Wednesday 27th August, 2014 Edition

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Vol. 14 No. 36

. putting the Wednesday, August 27, 2014 . .

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Thul-Qedah 2, 1435 AH

135

Days

Boko Haram: Strayed soldiers return in ‘high spirit – Defence

>> Page 41

N150

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Since over 200 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted

Ebola: FG postpones schools F resumption to October 13

By Maryam Garba Hassan & Doyin Ojosipe

l ‘Only one confirmed case left’

ederal government yesterday postponed the resumption date for schools for the 2014/2015 academic year throughout the federation to ensure adequate preventive measures on Ebola Virus are put in place before students return to school.

Minister of education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, made the announcement yesterday in Abuja at the end of a meeting he held with the Forum of Commissioners of Education in the country.

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Remains of the late Professor Dora Akunyili, after the requiem mass, yesterday at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral Catholic Church, Area 3, in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

2015

I’ll tackle insecurity headlong – Buhari >>Page 2

Jonathan, PDP govs in crucial meeting over Adamawa

>>Page 3

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

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News

CONTENTS News 2-10 Editorial 12 Op.Ed 13 Letters 14 Opinion 15 Metro 16-18 Business 19-22 Stockwatch 23 S/Report 24-25 Property 26 Motoring 28 Arts 30

2015:I’ll tackle insecurity headlong -Buhari

By Lawrence Olaoye with agency reports

F

ormer military Head of State and national leader of the opposition All progressives Congress (APC), Gen, Muhammadu Buhari, has said that the issue of security of lives and properties would take preeminence in his programmes should he emerge the president of the country in 2015.

Buhari, in an interview he granted to a leading Hausa newspapers, Rariya, but translated by the Premium Times, also gave an insight on how the candidates of the APC for the 2015 general elections would emerge.

Responding to question on how he intended to tackle the myriads of challenges facing the country and restore confidence in governance if he eventually gets elected as President in 2015, Buhari said “First I have to secure the country, because unless you secure the country, nothing can be done properly. So, first it is security and then how to manage the country, that is by resuscitating the economy, the infrastructure, getting the factories reopened, getting employment and goods and services.

“It is much easier to damage than to rebuild, but everybody agrees that Nigeria is an incredibly resourceful country, both materially and human wise. So it is a question of the elite getting their acts together and making sure the country is organized in such a way that it can be secured and managed well. It is not easy because a number of the institutions have been compromised. What do you do with the Nigerian Police in terms of their efficiency? The military itself? The judiciary?

“The recent happening in our country, especially the abduction of more than 200 girls from their school is unbelievable. For those of us who experienced the civil war, we can’t reconcile how a group like Boko Haram would come and collect from one school more than 200 children and after three months, the Federal Government cannot do anything. So for those of us coming from the 1960s to now, it is unthinkable for any group to emerge in Nigeria to hold everyone to ransom. I mean the so-called Boko Haram.

“I said this about six months ago. I said no religion advocates hurting the innocent. So the religious toga that Boko Haram is wearing can be exposed. You

can’t wrap yourself with explosives and go and kill people in markets, churches, mosques, and motor parks, and also go and slaughter children in their sleep. It’s simply terrorism. This is my clear understanding of it and it is the duty of the Federal Government to stop it. Unfortunately, so far, the Federal Government has failed,” he said.

On how APC candidates, including its Presidential flagbearer will emerge, the foremost opposition leaders said “I convinced our colleagues that the first thing to do is to have the party on the ground; the party needs to be on the ground. Let us go and start from the grassroots. That’s where we are now.

“We are trying to kill the delegates system, we are going to do direct primaries. We will start from the ward and come up. The convention will just be to ratify it. So even for those who have so much money, there will be no delegates to buy, the people will have their way. And that is how our candidates, including that for the presidency, will emerge,” Buhari explained.

Commenting on the notion that the problem facing Nigerian and some other African countries

was lack of strong institutions, Buhari said there is also the need for a strong leader to build strong institutions.

Asked why he had refused to give up on Nigeria having contested the Presidency thrice, Buhari said “I answered that question about 30 years ago that I remain committed to this country because I have nowhere else to go. I have been a governor in six states, I have been petroleum minister, head of state for 20 months, chairman of PTF for five years — at a stage we had N53 billion naira in the banking system and all parts of Nigeria saw what we did. After serving this country at those levels, where do I go? The only time I operated an account was when I was in training in the UK, India and the United States and when I came back I closed all the accounts. I don’t have a property even in Niger, so where do I go?”

Assessing the challenges facing the country, the former Head of State called on the elites to be conscientious and make whoever is in power to be accountable.

He also stressed the need to pay more attention to education because, according to him, it holds the key to almost all the challenges facing the nation.

The recommendation advised all tertiary institutions to suspend exchange of staff and students programs, visits and major international seminars and workshops till further notice.

He said schools are expected to monitor the movement of foreign students in their campuses and liase with appropriate government health institutions to organize and ensure effective sensitization program for all teaching and non -teaching staff.

The minister enjoined all private and public schools to comply with the directives as failure to do so will amount to sanction by the appropriate law in the states.

Earlier in his presentation, Dr. Sani Gwarzo, representative of Ministry of Health at the meeting and Chairman Sub Committee of Point of Entry, commended the federal government for the measures put in place to combat the spread of the virus in the country.

He said all diagnosis and treatment of the virus were done

by Nigerian doctors adding that only few specimen for test were taken to a centre in Senegal.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, has said, as of yesterday, only one Ebola patient remained in isolation in Nigeria, down from the 13 cases the country confirmed since the outbreak of the virus in July.

Chukwu said so far Nigeria has had 13 cases including the index case. Five of those infected died, while seven have successfully recovered and were discharged.

Two of the nurses who managed Mr. Sawyer were

discharged Monday at the isolation centre in Lagos, Mr. Chukwu said.

He said Nigeria has been able to curtail Ebola in the country.

All the 129 people who were under surveillance have completed the 21day observation incubation period and only one person was found to be symptomatic and is still being observed, he added.

In his words: “As I speak to you, Nigeria has only one confirmed case of EVD, a secondary contact of Mr. Patrick

Sawyer’s and spouse of one of the physicians who participated in the management of the index case. She is stable but still, on treatment at the isolation ward in Lagos.”

The Project Director, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi has said that it could eradicate the deadly disease from Nigeria before September 6, if the effort to contain the disease is sustained, adding that new cases might show up, but could be contained as well.

Ebola: FG postpones schools resumption to Oct 13 Contd from Front Page

Looting of public treasury cause of poverty in Nigeria Page 10

Politics

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Int’l 38 S/World

39

Digest

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Sports 41 Columnist 48

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The extension of the schools resumption date is applicable to all primary and secondary schools both public and private in the country.

This was part of the resolutions reached at the end of the meeting attended by all State Commissioners of education.

The federal government ordered that all summer classes currently going on in private schools in the country should be suspended with immediate effect until all precautionary measures are put in place and the commencement of the new resumption date.

Part of the resolution reached at the meeting also recommended that all ministries of education should immediately organize and ensure that at least two staff in each public and private primary and secondary schools are trained by appropriate health workers on how to handle any suspected case of Ebola. They are also to embark on immediate sensitisation of all teaching and non -teaching staff on preventive measures.

According to the minister, the training of the academic and nonacademic staff is expected to be completed no later than 15th of October, 2014.

Shekarau further directed that state ministries of education should provide all primary and secondary schools both private and public with a minimum of two blood pressure measuring equipment.

He said the federal ministry of Education will liaise with the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure that appropriate equipment are procured in good time adding that all the measures shall apply in all unity schools in the country.

Jonathan preaches quality service at Akunyili’s requiem mass

By Lawrence Olaoye

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday extolled the virtues of late Professor Dora Akunyili at a mass requiem held in her honour in Abuja just as he called on all public officials to deliver quality service to the people.

According to the President, what endear public servants to the people is not the big offices they hold but the quality of service rendered.

Quality service to humanity, Jonathan said, was demonstrated by the former Minister of Information, who he observed, used her position as the DirectorGeneral of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to save the lives of many Nigerians who would otherwise have been harmed by fake drugs.

Speaking at the end of the Mass, held at Queen of Apostles Pro-Cathedral, Garki, the President noted that when Akunyili assumed office as the agency’s boss, people

expressed reservation over her ability to deliver because it was believed that those in the illicit business of fake drugs were her people.

Jonathan said Akunyili however proved the doubters wrong with her passion and commitment to rid the nation of fake drugs for the sake of the health of citizens.

While praying for the family of the late former minister and urging them to be grateful for her life, Jonathan said Prof. Akunyili had given them “an identify that silver and gold cannot give you.”

Bishop of the Catholic Arch diocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, also prayed for the Akunyili’s family, peace in the country and assured that the present security challenges including Boko Haram would be overcome.

In his homily at the Mass, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Bishop Hassan Kukah, counselled that death and resurrection of Christ is an assurance that death is just the beginning of life.

News

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 3

Strayed soldiers return ‘in high spirits’–Defence HQ

By Joy Baba & Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he Defence Headquarters has confirmed that troops who returned from Cameroon were yesterday addressed by the General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Major General Zaruwa as they embark on another mission in the Counter Terrorism campaign.

According to press statement issued yesterday by the Defence Headquarters, “All the soldiers are in high spirit with all their weapons and equipment intact”.

Meanwhile, some of the Nigerian soldiers that took refuge in the neighbouring Cameroon Republic, following the fierce fighting with Boko Haram militants in some areas of Borno and Adamawa states have resurfaced in Adamawa state.

Reports from the commercial border town of Mubi in the state revealed that the residents saw the returning soldiers in the wee

hours, as most of the soldiers were in torn uniforms wearing gloomy faces.

However, the residents say they could not ascertain whether they are among the 500 soldiers that fled to Cameroun or not, though most of the troops participated in Gwoza operation and were drawn from the special unit battalion based in Mubi.

A resident, Joseph Baba said that,’’ We saw some of them purchasing second hand clothes at the Mubi main market and are in torn uniforms.’’

“Initially, we are afraid; people are panicked when we sighted the troops. They arrived in the wee hours and people begun to scamper for safety, because no one knows their mission; I even thought they are Boko Haram disguised in military uniform, as they used to do,’’ said Baba.

It could be recalled that, faced by the lack of arms, ammunitions and other military hardware to

battle the Boko Haram insurgents, whose fire power they cannot match, at least 500 soldiers in the Nigerian army were reported to have fled to the neighboring Cameroun.

The soldiers’ desertion came barely one day after leader of the Boko Haram sect Abubakar Shekau declared the town of Gwoza in Borno State, which it captured few weeks ago, an Islamic Caliphate.

In a video released at the weekend, which also showed scenes of Nigerian soldiers running for safety and arms recovered from Nigerian soldiers, the sect’s leader congratulated his fighters for seizing the town of Gwoza earlier this month.

The Defence Headquarters on Monday said the presence of Nigerian soldiers in Cameroonian territory is a tactical maneuver from the sustained battle it had with the Boko Haram insurgents group.

NAN foreign correspondents forum mourns colleague

T

he Forum of Foreign Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has said it mourns the passing on of Mr. Lawrence Ukwu, a.k.a.

LU, former United Nations Correspondent of NAN in New York, whose sad event occurred on July 21, in Abuja.

According to a press statement, signed by Dr. Bisi Olawunmi, on behalf of Forum, he was one of the agency’s three pioneer foreign correspondents sent on foreign posting in 1981. The other two pioneers are Malam Wada Maida, publisher of Abuja-based Peoples Daily newspaper and Mr. Adewale Fatona, a political office holder in Abuja.

Mr. Ukwu took an early retirement from NAN on returning from New York but had remained active in the media. He was the Editor-inChief of Banking and Finance for

Adamawa: Jonathan meets PDP governors, officials

By Lawrence Olaoye

P

L-R: Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dr. Mackjohn Nwaobiala, and Anambra state Deputy Governor, Mr. Nkem C. Okeke, during the minister’s meeting with Forum of Commissioners of Education on postponement of schools’ resumption to October 13 over the outbreak of Ebola virus, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Africa magazine and established Benneen & Tokel Consultants, which consulted, among others, for both the World Bank and the African Development Bank. His latest venture was the Easterner Magazine, set up to chronicle events in states in the former Eastern region.

“Mr. Ukwu’s death is a big loss to news agency journalism and the media in general. Mr. Ukwu served meritoriously for the three years he was at the United Nations.

“With his burial at his hometown, Asaga village, Arochukwu, Abia state, slated for August 30, 2014, we, former Foreign Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria commiserate with the family members of our departed colleague and pray god to give them the fortitude to bear the loss”, the Forum stated.

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday held a closed door meeting with National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, and some state governors elected on the party’s platform.

Although the agenda of the secret meeting was not disclosed to newsmen, there were insinuations that it may not be unconnected with the oncoming governorship election in Adamawa state.

A source within the PDP disclosed that Mu’azu at the meeting conferred with the party stakeholders on how to handle the issue of waivers for those aspirants on the platform of the party jostling for its tickets to contest the Adamawa state October 11 governorship bye election.

Those seeking waivers in order to contest the Adamawa governorship election include the

former EFCC chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; former Lagos state Military Administrator, Gen, Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) and the former 2011 governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Rngnr. Marcus Gundiri.

The trio recently dumped the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) for the ruling PDP. The source also added that the latest development in Enugu state, where the deputy governor was impeached in spite of all entreaties to Governor Sullivan Chime to spare him, was also discussed.

Those PDP governors who attended the meeting, which lasted a few hours, included the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDPGF) and Akwa Ibom state governor, Godswill Akpabio; Governor Lyel Imoke, of Cross River state; Governor Ibrahim Shema, of Katsina state and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, of Gombe state.

Custom intercepts smuggled Police nab 4 cars worth N200m in Lagos armed robbery From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

O

fficers of the Nigerian Custom Service’s Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Ikeja-Lagos, yesterday said it intercepted 22 new cars smuggled into the country at the weekend.

The Controller, Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ IkejaLagos, D/C Turaki Usman Adamu, in a press conference yesterday, said the 22 exotic cars were worth about 200 million Naira.

Adamu said the arrest followed the renewed vigour and determination of the zone to up the ante in anti-smuggling.

He said 22 brand new vehicles, comprised of 19 Toyota Hilux pickups, two Isuzu-DMAX Jeeps

and one Toyota Land Cruiser GRX 2014 model, valued at N186,474,128, were intercepted along Ikoyi-Victoria Island area of Lagos.

Adamu disclosed that the seizure was as a result of intelligence gathering which necessitated laying of ambush by the FOU ‘A’ operatives.

He pointed out that FOU ‘A’ operatives trailed the vehicles from an unapproved route but could not intercept them there because of the possibility of recording casualties.

He stated that, as professionals with the requisite training and competence, the Unit could not afford to embark on aggressive confrontation with the smugglers,

particularly in densely populated areas, hence the need to trail them to a safe place. He added: “Despite these precautionary measures, the smugglers engaged our operatives in a gun duel, but were over powered by the superior fire power of our operatives, but interestingly there were no casualties”.

Further, he informed that the interception was effected by a Patrol Team, headed by A/C Adamu Mohammed and led by S/C Abdullahi, comprising other officers/men of the Unit.

The Controller attributed the seizure to the dexterity, resilience, commitment and dedication of all officers/men of the Unit, particularly the seizing officers.

suspects in Bauchi From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

T

he Police in Bauchi has nabbed four robbery suspects who specialised in blocking Bauchi-Alkaleri Gombe highway and robbing motorists plying the route at night.

A press statement signed by the state’s Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Haruna Mohammed, made available to journalists in Bauchi yesterday, said that five fabricated riffles, one cutlass, some cartridges, four handsets, assorted charms among others, were recovered from the suspected highway robbers.

The suspects, according to Mohammed, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were: Idi Bala, alias Malam Baba (40-year- old); Abubakar Usman (35-year-old); Iliyasu Mal Yusuf (28-year-old) and 20-year-old Bappa Abubakar.

He added that all the suspects were from Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi state.

The Police spokesman said that the Police had since commenced investigation into the matter, adding that, “the Command urge members of the public not to relent in providing useful information that may assist the police in making the state safe and secured.

Page 4 Report

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Ebola: The conspiracy theories, the buck passing

By Ese Awhotu

..Tragic reminder, “75 percent of human diseases originate from animals-Junaidu

P

rofessor Abdulkadir Junaidu, Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto has revealed that 75% of human diseases were originated from animals circle, pointing out that the Ebola virus disease was one of the numerous diseases associated with animals.

Junaidu dropped this hint during a public lecture on Ebola organized by the Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto held at the Sultan Maccido Institute of Quran and General Studies.

His call is in line with the global call for doubling of efforts in sensitizing people on the need to take precaution while handling domestic animals especially in rural areas.

Nigeria along with other West African countries continues the struggle to stem the deadly outbreak of Ebola in the region; scientists are racing to figure out where it came from. The outbreak came as a surprise because the strain that is killing people in urban areas in West Africa had previously struck people in rural, forested parts of Central Africa.

If researchers can figure out which animal carries Zaire Ebola virus, and how the virus made the leap to people in West Africa, they may be able to suggest strategies to prevent or contain future outbreaks.

The outbreak started last December in a village in the rainforest of eastern Guinea.

At first, no one recognized the disease as Ebola. Symptoms of Ebola can resemble those of many other diseases, and Ebola had never been seen in West Africa before.

So far fruit bats have taken the brunt of the finger pointing as the possible source of the outbreak, says Kevin Olival, a disease ecologist at EcoHealth Alliance in New York City. Some of the evidence implicating bats comes from a study in the April Viruses

by Olival and David Hayman of Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

The researchers mapped the ranges of fruit bat species that might carry Ebola or related viruses. Some of the bats’ ranges include both West African and Central African countries such as Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Ebola has appeared in the past. The finding opens the possibility that the virus could have traversed vast distances via bats.

Still, Olival says, “the evidence is scant that bats are to blame for the West African outbreak.”

Other animals may also pass

Scientists at work along the disease. Great apes and species of forest-dwelling antelope may catch Ebola and infect hunters or anyone who eats tainted bush meat, he says.

Hoping to find the animal source, in April, Fabian Leendertz, an epidemiologist and disease ecologist at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, led a 17-member team to Guinea. The group collaborated with ecologists who monitor forest animals and captured bats for testing. He declines to reveal his unpublished findings, but he says there were no obvious epidemics among animals that might have spread the Ebola virus to humans. “We didn’t stumble across any dead animals,” he says.

The species of Ebola known as Zaire Ebola virus has periodically plagued countries in Central Africa (tan) since the 1970s. Those outbreaks were usually confined to rural areas. Now, this strain of Ebola is killing people in urban centers in West African countries (red).

CDC, Redmal/iStockphoto, adapted by E. Otwell But that doesn’t rule out local animals as a source of the outbreak. Even

“

though the team pulled together quickly and got its start just a month after the World Health Organization’s first alert on the outbreak, “We were still three months late,” Leendertz laments.

“Many things may have changed in the meantime.”

According to a report by the Science news, Leendertz thinks one bad bush meat carcass may have sparked the current epidemic. Bats, great apes, other primates and antelopes known as duikers are commonly eaten but also are among the animals most likely to be infected with Ebola, he says. The Guinean government banned eating bush meat at the end of March, but by that time, the disease was already spreading among people.

In the case of bats, Olival says, people could have come into contact with an infected animal’s urine, feces or saliva.

As West Africa rainforests are cleared to make way for farms and housing, people may have begun to interact more with bats because the animals may turn to houses as roosting places when trees are destroyed, Olival says.

If bats turn out to be the virus carriers, he says, “The right answer

is never to kill all the bats.” That would be an ecological disaster because bats pollinate plants and devour insects. Bat hunts would also only increase human contact with potentially infected animals.

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that bats in caves in Uganda, where, in 2007 and 2008, miners and tourists had contracted the related Marburg virus, give off more viruses during twice-yearly birthing seasons.

Most human cases of the disease coincided with those birthing seasons, the researchers reported in PLOS Pathogens in 2012. If fruit bats in West Africa follow a similar pattern, one way to avoid exposure to Ebola would be simply to steer clear of bats during birthing seasons, Olival says.

The Ebola epidemic may have started with a single interaction between a person and an infected bat or bush meat, but researchers agree that humans brought Ebola out of the rainforest to cities.

People catch the virus after coming into contact with infected body fluids and then pass the disease on to others through close contact.

The Food and Agricultural

Hoping to find the animal source, in April, Fabian Leendertz, an epidemiologist and disease ecologist at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, led a 17-member team to Guinea. The group collaborated with ecologists who monitor forest animals and captured bats for testing. He declines to reveal his unpublished findings, but he says there were no obvious epidemics among animals that might have spread the Ebola virus to humans. “We didn’t stumble across any dead animals,” he says.

Organization (FAO) last week in Rome told ministers of health and agriculture meeting in Indonesia that animal disease monitoring systems require sustained support and have a critical role to play in preventing human disease threats.

“Animal health remains one the weakest links in terms of how the world deals with disease risks,” FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth said in remarks delivered at a meeting on the Global Health Security Agenda(GHSA) in Jakarta, Indonesia, attended by human and animal health authorities and experts from around the globe According to Lubroth, the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a “tragic reminder” not only of the need for increased support for public health systems in the developing world, but also of the importance of ensuring that countries are able to monitor and respond to animal health diseases as well.

While curbing human-tohuman transmission remains the most important focus in West Africa, the epidemic is thought to have started when the virus crossedover from infected wildlife into the human population.

Other recent outbreaks of diseases affecting humans -including avian influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) -are believed to have had their start in animals. Indeed, an FAO report published last year highlighted that 70 percent of new infectious human diseases detected in recent decades are of animal origin.

“Zoonootic diseases that can make the jump from animals to humans are a real concern, but there is much that we can do before the jump occurs and outbreaks take place, causing loss of life and disrupting fragile livelihoods,” said Lubroth.

According to FAO in a statement posted on its website, there is a need to rethink how the international community provides global health support, with a new focus on investment in infrastructure, systems and capacities at the national level to help reduce the risks of such emergencies happening in the first place and increase the resilience of communities and health systems to respond when they do.

To support such a transition, FAO said along with its partners, are advocating what is known as the “One Health” approach, which looks at the interplay between environmental factors, animal health, and human health and brings human health professionals, veterinary specialists, sociologists, economists, and ecologists together to work on disease risks in a collaborative way.

News

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as an unprecedented national embarrassment the increasing seizure of Nigerian towns by the terrorist group Boko Haram and the reported fleeing of 480 Nigerian soldiers to Cameroon during an attack on a military base in Gamboru-Ngala on Monday.

In a statement, issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alh. Lai Mohammed, the party called on President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently address Nigerians on the worsening security situation in the northern part of

My impeachment won’t stand -Enugu deputy governor

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam with agency report

T

he former Enugu state deputy governor yesterday faulted his removal by the state House of Assembly, maintaining that the impeachment will not stand before the law.

The Enugu state deputy governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, was impeached yesterday by the State House of Assembly for alleged rearing of poultry at Government House, Enugu.

The Assembly accused Mr. Onyebuchi of operating a commercial poultry at his official residence and of disobeying Governor Chime, charges that, under the law, do not qualify as impeachment offences; however, the deputy governor’s removal was believed to have been masterminded by Governor Sullivan Chime.

Speaking to journalists few hours after his removal, Onyebuchi said he was heading to court to challenge his removal.

While expressing confidence that the court will reinstate him, he advised his successor not to operate a poultry house but to rear ostriches, monkeys and cows.

Peoples Daily recalls that the impeached deputy governor had told the impeachment panel set up by the state’s Chief Judge that Mr Chime reared monkeys, ostriches and other animals at the Government House.

Revealing evidence before the panel last week Wednesday, Onyebuchi said the governor’s poultry was hurriedly evacuated shortly after the panel commenced sitting.

The impeached deputy governor added that the state government had budgeted for the maintenance of the poultry since 2011.

The embattled deputy governor, who tendered the state’s budget between 2011 and 2014, said funds had always been provided for the poultry he operated.

He insisted that he did not commit any offence that could warrant his impeachment adding that the poultry farms they were collectively operating with the governor had been there before they assumed office in 2007.

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Boko Haram getting bolder and stronger-APC tells Jonathan the country that has allowed Boko Haram to proclaim its rule over a part of the nation’s territory.

It said in the face of the biggest threat to Nigeria’s unity and territorial integrity since the country’s civil war, President Jonathan must also put partisanship aside and rally the nation against Boko Haram, which by all indications seems to be getting bolder and stronger, to such an extent that the group is now hoisting its flag over parts of the nation’s territory.

APC also restated its call for an urgent national stakeholders’ conference on security that will cut across party lines to help fashion a solution to what has now become a clear and present danger to the survival of Nigeria, while pledging its unalloyed support for any sincere effort by the Federal Government to end the insurgency as quickly as possible.

As an immediate first step, the party calls on President Jonathan to immediately halt the illegal electioneering campaign by his Ministers, other appointees and supporters, saying Nigeria must survive as a nation before any party or individual can rule over it.

It also charged the military high command and its civilian leadership to quit politicking and fashion out ways for the military to live up to its constitutional responsibility of maintaining Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

APC said it is a shame that while the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro has been prancing around in Ekiti and Osun state marshaling troops to harass the opposition during the elections in those states, Nigeria has been losing territory after territory to Boko Haram.

Equally worrisome, the party said, is the development that has

seen some defence chiefs become the chief campaign managers to President Jonathan, an action that is a clear violation of the military’s professional ethics and which has embroiled the military unnecessarily in politics, at a time they should be rallying the troops against Boko Haram.

“There is no way to spin what happened on Monday, when 480 Nigerian soldiers escaped to Cameroon. The Ministry of Defence called it ‘tactical manoeuvre’, but did not explain how soldiers fighting insurgents along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon will foray 80 kilometres into Cameroon! ‘’The issue that should agitate the minds of Nigerians now is whether our troops are adequately equipped to battle Boko Haram and, if not, what has happened to the funds allocated for such in the past. As we said in our earlier

comments on this issue, between 2010 and 2014, a total of US$14 billion was allocated for defence, security and the police. What has happened to these funds?

“Nigerians must start asking questions rather than just blaming soldiers. Nigerians must ask why the alarm raised by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno concerning the low morale and lack of necessary fighting equipment by the military was dismissed on the altar of partisanship. Nigerians must ask what next, if a rag tag band of marauders are now carving out territories for themselves in our nation. Things cannot and must not continue like this,’’ APC said.

Borno sends 20 more ladies for medicine abroad

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2014 Batch ‘B’ National Youth Service Corps members in a march past, during their orientation closing ceremony, yesterday at the NYSC Camp, in Kaduna.

Photo: NAN

Boko Haram: TIEMS Nigeria/W Africa urges FG to go all out now

By Yakubu Yaki

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he International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS) Nigeria/West Africa chapter, has asked the Federal Government to direct its military to go all out in the fight against Boko Haram and other insurgent groups and restore peace and tranquility to the country immediately.

Chairman of the chapter, Air Vice-Marshall Muhammad Audu-Bida (rtd) said this in Abuja yesterday, while disclosing the outcome of a pancake meeting of the Executive Board of the society, which held on Monday.

Audu-Bida noted that as at

March this year, close to 4 million Nigerians were displaced while over 100,000 were recorded as sheltering in refugee camps in Niger, Chad and Cameroun.

“As a former military general myself, I am aware that our military is capable to quelling this insurgency, because they have the training, courage and equipment to accomplish the task of securing the country’s territory but they should be allowed by political authorities to carry out their duties unfettered by political, ethnic or religious coloration and or sentiments.”

“For the good of millions of Nigerians, the military should take decisive action now to stop

further displacement of Nigerians, destruction of farmlands, lives and property as well as occupying our territory, a situation which has become very embarrassing to Nigerians, government and the armed forces.”

While sympathising with parents and relatives of the abducted Chibok secondary school girls and other abducted Nigerians, the TIEMS Chairman said “reportedly, parents of the girls have patriotically called on the Federal Government not to allow Boko Haram insurgents to use the girls as human shields to continue to wreak havoc on the country”, he further stated.

he Borno state government has sponsored another set of 20 female citizens to study medicine at a university in Sudan, bringing to 50, the number of ladies sent abroad under the State’s Female Medical Education (Intervention) Programme that is designed to send for training abroad, 300 female doctors from 2014 to 2019.

The programme was initiated following the discovery of massive dearth of female doctors in the last twenty years across the State despite high population of female, many of whom suffer maternal and other women related complications that are partly caused by apathy of most women to be medically counseled and treated by male doctors on maternal and related issues.

The additional 20 ladies are to be trained at El-Razi Medical University, Khartum, Sudan where 30 ladies have spent almost a year now.

While presenting the award letter and a laptop computer to each of the 20 female student at the Government House Maiduguri on Tuesday, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima said he was very passionate about women education, as according to him, “when you educate a man, you educate an individual but when you educate a woman you educate a nation”.

The Governor said “ all of us are product of public schools and posterity will judge us harshly if we allow the public school system to collapse”.

He said the after becoming medical doctors, the students are expected to specialise on courses like Gynecology, pediatric and mammography among others, adding that the state government has earlier sent 30 female students to the same institution making the number to 50 now.

Shettima also said that government is going to introduce feeding system in the public primary schools, adding that at least one meal per day will be introduce in Maiduguri Metropolitan council, Jere,

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 6

News

2,000 victims of Igah crisis yet to return home

By Ali Abare Abubakar

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he over 2000 victims of the Ombatse onslaught in Igah town of Nasarawa Eggon local government area in Nasarawa state, are yet to return to their homes four months after Eggon youths attacked the agrarian community leaving 58 persons dead including children.

Narrating their ordeal to our reporter yesterday, Idris Bala Mohammed, speaking on behalf of the displaced persons, said they no longer find life easy as they are unable to return home following repeated threats by the Ombatse warning them not to return to Igah, their ancestral home for centuries.

He disclosed that most of his kinsmen were scattered across the state, displaced from living normal lives even as he fears that their children may not be able to continue with their education now that they live in displaced persons camps in Lafia and other major towns.

Tracing the history of conflicts between the Igah community and the surrounding Eggon communities, Mohammed narrated that Igah had in the recent past came under series of attacks by the Ombatse with the intension of uprooting the community that has been in existence for the past 300 years.

According to him, Igah was first attacked by the Eggons sometime in 1991, even before the creation of Nasarawa state, resulting into the burning of houses and loss of lives, with community members forced to desert the area.

After the then Plateau state government waded into the matter, leading to the return of the natives back to Igah, but the Eggons reportedly attacked the community again in 2013, setting the entire town ablaze with the inhabitants forced to flee to safety.

“Early this year, precisely on April 25, 2014, our community was again surrounded by the Ombatse who set the entire community ablaze, killing over 58 inhabitants including children, forcing us once again to flee our homes and to take refuge elsewhere” Mohammed recounted.

While lamenting that the latest attacks by the Ombatse were carried out in spite of peace efforts by the administration of Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura, with scores of security operatives stationed in the area, Mohammed observed that during the most recent attack, the over 70 security operatives in Igah fled when the Ombatse came shooting into the air.

Fulani/Eggon clash: Victims flee community to Lafia From Gambo Ahmed, Lafia

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ictims of the weekend clash between Eggon farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Lafia East Development Area have fled in large numbers to Lafia, the capital of Nassarawa state.

The clash left two dead and several persons displaced, especially women and children.

The internally displaced persons (IDP) especially of the Eggon

nationality who fled from a village called “Legaopi” in fear of reprisal attack by the Fulani, were seen in trucks and motorcycles with their luggage as early as 6:30am moving from Assakio to Lafia town, Nasarawa Eggon and Doma towns respectively in order to take refuge with relations and friends.

Peoples Daily, in an interview with one fleeing woman with four little children, looking pitifully, said under anonymity that, “we

are running for our dear lives in fear of being attacked by Fulanis, but our husbands are at home protecting their territory”.

It was also gathered reliably from sources that the Fulanis are also running away from their homes to take refuge in Agwan Atashi and Obi towns in order not to be attacked by the Eggons.

Confirming the development, police spokesman ASP Ismaila Numa, told Peoples Daily, that

the situation is under control as security had been deployed to the affected areas to curtail further escalation.

He also said the number of causalities is uncertain but only two persons were reported dead.

Meanwhile, Nasarawa State Commissioner for Environment Hon. Adamu Mu’azu has called on the warring partiess to bury their differences and live in peace with one another for the rapid development of the state.

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina,(left) presenting cash to one of the beneficiaries, Aliyah Abdulkareem, (right), during the launch of the Empowerment Support to Families in Distress as part of activities marking the 2014 International Day of Families, yesterday in Abuja. With them is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Habiba Lawal (middle).

Photo: Mahmud Isa

AUN Yola matriculates 196 new students From Umar Dankano, Yola

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he American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola, Adamawa State has expressed its determination and readiness to be part of the formidable solution to Nigeria’s current challenges of insecurity, unemployment and land degradation President of the institution Dr. Margee Ensign made the pledge on behalf of the management yesterday during the varsity’s 2014 convocation ceremony (matriculation) held at

the commencement hall, in Yola.

According to Ensign, AUN is guided by the vision of its founder and board hence its uniqueness in Nigeria and Africa with a vital mission to solve Africa’s development challenges.

She said the school is creating students who understand the challenges related to poverty, illiteracy, conflict, unemployment, poor governance and environmental degradation, and who will become the leaders dedicated to solving them.

Dr. Ensign disclosed that, though AUN is ten years old, it is still a young university in a building process noting that already students of the school and staff have made a difference in their community in Adamawa state.

She said, “Our students are very active in peace building in this region, in fostering literacy, in promoting sound ecological practices to protect the local environment, in fostering economic development.

We also cooperate with other

institutions to share our e-library resources, we teach local youth’s computer skills”.

President Ensign noted that she is convinced that this university represents all of our hope for the future of Africa and of its young people. It stands as a gleaming monument to a belief that we are working hard together to create a different and better future for Africans.

A total of 196 students where matriculated in the full 2014 convocation, and pledge ceremony.

Kebbi monarch to establish Fulfulde schools in Abuja From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

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he newly appointed District Head of Nayelwa (Lamido Nayelwa) in Gwandu Emirate of Kebbi State, Alhaji Aminu Aliyu Abubakar (Giwa) has concluded arrangement for the establishment of a full-fledged Fulfulde schools in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

Speaking to newsmen yesterday in Birnin Kebbi, the monarch stated that the idea was to ensure that the language is improved and imparted to not

only the children but the elderly alike who might have missed the spoken language.

He said the school would be situated in Abuja, the federal capital and subsequently extended to some parts of the country, “it is disheartening to note that majority of the Fulanis who were born and breed at the cities could not speak the language, same to other tribes like Ibo, Yoruba etc, so we will establish the school as well as equip it with all the necessary teaching aids and apparatus”

In an effort to improve the lives of his people especially the teeming unemployed youths, his foundation in collaboration with the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, are training about 200 youth, who are currently undergoing apprenticeship on fabrication and other related skills acquisition.

The monarch further said.

“Even this morning I paid scholarship to students from my district studying various disciplines in tertiary institutions across the ountry, so I have been

doing that and I will continue to offer such gestures to my people as to liberate them from ignorance” he said The Managing Director and Chief Executive of repole Well Services Limited, thanked the Emir of Gwandu Alhaji Iliyasu Bashar for his appointment as the district head of Nayelwa to follow in the footsteps of his late father, while promising to intercede between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers with a view to enlightening them on peaceful co-existence.

PAGE 7

PEOPLES DAILY,TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

News

Alleged rape: 55 year-old native doctor knows fate Sept 4 From Uche Uche, Damaturu

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he Chief Magistrate Court 1, sitting in Damaturu, Yobe state, has set September 4 to deliver judgment on case of rape charged against a 55 year-old native doctor, Mohammed Musa, who goes with the nick name, Chukwuri, a resident of Nasarawa area, Potiskum local government area of Yobe state..

Prosecutor, Paul Wilson, told the court that the case was transferred from Potiskum divisional headquarters to the state CID, Damaturu on June 7, 2014.

He told the court that, on 12, 2014, one Mohammed Zakari reported to the Police that his wife, one Hauwa Mustapha, went to collect some herbal medicine from one Mohammed Musa, of the same address and who is known as a native doctor.

He further told the court that the accused native doctor, instead of giving the woman the herbal medicine, gave her some liquid substance to drink, which later rendered the woman senseless and the native doctor had sexual intercourse with her against her will and consent after which she began to bleed through her vagina.

The Prosecutor said the offence contradicts section 282, sub-section ‘A’ and ‘B’ and punishable under section 283 of the Penal Code Law, for a term which may extend to 14 years imprisonment with liability also of a fine.

However, when the accused person’s confessional statement was about to be tendered as a witness before the court, the accused person disowned it even after his thumbprint was shown to him.

For that reason, the presiding judge, Gambo Hussaini Jumbum, called the witness, a police officer, Cpl. Adzahan Mathew, who investigated the case and recorded the accused person’s confessional statement, to re-read the confessional statement to the accused person.

The witness, PW3, Cpl. Mathew, re-read the confessional statement of the accused person, which he recorded in English language, and was translated and read to the accused person in Hausa language, after which the accused person grudgingly accepted it and it was then tendered before the court and accepted by the court in evidence against the accused person.

The presiding judge has therefore set September 4 to deliver his judgment against the accused person, who was earlier released on bail at the sum of N50, 000.

Bauchi scholarship: Police arrest student over defamation

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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he Senior Special Assistant to Governor Yuguda on Scholarship has said, a student, name not mentioned, has been handed over to the Police for alleged defamation of character against the management of the Scholarship Board.

Mohammed Sani Hassan told newsmen in his office

that the arrest of the culprit became necessary following unsubstantiated criticism against the Scholarship Board’s management to have squandered huge amount of funds meant for student’s scholarship.

Hassan added that the accused had created a separate ghost account through face-book which he used to falsely indict the board management on allegation of

financial mismanagement.

The governor’s aide lamented that some faceless groups have continued to hijack government policies and programmes, through syndicate groups who are determined to cause friction and to expose the confidentiality of government that has transformed the state.

According to the SSA, the culprit will be charged to court

of law to substantiate his claims against the Board, saying already, he has provided useful information to the police indicting some people close to the Yuguda administration.

It could be recalled that the student, had last year committed same offence through Facebook, when a court charged him of character defamation against the Board.

Sokoto state Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (middle), reviewing parade, during the closing ceremony of 2014 Batch B corps members, yesterday at NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, in Wamakko, Sokoto state.

Businessman charged over unlawful damage to neighbour’s car

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businessman, Kadiri Onisemo, who unlawfully damaged a neighbour’s car, was yesterday charged before an Oshodi Magistrates’ Court, in Lagos.

Onisemo, 45, who resides at 167, Ikorodu Road, Onipanu, Lagos, is being tried for breach of the peace and damage.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Kehinde Olatunde, told the court that the accused committed the offences on June 20, at his residence.

He said that the accused willfully damaged the windscreen of a Sienna car with registration number LSR 29 BD, property of one Mr. Joe Alabi.

Olatunde said that the accused

claimed that he had warned the complainant to stop parking his car behind his own car as he was always the first to drive out every morning.

The offences, Olatunde said, contravened Section 348 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 348

prescribes a two-year jail term as penalty for convicted offenders.

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

The Magistrate, Mr. Akeem Fashola, adjourned the case till September 3, for mention.

(NAN)

Man remanded in prison for defiling three-year- old girl

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19-year-old man, Arogundade Opeyemi, has been remanded at Agodi prison, Ibadan, Oyo state, for allegedly defiling a three-year old girl in a Church.

The suspect was remanded by a Magistrates’ court pending hearing of the case on September 12, according to a statement by the Oyo state Police Command.

The suspect was said to have had carnal knowledge of his neighbour’s daughter in a Church at Kuola area of Apata, Ibadan, on August 2.

The Police disclosed that the suspect took the girl to the Church, located beside the house around 8:00 pm on the fateful day, under the pretence of playing with her as usual. When her mother heard her

cry, she rushed out to inquire from her daughter what had happened and the little child gesticulated by touching her private part and mentioning the suspect’s name,” state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, said in the statement.

The PPRO disclosed that medical report confirmed the rape, adding that there was an area of

trauma on the vulva, corroborating defilement.

“Detectives hunted for the suspect and he was eventually arrested and has been arraigned in a magistrate’s court for an offence of defilement, contrary to and punishable under section 218 of the criminal code cap 38 vol. 11 Laws of Oyo state of Nigeria 2000,” the statement added. (NAN)

Man, 55, docked for damaging property worth N1.77m

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or allegedly stealing building materials and damaging a fence valued at N1.77 million, a 55-year-old man, Sikiru Rufa’i, was on Monday charged before an Apapa Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Rufa’i, who resides at Owode Town, Lagos, is facing a fourcount charge of conspiracy, stealing, unlawful damage and breach of peace.

The prosecution said the accused conspired with others

still at large to destroy a fence and 25 bags of cement, all valued at N1.77 million property of Mr Tunde Ajiboye.

Insp. Festus Osaghale told the court that the accused also stole building materials worth N55, 000 belonging to the complainant, Ajiboye. ``When Ajiboye confronted Rufa’i for stealing the materials and damaging his property, the accused brought thugs to terrorise him.”

He alleged that the accused committed the offences on May 13 at No.8, Muyibi St., Owode Town, Lagos.

The offences contravene Sections 166, 285, 348 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, according to Osaghale.

The accused, however, entered a plea of `not guilty’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 285 stipulates a three-year sentence for stealing, while Section 409

prescribes a two-year jail term for conspiracy.

Section 348 provides two years imprisonment for unlawful damage of property.

Ruling on the bail application of the accused, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. A.K. Sonubi, granted Rufa’i a bail in the sum of N250, 000, with one surety in like sum.

Further hearing in the case has been adjourned till Oct 3.

(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 8

ADAMAWA STATE GOVERNMENT

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR

75th Birthday On behalf of the government and good people of Adamawa state, I warmly felicitate with a bridge builder of our time, Professor Jibril Aminu OON on the occasion of his 75th Birthday anniversary.

At 75 you continue to symbolize statesmanship, patriotism, fatherliness, and bridge builder in the political landscape of adamawa and Nigeria at larg.

May Almighty Allah(SWT) grant you good health, courage, wisdom and many more years of your selfless service to our dear state, country and humanity.

Once again congratulations sir.

Professor Jibril Aminu OON

His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umar Fitiri Acting Governor, Adamawa State

PEOPLES DAILY,TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 9

PAGE 10

News

Looting of public treasury cause of poverty in Nigeria -Sule Lamido From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

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igawa state Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido has revealed that the high rate of poverty among Nigerians is induced by leaders of the country, whom he also blamed them for excessive looting of public treasury.

Lamido stated this yesterday at the celebration of 23 years Anniversary of the state at the Sir Ahmadu Bello Hall, state secretariat auditorium.

The governor warned that the people of the state are now more conscientious of whom to govern them in future as they would never condone further mismanagement of public funds at their expense.

He stated this in a symposium organised to mark part of the state anniversary saying, “there is never again that time that anyone would be allowed to convert our treasury and properties into his private enterprise”.

He said the looting of public treasury has resulted in the underdevelopment of the people which he said resulted not only in impoverishing them materially but also mentally, a situation which when not addressed could manifest into an uncontrollable plague”, he stated.

Lamdo said his administration had done its best towards reuniting the people of the state against the identity factor that has played key role in their setback, adding that Emirs of the five emirates have been most supportive in achieving the success.

The governor said, ‘in Jigawa we are ready to take our future into our own hands because we have the commitment and the manpower to achieve that”, he said.

A political scientist from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Professor Sule Bello while delivering his paper at the symposium described the state as ‘the last that became the first’ which is the reverse of what it used to be before seven years.

He noted that the present administration has focused its development on people oriented programmes such as the social policy for physically challenged persons.

“It is only when you have a resourceful leadership that little resources can be utilised to transform into social development that can lead to peaceful coexistence among the people”.

Professor Bello maintained that, the state was among the least states in terms of getting the lowest amount from the federation account but, with current effective leadership today, the state is the most advanced in the country.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

NANS protest victimization of LASU students From Ayodele Samuel and Akilani Abdullah, Lagos

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ational Association of Nigerian Students, NANS Southwest yesterday alleged that students who participated in the protest over the increase in school fees of the Lagos State University, LASU are being victimised by the institution’s management.

The student union, who disclosed this while presenting certificate of commendation to Governor Babatunde Fashola, said the students were being victimised through the policies and decisions of management of the school.

NANS chairman, Lagos

State, Yakubu Eletu, lamented that “some of the students have been asked to face the senate while some are being denied the opportunity to go for their National Youth Service Corps, NYSC because they protested over the increase in school fees.”

In order to deny students the opportunity to serve their fatherland, Eletu said that the school management withheld their call up letters sent from NYSC headquarters, Abuja.

He said “We want the governor to prevail on the Vice Chancellor, Professor John Obafunwa to sheath his sword and allow the students go for NYSC, and others not to face any panel because

they protested against increase in school fees”.

Eletu argued that since the fee has been reduced by the governor, there is no need for the school management to victimize anyone.

They however appealed to Fashola to prevail on his Ogun state counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun to re-open the Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago-Iwoye, and to revert the tuition of the institution.

The student’s union noted that the move had led to a faceoff between the students and the Ogun state government.

Responding, Fashola urged the leadership of student unions across the country to brace up

for future leadership roles in the country, saying they should “use student unionism as a platform and opportunity to prepare themselves for future leadership that earnestly awaits them.”

Fashola said, “We didn’t just wake up one day and decided to increase tuition of the school, it was you, the students, who protested at the State House of Assembly, complaining over condition of the school. And based on your complaints, we acted accordingly.

“Part of the recommendation by the visitation panel was that the tuition of the school should be increased for the progress of the school,” he added.

Niger state Governor, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, reviewing parade, during the closing ceremony of 2014 Batch B corps members, yesterday, at NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, in Paiko, Niger state.

Gov Aliyu urges Nigerians to be security conscious From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

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overnor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger state has reiterated the need for Nigerians to be more security conscious, to curb the security challenges confronting the country, just as he urged people to give information to the relevant agencies for necessary actions towards improving security in Nigeria.

Aliyu stated this at the

Government House, Minna on Monday, while receiving the Emir of Borgu, Senator Haliru Dantoro who was on a thank you visit to the governor after a three-day inspection of his emirate.

He was in company of the newly elected North Central zone executive of the Miyetti Allah cattle breeders association, led by its chairman Alhaji Sani Zuni.

Governor Aliyu decried the callous manner the Boko Haram

sect members has been killing innocent people and destroying their property, saying that it is time their nefarious activities are brought to an end.

He told the Miyetti Allah members, who are mostly nomads to assist the government by offering information on the activities of strange people who might be infiltrating the country through the borders.

He assured the association

that government will assist it to construct a zonal and state office in Minna, before setting up a cabinet committee to advise the administration on how to establish an international cattle market in the state.

Aliyu said the cabinet committee consists of the commissioners for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Special duties and that of Gender Affairs, including the Director General Nomadic Affairs.

Water resources ministry partners states on hygiene, sanitation

By Mohammed Usman, Abuja

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he water resources ministry has said that it will collaborate with the 36 state commissioners on the need for good hygiene and sanitation campaign program to reduce water related diseases and the recent Ebola sdisease outbreak in Nigeria.

The Minister of Water

Resources, Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochekpe, said to curtail the spread of diseases, every Nigerian must partake in the campaign process by way of conducting ourselves right in the way and manner that will promote not just personal hygiene but hygiene of the whole country.

She stated that promotion of hand-washing with soap and running water was part of the

mandate of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources at this critical period.

Continuing, she said that it was important to embark on sensitization campaign on hand washing, adding that most of the diseases in the country today are water related diseases.

Ochekpe said that they were inviting stakeholders to partner

with government in promoting sanitation and hygiene.

The Minister pledged to provide borehole to reduce the suffering in accessing potable water in Jabi park, adding that if every Nigerian would imbibe the culture, the amount of money spent as individuals and also as families in the healthcare center would reduce drastically.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 11

Money Sense Make money by finding creative solutions to people’s problems

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he secret to making money isn’t working at a high-paying job, it’s finding creative solutions to people’s problems, and it doesn’t take a fancy degree to do that. To get your creative juices flowing, check out these common and not-so-common ways of lining your pockets.

Below that, you’ll also find more general financial advice as well as some money-making ideas for kids.

1.Buy underpriced used books. Outfit a phone or PDA (personal data assistant) with a scanner, scan the ISBN numbers of books at used bookstores and thrift shops, and compare the asking prices with what the books are selling for on a site like Amazon. Whenever you get a good hit (which won’t be often but, since the process is fast, won’t take long, either), buy the book and resell it online. Be discreet about this, as the store managers probably won’t like what you’re doing.

2. Sell photos. If you have a decent camera and a good sense of light, color, and composition, you can take and sell stock photos – i.e. nondescript images that lend themselves to many applications and are commonly used to illustrate online articles or products – with minimal effort. Stock photos of locations (a fire hydrant, a bare wall near an interesting tree, or anything you might find as a default background image on your computer) are easier to take, but stock photos of people (i.e. people arguing, people kissing, people laughing) usually sell for more, as they have more uses and require the written legal consent of your subjects. Hunt for a reputable stock photo dealer or database that will pay you fairly before signing on with anyone.

3. Make and sell crafts. If you are even a little bit crafty, consider selling your goods on a site like Etsy. Though you can

make more money on intricate projects (ex. an exquisitely woodburned gourd), even labor-light projects can bring in good money if you’re willing to produce them in high quantities. Who knows – if you do well, you might even be inspired to start a crafts business.

4. Start a small business.

Being passionate usually translates to a superior product and better service, which is especially sought after in the age of the anonymous, 1-minute online review.

Worried that there isn’t a market for your interests? The fact is that though you may not personally know many people who want what you have to offer, thanks to the internet, there’s a huge market for niche-products (pigeon diapers, chainmail wedding dresses, you name it)… and you might just end up being a trend-setter. To create an online store, you can either make your own website or, if don’t want to self-host, you

How to make money from used wood pallets

By Nancy Wagner, Demand Media

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iles of wooden pallets in the back of manufacturing plants, stores and malls could mean cash in your pocket if you’re willing to do the work involved to pick them up and sell them. The key is offering to take the pallets off of the hands of businesses that don’t want them anymore and finding buyers who need them for shipping products. Not only do you help the pallets stay out of the landfill, but the business is easy to manage as either a full or part-time endeavor.

Getting Started Your first requirement is a truck or other vehicle with room to transport pallets.

You may want to build walls on the side of your vehicle to transport more pallets each time and save on the cost of gas from repeat trips. Fixing broken pallets so they’re resalable requires tools such as a hammer, drill and nails. You also need plenty

of space to repair and stack the pallets in preparation for selling them.

Finding Pallets Ask warehouse managers or business owners at local stores and factories that receive supplies or products on wood pallets if you can remove the old pallets free of charge. In addition, check classified ads in your local paper and on Craigslist to find free pallets businesses want removed. Determine a schedule for removing the pallets based on the needs of the business, such as how often they get shipments of merchandise or supplies.

Prepping to Sell Organize your pallets according to length and thickness to quickly fill orders based on the size specific business want to buy. Some of the pallets you pick up may have missing or damaged panels of wood, so tear off the old piece and replace it with spares you collect. Another option is to tear down the pallets into single pieces of flat, solid

wood to sell as lumber for furniture or construction projects. Or, break damaged pallets into small bundles for use as kindling, as long as the pallets were not used to transport chemicals.

Find Buyers Contact local manufacturers that need pallets on which to ship their goods. Mention the benefits of buying from you, such as the lower cost of buying used versus new pallets. If you live near a pallet manufacturer, find out if they buy used pallets in good condition.

Advertise piles of s ingle pie ce s of palle t wood to people who want the lumber for home improvement, landscaping or woodworking projects.

Sell bundles of kindling to places that sell firewood, such as convenience and grocery stores. If you live near ranches, grind up the pallets that can’t be repaired, and sell it as animal bedding for cattle or horses. (smallbusiness.chron. com)

can sell on eBay or a similar site. •Copywriting. Bloggers and business owners are out there looking for freelance writers to help them with their internet marketing campaigns.

If you can write a good video marketing script, sales copy, press release, product reviews, website content and advertising copy, you can make money doing exactly that. You may need basic SEO skills since most of these copywriting jobs require some knowledge on how search engines work.

These people are looking for traffic, and they will only hire you if you can deliver that.

5. Try affiliate marketing.

This means promoting someone else’s products or services for pay without actually carrying an inventory.

There are many ways of incorporating affiliate marketing into your website/ blog/page including banner ads (which are generally ineffective, as people tend to avoid these), linked articles (which

are quite successful when the article content is thoughtful and doesn’t appear spammy), and product-placement videos (which can be very successful when done by people with charisma or a good sense of humor). You can even become an affiliate marketer without a website.

Basic ways of making money through of affiliate marketing include: •Cost-per-click: you get paid a very small amount every time someone clicks from your content onto the advertiser’s site; good for high-traffic content •Cost-per-lead: you get paid a bit more every time someone signs up or fills a form with the advertiser thanks to your content •Cost-per-acquisition: you get paid a (fixed or percent) commission every time someone makes a purchase with the advertiser because of your content; good for focused, high-quality content. (www.wikihow.com)

BAYELSASTATE UNIVERSAL BASIC EDUCATION BOARD, OKOLOBIRI INVITATION FOR BIDS FROM QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS FOR YEAR-2013 UBE INTERVENTION PROJECTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Bayelsa State Universal Basic Education Board, Okolobiri under the UBE Intervention Projects hereby invites reputable contractors to submit Bids for the under mentioned projects.

1.1

2.0 a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j) k) l) m) n) o) p)

SCOPE OF WORK:

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: The following minimum qualification is required: Evidence of certificate of incorporation, 3 years audited account reports, Tax clearance certificates for the past 3 years, VAT Certificate Power of Attorney, Evidence of financial capabilities and banking sup port/ referral letter.

Evidence of similar projects executed in the Niger Delta region in the past three years, Profile of key staff professional & technical qualifi cation required to provide services.

Knowledge of Local environment.

List of equipment to be deployed for the project and proof of ownership Operational strategy Health, safety and Environment(HSE) POLICY Quality Assurance policy Company registered address, functional contract email address, GSM phone numbers & facsimile numbers.

Average Annual Turnover of at least N20.0 million in construction works in any of the last 3 years; Bid security or bank draft in the sum of N250,000.0 All submission must be backed up with relevant support ing verifiable evidence for a firm to qualify.

Noncompliance will lead to disqualification.

3.0 COLLECTION AND SUBMISSION OF TENDER DOCUMENTS 3.1 Qualified companies shall on application collect standard Bidding Documents (Technical and Financial), from 12 noon Wednesday August27th,2014 upon presentation of evidence of payment of non-refundable tender fee of N100,000.00in Bank draft payable to the Executive SecretaryBayelsa SUBEB Okolobiri from:

Procurement Unit, PR&S Department, Bayelsa State Universal Basic Education Board, P.M.B.26, Okolobiri - Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

3.2 Completed Bid comprising of both Technical and Financial bids shall be submitted in two difference sealed envelope and labeled “Original ” and “Copy” and both sealed in a third envelope marked “Project Name” at the top right hand corner and addressed to the office stated in paragraph (3.1) 3.3 The closing date for the submission of bids is on or before 12.00 noon Wednesday, Sept.10th, 2014. The Technical& Financial bids will be opened same day by 12.00 noon at the Board Headquarters,Okolobiri-Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

3.4 only forms whose Technical bids fulfill minimum requirement would have their financial bids considered.

3.5 All inquiries should be directed to: The Executive Secretary, Attention Procurement Unit, PR&S Department, Bayelsa State Universal Basic Education Board, P.M.B.26, Okolobiri - Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

4.0 4.1

4.2

4.3

DISCLAIMER AND CONCLUSION This announcement is published for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer by the Board to transact with any party for the project, nor does it constitute a commit ment or an obligation on the part of the Board to procure the services.

The Board will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by any interested party (ies) in connection with any response to this invitation and or the preparation or submission in response to an inquiry.

The Board is no bound to shortlist any bidder and reserves the right to annul the selection process at any time without incur ring any liabilities and assigning any reason thereof.

Signed: Com. Walton A. Liverpool Executive Secretary

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 12

EDITORIAL

he first United States of America (USA) and Africa summit which held on the 4th and 5th of this month in Washington was the largest gathering of African leaders in the U.S. As if catching up with a train that has long left the station, the US/Africa Summit came against the background of formidable round tables like Forum on ChinaAfrica Co-operation (FOCAC), Tokyo International Conference on Africa (TICAD), India/Africa Summit, Turkey-Africa Summit, Korea/Africa Summit and even the recently launched Arab/Africa Summit that held in Kuwait. And there was also the European UnionAfrica Summit, which sometimes, gets bogged down by political squabble, especially when Brussels wants to decide which African leader to attend.

Coming on the heels of the well-established forums for cooperation with Africa, especially the most thriving one with China, the US/Africa Summit has led many to wonder whether the US is actually taking its African policy to a new level of institutional engagement or just catching up with a trend that seems to sit well with African leaders, notoriously wedded to international circuit diplomacy.Or is Barack Obama, the first US African-American president, simply making a symbolic gesture of solidarity with his ancestral land, where emotions flowed freely at his historic election. The attitude of the next US administration to that first summit will most likely indicate

whether the Washington gathering was merely an Obama show.

However, all said, the Washington summit of the US/African leaders did raise the profile of relations between Africa and the US and it shed light on key issues that should drive it, other than Washington’s obsession with security and political correctness in Africa. Once more, trade and broad economic issues like investment were brought to the front burner, but it is early days yet for us to speculate whether such issues would remain steadfast in US/Africa relations in the coming years or will be relegated

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The US/Africa Summit

In our view, the US can cut down on its rhetoric and trade more. Africa, on its own part, should not be contented with merely soaking up the international diplomatic sunlight again to the background.Generally in Africa, the United States and her western allies are more noticeable on issues of gay rights, a particularly reprehensible subject that does not sit well with African sensibility yet the west pushes it so hard as if their

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lives depend on it.

President Obama opened the summit, raising hopes that Africa and the US would enter a decisive phase of co-operation, with a new vista of investments. According to him, the US private sector would lead the way in the investment drive to Africa and then he urged African leaders to articulate necessary institutional reforms to enhance transparency.In our view, the US will need to up her game on the Africa Opportunities Growth Act (AOGA), a trade regime enacted by the Bill Clinton administration in the early 2000, which provides an opportunity for African countries to export, duty free, a select range of products to the US. It is quite limited in scope and did nothing to stop China overtaking the United States as Africa’s largest trading partner in 2009. China has since then outstripped the US, three times over, in trade with Africa which currently stands at a213 billion US dollars, while the US maintains a paltry 63 billion dollars trade volume.

In our view, the US can cut down on its rhetoric and trade more.

Africa, on its own part, should not be contented with merely soaking up the international diplomatic sunlight by lumbering from one capital city to another. It’s time for a reality check and sober reflection. With its status of the global epicenter of international humanitarian diplomacy, Africa should reflect seriously and embrace global diplomacy in a more muscular form, and leave its mark on the global architecture.

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Chairman Malam Wada Maida, Oon, Fnge Director/Editor-in-Chief Rufa’i Ibrahim Managing Editor Abdul-Azeez Abdullahi

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Opinion Being realistic about Nigeria

By Gbogun Gboro

ure, I see good things about Nigeria. I have known a lot of good things about Nigeria. When I went to school as a young boy, our Nigeria, just over thirty years old at that time, was the great excitement that ran through all our school learning.

Nigeria made us dizzyingly proud.

Children tend to create childish myths, and we created many about our Nigeria. For instance, we “knew” that our Nigerian football team was the best in the world, and that some members of that team were so good shooters that they could rip goal-keepers apart with their shots. We even had stories of how, during a tour of England, our national team simply terrified English teams.

There was a litany which we used to recite proudly: Nigeria is the largest producer of groundnuts in the world; Nigeria is the largest producer of palm oil in the world; Nigeria is the largest producer of cocoa in the world; Nigeria is the largest producer of tin in the world. We were sure that our Nigeria was going to become the greatest country in the world – and we were eager to get ready to serve her with all our might.

Nigeria was an intoxicating possession.

For the most part, the dream and the pride grew as we rose higher and higher in the educational system. In my secondary school years, Chief Awolowo’s generation of leaders in the Western Region turned on an incredibly bright leadership light, and made our Region “first in Africa” in most areas of development and enterprise. We could only think that the rest of

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our Nigeria would catch up soon, and that that was the direction our country was destined to go.

Later, at the University College, Ibadan (UCI), the peak of the educational system, we students lived, learned, dreamed, and walked the earth like on-coming servants of one of the greatest countries of the immediate future of the world. If any among us did or said something shoddy or unbecoming, we politely chastised him with, “Arise, gentleman”.

Shakespeare wrote in one of his sonnets that it is at “heaven’s gate” that the lark sings; we students of UCI lived in the confident hope that it was on top of the world’s highest mountains that Nigeria and Nigerians would soar.

In those wonderful years in the life of our country, I had the privilege of representing UCI and Nigerian students in a number of international conferences – in Africa and other parts of the

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world. Again and again, I had the awesome experience of standing face to face with important leaders of the world as they said, “Young Nigerian, we hope that you Nigerians are aware that your country holds the key to Africa’s future”.

In international student events, students of other countries treated us Nigerians with respect. So, we Nigerian student representatives made it the rule among us to be humble and cautious in our statements before the word.

Once, however, one of our most senior student leaders allowed himself to brag in a conference in Switzerland, “Whithersoever my country Nigeria goes Africa will go”. Though we later rebuked him in private for his gaff, we nevertheless believed (nay, we knew) that he was right.

Unhappily, very unhappily, virtually none of the great dreams of Nigeria has had fulfilment.

A recently held National Conference has presented its report before our President. Many of us are happy with some of its fairly reasonable decisions. However, some of its other decisions – like the decision to splinter our federation into 54 states – certainly will doom the more reasonable decisions to failure. And the heavy issues that the Conference did not touch represent a preservation of a devastating part of the status quo. The conference did not touch such issues as corruption, poverty, unemployment, crimes, spreading inter-ethnic hostility and conflicts, and religious terrorism

Tail between the legs

By Ayegba Israel Ebije

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t is all over the social and traditional media that Nigerian soldiers 480 of them are presently taking refuge in Cameroon over ‘overwhelming’ powers of Boko Haram. The circumstance leading to the soldiers fleeing have only managed to further lower the flag of our armed forces to its lowestInterestingly, if Nigerian soldiers could contain terror cells in its neighboring country’s so much so that the country earned for itself the name “Giant of Africa” then it is a shame that our soldiers with tail in-between the leg scamper off to a country with lesser might in finance, men and armament.

The level of corruption, financial impunity and demented crave for political primacy and its attendant saber rattling has indeed permeated so deep into the psyche of Nigerian soldiers in high ranking positions to seek the pockets first before paying lip service to their primary duty which is to protect and preserve the territorial integrity of the country.The floodgate of security vote on account of the insurgency has only made a few top ranking officers extremely

Since independence, our Nigeria has declined relentlessly. From the enormous wealth of our country’s resources, we have succeeded in producing very sordid poverty for our people.

Even our Federal Government admits that about 70% of Nigerians live in the awful condition classified as “absolute poverty”, and that the percentage continues to increase. Some estimates have it that some 78% of Nigeria’s youths are unemployed, and that that percentage continues to increase.

For decades, Nigeria has been classified, year after year, as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. As a result of violent crimes, Nigeria is classified as one of the most unsafe counties in peace time in the world. Year in, year out, countless thousands of Nigerians die as a result of inter-ethnic conflicts. Year in, year out also, countless thousands of Nigerians die from religious

rich at the expense of the lives of their subordinate officers and that of Nigerians in flashpoint areas where insurgency hold sway.

It is common knowledge that in Abuja, the top spenders are military officers and politicians.

Though the rumored annexation of Gwoza has been seriously refuted by the military command, but even on rumor level and the subsequent fleeing of our military men is a glaring indication that corruption has weakened the Nigerian military and the territorial integrity of the country is compromised.

While we have gone past the era of territorial wars, it is strategic for a nation to remain powerful in the estimation of other countries to avoid unnecessary diplomatic sarcasm, repugnant intrusion and disregard to our people and the very existence of our existence as a nation.Nigerians complain of administrative impunity from the center by the center for the center but its often forgotten that a chunk of our problem is also caused by the so called masses especially those who accept handouts from products of impunity and those who sneak to partake from the omnipotent feeding frenzy.

Our top raking soldiers are

supper fed, eating what would have been used to supply modern day weapons to match the globally recognized insurgency Nigeria is presently yoked with. The military discipline is dead and gone; the morale of solders has waned and what is left of them is loath for their superior officers.

In our country, anything can happen, at one time police threatened to go on strike, now soldiers mutiny with impunity because that’s about the only law in the jungle over their feasting commanders if they must get them succor, no matter how elusive of short-lived.

The Nigerian way has certainly set in. The fear factor shouldn’t border around Boko Haram alone but on the question of the sanctity of those who should have been our “men of war” who are now “men and whore” specialized in doing business with crisis.

Considering the climbing level of impunity in the country among members of our armed forces, the future of the true concept of their constitutional role of defending the territorial integrity of the nation is in jeopardy, a myth and a fallacy despite the constant promises.

How can the zeal, competence, selflessness needed to rouse troops to route national threats ever exist

under the feeding frenzy of our armed forces? Truth sometimes is not “…what you can do for your country…” – according to J.F. Kennedy, but when your country fails to do the constitutional, the concept of patriotism wanes and the zeal to seek to cut corners become the most tempting agenda.

Under this type of situation, where is patriotism? How would anybody with sanity ever make sacrifice for a country where only a few eat and bloat during the rest groan and weather away? For many, the move towards the future has reached a cul-de-sac.

Nigeria has indeed lost more than the name on account of a system programed by the greedy to fail. The nation is now exposed as a country without protection, a country with a ragtag military, a country in constant mortification on account of impunity and the viral infection of corruption.

It is indeed extremely sad that Nigerians in opportune positions have decided to steal as much as they can. Their reasoning is that since the corporate integrity of Nigeria flake off on account of our dubious political dramatis personae, they believe there isn’t much to hope for except what they can heave to their pockets.

Nigeria can die for all what

PAGE 13

conflicts. Today, a most extreme Islamic fundamentalist sect holds a whole region of Nigeria in its grip, accounting in the past five years for some 12,000 violent deaths, according to official estimates. Nigeria has become the home of hopelessness, crookedness and unrelieved vileness in human and group relationships.

A recently held National Conference has presented its report before our President. Many of us are happy with some of its fairly reasonable decisions.

However, some of its other decisions – like the decision to splinter our federation into 54 states – certainly will doom the more reasonable decisions to failure. And the heavy issues that the Conference did not touch represent a preservation of a devastating part of the status quo.

The conference did not touch such issues as corruption, poverty, unemployment, crimes, spreading inter-ethnic hostility and conflicts, and religious terrorism. It tells a horrible story that this is the best we can produce from a National Conference. And that horrible story gives a hard new emphasis to the question, “Should we continue to insist on being one country, or should we consider other paths to our future?”

These are the reasons why it is hard for me to be otherwise than toughly realistic about Nigeria.

It is not that I don’t see some good things about Nigeria. I have seen Nigeria flying to the gates of heaven, only to see her turn around and plunge down to the depths of hell.

Gbogun Gboro via linkedIn

some people care, the military can call it tactical withdrawal to Cameroon for all we care, but what is real is the fact that Nigeria has been mugged by its own security commanders, and the innocence of the citadel of defense is compromised. The issue keeping the military from snatching power is the sentiment-based disposition of Nigerians, ethnoreligious diversity, politicization of the military and the new ‘business from crisis’ situation among commanders over the choking insurgency.

Those security personnel who are genuinely aggrieved may not have same ethnic bias among themselves. Harmonization of ethnoreligious affinity is key in Nigeria as our federalism, our direction of democracy has grown over the years feeding on cleavages ethnic and religious North and South divide. Interestingly the same problem that tears Nigeria asunder keeps it from falling into another junta. What the military lacks in unity, they gain in mutiny.

Curiously the art and science of ‘tactical withdrawal’ will soon be a new battle ethics of our once gallant Men of War. Ayegba Israel Ebije can be reached on ebijeo5@ gmail.com

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 14

Opinion

AGIP, GE defy NAPHIMS instructions with impunity (2)

By Boniface Chizea

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he poached members of staff of ARCO were placed to work side by side with ARCO staff and offered them emoluments and allowances far in excess of what ARCO was in a position to pay them.

The company also went ahead to withdraw agreed overhaul/ inspection allowances for ARCO staff. These two actions of GE resulted in wide disparity between the emoluments of the two groups of staff leading to unrest amongst the ARCO staff that refused to accept this unjustified disparity.

The matter was resolved by NAPIMS and GE had to increase the amount it was paying to ARCO to enable the company to adjust the salaries and allowances of its workers accordingly. GE, in reaction, made strenuous efforts to reduce the role of ARCO in the maintenance contract and in collusion with NAOC, outsourced part of ARCO’s scope of work to third party companies and at a stage pointedly requested NAPIMS to terminate the involvement of ARCO in the contract. NAPIMS however intervened, caused GE to return the jobs taken away from ARCO and blocked the attempt by

both multinationals to abruptly remove ARCO from the contract.

When it dawned on GE that the attempt to destabilize ARCO was not a walk in the park, it turned around pretending to now want to work with ARCO to bid for a new 4+1 years maintenance service contract in December, 2011 only to delay and foot drag.

When GE thought that ARCO has been schemed out as the deadline for the submission of the bids was near, it submitted a bid with another Nigerian Company. And despite the antics of GE to oust ARCO from the maintenance contract, the local content authority put a spanner in the works by duly informing NAOC via a letter dated May 16, 2013 that GE was not qualified to bid for continued participation in the maintenance contract.

When this information was brought to the attention of GE it procured a Nigerian company as a lead (front) with GE as technical partner. Of course, ARCO in alliance with another equipment manufacturer sent in its own bid documents.

Meanwhile upon the expiration of the maintenance contract pending the approval

by NNPC Board of a new 4+1 years contract, GE and ARCO were invited to submit their

prices for a stop-gap contract for one year because they are the contractors on site.

After protracted negotiations, both parties could not reach agreement on the terms of working relationship for the one-year stop-gap contract.

NAPIMS subsequently requested GE and ARCO to independently submit their bids which was won by ARCO. So, NAPIMS asked NAOC to hand over the gas plant to ARCO for maintenance for six months. But NAOC continued to resist the directive that the contract should be awarded to ARCO while making efforts to award it instead to a different Nigerian based Italian managed company, Plantgeria Co. Ltd claiming that Plantgeria which has no proven experience, has been selected as the winner of the new 4 + 1 maintenance contract of the gas plants in an inconclusive tender process.

NAOC predicated its recommendation on Plantgeria’s almost give away price which is about 10% of the current cost of executing the same contract

by GE. It underscores the fact that Plantgeria lacks technical depth in this matter and will not be able to deliver. It becomes obvious that GE will eventually

be invited to take over the maintenance contract when Plantgeria fails because of the alleged existence of an offshore maintenance agreement between GE and AGIP/ENI which is against Nigerian Local Content Law. The bottomline is that NAOC and GE plans to oust ARCO from the gas plants.

It is interesting to note that NAOC’s recommendation has not been approved by the relevant authorities and yet Plantgeria is being pushed by NAOC to take over the stop-gap contract. This scheming is all to the effect to exclude and deny involvement to a competent indigenous company, ARCO that has long established its bona fides in the country’s economy. Even the Unions in the sector - PENGASSAN and NUPENG in particular are dead against Plantgeria because of its rumored anti-labor orientation and have jointly sent a letter to the Minister of Labor and Productivity threatening fire and brimstone should the company be engaged.

Notice has been sent to ARCO terminating its services with an effective date of June 30, 2014 with a demobilization period from July 1 to August 31, 2014. Since this notice,

agents of Plantgeria Co. Ltd. have shown up on site with the information that they are the new contractors approved for the stop-gap contract. NAOC had to extend the termination date by one month because, from available information, Plantgeria has not been able to lure ARCO Engineers and Technicians to their fold. If we may ask, could it be that NAOC and GE are scheming to wreck ARCO and begin another long journey of raising an inexperienced company to enable GE keep its hold on the job through the backdoor?

It is necessary for the relevant authorities to step in to stop this brazen impunity and protect ARCO a wholly owned, patriotic Nigerian company which in all respects, has paid its dues from suffering this type of injustice in 21st century Nigeria.

The Jonathan administration, as it embarks on its far reaching transformation agenda, should not allow this unfairness, this injustice to persist without its intervention to ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done.

Dr. Boniface Chizea is CEO, BIC Consultancy Services, Lagos

A lesson Israel, Hamas must learn

By Alon Ben-Meir

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he ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is only reinforcing the notion that unlike previous ceasefire agreements, preventing repeated violent confrontations requires a fundamental change in the status quo. Hamas’ demand for the complete lifting of the blockade and Israel’s insistence on the demilitarization of Gaza suggests that small incremental steps, including easing the blockade

by Israel and in return adhering to a ceasefire by Hamas, will no longer suffice.

While Hamas is still committed to a self-styled religiously-anchored doctrine that calls for Israel’s destruction, Israel is convinced that Hamas is irredeemable. Ironically, neither side wants to restore the status quo ante, yet they are holding on to what appears to be irreconcilable positions which are at the core of the conflict. Both sides are stuck and are looking for a way out; nevertheless, neither is willing to make the far-reaching concessions necessary to avoid future violent confrontations and their destructive consequences.

Israel can reoccupy Gaza and eliminate many, if not all, of Hamas’ leadership, but it would come at a prohibitive cost in blood and treasure. Israel will have to administer and care for more than 1.8 million Palestinians, risking the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and instigating an insurgency that would terrorize Israeli forces at every turn. In the interim, new

Hamas cells will mushroom and once Israel withdraws its forces (as it cannot and does not want to maintain the occupation indefinitely) and passes the reins to the UN or any other international agency, Hamas will re-emerge with greater vehemence and commitment to destroy Israel, however elusive that goal might be. Under such a scenario, there is also the possibility that a plethora of jihadists will converge on Gaza, i.e. ISIS and Al-Qaeda, who will join other local jihadists and create a reign of terror that will pale in comparison to Hamas.

As a result of these probable developments, Netanyahu is correct in rejecting the call to reoccupy Gaza and resisting the introduction of substantial ground troops to destroy Hamas’ rocket stockpile, as this will not be possible short of reoccupation of the Strip.

The other option is to agree on another tactical ceasefire fashioned along previous ones to provide both sides with some breathing room. By

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definition such a ceasefire is not likely to hold as it would once again subject Israel to the terror of rockets raining indiscriminately, wreaking havoc and forcing thousands to flee in panic to shelters, which the public is unwilling to tolerate any longer.

For Hamas, a mere easing of the blockade while Israel continues to maintain tight restrictions on the free flow of goods and people to and from Gaza will no longer meet the public outcry for a fundamental change in their miserable daily lives. Although Hamas still enjoys grassroots support, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians in Gaza want an end to the conflict with Israel.

For too long they have been subjected to abject poverty and indignity, and suffered greatly from repeated conflagrations with Israel.

Moreover, Hamas no longer has any appetite to merely provoke Israel only to suffer tremendous destruction and death of innocent civilians,

which explains why Hamas is looking for a fundamental change in the status quo and be in a position to deliver significant relief to the public and restore confidence in its leadership. One might think that Israel and Hamas would be well disposed to accepting each other’s demands and establishing a permanent ceasefire on which to build, over time, peaceful coexistence.

This regrettably is not the case. But under no circumstances will the negotiations resume and produce what both sides ultimately want (lifting the blockade against demilitarization), which is completely inconsistent with their public positions. They need a face-saving way out, but they remain haunted by a deep distrust of each other, which makes it much harder and ever more complicated to reach any agreement.

Ideally the solution will have to be based on the establishment of a long-term ceasefire that

For Hamas, a mere easing of the blockade while Israel continues to maintain tight restrictions on the free flow of goods and people to and from Gaza will no longer meet the public outcry for a fundamental change in their miserable daily lives. Although Hamas still enjoys grassroots support, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians in Gaza want an end to the conflict with Israel. For too long they have been subjected to abject poverty and indignity, and suffered greatly from repeated conflagrations with Israel

will provide the basis for the demilitarization of Gaza and ending the blockade over time and in phases, with an eye on reaching a more comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian deal. Sadly, we are not living in an ideal world, but then what lesson have both sides learned from this continuing miserable state of affairs? This war and its repercussions have demonstrated once again the limits of the use of force alone, as neither side can emerge unscathed from continuing to slug it out at each other.

Israel, with its mighty military prowess, could not force Hamas to submission; it still remains capable of wreaking havoc on the Israeli population.

Conversely, Hamas cannot exact one meaningful concession from Israel by force or by evoking international outcry for the terrible human tragedies and material losses it has sustained.

It is a bitter lesson both sides will do well to remember. Should they now begin to contemplate taking bold steps and change direction, which appears to be inconceivable at this juncture? I believe that in the long run they will have no other choice. Yet, however incongruous this may seem, it is better to be a fool who tries than a wise man who never dares.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on International Negotiation and Middle Eastern Studies.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 15

Comment

Mirroring Nigeria’s future through education

By Rotimi Ogungbola

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his article was prompted by a long interactive session I heard with an international researcher, prolific writer and senior lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Dr. Raymond Ogunade, who raised alarm about the falling state of Nigeria’s education system after returning from an academic fellowship in the United States of America.

Political interference in the academic system, lecturers using students’ researches for promotion, and lack of intellectual commitment, among others were salient issues raised by Ogunade.

I have always argued vehemently that research is the bedrock for progress; an individual, group, organization, society or nation cannot expand beyond the present without research- intellectual research

to be specific; researches in various fields (agric, health, social relation, technology e.t.c) that will ameliorate the plight of the people.

Apparently, no nation can succeed beyond its level of education; the outcome of quality education is seen in nations across the world.

Russia, Germany, China, US, India, South Africa, Ghana among others have proven that education is capable of ensuring structural sustainable developments in any society irrespective of the decay in such society; perhaps, this explains why, Nelson Mandela the great asserted that “education is the only weapon that can change the world”.

Education is the key to eliminating gender inequality, to reducing poverty, to creating a sustainable planet, to preventing needless deaths and illness, and to fostering peace.

And in a knowledge economy,

education is the new currency by which nations maintain economic competitiveness and global prosperity; unfortunately, these productive features of education are yet to be a reality in Nigeria due to the fall of education in the country.

Reassessing Nigeria’s education system may not be necessary because the decay in the sector is apparent; the standard of education has diminished speedily in Nigeria over the years. The reasons are too many and complex to examine in a paper. However, poor funding of the education sector by the government, display of political interests in academic affairs, unethical behavior among academic staff among others are few examples of such reasons. Of course, the unending fall in Nigeria’s education system is due to lack of proper education.

“The standard of education in Nigeria will continue to fall

because politics and white collar jobs are hindering the development of the sector,” says Ibrahim Malumfashi, the Dean, Faculty of Arts, Kaduna State University. He further stated that “there was support from government in terms of infrastructure, recruitment of staff, equipment and so on, even the monitoring aspect of the system was better before than what is obtainable today. At that time, you had inspectors for primary and secondary schools and they were always up and doing. From the early 1970’s to the 80’s, we started observing retrogression in the sector…” The fall in Nigeria’s education system cannot be overemphasized, the degeneration is speedy and the gap it creates is apparent.

Education is an investment, and one of the most critical investments we can make.

Nigeria is at point where the citizens are hungry for sustainable change in the

nation; however, this is impossible without intensive investment in the education sector. The educational gap in Nigeria has to be bridged in other to ensure development in the nation. Today, around the globe, an estimated 61 million primary-aged children are out of school, almost half of them in conflict-affected poor countries. Too often, even those students who do go to school finish without basic literacy and numeracy skills, it is estimated that 250 million children cannot read, write or count well.

No doubt, Nigeria shares a large population in this statistics. Irrespective of the profession chosen, the influence of education makes a serious difference, with the on-going state of education in Nigeria, the future of the nation is at risk as things may get worse.

Rotimi Ogungbola via linkedIn

Ebola: A plea to think far beyond the norm

By Adegboyega Oyelere

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n the current outbreak, the Ebola virus has moved beyond its north-easterncentral African hot-spots, raging uncontrollably in many West African countries. The ensuing epidemic, regarded as the worst to date, has claimed more than a thousand victims. The lack of therapeutic intervention (approved) for Ebola has made infection a near death sentence as close to 90 % of its victims succumb to the virus. Recognizing the threat it poses to global health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of unauthorized drugs to fight Ebola. In making this declaration, WHO assistant Director General Dr. MariePaule Kieny said, “In the special circumstances of this Ebola outbreak it is ethical to offer unregistered interventions as potential treatments or prevention,” Most attention has been given to one experimental drug in particular - a serum called ZMapp. The buzz around ZMapp is justified due to the encouraging effects it has shown on two US citizens who came down with Ebola virus while working as medical missionaries in Liberia. Unfortunately, the third patient treated with ZMapp, Father Miguel Pajares, did die of complications from Ebola. One key limitation to the general use of ZMapp is its short supply. It appears the entire ZMapp stock has been exhausted at the time WHO made the

recommendation.

The WHO recommendation of the use of unauthorized drugs in the fight against Ebola came with a clause – drugs proven safe and effective in monkeys. The phrase “effective in monkeys” most certainly mean proven efficacious in monkey model of Ebola. It is not clear how many drugs have been tested in monkeys as this information is not commonly available in public domain. Additionally, it is less certain if any of these drugs will be available for immediate distribution to those who need them the most.

If the “proven safe” part of WHO recommendation clause is extended to studies which aimed at repurposing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug for Ebola therapy, then the work of Johansen et

“

al is of significant relevance [Johansen et al FDA-Approved Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators Inhibit Ebola Virus Infection, SciTransl Med 2013, 5, 190ra79]. The authors performed an in vitro (test tube only experiments) screen of FDA approved drugs and identified two drugs – clomiphene and toremifene as potent inhibitors of Zaire Ebola virus. To obtain further evidence of anti-Ebola activity, the authors challenged in vivo mouse infection model of the virus with these drugs. They found that 50 % and 90% of the mice treated with toremifene and clomiphene respectively survived. Encouraged by their finding, Johansen et al opined that clomiphene and toremifene are “immediately actionable class of approved drugs that can be repurposed for treatment of

infections caused by filovirus such as Ebola virus and Marburg virus”.

It is important to clarify that drug treatment in the experiments performed by Johansen et al started after only 1 h of exposure of mice to the virus. Moreover, it will be utterly reckless to tout this result as an indicator of efficacy in human Ebola virus infection as there are copious data that indicate drugs which show early promise in murine model of diseases eventually turned worthless in human trials.

Nevertheless, clomiphene and toremifene have one alluring quality – they are in use in the clinic. Clomiphene (brand name Clomid) and toremifene (brand name Acapodene) are selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) approved for treatment

The WHO recommendation of the use of unauthorized drugs in the fight against Ebola came with a clause – drugs proven safe and effective in monkeys. The phrase “effective in monkeys” most certainly mean proven efficacious in monkey model of Ebola. It is not clear how many drugs have been tested in monkeys as this information is not commonly available in public domain. Additionally, it is less certain if any of these drugs will be available for immediate distribution to those who need them the most

of infertility and metastatic breast cancer respectively.

These drugs may not be subject to supply shortage that has bedeviled ZMapp.

In addition to stressing the need for adherence to strict criteria, including full transparency and informed consent, WHO declaration included a plea about the “moral obligation to collect and share all data generated” when unauthorized drugs are used to treat Ebola patients. Perhaps, it is now prudent for the medical authorities in countries most ravaged by the current Ebola virus pandemic to take a lead in investigating other more readily available alternatives to ZMapp.

The study by Johansen et al and possibly many more not identified by this author could form the foundation for such investigation. Though there is no guarantee that any of the lead drugs from these studies will work, the alternative is far less appealing. These are desperate times, it is better to try than wait for an experimental drug that may not be available any time soon.

Finally, I want to clearly state that I am neither a medical doctor nor a virologist. I write this piece out of my heartfelt desire to bring to fore any information that may potentially help curb the current Ebola virus outbreak or at least give those exposed to the deadly virus a fighting chance, no matter how infinitesimally small that odd may be.

A. Oyelere via aoyelere@ yahoo.com

PAGE 16

Tukur bemoans dearth of integrity among politicians

By Lawrence Olaoye

A

mbassador-at-large and former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday chided some politicians in the country for lacking in integrity by changing parties at the slightest opportunity.

Tukur, who received the delegation of PDP leaders from the North central led by Engnr. Yalla Ibrahim, yesterday warned that the trend, if unchecked, is making mockery of the nation’s politics and capable of derailing democracy.

According to him, he personally took exception to what he described as the ongoing bastardisation of party system in Nigeria in which case, political players switch camps at will while portraying themselves as cheap, desperate, insatiable and inordinately ambitious.

He noted that such trend was only synonymous with politics in Nigeria such that personal integrity, morals, self-confidence, consistence and trust no longer count in the considerations of political players.

The immediate past PDP Chairman said it was time leaders of political parties began to prevent what he described as moral bankruptcy among members and politicians in general against the background of perceived lack of tolerance and endurance in conduct by players.

He said, “These days, we have politicians who had had stints with all existing parties by simple desperation to push their nebulous political ambitions. This is not good for democracy and it is totally unacceptable.

“Why would politicians not stay to help in building his party, but must be on constant drive to prostitute with available parties in the name of ambition. What kind of ambition would not make our politicians to demonstrate maturity, integrity, dignity, patience and contentment?

“We say we are building democracy and we want it to be strong. Can we do that by being just lousy and opportunistic? Can we really build democracy by creating political platforms for personal interests and self-aggrandizement? Will democracy ever grow in Nigeria when we, the players, don’t allow enough time and space for the political parties to grow?

I am saddened by this trend and I feel it must stop.

Tukur also took a swipe at application for waiver by decampees, whom, he said, often consider themselves more important than members of the political parties they are decamping into.

He said it amounted to bequeathing wrong political values and ideas to upcoming generation, when a decampee from a party begin to apply for waiver, just to seek a political office and not to work for the promotion and progress of the party.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

2015: TMG launches quick count election result verification

By Umar Muhammad Puma

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head of the 2015 general election, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), has launched an independent 2015 quick count project that will provide the most accurate information on the conduct of voting and counting process on

…unveils website Election Day. Speaking at the launching, TMG chairman Zikirullahi Ibrahim said the quick count is an advanced observation methodology based on statistical principles that will

give voters greater confidence in the electoral process and reduce the potential for postelection violence by providing independent non-partisan verification of the official election result as announced by

L-R: A member representing Gusau/Tsafe Federal Constituency of Zamfara state in House of Representatives, Hon. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, receiving Exceptional Service Award from President, Student, Union Government of Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, Mr. Abdullateef Shobanke, yesterday in Abuja.

INEC. He revealed that the TMG will deploy specially recruited trained observers to a carefully determined representative random sample of polling units in every geopolitical zone, every state and every one of the 774 local government areas of the country, adding that the TMG has applied the same method for the 2011 presidential election, and it showed that the official presidential result reflected the votes cast at polling units.

“Quick count has always been successfully conducted for the staggered elections. Most recently are the Anambra and Ekiti gubernatorial election which verify the accuracy of the official result. While the Anambra quick count showed a clear pattern of logistics problems, the Ekiti quick count showed a marked improvement in INEC preparations” TMG added.

Meanwhile, the TMG has also unveiled its first of its kind website that will make available detailed, non-partisan data on the conduct of the 2011 presidential election to the INEC, political parties, civil organization and the public.

“The websites, www. tmgtowards2015.org, provides valuable and timely information to everyone interested in election to assist them to design their initiatives for the next year’s poll. It is equally provides clear and objective benchmark for assessing the conduct of the 2015 elections, he said.

Fintiri not qualified to contest - Gulak From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he Former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Barrister Ahmed Aliyu Gulak has opined that the participation of the acting Governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in the 11 Oct bye election lacked constitutional and moral grounds.

Gulak, made his opinion known in a chart with journalists in his Yola residence, yesterday saying that, the nation’s constitution has clearly spelt out the conditions for whether or not he should participate.

“First and foremost, Fintiri should know he is the speaker of Adamawa House of Assembly.

It’s by the virtue of that post that he is the Acting Governor because

No, he is qualified - Senator Zwingina there is no Governor and Deputy” He added that the Deputy Speaker is now the Acting Speaker stressing that the acting Governor position as the Speaker has been reserved for him by the constitution “ This means that he should midwife this election which must take place within 90days.

Having midwife successfully of the election and handing over, he is expected to go back as Speaker while the Acting Speaker will also go back to his post as Deputy Speaker” Gulak explained.

He frowned at Fintiri’s manipulation of the nation’s constitution explaining that it potent danger for the present democracy Nigerians are enjoying.

“If it happens like that, where members of the state house of assembly will just sit down and impeach the Governor and his Deputy which was not the intention of the framers of this constitution. It is an impeccable fact that the constitution has reserved his seat as Speaker that is why the Deputy speaker is acting and it is by the virtue of his position as a Speaker that he is Acting Governor.”

He advised the Acting Governor to be a respecter of the law and if he wants to contest, he should resign as member of the House of Assembly and Speaker for his aspiration.

However, the chairman of the Fintiri Campaign Organization, who was former Deputy Senate

Leader, Senator Jonathan Silas Zwingina, has declared that the Adamawa state acting Governor has constitutional right to contest the bye election.

Zwingina, said that Fintiri’s tenure in office will be extended to the remaining tenure of Governor Murtala Nyako in the event people of the state gave him the mandate.

According to him” People are making a mistake by saying Fintiri does not have constitutional and moral rights to contest for the bye election. The acting governor does not only have the right to be in office for 90 days before a bye election is conducted but equally have right to complete the tenure of the ousted Governor Murtala Nyako” he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 17

Politics

Adamawa by-election: 196 youth organizations endorse acting governor

L-R Akwa Ibom state Governor,Obong Godswill Akpabio, Katsina state Governor, Barrister Shehu Shema, Gombe state, Alhaji Ibrahim Dankwambo, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

From Umar Dankano, Yola

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Photo: Joe Oroye

APC aspirant vows to restore party supremacy in Adamawa From Umar Dankano, Yola

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gubernatorial hopeful in the forth coming bye election in Adamawa state, under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Yakubu Tsalla, has vowed that if given the mandate he will ensure the party’s supremacy and vibrancy so that the APC can grow from strength to strength.

Tsalla disclosed this yesterday

at the APC secretariat in Yola while submitting his intent expression and nomination forms to the leadership of the party saying that Adamawa has been neglected for many years and it is time for good hands to be in the position to salvage the state.

“When elected I will ensure party supremacy in any decision including appointments to be made by my administration.

“There will be no more

appointments or awarding of contracts without consultation with the party leadership.

Politicians must carry the party along”, Tsalla said.

Tsalla who was a retired civil servant also promised to restore the lost glory of the civil service in the state.

He listed education, health, agriculture, security and job creation as some of the areas to be accorded priority by his

administration if elected.

Responding on behalf of the party, the state Vice Chairman, Mr. Dimas Ezra, said the party was satisfied with the quality of aspirants seeking election under its platform and would accord them level playing field.

Ezra said the APC was a grassroots party and would do everything possible to ensure it candidate emerged through democratic process.

PMAN endorses Gov Ahmed for second term From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

T

he Kwara state chapter of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) has endorsed Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for a second term in office.

The association which declared their support at the Government House, Ilorin called on the governor to seek re-election.

State PMAN chairman, Alhaji

Saka Danfo while speaking on behalf of hundreds of musicians who stormed the Ilorin Government House yesterday, appealed to Governor Ahmed to heed to calls for him to seek re-election to enable him complete his various ongoing projects across the state.

Danfo who highlighted various achievements of the present administration especially in the areas of health, energy, human capital development, education and

youth empowerment commended the governor for the feat so far.

He stressed that seeking a second term in office would enable Governor Ahmed to consolidate on his programmes and policies which he said were geared towards enhancing socio-economic development of the state.

Responding, the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed tasked PMAN to contribute their quota to the socio-economic development

of the state by passing useful information while entertaining the public.

Governor Ahmed explained that his government would continue to consolidate on development and deliver dividends of democracy to all Kwarans regardless of any political or social difference as well as deploy resources to support infrastructural development and security, promising to always support all associations in the state.

he 196 youth organizations under the Adamawa state chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) endorsed the aspiration of Adamawa state acting Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to contest the October 11 by-election.

Addressing the press on the development in Yola yesterday, the spokesman of the organizations, Mr. Sunday Kadiri, said the acting governor has so far given a good account of himself as a good ambassador of the youth, so it is only proper for the people of the state to give him the benefit of doubt.

Kadiri said the intervention of the state assembly under the leadership of Fintiri in removing Nyako and what he has done so far has brought a new lease of life to the state.

“The council has been keenly observing situations as they manifest in the state.

Having passed through neglect, underdevelopment and uncertainty in the state, the House of Assembly under Fintiri came to the rescue”, Kadiri said.

Kadiri urged the people of Adamawa particularly the youths to support and work for the actualization of the aspiration of the acting governor.

“We also call upon the PDP stalwarts, the party and the entire people of Adamawa state to reason with popular choice and allow the acting governor to emerge as the next governor. “ As a member he came, as a legislature, he saw, and as a Speaker, he conquered by salvaging the unfortunate situation that the state found itself with the support of the honorable members of the House of Assembly”, Kadiri added.

Experts identify factors affecting women participation in politics From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

E

xperts have identified factors they said are affecting the participation of women in politics, with Mrs. Lydia Shehu, director Women Affairs at the Ministry of Women Affairs in Bauchi, stressing that unfriendly political environment and barriers such as gender discrimination among others, continue to prevent women from playing active roles in politics.

Mrs. Shehu who was presenting a paper at a workshop organized for women by a nongovernmental organization, Fahimta Women

and Youth Development Initiative (FAWOYDI), added that marginalized party policies, lack of confidence and self assertion, family values also combine to militate against the active participation of women in politics.

In her paper titled “Roles of Women in National Development”, she noted though that notwithstanding these challenges, women still have important roles to play in the political arena since, according to her, politics is a game of numbers.

The two-day training workshop which held yesterday in Bauchi, was

organized in conjunction with the state Minisstry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for wives of commissioners and caretaker committee chairmen in the state.

While also identifying other factors to include; culture, tradition, religious belief and low level of education as some of the barriers militating against Nigerian women’s participation in politics, Mrs. Shehu urged Nigerian women to take advantage of their numerical strength to be take the centre stage in politics, adding that doing this would afford them the opportunity of entrenching honesty, transparency, judicious and

prudent use of resources and good governance in Nigeria.

She, however, stated that for women to play prominent roles in the country’s development, emphasis must be given to the girl-child education, prejudices and religious sentiment had to be done away with, while there should be women empowerment and enlightenment.

She also called on women to rise against party differences, while government at all levels to make deliberate policy framework with a view to giving women prominence in the polity as well as for political parties to have gender inclusive

operational policy guidelines.

In her remarks, the executive director, FAWOYDI, Hajiya Maryam S Garba, stated that the workshop was organized with a view to empower the wives of the state commissioners and local government caretaker chairmen in order for them to take development to the grass-roots level in the state.

Garba noted that her NGO was basically concerned about women and youths’ development, adding that the organization was being hampered by low funding, difficult terrain, donor dependence and low government support.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 18

Politics

Crisis looms in Adamawa PDP as acting gov, party chair plot alliance

By Lawrence Olaoye

T

here are indications that crisis may soon hit the compact Adamawa state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as there are allegations that the Acting Govermor, Alhaji Umaru Fintiri, had perfected plans to ally with the state party Chairman, Chief Joel Madaki, to outwit other aspirants eyeing the party ticket ahead of the October 11 governorship bye election in the state.

There are speculations that Fintiri had struck a deal with Madaki for him to frustrate efforts other aspirants while he becomes the deputy governorship candidate.

A source in the state chapter of the party disclosed that what the acting governor plans to do is to make the chairman to use his grip over the party to frustrate all other aspirants “while the acting governor fuel in money, as he currently does, to compromise delegates and other stakeholders.”

The source added, “their plan is to block other contenders from having their own people emerge as delegates at the congress scheduled for Monday, and subsequently deny the aspirants opportunity to meet with the elected delegates.

“Majority of the members of the state party executive are not in support of what is happening but the acting governor and the chairman are intimidating them with threats of exclusion or expulsion.

“The way they are going about this is really dangerous not only for the PDP in Adamawa but also democratic practice in the country. If Fintiri is allowed to go with his plans it would set a terrible precedence that may see Speakers impeaching the elected governors of their state and foist themselves on everybody.

“We cannot allow this to stand.

You cannot come in mufti and stage a kind of military coup. The activities of Fintiri and his cronies signify height of desperation and

lawlessness to satisfy myopic interest.

“We are submitting a petition to the national leadership of the party for it to do something about this because the way it is, no aspirant can be comfortable to go into the primaries when the process is already skewed in favour of one person.”

Meanwhile, the party’s national leadership on the issue of approval of waiver for those candidates who recently decamped into the party has begun to cause anxiety in the state.

The PDP National Working Committee (NWC), which is supposed to approve the waiver application, had last wee declined to do so.

But there are feelers that the applications may be granted today at the party’s executive meeting but some of the aspirants, who are old members of the party, have already begun moves to stall the process in order to disqualify those aspirants perceived as potent threats to their ambitions.

Those aspirants requiring waiver in order to participate in the September 6th primary include the former Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former Military administrator of Lagos state, Gen. Buba Marwa and the former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 governorship election in Adamawa, Engnr. Marcus Gundiri.

No place for PDP in North West - APC ...Holds party primaries in October From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

T

he North West Zone Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdulkadir Inuwa has said that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should look elsewhere ahead of the 2015 election as there would be no place for it in the North West zone.

Alhaji Inuwa said the APC is ready to clinch all available positions within the North West zone and the national level.

Briefing Journalists at the end of its meeting that was held behind closed doors at the ASAA Pyramid Hotel, Kaduna, the North West Zone Chairman said the caucus basically met to strategize ahead of future elections and primaries.

He continued when he disclosed that the APC party primary is slated for October, 2014.

“The North West Caucus of the APC met here today to take stock and map out strategies to consolidate on the gains of the party, and fine-tune arrangements for the conduct of primaries of the party which is scheduled to hold in October God willing,” Alhaji Inuwa stated.

L-R: Founder, Mothers of Vision Development Initiative (MVDI)and former Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Salome Audu, MVDI Co-coordinator, Mrs. Nelly Mokwenye, and MVDI FCT Coordinator, Hon. Talatu Kabir, during a media briefing on the MVDI endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest for 2015 election, on Monday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Ebola: PDP spokesman urges support for FG

By Lawrence Olaoye

T

he National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh yesterday called on well-meaning Nigerians and corporate organizations in the country to support the Federal Government in the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease in the country.

Met uh, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Richard Ihediwa, made this call while presenting a personal donation of N1 million naira to the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu in Abuja on Tuesday said the burden of finding solution to the Ebola scourge should not be left to the Federal Government alone.

“There is no way the Federal Government can be left alone to bear the burden of this challenge.

It is my well considered opinion that citizens of this country and corporate organizations should

...Donates N1 million to fight virus support the overall effort to eradicate the Ebola Virus Disease in our dear country.

“It is in this wise that I make my own little contribution and urge other well-meaning Nigerians to come out and join forces with the Federal Government and our health workers to end this scourge” Metuh said.

The PDP Spokesman commended President Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of Health for the unprecedented response given to “this national emergency” even as he saluted health workers in the country for their show of patriotism, professionalism and sacrifices in the effort to check the spread of the disease.

Metuh, whose donation is expected to open a flood-gate of contributions from other wellmeaning Nigerians, noted that the

donations which should be made directly to the Ministry of Health will assist in research for cure, treatment and care for victims as well as support to families of health workers who paid the supreme price while working to save the nation from the disease.

While condoling the bereaved families, Metuh who initiated and participated in the #EBOLAIceBucketChallenge in Nigeria on facebook to raise awareness and draw support for intervention against the disease, expressed optimism that with the collaboration of all Nigerians, the nation will win the war against Ebola sooner than envisaged.

Responding, the Minister of Health who commended Metuh for his gesture, urged other wellmeaning Nigerians to join in the fight to rid the nation of the deadly disease.

Adamawa Election: APC will rely on grassroots -Sen Bindau

By Umar Muhammad Puma

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it would use its enormous grassroots connection to upstage the Peoples Democratic Party in the October 11 governorship bye-election in Adamawa state.

Addressing newsmen after the submission of his nomination form at the party headquarters in Abuja yesterday, Senator Muhammad Umar Bindau said with the current popularity of the party, he is not afraid of any power, not even the former Chairman of the EFCC or the influence of the presidency can help the PDP. While receiving the aspirant, the National Secretary, Alhaji Mai-Bala Buni said the party was on its way to a resounding victory in Adamawa based on its current rapport with the teaming masses of the state.

He assured the aspirants of a level playing ground, saying that APC is progressive group which is interested in doing things in a proper way.

“I want to assure all of you that the end of PDP has come, by the grace of God we will defeat PDP in the Adamawa governorship bye-election and go ahead to also win elections in many states and defeat PDP in 2015,” he said.

Also addressing the aspirant and the party stakeholders from Adamawa, the National Organizing Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso said the party has sold nomination forms to seven aspirants.

He assured all the aspirants that the party’s primary will be transparent and better organized than that of other parties.

He said the leadership of the party will send a credible team to the Adamawa state to conduct the primary election, adding that expectations are that the best candidate and the best grassroots candidate will emerge.

At last, Tom Ikimi dumps APC

By Umar Muhammad Puma

F

ormer minister of foreign affairs Chief Tom Ikimi, has finally dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC), following the emergence of John Oyegun as the national chairman of the party.

Ikimi in a statement made available to newsmen said, “I have made the decision to withdraw my membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC) from today, 27th August 2014″. He however failed to state exactly which political party he is defecting to.

Ikimi who is a founding member of the APC has contested for the chairmanship of the party at the party’s first national convention and lost which produced Chief John Oyegun as the party’s national chairman.

Ikimi was interested in the position but was allegedly forced to withdraw from the race to pave way for the emergence of the alleged anointed candidate of the national leaders of the party.

PAGE 19

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

business@peoplesdailyng.com 08142929046

‘Biotechnology to boost food sufficiency in Nigeria’

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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he Vice Chancellor of National Open University (NOUN), Professor Vincent Tenebe has identified more research and development in the Biotechnology sector as key to address food insecurity and health care delivery in Nigeria.

He disclosed this at the 27th

annual International Conference of the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN) held in Kaduna yesterday.

Professor Tenebe who was the Chairman of the Conference said the world is witnessing a new revolution after the Information Communication Technology (ICT) and that is Biotechnology.

The NOUN Vice Chancellor

who defined Biotechnology as the process of using living things in the technology of producing organism and materials that will enhance speedy reproduction of the same material, has turn to a worldwide accepted phenomenon that Nigeria cannot be left out.

“The biotechnology/ photosynthesis process provides food for man, affordable health

delivery in form of alternative theraphy or herbal medicine and the provision of material for shelter or materials for rapid industrialization.

“Biotechnology became important due to the declining soil productivity/food insecurity, general environmental degradation (pollution, climate change, drought, flood,

L-R: Executive Director, Commercial Services, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Mr. Ernest Mupwaya, AEDC Principal Manager, Operations, Engineer Aminu Bello, AEDC Acting Director, Legal Services, Barrister Pamela Chidobelu, Business Manager, Apo, Engineer Akubuko Abednego, and AEDC Senior Manager, Safety, Engineer Kabir Tahir, listening to the Chairman, AEDC Customers Consultative Committee, Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT, Chief Eze Elendu, during AEDC’s Customer Consultative Forum, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Customs intercepts smuggled cars worth 200m in Lagos

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

O

fficers of the Nigerian Custom Service Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja-Lagos yesterday said it intercepts 22 new cars smuggled into the country on Sunday.

Controller Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja-Lagos, D/C Turaki Usman Adamu in a press conference yesterday said the 22 exotic cars worth about 200 Millon. Adamu said the arrest followed the renewed vigour and determination of the zone to up the ante in anti-smuggling.

He said 22 brand new

vehicles, comprises 19 Toyota Hilux pickups, two IzuzuDMAX Jeeps and one Toyota Land Cruiser GRX 2014 model, valued at N186,474,128.00 were intercepted along Ikoyi/Victoria Island area of Lagos.

Adamu disclosed that the Seizure was as a result of intelligence gathering which necessitated laying of ambush by the FOU ‘A’ operatives. He pointed out that FOU ‘A’ operatives trailed the vehicles from an unapproved route but could not intercept them there because of the possibility of recording casualties.

He stated that as professionals

Retrenchment: Can Chidoka wield the hammer this time? >>Pg 20

with the requisite training and competence, the Unit could not afford to embark on aggressive confrontation with the smugglers particularly in densely populated areas, hence the need to trail them to a safe place. He stated “despite these precautionary measures, the smugglers engaged our operatives in a gun duel, but were over powered by the superior fire powers of our operatives but interestingly there were no casualties”.

Further, he informed the media that the interception was effected by a Patrol Team headed

by A/C Adamu Mohammed and

Continental Re rewards shareholders with 11 kobo

>>Pg 21

led by S/C Abdullahi, comprising other officers/men of the Unit.

The Controller attributed the Seizure to the dexterity, resilience, commitment and dedication of all officers/men of the Unit, particularly the seizing officers.

Recall that in his maiden briefing after one month in office, the Controller vowed to re-activate and re-awaken the Unit as a hub and flagship of antismuggling in the country. Shortly after taking over 6 weeks ago, the Controller has put operational modalities and frame work in place to ensure a very proactive approach to smuggling activities.

extinction of desirable species and a reduction in health status and social/moral value in the society,” he said.

Prof. Tenebe informed the gathering that biotechnology is environmental friendly, economic viable and socially just.

In his own remarks, the Director General of Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis and Onchocerciasis Research (NITR), Professor Mohammed Mamman said it is time to increase public understanding of what biotechnology is and how its application can enrich the country.

He therefore called on government at all level to garner the political will to adequately fund research institute and tertiary academic institutions in order to enhance research.

“Nigeria should reap the numerous benefits abound from its expert biotechnologists in the diaspora. In the absence of such critical step, the nation shall continue to be a consumer and importer but not a producer of biotechnology products and innovation,” Mamman stated.

Earlier, the National President of Biotechnology Society of Nigeria (BSN), Professor James Ogbonna said starvation has remain a very serious problem in Nigeria, despite all previous efforts made by the previous administration to increase Agriculture productivity in view of this there is need according to him for radical change in approach and mind set if Nigeria is to win the war against starvation which hasturned into endemic evil.

“It has been demonstrated that biotechnology can be used to increase both the quantity and quality of crops yield, and this can be achieved through improvement in the innate ability of crops and yield higher, increase crop ability to resist and adapt to both biotic and stresses and reduction in the production cost by using crops that are resistance to pest, disease and herbicides,” Prof. Ogbonna noted.

CBN Exchange Rates as at 26th AUGUST, 2014 Buying Selling

$ € £ Riyal YEN CFA

154.7 256.94 212.44 41.25 1.49 0.30

Gombe MDGs commissions 200 projects

155.74 258.60 213.81 41.52 1.50 0.32

>>Pg 22

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 20

Aviation Retrenchment: Can Chidoka wield the hammer this time?

Stories by Suleiman Idris

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he adjectives had for sometimes come in torrents, anxiety, palpable fear, retrenchment fever, looming loss of jobs and the likes are what staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria and Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIB) are used to on a daily basis.

There is no gain saying the fact that over the years, some stakeholders has complained of the over bloated staff strength of the

agencies calling for their reduction.

The call for retrenchment of staff in the industry, like others elsewhere is not new to the aviation sector. At different time Ministers had threatened or allegedly planned to downsize the workforce.

The Federal Government’s decision to implement the White Paper on the recommendations of the Stephen Oronsayeled Presidential Committee on Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies had rattled nerves in the sector for some time now, a move workers of the agencies have at various time, staged protests and express their angst over fear of being thrown into the labour market.

The Oronsaye White Paper wants the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) merged to become the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA), and the relevant laws that established them amended.

The augments are varied, from lack of consultation while others said a similar experiment failed in 1995 when the then Minister of Aviation, Air Commodore Nsikak Eduok (retired), put together the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA) with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Currently reports have it that there is high power delegations sent to the Presidency, apparently

to ensure the implementation of the merger does not see the light of the day.

Now the question that is wagging among tongues is whether the new Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka can wield the sack hammer. His predecessor Ms. Stella Oduah was accused by a section of the country of stuffing the agencies with staff from her own geographical divide.

Same goes for Fani Kayode who was also accused to have filled strategic position in the agencies with his kinsmen painting a picture of ethnic coloration.

Signs of an imminent shakeup in the aviation parastatals which insiders hinted are aimed at repositioning the agencies for

L-R: Chairman, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) Lagos chapter, Ladi Jemi-Alade, Guest Speaker/ Chairman, Allied Technol System Ltd, Henry Boyo, and Chairman of NASME Council, Alhaji Garba Gusau during the NASME quarterly business luncheon, yesterday at Sheraton Hotel, in Lagos.

Photo: Olawale Rotimi

optimum productivity emerged recently when the Minister in an apparent move to demonstrate his seriousness sent letter to the agencies’ heads and ordered the immediate suspension of recruitment and promotion matters in the sector.

Part of the document read “immediate stoppage of irregular employment and requested for the update of condition of service and scheme of service in all the agencies which must be concluded

by September 23, 2014.”

Delta Air lines supports student initiative

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nited State carrier, Delta Air Lines showed its support for developing young talents by sponsoring the 5th National Travel Essay Competition (NTEC 2013/2014) recently in Lagos.

The airline gave out a free complimentary ticket to the United States as 1st Prize for the Winner of the writing competition which is aimed at creating greater awareness for the aviation industry at the grassroots and encouraging young Nigerians to follow a career in the sector as a means of addressing the challenge of skilled manpower shortage and ageing workforce.

Miss Karimat Sowemimo, a student of Murtala Muhammed Airport Secondary School, Ikeja emerged winner and was presented with the ticket during a courtesy visit to the airline’s office in Victoria Island, Lagos. She was in the company of members of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sowemimo and her younger brother, Aliyu Sowemimo.

The airline’s General Sales Manager, Miss E. T. Sefia was on hand to make the ticket presentation and congratulated Karimat for her excellent performance.

Sefia said “Delta Air Lines works very closely with student related projects and it is always a pleasure for us to be part of what is being done not only to develop the skills of the younger generation but also to support the aviation industry in whatever way we can”.

Africa airports need to be competitive-Angela Gittens

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ngela Gittens is the Director General of Airports Council International (ACI), the professional body that represents and promotes the interests of airports around the world. She outlines how airports in Africa can be more competitive in order to attract more airline and passenger traffic.

What has airports achieve in the last ten years and what has really changed in airports around the world? Airports have evolved into business in their own right.

So they are not just infrastructure. They are not just like a road. Airports now have to be managed; and they have to be managed as a business.

So, you have to have your safety and security; you have your technical aspects; you have to design it properly; you have to deal with the community because the airport has to be a good neighbour in its community. An airport has to

be economically viable in order to serve as the economic engine for its region. So an Airport Director now has to understand how to make money, how to contain costs, how to be efficient which is very important; and customer service.

Airports are now in a competitive situation. And you’ve seen at this conference Airports are all trying to market themselves to airlines. So, it’s no longer that you are just there and airlines come in.

Now you have to show airlines why they should serve your community.

Your community wants the service, they want frequencies and routes all over the world and they expect you as the Airport Director to provide that. And you have to be very concerned about the environment.

You have to be sustainable.

So, you have environmentally, financially and socially and that’s relatively new to airports; to have

that kind of a role within their communities.

You must also work with your destination. People don’t go to an airport because it’s an airport.

They go because either it’s a hub or so they need to get there to catch a plane to get to where they really want to go or they want to go to that destination.

So you work with your destination, your tourism authorities, your chamber of commerce and everything that sells a destination.

Concerns are raised about the standard of facilities at many Airports in Africa. What’s your advice for African Airports? My advice is to airports in Africa is to do what they are now doing.

You see how many people are here; they really need to gain the knowledge in best practices of other airports in Africa and around the world. So being part of the airport community, the

Airports Council International is part of that development. You can no longer just run an airport as if you are just in a community and you are managing that one airport.

You are part of the world and you are being compared by airlines and passengers to other airports in other parts of the world and in Africa.

So, you need to expand your horizon, learn all you can, but also educate your owner. That’s one of the issues in Africa that we’ve talked about; is that governments sometimes make policies that are not good for the airport and therefore not good for the country.

So, really the Airport Manager has to work with their government as well as with their destination and other stakeholders; your chambers of commerce, your tourism etc., and educate government on what are the best policies and practices to make the airport and the destination

valuable and marketable to get air service and to get passengers to come.

Should there be more airports or upgrading of the current ones?

I think at this stage it’s primarily upgrading the current ones.

I think there are certainly some places that we need more airports but I think overall, the bigger issue is upgrading the current airports to the standards that they need.

They don’t have to be fancy.

But you just have to make sure that you have a good safety programme, a good security programme, and what I see really lacking in many airports in Africa is they don’t have a good revenue management programme.

They don’t have strong retail which in this market I think they certainly could have. I think many of the locations in Africa, certainly they have tourists and they can do a much better job at merchandising items that give a sense of place.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

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uinea Insurance Plc. has posted Gross Premium Written of N546.2 million for its financial period ended 30th June, 2014 against N802.8 million recorded in the same period of 2013.

The firm recorded a loss after tax of N158.5 million compared to the profit after tax of N194.0 million achieved in 2013.

Similarly, the firm recorded a Gross Premium Written of N159.3 million for its first quarter ended March, 30th, 2014 and equally a loss after of N62.6 million was written against profit of N181.5 million recorded in 2013.

Guinea Insurance strategic reengineering initiatives which it launched recently are beginning to yield positive result, as the company has been certified to undertake large energy businesses.

The achievement came just as Guinea Insurance recorded another feat by its readmission to the African Insurance Organisation (AIO).

Guinea Insurance was given a clean bill of health to handle large accounts following the successful conclusion of the prequalification audit recently conducted by the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NIPEX).

The NIPEX certificate affirms Guinea Insurance as a viable player in the industry and attests to its capacity to take on mega oil and gas businesses in Nigeria. In a related development, its membership was reinstated at the regional body’s (AIO) 41st Conference and General Assembly held in Kigali, Rwanda.

The readmission will avail Guinea Insurance the privilege to subscribe to the African Oil & Gas and Aviation pools. It will also enable the company to place part of its Energy and Aviation acceptances/risks businesses with the mega pools in Africa.

Polycarp Didam, managing director/CEO OF Guinea expressing his pleasure at the achievements said they were results of the company’s determination to become insurer of first choice.

Didam said the company was committed to enhancing capacity building and continually exploring opportunities in the industry.

His said ‘we have finally received our certificate from NIPEX to bid on large ticket energy deals, with this approval; we are now set to participate in energy related deals in Nigeria, which is a very serious achievement for our company”.

“Moreso, our company was reinstated as a full member of the AIO and with the opportunity to participate in Energy and Aviation pools of the Association in Africa, this is a pointer to a better future for our company.”

PAGE 21

Pension/Insurance

Guinea Insurance posts N546.2m GP in HY

In similar vein, the Team Lead, Energy and Special Risks, Evwaire Godwin, said the company was set to fully

explore opportunities in the sector.

“Frantic efforts are underway to revitalise and

position the brand on a higher pedestal that would generate positive emotional after-taste and propel confidence and

equitable service delivery to enable the company take its rightful place in the Nigerian insurance industry.”

L-R: Managing Director, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation NDIC Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, and President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mrs. Debola Osibogun, during their visit to minister of finance, yesterday in Abuja

Continental Re rewards shareholders with 11 kobo Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

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ontinental Reinsurance Plc, said it will be rewarding its esteemed shareholders with a dividend payout of 11 kobo for the financial year ended 31st December, 2013.

The dividend which was approved by the shareholders at the company’s 27th annual general meeting held in Lagos will be payable to investors whose names appeared in the company’s register.

Addressing shareholders at the meeting, the Managing Director of Continental Re, Mr. Hurley Doddy, stated that the company always have its shareholders in mind by rewarding handsomely.

He stated that the firm, in spite of the harsh economic environment, the firm was able record strong financial improvement in most bottomline as its total asset gained nine per cent surge to N26.13 billion with the period.

“Total asset increased by nine per cent from N24. .05 billion in 2012 to N26.13 billion in 2013”, he acclaimed.

Shareholders funds as well increased by eight per cent from N13.24 billion 2012 to N14. .29 in 2013,” he said.

The chairman assured that the firms employees had cultivated a strong passion for the business and were committed to upholding the performance culture of the company as well as ensuring yearly returnsto its

shareholders.

“At Continental Re, our people are the most valuable resources and we are fortunate to have a group of highly talented and motivated seasoned professionals currently managing the company,” he said.

He said in April, the firm introduced its Tunisian branch office to cater for its northern African/Maghreb clients adding that the firm was now able to cover southern Africa through its joint venture in Gaborone, Botswana.

The company which the chairman said would continue to live up to its aspiration to provide reinsurance services on a truly pan-African basis was in the process of engaging consultants and advisers to raise additional

capital in order to pursue its expansion drive.

Doddy said that Continental Re would soon commence the construction of its head office building.

In line with the company’s dividend policy, he said it was paying 11 kobo per share for the 2013 financial year.

He also said that Continental Re recorded a profit before tax of N2.23bn in the year under review.

According to him, the company will continue to pursue the implementation of its fiveyear strategic plan, which spans up to 2017.

One of the key focus areas of the plan, he added, was its geographical expansion into new territories in Africa.

N4.5 billion written in the same period of 2013 However, the company’s Profit/Loss After Taxation appreciated from N216.4 million in the second quarter of 2013 tomN431.4 million in the

same second of 2014, indicating an increase of 99.3 per cent.

In the same vein the firm achieved gross premium written to the tune of N3.8 billion in the first quarter ended 30th

March, 2014 against N2.4 billion recorded within the same period of 2013.

Profit/ loss after tax stood at N122.6 million, compared to N112.2 million.

Royal Exchange records 39.7 gross premium

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oyal Exchange Plc has recorded gross written premium worth N6.4 billion for the half quarter ended 30th June, 2014, thus representing 39.7per cent when compared with

PAGE 22

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Business

Gombe MDGs commissions 200 projects

From David Hassan, Gombe

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he Mellanium Development Goals (MDGs) in Gombe state has said that the agency had so far commissioned more than 200 projects across 11 local government area with a view to sustained living

standard of the people.

Special Adviser to governor Ibrahim Dankwambo on MDGs Alhaji Audi Adamu stated this yesterday in Gombe also said the 2013 projects were 93 percent completion and they are satisfied with the quality of the work done.

He said in an effort to improved productivity in the primary health care delivering the agency had completed the projects and handed over to each local governments area and appealed to affected communities to continue supporting government

and assure them that government on their part would not relent to provide them with amenities in the area.

The MDGs boss said projects which are under conditional grant scheme 2013 are spread in six local government area of the state

which have not benefited in 2012.

According to him, in 2013 scheme, MDGs in the state has contracted on Education, Health, Water sanitation with a view to improving the lives of the people, adding that among projects that have been completed include one block of three classroom at Kalargu and Pam-Mana as well as renovation of Kunge primary school at Sabon-layi Awak.

Google launches YouTube masthead

By Chris Alu

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L-R: Outgoing Chairman, UBA Plc, Ambassador Joe Keshi, and new Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu, during the formal handover ceremony, on Monday at the UBA Head Office in Lagos.

UBA appoints Elumelu as Chairman From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

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he Board of United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) has announced the appointment of Mr Tony Elumelu, as Chairman, succeeding Ambassador Joe Keshi.

Mr. Elumelu is Chairman/CEO of Heirs Holdings, the pan-African proprietary investment company, founded by Mr. Elumelu in 2010, which holds stakes in a number of leading African businesses, including Transcorp , Nigeria ’s largest listed conglomerate by market capitalization, as well as UBA. Elumelu retired as Group Managing Director and CEO of UBA in 2010, following the introduction by the Central Bank of Nigeria of 10-year tenure limits for bank CEOs. He had served as CEO of the UBA Group for 13 years, where he was responsible for the creation

of today’s UBA, a financial services institution that built a reputation for innovation and the democratisation of banking services and now spans Africa, providing services to more than 10 million customers, across the continent and in London , Paris and New York .

Widely regarded as one of the most influential business leaders in Africa, Elumelu has developed a reputation for identifying value and bringing a long term investment orientation and discipline to sectors critical to Africa’s development, including financial services, power, oil and gas, agribusiness, real estate and hospitality. As the founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, an Africa-based and African-funded philanthropy, Mr. Elumelu is committed to the promotion of entrepreneurship in Africa , based on his championing of Africapitalism, the philosophy

that the African private sector is the critical enabler of the continent’s economic and social transformation.

The Chairmanship of UBA will complement Mr. Elumelu’s existing positions with other Heirs Holdings’ portfolio businesses, including the Chairmanships of Tenoil Petroleum & Energy Services Limited and Seadrill Limited. “ Tony Elumelu ‘s track record at UBA speaks for itself,” said Mr. Phillips Oduoza, Group Managing Director/CEO UBA. “His return to the Board brings a depth of knowledge and experience in the African financial services industry that is second to none. We are privileged to have him lead the Board at this critical stage in our development.”

Analysts and leaders of shareholder groups also welcomed Mr. Elumelu’s return.

“Banking in Africa is a dynamic,

exciting and an increasingly competitive and challenging industry,” said economic and financial analyst, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, Chief Executive of Financial Derivatives.

“Tony is visionary, courageous and has shown an ability to both, think for the long term, and to create significant shareholder value. The drive, dynamism and competitiveness that we saw during his period as CEO of UBA, was one of the catalysts of the enormous changes in the Nigerian banking sector,” he said.

Dr. Farouk Umar, President, Association for the Advancement of Rights of Nigerian Shareholders (AARNS) said, “We are delighted with this appointment.

It bodes well for UBA and the banking industry, now and in the future. Elumelu is a transformer and value creator for shareholders.

We are excited about his return.”

oogle Nigeria has launched online advertising tool known as YouTube Masthead.

The new tool allows brands to advertise on the YouTube homepage through customized mastheads for a whole day.

The masthead which is the first of its kind in Nigeria offers an opportunity for advertisers to explore the YouTube homepage with classy video plug-and-play format that helps brands interact with the consumers.

Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, country manager, Google Nigeria explains that : “Online is now an essential part of the marketing mix and more advertisers than ever are utilising the benefits and alongside traditional media. Since YouTube was launched in Nigeria in 2011, there have been lots of interests from brands wanting to brand and ‘takeover’ Google properties.

The launch of Youtube Masthead which is essentially the full takeover of the Youtube homepage now presents advertisers a terrific opportunity to engage with YouTube users when they arrive on the YouTube homepage (www.youtube.com. ng)”.

It is a highly effective online advertising platform for reaching massive audiences with an affordable budget”.

Teju Ajani, YouTube Content Partnership lead in Sub Saharan Africa stated that “YouTube receives over 1 Billion unique global users every month, with over 100 hours of videos uploaded every minute, this presents a massive opportunity for brand managers looking to boost exposure.

The new YouTube Masthead format is already gaining ground with top Nigerian brands like Glo, Airtel, UBA, Rexona, Star, Gulder and Samsung having already run campaigns to drive traffic, attract subscribers and engage Nigeria’s growing YouTube user population.

Advertisers in Nigeria will now be able to reach consumers in their different destinations, amassing massive flow of referral traffic through YouTube and increase brand related searches on Google.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Stock Watch

Report as at Tuesday, August 26, 2014

PAGE 23

Struck with paralysis, the pathetic story of Zahardeen

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ahardeen, a 30 year old man, an indigene of Nasarawa state who resides in Angwan Hausawa in Mararaba, may be living in such situation as it seemed a hopeless future with grave health conditions.

The young man who was once determined to study and become a graduate like his elder brother has since discarded the hope as his only prayer now is to be back on his feet again.

“I was initially ill, it put a stop to school activities, until I recovered and decided to do some handwork so I could sponsor myself to school later, I worked as a mason first until the site work came to a halt. I put my savings together and started selling perfume, until this fateful day when I fell from a height, and unknowingly broke my back.

It was a horrific day for me” he recounted.

Although, when Peoples Daily visited about two weeks ago, he expressed some level of enthusiasm, now being aware that someone at least cares about his unhappiness.

Barely two years ago,

Bed ridden Zahardeen

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 24

The prayer of every parent is to see their children aim high in life; the prayer of every young man is to be great, to have a lovely home and to affect the society positively.

However, some unforeseen circumstances may either slow the pace of progress and if not checked, it may forever block the chances of success; causing pain and frustration in the heart of those involved, like Zahardeen Yakubu, Adedoyin Ojosipe writes. luck ran out on him as the unforeseen and pitiable fate became his friend; Zahardeen, who had been a mason alongside his father, fell from a height, breaking his back, which further more affected his bladder.

Coming from a very humble background, his parents were still full of hope that their lovely son would once again get well and resume his normal life, if only they could push a bit.

His parents quickly gathered all they could and headed with him to a Chinese Hospital at Keffi, where he was admitted just for a day, and was afterwards referred to Gwagwalada General Hospital, with no sign of improvement recorded.

At Gwagwalada Hospital, Zahardeen met a brick wall as he was not only denied treatment, but was turned back after being told that there was no bed space for him

to be admitted. A common saying associated with most of our public hospital.

Again his positive thinking parents decided to try the National Hospital but got more than they bargained for, as he was only examined after which he waited for an hour, only to be disappointed about the absence of a specialist to attend to him.

Zahardeen was therefore, returned home with his

Mr & Mrs Yakubu

Special Report

Zahardeen Yakubu

parents, who thought of visiting some more specialised hospitals, where they won’t have to face such delay as in the public hospitals within Abuja.

After spending 20 more days at home, he heeded an advice to be taken to Federal Medical Centre, Zaria as he was told there were bone doctors, who could really be of help.

Zahardeen spent two months, with no consultant attention as they kept moving his file from one table to the other, until he was referred to Dalla hospital, Kano, where he spent another 14 days, before he was again referred to Aminu Kano Hospital for reworking of his bladder which got damaged during the horrible incident.

The young man spent seven more days and was still not attended to as they kept telling him there was no bed space for him to be admitted; at this point, his parents were almost running out of funds.

Though disappointed, they returned home to see how much they could gather to continue the quest to heal their son.

Sarkin Hausawa of Angwan Hausawa also narrated, how Zahardeen’s parent had sold their only piece of land, some other valuables; and their continuous solidarity calls to donate to the cause of his treatment.

The Sarkin Hausawa said, “His parents really tried, they sold their only piece of land, their properties. We also did not relent, we called for donations at virtually all the small Mosques around us, the people around are just trying to survive; some will give N20,

some N50, but they gave their widows might. We gave the money to his parents and now we still expect, God’s miracle.”

Zahardeen, now noticeably moved to tears narrated how some of his father’s friends have showed indifference towards his well being, while some people he worked for have refused to pay him.

“Some close friends turned their back on me thereby adding salt to injury. They told my father, some very provoking words; my father was bitter. He said they were words he never heard before.

In his bitterness, he just dumped me in this room and said he’ll rather wait for God to help than keep seeking the help of men which seems not to be coming.

Zahardeen apparently resigning to fate said, “Whether they are happy with my present condition, I don’t know, so my case was like closed, I have been in this room, sleeping and waking and awaiting my death for the past two years.”

Continuing in an emotion laden voice, “My father was a Mason, he built many houses around here, he does plastering, and tiling of houses; I do the same” he said.

After several months, his parents heard of Primus

International Super Specialist Hospital and took him to know whether his condition will improve. They were charged N10, 000 for consultation.

The consultant recommended X-ray and Scan which he said will enable accurate treatment.

But the condition remained the same after this process.

Unfortunately, there were no more funds to continue his healing process, hence he returned home, trusting God for a miraculous healing and survival.

The damage to his spinal cord was not the overwhelming monster that wants to rule out all possibilities of survival, but the fact that he lacked funds to seek appropriate health services, even makes his chance to a normal life very slim.

Being in a particular position for almost two years has also brought untold hardship to the young man, as his siblings tried to cope with the frustration of cleaning his bed, as he passes urine without control, while the adverse implication of not using his legs for such a period of time has caused his once strong legs to dry up, as it has been cut off from blood circulation.

To compound the whole issue, speaking with Zahardeen’s mother,

Malama Habiba Yakubu, she lamented how difficult it has been to cater for the family alone as her husband has since developed chronic hypertension and is not really fit to resume the full hustling life of a husband and a father.

“He just developed hypertension because he thinks a lot. His work stopped at a time, no help from anywhere and his son cannot help either. So, he thinks a lot. Some women in the compound and I decided that, it won’t be good for him to become redundant, so we contributed a small amount of money and bought him some things he could sell in the market. That way, he

goes out in the morning and returns in the evening” she said.

She added that they tried not to ask him for anything, because he no longer has the capacity to contribute to the home front.

She said, “We just allow him, so he could keep meeting people, it will refresh his heart, I am a food vendor, I cook and feed them before taking the rest to the market to sell, it has not been really easy.”

Mallam Yakubu Ibrahim, Zahardeen’s father is also facing a deteriorating health condition as he complained that the drugs prescribed by the doctor has not been

“

Zahardeen spent two months, with no consultant attention as they kept moving his file from one table to the other, until he was referred to Dalla hospital, Kano, where he spent another 14 days, before he was again referred to Aminu Kano Hospital for reworking of his bladder which got damaged during the horrible incident

working, and has not gone back to the hospital due to lack of money.

With visibly shaky hands and legs, he obviously cannot stand for long without looking for support, when asked about steps taken to help his son out of the dilemma, he said, “I gave all I have, I also met a few friends, but they don’t have money, the highest donation I had then was N1000 and his bill was too heavy to settle alone.”

Dr. Emodi, the Medical Superintendent at Primus hospital explained that Zahardeen will need rehabilitation and treatment to resuscitate his upper spine to enable him move on a wheel chair, as the possibility that he could once again use his legs is very slim.

He explained that, “nerves do not like either being cut off or pressured, and when you’ve kept them in that unacceptable position for even a month is a problem.

Then you get beyond two to six months, and one year, no way; just like polio, it has to do with the spine, it’s all nervous, really and it extends to the muscles and you find them with limbs that are stiff as the muscles are now atrophic and may not be used for anything again.”

The doctor expressed sadness that his ill health condition has taken too long and encouraged that Zahardeen be properly rehabilitated as regards moves for adaptation.

He said the treatment would have been a lot easier if it was a fresh case, as so much could be done to save the health condition from further deterioration.

He also advised that the young man be put on a line of business that would help him exercise his upper spine, so he could be useful to himself as well.

However, all this will not be possible without funds to sponsor his treatments.

All Zahardeen needs now is about N500, 000 to get some specialized medical attention and get fixed in a business as part of the adaptation processes.

His parents are pleadingly calling on well meaning Nigerians to help through donations that could enable their son get a life.

A lonely life is unpalatable, let alone, when left in a position for over two years with no improvement in health or wellbeing. It only leads to frustration and finally to death.

We are also appealing to Nigerians to help save Zahardeen from being a waste, while alive, to help him find hope in the face of despair.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Feature

Ebola: $430 million needed to end outbreak, WHO Says

By Ese Awhotu

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ven as the World, especially West African countries continue with concerted efforts to curtail the Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that more than $430 million will be needed to bring the worst Ebola outbreak on record under control, according to a draft document laying out the World Health Organization’s battle strategy.

The plan sets a goal of reversing the trend in new cases within two months, and stopping all transmission in six to nine months.

It requires funding by governments, development banks, the private sector and in-kind contributions, according to the document obtained

by Bloomberg News. The current outbreak, which has killed 1,427 people in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, may soon exceed all previous Ebola outbreaks combined. The sum now being sought is six times more than the $71 million the WHO suggested was needed in a plan published less than a month ago. There is reason to be concerned “about whether the proposed resources would be adequate,” said Barry Bloom, a public health professor at Harvard University who also questioned whether the funds would be made available fast enough, and whether the organization’s latest plan “would ensure the expertise from WHO that is needed.” According to Bloomberg, the WHO plans to publish the plan by the end of this week at the earliest and details may change, said Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the Geneva-based agency. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon this month appointed health crisis expert David abarro to coordinate the UN response.

The European Commission and aid groups including Doctors without borders have criticized the WHO for a lack of leadership in coordinating the fight against the outbreak. “Clearly WHO didn’t foresee this outbreak and while the Ebola crisis was clear in March, it didn’t act until August to declare an emergency,” Bloom said in an e-mail.

Bloomberg reported J. Stephen Morrison, director of the global health policy centre at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington as having a different view. According to him, the scale of the disease’s devastation goes far beyond what health officials had seen previously, he said in a telephone interview.

It’s not “a question of incompetence or complacency,” according to Morrison, who said the WHO should be able to raise the money needed. “It’s the fact we’re catching up with the unknown, and its way ahead of us.”

More than half the cost will be needed for the treatment, isolation and referral centres that are bearing

Ebola kitted doctors attending to a patient in

Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu the brunt of the epidemic, according to the WHO plan. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are among the world’s poorest countries, and weak health systems combined with a lack of experienced healthcare workers has contributed to the epidemic, the WHO has said. “The response at the beginning wasn’t robust enough,” David Heymann, a professor of infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who worked on the first recorded Ebola outbreak in 1976. “It’s a step forward that they’ve made the plans and I’m glad they’re emphasizing rapid containment as a start.”

The WHO this month declared Ebola in West Africa a public health emergency of international

concern. A separate outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed as many as 13 people, the government in that country said yesterday. In West Africa, more than 240 health care workers have been infected and 120 have died, the agency said in a statement yesterday. Among them is Abraham Borbor, the deputy chief medical officer of Liberia’s John F. Kennedy Medical Centre, who died despite being treated with Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc.’s experimental ZMapp medicine, the nation’s information minister said.

Borbor was one of three Liberian health-care workers being treated with ZMapp, the same drug that was used on two American aid workers who were evacuated to the U.S. after being infected in Liberia. Closely held

“

There is reason to be concerned “about whether the proposed resources would be adequate,” said Barry Bloom, a public health professor at Harvard University who also questioned whether the funds would be made available fast enough, and whether the organization’s latest plan “would ensure the expertise from WHO that is needed.”

According to Bloomberg, the WHO plans to publish the plan by the end of this week at the earliest and details may change, said Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the Geneva-based agency.

Mapp, based in San Diego, has said its supply of the drug is exhausted.

A British health worker, William Pooley, was flown home for treatment at London’s Royal Free hospital after being infected in Sierra Leone, Public Health England said in a statement yesterday. Pooley is receiving “excellent care,” his family said in a statement on the hospital’s website, as it asked “everyone to remember those in other parts of the world suffering with Ebola who do not have access to the same healthcare facilities as Will.” A Senegalese disease-tracker working with the WHO in Sierra Leone also became infected, making him the first of the agency’s 400 workers in the affected countries to fall ill with the deadly virus, the WHO said. The epidemic “continues to evolve in alarming ways, with the severely affected countries, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, struggling to control the escalating outbreak against a backdrop of severely compromised health systems, significant deficits in capacity and rampant fear,” according to the draft of the WHO’s so-called road map. “Clearly a massively scaled and coordinated international response is needed to support affected and at-risk countries.”

The document has been shared with the WHO’s partners for comment and will be published once their feedback has been received, Chaib said. The final document will include a country-by-country plan for dealing with the outbreak, she said. In the African context, the $430million dollar Ebola funding requirement is quite huge. The economies of West Africa countries have been seriously hit already by the Ebola outbreak. The presidents of some of the sub-regions countries recently opted to contribute part of their salaries monthly as a way of raising funds to tackle the spread of the dreaded virus.

In Nigeria, considered the Giant of Africa, its President, Goodluck Jonathan had, on August 8, 2014, approved the release of N1.9bn as the Ebola intervention fund. But two weeks after the presidential directive,

the fund had yet to be released. The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, had said that the Federal Government had released N200m to the Lagos State Government. But last week the minister said in a statement that the N200m was not part of the N1.9bn Ebola intervention.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) recently approved a US $60 million grant investment as part of a $210 million package for immediate implementation to help strengthen West Africa’s public health systems in response to the Ebola crisis. The Bank’s Board, traditionally in recess during the month of August, convened an emergency meeting demonstrating the urgency of the situation and the Bank’s commitment to curb this global public health emergency.

This grant is part of a $210 million package which includes $150 million in both loans and grants, along with the $60 million grant, which has been awarded to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) sub-regional Ebola Outbreak Coordinating Centre located in Conakry, Guinea, given their extensive experience with global epidemics. The $60 million sum includes four emergency assistance grants of $1 million to each of the four countries affected by Ebola to help them contain the disease. The $60 million grant is awarded to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) subregional Ebola Outbreak Coordinating Centre located in Conakry, Guinea, given their extensive experience with global epidemics.

The project will support ongoing efforts to reduce morbidity, mortality from Ebola and help break the chain of transmission of the disease by strengthening sub-regional public health systems. It will support West Africa’s Ebola disease outbreak response plan from August to December 2014.

There is an apparent move by different organization’s and governments to raise funds to curtail the spread of the incurable virus. The global call for assistance in terms of financing, information and research on the virus becomes paramount.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

P A G E

Property

Providing affordable houses via indigenous technology

B

y most accounts, successive governments in Nigeria set the construction of affordable houses for the citizens in their priority lists.

This notwithstanding, stakeholders in the housing sector, observe that deficit in housing provision has been on the rise in spite of the efforts of past administrations.

Quoting a World Bank report, they note that more than N59.5 trillion will be required to address the estimated 17 million units of housing deficit in the country.

In the light of this, the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) recently organised a summit in Abuja on: “Achieving Affordable Housing in Nigeria.’’

The conference was attended by more than 300 participants who are researchers, members of professional regulatory bodies and associations, the academia and non-governmental organisations, among others.

Then Supervising Minister of Science and Technology Omobola Johnson, who spoke at the conference, argued that housing formed a substantial Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of most developed countries, and should be given priority in the country.

Mrs Akon Ayakenyi, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, corroborated the stakeholders’ observation, insisting that millions of citizens live in slums.

Represented by Dr Ezekiel Oyemomi, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ayakenyi said the provision of safe and affordable houses “is a fundamental human right, as enshrined in the United Nations Habitat Agenda.’’

According to her, the Federal Government has initiated a blueprint to reduce the housing deficit by engaging in partnerships with private sector in the provision of housing for all categories of Nigerians.

She said providing affordable houses with this method would increase house ownership to about 50 per cent and improve Nigeria’s Human Development Index.

“It will significantly reduce poverty in households, increase productivity and quality of lives of the citizenry.

“It will also enable the housing sector to contribute more than 20 per cent to Nigeria’s GDP as projected in the Vision 20:2020,’’ she said.

She challenged NBRRI and other stakeholders to inaugurate indigenous building technology and evolve workable

strategies that will guarantee the availability and affordability of houses in the country.

“The challenge before us today is to use research and development to move our country’s economy from consumer-driven to a production-driven economy.

“The success of Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government depends on the implementation of innovation in technological skills and knowledge,’’ Ayakenyi said.

She, nonetheless, advised that in addressing housing deficit and making houses affordable to more people, there must be continuous innovation in housing sector.

In his view, Prof. Danladi Matawal, Director-General of NBRRI, said there were global trends in the evolution of materials for building construction.

He said one of the initiatives to boost indigenous building technology was the establishment of a pilot plant for the production of pozzolana; a partial substitute for cement in Ogun, which is in advance stage.

Matawal identified NBRRI’s bricks produced from manual and electrohydraulic machines and interlocking blocks from manual and semi-automatic machines as some of the products of the institute’s technology.

“These NBRRI technologies have passed the stage of test because they have been applied in projects, especially in some extremely large multi-million naira pilot technology promotion schemes.

“These multi-million naira pilot technology promotion schemes are located in Lagos State, Abuja, Ogun, Benue, Anambra, Kebbi, Plateau, Taraba, Kaduna, Ondo State, Kano State, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto State and Yobe.

“With pozzolana being developed, paving stones and roofing tiles by the institute, the country has enough building materials produced locally by NBRRI,’’ he said.

He noted that promoting these technologies to a stage of national economic impact would require the support of local entrepreneurship to fabricate customised version of NBRRI’s machines.

“This way, commercialisation of the technologies will lead to job

Property of the Week

Apo Housing Estate in creation, wealth generation, import substitution and conservation of foreign reserves,’’ he said.

According to him, what is required to achieve this is commitment by the government and willingness by the people to embrace available indigenous technologies, including NBRRI’s innovations.

Irrespective of Matawal explanations, observers note that there is a perceptible reluctance by professionals and developers to use proven local alternative building technologies.

They note further that the habit has significantly contributed to high cost of foreign building materials that has remained a major challenge to the provision of affordable houses.

At the end of the summit, the participants urged the government and Nigerians to develop the strong will to use indigenous building technologies, including the NBRRI innovations to tackle housing deficit.

They called for sustained synergy between NBRRI and professional bodies in the housing sector to work out a modality for the use of alternative indigenous building materials.

They resolved that government should evolve and support policies that will encourage the use of NBRRI pozzolana cement to make building easier and cheaper.

The participants also urged the government to adequately fund NBRRI and other research institutes to facilitate research in critical areas of housing sector that would facilitate affordable houses in the country. NAN

Motoring

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Mitsubishi Outlander misses the mark entirely

T

he 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport gets a few minor sheet metal and cabin upgrades, better sound insulation and an upgraded electric power steering system. There’s also an upgraded continuously variable transmission (CVT) that brings fuel economy improvements.

Compact crossovers come in distinct flavors. Some are geared toward the most pragmatic shoppers. Cargo capacity is generous, fuel economy is strong and there’s typically ample feature content for an affordable price.

On the other end of the spectrum are crossovers aimed at buyers who are more concerned with fun than functionality. With these picks, utility isn’t the focus; instead, they’re primed to deliver outstanding performance that makes them engaging partners on the road.

Sadly, the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport doesn’t do a compelling job of fulfilling either mission. Don’t expect much in the way of practicality, since this model’s cargo capacity trails the pack. It stumbles on the performance front, too. Its 148-horsepower engine lacks muscle relative to the competition

Mitsubishi and handling isn’t nearly as sharp and responsive as you’d expect from a vehicle with “Sport” in its name.

That’s not to say the Outlander Sport misses the mark entirely. Fuel economy is good and the crossover is attractively priced. It’s also quite easy on the eyes, with meaty fender bulges and assertive 18-inch alloy wheels.

Still, you don’t have to look too hard to find models in this segment that surpass the Outlander Sport in both performance and utility.

For entertaining driving dynamics, we’d recommend the Kia Sportage or perhaps the Nissan Juke. And if you can step up a little in price, segment leaders like the 2015 Ford Escape and 2015 Mazda CX-5 do a superb job of covering all the bases, offering more room, more refinement and more driver engagement than the Sport.

The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is a compact crossover SUV that is offered in two trim levels: base ES and top-of-the-line SE. Standard features for the entry-level ES include 18-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, rear privacy glass, keyless entry, air-conditioning, cruise control, a height-adjustable driver seat,

60/40-split-folding rear seats, cloth upholstery, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a leather-wrapped shift knob, Mitsubishi’s Fuse voice-activated electronics interface, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and a four-speaker audio system with a CD player, an auxiliary audio jack and a USB/iPod interface.

The SE adds automatic xenon headlights, foglights, LED running lights, automatic wipers, keyless ignition, automatic climate control, upgraded upholstery, heated front seats, a sliding armrest between the front seats, a rearview camera, a 6.1-inch touchscreen display and a six-speaker sound system with satellite radio and HD radio.

The SE is available with several option packages. The Premium package bundles a power driver seat, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a nine-speaker Rockford Fosgate sound system, a panoramic sunroof, roof rack rails and adjustable LED mood lighting. The Deluxe package includes leather upholstery and a power driver seat.

The Touring package bundles all the features offered in the Navigation, Premium and Deluxe packages.

All of the following packages are available on both the ES and the SE. The Navigation package includes a 7-inch touchscreen display and a navigation system. The Park Assist Sensors package includes front and rear parking sensors. There are also a variety of port-installed optional packages that include exterior design and protection features, as well as interior design enhancements.

The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport has a 2.0-liter inline fourcylinder engine that produces 148 hp and 145 pound-feet of torque.

Both the ES and SE are available with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on front-drive ES models. A CVT is optional on the front-drive ES and

standard on all other Outlander Sports. Steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, which simulate a traditional transmission, are included in SE models.

In Edmunds testing, a frontwheel-drive Outlander Sport with a manual transmission accelerated from a standstill to 60 mph in a respectable 8.8 seconds. CVT models will be slower.

Models equipped with that CVT and front-wheel drive earn EPA fuel economy estimates of 28 mpg combined (25 city/32 highway), which is higher than average for a compact crossover SUV. Allwheel-drive versions earn 27 mpg combined (24/30). That drops to 26 combined (24/30) with the manual transmission and frontwheel drive.

Standard safety features on the 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport include antilock disc brakes, traction control and stability control, hill start assist, front side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and a driver knee airbag. A rearview camera is optional.

In government crash testing, the Outlander Sport received four out of five stars for overall crash protection, with four stars for overall frontal-impact protection and five stars for overall sideimpact protection. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash testing, the Outlander Sport scored “Good” (the highest possible rating) in the agency’s moderate-overlap frontal-offset, side-impact and roof-strength tests. In the smalloverlap frontal-offset test, it earned a second-best “Acceptable” rating.

The head restraints and seat design earned a “Good” rating for whiplash protection in rear impacts.

In Edmunds brake testing, an AWD Outlander Sport came to a stop from 60 mph in 123 feet, an average distance for this segment.

Source: Edmunds.com

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 29

Arts & Culture

FROM THE LIVE STAGE with Patrick-Jude Oteh 0803 700 0496, 0805 953 5215 (SMS only)

THE TRAGEDY AND COMEDY OF EBOLA (3)

H

Chief Priest performing purification during the Osun Osogbo Festival, Osogbo last year.

Osun-Osogbo Festival: Brazillian tourist wants stronger ties with Nigeria

T

he Director of Studies, Centro de Orunmila in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mr. Paulo Oliveira, has called for stronger cultural ties between Nigeria and Brazil.

Oliveira made the call in Osogbo an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the ongoing Osun- Osogbo Festival.

He said Brazil had cultural affinity with Nigeria and it should be used to foster a better relationship with Nigerian people particularly the Yoruba. ``For instance in Brazil, we remove our caps before greeting

our traditional rulers, we also prostrate to greet them just like the Yoruba. ``We eat, dance and worship the same way Yoruba do, and most of us are traditional worshipers. ``There is, therefore, need for a better and stronger relationship between the two countries,’’ Oliveira said.

The director also traced the origin of some of Brazillians to Oduduwa in Ile-Ife, Osun, whom he described as the progenitor of Yoruba. ``I believe that majority of Brazillians are not foreigners,

but Nigerians. ``If one reads the history of Brazil very well, you will be able to trace their origin to Ile-Ife and that is why most Brazillians believe that we are Yoruba.’’

Oliveira said in some parts of Brazil the god of Sango, Obatala, Sonpona, Oya, Ogun and Irunmole were still being worshipped. ``We are still worshipping the gods till date, it is a generational thing. ``It is because of our common cultural heritage that we are here to attend the OsunOsogbo Festival,’’ he said. (NAN)

during the celebration. ``We have warned people who do not have specific business in the groove to steer clear because the grand procession is exclusive for the kings, chiefs, the votary maid, and others. ``The government has advised people to watch the proceedings from the comfort of their homes as the programme will definitely come up live on the TV,’’ she said.

Meanwhile, mixed reactions have continued to trail the restriction order, while some applauded the action, others berated the decision, describing it as unnecessary.

Mr Dotun Osuntokun, a culture expert, commended the government for being proactive to protect the people of the state against the deadly virus.

He said the litmus test of good leadership was the ability to identify problem before it became an emergency.

According to him, when people are alive, there is always

an opportunity to celebrate to the fullest without hindrance.

Similarly, Chief Gbonjubola Adubi, enunciated the rationale behind the celebration which he described as the moment to pray to God for peace and good health through the goddess of Osun.

Adubi said that it would be counter-productive if people tend to endanger their lives in the course of praying for peace and good health.

However, an exhibitor at the groove, Mrs Rebecca Ajayi, described the restriction as unnecessary, adding that the assemblage of people at the groove would not pose danger to people.

Health workers to screen tourists against Ebola Virus

T

he Osun Commissioner for Environment, Professor Bukola Oyawoye, said all roads leading to Osun Groove would be barricade on Friday to screen tourists for Ebola virus.

Oyawoye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo that three centres had been established for the screening of tourists against Ebola virus.

According to her, health workers have been directed to man the centres and screened people with the aid of infra red equipment before granting them access to the groove.

The commissioner said the measure became necessary to keep Osogbo people and tourists save from Ebola spread.

She said Ebola was a contagious disease, adding that people were vulnerable during the festival because of crowd.

She said that necessary consultation had been made with the stakeholders to crave their understanding and cooperation

Ajayi suggested that government screen only the tourists that were coming from places where there were reported cases of outbreak of the disease.

NAN reports that journalists are also subjected to prior accreditation before they can be allowed to go into the groove.(NAN)

ave you seen the EVD greeting? You stand a kilometre away and attempt to greet your neighbours and ask after their welfare. Everyone is shouting at the top of their voices but no one is really hearing anything.

Very soon, it will be better to greet your neighbours, family and friends through the phone. Just stand on your balcony and dial the number and go – Bros, goodmorning, and how are you and your family? Before you get the reply, you quickly switch off your phone lest the virus is transmitted through the airwaves.

John was buried this past weekend. He was a mechanic.

He lived in a face me I face you type of house. The house fought themselves silly for the use of the two bathrooms in the compound over the fact that some people went in and overstayed while bathing with salt water meanwhile the clock was ticking. The gist was that EVD was airborne and if you did not take your salt water bath at a certain time, the virus will enter your house, kill all of you and send the remnants to exile. So to the market, first to get salt in as large a quantity as possible and wait for 3am. The instruction was to take your bath with the salt mixed in hot water, after which you drink another salt solution. It was a terrible night. Neighbours woke each other up, some were in tears, some were shouting – wake up, take your bath and those like John who had only two bathrooms in the house had to fight to take possession. But in all this no one reckoned that there were hypertensive patients whose intake of salt, if they must should be controlled.

John slumped at the mechanic village and the shouts rent the air –Ebola – people ran for dear life and John was left for over one hour where he laid. Someone was kind enough to remember in the chaos that he had a family who are most likely EVD free. They ran and made frantic phone calls. By the time the family arrived, those who were bold enough to touch John simply felt the coldness of a once warm flesh. To the hospital – the health workers all fled for dear life until they were able to ascertain that he was hypertensive and had taken the salt solution and bath!

On my way back to Nigeria last week, I had to pass through Addis Ababa again. The chaos was unbelievable.

People especially the Chinese wore gloves and masks and made all serious attempts to stay away from all dark skinned people. There were white, cream, green and black gloves.

Unfortunately, there were only three toilets serving males and an equal number serving the females. The toilets did not flush and the whole place was a mess. This was at gates 1A,B,C,D. Some people dared to go in while some of us who were connecting from a 17 hours journey had to look elsewhere. But the comic relief was in those who dared to use the facility. As soon as they came out, off they went hurriedly looking for water! Then we boarded for Abuja.

There was this Chinese man who sat alone as the plane was not full. He coughed and the cough was loud and messy!

Everyone around him took off! Luckily it was not a full plane. And when he was given the form to fill, he did not understand it but he went to his nearest neighbour who brought out his handkerchief to cover his nose since he did not have a mask and he was told what the form was as difficult as it was, he burst into a torrent of language, ran back to his seat shouting –Ebola, Ebola – subsequently, he went to the overhead luggage compartment pulled down his bag, and pronto he brought out a face mask and a pair of gloves which he promptly donned. Everyone burst out laughing as you would have thought that we all had EVD and would contaminate him anytime from now. If you will believe this, he ground his teeth all the way to Abuja!

To John and all those who have lost their precious lives due to misinformation, God rest your souls and to the families of those who have died gallantly trying to decipher a virus that has so far defied us, may you find peace and rest for your hard work.

To those who continue to fight and to the Lagos State government for being so proactive in this fight, our prayers are with you all. To those who continue to ensure that this fight does not go to the level of a mass epidemic, thank you and may God continue to strengthen you.

PAGE 30

Arts & Culture

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Book Review

Beasts of No Nation Beasts of No Nation Title: Beasts of No Nation Author: Uzodimma Iweala Publisher: HarperCollins Year: 2005 Pages: 142

A

ny great work of art, be it a painting, a poem or a piece of fiction, must have a purpose. When I talk here of purpose, I do not mean the kind of purpose realized only in the mind of the creator – like say, an unintelligible piece of poetry or an unsavoury prose. For any literary piece to be called “great” or to achieve the status of a “masterpiece”, its purpose must be realized. This purpose can be realized in a number of ways: the excellent realism of Adichie’s first novel for instance, the controversial themes of her second novel or the third in which she handles no less a topical issue like race in the US and black women wearing the hairs of Asians and Europeans!

From Madam Bovary to Telephone Conversation, each great literary piece has served at least, a purpose. sI have just read Uzodimma Iweala’s Beasts of no Nation.

The novel does a good work of articulating the sufferings of the protagonist Agu and the other soldiers who wander around in the bushes and forests of a country the author does not name. However, the name of the pre-adolescent protagonist, Agu, is Igbo and many pointers like the colour of skin and level of hardship exist to help the reader discern the work is set in Africa.

As I read through Beasts of no Nation, I continued asking myself, what is the purpose

of this work? What relevance does it have for today’s society?

Simply put, What does this work bring to the party? The story of a boy ravaged by hunger? Of a society destroyed by war? We have heard these. Each day, I am fed by Western media with the imagery of The Hungry African Child, his eyes sinking profoundly into its lifeless eye sockets, flies perching on his shrivelled ebony lips, arms no wider than a broomstick, stomach filled but yet empty with malnutrition, skin fading from rich beautiful brown to a pale ugly translucent yellow. This is the story of Beasts of no Nation.

This is the story of CNN. This kind of story surely is amongst the favourite dinner time broadcast made for the feel-goody times of Western dames and gents. It is a story that the West uses all the enormous resources in its deep and entrenched capacities to reinforce. Yet, unfortunately, this is the single story of Beasts of no Nation.

To be sure I was making no mistakes, I asked myself, in what ways is this story new? In what ways is this novel different? In what ways does this piece of work enhance the reality of life on the African continent? I saw none. The only new thing in Beasts of no Nation is the literary novelty of writing a relatively full length novel through the reduced vocabulary of a sub-Saharan African boy grappling with the turbulences of adolescence and bad grammar.

That the author has the potential to write a better work is not in doubt; he published Beasts of no Nation at 23. One of the reasons why I feel compelled

to write this review is due to the accolades that the work has received – especially in Western circles. These accolades that make it seem as if the work is among the best that can come from Nigeria and the larger continent. I think the beautiful one(s) is yet to come. I found the last pages particularly troubling – more because, it fit perfectly into the entire Western

stereotype of what is wrong with Africa and how it is the muzungu who must rescue the clueless African. This was my ultimate disappointment with the work: that it was a white American lady who comes in to salvage Agu, the now adolescent boy whose soul has been ravaged by the realities of raping raping, killing killing, cursing cursing and eating food stained in his victims’ blood.

Art Everywhere US’ floods cities, rural areas with paintings

By Lauren Young

A

reproduction of the art work ‘Allies Day’ (center, top) is displayed on a digital billboard in Times Square, New York August.

From the stern couple in “American Gothic” displayed at a bus station in New York to the colorful flags in “Allies Day” over an intersection in Chicago, paintings are popping up everywhere in what is billed as the world’s largest art show.

“Art Everywhere US,” which was launched this week and runs through Aug. 31, features reproductions of 58 classic and contemporary American paintings, including works by Grant Wood, Childe Hassam and Winslow Homer, displayed on public spaces in cities and rural areas normally reserved for advertising.

The aim of the project is to spark conversations and museum visits.

“It is our hope that glimpses of great art on the streets will

lead people to the masterpieces of the originals,” Douglas Druick, president of the Art Institute of Chicago, said at the launch of the project in New York.

The Art Institute is one of the five American museums participating in the massive art road show spanning all 50 states through collaboration with the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. “Art Everywhere US” features works of art on more than 50,000 digital and static displays such as billboards, bus shelters and signs. The art will also be shown in movie theater trailers, on video screens at health clubs and other locations.

The U.S. art show is the offshoot of last summer’s “Art Everywhere UK”, which was the brainchild of businessman Richard Reed, a co-founder of beverage company Innocent Drinks.

“It exists to flood our streets with art,” Reed said at the launch.

Fifty of the images on display were chosen by public vote from the museums’ collections. Eight

more were added “for context and dimension,” said Maxwell L. Anderson, director of the Dallas Museum of Art, which is a partner in the project.

People viewing the art are encouraged to take selfies, or self portraits, with the art works and to share them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media outlets.

An app is also available for viewers who want to dig deeper into the history of the works.

In addition to the Dallas and Chicago museums, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York are taking part in the project.

POEM OF THE WEEK ONE FOR THE ROAD (TO NOWHERE)

By Udochukwu Just left church, the cassock soaked in the bartender’s sweat I kneeled for communion before the altar, before the bar slab.

Readings were by Prophet Daniel; he spoke without the presence of his lions like Ras Tafari’s pride His words warmed our souls, down our throats “Amens!” bounced off the church walls.

A man cried out, “Preach on, Jack” till he was slain in the spiritUshers ran to get him We are here for a reason: Death has been knocking loud on our doors Unbelievers say “They’re going through a mid-life crisis” 25 to life A doctor, a doctor: That helps to count my steps, I count ‘doctors’ Minutes ago, I left her drowned in her tears She says I’m hurting my liver and her I’m rather confused On her front yard, a bird’s poop dropped on my head Resurrection to my liver, good luck to my liver!

She says it’s a bad omen. I smell envy.

She’s from a different state; where I’m from is a state of chaos and destruction So we drink our sorrows in pints We drink in pubsPubs in form of religion, workplaces, bank statements, TV shows, chitchats, sports, families We drink till we sink into oblivion Kill them all, we drink our pains Slaughter them up North, our drinks are served One for the road ‘cos this might be my last.

QUOTE “It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature.”

- Henry James

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 31

Politics Extra How Dr. Idi Hong’s declaration brought Yola to stand still

From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he Adamawa state gubernatorial byeelection, slated for the October 11 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has motivated many politicians of the two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) to declare their ambitions to govern the state.

Among the list of these governorship hopefuls is a young, experienced, and visionary leader, in the person of Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, who was a former minister of foreign affairs as well as that of Health under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Political analysts in the state described his declaration to vie for the exalted office as one of the best things that happened in this history of Adamawa state considering his pedigree in both public and private lives.

Dr. Hong, who is seen as a graduate from Professor Jibril Aminu’s political school of thought, has contributed immensely in building the PDP in the state especially when he served as the state secretary of the party from 2007-2008 where he was believed to have been a catalyst whose ideologies assisted in taking the party to a higher level.

During the occasion of submission of his expression of intent and nomination forms to the party leadership in the state at the party secretariat on Thursday, August 21, the mammoth crowd that turned up to witness the occasion, despite the heavy downpour, was a pointer as to the character of Dr. Idi Hong, as he is fondly called.

On that day, the vehicular traffic of his supporters and well-wishers from the Yola International Airport were indeed unprecedented, as all categories of people were at hand to welcome their gubernatorial hopeful and by 3:00 pm when his plane landed, the train proceeded to the PDP secretariat along Galadima Aminu way in style.

A supporter, who came from Maiha local Area in the state, Modibbo Hammawa told Peoples Daily that with this development, the handwriting was already on the wall, as to where the pendulum will swing to, because, according to him, Adamawa people are unique in politics and they have thus spoken that it is the time of Dr. Hong.

Hammawa added that Hong is a progressive politician, who is following the footsteps of his master Professor Jibril Aminu

Ag Gov. Umaru Fintiri because he is winning the hearts of his people.

“As a matter of fact, our aspirant (Hong) is a candidate to beat in this struggle, because he is progressive taking the steps and blessings of his political mentor, Professor Jibril Aminu and everyone can see his acceptability on the faces of the people”, he further explained.

At the party secretariat, the leadership, led by the party’s Secretary, Barrister Tahir Shehu received Hong by commending his courage and boldness in securing the forms, which he said signified Hong’s intention to contest for the number one seat of the state under the platform of their party.

Barrister Tahir told the party faithful at the occasion that the party will no doubt provide a level-playing ground for all the contestants, through free and fair primaries, whereby whoever emerged as winner will be accorded all necessary support for victory in the forthcoming bye-election and beyond.

Hong, a one-time secretary of the PDP in the state told newsmen in an interview that he obtained the nomination form for a rescue mission to save Adamawa state from total collapse and wished to use his privileged position as one of the most conversant with the plights of the state to bring about the social transformation of the state.

According to Hong: “Adamawa has never been so polarized as in the last regime, I am out to vie for the office of Governor of Adamawa state for an urgent rescue mission, as the

state is in the lowest stage of its development, hence the need to rescue it from imminent disasters that may follow its collapse.

“We have not seen impressive progress and improvements as other states have witnessed in terms of infrastructure and social transformation which require serious-minded people to rise to the occasion and rescue it from total collapse.”

Earlier in his address, the aspirant, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong said the controversy that informed the impeachment of former Governor Murtala Nyako’s administration was disappointing and pledged to make corrections if given the mandate.

Dr. Hong regretted that an elderly personality like former Governor Nyako, who should save the state from its decaying stage but only to be disappoint the people in this era of rapid development and competition.

Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong He said Adamawa has been left far behind in area of infrastructure; as such people with the love of the state like him are urgently needed to rescue the state from total collapse.

According to him, if given the mandate, his administration will provide free health-care services, free education and will have a transparent government, where even people at the grassroots must know what is happening.

He also promised to improve the security of the state, by providing a conducive atmosphere and welfare packages that will motivate the personnel to do their best in that regard.

It could be recalled that Dr. Hong was the youngest minister in the Federal Executive Council, headed by the Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Hong was at the forefront of those promoting the rich cultural

“

As a matter of fact, our aspirant (Hong) is a candidate to beat in this struggle, because he is progressive taking the steps and blessings of his political mentor, Professor Jibril Aminu and everyone can see his acceptability on the faces of the people

values of the country as well as laying emphasis on various indigenous festivals and carnivals across the country which generated a robust measure of international attention.

Hong was not only retained but was assigned the responsibility of supervising the ministry of commerce and industry, an assignment he carried out with distinction until recently when his hard work was rewarded with his appointment as minister of state in the ministry of health.

He has been one of the solid foundations on which the Adamawa PDP is standing.

Despite his youthful age, the distinguished doctor has shown exemplary qualities that have made him a role model to many youths in his state and beyond.

Aliyu Idi Hong was born in Hong, Adamawa state on the last day of December 1967 and was an active participant in student union activism right from his early years in the university up till the time he graduated.

Hong was also the secretary of Adamawa state PDP between 2006 and 2007 and, together with other excos of the party; he ensured that the party retained its governorship slot in the state despite stiff opposition from the opposition parties.

Hong is just forty one, his life has just begun and so, Adamawa and Nigeria in general should be hopeful and look forward to better things to come for indeed the future of this great country is in the hands of great young men like Dr. Hong, who is now considered as the future of Adamawa state politics.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 32

Minister inaugurates committee for development of Utako Park

R-L: FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, receiving a plaque from the President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Isaac Olorunfemi, during a courtesy call by the Executive Committee members of the society, yesterday, in Abuja.

By Stanley Onyekwere

I

FCTA nabs 761 hawkers, 172 beggars in 1 month

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

total of 761 street traders/ hawkers were arrested by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), with 674 of them prosecuted and convicted, in July alone.

Also, during the period under review, the FCT Administration

arrested 172 beggars / destitute and 72 minors respectively.

According to the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, who made this disclosure after the FCT Operations briefing meeting on Monday, said that 31 out of the convicted traders were sentenced to various terms of prison.

He further revealed that the administration collected a total

of 31,166.93 tons of solid waste and deposited at the designated disposal sites, within the month of July.

This, the minister said it was able to record, despite the heavy raining season that has made disposal of waste at dump site a bit difficult.

“The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) inspected

1,976 premises for proper sanitation; while in the process 85 premises were fumigated within the same period.

“Hard times await anybody involved in environmental nuisances in the entire 8,000 square kilometers of the Territory,” the minister was quoted in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule.

Council chair lauds FG over silo project in Kwali

By Usman Shuaibu

T

he Executive chairman of Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Hon. Ibrahim Daniel, has commended the Federal Government for locating the silo project at Sheda area of the council.

Daniel, who made the commendation in an interview with newsmen, during the commissioning of the new

100,000 matron-tones silo in Kwali, said that the silo would boost the economic lives of the farmers in the territory.

He expressed joy that the silo would pave way for the farmers to produce more crops without going through hardship.

He added that the silo would serve as a ground for storage as well as preservation for the FCT farmers, especially the residents of Kwali, at all times.

The council boss, however,

also used the occasion to appeal to Nigerians to support the government programmes and policies for the overall development of the country.

Speaking earlier, the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, assured the farmers that government of the day will not relent in its efforts to transform agricultural sector for the betterment of the farmers.

Adesina, reassured that

government would continue to place emphasis on the modernization of Nigerian farmers, to enable them to carry out their farm operations with ease.

Some of the farmers, who spoke with Peoples Daily during the event, thanked the government for spreading the silos project across the country, while appealing to the government to provide fertilizers especially during the raining season on time.

n order to ensure the speedy development of Utako Motor Park, Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, yesterday, inaugurated a14-man Ministerial Project implementation Committee, to move and clear the place for the developer to commence work.

While inaugurating the committee, Akinjide, said that the developer, Intercity Transport Nigeria limited has met their obligation to the stakeholders of the Utako Park, paving way for seamless deployment of personnel and equipment to upgrading the Park.

According to her, there were some preconditions to the contract that were to be fulfilled by the investor explaining that those were the activities that delayed till take commencement of work since it signed agreement in April 2014, assuring that the 48 months duration of the project still stands.

She revealed they (investors) paid N1bn to defray the cost of all kinds of legal financial right by various stakeholders to be able to access the area for the needed development that would be benefit the citizens which was part of the conditions to commence work.

“Today we can safely say that the investors have fulfilled all their own pre-conditions in terms of putting money on the table especially to satisfy all the existing right which they met on ground at Utako Motor park.

“They had to provide money to defray the cost of people who had any kind of legal rights to the site which I think is up to the tune of N1bn to defray all those expenses which they have done and there are other things like credit guarantee, project guarantee, certificates that the need to obtain which everything is now in place. So, I believe that work will begin in earnest very quickly now” the minister stressed.

Peoples Daily reports that the committee is expected to partner with the investor to finalize and adopt the design for the new Utako Transport Terminal; ensure delivery of the vacant site for the developer to effectively commence work; inspect and monitor on periodic basis and ensure that the project is completed within the cycle of 48 months period as pledged by the organization.

Don’t give out your children, Secretariat cautions parents

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

T

he Secretary, FCT Social Development Secretariat, Mrs. Blessing Onuh, has urged parents to desist from giving out their children as house helps, in spite of the challenges they may be facing them.

She gave the advice yesterday, when she visited a 9-years-old

girl, who was hospitalized at the Garki General Hospital, after being assaulted by her guardian, in Abuja.

Expressing her dismay over the girl’s predicament, the Secretary, noted that children are a gift from God and everyone them has a unique place in the society.

“I’m advising teachers and parents to always checkmate, by relating one

on one with them, as knowing what is happening to them will go a long way to curb this kind of menace in the society. “ Because it so painful looking at this little that is less than 14-years facing this kind of assault from a supposedly guardian, who should ordinarily be taking care of her.

“But even if you (parents) must

give out your children, at least wait until he or she is up to 18years of age,” she expressed.

However, she reassured that the government has taken up the case, to make sure justice is done.

Onuh , noted that the such cases of child assault has become more rampant in the FCT, saying “We will liaise with relevant health

stakeholders especially at general hospitals in the FCT, to ensure that doctors reports such cases to the Secretariat, for necessary action.”e for the girl.

Also, she emphasized that residents in the FCT should report such cases of assaults to guidance and counseling unit in schools, who will send such cases to the Secretariat.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 33

Photo Splash

Market women waiting for customers, recently at orange market in Mararaba.

A young woman hawking groundnut, yesterday at the PDP Secretariat, in Abuja.

A commercial motorcyclist conveying tomatoes for client, yesterday at Nyanya, in Abuja.

A young man hawking soft drinks, yesterday at Zone 5, in Abuja.

A woman selling moimoi, yesterday at Area 10, in Abuja.

Photos: Mahmud Isa

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 34

Metro

Salesman docked for diverting employer’s money

T

he police have arraigned a 28-year-old sales man, Femi Olubode, in a Kado Upper Area court, in Abuja, for allegedly misappropriating N849, 000, belonging to his employer.

Oubode, who resides in Durumi Village, Abuja, is charged with criminal misappropriation and cheating.

The prosecutor, Simon Ibrahim, told the court that Jonathan Fidelis of Suite No. 3 Busy Mart Plaza, Jabi, Abuja, reported the matter at the Utako Police Station, Abuja, on April 25.

Ibrahim said Fidelis entrusted his mobile phone recharge cards worth N849, 000 with the accused to sell and pay the money into his business account but he did not.

He said the accused sold all the recharge cards and diverted the money to his personal use, an offence which contravened the provisions of sections 309 and 322 of the Penal code respectively.

If convicted the convict is liable to five years imprisonment or an option of fine or both.

The presiding judge, Mr. Abubakar Sadiq, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N50, 000 and a surety in like sum.

Sadiq said the surety must have a fixed address and must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and adjourned the matter until a later date for continuation of hearing. (NAN)

Court jails man for stealing building items

A

n Upper Area court in Zuba, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has sentenced a trader, Awwal Babaji, 20, of Dei Dei junction-Abuja, to seven months in prison for stealing from a building site.

Babaji, who resides in Dei-Dei, is charged with theft.

The presiding judge, Malam Aminu Sa’ad, sentenced Babaji, after he had pleaded guilty.

Sa’ad, however, gave the convict an option of N40,000 fine.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Cpl. Momoh Ibrahim, told the court that on April 18, Malam Haruna Abubakar of Kubwa, FCT, lodged complaints at the Zuba Police Station.

Ibrahim said Babaji went to the complainant’s building site at Shagari Quarters and stole two wheel barrows, one bathroom basin, two toilet W.C., 10 pieces of burglary fence, 15 planks and seven flush doors.

He said the total value of the stolen property is N228,500.

The prosecutor said during police investigation, Babaji admitted to committing the crime.

He said the offence contravened the provision of Section 288 of the penal code.

(NAN)

Water vendor on duty at Waru village yesterday, in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Bala threatens to disband CSD project team over non-remittance of 90% benefit

By Stanley Onyekwere

M

inister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, has threatened to disband the team of World Bank backed Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) in the territory, if it fails to provide 90 percent increased fund for community development.

He said the administration has released the sum of N100 million as FCT’s counterpart fund to the project; decrying the World Bank failure to present the 90 percent increased fund.

He therefore warned that the World Bank team may be disbanded if it cannot live up to its side of the bargain of the 90 percent benefit as FCTA has done enough according to the agreement.

The minister, who made this point yesterday while inaugurating the Board of

Directors for FCT CSDP, in his office, said though CSDP is a World Bank driven grassroots empowerment intervention initiative, it is in tandem with the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“We are not going to give any counterpart funding until we have received from the World Bank. We have already giving N100 million as a counterpart funding managed by the board.

“World Bank is expected to give us 90 percent of our contribution they have not given us much, we need the board to do more in this direction” or be “disbanded,” he stressed.

Stressing the need for cooperation of the area councils, the minister said the council chairmen have no excuse not to touch the lives of the people.

According to the minister, he carefully nominated and approved 12-Member Board to help uplift the standard of living

of especially those at the rural communities.

The minister urged the committee to approach their assignment with a sense of responsibility and fear of God, saying; “You must be fair and equitable in the allocation of these projects. Make sure that the 800 and something communities are touched.”

Earlier, Chairman of the Board, Etsu of Achara, Alh. Useni Salisu Achara, had pointed out that one of the challenges facing the project is non-release of FCT approved counterpart funding, which delays the successful implementation of the micro projects.

He therefore urged FCTA to pay up the N400 million its counterpart funding budgeted for this project as the CSDP is yet to receive it.

“Though N400 million has been budgeted by the FCT for

the project, we are yet to receive the money. There is need to expedite action,” he said.

Members of the Board include Salisu Kallamu (DAF, FCT SDS); Jummai Yunana; Women Leader; Abdulsalam Yahaya (DAF, FCT ACSS); Ari Isa Mohammed; (Director, FCT EPRS); Yakassai Ado Uba (DAF FCDA); Ibrahim Bomai (Director, FCT Treasury); Zaka Sunday, (Youth Leader); Hajiya Habiba Sule (CSO); Sam Ogbueifu, (Chairman, FCT Press Corps); while Arabi Tukur, the General Manager, CSDP is member/Secretary.

Peoples Daily reports that the CSDP project is a World Bank driven community development programme which came into existence on July 1, 2013, to develop, implement and monitor micro social infrastructures projects, aimed at improving the standard of living of the rural communities.

Land swap: Abuja to get N3.2 trillion investment

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

buja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is expected to generate over N3.2 trillion secondary investments from the successful execution of the on-going Abuja Land Swap initiative.

This was disclosed by the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, when he received the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) led

by its President, Engr. Ademola Isaac Olorunfemi, in Abuja.

According to the minister, apart from N3.2 trillion, the sum of N450 billion is already accruing to the FCT Administration from the Land Swap primary investment, which is the cost of the infrastructure to be provided by the investors.

Mohammed, who described Abuja as a national mega engineering project that is a success story in the history

of Nigeria, appreciated the contributions of the Nigerian Society of Engineers for the development of this model city.

In a statement signed by the minister’s Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister reiterated that the Abuja Land Swap Initiative is equally the first of its kind in the entire African continent, which has only been realized during the transformational period of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s Administration.

He however challenged the Society to muster all its contacts to get all the needed resources to build a gigantic edifice expected of the profession body like NSE. Speaking earlier, the NSE President, pleaded with the Minister to allocate a plot of land for the society to build its headquarters.

He solicited for continued cooperation of the FCT Administration and the Society for the mutual benefits of the two bodies.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 35

International Military injustice: Both US and India ‘left in the dark’ international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

ANALYSIS

T

he Indian armed forces enjoy high levels of support at home. Indians regularly speak of their army in glowing terms and express pride in their efforts to secure India and contribute to international peacekeeping efforts through the United Nations.

While the Indian public and media often take other state agencies like the police, judiciary and the bureaucracy to task for alleged corruption, mismanagement or heavy-handedness, the army is seldom publicly criticised. The US army has similar support from its citizens, with 9 out of 10 Americans interviewed in a recent CNN survey expressing pride in the US military.

But in the case of both India and the US, the lack of media scrutiny of military operations has served to obscure the darker sides of conflict, including the serious abuses against civilians committed by soldiers and ignored by their superiors.

The US military has been engaged in counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan in a conflict that has captured world news headlines for 12 years. India is home to some of the world’s longest running insurgencies, including the decades-old conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. Some insurgencies in the northeastern states of India have been running for nearly 70 years.

Yet despite differences in context and geography, the Indian and US security establishments have one thing in common: They fail to consistently hold their security forces accountable for serious human rights violations, including unlawful killings, rape and torture.

US war crimes in Afghanistan The Indian government is often defensive of its security forces’ human rights record, claiming that the army has a “zero tolerance” policy for human rights violations and that any accusations of human rights violations against its personnel are an attempt to tarnish its image, and part of a foreign agenda. Partly, the government’s attitude seems to stem from the belief that international human rights organizations fail to hold Western governments up to the same level of scrutiny they apply to developing countries.

However organisations like Amnesty International and others have consistently raised concerns regarding military justice systems around the world, including in the United States. Earlier this month, Amnesty International condemned the US army and political establishment for failing to investigate or punish apparent war crimes in Afghanistan.

“Left in the Dark”, a report released on 11 August, documents the deaths of 140 civilians, including 50 children, at the hands of the US army in Afghanistan, between 2009 and 2013.

In one case, 12 members of the army’s 5th Stryker Combat Brigade were prosecuted for unlawfully

India is home to some of the world’s longestrunning insurgencies

killing three unarmed civilians in Kandahar province between January and May 2010. Using planted evidence, soldiers from the unit set up the incidents to look as if they had come under attack.

The incidents only came to light after several members of the unit violently attacked another soldier in the same unit. Eleven of the twelve personnel were eventually convicted on various charges, and seven were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from seven months to life.

Reasons for failure to investigate or prosecute alleged crimes by US soldiers in Afghanistan include systemic flaws in the US military justice system, the political costs in the US of pursuing accountability, and unbalanced media coverage back home that rarely features testimonies from Afghan witnesses, victims or their families. The lack of Afghan witnesses’ testimonies can leave victims faceless and less likely to be believed.

Those living in India’s conflictaffected states can relate.

Ignoring human rights

violations Like in the US, when it comes to conflict and national security, versions of events other than those of the army and the political establishment can be hard to find in India. Many sections of the Indian media routinely publish the government’s official line, often without serious investigation into reported incidents. In Jammu and Kashmir, for instance, reports of killings by security forces often echo security forces’ descriptions of the events as “infiltration bids foiled” or “militants killed” without further investigation.

On April 27, 2010 army personnel reported that they had killed three “foreign militants” during a military operation in Machil, north Kashmir - a claim that was duly reported without further qualification by some media organisations. On further investigation, the state police found however that the three “militants” were in fact young Kashmiri civilians, and went on to charge eight security forces personnel, including a colonel and two majors, with murder.

“

Media interest in the case increased when the charges were filed, but quickly subsided after the military chose in early 2014 to try the men in a military court - which is closed to journalists - rather than a civilian court. Since then, there has been little media coverage on the progress of the case or on the effectiveness or transparency of the proceedings, despite the victims families’ requests for the trial to be held in a civilian court.

In specific cases, it is true that some sections of the Indian media have sought the testimony of victims of human rights violations, particularly where cases have been under investigation for several years without resulting in prosecution.

However, these testimonies have been dwarfed by the extensive coverage of politicians’ opinions on militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, and the army’s own version of its activities and operations.

The Indian army routinely dismisses allegations of human rights violations, stating that they are “aimed at maligning the Army and embroiling it in legal tangles

Like the US military in Afghanistan, the Indian army reveals little information about how it investigates allegations of human rights violations.

and provide ripe fodder for various human rights activists and separatist organizations to subvert the minds of the general population.” On Human Rights Day last year, an army spokesperson said that less than 3 percent of over 1500 complaints of human rights violations by soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir received in the last two decades were “found to be true”. But the army’s unwillingness to share the details of its military justice proceedings is rarely questioned by most of the media.

Further, soldiers in areas where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in force, are virtually immune from prosecution in civilian courts, since these require permission from the central government which is virtually never granted. Yet the fact that authorities have not allowed the independent prosecution of several grave human rights violations is not extensively reported.

Like the US military in Afghanistan, the Indian army reveals little information about how it investigates allegations of human rights violations. The military justice system in India too is deeply flawed, and is not independent or transparent. The results of courtmartial proceedings in India are almost never made public, not even to victims or their families.

Authorities in both India and the US need to acknowledge the crimes that their security forces have committed, and actively pursue justice for victims. Leaving a legacy of unaddressed abuses will only result in impunity, instability, and the alienation of the people that these armies are charged with protecting.

Courtesy; Aljazeera

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 36

International

US and allies warn of ‘interference’ in Libya

T

he US and its European allies have given warning against “outside interference” in Libya, a day after officials in Washington said the UAE had launched air raids in Tripoli with the support of Egypt.

US officials told the New York Times on Monday that Egypt and the UAE were behind attacks on Saturday, a claim both states deny.

On Tuesday, the US, France, Germany, Italy and the UK said in a joint statement: “We believe outside interference in Libya exacerbates current divisions and undermines Libya’s democratic transition”.

“France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US strongly condemn the escalation of fighting and violence in and around Tripoli, Benghazi, and across Libya, ... by both land attacks and air strikes.”

Bernardino Leon, the newly appointed UN envoy to Libya, also on Tuesday said that he opposed foreign intervention as a strategy to halt the crisis in the country.

But the Spaniard added that Libya needs international support to back “Libyans who want to fight chaos ... through a political proces”.

The air raids in Tripoli may have been a bid to prevent the capture of the Tripoli airport, but fighters later seized control.

An Emirati official told the AFP news agency on Tuesday that his country had no reaction” to such reports.

Egypt has denied conducting air strikes or other military operations in Libya.

“Egypt categorically denies press reports that Egyptian warplanes bombarded positions held by armed Islamist militias in the Libyan capital,” the Egyptian foreign ministry had said on Sunday.

The new developments marked a dramatic expansion of the conflict and came as the US and its European allies denounced the “escalation of fighting and violence” in Libya and urged a democratic, peaceful transition.

Over the weekend, Tripoli residents said unidentified war planes attacked targets in the capital, as Libya is driven by the worst fighting since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Gaddafi was overthrown by rebels backed by US, French and British air attacks.

Ebola outbreak has killed 120 health workers M ore than 120 health workers have died of Ebola across west Africa, the World Health Organisation has said, claiming that the epidemic had affected an “unprecedented number of medical staff”.

In a statement on Monday, the WHO said more than 240 healthcare workers working in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone had developed the disease with “more than 120” succumbing to the epidemic.

The announcement came as Japan said it was ready to provide a Japanese-developed anti-influenza drug as a potential treatment to fight Ebola.

Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, said on Monday that Tokyo could offer the tablet favipiravir any time at the request of the WHO. In case of an emergency, Japan could respond to individual requests before any further decision by the WHO, he said.

The WHO said earlier this month that it was ethical to use untested drugs on Ebola patients given the magnitude of the outbreak.

The drug was approved by the

Japanese health ministry in March to treat cases of influenza.

The company behind the drug, Fujifilm, is talking to the US food and drug administration on clinical testing of the drug in treating Ebola.

The company has favipiravir stock for more than 20,000 patients, Aoki said.

A company spokesman said Ebola and influenza viruses were the same type and theoretically similar effects

could be expected on Ebola.

Several drugs are being developed for Ebola, but they are still in early stages and there is no proven treatment or vaccine for the highly fatal disease.

Ebola has killed more than 1,400 people in West Africa in the latest outbreak

South Sudan crisis: UN helicopter crashes near Bentiu

T

he UN says one of its cargo helicopters has crashed in South Sudan, with unconfirmed reports saying it was shot down.

Three crew died, while one survived, said the UN mission in South Sudan, adding that an inquiry was under way.

A UN official told the AP news agency the Mi-8 helicopter had apparently been shot down.

Thousands of people have been killed this year in bitter fighting between South Sudan’s army and rebel forces.

The UN plays a key role in getting food to South Sudanese refugees

Bentiu, capital of the oil-rich Unity state, has changed hands several times but a ceasefire agreement is currently in place.

On Monday, the two sides were given 45 days to form a powersharing government.

A government official has accused forces loyal to rebel commander Peter Gadet of shooting down the helicopter, AP reports. His forces have not yet commented.

The UN plays a vital role in getting food to the 1.8 million people who have fled their homes since fighting broke out last December.

Ethiopian girls as young as five married off

M

ekdes Murgeta does not remember her actual wedding, but her family told her it happened when she was five. Pointing at her own five-yearold daughter she confirms she was her age.

Murgeta lives in Mosebo, a rural village in the Amhara region in central Ethiopia. There, as in the rest of Ethiopia, it is illegal to be married before the age of 18.

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Amhara has some of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. Estimates in 2009 show at least 50 percent of women marrying before they reach 18. Murgeta thinks she is around 28 now, but is unsure. Keeping track of your age is not common here.

She is six months pregnant with her second kid. “I want to adequately

serve them, adequately feed them. If I have many children, I can’t do that,” she explains.

Murgeta is part of a growing number of Ethiopian women, many of them child brides, who are taking control of their reproductive lives.

On the 19th of every month, she has an appointment with the village health extension worker. It was the health extension worker that gave her the injection that kept her from getting pregnant for five years. They taught her about spacing her pregnancies. “They teach me everything,” she says.

In 2003, Ethiopia launched its health extension worker programme, a large-scale project aimed to teach basic illness prevention methods across the country. Before that, health extension workers did not exist. Now, there are 38,000 of them around the country. One of their main goals is

keeping women healthy.

“The country made maternal health one of the top political priorities,” says Addis Woldemariam with the Ministry of Health. Every week, he says, Ethiopia’s regional presidents are charged with auditing the cause of each maternal death in

their region.

The effects have proved dramatically benefical in tackling women’s health issues. Save the Children reports that since 2000, Ethiopia has reduced the risk of maternal mortality by two-thirds, the most of any African country.

Growing number of women, often child brides, are now taking control of their reproductive lives

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 37

International

Gaza conflict: Israel and Palestinians agree long-term truce

Mourners at the funeral of a Hamas militant - Israel said the group had been dealt a “devastating blow”

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long-term ceasefire has been agreed between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

The truce, ending seven weeks of fighting that has left more than 2,200 people dead, was brokered by Egypt and began at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

Hamas deputy political leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said the

deal represented a “victory for the resistance”.

Israeli government officials said it would ease its blockade of Gaza to allow in aid and building materials.

Indirect talks on more contentious issues, including Israel’s call for militant groups in Gaza to disarm, will begin in Cairo within a month.

The breakthrough came as both

sides continued to trade fire.

A last-minute volley of mortar shells from Gaza killed an Israeli civilian and wounded six others in Eshkol Regional Council, medics told the BBC. Earlier on Tuesday, at least six Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli air strikes in Gaza, Palestinian officials said.

Palestinian officials said Egypt’s

ceasefire proposal called for an indefinite end to hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza’s crossings with Israel and Egypt, and an extension of the territory’s Mediterranean fishing zone.

A month later, the officials added, Israel and the Palestinian factions would discuss the construction of a seaport and airport in Gaza and the freeing of about 100 prisoners released in exchange for Gilad Shalit in 2011 who were recently rearrested in the occupied West Bank.

Israel and Egypt were also said to be demanding guarantees that weapons would not be smuggled into Gaza.

The ceasefire announcement was greeted by celebratory gunfire on the streets of Gaza City.

Sirens warning of rockets reportedly continued to sound in southern Israel. An Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was checking whether any rockets had landed.

A spokesman for Hamas, which dominates the territory, told a news conference: “We are here today to declare the victory of the resistance, the victory of Gaza, with the help of God, and the steadfastness of our people and the noble resistance.”

Mumbai Jewish centre stormed in 2008 reopens

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Jewish centre in Mumbai has reopened nearly six years after armed gunmen stormed the building and killed six people inside during the 2008 attacks on the city.

The attacks on the Chabad centre and other iconic locations in India’s financial capital left 166 people dead, including the orthodox Jewish centre’s Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivky. Their infant son escaped in the arms of his Indian nanny, and the two now live in Israel.

The three-day onslaught in November 2008 also targeted luxury hotels, a popular cafe and a train station.

You can overcome challenges, even the most horrific of challenges.

You can and must rebuild, and this project serves as a beacon of light

and hope that evil will not prevail.

Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Member of the orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement The refurbished five-storey Chabad House has a synagogue, a cafeteria and a function room for the Jewish community.

The top two floors, due to be turned into a museum, have been left bearing the damage from bullets and grenades as a reminder of the tragedy.

In the synagogue, candles mark the spot where Rabbi Holtzberg was shot dead, and pictures of him, his wife and their surviving young child adorn the stairwells.

“I think this is really a message for the whole world,” said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, a prominent member of the orthodox Chabad-

Lubavitch movement, who helped to rebuild the centre.

“You can overcome challenges, even the most horrific of challenges.

You can and must rebuild, and this project serves as a beacon of light and hope that evil will not prevail,”

he said in a statement.

Local jeweller Chintan Sakariya, who witnessed the gunmen “showering bullets everywhere” in bloody scenes in 2008, told AFP news agency that he had a “mixed reaction” to the reopening.

The attacks on the Chabad centre also killed Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivky

Iraq’s Kurdish leader says Iran supplies weapons to Kurds

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resident of Iraq’s Kurdistan self- ruling region on Tuesday said that Iran has supplied weapons to Kurdish security forces to fight back extremist Islamic insurgents who were advancing toward the region in northern Iraq.

“We have asked for weapons and military supplies from states worldwide, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was the first to assist us with weapons and equipment,” Massoud Barzani said at a joint press conference with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad- Javad Zarif in the city of Arbil, capital of Kurdistan.

For his part, Zarif said that Iran supports a unified and stable Iraq, stressing that the Islamic

State militant group “is a menace to everyone in the region. It is a menace to the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, even to those who cooperated with them.”

Earlier in the day, the Iranian foreign minister arrived in the Kurdistan region and held talks with Barzani, as part of his official visit to the country on Sunday, during which he met with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad before visiting the senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy Shiite city of Najaf.

Zarif on Sunday denied reports alleging that the Islamic republic sent troops to Iraq to fight insurgents from the Islamic State militants,

but he acknowledged that military assistance has been offered to the Iraqi security forces.

“We are on the side of our Iraqi brothers from all sects, Kurdish, Sunnis and Shiite who are fighting terrorism, but we do not believe that they need the presence of Iranian soldiers in order to do this task,” Zarif said at a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

Earlier this month, the Islamic State stormed towns in northern Iraq, threatening and executing numerous members of Iraq’s religious minorities, including Christians and Yazidis. The

extremist militants also managed to push back the Kurdish Peshmerga forces toward Arbil itself, sparking a campaign of international efforts to provide weapons and ammunition to the Kurdish forces as well as U.S. air strikes in northern Iraq.

Iraq and Iran fought a bloody eight-year war in 1980s, resulting in the loss of one million lives.

However, relations between the Shiite Muslim country of Iran and the Shiite-dominated government of Iraq were strengthened considerably after Saddam Hussein’s Sunnidominated regime was ousted in a U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Source; Xinhua

Asia & Middle East

Gaza highrises hit by Israeli strikes

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srael airstrikes have destroyed two Gaza City high-rises, collapsing one building and severely damaging the other, in a further escalation of seven weeks of cross-border fighting with Hamas.

Tuesday’s strikes leveled the 15-story Basha Tower and severely damaged the Italian Complex, which had dozens of shops and offices.

Palestinian health officials said twenty people were wounded in the attack on the Italian Complex, which was home to seventy Gazan families.

Al Jazeera’s Jane Ferguson, reporting from Gaza, said Israel fired three non-explosive warning missiles before the air strikes.

“The 13-storey [Italian Complex] building, contained 11 floors of residential units and two floors of commercial offices and a coffee shop. those floors also host the offices of the Ministry of Public Works and offices belonging to the political wing of Hamas movement,” Ferguson said.

“There were some hamas offices in the building, which may be a clue as why it was targeted,” she added.

Declining to comment specifically on the attacks, the Israeli military said it had hit 15 “terror sites”, including some in buildings that housed Hamas command and control centres.

Since Saturday, Israel has toppled or destroyed five towers and shopping complexes in an apparent new tactic aimed at increasing pressure on Hamas.

The objects of the latest strikes contain apartments inhabited almost exclusively by middle-class Gazans, who up until now have been largely spared the considerable dislocation that has affected tens of thousands of other residents.

Since a truce between Israel and armed factions in Gaza collapsed, the death toll in the Palestinian enclave has steadily risen, with 13 more Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes since Sunday night.

On Monday, a 17-year-old boy was killed and about 25 people were wounded in a strike on a Gaza City mosque.

The Gaza religious affairs ministry said Israeli fire during the day destroyed four more mosques, raising to 71 the number of mosques destroyed over the past seven weeks.

Abdullah Mortaja, 27, a freelance journalist who previously worked for Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV, was among the latest casualties. Medical officials said he was hit by tank fire in the war-battered Shejaiya area of eastern Gaza City.

Two people wounded previously died of their injuries on Monday, raising the Gaza death toll since the July 8 start of the campaign to 2,135 with 10,915 wounded, according to the emergency services.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 38

International Europe and Americas

US schools to have nonwhite majority

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hite pupils in state schools in the United States are set to be in the minority for the first time when schools return for the new term.

According to official forecasts, enrolments for the 2014-15 school year will mark the threshold when ethnic minorities become the majority.

This demographic shift has been driven by rising numbers of Hispanic pupils.

Figures are gathered by the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

It records the number of pupils in the state school system across the U n i t e d S t a t e s and it publishes forecasts of enrolments in the years ahead.

The figures show a steady decline in the numbers of white pupils since the mid1990s and a broadly stable number of black pupils, but a sh arp l y ris ing numb er o f pupils identified as Hispanic.

T h e s c h o o l f i g ur es sho w the number of Hispanic pupils has more than doubled over the past two decades and is projected to continue rising in the next decade.

It means that in autumn 2014 the proportion of white pupils is expected to have fallen marginally below 50% for the first time, with about 26% of pupils Hispanic and 15% black.

There are also smaller ethnic groups of Asian pupils, native Americans and Pacific Islanders. Fewer than 3% are identified as mixed race.

The figures show how the increase in the Hispanic population has changed the demography of the school population, rising from 14% of pupils in the mid-1990s and forecast to reach 30% by the mid-2020s.

I n th e m i d - 1 9 9 0s, w hite pupils represented almost 65% of pupils in the US state school system. The projections show that by the mid-2020s that figure will be about 45%.

But the Pew Research Center, which analyses public policy and social trends, has highlighted how there is a very different pattern in private schools, with a high proportion of white pupils.

About one in 10 pupils attends a private school.

There have also been questions raised about the use in education of the term ethnic “minority”, when there is no longer a majority ethnic group within the school population.

U

kraine has said that its forces have captured 10 Russian soldiers in the east of the country but Moscow has claimed the soldiers crossed the border accidentally.

The development comes as the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko were getting ready to meet on Tuesday in Belarus in the presence of EU foreign affairs chief.

The Facebook page for the Ukraine’s anti-rebel operation, which includes the military, the national guard and interior ministry forces, said on Tuesday that the soldiers were from a Russian paratrooper division and were captured on Monday in the area of Amvrosiivka, near the Russian border in the Donetsk region.

The posting did not give details of how the capture took place. It posted videos of five men it said were among the captives, one of whom said the soldiers had been told they were being mobilised to take part in military exercises.

Russian news agencies quoted an unnamed source in the Russian defence ministry as saying that the soldiers were patrolling the border area and probably crossed the border inadvertently.

“The soldiers really did participate in a patrol of a section of the Russian-Ukrainian border, crossed it by accident on an unmarked section, and as far as we understand showed no resistance to the armed forces of Ukraine when they were detained,” a source from Russia’s defence ministry was quoted by Russian news agency

Ukraine ‘seizes 10 Russian soldiers’

On Monday, Kiev said 10 Russian tanks and two armored vehicles crossed into Ukraine RIA Novosti as saying on Tuesday.

Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russian helicopters had attacked a border post in Luhansk region the previous day, killing four border guards.

The Ukrainian troops have been fighting pro-Russia rebels in the east of the country for around

four months.

Kiev and the US have repeatedly accused Moscow of stoking the rebellion, but this is the first time Ukrainian authorities claimed to have taken captive soldiers from Russia’s regular army.

On Monday, Ukraine said 10 tanks and two armored vehicles

belonging to the Russian military crossed into southeastern Ukraine bearing the flags of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

On the same day, the Ukrainian president dissolved parliament and called for early elections on October 26.

talks in Belarus.

More than 2,000 people have died in months of fighting between Ukrainian forces and separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Steve Rosenberg says there’s little optimism ahead of the talks in Belarus The two regions declared independence from Kiev following Russia’s annexation of the southern Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in March.

A Russian defence ministry source was quoted by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti as saying: “The soldiers really did participate in a patrol of a section of the Russian-Ukrainian border, crossed it by accident on an unmarked section, and as far as we understand

showed no resistance to the armed forces of Ukraine when they were detained.”

The source also said that some 500 Ukrainian servicemen had crossed the border at various times, adding: “We did not give much publicity to that. We just returned all those willing to return to Ukrainian territory at safe places.”

Ukraine’s security service said its military had captured the 10 Russian paratroopers near the village of Dzerkalne, about 50km (30 miles) south-east of the rebelheld city of Donetsk and about 20km from the Russian border.

Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said: “This wasn’t a mistake, but a special mission they were carrying out.”

Captured Russian troops ‘in Ukraine by accident’ Russian sources say the men were patrolling a section of the RussianUkrainian border

A

group of Russian soldiers captured in eastern Ukraine crossed the border “by accident”, Russian military sources are quoted as saying.

Ukraine said 10 paratroopers were captured, and has released video interviews of some of the men.

The incident comes as the Ukrainian and Russian leaders hold

UK town ‘ignored abuse of 1,400 children’

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uthorities in England failed to prevent the physical and sexual abuse of 1,400 children in one town over a 16 year period, an independent inquiry has concluded in a damning report.

The report, released on Tuesday, said police and child services in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, failed to protect children as young as 11 from being beaten, raped and trafficked between 1997 and 2013.

Report author Alexis Jay cited examples of “children who had been doused in petrol and threatened with being set alight, threatened with guns, made to witness brutally-violent rapes

and threatened they would be next.”

The leader of the town’s council, Roger Stone, a Labour councillor, resigned within hours of the report’s release.

Jay said abuse was not considered a priority by South Yorkshire Police, while managers in child protection services also failed to act.

“The collective failures ... were blatant,” the report said. “From the beginning there was growing evidence that child sex exploitation was a serious problem in Rotherham, which came from people working in residential care and from youth workers who knew the young people well.”

The report covers the period between 1997 and 2013

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PAGE 39

Strange World

The eccentric German millionaire who lived on less than $500 a month

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hen millionaire Klaus Zapf passed away this week, the whole of Germany mourned his death. The eccentric tycoon, who always had millions at his disposal, actually lived a frugal life by choice. What endeared him most to the people of his nation was his generous nature – he gave most of his money away, while he lived on only $500 a month.

“I don’t need any money. It just makes us unequal,” Klaus once said. “There are just so many bloody idiots with money around, you don’t need another one.”

Zapf, 62, had made his fortune in the relocation business – he ran a company called Zapf Umzüge, which he often referred to as ‘West Berlin’s best removals collective’.

His distinctive blue and yellow vans were quite well-known in

city streets as they picked up and unloaded wares from across the country and the world.

But even though capitalism had made him rich, Zapf was a worshipper of socialism. He admired the ideology so much that he even had a statue of his hero – Vladimir Lenin – in his company’s yard in Kreuzberg.

“Here, the delusions of grandeur are healed every day,” he said as he described his workplace.

Zapf, who moved to West Berlin in his youth because it was one of the few cities that allowed young men to skip military service, went to university to study law. According to German media, he was deeply immersed in the left scene as a student. Rudi Dutschke – a prominent leader of Germany’s socialist student movement in the late 1960s – is believed to have been one of his

friends.

Law failed to keep him interested for long, however, and he quit school to set up his removals company in 1975. He started out by purchasing an old Transit van and offered his services at much lower prices compared to rival firms. Although he couldn’t drive the van himself, he quickly hired people and began the business of shifting furniture during moves. The firm grew rapidly and so did Zapf’s wealth.

Despite his vast fortune, Zapf chose to live in a small apartment and received a salary that barely covered his most basic expenditures. In fact, he lived the life of a middle class man

– to make ends meet, he would collect empty bottles to reclaim deposits and shop at low price supermarkets.

Zapf never even purchased a home of his own, because he thought it would only contribute to the price-spiral and then ordinary workers wouldn’t be able to afford decent housing.

He always dressed modestly, and despite running a transportation empire, he never had a driver’s license.

Behind that shabby exterior, Zapf actually hid an shrewd business acumen – he accurately predicted that the nation’s capital would move from Bonn to Berlin when the Berlin Wall came down.

That’s what led him to set up a depot there, establishing his large market share in the moving business. He had around 600 employees and over 60,000 customers a year at 14 different locations.

Zapf, who was married twice and on his third honeymoon, died of a heart attack on August 20 – his second in 14 years. During the last decade of his life, he made very few public appearances. “My last move will be to the cemetery in Eppingen,” he said in last interview he did in February. That is where he will be laid to rest – his funeral was attended by his 13-year-old daughter, his friends, former wives and politicians.

Chinese farmers can grow gourds into virtually any shape

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ooking at the detailed sculptures in the photos below, You’d be tempted to think they are made of wax, but believe it or not, they’re actually gourds! Enterprising Chinese farmers are able to grow these veggies into any shape they want. The most popular one is Chairman Mao, but there are many others as well – Buddha, Jesus, Santa Claus, babies, old men, monks, dragons, and pretty much anything else that attracts people’s attention.

Y ou m i g h t t h i nk t he r e ’s

some complex bioengineering or agricultural science going on behind these gourd-sculptures, but in reality, they’re just grown in simple plastic molds. It all started when a man named Xie Lyu Zhi visited the Thousand Year Temple in Sichuan Province.

He claims that during the visit, a Buddhist monk told him about a dream he had about a gourd shaped like a deity.

So Xie decided to make one when he got back home.

He invented the plastic mold required to create it and when

he was successful, he made more in various shapes. These molds are now available on the market for farmers to use to create gourd-sculptures of their own.

In China, these special gourds have come to be associated with good luck and money. They are also believed to enhance observation skills in children.

They’re all grown without the use of pesticides, so they don’t last very long. And it’s not just gourds, some farmers have tried the molds on pears as well, with excellent results!

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Digest

Tickling your ear could boost cardiac health The technique works by stimulating a major nerve called the vagus which plays an important role in regulating vital organs including the heart.

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ickling your ears with a pain-relieving machine can improve heart health, a study has shown.

Applying electrical stimulation to the tragus - the small triangular flap at the front of the ear - helped the heart adjust its beating rate and prevented it being driven too hard.

Researchers used tens (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), a method of blocking pain signals to the brain by applying small shocks to the skin.

The battery-powered machines

are commonly used to relieve chronic back pain or early labour pains.

Researchers conducting the new study applied Tens stimulation to the ears of 34 healthy volunteers for 15 minutes at a time.

Neuroscientist Professor Jim Deuchars, from the University of Leeds, said: ‘You feel a bit of a tickling sensation in your ear when the Tens machine is on, but it is painless.

‘It is early days - so far we have been testing this on healthy subjects - but we think it does have potential

to improve the health of the heart and might even become part of the treatment for heart failure.’

The technique works by stimulating a major nerve called the vagus which plays an important role in regulating vital organs including the heart.

A sensory branch of the vagus nerve extends to the outer ear.

By sending electrical signals through the ear to the brain, the scientists were able to influence the nerve messages that influence heart beat.

Vagal stimulation has previously

Ear stimulation was also found to suppress the sympathetic nervous system, which drives heart activity via a different pathway using adrenaline. been used to treat a number of conditions, including epilepsy.

The research is published in the journal Brain Stimulation.

Dr Jennifer Clancy, who led the University of Leeds team, said: ‘The first positive effect we observed was increased variability in subjects’ heartbeats.

‘A healthy heart does not beat like a metronome. It is continually interacting with its environment - getting a little bit faster or a bit slower depending on the demands on it.

‘An unhealthy heart is more like a machine constantly banging out the same beat.

‘We found that when you stimulate this nerve you get about a 20% increase in heart rate variability.’

Ear stimulation was also found to suppress the sympathetic nervous system, which drives heart activity via a different pathway using adrenaline.

‘We measured the nerve activity

directly and found that it reduced by about 50% when we stimulated the ear,’ said Dr Clancy. ‘This is important because if you have heart disease or heart failure, you tend to have increased sympathetic activity.

This drives your heart to work hard, constricts your arteries and causes damage.

‘A lot of treatments for heart failure try to stop that sympathetic activity - beta-blockers, for instance, block the action of the hormones that implement these signals. Using the Tens, we saw a reduction of the nervous activity itself.’

Professor Deuchars added: ‘We now need to understand how big and how lasting the residual effect on the heart is and whether this can help patients with heart problems, probably alongside their usual treatments.

‘The next stage will be to conduct a pre-clinical study in heart failure patients.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Good neighbours can keep your heart healthy

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ood neighbours don’t just make good friends they may also reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack, according to a new study.

Current evidence suggests that the characteristics of an area in which a person lives can have a negative impact on their cardiovascular health - such as the density of fast food outlets; levels of violence, noise, and pollution; drug use; and building disrepair.

However, few studies have looked at the potential healthenhancing effects of positive local neighbourhood characteristics.

The new research tracked the cardiovascular health of more than 5,000 American adults with no known heart problems over a period of four years, starting in 2006. Their average age was 70, and almost two-thirds were women and married.

In 2006 they were asked to

score on a validated seven point scale how much they felt part of their local neighbourhood; if they felt they had neighbours who would help them if they got into difficulty; whether they trusted most people in the area; and if they felt they were friendly.

Potentially influential factors such as age, race, gender, income, marital status, educational attainment, outlook and attitude, social integration, mental health, lifestyle, weight, and underlying health issues, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, were all taken into account.

During the four year monitoring period, 148 of the 5,276 participants had a heart attack.

Analysis of the figures showed that each standard deviation increase in perceived neighbourhood social cohesion was associated with a 22 per cent

A study into more than 5,000 American adults with no known heart problems found that those with a good support network in their community had a 22 per cent reduced risk of having a heart attack (file picture) reduced risk of a heart attack.

The researchers said the association held true even after adjusting for relevant sociodemographic, behavioural, biological, and psycho-social factors, as well as individual-level social support.

They say their findings echo those of other studies which have found a link between well integrated local neighbourhoods and lower stroke and heart disease risk.

The researchers admitted that some potentially important risk

factors - such as family history of heart disease or stroke and genetic influences - were not known.

However, they said a strong social support network of friends and family has been linked to better health, so friendly neighbourhoods might be an extension of that.

Eric Kim, of the Department of Psychology at Michigan University, said: ‘Perceived neighbourhood social cohesion could be a type of social support that is available in the neighbourhood social environment outside the realm of family and friends.’

The researchers also suggested that tight-knit local communities may help to reinforce and ‘incentivise’ certain types of cohesive behaviours and so exclude anti-social behaviours.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

SPORT 41 PAGE

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046, 08036258222, albertakota@yahoo.com

NFF crisis: FA chairmen shun congress, fix Sept 4th for election

By Albert Akota

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he State Football Associations Chairmen have declared that the country’s football is indeed in crisis following the arrest of the president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF),Alhaji Aminu Maigari and the General Secretary, Musa Amadu, were arrested yesterday by the Department of State Service (DSS) Maigari was arrested earlier in the day by men of the DSS alongside NFF Scribe, Musa Amadu and a Board member, Christopher Green, for undisclosed reason.

Consequently, the chairmen decided to head to the DSS Headquarters to press for their release but were ambushed on the way around Maitama, by security operatives who detained them for hours by the roadside.

Not bothered by the seeming humiliation, the FA chairmen decided to hold what they called ‘a pre-congress’ meeting and took major decisions as follows:.

That, the NFF Electoral Committee under the chairmanship of Amoni Biambo, stands dissolved.

That, an elective Congress will hold on September 4, 2014 in Calabar, Cross Rivers State.

That, Aminu Maigari, must remain in charge and preside over the September 4 elective congress in Calabar.

Also, they approved the reconstitution of Electoral Committee to usher in new Executive Committee. The committee members are: Sampson Ebomhe, M.T Ahmed, Olumide Oluyemi, Adamu Sani Osmond, Sadiq Yusuf Zaria, Chimdi Ojiohu, Onyeghala Obioma, Adeola Adelawu, Sani Dahiru Yakasai and Musa Amadu as Secretary.

To serve on the Election Appeals

Committee are: Okey Ajunwa, Dotun Coker, Sani Mohammed while Dr. Mohammed Sanusi will serve as Secretary.

Defending the decisions of the pre-congress, Emeka Inyama, who chaired the Media Committee of the outgoing board, contended

that government went against the agreement reached at the meeting with the SGF on Sunday.

He wondered why government would order the arrest of the President and the General Secretary who ought to play crucial role at the congress.

“Anywhere there is a majority member, congress sits. We must tell the honest truth, Nigerian football is in crisis.

“We didn’t see any reason why a properly constituted congress, properly publicised, approved by FIFA with the intervention of the Secretary

to the Government of the Federation and then that same day, the President who ought to have presided over the congress is taken away.

“The General Secretary who is the custodian of the secretariat is taken away and one of our members,” Inyama said.

Emeka Inyama

DSS operatives quiz Maigari, others B Taofeek Lawal

Operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) yesterday arrested the Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari.

Also arrested in Abuja were the Secretary General of the NFF, Musa Amadu and a member of the NFF Board, Christopher Green.

Maigari was to preside over an NFF general assembly yesterday, but was instead invited by the SSS earlier in the day for questioning.

Executive Board member, Barrister Chris Green and Musa Amadu, were dispersed and prevented from carrying out their intention.

“The FA chairmen refused to be

cowed despite threats to shoot them by the Police. They were asked to return to the venue of the Congress and continue with their affairs. They refused and insisted on knowing why they arrested Maigari.

The chairmen had already signed in for the Congress and were accredited before they left.

The ministry, it was gathered, had coerced some of the secretaries to stay back and hold the elections today after it was agreed that the elections would be in two weeks’ time.

However, 21 out of the 35 Chairmen of the state’s Football Associations have vowed to resist the arrest of Maigari.

The arrest may not be unconnected with the recent fire outbreak at the NFF headquarters in Abuja.

It could be recalled that fire gut the building of the NFF’s headquarters in Wuse Zone 7 District of Abuja on Tuesday morning, August 20, 2014.

The assistant controller of Fire Service, Eyo Ime, had told reporters that they are unable to confirm the cause of the fire at that time.

They however said they suspected electrical fault.

The fire began on the third floor of the building and reporters at the scene said the offices of the President, Secretary-General and the Accounts Department might have been affected.

Maigari

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Sports

Minister made Maigari’s resignation public

By Albert Akota

Aminu Maigari

Wassland Beveren rejects Gabriel Reuben

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euben Gabriel’s unstable career has taken another turn for the worst as the AFCON 2013 winner is presently clubless after Waasland Beveren opted against prolonging his stay.

Prior to the World Cup, in January 2014, he was reported to have signed an 18-month deal with the Belgian outfit after terminating his contract with Scottish side Kilmanorck.

Reuben Gabriel signed an initial six months deal with Wassland Beveren with an option of a further 12 months if he impresses.

At Waasland Beveren just as it was at Kilmanorck, where he made two appearances in six months, he made just five appearances for the team and picked up one red card amassing

just 179 minutes.

A poor World Cup showing, where he appeared just once for Nigeria in the second round lose to France further convinced Waasland Beveren to release the midfielder.

Waasland have already played five games this season and are presently on a poor run of form placed 16th after five games.

Gabriel’s number 20 jersey has been given to young belgian Niels De Pauw, while the midfielder was spotted by SL10 in Kaduna State Nigeria training in the southern suburb of the State.

The Ex-Kaduna United, Enyimba and Kano Pillars star use to be the first name on the Super Eagles line up in the early days of Stephen Keshi’s reign as

Super Eagles coach.

Keshi’s trust in the player saw him make the Nigeria World Cup team, despite playing only 275 minutes of club football in a whole calendar year prior to the World Cup. Nicknamed “Nigeria’s Viera” due to similarities in his style of play with the legendary French midfielder, Rueben Gabriel’s next career move is not yet known.

However, sources close to the players says he has travelled out of Kaduna on a couple occasions to embassies in Nigeria, unknown to them in search of a visa to travel out and resurrect his once budding career.

Tornadoes commiserate with Uwua over mum’s death.

From Yakubu Mustapha,Minna

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he Chairman of Niger Tornadoes Management Committee Alhaji Datijjo Aliyu has expressed his condolence to the technical adviser of the club Godwin Koko Uwua over the death of his mother.

Alhaji Aliyu while speaking in Minna said that though the death was painful but it was an act of God and pleaded with Uwua not to be too bitter as death was inevitable.

He urged the technical adviser to accept the irreparable lose and prayed that God will grant her eternal rest.

The chairman added

that this was a difficult time that mama has to pass on when the league was at its climax and the services of the

Godwin Koko Uwua

technical adviser was needed most.

He said that the demise of Madam Lami Uwua, 76, aka Wan-Ikyoov should spur the team to clinch the desired promotion it has been chasing in the last two years. ”We are behind you, take solace in God, mama has lived a fulfilled life.

“The entire team commiserate with you be strong and remain steadfast, we are solidly with you”, he stated.

Mama Lami died last week in Aondana village of Gwar West local government area of Benue State.

She left behind her husband, three children and 15 grandchildren, her burial arrangement will be made public.

The Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National sports commission (NSC), Dr.Tammy Danagogo has made public the resignation letter of Aminu Maigari.

According to a three-paragraph statement signed by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister, Patrick Omorodion, the resignation letter dated August 12, 2004, takes effect from August 26, 2014.

Aminu Maigari’s resignation letter addressed to the Sports Minister/ Chairman, National Sports Commission reads in part, “Collectively, we have worked assiduously to bring success and glory to Nigeria through football. I am happy to say that we brought backs the past glory years of football to Nigeria.

“Further to this, I wish to voluntarily inform the

Honourable Minister that I have decided not to contest in the next election of the Executive Board of Nigeria Football Federation.

“This therefore also means that, I have resigned from the Presidency of Nigeria Football Federation with effect the congress of the 2014 election”.

The Minister also noted that the tenure of Maigari-led Board expires by midnight of Monday, August 25, 2014.

“The President of Nigeria Football Federation Alhaji Aminu Maigari has formally resigned his position on the board with effect from August 26, 2014.

“The Bauchi-born administrator resigned as NFF President on August 12, 2014 to pave way for a peaceful resolution of the crisis that engulfed the football federation shortly after the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Reuben Gabriel

I’m ready to serve my country, says Keshi

T

he Chief Coach of the Super Eagles Stephen Keshi, has confirmed that the Nigerian Sports Minister, Dr Tammy Danagogo made it possible for him to take charge of the two Afcon 2015 qualifiers against Congo and South Africa.

There has been a lot of uncertainty with the current situation at the Nigeria Football Federation’s post world cup leadership crisis as well as the planned congress and elections into the Board,.

Keshi said that “the Minister has asked me to come take charge of these matches while the NFF situation is sorted out. I am a Nigerian and love to contribute to anything that will help my fatherland always”.

It will be recalled that following the end of Nigeria’s world cup campaign in Brazil, Keshi said he was tired of his current working conditions and

relationship with the then NFF Board and was leaving his post.

The NFF on their part agreed that his contract had expired and were not too keen to renew it.

Stephen Keshi

PAGE 43

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Sports

Lampard retires from international football

F

rank Lampard has retired from international football after winning 106 caps.

The 36-year-old was released by Chelsea in May after 13 years at the London club and he signed for New York City before agreeing to move to Manchester City on a six-month loan deal. Lampard scored 29 goals for England and captained the team in their last group match against Costa Rica at this year’s World Cup in Brazil. “I have taken the decision to retire from international football,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. “It has been a very tough decision for me to make which is why I have given it so much thought since the World Cup. I have always been exceptionally proud and honoured to represent my country and have to say looking back I have enjoyed every minute of wearing the

England shirt.” Lampard said it was time put his family first given that he was soon to be playing in the United States. “It is now the time to move forward and I feel very confident that with Roy Hodgson in charge, the young players that we have coming through, and the changes that are being made throughout the development of the youth system in this country, that we will have success in the future and a team that this country deserves.” Lampard made his international debut against Belgium in 1999, going on to play at three World Cups and two European Championships. He makes headlines at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when he had a goal wrongly disallowed in a secondround clash with Germany, a match England went on to lose by 4 goals to 1.

Lampard

Ghana to bid for AFCON 2017

By Taofeek Lawal

G

Sulley Muntari of Ghana

hana have declared their interest to bid for the 2017 edition of Africa Cup of Nations after Libya pulled out. The West African nation joins Kenya and Tanzania as countries willing to host the 2017 Nations Cup following Libya’s withdrawal. The North African country are no longer interested in hosting the 2017 Afcon due to the unstable security situation in the country.

Ghana Sports Minister, Mahama Ayariga disclosed the West African nation’s interest to bid for the hosting right of the tournament at a public event to honour past footballers. Ghana

last hosted the continent’s top-flight football competition in 2008. CAF has opened applications until Tuesday, September 30, 2014. “In addition to the government guarantee, and considering the limited time left for the organisation of the 2017 edition, the CAF Executive Committee will select a host country whose dossier guarantees that accommodation, transportation and hotels facilities, as well as training sites and stadiums already exist. “The designation of the host country will be made at a meeting of the Executive Committee in 2015,” a CAF statement read. Ghana have won the African trophy four times the last time being 1982.

Wenger rules out Podolski sale Fellaini set for Man Utd stay rsenal boss Arsene Wenger stay with us,” said the Frenchman

A

insists Lukas Podolski will not be leaving the north London club this summer.

The Arsenal manager has been forced to re-think the German’s future ahead of today’s clash with Besiktas after Olivier Giroud was ruled out for 10 weeks with a foot injury. The German had been told he was free to leave the Emirates Stadium before the close of the transfer window, but injury to Olivier Giroud has prompted a re-think. Juventus and Wolfsburg were among the clubs interested in signing Podolski. “Podolski is in the squad tomorrow and will

ahead of the second leg of his side’s Champions League qualifier with Besiktas. Giroud will be unavailable until November, with scans by a specialist on Tuesday confirming a broken bone in the France striker’s foot. Podolski’s immediate position under Wenger has further been strengthened by doubts over Alexis Sanchez’s fitness for Wednesday night’s clash with the Turkish side at the Emirates Stadium. Wenger also has Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell to turn to in attack in Giroud’s absence but neither boast Podolski’s experience in Europe’s elite competition.

Fellaini

M Podolski

arouane Fellaini is set to stay at Manchester United after Napoli lost interest in the midfielder due to doubts over his fitness. The old Trafford giant signed the big Belgian from Everton for £27.5 million last summer.

Fellaini struggled with form and injuries during his first season at Old Trafford. Coach Van Gaal is set to add at least one central midfielder to his squad before the transfer window closes which could limit Fellaini’s opportunities for first team football this season.

Napoli manager Rafael Benitez was

thought to be interested in signing Fellaini before the midfielder suffered an ankle injury in training last week. This has put Napoli off signing Fellaini as they don’t want to buy a player whose fitness is questionable. Despite the possibility of United signing the likes of Arturo Vidal and Nigel de Jong, Fellaini hasn’t been told that he is surplus to requirements by Van Gaal.

Fellaini is determined to stay at the club and fight for his place despite the sacking of David Moyes, the man who brought signed him last summer.

Gaza war: Spanish coach quits

M

accabi Tel Aviv’s Spanish coach Oscar Garcia has left the club because of the conflict between Israel and Islamist militants in the Gaza Strip and compatriot Pako Ayestaran will replace him, the club said on Tuesday. Maccabi general manager Jordi Cruyff said Garcia’s decision to leave was personal. “We have a change of coach, Oscar decided to leave the job, to leave Israel ... and we have announced the arrival of a new coach ... and we hope the transition is a very smooth one,” Cruyff said. Garcia was starting a second stint in charge at Maccabi.

His previous two-season term ended in 2013 with the league championship. He then took charge of Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion from English soccer’s second tier. Ayestaran was assistant to Napoli coach Rafa Benitez at Tenerife, Valencia and Liverpool.

He moves to Maccabi from Mexican side Estudiantes Tecos and will join them in Cyprus where they host Greek side Asteras Tripolis in a Europa League fixture. “Some things happen in life and we have to accept personal decisions... the explanations I heard from Oscar were more personal than anything else,” Cruyff added.

Israeli sport has been greatly affected by the conflict in Gaza which Israel launched on July 8 with the declared aim of ending the rocket salvoes which Islamist militants have fired into the Jewish state. The scheduled start of the domestic league season on August 8 has been delayed and many international sporting events in Israel have been called off.

Teams involved in European club soccer competitions have been forced to host opponents in Cyprus, and tennis, basketball, swimming events have been affected.

PAGE 44

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Sports

US Open: Djokovic, Sharapova ease through M

aria Sharapova started her bid for a second US Open title with a 6-4 6-0 first-round win over fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko. The 2006 champion trailed 4-2 in the first set but won the next 10 games on her way to victory in 90 minutes. In the men’s draw, world number one Novak Djokovic also eased through.

Djokovic outclassed Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, taking just 98 minutes to beat the world number 79 6-1 6-2 6-4 and reach round two. Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios came

Sharapova

close to being disqualified after receiving three warnings for swearing. Kyrgios, who shocked Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, beat 21st seed Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (7-1). But the 19-year-old received two code violations in the third set and then a third warning in the fourth, which saw him penalised a game. Third seed Stanislas Wawrinka progressed in straight sets. The Australian Open champion was pushed to two tie-breaks by Czech Jiri Vesely but came through 6-2 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-3).

Disable sport: Cockcroft, Greaves win

B

ritain’s Hannah Cockroft and Dan Greaves finished their seasons with wins in the IPC Grand Prix final in Birmingham. Paralympic, world and European champion Cockroft continued her dominance of the T34 100m event with another comfortable victory in 19.03 seconds. Greaves produced a throw over 60.01m to beat team-mate Aled Davies and win the F42/44 discus. It followed Commonwealth and European titles this year for the 31-year-old. “It is difficult

competing against Aled as we are best mates, but we both wanted to go out there relaxed and have fun,” Greaves told BBC Sport. GB club thrower Jo Butterfield won gold in the F32/51 class, although her best effort of 17.52m was short of the 17.68m F51 European record in Swansea this week. Greaves who was also up against world and Paralympic champion Jeremy Campbell, set a new European record of 62.34m in taking the European title.

PUBLIC NOTICE

CHANGE OF NAME

RE. 615091 COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 2004 PRIVATE COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS MISS. RAHILA S. KAURA,NOW WISH TO BE ADDRESSED AS MRS. RAHILA KAURA AYUBA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

IN THE MATTER OF ANADARKO NIGERIA 1 LIMITED (IN VOLUNTARY LIQUIDATION) AND IN THE MATTER OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, CAP C20, LAWS OF THE FEDERATION OF NIGERIA, 2004 NOTICE CONVENING FINAL MEETING OF THE COMPANY PURSUANT TO SECTION 468 OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 2004 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 3-5, SINARI DARANIJO STREET, OFF AJOSE ADEOGUN STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS ON THE 30TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2014 AT 11AM FOR THE PURPOSE OF LAYING BEFORE SUCH MEETING THE ACCOUNT OF THE WINDING-UP OF THE ABOVE-NAMED COMPANY AND OF GIVING ANY EXPLANATION THEREOF. NOTES: PROXY A MEMBER WHO IS ENTITLED TO ATTEND AND VOTE AT THE MEETING IS ENTITLED TO APPOINT A PROXY TO ATTEND AND VOTE IN HIS/HER STEAD. A PROXY NEED NOT BE A MEMBER OF THE COMPANY. FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO BE VALID, A COMPLETED AND DULY STAMPED PROXY FORM MUST BE DEPOSITED AT THE OFFICE OF THE COMPANY SECRETARY, 3-5, SINARI DARANIJO STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS NOT LESS THAN 48 HOURS BEFORE THE TIME FIXED FOR THE MEETING. DATED THIS 11TH DAY OF AUGUST, 2014

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF LOSS OF ORIGINAL LAND DOCUMENTS OF PLOT NO. 111, 1(R) 1 ROAD, LUGBE ESTATE ABUJA, FCT BELONGING TO MRS P A OLAGBEMI, PURCHASE IN NOVEMBER 2000 FROM FEDERAL HOUSING AUTHORITY, ABUJA. ALL EFFORTS MADE TO TRACE THE MISSING DOCUMENT PROVED ABORTIVE, IF FOUND PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST POLICE STATION.

CHANGE OF NAME I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS MISS. HELEN IFEYINWA UGWU,NOW WISH TO BE ADDRESSED AS MRS. HELEN IFEYINWA NWODO.ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKA AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

CHANGE OF NAME I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS JAMILA MOHAMMED,NOW WISH TO BE ADDRESSED AS JAMILA MALAMI.ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. THE GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF THE LOSS OF ORIGINAL LANDED DOCUMENT IN RESPECT OF FILE NO: MISC 54994. PLOT NO: 483 IN CENTRAL AREA CADASTRAL ZONE A00 BELONGING TO ABU NABEEL VENTURES LTD. ALL EFFORTS MADE TO TRACE THE MISSING DOCUMENT PROVED ABORTIVE. IF FOUND, PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST POLICE STATION. AUTHORITY CONCERNED AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO TAKE NOTE.

Cockroft

LOSS OF DOCUMENT THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF LOSS OF ORIGINAL LAND DOCUMENT OF PLOT NO. 110, 1 (R) 1 ROAD, LUGBE ESTATE ABUJA FCT BELONGING TO MR BENJAMIN JOHN OF NO. E17 WUSE SHOPPING COMPLEX, ZONE 3, WUSE ABUJA. PURCHASED FROM F.H.A ON 2ND NOVEMBER, 2003. ALL EFFORTS MADE TO TRACE THE MISSING DOCUMENT PROVED ABORTIVE, IF FOUND PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST POLICE STATION. LOSS OF DOCUMENT

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC OF THE LOSS OF ORIGINAL COPY OF AKNOWLEDGEMENT BELONGING TO FILE NO. KG 12276, CADASTRAL ZONE B01 PLOT NO . 1299.MRS FOLAKE OWA ALL EFFORTS MADE TO TRACE THE MISSING DOCUMENT PROVED ABORTIVE. IF FOUND, PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST POLICE STATION OR AGIS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO TAKE NOTE. 08033993680

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ORGANISATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF IGALA CULTURE

THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE WELFARE OF RETIRED LOCAL GOVERNMENT STAFF,AKWA IBOM

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED BODY HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1 OF 1990.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. DR. EMMANUEL ALHASSAN 2. NEGEDU UMORU 3. HENRY AGBONIKA

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.ENGR. EMMANUEL DANSON USOROH – CHAIRMAN 2.BARR. IDONGESIT ROBSON UDOH 3.OBONG IMOH HARRY UDOIWEH - SECRETARY 4.MRS SYLVIA ENO GEORGE 5.ELDER ADOLF EFFIONG NKANG 7.COMFORT ANTHONY EKANEM 8.COMRADE ATABONG UDO UBOKUDOM

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. TO UPHOLD THE CORE CULTURAL VALUES OF THE IGALA PEOPLE AND TO IMBIBE THE CULTURE OF RESPECT FOR CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS. 2. TO PROMOTE ONENESS AMONG THE VARIOUS DIALECTS IN IGALA LAND 3. TO TEACH THE YOUNGER GENERATION OF THE IGALA RACE AT IN DIASPORA AND AT HOME THE VALUES OF THE IGALA PEOPLE. 4. TO IMPACT CONTINUOUSLY THE ESSENCE OF CULTURE IN THE IDEAL IGALA WAY OF LIFE IN THE FACE OF THE WIDE SPREAD WESTERN CULTURE. 5. TO ORGANIZE WORKSHOPS, SYMPOSIUMS, SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES THAT WILL PROMOTE THE IGALA CULTURE. 6. TO ORGANIZE AN ANNUAL AWARD CEREMONY TO HONOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF IGALA LAND THAT HAVE STOOD OUT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS OF ENDEAVOUR. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRARGENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.TO FORTER UNITY AND PROGRESS OF ALL RETIREES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICE IN AKWA IBOM STATE. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRARGENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

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THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.ONYENWENU JEMUTE 2.JOSIE ITOYH-SPLEDOR 3.COLLINS ONYENWENU

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.ARCHBISHOP DR.CHRISTIAN OWOMA AGGREY APENA 2.BISHOP JOSHUA BASSEY ONYEKE 3.PRIMATE DR.MOSES AKPONOJA OGBODOGBO 4.ARCHBISHOP DR.VICTOR EJUVWEVWO ARIKORO 5.BISHOP PAUL ASIFIHOR DAVID EBEH

1.TO ASSIST THE LESS PRIVILEGES IN THE SOCIETY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: ONYENWENU JEMUTE

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THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. JOV TERSOO 2. ONOH CHRISTOPHER AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. 2. TO PREACH SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. 3. TO WIN SOULS TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 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

GLOBAL SUCCESS INT’L CHURCH THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED CHURCH HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.EBUKA UDOKAMMA - PRESIDENT 2.SIS.RUTH UDOKAMMA – SECRETARY 3.IBEKWUTE EMEKA AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. 2. TO ESTABLISH CHURCHES WORLDWIDE. 3. TO WIN SOULS INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR.LAWANI KAYODE 08095336644

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THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. DR. MESHAK DANIEL JATAU 2. MR. ZENDI LAZARUS MIKUK 3. BISHOP BENJAMIN ARGAKKWASHI 4. MS. NAKRIS ELAINE KWARDEM 5. MR. NIYANG MICHAEL PANKYES 6. MR. JIM PAM WAYAS 7. MR. ALEX LADAN 8. DR. FABONG JEMCHANG YILDAM 9. MR. SOLOMON KWAKFUT

- CHAIRMAN - SECRETARY

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM WHERE PLATEAU YOUTHS CAN ACTUALIZE THEIR POTENTIALS. 2. TO UNDERTAKE CHARITABLE COURSES WITH THE VIEW TO ASSUAGING THE PLIGHT OF THE NEEDY. 3. TO ENCOURAGE YOUTHFUL PARTICIPATION IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ACTIVITIES AT LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL AND GLOBAL SCALES. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRARGENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: B.Y. ATSEN; 08066070855

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THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. REV. PROPHET OKETA JONES OCHE 2. OLUCHI JONES OCHE 3. HONOURABLE ADAH EJIGA THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 2. TO WIN SOULS, HEALING, DELIVERANCE, REDEMPTION, MIRACLES, TEACHING FAMILIES LOVE AND BLESSING WORLDWIDE. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

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THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PASTOR ONOSIKE CHINEDU EMMANUEL. GENERAL OVERSEER 2. BRO. LUCKY NDUKWE ASST PASTOR 3. BRO JAMES CHIBUIKE ELECHI 3. SIS. PEACE EMMANUEL 4.SIS. PROMISE SUNDAY 5. BRO SUNDAY GABRIEL 6. BRO UCHE SUNDAY 7.INOH ENO MICHAEL 8. ADAKU OLUOH 9.SIS. QUEEN OLUOH THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: I. TO PROPAGATE THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 2. TO WIN SONLS FOR CHRIST. 3. TO EPUIP THE SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF GOD. 4. TO TEACH BIBLICAL STANDARDS TO 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: BARR CHUKWUNONSO AKAH ESQ 08O34477292

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GOODLUCK NIGERIA AGAIN INITIATIVE

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TRUE TOUCH MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL

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

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.AMB. JERRY UGOKWE 2.ENGR. JIDE ADENIJI 3.ENGR. NUMOIPRE WILLS

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.AMB. JERRY UGOKWE 2.AMB. FIDELIS AYOGU

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.REV. DADDY DABIPI SUN IBULUBO 2.DR. ORJI AMALO NDU 3.MR. EDWARD AGBAI PERERE BIDA 4.REV. POTTER ADIKI 5.MRS. ATI-MAKPAH VICTORIA

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THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1.TO CARTER FOR THE INTEREST OF THE NIGERIA’S FORMER AMBASSADORS. 2.TO FINANCIALLY ASSIST THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY. 3.TO EMPOWER WOMEN,YOUTH,CHILDREN AND THE LESS PRIVILEGED THROUGH SKILLS ACQUISITION PROGRAM FOR SELF RELIANCE. 4.TO EMBARK ON ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY CAMPAIGNS AND PROMOTE HEALTHY LIVING LIFESTYLE AMONG THE RURAL COMMUNITIES.

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.

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. KEN ELUMA ASOGWA 08030967447

SIGNED: BARR. KEN ELUMA ASOGWA 08030967447

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 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

PAGE 46

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

PUBLIC NOTICE AFRICAN YOUTHS CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

Comment

Nuhu Ribadu, mni “How long shall they kill our prophets, While we stand aside and look.”

Bob Marley Song.

BY DR HAKEEM BABA AHMED

I

t is not easy finding anything new or profound to say over the defection of Malam Nuhu Ribadu from the APC to the PDP in search of a governorship position of his state, Adamawa. I know how deeply personal that decision has been for him. As someone I closely observed and admired for fighting many odds to remain consistent and loyal to values that were very dear to him, I know some of the more scathing criticisms cannot fail to hurt him. But he has been an opposition politician since his return from exile, so he knows better than to wear thin skins to battles.

The most charitable of his critics say a good rider chose a poor horse in an important race. Such is the uniqueness of Nuhu in the political firmament, it will be unfair of him to expect anyone to cut him an inch of slack. He will, for the next few months, have to swim in waters with crocks and sharks, shepherded by bigger fish who may be preserving him for dinner. His singular motivation for this ground- breaking action will be tough to achieve, but not impossible. The big question is whether, win or lose, Nuhu will ever be the same man after October.

Many will ask if it really matters to Nuhu anymore.

Some people have said there has never really been the same, one Nuhu Ribadu. They point to his remarkable achievements in the fight against corruption, much of it sending many of his current compatriots in the PDP to courts or prisons, or getting them to disgorge massive amounts of stolen wealth.

Then they point at the cynical manipulation of the Nuhu Ribadu/ EFCC franchise by Obasanjo, and blame Nuhu for unpardonable naivety, or active collaboration, in the deployment of the awesome powers of the EFCC in pruning political enemies of Obasanjo. Many political careers were torpedoed by Nuhu’s list, including many in the opposition. Nuhu’s list helped the Yar’Adua/Jonathan ticket fly against Odili’s billions and other contenders who could have survived closer scrutiny and done better for the nation. Nuhu’s list placed prominent politicians such as Tinubu on the public’s bad guys list, and reinforced earlier reports of massive corruption against mostly PDP governors.

Without being tested in a judicial context, Nuhu’s list helped Obasanjo exercise life-and-death stranglehold over post-2007 developments.

No Nigerian had made as many powerful and wealthy enemies as Nuhu. The long list included Vice President Atiku Abubakar, governors and prominent businessmen. Most succeeded in stalling the process of concluding investigations and prosecutions which left Nuhu exposed to backlash and revenge from people who wielded frightening

Malam Nuhu Ribadu powers. The world and millions of Nigerians who saw in him a glimmer of hope could not protect him when corruption fought back.

The new leadership he unwittingly facilitated to power felt uncomfortable with a man who knew too much and who stepped on toes that had grown even bigger.

The Yar’Adua/Jonathan leadership soon turned on him, hounding him out of office, out of his new rank, out of a NIPPS graduating ceremony and eventually out of the country into exile. His record was smeared and rubbished in his absence. He fought gallantly from exile, but it was obvious that too much of the EFCC zeal and cutting edge was the person of Nuhu. Many of the people he investigated and accused are more powerful today, and some are directly involved in the fight to get him to become governor.

The same people who sent him into exile attempted to make some political capital out of him by allowing him back. The Jonathan administration wanted to look good in the rule of law department and it

thought welcoming Nuhu Ribadu and Malam Nasir el-Rufai back will earn it a few browie points, or perhaps, even more naively, a couple of high profile new recruits. President Jonathan miscalculated. They both went straight to the opposition, becoming some of his worst critics.

Nuhu was convinced to run against President Jonathan and General Buhari on the platform of the ACN, a personal outfit of Tinubu, a man whose corruption Nuhu may have forgotten he had described using a few choice words. ACN fielded Nuhu, then its leaders promptly turned and instructed its multitudes not to vote for him, but for Jonathan. Nuhu’s profile earned one additional entry: a former presidential contender.

With the merger of ACN, CPC and ANPP, Nuhu became a smaller fish in a larger pond. He had the potential to become bigger, but the pond had massive sharks who determined who ate and who starved. Everyone tip-toed around them, carefully concealing personal ambitions and waiting for the slightest signs that they had any

“

future in a merger that promised a lot, but leaked very badly. The bottom appeared to fall out when the desire to oust Jonathan in 2015 was identified as an absolute priority, but strategic mistakes were being made.

The floodgates were opened to PDP’s legion of disgruntled to move into a party that promised to be everything the PDP was not. They did, and were handed over large chunks of the party to do as they wished. Massive territory of the APC were taken over by former PDP bigwigs, and in the specific case of Nuhu, they included the liability inherent in impeached governor Murtala Nyako. Prominent APC founders and members who complained were told to go and sit down. PDP money and members took over and built new structures within APC. APC leaders began to leave in droves, which suited the new defectors from the PDP. Nyako obliterated the APC he met in Adamawa, without putting anything in its place, because he lacked anything to put back.

Then PDP goes and impeaches Nyako, and a whole new vista was opened in Adamawa politics. The people who convinced Nuhu to dump his party and move to PDP must have used very powerful arguments: he, more than anyone else, is qualified to pull his state out of its dangerous levels of despair. He cannot become a governor unless he runs on a PDP ticket, because his party, APC, is either incapable or unwilling to give him the ticket. Atiku, the only game in town will rather die politically than give Nuhu the APC ticket. Every trace of APC has been wiped off through defections after Nyako was impeached. Without money of his own, and even less of a structure, he cannot re-invent APC in a few weeks and win on its platform. They must have assured him that the presidency

The same people who sent him into exile attempted to make some political capital out of him by allowing him back. The Jonathan administration wanted to look good in the rule of law department and it thought welcoming Nuhu Ribadu and Malam Nasir el-Rufai back will earn it a few browie points, or perhaps, even more naively, a couple of high profile new recruits.

President Jonathan miscalculated.

will blast his way through massive resistance from old Adamawa PDP warhorses and newly-defecteds who left the APC for Nyako. Perhaps they made the case that his own party had elevated defections to an art form, evidence of which is that Atiku, Nuhu, Saraki, Sylva, Amaechi and Kwankwaso are now roommates; and Shekarau, Bafarawa, Sheriff, Marwa and Belgore are now Saulmates.

Perhaps someone had reminded him that Nigerian politics has no room for principles, ideologies or values, only powerful people. They may have assured him of the existence of a warchest to treat local injuries, and massive resources to create a local presence to mitigate the limitations of an Abuja politician.

Whatever it was they told him, it worked. Or, to be fair to Nuhu, he accepted to engage in the biggest gamble of his political life.

He has been told that he has done incalculable damage to his image and standing as a principled politician in the eyes of millions particularly younger Nigerians; that he is today just another politician whose respect for party loyalty is zero. He is trading this off against scary intangibles: that he will scale all the odds and win; that he will so dramatically transform the fortunes of Adamawa State in such a short time that all will be forgiven; that the PDP will trust a man who was its enemy yesterday not to turn his back on it once he gets to power on its back; that the crises that will attend his attempt to get the ticket will not bring the whole PDP house down in Adamawa; that he would bring to an end the awesome powers of Atiku in Adamawa and in APC. For now, Nuhu has made his choice. Few will grant him the concession that he means no harm to his former party, his fellow rivals, or the democratic process. He is likely to be reminded that he may soon share a plate with one of the administration’s multi-tasking muscles, Steve Oransaye who attempted to rubbish the work he did in the fuel subsidy probe panel.

He will have to mount the podium a few months from now to appeal to the people of Adamawa to vote for President Jonathan in 2015. He will need to convince many sceptics that he will not become the reincarnation of Nyako, a politician who knows that his ambitions were made real in Abuja, not Adamawa. Above all, Nuhu should worry that he does not become part of a history that will record that his party the PDP is so desperate to put him in power that it has to violate every rule known to the party and the electoral process.

www.peoplesdailyng.com

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2014

SPORTS LATEST

Man United signs Di Maria for a record £59.7m

M

anchester United have signed winger Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid for a British record transfer fee of £59.7m.

The Argentine winger had a medical in Manchester yesterday and has signed a five-year deal.

Di Maria - described as “world-class” by United boss Louis van Gaal - is likely to make his debut on Saturday against Burnley in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old said United were “the only club that I would have left Real Madrid for”.

The fee eclipses the £50m Chelsea paid Liverpool for striker Fernando Torres in 2011.

Ethiopia, Kenya,Ghana bid to host 2017 Africa Cup of Nations

E

thiopia, Kenya and Ghana have announced their interest in bidding to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations following Libya’s withdrawal as the host nation.

Libya pulled out last week because of ongoing fighting in the country that has delayed plans to build new stadiums for the 16-team tournament.

Ethiopia, who hosted the tournament in 1962, 1968 and 1976, say they will submit their proposal immediately.

Ethiopia Football Federation president Junedin Basha said “We already have two ready venues, the Addis Ababa and the Bahir Dar stadiums, and the construction of the other venues has also reached to a good level.

“Our government is ready and interested to do everything it can to bring the tournament back to Ethiopia.”

Kenya said in a statement that they are also considering a joint bid with Tanzania or Uganda or Rwanda.

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QUOTABLE QUOTE Let me say here that if the current efforts at tackling the disease are sustained, we should be able to defeat Ebola on or before September 6, 2014. But, that is not say the threat of reappearance will no longer be there.

– Prof. Abdulsalami Nasidi, Project Director, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

South-South’s dream, a nation’s nightmare

T

he story of the National Conference is like the parable of the sick fish which tried to swallow a by far healthier one. The outcome is foreknown. But lessons, by both sides, must be learnt.

There are a dozen plus reasons why the national will triumphed over sectional, narrow selfish interest and the North saved the Presidential hammer but I am doubtful if the editor will give me enough space to say them all. It suffices to say, for an opening shot that this country has lived true to its living history, which is that no ruler, from independence to date who sets out to change the national will has succeeded, so long as the motive is malicious.

The most successful of these conferences, the one by General Murtala Mohammed went so far because the late Military ruler didn’t set out saying “I can change the national will.” He had national interest in mind.

It was equally helped by the fact that the timing of his conference was right.

In the case of the present government, they embarked upon the so-called national conference with an open bias, starting with deliberate imbalances in representation in religion, ethnicity and region.

There was a manifest ill-motive against the North and more so the Muslim section of the region.

As rightly pointed out by many, the North was targeted notably through the outright subversion of its real-time majority.This notwithstanding, the North resolved an important question early on, which is to attend the conference, and to not walkout under all circumstances in order

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Wednesday Column Garba Shehu garshehu@yahoo.co.in

not to confirm pre-conceived notions of fear on the part of its people against dialogue and negotiation.

Without a prepared position and set agenda, the North entered the Conference with a broken leg. Without malice aforethought, its delegates presented themselves wielding neither creed nor script. Unlike the others, they were merely absorptive and defensive as they carried on in the roll-back mode throughout. There was no creative paradigm from Arewa.

But this was later to prove to be an advantage because, it meant that delegates were free to reason, use commonsense, logic and fair-dealing as their instruments of engagement.

The South-South, strongly backed by the South-East, the South-West and breakaway factions from the North Central, had, on the other hand, come with strong assumptions about themselves, grievances and a sense of entitlement. They came with demands so exaggerated that they astounded even their more reasonable supporters in the other regions. If this was a ploy for negotiation, it was one that backfired and achieved nothing. They forgot decorum and isolated the North for

insults, in their belief that the region stood in their way of getting what they wanted. They carried about with a sense that their own was in power and they could afford anything and anybody and not a few from the North caved in to this.

The obstacle they had, doing whatever they wanted was that this Conference was different from political party horsetrading and so money exchange could not work, and did not work.

In line with the ill-motive of the convener, procedures were themselves titled against the object of attack and listening to conference delegates speak on this, it is amazing that the Conference Chair displayed a relentless contempt throughout, against people who thought they had everything in common with him. At one meeting called to resolve the knotty issue of rigged procedure and of hidden agenda, the former Chief Justice of the Federation reportedly told Northern delegates to feel free to walkout; “you are a minority”, he reportedly said.

His countenance however changed when he met the other half of the country. Without Professor Akinyemi’s diplomacy

The South-South, strongly backed by the South-East, the South-West and breakaway factions from the North Central, had, on the other hand, come with strong assumptions about themselves, grievances and a sense of entitlement. They came with demands so exaggerated that they astounded even their more reasonable supporters in the other regions. If this was a ploy for negotiation, it was one that backfired and achieved nothing. They forgot decorum and isolated the North for insults, in their belief that the region stood in their way of getting what they wanted.

and intellect, even though he too had a huge blemish of his own for projecting himself as the Jonathanian constitution horsetrader, the Conference will have crashed on Kutigi’s persona, which many delegates believe is much overrated.

But of all the things that worked against the design to rubbish the national will and smash up the North, was the Delta delegates’ lack of diplomacy; their exaggerated sense of entitlement; the discourtesy and sometimes rude remarks, which unexpectedly, garnered sympathy for the North even among many of South’s delegates, many of whom became apprehensive of the South-South’s tackles. Event the government’s hand-picked delegates were reluctant to go as far with the President’s men for the fear of being tagged as lackeys and fifth columnists.

In addition, most delegates appeared unprepared to give credence to the assumption that Nigeria was on the brink, and no one, certainly will like to be on record as the precursor of the country’s break up.

I did mention the fact of the wrong timing of the conference earlier. Coming against the backdrop of the imminent election, in 2015, all were conscious of the fear of causing its disruption, much as this was evidently the wish of some of the delegates fronting for the President. The negative effect of this was that every issue raised and discussed was viewed against two things – the interest of the President and the election in which he will stand as a candidate. This underlying reason was why the subterranean effort to turn the National Conference into a Constitutional Conference also failed.

In the end, it was clear that the nation triumphed because of one, the over-riding commitment to national interest by the majority of delegates, as well as for the realization albeit belatedly, on the part of some of the regions that their overarching business, commercial and other economic interests stood to be derogated upon if the Conference succumbed to the aggregate of issues tendered by oil-bearing (not oil-producing) states, that wanted derivation, not as a cut but the whole beef.

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