Peoples Daily, Tuesday September 27, 2016. Edition.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2016/Zul-Hajji 25, 1437 AH

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Vol. 23 No. 112 N150

Kano: Court bans Kwankwassiya inscription on public buildings page 3

We have resources to survive recession-Buhari page 5

lAs AfDB supports 2016 budget with $1bn

• L-R: Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dalapo Osinbajo; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Indian Vice President, Mohammad Hamid Ansari and his wife, Salma Ansari, during the Ansaris arrival, yesteday in Abuja on two-day official visit to Nigeria.

Photo: State House

Senate orders FCT minister to slaughter stray cows

Dangote’s $17bn refinery investment will create 300, 000 jobs - Official pAGE 2

Dogara insists budget processes must be reviewed pAGE 2

pAGE

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Tinubu’s call for Oyegun’s resignation vindicates me - APC spokesperson >> pg 3

pAGE 15

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

News

CONTENTS News 2-10 Editorial 11 Op.Ed 12 Letters 13 Politics 15-18 Business Stockwatch

Senate C’ttee orders FCT Minister to slaughter stray

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday gave a matching order to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Bello, to slaughter any cow seen loitering within the federal capital city and impose a fifty thousand naira fine on each of the cow on the cow owners.

The committee members

expressed concerns over the continued movement of Cows in the city centre despite several warnings by the Federal Capital Territory authorities.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Dino Melaye, who gave this directive to the Minister when he appeared before the Committee, said: “Honourable Minister, Senate as an institution is not happy at how

Fulani Herdsmen continue to move their cows across the city centre, which we are aware you have given directive against that some time ago. “ “From now, get knives and ask your men to slaughter cows found in the capital city or prosecute herdsmen seen with cows in the city centre with a fine of N50,000 per cow. This order must be carried out”.

He expressed disappointment at the manner Fulani herdsmen defies

19-22 23

S/Report

24-25

Defence

27

Agriculture

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•L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Sen. John Enoh; Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Sen. Shehu Sani; Gov Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state; Speaker, House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara; and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremmadu, during the unveling of order paper on a conversation on Reforming Budgetry Process in Nigeria themed: Wxecutive-legislature relationship in the change era, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mamud Isa

order that they should not move their cows in the capital city, insisting that the Minister must carry out Senate’s position on that.

He also regretted that the Senate was in receipt of complaints that some residents of the territory were converting their apartments into hotels and brothels, a situation he said was distorting original master plan of the city.

He noted that some people were already undermining FCT authority under his watch which he said was unacceptable.

Meanwhile, FCT officials and Nigeria Military who appeared before the Committee on FCT declined hearing over unconstitutional acquisition of 238 hectare of land situated at Maitama extension.

In response to the Committee demand that the said plot was being investigated based on petitions it received from the public that Nigeria Military had chased away FCDA contractors who were working on infrastructure earlier in the months, the minister pleaded that FCDA be allowed to discuss with those concerned, believing they would revert to the Senate.

Major General Pat Ake, who appeared on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, corroborated that Nigeria Military was capable of resolving the impasse with FCDA, maintaining that they were ready to comply with the outcome.

2017 budget: Dogara vows to reform budget process Trial in N8bn CBN scam stalled Page 4

Metro 31-33 Money Sense 34 International 35 Strange World 39 Digest 40 Sports 41 Columnist 48

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By Umar Muhammad Puma and Ikechukwu Okaforadi

S

peaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said the National Assembly will make a holistic reform in the budgeting process of the country starting with the 2017 Appropriation Bill.

This is even as he argued that the Section 80, particularly 80(2); 80(3) and 80(4) of the 1999 Constitution, including: Sections 4, 59, 80-82, clearly empower the legislature to alter the Appropriation Bill sent to it by the Presidency, noting that it never envisaged the lawmakers to only vet the budget estimates by the executive and pass them.

Dogara, who made these assertions while speaking during a conversation on reforming the budgetary process in Nigeria, which was organised by the OrderPaper.ng; an online newspaper, lamented that since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democratic rule, national budgets have failed to yield satisfactory result.

He stated that the entire budget process must undergo a reform to make it more effective and impactful on the lives of the Nigerian people.

Specifically, Dogara said a critical look should be taken at the operation of Financial Year to ensure that its 12 month period is fully completed before another budget implementation begins.

This is just as he added that there must also be a conscious effort to complete ongoing projects before new ones are introduced in order to stop wasteful spending.

Speaking directly to Section 318 of the Constitution, he noted that “a

…Says constitution empowers NASS to alter budget situation where an approved budget is not allowed to operate for 12 months is constitutionally unacceptable.

This is the main reason for failure of budget implementation every year and the cause of abandoned projects that litter the Nigerian landscape.

“When projects are not completed, the nation is terribly shortchanged as the money and effort invested in it is lost. In this regard, we must institute a compulsory mechanism that rolls over major projects that is not completed in one budget year into the following years budget. The current practice of not including on-going projects in the following year’s budget is a huge waste of resources”.

“Those who contend that the National Assembly cannot increase the budget but can only reduce it are trying to import the British parliamentary law into a presidential system of government. In the British parliamentary system, the Crown has prerogative over money supply and the legislature is specifically prohibited from increasing the budget.

“It should be noted that the critical difference is that Parliament under a parliamentary system includes all the Ministers unlike the presidential system where the Ministers are not part of the National Assembly. It is therefore the decision of the Executive that carries the day in Parliament as the Ministers are also leaders of Parliament. This position is therefore justified on the basis of separation of powers which is inherent in a Presidential democracy as practiced in Nigeria. In addition,

if the Constitution intended that the National Assembly should not have power to increase a budget item it should have said so,” the speaker said.

He also explained, “Nigeria’s budgeting system is closer to the model practiced in the United States of America, where Congress has authority to alter, increase, reduce or indeed introduce new budget items.

Article 1, Section 9 of the United States Constitution provides that: “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of Appropriations made by law”.

“This provision is similar to Section 80 of the Nigerian Constitution. The principles disclosed are that First, All monies are paid into the USA Treasury and in the case of Nigeria, all Funds are paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund or other Public Funds of the Federation. Secondly, No money can be withdrawn from the Treasury of the United States of America except through Appropriation. In Nigeria, any withdrawal from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or other Public Funds of the Federation can only be made in pursuance of authorisation of the National Assembly.”

Also speaking on the budgetary process, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, said that the National Assembly would henceforth subject Appropriation Bill to Public Hearing for robust budgetary processes.

He said that subjecting appropriation bill to public hearing would enable the National Assembly

to do a thorough job on the bill.

“On the issue of Public Hearing, there was a statistics on the rating of budgetary processes of different countries at a workshop in 2012.

“Nigeria was one of the least rated and the reason is that we are one of the few countries that do not subject budget to public hearing.

“What usually happens is that members of the committees and their chairmen invite the MDAs to come and defend their budgets but that does not amount to public hearing.

“If we have enough time to allow members of the public to make their contributions, National Assembly will also have time to interrogate the appropriation bill properly,’’ he said.

He called for a constitutional amendment that would enable the executive to present appropriation bill early enough to allow for adequate time for interrogation and passage.

“It is important to create a timeframe for the executive to bring the budget early and for the National Assembly to pass it as early as possible.

“The correct thing to do is to create the time frame under the constitution when the budget must be presented.

“We conduct public hearing on less important bills so there is reason why the appropriation bill with its importance should not be subjected to public hearing.

“If there is any bill that requires public hearing, it is appropriation bill but because it does not come on time we find it difficult to subject it to public hearing.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

News

Ag News Editor Ese Awhotu

Court bans Kwankwassiya inscription on public buildings in Kano From Edwin Olofu,Kano

A

Kano High Court Presided over by Justice Lawan Wada, has granted an injunction restraining the use of Kwankwassiya’s inscriptions on Public buildings in the state.

Abdullahi Maraya Barkum, Hamisu Danwawu and Hassan Sani Indabawa who are the Plaintiffs had last two years slammed a case against former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in the State High

Court challenging him to erase Kwankwassiya’s name on public buildings.

According to the write of summons, the Plaintiffs joined the former governor Kwankwaso, his Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and the State government as defendants, saying the law of the land prevents anybody from using public funds to discriminate and promote personal ego of an individual against the collective interest of public.

However in the judgement delivered by Justice Lawan Wada, ruled that all public projects executed or being executed by the 1st and 3rd are done with public funds available to the 3rd defendants on behalf of all the people and persons of Kano State.

He granted perpetual injunction that using public funds to promote personal ego of any individual or private groups in any form is illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional.

The judge further granted an order of mandatory injunction compelling the defendants to remove the inscription of Kwankwasiyya on all public properties in Kano State forthwith.

Justice Wada also granted injunction restraining the defendants from further inscribing the name Kwankwassiya on all public properties in Kano State or where ever they may be grooved or inscribed.

• L-R: President, African Development Bank (adb), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina; Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during a courtesy call on the Vice President by adb executive at the presidential villa, yesteday in Abuja.

Photo: State House

Budget padding:

Jibril shuns ethics committee

By Umar Muhammad Puma

T

he former House chairman committee on appropriations, Rep Abdulmumin Jibrin, has declined to appear before the committee on ethics and priveleges, following the decision of the House of Representatives on Wednesday to investigate the allegations on breach of privileges and misconduct.

Jibrin had at various instances expressed his distrust for the Committee saying the Chairman of the Committee and other members especially Herman Hembe were interested parties and hence he will not get justice.

However the committee chairman, Rep Nicholas Ossai (PDP Delta), said he received a letter from Jibrin which gave conditions for his appearance.

His words: “he ( Jibrin)

said ‘I will appear under the condition that the proceeding will be public, with assess given to both print and electronic media, civil society organization, non governmental organisation, Nigerian Labour Congress, Nigeria Bar Association, Academic Staff Union of University, National Association of Nigerian Students and the general public.

“You can see from day one that this committee has been public. As of last week,Mae made the committee open to all the media houses, human rights Organisation and others.”

The committee thereafter adjourned for 30 minutes to see if Jibrin will eventually change his mind and appear before it.

After the session resumed, Ossai said Jibrin had been given sufficient time to appear and make his case. He affirmed from the committee clerk if he called

Jibrin to let him know that the Ethics and Privileges Committee was waiting for him to come and make his presentation.

The clerk said he called Jibrin, the phone rang, but he did not pick. He said he sent a text but received no response.

He said consequently went to the office which was locked.

Also invited to the hearing was Channels Television and African Independent Television (AIT) but AIT did not appear.

Channels Televison represented by Yemisi Ikpaye was summoned earlier on Friday to clarify videos of interviews held with Hon. Jibrin on its programme “politics today”.

After the clarification by Channels Television Representative, the committe again adjourned the meeting for thirty minutes to give Abdulmumin Jibrin the privilege to appear.

After the members reconveyed,the chairman said Jibrin’s decision not to appear is a defence on its own, most especially in the letter he wrote indicating he will not appear.

Ossai further explained that the committee provided a platform crucial in guaranteeing fair hearing during the investigations.

“Based on section 36 of the 1999 constitution, we have given him fair hearing.

“We have exhausted the time and other material needs since last week to ensure there was fair hearing. If anything will make me to be biased, I will step aside for my deputy to continue, that is good enough to assuage anybody to appear,’’ Ossai said.

The commitee therefor resolved to adjourn the meeting indefinetly and to submit the report to the floor of the House.

Nigeria: Religion hindering family planning

A

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oladosu Ojengbede, says religious connotation and cultural issues are hindering effective implementation of Family Planning (FP) in Nigeria.

He spoke at an event commemorating the World Contraception Day organised by an NGO, Development Communications Network (DEVCOM) on Monday in Lagos.

NAN reports that the World Contraception Day (WCD) takes place on every Sept. 26.

The annual global campaign centres around a vision where every pregnancy is wanted.

The mission is to improve awareness of contraception and enable women to make informed decisions on their sexual and reproductive rights- in essence plan the timing and spacing of their births.

Ojengbede said, “Religious connotation seems to draw us back and cultural issues such as the men not supporting family planning, community misconceptions about family planning, and religious undertone to family planning.

“Also, the failure to build enough confidence in the people to access quality services needed for family planning.’’

The expert also acknowledged the low uptake of Family Planning methods in Nigeria, saying that the wide knowledge of the methods has not translated to its uptake.

According to him, it should be resolved as a national priority.

Ojengbede recommended that there should be working relationship with the traditionalreligious structures in which the people have confidence, trust and will believe and obey.

“This will help to dispel the myths, misconceptions, traditional and religious biases that people have against the use of contraceptives.

“If we harness their potential, the traditional rulers have a role to play, and we should not think that these traditional and cultural structures will not support family planning.

“We have seen eminent traditional rulers who are talking about family planning. We need to bring them in far more than we have done,” the obstetrician and gynaecologist said.

In her remarks, Mrs Charity Ibeawuchi, the Senior Technical Advisor, Advocacy for Nigeria Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), said the enormity of the current high maternal mortality and morbidity was staggering.

NAN

PAGE 4

News

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Trial in N8bn CBN scam stalled T

rial in the N8bn Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) currency scam experienced a setback today as the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan adjourned hearing till Wednesday.

The trial which commenced since 2015 had experienced a lot of setbacks leading to the transfer of the case to a new Judge in March 2016.

The New Judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmaleek of the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan adjourned the trial based on the prayers by the defence counsel following the plea bargaining arrangement entered into by the fourth accused person, Oni Ademola.

The other accused persons facing trial include Kolawole Babalola, Olaniran Adeola and Togun Philip.

“I shall give the opportunity to know the content of the plea bargain and whether it affects their case.

“It is my own view that the issue of plea bargaining is solely an affair of the fourth defendant and the prosecution.

“Let me also state that the issue of plea bargaining cannot stall further examination and cross examination of the accused persons,” Abdulmaleek said.

The case slated for trial was stalled by Adebisi Adeniyi, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes’ Commission

(EFCC).

Adeniyi told the court that Y.A. Ruba, counsel to the fourth accused person, Ademola, had entered into a plea bargaining arrangement with the commission.

He further stated that the arrangement had reached 95

per cent completion stage, adding that every process would be completed before the next adjourned date.

However, all the defence counsel opposed the continuation of Monday’s sitting, saying they needed to have knowledge of the

content of the plea bargaining arrangement.

They expressed the fear that the arrangement might affect their own cases.

The four accused persons are standing trial over an alleged N8 billion CBN currency scam.

They are being accused of

multiple charges bordering on conspiracy, stealing and recycling of mutilated naira notes totalling N8 billion at the Ibadan office of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The defence counsel included Olalekan Ojo, Olayinka Bolanle, and Adewole Olajire. (NAN)

• L-R: Chairman of Lagos State House of Assembly’s Committee on Education, Mr Olarenwaju Ogunyemi; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Adebule; wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle

ACF: Recession can’t be fully addressed through assets sales

T

he Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), on Monday urged the Federal Government to drop the plan to sell-off major national assets to tackle the nation’s economic recession.

The ACF said in a statement issued in Kaduna by Muhammad Ibrahim, its National Publicity Secretary, that selling strategic, viable national assets to take the economy out of recession was inappropriate.

ACF also condemned the call by some prominent politicians and businessmen on the Federal Government to consider selling the national assets to get the country out of recession.

“Past privatisation exercise did not yield the desired result in terms of judicious use of proceeds by the government or management practices of the assets by the new owners.

“ACF considers it unwise for the Federal Government to contemplate selling off major national assets like the Oil refineries, Federal Airports, NLNG. “They can be used as security against needed funds to boost the economy. “ According to the forum, the

amount to be realised is not worth the exercise, adding that the recession is temporary.

ACF noted that national assets; including the Nigeria Airways, National Shipping Line, Ajaokuta Steel Company, NITEL, NEPA, sold to selected Nigerians and their foreign collaborators had not added value to the economy.

It added that most of the sold assets ended up comatose, adding that “the ones that survived, their service delivery cannot be said to be better.”

The ACF said the government should consider the advice of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the commission had said that “Nigeria’s assets like the NLNG and other strategic national resources should not be sold to meet short term financial obligation. “ ACF suggested that unnecessary allowances of public officers and overhead cost that formed over 40 per cent of the annual national budget should be converted to capital allocation to boost the economy.

“This is the time for national sacrifice in order to bequeath

an enduring legacy to the next generation. Positive change usually comes with painful necessary sacrifice.

“ACF, however, supports some of the measures proposed by the National Economic Council but seriously objects to the selling of

strategic national assets just to get out of a temporary economic recession.

“ACF calls upon our prominent businessmen and women to invest their resources in the oil and gas industry, building of airports that will compete favourably with the

public ones.

“This will equally boost the economy through employment and infrastructure development. ‘’Let us put on our thinking cap and do the needful, rather than taking short term measures,“ ACF added in the statement.

Umana Okon, Ikeazor 11 others head FG agencies

C

hief Umana Okon Umana and Sharon Ikeazor were among the 13 persons approved by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday to run Federal Government agencies.

Umana Okon was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State in the 2015 election. He was also for several years the secretary to the Akwa Ibom state government.

Ikeazor, University of Benin alumnae, was a legal officer of the party.

Mr Bolaji Adebiyi, the Director of Press in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) announced the appointments in a statement in Abuja today.

Umana Okon Umana will head the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority as managing director, while Sharon Ikeazor will be the CEO of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate.

Others appointed are Mr Joseph Ari, Director-General, Industrial Training Fund; Dr Isa Ibrahim, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, and Mr Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Monitoring Board.

Mr Aboloma Anthony will be Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria; Mr Mamman Amadu, Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Princess Akodundo Gloria, National

Coordinator, New Partnership for Africa’s Development; Alhaji Ahmed Bobboi, Executive Secretary, Petroleum Equalization Fund, Sa’adiya Faruq, Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons; and Usman Abubakar, Chairman, Nigeria Railway Corporation.

Also appointed are Dr Bello Gusau, Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund; and Yewande Sadiku, Executive Secretary, National Investment Promotion Commission.

It is expected that President Buhari will also this week constitute some of the boards of Federal agencies.

PAGE 5

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

News

We have resources to survive recession-Buhari

By Lawrence Olaoye

•… As AfDB supports 2016 budget deficit with $1bn

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has assured that the country has in abundance both human and material resources to survive its current economic recession.

Buhari’s assurance is coming as the African Development Bank (AfDB) has offered to support Nigeria with the sum of $1 billion to help it address it’s N2.2 trillion deficit in the 2016 budget at the rate of 1.2 per cent.

The deficit in the N6.06 trillion budget characterised by expansive fiscal spending aimed at reflating the economy is about 2.41 per cent of the Gross Domestic (GDP) and is within the three per cent threshold prescribed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

Buhari, in a statement made available to newsmen by his Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina after a closed door meeting with the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) at the Presidential Villa yesterday said: “God has given us people and resources. It will take hard work on our part, but we will make it.

We will get out of our problems.

We are determined to produce what we eat, and stop importation.

We will also chase those who stole, and get them to refund.”

The President said the country appreciated helping hands being lent by the ADB, assuring Nigerian-born Adesina, who was the immediate past Minister of Agriculture, that “we will not let you down. Your country won’t disappoint you.”

Adesina appreciated President Buhari for the support the country gave when he ran for ADB presidency, thus making him the first Nigerian to occupy such position since the bank was established in 1964.

He also lauded the Nigerian President for successes recorded in securing the country, particularly in the North East, noting that “there can be no development without adequate security.”

The ADB boss described recent economic decisions taken in the country as “bold, tough, uncomfortable, but right,” adding that Nigeria would reap the dividends in the short and long run.

“You can count on the ADB as a true friend of Nigeria. You should support massive investment in infrastructure, and we are here to also support. Closing the infrastructure deficit will enable growth, and create employment.

Nigeria is too big to fail,” Adesina said.

The ADB President unfolded the packages his institution has for Nigeria, which include; $1 billion of budget support, $300 million to create jobs for 185,000 youths, $250 million towards North East

• L-R: Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Eric Mayaraz; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Gov Muhammadu Bindow of Adamawa; former head of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubaka and the vice chancellor of Modibbo Adamawa University of Technology (mautech) Yola, Prof. Kyari Mohammed at the opening ceremony of the regional conference on Peace Building and Reconstruction in Chad basin, organized by Mautech in collaboration with the Nigerian army, yesterday in Yola .

Photo: nan

infrastructure development, $1 million grant to deal with challenges of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), $300 million for infrastructure development around Abuja, $200 million for Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to deepen facilities, among others.

Dr Adesina expressed delight with what he called “President Buhari’s push on anti-corruption, and stance on governance,” adding that building institutions was critical. To that end, he said ADB would give a total of $4.8 million as grant for institutional support, with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) getting $2 million, and $1million to Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). “You can always count on my support, and that of the ADB,” he concluded.

AfDB intervention

M

eanwhile, AfDB President, Akinwunmi Adesina disclosed this to State House correspondents after meeting with Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and the Economic Management Team (EMT), on Tuesday at the State House, Abuja.

This is Adesina’s first official visit to the country since he became president of the bank last year.

He said the the bank was going to provide the total sum of $4.1 billion between 2016 and 2017 to Nigeria to fund power, infrastructure, agriculture and the private sector the Small and Medium size Enterprises financing and lending.

Adesina said the bank’s lending portfolio in Nigeria will grow to a

total of $10 billion by 2019.

The AfDB president also clarified that Nigeria is not in debt crisis but only experiencing liquidity challenges.

According to him, the bank, recognising that power is the most important challenge that is driving inflation in the country, would invest in a total of 1.400 megawatt of projects this year and 1,387 megawatt of project by 2017 to revamp the energy sector.

Adesina said, “We have a very strong delegation team to meet Vice President and the economic management team, because the bank’s (ADB) largest shareholder is Nigeria.

“It is very important for me to be here and to talk to the Nigerian government about the challenges and opportunities that are in Nigeria. I think the times are difficult there is no doubt about that, but I want to commend the government for being bold in taking the right decisions. I think that the fact that the price of crude oil has gone down is a big challenge because you have 98 per cent external forex revenue coming from the sector. So it has created calibrations, I’m not going to go into the details of all the problems but what is important is that what we going to do about it.

“I’m not here to lecture the Nigerian government I’m here to support very strongly. We have said that we are going to support the Nigerian government with the budget support to be able to deal with some of fiscal imbalance that they have.

“We are looking to consider for an award $1 billion to help to deal with that particular deficit.

In addition to that, there are other

challenges that the economy has which is in terms of diversifying and deepening the level of diversification in critical sectors, so agriculture, solid minerals, manufacturing as well as industrial sector is very important. So the bank is going to provide in total between 2016 and 2017 $4.1 billion to Nigeria in various of power, infrastructure to agriculture and for the private sector, the SMEs financing and lending.

“I expect that our portfolio in Nigeria will not decrease it will actually grow, we expect to invest in Nigeria by 2019 a total of $10 billion.

“So let me just say that the issues that we think are important is the need to further deepen the diversification of the rest of the economy, also to make sure that the macro-economic stability as well as fiscal stability in the country. We have asked for the need for better synergies between the macro policy side and monetary policy side and also the fiscal policy side of the economy.

“And of course, we also recognize that power is perhaps the most important challenge that is driving inflation in the country. So we expect in our portfolio this year to invest a total of 1.400 megawatts of projects to focus on the energy sector and by 2017 we plan to invest in 1,387 megawatt of project for the sector.

“We discussed with Vice President and minister of finance about how to invest in areas of women and youths employment in the country as well as to look for opportunities to support access to finance by supporting the Development Bank of Nigeria

(DBN) with $500 million which will help to provide cheap financing for the real sector that the country wants to grow. We are also providing $100 million to the Bank of Industry (BoI) to be able to lend to small and medium size enterprises. We also want to finance the Bank of Agriculture to reform itself to be able to get more financing.

“So all in all, I want to say that we are not fair weather friends of Nigeria, we are here to provide strong support to the Nigerian government.

“Let me just say that Nigeria is in tough times but Nigeria is not falling apart and when people talk about debt crisis, Nigeria is not in debt crisis. If you look at the fiscal deficit of this country with regard to the GDP, is about three or 3.5 per cent, is still way below the five per cent for the Fiscal Responsibility Act. If you look in terms of the debt to the GDP ratio for Nigeria is 15 per cent.

“So there is no debt crisis in Nigeria, what you have is liquidity problem and we are trying for the country to be able to drive down inflation and to be able to make sure we are working with the government to be able to provide incentives to the private sector.

Because to come out of recession you need more than government, you need the private sector. So incentives are very important. The finance minister talked about whole lot of incentives that they are going to give and we think that is the right way to go.

“Nigeria will come out of this as a better more diversified economy than it went into the recession”.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said the loan is concessioned at 1.2 per cent interest rate and will be used on the critical sector.

She said, “What has been great relief to us in the economic management team is the synergy between what we are trying to do and what the AfDB repositioning under Dr. Adesina is trying to focus on. And most of the sectors, the specific programmes that the bank has are the very areas that we want to focus on the economy.

“And as Dr. Adesina said, we are looking unto them with $1 billion budget support but beyond that there are lot of loans and initiatives around agriculture, job creation for the youths, solid minerals, women empowerment and women’s access to finance, access to finance to the SMEs”.

On the interest rate on the loan she said, “Is concession is way below two per cent, is about 1.2 per cent. We are not over borrowing what we are trying to do is to ensure that this money we are borrowing we use it on the key infrastructure that will drive the economy”.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

PAGE 6

News

Lagos deserves world class sea ports- Ambode From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

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agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday said the State has all it takes to have as many world class Deep Sea Ports as possible, expressing the readiness of his administration to partner with investors to develop the maritime sector.

Governor Ambode, who spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja, when he met with the International Management of Dubai Port (DP) World led by its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said the State is open for real investment, and that government is willing to partner with interest-

ed investors to develop its port.

He said Lagos, being a coastal city, deserved to have its port, and that the decision of DP World to partner with the State in the area of developing a Deep Sea Port and other areas, was cheering and encouraging.

Aside the natural endowments for Lagos, Governor Ambode said the State is also blessed with the market to drive any investment, adding that there are favorable fundamentals for investments.

“I want to thank the management of DP World for their confidence in the Nigerian economy and Lagos economy. As a matter of fact, the decision of the firm is cheering because they are in-

vesting at a time of economic turbulence and this is a further assurance that the country will come out of recession even stronger,” Governor Ambode said.

The Governor also assured that his administration would continue to provide all the resources needed for the investment to thrive, especially in areas of security and infrastructure, as well as other incentives needed for ease of doing business.

Earlier, Sulayem said his team was at Lagos House on a fact finding mission to look at opportunities for investment in logistics and other areas.

He said: “We believe the

economy of Nigeria has a lot of potentials and we believe the economic fundamentals of Lagos are very strong still. We are of a strong opinion that there are opportunities in Lagos and in Nigeria and we believe there are many ways to unlock the opportunities and we believe the fundamentals

We aim at meeting development challenges - Minister

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd) (2nd L), felicitates with a former Governor of old Bendel State, General John Yeri (Rtd) (L), while the Speaker, BYHA, Kombowei Benson (2nd R), and his Deputy, Abraham Ngobere (R), looks on with delight, during the State Thanksgiving Service to mark Nigeria’s 56th Independence, and Bayelsa @ 20, at the Dr. Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, on Sunday in Yenagoa.

are very strong for Nigeria.

“We are looking at opportunities and have received information and we are going to study them to see which part to invest. We have 77 terminals all over the world. We are not just into port management, we also specialize in logistics and many others,” Sulayem said.

he Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani, has said the ministry is being re-focused to meet the challenges of developing the Niger Delta region.

A statement issued by the Director of Press in the Ministry, Mashall Gundu, said the Minister made the disclosure in Calabar, Cross River State, during a courtesy visit on the Executive Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade.

According to the statement, the Minister who was in the state capital for a two day Management and Stakeholders Policy Retreat organised by the Ministry in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, said the issues on the development of the Niger Delta Region on account of fresh challenges even if they seem to be so in approaches may have to be adjusted.

He added that modern challenges have a demand on the ministry to restructure institutional responsibilities to do the needful, hence the need for the retreat.

Usani also said that the courtesy visit was necessitated by the need to let the state government know what the ministry had come to do in the state for support synergy, and collaboration in discharging its duties.

The minister said that President Muhammed Buhari led administration was focused on completion of all on- going

projects in the country, adding that was the reason why new projects were not initiated by the present administration.

He explained that commencement of new projects while old ones had not been completed was a waste of scarce economic resources.

The minister disclosed that the Federal Government had awarded the contract for the coastal rail project, pointing out that Ministry of Power, Works and Housing had commenced the design for the dualisation of Calabar- Uyo- Ikot Ekpene – Aba road and the CalabarIkom-Ogoja road.

The minister said that measure would be taken by the Federal Government on the deplorable conditions of the roads that lead to Cross River State, advising that they should exercise some patience.

In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, represented by his Deputy, Ivara Esu, disclosed that the state government was doing everything to fix the state’s economy; turning it to a tourism haven and security being adequately handled.

The governor observed that Usani Uguru Usani was a seasoned politician and administrator prepared for achievements in life.

He noted that there was no clear identification of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs projects and those of the Niger Delta Development Commission in Cross River State, advising that that identification should be done.

We’ll fulfill our obligations, Buhari assures ECOWAS Bank

By Lawrence Olaoye

the economic downturn caused largely by fallen prices of oil in the resident Muhammadu international market.

According to a statement Buhari has assured that his administration would fulfill made available to newsmen by its financial obligations to the his Special Adviser on media and ECOWAS Bank for Investment publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari and Development (EBID) despite made the declaration yesterday at

P

a meeting with the President of the bank, Mr. Bashir Mamma, at State House.

Buhari said: “We may be limping because of fallen oil prices, but we will fulfill our commitments to the bank. We may have fallen behind, but we will live

up very soon. We will maintain the objectives of setting up the bank, which is to help our less financially endowed neighbours.”

Mamma disclosed that EBID is the financing arm of ECOWAS, which has been there for about 30 years, and was initially set up as a

Fund, “to help less developed West African states, but we now cover all parts of the sub-region.”

He added that EBID set up Ecobank, and has also established an airline, after the national airlines of most member countries collapsed.

PAGE 7

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

News

Police arrest cattle rustler’s 2nd in Command in Zamfara

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

T

he Zamfara state Police Command has announced the arrest of a notorious and occupier of top position in the list of most wanted cattle rustlers by all the security agencies in the state identified as Buba Audu a.k.a Kaladi.

Briefing newsmen on the

achievement at the state Police Command, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adaji Adejo Gabriel described the arrest as long awaiting success even by the Nigerian army and other sister security agencies.

Mr. Gabriel further informed that, the suspect is currently helping the Police by making revelations of credible information, adding that, “The

arrested suspect has confessed that he was a notable party in high ranked position to the dangerous gang that invaded and killed innocent people at Kizara, Burai, Landai, “Yar Galadima, Challin and Bingi villages of different local government areas in the state’’ Other members of the dangerous gang mentioned by the suspect were, Buhari a.k.a

General [Ring Leader], Rabe Sarki, Audu Maikome, Maishage, Kankara, Banzanfare, Alberiya, Turetaca, Kanen Ruwa and among many others who were now at large and trailed while the case is now under investigation’’, Mr. Gabriel stated.

While accosted, the suspect who further confessed his closeness to the ring leader in the command of nasty operations

including cattle rustling, rape and many ungodly activities narrated that, before his arrest, there was misunderstanding between him and the ring leader who accused him of having romance with security agencies towards facilitating the arrest of many members, the situation which according to him led to the seizure of his 300 cows and numerous units of firearms.

Kano govt. urges traditional rulers to participate in healthcare activities From Kano

Mustapha

Adamu,

K

ano State government has urged traditional rulers in the state to actively participate in its healthcare activities.

The state’s commissioner for health, Dr. Kabir Ibrahim Getso made the call at a two-day retreat for emirate council and District Heads on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH2) issues in collaboration with a non governmental organization held in Kaduna State.

In a statement issued to journalists in Kano yesterday, the commissioner who dwelt on the commitments exhibited by the emirate council and the District heads in the fight against polio disease in kano, urged them to sustain the tempo in the interest of accelerated development.

According to the statement, signed by the ministry›s Public Relation Officer, Ismail Garba Gwammaja, the commissioner however reiterated government›s commitment to continue to partner with the traditional instituations in the

state in view of their role in the society especially at the grass root level.

He pointed out that the state government was committed to providing effective and qualitative health care services to its teaming population

despite the economic downturn bedeviling the country.

He also commended the MNCH2 for supporting the programme, describing it as timely and effective.

Speaking at the occasion, the Emir of Kano, Malam

Mohammad Sanusi II, re affirmed the emirate council willingness to complement government›s policies and programmes especially in the health sector considering its significance in the society.

One of the Judges at our lady of perpetual help Catholic Church’s 2016 Cultural Day, Sr Farcas Daniela (R), tasting a native food prepared by St. Augustine Kuchbena, during their cultural day celebration at Gwrimpa in abuja oOn Sunday with her are: other judges and officials of the Church

Traditional ruler assassinated in Benue From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

A

traditional ruler has been assassinated by unknown gunmen yesterday in Vingir, Katsina-Ala local government area of Benue State.

Confirming the incident to Peoples Daily via text message, the State Police Public Relations’ Officer ASP Moses Yamu said the police received report at about 8:30pm that the Tyoor Mbayongo, Chief Awuhe Alev was shot dead by some unknown men in his residence.

Yamu intimated that more police men have been deployed to the area while investigation has already commenced with a view to arresting the perpetrators.

It should be noted that Katsina-Ala has witnessed several robbery incidents as a result of a recent pronouncement by the State government declaring the notorious criminal Terwase Akwaza also known as ‘Ghana’ wanted.

It would also be recalled that some weeks ago, soldiers had invaded Gbise in search of Ghana and when they could not find him, destroyed several of his property including a school.

NGO wants Adamawa probed for sponsoring prayers against FG

By Etuka Sunday

W

orried by the alleged misappropriation of revenue by the Adamawa state government, especially as it concerns engagement of over 100 marabouts from different countries to reportedly pray against the federal government and other prominent indigenes of the state, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Youths Association for Awareness and Social Development (YAASD), has called for the probe of the administration.

Coordinator of the group, Ahmed Hamman, in a petition to the National Security Adviser titled: “Abuse of Office and Wasteful Spending of Adamawa State’s Resources By Funding Expatriate Marabouts (Prayer

Warriors) To Invoke Bad Luck On Federal Government And Some Adamawa Indigenes, was dated September 18, 2016.

It read in part: “We, at the Association, are worried by the way Adamawa state government is handling state finances. We have watched with dismay the way monies meant to better the lots of the people are taken to areas that can be easily diverted.

“We are aware that the bailout fund received by the state government was not spent for the purpose it was intended.

In addition, the government has also taken over N5 billion as loan from commercial banks.”

The group further stated that: “Recall that last year, while giving account of how the bailout fund was spent by the state government, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Abdurrahman

Abba Jimeta, said N200 million was allocated for prayers against the menace of insecurity.

“However, to our chagrin, the state government actually meant business as recent actions by some of its agents, acting for Governor Mohammed Bindow have shown.”

The petition further claimed that: “Presently, over 100 marabouts have been imported by the state governments from far and near. We authoritatively gathered that some of these marabouts were brought from Mali, Morocco, Cameroun and Senegal.

“Despite the outrageous figures, the prayers might be excused if indeed the marabouts were ‘imported’ to truly prayer for peace and prosperity of the state.”

The group said the SGF to use

his good offices to investigate the allegations, adding that: “The action and its motif is direct threat to national security that should be averted as part of the responsibilities of your good office.

“This extravagant expenditure and its motif go contrary to the interest and aspirations of the people as well as the principles of the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari and should therefore be caused to discontinue.”

Copies of the petition were also forwarded to the National Security Adviser (NSA); Director-General, Department of State Security; Inspector-General of Police; Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

PAGE 8

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

News

L-R: Member, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and industry (LCCI) Mr Gabriel Idahosa; Chairman, Mr Sola Oyetayo and Member, Mr Leye Kupoluyi, at a News Conference on the forthcoming 2016 Lagos International Trade Fair, yesterday in Lagos. Photo: Nan

Niger Govt to review laws after 27 years From Yakubu Minna

Mustapha,

T

he Niger state government said it has concluded plans to reform its laws which was last reviewed 27 years ago, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Barrister Nasara Danmalam said this yesterday in Minna.

Danmalam made this known while addressing a one day workshop for senior and management staff of the Ministry of Justice with the theme: ‘Public Sector ReformsStrategies for Development’, said it was sad that Niger state

now ranked 31 among the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory in the review of its laws.

He explained that because of the non reform of the Justice system in the state, adjudication of justice were now being delayed which had led to denial of justice.

“We have to bring our justice system at par with those of other states in the federation. The state cannot continue to depend on and operate obsolete laws”.

As a result, the state and the Australian government have reached an agreement on the reform of the justice system,

adding that as part of the memorandum of understanding entered into, 15 directors in the ministry would soon embark on a trip to Austria for a five week capacity building course on how to reform the justice system of the state.

Danmalam added that the trip would be fully sponsored by the Australian government which had also pledged other assistance to the government to improve its legal system in order to bring it in tune with modern trend.

The Attorney General further revealed that the state government had entered into discussions with the United

States government department of legal services and the World Bank legal department on how to streamline the case processes in the state.

“Very soon the state will have a comprehensive document on its justice system”, he declared insisting that like most other states in the country the state would also have its own prosecution manual policy.

Danmalam said the Ministry now has its own website which has made it possible for state counsels and private legal practitioners in the state to have access to current legal decisions and developments.

New harvests cut down prices in Bauchi Markets From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

T

he newly harvested farm produce in Bauchi has cut down prices of food in various markets across the state.

Survey carried out by our correspondent in some markets in the state revealed that the prices of some grains had drastically reduced but rice, still in high demand, was still costly.

Foods Stuff dealers said this season bumper harvest in the country has forced the price of all sorts of grains and tubers of yam down in the market, making it more affordable to the public.

A cross section of the dealers who made the observation during a market survey conducted by our correspondent yesterday revealed that prices of food items in the state have

continued to lower down after months of hardship by many households.

Malam Adamu Kafin Maigari, a grain seller at Muda Lawal Market Bauchi, said a bag of maize is now sold at N9000 against the previous price of N18000, while local rice that used to cost N35000 per bag, is now sold N20,000.

Maigari said a bag of beans is now sold at N16000 from the previous price of N25000 while millet and white rice popularly called ‘shinkafar tuwo’, now cost N9000 and N20,000 respectively from their previous prices of N15000 and N37000.

He also said old yam is sold at N700 to N500 against 1,500 per tuber and the new one is sold at N500 and N300 depending on the size.

He attributed the new development to the bumper

harvest that was recorded in the country, following the massive farming conducted by many people in the country.

Adamu however expressed concern with the high cost of foreign rice which is still sold at eighteen thousand five hundred naira per bag.

He called on the federal government to address the shortage of foreign currencies particularly the dollar, to enable importers conduct their legal businesses without hitches.

The chairman, Traders and Artisans Association, Muda Lawal Market Bauchi, Alhaji Bala Mai Kaji, thanked Allah for bringing down prices of food items as a result of having bumper harvest in this year’s farming season.

Mai Kaji called on traders particularly grain sellers in the state to desist from hoarding

their items, warning that the Association plans to come up with new measures to check the trend.

The chairman said reports reaching the Association showed how some traders from some neighboring countries troop into Bauchi and other north eastern states to buy food items in large quantities for onward delivery to their respective countries.

He however called on the relevant authorities to take measures to check the influx of foreign traders who buy food items and carry same to their respective countries.

A Consumer identified as Margaret said “sometime around April, I could not use tomatoes and onions when cooking because a kilo cost much but today I can buy the same at lesser price”.

Adamawa Governor woos investors From Umar Dankano, Yola

I

nternational and local investors interested in improving the Adamawa state economic fortune by investing their businesses have been urged to do so with rest of mind as the security and well being of the state is now absolutely stable.

Governor Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla gave the assurance at Government House Yola Friday When Forum of Former Law Makers from 1979 to 2015 in the state paid him a courtesy visit Led by Honourable Ibrahim Abdulmumini Song stressing that available intelligence report at his disposal was favour able to the state “The insecurity threats caused

by Boko Haram in the state are now issue of the past.

“All what I want is the support of the people so as to provide democracy dividends to the electorates especially at grassroots.

“And I will use this forum to call on the interested investors local and international to come to the state and invest.» Jibrillah said.

Jibrilla told the forum that his administration was successful to construct Eighty Roads across the state within one year , despite the challenges of low revenue generation.

He however, said that his administration had developed a fifteen years blue print and solicited the support and cooperation of the former Lawmakers to actualized the development.

Earlier speaking, Ibrahim Song commended Governor Jibrilla for his foresight and developmental projects executed within shortest period while in office.

He assured the governor for their support to enable him succeed during his tenure while in office.

The formers also called on the people of the state to rally round the Governor for the progress and development of their state.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

News

NGO urges parents’ to inculcate moral values in children

By Paul Efiong

A

Non-Governmental Organization known as the Peace Child Nigeria (PCN) rounded up its 25th Children Peace Conference in Abuja yesterday with a call on parents to always inculcate Godly fear, discipline and knowledge on their children as the only remedy to addressing increasing break down of moral values in the society.

‘A couple that is committed to creating a disciplined, healthy and happy home starts by playing the role model’ stressing that parent must always nurture their children in the paths of moral restitute right from babyhood.

Speaking while addressing participants at the Peace Child Conference, the President/ Founder PCN,Rev. Dr. Ada Amoji said the conference was convened to create a culture of love, intercultural understanding and peaceful co-existence among Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups with special attention to secondary students, in order to cash them young.

She spoke on the mission of her establishment, revealing that as a non -governmental, nonprofit establishment her organization is aims at creating a culture of love and peaceful co-existence within the family, schools and in larger communities.

The conference had different secondary school students within and outside Abuja in attendance which the founder said are members of her organization’s peace child club, recently formed in some public and private schools in Nigeria to teach them benefit of peaceful co-existence with all no matter the background and ethnicity.

In an interview, shortly after the conference, Rev. Amoji informed this medium that the greatest achievementS her organization has made since inception in addition to awareness creation against negative tendencies within and outside the country was her impute at a world summit on sustainable development held in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2002, when her organization made a powerful contribution to the summit on request through her presentation on Peace Education which was equally adopted at the summit as reflected on a report known as Rescue Missing Planet Earth 2002 in that country’s Youth Manifesto.

Page 9

Gov Bindow employs 149 health workers in Adamawa state From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he Adamawa state Governor, Jibrila Bindow has approved the employment of 149 health care service workers with a view to improve the provision of medical services to the people across the state.

Among the health care givers to be engaged in the state workforce were qualified trained midwives and Nurses so as to be posted to all the hospitals and health centers in the state.

Head of Service of the state, Barrister Musa Kaibo dropped

the development at a reception organized in honor of Comrade Thomas Ahmed Shettima on his appointment as the General Secretary of Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives which took place at American University of Nigeria (AUN) Club in Yola at the weekend.

Kaibo said such massive employment into the health sector of the state government is first of its kind and lauded the Governor for the good gesture.

The Governor in his speech at the occasion disclosed that salaries arrears and allowances of all the Nurses and midwives

working in the state has been settled and charged the celebrant to leave up to expectation noting that whom much is given much is expected from him. “ I belief without Nurses to man our health care centers there would be no Medical Doctors both are intertwined in health care services delivery to the people’’ the governor added.

“Governors across the federation should make salary payment to workers as top priority of their administration’’.

Reacting on the development Comrade Lami Aminu state chairman NANNM said all is set

to issue out employment letter to the 149 Nurses and Midwives employed , She said many Nurses and Midwives have retired from the state civil service which added a lot of work load on those still in service noting that a situation where three Nurses managing a health care center is inadequate, she pointed out.

The Celebrant Comrade Thomas Ahmed Shettima in his remark applauded the Governor for his developmental stride in the state particularly in areas of road constructions and rehabilitation in the state.

Army invasion: Audio tape of injured soldier played at tribunal From Yakubu Minna

T

Mustapha,

he Judicial Commission of inquiry into the August 4, 2016 clash between military and villagers in Bosso local government area of Niger state yesterday listened to an audio recording of one of the injured soldiers.

The audio contradicted how the army got information about stockpiled arms and ammunition in the villages invaded.

Earlier, the General Officer Commanding the 31 field Artillery Brigade Nigeria Army Minna, Major General Tajudeen

Olarenwaju had in his testimony said that the information that the villagers stockpiled arms and ammunition was received from one of the security meetings held at the Government House, Minna.

Contrary to that however, the audio tape played at the Tribunal by the Divisional Police Officer in Maikunkele, ASP Emmanuel Otokpa showed that an injured soldier who was rescued by the police narrated that it was a Fulani man that reported to the army that the villagers kept arms in their villages.

The injured soldier was identified in the tape as Private

Samuel from 31 field artillery brigade, Minna.

The Audio statement claimed that Private Samuel said it was 35 soldiers that were sent on the operation and that they were led by a Captain debunking the evidence of the army that 59 soldiers were sent for the operation.

The DPO further informed that the police in Bosso were not aware of any operation to be carried out in the villages until when they received distress calls from some of the villagers.

The audio tape was tendered and received as evidence by the Commission.

The Bosso local government

area commander of the vigilante Abubakar Mohammed corroborated the claim of the DPO and said he and his men joined the police to give help to the villagers after they received the distress call.

Mohammed further said that they were with the police when the injured soldier was recorded with a telephone set as well written which has been submitted to the CID at the Police headquarters for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the Commission Chairman, Justice Mohammed Mohammed commended the commander of the vigilante for his frankness in his presentation.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai (R) rnaugurating a Hostel at ahe Modibbo Adamawa University of Technology (Mautech), yesteday in Yola .

Photo: Nan

PAGE 10

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

News

Kwara govt plans to inject N5.8b into economy

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

The Kwara state government will over the next 10 months inject over N5.8b into the state’s economy through the state’s Infrastructure Development Fund (IF-K).

The state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed disclosed this on Monday during the official launching of IF-K at the Government House, Ilorin.

Partner banks, contractors, engineers, consultants and other important stakeholders witnessed the event.

Ahmed expressed

optimism that “this injection will keep our project partners in business and have a positive spiral effect on employment generation”.

The Governor said that in the medium term, the remaining N5.3b of government spending will boost the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for about 18 months while sustaining the multiplier impact on job creation.

He said with the launching of IF-K the era of abandoned projects was over in the state.

“As a demonstration of this determination, all ongoing and new projects will be funded to

completion under the IFK before the end of my tenure.

“Once the rains are over, we will commence major projects in the road, education, energy and health sectors across the state in a manner that accelerates development and ensures its even distribution.

“We will start with the flagging off of the construction of a Diamond Underpass at Geri Alimi, Ilorin and the commissioning of our newly-acquired Asphalt plant.

Ahmed explained that his desire for rapid infrastructure growth, and the need for an appropriate savings and investment mechanism solely for

infrastructure and related works informed the establishment of IFK. He said IF-K is the second phase of his government’s long term strategy to diversify the state’s economy, stimulate economic growth via private sector participation in infrastructure development and create opportunities for collective prosperity.

“The purpose of the IF-K, therefore, is to pool funds for infrastructure projects, optimally leverage private sector resources for infrastructure development and channel State Internal Revenue to directly impact

L-R: State Technical Assistant, European Union Support for immunization in Nigeria, Mr Solomon Thliza, Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Mr Kamshak Kuden and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mr Abel Abila, during the inauguration of immunization direct drive solar refrigerators, donated to the Plateau State Government, yesteday in Jos. Photo: Nan

5,000 youth to benefit Dankwambo empowerment programme From David Hassan, Gombe

N

o fewer than 5,000 youth would benefit Dankwambo g-HOPE empowerment programme in Gombe state.

Performing the function during flagging off of youth empowerment programme at Pantami stadium yesterday in Gombe, governor said

the function was part of the activities in line with the 20th anniversary of Gombe state.

Governor Dankwambo noted that youth engagement and community participation scheme comprises three component that include Ward Vanguard, Educational Corps and Youth for Skill Acquisition.

According to him the aim of the programme is to build youth

to be self reliant, adding that each beneficiary shall receive a monthly allowance of N5,000.

He commended International Donor Agencies for their contributions toward peace building and entrepreneurship development of the state.

The governor also warned that any association that failed to register its membership

would not be treated appropriately but added those with physically challenge would register free.

He draw the attention of beneficiaries to take its programme seriously as failure to adhere to scheduled arrangements by their trainers are eligible for dismissal from the programme.

Assistant Registrar (Academic Affairs), Mr. AbdulRahman Ola Muhammad.

According to the statement, the students’ expulsion was sequel to the approval of the report of the Students’ Disciplinary Committee which is in accordance with section 14.2 of the students’ regulations.

The affected students are, Imam Murthado Olanrewaju, Elebiju Rotimi , Adam

AbdulAzeez, Muhammed Habeeb and Khalid Olamilekan .

“Meanwhile, the authority of the Institution had also approved that Olutayo Oluwatobi Elizabeth with Matriculation Number HND/15/BF/FT/233 be rusticated from the Polytechnic for one semester (2nd semester 2015/2016 session) for unruly behaviour against a member of Dress Code Committee while the result of Toluwaleke Gbenga

Adeniyi with Matriculation Number ND/14/PA/FT/532 be withheld pending his appearance before the students Disciplinary Committee for case of alleged destruction of Polytechnic property.

“All students involved are to vacate the Polytechnic campuses and hand over all Polytechnic property in their custody to their respective Heads of Department”, it added.

KwaraPoly expels five students for alleged oath violation From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

T

he management of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has approved the expulsion of five students from the institution for their alleged involvement in various offences that contravened the matriculation oath they swore.

This was made known in a statement by the institution’s

economic diversification and growth strategies.

“IF-K is also designed to ensure maximum quality assurance for asset and services procured by government and encourage broader and deeper interactions with Kwara state government from private and non-private partners.

“The fund will be financed through a N5b seed fund and a N500 million monthly contribution from the state’s Internally Generated Revenue through an Irrevocable Standing Payment Order(ISPO).

“This implies that the money will be taken at source from the state’s Internally Generated Revenue and provides an additional layer of assurance to project partners. Additional non- IGR funds, such as those from the federal government and global development partners will be added to IF-K as they become available.

“Under IFK, funds will be disbursed on a quarterly basis, and are projected to grow by N6 billion by the end of the year. In order to ensure accountability, and insulate the funds from political control, the IF-K will be managed by a reputable investment company, Investment One, which has been appointed by law as trustee for the scheme.

FG flags-off 500 youth, women programme in Kebbi From Ahmed IdrisBirnin Kebbi

T

he Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu yesterday flag-off acquisition Training Programme for 500 youths and women in Kebbi state.

The ceremony took place at the premises of the Technology Incubation Center Birnin Kebbi with aim to reduce the unemployment of youth and women in the state.

The programme which was in collaboration with the kebbi state government has so far trained and graduated over thousands of youths and women on different skills acquisition in the state.

Speaking, the Minister said history will reward the collaborative effort aimed at strengthening the role of science, technology and innovation as an important instrument for the nation “to feed ourselves, diversify our economy and reduce poverty”.

He further commended the effort of the kebbi state government for the programme.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Page 11

PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

The age of unreason

By Malam Ali Garba

W

e live in the age of unreason, an age where everyone expects some form of improvements in their lives while at the time being oblivious of their responsibilities. Everyone has developed the ‘entitlement mentality’ – he/she is entitled to some favour, job, benefit or otherwise preferential treatment.

Consequently, everyone is on ‘autopilot’, as it were, and waiting for a ‘second person’ to act so that their problem would go away. A problem is always associated with and blamed on a ‘second person.’

Rare is the individual who blames himself/herself for a problem and takes the courageous next step to solve it. The vast majority blames others and waits for these others to change. Many others await the arrival of the Messiah or some form of a miracle or a Jegaquine drug to solve their problems. And so, where we should work we pray, and where we should pray we complain and where we should both work and pray we do nothing at all but despair.

Take commercial and industrial activities in Kano, for instance. In the last several decades we have experienced ‘boom time’, ‘bad time’, and, in recent time, we seem headed to ‘burst time.’ In the Boom, the Bad and the Burst times three unreasonable species (the Good, the Bad and the Ugly) co-exist and combine to create a situation therein. First is the specie called customer (the Good), who demands for quality and functional goods consistent with his perception of their value in use. The customer is unreasonable and often unpatriotic for his demands and more often buys from alternative sources, including and especially from overseas. The customer will go to any extent, including paying outrageously higher prices, to obtain what he wants. This action of the unreasonable customer is causing the extinction of many business firms that has failed over the years to give him the desired benefits and quality leading such businesses from boom to burst.

Second specie is the businessman (the Bad) who is keen to reap much where he/ she has sown little. The unreasonable Kano businessman makes little investment in technology and methods of doing his/ her business, engages not with or seeks to refine his tools of trade, has no symbiotic relationship with his powerful stakeholders, and seeks only short-term and maximum profit.

The businessman also cares little for the laws of the land and stands accused for conniving with and bribing government officials to avoid taxes, levies, fines and punishment. This action, in part, has recently led to the extinction of a government but is, ironically also, leading to bad times and possible burst time for the businessmen.

The third specie is the government (the Ugly), which is [was] corrupt, arbitrary, inconsistent, irresponsible, unaccountable and very, very, naïve. In the last several decades businessmen and their customers had reason to wonder whether in fact there was a government. Basic and fundamental infrastructure, such as electricity, to support business operations has either failed or has become unavailable.

Freedom of movement was restricted because of an insurgency, which the government had no clue of and no motivation or incentive to tackle. All over the place, goods of varying quality and relevance are ‘dumped’ in the market because of the failure of government officials to do their work.

There appears to be no functional policy that supports or encourages the businessmen.

While all this is going on the government is beating its chest for all kinds of funds and policies set aside and designed to support business. The only sound the businessman hears is the noise of empty drums, which are becoming an assault and insult to his ears and common sense. By its action, the unreasonable government has caused the extinction of many firms.

And upon this entire crisis the species are living unreasonably – passing blame for the crisis to one another. One case in point is the

recent impounding of Nigeria bound goods worth over N100.00 billion in Maradi, Niger Republic – a very fine example of government arbitrariness and unreasonableness.

With the election of a new no-nonsense government with zero tolerance for corruption every agency of government is suddenly awake and seeking to impress The Boss. And so, without warning and on the basis of a ranting of a latter day Robin Hood the Nigeria Customs Service decided to ‘work’ – to check and stop smuggling after being idle, turning their heads the other way and keeping a blind eye to it for ages.

Interestingly, these same ‘smuggling’ activities are done ‘legally’ at the nation’s seaports in Lagos and Port Harcourt under the approval of the same Customs Service.

All that the Custom Service needs to do, therefore, is to institutionalise the same ‘legal’ process and procedure – license clearing agents, set up offices to clear goods and collect duties, etc., in the dry-ports in relevant parts of the country. But as always in Nigeria, it is better to give an impression of action than to take real action. Why work if you could blame someone else for a problem?

Why set up and institutionalise a proper and ‘legal system’ if it is easier to blame the businessman for conniving with the Chinese to smuggle goods? The former is hard work and routine, which no one would notice.

The latter creates visibility, an impression of action and seriousness and a good sign of patriotism.

There are many idle ‘professionals’ in the eco-system that have raised hyperbole and jargon to the level of an art – it is better to confuse the audience than to admit ignorance.

These idle people try to provide explanation and a way out for this ‘mutual death wish’ situation. Like the Ajino Moto Economists of the last two decades, these ‘professionals,’ are essentially bystanders with no commercial or intellectual engagement with the market.

Detached and with little stake in the issues at hand (living at the expense of government and society), the Laxyconomists, Straytegists and Vodoopreneurs (yes, including yours

truly), with a pretentious claim to expertise, but with neither rigour nor relevance, use flawed methodologies, reach ridiculous conclusions and prescribe simplistic, disintegrated, disjointed and unworkable solutions that lack synergy, track and tack.

These solutions, all of them ‘bought’ by the government, include billions of naira set aside for business development, multiple and duplicitous institutions and numerous counterproductive and confusing policies with the claim of supporting businesses while actually ensuring the extinction of businessmen. Again, it is better to give an impression of action than to take real action.

And few pay attention to a simple maxim – it is the result not the activities that defines performance.

Taking action to achieve result requires taking responsibility to advance the mutual, collective and common interest of all the three unreasonable species. It also requires looking at the problems and issues holistically not in piecemeal. This time is probably the best time to do this. Everyone, especially the customer and the businessman voted for change. All of them genuinely want change and are probably genuinely willing to cooperate to bring it about.

The new government is seen as the change agent. It won the election because of its promise to bring change. Almost everyone believes the government is capable and credible enough to bring, institutionalise and sustain the change. The customer wants change that supplies products to solve his problems efficiently, effectively and conveniently. The government wants change that creates employment, increases its revenue and facilitates economic and technological development at some reasonable pace and speed.

The businessman wants change that ensures ‘investment friendly’ environment, which is secure, predictable, reasonable and competitive.

Malam Ali Garba can be reached on babankowa@me.com

How Jigawa can attain sustainable healthcare

By Sunusi Usaini Madobi

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ealth is wealth, effective and affordable health care leads to greater productivity. The immediate concern of any government should therefore, include improved access to quality health service especially in the areas of maternal and child health care through prompt release of funds.

In Jigawa State for instance, government introduced several policy interventions in health policy redirection, repositioning and realignment, re-establishing primary health care agency as the foundation.

The State Ministry of Health under Dr Abba Zakari a competent and credible Medical Officer for over twenty years, has recorded tremendous achievements despite the economic recession Nigeria is passing through.

Already, 27 basic health clinics have been constructed across the state and two additional dialysis machines have been installed at the General Hospital Hadejia. Added to this were 27 Midwives quarters in hard to reach areas across the 27 local government areas in the state, with the improvement of Gwaram Primary Healthcare Centre and the construction of two 20-bed units, laboratory, kitchen and Laundry at Birinwa General Hospital, an operation theater and a catering rest house

to school of Nursing Hadejia.

In addition, there were several other works done like the construction of wall fencing and gate house at Hadejia General Hospital, building repairs at JIMSO regional store Gumel, continuation of the construction of new Birnin Kudu General Hospital, and complete renovation works at Sarawa, Majeri, Kunun Health Posts as well as Katsinawa Health Clinic.

In the area of strategic plan the administration has gone far in this direction which includes Cataract operation performed on 400 patients in the last one year; sponsoring another 150 set of Students to read Nursing and allied courses in china, beside the first medical students’ batch that went earlier. The State Medicare Supply Company popularly known As JIMSO procured drugs worth 600 million Naira for DRF programme across the state, while there was adequate support for the conduct of statewide Measles campaign attaining 94.I% coverage of eligible children, highest among the 19 Northern States!

As a consequence of the foregoing achievements, several development partners are collaborating with the state in the area of training and re-training of Health personnel, providing support and assistance, especially in the areas of maternal and child health having realized the commitment of the State in

this direction’ Also, the establishment of the State Primary Health Care Agency has enhanced service delivery in the sector across the state which led to more autonomy to hospitals in order to operate in accordance with International best practice.

To ensure they were ploughed back into the system, the 60 students sent to China to study Medicine signed a three-year bond with the state government to come back and practice in their own rural communities.

This against the backdrop of a recent report from the National Health Demographic Survey indicating that there is significant improvident in the state’s health sector, especially in the areas of maternal, new born and routine immunization.

Moreover, the Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital in the state capital Dutse, has been provided with modern equipment in research, functional theater, effective pharmaceutical services in addition to credible and competent consultants in various fields of medicine, so as to serve as referral center. This is in addition granting full autonomy to the hospital and the appointment of best brain consultant as Chief Medical Director to enhance service delivery. Arrangements are also in the pipeline for the upgrading of Hadejia and Kazaure General Hospitals to specialist ones so as to ease the suffering of patients

with complicated illnesses in travelling to the state capital for attention.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery Birnin Kudu, is also being catered for with the needed equipment and financial support to enhance teaching and learning in the school, in an effort to provide adequate manpower in the field of Nursing and Midwifery.

In community health, the State School of Health Technology, Jahun, has been fully upgraded to train and retrain Community Health Workers. This was partly why the state was recently recognized as the most active in Primary Health Care Development in the Federation. The award was presented by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu. In 2016 fiscal year significant amount of money was earmarked to the health sector, as 36 Medical officers are currently undergoing their residency training at Mallam Aminu Teaching Hospital in Kano sponsored by the State Government, aimed at enhancing professionalism and standard in the sector.

In short, the administration has recorded significant achievements in health care delivery at all levels with the introduction of numerous programmes in the sector.

Madobi wrote in from Dutse

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Comment

Nobody is safe: Recognising the threat of IDPs Situation

By Nnaemeka Oruh

T

he large number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) occasioned by the Boko Haram scourge in the North East of Nigeria represents to most Nigerians their only knowledge of IDPs and IDP situations in the country. To those who are from, or live in the East or South South, such knowledge is faint and only came about from information casually gleaned from online blogs, newspapers, and sometimes from social networks.

Reactions to such information are to a large extent like the proverbial feeling that an outsider has when the corpse of somebody distant passes him/her on the way. Such a corpse is looked at with the same level of feeling and attention one shows to a bunch of firewood. This feeling is underlined by a false sense of security and comfort buoyed by the belief that the circumstances which led to the IDP situation in North East Nigeria cannot be replicated in the southern part of Nigeria.

Personally, I also never gave the issue of Internally Displaced Persons a second thought. My indifference was hinged on inadequate information and my belief that there was no need to be worried about it.

All this was to change when I was invited by the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation sponsored “Women in Peace and Security Network” to a roundtable discussion on

the issue of IDPs in Rivers State. I went to that meeting thinking ‘Since they must talk about things that are irrelevant to Rivers State, let me go there and remind them that there are more pressing issues to attend to instead of wasting time on shadow-chasing’. How wrong I was! I left that meeting fully aware that none of us is safe. For while we think that war, terrorism, or other forms of violent conflict are the only possible causes of displacement of people in Nigeria, the issues are deeper than that.

For instance, people can be displaced due to environmental factors which are indeed just a hairsbreadth away at all times, within the Niger Delta. Gas flaring, and other forms of environmental degradation acts can lead to climate change that will affect the sea level and ultimately lead to floods(this was experienced in high magnitude in 2012 in several parts of the country).There are also the issues of oil spillage, communal clashes, cultism, developmental projects etc that could lead to displacement.

No matter how you look at it, one way or the other, we all stand at the risk of being displaced. If it is not caused by environmental forces that lead to disaster, it could be caused by violent conflicts, development projects engaged in by government or its agencies, or simply by economic forces. Which brings up the question of our level of preparedness,

seeing as we daily sit at the brink of being displaced. Amazingly, despite the extreme threat of displacement, little or no attention has been given to this issue. Emergency response agencies such as NEMA(National Emergency Management Agency) and SEMA(State Emergency Management Agency) are underfunded, ill-equipped, with most of their staff not trained to respond responsibly to possible disaster situations or to manage IDP camps. Furthermore, the structures in our IDP camps are deplorable, security almost non-existent, while human rights abuses are wanton.

Women and girls are abused sexually and otherwise and healthcare facilities are pathetic and sometimes even nonexistent. There is also the nagging issue of the stigmatization of Internally Displaced Persons, and the host communities’ illtreatment of them.

What all these say is that Nigeria as a country has not paid enough attention to the issue of displacement. Paying enough attention demands that we are proactive instead of reactive. The proper disaster management structures should be put in place and well managed; the rights of displaced people need to be upheld; our people need to be sensitized on possible causes of displacement, and encouraged to do their best to prevent the preventable ones; and the government needs to step up to its responsibility of protecting and

providing for displaced persons.

One of the most touching narratives I left the Women in Peace and Security Network’s roundtable discussion with was the story of the gross abuse faced by women and girls in the Rivers State Internally Displaced Persons’ camp during the 2012 flood incident. There were no provisions for their physiological needs, no proper security hence they were abused(most times by even the security operatives),and no proper feeding and sleeping arrangements. The question therefore is; if such a situation arises tomorrow, what measures have been taken to ensure that there will be no repeat of the gruesome experiences faced by women and girls?

One thing is for certain, the corpse may belong to a complete stranger today, but tomorrow, it could belong to any of us. It is therefore imperative that we begin to take the issue of IDPs seriously in this country. While we advocate and set up proper response structures, it is also extremely important that we create massive awareness on this issue in order to prevent the ones we can prevent, from happening. We all live at the edge of this precipice and the earlier we realise that and begin to take proactive measures, the better for us.

Nnaemeka Oruh is Public Affairs analyst

History: A prerequisite to societal survival and development

By Divramredje Lawrence Efeturi

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common misconception is usually demonstrated towards the study of HISTORY as a discipline by contemporaneous compatriots throughout the stream of academic studies, irrespective of the levels they are in the various institutions. Going by the remarks elicited from the sample study carried out among some target learners, they feel themselves beyond every reasonable doubt less alien in the business and science fields. The question commonly asked is: “of what relevant is History in this contemporary world?”

Without stating an argument we can draw a consensus inference that History is the branch of knowledge that deals with the past events of man, country, continent or the world so that the present could be corrected for a transparent tomorrow. Just imagine what the everyday life would be like in a society where no one knew any history, that a society has no knowledge of itself! No wonder that Professor Levi-Strauss asserted that”... those who ignore history condemn themselves to not knowing the present because historical development alone permits us to weigh, and to value in their perspective relations with the element of the present”. A society without history is like a man without memory and self-knowledge and that would be a society in drift, just as Cicero put it that: ‘not to know what took place before you were born is to remain forever a child’.

Concrete evidences have proven that even scholars and professionals uphold the view that History is the making of myth and story-telling as a result of their irrational attempts in handling the subject. It has been deciphered that myth is a sacred information of fundamental realities meant to explain the true history of the origins of things and why they happen the way they do.

Myths are set down rules for human behaviours, and are such regarded as been bequeathed by the gods themselves, most of whom lived earthly lives as culture founders, hence they lay a divine sanction on their improper use. Let us note that History is rational and scientific in character.

This is because it gives answers to questions

like: ( what happened? how did it happened? etc ) as science asks alike. This, of course, dissociate historical character as theological writings.

The apostles who echo the creed in a drowning crescendo that history rekindles possible conflicts between families, communities and nations do so because of the consequences that might befall them when their past deeds are unveiled.They also do so because they have been jinxed in irrationality and this is antithetical to what history accommodates. Rationality would always make one, thus, to believe that the study of history impacts a sense of solidarity, share the general justification which is attached to all intellectual on socio-political advancement as well as provide valuable mental training and of the mind. It gives the ability to cite an evidence and find out the truth from a conflicting statement. It is only this understanding that could diminish incidence of likely conflicts to the barest minimum.

History trains one to weigh evidence in dealing with the common affairs of life. Every responsible father of a family and every adult member of a community needs the willingness and ability to compare an evidence, detects prejudice and falsehood and then draw a correct conclusion. Likely conflicts become unaborted when the led and their leaders lack historical ideology. Consider the 5th May 1789 French Revolution as a sample study. When the Third Estate, which comprised the masses of different professionals, demanded to meet with the First and the Second Estates for a deliberation on how to remedy the socio-political disharmony of France, Louis XIV who was the then monarch was deceived by the bourgeoisie to turn down the demands of the Third Estate. The Third Estate revolted and when the bourgeoisie saw the orthodoxy of the aggression, they stooped to join the queue at the expense of the King.

Yet, their demands were met! The detriment incurred by the Monarch was as a result of his lack of historical knowledge of the society that would have enabled him avert the disgrace.

We should note that History teaches about the society itself, what it is, how it grows, the way it works, what it has achieved, who are its friends

and enemies, what are its standards of conduct and religious beliefs, the behaviour expected of its citizens and so on.

Nigeria’s national and State assemblies are a pack of some politicians who skate on the thin ice of the sea of violence. More than 50% are subterranean scraps; round legs in square holes that have left the comfort of our society only to spew conflicts at the very bottom they have relinquished. These are people who have abandoned the cultural heritage of the nation, and as a result they pursue and sponsor selfish bills that still make us to experience a perilous and economic quagmire. States governors would delay workers’ stipend until a strike action is embarked upon by the workers, yet their demands will be met having done enough havoc to the economy. Do we have to opt for a revolt of any sort before attempting solutions for a speculated impediments? Or we have to learn from the mistakes of our predecessors so as to amend the present? We should enliven our imaginations, brains and thoughts with historic retrospects. We should realise that history is self-revelatory. It familiarizes us with varieties in social forms and cures us from a dreaded morbid. History lays the foundation of a tolerant outlook and enlarged sympathies. Sympathy here means understanding people’s behaviour and appreciating both good and the bad in them instead of judging them from a narrow point of view. It is the subject that can promote sympathies and genuine tolerance because it is the only one subject directly and entirely concerned with the behaviour of human beings.

One of the commonest complains some students make is that they feel very inferior whenever their science counterparts designate the technological advancement of the world to themselves. It is pity that those who pride themselves over this are not being reasonable.

They should realise that if they were not historians and other liberal professionals life would have been too unorganised, unenjoyable and meaningless. Every students cannot be a scientist and not all students can be good in the arts as well. Each field deserves its praise.

Remember that no matter the discipline you

find yourself, you must at a start study its history because it cuts across all parts of every discipline. The one studying Mathematics or Accounting will in part be studying the history of Mathematics or Accounting. The study of History is to modernize and improve on the substandard achievements of the past. History, therefore, becomes a terminal or meeting point in which other fields anchor.

It is important we refresh our memory that History gives continuity to societal development. The principle of continuity and the higher principle of development lead to the practical consequences, that is, one of the vital importance for citizens to have a true knowledge of the past and to see it in daylight in order that their influence on the present and future may be exerted in the right directions. The fundamental justification for historical study is that History is necessary. It meets a basic need of man living in a society.

Closely knitted is the fact the history is functional in the sense of meeting the need, which the society has to know and understand its relationship with the past and other society cultures. The bottom line is that possibility of extracting from the past, lessons for the present and future, becomes a means of helping humanity of its problems.

Therefore the full blown foundation, human solidarity, glory and awareness that a society would seek, cannot be realised without a recourse to the study of history as the prerequisite and live-wire to progress. The eurocentric and stereotyped ideas that we do not have history, that is, the past by the colonial masters, must be repudiated and sabotaged. We must develop the spirit of patriotism and the recognition for our country. We can do this if we throw our weights behind the day’s government to right the wrongs now for a better headway; for a better tomorrow Nigeria. If you want to know the past, then, you had better develop a positive attitude towards the study of History. Remember that “ the taste of the pudding lies in the eating”.

Divramredje Lawrence Efeturi is a commentator on national issues.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

PAGE 14

News

Bauchi Court dismisses 50m suit against Redeemed Church From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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High Court six in Bauchi state has dismissed the N50 million suit filed by a Customs Officer, Kayode Akinagba Joseph, against Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), No. 15, Guru Road, Bauchi.

The plaintiff had filled a wit of summon on 29th of July 2015, claiming that the church allegedly trespassed on his land located at Birshi Gandu, Dass Road, Bauchi state claiming N50

million as damages.

In the suit, Kayode claimed that the second and third defendants, Pastors Aikulola D. Oyewunmi and Kunle Idowu Ajayi, had approached him sometimes last year to sell some portions of his land at Birshi Gandu, to the RCCG. “Agreements were written and signed for the transactions between the Plaintiff and one Dr. E. A. Adeboye for and on behalf of the first defendant”.

He alleged that the defendants encroached on the land without his permission.

In his ruling last Friday, the Presiding Judge, Justice Gurama Mohammed Mahmood, said “from the disclosure by evidence parties and witnesses, the action of the first and second defendants does not amount to trespass for it to give the plaintiff a course of action against the defendant.

“The whole issue is hereby resolve in favour of the defendant in consequence whereof the suit of the plaintiff is therefore dismissed for lacking merit,” Gurama said.

Speaking with newsmen

after the judgement, counsel to the defendant Aniekan Mendie expressed satisfaction with the ruling, saying it was not just a victory for the church but a victory that showed superiority of God. Bar Maiden said “I feel delighted winning that case and the whole wining is not something I give credit to myself, but to the Almighty God because I was representing the church of God in that case so I want to believe that their prayers worked wonders to enable us win that case”.

L-R: Executive Secretary of West African College of Nursing (WACN), Mrs Henrietta Okedo; Guest Speaker, Mrs Florence Adeyemo; Chairman of Wacn, Princess Rebecca Aikhomu; and the First Nephrology Nurse in Nigeria, Mrs Grace Omotosho, during a Mandatory Update/Scientific Conference of the West African College of Nursing Theme: “Advancing Nursing And Healthcare”, yestyerday in Lagos

Corps members offer free screening for HIV, diabetes in Niger From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

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orps members of the Medical Community Development Service (CDS) group, Chanchaga Minna, have provided free HIV and diabetes screening to over 200 people in Paikoro Local government area of the state.

Speaking at the flag- off of the medical outreach tagged: ‘my health, my wealth’, president of the group, Dr Wale Ogunlana noted that the medical CDS is tasked with the burden of ensuring optimal state of health for host communities, hence the outreach.

“We are a group saddled with the responsibility of ensuring optimal state of health for host communities through medical consultation, interventions, education and outreaches.

“We are carrying out blood pressure check, retroviral screening for HIV as well as round blood sugar among others, and they will be treated”.

Ogunlana said the group chose Paiko because it is the first host community for all corps members in Niger.

“This community was chosen owing to the fact that Paiko is the first hosting community for all corps members serving in Niger state.

Be agents of change, Dankwambo tells inmates From David Hassan, Gombe

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ombe state governor Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has appealed to inmates who are serving different jail terms in Gombe Prison to shun evil and be agent of change.

Dankwo who was in the state prison

yesterday in Gombe for a visit in honor of the celebration of Gombe at 20 said his administration would do everything possible to ensure that problems affecting the prison would be laid off.

He assured inmates who found themselves in prison to always have positive thinking to enable them to be useful to the society.

“Your stay in the prison does not mean you are being condemned but you are to be treated as every human being”.

He promised to work closely with the prison service to ensure that activities of inmates in prisons are sanitized and commended officers and men of prison for their service The governor who described the visit

as sober reflection affirmed that his government would key into problems that affect inmates with a pledged to settle for the released of inmates who have less problems.

He sympathized with inmates and promised to harmonies their facilities in the prison.

Community protests over uncompleted road in Ilorin From Olanrewaju Lawal,Ilorin

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he Kwara State Government has assured that it would complete Asa Dam- Egbejila, Airport road to forestall unnecessary loss of lives and properties as well as facilitate vehicular movement on the route.

The Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr Ali Ahmad gave the assurance

in Ilorin while addressing members of Ajegunle Egbejila community in Ilorin who protested to the State House of Assembly, due to the non completion of the road by the contractor handling the road project.

Ahmad represented by the retiring Clerk of the House Mr Simon Okedare, said the State Government was committed towards completing all ongoing road projects in the State, adding that

contractors handling ongoing road projects had been mobilised to site by the State Government to fast track the socioeconomic emancipation of the State.

He expressed displeasure at the spate of erosion that led to loss of lives along the ongoing project, and assured that prompt action would be taken by the state government to permanently address the menace of erosion in the area.

Earlier, the Spokeperson for Ajegunle Egbejila community in Ilorin West Local Government Hajia Aminat Lawal, had disclosed that the erosion occasioned by non-completion of Asa Dam-Egbejila Airport road/bridge projects led to attendant loss of lives and property and called on the state Government to take urgent step towards ensuring early completion of the road.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Tinubu’s call for Oyegun’s resignation vindicates me – APC Spokesperson

By Umar Muhammad Puma

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eputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank has added his voice to an earlier call by National leader of the party, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, asking the chairman of the party to step aside.

Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, Franks said the call by Tinubu has vindicated him in his

struggle to save the party from disintegration. “Today is another joy for me that truly God has practically vindicated me in my struggle to save my party, the APC. “It is very clear that I’m one of the first persons that took the bull by the horn to foresee what is happening today in our party. I have came out earlier on talk about issues and crisis in this party. At that time I was alone, nobody knew where I was coming from.

“One of the founding fathers of our party, the national leader of our party, has concurred to my earlier call that Oyegun should resign as the national chairman. That should let you know that I foresaw what they didn’t see. I knew from day one that the person we had as national chairman is not the right person for the job. Yes, he has tried by taking the party where he feels he can take it, but again, you can’t give what you don’t have.

“Today the BoT is not in place, or any elders’ council. Tell me, today if I have issues where would I run to?

Do I run to NWC where Oyegun will preside over to drop my case that will not be answered? The answer is no. If you have a BoT or an elders’ council you can take your case there. We cannot run the party as a one-man show. Let me tell people that a lot of my colleagues are complaining; a lot even in the NWC. “Today, it is Tinubu that is

• • L - R ,Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu and Publisher/Editorin-chief, Orderpaper. ng, Mr. Oke Epia during the Gallery Colloquium, a Conversation on Reforming the Budgetary Process in Nigeria, Theme : ExecutiveLegislature Relationship in the ‘CHANGE’ ERA and Formal Public Presentation of ORDERPPER.NG, yesterday in Abuja .

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Court to rule on Ogun LG polls September 30

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Ondo APC crises: Oyegun mocks Tinubu, says ‘I won’t join issues with you

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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ational Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie Oyegun on Monday said he will not join issues with the former Lagos State governor and national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu regarding the call for his resignation.

Tinubu, had in a damming statement entitled, “Oyegun’s Ondo fraud: The violation of democracy in the APC,” ordered by his Media Office on Sunday, accused Oyegun of complicity in connection with the 2016 APC governorship primary

election in Ondo State which was declared in favour of Rotimi Akerodolu (SAN. Oyegun, spoke during an interactive session with newsmen yesterday in Benin City, the Edo state Capital where he said the governorship election is more important to than outweighs immediate reaction that would trigger another round of expletives.

“Asiwaju is well respected leader of our party so I cannot be seen speaking evil against him. I have to consult properly with other leaders of the party before we make any definite statement. Again, you know

we have a crucial election here in Edo which is my priority right now.

“We don’t want to lose focus and I know Asiwaju also want us to win because we all have worked hard for this. So may be after the election if there is need I will speak if no need I will relax.

“But all I can say now is that most of the things said in the papers about me are not true. I have always believed in internal democracy, that the credibility of primaries must be taken seriously.

“I believe that if primaries of parties are not credible, it may derail any democracy so I don’t play

with these things at all. Everybody knows me and I don’t joke with my credibility and I have tried to maintain it. Like I said, Asiwaju is our leader and we all hold him in high esteem, so will never join issues with him.

“But may be after Edo elections, after we must have emerged victorious, we may speak on some of the issues raised. So there is no problem at all. Edo is the focus for now and as you know this is my state so it is a very serious election for us.

So I want to be allowed to remain focus then after the election we can speak”, he stated.

Don’t allow PDP senators influence Buhari’s board appointments – Nkire

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enators elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have been warned against allowing their counterparts in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to determine who becomes what, as the Presidency prepares to release names of chairmen and members of some federal government agencies.

shouting. I can bet you, more leaders will still speak out; but if we don’t do anything for this man to go we are heading for doom. Let me tell you, this is what happened while we were in PDP. We were telling Jonathan that time ‘remove Bamanga Tukur’, this man is not competent to lead this party; but they paid deaf ear to our calls that time. By the time they removed him, it was too late. The result was the defeat of PDP today.

“We must see how we can win the coming election in Edo State, Ondo State; because if we don’t take any step to resolve these issues we will have ourselves to blame. This is my position and my call for the national chairman to resign,” he said.

The warning was given yesterday by leader of the APC Caucus in Abia State, Chief Sam Nkire.

The APC chieftain also advised the senators not to be misled into believing that the current recession in the country was as a result of President Muhammadu Buhari’s “bad economic policies”.

Chief Nkire, who gave the advice in a statement in Aba on Sunday, said the whole world knew that “PDP’s reckless spending, coupled with corruption during its sixteen years in power, brought Nigeria to where it is today”.

He added that President Buhari was just an undertaker who, more

than anything else, needed support and time to get the country out of the woods.

Nkire also appealed to his party members in the Senate, to ensure that all the president nominees for the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), are confirmed when they appear for screening.

he Ogun State High Court has fixed Friday, September 30 to determine if the local government elections in the state scheduled for October 8 can go ahead.

This followed hearing in a suit filed by Labour Party for postponement of the poll, on the ground that the state Independent Electoral Commission failed to include the party in the exercise.

Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje, who turned down the party’s request for an order to effect alternative service on the commission and its chairman, directed all the parties to file their papers and written addresses ahead of hearing on Friday.

Joined in the suit as defendants are the state governor, Ibikunle Amosun; Commissioner for Justice, Olumide Ayeni; chairman of the state electoral commission, Risikat Ogunfemi; and the commission.

The counsel to the plaintiff, Monday Mawa, told the court that the commission had denied his client access to forms CF001 and CF002, which would have enabled the party to nominate candidates for the elections.

“The suit is not for the interest of the claimant alone, but for the interest of the state. Because if they go ahead with the election without the matter being determined, a lot of resources would be wasted”, he stated.

“Our prayer is that the time for the collection and submission of forms CF 001 and 002 should be extended in other to accommodate the claimants, because they have not been given the forms while other parties have been campaigning.

“Labour Party cannot campaign nor do anything, whereas the party is a registered party and is entitled to participate”, Mr. Mawa averred.

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Politics

Edo Decides: No adopted candidate for Edo guber poll - LP

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

T

he leadership of Labour Party, Edo State chapter has denied adoption any Candidate for Wednesday governorship election in the state.

It stated that the party will not play a second fiddle to any political party in the election haven produced a standard

bearer of the Party, Pastor Amos Areloegbe.

State chairman of Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi, gave the indication at the end of emergency meeting with executives across the 18 Local Government Area of the state yesterday in Benin City.

He distanced itself from the purported adoption of a particular Candidate by the state wing of

organised labour and described the move as loss of identity and misrepresentation of the facts about the relationship between the Nigeria Labour Congress and Labour Party.

He said the defection of some dissident members into other political party has neither jolted the leadership of the party nor weakened the party in the

election.

“The Labour Party is not in distress and our structure is intact and we are moving into the election.

“We do not have any problem with the Nigeria Labour Congress.

We separate ourselves from NLC. Therefore if NLC adopts a Candidate, it is their choice”, he said.

Gov Oshiomhole amends public holiday announcement

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he Edo State government has amended the earlier declared public holidays by exempting banks and corporate organisations from the public holiday declared for Tuesday,

September 27.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole had on Saturday declared Tuesday, September 27 and Wednesday, September 28 workfree-days.

The public holiday was declared to enable voters in the state travel to their various locations and exercise their voting rights on Wednesday, September 28.

However, banks and corporate community are now exempted from the public holiday on Tuesday, September 27, in order not to slow down the economy of the state.

INEC takes delivery of sensitive materials from CBN

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo has said that it will take delivery of sensitive voting materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria in Benin on Monday.

The INEC Assistant Director on Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Prisillia Sule, made this known in an interview in Benin on Monday. Sule said that party agents of the 19 political parties participating in the Sept. 28 governorship election had been invited to witness the retrieval of the sensitive materials at the CBN. She also said that INEC headquarters had deployed National and Resident Electoral Commissioners to assist Edo REC, Mr Sam Olumekun, to conduct the election.

The fierce-looking armed security operatives were seen in and around the Ikpoba-Hill office of the commission.

NLC endorses APC candidate, Godwin Obaseki

T

• Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd left); Diocesan Bishop of Lagos & Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Ephraim Ademowo (2nd right); Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade (left) and Diocesan Bishop of Lagos West, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rt. Reverend (Dr.) James Odedeji (right) during the 2016/2017 Legal Year Service at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, on Sunday Lagos,

Over 2,000 APC members allegedly defect to PDP

M

ore than 2,000 All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Edo State, on Sunday, reportedly burnt their cards and brooms which is the symbol of their party, to join the Peoples Democratic

Party (PDP) in Ward 5 Esan North East of the state.

Over the weekend the crisis escalated when the national leader of party, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, demanded the removal of APC’s national chairman, Chief John

Odigie-Oyegun, over what he called the latter’s anti-democratic handling of the party affairs.

Tinubu had accused Oyegun of sabotaging the will of democracy in Ondo State by sending the name of Rotimi Akeredolu to the

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the decision of the appeal panel that demanded a fresh governorship primary election in the party for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

he Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has thrown their weight behind the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Godwin Obaseki, urging all workers in the state to vote for the party in Wednesday’s governorship election.

It would be recalled that over 10,000 people from other parties reportedly decamped to the APC ahead of the gubernatorial election which is 24hrs away.

Comrade Uche Obigwe who represented the President of the NLC at a rally, said labour had decided to adopt Obaseki due to the developmental strides of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole-led administration in the state.

According to him, “For those who are new in the labour movement, they will not understand but those who are old in the movement will know that Adams Oshiomhole has taken Edo State to a new level. When I was at the airport, I remember 8 years ago, if you want to come to Edo State for a meeting, the flight that comes to Abuja is about three times a week because nobody was coming to Benin.

“But today, two aircrafts land in Benin from Abuja every day. I remember when there were no hotels to lodge because nobody could invest in hotels in Edo State. Today Edo has so many hotels and people now come to Benin because somebody has transformed Benin. So we are backing Obaseki so that Edo will not go back to the dark ages. He has to continue from where Oshiomhole stopped” he stated.

PAGE 17

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Politics

Jonathan’s aide gave me $4 million cash inside Presidential Villa, witness tells court

A

witness at the ongoing trial of Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, an aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday told a federal court in Lagos that he received $4 million in cash from the defendant.

Premium Times reports that Murtala Abubakar, a bureau de change operator, said he received a total of N1.6 billion from Mr. Dudafa through five companies – Pluto

Properties and Investment Limited, Avalon Global Property, Rotato Interlink Services, Seagate Property and Ebiwise Services Limited – between 2013 and 2015.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arraigned Mr. Dudafa, a former Senior Special Assistant to Mr. Jonathan, and Joseph Iwejuo on a 23-count charge of concealment, retention of proceeds of crime, and failure to

furnish information, before Justice Mohammed Idris of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.

Mr. Abubakar, led in evidence

by Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC, said he had known Mr. Dudafa since his days as a Commissioner for Local Government in Bayelsa State under the administration of Governor Timipre Sylva.

The witness also told the court that the only relationship between

the two of them was forex transaction that continued up to the time Mr. Dudafa became a personal assistant to President Jonathan.

“He (Mr. Dudafa) usually send two of his staff, Festus and Jahman, with dollars in order to change same and deposit the naira equivalent into specific accounts he provides via text messages,” said Mr. Abubakar.

The witness said he received those text messages from Mr. Dudafa on his

• R-L: Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Idiat Oluranti Adebule; founder, Hope For Women In Nigeria Initiative and wife of the governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode; chairman, House Committee on Education, Hon. Olanrewaju Ogunyemi; Head of Service, Mrs. Olabowale Ademola; CEO HOFOWEM, Ms Oyefunke Adeleke; APC Southwest Women Leader, Chief Kemi Nelson and Lagos public schools pupils, beneficiaries of the project, during the launch of “Project Bright Steps” organized

by HOFOWEM, a pet project of the wife of the governor, at Alausa, Ikeja,yesterday.

Edo election: APC, PDP plan to rig APGA out – Onaiwu

T

Oyegun insincere, can’t lead APC, says Rep Ayinla

R

eactions have continued to trail the recent call by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinunbu that the national chairman of the party, Chief John OdigieOyegun should resign for allegedly betraying the trust on him.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, the member representing Mushin 11 Federal Constituency of Lagos State on the platform of APC, Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla said that what the party required as the national chairman to steer the ship of the party was a transparent and honest person. According to him, “Asiwaju Ahmed Tinunbu will not make a decision without verifying what he is saying.

This is a man that has struggled and suffered to build this party and he has tried all his possible best, with his health, his life, he has put everything that needs to be put for the development of the party.

“And somebody will now come overnight, blackmailing the party, running down the party under the false pretence that he is steering

Samsung mobile phone. The mobile phone and an Ownership Attestation Form were admitted and marked as Exhibits E and E1 respectively.

When asked whether all the instructions on how to disburse the money were received via text messages, Mr. Murtala replied in the affirmative; but added that in the last transaction, Mr. Dudafa invited him to the Presidential Villa and handed to him $4 million cash.

The witness was confronted with exhibits A – B3 in which he identified all the transactions that transpired between himself and Mr. Dudafa from 2013 to 2015 both from his companies’ accounts and his personal account.

“I can confirm that all the dollars received during the transactions came from him,” Mr. Abubakar said.

When it was time for the crossexamination of the witness, the defendants’ counsels, Gboyega Oyewale and Sunday Abumeri, requested for an adjournment.

The judge adjourned till September 27 for cross-examination.

the ship of the party. What he has done is very good. It is good for the APC, it is good for Nigerians.

“It is always good, let people know where you belong to. If you are in PDP, let people know, if you in APC, let people know.

You can’t be fooling yourself and be thinking that you are fooling all the nation, it shouldn’t be. “Let the country know where you genuinely belong. We want a clean and clear person as a chairman who will steer the ship of the party.

Asiwaju Ahmed Tinunbu has found out, he has checked, he has been informed, he has seen what transpired in the Ondo APC governorship primaries.

“This is a man that has helped many people and developing Nigeria to the level that we are now.

We cannot afford to get somebody who is not sincere to lead Nigeria, to lead APC. I am in total support of Ahmed Bola Tinunbu.

“I am in support of the call for the resignation of the national chairman. If you are a leader of an organisation, and people working

under you are not working genuinely, sincerely, if you tell them to resign, why not if not for transparency, for honesty, for sincerity, that is what he said, that is why I am supporting him.”

Also commenting, Rep Razak Atunwa representing Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency of Kwara State, APC, said that what had happened was a family affair which would be resolved in a family way.

He said, “Well, I want to be a bite conscious in delving into this matter in as far as these people are concerned. I am sure in due course, this matter will be trashed out at the party level.

“But let me say this, Ashiwaju Bola Tinunbu is a national leader of this party, he is a great Nigerian, a great icon, a very respected man in our polity. The party chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is an elder statesman and a very notable and respected person.

“APC is one family, there is always bound to be one disagreement or the other either between leaders or the followers.

What is important is that we get our house together and come together as one family and what disagreement we have, we resolve it.

“I am very confident that when those powers that be are looking into this matter, it will be able to be resolved.

As I said, Ashiwaju Tinunbu is to be admired and Chief John Oyegun is to be respected, sincerely this matter will be resolved.

“I know it revolves on some actions taken during the APC governorship primaries in Ondo State, that notwithstanding, this matter will be looked into as a family within the APC and be resolved.”

A member of Accord Party Aboyemi Dauda Kako, representing Are Mushin 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State said, “Well, I am of the Accord Party, they are two big leaders saying things. But from the little I know about Ashiwaju Ahmed Tinunbu, I am sure he has his reasons for saying that, but that is entirely their own party affairs.”

he All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, on Sunday said the All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had concluded plans to rig the governorship election which would hold on Wednesday September 28.

A statement issued in Benin city by its governorship candidate, Osaro Onaiwu, said that with less than 72 hours to the election, “more disturbing facts and information” had continued to reach him on efforts being made by the major parties to influence those in charge to help rig the election.

Onaiwu said, the ruling party APC and the PDP knowing that “APGA is the party on ground, have decided to manipulate the process to their advantage.

“We just want to alert the public and the security agents that the will of the people should not be allowed to be tempered with, we are lawabiding people, and we want our votes to count.

“APC and PDP have been accusing each other of plans to rig, while the true position is that they have both perfected plans to rig the people’s party, APGA, out.”

Onaiwu urged security agents “to as a matter of urgency step up their intelligence gathering so as to prevent this evil plans by both parties to rig the election.”

The APGA candidate appealed to his supporters to remain calm as he had the belief that their votes would count.

Onaiwu had earlier called for the postponement of the election, maintaining that October 1 was the “earliest possible date”.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Politics

Edo Election: Ize-Iyamu remains the only PDP candidate – INEC

A

s the people of Edo states goes to the poll Wednesday to elect a successor to Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) maintained that Ize-Iyamu remains the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the election.

According to the commission, the candidate forwarded by

Senator Ahmed Markafi led faction is the accepted candidate for the party in the postponed Wednesday election.

Responding to our reporter on the issue, Mr. Nick Dazang, Deputy Director, Media and Publicity said, “the candidate forwarded by the Markafi faction. Ize-Iyamu, that was the one forwarded to us and by the nature of the court order we received, Port Harcourt court

order, he is still the candidate.”

On Ondo state, he said the commission was yet to take any decision as the two factions in the party submitted names for the November election.

Dazang however said that the commission have till October 27th before deciding who to accept as the party candidate for Ondo poll.

He said, “We have not taken decision in respect of that yet, the

two factions submitted names to us, first was the Markafi faction and followed by the Ali ModuSheriff faction. So you know at the stage we are now, it is just part of the submission of the list, so it is until 27th of Octobe, 30 days to the election in November that we will now publish the final list, by which time we now know which candidate is going to contest on the platform of PDP.”

•L-R: OYO STATE COMMISSIONER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND CHIEFTAINCY AFFAIRS, MR BIMBO KOLADE; COMMISSIONER FOR INFORMATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM, MR TOYE ARULOGUN AND SPECIAL ADVISER TO OYO STATE GOVERNOR ON ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL PLANNING, ALAHAJI WAHEED GBADAMOSI, AT A NEWS CONFERENCE ON THE DEMOLITION OF A 58YEAR OLD MUD BUILDING, YESTEDAY IN IBADAN

Treat evidence against Patience Jonathan with caution, Lawyers urge EFCC

S

ome lawyers under the aegis of “Human Rights and Corruption Activist” yesterday called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to treat any evidence of financial misconducts against former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, with caution.

The anti-graft agency recently froze about $31million belonging to the former First Lady while four companies, allegedly used to launder about $15.6million of the sum on behalf of Mrs. Jonathan, have pleaded guilty to the offence.

But the lawyers, represented by Barrister Ugchukwu Osuagu, said at a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday that the former First Lady must be treated fairly.

They equally urged the EFCC not to compromise its status as an impartial anti-corruption body.

“We are not against the fight against corruption by the EFCC, but, let it be done with decency. The EFCC must not be seen as unleashing so many vendettas and carefully planned rehearsed acts of witch-hunt against Mrs. Jonathan”, the lawyers said.

Barrister Osuagu said his group, which was in contact with Mrs. Jonathan, had “discovered that she was neither a director nor a signatory of the companies linked to the money laundering charges”.

According to him, “She did not open any bank account in the name of any company and had mandated that the accounts be converted to her personal names which were never done.

Come up with innovative reforms, Ambode urges Judiciary

L

agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode had yesterday called on members of the bar and the bench to come up with innovative reforms so that the Lagos State Judiciary will continue to retain its pride of place in Nigeria.

Ambode made the call while declaring open the 2016/2017 Legal Year.

Commemorating the beginning of the Legal Year, the

governor said the synergy of the Executive and the Judiciary was pivotal to the success of any administration, just as he restated his administration’s commitment to enthrone the rule of law and protect the less privileged. He thanked the Judiciary for the support given to his administration in the last 16 months, urging them continue to discharge their duties without fear or favour to ensure peace

continues to reign in the State.

Governor Ambode while acknowledging that the task of delivering justice to the citizenry was tough, however, expressed optimism that the judicial arm of government represented by the Lagos State Judiciary remains the only and the last hope of the citizenry in the State.

“Our administration is determined to enthrone the rule of law and protect the less privileged

in our society. And that is why we paid so much emphasis on the rule of law and judicial sector reforms and we strongly believe we can do this together. “I want to singularly thank the Chief Judge. I also want to say that over the last 16 months that we’ve been in this administration, we’ve received tremendous support from the judiciary and she’s been singularly supportive and have also seen that second to last sentence in

the second stanza of the Nigeria national anthem that says Peace and Justice should reign in this nation and there have been all sense of justice in the State.

“We are gathered here again today, just the same way we came last year to seek his protection and guidance. I just want to urge all of you in the judicial sector that we should discharge our duties with the fear of God,” Governor Ambode said.

EFCC probes Diezani over N4bfresh hotel deal

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etectives have uncovered another multi-billion naira transaction believed to have been carried out by former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani AlisonMadueke.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is probing a N4billion hotel deal between Mrs. Alison-Madueke and a former military administrator, whose identity is yet to be released “so as to protect the investigation”.

The hotel may be placed under Interim Forfeiture as soon as the preliminary investigation is concluded, The Nation learnt.

But detectives of the anti-graft agency have secured the relevant

papers on the hotel valued at N4billion Also, it was gathered at the weekend that some business associates of Mrs Alison-Madueke were yet to refund to the EFCC about $1.85billion traced to them.

They would rather follow through the case than make a refund, a source said.

According to the anti-graft agency, the hotel was one of the five being investigated in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The Nation exclusively reported on September 13 that a special team of operatives was drafted to Port Harcourt to locate five houses suspected to be the ex-minister’s.

It was learnt that the interim report of the team indicated “a strongly suspected hotel purchase deal” between the ex-minister and the former military administrator.

An EFCC source said: “We have been able to link the N4 billion hotel in Port Harcourt to the ex-minister.

We are probing alleged sales deal between her and a former military administrator.

“We have been able to ascertain the value of the hotel. But we are gradually tracking how the deal was carried out including verification of bank details and transactions by all those involved.

“Some of these deals we are unearthing were carried out in layers

in order to shield them away from anti-corruption agencies. But we are cracking them all.”

The source added: “For strategic reasons, we will not reveal the identities of the ex-MILAD and others connected with the deal at this stage of investigation.

“But very soon, the transactions will be made known to the public.

Do not forget, we have four other properties under surveillance.”

About two weeks ago, another asset of the ex-minister in Abuja, allegedly worth over N500million, was confiscated pending her trial.

The anti-graft agency had earlier seized a mansion worth N3.58billion from the ex-minister, bringing the

haul in Abuja to about N4.08billion With the latest tracking of the hotel in question in Port Harcourt, the properties allegedly linked to the ex-minister are worth about N8.08billion.

As at press time, none of the business associates of Mrs Diezani, who are under investigation, has refunded anything from the $1.8billion traced to them.

A source in the EFCC said: “Apart from subsidy funds which some of them paid back, they are yet to refund the $1.85billion traced to them.

“The battle is in the court; we will do our best to recover these slush funds. I think they are prepared for the legal battle.”

Page 19

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ (NSC), has called for the removal of physical trade barrier in African sub-region.

Bello made the call during the inauguration of the interim working committee of West Africa Road Transport Union (WARTU), held in Lagos.

According to him, regional transportation requires integration, harmonisation and standardisation ``This is the reason the meeting is being structured because the volume of trade within the African sub-region is not very much. The volume of trade within the Central African region is representing one per cent comparing with that of Europe which stands at 70 per cent. We need to look at ways of improving trade within the subregion and there are so many things to trade on among us, ``he maintained.

He said the Nigeria’s trade was supported by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), laws and protocols which had been guiding the effective operation of trade in the region.

According to him, the Council had been playing a critical role in ensuring that the institutions and bodies were supported in one way or the other.

He commended the National Road Transport Owners (NARTO), for their involvement in the series of laudable activities believing that the Union was having the capacity and capability to put things in place.

Bello expressed the Council’s readiness to give the newly inaugurated committee the necessary support and encouragements to enable them meet their aspirations.

In his inaugural address, the President of WARTU, Mr Ogbogo Aloga, lauded the Council for the pivotal role played in ensuring a level playing ground among stakeholders.

Alogo said that the role of transportation in Africa sub-region can not be over emphasised. This, he said, necessitates the inauguration of the working committee of WARTU. ``This is a welcome development because trade within the sub-region is already moribund and requires urgent restructuring of the trade to

‘Dangote T $17bn dollars refinery to create 300,000 jobs’

NSC seeks removal of physical trade barrier in African sub-region L-R: Director, Technical Standard and Network Integrity Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Engr. Ubale Maska; Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, NCC, prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, and Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, during media interaction at the NCC headquarters , yesterday in Abuja Photo: Justin ImoOwo

boost the inter-regional trade relationship. The integration that is coming now is very important because it will also increase trade on African corridor

and remove barrier among the countries,`’ he said.

He said that the newly inaugurated body was set to address the issues affecting trade such as

By Etuka Sunday

he Dangote Industries Limited 17 billiondollar refinery project will create over 300,000 direct and indirect jobs by the first quarter of 2019, the Chief Operating Officer, Mr Olakunle Alake, has said.

Alake made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday, adding that the refinery, petrochemicals and fertiliser plants were in one location.

He said the project would be the single largest stream in the world. “The refinery and fertiliser projects will create job opportunities for the communities and Nigerians when it becomes operational.

“The refinery will have a refining capacity of about 650,000 barrels of crude a day,’’ he said.

Alake said the project would force down the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in the country and save money spent on importation.

He said that projects such as these would optimise government revenue and wean Nigeria from relying solely on oil.

communications, security, and exchange rate among ECOWAS countries.

Alogo said that the WARTU body had been inaugurated before now

According to him, the best way to diversify Nigeria’s economy is through agriculture and the fertiliser plant is in line with that goal.

The chief operating officer said that the 98 per cent of basic engineering on the fertiliser plant had been executed, while the construction had progressed by 30 per cent.

“By the time we finish our gas pipeline it will be able to generate about 12,000mw which can be exported to other African countries.

“We will have the capacity to store four billion litres of products and load 2,680 trucks per day. “The project will aid the country with about 7.5 billion dollars forex savings on importation.

“It will also generate five billion dollars forex earnings from savings and another 5.5 billion dollars export earnings,’’ he said.

Alake gave assurance that there would be markets for the refined products, saying that only three countries in Africa had effective and functional refineries, while others imported.

Alake said the projects would help the country save five billion dollars on oil importation when it became operational in 2019.

“By the time we complete this project, there

adding that now that the body had need resuscitated that the eight committee member would work hard to improve trade in African Sub-region.

will be opportunity to take on agriculture and say bye to poverty because there will be jobs; no sector has more job potential than agriculture.

“Though the project is an ambitious one but when completed it will give Nigeria a new economic direction in its quest for economic diversification.’’

He said excess products would be exported to give Nigeria the much needed foreign exchange. “That is when diversification starts,’’ he said.

Alake said, however, that access to foreign exchange posed serious challenges to the projects.

“We aim to complete the projects within the time frame to assist in easing the forex problem.

“We appeal to the Federal Government to support these private initiatives by providing funding for the projects.

“However, government through the Bank of Industry schemes has given us a credit facility of N50 billion to develop the fertiliser plant.

“We have also gotten another N75 billion approval for the refinery, which we have not yet accessed,’’ Alake said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Money Market Energy NEITI, BBC to partner on creative communications of Extractive Industries issues

By Etuka Sunday

T ..L-R: Director, AXA Mansard Investments, Tosin Runsewe; Vice President & Head, Business Development & Strategy AXA Mansard Investments, Jumoke Odunlami; CEO, AXA Mansard Investments, Deji Tunde- Anjous, and Director, AXA Mansard Investments, Yomi Onifade, during the Launch of AXA Mansard Investments Money Market & Equity Income Mutual Funds in Lagos

PTDF steps up domestication of education, training programmes

By Etuka Sunday

W

ith the current reality of poor receipts from oil revenue and the impact on funding of its capacity building programmes, particularly the Overseas Scholarship Scheme, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has stepped up the domestication drive of its education and training programmes in-country.

The implication will be that a greater percentage of beneficiaries of PTDF Scholarship Scheme will undergo their studies in the top Nigerian Universities and Centres of Excellence upgraded by the Fund.

Although PTDF has over the years been implementing a gradual domestication policy

with the award of local scholarships to deserving students in the universities it has upgraded, the Fund is speeding up the process through the effective utilization of some of the Institutions it developed from scratch.

The Fund is also evolving strategic partnerships and collaborations with local and foreign universities, training and research institutions, and curriculum development service providers.

A statement by the Head, Press and External Relations, PTDF, Kalu Otisi Esq. said, one of the Institutions being proposed for this phase of PTDF domestication drive is the National Institute for Petroleum Policy and Strategy (NIPPS), currently being developed by the Fund in Kaduna, North West Nigeria.

The Federal Government approved the development of the Institute as part of the infrastructural and human capital development programmes of the Fund to provide state of the art training facilities and learning environment, and for the development of research, technology, skills and relevant manpower for the industry.

With a Technology Development and Management wings, the Institute is specifically designed to undertake industry related trainings for Executive and Senior Management personnel in the oil and gas industry, provide training for fresh graduates in oil and gas related disciplines to improve their employability in the petroleum industry, and host a-one-stop analytical laboratory for effective research and development activities.

Distribution Company Head Office and Hotel Sindaba Bauchi respectively. The Abuja Centre would be at the Merit House in Maitama.

The BPE Acting boss advised the PHCN retirees to satisfy the followings: pensioner to appear physically not by proxy; retirees verification form should be completed; original and photocopy of letter of 1st appointment; original and photocopy of letter of confirmation of appointment; original and photocopy of letter of last promotion; original and photocopy of certificate of birth/ declaration of age; original and photocopy of letter of retirement; certified recent six months bank statement; beneficiary’s passport photograph; original and photocopy of letter of application for payment of pension in case of deferred pensioners on attainment of 45 years age, retiree pensioner I.D/C&B pension letter and certified bank statement (If the NOKs are more than one, the bank statement must be a joint account of the Next of Kins) from February 2014 to date.

For the Next Of Kins (NOKs), he advised them to appear in person and not by proxy, original and photocopy of letter of 1st appointment; original and photocopy of letter of confirmation of appointment; original and photocopy of letter of last promotion;

The Next of Kin verification form should be completed; The Biometric Data of the Next of Kin be captured; original and photocopy of the Death Certificate of the deceased; original and photocopy of Letter of Administration; two (2) recent passport photographs of the Next of Kin; valid I.D: Driver’s License, International Passport, Voter Cards, National I.D, etc; original and photocopy of C&B letter and; certified bank statement (If the NOKs are more than one, the bank statement must be a joint account of the Next of Kins) from February 2014 till date.

Similarly, Akpotaire appealed to those for the payment of their severance to appear in person, original and photocopy of certificate of Birth/Declaration of Age; original and photocopy of letter of 1st appointment; original and photocopy of letter of confirmation of appointment; original and photocopy of letter of last promotion /increment/ regularization where applicable, original and photocopy of letter of retirement/ disengagement/engagement where applicable; certified bank statement from August 2013 to date; original and photocopy of staff Identity Card; original and photocopy of R.S.A. registration statement; passport photograph of beneficiary.

PHCN: BPE releases dates for final verification of staff, retirees

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Acting Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Dr. Vincent Onome Akpotaire has announced dates for the final verification of staff and retirees of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) as well as their Next of Kins (NOKs) who are yet to collect their final terminal benefits.

Akpotaire who released the schedule for the exercise in Abuja said it would take place in six (6) centers across the country in Lagos, Benin, Port-Harcourt, Kaduna, Bauchi and Abuja.

He said the exercise would take place at the Lagos, Benin and Kaduna Centres from October 3, 2016 to October 7, 2016, PortHarcourt and Bauchi Centres from October 10, 2016 to October 14, 2016 and the Abuja Centre from October 19, 2016 to October 21, 2016.For the Lagos Centre, he said the exercise would hold at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Benin, at the Bishop Kelly Centre and Kaduna, at the Kaduna Electric Head Office.

In a statement by the Head, Public Communications, BPE, Alex E. Okoh, he said, for the Port-Harcourt and Bauchi Centres, it would hold at the Port-Harcourt Electricity

he Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the BBC Media Action have agreed to work together to support communication activities targeted at reversing the resource curse through effective dissemination of NEITI industry audit reports and other accountability issues in the extractive sector.

The partnership will leverage on the two organisations’ respective strengths across natural resource governance; capacity building for the media and community mobilization and communication that will influence decision makers and enhance the participation of citizens in decision making processes.

The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Mr. Waziri Adio who led the NEITI Team on a visit to the BBC Media Action says, he is at the organization to seek support for NEITI’s drive at scaling up its public education, enlightenment and social mobilization especially at the grassroots level in the dissemination of its industry audit reports findings.

In a statement by the Ag. Director Communications, NEITI, Mrs Obiageli Onuorah, Mr. Adio said that natural resources for now are not benefitting the people as they should, noting that citizens need to be empowered with information about the issues in natural resource governance to enable them effectively demand accountability.

According to Mr. Adio, “we want to deepen our engagement with the people and the media. When you dramatize the issues contained in the NEITI Audit reports to educate the citizens of their role, the impact will be huge. BBC Media Action has programmes such as the ‘Story Story’ that are very effective and we want to key into them to create that much needed awareness that will influence high level policy making and act as a catalyst for change. This is the essence of the EITI”.

The Country Director of the BBC Media Action Mr. Seamus Gallagher affirmed his enthusiasm for the partnership which he says will provide opportunities for synergy between the two organisations for maximum impact.

According to him, “our mandates connect but we can do more for our different organizations and for the Country. We can help the media to communicate better with their audiences through capacity building, while we reach the audiences and communicate with communities across Nigeria with our messages of transparency and accountability and ultimately help improve and bring about lasting changes in their lives”.

Page 21

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Capital Market ICT

Samsung Electronics delays South Korea re-start of Note 7 sales by three days

T

ech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Sunday it was delaying the start of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone sales in South Korea by three days to Oct. 1, a move it says is needed for speedy completion of the ongoing recall in the country.

Samsung announced on Sept.

2 a recall of at least 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in 10 markets, including South Korea,

due to a faulty battery causing the phones to catch fire, offering refunds or replacement devices using safe batteries.

The firm hopes to complete the recall quickly and restart sales in the fourth quarter to salvage earnings, but the latest hitch in South Korea underscore continuing challenges in those efforts.

Though product exchanges in South Korea began on Monday, only about 200,000 affected

customers have turned in their devices - which Samsung says represents half of affected customers and a recall pace that is much slower than other markets such as Singapore and the United States.

“The recall rate will likely fall sharply should new sales have resumed on Sept. 28,” the company said. Affected customers would no longer be able to exchange their devices through domestic carriers

starting on Oct. 1, making the process more difficult.

Samsung hopes to restart new sales in affected markets once it makes enough progress with the recalls, having announced plans to restart sales in Australia and Singapore in October, but the nearly month-long recall process has provided additional stumbles and embarrassment for the firm.

Continued reports of Note 7 fires and damages after the

recall announcement, along with warnings or outright bans from aviation authorities on the use or charging of the Note 7 on aircraft, forced Samsung to ask affected customers to immediately turn off their phones to prevent further damage.

Samsung apologized on Sunday for the confusion caused by the delay and said it would do its best to resolve the current Note 7 situation quickly.

L-R: Estate Relations Manager, Lekki Gardens Estate Limited, Mr. Rotimi Ajilore; Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Lekki Gardens Estate Limited, Mr. Richard Nyong; Elegushi of IkateLand, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla lll and member of the Elegushi Royal family, Mr.Benson Evboren, during a courtesy visit by the management of Lekki Gardens to the Oba at the Elegushi Palace in Lagos

SWIFT says bank hacks set to increase

S

WIFT, whose messaging network is used by banks to send payment instructions worth trillions of dollars each day, said three clients were hacked over the summer and cyber attacks on banks are set to increase.

The theft of $81 million in February from Bangladesh’s central bank using SWIFT messages rocked faith in the system whose messages had, until then, been accepted at face value.

SWIFT Chief Executive Gottfried Leibbrandt told the Sibos conference in Geneva on Monday that hackers breached the systems of two banks over the summer and a third bank repelled an attack before fraudulent SWIFT messages could be sent.

In the two cases where hackers sent

payment instructions over SWIFT, the orders were not fulfilled. In the first, the receiving bank noticed that the instruction did not conform with normal transaction patterns and queried it.

In the second case, the payment was held up because the receiving bank had concerns about the ultimate beneficiary of the transfer and flagged the transaction to the paying bank, which then realized it had been hacked.

In the third case, the bank had installed a software patch from SWIFT which allowed the lender’s system to spot the infiltration.

“In all of those cases no money was lost,” Leibbrandt said.

SWIFT declined to say which banks were involved or where they were based.

It told clients in a letter in late August that other hacking attempts had been made since the Bangladesh Bank case but had not provided details.

The Belgium-based cooperative which is owned by banks around the world, said its own network, which transfers messages between bank terminals, had not been compromised.

SWIFT also said on Monday it was introducing a set of mandatory security measures in response to the attacks which customers were expected to take to safeguard their systems against cyber heists.

Customers will be required to show each year that they have checked 16 mandatory controls. In 2018, SWIFT will inspect clients and if they do not

meet the standards, the cooperative will inform the non-compliant bank’s counterparties and regulators.

Leibbrandt declined to comment when asked by Reuters if SWIFT would boot non-compliant banks off the system.

Analysts said it was likely correspondent banks, which offer banking services to other lenders, would cut their relationships with any clients that SWIFT said were non-compliant.

SWIFT Chairman Yawar Shah told the conference that the threat of cyber attacks was going to get worse and that banks needed to tighten their security practices.

“This rapidly evolving threat is a game changer,” he said.

Page 22

Business O Oil up 4 percent as OPEC meets, volatility hits post-Doha high

il jumped nearly 4 percent on Monday as the world’s largest producers gathered in Algeria to discuss ways to support prices, with nervous trade driving volatility to its highest since a similar meeting to freeze output in April in Doha which failed.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other exporters led by No. 1 producer Russia are meeting informally on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum in Algeria from Sept. 26-28 to discuss steps to tackle a priceeroding glut of crude.

Key OPEC member Iran, the fourth largest crude exporter which is still trying to recapture output before Western sanctions in 2012, downplayed the chances of a deal while some OPEC members remained hopeful.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up $1.75, or 3.8 percent, at $47.64 a barrel by 11:19 a.m. EDT (1519 GMT) U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 rose

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

$1.65, or 3.7 percent, to $46.13.

Implied volatility, a gauge of how much oil prices move, was at its highest since April 18, when the meeting in Doha among OPEC members to discuss an output freeze ended in an impasse, leaving crude at just above $40.

Scepticism about any deal being reached prompted money managers to cut their bullish bets on U.S. crude futures to a one-month low last week, when prices fell by nearly 5 percent.

[CFTC/] Some analysts believe implementation of a freeze will only be after OPEC’s allimportant policy meeting in Vienna in November. Until then, the group and non-members, including Russia and No. 1 oil consumer the United States, are likely to ramp up output.

“While we look for both Russia and the OPEC membership to continue to talk up the market via bullish hype whenever crude prices decline by a few dollars a barrel, we are maintaining a view that this

type of artificial price support is simply delaying the inevitable by allowing non-OPEC production, especially from U.S. shale producers, to recover further,” said Jim Ritterbusch of Chicagobased oil markets consultancy Ritterbusch & Associates.

OPEC pumped near a multiyear high of 33.24 million barrels per day in August, data showed.

Russian production hit record highs of 11.75 million bpd last week. U.S. output has fallen this year but its oil rig count, which signals future production, has risen for 12 of the past 13 weeks.

[RIG/U] Unplanned outages across OPEC still amount to around 2 million bpd, making it hard for members to agree to a freeze, SEB commodities strategist Bjarne Schieldrop said.

“They will come away with nothing, because it is too difficult. How can they decide a freeze when Libya is on the doorstep of returning production, or Nigeria for that matter?” Schieldrop said.

L-R:General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Richard Iweanogie; winner MTN Project Fame 9, Okiemute Ighorudje,and MTN Executive, Amina Oyagbola, at the Closing Gala of MTN Project Fame that was held at Ultima Studios, Lagos,at the weekend.

Lagos deserves world class sea ports- Ambode From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

L

agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday said the State has all it takes to have as many world class Deep Sea Ports as possible, expressing the readiness of his administration to partner with investors to develop the maritime sector.

Governor Ambode, who spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja, when he met with the International Management of Dubai Port (DP) World led by its

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said the State is open for real investment, and that government is willing to partner with interested investors to develop its port.

He said Lagos, being a coastal city, deserved to have its port, and that the decision of DP World to partner with the State in the area of developing a Deep Sea Port and other areas, was cheering and encouraging.

Aside the natural endowments for Lagos, Governor Ambode said the

State is also blessed with the market to drive any investment, adding that there are favorable fundamentals for investments.

“I want to thank the management of DP World for their confidence in the Nigerian economy and Lagos economy.

As a matter of fact, the decision of the firm is cheering because they are investing at a time of economic turbulence and this is a further assurance that the country will come out of recession even stronger,” Governor Ambode said.

The Governor also assured

that his administration would continue to provide all the resources needed for the investment to thrive, especially in areas of security and infrastructure, as well as other incentives needed for ease of doing business.

Earlier, Sulayem said his team was at Lagos House on a fact finding mission to look at opportunities for investment in logistics and other areas.

He said: “We believe the economy of Nigeria has a lot of potentials and we believe the economic fundamentals

of Lagos are very strong still.

We are of a strong opinion that there are opportunities in Lagos and in Nigeria and we believe there are many ways to unlock the opportunities and we believe the fundamentals are very strong for Nigeria.

“We are looking at opportunities and have received information and we are going to study them to see which part to invest. We have 77 terminals all over the world. We are not just into port management, we also specialize in logistics and many others,” Sulayem said.

PAGE 23

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Stock Watch: Monday, SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 Company

7UP

Previous Closing Price

185.06

184.5

Opening Price

184.5

High

Low

184.5

Close

184.5

Change

Trades

-0.56 25

Volume

Value

Company

Previous Closing Price

Opening Price

High

Low

Close

Change

Trades

Volume

Value

233,796

43,137,315.02 MAYBAKER 1.26 - - - 1.26 5 26,078 32,955.18

ABBEYBDS 1.25 - - - 1.25 0 - -

MBENEFIT 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

ABCTRANS 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 4 505,000 252,500.00

MCNICHOLS 1.2 - - - 1.2 5 154,383 176,896.62

ACADEMY 0.59 - - - 0.59 0 - ACCESS

4.46

4.46

4.64

4.46

4.5

0.04 321

28,060,764

126,589,999.78

ADSWITCH 1.63 - - - 1.63 0 - AFRIK 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - AFRINSURE 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

MOBIL 138.99 - - - 138.99 20 6,378 854,115.18 MORISON 1.73 - - - 1.73 0 - MRS 49.66 - - - 49.66 1 500 23,590.00 MTECH 0.91 - - - 0.91 0 - MTI 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - MULTITREX 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

AFRIPRUD 2.65 2.7 2.7 2.61 2.61 -0.04 35 553,581 1,479,349.55 MULTIVERSE 0.5 - - - 0.5 1 10,000 5,000.00 AFROMEDIA 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 1 550,000 275,000.00

NAHCO 4.38 4.17 4.17 4.17 4.17 -0.21 19 203,175 850,145.97

AFRPAINTS 2.59 - - - 2.59 0 - -

NASCON 7.18 7.5 7.3 7.16 7.3 0.12 26 1,031,170 7,479,398.60

AGLEVENT 1.02 0.97 -

-

1.02

8 48,971 46,330.44

AIICO 0.9 0.91 0.91 0.91 0.91 0.01 18 983,972 898,207.23 AIRSERVICE 1.91 - - - 1.91 3 1,505 2,918.35 ALEX 9.84 - - - 9.84 0 - ALUMACO 7.75 - - - 7.75 1 200 1,474.00 ANINO 0.25 - - - 0.25 0 - ARBICO 5.04 - - - 5.04 0 - -

NB 135 135.2 135.2 129.51 129.51 -5.49 105 1,220,085 161,842,702.19 NCR 11.02 - - - 11.02 0 - NEIMETH 1.03 0.98 0.98 0.98 0.98 -0.05 6

126,800 124,264.00

NEM 0.69 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.01 16 1,774,600 1,241,859.00 NESF 552.2 - - - 552.2 0 - NESTLE 814

822.99 822.99 822.99 822.99 8.99 73

115,282 94,401,035.72

NIG-GERMAN 4.91 - - - 4.91 0 - NIGERINS 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

ASHAKACEM 22.5 - - - 22.5 16 55,698 1,233,876.58 NIGROPES 7.46 - - - 7.46 0 - ASOSAVINGS 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

NNFM 8.99 - - - 8.99 0 - -

AUSTINLAZ 2.09 - - - 2.09 0 - -

NPFMCRFBK

AVONCROWN 1.52 - - - 1.52 0 - BECOPETRO 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - BERGER 9.6 9.61 9.61 9.61 9.61 0.01 9 379,696 3,674,398.56 BETAGLAS 48.51 - - - 48.51 0 - -

0.98 0.98 0.98 0.98 0.98 0

6

174,000 170,510.00

NSLTECH 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - OANDO 8.5 8.92 8.92 8.48 8.48 -0.02 364 7,671,197 65,761,034.51 OKOMUOIL 28.82 - - - 28.82 21 108,772 3,056,214.60 OMATEK 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - OMOSAVBNK 0.92 - - - 0.92 0 - -

BOCGAS 4.18 - - - 4.18 0 - PAINTCOM 1.14 - - - 1.14 0 - CADBURY 20.1 - - - 20.1 15 82,240 1,655,764.64 PHARMDEKO 2.14 - - - 2.14 1 5,000 10,850.00 CAP 38 39 39 39 39 1 16 166,666 6,492,031.87 PORTPAINT 3.53 - - - 3.53 0 - CAPHOTEL 4.07 - - - 4.07 0 - -

PREMBREW 2.95 - - - 2.95 0 - -

CAPOIL 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

PREMPAINTS 10.93 - - - 10.93 0 - -

CAVERTON 2.63 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 -0.13 7 145,913 366,122.50 CCNN 8.73 9.16 -

-

8.73

7 51,560 458,087.60

CHAMPION 4.17 4.17 -

-

4.17

11 146,282 587,170.36

CHAMS 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - CHELLARAM 3.76 - - - 3.76 0 - -

PRESCO 30.5 - - - 30.5 6 32,910 1,045,950.40 PRESTIGE 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - PZ 25.5 25 25 25 25 -0.5 33 567,539 14,195,538.05 RAKUNITY 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - REDSTAREX 4.2 - - - 4.2 2 19,785 83,097.00 REGALINS 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

CILEASING 0.5 - - - 0.5 2 4,000 2,000.00

RESORTSAL 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 1 100,000 50,000.00

CONOIL 27.41 26.04 -

ROADS 6.6 - - - 6.6 0 - -

-

27.41

8

13,350 330,799.00

0.6 - - - 0.6 0 - 1.06 1.01 1.06 1.01 1.06 0 11 3,520,635 3,661,166.09 ROKANA ROYALEX 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - CORNERST 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - RTBRISCOE 0.5 - - - 0.5 3 78,164 39,082.00 COSTAIN 0.5 - - - 0.5 1 5,000 2,500.00 CONTINSURE

COURTVILLE 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - CUSTODYINS 4.1 - - - 4.1 6 16,101 64,845.03 CUTIX 1.45 - - - 1.45 1 26,666 38,665.70 CWG 2.67 - - - 2.67 0 - DAARCOMM 0.5 - - - 0.5 1 4,000 2,000.00

SCOA 4.16 - - - 4.16 0 - -

SEPLAT 230.04 225 225 225 225 -5.04 20 77,862 17,490,790.00 SIMCAPVAL 103.24 - - - 103.24 0 - SKYEBANK 1.9 1.9 1.99 1.9 1.99 0.09 75 2,020,105 3,920,083.45 SKYESHELT 100 - - - 100 0 - SMURFIT 0.98 - - - 0.98 0 - -MAY-

DANGCEM 162 163 163 163 163 1 33 156,759 25,532,904.96

BAKER 1.26 - - - 1.26 5 26,078 32,955.18

DANGFLOUR 2.31 - - - 2.31 16 31,484 75,328.68

MBENEFIT 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

DANGSUGAR

- - - 1.2 5 154,383 176,896.62 6.52 6.32 6.51 6.32 6.51 -0.01 26 343,221 2,210,542.55 MCNICHOLS 1.2 MOBIL 138.99 - - - 138.99 20 6,378 854,115.18

DEAPCAP 0.58 - - - 0.58 0 - -

DIAMONDBNK 2.87 2.8 2.8 2.74 2.74 -0.13 43 1,315,800 3,645,250.00 IPWA 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - JAPAULOIL 0.5 - - - 0.5 1 10,000 5,000.00 JBERGER 39.5 - - - 39.5 4 1,180 44,879.00 JOHNHOLT 0.96 - - - 0.96 0 - -

MORISON 1.73 - - - 1.73 0 - MRS 49.66 - - - 49.66 1 500 23,590.00 MTECH 0.91 - - - 0.91 0 - MTI 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - MULTITREX 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - MULTIVERSE 0.5 - - - 0.5 1 10,000 5,000.00

JOSBREW 1.51 - - - 1.51 0 - -

NAHCO 4.38 4.17 4.17 4.17 4.17 -0.21 19 203,175 850,145.97

JULI 1.75 - - - 1.75 0 - -

NASCON 7.18 7.5 7.3 7.16 7.3 0.12 26 1,031,170 7,479,398.60

LASACO 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 1 300,000 150,000.00

NB 135 135.2 135.2 129.51 129.51 -5.49 105 1,220,085 161,842,702.19

LAWUNION 0.54 0.53 0.53 0.52 0.52 -0.02 14 910,610 481,548.30

NCR 11.02 - - - 11.02 0 - -

LEARNAFRCA

0.68 0.65 0.65 0.65 0.65 -0.03 10 1,074,871 699,416.15

LENNARDS 3.15 - - - 3.15 0 - LINKASSURE 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - LIVESTOCK 1.4 1.41 1.41 1.41 1.41 0.01 9 134,400 192,410.51 MANDRID 5.35 - - - 5.35 0 - MANSARD 2.62 2.55 -

-

2.62

8 37,850 99,859.50

Top Gainers Company

Previous Closing Price

Opening Price

High

NEIMETH 1.03 0.98 0.98 0.98 0.98 -0.05 6

126,800 124,264.00

NEM 0.69 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.01 16 1,774,600 1,241,859.00 NESF 552.2 - - - 552.2 0 - NESTLE 814

822.99 822.99 822.99 822.99 8.99 73

115,282 94,401,035.72

NIG-GERMAN 4.91 - - - 4.91 0 - NIGERINS 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - NIGROPES 7.46 - - - 7.46 0 - -

Top Losers Low

Close

Change

Trades

Volume

Value

Company

Previous Closing Price

Opening Price

High

Low

Close

Change

Trades

Volume

Value

ALUMACO 7.75 - - - 7.75 1 200 1,474.00

MULTITREX 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

FORTISMFB 5.42 - - - 5.42 0 - -

NNFM 8.99 - - - 8.99 0 - -

UNHOMES 5.23 - - - 5.23 1 3,750 18,637.50

MCNICHOLS 1.2 - - - 1.2 5 154,383 176,896.62

INFINITY 1.42 - - - 1.42 0 - -

UTC 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

OMOSAVBNK 0.92 - - - 0.92 0 - -

UNIONDICON 11.84 - - - 11.84 0 - -

MULTIVERSE 0.5 - - - 0.5 1 10,000 5,000.00

MANDRID 5.35 - - - 5.35 0 - -

ASOSAVINGS 0.5 - - - 0.5 0 - -

CADBURY 20.1 - - - 20.1 15 82,240 1,655,764.64

ABBEYBDS 1.25 - - - 1.25 0 - -

JULI 1.75 - - - 1.75 0 - -

PAGE 25

Peoples Daily, tuesday, September 27, 2016

PAGE 24

Special Report

Migrants: What can Europe achieve?

A

s the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe soars to more than 100,000, European leaders are struggling to come up with solutions.

Plans to resettle tens of thousands of migrants across Europe and break up the smuggling networks have yet to be agreed.

European ministers discussed the plans on 16 June, but there were objections to relocating migrants according to mandatory quotas.

Everyone agrees that Europe has to find some big solutions to a big problem. And soon.

But what can European countries actually achieve?

The European Commission wants to adopt “immediate measures to prevent human tragedies and to deal with emergencies”.

It’s widely acknowledged that the current wave of migration across the Mediterranean is just such an emergency.

Article 78(3) of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty allows for provisional measures to address “an emergency situation characterised by a sudden inflow of nationals of third countries”.

It’s being triggered for the first time.

Since the vast majority of migrants are arriving in Italy and Greece, the

commission wants to redistribute 40,000 of the new arrivals more equitably across the European Union.

Some 24,000 from Italy and 16,000 from Greece would be relocated among other EU members according to a “distribution key” that takes account of factors such as population, gross domestic product and unemployment, as well as the number of refugees already taken in.

A separate proposal would resettle 20,000 mainly Syrian refugees currently living in camps in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

Why have these plans run into difficulties?

The European Commission vicepresident Frans Timmermans says the quota system should “give meaning to what intraEU solidarity should look like”.

But no-one seems happy with the plan.

Everyone can see that Italy and Greece need help, but no-one wants to be told how many refugees to take in.

France and Germany, which together would be expected to receive more than 30% of the relocated refugees, have asked for “fairer burden-sharing”, and that greater emphasis be placed on the number of asylum seekers already taken in.

Hundreds of people board a ferry from Kos to Athens

The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, also said he was calling for waiting centres in Italy and Greece, where “illegal economic migrants” could be distinguished from “those who are persecuted and therefore covered by asylum law”.

The Polish prime minister has said she opposes mandatory quotas and that it’s up to member states to make their own decisions.

Spain says the commission has not taken adequate account of its 23% unemployment rate or the problems it’s having with its own undocumented migrants.

Bulgaria feels similarly neglected.

The fact that under EU law, Britain, Ireland and Denmark will all be exempt from the scheme adds to the sense of general discontent among those who aren’t.

What else is the EU proposing?

The other controversial aspect of the EU’s plans involves disrupting the smuggling networks involved in bringing desperate migrants across the Mediterranean, often in appalling conditions.

This is due to be discussed later in the month and agreed, the commission hopes, at a leaders’ summit on 25-26 June.

The EU’s foreign policy

UN officials tell me that a British-led effort to get a Security Council resolution has, for now, been put on hold.

With UN-sponsored talks aimed at achieving a power-sharing deal in Libya still delicately poised, officials involved are extremely wary of anything that could make their job even harder.

Are there potential longer-term solutions?

No-one thinks that plucking drowning migrants out of the sea, offering resettlement and relocation to 60,000 of the most vulnerable and going after the smugglers’ boats represents a comprehensive solution.

The European Commission’s Agenda on Migration talks about managing the crisis “in all its aspects”.

Women and children from Syria taking refuge in Turkey chief, Federica Mogherini, has described this as an operation “to disrupt the business model”, involving intelligencesharing and the inspection and possible destruction of smugglers’ boats.

Unveiling the unprecedented proposals in mid-May, Ms Mogherini stressed the urgency of getting the plan off the ground within a matter of weeks.

“In these operations, seasons are important,” she said. “People are travelling.”

Will the operation begin soon?

A month on, a number of European navies are involved in rescuing migrants and the number of people drowning at sea has fallen.

But the plan to disrupt the smugglers seems deadlocked.

Libya’s internationally recognised government has yet to agree to a plan that would involve operations in Libya’s territorial waters and, conceivably, on Libyan soil as well.

Russian objections also mean that the chances of getting UN authorisation of a military operation are slim.

The Royal Marines rescued these people trying to reach Italy from Libya It talks about improving the EU’s skilled labour migration policies (the so-called Blue Card Directive) and working with countries of origin and transit to prevent hazardous journeys.

Calls for so-called “asylum camps” in north African countries have been made for the past 10 years, particularly among front-line states such as Italy and Spain.

But there seems little real appetite, on either side of the Mediterranean.

The commission’s talk of “a new model of legal migration” could also

prove controversial.

The agenda acknowledges that it’s up to member states to make their own decisions on economic migrants but talks about the possibility of creating an “EUwide pool” of qualified migrants, accessible to both employers and authorities.

At a summit in Malta in the autumn, talks will be held with African Union countries to look at the causes of migration.

But the language of the agenda highlights the vast scope of the task.

“Many of the root

Federica Mogherini wants action soon

“

Article 78(3) of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty allows for provisional measures to address “an emergency situation characterised by a sudden inflow of nationals of third countries”.

It’s being triggered for the first time. Since the vast majority of migrants are arriving in Italy and Greece, the commission wants to redistribute 40,000 of the new arrivals more equitably across the European Union.Some 24,000 from Italy and 16,000 from Greece would be relocated among other EU members according to a “distribution key” that takes account of factors such as population, gross domestic product and unemployment, as well as the number of refugees already taken in. A separate proposal would resettle 20,000 mainly Syrian refugees currently living in camps in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

Migrants try to make a clandestine crossing from France to England

causes of migration lie deep in global issues which the EU has been trying to address for many years,” it says.

At a time when governments are scrambling simply to save lives and find countries willing to host a few thousand refugees, addressing the root causes of this complex humanitarian phenomenon seems almost impossibly ambitious.

Source: BBC

Feature

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

W

Escaping from ISIS militants

hen members of the Yazidi religious minority fled as Islamic State (IS) militants swept across northern Iraq a year ago, several thousand women and girls were captured and enslaved. But hundreds have now been freed thanks to a network of smugglers run by an Iraqi businessman, as BBC Persian’s Nafiseh Kohnavard reports.

It is almost 01:00 on the IraqiTurkish border and the guards are preparing to close the gates for the night.

As passengers hurry to get on the last buses heading into Turkey, a Yazidi family are standing silently, eyes fixed on the crossing point.

Suddenly, a woman and four children appear from the Turkish side. The family rush to greet them and the whole group dissolves into tears.

As they hug each other they keep looking into each other’s eyes, unable to believe they are finally together again.

Khatoon, 35, and her children - aged between four and 10 - were captured by IS militants who stormed their village in Iraq’s Sinjar region in August 2014.

They were taken to Raqqa, the de facto capital of the caliphate declared

by IS two months earlier.

Khatoon looks exhausted and barely able to stand.

“It was horrible,” she says. “They didn’t give us enough food or water, or let us wash. Sometimes they beat us.”

Escape Khatoon and her children owe their freedom to an Iraqi businessman named Abdullah, who used to buy agricultural goods from Syria but now buys people held captive by IS. After reuniting Khatoon with her family, Abdullah takes us to his modest house and introduces us to his 22-yearold niece, Marwa.

Like Khatoon, Marwa and 55 of her relatives were seized by IS fighters in Sinjar a year ago.

Two months later, Marwa managed to contact her uncle and tell him she was being held in a house in Raqqa, “I told her: ‘They can’t understand Kurdish, so listen carefully. If you can find a way to get out of that house, I’ll try to find someone to bring you back,” Abdullah says.

One night Marwa managed to steal the front-door key and make her escape.

“I waved down a taxi,” she says. “The driver asked me where I was going. At first he said he was scared, because if he was seen with me, IS would kill both of us.

“But in the end he agreed to take me to another part of town, where there were good people who could help me.”

The next day she tried to call her uncle but her IS captor had found out where she was staying. He demanded that the family who had taken her in either to return her, or to buy her from him for $7,500 (£4,810).

He also contacted her uncle.

“I told him: ‘OK, give me some time and I’ll send the money to you. But don’t touch my niece,’” says Abdullah.

He began calling old business contacts in Syria and eventually secured Marwa’s release.

Setting a price Over the past year, Abdullah has built up a network of contacts and smugglers across Syria, Turkey and Iraq and managed to free more than 300 mainly Yazidi women and children from IS captivity.

He has found it costs between $6,000 (£3,850) and $35,000 (£22,450) to buy someone back from IS. For young girls the asking price is even higher, and even babies are not exempt.

“Once a family had to pay $6,000 for 30-day-old baby,” says Abdullah.

For many families finding that amount of money is almost impossible.

Khatoon and her children were freed after her father-in-law, Mardan, paid $35,000.

“I sold everything I had,” he told the BBC. “I had to go door-to-door borrowing money. Now I have to pay it all back, but I’m penniless and 17 members of my family are still being held by IS.” Not all operations to buy back captives are successful.

Earlier this year, Mardan raised $35,000 to secure the release of his other daughter-in-law and her two children.

However, the Kurdish smuggler who was acting as go-between was killed and the $17,500 that he was supposed to be passing on to the IS captors was lost.

They are now demanding that Mardan sends another $10,000 if he

Marwa was held at a house in Islamic State’s headquarters of Raqqa in Syria

Abdullah says much of the ransom money goes to the smugglers rather than IS

Iraqi authorities have set up an office to co-ordinate efforts to secure the Yazidis’ return

Khatoon and her children owe their freedom to an Iraqi businessman named Abdullah, who used to buy agricultural goods from Syria but now buys people held captive by IS. After reuniting Khatoon with her family, Abdullah takes us to his modest house and introduces us to his 22-year-old niece, Marwa. Like Khatoon, Marwa and 55 of her relatives were seized by IS fighters in Sinjar a year ago. Two months later, Marwa managed to contact her uncle and tell him she was being held in a house in Raqqa,

wants to see his daughter-in-law and grandchildren again.

‘Only option is to trade’ Although Abdullah says much of the money involved in ransom operations goes to the people smugglers rather than IS, he knows his activities are helping to fill the group’s coffers. But he sees no other way to reunite the captured Yazidis with their families.

“For IS women and girls are nothing more than goods and our only option is to trade them like you would trade goods and products over the border,” he explains.

The most difficult part of these operations, he says, is confirming that contacts on the IS side are genuine.

Over the past year, four of the 23 smugglers working with Abdullah have been killed by IS. “Sometimes they call and tell us to come and pick up some Yazidis,” he says. “But when we send someone into IS territory, they are captured and killed.”

The Iraqi government and the Iraqi Kurdish authorities have now set up an office to co-ordinate efforts to secure the return of Yazidi captives, But it is clear they are struggling to cope.

“There are still too many people being held by IS and we haven’t got enough money to pay smugglers to bring all of them back,” says Noori Osman Abdulrahman, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s co-ordinator for Yazidi affairs.

For many families, going it alone with Abdullah’s help is the only option.

However much ransom is paid, it is clear that for both the captives and those who have been waiting for them that it is the emotional cost of their ordeal that will take the highest toll.

Marwa, is still struggling to come to terms with what happened.

“When I get upset, I get panic attacks and can’t breathe,” she says. “I get flashbacks about what happened to me and all the other girls.”

Despite Abdullah’s efforts, so far she is the only one from her family to have escaped.

Source: BBC

P A G E

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Defence

Boko Haram: Army loses 4 in Borno IED-Ambush Y esterday, troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE on administration patrol from Maiduguri encountered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and ambush between

Miyanti and Dareljamal, Borno State. The ambush was cleared and 3 Boko Haram terrorists were killed by the troops. They also recovered a Machine Gun, 1 AK-47 Rifle and some quantity of

ammunition.

Unfortunately, we lost an officer and 3 soldiers, while 16 soldiers and 3 Civilian JTF sustained injuries during the encounter. Similarly, 2 vehicles

that entered the IED were badly damaged.

The wounded have since been evacuated and are in stable condition.

Army arrests deserter, others in Edo, denies molesting newsmen

A

ttention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to an online publications alleging that Soldiers of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army and personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) Edo State command of arresting and molesting 10 journalists in Benin, Edo State earlier today.

This is not correct as the online media did not get their facts right.

It is important to state that sequel to the prevailing security situation in the state which led to the postponement of the earlier scheduled Gubernatorial Election in Edo State, there were

credible security reports that some unpatriotic persons have hired hoodlums with the intention of causing mayhem during the forthcoming election in the State.

The reports further showed that the suspected hoodlums have been lodged in some hotels within Benin city and its environs.

Acting on this, the DSS in conjunction with troops of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army carried out cordon and search operations in the suspected areas.

This led to the arrest of 10 suspected persons in one of the hotel. Among the suspects arrested was a deserted soldier.

It is pertinent to state that none of the arrested suspects identified himself as a journalist or mention the media he reports for, contrary to the allegations of the online media.

In addition, quite a number of incriminating items including INEC sensitive materials were recovered from them.

That notwithstanding, all the suspects were treated humanely and in the most dignified manner which has always been in accordance with our Code of Code and the tradition. Therefore none of them was molested at all during the operation and subsequent

handing over to the relevant security agency.

We wish to reiterate the position of the present leadership of the Nigerian Army under the command of Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai which has zero tolerance for such unprofessional and unethical conduct such as harassment and molestation of innocent citizens. The Nigerian Army would always conduct itself professionally and responsibly in all its operations. Therefore, it is always advisable to always cross check facts before rushing to file or post such stories.

Police deploy tactical teams for Edo election

I

GP Ibrahim Kidris NPM mni, determined to ensure that the rescheduled Edo Gubernatorial Election is conducted in an atmosphere of peace and security has ordered the activation of the revised operation plan for the governorship election slated to hold throughout the State on Wednesday, 28th September, 2016.

The revised election security operation plan will guarantee free, fair and credible election, secure electoral process, enable eligible voters exercise their franchise freely and voluntary, protection of election materials and officials, ensure adequate security before, during and after the election.

In the same vein, protection of life and property in the entire State will be of paramount importance. However, the Police will be firm and decisive in dealing with any infractions of the law, actions and activities that constitute breach of peace and contrary to public order.

For avoidance of doubt, the Police will mobilize and deploy adequate resources and personnel to prosecute the Edo Governorship election conclusively.

To this end, in order to achieve the expected outcome of

credible election acceptable to all stakeholders, the police will deploy: Twenty Five Thousand (25,000.00) conventional Police Officers, Tactical Teams which include:- Police Mobile Force [PMF], Counter Terrorism Unit, Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Special Protection Unit, Force Animal Branch, Police Air wing [Aerial patrol), Marine Police Unit [Riverine Patrol).

This is in addition to the deployment of other sister agencies to ensure a robust security template for the election.

Also, Police Helicopters, gun boats, Armoured Personnel Carriers, Police Dogs and technical platforms will be deployed.

The IGP wishes to entreat all Police Officers and Officers of all sister security agencies deployed for the election to conduct themselves in the best professional manner, maintaining apolitical disposition and strictly adhering to the rules of engagement.

The good people of Edo State are advised to be law abiding and warned to refrain from any action that will jeopardize the existing peace and security in the State. The Nigeria Police Force on its part will discharge its statutory functions effectively,

Troops repel gunmen attacks, arrests 6 in Godogodo

G

allant troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army in a joint operation with personnel of Nigeria Police and local vigilantes have today repelled a coordinated attack by gunmen on Godogodo town of Kaduna State.

The troops fought off the attackers and pursued them into the bush inflicting heavy casualty on them. The combined security team also arrested the following 6 suspects : Lawal Gambo, Yau Sani, Bala Amodu, Ibrahim Maikaru, Abubakar Hassan and Bashiru Isa Ciroma.

Unfortunately 4 local vigilantes lost their lives while another 9 were wounded in the course of countering the dastardly attack meant to cause more loss of lives and properties of law abiding citizens of Godogodo Town.

The situation in Godogo Town has since returned to normalcy and efforts are ongoing to track the remaining fleeing bandits.

We wish to reassure citizens that the effort to safeguard life and property will continue with renewed vigour until all the rampaging bandits are brought to justice.

... Repels Logomani attack, kills 22 terrorists

A

IGP Mr Ibrahim Idris, the Inspector General of Police

unbiased and in accordance to the principles of democratic policing.

Furthermore, the IGP has directed the Commissioner of Police in Edo State to enforce the restriction of vehicular movement

from (00:00) 12 midnight Tuesday, 27th September,2016 to (18:00hrs) 6pm 28th September, 2016 except those involved in essential duties who must be properly identified.

t about 1.00am today, Sunday 25th September 2016, some suspected remnants of Boko Haram fighters numbering about attacked our troops location of at Logomani along Dikwa-Gambarou road, Borno State, in a 3 waves attack using 36 Hand Grenades and Rocket Propelled Launchers.

Our troops fought gallantly and repelled the attack which lasted for about one hour. At the end of the fierce encounter, the troops counted 22 dead bodies of Boko Haram fighter. They also recovered 2 AK-47 Rifles, 1 FN Rifle, 1 G3 Rifle and some 36 Hand grenades.

Unfortunately, we troops lost 4 soldiers and their rifles as a result of the effect of Boko Haram use of Rocket Propelled Grenades, while 2 soldiers were wounded in action.

The wounded in action have been evacuated for further medical management.

The location have been reinforced and replenished while the troops have continued their clearance operations.

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Agriculture Co-operative farmers urged to parley Agric Ministry

By Usman Shuaibu

T

he National Coordinator of Agro-Allied CSP Nigeria limited in the country, Prof.

Queen Victoria Abike Adesuyi, has called on the Agro-Allied cooperative farmers across the states to parley with the Federal Ministry of

Agriculture and Rural Development to enable them to benefit from agricultural incentives from the government of the day.

She also charged the state AgroAllied coordinators to deem it necessary to submit the list of their co-operative societies to the federal ministry of Agriculture for the

recognition of their co-operatives.

Adesuyi, who made the call in an interview with Peoples Daily over the weekend in Abuja, further pleaded with every state coordinator to forward the names of their AgroAllied co-operative societies at least in ten groups to be attached with their letter heading to the ministry

of Agriculture.

She advised the Agro-Allied coordinators in the states not to hesitate to make their cooperative documents available to the Agriculture ministry, as the government was working towards giving them loan and other agricultural inputs.

She, however, assured the state Agro-Allied coordinators that her leadership would continue to fight for the co-operative farmers in the nation, while thanking the minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe for the support accorded to the management of Agro-Allied CSP Nigeria limited in all ramifications.

FG to train 500 exmilitants in farming

T

•

Niger: 2,500 farmers benefit from agro economic empowerment From Yakubu Mustapha,Minna.

N

o fewer than 2,500 farmers in Niger state to benefit from the pilot scheme of Agro-Economic Empowerment Programme on a Rice Value Chain Development of Agricultural Graduates Association of Nigeria (AGAN).

The program that is sponsored

by Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited a Chevron Company in conjunction with other oil companies in collaboration with the Niger State chapter of AGAN and Niger State government aimed at bringing back the lost

glory of agricultural practice in Nigeria has commenced.

The State Coordinator of AGAN, Alhaji Hussaini Iliyasu made the disclosure while speaking with our reporter at the weekend in Minna, said that lead farmer concept will be adopted to train the 2,500 farmers in the state.

Iliyasu stated that the program will involved women, graduates and youths in the value chain by providing them with technical support to enhanced the economic status of farmers in Niger State to ensure increased yield in rice production from 2

tons to an average of 5 tons per hectare and will also increased the annual rice production cycle from one to two cycles per annum hence adopting crop diversification by using tube well technology.

According to him, the program is tagged ‘Niger Rice Project’ targeted at establishing 50-100 demonstration Centres with each having between 20-25 farmers to participate in the direct training on good agricultural practices and farmers business school.

He said this was to encourage young agriculture professionals at the grassroots to engaged in

extension services as agribusiness to create permanent partnership between knowledge- based farmers and traditional farmers as well create job opportunities for young professionals by strengthening extension services in the country as well to promote local content development.

He further said that it has procured and distributed power tiller machines, tube well drilling machines to drill 300 tube wells, water pumps and inputs like fertilizer, improved seeds, chemicals as well as has begun the training of trainers for the lead farmers.

he Federal Government has said that it will train 500 ex-militants in agriculture under its amnesty programme, .The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Paul Boro, disclose d this to the News Agency of Nigeria shortly after his visit to Bio-resources Development Centre (BIODEC), Odi in Bayelsa .

He said the would-be trainees were selected from Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers.

The special adviser said the training would create jobs and wealth for the youth, especially now that the country sought to diversify the economy.

According to him, 18 other ex-militants had acquired skills in aquaculture under the programme.

Mr. Boro, who is also the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, said he took a tour of the centre to monitor the progress of staff and livestock in the centre.

“The amnesty office is committed to training youths to become productive in the area of agriculture and aquaculture.

“We will encourage them to plan their future, study and appreciate the value of knowledge in the modern society,” the retired Brigadier General said.

He promised that loans would be made available to the beneficiaries to enable them to establish businesses after the training.

Page 29

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Agriculture

US Seafood Firms Ordered to Conference in Forced-labor Suit A

federal judge in California has ordered attorneys representing two U.S. seafood companies to appear in court for a scheduling conference following a lawsuit filed on behalf of seven Cambodians who contend they were duped into a period of servitude in overseas fisheries that supply the firms.

The alleged victims — five men and two women — filed the complaint against the U.S.registered companies, Rubicon Resources and Wales & Co. Universe, and Thai firms Phatthana Seafood Co. and S.S. Frozen Food Co. on June 15. In the complaint, the plaintiffs say they were tricked into working for the companies and were victims of “forced labor, involuntary servitude and peonage” between 2010 and 2012.

U.S.-based Wal-Mart is named among the buyers of Phatthana’s shrimp exports, according to the complaint.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ordered the attorneys to appear in court September 19 to present arguments and evidence.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs will also present damage claims and explain their case for U.S. jurisdiction, which the defense claims is lacking.

“If counsel fail to file the required joint report or fail to appear at the scheduling

conference, and such failure is not otherwise satisfactorily explained to the court, the cause shall stand dismissed for failure to prosecute, if such a failure occurs on the part of the plaintiff,” the court order said.

“Default judgment shall be entered if such failure occurs on the part of the defendant.”

According to court documents, the defense team on August 3 said the court holds no jurisdiction because the alleged conduct occurred outside the United States. Plaintiffs’ representatives countered that the court holds jurisdiction under both the Torture Victim Protection Act and the Alien Tort Statute, both of which can allow foreigners to seek redress for human rights violations for conduct occurring outside the United States.

A call to a defense attorney was not immediately returned.

The defense previously won a one-month extension from the original July 15 deadline to submit arguments and evidence, saying their clients were based in rural areas of Thailand that lacked internet access.

“Such a delay is like buying time to prepare something, [which] is not good [for us], because this case happened a long time ago,” Keo Ratha, one of the plaintiffs, told VOA’s Khmer service.

Moeun Tola, executive director

Farmers remove weeds to enhance crop growth of the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, also said a quick conclusion of the case was desired.

“I don’t support this delay, because the victims have been waiting since 2012 and it’s now 2016,” he said. “They have been

waiting for four years.”

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Khmer service.

Organic: Is it the future of farming?

I

n its pure form, maybe not.

But elements of the organic philosophy are starting to be deployed in mainstream agriculture. Nature’s reporters analyse this trend, assess the extent of organic farming worldwide, and frame the questions on which its wider adoption will depend.

If your politics are green, you like your medicine ‘holistic’ and you’re deeply worried by economic globalization, the chances are your fridge is full of organic produce.

Today, support for organic farming is frequently part of a bigger social and political mindset — one that holds that ‘natural’ is best, and that naked capitalism is a threat to the health of the planet and its people.

But the origins of organic agriculture, in 1940s Britain, are more down-to-earth. Its pioneers were concerned, above all else, about the soil beneath their feet.

Their philosophy was centred on practices designed to improve the richness and stability of the soil by restoring its organic matter and avoiding synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Wider concerns about biodiversity, social justice and animal welfare have grown from this core concept about how to manage our farmland’s key resource.

These ideals have always set the organic movement squarely against intensive farming and chemical-based agribusiness.

And, at least in public and in the media, those arguments rage more fiercely today than ever before.

Yet behind the harsh rhetoric, a little-noticed convergence of views is taking place. For decades, the study of organic farming sat on the fringes of the green revolution in agriculture, as intensive techniques marched across the world, sending yields skyrocketing.

But mainstream agronomists are becoming concerned about the long-term sustainability of this approach, and are focusing increasingly on soil integrity.

Could it be that both sides of agriculture’s great divide now want the same thing?

“It’s been a huge move,” says Mark Alley, an agronomist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

“Twenty-five years ago, yield was everything. But in the past ten years, there’s been a major recognition of the need to maintain organic materials in soil.” And with the turn of the millennium, farmers have started to embrace approaches that keep soil structure intact and cut the high level

of inputs — energy, fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides — that characterize intensive agriculture.

Going green ... again These new methods diverge significantly from the purist organic vision. In particular, they rely heavily on ‘low tillage’ methods, which help to improve the soil but depend partly on the use of herbicides, fertilizers and pesticides. Those remain anathema to the organic movement. But the change that is taking place — sometimes referred to as the second green, or doubly green, revolution — stems from a growing acceptance of the organic critique of the first one. Mainstream agronomists now acknowledge, for example, that intensive farming reduces biodiversity, encourages irreversible soil erosion and generates run-off that is awash with harmful chemicals — including nitrates from fertilizers that can devastate aquatic ecosystems.

For the organic movement, caring for the soil involves interspersing each harvest with a cover crop such as clover or rye that can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Cover crops keep down weeds, retain moisture and

prevent erosion. Ploughing them into the soil at the end of the season restores the soil’s organic content, and boosts its nitrogen content without the need to use synthetic fertilizer.

The low-till approach borrows heavily from these principles. Lowtill farmers ensure that their soil is not left open to erosion by growing nitrogen fixers between rows of their cash crops and between seasons. But low-till farmers don’t completely unhitch their wagon from conventional inputs. They still use nitrate fertilizers and pesticides as needed. Before each planting, they kill the previous crop with a broad-spectrum herbicide such as Roundup, made

by Monsanto of St Louis, Missouri.

This lets them punch the new seed directly into the ground through the decaying plants without tilling.

Till life Low-till agriculture is taking root in both rich and poor countries. Pat Wall, head of conservation agriculture at CIMMYT, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, estimates that about 70 million hectares of arable land — something like 2% of the global

total — is now using the method, with about a third of that in the United States.

Brazil has been in the vanguard of the change in the south, says Cheryl Palm, an ecologist specializing in tropical agriculture at Columbia University in New York. “It’s swept through the country, and cut down soil erosion dramatically,” she says.

Although many of the farms that are converting to lowtill agriculture are large-scale operations, the approach is also rapidly gaining acceptance on smallholdings in places such as Ghana and India. On the Indian subcontinent, the area where low-till is being implemented has grown from nothing in 1997, through 100,000 hectares in 2001, to one million hectares this year.

Besides conserving soil structure, low tillage also reduces energy inputs. Farms in India that grow rice in the summer and wheat in the winter have cut their number of annual tilling operations from eight to one, Wall reports, reducing fuel use by 70%.

“When I was there, the only people complaining about the change were the petrol station owners,” he says.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Page 30

Feature

Australia refugees: Detention centre ‘gag’ angers medics

Refugees burnt their Nauru detention centre housing in 2013

A

ustralian laws forbidding people working in the country’s detention centres from speaking out about what they see have raised grave concerns in the medical community.

When Peter Young was in charge of mental health services at Australia’s refugee detention centres, he says it became increasingly clear that authorities wanted to “keep the lid” on health issues that asylum seekers were experiencing.

The senior Australian psychiatrist says immigration authorities wanted details about the high rates of mental illness among children at the centres to be removed from his official reports.

He was asked to delete clinical opinions that made a direct link between prolonged detention and mental health problems.

Dr Young was director of International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) a private health service contracted by Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) to provide health care to detention centres - a role he held for three years.

‘Bad behaviour’ Its services covered the country’s controversial offshore facilities on the Pacific island of Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, where all asylum seekers who try to reach Australia by boat are sent - never to be resettled in Australia even if their refugee claims are proven.

In advising on treatment, Dr Young argued with authorities who considered acts of self-harm by detainees as “a type of bad behaviour, rather than a manifestation of people in extreme states of hopelessness He says he was later refused permission to use data he had collected about health issues in detention centres in presentations or publications.

“They made it very clear this type of information should never get into the public domain,” he told the BBC. Now there is fear that health workers could go to prison for such revelations under new Border Force laws that threaten

Some Australians are unhappy with the offshore detention centre system “entrusted people” with up to two years in prison if they reveal protected information about Australia’s detention facilities.

In recent months, hundreds of doctors and nurses have staged public protests in cities across Australia, posing with their hands over their mouths to highlight the risk of being silenced.

Their concerns are shared by Australia’s 13 peak medical groups, who have accused the government of trying to “gag” health professionals.

The World Medical Association has also warned the laws are “in striking conflict with basic principles of medical ethics”.

Critics say the gag is the latest act

“

In recent months, hundreds of doctors and nurses have staged public protests in cities across Australia, posing with their hands over their mouths to highlight the risk of being silenced.

Their concerns are shared by Australia’s 13 peak medical groups, who have accused the government of trying to “gag” health professionals.

The World Medical Association has also warned the laws are “in striking conflict with basic principles of medical ethics”

in a “culture of secrecy” around tough Australian policies designed to stop boatloads of asylum seekers from arriving on Australian shores.

The government is unapologetic about its stance on “stopping the boats” It denies it is trying to silence doctors and nurses or that it wants to suppress health information.

The Border Force says the new laws are to protect “operational security” and insists robust internal mechanisms are in place through which medical concerns can be raised and addressed.

The federal Labor opposition agrees. It supported the legislation and says health workers will be protected by ‘whistleblower’ protections under the Commonwealth Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013.

However, legal experts say it is not clear what sort of information would be protected and there are a range of internal hurdles that could delay or deter disclosures.

‘Chilling effect’ That confusion alone may suit the government, says human rights lawyer George Newhouse.

“I think the government is very happy with the uncertainty around the laws and how they are likely to have a ‘chilling effect’ on potential whistleblowers,” he told the BBC. Given very restricted public access to Australian detention centres, health and social workers have been key sources of information about conditions.

Two former medical officers at the Christmas Island detention facility, last year graphically catalogued a range of health concerns in an article in the Medical Journal of Australia, saying, among other things, that “degrading, harmful and inappropriate incidents” had occurred at the centre.

“Degrading, harmful and inappropriate incidents have occurred, including requiring asylum seekers to undergo health assessments while exhausted, dehydrated and filthy, with clothing soiled by urine and faeces; addressing individuals by number instead of name, artificial delays in transfer of patients for tertiary care; confiscation and destruction of medications, medical records and medical devices; and detention of children despite clear evidence of significant harm.”

--Medical Journal of Australia, Volume 201, October 2014 Dr Young believes the risk of being sent to prison will discourage medical staff from speaking out in future, even if no prosecutions are launched.

Other detention centre practices like employing staff from developing countries who are not protected by Australian labour or whistleblower laws also “keep the lid on all information flowing out of the system”, he says.

“My position is that the medical profession is expected to speak out when it comes to issues that harm people’s health.

“There would be no controversy if I was speaking about cigarette smoking or asbestos exposure.

“The evidence is very clear that prolonged detention in such circumstances causes a negative health impact, and keeping those health impacts secret makes the situation worse.”

Source: BBC

PAGE 31

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

• A local barber attending to his client, yesterday at Central Area, in Abuja

Governance: Candido charges aides to add value to AMAC T Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

he Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), has charged his

political appointees to brace up to the quest towards for good and inclusive governance, by contributing their quota to the development of the council.

He said he had passion for delivery dividends of democracy to the grass roots.

The Chairman who spoke through the Council, Head

of Personnel, Mr. Attahiru Y. Ibrahim, while declaring open a two-day retreat organised by Buhari Youth Emancipation Strategy, (B-YES), for Political

Appointees of AMAC in Kaduna over the weekend.

He explained that the retreat was put up for the appointees so as to help them build their capacity and enhance their quota to his administration’s commitment to deliver dividends of democracy to the grassroots people.

“I must say without mixing words that delivery of dividends of democracy is the key factor here and that no matter how we spent for staff or political appointees, these are not the key issue, but the key issue is spending money for the grassroots, because they are the ones that voted us in office.

“So we need to deliver dividends of democracy to the grassroots and that is why we put up this 2-day retreat to brainstorm on how best to enhance your capacity to deliver dividends of democracy to the grassroots people.

“So I am urging you to please pay rap attention at this 2-day retreat, so that you can acquire skills which will help you in conceiving and effecting change at the grassroots and also be very useful to you when you go back to the office,” he stated.

Earlier, the National Coordinator of B-YES, the organisers of the retreat, Comrade Ahmed Suleiman, in his welcome address, commended the leadership quality of the current AMAC Chairman, for his disposition, dream and determination to add value to good governance in the Area Council.

He said the retreat became necessary, looking at AMAC as the heartbeat of the nation, it is vital for all appointees to take their portfolio seriously so as to key into the change mantra and make the difference in governance.

FCTA working to bolster youth sports development- Bello T

he Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is already working on a blueprint for youth sports development in the Territory, in order to catch talents and develop them at embryo stage.

Making this known recently, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who spoke through the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye said it is a deliberate plan that it’s being executed through the FCT Sports

Department.

Bello reiterated that the plan is to also organise primary school games especially for public schools to be able to discover talents at the grassroots level.

He reiterated that it is the intention of the FCT Administration to ‘catch them young’ to ensure that the FCT and the country at large develop formidable athletes for international competitions like the Olympic games.

He, however, warned that all

those above the specified age of 17 years should not follow the contingent; stressing that FCT would not spare any athlete found to be cheating.

“We want our youths to develop, not the 17 years old that has four children. In FCT, we want to be factual. We want to be real. We don’t want to go with cheats”.

“We want you to go there and win medals and that is why we have tried as much as possible to provide you with all

that is necessary to make you comfortable here and in Ilorin.

“So, you should try all your best. You are doing this for yourself, for FCT and for Nigeria.

We want to catch you when you are young and we want to make sure that we also motivate you to excel,” he added.

The Minister also warned against the use of drugs; saying, “the use of drugs will motivate you today to win but your health will fail tomorrow.

“So, for your own good, don’t

go there and take drugs so that you can win. Go there and do everything naturally. Use your natural talents, your skills and all that have been taught you to win medals for FCT.” He assured that the FCT Administration would continue to support youth sports development in line with the Change Agenda of the Federal Government.

The Minister also promised to reward all those that excel at the games accordingly.

PAGE 32

Photo Splash

Food vendors waiting for patronage, recently beside Federal Secretariat, at Central Area, in Abuja

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Staff of Abuja Environmental Protection Board set for the day job, yesterday in Garki

Snacks sellers waiting for patronage, recently at Central Area, in Abuja

Newspapers vendor waiting for customers, on Wednesday at AYA Roundabout, in Abuja

A staff of Abuja Environment Protection Board on duty, yesterday at Asokoro, Abuja.

Photos: Justin Imo-Owo

PAGE 33

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Metro

Building collapse: FCTA to conduct post dev’t audit of completed structures Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

T

he FCT Development Control Department will soon embark on post development audit of completed houses in Abuja to ascertain that what was earlier approved was not changed, according to the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello.

He said that the FCT Administration would also embark on registration of all Material Testing Laboratories

operating in the Territory individually or corporately owned and also step-up surveillance of their facilities for effective control.

The Minister further revealed that is working to establish a material testing laboratory, to ensure that all on-going construction works in the Territory meet the requisite integrity.

Bello made this disclosure while receiving the Managing Director of the Ahmadu Bello

University Consultancy Services, Professor Suleiman Karwai that paid him a visit in his office, in Abuja.

According to him, the establishment of the Laboratory has become necessary to enable the Administration regularly and independently monitor all on-going projects across the Territory to avoid any mishap during and after constructions of public and private projects.

He noted that the Laboratory would give the government a

second means of independent check on material use for houses under construction either privately or publicly owned as well as other infrastructural development like bridges and culverts by ensuring quality control.

He stressed that building collapses can be avoided with strong institutional supervision of projects either publicly or privately owned.

Bello explained that the fact that Abuja has never in

• A cobbler mending his customer’s bag, yesterday at Area 1, in Abuja

history experienced collapse of any public building or public infrastructure shows that the FCTA that has since been handling such projects has maintained strict supervision with the highest quality standard.

He noted that although the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) solely supervised the recent collapsed building in Gwarinpa II District of Abuja, the FCTA would use that unfortunate incident to correct so many things in the industry in the Territory.

“I’m sure you know that that building in Gwarimpa was not supervised by any of our agencies. It was basically handled by the FHA under very lose corporate governance issues.

“Because I saw their preliminary report and as you all know, that builder was directed to stop work in March this year.

Unfortunately, they continued and because of the weakness in the system nobody stopped him,” he decried.

“The Gwarinpa building collapse though developed by a private person and wholly supervised by the Federal Housing Authority, it is an indictment of the entire system,” he stated.

Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the Ahmadu Bello Consultancy Services, Professor Suleiman Karwai, said the delegation was in Abuja to strengthen the existing cordial relationship between the University and the FCTA. He therefore promised to continue to partner with the FCTA in the areas of training, exchange expertise in civil engineering and other infrastructural development know how.

‘Education infrastructure in Abuja to witness drastic improvement’

E

ducation infrastructure in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will witness drastic improvement this year, as the sector has remained a priority of the current FCT Administration.

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello gave this assurance yesterday, while receiving the students of Government Girls Secondary School, Abaji that won the 2016 World Cup of the Student Advancement in Global

Entrepreneurship (SAGE) in his office.

The Minister at the brief ceremony also received the winners of 2016 NNPC National Science Competition, winners of the National Science Teachers Competition (Senior category GSS Wuse), winners of the National Science Teachers Competition (Junior category JSS Pasali) and the winners of the National Science Teachers Competition (Primary category LEA Primary School, Jabi).

Bello while congratulating the students/pupils and the teachers for doing the country and FCT proud for coming first in all the competitions, remarked that his administration would do everything to improve educational infrastructure in FCT public schools to give the teachers and students conducive environment to excel.

The Minister reiterated that education remain the foundation and bedrock of any economy or system in any society and would

therefore remain top priority of his Administration.

He called for hard work and rededication by all stakeholders to sustain the feat achieved so far by coming first in all these competitions even at the global stage.

Bello promised to continue to support the Secretariat for the growth and development of the educational sub-sector.

The Secretary of the FCT Education Secretariat, Musa Maikasuwa Yakubu, who

presented the victorious students to the Minister, appreciated the support given to the Secretariat to travel to Manila, Philippines for the SAGE Competition.

He revealed that with the exception of one student out the three who is from Loyola Jesuit College, Gidan-Mangoro that participated in NNPC National Science Competition, all other winners are from the public schools owned and managed by the FCT Administration.

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Money Sense

Revealed: How you could shave 17 YEARS off your retirement age by moving your pension pot to a fund with low fees

By Tanya Jefferies

M

illions of workers could have to delay the age when they retire by several years because they are paying steep fees on their pension fund, exclusive new research suggests.

Cutting back fees by just 1.5 percentage points can mean the difference between being able to retire at 63 or 80, according to the new data.

However many middle-aged and older workers do not even realise they are paying fees that sap their savings, which can prolong the amount of time they have to carry on working. A 55-year old worker has an average pension pot of £42,621 and is paying an average fee of 1.85 per cent, according to customer data analysed by advice firm Profile Financial.

It has worked out they would have to keep slogging until they are 80 to boost that to £50,000, assuming investment performance of 2.5 per cent after fees - but only until the age of 63 if they switched to a newer fund levying an average of 0.34 per cent on pension savings. Those who already have low fees will not be able to make such a great saving, and others may feel funds with higher fees still offer good value.

The figures highlight how big an impact fees have on your pension pot over the years, and why it is crucial to find out what you are paying for your old and new funds as well as their investment performance.

Rip-off pension fund charges have been slashed since the Government put a 0.75 per cent cap on the amount levied on default pension funds as part of its autoenrolment initiative, as this has helped knock them down on other schemes too.

Charges on older pots could amount to 3 per cent-plus, whereas you are likely to be paying just 0.3-0.4 per cent now if your default work fund is a tracker, which clones the performance of stock markets rather than tries to beat them.

Younger savers and people who switch jobs and join a new pension scheme are generally put straight into funds with lower fees, but many older savers are still stuck paying higher charges on pots they haven’t transferred or merged with newer ones.

Profile Financial’s analysis of fees paid by its customers found those in new-style pension funds were paying 0.34 per cent, while 35-year-old and 45-year-old savers were paying 1.47 per cent on average and 55-year-olds were paying 1.85 per cent on average.

The dangers of leaving older pots untouched was recently laid bare by the shocking experience of 49-year-old saver Paul Walton, from Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

He discovered a £1,300 pension pot from a job he held in the late 1990s had been eaten up entirely by charges - and he owed the provider £37.32 for maintaining the fund. What toll do fees take on your pension pot and how long you have to save for?

Profile Financial analysed pension fund and fee data from a sample of some 10,000 customers. It assumed investment performance of 2.5 per cent after fees.

35 year olds • The average 35 year old has around £21,996 in their pension pot.

• The average fee they pay is 1.47 per cent.

• Based on investment performance after

• Generation gap: Older workers tend to pay higher pension fees than younger staff, because the Government put a 0.75% cap on default fund charges under its autoenrolment initiative fees, this person would manage to save a pension pot of £40,000 by the age of 90.

• A 35 year old who switched their savings to a new fund levying 0.34 per cent would save a pot worth £50,000 by the age of 74.

45 year olds • The average 45 year old has around £32,768 in their pension pot.

• The average fee they pay is 1.47 per cent.

• Based on investment performance after fees, if this person wanted to retire with £50,000 in their pot, they would have to work until they are 87.

• A 45 year old who switched their savings to a new fund levying 0.34 per cent would save a pot worth £50,000 by the age of 65.

55 year olds • The average 55-year-old has around £42,621 in their pension pot.

• The average fee they pay is 1.85 per cent.

• Based on investment performance after fees, this person would only manage to save a pension pot of £50,000 by the age of 80.

• Many 55 year olds pay even more in fees - around 2 per cent. At this level, the person would have to wait until the age of 88 for their fund to hit £50,000.

• A 55 year old who switched their savings to a new fund levying 0.34 per cent would save a pot worth £50,000 by the age of 63. What do pension experts say about fees?

Independent pensions expert Billy Burrows, who formerly worked for Profile Financial, said: ‘Although pensions are confusing, the most basic rule is that the younger you start saving, the more you’ll

have when you retire.

‘Most people under the age of 30 now will be on schemes that charge the lower end of the spectrum in terms of fees, around 0.34 per cent per year. So young people can save without their savings being swallowed up by fees.

‘The average middle-aged saver today is signed up to old-style funds charging 1.47 per cent or more per year, which may not sound like much but it’s a fee burden far higher than what is available if you shop around.

‘Lots of people will have signed-up to such a plan when they started working, and as time has gone on they’ve not realised how much money they are losing every year.

‘Over time the returns pensions companies have been delivering to savers have fallen dramatically, yet millions of people have seen their fees remain exactly the same, which is scandalous. We need to see a change in the way the industry works.’

Burrows said savers seeking practical help with their pension should talk to a financial adviser.

‘There is no shame in admitting that pensions can be confusing,’ he said.

‘Very few people know the ins and outs of how their pension is invested and the implications that fees will have on their pot. So speak to someone who knows that they’re talking about.’

‘In terms of what to look out for, the big things are the way in which your savings are invested, the options your pension allows you when you retire, and the fees.

‘You can be saving into a pension that is performing well but the fees are still swallowing up a large percentage of those gains. You should aim to get your pot into a place where the fees are as low as possible, so you keep as much of your savings when you retire.’ Ian Millward, pensions specialist at Candid Financial Advice, said: ‘Most people still find it extremely hard to find out exactly what they do pay. We do this for a living and even we sometimes find it tough to work through the “smoke and mirrors” charging structures of older contracts.

‘And because the whole issue of charges is so complex and murky, even when they

do know what the charges are, it is hard for them to make an assessment of whether it is decent value.

‘The further in time you go back the worse it is likely to be. For example, contracts sold in the ‘70s and ‘80s often had different classes of units where pretty much all the first couple of years’ premiums was syphoned off to pay commission. This was usually coupled with excessive annual charges in the early years.

‘The demise of commission has improved things but people shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that fees are now automatically cheaper.’

In terms of what you can do about higher fees, Millward said: ‘The sting in the tail is that some of these older contracts impose a significant transfer penalty if you want to move. Effectively investors are trapped.

‘Our view is that historic transfer penalties should be abolished and that no respectable company should treat its customers in this manner.’

He went on: ‘Charges really matter but the complicating factor is that cheap does not automatically mean good. My guess is that the low cost pension (0.34 per cent per annum) referred to in the research is probably a portfolio of trackers.

‘That is probably a very good starting point for investors, particularly if the size of their pension pot means it is not going to be cost effective for them to enlist the services of a financial adviser. However, there are active funds that outperform and can add a lot of value to a portfolio so the real argument is about value for money and not being overcharged for second rate products.’

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE PAYING HIGH PENSION FEES? It's important to find out whether you are being charged high fees on your older pensions - contact whoever handles your work scheme in-house or the outside provider and ask.

Even what sounds like a small difference in charges can have a major impact on a pension pot by the time someone retires, with an average earner building savings of £30,000 benefiting by £1,600 in a scheme levying 0.75 per cent compared with one asking for 1.5 per cent.

You should give careful consideration to whether it's worth merging some or all of older pension pots with your current one.

This might be cheaper because charges have come down since the Government imposed a 0.75 per cent cap on default funds under auto-enrolment, which has had a knock-on effect on some other schemes.

But there are pitfalls - make sure you aren't hit with exit penalties, or lose valuable benefits such as a guaranteed annuity rate. Meanwhile, it's rarely advantageous to move out of a final salary pension, which provides a guaranteed and relatively generous income in retirement. It is compulsory to get financial advice if you want to transfer more than £30,000 from a final salary scheme.

Read more here about consolidating your pension pots. This is Money's Agony Uncle Steve Webb has also tackled the topic here.

You should think about the potential investment performance of a fund as well as its fees if you are thinking about transferring your pots. Read more here about how to judge if a work pension fund is any good.

world news

Page 35

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

Is Facebook neutral on Palestine-Israel conflict? analysis

By Ylenia Gostoli

F

acebook, the social network, may have capitulated to the Israeli narrative and is taking the side of an occupying power, according to Palestinian journalists and activists.

“Israel doesn’t want the Palestinian story about violations against them in the occupied territories to reach a worldwide audience,” said Musa Rimawi, director of MADA, the Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedom.

The warning came following a decision by Facebook on Friday to disable several Palestinian accounts on the basis that they breached community standards.

Last week, four editors from the Shehab News Agency , which has more than 6.3 million likes on Facebook, and three executives from the Quds News Network, with about 5.1 million likes, reported they could not access their personal accounts. Both agencies cover daily news in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Editors at the Gaza-based Shehab News agency say that the move was hardly surprising. This is the fourth time in a year that they have been censored by the social network, says Rimah Mubarak, director of Shehab news agency.

“Previously, it was the page that was suspended. One time it was suspended partially and back online after a week, the other two times the suspension was permanent, so we had to create a brand new page,” Mubarak told Al Jazeera. “We contacted Facebook many times [about the latest incident] but they never replied. The same has been happening to many other pages and news agencies in Gaza.”

Facebook later said they had made a “mistake” and restored all pages except one of the editors’ accounts at Shehab agency.

“We want people to feel safe when using Facebook, and for that reason, we’ve developed a set of community standards which make it clear there is no place for terrorists or content that promotes terrorism on Facebook,” a spokesperson for the social media giant told Al Jazeera in a statement.

The biggest democracy in the ME needs Facebook to cover the reality about its crimes #FBCensorsPalestine #Boycott @facebook pic.twitter.com/ v8b7s4Lw0X — stefania_Palestine (@ stefaniafoddis1) September 25, 2016 Palestinian activists say the suspension is the result of an Israeli campaign to pressure Facebook to censor the Palestinian narrative.

The concern is that Facebook is adopting Israeli policy and terminology when it comes to defining what

Palestinian activists say the suspension is the result of an Israeli campaign to pressure Facebook to censor the Palestinian narrative [Reuters] incitement is.

The Israeli government has repeatedly blamed the flare up of violence in Israel and the West Bank since last October - which claimed the lives of more than 220 Palestinians, 34 Israelis and two Americans - on online incitement.

Since then, hundreds of cases have emerged of Palestinians arrested by Israel for Facebook posts.

“The concern is that Facebook is adopting Israeli policy and terminology when it comes to defining what incitement is,” Nadim Nashif, cofounder of 7amleh, the Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media, told Al Jazeera.

Palestinians say that the root cause of the violence is to be found in the frustration and denial of rights that a generation growing up under military occupation has had to endure.

And it is this very frustration that, Palestinians say, has led youth to vocally express their views online - and to be arrested for them.

Since the beginning of October 2015, prisoners’ support group Addameer has documented more than 200 cases of arrests of Palestinians, including children, for alleged incitement.

The Haifa-based Adalah Legal Centre has put that number closer to 400, including 150 Palestinians in the West Bank, and 250 Palestinian citizens of Israel. Many of the cases, according to Addameer, have been placed under administrative detention due to lack of evidence.

“There is certainly deep concern

that the law is being enforced in a discriminatory way,” lawyer Nadeem Shehadeh, a lawyer with Adalah’s Civil and Political Rights Unit, told Al Jazeera.

“The vast majority of arrests in 2015 and the first half of 2016 for charges related to alleged incitement on social media outlets have been of Palestinian citizens of Israel. New laws are regulating and impinging upon freedom of expression in the country - particularly for Palestinian citizens - and this is most worrisome,” Shehadeh said.

Palestinians say the Facebook suspension move is the result of an agreement between the social media giant and the Israeli government.

Activists took to twitter to protest against the move and called for a boycott of Facebook “to protest the censorship agreement between Facebook and the Israeli government”.

Earlier this month, a Facebook

delegation met Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan to “improve cooperation against incitement to terror and murder”, said a statement from Prime Minister’s office.

Ayelet Shaked of the right wing, settler-supported Jewish Home party, hailed the meeting as a success.

Several Israeli press reports suggested Facebook and the Israeli government would set up “joint teams” to counter online incitement, but no further details were provided. Gilad Erdan’s office did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request to elaborate.

“A Facebook delegation visited Israel as part of our ongoing dialogue with policymakers and experts around the world to keep terrorist content off our platform and support counterspeech initiatives,” a spokesperson for the social network told Al Jazeera in a statement.

As part of Israel’s online wars, last

“

Facebook removes online content upon legal review of a government’s request if it finds that the content is illegal under local law, in which case it will be made unavailable in that specific country.

June, Shaked and Erdan have also proposed new legislation to force social networks to remove content that the government considers incitement, or block its access in the country when it is posted from a non-Israeli IP address.

“Facebook does know how to fight what it understands as problematic legislation,” says Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, head of the Digital Age Programme at the Israel Democracy Institute, The question is, he added, after all, this is exactly what the government wants to achieve.

The social network has come under pressure from Israeli and American families of attack victims who are currently suing Facebook for $1bn, in an effort led by the legal advocacy organisation Shurat HaDin. The company recently appointed a local government relations representative, Altshuler said, who previously worked as a consultant for the Netanyahu government.

According to Shaked, who herself famously posted an extract that called Palestinian children “little snakes”, said that Israel submitted 158 requests for Facebook over the past few months to remove what Israel deemed as “inciting content”, and the company complied with 95 percent of those requests.

Facebook did not confirm or deny these numbers.

Facebook removes online content upon legal review of a government’s request if it finds that the content is illegal under local law, in which case it will be made unavailable in that specific country. Facebook publishes records of these requests, according to the network’s website.

Secondly, Facebook removes content that violates its own “community standards”. A ban on child nudity, for instance, was the reason for the recent removal of the iconic photograph from the Vietnam war that showed a little girl running away from a Napalm attack.

Unit 8200 , the branch of the Israeli military in charge of collecting online intelligence, monitors keywords on social media that are believed to incite.

While military law, which applies to Palestinians in the West Bank, allows the prosecution of individuals for expressing sympathy with “terrorist activities”, “incitement to violence and terrorism” can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison under Israel’s penal laws.

On October 11, 2015, Dareen Tatour , 34, a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, was arrested and charged with alleged incitement based on a handful of her posts on Facebook, including a poem entitled “Resist, my people, resist them”. In another case, Majd Atwan, 22, a beautician from Bethlehem, was arrested after writing on her Facebook page “the news of 20 settlers injured is nice” following a bus attack in Jerusalem.

Source: Al Jazeera

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Page 36

News From Africa Next Step Unclear for Gabon’s Jean Ping

G

abon’s president Ali Bongo is due to be sworn in on Tuesday after the country’s highest court validated his reelection Friday. Opposition leader Jean Ping rejected the court’s ruling and said he “will not retreat” but his next steps are unclear.

Bongo has called for political dialogue after this month’s contentious election.

Ping also claimed to have won the August 27 poll. He called the Constitutional Court’s ruling on Friday “a miscarriage of justice.”

But his options now are limited, says Paul Melly, West and Central Africa analyst at London-based Chatham House.

“Jean Ping is probably realistic. He knows that in the normal constitutional process, it is highly unlikely that there is any possibility for the election results being reversed…So I think what Jean Ping is trying to do is to maintain the political pressure on Ali Bongo,” he said.

Ping is a former ally of Bongo’s father, who ruled the country for over four decades until his death in 2009.

Deadly violence erupted in Libreville earlier this month after the electoral commission announced that Bongo had beaten Ping by a margin of just under 6,000 votes.

France joined Ping in calling for a recount of ballots in disputed areas. The United States called for the release of results by polling station. The government refused.

The European Union continues to express concern about the fairness of the poll.

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo addresses reporters at Nairobi National Park near Nairobi, Kenya, April 30, 2016.

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo addresses reporters at Nairobi National Park near Nairobi, Kenya, April 30, 2016.

Analysts say Bongo has also faced pressure at home with several members of the ruling party defecting even before the vote.

“He had, in his first term, tried to position himself as a reformer, and he made some progress with that. But it was patchy,” said Melly. “And it may be that now, the combination of international pressure and domestic political pressure, would force him to make wider concession, for example we could imagine that in municipal elections or parliamentary elections… He might have to cede a genuinely transparent and credible process in those types of vote.”

Analyst Gilles Yabi, founder of the West African think tank WATHI, says electoral reforms could very well be on the table during the proposed political dialogue.

South Sudan’s Riek Machar Calls for Armed Struggle F ormer South Sudan First Vice President Riek Machar has called for an armed struggle against the government of President Salva Kiir — a move that could mark a renewal of the country’s civil war.

The call came in a statement issued over the weekend, following a meeting in Khartoum of Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO).

The movement signed a peace deal with South Sudan’s government in August 2015 but implementation was delayed and largely fell apart after the sides clashed in the capital in July.

Stephen Par Kuol, a senior member of the SPLM-IO political bureau, said the call is in reaction to the Juba government’s repeated attacks on SPLM-IO positions.

“We have been waging armed resistance since 2013 when this was imposed on us. We had suspended that until we were attacked recently in Juba. Be also informed that the government is launching attacks on our positions everywhere in the country. So, we are putting up resistance now,” Par Kuol said.

A spokesman for South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, Ateny Wek Ateny, said Machar is a warmonger

South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar talks to reporters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Feb. 13, 2016.

Machar fled from Juba last month shortly after heavy fighting broke out in the capital between Machar’s forces and South Sudan army forces.

who has nothing good to offer the people of South Sudan who, he said, are yearning for peace.

“I actually read the statement and came up with the conclusion that Riek Machar will be Riek Machar. He will never have anything better to offer to the people of South Sudan apart from war,” Wek Ateny said.

Wek Ateny said President Kiir and the government of national unity in Juba have decided never again to

return to war again.

“We have reached the conclusion that we are not going to go back to war. We are not going to give anybody war because the people of South Sudan deserve more than war. They deserve peace, something better than war,” Wek Ateny said.

Par Kuol denied Machar and the SPLA-IO are warmongers. Instead, he said the SPLA-IO is confronting a “violent, ethnocentric regime of

DRC: Mobile courts deliver justice to remote areas

Salva Kiir.”

“These wars have been destructive.

But you must understand that the people are just responding to these massacres, to these genocides, to the systematic killings by the government which pretends to be the government of the people,” Par Kuol said.

Machar, who is in Khartoum recuperating from injuries he sustained in July, has not been made any public statement.

Is Libya the answer to the refugee crisis in Europe?

H

National women’s organisation SOFEPADI promotes gender equality in the DRC and helps fund the mobile courts [James Akena/Reuters]

C

ourt started on Tuesday afternoon, a day-and-a-half late. The three-day mobile court hearings focused on sexual violence cases began with the first defendant entering barefoot and wearing dirty trousers and a woman’s ruffled top.

Accused of raping his eight-yearold neighbour, the man was handed a recommended sentence of 20 years in prison and a 100,000-franc fine (about $102) after about 10 minutes of questioning. The verdict was read in French, a language the defendant does not speak.

In the last case of the day, the recommended sentence was a fine of $6,000, a sum no defendant is likely to be able to pay in a country where the per capita gross national income in 2015 was $410.

Mobile courts like this one work within the Congolese justice system to bring justice to isolated areas.

Bunia is a small city in the Ituri region of Orientale Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

There are two main hotels, few paved roads and lots of wooden shacks. The

streets are dusty; electricity is sporadic.

In the evenings, the skies fill with the whir of United Nations helicopters.

Just outside the city, a number of armed groups engage in relentless fighting, in which killings, rapes and kidnappings are common.

Places like Bunia often employ mobile courts to help ease caseloads in more urban areas. Often utilised for hearings of sexual violence cases, the courts are paid for by NGOs, including the national women’s organisation SOFEPADI , which serves victims of sexual violence.

ungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has described the arrival of refugees in Europe as “poison” and criticised the European Union’s immigration policies.

So far, the 28 EU countries have failed to agree on how to deal with hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to reach northern Europe.

Orban has particularly attacked the open-door policy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He is also vehemently opposed to the EU’s mandatory quota system for countries to take a share of refugees.

The Hungarian government has built a razor-wired fence to keep refugees out.

Now Orban has a new idea and Libya is key.

Could the plan work?

Presenter: Martine Dennis Guests: A dam Le Bor - Hu n gary correspondent, the Economist magazine George Joffe - deputy director, Global Policy Institute, Cambridge University Thom Brooks - head of law school, Durham University.

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Russia: Critical US, British Statements Could Hurt Situation in Syria

R

ussia says it is not losing hope for reaching a political resolution to the crisis in Syria, but that statements made by U.S. and British envoys at the United Nations could hurt the process.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said Monday “terrorists” were using a cease-fire to regroup and rearm themselves. The Syrian government, a Putin ally, often refers to rebels as terrorists.

The comments came a day after the U.N. Security Council held urgent talks about the deadly surge of violence in Aleppo, where Syrian and Russian jet fighters bombarded the rebel-controlled eastern sector of the city.

“The Assad regime is explicit, it believes only in a military solution,” U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told the U.N. Security Council. “It says it is going to conquer militarily every last square inch of Syria. And it does not care what’s left of Syria in pursuing that military solution.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, talks with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power during a Security Council meeting, Sept.

21, 2016, at U.N. headquarters.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, talks with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power during a Security Council meeting, Sept.

21, 2016, at U.N. headquarters.

The United States, France and Britain called the emergency session to pressure Russia to control its ally Syria to end the attacks on the 275,000 people trapped in the city.

The assault, missile strikes, barrel bombs and artillery fire have flattened buildings, leaving streets filled with debris and chunks of concrete. The United States says more than 200 people have been killed in the offensive.

Power said more than 150 airstrikes had hit the city in the past three days, accusing Russia and Syria of conducting an “allout offensive” to retake Aleppo.

“Instead of pursuing peace, Russia and Assad make war.

Instead of helping get life-saving aid to civilians, Russia and Assad are bombing the humanitarian convoys, hospitals, and first responders who are trying desperately to keep people alive,” she said.

“Russia should be creating, not destroying, the conditions necessary for the resumption of political talks,” British ambassador Matthew Rycroft said.

Asia&Middle-east IS Retakes Control of Former Top Houthi in Yemen Strongholds in Afghanistan Floats Truce

O

fficials and witnesses in Afghanistan say fighters linked to Islamic State have regained control of most of the militant group’s former strongholds in the country, weeks after retreating to remote mountain hideouts in the face of major Afghan security operations.

The troubled areas are located in Achin, Naziyan, Kot and Haska Meena districts of the eastern Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan.

A reporter for VOA’s Afghan service this week traveled to Achin, the main IS base in the country, and says government security forces have relocated to positions they were occupying prior to the launching of an anti-IS “Qahr-e- Sellab” offensive in June.

Regional military spokesman Shreen Aqa confirmed to VOA that IS militants have returned to parts of the troubled districts, but said Afghan forces are preparing to undertake a fresh offensive for their eviction.

Afghanistan’s National Army soldier stands guard in his vehicle in Camp Khogyani in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s National Army soldier stands guard in his vehicle in Camp Khogyani in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Tribal elders from the area have

Package With Saudi Arabia

A

Afghanistan’s National Army soldiers take positions in Khogyani district, in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan.

repeatedly warned IS was trying to return to its former bases and criticized Afghan authorities for not paying attention or establishing permanent security posts after concluding the previous operations.

IS launched its regional operations early last year in about 10 districts of Nangarhar, but stiff resistance from the rival Taliban and repeated U.S. counterterrorism drone strikes confined them to three or four districts, according to officials.

The operations in June and July were “very successful” because they eliminated IS regional chief, Hafiz Saeed Khan, along with 11 other top leaders and killed 25 percent of its fighters, General John Nicholson, the top U.S. military commander in the country, noted last week.

“We estimate there numbers are 1,200 or 1,300 fighters. They have some enclaves in (neighboring) Kunar province, but primarily they are in Nangarhar province,” Nicholson told reporters on Friday.

top member of Yemen’s armed Houthi rebel movement has offered to stop attacking targets on the Saudi Arabian side of the border, if a Saudi-led air coalition stops bombing Houthi targets inside Yemen and lifts a blockade of the country.

The proposal came Sunday from Saleh al-Samad, the head of an Iran-backed Houthi political council seeking to wrest control of Yemen from the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Samad, whose fighters are backed by Shi’ite Iran, called on Saudi Arabia to stop what it called “naval, air and land aggression.” He also urged the Saudis to “cease air aids and lift the naval blockade of our country.”

There was no immediate Saudi response to the proposal, which Samad made in a document published on an official Yemen website.

India: Arrests made over attack on pregnant Dalit woman There have been increasing protests over the mistreatment of Dalits in India [Reuters]

S

ix people have been arrested in connection with an attack on a pregnant woman, who refused to clear away a cow carcass from the street as part of a weeks-long strike over alleged rights abuses, police said.

Sangita Ranawasia, who is five months’ pregnant and from India’s Dalit community, has been recovering in hospital after she and seven family members were beaten with sticks in their village in the western state of

Gujarat two days ago.

“Six persons of the upper-caste Darbar community were arrested for assault on a pregnant woman and her family members,” deputy police superintendent BA Chavda told the AFP news agency on Monday.

“They face initial charges of assault and criminal intimidation,” Chavda added.

The attack late on Friday comes as Dalits continue their strike against

collecting carcasses, a practice they have traditionally been doing for centuries, in protest against the public flogging of four Dalit villagers in July.

Dailts, formerly known as “untouchables,” are commonly tasked with removing dead cows from streets, as well as skinning cattle.

Anger has mounted among the Dalit community and violent protests have erupted over the flogging of the villagers by cow-protection vigilantes

who accused them of killing a bovine they were removing.

Cows are considered sacred by Hindus and killing them is banned in most Indian states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged a halt to attacks on Dalits, who lie at the bottom of India’s social hierarchy.

Cow carcasses can be seen on roadsides in Gujarat as Dalits strike and call for an end to deep discrimination and violence.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Page 38

Europe & Americas

Iran Releases Trump, Clinton Set to Debate for 90 Minutes in Canadian-Iranian Campaign Face-off Professor Detained Pivotal he stage is set for what could be a pivotal moment in the 2016 on ‘Security U.S. presidential election as Republican Donald Trump, the brash Charges’

I

ran says it has released a retired Canadian-Iranian professor, who had been detained on “security charges.”

A foreign ministry spokesman, quoted by the official IRNA news agency, said Homa Hoodfar was released on humanitarian grounds.

Hoodfar, 65, who most recently taught at Concordia University in Montreal, was arrested June 6 after a visit to Evin prison in Tehran.

Her passport had been confiscated and she was banned from leaving Iran, according to her family.

Iran does not recognize dual citizenship and has arrested multiple dual nationals over security-related issues.

After Signing, Colombian Peace Agreement May Still Face Hurdles

T

he formal peace agreement between the Colombian government and the rebel group FARC that will be signed in the port city of Cartagena on Monday, ending the longest running conflict in the Americas, faces one more hurdle before its implementation.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC rebel leader Timoleón “Timochenko” Jiménez agreed to a cease-fire in June, signaling the end of 52 years of war.

After the signing, the agreement will go before voters for approval on October 2.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he is hopeful the agreement will be implemented.

“I think this is an achievement of historic proportions. It ultimately will be good for the region and the people of Colombia. It took a lot of courage and a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” Obama said.

More than 220,000 Colombians have been killed in the war, and more than 7 million displaced.

Under the accord, high-ranking FARC members can avoid prison if they make reparations as part of a truth-and-reconciliation process.

In return, FARC would become a legitimate political party and be given seats in congress.

“I think you would have to be pretty naive [to think] that after this agreement there is all of a sudden going to be no more violence, no more drug trade. This is going to take, under the best scenario; it is going to take a very long time to implement,” said Michael Shifter of the Interamerican Dialogue.

“Colombia needs an opportunity to have peace so that it can go forward and grow and develop the country,” said Jorge Rodriguez Sosa.

T

real estate mogul, and Democrat Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, debate each other for 90 minutes late Monday.

The two candidates are locked in a tight national contest, with political surveys showing Clinton with a slight edge. For for the millions of Americans tuning in to watch, it will be the first time they can see the two candidates face-to-face on the same stage, to judge their positions on key issues facing the country, to assess their reaction to each other’s taunts and to imagine one of them as the country 45th president over the next four years.

Two more Trump-Clinton debates are scheduled in October, but it is the first face-off in the quadrennial U.S. presidential campaigns that usually draws the biggest audience.

Some television industry officials are predicting that a record 100 million people may watch Monday’s debate.

The event will be staged at Hofstra University outside New York City and comes six weeks before the November 8 election to pick the successor to

C Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (L), Sept. 21, 2016 and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (R), Sept. 22, 2016. (AP/Reuters combination photo)

President Barack Obama, who leaves office in January.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 21, 2016.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign stop in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 21, 2016.

Clinton, looking to become the first female U.S. president, is the more seasoned debater, having gone head-to-

head against political opponents over the last 16 years, including Obama in the Democratic presidential nominating contest she lost to him in 2008. Trump, seeking his first elected office, engaged in his initial debate just last year, eventually winning the party’s nomination over 16 other Republican presidential contenders, many of them long-time politicians. Trump, however, has never faced a one-on-one encounter before.

Can Jordan’s new parliament spearhead political change?

The Muslim Brotherhood took part in this year’s elections after a nine-year boycott [Muhammad Hammad/REUTERS]

J

ordan’s newly elected parliament is unlikely to lead to any political change in the country, analysts say. “No radical changes are expected because opposition forces remain a small minority in the parliament and challenged by a conservative progovernment MPs,” Oraib Rantawi, director of the Amman-based Al-Quds Centre for Political Studies, told alJazeera.

According to the final results released by Jordan’s Independent Electoral Commission on Sunday, the National Coalition for Reform, which represents the Islamic Action Front (IAF) and its allies, gained 15 seats, including 10 seats won by the IAF, the political wing of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Nine political parties won 30 seats including the Islamist party Zamzam

Colombia and FARC prepare to sign historic pact

(five seats), the National Current Party (four seats), the Islamic Centrist Party (five seats) and the Justice and Reform Party (two seats).

The Baath, Communist, National Union and Al Awn parties won one seat each.

However, the majority of the newly elected MPs were either individuals with tribal affiliations or businessmen, as had been the case during the past two decades.

The Jordanian government will have to deal with the Brotherhood as a reality, as they practise their legislative and supervisory role. They will be holding meetings with politicians and asking the government tough questions.

Rakan Saaydah, Jordanian journalist and commentator The Muslim Brotherhood

participated in the elections after boycotting the previous two in 2010 and 2013 in protest against the oneman-one-vote system.

“In the aftermath of the 1989 elections, in which the Muslim Brotherhood won 30 percent of the seats, the ‘one man, one vote’ system was implemented, effectively weakening the role of political parties in the Jordanian political system,” Anja Wehler-Schoeck, director of Amman’s Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Jordan & Iraq foundation, told alJazeera.

Although the Muslim Brotherhood is considered to be the largest party in terms of representation in the newlyelected parliament, analysts say that the group’s ability to pass new laws or revoke confidence in the government will be limited.

olombia’s biggest rebel movement, will sign a historic peace accord with the government on Monday aimed at ending a war that has lasted five decades and killed 220,000 people.

The pact will be signed by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and a rebel fighter known by the alias Timochenko, in the city of Cartagena, in a process that took more than four years to finalise.

Fifteen South American presidents, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry, are scheduled to witness the signing ceremony. More than 2,500 guests have been invited to wear white as a sign of peace, and Santos will add his signature to the 297-page accord with a pen made from a recycled shell used in combat.

The signing ceremony will not officially close the deal, though.

Colombians are being given the final say on endorsing or rejecting it in an October 2 referendum.

Opinion polls point to an almostcertain victory for the “yes” vote, but some analysts warn that a closer-than-expected finish or low voter turnout could bode poorly for the many challenges the country faces implementing the ambitious agreement.

Under the terms of the deal, rebels who lay down their weapons and confess to rights abuses abuses will be spared jail time and allowed to provide reparations to their victims by carrying out development work in areas hit hard by the conflict.

The government has also committed itself to addressing unequal land distribution, which has been a longstanding FARC demand harkening back to its roots as a peasant army in 1964, and the administration has agreed to work with the rebels to provide alternative development to tens of thousands of families that depend on the cocaine trade.

Al Jazeera’s Allessandro Rampietti, reporting from the southern town of San Vicente Del Caguant, in what was once known as the “sanctuary” of the rebels, said that much had changed in the town.

“It is a center of commerce, crime is down, and the FARC stopped extorting money. Sandbags still block the entrance to the police station, but the trenches that surrounded city hall are gone.”

San Vicente Del Caguan’s Mayor Humberto Sanchez, of the conservative Center Democratic party, which opposed the talks, said that locals were wary.

“I’m not against the peace process but I’m worried that the FARC will not honour the agreement,” he told Al Jazeera.

“During the process they kept extorting and killing people. When you are in a peace process you have to stop committing crimes. But if they do comply with it they’ll have my support.”

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Page 39

Strange

world

Cod and chips and make it snappy! Brilliant pictures show weird and wonderful customers caught on

By Charlie Moore

A

fish and chip shop owner has tirelessly photographed every single one of his regular customers to create an eclectic album of his clientele.

Whenever anyone walks into Kazem Hakimi’s fish and chip shop in Oxford he offers to take their picture while they wait for their meal.

If they agree he ushers them into his garden at the back of his shop and snaps them standing in front of a white wall. Since starting the project, called OX4, in 2014 Mr Hakimi has photographed nearly 400 people.

This has allowed the 56-yearold to create an album which features everyone from heavily tattooed punks to pregnant women, as well as nuns, hippies and dog lovers.

The father-of-nine said: ‘They are all human beings, I treat them all the same. In this area of Oxford people are very varied. ’There are different races, different upbringings and different nationalities. I wanted to make a map charting all of the people who live here.’

All the photos were shot on Mr Hakimi’s battered Nikon D700 using a prime 50mm lens without auto focus.

He has been taking pictures for the past 30 years and decided to take on the project two years ago to celebrate Oxford’s diversity. He said: ‘I love the community so I wanted keep a record of it. Most of the people I’ve photographed are my friends.

‘I am always photographing bits and bobs but I am always at the shop - so I thought I would start doing a project with my customers.

‘Customers come in for their fish and chips and they normally laugh when I ask to take a picture of them, but after explaining - some people don’t - but most people say yes. ’That is the advantage of knowing my customers very well, they know me and I have a loving relationship with all of them.’

Mr Hakimi lives in the city with his family and has run his takeaway, called the Oxford Fish Shop, for the past 28 years in Oxford.

He is originally from Iran and moved to the UK in 1974 to study engineering at the then Oxford Polytechnic. During his degree he fell in love with the city and decided to stay, setting up his takeaway a few years later.

He still loves the area and puts that down to his loyal customer base.

‘We get customers from all walks of life and I love them,’ he said.

‘Everyone knows me and I have a loving relationship with my customers - everyone’s pictures show something different about them and I want to show that relationship through the portrait. ’The more you look at the picture, the more you learn about their beauty and kindness.

‘It is an ongoing project I will just keep doing, I have between 300 and 400 pictures so far of different people and have made them into a little book.

‘I do photography for myself and that is why I started but when my chip shop customers saw the pictures they have been pushing me to show them to the public.’

Mr Hakimi is now considering publishing the album and plans to hold an exhibition of all the photographs.

Source: Dailymail.com A fish and chip shop owner has tirelessly photographed every single one of his regular customers to create an eclectic album of his clientele

He added: ‘I love the community so I wanted keep a record of it. Most of the people I’ve photographed are my friends’

Whenever anyone walks into Kazem Hakimi’s fish and chip shop in Oxford he offers to take their picture while they wait for their meal

If they agree he ushers them into his garden at the back of his shop and snaps them standing in front of a white wall

Page 40

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Digest

How to make your favourite high street chain lunches at home - for a FRACTION of the price

By Joanne Gould

I

t’s the one thing that breaks up the boredom of the working day, but as any office worker will agree paying for a takeaway lunch day-in day-out can prove expensive.

Unless you’re a stickler for a bargain supermarket meal-deal, the thought of buying a midday meal every day on the high street can leave you balking at the price of a healthy, colourful salad or tempting hot dish and often adds up to you being left out of pocket.

But, can the tempting taste of readyto-go lunches ever be properly recreated at home? And is it even worth doing? I took to the kitchen for FEMAIL to find out. I set out to make my own versions of some of the most popular lunches from chains Pret A Manger, Leon, Marks & Spencer, Crussh, Eat, Pod and Wasabi. I calculated how much I would save by making each dish and having my home-made version every day for lunch, rather than forking out for the same thing on the high street.

Where the take-out meal contained organic ingredients I used the same at home. But even with buying more expensive items, I realised I could save over £100 a month simply on preparing lunch at home.

So, here’s how I got on...

•Lunch One Pret Macaroni Cheese Kale & Cauli, £4.95 freshly prepared British kale and cauliflower florets. Finished with Italian matured cheese.’

That’s easy enough, so I cook up some basic Waitrose macaroni, adding the cauliflower and kale in towards the end to cook.

Setting aside, I make a quick béchamel sauce by combining flour, butter, milk (I use organic as I know Pret does) over a low heat and melting Aldi Mature Farmhouse Cheddar into the mix. Then, this is poured over the pasta and baked in the oven for 20 minutes or so with a quick grating of parmesan (I couldn’t get a cheaper Italian hard cheese alternative). Pret’s portion size is 360g, and I think I’ve gone a little over this.

Total cost per portion to make: £1.03 Saving over a working week: £19.60 •Lunch Two Crussh Jalapeno & Spinach Melt Sourdough Spelt Toastie, £3.95 This is a basic toasted sandwich of Mexican style cheese (I find some in Tesco for the princely sum of £1.60 for six slices), spinach and jalapenos on sourdough spelt bread.

I can’t find sourdough spelt but pick up a decent loaf of sourdough and use this along with two slices of the cheese, a few leaves of spinach and handful of jalapenos.

It’s tasty but not the healthiest of lunches so not something I’d choose to have on a regular basis. The spinach content is tiny. Total cost per portion to make: £1.09 Saving over a working week: £14.30 •Lunch Three M&S Lochmuir Hot Smoked Salmon & Potato Salad, £4 Ignoring the fact that ‘Lochmuir’ is well documented as a made up place to reassure shoppers of the salmon’s quality, I track eddown some decent hot smoked salmon in Waitrose and used this along with some cos lettuce, cucumber, a boiled potato in mayo to make a salad.

The M&S portion of salmon is pretty

The condition affected her weight, as she plummeted to just 7st4lbs - losing more than three stone in as many years. But now, since the operation, she has gained half a stone generous, so I had to use the whole pack of mine, which pushed my costs up a lot.

About 10ml of lemon vinaigrette is easily made with Aldi’s Puglian olive oil and some lemon juice.

Total cost per portion to make: £2.59 Saving over a working week: £7.05 •Lunch Four Leon Fish Finger Wrap, £4.65 Leon rightly uses sustainable cod fillets for this popular lunch option, but I’m pleased to find Aldi’s fish fingers are equally well certified by the MSC. Three of them constitute a portion and work out at just 36p, which puts me in good stead considering the remainder of the wrap is just lettuce, gherkins and tartare sauce – all cheap ingredients.

The wrap itself poses a problem, as the Leon wraps are proper Mediterranean Khobez style flatbreads, so I can’t just use a typical cheap tortilla flour wrap.

I struggle to track down anything similar but eventually settle on an Italian style piada flatbread from Waitrose which sets me back £2.59 for a pack of three. It’s not the same, and breaks up easily without a supportive burrito-style foil wrap to keep the whole thing together but tastes good.

I often have a fish finger sandwich at home rather than a wrap, which holds together much better!

There’s no denying how tasty Leon’s version is though so if I ever get hold of the proper fat bread I’ll definitely make it again.

Total cost per portion to make: £1.17 Saving over a working week: £17.40 •Lunch Five EAT Chicken Pho Broth Pot, £5.79 There’s a fairly long list of ingredients for this one: vegetable broth, rice noodles, carrot, pak choi, Chinese leaf, peppers, spinach, chicken, lime, coriander, spring onion, mint and chilli.

I’ve eaten this a lot and there’s no way there’s a whole chicken breast in here, so I chargrill half a breast then add this to the veggie broth along with all the greens.

The taste isn’t right and I’ve made pho in the past at home so I add in some aromatics like star anise, lemongrass and chilli until it tastes appropriate.

EAT’s broths used to be a staple lunch of mine when I worked in an office and my version was pretty similar though the

flavour wasn’t spot on.

I think mine had more veg content but both are a tasty healthy option. Total cost per portion to make: £2.82

only faff really, although I don’t know how crispy and crunchy the chicken would be once retreated - although I suspect this is what Wasabi does anyway.

Saving over a working week: £14.85

Total cost per portion to make: 70p

•Lunch Six Pret Crayfish and Avocado No Bread Salad, £4.35 This has always struck me as an expensive option at Pret, particularly because the whole thing weighs a measly 206g.

But, tracking down crayfish I understand why: all I can find anywhere is prepacked peeled tails crammed with E numbers and preservatives.

I speak to a fishmonger and he says that the demand doesn’t exist for fresh whole crayfish, plus they would need soaking for days to get rid of the taste of mud. I settle for a pack of Waitrose crayfish tails at £3.99 for a tiny 140g and use a third of the pack, plus half an avocado – more than Pret I think - and some salad leaves. French dressing is mustard with the Aldi olive oil again.

This was fine if a little dull and far far too small. This leaves you yearning for the bread in the ‘no bread’ salad.

The protein portion is also tiny and if I made this at home is be far more generous with the crayfish or swap for prawns to make it a bit cheaper.

Saving over a working week: £26.25

Total cost per portion to make: £2.03 Saving over a working week: £11.60 •Lunch Seven Wasabi Chicken Katsu Curry and Rice, £5.95 I kind of get why this has a high price tag: it’s hot and it’s a bit of a faff to make your own katsu sauce. There’s no ingredients list on Wasabi’s website but I know it’s made by sauteeing carrot, potato and celery in curry spices (all recipes say to use the premixed stuff) then boiling until soft and blending with stock, soy, tomato puree and I always use a bit of yoghurt too.

Meanwhile, I’m baking an Aldi chicken piece in breadcrumbs (an incredible 40p per portion as Wasabi makes no claims of higher welfare in its chicken) and boiling up some jasmine rice. Combined, it all tastes pretty authentic and is a fraction of the cost, but took about 40 minutes to make.

You could definitely make a big batch of the katsu curry and have it a few days that week. Even if you made a big pot of the sauce this would be worth it as this is the

•Lunch Eight pod Slow Burner with Chicken, £5.75 This is the longest ingredients list of all: chicken, Turkish cheese, cucumber, peas, pearl barley, lentils, cabbage, carrot, spring onion, leaves, pistachios, mint, coriander, chilli and a sweet chilli and sesame dressing.

Like EAT, I don’t believe there is an entire chicken breast in this salad, so use half of my free range chicken breast from Aldi – in fact most of these ingredients can be found there and many are organic, helping to bring the cost down significantly.

It only involves grilling the chicken and then chopping everything, then I use Tesco’s sesame oil and Heinz sweet chilli sauce as a dressing. It’s delicious and I’m struck by the level of nutrition for the price.

I loved this salad and have already remade it a few times. A truly nutritious, filling and tasty lunch full of flavour. I even had this for dinner one night I liked it so much. Total cost per portion to make: £2.37 Saving over a working week: £16.90 •Verdict This experiment has shown just how much we are held to ransom at lunchtime on the high street. By buying equal quality ingredients and assembling the lunches at home, you can expect to save hundreds of pounds.

And – depending on how expensive your tastes are, and how often you shell out, you could be saving as much as £113.75 each and every month.

Most of these dishes required little to no prior cooking skills and the ingredients can readily be found on the café’s website, meaning that even those least confident in the kitchen can take advantage of these savings.

However, sometimes you can’t put a price on convenience – or choice! – so I expect even the most thrifty of us will continue to indulge in a Pret lunch from time to time.

Source: Dailymail.com

PEOPLES DAILY

Sports

TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Page

41

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

Appeal Court fixes October 11 for LMC, Giwa FC case

Giwa FC

By Albert Akota

T

he Court of Appeal Division in Jos has fixed October 11 for the hearing of the League Management Company, LMC, appeal against an order of Jos High Court suspending the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).

The three-man justices led by Justice Adamu Jauro said that the new date was to enable the appellant to put the issues together for the court to hear them at once.

It would be recalled that a Jos High Court presided over by Justice Ishaku Kunda had suspended the league following an application by Giwa Football Club.

The club had urged the court to reinstate it after the club was expelled from the NPFL by the LMC for its failure to honour three fixtures in the league.

The court had on August 23 ordered the reinstatement of Giwa FC into the league.

Mustaphar Abubakar, who acted for himself and on behalf of Giwa FC, prayed the court to compel LMC to restore Giwa FC to the NPFL. Mr. Abubakar prayed for rescheduling of all matches of the club which previously had been duly cancelled, and direct to return to the club all players who departed the club and registered for other clubs upon its expulsion.

NYSF: Dalung give kudos to corporate Nigeria

>>Pg 42

The LMC through its chairman issued a circular on reinstatement of Giwa; but the circular was not implemented by the league management body.

The court in another sitting in the same month ordered the suspension of the NPFL since the league was time bound or until Giwa was reinstated, the order too was not obeyed by the LMC as the league continued.

The court at yet another sitting ordered both Shehu Dikko and Salihu Abubakar to appear and explain while they failed to carry out the orders of the court.

Justice Kunda in his ruling said that parties were duly served the order to appear but they failed and this

amounted to contempt of court.

The same court also committed Messrs. Dikko and Abubakar to 14 days in prison for contempt.

Meanwhile the LMC through its counsel, Olumide Olujimi, filed an appeal against the order suspending the league and reinstating Giwa into the league.

At the hearing of the appeal on Monday, Mr. Olujimi told the court that his clients were being harassed because of the order of committal by the lower court even though they had earlier field an appeal challenging first orders.

H.S Arzard, Counsel to Giwa, argued that the court resorted to those orders because the league was time bound.

Tuchel wary of Cristiano Ronaldo >>Pg 43

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Sport

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

NYSF: Dalung give kudos to corporate Nigeria

By Albert Akota

Y

outh and Sports Minister Barr Solomon Selcap Dalung has commended Corporate Nigeria for their renewed interest in sports, especially for coming to the aid of the Ministry of Youth & Sports in hosting the 2016 2nd National Youth Sports Festival; saying but for the sponsorship and financial assistance of Corporate Nigeria, it would have been a near impossibility to organist the tournament with the paltry N9 million allocation provided for the purpose in this year’s budget.

The Minister gave the commendation while declaring open the 2016 Youth Games at the Sporting Complex, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State at the weekend. He also praised the University of Ilorin for its vision of providing modern facilities for sports in the institution, a development which enabled the University to provide the hosting venue for the games.

The Minister assured the public that the hosting of the youth games is the beginning of renewed efforts in grassroots sports development of which Acrobatic display by female athletes during the Opening Ceremony of the 2nd National Youth Games held at the vibrant schools sports is key.

According to him grassroots sports Sporting Complex, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State on Saturday, 24th September, 2016 development through schools sports is 2012 outing, when the country returned rates and anti-social behaviours which investment in sports as worthy effort in the right way to go if our country is to home empty handed. presently are compelling states to spend the task of nation building. maximize its sporting potentials like He also drew attention to the feat colossal amount on security and crisis He therefore enjoined them to walk other great sporting nations. performed by the Paralympics Team management. the talk on pledges to empower the youth Dalung seized the opportunity to set many of who broke world records and The Minister also commended the by actually committing huge investment the record straight on Nigeria’s 2016 set new ones, as well as being the best State Governor for his invaluable support to development of sporting facilities and Olympics participation; saying it is African team in the tournament hauling both financial and material; saying provision of incentives for athletes and erroneous and most unfair to describe 8 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze medals assistance from the state government enabling environment for the youth to Nigeria’s outing at the games as a failure respectively. went a long way to ensure the success of develop their talents. or disaster as a section of the press will In a related development, the the games.

The 2nd National Youth Tournament want the public to believe.

Responding, the Governor announced which opened with great fan fare on Minister while paying courtesy call on He asked how a tournament in the Executive Governor of Kwara State, that in 9 months time, he would be Saturday saw memorable match pasts which the country won a bronze medal Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed in his office inviting the Honourable Minister to by 21 participating states and acrobatic in the Olympics, with other sterling has called upon state governments to come and commission an ultra modern displays. performances like Nigeria rising to invest heavily in sports development, sporting Complex in Ilorin which will be The Tournament featuring 15 regular become the first African nation to reach arguing that doing so will not only one of the best in Africa. games and 2 demonstration games will the quarterfinals and semifinals in Table provide meaningful engagements for The Governor also enjoined other come to an end next Thursday 29th Tennis and Rowing events compared to the youth, that this will reduce crime Governors in the country to regard September 2016.

Warri Wolves vows to fight relegation

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hile they battled as foes on the pitch for 90 minutes, Sunshine Star and Warri Wolves coaches had a common ground after the near ill-tempered fixture which the home side won 1-0.

They agreed that Wolves could have helped themselves with goals to ease their relegation agony.

But to Mansur Abdul of Warri Wolves, the fight to stay on in the top league can only be declared over after Match Day 38 next Sunday. Mansur after the defeat in Akure that his club’s season is not over yet.

“I cannot say Warri Wolves are relegated for now because nobody knows how the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) will end for now. We still have a match to play, who says other teams such as MFM and Ikorodu won’t lose their last games?

“As it is among the relegation-threatened teams so it is for the top clubs who don’t know if they will win the league”, Abdul told npfl.ng.

As if agreeing with his opposite, Solomon Ogbeide of Sunshine Stars admitted that his side escaped a second home defeat only because the visitors failed to take their chances.

“I must commend the players for staying alive to win the game but we only escaped a home defeat because Warri Wolves failed to utilise their chances”, Ogbeide remarked.

Gombe wants to win all medals at AYC- Suleiman

T

he chairman of Gombe State Sports Commission Mohammed Bello Suleiman has disclosed that winning all the medals and exposing it athletes remain his state’s ambition at the ongoing National Youth Games.

The former chairman, House of Representatives committee on sports, said they have made huge investment in training athletes and confident they will impress at the one-week long youth event which is in its second edition.

“Our ambition is to compete and get laurels. Secondly, expose our athletes and prepare them for future competitions. We are working on grassroots development and grooming system,” Suleiman told sports journalists on Sunday in Ilorin.

“I’m confident we will do well because we have motivated and

invested heavily in training the athletes for the games. We want to win all medals we are competing for.”

According to Suleiman, Gombe

Athletes

state will be competing in nine of the 13 sport events at this year’s Games which is scheduled to end on September 30.

Sport

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Rufai comes out of retirement

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eter Rufai came out of retirement to join the likes of Victor Agali, Victor Ikpeba and more in the Winihin Jemide Series Legend edition celebrity football match against Nigeria entertainment top shots.

The 53-year-old, who won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, kept a clean slate and made series of breathtaking saves that fans want him back in the Super Eagles.

If wishes were horses, Rufai might be wearing his gloves once again for the three-time African champions who begin their quest for a place in Russia 2018 Fifa World Cup against Zambia in October.

Who knows, Coach Gernot Rohr might hand him a starter’s shirt ahead Carl Ikeme and forget about recalling Vincent Enyeama to the senior national team.

Peter Rufai

Tuchel wary of Cristiano Ronaldo

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orussia Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel baulked at the notion of Cristiano Ronaldo not being on top form ahead of his side facing Real Madrid at Signal Iduna Park.

Both sides won their opening matches in Group F, with Ronaldo on the scoresheet to launch a late comeback in Madrid’s 2-1 triumph over Sporting CP. But the three-time Ballon d’Or winner has not found the net in two subsequent appearances and was substituted during Saturday’s 2-2 LaLiga draw at Las Palmas.

Nevertheless, Tuchel expects Ronaldo and his team-mates to be firing on all cylinders during one of the stand-out ties of the group stages.

“We’re preparing for Real Madrid in their best form. Of course we acknowledge Real’s quality. It will be huge task to defend against them.

Star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is fit to feature despite sustaining a bruised foot during Friday’s 3-1 win over Freiburg, where he opened the scoring.

Former Barcelona defender Marc Bartra (adductor), forwards Andre Schurrle (knee) and Adrian Ramos (adductor) are all back in contention to face the defending European champions, as Tuchel’s free-scoring side look to build on their 6-0 thrashing of Legia Warsaw in the opening group

game.

No excuse for Arsenal defeat, says Hazard

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den Hazard admits Chelsea can have no excuses for their 3-0 loss to London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Blues had been undefeated in their first four Premier League games under Antonio Conte, but were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool before this weekend’s setback at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal scored three times in the opening 40 minutes, leaving Chelsea with no way back, and Hazard acknowledges his side must improve.

“There are no excuses,” he told the club’s official website. “It was not good. We lost too many duels.

“We came to win the match but we made mistakes - for the first goal, another for the second and then before we knew it we were already 3-0 down.

“Every weekend at the moment we having to come back and score. We did it at Leicester but against Arsenal, who were playing at home, it was not possible.

With no European football this season, Chelsea’s next test comes away to Hull City on Saturday.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid scout watches Obasi

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representative of Real Madrid witnessed the Swedish Allsvenskan game between AIK Stockholm and IF Elfsborg in which Super Eagles striker Chinedu Obasi notched his third and fourth goals of the season.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet writes on its electronic edition that the European club champions sent a scout to monitor proceedings at the Boras Arena.

And the newspaper added that the Real Madrid scout was at the stadium to run the rule over Chinedu Obasi’s strike partner, Sweden youth-teamerAlexander Isak.

The highly coveted teenager of Eritrean descent was replaced by Nigerian midfielder John Chibuike with nine minutes remaining.

Obasi, 30, informed allnigeriasoccer. com few hours after facing IF Elfsborg that he wants to return to a top European league when he comes off contract with AIK at the end of the 2016 season.

Eden Hazard

salihu

I formerly known as SAle alhaji abdullahi now wish to be address as salihu abdullahi. all former documents remain valid, All the Authority Concern to note. first bank and the general public should please take note.

YUSUF

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS YUSUF JIBO NOW WISH TO BE ADDRESS AS YUSUF JIBO WAHU ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID, AUTHORITY CONCERN and the general public should please take note.

FAKUNLE

I FORMERLY KNOWN AS FAKUNLE ABEL NOW WISH TO BE ADDRESS AS FAKUNLE OLUBOYE ABEL ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID, AUTHORITY CONCERN and the general Chinedu Obasi

public should please take note.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Page 44

Sport

Watson of Wuhan Open with illness H eather Watson was forced to pull out of her opening match at the Wuhan Open with illness just days after saying she had fully recovered from the problems which affected her US Open campaign.

The British number two withdrew against American Madison Brengle in China after complaining of dizziness.

British number one Johanna Konta comfortably reached round two after beating German Annika Beck 6-1 6-2.

Ninth seed Konta will play China’s Zhang Shuai in the second round.

Konta needs a strong result in the tournament to pass American Madison Keys and Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the race to qualify for the WTA Finals later this month, which features the season’s top-eight players.

Guernsey-born Watson, 24, was suffering from a stomach bug when trailing her opponent 3-6 1-2 in mid-30C temperatures before pulling out on Monday.

Watson called for a medical time out after losing the opening set and a doctor was called onto court to take her blood pressure.

On Saturday, Watson won twice to qualify for the event in her first singles matches since requiring medical treatment following last month’s US Open Heather Watson defeat by Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands.

Britons involve in Wada hack

N

ile Wilson, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Steve Cummings, Saskia Clark, Richard Chambers and Sophie Ainsworth were named by hackers Fancy Bears.

Rio 2016 gold medal-winning cyclist Fabian Cancellara is also named.

The records mostly detail therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs), which allow banned substances to be taken for athletes’ verified medical needs.

There is no suggestion athletes named are involved in any wrongdoing.

American golfer Patrick Reed, who will play in the Ryder Cup next week, is also on the list as is South African swimmer Cameron van den Burgh, who won gold in the 100m breaststroke at London 2012.

Olympic champions Mo Farah, Laura Trott and Nicola Adams, current Tour de France champion Chris Froome and 2012 Tour winner Sir Bradley Wiggins are among the British athletes to have had their records made public in four previous batches of hacked data.

Joshua may face Fury or Klitschko in 2017 – Bunce

Pouille wins Moselle Open to claim first ATP title

F

renchman Lucas Pouille claimed his first ATP title with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory over Austrian top seed Dominic Thiem in the Moselle Open final.

The world number 18, seeded third, battled from 4-0 down in the tie-break to take the first set.

The 22-year-old then twice broke the world number 10 in the second set before sealing victory

B

oxing pundit Steve Bunce says he would be ‘stunned’ if IBF world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua doesn’t meet either fellow title holder Tyson Fury or former world champion Wladimir Klitschko by the end of 2017.

Fury, 28, holds the WBA and WBO belts after beating Klitschko on points in November last year, with their scheduled rematch postponed twice.

“I would be stunned if Anthony Joshua doesn’t fight Wlaldimir Klitschko or Tyson Fury by the end of December next year,” Bunce said.

“Sometime next year he would want to get next to whoever has one or two of those remaining (world heavyweight title) belts,” he added.

This clip is from 5 live Sport, Sunday 25 September 2016.

Anthony Joshua

Lucas Pouille beat Rafael Nadal

with an ace.

Pouille has risen from a ranking of 78 this year, and reached the Wimbledon and US Open quarter-finals.

“I’m really happy to win my first title here. I played well from the beginning,’’ said the new champion. “Now I can rest and get ready for the China Open next week in Beijing.”

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PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Sport

P-i-c-t-o-r-i-a-l

Fifa defends its decision to scrap an anti-racism taskforce with critics branding the move “shameful” and “perplexing”.

Tyson Fury was at the Manchester Arena on Saturday to watch cousin Hosea Burton beat Fernando Castaneda in three rounds

Anthony Crolla will get the chance for revenge against Jorge Linares next February or March, says the British fighter’s promoter Eddie Hearn.

Ivory Coast footballer Serge Aurier, who plays for Paris St-Germain (PSG), has been sentenced to two months in jail for elbowing a police officer.

Alex Iwobi played his part in a superb victory for Arsenal as they barely broke a sweat as London rivals Chelsea were dispatched 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, with the 2015 champions unable to cope with a first-half onslaught.

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

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Sport

How King of golf dies at 87

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efore accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, Arnold Palmer shared a few laughs with President George W. Bush and gave the commander in chief a few golf tips in the East Room of the White House.

Five years later, when honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, Palmer, who again offered golf tips to some of the most important politicians in the country, jokingly thanked the House and the Senate for being able to agree on something.

After receiving the highest civilian awards given in the United States, Palmer went outside each day, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the U.S. Capitol, and signed autographs for hundreds of people.

That was Palmer, a man who connected with the masses, who related to kids, the hourly wage employee, the CEO and Presidents.

Palmer, who died Sunday in Pittsburgh at age 87, was the accessible common man who would become the King and lead his own army. Along the way he became one of the sport’s best players and a successful businessman, philanthropist, trailblazing advertising spokesman, talented golf course designer and experienced aviator.

Alastair Johnson, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, confirmed that Palmer died of complications from heart problems.

Johnson said Palmer was admitted to the hospital Thursday for some cardiovascular work and weakened over the last few days.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of Arnold Palmer, golf’s greatest ambassador, at age 87,” the U.S. Golf Association said in a statement. “Arnold Palmer will always be a champion, in every sense of the word.

He inspired generations to love golf by sharing his competitive spirit, displaying sportsmanship, caring for golfers and golf fans, and serving as a lifelong ambassador for the sport.

Our stories of him not only fill the pages of golf’s history books and the walls of the museum, but also our own personal golf memories.

The game is indeed better because of him, and in so many ways, will never be the same.”

While his approach on the course was not a model of aesthetics the whirlybird followthrough, the pigeon-toed putting stance it worked for him.

With thick forearms and a thin waist, Palmer had an aggressive risk-reward approach to golf that made for compelling theater.

He hit the ball with authority and for distance and ushered in an aggressive, hitch-up-your-trousers, go-for-broke, in-your-face power game rarely seen in the often stoic

Arnold Palmer

and staid sport.

Palmer, part of the alluring “Big Three,” with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, won 62 titles on the PGA Tour, his last coming in the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic. Among those victories were four at the Masters, two at the British Open and one at the U.S. Open. He finished second in the U.S. Open four times, was runner-up three times in the PGA Championship, the only major that eluded him, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

Palmer became one of the best known sports figures and, at 5-10, 175, a telegenic golfer who burst out of black-and-white television sets across the country in the late 1950s and into the 1960s and took the game to the masses.

“Arnold meant everything to golf. Are you kidding me?” Tiger Woods said. “I mean, without his charisma, without his personality in conjunction with TV — it was just the perfect symbiotic growth. You finally

had someone who had this charisma, and they’re capturing it on TV for the very first time.

Palmer won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour four times, played on six Ryder Cup teams and was captain twice.

He received virtually every national award in golf and was the “Athlete of the Decade” for the 1960s in a national Associated Press poll.

Palmer, who helped found the Golf Channel decades later, also helped usher in the Champions Tour, where he won 10 times, including five majors.

He was a magnetic star who attracted legions of fans who had never played golf as the television boon exploded across the land.

Dwight Eisenhower, who loved golf, was one of Palmer’s best friends.

Richard Nixon asked Palmer about the Vietnam War. Palmer played golf with both Presidents Bush.

Eisenhower painted Palmer’s picture as did Norman Rockwell.

There is a drink named in Palmer’s honor, as well as an airport, a golf tournament, hospitals, streets, charity initiatives and 19th-hole grill rooms.

And from start to finish, Palmer signed as many autographs, posed for as many pictures, chatted with as many fans in the galleries as any golfer who hit a golf ball.

“There are two things that made golf appealing to the average man — Arnold Palmer and the invention of the mulligan,” actor/comedian and good friend Bob Hope once said.

Palmer was a folk hero with a driver in his hand and a handshake after the round. From 2007 through 2015, he served as the honorary starter for the Masters, creating one of the best moments of the tournament every year on Thursday morning.

“Arnold Palmer was the everyday man’s hero,” Nicklaus said. “From the modest upbringing, Arnold embodied the hard-working strength of America.”

PEOPLES DAILY, TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

Some Interesting Facts 24.) Mandela and 150 others were arrested on December 5, 1956 and charged with treason.

They were all acquitted in 1961.

25.) During his years of hiding, to evade arrest, Mandela adopted different forms of disguises that earned him the title of the “Black Pimpernel”.

26.) Although he started and wanted to achieve independence through non-violence approach he moved to armed struggle as a last resort.

27.) The MK guerrilla wars waged against the apartheid regime resulted in numerous civilian casualties.

28.) Mandela admitted that the ANC, in its struggle against apartheid, also violated human rights.

hottest puzzle book kakuro 45

puzzle 45

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Leisure

29.) Nelson Mandela was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges in 1962.

30.) He was imprisoned for 27 years and was released in 1990, 18 years of which were spent in the Robben Island – that eventually came to be so-called “Mandela University”.

31.) In prison, Mandela never compromised his political principles and was always a source of strength for the other prisoners.

32.) Mandela was as a D-group prisoner, the lowest classification, where he was allowed one visitor and one letter (often made unreadable by the prison censors) every six months.

33.) Mandela was offered his freedom in 1985 by President Botha but turned it down and released a statement saying “What freedom am I being offered while the organization of the people remains banned?

Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts.”

34.) It was President De Klerk who announced Mandela’s release in February 1990. This historic event was broadcast live all over the world.

35.) He was the very first South African president to be elected in a fully democratic election.

Say what?

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Children encounter a polar bear at the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat in Ontario, Canada.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

QUOTABLE QUOTE

Fighting corruption is a sacrifice that everyone must do if we have to make this country work. . . . putting the people first

TUESday, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

-Plateau State governor, Mr. Simon Lalong

SPORTS Rationale, solutions to high latest Sterling credits performance to Guardiola

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aheem Sterling has hailed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for helping him turn around his year, in particular for encouraging the winger to “enjoy scoring goals”.

Sterling found the back of the net only six times in 31 Premier League games last season and was vilified by a section of England’s fans after the country’s poor Euro 2016 campaign.

However, the 21-yearold has impressed under Guardiola this campaign, scoring four goals in six league games. He was also named the Premier League’s player of the month for August.

“The manager has told me to enjoy scoring goals and seeing the ball go into the back of the net. He gives everyone the confidence, not just me,” Sterling said.

Sterling scored in City’s 3-1 win at Swansea City on Saturday, a victory that stretched their early lead at the top of the table to four points.

“He gives everyone the belief and the motivation. His speech before (the game) was fantastic and it means that when you go out on to the pitch you are really fired up for the game,” Sterling added.

Advert: business: news: lagos:

interest rates in Nigeria I Tuesday Column nterest rates on bank loans in Nigeria are well over 20 percent, presenting a major hindrance to household spending and firm growth.

Yet, against the backdrop of a slowly contracting economy and sharply rising inflation, which now stands at 17.6 percent, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 200 basis points to 14 percent in July. This decision has been criticised by some, given the state of Nigeria’s shrinking economy and weak labour market.

However, Nigeria’s current episode of stagflation ties the hands of the MPC: interest rate adjustments cannot both contain inflation and stimulate economic growth at the same time. Since the MPC decided to raise rates, anyway, it seems fairly obvious that they may have prioritized curtailing inflation in the short term over stimulating growth. If this were their calculation, it would seem reasonable given that stable prices are needed for long-term growth.

Moreover, the potency of monetary policy in this crisis is debatable. The extent to which the MPR passes through to lending rates for households and firms is unclear. Indeed, the large spread between the MPR and lending rates implies that factors beyond the control of the CBN are definitely at play.

Most commentators and policymakers in Nigeria often view lending rates only from the perspective of the borrower.

But, in order to understand why lending rates are so high in Nigeria, it may be more useful to consider the perspective of the lender. Let us therefore consider the case of a Nigerian Commercial Bank, for the sake of this article, called NBank Limited, as it chooses the interest rate on its loans.

First, in view of the time value of money, NBank Limited must set its lending rate to be greater than inflation. Since inflation currently stands at 17.6 percent, any lending below this rate would come at a loss to the bank.

0806 564 8620 0704 385 9705 0814 292 9046 08074420617

By Toni Oki The rise in inflation has been driven mainly by rising energy prices from upward reviews of electricity and petroleum prices. More also, rising import costs, reflecting the Naira’s depreciation has contributed to much of this inflation. As we know, oil has constituted 90 percent of Nigeria’s exports, and so Nigeria’s terms of trade have deteriorated with collapsing oil prices. To worsen matters, our country’s dependence on imports for core foods, such as rice and fish, and manufactured goods has further fuelled the rise in prices. Given this analysis, one way to initiate a gradual reduction in lending rate may be to increase agricultural productivity and export much more high-value, processed foods, which would address this imbalance, and moderate inflation.

Next, let us consider NBank’s alternatives to household and firm lending. Yields on Federal Government Bonds are fetching up to 18 percent, given the government’s high appetite for debt due to its dependence on oil (75 percent of budgetary revenue). Government bonds are effectively risk-free, and so NBank would never lend to a risky customer or SME without receiving some premium over the government’s guaranteed 18 percent.

However, this premium is not fixed, but rather reflects the

“

structural costs of doing business for NBank Limited. Risk of default plays a significant role in this. Weak identification systems make it difficult for NBank to identify good borrowers, as credit histories are patchy, and tracking defaulting borrowers once loans have been given out can be a nightmare. Even if the issue of identification can be solved, contract enforcement through our court systems remains a huge challenge.

According to the World Bank’s Doing Business Survey, Nigeria ranks 25th out of the 47 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for contract enforceability.

Because of this, NBank must take on additional costs to enforce repayments. In the case of borrower insolvency, NBank’s recovery rate will only be 28 percent, compared to 72 percent in OECD countries. In fact, it is easier to resolve insolvency in 27 other SSA countries than in Nigeria.

In addition to these, NBank Limited has to stay afloat and must consider ways to be profitable. In order to do so, it must cover some administration costs that her peers in other climes do not confront. A typical Nigerian Bank these days must have large numbers of policemen and other security people deployed constantly to protect its branches. So, NBank Limited must cover this cost.

The bank must also provide a

In general, therefore, it is important to reiterate that Nigeria’s high interest regime reflects not only the cost of capital but also the cost of doing business in the country. Therefore, in order for Nigerians to begin to see a systematic drop in lending rates

significant amount for reliable electricity to keep its systems running. It must also provide for its own broadband Internet services, a service it cannot survive without. These issues only further increase costs of doing business for NBank, a cost it must pass on to borrowers in the form of high lending rate.

Given these additional risks and costs that NBank must take on when lending to households and firms, it is understandable why such a high premium is charged over risk-free government bonds. Whilst the MPC might have some power to alter the rates that pass through to borrowers, the government has several other powerful instruments at its disposal.

Tackling these structural issues will lower not only the cost of capital, but also the cost of doing business for banks and all other firms.

In general, therefore, it is important to reiterate that Nigeria’s high interest regime reflects not only the cost of capital but also the cost of doing business in the country.

Therefore, in order for Nigerians to begin to see a systematic drop in lending rates, the government must tackle the aspects of lending rates that reflect the high cost of doing business in Nigeria.

Mr. Oki is an economic policy analyst who lives in London.

DAN GAYE

Budget padding: Gbajabiamila denies working against Dogara

Then tell us, who is working against him

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