to British photographer Timothy Allen for his black and white images of the mud mosque replastering festival and Dogon life in Mali, and his studies of individuals in Wales and Bhutan. The view alone is worth the money: Incredible £7.5million sevenbedroom home on the Devon coast with a private beach that was once used by smugglers The optical illusions that will fool your CAT: Video reveals tricks of the eye that can outfox animals too did someone order deep fried fish fingers? Chef draws crowds to street restaurant with ability to plunge his hands into a vat of 200C boiling oil Jonathan Rystrøm from Denmark was also celebrating after he was named Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2013.

The 14-year-old, who got into photography when his grandfather took him on a safari trip, stunned judges with his photograph of a woman using her mobile phone in front of the Rector’s Palace in Dubrovnik, Croatia. ‘Jonathan’s willingness to experiment with movement and to use this well in his compositions is particularly impressive for one so young,’ said the competition judges. ‘At just 14 years old, he is third youngest photographer to win the award of Young Travel Photographer of the Year and only the second ever Danish winner of any category in the awards, following in the footsteps on Student award winner, Sophie Tondering, in 2003. ‘If Jonathan continues to develop his keen eye and willingness to experiment with his photography

Leisure

then he has a bright future ahead of him.’ The 14 and under category was won by 10-year-old Patria Prasaysa from Indonesia, while 17-year-old Chase Guttman from the USA won the 1518 In the portfolio sections, Jino Lee from Singapre won the Monochromal category, while the British-born Thailand-based photographer Gavin Gough took the top spot in Vanishing & Emerging cultures. Jasper Doest from the Netherlands, and Johnny Haglund from Norway shared top honours in Wild Stories with two sharply contrasting portfolios; one beautiful, the other gritty. The New Talent award went to British medical student Tom Pepper, with the Vietnam-based American Justin Mott capturing the top prize in the single image category, Extraordinary. There were two winners in the beginner’s category En Route – Merissa Quek from Singapore and Stuart Draper from the UK, while another British-based photographer James Morgan repeated his 2012 success in the short film category Travel Shorts by finishing on top in 2013. The awards were judged by a hugely respected international panel of imaging experts, including photographers Eamonn McCabe, Nick Meers and Chris Weston, the editor of the German magazine FOTO and the photography director of Condé Nast Traveller. The winning images and films can be seen on www.tpoty.com and will be displayed at a major exhibition at London’s Royal Geographical Society from July 11 until August 17 next year. The exhibition there in 2013 attracted almost 50,000 visitors.

Say what?

SUDODKU SUDODKU EASY 26

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Yee haw! Texas, 1939. A cowgirl dropped a nickel in a parking meter to hitch her pony. When this photo was taken El Paso was still a highly horse-conscious town with many cattle-ranch residents. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014

SPORTS LATEST

Chelsea agree to sign Salah for £11m

helsea has agreed a deal to sign Egypt midfielder Mohamed Salah from Swiss champions Basel for a fee in the region of £11m. Salah, 21, is yet to undergo a medical or agree personal terms, but is expected to move to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Liverpool had held talks with Basel with hope of making Salah their first signing of the January transfer window. The Blues agreed to sell Juan Mata to Manchester United. United’s club-record £37m move for Mata appears to have encouraged Chelsea to move swiftly for Salah, who would become their third signing of the January transfer window after the arrivals of Nemanja Matic and Bertrand Traore. His potential capture will also offer Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho a further attacking option, following Kevin De Bruyne’s loan move to Wolfsburg. Salah, who can operate in a variety of attacking roles, has been tracked by a number of clubs af t e r i m p r e s s i v e displays in the Europa League last season and this year’s Champions League. The Egypt international scored against Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2013, before getting goals in both Champions League matches against Jose Mourinho’s side this season. After starting his career at Egyptian side El Mokawloon, Salah moved to Basel in 2012 and scored five league goals in 29 appearances as they secured a fourth league title in as many seasons. His form this season has helped Basel to top spot in their domestic league ahead of its resumption after a winterbreak. Salah, who made his Egypt debut in 2011, finished as jointtop goalscorer in Africa’s World Cup qualifying groups with six goals. He was however unable to help his country to Brazil 2014 as they were beaten over two legs by Ghana in a play-off.

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. . . putting the people first

QUOTABLE QUOTE Politics is like a trade. More than 50 percent of us who are into politics are not supposed to be there but it is because we have no other thing to do. –President Goodluck Jonathan

CBN: The imperatives of competence

am not amused by the current agitation for the successor of the outgoing governor of the Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Since it became apparent that the controversial Kano prince’s days are numbered, there has been a covert campaign for the top post. From subtlety, the campaign has now become overt. The cacophony is deafening. Expectedly, the mass media has been the battleground. The weapons for the actualization of the self-assigned task come in the shape of base sentiments and the usual culprits of ethnicity and sectionalism taking centre stage. These are some of the ills keeping the country down from realizing her full potentials. This writer doesn’t quarrel with the idea of aspiring to lofty heights. What is reprehensible is throwing into the mix sectionalism and tribalism. I totally agree with Chinua Achebe that the problem of the nation is squarely that of leadership. I strongly believe that the difference between boom and doom, is qualified or ill qualified leadership The agitation has taken a decidedly negative dispensation. From quality argument spiritedly reasoned along the lines of of competence and experience, the campaign has degenerated to ethnic and regional jingoism. Suddenly, tribal and regional blocs have emerged and taken over the place of quality arguments. One such is from the South-

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GUEST COLUMNIST Joseph George

President Jonathan

CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido

west. The air now is fouled by a cacophonous campaign for sectionalism and tribalism This is regrettable. I am positive the president, Goodluck Jonathan will not pander to and sacrifice competence and experience on the alter of political expediency. Proponents of sectionalism argued that a section of the country namely the South-west, has been marginalized in the current scheme of things by the Jonathan administration, hence the need for ‘compensation’ with the post of CBN governor. The charge of marginalization by the disparate components making up this country is not totally new but the current argument

for Sanusi successor is. This is because tribe or zone has never been used as criteria for the person that heads the nation’s apex bank. The key attributes have always been knowledge and experience. Yet, agitators for a ‘tribal’ helmsman at the CBN are anchoring their case on these fundamentally flawed premises. The charge of marginalization is untenable. A casual look at the names of those who presided over the affairs of the bank will reveal very interesting phenomenon. The record exposes the lie of marginalization of a particular region. In 50 years, the South has held forte at the Apex bank for 28 years while the North for

The job of managing the CBN is serious business. Not everyone can make a success of it especially now that the world economy is inextricably intertwined. Only those who are qualified or who meet the right criteria should agitate for it. Among the right qualification is an economist with a commercial banking experience and not an ethnic or tribal enthusiast hoisted into office by his kinsmen just because they thought they have been marginalized. Surely, promoters of this kind of narrow consideration are mindless of the dire economic consequences’ that will follow should an incompetent person take charge of the bank. Thankfully, the President, is mindful of this. The recent change of guard in the armed forces was a confirmation of this.

22 years collectively. Of the nine indigenous governors, five came from the South. They are Clement Isong, Ola Vincent, Paul Ogwuma, Joseph Sanusi and Charles Soludo. In the succession trail, at no point was tribe or region considered. That may help in explaining why eyebrows were not raised when Ogwuma handed to Joseph Sanusi who also handed over to Soludo. The outgoing governor Sanusi took the baton from Soludo. Constitutionally, the appointment of the CBN helmsman is the prerogative of the president. Over the years, the nation’s leader appointed the governor singlehanded. As required by the Constitution, all the Commander-in-Chief needs to do is forward the name of his choice to the Senate for confirmation. Last week, the President exercised this power. He changed his service chiefs. In replacing them, I am certain that ethnic and regional consideration ranked the lowest in the criteria used by the President. Instead, professionalism and competence, I am positive, were the main considerations. The job of managing the CBN is serious business. Not everyone can make a success of it especially now that the world economy is inextricably intertwined. Only those who are qualified or who meet the right criteria should agitate for it. Among the right qualification is an economist with a commercial banking experience and not an ethnic or tribal enthusiast hoisted into office by his kinsmen just because they thought they have been marginalized. Surely, promoters of this kind of narrow consideration are mindless of the dire economic consequences that will follow, should an incompetent person take charge of the bank. Thankfully, the President, is mindful of this. The recent change of guard in the armed forces was a confirmation of this. Joseph George wrote in from 2,Atunwa Street, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

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