Thursday, November 27th, 2014 Edition

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Thursday, November 27, 2014 Safar 5, 1436 AH

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Buhari’s aircraft denied landing in Makurdi airport

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2015: Elections must hold in North-East, PDP insists

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N150 Vol. 15 No. 2

FG to buy N9.2bn cooking stoves >> page 5

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I don’t recognise Tambuwal as Speaker - IGP

By Patrick Andrew & Umar Muhammed Puma

T

he Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, yesterday refused to recognise Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as Speaker of the House of Representatives

preferring instead to address him as an ordinary citizen.

Consequently, emotion was let fly as the members of the House of Representatives in turn refused to recognise him as the bonafide Inspector General of Police and chose instead to address him as just ‘Mr. Suleiman

Abba’.

Abba, who appeared before the House Committee on Police Affairs to explain why the Police locked down the premises of the National Assembly and teargassed lawmakers on the 20th November, had insisted that he could not recognise Tambuwal as

Speaker because it was a subject matter that was yet to be decided by the court.

“The matter is in court, therefore it will amount to subjudice to refer to Tambuwal as Speaker,” he said in response to insistence from the members that he explain why he chose to

address the Speaker simply as “Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.”

The IGP, had while addressing the committee on what had transpired penultimate Tuesday, said security mounted at the entrance was disrupted

Primary school pupils boarding free government school bus yesterday in Maiduguri after schools were re-opened.

Contd on Page 2

Photo: NAN

Obasanjo to Jonathan

You’re destroying Nigeria l Describes NASS as assemblage of looters l Nigeria sliding into anarchy -Akume

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227 Days after Gov Ahmed’s convoy attacked in Will the abducted Chibok >> page 5 Kaiama schoolgirls ever be rescued?

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News

CONTENTS News 2-10 Editorial 12 Op.Ed 13 Letters 14 Opinion 15 Politics 16-18 Business 19-22 Stockwatch 23 S/Report 24-25 M/Earth 26 Update

28

Featue 30

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

I don’t recognise Tambuwal as Speaker- IGP Contd from Cover Page by “suspected thugs that accompanied Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.”

He said “intelligence report” that there was going to be invasion of the Complex by “hoodlums” had necessitated the cordoning off of the Complex to forestall unpleasant incidence.

“Following an intelligence report of a likely invasion of the House of Representatives by hoodlums and thugs, the Nigeria Police Force promptly deployed its personnel to the premises to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

“Some of the principal officers called me to confirm the strengthening of the security around the vicinity of the National Assembly and I told them that it was based in credible information that there was a plan to disrupt the parliament, especially with what happened in Burkina Faso; that is why the issue of identifying yourself was made and some of the lawmakers complied until Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal arrived

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Metro

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Int’l 27-30 S/World

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Sports 41 Columnist 48

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forthwith.

Chairman of the committee, Usman Bello Kumo (PDP, Gombe)’s attempt to restore order was rebuffed by members, who were visibly angry and spoke loudly in disdain of the IGP for daring to look down on the leadership of the House, on whose behalf the committee was constituted to investigate the incident in question.

Kumo, who attempted to calm frayed nerves, said he won’t sit and allow the office of the Speaker, his person and the integrity of the House to be abused and appealed to the IGP to either deny or assert the initial statement that was thought to have denied the Speaker his rightful recognition.

However, Representatives Chris Etta (PDP, Cross-River), urged members to desist from partisanship in the matter but to see themselves as an investigative panel that will report back to the House based on their findings. He regretted that the ugly incidence of Tuesday, November 22 was a national disgrace that should not

be taken with kid gloves.

Similarly, Representatives Victor Nwokolo (Delta) towed the same line, by appealing to his colleagues not to pander to sentiment but remain neutral as a fact-finding body that will report back to the committee of the whole, even as Representative Ahmed Rufa’i Chanchangi insisted that all members will stage a walkout if the IGP refuses to retract.

Abba, who was recently confirmed the IGP, when given the opportunity to amend matters, insisted that since the matter was before the court of law it would be subjudice for him to comment on it. He expressed sympathy for Nigerians who suffered unjustly during the fracas at the NASS where teargas canisters were freely used.

Rather than assuage members’ anger, the IGP’s response further infuriated them, who insisted that the chairman must adjourn the committee. Kumo obliged them and a motion was moved and seconded to bring the hearing to an abrupt end.

Expressing fear over the present poor state of the nation’s economy, Obasanjo pointed out that the economy would continue to sink deeper, arguing that what Nigerians are told about the state of the economy is not true, saying: “The economy is in doldrums, if not in reverse.”

Recall that while speaking last weekend in Abeokuta, while addressing book writers as part of activities marking the Ake Arts and Book Festival, Obasanjo had rated President Jonathan’s government below average.

“I rate this current administration below average,” Obasanjo said, while assessing the present government’s performance.

However, in a response issued in Abuja by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, Jonathan said Obasanjo’s rating was at variance “with the facts on the ground”.

departments, contractors and ministries in two ways.

“They do so during visits to their projects and programmes and in the process of budget approval when they build up budgets for ministries and departments, who agree to give it back to them in contracts that they do not execute.

They do similar things during their inquiries,” Obasanjo said.

He said the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has upped Nigeria’s corruption level through the huge sums of money it has been paying to the National Assembly to stop investigating its corrupt acts.

“Corruption in the National Assembly also includes what they call constituency projects which they give to their agents to execute but invariably, full payment is made with little or no job done.”

The former president insisted that over the years, the National Assembly never singled out any corrupt lawmaker except where the executive led in the indictment of a member.

He listed some of such cases where the executive led in exposing corruption in the National Assembly to include those of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salisu Buhari, and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara.

He maintained that majority of the members of the National Assembly live above the law in both misconduct and corruption and cannot in good conscience carry out oversight duties on any government ministry or department.

State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi, to investigate what transpired in the last week Thursday invasion of the National Assembly by the police and report back to Senate.

Speaking at the yesterday’s Senate plenary, Akume (APC, Benue-Central), said the invasion of the parliament by security forces was an attack on Nigeria’s democracy.

He called the attention of the Senate to another heavy security issue in Ekiti State where seven lawmakers purportedly impeached the Speaker, even as he questioned the intention behind the occupation of the state by heavily armed police officers.

According to him: “It is not partisanship but impunity; there is no restriction on defection, I was in PDP, I am a founding member of PDP; a lot of us defected in the sixth Senate. The assault is a collective assault on the parliament.

Meanwhile, moving the motion for the Senate to investigate the events that led to the crisis, Senate Deputy Leader, Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi), lamented that if no definite action is taken against the incident, it might threaten the country’s democracy.

Also condemning the crisis, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu), said any attempt to muzzle the parliament is an attempt to frustrate the Nigeria’s democracy, recalling that the last time such a thing happened was during the time of late Chuba Okadigbo, as Senate President.

He said the Senate must get to the root of the matter to make sure it does not happen again, even as he advocated for a public hearing to enable Nigerians know what actions the parliament intends to take.

Meanwhile, Senate President David Mark, said it is necessary to set up a panel to probe the crisis, saying it will help the Senate to take proper and informed decision on the issue, even as he said the assault is part of the prices for Nigeria’s democracy to grow.

. . . You’re destroying Nigeria

By Ali Abubakar Abare & Ikechukwu Okaforadi, with agency report

Can Jonathan revive Nigeria’s economy?

– Page 4

with thugs or suspected thugs and disrupted all the arrangement,” Abba said.

The comment rankled members, who felt that the office of the Speaker has been denigrated and immediately exploded by interrupting the IGP thus preventing him from continuing his briefs.

First to fire the salvo was Representative Babatunde Juwon (APC, Lagos) who retaliated by addressing the IGP as “Mr. Suleiman Abba” and was followed by other members of the committee who insisted on a walkout unless the IGP retracted what they considered as derogatory to the office of the Speaker, under whom they were constituted as an investigative committee.

The hearing almost became rowdy as member after members insisted on calling the IGP to order arguing that the derogatory comments was not only disrespectful to the Speaker, the members that unanimously elected him, but a stampede on democracy, and must be corrected

ormer President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has again warned President Goodluck Jonathan over his political actions and decisions, saying that as a leader, the President should not deliberately engaged in or condone evil in the country.

Speaking at a book launch in honour of the pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, in Abuja, Obasanjo, who was the Chairman of the occasion, lamented that Nigerian democracy remains at risk due to the actions of the present administration.

He further noted that the greatest indictment against any administration is to be seen trying to destroy opposition of all sorts which invariably means destroying democracy.

According to him: “Management of democracy without resorting to brute force and dictatorial tendencies must be cultivated. As a leader, you must not deliberately do evil or condone evil. You should know that you will one day give account to God, you may cover up here, but before God, there is no cover up.”

Obasanjo further cautioned President Jonathan against encouraging “verbal violence which may not physically hurt but has ways of degenerating into physical violence.”

While commenting on President Jonathan’s style of handling the Boko Haram insurgency, corruption, the economy and youth unemployment, Obasanjo said Boko Haram is not out to “frustrate anyone’s political efforts”.

He lamented that it took President Jonathan years to fully understand the menace, even as he decried the level of corruption in the country, saying that “when the head is rotten, the whole body is useless”.

Obasanjo describes NASS as assemblage of looters In a similar vein, Obasanjo lampooned the National Assembly, saying it is largely an assemblage of looters and thieves, at the same occasion, regretting that every aspect of Nigeria’s national life is riddled with corruption.

He however said there were a few exceptions and people who stand out and would not succumb to the scourge of sleaze, even in the federal legislature.

The former president said the National Assembly, which is shrouding its corruption in the opaque nature of its budget, has damaged its capacity to oversight the executive.

He accused the President Goodluck Jonathan-led executive of making direct payments to the legislature in order to cover up its wrong doings.

“Apart from shrouding the remunerations of the National Assembly in opaqueness and without transparency, they indulge in extorting money from

Nigeria sliding into anarchy Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader, Gorge Akume, has warned that, with the current interferences in the legislative activities of the parliament, Nigeria will slide into anarchy except the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, is called to order.

This is even as the Senate yesterday sets up a 7-man ad hoc panel headed by former Kaduna

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Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

News

Buhari’s aircraft denied landing in Makurdi airport

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

A

L-R: Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Danazumi Doma, Inspector General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Araseh Solomon, and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. S.L. Wakama, during the IG meeting with House Committee on Police over the last Thursday’s invasion of the National Assembly by the Nigeria Police, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Ahmed Abubakar

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday maintained that crisis rocking the North-East region would not impeded the conduct of the forthcoming general elections as insinuated from some quarters of the public.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh who made the position of the Party known while speaking on a live Radio programme monitored by People’s Daily in Abuja yesterday, insisted that there was no reason why elections would not be held in such areas as being agitated in some quarters.

Metuh who opined that the people are unnecessarily crying wolves’ when there was none.

Metuh blamed the state

2015: Elections must hold in North-East, PDP insists governors manning the affairs of the affected states for complacency over the breakdown of law by the insurgents in the area, due to their failure to live up to their people’s expectations.

“If the State Governors in the affected states have been alive to their responsibilities as being done by the PDP controlled Federal Government, the situation would have been brought under control, rather they are busy attacking the President and our Party as

responsible for the insecurity and that elections will not hold in the affected states, elections must hold and PDP will spring surprises “, he declared.

According to him, “what is regrettable is that those leading members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, that are making unguarded utterances against the President and the PDP, were former members of our party who got to where they are today on our platform, before they defected, one of them even said

that if APC did not win the 2015 Presidential election, they will not go to court, but will go and form a parallel government.

“We have made our position known in our press statement of yesterday that enough is enough, PDP will no longer tolerate such barbaric attacks again, if any one of them tries again, we will go out in full swing and expose such a character”,Metuh threatened.”

Metuh urged Nigerians to disregard all the propaganda and blackmail of the APC

Court reserves judgment in suit to unseat PDP chairman

By A’isha Biola Raji

T

he Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday reserved judgment in a suit filed by an aspirant to the House of Representatives from Adamawa state, Aliyu Abubakar Gurin seeking to unseat the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Adamu Mu’azu and at the same time the planed delegates’ convention of the party.

Joined as first to fourth defendants in the case are the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, Mu’azu and the Independent National

Electoral Commission (INEC).

At the resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to the plaintiff, Rotimi Oguneso argued that the resignation of the immediate past Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, did not comply with the provision of Section 47(5) of the constitution of the party which stipulates that a 30 days’ notice be given to the National Executive Committee by Bamanga Tukur.

He therefore, prayed the court to set aside the appointment of Mu’azu.

The second plaintiff in the matter, Tukur through his

counsel, Rotimi Oguneso filed a counter claim supporting all the claims of the plaintiff.

In his counter claim, Tukur argued that he was forced to resign his post as the national chairman of the party in order for the seven defected governors to come back to the party.

Tukur further stated that the NEC of the party has no power to appoint the national chairman.

He said the letter of resignation he submitted on January 15 did not comply with Section 47(5) of the party’s constitution which requires that a 30 days prior notice should be

Court orders DSS to open APC data centre

From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

A

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday ordered the Department of State Security Service DSS to immediately unseal the office and data warehouse of the All Progressive Congress, APC. Justice Mohammed Nasir Yenusa of the Federal High Court in

Lagos yesterday gave two orders in respect of the case of enforcement of fundamental human rights filed by APC counsel, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

Justice Yenusa gave an immediate order against the respondent restraining the DSS from further sealing off the office or taking further steps in connection with the property.

A statement by the party reads: “with regard to the five data entry staff being held in custody by the DSS, the Court ordered the respondents to produce them in court on Friday to explain to the court why they are still being held in custody.

“The court, however, did not give any order regarding the

given.

Opposing the application, counsel to PDP and Mu’azu, Solomon Umor SAN asked the court to dismiss the suit on ground that the plaintiff lacks the right to institute such suit.

He argued that the subject matter is an internal affair of the party, which the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain.

The fourth respondent in the suit, INEC did not file any application, but submitted that it will be neutral.

After listening to all the parties, the trial judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu reserved judgment.

release of the seized equipment, server and computer from the APC data center in Ikeja.”

A combined team of men of the DSS and OP-MESA on Saturday stormed the Bola Ajibola data centre belonging to the APC in the Ikeja area of Lagos and arrested 25 APC data agents and 3 security guards.

chartered aircraft conveying former Head of State and All Progressive Congress, APC, presidential aspirant, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and his entourage, was yesterday allegedly denied landing rights by the authorities of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), in Makurdi, Benue state.

It was gathered from a reliable source that Gen. Buhari, alongside his entourage, was travelling from Bayelsa state to Makurdi to woo delegates of his party ahead of the APC delegates congress scheduled for December, but had their flight denied permission to touch down in Makurdi.

According to him, “The flight was earlier granted landing permission but we were all surprised when half an hour to his arrival a counter directive was issued mid-flight, thereby forcing the aircraft to head to Abuja.

“What they did was evil and dangerous, what if the plane was low on fuel, what do you think would have happened?

Desperation has set into our politics, and it is posing grave danger to our democracy.”

When contacted on phone, the Benue State Chairman of the APC, Comrade Abba Yaro confirmed the development describing it as unfortunate.

Disclosing this to newsmen in a telephone conversation, the state APC chairman, Comrade Abba Yaro said Gen Buhari who was scheduled to travel from Bayelsa State to Makurdi to campaign for delegates ahead of APC’s delegate congress in December, turned back to Abuja when he learnt that he would not be granted landing permit.

Comrade Yaro frowned at the ugly development, wondering why a former Head of State who was initially granted landing permit earlier in the day, only for a counter directive to emerge voiding the earlier one that granted him permit.

“APC loyalists who had trooped out in their thousands and laid siege at the airport yesterday morning for long time were disappointed and had to disperse when they learnt of the development”, Yaro regretted.

It was gathered that the refusal to grant Buhari landing permit may not be unconnected to his alleged plan to meet with some aggrieved PDP members, particularly Chief Samuel Ortom, an influential member of the PDP and former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment who is planning to decamp to APC. All attempts to speak with officials of FAAN in Makurdi on the matter failed as they all declined to comment on the issue.

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Page 4 Report

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igerian’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with the incumbent President Jonathan likely to be its candidate for the presidential contest is planning to prolong its almost 16 year hold on power as it is doing anything humanly possible to retain control even in the face of total rejection by majority of Nigerians.

The ruling party will have to contend with a formidable opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February next year’s contest. The main challenger is Mohammed Buhari who stands every chance of winning the APC ticket and the general election in a free and fair contest. The PDP is set to retain support even as a corruption scandal taints the party especially those in the cabinet of President Jonathan. President Jonathan’s image, pledging to create 3 million “job opportunities,” build millions of homes for the poor and improve education and healthcare over the next four years if reelected have been dismissed with a wave of hand.

All indications are that loyalty to the APC and belief in the party’s ability to rejuvenate the dying economy will trump sympathy to the opposition as many Nigerians have sworn to kick out PDP like the way Nigerians kick out Ebola virus as a result of nonperformance. Political analysts are quick to point out that it will be useless for Jonathan to be promising Nigerians heaven on earth as Nigerians are wiser now and will never fall for any of the PDP’s deceit. They even went on to say that Jonathan’s presidency has brought nothing for Nigerians except misery and untold hardship.

Speaking recently on the state of the economy, former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who took a swipe on the economic situation in the country under President Jonathan-led administration, declared that Nigerians are back to the late dictator, General Sani Abacha where the middle class was non-existent. Obasanjo noted the prevailing economic situation in the country has shown clearly that the middle-class had been destroyed.

Obasanjo who disclosed that he received a text message which he said shocked him, saying that a middle class Nigerian was requesting for financial assistance from him. It shows that the economy is heading to a rock and needed a good shepherd to navigate it to better place.

Although, President Jonathan, recently, made the observation that Nigeria’s current economic policies and indices show that Nigerian is a favorable investments destination, despite the terrorists’ threat to the survival of the nation. The report carried in the dailies said the president represented by VicePresident Namadi Sambo, made the observation in his address during the opening ceremony of the Honorary International Investors’ Council (HIIC) meeting which held at the Presidential Villa. The HIIC is coordinated

by Baroness Lynda Chalker of Wallasey, United Kingdom.

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Can Jonathan revive Nigeria’s economy?

Ochiaka Ugwu writes on Nigeria’s 2015 election and if President Goodluck Jonathan, who is contesting to win another term, will be able to revitalize the economy if voted in

It makes one to wonder whether the President is not a Nigerian or at most in Nigeria but has lost touch with realities. Many even went on to ask on the value Which policies and indices is the president referring to? What special roles do capital investment and foreign investors play in transforming an agricultural/ artisan economy like Nigeria’s?

From all indications, it shows that President Jonathan’s economic team is being economical with the truth on the true state of the economy and has not been honest enough to tell him that his administration has missed the mark. They should be sincere enough to tell him the bitter truth and on what he must do to achieve rapid technological growth with a view to also achieving programmed industrialization.

It is a well known fact that Nigeria’s economy have been retrogressing, though the Nigerian government has shamelessly been announcing high GDP-growth (or growth without any positive impact on the economy or small growth) since 1999. Jonathan should not announce this selfdeluding type of growth anymore.

It is very sad that President Jonathan, one saddled with the responsibility of reshaping the economy to put food on the tables of ordinary Nigerians has been announcing this type of growth for years and now claims that it is a great achievement in spite of the threat of Boko Haram to the existence of Nigeria. It makes one to wonder whether the President is not a Nigerian or at most in Nigeria but has lost touch with realities. Many even went on to ask on the value of growth without development. Citizens want that growth that will create jobs for the teaming unemployed youth or improve productivity to enhance people’s economic wellbeing. Is the announcement of high GDPgrowth a political gain for the

president or another campaign tool meant to use and deceive Nigerians again? As the question in everybody’s lips was whether they will eat GDP. President Jonathan should realize that the threat of poor economic management to the existence of Nigeria is by far higher than Boko Haram. Indeed it can be argued that the poor management of the Nigerian economy since 1999 produced MEND, OPC, Boko Haram of the type that is unleashing it’s terror on innocent Nigerians.

Another shocking news yesterday was a story that emanated from the presidential villa after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting where the federal government without due regard to local content policy which has been given wide publicity approved a whopping N9.2billion for the purchase of clean cook stoves and wonder bags for rural women under the National Clean Cooking Scheme.

According them, the wonder bag is a non-electric slow cooker invented by Sarah Collins, a South African eco-entrepreneur, who came up with the idea six years ago during a power cut, when she decided to keep her dinner cooking by surrounding the pan with cushions.

Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammed; Minister of Environment, Mrs. Lawrecia Mallam; and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed, while briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo said the N9.2billion inclusive of Value Added Tax was approved for the procurement of 750,000 units of clean cook stove

President Goodluck Jonathan and 18,000 wonder bags. It was said the stoves are expected to be delivered by Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited within a period of 12 weeks.

Mohammed noted that the stoves which will be assembled locally will provide jobs to Nigerians among other benefits.

The minister said, “The National Clean Cooking Scheme is an aggressive drive to engender clean cooking culture amongst the poor rural women, to reduce and possibly eliminate cooking with solid fossil which is detrimental to health.

This action depicts a consuming economy which is being encouraged by the same government that is claiming to create jobs for the jobless through

encouraging manufacturing that will make the nation a producing economy. If Nigerian government could go all the way to South Africa to just to import cooking stoves, it means that President Jonathan’s mantra to encourage and promote indigenous companies and small businesses was just a gimmick and a ploy to trick Nigerians into voting a government that will export wealthy and import poverty into the country. We want that government that will put people before any of its programme, create opportunities and spread prosperity. From the look of things and given its past performance which is dismal in all ramifications, I doubt if this government will be able to rescue the economy if given another mandate of four more years.

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

PAGE 5

News

Gov Ahmed’s convoy attacked in Kaiama From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

S

ome unidentified youths, suspected to be the members of a political party in Kwara state, on Tuesday allegedly attacked the convoy of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State in Kaiama, Kaiama local government area of the state.

Governor Ahmed was in the ancient town to kick-off the commencement of the N7.9billion reconstruction work on KaiamaKishi road and the commissioning of the remodeled general hospital in the community.

The suspected thugs, who put on party posters and banners, had converged beside the Emir of Kaiama’s palace waiting for the governor’s convoy.

They allegedly stoned the governor’s convoy as his team left the emir’s palace after commissioning of General hospital, where Alhaji Ahmed was billed to be turbaned by Governor Ahmed as the ‘Jarman’ Kaiama.

The intervention of the governor’s security details prevented the situation from snowballing into a free-for-all.

Policemen in the convoy of the governor fired teargas canisters sporadically into the air to disperse the youths.

The youths were shouting ‘Bukola ole, Fatai ole’ as they drove to the Emir’s palace.

When contacted , the state’s Police Command’s spokesperson, Ajayi Okasanmi confirmed the incident, saying that he was yet

to adequately brief about the incident.

His words, “I am sure some people would have been arrested.”

In its reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state described the alleged attack on the governor’s convoy as the height of political provocation.

In a statement, APC spokesperson, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari said, “Apparently bitter

and terrified by the rousing reception accorded Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his entourage by APC members and the good people of Kaiama, a member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) State Executive Committee (SEC) led his armed thugs to mount ambush on the road, around a PDP secretariat which is not far away from the Emir’s palace immediately after the turbaning. “ He called for a thorough

investigation of the matter.

Meanwhile, the Kwara state government and PDP have expressed different views on the true identity of political thugs who attacked the governor.

The state governor, it was learnt has also lodged a formal complaint to the state’s Commissioner of Police, over the attack.

But the State Chairman of PDP, Chief Iyiola Akogun,in his reaction denied that the attack

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan, collecting his provisional clearance certificate from Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Screening Committee, Senator Ahmadu Ali, yesterday at the PDP National Secretariat, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

FG to buy N9.2bn cooking stoves

By Ese Ahwotu with agency report

T

he Federal Executive Council (FEC), yesterday approved the purchase of N9.2billion worth of clean cook stoves and ‘wonder bags’ for rural women, under the National Clean Cooking Scheme.

Wonder bag is a non-electric slow cooker invented by a South African eco-entrepreneur, Sarah Collins, who came up with the idea six years’ ago, during a power cut, when she decided to keep her dinner cooking by surrounding

the pan with cushions.

Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nuruddeen Muhammed; Minister of Environment, Mrs. Lawrecia Mallam and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo.

Mohammed said the N9.2billion inclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) was approved for the procurement of 750,000 units of the clean cook stoves and

18,000 ‘wonder bags’.

He said the stoves are expected to be delivered by Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited within a period of 12 weeks.

He noted that the stoves, which will be assembled locally, will provide jobs to Nigerians, among other benefits.

The minister said, “The National Clean Cooking Scheme is an aggressive drive to engender clean cooking culture amongst the poor rural women; to reduce and possibly eliminate cooking with solid fossil, which

is detrimental to health.

“The scheme is expected to provide 20 million clean stoves over a five-year period, at the rate of four million stoves yearly, which will be distributed without charge.

“It will also reduce incessant felling of trees which exposes the country to ecological problems”.

The council also awarded a contract of N60.9 billion to an indigenous firm, KaKatar CE Limited, for the provision of engineering infrastructure for Kyami District, Zone C, Abuja.

Kidnapping: Police arrest Dangote’s impostor From Matthew Aramude, Lagos

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equel to the kidnapping of one Sa’adat Usman Bibire, a beauty pageant and daughter of the Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Political Matters, the Lagos Police operatives have arrested one Patrick Ifada, who with other members poised to be Alhaji Aliko Dangote on Facebook, defrauding people over brand ambassadorship.

A brief by the Lagos state Police Command in Ikeja yesterday had

it that the kidnappers who are students of Delta state University were able to kidnap the victim, Sa’adat, when they poised as Alhaji Aliko Dangote on Facebook and offered to make her Brand Ambassador of Dangote Noodles.

It was further gathered that the victim, thereafter, proceeded to Warri in Delta state from Lagos to meet the fake Aliko Dangote and was subsequently kidnapped, while the sum of 20 million ransom was immediately demanded from her father. The father was directed to transfer the ransom to a bank account in Malaysia.

A Police source who spoke on the police effort to arrest the perpetrators, said the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, CP Aderanti Kayode, having received the information, directed the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), led by SP Abba Kyari to launch a massive hunt and track the whereabouts of the victim and the kidnappers. In the process of investigation, some frequent callers on the victim’s phone number were tracked and credible information was extracted to help trace the criminals.

It was, however, gathered that

immediately, two decoy teams were deployed to Warri where the team’s seven days’ meticulous follow-up led to the victim’s rescue in a house on the outskirt of Uzoro town, in Isoko-South local government area of Delta state, while one Patrick Ifada, who was keeping watch on the victim was arrested.

The commissioner of Police Lagos, Kayode Aderanti, while speaking on the unpleasant incident thanked the GSM network providers for adequate support given to the police during the investigation.

was by members of the party.

The state government, in a letter signed by Alhaji B. S Abdulsalam, the Senior Special Assistant Security Intelligence to the Executive Governor, said that the state government identified some PDP stalwarts in Kaiama as the brains behind the unfortunate incidents.

However, the State Chairman of PDP, Chief Iyiola Akogun said, “I want to tell you that the attack was not from members of PDP. I have always been of the view that when people continue to deceive the electorate, the pay day is always around the corner and so the people may be reacting to years of neglect by the state government.

“They are not PDP thugs.

Why should the governor decide to flag off road construction when election is just around the corner?

“The government and APC should look inwards among themselves for the blame. They should not be looking for scapegoat for what they have done wrong.”

Science and technology panacea for Nigeria’s development - Minister

By Chris Alu

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he Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Abdu Bulama, has said that no country could develop without first embracing science and technology as the modern tools ruling the world.

The minister stated this in a meeting of heads of information departments of the agencies under the ministry, which held yesterday in the ministry’s auditorium in Abuja.

According to a press statement from the minister’s spokesman, Mr Hassan Gimba Ahmed, the minister further stressed that the world is governed by science and technology.

“Science and technology has become a global culture. It rules our lives 24 hours a day; any country that fails to appreciate it will not develop”, he said.

The minister, who lauded the gains of President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda, said science and technology has been the bedrock of the agenda.

Earlier in an address to the heads of media units of the agencies, the permanent secretary, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, said the purpose of the meeting was to create synergy between the various agencies and the mother-ministry and to ensure that related issues are handled collaboratively between them.

Mrs Oyo-Ita then called on the media heads to do as much as possible to let the world know the achievements of the ministry towards the transformation agenda.

PAGE 6

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

News

Emergency rule extension: ACF urges NASS to reject request

From Femi Oyelola & Mohammed Ibrahim, Kaduna

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he northern Socio-cultural Forum, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has call on the National Assembly to reject President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to extend the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, saying the previous extension of state of emergency have proved to be a total failure and that the situation is made worse by every extension.

The Forum stated this in a communiqué, issued after the Rapid Response Committee of the forum held in Kaduna, yesterday.

“ACF deplored the deteriorating security situation in the country

and the inability of the government to provide minimal security to the citizenry. Only the morning of November 25, 2014, suicide bombers attacked a popular Maiduguri market, killing about 30 people and injuring scores of others.

“All these call into question the Federal Government’s capacity, willingness and sincerity in prosecuting the insurgency war and bringing it to a speedy end.

It appears that Nigerians are being pushed to the wall to defend themselves in desperation,” the statement read.

The communiqué, signed by the Secretary-General of the Forum, Col. John Uba (Rtd) further stated that, as an umbrella body for the North, it feels highly disgusted

and embarrassed to note that Northerners actively serving in the Federal Government in very high positions not only remain passive but are collaborating in the mis-governance, ineptitude, financial recklessness and mindless corruption in the country.

Speaking on the recent fracas at the National Assembly, the ACF said “the ugly situation illustrates the extent to which our democratic institutions are being compromised and abused by the political leadership, in pursuit of narrow personal ambitions”.

The ACF called on the federal government to allow the Police and other agencies of State to operate within the parameters of the Constitution, adding that

“no meaningful progress can be achieved unless we allow our institutions of State to grow and perform their functions without undue interference”.

With regards to the forthcoming general elections, the Forum resolved that elections must hold under all circumstances and in every part of the country.

“All pending cases in court relating to President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to contest in the presidential election must be concluded before December 18, 2014, being the deadline for submission of names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

This is extremely important for the survival of democracy in Nigeria,” the statement concluded.

Horsemen displaying at the Durbar event of Abuja National Carnival, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

Northern leaders urged to emulate AlMustapha’s peace initiative

By Usman Shu’aibu

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he leadership of Patriotic Peoples Network Association, based in Kano state, has called on the Northern leaders to, as a matter of urgency, emulate the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the Late Military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza AlMustapha’s peace initiative, in order to bring an end to the insurgency in the north.

The national Co-ordinator of the association, Mr. Izuchukwu Luke Udogu, who made this call during the world press conference on the state of the nation yesterday, in Abuja, also appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to integrate Al-Mustapha to his security team, to enable him to contribute his wealth of experiences to the security challenges facing the country.

Also, during the press conference, the association had adopted the President Goodluck Jonathan for the second-term based on his transformation agenda.

On his part, the national secretary of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr. Ali Woli, has called on the legislature and executive to work together in the interest of Nigerians.

IBBU Lapai gets new VC From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

We banned street begging for security reasons - Kwankwaso From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

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Presidential aspirant under the umbrella of the major opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), and a Kano state Governor, Engineer Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has reiterated the need for banning the act of street begging by his administration in order to ensure adequate security of lives of the people of the state.

Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was in Gusau, Zamfara state capital to meet

with delegates of the APC on Monday, said, the level of crime and other social vices has been minimized to the barest following the ban of street begging across the cities in the state, which was already signed into law; the situation, he said, has improved the legitimate commercial activities in the 44 local governments of the state.

He further contended that, the federal government has woefully failed to maintain the full control of security, the situation which compelled the state governments to engage into timely

measures against the spread of nasty activities especially embarked upon by the dreaded insurgents.

According to him, there were fears for unpatriotic citizens, who were always in filthy crusades against the development of the country, to embark upon recruitment exercise of the teeming beggars into the dangerous groups of insurgents.

He challenged that the failure for the government at the centre to discharge its primary duty pertaining security matters has clearly exposed the inability

of President Goodluck Jonathan to drive the country towards the expected destination after 2015 general elections.

“It is now very clear that the security operatives have been starved of the needed fighting equipment, to the extent that they could not face the activities of the insurgents.

They were virtually disturbed with the dearth of sophisticated firearms, the situation which forced them to wait for local hunters to recover some towns from the insurgents” Kwankwaso challenged.

Police sets to check influx of migrants in Niger From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

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iger state government has said it will ensure a proper identification and census of the influx of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the north-eastern part of Nigeria into the state, to curb any security threat..

Briefing newsmen behalf

of the security agencies on the high points after a State Security Council meeting in government house yesterday in Minna the Niger State Commissioner of Police Mr. Olushola Amore noted that the state will partner with other neighbouring states in the zone to map out the strategy.

According to the CP “We have viewed with great concern the

increasing activities of cattle rustlers in the state, particularly in Munya and Sarkin Pawa axis, we are collaborating with members of these communities to mount surveillance to check the menace.

“We resolved that Local Governments and Emirate Councils will properly strategise on the influx of IDPs coming into their domains from the north-eastern

part of the country as a result of the security challenges; and proper identification and census of such people must be carried out.

“We have also deliberated extensively on how to map out strategy to comb and repel the presence of unidentified armed groups within the forest zone that transverse Niger, Kaduna and Kebbi states.

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he Niger state governor Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has approved the appointment of Professor Muhammad Nasiruddeen Maiturare as the new Vice-Chancellor of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) Lapai.

The appointment, with takes effect from January 1, 2015, followed the expiration of the tenure of the pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ibrahim Kolo by December 31, 2014 this year.

Maiturare, a Professor of Business Administration, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, was recommended by the University’s Governing Council amongst the three best selected.

Presenting his letter of appointment on behalf of Governor Aliyu, at the state ministry of tertiary education, Professor Muhammad Kuta Yahaya, who is overseeing the ministry, assured on giving all the necessary support to the new VC and the University for the success of the University that has been rated top in Nigeria.

Kuta explained that the process of selection was through the laiddown laws establishing the University, adding that until his appointment he has been a member of the Governing Council of IBBU Lapai from 2009 to date.

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

News

Man jailed for obstructing Police from arresting wife

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26-year-old mechanic, Mohammed Isah, was on Wednesday sentenced to two months in prison by an Upper Area Court sitting in Gwagwalada, FCT, for obstructing arrest of his wife.

The judge, Alhaji Alhassan Kusherki, however, gave him an option to pay N 10, 000 as fine.

“The court convicts you, Mohammed Isah, of the offence of obstruction which is contrary to Section 148 of the Penal Code and punishable under same section which you said is true.

“You are hereby given the option to pay a fine of N 10,000 or spend two months in prison in default of payment.

“This punishment would serve as a deterrent to others and for the convict to be a good citizen,’’ he said.

The prosecutor, Insp. Martha Paul, had earlier told the court that, on November 13, the convict obstructed one, Cpl. AdajiOminka and one other policeman, attached to Gwagwalada Police Station from arresting the wife.

Paul said the convict’s wife, Bilkisu Mohammed, was involved in a case of causing hurt and the policemen were at his house in Angwan Dodo to arrest her, when he prevented them from doing so.

She said the offence contravened Section 148 of the Penal Code.

The convict pleaded guilty to the offence. (NAN)

PAGE 7

Katsina Customs burn N348m worth of illicit drugs From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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atsina state Customs Command has burnt N348 millions of illicit drugs smuggled into the country through the land borders of the state.

The Comptroller-in- charge of Katsina- Kaduna Command, Alhaji Muhammad Sharu Ndako, who supervised the destruction of the drugs, warned that bringing

drugs through the land borders is illegal.

Ndako noted that the drugs burnt include 3, 447 cartons, 4,161 Rolls, 2,158 packets, 1,232 bottles and sachets of assorted illicit drugs. He added that most of the drugs burnt include Panadol cough syrup and Mixagrip, lamenting the health hazards they could have posed had they found their ways into the markets.

The Comptroller similarly dis-

closed that last year the Command destroyed N227.5 million worth of such drugs, lamenting the audacity of perpetrators of the illegal act.

He therefore assured that his Command would not relent in its effort in riding the society of these illegal businesses. In a remark, Katsina state governor, Ibrahim Shema commended the Command, in its efforts aimed at checking the activities of drug smugglers, whose activities he said is posing serious threat to younger

generations and the economy.

Similarly, the representatives of the Emir of Katsina, Sa’ in Katsina, Alhaji Ahmadu Na Funtua assured of the support of tradition institutions in the state in fighting the menace of illicit drugs. In a remark, Governor Shema of Katsina State commended the command in its efforts aimed at checking the activities of drug smugglers whose activities he said is posing serious threat to younger generations and the economy.

Police in Lagos arrest six-member robbery gang Man docked over kidnap of neighbour’s daughter he Federal Special Anti-

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Robbery Squad in Lagos, on Monday, arrested six suspected members of an armed robbery gang, which specialised in stealing exotic cars.

The Force Police Public Relations Officer paraded the suspects, and some exhibits recovered from them before newsmen in Lagos.

The police spokesman alleged that the gang specialised in stealing exotic cars from different parts of the country and disposing of same in neighbouring countries.

According to him, items recovered from the suspects include 17 different exotic cars, two locally made single-barrel pistols and assorted ammunition.

The spokesman said that operatives, led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike, arrested the suspects in Ekiti, Abuja and Lagos.

“The confession of the suspect in Lagos led to the arrest of a 28-year-old man, who claimed to be a political thug in Ekiti.

“They are involved in robbery and politics. They will soon be charged to court,’’ Mba said.

(NAN)

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32-year old bus conductor, Sunday Thomas, has been arraigned before a Lagos chief magistrate’s court, sitting at EbuteMeta for allegedly kidnapping his neighbour’s four-year-old daughter.

The bus conductor and others, now at large, were said to have conspired to abduct his neighbour’s daughter, Favour Anani.

The defendant, arraigned before Magistrate A. Demi-Ajayi, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnap, preferred against him by the

Police.

Thomas, an Ibibio from Akwa Ibom state, was alleged to have committed the offence May 26 at about 4 a.m., at their residence, 8, Yahaya Street, Shasha, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Etim Nkankuk, told the court that the mother of the girl, Joy Anani, a Togolese, had informed the Police that she suspected the defendant because he had been telling her that he liked the girl and that one

day he would take her away.

He said she had also informed the Police that on the day that her daughter got missing, the defendant came home with his friend, named Daniel, who gave the missing girl, alongside other children in the house N20 to buy biscuits, only to wake up at about the time of the incident to discover that the window net had been cut while the little girl could not be traced.

Nkankuk further added that she later reported the matter at a police station in the area, which resulted in

the arrest of the defendant while his friend, Daniel, could not be found.

According to the prosecutor, the offences are punishable under Sections 231 and 275 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2011.

The conductor, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Magistrate Demi-Ajayi admitted him to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two responsible sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the matter till August 4 for mention.

Police arrest suspects with 14 guns,156 bundles of clothes in Kwara From Olanrewaju

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he Kwara state Police Command yesterday paraded nine suspected armed robbers with 14 guns,156 bundle of clothes and eleven live cartridges recovered from the suspects.

Among the suspects paraded by the Command were five suspected cultists, who were arrested at their hide-out, Elekoyangan, a village near Kwara state Polytechnic, with guns and other dangerous weapons.

While speaking with journalists, the Commissioner of Police, Mr.

Garba Saliu, who was represented by Police Public Relation Officer(PPRO), ASP Ajayi Okasanmi, said the arrest of the suspects was part of promise made by the Command to the people of the state to ensure that the state was free of criminals.

He said the suspects were arrested at different locations within the state and would be charge to court for proper prosecution.

The Police boss disclosed that one of the suspect, one Akinola Obafemi, who was charged with shop breaking and theft, was arrested along Elekoyanga area, Ilorin, by the Police, acting

on intelligence on November 18.

“He was arrested in a Mercedes Benz car and on searching the vehicle, 135 new bundles of Akanra,8 new bundles of Guinea brocade,9 new bundles of lace materials, two new bundles of Kampala and two bundles of new Galila were found in the car.

“On investigation, it was discovered that the items were stolen from a burgled shop belonging to one Omolara Salami, located at Oke-Oyi area of Ilorin, earlier on the same day.”

The Command CP, who reiterated his commitment to fight criminals in the state, disclosed two suspects: Luk-

man Ibrahim and Ganiyu Saka, who were arrested for alleged vandalising an Etisalat mast, at Duma village, along Shao-Kanbi Express Road, have been charged with criminal conspiracy and theft and would soon be charged to court.

He added that one of the cultists arrested was a student of Kwara state Polytechnic stressing that at the end of the investigation, they would be prosecuted at the competent court of law.

The suspected cultists are: Adepoju Adetayo, Yusuf Mudashiru, Adeoye Abiodun, Suleiman Afeez and Jimoh Bashir.

PAGE 8

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

News

Emir of Bauchi partners NHIS on coverage

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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he Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, has pledged to partner and support the National Insurance Scheme (NHIS) extend health insurance cover to more people, in order to relieve families in his domain of huge medical bills.

He made the pledge in his

palace while receiving the Bauchi State Coordinator of the Scheme, Sani Garba Affa, who led staff of the State office on an advocacy/ sensitization visit to the palace.

The Emir promised to mobilize his district heads and educate them on the inherent benefits of the Scheme’s programmes particularly the Community Based Social Health Insurance Programme

(CBSHIP).

He thanked the state office of the Scheme for scaling-up publicity, saying that would create better understanding of its programmes.

Earlier, while briefing the Emir on the successes recorded in the state, the state coordinator said 54, 467 federal civil servants in the state are enjoying the Formal

Sector Social Health Insurance Programme through 44 facilities, noting that efforts were on to revive the State Formal Sector Programme for the State civil servants.

He noted that 30,055 students from eight tertiary institutions in the state were covered under the Tertiary Social Health Insurance programme (TISHIP)

L-R: Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Adeola Akande, Author of the book, Hajiya Amina Salihu, and her husband, Malam Salihu Lukman, during the official launch of Hajiya Amina’s book, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

National identity card facilities get global certification

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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he National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said its facilities got certified under the Global Vendors Certification Programme (GVCP)

by MasterCard.

The Commission in a statement issued yesterday by its Director Corporate Communication, Okwudiafor Anthony, said “the facility that has been certified recently is the Card Personalization

Bureau which is where the National e-ID Cards are personalized and made ready for distribution and subsequent activation. This is one of the few such government-owned facilities certified under the GVCP Scheme of the MasterCard on the African continent.

“The certification followed conscious effort by the Management of the NIMC that led to the refitting, retooling and upgrading of the card

Stop Umar’s probe, face governance – Group urges Taraba Ag. Gov From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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socio-political group, Taraba Peoples Assembly (TPA), has urged the new acting governor of the state, Alhaji Sani Abubakar Danladi to face issues of governance rather than probing his predecessor, Alhaji Garba Umar.

The new acting governor had on Monday set up a thirteen-man panel to probe Umar, who was sacked on Friday by the Supreme Court.

The group’s Coordinator, Martin Andekin, in a statement on Tuesday described the attempt to probe Umar’s administration as clannish and parochial, tainted with undisguised selfish political fanaticism.

The group warned the new acting governor against been used by political desperado’s in the state.

“Our concern is for peace and development of our state, Umar has tried his best in the last two years, he has embarked on a lot of projects that has changed the face of Taraba state, a probe will be another waste of time and public funds.”

The group said the main reason behind the fathom probe is to humiliate and embarrass Umar ahead of the PDP primaries.

“The Suntai cabal is losing sleep over Umar’s popularity and credibility; his ability to win the next primary and his capacity to emerge victorious at the general election.

printing facility that was built by government under the previous scheme in compliance with some of the requirements and standards for security and operational procedure in the Plastic Card Industry as set by the EMV, PCI DSS globally for such High Security Areas (HSAs)”.

The statement noted that the ISO 27001: 2005 certification was also part of efforts at ensuring the GVCP, PCI DSS certification, saying that the coast was clear

for the NIMC to deploy its full capacity for card personalization and also for extending it to the third party vendors it has contracted for that purpose.

He said that the measures taken included providing the required security monitoring appliances for the ‘High Security Areas (HSAs) as well as ensuring that the entire area was made safe and secured from threats of physical and logical security”, he stated.

Gov Ahmed flags-off N7.9b Kaima road project From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

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he Kwara state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has flagged-off the reconstruction of federal government owned 64km KaiamaKishi road, worth N7.9billion.

Governor Ahmed while speaking at the flag-off ceremony on Tuesday at Kaiama, Kwara North senatorial district, said the reconstruction of the road which link the state with Oyo state was aimed at enhancing socio- economic development of the people of the area.

The governor, who said his administration would soon flagoff construction of Ilesha-Baruba-

Gwanara road in Baruten local government area of the state, added that Maigida - Arobadi road in Moro local government area, Mission Road, Lafiagi, in Edu local government area and the bye-pass from Asa Dam road to Egbejila and Airport in Ilorin West local government area would also be done next year.

The governor lamented that the federal government was yet to refund over N4billion expended on Ilesha-Baruba- Chikanda road constructed five years ago.

He said:” the rehabilitation of this road will also eliminate the hardship experienced by motorists and commuters on this route”.

and thousands of pregnant women and children under five were given health care under the NHIS-MDGs/MCH programme, in six LGAs of Bauchi, Gamawa, Katagum, Misau, Ningi and Toro.

Affa also mentioned that the Public Primary Pupils Social Health Insurance Programme (PPPSHIP) will be introduced, in collaboration with the State Government through the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

He said communities of Andiwa Mutual Health Association in Katagum Zone, Yuguda Community in Bauchi LGA and Salama Women Development Initiative in Toro LGA have indicated interest in joining the CBSHIP of the Scheme.

He promised to collaborate with the Emirate and other stakeholders, in order to scaleup enrollment, with a view to achieving the Universal Health Coverage mandate of the Scheme in the state.

NASS fracas: Sam Nda-Isaiah condemns blockade, calls for reform of Nigerian Police

By Rachael Maza

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Presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and founder of LEADERSHIP newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda- Isaiah has condemned the recent blockade of the National Assembly by the Police.

Mr. Nda-Isaiah said the Police who are officers of the Law should be at the forefront of upholding the law and not to allow themselves to be used by politicians no matter how highly placed, to serve their Political interests.

The aspirant also called for the reform of the Nigerian Police force so as to ensure that the top leadership of the force is not beholden to the executive, judiciary or the legislative arm of government.

That, he said, is the only way they can be truly impartial and do their jobs to the letter of the Law. The Police he said should uphold the Law and not uphold Politicians.

Mr. Nda-Isaiah said he wondered why duly elected members of the National Assembly would be denied entry into their places of work to do their constitutionally assigned responsibilities to the people of Nigeria. He went ahead to say that this is not how we should nurture the democracy that was fought by so many people, some of whom lost their lives in the process.

He further said the issue of the Speakership of the House of Representatives was an issue that was easily determined either by members of the House of Representatives at their plenary or by a competent court of law.

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

PAGE 9

News

Fashola slams FG over poor funding of security agencies From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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agos state governor, Babatunde Fashola yesterday lamented that the Federal Government had failed in its responsibilities to adequately fund the law enforcement officers in the country, despite receiving 52 percent of the monthly federal allocation, Fashola, while speaking during the commissioning of the Area “C” Police Command named after Ex-Commissioner of Police, Late Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu, in Ojuelegba, asked the federal government to explain how the 52 percent of the monthly federal allocation is been spent, “where is the 52 percent collected by the central government monthly,” Fashola asked.

The governor also pointed out possible incident of collapse building in police barracks in the state, especially the Ojuelegba Police quarters saying “the occupants of the building need to be evacuated immediately.”

He noted that the structures in the Ojuelegba Police barrack were built by the colonial masters before the country’s independence in 1960.

“But years after, those who gave us the former buildings have slowly redeveloped their building to suit the current standard in their own country. It was their best at that time. Over 50 years after, we are yet to move a step further from where they left us.

“I believe that our law enforcement deserve more than what we have given them. It is

alarming that in a country that produce oil, have 170 million population, human and natural resources, I think that the central government needed to give more to the law enforcement officers in the country, if we are serious to protect the country’s democracy and developing business. It is only in a secured environment that investors will settle and drive.

“If we had continued to wait for the federal government, the burnt Area C Command would have still been standing 8 years ago it was burnt by protesters”, he emphasized. “And that was why we set out to show that the central government had left several things undone.

And this building showed what our government aim to do; to

progress, rebuild and redevelop.

This building represent the police command that I wish to have in Nigeria especially Lagos state.”

Speaking on the new edifice, Inspector-General of Police, Sulaiman Abba, represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Mamman Tsafe said that about a week ago, he saw the police barrack and the new police command and effort would be made to address the issue.

He however urged “police in the state, especially the command to use the facilities provided by the state government effectively because the structure was reconstructed to enhance security of life and property. The government has done this because it recognized your importance in the state.”

Varsity faults exclusion in TETFUND benefits

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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L-R: Minister of State Agriculture, Hajiya Asma’u Ahmed, Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Governor Al Makura applauds LGA’s on grassroots empowerment From Gambo Ahmed, Lafia

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overnor Tanko Al makura of Nasarawa state has applauded the role of local governments in reaching out to the people of the grassroots; saying that his administration in the state recognizes local government to a large extent, operating with autonomy.

Al makura, who stated this while declaring open the 6th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) held in Lafia on Tuesday, said his administration has ensured that local government administration are given the free hand to promote the desired leadership to their areas in accordance with needs

and aspirations of the people.

He stated that the APC administration in the state is driven by a policy thrust that is anchored on the principles of transparency, accountability, probity, inclusiveness, fairness and prudent deployment of resources in the management of local government system.

His words: “It is our conviction that it is only by so doing that we can restore hope to the hopeless and lend voice to the voiceless with a view to according all Nigerians equal opportunity to participate in governance”.

Al makura further implored the leadership of NULGE to discharge their responsibilities with utmost care, patriotism and due diligence, saying that this is the only way that local government administration

can benefit the common man and enhance our practice of democracy especially at the grass root level.

In his keynote address, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel Abdulkadir, said that the major essential duty of the national delegate conference, which is the highest decision making organ of the union, is to take stock of the activities of elected union representatives as well as across the performance of the union and identify challenges, in order to approve policies that further galvanize the union into a more vibrant and purposeful organization.

The theme of this year’s NULGE conference is: “Local Government Autonomy”

uthorities of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo state, has described the non – inclusion of private Universities among the list of beneficiaries of the Tertiary Institution Funds (TETFUND) in the Country as ‘miscarriage of justice’.

Vice-Chancellor of the School, Professor Eghosa Osaghae made the declaration at a media briefing to 12thConvocation Ceremony, which began on Tuesday.

Osaghae urged the federal government reverse its hard-line posture on the issue.

“As a private University, we recognise that we have a role to play in reconstructing the present and the future of our Country. We are now committed to build.

“There must be publicprivate-partnership, to address infrastructural challenges in the school, arising from power and water as well as security issues, which are national issues.

A total of 773 students are scheduled to graduate during the ceremony, out of which 24 students are to bag 1st Class honours Degrees.

Ambassador Martins Ihaoghian Uhomoibhi, immediate past Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed are among Nigerians who would be conferred honorary Doctorate Degrees of the Ivory Tower, for their meritorious services to mankind.

National Task Force to recruit 5 million Nigerians, says DG

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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irector-General National Task Force, Dr. Emmanuel Okereke has disclosed that over 5 million Nigerians will be recruited into the force within the next 3 years.

This even as he assured of transparency in the exercise while warning the recruits not to indulge in any corrupt act by giving bribe to facilitate their employment.

The DG, who disclosed this yesterday while inaugurating the over 800 cadet camping held at the Immaculate Heart College of Education, Dagba, Makurdi charged the cadets to be in the vanguard against smuggling of illicit goods, arms and ammunitions when they are finally absorbed into the force.

He explained that the mandate of the paramilitary organization is to combat illegal importation of illicit goods in addition to monitoring of pipelines.

He, therefore, advised them to be prepared to join forces with other security agencies to sustain the fight against the unwholesome practices which have affected the socio-economic development of the country when they are recruited.

The state director of the Force, Mr. Ali Agbane commended the cadets for their display of maturity and good conduct.

Katsina: Minister berates contractors handling projects at varsity From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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inister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau has berated the contractors handling the various projects at the permanent site of the Federal University, Dutsinma for failing to complete works on time.

Speaking after an assessment tour of the university yesterday, Shekarau said, going by specifications the projects ought to have been completed last years.

According to him, the ministry is to meet with the contractors and try to address the problem so as to ensure that the fast tracking of the projects.

In his remarks, vice chancellor FUDMA Prof James Ayatse said the slow pace of work is greatly militating educational pursuit at the university.

He said inadequate funding is also affecting getting more quality staff and urged the minister to intervene in this regards.

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

News

PAGE 10

Gov Shema urges peace, selfless service among leaders

L-R: Head, Media Relations, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Barrister Bamidele Salam, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, and Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Malam Nasir Zah’radeen, during the reception in honour of Barrister Bamidele on the occasion of his call to Bar, on Monday in Abuja.

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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overnor Ibrahim Shehu Shema, of Katsina state, has stressed that he has never plotted against harming anyone in the state.

The governor stated this yesterday, while handing over multimillion naira vehicles purchased for the Hisbah group in the state.

“God knows, I harbour no ill feeling against anyone. I have never for once plotted against harming anyone. I’ m a man of peace and i’ m always preaching peace’ he added.

Shema, therefore, said a leader must at all times be ready to provide selfless service to the community, adding that whatever he is doing he is doing it with the fear of God. He promised to continue supporting any cause that would promote the religion of Islam in the state, pledging to build a befitting office to the Hisbah group in Katsina state.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the governor on Community Development, Yusuf Bindawa noted that the governor has built and renovated over 23, 880 mosques and Islamiyya schools across the state.

Similarly, Bindawa added that the governor had at several times provided operational vehicles for various Islamic groups in the state as well as sponsoring their activities.

Al-Makura approves new pay for corps members

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overnor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa on Monday approved an upward review of the allowances of National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members posted to the state.

Al-Makura announced this at the end of a three-week orientation for Batch C corps members held at the Majaji Dan –Yamusa, NYSC, orientation camp in Keffi.

In an address to the 1,782 corps members, Mr. Al-Makura said the allowance would be increased from N2, 000 to N5, 000 because of current economic situation in the country.

The governor urged the corps members to use the lessons gained during the orientation period to improve themselves, their host communities and the country at large.

The governor also urged the corps members to contribute to the state government’s effort at peace building.

He called on them to relate freely with members of their host communities and participate in the peace process initiated by the state government.

“The government strongly rejects out rightly the mischievous call for a state of emergency as being not only political but also unpatriotic”.

He gave the assurance that all necessary machineries had been put in place to ensure the security of both the corps members and all law-abiding citizens of the state. (NAN)

Photo: Justin ImoOwo

NASS fracas, Jonathan’s plot to abort 2015 elections - Dawakin-Tofa From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

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ano state gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Engr.

Mu’azu Magaji Dawakin-Tofa, has averred that the onslaught on the national assembly by the Police is another plot to instigate political crises in the country in order to abort the forthcoming elections in 2015 by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Dawakin-Tofa, lamented that the development, which was trailed by nationwide uproar, has given a bad name to Nigeria in the committee of nations.

According to him, the action was intended to be used as alibi for the abortion of the upcoming 2015 general elections due to the much anticipated failure of President Goodluck to win the polls.

“I have earlier warned that we are fast moving into anarchy

in this country, as President Jonathan’s growing acts of impunity in the build up to 2015 elections are unfolding clearly to everyone’s glare. The PDP wants to ensure that elections are not conducted at all cost because of the growing national consensus that the party will be on the losing end come 2015.” Dawakin-Tofa said.

Speaking to journalists in Kano on Tuesday, Dawakin-Tofa, described the action as gang-rape

of the nation’s fledgling democracy by the trio of the Presidency, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigeria Police.

The gubernatorial hopeful advised members of the National Assembly to stay steadfast in defending the nation’s democratic independence, suggesting that, where necessary, they use their constitutional power to serve the President a deterrence being one who has been long overdue for impeachment.

Boko Haram: North-east victims get N25m relief items

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

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ama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Waikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), in partnership with Manara Directorate, yesterday distributed relief materials worth N25 million to the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the north east region.

The relief items, which were loaded in eight trailers, included

bags of rice, gallons of cooking oil, bags of beans, bags of sugar, soap, among others, were they donated to the victims, with support from the Ja’iz Bank Plc. Speaking during the official hand over of the relief items to the victims in Abuja, the Chairman of the JIBWIS, Abdullahi Bala Lau, said among the eight trucks loads of the relief materials, three were for Borno, two for Yobe, while the remaining three are for Gombe,

Adamawa and Taraba states.

He said the eight trailer loads of the items, which would be driven down to the respective states, was part of their efforts to cushion the sufferings of the victims.

Abdullahi added that in Islam, there is no discrimination, saying that JIBWIS aims at assisting both the Muslims, Christians and pagan, who are affected by the insurgency.

He, therefore, called for more efforts in prayers to enable the country come out of the insurgency, and for the leaders to be well guided in taking the right decision.

Speaking also, the Director General, Manara Directorate of “Insurgency Victims Support Project”, Ibrahim Dabo Bujawa, said the items would be distributed to the victims of insurgency irrespective of religion.

Nigeria is on the brink Arewa group warns

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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rewa Research & Development Project (ARDP),has said Nigeria is on the brinks and the federal government under the stewardship of President Goodluck Jonathan is undoubtedly incapable of halting the drift into anarchy but seems to be assisting in pushing the country in the direction it is going.

The group stated this in a press statement, signed by the Secretary of the group, Professor Abdullahi Ashafa and made available to the media in Kaduna

yesterday.

According to the group, recent happenings in the polity should be frightening to any sensible person and the ARDP, as a concerned stakeholder in the Nigeria project is alarmed at the way things are unfolding in the run-up to the 2015 general elections.

“The level of insecurity in the country today has no parallel, if truth be told.

‘Insurgents’ are having a field day, running roughshod on citizens and taking over towns and villages in the northeast with the security operatives looking on hopelessly and the Commander-in-Chief wringing

his hands while his lieutenants hurl insults on anyone who dares complain.

“On the other hand, ‘counter-insurgency’ has become a lucrative business.

Today we have several local governments under the control of Boko Haram with no discernable effort from the government to retake control of these local governments from the insurgents. This leads to the creation of refugees in and out of the country, running into millions.

“The challenges are unprecedented, so also the incompetence and complicity of our leaders.

The federal

government, under Jonathan, has not only failed the country but has itself become the greatest danger to the country at this critical moment in our life as a country.

“The ARDP is greatly concerned that our inept leadership appears to be oblivious of these dangers and may unwittingly throw the country into greater crisis, God forbid.

The ARDP therefore, urged Nigerians, especially the people of the north to be on their guide at this time when the president is bent on dragging the nation into anarchy and protect themselves”, the statement concluded.

Money Sense

Page 11

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Success will never come to entrepreneurs who do these 10 things

By Jonathan Long

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hether we are talking about a football game, an election or an entrepreneurial journey, one thing is certain, there are going to be winners and there are going to be losers.

Want to stack the odds of being a successful entrepreneur in your favour? You can start by taking note of the following 10 things that you should never do.

1. Be jealous or envious Seeing other people around you succeed should motivate you, even if they are your competitors.

You should understand that every single person has the ability to become successful, and wasting time focusing on other people’s success or achievements will just sidetrack your own progress.

2.

Look back You are going to face hard times, difficult decisions and possibly even failure at some point. Don’t let small bumps in the road stop your forward progress. Find ways to maneuver around obstacles and continue to push forward, never looking back.

3.

Make excuses If you make a bad decision and screw up, own it. If something doesn’t work out as planned, don’t look for excuses. Search for the cause of the problem and chalk it up to a valuable business lesson. If you identify and own the problem you will not make the same mistake again. If you are constantly making excuses for your mistakes, you will continue to make them because you haven’t properly

identified the root of the problem.

4.

Stop learning Your age, years of experience or level of success should never prevent you from learning. There isn’t a single person on this planet who knows everything. We can all continue to learn and be inspired from other entrepreneurs, whether they are billionaire household names or those just starting his or her entrepreneurial journey.

5.

Associate with negative individuals People who constantly make excuses, complain and have a negative outlook should be avoided like the plague. We all know people like this. No matter what you say or what the situation is, they always chime in with negativity. People like this are a cancer and their negative aura can rub off on you. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals that are as focused and determined as you are.

6. Wake up without a plan Time management is a crucial part of being an entrepreneur.

There are only so many hours in a day, so to be efficient you need to know what your goals are and what tasks you need to get done prior to starting your day. If you are scrambling to create a plan of attack every day you are going to be in trouble.

End each day by mapping out the following day’s to-do list.

7. Be scared to make changes and adapt You need to be willing and able to adjust your plan and overall strategy, because there is a very good chance that you will need

to adapt to maintain success in the future. Imagine if Apple never adapted and just stuck to making computers? After releasing the iPod it started manufacturing smartphones, tablets and now are releasing its first wearable technology, the Apple Watch. Once just a computer company, it is now a consumerelectronics powerhouse.

8. Let your bark be bigger than your bite Successful entrepreneurs don’t sit back and talk about what they are going to do.

They plan, follow through and conquer. Nothing is going to get accomplished just by talking about it, and nobody is going to be impressed with words alone.

9. Focus solely on currency signs and decimal points Instead of chasing the money, focus on creating products and services that make a difference and provide value. If you do this, the money will come. I would be lying if I said the goal of my company wasn’t to make money, but focusing on providing a great service paves

...and 7 things confident entrepreneurs never do Become a better leader

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f you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to bleed confidence. Starting something on your own takes tenacity, faith and determination to make it work. To have a business that makes it past the first 18 months, these qualities of poor leaders are certainly going to be on your list of things to avoid: 1. Second guess themselves and their employees True confidence comes from being able to trust your team and yourself. Make sure your hiring process is long enough to find and keep the right people, as this can make or break your company.

Many employers are now offering pre-cautions or hiring employees for an initial first project to make sure they are a good fit before hiring them full time.

Offering a fun and secure work environment with great benefits, profit sharing and new technology can let employees know you appreciate them while also helping them become more emotionally invested in the future of the company.

2. Compromise their priorities When you are building a

business, great employees are key, but many entrepreneurs get so tied up in making their business work that they forget about what else in their lives are important to them. Building a business is their main concern, but relationships with friends and family can slip through the cracks if they don’t make it a priority to schedule time for them.

3. Refuse to learn new skills The confident and successful entrepreneur has to adapt to their business’s current needs. While you may need a programmer or designer to make website changes, it may not be in the budget, or they might stick working on a different project.

Instances like this require the confident entrepreneur to put aside any trepidation at learning something new, such as coding or graphic design. Websites such as Skillshare, Lynda, CodeAcademy, UniversalClass and Treehouse (or local community colleges) can help entrepreneurs learn new skills

without a high monetary cost.

4. Focus on external validation It can be endlessly satisfying to hear positive feedback from the media or others about your company or products, but confident entrepreneurs and companies shouldn’t take it less (or more) seriously than negative feedback.

Focusing on internal goals and ideas is what built the company in the first place, so while external feedback is a great way to improve a product, it shouldn’t have the power to completely overhaul how you work or ruin your day. Too many business owners focus on what others are thinking and it ends up impeding their creative process, which in turn causes their products to suffer.

5. Worry about competitors There’s a difference between worrying about competitors and knowing what they are up to.

It’s smart to see what products and services are available in your current market, but just

like external validation, if you get caught up in trying to “keep up with the Joneses,” it doesn’t leave much room for actually outpacing your competition.

6.

Avoid networking and public speaking When it comes to finding out industry needs, it’s a cold, hard truth for introverts and other shy people that being able to communicate confidently and well is key to building a business.

For most entrepreneurs, having good networking and speaking skills are key, as others’ impressions of you will in turn influence how they feel about your product or company. If you aren’t good at networking or speaking, try joining Toastmasters or attending free events by your local chamber of commerce.

7.

Be ignorant of trends or current events There’s a quiet confidence that comes from staying up to date with the latest technology, national and international news and other trends that are popular

the path for the money to follow.

10. Let failure stop you Most statistics state that eight out of every 10 new businesses fail.

Successful entrepreneurs go into everything knowing that there is a chance of failure. If in fact they fail it is viewed as part of their growth and they keep plugging along.

James Dyson is a perfect example, as his first 5,126 prototypes were failures, but the 5,127th one worked and went on to become the top-selling vacuum in the U.S. He is now worth $4.5 billion because he never once let failure stop him.

Money Tip:

I

ngredients ready when you are. Saving money means prepaAring some meals at home. And while nothing is as delicious as fresh produce, it may be impractical to turn fresh tomatoes into sauce before they turn to mush.

Quote

There are people who have money and people who are rich – Coco Chanel in mainstream culture. Society has a huge effect on businesses, no matter the industry or niche, and knowing what’s popular now can help influence and improve products and businesses.

Whether you are networking in a room, filled with potential customers or working with your trusted employees on a new, innovative product, confident entrepreneurship means trusting in your brand, business and yourself.

PAGE 12

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

EDITORIAL

Almost a year on, what can we say? meal on the family dining table.

This is why we often hear of a sudden death from “ordinary headache”. People collapse and die on the road or at the workplace, not because they have been hit by a sudden illness but because they have been “managing” it for years.

room of the governor’s office in Minna while waiting to see him in connection with her unpaid disengagement entitlements.

A report has it that Bilkisu was an asthma patient and had a crisis in the governor’s office. She slumped there and was rushed to Minna General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Reacting to the 46-year-old woman’s death, Gov. Aliyu implied that she was negligent about her health.

“Doctors said she died of cardiac asthma, even though she had been receiving treatment for pulmonary asthma,” he said. “I am sure if she had gone to seek second opinion, another doctor would have found out that the drugs she was given were not the ones she should have been given”. If the governor must know, Bilkisu badly needed money for treatment, a fact that took her to his office in the first place.

It is lamentable that it had to As for public servants, the take the death of that middlemonthly salary is not sufficient aged woman for the government to pay children’s school fees, buy of Niger State to recognize its food and new clothes. Worse, the duty to its workers, including money does not come as at when ensuring they are in the best due. Many state governments are of health. Sometimes one in arrears with their workers’ person’s death can make many salaries. The case of retirees is corrections”. All the same, we even more pathetic; many have hope the “year of medical tests” not been paid their gratuities is not just a vote-catching slogan years after they left the service. with elections up in a year’s That was the story of Hajiya time.

Bilkisu Mahmoud, a former officer Almost a year on, what can of the Niger State Emergency we say is the health status of the Management Agency, who state’s public servants? Are they reportedly collapsed in the waiting healthier today?

Almost a year on, on what can we say is the health status of the state’s public servants?

Are they healthier today?

OUR MISSION “To be the market place of ideas and the leading player in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the truth, maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards while delivering value to our stakeholders”

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he Niger state government early this year issued an executive order for a “compulsory medical check-up” for the state’s public servants.

It said too many people have become nonchalant about their health. “Many of us, including myself, are lousy about our health and doing exercises”, the state governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, was quoted as saying. “I know many people don’t want to go for medical check-up because they do not want to know their status.If you ask people to do HIV test, they are so afraid. They prefer not to know. So maybe we will take this year as a year of (medical) test for every civil servant, no matter how much it will take us.

We must do it as a record and foundation to know who may need further medical attention and who may not.”

In our editorial comment on that decision, we noted that “A good initiative the Niger governor has taken, but he needs to know why many people “prefer not to know” their state of health. If we must tell him, it is because a good number of Nigerians, working or not, are too poor to afford a medical check-up which sometimes runs into thousands of Naira. This is not to talk of paying for treatment if a major, life threatening ailment is diagnosed. For this category of impoverished citizens, the immediate concern is putting a

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

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Ag. Editor, Daily

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Managing Editor

Lawal Sabo Ibrahim Acting Editor, Weekend Patrict Andrew

“To be a reputable, profitable, innovative and technologically reliant media company offering world class services and products”

Page 13

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Opinion

Why Sokoto PDP is in limbo

By Sahabi Garba

S

ince the return to democracy in 1999 political contests in Sokoto state have between those desiring to serve and those crafting for personal relevance in Abuja. PDP falls in the latter category. Indeed, the makeup of PDP in Sokoto shows a collection of folks that are far removed from the masses.

In 1999 the party rode on personality showmanship and greed that witnessed massive appropriation of means of mobilisation. That resulted in shameful defeat by progressives in the then All Progressive Party (APP) that later became All Nigerian Progressive Party (ANPP).

The emerging government of APP proved itself in execution of projects that impacted in modern trend. Younger generations were brought on board for governance of the state. The first tenure of that government was development focused in economic and social lives of the people. The masses of Sokoto State rallied in continuous support of the peoples-oriented government.

Obviously, PDP continually depleted in strength.

Expectedly, the top members

of the party pitched their tents in Abuja in chase of contracts and membership of boards of parastatals. However, things started to drift apart midway into the second term of Governor Attahiru Bafarawa’s government. The problem was a perceived rising profile of Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko who was deputy governor. There was increased plot to rubbish him out of that government to stop his emergence as successor to Governor Attahiru Bafarawa.

At the national level crisis rocked ANPP because of dictatorial tendencies of some members of the party. It culminated to split of ANPP. A group led by the former governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, broke away to form Democratic Peoples Party (DPP). Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko remained in the main stream ANPP. The heat of frustration by that government and the need to maintain peace convinced Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko to resign as deputy governor. He was presented as governorship candidate of ANPP and enjoyed mammoth support of the Sokoto progressives. The trail was certain of victory against the candidates of PDP and DPP towards the 2007

general elections. PDP aware of imminent decimation after eight years of irrelevance in Sokoto desperately entered into merger contrivance with ANPP with Alu as governorship candidate. The arrangement resulted in victory for PDP as the winning party in Sokoto and emergence of Governor Wamakko. The Abuja men returned to home base to demand greater relevance in spite of the fact that their presence created unnecessary litigations against overwhelming victory of Governor Wamakko.

In any case, Governor Wamakko continued the work of the progressives in massive development projects. Sokoto State as a whole has witnessed real economic transformation in the tenure of Governor Wamakko.

The crisis that rocked PDP last year necessitated a rethink about the continued dominance of the party in the national governance. The progressives in the party wanted some reform to reflect the mood of the nation in the 21st century, but the leadership of the party maintained a very consecutive stance that exhibited archaic philosophy. Governor Wamakko though at the receiving ends of that bad leadership calmly and patriotically employed every

reconciliatory arsenal to broker understanding in the national interest but hit stone wall. When all entreaties to amicably sustain the party through concrete reforms failed the progressive group decided to join All Progressive Congress (APC).

APC as a mega party has in its fold ANPP major stakeholders that still hold Governor Wamakko in high esteem.

Therefore, it is home coming for Governor Wamakko.

In accordance with APC arrangement Governor Wamakko became the leader of the party in Sokoto State.

His leadership position has ensured effective and efficient mobilisation of the masses to support the party. APC as a party of progressives is now formidable to win elections in various offices in Sokoto. It could not have fared better without the leadership of Governor Wamakko. The progressives are certain of a mass appeal governorship candidate that shall ensure their retention of Lodge Road, Sokoto.

On the contrary, PDP is now a confused pack of strange bed fellows. The defection of ex-governor of Sokoto State to the party compounds their woes. This is a man that

We are all Tambuwal

By Emmanuel Ugwu

he Nigerian police have taken a lot of flak for their botched attempt to persecute House Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

There has been a consensus of outrage about the abysmal hostility they exhibited in their siege of the National Assembly. Everyone, including the ruling PDP, has managed to contribute a critique that is both familiar and unique, but quite celebratory of possessed anger.

The spread of angst was caused by the real time transmission of that violation, with all the horrendous details.

Absent the transparency, the particulars of that vandalism would have suffered the doomed fate of controversy.

That incident would have been structurally Balkanized and reconstructed, in conjecture and fiction, and the kernel of its veracity would have gone extinct with conflicted telling and remembering.

So we participated as a live audience, articulated some rhubarb; clearly affirming the success of the Abuja theatre in emotionally engaging us all. But the excitation of our common

T

temper had less to do with our reading of the section of the constitution that pertains to cross carpeting dynamics.

Also, it had little bearing with love for the victim. Instead, our solidarity arose largely from narcissism.

Tambuwal’s persecution reflected our own vulnerability to police aggression. That instance of brutality projected the similitude of our common experience. It effectively tallied all the episodes of our routine police harassment and flung them onto a vast attentiongrabbing canvass. The police treated Speaker Tambuwal like us. Except that this turned into a scandal because we happened to have taken offence because the police dared to use the (yard)stick meant for us on Tambuwal, the number four citizen.

The policemen stationed at the gate were indifferent to Speaker Tambuwal. They did not answer him when he called out to them. When he introduced himself, they ignored him; just like they are wont to ignore the voice of nobodies. They tear-gassed Speaker Tambuwal the selfsame way they make responsible football fans choke each time

they have to access the stadium to watch the Super Eagles play.

The police lied that Tambuwal had tried to invade the National Assembly with a band of miscreants; the same way they casually hatch frame-ups and make scapegoats.

The police was persuaded that Tambuwal, by the virtue of his defection, had forfeited his number four position in the gratuitous citizen ranking. They believed that the switch had automatically relegated him to an unidentifiable commoner.

He had slumped to the pool of anonymous folk, those who are unworthy of courtesy because they have yet to earn the state’s elitist citizen number.

Obviously, the policemen who attacked him had a clear brief: to update the blissfully ignorant Tambuwal, in the most practical terms, that his entitlement to politeness and dignity had expired. It was some sort of baptism into the humdrum susceptibility of the low caste.

In a manner of speaking, the police were on a Red Cross charity-grade mission to give the butterfly who fancied himself a bird a beneficial reality check. Tambuwal missed sighting this barely concealed

good intention. It could well be that smelling teargas made him less discerning.

To tell the truth, Nigerian police gave Tambuwal the standard treatment. The only real surprise in this case is the strange alarm that overwhelmed us: we permitted ourselves the leisure of pretending that what the police did was alien to their character.

But we know better. Not many Nigerian with a modest faculty of recall can boast of having accumulated a preponderance of positive romance with the Nigerian police. If you venture to check, you will harvest an overwhelming population scarred by a police that they have now come to dread.

The average Nigerian policeman tends to be perennially angry and belligerent. It is often suggested that most of them labor under very poor job conditions. But that is no justification for taking out your frustration on your countrymen, many of who are in no better station in life.

The fact that the policeman and the average citizen are actively negotiating survival with the same harsh environment should transform into a bond of unity. The policeman who

intimidated them for eight years. The bossy nature of this group shall definitely spell doom for PDP. There are speculations of flaunt “original” PDP and joiners. There is also in-fighting as to which group will produce governorship candidate for 2015 elections.

The Abuja fronts are mobilising as usual for the spoilers’ game.

It is going to be interesting melodrama that shall ensure smooth contest for the progressive APC to continue provision of dividends of democracy.

The greatest problem of the Sokoto PDP which has deprived it of cohesion and unity is greed and personal ambition of members. This has become its greatest undoing over years and would continue to haunt them. Sokoto State masses are wiser to vote the party of the people, especially the grassroots. Moreover, it is becoming clearer that Governor Wamakko is in full control of Sokoto politics that PDP merely benefitted from his winning charisma. He had consistently won 100% victory for PDP in Sokoto.

Garba resides at 301 Abdullahi Fodiyo Road, Sokoto

discovers that the condition under which he is compelled to function prohibits decency need not progress as a bitter officer. He may opt for another legitimate means of livelihood instead of pushing a career in vengefulness and extortion.

We could go on swimming in the apparent politics that created the ugly Tambuwal scenario. But that would cost us a wonderful opportunity to interrogate the relationship between the Nigerian police and the Nigerian citizen.

Instead of establishing discriminatory calibration, we should rather pivot to demanding a humane Nigerian Police: a well resourced police that respects every citizen; a police that knows its place; a police that is not amenable to the abuse of a vendetta errand.

If we apply ourselves to this quest, we would ultimately arrive at a time when a young musician would receive inspiration to write Fela’s unsung song. Fela had sung that water had no enemy but not that the Police was your friend.

Ugwu via Twitter: @ emmaugwutheman

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

PAGE 14

Opinion

Tale of greed, egotism and corruption (II)

By Adetokunbo A. Adejumo

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am aware that Power is a drug; but only to those who get addicted to it.

Unfortunately, it seems most of our rulers and politicians get addicted to power, which again, unfortunately, they do not even know how to wield, control or manipulate to benefit anybody, not even themselves on the long term. Power and authority, to a Nigerian is like being a mini-god.

Most time, their sycophants, political jobbers and praisesingers drag our rulers to that deluded state of mind. But God has given us, eyes to see, ears to hear and brains to think and remember. Unfortunately, look at the people ruling us today and what one discovers are the same people who ran previous governments aground. However, they fail to believe that God has a way of doing things. If Nigerian politicians were to use their eyes, ears and brains, and reflect on the Babangida and Abacha eras they will realise that nothing

is impossible. The signs are all around us.

Why is it that once anybody, be they existing politician, businessman, civil servant, or anybody in any capacity of endeavour get a taste of politics, they then turn politics into a career, and in the process, on its head? An engineer, or medical doctor, or teacher or banker is elected into a political position, and the next thing, he becomes a permanent politician. After their tenures in office or position, it becomes extremely difficult for them to return to their original calls in life and live ordinarily as they had previously, pre-politics lived and worked, but now their entire lives and livelihood are dependent on being politicians.

They do not know how else to survive or make a living. These even include Ministers and State Commissioners, who are supposed to be technocrats and experts in their discipline before being appointed into government.

I may even be able to defend

them, if they had added value and made impacts on the lives of the people who elected them in the first place, and the people are beseeching them to remain to continue their good works; but No, it is the most unworthy and corrupt of them that will “door-die” to remain in position or aspire to another position.

Of course we know the reason.

The fastest way, and perhaps the easiest and least risky ways to make colossal amount of money in Nigeria is to be a politician, and continue to be one. You will even get away with it if and when caught. The trick is to steal billions, so that you can have the best lawyers and pay off the investigating and prosecuting authorities, and still have billions left to enjoy the rest of your life.

How many corrupt ex-governors and other thieving politicians and civil servants have spent a week in prison after the initial noise and arrest? Abracadabra, the EFCC quietly and corruptly doze off, files disappear, witnesses disappear, EFCC lawyers collaborate with the

defence lawyers to apply delaying tactics and the compromised judge keeps adjourning cases, until the public gets weary and just say “Leave him to God”. Who lost out? It is the Nigerian people, again and again. And the thieves and their collaborators smile all the way to the bank again.

Anyway, my President has said Stealing is not the same as Corruption, so who am I to altercate him? I refer to one of my favourite stories again. There was once an American robber called Mr Willie Sutton. When he was asked why he robbed banks. He replied: “`Cos that’s where the money is”. It was an uncomplicated philosophy which served him well until he was caught and marched off to prison.

We can apply this analogy to the Nigerian politician. Why are they in politics and want to be in government? It is because in Nigeria, politics and government are where the money is. This is where and how some of us can make fortunes with very little effort. The money is there to be

taken, even asking to be stolen, so where else to be than to pretend you want to serve your country and its people, and you are suddenly in charge of, or have access to billions of Naira, staring at you and practically saying “Take me; nobody will get you for stealing; it is allowed; everybody does it here”.

The ideals of free and fair elections, no rigging and vote/ election manipulation, acceptance of defeat, no thuggery and one man, one vote, can no longer be relied on. There is absolutely no guarantee that the people will not vote them in.

However, I will still urge and plead with my people NOT to let these disastrous rulers of their states realise their inordinate, perverse, self-seeking, narcissist, insensitive and uncaring ambitions. Most of them are supposed to be in jail, not making laws for us in the Senate. Does that make any sense?

Concluded Adejumo wrote in from Lagos

Ganduje: Kwankwaso’s natural successor?

By Bashir I. Hassan

I

n 2007 Nigeria had every reason to celebrate the smooth civilian to civilian transition of power for the first time in its chequered history.

This forever historic smooth transition heralded the beginning of the consolidation of a fledgling democracy in a country that had, for most part of its postindependence history, run by military junta of different hues.

Consolidation presupposes some democratic gains. Indeed, despite its avoidable recurrent sectarian stripes, militancy and in recent time insurgency, Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 has brought with it lots of blessings particularly in terms of institutional and infrastructural development.

Gradually, the institutions of democracy are being developed, albeit with awkward staggering steps of a toddler. Routine elections are now held after every term of four years. They may not present the freest and fairest of elections but, at least, they give the Nigerian electorates the chance to participate in an exercise that produces their leaders and the hope to exercise that voting power to oust underperforming politicians. Cumulatively, between the states and federal government, Nigeria’s infrastructural development projects have surged in the last 14 years. Educational institutions, for example, across the country have multiply many folds. More classrooms and new secondary and tertiary institutions both public and privately own have sprung up in almost all the states. These are all dividends of democracy, which the many years of military rule failed to provide.

However, a closer look will

at the whole thing will show that, in terms of infrastructural development, the states have individually outperformed the federal government. More roads and fly-over have been built by state governments than by the federal government. More states have in the last four years moved to provide themselves with befitting airports while the federal government is struggling to maintain those under its care.

Some key States have out-paced the Federal Government in the provision of infrastructural development and outshine it in terms of translating promises into realities.

Such key states include Kwankwaso’s Kano, which have excelled in both educational and infrastructural development in the last four years. It is clear that Governor Kwankwaso has put the state on the path of true federalism. He has shown the state can and should be independent of the federal government in many ways.

He revived the state emblem, established parallel traffic agency to that of the federal government and is more or less in fierce competition with federal government over infrastructure development. But more importantly is the prudent management of the state meagre resource that made the many development projects possible.

Barely days after Governor Kwankwaso’s inauguration he introduced measures that will block leakages of public funds by cancelling security-vote, avoided frivolous expenditures

by MDA’s and cutting recurrent expenditures (from Government House, Deputy Governor’s office and all MDA’s) saving

up to N500 million monthly.

Due to the public’s confidence in the judicious, prudent and accountable management of their resources, the Internally Generated Revenue of the state experienced a significant improvement from a mere N400 million to about N2 Billion monthly. The prudence paid as Gov. Kwankwaso was able to make capital expenditure higher than recurrent votes (2012: 63% capital, 37% recurrent; 2013 75% capital, 25% recurrent) and achieved 83% budget implementation in 2012.

Kwankwaso’s keen interest in education, particularly technical education, dates back to his first tenure between 1999-2003 when he established the first state university specialized in science and technology known as the University of Science and Technology Wudil. On his second coming he has established a second state owned university the North West University. In addition he established 23 new Institutes for vocational training and building the capacity of the out-of-school youths in areas such as Farm Mechanization, Film, Sports, Horticulture, Co-operate Security, etc. He has so far sponsored over 2000 students to universities and professional Institutions across the world to study Piloting and Aeronautical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy etc.

In the area of infrastructural development, 3 new cities; Kwankwasiyya, Amana and Bandirawo have been created with the aim of decongesting the metropolis. Construction of a 220Km (5km in each of the 44 LGA) in nearing completion as well as many dual carriage way roads

complete with street lights and three Flyover among them a 1.7Km Flyover bridge.

Similarly, in the area of provision of safe drinking water supply in and around Kano; Kwankwaso’s administration is targeting 80% of Kano population and it is doing this by procuring and laying 600mm diameter ductile pipes covering 42km for Watari - Kano Water supply; 1000mm diameter 15km ductile pipes for Challawa - GoronDutse water supply; 3.85Km of 1000mm ductile pipes from Tamburawa to Eastern By-pass to Hadejia road; 5 km of 400mm Ductile pipes for Watari – Tsanyawa; 24km of 600mm diameter ductile iron pipe from Joda Regional water plant to Gezawa; and 22km of 400mm diameter ductile iron pipe from Kafin-Chiri Regional water plant to Sumaila.

The sad note is Kwankwaso is in his last and final tenure as Governor of Kano State. So the natural questions on the mind of the people centres around who will succeed the outgoing, who has won the hearts of many in Kano and beyond. One question leads to another; will there be same-party transition that will guarantee continuity or will there be disruption and sudden departure? If state is lucky to get same-party transition; who among the many candidates vying for the covet position is most suitable?

If loyalty is anything to go by in choosing a successor then Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje the current deputy Governor (was the deputy also during Kwankwaso’s first tenure) is most suitable. In addition to his loyalty Ganduje is one of Kano’s finest educationist and administrator.

Dr. Ganduje started his career

as college teacher rising within five years to position of lecture I at Bayero University. But greater part of his career was spent as an administrator with Federal Capital Development Authority ((FCDA), which he joined in 1993. He put 17 years of meritorious service at the FCDA. He came back to Kano to hold a position as Commissioner of Works from 1994-1998 and when finally civilians took over found himself as the deputy Governor of Kano State from 1999-2003.

Excelling as educationist, vast experience in administration and being part of the first and second tenure of the Kwankwanso’s administration inner circle made Dr. Ganduje the natural successor of the red cap revolution in Kano State. No doubt Ganduje has immensely contributed in shaping the vision Kwankwaso administration and for sure lend his support in realising the dream the duo have of truly transforming the state into a modern city state. This is buttress by the fact that even when Kwankwaso was minister of Defence he took Ganduje along with as his Special Assistant on Political Matters.

Consolidation may be on the lips of everyone, but Ganduje, who holds University of Ibadan’s Doctoral degree, may have to take note that he needs to do more than consolidating on the gains of Kwankwaso. There are many new political permutations in Kano‘s body politics that may require him charting of a new course of action.

More than consolidation, Ganduje, a skillful administrator and a grassroot politician needs to be his own man to ride on top of the changing political dynamics in the state.

Hassan via bash7474@ gmail.com

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

PAGE 15

Comment

By Dele Agekameh

S

ad enough, a treacherous, lousy Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign ended with the Super Eagles of Nigeria, the current champions, spectacularly failing to get the required result right in front of their home fans at the last hurdle. With this, they crashed out of contention for the ultimate African football glory. And so, for the second time, the Cup of Nations will be played without a defending champion come January/February 2015.

Nigerians are still in shock, trying to rationalize just how a team that shone so brightly in South Africa, last year, could have had such a wretched outing in the just concluded qualifying series, culminating in a limp exit. Of course, this is setting the team’s pedigree against the background of the fact that they were involved in a group in which bookmakers would have ordinarily concluded that picking one of two spots was a given. In Group A of the African Cup of Nations qualifying series, was Nigeria alongside South Africa – a team still feeling its way through football on the continent since its golden period of the mid-90s until the early 2000s.

The South Africans have always struggled to survive under the shadow of their more illustrious Super Eagles opponents whom they had hardly ever even picked a point off in football. There was also a plucky Congo (Brazzaville) team that had failed to qualify for the tournament since the 2000 edition. And then, there was a Sudanese team who had been a lackluster force in African

These wingless Eagles football and had never, ever even scored a goal against Nigeria.

Now, given this statistical and historical edge Nigeria had against the other teams in the group, it was certainly too hard to believe that Nigeria could not pick one of the two automatic qualifying spots. However, with six unconvincing performances and a measly eight points, the African champions limped out of the qualification with their chance of defending their crown come January 2015, emphatically ended. In the final, decisive match against South Africa on Wednesday last week in Uyo, the Eagles only managed a 2-2 draw when an outright victory would have taken them to 10 points and given them second spot behind the already-qualified South Africans. It was perhaps instructive of the wretched journey through the series that the team’s ultimate implosion came in Uyo, a few kilometers from neighbouring Calabar, in Cross River State, where the path to perdition was laid by the home team on September 6, 2014, when they lost the first match of the series 3-2 to Congo, a loss they never recovered from. Now, a lot of people are busy with forensic examination of the tragedy that Nigeria’s qualifying campaign was.

But then forensic examinations have never come any easier to conduct if you eschew unnecessary sentiments and look at the picture matterof-factly. The on-off relationship

between Stephen Keshi, the Super Eagles’ coach and the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, certainly did not help matters. It would be recalled that on Thursday, October 16, 2014, the NFF had announced the sacking of Keshi as the Super Eagles coach. This followed several tension-filled months dating back to the Nations Cup in South Africa, during which time it seemed that even as the most successful indigenous coach to ever handle the Super Eagles, Keshi was perennially living on borrowed time. Such a poisoned atmosphere never augurs well for a team, no matter the difference in opinion.

And speaking of differences, it seems that Keshi has always been too ‘different’ even for his own good. This, no doubt, affected his team selection many times as he was always at loggerheads with this player or that player.

For instance, he only recalled striker Ikechukwu Uche to the fold for the final two matches of the qualifying campaign after keeping the player in the cold since the Nations Cup in South Africa. This was despite repeated calls from many Nigerians and the good form the player exhibited for Almeria, his Spanish league club.

Keshi also famously had fallouts that ended up robbing the team of the services of some of its best players at crucial times.

Looking back on the Uyo match, one may also have to ask why it seemed that the Super Eagles did not have a plan as to

what to do with set pieces other than to simply lump the ball towards the penalty area and hope that there is a lucky connection in favour of the team. Tactically more astute teams always seem to be able to be inventive with set pieces and while they don’t always work to plan, at least, it keeps providing the opponent with surprises. At the last World Cup, Costa Rica, for instance, tried a particular routine on freekicks three or so times in their group game against Uruguay and eventually got a goal from it in the second half. France scored their second goal against Nigeria from what was an intelligently executed corner kick routine. And there is where you put the blame on the doorstep of Keshi and the coaching crew.

But the team’s problems obviously run deeper than Keshi. For one, Nigeria currently lacks enough players playing regularly at the highest level of club football, so match sharpness seems to always be an issue. That fact was cruelly exposed at the last World Cup when Nigeria got as far as they could by qualifying for the round of 16. Anything else would have been a bonus, a huge one, given the overall playing quality of the team. Removed from the sterner test of the global stage and the likes of Argentina, Nigeria admittedly had enough to do better against the lesser might of the likes of South Africa, Congo and Sudan.

Obviously, the reasons for Nigeria’s ultimately doomed

qualifying campaign are many, but the hope is that by the time the next competitive engagement comes around, the football authorities would have imbibed enough lessons from this latest failure of grand proportions.

However, we must learn to keep aside our sense of entitlement as far as football is concerned and realize that we must grow football from its roots up if we are to find our true bearings, rather than our continued accidental or artificial success in the game. Going into the Nations Cup come January, 2015, Algeria will be one of the early favourites.

The beauty of that is that starting from the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola and then the World Cup in South Africa later that year, one could see that the Maghreb nation was quietly building its national team. What they have done during the past four years is to accept their inadequacy and go into tournaments more focused on collective progress and the long term result than expecting to win. Today, they are Africa’s most organised, technically astute and formidable team. And if they end up winning the cup in February, it will not be a shock.

We can toe a similar path. We simply must be more realistic in our expectation and become more committed to the positive growth of the sport by building better stadia, committing more resources, and the whole gamut.

Agekameh is on linkedin

Ugly side of the beautiful game (I)

By Kolawole Olaniyan

A

new report by FIFA’s ethics committee investigating corruption allegations in the bidding process of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively has brought sharply into focus the problem of bribery and corruption within Fifa, and shows that its statutes and mechanisms are simply not up to the challenge of effectively dealing with the problem and operating a clean organization.

The 430-page report is not yet published but a 42-page summary identified bribery and other forms of wrongdoings in a murky World Cup bidding process. However, the ethics committee curiously concluded that there is not sufficient evidence to justify stripping either Russia or Qatar of the tournaments.According to the committee, any breaches of the rules were only of “very limited scope,” meaning that the breaches as a whole “were far from reaching any threshold

that would require returning to the bidding process, let alone reopening it.”

Fifa has said that “a degree of closure has been reached with the report declaring the evaluation of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process closed.” But American lawyer Michael Garcia, who headed the investigation is having none of it as he has described the report’s findings as “incomplete and erroneous.” This report is nothing but a farce and raises serious questions as to whether FIFA can ever be a clean organization.It is simply a case of FIFA investigating itself and expectedly finding itself not guilty. The principle that a man or organization shall not be a judge in his or its own cause-nemojudex in suacausa—means little or nothing to Fifa. The principle is not confined to a cause to which a body is a party, but applies also to a cause in which it has an interest.Garcia has threatened to appeal to the Fifa appeals committee but the impartiality and independence

of this body to dispense justice is questionable as the appeal committee is appointed by the same Fifa executive committee facing allegations of corruption in the bidding process.

Fifa is fighting back amidst a sea of criticism surrounding the report. A FIFA director reportedly suggested that Garcia was enjoying the publicity, and that his comments “were self-serving”. Also, Hans Joachim-Eckert, who chairs the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s ethics committee, has said that the report, which cost £6 million to produce, will never be available to the public.The simple fact of the matter is that Fifa can ill afford to sweep under the carpet the pertinent issues raised by Garcia or the glaring weaknesses evident in the report.

Let’s look briefly at some of these breaches with respect to Qatar, Russia and England, and the supposed FIFA’s ‘threshold’ as contained in its Statutes.

With respect to Qatar, the report established that the former Asian Football Confederation president

Bin Hammam made “several improper payments” (totalling $1.8m) for the rights to sponsor the Confederation of African Football Congress in Angola and to gain exclusive access to four of the 24 members of the executive committee. He also paid $1.2m to the former FIFA executive committee member Jack Warner to stop him testifying against him. Some payments were also made to the Argentina Football Association.

But the report strangely concluded that these payments were not directly linked to the bid for the World Cup and as such did not break any bidding rules or compromise the integrity of the process. The payments however “created a negative impression,” and that the conduct of two advisers involved in the bidding “raised concerns in the light of relevant FIFA ethics rules”.

There is no way the committee would have been able to find any direct link between the payments and the bids if it couldn’t even speak to

key parties and witnesses, and when it apparently failed to seek alternative sources of evidence after it discounted evidence from two whistle-blowers.With respect to Russia, the committee had no access to important evidence as email exchanges were missing because the computers the bidding committee rented for the bid had been destroyed. But these excuses seem to have “the smack of I left my homework on the bus”. Yet, the ethics committee didn’t even deem it fit to probe the matter further to see if it could discover something relevant to aid its investigation.

While the committee cleared both Russia and Qatar, England was not so lucky even though the three cases are not significantly different in substance and scale of alleged wrongdoings, suggesting inconsistency (or bias) in the committee’s approach to its work.

Olaniyan, is Legal Adviser, International Secretariat of Amnesty International, London

PAGE 16

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Impeachment: Tambuwal in closed door meeting with Oyegun

By Umar Muhammad Puma

S

L-R: Chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo, members of the Committee, Hon. Rufai Ahmed Chanchangi, and Hon. Goni Bukar, during the Committee meeting with Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Suleiman Abba over the last Thursday’s invasion of the National Assembly by the Nigeria Police, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

PDP faults disqualification of aspirants

By Ahmed Abubakar

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has nullified all disqualifications made against aspirants seeking elective offices within the party by various screening and appeal committees.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh stated this in a signed

statement yesterday that “the decision followed enquiries by our members especially aspirants”.

“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wishes to announce that all aspirants who have been cleared by different Screening Committees for the purpose of our primary elections should disregard any

purported disqualification by Screening Appeal Panels.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Screening Appeal Panels are neither authorized by our electoral guidelines nor by the constitution of the PDP to disqualify aspirants already cleared by the Screening Committees.

“In this regard, the NWC declares all such disqualifications

by Appeal Panels null and void as they clearly violate laid down rules as well as the principles of natural justice and good conscience.

“Consequently, the NWC hereby directs all affected aspirants to ignore such disqualifications and move ahead with preparations for the primaries” the statement added.

••• as Jonathan scales screening

By Ahmed Abubakar

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has yesterday conducted screening exercise for President Goodluck Jonathan and Dr. Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa as aspirants for the 2015 presidential election of the party, even as the latter finally announced his withdrawal from the race.

President Jonathan, who arrived the PDP headquarters yesterday at about 2.45 pm, was accompanied by several ministers, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Pius Anyim,

Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Dr. Godswilll Akpabio and a host of top government functionaries.

The president, who was screened inside the National Working Committee (NWC) hall, left after an hour before Dr. Balewa came for the same exercise.

The party which had earlier scheduled to screen both Presidential aspirants at different times, forced Balewa to patiently wait outside the PDP gate for the screening of President Jonathan to

be concluded before he was allowed entry by the heavy security deployed to man the secretariat.

However, Balewa was soon to announce his withdrawal from the race, citing the need for unity in the PDP as his reason for withdrawing from the presidential race.

It would be recalled that Abduljalil Balewa, scion of the late Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, raised a lot of dust over his inability to obtain the party’s nomination form to enable him contest the presidency against President Jonathan who was earlier

endorsed as the only presidential candidate of the PDP. Meanwhile, several angry protesters emerged after the departure of the President carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs as they demonstrated their anger over alleged manipulation of the party’s primaries.

The protesters who were from Cross Rivers State were said to be protesting the choice of the party’s candidates that would contest elections in various elective offices across the state, demanding that the decision should be reversed by the party.

peaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal yesterday met behind closed doors with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. John Oyegun at the party’s national secretariat.

Tambuwal who arrived the secretariat at about 12 noon was received at the office of the Deputy National Chairman, North of APC, Senator Shuaibu Lawal.

Though no official reasons were given for the visit, feelers around the secretariat said Tambuwal’s presence at the national office was not unconnected with the crisis at the National Assembly which has assumed a disturbing dimension with the lawmakers in the House raising 50 impeachable offenses against President Goodluck Jonathan.

Another reason, sources said, might be Tambuwal’s governorship ambition in Sokoto State.

On Tuesday, an aspirant of the office and former Attorney-General of the Sokoto State, Barrister Aliyu Abubakar Sanyinne told journalists that his forms were rejected by the national secretariat of the party after a long journey to Abuja.

Alleging an unwholesome practice since some of his colleagues’ forms were accepted some days ago, Sanyinne also said that he would seek redress by all means necessary, recalling that he had toiled to build the party in the state only to be hijacked by a “stranger”.

“I am surprised to hear that forms are no longer collected here. I have just been directed to take my forms back to Sokoto after traveling from Sokoto.

I was informed that the forms should be submitted at the state secretariat instead of the national secretariat.

Contrary to what we have read in the papers and in the circular sent by the national secretariat of the party. They said that that of the governor and that of the president shall be submitted to the national secretariat while those of state of assembly, senate and Reps be submitted through the secretariat. In brief, this is what has just transpired.

“We heard that he (Tambuwal) is one of the aspirants after he decided not to go for the presidency again.

That is what we have been seeing on the pages of newspaper that he is going for governor. He has not been formerly welcome in our association of aspirants. We have a forum of aspirants in Sokoto consisting the five of us. He is a foreigner. He is a stranger to us.

Pressed to respond to questions of the state of affairs in the House and his governorship ambition, Tambuwal who had jumped into a car ready to drive himself away resorted to jokes, saying “Are you tired of hearing from me. I am tired of speaking o. No, no, it is not a meeting. It is just a nominal meeting”.

PAGE 17

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Politics

Adamawa PDP Crisis: 678 delegates okay Madakiled exco From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he crisis currently rocking the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] took a new dimension when the Adamawa State delegates warned the National Chairman of the party, Alh Adamu Muazu, to stop meddling into the party’s affairs or face a mass protest.

The delegates warned that Chief Joel Hammanjoda Madaki, the chairman who was duly elected cannot be removed unless through a court of competent jurisdiction.

The delegates who converged at the Lelewa Motel Yola yesterday said Chief Joel Madaki and the state Secretary, Barrister A.T. Shehu remain chairman and secretary respectively as their alleged suspension by the National Working Committee [NWC] for one month is null and void.

The delegates numbering 678 also passed a vote of confidence on Chief Joel Madaki led PDP Adamawa State Working Committee [SWC] and Governor Bala James Nggilari for pioneering the party affairs successfully.

The vote of confidence was moved by Barrister Jenwe Ganye and seconded by Alh. Abubakar Salihu, Speakers after speaker during the delegates meeting recalled the role played by the current PDP Exco in managing the party successfully only for the national chairman Adamu Muazu who sort through the back door to destabilize the party by the illegal dissolution of the state exco which was turned into the suspension of the state chairman and state secretary for one month.

While responding the embattled state party Chairman, Chief Joel Hammanjoda Madaki said he remained the Adamawa State PDP Chairman and he cannot be removed unless through a court of law.

Madaki thanked all delegates who came from all the Local Government Areas of the state to give him the vote of confidence, saying he remains grateful to them and the Adamawa State House of Assembly as well as Governor Bala James Nggilari who has remain determined to be on the side of truth.

All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Aspirant, General Muhammadu Buhari, addressing supporters, during a visit to Bayelsa State yesterday, in Yenogoa.

Photo: NAN

18 Kebbi PDP lawmakers set to defect to APC From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

N

o fewer than 18 members of the Kebbi State House of Assembly have concluded arrangements to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The aggrieved members started the move last month when the state Governor told them that none of them would return to the assembly while also deciding to impose another candidate

from their constituencies as replacement.

Peoples Daily gathered that some of the affected members include, Bello Relisco, representing Birnin Kebbi central, Speaker of the House, Aminu Jega and other principal officers of the assembly.

Speaking to our reporter, a PDP stalwart, Mallam Alhaji Usman lamented over the issue, confirming that he heard the same story, advising the state government and

other stakeholders in the party to do everything possible to ensure unity of the party.

“You see what I was saying, I told them they should bring anybody that is the choice of the masses and not to impose candidates on anybody for the elected positions’’ he stated.

Investigations by our reporter revealed also that in a bid to stem off the eventual defection of the lawmakers, an emergency

meeting was held between the former PDP National Chairman, Dr. Bello Haliru and the aggrieved legislators at the Government House.

According to a source who doesn’t want his name on print, the meeting ended without reaching an agreement, with the lawmakers said to have resolved to go and mobilize their supporters to vote for the APC since the governor has shown them his own direction.

Police bars APC guber aspirant from submitting form From Uche Uche, Damaturu

M

onday the 24th of November was a black day for an All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial aspirant, Alh. Mustapha Maihaja as the police blocked the road, thus prevent him from entering Damaturu, the Yobe State capital to submit his nomination form at the APC secretariat.

Speaking to newsmen at the Bukar Abba Farm along Gashua road where the police stopped him,

the gubernatorial hopeful said he is full of surprise at the development adding that it was a denial of his right to contest for a democratic post which he, as an indigene of the state, is qualified to by the Nigerian constitution and the constitution of the APC. Asked if there was a time the APC in Yobe reached a consensus to have only one contestant for the gubernatorial post in the state, the aspirant said, it is even against the policy of the party, against the guideline of the nomination

for candidatesAsked if it was the APC members that stopped him at the road, he said there was no APC member that stopped him but the police who informed him they were told he should not submit the form at the APC state party secretariat in Damaturu but at the national secretariat.

He however said it was the same national secretariat, precisely the national organizing secretary that instructed him to go and submit his nomination form at the APC state

secretariat.

“But it was the same national secretariat, precisely the national organizing secretary, that instructed me to go and submit my nomination form at the APC state secretariat in Damaturu which I told the police, but they said since they said I should go to the national secretariat to submit my form, they felt there might be some security threat, I should not proceed, so they sent police at each entrance of the state capital to stop us,” said Mustapha Maihaja.

It’s immoral to plot Jonathan’s impeachment, says Ogun Rep

By Lawrence Olaoye

G

overnorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the member representing Egbado South/Ipokia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rep Abiodun Akinlade, has described as immoral the alleged plot to impeach President Goodluck

Jonathan over the latest fracas between members and the Police authorities last week.

Akinlade, a third term member who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Science and Technology, told newsmen that though the policemen who prevented the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, may have been wrong, it would amount to an overkill for the House to commence

an impeachment process based on that.

While acknowledging that the opposition members of the House are those driving the impeachment process to satisfy their parochial interest, the lawmaker expressed the optimism that such would not see the light of the day because the opposition members are in the minority.

The lawmaker said “the call for

the impeachment of the President is absolutely immoral. Yes, the police may have been wrong in stopping the leadership of the House from assessing the National Assembly but two wrongs can never make a right. The police action alone is not enough for somebody to commence impeachment proceedings.

“Collection of impeachment signatures being orchestrated by the opposition elements in the

House is like taking politics too far.

This is capable of overheating the polity especially as we inch towards the 2015 general elections.

“I appeal to my colleagues to calm down and allow the relevant authorities to handle the matter peacefully so as not to play into the hands of the enemies of democracy who are waiting in the wings to reap from crisis that may erupt between the executive and the legislature.”

PAGE 18

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Politics

2015: Sheriff can stop insurgency - Group From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

A

political group, Senator Ali Sheriff Vanguard has alleged that former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff is in position to stop the insurgency presenting ravaging the North east, “because of his closeness to the leadership of the Boko Haram”.

The group stated this yesterday in a statement, stressing that “Senator Sheriff has promised to make use of his closeness to the Boko Haram leadership to end the insurgency if a PDP government is voted into power in Borno State”.

The vanguard had earlier urged the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to adopt consensus technique in picking the governorship candidate who would represent

the party in the 2015 general elections, which it said would enable the party to break the jinx which had continuously blocked its efforts to emerge victorious and ended off winning second position since the inception of present democratic rule in 1999.

The group emphasized that it would be a fait accompli if the crops of aspirants on the party’s platform rally round to support Mala Modu Sheriff, the younger brother of the erstwhile governor, Ali Modu Sheriff.

The statement signed by Babagana Modu and Abubakar Gulumba, the Chairman and Secretary respectively, said only Mala that can easily tap into the goodwill of his brother across the state to win election for the party in the state.

The group said: “As supporters of our great leader, grass root politician and former

governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, we advise all Borno PDP governorship aspirants to step down and adopt the younger brother of our dynamic leader, Mala Sheriff as the party’s consensus gubernatorial candidate for the 2015 elections.

“This is in the interest of party cohesion and to compensate our esteemed party members for their loyalty since 1999.”

“Mala Sheriff as a former commissioner of finance is a tested and trusted hand who can deliver Borno State to the PDP. In addition, being a younger brother to the former governor is a plus, as he will benefit immensely from his brother’s eight year rule as governor.

The likes of former Presidential Liaison Officer, Kashim Imam, Gambo Lawan, Former Federal Capital Territory

ministers Mohammed Abba Gana and Ibrahim Bunu, Mohammed Kumalia and former Works minister, Sanusi Daggash are nothing, but, dead wood who have lost political relevance”, the statement further added.

“These individuals cannot deliver their wards, not to talk of their household to the party. The stakes are high for Borno in this elections, as we cannot afford to lose out bearing in mind that Senator Sheriff has promised to make use of his closeness to the Boko Haram leadership to end the insurgency if a PDP government is voted into power in Borno State”, it declared.

“It is only Senator Ali Sheriff who has the financial muscle to bankroll the elections single handedly. This is because no one within Borno PDP has the kind of resources available to the Senior Sheriff or his network of loyal

supporters across the length and breadth of Borno State.

“Adopting Mala Sheriff as the consensus candidate will put an end to the infighting within the party. This infighting has caused the party the governorship elections three times. This is in line with a popular saying that once beaten, twice shy, Borno PDP cannot allow itself to be beaten the fourth time having been beaten twice”, the statement concluded.

My constituency needs better representation - Aspirant From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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Abia state Governor, Chief Theodore Orji (right), receiving an address from the Speaker, Abia state House of Assembly, Hon. Udeh Okochukwu, during the solidarity visit by Abia North PDP stakeholders in support of the party’s decision to cede the 2015 governorship seat to Abia South Zone, yesterday in Umuahia.

2015:“Don’t allow repeat of June 12 scenario”, Cleric cautions Nigerians

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

s the political activities thickens ahead of the 2015 general elections in the county, the General-Overseer of Elyon International All Christian Praying Ministry, Apostle Babatunde Oyidi, has cautioned Nigerians against allowing a repeat of the June 12, 1993 election scenario.

The cleric, who had warned the late MKO Abiola not to vie for the presidency then, and also predicted former President Umaru Yar’Adua’s death six days after swearing-in, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to be cautious and work in the ways of God.

Giving this advice from the pulpit, recently in Abuja, he said the country will be out of her present security challenge if the President listens to good advice.

According to the Overseer, President Jonathan is not the political messiah of this country but only a forerunner to the president who would salvage the nation by initiating workable policies and programmes to the glory of God. The cleric, however, advised President Jonathan to stand firm and focus and not be afraid, adding that he should not allow the so-called god-fathers of the present system to sway him.

Also, he urged President

Jonathan to always abide by the injunctions of God Most High in whatever he does while ruling country, noting that whatever the President does now, he would be held accountable for it.

But, he noted that the President is listening to wrong advice and shunning the will of God but urged him to return to God and listen to good advice and be careful about those surrounding him.

“The Lord God Almighty has revealed that President Jonathan has surrounded himself with enemies in form of friends; he must, therefore be careful of his aides. Once more the President must check and cross-check all

those who hang around him because there is a leakage within the ranks,” he stressed.

He said all the various political parties in the country are fighting for their interest.

Commenting on the abducted Chibok School girls, the cleric said although they are presently scattered around the world, they will soon be released.

Meanwhile, the Apostle, who expressed his dismay over the involvement of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor, in the arms scandal, however urged Christian leaders to gather and pray for peace to reign in the country.

s the battle for who emerges as the candidate for the member representing Bogoro/ Tafawa Balewa / Dass Federal Constituency under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) begins, the member Representing Bogoro in the Bauchi State House Assembly, RifKatu Samson Danna has said that her constituency at the moment needs a home based representative with good understanding of what the people lack.

Danna made this known while meeting stakeholders of the party in Bogoro, Tafawa Balewa and Dass Local Government Areas, saying that this had become imperative because whoever would give good representation of the communities must first connect with them and be familiar with their plights.

The lawmaker said “My undying urge to give back to the society and to serve my people whose needs I am very familiar with is essentially my driving force.”

Rifkatu further maintained that she joined the race to complement efforts of the state government in terms of developmental projects delivery to all parts of the constituency.

According to her,” I will want to contribute in every way possible to the phenomenal growth of my constituency”.

She said “The state government cannot do it alone without the support of National Assembly members, so there is also need to influence federal presence in the constituency through vibrant and indepth legislation”.

Danna said “With my election in to the House of Representatives, the era of bench-warming will be over.

With my exposure at the state house of Assembly and the globe, I believe we can make things work better here also” About five other aspirants from the constituency under the PDP umbrella are also eyeing the same seat.

Responding, the PDP Chairman, Dass LGA, Alhaji Hamza Ahmed assured the aspirant level playing ground as all other aspirants in the party.

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Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

business@peoplesdailyng.com 08142929046

Naira touches record low after Central Bank devalues currency

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L-R: Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, National Communication Commission (NCC), Mrs. Maryam Banji, President, Consumer Awareness Organisation, Professor Felicia Monye, and President, Nigeria Internet Regulatory Association, Mrs. Mary Uduma, during the 4th quarter meeting of the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum organised by NCC, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

CFAO announces the launch of its Club of Brands in Africa

By A’isha Biola Raji

C

onsidering its longstanding presence in Africa, CFAO has declared to launch its club of brands in the continent based on its markets and consumption patterns.

The club of brands will include twenty brands with sales outlets opening first in CFAO’s shopping centers in eight African countries: Cameroon, Congo,

Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal who are partners.

According to a statement signed by Claude Paseri, Director of Communications CFAO, the company will operate the sales outlets of these new partners under exclusive understanding which include franchises, brand and distribution concessions, and distribution agreements.

The launch of this club of brands goes hand in hand with the opening of CFAO’s first shopping center in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in the second half of 2015.

According to the statement, the initiatives, aim to offer African consumers a diversified high-quality products and services.

“This project demonstrates the confidence that CFAO and its partners place

in Africa’s economic impetus.

“CFAO acts as a catalyst for the development of international brands in Africa and as a springboard for brands that view the continent as a real growth lever. With our experience and our approach to consumption in Africa, we give them access to a high-growth market”, explains Xavier Desjobert, Chief Executive Officer of CFAO Retail.”

Devaluation: Naira hits N186 in black market

T

he exchange rate for the dollar in Abuja black market on Wednesday stood at between N182 and N186, an investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria has shown.

This is against the new official exchange rate of N168 announced on Tuesday by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Godwin Emefiele.

Close to the Sheraton Hotel,

Zone 4, Abuja, the rendezvous for most black market operators, the closest naira exchange to the official exchange rate was N182.

Some of the operators said the difference between their rate and the official rate was to accommodate the “extra charges” they pay to “dealers” they get the hard currency from.

A black market operator, Usman Gongola, said he sold one dollar at N186 and bought one dollar for

N183.

Another operator, Bello Abdullahi, said he sold at N184 and bought one dollar for N182.

Also speaking, Mohammed Bichi said he sold one dollar at N182 and bought one dollar for N181.

The CBN on Tuesday announced a new exchange rate of N168 to one U.S. dollar as against the old rate of N155 to one dollar.

The CBN governor told journalists at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Abuja on Tuesday that the measure was to strengthen the economy, following continued slide of oil price in the international market.

Part of the measures, as announced by Mr. Emefiele, was an increase in lending rate from 12 per cent to 13 per cent. NAN

NEXIM Bank offers N300bn International SMEs not recognizing loan guarantee to exporters Africa’s growth potential – Report >>Pg 20

>>Pg 21

igeria’s naira touched a record low against the dollar yesterday, a day after the central bank devalued the currency, and it was trading lower than the bank’s target band even after rebounding.

Nigeria’s central bank devalued the naira by 8 percent and raised interest rates sharply on Tuesday, as it sought to stem losses to its foreign reserves from defending the currency against weaker oil prices.

The naira fell to a record low of 178.85 to the dollar shortly after the market opened, but it rebounded to firm almost 1 percent to 177.05 after two oil companies sold dollars.

That level was still below the new bank’s target band of 5 percent plus or minus 168 to the dollar after the devaluation.

Total sold $20 million while Shell sold an undisclosed amount of dollars, which helped boost dollar liquidity on the interbank market, dealers said.

Dealers also said there were market expectations that the central bank to intervene.

The local currency had closed at 177.30 on Monday before the central bank announcement.

Several emerging economies have seen their currencies fall owing to hot money outflows this year, as the U.S. Federal Reserve tapered its stimulus programme. Currencies from economies sensitive to oil prices such as the naira and the Russian rouble have been hardest hit.

Angola’s Kwanza fell to a record low of 100.895 to the dollar on Wednesday.

According to its website, Nigeria’s central bank has spent an average of $27.9 million a day this year defending the naira, but the currency has dropped by 10 percent versus the dollar anyway, on concerns that lower global oil prices are here to stay.

Central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele told an investors’ conference call on Tuesday that Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at $36.5 billion, down 18.3 percent from a year ago, depleted by efforts to support the currency. Reuters

CBN Exchange Rates

as at 26th November, 2014 Buying

$ € £ Riyal YEN CFA

164 258.23 204.29 43.70 1.39 0.28

165 259.80 205.54 43.97 1.40 0.30

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Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Business

NEXIM Bank offers N300bn loan guarantee to exporters

From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

T

he Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) has disclosed that it is offering N300 billion as funding support to Nigerian exporters in 2014 as part of its commitment to boost credible non-oil exports in the years ahead.

Making the disclosure at the 2014 Nigeria Non-oil Export and Investment Development Conference organised by Business Journal yesterday in Lagos, its Managing Director, Mr. Roberts Orya, stated that the bank has been working on deepening exportimport trade and attracting foreign investments.

Orya, who was represented by the Head of Strategic Planning of NEXIM, Tayo Omidigi, said that over $1.3 billion in foreign exchange has been facilitated through the bank, financially intervened in guarantees with over N100 billion and created 2,000 direct jobs.

Meanwhile, the NEXIM boss has stressed the need for the diversification of the economy, away from oil and the importance to promote the non-oil sector, urging stakeholders to look deeply into avenues that will induce growth to develop the sector.

He regretted that the country failed to invest in the non-oil sector especially in oil palm, as Nigeria has low agriculture productivity.

According to him, in other countries, 10 per cent or more of their budgets are allocated to agriculture while Nigeria budgets just 3 per cent to the sector resulting in persistent low records in the raw solid minerals of the

non-oil sector.

He said while South exports over 65 per cent of its solid minerals, the limited investment in the minerals sector stagnates its contribution to 1 per cent to the growth of the economy.

Orya further listed the non-availability of long-term funds, poor infrastructure and transportation constraints as part of factors that have continued to hamper trade and investment with other countries.

Speaking on the theme, “Nigeria – Beyond Oil and Gas,” the Group Managing Director of Mutual Benefit Group, Dr. Akin

Ogunbiyi, decried that Nigeria’s dependence on oil over the years has adversely affected its agriculture.

He stated that the drastic drop in the price of oil was a wakeup call on the country to turn the economy around to become multifaceted.

“It is incumbent on us as a country to pay much deserved attention to agricultural products, move towards greater industrialisation, develop our solid minerals and revive other sectors of the economy,” Ogunbiyi asserted.

He stressed that the private

sector has a role to play but that the enabling environment must be created for the sector to contribute to the non-oil sector.

The Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Business Journal, Prince Cookey, said that government and people of Nigeria must look beyond oil if they are to banish poverty and improve the living condition of its people.

According to him, the time has come to expand the revenue base of the nation to have multiple streams of income for financial freedom, sustainable economic growth, reduction in poverty and better life for the people of Nigeria.

L-R: Director, Asset Management Department, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alhaji Basshir Umar, Gombe state Deputy Governor, Mr. Tha’anda Rubainu, Special Adviser to Gombe state Governor on Microfinance Bank, Alhaji Mohammed Damji, and Chief of Staff, Gombe state Government House, Alhaji Ahmed Yayari, during a workshop on microfinance bank, yesterday in Gombe.

Photo: NAN

NDIC to train orphaned children on financial discipline From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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igeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has expressed its determination to train orphans on financial discipline by partnering with Hafsat Yuguda orphanage home in Bauchi in order to improve the living standard of orphans in the state.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director of NDIC Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim shortly after the presentation of items and cash donation to the Home in Bauchi state yesterday.

Represented by the Director Bank Examination Department of NDIC, Adedapo Adeleke, the MD who commended the management of the orphanage said they were impressed with the management of the Home which caters for the children abandoned by their parents as well as those that their parents have died.

The MD said, “NDIC is determined on the social responsibility of teaching the children on how to manage their funds and resources, and to also train them on financial discipline

so they can have plans towards their future.”

He said some of the children live in the home while some come from their residential houses daily and the facility is of good standard. “We are impressed that they (children) don’t want to be isolated, they want to get

people to look after them and integrate them into family life.”

He said.

The MD said they were in Bauchi to celebrate with the orphans noting “we are here to celebrate with the little children who are orphan and in order to get closer to our people and

contribute to the development of our people.”

The Zonal Controller NDIC Bauchi Mr. Emmanuel Vontou said the event is part of 25th Anniversary of the Corporation.

He said the event is running concurrently in the six geopolitical zones of the country.

From David Hassan, Gombe

government area of the state.

According to him, the establishment of the microfinance bank in each of the local government was to provide financial support to micro, small and medium Enterprises (MSME) in order to fast-track economic development in Gombe state.

He said government would establish state microfinance development agency to compliment the effort of the CBN and NDIC which according to him would serve as regulators of the sector.

The governor however said that his administration has approved the sum of N500million towards the establishment of microfinance Banks in the state

with a view to alleviate the suffering of the people in the area.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation Alhaji Umar Ibrahim who was represented by the director assets management department Bashir .D Umar said microfinance Bank has strategise a plan to carry out savings mobilization and granting micro-credits in order to promote socio- objectives such as loans to women.

According to him, the leadership of NDIC would continue to work hard to ensure that meaningful Nigerian benefit from the gesture, noting that they would not relent in assisting citizens that wish to partner with the corporation.

...as Dankwambo pledges support for NDIC

G

ombe state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo who was represented by his deputy Mr. Thaanda Jason Rubainu has pledged that his administration would continue to partner with the affairs of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation in the state.

The governor made the pledge yesterday in Gombe at a two days workshop for operators of microfinance.

He said the NDIC has played a greater role in creating banking industry in the country, adding that Gombe state government had already established 11 microfinance banks to each local

Gombe NUJ gets new officials From David Hassan, Gombe

T

he Nigeria Union of Journalists Gombe state council has sworn-in new officials that would serve council affairs for three years.

Performing the function yesterday at the women centre in Gombe, the Vice- President zone E, Hajiya Aisha Ibrahim called on the newly sworn in officials to take their duty seriously, adding that the National secretariat of the NUJ would continue to support them while performing their duty.

Speaking further, the VP zone E assured members that arrangement had been concluded to train journalists across the world with a view to updating members’ knowledge.

Responding on behalf of the newly sworn officials, chairman of the council, Alhaji Alhassan Yahaya thanked the national secretariat and members for giving them the mandate to serve and assure their commitment to serve for the betterment of the union.

Among the newly sworn in officials include the chairman of the council Alhaji Alhassan Yahaya, Vice- Chairman Yusuf Ishaq Baji, Secretary Richard James, Asst secretary Ibrahim Audu Tal, Financial secretary abdullahi Tukur, Auditor Umar Ma’aji, and Treasurer Zarah Umar Adamu.

South Africa’s Nedbank to merge corporate, investment banking units

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edbank, the South African lender majority owned by insurer Old Mutual, yesterday said, it will merge its corporate and investment banking units, bringing wholesale operations under one management team.

South Africa’s fourth-largest bank said in a statement that Brian Kennedy, head of Nedbank Capital, will be responsible for the merged unit from January 1.

The head of Nedbank’s corporate division, Mfundo Nkuhlu, has already been appointed as the bank’s chief operating officer and will also start his new role on January 1.

Together the two businesses contributed around half of Nedbank’s earnings in the six months to end-June, the bank said.

It said last month it would acquire 20 percent of panAfrican lender Ecobank Transnational for $493 million.

Reuters

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Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Business

NSE CEO elected ASEA president Iran says OPEC From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

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igerian Stock Exchange CEO Elected President of the African Securities Exchanges Association The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema was recently elected President of African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA).

This decision was reached at the Executive Committee meeting of ASEA after its 18th Annual General Meeting in Diana, Kenya.

The ASEA flagship Conference was opened by Honourable William S. Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya where he emphasized the critical role that the capital markets have to play in Africa’s economic development.

Commenting on the election of the new president, the out-going president of ASEA and the Chief Executive, Stock Exchange of Mauritius, Mr. Sunil Benimadhu, said, “I welcome the newly

elected president and committee members, and we look forward to ASEA’s continuing progress as it seeks to enhance the global competitiveness of Member Exchanges.”

In his welcome remarks, Onyema stated, “I am honoured to be elected president of ASEA which is the largest platform for Africa’s stock, futures and options exchanges. I would like to thank the outgoing Executive Committee led by Mr. Benimadhu for their stewardship of the Association over the last two years, and I look forward to working with ASEA members, our global counterparts and regulators to contribute to the association’s rich legacy, as well as to promoting our markets in a broad range of areas”.

To support the Association’s mission and vision, Mr. Onyema highlighted four key strategic objectives that the new Executive Committee will focus on to support the effective mobilization of capital for economic development:

Strengthen the Association’s governance, financial and reporting framework; promote the sustainable development of African capital markets; facilitate an increase in market access at the regional level, and promote cross-listing among African exchanges; and align the goals of African capital markets with those of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The Members of the new Executive Committee are the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), Casablanca Stock Exchange (CASA), The Egyptian Exchange (EGX), Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE), Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.

Mr. Karim Hajji, the Chief Executive Officer of the Casablanca Stock Exchange, is the Deputy President of the Association.

L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Funsho Philips, and Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Hajiya Saratu Umar, during the NIPC’S stakeholders interactive engagement with diplomatic corps, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

members battle for market share

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ranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh has said some OPEC members, but not Iran itself, believed it was time to defend market share in the face of growing supplies from nonOPEC nations.

He made the comments yesterday ahead of a meeting with Saudi Oil Minister Ali alNaimi.

Saudi’s Naimi sees oil market “stabilising itself”

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PEC leader Saudi Arabia signalled yesterday that it was unlikely to push for a major change in oil output at the producer group’s meeting this week, a day after Russia refused to cooperate in any production cut and threatened to unleash an oil price war.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said he expected the oil market “to stabilise itself eventually” but did not comment on four-country talks with Russia held on Tuesday.

OPEC’s meeting on Thursday will be one of the most crucial in recent years, with oil prices having tumbled some 30 percent since June to below $79 per barrel due to booming U.S. shale oil output and slower global economic growth.

OPEC usually faces huge tensions from within but as talks over Iran’s nuclear programme ended with no breakthrough on Monday; most members felt relief they will not have to deal with a deluge of Iranian oil, currently hit by Western

International SMEs not recognizing Africa’s growth potential – Report

By A’isha Biola Raji

A

ccording to an in-depth study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on behalf of DHL Express, approximately 40% of global SMEs (small and mediumsized enterprises) do not perceive Africa as a growth opportunity, despite the positive economic growth stories and growing middle class in the regions.

The report further reveals that while many multinationals and state-owned companies are actively taking advantage of the opportunities that Africa offers, SMEs still remain apprehensive and are choosing to trade with other emerging markets instead.

According to a statement

signed by Megan Collinicos, Head Advertising and Public Relations, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Managing Director of DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa Charles Brewer, has said that despite current challenges to attract global SME interest, the findings of the study highlight the untapped potential that still exists in the continent.

He said, “The fact that SMEs expect to generate up to 50 percent of revenues internationally by 2019 is a massive positive and highlights the vast opportunities for Africa from an investment and job creation perspective.”

Brewer said according to the study, which surveyed 480 SME executives and experts from business lobbying groups, SMEs

are deterred by Africa’s low average consumer spend, cultural and infrastructure challenges, as well as inefficiencies such as corruption and political risk in the region.

He explained that overcoming different market environments is the biggest hurdle. The quality of a target market´s infrastructure, the stability of its politics, administrative costs for establishing a local presence and cultural differences in doing business were all cited by the executives surveyed as factors that deterred them from entering new markets.

“The unfamiliarity of foreign markets received particular attention, with 84% of respondents describing understanding a target

Oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will meet on Thursday in Vienna.

Impromptu talks between Saudi Arabia, fellow OPEC member Venezuela and oil powers Russia and Mexico yielded no agreement on Tuesday on how to address a growing oil glut. Reuters

market’s culture or language as important or very important in determining its attractiveness.

This also explains why most SMEs often expand into markets that resemble their own.

“This is evident in Africa, as companies looking to expand into the continent, often make use of a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Due to the various cultures, languages and customs on the continent, vast amounts of research need to be done into each region, and the services and products need to be specifically tailored to each country. Africa is not one country,” says Brewer.

It said last month it would acquire 20 percent of pan-African lender Ecobank Transnational for $493 million. Reuters

sanctions.

Non-OPEC member Russia, which produces 10.5 million barrels per day (bpd) or 11 percent of global oil, came to Tuesday’s meeting amid hints it might agree to cut output as it is suffering from oil’s price fall and Western sanctions over Ukraine.

But as the meeting with Naimi and officials from Venezuela and non-OPEC member Mexico ended on Tuesday, Russia’s most influential oil official, state firm Rosneft’s head Igor Sechin, emerged with a surprise message - Russia will not reduce output even if oil falls to $60 per barrel.

He added that he expected low oil prices to do more damage to producing nations with higher costs, in a clear reference to the shale oil boom in the United States.

Sechin’s suggestion that Russia - in desperate need of oil prices above $100 per barrel to balance its budget - was ready for an oil price war took many at OPEC by surprise.

“Gulf states are less bothered about a price drop compared to other OPEC members,” an OPEC source close to Gulf thinking said, adding that non-OPEC members ultimately needed to cut output if they expected the group to defend prices.

OPEC produces 30 million bpd, or a third of global oil. Its own publications have shown in recent months that global supply will exceed demand by over 1 million bpd in the first half of next year.

While the statistics speak in favour of a cut, the build-up to the OPEC meeting on Thursday has seen one of the most heated debates in years about the next policy step for the group.

While price hawks such as Venezuela have urged an immediate output cut to support prices, some Saudi officials told private briefings in recent months that the kingdom was prepared to withstand low oil prices - possibly $70 per barrel - for a prolonged period.

Reuters

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Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Business We are losing N150 million revenue monthly- YEDC From Umar Dankano, Yola

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he activity of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency is affecting the smooth operations of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) in the North east of the country.

The Corporate Communication Manager of the company, Mr. Kingsley Kemneme, disclosed the development in an interview with Journalists in Yola, Adamawa state capital yesterday saying the insurgency activities had affected the company’s source of revenue by 50 per cent.

Nkemneme lamented that the company (YEDC) Yola which has 4 states including Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and Taraba as its catchment areas has been losing an average of N150 million monthly due to the unabated problem of

insurgency in the zone.

He said, “We have 15 Business Units in Adamawa, Borno, Taraba and Yobe states but as at now some of the units comprising Maiduguri, Yerwa, Bama, Mubi, Gombi and Michika are out with over 200,000 customers affected.”

Commenting on the problem of low voltage supply being experienced in the zone he said the area has not been receiving enough power of recent, adding that it is only receiving 34.3 megawatts as against 70 megawatts required for the zone which is also shared accordingly to those 4 states.

While assuring customers of effort to improve its services, Nkemneme said the company has commenced move to enlighten customers on ways to avoid heavy billing by using the available power supply judiciously.

L-R: Chairman, Angola’s Capital Market Commission, Mr. Archer Mangueria; Commissioner, Nigeria Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Ugo Ikemba, and SEC Director-General, Ms. Arunma Oteh, during the technical session of the 4th Annual Capital Market Retreat, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

Linking state capitals to rail will boost economy – NITT DG From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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he plan by the federal government to link state capitals with rail line will boost the Nigerian economy while promoting genuine national growth and integration.

The Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Dr Aminu MusaYusuf, disclosed this while speaking to the media in Zaria yesterday.

According to him, “If actualised, the rail transport networks would make Nigerian roads last longer and reduce the rate of accidents on the

roads, which is a very good development because Nigeria is a very vast country.

“Our resources are also vast and the population has been growing over the years. So the transportation infrastructure demands to have also increased over the years.

“Remember, rail transport has a lot of advantages over road transport, especially in long distances. We have over 40 cities in Nigeria with increasing travel demands which, therefore, call for rail connectivity to ease transportation constraints,” he said.

Yusuf said a network of

rail linking state capitals would make mobility easy, efficient, while effective movement of passengers and goods to different parts of the country at cheaper rate would be much easier.

The NITT, he said, is a multi-model training institute, that deals with all modes of transport while their major concern was human capacity development of the operators of the system.

“In this regard, our major input toward this laudable dream will be the training of railway manpower.

“However, we provide training not only in rail system, but also road,

aviation and maritime, with a view to improving efficiency and effectiveness.

“So, we are very important stakeholders in rail and other modes of transport are not impossible for haulage transport system operation to frustrate government’s efforts to revive the railways. Trailers and train serve different purposes.

Very soon, the train will run side-by-side with trailers in Nigeria just like any in other advanced country.”

He said a train could carry 40 wagons at a time and these wagons could transport goods that many trailers would convey.

the currency against weaker oil prices.

Chief Executive, Herbert Wigwe said in an interview in Johannesbur, “It is little or nothing in terms of the implications to my financials just because of where my lending is.

“Access Bank raised $400 million in Eurobonds earlier this year.Domestic rates are likely to rise by 200 basis points and hurt lending to the manufacturing and trade business sectors,” he said.

The naira devaluation will probably dampen foreign investor demand for Access Bank’s 68 billion naira ($385 million) rights issue as well, Wigwe said.

He added that falling oil prices would hurt appetite for the issue too.

Local investors are expected to plug any hole and the bank still anticipates raising an “acceptable portion” of it.

Wigwe said the bank had also been cleared of any wrongdoing after a

Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into the freezing of Access Bank’s share price in September.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange suspended the shares for a week after Access Bank applied to the bourse arguing that information on its capital raising was not publicly available and that it wanted to avoid speculations in its shares. (1 US dollar = 176.8000 Nigerian naira).

Reuters

Access Bank sees ‘little’ impact from naira devaluation

A

ccess Bank does not expect the naira’s devaluation to have a significant impact on its business as most of its dollar facilities have been loaned to clients generating foreign currencies, its chief executive said yesterday.

Nigeria’s central bank devalued the naira by 8 percent and raised interest rates by 100 basis points on Tuesday, hoping to stem losses to its foreign reserves from defending

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Stock Watch

Report as at Wednesday, November 26 2014

PAGE 23

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Peoples Daily, Thursday, NOVEMber 27, 2014

PAGE 24

Special Report

Six unexpected World War 1 battle grounds T

he Somme, Ypres, Passchendaele, all iconic battles of WW1. But what made it a truly global war are the lesser-known tales from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

New technology, broken promises and shifting alliances meant events which started in Europe had far-reaching consequences beyond the trenches of the Western Front, consequences that still affect millions of people around the world today.

Here are six of the lesserknown battles of WW1.

1. Togo Pinpointing the exact moment a world event begins is not an exact science, but it could be said some of the very first shots of WW1 weren’t fired in Europe. They were fired in West Africa, in the thenGerman colony of Togo.

In August 1914, troops were massing on the front lines of Europe. But thousands of miles away in the small Togolese town of Kamina, a cutting-edge piece of technology came under threat. With it, Germany’s control of the region.

The Germans were using a local workforce to build a wireless station so advanced that its communications could reach as far afield as Asia. It was an incredible military advantage at the time, akin to having email in a time of smoke signals. At the outbreak of WW1, it wasn’t fully completed but it was operational.

When war was declared the station immediately came under threat, its worth to any military force incalculable. It

message to Mexico achieved the very opposite of its aim, helping draw America into WW1.

4. Tanzania Twice a month, the MV Liemba’s prow slices the waters of Lake Tanganyika along its route from Kigoma, at the north, to Mpulungu at the southern tip. The ship’s hull carries people, chickens, beer, pineapples - and 100 years of history.

Originally commissioned as the Goetzen, the boat was designed and built in a shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. In 1913 it was shipped in pieces across the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal and travelled by train over German East Africa - now Tanzania - to the shores of Lake Tagayinka What is the future of the MV Liemba?

In the lakeside town

Not all crucial battles in World War One took place on the muddy fields of Europe. Some significant fights took place in little-known places much further afield, says the BBC’s Deborah Basckin. was soon surrounded by allied forces. Without an army, the Germans first tried to marshal a local police force, led by its own soldiers and made up of mercenaries from nearby. But ultimately they were left with no option but to destroy the station and surrender.

The five hours it took for the station at Kamina to burn ended German colonial rule. It marked the first allied victory of WW1 and irrevocably changed Togo’s future.

2. Lebanon One third of the population died in the largely forgotten famine of Mount Lebanon.

A devastating confluence of political and environmental factors lead to the deaths of 200,000 men, women and children in the region.

At the outbreak of war, the arid Mount Lebanon was a semi-autonomous area within the powerful Ottoman Empire.

Its economy was based on the production of raw silk, which was woven by women in mills and exported to Europe.

But the Ottoman alliance with Germany caused the Allies to cut off international trade routes, damaging the silk trade and choking the economy. Food was scarce and prioritised for the soldiers of the Ottoman war effort. Families started to go

Soldiers relaxing in a spot near Congo River

hungry.

Then came the locusts. In biblical swathes, the insects swarmed through the region in 1915. They devoured the few remaining crops and delivered a fatal blow to the already starving people.

There were reports of bloated bodies dead in the street, even cannibalism. One account from a Jesuit priest tells of a father coming to confess he had eaten his own children.

Some tried to help and soup-kitchens started to open.

Thousands were fed, but there was no way to mitigate the effects of the double blow. A footnote in some history books, or left out of others altogether, the famine of Mount Lebanon is still painfully remembered by those who live there.

3. Mexico The length of one of the most aggressively monitored borders in the world runs for 3,145 km (1,954 miles). The iron pillars, concrete walls, security cameras and drones that make it virtually impermeable today were partly triggered by just a tiny bit of paper during WW1 a telegram.

In 1917, Germany tried to capitalise on the uneasy peace between the US and Mexico two countries at odds over their

of Kigoma, the boat was assembled by a local workforce, watched over by three German engineers. At the outbreak of WW1, now armed with guns and soldiers, the Goetzen was set to dominate the lake as a German weapon against British and Belgian fleets.

But despite its enormous size and impressive speed, military setbacks on land meant the Germans were forced to scuttle their own “indestructible” boat, saving the guns and making more soldiers available for the fighting on shore.

The same engineers responsible for its construction were tasked with sending the Goetzen to the bottom of the lake. Six years later, she was raised, re-christened and repurposed. The boat still runs as a passenger ferry, a lifeline for the people living along the

“

The famine of Lebanon resulted in 200,000 deaths shared border.

German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann sent a coded telegram: “We make Mexico a proposal of alliance on

the following basis: make war together, make peace together.”

Its meaning was clear - join the war on Germany’s side and secure its help to invade America

African soldiers taking part in the war

in return. Zimmermann hoped by drawing the US into conflict with Mexico it would distract the US from the war in Europe.

The telegram was composed

and sent from Berlin. Before it reached its intended destination it was intercepted and decoded, revealing Germany’s plans to the world. So Zimmermann’s

waters’ edge and a connection to one of the defining periods in world history.

5. China The Chinese port city of Tsingtao - modern day Qingdao - came under German rule in 1897. During WW1 it was to become the site of a fatal siege and the cause for continuing antagonism in the east for decades.

By the time the war came to Asia, Tsingtao had evolved from a fishing village into a modern city with German infrastructure, schools and a naval base. It had also become a strategic outpost for Germany on the other side of the globe and therefore a target for Japanese and British forces, who invaded in 1914.

The Germans were braced for attack. Chinese labourers had been enlisted to build fortifications along the city’s

Some doctors were adventurous, attempting procedures to treat unfamiliar wounds. But in this time before antibiotics, sepsis was often the ultimate outcome and cause of death. Despite the limitations of medicine at the time, thousands of soldiers passed through the island’s care

Many people died as a result of malnutrition

steep hills, dig trenches and position artillery. The city came under siege. For two months it was pummelled from land and sea. Bombs rained down from the new weapons of war - aeroplanes. Overwhelmed by force and without sufficient reinforcements, Germany eventually capitulated. An estimated 450 men died in the siege, 40 of them were Chinese labourers.

Politically the siege had enormous ramifications.

Tsingtao was not returned to Chinese rule, but instead the Japanese victors held on to their territory.

After the war the world powers met in Versailles to negotiate the terms of global peace. Japan refused to relinquish Qingdao and China refused to sign the treaty, setting off a chain of events which lead to war 20 years later.

6. Malta The tiny island of Malta earned the nickname the Nurse of the Mediterranean for its unique role in treating more than 100,000 casualties of WW1. It was a battleground in the sense that medics found themselves struggling to save vast numbers of soldiers suffering from wounds unlike those seen in previous wars.

Malta famously has a medical tradition that stretches back more than 500 years. The war brought that tradition right up to date as the island opened the doors of its 27 hospitals to injured allied soldiers pouring in from the front lines.

The very location of Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean, was an ideal position to receive casualties from fighting in Turkey and Greece. The wounded, many Australian, were brought to the island by hospital ships and were hoisted up its steep cliffs to the doctors and nurses waiting for them.

What they saw arriving in their hospitals, however, was unprecedented. WW1 was the first industrialised war. It marked the first use of tanks, machine guns and aeroplanes.

With new weaponry came horrific new injuries.

Some doctors were adventurous, attempting procedures to treat unfamiliar wounds. But in this time before antibiotics, sepsis was often the ultimate outcome and cause of death. Despite the limitations of medicine at the time, thousands of soldiers passed through the island’s care.

Source: BBC

PAGE 26

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Mother Earth Coping With Harmattan Season

Two young men well covered with harmattan clothing

T

he harmattan season is here with us again. The prevailing dust haze that has enveloped the country’s airspace in the past two weeks clearly heralded the harmattan season with chilly mornings and nights.

Incidentally, the season coincides with the yuletide and end of the year, a period of high rate of travelling.

Auto accidents are common due to harmattan haze which reduces visibility and thereby put travelers at serious risk. Fire outbreaks that can effortlessly get out of control causing destruction of lives and property are common during harmattan again due to the dry atmosphere.

The evil effects of the harmattan season are severe cold, and people with asthmatic conditions suffer more crises.

Many also suffer pneumonia and bronchitis, especially the very

young and the aged.

The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind.

This northeasterly wind blows from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of

“

March. The temperatures can be as low as 3 degrees Celsius. The name comes from or is related to an Akan cognate.

In the northern part of the country, the heavy amount of dust in the air can severely limit

Ambrose Inusa Sule environment watch globenviron@yahoo.com 0703-441-4410 (sms only)

visibility and block the sun for several days, comparable to a heavy fog. It can even break the trunk of the pine trees, growing in that area, through their dryness.

The effect caused by the dust and sand stirred by these winds is known as the harmattan haze, which costs airlines millions of dollars in cancelled and diverted flights each year, and risks public health by increasing meningitis cases.

The season, which may last a couple of months longer in parts of the country, presents a peculiar character requiring modifications in daily life experience, particularly with regard to health and travel.

Those that are allergic to cold should endeavour to go for thick clothing that can cover them up. The skin can be kept healthy through regular use of appropriate jelly products.

The impact of harmattan on social and economic activities depends on the severity of the physical characteristics of the air mass. The severity could be attributed to extraneous global factors like climate change.

A host of other ailments are aggravated during harmattan.

These include eye irritations, pneumonia, catarrh and cough.

The dry condition affects the skin and causes lips to crack.

However the chill induces longer hours of sleep, while sweating and heat rashes disappear. The fine dust particles settle on furniture pieces, cars, rooftops, window panes and on the surface of other objects, making frequent cleaning imperative.

There is actually no point in washing your car because within minutes it will be covered in dusty/sandy particles.

On a positive note, harmattan favours agricultural activities to flourish, as farmers use the period to clear farms and

The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. This northeasterly wind blows from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March.

The temperatures can be as low as 3 degrees Celsius. The name comes from or is related to an Akan cognate.

get them ready for planting.

However, bush burning should be done with utmost caution to avoid setting forests ablaze.

Between November and March, quite a lot of fire outbreaks are often recorded since there is dry wind, which makes it easy for fire to spread at the slightest mistake.

Careless handling of fire during this period can cause damage of unimaginable proportion since fire spreads quickly because the environment is dry.

In the agrarian communities of the hinterland, farmers prepare for the next farming season during this period by burning bushes in preparation for cultivation. Unfortunately, this act of bush burning often result in severe losses to farmers as they repeatedly find it difficult to curtail the rage of the fire which, aided by the harmattan haze. Many rural communities have lost hitherto buoyant and prosperous farmlands to the rage of uncontrollable harmattan fire, thereby subjecting the natives, whose mainstay of income is farming, to avoidable pains and anguish.

One other source of harmattan fire is keeping petrol at home during this season. There is no doubt that due to wrong storage of petroleum products we experience the most destructive fire outbreaks during this period.

As stated earlier, the harmattan season travelling could be very hazardous during this season.

It equally takes its toll on transportation, be it by air, road or on water.

There is need for all Nigerians to educate one another on the harmattan phenomenon, and prepare against its harmful elements.

One would like to appeal to the public to be involved in the several on-going campaigns on how to prevent harmattan fire outbreaks and other related disasters.

Also, community leaders should be involved in enlightening the people on the dangers of the harmattan season.

Strategies to lessen susceptibility should be entrenched in vulnerability assessment and better perception of all options that are available to reduce the exposure of the people to the evil effects of the harmattan season.

Since every season comes with its own challenges, it is therefore, the collective responsibility of everyone, not only to adapt to changing environment conditions, but also to adopt individual and joint strategies to confront all challenges associated with the harmattan season.

P A G E

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Mother Earth

Jonathan urges support for Great Green Wall From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called on State Governments and Commissioners in charge of the environment not to abandon the new Great Green Wall program lunched in some parts of the country.

Jonathan gave the warning at the launching of Great Green Wall project in Bachaka, Kebbi state, adding that environmental

degradation is one of the factors affecting security in Nigeria.

The President, who said his argument was based on the Maitatsine revolt, further said that migrants were exposed to crimiminality and resort to all sorts of immoral behavior capable of jeopardising the security of the country.

He called on stakeholders to commit themselves to the success of the project.

He said it would be of great

benefit if implemented as it will go a long way in preventing desert encroachment and increase job for the teeming youths.

Jonathan added that the project would cover 18 km wide and over seven thousand kilo metres.

He explained that eleven countries are participating in the project while eleven states are involved from Nigeria.

“So far, over 16 billion naira has been spent in planting

conserving and managing both afforestation and economic trees from 2013 to 2014.

Speaking earlier, Kebbi state governor Sa’idu Dakin Gari told the gathering that “the first afforestation project started at Bachaka in 1986 and since then, the state government has been putting efforts to expand it”.

He added that 21 orchards were being managed, and expressed his commitment to support the project security in Nigeria.

Clean toilet

…As expert links lack of toilets risk to public health

A

Consultant Public Health Physician, Dr Abdul-Hakeem Abiola, said that lack of toilets was putting public health at risk.

Abiola, who works at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on the World Toilet Day. “Human excreta are a source of infection and it is an important cause of environmental pollution.

“The health hazards of improper excreta management and disposal are one: it can cause soil pollution; it can cause water pollution; it can cause the contamination of foods

and it can lead to propagation of flies, which can act as vectors for many diseases. “And diseases that can result from improper excreta disposal can be iral diseases, such as hepatitis, or poliomyelitis, some can be bacterial diseases such as cholera, typhoid and paratyphoid fever.”

Abiola said that improper excreta disposal also put the public at risk of parasitic and intestinal infections.

“Now, these diseases are not only burden on the community in terms of sickness, in terms of mortality and low expectation of life, but they are a basic deterrent to social and economic progress.

“Therefore, proper disposal of human faeces and excreta is a fundamental environmental service, without which there cannot be any improvement in the state or the community. “Many of the diseases that we have in this part of the world are known as the faecal born disease; disease that we get as a result of contamination of some of the things that go into our mouth.

“Faeces can contaminate the water we drink, and the food that we eat; then, it can lead to disease.`` Abiola said that if a person with cholera defecates and the faeces contaminates public water source,

then people who drink the water would contract cholera. He said that excreta should be disposed through appropriate sanitary method. “The sanitary method states that properly excreta disposal must not pollute surface soil, or surface water, which refers to rivers and streams.

“It must not pollute ground water which includes wells and boreholes; it must not be accessible to flies and animals like dogs which eat faeces.

“It should not be unsightly, smelly or handled directly by human hands and it must be simple, affordable and culturally acceptable.” (NAN)

Kano govt provides 74 toilets, boreholes in markets

T

he Kano State Government said it spent N754.8 million on the construction of 74 public toilets in 74 rural markets in the state.

The State’s Commissioner for Rural and Community Development, Alhaji Garba Durbunde, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano recently.

Durbunde said that the provision of the toilets which was also supported with solar-powered boreholes was to stop open defecation in the communities.

He said that the projects were executed in the last two years, adding that they were jointly financed by the state government and benefitting local government areas.

He said that N407 million was spent on the construction of the boreholes while the toilets gulped N338.8 million. The commissioner said the boreholes and latrines were provided in selected rural markets across the 36 council areas in the state. “The project is part of the state governmen t’s commitment to extend the dividends of democracy to the doorsteps of the people, particularly the rural dwellers and to stop open defecation,” he said.

He said the decision to carry out the project was borne out of the government’s desire to ensure that a healthy environment existed at market places, particularly in rural areas.

Durbunde said 80 per cent of the projects had been completed and functioning while work on the remaining 20 per cent was at advanced stage.

He said that the state government had charged the councils with the responsibility of maintaining the facilities by contributing “a little amount on annual basis”.

The commissioner announced that the government had concluded plans to construct more public conveniences in the remaining eight local government areas in 2015, saying that it had been provided for in the 2915 budget.

According to him, no fewer than 50 toilets, with boreholes, will be constructed in markets, motor parks and at some popular junctions in the council areas. Durbunde said the state government had also directed the eight local councils within Kano metropolis to construct additional toilets in the city, adding that councils were expected to charge users of the facilities.

He called on wealthy individuals to construct more toilet facilities for commercial purposes to complement government’s efforts at ending open defecation in the state. (NAN)

PAGE 28

Emergency Update

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Mubi attack: NEMA records 10,496 persons in five Yola camps

By Rachael Maza

F

ollowing the recent attacks on Mubi town by Boko Haram insurgents, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said it has in collaboration with Adamawa SEMA recorded 10,496 internally displaced persons in five camps situated in Yola south and Fufore while more people are still pouring into the state capital.

The Agency added that five women were safely delivered in the two of the IDP camps.

Speaking on the issue, the

Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, said, the agency which has been managing IDP camps and distributing relief materials in Adamawa and other states in the North East affected by the insurgency would continue to establish more camps and provide all the basic needs of the displaced persons.

He said the agency has delivered adequate relief materials to all the established camps in the state and the new one would be provided with tents.

The Director General said he had dispatched an advanced team

of NEMA officials to assess the situation and take necessary action to bring succor to the displaced people.

He said the team is led by the Director Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr. Eugene Ezeh.

Meanwhile, on receiving the NEMA team, the Adamawa State Governor, Bala James Ngilari, told them that the government had sent vehicles for the evacuation of thousands of displaced persons who were scattered in various locations around Mubi and those that ran into Cameroon to the established camps in Yola.

He said “the tragedy has really stressed us, we require your intervention for both short and long term”.

He noted that the majority of the displaced persons live with their relatives in the host communities, while appealing to them to come forward and register so that they too could benefit from whatever is provided.

On her part, Minister of Women’s affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, on behalf of the President, sympathized and condoled with those that lost loved ones and property. She said Mr.

President assigned her to assess the situation and assured them of his continuous support up to the time when they would be going back to their homes.

She said the Federal Government has been doing everything possible to see the end of this insurgency.

The camps are in Dawarei, Girei, Malkwohi, Nyako Housing Estate, NYSC camp and COCIN Church.

The relief items provided at all the camps include; drugs, rice, clothes, mattresses, maize, buckets, mats, soap, towel, cooking oil and sanitary items.

NEMA officials addressing displaced persons

...Deploys personnel, tanker, ambulance to Adamawa IDP camps

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said it has deployed more personnel, water tank and MICU Ambulance to improve the welfare and management of IDPs in camps in Adamawa state.

The Agency in a statement issued yesterday by its Senior

Information Officer, Sani Datti, said the deployment was as a result of the findings from a detailed assessment of the operations of internally displaced persons camps conducted in Adamawa state by the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNCHR), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the

Nigerian Red Cross, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

The statement also quoted the Director General of the Agency, Muhammad Sani Sidi, as saying, “the personnel deployed to the state would help in maintaining proper and modern camp management and camp coordination while the mobile intensive care unit ambulance

would be stationed to respond to emergencies in any of the camps”.

He said the Agency in collaboration with Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross, were doing all they could to identify those IDPs living in host communities so that they too could benefit from the relief items provided.

Sani Sidi expressed the Agency’s readiness to work with all religious

bodies and NGOs in a coordinated manner. the statement added that an ad - hoc committee set up by NEMA, headed by Sa’ad Bello has already commenced operation. “IDPs are being re-registered and issued with identity numbers, new camps have been identified in Bekaji area of Jimeta, Numan and Shelleng, and host communities are being accessed.

Page 29

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Feature

Egypt: The forbidden love of interfaith romances

By Ali Gamal

A

sking her hand in marriage posed an even bigger challenge.

“I was very hesitant because all my dreams could have been shattered once I admitted my feeling,” he says. “She was very likely to refuse a relationship with me because it would be against traditions.”

Tareq is an Egyptian Muslim, while Howaida was a Coptic Christian.

Interfaith marriages are increasingly unacceptable in Egypt; couples must be ready to pay a hefty price.

Despite this, Howaida accepted Tareq’s proposal.

“That was against all my expectations,” he says. “She pledged to overcome all hurdles so we could marry. It was the happiest moment of my entire life.”

But the hurdles they would encounter soon would prove too big for their relationship to continue.

Violent response Religion is an incredibly sensitive issue in Egypt, with many Christians and Muslims refusing to accept people leaving their congregation.

Religious leaders often see inter-faith marriage an attempt to recruit members from the other religion.

Fr George Matta, pastor of St George Church at Ezbet Hanna

We had a five-year romance, but I never even touched her hand,” says Tareq, as he remembers his relationship with fellow university student Howaida. must then live outside Egypt until we die.”

Ahmed Attallah says that interfaith marriage has effectively become prohibited in Egypt.

“When a Christian woman goes to a notary to register a marriage with a Muslim man, the officials tell her that she must have a letter of approval from the Church,” he says.

“The Egyptian Church has consistently refused to approve marriages between different Christian sects, let alone different religions.” he adds.

Heavy price

t is difficult for Egyptian interfaith couples to marry, and doing so can have dire consequences Ayoub in Menya, Upper Egypt, suggests that the culture in the Egyptian countryside does not accept interfaith relationships.

“My advice to young people is that they should choose their life partner from their own religion,” says Fr Matta.

“This is just a piece of advice.

We still have a very long way to go before we have open-minded communities like the West,” he says, adding that he believed attitudes should change.

Under Egyptian law, Christian men must convert to Islam to marry a Muslim woman

People in interfaith relationships can often be cast out by their families in Egypt

Last year, a Muslim man was killed and five others were injured in clashes that took place in a remote village in Menya province. During the same incident, five Christian houses were set on fire.

The fighting erupted because of a relationship between a Muslim girl and a Christian neighbour.

Ahmed Attallah, an Egyptian writer who studies sectarian clashes, says the same story happens frequently. “Love is behind most of the sectarian clashes but it is hardly mentioned in official papers,” he says.

“The authorities may blame evangelisation, apostasy or even abduction. But they never admit that there are simply love stories behind clashes.”

Restrictive law

“

Aya and Milad’s relationship started in Tahrir Square in the middle of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. But after more than three years together, they feel frustrated. They can’t marry in Egypt because Milad is a Christian, while Aya is a Muslim woman.

Under Egyptian law, Milad would have to convert Islam, even though a Christian woman can marry a Muslim man without having to convert. The couple considered travelling abroad to marry and start a family. But even that would not solve their problem.

“Even though we would sign a civil marriage document, we would not be able to come back to Egypt,” says 24-year-old Aya. “The authorities will never approve our marriage or register our children as Egyptians. We

Abeer, who used to be a Christian, has been married to Mohammed, a Muslim, for 24 years. They live in Menya, the same province that saw the bloody sectarian clashes more than a year ago, and they say the public response to relationships such as theirs has become much more violent.

“When we got married, people actually tended to congratulate us everywhere we went in the village” Mohamed says.

However, the couple - like many others in their situation still had to pay a heavy price for their relationship.Abeer’s family disowned her for marrying a Muslim and converting to Islam. When she ran into her father after the wedding, she remembers that he ignored her and said: “My Abeer is dead”.

Tareq, who fell in love with Howaida at university, could not bear to make her suffer in the same way, even though she was prepared to convert to Islam.

They split up in 2009.

iter who studies sectarian clashes, says the same story happens frequently.

“Love is behind most of the sectarian clashes but it is hardly mentioned in official papers,” he says.

Tareq says he feared his relationship with Howaida would put her in danger from her own family.

“I did not want to get her into trouble which could end with her family killing her,” Tareq says.

He adds: “I’m now married a wonderful, decorous veiled woman and have lovely children, may God save them and her.”

“But for me, I can’t say that I ‘love’ my wife.”

“I still love the Christian woman I used to meet. I will never forget her.”

The names of some of the contributors have been changed at their request.

Source: BBC

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Page 30

Feature

Journey through the Ebola heartland in Sierra Leone and Guinea

By Tulip Mazumdar

T

he current Ebola outbreak is the worst the world has ever seen. One reason it’s been able to spread so quickly is because of where it first emerged: in the porous remote border area between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

We have just made the journey by road from Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, to Guinea’s capital, Conakry, to see what impact the disease has had.

Farewell Freetown It’s 06:30 and we’re getting ready to leave our hotel. This journey usually takes four hours, but we’ve been warned to brace ourselves for a much longer trip thanks to the number of Ebola checkpoints that have now been set up. On the car radio I hear an advert about Ebola.

“Wow Vinta, you always have new facts on Ebola. They are so accurate, where do you get them?”

“I rely on the web pages of the ministry of health, WHO and EbolaFacts.com.”

As we drive through the city, the streets are bustling. Women sit in front of their stalls selling fruits and vegetables.

But on roundabouts and billboards lining the main FreetownWaterloo highway, reminders of the outbreak are loud and clear. There are posters with warnings dotted everywhere. “ABC - Avoid Body Contact” proclaims one poster.

By 09:00 we reach our first checkpoint. Soldiers carrying two different guns stop us. They have rifles over their shoulders and thermos temperature guns in their hands. Lt Martin Tejan holds his temperature gun to my head. I am 36.6 degrees and I am safe to pass through.

“If you show more than 37.3, we will take you to the holding tent and ask you some more questions,” Lt Tejan says.

“Some people try and hide their sickness… some are trying to escape the city to go to their families to use traditional healers instead of going to medical centres here.”

Set back away from the road is a blue tarpaulin tent where very sick people are kept. Ambulances are supposed to take patients from here to a treatment centre within four hours. But the lieutenant says three people have died there while waiting for an ambulance.

Quarantine zone By midday we arrive at Port Loko, where cases of Ebola have risen sharply in recent weeks. A government-imposed quarantine is in place, which means - in theory that people living in the area aren’t allowed to leave the district. We don’t see anyone enforcing this though.

We stop off at a treatment centre which is still under construction.

“On the first day we had eight patients here,” Peter George, the doctor in charge, says.

“By the end of the week we were

People use buckets of chlorine to disinfect their hands at the Newton checkpoint full. We are so busy here and need more international help.”

By lunchtime we are at our fifth Ebola checkpoint. The more sophisticated buckets of chlorine with taps have been replaced by ingenious makeshift wash bottles, which you “turn on” by pressing a stick with your foot, tipping the solution into your hands.

My temperature is taken again, and I’m allowed through.

When we reach the border, we are given a final temperature check and waved through. A soldier wearing sunglasses has a cigarette in his mouth and a rifle on his shoulder. “Bonjour madam, bienvenue Guinee,” he says with a smile.

“

Welcome to Guinea The change as we enter Guinea is immediate. The tarmac road turns into a bumpy red dirt track. We pass women with trays of eggs balanced perfectly on their heads, and men sitting in their roadside shops selling everything from bed frames to iron gates. People seem much more wary of our team.

Another difference is that here, most people speak French. Hardly anyone speaks English. Guinea is where the outbreak started. A twoyear-old boy called Emile, now known as patient zero, was the first person to become infected.

He died last December but it wasn’t until March that experts realised what had happened and

declared an outbreak. Some 50 miles into the country, we come across a small Ebola holding centre.

We wander inside. It’s the first time we’ve been asked to wash our hands and have our temperatures checked since we arrived in Guinea.

It’s eerily quiet. There are around 15 staff, but no patients. I ask the doctor in charge why it is so quiet.

“Some people prefer to die in the village rather than come here to get help,” he says.

‘Ebola isn’t real’ We continue our journey through the dusty winding roads.

The landscape is stunning, lush green forest blanketed over

Set back away from the road is a blue tarpaulin tent where very sick people are kept. Ambulances are supposed to take patients from here to a treatment centre within four hours. But the lieutenant says three people have died there while waiting for an ambulance.

mountains that fill the horizon. A couple of hours from the capital we stop at a roadside market in a town called Maferiah.

Children are running around laughing, women are gossiping as they sell their watermelons, pineapples and oranges. But when we start asking them about Ebola, none of them want to talk. After asking a seven or eight people, a couple of men agree to chat to us.

“I don’t know about Ebola,” says one of the men. “I have never seen someone killed by it. For me it doesn’t exist.”

The second man echoes his friend’s comments, “We don’t have any Ebola here.

I don’t know what is killing all these people - but Ebola is not real.”

As we head into the city to find our hotel, one thing remains very clear: West Africa has far to go before Ebola can finally be stamped out.

Source: BBC

Soldiers and workers use temperature guns at the checkpoints

Page 31

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Politics Extra

Everything is working in my favour - Kwankwaso

2015: Democratic change not possible - Rochas Okorocha

From Edwin Olofu, Kano

K

By Ali Abare Abubakar

D

emocratic change would not be possible in the 2015 general election in Nigeria unless all All Progressives Change (APC) aspirants come together as one family, one of APC’s Presidential aspirants, Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has hinted.

He stated this shortly after he had held a closed-door meeting with his Kano State counterpart, Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso at the Kano Government House yesterday.

Gov. Okorocha, therefore, maintained that all the four APC presidential aspirants have promised to work together for the party to win the forthcoming presidential election, noting that this is the only way Nigeria could the much desired change in leadership of the country.

The aspirant said he was in Kano to meet with APC’s Northwest delegates as part of his consultation in respect of his ambition, expressing happiness with warm reception he received from Governor Kwankwaso who is also a leading contender for the presidential ticket of the party.

“I am in Kano not for a presidential campaign but rather to familiarize myself with APC stakeholders in the state and Northwest at large”, Chief Okoracha asserted.

Akwa Ibom state Governorship Aspirant, Professor Richard king (middle),

APC not an Islamic party, says Gov Ameachi

By Ali Abare Abubakar with Agency reports

G

overnor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has denied claims suggesting that the All Progressives Congress (APC), is an Islamic party, maintaining that the opposition party has no plan of Islamizing Nigeria should it win the 2015 presidential election.

Amaechi, according to an online media, made the remark yesterday during an interactive session with students at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in Port Harcourt, describing the APC as a party

for progressives.

He urged Nigerians not to be scared by claims from APC detractors, maintaining that since Buhari never thought of Islamizing Nigeria when he was a military Head of State, he would not embark on such exercise as a democratically elected president “APC is not an Islamic party.

This is so because when General Muhammad Buhari (rtd) was Nigeria’s Head of State as a young man, he did not Islamize Nigeria, and to do that, he needs the endorsement of the National Assembly to debate over the issue. Buhari cannot Islamize

Nigeria. Don’t be perturbed by what our detractors are saying.

“I am an ardent Catholic Christian and I converse with God a lot. It is not true that APC will Islamize Nigeria. The National Chairman of APC, Mr. John Oyegun is a Christian. Bola Tinubu’s wife is also a Christian, Buhari’s cook is a Christian from Igboland, and his driver is also a Christian. As a father to all of those Christians, Buhari gives Sunday as a free day to his domestic staff to go to Church and worship God. So, no one can believe what our detractors are saying about Buhari and APC.”

2015: Confusion over Taraba acting governor’s plans to join APC From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T

he Taraba State government has debunked insinuation making the rounds that acting Governor, Sani Abubakar Danladi has concluded plans to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) to enable him contest the governorship seat of the state in the next election.

The new acting governor has been alleged of plotting to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the door to contest PDP governorship ticket has been technically shut against him.

Abubakar did not purchase the PDP intent and nomination forms before the deadline for the submission of the forms.

Abubakar was alleged to have met with APC national officials and other stakeholders from Taraba State in a hotel in Abuja to conclude plans on how to get the

party ticket.

The meeting was said to be facilitated by leader of the APC in Taraba, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan representing Taraba North at the National Assembly.

Abubakar is believed to have secured the support of Senator Aisha to contest the next governorship election.

However a Senior Special Adviser to Governor Danbaba Suntai, on media and publicity, Sylvanus Giwa, denied the allegation during a press conference in Jalingo yesterday, Giwa also refuted the speculation that the state House of Assembly is making plans to impeach the acting governor again.

“This is the work of mischief makers who are bent on ensuring that there is no stability in the state, these are mere rumours without bases and they should be regarded as such”, he said.

The Supreme Court had on Friday nullified the October 4, 2012 impeachment of Abubakar, ordering that he should be reinstated as the deputy governor.

The state house of assembly directed him to resume as the acting governor on Monday.

Similarly, the Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier (CTTYF), have called on the state acting Governor, Sani Abubakar Danladi to order for the arrest and prosecution of the ousted acting governor, Garba Umar for war crimes.

The CTTYF, made the request while congratulating the acting governor on his victory at the supreme court , his reinstatement as deputy Governor and confirmation by the state House of assembly as acting governor.

The group in a press statement released by its chairman, Goodman Dan Dahida described Umar’s two

years tenure as full of wanton killings, destruction of property with millions of people displaced from their places of abode.

It further noted that Umar’s desperation to govern the state in 2015 emanated the crisis that engulfed the southern and central taraba over the years.

“Our people became scapegoats that must be sacrificed on the desperation of Garba Umar to govern the state in 2015, our people in their thousands are taking refuge in camps within and outside the state, our population became a factor that must be eliminated for him to govern the state in 2015.”

The group restated that return of Sani Abubakar Danladi to the affairs of government of the state was also commendable by the statement, stressing that an end to incessant killings has come to the state.

ano State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso said despite his late entry into the Presidential race, many party faithful are supporting his emergence as the candidate of the party.

Kwankwaso who was speaking to journalist in his office yesterday, said that the recent tour of the country embarked by his campaign train soliciting for delegates votes has inspired him that he is poised to pick the Presidential ticket during the forthcoming Presidential primary election.

He disclosed that his old friends in the country are garnering support for his candidature, stating that he is confident of emerging the Presidential flag bearer in December.

“Things are moving according to plan. I declare much earlier than other aspirants. We are succeeding by the day and very happy and comfortable with our campaign”.

“People are anxious to kickout the mess in our country, so I am very happy with the support we are getting from the people. I am not surprised because I have been in the system for long time”.

Kwankwaso said he is optimistic that 2015 general elections would be conducted without rancour. “I don’t think there is going to be problem in 2015. The elections will be hitch free because nobody will dictate illegality to the security. I am confident that things will workout free”.

0n the recent siege in the National Assembly by the Police he decried what he described the culture of impunity raining in the country, cautioning that such type of abuse should be stopped to secure the hard earned democracy.

“The invasion of the police into National Assembly complex is not good for the police, is not good for the democracy and anybody in this country. I think this level of Impunity must to be check in this country because these entire thing will not help anybody and Nigerians will do the right thing and APC is going to win election”.

On his successor as Governor, Kwankwaso said “I want someone that will succeed me to be someone who will continue with legacies of all the projects we have done in the state and I am also assuring you that soon we will make our stand on someone to succeed me”.

“I can tell you that so many people bought form for the governorship and we did not tell anybody not to contest. We will soon sit down with stakeholders and made our stand known on who will contest for the governorship”.

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Page 32

Dev’t Control seals off 5 churches

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through the Department of Development Control, of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), yesterday sealed off five churches, one private clinic and a super market at Efab Estate, Mbora District of the Territory, for illegal land use conversions.

Peoples Daily reports that officials of the Department, who storm the area, affixed the seal sticker and padlock on the affected structures, forcing many

occupants to be locked outside of the buildings, which it was gathered were hitherto approved for residential purposes, before they were converted into commercial use.

The churches were three branches of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), a branch of Deeper Life Bible Church and House of Truth Church, all located at 1st Avenue, Road 39, Road 37 and Road 307 respectively, in the Efab Estate.

Also, the private Super Market and clinic sealed off were 1st B Super Market and Seraph Medical Practice, sited in House

31, 1st Avenue and 3rd Avenue of the EFAB Estate respectively.

Briefing journalists at the end of the exercise, the Public Relations Officer of the Department, Kalu Emetu, said the approval given by the Department for the affected property was for residential use but were converted by their owners to commercial and religious use, thereby contravening the FCT Land Use Act. He disclosed that they embarked on the exercise after the Department’s site officers during one of the routine checks

in the area discovered that some residential houses were converted into unapproved purposes.

According to him, such conversion has negative effects on existing infrastructure provided by the FCT administration, which were appropriate for residential use only.

While noting that owners of such illegally converted structures in the FCT are usually subjected to payment of fines for such contravention, the Department’s Spokesperson however stressed that the objective of the FCTA was only

for them to revert to the original land use for which the sites were approved.

“Today (Wednesday), we have sealed off seven properties at EFAB estate for contravening the Land Use Act. The buildings were approved for residential but have been converted to commercial use.

“We usually advice plot owners to get approval for their buildings because such conversion affects negatively the infrastructure that government spent a lot of money to put in place” “So, it is not that we are going to demolish the affected buildings, but the essence is to force the owners of such structures to revert back to the original use approved”, he stressed.

The PRO maintained that the exercise would be a continuous one noting that there are several other illegal conversions within the FCT, that have to revert back to their original approved plans.

Development: Igbo community leader reiterates support to Kuje Chair

By Usman Shuaibu

T A man hawking second hand clothes, yesterday at Central Area, in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

FEC approves N60.8bn for engineering infrastructure in FCT

By Lawrence Olaoye

T

he Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N60.8bn contract for the provision of engineering infrastructure to Kyami District, Zone C, Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The FEC chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, equally approved N9.2bn for cooking stoves to be distributed to poor rural women across the country.

According to the Information Minister, Nurudeen Mohammed, who disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the weekly FEC meeting.

According to Mohammed, “Minister of FCT presented a memo seeking an approval for the award of contract for the provision of engineering infrastructure to Kyami District, Zone C, Abuja.

“The minister informed the

council that this is in line with the statutory responsibility of the FCTA of providing engineering infrastructure to the FCT. “This is one of the residential districts located in Phase V of the city with a land area or 942.56 hectares,” he explained.

The minister further explained that the council deliberated extensively on the scope of work, contribution to the project to the overall development of the FCT including job creation.

He noted that all due process requirements were met and approved the award of the contract to Messrs Mangrovetech Construction and Engineering Nigeria Limited (KaKatar CE Limited), in the sum of sixty billion, eight hundred and eighty seven million, four hundred and ninety two thousand, six hundred and fifty six thousand naira, sixty five kobo. (

N60,887,492,656.65).

He gave the completion period of the project as 60 months.

“The second memo was presented for council’s ratification of Mr. President’s anticipatory approval for the award of contract for the procurement of 750,000 units of clean cook stove and 18,000 wonder bags for the National Clean Cooking Scheme.

“The scheme is an aggressive drive to engender clean cooking culture amongst the poor rural women, to reduce and possibly eliminate cooking with solid fossil which is detrimental to health.

“The scheme is expected to provide 20 million clean stoves over a five year period at the rate of four million stoves per annum which will be distributed free of charge.

“It will also reduce incessant felling of trees which exposes the country to ecological problems.

Furthermore, additional benefit to Nigeria in switching over to this technology by the rural households is the carbon credits arising from the registration by the UNFCCC. “The country stands to gain 50 per cent subsidy of the price through the generated carbon credits.

“Council noted that these stoves will be locally assembled and provide jobs to Nigerians among other benefits and unanimously ratified Mr. President’s anticipatory approval for the contract in favours of Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited in the sum of nine billion, eighty seven million,two hundred and fifty thousand naira only (N9,287,250,000.00) inclusive of VAT” Mohammed said.

He added that the delivery period of the stoves would be 12 weeks.

he Igbo community traditional prime minister (Onowu) in Kuje area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. John Enemoh, has reassured the commitment of his people towards joining forces with the council Chairman, Hon. Ishaku Shaban Tete, to drive the development of the council and its environs.

Enemoh, who is also the special Adviser (SA) on inter-tribal matters, to the Kuje Chairman, however called on other residents to continue supporting the present leadership of the council for the overall development of the area.

In an interview with our correspondent in Kuje, he stressed that his leadership would not hesitate to provide useful advice to the Chairman, in order to pave way for the peaceful co-existence among the residents, needed for progress in the area.

He therefore pleaded with the people of Kuje and its environs to always shun any act capable of generating tension in the area, noting that the council will not move forward in the atmosphere of rancor and acrimony.

While commenting on the forthcoming 2015 general elections, he appealed to the politicians to shun politics of bitterness, saying that politics is not a do-or-die affair.

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Page 33

Photo Splash

Children having meal in a tent, recently at Kiri village, in Gwagwalada, Abuja.

A cultural troupe performing, during a public function recently, in Abuja.

Pupils of Government LEA Primary, Aleita queue for Indomie noodles meal, recently in Abuja

A man hawking apples, yesterday at Garki 2, in Abuja.

Unity Dance Group entertaining guests at a public function recently, in Abuja.

Photos: Justin Imo-Owo

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Page 34

Metro

Group disburses N25m relief items to Boko Haram victims

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

J

ama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Waikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), in partnership with Manara Directorate, yesterday in Abuja, distributed relief materials worth N25 million to the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency, in the north east region.

The relief items, which were loaded in eight trailers, included bags of rice, gallons of cooking oil, bags of beans, bags of suger, soap, among others, were they donated to the victims, with support from the Jaiz Bank Plc. Speaking during the official hand over of the relief items to the victims in the nation’s capital, the Chairman of the JIBWIS, Abdullahi Bala Lau, said among the eight trucks loads of the relief materials, three were for Borno, two for Yobe, while the remaining three are for Gombe, Adamawa and Taraba states.

He said the eight trailer loads of the items, which

would be driven down to the respective states, was part of their efforts to cushion the sufferings of the victims, adding that Manara, being an economic backbone of JIBWIS, aims at supporting the less privileged in the society.

Abdullahi added that in Islam, there is no discrimination, saying that JIBWIS aims at assisting both the Muslims, Christians and pagan, who are affected by the insurgency.

Speaking also, the Director General, Manara Directorate of “Insurgency Victims Support Project”, Ibrahim Dabo Bujawa, said the items would be distributed to the victims of insurgency irrespective of religion.

He said that the project is the second phase of the Manara intervention project for insurgency victims in the north east, disclosing that in the first phase, six trailers of relief items were distributed to the victims, who are being hosted by individuals and religious organisations.

Era of quackery is over, FCT minister warns

By Stanley Onyekwere

M

inister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, has warned professionals doing business with the FCT Administration to sit up as the era of quackery is over; stressing that his Administration would not hesitate to blacklist any erring professional.

He noted that the FCT Administration has the responsibility of securing the lives and property of all the residents of the Territory, insisting that it would not do less.

The minister, who gave this warning during the

FCT Operations briefing session in Gwarinpa I District (Life-Camp), Abuja, maintained that as a responsible Administration, anything that would negatively affect the lives of the residents of the Territory would be fought to a standstill.

He reiterated that henceforth any professional found wanting would promptly be reported to their professional bodies, as FCT Administration is not ready to compromise the life of any resident of the Territory.

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary

to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Sule, the minister recalled that in its efforts to curtail any case of building collapse in the Territory, the FCT Development Control as a routine, had officially reported a structural engineer (not a Staff of FCTA) to the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), which earned the Engineer one-year suspension.

It adds: “The disciplinary action taken by COREN would surely serve as a deterrent because the FCT Administration is fervently fighting to completely stop any case

of building collapse in and around the 8,000 square kilometers of the Territory.”

While commending COREN for their decisiveness in handling reported cases of professional misconduct among its registered members, he called on other professionals in the construction industry such as Town Planners’ Registration Council (TOPREC) and Architects’ Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) to follow suite in their collaborative work with the FCT to engender orderly and safe development in the Territory.

Police to carry out mock security exercise in Abuja

By Joy Baba

A

s part of efforts geared towards securing the country, the police high command is to carry out a mock security

exercise in Abuja today.

In a statement signed by the Force Spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, Commissioner of Police, there would heavy presence of Police personnel in Abuja

and that residents should not entertain fear as a result of this development.

The statement reads: “This is to inform members of the public that the Nigeria Police Force in

conjunction with other security agencies will carry out a mock security exercise at the Garki Mall, Abuja (today) Thursday 27th November, 2014 from 8.00am to 6.00pm.”

Abuja Carnival: Investors urged to explore socio-economic benefits

By Stanley Onyekwere

L

ocal and foreign organized investors have been urged to contribute their quota to the development of the nation’s tourism by investing in the Abuja National Carnival, as it has the capacity to stimulate the consciousness of the people to the inherent socioeconomic benefit of the Nigeria’s endowed unique multi-ethnic make-up.

This call was made by President Goodluck Jonathan, when he declared open the 10th National Abuja Carnival with the theme: ‘Building an Enduring Creative Nation’, at the eagle Square, Abuja, on Tuesday.

Represented by the Vice President, Arch. Namadi Sambo, he maintained that the Abuja Carnival will stimulate investment if properly articulated.

“The desire of government was predicated on making the carnival/ creative sector a private sector-driven venture while the role of government shall be directed at the provision of favourable investment climate and incentives to attract the requisite local and foreign investment in the sector.

“If properly harnessed, the sector would provide economic development

option with high capacity for economic empowerment, employment generation, poverty reduction and wealth creation,” he stressed.

The president however noted that the staging of the carnival this year, in spite of the numerous challenges bedeviling the country, is to “showcase our unity irrespective of our cultural diversity” even in the face of the “challenges of insecurity” in some parts of the country.

Furthermore, the President, who commended the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), also acknowledged the priceless role of the international community to the growth of Abuja Carnival, reflected in their increased participation in the fiesta overtime.

Earlier in an opening remark, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Eden Duke, said this year’s celebration is in a sober mood out of respect for the lost souls in the country.

“The contingents representing the six geo political zones of Nigeria have come to commemorate the 10th Abuja National Carnival in a sober mood.

“We must use our culture to promote peace. Today we are celebrating with

melancholy in our hearts.

Perhaps it would have been wise to suspend this year’s celebration but we cannot do that but celebrate the love and harmony of the people of this great nation,” he said.

On her part, Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, represented by her Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Special Duties, Mrs. Jumai Kwanache, expressed appreciation to the contingents participating in the carnival while lauding the initiative with an assurance of promoting the welfare of the contingents.

According to her; “nation or people can survive if they did not preserve their cultural value. FCTA has put in place all measures to secure the safety of all participants.”

Peoples Daily reports that the carnival is aimed at creating a platform for participants to display their creative abilities and showcase how the creative sector can contribute to the enduring and sustainable development of Nigeria.

Also, the carnival features display of masquerade, Durbar, cultural night performance, children fiesta, boat regatta, food fair/ bush bar, street carnival, command performance, contemporary music fiesta among others.

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Page 35

International international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

The Taliban’s psychiatrist; how militants trusted this man with their deepest secrets

I

ANALYSIS

n the late 1990s the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, but the fighting that brought them to power left many militants struggling with the psychological effects of war. One doctor recognised the problem and, although he disagreed with the Taliban’s ideology, agreed to treat them.

“I remember the first group of Taliban who came to see me,” says Afghan psychiatrist Nader Alemi.

“They used to come in groups, not as individuals. When I treated one, he would spread the word.

“Fighters would turn up with my name on a piece of paper. They would say that I’d cured their friend, and now they wanted to be cured too.

Most of them had never been to a doctor before.”

A familiar figure in Afghanistan, Alemi is based in Mazar-e-Sharif in the north of the country. Taliban forces captured the city in August 1998 and won control of much of the surrounding area.

But while they were succeeding on the battlefield, Alemi saw the mental strain of years of fighting.

He was the only psychiatrist in northern Afghanistan to speak Pashto, the language of most Taliban.

“Language was very important - because I spoke their language, they felt comfortable opening up,” he says.

One day the Taliban’s provincial governor Akthar Osmani summoned Alemi to see him - Mullah Akhtar was second in command to Mullah Omar, the group’s spiritual leader.

“He was hearing voices and he was delusional - his bodyguards told me they could hear him raving during the night,” says Alemi.

Mullah Akhtar’s staff also said their boss often didn’t recognise them.

“This man had been on the front line for goodness knows how long, and seen goodness knows how many people killed in front of him.

All those explosions and screams may still have been echoing in his head, even sitting in the comfort of his office.”

Alemi wanted to see Mullah Akhtar regularly to provide longterm treatment, but his patient would go off on missions every three months, and only kept a few appointments. Much later, in 2006, Mullah Akhtar was killed in an airstrike.

Alemi treated other high-ranking Taliban officials too. “We became sort of friends. [One] asked me to see him at his headquarters - he was suffering from depression and chronic pain, and I prescribed him drugs to alleviate his symptoms.”

“I don’t remember the exact numbers who came to me, but it must have been in the thousands. I treated them for almost three years, before Mazar was recaptured in November 2001.

Because most of these patients had never been to a doctor before,

Afghan psychiatrist Nader Alemi at his clinic in Mazar-e-Sharif Alemi asked if their commanders forbade it but that wasn’t the case.

“To be honest, they were so into their mission and daily routine that they didn’t have time for medication.

Surprisingly, all of them believed in my treatments.

“The reason they gave me for the turmoil in their minds was the uncertainty in their lives. They had no control over what was happening to them. Everything was in the hands of their commanders. They got depressed because they never knew what would happen from one minute to the next.

“Most of them hadn’t seen their families for months - they hadn’t seen their children who had grown big.”

Alemi found many of the soldiers wanted to die. “They told me they [wanted] to commit suicide, but couldn’t because of Islamic values.”

One said: “Every time I go to the frontline, I wish someone would shoot me and bring an end to my life.

But I still survive and hate this sort of living.”

“I used to treat the Taliban as

human beings, same as I would treat my other patients… even though I knew they had caused all the problems in our society,” says Alemi.

“Sometimes, they would weep and I would comfort them.”

Mental health in Afghanistan In 2010 the health ministry said that two thirds of the population had a mental illness Problems are mainly caused by continued violence, poverty, unemployment, domestic violence and drug addiction A nationwide survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2002 found high levels of depression, anxiety, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) - women and people with disabilities were most affected In 2006, the WHO reported that less than 1% of medical training was devoted to mental health The few specialist hospitals that once existed have been replaced by a Mental Consultation Section in big state-run hospitals

“

One of the main problems was that Alemi’s patients were often sent off on missions and could never commit to follow-up sessions.

Consultations cost the equivalent of $1 and the Taliban sometimes sent their wives and daughters to Alemi for treatment as well. “They too were suffering depression, because they wouldn’t see their husbands, fathers for a long time and they didn’t know what the future held for them.”

Even the notorious religious police, the Amr Bil Ma’ruf, let him get on with his business. Alemi remembers how one day they were shouting on their loudspeakers, telling people to leave their jobs and get to mosque for prayers, but he was still seeing patients.

“One of my staff shouted from the building and said: ‘The doctor is busy seeing patients’,” says Alemi.

The Amr Bil Ma’ruf shouted back and said: “It is alright, let him do his job.”

Incredibly, at the same time that Alemi was treating the Taliban, his wife ran an underground school for

Alemi wanted to see Mullah Akhtar regularly to provide long-term treatment, but his patient would go off on missions every three months, and only kept a few appointments.

about 100 girls - under the Taliban girls were not allowed to study.

Parvin Alemi taught them about literature, language, maths and Islamic books. “All I wanted was to educate girls,” she says. “Now some are doctors, engineers and teachers. They all appreciate what I did for them. They say they would have remained illiterate if I didn’t educate them.”

The pupils included the Alemis’ own daughters - one is now a doctor and two are teachers.

But weren’t they running a terrible risk? “I asked them to come separately, not in groups, to avoid any problems,” says Parvin Ale mi. “We ke pt the school secret. We asked our students not to tell anyone either.

It was a dangerous decision, but I am proud to have taken the risk.”

The couple were worried that the Taliban might catch them, but Alemi says they seemed to look upon him kindly. “Since I didn’t have any political ambitions or interest, I am sure even if they caught our underground school, they would be cool about it because they knew all we wanted was to help others.”

More than 15 years later, Alemi is still treating Afghans traumatised by conflict. The queues in his hospital stretch down the corridors, men and women in separate groups. They complain of depression, mood swings and nightmares.

Alemi says the biggest underlying problem in their lives is still uncertainty - they face hardship and deprivation and have no idea what the future holds.

Courtesy; BBC

PAGE 36

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

International Zimbabwe’s Zanu-PF blocks Joyce Mujuru leadership bid Court issues warrant for Libya’s Haftar

A

court in the Libyan capital has issued an arrest warrant for former general Khalifa Haftar, hours after his forces hit Tripoli’s only functioning airport with air strikes.

The developments on Tuesday came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for a halt to air strikes in Libya and for all warring sides to engage in talks.

“The only way to resolve the current crisis is through dialogue,” Ban said, citing “full confidence” in his special envoy, Bernardino Leon, who is seeking to broker talks on a ceasefire deal.

Libya’s various militias and the internationally recognised government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani have been engaged in a violent power struggle for months, resulting in the establishment of parallel administrations.

The only way to resolve the current crisis is through dialogue.

Ban Ki-moon, UN chief The internationally recognised government in Tobruk says it was forced to hit the Mitiga airbase because it had fallen under the control of a rival administration in Tripoli.

The main international airport has been closed since July.

“If an international airport is a symbol of a country’s sovereignty, then Libya is in big trouble,” Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston said.

Awash with weapons Although the Tobruk government has been recognised internationally, Libya’s Supreme Court this month ruled the Tripoli-based parliament was the legitimate one.

The airport attacks will have repercussions, said Omar al-Hassi, prime minister of the Tripoli government.

“Thenationalsalvationgovernment has always adopted the policy of peace, acceptance and dialogue,” Hassi said.

“Yet now, we are forced by what’s happened in Benghazi, Kalkla and Tripoli to embrace the policy of war and armed confrontation.”

More than three years after dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled, Libya is awash with weapons, and all three main cities - Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata - are largely controlled by militias opposed to Thani’s government.

Residents of the area say they are the ones ultimately paying the price for the ongoing conflict.

“We had one air strike and this morning we were surprised with another one,” a local resident told Al Jazeera.

“We woke up to find airplanes striking three times. They hit houses where families and women were staying. They had nothing to do with the airbase.”

Z

imbabwe’s Vice-President Joyce Mujuru has been barred by the ruling ZanuPF party from serving on its powerful central committee, state media reports.

She had failed to win nomination after being linked to a plot to oust President Robert Mugabe, The Herald newspaper reports.

Mrs Mujuru’s fall from grace damages her chances of one day succeeding the 90-year-old, correspondents say.

Zanu-PF is due to hold its elective congress next month.

Mr Mugabe has said he does not intend to quit.

Mrs Mujuru was a close comrade of Mr Mugabe, but the two have have since fallen-out.

First Lady Grace Mugabe, who has recently entered politics, has led a sustained campaign against Mrs Mujuru, accusing her of being “demonic”.

‘Boost for rival’ Last week, Mrs Mujuru said she had ordered her lawyers to restore her “political standing” after being falsely accused by state-owned media of treason and corruption.

Wonder Mashange, the acting Zanu-PF chairman in Mrs Mujuru’s home province of Mashonaland Central, said the party had decided to “defend” Mr Mugabe by rejecting Mrs Mujuru’s bid for a seat on the central committee, The Herald reports.

“We agreed that any member of the party who is accused of assassinating the president - we are not going to accept his or her CV [curriculum vitae],” he is quoted as saying.

Mrs Mujuru has not commented on the decision.

BBC Zimbabwe analyst Stanley

Joyce Mujuru was once a staunch ally of Mr Mugabe

Kwenda says a complex powerstruggle is raging within Zanu-PF, as Mr Mugabe plays his opponents against each other and consolidates his grip over the party and government.

Mr Mugabe may favour another leader for the post of Zanu-PF vice-president, while keeping Mrs Mujuru as vice-president of the country, he says.

Even though Mrs Mujuru’s bid to be elected to the central committee has been thwarted, Mr Mugabe still has the power to appoint her to serve on the powerful leadership body, our analyst says.

Mr Mugabe may decide to do this to show her that he remains the boss, he says.

Either way, Mrs Mujuru’s political star has waned, while that of her rival, Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, has risen, he adds.

Both Mrs Mujuru and Mr Mnangagwa have long been seen as possible successors to Mr Mugabe.

Mrs Mugabe’s surprise entry into politics this year, and her nomination to lead Zanu-PF’s women’s wing, has also fuelled speculation that she could be planning to take over from her husband one day.

Mr Mugabe has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

Mrs Mujuru took part in the 1970s guerrilla war against whiteminority rule when her nom de guerre was Teurai Ropa (Spill Blood).

Sudan asks UNAMID to shut human rights office

T

he UN-African Union mission in Darfur has said that Sudan has asked it to close its human rights office in the capital, Khartoum, as tensions rise over investigations into an alleged mass rape.

The mission’s attempts to investigate charges that government troops raped 200 women and girls in the Darfur village of Tabit last month have

angered Khartoum.

On Tuesday, Abdallah al-Azraq, a senior foreign ministry official, in an interview with Al Jazeera issued counter-accusations against UNAMID. “There are some who are associated with UNAMID raped women and committed acts of lewdness in Darfur and the UN did not lift their immunity and prosecute them or even asked them to depart the

country,” said Azraq.

The shutdown request “is not an escalation on our part or a restriction because of the spreading of false allegations about a mass rape in Tabit, Darfur, but we are trying to return...

UNAMID to its mandate,” said Azraq.

UNAMID said it was “working to clarify” the situation with the government.

The UN mission was set up in 2007 to protect civilians and secure

aid to Darfur, which has been wracked by conflict since 2003 when ethnic groups rebelled against the government.

The conflict in vast Darfur region of western Sudan has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced two million, the UN says.

President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in the region.

Ivory Coast protest over plastic bag ban P olice in Ivory Coast have fired tear gas and used batons to disperse crowds protesting about a ban on plastic bags used to carry water.

One person was injured and several people were detained by police.

The protesters had gathered outside the prime minister’s office in the country’s biggest city, Abidjan.

Small bags are used widely in Africa to package water but Ivory Coast banned them last month in an attempt to reduce pollution.

Tuesday’s demonstration was called by the water sellers’ union, which said the ban would put

thousands of water sellers out of work.

The union’s leader, Gervais Ekoun, said the government should look for an alternative solution. “We don’t want to die of hunger,” he said.

Some of those taking part in the protest had unfurled banners, one of which said: “A ban on plastic bags, death to 200,000 families.”

Traders sell small plastic bags of water throughout Ivory Coast.

Once the water has been drunk, the bags are discarded.

The government introduced the ban in an attempt to eliminate the rubbish problem and promote a greener economy.

The government has introduced a ban on small plastic bags in an effort to reduce pollution

PAGE 37

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

International

HK policemen arrested over beating

S

even Hong Kong policemen have been arrested in connection with the beating of a pro-democracy protester.

A police statement said the officers, who had already been suspended, were detained on suspicion of “assault resulting in grievous body harm”.

The incident took place on 15 October amid clashes while police cleared an underpass by the Admiralty camp.

Civic Party protester Ken Tsang was filmed being led away in handcuffs and beaten for several minutes.

Local TV network TVB later aired footage of his assault, and Mr Tsang’s lawyer said that the beatings had continued after he was taken to a police station.

The authorities immediately moved to suspend the officers and launched an investigation shortly after the clip was aired.

On Wednesday, the police

Ken Tsang, a social worker and member of the Civic Party, was taken away by plainclothes policemen

said Mr Tsang had promised to show up to identify his assailants, but failed to do so, and called on him to “assist the

police in investigations as soon as possible”.

The announcement came amid efforts by the police to

clear the Mong Kok protest site, which resulted in more clashes.

More than 140 people have been arrested.

as its capital, have killed at least 90 people, activists have said.

About 125 more people were reported to have been injured in

the air strikes, which targeted a number of residential districts in the northern city.

The majority of the dead and injured are believed to be civilians, including women and children.

Local activists reported on Facebook that the Raqqa Red Crescent had transferred more than 60 bodies to the national hospital.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three children had been killed in the air strikes.

“Most of the casualties were caused by two consecutive air strikes targeting the city’s industrial area,” observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

“The first strike came, residents rushed to rescue the wounded, and then the second

raid took place,” said Abdel Rahman.

Raqqa is the only provincial capital to fall from government control since the outbreak of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

The government has launched frequent air strikes against the city and other ISIL positions in northern and eastern Syria, but activists say most of the casualties have been civilians.

Syria’s main opposition, the National Coalition, has issued a statement condemning the strikes, calling the attack on Raqqa a “heinous crime”.

“There are many among the Syrians who now believe that the Assad regime is believed to be the sole benefactor of the US led coalition airstrikes and it is time to review the strategy against ISIL on the ground,” the statement said.

in thresholds for authorizing financial transfers to and from Iran also remains in force.

The implementation of the Joint Plan of Action includes for the EU the suspension of a “limited number” of restrictive measures for a period of six months beginning in January of 2014, according to EU documents.

EU documents said the EU’s sanctions target those persons and entities supporting the program and revenues of the Iranian

government used to fund the program. The EU sanctions are not aimed at the Iranian people.

Iran and six world powers on Monday agreed to extend deadline of nuclear talks to July 1 next year in an attempt to secure the prospects of a deal.

Based on the agreement, the interim Geneva deal, or the socalled Joint Plan of Action, sealed on Nov. 24, 2013, will also be extended by June 30, 2015, and the talks will resume in December.

‘Scores dead’ in air strikes on Syria’s Raqaa

S

yrian government air raids on the city of Raqqa, which the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has proclaimed

The majority of the dead and injured in Raqaa are believed to be civilians, including women and children

EU extends sanctions relief on Iran

T

he European Council here on Tuesday said it has extended until June 30, 2015 the suspension of EU sanctions specified in last year’s Joint Plan of Action agreed by P5+1 and Iran.

According to an European Council press release, this move followed the decision by the the P5+1 group, which consists of the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany, and Iran to prolong the validity of

the measures of the Joint Plan of Action until that date.

The press release said while the remainder of the EU sanctions against Iran remain in place, the suspension allows: the provision of insurance and transport in relation to Iranian crude oil sales to current customers, the import, purchase or transport of Iranian petrochemical products, as well as trade in gold and precious metals with the Iranian government and its public bodies. The increase

Asia & Middle East

Workers killed in China coal mine fire

A

f ire at a coal mine in northeast China has killed at least 24 workers, state media has reported.

The blaze early on Wednesday at the mine in Liaoning province also left 52 injured, Xinhua news agency said, quoting the stateowned Fuxin Coal Corporation.

There were no immediate details on the cause of the fire but mining accidents are common in China, the world’s largest consumer of coal.

Last year, China recorded 589 mining-related accidents, leaving 1,049 people dead or missing, according to the government. But both the number of accidents and fatalities were down more than 24 percent from 2012.

Authorities have sought to shut down small mines, a major source of accidents, in an effort to consolidate the industry.

In June, 22 people were killed in an accident at a coal mine in the southwest city of Chongqing.

And 20 people died in April when a coal mine in southwest Yunnan province suddenly flooded, leaving miners trapped.

IS executes two alleged gay men in Syria’s Deir al-Zour

T

he Islamic State (IS) militants stoned to death two young men in Syria’s eastern province of Deir al-Zour on charges of having “unlawful” sexual intercourse with other males, a monitoring group reported Tuesday.

The first man was 20-year-old who was stoned to death at the alBakara roundabout in the city of Mayadeen in Deir al-Zour and his execution was attended by crowds of civilians, including children, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It added that the man was arrested by the IS fighters at an earlier time and a video of him having sex with another male was allegedly found stored in his cellphone.

Another young man, said the Observatory, was also stoned to death at the al-Takya Street in the neighborhood of Hamidyeh in Deir al-Zour on the same charges.

After the execution, the bodies of the two men were taken by the IS fighters without handing them over to their parents.

The IS applied the “stone to death” penalty for the first time on October, 21 this year in the city of Bukamal in Deir al-Zour on a man who was charged of committing adultery.

The extremist group has applied strict rules in areas under its control, banning smoking or drinking alcohol as well as prohibiting women to walk on streets without veils.

PAGE 38

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

International

Ferguson shooting: Protests spread across US A

dozen US cities have seen new protests over the decision not to charge a white policeman who shot a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.

Demonstrations from New York to Seattle were mostly peaceful but rioting broke out in Oakland, California.

There was some unrest in Ferguson itself, with police making 44 arrests, but the town did not see rioting on the scale of Monday night.

The officer who killed Michael Brown there says he has a “clean conscience”.

Darren Wilson, who shot the 18-year-old on 9 August, told ABC News that in the struggle which preceded the shooting, he had felt “like a five-year-old holding on to [US wrestler] Hulk Hogan”.

Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown: “I know I did my job right” Many in Ferguson’s predominantly African-American community had called for the officer to be charged with murder, but the grand jury’s decision means the police officer will not face state criminal charges over the shooting.

Lawyers for Mr Brown’s family denounced the grand jury’s decision as “unfair” while condemning the violence that followed the decision.

St Louis County police chief Jon Belmar said Tuesday had been “generally a much better night” in Ferguson, a town of 21,000 people.

Tear gas was fired just once, he

said, when rioters smashed windows at the Ferguson town hall. There was only one report of shooting, he added, when a car was set alight.

Some 2,200 National Guard soldiers were deployed to assist police in keeping order in and around the town.

Protests were reported in 12 cities: St Louis itself as well as Seattle, Albuquerque, New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Oakland, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Portland, Chicago and

Boston.

In Oakland, in the San Francisco Bay area, rioters vandalised police cars and attacked businesses in the centre during a second night of unrest in the port city of 406,000 people.

On Monday night, 43 arrests were made in Oakland as police struggled to control a crowd of some 2,000 people.

Long-standing grievances about Oakland’s police department are believed in part to be fuelling the

protests there.

Speaking from Chicago on Tuesday, President Barack Obama said there was “no excuse” for destructive behaviour and criminal acts of rioting.

Accepting that “many communities of colour” had a sense of laws not being enforced “uniformly or fairly”, he said he had ordered Attorney General Eric Holder to look at what steps could be taken to build trust.

Protesters in Seattle blocked traffic

Russia to fingerprint foreign visa applicants starting December

F

oreign visitors to Russia will have to leave their fingerprints when applying for visa, according to the decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

The decrees obliges the Russian Foreign Ministry, assisted by the Federal Security Service, to collect

biometric data of foreigners.

All foreigners applying for a Russian non-immigration or transit visa will be fingerprinted starting from Dec. 10, the government press service said, adding that the order also applies to stateless persons.

The new measure is designed

to control illegal migration and terrorist movements, while it is also seen as Russia’s response to the mandatory fingerprinting of Russian citizens applying for visas of the EU’s members in Schengen zone beginning in January 2015.

All the countries will be informed about the order by Dec.

5, according to the government website.

Yevgeny Ivanov, head of the Foreign Ministry’s consulate department, said in February the move was not tightening of visa rules, but “an element of modernization” of Russia’s visa policy.

Tuesday.

Commenting on the report, British Prime Minister David Cameron said: “We expect the internet companies to do all they can.”

“Their networks are being used

to plot murder and mayhem. It is their social responsibility to act on this. And we expect them to live up to it,” he urged.

Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old British soldier, was killed by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale with a butcher knife and cleaver near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich in southeast London in May last year.

The report, by the Intelligence and Security Committee of the British House of Commons, said that there were “errors” in British security operations, but the errors were not enough to have prevented the murder from happening.

“Based on the evidence we have seen, we do not consider that any of the Agencies’ errors, when taken individually, were significant enough to have affected the outcome,” it said.

The report said it had found only one decisive issue which could have made a difference, which was an online exchange, discovered after the attack, between killer Adebowale and an individual overseas in December 2012.

“In this exchange, Adebowale told the individual that he intended to murder a soldier. Had MI5 had access to this exchange, their investigation into Adebowale would have become a top priority,” the report noted.

There was “a significant possibility that MI5 would then have been able to prevent the attack” if the content was reported to British security agencies in advance, the report indicated.

The report sa i d i n tern et companies face the risk of providing “a safe haven for terrorists.”

British PM calls internet companies to prevent terrorism

B

ritish security and intelligence agencies could not have prevented the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby, who was murdered by extremists on a London street last year, a report by the British Parliament revealed

British Prime Minister David Cameron

Europe and Americas

Only three in 10 Americans with HIV have virus in check: U.S. CDC

O

nly 30 percent of Americans living with HIV have the virus under control, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report also estimated that approximately two-thirds of those whose virus was out of control in the United States had been diagnosed but were not receiving regular care.

According to the CDC, antiretroviral medication can keep HIV controlled at very low levels in the body when used consistently, allowing people with HIV to live longer, healthier lives and reducing the likelihood they will transmit HIV to others.

Treatment has been shown to reduce sexual transmission of HIV by 96 percent, and U.S. clinical guidelines now recommend that everyone diagnosed with HIV receive treatment, regardless of their viral load.

“For people living with HIV and AIDS, it’s not enough to know, you also have to go to health care,” CDC Director Tom Frieden told a telebriefing.

“For health care systems ... it’s not enough to diagnose patients, you have to take accountability and responsibility for every patient diagnosed in your health center ... to provide them with the most sensitive, effective, culturally appropriate care so that they will get onto treatment, stay into treatment, live longer, live healthier, stay out of the hospital, and not infect others.”

According to the CDC, more than 1 million Americans are living with HIV and there are an estimated 50,000 new infections each year.

In 2011, among the nearly 840,000 people who didn’t have their virus in check, 20 percent did not yet know they were infected, 10 percent were prescribed antiretroviral treatment but did not get the virus under control, and 4 percent were engaged in care but not prescribed antiretroviral treatment.

The study also found that young people were significantly less likely than older age groups to have their virus under control. Only 13 percent of people aged 18-24 were virally suppressed, compared to 23 percent among those aged 25-34, 27 percent among those aged 35-44, 34 percent among those aged 45-54, 36 percent among those aged 55-64, and 37 percent among those aged 65 and older.

The researchers attribute the disparity in large part to the fact that fewer than half of 18-to-24year olds with HIV have been diagnosed.

“It’s alarming that fewer than half of HIV-positive young adults know they are infected,” said Eugene McCray, director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.

“Closing that gap could have a huge impact on controlling HIV.”

PAGE 39

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Strange World Portuguese buys tiny island, establishes his own kingdom

W

hile this American searched the entire African continent for a piece of land to call his Kingdom, Renato Barros managed to establish his own country much closer to home. The 56-year-old Portuguese citizen purchased a small island on Funchal harbor, in Maderia, Portugal. He named it the Principality of the Pontinha, and anointed himself Prince Renato II. Pontinha is actually just the

size of a one-bedroom house, and has only four citizens – Barros, his wife, and his son and daughter.

In addition to his Portuguese passport, Barros holds a passport for Pontinha with the number 0001. An art teacher by profession, he’s also taken on the roles of policeman, gardener, caretaker, and member of the royal family of his very own country.

“I am whatever I want to be – that’s the dream, isn’t it,” he said. “If I decide I want to have a national song, I can choose it,

and I can change it any time. The same with my flag – it could be blue today, red tomorrow. Of course, my power is only absolute here, where I am the true sovereign.”

Barros got a chance to buy the island fourteen years ago, when it was owned by a wealthy British family who wanted to sell it for 25,000 Euros ($31,000), because it was of no use to them. Nobody wanted to buy it, but when Barros heard of the opportunity at a party, he decided that it was just the thing for him. There was only one snag – he didn’t have the money.

Barros tried to find business partners, but they all thought he was crazy to want to spend so much money on what was essentially a large rock – with a cave, a platform, no electricity and no running water. So he ended up selling several of his possessions, pooled in all of his savings, and bought

the place for himself. Naturally, his wife, family and friends all thought he’d lost his mind.

But he was confident of his purchase because he knew it would give him what he wanted – uninhibited freedom. “When the King of Portugal originally sold the island in 1903, he and all the governors signed a document, selling all the “possessions and the dominions” of the island,” Barros explained. “It means I can do what I want with it – I could start a restaurant, or a cinema, but nobody thought that someone would want to start a country. So that’s what I did: I decided that this would no longer be just a rocky outcrop on the port of Funchal, it would be my island, about the size of a one-bedroom house.”

After he bought the rock, Barros made a diplomatic visit to the governor of Madeira,

introducing himself as the ruler of the neighboring state. In response, the governor threatened to refuse him electricity unless he sold the island back to the state. Barros wasn’t interested in the offer, so he simply set up a solar panel and a small windmill to generate his own electricity.

“Maybe in the future I’ll be able to generate power from the ocean around Pontinha,” he said.

“I’m a pacifist, and I don’t need any money.”

“I don’t live in my country full time, but I am often here.

My family sometimes drops by, and other people come every day because the country is free for tourists,” said Barros, who doesn’t believe in boundaries. But there are times when he prefers to be alone in Pontinha, when he feels “troubled by the excessive power of the Portuguese state.”

Massive sinkhole might swallow up Russian mining town

O

n November 18, giant sinkhole measuring 100 ft across was discovered about two miles away from a mine in Russia’s Perm region. The gaping chasm is believed to have already swallowed up several homes and locals in Solikamsk now fear that the same could happen to their whole town.

The hole is believed to have appeared after the nearby Solikamsk-2 mine was flooded.

Luckily, workers were evacuated and operations were halted before the appearance of the chasm, because of the inflow of saline water.

Thousands of miners have now been asked to stay away as geologists assess the situation.

Uralkali, the company that owns the Solikamsk-2, is assuring people that there will be no catastrophic effects for the company or for the locals. Regional authorities agree that the hole could get bigger, but it would still be of no danger to the people. But that hasn’t stopped the crazy rumors – locals claim to have spotted missiles and even falling angels near the sinkhole.

What’s causing concern among the people of the region is that Solikamsk-2 is connected to another mine, Solikamsk-1, through

underground tunnels. Although these tunnels are walled up, they fear that it’s only a matter of time before the water breaks through and floods the entire region. The town of Solikamsk is located almost entirely above the Solikamsk-1 mine, putting people at great risk of getting swallowed up entirely.

But the town’s Mayor Sergey Devyatkov insisted that these fears are exaggerated. “There is no need to talk about the first mine now,” he said in a TV interview. “All is good there.” He also added that the situation is being monitored at all times, and that there is plenty of time for observation.

“Various possible impacts of the brine on connections (between the two mines) are being studied now, not to let the flooding of the first mine happen,” he said. “I think the first decision will be made in two weeks, but even if no action on fortification of walled-up tunnels is taken, scientists predict they could

stay strong for another 15 years.”

This actually isn’t the first time such a phenomenon has occurred.

Uralkali’s facilities in the area have previously been affected by similar incidents. Their oldest mine was shut down in 2006 due to water inflow, which also caused a sinkhole to form in the town of Berezniki.

In 2011, Berezniki had to deal with another 450 foot-wide sinkhole less than a mile away from a residential area.

The appearance of this latest sinkhole has caused mass panic in the town of Solikamsk, although none of the residents were injured.

Many are reported to be rushing to sell their homes. “People have not slept for three days, waiting for new holes,” said one resident.

“The homes were empty when it happened, which was lucky,” added another. “The nearest houses where people are living were two kilometers away.” Meanwhile, the future of the mine – which has reserves of about 150 million tons of potash – is unclear. A theory suggests that and earthquake that happened 20 years ago might have weakened the bedrock surrounding the mine. Unfortunately, if the rock proves to be too unstable, the mine could be lost forever.

PAGE 40

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

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Peoples Daily, thursday, November october 2,27, 2014 2014

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

NFF line up Bosnia F friendly for Eagles

Amasiemaka carpets NFF over Keshi

Super Eagles line up

T

he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced through its president Amaju Pinnick that the Super Eagles will be playing a number of international friendly matches during the FIFA free windows of 2015 first of which would be the game against Bosnia.

Speaking after the final of the Federation Cup last Sunday, President of the NFF, Amaju Pinnick, said that it was time to get past the failure to qualify for AF-

CON. The NFF boss added that the Bosnia game will just be one of the games to help to that.

“Yes, AFCON 2015 qualifiers have come and gone without us as defending champion qualifying to defend the trophy. We can no longer continue to dwell on this failure now but move on into productive things,” he said.

“We have concluded plans for the Bosnia match same way I can also confirm to you that we are going to play Brazil on March 25, 2015 at the new Akwa Ibom Sta-

Ojo-Oba to part ways with NSC in 2015 >>>Pg 42

dium in Uyo,” continued Pinnick.

Pinnick further went on to say that from now on 60 percent of Super Eagles matches would be played in Nigeria. Previously most of the matches are usually played in London.

“Our board has decided that more than 60 per cent of our international friendly would be played in Nigeria. Not just against any country but Grade ‘A’ football nations. That is the only way other countries will accept our requests, especially if we win

most of the matches,” stated the NFF boss.

Bosnia will be targeting revenge against Nigeria when they take on the Super Eagles in a friendly match billed for next year. The Eagles beat the Bosnian team by 1 goal to nothing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Bosnia was the same group with the Super Eagles during the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They however could not get past the group stage with the Eagles and Argentina making it to the round of 16.

Russia will qualify for Euro 2016 - Capello >>>Pg 46

ormer Nigeria captain, Adokiye Amasiemaka, has blasted the Nigeria Football Federation for wanting to hire a foreign coach to replace the embattled out-of-contract Stephen Keshi.

Amasiemaka, a member of Nigeria’s victorious 1980 Green Eagles team that won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in their history believes Keshi has not been shown enough respect.

Speaking in an interview with SL10.ng, ‘Chief Justice’ as he’s also known, questioned the credibility of the NFF leadership and called for foreign administrators to run the affairs of the NFF if they are so interested in hiring foreign coaches for the national team.

“What makes these chaps who call themselves football administrators more credible to run our football than our indigenous coaches are to manage our football teams?” he queried.

“Why do they keep on talking about foreign coaches? Why don’t they ever talk of foreign administrators?” he asked rhetorically.

“Gentlemen, don’t you think it is high time we had foreign administrators to occupy the glass that is now the burnt house that is now the burnt house? “Stephen Keshi has done marvelously. We should actually give Stephen Keshi, Daniel Amokachi and Sylvanus Okpala and the rest of the crew much more credit than is given to them.”

Adokiye also said that enough appreciation has not been shown to the coaches for winning the Africa Cup of Nations and also qualifying Nigeria for the World Cup. “Don’t forget that for so long we were in the doldrums in terms of results. These chaps came and at the first attempt, won us the Nations cup and at the first attempt, qualified us for the World Cup. “We’re not even saying thank you to them, everybody is just saying ‘fire them fire them’, and we know the running battles Stephen Keshi has had with these so-called football governing body in this country. We know and it’s like we’re not aware of it,” Adokiye added.

We’ll never see another Messi – Henry >>>Pg 43

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Page 42

Sport FCT FA woos corporate sponsors

T

he Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Football Association Chairman, Musa Saeed Talle has called on corporate organizations and well meaning football lovers to sponsor football competitions in the nation’s capital.

Talle made the appeal while speaking on the progress so far made at the ongoing FCT league season.

“A total of 44 teams started the

league two months ago, and now only eight teams are left. I have to commend all the teams that took part in the league for their high level of discipline and understanding.

“We at the FCT FA are committed to the development of the game from the grassroots, and that is exactly what we are doing.

“That is why we are calling on Corporate Nigeria to sponsor the league so that we can really affect

Ojo-Oba to part ways with NSC in 2015

the lives of the youngsters at the grassroots” In the same vein, acting Secretary of FCT FA Haruna Ilerika assured of proper accountability if funds from corporate bodies are made available to the association.

“We the FA officials have always been going cap in hand to solicit for fund to prosecute our league season and this year has not been an exception.

“Funding has remained the bane of the FA in our development programs but we are promising organizations who sponsor is that accountability and transparency in whatever funds that is made available to is will be made open,” Ilerika said.

Meanwhile, 2014 FCT Football League has entered the final group stage with eight teams remaining.

The first two teams from each

group would emerge for the semifinals while the final will come up in December. The eight teams have been divided into two groups with group A comprising of teams like Abee Golden Stars of Garki, Alpha FC of Garki, Medical Strikers of Gwagwalada, and Wazobia FC of Lugbe. Group B have Shinning stars of Kubwa, Optimum Academy of Bwari, Young stars of Jabi and NYSC strikers of Garki.

Inyama, Bassey others in CAF party

By Albert Akota

T

he Chairman of the NFF Marketing, Sponsorship and Television Advisory Committee, High Chief Emeka Inyama and three other eminent Nigerians have been invited by the Confederation of African Football to play important roles at the 30th Africa Cup of Nations finals in Equatorial Guinea.

NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, was earlier appointed member of the Organising Committee for the championship, which will be staged in four Equatorial Guinean cities 17th January – 8th February next year.

Also invited is Etubom Paul Bassey, who served blamelessly on the CAF Media Committee for several years before becoming a General Coordinator. He will serve as a Security Officer at the tournament.

Screen diva and respected administrator, Aisha Falode, who like Inyama is a member of the

CAF Media Committee, will serve as media coordinator during the three –week, 16 –nation party, like Inyama.

Samson Adamu, the organizer of

the annual COPA Lagos Invitational Beach Soccer Tournament, will be an Assistant General Coordinator in Equatorial Guinea.

Pinnick

How NFF share N1.4b FIFA World Cup grant

By Albert Akota

T

here are strong indications that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has received the 2014 FIFA

World cup grant totalling about $9 million (N1.4billion).

We gathered at the glasshouse secretariat of the football federation that the domiciliary account of the football body was credited last week

Bolaji Ojo Oba

By Albert Akota

F

ormer General Secretary of the NFF Bolaji Ojo Oba would retire from the Federal Civil Service on 7th January, 2015. This is after attaining the mandatory years of sixty.

We gathered in Abuja that Ojooba who is a Director in the Department of National Sports Federations and Elite Athletes in the National Sports Commission has been in service for almost three decade.

The former NFF scribe, who was one time Commissioner for Sports in Oyo state, was born on 7th January, 1955 in Ibadan North

East Local Government Area of Oyo State.

He attended Local Authority Primary School, Ijoun (19611966), Egbado High School Ilesa (1969-1974), Oyo Otate College of Education, Ilesa (1978-1981), Village Du Benin Centre for Language Studies, Lome (1983).

He was also at the University of Ibadan for his Masters and Doctorate Degree programmes.

Ojooba is a seasoned football match commissioner, member of CAF/FIFA security committee and served variously in all the international football competitions hosted by Nigeria.

Amadu

by FIFA. This was against the background of the earlier denial of the scribe of the federation Musa Amadu that they have not received the money.

Though, he attributed their inability to get the money to the recent crisis that evolved the Federation, saying that getting the money is no problem, as FIFA would always be ready to release the money whenever such request is made.

Out of the money, the NFF is expected to remit $3.6million (N576,000,000) to the National Sports Commission (NSC) being the amount that the Commission ferried to Brazil on rescue mission after the Super Eagles players had refused to train for their quarterfinal match against France, unless their World cup bonuses are paid. The Eagles lost the match by two goals to nil.

This was confirmed by NFF scribe Musa Amadu that the money brought to Brazil was actually a loan “we had an agreement in Brazil when they brought the money that it would be refunded immediately we receive the money from FIFA”.

With the receipt of the FIFA grant, the Amaju Pinnick led executive will have over N864million to kick start some of its activities, especially payment of staff salaries and other debts.

Page 43

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Sport

We’ll never see another Messi – Henry A

rsenal legend and former French talisman, Thierry Henry says that the footballing world should cherish every remaining second of Lionel Messi’s career because the Frenchman feels that we will never see the likes of the Argentine again. The ex-Barcelona attacker has heaped praise on his former team-mate, who broke the Liga and Champions League all-time goalscoring records in the space of 72 hours Messi became La Liga’s all-time leading goalscorer by netting a hat-trick for Barcelona in Saturday’s 5-1 win over Sevilla, thus taking his tally to 253 in just 289 games. Just three days later, the 27-year-old netted another history-marking treble, this time against APOEL, to claim outright possession of the Champions League record from Real Madrid icon Raul.

Ex-Barcelona attacker Henry watched Messi break both records on television and he could not have been happier for his former

team-mate, admitting his delight at seeing the four-time Ballon d’Or winner make his critics once again look foolish.

“Messi is doing things for Barca and the football world in general that we will never see again - let alone someone who does everything that Messi has done in such a short time,” Henry told ARA. “I loved seeing him so happy after scoring [his recordbreaking] goal against Sevilla. I was lucky to have been watching it at home and you could tell how much he wanted it.

“I do not understand how there are people who can doubt Messi. It seems crazy to wonder what’s happening with Messi if he doesn’t score in one game.

“He’s a great player, a good person and an example to always just play the opponent you’re facing. “We should enjoy him while we can because the day he leaves Barca, the people will realise what he is and how great a player he has been.”

Aguero, same level with Messi, Ronaldo – Lampard

M

anchester City midfielder Frank Lampard believes that his teammate Sergio Aguero stands comparison with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo following his stunning Champions League hat-trick against Bayern Munich.

Having opened the scoring in the 21st minute of Tuesday’s game

Aguero…on top of his game

at the Etihad Stadium, Aguero struck again in the 85th and 91st minutes as City roared back from behind to win 3-2 and keep their hopes of a last-16 place flickering.

City will go through if they win away to Roma in their last Group E game on December 10 and CSKA Moscow fail to win away to Bayern, while a draw could also be enough if the Russian champions lose in Munich.

Asked if Aguero, who has scored 17 goals this season, could be likened to Barcelona superstar Messi and Real Madrid’s Ronaldo, Lampard told reporters: “For me, he’s right up there.

“It’s a big call to make, but from seeing him at close quarters, ability-wise he’s in that bracket, without doubt.

“Now he has to carry on this form, keep doing it week in, week out, which he’s doing and he’s done before, and people will talk about him in the same breath.

“I haven’t been fortunate enough to play with those two (Messi and Ronaldo). I’ve admired them from afar, but in terms of Aguero, he’s certainly right up there.”

City’s trip to the Stadio Olimpico next month will see Lampard come up against his former Chelsea teammate Ashley Cole, who left Stamford Bridge to join Roma during the close season.

Messi has continued to break all available records

Ribery criticizes Ballon d’Or politics

F

rance and Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has launched a stinging attack on the FIFA Ballon d’Or award and 2013 winner Cristiano Ronaldo, believing the decision regarding the winner to be “politics.”

Ribery, who came third in the 2013 voting behind both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, pointed to team-mates Manuel Neuer and Arjen Robben as the best candidates for success in 2014; however, he believes neither will be given a chance of success.

“I learned a lot during last year’s Ballon d’Or gala. As soon as I got there, I told my wife that I would lose. I saw how Sepp Blatter was hugging Ronaldo and

how his entire family was there.

I’m not stupid. It was clear that he had to win it. He wouldn’t have brought his entire family with him otherwise.”

“It will be the same this year.

What can I say about it? Manuel Neuer or Arjen Robben should win it. You can’t disagree with this. Manu has won it all, he is a great guy and he isn’t arrogant.

Arjen has played an incredible season in the Bundesliga and then a fantastic World Cup.” “But I fear it will be about politics again. The Ballon d’Or is no longer for the best player.

It’s all about politics. Fabio Cannavaro won it in 2006 because he won the World Cup, that’s all. I don’t miss the Ballon d’Or. I am

Ribery (right) with Messi and Ronaldo

not jealous because this award doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. I am happy with what I have in Munich.”

Ribery’s decision to comment on Neuer’s lack of arrogance will also raise eyebrows, with many choosing to take the comment as a barb at rival Ronaldo often criticised for his overly selfconfident manner.

However, Ribery’s decision to only consider two of his teammates as contenders for the award will mean his comments are seen as biased towards his friends rather than what could have been legitimate comment on an award which has lost credibility.

Page 44

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Sport

Pacquiao wants Mayweather pairing M

anny Pacquiao achieved a points victory of extraordinary dimensions in Macau but not the first knock out in six years which he so mightily desired. The six knockdowns he inflicted on a road-runner in reverse called Chris Algieri thrilled the packed south-east Asian crowd in the CotaiArena but were not quite enough to finish off the American.

New York’s holder of degrees in medicine and nutrition looked after his health through 12 rounds spent going backwards so fast and so far that if they had taken out the ropes he would have backed himself into the car park of the Venetian casino.

As it transpired, Algieri did that job for him by being fit enough to run a marathon while facing the wrong way and - well, yes - brave enough to keep getting up every time Pacquiao bowled him over.

So when he was asked if him against Mayweather might finally happen, the PacMan was able to say: ‘Yes, I want that fight and the fans deserve it.’

He praised Algieri for regaining a vertical position once in the second round, twice in the sixth, twice more in the eighth and once again in the ninth.

His fabled trainer Freddie Roach disagreed with that assessment, saying: ‘All he did was run. He showed none of the guts that got him off the canvas to win his light-welter title against Ruslan Provodnikov.’

Algieri was stripped of that belt the second the first bell rang here, for accepting this catch-weight fight for Pacquiao’s world welterweight title.

Where he goes from here after a performance trying to smother the life out of a major television event is anybody’s guess.

But Pacquiao is still on course for a date with destiny and a large share of a potential one-billion dollars purse in Las Vegas, Money Mayweather agreeing.

Even though Algieri refused to join the party, Pacquiao was able to demonstrate that his punching power is almost regenerated to the level which destroyed our own Ricky Hatton in 2008.

Pacquiao (right) landing punches on Algieri

Hughes critically ill after ball accident

A

ustralia batsman Phil Hughes is in a critical condition after being hit by a bouncer at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The South Australia left-hander, 25, collapsed after a delivery from New South Wales bowler Sean Abbott struck him on the head, missing his helmet. Hughes was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital where he was put in an induced coma following surgery Cricket Australia team doctor Peter Brukner said there would be no update on his condition until Wednesday. Australian media reported that Hughes stopped breathing at one point and needed

mouth-to-mouth resuscitation at the side of the pitch.

Cricket Australia said on its official website that Hughes had been “struck on the back, lower left side of the head”. It said no blame could be attached to Abbott, a 22-year-old who made his Australia debut last month.

Brukner said in a statement that Hughes had “sustained a severe head injury” and “remains in a critical condition” after surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.

“Unless there is any significant change there will be no further updates on his condition until tomorrow,” added Brukner.

Cricket Australia team doctor Peter Brukner briefs the media outside Sydney’s St Vincent”s Hospital

Stenson retains DP World Championship

A

t the end of a thrilling blanket finish involving the finest players in European golf, it was defending champion Henrik Stenson who came up with the stroke of genius, just as he did last year, to claim the DP World Tour Championship.

In the recorder’s hut were two players, just shy of the winning score, wondering about what might have been.

They included world number one Rory McIlroy, who shot a bogey-free 68 but was left to reflect on the back-to-back double bogeys on Saturday that proved so costly. There was Justin Rose, who failed to seize the birdie on offer at the par five 18th to complete his valiant recovery from the depths of four over par after 10 holes on Thursday.

By contrast Victor Dubuisson, who joined them on 14 under par, was a relatively contented soul after conjuring up a miracle birdie from a bunker at the 18th.

Stenson had made things interesting by driving into a bush at the par four 11th to run up an ugly double bogey six. By his side, joint third round leader Rafa Cabrera-Bello from Spain was falling apart at the seams.

Page 45

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Sport

P-i-c-t-o-r-i-a-l 1. Manny Pacquiao achieved a points victory of extraordinary dimensions in Macau but not the first knock out in six years which he so mightily desired.

2. Belgium and Chelsea FC goalkeeper is one of the goalkeepers named

by UEFA for nominations for its European Team of the Year.

1

3.Players and officials rushed to help Australian cricketer Phil Hughes as he fell to the ground.

4. River Angels skipper, Evelyn Nwabuoku poses with the Women Federation Cup trophy at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

5. McIlroy was crowned the winner of the Race to Dubai and posed for photographs with his trophy.

2

3

5 4

Page 46

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Sport

Russia will qualify for Euro 2016 - Capello

R

ussia coach Fabio Capello has pretty much seen it all on the pitch and on the touchline. Yet even he was taken aback by the speed and enterprise of the football served up at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.

FIFA.com caught up with the hugely experienced Italian at a FIFA/UEFA conference for Europe’s national team bosses, held in the Russian city of St Petersburg in September, where he spoke of his surprise at the football he saw at Brazil 2014 and what he learned from the competition.

The 68-year old coach also discussed the problems his side are currently facing in a tough UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying group and touched on his preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, which would be his third consecutive world finals in the dugout.

The main aim, though, is to put together a competitive side, which means we need players who are capable of doing big things.

Alexander Kerzhakov recently became Russia’s highest goalscorer of all time. How important is he to your plans?

There’s no doubt that Kerzhakov is one of our best goalscorers. He’s 31 now and he works really hard too. He’s a great example for the younger players coming through. What I’m hoping for, then, is that he keeps on setting that example and scoring goals (laughs).

You’ve brought a few of those youngsters through in recent times, such as Dmitriy Poloz, Denis Cheryshev, Magomed Ozdoev and Artem Dzyuba. How important is it for you to blend youth and experience?

FIFA.com: Your contract as Russia coach runs until the end of 2018. What are your objectives with the team?

It’s very important to mix the two, though what matters most of all is blending qualities and attributes. That’s what counts, and I can see that these young players have got quality.

Fabio Capello: My objectives are to have a good World Cup on home soil and for the team to perform at a high level there.

Russia have qualified for the last three UEFA EURO Championships.

How confident are you of

Capello

reaching the 2016 finals?

We’re in a very difficult group, with Sweden and Ibra [Zlatan Ibrahimovic], Austria, who are a really good side, and Montenegro, who could cause problems.

They’re the most dangerous rivals. It’s a long road, but we’re bringing young players into the team and they’re starting to bed down. We’re hoping to push on now.

You mentioned Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Sweden.

He’s always said that when he was at Juventus you did a lot to make him into the free-scoring player he is today. What’s your view?

Ibra has an awful lot of natural talent and it’s not hard at all to turn someone that gifted into a goal machine. All it took was to explain a few things to him. The rest is down to training hard every day, which is something he’s always done. He always did a lot of work on his finishing. When he started out he could kick the ball very hard but the quality wasn’t quite there. He wasn’t that great in the air either, so what he did was practise his heading over and over. His game really came on as a result. I called him over one day and I said to him: ‘You’re as good as Marco Van Basten. You’ve got the potential to be right up there with him, but I’m going to show you how he did it.’ I had someone make a video with all Van Basten’s

goals. I showed it to him and I said: ‘You never get close to goal.

If you want to score, you have to get close to the opposition goal.

You’re always far away. You have fun creating play and you’re great at setting up your team-mates, but if you want to be a goalscorer, you’re going to have to play closer to the area.’ He got the message very quickly.

football. As for Montenegro, their biggest asset is the individual quality they’ve got. They have some really exceptional players.

They’re all teams that, in one way or another, command a lot of respect from us.

When you come up against a matchwinner like that do you have to change the way you play?

I’ve noted down everything that was said, which was all very interesting, and now I’m going to go away and reflect on what I heard. There are always things you can learn. If you don’t want to learn new things, then you should go and do something else. You need to keep your feet on the ground and have respect for others. Those are both fundamental things.

When you’re a coach you try to cover every angle, but the players are the ones who go out on the pitch. You try to explain things, but then you have to look closely and try to see if the charisma and the sheer presence of the player like that can lead to mistakes being made. And there’s no doubt that with someone like Ibrahimovic you absolutely have to be on your guard.

You’ve said on many occasions that Russia were given a tough group in the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifiers.

Well, my thinking has always been that you have to respect every team you play. Obviously you can’t talk about Sweden and not mention Ibra. And when you talk about Austria, it’s the team you focus on. They’re a good side and they play quality

What can a coach with your experience learn from a conference like this?

Looking back at Brazil 2014, did you see any innovations or new trends?

What caught my eye most in comparison to South Africa and the European qualifiers was just how fast the pace of play was.

That’s what stood out for me more than anything else. Every team played the game very, very fast, and they were really aggressive and technical. It was a great World Cup and probably the best one in recent times in terms of technique and tactics.

PAGE 47

Peoples Daily, thursday, November 27, 2014

Some Interesting Facts

T

he human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream.

Most men have erections every hour to hour and a half during sleep.

People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.

On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.

Time magazine’s ‘Man of the Year’ for 1938 was Adolph Hitler.

The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896, Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley’s Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen.

In 1897, Bayer, who is the maker of Aspirin, marketed the drug heroin.

In ancient China, people committed suicide by eating a pound of salt.

People say “bless you” when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond.

The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

Monkeys don’t have feet. Since they have opposable thumbs instead of big toes, they are classified as being four-handed.

On average, women utter 7,000 words a day; men manage just

over 2,000.

The first ‘successful’ head transplant was carried out in 1963 byRobert J. White of Cleveland, Ohio, who attached the head of one monkey to the body of another.

The monkey survived for several days, during which it tried to bite the experimenters.

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltters in

Leisure

a wrod are; the olny iprmoetnt fatcor is taht the frist and lsat ltteres be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Petrty amzanig, huh?

By the time an average American child leaves elementary school, they have seen 200,000 violent acts and 40,000 murders on television.

There are around 200 corpses on Mount Everest.

George Washington grew marijuana in his garden.

Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves.

The phrase “Beam me up, Scotty” was never actually spoken in any Star Trek television episode or film.

New Mexico law states, that females may not appear unshaven in public.

Say what?

SUDOKU SUDOKU EASY 193

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Patient pooch Bella Boo is set to become a YouTube sensation with her incredible array of balancing tricks.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

THURSDAY, november 27, 2014

. . . putting the people first

QUOTABLE QUOTE We’re still considering who to hand the APC presidential nomination to; we’re still discussing, but if eventually we do not reach an agreement, we’ll all head for the primaries.

– Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, governor of Kano state and APC presidential aspirant

SPORTS Police and the fire this time latest

Politics has ruined our football – Akpoborire

F

ormer Eagles striker, Jonathan Akpoborire says politics has really destroyed football in the country. The former Hansa Rostock of Germany playmaker identified politics as the bane of Nigerian football and suggests that members of the NFF Exco are beneficiaries of that system hence the many crisis in the football house.

He said as a panacea, a politics-free football landscape will see Nigeria enjoy the game as its obtainable in developed footballing countries. ” Politics is actually destroying Nigerian football, in Nigeria when we draw up a plan its always scuttled by politics.” ” If we want to enjoy the game like the Europeans we must separate football from politics. I don’t feel sorry for the Football Federation board members because they benefited from their political connections, so they must face the consequence.” the former international said.

Moses out till New Year

S

toke City winger Victor Moses could be out for more than six weeks with a thigh injury, it has been confirmed.

Moses sustained the problem in the weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Burnley and may return to Chelsea for treatment, though Marc Wilson has returned to training The 23-year-old - who is on loan at the Britannia Stadium from Chelsea - sustained the problem during Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Burnley in the Premier League and is now likely to be sidelined until the New Year.

“He has a significant thigh injury, which is likely to keep him out for several weeks,” said assistant manager Mark Bowen.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Bowen added: “ At the moment we’re deciding with Chelsea whether [Moses will] go back and have the rehab there or stay with our team.”

Advert: 0806 business: 0704 news: 0814 lagos: 0805 0803

E

xcuse an over worn cliché’.

The Nigerian Police is in the eye of the storm. The police, the Nigerian variety, that is, have always been so in the eye of storm. This latest storm is in the form of, one, interpreting the Constitution of the Federal Republic, and two, in the enforcement of the law as provided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic. The fire this time will rage for some time. It is set to linger.

The recent police action or should I say, inaction, in providing cover for the Speaker of the House, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and denying him access to the green chamber, was a complete PR disaster.

The police have an unenviable reputation; these two recent illadvised stunts of shutting the gates of the National Assembly against Tambuwal and teargasing federal lawmakers have confirmed its status as a willing sidekick of the executive. They have earned it a conspicuous place in the hall of infamy. God save the rest of us!

When the police acts like this on the side of partisanship, the words of General Muhammadu Buhari to the effect that INEC and the police have merged with the ruling PDP ring loudly in the ear. I am of the considered opinion that the police have no shame. Otherwise they wouldn’t have lamely tried to defend the indefensible. Spinning the tale to damage control that “intelligence” report indicated the imminent arrival of thugs to invade the National Assembly Complex on the day the House resumed for a special sitting was a poorly cobbled afterthought.

How could Suleiman Abba, the Inspector General of Police, have allowed himself to be messed up like this? I was really fond of the youthful police topshot. When he took charge, we thought he would bring to bear his legal mind on the ‘kill and go’ mentality of the police. We thought wrongly. On August 7th, here on this page, I freely counseled him to be wary of the politics of PDP. He impressed me by his brilliance as a lawyer and his down to earth disposition as a law enforcement agent in a chance meeting in January at the Trust Annual Dialogue.

In that piece titled “Weeping For Abba Suleman”, I said thus: “Fourth and perhaps the most important reason I, as an admirer of the new police boss, am weeping for him is the politics of the ruling party. The PDP is known for its ‘do-or-die’

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THURSDAY Column Ali M. Ali

aliyumaliyu@yahoo.com

IGP Abba Suleman

politics. It takes no prisoners; Its mentality is ‘winner takes all’. For controlling power at the centre, it has misused the police so frequently during elections that those at the receiving end see the force as an extension of the party. There are instances policemen in uniform have been caught on camera stuffing ballot boxes in favour of the PDP.”It appears this was not heeded.

The police navigated into this storm when it withdrew the cops giving the House Speaker security cover. Tambuwal did the unpardonable. He defected from the ruling PDP. And so what? Every now and again, Nigerian politicians, and I hasten to add, all of them unprincipled and lacking in honour, defect to another party where they think their bread will be better buttered. The Speaker merely followed in his own example of politics of amala and ewedu soup. In the past, he had defected to the PDP from ANPP. He was embraced and hugged in his new party.

He was flaunted by the grateful PDP like a coveted trophy.

Tambuwal is not alone in the cross carpeting business.

Senators and governors in this current democratic dispensation have, intermittently, become ‘crosstitudes’, a disparaging tag hung on all politicians who ‘prostitute’ in parliament or congress cross carpeting.

Crosstitudes to the PDP are hailed for ‘seeing the light’.

Such crosstitudes swelled the rank of the PDP to the chagrin of the losing parties. In some countries, crosstitude is seen as “constitutional theft” because it takes away a party’s seat and gives it to another.

In withdrawing security for the Speaker, ranked as no4 in the national order of precedence, the police, trained by the colonial master to side with the executive arm of government, relied on a certain constitutional provision that empowers it to permit the no 4 citizen to walk without police escort.

Suddenly the police saddled with the task of law enforcement are now interpreters of the Constitution. In withdrawing their men from behind the Speaker, it said “In view of the recent defection by the Right Honorable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, CFR, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC), and having regard to the clear provision of Section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has redeployed its personnel attached to his office.”

Legal luminaries vast in the delicate art of legalese were unanimous in whipping the behind of the police. All of them were agreed that cops lack the locus standi, a gobbledygook designed by lawyers to make simple things sound difficult in the ear of the simpleton. Femi Falana kicked in the face of the Police for standing the Constitution on its head. He accused the Police Chief of partisanship.

Human Rights Lawyer Clement Nwankwo also kicked. He went a step further. He spoke in the language of an incensed legal luminary. He said it is “bizarre, outrageous and unacceptable for a police officer functioning as part of the executive arm of government to assume the garb

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of a judicial officer and embark on an unsolicited and ridiculous voyage of pronouncing interpretations to provisions of the Constitution as to declare the seat of an elected member and Speaker of the House of Representatives vacant”. The president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Augustine Alegeh, also lampooned the cops for eagerly being the sidekick of the executive arm of government.

In interpreting section 68(1) (g,), the police made a complete mess of eating a boiled egg.The law is truly a bum. Our Constitution is a perfect example. According to the NBA boss, this compendium of laws is the sole cause of confusion. It didn’t envisage the Tambuwal scenario.

Alegeh is of the informed opinion that the police erred by withdrawing the security detail attached to the Speaker because the power to determine whether or not there has been a breach of the Constitution in the defection of Tambuwal is beyond the jurisdiction of the police.“Section 68 of the Constitution enumerates the procedure to be adopted by the National Assembly when a member defects from one party to another. Unless and until that procedure is followed and adopted, Aminu Tambuwal remains Speaker of the House of Representatives. We have stated clearly that the police lacks jurisdictional competence to determine whether or not there has been a breach of the constitution; that duty is a function of the court.

“There is no provision in our Constitution that says if you are in PDP or APC and you decamp to another party you automatically lose your position of leadership of the House’’, said Alegeh. Surely, Suleman, being a lawyer himself, knows this. Right now the police smell like cow dung. Too bad.

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